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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 1999)
Hie Battalion o PINION Page 11 • Wednesday, October 20, 1999 o something ack of student activism should be corrected )f the turn:; ted States, scue front!!: iarth waspt tntarcticMi making; iegreesbelot light. 1 the rescue! lytheearlies iheSoultiPi itement, S leagues anii ed her. MARIANO CASTILLO fiends, cot il public fo and best' al,” she sat :e,Justice ar Jtovedbytli: e definitt: notivatedb sability. i for this boa idofthes^ measure fee and otlm ely to detiai ige as a cat aid who at: for thereat leverage* h the House iisreganffir! ibethBn lampaig'..ai t one point or another, Ipst have stud- B the history lAmerica in the '60s and Its, when col- lege-student ac tivism was at all-time ;h. Students at schools across nation, from the University of ilifornia-Berkeley to Columbia University, were making their (ices heard on local and interna- nal issues, especially the Viet- m War. Since then, there has en a steady decline in student activism, rendering the collective v|ice of students useless. I Students are so often preoccu- dwith trying to become ideal ders by involving themselves student organizations that eyget lost in their own bub- |e, losing track of the world (ound them. An informal campus survey |ould reveal many students do t know who is involved in the [oody situation in East Timor, lat students cannot give a coher- it opinion on the slate of presi- ntial candidates and that they shave no thoughts on the Senate’s jection of the Nuclear Test-Ban aty. Even local changes directly [fecting residents on the A&M |mpus, such as the proposed re- ucturing of the Southside park- ig garage, garners such responses as, “That would stink. I hope it esn’t happen. ” More likely than not, students re read an article in The Battal- n, The Eagle or the leftist Touch- one and think to themselves, “I t that is wrong” or “I will be toed if they pass this idea.” But they do not give the subject anymore thought. College students cannot afford to forget they can be catalysts for change and are capable of making their voices heard. The longer students wait to lift their heads and look around, the longer the international stereo type of American students as ig norant and selfish will linger. It is this stereotype that makes people think of the U.S. education sys tem as low-quality and keeps for eign journalists busy criticizing decisions made by American politicians and businessmen. "College students cannot afford to forget they can be catalysts for change." The less college students speak, the more power they lose. A decade ago, Texas A&M could not have made such restricting rules as notifying parents of an in dividual’s alcohol violations be cause of the opposition students would have mounted. Instead, this year, dissenting voices were limited to just that — a group of students disagreeing with the pol icy but accepting it anyway. Most students agree moving away to college is a step toward independence and that the alco hol policy is a step backward from that goal. But other than a few letters printed in The Battal ion, no one in a position of au thority truly listened or even ac knowledged students’ views. Despite forums held for students to voice their concerns, a compro mise or any other productive out come is rarely reached. Activism does not necessarily mean chaining oneself, naked, to a lamppost waving “Die PTTS” signs or taking members of the Board of Regents hostage. Martin Luther set off the Protestant Re formation simply by nailing the right set of complaints on the right door. All it takes is the prop er level of initiative and a clear idea of what students deserve. Judging by current trends, college life is simply a continua tion of high school. College stu dents nowadays are expected to go to class and accept whatever rules and regulations are passed by people who have little — if any — direct contact with stu dents. Students are not being trained as leaders, but rather bred as followers. A real pulse can be felt at schools where students take the initiative to take action to sup port their opinions. For example, at Duke University, students made a stand on sweatshops by requiring all collegiate-product licensees to set a minimum worker age and submit them selves to unannounced visits by a Duke inspector. College is the best time to make a difference and learn to stand up for what one believes in. College students can be an in fluential group, but only if the fire that led the protests in the ’60s re turns to our culture. Do what is best instead of what is expected. Mariano Castillo is a sophomore international studies major. ERIC ANDRAOS/The Battalion ush lacks foreign policy know-how MAIL CALL statemet isspelling the word “potato” should be a for dable offense. Mislabel- ph said, S S ^ ast Timorese as ’ ' ist Timorians is some- hat less trivial. Nevertheless, while mdits and public opin- n lambasted Dan edofthe? er of 22-y >n. d Joseph, i er crime: convemq ition,J«p urorsweit CALEB mcdaniel on uayle in 1988 for writing a fateful “e’ school chalkboard, Americans seem fitfully unconcerned with George W. ush’s inability to call foreign peoples by leir proper names. Thus far in the race for the White louse. Bush has revealed and even rev- rnonytM led in his ignorance about a variety of in- sedinpaiwmational affairs. Quayle’s inability to i brainW pell the name of a root effectively barred im from future political success, but ush’s apparent inability to speak on the Dots of foreign situations has done noth- igto slow his rapid rise as the Republi- an frontrunner. This irony must be reversed. Thinking mericans must begin to call Bush’s loose rasp on diplomacy into question. More than ever before, the United States ieeds a chief executive with the ability to read lightly on the scattered eggshells of atemational relations. Volatile ethnic con- licts, continuing fallout from the breakup 'f the Soviet Union and rising rogue dicta- ors must be dealt with by prudent and iracticed politicians. But wisdom on these matters can only lelong to diplomats who know their stuff, ind Bush has proven he is not a member ifthis select group. Referring to the East Timorese as East imorians is not disastrous in and of it- elf, but it is symptomatic of a larger gap nhis knowledge. Bush has an un abashed habit of deferring to his advisers Dn all foreign matters. “I may not be able to tell you exactly he nuances of the East Timorian [sic] sit- iation,” Bush told The New York Times Several weeks ago. But rest assured. He aid he would “ask the people who’ve ad experience.” The favored presidential hopeful has | Used this ploy to play down a variety of in- ernational situations. Most recently, after Republican senators carelessly thumbed I their noses at a Nuclear Test-Ban treaty last ™ Tuesday, Bush released a statement the next day saying he would have no formal statement on the vote until he had consult ed with advisers. The promised press re lease came Thursday, but it merely re hashed the party line. Perhaps Bush’s habitual reliance on ad visors for foreign-policy opinions would be excusable if he intended to educate himself nn international issues before moving into the Oval Office. But it is clear the governor has no such Plans. Bush thinks it is permissible for the chief executive to perpetually trust foreign af fairs to a small coterie of policy gurus. As he told Maureen Dowd of the Times, all a presi dent needs to know is which foreign-policy advisers to trust and which to “kiss off.” There are two foreseeable problems with this pass-the-buck policy. First, with a constantly changing global landscape, America needs a president who knows his way around. It does not need a chief diplomat who flounders out of his depth across any body of water wider than the Rio Grande. One shudders to think of a president who, if China invaded Taiwan, would call up Beijing on the hotline and say things like “kiss off.” The second problem with Bush’s foreign policy — or his conspicuous lack thereof — is the ideology of the advisers he is so eager to trust. Admittedly, Bush has assembled an im pressive array of seasoned foreign policy veterans. Most of them — like Condoleez- za Rice, Dick Cheney and Brent Scowcroft — are holdovers from the presidential ad ministration of his father. But their former job titles also make Bush’s advisers holdovers from a different diplomatic era. As Cold War veterans, Scowcroft and company see an internation al balance of power as the United States’ most critical objective. From such a perspective, any policy ac tion which jeopardizes U.S. power must be eschewed. Translated, this approach to for eign policy means a Bush administration would only favor external U.S. action when America’s vital interests are at stake. Such a stance is not as isolationist as right-wing extremists in the Republican Par ty would like it to be, but it will practically exclude humanitarian missions and consci entious decision-making. A realist policy would continue rosy relations with China out of economic in terest, even as human-rights abuses con tinue to worsen. And it may very well signal a return to the days when the United States gladly sup ported illegitimate and unjust political regimes for the sake of stability. Snowcroft hinted as much when he reportedly object ed to the Clinton intervention in Kosovo. According to The New Republic maga zine, Snowcroft said demonizing Milosevic “led us astray” because “Milosevic happens to be the strongest of the thugs down there. ” This type of realpolitik may have worked during the Cold War, but it is in creasingly stale. Of course, given Bush’s ig norance of foreign affairs, Snowcroft’s boss has no way of knowing his advisory team is comprised of diplomatic relics. Because Bush is relying on antiquated advisers, it will be difficult for him to adapt to a changing world order. The next president of the United States will have to make sure the diplomatic buck stops at his desk. So if Bush continues to handle foreign issues like hot “potatoes,” his campaign will quickly head south. Caleb McDaniel is a junior history major. Sexual orientation not cause of assault In response to Rolando Garcia’s Oct. 18 article. While I do agree this University is very conservative and not a very hos pitable place for homosexuals, I do not believe the attack on Boyle was based on homosexuality. The only “evidence” presented in the article that this attack was based on sexual preference was Boyle’s own comments that "her sexual orienta tion was probably the motive behind the attack” and that she knew “he saw the gay rainbow sticker, and that’s why he punched me.” There is no mention of a police re port or other document stating why this incident occurred. There isn’t even any evidence of what the man said. Ifthis were truly a homosexual attack, then some of his comments would have been printed. I am not condoning what occurred. But a little more evidence next time rather than rumors would be nice. Jake Range Class of ’01 Accompanied by 3 signatures Readers react to pro-life fliers incident In response to Amber Matchen’s Oct. 18 mail call. Jv iwould like to apologize on behalf of all pro-choice advocates for the misdirected venting of those students who tore down the fliers. This kind of behavior is not indicative of all pro- choice believers. I am sure most pro-life advocates would not like to be known as “abor tion doctor-killing, bombing extrem ists.” The sad fact is too often an en tire group is judged by the loud and misguided actions of a few. I would also like to correct the one sided and skewed view of Planned Parenthood given in Matchen’s letter. Planned Parenthood’s motto is “every child a wanted child.” They have educational outreach programs. They attempt to give peo ple options and educational material. Beyond that, it is the woman’s de cision, as it should be. Most pro-choice advocates would love for each person considering abortion to look at both sides. Sarah R Kuczek Class of ’02 I read with interest the letter about how pro-life fliers were being torn down. I would like to point out this is not a new occurrence at A&M; it is simply rare for a conservative group to have their fliers destroyed. As a member of Gay, Lesbian, Bi sexual and Transgendered Aggies and as an individual, I have posted fliers on campus. Fellow posters and I have observed faculty members removing our legal fliers. Apparently, some students on this campus have decided to take it upon themselves to determine what their fellow students should see. They’ve smeared windows in front of anti- Bonfire signs, ripped down fliers posted by non-mainstream groups and tried to rub out chalk signs. I guess it took an attack on a con servative group to bring out the 122 people who didn’t protest any of the other acts of vandalism. Having post ings destroyed is not new—it’s just a new experience for you. If people don’t stand up to students when they rip down other peoples’ signs, they shouldn’t expect anyone to shed any tears when theirs vanish, too. Amy Miller Graduate student Q-drop restrictions might be good idea In response to the Oct. 19 editorial. In some ways, I think it is good Dr. Anthony wants to restrict the amount of Q-drops that seem to be very fre quent in his department. Not all classes are meant to be a piece of cake. If chemical engineering were easy, there would be about a million engineering graduates each semester. In my opinion, some class es are designed to be hard, to test your ability to be what you want to be. It would make me feel better knowing an engineer graduated knowing the information he was taught, rather than coasting by in a class with an easy professor who just gave out grades. Mervin Bazile Graduate Student The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Let ters must be 300 words or less and Include the au thor’s name, class and phone number. The opinion ed itor 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. Letters may also be mailed to: 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com