thebattalion ● thursday,
september 24, 2009
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Texas A&M since 1893
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Rudder’s Rangers conduct mock battle
Stephen Fogg — THE BATTALION
Senior mechanical engineering major Kolin Loveless steps up to position of student body president.
Taking the lead Melissa Appel | 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.
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ven before stepping foot on campus, Student Body Presi dent Kolin Loveless possessed an unmistakable amiability toward Texas A&M University. Loveless was raised in Lubbock, Texas, and most of his extended family and his parents attended Texas Tech University. The Red Raider loyalty, though, did not pass on to Loveless.
“For some reason, I’ve always liked A&M,” Loveless said. “I remember I was eight years old, and Tech was playing A&M at College Station. My parents and some family friends were at some function, and we were watching the game on Pay-Per-View, and I wanted A&M to win. I just didn’t know why. Inexplicitly, I’ve just al-
VIDEO Hear from your student body president and his goals for the 2009-2010 school year.
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See Loveless on page 4
$100 million facility opens Cutting-edge research begins at the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building Meagan O’Toole-Pitts The Battalion After three years of construction and $100 million, the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building, ILSB, is complete and will open today at 6 p.m. The 220,000 square-foot building will house biology, chemistry, psychology, computer science, statistics and other science laboratories to allow for research collaboration never before possible, said psychology department head Les Morey. “We need a place to get together with other depart-
ments— like the biology department. They are researching the same thing from a different angle. Psychology approaches behavioral neuroscience from the angle of behavior; biology studies the how the cells are working to be able to understand what certain cells cause the behavior,” Morey said. “It’s really an opportunity to use skills and methods of both departments to get an understanding of the whole picture.” Researchers in ILSB will study behavioral and structural See Life sciences on page 4
Aggies beat No. 6 Nebraska
Stephen Fogg — THE BATTALION
The landscaping around the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building was one of the last steps in the construction process. The facility opens at 6 p.m. today.
Blood alcohol testing no longer requires a warrant Senate passes stricter drunk driving law Rebekah Skelton
More on the Aggie volleyball victory over the Cornhuskers. sports | 6 Texas A&M’s Mary Batis celebrates after earning a point Tuesday at Reed arena against No. 6 Nebraska.
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The Battalion Police can take blood samples of those suspected of driving under the influence without waiting for a warrant, a recently passed senate bill says. SB 328, which went into effect Sept. 1, permits officers three circumstances for which a blood sample can be acquired: if the driver is suspected of driving under the influence with a child in the car, if police have credible information that the driver has previously been convicted twice before for the same or a similar offense, or if the driver causes an accident in which someone else was injured.
“The bill used to say, ‘if there was death or bodily injury,’” said Sgt. Todd Van Dresar of College Station Police Department. “They lowered the degree of injury.” Many students have expressed support of the bill because they are hoping it will show a decrease in drunk driving. “I know that there are ways to deceive Breathalyzers and even field sobriety tests, but blood drawing is precise,” junior English major Tiana Cooper said. “Hopefully people will fear getting caught more, and therefore stop driving drunk. If we can eliminate more deaths due to drunk
driving this way then why not do it?” Van Dresar said the idea behind the bill is to stop drunk driving. “If the suspect does these things then Senate Bill 328 will enable us to gather more evidence against him,” Van Dresar said. Police do not draw blood on site, but the suspect is taken to the hospital where appropriate hospital personnel administer the test and medical care. For the first offense driving under the influence is a Class B Misdemeanor in Texas, which can lead to a minimum of 72 hours in jail, 24 hours of community service and up to a $2,000 fine.
Rudder’s Rangers will be staging a mock battle Thursday, Sept. 24 from 6 to 6:45 p.m., to recruit members into the student organization. The battle will take place in the quadrangle grass area near dorms 4, 6 and 8. The organization, sponsored by the Army ROTC, will demonstrate capabilities in light infantry tactics as well as dealing with an opposition force. Rudder’s Rangers, founded in 1970, includes members of the Corps of Cadets who focus on the “development of leadership skills through physical training and confrontations,” said Rudder Ranger Cadet Commander and senior agricultural leadership and development major Scott Sippel. Members train Monday through Friday at 5:30 a.m. “We also complete light infantry tactics as well as major training exercises to help us be in top shape for our future endeavors,” Sippel said. The mock battle will include blanks, small grenade simulators and smoke grenades. Students are welcome to view the event. It is advised that spectators must keep at least 50 feet away from the battle to ensure safety. Medics will be on site. Jane Lee, staff writer
Senate elects Womack as speaker pro tempore Texas A&M Student Senate elected Kyle Womack as the new speaker pro tempore for the 62nd Session at a meeting Wednesday. Womack was elected to replace Michele Breaux, who served as speaker pro tempore until she was elected as Speaker of the Senate at the last senate meeting. Womack had served as the executive director of operations for the senate until he was appointed to fill a vacant seat in the senate.“Kyle Womack worked diligently since the spring as the EDO, and he’ll do a great job as Speaker Pro,” said Justin Pulliam, senator from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “I think he’ll help the Senate run smoothly this year.”Senators also elected the remaining positions on Student Body President Kolin Loveless’s executive staff. Logan Nichols was appointed for legislative relations, Paul Boehm was appointed for community relations and Michael Kurt was appointed for academic affairs. The senate passed the “Thank You Dr. Elsa Murano Resolution” in recognition of the service of the former Texas A&M University president. For a full listing of bills and resolutions, or for more information about the senators, visit the Web site at senate.tamu.edu. Melissa Appel, staff writer
voices | 7
Obama and Twitter drama Columnist Ian McPhail says Twitter is not an outlet for unethical journalism.
9/23/09 11:31 PM