attalion
O
PINION
Page 5 • Wednesday, August 4, 1999
' e v Opposites distract
miversity should implement profiling system to match roommates with similar interests
get an oppt
couple of
lat they can he Uni-
irn a spot ent® versity
camp or a JL of Texas
lailey said. Kleeently
ig directoi mounced a
said Fricke anlKto help
on the team'' aatcli more
impatible
Vorld League ®mates ^ liF T}T?r^T^r:
produce a lilt ir on-campus
I player than it .‘siJents.
ily because rr i'The plan offers an online
said the Cov rences.
/ebsite that asks participants a
eries of questions about their
ersonalities.
the questions are designed to
ighlight personality traits that
!?nd to cause rifts between
ommates.
Future residents answer ques-
ons about sleeping habits,
moking habits and music pref-
'sted in Aaroi
• Nebraska«
i-school ballii
is agent said!
■fter the students fill out the
arm, they are shown a list of
ossible matching roommates.
Bdtile this is not a perfect
lan, the idea of trying to match
' room for Fr, oom mates is a good one. Texas
Cowboys cui AM should consider adopting
11 and runni: ome form of personality profil-
||in order to better match
roommates. The current pot-luck
roommate assignments leave
compatibility to blind chance.
If personality profiles were
taken into consideration, stu
dents less likely would be as
signed a nightmarish roommate.
This is not to say that the
plan would guarantee a compati
ble person or eliminate the
chances of a lemon, but for stu
dents who just cannot cope with
certain personality types, match
ing would be a welcome exer
cise.
If the University were to help
students find roommates they
are not going to throttle after a
month, students would have a
more pleasant, fulfilling stay on
campus.
The early bird who just can
not stand the night owl would
no longer have to put up with all
the late-night antics performed
by the insomniac in the next
bed.
A health-nut leaf eater would
not have to put up with the
somewhat unpleasant aroma of
the smoker’s nicotine perfume.
Opponents of the system
Mark McPherson/The Battalion
might argue college life is about
learning to put up with people,
and this system would be an an
tagonist for unity and diversity.
Part of the college experience,
they might say, is to meet new
and different people who think
and act differently than you.
The pot-luck system in place
now forces people to come to
gether and try to get along.
However, the proposed profil
ing system would do no differ
ent. People who participated in
the profiling would still be
forced to get along with people
from various backgrounds and
interests. All the system would
do is allow students to define
certain characteristics that they
would like to see in a roommate.
Besides, the personality
matching would not detail every
thing about a person and try to
put long-lost twins together.
It would just give certain be
haviors and habits about people
that would help to create less
tension in a close-quarters envi
ronment.
This system is not interested
in profiling people’s ethnic or re
ligious history. It only intends to
help people avoid having to live
with others who have certain be
havioral quirks they find annoy
ing.
One of the problems with the
UT plan is the public display of
student’s personal information
on the Internet.
However, changes could be
made to make this system more
private. The student would only
need to fill out a profile, and a
computer should do the matching.
The system would not be dif
ficult or costly to implement. In
the housing application, there
could be an option in addition to
housing preference and room
mate preference to use a profile
to help choose a roommate.
The housing preference
should take priority in the com
puter system, and the profile
would be an added factor to the
assignment process.
This kind of computer-aided
roommate personality matching
would be a great advantage to
the housing assignment process
and would help people to be less
apprehensive about their college
experience. .
Jeff Becker is a sophomore
computer engineering major.
low
aw mu
(AP) — Theft
announced f
^ning of 6-4
1 Greg Bucknt
lick who spec:
weeks witlr
mer league e
ere disclosed,
averaged 13 pi
11 summer te
ies last season''
•and Rapids He
eraged 8.6 pf
Dirnds a gaiw
g in 22.6 miro;
linth in theCWj
minutes.
leport on virginity
ests untrue
? year and Si I
he turned r
1 offers elsewto
lando. Outlairf
y Bird riglii.' 1 response to Chris Huffines’
aing the Mamuaust 3 column.
■eed the salanlf
again. I am an African, a South
o split time African, and I am a Zulu. I take of-
at point guatiihnse at the spreading of lies
> Lakers, sirffjout my continent, my country
itract worth imd my tribe.
For the same reason that Chris
luffines will not come out and say
hat Hispanic people are railway
fillers, I appeal to him to desist
|rom spouting off such claptrap as
rewrote about Zulus and virginity.
- It is offensive, ignorant and
r\d iWee P in g- More * m Portantly,
^iJyiough, it is a lie.
h
splat
e’s wrong,
ach at Penn;
ch joined
3 conference's
M
Velaphi Msimang
Graduate Student
MAIL CALL
French students
respond to column
In response to Mark Passwaters’
July 28 column.
Passwaters jumps from a dis
agreement with a newspaper
about an insignificant topic to
some sort of self-centered chau
vinistic outrage, boasting about
the dominant role and position of
the United States this century.
While living in France, we
helped American families to settle
and make new friends. In Texas,
we found very friendly people, and
the the same warmth can be
found in France.
Passwaters paints a blatantly
false image of France by giving the
impression that the French hate
Americans.
At a time when cultural diversi
ty is one of the main goals of our
University, his column was totally
inappropriate and shows a lack of
responsibility.
Victor Cheng
Henrik Roycourt
Marc Vails
Graduate Students
The Battalion encourages letters to the ed
itor. Letters must be 300 words or less and
include 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 McDonald with a valid student ID. Let
ters may also be mailed to:
The Battalion - Mail Call
013 Reed McDonald
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
77843-1111
Fax: (409) 845-2647
E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com
Anti-drug fungus
not worth risks
From the Michigan Daily at the
University of Michigan.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Offi
cials in Florida are planning to
risk the future of the state’s agri
cultural economy in the name of
eradicating marijuana.
Jim McDonough, the recently
appointed head of Florida’s Of
fice of Drug Control, is planning
to spread a fungus genetically
engineered to kill marijuana over
areas where the plant is suspect
ed of being grown.
Is marijuana such a threat to
the nation that it justifies reck
lessly interfering with nature?
The only rational answer to this
question, regardless of one’s per
sonal opinions about marijuana,
must be a resounding “no.”
Of course, Florida anti-drug
officials deny that their plans are
reckless at all and insist that the
fungus will be rigorously tested
before it is unleashed.
But history and common
sense say otherwise.
According to the New York
Times, the fungus, known as
Fusarium oxysporum, belongs to
a species of fungus that is al
ready predisposed toward muta
tion, leaving many environmen
talists to fear that the genetically
engineered fungus may mutate
itself and turn on a variety of
plants besides the intended mari
juana plant.
Some endangered plants,
tomatoes, corn, peppers and
flowers could all be vulnerable,
and Florida’s hot climate makes
it an unusually ideal place for or
ganisms to mutate. ...
Historically, Florida has had a
long list of problems with the in
troduction of foreign species.
For instance, a fast-growing
COLLEGIATE ROUNDUP
from U-Wire editorial reports
Chinese vine called Kudzu was
planted earlier in the century to
stop erosion.
It has since claimed every
thing from houses to roadside
throughout the South because it
grows a foot a day.
The Miami Herald recently re
ported that farmers in Peru
strongly suspect the United
States’ use of an anti-coca fungus
species has led to the death of
tangerine, yucca and banana
crops.
U.S. officials disavow involve
ment in the death of the food
crops but admit that they have
aggressively researched biologi
cal herbicides to use against mar
ijuana, coca aind poppy plants.
It seems safe to say that only
the most callous individual
would even consider the plan
McDonough is promoting.
It appears McDonough is will
ing to open what could be Pan
dora’s box for Florida’s farmers
in exchange for political clout for
himself and his supporters.
Such a plan would still sound
ridiculous even if it were aimed
at a destructive drug like crack
cocaine.
No matter how one looks at it,
the potential benefits of a society
free of illicit drugs simply do not
validate a course of action that
could destroy a large part of a
whole region’s economy. ...
Hate crimes bill
should be passed
From the Daily Collegian at
Pennsylvania State University.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. —
The U.S. Senate recently passed
a bill that would expand the
power to prosecute criminals
who commit hate crimes.
The bill adds sexual orienta
tion, gender and disability to
the groups of people already f
protected under federal hate
crime legislation.
Currently, the law only pro- ;
tects race, color, religion and
national origin.
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa.,
was one of the prime sponsors
of the bill many Democrats and
Republicans both supported.
Due to recent hate crimes, in
cluding the dragging death of a
black Texas man and the beat
ing of a gay college Student in
Wyoming, the bill was approved
without much debate.
The House of Representatives
should follow the Senate’s lead
and pass the measure as well.
These hate crime laws are al-.
ready in place, but this bill
would extend the measure to
protect even more groups mali
ciously targeted by criminals. ...
It is time for the government ;;
to extend protection to include
gender, sexual orientation and
disability in order to be fair and
just.
However, while the law is
well-intentioned, lawmakers
still appear to be overlooking
the real problem — the hate
that spurs these crimes.
Although hate crime laws
make sentences longer and pun
ish criminals for their heinous
crimes, these acts of violence
will continue to happen until
hate-crime education and pre
vention become priorities.
Even though color and race
are protected under federal hate
crime legislation, the dragging
death in Texas shows even laws
cannot stop hate.
The government needs to
find a way to stop hate before
hate crimes can happen.
It needs to focus on taking
action that does more than just
add punishment after a tragic
hate crime has already oc
curred.
arketing for horror film offers refreshing change from norm
Ryan
GARCIA
ome schools
probably briif
ole or niore :^-^ on j ;rar y to fj-, ose
ie said, deem annoying Sprite
ions. "You i vycommercials, im-
the institute j s everything,
sports progT j us t ask the direc-
‘arch institui tors and marketing gu-
media maflius behind The Blair
Witch Project.
iddition wa‘ : In these days of
st since ifflirger King sunglasses
Ten becanitand Jar Jar Binks hand
ted schediftppets, it’s refreshing to see Hollywood
■ken to school by two rookie filmmakers.
,'ould ease it The mock-documentary follows three
How the cot Young filmmakers who vanish in the
icrative diai I |' ,00 ds near Burkittsville, Md., as they
he SEC andpok a 200-year-old legendary witch.
After earning nearly $30 million this
st weekend, the film has now grossed
ffiore per screen in its first official weekend
an Star Wars: The Phantom Menace did
■ its first weekend.
-Free Aciiv^j Already making 100 times what it cost,
* Accessor^-the low-budget movie’s secret of success is
‘ 'Callingc# a creative marketing strategy intertwined
&Co phones soiiju ^
with a premeditated image of believability
— something Hollywood has lacked for
too long.
Instead of bombarding the public with
the usual barrage of high-priced commer
cials and fast-food gimmicks, filmmakers
Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick chose
an alternate angle of promotion: the blur
ring of fiction and reality.
This formula has proven to be enticing
enough to a public that has grown tired of
the high-priced blockbuster film with the
even higher-priced hype that comes with
it. The Blair Witch Project was purposefully
kept out of the traditional motion picture
spotlight, adding to the mystery of the
film. Apparently, it worked.
“We never lied to anyone, but we tried
to make it scarier by creating an element of
truth in the story,” marketing director at
Artisan Entertainment Amorette Jones said
in an Associated Press (AP) article.
Sanchez and Myrick have used the In
ternet to create the legend of the Blair
Witch with a Website.
The homepage acts as a
serial about the witch,
allowing Web surfers
to follow the story
through biweekly
installments of
information. .; A ■
Never be-
fore has the
Internet
played such
an integral
part in a
film’s promo
tion.
In effect,
this ingenious
approach creat
ed the demand
for a movie long
before any sem
blance of a script ex
isted.
Eight million hits later, the public
stands primed for the actual movie.
The Blair Witch Project and
its image of believability
were further promoted
by a Sci-Fi Channel
Ik Unsolved Myster-
A* ies-styled docu
mentary featur-
|jj!, ing supposed
interviews with
family and
friends of the
film’s missing
characters.
Neither the
Website nor
the Sci-Fi
Channel spe
cial ever ex
plicitly state
the story is fic
tion, leaving many of its fans wondering if
it is real.
AP reported that some believers have
organized search parties to look for the fic
tional missing characters, and others ven
ture into the Maryland woods with hopes
of seeing the fictional witch.
“The advertising is like a companion
piece to this film,” Jones said in an AP arti
cle. Whatever the advertising may be, it is
effective.
Tom Borys, president of ACNielsen EDI
Inc., which tracks the motion picture in
dustry, told the Associated Press The Blair
Witch Project has the potential to become
the most profitable movie ever made.
Critics speculate that it will easily sur
pass $100 million in ticket sales. Not bad
for a movie shot in only eight days.
The Blair Witch Project sends a much-
needed message to Hollywood that movies ;
do not need a Jar Jar Binks to succeed.
Ryan Garcia is a senior
journalism major.