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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
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EDITORIAL BOARD
* Texas A&M University — Celebrating 125 Years
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ASM COMMUNITY SINCE 1893
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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
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