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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1999)
'’he Battalion O PINION Page 13 • Wednesday, September 1, 1999 ma p Q{ c mngrich gushes Plllfty^P^ccording to the Cox New ViEW POiNTS News Service, C-SPAN will broadcast a recent inter- "k walls hast nee recently ^ w ,amanb vl€w with Newt Gingfich, former Je'theKrc s P eaker the House of Repre- ree ^ UJr .j > , sentatives, beginning tonight, t attack in r-t -' Durin S the three-part pro gram, Gingrich decries what aanwasde have come t0 be known as the r onto Red$o. l olit;ics of P er sonal destruc- sethimsel surely influenced by his i him tell ovvn encounters with scandal- blems.He- niongers inside the Beltway, and hewasJJ' ln the first P ,ace - nobody is gencyroor a saint," he tells interviewer Brian Lamb. “[People should understand] that you’re not go ing, to elect saints, you’re going to elect a sinner, and hopefully, ■ d tly° u elect a sinner who prays, a d-ll s ' nner who is self-aware, a sin ner who is responsible.” ■ However, shortly after drop ping this somewhat humble re- C| /^Pirricirk, Gingrich goes on to rank dWv h ' rnse| f on par with Henry Clay, who is widely acclaimed as the most skillful legislator the ^^^^^Bjntry has ever known. * “I was not a presider, I was pie leader. And I think Henry Clay’s probably the only other speaker to have been a nation- ..al leader and speaker of the Vhe - - House simultaneously,” he sa d. ■ Newt also compares himself in his early career as a Con- gmssman to the Rev. Martin extK , Luther King Jr. lUttaOTwJP By the time he finishes build- iUtm ing himself pedestals like AP) he pill ective been , ?where IPs gover these, one almost expects Gin- H . , r !i , grich to suggest he pose for a un ma j 0I spot on Mount Rushmore. to block it; v Apparently, Gingrich is trying .imons b to f ois f himself into the pan theon of great American lead- tun tsor: . ers ' hut one wonders whether ier ^ anyone but himself is con- ihing: vi need. 19 whoNewt’s career more readily u .’ n s g. . - .summons comparisons of him bena Rush Limbaugh than to Mar- e contri tin Luther King Jr. gains in’.t*- And however historians ulti- ocioty, fnately portray Gingrich’s tenure 'e —esped;. as speaker, neither they or any- | 1( y _ are' one else will smile on his at- % in, a culture tempts to exalt himself, n to be pas; If it is true the American peo- ole should elect sinners who jdewaseviAgre "self-aware” and cognizant ; nine-year ^Df their faults, it is becoming osition in ( dear they made a mistake by j among ccr^n^e electing Gingrich, ought it woulb Igy making supercilious re- ptll finally" me. I marks about his own great ness, he does nothing but a disservice to his already lack luster legacy. — Caleb McDaniel Dads deter drugs T his Monday, results were released from a study con ducted by the National Center on Addiction and Sub stance Abuse at Columbia Uni versity. The study found children whose fathers took active roles in their lives were less likely to smoke, drink or use drugs. Dads who do such simple things as eating dinner with their families or taking their kids to religious services can greatly increase their ability to keep their progenies on the straight and narrow. But those fathers who re main unapproachable and unin volved in the daily raising of their families make it more probable drugs will find a way into their homes. This research should be a clarion call to the nation’s fa thers to take their important roles in the home seriously. Policymakers and govern mental institutions can be help ful in resolving many social problems, but ultimately, fami lies have the niost direct role in the prevention of social decay. Fathers must especially re vive their responsibilities to their wives and children. Modern society has done much to debunk the notion that fathers must be the only bread winners in a household. But as a society, we must be wary. The changing financial role of fathers should not be in terpreted as releasing them from other obligations that are uniquely their own. This new study should con vince dads that spending time with their kids and talking to them about drugs is one of those fatherly obligations they must not relinquish to society at large. And the most important thing fathers can do is set a good example. The study re ports that teens whose fathers have more than two drinks per day are 71 percent more likely to abuse a drug. — C.M. Robert Hynecck/The Battalion 4 Rush forces conformity on Greeks T he smell of conformity in the morning is in vigorating. The sight of dozens of young women coming out of restaurant bathrooms chewing breath mints. The distant, hushed sound of baby-faced young men cooing, “Thank you, sir, may I have anoth er?” And in What could be the most telling sign of all — The Gap is running dangerously low on khaki shorts. That’s right, kids. It is Rush time again, and we can all look forward to those timeless images that come to the surface during this glorious week. Soon we will all get to feast our eyes on droves of would-be frater nity pledges with filthy white hats and bloodshot eyes running around the Texas A&M campus. Before you know it, residence hall crew chiefs, standing next to some freshmen whose head just had a letter shaved into it, will be talking badly about the Greeks hazing their pledges. Ah, the sights of rush week, all too predictable and all too self-de stroying. The problem with rush week is that sororities and fraternities play an important role at A&M, and like it or not, they are here to stay. However, all the good work done by Aggie Greeks is overshadowed by the blatant display of mindless conformity that is rush week. To do good works and services for the University, the members of A&M’s Greek system have to fight the stigma of being spoiled, mind less clones. A&M’s Panhellenic Council gives countless hours to the com munity and the University year in and year out. Aggie Greeks are very involved in helping A&M by participating in traditional University service pro jects like The Big Event, as well as by hosting their own affairs such as Derby Days and the upcoming Campus Kickoff. For Greek Week last year, A&M’s sororities and fraternities held a very successful food drive to benefit families in the Bryan-Col- lege Station area. But the young men and women of A&M’s Greek system shoot themselves in their collective pedi cured foot when rush week rolls around. When the members of A&M’s fraternities and sororities take their least desirable attribute — un abashed conformity — and put it proudly on display, it overshadows the time and effort they put into serving the University and the local community the rest of the year. There is a point to this well- dressed group-think. Fraternities and sororities want to appear as collective, close-knit groups that are more like families than paid or ganizations. However, during rush week, Ag gie Greeks go too far to promote that united image and end up crossing the fine line between uni ty and identity-crushing compli- ’ ance. One pamphlet given to soror ity members on how to act in front of rushing visitors explicitly told them not to dress or act as individ uals. Many new-comers receive * similar packets outlining exactly 4 how they should dress each day. j Something is terribly wrong. ^ It’s easy to respect a group that gives tirelessly to the local commu nity, but how can you respect a ■« group that claims to be building in terpersonal bonds by stripping ■» each one of their hopeful rushees’ of their human individuality? The point of dressing alike is t^ promote solidarity and a sense of* being part of a family. In truth, all| sorts of groups wear uniforms: *• Sports teams. Burger King employ ees, frat boys and Nazis. But in the rush to promote solij darity, A&M Greeks lump their < prospective pledges together and^ grade them like term papers while putting a huge pressure on them ; not to step out of line or be origi-^ nal. All this is put on proud display just for rush week. Ah, the smell of conformity iri the morning. Eric Dickens is a junior English major ERIC DICKENS MAIL CALL Breakaway not Aggie tradition In response to Aug. 30 religion feature. The assertion that Breakaway Ministries is a new Aggie tradition is yet another example of a group of Aggies being insensitive to the fact that not all Aggies believe as they do. Aggie traditions are meant for all Aggies. Bonfire, Muster, E-Walk and Sil ver Taps are inclusive of all reli gious beliefs. Some folks might not like them or may choose not to participate, but they are not ex clusive in nature. Aggie traditions celebrate Texas A&M’s spirit and cama raderie. Prayer sessions do not. Just because many Aggies do something year after year does not mean it should be called an Aggie tradition. How many Aggies get drunk on the weekends? Does that make it an Aggie tradition? As an Aggie and a Jew, I ask the members of all campus reli gious groups to remember that a non-Christian may be singing “we are the Aggies” right next to you. To insinuate that there are truly Aggie traditions that are exclusive to them is insulting. * To discover an administrator at A&M is callous enough to make* the assertion that popularity of a religious activity makes it an Ag-j gie tradition calls into question t A&M’s ability to serve students of all beliefs equally. K. Rachelle Goldman Graduate Student DNZI EDITORIAL THE BATTALION JDY CeNTf P itoria ^ s a PP ear i n B in The Battalion reflect the 13 hews of the editorials board members. They do not ecessarily reflect the opinions of other Battalion Jtff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, idministration, faculty or staff. Columns, guest :ol umns, cartoons and letters express the opinions iffthe authors. For 79 Editorials Board SALLIE TURNER Editor in Chief MARIUM MOHIUDDIN Managing Editor CALEB MCDANIEL Opinion Editor EMILY R. SNOOKS Campus Editor CARRIE BENNETT Community Editor vey Bd.# 1 Sober Statute 6-1213 Jew legal limit for intoxication will prevent drunken driving The newly effective state licy to lower the legal blood- cohol concentration (BAG) ni 0.10 to 0.08 is reasonable id needed in the war against sunken driving, many have fought long and fird to crack down on those ho dabble with death by bri ng while intoxicated. But as the number of alco- il-related traffic fatalities has it been significantly decreas- g, it is clear something more needed to deter inebriates *200.” AYL_ Lowering the level of legal Intoxication is precisely what needed to dissuade careless J|iens from endangering CH STB* emselves and others by inking and driving. Thus far, advertising cam- igns have not been enough abcomplish this goal. While ITintentioned commercials upsel friends to “get the keys” from tipsy peers, a mar keting blitz will only convince a handful to take designated driving seriously. However, the new BAG will aim the force of the law direct ly St the self-interest of the drinker. If people know they will go above the legal limit after few er drinks, making it more like ly to be arrested on the road, they will have an added incen tive to find a sober chauffeur. Those who think the BAG change unfairly restricts their Beastie Boy-given right to par ty should think again. The drop from 0.10 to 0.08 is not drastic. It will mean the difference of only one or two drinks, and if someone plans to do any drinking at all, they should be designating a driver anyway, regardless of the BAG. Besides, the right to a cou ple of drinks does not entail the right to take the lives of in nocent drivers into one’s hands. There is no right to drink unless it is the right to drink responsibly. Admittedly, more policies will be needed for the BAG change to have its full effect. Policymakers should con sider creative measures to en force the new law, such as standardizing automobiles to build breathalizers into car ig nitions, or treating intoxicated minors who are caught driving with zero tolerance, even if they are below the limit legal for adults. Once the BAG change is supplemented with strong en forcement, it will be a power ful new incentive to drink con scientiously and drive clean. And if the law prevents even one more life from being taken by a drunken driver, it will be worth it. Aggies must avoid substance abuse A freshman passes out in the parking lot in front of Lechner Hall around 3 a.m. As other students return to their dorms, they don’t even stop to see if she is alive. They just step around her. When she wakes up and stumbles back to her dorm, she is not aware of what happened. A few months later, she finds herself on scholastic proba tion. Her future is in jeopardy. Where did everything go wrong? In another city in Texas, a good- looking young man sits in a drug re habilitation center. He just lost his promising career, his home and his wife. But he doesn’t care. He only wants to know how soon he can leave and buy more drugs. Both stories are real. One hap pened to a freshman at Texas A&M five years ago. The other happened to a young man this year. With a new semester starting, every Aggie has a choice that could impact the remain der of his or her life. Will they invest their lives in what lasts, or in what destroys lives? The answer should be simple. It is much better to invest in what lasts than in what destroys. Unfortunately, the choice isn’t so easy for some students. One woman in her mid-20s watched her best friend’s life de stroyed by drugs. No one knows better than she that destruction comes from choosing the wrong path. Her friend’s drug abuse started be cause he was drinking. When he drank, he took more risks than normal. Eventually, those risks led him to try a highly addictive drug. No matter how hard he tried, he wasn’t able to free himself from the addiction. “A lot of people hear stories about what happens when people become addicted, but the college mind frame is that ‘it won’t happen to me,’” she said. “Nobody ever thinks it will hap pen to them. But it does happen to people. It’s obvious. Who are you to say that you’re not that person? You can be. Why risk it?” Some people think they can han dle drinking, or they can try a less ad dictive drug and not be affected. But in reality, it is impossible to know just where the line between fun and ad diction is drawn. It is like walking down a steep mountain. At some point the person might take a wrong step and lose his balance, slipping and sliding until he hits rock bottom. "It is much better to invest in what lasts than in what destroys." The problem is, he never quite knows when he will reach that unsta ble step. And he never knows just how rocky the bottom of the moun tain will be. “Every rock bottom is different for everybody,” she said. “Six years ago, my friend almost died. Now he’s los ing everything, and it doesn’t phase him. Drugs knock your logic off. Out siders can see he’s losing everything. But once you’re under the influence, you’re blinded to the reality of the de struction.” Dr. Dennis Reardon, the senior co ordinator for the Department of Stu dent Life’s alcohol and drug educa tion programs, said drugs and alcohol can appeal to students because they provide temporary relief from stress. “The issue is that alcohol and drugs do work,” Reardon said. ‘That’s the danger. Because they work so effectively, a person becom&s dependent on them. Students need to recognize that there are other ways ; than alcohol and drugs to deal with stress. ” Dr. Brent Paterson, director of the Department of Student Life, said the administration at A&M is taking extra steps to make drug and alcohol abuse less appealing to students. If students under 21 are found on! campus with alcohol or illegal drugs; they will be sent to a University hear ing. If a violation is officially deter- ; mined, their parents will be notified i and the student will be referred to a : drug or alcohol education program. If students are caught with an illegal * drug, they will be suspended from /' A&M. Paterson said when students • are caught abusing alcohol, the penal ty can range from a reprimand to * suspension. Obviously, the consequences of ; abusing alcohol and drugs can affect’ people for the rest of their lives. Un- • fortunately, some students choose s ^ these momentary “fixes,” ignoring [- the lasting, negative impact the abuse can have on their lives. One verse in the Bible, found in ► Philippians 3:19, describes what hap’- pens to those who choose what de- * stroys instead of what lasts. The ver^ is not aimed specifically at alcohol » and drug users, but it accurately de- J scribes the consequences of their be-» havior: “Their destiny is destruction^ their god is their stomach, and their . glory is in their shame. ” Drugs and alcohol become stu- ! dents’ gods when their entire lives J eventually center around those weekr end parties where they can get drunk or high. The drugs and alcohol can l become a person’s “glory” — every-J thing they strive for and enjoy in life^ Unfortunately, this path can easily ^ lead to destruction. % Stephanie Dube is a journalism graduate student.
