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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 4, 2001)
(com upday, September 4, 2001 THE BATTALION > i the first tiiti:^ ^ Unnecessary suspension nlker watch -- - -- --™ . Page 5B Houston boy sent home for sexual harassment, victim of policies run amok 1 2 has five r. : 2(H)I Dtidk'' 1 sh list. CokrMr^live-year-old Colton Lincoln was mson, Iowa .I'M recently sent home from his Alief ood, Kansis^Jy school, Petrosky Elementary, for a neg- bcy, Oklil tigi ile offense — a gold stud ear piercing in , i it fin and iis left ear. School officials said on girls than on boys. It is not the school district’s place to decide how boys and girls should define their gender. Different religions and cultural backgrounds often have very different ideas of proper gender roles. Instead of making a blanket decision based on archaic Judeo- Christian ideas of “men’s clothing” and women s > Williams . undulates to the Q£ that if the jewelry was not removed, Colton could not remain in his kindergarden class. “Our school board pol icy doesn’t allow boys to wear earrings,” said Petrosky Principal Bernadette Kaptain in a Houston Chronicle inter- i6f63t A$t Uc’olton’s mother. Diana Bi Mr , . -•*< Lincoln, plans to pursue legal streak of scracjion against the school district, tory Mooda? >Shv says it is sexual discrimina tion to allow girls, but not boys, the severtr: to kvear earrings. In planning ow ng an ea-deg tl action, she will have to fight a previous Texas Supreme bird hit of thf(Court ruling which says that ed off je#&$cnoo(s can set different groom ing standards for boys and girls, h to Jasonli ILincoln is right on target in ipire MarkCrse<bking to equalize grooming juse someoNruljes — her son has clearly been Ik caff after : a target of sexual discrimination. Children should be treated equal- igh the holer ly in all ways, and teaching them ?ad. It wasthto behave, dress or adorn them selves in a certain way according or hissecooC‘to their biological sex perpetuates for his 24thsacommonly held gender stereo- types. The dress code question must be revisited by the Texas ■preme Court, in order to assure an equal learning environment for every student in every school district. HiCathy Giardina, Alief’*, direc- community and school 1 »' ■— 11 relations, said that they do not 'see the problem as a discrimina tion issue. “We certainly offer equal opportunities to all students for a quali ty education, and these are some of the ■luirements that we have for students to come to school,” she said in a ^muston Chronicle interview. She claims that ear jewelry is less distracting No Earrings Allowed! MINSCNSIU T*roufl* clothing,” the matter should be left for the parents to decide. In addition, any school district that holds boys and girls to different grooming stan- dards is not treating its students ) equally, no matter what school 'n officials say. By forcing students I * to dress according to their sex, 5s students are being taught that J there are important biological ? differences between the sexes, i ;; Not only does this perpetuate | division and conflict between | boys and girls, but it also teach- \ es them that they are different 1 enough to warrant different stan- | dards in school. This can have a serious effect on their academic performance and choices later on in life. Setting different rules for girls and boys champions equal treatment in the same way that the earlier “separate but equal” rules upholding racial segregation did — not at all. It should be no surprise to any one that the female gender puts more weight on “frivolous” items like earrings, makeup and fash ionable clothing when they are taught from childhood that inter est in these things is acceptable. It is also not shocking that the male gender could care less about these things when they are denied the right to wear ear rings, jewelry, and certain cloth ing because it is deemed social ly unacceptable. For men and women to ever be seen as equals in society, they must be equal on all playing fields. This includes setting dress codes for boys and girls because this prac tice socializes them from an early age to adhere to certain gender roles. Lincoln should fight for her son’s right to express himself as he wishes, hence fighting for the rights of all the boys and girls to come after him. Whether it be in school or in the workplace, equal treatment of men and women is imperative. JOE PEDEN • THE BATTALION Jessica Crutcher is a senior journalism major. /eekend Re's ig at $400 vents • Parte ions • Meet" '31-8155 reranda.co' EDITORIAL HETIO COp iORDINAW STOR chnical Wtfr r Level iells and suppf the auto def iness since 10' well-establish i a track recon: ■ek an individ-- :ollect and font; r our technics Ige base systef 5ted in problem communicate ders in write ail and exceller iar skills ad. position offf wsit, free on-s ;; d-annual pc' r reviews. 152 k with flex® n 8 a.m.-5 p.e jy. EOE. It I our Recruit® : 77845 arsys.coif EDITORIAL BOARD * Texas A&M University — Celebrating 125 Years THE BATTALION SERVING THE ASM COMMUNITY SINCE 1893 Brady Creel Mariano Castillo Cayi.a Carr Jonathan Jones Rolando Garcia Editor in Chief Managing Editor Opinion Editor Opinion Editor News Editor A True Injustice MSC should be accountable and public with actions Memorial Student Center (MSC) presi- sdent Josh Rowan is right in his decision to ■ appeal the Monday-night MSC council deci- Ision that removed him from office. The process was unfair, overly bureaucratic and shrouded in secrecy. The MSC’s decision to close the pro ceedings from the public was disgraceful iand voided the council’s task — to rule whether Rowan was guilty of misconduct on a MSC-affiliated trip to Italy. It must be acknowledged that the con sumption of alcohol on University-spon sored trips is not uncommon. However, Rowan’s actions on the trip, where he should have been a positive example to incoming freshmen, may very well merit removal from office, as he neglected that responsibility on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, the way in which the investigation was handled makes it difficult to determine to what degree any accusation contains the complete truth. Fairness gave way to conflicts of interest and unprofes sional actions. The facts of the case, which remain secret, were overshadowed by sensational accusations between Rowan and his critics. The closed disciplinary process, in which Rowan was not even allowed to defend him self, is unfair by any standard, and the out come of such a process should be disre garded and nullified. To his credit, Rowan has been forthcom ing in answering the allegations. The MSC is ultimately a leadership organization, and a strong working relation ship between the president and his follow ers, which is crucial for this large organiza tion to properly function, has been destroyed. This forms an ethical dilemma, especially for the MSC executive vice presi dents: the other leaders who were on the Italy trip should not be involved in the inves- The student body has a right to know, and MSC administrators and council members who would chal lenge that notion have no right working for the stu dents of Texas A&M. tigative or disciplinary process. If Rowan is replaced, his successor should be someone from outside the EVP circle and the council that removed him. The administration of the MSC, which holds the real power to determine if Rowan is removed, is clouding interpretation of state law to fit its agenda. The administra tors' blockade of information is, in effect, keeping the proceedings from the opinion of the student body, a violation of the most basic democratic rights. To withhold valu able and pertinent information from the students who make the MSC an important center of campus is unacceptable and should be admonished. The MSC has cited the Family and Educational Rights Protection Act (FERPA) as justification for not releasing the docu ments. Yet, in the same breath, A&M System general counsel claims that, as a “private organization,” the MSC is not sub ject to Texas open-meeting laws. Is the MSC a public extension of the University, or is it a private entity? Apparently, it is whatever suits the interest of the MSC. MSC administrators, such as Jim Reynolds, Rusty Thompson and Luke Altendorf, need to take a step back and re examine their role in the MSC. Theirs is not one of control, but guidance and counsel. Their overbearing and direct involvement in Rowan’s far-too-secretive hearings negates the type of student leadership A&M should strive for. Students should be asking questions, and they should be concerned. Each stu dent payed $40 for a University Center Fee for the use of thgr living room this semester, filling the coffers of the MSC and the $5-million budget Rowan over sees. Yet, the use of shady and subversive tactics persists in the wake of Rowan’s dis ciplinary process, and there is no clear reason why. The student body has a right to know, and MSC administrators and council members who would challenge that notion have no right working for the students of Texas A&M. MAIL Bad grammar In response to Brian Cheadle’s September 3rd column. “Fish vs. Farmers” — a tirade suggesting that because Oregon farmers cannot use the Klamath Falls watershed to irrigate their farms, the Endangered Species Act “values inferior forms of species over human life” — was the sort of hysterical essay that I warn my stu dents against. The first error, "hasty general ization,” occurs when sample evi dence is too small to support a conclusion. In his case, he engi neers a complex issue - the Klamath Falls irrigation problem - to an insupportable conclusion: “Environmentalists place animals before humans.” In Cheadle’s defense, I should mention that he might be correct. I personally do not know any who value animals before humans; and I suspect that Mr. Cheadle does not either, but there certainly exists that possibility. Nevertheless, he make a logical error when he makes that conclu sion based on one piece of flimsy evidence. The second — and most annoy ing — error, is the “appeal to pity" wherein the pitiful state of an ele ment in the argument (or arguer) is used as evidence to support a con clusion. It's an incredibly complex CALL issue: officials have to weigh farmer demand against the poten tial environmental impact. To sug gest that it’s either farmers or fish is naive and irresponsible. Larry Van Meter English 104 instructor Tough Scene In response to Melissa Bedsole's August 31 column. I am totally appalled that Bedsole would write such a dis criminating article about ecstasy and party-goers. I believe the word “ravers” is what she was looking for? With the picture of the girl in “phat" pants next to the piece, I believe she was. I guess since I wear big pants and beads it means I am an drug user? I’ve seen more ecstasy outside of raves that at raves. I’ve been raving for two years and it disgusts me to see people like Bedsole destroying my culture and scene. She has no right to target ravers as druggies or the culprit of today’s ecstasy scene. There are many ravers here in Texas and College Station who fully support, condone and partake in sobriety. My scene is under enough scrutiny as it is. I Pixie Price Class of 2003 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 also may be mailed to: The Battalion — Mail Call 014 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus MaiLllll Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: opinion@thebatt.com Mail Call: mailcall@thebatt.com i.
