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Page 1 1 • Monday, September 23, 2002
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Microsoft deal will benefit students
Students who don’t buy Microsoft products will still gain from the agreement
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S tudents may be asking
themselves how any of
the new fees and tuition
raises implemented this semes
ter will benefit them. Some
feel there is no justification for
some of the new fees they
have to pay. In particular, there is controversy over the new
Software License Fee that will sustain Texas A&M’s new
software-licensing deal with Microsoft. The deal is official
ly known officially as Campus Agreement 3.0 Subscription
Student Option.
^K>uring the term of the agreement, A&M students will be
able 10 obtain popular Microsoft products, such as the
Office suite and the Windows XP operating system upgrade,
foilthe price of the CD that contains the software. Some
students reason that because Microsoft receives money from
them whether they obtain the software or not, that the deal
benefits the software giant unilaterally. However, the
Campus Agreement will prove to be a huge benefit for all
A&M students.
^B’ete Marchbanks, associate director of customer sales &
sen ice of Computer & Information Services (CIS),
explains that there are two primary benefits to the Campus
Agreement. The first is that software acquired through the
agreement costs less than the educational versions offered.
Indeed, at the MSC Bookstore, an educational copy of
Microsoft Office Professional costs $220. To lease the soft
ware from A&M will cost a student $15. Students who are
still skeptical should consider how much this software costs
in the real world. For example, the non-academic cost for
Visual Studio.Net Professional, a package of development
tools for computer programmers, hovers around $1,000.
A&M students will be able to obtain it for $20, paying only
2 percent of the retail price.
Marchbanks said the new agreement has the indirect
benefit of lowering the costs of obtaining licenses for soft
ware in the campus computer labs. Therefore, all Aggies
benefit from the Software License Fee, regardless of
whether they choose to buy the software.
Campus Agreement will allow A&M to remain competi
tive. Marchbanks said the University of Houston, Texas
Tech University and the University of Texas already have
agreements with Microsoft in place. He said some of the
satellite campuses in the University system already have a
deal. Therefore, it made sense for A&M to pursue an agree
ment — but only after it asked for students’ consent, which it
did in a Spring 2002 election, according to the
software.tamu.edu Web site.
Licensing deals such as Campus Agreement have the pos
itive effect of combating software piracy, which is prevalent
among college students. A news report on the University of
Florida Web site details a copyright infringement study
that included a 2000-2001 survey in which 40 percent
of college students admitted to pirating software.
Unfortunately, software pirating seems rampant
on the A&M campus as well. Earlier
this year, I purchased Maple, a num
ber-crunching program used by engi
neering and math majors, from the
MSC bookstore. The student cashier
remarked in surprise, “You’re actually
buying Maple? Most people I know
just get it off ResNet.” She was refer
ring to the popular network setup on
campus whereby students can share
music, movies and software.
To a certain extent, one can sympathize with
Aggies who pirate software. College students are
known for having little to no money and they
need top-of-the-line software to aid their studies.
But software piracy is wrong, no matter who does
it. With Campus Agreement, students will be able to
obtain popular software packages legitimately and at
practically no cost. Although other popular non-
Microsoft software programs such as Maple,
AutoCAD and Photoshop aren't covered by the agree
ment, Aggies should still support this deal, because if it
is successful it might entice other software companies to
make similar arrangements.
Some students are resentful of the Microsoft deal and of
having to pay the Software License fee. but the benefits
Aggies gain from Campus Agreement will be well worth
the costs.
Collins Ezeanyim is a senior
computer engineering major.
JOSH DARWIN • THE BATTALION
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Bush should compromise to pass security bill
Elimination of Civil Service Act would strip government employees of rights
JENNIFER LOZANO
P resident Bush has been push
ing for the passage of his
controversial homeland secu
rity bill for months. The bill
backed by Bush and the
Republican-dominated House of
Representatives would create a
cabinet-level homeland security department that would encom
pass 170,000 employees from 22 different agencies. This depart
ment would be responsible for homeland security and receiving
intelligence, according to the Fox News Web site. However, the
bill also calls for the elimination of Title 5 of the Civil Service
Act, which guarantees federal agents collective bargaining
rights, according to the American Federation of Government
Employees Web site.
| By demanding the removal of Title 5, the president hopes to
gain more management “flexibility” in transferring and firing non-
perfonning federal employees, but the Senate is vehemently set
against this provision. As a result, the outcome for the homeland
security bill remains up in the air and the president has threatened
to veto the bill unless it gives him the flexibility he demands.
| Although the issue of homeland security is always a matter of
great importance, especially during times of conflict. Bush and
his supporters would be unnecessarily exploiting the president’s
power at the expense of due process. Bush must cooperate with
the Senate and quickly come to a negotiated agreement.
According to a report by the American Federal Government
Employees (AFGE), Bush already has the power he needs for
homeland security. The report cites 80 examples taken from fed
eral law, the Civil Service Act and case law to prove the existing
flexibility federal managers have. The report also ensures existing
regulations “pose no legal barriers that would create delays in
filling vacancies, promotions, step-increases and incentive
awards.” More importantly, the report shows there are 35 differ
ent avenues that can lead to termination of a federal employee,
including an immediate removal option. The report also points to
the Bush Administration’s Office of Personnel Management’s
updated “Human Resource Flexibilities and Authorities in the
Federal Government" handbook which tells its readers, “you may
be surprised how flexible Title 5 is in meeting your organization
al needs.” Therefore, either the Bush administration has failed to
learn the law or is blatantly trying to obtain too much power and
eliminate federal worker’s union representation.
The AFGE Web site makes the comparison between the Air
Marshals and Border Patrol Agents to demonstrate the important
role unions play in the federal government. According to the Web
site, since 1978 the Air Marshals have been structured with no
rights to union representation. Post-Sept. 1 1, sudden changes.
along with numerous undertrained co-workers, left the agency in
complete chaos. However, when supervisors failed to heed
employee’s complaints, the Air Marshals had nowhere to turn. On
the other hand, when Border Patrol agents were dissatisfied with
security on the Canadian border, unions gave them a voice to
express their complaints and collectively work for improvements.
Removing the collective bargaining rights of unions would
expose federal agencies to corruption and politicization. By doing
this. Bush would be taking a step away from democracy and
everything that the department of Homeland Security strives to
protect. According to Fox News, the Senate agrees with 85 to 90
percent of the version of the bill that Bush supports. Bush needs
to let go of this power struggle and recognize the importance of
this bill by working toward an expedient compromise that would
better serve the country.
For the most part, federal employees care the most about
homeland security. After all, they risk their lives everyday in the
name of homeland security. This is not to say that there will
never be a federal agent with poor morals. However, with ade
quate legal provisions already instated to deal with this prob
lem, there is no reason to strip federal agencies of important
employee protections.
Jennifer Lozano is a senior
English major.
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MAIL CALL
12th Man failed at football game
We should be ashamed!
Never mind the fact that the offensive line had trou
ble with Virginia Tech's defense, and that our quarter
backs were throwing to white jerseys, and that some
receivers were having trouble hanging on to the ball,
and that the plays called were not executed. Football
players and units have bad days, they are human like
everyone else.
However, there is one thing that has always been a
constant here in Aggieland, the 12th Man. It was not
there on Saturday. A few bad breaks and we were
gone. When it got quiet in Kyle, something that should
not happen when the defense is on the field, the game
was all but lost. The players gave a valiant effort
despite struggling. Not once did they quit on us, or give
us any reason to stop supporting their cause.
Shame on you, 12th Man. The going got tough and
the 12th Man got going - home. I saw some Aggies
leaving with six minutes to go. That hurts. Kyle Field is
our home. Protect it, do not go down without a fight. If
you plan on leaving early, you are wasting a seat for
someone who would have stayed.
Don't get me wrong, there were marfy hard-nosed
Fightin' Texas Aggies that gave it their all. For those of
us who did give all we had, and who have no more
voice, it is up to you to spread the spirit that can ne'er
be told. We cannot blame this on play calls, mishaps
or lack of Bonfire (believe me, I want Bonfire as much
as the rest of you). The spirit is always inside us. We
are the Aggies, the Aggies are we. Be proud.
Jake Powell
Class of 2004
Regulate credit card solicitors
L
ANDI BACA
ike
record
players
and betas, it
seems that pay
ing in cash is
becoming
obsolete. Eighty-three percent of undergrad
uates have at least one credit card and 47
percent have four or more, according to the
Associated Press.
In an effort to control the marketing of
credit cards on campus, Sen. Chris Dodd,
D-Conn., approached Congress to investi
gate the behaviors of credit companies. The
Consumer Federation of America (CFA)
said Dodd used evidence from a 90-page
study conducted by Robert Manning, which
outlines the negative effects credit card debt
has on students.
In the best interest of the students.
Congress should follow the proposal to
investigate and regulate credit card solicit
ing on college campuses.
New students are easy targets for credit
card solicitors. Dan Prendergast, a senior
biology major, said college students who
have never had to support themselves might
have trouble paying off credit cards. “If
you’re a freshman, it can be hard to under
stand the implication of several monthly
credit card bills,” he said. “1 didn’t really
understand it all until I was a senior.”
Educating students about the financial
obligations and the consequences of having
a credit card could save hundreds of stu
dents from wrecking their credit. Valerie
Grizzaffi. a sophomore marketing major,
said college students can get trapped in bad
credit if they are not aware of the responsi
bility. “I had bad credit my freshman year
and now, as a junior, I can’t get the cards I
want,” she said. “Most students don’t know
that debt will hurt them in the long run.”
The proposed legislation points to more
education as the remedy for student debt.
Yahoo! News said Dodd approached
Congress with the idea of passing legisla
tion that would boost financial literacy
among college students, especially fresh
men.
Colleges and universities should consider
making credit card education more access-
able to students, including adding it to their
new student orientation program. The
Student Activites office at Texas A&M
offers students budgeting advice on their
Web site and through counselors. The more
informed students are, the more likely they
can effectively regulate their own budget.
While the world is driven by credit cards
and their ability to allow people to purchase
things they could not, the privilege of own
ing one should be just that - a privilege.
Qualified applicants who want or need a
credit card have no trouble getting a card
issued in their name, and do not need the
solicitation of issuers on campus to get one.
In addition, many students find credit
card solicitors an annoyance. Karen Bauml,
a senior speech communications major, said
solicitors interrupt her routine. “Campus can
get really crowded, and when you are just
trying to make it to class on time it is really
rude to have someone trying to get you to
sign up for a credit card,” she said.
Although credit card companies provide
financial information to students, this might
not be enough to protect them from debt.
Grizzaffi said credit card companies can
post information everywhere, but students
are not likely to read it. “I just paid what I
could every month, I didn’t really look into
my increasing balance,” she said.
Soliciting credit cards on campus is a
rushed process which does not lend itself to
careful reading of credit card applications.
Paying off Credit card bills is the respon
sibility of the card holder. However, col
leges should promote better habits to edu
cate and protect students. Legislation on
soliciting credit cards on college campuses
is a great place to start.
Andi Baca is a senior
journalism major.