Jattalion
pinion
Page 11 • Monday, September 7, 1998
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ANDREW
BALEY
pcial organizations are pre-
ent in all everyone’s life.
’hey exist to give their mem-
t sense of acceptance, com-
y and identity.
:ial organizations probably
play such a prevalent role as
g college years,
yone who went to Open
? Sunday knows how large a
rganizations and various ac-
s play on this campus. A&M has more than
‘gistlred student organizations. Many local or
ations in the Bryan-College Station area can re-
Uudents’ time as well
sically, all Aggies will, at one time or another,
social organization, but do they really know
notives for doing so?
liege is a walk down a path that leads to
h, and all students are influenced in various
by their surroundings. Do students’ surround-
;ive them a good influence, lasting relation-
and true companionship? Since many stu-
put-a great deal of emphasis on what groups
oin,;hopefully they search for organizations to
hem these attributes.
aen people think of college organizations, the
bought is always of the traditional Greek sys-
Fraternities and sororities do comprise most
lizational membership at colleges. A&M’s
t system has been growing in recent years. In
this fall saw the largest sorority rush class in
)1 history,
hile A&M’s
c and organi-
nal systems
ae growing,
)ng with
, is A&M
g a signifi-
growth
nfluence
its Christian
uzations.
a student were to travel
in time, say 10 years,
ice of
Jni-
y’s
u-
d be
mely dif-
t. The Aggie Men’s Club
d in 1984, but a growth in
tian activities, area churches,
reek organizations was on
/ay.
1998, the University and
are great places for Christ-
ivolvement and provide a
alternative to traditional so-
rganizations.
te early nineties saw the
of BUGS, Brothers Under
t. The Brotherhood of Christ-
.ggies is only a few years old and growing. Ag
isters for Christ, started almost 10 years ago, is
one of the largest on-campus organizations,
te Christian influence in our community is not
ned just to Christian fraternities and sororities.
I churches have prospered in recent years due
:reased student memberships and involvement
a’s Central Baptist Church, currently enjoying
updated sanctuary, now has plans to build an
sly new, larger church facility. First Baptist
ch in Bryan and College Station’s Saint Mary’s
alic Church have made significant additions to
complexes.
Two activities related to A&M, Resurrection Week
and Breakaway, have very apparent and significant
impacts. In the week preceding Easter, it is hard not
to notice the shirts, people, and many activities that
accompany Resurrection Week. Celebrating the sig
nificance of Christ’s resurrection, this week is ac
companied by an array of praise and worship led by
student leaders and guests.
A non-member organization is having a tremen
dous spiritual impact on Aggies. Each week, 3,000
students and up flock to the sanctuary of Central
Baptist Church to sing praises and hear college-cen
tered, Biblical messages from former A&M student
Greg Matte.
Breakaway is a non-denominational Bible study
that was created in 1989 with twelve Aggies.
Through many blessings, it is now the huge success
that it is today.
The increase in student involvement with Christ
ian organizations is no accident. Christian organiza
tions transcend most organizational benefits by
what they offer to students: accountability, discern
ment and revealing the benefits of faith.
Everyone is accountable to God for their actions,
even if they do not realize it. Surrounding one’s self
with other students who can challenge each other
and keep each other accountable to one’s self, oth
ers, and God, leads to growth.
Discernment is an attribute to cherish. Everyone
has to recognize the right choices to make at all
points in their lives. Students can be influenced
through their organizational memberships to make
good, discernible decisions.
Confi
dence in things un
seen is faith. With it,
students can
move
moun
tains,
have
hope, and
keep
their opti
mism.
It is
when peo
ple lose their
faith that despair enters
their lives.
Money situations, bad grades
and relationship problems are some
of the many things that can lead a per
son to despair. But, if one can rely on a
higher faith, any problem will seem minuscule
and conquerable.
Christian organizations, through a God-focused
ministry, can help any student realize these attrib
utes. Meeting and developing relationships with
students who view life this way can also strength
en members.
Although, the brightest spot in all of this discus
sion is that friends may come and go, let you
down, lift you up, but it is God, his son and his
word that are forever available and present in
everyone’s life.
Andrew Baley is a junior political science major.
[ichigan gubernatorial candidate
barrasses Democratic Party
LISA
FOOX
he De
mocrats
are now
lly the party
and
r taxes.”
is comment
Betsy De-
ichigan
blican state
nittee chair,
ctually be considered accu-
[aow, thanks to Michigan De-
atic gubernatorial candidate
rey Fieger.
eger (pronounced like Tiger)
haps most well-known as
ck Kevorkian’s lawyer, and
that he is finished represent-
r. Death, he is planning on
ing death to the masses with
ased taxes and support for
ed suicide.
me know Fieger for his ten-
y to spray rooms with his
mous spitfire of words,
are scared of his outspo-
jdeas.
s vehement support of as-
suicide is frightening in it-
|While representing one of
rkian’s patients, Fieger was
ted by her brother’s concern,
angry speech, he told the
er to “come on up” if he
ed to pick a fight.
This sort of temper is a great
trait for a governor. Is he going to
pick a fight with all of his detrac
tors? Are Michigan citizens going
to get used to barroom brawls at
their political meetings?
When not issuing challenges to
family members of Kevorkian’s
patients, he is often heard offend
ing the religious right.
At one point, Fieger called Je
sus a “goofball” and likened
Christian followers to the crazy
fanatics who support Elvis. He
even went further and claimed
that Elvis could be the next god.
This lunatic does not even
support the party he is supposed
to represent, claiming that the
Democratic Party is run by a se
lect group of people who “don’t
give a damn what the rank and
file feel.”
His opponents for the Democ
ratic nomination feel the sting of
his insults. In referring to one of
his close competitors, his com
mentary caused only laughter.
He ridiculed the man, saying,
“he also has more hair coming
out of his ears than out of the
top of his head. It must be grow
ing out of his brain. It’s fuzzed
up his thinking.”
Fieger does not step at his fel
low Democratic candidates, but
also taunts his Republican politi
cal opponents.
He compared the current gover
nor to Adolf Hitler and Stalin and
drove home the point by claiming
the man was the “result of a mis
cegenation between human beings
and barnyard animals.”
Already his language and
rhetoric has Republicans and fel
low Democrats extremely agitat
ed. Democrats will not acknowl
edge him and Republicans are
denouncing him
In a recent state committee
meeting, DeVos tore into Fieger,
calling him names and insisting
he back down on some of his
more extremist viewpoints.
Frankly, the man is crazy.
However, even crazy people
should cause concern amongst
average citizens, because these
loonies are an indication of the
state of the country
Comments like Fieger’s, while
entertaining, make a mockery of
the political system. In a society
that is taught to respect their lead
ers, from George Washington to
Abraham Lincoln, it is becoming
harder and harder to claim pride
in the future of the states.
Lisa Foox is a senior
journalism major.
Continued mourning for princess
prevents emotional healing, closure
O ne year
has passed
since the
life of Princess
Diana ended and
her undying pop
ularity began.
Today, tears
are still filling
buckets on her
behalf. Pounds
of flowers worth hundreds of
pound notes are still being
stacked at her palacious
London home. And people
still shell out thousands
of dollars for dresses the
princess wore.
Many people believe
Diana deserves this year of
mourning and more. After
all, she was the benefactor
of many noble causes, in
cluding feeding hungry chil
dren and campaigning against
land mines.
With such defenders of Diana’s
legacy, we must, in part, agree.
Indeed, the princess did many
laudable things. A certain grief
over her loss is sensible.
But even if this grief is
not without grounds, it
seems to be without
boundaries as well. Most
of all, it seems mis
placed. Princess Diana
did many charitable
deeds, but so have oth
er well-known philan
thropists who died in
the past year.
Mother Teresa, for
instance, is beyond
comparison. But no
one goes to auctions at
Sotheby’s to spend
thousands of dollars on
one of Mother Teresa’s
habits. Nor does she have her
own memorial line of Beanie Ba
bies. Nor does she need them.
Mother Teresa’s good deeds
speak wholly for themselves.
But it must at least be conced
ed that Diana’s good deeds are
not what made her most famous
in her lifetime.
Many of her inconsolable fans
knew the princess mainly from
standing in line at the grocery
store and flipping through
tabloids. It is doubtful that they
picked up the magazines think
ing, “Diana is.a great figure.”
They more likely thought, “Diana
has a great figure.” So surely all
can agree that she has been given
a reverence in death that she
scarcely enjoyed in life.
Understand this is not entirely
bad. Not all memorials to
Princess Di are marked by insin
cerity. To English citizens, for in
stance, one can extend a greater
modicum of sympathy. And for
Diana’s family, and especially for
her sons, we surely offer our con
dolences and our prayers.
But to the American audience
that still empties a box of Kleenex
with every new “Dianamentary”
on the Lifetime Channel, one
must say, with as much tender
ness as possible, “Get over it.”
Do not think this admonition
cruel. On the contrary, believe it
is what Diana herself would
want. It is what any deceased per
son would want. Mourners
should not dishonor the dead
with a grief that paralyzes the liv
ing.
This is especially so of
Diana. In truth, the
world has lost a true
and kind altruist in
the princess. But it
is time to perpetu
ate her legacy in
stead of just re
membering it. And
glossy portfolios of
her evening gowns
inspire little and
achieve less.
So perhaps at this
anniversary milestone,
a resolution would be in
order. The world
should resolve to redi
rect the emotions
provoked by her
death to the ac
complishment
of her worthy
aims. Instead
of lavishing
their tears on
her memory,
her fans should
use them to fur
ther her projects.
For if Diana
truly was a hero,
she would want
tears to be shed
over the starving !
children she
helped to feed, not
on herself. And if
this is not what she
would want, then our tears are
really wasted on her.
A real hero does not delight in
attention.
Either way, it is time for old
wounds to be closed and new
healing to begin. There is a time
for mourning, but that time is
quickly passing away. It may have
passed already.
Caleb McDaniel is a sophomore
history major.
MAIL CALL
University Drive
repairs necessary
In response to the Sept 3 editorial:
First, University Drive was in
desperate need of work. Anyone
who regularly traveled the road
could have told you that. There
was severe rutting, areas of fail
ure, potholes and areas where
the pavement was jutting up in
long fissures that crossed the
road at near-right angles.
In fact, the damage was so
bad it indirectly caused the delay
in the project.
Second, the city of College
Station has nothing to do with
the project. University Drive is a
farm to market road, and as
such is maintained by the state.
Third, the contractor who was
supposed to do the work walked
off the job because the damage
was more than anticipated. No
one at the Texas Department of
Transportation could have fore
seen that kind of delay.
The work would have undoubt
edly been finished before the
school semester began if the
contractor would have started on
time, but instead, a new contrac
tor had to be found.
If you want to write a scathing
editorial calling for severe penal
ties for the contractor that walked
off the job, fine. Next time do your
homework first.
Tim Kalafut
Toxicology graduate student
WkM All 4* A I I
IVIAIL
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