thebattalion ● thursday,
september 10, 2009
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2009 student media
Obama speaks on health WASHINGTON — Shaking off a summer of setbacks, President Barack Obama summoned Congress to enact sweeping health care legislation Wednesday night, declaring the “time for bickering is over” and the moment has arrived to protect millions who have unreliable insurance or no coverage at all. Obama said the changes he wants would cost about $900 billion over a decade, “less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans” passed during the Bush administration. In a televised speech to a joint session of Congress, Obama spoke in favor of a provision for the federal government to sell insurance in competition with private industry. But in a remark certain to displease liberals, he did not insist on it, and said he was open to other alternatives that create choices for consumers. Obama said he remains ready to listen to all ideas but added in a clear reference to Republicans, “I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it’s better politics to kill this plan than to improve it.” Associated Press
Three A&M cadets under investigation
Courtesy Photo
Senior English major Amanda Casanova takes on the 2009-2010 school year as The Battalion’s editor in chief.
Making an
impression Patrique Ludan | The Battalion
Student leader profile series Every other week, The Battalion will be profiling a student leader to gain insight into their lives and what it takes to do their job.
Sometimes it just takes a little push, or in some cases a slip of something under the door, to pursue one’s goals and dreams in college. The Battalion’s editor in chief Amanda Casanova experienced just that before rising to the level where she is today. “After hearing me talk about the possibility of writing for The Battalion, at the end of my freshman year, my then-neighbor and now current roommate and best friend Amanda Johns slipped a Battalion application under my door,” Casanova said.
Casanova, a senior English major and journalism minor from Lufkin, Texas, began her career in journalism when she was in the seventh grade. “She did a newspaper for our street, it was called the Ginnway Gazette,” said Teresa Casanova, Casanova’s mom. “It was just a one-pager and she would feature one of the kids in neighborhood, or if a family was going out of town on vacation and she would write about it.”
The Battalion Texas A&M Student Senate elected Michele Breaux as the Speaker of the Senate at Wednesday’s meeting. The election of a speaker was necessary to replace former Speaker Kolin Loveless, who assumed the office of student body president in August. When electing a speaker, senators considered previous leadership experience, com-
Pg. 1-09.10.09.indd 1
Hear from her Read her guest column to students. student leader | 11
See Casanova on page 5
Senate elects Breaux as speaker Melissa Appel
Meet the Batt’s editor in chief Find out what Amanda loves most about being an Aggie and her plans after graduation.
mitment shown to the senate body and a passion for serving students. “[Michele Breaux] is here because she wants students to reach new levels that we haven’t reached before,” said Hilary Albrecht, off-campus senator. Senators and guests alike realized the importance of Rachel Nhan — SPECIAL TO THE BATTALION the Student Senate and its Speaker in voicing the opinInterim president R. Bowen Loftin ions of the student body. addresses the student senate See Senate on page 9 Wednesday evening in Koldus.
Three upperclassmen of Corps of Cadets Company K-1 are under investigation for misconduct. According to Corps of Cadets Media Relations, a physical training exercise for the company’s freshmen was carried out at an inappropriate location. The exercise known as the “bear crawl” was performed on a concrete surface. The six freshmen participants received blisters and abrasions on their hands. The exercise involves using hands and feet to crawl, which creates an arched or squatted body posture. “A noncommissioned officer, assigned to the Office of the Commandant, is conducting an investigation,” said Corps of Cadets Media Relations Coordinator Annette Walker. The three upperclassmen have been suspended temporarily from Company K-1 and are currently assigned to a holding detachment until the end of the investigation. Incidents of hazing have occurred before, including the October 2008 incident in which two cadets were charged by the Brazos county grand jury of hazing a freshman cadet. Another incident occurred in 1984, when a 20-year-old died of heat stroke after being forced to perform exercises for a vast amount of time. Jane Lee, staff writer
Lawfulness of red light cameras to be voted on Julie Rambin The Battalion A special election to decide whether the City of College Station can enforce citations from red light cameras will be held this November. In 2008, College Station began using red light cameras. The city partnered with American Traffic Solutions, an Arizona company specializing in photo traffic enforcement, for an exclusive
20-year red light camera contract. During the summer, a petition circulated in College Station claiming the cameras are unconstitutional and urging residents to sign to bring the issue to a ballot. The petition received the required 846 signatures. A political action committee, Keep College Station Safe, was formed to support keeping the College Station red light cameras.
Keep College Station Safe is funded by American Traffic Solutions, though that information is not disclosed on their Web site. “There is overwhelming support in favor of RLCs,” said Emily Reiter, Keep College Station Safe treasurer. “The appearance of support to remove the cameras is simply because a small minority has been very vocal.” See Red light on page 9
9/10/09 12:03 AM