Page 5
Tuesday, July Hj
First Loves
armela Ciuraru (editoi^esday,July ,1,2000
Scribner Poetry
genres i
erature
imeless B- /-
of
vvn his-
poetry. I
new WOpi
tion of 1
is in- [
by a
and works to refine and
poetry with its own stv; "1° r some time now,
y. First Love- is a testimom H Texans have wit
's cyclical nature. The bool
ction of more than 60k
lal anecdotes by modern!
which each writer recoil
em they first fell in lovewi
m-literature fans, Firstb
■obably look like a collect
amiliar names writingab
likewise unfamiliar ran
THE BATTALION
anted: able-bodied professors
Solution to university overcrowding is in hiring new professors, not decreasing enrollment
most bookish Engl
of the contributing
looks of confusion
the book offers
:h modern and i
siasts. Notable mi
\.R. Ammons,
nessed overcrowd-
g of the state's public
lieges and universities,
cording to Dr. Ed Wal-
ven, coordinator of un-
irgraduate advisory for
journalism department, the students who
e currently trying to obtain a higher educa
tion are the children of the baby boomers gen
eration, so there are many more young adults
trying to get into college than in previous
years. This trend is evident at Texas A&M.
Sitting in crowded classrooms, many A&M
students have noticed a severe shortage of
faculty members.
To combat problems associated with over
crowding, some universities are reducing
their enrollment. For example, the University
of Texas-Austin (UT) recently stated that it
will not accept any more students for the
Spring 2001 semester.
However, cutting back student enrollment
is not the answer to this serious problem. The
state government needs to concentrate its ef
forts on improving higher education by ex
panding budgets for universities and colleges
so that they can hire more faculty members.
As Walraven said, "The solution to the over-
or the
some i
II draw
wever,
for bo I
r enthu
like /
?, Seamus Heaney andRi
y contribute to Firs,
d after each poet's narra
11 text of his or her first
Likewise, students ui
classes covering Britis
ican literature will
ling classics by Edgar
Emily Dickenson and I
e best part of First Loves
nation of the old and the
mthesis shines in anecdotes
e submitted by Robin Beckeli
Becker may not be a housekl
her recounting of first heaiiii
m Wordsworth's Tintern3
ow it spoke to her as a tmste
scent is a highlight of the boo!
'st Loves is a tribute top
’oetry, but more than that,
: inspiration. While someia
ay be turned off by the toll
ivering focus to the art ofpot j
udents who have ever real i
i and felt like the av/k/L
dug directly to themwi |
irst Lopes'’quaint collection
c memories. (Grade: A)
crowding problem is funding for faculty. The
more funding, the more faculty for classes,
the less overcrowding." The overcrowding
problem at universities should be a top prior
ity of the government.
Some members of UT's administration be
lieve the answer to overcrowding is decreased
enrollment for universities and colleges.
One way to reduce enrollment is to in
crease admission standards. However, this
solution inevitably causes
many problems. Where do ad
missions offices draw the line
on who is accepted and who
is rejected? If, for example,
only the top-10 percent of a
graduating class gets accept
ed, then universities will lose
many outstanding students
who fall below this incredibly
high standard.
Furthermore, high school
rankings often vary widely —
a top-10-percent student at
one school may have a much
lower grade-point average
than another top-10 student at
a more competitive high
school. If universities reduce
enrollment by raising admis
sions standards, they risk los
ing many young adults with
great potential.
Another way to decrease
enrollment is to increase costs
for higher education. A rise in
tuition would mean that stu
dents who could originally af
ford college would be forced
to drop out.
Likewise, many prospective students
would not have the opportunity to obtain a
higher education if tuition costs increase.
A&M administrators understand there is a
problem with overcrowded classes. Accord
ingly, the school has created Proposition 17.
Dr. William Perry, executive associate
provost, said, "A&M is slated to hire 60 addi
tional faculty members in the next five years
to help combat the overcrowding problem."
The funding for these new faculty members
will come from the University's Available
University Fund (AUF).
Many department heads agree that they
do not want A&M to take UT's route and pre
maturely freeze enrollment for the coming se
mesters. According to Perry, the incoming
freshman class this fall will total 6,700 new
students. This is the same number of fresh
men accepted for last year's fall semester and
should not cause any major problems for
A&M students.
While A&M and UT are each taking dif
ferent routes to combat an increasing number
of prospective students, the state legislature
needs to recognize that the overcrowding of
universities and colleges is a major prob
lem that has an obvious and readily avail
able solution. Decreasing enrollment and
raising tuition costs will not solve the over
crowding problem.
These tactics will only create more prob
lems for the universities; current students;
and deserving, prospective students The state
legislature needs to allot more funds for uni
versities and colleges so that more faculty
members can be hired to match an increasing
number of bodies in classes.
Sunnye Owens is a junior journalism major.
-Eric Dili
minem’s wife
:tempts suicide
STERLING HEIGH1S
2h. (AP) — The wife:'
jper Eminem,
dhers, tried to kil
day night, said
mnehy, director of
New campaign finance law
curtails PACs, helps voters
nformed voters have
one more tool in their
arsenal of knowledge
about political candidates
nd political action com
mittees (PACs). A bill
igned into law on July 1 by
resident Clinton ended the
ibility for PACs to run tele-
d artist relations id he advertisements.
"imem s
scords.
label, Interscof
Libraries need to serve diverse patronage
w
ision, newspaper and radio advertisements
-ithout disclosing the source of the money for
Called "527" groups after the federal tax
ode that freed them from paying taxes on
Sterling Heights poit lone y contributed to them, PACs have been la
id they went to ^ ^‘Ided advocacy ^ifeups. Traditionally, PACs
2 7-year-old ™ e J|ave not been considered to contribute to elec-
tose legal name is Mars®. , t ,
Mathers III. about a mf oneenn 8' and therefore they did not have to
tl emergency at 11 30 pl :t P or,: ^ ow th e y were spending their funds and
d were told that a 25f# h ere they obtained those funds.
i resident had attempt® However, many of these groups produce
icide. jgmdslinging propaganda-type
“Eminem is obviouslyccfiimmercials about candidates,
med about his wife s the new law, PACs that
dog, he said. As have more than $25,000 in ex-
lythmg else, it s a pr
atter, which they’ll
Idressing privately.” _ , „ „
*mal Revenue Service (IRS)
ur times a year. The law calls
_ lor the disclosure when the in-
9 ini 1M fhidual donations to the group
pnse receipts will have to offer
heir financial records to the In-
lit e over or die § rou P
Slk iff 9 il Mwends more than $500 on cam
Airfare!
Europe • Africa
pign-related issues. By setting
bar so low, the law will af
fect almost every PAC. The new law also stipu
lates that a PAC must notify the IRS within 24
urs of its formation. The new law is a promis-
, |ng step in the fight for campaign finance reform
Sia • SOUth Amerind the fight to educate voters on who is respon
sible for these mudslingirig advertisements.
This law will help new voters, including
More Than college students, become more informed about
fin norvarti iro Pitisf hich PACs su PP ort which candidates by re-
UU L’CyMl C vlli |uiring the groups to disclose to the public
hmmbmbhohmmmhh wh 'ch groups sponsor malicious, and often
damaging, advertisements. That knowledge
Hll allow voters to be better informed about
ntfw money they donate to PACs is spent and
whether the PACs also support a candidate the
voters do not. Furthermore, voters will know if
atandidate they favor is gathering funds from
industries or groups the voters do not support.
SrUGGnl ( V\|th this new information, voters will be able
*C0(n *° “ °i ce their political opinions more accurate-
vs your world. exploh‘ ly when they cast their votes in November. The
|4w law puts the power of information into
tudentUniverse.cf
800-272-9676 9
Euraiipasses
Bus Passes
Study Abroad
the hands of voters and takes it from special
interest groups.
Even as relative novices to politics, college
students do, however, make up one of the
fastest-growing percentages of American voters.
The importance of college students is evident in
candidates' regular appearances on programs
such as MTV's "Choose or Lose." With an in
creasing focus on college-age voters comes the
added pressure for PACs to court the issues that
affect young adults. By knowing how these
groups operate, young voters can take a stand
about many important issues. For example, they
can let the candidates and the political system
know that they will not stand for sensational
ized advertisements that are produced by many
PACs. This new law gives young voters an addi
tional tool in working against the myth that col
lege students like to party and do not care about
the issues. By using the knowledge that is made
possible by this new law, voters, including col
lege students, can tell these
groups and their backers that
PACs do not control the out
come of the campaign. This
law will force candidates to
take a stand on the issues that
affect college-age voters such
as health care reform and na
tional defense. Candidates
will have to address topics
without the hidden aid of
PACs. By adding this pres-
sure to candidates and PACs,
voters will be better informed
on candidates' true opinions, not propaganda
pushed by the PACs.
Forcing PACs to inform the IRS and the pub
lic about their expenditures on candidates' cam
paigns gives the voters more power in the polit
ical system. Although the new law cannot
completely clean the election process in Ameri
ca, it is a start. Talk of campaign finance reform
has been floating around in both houses of Con-*
gress, but the new law is the first of its kind in
more than two decades. The most important ef
fect of the new law is the impact it will have at
election time. If the voters use the additional
knowledge made available by this law, cam
paign finance reform has an even better chance
of becoming a reality. With the new law in
hand, voters will fill out their election ballots in
November with the confidence that their deci
sions are more informed than ever before.
Brieanne Porter is a sophomore
chemical engineering major.
LUKE
McMAHAN
The most
important effect
of the new law
is the impact it
will have during
election time.
"idespread
use of the
Internet in
educational applica
tions has made the
public library all but
obsolete. Although the
Internet is accessible
virtually everywhere,
there is a problem with relying solely On
cyberspace to educate the masses. The
high cost of personal computers puts part
of the population at a disadvantage.
Although most public schools and a
number of libraries offer Internet access,
those children and adults without the
same tools in their homes are falling be
hind. Until everyone can be afforded In
ternet access, and even after that, public li
braries must continue to maintain their
status as a useful method of education
and research.
Local libraries have been the subjects
of some scrutiny lately because their pro
grams cater to the Anglo population. An
individual who does not speak English
seeking to use the facilities of most Texas
libraries would run into countless obsta
cles. Most libraries have no bilingual staff
members, foreign-language material is ex
tremely limited, and the amount of Ameri
can works translated into foreign lan
guages is minimal. All these drawbacks
contribute to a less-informed community.
Spurred by the recent steps taken by
the Houston Public Library, some libraries
are redirecting their spending in efforts to
make libraries more diverse.
The move to make libraries more useful
for Latin Americans is underway here in
Bryan-College Station. Both the Bryan and
Bike parking permits
will not cure problems
In response to Anna Bishop’s June 10
article.
I cannot even fathom the idea that
SGA is actually considering a proposal
to rob students out of more money by
passing PITS’ bicycle permit proposal.
This is just yet another evil ploy by
PITS to line its pockets without benefit
ing students in the process. The reality-
of this matter is that changing permits
will only cause more chaos, not solving
the real problem at hand. Students are
too lazy to use the bike racks so they
stockpile their bikes out of conve
nience in front of the buildings.
College Station libraries boast a modest
collection of Spanish titles including edu
cational materials and fictional works na
tive to Latin American countries. Entering
both libraries, one will find pamphlets in
both English and Spanish discussing edu
cational programs sponsored by local or
ganizations. Visiting both libraries, people
can hear Spanish, Russian and German be
ing spoken by patrons, giving the impres
sion that the attempts to reach out to
Bryan-College Station's continually diver
sifying population were well received.
The Houston Public Library has been
the trendsetter in the effort of libraries to
cater to the special needs of their ever-
changing patronage. The library has hired
bilingual staffers, set up programs for first-
KELSEY ROBERTS/Thf. Battalion
time foreign users and purchased more
American works translated into foreign
languages. Houston Public Library
spokesperson Sheryl Berger said, "It's not
just a matter of buying more foreign-lan
guage materials. We have to address a va
riety of cultural issues. We need to devise
outreach programs that will bring these
people into the library."
Berger's comments are justified. Up to
40 percent of the Houston area's net
growth in recent years has been due to the
arrival of immigrants. It is a logical conclu
sion that a similar proportion of these li
braries' budgets should be spent on pro
viding for these new residents.
For years, part of libraries' problem
with catering to foreign-born patrons was
the ineffective manner in which library of
ficials obtained foreign-language material.
A master list of available titles was sent to
branch managers, and the managers
would choose texts from the list. Many
branch managers, however, were not
Spanish speakers, and their knowledge of
Spanish literature was limited. This al
lowed very little room for innovation.
"In some cases they were ordering
blind. It was not acceptable at all in terms of
good library practices," said Syma Zerkow,
materials section coordinator for the Hous
ton Public Library. Last year, Zerkow took a
focus group of Spanish-speaking librari
ans to a book fair in Guadalajara, where
they met with Latin American authors,
publishers and distributors. Now that
the Houston Public Library has made a
pledge to increase its spending on for
eign-language materials, the Latin
Americans are listening.
Today, the Houston Public Library is
one of the largest libraries in the nation,
with 50 million books and other loanable
items, 38 branch locations and an annual
budget in excess of $36 million. The repu
tation of the Houston Public Library and
its "leading the way" attitude concerning
the Hispanic population should pave the
way for other libraries across Texas and
the United States.
Luke McMahan is a senior
industrial engineering major..
Mail Call
Forcing students to use racks may
help, which PTTS does every once in a
while. If students would lock up their
bikes properly, then the whole issue of
bikes being stolen can be greatly re
duced. PTTS is highly arrogant thinking
that it can recover stolen bikes by us
ing a bike permit. For free, students
can go to a local bicycle store and ask
for a card to register their bikes with
the UPD and B-CS police department.
This is why bikes have serial num
bers. An extra number assigned to stu
dents is ridiculous. PTTS must be
smoking crack to think that students
are so ignorant to pay for something
that should be free.
Jennifer Nevill
Class of '00
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 let
ters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters may
be submitted in person at 014 Reed McDonald
with a valid student ID. Letters may also be mailed
to:
The Battalion - Mail Call
014 Reed McDonald
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
77843-1111
Campus Mail: 1111
Fax: (409) 845-2647
E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com