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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 2002)
Na] the BATTi ad Opinion The Battalion Page 1 1A • Thursday, September 5, 2002 ren he propenies 3 homes, (kv churches anc Idings. y will decide. ' s a public m. * w ins (hat ro«; se ''ill det| he company iges. Slate r 'aid hou mu.- npanies cont; n most home, several coals. cof (old ju? .- ,000 Rhode ve been dock ed blixxl Icjc and that seve *ing poisonei' age. blcm is woryl Hhode Island, percentage an mam slat health depr cd 8.1 per- id children ii d blood-Ic*; The most • ■ iistics. cord ed 4.4 fero- n ss ith elesii A disrespectful tradition meniors on the field at halftime make too much noise leaving their seats LINDSAY AIELLO A s the 2002-2003 football Hason begins, Hany seniors are excited about the opportunity to carry on another one of Texas A&M's great traditions: Boot Line. Every sea- sion hoards of soon-to-be graduates clamor down stadium seats to line up at the players’ entrance onto the field for the start of the sec ond half. While this anticipated event is a d ance for seniors to greet the players in a sl ow of support for Aggie football, eager stu- ■ents noisily disregard the Fightin’Texas 4ggie Band still on the field. I Our University has proudly been recog- lized as having some of the most polite, respectful students of any college campus. A walk to class is always met with calls of ‘iHowdy!” from fellow Ags, and traditions such as 12th Man and Silver Taps show our utmost respect for every current or former member of the Aggie family. The tradition of seniors greeting the players w as designed for this purpose, but its intent has been lost over time — a show of respect for one has led to a show of disrespect for another. At the heart of this campus is The Corps and Aggie Band, and there is no deny ing the majority of students loudly show their support as the band performs. But students, ■parents and former Ags sitting in all sections of Kyle Field have complained of not being able to hear all the band’s performance as sen iors scramble down metal stairs trying to be first in line. The noise is unintentional and not meant to e disrespectful towards anyone. Moreover, their excitement is understandable as all stu- lents anxiously wait their turn to take part in this tradition. However, the noise is loud and distracting. One problem may lie in seniors’ confusion over the event, such as when to exit their seats. Senior marketing major Amy Kiehn says she is unsure of when to descend onto the field and heard this sentiment echoed by last year’s seniors. In this case, racket is inevitable but not an excuse. It should be made clear when seniors are to leave their seats. On the other hand, the problem may just be a result of students’ excitement overshadowing their acknowledgement of the band’s perform ance. Countless times spectators’ eyes have been unavoidably averted from the band’s incredible formations to the mass of animated students at the north end of Kyle Field. This is not the only problem. In addition to the noise, seniors exacerbate the situation by turn ing their backs to the band when they reach the field. One anonymous Aggie parent and season ticket holder notes, “While every other student and parent stands to show support, the leaders of A&M rudely disrespect the band by ignoring their performance. It seems so out of character for Aggies; to visitors, it looks like our students do not support one another.” When asked about the situation, junior CBS Sergeant Major Robert McClelland said he has noticed this and wondered about it in the past. However, McClelland said he respects the tra dition and understands the excitement it brings to seniors and players alike. Most seniors look forward to greeting the football players back onto the field. However, seniors must contain their enthusiasm until the Aggie Band has finished; its hard work and dedication deserve at least that much. Lindsay Aiello is a sophomore journalism major. >/#•£ Mm SARAH FOWLER • THE'BATTALION South Florida professor deserved termination Tenured professor fired after connections to terrorist organizations were revealed SARA FOLEY W hen Dr. Sami Al-Arian earned his tenure at the University of South Florida (USF), he may have thought any chance of him being fired had vanished. However, problems arose when his terrorist ties were discovered at a time when a lack of sympathy exists for anyone who has a history of supporting Muslim activist organizations. Although not convicted of any crimes thus far, Al-Arian has a past filled with terrorist connec tions, according to a letter explaining the reasons behind his firing issued by USF. These offenses included membership in the contro versial Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a group that may be partly responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, according to CNN. In 1991. he used the university’s name in booking a conference where money was raised for causes later associated with terrorist activities. In addition, USF claims Al-Arian wrote a letter asking for financial support for suicide bombers in 1995. The event that eventually caused enough public attention for USF to take legal action occurred shortly after Sept. 11. Al- Arian appeared on “The O'Reilly Factor” on Fox News, where he was questioned about known terrorists, as well as tapes filmed years before, on which he was recorded saying “Death to Israel” in Islamic. Al-Arian maintains he is merely professing his political beliefs and should not be punished for expressing them. However, Judy Genshaft, president of USF, did not see it as a situation of free speech but of security and political safety. This presents a problem because Al-Arian has been on staff for a number of years and has earned his tenure. If Al-Arian had been a member of another professions, the issue of his firing would most likely have been of little conse quence; a small price to pay for ensuring American security. However, since dismissing a professor who is tenured is a difficult process, Al-Arian stayed on paid leave. In fact, Al-Arian is still being paid for causing bad publicity for the school. It has come to the point that Genshaft and the university are suing for the rights to fire the professor. Currently, the professor holds too much power over the institu tion. The condition has become a situation where the employer, USF, has to seek legal approval to pick and chose its own staff. USF not only has the right to fire Al-Arian, but it should be allowed to do so without having to answer questions from out siders. Instead of claiming this to be an issue of free speech, the focus should be the threat of terrorists. The investigation of Al- Arian's terrorist activities should be the legal debate of utmost importance, instead of the university’s firing. Even if the universi ty sued him for having tenorist links and operating under the name of the school, that legal battle would make more sense than the one going on. This is not a matter of racial or religious prejudices. This is national security. This is an effort to remoye further problems in the future and protect the general public. If the allegations are only accusations, it still would have been worth the remote possibility that the connections between him and the terrorists were true and security had been increased. Instead, Muslim and Palestinian groups are objecting, and the university must fight for its legal right to terminate the employ ment of someone they chose to hire in the first place. The reason behind this is simply that the professor had been at the university long enough to establish his tenure, and thus became untouchable. Hopefully, the impending trial will prove Al-Arian is not as invin cible as his title might imply. Sara Foley is a sophomore journalism rruijor 3 m Taking a shot at bin Laden T he Supreme Court is currently being asked to consider whether shooting at pic tures of Osama bin Laden melissa fried and Saddam Hussein dur ing target practice is an expression of free speech or a dangerous drill that could lead others to kill real peo ple. With the so-called intelligence that exists in the highest court of this land, we must ask ourselves how such a preposterous case could find its way onto the October docket. Not only is this case completely unfounded, it rais es the question of how much political correctness is too much. After the attack on the World Trade Center, fundamentalist Muslims took to the streets to rejoice and celebrate the devastation that killed thousands of people and left even more displaced. They showed no mercy and no remorse then, and will show none in the future. It is ridiculous to preserve the sanctity of heinous criminals who are capable of carrying out the lowest of crimes and to fight to protect the images ol the very people who wish to destroy us. Most people who sign up for target practice are law officials and those interested in learning how to use a gun for self-defense purposes. Opponents, however, are trying to ban shooting at cardboard images because it may lead to killing real people. When is the last time a cardboard image ever talked back, fought back 01 even showed a remote sign of being wounded? II any thing, this is probably the healthiest form of angei management because people are aiming at a solitary figure (a vile one at that) instead of turning their Lus trations on friends and family. Many Americans believe any depiction of violence correlates to actual violence. This is called the hypo dermic-needle model, in that any sort of media shoots their potent effects (in this case, violence) directly into unsuspecting victims. The same excuse parents have created to protect their children from playing violent video games is being presented to protect fully aware and responsible adults because they might harm others. The First Amendment says government will not abridge the “freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble.” However, in the past, courts have passed rulings where any type of speech that could potentially harm national security can be curbed. Shooting at images of bin Laden and Hussein pose little threat to our national security, thereby making this another one of those harrowing and annoying free speech cases. It has almost evolved into a catch-22. We are bad Americans if we do not want to hate them, but if we do hate them and aim to kill (or trash images of them) we are also bad Americans because we are no better than they are. The Supreme Court should throw this case out due to its lack of credibility and focus its attentions, instead, on cases that directly impact the welfare of American citizens. Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein do not deserve a place in the American court system - not today, not ever. Melissa Fried is a sophomore international studies major. MAIL CALL Traditions can fade if not maintained each year In response to Lenti Smith's Sept. 3 column: I fully agree with Lenti Smith that a tradition can fade away once it is ignored, and commend her courage in stating the truth. Traditions are immortal insofar as they are always understood and practiced by those who love them. The traditions of A&M will survive if, and only if, they are taught with passion to each and every successive freshman class. Sadly, "Howdy" is being heard less and less each day, and Bonfire is perish ing because of administrative cowards that cover their own tail, then bail. I see more and more people not going to Midnight Yell and even Silver Taps due to laziness and ignorance. I would be very surprised if the percentage of Ags that don't participate in traditions is still two percent. A new parking garage, a better business school and a more diverse student body is not the answer. Charlie Bee! Class of 2005 Aggie fans have a right to boo mediocrity In response to the Sept. 3 mail call: It really upsets me when I read opin ions like those of Joel Anderson. He thinks those Aggies that booed at the football game against Louisiana Lafayette are not real Aggies. I think anyone who was at the game Saturday could feel the change in momentum that Reggie McNeal brought in with him. It is something that our team has been lacking for several years: leadership and confidence. All too often, we slip into this feeling of "oh we had a winning season and then we went to another mediocre bowl game." The Aggies who accept this and cheer have forgotten what the true Spirit of Aggieland is. As Aggies we often boast of being a great school, with great accomplishments and great people. Accepting mediocrity is not part of being a real Aggie. We have done that for too long already. William Charles Macaulay Class of 2002 The 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 submitted in person at 014 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters also may be mailed to: 014 Reed McDonald, MS 1111, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-1111. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: mailcall@thebatt.com. Email attachments are not accepted. \lt I v > change-