thebattalion ● monday,
august 10, 2009
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A&M prepares for resurgence of H1N1 World Health Organization raises level to six, indicating a worldwide pandemic
Rebekah Skelton The Battalion The H1N1 virus, also know as swine flu, is expected to return in full force this fall. The World Health Organization raised the pandemic level of novel influenza A, or H1N1, to Phase 6 on June 11, indicating a worldwide pandemic. “It reached pandemic proportions not because of its severity, but because of its infectivity,” said Brazos County Health Services Division Director Julie Anderson. “It’s easily spread. That’s how it reached global proportions in about four months.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of countries reporting cases of H1N1 has almost doubled since the pandemic was declared. “I don’t remember too many students who got the swine flu [last semester],” said former student body president Mark Gold, a senior biomedical science major. “This summer I’ve heard of a lot of people who got the swine flu in high population areas, like summer camps.” Swine flu is spread from person to person through respiratory droplets, which is
why it is important to wash your hands and clothes frequently, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and not eat or drink after anyone. “When we cough, sneeze, play with our noses and talk, we leave that droplet and other people breathe it in,” Anderson said. With so many people on campus every day, it is especially important to take the necessary precautions to avoid becoming infected with the virus. “Any time you get a group of people in a relatively confined space, and you have one person who has a particular illness,
it’s easy to get passed on,” said A.P. Beutel Health Center staff physician Ed Styduhar. “The majority of the people that come here, you are going to assume they would be in pretty good health. Those that don’t take care of themselves are going to be more prone to contract an illness then those that take care of themselves.” Swine flu symptoms are similar to symptoms of the seasonal flu. These symptoms include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, sore throat, runny nose, nausea, See Flu on page 2
Bryan launches green program ■ Free workshops educate public on resource preservation Alex Worsham
Photos by Jeremy Northum — THE BATTALION
Catching the spirit Fish camp welcomes class of 2013 Clockwise from top: Yell leaders have a yell practice on the first night of session B of Fish Camp, at Lakeview Methodist Conference Center in Palestine, Texas. Members of session B, blue group, Camp Dobiyanski, participate in a discussion group Saturday at Fish Camp. Senior yell leader Reagan Thompson does a backflip into a pool at Fish Camp Saturday. The yell leaders had a practice victory yell, using the pool as a substitute for Fish Pond.
Professor nominated for Obama’s staff Texas A&M nuclear engineering research professor Warren F. Miller Jr. has been nominated to serve as assistant secretary for nuclear energy and director of the office of civilian radioactive waste management to President Barack Obama. “The ASNE position requires oversight of the department’s nuclear energy research and development portfolio, which adds up to about $850 million and funds research
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at national laboratories and universities,” Miller said. “The [radioactive waste management] position requires oversight of the department’s programs to manage radioactive waste from defense and civilian nuclear reactor activities.” Though nominated for two positions, Miller could be appointed for one. Miller appeared for questioning before the Senate committee during a confirmation hearing July 28. “The committee now
needs to vote on the nomination and decide whether or not to send the nomination to the full Senate for confirmation,” Miller said. “This should happen over the next few weeks.” If chosen, Miller will serve for at least one presidential term. “I am honored to be nominated to a position of service to my country,” Miller said. “It will be a great challenge.” Alex Worsham, staff writer
Apartment fire displaces students A College Station apartment complex caught fire Sunday morning, displacing more than 30 residents. “Quite a few were students,” said College Station Fire Department public information officer Bart Humphreys. The fire started at 10 a.m. at the Pepper Tree Apartments on Longmire Drive in College Station, and was under control within an hour. No one was injured in the fire, but 16 units in the complex sustained damage. The American Red Cross and Texas A&M University’s Critical Incident Response Team responded to help the displaced residents. “They’re helping people who were displaced by the fire get the necessities they need,” Humphreys said. “The CIRT team also assists students if they lose books and things like that … to minimize the interruption in their educational experience.” The fire was caused by a child playing with a lighter, he said. Julie Rambin, staff writer
The Battalion The City of Bryan is launching the Be Green in Bryan program this fall. “This is a sustainability program designed to guide the city on projects and policies related to sustainability issues, waste and parks,” said sustainability programs coordinator Mary Strauss. “There are several different areas we’re trying to expand and research.” The sustainability programs office will have a series of free workshops on the second floor of the Bryan Public Library to teach residents about ways they can preserve resources.
Workshops Aug. 24, Rainwater Harvesting 101 Sept. 4, Worm Composting 101 Oct. 5, Greening Your Home 101 Nov. 5, Home Energy Efficiency Dec. 1, Green Living 101 “Green Living in December gives [residents] the basics to go green as their New Year’s resolution,” said Struass. In addition to the Green Living workshops, the sustainability programs office will provide a Be Green in Bryan training program on Oct. 24. This program will train its attendees to teach environmental sustainability to other groups. “The first step in going green is to educate yourself on what that means: meeting the needs of the present without affecting the future,” Strauss said. The program also has a twice-monthly segment on the City of Bryan television show Bryan Living and Learning. “We did a segment about eating locally, we talked about Camp Energy and we did a segment about the greenhouse See Green on page 2
Football preview: Read about the upcoming football season and what the Aggies need to do to get back in contention. sports | 3
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