Monday, June 26,2000
varese
fight
i stoppage of Julius
an. 29 at Manchester,
cated he does not want
.1 with Tyson again,
e reports that Tyson ai
red Warren in a dispute
old pay for some jewel-
rchased in London in
on denied the reports,
a would not comment.
?nt from Glasgow for
eek, attended the fight,
pea red to be a redness
ghteye.
aid 40,000 tickets were
or the fight, but 20,000
ed. There had been
;ht would happen right
of the match,
ere questions about
tal and physical condi-
;on said he had trained
eeks. His training had
ated for several days so
nd the funeral of Darryl
d who was murderedin
V., two weeks ago.
nox Lewis,
fight me
idy yet. I
m rusty."
— Mike Tyson
heavyweight boxer
241 1/4 pounds, strug-
e count of five, obvious-
n was on him in a flash
; our or five shots to the
■ee John Coyle then
ad halted the fight,
n moved around the ref-
ded two more punches,
he was elbowed aside,
ot up and pushed Tyson
nermen rushed into the
>wd booed, not because
ictions but because the
er -
terrifying/' Larkin said,
ying display of pow^u
lentlessness."
, who will turn 35jul)'
three of his six previous
re still was expectedto
a better fight than Fran-
never had a chanceto
and went to a hospital
it for treatment of a left
y, probably sustained
two quickest victories
ed in 30 seconds against
ier in 1986 and in 37sec-
: Robert Colay in 1985.
imbledon
1
dre
t
1 8-
SAMPRAS
* the Williams sis-
t will attract plenty
Wimbledon begins
ed to previous
Tty special memories
if added pressure."
pionship in the past
er bid for consecu-
ich Open champion
and Serena,
vith the London
i tournament, but
aer game is well
int Sunday by
ao threatened to
at among the 16
the top 15.
t does not follow'
deserve to be seed-
don title and a
ning Monday
when he felt a
s about whether it
ither.
ay, hit for an hour
nt.
cold, damp weather
, my stretching and
> beat. He's 46-1 at
a record Davenport
THE BATTALION
Get on the bus
Page 5
Much-needed improvements give commuting students list of reasons to use new shuttle buses
I n 1982, the first per
sonal computers were
introduced, Steven
Spielberg's E.T. made au
diences dream of aliens,
and over half of the buses
currently driving around
Texas A&M rolled off the
assembly line. Almost 20
years later, computers have become house
hold staples, NASA is studying water and
bacterial life forms on Mars, and A&M's shut
tle buses are horribly outdated.
Last week. Bus Operations unveiled
plans to replace the 59 buses that ser
vice A&M by Spring or Fall 2001.
The new buses will be more com
fortable, with spacious seating
and, in answer to the
prayers of thousands of
commuting Aggies, air
conditioning. Besides
increasing passenger
comfort, the replace
ment buses will be
more environmentally
responsible.
Most of the buses
A&M currently employs
were built before the Envi
ronmental Protection Agency
(EPA) established stan
dards on automobile ex
haust. As a result, A&M's
shuttles are notorious for
emitting black, choking
smoke from their
tailpipes. Needless to say. Bus Operation's
introduction of new buses is a much-needed
improvement to the A&M campus, the sur
rounding community and the environment.
When the new shuttle buses debut on cam
pus, commuting Aggies should adopt them
as a viable way to get to class.
A&M's buses have become an eyesore on
and off campus. Their dark trails of bil
lowing exhaust are not only an
ugly sight and a health
hazard, but also a
disgrace to the
University's image. The lack of air conditioning
on most of the buses keeps the shuttles from
being embraced by commuting students. These
students instead drive their own cars to cam
pus, creating more air pollution. The buses,
meant to be an alternative to driving to cam-
, pus, actually motivate students to
use their own vehicles.
But as Bus Operations
has made the effort to
improve bus condi
tions, students need
to respond by pur
chasing bus passes
and using the new
shuttles.
Students cur
rently disdain and
ridicule the idea
of riding the bus
to school. Taking
the bus to class
may not sound
as attractive as
driving one's
own car, but ask
students who
take the bus how
they feel about
the blue-lot park
ing situation,
and the ad-
vantages be
come quite clear.
Opting for the bus
rather than their
cars saves commut
ing students from
hours of waiting like a
vulture for somebody,
anybody, to leave a park
ing space. In the mean
time, the blue-lot parking fiasco will be im
proved if more students ride the bus to their
campus classes. In addition to saving one's
sanity, taking the bus can also help save the
ozone. While ecology is not a main concern
for Aggies, there are certain intrinsic rewards
a student reaps from knowing he or she is do
ing something to protect the health of the en
vironment.
Most students are earth-conscious enough
to realize the exhaust from A&M's older bus-"
es, combined with that of thousands of com
muting automobiles, harms the environment.
These same students should see that realiza
tion as motivation to get on the bus.
The improvement of Bus Operations and
future shuttle buses is another benefit of more
Aggies taking the new busses to class. Too of
ten, A&M's current buses go out of service or
break down in the middle of their routes.
With new buses, maintenance costs will
certainly decrease. Not only that, but if there
is an increase in bus pass purchases, the extra
revenue will most likely go to keeping these
new buses up to par and to replacing them
when the time comes.
Bus Operations may not be underfunded,
but the increased revenues will help ensure
that, 20 years from now, future Aggies will
not be looking at the same buses showcased
last week and scoffing at them.
The University's Bus Operations has done
its part by investing in the future and unveil
ing the next generation of A&M shuttle buses.
Commuting students should return the favor
and, by using the new buses, improve A&M's
parking, their own sanity and the earth's frag
ile environment.
JEFF SMITH/The Baitaiii
Eric Dickens is a senior English major.
School board forsakes
students, future teachers
A reasonable person would
think that after hiring
and firing three superin
tendents in four years, the Dallas
Independent School District's
(DISD) school board would have
gotten its act together.
Apparently not.
Two weeks ago, board mem
bers confirmed that they are considering firing Super
intendent Bill Rojas.
Hired last year after a long-winded selection
process, Rojas was billed by many on the school
board as the magic pill for the DISD's many ail
ments. Such an endorsement was ex
pected because the district was re
covering from the scandal and
incompetence that dogged Rojas'
predecessors — including former
Superintendent Yvonne Gonza
les, who was convicted last year
of pocketing $16,000 in district
money.
Media coverage of these
high-profile wrongdoings has
made the DISD a laughingstock. It
is impossible for the DISD to expect
this negative attention not to dissuade
graduates from Texas A&M and oth
er universities from coming
aboard as teachers.
In the seven years that
Rojas was the superin
tendent in San Fran
cisco, he was known
for his forceful and
authoritarian style
of leadership. When
he was hired by the
DISD, board mem
bers were attracted to
his leadership.
"We need a leader,
someone who has a vi
sion. We sure would like to
see [RojasJ come ASAP," DISD
board member Kathleen Leos
said last August.
The honeymoon quickly ended,
however. Labeled by many on the board as uncoopera
tive and single-minded, Rojas has managed to isolate
himself with his autocratic ways.
The lack of patience and overall incompetence the
school board is displaying is pathetic.
Charged with providing an adequate education for
the DISD's 158,000 students, the school board is unable
to grasp the complications of firing another superin
tendent. Not only are the needs of the students being
put on the back burner yet again, but the quality and
worth of a DISD education is being compromised.
The corruption and chaos in the DISD could easily
persuade a Texas A&M graduate with a teaching cer
tificate to teach elsewhere.
Ultimately, the board should get off Rojas' back
and let him do his job. Despite having questionable
communication skills, he has done exactly what He
was expected to do to get the district back on track.
For example, the DISD recently passed a district
audit given by the FBI and the accounting firm
KPMG. This was the district's first acceptable audit in
three years. In previous years, criminal charges
of mismanagement, fraud and conflicts
of interest were brought against
people in the district's adminis
tration. During Rojas' first year,
the DISD was issued a clean bill
of health, said George Williams, a
DISD board member.
In addition, Rojas has been instru
mental in establishing charter
school contracts with Edison
Schools, Inc., a New York-based
school privatisation firm. Ini
tially hired to encourage privati
zation, Rojas has found that
many of his supporters on the
board have made a sudden
about-face.
Now, embroiled in law
suits with groups repre
senting teachers and juve
nile finger-pointing, the
Edison plan is floundering,
and the school board is un
fairly diverting the criticism
toward Rojas.
Meanwhile, one-fourth of the
district's students are taught in
portable buildings, and many other
buildings are approaching 100 years
of age. These and other problems are
being pushed to the side.
Sooner or later, the school board has
to regain its sanity. It must understand that, while this
political struggle is going on, the students are suffer
ing and potential teachers are going elsewhere.
David Lee is a senior economics and journalism major.
JEFF SMITH/The Battalion
NYPD has right to
boycott Springsteen
In response to Amber Rasco’s June
22 column.
Amadou Diallo was a man who
died because of a mistake under
stressful circumstances, not be
cause he was an African-American.
Rasco ridiculous says that the
NYPD is ignoring the voice of the
American people. First of all, boy
cotts are routinely used by organi
zations to voice their stand on a
specific issue. Jesse Jackson regu
larly calls for boycotts on anything
that does not coincide with his po
litical view. Did he deny Texaco its
constitutional right to speak its
mind when he called for a boycott
of its gas because of racial is
sues? Of course not. jt
The NYPD is exercising its com
stitutional right to speak out |
against Springsteen's message,
just like any other organization has
the right to do. Second of all,
Bruce Springsteen is one man —'
not the voice of the American peo^
pie. 1 would venture to say that the
majority of his listeners do not
even know the subject of his song
“American Skin.” .
If you look at the circumstances
surrounding Diallo’s death, you
would see that it is the NYPD that
is being “shunned” and “dis
graced,” not music. A jury of seven
men and four women (of which
Mail Call
eight were white and four were
African-American) acquitted the
four officers involved, but Spring
steen seems to think the incident
was racially motivated, and goes
on to stereotype the entire depart
ment. I applaud the NYPD’s consti
tutional right to ask for a boycott,
and I plan to do so myself.
Dustin Stewart
Class of '03
Police deserving of
praise, not criticism
In response to Amber Rasco’s
June 22 column.
I do not believe that Rasco un
derstands where her and Bruce
Springsteen's freedoms are coming
from. They are the result of heroes
fighting against those who would in
fringe upon such freedoms.
Rasco can not possibly know
the fear of standing in the dark,
facing the unknown, and having to
make split second decisions in or
der to save your life or the life of
another. She should thank the law
enforcement community.
Springsteen on the other hand
has some answering to do. Where
is his controversial song detailing
the life of the underpaid police offi
cer who died protecting the public
that ridicules him? What about the
verse that talks about the spouse
he left behind or the child that will
grow up without him? You will not
hear such a song when there
should be a whole box set of such ;
memorable tunes.
No, Springsteen has found a i
way to get his name in the lime- ;
light again by taking sides against ■
the law enforcement community. J
Police officers are just people as
are rock and roll stars and column !
writers. Who deserves more re- _ •
spect: those who criticize and hide
behind their "freedom of speech" ►
in order to judge and tear down or
the heroes who remain unsung,
underpaid and unwanted until they
are desperately needed? With that
said, who would you rather be? Not
very, fair is it?
Joshua Balay
Class of ’03
The Battalion encourages letters to the ed
itor. 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 014 Reed Mc
Donald 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