■^ic Battalion
O
PINION
Page 13 • Tuesday, February 2, 1999
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dfe mimics movies after Clinton’s presidency repeats itself for the past six years
>rd pli
^e flay it cannot escape.
d * ' morn * n g> President Clinton awakes to
Inl^^Hnit crimes and moral indiscretions, each
/ W1 iy the President’s popularity rises and each
gh| the country blames the Republicans for
intpn’s troubles.
Jgns of Clinton’s power to escape each day
erlprevalent even before he took office. In
hu .ugan riuary 1992, Gennifer Flowers revealed her
'rson hard L ;cac i e -]ong affair with Clinton, and the future
ctingJive pat. -esident got a boost in the polls and a near vic-
wood. torits: ^ | a jvj ew Hampshire,
mse ot the!i:t^B ter j n t j ie spring, it was discovered the
esident dodged the draft, smoked pot and
ott the Vietnam War while visiting the So
iled Gas Co. et Union. Still, the president swept California,
n the complex■ York and won the presidential nomination,
edure, andthc: \yi ia t could Republicans do? Many in the
the explosioii'OP hoped Clinton’s magical powers would dis-
patf once he reached the White House. They
Michigan Depi e re sorely mistaken; the office of the presiden-
r and Indusi increased Clinton’s ability to break the law
two inspec: -[d escape responsibility,
esperson Mar First, Whitewater washed ashore, but the
roblem quickly evaporated. Vince Foster, the
workers on linton’s attorney with all the answers, was
were sent k iysteriously found dead. With his death, many
nt workers w- iswers to the scandal went to the grave. Susan
to work. Ah [cDougall chose to go to jail instead of standing
s were there a! >it|ess against Clinton and Jim McDougall died
spokesperson!'®
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ecu use he die
car from start:
ation.
i its peakin': A sthe saying
>ple worked; A « oes - Dlnm S
rn, about s, ‘ Pt?" cam P us 15
llro j t in. It is a pity a stu-
10.000 peopk ;nt has to be in a
,l(actoies.'.f n " ro ° n ; ea , ln ?,
lie Rouse ,.».WJ ocks for ,hat 10
. n ? a true statement.
n plex has ace; T many hungry
, , „ mniv: i-campus Aggies
of cancer before he could face Clinton in court.
Some may blame these events on coincidence,
but Clinton’s ability to elude scandal was begin
ning to show.
In 1996, the scandal and escape scenario was
repeated. It was discovered the president collect
ed nearly a thousand FBI files on Republicans.
The public was alerted of this criminal action,
but could care less. The pattern of the Clinton
“Groundhog Day” was emerging.
Following his reelection in 1996, the president
and his administration were exposed for raising
hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal Asian
campaign funds. However, like every scandal be
fore, witnesses disappeared, the public lost inter
est and the Republicans were left looking foolish.
So when Monica Lewinsky entered the scene
in 1998, it was not surprising to see the presi
dent escape the scandal. Sure he has been the
first-elected president to be impeached, but the
latest CNN/USA Today/GaWup poll has Clinton
with a 68-percent approval rating.
Can anything destroy the president and bring
about a new day? History has shown President
Clinton’s ability to survive is unmatched. Not
even a charge of serious criminal wrongdoing
can bring down this president.
To Republicans, the Clinton presidency has
been a never-ending nightmare. The GOP has
tried to win the hearts of the public by balancing
the budget, ending the welfare state and cutting
taxes. They have tried impeachment, investiga
tion, special prosecutors and congressional com
mittees. Nothing has been able to stop the presi
dent from committing scandal, breaking the law
and exercising poor moral judgment.
For the past six years, the Republicans awake
to the same day. Clinton is continuously thwarting
the Republican effort to remove him at every turn.
This never-ending “Groundhog Day” will haunt
the GOP until Clinton leaves the White House.
Glenn Janik is a senior political science major.
RUBEN DELUNA/The Battalion
Meal plans not always the quickest, most cost-effective route
David
?, but remain
icentration
LEE
tve learned, pur-
•tnriPS imlb lasin S 3 meal P lan with TeXaS A&M haS
. , ‘ n e potential of becoming a frustrating
id time-consuming experience.
Since 1876, the Department of Food
injices has proudly served the student
buffet contest )dy of A&M, stimulating their tastebuds
ipell as their colons. With three dining
ing Devils fortll n | ers an d over a dozen restaurants and
lack bars spread around campus, Food
t free coffeeab-™' 065 h as attempted to make it as con
join m saidfoFi n l ent; as possible for students to have
high-quality food without compromising
their busy schedules. After all, it is the
most hassle-free means of getting food on
campus; or is it? Consider the following:
High prices: The Department of Food
Services Website (food.tamu.edu) includes
a listing of all the meal plans currently of
fered for the Spring 1999 semester. An im
pressive array of options are available, de
signed to fit any schedule. However, what
the Website fails to mention is the per
meal price for each meal plan.
After calculation, it is obvious these
meal plans are somewhat pricey, with
some averaging as high as $6.50 per meal
after tax. For students who are looking to
stretch their dollar as far as possible, this is
not a cost-effective means of getting fed.
Stocking groceries in a minifridge or eating
out at some of the restaurants around cam
pus every now and then can be a cheaper
alternative.
Time is precious: Without question,
time is the most scarce resource of any
college student. During peak hours,
standing in long lines at the dining halls
is unavoidable.
For students who are in a hurry to get
to class during these time periods, meals
prove to be a harrowing experience as
they find themselves in a demolition der
by of sorts, wildly bumping in and out of
crowds, side-stepping near collisions
with slower students, darting from buffet
cart to buffet cart and racing to the near
est empty seat to wolf down their meals
with just enough time to get to class.
To its credit, Food Services had made a
sincere attempt at preventing such chaos
with the introduction of Outbound Din
ing, a service where students can pick up
take-out meals in order to save time.
However, this service has gained tremen
dous popularity among students on the
go, and it is commonplace to see long
lines forming there as well. Ironically, the
wait at Outbound Dining during peak
hours is comparable to that of eating in
the dining halls.
No carrying over of unused meals: A
few days before final exams, Joe Aggie
decides to eat at Sbisa one last time be
fore the end of the semester. To his bewil
derment, he is politely informed that he
has 64 meals remaining on his account.
This sends Joe into a mad dash as he
sprints to the Underground Market and
attempts to purchase 50 pints of Blue Bell
ice cream in a desperate last ditch effort
in redeeming his unused meal credits.
This scenario, while silly, is a conse
quence of a grossly inefficient and waste
ful system. Any unused meals translate
into wasted dollars that could have been
better spent elsewhere. While the majori
ty of the blame should be placed on Joe
for not keeping track of his meal credits,
it is unreasonable to expect a student
who purchases any of the larger meal
plans to be able to use all of their meal
credits in one semester. Food Services
should be willing to allow a certain per
centage of leftover meals from one se
mester to carry over to another.
Do not be forced into thinking that
buying a meal plan is a student’s only
option for getting food on campus. Any
student with a minifridge, a microwave
and a little creativity can save themselves
a great amount of time and money
preparing a few meals in their room.
Who knows, treating oneself to a meal at
the dining halls every now and then
might be a welcomed change of pace. Af
ter all, that is what Aggie Bucks are for.
Hopwood a step in the right direction for
racial equality, needs time to prove benefits
EDITORIAL
VI:
ar.18, 1996 the 5th
®/| U.S. Circuit Court
^ V Xof Appeals re-
ersed a decision by a
£ Jxas district court and
™ iled in favor of five plain-
i ffs in what is now widely
} knOW known as the Hopwood
ase. That case ended
ice-based criteria in ad-
lissions to colleges in
Rs, Louisiana and Mississippi.
[-offs®!
Zach
HALL
Though the rhetoric from many minority
roups and school administrators may say
therwise, Hopwood set in motion a move to
ward real racial equality in education.
■Vhen the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
aled on the Hopwood case, it was specifically
irgeting the University of Texas Law School’s
dmission criteria, which set separate stan-
ards for minority and white applicants.
-The state legislature and attorney general
ten applied it to all state universities by
eeming all forms of race-based criteria for
dmissions, scholarships and fellowships to
e in line with the ruling from the Hopwood
ase. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court justices had
uled that U.T. Law School’s admission crite-
ia violated the 14th Amendment’s equal ac-
ess clause.
Rowever, unlike the UT Law School,
kihose criteria was that of a quota system,
aany schools used race as a small “plus fac-
ar” in the larger picture of admissions.
t&M’s use of race as an admission criteria,
n essence, amounted to less than 5 percent
f the total criteria.
■Therefore, Hopwood should have had only
light impact on the admissions process of
nany state institutions,
fthe decline in some schools minority ad-
nissions apparently is a financial situation.
Jim Ashlock, Executive Director of Univer
sity Relations, said that the effects of Hopwood
ended race-based scholarships such as the
Presidents Achievement Scholarship.
This lack of school or state-sponsored mi
nority scholarships created a perception to
some minorities that they were not welcome
at state schools.
When coupled with the ability of out-of-
state schools to offer school-based minority
scholarships, one begins to see why there ap
pears to be a decline in minority admissions.
While A&M has seen a drop in minority en
rollment, Ashlock said that minority enroll
ment has seen no state-wide decline.
The attorney general and state legislature
made the right decision in applying Hopwood
to all state colleges and ending affirmative ac-
legislators and minority
groups opposed to the
effects of Hopwood should
give the system a chance
to work itself out”
tion within education.
Recently though, they have made token ef
forts to bolster minority enrollment with the
passage of House Bill 588, which grants auto
matic admission into state colleges for high
school students who graduate in the top 10
percent of their class. Thus far, H.B. 588
seems to have had no effect on increasing mi
nority enrollment.
However, legislators and minority groups
opposed to the effects of Hopwood should
give the system a chance to work itself out.
It has only been two years since the Hop-
wood ruling.
Furthermore, the fact that state-wide mi
nority admission numbers have not declined
blows holes in the argument that minority stu
dents are leaving the state.
School administrators and minority-interest
groups should focus on solutions to increasing
minority enrollment and quit focusing on the
supposed slight dealt minorities by ending af
firmative action.
For instance, local minority groups and
alumni can set up their own private minority
scholarships and fellowships. School officials,
in turn, need to dispel the incorrect perception
that minorities are not welcome.
Nevertheless, if a student does not want to
go to a particular school, despite its efforts to
be equal and fair in admissions, then the
school must accept this. There should not be,
however, a collective whining that the system
discriminates or discourages certain groups
from admission. If a student has no interest in
a school, he likely will not go there, despite all
the school’s efforts.
Schools and minority groups need to real
ize this is a step in the direction of ending dis
crimination against all races.
With time and effort, the apparent side ef
fects of the Hopwood case will work them
selves out and colleges will again see increas
es in minority enrollment.
The easy answer to the declines in some
school’s minority enrollment numbers is to
blame it on Hopwood. The tougher answer is
to realize discrimination does not end discrim
ination and Hopwood will reap greater re
wards in the struggle toward racial equality in
education and society.
Zach Hall is a senior philosophy 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.
David Lee is a sophomore
general studies majot.
Editorials Board
AARON MEIER
Editor in Chief
KASIE BYERS
Managing Editor
MANISHA PAREKH
Opinion Editor
BETH MILLER
City Editor
Hazy Situation
Recent allegations against Corps of Cadets
exposes need for hazing law clarification
Haze — it’s a collegiate four-let
ter word that sends organization
presidents and outfit commanding
officers scurrying for their bylaws
and guidelines.
Beatings, cold hoses or being
forced to eat rotten foods are all eas
ily identifiable forms of hazing.
When the hazing laws were enact
ed in 1987, it was meant to stop the
human degradation certain organi
zations were using to initiate new
members.
In 1999, actions that were once
thought of as being in good spirit or
as jokes have been tainted with the
hazing laws. The laws regarding
hazing are so complex and vague
that confusion is often the only re
sult from trying to understand its
definition.
While the recent advertisements
placed in The Battalion by the Stu
dent Conflict Resolution Services
are trying to educate students, the
sheer number of ads over the past
two weeks is proof of the complex
ity of the hazing issue.
What one individual says is a
bonding experience for all mem
bers, others call hazing.
In order to simplify the hazing
question, a definitive test needs to
be developed that will allow all or
ganization members, whether they
be pledges, fish or upperclassmen
to eliminate the potential for haz
ing.
While the recent accusations
made by a former cadet against oth
er members of the Corps are serious
and do involve allegations of phys
ical assault and emotional abuse
and should be investigated, the
unique military tradition of the
Corps needs to be recognized in
some fashion. While a special sta
tus should not be designate to the
Corps of Cadets, their commitment
to the physical and mental stan
dards of the military is unique to
any other organization in the state.