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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2000)
Wednesday, AuguslJ cadem in opportunity to becomeft nted with public educate" .1 related issues that willsi articipation in hands-onm programs, ne of the facets of the pi development program it ion and studies of core® id demographic trends ini; unities and public school, :iis Academy for Educate! nent places theA&MSysa efront of higher education; s in creating a dynamite ire with which to prepare" / teachers for our state’s! ayavedra, the A&M $\sa hancellor for academici; flairs. Wednesday, August 30, 2000 Mk. # i : ' ■ • I ff r AGGIWL i {& Page 3A THE BATTALION Aggie traditions bring uniqueness and unity paintinf /itch off on a single pain l, president of the Rioft Their paintings allowusati ds that are rare to this are.' are not their main focus, •aits and still lifes. ixatl Rio Brazos Audubon e exhibit and anniversary*: our of the exhibit aftermi ■mbers are expected to alter!; run through Sept. 4dure s, which are Monday to until 5 p.m. and Sunday! Museum admission is Ji its, and $3.50 for seniorcte Continued fromty\ ink Ashley, associated! ge of Education, is of students with whom! he most academic probte es and cadets. With the su]i er AOC deans, Ashley asl« ; leadership to consideriti| ng an academic prograi > similar to the one athlete low under NCAA regulate We will look at the ideas (the OC deans) pn osed, and ifw see a feasible way to imple ment some anges, w/em\ — Justin Bet? Corps of CS Scholastic Sergei By Brady Creel the Battalion , i Howdy! We are the FightiiT Texas Aggies. As such; we live in a dynamic place called Aggieland, where “the spirit that can ne'er be told” is a staple of life, and that puts us in a league of our own. There are more out there just like me. We call a red-ass attitude “diversi ty,” and we live Texas A&M for all it is worth because, after all, we are only here for a small amount of time. Some are here for longer than oth ers, but eventually, we all come and go. However, regardless of our time ^pent here, we are bound by the thread that weaves the fabric of Aggie Spirit. j That spirit, which exists like a mysterious apparition in the hearts of Aggies, will slap the ass of every stu dent who sets foot on this campus. Some are smacked harder than oth ers, so each turns a different shade of red — some lighter, some darker — but invariably, it is impossible to experience post-secondary education at A&M without being at least mildly affected. It will strike your heart whether you are willing to accept it, .and it usually will shine through in both good times and bad. But, at Texas A&M, there are two different genres of people — students and Aggies. They are distinc tively different. I need not list or discuss the tradi tions that set us apart because, as the old adage goes, from the inside looking out, one cannot explain •ft. From the outside looking in, one cannot un derstand it. 1 pose this question to you; “What about those who are on the inside looking around, blind to what they have around them?” Many cannot see it, but there exists on this campus another realm, separate from the outside world. It is a place surreal to those who have not found it, but reality for those who have. It is a world in which students are leaders, leaders are mentors and mentors are friends — ^md everyone is family. It is the realm of “Ag- giedom” and the / pose this question to you: 'What about those who are on the inside looking around, blind to what they have around them?' its simplest fonn, the pro; d require cadets to complii nt of their degree plan by il ;ir freshmen year to beps sophomore status in theO Yips Scholastics Sergeant! m said the forum was a! oward improving cadets'? ise it opened up communi sen the Corps and the deaf Ve will look at the idei deans) proposed, and if" : siblc'way to implement ges, we will,” he said. "BATTALIO: ——r —irnr-r-rrrrr-rrHn-rmmrrmnirrnrnrnniinnp‘rnooci I II I ^ i Miller, Editor in Chief Kempf, Managing Editor ium Mohiuddin, CityEditot icn DeLuna, Graphics Editor ne Dionne, Sports Editor n Lincoln, Sports Editor ri Sridhara, Sci/Tech Editor n Bennyhoff, Aggielife irt Hutson, Aggielife Editor id Lee, Opinion Editor iley Atchison, Photo Editor ly Wages, Photo Editor lifer Bales, Night News Edit® i Ahlquist, Copy Chief Dickens, Radio Producer ndon Payton, Web Master mAUON (ISSN #10554726) is potesWi h Friday during ttie tall and spring semsWi Ir Thursday during the summer session (erapte and exam periods) at Texas A&M UiwsA 1 r ;e Paid at College Station, IX 77840. ©C *. is changes to The Battalion,Texas A&M U«rt ; ; Station,^ 77843-1111. The Battalion news department is managed t)'®- University in the Division of Student WaT ment of Journalism. News offices are in 014 ^ ig. Newsroom phone: 845-3313; Fat 845-?' talion@hotmail.com; Web site: tittpy/MaMF'. > ising: Publication of advertising does noti#‘ .ement by The Battalion, For campus, local, and sing, call 845-2696. For classified artatffllte 1 ': sing offices are in 015 Reed McDonald, and $ 15 p.m. Monday through Fnday. Fax: 845# rlptions: A part of the Student Services Fee# Indent to pick up a single copy of The BaliaW- mal copies 254. Mail subscriptions are $601# ; j fall or spring semester and $17.50 fortes^ j r, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express^' { ✓ “other education” at A&M. It is kept alive by a deep passion for being a Texas Aggie- Granted, A&M is a first-class academic institution. But, for myself and many others I have met during my time here; that is mere coincidence. When selecting a college, the fact that A&M is an academic powerhouse was just a sideshow, while being a Texas Aggie is the main event. I am here, first and foremost, be cause I have, for as long as I can re member, wanted to live the legacy that gives A&M the identity for which it is known worldwide. Students come to this campus in droves with this same thought om nipresent in their minds. Some are met at Fish Camp by a group of counselors who at first seem overzealous in breeding a new class of red-ass freshmen. Others just venture, or rather stumble, onto campus with the world of A&M unbe knownst to them. There are those who are Aggies first, as am I. Qualities such as character, integrity and charisma be come bred into our very existence. These are virtues of the intangible asset we call Aggie Spirit. You can stand at Silver Taps next week or at Muster and know exactly ^ what I am talking about. You can even see it as you walk to class, /IlL heartily greeting others with § '1|M “howdy.” Then there is the overwhelm- §| ing sense of pride that you get as you see thousands of Aggies em brace each other as they sing the War Hymn. Keep in mind that Aggie Spirit is defined as red ass, not redneck nor dumbass. .1 think it is important to distinguish them, for they are no tably different. Those like me, who cherish the very maroon blood that flows through their veins, know who they are and what they * 'zk re P resent - • 1 And at the I moment — the very mo ment — they slide that | Aggie ring onto their fin gers, they have plugged them selves into the most allegiant, incredible net work with tentacles that cover the breadth of our world. As long as there are Texas Aggies in this world, there will always be a spirit that can ne’er be told. A Traditions can be annoying and alienating By Eric Dickens The Battalion Hi, my name is Eric and I am an Aggie. I would have said “howdy,” but saying “howdy” ticks me off. I am not a “two-percenter,” a “skim-milk Ag” or a “T-sip wannabe.” I love A&M and College Station and take pride in my school and community. But there is a very pronounced line between useful traditions that invigorate students and build unity and those that are just plain idiotic. “Howdy” is the poster child for the second category. Traditions, on the whole, are good things. Silver Taps shows reverence, and yells build fan en thusiasm during games. But just as traditions at A&M can be benefi cial to the University and its students, they sometimes can cause more harm than good! The inability to break tradition, or to do something just because it is a tradition can b^ disastrous. More often, though, the problems with traditions are smaller, more interpersonal. A pripfie example of this is saying “howdy.” The student body seems divided on the importance of “howdy” — some think the tradition is a way to keep the A&M campus friendly, while the other half thinks it is annoying and awkward. The truth is, “howdy” does have its place in spe cialized settings, but the way it is repeatedly thrust into our everyday lives, as well as the attitude of many of the people responsible for the thrusting, is juve nile and counter productive. There is nothing inher ently wrong with saying “howdy.” The official greet ing of A&M is like any other group’s official greeting — perfectly fine in some contexts. “Howdy” plays an integral part of Midnight Yell Practice and many Corps of Cadets func tions, but the word should be kept in the stands and on the Quadrangle. People who say “howdy” to strangers for no reason other than to be friendly should not be surprised or offended when some body like me replies with a muffled “hawdy” or simply says nothing. I re serve the right to be anti-social and to not have to be friendly to strangers, es pecially when that friendliness involves my sounding like I should be on a trac tor with a toothpick in my mouth. Saying “howdy” while walking across campus is a crapshoot, just like any other outgoing behavior. “Howdy” should be saved for events like Mid night Yell Practice, not for when I am . trying to get to the other side of campus ...just as traditions can be beneficial to the Uni versity and its students, the can sometimes cause more harm than good. and the sun is about 30 feet from my face. At no other time is the annoying nature of “howdy” on full display like it is during Howdy Week. Passing out stickers is par for most events, but Howdy Week seems to bring out the zealot in some students. Forget being anti-social, 1 just want to get through the MSC or Commons Lobby without having somebody jump in front of me yelling “Howdy!” dr a sneaky Howdy Ags! member; slap a sticker on my backpack - without asking. And while giving me a sticker I did not ask for is an effective I way to make me change my ; mind, the human chains of peo- - pie spelling out “howdy” on their shirts really makes me want to ; embrace the word as they further clog the walkways on campus. * Then there is the Howdymobile — a sad group of people driving around campus yelling “howdy” at nobody in particular. In the degree of pointlessness, the Howdymobile is right up there with the time, dur ing my freshman year, my dorm crew chiefs dragged me and my “new buddies” around campus yelling foul-mouthed and idiotic dorm yells at the brick walls of rival dorms. The most juvenile part of “howdy” and Howdy Week is the naive way their supporters believe the tradition will truly help student relations on campus and make A&M “the friend liest University.” A&M has its strong points, but it is also a univer sity where thousands of students daily feel alienated and shunned. Ask around of people who are not the typical white male, middle-class Ameri can student, and chances are you will soon hear stories of dirty looks, cold shoulders and ignorant slurs. A popular shirt from Inspi rations copies a Dodge Trucks ad, saying “tu - too different.” But perhaps A&M is “too much the same.” Our University suffers from a decided lack of diversity and tolerance, which makes a perfect environment.for ignorance. You can sugarcoat ignorance at A&M by say ing we have “a conservative school” or “a tradi tional student body,” but we are a far cry from “the friendliest university” when it comes to accepting others. 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