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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 3, 2000)
Monday, if OPINION ■day, April 3,2000 THE BATTALION Page 13 inian ■Hhey have no 1 morals. I hc\ ■g ^ X have no I y* jan\ The words | gM lj IP iiest) and deeen- ppve no mean- Igtu them. They would cover nbouthilipy on (| lt > uL -ak- , ped and the easi est mian border crossit;;Mji 1]encet }_ if dei crossingbetween|jB C0U | ( j i t | iev wou | c i ro b their poor lit- ttlements wouldbeco ' antrol security on majc I which he describe blue-haired grandmothers of every enj they have. And now they are stalk- ,, n , . She Internet, looking for a new group acceptable to Palcstiii. ff . ’ 6 .. . 1 ,, funsuspecting victims into which they urn ot all Palestinian# >67 M ideas! war. ^ lan S s - T ,. , aotiaiions, saiJilKii T 1 "' 15 what lhe state ot Texas thinks s[ |SSUCS bout used car dealers. agreement with theh;§f aditionally the butt of j° kes and ion said. "It will not b )e Bubject of business ethics investiga- CC pt;• Ims. used car dealers were denied a simian state with Ik: me on the information superhighway matters. arlier this month by the Texas Depart- :ussion of Jerusalem, lent of Transportation (TxDOT). The .1 tew y ears in order jouston-area section of the Ford Motor September. Abed R Company’s “Ford Pre-owned Show- ' Bn” was closed down by TxDOT of- icials pending review of the Website, ieyvay it operates and what it means or people buying cars in Texas. ■Although looking for cars on the Internet is | "I "I Cl 1 pP k “8 a ' * n tbe state. Ford’s new Website has WXX O viv|en shut down because it signaled the next ■ in automotive e-commerce — the actual • Irchasing of vehicles over the Internet. For tie first time, a car company is attempting to Jl kjl C.V'X » awa y Ultb the salesman entirely and actual- |k't people buy a car without going to a deal- ip to sign the papers. It was too big of a for the TxDOT to swallow, ccording to the TxDOT Motor Vehicles Di on (Enforcement Section), Texans are not to buy cars over the Internet. Ford has This lane closed Texas ban on Internet car buying makes no sense top commander in fl ajor error was to hav t tra\ el a road that was sia control and was air cover. He also blar nci lor the attack. ■ ]1 allowed to continue testing its Website in imis are ''toppingupt |y era | 0 th er metropolitan areas, including New botage Russian troops s an Francisco, while officials in Texas ambushes on motorkf s is on the increase,tl . press service told I sheen no let up inrebdasj ,ullages in southern( lenish dwindling foods: vice said. artillery has been aid I rebel positions oveffljf iround the southernvil^- . Tangi-Chu andlsente:^ ted. ^ THERKMSEYs' .BOOK SIGNING plan to hold a hearing next month to discuss the evils of this new electronic showroom. Apparently, the dan gers which Internet car sales pose in Houston are not a problem in New York or California. The actual truth is that the state of Texas has jumped the gun and prema turely shut down a legitimate business outlet. TxDOT’s Motor Vehicles Division is primari ly concerned with enforcing the state’s lemon laws and ensuring automotive transactions within the state are carried out both legally and honestly. By taking it upon themselves to shut down Ford’s Internet operation, they have refused to wait for WOULD YOU PLEASE SIGN IT A-e'C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L- ^-OJ-Q-R-S-T-U-VW# itudents underestimate mportance of sleep , nee again a week Jdesigned to bring enlightenment has een overlooked by the na- lon. National Sleep Aware- less Week has passed |merica by. The powers jiat be at the National fleep Foundation designat- |d the days and doled out formation about the benefits of sleep and how sleep correctly. Statistics showed the nation to full of bad sleepers. As with most awareness weeks, National Jeep Awareness Week generated very little actual lowledge-tuming-to-action by most Americans. However, National Sleep Awareness Week ould have caught America’s attention — and jhanges should have been made to the many jleep-deprived lifestyles throughout the nation. Forty percent of adults claimed to be so |leepy their daily duties are impaired, according the National Sleep Foundation’s poll. Americans claim to be in the Information ¥—the nation has more knowledge than ver, with abundant resources to use new infor- ation. Unfortunately, the knowledge will do | hem little good without proper sleep. And they gSg ontinue to ignore information urging them to iop in bed. ! Instead, people stay up late watching mind- •Sl ess television shows and surfing the Web. Or ^pES hey drink caffeine and alcohol in the evenings, wo substances proven to impair restful sleep. Asleep debt fonns when someone does not |i|I let enough sleep. Losing one hour a night for JIB light nights in a row means the brain acts as >^!!| hough it has pulled an all-nighter. The math is asy—the body’s reaction is not. Most Americans are walking around with uge sleep debts that occasional naps and a few xtra hours on Saturdays barely dent, according [o USA Today. These debts are dangerous — causing longer reaction times and an increased risk of tatfic accidents. Even though these dangers are brought to ericans’ attention through such venues as lewspapers, Oprah Winfrey’s television show and National Sleep Awareness Week, few people pay attention. Sleeping too little causes people to lose motor skills, similar to the effects of alcohol. Most Ag gies drink zero to three drinks per week accord ing to the Department of Student Life. But add in all the sleep-deprived students, and there is a ma jor problem. College students are not free from this abounding criticism of American’s sleep pat terns. They average about six hours a night, when they should be getting nine to nine and a half hours a night, according to a survey by James Maas, professor of psychology at Cor nell University. College students also vary their bedtime an average of 90 minutes on weeknights and two hours on weekends. This confuses the body and causes sleep to be even more unproductive. Add to that college students’ caffeine and al cohol intakes, and they have what can only be called terrible sleep habits. “In the simplest tenns, a large sleep debt makes you stupid,” said William Dement, a sleep researcher from Stanford. Sleep debts have proven to cause people to make more math errors — not good for those en gineering classes. Another scary reason Americans should be tucked in at night is that sleep deprivation in creases the aging process, fostering obesity, memory loss, high blood pressure and diabetes. Perhaps string-bikini-clad Spring Breakers should take heed before their thighs start expand ing from exhaustion. Yet another sad fact of sleep deprivation — it puts people in bad moods and causes more emo tional distance between family and friends. Just sleeping a few more hours per night could turn America into a cheerful, happy place rather than its constant state of PMS. Working the body into regular sleep patterns should be a goal of all Americans. American citi zens need to take advantage of the best thing they can do for their bodies — sleep. The benefits are ‘ boundless. Good night, sleep tight. Jill Riley is a senior journalism major. any evi dence of wrongdoing or corrup tion on the part of the company. Apparently, the possibility for such dis honesty is sufficient evidence to justify closing down a business which has done nothing wrong. It is good thing the TxDOT people do not work for the local health inspector’s office, other wise we would have to wait for every contagious disease and pest to be eradicated by humankind before a single restaurant in town could open up. For them, the fact these dangers might exist some where else would pose a great enough threat to close down every eatery in town, no matter how spic-and-span the kitchen may be. The state of Texas is right about one thing — there is risk in buying a car over the Internet. There is also a risk involved in buying stocks, mortgaging a home or making vacation reserva tions, yet Texans are still allowed to conduct these transactions using a computer and a modem. Risk is an inherent part of capitalism. It is why some succeed and others fall behind. The state should stop unscrupulous businesses from swin dling unsuspecting citizens, but it should not coddle its citizens and deny them convenient methods of conducting perfectly legal transac tions. The possibility of misuse and abuse by a few is not sufficient reason to keep Internet transactions out of the hands of the public. If humanity is truly adept at one thing, it is finding ways to misuse and abuse the legitimate workings of society. At the same time, it is unac ceptable to deny the average citizen a commodi ty because someday someone might turn it to their advantage. The rights and privileges of the innocent should not be superceded by the possi bility of criminal activity. That is why society has laws and tools with which to enforce them. For a rancher in Van Horn, perhaps the risks of shopping over the Internet are out weighed by the convenience of not having to drive 140 miles to El Paso to look at a car. Just like anyone purchasing a video or book from Amazon.com, he is buying something sight unseen. Unlike them, he is also protected by an extensive collection of lemon laws de signed to protect the car buyers of Texas. If the dealer is honest in his dealings with the customer, the customer has nothing to fear. If the dealer is dishonest, the prospect of legal action is just as real as if the customer had signed the lease on the dealership lot itself. Duplicity and deception are just as criminal when displayed on a computer screen as they are when they achieved through spoken words. When fraud occurs in the realm of Internet automotive sales, . the state will still be able to punish those responsi ble just like any other fraudulent car dealer. If the state of Texas wants to stop Internet car sales, they should wait until they have good reason to do so. If people want to buy cars with out seeing them first, that is their business. It only becomes the state’s business when illegal activities surround the transaction. Until then, it should be up to the citizens of Texas to decide if they should buy cars online or not. Nicholas Roznovsky is a junior political science major. Ring policy unfair to transfer students T here are many benefits to being a senior at Texas A&M — registering before under classmen, whooping at the first home game at Kyle Field, wearing senior boots and most of all, wearing the Aggie ring. Well, for most seniors,, that is. The standing requirements that must be fulfilled before a student can even think about walking into the Ring Office to order a ring are 95 credit hours or 60 credit hours in-residence for transfer students. For most students, this prerequisite seems a mere trifle, a stumbling block until the end of their junior year when they can march over to the Clayton Williams Alumni Center and place their order. However, many transfer students are being cheated out of this time honored tradition be cause of the in-residence requirement. Students who fail to meet the requirements of the Ring Office until their last semester are missing out on the many experiences that being a senior at A&M entails. If a student cannot order their ring un til after their degree is posted on the Student Information Management System, they will always regret the fact they were not deemed “worthy” to receive the treasured Aggie heir loom until after it was too late to enjoy it. Post-graduation Aggie ring recipients must daily deal with the dishonor that being a se nior with a naked ring linger brings. When Many transfer students are being cheated out of this time honored tradi tion because of the in residence requirement. asked what class they belong to, students must shamefacedly answer that they are seniors, but they still do not have their A&M rings. Some seniors miss out on the joyous day that begins with huddling outside the Alumni building at 6 a.m. waiting for the doors to open in or der to pick up their ring. These unfortunate students stand under the gi ant Aggie ring at Ring Dance for pictures and make sure their right hand is strategically out of sight. Several Aggie transfers never experience the mingled emotions of excitement and anxiety that come with meeting friends at Northgate for the annual Ring-Dunk-Puke-a-Thon. The slight ed Aggie seniors hide their ringless hands in the folds of their gowns while they walk across the stage at graduation. The Association of Former Students needs to take a second look at the ring order requirements for transfer students. They must realize there are often extenuating circumstances surrounding students making it dif ficult to fulfill the 60 hour requirement before graduation. Some transfer students entered A&M later in their college careers because they had trouble getting their grades high enough for admission. Others had to m take classes in their hometowns during the summer to save rent money. Still, other students were forced to take classes at Blinn because A&M did not offer the course they needed during the semester their schedule required. All of these situations poiflt to the fact that not all Aggies have the option of entering A&M their freshman year and completing all hours in residence. The Ring Office needs to form a system of appeal to cater to these Aggies that are missing out on a great tradition because of a simple tech nicality. The administration must make it possible for transfer students to order their rings before graduation, even if only at the beginning of their last semester. The important thing is to guarantee these equally deserv ing students the opportunity to wear their Aggie ring for the most impor tant events during their senior year. From the day A&M students step on campus as new fish, they begin ticking off the days from a mental calendar until they can order their senior ring. Many students take on extra classes in each semester course load, attempting to reach the requirements as soon as possible. However, as transfer students, many Ag gies are forced to wait until three to four months after graduation to pick up their Ag gie ring and this is not right. The A&M Ring Office must be flexible enough to make exceptions for these seniors that are as worthy to receive their rings as any other stu dent on this campus. If a student began their University career at another institution for any reason and then transferred to A&M, does that make them less of an Aggie? Do they not deserve to enjoy the privilege of proudly wearing an Aggie ring before they graduate? An injustice is occurring every semester on this campus. The Ring Office is showing favor for seniors who began their college ca reers at A&M. As for the Aggie transfer students, until changes are made to the Aggie ring requirements,they will be considered the stepchildren of Aggieland. Big Event should focus on needy families Last Saturday I attended Big Event for the first time with the intentions of im proving the community and helping those who are less fortunate than. I. We arrived at the assigned location to find a nice house with a pool in the backyard and were met by an able bod ied, middle-aged couple. For the rest of the day, we cleaned their gardens, raked leaves, dug up and moved trees, and laid rock for the couple. While we were working, the couple’s sixteen- year old son walked out to his truck, jokingly asked if we would wash it, then went back inside and watched television. The couple’s eight-year old son was also pre sent the entire time riding his bike around the neighborhood. The couple did help us a bit during our work, but mainly just sat back and watched. While there were only five of us at the house working, the couple also made remarks about how last year 12 stu dents showed up and painted the inside of their house. I have no problem with do ing community service and helping those in need, but last Saturday I did nothing more than free landscaping work. The job we did could have easily been done in a day and a half by those living at the resi- MAIL CALL dence while they spent quality time to gether as a family. I think Big Event is a great idea, it just seems to me that there are hundreds in the B-CS area who were much more needy than the couple we worked for. Jason Miksovsky Class of '02 Students responsible for keeping records In response to Maureen Kane’s March 29 article. Regarding your article, “Advisers garner student criticism", I have a few comments that I would like to make. First of all, as an adviser in the Department of Educa tional Curriculum and Instruction, I stress to my students that they, ultimately, have the responsibility of meeting program re quirements. It is very important that a stu dent obtain a catalog for their specific de gree program and carefully read through their curriculum. I recommend that each student keep a careful tally of each course taken and record the grade at the end of the semester. Each semester, students should meet with their advisor and com pare records — I have found that this alone will eliminate many potential prob lems that could delay a student from grad- Summer Hicks is a senior English major. uating on time. To summarize, I urge stu dents to take responsibility for their progress. One may be able to get by in col lege by saying "no one ever told me" but after graduation, that line of reasoning will not evoke much sympathy from employ ers, creditors, government agencies and others in the "real world". As an adviser, I desire to see my stu dents succeed — it is a delight and plea sure to see them don their gowns and walk across that stage in May or December. I firmly believe that they have fewer stronger allies than the advisors on this campus, and I hope that they will always feel wel come to use this valuable resource avail able to them. Jason Poole Class of ’94 The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Let ters must be 300 words or less and include the au thor’s name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters may be submit ted in person at 013 Reed McDonald with a valid stu dent 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