Opinion
The Battalion Page 11 • Tuesday, October 15, 2002
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A doomed undertaking
Divestment campaign too simplistic to succeed
I
nthe early 1980s, college stu
dents helped to eliminate the
apartheid regime from South
Africa through a divestment cam
paign, according to Time and
Newsweek. This is a movement COLLINS EZLANYIM
by students to pressure their universities to review
their investment portfolios and eliminate stocks
of companies they believe are aiding human
injustices. The anti-apartheid divestment
movement is a shining example of how
focused and passionate college students can
organize and make a difference in the world.
Now a new divestment movement is
sweeping campuses from coast to coast.
According to Time, the campaign involves
students’efforts to pressure their universities to
divest from any company doing “substantial busi
ness with Israel.” The goal of divestment
activists is to pressure Israel into
changing its policies toward the
threat, two-timt Palestinians, which the stu-
atherine Ndereta
le.
liffe stopped afn
ile for drug testm
marveled at hire
n mediately suspett
mistry.
dents consider oppressive.
According to Time, major
universities involved in this
divestment movement
include the University of
Michigan, the
Jniversity of
ialifornia at
Jerkeley and the
jniversity of Texas
it Austin. Targeted
ompanies include
jeneral Electric. IBM
McDonalds, accord-
toTime. Unlike its anti
ipartheid predecessor, this
nodern divestment movement
s unnecessary, unjustified and inef
fective. It also comes dangerously
lose to becoming anti-Semitic.
The problem with any movement
tgainst Israel is that the activists
nvolved will always be suspected of
whoring anti-Semitic feelings.
Unfortunately, in the heated rhetoric that
•ftenaccompanies discussions concerning
sraeland the Middle East, it is hard to distin-
uishanti-Israel and anti-Semitic feeling. For
xample, according to Time, the Hillel Center
or Jewish students at Berkeley was vandalized
on the first day of Passover when someone
hrew a cinder block through the door and
Pray-painted its wall with an expletive regard-
ng Jews. There was no evidence of a link
oBerkeley's strong divestment campaign,
t members of the movement have a duty
ovehemently condemn any anti-
Semitic words or actions. Instead,
"'hat they offered were weak and non-
ffective statements such as the
designed by 21 Berkeley faculty x.
■" which they “unequivocally”
■ejected “all forms of acism,”
fording to The Daily Califoi ian,
eiteley’s student newspaper.
Another deficiency of the divestment movement is its over
all lack of effectiveness. This defect is twofold. First, the
universities simply do not agree with the campaign.and
see no reason to
divest from
Israel. As Time
explained,
“schools are not
rushing to sell
right now.” Secondly, the divestment
movement faces serious opposition
from pro-Israel supporters. Even at
places such as Berkeley, where the
divestment movement has a particular
ly loyal following, a counter-petition
denouncing divestment has been circu
lated and has collected 4,000 signa
tures, according to Time.
This is much more than the divest
ment movement has been able to
accumulate. Christopher Cantor, a
member of the campaign for U.C.
Divestment from Israel, said in a
Daily Californian column that this
counter-petition “does indeed have
many more signatures than the corre
sponding divestment petition.”
As it wears on, the divestment cam
paign grows more and more egregious.
Especially when its supporters try to com
pare Israel’s policies to that of apartheid,
as did Archbishop Desmond Tutu in a
piece titled, “A Moral Campaign to End the
Occupation.”
This comparison is sick and cruel. Many
of Israel’s policies concerning the
Palestinians are questionable and should
be seriously reconsidered, such as Israel’s
occupation of disputed lands in the West
Bank. However, to compare these poli
cies and laws with the travesty of
apartheid is immoral and unfair.
This is the ultimate failure of the
campaign to divest from Israel. The students
involved view a complex issue, the conflict in
the Middle East, with too simple-minded a
viewpoint. They speak of the human-rights
abuses of Israel but conveniently never talk
about the homicide bombers that target inno
cent civilians at will.
As Jonathan Alter pointed out in a column
for Newsweek, they “say nothing when the
Palestinians routinely execute suspected col
laborators, including the mothers of young
children.” The divestment campaign will
never be as successful as the anti-apartheid
movement unless the student activists
acknowledge these complexities. Their
folly shows that any campaign to
bring about change in the
Middle East can’t be “pro-
Israel” or “pro-Palestenian,”
but must be pro-peace to
succeed.
Collins Ezeanyim is a senior
computer engineering major.
SARAH FOWLER • THE BATTALION
& Rita's
Fri llam-llp m
am-9pm
Pesticide restrictions needed
Treaty ratification would limit pesticides in foreign nations
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T he Environmental
Piotection Agency
(EPA) works to —
ect consumers from me
Wential dang'*’"-
Pesticides. However, this
esn°t stop U.S. companies from
P° rt 'ng these pesticides.
According to the New
(\y^ ]at i° na ^ St ' percent of the pesti-
s 011 sa le in developing countries do
■neet international standards.
a„ p e Suited Nations environmental
i Cy called for a ratification of a 1998
and! t0 tl§hten the ban on the export
acm ? P es ti c ides in other countries,
is co^ ln ^ t0 CNN.com. The crackdown
ban n ? ntrated on Pesticides that are
d e ve| ln t ^ le United States but not in
asie 0 * 3 ! 11 ^ Cour >tries. This ratification is
cides tu ° Sei to con trolling harmful pesti
^ at endanger lives.
are!? 6 ,^ re S u Jates which pesticides
nsf ln the United States. The EPA
unfit f eStlc '^ es and chemicals that are
ti C id e ° r tae env ironment. Although pes-
hnited 38 are banned in the
^PPiimm 68, there is no re g ulation
itig 0 f j’ 6 rnan ufacturing and export-
tries s'"' 3 P est ici d e to foreign coun-
ba n ce' t nCe Am ericans trust the EPA to
States ain P estic i de s in the United
theb a n ^ ^ n ! ted States should support
pesticide^ 0 ^ ex P° rt i n g those very
Since the EPA regulates
’ United
ANDI BACA iv..-,, emulated pesticides
can have on iiicm.
According to the Australian Fertiliser
Services Association (AFSA), the United
States imports food from many countries
it exports pesticides to. Ecuador, which
uses imported pesticides, has polluted
rivers, where shrimp are harvested and
exported. Ecuador is the number one
exporter of bananas as well. Since these
products are imported into the United
States, it is safer to support a tighter ban
on harmful pesticides not approved by
the EPA.
Tightening the ban on exporting iden
tified pesticides will improve the harmful
conditions environments are exposed to.
Harmful pesticides negatively affect the
environment. Pesticides cause irre
versible damage to land and water sup
plies. They are responsible for illnesses
and deaths of people exposed to them.
CNN.com said the pesticide monocro-
tophos causes nausea, blurred vision, res
piratory problems and death.
Monocrotophos is one of the pesticides
the intended treaty would ban.
Although banning the export of dan
gerous pesticides to foreign countries is a
beginning to improving the quality of the
environment, it does not eliminate dan
gerous pesticides.
same
The biggest problem is what to do
with banned pesticides. According to the
New Informationalist, it will cost Africa
$80 million to dispose of all banned pes
ticides. Underdeveloped countries will
have a harder time paying for the dispos
al of unused pesticides. However, the
New Informationalist said that the agro
chemical industry has agreed to pay 30
percent of the costs of disposing banned
pesticides. Despite its steep cost, dispos
al of banned pesticides is an unavoidable
task.
While pesticides have allowed under
developed countries to maximize their
scarce agricultural resources, the harmful
affects of some pesticides are dangerous
enough to require tighter regulation. The
EPA uses strict guidelines to judge the
pesticides used in the United States, and
similar regulations are required in other
countries due to today’s global commu
nity of trade.
Simply banning pesticides in one
country will not prevent their potential
harm in others.
Although many U.S. citizens will
never experience the harmful effects of
dangerous pesticides, thousands will.
The world consists of one community
resource, recycled repeatedly. Poisoning
one country will poison the United States
in the long run.
Andi Baca is a senior
journalism major.
Diversify A&M
through study
abroad program
Y ■ ^he top universities in
America are world
-A. universities,” says
Vision 2020. Those universities
open themselves to international
students and provide substantial
opportunities for their domestic students to go abroad. The
closer Texas A&M moves toward its vision, the more impor
tant international experience will become. International
experiences are becoming imperative in today’s world.
“Study abroad is essential if you want to be competitive
in the global market,” Erin Delcarson, an A&M study abroad
adviser, said.
A&M offers many opportunities for students to get
involved in the international experience. Students can study
abroad, intern abroad and become involved in organizations
focused on emphasizing international relations.
A&M offers more than 60 programs in 20 countries.
Many students are aware of major programs the Study
Abroad Office offers, but are missing the opportunity to get
involved in smaller programs that may hold the key to their
interest.
“No matter what your major, there’s something out there
for you,” Delcarson said. With many different programs
available, students don’t have an excuse to miss a study
abroad experience.
Delcarson said that upon graduation, she was continually
asked about her international experience by every job inter
viewer. “Recruiters are looking for people who are willing to
take the extra step and aren’t afraid to step out of their com
fort zones,” Delcarson said.
America is a strong international player. Therefore, its cit
izens should be international players as well. Countries out
side the United States are growing in power and influence.
The European Union continues to gain momentum and
power - the success of the Euro and free movement within
the countries certainly attest to that. As foreign influence
rises, American citizens will be forced to learn more about it
to be able to understand America’s international relations.
Students have the advantage of multiple programs at their
fingertips designed to benefit them and help them learn.
Melissa Tyroch, a senior political science major, went to
study the European Union this summer through the
European Summer Academy. “I’d suggest that anyone want
ing to expand their horizons and learn a little while being
immersed in a different culture participate in a study abroad
program,” she said.
Many students are concerned about the expense of study
ing abroad. The Study Abroad Programs Office says the
biggest complaint student have is the cost of studying
abroad. However, the Study Abroad Office has more than
$300,000 available in scholarships, so money is available. As
the programs grow and the support gains momentum, more
money will be available to students to ensure that no one is
left out of these opportunities.
Being willing to take the experience is the first step
towards realizing how international relations can help one
personally. New programs are developed each year and
organizations such as Aggie International Ambassadors are
being founded to help emphasize the importance of interna
tional experience.
Many of the faculty and the University’s top leaders rec
ognize that a strong international experience is important — it
is time the students became more aware of this as well.
Studying and interning abroad can be life-changing experi
ences that help to diversify and globalize the A&M campus.
Lenti Smith is a junior
political science and journalism major.
LENTI SMITH
MAIL CALL
Bad experience
with Corps escort
In response to Sara Foley's
Oct. 10 column:
I have nothing against the
Corps of Cadets. My father and
two uncles served in the
Corps and I have nothing but
respect for it. I do, however,
have serious grievances
against their escort service.
As a freshman, new to cam
pus, I called the escort service
to walk me to my dorm, and I
was embarrassed and humili
ated by the experience. The
person on the other end of my
escort's walkie-talkie asked
questions about my physical
appearance, ending in "What
does she look like?" to which
the escort replied, "She's noth
ing special."
I will never call the escort
service again, no matter what
time of night it is or how
unsafe I feel. I refuse to be
rated by someone who doesn't
even know me, especially
when the assumption is based
solely on physical appearance.
I think it's sad that I can no
longer trust the escort service,
considering that they are fel
low Aggies, and when my
female friends heard my expe
rience, they also decided that
calling the service was not
worth it.
As I have shared this story,
I've found that other lady Ags
have had similar negative
experiences, and it's time that
someone ends this very
un-Aggielike behavior.
Jamie Hall
Class of 2004
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