SPORTS
'HE BATTALION
;e says
e of
nee
; to her rape exam at
e next day contained
another man, along
ian pubic hair,
ear-old Bryant, who
ntends he had con-
.vith the woman,
aid the woman told
consensual sex with
i on June 28 and
om, backing earlier
estions she was sex-
>efore her encounter
Iso said two pairs of
i the woman were
e from the night of
other the pair she
xspital for an exam
:r pair contained
men. Winters said,
iser arrived at the
tring panties with
’s semen and sperm
that of Mr. Bryant,
:key asked,
correct,” Winters
mggested injuries
the woman's exam
:ome from having
a contention she
court last week,
ise contends the
underwear provide
“compelling evi-
cence.”
nan, a professoral
School in Los
d the argument
e of a public rela-
ise may be spin-
re for the public
1,” he said. “It’s
t its negative pub-
due for the prose-
e significant than
stoically with his
vatching his attor-
the prosecution’s
:ase. Occasionally,
and talked to his
lal Haddon,
so managed to
■thing prosecutors
ut last week,
uditor sent police
ig she saw the
came back to the
the Cordillera
light auditor says
le accuser did not
; if there had been
/lackey said,
she asked
ponded.
3 acknowledged
t tell him she told
en he interviewed
the alleged rape,
accuser why she
. Bryant ‘no,’”
i his report,
inters testified the
she told Bryant
and that Bryant
) turn around and
it at one point,
car if that came
erview with the
Opinion
The Battalion
Page 5B • Thursday, October 16, 2003
Divided they fall
Controversy over homosexual bishop should not split the Episcopal Church
‘fellowship
I n the ongoing battle
between conservatives and
liberals in the Anglican
Church, the American
Anglican Council met in
Dallas last week with 2,700
dergy and lay members to
discuss the appointment of an
openly gay bishop. The coun-
dl is petitioning the appoint
ment, saying it is breaking the
with the larger body of Christ,” according to
CBSNews.com. The council is also threatening
to make a split with the current Episcopal
Church, which would mark the largest church
division since 1976 when 100,000 people quit
lie Lutheran Church. .
The question being asked now is how can
lie church make such a large and controversial
split over the opinion of a minority sector? The
focus of the church as a whole is to be a uni
fied organization that promotes its ideologies
toapopulation seeking its teachings. If the
clurch split every time a small group within
tie larger whole did not like an appointment or
ruling, the collective grouping of all major
religions would be abolished, and the goal of
lie church would be lost.
The conflict must not end in the church
being split. The AAC must learn to accept
people for who they are.
The main debate between the two groups
whether there is a binding scriptural ban on
homosexuality. The outcome of the battle
determines the stance on the admittance of a
gay bishop and the recognition of gay mar
riages. The AAC, although a very vocal voice,
is the minority in this debate.
Each side is debating over a moral topic
that is based on an interpretation of several
specific passages in the Bible. The side that is
“correct” to any individual or group depends
on the way the argument is perceived.
Although one opinion should not carry more
weight than another, that is what is taking
place if the church is split.
While there are many religious groups that
have debated this topic in the past, an agree
ment between sides has never been met, nor
will it be met in the next few weeks, which is
the time frame the AAC gave to the council
to produce a final decision.
As reported in The Washington
Post, it is estimated that only 14
percent of the 2.3 million
Episcopalians favor the tradition
alist protest that has been going
on over the past few months and
that came to a head in Dallas. The
split cannot be justified
with only 14 percent arguing against the
appointment.
While the openness of the sexual
orientation of the Bishop-elect Gene
Robinson has been unyielding, he has
not been accepted into all, or even
many, sectors of the church. His ori
entation and actions have pushed the
conservative factor of the church to
lash out at his appointment,
although to be elected to his
position, he was chosen over
whelmingly by his congregation
New Hampshire.
The 2,700
Episcopalians who
met and signed the
AAC’s statement of
faith, “A Place to Stand, A
Call to Action,” are peti
tioning the London sum
mit, which meets this
to discipline the
bishops who have
backed the appoint
ments and
acceptance
of gay
clergy.
From
voiced opinion,
the majority of
the Anglican
leaders world
wide support
the conser-
Mahesh Neelakantan •THE BATTALION
vative viewpoint, but are in the minority of the
Episcopal Church as a whole.
As a strong member of the church’s conser
vative side, Bishop Robert Duncan of
Pittsburgh said, “Our church has embraced
schism and heresy.” Archbishop Peter Akinola
of Nigeria called the electing of an openly gay
bishop “a satanic attack on God’s church.”
If the teachings of Sunday schools are con
sidered, most programs state that all people are
a creation of God. No matter what their sexual
orientation might be, they were still created,
like every other creature on the planet, by God.
And if everyone was created by God,
according to the teachings of the church and
the Bible, why can an openly homosexual man
not be able to administer the teachings of the
Lord as well as a heterosexual male?
Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold states
that, “Scripture did not condemn same-sex *
relationships,” a position that conservatives
reject fervently. “Homosexuality, as we under
stand it as an orientation, is not mentioned in
the Bible.”
The London summit will take place Oct. 15-
16 involving the archbishop of Canterbury and
the 37 heads of world Anglican branches.
While all major issues on the acceptance of
gay clergy into the church will be studied, and
while the AAC wants a quick and final answer
before it decides to make its split, this debate
will continue until all people can be accepted
for what they are.
Lauren Esposito is a senior
English major.
Rec Center is doing its best to fulfill students’ needs
MIKE
WALTERS
A ny student who has glanced over their
fee statement for the 2003 Fall semes-
1 liter may have noticed that $78 went to
4eRecreational Sports Fee. Some incoming
students may not realize it, but they’ve just
paid for a semester of membership at the
Student Recreation Center. Every student can
tlank those who voted against a proposed fee
increase last spring that this isn’t a higher
amount. But what came about as a result of
Is vote? How did Rec Sports meet their
ludget needs without a fee increase, and how does that affect
tie student experience at the Rec Center this semester?
According to its Web site, recsports.tamu.edu, the mission of
lie Department of Recreational Sports is “to provide quality
programs, services and facilities to a diverse Texas A&M com
munity.” Included in these programs are aquatics, fitness class
es, instructional classes. Intramurals, sport clubs, outdoor activ
ities and the A&M Golf Course. With additional parking freed
up by the completion of the new parking garage and easier
accessibility from main campus due to the new pedestrian pas
sageway, Aggies can enjoy greater access to the three-story Rec
Center to work out a day’s worth of stress and get in shape.
At the time, there was debate as to whether the fee increase
was in the students’ best interest, since the state government
was arguing over deregulation issues and students were already
nervous about the future cost of tuition. The failure of the refer
endum to pass resulted in the Rec Center cutting its hours and
scrapping the weight room expansion, which some students felt,
was punishment for the voting outcome. However, Rec Sports
cut hours and expansion plans to save money. It also enacted a
series of successful programs to make the most of its income
while continuing its goal of quality and excellence to students
and staff.
Since last spring, the Rec Center enacted a program of “rein
vestment,” which involved an analysis of the budget to take
funds away from some services to benefit others that are used
more frequently. However, the department isn’t just about cus
tomers. Dennis Corrington, the Rec Sports director,
also makes student worker wages a high priority on
the budget, making sure there is room for deserved
raises. Workers at the Rec Center have what he
considers “the most responsibility of any student
worker on campus,” as they safeguard Rec Center
patrons as they lift weights and swim in both
indoor and outdoor pools. In addition to the “rein
vestment” program, the department refinanced its
debt, which resulted in a yearly savings of $82,000.
The Rec Center still upholds a policy of excel
lence even when dealing with its mistakes.
Recently, a complaint was made against the weight
room staff because of a rule against wearing open-toed shoes
on the weight machines. Though proper footwear is necessary
when lifting free weights to protect against serious harm from
dropping weights on your foot, the rule doesn't seem to make
sense for workout machine users who are in no danger of drop
ping weights on themselves. When the student confronted Rec
Center staff about this apparent error, Corrington realized he
couldn’t explain it.
Instead of dismissing it, however, the staff set out to learn
the reasoning behind this rule. Apparently, proper shoes are
also necessary on lower body machines to keep the exerciser
from slipping and hurting themselves. Corrington now encour
ages the entire staff to know why rules exist rather than blindly
enforcing them.
The Department of Recreational Sports is open to com
plaints, praise, comments and suggestions. In an effort to obtain
feedback from Rec goers, they have set up a system that identi-
fies the most frequently attending members and
are invited to join Corrington for lunch as part of
a focus group that meets seven to eight times
during the school year. In addition, students can
leave comments on the Web site, and Corrington
himself is easily accessible through either e-mail
or phone.
Despite previous budget problems and the
negative attention that surrounded the proposed
referendum earlier this year, Rec Sports has not
just maintained but improved already high stan
dards to provide a modern, safe and exceptional
environment for Aggies, be it to play ping-pong,
play basketball, lift weights or relax by the pool. Good leader
ship, an excellent supporting staff and student workers make
the quality of the Rec Center possible, and that makes for
tuition money well spent.
a
The Rec Center
still upholds a policy
of excellence even
when dealing with
its mistakes.
Mike Walters is a senior
psychology major.
■ Columbus,
of America.
MAIL CALL
Multiculturalism not
meant to segregate
In response to Sara Foley’s Oct. 6
column:
First, let me pose a question. How
would you feel if you were forced not
to learn and celebrate your culture?
This is exactly what some are trying
to do to multicultural organizations.
The multicultural groups aren’t here
to segregate, but instead to educate
on the culture that the organization
represents. Some believe these
organizations are based solely on
race and that only those in a certain
minority group are welcome.
This is false!
While race is a subject multicultural
organizations don’t shy away from,
people of all races are invited and
welcomed to enhance and learn from
what the organizations have to offer.
I have never seen a multicultural
organization turn a person away
based on the color of his or her skin.
What I do see are people who are
trying to shut groups down without
even knowing something as simple
as the organization’s correct name or
mission. I am offended when I hear
people who are uneducated on
issues concerning culture trying to
degrade our university for attempting
to embrace it. I only hope in the
future, when someone voices their
opinion on matters of culture, they
are educated and speak the truth.
Venton Jones
Class of 2006
Homosexuals are a
blessing and should
not be ostracized
In response to Sarah Szuminski’s
Oct. 9 article:
I write to comment on the Young
Conservatives’ actions last week.
These students are entitled to their
opinions regarding homosexuality
and are free denounce this “lifestyle.”
However, their actions and some of
their statements did not reflect well
on the organization.
As the father of an openly gay son
whom I love as much as it is possible
to love another human being, I can
assure you that this is not a “lifestyle
choice.” My son and his husband did
not choose to be gay. They are gay
and have always known they were
gay because they were born gay. It
may be possible that some people
choose to lead a gay “lifestyle” but,
for most, this is not a choice. It is
their life.
No single group of people has a
monopoly on morality. To imply that
gays and lesbians are immoral and
have chosen an immoral lifestyle is a
stance that cannot be justified. I hope
that this does not reflect the opinion
of the majority of the people at an
institution of higher education.
Education opens our eyes and I
believe that most of those students
protesting last Wednesday will, in the
future, change many of their opinions
and beliefs of which they are now so
absolutely certain. I know I did as I
grew older.
If you are fortunate enough to one
day have a son or daughter that you
love with all your heart, I cannot
imagine the type of mind set that
would allow you to belittle them, con
demn them, and ultimately ostracize
them and their friends and partners if
they happen to have been born gay.
My son’s not perfect but I’ll match his
morals, character and sense of
humanity with anyone. His mother,
sister and I have been blessed by his
birth and life.
John L. Hogg Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry
The United States is
not a theocracy
In response to a Oct. 13 mail call:
In the history of Texas A&M stu
dents have had their fees go towards
“accepting a lifestyle they object to.”
Some examples that come to mind
are the initiatives taken to admit
women and minorities into University.
I am sure if we looked hard we could
find a few Bible verses to twist around
and support the close-mindedness
that objected to these progressions
out of the dark ages. Fortunately for
us, we are not governed by a theoc
racy. Therefore, people having a per
sonal objection to something doesn’t
take priority over the rights an
American citizen has guaranteed to
them in the Constitution.
Joseph Ferguson
Class of 2004