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Jay •November 7, 1997
O The Battalion
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[Texas A&M
‘the word “haz-
Jeremy
Valdez
columnist
fwjjng" is almost
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res images of
ng sprees,
ap contests
ihermanifesta-
of masculinity
iorribly wrong,
almost students
Kognize — and what the administra-
Inever admit — is that the most
entform of abusive ritualism is acade-
nature. This “intellectual hazing” is
rated either purposefully or subcon-
tybytoo much of the faculty,
at is hazing? Universities constant-
aigethe definitions in their rule
to fit the latest, most scandalous
ntorthe changing political cli-
but essentially it is the infliction of
tessary or excessive work meant to
date or ridicule a new member,
tmodern American university,
iA&M undeniably is, does both
ihings to students with the hope
mewhere along the way educa-
so happens.
demic intimidation occurs so of-
have terms like “weed-out class”
ribe it.
fd-outs — introductory classes
quire tremendous effort to pass —
(necessarily bad; often they allow
:to recognize early they did not re
rant to be a engineer, accountant or
Dpher anyway.
rever, the weed-out phenomenon
includes classes where the professor’s
bark is even worse than the course’s bite.
Many students have had a professor
hand out a syllabus and say something
like, “Every year one-third of the stu
dents fail this class. I’m not trying to
scare you, that’s just the way it usually
happens.”
The next day, one third of the class
has dropped, denying itself the chance
to call the bluff.
Even if the statistics back the profes
sor’s claim (or boast), presenting grade
distributions in such a manner does little
to inform but a lot to frighten. Studying is
scary enough without knowing the in
structor has a grim notion of what the fi
nal grades will be.
Unfortunately, intellectual hazing
does not end with the freshman year.
Many students who brave the introduc
tory material find subtle forms of acade
mic ridicule waiting in later classes.
Theory courses in particular are noto
rious for forcing students to read count
less chapters of predigested esoteric
thought and then regurgitate it in neat
one-page essay tests.
Many instructors are so obsessed with
ensuring the reading assignments are
actually done they forget to allow for
some healthy dissent on exams.
Professors who pen test questions like
“Which of our five authors do you agree
with the most and why?” or “Which came
first, the chicken or the egg? Support your
argument with examples from the text.” of
ten do not realize that they are hazing stu
dents by discounting independent intellect.
Some students who read the text might
believe that all five authors should have got
ten real jobs or that God angrily hurled both
chickens and eggs, but such innovative ar
guments, no matter how well they are de
fended, often go unrewarded in classes
where the holy scriptures have a little yellow
“USED” label on the spine.
As the twentieth century comes to a
close, America looks around to see that
walls of gender, race and class are falling
or at least being targeted for demolition.
But as old methods of division fall, so
ciety actively seeks new ways to create
power gradients and stratify itself into
upper and lower classes.
The latest, most legitimized upper
class is made up of educated people, the
technological elite who attempt to se
cure money, status and power via their
aquired knowledge.
As students try to get initiated into this
learned society they are subjected to many
trials that are analogous to the binges and
embarassment that cadets and aspiring
greeks are supposed to be protected from.
The fact that students (and pledges,
for that matter) subject themselves to
these tortures shouldn’t be overlooked.
In order for hazing to occur, someone
has to agree to be hazed. Not all ritual
ism is inherently evil.
In fact, hazing ideally serves to foster
a spirit of camaraderie and make the re
ward more valuable.
But when academic hazing serves
only to subjugate students and stifle in
dependent thought, the offending
coursework ceases to be a tool of educa
tion and morphs into an implement of
cerebral control, like a paddle used to
spank a lesson into your head.
Jeremy Valdez is a senior chemical
engineering and journalism major.
(niversity students get derailed on intellectual voyages
Dthe
Michelle
Voss
columnist
tat is truth?”
Pontious Pilate
asked Jesus.
What is beer?” saith the
demcollege student. Ahh,
20th century University: a
-pot of nitwits.
Asocial phenomenon oc-
ing today is the dumbing of
erica. While people point to
ig numbers of college grad-
tesand the purring economy
signs of intelligent life, some
mid argue that students are leaving college without
ie knowledge.
Students are under the delusion that a degree
college is an automatic sign of intelligence,
iwever, the pieces of paper we receive today are
ie illusions of intelligence.
This is all a direct result of America’s campaign of
i-intellectualism. Americans avoid thinking. If
sible Americans avoid brain activity all together,
lerica is brain dead.
Wedo not care to discuss matters of intellectual im-
- we’re watching the football game. We do not
care to debate politics—we need more beer. We do
not care to understand God—we’re out of queso dip.
Sadly, American culture is lost in the superficiality
of life. There is little value placed upon cultivating the
mind, and no one sees virtue in thinking.
The power of thought is not the emphasis of
American life, but the seduction, lure, and entice
ment of beauty.
Squeeze those buns, tuck those tummies, lift that
face, suck that fat, inflate those breasts — you’r e
nothing, girls, if you don’t have a pretty face and
firm butt.
The obvious dilemma resulting from a superficial
focus is an America that is pretty on the outside, but
lacking substance underneath the surface.
The institution that is receiving the nastiest case
of this superficial bug is the University.
Plaguing academia today is the apathy with
which students approach knowledge.
The Univeristy has become home to droves of
beer-guzzling whiners. Students moan and com
plain about having to read, write and go to class —
how excruciating.
Rather than valuing the opportunity to study, the
modern college student views their college education
in terms of dollar signs — how much will it cost me,
and how much will I make afterwards?
Rare is the individual who is attending this Uni
versity because they have a passion for knowledge.
Most students see these four, five or seven years as
their glory days of gluttony — beer, sex, more beer
— then they’ll get a nice job, in a nice high rise, in a
nice suburb, with a nice lawn and a nice home. On
the surface, the education pays off.
While a University should be about emersing
oneself in diverse ideas, students today are slapped
into their major, sequestered from the rest of the
university, pushed out as quickly as possible, and
then shoved into a cubicle to perform astounding
math for the benefit of Western Civilization. The val
ue of learning is lost.
Instead of questioning their place in the universe
or maybe reading a bit ’o Plato or Nietzsche, stu
dents prefer to give existential status to beer and
study Shiner ingredient labels.
People are actually afraid of supposed “deep
thoughts.” Students run away and hide from any
thinking that is different from their own.
People are taught to be afraid of delving into their
selves for fear of what they might discover. Oh, no, you
may not think like everyone else, afterall.
This apprehension about questioning their reali
ty is not of any wonder. With Pop-culture saying it’s
good to be stupid, as long as you’re beautiful, kids
are only droves of conformists.
Anyone who falls in the category of “non-con
formist” must necessarily be a devil worshipper.
When in actuality, the “non-conformists” are the
only hope our nation has in saving this culture from
materialism qua anti-intellectualism.
Americans seem oblivious to the fact that the
flesh decays, but the intellect is immortal. Narcis
sism is squelching intelligence in America. We sim
ply are hostile to thinking.
The University also needs to realize they are fail
ing to create critical thinkers. Students only receive
a sterilized version of knowledge.
Texas A&M is simply a manufacturer of special
ized technocrats. This University is under the delu
sion that they are creating leaders. In reality, stu
dents at this university are willful servants of
materialism, the true American value.
Michelle Voss is a sophomore
English major.
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Oi
o
Mail Call
Not cancelling class
stands as A&M error
I am writing in reference to the
George Bush Library dedication. I
think it is a great opportunity and
honor for the university, but my
question lies with the administra
tion. Why is it that classes are still be
ing held on this monumental day?
While history is being made on
our campus, and we are the top
story on many national news
broadcasts, I am forced to leave
my TV to go to my classes.
In addition to this, it is impos
sible to get to class. Many of the
buses and parking lots are being
used for this event. If we are going
to be expected to go to class, don’t
take away our means of getting
there! Wednesday it took me over
an hour to get home on the bus
because there were so few buses
running on my route.
Thursday when I was trying to
get to my 8:00 class, all traffic was
stopped on University Drive to let
some entourage of big wigs through.
Someone please let us out of class!
Amy E. Pike
Mindy L. Kinkier
Class of'98
Important threads
of history absent
The last part of Joey
Schlueter’s series offers a curi
ously bland account of recent
changes at Texas A&M.
Women in the band? Yes, but
only after a long drawn-out lawsuit
she doesn’t mention. Expanded
numbers of student organizations?
Yes, but an obstinate universi
ty administration had to be
forced by the courts to recognize
Gay and Lesbian Student Services
as one of them.
Texas A&M has seen progress,
but progress has been stubbornly
resisted by many.
It is slowly being achieved
only through the determined
struggles of those committed to a
truly diverse, open and egalitari
an institution.
James Rosenheim
Associate Professor
Department of History
Real spirit of season
missed by SGA club
This is in response to Kendall Kelly’s
Nov. 6 “Students fail to recognize
contributions, activities that com
bine to form SGA’’ column:
I find it very disappointing that
a student government committee,
in this case the Winter Spirit of Ag-
gieland committee, can admirably
raise $25,000 and then proceed to
waste it all on Christmas orna
ments, lights and decorations.
This very large amount of mon
ey would serve a much better pur
pose if used for charities such as
Phoebe’s Home, or even if used to
purchase presents for children that
otherwise would not receive any
gifts for Christmas.
Kelly uses the Winter Spirit of Ag-
gieland committee in her column
as a positive aspect of the Student
Government Assosciation, but this
committee obviously shows the
poor set of priorities of the SGA in
its wasteful “allocation” of money.
Couldn’t the “Spirit of Ag-
gieland” be better served by giving
instead of receiving?
So when it “begins to look a lot
like Christmas in Aggieland,” as
Kelly stated, I will be thinking of
the children who couldn’t have
toys and gifts this year because
the Texas A&M Student Govern
ment Association wanted tree or
naments instead.
Sam Shamburger
Jeffrey Whaley
Class of’99
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