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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 2001)
* r+r r rr * • encouragement and to the curre seems especial ring a time inn ry when milita n imminent, > doubt thatma 0 i will be invohi oming conflicts Unfortunately • tragedy, but it also be an app orps celebrates its 125th anniversary at A&M this weekend By Heather Campbell THE BATTALION r all to see andr : , contributions fj tve made to Ai' i.” day, events v a.m. and contu :M vs. Oklaho 1 game. At 9:3i rnal Aggie Bari f former App :rs, will step Quadrangle e Field. Thee kind will follt 1)0 a.m. ne fly-over irplanes has be te to the rec ew York City 2 D.C. However. 1" formation I If a thunderous “Howdy!” or “Yes sir!” rings in iyiur ears, and uniformed cadets march a:ross campus, you know you have ■rived at Texas A&M. This year marks 125 years that the Corps of (Cadets have ( presented A&M and will celebrate ic milestone with a reunion begin- ng today and continuing through turday. In light of recent attacks on merica, many people have become hre of the Corps’ presence and pottance for our country. With [ags flying everywhere, Americans ■ e reminded of their freedom and | n be thankful for the men and 1 omen who volunteer to carry' out merica’s mission to protect the nited States. Eric Komfuehrer, a senior civil engi- eering major, has a marine contract and m of all fonts bers who ha' ce to their coy: ;e killed in tl veek. ic United Stair . inducted into"; if 1918. ntributed somuia VERSA RY on prtff 1 Field at halftim “d he w ill be commissioned when raduates. “It hits home to us, especially the ones who ave potential to get shipped to other countries,” omfuehrer said. Alumni from the Corps stay involved during the om the class 1 ear ’ an( * t * ie ‘ r dedication shows the passion they other former a >e escorted om ich representing: Dabney, whos d, will represe: ave to participate in the Corps network actively. Rick Graham, Class of 1966 and former com- landing officer in the Aggie Band, reveals an verwhelming sense of pride in every word he says bout the Corps. His son. Kevin Graham, a senior i, m itpio.. us j ness major j n outfit E-2, represents A&M as a le volunteered l'I e| | ] ea( j er J When I attended Texas A&M, the school was .11 male and just the Corps,” Rick Graham said. There are a lot more activities in the school that Ihe Corps is involved with, and I think the academ ics are stronger now which causes the Corps to change. It’s neat for us to come back and see our sons do the same thing we did,” Graham said. Graham periodically travels from Dallas to College Station to run with the Corps. The former cadets also remain loyal to the University. Many travel back for Corps events that involve the entire school such as Midnight Yell, Silver Taps and football games. Tracy Cox, Class of 1981 and a dedicated alumni of the Corps, served on Corps staff and said he looks highly upon the Corps’ par ticipation in traditions. “Bonfire was the most memorable time The Corps of Cadets is the heart of Texas A&M’s many long-standing traditions. — Texas Gov. Rick Perry former cadet for me,” Cox said. “It was neat getting to par ticipate in something that pulled the school together. Silver Taps was another tradition I cherished. I think it is the most meaningful event at Texas A&M.” The Corps requires intense training and rigor ous schedules daily. Their long hours of work pay off in the end, according to Casey Utterback, a sen ior history major in Squadron 2. He said the living situations are extreme but definitely worth it. “We live in a controlled environment with a lot of rules and regulations,” Utterback said. “The dorms get loud, but it’s neat to live like people have for 125 years. It’s the same as when my dad, Class of 1975, went to A&M. We are forced to get along with people even if we don’t like them, and that provides a great basis for the real world where peo ple have to work together.” Tm JL ■HI | tn 0° MSC Current Issues Awareness presents... The Honorable Rick Perry -Governor of Texas Former Yell leader- class of 72 il Security Hu- (-national studio rt«t Now Zooland. ES ...I 13Oa-!230p 1 7 23Op-330p 1 23Op-130p . 1030a-U30a >.. . 1 I5p-I45p L!St 544 Years ION Free Admission Rudder Theatre itor lucer 5 Editor phics Editor ics Editor imaster i Friday during the fa* imer session (exceP 1 icals Postage Paida 1 Battalion, Texas AS' 1 A&M University in IP* /vs offices are in 01* 845-2647; E-nn# endorsement by W -2696. For classified I, and office hours ai* iM student to pick "P tail subscriptions ar* ie summer or $10* II 845-2611. Friday, Sopt. 21 5:00pm The Importance of Higher Education’ cia.msc.tamu.edu e Pc & Persons with disabilities, please call 979-845-15 15 to inform us of your special needs. ^- sTUD ^y> O'" A k. C <A The residence halls are similar to military bar racks, and each year Corps members acquire more privileges. Their eating habits, physical exercise and dress code also differ from the everyday stu dent. Wearing the long sleeved uniforms on swel tering days and strenuous exercise at the break of dawn are a few of the many hardships they endure. This weekend will be a time to commend the cadets not only for their daily perseverance but also for their long-term determination to serve our country at all costs. The incredible 125-year mile stone will be acknowledged Friday with a show case of events including a Corps Scholarship Golf Tournament, President George Bush Library tours and aircraft and military equipment displays. Friday evening, Gov. Rick Perry will be present to speak at Reed Arena. “The Corps of Cadets is the i heart and soul of Texas A&M’s many long-standing traditions,” Perry said. “The Corps has trained men and women for 125 years to serve our state and nation with dis- I tinction, often at the expense of ' their own lives. I am proud to be just one of thousands who have worn the cadet uniform while a attending Texas A&M.” The night will end with midnight yell practice at Kyle Field. Saturday’s focus will be an OP Army Elephant Walk beginning at Rudder. At the football game, former members of the Aggie Band are invited to march onto the field to create the “Eternal Aggie Band.” Trevor Voelkel, a senior finance major, is in the Aggie Band and serves as public relations officer for the Corps. He was responsible for planning the events and said he encourages everyone to partici pate. “This weekend is open to everyone and will be a great time for the community to see what the Corps is all about,” Voelkel said. 0 Directed by Tim Blake Nelson Starring Mekhi Phifer, Josh Hartnett and Julia Stiles Tim Blake Nelson retells the story of Shakespeare’s Othello on the basketball courts of an elite private school. Odin (Phifer) is the big man on campus: a star basketball player, a dili gent student, a charming gentleman to his beauti ful girlfriend Desi (Stiles) and most of all, the envy of his supposed best friend Hugo (Hartnett). In the movie, Hugo attempts to sabotage Odin’s life by making him think that Desi is cheating on him. From there, his life spirals downward. Nelson’s release of O was postponed because of the Columbine shoot ing a few years ago. His rendition of the story could have definitely sparked controversy through the retelling of one of Shakespeare’s phenomenal tragedies. The movie takes place in a high school and has a violent ending involving guns. For this reason, it was not appropriate for the movie to be released during aftermath of Columbine. 0 has an excellent cast, but unfortunately it is a movie of average stature. At times, one feels as if they are sitting through a very mediocre high school production of Othello, and at other times, one feels as if they are watching an original version of the play. Nelson unquestionably utilizes many of the origi nal aspects of the play. One of the main symbols of the play is Desi’s scarf that Odin gives her as a present. This mirrors the original play in that Othello gives a handkercheif to Desdemona as a gift. The scarf supposedly repre sents Desi’s sexual inno cence and her naive per spective in what is hap pening around her. Even Nelson’s character names reflect which character is which: Odin (Othello), Desi (Desdemona), and Hugo (lago). The movie gives the audience a sense that nothing good is going to happen. From the very beginning Nelson does an excellent job of setting an ambiance of a dark and dismal tragedy, pri marily with dark light ing. Each of the charac ters, particularly the principals, perfectly fit the molds of Shakespeare’s originals. Odin is confident and gullible while Desi is sweet, naive and beauti ful. One automatically sees that Hugo is up to no good and that something bad is going to happen. 0 follows the structure of Othello with a modern twist, but there is some- See O on page 10. CCETTS ta Avenue @ Southwest Pkwy. (IM to 4.0 & Goj 694-0018 X 103.9 "LIVE" PARTY FRIDAY X 103.9 "UVE" PARTY till I I ■».■■■. Over 21 NEVER a Cover with College I.D. Under 21, NO COVER till 11 P.M. $3 after 11 with College I.D. Intel hssiwg ( v ’I SATQRDA lit EAR I I INI A & LCNeNECIYS till 11 ■>. 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