campus news
Last day to Q-drop Today is the deadline for students to drop courses with no penalty (Q-drop) for the 2011 fall semester. For more information visit registrar.tamu.edu/ Current/Qdrop. aspx.
thebattalion ● thursday,
november 3, 2011
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2011 student media
Soccer in round two The A&M women’s soccer team started the Big 12 Championships on Wednesday seeded second, but needed two rounds of overtime and penalty kicks to overcome the seventh-seeded Kansas Jayhawks, 5-3. The Aggies will play Missouri at 8 p.m. Friday in San Antonio. The winner of this game will face Texas or Oklahoma State for the Big 12 title Sunday.
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Music scene
Photo illustration by Kolin Loveless and Evan Andrews — THE BATTALION
A&M professor Rola el-Husseini and UT professor Yoav Di-Capua led the latest installation of the Wiley Lecture Series.
Revolutions sweep A&M Experts discuss origins of Arab Spring uprisings Barrett House The Battalion
Getting attention is challenging for new bands. For the second installment in the Rock The Republic artist spotlight series, Steve Wells, blogger for The Battalion, checks out Houston folk rock band – Buxton. Get the details at thebatt. com.
O
ne man sets himself on fire in Tunisia and sparks a change that affects every country in the Middle East. That change, now known as the Arab Spring, took center stage Wednesday when two professors sorted through the chaos in Egypt and Syria to find the revolutions’ local origins before a student audience.
The conversation in this latest discussion of the Wiley Lecture Series was driven by University of Texas associate professor of modern Arab intellectual history, Yoav Di-Capua, and assistant professor of Middle Eastern politics at the Bush School at Texas A&M, Rola el-Husseini. El-Husseini discussed the historic background of Syria and the events that led up to its place in the Arab Spring, while Di-Capua discussed Egypt’s path to the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak. “President Bashar was welcomed in Syria and by most western observers as the symbol of hope for change in Syria,” el-Husseini said. “And for the first year or so of his regime, that
hope seemed to be justified.” El-Husseini said Syria followed “the China model” which created more liberal economic practices, but at the cost of less political freedoms. The general population of Syria has not yet seen the benefits of an open economy. The citizens that have profited most were those closest to Bashar, especially his family. The revolution in Syria started after a group of teenagers, inspired by events in Tunisia and Egypt, were arrested and tortured for vandalism. When the victims’ parents went to the police station for them, the police responded with violence. “The police overreacted, and basically shot
them, and this led to an explosion in the entire country,” el-Husseini said. According to Di-Capua, Egypt was much different than other countries involved. “Egypt represents a different spectrum of the Arab Spring,” Di-Capua said. “We tend to think of it as a unified movement, something that looks the same everywhere, but varies from state to state.” The groups involved in Egypt started protests over an abuse of power, like in Syria, including the handing down of the presidency from Mubarak to his son, and social injustices. ProSee Arab Spring on page 3
Play the classics sports
Aggie volleyball denies Raiders Courtney Nelson Sonic and Link are two of the gaming world’s greatest icons. If you have the speed and courage you can join them on their finest journey yet. O’Dell Harmon Jr., tech blogger for The Battalion, shares insights about the anniversary games at thebatt.com.
Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION
Senior utility Elise Hendrickson spikes the ball Wednesday in a 3-0 home win against Texas Tech.
The Battalion A&M volleyball continues to roll with another win at home against Texas Tech on Wednesday in straight sets (25-14, 25-18, 2517). The Aggies (18-5, 7-3 Big 12) played one of their best matches of the season, after squeaking out a win in five games in the first contest between the two this season. A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli said the Aggies played much more efficiently this time around. “This may have been one of the most precisely executed matches that we have played this season,” Corbelli said. “We are really thrilled that some of the things we have been concentrating on have been able to be used in the matches. I thought our defense tonight was exceptional. I think we kept them off balance a lot.” The first set began with both teams trying to find a rhythm before A&M junior Alisia Kast-
mo caught the hot hand with four kills. The Aggie serve was also spot on with four aces in the game. The team as a whole hit .409 in the frame compared to Tech’s .129. A&M also did a much better job blocking, putting up four while the Red Raiders posted none. Corbelli said the team performed well against Tech’s block. “I honestly thought just being in system a lot,” Corbelli said. “Our hitters were taking huge approaches against either one block or one and a half, not a fully formed double block.” Game two started with A&M grabbing the early lead 4-0 and Tech struggling to find any offense. The Aggies picked up their biggest lead of the set at 17-8 and brought in senior Chelsea Ringel to replace junior Tori Mellinger. Texas Tech made the game a bit closer See Tech on page 3
campus
Regent speaks about A&M enrollment, future law school Robert Carpenter The Battalion A member of A&M’s Board of Regents gave students a sneak-peak into System priorities — including hints about bringing a law school to the University — at the Student Senate meeting Wednesday evening. Regent Jim Schwertner stopped by the Senate meeting to field questions from senators about University and System issues. Schwertner is in town for Thursday’s Board of Regents meeting, which is held on the A&M campus. After opening the floor to senators’ questions, Schwertner backpedaled at the first mention of the controversial Seven Breakthrough Solutions for Higher Education. “We’re not calling it that anymore,”
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Schwertner said of the recommendations made by the Texas Public Policy Foundation about higher education. “It’s too polarizing.” Fernando Treviño Jr., senior political science major and a nonvoting member of the Board of Regents, said the Seven Solutions are a non-issue at this point. “I’ve never heard the issue seriously discussed in any meetings,” Treviño said. Schwertner said regents are currently working to make A&M more efficient, helping students to graduate on time and without unnecessary debt by increasing class offerings and keeping costs low. “We want professors to teach more. We want to utilize buildings more. We want more access to classes for you all,” Schwertner said.
In a year when A&M enrollment eclipsed 50,000 students, capping enrollment was not a priority for Schwertner. “If we have 32,000 applicants and we only let eight or nine thousand in, I think we can let another 10,000 in and generate another $100 million in revenue,” Schwertner said. Student Senator Drew Barber, senior political science major, said the University doesn’t have the infrastructure to support additional growth. “It’s scary,” Barber said. “There are certain things we need to do — in terms of infrastructure, residence life, advising — that we are struggling with at 50,000.” See Regent on page 3
James Thompson — THE BATTALION
A&M Regent Jim Schwertner answers students’ questions Wednesday evening in Koldus Building.
11/3/11 1:00 AM