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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 29, 1998)
a aday • June 29,1998 The Battalion PINION so beginiv poorer an h e gal, Bra jmia. ’■ot notea. K out of c [ s / ,, includ Africa ami luartero:; W in Bob ur million [diaandi at helped‘J lave inck I'red saie^l fa^eda , ettert [ansmitte;, to, wifeoli Indo Hr Jie confei [ould "ate [titudeot alem'sm I believei LIDS va je epiden jesting 0!:| In last ir| pe Inter.- jtiative,. Id a plan- betwsrl |millk)nii| |r then IsaidM ihadc I effort 1 arental pet peeve ^ ; ^ animals learn responsibility, competence which prepares them for the future mm " , mm |m' c": a5^ fryan IF.NS d })ay s T -‘: Graphic By Quatro Oakley / The Battalion ! ish Camp creates friendships, aches students Aggie spirit live |on. ( twas 1:00 in the morning be fore I was to leave for Fish ^mp 1996. I was still debat- jhether Juld go, nsidering > A&M djersity l|he last ice I ever fnyself !to col- Meredith Might columnist Having [n up in |n, the j thing I r about s were the jokes I heard with the punch lines usual- iphasizing the limited intel- ce of those attending Texas I envisioned people with country accents and cow- |hats. I had no idea what to ;Ct from Fish Camp. Attend- '&M turned out to be one of est decisions of my life, and Camp became a large part at. J finally did decide to go to 1 Camp, and quite honestly, | st ’ f thought my worst i tmare was coming true. [le it was not a bunch of try folk, it was unlike any- ■81 had experienced before. I 'ed at Olsen Field greeted by He counselor with two huge >ons attached to his chest ■cting traffic. I was a little BWhelmed, to say the least. i Ve eventually loaded the bus- ■Pt the sweaty two hour bus 11° Palestine, Texas. Once we |e all herded off the bus, we |t into Copeland, the large f hog room where all of the PPs gather for the various I8 r ams offered at Fish Camp. ■ a P otusic was pulsating and (..ors were up on the stage P'og us all in some crazy I 106 -1 stood there frozen, sur- | ln g the room to see if any- .] J , se thought this was ab- ih i nuts ‘ Apparently, I ,y e fse did, and I stood , t f °oking like a complete id- l a counselor came up f, '' lter turned out to be one p Discussion Group lead- ^ L’ a ^ d offered to teach me the I P dance. Afterwards, we met I Qur Discussion Groups, r commonly known as DGs. slowly warmed to Fish Camp, mostly because of great DG leaders who were dedicated to their freshmen. Over the course of four days, I learned all about Aggie traditions, how to jitterbug, the Mayo Man, deal ing with academics in college, and getting accustomed to a large environment. After the experience was over, I was glad to go home, but also glad I went. It was my first glimpse into the Aggie spirit. And although I had not com pletely embraced it yet, I was be ginning to understand what it meant to be an Aggie. My freshman year was proba bly pretty typical of most other college freshmen. Except for that at this huge university, on my first day walking around cam pus, there were familiar faces, thanks to Fish Camp. And my DG leaders kept up with us, which helped me to feel like less of a number. I decided to try out for Fish Camp Counselor, which turned out to be the most rewarding ex perience I have had at A&M. Be ing a counselor last year and this year has taught me invaluable lessons about what being an Ag gie truly means. Fish Camp, completely stu dent run, is a unique organiza tion for two reasons: It promotes unconditional acceptance of all the people in volved and it cannot be imitat ed because it is blessed by the Aggie Spirit. As a first year counselor, I was befuddled at the instantaneous friendship formed when I met my fellow counselors and co- chiairs for the first time. (Each camp is led by two co-chairs). It seemed a little unrealistic that everyone in the camp could get along so well. I came to discover in August, though, after we met our freshmen, that the process of getting to know your fellow counselors was similar to meet ing your freshmen. Counselors are called to un conditionally love their fresh men, whether they are shy or outgoing, come from small towns or large cities, are ath letes or academians. Making the freshmen feel accepted for who they are as they enter into Texas A&M is the purpose of Fish Camp. This kind of accep- Richard Paddack columnist A s we grow older, we are forced to take on a little more responsibility than the day be fore. These new respon sibilities help us grow. They open our minds to new possibilities and help illu minate our capabilities. These new challenges can help to build our self-esteem or they can allow us to see our faults and weaknesses. From the first day we could walk and talk at the same time and discern between hot and cold, a majority of us were hand ed down the responsibility of taking out the trash. This taught us cleanliness and marked the beginning of chores. Then we were forced to learn how to study, and this was our parents’ way of ensuring we would not waste their money when we got older. Yeah, right. We thought the time would never come when we would fi nally be allowed to drive. This taught most of us that we did not want to be police officers when we grew up. Among those few monumen tal responsibilities, almost every person at one point in his or her life acquires a pet. Raising a pet while in college can be the ut most educational and rewarding experience. As we embarked on our fresh man year in college, we were fi nally forced to take care of our selves. Many of us embraced this new experience with open arms while several of us regretted hav ing to learn how to feed our selves, groom ourselves and keep our living spaces livable. Now throw another living creature into the equation and you have the ultimate starter kit for the real world. Raising a pet at home can be challenging, but a student’s parents usually foot the bill for the veterinarian and the food and the many other miscella neous toys and supplies, as well as helping with other responsi bilities necessary to raise a healthy pet. Owning a pet while in college opens the door to many more re sponsibilities than most of us ex pected. Caring for something other than ourselves that is sole ly dependent upon us for its sur vival can teach a lot about our selves and if we have the skills necessary for possibly raising a child in the future. Obviously a pet is not half as challenging or expensive as raising a child, but there are similarities. Raising an animal requires patience, time and above all, love. As a college student, one of our biggest challenges is learn ing how to manage our time, and fitting a cat or dog into our schedules can be tricky. Pets re quire a lot of attention and food, especially in their younger years, and this really can conflict with class time and studying. Espe cially if you have a test in five hours and your cat will not let you sleep because it wants its back scratched. Growing pets tend to eat and drink a lot as mentioned before, just like a child, and teaching them where to put it after they are through with it can be trying at times. Potty training can be the deciding factor if you are re ally ready for a pet or the excuse you have been waiting for to check your pet into the pound. Like a child, a pet can be pretty expensive. I don’t care if you want a bug for a pet — even a bug has to have somewhere to sleep and something to eat. Pets require food, which can add up depending on the size of the animal. Pets need constant entertain ment or they will make your life a living hell. That is why pet owners need to buy lots of toys for when they are not around to play. Probably the biggest ex penses are for veterinarians, shots, medicine and yearly checkups. Aside from all the furniture they will chew and the carpets they may ruin, the rewards from owning a pet while in school tend to outweigh everything else. They may be expensive and take up a lot of time, but they can be an excellent teacher and a best friend. Richard Paddack is a junior journalism major. N\\Ke hldp/idl fflru^(j®TrnrnoHg> tance begins with the counselor relationships. Fish Camp is also one of the most diverse organizations. It does not revolve around one common interest and is not lim ited to one type of person. The only prerequisite is the desire to help freshmen. There is no stereotypical counselor, because there is no stereotypical fresh man. This diversity promotes an atmosphere of acceptance. Secondly, Fish Camp is the awesome success that it is be cause of Aggies. A program of its magnitude cannot be found at any other college. This year, 1,500 students applied for the privilege of being a coun selor. There were only 900 spots available. Unfortunately, Fish Camp typically has to turn away one-third of the incoming fresh man class because there just not enough space to accommodate all of them. Why is this program in such high demand? Because the Ag gie spirit is alive and well at Fish Camp. Whether a freshman is scared to death of coming to A&M, as I was, or a fourth generation Ag gie, he or she cannot help but feel the vibrancy of what this university has to offer. Through Fish Camp, fresh men experience what may be their first yell, their first intro duction to Muster and Silver Taps, and all the other great tra ditions that make A&M an in credible institution. I admit it, I do not bleed ma roon. I do not whoop automati cally every time I hear 2000.1 still have not been to a t.u. vs. A&M football game. But Fish Camp is a cherished tradition to me because it truly encompasses everything A&M has to offer. The amazing stu dents, the rich history, and all that it means to be an Aggie. The opportunity to welcome the Class of 2002 to A&M Univer sity is an honor, and the ability to help them to make their dreams become reality as Aggies, not just students at A&M, is a privilege. That is what is at the heart of Fish Camp. Meredith Might is a junior journalism major. VIAGRA SIDE EFFECT. Movie audiences derive sick pleasure from death, suffering mople talk about the sadness of losing a loved one, of death April Towery opinion editor in general, but it does not stop them from deriving pleasure by watching someone die. Soon, the 26-second video depict ing the assas sination of John F. Kennedy will be available to the voyeuristic public for $19.98. It is sick and twisted the way peo ple get off on other people’s misery and suffering. People line up at the theaters to watch brutal slayings and shootings in movies such as Scream, Natural Born Killers and Pulp Fiction. It’s disgusting. OK, so maybe it’s just a movie. But this happens every day in real life. Death always is not random and accidental. And even though most of us were not personally acquainted with JFK, it is exploitation to watch and enjoy as the former president’s head is blown off. My great uncle was a White House reporter for the Dallas Morn ing News at the time of the assassi nation. He was in the car behind Kennedy when the former presi dent was shot. The experience was somewhat traumatic for him and more meaningful than it would be to me. Watching a video recreating the experience affects him. It’s not entertainment for him. It’s got to be disturbing for him to see people lining up to purchase a bag of popcorn and video of JFK’s assassination when the expe rience changed his life. Television’s “Cops” is an actual depiction of crime scenes. These people are not actors. It blows my mind that people sit at home kicking back a beer and turn on the television to watch some gross, dirty old man beat his wife senseless. People are getting off on other people’s suffering without even re alizing it. Death, especially brutal mur der, is not something to sit around and laugh at. People are getting too much pleasure out of other people’s pain. Reporters love the publicity of a good death story, such as the recent killing in Jasper. Movie-goers clap and cheer in movies like Basic Instinct when a woman stabs someone with an ice pick. In Faces of Death, true-to-life executions are shown as well as persons falling out of an airplane with a defective parachute. Internet Web sites show photos of mutilated aborted babies and people who have been run over by a truck. This is repulsive. It is not funny. It is real. When students pull up those disgusting pictures on the Inter net, they’re forgetting that is some one’s child, a human being. It hits a little closer to home when people take into account the way it affects their lives. Last week, an acquaintance of mine was hit by a car. He went fly ing through the air and was knocked unconscious by the im pact of the vehicle as his body slammed into another car. He is not a relative or even a close friend. I doubt I’ll even keep in touch with him in the future, but the fact that someone I know was so close to death makes it real. And it makes my stomach turn when I turn on a television and see actors bouncing off cars as their heads become bruised and bloody. Another acquaintance was raped and stabbed when we were in high school. I’d only had a few conversations with her, but I still think of her when I see Drew Bar rymore’s gutted flesh in Scream. People do not realize the seri ousness of murder and death. It has been used as entertainment for years and will continue to be. People have got to wake up and understand watching someone die is not funny. After all, it could hap pen to anyone. April Towery is a senior journalism major.
