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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2003)
NEH THE BATTALI! ure ied from page losul after the incr; )lent crowd l J.S. military nesday. looting underscore; is that coalition icy finish their c® and try to rebm! where many pe; iti-American. arines have toestft ;s, said Marine ( Jpton, a U.S. Cet J spokesman, es also stoppe: hank robbery, rece : $3.7 million, Ce d said Wedne; lied the Marine; after seeing looiei After the looters larines, one Iraqi nother injured an ped. ig also contii: ly across Baghdad veral hours, thro® ried off 50-pound) md 20-pound sad storehouses insidi >nal Fair Compe; jble-and triple-pri or roadway - ,, back seats, roofn occasionally bar 1 trucks — after h y discovered an a ; storehouse, ide. radoun Street, ye, aid be seen le broken front do; anch in the late a but scattered #1 nvees roared intov: politics also appe t time in Iraqis'mer Aggielife The Battalion Page 3A • Thursday, April 17, 2003 Colorblind romance Interracial couples cross traditional dating boundaries By Nishat Fatima THE BATTALION Every day in Aggieland, couples hold hands as they walk around campus. Their displays of affection are often met with “oohs” and “awws.” However, many couples at Texas A&M stray from the conventional idea of what couples look like. They are the interracial couples, and their unions spark a variety of reactions. Since the Civil Rights movement, an increasing number of people have established biracial relationships. Once a social taboo, this practice is gradually becoming more com mon in society. Sociology professor Fenian Chen said the increasing occur rences of mixed ethnicity mar riages are due to a change in atti tudes toward what people value in a relationship. “Marriage is a reflection of love and intimacy ” she said. “When people find that in a rela tionship outside of their race, they are willing to overcome the social barriers that come along with it. Positive attitudes toward immi grants have also contributed to mixed race relationships.” The degree of diversity in American society has increased as tt We have never had to deal with any negativity as a couple... this is because people who are more educated have a better reac tion to interracial dating than others. LION ief ter. Opinion Editor n, Asst. Opinion Edir v. Sports Editor .tub, Asst. Sports Editor hoto Editor ion, Asst. Photo Editor na, Graphics Editor Radio Producer usch, Webmaster londay through Friday dif- ursday during the sumiw at Texas A&M Univeisrt) iSTMASTER: Send address FAMU, College Station, B students at Texas A&N Department of Journalism itn phone: 845-3313; Fat vw.thebatt.com sorship or endorsementt) Rising, call 84 5-2696,Fm e in 015 Reed McDonald ay. Fax: 845-2678. each Texas A&M studentto anal copies 254. Mailsutr ’semester, $17.50 forthe ltd, Discover, or America" some minority groups have high fertility rates and others immigrate in large numbers, Chen said. Chen said the shift in social stratification fac tors can also be credited to the changing attitudes toward biracial couples. “Race is increasingly losing its significance because it is being replaced by other factors such as education and social class ” she said. “There is also a trend for people to find spous es who have the same social and economic background as themselves, regardless of their ethnic background. The criterion of a good mate has shifted from race to somebody that is economically sound.” Friends and acquaintances tell Michael Quintana and Liz Savage that they are a cute couple. Quintana, a senior computer information systems major, is part Spanish and part black, while Savage, an aerospace engineering major, is part English and part French. Many people would agree that the couple is the best of all worlds, and Quintana said they have never faced adversity to their relationship. “We both came from diverse backgrounds and even our social circle is made up of a variety of people,” Quintana said. “We have never had to deal with any nega tivity as a couple. I think this is because people who are more educated have a better reaction to interracial dating than others.” Although Quintanta’s relation ship has not faced problems, he said his interracial parents have. “My father would visit some clients of his, and sometimes they would say negative things about African Americans because it never occurred to them that he was married to an African American lady,” he said. “When my dad told them that his wife was black, they apologized since they had put their foots in their mouths.” Savage said the only minor barrier she had to face was her mother’s apprehensions. “My mother warned me that she had to make a lot of compromises in her relationship with my father due to cultural differences,” she said. “She >9 ALISSA HOLLIMON • THE BATTALION Michael Quintana, a senior computer information systems major, and Liz Savage, a graduate aerospace engi neering major, walk their dog, Trinity, Wednesday afternoon. The couple has been dating for eight months. —Michael Quintana senior computer information systems major told me to be careful not to let our differences get in the way of our relationship.” Savage said the only cultural differences that the couple has faced are minor arguments about whether British music is better than American. “I don’t think those arguments hurt our rela tionship,” Savage said with a laugh. Although some Americans promote diversity, there are others who may have an inner demon to battle with. Once inside their lives and homes, their rules for racial tolerance may take on a whole new meaning. One student who wanted to be known as Kathy said she is a member of an organization that promotes diversity and has friends from many different racial backgrounds. But, she said she is not open to the idea of dating outside of her, own race. “I’m not racist by any means,” Kathy said. “There are a lot of issues people have to consid er before they attempt to date somebody. 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