The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, October 09, 2002, Image 15

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    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.