*.« re Battalion
o PINION
Page 13 • Tuesday, August 31,1999
igitive
feSfish out of order
mmtklicy changing move-in dates for on-campus freshmen cannot be enforced, lacks foresight
VELAND (t\
f Dr. Sara
d his opposite
ation of his
'sterday, allow
mild be said that
Texas A&M Uni-
ity administra-
ictively looks for
ossible opportu-
io examine the-Ito subject students
woman whose ‘character-building”
inspire "TheTmsity.
;s. Such a statement is,
editors want to rle frankly, attribut-
i from Marilyns [foresight and malice to a branch of
hem defendtteifr'iversity that does not deserve
ongful imprii ^descriptions,
filed by theStii Instead, many of the policies most
n ReeseSheppa::P ui t0 students come about because
pard spentadeopckof planning, not an excess of
fter being
his wife to death
? was acquitted,
966.
ounger Sheppa:
window waste
ler and has wot
10 years to try;
r’s name, ifhe
■olence.
|e newly implemented policy of
most on-campus freshmen wait
/e in shows not only a lack of fore-
jbut also an apathy toward stu-
S’ needs.
jd apathy should not be present at
| A&M University.
Te new policy, effective beginning
mprisonmer B‘ mester - is freshmen who are not
nages could re jhl- ?rs ^e Corps of Cadets, rushing
$2 million, olrity, or do not have a valid excuse
ard, 52, of Oil 1 move • nt0 residence halls any
upset about i t h an Wednesday of move-in
i because he tee ®
ave had 45 rear l 6 P°l* c y was implemented so that
the case and vie » ua * g' ul Parents and students
on as a last-i Mrrive the first Sunday of move-in
ic tj c pk will be spread out over all seven
ard’s attornr s. Supposedly, parking and other stu-
said trip pvhiir {.services would not be overloaded
/orthfightingllsday.
rel it’s going it |s policy proudly displays the fact
rase or notd 0 etrP in ' n ^ stration was not lookmg
inything, frank 1- Instead of an overwhelming
ler of freshmen arriving on Sunday,
qwill now be overwhelming num-
freshmen on Wednesday and on
own
by for dim
ot as effective,
[is is an especially charming move
as everyone knows, University
ryees work on Wednesdays, taking
valuable parking spaces that could be
to unload on the weekends,
•titermore. Instead of crowds i of
freshmen who make up a large majority
of students in the residence halls arriv
ing on the two weekends, there would
be a very large number of freshmen on
just the one weekend.
The mob of people was not eliminat
ed by this policy — it was just moved
around a little. A prime example of lack
of planning ip pctipn.
This policy not only tears away a half
week of acclimation time from the fresh
men, but it does so without the fresh
men ever knowing what they have lost.
The first week residence halls are
open, the week before classes, is valu
able time.
Books are bought, friends are made,
professors are visited. Freshmen are
Jeff Smith/The Battalion
away from home for the first time, with
out the pressures of actual classes. In
stead of the seven days they should be
allotted, freshmen now get only five, and
only two if they move in on the
weekend.
In addition, this policy makes it seem
as if those students excluded from the
new policy are more important than oth
er freshmen. While it can be argued the
Corps is important enough to the Univer
sity to warrant special treatment, allow
ing fraternities and sororities to move in
early simply to facilitate recruitment
shows a preference over such equally
deserving organizations such as MSC
committees, the Residence Hall Associa
tion and the Department of Student Ac
tivities.
The special treatment for these
groups is unnecessary and divisive.
What is most amazing about this poli
cy is that it was implemented without
consulting the freshmen. Neither parents
nor incoming students were asked; only
current students and administration offi
cials were consulted. While this lack of
input does not rise to the level of the
“taxation without representation” that
sparked the American Revolution, the
principle is exactly the same.
And while an armed uprising is not
the solution to this problem, a protest of
a lower magnitude would be in order.
In addition to the problems of the pol
icy itself, there also is no good way to
enforce it.
The University is neither cruel nor
fascist enough to turn away little Johnny
Fish, who just drove down from Amaril
lo with his family on the first Sunday of
move-in and is two days early.
It just will not be done, leaving this
policy hollow and meaningless. Worse
than no rule at all, this is a rule that
does not make sense and cannot be en
forced.
Fortunately, many students took ad
vantage of this lack of enforcement and
did not move in on the days required.
In residence halls all across campus,
not just Cadets and Rush members
moved in on Sunday, avoiding what
could have been a very bad situation.
Freshmen and older students should let
the administration know that this year’s
mistake should not be repeated.
Chris Huffines is a senior
speech communication major.
•st fears have tel
Steven Fistej
)up AIDS Action
don’t work foil
Tt a cure foraf
acknowledges tij
ith the pill red
it strains and
1 make it hard
even more,
gotten thednis
that knowthet
le said,
do a better jokj
ccess to treat®
lon’t know ttiei'j
i means j
‘stimates
,000 people ii
le United State:'
is holding ste;]
)0 a year f
numbers
es to kill
numbers t
udents must think before sex
.4Mta
p*
it
JESSICA
CRUTCHER
SHIRT
UDS OR SHI
"IS SOLDSEPERft
10 not be
fully
aware of
otential
Is of sex,
[lust have
trapped
Iter a coral
'or the
110 years,
the time
’s teen-agers approach
school graduation, they are
informed on all physical as-
of sex, from the safest
od of birth control to the
way to avoid sexually trans-
|ed diseases (STDs).
owever, many new college
Ms fail to comprehend the
hological distress which can
from sex.
hese emotional problems
irguably more frequent and
ijust as serious as the physi-
onsequences of sex.
fortunately, many of these
iional difficulties can be
ded by being aware of the
ible outcomes before enter-
exual relationships,
here are many things people
Id consider before having
■irst of all, if it is against their
jion or personal morals to do
they should think seriously
ire discarding their beliefs,
lie body is a precious thing
should not be taken lightly,
■person’s “significant other”
Iflot respect that, one should
probably consider finding some
one who will.
Secondly, before having sex,
people should ask themselves
what they expect to gain from
the relationship.
Sex, coupled with a serious
emotional attachment, should
not be used as a means to stay
with someone who might not
otherwise remain interested.
If a person is more dependent
on one’s partner than the part
ner is on that person, the more
involved person will probably
end up feeling used when the re
lationship ends.
When a person recognizes
that he or she is more attached
then the other party, it is proba
bly advisable for the person to
re-evaluate the relationship.
The situation probably won’t
change, and having sex will only
intensify the feelings of depen
dency.
Common interests, or a lack
thereof, also play a major factor
in most relationships. The false
sense of security sex can provide
should always be taken into con
sideration before a person en
gages in intercourse with a part
ner they barely know.
No matter how good the sex
is, couples eventually are going
to have to carry on a conversa
tion. If the two have nothing in
common, the relationship proba
bly will not last.
If this realization hits too late,
it can bring mental distress and
disillusionment to both members
of the former couple.
One other factor to take into
consideration is that many peo
ple have begun to take sexual re
lations very lightly.
This isn’t necessarily good or
bad as such, but it can be ex
tremely upsetting to someone if
there is miscommunication be
tween the participants in the sex
ual relationship.
Before having sex, both part
ners should make sure they want
the same results from the rela
tionship. If one partner is not go
ing to take the relationship seri
ously, the other should recognize
this and adjust accordingly.
Forming, or attempting to
form, a serious emotional attach
ment with someone who has
stated a desire to remain unat
tached usually ends in disaster.
Despite the popular myth that
people can be changed against
their will, the best bet is to find a
more like-minded partner.
Just as there is no fool-proof
method of avoiding an STD or
becoming a parent, there is no
catch-all way to avoid the mental
anguish relationships can cause.
However, using common
sense and comprehending the
true depth of the relationship
will help protect a person from
serious emotional problems that
could have been easily avoided.
Jessica Crutcher is a sophomore
journalism major.
Results of straw polls irrelevant
E very four
years, GOP
presidential
hopefuls flock to
the Midwest to
participate in the
meaningless and
virtually defunct
Iowa straw poll.
As one of the
more sophisticated products of rep
resentative democracy, the straw
poll features tents in which candi
dates serve free barbecue, host blue-
grass bands and shuck corn while
sucking fund-raising dollars from
the pocketbooks of avid Republican
voters.
After the fun and frolicking, cam
paign supporters buy the right to
cast a vote, either for the candidate
with the best bluegrass or the one
who paid for their bus ticket and
lunch.
The dubious results are then
spun to the snoozing world as
important landmarks on the
road to the party nomination.
But if anyone doubted the
irrelevance of the Iowa straw
poll before last weekend, a sim
ilar event in Alabama should
prove once and for all that the
potluck polls are not accurate
barometers of party
opinion..
The straw poll does
not exist that can
break the candidate’s
back.
Apparently, Alabama
Republican Party officials had been
eyeing the Iowa shindig for some
years, and they finally decided they
could not pass up a good excuse to
eat ribs and have a hoedown.
So last weekend, for the first time
ever, Alabama had a straw poll of its
very own. In lieu of any corn to
shuck, organizers offered live-ele
phant rides and a dunking booth
featuring a Clinton impersonator.
How urbane.
But as entertaining as these di
versions may have been, it was the
outcome of the Alabama vote that
was most comedic.
Alan Keyes, a former talk-show
host turned Republican radical, won
the poll.
Orrin Hatch followed in second
place with George W. Bush, the na
tional front-runner for the nomina
tion, in third.
Gary Bauer took home fourth-
place honors — if a trophy at the
first inaugural Alabama straw poll
can be fairly dubbed an honor.
The strange fallout from the poll
has political analysts falling out of
their chairs laughing.
First of all, Keyes and Hatch, the
first- and second-place winners,
were the only major Republican
candidates to attend the poll, ren
dering their supposed victories emp
ty vanities.
Since voters at the poll must pay
to cast a ballot, the booths were
stacked with the supporters of Keyes
and Hatch, many of whom had their
tickets paid for by the candidates.
But more ridiculous is the nation
al media’s coverage of Keyes’ victo
ry as if it mattered.
Keyes, by his own admission, is a
fringe element in the Republican
Party. He wants to abolish the Inter
nal Revenue Service, a dramatic
slash-and-burn suggestion that al
most makes Steve Forbes look like a
liberal.
In his speech at the Iowa straw
poll, Keyes even compared taxing
the incomes of the middle class
with African slavery. He is hardly
representative of mainstream Re
publican opinion, and he knows it.
In what the Associated Press ten-
dentiously called a “stirring
speech,” Keyes urged the Alabama
pollsters to cast their vote based on
their true feelings instead of voting
for Bush just because he is popular,
an implicit admission Keyes’ own
views do not resonate with conserv
ative voters.
At any rate, it is not surprising for
a straw poll to go to the candidate
who ultimately proves to be unpop
ular. In the 1988 Iowa poll, for in
stance, Bob Dole won the vote but
George Bush ended up with the par
ty’s blessing.
The point is the polls have the
predictive power of one of those
“psychic eight balls” with the little
message thingy floating inside. They
are out of touch and out of reasons
to exist.
In spite of the fact the straw polls
are inconsequential, the national
media continue to lend them an air
of legitimacy.
Even in downplaying the signifi
cance of the polls, their coverage of
them necessarily makes them seem
significant to voters who may not
know better.
The Capitol Watch obviously did
not see the irony in its headline,
“Keyes wins largely ignored Alaba
ma straw poll,” which
gave the poll atten-
) tion in the very act of
saying it was ignored.
The media give the
polls their undeserved
steam, and ridiculous
outcomes, like the one in
Alabama, only prove the
straw votes are really circus
media events thinly dis
guised as viable forums of
political discussion.
Unfortunately, the
press love affair with
the straw poll only re
veals the media’s typ
ical willingness to
take vacuous
polls for a roll in the hay.
These days, presidential cam
paigns are covered, if at all, as horse
races.
Instead of reporting what candi
dates believe, they merely report
who is in the lead in the latest poll.
This needless apotheosis of polls
must end.
Rather than informing readers
that Alan Keyes won some barn
vote in Alabama the media should
tell voters he wants to eliminate tax
es altogether. Surely the latter fact
about him is more important than
the former.
As it is, finding out what a candi
date believes from a news story is
harder than finding a needle in a
haystack — and almost harder than
finding a justification in a straw
poll.
Caleb McDaniel is a junior
history major.
Robert Hynecek/The B'attalion