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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 2000)
Thursday, March 2,J( OPINION Diursday, March 2, 2000 THE BATTALION Page 13 ighanddry ubstance-free housing option limits indents’ freedom, college experience tudents moving into one of the four substance-free halls next fall must sign a contract with the fol lowing clause: “Residents living in ibstance-ffee housing will not use al- , tobacco or illegal drugs there, ■id will not return under the influence pfthese substances.” The Residence Hall Association ap- iroved substance-free housing last s Swimming and Diving host ship i. “For some people this istk ■t of their year, while on ik d we have some guyswhot ; to get to the NCAA’s,” •reparation process for tit iship has almost becomeron- &M. namely because the At hosted the event threeoftlt seasons. Despite 1 that planning for the eta' ipringbecause surveyed students living on campus last year jp BEATon'iiEBAmJexpressed a desire to live exclusively with substance-free students. While it is understandable why these students want an option, substance-free housing does pose serious questions that the A&M staff cannot yet answer. First, substance-free students will be given the opportuni- lytoexclude those who use any or all of the named sub stances. No such options will be offered to students who do use the substances, oral least the legal substances. A&M students frequently hear, and even occasionally :d, the call for a more unified campus. Separating users m non-users does not band students together. College should prepare students to live in the outside world where people have to associate with others. And there are numerous “others" who use substances, so allowing stu dents to live in a closed-off environment only serves to shut them out from reality. One must consider whether deeming only one floor of a dorm as substance-free actually gives substance-free students the environment they are asking for. Students living in dorms have access to all floors of their dorm. There are no restric tions barring substance-using Aggies from walking through substance-free halls. While designating single floors as substance-free is serv- olves the collaborationo1^ the P ur P ose of allowing substance-free students choices ofwhich dorm style to live in while the program is in the testing stage, the program will not be as effective as it would if an entire dorm was dubbed substance-free. vital people and elements, natch for me we haveata iff," Nash said, “Thereisi ;ad of time.” use we have hosted it beta around substance-users in runs on cruise control so ills . e are starting from scratch.' wimming and diving prelit e scheduled to begin All sday and run through 6p& gin at 7 p.m. us amount of work that aocs ^ ot on *>' W 'M substance-free students have contact w ith substance-using students in the dorms, they will also be asses, organizations and jobs. And when they move off-campus, their neigh bor may sit on his or her adjoining balcony while enjoying a Bud Light and a Winston. Another concern is the reason for offering substance-free housing. An important reason is to increase the amount of students who want to remain on-campus for more than a year, ac cording to Mike Krenz, the area coordinator for north area residence halls. However, the shortage of rooms available for incoming students is already a problem. Retaining more upperclassmen in dorms would rob new students of the chance to live on campus — a unique college experience. Another concern revolves around the 800- plus incoming freshmen who have requested substance-free housing. Parents usually play a large part in the deci sion-making that accompanies a student’s first year college arrangements. If parents suggest or even de mand that a student live in substance-free housing, the student would be signing the agreement to remain sub stance-free half-heartedly. Chances are, then, that the tentative substance-free dent will break the agreement. A student could also come to college completely inno cent, make some new friends and decide to experiment with substances, which is not a rare occurrence. Efither way, incoming students would be breaking their substance-free pledge, causing problems. So far, discipline actions start with a meeting between the student. Resident Advisor, judiciary board and possible fellow substance-free students. If found guilty, the student will be moved to anoth er dorm or off campus. Sue Foster, assistant director of dormitory administration, said she could not give a flat statement explaining details of how discipline will take place, but that all breaches of agree ment would have to be treated equally. Sounds fair enough, but somehow it does not make sense that a frequent underage drinker and an occasional cigar smoker would receive the same treatment.. And the students who are disciplined will then face a huge ordeal — moving in the middle of the semester, proba bly off campus since most dorms are full in the fall. Parents will probably experience an annoyance when they receive that phone call. And when they hear of the new housing expense, annoyance could turn to anger. Another aspect of substance-free housing that could cause problems is the faet that students and their guests may never enter the hall under the influence. So if a student suddenly decides to go to the Dry Bean after a really rough test, consumes too much alcohol to be coherent, he or she must hunt for somewhere to crash for the night. If all substance-free residents are supposed to hang out ROBERT HYNECEK/The Battalion with each other all the time because of their shared lifestyle, will the drunk student have anyone else to call? For that matter, could one count on substance-free buddies to help, or expect to be snubbed? A.similar situation could occur if a substance-free stu dent’s guest became under the influence. While substance-free housing will be a reality in Fall 2000, the “what-if’ issues are too large to ignore. Before A&M begins such a program, more of these questions should be answered so that such problems could be mini mized. Jilt Riley is a senior journalism major. Media should be present at Waco reenactment g rehab feet our friendship. I’m si / in here feels the same.” they hope he can come bac his teammates know there’s e eight-time All-Star —wl i two weeks — might be tfaf 1. don’t know at his age,” f ino Martinez said. “11 lingtobehislastyearany’ ould be hard to miss the wink ome back.” o-time World Series chi 1 Strawberry would be tki gnated hitter this seasonal! >750,000. He is a career J i 335 home runs and eek, it was revealed Stravfc’ ed a cocaine test in Januani baseball ordered him i eld. erry has not been at cauf norning. >anned from the majors anJi linor league teams, Strawkf ay for a club in an indepenitt did that in 1996 with the Si > of the Northern League, wark Bears, owned by fornif atcher Rick Cerone, a ty Surf of the Atlantic Leas® So do the New Jersey Jae^ hern League, lano Steelheads in Vac# am in the independent West' II League, also offered Sira"'' itract. HEATHER CORBELL T he Federal Bu reau of Investi gation (FBI) is hiding something. On 19,1993, feder al agents stormed David Koresh’s •anch Davidian compound in Waco, the time the siege was over, 76 people had lost their lives, Most died in the inferno that left the compound in ashes, but several were killed by gunshot wounds. The FBI claims they did not fire a sin glebullet. Understandably, survivors of the siege have catalyzed an in-depth in vestigation of FBI actions by filing a death suit. Further, they want the media to keep tabs on the investiga tion to ensure that evidence is not com- ifromised by government officials. The ’ssuspicious actions in this case make media surveillance imperative. Special Counsel John Dan forth, who is in charge of the Waco investigation, is to keep media out of the inquiry by barring reporters from a reenactment ofthe siege that may be able to put to test questions about whether or not agents fired on the Branch Davidians. In frared tapes of the 1993 siege show un explainable flashes of light coming from FBI agents. Branch Davidian survivors claim that tee flashes look suspiciously like gun fire. In response to such allegations, Dan- forth is requiring a reenactment of the movements of federal agents on April 19th. However, he has filed against allow ing media presence at the event. The dramatization, set to take place on March 18th in Fort Hood, Texas, will be taped from helicopters by infrared cam eras. The tapes will later be evaluated by experts to determine whether or not the flashes on the original tape coincide with gunfire flashes at the reenactment. However, government officials (eight congressmen and representatives from the FBI, Department of Defense and Justice Department) and su pervisors from the con tracted Vector Data Sys tems may be the only witnesses to the reenact ment that will seemingly prove the government’s guilt or innocence. A petition by the Si. Louis Dispatch for media presence has already been rejected because authorities claim that national security and safety could be compromised. Danforth argues that media involve ment will impede the justice process. But a people’s government cannot see justice if the people are blindfolded. The media is necessary and inescapable when pursuing the cause of justice. They disseminate facts and help maintain an informed public. What does Waco have to do with na tional security and safety unless one is re ferring to the people’s security and safety from the government? Seventy-six people died when the FBI was on watch. When the government takes an action which results in the deaths of its citizens, the circum stances rightly become a matter of public interest. The American people have the right to check and balance their government. The easiest way for them to determine when that kind of action is necessary is by stay- MATT ROY/The Battalion ing informed through the media. Mike Caddell, a Houston attorney for the Branch Davidians, says excluding the press “serves no purpose but to create un necessary suspicion.” He is right. If the FBI does not have anything to hide, why are they being so secretive? The siege reenactment is supposed to prove whether or not federal agents fired on David Koresh and his followers. How ever, if only self-preserving government officials and their contractors observe the event, nothing is clearly proven. Suspi cion simply increases. Allowing a gov ernment agency to “prove” its own inno cence in such a way would be like finding an accused murderer not guilty based solely on his word of honor. Sadly, that kind of testimony is insufficient because of faulty human nature. Special Counsel Danforth fears the public will form its own opinions about the siege if they are allowed to observe the reenactment. He must realize, though, that the government cannot run from public opinion. They exist to serve it. The FBI seems to fear something else, like the truth behind whether or not they fired on the Branch Davidians. They have already lied about their use of tear gas. What else do they want to keep from the public? These are questions that have to be an swered if the American people are ever going to be able to trust their government. Like so many of the current presidential campaigners, government agencies sim ply need to come clean about past mis takes. “Faulty yet honest” is far more ap pealing to the American people than “faulty and false.” Heather Corbel! is a junior English major African-American students also responsible for racism In response to The Battalion's series on issues fac- IngAfrican-American students: I acknowledge the social segregation between icksand whites on campus, and I commend The tta//on for sponsoring this dialogue. However, I dothink several important points have been left unsaid. It appears to me that the majority of the I feels that the cause for this segregation lies mthe hands of campus whites and administration. lile it is not unheard of to see a Confederate fragflyingoff the antenna of John Red Neck’s , a larger portion of this problem results from attitudes within the black population itself than tieyhave admitted. Whites are collectively blamed for not eating or socializing with blacks on campus, but at the same campus blacks consistently group together in anianner that makes me as a white guy feel un- *elcome. When I sit in a cafeteria with 80 percent % people I’m not sitting with the white guys, 'oijust sitting. I’ve always wanted to try to break ^racial cliques, but I’m just as intimidated to ^ke the move as the black guy. Furthermore, it seems that whenever a black ^son on campus gets involved with whites he’s MAIL CALL accused of “trying to be white” or being “a house negro.” With these apparently anti-white comments heard frequently on campus how can the black community expect me as a white guy to break that barrier? Of course there are some stupid white people who make us all look bad, but white to black relations are not the only problem. Perception of the white community by blacks needs to change as well. Chris Shull Class of ’02 Photo reinforces concerns In response to J.R Beato’s Feb. 28 photograph. I am writing in concern to the picture of the Black History poster being burned. Let me say that I was very upset to see something like that, howev er I was not surprised. I feel that here at A&M, racism is alive and it thrives. Nothing is said about a Black History poster being burned. This is why racism thrives here at A&M, because no one cares about it. They want to ignore the matter and say “Howdy!” That burning showed the attitude that some students have and that attitude can thrive because the the environment here is condusive for its existence. Why hasn’t the administration made it known to the students that the attitudes of the such won’t be tolerated here at A&M? Because no one cares. The truth is A&M tolerates racism. I don’t know where this school gets off thinking that racism is silent and unnoticed here. It’s alive and well. If people aren’t exposed to differences then they make faulty perceptions and generalize that which is different. Here at A&M we have little diversity on campus. We have all the elements needed for racism to exist. This is a shame considering A&M’s Vision 2020 program. We need more diversity. I’m not surprised no one said anything about this act of racism. If you do care, then do something ajpout it. Keilen Wiley Class of VO The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the author's name, class and phone num ber. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters may be submitted in person at 013 Reed Mc Donald with a valid student ID. Letters may also be mailed to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com MELISSA JOHNSTON Research can enhance trips abroad A s the fair weather traveling bug starts to buzz in unsuspecting college students’ ears, some adventurous folks may get an itch to take more than just a road trip. Laden with backpacks taller than their younger sib lings, passports eagerly awaiting stamps and money belts fortified with travelers’ checks, they will squeeze into airplane seats with leg room designed for Spud Webb and fly to the foreign land of their choice. Yet in their haste to pack everything, many students might be forgetting the most impor tant thing of all: to educate themselves about where they are going. Now, just wait a minute, the average traveler might say. Vaca tions are supposed to be fun, and education is, well, not always fun. A little pre-travel reading might be too much work or boring to peo ple who are just looking to “have a good time” during their travels. Trips to pubs and crazy pictures at tourist traps are all part of great memories, but there is also much about the surrounding cityscape and countryside to consider. Being aware of not only the current cul ture and people of a country, as well as the country’s past as an influ ence on its present, can turn a trip into more than just a chance to party. Students thinking about traveling sometime soon should look at it this way: a rare opportunity may have arisen, and not just the op portunity to fly far from home. After years of complaining about how classes are not applicable to anything in everyday life, students who travel overseas may find real uses for some of the things they were forced to learn. Those history and geography classes they slept through in high school might actually come in handy during a walk through thousands of years of history. Not only could students be excited about merely being in a foreign place, but also about putting what they know about that place to use as well. Diego Garcia, director of the Memorial Student Center L.T. Jor dan Institute for International Awareness, realizes that all travelers do not have the same goals in mind when they set out on a trip. But “any time students can learn about the history or culture of the place they are visiting, they will benefit from that experience,” he said. “There is a mix of [students] who go out knowing nothing and those who do their homework. Their experience would be richer if they did prepare before or during the trip.” Admittedly, most travelers will attempt to study the Cliff’s Notes way by snagging one or two travel guides before they leave. However, travel guides, though they have nifty fold-out maps, are overrated for background information. Books like Fodor's. Lonely Planet, and Let s Go are good as starting points, but reading something other than just a snippet of infor mation about a city will bring more benefits to the traveler. If one does not have time to do some secondary reading, at least flipping through histories and biographies of countries and their people can round out one’s expectations of the days ahead. And actually paying attention in yet another round of history and geography classes might be a conceivable option with a future trip in mind. An over-stuffed backpack, a calling card and a pocket book on conversational language are not the only essential things one needs to bring along on a voyage abroad. Knowledge about the history and the culture of one’s destination takes up less room in a suitcase than a duty-free bag of goodies from the airport and it lasts a lot longer upon arrival. Not many students have the chance to make these journeys often — so crack open those books and leam a little. Melissa Johnston is a senior English major.