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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 2000)
OPINION edr esday, January 19, 2(XX) THE BATTALION tan jfjbontroversy a local matter |.S. Constitution gives South Carolina the right to choose I’akhUr ums arc is week, age for 4? or a long time, the M H state o! South ( ar- olina attempted to KKine ovc h° VN diHerent it is lv i oni any other state. For ecn ther* l l 1 lc, it is the only ate that seceded from \ leaderi> e 1 nion twice. Anoth- .j j *, more obvious way the ^^^^Bietto State has shown . S ii dependent streak is . • ■ * ylymg the Confederate battle Hag above teltatehouse in Columbia. CV*Whe debate about whether this flag urn Id be flow n over South Carolina state ptdings has been brewing for a long time nd uis increased in intensity in the past ;vl weeks. a debate between Republican candi- ate > for president earlier this month, Texas io\ George W. Mush was asked what he " ” yolld do to make South Carolina take the lal down. ^^^^■lis answer was simple and correct: not a matter for me to decide," Mush onded. “It’s a matter for the people of iollh Carolina to decide.” ^Bush’s response was not only the politi cal!; orudent one, but the only plausible >ne The 10th Amendment guarantees any .taw powers that are not specifically dele- tattd to the federal government. Nowhere n lie Constitution does it say the president uls he right to force states to remove some- hiig that may be in bad taste. If the people )Routh Carolina do not want this banner to .’oine down, it w ill not — and people should >U>| looking to the federal government to naf c them remove the flag. ■( )ne thing is certain, the people of South Cat ilina should and will have the final say an the matter. ■Several organizations, including the UUCP, have taken action against South Carolina for continuing to fly the flag. Claiming the flag is a symbol of racism and hatred, the NAACP is attempting to or ganize a boycott of the state. A good portion of South Carolina’s economy is based upon conventions and tourism and a successful boycott could cost the state millions of dol lars a year. However, the state has refused to budge. Members of the state government, as well as many of the citizens, have maintained the battle flag is a symbol of their heritage and a memorial to those who fought in defense of the state. They say the battle flag is not a symbol of racism and refuse to consider re moving it. One thing is certain, the people of South Carolina should and will have the final say on the matter. The arguments of each sides have some merit. While the battle flag was used only by the Confederate Army and not the Con federate government, it is the most visible sign of the rebellion. Its use by other gropps. such as the Ku Klux Klan, have led many to claim that the flag symbolizes big otry. However, it is unfair to label the resi dents of South Carolina as bigots. It is also unfair to say they should not be able to remember their dead. The South fought for four years against overwhelm ing odds and the Confederate soldiers should be remembered for their courage if nothing else. Most men who served in the Confederate Army did not fight to defend slavery, but because they felt they had to defend their families from invaders. If the people of Ger many are able to remember their dead from World War 11, then the people of South Car olina should be able to remember their Civil War dead as well. One major difference between Germany and South Carolina is the federal ban in Germany against displaying the Swastika, or other Nazi material. In the United States, the law is specifically designed so that such decisions are made by the people or by those they elect at the state level. While the Constitution is certainly on South Carolina's side, some supporters of the flag have not exactly helped increase outside support for their viewpoint. At one rally, a former South Carolina congressman demanded that the “National Association of Retarded People” stop mess ing w ith the affairs of his state. When asked if he would like to amend his comments or apologize, the congressman said he would like to apologize to retarded people every where for comparing them with the NAACP. Such acts, along w ith the know ledge that the flag did not rise up over the State- house until the height of the '60s Civil Rights movement, do not improve their standing in the eyes of outsiders. Simply put. w hat outsiders think is meaningless. The people of the state of South Carolina are the only ones who can decide whether the Confederate battle flag continues to fly. If they feel a moral or busi ness imperative to make a change, they will. Whatever anyone else says is meaningless, because the U.S. Constitution speaks louder than any of them. Mark Passwaters is a senior electrical engineering major. ERIC ANDRAOS/l llt BATTALION Error: Gates’job change does not compute s* areas 'er M icrosoft announced a major personnel change last week in naming Steve Mallmer CEO of company .operations. Mill Gates may claim a number of rea sons for stepping down as CEO last Thursday, but it certain ly was not because he chose to relinquish any power. ■ While the world's richest man claims he would rather pki\ with computers, his company is in court battling the Department of Justice. Steve Mallmer’s appointment to the CIO position is no more than a ploy to protect Gates and combat the Microsoft antitrust case. I Despite the new title of Chief Software Architect, there is no doubt that Gates' di rection will remain the deciding factor in all company moves. However, with Ballmer at the head of operations, Mi crosoft now has a brand new fall guy should negotiations fail with the Depart ment of Justice. I The antitrust case ha - the software gi ant on the offensive. At a press conference held at company headquarters, Ballmer said any ef fort to break up the company was consid ered “absolutely reckless and irre sponsible.” Mi crosoft has so far re solved to resist any form of governmen tal interference in company affairs. Although some analysts are expecting the announcement of a set tlement, this seems unlikely because that Microsoft is a multibillion-dollar busi ness and executives will not give in without a fight. I This personnel change also comes at a strategic moment, following the merger of AmericaOnline and Time Warner. Microsoft will be able to present a new forum for building its case on the antitrust issue and plans for competitive, web-based technology. Possibly, company executives have decided now is the perfect time to present a new Microsoft image. Gates is the emotional counterpart who leaves his post as CEO to reach technological goals. Ballmer is the ideal manager, rational and clever. A Harvard graduate, he is a respected intellectual who is active and cus tomer focused. The combination of Mill Gates and Steve Mallmer at the head of Microsoft is an ingenious scheme because their strengths allow for possible domination of the in dustry. Gates drives the technology side of operations, and Ballmer handles the public aspects. No one claims to challenge the brainpower of Bill Gates, but his public relations leave something to be desired. His intense personal interest seems to color his public reactions and statements. The new CEO repre sents a dift'erent strate gy in dealing with the government’s allega tions of Microsoft’s at tempt to monopolize the industry. In the testimony of the Microsoft antitrust case, Ballmer has not made statements about destroying competition or sent incriminating emails. Make no mistake. Gates remains in con trol of Microsoft, but Ballmer appears to han dle the government and the public in a better manner. It is no coincidence that the announcement of Steve Ballmer’s promotion to CEIO comes at a crucial point in the fight with the Department of Justice. Company executives claim this change is simply an evolu tionary move. Considering the merger of AOL/Time Warner and the pending antitrust case — their timing is no less than perfect. Summer Hicks is a senior English major. NECEK/Ti Room | II or EDIT sonit Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorials board , Ijmembers. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Battalion staff late, members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, administration, faculty or staff. IColumns, guest columns, cartoons and letters express the opinions of the authors. MARIUM MOHIUDDIN ERIC DICKENS Editor in Chief Opinion Editor BEVERLY MIRELES MEREDITH RIGHT Managing Editor Campus Editor MARIANO CASTILLO STUART HUTSON Opinion Editor Community Editor next Setting the Standard and Bowen follows students' leads by claiming final responsibility '99 Aggie Bonfire On the morning 1999 Aggie Bonfire col- ’ lapsed, hundreds of students immediately rushed, pots in hand, to aid their fellow stu dents. School work and personal issues be came second priority, driven out by what is known at Texas A&M as Aggie Spirit. The statement to resign if the Bonfire Commission finds the accident was the re sult of poor supervision by the university administration is a noble and commendable Jet. Bowen is continuing the effort of un selfishness the student body showed the morning of the tragedy. By stepping up and claiming responsibility for everything that happens at A&M, Bowen is taking the example set by students and raising the bar. Bowen has recognized that his position as head administrator carries the highest degree of responsibility. In the tragedy’s aftermath, A&M and its traditions have received much criticism, which has been constantly rebutted by those who treasure Aggie traditions. Some of this criticism has been aimed at the ad ministration, including Bowen Bowen’s statement is admirable because he accepts full responsibility while not falling into the trap of prematurely deciding whether it is right or wrong to continue Bonfire. Since the morning of Nov. 18, no one has called for Bowen to step down. His recent announcement to give up his job based on the commission’s final report echoes the devotion students showed for one another that day. As Bowen himself said in The Eagle article, “I have to set the standard.” Texas Schools part lot 3 Public schools set respectable standards, but fail to enforce them special I SERIES I Texas public school system fails its students by passing them T he recent Quality Counts 2()()() surv ey, done as part of an Education Week study, showed poor grades for the Texas public school system. Texas received a B+ for stan dards and accountability, a C for school cli mate, a C for resources, and a D for improving teacher quality. In other words, the Texas Public school system received a C average — a 2.0 grade-point. The school system’s highest grade was for standards and accountability. However, a closer look finds this division dangerously flawed. Stu dents are certainly being held “accountable” for their grades, in the context that they receive the grades they earn, but the standards are not being enforced. Texas is cited by the Quality Counts Survey as having “clear and specific standards” in Eng lish and Math for high school students, but Texas schools should spend less time setting standards and more time enforcing them. In some cases, students are passing, even graduat ing, without mastering basic skills. Students should not be allowed to move on to the next grade lev el until they have mastered the material in their current grade level. Allowing unqualified students to graduate is a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Standards for science end in middle school, and no grade level has social studies requirements. The school system still seems to have serious problems enforcing what few standards it does have. For example, according to the 1996-1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress tests, only 28 percent of eighth-grade students could read at or above an eighth-grade level. In addition, only 31 percent could write at an eighth-grade level, 23 per cent had an eighth-grade knowledge of science, and a mere 21 percent passed the mathematics section. It is doubtful the students would have performed this poorly if they had properly mastered skills at the previous grade level. Pop quiz: Do Texas students have to master tenth-grade stan dards to graduate high school? Answer: No, according to the Quali ty Counts 2()0() survey. The heart of the problem with standards and accountability in the Texas school system lies in the above question and answer. It is practically impossible to expect high school students to strive to meet certain standards iftliey arc not required to do so. Few students will stay home and study if they do not have to. Not enforcing scholastic standards helps few and liarms many. In 1997, 3.6 percent of high school students dropped out of school. It does not matter how low scholastic standards are, there will always be dropouts. Lowering school standards to convince potential dropouts to stay in school harms those students who truly care about learning. A high school diploma is worth very little in today’s world with out a college degree. The diploma’s decreasing worth is undoubtedly due in part to the lessening amount of work required to receive it. Not enforcing high school standards hanns college bound stu dents more than anyone. Thousands of students graduate high school every year and move on to their freshman year of college with no idea of how to study or take responsibility for their own actions. Some learn from their mistakes and go on to succeed. Many others become discouraged, pack up their “valuable” high school diplomas and move backlxTrKitowakutlliiig^Kn^^ieradLstistRXKftstscmestcr. In many cases, this type of situation could have been avoided if students were forced to study and to take responsibility for their actions while in high school. Raising and enforcing standards would undoubtedly increase the num ber of high school dropouts. On the other hand, the students who graduated would receive a diploma that was actually worth something instead of a worthless piece of paper. Raising high school standards is not something that can happen overnight, but enforcing the standards the Texas school system currently has would be a giant step in the right direction. Jessica Crutcher is a sophomore journalism major