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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 1998)
lursday • January 22, 1998 s Ire iENDERSCOPE '’eminist agenda «n education I iisrupts balance Donny Ferguson columnist liildren used to come home I from school proudly clutch- ing spelling tests, book re- ^rts and math quizzes as proof of iei| hard work. £ N( iwadays kids are coming home ith gender-neutral dating meth- is,jkites proudly proclaiming their hdtphing of sex roles and a lot of ^ftsteem. Not surprisingly, they feo <>wn rock-bottom test scores idtliplomas they cannot read. P Tlte culprit is “gender equity.” junded on the belief low test :ort's (specifically among girls) are the result of low self- stefem due to institutional sexism, it is committed to ^■nating all “gender bias,” and the latest fad among the Efmfnist fringe is doing more damage to schoolkids than le patriarchy they believe oppresses them. Supposedly, differences between men and women are lerely anatomical, and any masculine or feminine behav- >r is the product of an evil male-controlled society. It is up > the omnipotent and all-caring public schools to correct ;xist behavior and reprogram gender roles. Gender equity is simply a vehicle feminists use to sell icir anti-male, anti-Western culture snake oil. The reason rls lag behind is not because a conspiratorial patriarchy anjts to make them second-class citizens, but because minists infuse an ideological agenda into education, roducing classrooms of girls and boys who cannot read r write, but instead “feel.” If gender equity were a religion, then high self-esteem its nirvana. Long hailed by feminists and other leftists the key to learning, more classroom time is being de- |e footed to raising children’s confidence than actually , :wring them. I) However, as study after study shows, American chil- ren consistently rank highest among all other nations in C0l owj intelligent they rank themselves (the result of liberal :aching methods). Unfortunately, they consistently rank ist or next to last in actual performance (again, the result s (liberal teaching methods). be i Children in the District of Columbia rank themselves ilaifighest in math skills, but finished dead last in mathemat- oe 'al prowess. Clearly, self-esteem is not central to learning. Imf Even more disturbing than gender equity’s goal is its utrbgeous methods. Proponents employ extreme meth- ds In their quest to abolish all perceived gender bias. |d a? From bashing etiquette to blurring sex roles to turning sl anguage and textbooks into a politically correct mine- Co: eld, gender equity is destroying public education and stcr istorting children’s views of everything from relation- lips to American history. According to “Comparisons of Traditional Social Cus- >ms and Gender Equity,” traditional male-to-female eti- erc-uftte can be degrading and urges students to question Te rotocol. The guide refers to acts such as men paying for est inner, seating the woman, offering his chair and opening me ie door for her as stereotypical and offensive and even at- icks wedding attire (perhaps they would be happier if the Ipefoian wore the dress and the woman the tuxedo). Michigan’s Department of Education’s Office for Sex quity suggests children build a personalized kite with ienly of room on the tail. Children are awarded a bow for cyifie tail whenever they do something “nontraditional” for nt heir sex, such as boys playing with dolls. The children are d is ild, “My kite tail grows as I do.” nt The long arm of gender equity even extends to text- yopaboks and language. History books must depict equal yea'um bers of men and women, even if history occurred ie to herwise and evil words like “fireman” are replaced “fire- nd otghter.” Gender equity obviously has nothing to do with oftt iucation and everything to do with indoctrination. L For example, California’s textbook guidelines state “il- coo ; strations must contain approximately equal proportions socmen and women” and “the contributions of men and omen ... must appear in equal numbers.” Though femi- sts may think men and women contributed equally to story, the facts read otherwise, asThe history of America and the world is dominated by s 5 ' en, though sexual discrimination played a role in that 3m i nance. However, feminists cannot correct the ac- ns of the past by rewriting history and any attempt to Ijjpict equal numbers of men and women in historical shortchanges history and cheats children out of a tftmlity education. $ Not even speech and language are safe from feminists’ i2. Many teachers are required to speak in “gender inclu- e language.” They must operate from a “speech code” ich strictly forbids the use of words like “weatherman” lid “manhole.” Teachers must say “weather reporter” and tilily/access cover.” John Broyles, former editor of the left-wing Educator’s •bulletin, writes, “The day is fast approaching when ,«y hools will be acknowledged for what they are becoming: ciety’s agreed-upon vehicle for social change,” and /larx and other theoreticians of social change ... have all oken of the necessity of destroying the fabric of family e in order to accommodate the needs of society under- )ing... transformation.” Feminist educators have taken Boyles and Marx’s words to heart by exploiting public ed- :ation to practice gender equity. * Gender equity fails to solve the problem of low test C jores because it addresses self-esteem, not education id wastes time teaching children to be “gender sensitive” id adopt the role of the other sex, instead of teaching ading, writing and math. da) 1 The problem with falling test scores is not a lack of self- j( p||fteem or an oppressive patriarchy, but a gaggle of far-left “‘‘ lists who place their agenda ahead of the education -nschoolchildren. ml Gender equity education is not the solution to our edu- tional problems, purging public schools of feminists is. I. Donny Ferguson is a junior political science major. The Battalion Opinion PERSPECTIVES Ads target 'fashionable' depression A merica — land of the free and home of the brave. And increasing ly, of the mentally ill. That does depend on perspective, of course. If the standards of mental illness, namely depression, were taken from a psy chiatric journal or man ual, then symptoms of depression are some what drastic. However, if the standards are taken from an advertisement about Prozac, depression is more prevalent than sex on prom night. An excerpt from the Prozac ad: “...You may have trouble sleeping. Feel unusually sad or irritable. Find it hard to concentrate. Lose your appetite. Lack ener gy. Or have trouble feeling pleasure.” I was somewhat offended, admittedly. That just described half my week. With those standards, maybe we should all give our local psychiatrist a visit. Because we are sick. Yes, yes, I am unhappy sometimes, you are unhappy sometimes. That must mean something is wrong with us, right? As it turns out, no. Yet, more and more Americans would rather have a prescription for Prozac than face the fact that life is not all sunshine, and pharmaceutical companies could not be happier about that. According to Eli Lilly, the company behind the produc tion of Prozac, by June of 1997, 17 million Americans received prescriptions for Prozac, making Prozac not only a very profitable drug, but almost a fashionable one. This fact should not come as a surprise. As a nation with an increasingly short atten- Beverly Mireles columnist tion span, we need solutions that work at a breakneck pace. Prozac is just one more product that has gained social approval because of society’s quick-fix mentality. More and more, this mentality is encour aging people to try and diagnose them selves for illnesses such as depression, and ads for products such as Prozac, if taken at face value, can make a person feel very sick, if only by means of rationalization. That is disturbing, considering the fact that ratio nalization is almost a national pastime, coming second only to generalization. Depression, as diagnosed by a profes sional, is a serious illness that affects the sufferer physically as well as mentally. For the people who are actual victims of de pression, Prozac is a very helpful drug. However, being simply unhappy, or irrita ble, as the ad suggests, does not mean everyone should jump on the over-med icated bandwagon. Easy fixes are nice to have, but they are not always practical. Popping a pill will not end war, hate, discrimination, nor will it find a solution for these problems. Some times suffering through a problem will ne cessitate an idea for its solution. Of course, people who exhibit actual symptoms for depression — self loathing, suicidal thoughts, sudden and drastic changes in personality and other symptoms — should get help. But for those of us who simply are not having a great day, contentment might be found in the admittance that we cannot al ways be happy, not even at the bottom of a Prozac bottle. Beverly Mireles is a Jreshman microbiology major. CAMPUS CONNECTION Students should embrace activism, involvement I f you are a freshman, you should not be reading this column. And you certainly shouldn’t be hold ing a newspaper. In fact, according to the University of California at Los Angeles’ annual study surveying college freshmen, this year’s class is the most apathetic, bored and lazy in a generation. An inspiring commentary to say the least. Academically, students spend fewer hours on homework, miss more class es because of oversleeping and are more bored in class than freshmen in previous years. Civically, in terest in political affairs has dropped over 13 per cent since the begin ning of the decade, social ac tivism has decreased and although volunteerism has increased, only 19 percent of students say that there is a “very good chance” they will continue this type of community service in college. This seemingly indifferent attitude toward gov ernmental and social issues is not a new trend. Over the last decade, the interest shown by incom ing freshmen about politics, government, racial understanding and the environment has slowly decreased, particularly when these issues targeted personal involvement. In an age where access to most anything is at one’s fingertips, it is easy to fall into a pattern of laziness. Bank transactions can be conducted via computer, Web sites can be accessed for informa tion that once had to be looked up in a card cata log, fajitas can be delivered right to one’s front door — it is amazing. Because of these advances, America has be come an impatient society, bemoaning the fact that it takes three whole minutes to nuke a pot pie. Is it a wonder that college students have picked up on this attitude? It would be nice to think that the results of this survey do not apply to students at Texas A&M. Af ter all, A&M is known for its leadership, its school pride, its tradition. Of all schools, A&M should be one of the few that enjoys political and social activism. And with such a wealth of knowledge available through re search, libraries and faculty, no student should ever find themselves bored. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. There are many things to worry about as a freshman — studying, working, adapting to col lege life. It does not, however, excuse the total lack of initiative students take to positively manipulate the world around them. Boredom was highlighted as one of the biggest academic concerns. Students report finding it harder than ever to find classes stimulating. Most, however, plan to continue their uninspiring edu cation. Close to 40 percent say they plan to seek at least a master’s degree. Academic credentials seem to be the primary motivator for staying in the edu cational system rather than knowledge. So what can be done to rekindle the desire to learn? Granted, there will be times when it is un avoidable to take a less than inspiring class, but students can influence their education by taking a little time to flip through a course selection guide. Every student at A&M is required to take hours of science, humanities, social science and history. However, instead of choosing standard classes like Introductory Biology or History of the United States, take introduction to zoology or American society and culture. Or, if a college requires certain standards like Introductory Biology, select an in teresting elective each semester, not just a course that is purported to be an “easy A.” If a course is not interesting to a student, the work becomes dif ficult by default because there is no motivation to study, to read or to learn. By becoming excited about one subject, it is easier to see the overall benefit of education. As far as social and political activism are con cerned, there is a wealth of opportunity available both at A&M and in the Bryan-College Station area. Whether a student has tons of time to do nate or hardly any, becoming part of an organiza tion or movement that has a larger goal in mind can be thoroughly rewarding. For example, Big Event is a time when students can donate one day of their year to helping out in the community by cleaning parks, painting homes or repairing buildings. If a student can spare more than one day a year, they should consider volunteer ing at a nursing home once a month or volunteering once a week at a crisis hot line. Whatever the organi zation, it should be something that a student enjoys. Volunteering is the easiest way for college students to become involved in their communities because they choose how much or how little they do. To become involved in governmental issues, students can join a club on campus that supports their political views. They can campaign for a lo cal government official or join Student Govern ment on campus. But the easiest way for students to combat the apathetic trend of incoming freshman classes is to pick up a newspaper. By reading about local, na tional and global events, students are automatical ly involved in their community. Once made aware, it becomes virtually impossible to turn a cold shoulder and stay uninvolved. Jennifer Jones is a senior psychology major. Jennifer Jones columnist Alcohol and athletics promise to be bad mix Aggies are not like, nor do we want to be like everybody else. So, why are we rushing to be like the University of Texas, Louisiana State University or some professional football program? Have we given in to the pull of the world to put money above all else? One of the things we Aggies always pride ourselves in is that we respect our campus and all of the memorials and traditions on our campus (includ ing Kyle Field). We, and rightly so, blast our neigh bors at Austin and Baton Rouge for their rude behavior and attitudes at ball games; for their slashing of oppo nents’ tires and being drunk at their ball games. And how often have we seen t.u. and LSU fans trashing our campus with liquor and beer bottles when they come to Aggieland? And, in essence, acting like rude and crude imbeciles. And now, with the expansion of Kyle Field, those “in charge” have decided that in order for “us” Aggies to be “on top shelf” and “world class,” we must offer alcoholic beverages in our stadi um to keep up with the others and to bring in more of the almighty dollar. I think they refer to it as “a full-service open bar.” And this comes on the heels of a re port that says 53 percent of vehicle-re lated deaths on Texas highways involve alcohol. I’m confident that if we looked into the reason for a majority of Silver Taps events, we would sadly find that many of them involved alcohol also. Is this what we want; the message that we want to send to our children? Do we really want to put our selves in a position of support for a full-service bar on our campus? Has drinking and athletics ever been a good mix or creat ed a positive situation? Aren’t Aggies still about doing what’s right? Can we not make a decision that doesn’t have at its center the major fo cus on “making money?” Besides, can somebody explain to me how those in “the club” can have one eye on the game and one eye on the Yell Leaders and be involved as a part of the 12th Man and be ordering drinks at the same time? Come on Aggies — wake up. Build the “End Zone” if you must — but let’s leave the alcohol off cam pus. It is simple—just do what is right. Somebody make the tough de cision — one that will benefit the stu dents and Aggieland. Make the deci sion that will make us different. Frank Cox Class of’65 Freeze on permits creates parking woes I want to voice my opinion about the lousy parking situation. It stinks, as usual. My husband was in New Mexico for two weeks before the semester started working on a project directly related to his Ph.D. He didn’t have a chance to register for a parking pass for this semester over the phone sys tem, so he called later to arrange to purchase one. Much to our surprise, we learned that Parking, Traffic and Transporta tion Services is no longer selling parking permits. What a great way to treat students. Due to logistics, he can’t ride a shuttle bus, walk, or bike to campus. So where is he to park? The only solution we were given by a “parking counselor” was that he could park in a visitor garage. Those same garages where all the spaces are filled and you have to wait several hours for a space during class hours — yes, I think that’s a viable option. Thank you, PTTS, for your wis dom in handling this situation so well. It’s exactly what I’ve come to expect from dealing with you for seven years. April Nolen Class of’95 The Battalion encourages letters to the ed itor. Letters must be 300 words or less and in clude the author’s name, class, and phone number. The opinion editor resen/es the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters may be submitted in person at 013 Reed Mc Donald with a valid student ID. Letters may also be mailed to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus Mail: mi Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: batt@unix.tamu.edu For more details on letter policy, please call 845-3313 and direct your question to the opinion editor.