The Battalion: April, 29, 2009 by The Battalion

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Reveille in review Meredith Zdenek The Battalion During the Aggies’ seasonopening football game against Arkansas State on Aug. 30, the 2-year-old sable collie, Kelly, was officially introduced to the public as Reveille VIII. After several weeks of training, Reveille earned her five diamonds making her the highest-ranking member in the Corps of Cadets and the First Lady of Texas A&M. As tradition, Reveille stays with a sophomore in Company E-2 and is equipped with her own twin size bed, throw blankets and body pillows. Former Mascot Corp. John Busch said he enjoyed his time living in the dorm with Reveille. “I love her, I absolutely love her. She is the sweetest dog. If you can think of the sweetest 5-year-old girl, but cuter and a lot furrier, that’s what she’s like. Any situation that we put her in at this point she’s done well with,” said the sophomore business major. The Mascot Corporal is in charge of taking care of Reveille and her needs for one full year. They feed her, keep her clean, See Reveille on page 2 Photos by Kevin Alexander — THE BATTALION

Don Mathews does his laundry, one of the activities he had to relearn after his accident 10 years ago.

Startover Part Two The second installation to the story of one student’s road to recovery. Kevin Alexander The Battalion

n Sept. 25, 1998, Don Mathews was assaulted by three men who left him for dead on the side of a Huntsville road. After being stabilized at Huntsville Memorial Hospital, Don was moved to the Memorial Hospital Intensive Care Unit in Houston to recover. Everett Harrell of the Huntsville Police Department was the officer who investigated the assault and arrested the attackers. Finding them was easy enough. It only took two days to figure out who they were, track them back to their hometown and bring them in. “We were on them before they had a chance to do anything or go anywhere,” Harrell said. David Weeks, the Walker County district attorney, pushed for an aggravated assault charge against the attackers. The county won the case — one of the three attackers was sentenced to 10 years in prison, one to 15 years and the third was sentenced to 20 years. Since the sentencing, one of the suspects has died while in prison.

Speech. Balance. Memory. Coordination. When Don woke up 20 days after the attack, he wasn’t worried about the parts of his brain that controlled these functions. He had his hands full

just living again. Drawing breath was a miracle for someone with his initial prognosis. The injury to his brain was extensive, a scythe’s edge slicing into frail neurons, and Don wasn’t the same. Shortly after coming out of his coma, Don was moved to a care facility where elderly patients are sent during their last days. Don was the youngest patient in the facility, and that alone almost caused his death. “They were treating him as if he were an 80-year-old, not a 21-yearold who had a metabolism that burned anything you put in him in five minutes,” Regina said. He was underfed through the feeding tube; his nourishment calibrated for someone much older and much less active. He dropped to 90 pounds, and his legs were in constant automatic movement, 24 hours a day. Regina demanded Don be transferred to The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, or TIRR, for proper care. “I was screaming at the doctors to get him out of there. He was going to die in that bed,” his mother Regina Mathews said. And she got her way. Don continued living.

“Can you imagine that everything you think is real, is not?” He was moved back to TIRR, to start his recovery. Don had a long road ahead of him before he was considered rehabilitated. He had to learn how to walk, how to talk. His balance and coordination were gone, and his memory was rent apart. “I’d tell him ‘I’m just going to get a soft drink, I’ll be right back,’” Regina See Don Mathews on page 4

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— John Busch, former Mascot Corporal

Jonny Green — THE BATTALION

Reveille stands outside the Capitol Building in Austin before Texas A&M played the University of Texas in football.

Thatcher’s science adviser speaks on global warming Patrick Hayslip

Jon Eilts — THE BATTALION

Lord Christopher Monckton speaks Tuesday in Rudder Theater about global warming. The event was sponsored by the Young Conservatives of Texas and The Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow.

The Battalion The science adviser to Margaret Thatcher’s administration (1982-1986) said students should not accept all facts that are thrown at them, but should verify them, including the facts that he was proposing. “He’s certainly offering a different perspective,” said Staci Saldana, a freshman biomedical science major. “Like he said, ‘This is what he believes, and he believes it is not happening, but here’s a way you can look at it. All I want to do is show you the facts and it’s your decision to go check the facts.’ It’s just a matter of coming up with your own opinion on it.” The Young Conservatives of Texas sponsored Lord Christopher Monckton Tuesday in Rudder Theater to debate and discuss global warming. “I’m here to talk about this global warming crisis, which is certainly a crisis of govern-

Senate seeks student input for CHL bill ■ Results of referendum

to be stance of SGA The Texas A&M Student Senate said the student body should give their opinion regarding the Concealed Hand Gun License before the Texas State Legislature. Students can show support or disapproval of the bill by casting a vote through a student referendum Wednesday and Thursday. The Student Senate has passed bills throughout the semester in regard to legislature before the Texas House and Senate. Although the Senate continually votes to represent general student opinion, senators said this political issue needed to be taken directly to a student vote in order to best portray the general student body consensus. The results of the referendum will be the official opinion of Student Government Association and will be communicated to the Texas Legislature. Forty universities and colleges in the state have already taken a stance on the issue.

Vote

Don Mathews reads music for his church choir. After his accident, he said he turned to religion to help him through the healing process.

“We want people to come and pet Reveille and meet her, we hope that everyone gets a chance to pet or get to know her rather than a big cow over in Austin.”

The referendum can be accessed through vote.tamu.edu from 9 a.m. Wednesday until 5 p.m. Thursday.

Melissa Appel

ment, but it is not a crisis of the planet,” Monckton said. “You would think that when it is as blindingly obvious as it is, that global warming is not any kind of a crisis. Somehow, the political class would catch up with the majority of the people, who now realize that it is a natural practice and not humanity that have ruled the climate.” Chapter Chairman of the YCT Tony Listi said Monckton brought to light many scientific facts that are not talked about in the mainstream media. “I think the overall point that he wanted to get across was that we have been lied to by many politicians and bureaucrats, and that we shouldn’t except what people tell us on face value,” Listi said. “We have to exercise our own judgment and critical thinking with regard to policies that could seriously undermine the prosperity of our country.” Some Aggies went into See Discussion on page 8

Council candidates to visit Aggieland College Station City Council candidates will be on campus Wednesday to talk with Texas A&M students about platforms for the upcoming election. Student Government Association will have a Meet and Greet to make the candidates more accessible to students. SGA is doing this to encourage student participation in city elections and government. “These elections are extremely important to students because these positions directly affect our lives,” said Student Senate External Affairs Chairwoman Michele Breaux. “The City Council votes on everything from red light cameras to zoning for new apartment complexes to bike paths. All of the candidates are extremely friendly and love talking to students about their ideas and concerns.” Early registration for the upcoming election has already begun. Election Day is May 9. Melissa Appel

“These elections are extremely important to students because these positions directly affect our lives.” — Michele Breaux, Student Senate External Affairs chairwoman

Meet the candidates City Council candidates will be available anytime between 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the Memorial Student Center Complex. Depending on the weather, the event will be in Rudder Plaza or the hallway outside the entrance to the MSC Bookstore.

Tiffany Tran — THE BATTAL BATTALION

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Senior civil engineering major Matt Graves constructs a wooden formwork Tuesday in the civil engineering materials lab. Graves is making a concrete barbecue pit for his Concrete Materials class. The class will use their completed pits to make barbecue at an end of the year party next week.

Reveille

how to apply If you are interested in writing or contributing content in The Battalion apply online at thebatt. com, or come by MSC 032, 845-3313. The Battalion welcomes any Texas A&M student interested in writing for the arts, campus, metro or sports staffs to try out. We particularly encourage freshmen and sophomores to apply, but students may try out regardless of semester standing or major. No previous journalism experience is necessary. Check us out on thebatt.com, Facebook

Continued from page 1

get her to and from Aggie games and even answer questions for her. Busch said that compared to Reveille VII who weighed in at 75 pounds, Reveille VIII is a more composed 48 pounds. “[She is] the same breed, rough sable collie, but from a different Breeder. Reveille Vll didn’t like high pitched noises or vibrations so she barked a lot and Reveille Vlll is calmer, so she doesn’t respond to those noises,” Busch said. Several students agreed with Busch that the comparison between Reveille VII and Reveille VIII is pretty widespread. “This [Rev] causes a lot less commotion than the last one… and she loves chasing squirrels,” said Thomas McNabb, a sophomore manufacturing mechanical engineering technology major from Company K-2.

Robert Rodriguez, a sophomore aerospace engineering major said Reveille VIII has a much nicer temperament than Reveille VII. Busch said that starting with the fourth Reveille, the Corps retired the First Lady so that they could have “regular dog lives” for the remainder of their lives. “We usually retire them to a family that’s close to the outfit. For Rev Vll it was Paul and Tina Gardner, [from] Sweetwater Estates. We wait until they are about 9 or 10 years old and then we retire them and, of course, when they pass away they are then buried at the north end of Kyle Field facing the scoreboard,” he said. Busch said the funniest thing he has seen Reveille do is in her role as a celebrity at A&M. “One time she was walking behind me out the Corps dorms and there were a few guys standing there talking. So she was walking behind me and all of a sudden I felt a tug on the leash and she

stopped and sat by the guys. I said I didn’t know what she wanted, but after they pet her she just kept on walking again,” he said. The Corps has cared for Reveille for 60 years, which Busch describes as great because the tradition has not just continued, but expanded. “I pretty much [got] to lay the foundation for what’s to come for the next 10 years or so, which is amazing. People may forget my name in years to come but they won’t ever forget Rev, she’s a walking tradition on campus,” Busch said. He described his job as Mascot Corporal as one of the most outstanding and rewarding jobs on campus. “It was unbelievable making people’s days by just allowing them to see her,” he said. “We want people to come and pet Reveille and meet her, we hope that everyone gets a chance to pet or get to know her rather than a big cow over in Austin.”

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Mr. Fix It

Senior repairs bikes for free Steve Humeniuk The Battalion

n today’s technologically “super” world, selfless people like Aaron Swink are becoming increasingly difficult to come across. Swink, however, makes himself readily available to anyone in need of assistance at no cost. Every Friday afternoon in Academic Plaza, Swink will fix anyone’s bicycle for free. It is a service he has been providing the entire semester, and any student is free to take part. “I was like, ‘Why not?’ I see these people riding by with really terrible, rusty bikes and the chains are grinding around, and I love fixing bikes. I used to race and ride mountain bikes in high school,” said Swink, a senior bioenvironmental science major. Swink’s operation is relatively straightforward: he sits outside in the shade in front of Academic Plaza wearing a “Free Bike Repair” shirt. He carries all the tools he needs with him in his backpack. He sits down, smiles, has friendly conversations with fellow Aggies and waits for students to take him up on his free services. “I like to show people how to fix them, too,” Swink said. “Bikes are fairly simple machines and most of the adjustments I make are relatively easy. I think they’re fun to fix. Everything is simple to get to, and you don’t need that many tools.” Swink said he fixes just about everything from bent handlebars and wheels, rusty chains that need adjustment, and brakes that don’t work to loose seats. “The most common is a bent wheel, and it can be fixed really easily by adjusting the tension on the spokes with a spoke wrench that can be bought for just a few dollars at a bike shop,” Swink said. “I can fix pretty much anything other than the rebuilding of bearings or something major like that.” Swink said he provides the Friday service out of the goodness of his heart, and will not accept payment for his work unless someone is thoughtful enough to bring him snacks or a cold drink. Andy Stewart, a senior biomedical engineer-

ing major, had his bike repaired by Swink for the first time. “There’s no harm in just having him take a look at it, even if things are as easy as squeaking brakes. Those can be really annoying, so you can at least have him take a look at it. Plus, he’s a friendly, approachable guy. He loves people,” Stewart said. Swink will repair a bike no matter what condition it comes to him in. He repaired sophomore psychology major Jessi Noelke’s bike after she had recovered it from being stolen. “My bike was stolen at the MSC and I found it at G. Rollie White, and the person who stole it had been really rough with it,” Noelke said. “Aaron fixed it back to the way it wa,s and it was like a $400 bike, too…It was like a dream bike afterwards.” Swink said the free bike repair is an outward display that was inspired by his religious beliefs. “He loves Jesus — he’s all about laying his life down for other people and I think that’s a significant part of his life,” Stewart said. Swink’s philosophy is anyone can utilize talents to benefit others. “If people just did things that they like to do, but if they did it for other people, I think it’s really cool. It helps out the people that you do the good deed for, and it’s how God wants us to live. It’s like a little piece of the kingdom,” Swink said. The free bike repairs will likely cease after Swink graduates, unless he can find a predecessor. “I’m graduating in December, so I’m trying to find an apprentice or someone to take my place when I graduate.” Swink said. Even if your bicycle is in great condition, feel free to ride over to the front of Academic Plaza every Friday afternoon and have Swink give your bicycle a check-up. “It’s really fun. Friday afternoons in front of the Academic Plaza are kind-of a party,” Swink said. “Friday afternoon in front of the Academic Plaza is the place to be.” Swink hopes his selfless service to fellow Aggies will inspire others to get creative in giving back to the Aggie community.

Jose Arredondo — THE BATTALION

Senior bioenvironmental science major Aaron Swink works on a friend’s bike Monday in Academic Plaza. Swink fixes bikes for free during his spare time on Fridays from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

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4/28/09 6:48:53 PM

donmathews

page 4 monday 4.29.2009

thebattalion

Photos by Kevin Alexander — THE BATTALION

After the incident, Don’s faith began to play a more dominant role than ever in his path to recovery. The 12th Man towels and religious items he keeps on his mantel at home are a constant reminder of how far he has come.

Don Mathews Continued from page 1

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Relearning the basics “Oh no. This isn’t good.” The nurse has seen this before and it’s a bad sign. His mom doesn’t understand. To her, it looks like Don is just curled up in his bed, something he would do before the attack. And then it slowly comes to her. She bends down and asks Don an important question. “Don, how old are you?” “Twelve.” The profound damage to his brain had convinced him he was nearly 10 years younger than he really was. It was understandable; he was having to retrain his body. “They said it would be like raising him again. And it was,” Regina said. It wasn’t for a couple years, not until he was out of the hospitals, that he realized that 12 had passed him more than a decade ago.

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Recovering from a brain injury is no sure thing. Even though he thought he had regressed in age and was fighting memory issues, he was still making progress. He was putting words together and earning back his coordination slowly, but in February, five months after the attack, his mother noticed a change. “Don started going backward in his therapy,” Regina said. The doctors assumed Don was depressed, and put him on medication, but Don continued to worsen, until he was only awake about 30 minutes a day. Regina wanted a CT scan. The doctors refused. It was up to his mother to get him over this last big hurdle. The last one that could kill him.

Crossing over to the living “My son is in here dying, and no one is doing anything about it! Somebody get me a doctor!” Regina’s screams pierce the hospital corridors. The nurses at the station relent to the furious mother and promise her a CT scan the next day. When tomorrow comes, Don is wheeled to Methodist Hospital and looked at by the doctors. His mother is right. A massive blood clot has formed in Don’s brain. He could be dead any minute. Don doesn’t go back to his room; he goes to surgery. “Thank God you got him in here. It’s as bad as it gets.” It’s his neurosurgeon. After the surgery, tubes are put in Don’s forehead to drain any remaining liquid. It’s a small price to pay to get back to his recovery. Don’s life wouldn’t be threatened again, and even though he still had several months to go before he could walk free, he was on his way. He was going to make it.

Hand-eye coordination

When Don steps up to the free-throw line, he talks a lot of smack. “I don’t think I’m gonna miss this time,” said the senior psychology major Don. His personal trainer at Aerofit, James Shipman, has him shoot free throws in the middle of their workouts. If he makes one, he goes easy on him. If not, more push-ups. He hands Don a basketball and flashes a knowing smile while Don readies himself. “He never makes these,” Shipman said. But this time, Don wins bragging rights — he sinks four out of five. No stage fright here. Don’s shooting stroke, though, is off. He leans forward so much that it’s hard to imagine he’s comfortable and he has trouble keeping a dribble going. “You can tell he knows what he’s doing,” Shipman said. “He just can’t quite connect his hands and brain.”

Don turns to a hymn as he waits to sing in the choir at Central Baptist Church.

Back on track Don could play a little point guard before the attack 10 years ago. He’s built for it — tall and wiry, but his injury has robbed him of his athleticism. He has to concentrate to perform tasks that require fine precision. His brain is uncertain where his center of gravity should be now, and he leans back as he walks, throwing off his balance. He had to train himself to write, and he can manage it only when he blocks everything else out. His memory of the attack and most of his recovery is gone, a small blip of mercy among a backdrop of pain. His short-term memory is in shambles and requires constant training to retain information. That makes it tough to remember the material he studies in his psychology classes. “I used to be able to just read a book two or three times and it would go into long-term memory, now I have to make flash cards and study them over and over to remember,” Don said. Don, 31, is considering going to seminary school, but he can only handle a couple classes a semester; any more than that and he’s overworked and without enough time to study for his tests. He requires someone to take notes for him in his classes and he takes his exams in a quiet room provided by disability services. He is easily distracted during tests. And when Don speaks, it’s with a wry sense of humor warped by his violent experience. He fumbles for words, stutters and occasionally forgets what the conversation is about. Sometimes, you can pick out the frustration in his voice — he knows what he wants to say, but the electrical pulses whipping through his brain get redirected or lost in the haze. “What am I gonna do? Be mad the rest of my life? That’s not good for me,” Don said. These days, he is focused on moving forward. He knows he can’t dwell on the anger or it could consume him. And yet, he’s defied all expectations.

Preaching to the choir Central Baptist Church is where Don spends several days a week practicing and singing in the church choir and meeting in small groups. “Turn to page 443. We need more from the men back there,” said Grady Chism, a worship minister and the choir director at the church. Among the other bass voices, Don is seated at the back of the practice room. He’s normally very social, but here he’s quiet unless he’s singing. “My faith is really important to me. I believe in evangelizing — it’s like throwing a party for Jesus,” Don said. He attributes his rehabilitation to his faith. “It’s through the grace of Jesus Christ that I recovered.” Speech. Balance. Memory. Coordination. To many, it would be too high a price to pay for anything. But even though Don has lost them in some capacity, after the attack, the doctors’ predictions and several brushes with death, he has something worth all of those: Life.

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sports

Men’s golf team The No. 16 ranked Texas A&M men’s golf team trails Oklahoma State and Colorado at the Big 12 Men’s Golf Championship after shooting a 16-over par Tuesday. The Aggies enter into the ﬁnal round Wednesday behind second place by ten strokes.

thebattalion 4.29.2009 page5

Gigging ‘em at Olsen Patterson’s 10th inning single leads Aggies to 4-3 victory against TCU Brad Cox The Battalion

File Photo — THE BATTALION

Texas A&M senior first baseman Luke Anders hit an eighth-inning home run to help his team in its 4-3 win over the TCU Horned Frogs Tuesday night at Olsen.

Celebrate the MSC,

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In the No. 17 Texas A&M baseball team’s game versus No. 18 Texas Christian, the extra inning heroics of junior designated hitter Joe Patterson gave the Aggies a 4-3 win. Tied 3-3 with runners on first and second base and two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, Patterson was going to the plate batting 0-for-4 in the game. A&M Head Coach Rob Childress said he told Patterson to just get a hit; it was time to go home. “I had to call time and take a deep breath,” Patterson said. “I was just thinking ‘Alright, I’ve got to get Luke in here because we need to go home. I’ve got a test tonight.’” TCU freshman reliever Kaleb Merck left a fastball in the strike zone and Patterson knocked a single up the middle to score senior first baseman Luke Anders from second base, giving the Aggies a walk-off win. “He gave me a good a pitch to hit and I just tried to get a base hit,” Patterson said. “That was a great feeling, to get that win.” A&M improved to 29-15 overall and will move up the Ratings Percentage Index rankings due to TCU’s No. 10 national ranking in RPI going into the game. The Aggies are 8-1 since beating Rice on April 14. During that stretch, A&M is batting .344 and has a 2.81 team ERA. The Aggies took their first lead in the third inning when freshman shortstop Adam Smith hit a solo home run that cleared the score board in left field. In the fourth inning, Horned Frogs freshman starter Kyle Winkler was pinned with a second A&M run when TCU sophomore reliever Trent Appleby forced sophomore catcher Kevin

Gonzalez into a ground out to short, scoring Anders from third base and giving the Aggies a 2-0 lead. The Aggies started junior Clayton Ehlert on the mound. Going into the game, Ehlert had a 6.41 ERA and an opponent batting average of .330. Despite giving up eight base runners in the first four innings, Ehlert did not allow a run. That changed in the fifth inning when Ehlert gave up three runs to the Horned Frogs after facing six batters. Ehlert was then pulled from the game with a TCU runner on base with two outs. Senior reliever Kyle Thebeau went in and ended the inning with a strikeout but not before the Horned Frogs took a 3-2 lead. Thebeau pitched three more innings, shutting out the TCU while giving up two hits and one walk. “He was the best pitcher out here tonight on both teams,” Childress said. “He was dominant. It makes you feel good going into the weekend.” After getting TCU out of the fourth inning, Appleby kept A&M at bay for the next three innings. Appleby had not given up a home run in 36 innings of work this season, but in the eighth inning, Anders pulled a pitch to right field, sending it over the wall to tie the game at 3-3. Sophomore closer Nick Fleece was sent to the mound to start the ninth inning. Despite giving up a double in the ninth inning and a walk in the 10th inning, he did not give up a run to keep the Aggies in it, allowing Patterson to be the hero and end the game. A&M begins a three-game nonconference series against Dallas Baptist on Thursday. The Aggies have played the Patriots in a late-season series in each of Childress’ three seasons and are 6-2 against them in that span.

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voices

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.

thebattalion 4.29.2009 page7

A cradle full of arrows

Gail Hernandez — THE BATTALION

A patriarchal religious group plans to procreate its way to dominance

Kat Drinkwater

On TV, QuiverFull is all smiles and babies, but behind closed doors lies a disturbing truth.

uiverFull sounds like the name of a training regimen for Robin Hood. Far from it, it is instead a fundamentalist

Christian movement that is active and growing today. The name comes from some verses out of Psalms, in the Old Testament of the Bible: “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.” (Psalm 127:3-5, NIV) From these verses, the trouble begins. Followers of QuiverFull equate all forms of birth control with abortion. According to

MAILCALL GUESTCOLUMNS

the movement’s publications, they trust in God to determine their family size and accept every child He chooses to give them as an unconditional blessing. As you might expect, this quickly leads to large families — sometimes very large. The group operates a Web site to provide support and resources to QuiverFull families, including a handy due-date calculator on the sidebar of every page. (No joke. QuiverFull means never having to say you’re kidding.) Many of you are probably familiar with some of the more prominent QuiverFull families, like the Duggars of TLC fame. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar welcomed their 18th child this past December and, given their birthrate for the past 20 years, probably already have another on the way. As seen on the show, the Duggars are a successful, loving family full of bright, happy children; they are the poster family of QuiverFull. Other families do not paint such a pleasing picture of the movement: Vyckie Garrison, a former QuiverFull mom who left the movement, has become the leader of a small countermovement called “No Longer Quivering” for women who escape the lifestyle of QuiverFull. She tells her story of a family which sometimes did not have enough money for food and clothes and a husband who couldn’t be the leader he was “called” to be, but demanded her submission nonetheless. Because QuiverFull is closely associated with the Patriarchy movement, women are typically not allowed to work outside the

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sacrifices she was making weren’t worth it to her children, or to her. Followers of QuiverFull take their Biblical mandate to reproduce and take back the Earth seriously. They make their progeny their mission, indoctrinating them with the beliefs of the movement from birth so they have little choice but to grow up and multiply. In a democratic society, governed by the vote, numbers are strength. Although they generally choose to withdraw from pagan society, they embrace politics and vote so that, by simply outnumbering the opposition, they can put leaders who represent their values in place. At no time in the foreseeable future will QuiverFull be able to either deceive or strong arm their way into enough political seats to enact the policies they want. Still, it’s important that citizens, especially other Christians, be aware of the influence that the QuiverFull and Patriarchy movements have on our country. We must stay educated about extremists and not be caught off guard, like so many people were by the exposure of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints this time last year. Otherwise, we may look back and realize that some of the greatest oppression of our time took place against house wives with adorable children who we watched on TV.

Kat Drinkwater is a junior University StudiesHonors: psychology and neuroscience major.

For Aggie Spirit, old school is good bull

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home. They are also required to submit to their husbands in every regard, leaving decisions and family leadership to him. This places all the responsibility of sheltering and feeding the rapidly multiplying mouths on the husband. Jim Bob Duggar is, arguably, a marketing genius; everything he touches turns to gold. He is a charismatic, strong, dependable father figure who can handle the responsibilities of 18 children. Those traits are not universal to men any more than humility, chastity and a fine singing voice are constants among women. As a result, many QuiverFull families, including Garrison’s, suffer under the faltering leadership and failing financial support of a man who just can’t handle it, but knows that to admit as much would be forsaking his religion. Besides the daily stresses of raising large families, QuiverFull women often face serious health risks. Garrison was plagued by difficulties in each of her seven pregnancies, and nearly died in more than one of them. But to prevent future pregnancies would have been heresy. Even women who have smooth pregnancies will eventually begin having complications — things just don’t work as well as they used to the 18th time around. It was a suicide attempt by her oldest daughter that brought Garrison to her senses and led to her leaving the movement. For her daughter, the stresses of unhappy parents and the considerable responsibilities of helping her mother care for her younger siblings had become too much. Garrison realized that the

Steve Humeniuk

Hazing’s reputation today doesn’t take into account how effective it was in the past; it’s time we take a second look at Old Army.

ately, the integrity of some long standing traditions of this University has been questioned, and I think it’s simply not fair that we have allowed school spirit to fall to this point. In the past, tradition meant more than paying homage through procedure. It meant building identity through intimidation of other schools at football games and school spirit by unifying the student body. Aggies used to comply with tradition simply because they had to.

Junior and senior privileges were ones of power — giving upperclassmen the opportunity to affectionately pass on traditions to the “fish” through intimidation, fear and unscrupulous beatings with an axe handle. If the student body is serious about preserving tradition, we must go back to what worked in the past. My proposition is to bring full-fledged hazing back to the Texas A&M student body. Haze everyone and take no prisoners. The Corps sophomores make freshmen do push-ups and bear crawls all over the Quad and campus, but they get away with it because they call it “calisthenics.” Well, I have seen some out of shape Aggies around here, so implementing a campus-wide policy of ‘calisthenics’ might be an optimal solution. We will let the lawyers handle the aftermath. In the interim, all twopercenters should pay with flesh. Today calling me a two-percenter is the equivalent of calling me a carton of milk. It won’t hurt my feelings, nor will it entice me to change my behavior. In the past, it meant calling someone a rebel who would

eventually pay for transgressions with pain. If leaving football games early meant getting pelted with raw eggs on the way out of Kyle Field, students would reconsider leaving early no matter what the score might be. Back when hazing was pure and unadulterated, it was just khaki-clad Cadets drinking the Kool-Aid of spirit. One day, we decided that in order to enroll at this University, you no longer had to commit yourself to dressing up and playing army full-time. Then one day we also let women in, and somewhere in the middle of all of this, tradition sifted and changed. I suppose it became improper for a cadet to discipline a non-reg, and men hitting women from behind with a boat oar probably stopped being kosher also. If we’re going to bring this University back to an apex of campuswide participation in tradition, and hazing is going to be our vehicle to get there, we’re going to have to put these trivial concerns aside. First, the Corps is going to have to let the rest of us in on a little bit of their lingo. It’s not fair for everyone else to play the game when only they

know the rules. If I’m going to do 110 push-ups for saying piss, elephant, dead, crouching tiger or whatever other phrases they have made up, I want to know why. Secondly, Fish Camp has to be mandatory for all students. I didn’t go, so at my very first football game it seemed as though I had joined a cult of maroon people who didn’t like the idea of me whooping after every play. Before fish are subjected to poundings and public acts of ridicule, someone ought to properly educate them as to what is expected of all Aggies. Third, we have to keep our hazing in perspective. It is never okay to blindfold fish and play, “Guess what’s in your mouth.” That’s abusing the privilege, but it is okay to hit them repeatedly for pulling out at inappropriate times, or at least it used to be, and that’s what tradition is all about anyway; keeping things the way they used to be. Alright, that settles it; we’re preserving the tradition starting now. If you’ll excuse me, I think I just saw a freshman walk on the MSC grass.

Steve Humeniuk is a junior political science major.

4/28/09 9:38:55 PM

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Classifieds continued from page 6

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news

page 8

thebattalion

wednesday 4.29.2009

Discussion Continued from page 1

Monckton’s presentation with opinions about global warming and came out with a different view. “I’ve had my doubts about global warming before coming in here,” said Philip Pierce, a freshman radiological health engineering major, “but since going here, some of the things that I thought were happening still aren’t. I think instead of outright refuting and saying what to believe and what not to believe, he is trying to give us the information and ask the right questions so you can decide yourself instead of going off of what the next person says.” Monckton also revealed that he challenged Gore to an open debate on global warming in a location of his choice. He said Gore has not accepted his challenge and has not responded to Monckton. “It was amazing how knowledgeable he is,” Saldana said. “It’s weird because before this, I was like, ‘I really do believe in climate change,’ and then here, it makes you really question.”

Jon Eilts — THE BATTALION

A students speaks Tuesday in Rudder Theater at an event sponsored by the Young Conservatives of Texas and The Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow.

“I’ve had my doubts about global warming before coming in here.” — Philip Pierce, a freshman radiological health engineering major

art exhibition

rudder exhibit hall may 4 - 9, 8am - 5pm

May 15-June 2

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4/28/09 11:34:21 PM