thebattalion the ● wednesday wednesday,,
april 29, 2009
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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
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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
4/28/09 11:36:17 PM