Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2000)
Tuesday, August IJi| Feelgood iouse Session urtesy of Higher i/F-111 Records mixed CD forar 5 watched Saturi none than once, Fj dancer, nothingai cod's latest prodn:- ;e Session. ThisCDi :o house with sok nal house musi ; is smooth as cank seems to represe:: on the Hig el. The most not; good's mixing is rasing. Each si uilds in conjunction t, making the mixes ndulating. n starts slow iuse tracks, but real steam with its first n 8 wever, the album's immediately follow omes out of "Sing remix of the same le want to listen toa they will hit the Tn. continues with disco ? tracks, then moves se, highlighted byDj of Orgy's cover of "Blue Monday." This ■ and very danceable, almost totally differ- e original and the lesday. August 1,2000 Jl. THE BATTALION mothers and sisters xpelling members with children contradicts meaning of Greek life . JLv undreds of young omen will soon ock to Texas &M with high opesofbecom- ig Greek. Em- arking upon a ew chapter in their lives, these dies plan to pledge their time, roney and energy to a new family Sing it Back"by fsisters. After being initiated, many orority women will begin to build |ieir lives around their new identity, listing their sisters like family. At this time last year, a single other went through rush thinking would be a good way to meet leople. During rush, however, she id not mention she had a daugh- |er. Upon pledgeship, she, like other ledges, made a "personality age" introducing herself to her fel- xw pledge sisters. She included a licture of her daughter. Disgusted that this pledge ould defame the reputation of the orority chapter by hiding her notherhood during rush, the new jrogramming chair told this young nother not to return to sorority unctions. To top things off, the )ledge was told that, if she left qui- tly, the chapter would consider her in "honorary initiate" upon her raduation. Although this case is individual, t is conceivable that similar situa tions have occurred at other times, but were handled more privately. Pledges who have children should not have to experience such dis crimination, but should be given equal'opportunity to join a sorority. While each chapter is expected to establish and uphold its own stan dards, the actions of this sorority's chapter defy what sororities are supposed to stand for — sister- his is an excellent with great songs and ng. Closet Donna unite. (Grade: B) — Jason ra^ isic @ Work tesy of London-Sire Records imeone's dying! The to crying! The agony uite. OK, joke's over, g the new album by v Hip? Vork, the latest from and The Tragically ly the most annoying vear. No other record- r spells disaster as ± ong with this horrid Po begin with, the mg. Absolutley noth- le catches the ear. The eks buyers will heal i on the CD, but the mers. Apparently Th a were trying to avoid D ri sales with this dis- a ' u ll irding. The CD's nan- and the lead sinj ? are the only reasons not fall asleep Writer suspension shows paper’s political agen- rpi- I: istrumental andelef s. The 14 tracks, sin 1 ' ? musically rotten, ally Hip are not main ier artists with a snu uding Radiohead ar have increased hood, loyalty and trust. The National Panhellenic Con ference is not authorized to make specific policies on such issues as as accepting mothers as pledges. Likewise, the Panhellenic Council at A&M does not set specific stan dards for individual member groups, but coordinates the best in terests of the Greek community. Panhellenic adviser Meg Manning said that Panhellenic deals with the organizational aspects of Greek life, similar to the way a city's chamber of commerce overlooks its individ ual members. Basically, the object of the asso ciation, according to the bylaws and constitution of the Panhellenic Council, is to "develop and main tain fraternity life and interfraterni ty relations at the high level of ac complishment" and to "cooperate with member-fraternities and the University administration in con cern for the maintenance of high social and moral standards." Each sorority defines its own set of high social and moral stan dards, and within each chapter, there is a standards board that privately deals with disci pline issues. So when a member gets kicked out of a sorori ty, all of the facts are not publicly known. Unique to each chapter, the criteria for social probation or expulsion are un derstood by those who pledge. Al though a member must take an oath to uphold certain val ues, people who join sororities do not in tend to shame the sorority with something like motherhood. To re ject a sister because of something like motherhood makes a mockery of Greek principles and ideals. Being in a sorority should be about creating lasting friendships that endure through thick and thin. A woman enduring such a challenge as raising a child should be able to rely on her sisters for support and comfort rather than fear their judgment. The moral standard to be considered most should be that of sisterhood. Peo ple who want to join a sorority do so because it provides a sense of belonging and safety. The actions of sororities that react to situations with such distaste demonstrate their ignorance toward the princi ples on which they were first founded. A&M is commonly known as a conservative school, and Col lege Station is home to many families, so an unwed mother in a sorority is more likely to be frowned upon in such an envi ronment. At A&M, sororities intended to promote unity and togetherness have ne glected to meet the needs of young mothers. If one cannot turn to family for support, al most all hope is lost. Sororities are positive social groups. How ever, a sorority that would ex clude a girl just because she is a mother should study their oaths and remember why they came together in the first place. Sorori ty sisters should be able to de pend on one another, especially in a time of need. Amber Rasco is a junior journalism major BRANDON HENDERSON/Thk Battalion he newspaper business, like any other job out there, las its fair share of in- eroffice politics. Writers ind editors can act like polled brats when a writer puts something in. irint that they do not gree with. Most of the time, however, matu- ity prevails and the problems are ironed out. This, apparently, does not apply to The : oston Globe. Its tragic attempt at censorship iiill' as P roven that it is still in need of a pacifier nice little nap. Jeff Jacoby, a columnist for The Globe, was uspended for four months without pay for in article that ran on July 4. In his article, Ja- »by mentioned the fates that met some of .ose who signed the Declaration of Indepen- The Completists,"ii ^ ence - Jacoby failed to mention in his article the other tracks art ^ he found some of the information — and combination of (f Corret T e d some inaccurate information — <y voices that over a pi ece widely distributed on the Inter- jet and printed in an Ann Landers column. The Globe's editors suspended liim, creaming all the while with righteous in- lignation that Jacoby had soiled the "good land has a small f 'ame" of the paper by plagiarizing, i following who wJ An appropriate price for a minor faux Work regardless of* las ' or a P ur g e of a dissenting view? Con- music on the albui® Bering other past lapses in journalistic in tegrity by The Globe, one smells a rat. The Globe is a liberal paper in a liberal tjown in a state that is sometimes called The y releasing fantaslf People's Democratic Republic of Massachu- slightly obscure Jetts. Jacoby is a conservative writer; in fact, ically Hip will n® rounds with MiisU. ? contrary, they ra )ple off with their nC i «. ■ . » . Inefficient use of water irlnd^explains shortage ind torture to he® : In response to Stuart Hutson’s July 27 ummarize the rest® article. me. ally Hip have ani# I read the article about on-campus i, and they have if conservation and had to laugh. 1 release good alb# Woulcl like to venture my own idea sic @ Work is anytl* about wh y water supply officials cannot her, this album is# f' 11 th® on-campus water tower. I be- Grade: F). — Dewey BaiiG \ . he is the sole conservative on The Globe's opinion/editorial staff. Jacoby had the au dacity to say in a column that he was op posed to gay marriages and he wrote some pieces that criticized President Clinton. Ac cording to The Boston Phoenix, this outraged many of his coworkers, including two homo sexual copy editors who encouraged other members of the staff to "get (Jacoby) back for his homophobia." When Jacoby was sus pended, The Media Research Center noted that he was informed there would be a "seri ous rethink" of how and what he could write in his columns if he returned. In other words, Ja coby would be cen sored. This hypocritical act is far beyond a rea sonable punishment for Jacoby's crime and becomes even more questionable when look ing at the way The Globe handled problems with other writers. In essence, Jacoby is being run out of town for getting his facts straight. This may be why The Globe is so angry with him; it has coddled writers such as other opinion writers Mike Barnicle and Patricia Smith, who wrote as "fact" information that was about as real as the boogeyman. The Globe refrained from taking action against Barnicle and Smith after they repeat edly invented sources and quotes and pla giarized other people's work. For these re peated lapses in integrity, Barnicle and Smith were never suspended. It took a mas- There is every reason to condemn The Globe not only for being unfair, but for lacking of professionalism. sive outcry from other publications and The Globe's parent company, the New York Times Corporation, to get Smith and Barnicle fired. Likewise, according to the Media Research Center, The Globe's former city hall bureau chief was given the light punishment of be ing transferred to another post after it be came known that he had gotten a recom mendation to a Harvard fellowship from then Mayor Tom Menino — the very man that he was supposed to be covering. Now, in an election year. The Globe is go ing to crucify Jacoby for running something fac tually accurate? No$ not really: It is merely a pre text for a group of liber als to silence an opposing viewpoint. The four- month suspension for Ja coby will end, conve niently enough, just after the Nov. 7 election. Until then, The Globe will be able to print liberal columns without any opposition from the other side of the aisle. There is every reason to condemn The Globe not only for being unfair, but for lacking professionalism. The Globe has played fast and loose with the truth before and has actu ally protected writers like Barnicle and Smith for doing so. It seems convenient that the first — and perhaps only — time The Boston Globe decides to stick up for the paper's journalistic values and ethics, the target happens to be the lone conservative on the staff. Until the elections in November, The Globe might as well write love sonnets to Al Gore and the Democratic party because, in suspending Jacoby, it has muzzled the lone conservative voice. Apparently, the right to free speech exists in Boston when those speaking say exactly what The Globe wants them to. While The Globe attempts to put it self on an ivory throne of morality on this non-issue, it is plain to see that its arrogance lacks merit. Jack Thomas, another Globe writer who apparently holds Jacoby in disdain for his views, lashed out at his suspended colleague in his July 17 column. Thomas said that Jaco by should be made a city reporter, so he could "write about homeless shelters, upwed mothers, gay teenagers.... It would make him a better .columnist because he'd learn some thing about the newspaper business. And he might learn something about life." If Jacoby wants to learn something about the newspaper business — or, more precise ly, what is wrong with it — he need look no further than Thomas and his other hypocrit ical colleagues. Since Jacoby does not toe the (Democratic) party line. Globe employees have effectively trampled the Constitution to silence him. If that is the "newspaper business" Thomas speaks of, it should be gutted and all those involved in it should be fired. It is clear that The Boston Globe is not interested in truth and accuracy in reporting. It is interest ed in pushing certain points of view. That is one truth that is painful to see. Mark Passwaters is a senior electrical engineering major. Mail Call lieve the lack of water stems from A&M’s aggressive policy of watering the streets and sidewalks on campus. Every day for years, the irrigation system on campus has effectively wa tered much of Bizzell and Spence streets, as well as several parts of West Campus paving. I think that if A&M water officials realized how much water they were putting into the University’s storm sewer system instead of on the fo liage, they would understand why they cannot meet all water demands. In times of short water supply, perhaps the answer is not always to cut back, but to become more efficient in using what water we have. Matthew Zeve Class of ‘99 The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Let ters must be 300 words or less and include the au thor’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 014 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 Page 5 Viewpoints eBay loses credibility with auction removal F bunded in 1995, eBay describes itself as the world’s premier online trading community. Everything from automo biles and Navajo rugs to clothing and baseball cards can be found and bid on. Recently, however, eBay has been under considerable scrutiny from federal regula tory agencies over the authenticity of some of the products its users auction. In stead of defending their sales method, eBay officials have given into federal pres sure and are now enforcing strict policies. In late July, an online auction featuring purported pieces of Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Cheops was canceled after questions were raised about both its authenticity and legality. In the text part of his adver tisement, a seller called “brsteve” wrote, “This is an actual piece of the Great Pyra mid of Egypt. On my first trip to Egypt, it was still possible to climb to the top of the pyramid. Now, because of the deteriora tion of the limestone, it is no longer legal to climb the outside of the pyramids.” Offi cials shut down the sale of the pyramid pieces, which garnered bids as high as $40. Kevin Pursglove of eBay Inc. ex plained: Either the item listed was accu rately described, which would be potential ly illegal, or it was inaccurately described, which would be fraudulent. Neither eBay nor potential buyers could verify the origin of the pieces, so the sale was closed. The logic used by eBay officials is per plexing. If the origin of the pieces cannot be verified, then the claim made by “brsteve” cannot be disproved, either. As was stated in the auction’s text, the piece was taken when it was still legal to climb the pyramid. If eBay, acting on be half of federal regulatory agencies, shuts down the auction, then the burden of dis proving the seller's claim rests with eBay. EBay is the ultimate free market. Much of the success that Ebay Inc. has had is due to its simple, yet strong, business model. Most children remember the in tense baseball card trading sessions of their younger days. Everyone was a CEO as mergers and acquisitions occurred every day. No regulatory agencies sat in on these sessions. It was up to the traders to verify the legitimacy of their trades. That was a simpler time, but eBay started with the same idealistic princi pals. Baseball-card trading was a free market and it should continue to be with eBay. Some monitoring of eBay is needed to prevent rampant fraud. But eBay has bro ken one of its own rules by shutting down a member’s auction without being able to disprove his advertising. —Luke McMahan Chaney best choice for VP nomination T here have been several one-word de scriptions of George W. Bush’s se lection of Dick Cheney as his vice- presidential nominee. Among them are “safe,” “solid” and “dull.” How about “good”? Cheney accumu lated a remarkable resume during his time in public service and is known as a capable man. Considering the lacklus ter competition for the slot, Cheney was Bush’s best choice. Cheney brings an increased sense of competence to the Bush ticket; no longer can Democrats say that Bush has no clue of how Washington works. With a former White House chief of - staff, member of Congress and secre tary of defense as his running mate, Bush has someone who can provide solid advice based on past experience. The Democrats have attempted to label Cheney as an extremist who fore tells bad things to come from a Bush administration. They might as well stop whining and concentrate on who Vice President Al Gore is going to select as his running mate, because the Ameri can people simply do not seem to be interested in any more negative cam paigning. The tactic is especially un wise when dealing with someone like Cheney, whom the public remembers from Operation Desert Storm as a gen uinely good and competent man. Accusations that Cheney is some what bland may be warranted. However, unlike whoever becomes the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Cheney’s boss is not the candidate whose person ality stacks up unfavorably with that of a block of wood. Cheney is a man who is not only qualified to be vice president, but president as well. He is also a very loyal man who will fit nicely into Bush s call for “compassionate conservatism.” Vice presidential candidates do not win elections. However, they can lose them (see Quayle, Dan). Bush’s choice of Ch eney adds consistent ability to the ticket and places the onus on Gore to find some one equally capable of fitting his platform. —Mark Passwaters