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See what’s in store for Brown bag VOLUME 97, ISSUE 18

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A SIDE OF NEWS

U.S. unhappy with Israel U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed her “disappointment” with Israel on Tuesday. The Jewish nation approved new homes in the contested East Jerusalem area. Clinton feels that this will hinder U.S. and Europe effort to resume negotiations with the Palestinians. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas recently announced his plan to ask for statehood recognition through the United Nations.

Subway trains collide in China A massive subway crash near Shanghai has injured 270 people and left 20 of them in critical condition on Tuesday. Two underground trains collided due to a signal failure that might have forced staff to direct train traffic via telephone. Two months ago, China suffered a bullet-train crash that killed 35 people near Wenzhou. “Today is the darkest day in the history of the Shanghai Metro’s operation,” according to a report by local internet company Sina.

Escaped murderer found Escaped murderer George Wright, 68, was located in Portugal on Tuesday. Wright was convicted for murder and escaped New Jersey prison 41 years ago with the help of the Black Liberation Army. Wright had been serving a 30-year sentence for robbery and murder of a World War II vet when he broke out of prison. Two years later, Wright and several others hijacked a Detroit-Miami flight. Wright and his cohorts fled to Algeria. He evaded capture until he began contacting relatives in New Jersey a few years ago.

Listeria kills 14 So far, 14 people have died due to a Listeria outbreak traced to cantaloupes from a Colorado farm in Holly, Colo. This is considered the deadliest foodpoisoning outbreak. Jensen Farm issued a coluntary recall on Sept. 14, but cantaloupes from the farm have been shipped to at least 25 states across the country. Listeria is a bacteries that can cause mild illness in healthy individuals but can be fatal to the elderly.

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

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Gates urges compromise By BROOKS POWELL Contributing Writer blpowell@smu.edu

To secure the nation’s future, American political leaders must learn to compromise, Former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates said, when addressing a packed McFarlin Auditorium Tuesday evening for the second Tate lecture of the season. CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen moderated the discussion. Gates, who admitted the Cold War heavily influences his world view, said political polarization, resulting in an inability to resolve crises like the nation’s debt and deficit and crumbling infrastructure, is a mounting threat to American national security from within. Those issues, Gates said, require the focused application of a consistent strategy over the course of many years and will never be resolved during one presidency or one Congress. “My concern is that that requires compromise — people coming together from both the (political) left and the right and agreeing on a fundamental strategy that can be supported whether or not one party or another controls the Congress or the presidency,”

Gates said. “Unfortunately today, compromise has become a dirty word, synonymous with abandoning your principles — of walking away from what you believe in. And yet the Constitution itself is a bundle of compromise.” Gates, who called himself an incurable optimist, said he’s pessimistic about the outlook for future statesmen who might successfully address the nation’s woes. Though the structural challenges we face have developed over the course of many years, the political leaders elected today will be responsible for addressing them, Gates said. On Iraq, the most controversial of his charges during his tenure as Secretary of Defense, Gates said the progress is fragile and “messy,” but on the right path. For the U.S., military operations in Iraq will essentially be concluded this December. “The future of Iraq is up to the Iraqis,” Gates said. However, America’s engagement there will always carry a stain. “The war in Iraq will always be tainted by the fact that the premise under which we went in proved to be wrong,” Gates said. “I don’t think

Surprise guest visits Senate By PATRICIA BOH

Associate News Editor pboh@smu.edu

SPENCER J EGGERS/The Daily Campus

Senior political analyst for CNN David Gergen speaks with former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates.

anybody was misled, I think people were just wrong.” Gates said he believes Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein preferred to have international leaders think he possessed weapons of mass destruction, and the foreign intelligence community supported

that conclusion erroneously. In July, Gates retired as the U.S.’ 22nd Secretary of Defense. He was called to serve under George W. Bush in 2006 and stayed in that role under Pres. Obama. He served as the president of Texas A&M.

Student Senate’s unexpected guest knew how to make an entrance. President Austin Prentice told the Senate, “We have a guest who wants to come and speak with us today. We don’t normally have [this] opportunity and . . . Dr. Gates wants to come speak with us right now.” Gates entered with a group of security guards and staff members for a talk with the Senate. Welcomed by a standing ovation from the Senate, Gates opened the floor to questions. During Gates’ term as President of Texas A&M, he would often appear in front of its Student Senate. “It was an incredible honor to have such a highly esteemed presidential cabinet member share his busy schedule with [us],” Prentice said. “Dr. Gates

See SENATE page 3

campus

Students worry about safety despite university safeguards By ALISSA FITZPARICK Contributing Writer afitzpatrick@smu.edu

Most of us have seen it before: the lone student stumbling into his or her dorm, joggers taking a midnight run on campus with music blasting in their ears and freshmen finding their way around campus, navigating the new freedoms that come with living away from home. Unfortunately, these habits could land students in trouble. They are the behaviors predators and criminals look for to target on university campuses. SMU is privileged to have its own police department, but safety is still a growing concern for many parents and students. With the story of college

student Lauren Spierer, who went missing from Indiana University last spring, making headlines again, it is a good time to be reminded of the safety precautions that students should take while living and spending time on campus. Lauren Spierer’s disappearance happened thousands of miles away, but SMU is no stranger to uninvited guests roaming the campus. In November 2010, students received an email from the SMU Police Department warning that a man using the name “Dean Kelly” was coercing students to pose naked by pretending to be an MTV producer looking for models. Although “Dean Kelly” was

eventually found and arrested in New Orleans, a recent incident with Eric Tacker, also known as “SMU Fryguy,” prompted SMU to issue a criminal trespass warning at the start of the 2011 school year. “The University received complaints that he repeatedly attended campus events to which he was not invited,” a statement from SMU said. Unfortunately, with an open campus, predators and intruders are able to make their way onto the property, as they look to violate students and breach the security measures that have been put in place. According to SMU Police Department’s Lt. Enrique Jemmott, women are typically

targeted on campuses and are “perceived in certain places as the weaker sex.” However, just because women are typically targeted, doesn’t mean they can’t fight back. With his two daughters in mind, Jemmott brought the Sexual Harassment Assault and Rape Prevention (SHARP) program to SMU nine years ago. He leads weekly self-defense classes, which are taught strictly to women, once a week in Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports. “[The classes] empower women,” Jemmott said. “It doesn’t just give them the physical ability, but it gives women the mental ability as well to defend themselves. It’s all about defending yourself to escape an attacker;

where to hit, how to hit, and then how to quickly escape.” While the self-defense courses are a great way for students to learn how to defend themselves, Jemmott points out that the most important thing students can do is to be aware of their surroundings. For students who favor latenight jogs with headphones on, Jemmott suggests keeping at least one of the headphones out. “If you can snap your fingers and hear it, then you’re OK,” he said. In addition to the SHARP program, SMU also provides several services to help maintain safety on campus.

See SAFETY page 3

graduation

Student forum

Soon-to-be graduates anxious for May

Turner Construction, Wells Fargo host Robert Gates

By ANNE MCCASLIN PARKER Blog Manager annep@smu.edu

As SMU seniors approach graduation, many are concerned about the high unemployment rates in the United States. “It’s scary seeing older adults lose their jobs often after long careers with the same company,” senior Emily Bates, who is anxiously searching for a job after graduation, said. “And now we have to compete with them in the job market along with [our] peers.” At the beginning of September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its report on unemployment for August 2011. It reported that the unemployment rate held at 9.1 percent, 14 million persons, with little change since April. The overall rate of unemployment for men and women 20 years of age and over is 8.0 percent and 8.9 percent, respectively. According to The New York Times last May, employment rates for new college graduates have fallen sharply in the past two years. The BLS stated that the overall unemployment rate is 14.8 percent for men and women over the age of 25. “The job market is not very large at this time, making options more difficult,” Paige Phillips, a recent SMU graduate, said.

By ALLY VAN DEUREN Contributing Writer adeuren@smu.edu

SPENCER J EGGERS/The Daily Campus

As the academic school year progresses, many SMU seniors begin to express anxiety over approaching deadlines and ongoing job searches.

However, the head of career services for SMU’s undergraduate business students said there is hope for SMU students. “Too many students only listen to the horror stories and believe what the media has to say,” Kim Austin, director of BBA Career Services, said. “Almost all of the statistics we are hearing about

refer to the poorly educated and low to middle income people.” The BLS stated that the unemployment rate is 5.3 percent for college graduates over the age of 25. Austin does her best to reassure students that SMU is

See SENIORS page 3

Former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and moderator David Gergen led a question and answer discussion in the Hughes-Trigg Ballroom on Tuesday as part of the SMU Tate Lecture Series. The audience was comprised of over 250 SMU students, faculty and alumni as well as students from local high schools such as Greenhill School and The Hockaday School. Gates served under President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama as the 22nd U.S. Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. Gates was the first person in the history of the United States who was asked to remain Secretary of Defense by a newly elected president. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor, from President Obama after retiring in June 2011. Gates began his career in the CIA, where he spent 27 years as an intelligence professional. He also served as interim dean and then president of Texas A&M University. Gergen, a senior political analyst for CNN, served as an adviser to four U.S. presidents and expressed only praise

for Gates. “[Gates] is the epitome of what a good public servant and patriot of this country is,” Gergen said. “You are lucky to be here today.” Students were invited to ask whatever questions they had for Gates. Topics ranged from national security and technology to space exploration. One student asked about service in the military. “Everybody owes the country something — some kind of service,” Gates said, who emphasized that Americans should be expected to pay back the country for their freedom and liberty they have been given, regardless of the means of service. Gates expressed how much confidence he has in eliminating terrorism in the United States post 9/11 thanks to those fighting as well as the government. However, he explained that when failed attempts to avoid terrorist attacks produce the sort of political criticism in our society, he believes America needs to get a grip. “It [harsh criticism from the public] suggests that America is living in fear, and that’s not the America I grew up in,” Gates said. Regarding the Obama administration’s success in the death of Osama Bin Laden, Gates said, “It was one of the most, if not the most courageous decisions I’ve seen a president make, and he’s [Obama’s] the eighth one I’ve served.”


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