December 1995 - Binghamton Review by Binghamton Review

BINGHAMTON REVIEW Volume 9 Number 4

The Student Magazine at IJinghamton University

Police Story

What the Proposed Arming of Public Safety Means to You

December 1995

BINGHAMTON REVIEW

BINGHAMTON REVIEW Volume 9. Number 4

December. 1995

Departments Editorial: Public Safety should have arms if such an action is necessary. Sending troops to Bosnia may be a tragic mistake A1

Campus Presswatch gleefully exposes Off!. the

":U:: magazine that truly lives up to its name Gordon Sharpless delicately examines the fragile web of life and its meaning in 51111rper Image . Just kidding Letters: Professor W. Warren Wagar responds and a female re.1der approves of our stand on the Womyn's Center Hear the enlightening truths of Minister Farrakhan in Quibbles & Bits

Features Joe Martin and Paul Torres show why an expansion of the guns or no guns

'ID> authority of Public Safety is needed-

(fl\ Joseph P. Hurl' finds that many students support the Republican

~ plan for student loans once they know what it is

Ant hony Benardello explains why he will not fight a war in Bosnia

f=7

11 tJ

0, Scott Shaw complains he can't study due to unwarranted lip-mashing in the Science Library

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PMAttOC;R4PM The debut ofthe Myn's Center flagship publication! Pages 11-14

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Next Issue • Is Binghamton University's faculty too liberal? • A writer is stonewalled when hying to report on EOP • Keilka returns • An interview with BU President Lois B. DeFleur • A progress report on the diversity requirement A,'ailable on February 5, 1996

December. 1995

Editorial

Student Safety is the IssueThe Rest is Hogwash ere we go again- the Division of Public Safely is in ncedofan upgrade in authority so as 10 beller protect the sludents. Sadly, but not

surprisingly. c:\1rcmist factions on campus- the same folk s determined to take Ihe curriculum on a trip to Postmodemisl Looney Land-arc massing their slrength in an effort 10 keep Public Safety officers in their present un-

certain condition. While the campus of Binghamton University is nol exactly Ihe crime capital of Ihe world violence-including ballery. robbery. and rape. does occur often enough 10 warranl concern. Moreover, Public Safety statislics. as reported by several local media oUllets. show thaI violenl crime is on the rise at BU- a warning sign Ihal should be heeded by all . In Ihis issue of Bingham 1011 Review, slaff writers Joe Martin and Paul Torres show that the proposed expansion of tile powers and authorily of Public Safely arc sorely nceded. Furthermore. Ihey expose Ihe opposition for who they are-zealols whose narrow-minded slance on the arming issue (a small parI of the proposal) serves to foment hatred of the olTicers who are sworn to protect the university community from harm. At an open PSAC mceting in November, the paranoia and e mpty-headed sloganeering were on display for all to wilness. Some students challenged Public Safety Direclor John Schwartz to relate the racial composition of the Public Safet), Di,;sion. He did, revealing that the force is mostly composed of white males-a fact that led mosl of the various and sund ry nincompoops on hand 10 conclude Ihat arming of these officers would result in open season on minority students. Never mind that official reports from the unarmed division al Binghamton and the armed divisions at the other Ihree Universily CentersSlony Brook. Buffalo, and Albany-

show no indication of racial tension between officers and students. As in the debate over the diversity requirement, symbolism was placed ahead of substance. Equally troubling is the fact that the threc undergraduale student representatives-Doug Boellner, Josh Waterston, and Brent Landau---enlered the PSAC deliberations fully intenl on sabotaging the proposal. They recently endorsed tile proposal of a public opinion poll on the maller. a gesture that comes far too late 10 be remotely convincing . Landau especially has been a fountain of misinformation and deceit, asserting at Ihe open mceting that Ihe reduction ofweapons possessio n offenses on campus meant Ihatthere was less violent crime. Perhaps Ihe studenls should choose these represenlatives directly. an idea made doubly worthwhile when paired with the facl Ihat Walerslon 's election 10 the SA occurred after he was removed from the ballot in an invalidaled eleclion due to a campaign violation. If Ihe proposal cuts the muster of PSAC and the related legislation is enacted in Albany, Universily President Lois B. DeFleur will have primary authority in choosing how Public Safely is to be adminislered. Her commenls on Ihe proposal will appear in Ihe February issue of Binghamton R eview and one can only wonder how she wiII decide to balance student safety wilh her overweening desire to maintain a squeaky-dean image of Binghamton U niversit)' as the Utopia of Diversity. Only time will lell if safety concerns will win out over emply ex1remism, but the urgency of the situation calls for the recognition thaI this issue is far too important to be politicized . It would indeed be a dark day for Binghamton University if an acl of violence is commilled that could have been prevented if our Public Safety officers weren 't hamstrung by Ihe forces of division. -Nathan L. 111z"lzel

Bing ham/on Review

Binghamton Review

Campos Presswatch

Pi)!e Dream November )() and 14. 1995

November. 1995 Katrina Huffman, race-hailer exlraordinaire, issues a threat through a fact most people take 10 be- well, a fOCI...

Youjigure il nul-- wt' don ~ have a clue

"[November 101 Where we stand: The PSAC should make its recommendation Iregarding arming Public Safety I on the mandate of the students. "[November 141 Where we stand: Public Safety should carry guns and have extended jurisdiction."

"White America is quickly browning!! In other words. as the demographics change. people of color will no longer be the minority. but the MAJORITY! Since this is the case, it is in the best interests of the Angry White Male in Congress to dismantle programs that afford people of color equal opportunity in both the private and public sectors of this country. Do not be deceived, the Angry Whitc Males arc not the only enemies of Affirmative Action programs ... ln fact. Justice [Sandra Day] O'Connor had the nerve to write in her dissent for the Adoran [sic] decision: 'Equal protcction of the law is a personal right, not a group right. ...

Student Advocate Novcmber 9. 1995 Executive vice-President Dave Siegel exlelul<i special warm fuzzies 10 all...

om Pipe Dream November 7, 1995 Sportswriters- yes, sportswriters Sean Mayer and David Moskowitz report on the Republican sludent loan reform proposal. Nexl time, guys, you might wish to consider the idea of talking 10 an actual Republican .. .. According to a packet distributed by the College Democrats. entitled Why Direct Student Loans Should Not Be Dismantled, the current plan, adopted in 1993. involves little interaction between the student and the university. When the proposed financial aid is accepted by the individual, funds arc transferred from the federal government directly to the college, reducing the number of hands through which the application goes... " With the Republican proposal. ISenator Paull Simon [D-Illinois] said the repayment schedule would be left up to the bank's discretion . " He said the best way to fight the GOP's plans is to contact state representatives ...

December. 1995

November. 1995 Ah, poor flower childl Nicole Folkes bemoans Ihe tidings thai the '60 :\. are ended and people, alas, must lake responsibility for their own lives... 'The SA was once the epitome of The Liberal Mind. ' and BU was a progressive institution. At one point. the Dining services were student run. the bus system was student run, the bookstore was student owned and operated, and the Off Campus College was a grassroots coalition dedicated to aiding their fcllow students. Now all that 's left of that progressive mindset is the Off Campus College, and if the members of the Student Assoeiation have their way. that won 't last long. either. "We no longer attend the University of our parents. The children ofthose who protested the brutalization of innocent Vietnamese. and opposed Richard Milhous Nixon, now champion the Pataki cuts. And they criticize students-whose education is in limbofor complaining."

"It is always important to remember than in an organization that represents so many people we arc always bound to meet someone that has opposing views. But as adults it is essential that we be respectful and listen to the beliefs of othcrs. just as we would like them to listen to us. I arc rsic I in no way saying that one should change their beliefs, but without rcspecting and understanding others nothing will get done. "

Pipe Dream December 1. 1995 Spo rt swrilers Danielle Elliot and Kerrin Fischer enter Ihe coveled Review "Gee, do you really think so? " Hall of Fame ... " The women's basketball team opened its season last Wednesday with a record-setting performance. The team set two school records in its 996 win against York College : one for not allowing any points to be scored against them in the first half. and the other for the least amount of points scored against in a game. "The reason for York 's poor performance could be due to the fact that its coach recently quit his poSition, taking four of the team 's starters with him ."

Deccmber. 1995

Cover Story

Bingham/on Review

A Campus Up in Arms By Joe Martin and Paul Torres le recent legislative proposal re garding the status of Public Safety officers has prompted a campus debate. out of which has emerged a host of misinfonnation which needs to be debunked and clarified in order for the students, faculty. and administration to e\'aluate the issue clearly. Currently. according to the proposa\. "public safet), [peace 1 officers have the followi ng powers identical to those of police officers: to make warrantless ar~ rests based upon probable cause. to ex-

ecute arrest warrants. to execute search

warrants. to' issue appearance tickets. to issue uniform tra[fic tickets. [and] to receive. hold. and dispose of lost and abandoned property. The jurisdiction of lhese officers is limited to the campus and adjoining roadways. SUNY o[ficers jurisdiction is a lso limited to one campus insofar as the appointing authorit)' is the campus president." As "peace officers:' public safety oflicers are hampered by restrictions upon their authority. Our lawmakers in Albany arc attempting to address this problem by proposing to legally upgrade their status to that of "police officers." According to a memorandum to the presidents of all state-<>perated campuses from Frank G. Pogue. Vice Chancellor for Student Affa irs and Special Programs. personnel appointed as ' police officers' would have off-campus jurisdiction according to campus management guidelines. as well as other expanded powers. Public Safety officers have eX"]JCrienced certain frustrations in executing their sworn duty to "serve and protect" the university community. This legislatil'e proposal aims to address these law enforcement difficulties. An informational outline of thc proposal from thc Dept. of Public Safety states. "Many crimes committed on campus are done so by suspects who live ofT

campus or who arc not University ar!iliated. Our jurisdiction does not allow for us to go olIcampus to conduct inleryiews or arresls. In the past we haye had 10 drop invesligations due 10 Ihis. Outside agencies are rcluctanl to assisl us in matters such as Ihese because Ihe)' have Iheir own work load and feci thaI it is our job. nol Iheirs ... The legislalion proposes Ihal the president decide jusl what our role in 01I campus invesligations would be. If she saw lit. this would allow for follow up investigations off campus and as-

sisting community police agencies," A letter from Ihe Broome County District Attorney Slates. "Currenliy. public safely officers may nol exerc路.ise thei r official authority ofT-campus. even where

the crime at issue has been committed on-campus and where Ihe largel of Ihe investigation is a student or university employee. This is absurd." A second letter from the Chief of Po-

lice of Johnson Cit)' slales. "Restricting these officers to on-campus investigations places severe restrictions on their abilily 10 provide effective and efficient law enforcement services to the campus residents." A Ihird leller from John Schwartz. direclor of Public Safety. interestingly poinls oul 路' ... as peace officers Ihey automatically h3\'e supposed ' special dutics.' which ... narrowly restrict their law en forcemenl aulhorily. " The direclor goes on to illuslrate with case examples of how eulprils may have escaped due to Ihese limitations as public safety waited for delayed responses from other agencies. . The following is a quole from the aforementioned proposal oulline from the Law Enforcement division ofthe Department of Public Safely: "We can not 'slop and frisk ' potentially dangerous suspects encountered on our campus ... I路SIOp and frisk'l allows a po-

Some stutlents, most repre!;elltillg all-campus !Jpecial interel1 groups, spoke alit against tlte proposal tit a PSAC meeting in November

December, 1995

Cover Story

Binghamton Review

lice officer to temporarily stop a person in a public place when the officer suspects that such person is committing. has committed. or is about to commit a crime. The officer may demand that the person present name. address, and explanation of conduct. [f the officer suspects that he or shc is in danger of physical injury. the officer may search the person for a deadly weapon." It should be noted that Public Safety officers currenUy do have the power to stop and individual and ask for identifkation. The proposal would allow officers to seareh for a dangerous weapon as weU . The outline also notes that Public Safety cannot currenUy transpon prisoners to 10caljails, assist in U,e transpon of seriously ill mcntal patients. or process sex crimes evidence. In addition to these points. a strong case for adopting U,e legislation can be made hased upon the following: First, it should be noted. our Public

Safety officers are just as qualified as other police officers. FurUlemlOre. Public Safety has a "vested interest" in the conul1wlity and therefore is more likely to be sensitive to student sentiments. Should the Vestal Police Depanment ever be called to campus. and execute a law enforcement aClion that the campus community holds as questionable. lhey can "wash their hands of the situation" the second they drive off campus. wtlike Public Safety, which must live with U,e consequences of their actions. For these reason. it is preferable that Public Safety handles any dangerous situations on campus. Also, U,ere is the "response time" pro!}. lem. Mr. Schwanz stated that there have been times where the Vestal police were not able lO respond to a situalion in which their authority and jurisdiction were required on campus. Response time from the Binghamton Police Depanment. the ne~1 nearest PD, at such times is even slower

than U,e estimated response time of Vestal. Even under nom13i conditions. outside agency response time can be up to 15 or 20 minutes. especially when armed officers are required, as officers responding to dangerous situations requiring arms. must have backup. Related to response time problems and U,e protection of lives, especially under dangerous situations, is the dilelluna stated in a letter from Harpur 's Ferry Ambulance Scrvice to Mr. Schwartz. ".. .Harpur's Ferry personnel are prohibited by current law from entering into any situation in which crew members could be possibly put in harm's way. In a potentiaUy dangerous situation such as a fight. stabbing or shooting. Harpur 's Ferry waits for clearance from law enforcement personnel to enter the scene. CurrenUy. unarmed Public Safety Officers will not enter a dangerous scene until armed backup from TO\m of Slate !'olice Vestal or NY

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December. 1995

Cover Story

arrive."University Police must be able to

secure all scenes. and therefore must be armed." Regarding Ule issue of arming Public Safely officers, we must clearly establish the authorily that gives Public Safety the right to be aIDled As we shall soon show. that authorily does not reside or hinge at all upon the legislation, but raU,er resides in the presiden!. The saIlle proposal outline quoted above states, "The proposed legislation would amend this section only as far as Ule requirement for a pistol permi!. The decision to arm or not /0 arm wo uld still rest,

ns it a/ways has, with the Universj~y President. " [Italics added]. TIlis also directly reflects the legislative proposal : " As proposed , section 080.1 of the university administrative rules would be amended to allow camPus presidents to ann their officers pursuant to the officers' auUlOrity:' [Italics added] . As far as resolving the de-

Binghamton Review

bate among campus student organi7.ations. Ulis is clearly the most important poin!. If the state lawmakers adopt this legislation. it does not necessarily follow that the newly designated campus police officers \\, 11 be armed. Arming policy would be entirely lip to the president's conscience and best judgement: not to our legislature in Albany. II is also important to note that President DeFleur currenlly possesses the power to arIll the officers. If she changed her mind she could ann the peace officers tomorrow. wiUlOut legal ratification from Albany. Further e,idence for this fact rests in Mr. Pogue's memorandum. which states Umt upgrading the status of peace officers to police offi cers would result in "rescinding the need for a pistol pernlit for an officer to be armed ... " II is clearly established here U,at the "guns issue" is actually a non-issue because: I) U,ere are no legal impediments

to UlC president arnling public safety officers in Uleir current status as peace offi cers. and 2) the legislative proposal in no way undermines U,e president's authority to restrict armament or disallow it entirely. despite Public Safety's new status as "police officers:' As a rcsull, any concerns about the armament of public safely should be directed at the president, not at UlC legislation. In light of Ule above, it clearly makes no sense to nmke the gun issue morc of an issue now than it was before the legislative proposal was fonnulated. HO\vcver, there have been numerous

articles in campus newspapers which imply a connection between the current legislative proposal and the arnling of Public Safety officers. In Ule November 9 issue of 5'ludent Advocate, a boldfaced front page insert, under a heading called "Guns for ULED?" stated 'Tllis change [from "peace officer" to "police officer" I will give

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Binghamton Review

ULED additional powers like armed officers and off campus jurisdiction." [Italics added]. In an article on the same issue on the front page. Student Advocate Editor-in-Chief Alyson 1. Heegan reported that "Doug Boettner, Student Association president, said that if President Lois B. DeFleur ultimately decides to have police officers on this campus. they would be armed.., In the November 14 issue of Pipe Dream. News Editor Nancy Cetin wrote. "PSAC \\ill be discussing a proposal from the central office of the State University of New York, which could result in the arming ofBinghamton University:v Public Safoty officers." (Italics added]. Also. a flyer posted around campus by the SA and PAC read '"ULED might get GUNS. Just thought you'd like to know." Though concern about arming Public Safety officers is understandable. these statements mislead readers by implying that arming necessarily follows passage of the legislation. when in fact the two are completely separate issues. In a phone conversation, the director conveyed that students should realize that currently he cannot phice his officers into any dangerous situation involving firearms and/or knives, since the officers themselves would be inadequately protected or prepared to meet any highly dangerous situation. Outside. armed officers

Cover Story would be needed to intervene. meaning again. delayed response time. Based upon this. Public Safely officers feel unequipped to serve and protect. Yet the student body is (perhaps understandably) jumpy about abuse of power issues. Director Schwartz has proposed a compromise, several times in the past as weli. His idea of .. restrictive arming". as it is called. utilizes and is possible through the president's authority over the use of p0lice powers. Restrictive arming is the idea that officers would be able to obtain a weapon or call for a weapon if needed. while on patrol. He described a possible system that involves the guns of all officers to always be kept in a locked box in their patrol cars. with stipulations and guidelines that would determine what situations encountered would justify removing the weapon and arming the officer. Public Safety would require, as it does now for pulling batons and brandishing mace spray. for a report to be made by the officer. as well as an ensuing investigation to assure that justified cause existed for the anning of the officer. This standard. as it is already a~ plied to the use of batons and mace, is another feature of our Public Safety Department that distinguishes it \\ith higher standards over many other departments. This idea is truly a compromise. On a

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December. 1995

recent ride-along. Officer Meddleton of Public Safety stated concerns about his safety even with a lock box in the back of his car. adding. "ifyou are properly trained in the use of a fireann. then there is no immediate reason for your firearm to be locked in the trunk ofyour car." It is clear that. though the ftrearm is in the car, access is still limited, which limits the officer's ability to protect his o\\n life in a situation that escalates quickly into violence. However. it still provides a solution to the response time problem, as well as the general dependency on external p0lice agencies for armed response. There are concerns in the campus community about changing Public Safety to police officers. However. these concerns can easily be quelled by the fact that the president can not only constrain the armament of the newly designated police officers. but. according to Director John Schwartz, she can also constrain any of the other police powers that are granted by the legislation. This again redirects concerns about the potential abuse of power by police officers to the president While it is true the legisIation gives ULED officers the potential to "stop and frisk,n we must again make a subtle, though weighty distinction: even ifthe legislation passes, the president bas the authority to limit the ability of campus police officers to "stop and frisk." This is also true ofoffcampus jurisdiction, the transportation of mental health patients, etc. In summary, we must separate the gun issue from whether or not we support the potential, though arbitrarily limit~, increases in the authority of Public Safety by changing their status to that of "police officer." Off campus jurisdiction, prisoner transport, "stop and frisk," etc., are all completely independent" of the arming debate. In light of the problems and frustrations that Public Safety has had in providing law enforcement due to their peace officer status, they are now needed as police officers.

Joe A1arlin is a graduate student majoring in systems science. Paul Torres ;s a.freshman who has not yet decided on a major.

December~

1995

Student Loans

Binghamton Review

The Fact and Fiction of Student Loans By Joseph P. Hury

hear members of the Clinton Administration speak these days~ one would think that students should be preparing to eulogize the Federal Student Loan program. According to the President and Vice Presiden~ "right-wing extremist groups that control the Newt Gingrich Congress," are about to "slash education." The rhetoric emanating from the administration, liberal advocacy groups, and Congressional Democrats concerning Republican plans to reform the financing of higher education has been steadily intensifying as the battle over balancing the budget progresses. On October 20, the President declared to thousands of cheering students at Ohio State University, "I will veto, if I have to, any attempt to mortgage your future." He then proclaimed 441 will not tolerate raising the cost of student loans and student scholarships and cutting out opportunities." This kind of demagoguery. \\illingly disseminated by the liberal media is meant to bias students against Republican proposals "ithout a serious discussion oftheir content. Thus students, who have been bombarded since the 1994 elections with torrents of anti-Republican propaganda, are now being presented "ith a false choice between that of"heaitless" Congressional Republicans supposedly bent on destroying the higher education system in the United States in order to finance tax cuts for their rich cronies and that of a "concerned" President who stands as an immutable pillar of strength guarding their futures from the budget ax. However, students have been exposed to neither the details of the Clinton Administration 's proposals to deal with student loans, nor the details of the Republican plan. The Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFEL) was created in 1965. during the Johnson Administration, with

broad bipartisan support. to provide switched by 1995--60% by 1999-only greater access to higher education with 28.7% of loan volume has been switched minimal government involvement. Since by now. short of the projected 40% for then it has funded 74 million student this year. Not satisfied with such dismal loans at a cost of$180 billion-six mil- results. the Clinton Administration wants lion loans worth over $22 billion were to accelerate the program to achieve a disbursed in 1994 alone. Under the 100010 S\\itch over to direct loans by 1998, program 's original format. private lend- and has shown a willingness to require ers provide the capital for the loans and even schools that strenuously object to the private and state guarantor agencies pro- program to participate. cess them. The federal government subThe reason as to why the Clinton sidizes the interest rate, guarantees the Administration is pushing so hard for loans in cases of default. and exercises implementation of their direct loan proregulatory authority over the program. gram is supposedly cost. According to Thus a tremendous volume of student the FY 1996 Clinton budget. the direct loans is supported with the government loan program is calculated to save the needing only to fmance the costs of de- government $4.1 billion between 1996fault and the subsidized interest rate. 2000 if fully effected. Administrative costs are externalized on This estimate, however, is based on to the private sector. which "illingly ac- faulty data which results from the Credit cepts them in exchange for participation Reform Act of 1990. Using this accountin the program. ing method, the Congressional Budget Such a satisfactory state of affairs pro- Office figured in 1993. upon enactment vided too easy a target for an administra- of Clinton 's direct loan program, that it tion eager to fLX that 'which ain't broke. â&#x20AC;˘ would save the government $4.3 billion In 1993. the Clinton Administration pro- over five years. The problem with this posed replacing the guaranteed loan pro- estimate was that the long term financgram with a program of direct government ing costs of direct loans were ignored in lending. by way of extending a limited accordance with the Credit Reform Ac~ pilot program started under the 1992 hence distorting the amount of expected Higher Education Act. Under Clinton's savings from the switchover. Besides. faulty estimates are only the plan, private lenders, the backbone of the current system, would be altogether ex- beginning of a long list of problems with cised from the picture. The federal gov- the direct loan program. First, there is ernment would incur debt to raise the capi- the fact that it adds to the national debt. tal for the loans and would service the Currently, most of the capital lent to studebt itself. while participating schools ad- dents is put up by private lenders. but ministered the program. Senator Nancy under the Clinton plan the federal govKassebaum (R-KS) has called this pro- ernment would have to borrow the posal '"a total federal takeover of a suc- money necessary for the loans. thereby cessful public-private sector partnership." increasing the amount of debt the govWhile Clintonites were excited about ernment acquires annually by about $20 their plan, the Democrat controlled Con- billion to $25 billion. Secondly. the 'plan is also financially gress balked at the idea of a complete Federal takeover and instead approved a irresponsible. Under the "income confive year trial phase-in to make the switch tingent repa)nlent plan" included \\ithin from guaranteed loans to direct loans. Clinton 's proposal. students could make While 5% of loan volume was to be repayment of loans contingent upon Cu-

Binghamton Review

ture income. Additionally, if students stretch out repayments to 25 years as encouraged by this plan, the accumulated debt will simply be forgiven. Essentially, loan defaults will be permitted and assumed by the government. The president claims that the direct loan program will reduce the default rate currently hovering at about 25% for most institutions, but the Congressional Research Service disagrees, stating, "direct lending is largely irrelevant as a means of reducing default costs [and] may well increase default costs." The administration hoped to cut down on defaults to some degree by utilizing the IRS, however a joint study by both the Treasury Department and the Department of Education found, "it is not feasible to expand the participation of the IRS in collection of student loans," because it would adversely affect the IRS' primary responsibility: collecting taxes. Besides, who would consider siccing the IRS on students to be an improvement over the current system? Centralization of the federal student loan program within the Department of Education would also create a vast new bureaucracy and expand the potential for vast inefficiencies and unconstrained program costs. The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, created by Congress as an independent advisory body on student aid, concluded that the Clinton program cannot "ensure program integrity." This fact was evidenced when in 1994, the DOE made $700 million in direct loans and was unable to account for $100 million of that amount. Finally the program would be harmful to academic freedom. Since more than 75% of all student aid is linked to the FFEL, a government takeover would essentially make universities dependent on a single lender for their students. The power to control loan revenue, aiong with regulatory and enforcement power will give the federal government a tremendous influence over higher education. In contrast to this centralized and inefficient government takeover, the Republicans are simply proposing to limit direet fedcralloans to students while main-

Stadent ....ans taining the more streamlined guaranteed loan program which has served so well for so long. On November 17. the Congress voted to limit direct lending to 10% of the overall loan volume, essentially repealing Clinton's 1993 plan. In accordance with CBO figures the Republicans claim this will reduce spending by $1.6 billion over seven years. It must be clarified, contraty to the administration's rhetoric, at no point in the dispute over student loans was it suggested, by either party, that the amount of money lent to students each year decline. The argument is over how loans will be financed and whether or not the government should incur costs it doesn't need to. The only thing that is getting slashed is government inefficiency. While students at Ohio State University were cheering for the president's plan, students questioned at Binghamton presented a different StorY. Initially, most felt that they weren't informed enough to make judgments, but after encountering the details of the two plans, the majority said they actually felt the Republican pr0posal to be superior to the Clinton plan. Once the rhetoric had been transcended, even students who still foUnd themselves in disagreement with the Republican plan had to admit that ifnothing else, it is good economics. James Rodriguez,' a freshman majoring in biology, stated, "Although it makes economic sense, I must disagree on a matter of principle." A major problem with the whole debate over student loans, according to Shawn Weil, a sophomore double majoring in music and psychology, is the rhetoric. He initially disagreed with theRepubIican proposal, but after learning the particulars of what both sides proposed he chose to reserve judgment He commented on the coverage of this issue saying, " .. it seems very misleading because very seldom do you hear 'different method. ' A lot more of the time you hear things like they are going to 'cut' the direct aid program, without saying in favor of privatization." He added, "I think that students are basically in the dark about a lot of things and have very little to trust." Many seemed shocked by the grotesque

December, 1995

proportions of the president's plan, finding them to be counterproductive. "Why would Qinton want the government to pay for it [loans1 when private lenders are willing to do it anyway-doesn't he want to reduce the deficitT commented Boaz Berkowi~ a junior majoring in management, who found himself in disagreement with many aspects of the direct loan program. "Also," he continued, "it doesn"t sound very democratic [for him] to require schools that don't want to participate, to participate." On the Administration's pr0posal to unleash the IRS on students, Mike Rivera, ajunior majoring in biology, said, "I would much rather have a bank on my back any day than the IRS." He felt strongly that the student loan program "should remain private in order that it [the program] be run as a business. Government control only breeds corruption and embezzlement. " Opinions on the Republican plan were also generally upbeat. Students who initially felt in the dark on the ~ ultimately found themselves in agreement with the Republicans. "I think its a step in the right direction," said sophomore Brian Major, a computer science student. "They're trying to preserve the system that we have installed now." Freshman Alan Blake, a finance major, said the Republican plan, "rules out the inefficiencies ofbureaucracy that the Clinton plan will likely cause. Plus, it saves the country money." On the effects of the Republican plan, Blake said, "In reality, I guess its neutral, but as long as it stops things from going in the negative direction I consider it a positive thing...because they're going back to guaranteed'loans I would consider it an improvement." Lastly, he expressed that, "they should go further and get rid of the direct loan program altogether." "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time," cautioned Abraham Lincoln. The sentiments ofstudents on this campus lend this maxim credence. Caveat Clinton. Joseph p'. Hury is a sophomore majoring in accounting.

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Bosnia

December, 1995

Binghamton Review

Why I Won't Fight in Bosnia By Anthony J. Benardello

our country needs you. Again. On Monday. August 28, 1995, I received this message during a phone call from my former commanding officer, who informed me of yet another exciting conflict to prepare for. "Sorry. not this time," I said. "I don 't fight fot the United Nations." Bill Cli nton has decided to send young Americans (again) to die in some altruistic war (Bosnia) for a bunch of irrelevancies that have nothing to do with the national interest or the security of our country. I have served my country honorably for twelve years and through five wars-the last being yet another altruistic war to save starving Third Worlders from themselves-Somalia. In December of 1992, I was asked to go to Somalia and help "feed" people who were the victims of their own war of two-bit gangsters, fighting over turf like inner-city street gangs. I was told I had certain skills that were necessary to carry out the mission. "Excuse me," I said, "with the 'skills' I have, you don 't need me to feed children; caB the Salvation Army, not the U.S. Army." Regardless of what I said. I spent Christmas in Somalia. In April 1993 , I was sent home, because Bill Clinton "won" Somalia. Great job, Bill-makes up for dodging the draft during Vietnam . In August 1993, United Nations Secretary Boutros Boutros Ghali, after having some of his Pakistani soldiers killed by Somali warlord Mohammed Farrah Aidid, pressured Bill Clinton into sending Army Rangers and Special Forces soldiers to capture Aidid. What did the U.N . announce shortly after this "request"? That the U.N. was sending the Rangers and Special forces to get Aidid. I thought only the Presideni of the United States, along with Congressional approval, could deploy U.S. mili-

tary personnel. Furthermore. you do not announce where and what Rangers and Special Forces are going and doing. What they are used, it is highly classified-that information is not for public consumption. This time there was no discussion- I was ordered (against my will) to Somalia forthwith. On October 3, 1993, my team. along with our contingent of Rangers. were

sent to capture Aidid in a Mogadishu ghetto that we were told was housing Aidid. Who gave us this intel. you might ask? Why. our "friends" in the U.N., of course. For those of us who survived the debacle. October 3rd will always be remembered as Bloody Sunday. On that day. eighteen Rangers and two Special Forces snipers were killed- the latter two were my friends since basic train-

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Bosnia

Bingham/on Review

ing. Sergeant First Class Randy Shugart and Mas'ter Sergeant Gary Gordon gave their lives to rescue Chief Warrant Officer Michael Durant and myself. We both lay wounded on a Mogadishu street (Crash Site One) and through their selfless sacrifice. they gave us the gift of life. For their heroism. they were awarded Congressional Medals of Honor. After seeing my friends get dragged through the streets~ their bodies mutilated by these tribalist sa\路ages. I swore I would never let Americans serve the U.N. again. Now we have the U.N.. in concert \\ ith their stooge. Bill Clinton. preparing America for intervention in Bosnia: a country torn by a civil war that has raged for centuries. A country that Hitler himself could not beat into submission. Hitler had 500.000 soldiers there. we are sending 20.000-looks like hogs going to a slaughter if you ask me. Is this really in the "ital interest of the United States? The answer is no. Look what happened in Somalia-just as important. look what happened in Lebanon in 1983. U.S. Marines were told to keep warring parties (Christians and Muslims-talk about deja v(Jus) apart. The result was 241 Marines blown up because it was thought they were .. taking sides." In Bosnia. we have three parties at war. all hating each other: sound like a recipe for disasterAmerican disaster.

Upon receiving my "invitation" to Bosnia. I told my commander in no uncertain terms: 1) I am retired on a disability pension: and 2) If I was able to fight. I would not. I will never fight for the U.N. The U.N. is the enemy of my country. I was informed on August 29 that if I refused to report for active duty, I would be considered absent without leave (AWOL). For 30 days, I received phone calls and "official" letters from the Department of Defense. On the first of October. J was told that I am considered a deserted and that I could be arrested and court-martialed. J have not wavered in my defiance of the unlawful order J was asked to obcy. On September 19. Specialist Michael New. a combat veteran of Operation Desert Storm. also refused his orders to report for the U.N. "pcacekeeping" job in Macedonia. His reason? He too \\ ill not serve the U. N.. because like me. he took an oath. "to support and defend the Constitution ... " not the U.N. Charter. Specialist New us now undergoing court-martial proceedings in Germany and. if convicted. will receive one year and one day in jail (enough for a felony conviction to ruin his life) and a dishonorable discharge. Bill Clinton. who has taken the same oath as Specialist New and myself. is in defiance of the Consitution he has sworn to uphold and obey. This can be construed as treason against the United

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December, 1995

States. If Clinton is so hot on the idea of sending others to die for his altruism. why doesn't he lead us in combat? Clinton has no moral authority to send others to die. when he is a draftdodger who stated. 路'1 loathe the military" in a letter to Eugene Holmes. the former ROTC commander of Arkansas. This is not leadership. it is kowtowing to an organization that is dedicated to one-world government-the United Nations. Sure, we have heard the rhetoric that this is a NATO mission~ if you beleive that. I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. If this is not a U.N. plan. why is Russia. a NATO nonmember. taking part? This is a U.N. sponsored peace plan and they are urging NATO to do their bidding. If any of you. my fellow students. think it is in the best interest of the world for the United Stales to send 20,000 troops to Bosnia. allow me to ask you a question: would you go? Would any of you like to see a member of your family sent to a region as unstable as Bosnia? If you have answered no. I hope you stand up and say the right thing. Americans have been dying for other people for eighty years since our first "progressive" president, Woodrow Wilson. wanted to make the world 路路safe for democracy." I say no more fighting for other countries. no more fighting for the U.N .. and no more sending foreign aid to other countries. Americans should only fight for whatever is in our national interest or national security. American blood is the most precious on Earth-it should never be wasted. Bosnia and its civil war are not in our vital interest-let Europe settle its own problem. I am tired ,of burying friends-I refuse to bury any more. Let someone else be the world's policeman-dialing 911 does not mean dia_ing America. Anthony .I. Benardello is a junior double-majoring in philmiophy and philosophy, politics. and law. He senl ed in the AnllY (Special Forces) for 12 years.

December. 1995

Opinion

Binghamton Review

Get a Room, Please! By D, Scott Shaw

he library. The core of even' in stitution of higher learning . A

place where one can immerse

him or herself in the tremendous knowledge contained in UlOusands upon thousands of books and journals. A quiet place for peace and contemplation. A valuable resource for research in all fields. A place to go to study and learn. A good place to watch people maki ng out. A place to ... what?! First. since this is a personal opinion piece. a lillie background information about me: I) I have nothing against public displays of affection. I don't wincc every time I'm walking to class and see a couple arm in aml. or holding hands. or whatever. As much as many rcadcrs would probably like to see some lillie prude over at the Review telling them there should be laws passed to kill anyone who so much as looks into the eyes of their significantother in public. you're not going to get that here. Sorry. 2) My usual mollo is

the library. It 'sjust as inconsiderate as talking, and not much less vulgar than masturbating in a public place. "Is this REALLY a problem?"' the skeptics are asking. "Of all the things you could have chosen to talk about?" Well. hear my wocful!'1le and decide for yourself. [have sat in the same seat in the libra!)' since mid-way through freshman year (I'm a junior now). Before this year. the prob!em of making out in the libra!)' existed but it was not omniprescnt. Every so often I would head down to

"Live and let Iivc." I have my views

on this and thal, but I'm not going to force them on anyone. The only tiring I don 't like is when people try to foroe their views and values on ME. 3) I study a lot. I spend a lot of time in the library. When I'm althe library. I have particular study habits. I have my "favorite scat." and if that seat happens to be occupied. [ have backups. [ get up to stretch and walk around at fairly regular intervals. Often. I'll take an intermission and head to the pod to check my e-mail. for example. Another Uring-[ need quiet. [ don't consider myself a particularly brilliant individual. and the only way for me to absorb things is by repetition, by writing Ulings down. and by concentrating. [ need quiet to do that. That's why I come to the library to study. lf [ didn't need to concentrate. I'd be home in my apartment ,,;th the stereo on and the TV on and on the phone at the same time. So my gripe: couples who make out in

;; 2:. . '..~ .. , tfiJ.::;r

•

must be prelly dedicated. The guy. on the other hand. never studies at the library. He comes in. makes out with her. and leaves. Comes back later. does it again. and leavcs. He's never carrying any books. and he always lool<,s like hejust came from U,e g)m. [ think all he docs all day is alternatel)' fondle his girlfriend and run around the track. [don't even know ifhe's an undergraduate or what. All [ do know is that he's about 6'6" and 250 pounds. [n other words. a lot bigger than me-he would mash me into the wall before you ca n say ··libertarian." OK. that's a slight exaggeration-he's not Ulat big. but he's still bigger Ulan me. I "ill say lIris though. he looks just a lillie smaller each time [ see him. A few days after [ first noticed U,e girl. [ noticed her boyfriend. Or rather. notieed them together. [ couldn 't not. [f [ got up for any reason (to take a break. get a journal or book. go to the bathroom. etc.) and they were going at it. [ saw it. This happened for a couple of

~djr '

days in a row. and it really started to bother me. When [ sec people making out like that, [ find it hard to conecn~'~ trate on what rIO studying. \ ' ;:;;; ( , At first I thought. "Well. maybe she's studying for some test. And when some deserted corner to look for some it's over. she'll go away." But the dayS obscure book. or head over to thm lillie quickly stretched into weeks, and nothroom in U,e Science Library "ith the jour- ing changed. She was there ALL THE nals from S-Z, and nlO into some couple TIME. At 9 AM. at II PM. Saturday going at it. [t was anhoying. but not a ma- and Sunday... does she have classes? [ jor problem. asked myself. Doesn't she have to cat? TIlis year. the problem has been Sleep? Haven't her muscles atrophied yet? exemplified by one particular couplc. I Gecz! don 't know who they are. but here's a deFaeed with this problem. [ tried to find scription (maybe you've seen them) : the solutions. The possibilities were prelly girl has long blonde hair and she's actu- grim. Well. [ thought. [ could ask them to ally half-cute. I first noticed her early this stop. Then [ considered .. .lhem locked in year because she picked a seat to sit in the hcatofpassion. Me meekly approachnear minc, and it seemed like she was there ing. stammering. "Excuse me. sir ... .. even more than me (and thaI's a lot). Would he even take his tongue out of her Whatever bad I may say about hcr, (and mouth before [ found myself a pennanent thcre'll be plenty before rIO done) she wall ornament? OK. choice two: leave a

Binghamton Review

Opinion

note for the girl. I tried out various possibilities in my mind At first I thought about being polite: "Hi. It's very hard for me to concentrate on studying when you and your bo}friend are ... 路路 Later I got pissed off: "Listen. no one wants to watch you and your man going at it so why don't you just. .... This solution seemed rather inadequate. So what else could I do'? 1 talked to people about it. Quite a few people in fact. The result was a sort of amused curiosity. "They do WHAT? WHERE?'!, Attitudes ranged from blatant disgust to "1 wanna watch!" But no one said "No. You路re\\,yong. Theyha\'eapcrfeet right to do that" or. "It's YOU that's got thc problcm, pal... Everyone agreedthese two were out-of-line. Even \\ithin this scenario of making out at the library. there arc degrees of inappropriateness. Doing this sort of thing in some back room of the library at 11 P. M. on a Thursday night is one thing. (I still don't approve. but as long as it's not right near me 1 don't care.) Doing it right out in the open at 10 AM. is another. Yup. you heard me right-l0 AM.! I went in thcreone morning to by to do a little studying before my class. and there they werebodies locked together. going at it. Good moming!' "10 A.M.?" one of my friends asked incredulously. "Man. I can't even soo straight at I() A.M ,.. Well, the two of them can evidently do a lot more than sec straight that early. I've seen them at it at every hour between 10 A.M. and II P.M. So am I a little bit of a voyeur. you're wondering? Am I getting some kind of kick out of this? Actually... no. I'm not. If 1 was. I'd just sit back. relax. and enjoy. Maybe take pictures-it'd be easy enough. This is really bothering me. I am not lying when I say I absolutely CANNOT concentrate with this going on...oh well. back to the dra\\ing board .. Hey, how about leaving a note for the librarians? "Listen, there 's this couple and they're always making out and it really bothers me. Could you please tell them to stopT Ycah.like the librarians would care. After the hysterical laughter died down sufficiently, they'd throw my note out. thinking it was a joke. Call ULED?

Well .. .I'd probably fmd my own behind hauled in for calling them for a non-emergency. Never mind One night as I was headed into the Iibrruy, I passed the guy heading out. You know, given what he'd just been doing (and how much action he evidently gets on an extremely regular basis), you'd expect him to be grinning ear to ear, floating on air. wouldn't you? Especially since his girlfriend's not half-bad (And on top of it all she must be pretty smart by now, wouldn't you say?) So was he? Well. not e.xactly. Instead. he was making faces and wiping his mouth like he'djust been kissing his old grandmother, or pair ofleather shoes... not his girlfriend. I don't understand. Listen man, ifyou don't enjoy what you're doing. why do you do it so much?? The weeks have now become months. "Blondie" (not real creative. but accurate) and "Hans" (because he undoubtedly would "pump me Up" if I told him what I think about him and his little concubine practically procreating in front of me) are a regular part of my life. I 've been upclose and personal with them on more than one occasion. Just last ~ for example, 1 was looking for a seat and rounded a comer only to find myself scarcely three feet from where thcywere interlocked, vigorously tonguing each other. Fortunately, their eyes were closed. But I doubt they would have minded me watching anyway. since they were doing it in a place where practically everyone on the entire floor could see them. I'll admit. in a way, I have to admire them. They lead such different lives, and yet despite that they manage to have such an affectionate relationship. Blondie studies seven days a week, sixteen hours a day-yet she doesn't look too emaciated; she must be eating something. Maybe he brings her food. I'll never figure out how she goes that long without using the bathroom-unless her and June AIIysonknow something I don't. Her legs presumably still work, because she manages to wrap them around Hans' waist everytime he comes to visit. And if she ever left the library long enough to go to class, I bet she 'd be doing pretty Well. In contrast, Hans presumably spends his days lifting

December, 1995

weights. wrestling, running thetrack,juggling cinder blocks, shovelling all the coal into that big furnace they have over at the Physical Plant. jumping the English Chan- . nel. stopping speeding locomotives with his bare hands, leaping tall buildings in a single boun~ etc. etc... And yet he still finds time to come to the library to visit his beloved. How nice. But then, that can be a work-out in itself, now can't it? And how are things "ith little old me? Well, I'll tell you. Not so good. Out ofthe three of us, two of us seem to be having a hell of a good time. The third one is having a pretty tough time concentrating when he goes to the library, and you know what? He feels kind of left out. too. So what to do? Well, there is one further option open to me which I haven't yet discussed ..and no, it does not involve poisonous animals or booby traps or hiring the Sicilian Legitimate Businessmen's Club, tempting as all those options are at this point. My option is-I could move. To another desk. ..but if I really want the problem solved, to another floor. And 1suppose this brings me to my point. I could move and get away. but should I have to? As a student at this university, I pay money for my use of the libraries-supposedly quiet places where 1can concentrate and study. Each of us has that right. No,,~ Blondie and Hans can do whatever they like. but the fact ofthe matter is that their behavior is infringing upon my rights. I prefer my certain seat in my certain area. Otherwise, why would 1have sat in the same seat since freshman year? Now, if someone else is sitting there (including our friend Blondie) that's her right. I'll sit somewhere else. She has just as much right as me to use the libraIy. Definitely no less. But no more, either. And I don't understand why she and her boyfriend and people like them feel it's OK to prevent me from sitting where I want, from studying productively. I have the right to study in peace. Maki~g out in the library is no different from talking, no different from tapping your pencil incessantly on the desk, no different from having your Walkman cranked up to ~'I 0" while you study so everyone \\ithin 50 feet of you can hear it, no elif-

December, 1995

ferenl from cracking your gum continu~ ously-in short, no different fTom any of the other annoying and inconsiderate things people in the library sometimes do, It's common courtesy not to do that sort of stuff in the library... so let's add "making out"" to the list. Would I e~-pect Blondie and Hans to put up with it if! decided to down a 6pack of Sprite in the library and start burping out Guns 'n' Roses tunes? Didn 't think so. So why should I have to watch them doing things that should be private between two people? Just about every other week, you can read the Public Safety report in Pipe Drealll and hear about someone else getting arrested for masturbating in the library. As far as I can tell. what Blondie and Hans (and all the other

Shaw & Sharpless

Binghamton Review

people like them) arc doing isn't much different. I haven't seen enough skin showing to call it "lewdness", and yes. it's two people and not one. Besides that though, what's the difference? I guess it's pertinent to add that I don ' t necessarily support a total " hands-off' policy in the library. Those of us who spend long periods of time there need all the moral support we can get, and a reassuring hand or hug or even kiss can be nicc. However. anything that is distracting to others trying to work should be avoided. And am I saying mles should be passed, people thrown out, etc? No. I just think people should have the courtesy not to engage in distracting behavior when they ' re at the library. Most people do have that courtesy. It's just a simple extension of

the golden rule. So, Blondie and Hans (and all of you other people who love to get it on in the library) 1 hope you read this and you're really embarrassed. But more importantly, I hope you stop. I can't make you, but I wish you would have the decency to realize that what you arc doing is inappropriate for a public place (esPecially a library). and is just as distracting as talking. I'm glad you have such a waml. loving relationship and all, but I wish yo u would decide to show each other how much you care in a place where I didn 't have to watch . Thanks.

"D. Scott Shaw" doesn t wanl "Hans" heal Ihe living daylighls oul of hilll. In real life, he is a mild-mannered junior majoring in computer science. 10

Merry Christmoose from Uncle Gordon New Year 's Day. This is probably the ating in the 90's-it isn 't so simple anymore. With half of most overrated holiday of the year. To the country walking on egg- cite the celebration of New Year 's Eve shells-so as not to offend the other half as ' Amateur Night ' would not be an who are the eggshells, it is imperative original idea ~ however. it is onc I am in that we reevaluate our approach to this complete agreement with . On April Fools Day the world's jokesters take a subject. Can dating be politically correct? I day off-New Year 's Eve is the one wouldn't know-I don 't recall having night true partiers ought to do the same. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Only Aridated in the ' 90's. We won 't let that prezona had problems with this. vent me from writing on the subject. though. Never let lack of knowledge be a barrier to speaking authoritativelyour government does this every day. 1 think a PC date is where one foregoes having sex out of sympathy and respects those who haven 't had any in a while. So, if you choose to go on a date, be PC and think of me. Given that I have disqualified myself from discussing tltis any further, given this is the holiday season, and given that it's the given time for the giving to be given, we will discuss moose. Moose need a national holiday. Most of our holidays are old and tircd-dried up. It's time to find new events to celebrate. Flip through the calendar with me and consider what we presently have:

Sharper Image

Gordon Sharpless

Valentine' s Day. This is the finest day of the year. I love this day. It 's my birthday. It's also tile day when all the couples of the world-go read my second paragraph. I hate this day. President's Day. Must we still celebrate this? It used to be Washington's birthday. Then they included Lincoln's birthday. Then they decided to commemorate all of the presidents. Doesn't anyone realize this includes Warren Harding? William Henry Harrison? Bill Clinton? CGme on down to our special 75% off Warren Harding sale I Imagine that! 75% off bedsheets in memory of Warren Harding! 75% off a Bill Clinton memorial waIDe iron! 75% off a William Henry Harrison memorial casket! St. Patrick's Day. I refer you to my previous comments about New Year 's Eve. Another sorry excuse to get drunk. Who needs an excuse? Good Friday. Was there ever a Bad Friday? If there is a Good Friday, shouldn 't there be a Bad Friday? To matter there is antimatter, right? And can Good Friday fall on the 13th? A Good Friday the 13th. These arc important questions that must be answered.

Sharper Image

Binghalllton Review

Why has no one given tltis thought until now? Get \'\lith it pc6ple. Easter. I don't get it. It moves around

all the timc. How can anyone keep track of it? All I remember of Easter is finding eggs. sometimes the follo\\1og September. Yuck. Daylight Savings Time. A joyous occasion. Most evcryone seems to prefer it. Can't we keep it? May Day. Another day for monumental celebration. a day to gloruy the... oops. "Tong mag37jne. Memorial Day. A worthy cause. With so man~ memorials constructed around the country. it's good to take time out of our liycs to commemorate them. But why do \\c call this weekend the start of summer? I always though summer began when it got hot and ended when it stopped being hot. Flag Day. God bless America ... oh. say can you sec... stand beside her and guide her...anyone got ~ match? Independence Day. I have British friends. They tell me this is America's worst day. My dog wouldagrcc. Dogs and fireworks don't mix. The public fireworks displays are great. but the kids down the street "ith their fIrecrackers-may they all be duds. r d like to say that I prefer a few M-80's to explode in their hands, but that wouldo't be very nice. would it? Okay, how about firecrackers in their faee? Not nice either. How about we leave the fireworks to the professionals? Fine. Labor Day. The end ofsummer. But it's still hot. Rosh Hashana. I can~t explain it-I'm not JC\\1sh. I'm told this is a big deal. Cool.

Yom Kippur. Ditto. Columbus Day. An utterly worthless day. No. not because he symbolizes some kind of disgusting imperialism, some \\Tetched oppression brought down upon innocent peoplc-that's not it at all. Columbls was a foolish. bumbling idiot! How lost can you get? 44Hcy, we're in India! Look.. Indians!" He discovered nothing that hado't been discovered before. If Columbus hadn't landed here, someone else would have, anyway. If this day weren't so popular with banks and government offices, it would have been canned long ago. Let's leave the PC out of Columbus Day-it's a non-issue. Go make GroundhogDa)' PC. Halloween. Most Halloweens I do not remember. This is good. There have been HalIoweens of which such bizarre C\'ents have occurred that the meaning would be lost to all but the fortunate few of us who were there and can"t remember it. Halloween should be celebrated more often. Funny thing, though. I never dress up. No one seems to notice. Veterans Day. Sure. why not? Thanksgiving. Another problem day. Why does it take a mandated federal holiday for people to get together with their families? One time a year. everyone takes to the highways, railways, and ainvaysjust to eat. Every year I threaten to boycott this holiday and every year my family threatens to disinherit me. Turkey is good. This year was different. We all congregated at my brother's new house in North Carolina. This was the first time in ten or fifteen years the entire Sharpless family got together for something besides a wed-

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December, 1995

ding or a funeral. That's Mom. Dad, brother and \life and two girls (ages nine and twelve), sister and husband and two girls (ages three and six)~ and me. But why does it take a national holiday? I don't have an answer except I \\ish it dido't. So anyway, this Thanksgiving was more enjoyable than usual. Spending time with my nieces is never dull. and truthfully, \lith no offense to my siblings and parents, usually more preferable. This is because I am the ugoofy" uncle. I'm the one who encourages mischie( the one who reverts back to his own childhood (some say I never left it) and leads the children on \\ud escapades that inevitably result in trouble for all parties-including me. 44Gordon! Stop throwing pudding!" 44But your daughter started itr' Both my brother and sister have gone to great lengths to instill proper table manners in their daughters. My brother's youngest is at her best a junior Miss Manners-until I show up. Blowing out candles. elbow fights, and making funny faces \\ith sweet potatoes is all part of the festivities. By dessert time I'm once again in as much trouble as the kids. 4'Holly! Take a time out. Gordon! Take a timeout!" Lots of giggles. lots of fun. As a kid I remember how boring the family get togethers could sometimes be. Having to be on your best behavior. Ha"ing to sit quietly at the dinner table while all the grown-ups talked endlessly about grownup things of which you as a kid understand nothing. My nieces refer to me as hjust another kid" I'm proud of that. The holiday season is upon us. Christmas and Hanukkah are the biggest holidays of the year. If only for a day~ be a kid, stop taking the world so seriously. Lighten up, joke around. Don't worry about whether or not Christopher Columbus is a symbol ofsome kind of imperialistic evil. That was five hundred years ago. Have a safe and insane holiday and I'll be ~ck with you in February.

Gordon Sharpless. when not makingfunny faces in his sweet potatoes and throwing pUdding. is a graduate student majoring in art history.

December. 1995

Wagar on McGoff

Letters

our third required novel. is simHarly an allack on godless modern civilizati on.

fails to identi~\' its political stance. So of the six required texts for this course, one is very left-wing. one is liberal. one is very right-wing. two arc countcrcultural. and one is fundamentalist Christian. You would nevcr know

technology mn amok. and secular hu-

this from reading the Bingham/on Re -

amok. and secular humanism. It is de-

cidedly not left-wing . Ms. McGoff fails to review it at all. Dear Editor: First. I want to thank Bing/wlllion Review and Teresa McGoff for her article in your October issue. "A Study of Textbook Bias:' and its atlemptto trash the books in my course "History of the Future." Being allacked in the Review is an honor I have long coveted. The only problem \\1th the article was its many errors of omission and commission. which I beg the privilege of selling right. It is true that I require six books in my course. but not the same six Ms. McGoff cites. She left out one required book. A Canlicle for Leibowitz. and mistake nl y described The Nexl Three Fulures as a required text, when in fact it is listed in the course syllabus as "optional. " No reading assignments have ever been made from it. or ever will be. Now. let us look again at the six required texts. What arc the political messages in each? Ernest Callenbach's novel Ecolopia was chosen to represent a point of view that I describe in the course as "countercuhural," i.e. , neither of the Left nor of the Right but opposed to the dominant values of socialism and capitalism alike. In short. it is a "New Age" text. the kind of thing radicals and liberal s and conservatives all view with suspicion or scorn. Ms. McGoff characterizes it as simply leftwing. She is wrong. My own book, A Shari Hislory oflhe Fulure, is. she writes, "decidedly leftwing." She is right. I am a democratic socialist, as I informed every student in writing at the beginni ng of the course. A Canticle for Leibowilz. by Waher M. Miller. Jr.. is a required novel written from the point of view of a devout Catholic layman whose purpose is to illustrate the Aug ustinian doctrine of original sin and our inability as fallen creatures to redeem ourselves without the grace of God. The novel allacks godless modern civilization. technology run

Bing ham/on Review

Aldous Huxley's Brave New Hcw/d.

manism. It satirizes both socialism and capitali sm. It is the work of a novelist who was heading in the direction of a mythica l utopian coml1lunitari ani sm when he wrote it. The book is decidedly not left-wing . Ms. McGoff fail s to identil'y its political stance. Preparingjor the] lsi Cenlw:v. by Ule

view article. I should add that next semcster I will be using in another futures course ("War : Past and Future") a book by Ah'in and Heidi Tomer. authors Ms. McGoff wonders if I have blacklisted because of their well-known associa tion with Newt Gingrich. together with George Orwell 's fiercely anticommunist novel / 911-1 . shown in the illustration accompanying the article as onc of the several books "that would be valuable to a Uni versity course. but...do not appea r on any syllabus." Ms. McGoff a lso wonders if a leftwinger like myself could possibly be "objective" when teaching a course. I wonder whether a riglll:winger could be objective. I wonder if anylxidy could be objective. I wonder if there is such a thing as objectivity. Everyoneapproaches a subject in the social sciences from a particular political position. whether he or she is fully aware of that position or not. Everyone. to this extent. is "biased." The best we can do in a university Ya le hi sto rian course is to present a variety of points Paul Kennedy. is not of view as fairly as possible. tell the stucentered on technology as Ms. McGoff dents where we ourselves stand. and not avers. but on the whole future of human- penalize any student for holding and kind. It is wrillen from what I would expressi ng views opposed to our 0\\11. describe as a moderate liberal poi nt of Al l this I do in all my courses. as scruview, not very different from the point pulously as I can. Probably some of my of view taken in Vice Presiden t AI fellow left-wingers. as well as some of Gore's Earlh in Ih e Ba/ance . Ms. my right-wing colleagues. do not folMcGoff fails to identify its poli tica l low my example. But I agree with Binghamton Review on one point: academic stance. Finally. we have Fast Forward. by freedo m is a precious heritage. which Richard Carlson and Bruce Goldman. must be safeguarded at any cost. .. W. Warren Wagar Had Ms. McGoff taken the trouble to Distinguished Professor rcad it. she would have found it to be Department of History not just a study of "the impact of technology upon the future." but an unabashedly right-wing text. loud in its prai ses Teresa McGoff resJlonds: I did 1101 write the article Iv "trash " of science. technology. capitalism. and American-style democracy. Ms. McGoff Ihe honks in Professor Hagar \. "History

Letters to the Editor

Letters

Bingham/on Review

(~llhe

Future" class. I objeclive~v researched the male;ial necessary (or the composition oflhe article and reported my findings. I was ver:v disturbed by the jilcllhal Professor II-agar s lexls appear 10 he representative of a larger problem : Ihal th e na/llre of th e courses in the social sciences are predominan'~v leJi-wing. AsJiw Professor Wagar :\' claim thaI I olJ1illed the required lexl, A Canticle for Leibowitz, it would sen)e him well to know Ihal1 researched Ihe hooks/or his class approxill1ate~v one week he/ore classes commenced, and there weren Y all:v copies o/thal particular novel, nor a lag indicating the book was on order. . Is slIeh , 1 had ahsolllle!v no idea Ihal lire book existed and believed Ihe sixlh hook 10 he The Next Three Futures. ProJess(}r 1f.'t1gar claims Ihal Ecotopia represent.",路 neil/Jer Ihe leji nor Ihe right, bul ra ther opposes Ihe "dominant路' vallies o/capilalism and C0l111l11111ism alike. Perhaps he is righI, hul I would contend Ihal an alarming number o/socialisIs exhibit Ihese so-called "co lll1lercultural" Irails. For example, I believe thaI many leJi-wing feminists .litl~v subscribe to the notion Ihal women are superior to men and should be the

December, 1995

dOlllinanlforce in socie~v. Liberal/eminisls believing such are hard~v perceived as '路co lint ereliltural." Therefore, the values exlolled by Ecotopia may have once been regarded as countercullural, but are hardly viewed so today. I believe I made it clear that Brave New Wor ld is a moc/erate work. I agree Ihat it attacks both capitalism and socialism. Projessor Wagar/ails 10 idenI~rv that I reviewed it as such. The reason I wonder if a leJi-winger like Prq(essor Wagar and nol a righlwinger could he ohjective is due to the fact thalliberalsfar olltnumber conservatives al universities. The threat 0/ a left-wing lIlonopo~y on though I is a reali ty on campuses today. As Jor objectiVity, I helieve a historiam has a duty to attempt 10 research and represen t the past with as little bias as possible. One IIIl1sl disregard their inherenl prejudice, lor it is 1lller~y essential to interpret the past as objectil}e~yaspossible. However. I have been besieged hy history professors attempling to teach me the "correct" interpretation oj the past according to today :s dominant philosophy. Any dispute guaranlees the risk 0/ a lower grade.

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December, 1995

He's Not Only an Anti-Semite ... The ve nerable John Co rry on Louis Farrakhan at the Million Man March : "He said it [the Washington Monument] was 555 feet high, and thaI this was important because if you added a I you gol 1555 . 'which was the year our first father s landed on the shores of Jamestown, Virginia, as slaves. ' .. .In fact, Jamestown was not settled until 1607, and the first slaves did not arrive until 16 19. Farrakhan is also an ignoramus." [7ne Alllerican Spectator. December. 19951 Great Moments in M ulticulturalism The Rutgers Review, a student publication at Rutgers University in New Jersey, ex-pcrienced the destruction most of a press run in response to an editorial stating that Mumia Abu-Jamal ought to be executed. The university has yet to discipline the perpetrators, who were caught red-handed. [Heterodoxy, October, 19951 Caveat, Affirmative Action Types A Democratic senator recently took out this classified ad in a Capitol Hill newspaper: "Superior typing skills and accuracy are essential. Minimum typing proficiency of 60 wpm is required. Women and minorities as weB as all qualified applicants are encouraged to apply." [Washington Tillles Weekly, November 27-December 2, 1995] The Definition of "Desperate" GOP presidential candidate Phil Gramm recently sent out a mailing revealing the important fact that primary opponent Lamar Alexander was " paddled in school." [The New Republic, December 4, 1995] Well, It's True Comedian Bob Mills observed that married Republicans Susan Molinari and Bill Paxon. who have recently conceived the first baby to have two parenis in Congress, marked the first time Washington politicians have produced something without the intervention of a lobbyist. [Hulllan Events, October 20, 1995]

Quibbles & Bits More Million Man March J. Walker reveals his uplifting eXlJCrience in Washington : "I am a black Korean War veteran and proud to be an American. My II-yea r-old g randson and I went to the Million Man March carrying an American flag. When Nation of Islam goons demanded we get rid of the ' racist' flag, I told them I marched with Dr. Martin Luther King holding the same flag. They grabbed it and called me an Uncle Tom." [Washington 7)lIIes Weekly. November 6- 12, 1995 1 He's Got a Point Dale Pritchard is an independent candidate for President of the United States. Among his reasons for running are he needs a job and he wants to meet movie stars . Pritchard hopes to get several dozen votes and notes. " 19% of the population voted for Perot and he's morc nuts than I am." [Hillllall Events. December I , 1995]

Yummy! Crayola came out with Magic Scent crayons, which smell like food items, last year, but recently changed the labels to " fresh lumber," "dirt," and the like. Seems U,e kiddies were inclined to eat them. [Newsweek. November 20, 1995]

IJinghmll/ol7 Review

It Was Probably a Demo-cat On a recent visit to a Columbus, Ohio. zoo, Speaker of the House Ne,,1 Gingrich was bitten on the chin by a baby cougar. There's no word as to whether the Clinton Administration plans to appoint the cat to a position. [Hulllan Events. November 17. 19951

Uh h, Let's Not Go There When First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton went to Brazil. a photographer snapped a picture that shows a glimpse of her underwear. The Duloren lingerie company is using the photo for an advertising campaign. [Washington Tillles Weeklv. November 20-26. 1995] Head Games Advertising agencies are now posting ads in restrooms of clubs and stores. The clients include a dating service. a beltmaker. and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. [Dai!v Freelllan , November 23 , 1995[ There's a Lesson Here Two Dayton. Ohio. firefighters were injured w hen mandator y automobile airbags unexpectedlx inflated as they tried to free people from a wrecked car. [Reason. December. 1995]

STUPID ASSOCIATION BI\(;IL\\JTO\

l\I\EI{SITY Dear Douggie, 1 am writing to update you on the activities in which I have been engaged on your behalf: I) The PSAC meetings, as you are well aware, have been moving according to plan. We have successfully advanced the issue so the guns seem to be the important thing. Brent has been especially valuable in this regard. With no off-campus jurisdiction, your stash will remain safe. 2) I have been monitoring the computer network in the Stupid Association office. Here's what I found so far: 'Andy has nothing of note in his system 路Yumeris has a copy of Microsoft Encarta and a love letter to Louis Farrakhan 路Dave has a CD-ROM of How to Succeed in Government Without Really TlJ1illg 'Erik has all the deposits of the BSU on-line, along with a love letter to Tom Majewski 路Jeffhas !l receipt for a $150 chair (and the Review says we're wasteful) and a love letter to Dean Brehm 3) I'll have the Studellt Advocate editorial for you to give to Alyson so she can put her name on it by tomorrow. I hope that you are pleased with my performance. I'll continue to keep my mouth shut about that incident involving you and the Pleasure & Passion dancers. Your lackey, Josh W. P.S. Can you pick up a quart of milk on the way home tonight?

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