thebattalion ● wednesday,
august 5, 2009
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Jordan Bryan — THE BATTALION
Gadget review: Read an opinion about TAMUmobile, an application for your iPhone. lifestyles | 2
Military Walk to begin renovation Military Walk, the history-laden passageway in the heart of the Texas A&M University campus, soon will be brought back to life, and on a grander scale than when thousands of Aggie cadets trod on it daily decades ago. Located in the central area of campus, Military Walk links the Sbisa Dining Hall area and the Northside residence halls to the Rudder/Memorial Student Center Complex on its south end. Work is scheduled to begin on the $4 million restoration project this month. The donor for the Military Walk restoration is Dan Hughes of Beeville, Texas, Class of 1951 and a former member of its Corps of Cadets. “This project is important to recognizing the history of Texas A&M and the tradition of leadership of the Corps of Cadets,” Hughes said. Military Walk evolved from its original use into a street, which was closed in 1971 and redesigned as a walkway. Plans are for the walk to be redeveloped to appear similar to the way it looked before 1971 and to once again become the site of academic processions. The project is expected to be completed by spring. Texas A&M University News
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By Laura A. Sanchez | The Battalion
he mobile, music and Internet industry have increasingly become a part of everyday life, and it can be hard to keep up with innovations. Texas A&M, however, makes sure not to fall behind, with applications such as TAMUmobile, Texas A&M iTunes U and the Texas A&M Facebook page, which has become the top university-sponsored Facebook page in the world, with more than 67,000 fans, beating Louisiana State University. TAMUmobile is a suite of mobile applications that can be downloaded to an iPhone or computer. It is free and is available to everyone. “In the initial roll out of TAMUmobile, we have four sub applications that are included as part of the app,” said Jason Cook, vice president for marketing and communication. “One is the directory, where
you can search for people in the A&M directory and you can either call them directly from the application or add them to your contacts.” The application launched June 9 and has received many downloads from students and faculty, Cook said. “Second is an athletics feed that includes schedules and scores. Third is what we call TAMUtv, which includes all of the tagged A&M YouTube videos that are produced across the campus,” he said. “Lastly is a news function that combines all the various newsfeeds at the University level, through the colleges, and major units across campus.” A second phase of the suite is under way and will include more easy-to-use applications, Cook said.
Photos reveal damage of Bright locker room
THE BATTALION
This photo, obtained by The Battalion through an open records request from Texas A&M University, shows the vandalism in the locker room of the Bright Football Complex after a breakin July 20. Powder was scattered around the room and eight football pads were stolen. The Athletics Department, which has caught the individual, is not pressing charges, and the individual returned the stolen pads and is paying for the damage. See more photos on thebatt.com.
Its release date is scheduled for a few weeks from now. The next phase will include events that will pull together campus calendars, the catalog which will allow students to look up courses and professors, and maps that will allow students to find buildings, Cook said. The system also takes advantage of the integrated See Electronics on page 3
SPJ helps fund open records lawsuit The Society of Professional Journalists, SPJ, has granted Virginia Tech’s student newspaper, the Collegiate Times, $1,000 to help fund the cost of an open records lawsuit the paper filed against the West Virginia State Police for refusing to disclose records related to the 1998 disappearance of Virginia Tech student Robert Kovack. “We get calls from people who knew Robert Kovack, who are pinning for more information, and as much as we value talking to witnesses, friends and family members, every good journalist is going to work to get police documentation,” said Collegiate Times editorial adviser Kelly Furnas. As reason for withholding the records, the state police cited an exemption in West Virginia’s open records law that states that police records will remain closed when they are part of an ongoing investigation where disclosure could compromise the investigation. But, Collegiate Times staff members said they don’t feel releasing the records will hurt the investigation, but instead could aid in it. “We have to believe more information is good for the investigation and people interested in the story,” Furnas said. All other legal costs in association with the lawsuit come from the paper’s operating budget. “We’re having some tough times financially so every little penny helps,” Furnas said. “What’s important is the feeling behind the grant — to have SPJ people support us financially and in spirit is a long way to let us know we’re doing the right thing and people will stand behind us through difficult times.” Meagan O’Toole-Pitts, city editor
thebatt.com
Where on campus Test your campus know-how by emailing The Battalion and telling us where you think the photo was taken.
opinion | 2
Gates arrest Police officers acted responsibly in arresting Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his home.
sports | 4
Fall sports Look for a preview of A&M volleyball and soccer for the 2009 seasons. Additional content available online at
thebatt.com.
8/4/09 10:24 PM