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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 2000)
OPINION Tuesday,March 1] Tuesday, Maivh 21,2()()() THE BATTALION Page 13 The Harvard School of Corruption Student election scandal handled poorly by University, hurts reputation F or more than 350 years. Har vard University has prided itself on being the oldest and, in its estimation, the most prestigious in stitution of higher learning in America. Its graduates have in cluded six presidents, such as John Adams and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Over the past three centuries, it has awarded honorary degrees to people such as Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein and Tennessee Williams. The university seal prominently features the Latin word “Veritas,” mean ing “truth.” In short, the university has be come synonymous in American society with excellence, ambition and respectabil ity. But like so many other fabled bastions ofvirtue and excellence, the foundations ofHarvard University seem to be crum bling in reality. The University, which has boasted of its integrity since its founding 1636, has a crisis on its hands. The current student body president and vice president have been accused of vio lating campaign spending limits and using their personal contacts at the University to gain an unfair advantage over their com petitors. Additionally, Harvard Vice Presi dent John A. Burton has admitted to steal ing materials from another student organization for use in his campaign last semester. The black eye caused by the corrup tion of Harvard’s student body elections will not be concealed by ivy-covered walls or fancy Latin phrases. Instead of leaning upon its reputation. Harvard should actually stand up for what is right and remove the students who have broken campaign regulations. At any other university in the nation, proof of illegal spending, improper cam paigning tactics and outright theft would have been enough to remove students from the oftlces they reached in such an un scrupulous manner. At Harvard, though, it is apparently not that big a deal. In fact, cer tain members of the administration seem to have had at least some part in the impropri eties of the December 1999 elections. At the heart of the controversy are campaign buttons and lemonade. Al though the entire affair sounds at first like a petty junior high election squabble, Har vard’s inability to deal with it has allowed the fiasco to become a predicament which threatens the legitimacy of Harvard’s stu dent government. University election commissioners were able to look the other way as Burton and his running mate, now President Fen- trice Driskell, spent more than the $100 limit on campaign expenditures estab lished by Harvard student body election guidelines. Commissioners were also able to ignore the fact that Driskell-Burton fliers appeared in the mailboxes of every freshman on campus in direct violation of Harvard’s ban on such campaigning. When other candidates brought up these concerns before the conclusion of the election, the Election Commission chose not to investigate. Only on the very last day of voting did the Election Commission choose to begin looking into the allegations. Their investigation did not stop them from pro claiming Driskell and Burton the win ners. Right about now, they are probably wishing they had stopped. Since the election, it has been revealed that the campaign wrote off several cam paign expenditures, including lemonade provided by a Harvard dining hall, as con- tributions-in-kind. In reality, the lemonade and the other expenditures in question were omitted because they would have pushed the campaign over the $ 100 limit. The most startling development has been the discovery of the source of the campaign’s buttons. These too were left off the campaign expenditure report since the campaign claimed that they were do nated by the campus Bisexual, Gay, Les bian, Transgendered, and Supporters’ Al liance (BGLTSA). Only when the group’s leaders said they made no such donation did Burton admit to taking them without permission from the group’s oftlce late one night. The buttons were then relabeled with Driskell-Burton stickers and distrib uted to the student body. At no time did Burton offer the BGLTSA any sort of re imbursement or even ask if he could have the buttons. Burton ignored calls for his resignation by a large number of the student council members and the previous student body president. As he told Harvard’s university news paper, The Crimson, “It could be the end of the world, and I would not resign.” A movement calling for Burton’s im peachment failed to garner the two thirds support from the student council necessary to remove Burton from office. Despite clear evidence that the sitting student body vice president committed numerous campaign violations, he re mains in oftlce. Perhaps it is politics as usual. The other recent notable impeach ment turned out to be a popularity contest as well. The entire “Buttongate” affair, as it has become known on the Harvard cam pus, has disillusioned many students and rightfully so. The University and its student government have allowed a stu dent to break the rules without receiv ing an iota of penalization. In doing so, they destroyed the myth of respectability and truth which has graced the halls of Har vard for 3 1/2 centuries. Instead of standing up for ethics in poli tics, Harvard has chosen to roll over and accept dirty political practices just like the rest of America. It turns out that Harvard is just another cesspool of corrupt poli tics and moral depravity like the rest of America, albeit a very ex pensive one. Nicholas Roznovsky is a junior political science major. CODY WAGESTm BattaUO' I South by Southwest talents and crafts. CPS struggles to meet its own goals A Baptist Church’s motives questionable, stunt-like S ome people never grow up. Unfortunately, these would-be Peter Pans Ito impose on the unsus- Ipecting masses. Worse yet, home of them rise to relatively lemment heights of power and Iprestige. It is here that they preable to do the most dam age—and sometimes make ilie biggest fools of themselves. Take, for exam ple. Gregory J. Dixon, pastor of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple. In an interview with The New hi Times, he declared, “We are subject only to tlie authority of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and to prove it, the church quit paying its employees’ pay roll taxes 12 years ago. The IRS received a judg ment against the church for taxes, penalties and in- |terestof$5.9 million this past July. Because Dixon fesrefused to cooperate, the IRS has only one av- lenue left to collect the money — foreclosure. The pastor is adamant in his refusal to work with the |1RS toward any agreement or compromise. According to Dixon’s logic, the church need [only obey the precepts of Christ. This logic is dangerous. Christ did not have much to say bout street drugs, but few take his silence on |tbesubject for license. Sadly for Dixon, Christ did make one memorable statement regarding faxes: "Render unto Caesar the things which are aesar’s.” It is hard to understand how Dixon fluid overlook that. Perhaps this is a publicity stunt. The longer the Indianapolis Baptist Temple fights the IRS on this ie more people will hear of the church. Like a hi Id who wishes to be the center of attention, dxon is playing this to the hilt. The headlines will sensational: “Government Entity Cmshes istians.” Dixon’s camp would love it. Conser- ative radio talk shows and right-wing paramili tary organizations already do. The Michigan Mili- iahas pledged to help the church resist foreclosure. Essentially, they are threatening civil varifthe church is not given its own way. That tight to get lots of publicity and make more than few Baptists unhappy. The church itself is not taxed on the property it owns, nor on the income it receives. The church is being taxed only in its capacity as an employer. Dixon is refusing to cooperate with the govern ment in paying taxes that are legitimately owed by and on the behalf of the employees in question. No one asks the other inhabitants of this country if they want their employers to pay their taxes. No one asks the employers if they want to pay. This is not civil disobedience, either. Civil dis obedience depends on defying an unjust law. In come brackets and tax loopholes aside, the tax code is enforced uniformly throughout the nation. One would be hard pressed to call the support of a legal government an unjust obligation. Dixon and his thousand-member congregation are doing much more harm than good with their meaningless protest against the government. The government of the United States is a legally con stituted government that bases its authority on the consent of the people it governs. Whether or not they believe it in Indiana, the govemment is in au thority over them, and generally, it is not wise to toy with it. In reality, through this protest, Dixon is teaching the members of his flock that there is no legitimate earthly authority. This is clearly not the message most people get from the gospel, nor is it likely to be the belief the Baptist Church wishes to inculcate in its members. The Baptist Church probably does not wish to promote itself as the “Church of the Bad Attitude,” but if they force the IRS to foreclose on their property, that is exactly the image the events will project. A new discovery in biblical interpretation is not what brought this about. Few will believe that God is sitting on the preacher’s shoulder whispering instructions and among the group with the fewest believers will be some real au thorities —judges. Dixon may deny their authority over him, but it can be reasonably assumed that he will not be able to deny the walls of the prison he will live in when their “disputed” authority incarcerates him. Of course, the cynic hears his shouts of glee at the thought of getting to be a martyr. Could sainthood be far behind? Oops, wrong church. II too often, there are news stories .about children who have been beaten or otherwise physically abused. Occasionally, a story makes the news be cause the parent who in jured the child was a pre vious offender who had just regained custody of his or her child. For example, a recent Texas case involved a young child who arrived at the hospital with serious injuries after being reunited with her parent. The child had been removed from the home and placed with a foster family. The child was returned to the parent after an ex tended period of time, after which the parent supposedly no longer presented a danger to the child. Judging from the injuries the child sustained, someone took a very wrong turn in returning custody to the parent. With every case that is brought to light, one wonders how many more have gone unnoticed, as well as why the legal system does not take more extensive measures to protect children. Both Child Protective Services (CPS) and the Texas legal system control the fate of chil dren in Texas. CPS is an organization stem ming from “a concern for the care of children.” But good intentions are useless without the means to carry out said intentions. CPS are of ten understaffed, and the case workers are un derpaid. The Texas legal system will not cut down on child abuse until it imposes tougher penalties on offenders and greatly increases funding for CPS. Many people criticize CPS for being overly intrusive on families. But the philosophy be hind the organization actually leans toward do ing everything possible to keep families togeth er except in extreme circumstances. The philosophical base for CPS states “CPS should intervene only when the parents request assistance or fail... to meet the needs of their children adequately.” It also stipulates CPS intervention should be “sensitive to culture, values, religion, and other individual differences.” Agencies should “inter vene in the least intrusive manner possible.” ideally, these guidelines are a wonderful basis for helping families stay functional. But there are times when more aggressive intervention is needed. CPS should be given the means to conduct more thorough investiga tions, and in many cases be more “intrusive” to ensure the safety of children. The problem is that CPS are often legally and financially pre vented from badly needed action. The problem is not with CPS, but with what they are given to work with. According to Janece Keetch, public information officer for CPS in Austin, Texas has recently granted The Texas legal sys tem will not cut down on child abuse until it imposes tougher penalties on offenders and greatly increases funds for CFS. CPS enough funding to hire more case work ers. But they are still sorely understaffed. The average case load for a case worker is 24 in vestigations per month, according to Keetch. The Child Welfare League of America recom mends 12 cases a month — the average case load is twice this amount. Keetch stated the new funding would help bring the number of investigations per worker down slightly, but the number would still not drop to the recom mended 12 per month. The salary currently offered to case work ers hardly makes the career choice financial ly rewarding. Entry level positions at CPS range from $27,540 to $31,068 annually de pending on experience. It is improbable to expect the most qualified case workers to stay in this position unless higher salaries are offered, no matter how sympathetic they are to the childrens’ plight. In addition to physical shortcomings, legal shortcomings are enormous. The Texas Fami ly Code, which governs family law, is conve niently vague when it comes to the question of protecting abused children. Chapter 161 of the Family Code (Termination of the Parent Child Relationship) deals extensively with the issue of abandonment or neglect of the child’s personal welfare, but is less thorough when dealing with other questions of abuse. The code states that grounds for termination of the parent child relationship include if the parent has “been convicted or placed on com munity supervision ... for being criminally re sponsible for the death or serious injury of a child." But what about less extreme forms of abuse that are child abuse nonetheless? The family code is not explicit in the conse quences, although it does state repeatedly that termination may be appropriate if it “is in the best interest of the child.” By being this vague, Texas has left the door open for potential child abusers to get off relatively unscathed. “The best interests of the child” are being left up to too many vari ous parties, and convicted child abusers are therefore being let off easy. The parent in the recent case described above should never have been allowed to regain custody of the child in the first place. But CPS should by no means be criticized for being ineffective. The real fault lies not in the case workers, who are overworked and un derpaid, but in Texas legislators who find it more important to raise taxes than to protect the youth of Texas from harm. Before people will see any reduction of child abuse, tougher penalties and more thorough searches must be required for every child abuse case. This will be made possible through adjustments in the current family code, and higher funding for Child Protective Services. Jessica Crutcher is a sophomore journalism major. MAIL CALL English proficiency tests needed Students show disrespect for library Ann Hart is a senior English major. In response to Melissa Bedsole’s March 20 column. Bedsole’s column hit home with me better than any article I've ever read in a newspaper at any level. I hardly ever read the campus newspaper, but after reading her column, I certainly will have to start. Speaking on behalf of myself and my circle of friends, the idea of English proficiency testing for college professors and T.A.s is beautiful. The current situation that we are faced with is ridiculous. We are paying money to struggle through lectures given by instructors that cannot speak English well enough for us to understand. One thing that we all agree upon is that most of the in structors in question are absolutely brilliant. What does it mat ter, though, ifthey cannot convey the'r message to us? I hope, for the sake of college students everywhere, that the Missouri state senate bill is passed and that all other public universi ties follow suit. John Jackson Class of ’01 Why do some students steal from the library? Doing research in the Evans library can be very tedious and discouraging, especially when someone has torn out the articles you need. There are several copy machines on each floor so that anyone and everyone can use the library resources whenever they need them. The library belongs to all of us, and it is our job to make sure the library resources remain intact and free of damage so that Ag gies for years to come can make use of them. Dusty Stoddard Class of ’02 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 letters for length, style, and accura cy. Letters may be submitted in person at 013 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters may also be mailed to: The Battalion - Mail Calf 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com