inside health | 2 A salmon a day
thebattalion l friday,
Link between diet and cancer reveals itself through research of distinguished professor of statistics, Raymond J. Carroll.
february 1, 2013
l serving
texas a&m since 1893
l first paper free – additional copies $1 l © 2013 student media
Women warriors
Lifting of combat ban grants opportunities for female cadets Jennifer Keith
The Battalion Since Judith Crews was nine years old, she has asked her parents why women weren’t allowed to serve in combat roles in the military. Now a member of the Corps of Cadets’ Squadron 6, Crews, sophomore international studies major, was pleased to hear that Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta had lifted of the 19-year-old Pentagon rule that restricted women from serving in the artillery, armory, infantry and other such combat roles — a ban she saw as an offense to womens’ potential. “I think it’s insulting to the capabilities of women, by setting the physical training standards lower,” Crews said. “People just assume that [women] will not perform as well. I think that women who are interested in being in Special Forces should be able to prove
themselves.” Though the Pentagon did order the services to open combat jobs to women, the process of achieving gender neutrality will be a long process. In his first interview since the lifting of the ban, the Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James Amos said the opening of certain combat jobs to women might depend on the number of women who qualify for physical and other standards. While women make up 15 percent of the armed forces, according to Panetta, the 200 women in the Corps make up almost 10 percent of A&M’s Corps of Cadets. Considering that 35 percent of the 200 women in the Corps will continue in ROTC to receive a position in one of the military branches, according to the Corps of Cadets’ website, it is worth discussing the See Women on page 3
Jade Bedell — THE BATTALION
women’s basketball
Late shooting flurry pushes No. 16 A&M past Vanderbilt Charity Chambers
The Battalion For the fourth time this season, the No. 16 women’s basketball team was behind at the half, but riding the hot hand of freshman guard Courtney Walker, the Aggies stormed back for the home victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores (14-7, 4-4). A&M (17-5, 7-1) pulled away late thanks to a three-pointer rally in the 60-52 win. The Aggies trailed 8-2 early in the game as the Commodores sunk two threes to pull them ahead.
campus news
Furry circus This Saturday, cats, dogs and a barrage of feathered friends will take to the stage as Rudder Theatre welcomes the Popovich Comedy Pet Theater. The show, featuring worldrenowned circus performer Gregory Popovich and his cast of rescued stars, is filled with various fun and amusing acts that are sure to charm audiences.
thebatt.com
Midseason review After a strong showing in nonconference play and two early SEC wins, head coach Billy Kennedy’s men’s basketball team has struggled on offense. Prior to Wednesday’s overtime win at Mississippi State, it had lost four games in a row.
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Vanderbilt led by as much as seven in the first half but Walker hit backto-back jumpers to put the Aggies within three points. Junior All-American candidate Kelsey Bone struggled to score and the team reflected her performance, shooting just 35 percent in the first half. In the second half, however, A&M shot a scorching 71 percent to regain the lead and eventually seal the win. Senior forward Kristi Bellock said the rest of the team needs to help Bone during games such as this one. “Kelsey is our leader and go-to
Texas A&M 17-5 (7-1), Vanderbilt 14-7 (4-4)
player,” Bellock said. “We feed on her energy. If she doesn’t score then we aren’t doing our job by getting her the ball. We need to attack the rim more and help her out.” The Aggies had to make a change in the second half and Walker came in on fire. Walker was 10 for 13 from the field, matching a careerhigh of 20 points and was the only player to reach double digits. Walker said in the second half she knew she had to start being more aggressive.
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Freshman guard Courtney Walker, the only Aggie in double figures, matched a careerhigh with 20 points on 10-13 shooting. Jenna Rabel — THE BATTALION
See Victory on page 4
state
board of regents
Aggie Replant calls volunteers to restore Bastrop park tree population
Sumlin, assistant coaches in line for salary increases
Aimee Breaux
The Battalion Nearly a year after the Bastrop wildfires — the worst wildfire in Texas history — Aggie Replant is calling for 720 volunteers for their Lost Pines Recovery Campaign, a fourday project to plant 30,000 seedlings in the recovering park. The September 2011 fire, reportedly caused by dry weather conditions and a faulty power line, raged through 32,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,600 homes and 90 percent of the Bastrop State Park before finally being extinguished the following month. Yet, long after the fire’s end, the park still faces problems in the form of soil erosion caused by a lack of vegetative root system to hold the soil in place. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, even light rain sweeps soil away. Therefore, the first steps to recovery are to stop erosion through the planting of “drought-hardy” loblolly pine trees. To do so, Texas Parks and Wildlife partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation and the Texas A&M Forest Service to form the Lost Pines Recovery Campaign. The campaign looks to plant four million loblolly pines on about 16,000 acres of land during the next five years. “Replant has always had a de-
Mark Doré
COURTESY
The 2011 Bastrop wildfires propelled by dry weather conditions, raged through 32,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,600 homes and 90 percent of the Bastrop State Park.
Registration Information Registration will be open until Feb. 2 at replant.tamu.edu. Volunteers may register for any of the four days planting will take place, Feb. 16, 17, 23, and 24. Efforts will begin at 7 a.m. each day and last until 3:30 p.m., and lunch will be provided for all volunteers. sire to help other communities outside of the Bryan and College Station area,” said Andrea Fonseca, Lost Pines Recovery Campaign project coordinator. “So when Texas A&M forester Pete Smith asked us to head the first student-led university organization, Lost Pines Recovery efforts, we were more than
excited to accept.” Fonseca also said they are calling on a greater tradition by asking for volunteers. “Our main goal is to bring Aggies together again under our strong tradition of selfless-service, leadership and respect for the environment for the Bastrop community,” Fonseca said.
The Battalion After an inaugural season riddled with highlights such as a toppling of No. 1 Alabama on the road, a 41-13 win in the Cotton Bowl, a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and a Top 5 finish, an ample reward is expected for head coach Kevin Sumlin and his assistants. The A&M football coaches find themselves in line for new contracts after the Board of Regents authorized University President R. Bowen Loftin to execute the deals. Director of Athletics Eric Hyman referenced Sumlin’s 2012 success in a statement released after the meeting. “Coach Sumlin and the Aggie football coaching staff accomplished a great deal in our first year in the Southeastern Conference,” Hyman said. “They are laying the foundation for continued success in the most challenging conference in the country.” Hyman said the contracts’ approval came in the interest of preserving the program’s current head of steam. “There is a lot of positive momentum across the campus and this will help us continue in that forward direction,” Hyman said. Certain details regarding the contracts are still under review, but the University has reached an agreement on key aspects of the new deals, including compensation. Sumlin voiced his thanks in a statement. “I am very appreciative of the support of our administration toward our football program,” Sumlin said. Prior to last season, A&M signed Sumlin to a fiveyear deal worth about $2 million annually, which placed him among the lowest earners of SEC coaches. By comparison, Alabama’s Nick Saban, winner of three national championships in the past four years, makes more than $5 million per year. Only Kentucky’s Joker Philips earned less than Sumlin did under his 2012 contract before incentives. Exact figures for contract extensions and raises have not yet been released.
2/1/13 12:57 AM