Opinion
The Battalion
Page 9 • Tuesday, February 10, 2004
EDITORIAL
Papers for all
Program benefits students
For the next six weeks, Texas A&M students will have
access to a valuable luxury. Until March 2, five newspapers will
tie available, for free, to students as part of a program designed
to encourage students to read newspapers.
Every A&M student should support this program that will
benefit everyone involved and pick up a newspaper.
After this trial program is over, which is paid for by USA
Today, the student response will be evaluated and another trial
program will be implemented in the fall. If the student response
ispositive, the program will be put into place permanently, and
tlieStudent Government Association will explore ways to cover
ttie cost, according to SGA Vice President for Student Affairs
Chris Diem.
Possibilities include a fee paid for by students or a depart
ment of the University picking up the tab. Diem said. Even if
students were to bear the cost of this program, it would be
money well spent.
Students graduating from Penn State — the university that
first implemented the program in 1997 — hit the workforce
better infomied about world events with a more up-to-date
education than the students of A&M, who, until this week,
didn't have easy access to affordable newspaper coverage
fiom across the nation.
Coupled with local news provided by The Battalion, these
five papers — The New York Times, Houston Chronicle, The
Dallas Morning News, The Bryan-College Station Eagle and
USA Today — will enhance the student body's ability to stay
jifonued on national issues.
! Students will never have a better opportunity to begin read-
iugsomeofthe best newspapers in the nation at such a bargain.
Take advantage of this program while you have this chance to
get informed.
The Battalion
editorial board
Editor in Chief
Minting Kdilor
Opinion Kdilor
On Editor
Elizabeth Webb
Kendra Kingsley
George Deutsch
Meussa Sullivan
City Asst.
Member
Member
Member
SONIA Moghe
Coluns Ezeanyim
Matt Rigney
David Shoemaker
Tkkra/rofl encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 200 words or
taiidiiclude the author’s name, class and phone number. The opinion editor
htie right to edit letters for length, Jlylr and accuracy ‘Letters nia‘y be siib-
inpersonat 014 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters also may
biiWto:OI4 Reed McDonald. MS 1111, Texas A&M University. College
Sution, 11(77843-1 1 1 1. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: mailcaliralhebattalion.net
To fee, or not to fee?
A&M must reassess fees before approving increases
JOSH
LANGSTON
A s another semes
ter begins in
Aggieland, stu
dents are again frustrated
with unnecessary and
confusing fees assessed
by Texas A&M. As in
semesters past, students
can’t help but notice that
they pay exorbitant fees
without ever seeing
direct benefits.
To make matters worse, there is cur
rently a referendum on the table that
seeks to increase student fees again.
However, before any fee increases are
approved, A&M must reevaluate its cur
rent fee system and cut fees that some
students don’t use.
The Student Recreation Center usage
fee is a major source of frustration, and it
is one of these fees that needs to be
revamped. Many Aggies do not use the
Rec even though they pay $78 a semester
for it.
Senior microbiology major and single
mom Lindsey Sutton cannot use the Rec
Center because of her 4-year-old son.
“Not only was 1 infomied that he was
not allowed in the building, but we were
escorted off the premises by the Rec staff,”
she said.
Why is Sutton forced to pay for use of
the Rec Center when she does not even
use it? Angela Stanton-Anderson, the mar
keting coordinator for the Rec Center, said
that to keep individual cost low, it is nec
essary to charge the Rec Center fee to
everyone.
When comparing the cost of using
the Rec Center for a semester to the
cost of a membership at a less-
equipped local gym, the Rec Center
is less than half the cost. While this
is wonderful to many A&M students
who use the Rec Center for pennies
a day. it does not account for the
many who are taken advantage of by
this blanket fee. Making the Rec
Center an optional fee would ease
the burden on those who choose
not to use the Rec Center, while
leaving it as a more affordable option than
many private gym facilities.
Other sources of frustration are the
fees charged by Student Computing
Services for computers that not every
one uses.
“Lots of my friends don’t even
know where the SCC
is,” said senjor parks
and recreation major
Lance Haynie. “I use
the computers on
campus all the time,
but they all have
computers at their ^
houses” •
The on-cam-
pus computer
fee is similar
to the Rec
Center fee as it
seeks to divide
the overall cost of
operation by bur
dening many
who will never use a
computer with the
fee. If the SCC fees
were also optional,
students who
never use the
computers
would not have
to bear the cost
of others.
No discussion
of outrageous
Gracie Arenas • THE BATTALION
would be complete without mentioning
Transportation Services. One point of
contention has been the shar
ing of parking permits. TS
uses a policy of overselling
parking lots under the
assumption that not every
permit holder will use the lot
at the same time.
If students were allowed to
share permits it would
accomplish the same
objective in that each
permit would repre
sent a vehicle and the
lots could still be over
sold, to a smaller extent.
This, however, would cut
down on the number of per
mits sold and the hefty rev
enue that TS produces. To
balance both sides of the
equation, TS should let a
certain number of students
share one permit. If two
students could share share
one permit, this would cut
the cost in half for students,
which could result in more
students buying permits.
All student fees have sup
porters and opponents; every
student will have inexpensive
services he loves and charges
for ones he finds useless.
However, now that the
University is seeking a
sizeable increase in
tuition, fees must be
reassessed to determine
their relevance to the stu
dent population. Making
several student fees
optional, based on desire
for usage, could eliminate
considerable costs for
many students.
Josh Langston is a senior
biology major.
States must retire flag
MAIL CALL
[Aside from its wilderness.
| pristine beaches and rich Civil
|fe history, South Carolina
been a prime center of
tate regarding one of the
|[niost contested symbols in
America. In 1962, the
[Confederate flag was hoisted
air to mark the chris
[anniversary of the start of the LIVELY
ir, and it flew in front
Capitol until 2000. Following rigorous
[opposition by the NAACP and other rights
lactivists, a compromise was finally reached that
put the banner next door at a soldier memorial,
according to Fox News. Although some protest-
lets were content with this decision, many
remain determined to make sure that the discor
dant symbol never again
flies at any prominent loca
tion on state ground, and for
alegitimate reason.
The issue was most
recently publicized this past
Martin Luther King Jr. Day,
as it most often is. This year
it received special attention
as Democratic presidential
hopefuls Wesley Clark and
A1 Sharpton rallied nearly
2,000 protesters in front of
the South Carolina Capitol
demanding the flag be laid to
test, The rallies followed
mother anti-flag rally by
the NAACP that preceded
MLK Day. Their voices were heard by some, but
ignored by many.
Flag proponents, including pro-flag rally
organizer Robert Clarkson, often claim the flag
lobe a symbol of heritage and honor in addition
to being a dedication to Confederate soldiers
who lost their lives for a cause in need of remem-
hrance. In a recent statement regarding the
of the flag opponents, Clarkson men-
the NAACP simply “needs a cause,”
dismissing its protests as ridiculous publicity
stunts, However, it is not outrageous for a group
such as the NAACP to protest the display of the
Confederate flag on state property, especially if
one has any notion of what the flag represents in
modern-day American culture.
There is no doubt that the flag is one of the
most resonant representations of Confederate
history, but people must realize it has evolved
into the most divisive symbol in American histo-
ty. While its presence contributes to the authen
ticity of such a rich history and honors those who
There is no doubt that
the flag is one of the most
resonant representations of
Confederate histoiy, but
people must realize it has
evolved into the most
divisive symbol in American
history.
fought, a period has come where people must
begin looking to the future of a nation rather than
a divisive history. The flag is a symbol of racism,
no matter how historically significant, and a
racist symbol has no place flying in front of a
state Capitol.
It’s hard to believe that after 150 years, the
flag that many white supremacist groups —
including the Ku Klux Klan — have selected as
a symbol still waves on state property. No per
son would want to wave this flag in front of those
who view it as a symbol of racism and oppres
sion. Proponents of the flag may not even mean
for it to be a symbol of distaste for some
Americans, but the actuality is that many will
always see oppression and segregation. That rea
son alone should set the premise for its removal
from any state’s public ground.
South Carolina, the first
state to secede from the
Union, has not been alone in
the recent debate concern
ing Confederate flags and
the state. In Texas,
President George W. Bush
took measures to remove
the banner from the state
Capitol while he was gover
nor in 2000. Mississippi and
Georgia have Confederate
flag images on their state
flags and have also been
under significant pressure to
change them. There has
been a seemingly progres-
sive movement to eradicate
the symbol in its entirety, but there is still work
to be done.
In a November interview with World Net
Daily, Wesley Clark made an exceptional point
when he said, “I fought for the freedoms of every
American regardless of race, creed, color, reli
gion, sexual orientation or any other discriminat
ing factor, and I am not going to stop now.”
Statements like that ought to be the leading
battle cry for anyone with a respectable vision
for the country’s future. It is time for America to
take action in securing its principles and values.
Following the ideologies that politicians such as
Clark have set forth by having offensive flags
removed from prominent public locations is not
a bad place to start.
Chris Lively is a senior
sociology major.
Women still work
for equality
In response to a Feb. 6 mail
call:
Ms. McReynolds is indeed
a lucky woman to have never
experienced injustice due to
her gender. But just because
she has never experienced
gender-related bias does not
mean that women’s organiza
tions are not necessary.
The proof was exhibited in
the very same newspaper
that Ms. McReynold’s letter
was in: In one week, on this
campus, two different women
were sexually assaulted.
Crimes like sexual assault
and rape are not about sex;
they are about power and are
hate crimes in the truest
sense of the term. If these
crimes are occurring right
here on our campus, then
this abundant equality talked
about cannot truly exist. The
move to end violence against
women cannot be separated
from the move for women’s
equality, and therefore I will
continue to support women’s
organizations and feminist
interests until I feel it is safe
to walk around campus alone
at night.
Jennifer Singleton
Class of 2007
Watkins must be
held accountable
After traveling to Waco for
one of the poorest displays of
athletic performance ever, I
realize how terrible the Aggie
basketball program is. The
Ags were simply dominated
by a team consisting of six
scholarship players and five
walk-ons, an unheard-of num
ber in any basketball program.
The Aggies’ only bright
spot was their domination of
the boards. They accom
plished this without seven
footer Andy Slocum playing
much of the game. Slocum is
known for being able to
bench-press 400 pounds, but
he has only managed five
blocks on the season. The
short comings on defense
are not only left to Slocum.
The 2-3 zone displayed
Saturday night at Baylor
proved to be too slow and
ineffective against the Bears’
three-point shock-and-awe
shooting attack.
The Aggies also went on a
seven-minute scoring
drought. This can be attrib
uted to Coach Watkins’ offen
sive scheme, which com
pares to the most intricate of
Little Dribblers offenses.
The sad part of this whole
situation is nobody cares.
Nobody includes the stu
dents and the athletic
department. Imagine if
Coach Fran went winless in
the Big 12 in football, how
many of us would want him
dismissed? At any other pro
gram in the country Watkins
would have already been
fired. If Watkins is not held
accountable for his team’s 0-
8 Big 12 performance, then
the future of Aggie
Basketball may be in the Big
12 cellar for a long time.
David R Good
Class of 2006
Bonfire tradition
stands alone
In response to a Feb. 8 mail
call:
First of all, Aggie Bonfire
has not moved off campus.
To call the annual off-cam
pus shenanigans “Bonfire” is
a disgrace to the tradition of
Aggie Bonfire. Where is the
Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band?
Where are the yell leaders?
Although they mean well,
the organizers of the off-cam
pus construction are com
pletely missing the point
behind the Bonfire tradition:
the way it brought together
people on campus and unified
them as they worked together
toward a common goal.
Secondly, if you think that a
bus route should be moved
solely on the premise of
where the tradition is held,
then I guess we should move
the Elephant Walk bus route
on-campus and the Fish
Camp route to Palestine,
Texas. Instead of complain
ing about what the adminis
tration should and shouldn’t
do, why don’t you step up
and try to do something
about it?
Bridget Malone
Class of 2005