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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 1998)
ilion inmr inion Page 13 - Tuesday, September 22, 1998 tiing hall renovations improve campus, show care for students up 19 (le: V. o. w. timg This tt- its who eat bailer of tl meals in the middle blc Dining Hall She had a tave been pleas- high in kill rised to see that ion Iasi Tu >has changed. kills was 1 s not the food lexas.i urie Cor tveryt new a tchesoi itedabc iowbw t lays to iants: a pleasant sur- JOHN a miracle. The T ,^ VTC , a dramatic LEMONS the dining iearance. ?partment of Food Services is nething interesting with campus’ dining hall. Food Services is in of restoring Sbisa over a period years. The result is a building s back to Old Army days while g attractive and functional, is so appealing about the renova- isa, is that it is aimed at restoring ng to a semblance of its original ce. Indeed, seeing as Texas A&M that is in love with its past, the oration should be enthusiastically 1 by Aggies. g the building’s most impressive ures is a wooden floor and a gor- -foot A&M seal, lately, the restoration gives the the feeling of Old Army days its pitfalls. Diners will be happy that the building still retains conveniences like air condition- ,i;oft drink fountains, e ever was a building that de- pecial attention, it is Sbisa. Since ; dining hall has been filling Ag- machs. It is one of the few build ings on campus that nearly every living Aggie has entered. Its namesake, Bernard Sbisa, is the center of much Aggie lore. As legend has it, Sbisa served only one late meal in his career. The late meal was breakfast on the morning when the Mess Hall burned down in 1911. Besides, no building needed renova tion quite so much as Sbisa did. Looking like a refugee from 1978, the building’s interior was older than most of the peo ple who dined in it. Standing in the serv ing line, soaking up the ’70s atmosphere, it was hard not to make statements like, “Man, this Salisbury steak is dyn-o-mite,” or “Eating these mashed potatoes makes me want to do the hustle.” Moreover, the renovations have given the place a lighter, less oppressive feel. Huy Phan, a senior mechanical engi neering major, said the remodeling gives Sbisa a more pleasant atmosphere. “They [food services] got rid of the of the spinning exits. It looked like a prison. ” Indeed, the barred exit that once graced the building did make Sbisa feel a bit more like a penitentiary than a dining hall. All kidding aside, though, it is nice to see a department spending money on changes that are solely aimed at improv ing the student experience here at A&M. The department is under no obligation to redo Sbisa. As it is campus’ biggest dining hall, students will eat there no matter what the decor looks like. Yet de spite a somewhat captive audience, food services is trying to provide the best ser vice possible to its customers. Yes, there is a department on campus that strives to serve students. Contrast this to some of the other con struction going on around campus, such as the Zone. Boy, luxury boxes and being able to buy alcohol at football games is re ally going to improve student life at A&M. Perhaps the most exciting outcome of the Sbisa renovation, though, is the stu dent reaction. Aggies are appreciative of the dining halls new look. Ron Beard is the director of food ser vices and one of the most student-orien tated administrators on campus. Beard can often be seen in campus’ various dining facilities talking to students and seeking their input. In a Sept. 2 Battalion article. Beard said student reaction to the renovation have been positive. “We received many favorable compli ments as well as many ‘oohs,’ ‘aahs’ and ‘wows’ from students,” Beard said. Credit should go where credit is due. And food services administrators deserve the compliments they have been receiving on the restoration of Sbisa. It is nice to see money spent on the student body with such obvious and pleasant returns. Now, if food services could do some thing about the Commons Dining Hall. John Lemons is an electrical engineering graduate student. EDITORIAL AST RUTHEi Vion Sande: punt return pass to set n as the Pn • lays to take. York Giant; londay night son Garret! ng pass toE: Williams Sanders’ lor.; moved towat. game unbe. East oppone r , lias’ other p. 'I'ls^hetore; ' ton broadcast reveals double standard, \lir treatment of American citizen s neat mid J orials[appearing in The Battalion reflect vs of the editorials board members. They necessarily reflect the opinions of other >n staff members, the Texas A&M student egents, administration, faculty or staff, is, guest columns, cartoons and letters ex- ie opinions of the authors. Editorials Board MANDY CATER GRAEBER Editor in Chief AARON MEIER Managing Editor DAVE JOHNSTON Opinion Editor March against racism takes backward step Youth event’s organizers extend message of hate, not healing M Candid Camera RICHARD PADDACK my Kane: time television is dominated down pa;; les of sex, lies and intrigue. the second ay’s release of President Clin- " 7, but itu estimony to the grand jury w York oni t any different, ton of them four hours, the world ders’ puntfAd Clinton field questions ead early in Special Prosecutor Kenneth roe plays m: team of lawyers, ne, Garrett,sile Clinton’s relations with ioy Aikmai a Lewinsky are morally re- :o put theCtit, the release of his testi- tunninghamDffends the judiciary process at halftimei supposed to be enforcing, with 9:20toon’s critics have said the on a drive ?nt is not above the law. If this ’ catch onaii’, then any citizen, including a Dallas 20. sident, should be given equal ers had enter don under the law. what ofatjrmally, the testimony given in Ted tositout d jury hearing is not made rter because unless an indictment is hand- vn. The politcally-motivated ! of Clinton’s testimony is the of the large volume of evi- released today, die the testimony of other key i, including Monica Lewinsky, ‘leased today, their testimony / presented in written tran- . The impact of the televised ing of the president pointing igerand losing his temper is ed as only the camera can. )rder to preserve the objectivi ty of the investigation, either all the witnesses’ testimonies should have been recorded and released, or the president’s testimony should have been transcribed like the testimony of the other witnesses. News analysts discussed Clinton losing his temper, pointing his finger at the camera and taking frequent drinks of soda. Such nuances cannot be anaylzed in the written testimo ny of Lewinksy or Linda TYipp. The inflections of Clinton’s voice or the frequency of his sighs have no bearing on his testimony. Facts are facts no matter how they are delivered. The real impact of the tapes has yet to be felt. With two years left in his term, his ability to conduct the nation’s business may be hindered. The United Nations General As sembly may have given Clinton a standing ovation, but the interna tional impact of his testimony is still uncertain. Russia’s economic woes may grow if aid is cut by a Congress trying to distance itself from Clinton. The release of Clinton’s grand jury testimony may have been cov ered by every major television net work and broadcast live on the In ternet, but the contents of his testimony should be kept on the soap operas. ' any of us inherit the physical features of .our parents and an cestors throughout our fami ly tree; we all learn this, ei ther by common sense or in basic science. What many of us gradual ly discover as we get older is that we tend to share our par ents’ or ancestors’ views and beliefs on certain issues as well. There is speculation that many of our be liefs, prejudices and stereotypes are handed down through the family tree along with many of our other traits. Many of our biased thoughts and prejudices are regionally influ enced. Whatever the case may be, these ideas and thoughts are forged into our minds and become stronger as we age, and therefore be come harder and harder to remove. As we steadfastly approach the next millen nium, it is sad to think that a majority of us will carry this outdated and ignorant baggage with us. This millennial forecast became evident at this year’s Labor Day Million Youth March in New York. As many of us celebrated the hard work of Americans as a whole, and the progress we have made, others up north cele brated a major setback. The march is held each year and is intend ed to teach and celebrate past progresses of African-Americans in America. The gathering consisted of a series of workshops and a march aimed at focusing attention on the plight of black youth and launching a move ment to empower them. This particular march, labeled by many as a hate rally, accomplished very little as far as progress towards equality is concerned. The feature speaker and organizer of the march was Khallid Abdul Muhammad, a noto rious hate monger labeled as a “black Hitler.” This is obviously not the wisest choice for an event showcasing such sensitive subject matter. He delivered a hateful speech filled with criticisms of police, Jews and New York Mayor Rudolph Guiliani. You can imagine the tension that was felt among those present after Muhammad’s biased display of ignorance. The trouble started when the police moved in to enforce a city curfew and Muhammad was quoted as spouting that if the participants were so much as touched by the police that the marchers should turn the offi cer’s own guns against them. The regression does not stop there. At an other Labor Day parade in a predominately white part of Queens, New York, an event of similar controversy and distaste took place. Several members of the fire department were suspended for a float they created and commandeered during the parade. The float was made to resemble a pickup truck with twelve men wearing black face paint riding in the back with a sign reading “Black to the Fu ture 2098.” The float also portrayed a reenactment of the June killing in Jasper, Texas, with one of the participants being dragged by behind the truck by a chain. It is obvious that we have made little progress in the northern states. But, there could be hope for the south, be lieve it or not. The results of a study were released recent ly showing that the southern states are not the way they used to be. In fact the study showed that more and more Americans who once fled the south for greater opportunities and equali ty are now returning home. The southern states are now the place to be due to increased opportunities in the job mar kets for minorities as well as the diversity of the population itself. The south has made many strides in the right direction of equality. Many may feel the Jasper incident this summer was a major set back, viewing it as a racist crime; when in fact it was the manner in which the small Texas town came together and set aside their differences to console one another of the death of a member of their society that illustrates their character. If Americans as a nation, not different races, are to accomplish anything, they must work together. There is no room for hate ral lies and parades, such as the ones in New York, which promote ignorance and segrega tion. With the influx of immigrants increasing and the lack of moral and ethical leadership in this country it is crucial that to stay open- minded, America is not getting any smaller. Richard Paddack is a senior journalism major. 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 reserves 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: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: batt@tamvml.tamu.edu Employee lawsuit mocks system USA FOOX :ick one ■eservati oerscan dents fail t° 3 d for tickets ■rformances- I n the arena of ridiculous lawsuits, the Safeway employ ees really take the cake. A group of fe male Safeway employees are suing because they feel the company’s policy of smiling and being friendly to customers is be ing misinterpreted by many male shoppers. The women claim that guys take their smiles as an invi tation to hit on them. Even considering American society is more lawsuit-prone than any other country, this case really makes a mockery of the le gal system. Safeway’s actual policy in structs employees to anticipate the customers’ needs and show them to items that they cannot find. Employees are supposed to offer to carry the customer’s gro ceries out as well, but this is not a requirement. Now, understandably, women should not have to carry out gro ceries for men. This would not be safe, especially late at night. But the women are not bothered by the grocery issue, but rather the fact that they need to smile at customers. This is standard procedure and to complain is idiotic. After all, being friendly and helpful to customers is usually considered good economic skills. If these same women get to choose when and which cus tomers to smile at, then some customers are going to be treat ed badly. Imagine a customer walking into a supermarket and being greeted by an unfriendly em ployee because something about the customer does not make the employee happy. If these employees are having bad days, they can choose to be miserable and drive customers away. That is plain bad marketing. Further, the whole lawsuit makes women look weak and out of control. A woman should be able to control the impression men get about them. Even if it is policy to be friendly, there is a marked difference between friendliness and flirtation. If the women at Safeway have yet to figure out the difference, then they do not need to take the issue to court. They need to pay a visit their lo cal therapists. It can probably be assumed that all store employees are re quired to meet the same stan dard of friendliness. Men, although always looking for an excuse to hit on women, are not stupid enough or egotistical enough to mistake everybody’s smiles for come-hither glances. Es pecially since not all the employees at Safeway are female. Do the male employees feel they are being hit on by women because of this customer-friendly policy? Of course not. Basically, if a guy thinks that being shown to the cereal aisle is flirtation, he will also consider it harmless. The whole issue is just plain stupid. Some of these women have been made to attend “smile sessions,” which teach them how to be friendly. No employer should have to spend money on teaching employ ees how to be amiable. What a way to raise the price of the food consumers purchase. The final issue to consider is the price tag that the average tax payer is going to be paying in or der to see this case tried. With every trial that goes to court, the tax-payer suffers. Americans already had to foot the bill for the case of scalding- hot McDonald’s coffee. Now when a person gets coffee at the local “Golden Arches,” it is no better than luke-warm. Does this lawsuit mean that our supermarket experiences are going to now be aggravating and insulting experiences? Lisa Foox is a senior journalism major.
