sports | page 5 Kyle Cunningham and Beau Holder recount their experiences with the town, tailgates and fans in Stillwater. They will follow the Aggies to all away games this season chronicling their observations.
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Aggies recall H1N1 panic ■ One year later, swine flu is under control but still worth guarding against Joyce Go The Battalion In the fall of 2009, A&M M and the rest of the world expe-rienced fear and anxiety duringg the H1N1 flu epidemic. It wass predicted the epidemic wouldd befall high-density areas, whichh meant that the faculty and students of Texas A&M were an easy target for the virus. A year later, students and faculty can’t help but look back and wonder if the fear was overdue, if it was worth it or if it will return a second time this flu season. When asked how H1N1 affected him, Xandrix Baluyot, senior computer engineering major, said “From what I can recall, the swine flu hardly seemed different at all … it seemed to have lasted a little longer than the regular flu.” Student Health Services, in anticipation of an epidemic, prepared the A.P. Beutel Student Health Center for students who may have contracted the H1N1 virus. Baluyot took advantage of Beutel’s services when he had the swine flu. “Once I started feeling ill, I enrolled myself in a swine flu study which was conducted on campus at Beutel. As a participant of the study, I was given special medication to help me deal with the swine flu,” Baluyot said. Although the symptoms of H1N1 were similar to those of the regular flu, with the epidemic came concerns about the severity of the H1N1 strain. Ying Duan, an environmental and occupational public health graduate student who also contracted H1N1 in the fall, had his own opinions about the scare. “The hype about how the swine flu can kill you would have been real if I had a severe pre-existing medical condition or if I was really young or really old,” Duan said. “I think you See H1N1 on page 4
Photo illustration by Stephanie Leichtle and Jeremy Northum— THE BATTALION
Health center offers flu advice to A&M students Katie White The Battalion It’s back to school again, and the University health education department has a few tips to keep the germs away so you can stay at the top of your game. Every autumn, influenza season kicks back up, which leaves college students at risk for getting upper respiratory infections. “Any time you are in close encounter with other people, like in a dorm room, your risk for getting sick is much higher than usual,” said health education coordinator Rhonda Rahn. For students in dorms, Rahn suggests they wash their hands frequently — not just after going
to the restroom. The most common illnesses for college students are upper respiratory infections such as colds and the flu and gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting and diarrhea. Rahn said there are many causes of these sicknesses. “Lack of sleep, poor nutrition and a lack of exercise all contribute to poor health,” Rahn said. Stress can make college students more likely to become ill. “High stress levels weaken your immune system which makes you more susceptible to getting sick,” she said. There are many ways students can reduce stress, including exercise and eating a well-balanced diet. “It is very personal to every student
how he or she reduces stress best,” Rahn said. Brian Tapscott, a personal trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine, said exercising is a “huge stress release, but cardiovascular exercises are better than resistance training when reducing stress.” The gym is one of the “germiest places,” Rahn said. “Wipe down the equipment before and after you exercise.” Offices also carry more germs than most places because of telephone and keyboard usage. Rahn suggested having hand sanitizer close by. “Don’t be germaphobic, but be smart,” Rahn said. “If you get sick, please stay at home, for your health,
Flu Shots Free flu shots will be administered to Texas A&M students October 6 and 7 in four locations on campus: the Student Recreation Center, West Campus Library, The Commons and Zachry Engineering Center. and for the rest of ours.” Junior communication major Sarah Klonower said she gets sick every fall semester. “When I get sick, all I want to do is go out instead of laying in bed bored, but I usually just end up staying sick longer,” Klonower said. She See Health on page 2
Oil lease sale brings in $206 million
Aggies participate in Lou Gehrig’s Disease fundraiser
Texas A&M has struck oil. Sept. 22 in Midland, Tex., an oil and gas lease sale brought in a record-breaking $206 million for the Permanent University Fund, a public endowment that supports the University of Texas System and the Texas A&M University System to be invested by the University of Texas Investment Management Company. The record lease sale overshadowed the previous set record in April of this year of about $54.4 million. “By making returns of 9 percent or more, UTIMCO will allow the Permanent University Fund to grow in market value and in turn provide great payouts so the UTS and A&M System,” said Greg Anderson, chief investment officer and treasurer of the Texas A&M University System. “The distribution of this constitutional fund is 2/3 for UTS and 1/3 for A&M.” The lease funds provide a flow of profits for Permanent University Fund debt that is utilized for construction of educational facilities on campus. Funds are not distributed for general university spending, such as housing or athletics. “In fiscal year 2010, almost $21.4 million was provided towards Permanent University Fund debt service for new buildings on A&M’s campus,” Anderson said. Portions of this spending assisted in construction of the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building, Mitchell Physics Building and the Emerging Technologies and Economic Development Building.
Katie White
Connie Thompson, special to The Battalion
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Stephen Olmon — THE BATTALION
A young boy holds a sign in honor of a man stricken with ALS, also known as Lou Ghehrig’s disease. Hundreds of Bryan-College Station residents turned out for the ALS walk in College Station’s central park to help support other carriers of the illness.
The Battalion The baseball great Lou Gehrig once said: “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth.” He stood in front of thousands of fans as he bid farewell to a game he loved in the face of a disease for which there was no known cause or cure. Today, Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, remains a disease without a known cause or cure. It affects the motor neurons of the body, causing its victims to lose control of voluntary muscles. The everyday movements of walking, writing and talking become chores for patients with ALS. Saturday morning, the Greater Houston Chapter of the ALS Association held a walk in Central Park in College Station in the fight against ALS. Participants walked three miles to raise money for research and patient services. Services include support groups and equipment loan programs so patients do not have to buy wheelchairs or walkers. “People walk in honor of a loved one
usually,” said Linda Richardson, president of the Greater Houston Chapter of the ALS Association. Saturday’s walk was the fifth annual with 18 teams participating. With the largest team of over 40 people, Prosperity Bank’s team sponsored all people living with ALS. Some students whose parents suffered from ALS walked with friends from school as well. Gifford’s Groupies, a team from Rockdale, Texas, walked in honor of the husbands of Becky Gifford and Linda Gifford. “I think it is important to make people aware of how dreadful a disease this is,” Becky said. “I walk to help other people who have ALS because there are a lot of stop signs along the way getting the help you need.” The Giffords said the vast amount of information on how to handle the disease is varying and complicated. Before recent legislation, the Giffords said ALS patients had to wait two years before receiving disability benefits from the See ALS on page 2
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