thebattalion ● tuesday,
june 19, 2012
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2012 student media
Window of tragedy
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Fighting continues in Syria a year after the Arab Spring. More than 10,000 people have been killed and the fighting has displaced tens of thousands from their homes.
Students recall wars as Arab Spring revolution continues in Syria Joanna Raines & Robby Smith The Battalion
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leven-year-old Ali el-Sayed played dead to remain alive during the Houla massacre last month when gunmen entered his home and shot his family. Sayed’s story speaks for the 108 citizens who were murdered May 25 at the hands of the Syrian government. It gives us a small window to see the Syrian uprising. The Houla massacre is one incidence of the growing violence in Syria. The conflict was born out of an attempt to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. The rebellion sprung out of the Arab Spring, which the government re-
sponded with crushing violence. Assad continues to deny responsibility for the violence, blaming events such as the Houla massacre on foreign terrorists. However, it is his band of ghosts, Shabia, that leave the people of
Syria in fear for their lives, and people in the Western world to sit by and watch. The U.N. sent unarmed peace monitors to enforce a cease-fire. Although the number of monitors grew to 300, it had no effect on the violence. The situation continues to worsen. The increasing violence over the past few weeks led the U.N. to suspend troops from action as of Saturday. Many speculate this announcement is a sign that the peace plan is failing, and that further action must be taken. On Sunday, the chief U.N. observer in Syria appealed to the warring parties to enable civilians trapped by the escalating violence to leave
conflict zones. “The parties must reconsider their position and allow women, children, the elderly and the injured to leave conflict zones, without any preconditions and ensure their safety,” Gen. Robert Mood, head of the U.N. Supervision Mission in Syria said in a statement. He said attempts to extract civilians from the line of fire over the past week in the city of Homs have been unsuccessful. The U.N. Security Council established the U.N. Supervision Mission in Syria in April to monitor the cessation of violence in Syria, as well as monitor and support the full See Syria on page 2
nation
Obama bypasses Congress, changes immigration policy Relieved from fear of deportation and eager to gain employment, students say Trevor Stevens The Battalion President Barack Obama announced an executive change in immigration policy, offering the chance of employment to illegal immigrants, including students. “Let’s be clear, this is not amnesty, this is not immunity, this is not a path to citizenship, this is not a permanent fix,” Obama said from the White House on Friday. “This is the right thing to do.” According to The Associated Press, the policy change will affect as many as 800,000 illegal immigrants who have lived in fear of deportation. The “administrative relief” bypasses Congress, partially and temporarily achieving the goals of the DREAM Act, which is con-
gressional legislation that aims to establish a path toward citizenship for young people who came to the U.S. illegally but who attend college or join the military. “I feel very grateful for the courage Obama has shown by stepping out there and putting at least a temporary solution to the problem of the undocumented youth out,” said Maria Fernando Cabello, senior political science major, illegal immigrant and DREAMer. Cabello said she, along with the rest of the DREAMer community, have been fighting for an executive order for about two years. “He always told us that he can’t pass the DREAM Act — that’s a Congress issue,” she said. “And we always told him, ‘Well, do something.’” Cabello was 12 years old when she came to the U.S. from Mexico. “For almost half of my life I’ve had to live under the shadows and the fears of getting deported and getting separated from my family,” she said. “On Friday … that See Immigration on page 4
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Maria Ibarra,19, originally from Durango Mexico and Candido Renteria, 24, of Monterrey Nuevo Leon, hug with joy after President Obama announced he would ease enforcement of immigration laws Friday in Edinburg, Texas.
brazos valley health dept
campus
Agency adopts new eligibility guidelines
A&M System receives biodefense grant
Julie Blanco Special to The Battalion Students and families in need of immunizations for the upcoming school year should begin planning appointments ahead of time. Due to the recent reduction of state funds for vaccines, the Texas Department of State Health Services has implemented a new immunization eligibility policy this year, which limits those who can be immunized at the Brazos County Health Department. Those who have private insurance that covers vaccines are no longer eligible to receive vaccines at the Brazos County in Bryan. “Now with the eligibility changes if you have privately held insurance, the Department of State Health Services is asking that you return back to the very people who are taking your insurance premiums for your immunization care,” said Community Health Services Division Director
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Naila Dhanani
Julie Blanco — THE BATTALION
Students can receive meningitis shots and other vaccinations for a unit price at the country clinic if they already have private insurance. Julia Anderson. People who are able to get routine vaccinations through the Health Department are those who are uninsured. “It’s not so much that we’re turning people away so they can’t get vaccinated at all,” said Sara Mendez,
health education and promotion director at the Brazos County Health Department. “It’s really just sending them back to their provider to do that.” The policy forces parents and See Clinic on page 5
The Battalion A multimillion-dollar contract was awarded Monday to the Texas A&M University System to develop a center for developing vaccines that protect against pandemics and threats of bioterrorism. Texas A&M’s Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing will be home to one of three biodefense centers across the nation. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said during the press conference, “The threats we face today as a nation are constantly evolving… [The centers are] a dramatic step forward in ensuring that the
United States can produce life-saving countermeasures quickly and nimbly.” The University will receive $176.6 million from the federal government and $109 million from commercial and academic partners. Sharp said, “This is one of the biggest federal grants to come to Texas since NASA was placed here some years ago.” Pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, along with more than 20 researchers nationwide will assist the System with the center’s initiatives. See Biodefense on page 3
6/18/12 10:25 PM