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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 2000)
, December 5, 2000 Page 7B “ JS^ THE BATTALION -lUj' ^ -mm ine price of communal living? t looks be.. JL Cy bwdown ofResNet due to lack of courtesy; network is a shared resource 1 ga ' their I with sir -'^claimed, | o power it nnersaid < less than the fir'll jH s any- spread: ■ one Bed to e a 56K Hm to ■load t prc\::.Bwhile what the tniltaneous- e in hoi: suiting the itches nfBknows, Internet connection ie solan ^ed can be fickle. )romise i I Recently, several Texas A&M movers udents have complained about and stead CM connections from on-cam- s sickle iBomputers. r es,”1ai5.|While the University’s net- flight. B is light years faster than 56K modem, it still is capa- Bf transferring only a fi- # ite amount of data at any dven time. V lit response to complaints B on-campus students aoiit slow ResNet performance, OTtpiting and Information Bees (CIS) has distributed a iemo asking ResNet users to their use of the network. the other side of campus. Nonetheless, students should still have that respect for each other. Tom Putnam, director of CIS, said A&M has a problem with several on- students sharing their MP3 collec tions on programs like Napster. Putnam said MP3 servers con stitute However, it is the virtue these students should adhere to. A&M’s ResNet was not designed for dozens of students to run multi gig servers daily, especially while others are undoubtedly running similar, but smaller servers. tig rdiac sm fthelyle B/hile the issue here is a prob- m child of new technology, its jftion lies in old-fashioned o close ti so bloodci adily." / at the | yf'f yDjtimon courtesy. 11 ' .'ResNet users need to under- ! ^ ' land they are dealing with a i " 111 frBed resource and respect oth- 'P® 1 '■frights to use that service. ^ -jv er(Bn-campus residential life is , 1 uilt;around the principle of mu- 1 tal respect — the unspoken, but id fie wlB rst0()c1 ’ t )U ^ er t * lut keeps 'l ]|s ', I opmmates from trashing each , ither’s sides of the room, and 1 imltimt ( i e q Lientiall y keeps every- vk refusi 10 ^ 8 tempers at ease. Blsually roommates are able to Bkoul their squabbles just by ■fling to each other. , Blowever, when it comes to on- Bpus Internet access, overlook- ng i hat respect can be easier. Bfter all, an individual who Bs bandwidth by running multi- tie Napster connections all day ' Bs not have to face the students ho cannot check their email on campus stu- dents who serve, that is, make huge amounts of data available for outside users to download. Putnam said there are several dozen students that serve more than two gigabytes of data every day. He said twd typd's df'data are clogging ResNet’s bandwidth. Students offering streaming video from their computers to outside downloaders are taking the biggest toll on ResNet’s per formance. The second resource drain is the largest number of stu dent-run servers on campus. Moderation is not a trait peo ple often exhibit while using Nap ster or any tile-sharing program. ResNet was created students to conduct online business pertaining to their school work. While nobody expects students to use the network only for down loading notes and conducting re search, blatant and frivolous dis proportionate use deserves punishment. A memo by the Student Con flict Resolution Services stated that A&M takes the abuse of computing resources seriously. Every semester, ResNet users have had their Internet access rightfully cut off for misusing on- campus computers, even if it is their personal computers. 'Putnam said that, in the past, offenses worthy of blocking a user’s access to the network have included running FTP servers that create holes in the Universi ty’s firewall and breaking Uni versity rules by, for example, sending harassing messages over the Internet. Putnam’s memo said that heavy-bandwidth users will be warned before action is taken against them, and if their computers continue to exceed set data transfer limits, they will be blocked from using ResNet. CIS should continue its strict enforcement of Student Life rules and shut down students who hog network bandwidth and slow down other students’ Inter net access. Living on-campus depends upon residents exhibiting com mon courtesy and trying not to step on one another’s toes. When students share an on- campus computer network, mu tual respect and mod eration would keep users from forc ing CIS to rightfully cut off their Internet access and would allow the network to run at peak perfor mance for all students. Eric Dickens is a senior English major. R stronger standard Ml Motorcycles more dangerous; licensing should be harder uni \ otorcycles are too danger- pus. I have heard sto les of terrible motorcy cle accidents and do not iant to be involved in me. Those motorcycles B too risky to ride.” ■ Anyone who has owned or driven a motorcycle probably has tieard these words. ■ In the grand scheme of things, they are true. Motorcycles are riskier to drive than cars or trucks. ■ To reduce this risk, Texas needs to in- pease the licensing requirements for oper ating a motorcycle. ■ The licensing process should put more Bnphasis on education by requiring a mo- jorcycle driver safety course. IB According to reports, for every mile dri-. !ven on a motorcycle, a motorcycle driver is ;15 times more likely to be in an accident | than if they were driving a car. I This difference in risk exists because of ; ;the functional differences between a car ! 'and a motorcycle. 1 Cars have four wheels for stability and impact bars in the doors to offer all-around protection for the driver and passengers. Motorcycles sacrifice these amenities for better maneuverability and gas mileage and the experience of riding clos er to nature. Adding doors and wheels to a motorcy cle in the name of safety would violate the very nature of a motorcycle. Motorcycles are also riskier because of driver education. The more educated and knowledge able motorcycle drivers are, the lesk likely they are to put them selves in danger ous situations. Jackie Vaughn, an instructor for the Course for Motorcycle Riders, said, “Superior riders never get themselves into situations requiring superi or skills.” To obtain a motorcycle license in Texas, one must pass a short multiple-choice exam on general motorcycle riding tech niques and a driving test. Texas needs to increase the li censing requirements for oper ating a motorcycle. The licens ing process should put more emphasis on education by re quiring a motorcycle driver safety course. The driving test can be waived by tak ing a Texas Department of Public Safety- approved basic motorcycle operator train ing course. One of these courses is the Course for Motorcycle Riders. The class offers classroom and riding instruction over a weekend. Students in the course need no experi ence at all in rid ing a motorcycle and need to bring protective gear. The course demonstrates all types of environ ments riders will encounter while driving in hopes that being ex posed to these techniques will make them safer drivers. Rather than making this course act sole ly as a waiver for the driving portion of the license test, it should be a requirement. When 15-year-olds first get their instructional permits to drive cars, the purpose is to allow them to become accustomed to driving with experi enced drivers with them. Most teen-agers are capable of passing the driving portion to get their licenses when they first get their instruction per mits. The purpose of driver’s education and instruction permits is to let them gain expe rience during that year. Beginning motorcyclists do not have this option. They miss out on gaining that experience. Likewise, they may be able to pass the driving test but not possess the experience or knowledge to be safe drivers. The National Highway and Traffic Safe ty Association Website says a motorcycle license is “the only method state licensing agencies have to ensure they (drivers) have the knowledge and skill needed to safely and skillfully operate a motorcycle.” A motorcycle-driving test or written test cannot test every situation a driver will en counter on a motorcycle. In this light, a driver safety course, in addition to driving and written tests, should be required to educate drivers and reduce motorcycle accidents. Reid Bader is a junior political science major. NteUxtevlil'i 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 letters 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 1111TAMU College Station, Texas 77843 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (979) 84S2647 E-mail: battletters@hotmall.com Columns and letters appearing in The Battalion express the opinion of the authors only. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of other Battal ion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, ad ministrators, faculty or staff. Misleading R rating confusing to parents, a poor standard W hen the film Erin Brock- ovich came out last year, it was given an R rating. Children under the age of 17 could not see it unless accompanied by an adult — at least, that is what the law says should happen. The movie is the true story of a coura geous woman who fought for a small community that was lied to by a company that polluted its water. The film teaches a lesson about having the courage to stand up against something that is wrong. But, unless accompanied by an adult, children under 17 were not allowed to see it or learn this lesson. Parents have the right to decide what movies are appropriate for their children, but the current R rating does not allow them to make an educated decision. The rating system grouping movies with foul language, sex and violence in the same rating, does not provide a fair re flection of all films in this category. Christopher Stern of the Washington Post said Erin Brockovich, “a likely contender for best picture, got an R rat ing strictly for language.” Because the film included some bad words, many young viewers missed an in credible story. There was no way for adults to know exactly what they were (or were not) per mitting their children to see unless they had previously seen the film. Recently, movie studios and theater owners have taken a look at changing the 32-year-old rating system to provide par ents with better information about movie content. . The new system would identify R-rat- ed movies that are given the rating based solely on their language. The new system not only would allow parents to have a better understanding of the ratings given to specific films, but it would help them explain the basis behind what movies their children are permitted to see. The supporters of the new ratings are not saying it is OK for all teens to see cer tain R-rated films, but that there should be a better way to distinguish what is being restricted. Parents have the right to decide what movies are E ropriate for their chil- }, but the current R rating does not allow them to make an educat ed decision. Many parents may choose to let their children see certain R-rated films, but not others, and that is their right. But making the decision is the hardest part right now. Children should be permitted to see films that their parents deem appropriate based on the subjects, not solely on the children’s ages. Some 15-year-olds are probably not ready for certain films, but many are ma ture enough, and only their parents can gauge this level of development. The president of the Motion Picture Association of America, Jack Valenti, said the rating system has been changed only a few times, most recently when the X rat ing was changed to NC-17. - Valenti said he has heard from several groups who support a change. In the 32 years the current ratings have been in use, movies have changed — it is time that the rating system be altered to fit these changes. There are movies that include a great deal of meaningless violence inappropri ate for children to see, but there are also films that tell stories of inspirational peo ple like Erin Brockovich. There must be a way to differentiate between these two. Unfortunately, there are parents who do not pay attention to what their children watch, and these kids have seen even the worst R-rated films. A new rating system would call atten tion to what certain films are really about and then parents be able to take a stronger stand on what they allow their children to watch. Melissa Bedsole is a junior psychology major. as 5&g -C-f ti m