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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 2000)
Monday, March 20,| imenl et 16’ OPINION londay, March 20, 2000 THE BATTALION Page 9 gsHiP Regional# Second round Firttitu . . The classroom of Babel University of Missouri plan to require English proficiency for professors full of benefits H; md a lot more depthik e had since I've beeju your best team isn’t am that wins,” theft :h said. a St. 75, PepperdineC onzen scored 21 poia eded Oklahoma Stait i close game in the ns added 18 points (tt state (26-6). Brand led Pepperdine (25- ts. Pepperdine was 7-t oint range, while Okl made half of its Mat nston-Salem, N.C. Kansas 64 id a career-high eight ts for Duke (29-4) in he Blue Devils’ victor' hampionship game, ade the go-ahead fc seal coach 50th NCAA touritt ’ yow did you do in physics?’ Well, 1 got a C, but con sidering the fact that I inldn’t understand a word the prof tid, that is pretty good!” This conversation may seem outra- eous, but it is not as uncommon as ne would like to believe. Frequently, campuses all over America, there re professors and teaching assistants hose English is so poor the students struggle to decipher te words, let alone comprehend the material in the course. Recently, the University of Missouri has taken action to revent their classes from being plagued by this ridiculous tuation by proposing a new rule making it mandatory for achers to be tested for English proficiency. It is time that II schools in this country take a stand on this issue and revent poor communication skills from tainting their lasses any longer. Anew Missouri state senate bill states that the institution mid evaluate "each member of its instructional faculty rhodid not receive the majority of both of his primary and econdary education in a program in which English was the rimary language.” The testing would analyze the oral and written fluency- ad determine each individual’s skill in the English lan- ttage. The idea is that all schools would be required to eval- ate their teachers through a testing process and determine rhether their skills are sufficient for the classroom. In a review of oral English proficiency policies in U.S. igher education, there were many questions raised about te validity of these standardized test as well as the narrow bcuson language rather than the classroom teaching irocesses. The “classroom teaching processes” are exactly are at stake here. The teaching is going on, but it is of io benefit to the students if they cannot understand the tticr had 21 points, eislfords being spoken or used. Students often find themselves paying so much attention Dthe actual words, in trying to interpret the poorly used nglish that the concepts in the lecture are completely lost. )n the issue of the validity of the testing procedures, it eems that with any test of this nature it should be obvious if .5 seconds left and stolf lie teacher is qualified. And if there were any question or the d’s pass 29 seconds lai :acher was borderline, it would seem that this would not be Miki be level of instructor desired for an educating position. One argument brought up against these types of new laws Es the idea that “there are civil rights questions about policies rich had 12 points I That require certification of only one group of faculty” (for 0). example foreign faculty members). Howev er, these rules do not violate anyone’s civil rights. It is wonderful that America opens its doors to so many foreigners and attempts to equalize all cultures and backgrounds. But while foreigners deserve to be equal, language barriers will always sepa rate foreigners from those whose primary language is English. These actions are not intended to discriminate — they are in tended to provide the best education for students in American schools. Diversity is an important American goal and a hot topic on the Texas A&M campus, but sometimes the efforts to diversify a par ticular situation tend to result in negative ef fects. By hiring teachers from different countries, it appears that students could be taught the material of the course as well as be exposed to a diverse environment that will teach them to be more culturally aware. Although this idea seems like a nice one and completely supports the Vision 2020 plan, when professors and teaching assistants cannot speak English proficient ly, not only does this plan fail — it fails the students. After performing poorly on their exams, students become even more hostile or less accepting of these people’s cultures than before. Although Missouri is definitely on the right track, their fiscal plans for implement ing this rule are inadequate. The provisions of the new rule explain that the testing for English proficiency shall be done at no cost to the instructors. The testing will cost $225 per person and will total over $960,000 for the University of Missouri in its first year of faculty eval uation. Many occupations require workers to take license tests at the cost of the indi vidual, and there is no reason why this sit uation should be different. Still, the state of Missouri has advanced further than many in the faculty english proficiency issue, and soon their schools will begin to benefit from it. This problem should not even be considered an “issue. is inexcusable that these instructors were allowed into Amer ican schools in the first place. This does not mean that there should not be efforts made to provide an environment that is culturally diverse, but in America, English is the predominant language for JEFF SMITH/The Battalion communication, and for teaching to be effective it must be gin with clear communication. Melissa Bedsole is a sophomore general studies major. 3, Illinois 76 i Brett Nelson had iree steals to help Florl to the final 16 for tilt ht year. )rs (26-7) are 4- ament play under coack] an, who succeeded Lot ' . Iranian government offers chance for better relations wing his departure :easons ago. ler led Florida with Bradford had 27 poi SOUTH rmingham, Ala. rolina 60, Stanford53 loseph Forte hit two host the closing minutes forth Carolina (20-13). ished with 17 poin lecisive 10-0 run a lis effort with a gait tided 10 assists, seven' even rebounds to ht :1s record their 3C ctory season, seley scored 17 poii tal (27-4). 65, Connecticut 51 •is scored 18 points Tennessee (26-6) tot* El-Amin’s ankle injur) 1 ' vas largely ineffecti'* ies (25-10). He scorft ints, and took just t" :|! inutes. F or the past half century, the Middle East has been the most volatile place on lie planet. This region, which las exhibited the stability of ell-0, has sucked the United Hates into its continuing melo- irama on several occasions. Mien the category of Ameri- : an allies in the region comes for nations such as Saudi Arabia and Israel are usu- % mentioned, while the foes include Iraq and Once upon a time, though, Iran was not an American foe, but a staunch ally. Those days may be approaching again, if the United States plays its ards right. For the sake ifAmerican foreign poli- iy and peace in the Mid- UeEast, it had better. is currently undergo- ng major changes, and lie United States must be repared to help if asked. The Islamic Republic (Iran is usually thought (by the average Ameri- an citizen as a nation in- a bunch ofls- ashville, Tenn. Cincinnati 61 y had 16 points and* 16 rebounds for 1 id we play down^ sa coach Bill Self Sh erri fic team even There should not be* 1 , : this.” eal had 16 points ^ for Cincinnati (29- i tcher, starting in d 13 points. Ohio St. 62 msley scored 24 poi 1 set third-seeded 01 ice to the round of ne. :r added 20 points 3), and John Saln^ lie Penn led Ohio St* ) points, eight in a n after Miami had ead. MARK PASSWATERS Iran is currently undergoing major changes, and the United States must be prepared to help if asked. imic radicals. While leaders such as the late lyatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and current spiritual :ader Ali Khameini do not help to dispel this no- there are others who do. Nearly half of Iran’s opulalion, according to the United Nations, was otbom when Iranian “students” held members of te United States embassy hostage 20 years ago. bey are growing tired of the totalitarian religious (stem in their nation, and their votes at the polls low their desire for change. The current President of Iran, Mohammed Ihatami, is considered a moderate in Western cir- les.He supports the loosening of Islamic law in his ation as well as increasing the rights of women, i lehas also sent out signals that he is ready to make Intends with the United States. There could be no better time for the U.S. and an to resume diplomatic ties then now. It would rove to be of great benefit to both nations. Iran is nation that has a large oil reserve, yet sanctions revent the importing of Iranian crude to the nited States. With skyrocketing gas prices I, neatening to disrupt the booming economy, the S. could use the threat of Iranian oil to make jjji ^rest of OPEC increase their production, caus- 'S the cost of oil to drop. It would also be in the interests of American for- jjii '^policy to achieve a rapprochement with Iran. anti-American terrorist organizations have received support from Iran in the past, and a thaw in relations might place a stranglehold on their activi ties. Many of the supplies that are used by the Saudi bom terrorist Osama Bin Laden (based now in Afghanistan) are smuggled in through Iran. In creased policing of the Bin Laden network by Iran could also make it more difficult for him to operate. The Clinton administration wants to see a bind ing Arab-Israeli peace settlement before its time in Washington is up. Clinton is obsessed with improv ing his legacy as President. Being remembered as the President who brought peace to the Middle East would, in his view, be far better than being remem bered for the statement “I did not have sexual rela tions with that woman.” One of the first steps to wards achieving such a peace calls for Israel’s withdrawal of its forces in Lebanon. The Israelis have started to pull out, but fear increased attacks from Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist group based in South Lebanon. Israel has threat ened strong retaliation against any attacks, which would almost certainly de- stroy any chances at peace in the near future. A “sugges tion” from Iran might cause Hezbollah to think twice before killing innocent civilians. Khatami and the Iranian government can also benefit from making nice with the United States. Quite simply, it could be the difference between surviving and a firing squad. While Khatami is very popular among the general public, Shiite Muslim clerics are strongly opposed to his re forms. The clerics — Ayatollah Khameini in par ticular — also are in control of the military and the Iranian secret police. If Khatami moves too quickly with his reforms and has no international backing, his odds of sur vival are minimal. If Khatami receives the endorse ment of the United States, as well as the tacit sup port of other Persian Gulf nations, his chances of survival are greatly increased. From the end of World War II to the fall of the Shah in 1979, the United States and Iran enjoyed a very close relationship. While the relationship has grown far chillier in the past 20 years, a mending of fences would be of great benefit to both nations. Both leaders would get something they want — President Clinton would get a chance to go to Chappaqua, N.Y. happy, while President Khatami would get a chance to simply keep going. Mark Passwaters is a senior electrical engineering major. Trying to make sense of the census I n case you haven’t received notice yet. Census 2000 kicked into high gear last week. Answer this question to see if you’re ready for it: What is the method for taking the cen sus? Option one: You fill out a survey the government sends you and send it back. Op tion two: At some point this week all the fire alarms in the country will go off simultane ously. Every citizen will then proceed out side and line up single file while a census worker goes down the line, tapping each per son on the head in rapid succession as he or she counts, to make sure everyone’s there. People talking receive detention. No, you don’t have any lifelines left. The answer is option one. But like you, I see the appeal of option two. Flowever, it’s too late for that. Most of the population receives its form between March 13 and March 22. Knowing how much the public likes telling the govern ment how much money it makes, the cen sus braintrust launched an aggressive ad vertising campaign using Sopranos-like subtlety. You may have seen some of these commercials. In one ad, a distraught couple looks on as the local fire department struggles with what 1 believe is a manual water pump mounted on a horse-drawn carriage. Failing to draw enough water, the firefighters give up as the house bums to the ground. A smug voiceover says, “Oops, forgot to fill out the census. Don’t leave it blank.” The obvious moral of the story is that your census form is made of paper, which constitutes a fire hazard if left lying around. Also, the advertisement threatens that not filling out the census may cause your com munity to lose federal funding and revert to an 1850s infrastmeture. In another, we observe the clotted halls of Any Public School until we arrive at a broom closet. The closet’s door opens, re vealing a class of 15 students and a teacher. The message is simple: If you’re a janitor and you don’t fill out the census, you might be out of a job. I think it’s tailored to a little too specific a population, but I’m not paid to make these kinds of decisions. Clearly, the Census Bureau desperately wants everyone to take them seriously and wait at the mailbox for the form to arrive. One suggestion to increase participation that it explored and rejected was to make the cen sus into a sweepstakes. I’m a little worried over what that says about us as a country. In all seriousness, I think the census is im portant and everyone should fill it out. But if you didn’t trust the government be fore, I’m a bit alarmed if you’ll sell out the family to the government for a chance at a Cuisinart. At any rate, the Census Bureau, syndi cate, whatever, might as well stick with the bullying ads. I suggest taking them a step further with the slogan, “Census 2000: Fill it out early and fill it out often.” Which brings us to actually filling out the census. The questions always serve as a source of controversy. For example, Libertarians maintain that you only need to answer the question regarding the number of people in the household, per the constitution. So Bill Maher, Dennis Miller and your crazy eighth-grade shop teacher likely will hand in mostly blank surveys. For the record, the Census Bureau asserts that every question is required by law and if they have to, I think they’ll crack skulls. The census is a pretty short task, at least - for most of us. The standard census form has only seven basic questions. A lucky one in six of us (there’s your sweepstakes) gets a long form, asking more personal ques tions. Of course, some of these questions make people pretty nervous. I’m only quoting rumor here, but I be lieve the following are some of the questions- People in the house? Party people in the house? How much money do you make? What is your PIN number? Are you a citizen of the United States? Would you tell us if you weren’t? What sex are you? Are you sure? Do you watch Public Television? (The question lacks a “yes” answer). Are you still using drugs? Personally, 1 don’t see the need for most of these questions, and I’m scared to know how they all relate. But they are government mandated, so if you’re not a Libertarian, be a good citizen and fill them out. David Wallace is a columnist for The Michigan Daily at the U. of Michigan. Six-year-old shooter a victim, not a killer in response to Jill Riley’s Mar. 8 column. Everyone should be tolerant when listening to another’s opinions, but tol erance does not imply agreement or acceptance of ideas. Constructive criti cism is the ideal response to differing opinions, but often emotion leads to less civilized and inappropriate retorts. McCain and Keyes showed hypocrisy when dealing with the Bob Jones University situation, but in the end the university “got what they need ed.” They had a long - standing policy against interracial dating on campus and after the press reamed them for MAIL CALL their racist policy it was reversed. I’m still trying to understand the state ment, “The warning against interracial marriages is not about the couple, but about the one world system.” Yes, this is one world we live in and there is nothing wrong with interracial relation ships. When comparing the criticism Bob Jones University received to Texas A&M’s Bonfire experience, it is true our school did get criticized and mocked at a time we needed to be consoled. However, in the end we have been forced to see some of the very serious dangers that were involved in the event. Had it not been for the negative criticism from around the nation, we might not have revealed all the details, which can, and in the past, have been omitted. I don’t agree with the mocking of the pain we felt, but “sometimes the end justifies the means.” Patrick Plate Class of ’01 The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the author’s name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit let ters 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 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com