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Opinion
A welcoming atmosphere?
THE BATTALION
A&M encourages diversity
MELISSA BEDSOLE
ing advantage ;
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exas A&M cherishes its
history, and there are
good and bad aspects
included. It is important to real-
Hthe history of the University
plays a big role in every aspect
of the school today, and, like it
^not. the current diversity
issues are no exception. In
187b, Texas A&M opened its
H>rs to white males, and it
tool 87 years to change.
■In 1963, there was much
more debate about women
being admitted to the school
than there was minorities
admittance. The numbers of
women were small for a long
tinv (like the numbers are for
jpninorities now), but these
changes take time. Women
, , , could have found flaws with
to our foreli’hr , , • , ,
, .. , D the system or comp amed that
ition, said Bnaru J c ,
things were unfair, but what
would that have accom
plished? Those women had to
decide for themselves if A&M
1 • was the right place for them
ISM TTb ant ^ '* was ll P to t * icni to deter-
■The l i niversity has done its
p pvf P 377 fo meet the demands of
i 1 ICAI minority students who feel
Tmvelcome. It recently added
six hours of cultural diversity
classes to the curriculum for
those entering A&M after fall
2001. Not only are there corn-
next to the - njptees and organizations
' strong core;" ^signed specifically for minor
ity student involvement, but
the group that* there are nearly 700 organiza-
ers abroad of it tion on campus that are avail-
mdon its plans, able for every student, regard-
re going tosta less of race, to join.
.que.” said Salmi' ih is not the University’s job
to make sure that each student
s largest Arabcit feels good about themselves
it permission tos-— becoming a part of this
vhere they says-campus is the job of individual
students. It should be recog-
ig a mosque$0i nized that many minority stu-
East and thesiv; dems have accepted this chal-
esus‘birth—wdenge and taken their future
into their own hands. Whether
a visit in 2000c';black, white or purple, the
ject with Israeli'opportunities for success and
ast year. achievement exist for every
.‘it set. but the bn student on campus,
has proposed alK - In a recent column in the
jected. Houston Chronicle, Roland S.
ninister in char?!Martin, a black graduate of
)nth to resolve [lx a&M, explained, “Despite
a ot the mosque Texas A&M being overwhelm
ingly white, it is not a ‘white
dll be somebod; university.'" There have been
is very importan'- b( ac k student body presidents,
account the real black y e || i eac )ers, black student
ind sensitivities senators ^ black bus drivers,
black student workers, and the
ik on the site sift ;
onstruction inJa-
wild ing, in accord
:li govemments
l everything top*
ur responsibility
ere and continued
it listen to Sharor
list continues. These people did
not get their positions because
they were minorities; they
chose to make something of the
opportunities given to all
Aggies.
Any Aggie who feels
unwelcome at this school is in
an extremely unfortunate situa
tion, but pointing fingers
across campus is not the way
to deal with this. The negative
"racism" that is being pointed
at many different campus
groups is not only disrespect
ful. much of it is ridiculous.
The idea that traditions
could be racist simply does not
make sense. In a report for the
Houston Chronicle one student
chose to point her finger at
Fish Camp, claiming that it is
“not geared for people of other
cultures.” Fish Camp is geared
toward freshmen, and that is
all. The entire organization
makes a huge effort not to pro
mote any specific organization,
and twisting this around to
make it seem like a white
event is unfair.
This is not to say these
issues are unimportant. There
should be efforts made, but the
The University has
done its part to meet
the demands of
minority students
who feel unwelcome.
ideas for these efforts should
be better than those that are
currently being discussed.
Ideas, such as the top 20 per
cent rule, that focus solely on
bringing minorities to this
school are providing an even
greater inequality to Aggies
than ever before.
Students can shrug this off
and claim “white people don’t
understand,” but everyone
understands being different.
Every single person is somehow
different —maybe it is their
skin color or economic status, a
handicap or disability or maybe
they come from a single-parent
home or have no parents at all—
but each person must face the
challenges life provides them.
Within the history of Texas
A&M, minorities have achieved
a great deal of success and if
the focus would shift to solving
the problems of diversity on this
campus rather than blaming or
complaining about them, the
future of this University will
hold their future also.
Melissa Bedsole is a senior
psychology major.
A&M not friendly to all
md *
•■ I i;. •« * ■ *%*'
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r
RUBEN DELUNA* THE BATTALION
RUBY LEE
W ith the traditional
“howdy” greeting
and warm atmos
phere, A&M has earned a rep
utation of friendliness and
seems to embody the epitome
of Southern hospitality.
However, this friendliness
is only applicable under cer
tain circumstances. According
to The Princeton Review
Guide: The Best 331 Colleges,
2000 Edition, A&M was
ranked as the third least gay-
friendly campus, stating
“Alternative lifestyle is not an
alternative, at A&M. With this
fact in mind, perhaps it is not
difficult to see why minorities
of all kinds have a negative
image of A&M, and may be
more than a little hesitant to
attend.
A&M is a predominantly
white school. This is disturb
ing, considering the demo
graphics in Texas and realizing
However, it is past
time for students
to open their eyes
and minds to
the happenings
of their beloved
campus. •<
that demographics at A&M are
nowhere near matching those
of the state. Blacks comprise
11.5 percent of Texas, yet at
A&M, only around 3 percent
of the student body is black.
Whites not of Hispanic or
Latino origin are only 52.4 per
cent of Texas, yet they com
prise almost 80 percent of the
entire campus. A recent study
reported minorities hold a
rather negative view of A&M.
Some Aggies were appalled,
finding it hard to believe that
anyone could feel left out in
Aggieland. Ignorance is, after
all, bliss. However, it is past
time for students to open their
eyes and minds to the happen
ings of their beloved campus.
A&M students have an infa
mous history of being less than
accepting of minorities. For
example, in 1992, the self-pro-
claimed “true gentlemen” of
Sigma Alpha Epsilon held a
“jungle party” in which the
participants painted their faces
black and wore grass skirts.
Offense was taken, and, conse
quently, SAE was fined for
racist behavior. Some argue
that they were just having fun.
1992 was a frightful year
for A&M in terms of improv
ing race relations. During
Muster, Frank Cox III, Class
of 1965 and keynote speaker,
said, “there is already enough
diversity” at Texas A&M. That
statement is hard to believe,
especially considering that
almost 82 percent of the
undergraduate students at
A&M are white, and, appar
ently, the campus is more
diverse than before.
Imagine being a minority
on a campus where white is
the predominant skin color.
Skin color supposedly does
not matter, however people
still have the innate desire to
be around others like them
selves. Essentially, people tend
to bond with groups in their
own race. This is a survival
instinct to stay with the famil
iar and known, rather than
venture out into the unknown
and chance getting hurt.
Unfortunately, there is no
Asian studies department or an
African-American studies
department. While some may
not see the need for it, there is
undoubtedly one. The Asian
market has been a major player
in business for quite some
time, and will continue to be
for years. Aggies will be at a
distinct disadvantage if they do
not learn the culture and cus
toms of doing business, and,
thankfully, this fact has indeed
been recognized by the school,
leading to the changes in the
core curriculum for students
who entered in Fall 2001.
These students are required
to take six hours of either inter
national or cultural diversity
courses, definitely a step in the
right direction. It is hard to
imagine how one could even
think A&M is friendly to all
people when slogans such as,
“Aggies, not Faggies,” are
hurled during gay right marches
or where anti-Asian sentiments
are scrawled on restroom walls
and desk tops. These actions
must no longer be dealt with
lightly to help A&M become
part of the increasingly diverse
United States.
Ruby Lee is a sophomore
computer science major.
ijCatholics’ try to change policies to help image
ynold
me Court
es
Law
f)F( R1M11VAL
KATHERINE TUCKER
54
3d.com
ast week, John J. Geoghan,
a former Catholic priest
Iconvicted of molesting a
10-year-old boy, was sentenced to
10 years in prison. Geoghan’s
trial has put the Roman Catholic
1 Church in the spotlight. As Geoghan’s story
unfolded, a history of sexual abuse in the
Catholic Church was exposed as well. The
church’s failure as a moral institution to inform
its parishioners as well as the authorities of
these sex-crimes has left a stain on the integrity
of Catholic priests.
After being exposed to the public view, the
Catholic Church has yielded its full cooperation
to police, as well as implemented many new
policies reflecting its beliefs and correcting its
mistakes. The reactionary procedures of the
atholic Church have been appropriate and ade
quate, and the public should recognize this.
Much like a child who swept its mess under
- the rug, the Catholic Church’s mess has now
been exposed and responsibility must be taken.
I The church must address past crimes, educate to
prevent future problems and respond to the vic-
f tims of these past crimes. In regard to these
alleged crimes, like those committed by
Geoghan, the church can only admit its mistakes
and apologize. The police will han
dle all other crime related courses
of action. So as the church must
take responsibility in the trials of
questioned priests, it must also be
formulating policies to avoid fur
ther mishaps that could destroy
The church's failure as a moral
institution to inform its
parishioners as well as the
authorities of these sex-crimes
has left a stain on the integrity
of Catholic priests.
trust of the church, in?
In response to the duty owed to parishioners,
the Catholic Church has assured that any future
allegations of sexual abuse will result in imme
diate suspension of the accused until the accusa
tion is properly investigated. Care will then be
extended to the victim and the victim’s family.
Failure to cooperate with authorities, which has
broken trust in past cases, is intolerable now.
The churches recognition of this reveals its will
ingness to embrace change — an observance
that should be noted by the public as well.
Cardinal Bernard Law has adopted a zero-
tolerance policy in regard to any sexual abuse
accusations in the church. It was revealed
through church documents in court that in the
past 10 years, the Catholic Church has quietly
settled claims against at least 70 priests. As the
law has stepped in and carefully examined
church documents, the church itself has con
fronted its mistakes. This zero-tolerance policy
is the only acceptable conclusion, as the church
must be a place of refuge.
The Catholic Church’s proposition to
address the possibility that sexual abuse will
occur again is a step in recognizing there is a
problem. The next task ir, to educate clergy
and parishioners, so that a repetition of abuse
can be avoided. The efforts the church has
started to implement include more stringent
qualifications for clergy as well as certificates
of good standing among the clergy to obtain
parish transfers. In addition to these stern
qualifications, clergy members are required to
pass the screening of the board consisting of
clergy as well as doctors hired specifically to
weed out any possible threats to the church.
The undertakings of the church show hope of
preventing future abuse, but it is its efforts
toward the already afflicted that demonstrate
the church’s degree of concern for its parish
ioners and the hopes of regaining their trust.
Facilities to rehabilitate fallen clergy have
been established to address each priest’s unique
situation. A business might fire its employee for
not obeying his contract and possibly even file a
suit against him. However, when the company
happens to be the Catholic Church, which
preaches the value of forgiveness, it is a moral
responsibility to reach out to those in need of
help, even if it is a clergy member found guilty.
The immense amount of criticism the
Catholic Church has endured has been unfortu
nate, but the church still maintains hope of
rebuilding trust amongst its parishioners. The
actions the church has taken should reflect what
kind of institution it is and what kind of institu
tion it is striving to be. It is easy to identify an
organization by its faults, but since religion is a
vital part to many people’s lives, people should
strive to recognize the forgiveness the church
has exhibited and concentrate on efforts being
made to improve the future.
Katherine Tucker is a sophomore
general studies major.