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Sports:
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win.
Page 6
PACE DESIGN BY : LAUREN ROUSE
Lord of the Rings’ crowned with 11 Oscars
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By David Germain
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES — “The Lord of the Rings:
leRetum of the King” won a record-tying 11
Academy Awards on Sunday, including best pic-
trc and director and becoming the first fantasy to
ihithe top Oscar.
Inthe acting categories, all the winners took
Ime their first Oscars: Charlize Theron won best
Ktiess for her transformative performance as
strialkiller Aileen Wuornos in “Monster.” and
Penn was named best actor for playing a
fulex-hoodlum who falls back on his crim-
malwaysin “Mystic River.”
i Robbins won the supporting-actor prize
> performance as an emotionally crippled
uder suspect in “Mystic River.” and Renee
Zellweger took supporting actress as a hardy
Wederate survivor in “Cold Mountain.”
Afterthe first two installments of the “Lord of
bRings" trilogy were shut out of major awards,
tarn of the King” swept all 11 categories in
ilich it was nominated. It matched the record 1 I
lias of "Titanic” and “Ben-Hur” and became
ooly the third movie to sweep every nominated
category, following “Gigi” and “The Last
Emperor,"which both went nirte-for-nine.
'lespecially just lastly want to thank our won-
(kifulcast who just got their tongues around this
tailierawkward text and made it come to life with
devotion and passion and heart.” said “Lord
See Winners on page 5
Members of the MSC Film Society gathered for the
group's first Oscar Gala held on the second floor
of the Memorial Student Center Sunday night. The
JOSHUA L. HOBSON • THE BATTALION
society provided snacks and refreshments for the
public and its members.
MSC Film Society
hosts gala for students
By Sonia Moghe
THE BATTALION
Charlize Theron, Sean Penn and “The Lord of the Rings:
Return of the King” were the big winners at last night’s
Academy Awards.
The 76th annual Academy Awards were presented by
Billy Crystal, who has hosted the program for eight years.
“(Crystal) did an OK job,” said Vincent Prendergast, a sen
ior marketing major and a member of the Memorial Student
Center Film Society. “I preferred Steve Martin (as a host).”
Prendergast said this was the first time he had seen the
Oscars all the way through.
He was in attendance at the Oscar Gala, sponsored by
the MSC Film Society, which provided members with the
opportunity to watch the awards on a big screen with
snacks and beverages. During commercial breaks(,) the
students had opportunities to answer trivia questions and
win prizes, as well as present impersonations of memo
rable acceptance speeches.
One flaw Jodi Whitaker, director of administration for
the MSC Film society, sees with the Oscars is that many
honorees’ acceptance speeches are cut short, while Hallie
Gardiner, a senior political science major, doesn’t like the
fact that award winners voice their political opinions during
acceptance speeches.
“I get extremely annoyed when people make political
statements at award shows,” Gardiner said. “If I want that I
can just go to class — Fm watching for the entertainment.”
Students such as Pendergast disagree, saying celebrities
have the right to say what they want to say.
Jessica Sahm, a senior at A&M Consolidated High
School, said seeing what stars are wearing on the red carpet
beforehand is an integral part of the Oscars.
See Gala on page 5
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By Amelia Williamson
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members who attended the NASA Mars Rover
iveries presentation given by Mark Lemmon Saturday
may have been sitting in their seats in Rudder
Auditorium with 3D glasses on, but felt as if they were actual
ly looking around on the Mars’ surface.
Eveiy martian morning, Lemmon goes to the Jet Propulsion
lioratory (JPL) in Pasadena. Calif., along with other NASA
sRoverTeam members, to explore Mars’ surface using the
rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. He works on Mars time
use the rovers are solar-powered and can only be driven
id during the martian day.
In the building (where the NASA Mars Rover Team members
ill), we cut out all sunlight and all signs of Earth, and in that
lug, we’re on Mars,” Lemmon said. “We see the environment
idus through the eyes of the rovers, and we sense the envi-
mentaround us through the instruments on the rovers.”
Hie main goal of the Mars Rover Mission is to search for
iignsofpast or present water on Mars, Lemmon said.
DieroVers were launched from Earth in summer 2003 and
Weir way to Mars on a seven-month journey through
ifacelhatended in January 2004.
liter the first bounce, we still had a signal, (and the Spirit
)was alive on Mars,” Lemmon said. “Then the signal went
iay,andall of us knew full well that it didn’t just have to sur-
onebounce, it had to survive every single bounce.”
The lander bounced about 25 times and finally rolled to a
)ut nine minutes after impact, and the signal was
Lemmon said.
rover carefully drove off of the lander and rolled onto
iemartian surface.
we have gotten off the lander and once we start moving
See Rover on page 2
„ "he Battalion 1
mast Week's Results:
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Doyou think gay marriages should be legal?"
08% Q No, marriage is meant to
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RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION
Week celebrates
cultural differences
By Jason Hanselka
THE BATTALION
Julio Jana, a senior agricultural economics
major from Brazil, said by age 17 that most
high school graduates in Brazil know what
they want to do with the rest of their lives.
“They usually go to law school or med
ical school,” he said. “There isn’t really any
undergraduate study.”
Jana, president of the International
Student Association, said after coming to
Texas as a high school exchange student, that
his host family convinced
him to return and go to col
lege in the United States.
“I visited many colleges
in Texas,” he said. “When I
came to Texas A&M, I fell in love with it.”
Jana and many other international
Aggies will come together to display their
different cultures this week during
International Week 2004.
Suzanne Droleskey, executive director of
international programs for students, said
International Week is a celebration of culture.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to learn
about the more than 3,600 students attend
ing Texas A&M from 120 countries,” she
said. “It’s a nice way to sample the world
without leaving Texas.”
Droleskey said the theme of International
Week 2004 is “Beyond Borders.”
“When most people think of borders.
they think of lines that separate nations,”
Droleskey said. “We hope that people will
go beyond the literal meaning of borders
that exist between people whether cultural,
religious or social.”
Jana said the main focus of International
Week is to promote international awareness.
“We are fortunate to be a university that
is able to reach out to other people and show
off the differences in cultures,” he said.
International Week 2004 will include a
cultural display Monday and Tuesday in the
Memorial Student Center, an international
buffet Wednesday on the
second floor of the MSC
and a talent show and
dress parade Friday at
Rudder Auditorium.
Taka Kanaya, a geolo
gy graduate student from Japan and director
of the talent show, said the purpose of
International Week is to educate people.
“I believe people don’t know a lot about
foreign people,” he said. “Unless we show
people here what we have in common it is
hard to communicate well.”
Kanaya said the transition from Japan to
College Station was exciting.
“Lifestyle in Japan and the U.S. is not
much different except for the car lifestyle,”
he said. “I love being here. The people are
nice and very friendly.”
See Cultural on page 2
International Week 2004
“Beyond Borders”
Opening ceremony
10:15 a.m. to 11 a.m.
MSC Flagroom
Cultural displays by international
student organizations
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
MSC
Tuesday
Cultural displays by international
student organizations
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
International buffet
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
MSC
*_ Friday
International talent show and
traditional dress parade
7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Rudder Auditorium
RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION
SOURCE : INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION
‘Monologues’ meets with little controversy
By Carrie Pierce
THE BATTALION
Although met with controversy in its
first two years, this year’s running of “The
Vagina Monologues” went smoothly, with
out taking out any of the shock value,
Texas A&M officials said.
On Feb. 26-28, a cast of 24 A&M stu
dents performed Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina
Monologues” at Rudder Theater.
Ensler first produced the monologues in
1998 on Broadway as a one-woman show,
said Rose Robards-Forbes, a junior journal
ism major and play director.
“On Broadway, it has a rotating cast of
celebrities,” Robards-Forbes said. “I saw
this touring campaign in 2001 and wanted
to bring it here.”
The performance was put on by TAMU
V-Day, a student organization that raises
money and awareness to stop violence
against women, said Brenda Bethman,
director of the Women’s Center.
Bethman said that in 2002 and 2003,
several people did not want the show to be
performed at A&M’s campus because of
its racy content.
“This year we have enjoyed more sup
port than we once did,” Robards-Forbes
said. “The Memorial Student Center and
Rudder have helped us out a lot, and we
have more student recognition.”
Robards-Forbes said the first few years
were met with so much argument because
of the shocking context of the monologues,
like the full range of the female experience
including menstruation, birth, good experi
ences with men, bad experiences with men,
rape, domestic violence, sexuality and the
everyday headaches of being a woman.
“It is about a women’s sexual adult
hood,” Robards-Forbes said.
V-Day enjoys the freedom to perform the
play free of royalties, Robards-Forbes said.
“The money we raise goes to the TAMU
Women’s Center and the programs in vio
lence education/’ Robards-Forbes said.
Senior psychology major Jennifer
Cowart performed in “The Vagina
Monologues” for her second year in a row.
She said after seeing it and loving it during
its first year running, that she went and tried
out for the 2003 performance.
“It is important to get the message out
that rape happens,” Cowart said. “It hap
pens here.”
The show was met with laughs and
gasps from the audience, with monologues
ranging from “My Angry Vagina” to “The
Smell List” to “The Woman Who Loved to
Make Vaginas Happy.”
Sophomore business major Derek
Harris said it was his second year to
attend the performance.
“I’m kind of a feminist,” Harris said.
“This is very empowering to women. It is
something I have a lot of respect for.”
Harris said he does not think that a
group of men could put on a similar set of
monologues about their sexuality and be as
sophisticated.
Sophomore meteorology major Andy
See Monologues on page 2