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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 1998)
iday • April 17, 1998 The Battalion Kill! marks the spot sic scene thrives on heels of Nor thgate festival success Indents come to iexasA&M Uni- iedoJ ,ers * t y f° r one —education... id parties... and Hfood... the as- of living a col- ge lie are endless. Bit there seems ( I: ibe one element he;. jCoilege Station at Individuals al- bridB are complain- B)out — the (tisjc scene. People seem to think the only music available to [d^nts and members of the Bryan-College Station lunity resides in Northgate venues. [id although many of the weekend shows per- irmed around Northgate represent styles from aes to rock to country to Celtic, these musical ^liipies seem to always leave the “big concert” out ft game. !% i Ornately, thanks to the success of North by orthgate and the people behind its creation, mu- ■ alive and well in College Station (contrary to pat people believe is a dying music scene.) In Saturday, yet another musical gathering lake place at The Grove on the A&M cam- Slt has been named XFest. lie concert will feature local bands, such linus, Blue Earth and Spencer’s Rocket, ith additional appearances and performances by ■amation, Peeping Tom, Throwaway People, istFree Exit and Native Strut. Put on by the Aggie gs usician’s Society, XFest should be considered yet ea ' nbtherdoor opener to the floodgates of music in this area. With a variety of sponsors helping the promote the show, KHLR 103.9 the X stands out as one radio station whose name only brings more prominence to the event. Mark McKenzie, assistant program director at KHLR, said it is not the fact that there seems to be more music concerts springing up around town that is helping to open the doors; it is due to people in the community taking note of the live format music is branching into. “I think that they are becoming more aware that live music is a viable attraction for people who live here, which is why there have been more festivals and gatherings of musicians,” McKenzie said. Another aspect of the “music festival” is the na ture of pairing music with fund raising. McKenzie said many organizations benefit from these types of events, thereby enhancing exposure of the charity. “It’s neat that they are using them (festivals) as fund-raisers,” McKenzie said. “Live music is a good thing for fund raisers — they attract a lot of people, have a small overhead and raise lots of money.” Even though charities gain exposure and recognition through live concerts, McKenzie said people should still consider being careful about over-promoting. “There is the danger of overexposing the live music scene, but for the time be ing, it’s an excellent idea,” he said. “Final ly, the street culture is beginning to have a life force.” With the upcoming 12 hours of constant music on Saturday, it looks like College Sta tion and the live music scene have come together to make a successful pairing. XFest begins Saturday at noon and wraps up at mid night. There will be free food, tons o’ fun and all donat ed proceeds will benefit the Brazos County Girls Club. It seems like College Station is shaping up to be a musically enhanced and diverse environment. And as the title of the event seems to be a play on a cer tain popular Fox television series, let’s just say: XFest, the music is out there. James Francis is a junior English major. AMPUS CONNECTION foreign language courses lack effectiveness i today’s business world, [the ability to interact vith people of other cul ts is vitally important, lerican businessmen mot know that showing ■bottom of your shoe is a 'SMlnous insul t to Arabs (you mild be saying they are per than the dirt and hel dung you stepped in ■ting there), or that the ter sign for two, with lur index and middle fin- J(like the “V” for victory), is actually an invita- jon for sex in many European countries. So be eful when you order those bagels, b receive a Bachelor of Arts degree, students isttake 14 hours of the same foreign language, hat translates to four semesters of Spanish, or sian or Japanese. This requirement would not be roblem, except that this requirement does not ly teach the language and shortchanges students o would like a broad cultural overview, to learn flout other people and avoid interesting cultural xpas. [Studies show that bilingual students achieve more jd do better. Great, hooray, back-pattihg all around. [However, these studies cover students who are ]eady fluent in two languages, not just those ning a language. Also, the portion of the brain that learns lan guage begins working much less effectively at about age 11 or 12. As most college students are at least a half decade older than this, it is a little hard to imag ine students are learning the language effectively. Also, while I have never personally seen these studies, no one has ever pointed out whether or not the subjects were primarily bilingual from an early age (which I suspect) or were students who had learned their foreign language after that 11-year-old barrier. This means that we honestly do not know whether or not learning a foreign language in col lege will help a college-aged student. To add insult to injury, language classes, due to their size and the nature of learning a foreign lan guage, do not adequately teach the language. The embattled professors do their best — more than could be expected of them — but it is difficult to cram a semester’s worth of espanol or deutsch or francais or any other language into the unreceptive skulls of students who are just in a class to graduate. However, there is a solution. Many students take a language class simply be cause it is required and do not learn, and the other students who truly wish to learn the language are lost in the shuffle. The Department of Modern and Classical Lan guages should offer two language tracks. The first would be the current 14-hour, single-language track. The other would be a broad-based, multiple- language, multicultural track. The multicultural track would allow students who appreciate culture, and their own limitations, to experience a wide range of cultural systems, courtesy of taking a wide range of 101-level lan guage classes. They would pick up the basics of the language, enough to get directions or find the nearest bath room. This track, however, would not force these students to pound their heads against the language barrier imposed by their own age. This track would dramatically increase the size or number, or both, of first-semester language classes, but it would lower the size of all subsequent, sec ond-, third- and fourth-semester classes, which would help those students on the single-language track. They would not have to deal with slackers taking up space and holding up the learning process. The problem is apparent, and with a little jug gling of schedules, the solution is not only apparent but easy to implement. T he Department of Modern and Classical lan guages simply has to ask itself the question of which is of more use to a graduating Aggie: the ability to speak one language well, and probably never again; or the ability to interact with a variety of cultures. Chris Hujfines is a sophomore speech communications major. VOICE FROM THE CROWD lorps class requirement treats cadets unfairly Jesse Spivey guest columnist [Ihe Corps of Cadets is full of lie. Many ps of the bs are ememo- eand ben- al to its nbers. The 'S placed icademics anendous, [bond He len friends ted in the Corps is powerful and leadership skills built are immea- ible. The list of attributes could go ind on. Tie Corps does have its downfalls, ctifl 'ever. One particular aspect of the ps is... well, let’s just say, down- it ridiculous. -etme explain. In a cadet’s career, ISl 1 irshe is required to take a series of ses, 16 hours of classes to be exact, freshman and sophomore year re- |re ROTC classes corresponding to the cadet’s outfit affiliation: Air Force, Army, etc.... The next two years are followed by continuation of ROTC classes or D&C (Drill & Ceremonies) classes for those not seeking a career in the military upon graduation. It is these D&C classes that fall into the ridiculous category. To be in the Corps as a junior or se nior, if you are not under military con tract, you must take these classes, which would lead one to assume that the classes are full of necessary knowl edge and wisdom to deal with the real world after graduation. That assump tion would be completely wrong. The class may attempt to offer some type of help but at such an ele mentary level as to almost be offen sive to a senior in college. During tire course of these two years, cadets are forced to not only at tend these not-so-helpful classes, spend time on likewise not-so-helpful projects, but also pay for these classes. The classes contribute no benefit to a cadet’s degree progress, help not at all in tire pursuit of academics, and basi cally become a nuisance to a cadet. So, why, you ask, are these classes mandatory, and why do you have to pay for them. In the words of Colonel James Mc- Clesky, director of Training and Op erations for the Corps, “It is a rule in the Standard, and I’m sorry, that’s the way it is.” D&C cadets are forced to take and pay for a class that offers them no “real” benefit because it is a rule and that is the way it is. No matter how long a cadet has spent in the Corps or how much time a cadet needs to put into his “real” classes, he or she cannot be in the Corps without it, and is forced out of the Corps if it is dropped. Recently a cadet found himself in just such a predicament. Cadet S., we’ll call him, has spent the last 3 some odd years in the Corps, has over 130 credit hours, and is very close to graduation. However, because he found his grade was suffering in his D&C class due to his neglect of the not-so-helpful class dealing with his “real” studies, he dropped the one hour class and was removed from the Corps last week. Cadet S. will miss his last Parents Weekend, his last March to the Brazos and his last Final Review due to the fact that it is rule to take this class and that is the way it is. Cadet S. was also told his situation was too bad because no exceptions were ever made. When, in fact, there have been exceptions in the past. Why just last semester another senior cadet found himself in Cadet S.’s predicament, and he too dropped the class. He will be marching in his last Final Review. Cadet S. will miss all of his senior Corps events due to sporadic enforce ment of a rule forcing him to take a non-beneficial one hour class be cause that’s the way it is. It is sad that Cadet S.’s memories of the Corps will leave such a bitterness, and his respect for its leaders be so di minished because of this situation, but hey, I guess that’s the way it is. Jesse Spivey is a senior journalism major. GENDERSCOPE Both sexes must act out against sexual assault I t’s 2 a.m. After a long Satur day night hanging out with friends on Southside, you decide it is time to go back to your Northside dorm. Waving goodbye to your friends, you head for home. On your way, you pass by the Commons and the Quad and listen to the last sounds of late-nigh t revel ry. Smiling to yourself, you start thinking about the night, remembering that great per son you met at the party, the funny joke your friend told, the old acquaintance you ran into. Before you know it, you’ve weaved your way past Heldenfelds and the Psychology building, and sud denly you realize there is not another soul around. No laughing friends, no cuddling couples — no one but you and Lawrence Sullivan Ross on the Academic plaza. Quickening your steps, you start thinking about other things, like how dark it is, how quiet it is, how absolutely alone you are. By the time you reach Fish Pond, you are already fumbling for your keys and ID card. The quiet noises of night combine to empha size your vulnerability. No one would hear you if you yelled. No one would see you if you were attacked. Why hadn’t you thought about this before you left your friends’ room? Why hadn’t you crashed at their place for the rest of the night? What had you been thinking? You were probably thinking the same thing most Aggies think when they head off across cam pus in the middle of the night — absolutely noth ing. Having been indoctrinated into Texas A&M with multiple recitations of the Aggie Code of Honor and tales of knightly gentlemen, it does not occur to most people to be afraid on campus. That is, until they are walking across it alone through poorly-lit grounds. And when they arrive at their dorms or cars unscathed, they breath a sigh of relief and chastise themselves for worrying so much. Aggies don’t lie, cheat or steal, they remember. They certainly don’t rape. Take Back the Night, sponsored by the National Organization for Women chapter on campus, is an event designed to encourage women to take back the right all individuals should have — to feel safe walking across campus alone at night. Traditionally, events such as this do not in clude male participation. It was not until a few years ago that men were even allowed to march with the women across campus as a symbol of unity in the fight against sexual violence. Sexual assault tends to be viewed as a strictly female issue — women have to worry about it, deal with it and fix it. People forget, however, that sexual assault is not limited to women. Men are also victims. And even though a high percentage of sexual assault is committed against women by men, somehow men are never thought to be included in strategies of prevention. We think women must bear solely the responsi bility when the truth is that sexual assault doesn’t happen alone. It takes two. Thinking about the history of the women’s movement, it is obvious why men have been ex cluded. Women were fought at every turn in their battle for equality and came to rely primarily on themselves if they hoped to advance in society. Men were tossed aside as means to achieving a desired end. Women’s liberation meant a woman no longer required a man to create better life for herself. Modern-day “girl power” leaves little room for male influence. Events such as Take Back the Night focus on this empowerment of women, helping to give women the confidence, skills and tools to walk through the world with strength and dignity. Great. Now we’ve got confidence. We’ve got skills. We've got mace. Big deal. Sexual assault is still going to happen. Why? Because people won’t start talking about the roots of aggressive sexual behavior. People don’t want to start tackling the larger gender issues that start at birth and are never addressed until it is too late. People don’t want to believe men are raped, too. Why do we insist on Band-Aid cures for the gaping wounds in our society? All of the self-defense classes and all of the marches sponsored by well-meaning organizations help to empower women and increase their aware ness but, unfortunately, do little to solve the prob lem because they fail to include all the pieces of the puzzle. Although women can achieve greatness by themselves, they alone cannot solve a problem that involves both sexes as both victims and assailants. Only by actively encouraging both sexes to talk openly about sexual assault on campus will the problem of sexual violence ever find a permanent solution. Jennifer Jones is a senior psychology major.