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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 2004)
V NH TaJ 'gel!:- ■ge: I honel at inj av.J iiisej :r saj of (I tier -I lediall the J kethtj ducat 1 tic I 'latii-l rom 1 Aggielife The Battalion Page 3A • Tuesday, January 27, 2004 Fighting the good fight Whatever the cause, students voice their concerns and views by way of protests reak i not it hrl itive ■ fot filer. ociki of M By Jose Cruz THE BATTALION When Nick Anthis, a junior biochemistry major and president the Aggie Democrats, went to Spain for spring break, he said he lad no idea he would experience one of the greatest moments in |is life. “I was in Spain for spring break, right around the time the war in Iraq was starting and I took part in a march for peace protest on liestreetsof Madrid," Anthis said. "It was great to take part in that event and witness such a show of unity.” While many students consider protests to be a particularly (ffective form of political activism, others have different opinions, lany overlook protesters completely and condemn them as (xtremists. Whatever the case may be, students such as Anthis are olitically conscious and feel they must act on certain issues. “Great injustices drive us out and activism will hopefully be ^le to make a difference," he said. "I mainly have participated in w key protesting, mainly to bring awareness to the public and jfficials in charge.” There are a variety of ways people can protest, but he has found tuple things such as holding signs, yelling chants and marching ft be most effective. “Being physical and loud is important so that people take otice," he said. “Big numbers also help out.” Anthis said he has tried other means to express his opinion, wt said that he thinks protesting is ultimately necessary in cer- ftun cases. "Some other ways I have tried to raise awareness are voting d campaigning for people who share similar ideals, but some- |mes certain issues are too urgent to wait,” he said. “You want to opefully make a change in society, but sometimes voting isn't aough. Sometimes we need more awareness than ordinary means tavide." David Dunton. a junior environmental science major and pres ent of Aggies for Life, said he thinks it’s important that people respectful when protesting. “Make sure you trust the organization to stay within the law so Juit your credibility and the credibility of the club aren’t ruined,” said. Dunton said he thinks the point is to try to draw attention to an bjectionable act and to get people to understand his point of view. We are trying to get people to ask questions and increase wareness,’’ he said. “Ultimately we are try ing to change the way :ople think about abortion and eradicate it." Dunton said some people think of political activists as violent and radical fanatics who will go to any means to achieve their goal. According to Dunton, this is not the case. “We don’t take part in aggres sive tactics; our goal is to make a point,” Dunton said. "I haven’t been in any trouble while protesting. We try to stay inside the boundaries of the law.” Dunton said he has found that peaceful protests are more effec tive than violent or obnoxious protests. “When you talk to someone on a personal level and engage in an intellectual debate you accom plish much more,” he said. “Treating someone with equality is the key; you always have to honor the other person’s view points.” But protesting is more than just standing up for one’s beliefs. Students such as Anthis and Dunton said they will con tinue to protest in the future because they like being able to talk to people about what they believe is right. Similarly, Jared Copeland, a senior political science major and anti-war activist, said he thinks protesting is about opening up a dialogue for people to share ideas. “Some people might call us extremist but at the same time it creates a dialogue ” he said. “1 would encourage other people to protest. It’s a vital part of our democracy and development of ideas.” Copeland said protesting shows people a unified stance on a subject. “Some people might be scared that no one else thinks like they do,” he said. “So if they see other people that feel the same way about an issue then it will give them confidence.” Copeland said he has experienced an ideal environment for protesting while at A&M. “A&M is good about allowing students to protest on campus,” he said. “They are just allowing freedom of speech. College stu |.P. Beato III • THE BATTALION Mallory Bond, a freshman general studies major, and Jackie Vasquez, a freshman bioenvironmental science major, attend a pro-war rally held at the Sul Ross statue in front of the Academic Building last March. Bond and Vasquez were there to support Bush and to pray for the safety of the troops and the children of Iraq. dents are developing their ideas. They have the energy and pas sion for their beliefs. When you get older and get a job it’s hard er to protest because there is less opportunity. Priorities shift when you get older.” Kristin Wilbourne, a senior American studies major, said she took part in various anti-war protests during the past year. She said she thinks people should be careful when protesting. “Just be careful of the rules because you are putting yourself out there so make sure you really believe in the cause,” he said. From her experiences, protests have mainly been a gathering of ideas presented to the rest of the campus. “We welcomed anyone willing to come and talk to us,” Wilbournp said. “We had many people come up to us and ask us questions so I think we were effective in getting some people to think. Our country is founded on people questioning the people in charge.” JSlOil tiniciii ; Jr. ivithc McO s M St Wfl [ in! irsl I in Keyi C/ure f srgei UWsij dersltfl enls ig'sO [ ni«^ N ay <li*' iveraty iddres jon, A Faculty/Staff are invited to attend one of the noted sessions to hear more from f^DTrqnsDortation Services r Rod Weis new prop system pla Thursday, January 29 10:00 am-11:30 am or 11:30 am-1:00 pm 110 Koldus or 5:00 pm-6:30 pm 111 Koldus Friday, January 30 1:30 pm-3:00 pm, 3:30 pm-5:00 pm or 5:00 pm-6:30 pm 110 Koldus TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY Transportation Services transport.tamu.edu •>v ff-palBas cfkgas f h/as The Bridal Associ. of THE .. ■ 'LjllzPz .Til IjTJJr r, CJ-PI05/ IiiZ r ^>icl'/- Q-AKfTSA “I yl71- T>1B ' TsaiiS Sunday, February 1 st Reed Arena 11:00am - 4:00pm Continuous Fashion Show with surprise guest appearance New feature: S' Men’s Hospitality Suite with Big Screen TV, ^ ' Blackjack tables and snack bar Vf Platinum Sponsors: The Eagle • 2Video Cox Media • KBTX Cayman Islands Department of Tourism/ Frosch int’l Travel Diamond Sponsors: Ron Walley Photography Newman Printing Las Vegas Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Proceeds from tickets sales will be used to benefit: Brazos Valley Animal Shelter P. David Romei Visual Arts Center Tickets are $10 at Reed Arena, MSC Box Office or Ticketmaster For More Information 979-209-2167 • www.ido-ido.org r c vcaas * v ’ : ;• was