June, 1st , The Battalion by The Battalion

thebattalion ● monday,

june 1, 2009

● serving

texas a&m since 1893

Dan Miller —University of Toledo (Ohio)

Texas A&M men’s golf team members Andrea Pavan, Conrad Shindler, Matt Van Zandt, John Hurley and Bronson Burgoon huddle around the national championship trophy Saturday in Toledo, Ohio.

National champs! Men’s golf brings home first national team title since 1987 By Brett Sebastian | The Battalion

he Texas A&M men’s golf team completed its run to the national championship in dramatic fashion Saturday at Inverness Golf Club in Toledo, Ohio. Senior Bronson Burgoon, A&M’s No. 1 player, had lost four straight holes in match play to Arkansas’ Andrew Landry to make the final hole all square. Landry hit his drive down the middle of the par 4 and Burgoon hit the right rough. Landry’s second shot hit the edge of the green and Burgoon’s almost went in on an ace before finishing inches from the hole. Landry pulled his putt to the right in a shot that would have forced sudden death overtime. Burgoon then completed the weekend by scoring a birdie to win the final hole and give the Aggies their first national title in golf. “After it started rolling I was like please go in,” Bur-

goon said. “I was struggling the last four holes. I put more pressure on myself than I should have. The last hole something happened for me and seemed to click.” The championship is A&M’s first team title since 1987, when softball took home the crown. “A lot goes through my mind,” said Head Coach JT Higgins. “It’s been a long road. When we started here eight years ago we were a long way from being national champs. It was a long process to get great players like Bronson, John, Andrea, Conrad and Matt. Just putting together a team that has a chance to compete. I was really just happy for the kids. I love them, they’re like my own.” A&M’s No. 2 player, junior Andrea Pavan, downed David Lingmerth 7 and 6 while No. 3 sophomore John Hurley defeated Ethan Tracy 6 and 4. Combined with

Oct. 26, 1989 — May 14, 2009 Serena Swanland

Student dies in car accident Friends remember sophomore as kind, adventurous Angel Hadnott The Battalion Serena Swanland, 19-yearold sophomore chemical engineering major, was killed in a vehicle collision May 14. While traveling southbound on U.S. 190 near Hearne, Swanland lost control and skidded into oncoming traffic, according to the Department of Public Safety. Swanland was not wearing her seatbelt, according to the DPS. The cause of the accident remains under investigation. Swanland had aspirations of becoming a doctor, but was also exploring other career opportunities, friends said. Swanland worked as a photographer for The Battalion from October 2007 to April 2008. She loved taking pictures and was excited about working for The Battalion, said friend

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Jace Taylor. “Serena loved candid photos. If you weren’t ready for a Facebook photo, and she took one, ‘oh well,’” Taylor said. “She was so happy when she found a job on campus doing what she loved.” Swanland served as a Fish Camp counselor, and participated in Sophomores Advancing in Leadership, or SAIL. She was a licensed scuba diver, and eager for adventure, said friend Anna Lewis. Swanland attended Kadena High School in Japan. She participated in tennis tournaments there and was one of 175 people to graduate from Kadena High School. “She loved sports and working out,” said junior agricultural leadership and development See Swanland on page 4

Burgoon they accounted for three Aggie wins. Arkansas Razorbacks Jason Cuthbertson and Jaime Marshall defeated senior Matt Van Zandt and sophomore Conrad Shindler respectively for their two wins. With the Aggies and Razorbacks tied 2-2, it seemed A&M was poised to cruise to a title; Burgoon was 4-up through 13 holes. Then Landry began playing nearly perfect golf while Burgoon could only find trouble. “I’m just really pumped up how it came down to the final hole,” Landry said. “I just knew I had to dig down a little bit to come back. I felt I could get this whole match back to square and I did. He just hit a great shot and there is nothing I can do about that.” Though Burgoon hit a bunker and bogeyed on the See Golf on page 6

May 4, 1987 — May 23, 2009 Jon Urbanosky

Serena Swanland

Jon Urbanosky

Serena was involved in Fish Camp, SAIL (Sophomores Advancing in Leadership) and worked for The Battalion as a photographer. She graduated from high school in Japan and attended Texas A&M as a chemical engineering major. Friends remember her as kind, patient and outgoing.

Jon was a second platoon leader in the Corps of Cadets, B-Company, and was trumpeter in the Aggie Band. He also played intramural sports within the Corps. He graduated from Somerville High School and attended A&M as an agricultural leadership and development major. Friends remember John for his generosity and determination.

Go to

thebatt.com

to view a slideshow of photos by Serena.

to view more photos of Jon.

Crash kills Corps member Aggie Band trumpeter selfless, dependable, friends say Meagan O’Toole-Pitts The Battalion Class of 2009 Aggie Band trumpeter Jonathan “Jon” Louis Urbanosky was killed May 23 in a car accident on County Road 162, near Private Road 57. Urbanosky lost control of the vehicle after the front left tire slipped into a ditch, said Trooper Jason Adams. He was not wearing a seatbelt. Alcohol has not been ruled out as a factor in the accident. Urbanosky was a member of the Corps of Cadets, B-Company, and entering his final semester of Agricultural Leadership and Development. “He accomplished so much during his short time here,” said Urbanosky’s cousin Mary Dubois. “He made everyone in the family very proud with all of his accomplishments.” He had played the trumpet

since grade school, said Urbanosky’s cousin Keith Howe, Class of 2005, and excelled at it. “That was just the type of person Jonathan was; when he started something he may not have been the best but with time he sure would be,” said Howe. “He would work harder then anybody else I know.” He was a much-revered trumpeter in Aggieland, said Howe. “Locally, a lot of people knew him because for memorial day and other events he would go to the ceremonies,” said Howe. “And, he would play taps for the fallen soldiers from our area; he did that quite often.” In addition to his musical inclination, Urbanosky had a knack for all athletics, said See Urbanosky on page 4

6/1/09 12:46 AM

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Passports required to cross U.S. borders BLAINE, Wash. — New rules requiring passports or new high-tech documents to cross the United States’ northern and southern borders are taking effect Monday, as some rue the tightening of security and others hail it as long overdue. The rules are being implemented nearly eight years after the Sept. 11 attacks and long after the 9/11 Commission recommended the changes. They were delayed by complaints from state officials who worried the restrictions would hinder the flow of people and commerce and affect border towns dependent on international crossings. In 2001 a driver’s license and an oral declaration of citizenship were enough to cross the Canadian and Mexican borders; Monday’s changes are the last step in a gradual ratcheting up of the rules. Now thousands of Americans are preparing by

applying for passports or obtaining special driver’s licenses that can also be used to cross the border. “It’s sad,” said Steve Saltzman, a 60-yearold dual Canadian-American citizen, as he entered the U.S. at the Peace Arch crossing in Blaine, Wash., on Thursday. “This was the longest undefended border in the world. Now all of the sudden it is defended, and not nearly as friendly.” Near the border crossing, local Blaine resident Mike Williams disagreed. “This concept was past due,” said Williams. “Because it’s not a safe world and it’s becoming more dangerous all the time.” In one Texas border community, long lines were reported at a local courthouse as people rushed to apply for the required documents. But it remains to be seen if the new requirement will cause traffic backups

ASSOCIATED PRESS

at points of entry and headaches for people unaware of the looming change. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say they’re confident the transition will be smooth. Associated Press

thebattalion THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE OF TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893

Kalee Bumguardner, Editor in Chief Mattie Williamson, Managing Editor Meagan O’Toole-Pitts, City Editor Jill Beathard, Lifestyles Editor Brett Sebastian, Sports Editor

Jason Staggs, Opinion Editor Karen Cruickshanks, Graphics Editor Christine Soriaga, Chief Photographer

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 979-8450569. 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 979845-2613.

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6/1/09 12:41 AM

sports

The season isn’t over yet Texas A&M baseball players will play summer baseball for the Brazos Valley Bombers of the Texas Collegiate League. Coming Wednesday

thebattalion

6.1.2009 page3

Track team wins regional Automatic qualifiers Women Ashika Charan -L Jump, T. Jump Yasmine Regis -Triple Jump Laura Asimakis -Javelin Emalie Humphreys -Javelin Khrystal Carter -4x100 Gabby Mayo -4x100, 100H, 100 Jessica Beard -400

Men Julian Reid -Long Jump Tyron Steward -Long Jump Trinity Otto -Decathlon Tran Howell -4x100, 4x400 Gerald Phiri -4x100, 100, 200 Chris Dykes -4x100, 200 Justin Oliver -4x100, 400, 4x400 De’Lon Isom -100H Bryan Miller -400, 4x400 Zuheir Sharif -Triple Jump Kyle Dykhuizen -4x400

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Patrick Hayslip The Battalion The Texas A&M track team defended both of its team titles by winning the Midwest Regional meet at Oklahoma in Norman Saturday. This is the third consecutive regional title for the No. 2 ranked women and the second for the No. 2 ranked men. The men scored 98 team points while outlasting Big 12 champion Nebraska that came in second with 84.25 points. For the women, 96 points was more than enough to put them ahead of second place Texas Tech, with 61 points. “I think as a team we talked about trying to win this meet,” said A&M Head Coach Pat Henry to Aggieathletics.com. “We felt like we had the people to do that. When you get to this meet in the postseason there is a little bit more quality to compete against. If you do what you are capable of here, then you have an opportunity to win the track meet.” Up next for the Aggies are the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., from June 10-13. They qualified 22 athletes in 17 events, including both 4x100 relays and the men’s 4x400 relay. One of the members of the men’s first place 4x400 relay, sophomore Gerald Phiri, won three sprint victories, which he has achieved twice at the Big 12 Championships. Other victories include senior Yasmine Regis in the triple jump, sophomore Jessica Beard in the 400 meter, and junior Porscha Lucas in the 200 meter. In the triple jump, the Aggie men scored 21 points with a 2-3-4-7 finish including a second place finish by sophomore Julian Reid, third place by sophomore Tyron Stewart, fourth place by junior Zuheir Sharif and seventh place by sophomore Melvin Echard. Read more about track at www.thebatt.com

Willis Knight — Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Pitcher Alex Wilson attempts to throw a pick off to Luke Anders against Oregon State Friday in Fort Worth.

Baseball Ousted Oregon State eliminates A&M at regional Brad Cox The Battalion FORT WORTH – Texas A&M’s roller coaster season derailed Sunday in game five of the Fort Worth Regional. Oregon State shelled the Aggies’ pitching staff in an elimination game of the NCAA Tournament, winning 13-5 and sending A&M back to College Station without a regional title. “My disappointment is for them and not in them,” A&M Head Coach Rob Childress said. “We didn’t reach any goal that we set out to accomplish, but what you’re going to remember is the journey, not the destination.” After starting ranked No. 1 by Baseball America, the Aggies finished the season with

a 37-24 record and were eliminated from a regional for the first time in six years. A&M did not qualify for the postseason in 2005 and 2006. The Beavers used a six-run first inning to take control of the game. The Aggies’ offense struggles to figure out the 2007 College World Series MVP as Reyes pitched a complete game, giving up 10 hits and five runs, three of them earned, and striking out six. OSU scored runs in all but two innings. After giving up the home run in the second inning, freshman southpaw Estevan Uriegas was sent in to relieve Ehlert. Uriegas pitched one inning, giving up two hits and one run. The Aggies picked up two runs each

in the eighth and ninth, but it was too little too late. “It’s disappointing,” said Brodie Greene, who went 2-for-5 and scored a run. “Not making it the last three years, to Omaha, it makes that hunger and desire to get that goal.” A&M advanced to game five of the tournament by beating No. 4-seeded Wright State 6-4 in extra innings of an elimination game Saturday. The Aggies were sent to the loser’s bracket on the first day of the regional by Oregon State after a 9-8 loss.

Read more about the game at www.thebatt.com

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River views, granite countertops, stainlesssteel appliances, 9-foot ceilings. This is student housing? When classes start this fall — if all goes as planned — more than 300 students at Johnson & Wales University will be living in Capitol Cove, an upscale condominium project that had been languishing on the market for more than six months. “It’s a great Band-Aid,” said Irving Schneider, president of Johnson & Wales’s Providence campus, which just signed a three-year lease for the Capitol Cove development. “This arrangement was good for the developer as well as Johnson & Wales.” Some universities around the country have found a silver lining to the real estate recession that has left condominium developers in the lurch. For less time and money than it would take to build a residence hall, universities in places like New York City and Ohio are buying or leasing entire condo projects. And they are also eyeing vacant lots once targeted for high-end condos for use as retail and parking. “This is a bonanza of an opportunity ... for universities to acquire the space they desperately need,” said Dan Fasulo, managing director of Real Capital Analytics. For developers, such deals save their projects from being total washouts. The arrangements offer builders an exit strategy from flagging projects, allowing them to unload dozens of unsold units to a single buyer rather than piecemeal. “They can’t sell them, they can’t mothball them, they can’t bulldoze them,” said Jack McCabe, a Florida-based real estate analyst. “Developers right now are looking for every way not to lose their projects into foreclosure.” Sales of condos in April were down 9 percent from year-ago levels and are off 46 percent from the frenzied peak in June 2005, the National Association of Realtors said this week. At the current, sluggish sales pace there is more than a year’s supply of units on the market.

Urbanosky

Swanland

Continued from page 1

Howe. “He was very involved in intramural sports within the Corps,” said Howe. “He always played sports in high school and growing up. He was very active. He played basketball, baseball and football.” Urbanosky was born May 4, 1987, in Caldwell. In 2005, he graduated with honors from Somerville High School. He was very adventurous and hands-on, said Howe. “He was a constant outdoorsman: fishing, hunting, playing golf. He just liked to be outside. He would take things apart even if he didn’t know how to put them back together; he’d find a way.” As second platoon leader in the Corps of Cadets, Urbanosky was in charge of 30 to 40 people. “He trained them and made sure their grades were where they needed to be,” said junior communication major Elliot Stump. However, he also knew how to cut loose, said Stump. “He was an amazing dancer. He just loved going to the Hall or to Daisy Dukes and dance all night,” said Stump. “He’s the only guy I would let dance with my girlfriend, because he’s the kind of guy I could trust.” Urbanosky had aspirations of working for the USDA. “He expressed a lot of interest in that and was pretty excited when he found out a neigh-

major Cory Fortner. In 2004, Swanland began assisting Stripes, an editorially independent daily newspaper for the U.S. military community, with coverage of Far East tennis tournaments. Swanland was more than meets the eye, said friend Anna Lewis. “Serena was kind. She was there for me when I needed her,” Lewis said. “She was patient, outgoing and always eager to try new things.” She made an impact on all those who met her, Taylor said. “I am so blessed to have been a part of Serena’s life and that she was a part of mine,” Taylor said.

Courtesy photo

bor might be able to help place him within the USDA,” said Howe. Well-rounded and dependable, he was a forth-giving friend, said senior environmental studies major Dalton Esparza. “The most selfless person I ever met,” said Esparza. “He would do anything for anyone.” The Corps of Cadets will always remember his generosity and determination, said Urbanosky’s Commanding Officer, senior communication and sociology major Danny Hernandez. “We were in the same company for 4 years. We worked especially close together this year, but it was more than just work. When we started out freshman year, there was 22 of us, they said to us ‘you’re going to marry each other and bury each other,’” said Hernandez. “This was a testament to all of us how close we were; Jon touched all of our lives.”

Swanland and Urbanosky will be honored at Silver Taps at 10:30 p.m. Sept. 1. Silver Taps takes place on the ﬁrst Tuesday of every month during fall and spring semesters to honor Aggies who have died in the previous month.

O’Brien ushers in new era of ‘Tonight’ on Monday Conan O’Brien wants viewers to think of his “Tonight Show” debut Monday as the introductory course to a new late-night era. “I’m not going to cure cancer on the first show, and I’m not going to jump Snake River Canyon. I’m not going to levitate. Sometimes people forget this is the first show of what I hope will be many, many, many shows,” O’Brien O’Brien said. Besides, he said, viewers accustomed to Jay Leno as host for 17 years, and those who watched Johnny Carson holding court for 30 years before that, need time to warm up to a new guy. That would be the lanky fellow, formerly of New York, who sports a red pompadour and intriguingly off-kilter comic sensibility. “My hope is that people will watch the first night and say, ‘Hey, there was some fun stuff in there and he cleans up

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Silver Taps

nice. I might try him tomorrow night,’” O’Brien said. He’s far from unprepared. There was a five-year waiting period to claim ownership of “Tonight” after NBC announced the plum job would go to O’Brien, and he’s ready for his transition from the 12:30 a.m. “Late Night” to the 11:30 p.m. “Tonight.” Every “Tonight” host, from the original, Steve Allen, to Jack Paar to Carson to Leno, made NBC’s valuable latenight franchise his own. But O’Brien knows he faces 21stcentury challenges, with audience attention splintered by many choices. “You accept that times are changing, but everyone’s graded on the time they live in. People are always trying to invent a video game where Muhammad Ali can fight Mike Tyson, but they’re completely different people at different times. I believe my job is to figure out what does the ‘Tonight Show’ mean in this new world we live in.” Associated Press

6/1/09 12:17 AM

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

GUESTCOLUMN

6.1.2009 page5

I’m listening, all summer long

Take time to develop friendships

June 1, 2009 Sayer Houseal

Working on relationships yields more than focusing on differences.

wanted this message passed as a testament to the bonds that can build between buddies and classes. On Freshmen Orientation Week Sunday my fish year, I fell out on the wall for the first time with my mohawk and my cocky attitude. I remember very clearly the words that my C.O. told me, which I passed on to your kids. He said “The most important thing in the Corps is your buddies. They will marry you and bury you.” Those words kept me running for four years and guided the majority of my decisions. This week I had the opportunity to understand the literal meaning of those words. Two weeks ago, I sat in Bryan with my buddies to see the first of my buds get married. It was a wonderful ceremony and I was glad to see everyone before we went our separate ways. I am very proud to have been a part of his wedding, plus I got to model off my black suit that had been sitting in mothballs for the last year. Later the next week, I wore that suit again and put on a black tie for a funeral, after receiving a call that one of my senior Corps buddies was killed in a car wreck at the same time the wedding was going on. I don’t know if there has ever been a more appropriate time to hear “marry you and bury you,”than on the same night. I am not writing this for sympathy or pity, but I urge all Corps members to spend as much time as you can with your buddies while you have the chance. You will not always get along, and you will rarely tell each other how you feel, but you can learn an amazing amount by working closely with all of your buddies instead of a select few. Above all else, the bond with my buds has been the most meaningful and will be the most tangible lesson I have learned from the Corps. I hope you get the opportunity to look past differences and get to know people regardless of their views or their work ethic. All the little catfights disappear when you walk Final Review. Sayer Houseal is a senior construction science major.

Texas A&M University Student Body Aggieland, Texas 77840 My fellow Aggies: Howdy! My name is Jason Staggs, and I am a senior pre-law history major from Evadale, Texas. But, more importantly, I am the loudest, proudest member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 2010. A-Whoop! This summer, I will have the pleasure and responsibility of serving the student body as Voices editor at The Battalion. In my application and interview for this job, I suggested that the name of this page be changed back to opinion, since that is the trade we are in, and this business about voices wasn’t fooling anyone. I will talk more about the opinion side of things later, but for now I think it is important to share what I have come to realize since being hired: this paper is the voice of the student body. The reason we exist is to serve students by providing news and commentary on issues and topics important to you, whoever you are, wherever you are from, whatever you think about whatever we are writing about. Even before being hired, I sensed that students’ voices cannot be spoken most accurately by regular, paid columnists. Columnists’ willingness to commit to filling at least one slot on a blank page every week is essential to the functioning of this page, of course, and the time they commit to researching and developing their arguments is and always will be laudable. Their contributions to this paper inform and excite thousands of you every week, but something even more…I hesitate to say ‘democratic’…is needed, if we are to go on claiming to be the ‘voices’ page. That is why my most intensely worked-upon goal over the course of this summer is going to be to encourage students to submit guest columns and mail call. If some issue strikes you as urgent and in dire need of a voice, be that voice. You don’t have to be in the paid opinion stable to have your voice heard. The way for this page to be more representative of Aggieland’s students is by playing host to more opinions from more people. Over the course of the past semester, my predecessor Kenny Ryan, co-worker Kat Drinkwater and I strove to place as many student voices on the page as we responsibly could, and I intend to build on what we learned and make it into something even better. In the spring we received several submissions every week for guest columns, and after we took down online comments the number of mail calls spiked. This allowed us to put more of you on your voices page. To continue this and expand on it, we will need more submissions. There is a caveat: I will not publish anything that I would be ashamed to submit to a professor for a grade, whether it is written by a paid columnist or by any other student. So, I challenge my fellow Aggies to submit your thoughtful and cleanly articulated comments on the issues confronting us. Furthermore, as I mentioned above, there are still regular opinion matters to be taken care of. I am pleased to say that Tracey Wallace, Steve Humeniuk and Kat Drinkwater are here to stay for the summer, and you will be hearing from them regularly. Christen Beck and Ian McPhail will be contributing as the opportunity arises. So, never fear, the old faithfuls are still alive and will be kicking all summer long. As the countdown clock in the Memorial Student Center draws closer to zero and students are parceled off to different corners around campus, we will all be responsible for staying as engaged with people outside our comfort zone as ever. For the sake of future Aggies, some of whom might never be able to share our physical living room, we owe it to each other to continue the discussions important to all of us. It was an eye-opening experience to learn that I would be confronting a blank page, one-sixth of the daily paper, almost every day for the next two months. With your help, I hope to use this opportunity to bring out the best in my fellow students’ opinions, to show everyone that here in College Station we think rationally, feel passionately and argue responsibly. Sincerely,

Jason Staggs ‘10 The Battalion 1111 TAMU The Grove Aggieland, Texas 77840

Vick deserves a second chance

Ian McPhail

In comparison to other professional players, Vick’s infractions merit reconsideration of his ban from the NFL.

wo weeks ago, former NFL quarterback Michael Vick was released from prison and placed under house arrest. After spending 18 months in federal custody for his involvement in a brutal dog-fighting ring, Vick wants to return to his multi-million dollar career as a Pro-Bowl caliber football player. As heinous as this athlete’s crimes against animals were, America is a land of second chances. If Vick shows an appropriate amount of remorse for his crimes, the NFL and its fans should allow him to resume his career. When Vick’s guilt seemed assured two years ago, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended the star athlete indefinitely. Goodell has

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suspended many marquee players for various infractions with the law in an effort to clean up the league’s image. These suspensions usually apply to millionaire athletes like running back Marshawn Lynch, whose numerous infractions for illegal weapons and a hit and run can not be seriously punished by a court fine. While this effort to prevent star athletes from being above the law is a noble endeavor, a year and a half in federal prison is hardly a slap on the wrist. If reinstated for the upcoming season, it would be unrealistic to expect Vick to perform at the same level he did before prison. The sentence served to derail his promising career by preventing participation in two years of workouts and practices necessary to compete at an NFL level. There is no guarantee that Vick will ever be the franchise quarterback he was before he unraveled his career by getting involved with dog fighting. Vick has already been punished appropriately for his crimes, there is no need for the NFL to send a message by continuing a sentence after prison. Although Vick’s cruel treatment of animals is despicable, it can not compare to taking a human life. Multiple Pro-Bowl winning linebacker Ray Lewis’ questionable involvement in a 2000 Super Bowl stabbing neither earned a suspension nor caused a

public outcry. Lewis continued his career with merely a $250,000 fine from the league. Furthermore, the league and public was not as shocked by wide receiver Donte Stallworth’s D.W.I. accident that caused the death of an elderly man, as by Vick’s crimes. Sadly, it would appear that fans have become more concerned with the murder of pets than of people. As terrible as Vick’s crimes were, he deserves to attempt to rehabilitate and rebuild his life. Already the former quarterback has met with the U.S. Humane Society in an effort to be a part of the campaign against dog fighting. Undoubtedly much of the money earned from re-entering NFL will be donated by Vick to various animal rights associations to make amends. Americans and the NFL should be willing to give Vick the opportunity to change his ways and continue his life, in the same way they have forgiven the crimes of other players. Vick’s suspension should be lifted by Goodell and football fans should tolerate his presence on the field as long as the superstar shows proper remorse.

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 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 1111 TAMU, 032 MSC, College Station, TX 77843 (979) 845-3315 | mailcall@thebatt.com

EDITORIALBOARD The Battalion’s editorial opinion is determined by its Board of Opinion, with the editor-in-chief having final responsibility. Editor-in-Chief Kalee Bumguardner editor@thebatt.com Managing Editor Mattie Williamson battcopy@thebatt.com

Ian McPhail is a sophomore history major.

Opinion Editor Jason Staggs opinion@thebatt.com

6/1/09 12:10 AM

news

page 6 monday 6.1.2009

thebattalion

Courtesy photos

Conrad Shindler and Bronson Burgoon congratulate each other on a historic win at the NCAA national championship.

Golf

said that he wanted to be on the 18th hole with a chance to win the national championship. “He dominated his matches and played great golf all week,” Higgins said. “That’s all I said to him on 18. I wouldn’t rather have anybody else playing this hole than you right now even after losing four straight. I knew he was a clutch performer. I knew he’d come through and he did. I’m so proud of him.” The Aggies started the tournament ranked No. 12 and reached as high as No. 3 after a historic 8-under-par day on Wednesday to practically lock up a spot in the eight-team playoff. From there A&M downed No. 2 Arizona State and No. 6 Michigan to earn a spot against No. 4 Arkansas in the championship match. Arkansas had beat No. 5 Washington and No. 8 Georgia. “This is great,” Burgoon said. “To finish off my senior year with a national championship is incredible. I couldn’t be happier.”

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14th, Landry made par. On the 15th, Burgoon had trouble with the rough and Landry parred to cut the lead to 2-up. Burgoon bogeyed after missing a par putt on the 16th and Landry parred again. On the 17th, Burgoon again missed the par putt while Landry made his, thus forcing the winning showdown on the 18th hole. “I couldn’t have drawn it up any better,” Burgoon said. “I love the team. They battled their butts off all day and I just tried bringing it up. That was the hardest thing when it was slipping away. I was more discouraged for the guys on the team than for myself.” Despite the slip over the four holes before 18, Coach Higgins knew he had the right player there at the right time. The week before, Burgoon had

Kennedy, Athletics down Rangers Adam Kennedy knew his long-ball opportunities would be limited against Texas Rangers closer Frank Francisco. With a fastball in the mid-to-high 90s and an effective off-speed pitch, Francisco hadn’t allowed a run all season. Kennedy won the battle, breaking a 4-all tie with a oneout homer in the ninth for his third career multi-homer game, and the Oakland Athletics ended a four-game skid with a 5-4 victory over the AL West-leading Rangers on Sunday. Kennedy ripped a 1-0 fastball off Francisco (1-1) into the right field seats, ending a streak of 28 appearances without

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ryan Sweeney makes a catch against the wall in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday.

having yielded an earned run. Francisco had 17 2-3 scoreless innings in his first 17 games this season, the most in the majors without giving up a run. “Off a closer, you’re not going to get a whole lot of chances or a whole lot of good pitches to hit,” Kennedy said. “When you get one, you want to put a good swing on it.” Francisco didn’t show up in the clubhouse for an extended period after the game. When he finally arrived, he said he wasn’t upset or ducking reporters but was just going through his usual post-game routine. Associated Press

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