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Opinion
The Battalion
Flag Room faux pas
i, Avail
jpnng
Is, 140S
t is known as the
"^•■“livine room of
y Jcampus, and is one
few places every
^Hdent on campus has
3ea^Pn. Early on Satur-
m. mornings before
pa ”' 'tball games, Old
s congregate to read
paper or social-
with old friends.
ring a typical day, students fill the room
bilking, sleeping or waiting to meet friends
or lunch. During finals, students crowd the
/ouches throughout the night, taking naps
ween study sessions,
ut the days of idly passing the time in
MSC Flag Room will soon be a thing
[the past. Plans are now underway for
ovations that will transform the place
'flouts is well known to be loud and counter-
ductive into nothing more than a well-
nished library.
he plans for renovation of the Flag
om, which include removing the benches
At border the room and replacing them with
JJJjMge study tables, lamps and hook-ups for
arina laptops, might have begun with good inten-
|ns, but have resulted in the perversion of the
pose of the room.
he last thing this campus needs is an-
hous J)iher library, study carrel or place specified
for study. Even in the MSC, steps away
ini from the Flag Room, the hotel lobby lounge
>411. Bfers many of the same amenities in the
ong rocjo m of places to plug in laptops and large
It is also usually empty. Any
student now can confirm that any produc-
ti\e studying that does take place in the
induftlag Room is done during hours that it is
'^■dually unoccupied. The addition of study
(979)5?t|ables is superfluous and unwarranted.
Perhaps more disconcerting than the ad-
l tion of unnecessary study areas is that the
dy spaces will be interjected into an area
[at is purposed to be for socialization and
axation. When examining campus politics
removal of traditions
and the reduction of
the things that make
A&M special. The
modifications of the
Flag Room might
seem insignificant, but
it is only another piece
of the puzzle that makes
up the deteriora
tion of A&M tradi
tions and spirit.
The Flag Room
should reflect its
purpose, which is
the social aspect
of students’ lives.
Besides the ad
dition of the study
tables, partitions
will divide ar-
Antek
'3util. I
irAslilef I
5bth lw|
n. Car
it is clear that the administration seeks the
'2bal».
incW
Die, DS.
3/2/2,
/mo.
ed,
jded.f
nished
eas surrounding the globes into separated
areas and the furniture in there now will
be replaced.
Though some of the renovations will
bring about positive changes, such as
improved acoustics and brighter lighting
in the main hallway, the expense of the
project outweighs the little good that is
done by it. Sherry Wine, associate director
for the University Center Complex, said the
renovations will cost $750,000, money that
could be well spent in other areas that need
improvement.
When students’ money is being spent,
one has to wonder if the money is being
spent in the best interest of the students.
During the developmental phases of the
renovation plans, some student input was
sought, but not necessarily from the most
reliable of sources. Steve Hodge, director
of Special Events Facilities, said the MSC
Council was consulted to generate ideas
from students about possible improve
ments. Although those who serve on the
MSC Council undoubtedly spend much
of their time in the MSC, it is usually
upstairs within the walls of the MSC
Student Programs Office and not in the
Flag Room. Furthermore, to allow those
on MSC Council to be the only student
voice in the decision making process is
alarming since these positions are not
even elected ones, and thus it they are
not representative of the student body
as a whole.
The plans are now being carried out
and, despite any student objections, will
be completed by the beginning of the
fall 2004 semester. Unfortunately for the
incoming Class of 2008, they will likely
never know what the Flag Room once was
or was intended to be.
)ems should fight
or Texas voter support
By John Pruett
THE DAILY TEXAN
U-WIRE) AUSTIN— Extending from the
uth to the West Coast, the entire Sunbelt
ion of the United States has gained promi-
'"’Tience in presidential campaigns thanks to its
ih; p rise in population and corresponding
/lectoral votes. Meanwhile, population in the
’ Bmocratic Northeast and Midwest has either
-^jMgnated or decreased.
BxfenMrhree states, California, Texas and Florida,
2. Ind out in importance. While California re-
nains largely Democratic and Florida is equally
^ iplit, the new Republicans have come to domi-
i late Texas, and in recent years, many Democrats
’ iaye simply written off Texas in national elec-
= ri l Jns. The radical shift in Texas
am-Werthe past 15 years has less to
^ io with party politics and more
. obo with the underlying demo
te ffaphic. What was previously con-
ered the Southern Democratic
ty has virtually disappeared
ce the civil rights era. Many
|xas conservatives abandoned
Democratic Party to avoid
leasing inner-city and minor-
representation in favor of the
re suburban, business-friendly
publican Party.
y 2002, the new Republican
Jrty dominated all branches of
Jvernment. However, for remaining Demo-
rats, the game should not end there. In his
|W book, “Cronies,” Austin writer Robert
ce argues that Texas has fast become the
st powerful state in the nation. The current
sh administration houses a laundry list of
table Texans: Special advisor Karl Rove,
mmerce Secretary Don Evans, Secretary
Education Rod Paige, Vice President Dick
eney and others.
pnly two presidential candidates since 1924,
hard Nixon and Bill Clinton, have been able
_win the general election without winning
|xas. The state’s population explosion added
eral new seats in the U.S. House of Repre-
tatives. Also, officeholders such as House
^Ajority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land,
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, hold
4 Sexas is
simply too
powerful to
be ignored by
Democrats.
positions of tremendous influence. Bryce points
to the preponderance of the Texas economy. The
state’s oil executives possess enormous amounts
of personal and corporate wealth and exert lead
ership on a global scale.
The state reaps economic advantages from
trade with Mexico and the steady stream of
cheap, immigrant labor. Also, the war in Iraq
disproportionately benefited large Texas firms,
including oil services company Halliburton and
defense contractors such as Bell Helicopter.
Although Bryce’s observations are not new
and other authors have studied Texas’ rise to
national power, their importance cannot be
overemphasized. Perhaps that is why Sen. John
Edwards, D-N.C., deemed it necessary to speak
at last month’s Texas Democratic Convention
in Houston (the largest in at least
four years).
Texas is simply too powerful to
be ignored by Democrats. However,
Bush has an edge. According to
a report last month by Texans for
Public Justice, Texas has the largest
number of contributors to Bush’s
Pioneer program (Florida came in
second). The Pioneers, who include
Texans such as UT Board of Re
gents Chairman James Huffines and
former regent Tom Loeffler, raise
enormous sums for Bush’s re-elec-
tion campaign.
In all likelihood, Kerry and Ed
wards will not win Texas, much less the entire
Sunbelt, in the November elections. But if Dem
ocrats begin to mobilize voters and contest state
elections now, then perhaps in the future, Texas
will become a new battleground for national
elections. To achieve this outcome, Democrats
must become a voice for disenfranchised middle-
class and minority voters. Issues such as health
care and public education are especially suited
for building a Democratic base. Any national
victory must include playing to what Rove re
ferred to as the “Superstate.”
John Pruett is a columnist
at the University of Texas-Austin
Kerry is not
unpatriotic
In response to Mike Walters’
July 12 column:
Mike Walters’ column uses
an all too common device, sim
ply labeling anything dissenting
as unpatriotic.
Kerry’s meetings with the
Provisional Revolutionary
Government were misguided
but were mainly to ask for a
return of POWs it appears.
Kerry should not be confused
with those few in the Vietnam
Veterans Against the War who
plotted to assassinate senate
members. He voted against
such an idea and left the orga
nization afterwards.
Kerry’s connections with
the anti-war movement are
mostly praiseworthy. It was
certainly patriotic to oppose
things such as the My Lai in
cident. The movement helped
end a conflict that many con
tend was wrongly fought with
vague anti-Communist notions.
The Vietnam War didn’t benefit
the American public, drained
funds from social programs,
helped destroy both South and
North Vietnam, and helped kill
MAIL CALL
50,000 American soldiers with
little to show.
Withdrawal was the intel
ligent option.
There have been also other
benefits of the movement,
most notably lowering the
voting age to 18, thus allowing
a large deal of the student
population here to voice their
opinions. The Vietnam War
was not somehow lost by
those who disagreed with it
back in America, nor is the
war in Iraq stalling due to
those who do not support it.
Disagreeing with America does
not make one an enemy.
Daniel Rachal
Class of 2006
Local restaurant
shirt offensive
In my three years at
A&M, I have been generally
impressed with the positive
relationship between A&M
students and surround
ing businesses. But I was
shocked last Thursday by New
York Subs in Northgate.
When I entered New York
Subs, I was greeted by a young
man wearing a shirt with a
Sara Foley is a senior
journalism major.
Graphic by Will Lloyd
thoroughly offensive drawing. It
was a drawing of an elephant
mounting a donkey, and based
on the subject matter on the
back of the shirt, this drawing
implies the rape of the donkey.
There is NOTHING humorous
about rape.
The back of the shirt was
almost as offensive, with the
line “F—John Kerry" printed
across the back. I can hardly
imagine a more offensive way
to alienate local progressives.
I was informed that the
owner had made these shirts
for his employees. I informed
the owner that the continued
use of these shirts would lose
him a great deal of business,
but he said he thought this
would increase his business. A
business must be a responsible
member of its community.
This is an attempt to profit
by alienating an entire demo
graphic of the population. In
addition, the general subject
matter of the shirts, particu
larly the portrayal of rape as a
“humorous" situation, should
not be tolerated at A&M.
Nick Anthis
Class of 2005
www.CoxAndFo/kim com