thebattalionasks
Q:
How do you feel about President Obama coming to campus next month?
thebattalion ● wednesday,
september 16, 2009
● Serving
Texas A&M since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2009 Student Media
Mission complete
Briana Humphrey junior management informations systems major
■ Twin City Mission relocates shelter with help from the City of Bryan
“I’m actually really excited. I’m not exactly really sure what exactly he’s speaking about. I just know I just want to go and listen and be a part of the whole experience.”
Christina Francisco The Battalion Good communication can go a long way in a relationship. This rang true in the relationship between the City of Bryan and Twin City Mission this summer. For 46 years, Twin City Mission has been servicing the Bryan community by providing shelter, counseling and basic care for the area’s homeless and abuse victims. “The Bridge,” which began as the central focus of the mission in 1963, provides meals, emergency shelter and hygiene essentials for the homeless in the Bryan area. Ten years ago, developers at the shelter saw the need for a more efficient space. “The building we were in was over 100 years old,” said Ron Crozier, director of community relations for Twin City. “We needed to build a facility equipping our needs.” Extensive plans were made to find a space in downtown Bryan, and on June 15, the new shelter opened its doors. Shortly after, the City of Bryan asked Twin City to relocate under the
Mike Mosley senior management information systems major
“I actually also think it’s really cool. Especially because we’re known as the conservative school, and he’s coming. And we’re also big on the whole community service thing.”
James Gay senior geology major
See Shelter on page 6
“I don’t like it. I don’t like that he’s going to come. I think he’s just bringing unwanted attention here.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Barack Obama gives a thumbs up to a man who calls himself the “world’s tallest Obama supporter” on Saturday at Target Center in Minneapolis.
Obama on the way William Swoboda senior economics major
“I think it’ll be educational for all the students. Especially with the health care plan he’s trying to implement. I think it’ll just be good overall publicity for the university and the George Bush Library.”
President will come to Aggieland to speak about community service Forum Obama will speak at A&M’s George Bush Presidential library on Oct. 16 in a community service forum hosted by former president George H.W. Bush and the Points of Light Institute.
Patrick Hayslip The Battalion To the mixed emotions of students, President Barack Obama is coming to Texas A&M University on Oct. 16 to speak about community service at the George Bush Presidential Library as part of his “United We Service,” call, which is challenging Americans to be more productive members of their community. Obama is being hosted by former President George H.W. Bush and the
Points of Light institute. “I didn’t vote for him and I probably won’t go see him speak,” said Jeff Gage, a senior telecommunication and media studies major. “I have nothing against it though. We must be a pretty important University for him to come speak.” Though other students said they weren’t enthused he was coming to speak, they recognized the importance of the current president coming to
Video Hear students’ responses to President Obama coming to Aggieland.
thebatt.com Obama and Kanye Obama’s opinion of Kanye West sparks debate.
people | 4
See Obama on page 6
Haley Slinkard senior english major
Rare mating call attracts research
Michelle McCord junior business marketing major
“I’m excited. I’m very excited. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to go. I would like to go if I find the time.” Laura Sanchez and Nick Badger — THE BATTALION
Pg. 1-09.16.09.indd 1
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Police and FBI agents staged a dramatic raid on the home of a Yale University animal research technician on Tuesday, seeking evidence that might tie him to the slaying of a graduate student whose body was found stuffed behind a wall in a campus research building. No charges were filed against 24-year-old Raymond Clark III in Middletown, but police took him into custody while searching for DNA and other physical evidence. Clark was handcuffed and escorted out of the apartment building in Middletown and into a silver car. New Haven Police Chief James Lewis described Clark as a person of interest, not a suspect, in the death of 24-yearold Annie Le, whose body was found Sunday. Investigators began staking out Clark’s home on Monday, a day after they discovered Le’s body hidden in the basement of a research building at Yale’s medical school. She vanished Sept. 8.
The Battalion
Bernanke says recession ‘very likely over’
Mexican free-tailed bats, like those under the Kyle Field bleachers, have been found to be one of the rare mammals that have structured communication — mating songs that follow syntax, much like language follows rules of grammar. Researchers at Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin combined findings to publish a paper in the “PloS ONE,” an online journal of the Public Library of Science. “We’ve known for awhile that they sang, but we just published the first full paper on their songs — how they’re organized; they’re extremely structured. We always put a noun before a verb — it’s the same idea,” said Kirsten Bohn, A&M postdoctoral researcher, specializing in animal communication and behavior. “Most mammals don’t make really intricate and structured vocalizations; [Mexican free-tailed bats] sound like a song — there’s a rhythm to them.”
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said in a speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington Tuesday that the recession is “very likely” over. Bernanke was cautiously optimistic saying that all the recession may be over, but it is going to be some months before unemployment rates drop significantly. Bernanke said that the economic forecasters predicted moderate economic growth for the remainder of this year and next. Bernanke defended the decisions of the central bank and other policymakers throughout the crisis. “Without these speedy and forceful actions, last October’s panic would likely have continued to intensify,” Bernanke said. Associated Press
Meagan O’Toole-Pitts “I think it should be interesting, considering that a lot of people threw eggs at his face during the election. But it’s a nice opportunity to see a sitting president.”
Technician in custody in Yale grad slaying
Courtesy Photo
Mexican free-tailed bats are being researched for their rare mating songs. Bats from Kyle Field and under the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin were studied. “[Kyle Field] is so big that it has tremendous thermal properties,” said Texas A&M assistant biology professor Michael Smotherman, “so it stays pretty warm at night and cool during the day.” Researchers of the study had known since 2003 that Mexican free-tailed bats sang, but only recent-
ly were able to hear the syllables of the songs. “It’s very high frequency, so it wasn’t until we had technology to record high frequency were we able to record and listen to the songs,” Bohn said. “We looked at over 400 songs from 35 different bats.” The mating songs also vary from bat to bat, Bohn said. See Mating call on page 6
9/15/09 11:42 PM