? 3.
K
Opinion
The Battalion
Page 7 • Friday, October 3, 2003
3c to her 3, 200:
He told me that
ternoon, a young
med Chris had
>d him and asked il
two Aggie chairs
ing the Utah week-
sponded “no,” how-
ad read the letter
h an Aggie, had
RV lot with two
airs that he was
ve to me to replace
tolen!
Chris — I am glad
at least one Aggie
the traditions ol
A and was willing
r the misdeeds o(
rry I did not get to
Of course, I would
xepted your offer,
> it was appreciat-
already replaced
irs, but I was real-
rat the thief would
d enough to return
re and return the
) questions asked,
imised.
Raul G. Villaronga
Class of 1959
Supporting sweatshops
Clothing with college logos is sometimes produced in deplorable conditions
T exas A&M prides itself on setting an
example of integrity and respect
throughout the academic world.
While the University has made great improve
ments over the years, it has overlooked its
own support of sweatshops throughout parts
ofLatin America and Asia. Most Aggies
aren’t aware that some of the clothes they buy
are manufactured under poor conditions.
If A&M is truly a campus founded on high
moral principle and a respect for fellow man, it
must play an active role in saying no to the corporate interests
that continue to profit at the expense of the world’s less fortunate.
The Memorial Student Center Bookstore sells clothing with
A&M logos made by companies such as Nike and Champion.
According to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of
Industrial Organizations, workers in the Dominican Republic and
other countries throughout Latin America make clothing with uni
versity logos under these popular brand names, among others.
BJ&B. the company that owns a sweatshop outside of Santo
Domingo in the Dominican Republic, often forces overtime
work of up to 56 hours per week. The AFL-CIO notes that an
average baseball cap sells for around $20. Of this amount,
workers earn around 8 cents, while the university gets around
$1.50 in licensing fees for the product. This is outrageous since
the pay at these factories is only one-third of the necessary
wages to provide for a family under the Dominican govern
ment’s own standards.
A&M’s Athletic Department might also be sponsoring prod
ucts made in reprehensible working conditions throughout parts
of Asia. According to The New York Times, workers at a Nike
shoe factory in Vietnam receive $10 for the 65 hours a week
they were forced to work. An Ernst & Young report in 1997
concluded that workers at that Nike shoe factory, most under
the age of 25, work more than 10 hours a day, six days a week,
in deplorable working conditions for pay barely enough to feed
their families.
JONATHAN
STEED
The report also cited
dangerous air quality
in which workers were
exposed to carcino
gens that exceeded
local Vietnamese
standards by 177
times, causing 77 per
cent of the employees
to suffer from respi
ratory problems.
While A&M
might not be aware
of these deplorable
conditions, certain
brands used by
the Athletic
Department and
sold in the MSC
Bookstore are
made in sweat
shops such as
the ones in
Latin America
and Asia. The
workers in these
sweatshops will
never have the
opportunity to
escape the hell
they work and live in
nor to attend college at a school such as
A&M. Rather, they are locked into a life of low
pay, long hours and poor working conditions.
Multinational corporations such as Nike and
Champion represent the worst of capitalism. Over the years,
these companies have engaged in despicable practices aimed at
preventing workers in sweatshops from organizing and protect
ing their rights. These workers lack the ability to form unions
and collectively bargain for decent salaries, health benefits and
better hours.
While the corporate fat cats of these large companies have
their henchmen do their dirty work of union
busting and environmental exploitation, they
r-Eg-- reap the profits made at the expense
r *, 0 f youngs disadvantaged workers.
Most of the laborers can only
dream of the country club ban
quets and lavish mansions they
help provide for while being
taken advantage of.
A&M officials have a
responsibility to look into
i this matter and investigate
whether the University is
sponsoring and condoning such
reprehensible labor practices.
Student groups at other cam
puses throughout the
United States have helped
influence university officials
to ban all products made
in sweatshops from the
shelves of their bookstores
or on the bodies of their
athletes, and A&M should
follow suit.
Jonathan Steed is a senior
political science major.
Graphic by Paul Wilson
FUTES
Reasons for leaving early
In response to Sept. 27 mail call:
i lam not offering this as an excuse, but rather
as an explanation. Aggies do stand by their
team win or lose; however, the weather on
Saturday really did not allow for it. Standing on
third deck, there is no misting system, no upper
deck, nothing to block the sun.
Many of the Aggies, including me, who “left”
athalftime were just going to sit in the corridor
to cool down and come back to watch the sec
ond half. Two of the friends I went with had to
leave at the beginning of the fourth quarter
because they were not feeling well. I’m sure
that the medics in the first aid station will tell
you that they had a busy day.
Yes, Aggies do not leave the game early;
however, it is also very unbecoming of an Aggie
to point fingers at people without understanding
the situation. For those who left because we
were losing, they are “two percenters,” but for
those of you who tried to stay but left due to the
heat, thank you for attempting to keep the
Aggie tradition.
Thomas Watson
Class of 2006
Bus drivers are required to
leave games early
iw
I would like to speak on behalf of all of the bus
drivers who attend and work the football games.
We are not “two-percenters.” We are required to
leave the game when the game clock reads 7:00
in the fourth quarter. This is so we have time to
arrive at our buses and have them ready to leave
when the final cannon fires.
I am sure everyone who rides the buses
would be upset if the bus drivers waited until
after yell practice and then went to drive.
While I understand that drivers only comprise
approximately 100 persons of the mass exodus
toward the end of the game, please be aware of
this fact when you start yelling at everyone
leaving the game.
Jeff Pack
Class of 2002
Aggies are drifting apart
After reading Monday’s mail call, I was left
further sickened by Saturday’s loss to
Pittsburgh. The most shocking wake up call
was how much energy many Aggies exert on
bashing other Aggies’ actions. A&M is a great
school and environment. I respect our tradi
tions, and I’m not lashing out at the authors of
Monday’s articles. As Aggies, our energy
should be exerted pulling together instead of
drifting apart. I stayed until the bitter end of the
game, but only because I chose to. I also chose
to yell my loudest the whole game, but I didn’t
seethe point in wielding up more energy to yell
st my fellow student body. In fact, I stood next
to a few “red asses” who clearly cared more
MAIL CALL
about my buddy “taking his f*ing hat off” than
participating in our traditional yells. I guess it’s
a lot worse to boo referees than yell obscenities
at our student class. Our energy should be
spent taking part in our traditions, and not rip
ping each other apart. Games, win or lose,
should bring Aggies together, there’s no argu
ing that. Let’s strive to stay the whole game, yell
our loudest for the right reasons, and stick
together; nothing more, nothing less.
Scott Christianson
Class of 2003
Miles Schneider
Class of 2006
An embarrassment to A&M
In response to Dallas Shipp’s Sept. 28 col
umn:
I could not agree more with Mr. Shipp’s article
regarding the uncover tradition. Aggie football
games have lost all that they once were. They are
an embarrassment to go to most of the time.
From the “die hard” fans screaming “uncover,” to
those yelling at the refs, and finally those insult
ing other people for leaving early: I think the ones
who call others “two percenters” are themselves
two percenters for criticizing and not understand
ing others. Let’s not divide the school, instead let
us all be what brought us here.
Thomas Watson
Class of 2006
Academics more important
than Aggie Spirit
In response to Sept. 30 mail call:
I hardly believe that when the founders of our
University decided they wanted to build an agri
cultural and mechanical college out here in
East Texas, that foremost on their minds was
building this thing called “Aggie Spirit.” I’m pret
ty sure they decided to build an institution of
higher education, which would suggest aca
demics, and then the “Aggie Spirit” developed
over time.
The reason I came to A&M was first and
foremost to get an education. What an embar
rassment it would be to me and all the former
and future students of A&M if our degrees
were based on a spirit instead of academics.
I’m insulted that you would suggest my
degree wasn’t based on academics! Why
would I have wasted all my time here? We
would be the subject of many more Aggie
jokes, and rightly so!
Thank goodness though, that people outside
of your box, realize that we do stress academ
ics here, and that our degree means that we
have successfully completed the stringent aca
demic coursework at one of the finest academ
ic institutions in the world!
Ryan Bednarz
Class of 2003
Leaving hat on is not a
sign of disrespect
In response to Oct. 1 mail call:
First off, I hope Mr. Gross understands there
is a significant difference between taking your
hat off in a Memorial Student Center dedicated
to those who died fighting for out freedoms,
church and our National Anthem versus a coor
dinated yell during a football game.
Second, if somebody doesn’t want to take
their hat off during a yell, so be it. Just yell
“Uncover” and be done with it. If they don’t, then
just go on with the yell. Somebody leaving his
hat on doesn’t lower the overall volume of the
yell nor is it disrespecting anybody. People who
go out of their way and yell vulgar words to
some visitor are more harmful to the Aggie
Spirit than that visitor wearing his hat.
James Holland
Class of 2003
An outsider's memorable
uncovering experience
I was at the game with some Aggie friends 10
years ago. I was a student at UT. They didn’t tell
me not to wear a hat to the game either out of
naivete or faith that I would be exempt or who
knows what. I soon hear “uncover” for the first
time in my life coming from the rear.
I figured I was the intended target when a
rabid group of Corps folks delivered the mes
sage directly to my ears from five inches away.
I had never heard of this tradition. I was not
there to mock them.
Well into the second quarter I enjoy this cho
rus while trying to go along with all other gen
eral movements and sways (otherwise you get
crushed) and trying to enjoy the game.
Finally, at the friendly urging of my friend’s
girlfriend and the mass-rage of threats that my
hat would go flying, I relented and took the hat
off. What I have never been able to take off is
the incoherent fanaticism of that one screech
ing word.
Kevin Gibson
University of Texas graduate
Uncover debate ridiculous
After every football game, the same song is
repeated. “Don’t tell people to uncover, its un-
Aggie-like.” Honestly, this is ridiculous.
If you bring someone to a game, warn them
beforehand that when people start moving their
hands, take your hat off. It isn’t a difficult con
cept, and although some would bemoan it, it is
tradition, because tradition is not just some
thing that is widely publicized and advertised.
The mantra at Fish Camp is always, “if it hap
pens twice at A&M, it’s a tradition.”
Would you bring someone to the Memorial
Student Center and not warn them to stay off
the grass? Would you not explain to them at a
game why we say “off the wood” when a player
is injured, even if they are part of the other
team? Rather than griping about the people
who take it as their duty to tell people to take
their hats off, if you bring a friend, tell them
yourself.
James Floyd
Class of 2006
Aggies need to remember
why A&M stands apart
The Spirit of Aggieland is something that I
hold very dear to my heart. Since I am in
Washington, D.C, I read The Battalion every
day to stay in touch with all that is going on in
Aggieland. These past few days I have been
reading the articles in The Battalion and it
kills me to see the Twelfth Man ripping each
other apart.
Yes, I agree the Twelfth Man should stay
until the end of the game. The whole reason
behind the Twelfth Man is to stand behind our
team and more importantly our fellow Aggies
to show our support.
Yes sometimes it is rough, but two weeks ago
when I stood as part of the Twelfth Man at the
Virginia Tech game, soaking wet and freezing
from the hurricane, I could do nothing but smile
and cheer to the end because of how much
Texas A&M means to me.
It hurts me to see the school that so many
people love and admire act like this. Texas
A&M stands apart from every other school
because we are rich in tradition and known as
one of the friendliest schools around. This is
something that we all need to remember.
Karen Kier
Class of 2003
Losing sight of traditions
I’m a third generation Aggie, and I couldn’t
wait to get up here to Aggieland. I grew up
hearing about how everyone says Howdy to
everyone they see whether they know them or
not. So naturally that’s what I thought I'd be
hearing when I came up here.
However, since I’ve been up here I can count
the number of people that I don’t know who
have said “Howdy” to me first on one hand. I typ
ically have to say howdy first, which I don’t mind
doing at all, but I would like to hear howdy back.
Another tradition that has gone downhill
among others is the fact that underclassmen
can’t say certain words. I’ve talked to seniors
who don’t even know about this. We cannot
say elephant, trunk, zip, button and there are
others.
Oh well, I guess we will forget all the tradi
tions that have formed over the past 100 years
because we are a generation of wimps who
can’t take a few pushups. I think we should fight
for our traditions.
Lauren Gray
Class of 2007
i