| 'Not here' Tragedies don't happen here. Students at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., can't say that anymore. A residence hall fire on Jan. 19 killed three students, critically injured six more and slightly injured 56 other people. Tragedies don't happen here. Students at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania can't say that any more. An off-campus fraternity house fire killed three students early Sunday. While police investigate and politicians react with legislation, many college students across the nation are undisturbed. Before the Wedgwood shootings, many people believed that a tragedy couldn't happen in Fort Worth. And now many TCU students act like a fire couldn't happen here. Well, it could. University administrators have a responsibility to make sure residence halls and other buildings are safe. But students also have a responsibility. Some simple prevention measures can greatly increase safety whether you live in a residence hall or an apartment: Candles - From cinnamon to blueberry, candles create a wonderful atmosphere, but they are against the rules in residence halls, and for good reason. Leave the candles at home. Plugs - Sure, you have to have your computer, your printer, your stereo, your lamp, your refrigerator, your alarm clock and your TV, but you don't have to plug them all into one power strip. Cigarettes - Opening the window while you smoke doesn't cut it. Go outside to smoke, and be sure your cigarettes are completely out. No, following the rules won't guarantee that there won't be a fire at TCU. But it will keep us all a little safer.
Elián González hasn't seen his father in four months. That's too long for a 6-year-old boy whose mother died when a boat carrying them sank in the Atlantic Ocean. But now Elián is finally on his way home. Relatively speaking. A federal judge ruled Tuesday that only Attorney General Janet Reno could grant Elián political asylum to stay in the United States. She didn't. But since Elián has become a sort of political punching bag between U.S. activists and the Cuban government, Reno's decision is no guarantee. Judge K. Michael Moore dismissed the lawsuit filed by Elián's Miami relatives by saying that a long legal battle was not in the young boy's best interest. The relatives' lawyer replied to the judge's decision by vowing to take it all the way to the Supreme Court, if need be. They need to let go the stronghold they have on a little boy who has no understanding of the uproar his situation has created. Reno has already made her decision. The Immigration and Naturalization Service also said that Elián belongs with his father. By appealing the decision, which they did almost immediately after the judge posted his decision on the Internet, they are simply putting off the inevitable. By requesting that Elián's return be delayed until their appeal is heard, they are doing much worse than that. They are delaying a long-awaited reunion between a son and his father, who has shown to the Immigration Service that he will provide Elián a loving relationship and good living environment. Under U.S. law, if parents have not demonstrated neglect or abuse, their children cannot be taken away from them. Elián's father has demonstrated neither neglect nor abuse. At a time in which U.S.-Cuban relations are slowly beginning to improve, the Miami relatives of the young Cuban refugee have already put a damper on this country's relationship with Fidel Castro. It's easy to see that had Elián been from Haiti or any number of other Caribbean island nations, not nearly as much media coverage would have been generated. No one would have cared about the boy's fate had he and his mother been escaping harsh conditions in any country other than a communist one. Let's hope that by dragging Elián's case through the courts, his relatives don't hurt U.S.-Cuban relations any further. And let's hope that Elián can move on with his life where he should rightfully be living in it - in Cuba with his father. It may have been four months since Elián has seen his father, but TCU hasn't seen the Heisman trophy in 62 years. But LaDainian Tomlinson could be adding the patented Heisman stiff-arm pose to his varied repertoire this season. The junior tailback evokes memories of 1938 Heisman winner and TCU star quarterback Davey O'Brien. Tomlinson, along with some O'Brien Heisman memorabilia, is pictured on the cover of the newest issue of the TCU Magazine. While the campaign to push Tomlinson into this year's Heisman spotlight hasn't yet been officially kicked off, it will be soon. Check out the L.T. for Heisman Web site at (www.ltfor2000.com). There you can subscribe to receive Heisman updates and be notified when the site goes online. If you haven't supported TCU football and our players in the past, do it now. We've finally got a great team and some great talent. Next season will be an exciting one for TCU football. Get in on the action now while it's hot.
Jason Crane is a senior news-editorial
journalism major from Shreveport, La.
I haven't seen "Mission to Mars" yet. I heard it sucks, but as soon as my couch collects $4.50, I'll be in the theater with the rest of the geeks because I like science fiction starring Jerry O'Connell (not that he has appeared in anything but science fiction). I also am enthralled with the possibility of life on Mars. I understand an actual project to land on Mars is in the works, but for me, it is just not soon enough - not because I am impatient, but because I believe the United States has reached a point of low self-esteem, and amazing space accomplishments tend to give the country injections of pride. Back in the early days of the Cold War, Americans were really worried about losing the space race because, while our rockets were exploding on the launchpads, those damn Commies managed to stick a beeping metal basketball in orbit. A little bit later, they put a dog up there as well. In the 1950s, this was certainly cause for concern, as we were afraid of Soviet technological superiority. The concern was understandable. I mean, once you put a dog in space, it's only a matter of time before you can send giant, missile-shooting robots to teach your enemy to eat borsht and wait in bread lines. At any rate, the late '50s and early '60s gave Americans lots of things to be proud of domestically, such as the Beach Boys and sharkskin suits. Conversely, these years were marred by a couple of international incidents such as Gary Powers and his downed U-2 spy plane and the ill-advised Bay of Pigs fiasco. On the international stage, we were at a loss for something to brag about. Then came the Apollo project. President John Kennedy goofed on a couple of counts such as the aforementioned Cuban imbroglio and pissing off the Mob, the CIA and the banking establishment, but the Apollo project was a great idea. When his dream to put a man on the moon came to fruition in 1969, we clearly had something to brag about. I wish I could travel back in time and sit in on the U.N. meeting the following week. I can picture the Soviet ambassador yelling about evil capitalist moose and squirrel, pointing his finger and turning red under his furry hat when the American ambassador smugly says, "So, did anyone else put a man on the moon this week? Yeah, that's what I thought. Put your hand down, France." So we got all the pats on the backs that year, and I still am pretty damn proud to be a citizen of the only country to place its flag on the moon. (No, MTV didn't really put its flag there - it was all faked.) But today, lots of people badmouth our bad-ass, space-faring nation. A lot of what they have to gripe about is not unfounded, but they are losing sight of the bigger picture. The bigger picture is that we are still a great nation. Certainly, the world is no longer a bipolar system divided into opposite ideological camps, and racing for space is not as big an issue anymore. Additionally, we still guide and meddle with the rest of the world's business, but rather than snarling ourselves in so many half-arsed yet far-reaching peacekeeping efforts, we should reach even farther and head for the stars. I don't derive a whole lot of pride from seeing Marines go to some rainy Eastern European pissing patch, but if they're ever sent to Mars to blast apart double-jawed aliens, then God bless America. Space achievements are vital to American cultural hegemony. Aside from leading the free world, spreading the benefits of Pepsi to the far reaches of the globe and being rich, we need something new for the other countries to envy and emulate. Since Japan beat us to Pokémon, the only way to go is up. It's high time we raised the bar. Let's follow Jerry O'Connell's lead and head for Mars.
Steve Steward is a senior political science
major from Lodi, Calif., and suffers from zero-gravity-induced diminishing
returns.
Where are the police? Crime in Fort Worth, specifically in the TCU area, is frighteningly on the rise. With the TCU rapist no longer lurking in the shadows, automobile burglaries and vandalism are fast becoming the biggest fear on campus. According to the January issue of the TCU Police Newsletter, "On the Scene," 53 vehicle burglaries were reported in 1999. Yet, the Fort Worth Police Department and the TCU Police seem to be more interested in parking ticket allocation. This may seem overly harsh, and I am not trying to downplay the importance of personal crime prevention strategies, but I have been able to find very few TCU students who feel that the campus police squad is doing enough to prevent vehicle burglary. Case in point, a friend of mine who had his car broken into not a mile off of campus, started parking his car in a more visible, well-lit spot on the curb in front of his apartment. Being from the Washington, D.C., area, he parked with two wheels on the curb, a common practice on the crowded streets up North. He was issued a citation by a FWPD officer who admitted that there had been 15 break-ins the night before in this area. I know that the FWPD can't be in all places at all times, but it just seems to me that its officers should be concentrating their efforts toward prevention and protection. Why can't the TCU Police help patrol further outside of campus while this surge in crime is occurring? With so many TCU students living off-campus, I feel that TCU should extend its patrol area. Do commuter students have less of a right to the campus police's protection of their vehicles? They may not have jurisdiction to issue parking tickets off-campus, but their presence would certainly serve as an additional deterrence to real criminals.
Melissa J. Green junior speech communication major
Thanks: To Dallas businessman James A. Ryffel who donated $5 million to TCU's entrepreneurship center. Chancellor Michael Ferrari said the gift came at just the right time. Now all we need is someone to donate $5 million so the social work department can have a building.
Spanks: To Spring Break, not only for taking all our money in a week of debauchery, but also for instilling in us a serious case of spring fever. Because of you, Spring Break, we now have no desires other than maxing and relaxing.
Thanks: To Spring Break for saving the sanity of students and professors (you can admit it, too). Nothing soothes the soul after two midterms on Friday (yes, there are people that evil in the world) than a week at the beach. Or a week passed out on a couch.
Spanks: To the Southern Methodist University football player who was arrested on Monday for trying to steal a Coke machine. Remember when TCU was referred to as "Texas Criminal University?" It's not so funny now, is it? Yet another SMU receiver caught from behind.
Thanks: To TCU Dining Services representatives for finally seriously addressing the issue of debit card use at off-campus restaurants. Several of us can probably say this has been a work in progress since we first came to TCU. It's nice to see that we may be free from The Main-Marriott monopoly after all.
Spanks: To all those professors who scheduled tests or papers the day students got back from Spring Break. Tests the day after the break is worse than the day before.
Thanks: To American Chocolate Week for giving proper recognition to this wonderfully delicious sweet. This week may be especially meaningful for some because "chocolate is a woman's reward for putting up with men."
Spanks: To car thieves for breaking into yet another on-campus car Wednesday and making us feel even more insecure about the safety of our cars on campus.
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