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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2001)
sday, November l ; nuti :zle ■d in New York li d out of Jamaica-J ole the tail and n A300taii assembly] irsday, November 15, 2001 THE BATTALION Page 7B -sippers Igies should consider xh another school rival or tortilla-throwers Rudder s the 2001 Aggie foot ball season comes to a The tail finprc,*-^close, the redeeming stability while for Texas A&M lies in rudder control; k yearly matchup against the plane’s leftanc steering. University of Texas-Austin next week. Aggies of all ages look forward to the game with UT, and some Old Army adherents rs control thepia^lleve a win over the ert with the rudder? Ighorns to be as rewarding ns in the wings li winning season. But, look- Bgback on the season, it is leniably clear that the con- I of rivalries has become force exerted on : Jh more complicated for Im. It is fair to say that Texas p values A&M as its top I. the Aggies value UT as rs, UT despises the Aggies places more weight on its with the University of ahoma, and in recent years, has focused its energies on ing Nebraska. This could onsidered a case of rivalry !is, and A&M may be in of a new rival, he beauty of any sports , is that no matter the rd of either of the teams, eis a large amount of pride Ived and the final score matter more than either of team's final records. A win i t/w/Kal can transcend the I Imess and bad feelings that I leuith a losing season. Ilhe Big 12 has raised the riff fann terms of competition and ' W islood for the competitive pt of sport that every game iera fair amount of impor- [ce. The matchups are more nse and the stakes are high- |ince the demise of the thwest Conference. A&M UT have played one anoth- ilanced. Atlowar ipensate. Aeronautical L/rmsfi a on the last miffl corched and bane: ■covered and take: •r other causes er since 1894, and the rivalry is one that drives the traditions of each campus. Many Aggies will forever define the football season’s suc cess with a win over UT. But there is more to a successful football season than beating UT. Although UT has become one of the top teams in the country, A&M students, fans and the athletic establishment should never limit themselves to simply beating UT. The challenge for A&M, The beauty of any sports rivalry is that no matter the record of either of the teams, there is a large amount of pride involved and the final score will matter more than either of the team’s final records. with the Big 12 in its prime, is not to limit itself to one rival. While the rivalry between A&M and UT is one of the biggest in college sports and will remain so as long as the two universities exist, the Big 12 is competitive enough for each team to have more than one rival. Each game has the potential to be a rivalry in its own right and one will be hard pressed to find a game that is not “big.” Even Baylor, as it demonstrated at Kyle Field this fall, can give teams a run for their money. Aggies, for the most part, do not hold the matchup with Tech to be anything more than just another important conference game. The most recent example of this growing rivalry between A&M and a school other than UT was seen two weeks ago as many Aggies were left scratch ing their heads by the actions of Tech fans. Being so enthused with their shutout win over A&M, a group of Tech fans ripped down their own goal posts and committed other childish acts in the name of victory. Of course this is not the only time that either side of an A&M- Tech game acted in an unsports manlike manner, but the “un-rivalry” has apparently reached a head. Instead of looking down on Tech and the fact that they see A&M as their No. 1 rival. Aggies should embrace the competition and realize Tech has beaten A&M five of the last seven times they have played and most recently thrown a goal post in their faces. If this is not asking for a rivalry, what is? The histories of A&M and UT are intertwined to the point that is is difficult to tell the story of one without involving the other. From naming of mas cots to Hex Rallies and the “Aggie War Hymn,” the rivalry between the two state institutions is undeni able. It should not be forgotten that the statue of Will Rogers and his horse Soapsuds on the Tech campus points away from visitors as they enter the cam pus, but the unwritten legend of the statue is that that the horse’s rear end is pointed in the gener al direction of College Station. UT will always be the pri mary rival of A&M. It may be time to elevate Tech from its status as pseudo-rival to something more. As long as the Red Raiders put themselves in a position to be a rival to the Aggies, A&M should follow UT’s lead, and as they regard OU as a rival, A&M should give Tech the respect of being on our level and maybe the Aggies can get a win next year. Kelln Zimmer is a junior English major. The focus is today et the checkbooks ready because the admin- U istration is proposing yet another fee increase to dump on students. The sweet-sounding silence Fee is being tossed around in conversa tions, but in reality, it may be one of the most ridiculous fee increase plans in a long time. The first problem is that many students have no real idea about the fee. The second is that the administra tion seems, not to mind that at all. Although there was an open forum to discuss the fee, students knew so little about the possibility of increase that it is not surprising the attendance was low. At the forum, A&M president Dr. Ray M. en discussed the possibility e fee only pertaining to ming students, adding a $30 ease per credit hour a student s—which is approximately Increase of $450 for a student |ing 15 hours. The problem is that all >e grand plans for Vision 0 were made and now the jlget is not able to accom- date them. It is easy to ug this off, especially ause students on campus now will likely not be cted by the fee, but it is not fair that the ninistrators are overlooking the fact that current dents still should have a say in the matter. Most people know that this fee, along with most he plans for Vision 2020, receive a very nega- |e response from students, but no one seems to e. There has been little attention paid to the fact it many current students feel like there is a ater emphasis on the future of this school that re is in dealing with it presently. It is not ridicu- ■s to prepare for the future, but it is frustrating ■ students to see problems on campus that are " Jpng left unattended, while the sole focus is what . Bs school will be like in 20 years. A Most likely, if a poll was taken of the current ■dents’ thoughts on the problems of this campus. vynv would have an issue with the unknown inutes lost.CDMApwim of Bonfire. It seems that this issue is com- Although there was an open forum to discuss the fee, students knew so little about the possibility of this increase that it is not surprising the attendance was very low. Communications ard Road 4800 pletely separate, but it is not difficult to see how they are related. Administrators want students to believe that future Bonfires may not burn because there is not enough money for all the safety requirements, but no one has suggested that a fee be proposed for the possibility of its return. The priorities here seem to be heading in a strange direction, plain and simple: they are not moving toward what the students have an interest in. It may be selfish for students to focus only on their own desires, but in actuality, they may not be that different from the desires of incoming students. While it is obvious that the administrators have attempted to phase out the interest and passion for Bonfire on this campus, their attempts have failed. The Classes of 2003, 2004 and 2005 have not seen a Bonfire burn, but their passion is still there. And as the class of 2006 tours this campus and is told about Bonfire, their passion begins to grow. When tour guides show them around campus, they do not talk about how great the plans for the future of this University are, they talk about how great this University already is. New students do not choose to come to Texas A&M because of how it will be years after they are gone. They choose this campus because of how it is today — rich in tradition and ready for each one of them to become a part of this family. The Excellence Fee is not ridiculous in itself, but there are bigger problems on campus, and it is time that the administrators paid more attention to how the students feel. The Class of 2006 is not here to speak for itself, and the administration is most definitely taking advantage of that. Realistically, the Excellence Fee will pass for that very reason, but in the defense of the Class of 2006, maybe the spending of it should be focused a little more on the “visions” of those students — instead of the predictions of 20 years from now. Maybe the “excellence” of A&M entails something very different in their eyes. Melissa Bedsole is a senior psychology major. Bonfire was lost by students’ lack of pride As a proud member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 1996, I am heartbroken that my fellow Ags have let the tra dition of Bonfire slip through their fingers. The studies showed no negli gence, perhaps a few areas that need a little tighter super vision, but no good reason why Bonfire as I knew it should come to an end. I had faith in my fellow Aggies that the lives lost would not quell the flames but rather fan them to build the next one bigger and better. No soul has offered a reasonable explanation of why Bonfire should cease to continue as it has for decades. If the students don't stand up for their traditions in a place they think so grand, it is a sad day in Aggieland, and the land scape will change forever. By all means have profes sional engineers design the Bonfire and oversee the con struction. Sure the administra tion wants the tradition to con tinue, but by making every aspect of the Bonfire limited and have to out source every thing to companies. Can you not see that the sticker price becomes prohibi tive? They sure do, and you're letting them do it. It's your University, not theirs, don't for get that they work for you. Your dollars employ them to run and administer your university. Have some pride, and don't MAIL CALL let your traditions die on the vine. The parents of many of the fallen Ags said themselves that their sons and daughters wouldn't want to see this tradi tion die. They're watching you; don't let them down. Stephen Watson Class of 1996 There is no Hotard rebel Bonfire In response to Brandie Liffick's Nov. 14 article: As a resident of Hotard Hall, I am curious about the article concerning a rebel bonfire that was published yesterday. I do not know what informa tion the article was based on, but my inquiries lead me to CARTOON OF THE DAY believe that the investigation mentioned was closed a month ago. Further, though I am a very active member of my hall, I know of no other residents par ticipating in any kind of "rebel bonfire," leading me to serious ly question the very existence of the event described. Surely no dorm the size of Hotard could be undertaking such a feat without almost all resi dents knowing about it. The most troubling thing about this article is its poten tial ramifications in terms of residence hall-administration relations. We are trying to sup port a proposal for a change in our visitation hours this year, and we certainly do not need any smudges on our record, especially untrue ones. Chris Carlin Class of 2003 BONFIRE 2002 ZZ3