Opinion
5B
Tuesday, March 5, 2002
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EDITORIAL
Looking Past Top 20
A controversial plan aimed at increasing campus diversity is
dead for now, and rightfully so. A more diverse student body is a
necessary and worthy goal, vital to fulfilling Vision 2020, but the
top 20 plan was overly politicized and poorly timed. It also con
tained hints of racial preference. As such, the plan probably
would have been declared illegal, a violation of the 1996
Hopwood decision that barred using race as a factor in admis
sions and financial aid in Texas higher education. Even if the top
20 plan was declared legal, it violates a higher principle of color
blindness in education. And now that University officials have
ended its consideration for the time being, the focus should
remain on diversity, but the approach should change.
The plan would automatically admit qualified students in the
top 20 percent of certain economically disadvantaged schools.
The vast majority of the targeted schools are from districts with
large Hispanic and African-American student populations.
Many students raised concerns about the specifics of the plan,
and the Student Senate condemned it last month. At the root
of the effort to enroll more minority students to A&M should be
a focus on first generation access in college, and A&M in par
ticular. Here is where new ideas, free from charges of racial
quotas and preferences, must come in.
The goal of increasing minority admission must not end with
the top 20 plan. Persuasive arguments of racial preference
meant the plan was a hot political issue, and the timing certain
ly could have been better. Election season is in full swing, and
Attorney General John Cornyn, who is running for the U. S.
Senate, has not issued an opinion on the matter as requested by
the Texas A&M System Board of Regents. University officials
should avoid well-intentioned, but volatile and legally question
able, courses of action like the top 20 plan. They only serve to
mobilize current and former students, as well as activists on both
sides of the issue, in a way not constructive to the University.
Perhaps the best way to encourage minority applicants is to
meet those students where they are. There are many qualified
students in the high schools targeted by the top 20 plan who
would do very well at A&M. But schools and students should not
be favored for guaranteed admission over others. Sending cur
rent minority students into the targeted high schools, alongside
recruiters from other schools, is a good start. Then, prospective
students can begin to learn for themselves why Aggieland is a
special and welcoming place.
THE BATTALION
Managing Editor I
Opinion Editor
News Editor
News Editor
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor in Chief Mariano CASTILLO
Melissa Bedsole
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Brandie Liffick
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Jonathan Jones
Jennifer Lozano
Kelln Zimmer
TVie Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 200 words or less
and include the author's name, class and phone number. The opinion editor
(reserves the right to edit letters for length, style and accuracy. Letters may be submit-
Ited in person at 014 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters also may be
1 mailed to; 014 Reed McDonald, MS 1111, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
77843-1111. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email; mailcall@thebatt.com
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Diversity issues
creates a stir
In response to March 4 Diversity
Columns:
While both articles presented
on diversity were well-written
and perceptive, neither was well
grounded in reality. The reality of
diversity is that a University will
reflect the prejudices and values
of the student body. Texas A&M is
a primarily conservative
University and therefore attracts
primarily conservative students.
Yes, there are many different
views on politics and religion that
are espoused by our student
body, but these are a minority,
and are represented as such.
While the admissions people
should strive to equate the stu
dent body with the demograph
ics of Texas, the true choice lies in
whether this University is attrac
tive to the proposed students or
not. This is not to say, however,
that different views in the
University should be in anyway
suppressed or overlooked, or that
we should not strive to attract a
more diverse student body. Being
aware of the differences around
you and trying to understand
those differences is what makes
us better people. As Bedsole said,
the focus should "shift to solving
the problems of diversity. Rather
than blaming or complaining
about them." The problem with
diversity is that many of us are
not willing to accept those
around us and respect and
explore the differences between
us all. Hopefully, as the University
grows and the student body
changes, we will be able to diver
sify ourselves, and then better
reflect the beautiful patchwork
that is the population of Texas.
Jennifer D'Abadie
Class of 2005
Ruby Lee's claim that Texas
A&M is "not friendly to all" is
vague and lacks substance. She
implicitly argues for two things:
racial quotas and the creation of
an Asian studies-oriented curricu-
'lum as a solution to A&M's lack of
racial diversity and supposed
intolerant, racist atmosphere.
Her first plan of action, to
deliberately limit the number of
whites while accepting students
only because they belong to a
minority race, is a recipe for dis
aster. Just ask the University of
California's administrators, who
recently abandoned racial quo
tas because of the unfairness
and subsequent resentment the
quotas created. Her second
plan, to introduce Asian studies,
is puzzling. Texas as a whole is
hardly a mecca of Asian culture.
There are plenty of schools in
the nation that specialize in
Asian-related subjects.
If A&M actually did feel the
need to further encourage for
eign studies, the introduction of
Mexican/Latin American studies
makes much more sense based
on this region's history and cur
rent ethnic make up.
A&M has the right to be differ
ent. A&M has the right to select
the best of applicants to attend,
even if most of those applicants
are primarily conservative, white
Texans, who are drawn to this
school's culture, and who neither
embrace liberal policies nor have
aspirations to dedicate their lives
to studying Asia. Lee has unfairly
characterized Aggies as ignorant
and racist because of who they
are; but in fact, they are some of
the friendliest, most hospitable
and brightest students in the
state.
Phillip Salzman
Graduate Student
Costly promises
Proposal gives more welfare money to married women
T!
MELISSA FRIED
Ihe single welfare mother’s story is
not original. They are often young
and unmarried, left to bring up
their children and play both the role of
mother and father. These women work
long hours and are barely able to make
ends meet with a gross income of
under $9,000. Their families
depend on welfare, but an
enlightened President Bush
believes he has the ultimate
answer to these mother’s
woes — $ 100 million in
experimental government
programs to promote
marriage among single
welfare mothers in an
effort to decrease the
number of welfare
recipients.
Marriage is a valu
able institution, but is
it really worth the
hefty price tag of at
least $100 million?
Regardless of the vital
role that marriage and tra
ditional family values play
within the Bush administration, to
force the idea of marriage is to
take a step back almost 40
years and make the bold
assertion that a single
woman is incapable of
raising a child. To
force the idea of mar
riage is to support a
marriage of convenience
rather than a marriage of
love. To force the idea of marriage
does nothing more than cheapen the sanc
tity of an institution that is considered to
be an intrinsic part of our society.
By assuming marriage is the answer to
the single welfare mother’s problem, we
only further antagonize the situation.
Marriage alone cannot solve financial
problems. Even if these mothers were to
marry, how can we assume that the men
they marry, or are forced to marry, will
have the financial means to support them
and their children? From a sociological
perspective, people naturally associate
with others within their same social class
or rank. It can be assumed that the type
of men these women associate with do
not earn six figures, but perhaps they
hold steady jobs and treat their wives and
their families with respect.
Unfortunately, the combined income
would still place them at the poverty level
in need of more governmental assistance,
but in President Bush’s opinion it is the
marriage that counts.
Or as a recent article from The
Christian Science Monitor hypothe
sizes, being forced into a marriage
could possibly increase the number of
spousal abuses, especially if the rela
tionship was rocky to begin with. It is
certainly admirable for a man to realize
his responsibility to a child he has
fathered, but it is certainly not in the
woman’s best interest to be married to a
man who beats her. Divorce appears to
be the best option out of a situation
such as this, but that could potentially
place the woman and her family right
back on welfare; thus she remains mar
ried and endures a lifetime of mental
and physical trauma.
Bush’s heart is in the right place in
wanting to help single welfare mothers.
But rather than squander $100 million
into programs that almost push women
into marriage, he should consider using
that money to create a number of
experimental government programs that
accomplish the primary objective of his
legislation — programs that would help
single welfare mothers help themselves.
Single welfare mothers need, first and
foremost, access to affordable and reli
able childcare. There are some women
who have-no jobs and are not able to seek
employment because there is no one to
take care of their children. By instituting
affordable childcare, perhaps by even
subsidized one of the new experimental
government programs, these women will
be freed from their tie to the house and
allowed the mobility to look for a job.
The childcare initiative also opens
doorways for those women who not only
wish to search for a job, but also want to
be skilled so they can do much more
than janitorial or restaurant food service
work. Job and vocational training are
time consuming, but can be rewarding in
the end. With a safe place to send their
children, mothers can devote their atten
tion to these training seminars. They will
leave with the tools and knowledge of a
certain trade or job and will be able to
effectively and confidently tackle the
fierce and competitive job market.
Marriage should not be exploited for
the sake of alleviating financial problems.
Single welfare mothers need help. Maybe
someday Bush will have a real answer.
Melissa Fried is a freshman
international studies major.
Animal fat as fuel alternative
li
ANDIBACA
'n the search for an alterna
tive fuel source, the answer
.lies in an unlikely source:
animal fat. According to
Yahoo! News, the University
of Georgia has been using
chicken fat to heat buildings
and water on its campus.
Energy News reports in a sim
ilar project, that Swift and
Company began burning ani
mal fat as fuel in December
2000.
Animal fat fuels are pro
duced as waste in the slaugh
tering and fabrication process
of livestock and poultry. The
overabundant animal fat is
processed so it can be burned
as fuel. With an increasing
need to find alternatives for
depleting natural resources,
burning animal fat as fuel is
an ideal solution.
The initial attraction to
burning animal fuel is the
cost. Yahoo News reported
that officials say it is cheaper
to use animal fat fuels than -
coal or oil. Animal fat has not
been included in the constant
price increase. The demand
for animal fat is tremendously
lower than coal or oil, keep
ing costs down. Proving to be
a safe fuel, officials also
report that animal fat burns as
clean as natural gas.
ment for oil and coal.
President Bush is respon
sible for implementing a new
energy plan. The current
energy plan under the Bush
administration calls for alter
native sources of fuel to ful
fill at least 20 percent of
energy needs within two
decades. Animal fat is an
ideal alternative fuel because
of its abundance.
With an increasing need to find
alternatives for depleting natural
resources, burning animal fat as
fuel is an idea solution.
Burning animal fat is safer
for people and the environ
ment versus coal and oil. The
emissions produced from
burning the fat are low in sul
fur and other pollutants.
However, animal fat fuels still
are capable of producing the
same British thermal unit
value of oil fuels.
Environmentally and produc
tively, animal fat poses no
threat of failing as a replace-
The United States pro
duces 11 billion pounds of
fat a year from poultry, beef
and pork. Animal fat is
processed in the United
States, eliminating our
dependency on other coun
tries for fuel. Unlike the lim
ited supply of coal and oil,
animal fat is a stable resource
that will be available for the
future.
The switch to using ani
mal fat, or any alternative
fuel, may not be an easy one.
Equipment will have to be
converted or replaced to use
the new fuel. Yahoo News
added that the University of
Georgia spent $30,000 to
convert one of the school’s
steam boilers to be able to
burn animal fat. Many uni
versities and companies do
not have the means to convert
or replace a perfectly effi
cient coal-burning heat sys
tem. They, in fact, may not
want to deal with the hassle
of switching over to a new
fuel burning process. Despite
the initial set up costs, in the
long run animal fat fuels will
prove to be a more economi
cal fuel.
Animal fat is an ideal solu
tion for a breakthrough fuel.
However, the possibilities are
not limited to just heating
buildings and water. Other
projects are underway, includ
ing the potential use of animal
fat as fuel for automobiles.
Andi Baca is a senior
journalism major.