Tuesday, March'
OPINION
I May, March 7.2()()()
THE BATTALION
Page 11
A. war of words
{Iternative publications lack journalistic
mfessionalisnij misinform their readers
MARIANO
CASTILLO
■pexas A&M is going through an
; I identity crisis. News events this
JL year at A&.M, such as the mock
isbian wedding. The Battalion's se
es on African-American students
nd 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse have
:dto questions concerning the Uni-
ersity’s reputation. The labels of
xmservative’ or ‘liberal,’ and ‘racist’
r‘tolerant’ have been thrown around
lore and more in campus discourse. Regardless of
ktherthe University reputation is moving towards the
ightor left wing, the range of viewpoints at A&M is
;rowing and becoming more vocal.
Asignilicant part of this growth was the addition ofThe
[$16Review, a local alternative publication, to the Universi-
community. The Review aims to present a conservative per
fective on local as well as national issues. The newspaper
inns the liberal publication The Touchstone as alternatives to
lie views presented in The Battalion. While it is great that the
tudent body now has several opinions to read, the quality
od content of these alternative publications leaves much to
ledesired —namely professionalism and ethics.
It is easy for a student to pick up The Touchstone or Be
rn and become excited over an issue, but let the reader be-
vare—these publications have nothing holding them to
irofessional standards and as a result readers can become
:onfiised and be misinformed.
AsA&M students' minds are opening, it is a shame that
lie publications catering to the far right and far left totally
nissthe mark, diminishing the role they could play in intelli-
ratly discussing the issues.
The Touchstone's cover is adorned by H.W. Beecher’s
[note,“When a nation’s young men are conservative, its fu
lcra! bell is already rung.” It has the potential of being a wel-
:ome viewpoint for liberals in the Brazos Valley and also
iroviding opposing opinions to local papers.
Instead, The Touchstone wastes its pages printing differ-
:nt versions of repetitive inflammatory articles. Pick up any
issue of The Touchstone, from any year, and
chances are there will be a column about
how Bonfire is a waste, how unfriendly
A&M is to homosexuals and how close-
minded students at A&M are to criticism. It
reads more like a conspiracy theory ’zine
than anything else.
It is ironic that as open-minded as its edi
tors claim to be, dissenting opinions are often
accompanied by aggressive replies. Articles
in The Touchstone are often written as if its
readers are retarded. For example, in the Feb
ruary/March 2000 issue, in its bi-monthly
Bonfire-bashing article, Danny Yeager
writes: “Bonfire is certainly not nearly as bad
as or on the scale of Nazism, the World
Church of the Creator, the Jim Jones cult, the
Ku Klux Klan or Aum Shinri Kyo — and
I'm certainly not comparing bonfire support
ers to members of any of these groups.”
If Yeager truly did not want to make the
comparison, why did he include the line?
A skim through The Touchstone is
enough to see that it is in the business of
pushing people’s buttons, not offering intel
ligent liberal opinions.
Judging from The Aggie Review's pre
miere issue, it is in danger of becoming a vic
tim of the same lack of professionalism as
The Touchstone.
Staff writer Melissa Oestreich wrote
about how students are upset that The Battal
ion is becoming “increasingly liberal and
one-sided in its coverage of campus news
and events.” The article seemed extremely biased, as it prob
ably had been planned. During an interview with Marium
Mohiuddin, editor in chief of The Battalion, Oestreich was
pushing an agenda, and twisted Mohiuddin’s words to fit her
opinion. It is understandable that in a newspaper staffed en-
RUBEN DELUNA/Thk. BattaLJON
tirely by students, mistakes will be made. However, the ethi
cal breeches in that article rob the rest of the publication of
its credibility.
Both The Review and The Touchstone can be indispens
able assets to ensure that a variety of opinions are voiced to
the student population. However, until they show the profes
sionalism that is expected of credible sources, readers need
to be careful of what they read and realize that not all publi
cations hold to the same level of journalistic ethics.
Mariano Castillo is a sophomore
international studies major.
-A SCULL/Thk Battalion
weekend. Today
|Christian camp offers many advantages for incoming freshmen
nor^ Society
th
;o6
UMBY
-8629
Hours
- Wed 11am -2am
- Sat. 11am - 3:30am
soda
a + 5 wings
a + 2 pepperoni rolls
's + soda
\/^\ ne of the most
T I amazing things
about Texas
\&M is that a school this
arge, truly has a place for
. iach of its 42,000 stu-
ients. But sometimes
Snding the right place is
. Aggies can re-
nember when they ar-
ived at college for the first time — the first
mpression was awesome, but most of all, it
-vas scary. Freshmen have common worries,
as making new friends and finding a
ilacehere at Aggieland.
For some students in particular, aside from
icing afraid of the little things, there is a much
pter intimidation plaguing their weeks just
(lefore college. Christian students frequently
cave their homes, churches and Christian
friends with a great fear of not finding new
leople who share their faith. Some Christians
bonder whether they will be accepted whether
they do not choose to drink alcohol or if they
will be left out if theydo not hang'out atthe lo
cal bars. Impact, a new organization on campus,
has designed an event similar in structure to the
current Fish Camp programs at A&M. The idea
is to introduce freshmen to everyday life at Ag
gieland, as well as to the various oppor
tunities they have to join Christian orga
nizations on this campus.
The Memorial Student Center
(MSC) Open House is an amaz
ing chance to learn about many
of the organizations on this cam
pus. Just about every Aggie can
remember the overwhelmed feeling of the
first Sunday of their frefshmen year upon
seeing the long list of those organizations
and not having a clue where to begin. To
combat this feeling of being lost is
precisely the reasoning behind the
founding of Impact.
Impact’s founder’s goal is to
introduce freshmen to Aggie
life and its possibilities for Christians
to feel at home. By 1 coming to the Im
pact camp, these students will meet
many other Christians who are in
the same position as well
y as leant about many of the
\ Christian organizations at
A&M. Impact is pro
viding a great oppor
tunity to help these
students feel com-
4 fortable bringing
their faith into their
new home at A&M.
In its first year, it
seems that Impact is hav
ing a positive effect on all
the Aggies involved,
before the Class
of’04 even signs
up. The coun
selors, who
Gabriel ruenes/thk Battalion were sought out
by word of mouth as well as through various
ads and announcements at Christian club meet
ings, are not only helping these incoming stu
dents but participating in a very strengthening
experience for themselves. Forming friendships
that will support and enhance their faith is a
goal of many Christians. So for students
searching to find their place on campus, this or
ganization is truly a blessing.
There are students on this campus who are
opposed to the idea of the Impact program,
fearing that it will take away students from
Fish Camp.
However, the Impact camp will only be for
one session (the very last weekend before the
fall semester begins), which actually makes its
campers eligible for more sessions of Fish
Camp than the women who participate in
sorority rush. And most rush participants have
been able to schedule a different Fish Camp
session in the past, so experiencing both Im
pact and Fish Camp is completely possible.
Another worry being expressed concerning
Impact is that the camp will only be promoting
specific organizations to its participants.
While the program is intended to introduce
incoming freshmen to the different Christian
groups on this campus, the counselors will not
be promoting any specific group over another.
It is important to help these students under
stand the differences in these organizations be
cause that is the only way they will be able to
evaluate which group would be the best for them.
Impact is an attempt at not only welcoming
freshmen to A&M as students, but also mak
ing them feel that their values and beliefs are
welcome here as well.
Freshmen on any campus around the globe
will almost always be a little scared in their
first few weeks of school. But Impact’s effort
will enhance the friendliness of Aggieland and
make campus feel even more like a home for
new students.
Melissa Beds ole is a sophomore
general studies major.
irntRYi^To
C^DFT (AY REPUBLICS
opfdnekt on ahother
ISSUE. N\iHD IMPRISONING
me for f\ while?
Genetic engineering confuses consumers
MAIL CALL
-BTAStil
:« Tth
HCING id
9
(#0 HANDS
riviTffi
r
y
Kinesiology option
Should be changed
iresponse to Summer Hicks’
ferch 1 column.
If I was a student senator, I
Md submit this plan: Let each
student choose to take a physical
Iness test each fall (much like the
Hiysical fitness tests from high
school with pushups, situps,
Killups and running). If the student
lasses the physical requirements
if the tests, he/she is free from
me hour of KINE for that year. The
lests would be repeated for each
Student in successive fall semes
ters for more one hour credits until
Itie required four were met. Passing
file test will ensure physical abili-
ies, making the NEED for KINE
classes remote, and taking the
tests in repeated semesters for an
hour each, if passed, will ensure
consistent physical ability. If stu
dents chose to not take the physi
cal ability tests or fail them, they
must complete KINE classes.
Choice and health are both met
in this option and it satisfies stu
dents and the administration.
Andy Bailey
Class of ’00
The Battalion encourages letters to the ed
itor. Letters must be 300 words or less and in
clude the author's name, class and phone
number. The opinion editor 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:
The Battalion - Mail Call
013 Reed McDonald
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843
E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com
W henever the term
“genetically modi
fied” is mentioned in
relation to food, a series of im
ages usually come to mind that
paint the food industry in a bad
light — Bo Pilgrim engineer
ing a chicken with less body
fat, for example. Such a sce
nario would be great for Pil
grim’s Pride’s bottom line and consumer health in
general — but would a person really want to
munch on a mutant chicken leg? Understandably,
consumers have come to view genetic modification
with both humor and apprehension.
The problem with this type of thinking, however,
is that it paints a false picture of genetically modified
foods being potentially unsafe.
Accordingly, the corporate world is listening to ir
rational consumer fears and is beginning to discourage
the use of genetically modified foods without any sci
entific evidence to support the customers’ concerns. It
is a classic example of “crying wolf.” The corporate
world must change its current position on biotechnolo
gy and make a sincere effort to dispel consumer confu
sion and fear. After all, they could if they wanted.
Two months ago, snack-food giant Frito-Lay pub
licly asked its suppliers to stop producing genetically
modified com. Known as Bt com, this specific vari
ety is engineered to produce its own pesticide. As re
ported in the Dallas Observer, Frito-Lay officials ad
mitted their decision was not motivated by solid
scientific evidence that connects Bt com with any
sort of environmental or public health hazard. As of
today, there are absolutely no credible scientific stud
ies in existence that indicate Bt com is dangerous.
“Consumers are confused,” Frito-Lay spokesperson
Lynn Markley said. “It’s in the media every day.
There’s a lot of infonnation out there. We want to step
aside, sit on the sidelines, wait and see where the indus
try goes, see where the consumer confusion falls out.”
In other words, Frito-Lay is willing to bury its
head in the sand until someone else does the dirty
work of informing consumers.
Instead of waiting, companies with the same phi
losophy as Frito-Lay should take the initiative and
take action by investing in consumer education pro
grams. With a consumption rate of 1.2 billion
pounds of com per year, Frito-Lay certainly has the
clout necessary to begin a campaign of clearing up
this misconception.
Frito-Lay is willing to
bury its head in the
sand until someone else
does the dirty work of
informing consumers.
Sadly enough, Frito-Lay is just another faceless
company crowding into the bandwagon. During the
latter half of last year, high-profile companies such as
Heinz, Gerber and Archer Daniels Midland passed
policies discouraging genetically the use of modified
crops. With environmentalist groups such as Green
peace and the Organic Consumers Association nip
ping at their heels, companies including Hershey’s,
McDonald’s, Safeway and Starbucks are also facing
severe pressure to drop genetically modified foods.
Not surprisingly, the assertions made by these en
vironmentalists cite no credible scientific studies ei
ther. Critics claim that these groups have an ulterior
motive — to protect the heavily subsidized Euro
pean farmers who fear the superior biotechnology of
American farmers.
American farmers have lost millions of dollars
in corn sales to Europe in the past year alone. Ac
cording to United States Department of Agricul
ture reports, American farmers have been the
biggest promoters of genetically modified crops
since their introduction in 1995. With the potential
for higher yields and cheaper and safer pest-repel
lents, the benefits of genetically modified crops
are undeniable. As reported by Reuters, a January
straw poll indicates farmers are decreasing the
planting of genetically modified soybeans, corn
and cotton this year. Currently, approximately one-
third of corn and one-half of soybean and cotton
acreage in the United States is genetically modi
fied — the obvious economic impact of this sim
ple consumer misconception is sizable.
Those within the field of biotechnology are not
jumping for joy either.
“From a scientist’s perspective, it’s somewhat
distressing to see industry adopt positions that are
not based on good scientific data,” said John Mul
let, professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at
Texas A&M.
“Moves by companies like Frito-Lay may send a
message to consumers and others that these products
are somehow unsafe, and may prevent the deploy
ment of lots of other engineered products that will
benefit human health.”
At this rate, it seems many more companies will
reinforce the faulty message sent by Frito-Lay. This
is truly sad because these companies could correct
the problem if they wanted to. Remember the fat-
free frying oil Olestra? It’s side effects, including in
digestion and diarrhea, tower over the nonexistent
consumer drawbacks of genetic modification, yet
Frito-Lay bent over backwards to inform consumers
and calm their fears.
Does this contradiction make any sense? Obvi
ously not. Consumers’ fears about genetically modi
fied foods are misplaced. Companies should work to
allay these fears.
David Lee is a junior economics
and journalism major.