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OPINION
uesday. May 2,2000
THE BATTALION
Page 19
I Survey of Accounting Principles,
I Introductory Accounting,
) Introductory Accounting,
i ACCT IN CORP ENVIRON,
j Introduction to Agricultural Econari
I MKTG AGRICULTURAL PROD,
MOD AG SYS & RNW NAT RES,
3 PRIN OF ANIM NUTRITION,
Introduction to Anthropology,
1 Peoples & Culture of the World,
' INTRO BIB ARCHAEOLOGY,
) Art History Survey II,
Comprehensive Biochemistry I,
Introductory Biology,
Introductory Biology,
2 Fundamentals of Chemistry II,
2 Fundamentals of Chemistry II,
1 ETYMOLOGICAL PRINCIPLE,
2 Principles of Economics,
3 Principles of Economics,
2 Applied Microeconomics Theory,
3 Microeconomic Theory,
3 INTRO TO LITERATURE,
3 Shakespeare,
3 American Lit Civil War to Present
I Survey of English Literature
I LANGUAGE OF FILM,
3 Literature for Children,
I Literature for Adolescents,
3 Nonmetallic Materials,
MANAGERIAL FINANCE I,
FUND INTERNATL BUS,
MONEY & CAPTL MRKTS,
REAL ESTATE DCSN MKNG,
1 Genetics,
1 Introduction to Human Geograph
2 Geography of Global Village,
3 Planet Earth System Science,
4 Economic Geography,
1 Geography of the US,
1 PRINCIPLES OF GEOLOGY,
History of the US,
History of the US,
History of American Seapower,
i INTRO TO THE DISCIPLNE,
! HUMAN SEXUALITY,
1 GENERAL HORTICULTURE,
Business Data Processing Conceps
BUSINESS PROGRAMMING,
PROG BUS DATA STRUCT,
BUS Systems ANLY & DESN,
Operations Managmenl,
DATA COMM & NETWORK,
MGMT INFORMATION SYSTEMS,
UNDERSTAND SPECL POPUL
EDUC PSYCHOLOGY,
2 American Mass Media,
1
Atmospheric
15 Introduction to Business,
t Leg & Soc Envir of Business,
2 Business Law,
>3 The MGMT Process,
Fundamentals of Microbiology,
1 Marketing,
7 Advertising,
6 Sales Management,
'1 MUSIC & HUMAN EXPERIENCE
2 Fundamentals of Human Nutrition, I
it OCEANOGRAPHY,
CONTEMP Moral Issues,
Introduction to Logic,
INTRO TO PHILOSOPHY,
1 College Physics,
8 MECHANICS,
3 American National Government,
7 State & Local Government,
7 Introduction to Psychology,
3 Elementary Statistics lor Psychoh®
5 Psychology of Adjustment.
0 PSYC of Learning,
1 INDUS/ORGAN P§Y,,
5 Fundamentals of (Ecology,
1 Foundations of Rec & parks,
2 FOUND OF TOURISM,
)3 Public Speaking,
)1 Rhetoric West Thought,
5 INTERPERSONAL COMM,
!7 American Oratory,
15 INTERCULTURAL COMMUNIC,
i Introduction to Sociology,
) Methods of Sociology Research,
> Marriage Institution,
STATISTICAL METHODS,
i Statistical Methods,
1 Intro to Theatre,
5 Biomedical Anatomy,
4 FOOD TOXICOLOGY & SAFETY,
1 GREAT DISEASES OF WORLD,
k tale of two cities
Bryan and College Station would benefit from merging governments, cut bureaucracy
he difference be
tween Bryan and
College Station is
ine letters and about half
n inch. Despite this, the
to cities insist on main
lining identities about as
idependent of each other
s Siamese twins. In the
ase of Bryan and College
tation, unlike the twins, the goal should be to
nite and not divide them.
There are several reasons for the cities to
nite. Bryan and College Station are wasting
oney by existing separately. Currently, there
re two mayors, two police chiefs, two city
ouncils and two bureaucracies to main-
ain. Even worse, there are two city
alls, two police stations and two fleets
|t city vehicles. This duplication is
asteful, not only of personnel, but also
f money.
I In terms of manpower (and womanpower,
If course), having two governments means that
he best person for any duplicated job, serves in
hat position in only one city. It also means the
econd-best also serves in that position in the
ither city. By spreading the good people be-
weentwo governments, the entire candidate
ool is made shallower. Veterans of small-town
[■politics know the dangers of a shallow candi-
■atepool, the results of which resemble a shal
low gene pool. Do Bryan and College Station
ant the best, or the second string?
In terms of money, having two cities instead
jof one is also wasteful. At many levels, salaries
i mass comm law & society, Bost ( w j ce as much because twice as many peo-
1 Atmospheric Science. I, ,i i > i i- i
Tpleare on payroll. 1 he lowest levels ol any de
partment would
still be employed
with either one city or
two, but having two
of every higher office
costs the taxpayers in
duplicated salaries. In ad
dition, the buildings are a colossal waste of
money for building construction and in mainte
nance. Not only must those buildings be heated
in the winter and cooled in the summer, but
they must be landscaped, repaired and kept
clean, which costs a lot of money. Best still, a
BRANDON HENDERSON/1 hi: Battalion
combined government could sell one of the city
halls at a premium, as College Station’s is in a
prime location for local or chain merchants and
Bryan's is a fairly new, fairly large office space.
The sale price would be a very attractive
amount of money in the bank.
Another rea
son for the cities to
unite is that the cities
themselves are effec
tively one entity that
must treat problems
separately. Bryan and College Station are cur
rently closer than a 3-year-old and her teddy*
bear in a thunderstorm, but each can only zone,
prosecute and administrate within its borders. A
party in Bryan that offends residents in College
Station presents a problem for the cities who
try to figure out how to prosecute the offenders.
Traffic control, urban growth, zoning and a
host of other issues can be more effectively re
solved by one city than two.
Even worse, the presence of Texas A&M,
while providing a large amount of life (and rev
enue) for the cities, complicates things even
further. Students are the cause of many of the
problems in Bryan-College Station, including
overcrowding, traffic, crime and drunk driving.
Also, there is an extreme surplus of workers
here due to the size of the student body, mak
ing it very difficult for teen-agers and unskilled
adults to find work. Yes, Aggies pay taxes to
the cities, but no, students do not live in the
community for more than a few years. They
have nowhere near the same amount of incen
tive to take care of and improve the commu
nity as lifelong residents do. In the face of
these obstacles, one unified government is
in the ideal position to ensure the well-be
ing of the community as a whole. If Bryan
or College Station were to pass an ordinance
that was extremely unpopular with the student
body, the one city would simply be sponsoring
an exodus to the other. As one city, Bryan-Col-
lege Station can pass reasonable ordinances
that may upset the students, but will be the right
thing to do.
It simply makes sense for Bryan and College
Station to join and become one city. The identity
of these cities are already inseparably linked.
They are one city in essence, if not in name. It is
time the name caught up to the reality.
Chris Huffines is a senior speech
communications major.
Testosterone gel fuels debate of gains and risks
T he debate over
testosterone is
nothing new.
I For years, men have
; injected the hormone
in hopes of becoming
the stereotypical
1 , jnerrUe
nici/e. iM ,
I It seems the'Sector
of the male popula
tion known as the U guy next door” no
|onger exists.
I With the creation of various pre-
Bcription drugs to increase sex drive
|nd the media’s portrayal of young,
|irile men, males seem more unwilling
|o accept Mother Nature’s way. In-
tead, they create their own path.
Inch places more men into the demo-
;raphic category of “wannabe Back-
|treet Boys.”
One way men attempt to curb their
feelings of inadequacy is by using pre
scribed doses of testosterone. About 4
million men whose bodies do not pro
duce enough testosterone take a doctor-
|rescribed synthetic version. Time mag
azine reports that until now, these men
had to take it by self-injection or with a
testosterone patch applied to the scro
tum. Ouch. And people think pulling off
Band-Aids is painful.
I This'summer, though, men every
where can have easy access to the male
ormone by using AndroGel, a rub-on
testosterone ointment. Making testos
terone easier to use is a bad idea for
several reasons.
The reasons most men get extra testos-
rone are not life-threatening — they are
frivolous. Having high testosterone levels
ffiives them confidence, increases libido
'and aids in building muscle.
I Using unnecessary drugs to feel more
jonfident is ridiculous — almost as
adiculous as buying a gargantuan extend
ed cab pick-up truck jacked 12 feet off the
{round to cruise around town.
1 Also, the male body manufactures less
testosterone as it ages — it is a natural
process. However, some aging men feel the
need to keep their level “normal” by ob
taining testosterone from their doctors. The
extra testosterone makes them feel they are
not losing their maleness as they age.
Messing around with hormone lev
els teeters on the edge of insanity.
Men who receive extra testosterone re
port feeling more peppy and on-edge
few hours in a room full of menopausal
women. Seeing what happens when
hormone levels dramatically increase
should convince them to leave their
hormones alone.
Another reason men consider adding
testosterone to their bodies is to increase
their sex drives; however, there are
enough products on the market for that
problem to help non-elderly men.
WHKf
WPt> BEEN R1DIN' my
HARLEY]
PSSST, I 'WINK,
TINKY WINKYS (/SJN6
''TESTOSTERONE GBl...
in the days following the injection.
There are already enough cases of
people flying off the handle and
shooting strangers at McDonald’s, not
to mention the number of domestic
abuse occurrences.
Men should leave the “it’s just my
hormones” excuse to the 52 percent of the
population who have to deal with pre
menstrual syndrome.
Or maybe we should make men con
sidering AndroGel or injections spend a
As for elderly men, it is natural for
men to lose some of their sex drive as
they age. Sixty-five-year-old men
were not meant to run around and
spread their seed.
Procreation is probably the top reason
for sexual intercourse, though advertisers
would roll over and croak if people were
to figure that out. Notice the “faces of
erectile dysfunction” seen on television
— younger, good-looking ... How much
do they pay those guys, anyway? Erectile
dysfunction is supposed to affect mostly
older men, right?
Men may also turn to AndroGel or in
jections in order to increase muscle mass
more easily. Men trying to be like Mark
McGwire may be the first in line for the
new, easy-to-use gel form.
Following them would be an array of
adolescent guys trying to impress girls
with big muscles. And since young men
already have high testos
terone levels, someone will
be forced to sell AndroGel il
legally, like they already do
with other forms of steroids.
This would only lead these
hormonally overloaded men
to more aggressive behavior
that could turn dangerous, not
to mention increase the sys
tem of steroid bootlegging.
One thing men may not
know is that taking too
much extra testosterone can
lead their bodies to produce
more estrogen, the “female”
hormone. While both men
and women produce both
hormones, testosterone lev
els are higher in men and
vice versa, and should not
be tampered with.
It would serve them right
if they turned into a combina
tion of the Incredible Flulk
and Martha Stewart.
Putting testosterone in
such an easy-to-use form will only cause
more unnecessary abuse of prescribed
drugs. Men who only use it for self-con
fidence, libido or larger muscle potential
will be dabbling with nature’s norm,
which could cause them and their loved
ones serious personal problems.
Men need to refrain from fighting na
ture and just be the “guy next door.”
GUEST
COLUMNIST
Bonfire report,
exam concerns
addressed
A s you are aware, the report of the
Bonfire Commission will be re
leased this afternoon following a
press conference in Reed Arena. Although
originally planned for completion and distri
bution a month ago, the release of the report
now falls on the last day of scheduled class
es, only two days before the start of the final
exam period. It is not unreasonable to ex
pect that the release of the findings in the re
port may cause some of our students, faculty and staff to have a
recurrence of memories and strong emotions rivaling those felt
immediately following the tragedy itself. Indeed, it may affect
the ability of some of our students to properly concentrate on
their preparations for final exams.
As we enter the final examination period, it is expected that the
administration of the final exams will proceed as planned. Howev
er, should students feel the need for special consideration regarding
the administration of their final exams, they should meet with the
instructors of their classes and present the nature of any extenuat
ing circumstances related to the release of the Bonfire Commission
report that would adversely affect their ability to take the exams as
scheduled. In addition, students anticipating special consideration
are directed to meet with advisers in their academic major. In all
cases, students should resolve requests for special consideration
prior to the scheduled period for the final examination.
There may be students intending to graduate in the May cere
monies yet, due to the release of the Bonfire Commission report,
feel they are unable to complete the requirements of all of their
courses. A situation of incomplete requirements for a graduating
student is not uncommon. Students faced with this situation may re
quest the incomplete (1) grade from the instructor and then should
endeavor to complete the remaining work as quickly as possible.
I know that each of us desires what is best for our students, and
I am confident that appropriate academic decisions will be made at
all levels. I also know that the Aggie family will once again join to
gether in appropriately accommodating and understanding our stu
dents’ emotional needs.
Jill Riley is a senior
journalism, major
Dr Ronald G. Douglas is executive vice president and provost.
VIEW points
Muster invocation
.
insensitive to some
I For many Christians, it is important to share the
word of God. Unfortunately, this sharing sometimes
occurs at inappropriate times. Jeremiah Ebeling,
Corps Chaplain, delivered the invocation at Muster
this year and spoke of Christian beliefs, excluding
and disrespecting many non-believing Aggies.
Muster is a time for all Aggies to come back and
feel comfortable while remembering their fallen
friends. And while this campus may sometimes
seem to be a completely Christian environment, it is
not, and Aggies must respect that there are other
non-Christian beliefs.
t Ebeling made reference to God’s son and read
from Philippians, a book in the Bible’s New Testa-
’ ment. For many, Ebeling’s words were heart-spoken
||nd inspiring, but it is understandable that non-
Christian students would be offended by them.
Marisa Minor, a senior psychology major, felt that
out of the 13,000 people that attended Muster, the
majority were probably Christian, but those who
were not did not feel united as Aggies.
“Being Jewish at A&M, I’ve always known it was
Christian-oriented, but it has never been an issue
for me personally. I felt that my right to pray was tak
en away because I don’t pray to Jesus and that is
who it was directed toward.”
Excluding someone on this campus based upon
their religious beliefs not only questions the 1st
amendment of separation of church and state, but
goes against the idea of the friendly, accepting cam
pus we strive for.
Not only is it completely unfair to bring such
strong religious statements into a school function,
but Ebeling’s invocation was completely detrimental
to the purpose behind Aggie Muster. Families and
Aggie friends of the deceased filled Reed Arena to
take a moment to remember their friends and rela
tives. And while many, including myself, believed
strongly in the things Ebeling spoke of, it still caught
us by surprise that such things were spoken of on
this occasion.
Muster is one of the most distinguished tradi
tions on this campus. But when situations like this
arise among our traditions and have a negative ef
fect on some of our student body, Texas A&M has
no reason to feel distinguished.
— Melissa Bedsole
Pranks go too far
Everybody loves a good prank. However, pranks
are always much more fun for the perpetrators than
for the victims. Texas A&M has among its strong tra
ditions a long-standing history of dorm rivalries and
consequent pranks that are fun to hear about as
part of Aggie lore. The price that is paid for a great
story, though, can be excessively high. Rationality is
not often enough a part of crazy college pranks.
Two weeks ago, residents on the first floor of
Moore Hall on Northside were awakened at 2 a.m.
by an unbearable stench. A barrel of goo, filled with
water, dead animals and human excrement that had
been stagnating for some time, was dumped into
Moore’s first floor hallway by culprits from a rival
dorm. Two of the first floor residents salvaged as
many items as they could from the floor before
climbing out the window to escape the smeli. They
lost their carpeting, several pairs of shoes and
some clothing that was in the closet. The items
were so badly stained that they could not be
cleaned.
Rivalries can be constructive and entertaining,
but they go too far when they result in pranks that
are dangerous and destructive. Dorms should not
encourage such activities. People are hurt, property
is destroyed, time is wasted and, sometimes,
records are ruined. Students who have been talked
into grand schemes of vandalism and chaos may
find themselves in legal trouble with the Residence
Hall Association, the University or the police.
Extreme pranks also disrupt the university at
mosphere. Pranksters lose valuable study or class
time, and their victims may be unable to concen
trate on school when dealing with the conse
quences of pranks. Further, as in the case of Moore
Hall’s victimization, the custodial and maintenance
crews are forced to clean up after students who are
supposed to be adults. That should not be part of
their jobs. Pranking extremes give Texas A&M and
Aggies a bad name.
— Heather Corbell