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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 28, 1998)
Tlie; battalion rS 11 out las °rd. Tfc Swewes ‘iblistiio; r style k ^nt to | J ght the; '^ableto; font v erya^ *d this s ^vas ovet •earn ge: 'em. little exit ^as ver, me aga;: niost oi: 3te thing, didn’t it Gueme: 1 that li irds an:: nament: earn rat; is, it’s it igtime Jch swe re goal areless ang: othervv- inion Page 11 • Monday, September 28, 1998 ter registration deadline for November elections approaches ANDREW BALEY n important day is coming soon. This Saturday, :t. 3, is the last day to ’ii&ter to vote in this Bmber’s election. In order to influence looming elections, idents must register ■ than 30 days be- Hhey vote. Registra- n is the primary obstacle that keeps idents from voting. Many students are registered only in air tome counties, preventing them im easily reaching the polls. In order to te i i their home county students must hei order an absentee ballot, skip tool on election day or travel back ■ during early voting. ■e simplest way for students to cast ■rallot is to register in Brazos County. Hallows citizens to register in multiple iinf es — as long as they only vote once rlection. Voter registration does not af- jt residency or dependent status. Hdents should exercise their rights, Hiat means they need to register to telefore Saturday. By November, the people will decide iclwill conduct the business of govern- t The political careers of numerous essmen, governors, lieutenant gov- and various hopefuls will be de- | by those who are registered to vote lo so. Voiers will use their democratic t, a right that should be exercised at opportunity. This election is a bit different than normal elections. The political atmos phere is very tense due to the Clinton scandal. Virtues and morals are going to, at least for a while, play a large role in the world of politics and elections. Because of the recent scandal, numerous citi- zens have been turned off by poli tics and govern ment in general. It is sad to see society’s view of govern ment slip so far. Because of one man’s mistake, the entire reputa tion of American government should not suffer. Citizens have to play a role in one of the world’s few governments where everyone has a voice. Let yours be heard. The first reason to register to vote is because it is easy to do so. Just Graphic by Robert Hynecek/Tiii: Battalion go to any local post office or library, fill out the registration card and send it in. Numerous campus political orga nizations also have members who are authorized by the local voter registrar to register voters. These options are simple, fast and leave no excuses. The second reason to reg ister is Americans are a privi leged peo ple even if they do not real ize it. People all over the world would give anything to have a voice in how their governments are run. The theory of democracy is rule by the people. When the people cease to rule — for example when they choose not to vote — democracy dies. If any Americans has doubts as to the significance of democracy or they do not appreciate it, let them visit a so cialist country. It would not be long be fore they would hurry back to the land of the free, the brave and the voting with a new appreciation of the democ ratic process. The last reason to sign up is to help usher renewal into our government. Our representatives work for us. We have let them forget that their actions are ac countable to us as a populace. All of their actions are accountable, including their platforms, votes, honesty and integrity. It is time to remind office seekers they owe their community respect and integrity. Americans have turned a blind eye, and just like children, the bad apples of the government bunch got greedy and stupid. But, with Clinton’s antics, Americans have turned around and are beginning to let politicians know they are being held accountable for all of their actions while they serve as representatives. Elected officers should be representa tive in every way. One key way to keep officials accountable is to use the vote. Many students are only recently eli gible to vote. They should take the time to register and vote because it is easy to do, they have a right to do it and our country needs them. Student concerns should not be put on the back burner. The Aggies’ spirited voices should be heard, and with action, they will be in November. Andrew Baley is a junior political science major. mica,.ik eer, "Wii U!” ty of thr a this cat of Hou; ?nd. ened bat res and party. iversity requires n mindedness ponse to John Lemons’ 24 column, “Play Abuses Speech me of our greatest leaders red organized religion. To a few: Freud, Nietzsche, and Voltaire, tould we disregard their [fits and theories because lo not agree with them? |e First Amendment gives ns the right to free speech, s and assembly. Lemons’ imn describes the play “Cor- Christi” as abusing the free- of speech. The play simply a different portrayal of istthat he does not agree |An opinion cannot abuse eedom of speech, te live in a country influenced MAIL CALL by many cultures and religious sects, making it a unique nation. We can pretend to live in a world where everyone thinks and acts alike or we can open our eyes and learn from the diversity surrounding us. Jennifer Nevill Class of ’99 Playwright earns praise, not hate In response to John Lemons’ Sept. 24 column, “Play Abuses Free Speech”: In Lemons’ column, he claims the play "Corpus Christ!” is an abuse of free speech because the main character, a Christ-like fig ure, is gay. Well, so what? Jesus has been subject to inter pretation since the beginning. Even the gospels do not agree entirely on Jesus. There are non-canonical texts that describe Jesus engaging in homosexual behavior. I understand people might be upset by this portrayal, but it is not an act of bigotry. Terrence Mc Nally has won three Tony awards and is an esteemed playwright. He would not write this play with out personal meaning as simply an attack on Christianity. The gay community suffers constant attacks by the religious community. Where were the repri mands when Pat Robertson warned Florida of disaster be cause of Disney’s support of the homosexual lifestyle? Apparently there is a one-way street but I do not believe it flows in the direction you seem to think it does. Jason Romero Class of ’98 ns jraternity death exposes iter STEWART PATTON Life fairs :ott a Krueger, an rgranti 18-year-0ld ?nt at the achusetts ute of Tech- ;y, became ler victim of nale Greek m last Sep- ier when he from alcohol poisoning, leger fell into a coma and cation fer recovered after he was ai rily forced to drink excessive- at the Phi Gamma Delta house, fraternity he was pledging. Jiis case, however, is differ- rom the many other deaths ■have occurred as a result of jrnity drinking. In this case, ental istrict Attorney Ralph Martin e not to indict the fraternity bers or the people present the party, but rather chose to the Phi Gamma Delta or- [visiflr Ozation itself. Jhe indictment of Phi Gamma ta is the first step toward the ation that alcohol abuse is ent in social fraternities and, ed, may be the sole reason their existence. Jocial fraternities have a long py in America beginning in [1700s. Many of America’s s of state and other promi- I personalities were active in peek system when they at- led school. The unavoidable h, however, is fraternities in [1990s have almost completely [owed their focus to two activ- [: drinking a lot of beer and pig a lot of women. |n their Website, the members [hi Gamma Delta say the up prides itself on its dedica- to scholarship, community rice and the building of life- R friendships among members, pi honest observer would be edto admit, however, that the ity of fraternity life diverges ply from these lofty goals. In most fraternities, the grade point ratio necessary to remain a member either equals or barely ex ceeds the standard set by the uni versity to remain enrolled. Pledges are usually the only members of a fraternity who actually perform any official function relating to scholarship through mandatory pledge study hours. Older mem bers are too busy planning parties and initiating pledges to the rigors of fraternity life to be bothered by difficult academic goals. Community service is another area in which the rhetoric does not match reality. Again, pledges are often the only members of the fraternity who perform com munity service, such as visiting the section of highway the fra ternity adopted. Pledges also generally serve the community by mowing lawns, buying gro ceries and washing cars — all for the benefit of the older mem bers of the fraternity. Additionally, it is a shame some fraternity members must die for the others to develop “life long friendships.” With friends who force each other to drink enough alcohol to cause death, who needs enemies? Freshmen who enter college do not join fraternities out of their zeal for academic excellence or their desire to better the college community. Simply enough, freshmen see a fraternity as an easy way to get beer. The first step in fraternity rush each semester is to get drunk with the young hopefuls and gan der at the lovely “Little Sisters” or “Sweethearts” who appear at every event. The freshmen who attend these parties only learn about the fraternity’s commit ment to high values and academ ic integrity later when they are probably surprised to read these goals in their pledge books. Is it really all that bad to join an organization for the sole pur- deeper flaws pose of drinking with a group of friends? After all, many college students drink with friends all of the time, but in a less formal set ting. The problem with fraterni ties is that they do not own up to their motives. Instead, they sur round themselves with an aura of achievement and values that they do not fulfill. Phi Gamma Delta’s charter states that the fraternity “exists to promote lifelong friendships, to reaffirm high ethical standards and values and to foster personal development in the pursuit of ex cellence.” Scott Krueger’s mother believed Phi Gamma Delta’s rhetoric: “We thought he was safe in that frat [sic] house.” Had the fraternity been honest with themselves and the rest of the world this tragedy may well have been avoided. A more ap propriate charter for Phi Gamma Delta might have included the fact pledges had to drink a re quired amount of alcohol before the older members allowed them to leave a party. It could be argued that one cannot understand the Greek sys tem if he is not a part of it. How ever, it is clear to anyone who has spent any time at all on a college campus that there is a distinct dif ference between social fraternities and organizations that truly sup port academic achievement and community involvement. Additionally, non-involvement in Greek life may be a key factor in truly understanding it. The man or organization liv ing a lie will not only hurt oth ers, but will wind up hurting himself. It should be the hope of all Aggies that the indictment of the Phi Gamma Delta organiza tion brings the truth to light and helps save the lives of many oth er young men. Stewart Patton is a senior sociology major. McGwire’s nutritional supplement use blemishes race for home-run record T he mar velous home-run race is drawing to a close, and Mark McGwire has tak en an astonishing lead — with a lit tle help, that is. With a count of 70 home runs to Sammy Sosa’s 66 and only one ball game to go, McGwire’s place is vir tually secured in the record books as baseball’s greatest home-run hit ter. But if there is any justice in this world, McGwire will share his record. Oh, he will probably not have to share the record with Sosa, but with androstenedione. Androstenedione, sometimes called andro, is the muscle-build ing supplement that McGwire took throughout the baseball season in an attempt to improve his perfor mance. McGwire’s andro use, however, has tainted his impres sive achievement. Undeniably, McGwire is juiced up on some thing. The man is enormous. Even body-builders appear somewhat small and girlish next to him. McGwire’s action-figure pro portions are unnatural. Indeed looking at him, one wonders if he is going to rip a home run or leap tall buildings in a single bound. When McGwire faced Houston Astros pitcher, Randy Johnson, two weeks ago, it was a match-up that was best described as He- Man versus Skeleton McGwire’s use of the hormone is not cheating — major league baseball has not banned the sub stance. However, andro use skirts pretty close to being cheating. It offers an unfair advantage for McGwire over players who wisely choose not to risk themselves at the hands of andro. Andro is a precursor to testos terone. Thus, when taken, theo retically at least, it is converted into testosterone. Increased testosterone levels are a linked to increases in muscle mass and de creases in body fat. The problem with andro use, however, is nobody knows exactly what its long term effects are. So, there is no telling what andro use today will do to its users tomorrow. This is a frightening prospect, especially when companies are using McGwire’s success to mar ket the supplement. McGwire’s hero-status makes andro attrac tive to young athletes who are willing to risk their health to max imize their athletic abilities. Many have tried to justify andro by noting that it is a legal nutrition al supplement. But if andro use was completely innocent, then it would not carry so much contro versy, nor would it be banned by so many sports organizations. Andro is banned by the NFL, the International Olympic Com mittee and the NCAA because of its unknown health risks. Last week, after initially agreeing to show andro advertisements, ESPN and Fox Sports Net banned andro commercials on their re spective channels. Furthermore, major league baseball is considering banning an dro. Last month, Baseball Commis sioner Bud Selig and Union Chief Donald Fehr announced that a committee of doctors would be in vestigating the hormone. “Obviously, the health of our players is of vital concern for all of us, and we want to take every pre caution to assure they receive the most accurate medical and scientif ic information,” Selig said. The worst consequence about McGwire’s andro use, however, is not its effect on McGwire’s record, but the message it sends to the nation’s children. McGwire’s run sends out the message that it is ok to do any thing to get ahead, even if it means risking one’s own body. This is a dangerous lesson to teach kids. Outside of his andro use, McG wire could make a great role- model. He is amiable and a good sport. When he tied Roger Marris’ home-run record three weeks ago, the first thing McGwire did after running the bases was pick up his son in his arms. It is too bad he has compro mised that image. One would hope the lesson McGwire would teach the nation is that success comes with hard work and deter mination, not elevated testos terone levels. McGwire is a national hero, al beit a tainted one. His accom plishment is admirable, his use of andro is not. In taking the single season home-run record by any means necessary, McGwire will have shown too much testosterone is never a good thing. John Lemons is an electrical engineering graduate student. JOHN LEMONS