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Accielife: No bad seeds • Page 3A
Opinion: Dress code debacle • Page 5B
THE BATTALION
Volume 110 • Issue 40 • 18 pages
A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893
www.thebattaIion.net
Thursday, October 23,
Women’s business club boasts rapid growth
and fees
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he College Board
critical that families
1 college education is
jach because of finan-
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1, the president of Ike
Board.
stumbles
neral de Chastelaintk:
sparent report of majoi
said Trimble, who
voters needed to knw
we have not had that.
wouldn’t allow hi®
pe of weapons discard
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two previous weap -
r 2001 and April 21.
tacked away from fc
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ich a declaration was to
n a string of choreo-
â– nts Tuesday.
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ting,” but defended the
its handover of weapon-
a face-saving measure,
an be fixed in the short
as been a senior IRA
970s, according to sev-
n Ireland conflict,
jssibility of a genuine
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ggested instead that
erve and that his part;
ng the IRA does,
een, under any circum-
ng at all. Do youthinh
er and the taoiseacl
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is said.
day’s unraveling wort
oying,” and poked fi
cerns.
don’t want to be, and
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ce 1982
By Rhiannon Meyers
THE BATTALION
Kristen West said she couldn’t help but stop at
the balloon-adorned booth of the American
Business Women’s Association at the Memorial
Student Center Open House this fall. The vivid dis
play and the officers’ bright smiles motivated the
freshman business major to sign up for ABWA on
the spot, she said.
“I saw it at Open House and thought it was real
ly interesting,” West said. “The girls at the table
were so enthusiastic.”
That enthusiasm spread quickly. After only a
month in existence as a Texas A&M organization,
the ABWA A&M chapter now boasts 262 members,
making it the largest chapter in the nation since the
formation of the national ABWA in 1949.
“It just took off,” said Cally Blakenship, presi
dent of the ABWA A&M chapter and a senior
finance major. “We were expecting 30 people
maybe, but at our first meeting, we had a room
reserved for 120 people and people kept piling in
until it was completely crowded. It was incredible”
Blakenship said she came up with the idea to cre
ate an ABWA chapter at A&M, and along with four
friends, founded the first women’s organization in
the Mays Business School this fall.
Susan Billingsley, vice president of operations
and co-founder of ABWA, said she and fellow
founders wanted to create a way for women to net
work and encourage each other while learning more
about the business world, specifically about how
women are affected by it.
“We bring an avenue for women to prepare
themselves for the business world beyond even what
the business school can offer,” Billingsley said.
Billingsley said ABWA is open to all business
majors and minors with membership opportunities
each fall. ABWA is specifically centered around
women and business and addresses issues, including
effectively balancing a career and family, cross gen
der communication in the corporate world and
maintaining health and fitness. Billingsley said that
with more than 55,000 members nationwide,
ABWA also provides opportunities for members to
network with other professionals in the business
field.
“I joined for the fellowship of other girls in the
business arena,” said Natalie Claiborne, a junior
marketing major. “I hope to gain insight from them
and educate myself on the business world for
women right now.”
Claiborne said she is excited so many women
decided to join the organization.
“I think it is really amazing and it speaks a lot for
See Business on page 7A
Grant to aid research
on diabetes, obesity
By Bart Shirley
THE BATTALION
A team of researchers at the Center for
the Study of Health Disparities has received
a $1.1 million grant, issued by the National
Institute of Health’s National Center on
Minority and Health Disparities, which will
be used to study diabetes education and
management and childhood obesity.
The team is head
ed by B. Lee Green,
associate professor
of health and human
safety in the College
of Education.
The grant was
designed by the NIH
to aid universities
and centers of
research as part of its
Wealthy People 2010
program, which is
designed to increase
quality and years of
healthy life and
eliminate health dis
parities, according to
www.healthypeo-
ple.gov.
Green said the
Healthy People
2010 program is
the “blueprint for
health in the
United States.”
The diabetes study will be conducted in
conjunction with the Bryan-College Station
Community Health Clinic.
Statistics show Hispanics and blacks
are particularly at risk for diabetes. The
study will examine why there are such dis
parities between minorities and the popu
lation at large.
“Diabetes is a major issue in minority
populations, “ Green said. “These problems
are absolutely on the rise.”
Ranjia Misra, assistant professor of
health and kinesiology, said her focus on the
team is the study of diabetes. She will look
at the psychosocial aspects of the disease.
Misra said her goal is knowledge, accept
ance and self-management of the disease
among patients afflicted with it.
“A lot of people don’t think that it (dia
betes) is serious,” Misra said.
It can take several years for complica
tions to develop fully, which explains why
the prevailing public opinion of diabetes is
one of nonchalance, she said.
N i 1 e s h
Chatterjee, assis
tant professor of
health and kine
siology, will be
heavily involved
in educating the
public, because
of his role as
community sup
port enhancer on
the team.
“My role will
be to develop a
relationship with
(the) community
and build capaci
ty,” Chatterjee
said.
The team,
which also
includes Jeff
Guidry, associate
professor of health
and kinesiology,
and Mitchell Rice, director of the Race and
Ethnic Studies Institute, wants to give peo
ple tools to solve their own problems,
Chatterjee said.
In terms of the childhood obesity aspect
of the study. Green said the team will coor
dinate its efforts with Prairie View A&M
and the city of Prairie View.
Schools will be monitored, and the team
will receive reports from teachers in area
schools in an attempt to gauge the
See Grant on page 7A
National Institute of Health Grant
Texas A&M's Center for the Study
of Health Disparities will use the
$1.1 million grant from the NIH to
study diabetes and obesity.
-t The team will study the
misdiagnosis of obesity.
Someone with a body mass
index:
—QAbove 25 is overweight
—QAbove 30 is obese
-#1 Because ethnic groups have
^different body structures,
overweight percentages differ.
Andrew Burleson • THE BATTALION
Source : WWW.CDC.GOV
Slam dunk
Randal Ford • THE BATTALION
Will Dillard, a junior industrial distribution major, attempts to noon. Maysfest is an on-campus festival put on by the
put a ball through a basket while attached by a cord to the Business Student Council and is held between Wehnerand the
middle of an inflatable game at Maysfest Wednesday after- West Campus Library.
Al-Qaida in Iran
At least five senior al-Qakta operatives are
suspected of going to Iran after the Taliban fell
in neighboring Afghanistan.
f
1
Saif al-Adil,
Egyptian
Aliases: Muhamad Ibrahim MaKkawi,
Ibrahim Al-Madani, Saif al-Adel
Born: 1S60 or 1963
Role; Osama bin Laden’s security and
intelligence chief. Considered No. 3 man
In afOaida in 2003.
Allegations: Tied to attacks on U.S. troops
in Mogadishu (1993). East Africa Embassy
bombings (1998), USS Cole bombing
(2000); suspected of ties to Riyadh
residential complex bombings (2003)
Abu
Mohamed
al-Masri
Egyptian
Aliases: Abdullah Ahmed
Abdullah, Abu Mariam.
Saleh
Bom: 1963
Role: Operational and
training coordinator.
Allegations: Ran the al-
Farouq terrorist training
camp near Kandahar,
f
Abu Hafs the
Mauritanian
Mauritanian
f
, before Sept, 11. Tied to attacks
on U.S, troops in Mogadishu (1993), East
Africa Embassy bombings (1998).
Aliases: Mahfouz Quid al-Walid,
Khalid al-Shanqitl
Bom: Around 1970
Role: Operational lieutenant and
ideological counselor for al-Qaida.
Bom: 1980
Role: One of Osama bin
Laden's elder sons, a rising
e j l. figure in the organization
Saad bin
Laden
Saudi
but still mid-level in terms
of actual authority.
Allegations: Suspected of
ties to the Tunisian
synagogue bombing â– '
(2002).
f
Abu
Musab
Zarqawi
Jordanian
Aliases: Ahmad Fadeel Nazzal Al-
: Khalaylah, Hussein Mohammed
Khalaylah
Born: 1966
Role: Senior associate of Osama bin
Laden, operates somewhat outside
the al-Qaida chain of command.
Allegations: Thought to command al-
Qaida’s operations in postwar Iraq.
Tied to foiled bombings of tourist sites in Jordan (2000),
killing of U.S, diplomat in Jordan (2002), and ongoing
attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq (2003),
SOURCE: Associated Press
AP
Iran claims nuclear victory over U.S.
By Brian Murphy
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TEHRAN, Iran — With the
European Union now in his corner,
Iran’s president on Wednesday
described the showdowns over the
country’s nuclear ambitions as a
diplomatic “boxing match” with the
United States.
Iran is claiming victory in the lat
est round.
A promise to expand the bounds of
nuclear inspections and suspend urani
um enrichment — made Tuesday after
talks with foreign ministers from
Germany, France and Britain -4- is
expected to secure Iran’s immediate
goal: keeping allegations of a secret
atomic weapons program from reaching
the U.N. Security Council.
But Iran also displayed its ability to
work the diplomatic seams as part of a
broader strategy to isolate Washington
on the nuclear issues, experts said.
Iran — facing an Oct. 31 deadline to
prove its nuclear program is peaceful —
reached out to EU heavyweights that
favor dialogue with the Islamic rulers.
The tougher line favored by Washington
suddenly appeared stalled.
“It’s been like a boxing match with a
powerful, unjust rival trying to sway
world opinion,” said Iran’s president,
Mohammad Khatami. “Now it has
turned into a marathon run. The world
has learned that we have been sincere.”
President Bush, in Indonesia, called
See Iran on page 2A
Senate pushes for SGA financial report
By Sarah Walch
THE BATTALION
The Texas A&M Student Senate
passed a bill Wednesday night affinning
that the entire Student Government
Association “supports all efforts to make
all SGA committee line-item budgets
derived from Student Service Fees avail
able to any inquiring individual.”
Student Service Fees account for 35
percent of funding for SGA committees.
The bill will not go into effect until
signed by Student Body President Matt
Josefy, who has four days to choose
whether to sign or veto the document.
Speaker of the Senate Matthew
Wilkins said the Student Senate strongly
supports openness.
“Student Senate supports release of
these data, and Senate has never been the
roadblock,” he said. “A representative
organization that fights openness and
democracy is destined to become little
more than an irrelevant bureaucracy.”
Josefy, a senior accounting major, said
he had some concerns about open access
to SGA budget information after bill
authors and senators Jeff Graham and
Keni Ward presented their arguments in
favor of the bill.
The opening of financial information
to the public at large might bring a higher
level of scrutiny to SGA committees and
force them to answer questions about how
their money is being spent, Josefy said.
When non-SGA individuals look at the
information, they may not fully under
stand how and where money is being
spent, he said. Also, there would be a loss
of privacy and the autonomy and privacy
of the committees would be threatened by
the change.
Whip Jibran Namji said the rules laid
out by the Texas Legislature, a more
knowledgable body than the Senate, must
have implemented this process for a rea
son. Namji proposed an
Bush, GOP discourage
support for Iraqi loans
By Alan Fram
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The White
House and Republican congression
al leaders are trying to snuff out sup
port for Iraqi loans, even though the
House voted symbolically to include
the lOUs in the $87 billion package
for Iraq and Afghanistan.
The 277-139 House vote was
ambiguous. Lawmakers approved a
nonbinding resolution voicing sup
port for Iraqi loans and better med
ical benefits for U.S. veterans and
military reservists, making it diffi
cult to determine exactly what the
roll call meant.
The vote came the same day the
White House threatened for the first
time to veto the bill if the loan
See Bush on page 2A
See Senate on page 7A