The Battalion: June 16, 2009 by The Battalion

thebattalion ● tuesday,

june 16, 2009

● serving

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Regents name interim president Murano named President Emerita, will return to faculty after one-year leave Meagan O’Toole-Pitts The Battalion The Board of Regents named Elsa Murano President Emerita upon her resignation Monday, and appointed Texas A&M University-Galveston Vice President and Chief Executive Officer R. Bowen Loftin interim president. Murano will rejoin the faculty in the College for Agriculture and Life Sciences after a one-year leave. “Over the course of her distinguished career, Dr. Murano has served this University with distinction and has lived the Aggie core values of excellence, integrity, selfless service, leadership, loyalty and respect,” said Board of Regents Chairman Morris E. Foster. “We look forward to her continued service to the University, its fac-

TTI leads road safety campaign ■ A&M agency seeks approval for new road marking standards by end of June Christen Beck The Battalion The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), a branch in the Texas A&M University system chain, is working to gain ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) approval for new wet-weather road marking standards this month. TTI researcher Paul Carlson said that the second revision of their research is currently under balloting, and the board will meet in late June to review the ballots and address negative votes. “As a result of that research, we came up with ideas on how to do it better,” Carlson said. ASTM improved existing test methods by continually spraying water on test markings and recording the results, Carlson said. The research methodology involved three ingredients: common sense, world-class research facilities and a strong group of researchers, Carlson said. The newer test method better represents a typical heavy rainfall and is more repeatable than previous testing techniques. TTI’s research on the retroreflectivity of road markings in raining night-time conditions began in 2004. The term retroreflectivity refers to how well a sign reflects light, an important factor for drivers’ nighttime visibility. The research aimed to determine when traffic signs and markings lose their effectiveness due to ultraviolet exposure, Carlson said. TTI became involved with research on road signs and markings in 1999 to determine new retroreflectivity standards, he said. “Never before had there been a specific criteria about when agencies need to replace their traffic signs because they’re worn out,” Carlson said. “The standard was to replace them when they became See Roads on page 4

ulty and students.” The Board of Regents meeting was convened to address the fiscal hardship the University is facing, Foster said. “Our country is in the midst of extraordinary economic turmoil,” Foster said. “Of course, this LOFTIN Board’s responsibility to be a good steward of taxpayer resources is not limited to tough economic times — it is and must be our ongoing mission.” The chancellor and president positions will likely not be combined, Foster said. sitions “The combination of these two positions would be difficult at the least and possibly detrimental to the system’s institutions,” Fosterr said.

“It’s not the direction that this Board, in my view, cares to pursue.” Though regents overturned the requirement for a search committee in the search for a University president in March, Foster said the board is still open to the use of a search committee. Foster said he was aware of the bill passed by the student senate imploring the use of a search committee. “Dr. Loftin will lead the University ably until the Board completes its search for a new president,” Foster said. “My goal is for this process to be completed within six months from today.” Shared governance, as mentioned in Vision 2020, is a necessity, Foster said, and input should be collected from all stakeholders.

“Cooperation between TAMU and the System should be the norm,” Foster said. “And, I might also add that the students need to be included in these decisions. Texas A&M is not the Board’s university, nor the system’s, the administration’s, the faculty’s or the student’s university. It is OUR university.” Student regent Hunter Bollman was appointed to the board to facilitate student feedback, Foster said. It was not specified how input will be gathered. “I firmly believe that the faculty are a valuable resource that should be used by the Board of Regents,” Regents, said speaker of the faculty senate Robert Bednarz, in a statement made available See Meeting on page 4

Elonu to go

pro

Aggie senior declares for NBA draft Patrick Hayslip The Battalion

exas A&M Senior Chinemelu Elonu will stay in the NBA draft while seniors Donald Sloan and Bryan Davis withdrew their names from the draft Monday. These decisions came before a 5 p.m. EDT deadline to withdraw their names. “We wish Chinemelu the best in his career,” Turgeon said. “He graduated in May and just felt like he was ready to move on with his life. It was a good process for Sloan and Davis and they learned a lot. They are ready to come back, lead the team and have great senior years.” Losing Elonu and Josh Carter, the 24-10 Aggies will return eight of the team’s top 10 scorers, including three senior starters. “I think if you ask the team, we feel like we have a chance to be pretty good next year, so we’d like everybody back,” Turgeon said. “But I think everybody respects the opportunity that is there for all three of those guys, especially Chin. If there is an opportunity for him to be drafted in the first round, we are going to accept that and be happy for him, and it just helps our program.” Elonu worked out for a number of teams including Dallas, San Antonio, Cleveland and Miami, and he acknowledged that his coaches gave him things to work on in order to improve his draft status and excel in the NBA. “I talked to coach about the changes I needed and they gave me a lot of words of encouragement about what they think I should do and what pertains of each work-

Biography

out,” Elonu said. Coach Turgeon recognized certain aspects that Elonu could improve on, especially with regard to his mental strength. “He’s got to continue to get stronger and get stronger in his lower half to hold his ground better, especially at that next level,” Turgeon said. “We have been talking to Chin about getting stronger, being more consistent, and just being mentally tougher. “If he can understand the game, that’s going to be his ticket, if he can do that, then he has got a chance to play at that level and be there a while.” As far as Elonu’s draft outlook is concerned, Coach Turgeon acts as a liaison between him and the higher-ups of the NBA. “These guys don’t have an agent involved, so most of the communication will go through me and general managers and assistant general managers,” Turgeon said. Turgeon mentioned that Elonu wouldn’t have left unless he had a strong shot at being a first-round pick, and reflected upon Elonu’s process. “I think he has really improved,” Turgeon said. “I think he went from not really being on the radar to people talking about him.” Elonu, who was named the Big 12’s most improved player award, averaged 9.8 points a game and a team-leading 7.3 rebounds a game along with 53 blocked

Born: March 11, 1987, in Nigeria Hometown: Houston, TX High School: Alief Elsik Parents: Dozie and Amaka Elonu Nickname: “Junior” Class: 2010 Major: Agricultural Leadership Number: #41 Height/weight: 6’10”, 235 lbs Position: Forward/ Center

See Elonu on page 2

Local Iranians to protest Iran election results

lifestyles | 5

Xavier Rudd in Houston Australian multiinstrumentalist will begin his North American tour in Houston Thursday.

Many Iranians in the Bryan-College Station community are hosting a rally against Iranian fraudulent election from 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. Tuesday in front of the Memorial Student Center. They are protesting Iran’s election results and the use of force and violence to silence the people inside Iran and to establish an illegitimate government, an e-mail from a representative of Iranian students at A&M said. The e-mail urges people to come support Iranians inside Iran and North America, and to let the world know that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not their president. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for an investigation into vote-rigging allegations that led to violent riots in support of

reformist leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. Sunday night, police and militia stormed the campus at the Tehran university, ransacking dormitories and arresting dozens of students angry over what they claim was election fraud. Monday, hundreds of thousands of Mousavi’s supporters marched in central Tehran, denouncing Ahmadinejad’s election. Pro-government militia opened ﬁre on the mob, killing one and wounding several others. In his ﬁrst public comment on the Iranian election, President Barack Obama said he was “deeply troubled by the violence I’ve been seeing on TV.” Kalee Bumguardner

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Zach Chu, 16, competes in the Texas Grand Slam Sectional Monday at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. The tournament is being held at nine courts in the Bryan/College Station area with 859 players ranging from 12 to 18 years old.

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE OF TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893

Kalee Bumguardner, 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.

Elonu

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points a game and a team-leading 7.3 rebounds a game along with 53 blocked shots. He also set a school record shooting 66.5 percent from the field. Elonu earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors after averaging 9.8 points and a

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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team-best 7.3 rebounds and 53 blocked shots. He set a school record by making 66.5 percent from the field and was named the Big 12’s most improved player. The NBA draft is two rounds long and set for June 25. Elonu hopes to sign a contract and is looking forward to his NBA career. “I’m very eager to play on that level and it’s something I’ve always dreamed of,” Elonu said. “I’m looking at being drafted as a four or a five, maybe play a little small forward if I have to.” Despite Elonu’s decision to push ahead with his basketball career, he made it clear that his time at A&M was valuable and the decision was not easy.

“I love A&M and it was a tough decision for me to leave early.”

battsports. wordpress.com Sports Editor Brett Sebastian sounds off on sports topics from in-game thoughts to national headlines at the From the Press Box blog.

— Chinemelu Elonu, Class of 2010

“I love A&M and it was a tough decision for me to leave early,” Elonu said to Aggieathletics.com. “I prayed about it a lot and the fact that I graduated last month helped me make the decision to see what I can do at the next level. I just want to thank the fans, my coaches, my teammates and everyone at A&M for all they have done for me and for the great experience I had here.”

dougklembara. wordpress.com Aggieland photo editor Doug Klembara shares his experiences of The Battalion and the Aggieland Yearbook in his blog Photography. Witness. Passion.

09-6-15

9:42

EDITOR’SNOTE The comments under the Mail Call heading appeared on thebatt.com. Any comments published on The Battalion’s Web site are subject to being published in the print edition of The Battalion.

voices thebattalion 6.16.2009 page3

MAILCALL

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 editor@thebatt.com Opinion Editor Jason Staggs opinion@thebatt.com

EDITORIAL

University is missing leaders

e believe that the process that culminated in former Texas A&M University President Elsa A. Murano’s resignation yesterday has endangered the reputation of Texas A&M University in the eyes of students, parents, faculty and staff. Because of the events of recent weeks, people around the state and nation have seen that, despite the size of our alma mater, Aggies have not risen above the small town, good ol’ boy network politics of small backwater institutions. This kind of back-slapping, cliquey administration of university affairs was tolerable when A&M was one of many state schools in the nation, content with producing fine farmers, engineers and some of the finest officers in our nation’s military ranks. Now that the official policy of the University is to become a consensus top 10 university by 2020, the top officials of this

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school must realize that what used to pass in Texas does not necessarily make the cut with the people in other parts of the country whose consensus we will be seeking in 11 years. They must also realize that the public, Aggie and non-Aggie alike, are not content with the high-handed treatment of concerns that have been voiced online, in this paper and by the media. In his press conference yesterday afternoon, Chairman of the board Morris Foster continued this treatment, refusing to provide any more substantive information than could be found in a brochure. Foster’s answers lacked the candidness with the public that will be required if we are to avoid slipping further off the track on which the creators of Vision 2020 placed us, and along which former presidents have prodded us. We need more leadership from our Board of Regents, and we eagerly await it.

From Joshua Thompson, Class of 2002 I do not know about anyone else, but I was never sure of President Murano’s commitment to Texas A&M. I heard her speak at the ﬁrst Yell Practice and at Muster. Both times she did not speak exclusively of A&M. She brought up her alma mater, which I thought was not appropriate. I felt that she was more concerned with national appearances than honoring any traditions at TAMU. I have never spoken directly with her; this is only my impression from the times I heard her speak and reviewing what she put forth as her administrative agenda. I personally think we need an Aggie to run this place. It just makes it easier for the president to relate to the students and understand the importance of traditions.

From Lisa I think that it’s sad that President Murano resigned, but I don’t blame her. Texas A&M is very traditional and anyone who has a different outlook is really not welcome. Oh yeah, we hear about diversity this and diversity that, but let’s face it: A&M wants to keep the good ol’ boy network going. She just didn’t ﬁt into their plans. I will miss her and think that she did a great job and I wish her luck in her future.

From Bill I was at a presidential luncheon before the Colorado game. President Murano said that it would be inappropriate to say “Beat the Hell Outta Colorado.” You could hear the mumbling in the audience after that statement. My wife thought that she had lost her mind. It looks like she handled other speeches in the same manner. She was the wrong person for the job. I am glad that she was graceful in her resignation.

TOSUBMIT 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.

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A student worker is needed to assist in a variety of research activities in USDA Cotton Genomics Laboratory on campus. Training and/or experience in molecular genetics, biochemistry, and/or bioinformatics is preferred. Applicants should email resume, transcript, and references to john.yu@ars.usda.gov and call 260-9237 for information.

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Big 3/2 duplex with all appliances, lawncare, tile and carpet, fenced yard. $900 979-324-5835. Bike to campus, available August 1st. 2/1 C.S. duplex, fenced backyard, w/d connections, pets allowed. E-walk shuttle route. $575. 979-218-2995. Bryan huge 4-2 clean and quiet, historic area, large trees, w/d connections, fenced yard, students welcome. 701 Banks. $1300. 979-255-5461. www.picketfenceproperties.net C.S. & Bryan, several nice 3&4 bedroom homes, W/D included, pet friendly, $950-$1795. Laurie Stone, Broker, The Oldham Goodwin Group, 979-777-5777. Callaway Villas. Need to sublease. Fall-2009. 4/2.5, W/D. $615/mo. 936-348-1561. Fully Furnished 3 Bed 3.5 Bath Townhome. No more hassles with trying to find a hotel. This townhome has eveything ou need furniture, dishes, linens, appliances, cale and internet, televicion, washer and dryer and fenced bak yard. Great for Parents for game season!!!!! You can rent by the month or long term. Just need it for the weekend? Call for rate. $1800.00 per month $1000.00 deposit. Call for Tour 979-485-0300 or 979-255-3280. Email: manager.brenda@gmail.com Web: www.bigdogmanagement.info Great 4bd/2ba house in popular area400 Pronghorn Loop. Comes w/ W/D, Ref, ethernet in each room, large fenced bkyrd, pets o.k. w/ deposit, 2-car garage. Available in July or August. Call Joey at 979-218-4091. House for rent, 2/1 on small cattle ranch, 10-15 minutes from campus, partially furnished, W/D, fridge and stove. $500/mo. 979-690-6192. http://sites.google.com/site/aaarentalcs/ Duplex for rent, 2/1. No deposit. $675/ month rent. Limited time only $999.00! 3bd/2.5ba in College Station, Built in 2000, serene country setting, minutes from campus, fully loaded, Full size W/D and kitchen appl., Free lawn care, fenced backyards. Pets (including large dogs) welcome. Must see! Call for tour. 979-485-0300 or 979-255-3280. Web: www.topdogmanagement.info Need 2-people to take over 12-month lease August 2009. 2bd/bth at Woodlands. E-mail if interested whitneyjt8@hotmail.com Newly remodeled 4/2 house. Walking distance to campus, tile &wood floors, great location, nice big deck &yard. 776-6079, www.aggielandleasing.com Nice 2/2 Duplex- On TAMU bus route! All appliances, NO PETS. $800/mo. Call 832-215-1801 or 832-338-5397. One room available in 3/2 on 3-acres, just four miles from campus. Horse property. $470/mo. Cable/Internet provided. 858-442-4918. Open House, for lease, 3/2 townhouse, 203 Navarro, 1278 sqft, built in entertainment center, high ceilings, dedicated parking space, 3 blocks from shuttle, ceramic tile, microwave, w/d, stove, side by side refrigerator, $1200/mo. 979-268-3200. Pre-leasing for August. 3b/1.5b, carport, on shuttle, pets ok, fenced, $750/month. aggieLandRentals.com 979-776-8984. Upstairs 2/1.5 off Holleman. W/D included, new flooring throughout, non-smoking. $675/mo. 220-0468.

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HELP WANTED

Child Care- FT & PT shifts available. Some nights & Saturdays required. Apply in person at 3609 E. 29th St. Bryan.

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Cook, cashier and runner, 7-day a week position. Background check. Evening employment. 979-776-8135, call for an appointment. PT/FT lawncare crewleader/driver. Valid Texas DL, good record. $8+/hr start. 979-324-0692. STUDENTPAYOUTS.COM Paid survey takers needed in College Station. 100% free to join. Click on surveys.

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puzzle answers can be found online at www.thebatt.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Meeting Continued from page 1

at the meeting. “However, recent statements and actions by System officials lead me to believe that faculty input is neither valued nor desired.” Bednarz was not allowed to speak at the meeting because speakers not within the board must submit a request to speak 72 hours prior to a meeting. “I implore the Board of Regents to start today to communicate openly and frequently with Texas A&M’s stakeholders, to realize that disagreement is not disloyalty, to urge the president of the university to advocate what is best for A&M forcefully, and to practice meaningful shared governance,” Bednarz said. Shared services, or ways in which to maximize the University’s resources, were also addressed at the meeting. “The concept of shared services is about reducing expenses outside the call classroom,” Foster said. “It makes no sense to have the same services being provided in two locations that

Roads Continued from page 1

inadequate. Obviously, that’s pretty vague.” A measurement process was organized through a set of federally mandated deadlines, Carlson said. Agencies have several years to meet these new regulations, Carlson said, and there are no fines or penalties enforced for agencies that do not comply. Agencies have only one motivating factor, said Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Retroreflectivity Team leader Greg Schertz. “FHWA is not a policing agency … We don’t deliver fines. It’s up to the agencies themselves to police them-

are 10 minutes apart.” The cost effectiveness of shared services will benefit the system office and the flagship university, Foster said. “But we will also evaluate whether efficiencies exist across the system,” Foster said. The leadership within the system office and university will work on a shared services report to the board for the September board meeting. “When we go through a time of storm I always look for an opportunity, and our opportunity is to be better at what we do,” said former chairman of the board Bill Jones. Regents said University of Texas chancellor Dan Burke would be a good reference in regard to shared services because he was such a great resource in the UT system as CFO. “The concept [shared services] is about reducing costs outside of the classroom,” Foster said. Services slated to become shared include Business Services, Facility Planning/Construction and Physical Plant, Governmental Relations (Federal), Human Resources, Information Technology, Marketing

“Making signs and markings a little bit brighter allows older drivers and other people, quite frankly, to navigate roads at night in low light situations more safely.” — Doug Hecox Federal Highway Administration spokesman

selves,” Schertz said. “But also, they would potentially be vulnerable to lawsuits if they don’t meet the regulations.” Although state agencies will not be required by law to maintain certain standards, Carlson said, most states and countries abide by ASTM standards. It is necessary to evolve testing methodologies to be more stringent compared with past years, because lighting conditions have changed, said FHWA spokesman Doug Hecox. “I don’t mean the sun and the moon,” Hecox said. “The nature of synthetic light has gone from traditional bulbs to

“When we go through a time of storm I always look for an opportunity, and our opportunity is to be better at what we do.” — Bill Jones former chairman of the Board of Regents

and Communications, Training, Risk Management and Research Administration. “Texas A&M University is a world-class institution, and clearly there is a price for excellence,” Foster said. “But there is also an obligation to find cost-savings so families do not get hit year after year with skyrocketing increases in tuition and fees.” Tuition for 15 credit hours in 2000 was $1,600, but is now $3,920, which is twice the inflation-adjusted price of $1,944, Foster said. For further details of the meeting visit tamu.edu/regents/agenda/special.html Steve Humeniuk contributed to this article.

now LED, which in mid-night hits a different way.” Headlight systems have created a new landscape for light testing, Hecox said, and adopting new testing criteria ensures that signs maintain proper reflectivity and retroreflectivity. Changes were made to accommodate technological changes and to test of equipment, he said. “For us to continue to use older, outdated testing criteria in the phase of new technologies appearing all over America’s roads wouldn’t be very wise on our part,” Hecox said. What goes on behind the scenes of the FHWA goes unnoticed by many, Hecox said. “But making signs and markings a little bit brighter allows older drivers and other people, quite frankly, to navigate roads at night in low light situations more safely,” he said. Americans roads are the safest they’ve ever been, Hecox said, but finding different methods to create more legible, brighter signs and markings will help make American roads even safer.

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RED DRY SCALY PATCHES OF SKIN ATOPIC DERMATITIS STUDY (ECZEMA) Volunteers ages 18 and older needed to participate in a 6-week clinical research study with an investigational topical medication for atopic dermatitis (RED, DRY, SCALY PATCHES OF SKIN). Eligible volunteers will receive at no cost: • Study related ointment for 4 weeks • Physical Examination • Dermatological Assessments • Compensation up to $300 for time and effort For more information please contact:

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scene

Down under meets Downtown

thebattalion 6.16.2009 page5

Australian musician to perform in Houston Clay Harley The Battalion It is not often that a contemporary musician can play upwards of 15 instruments, and even less often that such a musician can incorporate all these instruments into live performances. And extremely rare is it that one of those instruments is a didgeridoo. In fact, there might only be one case. Ladies and gentlemen: Xavier Rudd. Rudd is an Australian singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, and has recently released his newest studio album, Dark Shades of Blue. Rudd is now preparing to kick off the next leg of his tour with fellow artist Jeremy Fisher on Thursday, June 18 at the House of Blues in Houston. Reporter Clay Harley was able to learn more about Rudd and his music in this interview. Question: What is the meaning of the title, Dark Shades of Blue? Answer: It comes from my wife’s painting. It’s a particular song that’s written about my reflection on her paintings, and how her paintings resemble our lives. And that’s always been interesting for me in my music…being in a different light, so it’s kind of like that. Question: Is there a specific message you wanted to convey with this album? Answer: No direct message with this album, you know, it’s just…it’s probably the most personal album I’ve ever made. It was an interesting one for me; it was more internal. My music is usually fairly bright and sunny, whereas this one was kind of internal, and darker. No real message that I can say. It’s just a reflection of life. Question: When did you start making music? Answer: I think it’s something I’ve sort of always done, I made music even before I realized what I was doing, I think. Little melodies, singing little songs about what was going on around me. It’s something that’s always been part of me; I don’t think I could resist. Question: Who are some of your favorite musicians? Answer: I have a hard time giving a top few, but I’ll give you a few that I recently saw and are fresh in my mind: Neil Young — I was able to play with him in Portugal last year — incredible; Angelie Kidjo I saw recently, she was amazing; Tina Warren; a band called Midnight.

just do it

Australian Xavier Rudd plays multiple instruments in his recordings and in live performances, including the slide guitar shown here. Question: And then I’m sure people ask you about this a lot: could you tell me about the didgeridoo? Answer: It’s basically a piece of wood that’s been hollowed out through the center by termites. And to play it, you circular breathe: in through your nose and out through your mouth at the same time. And it’s 60,000 years old, the oldest instrument in the world. Question: And so on this tour you’re going to have a few other people playing with you? Answer: Yes. I’m sort of doing something completely new for me, it’s a new lineup — I’ve got a couple South African musicians playing with me, so it’s going to have a different vibe. All we’ve done is rehearsed, and it was really bouncy and really interesting, the tones that we were creating were pretty cool. Question: You’ve done a one-man thing in the past right? Answer: Yeah, I did the one-man thing for years, and then I added a drummer to that. And now I’m working with a three piece for the album, and through this period of touring, and then we’ll record an album in October. Question: And so when you play live do you jam or take any liberties with the songs? Answer: Yeah I do that a lot. Sort of

4. G. Love and Special Sauce – “Soda Pop” |he likes it like this|

improvise, take things to different places. For sure. I’m sure with these guys we’re going to be doing that a hell of a lot more. I like to do that; a lot of my music comes from doing that.

5. Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Call Me The Breeze” |georgia peaches and movin’ on|

Question: Does the touring ever get stressful, being on the road all that time? Answer: Yeah, it’s not as glamorous as some people think. It can be tiring. I come from this small town in the bush in Australia so the city is sometimes tiring, I miss the water, I miss the coast. But the positives outweigh the negatives; it’s definitely a blessed life.

6. Dave Matthews Band – “Stay (Wasting Time)” |cause it makes you wanna makes me wanna|

know what i mean?

7. Grateful Dead – “Sugar Magnolia” |stinking hippies|

Question: And what’s in the future? Answer: I think I’ll probably always do what I do. I don’t think too much, I just sort of roll with it, what life has, as it happens.

8. Preservation Hall Jazz Band – “Ice Cream” |i scream, you scream|

Question: Finally, I wanted to ask you why you make music - if you have any sort of definitive reason or way to sum it up. Answer: I think the spirits that travel with me are the instigators of my music.

9. Steve Miller Band –“The Joker” |we’ve all heard it, but we all like it|

Rudd’s tour opener will start at 9 p.m. Thursday at the House of Blues in Houston. Rudd will follow with shows in Dallas and Austin on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Tickets may be purchased at www.xavierrudd. com/shows. For the full version of the interview, visit www.thebatt.com.

10. Wilco – “Either Way” |just let your eyes glaze over|

Buy them. |or stream them online|

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6/15/09 11:01 PM

news

page 6 tuesday 6.16.2009

thebattalion

Where on campus? Think you know every nook and cranny of Texas A&M? Test your campus know-how by e-mailing The Battalion and telling us where you think this photo was taken. The first people to get the answers correct will have their names published in The Battalion. Send your response with your name, class and major to photo@thebatt.com. Thursday’s answer: Sbisa dining hall Correct responses: Kristin Kloesel, junior animal science Hunter Barker, junior political science Franky De La Garza, senior aerospace engineering Patrick Clayton — THE BATTALION

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