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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2001)
M-riday, Pehm;iry 16, 2001 is rate apples 5 , ! nd to qualify h \NTED i wanted. May pea loming. Apply II Jacky Ponca K-n tNEOUS Break beinjiress. elago.com/spnnga :ycle No interviews for murderers i MARK i»\vsvv:viii« n the minds of today’s television journalists, “murderer” is a synonym for “real big story.” Theodore Kaczynski, bet ter known to the world as the Unabomber, has be come the target of a great amount of verbal abuse from major mem bers of the media. To make an even bigger name for themselves, these supposed [journalists have violated the pri mary objective of reporting. They are making news, not reporting it. In the process, they have shown allous disregard for those who ave died and those who could ie as a result of their efforts. The SmokingGun.com posted etters written to Kaczynski, re- ealing a lot of popular journal- sts who were slobbering for an judience with a maniac who illed three and maimed 20 oth- rs. The tone of these letters is ickening. Shawn Efran, Dan Rather’s Mproducer on '60 Minutes II,” share abdmaa K^ied K acZ y ns kj a “hero and a ■noneer for trying to get his en vironmentalist message out to he public. Showing that “network loyal- is as great a myth as “journal- to campus.: t ( j c ethics,” Efran went on to say, TPlease understand that ’60 Min- Ites IT is not the same program In which your brother and mother Ivvho discovered the Unabomber’s identity and turned him into to au- lorities) appeared. They ap- ared on '60 Minutes’ with Mike 'allace and Lesley Stahl. Our skory will allow you to personally _yfute what they said about you.” duplex Willi was*! | etter was sent w jfh --r : Rather’s signed approval. rooms'.'°268-fl® ■ This is not to say that CBS’ producer was the only person IQgg willing to throw his morals and IHalues out the window and snug- i. Lots-of-fun.ig g| e U p to rav j n g i una tic. Katie Fri(6pm 8pm) Couric, host of NBC s Today inside Banko'i- wrote that talking to her 7 L0 846 S o”^ would “give (Kaczynski) a naslertxirm n S me, $400/M ■ ner and/ot lal n Call 221X671 <. abdmVaMTw 94-3007 tewable summeso location. $360te tse on 1/4® i2. es. male o< Is™*! Of 220-7547. dng apartment urn pus. /EL chance to explain your experi- nces to our huge audience and also the opportunity to share your ieiR^to^ vicws and concerns, which 1 imy 846-8915. ow you’ve long wanted to do.” vww.traveial^# Barbara Walters was also ^Rippy to sell herself, signing off s i a n,j andTiSi# 1 ' d l ettei ' wr i tten producer . and condos,ic« Kdtie Thomson that said her -575-2026. program, “20/20,” “will provide jog -spo a lair forum for [Kaczynski) to express your views, and you :aii 260-6805. could reach the most people by appearing on ‘20/20.’ ” LOSS Greta Van Susteren, host of *y)N’s “Burden of Proof’ and / S for $38, safe p 0 j n ^” g Us hed in her letter B Kaczynski that “no one can dispute that you are an extremely JlljSIcjSiart man.” Apparently, members of the media have developed a theory Bra ^JI | t t l ie rest °f society would re- Want to be taken seriously? hase.C^Kill someone. This is a horrific concept for a ■“variety of reasons. First of all, Here is nothing newsworthy about anything Theodore Kaczynski has ■ say. The man terrorized the na tion for two decades but has not pen behind bars for a significant jiount of time. People who op- ised Kaczynski’s wild environ- lentalist beliefs are unavailable contradict him, because they arc dead. i; It seems obscene that a man pho kills people would be given a chance to spout off his views when a person who lives a stable, Rponsible life cannot. It is even more scary that this person would put on television without re- ird to the feelings of those who it family members or to the ef- tt it would have on society. Kaczynski’s reputation and potentially horrifying effects of giving him a soapbox in front of, t TV camera obviously pale in comparison to the massive egi^ of TV journalists. Their at- ■npted cuddling sessions with the Unabomber show their lack of concern for the rest of society. In a move that certainly ised an increase in angst and irs in New York, Kaczynski re tted all requests for interviews, jrhaps he is more socially con- lous than those people who Ire willing to kiss up to him Ith the cameras rolling. ut Sraphy 33. Mark Passwaters is a senior electrical engineering major. Opinion THE BATTALION No secrets for Core Columbia had no right to keep students from speaking to media c (olumbia University’s Graduate School of I Journal ism, one of the nation’s top journalism schools, has hired former Vice President A1 Gore to teach a class titled Cover ing National Affairs in the Information Age this se mester. He will later lecture at Middle Ten nessee State and Fisk University, also in Tennessee. A problem erupted the first day of class when Columbia told students enrolled in Gore’s class not to discuss it with journal ists. An advance email warned them against speaking about the class. University spokes woman Suzanne Trimel justified the gag rule by saying the class “was not a news event.” The other two schools made it clear their classes would be on the record. Last week, Columbia finally lifted the policy of re strictions. The failed attempt for classroom silence violated free speech and contract rights. The irony of these restrictions at a jour nalism school was not lost on the three dozen professional journalists who showed up on the first day or on the students who were enrolled. “It definitely goes against what we’re taught, but it’s A1 Gore, and we have to accommodate him,” said student Benjamin Stein. Attorney Floyd Abrams, a visiting pro fessor at Columbia, said, “It is ultimately self-defeating for the school to believe it can really transform what is inevitably an event fraught with public interest into one purely of private or academic interest.” The question remains why the school did not want students to talk to the press. Jour nalism students are attending college to learn a difficult and, at times, controversial craft. This group especially should be taught to value rights to free expression. After all, journalists deal with the First Amendment on a daily basis. Exceptions for privacy should be made to protect sources when necessary. And no one has a right to slander or falsely represent a person. Gore is just teaching a college class, not dis cussing nuclear secrets. A classroom setting with the goal of fos tering a learning environment does not war rant secrecy. Ironically, the desire to keep what was said under wraps has ensured that the students will now talk nonstop about how they could not talk to anyone. Predictably, the New York Press had a field day over Columbia’s attempt to muz zle its students. The New York Post ran the headline “Hyp ocrites Triumph at Free Speech Temple.” New York Observer columnist Gabriel Snyder called Gore’s veil of ■secrecy “a classic ivory-tow er boondoggle” and said the gag was “sure to make Joseph Pulitzer and Edward R. Murrow roll simultane ously in their graves.” The students are now al lowed to give their opinions of Gore’s class and tell any one what he talks about, and rightfully so. No one is going to suffer from that process. The most interesting as pect of this situation con cerns ownership of intellec tual property. Gore defended the gag rule when he said, “I think normal classes are off the record. I think the stu dents will get a better experi ence if it’s as much as possi ble a normal classroom experience.” This incident also raises the question of who owns college lectures. Students should be free to do whatever they wish with any profes sor’s pearls of wisdom. It is unlikely that much of this knowledge is ever prized highly enough by a student to be placed on any record. Perhaps Gore thinks oth erwise, but there is a big difference between a college class and a White House briefing. The buyers, or the students, are the owners of classroom in tellectual property in the first place. They are the ones who have paid the fees and tuition and should thus be free to do with the lectures as they wish, short of passing off someone else’s ideas as their own. Fortunately, Columbia lifted its ban on stu dents talking about the class. The Washington Post reports that the college simply makes it known it prefers no one talk to the press. It is disturbing that a school would attempt to si lence its own students. The journalists of to morrow are in an odd position — privy to in- CHAD MALLAM/I n e Battalion formation but discouraged from sharing it. Americans everywhere must keep a close ' watch on any potential threat to their right of free expression. Apparently, not everyone shares that value. Jona than Jones is a junior political science major. Mail Condom Day promotes AIDS awareness, is an overall good idea In response to Cayla Carr’s Feb. 14 column. In her own article, Cayla Carr states that ASHA reports that an estimated 55 million Americans have an STI and that two-thirds of these cases occur in peo ple under 25 years of age. When I take in these statistics and their gravity, I find National Condom Day to be a great idea — it and any other day to pass out pro phylactics. Valentine’s Day is a contrived “holiday” that, in most cases, benefits the greeting card and floral industries more it spreads true love. However, a true act of love is helping to save some one’s life. Carr may not feel the need to express love or even lust sexually, but Call as the statistics show, many other Amer icans do, and many of them are killing themselves as they do so. I hardly be lieve that St. Valentine would agree with their behavior, but I doubt that he would have a problem with trying to educate and save lives on his day. Truth be told, those who want to have sex will, and those who don’t, won’t. And Carr is correct that this really has nothing to do with Valentine’s Day. Yet, as many do pqt love and sex together, I would rather educate today, on the day of love, than ed ucate on how to live with AIDS later. Passing out condoms does not devalue or corrupt Valentine's Day. It simply en courages responsibility and safety on this day and every other. You can still pass out your valentines, but be open-minded and let others pass out life-saving devices. S. Shannon Davis Class of ’02 CARTOON OF THE DAY EAT AT JoEsil If X could BEl AN architect... TUt DNc*RTe>c>Nvit Grading change is needed I deally, people attend higher ed ucational institu tions, like Texas A&M , to learn things necessary to be come successful. Many times, students actually do whatever is necessary to get a good grade. It is the stu dent’s job to learn, but it is the professor’s job to facili tate that learning. The pro fessor also has the responsi bility to assign grades that accurately represent the amount the student learned in the course. Grading styles should re flect the learning that has occurred, not the student’s test-taking skills. Not all students are able to profi ciently take a test, although they may actually know the material. Therefore, the test may not indicate how much people have learned. Some students easily get lost in the wording of true/false tests, while other students relish their simplicity and the 50-50 shot of getting the answer. An exam should allow the student to demonstrate the learning that has taken place and put an objective number on that learning. Forcing stu dents to take exams that do not suit their needs results in grade that do not represent the student’s learning and retention. Professors can more ac curately test students and work with their needs by of fering different types of tests when circumstances permit. Because not all stu dents are strong writers, es say exams should not be forced on all students. A stu dent should not be penalized because his or her English skills are not spectacular. Writing is for the English professors to work with, yet many professors give essay examinations. Other students do better on tests that are not multiple choice. Chris Durham, a sophomore genetics major, said, “Multiple choice tests are often confusing to me. Many times it is easy for a professor to trick students with questionable wording.” If students completely bomb a test, there should be ways that they can show proficiency in that class, in stead of using a Q-drop. Cumulative finals are the best way to test whether students have learned the material by the end of the semester. If students have shown they are trying to learn the material by doing all coursework throughout the semester and are able to earn an A on the final, then the students final grades should reflect that. A certain accounting professor believes that if one can get an A on his cu mulative final, and one has done all course work during the semester, then one de serves an A in the class. Everything may not “click” for a student during the se mester, but during the ex tensive cramming for the fi nals, a student may suddenly understand how to work the problems. Professors can also factor in the learning curve of tak ing that professor’s test by the way each test is weighed. Many professors make each test weigh less than the next test. This helps students who did not know how the professor was go ing to test or how they should study for that test. Because each professor tests and grades differently, the - students.are forced to deal with these differences when the test is handed out. Professors can grade stu dents to reflect their learn ing in many ways, and it is their job to explore these ways. Students should be al lowed to choose the type of test they feel would best represent the amount of knowledge they have learned by test time. Having each test count more than the test before it allows the student’s learning curve with dealing with each professor and his or her test style to be taken into account. If students show the proficiency by the end of the semester, they should be rewarded with a good course grade. The student needs to put forth the effort to learn the material, but that student should not be penalized be cause a professor writes tests that are difficult to un derstand, or because that student is forced to be tested in a way not appropriate for that student. Thomas Campbell is a junior agricultural journalism major.