The Battalion
esday • July 14,1998
PIMION
|Ve don’t need no education
hen seeking employment, students must step outside the classroom
50 P^Htudent 8 go to college to earn
education.
iiorr«At
April
Towery
opinion editor
e ^!xas A&M,
staon udents are
is nil Wed, for
lot oiie most
ion, art, top-of-
pe-line
Kssors
ide^: id cours-
hersBo one
mer? ales
, . &M with-
v at having
u-arned
he-e iif'-'thing, whether it's where to
tnmJk without getting towed or
^■to calculate a geometric for-
■lost students are required to
^ ie ’ r ' n “well-round-
igl subjects such as reading,
"■ing and foreign languages.
.But what really is useful on
idgment day — the day stu-
ents interview for their first real
J"®— is what students are not
™®Biing in the classroom.
iPBi other words, “It's not the
'P ! tafies you make; it's the hands
' or;: B shake."
ffl^Bnowing the right person,
png work experience and
i having an Aggie ring are
nost necessary components
landing a job.
/hen applying for a job at a
aical engineering firm, no
Ipective employer is going to
vhat grade a student made in
lling. It really doesn't matter if
pdent fails bowling six times —
tie oil
just like it doesn't matter when a
student applies at A&M that he or
she had in school suspension four
times in high school.
First of all, knowing the right
person is important for getting a
job. If a student has an uncle in
the business, he or she in. They
may not be staying for long, but
they'll get the job. Friends recom
mend friends, and before long, a
corporation becomes a network
of Greek sisters and brothers.
Maybe some students learned
the skills of meeting people
while in college, but they didn't
learn it in Math 142.
Students will be leaving A&M
with a wealth of knowledge they
will never use. English majors
most likely won't be using what
they learned in Geology 101 in
order to teach a Shakespearean
literature course.
In addition, work experience
probably is the most important
component one needs when ap
plying for a job. Consider the fol
lowing scenario.
Joe Aggie applies for a full
time summer job at a consulting
firm. He is a sophomore in col
lege, with no degree, and is a ki
nesiology major. But his father is
a consultant, and he worked for
his father every summer since he
turned 12. Needless to say, Joe
Aggie knows the tricks of the
trade.
Joe Businessworld applies for
the same job. He recently gradu
ated from a prestigious universi
ty with a degree in marketing.
He has been working at a liquor
store to earn some extra cash un
til he gets on his feet. He never
worked in college or high school.
Joe Aggie gets the job every
time. He knows what he's doing,
and he didn't learn it in a class
room.
Finally, for an average price of
$200, that lovely Aggie ring on a
student's right hand may make
all the difference in whether they
are hired. Aggies are known for
their integrity and honor. They
are supposedly trustworthy and
hard-working, and brownie
points go to those who were
members of the Corps of Cadets.
But how honorable is it to ac
cept a job one did not earn? How
honorable is it to sign on the dot
ted line knowing one was hand
ed a job because of the university
they attended, not because of the
skills they have learned or the
work they have put in?
The tactics employers use
when they go about hiring are
unethical and unfair. But if an
employee is unable to do the job,
it will backfire anyway.
A person's maturity level and
ability to handle a job well and
perform the duties requested of
him or her is going to be the test
of whether they keep the job. But
getting one's foot in the door is a
different story.
>Nt
CQsr!
HeV, Look; a
STEVEN SP/ELgEfiS
Movie about
HMOs;
niversity anti-hazing
Policy proves pointless
,espite claims to the contrary, Texas A&M is not
(where the fine art of hazing first began. However,
Aggies can certainly boast of alumni who were
ding innovators in the field,
in 1987, Texas passed legisla-
1 taking any act of hazing a
e crime. In addition to follow-
tne specifics of tine state law,
added a few provisions of
°wn. Both the state law and
additional regulations of
•M are comprehensive and
mtentioned. Yet, both are
fnpletely pointless.
ccording to the University,
an g is an "intentional, know-
v reckless act... directed
^st a student that endangers
reental or physical health or
e 7 of a student for the purpose of pledging, being ini-
ec j_tO/ affiliation with, holding office in, or maintaining
•rebership in any organization."
ccause it was defined to cover practically any type of
lv % the official definition of hazing is purposely
, j f nc ^. a H oncompassing. However, precisely because
cfinition is so encompassing, almost anything can be
^dered an act of hazing.
i additionally defines the term hazing as "any ac-
jy • -that subjects the student to extreme mental
/Shame or humiliation ... or adversely affects the
pUty of the student." Going solely by that definition,
I Tone associated with organizing Fish Camp could be
F8^d with breaking the law.
Lp e I"being forced to dance bastardized renditions of
T u „ y Chicken and enough "booty shakin'" to make
Lp. a , Singled Out" host envious, what A&M student
In f ^ arn P w ^b even the pretense of dignity?
act, under its own term, A&M violates its own anti-
policy. A&M terms hazing to also include "any
- Physical activity, such as sleep deprivation, expo-
$e ° ^ l ^ e ' ements / confinements in a small place, or cal-
nics that adversely affects the mental or physical
health of the student."
Yet, there is a Fitness & Conditioning course at 8
a.m. and a Beginning Tennis section at noon. Forcing
students to run laps that early in the morning and
making students practice their serve and volley on
scorching hot concrete at the peak of mid-day heat are
much more sadistic then anything a mere student or
ganization could come up with.
Another reason the state law and A&M's policy on
hazing are so irrelevant is because of the penalties in
volved. The penalty for failing to report hazing is a
fine up to $1,000 and/or up to 180 days in jail.
If this penalty were to actually be enforced, the Bra
zos County Jail would have to be added as a stop on
the shuttle bus route. The act of hazing itself can result
in fines of up to $5,000 and a year in jail, but one
lawyer confided that in most hazing cases, except
those resulting in a fatality, the most common punish
ment is community service.
In essence, the penalties are neither enforced nor
severe. If the state of Texas considers hazing a criminal
act, why not use already existing laws that actually
make someone think twice about giving that extra
kick to the ribs?
The charge of assault and battery — with the
prospect of stamping out license plates in Huntsville
for a few years — is certainly more of a deterrent than
the threat of picking up trash on the side of a highway
for a few hours.
Hazing, and being hazed, is a choice. If someone is
willing to undergo some form of hazing to join an or
ganization, what they want and what they deserve is
pretty much the same thing. Most people would agree
that participating in acts of physical and/or mental
abuse is not the quickest path to sainthood. No matter
what any individual thinks, both the State of Texas
and A&M view hazing as a crime. However, their cur
rent laws and regulations against hazing, though well-
intentioned, are absolutely irrelevant.
C©KN\EfoC&IAtNT
iJMLoWlT
M
\\S
April Towery is a senior
journalism major.
%
P
' / !'
1 I
l /
Pedestrians and drivers
should respect each other
1/
Richard
Paddack
columnist
Steven Gyeszly is a junior finance major.
M any students have jobs
and classes or other re
sponsibilities that require
them to venture out into this fast-
paced society on a regular basis.
There are
many modes
of trans
portation
that people
choose to get
them where
they need to
go. Some
students
walk, some
ride their
bikes and
some ride
motorcycles.
A majority of Texas A&M stu
dents choose to drive to class.
Driving and parking on campus
can be rather expensive and time
consuming, especially at A&M.
When A&M was first estab
lished, it was not envisioned that
cars would be a fixed part of the
campus scenery, nor did anyone
expect the number of students en
rolled to jump to more than 41,000
With this many students, and
most of whom own cars, it tends
to get a little too close for comfort
at times.
With the constant construction
on campus, it makes it even
harder for pedestrians and auto
mobiles to coexist.
A lot of people may wonder
why one of the best engineering
schools in the country has not yet
formulated a solution to this ever
increasing problem.
Maybe the University has no
intention of finding a solution. It
seems as though the University is
just waiting until all of the bicy
clists and pedestrians are too
scared to walk or ride on campus
and are forced to buy their over
sold parking permits.
It is obvious there is no solu
tion in the near future so all stu
dents can do is try and get along.
In order to do this, students
who intend to drive through
campus on a regular basis should
have to take a campus driving
class that would count as a kine
siology or a humanity.
The class would include an
obstacle course of things to avoid
hitting such as bicyclists, pedes
trians, maybe an unsuspecting
old lady and other animate ob
jects who could die or be maimed
Another species dri
vers need to be aware
of is the bicyclist.
Near extinction, the
bicyclist probably is
the bravest creature
to cruise the streets
of the A&M campus.
as a result of a collision.
The class also would focus on
some of the basic road rules that
a majority of the students at
A&M have forgotten or never
learned at the All-U-Can Eat Buf
fet & Driving School.
There are several rules that
need to be reinforced or retaught,
such as what to do when some
one walks out in front of a car. A
lot of students seem to think they
are supposed to accelerate —
wrong. A majority of students
feel pedestrians on campus abuse
their rights and deliberately walk
fearlessly into oncoming traffic
just to make drivers mad. Well,
that maybe so, but a right is a
right.
A pedestrian is considerably
smaller than a dually, and they
tend to move a little slower. So be
patient — a driver will probably
get to his or her destination be
fore the guy he or she almost ran
over anyway, unless he or she
does not have a reserved staff
parking spot.
Another species drivers need
to be more aware of is the bicy
clist. Near extinction, the bicy
clist probably is the bravest crea
ture to cruise the streets of A&M
campus.
The bicyclist tends to move
considerably faster than its
cousin the pedestrian, and in do
ing so, is more susceptible to
bodily harm. There seems to be a
large misconception among the
drivers on campus that bicyclists
have no rights.
This is false, as well. True,
there are have bike lanes, but
most of them are riddled with
pot holes and most drivers tend
to ignore them anyway.
There also is a war between
pedestrians and bicyclists. There is
nothing better than hauling
through campus at a healthy pace
and meeting head on with a few
disgruntled pedestrians who have
decided to not share the sidewalk.
This is a large campus, and
A&M does not feel like paying
for a solution anytime soon.
So strap on those helmets, try
to walk single file every now and
then and cancel that order for the
new grill guard.
Richard Paddack is a junior '
journalism major.