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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 2000)
Thursday,Ap OPINION Madden andRafeel J s concerns ll| m professional one season !e key figure in AiHfj’ ' cdite. Itwasarohi wrk ethic, egoes out and plays, S fort is sec® none,” Cass "We’re very fm to have somduj that, especialli pan of the i 'sday, April 27,2000 THE BATTALION Page 13 $ rom protests to profits -hippies of Ben &Jerry’s sell company’s image for profit ay goodbye to a countercul ture icon, Ben & Jerry's WHomemade Inc., and pdy to just another piece of the , , Bo-Dutch company mentofourntM > • . , n ,, . ™t" l wver smassnc holdings. Ben He has set a as ■try’s, known for its social Bnjciousness and quirky icc dardofwhaiii': rear i names, was sold to ' lHlre v Jnlever, the world’s largest ice ° uT B 11 company, which owns brands such as Breyers, Madden sa^ ic | e ail( j Good-I lumor. Ben & Jerry’s, the anti-es- ecisionslocitB s h men t company founded by two ex-hippies, Ben ■\&M andnotio e of pride to .•d my decision forooil it fact, every da\ ih he decision 1 madeii ccision uillcontimicj ire. akes their best shou very valuable lesson’ vactly v\ hat’s goina’i onal tour. ;ssful pro, there’s doj s |en and Jerry' Greenfield, is known for its dona te charity and use of local Vermont diary fann- tvho do not use growth hormones. The company sold for $326 million. he sale of Ben & Jerry ’s could be just a sign of lines — smaller companies cannot survive in to- ! seconomy. The sale will supposedly make Ben & ’s a world-wide name. Yet, all their loyal cus- rs wonder if the sale really is for the best. Ben & 'shas a reputation of being one of the most envi- lentally and community-friendly companies. For iple, the company donated 7.5 percent of its prof- fore taxes to charities. Now, it is just another :h in Unilever’s belt of acquisitions. The sellout motivated by money. Unilever offered about 23 ent more per share than the closing price on the ick market. This especially benefits shareholders leCohen, who will receive $39 million. With such ■a-mergers as Time Warner and America Online in ■works, many wonder if America has seen the last 3|niall-town companies. Companies that the country built on are now a dying breed, merica should not have to settle for the loss of eritage to faceless world-wide corporations — er, it should encourage small businesses to be lie companies like Ben & Jerry’s. Though Ben Jerry’s may have been a large and profitable pompany, it kept its roots. Unilever does not have p: roots, nor does it feel the loyalty to cus- ersthat Ben & Jerry’s did. Companies like Ben [Jerry's emphasized the best of both worlds — town awareness with the prestige of a large Inpany. Teaching larger companies to be socially ■re and accountable would be in the best inter- I of America to prevent the growth of mega cor- prations, like Unilever, that do not have contact |h the communities. ■The sale of Ben & Jerry's represents not only a W of American culture, but also a loss of American Timing of bonfire report detrimental during finals time jobs. (Unilever cannot be asked to honor the social and community ties that the Ben & Jerry’s did before the sellout.) Multinational corporations may make money, but if quality of service does not accompany that money, then international corporations are not the way to go. Ben & Jerry’s had not only an image and consistent style but a strong presence in the community that is not found within the large corporations. Though these large businesses have money, they do not have that presence and cannot create it. America does not need to augment the problem of poor customer relations by catering to giant corpo ration,s but should instead urge the companies to become socially conscious. MAIL CALL JEFF SMITH/The Battalion One example of a community-aware company is Starbucks. Not only is it a profitable corporation, but it is also involved w ith programs like promotion of literacy within local communities. Companies like Starbucks and Ben & Jerry’s are the ideal, while corporations like Unilever are driven by money. Society should demand more socially responsible companies and not accept these faceless companies. Money may be important, but it should not be the qnly thing. Community-aware corporations should be emphasized in the business world. Brieanne Porter is a freshman chemical engineering major. tudents take risks near railroad tracks f ilo stand on the side of Wellborn near the light close to the railway line lien there's a train passing) is very dangerous, yet every time I go to [st Campus when a train is passing, people do it. There may not have been many train accidents in recent memory, but ^possibility of an incident occurring is a possibility, and the conse- ences are horrible to imagine. When a train is passing by, students ed to remember to think safely. Velaphi Msimang Graduate Student hurch affiliated child-care law logical response to Jessica Crutcher's April 25 column. [lfound Crutcher’s argument against separate licensing procedures for Lrch-affiHated child-care centers perplexing. I am confused because the law seems logical and it seems to be what .Crutcher was advocating in a previous article. In a previous column (Sept 1,1999), Crutcher addressed the issue of public school prayer and the sep- [ition of church and state. She defended the removal of prayer before foot- I games with a strict interpretation of the First Amendment. This is a for dable argument which I only raise to point out her own belief that the state ould not endorse, condemn, or otherwise control any church, religious be- ief or practice. Therefore, I am puzzled how Crutcher thinks the state of Texas must have regulatory authority over the church-run child-care centers. If the state had the power to grant and revoke the license of a religious child-care center, how much control would that entail? What if the church had a paddling policy, something that many private schools still endorse? What if the children sang Christian songs and watched Biblical videos such as the popular “Veggie Tales” series? Finally, what if the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services decided some or any of that was improper or harmful for the children’s emotional well-being. What if the church refused to comply? Since the church runs the child - care center could the state close the entire church, confiscate property or funds, arrest the resisting leader ship? I realize it’s a rare and extreme scenario, but Governor Bush’s law prevents it from ever happening. This should be one law that both church leaders and strict interpreters of the First Amendment can agree on. Tommy Medina 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 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 - IVIail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com A fter the 1999 Ag gie Bon fire collapse, University offi cials stepped out of the bonfire in vestigation so that an unbiased investigation could be performed by the Special Commission of the 1999 Aggie Bonfire — which was proba bly the right thing to do. However, in deciding an appropriate time to release the commission’s findings, the University should step back in. The expected release date of May 2, right as finals begin, could be detrimental to students. There are times when emotions should not be a factor — but decid ing when to reveal the commision’s results is not one of those times. It is said of Aggieland that “from the outside looking in, you can’t un derstand it,” and outsiders cannot possibly understand what releasing information regarding bonfire will mean to Aggies. But those of us walking and living on A&M’s campus every day understand that releasing new informa tion near final exams is ludi crous and completely detrimental to the stu dent body. The main focus throughout the investi gation of bonfire has been to keep the best interests of the stu dents. However, as the decision nears, that origi nal intent has been forgotten. In March, the in vestigators re ported they had a probable cause for the collapse but were not going to tell the pub lic what they found. Instead, they said just enough to get students anxious and talking about the tragedy all over again. Students wondered what the investigation had shown, wondered when the findings would be released and wondered when a decision on the future of bonfire would be made. The one thing that does not have to be wondered about howev er, is whether there will be great emotions stirred up with the re lease of the investigation’s find ings and later when a final decision about bonfire is made. The Aggie Bonfire is a part of what being a Texas Aggie is all about, and if it is not meant to burn again, then that is how it will be. In fact, it is likely that most Aggies will cry regard less of the decision. If the fight to keep this beloved GABRIEL RUENES/The Battalion tradition is lost, most Aggies will cry for the hole it left in their hearts. And if it is decided that there will be a day when bonfire’s fiames will burn again, we will cry for the 12 Ags who will watch it burn from heaven. The emotions that go along with any discussions regarding bonfire are endless. Students relive the days surrounding the accident and remember the faces of the Ags who were lost. Maybe on some campus es, things like bonfire’s collapse would have been forgotten or over looked by the students who were not directly affected by the acci dent. But in Aggieland, it is not just the families, uirl/boyfriends and best friends of the victims who will continue to relive this for a long time. A part of our Aggie family was lost in the 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse, and Ags everywhere will continue to miss them each and every time bonfire is mentioned. Although the decision about bonfire’s future will not be made until five weeks after the investigation’s findings are announced, any news on the subject (and high news coverage is obvi ously expected) will stir up the emotions and anxiety on campus all over again. To think that anyone could put these feel ings aside to study for a final exam is ridicu lous. It 'does not come as any surprise that final exams are the highest time for suicide among col lege students. Finals are a time when most students are at incredibly high levels of stress, usually have long nights of study ing and are feeling the pressures from deadlines. Bringing up the cause of bon fire’s collapse in the middle of all this will only add extra stress and distraction, which is completely disrespectful of the needs of stu dents during such a difficult time. Studying for a history exam will seem meaningless when the future of bonfire is at risk. There are serious emotions at stake. And with anything con cerning the Texas Aggie Bonfire, it is important to honor the dead, but it is also important to honor the living. Melissa Bedsole is a sophomore general studies major. Constant construction at Evans Library means constant headache brave Aggie takes a deep breath and -steps from the light Jo darkness. The dank, y-smelling atmos- lere is almost enough to Ike the student turn and ,but the thought of the jinting task at hand Jces the next few steps. llcome to the Sterling C. Evans Library, pos- |ly the most depressing place on Earth. University libraries are meant to be a pn for students. They are intended to be pijiet places to read, do research, meet with idy groups or nap between classes. Di aries should present a bright, airy atmos- ere that encourages intellectual stimula- n. Evans Library on A&M’s main campus nothing of the sort. Often students can be heard discussing ereto study on campus and not surprising- Evans is rarely mentioned. The place is |smal — disheartening and a virtual death pfor anyone with allergies to dust and . The air vents seem to be contaminated ' v ith an airborne sleeping drug, as any student •n Evans longer than half an hour has the irre- pistible urge to lay his or her head on the clos- St available study table. The library on A&M’s campus should be designed for the utmost con venience of students. Howev er, with only three or four computer terminals on each floor, there are often pileups of impatient stu dents waiting in line to look up a book or journal, each wondering why there are not more computers to serve a 40,000-person student body. In addi tion, print stations are not located on every floor. This is a major inconvenience for students. A student working on a computer on a certain floor must go to an other just to retrieve a printout. The Sterling C. Evans Library Annex was a much-needed addition to the library system, but the renovation makes finding sources more difficult since texts are now kept in separate buildings. For in stance, current periodicals are kept on the 6th floor of Evans, but the issues on microfiche are held on the 5th floor of the Annex. This MATT ROY/The Battalion separation of materials sets a student up for traveling back and forth all day. Also, the Evans Library staff is gen erally helpful but not always located in areas where students are working. Student researchers may also find that a librarian is obliging when it comes to offering help from behind his or her desk, but if movement is needed, students are often left to win der the stacks until closing time. Stu dent workers are also as cooperative as their jobs allow, but often are not familiar enough with the li brary system to offer much assis tance beyond their section. Stu dent workers are trained to do a few tasks and then left alone to stare dumbfounded when asked a question out side of their specialty. The ongoing renovation of Evans Library is a positive thing for those who plan on being here several more years. Many current students cannot remember a time when they were not late for class by the elimination of a sidewalk or awakened early on a Sat urday morning in a Southside dormito ry by the pounding of a jackhammer. The improvements to the library will surely benefit students, faculty and staff, but unfortunately for most Aggies, they are too late in coming. Current students will pos sibly never know a library free of construction workers, plastic walls that close off needed stacks or elevators that do not stop on every floor. Admittedly, A&M is making an effort to improve the facility that should be the corner stone of a university education with the new Web-based computer systems and needed, al though seemingly leisurely, renovations. More needs to be done to improve Evans Library. A higher learning institution as prestigious as Texas A&M should invest more money and consideration in bettering a building that most students avoid at all costs. Computer systems have been upgraded, but they, and the Evans staff, need to become as student-friendly as possible. Student workers should be given some credit for their intelli gence by their employers and informed on more than just answering telephones or scan ning a bar code. The library must become a location that students visit regularly to study and learn, not just a quick stop-off for a nap before the next class. Evans Library needs to be a place where the only thing that annoys students is the con stant voice of the elevator lady, “Fourth floor, going down ...” Summer Hicks is a senior English major.