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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 12, 2003)
The Battalion Page 8 I ritlav. September 12, Out of service Students must be well-informed before voting on fee increases The past year brought a whirlwind of change for Texas A&M: a new University president and new campus administra tors, a tuition and fee increase and a branch campus in Qatar. Changes are continuing in the 2004 academic year as students begin to experience a Elizabeth Dacus reduction in student services. Last spring the student body was asked to raise student fees for the Student Recreation Center, computer usage and the cap on Student Service Fees. However, students rejected the increase in these fees and are now suffering from the results of these decisions. One of the first effects was felt this sum mer, when the Rec. Center’s hours were cut. Students still see those reduced hours on the weekends now that school has begun. Additionally, the Rec Center was forced to increase rates for aerobics passes, intramural teams and facility usage. There have also been cuts in services due to current budgetary constraints and the inability to raise student service fees. The Student Service Fee Advisory Board had authorized $300,000 in increases to create and expand student programs produced by the Memorial Student Center and related facilities and serv ices, including Aggie Nights, Film Festival, Shakespeare Festival, Aggie Women’s Leadership Forum and numerous others. Without the increase in Student Service Fees and with the required budget reduction, the MSC actually lost more than $500,000 from its anticipated budget. Important student programs, including MSC Aggie Nights, have been downsized, and the Craft Center and Browsing Library were closed because money is no longer available offer these services to students. Other departments such as Student Life, Student Counseling, Student Activities and Multicultural Services have also been forced to cut their anticipated budgets. Students do not have the opportunity to affect many of the fees that they are charged each year, but they do have the opportu nity • to affect Student Service and Rec Sports fees. Conversations with number of students indi cate that many students did not realize what would be the actual effect of not passing these fee increases. There were certainly campus-wide efforts to make the campaign for these programs known. However, few students took interest in what was being communicated from knowl edgeable sources about these fee increases. They simply heard from third-party sources that fees were going to be raised, and they assumed that wasn’t what they wanted. It is our job as students to stay informed about the issues that affect us, because if we don’t stay aware our voices will not be heard. As students, we have a responsibility to research and question the issues we’re faced with. Many administrators and campus lead ers made themselves available during last year’s fee referendums, but few of these peo ple were actually approached by students with questions or concerns. These leaders can only go so far to make their point known. It is the job of the student body to test them and get our questions answered. It is my hope that when fee referendums come around next spring students will serious ly consider what these fee increases could mean to them before they cast their votes. Whether you vote “yes” or “no” on fee refer endums, make sure you make well-informed decisions about the future of the University. MSC Council President Elizabeth Dacus is a senior accounting major. REMEMBERING 9-11 A nation moving on Hope and understanding A lot of things have changed since 9-11: our nation has embarked on a war on terrorism, an evil regime has been toppled and we have developed a Department of Homeland Security to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Most importantly, we have been able to move on, as a nation and as individuals. Families have begun to put their lives back together after losing those that were so close to them. Their memories will live, as we commit to never let the tragedy and the lives lost be forgotten. Our nation has moved on as well. Our mili tary has gotten stronger, and proven its strength and willingness to fight by defeating our enemies. Life has continued day to day and we have all continued to work or go to school. But the memory of what happened and how we felt stays with us. May we never let go of those feel- ings.The only way that anyone could ever break us, or our national pride, is if we let them. There are few days in my life that I can remember with absolute clarity, but I remember well what happened that day in September two years ago. I was shocked to see what happened on the television, but I never cried. Tragedy, in spite of great loss, often brings out the best in people. I heard of firefighters dying, heroes in the air and on the ground, and I was proud. But when asked my perspective on how to move forward, no one quite understood my response. I said that we couldn’t let this affect the way we lived our lives. We couldn’t live bas ing our actions on fear and hatred. Today I see a country, a people, movihg for ward, with a few uncertain steps, but the same country that I have loved all my life. Unbowed in the face of hatred, but sometimes losing sight of the common vision to live in peace when it does n’t come immediately. All we can do is wait, hope and understand as we work for a better tomorrow. Todd Scarborough Class of 2001 Sarah Fremgen Class of2004 College Station’s Newest Restaurant!! V Drink • Grub • Chill i September Lunch Special!! Bring this ad in for buy one get one FREE Chicken Taco Plate Offer good llam-6pm daily thru 10/1/03. Come in and enjoy our lunch! Daily lunch specials lIam-6 pm! • Queso Fries • Fajita Nachos • BBQChicken Taco Plate • Wings Rock • Chili Long Dog • Cheese burgers, Sandwiches, & more! D TAMU Texas Ave. Q 42- 1601 Texas Ave. S - (979) 680-0600 MAIL CALL L TS out of touch with students I think it’s great that the peo ple over at Transportation Services can count empty parking spaces and come to the conclusion that they’re empty because people have left the garage. Good job! TS failed to consider just why we students pay nearly $400 dollars to park in a garage: it is so we leave campus as often and as long as we like and come back and have a guaran teed spot just for us. Yes, we may leave that spot. If we never had to leave, we would not have brought a car to school with us. Also, TS seems to think that the convenience of having a garage spot is loca tion. Wrong. The convenience is that we do not have to spend several minutes looking for an open space. I guess TS is so out of touch with the students that they do not even realize why we choose to use some servic es over others. friends, and take sick leave. It was my intention, when I paid the extra money for a garage space, to have a park ing space to facilitate my busy life and the trips I make off campus. Opening the parking garage and overselling the spaces will solve no problems. Courtney Kinney Class of 2005 Stress to find a parking space Cody Sain Class of2006 Garage proposal not justified I am a Southside garage space holder. I have been a space holder going on three semesters. Prior to my garage space, I parked in red lots. I have received the mass e-mail sent to Southside parking garage holders informing us of a “proposal” to open the garage to extraneous space holders. I personally am frustrated and disgusted at the evi dence used by TS to justify this proposal. First of all, the main contention for approval in the above mentioned e- mail is that out of the 1,974 spaces provided by the Southside parking garage, at any given time “hundreds of these spaces are vacant due to a variety of factors.” The factors listed include students or staff who leave the garage to attend meetings, visit Much to my dismay, I received an email from Transportation Services informing me that either immediately or in the near future, the Southside parking garage will no longer have assigned spaces. Instead we will be able to park in the first available space. At first, this may sound like a good idea. However there are many reasons that this is horri bly unfair. The reason that I pay two times more than those who pay for a spot in the red parking lots goes much further than having a parking spot that is protected from the rain. I pay that extra money so that I am guaranteed to be able to drive into the garage, drive straight to my spot, and be back to my dorm within only a few minutes. If these changes take place, I no longer have this guarantee. I understand that the possibility that every one who signed up for a spot will show up all at once is remote, but it is a possibility nonetheless. A greater con cern is that the stress of having to find a parking spot — a stress that I pay a lot of money to avoid — is now a concern. parking garages is an absil plan that would cause mcl inconvenience than anyttofl for students who live on carl pus. I spent the last two yeaT of my life here on camptsl hunting for parking spots aT then hunting for my cartri next time I needed to leavij The only thing that madethj bearable was the thought hi I would soon have my oti spot in the nearby parkirl garage to park in. I wa:j know exactly where my Cci was at all times and I woi:| also know that I would atej have a specific place to par'* Now that I do have a spot j the Southside garage, I Iwj it. It makes the inconverj ience of going off-campus i| little less inconvenient. u.s. p A i Any Gras I Class of Mi More parking needed I was alarmed to find a me sage from Transportal" Services in my Neo accout which is never a good scr since it usually involves*: getting charged more rro Well, it turns out thatTSI* decided to oversell ft Southside parking garage.fa might exclaim, “Say it ain't sc Anne! The reason I am payr; $390, over double whatredktl spaces cost, is to have ague anteed covered parking spac; They cannot do this." Oh yes, they can. In faci Travis Richards Class of 2005 TS plan is absurd and inconvenient I am enraged at the e- mail that I received from Transportation Services. The proposed elimination of reserved spots in the resident we do not have a choice vetoing this proposal. We on|| get to choose if it takes place immediately in Fall 2003 orr Fall 2004. I think I should at least 6e charged a significantly less amount of money if I haveL fight to get a parking space ! We pay this much money fat convenience and we shod get what we pay for. TS shou: either provide more parking: quit punishing us for its sM | sightedness. I am sick of pfa ing up the national deficit c' my tuition bill. |eop maj Tee Seventeen Investors lo< azine befoi stock. But, i damental cl sonality or magazine. T are Texas t administrati World Repo University i dishonest. V be abandone When an is issued, it; the plan is to year 2020. I proclamatior mines whicl introduction ators of the benchmark f university. T and all plan: A&M’s maj changes in tl This sumr an open lette to disregard stated that flawed becai for some stuc part, “A ran shortcomings the one proc World Repor Council issut A& S Anne Shropsti' \ Class of 3 tuden budgi and Unknown to i A&M Preside of condolenci blamed on fin salaries are t actually plan 2020, they ne A&M to othe pay raises to i For the 20i pay raises, inc A&M professi versities, said Terry Lovell, those professo of a merit-basi This would in state fundii this year. Statistically less than their Continually comes because When conif tion of their jo FATBURGER Delivers 846-4234 Since 1984 /'Fatburger Special ! $ 5.00 +Tax j 1/3 lb. Burger, | Fries & Large Drink J IStf. Delivery Charge 1 Minimum Delivery Required Bevo Butter Special '] $ 6.89 + Tax 1 lb. Burger (ground longhorn)*! Fries & Large Drink Whoopil 75< Delivery Charge Minimum Delivery Required ! j 1/4 lb. Ag Special i $ 3.39 + rax ! Build your own sandwich ! 1/4 lb. Burger, ! Fries & 20 oz. Drink i 1 Dine-in only. No Limit. V Expires 12/31/03 \ 1 1 Grilled Chicken Combo; I $ 3.79 +Tax ! Build your own sandwich | Chicken Breast Sandwich,! Fries & 20 oz. Drink No Limit j Expires 12/31/03 J om bei Un of Regents sec letter written I chairmen of demands the University Pres Sloan Jr. Thou^ to be innocent ment in the sc fonner men’s t — who has sin university, the Regents, who ai Sloan’s fate, m actions of his st Regents Ca Toby Druin, Wilkerson issu Baylor Univers der of basket Dennehy’s bod gunshot wound indicted forme the murder. Bliss — se audiotapes by a a cover-up sche ments given to