Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 1997)
ber21,i§ msi!r esday • October 21, 1997 O The Battalion PINION "tolerating the intolerable ot surge* tudents must take holistic view ofA&Mpractices I jGrei Vdetc said the 'ling th ise he as ’"iTT/.v Odyssey is a ait healtl (,reek epic poem r concettB, detailing the wan- t° last nngs of Odysseus in 1 r P er 010 years following chronijfall of Troy. 1 even No one can be sure if man ntc-tysM jus ever made a > the (earth thro ugh College ) n garni itio 11, but the thought ngrown the University com- ?tq a standstill makes James Francis opinion editor asked', 'tudcut wonder what idman at sastrous events could , c vie caused its downfall. ms j s ,, Tin yeai‘is 2007. A&M has become a na- I(| ( | ir mwide mecca for pure-bred collies. Its multi- itinum album-selling choir group, The ^ | „ hoopmasters, have garnered another Gram- a 11 /nomination for their hit single, “Wannabe , and students now can park in the " 1 '' 1 w A. R Beutel Health Center high-rise gai age 1 rdnly $35 an hour. ible. So j s w hat the future holds for A&M if cer- ' e can " ! n aspects of the faculty and student body do it change. Although most of the aforemen- insistei med is said in jest, people do not realize even ict inclui ore ridiculous situations could result from becaustelfcampant ignorance and misunderstand- ohavior.lMhat occur every day at this school and spendedihin this city. ing a ct To those readers who have not come to the sing ex:3lh'ition there exists an Aggie Odyssey: Un- tgametef?tm id it is a reality, and the details reach be- i iking aiPd students complaining about mition and gjor parking problems. wn as , Tin 1 tme definition of “Aggie” is defiled on a ( (|1 ’ litybasis — this puts die “odd” soundinthe lu ‘l m( 3rd “odyssey.” If Aggies do not lie, cheat or I } ! 1 1 , jal, nor do they tolerate those who do, the ^ ^ 1 testion remains as to why students allow cer- r. Buthel The Battalion Established in 1893 Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorials board members. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, administration, faculty or staff. Columns, guest columns, cartoons and letters express the opinions of the authors. Editorials Board Helen Clancy Editor in Chief Brad Graeber Managing Editor I? Clean Cut? Despite new initiatives, the promise to eliminate profanity at Bonfire is questionable. inproblems to persist. One of the biggest perplexities surrounding u 111 itM is its students’ behavior toward issues ; 111 ch as religion and sexuality. On this campus, iillerent ere are Catholics, Baptists, and beware, even hSists. Religious beliefs are personal, and ; idents should not have to worry about oth- ur, ana attempts to convert or condemn them. inythingB nce one °f the founding beliefs of most ,, ligions is to love and treat others with re- ise tnikiect, denouncing someone else’s religion » |y displays ignorance, which in turn, itises people to respond in a similar, inap- bpriate manner. S FORWf Thun there is the issue of heterosexuality is homosexuality. A student’s sexual orien- tract. tation does not make the person, especially in the stereotypical manner in which many peo ple think. If it did, gay men would be having sex at the feet of Sul Ross for exhibitionism, and all heterosexual men would be yelling “dyke” and “fag” at students who look “alterna tive” and outside the norm of wranglers andT- shirts — this simply is not the way things go. As with religion, it is not one person’s job to degrade another for the simple fact he or she is attracted to members of the same sex. Furthermore, there are too many accepted practices and beliefs dial get into students’ minds without them attempting to dig deeper, not for scandal or to go against the status quo, but to find out all the facts. Do not let the fact diere are minority stu dents enrolled in the University blind you into believing A&M is multicultural or diversified. With racial separations in fraternities, sorori ties, scholarship awards and personal bigotry, this University has a long way to go in proving it can be “family-oriented.” Do not ignore the drove of students who travel to Northgate every weekend (or week day), get intoxicated, have vehicular accidents and become hospitalized for one or a mixture of these two bad elements. There is a drinking problem on this campus, as on campuses na tionwide, but when students forget they are here to receive an education, it becomes all too easy to head to Northgate to drown the trou bles of daily life. And do not forget the double standards of respect displayed. Students are called two-per centers, t-sips and other less than respectable names for showing apathy toward a mascot, fraditions such as Silver Taps and organiza tions such as the Corps of Cadets. But the students who ridicule others are the same students who flaunt their profane pots at Bonfire cut, the same students who take tequila shots before heading out to the ever-spirited MidnightYell and the same students who whoop and cheer when oth ers are made to perform 100 pushups for saying the word “elephant.” Change can come about only when stu dents stop looking straight ahead and make an attempt to question and go around some of the accepted practices at A&M. Although there is more than one problem to correct at the University, students should concentrate on obliterating the troubles of this “world-class” facility by joining forces to make the school de serving of the proud title it boasts. Texas A&M is a good school. Students come from all over the nation to attend A&M for its tra ditions and quality education taught by its com petent, sometimes extraordinary, professors. But if students and faculty keep a blind eye to the in appropriate activities that go on at this campus, there will be no hope for redemption. James Francis is a junior English major. In attempt to answer concerns about profanities worn on Bonfire pots, campus leaders had a heated discussion at a Bon fire Advisory Council meeting Monday. Bonfire leaders enthusiastically agreed to a one-week ultimatum to clean up the sit uation and make “substandal progress” to avoid University intervention. The buzz word at the meeting was “progress.” Conveniently, no one could define what measurable results would constitute “progress.” In the end, Head Stack John Gallemore, Vice President for Student Affairs J. Malon Southerland and Bonfire Adviser Kevin Jackson will make the judgment exclusive of other campus leaders. It seems that if distinct goals cannot be defined, then true progress will nev er be achieved, especially in the time frame of one week. It is highly doubtful that Gallemore, Southerland and Jackson will subject Bonfire to the unbiased scrutiny of Uni versity administrators Monday. Whether or not the situation has been rectified, they surely will boast “substantial progress.” The tradition of Bonfire would otherwise be in severe jeopardy, since the University would have no other option than to discontinue it. While some Bonfire workers are blam ing The Battalion for the events now un folding, the animosity is a simple case of targeting the messenger. The duty of a stu dent newspaper is to report the truth, and no one can deny the existence of profan ity on those pots. Unfortunately, the sentiment at yester day’s meeting could be best defined by the laughter of a female Bonfire representative when the issue of sexual harassment was discussed. A potentially productive ses sion was reduced to several unanswered questions and weak explanations. Although the leaders seemed confident the problem could be “fixed” in the span of one week, the strategy they are endors ing is questionable. Claiming that “Aggies lead by example,” Bonfire leaders are bet ting that workers ’will imitate their superi ors, who do not endorse profanity on pots. However, these leaders never have en dorsed this behavior, and it is naive to as sume a few meetings and a handful of de termined students will effect change. Gallemore and other Bonfire leaders are sincere in their opposition to the profani ty, but the constraints they face in enforc ing this regulation are insurmountable. As for the redpots, they are too ab sorbed in the important task of maintain ing safety to worry about what is written on the pots. No one will argue with safety, especially after the two injuries at Satur day’s cut. An ax to the foot should never be of minor concern. At one point in the discussion, a red- pot offered a snide suggestion to put a fence around stack site and check every one at the gate. Obviously, the magnitude of this problem extends beyond any easily monitored behavior. The group mentality found at the root of this vulgar behavior cannot be reme died in seven days. The chain of events fol lowing the first reported hazing incident surely illustrates this. A tradition as widely embraced as Bon fire should represent the most redeeming qualities of Texas A&M students, espe cially with opening of the Bush Library just around the corner. It is never too late to enact change, but the decision to rep resent A&M must be embraced by every individual working on Bonfire, not just a concerned minority. ore liberals at A&M would improve student body diversity my , 25 in there, do it." ; arealiti verly so. ) this iMi of unrest mningtotj Dennis eel John Lemons columnist t the corner of Universi ty Drive and Spence treet, by the Zachary ||iilding, as one is leaving [mpus, there is a sign which dicates no left turn. While very few motorists je prone to follow the sign’s jstructions, it is a command gies seem happy to obey. |xas A&M University, howev- it him to er, is a school which refuses to rn toward the left. In fact, from the looks of it, M must be one of the most right-wing places in the country. From the clothing Aggies wear to the values they profess, the vast majority of A&M’s stu dents are conservatives. B While having a campus full of right-thinking students does contribute to A&M’s unique atmos phere, it also leaves A&M lacking. A&M needs ore liberals. It is the only solution to this school’: c|/erwhelming homogeneity. I In these parts, “liberal” is a dirty word. Any stu dent who espouses liberal sympathies is bound to YTOM be met with disdain or an argument that goes some thing like this: • Liberal student — “We need to limit access to guns by enacting stronger gun-control laws. By banning some types of guns and creating waiting periods to check for criminal records, we can help keep guns out of criminals’ hands, thereby pro tecting the children.” • Typical Aggie —- “You pinko, leftist, tree-loving, tax-raising hippie! Guns aren’t die problem. What America needs is more electric chairs, so we can use them on criminals and sissy-boy liberals like yourself.” Obviously, A&M is not a very liberal-friendly place. This is surprising, because A&M has many qualities to attract liberals. First, A&M has socialized medicine. Every student at A&M is guaranteed health care at the A.R Beutel Health Center. All stu dents have to do is go inside, get questioned if they are pregnant and wait to receive treatment from the clinic-assigned doctor of their choice. More importantly, there are a host of causes on this campus an individual might think liberals would be lining up to crusade against. After all, some of the activities that occur on campus should be enough to tick off liberals of all shapes, sizes and varying degrees of open-mindedness. Consider Bonfire. Certainly, clear-cutting local woods and burning between 5,000 and 7,000 logs grates on the nerves of some environmentalists, yet there exists little open opposition to Bonfire on this campus. Within the past few years, there has been no real organized movement against Bonfire. In fact, the last memorable attack against A&M’s great burning idol occurred about five years ago from a group that called itself Aggies Against Bonfire (AAB). AAB actu ally went out to the Bonfire site to protest. It made for an interesting controversy on campus. Today, the strongest opposition against Bonfire comes from the Aggie Bonfire — Dumb as Dirt Home- page (http://www.isc.tamu.edu/FLORA/tfp/bon- fire2.htm). The page vividly describes the excesses of Bonfire. Although the page is interesting and amusing, Web pages do not constitute liberal activism. The make-up of A&M’s yell leaders should be enough to make any feminist mad. After all, there never has been a female yell leader. Despite this fact, there are no cries of sexism from A&M’s chapter of the National Organization of Women. Likewise, there are no demands to elect a female yell leader. Frankly, this campus’ feminists must be content with the current yell-leader glass ceiling. A&M is home to the soon-to-be-opened George Bush Presidential Library. Although President Bush was never aligned with the very right wing of the Re publican party, he was still a Republican. Surely this must irk some liberals on campus. A&M needs more liberals, not because they are right — err correct —- but because they add a differ ent perspective. While A&M prides itself on its unity, it is a university — a place where a diversity of opin ions come together to be discussed. It is this dialogue between liberals and conserva tives that seems to be missing as of late. After all, when was the last time the College Republicans had a public debate with the Aggie Democrats? This is a place where liberals could thrive, or at least be more vocal. The result would be a school where conservatives and liberals alike benefit by hearing all points of view. For now, much like their precious spotted owl, liberals represent a very large endangered species. John Lemons is an electrical engineering graduate student. Mail Call U lonfire vulgarity lisgraces University I was appalled to read about ie latest in a long line of inci- ents that show exactly how in- insitive some A&M students ordereo w . guested de r w be. je within Using a University-sponsored ^ent such as Bonfire to display is Directo-uch offensive language is dis- m eful and trul y disgusting, est with can students be allowed to iun t numifc'jsttiean themselves and others ress, CMK- Iis way? A “boys will be boys” attitude, equently used to excuse such Kle behavior and sexual as- ault, is unacceptable. I Given that the site is in public ieyv, it is clear the University hould take action to remedy this ituation immediately— espe- ially when world leaders and where 8* listrM !es. dignitaries shortly will have ac cess to this campus for the Bush Library opening. Surely they would not think highly of the association between such vulgarity and a University- sponsored event. These students should be able to accomplish Bonfire without disgracing them selves and the University. It would seem to me their col leagues and University officials should ensure they do. Sonia R. King Graduate student Unfounded articles take aim at Bonfire I wish the writers of The Bat talion would figure out Highway 6 runs both ways. It seems ignorant people are employed by The Battalion. With out research, the writers’ com ments are unfounded and have little meaning. You do get readers, not by insightful literature, but by tabloid literature. Bonfire always has been this way. Profanity always has been a part of Bonfire. Bonfire provides an outlet for stress, where a per son can scream at workers pro fanities that would never be said in public. If you think what is written on the pots’ pots is bad, maybe you need to hear just one grode story. But then you might be writing for weeks about that profanity. Mandy Cater should research be fore she writes. In her column, she wrote, “In recent years, however, another less-spirited practice has jaded the ‘pot’-wearing tradition.” Dorm leaders do not change their pots when they get them. Profanities written on the pots have been there for approxi mately 10 to 25 years. At least The Battalion staff came out to one Bonfire activity, although taking pictures does not mean you worked on Bonfire. See you when it burns. Edward Citzler Class of ’99 Meaning of tradition loses its stronghold As I sit back and listen to the messages continuously voiced by the secular world, I become more and more astonished by what I hear. The loudest of the voices at Texas A&M seem to be for tradi tion, yet in practice, the “tradi tions” are changed according to the most accepted ideals that sweep across our society — the latest being that of tolerance. The question that arises in tolerance is who sets the limits of what is to be tolerated. As far as the law is con cerned, we have a constitution to uphold as a standard, yet even it is subject to change ac cording to the course set by our changing culture. Here at A&M, the Bonfire tra dition has not always focused on the obscenities alluding to sex. But a few people in our society have decided the combination of sex, profanity and humor is ac ceptable in open conversation, while others allow their ideals of tolerance to override their con science and comfort. This leads our society to crack open the gates of perversion, al lowing its stench to fill the air un til its familiarity dulls the senses, causing it to appear as the norm, or “tradition.” All of this is to say without a set standard, the contradictions I see will make for a University bent on keeping tradition, but tolerant on issues of morality. This, in turn, will continue to drift along with those who pro claim their liberal standing, only it will be in the name of a word that has lost its meaning — “tradition.” Paul Duke Class of ’00 Profanity, like life, should be accepted Rampant vulgarity. Gasp. Oh no. I get chills just thinking about it. C’mon, you overly sensitive people, all we are doing is having a little bit of college-style fun. Fun is at least as important a Bonfire tradition as pride and our burning desire to beat the hell out of t.u. (gosh, I hope no one was offended by that). So if this means we are con formists, then I’m sorry, but I had better not see you at any parties just because other people showed up before you did. As for the sexual-harassment aspect, what is the latest, mind- staggering number of complaints, anyway? One? Sorry, but no dice. I will personally buy lunch for the men or women who have been flagrantly accosted by a hat or oth er inanimate object. I will, of course, look into the mental health of anyone making such a claim. Do household appliances make fun of you as well? I apologize to all those who will be shocked by this announcement, but it needs to be said. Life is offensive. Deal with it, and let us have our fun. In the im mortal (and only slightly distort ed) words of the Bloodhound Gang song: We don’t need no whiners, let the Bonfire burn. Burn Bonfire, burn. Tim Dewees Class of’01 Davis-Gary women forgotten in Bonfire In response to Michelle Voss’Oct. 15 Lifestyles feature: Voss forgot to mention the women who pioneered female participation in cut, stack and load: the women of Davis-Gary. D-G women were the first fe males to go into the woods, handle an ax and take down trees as effi ciently as the rest of them. When D-G was a male dorm,^ the men had a reputation of being red-ass. When women moved into D-G, they fought hard to keep up the D-G tradition of building the hell out of Bonfire. Davis-Gary women cut with Moore Hall. Amidst the traditional wake-up of the males of Northside Quad rings the powerful female voice of the women of Davis-Gary. Virginia Guerrero Class of’99