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
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