The Battalion: December 7, 2010

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For F or more more iinfo nffo Visit th the he pr program website, b i http hhttp://hetdex. tp:/://h //hetdex. /h d x.. org, org g, for for mo more r information. infor orma or mation on. on Courtesy Photo

Associate Dean on fighting cancer Joanna Raines Special to The Battalion Michael T. Stephenson is the Associate Dean of Liberal Arts and a communication professor. What students may not realize is, Stephenson has overcome a battle against cancer. The disease that has affected so many has given him a new perspective on life. Q: Could you describe your life before you had cancer? A: Fairly normal life but very blessed with great friends and family. Q: What was it like getting the diagnosis? A: Initially, they simply told me that I had a large mass in my abdomen and that they couldn’t rule out cancer. Just a month before, my Mom passed away from cancer. So the notion that I might be on that same path was very, very scary. It took about two weeks to get the biopsy and official cancer diagnosis, and by then, I was reasonably prepared for the battle for my life. But that first day when they told me what was growing inside of me, there are no words to describe the trepidation. It was only a month after my Mom died and my Dad was still an emotional mess, and I had three kids and a wife. I honestly couldn’t believe this was happening to me. Q: How did having cancer change your professional life? A: I have always worked extremely hard; it was just a part of who I was. I published extensively and was always thinking ahead as to what the next project would be. In my teaching, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to give my students the best experience in my classroom. The medical diagnosis changed me. I was no longer interested in staying an extra hour to analyze my data; I was no longer interested in building my life around my professional life. I think I was fairly balanced in terms of family and work time, but I wasn’t always mentally “present� when I was with my family because I had my mind on something at work. After my diagnosis and subsequent recovery, my priorities changed dramatically. When I’m on my deathbed, the people around me will not care whether or not I published that one additional article. I still have an obligation to do my job well, and I’ll definitely keep doing that. But now, more of my “mental space� is prioritizing my wife and three kids. Q: How did it change your personal life? A: Aside from the major change of investing more quality time with my family, it changed the way I see the world. I try not to take the ordinary, mundane for granted. I count my blessings each day - one by one. And even though I was always a very committed to my Christian faith, cancer took me to a relationship with God that I had never known before. That’s a story I wish I could tell more people. Q: How do you think your life be different, had you not been diagnosed with cancer? A: I had a wonderful life before cancer and I have a wonderful life after cancer. Staring death in the face has a way of changing your priorities. And it’s See Q&A on page 6

Tim Ti T im Ba B Bardin ard rdi din in The Th T he Battalion Battalion Ba n The Th T he night nniigh igh ght sky k has has exerted exxer e tteed a strange s ra st r ngee pull pull on m ma mankind ankkind innd for for centuries. cent ce ntur nt uriie ies. Untold ies. Untol tol old billions old billllllio bi ioons ns throughthrou hrou hr ough ough g ou out ut the thhe course couurrse co se of of history hist hi ssttory have gazed gazzedd up up at at the the twin twinkling innkllin ing llilights ighhts ts and nd ppondered, ondered, next to the sheerr size off the h universe, how h utterly l smallll andd insignificant they are, and getting smaller. Why smaller? The universe is expanding, and at an increasingly rapid rate, because of a phenomenon known as “dark energy.� This mysterious force makes up nearly 70 percent of the mass and energy of the universe. Scientists attempting to understand dark energy have called it one of the most significant problems in physics today. “A few years ago, two [University of] Texas astronomers [Gary Hill and Karl Gebhardt] came up with the idea of measuring the history of dark energy by performing a very, very large survey for a specific type of galaxy – distant Lyman-alpha emitters. Gary had the brilliant idea for

the th he instrument, innst stru rume ru ment me nt,, and nt annd Karl Karl Ka rl led ledd onn the thhe science scienc sci sc ienc n e off ddark arkk energy,� ene nerg rgy, rg y � said y, s idd Robin sa Robi bin Ciardullo, Ci Ciarrddull ulllo lo, professor professso sorr off astronomy ast ast stro rono ro nomy no my at at Penn Penn Pe Pen nn State SSta tate ta te University Un Uni niveers nive rsit i y and it and a member memb mbber of thee Hobby-Eberly Hobb bbbybby y-Eber Ebber erly rly Telescope Tel elles e cop ccooppee Dark Darkk Energy Experiment project. En E nerrgy gy E xperim xp i ent pr ojec oj jec ectt. Albert Albe Al Albe b rt r Einstein Ein inst sttei e n was w s one wa on off the t first fir irst stt scientists sci cien ien e ti tist ist sts sts too describe des e cribbe el eelements emeennts of of dark d rk energy da ene nergy in his theory ne the h oryy of general relativity in 1917. In 1940 scientists discovered that the universe was expanding, but it was not until 1998 that they realized the expansion was accelerating. The scientists thought dark energy might be the cause, and so the HETDEX Project was born. “The project has been in preparation for six years now, and we are about a year away from the first survey observations,� said Rebecca Johnson, press officer for the McDonald Observatory of the Uni-

Final Silver Taps in 2010 to honor two Jan. 21, 1967 - Oct. 13, 2010 Steven Craig Lofton

Jan. 4, 1989 - Oct. 28, 2010 Gerardo Ivan Aguirre

“To know Steve is to know music.�

“He’s one of those guys everyone liked.�

Steve Craig Lofton, civil engineering graduate student

Gerardo Aguirre, contruction science graduate student

Katie White

Haley Lawson

The Battalion Sharon Posey Lofton said her husband Steve Lofton never met a stranger. Everyone who knew him said he had the most infectious laugh and a smile that lasted for days. Steve loved music; he played multiple instruments, his favorite the bass, and he was well-known for the bands he had started. Steve was working on his Ph.D in engineering at Texas A&M when he died Oct. 13, 2010 in his sleep at the age of 43. Steven C. Lofton grew up in Ridgeland, Mississippi and attended Mississippi State University for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering. He met his wife Sharon at a Halloween party where he was playing in the band. Steve and Sharon were together for 16 years and married for seven. Steve came to A&M to work on his Ph.D in engineering, while Sharon worked as a nurse at St. Joseph Regional Health Center in Bryan. He became a civilian employee of the Army Corps of Engineers. He was a blast specialist, and, Sharon said, one of the top in his field. “I got so many condolence cards from people I didn’t even know,� Sharon said. “So many were from people he worked with who said they had lost a great engineer.� Apart from engineering, music was one of Steve’s passions. Sharon, also a musician, said they were hardly ever home because Steve was always playing a gig somewhere with some band. He loved New Orleans funk, but his favorite genre to play was rock. “He was very warm and loving,� Sharon said. “He started so many bands here, he will certainly be missed for that.� Lofton was preceded in death by his mother, Emily Sue Lofton. He is survived by his wife Sharon Lofton, his father, Edwin Lofton and a brother, Michael Lofton.

The Battalion Gerardo Ivan Aguirre was a big man with an even bigger heart. With his 6’ 7� height and lovable demeanor, his professor Ron Workman termed him a “gentle giant.� He was a construction science major who, friends said, always worked hard and would do anything for the people he loved. “I met with Gerardo on several occasions as his academic advisor and I remember him being an incredibly sweet young man,� said Amanda Holmes, academic advisor for the department of construction science. Aguirre was well-liked by his peers and diligent with his schoolwork, Workman said. “He came to me a lot about internships and he was real active. He was a real nice kid,� Workman said. “He’s one of those guys everyone liked. He worked really hard and wanted to do what’s right.� Workman said he had a good relationship with Aguirre and enjoyed helping him in school and with life in general. He remembered the first time he met Aguirre on the first day of class. Workman mispronounced Aguirre’s name and decided to give him a nickname. “First day of class [last fall] I tried to say his name a couple of times and he just shook his head, so I just said we are going to call you ‘Big Slim,’� Workman said. “Spring last year all the kids called him ‘Big Slim’ and he started introducing himself as ‘Big Slim.’� “Big Slim� chose his words carefully to make See Aguirre on page 2

If you go â—— 10:30 p.m. Tuesday in Academic Plaza â—— The campus will be darkened at 10:20 p.m.

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Protect against theft this season Amber Jaura The Battalion It’s that time of year again – shopping for the perfect gift, spending time with loved ones, feasting like there’s no tomorrow and catching that contagious holiday spirit. In the midst of annual holiday festivities, don’t forget to take safety measures both on campus and back home. During the holiday season, with increased shopping and items visible in vehicles, auto theft rises, making victims out of many people. According to the Texas Auto Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority, every two minutes a vehicle is burglarized in Texas and the contents stolen. Reduce Auto Theft in Texas is one of 27 grant programs funded under ABTPA, which is a division of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Michelle Lanham, the program manager for RATT, said the program works to combat vehicle theft and burglary by informing people to enjoy the holiday season and take safety measures to avoid having their vehicles broken into. “We concentrate on public awareness and education. In other words, For more we take a proactive information and approach to make the ways to protect public aware of veyour vehicle, visit hicle crimes and how http://www. to best prevent them,� Lanham said. “We txwatchyourcar. com. would like the public to know that leaving valuable items in view in their vehicles, including shopping bags, electronics/communications devices, gift cards, money, clothing, sunglasses, CDs, etc. is an open invitation for burglars to break in and steal those items.� With the influx of stress from finals, many students forget to lock up valuables or place them under car seats. Yet these measures, however simple, are essential to enjoying the holiday season and avoiding future frustration of having items stolen. Along with the obvious measures, Lanham said there are other factors students need to keep in mind. “Simple things that some people may not think about can also cause problems,� Lanham said. “For instance, if the only things an indi-

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versity ve vers rsit ityy off Texas it T Austin. at Aus A usti tin. HETDEX HETD HE TDEX TD EX is is collaborative a co ollllaabbor o ative project pr ojec jeecct bbetween etw ween Texas A&M Texa as A& &M University, University Uni i verr si s ty tthe th he U Un niversi sity ity of Texas at Austin and Penn State University to map the expansion history of the universe and study the dark energy phenomenon to understand why it is causing the universe to expand. A number of other national and international research universities are also participating in the project. HETDEX will survey over one million galaxies in the course of the study. The data collected will be converted into a 3-D map of the universe. “[T]he overall science goals of HETDEX is to measure the effect of Dark Energy in the past, and test whether the evolution of dark energy is consistent with that expected from a cosmological constant, or with something else. But, of course, it’s much more than that,� Ciardullo said. “There will be lots and lots of other projects that can be done with the data.� The project is funded by a grant

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thebattalion 12.7.2010

Continued from page 1

End of the semester

Today is the final day of classes for the fall semester. Students should attend their Thursday classes.

2

Transit service

Weekend and Night bus service will not be offered today through Thursday. Visit http://transit.tamu.edu for more information about transit schedule changes.

begin 3 Finals Final exams for the fall semester will begin Friday. Visit http:// registrar.tamu.edu for final exam schedules.

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vidual leaves in their vehicle are a garage Freshman door opener and an insurance certificate, www.villagefoods.com nutrition a thief stealingit those knows We make easy items to eatnow better major Grace where the vehicle owner/operator lives Shok writes and has the means to enter their home. in a journal That can result in additional items being Monday in stolen, identities being stolen and even personal injury.” the Freshmen Auto theft burglaries tend to flucLeaders In tuate with economic trends and the Christ prayer amount of reported cases has increased tent in the from past years. University Police DeAcademic partment Sergeant Kary Shaffer said Plaza. The common issues occur when students get tent is open caught up in the holiday rush and fail to 24 hours a lock up properly. day during “During the holiday season … the finals week. population goes down on campus. So if “We’re here you leave vehicles here during the holiday season, make sure they’re locked to talk and and secure,” Shaffer said. “Take out have a wall for what I call ‘opportunity crime,’ don’t anyone to tell leave cash or your GPS out, packages, their story,” anything visible from the exterior of the Shok said. vehicle.” Freshman business administration Meagan O’Toole-Pitts — THE BATTALION major Andres Urrutia said he appreciated the reminder to keep valuables safe. “Don’t leave anything that makes your car look more attracting to break in to … When you go Christmas shopwas worth listening to because it was usually ping, you get your gifts and you put either funny or complimentary.” them in the trunk of your car so evThompson said he will remember AguContinued from page 1 eryone doesn’t see a bunch of things in irre’s happiness around his friends and willyour back seat,” Urrutia said. “I know people laugh and build up those around him, ingness to help others. for me, any time I buy something, it’s “He almost always had a smile on his face said Aguirre’s friend, Seth Thompson. never in my back seat, and since my raand I don’t know if I ever saw him in a bad “He was also a really funny guy and aldio face is removable, I’ll always hide ways great to be around,” Thompson said. mood,” Thompson said. “I was in almost evthat too. It’s just all about making my “He wasn’t the most talkative person, but ery class with him and he never hesitated to car look no more enticing to break in when something came out of his mouth, it help me out on something if I needed it.” to than any other car.”

Aguirre

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Matt Woolbright, Editor in Chief THE BATTALION (ISSN #1055-4726) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University. Periodicals Postage Paid at College Station, TX 77840. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, Texas A&M University, 1111 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-1111. News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. News offices are in The Grove, Bldg. 8901. Newsroom phone: 979-845-3313; Fax: 979-845-2647; E-mail: metro@thebatt.com; website: http://www.thebatt.com. Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local, and national display advertising, call 979-845-2696. For classified advertising, call 979-845-0569. Advertising offices are in The Grove, Bldg. 8901, and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fax: 979-845-2678. Subscriptions: A part of the Student Services Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1. Mail subscriptions are $125 per school year. To charge by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express, call 979-845-2613.

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things you should know

5 before you go 1

Essential films

The Department of Visualization Essential Film Series presents Airplane!, the 1980 spoof of the disaster film genre starring Leslie Nielsen. The film begins at 7 p.m. today in Langford Building C Room 105.

2

Movie screening

The International Film Series will show the final film of the Millennium Series, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow in Koldus Room 227.

3

A capella show

4

The all-male a capella group Apotheosis will have a winter show at 7 p.m. Saturday in Rudder Theater. Admission is free, if attendees bring two canned food items to donate to the Brazos Valley Food Bank. The group will perform some Apotheosis classics, new songs and Christmas favorites.

Cupcake party

University Dining Services will have a cupcake party from 5 to 8 p.m. tomorrow at Sbisa Dining Center. Students are invited to decorate their own cupcake.

5

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Late night breakfast

In preparation for finals week, there will be a late night breakfast from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m Thursday at Sbisa Dining Center.

thebattalion 12.07.2010 page3

giving

From campus to Kenya Textbook drive to benefit AIDS care centers Joe Terrell The Battalion As finals swiftly approach and dead week begins in earnest, the issue of textbook buyback once again rears its ugly head. After final exams, students are left with the crippling dilemma of how best to deal with leftover class material: do you keep that 800-page behemoth about political turmoil in Shakespearean England or do you return it for a sliver of a fraction of what you paid for it? “I normally take any amount back that I can get,” said Kevin Hubert, senior philosophy major. While there are buyback opportunities both on and off campus, it is difficult to recommend one over the other, as they all set prices by a market standard for each individual textbook. However, junior political science major Ana Sedwick, leadership intern for the Texas A&M branch of Care for Aids, said she hopes to offer students a decidedly different and more philanthropic solution. “This organization is an easy way for college students to get involved in community service,” Sedwick said, “specifically the fight against the HIV/ AIDS epidemic.” A non-profit organization, Care for AIDS began when a group of students from Vanderbilt University journeyed to Kenya with the intent of filming a documentary about the AIDS epidemic in the country. While in Kenya, they realized they could have a much greater impact. “They saw that the Kenyan churches were failing to meet the physical needs of the Kenyan people,” Sedwick said. “When they got back, they founded Care for AIDS, which seeks to bridge that gap.” Care for AIDS presents college students with a unique opportunity. Instead of returning books for buyback, they can donate textbooks to Care for AIDS. The organization will ship them to a company that sells the books online, with the profits going to various Care for AIDS centers in Kenya.

In Kenya, the government mandates that HIV/ AIDS medicine be free and available to all men and women who suffer from HIV/AIDS. Because of this medicine, HIV-positive individuals in Kenya can live 20-25 years after being diagnosed. Unfortunately, many of the men and women who suffer from HIV/AIDS do not know how to properly take their medication and so they sometimes only live for two to three years. “This is where Care for AIDS steps in,” Sedwick said. “We have 10 centers in Kenya and each center is a Kenyan church. Each center takes 80 adults through a nine-month process and teaches them how to take their medicine properly. They also teach them a trade so that they can provide for their families, give them weekly food supplements, provide accountability and counseling and share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them.” Care for AIDS is not affiliated with any major aid organizations, but is in the process of establishing a partnership with African Leadership, a Christian education and development organization that trains church leaders in Africa and funds development projects in the African communities. “As American college students, we are in the top one percent of the world’s population in terms of economic prosperity,” Sedwick said. “It is important for us to realize the incredible privilege we have as well as the responsibility we have to help others.” See Textbooks on page 4

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thebattalion

Mix and match Artists’ mashups surpass original songs

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These two groups/bands/DJ artists use pop music as well as other genres to create a completely new musical experience that no one can deny is enjoyable. So what is the goal? Get rich from ripping off other artists’ music? No, if they wanted to do that, they could try becoming rappers because there has not been an original rap beat since the days of N.W.A., RZA and Tupac. These days, rappers are already sampling tracks from old rock bands and even current pop music and laying their own lyrics on top of it. So why not do it with music anyone can get their hands This is due to the little-publicized, yet highly on, ranging from the Jackson 5, Blink-182, used “four chord theory” in popular Nelly, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Notorious B.I.G., music for the past few decades. This Ludacris, Daft Punk, Ben Folds Five and theory is something all songwriters many more. know about and, to a large extent, use These songs will have you moving to in the music industry as a foundation the beat and in the process saying “Holy for hundreds of songs I can guarantee $#!7, I remember that song!” This is all you listen to on a daily basis. The great, so you might ask yourself, what Black Eyed Peas might suck, but the is the catch? How much do I have to Logan group’s music is catchy because of the pay? Can I get it legally? four chord rhythm. Westerman Currently there is no catch for the The four chord theory is best senior political listener. All the songs and albums can exemplified by the Australian comscience major be downloaded legally, FOR FREE, edy band Axis of Awesome’s song from the Internet. Girl Talk is repreentitled “4 Chord Song.” This song, sented through http://www.illegal-art.net and which can be found on YouTube, uses and Super Mash Bros. use their own website http:// incorporates many songs into one song with www.supermashbros.com. The musicians rely seamless transitions in order to make a point that on income from DJ appearances and donations to they are all alike. The surprise is which songs sustain their art. the listener finds within the overarching parody Why can consumers not buy this music in of popular music. stores or on iTunes? That is due to the legal So why is this important? Who cares about issues concerning the use of other artists’ music pop music except little teenage girls who listen within their songs. Just when we thought the to Justin Bieber and still use MySpace? No one Lars Ulrichs of the music industry had gotten really, except the two most important and influover the whole Napster bit, they have popped up ential artists of the next decade you might have again and are attempting to suppress groups like never heard of. These artists are Girl Talk and Girl Talk and Super Mash Bros. Super Mash Bros. The industry claims they have no right to Girl Talk, who just released its fifth album, All Day, is comprised of one man named Gregg Gil- sample music without consent of the original artlis who has been mixing and mashing songs since ist and the groups cite a certain “fair use” clause within the long and ultimately useless-in-today’shis first album release of Secret Diary back in world copyright laws. The artists do not sell the 2002. Gillis dropped out of college while majoring in biomedical engineering to pursue a musical music, so they cannot be busted for distributing career DJ-ing around the globe. He has played in copyrighted material, but the industry wants the only money they can get from anyone these days: such venues as Austin City Limits and received legal action money. awards from Wired magazine. However, in the grand scheme of things, none Super Mash Bros., who have currently of the controversy matters because once you play released two albums, the latest called All About the Scrillions, is made up of three college students the first track from either one of these groups, from Los Angeles: Nicolas Fenmore, Dick Fink you will forget about anything I have said and and Ethan Dawes. They balance gigs across the just enjoy the music. If you think I am wrong, country while still attending classes. you can get your money back.

ver heard a Black Eyed Peas song you cannot stand? Of course you have, they suck. Ever heard the same song in a different setting, such as when Chris Robinson performs it in Hot Tub Time Machine, and then find yourself enjoying it? Yes.

Textbooks Continued from page 3

It only costs $20 per month for a Care for AIDS client to go through the program. A single donated textbook alone could potentially cover a client’s expenses for a few months. “Texas A&M is one of the biggest college campuses in the United States, and Aggies are unique in their desire to make a difference in the world,” Sedwick said. “Penn State raised more than $11,000 last year through their textbook drive and I believe A&M can give them a run for their money.” In the U.S., currently 27 college campuses have a Care for AIDS textbook drive. Cam-

puses in Texas include the University of Texas, Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University and the University of North Texas. “We will definitely be having a textbook drive in the spring semester,” Sedwick said. “Care for AIDS hopes to always have a presence at A&M.” Care for AIDS will be collecting textbooks on Friday and Saturday and Dec. 13-15 in the Commons Lobby and Sbisa Plaza. Aggies who donate three or more textbooks will receive a Care for AIDS T-shirt. “It is my prayer that Aggies will realize that something that seems small to us can be life changing for others,” Sedwick said. “By donating their textbooks, Aggies can feel the blessing of being a blessing.”

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Sophomore business major Kyle Klansek won the 2010 Next Big Idea contest from Coinstar, Inc., for his plan for a kiosk processing taxes.

Q&A

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really, really hard to explain it to those who haven’t been there. Q: How did it impact the people around you? A: Honestly, I don’t know. That’s a good question. I really think more of the changes were internal than external. People probably don’t see a lot of the change since I think a lot of the con- www.villagefoods.com version emotionWehappened make it cognitively, easy to eat... ally, and spiritually. But I’m okay with that. I try not to be too concerned with what other people think anymore. A ton of my validation came from pleasing others; that’s the way I grew up. I try not to fall into that trap anymore though I know there are times when I do. But it’s just a matter of Amber Jaura reminding myself what my vision is for my life and who really is important and The Battalion usually I can get back on track. But In Coinstar’s second annual Next Big being addicted to pleasing others is a Idea contest, entrepreneurs from across very hard nut to crack, so I live with the U.S. entered concepts for self-service those challenges daily. www.villagefoods .com to Redbox and Coinstar kiosks, similar Q: What one thing you haveto... learned that machines. Kyle Klansek, a sophomore Weismake it easy you want to pass on to the Texas A&M business major at A&M, won the most incommunity? novative idea and will be awarded $10,000 A: I’d encourage everyone to reflect on from Coinstar, Inc. this question: “What do I want my life Klansek’s idea involves a kiosk that proto represent?� It took me awhile to cesses personal taxes. He said he thinks his figure that out, but I’ve finally figured idea was chosen because it is something out what I want my life to stand for. new and Coinstar sees potential for it. Everybody has something different, and “We’re delighted to award Kyle the as long as you reflect on that and live prize money and continue to support and your life in a way that gets you toward foster entrepreneurs of all ages to think that goal, you’ll be fine. about what’s possible,� said Gregg Kaplan, The other thing that I’d say is never let president and chief operating officer of anyone steal your joy. Your circumCoinstar, Inc. “Creativity and innovation stances don’t make you joyful. Your www.villagefoods.com is not limited to people with a specific decircumstances might make to... you sad or We make it easy gree, title or professional stature. Twenty happy, but they should not steal your years ago as a graduate student at Stanford joy. For me, having cancer showed me University, Jens Molbak came up with that even though I may have been on a better way to convert coins into cash. the path toward death, I learned that I The result was the invention of Coinstar’s could still be joyful each and every day. self-service coin counting kiosk, now I didn’t truly start to live life until I was the leading solution with nearly 19,000 diagnosed with cancer. Only then did kiosks in grocery stores, drug stores and I realize I had two options: I could sit mass merchants.� in the corner in a fetal position and cry, Klansek became aware of the contest or, I could go and be joyful each day through his ENDS 101 class this semester and see what marvelous things I could and entered the contest initially as a group find. I tried very hard to choose the project for the class. latter. The biggest lesson for me was “After my group submitted our idea to that it was okay that I was sick as long the contest, I came up with another idea as I didn’t let people steal my joy. I that I entered on my own. This was the embraced the phrase: “Life isn’t about idea that won,� Klansek said. “I relied on waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about the information that I have learned thus learning how to dance in the rain.� far from my business classes during the forCancer gave me the chance to learn how to dance in the middle of a huge mulation of my idea. I gained inspiration thunderstorm. What an incredible specifically from a summer reading assignblessing that was! ment from Kris Morley in the Business

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Student wins prize for idea

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Honors Program. This assignment provided insight on the future of jobs and occupations in America. It taught me to think progressively and adapt to the changing landscape of the business world.� Senior industrial distribution major Phillip Wood said seeing students apply the knowledge they learn in college to the real world reminds him of just how important our time here at A&M is. “It’s personally inspiring to see a fellow Aggie using their education and creativity to change the world,� Wood said. “The knowledge we gain here we’ll use for the rest of our lives.� Marci Maule, director of public relations for Coinstar, Inc, said the company began the program to foster advances in self-service by allowing people to bring their creativity to the table. “Our company’s strengths are in automated repair, or self-service, and our company is passionate about innovation specifically in this area, and so we came up with the idea for this contest last year,� Maule said. “We set an award of $10,000 to encourage people who already have an idea or people to be inspired with an idea, like Kyle, to come forth. It’s especially exciting to see that a student came forth with the idea and hopefully he’ll keep us surprised with what he’s doing in the future.� Klansek said he plans to use the award money to purchase a patent to continue as an entrepreneur. “The hardest part of entrepreneurship is not the ideation process; it is the implementation of the idea. I am confident that Mays Business School has and will continue to teach me how to effectively implement my idea,� Klansek said. “I will leave with priceless real-world business and entrepreneurship experience.�

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thebatt.com Check online throughout the week for coverage of the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The men take on Prairie View A&M at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Washington at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The women take on Purdue at 7 p.m. Thursday. All games will be at Reed Arena.

sports thebattalion 12.07.2010 page7

Oyedeji to be remembered Saturday The Texas A&M men’s basketball team will remember Tobi Oyedeji at halftime of Saturday’s game against No. 22 Washington, which is scheduled to tip off at 3:30 p.m. Oyedeji was a national Top 100 recruit who committed to play for the Aggies in June 2009 and signed his letter of intent in November. He died in a vehicle accident on May 16, 2010. Known for his spirit, kindness and devotion to Texas A&M, Oyedeji was mourned by thousands across the nation. His parents Mike and Nikki will be introduced to those in attendance and the University will present them with a plaque commemorating the Tobi Oyedeji Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship fund is managed by the 12th Man Foundation and has raised more than $40,000 dollars since its inception. “I know that Mike and Nikki will feel the warmth of the Aggie Spirit when they visit Reed Arena on Saturday,” Head Coach Mark Turgeon said. “I hope that the Twelfth Man will be there in full force to help us honor Tobi. “ To learn more about Oyedeji’s life, search “Tobi Oyedeji” on http://www.thebatt.com.

No. 5 Duke 61, No. 7 Texas A&M 58

Crushed in Cameron Aggies fall in heartbreaker Mike Teague The Battalion In a Top-10 matchup that met and surpassed its expectations, the No. 7 Texas A&M women’s basketball team fell 61-58 Monday night at No. 5 Duke. Duke senior guard Jasmine Thomas hit a tough, off-balance shot to put the Blue Devils ahead with 55 seconds remaining. “It was the end of the shot clock, I had to make a play, had to put the shot up — there was no time to pass it,” Thomas said. “And it went in.” With seven seconds remaining, A&M senior center Danielle Adams had the go-ahead jumper rim out. “We run the perfect inbounds play,” Texas A&M Head Coach Gary Blair said. “I’ve got the best kid in America that I would want to shoot that shot, and it just didn’t go in.” Following two free throws by Thomas, junior guard Sydney Carter led the Aggies back up the floor needing a 3-pointer to tie. Carter attempted a crosscourt pass that was intercepted by Blue Devils’ senior forward Karima Christmas. “I think I was just in the right place at the right time, really,” Christmas said. ASSOCIATED PRESS

Above: Junior forward Adaora Elonu battles for possession during the Aggies’ 61-58 loss to Duke Monday in Durham, N.C. Left: Senior forward Danielle Adams has the ball stripped in the waning minutes of the defeat. Texas A&M (6-1) faced a tough zone defense from Duke that was a much more stingy bunch than the Blue Devils they scored 95 points on last season. The Aggies were held to under 34 percent shooting and missed three field goal attempts in the final minute of play. Four Aggies scored in double-figures, led by junior forward Adaora Elonu with 15 points. Adams picked up her sixth double-double of the 2010-2011 season with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Christmas recorded a double-double for the Blue Devils with 11 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. The Houston native attended a Texas A&M basketball camp in high school.

Beau Holder, staff writer

Duke (9-0) is off to its best start during Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie’s 19-year career. The Blue Devils are also 4-1 in their last five meetings with Top-10 opponents at Cameron Indoor Stadium. A&M falls to 6-21 all-time against teams ranked in the Top-5. After suffering its first defeat of 2010-2011, A&M will try to get back on track as perennial powerhouse Purdue comes Thursday to Reed Arena. But for now, the defeat will be looked at as a marquee, early-season matchup that just didn’t go the Aggies’ way. “For a game [on] December 6th, this was as good as it gets,” Blair said.

STRESSED about the end of the semester?? Don’t forget the Aggie Honor Code! “An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do.” As you prepare for the end of the semester and finals, the Aggie Honor System Office reminds you to value Academic Integrity. Remember: Manage and budget your time wisely Do your own work and make sure you confirm with your professor if collaboration is allowed. Do not give into the temptation of looking at another Aggie’s exam Talk with your professor if you have questions about class expectations

Good Luck from the Aggie Honor System Office www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor

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news

page 9 tuesday 12.7.2010

thebattalion

TUESDAY

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Ranked second in the nation for the upcoming 2011 school year, Texas A&M’s undergraduate landscape architecture program excels in all areas. Chosen by the Design Futures Council of Design Intelligence, which ranks the best American architecture and design schools annually, the bachelor’s program ranked second and the master’s program ranked third. Improving over the years, this acknowledgement of excellence demonstrates dedication among the faculty and staff, quality of resources and determination of students. “Texas A&M has always been good, it’s just that we have not told our story as much as we should. This is not the first time we’ve been ranked; we’ve been ranked many times before,� said Forster Ndubisi, department head of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. Since 2006, when A&M was first ranked, they have steadily increased in accreditation, going from 11th to second. “It is extremely rewarding to have a prestigious organization like the Design Futures Council independently verify the high quality

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of our landscape architecture programs,� said Jorge Vanegas, dean of the College of Architecture, according to a press release from the College of Architecture. The Design Futures Council, an interdisciplinary network of design, product and construction leaders chooses university rankings through a survey process. A total of 220 organizations, leading practitioners who have experience hiring recent graduates, participated, answering questions to determine which college and university programs best prepare students for the professional world. “This is a very dynamic, changing profession,� Ndubisi said. “So it’s challenging when you’re on top because everyone’s trying to be number one, but we’re very excited.� When Ndubisi first arrived at A&M in 2004, the landscape architecture programs were not ranked, but with the development of a strategy plan, this quickly changed. There are essential components that go into an accredited program. First you have to have a vision and a mission that the college shares and then you must take steps to implement this, Ndubisi said. “That is at the heart, the curriculum, and that curriculum has to be guided by the vision and mission.

Rebecca Hutchinson

an

of $8 million from the National Science Foundation. HETDEX is still in the planning stages but some aspects are already underway. According to Johnson, a new top end for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope will be removed for upgrade in May 2011. The new piece, which is currently under construction at UT’s Center for Electromechanics in Austin, is set for delivery this summer to the McDonald Observatory in West Texas. “After installation and commissioning, the HETDEX survey will begin in January 2012, and reach routine operations by that spring. The survey will take three years, ending in June 2014. “The galaxy survey that is the heart of this project will be carried out at McDonald Observatory using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope,� Johnson said. At A&M, scientists lead by Darren DePoy are responsible for building VIRUS, the new instrument that will collect the data for HETDEX. VIRUS is a novel piece of technology. It will contain 150 clones of a single spectrograph, which is an instrument that gathers light from distant galaxies and splits the light into its individual wavelengths, known as a spectrum. Spectrums reveal an object’s chemical composition, its temperature and the speed it is moving toward or away from us. VIRUS can collect data from over 33,000 spectra in a single observation. Along with building VIRUS, A&M will test and align the instrument before it is installed on the telescope. “Once the data starts rolling in, everyone will have plenty to do,� Ciardullo said.

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Architecture program ranked second in US

Energy

For example, if you say sustainability is something you aspire to have, then you have to have the courses and experience,� he said. Recruitment of quality professors who have professional experience, quality students and technological resources are essential, Ndubisi said. “We have the facilities, which are why our graphic design is quite good,� said Dr. Jon Rodiek, currently one of the top 25 professors of architecture in the nation. “Some of these students are minor geniuses.� According the skill assessment, recent A&M graduates at the firms surveyed ranked first in communication skills, first in computer applications, third in design and second in sustainable practices and principles.

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Recently, the faculty has emphasized sustainability, and these rankings are something to be proud of, Rodiek said. To ensure that the students learn the skills they need to be competitive and make independent design decisions, all undergraduates must leave for a semester and either study abroad, intern, or be involved in an exchange program. They also participate in service learning projects, where students assist actual clients, giving them detailed solutions on how to organize land. All combined, this leads to 80 percent of graduating students getting into big-name firms, Ndubisi said.

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EDITOR’SNOTE The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants in this paper do not necessarily reflect those of Texas A&M University, The Battalion or its staff.

MAILCALL GUESTCOLUMNS Make your opinion known by submitting Mail Call or guest columns to The Battalion. Mail

call must be fewer than 200 words and include the author’s name, classification, major and phone number. Staff and faculty must include title. Guest columns must be fewer than 700 words. All submissions should focus on issues not personalities, become property of The Battalion and are subject to editing for style, clarity and space concerns. Anonymous letters

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will be read, but not printed. The Battalion will print only one letter per author per month. No mail call will appear in The Battalion’s print or online editions before it is verified. Direct all correspondence to: Editor-in-chief of The Battalion (979) 845-3315 | mailcall@thebatt.com

voices

thebattalion 12. 7.2010 page11

Charity starts at home S

hane Claiborne, founder of The Simple Way Ministries, was invited by Mother Teresa to spend time in Calcutta living among lepers. In his book, The Irresistible Revolution, he recounts his time with them, when he realized a new kind of love and community lost in the suburbs of America. Returning home, Mother Teresa’s admonition to “find your Calcutta” echoed in Claiborne’s mind and made their way to the pages of his book.

Osa Okundaye — THE BATTALION

Before the fall semester began, I wrote a three-part series about a mission trip to Haiti in which I was privileged to participate. For those who have read them, you may underMatthew stand why, until pondering Claiborne’s accounts Poarch of his time with the senior wildlife and homeless during college, I fisheries major thought that I had found my Calcutta in Gressier. My focus was entirely on the Haitians, while local needs passed me in a blur. This is exactly the mistake Mother Teresa was addressing. While it is important to be aware of international affairs and tragedies, it is critical not to overlook domestic troubles. It is easy, at least for me, to watch a documentary on child refugees in Sudan and forget the 1.35 million children who will experience homelessness in America this year. As students drive through the state on the way home for the holidays, there will be a hundred Calcuttas that reveal themselves if we have eyes to see. This time of year, many opportunities will arise to give to underprivileged families. Aggies could brighten more than 45,000 evenings if everyone would just contribute to one hurting family. But, as Claiborne writes, those lacking money are not the only people who will be hurting this year. Claiborne writes, again citing Mother Teresa,

“it is among the wealthy that we can find the most terrible poverty of all: loneliness.” Like Claiborne, I remember the immediate culture shock of returning home from poverty beyond imagination, but unlike Claiborne, the poverty of materialism was lost in my judgments of American life. This poverty, though, is very real, very present and very hurtful. The pains of a hurting heart are no less harmful because the owner lives in a nice house. The holidays have a You don’t nasty habit of stirring have to go up painful memories overseas for many this time of year. Reminders of to lend a friends and family lost hand this or estranged burden Christmas. hearts and minds People are across the economic needy in spectrum this time of many ways. year. Even a lunch or coffee invitation can lift the spirits of someone who might secretly be feeling alone. This idea of “finding your Calcutta” in America might be difficult. It could mean reaching out to a stranger on little more than a gut feeling that it is the right thing to do or it could mean spending the night making some new homeless friends by volunteering. Wherever it is, your Calcutta can only be found by keeping eyes and ears sensitive to the needs around you, no matter what they might be.

MAILCALL From Adam Davies, sophomore history major The recent article “Unlocking identities” is a horribly biased story and only follows one side of an argument that has many different ways to look at it. Saying the Arabs in the geographic region known as Palestine (named so by Romans to attempt to remove the connection of the Jews to the land) were “driven from their homeland” ignores the documented fact that most supposed refugees only qualified because the UN classified anyone living two years

in the region as a “native.” Most who left never saw an Israeli soldier, and left only due to the Arab governments saying they could return after the Jews were “driven into the sea.” Arafat himself was born in Egypt, raised in Egypt, educated in Egypt, by a father who had only lived in the disputed area for a short time after moving from Egypt. There are many facts left out of this article and it is a clear example of displaying only one side of a complex issue. In the spirit of being unbiased, an article presenting the opposing side should be printed. Presenting both sides is vital to keeping an informed society.

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