Thursday, July 6,2000
tinned from Page I
mals' training, housing
: that they believe to be
general welfare of tbe
Ringling Bros, hasvio-
States Department of
Animal Welfare Act
19 times since 1990.
have they been foundm
ihumane practices, the\
/ opposed legislation
outlaw using electrical
eprivation, and the use
when training animals,’
11993 Ringling Bros,
islation which wc
th of time elephants can
>."
the circus trainers use
>, electrical shock, base-
metal pipes to break the
animals and show them
rge, forcing them to po
or the entertainment
mals were not made
:ks," Delia said. "Tigers
through flaming hoops,
not ride bicycles in the
ricks are not natural for
rer should be."
a spokesperson from
>s. was unavailable for
the protests, a
person said in a new
he animals are trainedb
ed on observations made
Hers. The expert handler;
animals closely wl
re with other animals
?s are created based
ainers see.
1 Ringling Bros, and sup
e circus argue that animal
/ide a place for childrer
ils they would otherwise
lowever, she points oal
s give children the wrong
re nature of the animals
rildren see these animals
ng animals in theirunnal-
ment, doing things the;
;r do if they were
ne tricks," Delia said,
nson, manager of 1
tasday, July 6, 2000
The sh
g snow musi qo on
WA crosses the line with animal rights Websites
THE BATTALION
t
Tie Ringling Bros, and
Barnum & Bailey Cir
cus is coming to Col-
ege Station this month,
sager to awe thousands of
tggies with "The Greatest
ihowon Earth." This
ime-honored entertain-
nent will give Aggies an
ipportunity to walk down memory lane, en-
iy the entertainment they did as children,
nd escape the monotony of summer classes,
loving from smoky bars to the comfortable
hairs of Reed Arena, locals will experience an
imocent kind of fun.
While many people will be mesmerized
iy the glitter and magic, others will not be so
mused. Pleasing everyone is impossible,
nd not surprisingly, controversy surrounds
ven the circus. People for the Ethical Treat-
nent of Animals (PETA), the world's largest
nimal rights organization, is speaking out
gainst circus life. PETA, which operates un-
ler the principle: "Animals are not ours to
at, wear, experiment on or use for entertain-
nent," argues that low circus revenues have
:esulted in inadequate care for animals,
laiming that circus animals are "mere cap-
ives forced to perform unnatural and often
ainful acts," PETA has crossed the line by
ricking and misleading people. While the
ruel treatment of animals is not popular with
inyone, PETA's tactics and methods are like-
vise despicable.
It condemns circuses for their cruel treat-
nentof animals and accuses circus-goers of
raving no compassion for the animals. Though
irotestingis welcomed in America, PETA's ap-
Travel, a per forming fie-
any, said in an AsscfflW 1
: that, "The animalsitB-
nbassadors for otheiaii-
children get to tonerc:
our animals, it gives tel
onal experience they®
>r the rest of their livts
Kink about elephants, arl
Is."
1 the Big Cats Society f
> the treatment of te
and other large catsiffli
s.
oeople in the circus art
he much-needed renovations to
Sterling C. Evans Library are
well under way as students
inxiously wait to take advantage of
he building's improvements. While
that were not created to ipdates like refurbished individual
id forcing them to wat
d legs and do other trick
ig them in small 10-fool
a they need acres to n®
Pitts said,
iked about the conditio®'
e animals live, a
esperson said in a ne"'
t Ringling Bros, pfide*
te level of care and
ironment provided for at
als.
proach is underhanded and conniving. The or
ganization has resorted to manipulating the
Amerjcan public via the Internet. PETA has
tricked Web surfers into going to its Websites
by registering misleading domain names. In
1998, Ringling Bros, and Barnum & Bailey sued
PETA for using the Website name "ringling-
brothers.com" to promote anti-circus propa
ganda. Now, two years later, PETA is at it again.
Most people would assume that a Website
called "circuses.com" would entail entertain
ing, or at least informative, circus details. How
ever, this Website is instead just a scheme to
push PETA's beliefs. This Website gives the
viewer reasons not to support circuses by dis
playing horrid pictures and posting accusa
tions of cruel circus life.
Most disturbing of all, the Website has a
section for children to peep into. Sadly, kids
who mistakenly venture into the "Virtual Tour
of the World of Elephants" will be misled. De
ceiving impressionable kids, this tour takes
the viewer through a series of graphic photos,
telling the sad story of elephants with inap
propriate detail. While the first few glimpses
appear harmless with cute quotes like "Baby
elephants grow inside their mothers for al
most 2 years," later captions read, "Elephants
in circuses have been taken away from their
families and homes. Would you want to be
chained up for the rest of your life?" This
"tour" is potentially harmful, and certainly
scary, for a child's growing mind.
To make matters more absurd, PETA en
courages children to participate in protesting
circuses by providing elementary step-by-step
instructions on how to mail Prince Rainier of
Monaco, the host of the world's largest circus,
asking him "please don't gamble with ele
phants' lives." PETA is taking protesting too far
by manipulating and tricking children who do
not know any better.
The PETA's methods are ridiculous and ob
noxious. Changes in animal treatment should
not be achieved through trickery and manipu
lation. Rather, PETA should aim its coercive tac
tics at the government and urge it to step up
and take action. Most would agree that PETA's
tactics are unscrupulous
and misleading. As long as
PETA continues to lose the
respect of the people, its
voice will not be heard.
PETA must appeal to the
public in order to gain sup
port. PETA should take a
few lessons in decorum.
The organization could
learn a few things by look
ing at College Station.
Protesting against the
unethical treatment of cir
cus animals, members of
the Bryan and College Sta
tion communities will also
be speaking on behalf of
animals' welfare. Posters
and picketers will line the
streets and walkways sur
rounding Reed Arena as
animal rights advocates try
to make a statement against
the cruelty of using animals
as entertainment.
Frances Delia, who is in
volved in planning the
protest, says that partici
pants will be outside Reed to
"peacefully educate and in
form." She said that the
protest will be a low-key, re
spectable form of expres
sion, and that the protesters
are not "a group of radicals."
A similar protest was held two years ago
on Olsen Blvd. for the same reason. Instead
of handing out vile pictures of chained ani
mals like PETA does, protesters will distribute
brochures tastefully pointing out the circus's
violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Protest
ing on college campuses is nothing new — it
has been a tool of change throughout history.
Bold opposition to such a family-oriented
event is audacious, but when it is done taste
fully, it is aVespectable statement.
Reed Arena protesters are likely to en
counter some unpleasant words and gestures,
but circus-goers should respect their peers for
protesting in a proper, civilized manner, and
RUBEN DELUNA/Tm: Battalion
not badgering people the way PETA does. Per
haps PETA should come to A&M and learn
how to protest the right way. Perhaps local ani
mal rights protesters are wasting their breath,
but at least that breath is spent protesting in a
decent manner.
Amber Rasco is a junior journalism major.
Textbook reserve dead on arrival
T 1 '
f;
orship
tudy rooms and a coffee shop. Poor
[brick's, will be of great benefit to stu-
lents, one new feature will be of little
o no use to the student body. Evans Library is working to
TOvide a textbook reserve room where students can
:heck out a copy of required texts from their classes. The
dea behind the venture is to offer students an alternative
a carrying every book they need for class. Although the
ervice is not intended to be used in lieu of buying their
wn copies of a class's textbooks, students would still be
ble to drop by the reserve room during their free time
nd read or make copies from the reserve room's book.
This service seems heaven-sent to students burdened
rith a backpack full of chemistry books, but in reality, it
dll most likely be of little use to students. Despite its no
lle intentions, the reserve room idea is beset by a number
of problems. The most limiting facet of the service is that it
i> unlikely Evans Library
Directory
able to provide
ll fnough books to meet even
ne lowest student demand.
Christian Right now, the service is off
Jo a sluggish start as requests
Christian Church I) publishers for textbooks
South Ennis, Bryan lave been filled slowly. Dr.
823-5451 I rec j Heath, dean and direc-
ay School 9.30 a.tn. || )r 0 f g vans Library, said
g Worship 10:45 a.m. ,, l
liat so far only about a
ner Hudler, Interim MinisWjj , ,, , , ...
— dozen textbooks have tnck-
jed into the reserve."
This "trickling in" of texts
would be expected because
publishers have no real rea-
an to give copies of their
looks to Evans for free. Pub-
e ‘WiCC (Baptist
iwship Free
•iptist Church
ie & Career Class, .
1 j hshers already give out a
are invited to a Bible lumber of free copies
especially for students,
lay mornings at 9:45
228 W. Villa Maria
779-2297
more information contad
ireus Brewer: 696-6558
m-brewer@tamu.edu
^ersonalWehfi.mvriad.net/lfwb
[through other channels like
parity groups and book
Idubs, but giving books to
[Evans is philanthropy to stu
dents — the people the com-
Banies are trying to make a
Buck off of. Furthermore,
Evans Library and the Stu-
ent Government Associa-
lon (SGA), which have
rertise on this
lie Battalion toda t ^ e pbrary in
145-2696 |lanning the reserve room,
say their goal is to provide one or two copies of each text
from each class. It goes without saying that more than one
or two people from each class — especially when that
class is a larger one like Biology 113 — will be looking to
check out the texts from the reserve room.
Many students have already experienced the frustra
tion of going to Evans Library to get the one book you
need for a class project, only to find that somebody else in
the same class beat them to it. The textbook reserve room
will almost certainly render the same fate. To have any
real impact on lowering students' textbook burden, the re
serve room would need many more than one or two
books from each class — and good luck getting even more
freebie texts from publishers.
In answer to the potential problem of books not be
ing available when a student comes to the reserves, a
time limit for how long a student can check out a text
has been proposed. Limits of a half-hour to two hours
have been suggested. Unfortunately, even this time limit
will not sufficiently help the circulation of textbooks.
Students looking to check out books during their breaks
between classes only have as long as that break to get
the book and do whatever they need with it. Most stu
dent with lapses in sched
ules have less than an hour
free and do not have time
to sit and wait for the book
to get back in.
The reserve room will
help out a few lucky people
who have good timing each
day, but most students will
not see any benefit from the
new service.
Despite the anticipation
and excitement of students,
the textbook reserve room
will most likely be of little
service to students. Students
should, as library officials
suggest, not count on the re
serve to provide substitu
tions for their own copy of
required texts. But students
also should not count on the
reserve to provide even a
reasonable back-up for their
own textbooks. Evans Li
brary has only the best in
tentions, but like those of
mice and men, the library's
too, will go awry.
Bilingual education benefits teachers,
students of Bryan, College Station
A
JEFF SMITH/Thf. Battalion
Eric Dickens is a senior
English major.
recent
federal
grant
given to the
Bryan Indepen
dent School
District (BISD)
brought a new
way of teaching
and learning into the spotlight. The
$1.25 million grant from the Depart
ment of Education will be used to
teach voluntarily participating
kindergartners both English and
Spanish languages. Half of the stu
dents will be native Spanish speak
ers, and the other half will be native
English speakers. The classes will
be taught in Spanish half the time
and then switch to English for the
rest of the day.
Milam Elementary School, where
the program will take place, has
formed a partnership with Texas
A&M's bilingual education depart
ment. A&M will provide already-cer
tified BISD teachers with a program
to certify them additionally in bilin
gual education. This new program
brings a skill that will benefit future
A&M graduates in teaching as well as
other career choices to the forefront.
New graduates should take the
opportunity to become bilingual for
numerous reasons, including that it
will help them succeed in states like
Texas that have deep Hispanic roots.
Furthermore, both students and
teachers will benefit from open lines
of communication provided by bilin
gual education.
In today's global community,
with 6 percent of the world's popu
lation speaking Spanish — only
Mandarin Chinese is spoken by
more people — it is beneficial and
important to know other languages.
Most larger companies now op
erate internationally. Bilingual grad
uates have a distinct advantage over
other graduates. Many companies
want an employee who has the
ability to move throughout the
world without being hampered by
language barriers. An employee
who is able to converse directly with
a client creates an air of camaraderie
and a bond based on a common lan
guage. This camaraderie can give
the employee's company an advan
tage over other companies, and the
employee can become an essential
part of that company.
Speaking two languages gives a
graduate the opportunity to earn
more money. Companies that are
looking for employees who can
work overseas are almost always
willing to offer higher salaries to
those applicants who have more
Elementary
students should
be taught to
embrace both
languages
early on.
than one language under their belt.
For new teachers looking for em
ployment, especially in the southwest
region of the United States, being flu
ent in Spanish has become almost a
necessity. There are many children of
Hispanic heritage in the public school
system. Their parents often have lim
ited English skills and communicate
with their children in Spanish. By be
ing able to speak to the young stu
dents in both Spanish and English,
teachers can help their students make
progress in all subjects.
If the teachers are able to find a
common ground and common lan
guage with these students, the teach
ers will have the opportunity to nur
ture students who will benefit
society. These children will be able to
advance in the business world when
they are older by having the ability
to communicate in two languages.
The Milam Elementary program
will benefit those teachers who were
not previously bilingual by giving
them the ability to earn more money
and become sought-after employees.
These teachers will have more op
portunities because of their ability to
teach in both languages. The grant
supplies BISD with money to certify
these teachers so they will not have
to pay money out of their own pock
ets for the additional education. This
advantage will provide incentive for .
more teachers to become bilingually
certified, making them more capable,
to teach the many students who are
native Spanish speakers.
When teachers are able to com
municate better with their students,
they have more ways to teach the
needed material to the students.
They can also express the need for
the children to learn both languages
properly without abandoning their
indigenous language. Elementary
school students should be taught to
embrace both languages from early
on. Native English speakers should
also be given the opportunity to '
learn a new language.
The BISD grant has brought new
opportunities to Milam Elementary
kindergartners and their teachers.
This program brings skills, which
will improve Texas' education sys
tem, to teachers. By being able to
communicate with all of their stu
dents, teachers can effectively teach
their students. It is important not
only for Texas' teachers to teach with
the use of Spanish and English but
also for all U.S. teachers. Teachers are
educating tomorrow's leaders — to
be able to give these students a quali
ty education, teachers need to speak
Spanish. BISD and A&M are leading
the way to more effective teaching.
Brieanne Porter is a sophomore
chemical engineering major. |