● friday, january 21, 2011 ● serving texas a&m since 1893 ● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2011 student media

thebattalion

Not many people believe in the power of one, but one person can make significant impacts. One individ-ual started a war; her name was Helen of Troy. Another started a movement of civil disobedience and total nonvio-lence; his name was Mahatma Gandhi. By refusing to give up her seat on the bus, one woman inspired a reverend to lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott that

launched the Civil Rights Movement; their names were Rosa Parks and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Started by students 23 years ago, the Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference was created for the purpose of uniting students, presenters and ad-visers. Their goal was to address prob-lems and issues that affected the black community and to develop solutions to those problems. This year’s theme is The Image of Impact: A Reflection of a Leader and is meant to inspire individu-

als to realize the influence that just one person can make.

The application of knowledge, cul-ture, religion, family and community to address these issues is an important citizen development tool. The confer-ence, which began yesterday and will continue through Sunday, will provide workshops and presentations designed to develop strong leadership skills.

“The conference impacts the mind-set of students to be distinguished lead-ers,” said Aishia Brown, the assistant di-

rector of marketing for the conference and senior psychology major. “[It en-courages them to] go against the status quo of things and excel in life.”

The conference has been successful in expanding their influence throughout the years and is open to all college stu-dents. The career fair has also expanded to include more schools and companies that students can take into consideration when planning future graduate school options or job opportunities.

Jeremy Northum — THE BATTALION

Former officials reflect on Gulf War

A historic reunion

Amidst the dim lights in Texas A&M’s Reed Arena, a crowd began to form Thursday night. Old Aggies, old friends and interested people mingled by shaking hands or embracing and speaking in hushed voices about the significance of the evening’s event. The Corps of Cadets filled the North end of Reed while the throngs filtered in slowly and filled the 100 and floor levels of the arena as the Aggie Band played. Six high-back leather chairs sat on the stage erected on the South end on the arena floor awaiting their distinguished guests.

The Bush School of Government, the Scowcroft Institute of Internation-al Affairs, Texas A&M and the Shell Oil Company put on a commemo-ration of the 20th anniversary of the start of Operation Desert Storm.

President George H.W. Bush wel-comed former Vice Presidents Dan Quayle and Dick Cheney, Secretaries of State Colin Powell and James Baker as well as Generals Brent Scowcroft and Walter Boomer. The delegation also included Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah, a Kuwaiti envoy and Ambas-sador Mohammad Abulhasan. Ryan Crocker, the dean of the Bush School,

Ty Petty The Battalion

Timeline◗ Aug. 2, 1990 Iraq invades Kuwait◗ Jan. 17, 1991 Operation Desert Storm begins◗Jan. 18, 1991 Bush authorizes call up of up to 1 million National Guardsmen and Reservist◗Feb. 23,1991 Iraqis ignite 700 oil wells in Kuwait◗Feb. 24,1991 Allied ground assault begins◗Feb. 28,1991 cessation of hostilities declared◗Aprl 6,1991 Iraq accepts cease-fi re terms◗April 11,1991 cease-fi re terms take affect

See Gulf War on page X

Former President George H.W. Bush speaks Thursday in Reed Arena at an event commemorating the 20th anniversary of the beginning of military operations to liberate Kuwait.

For a thriving athletic department, for that 24-17 Thanksgiving victory over their arch-rivals, A&M received a harsh dose of reality: they are not relevant, they are not Texas, and they made a colossal mistake this summer in staying with the Big 12 — a failing conference built on a faulty foundation. The Big 12 is a conference that is, for all intents and purposes, on life support.

Have we forgotten, so soon, the happenings of this fateful summer? UT was perceived to be the power player during conference realignment. As the most powerful athletic depart-ment in the country, Texas had its pick of where it would land. Pac-16? Big 10? The rest of the dying Big 12 — including A&M — would either follow big, bad Texas or be left for dead on the side of the road.

It is rare that a Texas A&M student will have the opportu-nity for one-on-one time with their university president. Presi-dent R. Bowen Loftin broke the mold with the residents of Moore Hall attending a Q&A session in Lounge A-3 Wednes-day night.

“We wanted to meet with President Loftin to get to know him better,” said Robert Bu-chanan, a senior civil engi-neering major and president of Moore Hall. “Most of us will get his e-mails, but not every-one reads it.”

Loftin answered questions including Vision 20/20 and the idea of an on-campus hotel.

Three dorms will be torn down in July to construct a bigger facility that will provide more places for students to live and options for studying, enter-tainment and recreational activi-ties, Loftin said. The University apartments will be used to ac-commodate at least two-thirds of the displaced students and University officials are looking

UT turnsESPN deal intogold

Making time for students

Luz Moreno-Lozano The Battalion

See Texas on page 4

See Loftin on page 2

campus

Loftin attends special Q&A session with residents of Moore Hall

David Harris

Texas A&M’s decision makers need boldness with next move

Marco Lopez, senior recreation, park and tourism sciences major, Branden Becker, class of 2009, Martin Bates and Tim Touchstone protest outside Reed Arena.

Remembering the Gulf War and Aggie serviceEDITORIAL

T exas A&M is a special

place. You hear it every

time a speaker steps up

to a podium, you see it as you

stroll across campus and most im-

portantly — as the latest genera-

tion in a proud tradition of Aggies

— you feel it in your bones.

The uniqueness of A&M was

on display again Thursday night

when former President George

H.W. Bush came to campus with

many of his closest confidants to

remember the conflict that de-

fined his presidency.

Many of the students enrolled

today were not alive when Iraq

invaded Kuwait and the Gulf

War commenced 20 years ago. It

was projected to cost millions of

dollars and thousands of Ameri-

can lives; less than 150 were lost.

Victory was swift, decisive and

honorable.

The war was not mandatory;

Bush was not obligated to assist

Kuwait. He did because it was

simply the right thing to do.

Aggies at the time, like in

countless conflicts prior, took up

arms and joined together in sup-

port of our nation. The courage,

strength and honor of this great

American leader is on display at

A&M’s campus in the George

Bush Presidential Library just a

half mile from main campus on

George Bush Drive.

Aggies have always answered

the call to serve and defend what

is right, and that will not stop

with our generation. Take after

the brave men and women who

visited campus Thursday, and act

honorably.

When we face our life’s greatest

challenges, we will shine brightly

as the many keepers of The Spirit

before us. This is Texas A&M.

We are the Aggies. For us, it’s

tradition.

The Battalion’s editorial

opinion is determined by its

Board of Opinion, with the

editor in chief having fi nal

responsibility.

EDITORIALBOARD

Editor in Chief Matt Woolbright

junior sociology majoreditor@thebatt.com

Managing Editor Megan Ryan

senior English major

Taylor Wolkenjunior economics major

Josh McKennafreshman biology major

Connie Thompsonjunior communication major

Former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Sec. of State Gen. Colin Powell (Ret.) participate in a roundtable discussion on political, diplomatic and military issues.

Jeremy Northum — THE BATTALION

April Baltensperger — THE BATTALION

The gap be-

tween Texas

A&M and

Texas on a financial

and reputational level

is capacious. Follow-

ing the announce-

ment Wednesday of a

20-year, $300 million

mega-deal between

the University of

Texas and ESPN, the

chasm has spread to an

insurmountable level.

Student leadership conference displays significance of oneGayle Gabriel and Connie ThompsonThe Battalion

campus life

See Conference on page 2

See Gulf War on page 5

sports

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UNIVERSITY DINING ®

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 offices 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 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.

Matt Woolbright, Editor in ChiefMegan Ryan, Managing Editor Gayle Gabriel, City EditorRebecca Bennett, Lifestyles EditorDavid Harris, Sports Editor

thebattalion THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE OF TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893

Jill Beathard, Enterprise EditorEvan Andrews, Graphics ChiefTyler Hosea, Video/Photo Chief

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pagetwoFor daily updates go to thebatt.com ● Facebook ● Twitter@thebattonline

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thebattalion 01.21.2011

courtesy of NOAA

Todaysunny

High: 53Low: 27

Saturday mostly sunny high: 58 low: 37Sunday 30% chance of showers high: 59 low: 33Monday 20% chance of showers high: 50 low: 31

fully equipped

3 MSC Open House

MSC Open House is from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Student Recreation Center. For more information, visit http://mscopenhouse.tamu.edu/Welcome.html.

1 Add/dropMonday is the

last day to add or drop courses for the spring semester. For more information, contact the Offi ce

of the Registrar at 845-7117 or e-mail

registration@tamu.edu.

2 Money management

A Money Wise workshop will be from 1:50 to 2:50 p.m. Monday in room 236 of the Pavilion. The workshop will teach students the importance of establishing a written budget and how to prepare one.

whereoncampus

Stephanie Leichtle — THE BATTALION

Think you know every nook and cranny at Texas A&M? The fi rst people to get the answer correct will have their names published. Send your response with your name, class and major to photo@thebatt.com.

Would you like to suggest a Where on Campus for the staff photographers to consider? Send your suggestion with your name, contact information, class and major to photo@thebatt.com.

at a reasonable fee for temporary living. The $45 million project is expected to be completed by 2013.

Other projects under way around cam-pus are the Corp dorms and sport facilities. The plan is to update one dorm at a time and finish all 12 dorms in a 12-year period.

“The Corp dorms are designed to last for a long time,” Loftin said. “They, how-ever, were not designed to accommodate women.”

As part of Vision 20/20 the baseball and football stadiums will be redesigned.

Olsen Field is on the list of makeovers this year. The interior will be completely renewed by upgrading the bleachers, player locker rooms and seating. Following the

interior redesign the exterior will also be upgraded. This is expected to begin in spring of 2012. Kyle Field is be-ing examined for an upgrade beginning with the West-side. Better concessions and restrooms are included in the project. The remodel for

Kyle Field will begin after the 2012 football season.

“I think that Dr. Loftin is a great guy,” said Ekank Jatwani, a senior electrical engi-neering major and resident of Moore Hall. “Our dorm definitely benefited from his visit. It also allowed people to understand what he does.”

One resident asked about the elements of the Vision 20/20 Loftin preferred. He answered saying that he could not choose, but he wants Texas A&M to be counted

among the best public universities in the country, meaning that the Aggies are na-tionally recognized.

The new policy regarding meal plans for incoming freshmen was addressed. Some students were concerned about how they would be affected. Any incoming freshman is required to purchase a meal plan. Loftin explained the reasoning was to accommo-date the dining services.

“I cannot fund the dinning services with tax payer’s money or student tuition and fees,” Loftin said. “Therefore we had to come up with a way that would allow the dining services to run.”

Concluding the meeting, Buchanan awarded Loftin with a Moore Hall T-shirt and closed with one last thing:

“You are why I do what I do,” Loftin said. “You are the best in the world, and we’re No. 1.”

LoftinContinued from page 1

“The conference is open to all college students wanting to gain key leadership principles to take back to their respec-tive universities,” Brown said. “We have had students from all over the country and even students from Jamaica and the West Indies. We have [also] in-creased the number of Career Fair members to more than 70 graduate schools and companies to participate in this year’s con-ference.”

Through networking with other schools and corporations from around the nation the SB-SLC reaches more than 1,000 participants every January.

“[SBSLC is] one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever been a part of,” said Lesley Ann-Brown, the SBSLC advis-er. “These students make magic happen for over 800 students, employees and participants.”

In previous years the confer-ence has received visits from hip-hop artist J.Cole, NY Times Bestselling author Omar Tyree and journalist Roland Martin among others. This year’s speakers include educa-tor Michael Eric Dyson and Essence Magazine editor Susan Taylor.

“The keynote speakers are phenomenal and provide valu-able insight for advanced stu-dent leaders,” Brown said.

To the students participating, SBSLC provides a resource that they can use throughout their college career and into future activities and opportunities.

“My experiences with SB-SLC were great, being able to interact with students from all over was very insightful,” said Candace Manns, class of 2009. “When I was in SBSLC back in ’06, I was one of the students who introduced some of the speakers during the workshop portion of the conference. I was shy when it came to speaking in public, but being apart of this conference gave me the tools to get over my fear and to learn to network. Overall, I think this conference is a great way to help empower our African-American students to become a productive leader and gain net-working skills.”

ConferenceContinued from page 1

Loftin

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page301.21.2011thebattalion

sceneb!

things you should know before you go 5

5 Cooking on a

budgetMoney Wise Aggies will have an information session on how to successfully budget to spend less on food from 1:50 to 2:50 p.m. Wednesday in the Pavilion, room 236.

4 Mock interview

dayThe Career Center invites engineering and science students to participate in mock interviews with employer representatives in related disciplines from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday in Koldus 209.

3 Green building

seminarJose Fernandes-Solis, assistant professor of construction science, will have two sessions of the “Green is Mainstream” seminar on residential green building technology from 9 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m. Monday in Langford Building A.

1 Coff ee talk on

genderProfessors and experts in such areas of neuroscience, history, feminism and women’s studies will lead a discussion on gender differences, sexism and feminism from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday at The Village Café in Bryan.

2 Freudian Slip

improv showTickets are available for the Freudian Slip comedy show at the MSC Box Offi ce. The show is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday at the Rudder Forum. For more information, check out the event on Facebook.

Being a college student is beyond pricey, and being a hungry college student can hurt your budget. If your New Year’s resolution involves saving money, check out the lineup for restaurants with quick meals for less than $10. Here are four local eateries that won’t break the bank this semester.

Koppe Bridge Bar & Grill prides itself in having the “Best Big Burger in Town.” The menu offers several college budget-friendly selections including a popular

half-pound cheeseburger and fries basket that will run you only about $7. Koppe Bridge has two locations in the College Station area.

Another dollar-saver just down the street from campus is the popular restaurant Blue Baker.

“Blue Baker is definitely worth the price; they offer a variety of food with reasonable prices for any college student. I would suggest trying out the Club Bleu. It is a croissant with ham, turkey, bacon, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, covered with mayonnaise and honey mustard,” said Jessie Rochford, junior wildlife and

Evan Andrews — THE BATTALION

Hear yeA new semester means a new wave of music. Here are some old songs by bands with new albums coming out this spring:

◗ Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Don’t Forget Me” : Great song with a solid groove. New album (minus guitarist John Frusciante) is expected in May.

◗ Manchester Orchestra – “Tony the Tiger” : Brings all the elements the band has mastered into one awesome song. Look for the new release this March.

◗ Death Cab for Cutie – “We Looked Like Giants” : One of the band’s classics. A new album is expected sometime this spring.

◗ The Decemberists – “The Crane Wife 3” : Folk song rendition of a popular Japanese tale. Album The King is Dead hits stores Jan. 18.

◗ Blink 182 – “Stockholm Syndrome” : Quintessential Blink: Fast, catchy and with an awesome drum line. The album drops in late spring.

◗ Cold War Kids – “Audience” : Piano-rock at its best. Mine is Yours comes out Jan. 25.

◗ Bright Eyes – “Bowl of Oranges” : Bright, cheery piano makes this a classic. New album The People’s Key comes out Feb. 15.

Ryan Haughey, staff writer

Best meals in town for under $10

More daily breadfor your dough

Gabrielle RoyalThe Battalion

entertainmentKeith Urban to play Super Bowl pre-game showCountry music star Keith Urban is set to perform live from Cowboys Stadium as part of the Super Bowl pre-game festivities next month. The three-time Grammy winner plans to include songs from his newly released album, “Get Closer.” Urban has sold nearly 20 million CDs and earned numerous awards. He has also charted 11 No. 1 hits.

Associated Press

Saving money doesn’t have

to mean skimping on

fl avor.

fisheries major. Sandwiches like the “Club Bleu” are priced at

about $6 at Blue Baker. The restaurant offers a variety of deli options for a pain-free lunch for your wallet.

“What’s special about this restaurant is that it really commits to its name. The whole restaurant is practi-cally blue. It’s a great place to eat and hang out with friends, and they offer rewards to those who show up dressed in all blue,” Rochford said.

Jin’s Asian Café is centrally located on the outskirts of campus. This restaurant offers a selection of lunch and dinner menu options. The Asian-inspired cuisines are affordable for students on the run.

“I think the prices are pretty reasonable, especially since they are very generous with the amount of food for each meal. I usually get the sweet and sour chicken with fried rice. Students like the closeness of the restaurant to campus,” said Erika Moore, junior allied health major.

Popular options include dishes such as Kung Pao Chicken, Pad Thai and fried rice plates priced between $6 and $9. Jin’s also has veg-etarian menu selections, and delivery is free.

“The restaurant has a nice atmosphere. I would definitely go back for another visit,” Moore said.

Featured on the Food Network’s Din-ers, Drive-ins and Dives, the local Hullabaloo Diner cooks homestyle breakfast, lunch and dinner for hungry Aggies.

“I got the roman sausage basket. It was two spicy sausages with grilled peppers and onions and provo-lone cheese on top. It was something different for me to try; I would suggest it someone who wants something different,” said Yiechia Warren, junior communication major.

The restaurant’s breakfast menu is served all day so customers can choose from selections like Hul-labaloo’s popular all-you-can-eat biscuits and gravy, cheddar cheese omelets and chicken fried steak all priced at less than $9.

“It reminds you of the food your mom or grandma would make. At Hullabaloo, you feel taken care of, it’s nice for students to have that because it can make you feel like you are home. Hullabaloo is worth the price because college students are always looking for a good deal,” Warren said.

These restaurants and many others in the Bryan-College Station area offer affordable meals less than $10 for students. Go into the New Year with a full stomach and bank account.

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sports thebattalion 01.21.2011

page4

thebatt.comBasketball recapsThe No. 10 men take on Kansas State at 1 p.m. Saturday at Reed Arena. The No. 5 women take on No. 20 Iowa State at 11 a.m. Saturday in Ames. Look for recaps following the games.

track and field | The No. 2 women and No. 3

men welcome in LSU to the Gilliam Indoor Track

Stadium for a big dual meet.

(if you haven’t)

order your2011 yearbook

today.The 109th edition of Texas A&M University’s official

yearbook will chronicle the 2010-2011 school year — traditions, academics, the other education, sports,

the Corps, greeks, campus organizations,and seniors and graduate students.

By credit card go online to http://aggieland.tamu.edu or call 979-845-2613. Or drop by the Student Media office,

Bldg. #8901 in The Grove (between Albritton Bell Tower and Cain Hall). Cost is $64.90, including shipping and

sales tax. 8:30 A.M. to �4:30 P.M. Monday–Friday.

swimming and diving | The men’s and women’s

swimming and diving teams take on LSU this weekend

at the Student Recreation Center.

Track team takes on Tigers in dual meet

The Texas A&M Track and Field team tests its progress against another powerhouse track program when LSU visits the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadi-um at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Senior sprinter Gerald Phiri leads the nation in the 200-meter early in another promising season, but said the team’s focus is near-sighted; that the goal of the team is to focus on mak-ing progress each week remaining this season rather than thinking ahead.

“There’s no pressure to win another championship in January,” Phiri said. “We’re looking forward to competing against [LSU].”

The dual meet pits two of the coun-try’s best. LSU comes to town boast-ing the No. 2 men’s team and No. 3 women’s team in the country. A&M, on the other hand, comes in with the No. 3 men’s squad and No. 2 women’s squad.

“LSU’s program has been good for a long, long time, and once again they’re very good this year,” Head Coach Pat Henry said.

A&M has won the last four national championships, and is in the process of establishing a dynasty.

Likewise, LSU is no slouch with 32 national track championships and the 2010 women’s SEC title in pocket. The Tigers also finished a solid No. 6 in 2010.

Henry takes the matchup seriously, highlighting the ability of both pro-grams to produce nationally competi-tive squads each year.

“This is actually two schools that field track teams and are competitive at a national level,” Henry said.

Henry, who has been at A&M since 2005, steered any rivalry talk toward the competitive nature of the athletes. Although coaching LSU from 1987 to 2005 and winning dozens of champi-onships during his tenure, Henry be-

lieves the rivalry is between opposing competitors trying to finish first rather than the perception that the two pro-grams despise each other.

“If what’s perceived as a rivalry is trying to win, then yeah there’s a ri-valry,” Henry said.

Senior sprinter Jessica Beard ac-knowledged that this team is differ-ent than those of the past. She said the team is focused on this year rather than looking back on previous success to ensure another victorious season.

“We’ve won two titles but this is 2011, let’s focus on this year,” Beard said. “LSU will give us a good indica-tor of where we are.”

The Tigers bring a team of cham-pionship quality athletes to give the Aggies and idea of how the team has improved. Beard leads the nation in the 200-meters with an average time of 23.25, and she said each individual pushes to build on the previous meet.

Though it is early in the season and

though there is a lot of running to go until teams hoist any trophies, Henry knows how competitive and how im-portant it will be come Saturday.

“This will be a fine track meet, even with it coming early in the season for both programs,” Henry said. “It brings out the competitiveness in your people and that is what this is all about.”

Adrian O’ Hanlon III Special to The Battalion

Women, men welcome Tigers to Student Recreation Center

LSU swims into Aggielandswimming and diving

track and fi eld

The No. 20 men’s and No. 8 women’s Texas A&M swimming and diving teams take on the No. 22 men and No. 23 women of LSU Saturday in the final home dual meet of the season.

The men are coming off a decisive win in early December over rival SMU with a 136-98 victory in a meet previously decided by only the last relay in year’s past.

From the first touch of the wall by senior Balazs Makany in the 400-yard medley relay, the Aggies never rescinded their lead, capturing 1st place in 10 of 13 events.

Sophomore phenom Omar Enriquez pulled off his now, almost standard hat trick, winning all three of his individual events and helping the Ag-gies beat SMU for only the 2nd time this century in 200 IM.

The A&M women defeated SMU and fell to No. 2 Georgia in a double-dual meet over the break.

The Aggies took 12 of the 16 events against the Mustangs and five against the highly-touted Bull-dogs, dominating the 100 fly with a 1-2-3 finish by sophomore Kendra Chernoff, freshman Paige Miller and junior Rita Medrano.

Medrano and freshman Camille Adams are likely to take a 1-2 finish in the 200-yard fly this weekend, having alternated the finish all season and consistently achieving NCAA B’ Cut qualify-ing times.

Medrano best time in 2010-2011 is a mere .09 seconds off the A’ Cut, having broken her own and set the new school record (154.04) at the Georgia Tech Invitational, while Adams isn’t far behind needing only .55 off her best time after also breaking the old school record.

All-American junior diver Grant Nel took home the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard crown at the Georgia Tech Invite and also won the 3-me-ter at the Australian Open Diving Championships on Dec. 2, upsetting the favorite by 0.1 to score 444.10.

With Cam Mclean back in the lineup after sea-son ending shoulder surgery last spring, and All-American senior Jaele Patrick and junior Janie Potvin consistently garnering top marks this sea-son, the Aggie diving team looks strong once again heading into final stretch before the Big 12 Cham-

pionships. For 10 seniors who have dedicated the last four

— and in some cases five — years to the program, the LSU meet will mark the last time they suit up and take to the Rec Center Natatorium waters for the final home meet of their collegiate careers.

On the men’s side, Makany, Nathan Lavery, Jensen Ried, Bryan Snowden and Andres Van Dam will all complete their remaining eligibility this season.

All-American Makany, a two year captain for the Aggies, competed for Hungary in the 2008 Olympics and currently holds the school record in the 100 and 200-yard freestyle.

Dominating in the breaststroke the past few years are All-Americans Snowden and Lavery. Snowden, also a captain this season, holds the school record for the 200 yard breaststroke, while the South African import Lavery owns top-10 A&M times in three individual events.

Van Dam specializes in the backstroke and con-

sistently competes in the Big 12 Championships. Reid’s senior season was cut short after the fall due to a persistent shoulder injury that has required two surgeries during his career at A&M.

“It’s sad losing Jensen; we all know how hard he worked this year, but he’s still there for us as a captain as he has been all year with encouragement and support,” said sophomore Jack Burley.

Melanie Dodds, Hannah Kinder, Lindsey King, Maria Sommer and Caroline Maxvill come from a class that has been a part of top-eight NCAA fin-ishes every year of their Aggie career, and it looks to be no different for their senior season.

“This year’s senior class has been one of the most successful in school history,” Burley said.

“With all the school records they hold as a group, along with the continued success they have brought to the program, its hard to imagine that any other class could come close. The hard work and focus they bring every day really inspires the rest of us to do our best.”

Alex Welch The Battalion

Shockingly, however, A&M stood up to its rival. The decision makers would not allow DeLoss Dodds and company to push them around. It is why they, along with Oklahoma, had a standing offer to join the SEC – in the process, escaping the enormous, perpetual shadow of UT, ending the Big 12 and forging its own path.

Yet, A&M blinked, quivered in fear. The Big 12 was “miracu-lously” saved, A&M got a heaping pile of cash and UT maintained its position as “El Jefe” in the confer-ence. Oh, they were also given the leeway to start their own network, one of their main goals during the entire realignment phase. Some-thing that, until this week, was believed to be rather ambitious.

“If you think about it, a separate school network does not work un-less it’s public television, and they need all kinds of institutional and federal government funding. Last time I checked, the college athletic departments are not eligible,” said Athletic Director Bill Byrne in his Wednesday Weekly following the decision to stay in the Big 12,

Guess, Byrne was wrong. Guess, A&M and the rest of the

conference got played. Again.The ambitious, arrogant

counterparts down south just got richer. They also just got a decisive recruiting advantage over A&M. They just etched their name into the American public’s mind as the No. 1 program in all of college athletics. And A&M let it happen.

Any game not televised nation-ally, whether it be gymnastics, golf, swimming, hop-scotch or anything involving the color burnt orange, will be shown on the yet-to-be-named network. Don’t think recruits and their families won’t notice.

College athletics has never seen anything like it.

Dodds and UT President Wil-liam Powers continue to stress that they are committed entirely to the Big 12.

Truly shocking stuff, considering that with the $20 million promised to them by Commissioner Dan Beebe along with the $15 million per year they’ll receive from the worldwide leader, UT is pocketing $35 million per year in television revenue alone. Why would they even consider leaving this seem-ing goldmine handed to them on a silver platter?

A&M continues to stress that they are equals to UT, that both are the premier institutions in the state of Texas. Well, if that’s the case, where is the uproar? Are the decision makers rethinking the gaffe they made this summer?

This agreement shows they are not viewed as equals. It shows they are on an entirely different level; that it is Texas’ world. A&M and the rest of the Big 12 are lucky enough to be living in it – some-thing Nebraska was well aware of when they bolted for the Big 10.

This summer, UT held the cards. Now, they hold the gold as well.

What will the A&M decision makers do?

They saved the Big 12 this sum-mer. They should kill it this spring.

David Harris is a senior economics major and sports editor.

TexasContinued from page 1

File photo — THE BATTALION

The Aggie men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams take on LSU in an early-season battle at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Student Recreation Center.

Courtesy photo

Senior sprinter Tabarie Henry and the Aggie men and women take on LSU at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in College Station.

Untitled-1 1Untitled-1 1 1/20/11 9:37 PM1/20/11 9:37 PM

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thebattalion

news page 5

friday 1.21.2011

Gulf WarContinued from page 1

and a former ambassador presented the event.

The event started as A&M’s Presi-dent Loftin took the stage to kick off the event. Loftin presided over the presenting of national colors by the Ross Volunteers’ color guard and the playing of the Kuwaiti and American national anthems. Some Kuwaiti stu-dents in attendance sang aloud with their national anthem prompting scat-tered smiles though-out the crowd. Loftin introduced Crocker.

Crocker, who would later oversee the panel discussion, introduced a new mini-documentary narrated by Bush. The video briefly covered the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the diplomacy, the build up of Coalition Forces, the actual invasion and peace. This would be the same order of topics in the panel discussion.

When the lights came on at the conclusion of the video, President Bush stood at podium. Bush started his remarks by introducing and thank-ing Quayle who was standing behind him. Bush next asked all the Gulf War veterans in attendance to stand and receive recognition by the audience; then he recognized the panelists.

“I honestly believe we got this one right … our troops had the full support on the battlefield they deserved,” Bush

said. “Man came together for the noble calling of liberating Kuwait.”

After Bush spoke, a special envoy from Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Al-Sabah spoke in measured and soft tones about Kuwaiti involvement in international affairs and their gratitude.

“[I am] truly honored and humbled to be here with such noble individuals and true friends of Kuwait,” Al-Sabah said. “[I] remind you of courage and vision of George Bush when he de-clared aggression against my country would not stand.”

Crocker took the podium intro-duced the panelists. Crocker first asked Powell to read a letter from Gen. Nor-man Schwarzkopf, the commander of U.S. forces in the Gulf region at the time.

In his letter, Schwarzkopf spoke of how proud he was of the events in 1991 and lamented the loss of life in the conflict.

“The events of 1991 remain some of the proudest in this soldier’s life,” Schwarzkopf said. “My thoughts are with those who gave their lives.”

He also praised the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who served in the conflict. Schwarzkopf referred to them as “the thunder and lightning of Desert Storm.”

After the letter reading was finished, Crocker gave the panelists a moment to discuss their thoughts about the group assembled on the stage. The men on the stage expressed the deep

respect they have for each other. Crocker steered the discussion over

a range of topics from dealing with the U.N. to the large scope of the political and diplomatic issues surrounding the conflict.

Each of the panelists shared their respective unique challenges faced during the crisis. The entire discussion appeared to be impromptu which in-cluded awkward pauses and the panel-ists talking over one another.

Every man on the panel highlighted items they found most significant. Am-bassador Abulhasan said he worked ag-gressively to garner support for Kuwait in the U.N.’s General Assembly. Abul-hasan also disclosed that Kuwait went against a strong consensus amongst Arab nations not to use the U.N. Se-curity council as a means to garner in-ternational support.

Later in the discussion, while Cheney was discussing the military build up, a protester sprang up from the back of the floor seats, started sing-ing a song, clapping his hands and walking towards the stage.

“[L]ay down my sword by the river-side, don’t wanna study war no more,” sang the protester as he was escorted out of the arena by agents, onlookers, and campus police.

Cheney continued his remarks not phased by the interruption. However, upon Cheney’s conclusion, Powell of-fered a strong rebuke to the protestor.

“To the panelist that just joined us,” Powell said, “if you don’t want to study war, then you better be prepared to fight it.”

Powell’s rebuke drew rancorous ap-plause from the crowd and wild cheers and whoops from the Corps of Cadets.

The panel finished the discussion by covering the remaining topics such as the military action and the peace pro-cess with Iraq. Crocker also had the panel express any regrets. The panel offered no significant regrets other than Baker and Ambassador Abulhasan lamenting that they failed to force Sad-dam Hussein to sign the treaties ending the conflict.

Crocker concluded the discussion by informing the crowd that they had a surprise guest for the evening. Crocker then invited country singer Lee Greenwood to sing his patriotic song “Proud to be an American.”

Not all in attendance had a positive reaction to the event. There were pro-testers at the entrance to Reed Arena before the event.

Untitled-4 1Untitled-4 1 1/20/11 10:32 PM1/20/11 10:32 PM

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page 6

friday 1.21.2011

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants in this paper do not necessarily refl ect those of Texas A&M University, The Battalion or its staff. Direct all correspondence to: Editor in chief of The Battalion, 979-845-3315 | editor@thebatt.comvoices

Suzanna Gratia Hupp was

eating with her parents when

Hennard plowed through the

entrance to Luby’s. When

Hennard began firing, the

family flipped over a table for

cover, and Suzanna instinc-

tively reached in her purse for

her .38-caliber Smith & Wes-

son before realizing she had

started leaving it in her ve-

hicle a few months before for

fear of losing her chiropractic

license. Her father, Al Gratia,

was gunned down charging

Hennard. Her mother was

executed while holding her

husband’s head in her lap as

he bled.

The Luby’s massacre even-

tually led to the 1995 passage

of SB60 in the Texas legisla-

ture, which allowed Texans

the right

to

carry

a firearm

with a Concealed

Handgun License.

Suzanna Gratia Hupp was a

huge proponent of the law

and elected to the Texas State

Legislature in 1996.

Fast-forward 20 years and

our nation has suffered an-

other tragedy in Tucson. The

assault on a federal legislator

has made gun control a popu-

lar topic in Washington.

Peter King, Republican

representative from New

York, has proposed making it

a crime to knowingly carry a

firearm within 1,000 feet of

“high ranking officials.” As a

practical matter it is impossi-

ble to check everyone

within 1,000 feet

of highly ranked

officials. It is un-

likely that some-

one bent on vio-

lence would give

a second thought

to such a paper

barrier. It will,

however, stop

law-abiding, gun-

carrying citizens

from being any

help and give those hell-bent

on violence the peace of mind

that those in close proximity

to a highly ranked official are

more or less defenseless.

New York Democratic

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy and

New Jersey Democratic Sena-

tor Frank Lautenberg have

proposed legislation to ban

high-capacity clips and limit

them to only 10 rounds of

ammunition.

This might help if there

weren’t a multitude of high

capacity clips in circula-

tion (there are), if there was

a realistic way to track sales

(there isn’t), and if madmen

didn’t have any other options

(they do).

Someone with a determina-

tion to kill won’t have a prob-

lem buying a high-capacity

clip grandfathered in before

this would-be legislation was

passed. The gunman could

simply pull a “New York

Reload” as the Virginia Tech

shooter did by carrying

a second weapon.

Just as ter-

ror-

ists have

consistently

found new ways

to wreak havoc,

there are end-

less ways for

a madman

to find a

bigger clip,

another

gun or

resort to

alter-

natives.

Normal,

law-abiding gun

owners are the ones who are

discouraged by red tape.

New York Mayor Michael

Bloomberg has been

glorifying his city’s

oppressive gun laws

that almost ensure

that only criminals

have guns. This

crucial flaw points

out the absurdity of

these feel-good poli-

cies. Criminals don’t

care about a 1,000

feet paper barrier.

Would-be assassins

don’t give up because

an extended clip is no longer

sold at Wal-Mart. Violent

malcontents don’t care about

petty infractions. Regular law

abiding citizens care about

petty infractions.

Gun Control proponents

seem unable to fundamentally

understand the primary con-

sequence of their laws. Fewer

good guys with guns.

According to the Brady

Campaign to Prevent Gun

Violence, Utah has the most

permissive gun laws in the

country. It also has one of

the lowest murder rates at 1.5

per 100,000 according to US

Census Bureau. Conversely,

California has the strictest

gun laws in the country, but

beats the national average

at 5.8 per 100,000. Until

2007, Washington D.C. even

banned handguns but still led

the nation with more than 30

murders per 100,000.

Recently, Senator Jeff

Wentworth from TX District

25 introduced TX Senate Bill

354. The bill would allow

concealed handgun license

holders to carry on college

campuses. The bill won’t

stop bad people

from attempt-

ing hei-

nous

crimes, but

it does create a

chance for good

people to stop them.

Suzanna Gratia

Hupp lost both of her

parents Oct. 16, 1991

on the floor of a Luby’s

because of a paper bar-

rier. A barrier law-abiding

citizens won’t cross, a barrier

that killers don’t respect, a

barrier that leaves students de-

fenseless even today. It’s time

to end the feel good policies

that favor the monsters among

us at the expense of the in-

nocent.

On Oct.

16, 1991,

George Jo

Hennard drove his

pickup through the

front door of Luby’s

in Killeen. Using his

truck to barricade the

front door he went

on to murder 23

people, wounding 20

others before taking

his own life.

Taylor

Wolken

junior economics major

UNIVERSITY INING

exas legisla-

e, which allowed Texans

the right

to

rry

rearm

h a Concealed

dgun License.

nna Gratia Hupp was a

proponent of the law

ected to the Texas State

ture in 1996.

forward 20 years and

on has suffered an-

gedy in Tucson. The

n a federal legislator

gun control a popu-

n Washington.

ng, Republican

ve from New

oposed making it

nowingly carry a

n 1,000 feet of

a determina-

to kill won’t have a prob-

lem buying a high-capacity

clip grandfathered in before

this would-be legislation was

passed. The gunman could

simply pull a “New York

Reload” as the Virginia Tech

shooter did by carrying

a second weapon.

Just as ter-

ror-

ists have

consistently

found new ways

to wreak havoc,

there are end-

less ways for

a madman

to find a

bigger clip,

another

gun or

resort to

alter-

natives.

Normal,

law-abiding gun

owners are the ones

as the

gun laws in the cou

beats the national av

at 5.8 per 100,000. U

2007, Washington D

banned handguns but

the nation with more

murders per 100,000.

Recently, Senator Je

Wentworth from TX D

25 introduced TX Senat

354. The bill would allow

concealed handgun license

holders to carry on college

campuses. The bill won’t

stop bad people

from attempt-

ing hei-

nous

crimes, but

it does create a

chance for good

people to stop them.

Suzanna Gratia

Huppppp lost both of her

parents Oct. 16, 1991

on the floor of a Luby’s

because of a paper bar-

rier. A barrier law-abiding

citizens won’t cross, a barrier

that killers don’t respect a

barrier that lea

f

Reality of gun control

Abraham Hernandez — THE BATTALION

In memory of:Patricia Brawn Carney, Jimmie Eugene Caruthers, Kriemhild A. Davis, Lt. Col. Steven Charles Dody, Al Gratia, Ursula Edith Marie Gratia, Debra Ann Gray, Dr. Michael Edward Griffith, Venice Ellen Henehan, Clodine Delphia Humphrey, Sylvia Mathilde King, Zona Mae Lynn, Dr. Connie Dean Peterson, Ruth Marie Pujol, Su-zann Neal, John Raymond Romero Jr, Thomas Earl Simmons, Glen Arval Spivey, Nancy Faye Stansbury, Olgica Andonovsk Taylor, James Walter Welsh, Lula Belle Welsh, Iva Juanita Williams

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