| No mor chikin Chicken strips and pizza. Ah, the variety of The Main during the late-night hours when on-campus students get the munchies. Finally, there is an end in sight to the monotony of Sodexho Marriott Food Service. Emily Burgwyn, director of student affairs information services, announced that TCU is in the process of starting a program that will allow students to have a debit card to use at off-campus restaurants. TCU has not been able to implement such a program in the past because of state laws prohibiting private universities from offering a debit card. But now that the laws have changed, TCU should to finalize the details of the new program and give students what they want. We want a lunch that won't cost us $8. We want more than chicken strips and sandwiches every day. It is bad enough that the Main closes at 8 p.m. every night, leaving us with pizza and pretzels from which to choose. Having an off-campus debit card would allow students to eat at restaurants that are within walking distance of campus. Giving students an alternative to The Main will foster some competition on campus. Prices at on-campus eateries are too high right now, and students would be able to have more variety with meals. The only drawback to the program is that money would have to be put into the account up front, unlike the current meal card where students are charged at a later time. Although the proposal for an off-campus debit card is not yet final, the thought of using cards to go to Boston Market or Jons Grille is very appealing. There's only so many chicken strips students can eat.
African floods globally ignored Mozambique's name is mud. After five weeks' worth of floodwaters finally recede, the southeastern African nation is several feet deep in torpid mud and faced with disease and a lack of food, fresh water and electricity. The tragedy again raised the question of whether the West should be involved in the crises of developing nations. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes when the Limpopo and Save rivers burst their banks, submerging roads, farmland and businesses. The first batch of heavy rains hit early February, and, less than two weeks later, Cyclone Eline barreled through the country bringing even more rain. As the angry waters rose, people scrambled to the tops of trees and clung there for days before being rescued. Children were separated from their parents, and people watched helplessly as fatigued and dehydrated family members dropped into the raging torrents below. The tragedy unfolded for three weeks before the international community sent in helicopters and relief to help the flood victims. Why was the response slow? In a BBC online debate some participants pointed out that because Mozambique is so far removed from European and American military bases, it took much longer to work out the logistics. Meanwhile, five South African and British helicopters struggled to rescue people, saving some and leaving others because of limited space on their aircraft, a debate participant said. The world was shocked at the dallying of the West while poor Mozambicans suffered in the face of mind-boggling adversity. If Mozambique, the poorest country in southern Africa, had millions of dollars of foreign investment, the West would have been there to help in a matter of days. If Mozambique sat on huge oil fields or diamond mines, there would be an economic interest to preserve. If Mozambique was a geopolitical strategic location, like Kosovo in the Balkans, troops and equipment would have been dispatched immediately. Instead, it is an agricultural country rebuilding itself after a 16-year civil war and achieving a 10 percent economic growth rate for the last three years. But isn't it time Africa grew up and dealt with its own disasters instead of begging the West for aid? After all, countries like Sudan and Angola have poured millions of dollars into brutal civil wars, draining their countries of resources and starving their people. Draconian dictators have sucked their homelands dry, and corrupt government officials habitually siphon public funds into their own pockets. If Africans are dirt-poor, with precious little health care or education, it is their own fault. This argument is powerful because Africa has squandered much of its potential. But the continent also labors under a bitter legacy that few other regions could cope any better with. In the late 1800s, European countries carved up Africa to satisfy their greed, paying little attention to the incredible diversity of cultures and ethnicities as they drew up its borders. As a result, enemy tribes were thrown together, families separated and historic trade paths cut off. Africa was the last continent to be colonized: Nearly all its countries have been independent for only 30 to 40 years, and they are still trying to define themselves. To expect the continent to achieve the same sleek democratic and industrial machinery that took Europe and America centuries to establish is silly. It would be like asking why racism still exists in the South when segregation was abolished over 30 years ago. Thankfully foreign aid, though slow in coming, did pour in and rescue thousands of stranded Mozambicans. And though surrounding African countries also suffered damage from the heavy rains, neighbors like South Africa and Zambia pledged to help. Southern Africa did show some solidarity in the crisis, and this will point to the continent learning to stand on its own two feet. In the future, effective prevention strategies and planning will ensure that the impact of natural disasters is softened, not only in Mozambique, but in India, Venezuela and Turkey. But if President Bill Clinton described Western aid to Kosovo as the first purely "humanitarian" mission in a globally integrated world, each country should be judged by the same standards. The Mozambican flood victims should be the main concern of the world, not economic or political interests.
Priya Abraham is a sophomore international
communication major from Zambia. Before complaining, park yourself in front of the rules Parking ignorance is a major concern of mine as a TCU student. Ignorance is defined by Webster as "lacking in knowledge." As a member of the Traffic Appeals and Regulations committee and Student Government Association, I feel it is my duty to help inform the student body. First of all, let's go over the basics. When you get your license, you are expected to know and adhere to all the rules and regulations that come with it. The same goes for your TCU parking permit. Remember that little pamphlet that was stapled to the permit? Look in the trash, since that is probably where you put it; it has all the rules you need to know on there. As soon as the sticker gets put on your windshield, you are expected to know and abide by those rules. Try telling the officer that pulled you over for running a stop sign that you just got your license, and you didn't know you were supposed to stop. He might just laugh. The most common complaint is that the rules are not enforced enough, so they want to know why they have to obey them. To this, I would like to make a reference to a speeding ticket. A lot of people do it, and many get away with it. But it is still illegal, and, if caught, you will be held responsible and fined. Now to put an end to what I call "the TCU parking myths." I know this may come as a big surprise to you, but your hazard lights neither make your car invisible nor do they make fire lanes disappear. Just because there is no permit on your car, you are not a visitor. A visitor is classified as someone who is not a student, faculty or staff member. If you fit any of these descriptions, you can't park in visitor parking. If you get a rental car, or borrow somebody's car without a permit, then you are supposed to get a temporary permit from Campus Police. If your car breaks down on campus, you can't leave it there until you feel like getting around to fixing it. From this point on, "My battery was dead," is no longer a valid excuse. If your battery does die Campus Police will gladly come give you a jump-start. They are here to help us, not hurt us. You can't park anywhere you want if it is just for five or 10 minutes. Whether someone is illegally parked for five minutes or 10 hours, it is still illegal. When an emergency happens, every second counts. I don't know anyone who wants to be the owner of the car that stops the emergency vehicle for five minutes. Especially the five minutes that caused the firemen to get to the room two minutes to late to save the student trapped in his room. What will you say to the dead student's parents? "I'm sorry your son died, but I just had to run in really quickly to get something out of my dorm room." On to a less serious, but ever-annoying myth. If there are not lines on both sides of your car, white lines, you are not parked in a spot. I spent five minutes pulling out of a spot last week. This was because somebody wanted to make themselves an extra space on the row of cars behind mine. The areas without lines are so people can drive around the parking lot and pull out, so please don't park there and block them in. This next part is a plea to all fraternity and sorority members who do not live in Worth Hills. Please respect the right of the students who live down there and don't park there for your meetings. Everyone expects Worth Hills students not to drive their cars to Main and East Campus, so please let them park down there. Also, I have one thing to say to all of those who like to drive to their meeting alone: CAR POOL! There are many other rules which are commonly overlooked and disobeyed, but this column is long enough, and I hope all TCU students know how to read. Please read the parking manual and consider yourselves "parking knowledgeable." The Appeals committee does not accept ignorance as an excuse, so please don't waste our time.
James Applebury is a junior chemistry major
from Fort Worth. Students speak out
-Charlie Owens, junior psychology major
-Chad McCarty, junior elementary education major
-Grant Denney, sophomore theater major
-Brooks Zitzmann, freshman biology major
-Adrianne Anderson, junior political science major
-Justin Speer, freshman business major |
"Affirmative action is really big for
me in this election because it seems they are trying to take it away. I
don't think that's right."
"How the candidates stand on the Christian
religion is very important. I think people have tried to water it down
way too much."
"The main issues for me are education,
racial equality and gender equality in education. I really feel there should
be an equal opportunity for everyone."
"I feel we should look into better
education for the youth of America because they are obviously the future
of this country."
"Medicaid and Medicare are really important
to me. It's important to take care of our citizens without necessarily
giving them any free rides. I think we need to try to take care of those
people who are living on the streets or those who are struggling to eat."
"Bush's reforms for education are important
to me. I think we should make teachers and schools more liable. It would
give schools the incentive to raise the standards of the students."
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