ORD
( rotn Page 7
ire of the spon
ive desire prove
:h for Crawford
he Battalion
wpinion
iy summer
■nee, I reconside
osee [former ti)
Crawford s
interested. ...S
the summer
Spin doctors manipulate modern culture
■prostitution maybe illegal
-/in 49 states, but selling
oneself is practically a
icessity these days — politi-
lly and otherwise.
That is a hectic job consid-
ring how quickly people’s
pinions change. Change may
rmay not be good, but there
iths later, she
tion as a walk-or
jgies’ scorers
ence Meet.
not her only tail no doubt change is fast.
BEVERLY
M1RELES
her track and
mtials, Crawfe
diment of the
individual.
Often too fast.
People are fickle enough, but when you add
rofessionals whose job requirements involve
ranipulating the facts to
regional qualifie hange public opinion.
d also played
ir year.
ades and acade arthe right reasons.
which includi:
academic
Take Bill Clin-
)n’s entire presi-
onal Merit star, ency. From the
trong candidate
of Texas
e Poster Girl
tart, Clinton had
ames Carville
pinning his
omas, Crawfo: ampaign one
coach, attribc vayortheoth-
leadership,
academic ex
najor compon; tas his, Clin-
an hired the
n all-around
,” Thomas sail
of academ
me plans areai
essive.
is a prime coi
dio tends to
rather than
xroving last ye
nish is a r
) improve
Crawford Si
estion about th
confident in
nothing hoi
year, when
'e freshman d
mores, Crawt
ger picture
excited for
I’m sure we”!
oals for rui
•onstraints
bates every November.
It is this type of slant on events that
showcase “spin” in America. It is prevalent
throughout the country, and these types of
campaigns are essential because they can be
a tremendous factor in public opinion.
In a more mercenary sense, most corpora
tions’ profits depend on promotional frenzies.
In 1993, the burger chain Jack in the Box fell
victim to a wave of negative press. A national E.
coli scare erupted when one restaurant’s ham
burgers caused at least 600 patrons to become
seriously ill and caused four more deaths.
hange comes even more
uickly, and not always
r. And once
le presidency
oe-sucking
)ick Morris to
arveout political
lositions for him
tat corresponded to
s to go to medfe polls. He and his
id.
he future of
vhole family have been veri-
able chameleons from the days they
mifived in the Arkansas governor’s mansion.
The most exaggerated Clinton make
iverwas Hillary’s. One minute she was por-
rayed as the strong, intelligent, “let’s kick
ome bureaucratic health care butt” type, and
he next minute she was only attending
vomen’s functions and baking cookies for
helsea — in heels and pearls, no doubt.
But the Clintons are hardly the first public
igures to use polls and drastic promotional
ampaigns in an attempt to assuage negative
lublic opinion.
Take the many faces of the Christian Right,
or example. There is the family values side, the
lomosexual despising side and, of course, the
nilitant vigilante pro-life facet of the group.
Sure, not all of them are clinic-bombing
The fresliiij l ' an ’ acs * n the same way that not all mail car-
anger and u iffs are gun-toting wackos.
But how often does Ralph Reed mention
he killing of abortion doctors' at party conven
tions? That would hardly be helpful come
lection time, and that is why Pat Robertson
will most iihnuts about family values and character de-
Lately, however. Jack in the Box has re
gained a positive image with a heavy advertis
ing campaign selling burgers with comedy.
The food may not be that good, but at least
the commercials are funny, right?
Either way. It is the fact Jack in the Box is
still making money that ultimately counts.
One of the more recent spin campaigns is
for Pepsi’s “One.” Trying to broaden the mar
ket is always a risk, and the Pepsi corporation
has not forgotten the lesson of Coca Cola’s
“New Coke” — a flop that cost millions of
dollars — over a decade ago.
In order to influence wary public opinion,
Pepsi recruited the exuberant Cuba Gooding
Jr. to spark interest in the super-sweet soft
drink even before it was released. ■
Closer to home is the attempt of George W.
Bush to sell himself as a Hispanic advocate.
His Spanish-language political ads did much
more for his campaign than any policy debate
against Garry Mauro ever did.
And Bush was especially lucky when the
Texas Environmental Commission voted
down a proposal to build a nuclear
waste site in Sierra Blanca, a
largely-Hispanic commu
nity in west Texas.
Bush made his so-
called ties to. the Hispanic
groups known by calling
the waste site a dump in a
terse statement soon after
the proposal was nixed.
Sierra Blanca will not
get a nuclear waste site,
which is good, but it
means Sierra Blanca
lost out on jobs as
well. Now the
nuclear waste
Texas already
has must
stay in tem
porary
dumps in the
big and over-
populated
city of Houston.
Either way, it was a
difficult decision, consid-
brad grabber/ i iik Battalion eriiig Texas has been looking for
such a site since 1983.
The decision against the waste site at Sierra
Blanca was an environmental one, due to the
fault line it would have been built on. Howev
er, there is no question its veto helped Bush
“spin” more of the Hispanic vote his way.
Now that most political candidates and cor
porations use spin to influence profits and
votes, it is even more important the public
take the facts into consideration.
Packaging is cheap, and when that is all a
candidate or a corporation turns out to be, it
can leave a taste more bitter than “New Coke”
in everybody’s mouths.
Beverly Mireles is a sophomore
microbiology major.
Page 9 • Wednesday, November 4, 1998
Hall fire serves as
learning experience
I n the early
hours of Mon
day morning,
a fire erupted in
Eli L. Whiteley
Hall, Dorm 9.
We still do not
know the cause
of the fire, but we
do know it be
came intensely
hot very quickly.
The Hawkeye fire alarm noti
fication system alerted the Col
lege Station Fire Department,
and they responded. The initial
alarm system and horn-alert sys
tem in the residence hall worked
as well, but the fire’s heat was
so intense wires melted and the
system’s fuses were blown. Be
cause of the blown fuses, the
horn alert system ceased to oper
ate during the evacuation.
The student residents of Dorm
9 did a magnificent job of evacu
ating the residents and account
ing for everyone. I would espe
cially like to mention Brian Yates,
a senior member of B Battery in
the Aggie Band.
Because of the intense heat
and smoke in the building, nine
students were unable to exit the
fourth floor. Yates led these stu
dents to a room at the end of the
hall, used towels to seal the
door, opened the window and
alerted fire officials who were
able to evacuate the students
with a ladder.
Band Commander Beau
Voelkel and other cadet leaders
should be commended for their
leadership and responsiveness.
The College Station Fire De
partment, University Police De
partment, Environmental Health
and Safety Department, Physical
Plant, University Relations, Emer
gency Medical Services, Corps
Commandant’s Office and the Di
vision of Student Affairs Critical
Incident Response Team were all
on the scene and in position to
make decisions.
I would like to recognize the
cooperative effort and thank
everyone involved for their help.
These groups were able to mini
mize injuries, begin stabilizing
the building and deal with emo
tional issues. We were fortunate.
There were only minor injuries.
Two students were transported to
the College Station Medical Cen
ter for mild smoke inhalation, and
both were back for breakfast later
in the morning.
Texas A&M students should
learn from this experience so they
■will be able to help themselves or
others should a tragic circum
stance occur in their presence.
Every student must be familiar
with alarm and escape proce
dures in their residence.
Every student must be aware
of who is in their living area and
be able to account for them.
We, the administrators, are us
ing this incident to learn as much
as we can about safety precau
tions that can be taken.
Last night, the Corps’of
Cadets conducted a full fire drill,
and hall staff checked fire alarm
systems in all other residence
halls. Each system performed up
to standards.
The response to this situation
has helped us to once again un
derstand the Aggie family. Par
ents, former students, the Texas
Aggie Band Association, Universi
ty officials and others were pre
pared to offer significant assis
tance. The Texas A&M Bookstore
has offered to replace all books,
supplies and certain uniform
items (such as ribbons and brass)
lost in the fire.
Last evening, the Corps Com
mandant’s Office directed all
members of the Corps of Cadets
to walk through the third floor of
Dorm 9. I requested representa
tives of the Department of Resi
dence Life do the same. It is im
portant we use this tragedy as a
learning experience so we can
continue to learn and improve
all systems.
J. Malon Southerland is vice
president for Student Affairs
lore year ofei
tek because
ating after t
this fall
question in
1 said. “I had
early.”
d roster at
with immedii
ities, Crawfc
r is a possibil
EDITORIAL
Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect
the views of the editorials board mernbers. They
do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other
Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student
tat I’ve chanj body, regents, administration, faculty or staff.
said. “But;
insider, for
m individual,
Columns, guest columns, cartoons and letters ex
press the opinions of the authors.
Battalion
Editorials Board
Mandy Cater Grabber
Editor in Chief
Aaron Meier
Managing Editor
Jennifer Jones
City Editor
Dave Johnston
Opinion Editor
Faces of Diversity
Page 7
Artistic statue proposal offers wider
representation of campus minority groups
ke this wee!
jrning to
Dn VI
zhich is the
meet for
President Ray M. Bowen recently
Jave the go-ahead for the Presiden
tial Advisory Committee on Art Policy
to begin preliminary planning for a di
versity statue on the Texas A&M cam-
r eek
wart and
oyle wereti
ek for their
ading perfof
12
the 8,000-
minutes, 5
~ned him a
ost experi-
t e squad, li
ity of Texas
vanced to #
"lips and was
Foadrunne!
ed in every
ar career,
onal best of
overall and
‘ am-leading
.at A&M.
tement m#
in the states Pus. The committee will select a sub-
* nd Arkansas committee to begin the process of
establishing an official monument to
diversity at A&M. Bowen’s decision
is perhaps the most important com
mitment to the future of diversity at
M in the post-Hopwood era.
The committee is considering a
Work of art, possibly to be located be
tween Cushing Library and the Acad
emic Building. The subcommittee,
members, which will include Vice
President for Administration Dr. Jerry
Gaston and Student Body President
taurie Nickel, will make a recom
mendation regarding the artistic style
end representation of the statue.
Although decision making is in its
earliest phases, already debate is
erupting across campus regarding
what particular type of representa-
ly runner tl' ) fen would best celebrate diversity.
Perhaps the most vocal group is
campaigning for a statue of
Matthew Gaines, an African-Ameri
can State Senator whose historical
k to A&M has been hotly debat-
. Some proponents of a Gaines
statue argue depicting a historical
is a jiiflifere would humanize diversity, giv-
—Free Activate
'ng students a minority role model
hwhom they could relate.
Although it is valid to argue a con-
ete historical figure might have
more impact than an abstract sculp-
, limiting the piece to portraying
one individual opens the door for oth
er minority groups to feel overlooked.
In other words, if the subcommit
tee decides to in favor of an image of
one particular individual, they may
have difficulty deciding upon a figure
accurately symbolizing all groups —
women, African-Americans, Asians,
Hispanics and homosexuals are only
a few of the groups a monument to
diversity would need to portray.
The point is, the decision to begin
working on a permanent monument
such as this one is a huge step for
this campus. Deciding upon the im
age to portray will be a difficult task,
but the subcommittee deserves the
united support of all Aggies. And
while the subcommittee should so
licit the opinions' of an array of stu
dents and organizations, it is certain
their decision, whatever it may be, will
not be void of careful consideration.
No matter what the work of art may
be, all campus factions should see
this statue as a victory for diversity,.
Regardless of the end result, this
statue will stand as a symbol of the
commitment the University * has
made to pursue a diverse popula
tion, which can only be positive. In
stead of getting bogged down in de
bate, campus leaders should take
this as an opportunity to unite to help
A&M on its continuous struggle to
ward diversity. However, everyone in
volved must remember this is simply
a monument and the truly important
goal has nothing to do with art, but
with actively pursuing a diverse Texas
A&M student body and'faculty.
Women’s movement appears unladylike
CORRIE
CAULEY
I t seems as
though lately,
being a
“woman” is a job
most ladies are
not cut out for.
In a day
when women
seek to compete
with men in the
race to achieve
fame and fortune, some women
have forgotten what being a
lady is all about.
Although, the days of women’s
liberation are not as irrational as
the days of the Flapper, they are
still characterized by gender envy.
And although both men and
women should have equal oppor
tunities to achieve success, they
do not need to give up their femi
nine nor masculine qualities.
As the once-popular tailored
skirt gives way to slacks, trousers
and pleated pants, and as long,
layered locks are chopped off, the
surface of femininity slowly be
gins to fade.
In the past, women were proud
to put their jobs on hold to stay
home and raise their children.
Now they fight to be accepted by
society, first, as a career person,
and secondly, as a mother.
Many women today hold criti
cal positions in the workplace
and maternity leaves are much
shorter than in the ’60s.
It seems more than coinci
dental that juvenile crime rates
are higher. Kids coming home
to milk and cookies is a thing of
the past, but coming home to
an empty house and an open
opportunity to get into trouble
is front page news.
Though you cannot blame in
creasing crime rates on the femi
nist movement, it has contributed
to other social changes such as
men’s insecurity.
As men begin to feel threat
ened by the success of their coun
terparts, they become deterred
from pursuing relationships with
“the enemy.”
The intimidation by women
develops into a fear of rejection
and in turn, the lady loses out.
When he finally does summon
enough courage to face the lady
of his curiosities, it becomes more
of an issue of approach — should
he open the door for her? Should
he allow her to pay for dinner?
Will she think he’s old-fashioned
if he tries to be a gentleman?
Although women have come a
long way since the days of burn
ing bras, it seems lately they feel
they cannot go far enough.
It is no longer good enough to
be vice president when you can
be president. And while ambition
is a respectable characteristic of
anyone, it unfortunately becomes
a tool for a cause that warps the
goals of the individual.
Members of the women’s liber
ation movement often confuse
personal goals with those of the
movement, or they fight to attain
a goal for the sake of the group
rather than for individual satisfac
tion and self-pride.
Too often women’s organiza
tions find themselves embroiled,
in partisan political issues such
as abortion instead of working
on behalf of all women. The
movement frequently seeks
more than simple equality be
tween the genders.
Ironically, it seems as though
all femininity is absent from femi
nism and all that it represents. To
day, women display their pride by
parading. Striking and petitioning,
but ladies are quite content to re
main uninvolved and even enjoy
being treated like a lady.
Corrie Canley is a senior
journalism major.
HB APPRa
THE PITCH
FOR ft Lc
MAIL CALL
Maroon Out
unifies students
In response to Oct. 29 editorial:
The editors of The Battalion once
again tried to make an effort to neg
atively publicize a University event.
Apparently, unity cannot include
any attempt to draw Aggies togeth
er, whether it be through bloc seat
ing or wearing maroon.
Who would have ever thought
an organization selling T-shirts for
$5 could have hidden motives of
financial reward?
1 commend the Maroon Out
staff for choosing unity before out
stretched wallets. Even if profit
was a motive behind the event,
class councils’ primary purpose is
to raise enough money to give
back to this University in form of
class gifts.
Maroon Out’s vision was to
make Kyle Field look like a sea .
of maroon, not a sea of Maroon
Out shirts, and that is exactly
what happened.
What began as 5,000 Maroon
Out shirts for those who did not
have maroon to wear to the game
ended with over 31,000 support
ers. Even those who chose not to
wear the official shirt, but maroon,
where still a part of the Maroon
Out success.
Having an annual drive provid
ing the shirts is a great way to
keep this new tradition alive. Ag
gies, wear maroon on Nov. 7 to
support our team and University
— even if our own newspaper
does not support any efforts to
unify Texas A&M.
Aaron Dobbs
Class of '01
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:
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013 Reed McDonald
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
77843-1111
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Fax: (409) 845-2647