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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 18, 2001)
V 7///<y//?ww/.uesday, September 18, 2001 Northgate businesses treated unfairly han at mo e are proud t: id alumni are at A&M.” ft.M t'ootbal u ned SotR - - J f ter a i on g week of classes and work, many e ('hampu /% students find the local strip of b:trs and restau- was the Bi Vaants known as Northgate to be a great place to 94' 'la| and unwind with friends. Northgate hits been an Aggie hotspot for decades and, for many, a huge part of their college experience. This experience, how ever, soon could become only a memory to students because of the outrageous parking situation adopt ed by the city. To some extent, Northgate has become part of the Texas A&M experience by bringing Vggies new events like North by Northgate and ^Bino tournaments. Some of the Northgate bars lata back more than a decade, long enough to intertwined during the years with songs ! . ih .g,,- md(traditions about A&M. Recently, however. tgate was dealt a crippling blow by the City of fontml tkrollege Station. The city, while in the process of : htiye run- ^novating Northgate. closed a major portion of the ini in the ferencefoi all athlek ns. While ilocsntm >ck xhod ant thesm at way. available parking without considering input from Northgate merchants. Furthennore, after taking away the available parking, construction began on what was to be a great addition to the area, the This experience soon could become only a memory to students because of the outrageous parking situation adopted by the city. Northgate parking garage. This six-level parking area was supposed to solve all parking problems around the Northgate area and make up for the parking spaces that the city had closed. To area merchants, this idea seemed like a great addition to the area. A lighted, safe area where their customers could park seemed like a great addition to Northgate. But now, after the construction is com plete and the garage is open, many merchants are wondering where all the customers have gone. The truth is, at the current rate of $1.50 per hour, few students can afford to park there and still have money remaining to spend at Northgate. Area merchants were given very little say in the price adopted by the city and are now suffering from lack of student interest in the area. “It's just not worth the $1.50 an hour to park there. I can spend that money on better things than parking,” said Kendel Osborn, a senior English major. Students are not alone in their disenchantment with the garage. Business owners also have their own objections to voice, and rightfully so. Rick Lemmons, owner of Zapato’s Cantina and Big Pauly’s restaurant, says he has seen a marked decrease in his business since this time last year when parking was free. He attributes the high garage parking rates and low availability of free spots for the decline in his business. “I would have preferred to see a flat fee or a small fee in order to generate more interest in the garage instead of the higher $1.50-per-hour rate that is currently in place,” Lemmons said. The city could have dealt with the situation better by entertaining more input from Northgate business owners. “Our goals are the same as their goals ” Lemmons said. “We both want the garage full.” By working more closely with business owners like Lemmons, the city council could have gained valuable insight on what students are willing to pay. Many wonder how the city will handle the parking for the North by Northgate concerts that will fill the area later this year in March. Will the students be willing to add another $6 to the cost of their ticket for every four hours of parking or will the event see a decline in attendance? The money lost by this pricing scheme reach es far and wide. The city loses revenue because no one will park at the garage, local businesses lose money because fewer people are able to visit their establishments and if the attendance at North by Northgate falls, local non-profit organ ization? like CARPOOL will lose the benefit from the proceeds of North by Northgate. By not giving more weight to the input of Northgate business owners, the city has not only damaged the local economy but threatened a valuable piece of College Station history as well. Tim Dyll is a senior electrical engineering major mm**®. Ian Fata ft make us •ould slant I y.” students cot Station to st ir alma mai!| ector of Tim Cassid) r ans are so t their kf id. “Win, ! support for eper than f ■ir enthusii n a love ‘ sings are df spective apf which colkf m by offer® current stuite erent cate; or colleges i ire available- Vcbsite, lisle: Diversity of :1 fifth in ' in “party si n “major ftf ae.” Gramm good for A&M So BRIAN CHFADL.E i yourself, that include end. Iniversity Naval 15-1775 A t the first Aggie home football game this year, U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm stpod among the wave of maroon not as a senator but as an Aggie. Gramm has been a part of the Aggie family for many years. He has described his relationship to the school as a “life long love affair with Texas A&M University.” I With his decision recently not to run for Senate re-elec tion, speculation has intensi fied that he may be a candidate for A&M’s presidency vacan cy. A man of honor, integrity and deep patriotism like Gramm would make an excel lent successor to current A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen. I Gramm is more than quali fied to hold the office of presi dent. He holds a Ph.D. in eco nomics and has established himself in the academic world with numerous published works ranging from monetary theory and policy to private property to economics of min eral extraction. I Gramm’s A&M roots begin in the 1960s when he was • hired at A&M as an econom ics professor. Thirteen years later, he began a career in poli tics starting in College Station and ending up on the steps of the nation’s Capital. While in Congress, he distinguished him self as a leader, holding high- ,ranking positions such as chair- mun of the Banking Committee. He is a Texan, who knows how to get results. But more impor tant, he knows firsthand the tra ditions at A&M. a necessary quality for a good president. I Gramm’s long involvement in politics also would help to advance A&M. Former President George Bush had the same effect when he decided A&M would be home to his presidential library. | Dignitaries, ambassadors and high-ranking government officials now grace our campus on a regular basis because of events hosted by his library. Gramm’s deep understanding of politics would give A&M a knowledgeable guardian on the state level. His lobbying skills could help A&M in state legis lation pertaining to state uni versities. His experienced abil ity to raise large amounts of money easily could bring in extra monetary funds that could help A&M reach its Vision 2020. These days, uni versity presidents spend a lot of time fundraising. Undoubtedly, his presence alone would attract more atten tion to A&M, which will only strengthen A&M’s stature and name recognition nationwide. As a conservative Republican, Gramm would also fit in well with Texas A&M. Compared to other uni versities, we tend to be less lib eral. Protests are not a weekly event, nor are the students as vocally active, except at the football games. The A&M campus is friendly, much like the senator. The faculty and students here should gladly receive someone of Gramm’s caliber. His morals and strong leadership would be a stable rock for to lean on in our quickly changing society. When Bowen steps down, A&M will no doubt find a qualified leader. Good leader ship is important, but what Gramm will bring is a devoted love and passion for A&M. That also is needed for this job. He has shared many high points and his low points with A&M already. Six years ago, Gramm stood on the steps of the Administration Building and shared with the Aggie fam ily a tough defeat for president of the United States. He is family, and when he comes home to College Station, regardless if he is the next president, he should be treated as a valued public servant. And if does decide to pursue the presidency of Texas A&M, there is no question that Gramm could do great things for the University. Brian Cheadle is a junior political science major. The patriotic spirit Last Friday, I took my mom (Class of 1977) and my dad (Class of 1975) to the Dixie Chicken when they got into town.It was crowded, and people were slamming dominoes down, talking to their friends and singing along with the music. At 7 p.m., the television tuned to a can dlelight ceremony in Houston. As if on cue, everyone became silent and watched the television as the “Star-Spangled Banner” began to play. Tears welled up in my eyes, as they did in everyone else's. Someone on televison said, "Let us pray,” and we all did. Everyone bowed their heads and prayed for the healing of our nation. On National Prayer Day, I did n't have to go to a church to have a prayer vigil, because Aggies were in prayer every where. My parents and I left the Chicken, feeling so proud to be Americans, and so very proud to be Aggies. Heather Howbert Class of2003 Show respect for the flag Amid the new trend of patriotism, many people are caught unaware of the etiquette that should be followed when displaying the American flag. For example, our flag should never be flown after dusk unless illuminated, nor should it be worn as cloth ing, affixed to a ceiling or allowed to touch the ground. When hanging the flag vertical ly, the Union (stars) should be on the observer’s left. Wave our flag with pride, but give her the dignity she deserves. Steve Brauer Class of 2002 Attack demands war Since the attack on New York and Washington, D.C., I have heard a lot of talk about revenge and retribution. I know it is a natural reaction to want to hurt those who have hurt us, but I don't think that should be our national priority. We are at war with an enemy that has the capability and the clear intent to destroy our cities and kill our people. Today, we need to get our people out of the rubble. Then we need to go to war. We need to destroy that enemy and that capability. What happened last week was not a crime. It was a coordinated attack on our country by an enemy army, an act of war. When a crime is committed, the appropriate response is to find the crimi nals who committed the crime or who MAIL CALL knowingly participated directly or indirect ly. War is different. When an enemy soldier is part of an attack on a friendly position, it is not appropriate to be concerned with proving beyond a reasonable doubt which individual pulled the trigger, who pur chased that bullet or who gave that soldier the specific order to fire his weapon. The appropriate response in war to is go after the elements that are attacking you, the other units of that army that are form ing up in the rear, the command and con trol elements, the supply and support ele ments, the training base and the industrial base that gives the enemy the capability to make war. Americans never dance in the streets when innocent people are dying and suffer ing. We do not bomb office buildings or try to kill innocents. Innocent people always suffer in war, but we try to minimize such suffering and regret it when it happens. It will never be our goal, as it was the enemy's goal in New York and Washington. We are not at war with a religion or with people of any race or ethnic background. We are at war with a network of organi zations made up of people who have made the decision to bring this war to us and to the rest of the civilized world. I have heard people say that we don't know who to attack. This is nonsense. Our intelligence community knows who and where the terrorist cells are and who supports them. There is a coordinated network of organizations around the world who cooperate with each other to plan, support and implement terrorist activity. There are countries that harbor them, providing them with training CARTOON OF THE DAY areas, support and encouragement. This is an international problem. Most of the civilized world will join us because they are targets of the same enemy and because they know we are right. But those are Americans under the rubble and we will lead the effort. Not out of hatred, but out of determination. Before the attack, countries that have supported terrorist activities have been repeatedly warned. Now those countries need to decide whether they are going to be an active, supportive, cooperative partner in the solution, or if they intend to continue to be part of the problem. Either way they are going to be involved. These cells and those who support them need to be brought to their knees, and their capability destroyed. Not out of revenge or retribution, but as a legitimate act of national self defense. And we should not be at all concerned that we will destroy some cells and terrorist organizations that were not directly involved with this particular attack. They are part of the terrorist army and so they are the enemy. We need to come together, to love and support each other. Americans are good at that. Witness the brave fire fighters, police, and volunteers in New York and Washington, D.C., over the past several days. We have tried to deal with the terror ist problem with diplomacy, economic sanctions, and legal remedies. Those efforts were not successful. Now we need to go to war. Fortunately, Americans are good at that too. Dr. Lawrence Petersen Department of Computer Science