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lATTili,
Opinion
The Battalion
Page 11 • Monday, December 1, 2003
er starting (
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then ran
for 36 jjr
career,
The Texas A&M Department of Journalism came one step
closer to meeting its demise last week when University Provost
and Executive Vice President David Prior gave a tentative thumbs
up to Dean of Liberal Arts Charles Johnson’s plans for a joumal-
ammedt- ' sm e d uca ti° n operating without a department to guide it. The
: approval dashed student hope for saving journalism and capital
ized on the plight of a department facing the chopping block with
lest run : ■ stut ^ ent > n P u t allowed in the process.
Johnson and Prior sketchily approved possible journalism cer
tificate or minor programs involving classes with outside profes-
dowiipla': s i° na l involvement and credit for working at The Battalion and
other internships. Much of Johnson’s plan is vague or taken from
id of par plans already implemented by the journalism department. Instead,
eve McKirn students contemplating becoming Aggie journalists need a defini
te threwal hvc plan of education that will guarantee that they can compete in
the field after graduation.
The biggest problem with this revamped plan is that students
made it a Jan’t be taught journalism without learning about journalism
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Flawed education
ethics, media law, mass communication and basic news concepts
including journalism’s history. The proposals demonstrate a faulty
view of journalism as a field of education. The University has a
chance to minimize the damage of years of neglecting the
m fault,' (j Department of Journalism or to cut journalism education entirely.
A plan to educate journalists that fails to include basic principles
3 tackle ii and necessary fundamentals of a media education will fail the
University and its students.
Johnson’s claim is that the department is unstable and in need
ir, ym Of change. Reconstructing an incomplete education plan can only
i seven ja: end in repeating the mistakes of the past. If the department is rot
ten enough to be sliced out of the University’s budget and realm
of support, A&M will not serve the students clamoring for an
understanding of journalism by endorsing a partial program of
education doomed to fail. If Johnson’s goal is to revitalize and
refomi journalism at A&M, he must take adequate and more
clearcut steps to that end goal, rather than swaying to the steps of
an old and tired — and inherently flawed — tune.
THE BATTALION
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor in Chief
Vlanagin}' Editor
Opinion Editor
Metro Editor
Sommer Hamilton
Elizabeth Webb
Jenelle Wilson
Sarah Szuminski
Metro Asst.
Member
Member
Member
C.E. Walters
Collins Ezeanyim
Matt Rigney
David Shoemaker
The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 200 words or
less and include the author’s name, class and phone number. The opinion editor
serves the right to edit letters for length, style and accuracy. Letters may be sub-
itted 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
itation,TX 77843-1 111. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: mailcall@thebattalion.net
Getting played
Microsoft must not be forced to dumb down product
T he very mention of
the name Microsoft
conjures up many
different ideas in people’s
minds, but lately these
ideas tend toward legal
matters. Anti-trust litiga
tion that began a few
years ago has now spread
overseas, where the
European Union is inves
tigating more monopoly
claims. Though these claims may have little
direct effects on Americans, they reveal an
error in public thinking — that everyone has
a right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness,” rather than a right to the free
pursuit of it.
In these hearings, regulators are charging
Microsoft with abusing its operating system
dominance by including a free copy of
Media Player with every copy of Windows
to fend off competitors RealPlayer and
Apple QuickTime. Media Player plays
audio and video files. If it wins its case,
Microsoft could be fined more than $3 bil
lion and be forced to make a version of
Windows without Media Player included.
But are Microsoft’s competitors’ rights
really being violated by the way Microsoft
sells its products?
RealPlayer and Apple believe that
including Media Player free as a Windows
feature hurts their chances to sell their
own product to consumers, who typically
don’t purchase alternative programs for
ones they already have. Their appraisal is
certainly correct, since Media Player plays
almost all the same files as RealPlayer and
Quicklime.
The business world does not guarantee a
profit simply because one has a product —
sometimes the consumer may for his own
reasons decide not to purchase it. The fact
that another company’s product may be bet
ter suited to the customer’s needs doesn’t
infringe upon competitors’ rights — it sim
ply means they are unsuccessful and should
either make their product more competitive
or find a new line of work.
“Bundling” a soft drink with every
MAIL CALL
McDonalds meal does not violate
the rights of a Pepsi-owned vend
ing machine around the comer. It
is up to the customer to decide if
he would rather pay for a soft
drink separately and which of the
two options offers certain bever
ages, free refills or a cheaper
price. In both examples, the only
control a company has on making
a sale is the control of its product.
To attempt to boost sales by
directly oppressing a competitor
by any other means than bettering
its product is to engage in an act
of coercion against the other com
pany. When a competitor such as
this uses coercion, as RealPlayer
and Apple are trying to do, they
violate a company’s rights.
In this case, Microsoft’s rights
are being violated.
RealPlayer and Apple display
obvious disregard for legal rights
in the proposed “solution” to
their problem: They want
Microsoft to create a new pro
gram, a version of Windows
without Media Player. What
authority can they claim in forcing another
company to send programmers and testers
to work on a program when they don’t
have to? RealPlayer and Apple claim no
such right, only their desire to be on an
“equal playing field.”
This “playing field” is an illusion that
inferior companies try to create for them
selves. RealPlayer, Quicklime and Media
Player are not equal, despite any litigation
or coercion the companies may try to exer
cise. All these programs have individual
differences, which are up to the customer
to evaluate. The choice between generic
cola and Coke is one of preference, in
which the customer weighs cost over taste
to decide which is the best choice. The
principle for buying soda and computer
programs is identical — it is the choice of
a free consumer.
Microsoft refuses to produce a product
that is inferior to the version of Windows it
Paul Wilson • THE BATTALION
has worked hard to produce, and no one has
the right to force the company to sacrifice
its integrity because of other lazy corpora
tions who find it easier to shackle their
superior competitor rather than work harder
to make a better product. Their case is a
mockery regarding the principles of justice
and capitalism — exchanging the best of the
customer’s productive effort for the seller’s
best product.
Should Microsoft lose this case, the eco
nomic impact of fines and extra work would
undoubtedly return upon the American con
sumer in the form of higher prices, but the
moral loss would be far worse. The legal
system must never be used as a tool for irre
sponsible companies to pervert justice for
their own ends. Competition must get out of
the courthouses and back on the shelves.
Mike Walters is a senior
psychology major.
Respect is an Aggie value
| A strong sense of unity and Aggie family is
one of the hallmarks upon which this great
University was built. Prejudice and hate in all its
forms have no place within the Aggie family.
I We are very fortunate to learn from each
H other, all members of the same Aggie family,
1 ' who convey appropriate respect and empathy.
Within our Aggie community, it is our responsi
bility to uplift and enlighten.
■■I Crude insults, understandably interpreted as
■li: mean-spirited attacks on members of a dis-
| Crete group, merit no place in our Aggie family.
4$ I Such insults contribute little, if anything, to a
1 responsible marketplace of ideas, yet inflict
H injury to individuals and targeted groups, to the
collective quality of campus life, and to our
■ highest aspirations.
Members of our Aggie family are most effec-
j five when we engage each other in respectful
and open-minded dialogue. We encourage all
to continue to discuss varying perspectives, to
challenge one another responsibly, and to do
so with the grace and intelligence as befits the
R members of the Aggie family. We build a unified
Aggie family by learning to appreciate and
accept the uniqueness of each individual. We
celebrate our Aggie family as people of differ
ence who work together for the benefit of all.
All members of the Aggie family should
espect the dignity and worth of individuals of
backgrounds. Respect is an Aggie value.
Dec
Elizabeth Dacus
President, Memorial Student Center
1 I r L
. jpl Julio Jana
President, International Student Association
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Matt Josefy
Student Body President
Chris Mahaffey
President, Residence Hall Association
Will McAdams
Corps Commander
Josh Peschel
President, Graduate Student Council
Pablo Rodriguez
Vice President for Diversity, SGA
Megan Stephenson
Executive Vice President for Policy, SGA
Building up team takes time
As the season has progressed and unfortu-
t nately for us Aggies, the losses have continued to
pile up, many have jumped off the Franchione
bandwagon and have started to complain about
what he’s done for the team so far.The problem
with this is that people seem to have the idea that
he’s been here for years and have already placed
huge expectations on him.
People need to realize that it takes time to turn
things around and shouldn’t have these huge
expectations from him in his inaugural season.
Even Bob Stoops, head coach of Oklahoma,
didn’t win a national title his first season taking
over the helm in Norman, Okla. As for Coach
Fran, he’s taken over two other teams in his past
in our same situation, New Mexico and Texas
Christian University. With both teams, he man
aged to turn the team around after two years
leading to winning, bowl-eligible seasons.
We’ve seen glimpses of how strong the team
can be in performances in the first halves
against Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and even
Texas. We need to learn to have some
patience and let Coach Fran implement his
system and recruit the players that he needs to
turn this team around.
Martice Hoskin
Class of 2006
Support from alumni poor
I was lucky to be standing in the student
section during the t.u. game. However, I was
horrified when I looked across the Kyle Field
to the alumni stands midway through the
fourth quarter. The second and third decks on
the alumni side of the stadium were only 10
percent full.
While I understand that we were being
outscored on the field, I had always been proud
that Aggies stayed and supported their teams
to the end. I guess once you graduate the spir
it of the Twelfth Man is left behind. I felt fortu
nate that I was in the student section where the
majority of the people who started the game
were still there at the end of the game.
Everyone needs to keep the spirit alive. I
wouldn’t be upset if it wasn’t for former stu
dents complaining about the spirit of the cur
rent students.You only need to look in the
stands at the end of the game to see that the
spirit is alive among the current students.
Brian Mozisek
Class of 1997
Civilized debate necessary
The Young Conservatives of Texas at Texas
A&M is appalled by the recent actions taken by
unnamed individuals or organizations who
posted fake flyers using the YCT A&M logo
around campus in an attempt to discredit us.
The flyers implied that YCT A&M supports
racism. This is false.
YCT A&M’s stance has always been that
racial discrimination or racism of any kind is
immoral. That is why YCT A&M held an “affir
mative action bake sale” protesting the creation
of a Vice President of Institutional Diversity at
Texas A&M and the 33 percent race-based hir
ing quota in the College of Engineering. YCT
A&M opposes the creation of the VP of
Diversity because President Robert M. Gates’
vision of increasing diversity at Texas A&M has
been clearly racial: making A&M’s student body
mirror the Texas census statistics. There is
nothing wrong with racial diversity, until the
government discriminates to promote it.
Recently, President Gates distributed a let
ter to students and faculty speaking on the
subject of civility at A&M. YCT A&M joins
President Gates in encouraging students to
participate in civilized debate, such as at the
affirmative action bake sale, and encourages
students to reject disparaging remarks made
about students, such as when professors
label conservative students as racists. Count
on YCT to continue to cut through the innuen
do and euphemism of the administration and
deliver factual, anti-discriminatory messages
about University policies.
Sarah Davis
Executive Director of A&M Chapter of YCT
Diversity helps students
In response to a Nov. 26 mail call:
What do you mean there is no proof that diver
sity is beneficial, Mr. Apgar? Diversity is what
makes it possible for one student to understand
another and shed former prejudices. There is no
doubt in my mind that we all have prejudices
against others, but we should all try to correct
these false perceptions. If you do not believe
interactive diversity is necessary, look to the rest
of the world. Go live in a foreign country where
minorities are thrown into the margins of society
because they do not conform to modern ideals.
Look at the reasons for the civil rights movement.
But you want something empirical.
Had Nazi Germany been an environment
where one could observe the truth about oth
ers, where segregation did not exist, would 6
million people have been massacred? What
about in Bosnia?
The truth of the matter is that segregation leads
to false views about others, and American socie
ty is still terribly segregated. Universities provide
a medium for the exchange of ideas about who
we are in this world. Although affirmative action is
reducing my opportunities, it is a necessary step
to reduce ignorance and disadvantages created
by American segregation.
Nathan Blalock
Class of 2005