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sports sp or o rts ts | 5
Photo illustration by Josh McKenna, Stephen Olmon — THE BATTALION
The Fightin’ Texas Aggies face off against the Oklahoma State University Cowboys at 6:30 p.m. this evening in the first conference game for both 3-0 squads. The Cowboys will pit one of the country’s top offenses against A&M’s tenth-ranked defense on ESPN, broadcast from Boone Pickens Stadium.
inside Student reaction to editorial Check out A&M student reaction to Tuesday’s editorial, “Shooting raises alarm, disarm campuses” in response to the UT incident, on pages 9 and 10.
news for you nation &world Mexico cartel arrests Mexican marines captured 30 suspected Gulf cartel members and seized an arsenal of weapons during two days of raids in a northern border state torn by drug gang battles, officials announced Wednesday.
money Official accused of selling U.S. boat A government official in the U.S. Virgin Islands has been accused of selling a boat that belonged to the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. The statement Wednesday from the U.S. territory’s justice department alleges Jose Berrios sold a 22-foot Boston Whaler marine patrol vessel for $1,500. Associated Press
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Flies offer insight into sleep disorders Alex Randolph Special to The Battalion In a corner lab on the third floor of Biological Sciences Building West, A&M professor Paul Hardin and his coworkers study the most delicate of test subjects: Drosophila melanogaster—the fruit fly. However, the research done with these fragile flies is on biological clocks and their relation to human physiology, an issue nearly everyone, especially shift workers, frequent flyers and night-owl college students can relate to. “These biological clocks control pretty much all of our physiology, our metabolism and many aspects of our behavior,” Hardin said. “Their purpose is to synchronize our internal environment to the external environment.”
Hardin’s lab is involved in finding the genetic basis of biological clocks, also called circadian rhythms. He said fruit flies are studied because they have a 10-day life cycle, which allows the researchers to identify mutations much more quickly than a test subject with a longer life cycle. As odd as it might seem, fruit flies are also used in the lab due to their similarity with humans on a molecular scale. “The genetic make-up of biological clocks is very similar in humans and flies. So what we find in flies is almost certainly going to be relevant to the timing mechanisms in humans,” Hardin said. Hardin said his work is of great interest to the National Institutes of Health. He received a grant funded by a branch of this organization, the Institute for
Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The Institute funds grants related to problems with the nervous system, such as advanced sleep phase syndrome, delayed sleep phase syndrome and insomnia, as well as depression and bipolar disorder. The grant itself was awarded to Hardin’s lab for a five year period and will go to pay for the students and post doctoral associates that carry out this research. Parul Agrwal, a graduate student from India, spends most of her day in the lab. “I work on a project to identify enzymes that may play a role in the timekeeping mechanism. I work with the flies directly, and once I see certain results, I will move on to observation on a molecular level,” Agrwal said. Wangjie Yu, a post-doctoral researcher, said he enjoyed working
Vehicle safety includes more than driving, security Prevent theft
Thomas Levitt The Battalion Car thieves seize the opportunity to take valuables left in the open, but students can protect themselves by using secure defensive measures. Lt. Craig Anderson of the College Station Police Department said a few simple tips and common sense can help keep items safe. “Students can protect themselves by locking their doors, taking valuables out of their vehicles and by hiding their valuables in the trunk of their vehicles.” Anderson said: “Do not place purses or other valuables under the car seat. Many times they still stick out and the thief can see it. The majority of thieves are opportunistic and if valuables are left in a vehicle, and/or left in plain sight then thieves will more than likely attempt to burglarize the vehicle.” Burglars traditionally target items such as GPS systems, mp3 players and laptop computers, cell phones, wallets, purses, money and stereos. Some students already take precautionary measures before leaving their car. “Every time I leave my car, I always make sure that any
Mackenzie Kilgore — THE BATTALION
electronic equipment of value is hidden out of sight or is taken out of the car,” said Anneesa Castaneda, junior construction science major. Signs around campus remind students to take measures to secure items in their cars to prevent theft. “Lock my doors, hide my belongings, basically I do what the signs tell me,” said Katherine Skinner, freshman telecom media major.
◗ Always lock your vehicle ◗ Have all malfunctioning locks on your vehicles and residences repaired. ◗ Remain alert and aware of any suspicious activity. ◗ Do not leave valuable items in plain view. ◗ Unplug chargers and cables to GPS systems, iPods, etc. ◗ Do not approach people that are acting suspicious, call the police. ◗ Try to get a description of the persons.
in Hardin’s lab. “The Center for Biological Clocks Research [at Texas A&M] is one of the best places to study the biological clock worldwide,” Yu said. Hardin said the new drug targets resulting from the research in his lab could affect not only the medical world, but the business world as well. Americans lose quite a few hours to jet lag for every long distance trip. Sleepiness and poor concentration on the job creates thousands of dollars in losses and damages every year. “Some of these proteins that we might identify with this research could be targets for drugs that could help in medical conditions caused by the biological clock,” Hardin said.
Q&A
Professor shares theater advice Tim Bardin Special to The Battalion Roger Schultz is a professor of theater arts in the performance studies department where he has been teaching acting, directing, and theater history and dramatic literature classes for 25 years. He has also been active as an actor, director, designer and producer in professional, community and educational theater. Schultz discusses why he teaches theater, how studying theater teaches students about life and gives advice to students considering a career in theater. Q: Why do you teach theater arts? A: Teaching, directing and producing theater combines my personal, spiritual, political, aesthetic and educational agendas. Theater is about life. It is about what it means to be or exist. If I had to pick my job, I would choose the work I do now because when I teach theater and a light comes on in a pair of eyes, even if it is just one, that is a good thing. Q: What would you suggest to someone considering a career, professional or scholastic, in theater? A: Read, read, read as much as possible. Observe and enjoy life. Learn the distinction and correlation between life and theater. Q: How can studying theater benefit someone? A: Good theater and good literature is about life in general. It is not about long ago and far away. It is about today. Plays like Oedipus the King and Hamlet, although they were written hundreds of years ago, are still relevant today because they are about life. Studying these plays, and theater in general, gives insight into life. See Q&A on page 8
9/29/10 11:03 PM
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Student-Faculty Research Expo will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 6 in the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building lobby.
Today sunny High: 89 | Low: 61 Friday sunny high: 86 low: 56 Saturday sunny high: 82 low: 56 Sunday sunny high: 81 low: 52
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Bush library opens red dress collection
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Plant sale
The Holistic Garden will have a plant sale from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. today behind the Horticulture Building. The sale will have vegetable, herb, landscape and house plants.
The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum will display “The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection and First Ladies Red Dress Collection� Friday in the museum’s Ansary Gallery.
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thebattalion 09.30.2010 For daily updates go to thebatt.com â—? Facebook â—? Twitter@thebattonline
texas UT gunďŹ re tests crisis response Yet another campus shooting, this one at the University of Texas in Austin, provided a terrifying test of how colleges respond at a time when universities nationwide have bolstered efforts to prevent bloodshed and respond decisively. Since the shooting three years ago at Virginia Tech that left 32 dead, schools have honed threat assessment systems. On Tuesday morning, a UT student in a dark suit and ski mask opened ďŹ re with an assault rie before fatally shooting himself, police said. Authorities identiďŹ ed the gunman as 19-year-old Colton Tooley, a sophomore math major.
This is the corrected version of Wednesday’s Word Square.
corrections The Battalion welcomes readers’ comments about published information that may require correction. We will pursue your concern to determine whether a correction needs to be published. Please e-mail at editor@thebatt.com.
Word Square Fit these letters in the grid. The numbers in brackets indicate the number of appearances of the letter in the word square. A[2], E[3], L[3], O[2], R[1], S[2], T[1], V[2] Siddharth Kumar — THE BATTALION
Standing in solidarity
nation &world Gates: Nation too detached from war Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that most Americans have grown too detached from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and see military service as “something for other people to do.� In a speech Wednesday, Gates said fewer Americans see military service as their duty, so troops today face repeated combat tours and long separations from family.
Britain terror plot revealed
GAME DAY SPECIAL
Studentfaculty research expo www.villagefoods .com The Undergraduate
Police increased their guard around Buckingham Palace and other landmarks Wednesday as security ofďŹ cials monitored what they described as a edgling terror plot to wage Mumbai-style shooting sprees or other attacks on Britain, France or Germany. CIA strikes in Pakistan were aimed at al-Qaida operatives suspected in the plot, U.S. ofďŹ cials said. A heavy police presence was seen Wednesday around Trafalgar Square and Big Ben. British ofďŹ cials said the plot was still in its early stages.
Michelle Myers— THE BATTALION
Students stand by the Academic Building for a vigil honoring students at the University of Texas at Austin who were affected by Tuesday’s shooting.
Study: Missing DNA more likely in kids with ADHD Children with attention deďŹ cit hyperactivity disorder are twice as likely to have missing or extra chromosomes than other children — the ďŹ rst evidence that the disorder is genetic, a new study says. British researchers compared the genomes of 366 white British children from 5 to 17 years old with attention deďŹ cit hyperactivity, or ADHD, to those of more than 1,000 similar children without the disorder. The scientists focused on a sequence of genes linked to brain development that has previously been connected to conditions like autism and schizophrenia. In children without ADHD, about
7 percent of them had deleted or doubled chromosomes in the analyzed gene sequence. But among children with the disorder, researchers discovered about 14 percent had such genetic alterations. Scientists also found that 36 percent of children with learning disabilities in the study had the chromosomal abnormalities. “This is the ďŹ rst time we’ve found that children with ADHD have chunks of DNA that are either duplicated or missing,â€? said Anita Thapar, professor at the MRC Centre in Neuropsychiatric Genetics at Cardiff University who was one of the study’s authors.
podcast: entertaining thoughts
Kyle Cunningham senior sport management major
This week I compare singers to vocalists and talk about how I hate Mariah Carey. Check out Kanye West’s Tweets of the Week. Don’t miss the Stud and Dud of the Week. Check out this and every episode at thebatt.com under Podcasts.
Associated Press
thebattalion THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE OF TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893
VOLUNTEER$ NEEDED FOR FLU STUDY NO VACCINES will be given as part of this study, but getting a flu shot is allowed.
STUDY REQUIREMENTS: Males & females in good health, 18-49 years old PHASE I, now underway at Beutel Health Center, for those who did not receive any flu vaccine last year and do not plan to receive it this year
PHASE II, beginning November 2010, for those who did receive any flu vaccine last year, and/or plan to receive it this year STUDY PROCEDURES: Up to seven visits D onate blood samples and nasal wash/throat swab specimens
COMPENSATION: Up to $370 For more information call 979-571-0376 between 9:00 am & 7:00 pm or come to Beutel Health Center, Lower Level, Room 005
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Matt Woolbright Editor in Chief
THE BATTALION (ISSN #1055-4726) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University. Periodicals Postage Paid at College Station, TX 77840. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, Texas A&M University, 1111 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-1111. News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. News ofďŹ ces 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 classiďŹ ed advertising, call 979-845-0569. Advertising ofďŹ ces are in The Grove, Bldg. 8901, and ofďŹ ce 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.
9/29/10 10:39 PM
things you should know
5 before you go 1
MSC Town Hall
MSC Town Hall’s Coffeehouse series continues tonight at 8 p.m. with The Eastern Sea. Opening acts will run from 8-9 p.m. while The Eastern Sea will perform in the ďŹ nal hour.
2
3
Piano concert
Philippe Bianconi, silver medalist of the 7th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will perform at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center.
Farmers Market
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sbisa Dining Center, farmers market will sell fresh fruits and vegetables in front of Sbisa. The market will accept cash and credit cards.
4
Movie Gold
MSC Aggie Cinema will show Darren Aronofsky’s 2009 drama The Wrestler at 7 p.m. tonight in Rudder Tower. The movie stars Mickey Rourke.
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b!
Downtown Art Step
One of three annual Art Steps will occur at 5 p.m. Oct. 1 in Downtown Bryan. Various businesses will exhibit Brazos Valley artists and live music.
thebattalion 09.30.2010 page3
When Worlds Collide
scene
Weekend celebration gives Aggies opportunity to learn Indian culture Jennifer DuBose The Battalion Within India is a colorful balance of art and science, a delicate relationship of tradition and modernity, and a romance of culture and religion. India is a welcoming haven for all ethnicities and a progressive laboratory for some of the brightest minds known. The third most powerful nation in the world – India – is coming to Texas A&M. “Indians have been celebrating India on this campus for a long time,� said Arvind Mahajan, A&M professor of finance. True, there are multiple Indian student groups and organizations, but there has never been an event that brings every aspect of India and Texas A&M’s Indian commu“I really hope nity together until the crestudents get ation of India Day. Sharada a broader Vadali, associate research understanding scientist and economist, said India Day is “a creative of India� synergy in all fashions. It - Siddarth is the only event that brings Thawrani so many dimensions together under one umbrella.� India Day festivities start tonight with a power-packed exhibition of talent and culture, the Inaugural Function, at 5 p.m. in Rudder Theater followed by an Indian Dinner at 7 p.m. at Sbisa. It will be “a buffet of Indian traditions followed by an actual Indian buffet,� said Anand Mishra, the master of ceremony and one of the artists that will take the stage. The inaugural function will be broken down into classical performances
showcasing Indian music based on modal-melodic forms called Ragas. A host of artists will perform modern variations with Western influences, thus displaying the evolution of Indian Music as a whole. Mishra said the show was “an echo of the whole Ravi Shanker meets the Beatles thing from the 70’s.� The Inaugural Event is free and tickets to the Indian Dinner can be purchased at the MSC Box Office for $7, or at Sbisa Dining Center for $10. But India Day is not all about the sparkle and dance. From 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, there will be an academic symposium featuring a range of panels with Texas A&M and guest scholars alike discussing topics such as India’s climate change, energy and sustainability, cinema and more. The panels are tailor-made for the average Texas A&M student audience, not specialists alone, and meant to increase general knowledge on different subjects. They are also an attempt at appealing to the wide variety of student interests while presenting India through different perspectives and discussions. “I really hope students get a broader understanding of India,� said Siddarth Thawrani, a student and president of the Texas A&M India Association. “The discussions will be as objective as can be, after all, statistics do their own talking. We’ll be presenting both the good and the real,� Mahajan said. In fact, the Saturday movie screening “Rang De Basanti� provides an almost detracting view of India. “[The film is] extremely critical about India from a young person’s view and of the frustrations of a young person graduating from college,�
Courtesy Photos
Graduate agricultural leadership, education, and communications major Aparupa Chatterjee wears outfits worn during Odissi, one of eight classical dances of India. said Kishore Gawande, professor at The Bush School of Government and Public Service. Other events of India Day include a beginner’s yoga session, a “faculty vs. students� cricket match, and a final performance of classic and contemporary Indian Music in the Geren Auditorium from 5 to 6 p.m Saturday. All the events listed above are free of charge. Saturday is also Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. An affair such as India Day takes a lot of hard work. “Dreaming up this grand, three-day cel-
ebration was easy, implementing it was much harder. It has taken us almost one full year of dedicated hard work to plan this event,� said Srivi Ramasubramanian, assistant professor of communication. India Day has required the helping hands of organizations such as Friends of India Network, the Texas A&M India Association, and many more. To add, every college at Texas A&M has put forth money for India Day as well. “This has been an amazing learning experience for everybody,� Vadali said.
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news
page 4 thursday 9.30.2010
thebattalion
Award-winning entertainer visits A&M Haley Lawson
Hey Ags! - Get your complimentary CD copy of the greatest song ever written.
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The Battalion Leadership and diversity are more than the titles and offices that people hold. Language and how to use it is also a pivotal part. Actress Rita Moreno visited Aggieland and spoke on “The Power of Language.â€? “The Power of Language program weaves leadership, diversity, and community building into a multicolored tapestry that moves people into action,â€? said Lyndon E. Pryor, program advisor of MSC student programs. “Rita Moreno ‌ utilizes music, movement and leadership practices from many cultural traditions to illustrate the richness and wisdom diversity brings.â€? Moreno brings qualifications unique to both leadership and diversity. “Rita Moreno is the only female performer to have won all four of the most prestigious show business awards: the Oscar, the Emmy, the Tony and the Grammy,â€? said Maria Caldera, senior education major and director of educational
programs for MSC CAMAC. “She has in fact been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for this achievement. Along the way she received dozens of other show business awards, most notably, The Golden Globe Award, The Golden Apple Award and the Joseph Jefferson Award as best actress in Chicago’s theatrical season In 1968 for her brilliant performance as Serafina in The Rose Tattoo.� Rita Moreno was five when she came to New York from Puerto Rico. “After the divorce my mother left me with my father and took a ship to New York and she stayed with an aunt in the Hispanic ghetto,� Moreno said. “About four or five months after she had earned some money and learned some English she went back to Puerto Rico to get me and brought me back to the United States.� She did not arrive in America as Rita Moreno. “I came to this country with See Moreno on page 7
Paul Mezier — THE BATTALION
Rita Moreno, a Puerto Rican entertainer, visited Texas A&M Wednesday. Moreno is the first female artist to win the four major entertainment awards: the Oscar, the Tony, the Grammy and the Emmy.
A&M researcher sets up wildlife lab in Bhutan
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Ryan Seybold The Battalion Jan Janecka, a Texas A&M research associate, spent 10 days in Bhutan to set up a wildlife conservation laboratory. The developing country’s leaders asked Scott Mills from the University of Montana to help provide Bhutan with the technology and methods to develop economically with minimal impact on its wildlife and ecosystems. Bhutan is a small country located between China and India, on the eastern border of Nepal. Until recently, foreigners were not allowed entry to Bhutan. The country has therefore been isolated and undeveloped for many years. Bhutan has begun efforts to modernize; however its people do not want the environmentally harmful effects such development ordinarily produces. Much of the country’s natural landscape has been left completely alone and the few urban areas have made a very small impact. “It’s an extremely fascinating country because it was completely closed off to foreigners pretty much up until the fifties. Even now, tourism is very limited,� Janecka said. “It was a small, independent kingdom. [Because of this] there was very little development that had occurred there, and people had lived that way for hundreds of
years. Modern technology and industrialization hasn’t actually hit Bhutan, and it’s only just starting to be introduced. People would live in farming communities, use their own food, almost like a subsistence lifestyle. In the past five or six years, they’ve started to modernize it, so they’ve started to build dams and get electricity. They’ve begun building roads and started to do more logging.� About 90 percent of the forested areas of Bhutan are still untouched and the wildlife communities are too, which is part of why it’s so interesting to study, Janecka said. At this point, Bhutan has the motivation to develop technologically and economically in an environmentally friendly way. What spurred this movement was the resignation of the king of Bhutan, who actually stepped down from his position and turned Bhutan into a democracy. It was following this event that the nation began its efforts to develop technologically. “One of their priorities, set out by the king and also by the new government, is to protect their natural heritage. It’s a really important thing for them to protect their wildlife and ecosystems, because as Buddhists, they value all life,� Janecka said. See Bhutan on page 7
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sports
page 5
thebattalion
thursday, september 30, 2010
Aggie gameday texas a&m vs. no. 24 oklahoma state 6:30 p.m. today boone pickens stadium
5 things to look for
together, one unit
television: 1 national In two and some years as head coach, Mike Sherman’s teams are 3-11 when playing on television. The Aggies went 0-7 on television in 2009. Today, A&M gets an opportunity to reverse this trend. With a nation-wide ESPN audience, look to see if the big stage gets the best of this young team or if they’ll embrace the opportunity. test: 2 aThelitmus Aggie defense
Courtesy photos
Sophomore Brian Thomas, junior Evan Eike, senior Matt Allen, sophomore Patrick Lewis and freshman Luke Joeckel comprise the Aggie offensive line. The Aggies take on Oklahoma State at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Stillwater.
youthful aggie offensive line relies on upperclassmen to lead way By Kyle Cunningham | The Battalion
e
xperience is supposed to breed confidence. The more familiar one can become with their situations, their partners and enemies and their common goal, the easier it becomes to be comfortable and focus on their target.
For the Aggie offensive line, the experience that will lead the rest of the unit to their goal is found in upperclassmen Matt Allen and Evan Eike. Allen, a 6 foot 2 inch, 295 pound senior center, is a man of seconds; he is on his second program, second head coach, and second position since transferring to Texas A&M before the 2008 season. The Klein native spurned his home state as a fourstar offensive lineman to sign with Louisiana State University. After two years on the sidelines, Allen returned to Texas, transferring to Texas A&M in Head Coach Mike Sherman’s first recruiting class and bringing a winning experience. “I just tried to bring over as much of the experience as I could,” Allen said. “Coming from there and being on a National Championship team [in 2007], I tried to put that … swagger into the team as much as I possibly could.” Junior Evan Eike has been here since the beginning of Sherman’s tenure as well, but came in with Texas A&M experience, redshirting in Coach Dennis Franchione’s final season. Eike said that the transition from Franchione to Sherman was tough from a scheme standpoint at first, but over the years the comfort has increased. “It took a while early that spring to install the stuff he came with from Houston,” Eike said. “But now, here in year three, we’re really fine-tuning it to what we run best and what really works with our players and our team.” Experience is in short supply with this offensive line. Of the 16 players listed on the roster, 12 of them are freshmen or sophomores, and three of the starting five linemen are underclassmen. This number can give a fan mixed feelings. On paper, this unit is more talented than most offensive lines that have come through Texas A&M this decade, but it relies more on its leaders. Freshman left tackle Luke Joeckel has praised the two veterans for bringing his game, along with the
games of other freshmen, along quicker than if the younger guys had to fend for themselves. “They have really brought me along nicely,” Joeckel said. “I mean, they’ve definitely made me more confident [on the field]. In the spring, I was kind of timid and playing against a different speed out there [versus the high school game]. But these two especially brought me along great and after every series Evan’s there, and that helps out a lot. “Ever since I got down here in the winter, [Eike and Allen] started telling me what to do and how to do it. They really brought me along and they’ve done it with all the guys, too, so it’s made it easier on all of us.” The two veterans, however, pass the credit on to the willingness of the offensive line to work hard daily. “Everybody works hard and there’s nobody that slacks,” Eike said. “We, as a group, don’t let that happen. If one guy might be having a bad day, we try to pick everybody up and keep everybody playing up and playing together.” Leading the players as a unit is offensive line coach Jim Turner. The former Marine infantry officer came with 11 years of experience as an offensive line coach before coming to Texas A&M in 2008. “I haven’t been around a guy who’s worked as hard as [Turner],” Allen said. “He’s so technical — he watches every piece of the play from your footwork, to your hand placement, even to how you distribute the weight on your feet. He’s so technical that it really makes you better as a player.” Despite a lack of coaching experience in the South — his only other previous coaching job below the Mason-Dixon line was in 1999 — , the players said that there wasn’t a disconnect between him and the line. “Obviously we’re different on stuff off the field, but on the field he’s a real easy coach to play for,” Eike said. “He’s a blue-collar guy who wants to
t
For months, this team’s leaders have iterated and reiterated about this 2010 season being the year this program takes the next step. “In order to take the next step, you have to be able to go on the road against a good opponent like this and do well,” Sherman said Monday. In order to take that aforementioned leap, this team needs to reverse some alarming trends that have developed under Sherman. Most specifically, three statistics. 3-8, 3-11 and 3-12. That is 3-8 away from Kyle Field, 3-11 in televised games and 3-12 when facing an opponent with a record of .500 or better.
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Tonight is a nationally televised contest on the road against an undefeated Oklahoma State team. An Oklahoma State team that has put up some awfully gaudy numbers in their first three contests. The Cowboys boast the nation’s No. 1 offense. In Brandon Weeden, they possess the nation’s No. 3 passer. With Kendall Hunter, the Pokes have the No. 3 rusher in the country and the best back in the conference. And with Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State has the No. 1 receiver in the country. Suffice it to say, the weapons are in place to crush this supposedly improved Aggie defense. And with
running game: 3 The The key for this Aggie team in a game of this magnitude will be establishing the run early on. With Oklahoma State’s potent Christine offense, keeping Michael, running them off the back field must be a priority. If Sherman is smart and wants to keep it close, he will not give up on the ground game. start: 4 The A&M has had trouble in recent
Allen anchors the Aggies’offensive line under offensive line coach Jim Turner. come in, get to work and get on the field. He’s a great coach and he’s always making people get better, he never gets satisfied or complacent with anybody.” Younger players will make mistakes — that’s just the way the game is. But a good leader is able to take those mistakes and still find a way to strengthen the unit at the end of the day. “The ability to trust each other on the o-line has grown so much from two-a-days,” Allen said. “Right now I feel like we’re a really cohesive group and we really trust that the other person will be there when game time comes.”
this is biggest game in sherman’s tenure hose who ignore history are bound to repeat it. Tonight in Stillwater isn’t merely the Big 12 opener for these undefeated Aggies. It is the first legitimate test of the season. It is the game that will strongly indicate whether or not this thing under Head Coach Mike Sherman is headed in the right direction.
under new coordinator Tim DeRuyter has been impressive thus far. However, they Brandon Weeden, get their first Oklahoma State quarterback test of the season with the No. 1 offense in the country on the other side of the ball. Oklahoma State boasts the No. 3 rusher and passer in the country along with the No. 1 receiver in the country. Tonight will go a long way in showing how improved the unit actually is.
the college football world for months can be put to rest tuning in, it would be the tonight with an emphatic worst possible scenario for performance in a hostile this program. environment. Senior quarterback Jerrod With Texas struggling Johnson said it best when and the Big 12 South sudtalking about playing on denly wide open, A&M has national television. David Harris an opportunity to reclaim “They can give you the prominent stature so senior economics exposure or they can get prevalent in the late 80’s major, sports you exposed.” editor and early 90’s. Hence the importance Against the No. 1 ofof tonight. fense in the country, A&M For a fan base and for a program has the chance to evoke and rekindle grasping for legitimacy, a road win on memories of the legendary “Wrecking this stage against this talented a team Crew” defense. would do wonders. With a national audience, A&M Simply put, for this perceived Big has the rare shot to showcase this pro12 dark horse, it is time to put up or gram and re-establish some semblance shut up. of respectability. Can Johnson live up to the hype And with three games in succession and win a big game? Is his arm all — Oklahoma State, Arkansas and Misright? Is Sherman the right guy for the souri — against winning teams, A&M job? Will he commit to the running has the possibility to reverse a trend. game? Can this offensive line fix what The talent is present. So too is the ails them? Is Tim DeRuyter’s defense opportunity. It’s the biggest game thus far in Sherman’s tenure. Will history for real? repeat itself? Tonight, we’ll see. Questions that have loomed large
weeks getting out of the gate. They struggled in the first half of the Louisiana Tech and FIU victories. Against a capable team such as OSU and on the road at a hostile environment, a sluggish start will spell doom. On the other hand, coming out of the blocks quickly could take the crowd out of it entirely. comeback: 5 Jerrod’s With four costly third quarter interceptions against FIU, senior quarterback Jerrod Johnson played one of the worst games of his career. He’s had over a week to prepare mentally for the athletic Cowboys defense. His arm strength has not been the same thus far this season and his decision making has lacked something as well. He said he was overthinking things against FIU. Now, he gets his opportunity on the national stage to prove he is, in fact, the real deal. He gets the chance to lend credence to the preseason hype. And he gets to be under center in the biggest game of Sherman’s tenure. David Harris, sports editor
Staff predictions david harris, sports editor
27-21 OSU beau holder, sports assistant
31-20 A&M kyle cunningham, staff writer
42-28 A&M megan ryan, managing editor
27-21 OSU matt woolbright, eic
31-24 A&M ian mcphail, opinion editor
35-28 OSU mike teague, staff writer
42-38 A&M zachary papas, staff writer
31-17 OSU
9/29/10 11:04 PM
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Word Square Unjumble the clues to form proper words. Then find pairs of words that mean the same. Finally, find a four-letter synonym that fits in the word square. hlaxee, sargs, tinga, dtnetawu, dels, ugts, reniwt
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Pg 6-9-30-10.indd 1
9/29/10 1:22:51 PM
news
page 7 thursday 9.30.2010
thebattalion
Moreno
Motorcyclists ride for cancer research
Continued from page 4
Independence Harley-Davidson of College Station will be sponsoring a “V-Twins 4 The Twins” ride to raise money in support of the fight against breast cancer in the Brazos Valley. The event will be held today and Saturday, Oct. 2 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the fountain on University Drive across from the Hilton. It will be open to everyone, even those not participating in the ride. There will be activities such as live music, raffle drawings and the fountain itself will even be dressed in pink in support of the cause. Those interested in participating in the actual ride should meet at Independence Harley-Davidson on Highway 6 between Rock Prairie and William D. Fitch Pkwy at 6 p.m. and the ride will start at 6:30 p.m. Paula Harman, special to The Battalion
Bhutan Continued from page 4
At the request of Bhutan’s government, Mills put together a team of 12 researchers and scientists from all over the world, one of whom was Janecka. Mills and his team spent their time in Bhutan showing resident scientists and researchers from neighboring countries, how to track wildlife population and distribution of species via surveying, radio collars, genetic analysis and a variety of other tools. “One of Bhutan’s greatest treasures, spanning from the high Himalayas to low eleva-
another name, Rosa Delores Alverio,” Moreno said. “Rita Moreno came much later, Moreno actually came from my stepfather who’s Mexican and Rita came from the good offices of MGM Studios.” Her talent was almost immediately noticed. “At age 13, she had her Broadway debut in ’Skydrift’ which starred Eli Wallach,” Caldera said. “Then, in the true tradition of Hollywood, a talent scout arranged a meeting for 17-year-old Miss Moreno with Louis B. Mayer and she was signed for a contract with MGM.” Moreno has appeared on dozens of theater and Broadway shows, movies and as a guest star on many television shows. “She made some thirty films early in her career, and was often typecast as a Mexican spitfire or and Indian maiden,” Caldera said. “Ms. Moreno has appeared in many regional theatres, in such diverse roles as Lola in ’Damn Yankees,’ Annie Sullivan in ’The Miracle Worker,’ Doris in ’The Owl and the Pussycat,’ Amends Wingfield in ‘The Glass Menagerie’ and Mama Rose in ’Gypsy.’” Moreno said she wanted to be in show business since she was a young girl. “It amazes me that young people nowadays never seem to know what they want to do,” Moreno said. “I’m astonished. I can’t imagine anyone not knowing what they want to do for the rest of their lives. I knew since I was five and dancing for grandma.”
tion subtropical forests, is its remarkable biodiversity,” Mills said. “Bhutan’s biodiversity – including its Indian elephant population — is largely intact, due to low developmental impacts and a strong commitment to conservation emerging from the culture and the leadership of their Kings; environmental integrity sits as one of the pillars of the country’s ‘Gross National Happiness’ philosophy. As development increases in Bhutan, with potential stressors ranging from hydropower to logging to poaching to housing developments, baseline measurements of ecological integrity — and the ability to determine risks to wildlife populations — are
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vital.” The high value the Bhutanese place on the preservation of their natural resources is an encouragement to wildlife and environmental conservationists because Bhutan may become the first nation to begin its foray into the global community using only clean technologies. “I think it is amazing that the Bhutanese government is working so closely with scientists and conservation experts in planning the development of their country, and I am proud that a fellow Aggie is playing such a large role in this process,” said Rachel Boswell, class of 2010 and current president of Aggies for Animal Rescue.
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Pg 7-9.30.10.indd 1
9/29/10 10:54 PM
news
page 8 thursday 9.30.2010
thebattalion
Israel, Palestine peace talks stall RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinians dug in ahead of a crucial meeting Thursday with Washington’s Mideast envoy, saying they can’t be expected to continue peace talks unless Israel reverses a decision to lift restrictions on West Bank settlement construction. Neither side seems to want the month-old talks to collapse, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are publicly at an impasse, with a Monday deadline looming. President Barack Obama’s emissary, George Mitchell, is making a last-minute attempt to rescue the negotiations. He was to travel to Abbas’ West Bank headquarters Thursday, after meeting with Israeli leaders on Wednesday. Mitchell said after talks with Netanyahu that he is undaunted by what he described as “bumps in the road,� but offered no glimpse of a possible compromise. The European Union’s top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, announced
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Palestinian militants of the Popular Resistance Committee burn mock Israeli and American flags during a rally Wednesday in Gaza City. she’s heading to the region “as a matter of priority� after talking to Mitchell and international Mideast envoy Tony Blair. Starting Thursday, the EU foreign policy chief will meet with Netanyahu, Abbas and Mitchell over two days to try to prevent the collapse of negotiations. She said the European Union regrets Israel’s decision not to extend a 10-month-old moratorium on West Bank housing starts that expired this week.
Q&A Continued from page 1
Q: How can someone apply what he or she learns in studying theater to real life? A: Theater addresses life. It is about life. Theater is the basis of television and cinema, which are extensions of theater, and video games. All of these things are the same in this: the imitation of life itself. I have met extremely few people who, after seeing or reading Hamlet a second, third or fourth time, did not say they understand it better – and liked it more. Theater is the ultimate in fine arts and liberal arts. Theater combines religion, sociology, philosophy, history, language, literature, political science, etc., and mediums of poetry, sculpture and painting in one form. In one production or one play, one can learn so much about so many things. Q: What advice would you give to an aspiring actor or playwright? A: Go see a psychiatrist. And gird your loins.
Netanyahu has said extending the construction curb could fracture his pro-settlement governing coalition, but has also said he wants to keep negotiating. Abbas’ bitter Hamas rivals, who seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, would beneďŹ t from the talks’ failure as a reection of their position that nothing can be gained by negotiating with Israel. Obama wants a deal on the terms of a Palestinian state alongside Israel within a year.
The business of show business is tough. It is a very competitive profession, one that requires a lot of training, stamina, a large amount of luck and good connections. Realize that it is not just you – there are thousands of people who want to be actors and for every one [actor] there are thousands who style themselves actors. Ninety percent of actors are unemployed at any one time. They are employed [in acting work] maybe one month out of the year and the average wage is very low, in the low thousands of dollars. The majority of those who call themselves actors make their living parking cars, selling tickets, waiting tables, etc. Realize that, increasingly [in theater or film], it is who you are. Today what we call acting is celebrity. If a producer were making a milliondollar-budget film, would he hire you or me or some unknown actor ‌ or would he call Brad Pitt? Celebrities make money, so celebrities make movies. My advice, think long and hard about your dream, how much commitment it will require and how many years and years of work. And don’t give up your day job.
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EDITOR’SNOTE The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants in this paper do not necessarily reect those of Texas A&M University, The Battalion or its staff.
MAILCALL GUESTCOLUMNS Make your opinion known by submitting Mail Call or guest columns to The Battalion. Mail
call must be fewer than 200 words and include the author’s name, classification, major and phone number. Staff and faculty must include title. Guest columns must be fewer than 700 words. All submissions should focus on issues not personalities, become property of The Battalion and are subject to editing for style, clarity and space concerns. Anonymous letters
‘
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 veriďŹ ed. Direct all correspondence to: Editor in chief of The Battalion (979) 845-3315 | mailcall@thebatt.com
voices thebattalion 09.30.2010
MAILCALL
page9
Shooting off on the Second Amendment From Matthew Maggio, senior ďŹ nance major
From Thomas Echols, senior mechanical engineering major
From Morgan Hall, junior construction science major
From Charles Hollingsworth
Given the recent tragedy on the University of Texas campus, we must remind ourselves that an open shooter situation can happen at any time, on any campus. I have heard many people say, “This could never happen at A&M.â€? That mentality is dangerous and false. Yes, A&M is a more conservative campus than UT, but that doesn’t stop unstable people from going postal. However, there are a few ways we can ensure a quick end to any open shooter situation we might ďŹ nd our campus in, although I personally hope to God that none of us ever have to deal with that. First of all, every Aggie should watch the ‘ShotsFired’ video on the Emergency Preparedness website (http://tamu. edu/emergency) and familiarize yourself with emergency procedures for such a situation. Second, if something happens, call 911. Don’t wait for a second or third shot to verify you heard gunďŹ re. If you hear it once, call it in and give a location. Third, get out of the open, lock yourself in a concealed room, one without windows, and get away from the door. Do not stand outside calling your parents or friends, you make yourself an open target. These steps can help prevent you from becoming a victim in an open shooter situation. “But Code Maroon takes forever to generate a text or an email and I normally don’t get something until an hour after it happens.â€? “Police take too long to respond to situations and by the time they get to the area of the shooter, it’s too late.â€? These are statements I have also heard regarding open shooter situations. However, fear not, due to A&M being more of a rural school and such a conservative school, I am conďŹ dent more than just police would be able to help in an open shooter situation. I reference a situation a few years before the Virginia Tech tragedy. There was an open shooter walking through a southern campus that had gun laws similar to A&M’s. This particular college allowed students to keep ďŹ rearms in their cars or trucks, and when 2 particular students (one an ex-law enforcement ofďŹ cer, another an avid hunter) heard the ďŹ rst gunshots, they sprinted to their vehicles and grabbed their shotgun and rie. Before the shooter could actually claim a victim, the 2 students had the shooter cornered. I’m not saying to be a vigilante, or carry guns when you shouldn’t, but I am saying that people shouldn’t be afraid of guns being around campus. Maybe the State of Texas could beneďŹ t from the security of allowing concealed carry on campus (with appropriate CHL licensing, background checks, and registering weapons with the Universities). After all, statistics have shown that more registered guns and CHL holders in an area correlates to fewer gun crimes. If you have a weapon in your car, make sure it is legal to have, accessible if you need it, and only use it if it is the last resort. That said, do not get in law enforcement’s way, if you see emergency personnel on scene, lay your weapon down immediately so you are not mistaken for the shooter and they can deal with the actual shooter. I encourage everyone to familiarize themselves with procedures for open shooter situations and develop an action plan if you were to be caught in such a predicament. Know where the nearest phone or emergency station is, along with where you would hide if need be. The best way to prevent an open shooter from claiming victims is preparedness and quick action.
To The Battalion Editorial Board: What fantasy world do you live in, where homicidal maniacs actually follow the law? You say that students should be as safe outside on campus as inside a building: They already are. Nothing stopped Tooley from entering the library with his loaded weapon, and short of posting a SWAT team at the entrance, nothing will ever stop similar behavior. I doubt anyone inside felt very safe. Why would such a person care about a law that disallows loaded weapons outdoors when they already completely disregard the law regarding the same action indoors? Do you think such a law is enforceable? Imagine the trouble and expense necessary in setting up police checkpoints executing full vehicular and personal searches upon anyone wishing to go on campus. Short of such draconian measures, all the law does is disarm the law-abiding citizens who pose no threat whatsoever. Violence cannot always be prevented by the authorities; they cannot be everywhere at once. They cannot guarantee of your personal protection. As they say, “When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.�
Let begin by saying that I am glad that no innocent bystanders were injured in Tuesday’s shooting on the UT campus. I must, however, take issue with Wednesday’s editorial in The Battalion titled: “Editorial: Shooting raises alarm, disarm campuses.â€? The notion that banning legal ďŹ rearms from college campuses will make them safer is absurd at best. People such as Colton Tooley, the UT shooter, obviously have no concern for the law when they choose to commit shootings or other violent crimes in the ďŹ rst place. To think that a law written somewhere would have kept people like Tooley from ďŹ ring shots on campus because guns “weren’t allowedâ€? is ridiculous. The fact is that the only people affected by gun control laws are the law-abiding citizens who would only use them for defense. Tuesday’s shooting was an unfortunate event, but we can’t allow incidents such as that to jeopardize our right to keep and bear arms.
Wednesday’s editorial concerning weapons on campus and the UT incident presented a very biased opinion of guns on campus. The article makes a big point of stating that Tooley broke no laws while carrying his AK-47 until he actually ďŹ red it. If a man is bent on making a scene, do the editors of the Battalion really think that he is going to stop and consider the laws ďŹ rst? I am a former sergeant in the Marine Corps and a concealed handgun licensee. If a madman was on our campus and I was allowed to defend myself and those around me I would think the editors might feel safer knowing their lives are a little more protected with me in the room. The article also speaks of the desire to preserve rights. What about the right to life? You have only those rights you can defend. Let students have the right to defend their lives.
From Chris McKnight, junior wildlife and ďŹ sheries major I would like to refute the editorial published on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 titled “Shooting raises alarm, disarm campuses.â€? It seems that the author of that article is calling for the Texas government to outlaw concealedcarry on University campuses. Isn’t it bad enough that our University already does this? Why make it illegal as well? Then a person could be jailed for defending his/herself instead of just being suspended or expelled. When faced with a gunman in the area, the same building, or even the same room, a person has three options. First, they can try to run away from the gunman and get to safety. Second, they can hide and try to avoid the gunman. Third, they can ďŹ ght to defend themselves. If the ďŹ rst two options have been exhausted or are impossible given the situation, then the third is the only viable option. So why tie a person’s hand behind their back? That’s what you’re doing when you prevent the general public from being armed like the attacker, forcing them to rely on improvised weapons and knives. These put them in much closer proximity to the gunman and make it more likely to be shot, taken hostage, or used as a shield. A law like this only prevents the average civilian from protecting themselves. The person doing the shooting doesn’t care one way or another if what he’s doing is illegal. Notice that when I was giving the options up there, I never mentioned vigilantes. I did this for a reason, which is that I don’t think somebody should pick up their weapon and go hunt down a shooter. If that happened, the police would likely shoot both of you when they came across two people shooting guns. I would like to assume that most Aggies, or should I say most Texans, would have the common sense not to be a vigilante. At the very least not to do it unless you had the police with you and they allowed it. Disarming a population is simply putting a child in a ring with a champion boxer, while tying one hand behind the child’s back. It does not serve to protect that population so much as it makes it easier for a criminal to conduct their attack.
From Devin Ferranti, senior petroleum engineering major
How can you believe that disarming a campus will prevent someone who already intends on killing people to no longer do so? Is murder not an infraction on the law? If a gunman walks onto a campus with the intent to kill he obviously does not care about gun-carry laws. You want to take away my right to defend myself if a similar situation occurred here because you believe “allowing ries and shotguns on high school and college campuses and other venues that continually house large crowds is simply too much of a risk.â€? If I said I believe you drive erratically and I am scared for my health and those I care for when you are on the road would you give up your drivers’ license? In response to your statement that “violence should be prevented by the proper authorities,â€? I think if you were in the situation the University of Texas students experienced, you might change your opinion. Say you were in class and a gunman walked in with the intent to kill you. Would you hold to your opinions if a fellow student had a concealed handgun permit and saved your life before the “proper authorities,â€? who were locked out by the gunman, arrived to handle the situation? I do agree “no campus is invulnerable, including ours.â€? But how would changing gun laws prevent a lawbreaking citizen from breaking another law?
From Paul Schroter, sophomore political science major I just wanted to complement you and the other people on the editorialboard. I was editor of my high school paper and was involved all throughout high school. I’m sure here of all college campuses the idea of no guns on campus isnt gonna be popular, but I just think you guys were dead on. I’m from Austin, I’ve got dozens of friends there and my sister even works for UT. It was terrifying event that could have been much worse if somebody had tried to play hero.
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thebattalion
Student group calls for concealed carry on campus
T
exas A&M Students for Concealed Carry on Campus has students, faculty, staff and alumni who demand that those with a concealed handgun license be allowed to carry on campus, as they are almost everywhere else.
As proved through the tragic UT shooting this week, “gun free zones” do not inhibit criminals in the least bit. These zones only disarm lawabiding citizens who wish to defend themselves. CHL holders are not “vigilantes” as was erroneously alluded to in the recent article. Individuals with CHL’s are taught specifically to take a defensive situation and to only use their concealed firearm if their life is in immediate danger. This same argument of “vigilantism” was used when concealed carry was first implemented in Texas about 15 years ago, but these fears proved to baseless and the streets did not “run with blood” as opponents predicted. Fights did not escalate into shootings, in fact violent crimes fell and have continued to fall after the implementation of concealed carry in Texas. Currently, there are 71 campuses in the U.S. that allow concealed carry on campus and have done so for a combined total of over 124 semesters. There has not been a single resulting incident of gun violence (including threats and suicides), gun theft or gun accident on any of these campuses. Crimes have actually fallen by an average of 4 percent on these campuses every year. This makes sense as concealed carry acts as an excellent deterrent against would-be criminals who would rather commit crimes in “gun free zones” than in places where they risk being injured or killed by their would-be victims. College campuses have the same violent and non-violent crimes of the surrounding area. CHL holders are just as responsible on campus as they are off campus where they already carry, such as in shopping malls, movie theaters, restaurants, etc. Obviously, most people never think about this since the firearms have to be concealed to be legal with the license. They are out of sight and out of mind; hence they are not a distraction and criminals are more wary as they don’t know if their potential victim is armed or not. In the rare event of a mass shooting, CHL holders could stop a mass murder and save countless lives instead of being helpless and executed by the psychopath. Concealed carry has been
by Texas Students for Concealed Carry on Campus proven not to increase the crime rate, but can save lives — the benefits definitely outweigh the risks. To those who think they would pose a difficulty to law enforcement, the fact is those with a CHL will comply with law enforcement and be easy to identify, they won’t be the one randomly shooting at innocent people. To those who think there would not be enough time to stop a mass murderer, students and faculty deserve a fighting chance and it was proven at Virginia Tech that there was more than enough time to take the mass murderer down and save many lives. His weapon jammed, he was having difficulty reloading, and yet all students could do was watch in horror. Gun free zones disarmed these students, but allowed In the rare the criminal to event of a mass walk right on shooting, CHL by and execute holders could his helpless victims. We stop a mass would rather murder and have a fighting save countless chance to defend ourselves lives instead of than stand idly being helpless by as a madman and executed by executes our felthe psychopath. low students. We hope this tragedy is never repeated and we hope that if it is, we will be allowed to be prepared. While we can’t prevent mass murders and every day crimes, we can be prepared to defend ourselves and put a stop to them if they do occur. You don’t expect to ever get in a car crash, but if you do, your seatbelt can save your life; we all hope never to have to use a gun, but it would be much better to have it and not need it than to need it, not have it. Please feel free to join Texas A&M Students for Concealed Carry on Campus on Facebook if you agree with our cause. We currently have over 1,200 members and will have our next meeting on at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 11 in Rudder 504.
MAILCALL From Alvis Wilson, junior
petroleum engineering major I was shocked to read on the front page of The Battalion your article that was posted in regards to the UT shooting. Your argument against gun rights on campus was very well articulated and brought forth your view of the argument in manner that displays that you care about this issue deeply. Unfortunately I disagree. Look at the facts. 8:15 he fires shots. 8:17 a UT alert is sent out to the students on campus. You say 20 people can be killed in seconds with 30 round
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clip of an AK-47. Do you really want to wait 2 minutes, which I am sure would seem like an eternity in the given circumstances, for police officials to show up and confront the armed criminal? I wouldn’t. While I appreciate and trust the honorable policemen and women in uniform, I realize they may not be there for me when it really counts. Having a way to defend myself in those 2 minutes could mean the life or death of me, and I want to have control over my personnel security. G-d forbid any of us ever face that situation.
9/30/10 12:26 AM