)wn
Battalion
?d boycott, C*
3 ve talented^ -g
^liilworth
stents and t-
'•id m a statecw' barren Beatty is
o deeply anc } always
- on the boy: V will be an ac-
Retent buzz has
(worksforthe:?d him as a possible
'N and WB,\;i(Dpatic presidential
^ble or filntididote, but this
ith these fou:;dd be optimistic at
■’ has in cotr •
Jy criticized :'he idea Beatty
rreen. ling for president barely looks good
in July, that )a P L ' r -
1 st civil-righi ' :ias Been an actor, writer and di-
» network < or > Bet this hardly qualifies him to
rograms a c ' l V council, much less the federal
eminent.
teagan may have done it, but keep in
I d that Reagan was not that great a
Jsident and had advisers. Lots of advis-
H Hfe s it mentioned that he wasn’t that
|)resident?
11 llCln ovvever > one good thing might come
his Warren Beatty fiasco. As a dyed-
sent home he-wool liberal Democrat, he can re
ad Kevin C' ^ apathetic Democrats what the par-
her 19951; tan Bs for. Al Gore and Bill Bradley are
true daur frontrunners so far, but they spend so
h Johnson C B hme courting the middle that they
n learnedk ; -' e |h an 8 e B the intent of the Democrat-
ChittumaiLlfTy -
ish July4 3eal, V could use his star power and
in ' of ib tBing in liberal circles to instigate
hen the pan
logers have
BEVERLY
MIRELES
Opinio
in the White House?
meaningful policy debate which the al
ready splintered party needs more than a
pretty new face if it is to form a strong
party base.
As television writer Rob Long com
mented, “Warren Beatty is the crazy sis
ter the Democrats have been hiding in
the attic for eight years, and he’s coming
downstairs in the middle of the wedding
reception to frighten the guests.”
The strange thing is many people have
jumped on the Beatty bandwagon.
"The idea of [Warren]
Beatty running for
president barely looks
good on paper."
Although a recent California field poll
determined Beatty would only get about
one percent of the popular vote, some
have argued that with more exposure,
Beatty would get more votes.
Why?
No one knows anything about Beatty
except his finance reform manifesto, oth
erwise known as Bulworth, and yet many
of them seem to think that he could be
“The One.”
Has the Democratic party been so
humbled by the Bill Clinton experi
ence that they would turn to the man
from Shampoo!
It has been a difficult eight years
under Clinton, but one would hope
that it would take much more than a
traumatic experience to drive the De
mocrats to an underqualified actor.
If anything, people seem drawn to
Beatty, if not to his politics, because
he can play the part. It isn’t beyond
him to play a good president — he is a
good actor.
But one is more likely to see him in
a movie playing the president than ac
tually being one.
Just imagine it.
He would give moving speeches,
help the homeless and stop teen vio
lence in one fell swoop. It makes a
pretty picture and an appealing one
for Democrats so primed for a leader
they would take the “Time to Make
the Donuts” guy if he were free.
Warren Beatty has a few good ideas
to share, and if he is wise he will
spout them to anyone who will listen.
But he should not run for presi
dent. Bill Bradley and Al Gore have a
Page 1
MARK McPHERSON/Tm: Battalion
1 • Friday, September 10, 1999
difficult enough task ahead of
them without Beatty siphon
ing off attention and voter
support.
The American political
process is a difficult one.
When a candidate isn’t skirt
ing the important issues, they
are having to bow to lobby
ists, polls and political “ex
perts.” Beatty may be one to
make the talk-show circuit
with charm and charisma,
but there is no way he could
make it through the rough-
and-tumble of the U.S. politi
cal system without being seri
ously disappointed.
So let him make his enig
matic speeches about presi
dential politics, and let him
write liberal editorials in the
New York Times.
But he should leave the
presidency to the real politi
cians. They may be seriously
flawed, but they are a better
option than letting a novice
take the reins of the nation.
Beverly Mireles is a junior
microbiology major.
•tsioths have
nd the grand;;
sharing ci X "Tith Vi-
>n claims > A / sion
or reject ar Lay 2020,
| ( j. ;as A&M
s for the L iversity is
edical Ce: ' ,kin fi to ennch
made, said' * n college
that thear ltion By pro ;
is fair and :^ n 8 diversity.
,, hj |j However, de-
''' 1 1 te all their good intentions,
cas A&M and the city of College
• ition have failed to recognize
m rf e segment of the population.
The area’s Gothic community
ere themse es in shadows, so to speak. De-
>ll«>edJiW te the ever-present push to di-
th e reality is there simply
not enough businesses, ser-
, • nn thp r* s and local resources to appeal
;h ,r P ^ &M ' s “children of the night.”
rtorano , 'J (our around town un-
rackeiee ny.jN ( | ie p a | 0] w hj( e truth that lo-
iputeQ , c businesses regularly fail to
anas UL t | ie consumer neec t s Q f Texas
hs.
lawyers >3iL 7or example, summers in Texas
irown out ^1 enough for us all. Imagine
itionship t y unbearable it is for our black-
nmi andBiiq f r j e nds. And what would bet-
judge is ^relieve the heat on a summer’s
motion wt-M an a C ool, refreshing
dn’t go to' 3othie from Zuka Juice?
nt, there ohThe owner and manager of
ae lingeringt a jj u j ce on Texas Ave., Marcia
ion was tof S on, proudly states her berry-
aid. ed beverages cater to all kinds
>eople.
p^igSIelson will quickly tell you the
' ^^Tmbpean Passion and Strawban-
rfnks are two of the business’
t popular selections,
ut where are the blood-and-
MdMHHmixes the Goths of College
■[ion demand?
owhere on the menu board
g SerVKuld a thirsty, sweat-drenched
a th-lover find a cooling blend of
t juices and chilled, sterile
d.
hen asked whether there
e jiany plans to include such a
erage. Nelson flatly responded,
take thflih 3 ?’ 3 really gross.”
araveyar^TBcy might like the Zukacci-
» up short ” admits Nelson, “because it
i cpffee in it.”
HB^^^^ukaccino aside, Zuka Juice,
^ so many other businesses,
, T'TJ T s to serve the masses of heavy
y l^ck mascara-wearing customers.
Another sad example of how
>inesses have turned their backs
il
rights, too
on the Gothic community can be
found in that towering edifice of
pastel-based commerce, Old Navy.
College Station merchandise
manager Karre Stevenson said her
store sells to every kind of cus
tomer. For example. Old Navy’s
new “Tech Vests” have been sell
ing well.
That may be true, but these
vests, unfortunately, are not avail
able in black.
So what kind of ebony-colored
clothing could Old Navy provide
its pain-fixated customers? The an
swer is woefully short.
“We have some black Old Navy
jeans,” Stevenson proclaims, “but
mostly just in the men’s.”
So what is a young, dark mis
tress of the night supposed to do
when she needs that fashionable
black ribbed tee with matching
jeans? Apparently she must suffer
and go without if Old Navy has it
their way.
Do they carry any leather cloth
ing items? What about high-fash-
ion chain and spike accessories?
And don’t even bother looking for
dungeon equipment at Old Navy.
The only hopeful sign on the
horizon for cargo pants-loving
Goths is that for Halloween, the
store will introduce a line of T-
shirts with pictures of ghouls and
ghosts on the front. With any luck,
these will be the Old Navy Item of
the Week.
Living a life centered on pain,
agony and death is hard enough,
but when the city of College Sta
tion fails to acknowledge the com
mercial needs of its macabre
friends their life becomes even
more difficult.
Goths are humans, too. If they
cut themselves, do they not bleed?
Until the city’s people, local
businesses and Texas A&M Uni
versity itself openly embrace Goth
ic followers, these unfortunate
souls will continue to live a tor
tured life empty of smoothie en
joyment and zipped-front style but
full of rejection and misunder
standing.
But then again, maybe they like
that.
Eric Dickens is a junior
English major.
ViEW POiNTS
Football funds
T oo many people look at the
newly constructed “Zone"
and see a colossal waste of
monetary resources.
But the simple economics of
the football program and the Uni
versity mean football pays for it
self.
That does not mean Shane
Lechler pays someone $50, 000
a game to bang punts inside the
20-yard line.
It means that through ticket
prices, advertising and television
revenue, the Aggie football team
makes enough money to cover
travel expenses, equipment
costs, scholarships and, inciden
tally, other varsity sports.
Football is the only sport at
most schools that makes a prof
it, which pays for other sports in
turn.
The untold revenue produced
by the program comes from well-
to-do alumni who return each
season with deep pockets and
good intentions. If the team does
not do well, those alumni might
not come and help out with a
new electron microscope or a
new building.
So the next time “The Zone"
funding seems to present a men
acing threat to education, re
member — it does not come out
of academic coffers, just the
pockets of the fans who care.
— Jeff Webb
T-sip tower
I n the next few months, the
University of Texas at Austin
will reopen its famed clock
tower.
Closed for almost 30 years,
the school’s administration feels
the time has come for it to re
open.
The problem with all of this is
how the administration is ap
proaching the reopening. The
tower was closed after Charles
Whitman killed 14 people with a
rifle from atop it in 1966, and
over a dozen UT students
jumped to their deaths from it.
The reopening has naturally
brought media attention back to
the tower, and UT’s response to it
has been totally inappropriate. In
stead of trying to downplay these
situations or remembering those
that died, they have embraced
the notoriety.
All of these newspaper arti
cles and TV pieces on Whitman
and the suicides are not going
unnoticed. Even though the
school has taken some precau
tions to prevent a repeat, it
would not be very difficult for
someone to copycat Whitman’s
killing spree.
Or does UT’s administration
seriously think that no student
will try to take a dive off of the
tower again? Fences can be
climbed.
Situations like those men
tioned cannot always be avoided.
However, UT’s gleeful accep
tance of the media’s nosing
around will not be helpful.
If something does happen
again at the tower, the adminis
tration will be at least partially to
blame.
— Mark Passwaters
I MNT AHSM'fiRiNG no
OMestioMs ABOUT
NO COCMUE. LET?
OUST SAT WE tWDE
(TOSTAKES m w\4 YOUTH
AMD LEA'JE IT KT THAT...
NteLucfokk
KEuanx coN?trn>rfc*i<*r
A&M president speaks out against binge drinking
r '
;
oday marks the
start of a nation-
wide education-
Prografltl campaign to raise
& 'ublic awareness of
he dangers of high-
isk and binge drink-
ng by young people.
I want to publicly
;ive my full support
or this much-needed initiative.
University presidents throughout the
lountry acknowledge the biggest prob-
12) em i hey face concerning student wel-
are is the abuse of alcohol.
This is no different on our own cam-
2nd Fl 0(,,)us Although difficult to admit, Texas
V&M has a very high rate of student
irinking and driving and high-risk alco-
lol use. Tragically, our campus has ex-
erienced alcohol-related deaths and in
juries. These are facts that cannot be
denied.
Efforts by administrators, staff and
faculty to raise awareness through edu
cation campaigns and awareness pro
grams can only do so much.
The real work must be done by the
students of A&M if any significant
change is to occur.
Every time there is an opportunity to
use alcohol, you have a choice. You can
choose to be responsible, which may
mean no use of alcohol at all. For most,
this is the best choice. Beyond this, if
you choose to drink, you can set appro
priate limits on the amount you drink.
Generally accepted guidelines for
safer use of alcohol include having no
more than one standard drink per hour,
and no more than four drinks at one sit
ting for men or three per sitting for
women. Research has shown that peo
ple who use these guidelines rarely
have any difficulty with alcohol or its
subsequent effects.
Last year, a campuswide task force
studied the campus environment con
cerning alcohol abuse.
A number of recommendations fol
lowed which are in the process of being
applied. These include a substance-free
housing option and a Universitywide
action plan for education and preven
tion of alcohol-related problems.
Our'hope is that through education
and guidance these efforts will reduce
the amount of high-risk drinking on our
campus.
However, the ultimate solution is not
what a task force says. It is what you
say and do when it comes to your use
of alcohol and that of your fellow Ag
gies. Take care of each other. Do not let
alcohol disrupt your college education
or the experience of being an Aggie.
Join with me in the vision that will
show that Texas A&M is a campus envi
ronment free of alcohol abuse and its
effects in the classroom, in student resi
dence communities (on and off cam
pus), in our time-honored traditions
and in those activities that are the social
fabric of our campus.
I can think of no better place to deal
with the education and experiences
needed to overcome alcohol abuse in
our society.
I wish all of you a safe, joyous and
productive year — and a future free of
alcohol-related problems.
Dr. Ray M. Bowen is president
of Texas A&M University.
MAIL CALL
Fish Camp feedback
In response to Eric Dickens’ Sept. 6
column.
Did The Battalion forward a copy of
Eric Dickens’ article about Fish Camp
to the “bevo camp" counselors in
Austin? Or is that “13-0 camp”?
Oh, wait, they don’t have a camp,
do they?
But where do they learn about all
the t-sip traditions?
Wait a minute. What traditions?
Since our traditions are not fol
lowed by anybody, 1 think it would be
great if we taught freshmen “reality.”
Let us change the name to “2 per
cent” camp. We could teach them all
the traditions, then tell them not to
follow any of them.
Better yet, we could call it “hippie
camp” and tell them how going to
school in Austin would have been a
better choice.
It is a good thing we have never
known anybody who came to Texas
A&M for the tradition, and we will
have to remember to stop saying
howdy.
Thank you, Eric, from all of Moses
Hall, for reminding us that daily life at
Texas A&M is “not much different
from anywhere else in the world.”
Joe Williamson
Class of ‘01
Accompanied by 72 signatures
Respect Silver Taps
Traditions like Silver Taps are what
set Texas A&M apart from any other
university in the world.
It saddens me to see such an hon
ored and solemn tradition turned into
a social event.
The atmosphere around Rudder
Fountain and the MSC Tuesday night
was appalling.
Not only were Aggies talking, but
they were laughing and cracking
jokes. Paying our respects to Aggies
who have passed away should not be
a matter taken lightly.
My heart goes out to the friends
and family members of those hon
ored who had to see disrespectful
students having a good time after an
event where their loved ones were
only moments earlier paid a tribute.
Is it really such a sacrifice for us
to keep quiet and respect those
members of our Aggie family who
have passed away?
Bea Benavides
Class of ’01
Accompanied by 2 signatures
-
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