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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 28, 2000)
Wednesday, June 28,2® 'ednesday, June 28, 2000 n u oming through lailroad should stay because of historical importance, safe alternatives ' j the rising costs, are going up, specific^ two years. Hopefully,!® ill increase contribution; y. There are lags in I hat is what's happi . The overall cost, \\i ;oing to increase, he heck out of their cova at is what is driving 1 said. said the baby boom ger® ving a major influence premium costs,' •e just using the plan; FI his week, there baby boomers are havinj I will be a series of ipact on this whole issue public forums i just now getting intom lonsore d by the Metro- years," Hassel said. ’^ an Panning Orga ns will have an opportt zation (MPO) t0 8 ath ' , | opinions about the ke changes in their healt r , ... ilroad tracks that bi- mg the annual benet „ . . . ctTexas A&M s cam- period, which will, L while , alk of rerouting the Unic n Pacif- Enrollment changes raai . ownec | trains has gone on for years, the s period will be effectin L |m j s fj^ s t definite step in the process 'b- Ideciding the railroad's fate. On the city of — fcllege Station's agenda this year is the ob- oney in on time.'' ptive of minimizing the adverse effects of sey also sa'id the te |erailroad, including maintaining safety, more negotiable F c ‘ty coun cil should decide not to move all students have t ; M rac b s - pay for late fees," Lo$J Reroutin g th e railroad tracks that divide re should be provis,o UestCam P us from the main campus would i i. i ,, Imove a part of College Station's history, its who didn t mean* , „ as the story goes, College Station's name i i i ,®rived from the only thing that existed in ts can bookmark tl* . , this area — the college. Since there was no \ w w .tamu.e u registJi sta j.j on j: or t | ie s t; U dents, the conductcar i u| . itlic.iK dates iouidstop the train and shout "college sta- ■m!" If the railroad is routed through an- Iher town and no longer travels through College Station, future generations will lose )ld its soul for ratings. |i important part of the area's history. Col- ler makes a mockervo:lege Station should preserve the history of sports journalism prole jk name as an Aggie tradition. heapens the already Many people in favor of rerouting the rail- utation of Monday M tra cks argue that they interfere with the tball. True football fans fety of the community. While it is true that atch the game, not be- Foadspose some hazard to the community, er is on the show butt- |ere are numerous measures that are already jove football ABC i| place, or in the process of being built, that pe Miller does not turn recluce tlie risk to College Station and A&M. generation of football T Atever y railroad crossing that intersects a Tiler always concludes rta,orthoroughfare, crossing arms are low- :, that's just my opinw ered when a train a PP r « a ches. The majority „ of automobile accidents that occur at railroad wrong. .i.^'Mossingsare caused when people try to beat the train by driving around the barriers. There is danger in having the tracks pass rough the highly populated part of the community, but driving cars also threatens 6-9 forward who averaji jthe public welfare. T he city has not decided and shot 61 percentfrofB make it illegal to drive on city streets, st season as a sophoijiwl There are hazards throughout the commu- mded Tuesday by Vane# n ty and in people's daily lives, but the safety ?ager to hear from the rats [sue that gathers the most media attention in 3 l a y er — one who saysl* |s city is the railroad tracks. The main issue mind playing in whatis#' [ ■red the NBA's Siberia t saying I want to go toVa# t I wouldn't mind ift said. "Most people to' perception of Vancoitf e never been there. They'' by rumors. But 1 liked tfe ae people, and I had fc > there." THE BATTALION that should be considered by the powers- that-be in College Station is the one that holds more merit as a threat to the community. Oth er safety issues, such as bicycle lanes on city streets, are more pressing issues than a set of railroad tracks that has been in place longer than most other hazards. Another safety concern is students crossing the tracks on foot or bicycle to going to and from West Campus. However, an alternative to crossing the tracks at street level currently exists for students — the pedestrian bridge, or "rain bow," over Wellborn Road at Joe Routt Blvd. While it takes longer at times to use the rain bow, it is a safe alternative to fighting the traffic and trains. When a train is passing through, the bridge is the only pedestrian option. While this safe-crossing option is already in place, a new way of crossing the railroad tracks and Wellborn Road will be available when the new West Campus parking garage is built. A tunnel will stretch between the •main campus and West Campus. The new tunnel will be a safe and effective way for pedestrians to avoid trains and automobiles while heading to classes. Yet another drawback to moving the tracks is the money needed to move them. The federal government will contribute some money, but the rest will have to come from local and state funds. This added cost will almost certainly fall on taxpayers. Ob viously, if the tracks remain in place, this ex tra cost would not accumulate. Instead, that money could be spent on the future West Campus garage passageway and other pro jects the city already has on its budget. Many people complain about the delays trains cause during the day. Right now. Union Pacific runs approximately 25 trains daily, with the majority running during the night. Further, while a train can delay a stu dent traveling to class, professors are usual ly understanding and will forgive the stu dent for being late because of a train. Previously, the city proposed a measure that would lower the railroad tracks through Bryan, College Station and A&M to minimize adverse effects, but the voters of College Sta tion defeated the proposal. The citizens of College Station spoke once before, and they wanted the tracks to stay. The MPO is looking to gather public opinion again. The opinion should be the same as before. When the decision is made concerning the fate of trains traveling through College Station and the A&M campus, the city must decide to recognize the safety measures al ready in place and save a part of the com munity's history. Brienmie Porter is a sophomore chemical engineering major. Matthew L. Tki U: phomore journalism inij Jronze Star nominees not worthy of medal honors A ccording to the June 6 ition of the 3S Evening ws, the Penta- 6-8 forward who average 0n |s reviewing while shooting 58 pertf jj e awarding of -Id, seemed resigned to* J ore t h an 2 00 hat he is headed to the0? ijonze Star Medals to Air Force, ague's perennial doormat jjavy and Marine Corps personnel lichael Olowokandi ai’ fjvolved in the Kosovo conflict. >m before him, FizertrieT fcneerns arose when it was discov- bright side. few of those nominated ane has to start so# | theaward were involved in any ' :er said. "The Ciippei* hi "8 ,hal r f sen ’ bl f, d combat In . , .. ,, Set, more than half were not even ap,butif theygettnisp [ L . ,. „ J ° , phoned in hurope. layer, who knows wheto , >• J In an attempt to justify awarding around? lese medals, an Air Force ows, too, whether theClif jjokesperson said, "In today's a Fizer and take Miles^ J (janging battlefield, heroes can be could cause a whole oto jund far away from the conflict." for the rest of the lot# What a farce. According to the buirements for the awarding of haliers. Mavericks, Sup the Bronze Star — or any other Blazers and Raptors!# medal recognizing valor — the re- ; to move up. ppient must show "conspicuous lor in the face of the enemy." ptains who are flying desks in Missouri while other members of the military do battle half a world away are therefore disqualified. This arbitrary awarding of medals takes away from the true meaning of the award and is an in suit to those who have been given the award with good reason. In August 1944, Sgt. Daniel In- ouye, a Japanese-American, was part of a unit sent to res cue a group of Texas Nation al Guardsmen cut off behind German lines in occupied France. His efforts, which in cluded charging a German machine gun on his own af ter being shot twice, won him a Bronze Star. On Dec. 3,1968, Army Spc. Richard Dennis Randall was killed in action defend ing members of his unit against an ambush set by the North Vietnamese Army. Spc. Randall was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with a V for valor. A few months later. Air Force Sgt. John Passwaters, my father. was awarded the Bronze Star after he saved the lives of two Marines during a Viet Cong rocket attack on the Da Nang air base. According to his commendation, Sgt. Passwaters, "paying no heed to the risk to his person," knocked the two Marines out of the way before a rocket land ed where they had been standing. TAMARA CUELLAR/Tm: Battalion My father refuses to talk about the incident, claiming that he was just doing his job. Everyone knows he went beyond the call of duty, but apparently just doing one's job is now enough to qualify for "con spicuous valor" in today's mili tary. How loading bombs onto a B- 2 bomber that will fly 8,000 miles to bomb Serbian targets can be considered bravery has yet to be explained. What personal sacri fices did these stateside warriors make? Did they risk the wrath of their wives by not coming home in time to cut the grass? Did some miss their bowling league on Tuesday night to review satellite photography? Goodness knows, some personnel may have had to miss hot dates to make sure that the aircraft they were working on were properly armed and fueled. This not valor,es- pecially when one considers that other Bronze Star awards were pre sented to widows or mothers of the awardees. Being killed in action while performing above and be yond the call of duty is the ultimate sacrifice and example of bravery. Maybe medals have become the military's way of keeping peo ple in uniform. Perhaps, the rea soning goes, if they are given high honors for doing their job, they will re-enlist. This will minimize the recruiting difficulties that the military is experiencing. Here is a better idea: How about paying military personnel a re spectable wage? This is the usual practice for people who do jobs that are expected of them. Handing out awards like the Bronze Star as if they were Social Security checks is an insult. Soldiers who have sacrificed their lives have done so for less. - If the Air Force and other armed services want to make their person nel feel better, they should pay them what they are worth. Being paid a wage that can be earned in the civilian world would be enough incentive for most members of the military to re-enlist. It also ensures proper recogni tion for those who received the Bronze Star for showing the "con spicuous valor" the award is sup posed to honor. Mark Passwaters is a senior electrical engineering major. Mail Call 6 1* Steaks 05 S. Texas Ave. 696-2076 Bowen neglectful of A&M GLBT community In response to April Young and Jeanette impson's June 27 article. I During the press conference at which the Special Commission on the 1999 Ag gie Bonfire announced its findings, a re- iOrter asked Dr. Ray Bowen if he would consider any possible legal action against the University before deciding on the fu ture of bonfire. I Dr. Bowen stated that his job was not to be swayed by the threat of lawsuits, but to look out for the best interests of students. On June 27, Dr. Bowen stated that his decision to veto the nondiscrimination clause last year was based entirely on the legal risks it would pose. If Dr. Bowen is scared that disgruntled gay students would sue the University, he is admitting that the University does not treat gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgen- dered students fairly. Dr. Bowen has disregarded the gay com munity at every turn. He has not fulfilled the promise he made during an appearance on KAMU-TV several months ago to attend an Allies Advance, which is a workshop at which participants learn about the GLBT com munity on campus and the needs of GLBT students. If Dr. Bowen does not sign the nondis crimination clause this time, he will be spit ting in the faces of every gay, lesbian and transgendered student at Texas A&M. And believe me, we are here. Amy Hinze Class of ’01 The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Let ters 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 submit ted in person at 014 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 Page 5 Viewpoints O.J. needs to fade away into obscurity J ust when America thought it was safe to watch cable TV, he’s back, and he’s ticked off. O.J. Simpson, fresh off another 18 holes of chasing “the real killer,” called Fox News on the sixth anniversary of his wife’s death to confront anchor Shepard Smith and his former sister-in-law, Denise Brown. After a rant in which he called Smith a “liar” and said that Brown wanted to have sex with him, Simpson offered to take a lie detector test to prove his innocence. All that he wanted was S3 million. Three million bucks to find out O.J. Simpson’s a killer? People can do that for free (this offer does not apply to Marcia Clark). Simpson should stop selling him self short and go for the gold. Maybe he could ask for $5 million to go on Jerry Springer. Think of the ratings as hundreds of legitimate citizens at tempt to knock the snot out of him. He can show the skills that helped him slice and dice his way through his ... err, opposing defenses. It has been six years since Simp son probably killed his wife and Ron Goldman Gust as Japan probably bombed Pearl Harbor). Simpson thrives on publicity, and he has some how become front-page news again. “Alleged” double murderers should not be on television, unless they are getting run over by a monster truck. The best way to deal with O.J. Simpson — outside of putting him in a padded cell with a rabid Mike Tyson — is to ignore him. For such a publici ty hound, having society shun him would be a fate worse than death (even though he should find out about that, too). It is time for Simpson to fade into the sunset. This time the media should be smart enough to make sure he does not return. — Mark Passwaters Activites do not warrant risk inquiry I n response to the 1999 Aggie Bon fire collapse and the subsequent discovery of several lapses in stu dent safety, Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. J. Maion Southerland ap pointed a risk-management team to assess potential safety problems with other student activities at Texas A&M. The team will comprise students and administrators working together with the staffs of individual clubs, organiza tions and activities. While one lesson learned from the collapse and commission was that safety should never be over looked, the members of this new risk-management team should take precautions to remain realistic about the acceptable level of risk associat ed with a number of Texas A&M stu dent organizations. Plainly speaking, a number of stu dent-run and-led activities do involve risks to personal safety. However, the level of risk involved with, and the amount of safety man agement required for, these activities is not nearly as dangerous or compli cated as bonfire. Students dehydrate at Replant, and others hit themselves with hammers while participating in The Big Event. But these injuries do not require a risk-assessment team to step in and introduce new regulations. Other than bonfire, student-run ac tivities are completely safe. Even the newest projects have gone years with out raising red flags about potential safety concerns. It was only after bon fire’s collapse that student organiza tion’s potential safety risks became an issue. The administration has al ready taken more than enough steps to ensure bonfire continues as a thor oughly safe activity. Southerland’s risk-management team should abandon that spirit of overzealous safety awareness that pervaded the bonfire assessment. The group needs to judge other stu dent groups based on their own risks and how they have been han dled so far. By and large, the student organi zations at A&M have not done any thing to warrant a risk-management evaluation. While it is important to catch safety hazards before they be come problems, Southerland’s team should not lose sight of the fact that the risk associated with these orga nizations is not only manageable, but managed well. — Eric Dickens