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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 1998)
o pinion eed ’em dry erupts to entice money into Norihgate drive businesses away AARON MEIER iaturds te Cc ne lo Jed ti elcome to Fron tier Land, or as it is more common- ^■wn, Northgate. Ife ^: ; ®at at one time was ,r t! ;'- :olit ny strip of bars vis- day ^■(dusively by stu nts has turned into a sh cow being milked ill^Hery last penny. ***************** II IfiSfFrom expensive parking to large hotels, plans to sanitize 3I1S3$!Northgate area are substantial, but at 16 latiost? n (9-2 Brents of Texas A&M University are 1 fronrBp nom ' c foundation of Northgate, but i whe r ■ wers in College Station are Ing students out, making room for the ■influential dollars of tourists, former Tits and parents. Teady, what once was a endearingly mine Jdy row of watering holes, record stores sMMsI 1 i ron -° x id e heaven known as Bottle- tches‘' B le y ^ as been garishly decorated with gmglBh at are throwaways from Disney- p'., , |’a latest remodeling, in a roiB 1 s P r * n 8> several pavilions were leiirs B^ a * on 8 bne promenade. It seemed svjilb ~l pavilions m igbt serve as shading Wz street festivals, but when the :v Bf° r fhe North by Northgate Music thfal rolled into town, the pavilions re- d vacant. in it f 10w t b e denizens of Northgate have III 9« heat pavilions and a few oddly S A&M* arches to view as they walk to their illett w oritc bars. Any minute, the Animatronic jnd of'Bire going to be installed, and it really >1 Oct. ffbe Disney’s Frontier Land. anal Ultimately, it is just a matter of time be- jNorthgate becomes a tourist trap similar o m !t|rbon Street or Sixth Street, only of a n magnitude more appropriate for College Station. Face it, this town can barely han dle Bonfire; it is best not to even mention a possible Mardi Gras celebration. The parking garage approved by College Station voters last May will be another stage in the death of Northgate. This spring, students and Northgate patrons cheered the approval of the garage. But it seems quite unlikely the city council is going to spend tax dollars so stu dents can have a $7 mil lion place to park while they get sloshed. The garage is an at tempt to make the Northgate area more friendly to tourists, parents and for mer stu dents who fre quent the establish ments along University Dri ve. By keeping the rows of cars lining the streets out of sight, College Station looks more presentable to the thou sands of wallet owners who come into town Further evidence of the “Vegasing” of College Station is the closing of Mud Lot to make way for a 176-room hotel. A conve nient hotel within walking distance of the Northgate area will increase the amount of currency brought into the area. ROBERT HYNECEK/Thu Battalion The final element of the degeneracy is the disappearance of two of the three record stores in the area. This summer. Marooned Records and CD Warehouse shut their doors and headed out of town. While economics undoubt edly played a role when the stores ulti mately closed, the fact remains that, slowly but surely, the life is being squeezed out of Northgate. Aaron Meier is a senior political science major. ligious people wander from goals EDITORIAL CHRIS HUFFINES t last ount, there were ation ™° 0church - Venfc ligious t organiza- jtthe j-College Idm area. They lent.innu- le religions, inations, sects and cultures, e safely can say students _ ave a fairly good under- nding of religion. -■■pllbvvever, many do not under- IBJhd the difference between gods r7/j/ta(n!®ligion. They do not under- Dry CleafKj religion can and does sup- yasli^plgods and bites the hand that oldSen»L Ses b- Low P wigion is the mechanism jo serve a god, whether this [Od, Allah, Brahman, a god annot be understood, the ce of a god or any other ly figure or deity, owever, there have been and times religion gets in the way fid. This is not a good thing. example, the Crusades |an extremely powerful reli- movement, but godly they hot. After all, it was during Irusades that the Christian sacked the city of jalem, looting, plundering, and raping with priests tg the soldiers every step of past n#i a Week College ible M All this was set against the backdrop of indulgences, power- hungry and Machiavellian popes, religious persecution, the Inquisi tion, conversion by the sword and a small legion of other excesses by the Catholic church. These ac tions were performed in the name of God, but they were actions he is unlikely to have condoned. Reading the news, one can find all manner of more recent exam ples. The most visible is the wave of terrorism targeted at the United States. Much of that stems from Arab-Israeli conflicts after the re creation of Israel and the United States’ support of the Jewish na tion. The main conflict is one of land and revenge, not God, Jeho vah or Allah. Similarly, the death mark on the head of author Salman Rushdie is religious, not godly. Rushdie did offend Muslims, which was at best a very poor choice, but it does not deserve death. Especially not the $2.5 mil lion reward once offered for Rushdie’s death. After all, the pope has not issued an edict against Terrence McNally for his play, “Corpus Christi,” despite the fact it has insulted and offended countless Christians. That is not to say Protestants have been paragons of virtue in this area. The Southern Baptist Convention’s boycott of Disney was a religious move only barely motivated by God. True, Disney’s actions have been decidedly pro homosexuality, and for parents this is a fairly disturbing series of actions from the largest producer of children’s products in the Unit ed States. But a boycott of each and every Disney product on the face of the planet, no matter how wholesome or heterosexual, is hard to justify biblically. At least no one is gunning for Michael Eisner. To add to the list of the danger ously religious are the disciples of the “What Would Jesus Do?” fad, abortion-clinic bombers, televange lists, Tom Short, his most vocal critics and Marilyn Manson. There are, of course, overzealous reli gious actions with more dire po tential — the Irish feuds and Indi an and Pakistani nuclear testing, for example. These religious actions happen every day, without students or Americans in general realizing the line that has been crossed. It is the responsibility of all hu man beings, no matter what par ticular religion, denomination or sect, to objectively and honestly think about what is being fed to them along with their gods. There is a difference between devotion and blind faith. The for mer is godly, the latter is religious. Chris Huffines is a junior speech communication major. Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorials board members. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, administration, faculty or staff. Columns, guest columns, cartoons and letters ex press the opinions of the authors. Editorials Board MANDY CATER GRABBER Editor in Chief AARON MEIER Managing Editor DAVE JOHNSTON Opinion Editor Architecture Bleak Modern buildings decorate campus while distinctive landmarks remain neglected IVte WcMch mm owmrm^ Today marks the end of Archi tecture Week in Texas — a week set aside by Governor George W. Bush to “celebrate architecture and the built environment.” A celebration such as this one of fers a perfect opportunity to reflect upon our own immediate environ ment here at Texas A&M University. It seems strange that at a school so steeped in tradition, so many of our traditional buildings seem to be falling by the wayside, as at tentions are increasingly focused on newer, flashier architectural wonders. _ Take, for in stance, the Aca demic Building. Of all buildings on cam pus, it is perhaps the most recog nizable, symbolic representation of Aggieland, standing since 1912. The dome of the Academic has corroded to a greenish-blue shade. Bricks are falling from the exterior. The fifth floor of the building is un der lock and key due to poor light ing and lack of stairway handrails, opened only for special circum stances such as Silver Taps. Other older buildings have suf fered fates even worse than that of the Academic Building. DeWare Field house. Law and Puryear Halls were torn down to make way for a new campus vision. More apparent than this seem ing disrespect for older buildings is the complete lack of architectural cohesiveness on campus. The Jack K. Williams Adminis tration Building, for instance, greets A&M visitors with an aus tere facade, a successful marriage of Regional, Classical and Art Nouveau styles. However, a quick look to the left displays the sharp arch itectu re contrast of the starkly modern Eller Oceanography and Meteo rology Building. The Academic Building rises above campus with its striking dome and Neo-classical style, while just across Wellborn Road and the railroad tracks stands the frighteningly out-of-place Post modern wonder, the Student Recre ation Center. The truly sad part is, A&M could be a truly beautiful campus. The planning and layout of the campus are impressive, with Albrit ton Tower and and the Ad minis tration Build ing serving as anchors and focal points at ei ther end. For such a large campus, there is also a great deal of green space. Just somewhere along the line, something went a bit wrong. Somewhere along the way, A&M got a case of architectural overkill — too many styles not enough co hesion. Sure, it may cost more to refur bish an older building, but the preservation would be well worth it. The prestige and history of the older buildings should outweigh the dollar signs. We boast so often of tradition here, but contradict ourselves where it is most visible to the naked eye. Perhaps, though, this message is beginning to become apparent. The renovations at Sbisa Dining Hall are certainly a step in the right di rection. Perhaps seeing Sbisa re turn to its old glory while simulta neously offering students services they desire will inspire the protec tion and rebeautification of other campus landmarks. Page 7 • Friday, October 2, 1998 MAIL CALL McGwire promotes : national pastime | In response to John Lemons’ Sept. 28 column: John Lemons claims Mark McGwire’s home-run record is blemished by a strength-building nutritional supplement. Mr. Lemons has failed to examine what this has done for the game of baseball. The thrill of the chase of a 37- ' year-old record by two sluggers has done nothing but increase in terest in the game. The two net works in charge of broadcasting baseball, ESPN and FOX, were fighting each other to broadcast the record-breaking shot. And not only has interest grown among people who follow baseball on a regular basis, but those who do not watch baseball flock to their televisions whenever McGwire or Sosa is at bat to see if history will be made. The 1998 baseball season will be remembered for a long time. Baseball fans as well as non baseball fans will be able to tell their children and grandchildren about the record everybody thought would never be broken. One man defied the odds. That man is singly known as “Big Mac,” ■ Mark McGwire. Matt Kazsuk Class of ’00 Abortion decisions involve children In response to Jennifer Jones’ Sept. 29 column: As a pro-lifer, I was displeased with Jennifer Jones’ pro-choice column on Tuesday. However, pro- choicers are the ones who should be angry. While attempting to write in support of the pro-choice cause, Jones contradicted the very ba sis of that argument. Pro- choicers say abortion should be legal because the government has no right to tell a woman what to do with her own body. This argument implies a fetus is just part of the woman’s body, so no harm is done in terminating it. However, in Jones’ column, she very plainly refers to abortion as “the loss of a child” and “giv(ing) up a baby,” which implies that not just a fetus but a child is involved. Not even pro-choicers can bring themselves to say termi nating a child is acceptable. In conclusion, Jones, while attempt ing to argue against the pro-life ' movement, has only strength ened our argument. ' Julie Anna Powell * Class of '01 - Class elections define future In response to Manisha Parekh's Sept. 24 column: I was shocked to see such a cynical, anti-Aggie column claiming ; freshman elections are useless. Who is to say history will re peat itself and the freshman class • officers will amount to nothing (if ; indeed the previous councils do fit • her description)? | What gives Parekh the right to • patronize freshmen as though ! we have lived 18 years behind a • veil and cannot see our hands in ! front of us? No one has ever spoken of the * friendships that blossom from the ‘ competition, or the people met through campaigning. I did not choose to run for freshman class president to pad my resume. My thought was rather to have the chance to represent the freshman class in the best way I could. Elections are the most Ameri- • ’ can thing in this country and to say they are useless is almost heretic. No one has the right to slight democracy. Tommy Mitchell Class of ’02 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
