Here at Texas A&M University, it doesn't matter who the hell you are, what you look like, the color of your skin, or what freakin' kind of beer you drink (or liquor, wine cooler, etc.). Why is everyone, administration included, trying to make this such an issue? To all my knowledge, in the entire time I have attended this school, I have never once seen or even heard of and incident that stemmed from a racial slur or issue. THEY DONT EXIST!!! In my hometown, that kind of thing was the norm, but here, it is a non-issue. At literally every party I have ever been to, I have never noticed an absence of racial diversity. When partying, fights and arguments seem to have an extremely high incidence of occurring, but somehow, miracle of all miracles, not one altercation has been due to a lack of diversity or the color of one's skin. One of my favorite parties from the past year was at Dante Hall's house on his birthday after a football game. Never before in my life have I been at a gathering where white people were the minority but I sure as hell wouldn't have known it for how I was treated. That's because I was treated no different than I was at any other beer-soaked get together in my memory. Again, I reiterate what I said about people I like- I care to be around ones like me. If you like beer, women, and good times then WHAT THE HELL DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE WHO YOU ARE. If your some punk ass slacker with no game, who gives a rat's ass - that just helps my chances. If you're some rip-roarin hick who's trying to impress everyone with how much beer he can drink, well stay the heck away from me. And if your a brother who's trying to be smooth and hook up that night, well then I'm just gonna have to work harder than you and enjoy some friendly competition.

The only thing I'm really pissed at is people who try to point fingers at the "problem" instead of simply trying to improve the status quo by being a better person. I can't recall ever having been as pissed in my as I was last year when I opened up the Battalion and saw their series on "What is wrong with TAMU". They went to such great lengths to find problems and issues that didn't exist that I'm sure they created a few in the process. I don't understand our school newspaper or alternatives like Touchstone. They go to more trouble to provoke and criticize than simply building up what is right. It amazes me to repeatedly realize, every day as I open my morning paper, that a minority of the students here at Texas A&M have the majority of the voice and that this minority is doing it's best to cause problems. If you ask me, that, more than anything, is helping tear down the walls that have taken so long to build.

Tradition is not the most important thing in the world. God first, the other guy second and yourself last. Fortunately, here at TAMU this is a tradition in itself. Just go to the little trouble of thinking about the consequences of your actions before you actually commit to them. That, and some rational thought is all I have the right to ask for. I hate to admit it, but this is a big lesson we could learn from t.u. Yes, they may have taken it a bit to the extreme, but like I said, I came here because of the people. That's why I'm still here. Diversity isn't a problem; it's a beautiful thing that has unfortunately been used as a proponent of someone's personal issue. We are ALL Aggies, and the way I see things, that's the only diversity needed.

Jim Daniel
'03