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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2002)
THE BATTALION 5B Friday, April 5, 2002 other precaut ‘nes with ill lose. 'stricted area;, ■t line of del; I- "The addition security prtx- fit protocols us a much illdence." have been tig crews and I to weed outpf d planes appro must com >n procedures.s g passwords, hree dozen i i Reagan N i been turned II because the, te the verifi; :ials said lat violate ths are quickly v it tower to he Secret Sen rly all pilots tely, officials* planes that pt kies are pent* EDITORIAL Bush School Growth Positive No longer do Texas A&M students have to leave campus for ationally recognized graduate programs. The George Bush chool of Government and Public Service has been raising the ar. Such programs are necessary to fulfill Vision 2020 and con- inue to lift Texas A&M's academic reputation. These are wel- pme initiatives that are being made to improve the quality of Iducation and enhance the experiences and opportunities bailable to all students. The Bush School has come a long way since it opened in 1995 on the eighth floor of the Harrington Education Center. The Tchool has been positive for A&M and the Brazos Valley corn- unity, and it deserves the consideration of students who want continue their education but are not ready to leave Aggieland. It also provides an example of what other academic disciplines Ion campus should strive for. As greater emphasis is placed on graduate programs, the Bush ichool is a model of success. Community-based activities and I planes tolar, peaking engagements are an integral part of its expansion in :sort, shoot o he last seven years. Former President Bush, members of his s don t respoK Cabinet and major media figures are regular faces on campus he five planer li nce the library and graduate school opened. No other aca- e protected sp Hemic discipline has brought the quality of speakers and con- f f ^ ave ^ fences to the students and surrounding community. As the ifticials said. Bush School continues to expand, Aggies should give applying some thought. It provides unique educational opportunities, ight in Texas A&M's backyard. THE BATTALION Managing Editor Opinion Editor News Editor News Editor Brian Ruff Cayla Carr Sommer Bunge Brandie Liffick IN BRIEF ; kidnap n, nine i Nigeria igeria (AP) ned a boat serv l rig off Nigeria: t, taking hostage ernational am workers aboard. Thursday, orkers - one - Ghanaians, one jur Nigerians - Tueste} 'ui AQ m the vrWage cf a stateJ-' spokes® said in LondoJ. akers demand t, oil contracts from Shell 1 ' workers salt ;0iiservative ' whose idi* olnmnist blasted disclosed, an response to Matthew \Z a & d0 *' sA p" l4c ° ,umn -- eleP repre e sentf[ addox managed to charac- T ze homosexuality as unac- Ptable, intolerable and a jjice. He also likened the EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in Chief | Mariano Castillo Member Member Member Member Melissa Bedsole Jonathan Jones Jennifer Lozano Kelln Zimmer fhe Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 200 words orlessand include the author’s name, class and phone number. The opinion etfto reserves the right to edit letters for length, style and accuracy. Letters maihe submitted in person at 014 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. ketesalso may be mailed to: 014 Reed McDonald, MS 1111, Texas A&M ^versify, College Station, TX 77843-1111. Fax: (979) 845-2647 fmaii: mailcall@thebatt.com MAIL CALL ne la were ethnic angered I? an gers" of homosexuality to of seven 1 Ming, drinking and racism, armed stae^ sthe Texas A&M community iry between ly become this hopelessly y forces aj lolerant and ignorant? His ^tions against alternative -Styles are an attack against er yone who has worked r d to prevent violence and io had i »r Shell 3fs reports an official# jbsidiary. jotry towards these groups. n0t nul eideas in “intolerance is a \Zlre Jr brin § separation and ~ e to Texas A&M. Maybe Nox and others like him Is were ment. a y evenW ais last heJiff ed t0 ste P out of the young tfpMervati iptives all in j not ent office , Wednesd* th the limed at# A fol the h( ficials /eek. ives meeting for just I moment and evaluate the t8nia ge their hateful views Ve had on Texas A&M. Brian Prehn Class of 2003 t n his article, Maddox says, 1 e truth is that education, ii l^Ptance, is the answer." .1 be| ieve that truth » --.cut; mat truth is indi- 4 Ua anc l personal, not sim- iy universal, as his article Uplies. I? 16 truth is that people do c hpose to be lesbian, ^LArts^tran^ 3 ' beter °sexual, gay, or ll^dered. The National ■nSwiyi, Clati P n tor Research and dtp°* homosexuality may licmn Umerous stuclies about S’ & eXUali, V. but their to j- Sa V s ' do not wish KoZ n]s !? the ri 8 hts of 'Sr r THE«'» (l in society .' 7 onented P eo P le ,ENTEV ' 1 It C0 ; chairs of ALLIES, an RITYB0Y, ca m f endent onganization on intoiM" j)| a Pu ^.^at supports gay, les- EiPri ,Sexua lr and transgen- [ d students, staff, and fac- we to *nco u !l this ca mpus, ra ge individuals attend an Advance. An Advance is a three hour work shop designed to educate individuals about the issues faced by GLBT persons on this campus and in the community. By attending an Advance, peo ple can educate themselves and make an individual choice about truth and acceptance. The next Advances are April 9 and April 28. For more information, see our Website at allies.tamu.edu. Kate McCarth Class of 2002 Lara Zuehlk Class of 1997 Sul Ross was not a traitor In his mail call, Ali Enrique Razavi asserts that "like [John Walker] Lindh, [Lawrence Sullivan] Ross also betrayed his country by taking up arms against it." There is an important differ entiation to be made between Lindh and Ross. Lindh con spired with an outside party, the Taliban, to subvert the United States. However, Ross was forced to take up arms in the defense of his rights against a government drunk with power. Lindh sought to undermine the United States government with an aggressive action, but Ross, along with millions of other Southerners, sought to obtain independence from the United States government in a peaceful manner. When Abraham Lincoln refused to recognize the right of states to withdraw from the Union, Southerners like Ross were forced to fight for their due independence. Razavi should use the term "betrayal" more carefully. Lindh is a traitor. Ross was not. Miles O. Foltermann Class of 2002 Mess at Umass Resident advisers’ new union divides campus T he atmosphere at the University of Massachusetts (Umass) in Amherst has changed in the past month from one of light-heartedness to one of tension. This month, more than 360 resident advisers formed the first undergraduate student union in United States history. According to Time magazine, the forma tion occurred after the university lost a ruling before the Massachusetts Labor Commission and has created tension between the university and the resident advisers. The reasoning behind the union — mainly better pay — is understandable, but the formation of a union is not the best means of achieving the demands. The advisers at Umass have been heard, but they are about to find out they are playing with fire. And a university that preaches community and education is not a place to start a fight. The purpose of this union, as stated in The Campus Chronicle, the Umass news paper, was for resident advisers to gain recognition and equal power with their supervisors. Recognition has been gained, but equal power is impossible. The whole concept behind a supervisor/employee relationship is one having power over the other. Employees will never be able to have more power than their supervisors, unless they move up in status. The resident advisers at Umass are college students without degrees or expe rience. Their supervisors, being older, are more knowledgeable about the consequences a union can present. The advisers have made headlines, but they are about to find out that a uni versity that has existed for many years has far more power than they could ever aspire to. The resident advisers have taken a step that will leave them burned. Part of being a student is working less glamorous jobs to earn money and make ends meet. If you want a job with better benefits, better pay or a better contract, a student worker job, such as a resident adviser position, is not ideal. These jobs have great benefits: living on campus, being near classes, flexible hours, work ing with people your age and not too many demanding tasks. Umass resident advisers are seeking higher wages, a clearer contract, better benefits and more job security, according to the Boston Globe. The demands are understandable, but lofty hopes and their means for achieving these goals are ridiculous. In a university setting, communication is essential. At Texas A&M, there is a res ident hall staff council that hears and voices all concerns of its resident advisers so that compromises can be made. The relationship between the workers and the University is respectful and efficient. At Umass, it is apparent that the relationship between the advisers and the university is not one of mutual respect. It is the duty of the advisers to voice their opin ions responsibly. The formation of a committee, such as the Residence Hall Association at A&M, or a forum to voice concerns would be a more respectable means to achieving a compromise. However, now that the resident advisers at Umass have joined a union, the admin istration feels under attack, and an unde sirable response is eminent. A fear of job cutbacks and increased dorm fees is cir culating. A union cannot protect against these kinds of responses. The university can become less lenient on the details of their contracts and not let simple mis takes slide as easily. The more the advis ers frustrate the university, the more the university is going to fight back. The resident advisers’ hope to make history was achieved, but it will not be long before they fade back into the back ground, as Umass snuffs out their squeals with an unyielding fist. It seems the real problem is a lack of respect and commu nication on their campus, not a job dis pute. The University of Massachusetts needs to focus on the real problem at hand: the lack of respect through lack of communication. Then, the resident advis er situation will not be one of stress and tension, but one of discussion and respect. Katherine Tucker is a sophomore general studies major. KATHERINE TUCKER One strike policy swings and misses I n an attempt to attack what Congress calls a “reign of terror,” the Supreme Court approved eviction from public housing of all drug users on Tuesday. According to Yahoo! News, the “One strike” policy is where an entire household can be evicted from public housing if any member is caught using drugs in the housing area. But one strike is a meager attempt to solve the drug problem that plagues government housing, and Congress should not be allowed to evict public housing tenants because of drug use. In California, four public housing res idents face eviction for drug use. According to Yahoo! News, none of the four tenants were aware of drug use going on in their apartments by family members. The four cases evoked interest in the Supreme Court, who ruled that entire households could be evicted even if some did not know about the drug use. One strike is misleading in its promise to eradicate drug use. The new policy is just an old idea recycled in an attempt to solve the drug problem. Shuffling around drug users does not solve the drug problem. Instead, it relocates the problem. Drug use may decrease in one area, but it will certainly rise in another. Public housing residents are low-income families and individuals who do not have other choices for housing. Evicted resi dents end up homeless living on the streets or in shelters. Most public housing residents are sen ior citizens over the age of 61. According to The Dallas Morning News, more than 1.7 million families in subsidized hous ing are headed by a senior citizen. The elderly are among the most likely to be punished by the new eviction policy because, according to USA Today, they have little power over people in their households. In all four of the pending California housing cases, the residents are senior citizens. Many elderly residents in public housing suffer from disabilities that limit activity in their home. One of the four residents fighting eviction charges is Herman Walker, a disabled man whose caregiver was caught with cocaine in his apartment. Although Walker had no involvement in drug activity, he risks being evicted for behavior by those tak ing care of him. Public housing is a breeding ground for crime, gangs and drugs. There should be punishment for perpetrators, however one strike is not an adequate way of con trolling drug use. It affects innocent peo ple and is merely a slap on the wrist for perpetrators. Education and prevention- based programs are a better way to treat the source of the drug problem. The removal of drug users, instead of the entire household, is more effective by punishing the perpetrators, who are the real threat. The new drug policy makes everyone the victim. One strike only attacks what the public sees, not the true issues behind drug use. It is foolish to believe that giving Congress the ability to force someone out of their home will solve our nation’s drug problems. Audi Baca is a senior journalism major. ANDIBACA DIANA SUAREZ* THE BATTALION