uesday, January 30, 2(X)1
Opi NION
Page 11
THE BATTALION
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Bad Gets Worse
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parking changes are detrimental to the majority of Texas A&M students
Poll lr\nrr/^r tn r»rr\cc \\/p»1 1 Kr'vrn ^ ^
efore Fall
2000, the
Parking,
transportation
$6»r-Jnd Traffic Ser-
.^/jices (PTTS).
JND Changed some
and blue
answers Marking areas lo
5-7740. m
take room for the impending West
ampus garage, much to the dis-
tay of many students. Plans have
egun for a West Campus parking
;arage, which will be situated on
; land now occupied by PA 56 in
front of the Student Recreation
isk mnes Jr enter, affectionately known as
■Fish Lot.” The garage will be built
in conjunction with an underground
;ous
i Culpeppr
3-1422
3LE
S42«kb:;
These projects do not
address student con
cerns and will not be
helpfiil to a majority
of Aggies.
destrian passageway beneath
fellborn Road between West Cam-
jpus and main campus. These pro-
ITi: jects do not address student con-
^'f^erns and will not be helpful to the
IBiajority of Aggies.
•[rg When the parking areas were re
configured before Fall 2000, PTTS
S380-T- -Ihose to moved 3,600 resident stu-
Bents closer to their residence halls,
forcing the 19,000 commuter stu-
f dents to park farther away from
Ttsrn main campus.
p Parking, waiting for the bus and
then walking to class can now take
7-—; 45 minutes or more for off-campus
students.
"TST This is a severe hardship for
3 * working students, who do not have
that time to waste while trying to at
tend classes and work many hours
jroom, each week to support themselves.
t p Hundreds of students are forced
every day to use the quick fix of
Mud Lot, pay parking garages and
residential streets in order to park
paitmeno remotely in the areas of their class
es, without breaking the PTTS law
not “stalking” PA 50 parking
spaces near Zachry.
+ u»es ■< Although the changes have been
a hardship for many off-campus
ton. 1 students, many resident students are
/2wh, wn relishing their closer parking areas.
Since residents of the halls no
droom.b* 1 ' 1
longer have to cross Wellborn, they
can walk shorter distances, making
it safer to park late at night.
But while changing some park
ing lots such as PAs 48 and 62 near
Kyle Field have been greatly bene
ficial to southside residents, it has
done little to improve walking dis
tances for northside students. PA
62, on the Wellborn side of Kyle
Field is little, if at all closer to
Northside residence halls than PA
61 across from Kleberg.
The West Campus parking
garage and underground pedestri
an passageway is a joint project,
costing an estimated $43 million,
which will not benefit the majority
of Aggies.
The garage is taking 900 parking
spaces from commuter students.
Although it will add an estimated
4,000 parking spaces, the spaces
will be used for reserved, but not
assigned, parking, and for pay visi
tor parking. This will net PTTS
more money by allowing it to sell
more highly priced garage parking
spaces, as well as an estimated dol-
lar-per-hour pay parking.
The 900 parking spaces have
been replaced by adding PA 101
near Reed Arena and expanding
. parking at PA 50 near Zachry, but
these lots are already filled by off-
campus students.
If the new garage were to be
open for all students with blue com
muter passes to park, then it would
better serve the students’ needs. But
the garage will just be generating
revenue for PTTS and forcing com
muter students to park farther away.
The pedestrian passageway that
will be built underneath Wellborn,
connecting West Campus with main
campus, is less beneficial for stu
dents than the West Campus garage.
While it may be nice for alumni
to walk through, it does nothing to
serve student needs. Students have
few problems walking across Well
born between classes when the sign
says walk.
The pedestrian walkway that
passes over Wellborn is now used
mainly by Corps of Cadets compa
ny runs and kinesiology classes - ’
and does not need to be replaced.
For an underground passageway to
be feasible to meet student needs,
it would be more appropriately
Off Campus
Parking
placed at the intersection of Well
born and Old Main, closer to the
AlbrittonTower.
According to PTTS, there will
probably be an underground pas
sageway closer to Albritton Tower
yi someday,' but the current tunnel-
will be built as planned in con-
o : junction with the West Campus
parking garage.
v< Yellow lots are another source
of problem for many students.
While it is definitely necessary for
{ graduate students and professors
doing research to hold 24-hour re
served spaces, it is less necessary
for administrative assistants who
are rarely on campus more than
the normal nine-to-five hours to
also have 24-hour reserved spaces.
Many people who do not need
24-hour reserved spaces have them,
which is detrimental to students
who work late at night and need
close parking to avoid walking
across campus.
For staff members who feel the
need to have an assigned space,
there should be 12-hour reserved
spaces and assigned numbered
-of-lun, La^'
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de Bank?"
esl pri ce
} 6-6117
Pride or Treason?
Georgia should not fly the confederate flag
spaces that are free parking to any
one between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
This would open up more park
ing for student workers and cut
down on unnecessary 24-hour re
served parking spaces, while keep
ing the 24-hour reserved spaces for
the people who need them — the
people doing research late at night.
Everyone who has a 24-hour
reserved space should be reevalu
ated to see if he or she needs such
a benefit.
While the current parking
arrangements may have been an im-
Mail Call
ANG^UQUE FORD/T HE BATTALKJN
provement to some, they havq beert
harmful to many.
Now more students have to in- l
crease their allotted travel time, tak
ing away from their sleep, work dnd
study time.
Although it is now safer for resi*-
dent students to park late at night, t
and there will soon be enough ' [
garage parking spaces to fill much J
of the parking need on campus, the?
$43 could be better spent elsewhere.
Thomas Campbell is a junior
agricultural journalism major.
rHE M0 S ;
q|NG
>N PR 1
he controversy regarding the
placement of the Confederate
battle emblem on the state
lag of Georgia has been debated
for years, but the dispute finally
ay be drawing to a close because
f the efforts of an unlikely organi-
ation: the National Collegiate Ath
letic Association (NCAA).
glgLS Last week, NCAA officials said they were begin-
ning to make plans for moving the 2002 men’s and the
/BBtoriJ; 2003 women’s Final Four Basketball Tournaments out
0/ Atlanta unless Georgia resolves the controversy re-
garding the “Stars and Bars” on its flag. The NCAA
[ejjOj expects to make a definite decision regarding the tour
nament’s location in April. If the tournaments are
—jmoved, the Atlanta area would lose an estimated $75
I# A| million in revenue.
ill a resid L the Georgia Legislature, which has a
3 hi 11 pending to remove the Confederate symbol
; from the flag, is being forced to make a decision it
should have made a long time ago. If the bill is not
passed in time, the NCAA will probably move the
tournaments to St. Louis, but, if the Legislature de
ne tides to change the flag, the voters in Georgia who
I flj believe the Confederate flag is a symbol of South-
4aHy! fern pride will be angered —- and they are not a
* “"^mall minority.
( The problem is that the reasoning used to support
oth sides is wrong — the Confederate flag is not tru-
1/ a symbol of Southern pride, slavery or racism. It is
p symbol of treason.
It is the symbol of those who chose to break away
rom the United States during the Civil War and then
’em to war against the Union — crimes that could
not be called anything but treason.
Although these crimes were pardoned following
h^ war to help the nation heal, the Stars and Bars re
ams a symbol of the crimes committed by those who
eparated from the Union.
^ By allowing the flag to fly outside Georgia’s Capi
tol, state officials are publicly embracing a symbol of
rebellion against the United States’ legitimate national
authority. Such a symbol does not belong on any U.S.
state flag.
Some want the Confederate symbol to remain on
the Georgia flag because their ancestors served be
neath that banner, believing they were defending their
homeland. Such statements reflect blind ancestor wor
ship, and do not justify the continued use of the Con
federate battle symbol.'Simply because one’s ances
tors did something does not mean those actions must
be revered. Southerners should not be ashamed of
their ancestors’ actions during a tumultuous period in
American history, but there is no reason for misplaced
pride and loyalty.
Even Gen. Robert E. Lee spoke against the use of
the Confederate flag after the war when he said, “I
The problem is that the
reasoning used to support both
sides is wrong — the Confederate
flag is not truly a symbol of
southern pride, slavery or racism.
It is a symbol of treason.
believe it to be the duty of everyone to unite in the
restoration of the country and the establishment of
peace and harmony.”
While issues such as race relations and Southern
pride should not be quickly dismissed, it is impor
tant to realize that wounds from the Civil War still
exist. The NCAA is taking a bold stand that should
have been made a long time ago. If it requires the
threat of economic repercussions for Georgia to re
move the Confederate symbol from its flag, then so
be it. It is time for a symbol of treason and rebellion
to be removed from Georgia’s official banner.
Task force not needed, just
a money-making scheme
It appears to me that the CSPD/UPD party task
force is just another revenue-generating scheme for
the city and an opportunity for the victimization of stu
dents. Last semester, I saw a group of students served
with citations at 6 p.m. in the evening of a football
game. 1 had not witnessed any disturbance whatsoev
er. Two nights earlier, Robert Earl Keen was playing at
the (city- owned) Wolf Pen Creek, and I could hear the
event two miles away. As far as I am aware, Robert E.
Keen was not served a citation.
What is worse is that while the UPD are helping the
“real” police collect funds from the general public, A&M
students appear to face assault and robbery on their
own campus.
I have visited more than 30 countries and lived in
CARTOON OF THE DAY
seven, including several African dictatorships. The
CSPD is the most intrusive I have ever witnessed.'
I notice the Bryan Police Department is not involved
with the task force. Is this because they have real po
lice work to do?
K. Jones
Graduate Student
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
College Station, TX
77843-1111
Campus Mail: 111.1
Fax: (979) 845-2647
E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com
Richard Bray is a sophomore journalism major.
TU? DUch Rt6C>NGf-