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I A S 0 N 0 J
2001
Opinion
THE BATTALION
7B
Thursday, April 4, 2002
EDITORTAT
Advocate Change
for SAT
Change is to progress as an Aggie's ring is to the Aggie
Network. Texas A&M assistant Provost Joe Estrada will help to
bring needed change to the SAT test as he serves on the
College Board national revision committee for the test. The
board proposes to create a writing section, eliminate vocabu
lary analogies and promote a more advanced math section.
^ jy Another objective of the the revision committee is to aban
don some of the cultural bias in the test by eliminating innate
ability questions and advocating a more content-oriented,
curriculum-based measure. These changes are necessary and
will lead to progress at Texas A&M by establishing more equal
throughApni2,m; standards for college admissions.
With a new SAT style, the prospect of Texas A&M's Top 20
>rgyinformation |percent plan could be disregarded because the focus of the
[SAT will shift and expose students in low income school dis
tricts to better teaching techniques.
A study released in Fall 2001 revealed that students at Texas
A&M admitted by the Texas top 10 percent plan had higher
retention rates than other students. These students had the
highest averages in their high school graduating classes and,
as statistics show, were more adept to college coursework
than others. Estrada told the Houston Chronicle that the grad
uation rank of students has a higher predictive value of stu
dent achievement than the SAT exam. With test changes, col
leges can place more emphasis on SAT scores and expect reli
able results in the pool of admissions.
Increased reading comprehension and math problem
solving skills were just some of the reforms added to the
SAT in 1993 and 1994. As students progress in their stud
ies and more test preparation courses are offered, it is
time for new modifications to be made to the SAT exam.
Proponents have said the revised test will be more difficult
rather than easier. It is time students and educators accept
change and stand up to the challenge ahead.
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THE BATTALION
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor in Chief \ Mariano Castillo
; of the orgariii
amic body'"'
all its forms3
he organizatif'
id :
Paging Editor
Ofin/ow Editor
News Editor
News Editor
Brian Ruff
Cayla Carr
Sommer Bunce
Brandie Liffick
Member
Member
Member
Member
Melissa Bedsole
Jonathan Jones
Jennifer Lozano
Kelln Zimmer
TheBattalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 200 words or less
uJinclude the author's name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves
fight to edit letters for length, style and accuracy. Letters may be submitted in per-
Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters also may be mailed to: 014
McDonald, MS 1111, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-1111. Fax:
845-2647 Email: mailcall@thebatt.com
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MAIL CALL
hnny and Sully
e fliembered
ere ' S no ' n my mind
™^ rnan y students here at Texas
I despise John Walker Lindh,
American Taliban. And right-
J. yso - After all, Lindh did betray
w l 15 country and take up arms
, lands seizf* gainst it.
paradoxically
sam e
e Service
lomfortah 1 '
as
;san P art5
th/12,000
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person is
Ross. Like
though, those
students who despise
Pay tribute to another per-
n vvho is probably no better
an Lindh. That
Wrence Sullivan
' R° s s also betrayed his
n try by taking up arms
1 lns t it. But Ross is celebrated
a hero instead of being
^P'sed as a traitor,
fording to some on cam-
rat H reason wh y Ross is cel-
i/pHt 35 a h ero ' s because he
Texas A&M from closure.
0r such an act, a statue
Or ganization that bears his
pP, ^ 0SS Volunteers, have
j? dedicated to him.
idh eac * S me to wonder—If
w ere to come to Texas
JU l H aad bring back Bonfire,
I to h- re a statue dedicat-
ivp lm where students could
ere^k™ 65 at ^' s ^ eet and
the Lindh Volunteers
could perform Silver Taps?
All Enrique Razavi
Class of 2004
Voting ballots are
misleading
I logged in to cast my vote in
the yell leader runoff today, and I
was a little surprised to note the
order in which the candidates
were listed on the ballot. In both
the run-offs for senior and junior
yell leader, Corps of Cadets can
didates were listed before their
non-reg competitors.
This was not because they
were in alphabetical order,
either, as Goble was listed before
Giese, and Lusk and Bailey were
listed before Lima and Holloway.
If seemed to me that whoever
set up the ballot was hoping that
some people would simply vote
for the candidates at the top of
the ballot, providing the Corps
candidates with an advantage. I
sincerely hope that was not the
case, but I can think of no other
explanation. If there is one, I
would love to hear it.
Erin Brown
Class of 2002
Intolerance is a virtue
Education, not acceptance, needed
I t is that time of the
semester again, when
rainbows lose their
Biblical interpretation and
flaming liberals come out
of the woodwork to gath
er at the Memorial Student Center. For
those not aware, it is Gay Awareness
Week (GAW) on the A&M campus.
More so now than during any of the
other 51 weeks, it is a week when biolo
gy is discarded for the pseudo-science of
moral relativity and political correctness.
This week’s events will carry all the
homosexual fervor that the Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual Transgendered Aggies
(GLBTA) and related organizations can
muster with funding from the University.
But what is needed this week, is the edu
cation, prevention and support for those
struggling against homosexuality.
The rally cry of the gay community
during Gay Awareness Week is “toler
ance” and “acceptance.” In all actuality,
those benevolent attitudes demanded are
only intended for homosexuals. To those
persons who either by science, personal
morality or religious conviction believe
that homosexuality is wrong, there is no
tolerance granted. These individuals will
be hounded as bigots and homophobes,
as if standing by their principles is a
great sin. GLBTA president Justin
Anderson said, “We just want to be treat
ed like everyone else and be respected
for who we are.” Despite what Anderson
may want, respect is a virtue that is
earned, not something to be handed out
cheaply as a rainbow ribbon.
Some proponents of GAW believe
that homosexuality should be accepted
by adults and taught to children as a
healthy and equal alternative to hetero
sexuality. Homosexuality exists, so why
MATTHEW MADDOX
ADRIAN CALCANEO THE BATTALION
not “tolerate” it? Thi
is contradictory to
way any other
health/societal issue is
handled in America. For
example, educators and
the media drill the evils of smoking,
drinking and racism into young people.
Undeniably, all four of these have taken
a toll on our society. However, America
currently is being educated against only
three of these four, and is being led
down a dangerous path that chooses
blissful ignorance over responsibility.
The reason behind this is that the social
stigma surrounding homosexuality has
become politically correct. Instead of
treating homosexuality as a behavior,
such as smoking, homosexuals are con
sidered a type of person. Moreover,
unlike race and age, which are protected
classes because they are factors beyond
an individual’s control, homosexuality is
a choice. Like a smoker craving a ciga
rette, gays may desire homosexual rela
tions. That desire does not warrant spe
cial rights, acceptance or the ignoring of
facts involved.
The National Association for Research
and Therapy of Homosexuality cites
numerous studies that indicate the gay
lifestyle leads to increased rates of insta
bility, depression, suicide, drug and alco
hol abuse and prostitution. The studies
also show that these statistics are inde
pendent of the attitudes of the rest of the
population. The Center for Disease
Control and Prevention findings show
that gays are multiple times more likely
to have sexually transmitted diseases than
the sexually active population at large.
However, radical gay advocates have dic
tated American Psychiatric Association
policy since the 1970s and officially it
does not assist homosexuals in recover
ing. Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, said recovering
gays often feel betrayed by the APA.
“How dare the APA fail to recognize our
reality,” they say, “that the transition has
indeed been life-changing!”
Diversity — the most overexploited,
politically correct buzzword of the year
— will get more play during GAW as the
reason for acceptance. Unfortunately for
all involved, because “diversity” (and not
academics) is the reason for attending
college, the University is bending over
backward to promote it. Tuition fees
alone will increase by $450 a semester
for incoming students next fall.
Meanwhile, the Student Activities
Office, the Office of Gender Issues
Education, the Department of
Multicultural Services, Women’s Studies,
The Women’s Center, MSC Film Society
and the Association of Former Students
all will be sponsoring Coming Out Week
events. On top of those sponsorships, the
National Organization of Women, the
same group that brought the V-Day fes
tivities to A&M, will promote its agenda
during Coming Out Week, according to
the GBLTA Website. Its contribution:
they sponsored the homosexual “mar
riage” on Wednesday. If Texas A&M is
truly concerned about the safety of all
students, whether they partake in homo
sexuality or not, a new focus must be
placed on the truth. The truth is that edu
cation, not acceptance, is the answer.
Matthew Maddox is a sophomore
business administration major.
Cat killers were rightfully cleared
CHRIS JACKSON
W hen two Baylor
University baseball play
ers shot and killed a stray
cat in the parking lot of a Waco
Taco Cabana last March, they sure
ly had no idea how inflated the
whole situation would become.
Following the acquittal of pitcher Derek Brehm last month, ani
mal rights activists screamed bloody murder and are calling for
legislation to strengthen Texas’ already hefty animal cruelty laws.
Activists denounce Brehm’s acquittal and the dropped
charges against Clint Bowers, claiming the laws are vague and
the case sets precedent for others to get away with animal cruel
ty. These claims are vague in themselves, however: The laws are
clear and well-defined, and no one is going to be punished for
animal cruelty in Texas. Activists go overboard when they cry
murder at the killing of a stray cat.
Kathie Robnett, president of Fuzzy Friends Rescue in Waco,
said the case tells potential animal abusers “if you want to hurt
animals, come on down here and do it because nothing’s going
to happen to you.” This assertion is simply untrue. As of Sept. 1,
2001, animal cruelty offenses are punishable by up to two years
in the state penitentiary and a $10,000 fine. Gov. Rick Perry
signed the bill following a knife attack on a dog in Dallas that
left it blind in both eyes.
Animal cruelty is well-defined in the state penal code and
includes provisions protecting any domesticated or captured ani
mal. The law is specific enough to cite “tripping a horse” as a
punishable offense, as well as the abandonment, neglect or
improper housing of animals. Wild animals are not protected
because they are hunted as game. However anyone that captures
a live, wild animal is subject to animal cruelty laws.
Many people see the acts of Brehm and Bowers as barbaric
and only something that a disturbed psychopath would attempt.
Would there have been any controversy, however, if they had
killed a bobcat, coyote or armadillo? Probably not. Brehm said
he cut the cat’s head off so he could bleach and keep the skull,
as some of his cousins had done with deer, bobcats and other
animals. Granted, not everyone wants a bleached cat skull to put
on his desk, but as long as the cat is not someone else’s property,
there is no difference between it and a bobcat. A bobcat is sim
ply not as furry.
Americans have been conditioned to give cats, dogs and other
pets a near-human status. The reality is, however, that around the
world these animals are killed and eaten for food, just as cows
and pigs are eaten. The Chinese consider puppies a delicacy, and
guinea pigs are an exquisite treat to those in Argentina. The dif
ferences between our cultures make them seem brutal for eating
those cute, cuddly animals. It does not, however, make Brehm
and Bowers wrong. In the same way, if Brehm and Bowers do
not see cats in the same light as others, there should be nothing
wrong with killing one as long as they stay within the bound
aries of the law.
One needs to go little farther than the Internet to witness how
absurd some activists can be concerning issues such as this.
When the Brehm and Bowers case broke last year, activists
established a memorial Website titled “Justice for Queso,” using
the name Taco Cabana employees had given the cat. The site
includes a heartfelt, yet farcical, eulogy for the late stray and a
picture of an orange tabby cat that likely looks nothing like the
actual Queso. The affair is dramatized to the point of irrationali
ty, incorrectly claiming that the cat was savagely bludgeoned to
death. However, Queso was not bludgeoned to death in a tortur
ous manner, but killed as a hunter would kill its game.
The only reason Brehm and Bowers were accused of ani
mal cruelty in the first place was because police suspected that
either the cat belonged to someone as a pet or had been cap
tured and tortured to death. Neither of these suspicions were
true, and the two were rightfully cleared of charges. Activists
have no reason to scream about cruelty unless they want to
outlaw the killing of animals entirely.
Chris Jackson is a sophomore
business administration major.