The Battalion: March 3, 2010

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Student elections begin A&M students can vote in student body elections today and Thursday. Positions on the ballot include student body president, senior and junior yell leaders, class council presidents, class agents, student senators and Residence Hall Association executives. The results will be announced at 8 p.m.

Thursday in front of the Sul Ross Statue.

Run-off elections will be held for any race where one candidate did not receive at least 50 percent of the popular vote. Runoff campaigning will continue through the week with voting next week.

“Here’s the real reason why the student body president is an important position and why a student vote is key: this person can influence University decisions on behalf of students as well as impact state funding, and the cost of tuition and fees for all students,” said Student Body President Kolin Loveless.

Melissa Appel, staff writer Polls open at 9 a.m. today and close at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Students can access the polls at http://vote. tamu.edu.

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Candidates share concerns SBP hopefuls discuss tuition, budget cuts, top tier status Watch SBP debate online

Melissa Appel The Battalion The three student body president candidates expressed devotion to Texas A&M University and platform objectives for the upcoming school year at the student body presidential debate Tuesday.

Matt Okeson, junior agribusiness major, Jacob Robinson, junior leadership studies major, and Bryan Sims, senior industrial distribution major, voiced a commitment to pursue higher levels of excellence for the University,

View video clips of Tuesday’s student body president debate at thebatt.com.

a promise to advocate for student opinion and an emphasis on communication among students, student government and the administration. “[We need to look at] finding the best communication possible,” Robinson said. “It’s finding different avenues to communicate with current students and former students alike, as well as with future students.”

J.D. Swiger — THE BATTALION In comments and discussion, the candidates Jacob Robinson, Matt Okeson and Bryan gave the qualities and job characteristics of the Sims discuss campus issues at a debate prime student body president.

Tuesday afternoon in Koldus .

See Debate on page 4

Suit taken to federal court ■ Former diving coach sues A&M for wrongful termination Robert Carpenter The Battalion

Jonny Green — THE BATTALION

Chris Chapman, Derrick Roland, Bryan Davis, Donald Sloan and Shawn Schepel await final home

Aggie seniors take moment to look back Beau Holder The Battalion History will remember the 2009-2010 Texas A&M Aggies for a select group of reasons: foremost for one, perhaps the most poignant, which cannot be recorded as a statistic or recounted as a single play.

It’s a story about a group of guys, and what could have been.

“I could already see it in my mind after he went down,” said senior guard and All-Big 12 defender Donald Sloan. “Teams saying ‘Oh, Derrick Roland got hurt, from A&M,’ and ‘OK, well that’s two wins, against A&M,’ and when a team loses depth and athleticism

like that, why not say that’s two wins, why not think it’s going to be hard for them to come together?”

Bank of America Arena in Seattle, Wash. was the stage when Roland fell beneath the basket early in the second half of the Dec. 22 loss to Washington, snapping his tibia and fibula. Head Coach Mark Turgeon hurried to the hospital with him after the game.

The team, which had been No. 19, dropped from the next week’s poll.

“When D-Ro got hurt it took a lot out of us,” said senior forward Bryan Davis. “It See Seniors on page 5

Free student admission Head Coach Mark Turgeon is welcoming all Aggie students to the basketball game at 8 p.m.

Wednesday free of charge. Students must show a valid student ID.

Bidding farewell

See Lawsuit on page 4

Tokyo-based music group AURA-J, whose members play contemporary music on traditional instruments, will perform Wednesday in Rudder Theatre.

A&M Commerce will not take action against coach, editor says

this day in

rld wohistory

March 3, 1847 Telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Bell and his father were involved in teaching deaf persons to speak.

Bell developed an interest in the vibrating membrane as a method of electrically transmitting sounds. His very first sentence spoken on the newly invented telephone on March 10, 1876, was to his assistant, “Mister Watson, come

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Former Texas A&M diving coach Kevin Wright has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the University.

Wright served as head diving coach at A&M for 17 years (19922009). During his tenure with A&M, he was 12-time conference Coach of the Year.

In the lawsuit, Wright Wright said his employment with the University was wrongfully terminated in September 2009 because he raised concerns regarding compliance with Title IX gender equity statutes.

Title IX is a federal law that requires that educational programs, including collegiate athletics, not discriminate or deny benefits on the basis of sex.

The lawsuit was originally filed in state courts under the Texas Whistleblower Act, which protects state employees who report violations of law, but has since been moved to the federal district court in Houston because of similar protections under Title IX.

Sam Smith — THE BATTALION

Aggie seniors, accompanied by their families, were honored Tuesday night before their 78-55 win over OU.

Women win big on Senior Night Mike Teague The Battalion On Senior Night and in the final home game of the 2009-2010 season, Texas A&M’s No. 15 women’s basketball team blew out No. 11 Oklahoma Tuesday, 78-55. The Aggies finished the season 12-2 at home and have compiled a 55-5 record at Reed Arena in the last four seasons.

“I want to be that hot team going into the tournament,” said Head Coach Gary Blair. “Tonight, we made some very good decisions. There was a lot of loose balls and everything going around, but all of a sudden we were coming up with more. We took it to them early and our kids were not going to back down.”

With the victory, the Aggies (21-7, 9-6) became the first of four teams in a tie for fourth in the Big 12 standings to pick up a win this week. A&M will hold onto a half-game lead over Baylor, Texas and Oklahoma State until those teams play Wednesday.

In her final game at Reed Arena, senior guard Tanisha Smith made it a night to remember. Smith hit 8-of-17 from the field and scored a team-high 19 points with her mother in attendance.

“This is a momma’s girl,” Blair said.

“She loves to play in front of her mom and it’s just a very special relationship that she has. Tanisha thinks about basketball, education and her mom back in Kansas City.”

Following a career performance at Colorado, sophomore forward Adaora Elonu added her first-career doubledouble to her resume. Elonu totaled 17 points and 10 rebounds and was 8-for-15 shooting from the field.

“I’m just relaxed and playing the game that I know I can play,” Elonu said. “In games before, I was just thinking too much. I was trying to run the plays without reading what the defense was doing. Now, I feel more relaxed and am just playing basketball.”

Smith and Elonu were two of four A&M players that scored in double figures Tuesday. Junior center Danielle Adams and sophomore guard Sydney See Oklahoma on page 5

James Bright, editor-in-chief of The East Texan, met with the president of Texas A&M University - Commerce and the athletic director Monday to discuss the issue of the football team stealing newspapers from stands. The University decided to take disciplinary action against players, but no action will be taken against football Head Coach Guy Morriss, Bright said. At the meeting, Athletic Director Carlton Cooper said he was misquoted in the police report compiled by Lt. Jason Bone in which Cooper was quoted as saying he did not believe the team was smart enough to steal the papers on their own. Morriss also said Bone’s report took his statement out of context. “I made the request that [The East Texan] receive a public apology,” Bright said, “and open access to the athletic department.” Bright also asked for the lost funds of the papers amounting to $1,516, which all conditions were agreed to. The amount lost by The East Texan could be classified as a felony level charge. “I am still waiting for everything to pan out to see if I will prosecute,” Bright said.

Vicky Flores, staff writer

3/3/10 12:09 AM

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Jeffrey Conant, professor and head of the Department of Marketing, will be honored April 1 with the dedication of the Dr. Jeffrey S. Conant Behavioral Research Laboratory at Mays Business School.

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If you have or think you have a warrant please contact the College Station Municipal Court at 300 Krenek Tap Road or call 979-7643683 to avoid being arrested at your home, work or school.

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Today mostly sunny High: 64 Low: 44 courtesy of NOAA

Classic film series: ‘Rear Window’

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Tectonophysics seminar

The Bush Classic Film Series will present a screening of the film “Rear Window” at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Hagler Auditorium of the Annenberg Presidential Library Center.

“The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: America’s Emergency Oil Supply” will be presented at 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. today in Halbouty 327.

Thursday partly sunny high: 65 low: 45 Friday partly sunny high: 66 low: 50 Saturday partly sunny, showers at night high: 69 low: 52

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thebattalion 03.03.2010 For daily updates go to thebatt.com ● Facebook ● Twitter@thebattonline

Hutchison concedes in GOP primary AUSTIN, Texas —Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison conceded the GOP Texas gubernatorial primary to Gov. Rick Perry Tuesday. Perry, Hutchison and GOP activist Debra Medina were vying for the Republican nomination in a hard-hitting primary that largely overshadowed the Democratic race and highlighted the antiWashington sentiment among midterm voters.

Perry will face former Houston Mayor Bill White, who defeated six other candidates on the Democratic side to become his party’s nominee, giving the party its best hope in years at winning the chief executive post. Perry and Hutchison frequently traded barbs on the campaign trail, with Texas governor pushing an anti-Washington theme and casting Hutchison as part of a bid-spending crowd in the nation’s capital.

Hutchison accused Perry of becoming arrogant, allowing cronies to invade state government and ignoring looming state problems.

Already the state’s longestserving governor, Perry was looking for a third full four-year term. Perry and Hutchison competed to show just how Texan they are: They donned cowboy hats and Western wear and declared their devotion to the Lone Star State. On the Democratic side, White had about 74 percent of the vote with a handful of precincts reporting.

Associated Press

Aggies mourn home churches destroyed in string of arsons Brandi Tevebaugh The Battalion Two men suspected of 10 church arsons in East Texas were arrested Feb. 22, after two months of searching. Several A&M students from the area said they were relieved at the arrests in the cases but are left with the losses of their home churches.

“It would be really difficult for me [to go home] because the youth minister posted pictures on Facebook, and I just sat down and cried for three hours straight,” said Darby Barksdale, a junior human resources major and member of Lake Athens Baptist Church. “It was just so hard to look at.”

The first arson was at Faith Church in Athens on Jan. 1. Abby Barnes was still home for semester break when her Grace Community Church, also in Athens, caught fire 10 days later.

“It was around 10:40 [p.m.] that my mom got the phone call from Athens Fire telling us that our church was on fire,” said Barnes, a junior communications major. “The fire went from about 10:40 to about 4 in the morning, and that’s when my parents came home and told me that the outer exterior was still there, but everything inside was just completely tarnished and gone.”

Barnes’ dad is the pastor of Grace Community. During the day following the fire, the family consoled community members, and firemen brought items to her dad that had somehow survived the flames.

“My granddad went to A&M and was in the Corps, so he had one of the Aggie Corps hats in his office,” Barnes said. “As they were looking through the building, they found my granddad’s Aggie Corps hat on the ground, and it completely survived the fire. We don’t know how but it’s in perfect condition. We thought that was really cool.”

Along with the A&M memorabilia, a painting, inscribed with names for God, was found freestanding in the rubble. Although the fire has devastated the church, members are seeing good come out of the circumstances.

“Our church has actually grown from this, which is very encouraging to see how God uses that,” Barnes said. “It’s been really cool to see how God has totally transformed so many people’s lives, how they are on fire for Christ now, and how they are trying to help people any way they can just showing love and comforting one another. It’s just incredible.”

The positive attitude of Grace Community Church is found within the other congregations

The Battalion welcomes readers’ comments about published information that may require correction. We will pursue your concern to determine whether a correction needs to be published. Please e-mail at editor@thebatt.com.

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in East Texas.

“I knew that it was going to hurt the congregation,” said Chris McKay, a freshman general studies major whose father is a former pastor of Russell Memorial United Methodist Church in Wills Point. “I knew that they would come together, you know like church people do.

They weren’t going to let it get to them. They weren’t going to let the arsonists win. It hurt, but they were still going to be a church. Their faith wasn’t going to falter.”

The students said the individual churches have grown, and East Texas has been brought together by the arsons.

“I definitely say it has brought all of East Texas and the whole church community of East Texas a lot closer together,” said Brooke Chronister, a junior anthropology and member of Lake Athens Baptist Church. “Even though it hurt a lot of people, the outcome was just love.”

The churches are continuing to have services and are planning to rebuild. Members of the congregations are more concerned with glorifying God than punishing the arsonists.

“It’s all about God and what he’s doing, just always seeing the positive and the good in all of this,” Barnes said.

If you are interested in writing or contributing content in The Battalion apply at thebatt.com, or call 845-3313.

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The front of the Grace Community Church in Athens shows fire damage. It was the first church set ablaze in January.

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3/2/10 9:55 PM

news

page 3 wednesday 3.3.2010

thebattalion

A&M nursing graduates all pass licensing exam Travis Lawson The Battalion Perfection. This word defines the class of 19 nursing students who graduated from the Texas A&M University Health Science Center College of Nursing in December and passed the National Council Licensure Examination on the first try.

The average rate of passage on the exam is 72 percent. The program is set up for students who have bachelor degrees to finish the material in an 18-month span.

All the students are employed as nurses in either the Brazos Valley area or in Texas. Fourteen of the 19 students received bachelor’s degrees from A&M. Sharon Wilkerson, dean of the College of Nursing, said this feat sets a high standard for future students. “These stellar graduates have set a very high bar for the following classes, but our students are up to the challenge,� Wilkerson said. “Many of our students come from Texas A&M so we are confident in their preparation for the rigors of the nursing program.�

Wilkerson said she looks for other students to achieve the same high mark her previous graduates did. “We look to them to continue the 100 percent pass rate,� Wilkerson said. “The College of Nursing is proud to be educating professional nurses of today and leaders of tomorrow.�

One former graduate Bethany Schneider said the accomplishment speaks to the students and the faculty. “It is a statement to the fact that even though they are a brand new program, that they have wonderful teachers, and we are really able to impart the knowledge that made us successful,�

Schneider said.

Schneider said the dedication of everyone involved was the reason she and the other students were successful.

“The motivation of the students and the faculty was the biggest factor,� Schneider said. “If someone was stronger in one area than another they would help people along.�

Graduate Geoff Simpson said the faculty prepared everyone for the National Council Licensure Examination. “Since we were the first year they definitely wanted to make sure we were ready,� Simpson said. “They taught us at a really high level.�

Simpson said even though the program was accelerated, everyone in the course knew what he or she would have to do to take the test. “Our class was a very high caliber of students and already having a degree really helped,� Simpson said. “We already knew what it would take so that definitely helped a lot.�

The purpose of the accelerated nursing program is to alleviate the high demand for nurses in Texas. Wilkerson said these graduates were a crucial first step in that mission.

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Apple sues rival HTC as phone competition rises SAN FRANCISCO — As Apple Inc.’s iPhone faces stiffer competition in the lucrative market for smart phones, the company is going after one of its main rivals with patent lawsuits claiming theft of touch screen technology and other features. The complaints cover a slew of models made by Taiwanese phone maker HTC Corp., including the Nexus One, G1 and myTouch 3G — all using the free, rival Android mobile operating software from Google Inc. Non-Android phones include HTC’s Touch

series. Patent cases can take months or years to resolve — sometimes longer than the life of these phones — and agreements over licensing and royalty payments often emerge. Still, it shows Apple’s get-tough strategy as signiďŹ cant competitors emerge. “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it,â€? Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement. “We’ve decided to do something about it.â€?

Associated Press

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3/2/10 7:41 PM

news

page 4 wednesday 3.3.2010

Lawsuit Continued from page 1

In September 2008, Wright said he was asked to send a female diver to a meeting with a federal investigator reviewing A&M’s compliance with Title IX. He said the diver claimed that Head Swimming Coach Steve Bultman told his athletes to lie about the team’s traveling arrangements to avoid penalty.

“Bultman instructed them to lie to the Title IX representative and not disclose that he was placing more than two female athletes in a hotel room when the team traveled,” Wright said.

“The female diver … was upset that she was asked to lie and remained quiet for most of the meeting, including while the female swim team member gave a false answer when asked about the women’s travel and hotel arrangements.”

Three months later, Wright said he sent an e-mail to members of the Athletic Department expressing concern

thebattalion

about compliance with Title IX and Coach Tracy Duhac. Wright said the requesting female athletes be treated accusation was a misrepresentation of equally to males on road trips. the truth.

Because coaches are state employees, “Coach Wright immediately clariany future Title IX investigation in the fied and reported that he was merely Athletic Department could access discussing with Ms. Duhac concerns Wright’s e-mail. Wright said she had raised that Head he was rebuked for putCoach Bultman made “At Texas A&M ting his concerns in inappropriate sexual writing. jokes and comments University, we live by “Texas A&M the Aggie Code of Honor … to his female student Athletic Departswimmers,” accordand this code applies not ment members iming to the comonly to students, but to mediately reacted plaint. faculty and staff as well.” with hostility to The suit claims Coach Wright’s eOverton reacted Alex Dover, senior mail raising concerns negatively to Wright’s English major about compliance with reports and that he recTitle IX,” Wright wrote in ommended Wright seek a complaint dated Jan. 28. counseling for anger manageIn March 2009, Wright said he met ment. with Assistant Athletic Director MilIn March, after he formally submitton Overton at a sports bar in College ted a written report of violations to Station. Wright said he discussed pos- the Athletic Department, Wright said sible NCAA recruiting violations with Overton called and was “furious.”

Overton before being accused of “dis“Mr. Overton literally screamed cussing comments of a sexual nature” multiple times … ‘YOU PUT IT IN with Women’s Swimming Assistant WRITING!’ … and again accused

Coach Wright of being mentally ill for submitting the e-mail,” according to the complaint.

The following August, Athletic Director Bill Byrne showed up at Wright’s house and fired Wright from his position with the University, according to the complaint.

“While Mr. Byrne stood at Coach Wright’s front door, two unknown men who appeared to be accompanying Mr. Byrne stood outside on Coach Wright’s driveway with their arms crossed, and were presumably brought along with the intent of intimidating Coach Wright and embarrassing him,” according to the complaint.

Wright said because of the wrongful termination, he has suffered loss of pay and benefits, decreased earning capacity, damage to reputation, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life.

He is suing for compensation and to be reinstated to his coaching position.

The University and the Athletic Department would not comment on the case nor allow athletes to comment.

Joe Crews, Wright’s attorney, said only that Wright would not be “litigating this case publicly.”

“My client has always been loyal to the University, and his remarkable record for Texas A&M stands on its own.

This lawsuit was an absolute last resort,” Crews said. “Coach Wright handled the matter internally for as long as he could, and he will now handle it within the legal system.”

Alexandria Dover, a senior English major, said it was disappointing the athletic department would punish an employee because of principled conduct.

“At Texas A&M University, we live by the Aggie Code of Honor … and this code applies not only to students, but to faculty and staff as well,” Dover said. “To be punished for upholding a statement that symbolizes the University for which he works and felt strongly enough to protect is wrong. Coach Wright was acting in accordance with the Aggie Honor Code, and should not have been penalized for his commitment to ethical conduct.”

Debate

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Continued from page 1

“To me, the role of the executive branch is to serve as the representative body of the students,” Okeson said. “You have the student body president that is the one individual who can advocate for students the best out of anyone on campus.”

Candidates said the chief student leader serves students by working alongside them.

“That’s what student government is here for: we’re here to lead students,” Sims said.

“It’s not a question of who we are controlling; it’s who we are serving.”

The three candidates highlighted the issues they felt would be most important to Aggies in the 2010-2011 school year. “[The biggest challenge will be] dealing with making sure that we continue to advocate for low tuition increases and that we are dealing with budget cuts in the best way possible,” Okeson said. “It’s making sure we continue to move forward with affordability and sustainability.”

Robinson similarly noted the importance of the upcoming legislation session of the Texas Legislature.

“The biggest challenge that I see for Texas A&M next year is budget cuts,” Robinson said.

“We have the chance for tuition to go right through the roof if we’re not careful.”

Sims stressed keeping the Aggie Spirit strong will always be important to the University. “[The biggest challenge] is going to be how are we going to be a top tier educational institution while still maintaining the traditions and characters of all Aggies,” Sims said.

A student body president must connect students with the administration and Board of Regents, an issue highlighted in the idea of shared governance, Robinson said.

“We actually have a document that outlines shared governance,” Robinson said. “Let’s take that document and get the Board of Regents to vote on it — that way it is set in stone. We can hold the Board of Regents accountable, and we can hold students accountable.”

The student body president should ensure Aggies are working with the Bryan-College Station community, Sims said.

“Right now, the Student Senate just approved a liaison to the College Station City Council. This position is huge,” he said. “It’s a way to say, ‘We are here just as much as you are, and we are affected just as much as you are by what goes on in City Council.’”

The student body president must educate students on upcoming issues that affect Aggies, Okeson said. “[We need to] educate our students on where the fees are coming from and where the money from the fees goes towards,” he said. “I think that once we get education, we’ll get more involvement.”

Students can watch the debate on the Student Senate Web site at http://www.senate. tamu.edu. For further information about each candidates’ platform, visit Web sites: http:// www/okeson4sbp.com, http:// www.jacobrobinsonsbp.com and http://www.standwithsims.com.

Voting for student body president is accessible online today and tomorrow at http://www. vote.tamu.edu.

3/3/10 12:07 AM

Senior nights at Reed thebattalion 3.03.2010 page5

Oklahoma St. at No. 23 Texas A&M 8 p.m. Reed Arena

Seniors leaving a lasting imprint

L

et’s see how far we’ve come. Our favorite middle-aged rocker Rob Thomas turned this deep, well thought out line into hoards of 40-year old women along with a multi-million dollar album.

Me? Well, I’m going to use it as the basis of a sports column. But I also don’t possess the sweet, melodic voice or tight-jean wearing prowess of Mr. Thomas. We’ll see if the ladies follow; I seriously doubt it, but I digress.

As Thomas repetitively uttered in the cleverly named tune “How Far We’ve Come,” let’s see how far we — as a basketball program — have come.

Exactly six years ago today, the infamous Melvin Watkins led his Texas A&M men’s basketball team into Norman to battle — and I hesitate to say battle — with a solid Oklahoma team.

The Aggies went into the contest at 0-13 in conference play. They eventually got the crap beaten out of them that night — a recurring theme during the Watkins tenure — and in the ensuing two contests to finish their conference season 0-16.

Luckily — and pathetically — not too many people noticed. Or cared.

Basketball was merely a bridge between football and … spring football.

Now, flash forward six years. Four straight NCAA tournament appearances

David Harris — with an assured fifth on the way. Four years in a row with an NCAA tournament victory — one of only five teams to accomplish such a thing. A legitimate homecourt advantage. ‘Turgeonopolis.’ Sell-outs.

Record-breaking crowds. Suffice to say, things have changed dramatically.

Now, I won’t bore you all with the story of Billy Gillespie and Acie Law leading A&M basketball’s resurgence.

It’s been deservedly repeated over and over again.

Nope, now it’s time to look back at the careers of three Aggies who, in four years, have left a lasting imprint on Aggie hoops as we know it.

Three names synonymous with the recent success. Three names that conjure up multitudes of memories at their mere mentioning. D-Ro, BD — BFD to some — and Donald.

Three years ago, three sophomores with a new head coach were asked to do the almost impossible: maintain the level of success Law and Gillespie

entrenched into Aggie minds. inconceivable broken leg.

Yet, three years later, they’ve been They’ve shown us their true colors — able to accomplish that. And more.

Davis and Sloan’s reaction, support and At 96 wins, they’re three victories leadership following Roland’s injury. away from passing Josh Carter as the allThey’ve given us one unexpectedly time winningest basketball players in the unforgettable season — this 2009-2010 history of the program. campaign that could’ve taken a total They’ve been the foundation for turn- turn for the worse following Roland’s ing basketball at A&M into more than injury, yet has, instead, seen a team just football’s redheaded stepchild — see come together and play cohesive, comthe three record-breaking crowds that plete, competitive basketball. have packed into Reed durMore than anything, they’ve ing this season and the giant given us everything they’ve camping site that has found had. They’ve played the Sloan, Davis and its way to Reed Arena’s game with unrivaled Roland have doorstep. fervor and passion. For done more than They’ve frustrated the four years, they’ve given just maintain a hell out of us — Donald us the opportunity to certain level of Sloan down the stretch in watch them improve and success. the 2007 second-round loss perform. against UCLA. Now, after four years of They’ve frustrated the hell frustration, jubilation, shock and out of opposing offenses — any guy success we bid a resounding farewell. who had the grave misfortune of being So, guys, Mr. Thomas pleaded and matched up one-on-one with Derrick pleaded about looking back at how Roland. far we’ve come, and I must say, we’ve They’ve jubilantly and angrily yelled come quite a ways. and screamed at us. And we’ve loved it And for that, we owe you three an — Bryan Davis during … well, during enormous, “Thank you.” every single game I’ve attended.

They’ve sent us into pandemonium David Harris is a junior economics major — Sloan’s rendition of “The Baptism.” and sports editor They’ve sent us into a state of shock and horror — Roland’s gruesome,

Men’s 2006 class: 96 wins 3 NCAA tournaments

Chris Chapman No. 31

5’11/175 pounds Hometown: Houston

Bryan Davis No. 0

6’9/250 pounds Hometown: Dallas

Derrick Roland No. 3

6’4/190 pounds Hometown: Seagoville

Shawn Schepel No. 24

6’3/205 pounds Hometown: Dallas

Donald Sloan No. 15

Jonny Green — THE BATTALION

Seniors Derrick Roland, Bryan Davis and Donald Sloan will play their final home game at 8 p.m. tonight against Oklahoma State at Reed Arena.

Seniors Continued from page 1

was hard to finish that game but once that happened … everybody came back full blast, with different attitudes, with no excuses.”

But “what could have been” is not what heights the team might have achieved with Roland. It’s what depths they should have fallen to without him. After opening the Big 12 season 1-2, the No. 23 Aggies have surged to a 9-5 record — 20-8 overall — behind Davis’ rebounding, Sloan’s scoring and the combined leadership of all four seniors left behind.

“We’ve shocked a lot of people, from commentators to even our own fans,” Sloan said. “I think we’ve done a tremendous job, thinking back from where we could’ve been to where we are now.”

As freshmen, the members of the class of 2006 witnessed Acie Law in his finest hour, leading a No. 8 Aggies team into Lawrence, Kan. to defeat the storied Jayhawks, beating Texas at home 100-82 and storming to the Sweet 16. They watched him leave, followed by then-coach Billy Gillispie. They followed Joseph Jones and Josh Carter to two more NCAA Tournaments. They came into a season of uncertainty, after the loss of Carter and forward Chinemelu Elonu, as undisputed team leaders.

And they kept winning.

At 96 total wins, they sit three away from breaking Carter’s record of 98 to become the winningest class in A&M basketball history. Five of those wins came in the NCAA tournament, which the Aggies had not made since 1980 and now have not missed since 2005.

“Being the winningest players to ever come through A&M,” Sloan said, “that’s a big deal for us, as well as being guys that a lot of people respect for everything that we’ve done for the program. [But] the perception that we have around College Station and Bryan is that we’re just good people. People won’t ever forget that, no matter how many games we lose or win.”

Going through the injury, Roland said, gave him perspective.

“It’s been a learning experience for me,” he said. “I’ve learned so many things about life in general, not so much just basketball. I learned a lot of things by sitting down, different things that I’d never seen in the games when I was playing. I think when I eventually start playing again, I’ll be a more mature player and have a better understanding of things.”

The members of the graduating class carried the team through the ordeal rather than falling off the map. Their most lasting impression, however, will be of something much simpler, senior guard Chris Chapman said.

“Even if [the four wins] didn’t happen I still think we’d be remembered for how hard we worked and how we stuck with it through adversity and everything,” he said.

Senior guard Shawn Schepel agreed.

Oklahoma Continued from page 1

Sam Smith— THE BATTALION

Sophomore forward Adaora Elonu challenges a shot in the Aggies’ 78-55 victory over Oklahoma.

Pg. 5-03.03.10.indd 1

“As freshmen, we brought work ethic and a will to win, and we brought it every day [until now],” he said.

“Hopefully that’s the important thing that people see in it as we leave.”

Each said their time in Aggieland would forever be precious.

“This is home, just like Dallas,” Roland said. “I feel like when I’m done with everything, I’ll still come back here and I’ll still support the coach and whoever the players are.”

Chapman pointed to the Aggies around him.

“I met so many nice, good people here,” he said. “The fans and alumni … it’s just special.”

His teammate echoed the sentiment.

“I’ll never forget just hanging out with the guys, being teammates, and the game-day atmosphere of all the fans here at Reed,” Schepel said.

Sloan said he wouldn’t be gone for long.

“I feel a real good connection with A&M,” he said.

“When I’m finished up here, it’s going to take a lot to keep me away from coming back as much as I can … I’m going to be one of those guys that comes back a lot and checks on the program and tries to be a part of it when I’m done playing.”

He said the team’s response to Roland’s injury is the memory he would always carry with him.

Davis cited the Kansas game in 2007 as one of his greatest memories as an Aggie.

“You can’t just come to A&M and have a part of it not stay with you,” he said. “A&M stays with you forever.”

No. 11 Oklahoma No. 15 Texas A&M

6’3/205 pounds Hometown: Seagoville

Women’s 2006 class: 101 wins 3 NCAA tournaments

Damitria Buchanan No. 2

6’2 forward Hometown: Houston

Katrina Limbaha No. 44

55 78

Carter added 18 and 13 points, respectively. outside. We were consistent in contesting their shots With offensive explosions in the last two games, and playing great defense. I think it took them out of Blair points to the development of Carter at their game.” the point as A&M’s key to success. TuesAfter allowing the Sooners to cut the day, Carter’s double-figure scoring perlead to three with 8:28 left in the first The Aggies pushed formance was matched by the seven half, A&M launched off on a 22-6 run their home record to assists she totaled. to take a 43-24 lead into halftime.

12-2 on the season “Carter is getting more comfortOklahoma collapsed in the final two and capped off the able,” Blair said. “She might not be minutes before the break, giving up careers of their three as smooth in transition as Colson, 10 unanswered points. but Carter shot the ball well today. seniors with a 78-55 “We had fresh guys in and we She hit a couple of big shots. Every victory over No. 11 didn’t match up a couple of times time they were coming back, Carter Oklahoma. in transition,” said Oklahoma Head was the one that got us going.”

Coach Sherri Coale. “They got some Defensively, the Aggies’ toughness wide open looks and we didn’t execute on forced Oklahoma to shoot under 30 percent offense. It’s pretty obvious what happened.” from the field. The Sooners were also held to a Texas A&M will close out the regular season Satur0-for-8 performance from the 3-point line. day at Kansas.

“It was a very physical game,” Adams said. “It’s what won us the game tonight. We were physical inside and

6’3 forward Hometown: Latvia

Tanisha Smith No. 22

6’0 guard Hometown: Kansas City

3/2/10 11:50 PM

b!

page 9 wednesday 3.3.2010

thebattalion

A tradition on

tour

These are some of the groups that will be featured in the 2010 Aggieland: • Student Engineers’ Council • MSCC ALOT • Delta Gamma • Company B-1 • TAMU Judo

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AURA-J plays contemporary music on traditional Japanese instruments tonight in Rudder Theatre in addition to hosting a workshop on campus for aspiring composers.

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Rebecca Bennett The Battalion When Americans think of Japanese culture, the richly embroidered kimono of a painted geisha or the animated silliness of Pokémon and Hello Kitty might come to mind.

AURA-J, which will perform Wednesday in Rudder, is on a mission to show Japanese culture is neither cartoonish nor stuck in the past. Based out of Tokyo, this ensemble of musicians will play contemporary Japanese music on traditional as Somei Satoh, who resided in instruments. the U.S. and adapted their un“I want [the audience] to derstanding of western music take away an understanding to write for traditional that Japan and other Japanese instruAsian countries Aura-J, a Tokoyo mentation. In a are not frozen based musical sense, AURAin some sort of J’s work is group performs imagined past, a musical in which only at Texas A&M as manifestation tradition lives. their only stop in of the cultural Rather, these the continental and economic are dynamic U.S. exchange which cultures that have has been occurring their own way of between the west and relating to the presemerging powerful Asian naent,” said Martin Regan, an tions for decades. assistant professor of music at “The way in which AURAA&M. “The contemporary J blends tradition with modern music that audiences will hear musical ideas and sensibilities on Wednesday is a reflection is beautiful and captivating and of that.” something that I think others Regan lived in Japan for six should definitely experience,” years, studied the shakuhachi (an end-blown Japanese said Renee Pitcock, a senior animal studies major, who bamboo flute) studied Japanese performing arts and has under Regan’s guidance. been While the music is modaffiliAURA-J will ated ern, the instruments heard perform at 7:30 in AURA-J are traditional. p.m. in Rudder The ensemble consists of a Theatre. Tickets trio of shakuhachi players, one shamisen (three-stringed are $5 for students banjo), one biwa (lute), three and $10 for the kotos (13-string zithers) and a general public. For percussionist. Some of these more information instruments might accompany visit http:// a kabuki theater performance, performancestudies. but Regan said it was rare to tamu.edu. hear them all together before

with AURA-J as a composer and conductor since 2002. Several pieces on the group’s repertoire were composed by Regan, including “Shakuhachi Concerto No. 1: Southern Wind,” which will be performed on campus this week at the concert.

The group’s name is a playon-words from the original Orchestra Asia-Japan. Regan said they chose a new name with “an appealing brightness to it” for publicity purposes and out of a desire to establish itself as a separate group.

While this tour marks the first visit of a Japanese instrumental ensemble in the U.S. in over a decade, Regan said there is a great deal of reciprocal influence between Japanese and western music.

“Many contemporary techniques for the western flute that emerged after World War II can be traced back to the Japanese flute,” he said.

He also said there were many Japanese composers, such

Pg. 9-03.03.10.indd 1

Japan became a modern nation, even in traditional music.

Pitcock said she is excited to attend the upcoming

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program because she is happy a noted group will be visiting A&M. In fact, College Station will be AURA-J’s only stop in the continental U.S.; the ensemble’s nine musicians will also be spending a portion of their American tour performing in Hawaii.

“I think it’s a great chance to expose the students and faculty to music that they might otherwise never know about.

The potential for cross-culture exchange is great,” she said.

“This is a chance that no other school in the continental U.S. will be afforded. This chance for Aggies to experience a live performance of this genre is very, very rare,” said Chris Harrell, staff assistant for the Department of Performance Studies.

In addition to the evening performance, AURA-J will also have a workshop for aspiring composers as well as a series of free residencies for students, where Aggies will be given the opportunity to observe and interact with the performers.

“I hope it stretches their imagination and inspires them to perhaps explore Japanese music and interests further,” Regan said. “The world is becoming smaller and smaller.

We have a responsibility as global citizens to broaden our perspective and challenge our minds with things we’re not familiar with.”

3/2/10 7:35 PM

voices

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thebattalion

Corrupting democracy

T

he Supreme Court heralded in the new year with a landmark decision in the case Citizens United v.

FEC which says it is unconstitutional for the government to limit corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections.

Abid Mujtaba

with their own money and use to further their own political views. What was specifically prohibited by the Reform Act of 20002 was the use of general treasury funds by a corporation for producing and airing politically charged advertisements in an election cycle.

The group Citizens United argued that since they were a non-profit organization they should be allowed to The primary reasoning air an anti-Hilary Clinton behind this decision was movie they had made in the that corporations are legally 2008 primaries. The people and are therefore court negated more protected by the Corporate than a hundred First Amendment funding of years of judicial and since political political tradition and a broadcasts are candidates responsibility to free speech the should be change law only government cannot restricted. at the behest of a prohibit them. plaintiff by ruling The court decided sweepingly to dismiss the case with a 5-4 government regulation of split across the liberal vs. corporate political speech conservative divide. both for non-profit and forThis decision is a blatant profit organizations. display of judicial activism.

Justice John Paul Stevens To understand why, we must noted sarcastically, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Under first look at the provisions the majorityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s view, I suppose of the Bipartisan Campaign it may be a First Amendment Reform Act of 2002 that problem that corporations have been dismissed by the Supreme Court. In the act, the are not permitted to vote, given that voting is, among only kind of corporate speech other things, a form of that could be regulated was speech.â&#x20AC;? An analysis of the broadcast, cable or satellite First Amendment leaves no communications made within 30 days of a primary or 60 days doubt that when the Founding Fathers talked about free of a general federal election, speech they were referring susceptible of no reasonable to the rights of individuals, interpretation other than as an particularly since it specifically appeal to vote for or against a mentions a free press. Not specific candidate. only does the text explain the The original act as it stood reasoning behind granting was fair, unbiased and took the press that right but great care to limit corporate clearly differentiates it from political speech as little as possible. It is perfectly legal for whoever the beneficiary is of the employees of a corporation the freedom of speech. It can therefore be argued that if they to set up a Political Action meant to include corporations Committee they can finance they would have done so.

Since a corporation is technically the possession of its shareholders while its decisions are made by its administration (CEOs and such) this means that the speech of the shareholders will be hijacked by a small number of people and used only in the interest of the corporation as an entity.

This means that the energy industry, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and defense contractors can use media campaigns to influence

elections to influence carboncaps, gun-control, healthcare reform, FDA policy and weaponry respectively.

This is a nightmare scenario.

Giving an entity, whose sole purpose is to make money, influence over legislation that could cause it to lose money defies explanation. Conflict of interest, anyone?

Since the majority of the funds collected by a political campaign go toward producing and buying time for advertisements, the Supreme Courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision will relieve those politicians with suitable backing from corporations of this task. As a result the free speech of individuals, as exercised by donating to campaigns, has now been rendered irrelevant as no individual, or even a group thereof, can possibly compete with a corporation when it comes to spreading largesse.

This effectively limits selfgovernment, the mainstay of democracy. Political commentor Keith Olbermann hit the nail on the head when he said that with this decision â&#x20AC;&#x153;within 10 years every politician in the country will be a prostitute.â&#x20AC;?

But it gets even worse. The Supreme Court by deciding this issue on the basis of constitutionality restricts the means available to rectify this gross violation of the spirit of democracy. What will be required is a constitutional amendment that will necessarily limit the application of the First Amendment. This is what comes of confusing corporations with people.

Already the ACLU is faced with a schism as the First Amendment goes head to head with the need for campaign finance reform.

I will let Justice Stevens conclude. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At bottom, the Courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opinion is thus a rejection of the common sense of the American people, who have recognized a need to prevent corporations from undermining self government since the founding, and who have fought against the distinctive corrupting potential of corporate electioneering since the days of Theodore Roosevelt. It is a strange time to repudiate that common sense. While American democracy is imperfect, few outside the majority of this Court would have thought its flaws included a dearth of corporate money in politics.â&#x20AC;?

Abid Mujtaba is a graduate physics student.

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news/people

page 11 wednesday 3.3.2010

thebattalion

Going, going green

Jeramie Heflin — THE BATTALION

Freshman biomedical sciences major Vianney Trujillo, sophomore wildlife and fisheries major Sammy Reinhart and Caitlin McColloch, senior environmental geosciences major, hold a sign in support of Aggie Green Fund Tuesday outside of Koldus. The fund, if passed, will cost $3 per semester and will help make campus green. To find out more visit http://aggiegreenfund.com

NYC driver tells police Naomi Campbell hit him NEW YORK — A man hired to drive Naomi Campbell told police the supermodel assaulted him from the back seat of a luxury sport-utility vehicle on Tuesday before hopping out and running Campbell away. Police were looking for Campbell, who is known for her feisty temper, and were weighing whether to charge her. A Campbell spokesman said she’ll cooperate with police. “There shouldn’t be a rush to judgment,” spokesman Jeff Raymond said. “Naomi will cooperate voluntarily, and there is more to the story than meets the eye.”

The driver, whose name wasn’t immediately released, told police he pulled the black Cadillac Escalade over in midtown Manhattan after Campbell hit him from behind and his head struck the steering wheel, causing bruising under his right eye. He spoke to a traffic agent, who alerted police. Campbell was not at the

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Lil Wayne sentencing postponed after fire NEW YORK — Lil Wayne was ready Tuesday to go to jail, but his court date went up in smoke. While the rap star was heading to his sentencing after pleading guilty in a 2007 gun case, a fire shut down the courthouse and postponed the already-delayed proceeding.

The sentencing may be rescheduled for Wednesday, though court officials were still scrambling to determine Tuesday afternoon when Manhattan’s main criminal courthouse could reopen after the smoky basement blaze. It left eight people with minor injuries and forced about 1,000 to flee the building.

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Racist incidents, protests spread at UC campuses

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LOS ANGELES — A firestorm over racially and ethnically charged incidents at several University of California campuses spread Tuesday as UC San Diego announced a KKK-style hood was found on campus and students in Los Angeles and Irvine demonstrated against intolerance.

“What kind of campus promotes an environment that allows people to think it’s acceptable to target people for their ethnicity, gender or sexuality?” said Corey Matthews, one of about 200 mostly minority UCLA students who held a lunchtime rally. “It’s something about the tone of the environment that allows this.”

At UC Irvine, about 250 people gathered for a “student solidarity speakout” to condemn the recent spate of racist incidents at UC San Diego that targeted black students and another incident last month at UC Davis, which targeted a Jewish student with a swastika carved on her door, said Marya Bangee, an event organizer.

The protests came on the same day UC San Diego announced the discovery of a white pillowcase fashioned into a KKK-style hood — the third racist incident around the campus in as many weeks — and a day after UC Santa Cruz officials found an image of a noose scribbled on the inside of a

ASSOCIATED PRESS

UCLA Political Science student Mekeirla Bryant rallies with others at the UCLA campus in Los Angeles Tuesday to protest racially tinged incidents. bathroom door.

Officials found the hood, which bore a hand-drawn circle and cross, on a statue of children’s book author Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, outside the main campus library late Monday. A rose had been inserted between the statue’s fingers.

Detectives were analyzing the pillowcase for fingerprints and DNA evidence, a university statement said.

Associated Press

Texas executes man who killed Brazilian

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HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A Dallas-area man convicted of fatally shooting a Brazilian engineer whose wife was also killed in an attack nearly a decade ago was executed Tuesday evening in the nation’s busiest death penalty state. Michael Sigala, 32, was condemned to death for the August 2000 fatal shooting of Kleber Santos, 28, who was killed along with his wife at their apartment in Plano, a suburb of Dallas. Sigala also was charged with the wife’s slaying but was not tried.

Sigala is the third prisoner in Texas to be put to death by lethal injection this year and the first of four scheduled to die this month in the state.

The U.S. Supreme Court last week refused to review his case. Sigala was on probation for robbery and allowed for the day to leave a Dallas-area substance abuse treatment center he was staying at in order to look for a job when the slayings happened. As the drugs took effect, he snored at least once and then gasped. He was pronounced dead after nine minutes.

Senate breaks impasse on jobless aids

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WASHINGTON — A senator who had been single-handedly holding up stopgap legislation to extend help for the jobless and keep federal highway dollars flowing has finally relented. A spokesman for Sen. Jim Bunning says the Kentucky Republican will permit a vote Tuesday evening on the measure.

That means hundreds of thousands of unemployed people would no longer face the loss of more generous unemployment benefits and health insurance subsidies.

Bunning has been holding up a vote for days seeking to find ways to finance the $10 billion measure but relented in the face of withering Democratic attacks and dwindling support within his own party.

Associated Press

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