thebattalion ● thursday,
october 14, 2010
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texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2010 student media
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here are many aspects to this conflict, and the role of the United States has become increasingly complex. U.S. officials have been brokering peace talks between the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority for a long time now, but a solution has still not been reached. The Obama administration was expected to play a more objective role in the talks, but many feel it has not. There is a discussion representing many perspectives on what the role of the U.S. should be in these talks, but this article focuses on the argument for a new approach to our relationship with Israel and a more assertive role in the peace deal. Top left Artwork with political and emotional messages covers a wall dividing Palestinian and Israeli territory. Bottom left Refugees walk the streets of the al-Hussein camp in Jordan. Right A map showing the borders of the Palestinian and Israeli territories defined following the Six-Day War in 1967. If a two-state solution were to be reached these would be the national boundaries.
news for you texas 911 tapes from UT shooting released Authorities at the University of Texas released audio and video recordings of the chaos that unfolded after Colton Joshua Tooley opened fire on the school campus Sept. 28. Tooley fired shots but didn’t hit anyone as students and university employees scrambled for cover in the shooting. With police closing in, he wound up in a campus library and turned the weapon on himself.
Soldiers recall Fort Hood rampage A sergeant shot five times during the rampage at Fort Hood said Wednesday he recalled lying on the floor and locking eyes with Maj. Nidal Hasan after the Army psychiatrist cried out “Allahu Akbar” and unleashed a burst of gunfire. Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford, who lost most of the sight in his left eye in the Nov. 5 attack, came face-to-face with Hasan at a hearing to determine whether he should stand trial. Associated Press
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Editor’s note This is the second part of a series about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, intended to educate and spark interest in the issue for Aggies. The next part in the series will detail the experiences of Aggies who studied abroad in the Middle East this summer. enterprise | 8
Aggies take control of college stress Mastering midterm madness Reginald Clark
Special to The Battalion Midterms are here again and student stress levels are through the roof. The University Department of Health Education has advice to help students reduce the stress. According to the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, some physical signs and symptoms of stress include increased heart rate and blood pressure, changes in appetite, rapid breathing, tense muscles and sleep deprivation. Some emotional signs and symptoms of stress are irritability, anger, losing your temper and lack of concentration. Students can learn to manage stress in different ways, said Rhonda Rahn, health education coordinator for Student Health Services. “A lot of students exercise to deal with stress. For some students, exercise is a fantastic way of dealing with stress but some people just don’t like to exercise,” Rahn said. “For them, talking with a friend, watching movies, or reading for pleasure could be ways to deal with stress. These are all healthy ways.” Exercising releases stress relievers called endorphins into the blood. Exercise is one of the most common alleviators of stress for many.
“When I am stressed out, I run a lot,” said Hope Crenshaw, a freshman allied health major. Some other ways to deal with stress are eating properly, listening to music, time management and even laughing. Writing in a journal, taking a long shower and even calling friends or family members are other ways students handle stressful times. Meditation is another way to deal with stress. Said Lynn Brown, a graduate student in education, “I kick back and push the books away and do things that bring me joy and [I] pray.” Students should avoid withdrawing from friends and family, procrastinating or using pills or drugs to relax when stressed. “Drinking too much, eating too much [or] too little, sleeping too much and violence are all unhealthy ways of dealing with stress,” Rahn said. For students feeling overwhelmed with stress there are some resources available to help them manage their stress levels. “I would say the best resource is the Student Counseling Center,” Rahn said. “There are professionals there that can help students deal with their stress if it becomes overwhelming.”
Bush chief-of-staff speaks on time in Oval Office Thomas Levitt
The Battalion Former presidential chief of staff Andrew Card spoke Wednesday at the George Bush Presidential Library about leadership and his experiences working under President George W. Bush. His visit to Texas A&M is a series of speakers with the ConocoPhillips White House Lecture Series. This series is meant to bring light to the workings of presidencies and administrations. “We have a larger than life guest speaker here,” said Ryan Crocker, dean and executive professor at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service . “Andrew Card was the guy that whispered the news of the second plane [in the 2001 terrorist attacks] into President Bush’s ear.” Card’s resume includes working under three of the last four presidents of the U.S. serving in the Reagan, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush administration. Card stressed the role of U.S. President in the
world, saying the oath taken does not involve the U.N. “The President takes an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and it certainly doesn’t say if the U.N. is on board.” Card said other superpowers are not assuming leadership roles in the world. Card reflected on the day that most stuck out in his mind under all of these well known American Presidents. He noted it was Sept. 14, 2001 and not 9/11. “He talked a lot about Sept. 14th,” said Stephen Harpole, sophomore international studies major, “I liked all of the insight he had to offer serving under all of those presidents.” On Sept. 14, Bush changed the mission of the FBI, rallied the workers at ground zero, and comforted families of the victims. Card pointed out this amount of activity to President Bush and said: “Thank you.” “I have watched remarkable leaders do remarkable things,” Card said.
Finding final freshmen firsts Amber Jaura
The Battalion As the fall semester carries on, freshmen find themselves still adjusting to college life. After the first round of hard-hitting exams, many freshmen begin to accept their identity as college students. Junior economic major Sophia Deen works as a mentor in Aggie Access, a learning community program designed to assist first-year students with their academic and personal transition to Texas A&M. This is the last year of Access due to budget cuts. “Most of the freshmen that I work with begin under the general academic program and aspire to go into various majors, particularly engineering,” Deen said. “But many of them are unsure and still trying to figure out what they want to do. Like one of my freshmen who ended up changing her career goals altogether and decided to go to nursing school instead of pursuing an engineering degree here at A&M.” Deen said in her two years of being a mentor, she’s seen freshmen grow while making the shift from high school to college. “I get asked a lot of questions, directions to different buildings on campus, or
where a certain bank is located,” Deen said. “I’ve discovered that freshmen are very independent in their own ways, yet they appreciate someone communicating with them, asking if they need help or how they’re doing in general and Five tips for it’s a great freshmen opportunity for me to 1. Prioritize your be workstudy time ing close2. Stay organized – get a ly with planner and use it a great 3. Review your class bunch notes often of fresh4. Prepare for each men.” class, even if there Along isn’t a quiz with new 5. Keep up with the classes and workload and get help if meeting peoyou need it. ple, many freshmen make the transition from living at home to on-campus. Justin Varghese, director of Lechner Hall said he sees a huge difference in freshmen from when they first arrive to when they move out in the spring. See Freshmen on page 6
Aggie women’s network launches mentoring program Paula Harman
Special to The Battalion The Women Former Students’ Network was established in 2008, and was founded on the 45th anniversary of women having been allowed admittance to Texas A&M University. The Network has been developing a mentoring program since the founding of the network, and is launching its Pilot Mentoring Program this fall. “We conducted student focus groups, surveyed former students, met with individual colleges and met with University services and leadership. In 2009, we held a roundtable mentoring session where former students answered questions from current students about their time at A&M, their career path and their current occupations, “said Kristina Campbell, chairwoman of the mentoring committee and class of 2008.
The purpose is to enhance A&M’s excellence by promoting the active engagement of wmone in the educational, charitable and cultural life of the institution. “The WFSN envisions an Aggie community in which any interested student at Texas A&M University has access to a nurturing one-to-one relationship with a professional former student of Texas A&M University. The goal of the 2010 – 2011 Pilot Mentoring Program is to facilitate a small-scale mentoring program that will provide the foundation for the development of a sustainable, formal WFSN Mentoring Program for current and former women students,” Campbell said. Twelve students will be paired with member mentors during the first term of the program. These students will be See Mentors on page 6
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