The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, February 11, 2015, Image 4

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    VOICES
The Battalion I 2.11.15
4
The next best thing to seeing THE BEATLES
All NEW
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A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES
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2015 Texas A&M Campus Directory
Convenient listings of administrative offices, departments
and other information about A&M.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
"The administration intends to mask the
true spiritual ramifications involved in
the 'renovation' of All Faiths Chapel..."
In 2009 I recognized
that All Faiths Chapel,
on the campus of Texas
A&M University, was in
disrepair and in fact di
lapidated. The landscape
was in like manner.
Interpreting this as a call
to renovate our Chapel,
I approached Dr. Wood
cock, professor emeritus
in the Department of
Architecture. His sugges
tion was to begin with
an architectural/structur
al assessment that would
cost about $16,000.
My next stop was Dr.
Loftin’s office. Shar
ing my concern with
him led him to say, and
I quote, “If you are
looking for a green light
to renovate All Faiths
Chapel, you’ve got it.”
I then approached the
A&M Foundation but
encountered a brick wall.
Returning to Dr.
Loftin, some time later,
in a meeting with Dr.
Bob Walker and Rev.
Sam Hill, Dr. Walker-
suggested I identify a
group of students, create
a student organization
and call it “The Com
mittee to Renovate All
Faiths Chapel.”
In the meantime
money was procured by
way of a Student Senate
bill to do a “facelift”
on our Chapel. Shortly
before that work was
to begin I met with
Mr. Tom Reber, Billy
Belmovovitz and another
young lady. For an hour
I presented what I be
lieve is God’s perspective
on the renovation of All
Faiths Chapel, a student
led movement that
would lead to spiritual
renewal on our cam
pus and beyond. I was
ignored.
The administration
intends to mask the true
spiritual ramifications
involved in the “reno
vation" of All Faiths
Chapel by providing a
“facelift,” then having a
ceremony and calling it a
“done deal.”
Poppycock!
As in our lives, God
is not calling for a mere
“facelift.” He is calling
for a true “renovation,”
and may the Lord’s will
be done!
“Brother”John Ellison
Class of 1982
"As Aggies we are to
welcome visitors and treat
them with respect instead
of mockery."
I think we can all agree that
there’s a problem with Brother Jed
[Smock], the inflammatory preacher
who visits campus regularly. I’m
writing to propose a solution by
recalling our A&M core values.
The values of respect and integrity
need to be reflected by the demeanor
of our responses. As Aggies we are to
welcome visitors and treat them with
respect instead of mockery. Even if
we face hateful speech, our integrity
must be kept in the way in which
we deal with such attacks. Instead of
responding with similar language, we
should respectfully decline to com
ment and report any inappropriate
speech or behavior. Some students
may want to engage in discussion,
hut given our current track record
with him, it is better to avoid direct
spoken confrontation.
Last week I saw this kind of view
when three students stood out dur
ing lunch to call for the respect to
the Aggie tradition in dealing with
this preacher. It is important for our
students to follow their example and
become leaders when we face this
type of speech. It is also the duty
of this institution to provide the
students with the tools to learn how
to engage such type of visits. Doing
anything else falls short from our call
to excellence as Texas A&M.
Hector Weir
Class of 2008
MUSIC REVIEW
Kendrick's 'Berry' aims at racial issues
The day after Kendrick Lamar won
two Grammys for his September release
“i,” he released “The Blacker the
Berry,” a track addressing racial issues
bluntly. The track has accumulated
more than one million views in 24
hours on YouTube.
With the deaths of Michael Brown and
Eric Garner, a spark for racial justice began
and Kendrick Lamar has fueled the fire. Under
the raucous snare beat, a high-pitched voice
spits the lyrics, “Six in the morning, fire in the
street/Burn baby bum, that’s all I wanna see,”
referring to Ferguson riots back in 2014.
Lamar continues, “I’m Afiican-American,
I’m African/I’m black as the moon, heritage
of a small village/Pardon my residence/Came
from bottom of mankind. ” And after
a few vulgarities he continues with an
obvious message, “You hate my people,
your plan is to terminate my culture.”
Messages like this are not uncommon
among rappers. J. Cole and Rick Ross
are among rappers who have spoken out
against racial injustices. Back in August, The
Game released a song titled “Don’t Shoot,”
featuring many African-American rappers.
“The Blacker the Berry” is far different than
Lamar’s previous single “i” and has raised the
bar on the artist’s upcoming, highly anticipated
album following, “good kid, m.A.A.d city.”
Jack Riewe is an English junior and life & arts
reporter for The Battalion.
Lamar
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