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Opinion
THE BATTALION
Monday, April 1, 2002
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ne president to
Biden, D-Del
n Aggie
declares
firmly in a
|iv commercial
choose not to
dunk my Aggie
ring.” Soon after, the screen fills with the
proclamation: Ring dunking is not a
tradition. This commercial shows
Texas A&M taking an official stance
lagainst the practice of Aggie ring
dunking, which as most Aggies
know, involves dropping an Aggie
ring into a pitcher of beer and then
chugging the entire container, catching
the ring between the teeth. Many
Aggies see the commercial as
an attack on a legitimate
A&M tradition. But the
University is justified in
declaring ring dunking an
officially unrecognized
tradition.
Aggies who disagree
with this action may argue
that many student activities —
Bonfire, in particular - were per
formed for years before the
University recognized them as tradi
tions. But John McFate, chair of the
Traditions Council said there are three
criteria that an activity must meet
before it can be declared a tradition: it
must happen continuously, it must
bring Aggies together and it must make
A&M a better place. Ring dunking
only satisfies the first of these condi
tions. It lacks the reverence that true
A&M traditions, such as Silver Taps
and Muster, have in abundance.
Ring dunking also fails to bring Aggies
together. It is an issue that polarizes many stu
nts. Many Aggies believe that ring dunking is
a legitimate tradition that deserves recognition
University, meanwhile, other Aggies feel
Mongfy that ring dunking is not a real A&M
tradition. For example, Jennifer Ford, the pro-
gramming coordinator for the Alcohol and Drug
Plication Programs and Cynthia A. Olvera, the
Mohol and Drug Education Programs, coordi
nator of campus events said the student who
appeared in the commercial chose to say the
anti-dunking words herself. Also, many “old
Ags” who attended the University before ring
dunking was invented fail to see the logic of
dropping something so treasured as one’s Aggie
ring into a pitcher of beer. The division this
activity causes between Aggies is unacceptable.
Furthermore, if Texas A&M recognized ring
dunking as a tradition, it would be seen by some
as an endorsement of the dangerous practice of
binge drinking. This would cause serious harm
to A&M’s reputation. This is especially true if
one considers two studies recently released by
the College Alcohol Studies at the Harvard
School of Public Health. They point to a disturb
ing relationship between college students and
alcohol. One of the studies conclude that college
RUBEN DELUNA* THE BATTALION
students are now more likely to drink to excess
when they drink. Even all-female colleges are
witnessing a sharp increase in binge drinking. It
does not make sense for any university to
endorse an activity that involves the consump
tion of large amounts of alcohol. Fortunately,
McFate said that ring dunking will never be rec
ognized as a tradition because it involves alco
hol.
Another disastrous result that would occur
if ring dunking become an official recognized
tradition is the stratification among students
who have Aggie rings: the rings that were not
“christened” at the Dixie Chicken would be
seen as less valuable than those that did under
go the ritual.
But after more
than 100 years of
the senior ring tradi
tion, it is clear that earn
ing the privilege to wear
the ring is special enough.
Of course, just because ring dunking is a not
a tradition according to the University does not
mean students who want to dunk their rings can
not do so. They should realize, however, that
what they are doing will never be seen as a tra
dition in many Aggies’ eyes. They should also
realize that it is the responsibility of the
University to draw a line in the sand and protect
the reverence and reputation of real Texas A&M
traditions.
Collins Ezeanyim is a junior
computer engineering major.
Smokers are people too
tamu.edu
-)rmation<
visit:
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. (U-WIRE) BALTIMORE — Illegal activi-
t ' es take place all the time in this country.
And not sort-of crimes but real, violent
Cities. One would think that we as a society
would focus our efforts at preventing these
^imes. Still, every day there are millions of
aw abiding Americans who are persecuted
a ud pushed farther and farther to the fringes
°‘society: smokers.
Now, I don’t smoke. I think the tobacco com
plies have misled people. I think second-hand
smoke may be a health issue. In spite of all this,
smoking is legal, and whether or not a person
smokes is a decision they are free to make.
To many, cigarettes are the great evil to be
P Ur ged. In the X-Files, the mysterious, sinister
ne mesis is referred to simply as “the smoking
111an ’ as if this trait alone were enough to assure
Us of his evilness. To these people, around every
j-onier is another subliminal message placed by
Jg tobacco to get four year olds to smoke. Most
e ntly, health advocates in Sacramento pushed
° r smoking to be a criteria in movie ratings. A
0v ie character enjoying a cigarette is lumped
j Wlt h the murderer, topless actress and foul
| nguagc. Surely no second hand smoke can
Pass from George Clooney’s Marlboro to the
of^tmg movie viewer. This is not an issue
^ ealth, it is an issue of vilification. Smokers
|j toe modem day lepers, pushed to back sec-
ns ot restaurants and dingy designated areas
of office buildings.
e Sffi here in Maryland the most egregious
earn 6 sm °l cers ’ rights violations almost
Co e t0 b 6 - The law passed, but vetoed by the
law'V execut * ve ' n Montgomery County, out-
sirmlT Smo l c ' n §’ even in your own home, if the
thisV ,X)t l lers a neighbor. The implications of
apart arC far ° ver reac hing. If you live in an
noti 1116111 anc * P asse rsby in the hallway merely
tob!) Ce tlle P resence of cigarettes or other
(l ler CC0 ’ there would be legal penalties. Again,
0n | e ’ s 110 health issue involved. An accuser
enC p f° demonstrate annoyance at the pres-
tlweir Ci § are «es. A tenant of a legally-owned
subst ln ® attem Pting to use a completely legal
ance could be committing a crime.
SlTl0 , le 8 0v ernment, doing their part to make the
“sin f 61 - a l ?, uas t' cr tminal, enforces outrageous
i s j n L Xes ‘ The revenue raised from these taxes
f 0r e tens °f billions. These taxes are unfair
half oU° US reasons - First of all, more than
all tobacco price increases will be paid
by people with incomes of less than $30,000 a
year. Only 1 percent will be paid by those with
incomes of over $ 100,000. The ones who can
afford it the least are being made to pay the
most as a penalty for their using a legal con
sumer product. Hard working, law abiding
Americans are forced to fork over dispropor
tionate and unfair amounts of money to the gov
ernment just to enjoy a nice, legal cigarette. It is
important to keep in mind that when tobacco
executives are forced to defend themselves to
congressional committees, that Uncle Sam gets
more than his share from their evil doings.
In essence, these taxes and escalating prices
take away the freedom to decide. There are
numerous goods that consumers may take a
liking to. For my part, I have a particular affin
ity for Cheez-Its. Unfortunately for me, these
delicious cheese crackers are high in choles
terol, which I understand is unhealthy. In spite
of that, I choose to spend my money on legal
snack food. If tomorrow the government
levied a “sin tax” to these cholesterol and salt
laden crackers, I would no longer be able to
afford them. This would similarly be unfair.
There are many things the average person can
not afford to begin with, caviar for example.
The high price of caviar, though, is a function
of supply and demand, not a government deci
sion that I owe society something extra for my
choice. Incidentally, these taxes do nothing to
discourage smoking in practice. In the United
Kingdom where a pack of cigarettes is roughly
twice as expensive as in the U.S., teen smok
ing rates are nearly identical.
There are non-tax mechanisms that can limit
smoking. Those who don’t smoke don’t con
tribute a penny to Philip Morris and R.J.
Reynolds. If enough people choose not to
smoke, these companies will be out of business.
It’s called Capitalism, and it’s the way success
and failure of a company should be decided.
Government should be making every effort
to defend the right of citizens to enjoy a legal
ly purchased legal substance. Whether or not
to smoke is not the decisions of movie stars or
senators. If you don’t want to smoke, don’t. If
you don't want to be around smokers, walk
the other way. A smoker is not less of a per
son, just less healthy.
Eric Barker is a student at
Johns Hopkins University
Everything’s all white
Mascot lessens American Indian discrimination
GEORGE DEUTSCH
T he issue of racism is a
hot topic at Texas
A&M, and the ongoing
discussion is largely centered
on Caucasian and African-
American relations. But there
is another often overlooked
group that is discriminated
against daily on an even
grander scale — American
Indians. And in response to
the all-too-common practice
of giving sports teams slang
Native-American names,
American Indians on the
University of Colorado intra
mural basketball team have
adopted a name of their own
— the “Fightin’ Whities.”
As part of the new team’s
promotional effort, creator
Charlie Chuny has team mem
bers wear shirts emblazoned
with a slick-haired, middle-
aged, grinning white mascot
on the front. Underneath his
picture is the phrase,
“Everythang’s gonna be all
white.”
Sure, some critics might see
embracing new racial stereo
types as an unorthodox way to
rid the world of old ones. But
in stereotyping whites, this
team forces the Caucasian
majority to consider the emo
tional pain inflicted by what
most consider tasteless team
names like “Savages,”
“Redskins” and “Scalpers.”
The white majority would
never insult other ethnicities by
using racial slurs to name
teams after them, so how dare
this country be so quick as to
toss around such phrases about
American Indians.
The University of Colorado
team, comprised of American
Indians, Hispanics and the
occasional Caucasian, created
the Whities primarily in
response to a local Colorado
high school’s official mascot
and logo. The Eaton Fightin’
Reds’ mascot is an angry-
looking depiction of an Indian
with a big, crooked nose, a
loin cloth draped over his
crotch and a sneering head the
size of his torso.
Depictions of American
Indians in this negative light
have been the subject of
debate for years. The
Colorado protesters estimate
that more than 3,000 high
schools, colleges and profes
sional sports teams across the
country use discriminatory
names and characters. An
example would be the
Cleveland Indians’ mascot.
Chief Wahoo, who has a feath
er in his hair and a grin on his
face like the village idiot.
Even more disturbing than
some of the names these teams
have are the implications
behind them. There are 20
schools in Colorado alone
whose mascots have discrimina
tory labels, and some of these
are illusions to historical events.
The Lamar High School
Savages, for instance, are locat
ed near the site where more
than 150 peaceful Indians were
slaughtered in Colorado’s 1864
Sand Creek Massacre. One
would be hard pressed to find
that nugget of knowledge in a
Lamar high history book.
Interestingly enough,
American Indians are the only
race used as mascots usually a
position filled by animals. As
Mary Ketterling, a Cheyenne
River Lakota, said, “They’re
not honoring us. They’re
dehumanizing us.”
So when Chuny, also a
member of the Oglala Lakota
Nation, conceptualized the
Whities, it was not to mock
whites but to motivate pro
gressive discussions on Indian
stereotypes. “If it opens the
lines of communication, that’s
great,” he said. “I would hope
people would be smart enough
to see though to the real
issue—that we have to respect
all cultures.”
Sadly, it is difficult for any
one outside of Native
American Indian circles to
appreciate the hatred and big
otry they must endure, and
hopefully Chuny’s efforts will
pay off in the long run.
Professor at the Institute of
American Indian Art and
Spokane Indian Charlene Teters
blames this country’s disrespect
for Indians for many of the
problems the Indian nations
face, and rightfully so. “We see
it in the low self-esteem, the
high suicide rates and the self-
hatred,” she said. “[We] on the
front lines ... see this as an
important issue.”
George Deutsch is a junior
journalism major.