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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 19, 2002)
Opinion The Battalion Page 9 * Tuesday, November 19, 20' TALKING RIGHT BEHIND YOU my an case shows why stalking should be considered a legitimate threat in B-CS JENELLE WILSON I'T'C TTiile the most highly \A/ publicized stalking I Y ▼ cases typically involve [famous people, celebrity stalking Is actually a small percentage of Ihe total stalking every year in Ihe United States. Stalking is a Jcrime that affects more than one million women and 400,000 men [every year, according to the National Institute of Justice. This translates into approximately one out of every 12 women and 45 |iien will be stalked in their lifetimes. Unfortunately, this crime, which is a precursor for many other [violent crimes, is not taken very seriously. A U.S. Department of Justice study found that about one-half [of all female stalking victims report the crime to the police and kne-quarter get a protection order against the stalker; over 80 per- (cent of protection orders, however, are violated. Of those that jreport the crime, only 24 percent of female cases and 19 percent of male cases are actually prosecuted, which leaves [the majority of stalkers to stalk again. A successfully prosecuted case occurred in [Brazos County in October, and it is a scary [example of why stalking needs more public [awareness. According to The Eagle, last month a College [Station man, Raymond Edward Olivas, 32, was [sentenced to 35 years in prison for aggravated [assault, four counts of evading police and stalk- ling a Bryan woman after she ended her relation- [ship with him. Olivas threatened the woman on Imultiple occasions, followed her and even shot at [her truck when she refused to talk to him. The jury convicted Olivas despite his defense attor- jneys claims that his actions did not fit a pattern [of stalking. The Eagle also said Olivas left more than 55 messages on the victims voice mail from November to December of 2001. These messages ranged from threats to break down her door and kill her to killing himself. One message said,“Keep that (expletive) up. See what happens. You're writing your own expletive death sentence.” Eight minutes after he left the first message, he called again say ing, “I'm the (expletive) person who loves and cares about you.” Olivas had a history of mental illness, including depressive and obsessive-compulsive disorders, as well as violent and threatening behavior. In 2000 he was arrested for intoxication near his wife's house with a pellet gun, sawed-off shotgun and a hack saw in the car. He had threatened her before, and she had a protection order against him. After the incident, Olivas was ordered by the court to attend a psychological session once a month, but he only attended one in a year, which left his mental illness untreated and him free to stalk others. \ Fortunately, Olivas was arrested again and jailed before he physically hurt somebody. a Women on college campuses are susceptible to being stalked, yet there is not enough serious public discussion about stalking. Most of the people who become stalkers are not psychotic. They do, however, suffer from other mental illnesses and personal ity disorders and need psychological help. According to the Stalking Help Web site from the University of Texas' Department of Psychology, stalkers can have illnesses such as narcissism, para noia, voyeurism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Leaving stalking cases unreported puts more people in danger of being stalked because it leaves people who des perately need psychological help without any. Stalking leads to other violent crimes, such as physical and sexual assault. Of the college women who had been stalked in the 1997 study, over 10 percent of their stalk ers had forced or attempted sexual contact and 15 per cent of the stalkers threatened to or attempted physical harm. It can also lead to murder, as a case that directly affected Texas A&M shows. Former A&M student Ron Scott Shamburger was executed in September for the mur der of fellow student Lori Baker in 1994. Baker's parents told The Eagle that Shamburger had repeatedly asked their daughter for dates, but was turned down every time. Her parents said they thought he was stalking Lori Baker and his intent while breaking into her apartment was not to rob it. College women are especially at risk for being stalked. The 1997 National College Women Sexual Victimization Study found that over 13 percent of college women had been stalked; four out of five of these women were stalked by someone they knew. Almost half were stalked by a current or former boyfriend, 25 per cent by a classmate, 10 percent by an acquaintance and the remaining were stalked by co-workers or friends. Female college students are less likely to report these incidents to the police. In the study over 80 percent of the women who were stalked did not report it because they felt it either was not serious enough to report or was not a crime. Others believed the police would not take them seriously. Clearly, women on college campuses are sus ceptible to being stalked, yet there is not enough serious public discussion about stalking. The only way to lower this probability is to raise awareness. Celebrities are not the main victims of stalking. One out of every 20 adults will be stalked at some time in their lives, yet the issue does not receive the attention it needs to properly inform the public about the risks. It is too prevalent in American soci ety to ignore. Stalking leads to other violent crimes; it can lead to death. Victims need to report cases of stalking and the court needs to ensure that stalkers not only get help, but also continue receiving treatment for their illnesses. Jenelle Wilson is a junior political science major MAIL CALL Total Republican control only scary for Democrats In response to Brieanne Porter's Nov. 18 column: It is really sad that liberals like Brieanne Porter cannot admit that the American public does not agree with their agenda. Republicans swept the recent elections because the American Public is decidedly more conservative these days. This is a hard fact for liber- a ls to accept, and so in response, they try to scare the public with nightmare visions of a Republican fascist state. If Republicans were really so evil and hor rible, then they wouldn't have won such a decisive victory in the mid-term elections. I guarantee that Porter's ominous warnings about a Republican rape of the environment and of civil liberties will not come to fruition. Why? Because Republicans have to run for re-election in 2004, and abusing the majority they have in Congress would disillusion many of the moderates who voted them into office. Furthermore, her analysis of Reagan-era tax cuts is entire ly misleading. The economic policies of Reagan are what contributed to the booming economy of the 1990s — one °f the many things Clinton had absolutely nothing to do with, but tried to take credit for anyway. Nowadays it is difficult to tell many Democrats from Republicans, because most politicians have gravitated to the middle of the road in an attempt to capture as many voters as possible. In fact. Democrats were desperately trying to align themselves with Bush before the elections in hopes that it would put them over the top. That being said, the Republicans were victorious simply because they exhibited better leader ship and confidence, and the voters recognized this. The Democratic Party went into the elections with absolutely nothing to offer and no alternatives to what the Republican Party has been doing since Bush took office. Now that the Democrats have lost their ability to create gridlock in Washington, DC, we might actually see some things get done. Liberals need to stop whining about election results, stop using scare tactics and accept the fact that the majority of Americans are fed up with their big government, wel fare state, tax-and-spend liberal ideas. Jon Apgar Class of 1999 Cover charges hurt business Fee to get into bars on Northgate needless C onveniently located across from campus, Shadow Canyon used to be a fixture of College Station nightlife. Lately, however, some Thursday and Friday nights Shadow Canyon stands ominous and empty, a stopping point for women who want to dance though they are turned away by the lack of potential partners. A few months ago. Shadow Canyon and Hole in the Wall started charging a $5 cover in an attempt to keep up with their competitors, yet the new charge has done nothing but alienate its customers and empty its dance floor. Charging cover is not an effective way to entice business on Northgate, as there are several other bars just a few steps away who will let everyone in for free. Don Ganter, owner of Shadow Canyon and Hole in the Wall, said he does not like having to charge people who just want to drink beer and hang out at his bars, yet he feels he has no other choice, as Shadow’s business has been challenged by competitors Hurricane Harry’s, The Hall and The Tap. Ganter points out all of those bars charge cover, and he feels that him doing it should not be that big of a deal. “I don’t like what we are having to do to our com petition, but we haven’t done anything outlandish or extreme,” Ganter said. “We are charging guys Wednesday through Saturday — same as Hurricane Harry’s does.” Many Aggie men are upset about the new cover charge, choosing to bring their business elsewhere. Others opt to pay the cover and spend less money on drinks. Mike McCullar, a senior agriculture develop ment major, said while he still goes to Shadow Canyon, the cover charge definitely affects the amount of money he spends inside. “Several of my friends no longer go to Shadow Canyon because they think the cover charge is ridicu lous,” McCullar said. “I still go, but I take the money I spent on cover away from the tips I leave the bar tenders, so really, the cover charge is only hurting them.” Ganter said he knows he could bring in more busi ness by “selling sex,” yet he just “wants to have some good innocent fun.” Ganter said wet T-shirt contests. beer tub girls, and sexy cocktail waitress es may draw business, but would not do so in the classy manner he wishes to be known for. “One way I could fill my bars is by taking on the attitude that Hooters has — have a burger and see some ass,” Ganter said. While Ganter says he doesn’t want to resort to sell ing sex, his bar recently hosted the Girls of Aggieland Calendar model search, which brought in one of the largest crowds at Shadow Canyon since the cover charges were implemented. Many Aggies and Sooners crowded the stage, watching 25 scantily clad women compete for spots in a 2003 calender. Aside from hosting the model search. Shadow Canyon and The Dixie Chicken also served as back drops for the calender’s photoshoot, where this “classy” calendar show cased scantily-clad women straddling pool tables. Well, Ganter was right about one thing; sex does sell. Shadow Canyon was packed during the model search, and while contestants didn’t adhere to the crowd’s chants of “show your tits,” the women on stage definitely attracted attention with their bodies. This event directly contradicts Ganter’s attitude towards selling sex. Maybe Shadow Canyon’s business was suffering so badly that he had to put aside his morality and bring in some business however he could. Maybe Ganter sees a calendar search as many classy steps above a wet T-shirt con test. Either way, when girls choose to dress as if they were invited to the playboy mansion and trying to impress celebrities, the contest is designed to sell sex, and Ganter promoted it. There is nothing wrong with using sex to sell a product; people have been doing that forever, and it has proven to be a very successful strategy. However, Ganter shouldn’t try to excuse an unpopular cover charge because he doesn’t want to “resort to selling sex” when he blatantly does so. Shadow Canyon needs to get innovative and get rid of the cover charge or else business will continue to suffer. After all, there are only so many “Girls of Aggieland” to exploit. Micala Proesch is a junior journalism and economics major. MICALA PROESCH Charging cover is not an effective way to entice business on Northgate, as there are several other bars just a few steps away who will let anyone in for J
