Opinion mam The Battalion le, including »i ncan Green Bsk njuiing 25 olheis. Oct 3 eo P | e are inddM •rtland. Ore, lor ’ging to a tenors nd trying tojciia. a to fight U.S. s. Four were ted in the Unite) s and a fifth in r'sia. Thesrxlhisal I sought, Oct. 6 zee ra receives an; leasts an audo of Osama bin n speaking. |f$ ar when it was Oct. 8 Jdiotapeofbin n’s top deputy 5 ating. U S oHoas was made in st at the earliest, ore likely n the las reeks. II makes inces to seveia t events and dan aden is alive, Oct 8 een linked loi i&M might be safe when com- ared to universities of similar size, t he saw as B udiasthe University of Texas, he United /hich reported 24 rape offenses and nst Iraq, to aggravated assaults in 2001. ^ 1ft H ° WeVer ’ i , t is the belief “ nothin g wil1 rad" W^ome' that breeds victims. he sai4.v|® onalcrimes g° unreported, so ie supremac^jr. v uenc y ot crim e on campus Higher than one might suspect, eescort service helps prevent tacks by dissuading potential lackers. On weekends, there are sometimes up to 200 calls a night RUBEN DELUNA o countries; and its depis at their crimes led," he said." o make a Palestine, ^nesting escorts, according to Larry Boykin of Company D- AfghanistanAlthough the guard room receives a number of prank calls e Muslim st®|iidcalls from women who might think of the service as a way ‘meeting dates instead of assuring safety, the service proba- contributes to the lower campus crime rates. At any given 3 authorities. :ampaign refe* the census, mes or revealiij me, six cadets are working in the guard room and are avail- m to accompany any females walking on campus. However, something stops many women from using the THE BATTALION service. Whether it be confidence that she can make it alone, reluctance to wait for the escort to arrive, or discomfort at the thought of actually calling and requesting one, something stops the usage of the service, and these inhibitions may lead to tragedy. Students must be willing to place their own safety above their inhibitions and take advantage of this valuable service. Sara Foley is a sophomore journalism major. Page 5B • Thursday, October 10, 2002 Musical brings reality to A&M P eople don’t usually think of Texas A&M as a campus whose members would associate themselves with the issues of homosexuality, sexual diseases and lower-class America, but Oct. 29 and 30 will bring these issues into the minds of many Aggies and the College Station community. MSC Opas has brought the hit Broadway musical “Rent” to the stage at Rudder Auditorium. Students should take this opportunity to witness the brutal honesty and sheer beauty in this production. Many people coincide conservative with close-mindedness. Yes, A&M is a conservative campus, but this does not translate to intolerant or oblivious to some issues - at least it shouldn’t. Being conservative should mean basing views on the accumu lation of knowledge you have gathered. Bringing “Rent” to the campus can stand as a movement to project a more tolerable appearance to the outside world. “Rent” follows the lives of two roommates, Mark and Roger. The characters are faced with small issues such as pay ing the week’s rent and dating woes. But they are also forced to battle more serious issues — Mark’s girlfriend leaves him for another woman and Roger has a continuing battle with AIDS. The musical also includes the character Angel, who is a homo sexual plagued with AIDS and appears as a woman in a couple of scenes. This isn’t a raunchy display of taboo topics. “Rent” closely relates these characters to the audience, immediately connecting them in the beginning. Of course, there are serious moments, but the overall atmos phere of the play is more fun and “true-to-life” than anything. Christina Nelson, director of publicity and advertising for MSC Opas, said, “‘Rent’ is something students have wanted to come to A&M. We’re considered a conservative campus.” Apparently, students are ready to embrace what is typically considered liberal views in the form of entertainment, and maybe some education will be thrown in as well. The play was previewed by several members, staff and student leaders of Opas on their trip to New York in January. In the playbills from previous Opas plays. Nelson said there was positive response for “Rent” in the surveys that asked for student input. So far, there has been no negative feedback from anyone on campus or around town, and MSC Opas doesn’t expect any. “Everyone seems to be excited on campus, especially since they get a chance to see ‘Rent’ and ‘La Boheme’ here in the same season,” Nelson said. “Rent” is the contemporary adapta tion of “La Boheme.” Issues like those in “Rent” are problems people in the world have to deal with every day, and whether or not it seems so, they are also issues that some Aggies deal with as well. Even if the audience is not dealing with a life-threatening disease, or hasn't had to deal with a drug problem or any other issue “Rent” encounters, this play still hits home in some way to all its audience. Hopefully Ags will be able to look beyond the drag costumes and drug talk to see the realistic, touching mas terpiece “Rent.” Maybe this is not the start of a new liberal view at A&M. However, it could serve as one way to show the rest of the world that Aggies may be conservative, but we are not closed off from the real world. Lenti Smith is a junior journalism and political science major. LENTI SMITH I second jobs i icrs break res j ri _ # ,nattheirpiacf|' r, t eorro//on only gives the C ° r ps negative news coverage I is to provide! ■ planning p® sions.Theystfi- the data will® res Ponse to Richard Bray's Oct. 9 column: )ha Pen unions Awareness!! * unfa ^ or P s certainly has its flaws, it is na/ f° cus on| y on the mistakes that it has m the past, especially one that happened l T ears a 8°- 1 have never seen a positive arti- K- i out jhe Corps - only things about alleged l anc * pictures of that hazing, which violate privac y °f the person being "hazed." Perhaps l 0(f be 'P the University's image if The hin ,0 ? an d The Eagle were to publish some- vA . ut how much money the Corps of Wiv i r ?L Ses * or tbe March of Dimes every year. J., t ” at never put in The Battalionl Is it ometh- 6n R'fhard Bray might be forced to say ln 8 positive about the Corps of Cadets? David Kahn r Class of 2004 ^dents have a right to sell °wn sports passes Response to an Oct. 9 mail call: 002 iroe, Texas N TEXAS festival-c 0 ” 1 [dokl °' d my sports pass in the past. I did n cioa ^ exas A&M, nor did 1 do it to buy be 0 i^ ettes ‘ * so ^ 't to help recoup some of tl ani to huy books this semester. 3football nC ^' ** 1 am not planning on attendii n't| Se || 8 ame tor whatever reason, why shoul den on ^ P ass anc l help ease the financial bi center? ^ ' anr, ily? Does this make me a two p< ''vith°R Sl !i^ 0U * :>t tbat tootball had anything do | belipv u r s ber °ics on Omaha in 1944. N ir at Sul| y would care one way or tl , , V* whether or not 1 sold my , . .V-. v-AI I ICJl I 3WICJ Illy tewas Tk^ be would know what a spo 'bought ' le Same holds true for E King Gill. ^ e UDmv my s P° rts P ass - It’s mine. If I choc