Opinion The Battalion Page 7 • Wednesday, November 26, 2003 'ice must 'al possesslt oesn'tsell, (for the 5 early. Supreme Deplorable / Court must allow Guantanamo behavior Bay detainees access to court system row 35 '• Wea. obo.tai; action 236 (i [979-26679 or reia |S S’# 8 onPH 1 Aggies must respect each other The history of universities is one of principled seeking of truth in the marketplace of idea. To be principled and inclusive, campus discussion on the substantive issues facing Texas A&M’s future must be conducted with members of the Aggie family respecting each other and seeking a high ground for discourse. To empower everyone to participate in our debates on all issues, from bon fire to core curriculum to diversity, Aggies should respect Aggies — we must expect no less from ourselves or each other. Williams L Perry Vice Provost Affirmative action has ability to hurt In response to a Nov. 20 article: After reading the article on the vice president for diversity and the YCT events denouncing his position, my heart broke, because if I were still a student and saw those events I would feel very unwelcome. When I decided to attend Texas A&M in 1998, I didn’t have “incentives.” I did, however, have a high GRA and stan dardized test scores, as well as transferable AP credit. I don’t tell you this to brag because my pre-col lege credentials are nothing out of the ordinary for A&M students. What they do say is that, while the YCT may be sponsoring a pledge drive in which a white student can voluntarily give up a spot at A&M to someone who is more “diverse,” no one gave up their spot for me. I earned my spot and I earned my diploma. Affirmative action, if implemented, may get you in but it won’t get you across the stage. You must remember that affirma tive action has the ability to hurt everyone, not just the students who are unfairly rejected but also the students it accepts, who are brand ed with the label “not good enough to compete.” Instead of dividing the Aggie Spirit, sponsor a booth solic iting alternative recruiting ideas to the controversial affirmative action. Camille Goodman Class of 2002 A&M has other biased admissions policies I am a minority student, but I am not in favor of affirmative action. However, there were several severe mistakes on YCT’s part that asks us to question its motives. YCT put large emphasis on how its demonstration was not about race; however, at a University that highly favors student athletes, prospective Corps members and multi-generation Aggies, 1 did not see, nor have 1 ever seen, YCT protesting against those aspects of admission, which are clearly biased. It is publicly known that standards for student athletes are lesser than the regular student body. If being in the Corps had no bearing on the adminis tration process, it shouldn’t be on the application, and the same thing goes for legacy applicants. Clearly, the sys tem already favors these types of applicants. While these are race-blind questions, they do allow admission of lesser qualified students. YCT wants a process based solely on academic merit, which would eliminate some people, under these categories, from this University. Where was the outcry over this? Gregory Rivera Class of 2007 Demonstration shows diversity of ideas Although I do not necessarily agree with the platform of the YCT, its activism should not be criticized. Regardless of how you feel about diversity, the group has every right to lead a non-violent protest as a way to express its opinions and val ues. This group has taken a lot of heat as of late, just because it is so vocal, but the only group out coun tering the rally was the Mexican- American Engineers group. I would think that a campus that supposed ly welcomes diversity would support the relatively peaceful demonstra tion of any group, regardless of how much they disagree with its stance. If nothing else, demonstrations encourage the diversity of ideas. If we want to be a diversified campus, then we have to accept that not everyone on campus shares the same opinion, that all groups should be allowed to demonstrate their opinion and that conservatism is not the antithesis of diversity, just a different side of it. Lindsay Wilhite Class of 2007 Students have to keep traditions alive In response to a Nov. 24 mail call: It is not the responsibility of the administration of Texas A&M to keep the Aggie Spirit and Aggie traditions alive. Its job is to make sure we have a good education and that this institution can compete with the other major uni versities in the United States. As Aggies, we have the responsibility to make sure that future Aggies don’t for get the traditions that have set this University apart from the others, and we have the responsibility to create new traditions. Aggie Bonfire was put on hold because of the tragedy that hap pened on Nov. 18, 1999. Until the liti gation is finished, Aggie Bonfire will be postponed. I, also, would like to see Aggie Bonfire come back to cam pus, but don’t blame that on Dr. Kibler, Dr. Gates or Dr. Bowen, because it is an issue they have no control over. We, as Aggies, need to fight the urge to let traditions die because of one tragedy and never let the spirit that those 12 Aggies died for become a thing of the past. Allowing the spirit and traditions to die is an insult to those who died while working to unite this whole campus. Patrick Paschall Class of 2007 No proof diversity helps students In response to a Nov. 25 mail call: Mr. Carter used the words “diverse” and “diversity” nine times, but, what he failed to do was explain why artifi cially-created diversity is a necessary or beneficial part of the educational experience at Texas A&M. Would higher representations of minority groups provide a better edu cational experience for everyone? Does diversity create a more comfort able atmosphere for minorities? Does it create more socially-aware gradu ates, and does that awareness some how help graduates succeed? Does it foster a better sense of community? Do graduates of more diverse institu tions get better jobs or make more money? If the University implemented every diversity initiative in the world, would minorities suddenly flock to A&M in record numbers? I can simply answer each question in the affirmative, feel great about myself and earn the respect of bleed ing-heart liberals everywhere. But I cannot support my answers with any real evidence, other than a gut-feel ing or a hunch. Apparently, neither can anyone else. Proponents of social engineering trumpet the wonders of diversity while failing to present any empirical evidence supporting their claims that, by altering the natural representa tions of different racial groups within a population, students of all races will be benefited. Jon Apgar Class of 1999 Democrats did not support drug bill In response to Matt Maddox’s Nov. 25 column: Mr. Maddox- claims that the Democrats support the Republican “prescription drug bill,” when they really do not. The bill is a slap in the face to all older Americans. By fur ther commercializing health care, the Republican bill denies seniors their right to affordable health care. It is especially disappointing that the AARP sold out its members to sup port this piece of legislation. Fundamentally, America’s health care system is flawed. We are the only highly developed nation to have almost half of its citizens without health insurance. Why is this? It is because we continue to operate with a market-driven health care system. Whereas other nations, such as Canada and England, are able to provide health care to all of their citi zens at a much lower cost, much more money is being pumped into the American system, but it is siphoned out as profits, rather than actually going towards health care. This system is headed for disaster if it is not soon changed. We need to accept only a real health care solu tion, and not a pretend one like the Republicans are trying to offer. Nick Anthis President, Texas Aggie Democrats Class of 2005 The Battalion encourages letters to the edi tor. Letters must be 200 words or less and include the author’s name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style and accuracy. Letters may be submitted in person at 014 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters also may be mailed to: 014 Reed McDonald, MS 1111, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-1111. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: mailcall@thebattalion.net T v * it