thebattalion
this day in
US
history April 20, 1999
● tuesday,
Two students enter Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. and open fire with multiple firearms, killing 13 students and teachers and wounding 25 others. The two students then killed themselves.
april 20, 2010
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2010 student media
Drug debate carries further
coming wednesday
Softly call the muster
■ Marijuana use and implications are brought up in political and social arenas
The most revered Aggie tradition encompasses all that A&M represents: family, friends and duty.
Samantha Johnson The Battalion
inside scene | 3
b! Country and blues Texas A&M senior agricultural leadership and development major Cody Hamilton recently released his debut album “Southern Symphony.”
sports | 5
Photo illustration by Evan Andrews — THE BATTALION
! Dominant victory The No. 4 Aggie golf team won the Aggie Invitational in Bryan by 21 strokes.
voices | 7
Pooper scooper When walking your dog, make the effort to pick up their droppings before someone steps in it.
Peligro! (danger) Mexican Drug War halts student organization benefiting girl education
Katy Ralston The Battalion Hundreds kidnapped, thousands killed and an immeasurable number kept in fearful silence. Violence spawned by warring drug cartels and government troops deployed to combat them — known officially as the Mexican Drug War — has killed 22,700 people since December 2006. The violence in Mexico has had an impact on one non-profit organization, started by A&M students, whose work centers around the city of Nuevo Laredo. Despite early talk of violence and
unrest in Nuevo Laredo, the organization Full Hearts continued trips to Casa Hogar with precautionary measures to stay in neutral places during safe daytime hours. In February daytime attacks began to take place, and they decided trips to the girls’ shelter in Nuevo Laredo were too dangerous. The decision was tough — tough on the girls who without witnessing blatant violence didn’t understand it, and tough on the members because they know this is the time the girls need them most, said Travis Helm, Full Hearts director and junior agricultural leadership and development major.
Helm said the drug war has not stopped them; it has just made them do something different. “We completely changed our mission last month to distance learning. Our viewpoint is education is an opportunity to grow, however a student cannot learn on an empty stomach,” Helm said. “Physically we teach through distance learning and financially we fund food.” All of the girls have been accepted into the Colegio America private school system where they struggled in English classes. To make up for their absence, Full Hearts has implemented See Mexico on page 8
The argument surrounding the legalization of marijuana is one that is polarizing in today’s political debates, especially today, which is widely known as 4/20, a day associated with marijuana legalization. In an Associated Press-CNBC poll, 33 percent of those polled favor legalization while 55 percent oppose it. The age group that favored legislation to legalize marijuana were those under 30. Jeff Boggs, 25, of Visalia, Calif., supports legalization, and said the dangers associated with the drug have been overstated. “People are scared about things they don’t know about,” Boggs said. Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of “People Marijuana are scared Laws, said the about organization things they has slowly don’t know made progress since it about.” was formed in - Jeff Boggs 1970. “Every single metric is pushing toward a zeitgeist in marijuana reform,” he said. However, a majority of people are still against legalization. Anna E. Williams, the assistant coordinator for the alcohol and drug education programs and student conduct in the Offices of the Dean of Student Life, talked about the short and long-term affects of marijuana on a person’s health. “For short term, the acquisition of new information and abilities are impaired while under the influence of marijuana,” she said. “Long term, people still will struggle with problem solving abilities. Damage to lungs is greater when smoking pot, carcinogenic hydrocarbons are greater in marijuana smoke and you really do not know what is in your marijuana, other drugs, other mind-altering substances. Williams said these additives are particularly harmful. “People who sell you marijuana do not have your best interests in mind, so the argument that it is all herbal and all natural isn’t correct,” she said. “Other drugs and other substances are often added to make it look greener, make it look like there is more of it, and make sure you See Marijuana on page 8
Yellow nuisance returns to Aggieland Katy Ralston The Battalion This spring, Texas A&M’s campus has a new color to add to the usual maroon and white: yellow. From the Sul Ross statue to dorm room windowsills, this season’s pollen has left a dusty coat on surfaces across Aggieland. “I thought my truck was white, but apparently it’s yellow,” said Sam Smith, a junior university studies major. “I’ve always wanted a yellow truck
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so now it saves me money on the paint job.” Different contributors are responsible for the increased amount of pollen this season. “It was a perfect storm of conditions coming together,” said Brent McRoberts, Texas A&M research associate and assistant state climatologist. “When you have a period of increased precipitation that follows a drought, like we had this past fall and winter, the plants See Pollen on page 2
A&M architects design natural lighting system Bree Alexander
Nicholas Badger — THE BATTALION
This year’s spike in amount of pollen has students under the weather and dealing with more allergy issues than before.
Special to The Battalion The Texas A&M College of Architecture is leading the way in enhancing environmental sustainability with the design of a solar light pipe that transfers natural light into office buildings. “The proposed system will passively integrate daylight and electric lighting in a single unit,” said Liliana Beltran, associate professor of architecture and the project’s principal investigator. Beltran said the light pipe the team created will be able to introduce enough luminosity that will account for
80 percent of light needed throughout the year, given the conditions of clear skies. The goals for the unit are to expand the area lit by natural light, integrate auxiliary electric lighting and reduce energy consumption in buildings. On Saturday and Sunday, students will showcase the design in a national sustainability competition sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency titled “P3: People, Prosperity, and the Planet Student Design See Lighting on page 8
4/19/10 9:34 PM