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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 2002)
Opinion news BATTALIoi :rease The Battalion Cleaning up the Corps shift “ or P s mus t discuss hazing with the community Page 5B • Wednesday, October 9, 2002 >ve the poverty >ortions in 2000 le those nearei ' had more. ay percentags rty level 994 2000 200% Greaief to than 299% 300*. P«f 1,000 women ess money fot ild be one fac- rease in theii elow the pove:- ion rate rose 25 oed 23 percent taking less than some instances, and contracep- said Kathryn the Universio i’s nter. cher institute funding from hood, but its s are generally h anti-abortion :ion-rights sup- te. rria, a spoke: ational Right RICHARD BRAY thas been three years since Larry Calp last spoke to his daughter, tit doesn't prevent him m being able to quick- list her accomplish es as a Houston teenager. After coaching her tball team for six years and watching her give to community as both a lifeguard and a community ihinteer, Calp says he was especially close to his ungest daughter, Tricia. Now, however, he is trying make sense of her death and wants the Corps of dels to accept some responsibility. The Corps should openly discuss Calp's death and :circumstances surrounding it to prevent a similar igedy from visiting the Texas A&M campus again. iisissue does not only affect the Corps. Not only nhazing endanger all members of this community, titreflects upon the entire community as well. icCorps should take the initiative to discuss this has probablv l P ortant * ssue w ' t ^ 1 t ^ ie P u ^l' c so t h )e Bryan- aess and access llle £ e Stat ' on community can rid itself of the Similarly, "? ers hazin 8 P resent According to The Bryan-College Station programs foi Tricia Calp was killed Oct. 1 1, 1999, with five other college students when ■anden Kallmeyer lost consciousness behind :wheel of his truck and crashed into the six dents before coming to a stop in a ditch on shoulder of FM 60. At the time, numerous :diaoutlets, including The Battalion and \tEagle, reported that Kallmeyer had fallen leepbehind the wheel. However, Kallmeyer been more aid ^in his deposition that he did not believe he on funding for dfa 11611 aslee P at the wheel because he had not been pdbefore the accident. Instead. Kallmeyer believed had passed out. Inan interview with The Battalion last week, tpfrt tniiW lmeyer sa 'd that one night prior to the accident he University dtakenpart in a tradition called “pot bashing,” in Annenber? kicllame t a l helmet was placed on his head and cn struck. Kallmeyer said the suspension ^ ad in his helmet had been removed, and as a ult his ears were ringing and he had blurred sion. He was taken to the hospital and treated for a nor concussion. Larry Calp said neither A&M nor the Corps have wkenwith him or his family. While Kallmeyer’s juries may not be to blame for the deaths of the stu- 'ntskilled that night, circumstances warrant that the rps take measures to publicly rid the organization of questioned^ ac !' v ' t ' es even remotely similar to hazing. While the ase in the abor ts has a right to its rich traditions, having the organi- poor womeni' 011 S name anc * reputation associated with the deaths ~ akrtnl | slxc °N e ge students serves only to embarrass both the □ with dlackol j,p Sajl( [ 1|le University. •pV'wTnt theif I^hnieyer may have fallen asleep at the wheel and 'is are hoy r n j ur ' es ma y have had little or nothing to do with rive access to f acc ^ ent - However, faced with Kallmeyer’s testimo- • , , m onv aside hazing charges serves only to allow nd 'childbirth! »*'Problem ,o continue. weeping problems such as hazing under the rug do little to help A&M and the Corps achieve their a s. These > nc idents are no longer harmless fun - si; ents have died, possibly due to the “horseplay,” as luf S h S P° keSrnan Maj- Doc Mills described it. h'le a public crusade against hazing may sound 1 J I ej| , m 8 dirty laundry, it is necessary. The Corps must I (Trdl r yrid ' tse *^ hazing, but it must also clean its f not only for itself, but for the University which | Presents. The Corps is simply too important a part e Aggie community not to cleanse its image and "Spositive headlines back to A&M. iU.S. from birtu Health and ation Surveys ;ed periodical- ears. Twenty- adults were 15 percent in Richard Bray is a senior journalism major. JEFF SMITH • THE BATTALION LINDSAY AIELLO Airline policies hurt passengers S ince Sept. 11, major airlines have suffered a severe loss of income, causing U.S. Airways to recently file for bankruptcy with hints United Airlines might soon follow suit. To compensate, the Big Six airlines - American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United and U.S. Air — have implemented a laundry list of changes effective Oct. 1, with more expected to come. However, these changes will not have the desired effect of increasing profits. While airlines should be finding ways to attract passengers again, they are instead making it impossible to fly by imposing new costs and restrictions. One major change involves new low-cost ticket restrictions aimed primarily at business travelers. According to Linda Rawls, staff writer for the Palm Beach Post, travelers must now notify airlines in advance if their plans change. They then must immediately rebook another flight at a fee of $100. To four of the Big Six, immediately means midnight. Northwest and U.S. Airways require this done even earlier, before the original flight’s departure. If one fails to do this, the ticket becomes void and the passenger loses their money. Additionally, passengers will be charged $100 if they wish to fly stand-by. For business travelers, whose plans often change suddenly, this means major cost increases. Before, they could travel stand-by for free on the same day or pay a small fee to use their ticket within the year. PalmBeachPost.com reports business travelers spend nearly $150 billion annually on air travel. Hence, the industry's best customers are being hit the hardest. Steve Landes, chairman of the South Florida Airline Travelers Association and a Continental Platinum frequent flier, says, “These airlines have done the stupidest thing they could have done — they’re attacking their best customers and blaming us for their problems.” Perhaps worse, is what the new restrictions mean to vaca tioners. If, for example, security delays or other airport situa tions cause passengers to miss flights, the new rules still apply and the airline will not compensate them. For families, who often plan vacations months in advance and cannot reschedule, this could mean losses of up to thousands of dollars — for some thing beyond their control. As a result, Hying will become too big a risk for many to take. For those willing to take the risk, however, other changes involving expenses will surely make their travel experience an unpleasant one. If air travel was expensive before, it is now almost impossible to pay for. Air customers will now be charged up to $25 for each paper ticket used as opposed to an electronic one. Break out the wallet again if you desire to bring luggage beyond the allowed one carry-on and two checked bags. For three extra bags, it is $80. After that, the price goes up to $180 a bag. A Sept. 17 USA Today article warns that “charges could snowball to include everything from meals to assigned seating.” Furthermore, passengers can “expect more rounds of Bight cuts, fewer non-stops, increased connection times and more crowded cabins.” One more issue at stake involves security measures. At a time when people desperately need to feel safe while flying. Transportation Security Administration Chief James Loy has announced that he intends to phase-out random security checks during flight boarding. Loy feels this will “imike air travel less burdensome.” This is alarming to many, including Paul Hudson, executive director of the Aviation Consumer Action Project. “The best security involves multiple layers, where you have backups and backups to backups,” he said. “If random gate screening is eliminated, you’re saying there’s only one check and that’s at the main security gate.” Loy’s statement is one example of how the airline industry is misunderstanding its situation and the problems that caused it. If the industry is going to increase its revenue, it must attract passen gers. To accomplish this, airlines must make flying safe, comfort able, easy and affordable. Instead, they are making it impossible. Lindsay Aiello is a sophomore journalism major. MAIL CALL should define diversity in r ms of ideas and not race Tp S v! sh A ame that a world-class university such ; e defines diversity in terms of ace t e a ™ rmat ' ve action incognito currently in Jdent t ? ^restically weakens our ability as e case f° trU ^ c h' /ers 'fi e d- This would not be at a f' °I lly A&M a dnmnistrators would realize 'litical aC H corn prised of varied mind-sets, 'dvtoa ot h erw ise, would allow the student tu t L eve l°P into a society of free thinkers citv an ^ ? uota black versus white, lifigith ^ not survive with only politicians en , lab ° me W0LJ ld require skilled trades- i/a| 0 f° t r j~ rs ' an< ^ even artists. Likewise, the sur- )tai ne( j e quality education that can be a ‘ s dependent upon diversity of ' n °t the complexion of flesh. Mark A. Gorzycki Class of 2006 9 le s should not use sports Ses to profit from football t0 ex P ress m y disappointment in %e fonth^ 6 trying to profit off of not S oin g L. an games. I understand giving your a fellow Aggie if you are 'oils n,c7 luaM 8ames - 1 understand giving your P a ss away to 6 cont^k 61 ^ or ^at fellow Aggie will be butto tnbutl0n to thp 19th th;an ' ft,i ' ,uul tot m to the 12th Man than you will J ty° u ^ 0 earn " money off of your peers so Settee extra cas h to spend on beer and ■Cth 2 sridiculous - n kmes Earl Rudder landed on the beaches of Normandy on that fateful 6th day of June, 1944 so that today's generation of Aggies could go selling their sports passes to the highest bidder. Nor did Lawrence Sullivan "Sully" Ross go to the capitol in Austin and beat the hell out of some state legislators to keep this great institution open so that we could bathe in the riches of sports pass profits. Finally, I'm glad E. King Gill did n't go hawking his sports pass that 2nd day of January, 1922. He wouldn't have been in the stands if his team needed him. Just think, the tra dition of the 12th Man wouldn't even exist! In conclusion, the first Aggie Bonfire, built in 1909, was a heap of trash, and that is what I think of people who make money off o£ selling their sports passes. Tim Brendel Class of 2004 Stem cell research opponents believe embryo is a living entity In response to Jenelle Wilson's Oct. 8 column: First of all, whether you agree with the point of view or not, you have to realize where pro-lifers are coming from to understand why they oppose stem cell research. We believe the obvious: that once conception occurs, that physical entity is life. Wilson commented: "At five days old, an embryo is just a cluster of cells; it has the poten tial of becoming a human being, but at the point of extraction, it is not one." What Ms. Wilson needs to realize is the incredi bly slippery slope she just placed her argument on. If life doesn't begin at conception, where does it begin? Is it when the heart starts beating, when the hands and feet form, when the fetus could survive outside the womb, or at the moment of birth? If you don't draw the line at conception, it is incredibly easy for people to push the line fur ther and further back. The point is, pro-lifers don't support stem cell research because a newborn baby is just as "alive" to them as the embryo which has started it's miraculous journey of life. To exterminate that life for any reason, whether it be throwing it in a trash can or dissecting it for research is a tragedy that can not continue. I realize that this research could help cure dis eases, but I think a simple analogy will help illus trate my point. There are many people who oppose capital punishment, and many people who support it. If tomorrow, the president came out and said that all people who are on death row will be used for medical research that will result in their deaths but be invaluable to science, because they're going to die any way, the anti-capital pun ishment groups would be very upset because this only devalues that human life even more just for the sake of science. That is exactly how pro-lifers feel. Scientific research that requires the extermi nation of human life is unacceptable and we will continue to fight it as long as it exists. My wife announced to me this summer that she is pregnant with our first child. When we saw the first ultra sound at only five weeks, we didn't care that our child was just a white blob on the TV screen. That is our child, a life that grows in my wife's belly. The very idea that it has no value other than as a clump of tissue suitable for research is unthinkable to us. Just remember that we were all embryos once, and I consider myself very blessed that no one decided to use me for scientific research. Derek Woodley Class of 2003 Aggie football should return to aggressive defensive scheme Given our proven record of success with blitzing often and getting to the quarterback quickly, why have we abandoned this philosophy for one that has a proven record of failure, namely dropping linebackers into coverage and waiting for the quarterback to make a mistake? Fortunately, we don't face many excellent quarterbacks this sea son; however, unless we return to the blitz-happy Wrecking Crew of the past, we are doomed to dis appointment every time we meet such a quarter back. We have the players now to implement such a defense. The only thing we need is for our coaches to make the call. Stephen Graham Class of 1995 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 T111, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-1111. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: mailcall@thebatt.com. Attachments are not accepted.
