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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
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