he Battalion
Sports:
A day in the
life of Justin
^ ” Moore.
| Page 5
"I'lifU- 110 • Issue 121 • 10 p.iges
A loxas Ai^IVI I radiHon Since 1893
www.tliebcill.coin
PAGE DESIGN BY: EMILY HENDRICKSON
Controversy builds over Corps dorm vandalism
By Brian D. Cain
THE BATTALION
(Corps of Cadets Dorm 8 residents are upset that
ki may get fined for the February vandalism in
[second and third floor bathrooms.
|Lt. Col. Jim Harrison, director of logistics for the
lice of the Commandant, said that billing done for
nages to common areas in residence halls is a
versity policy.
However, cadets are upset over the circum
stances that were taking place the weekend the dorm
was damaged and the way the investigation has been
handled.
“That weekend was Military Weekend. We had
JROTC high school kids and JCAP cadets, who are
also not Aggies, living in this dorm the weekend that
this vandalism occurred,” said Justin Rudolph, a
senior kinesiology major and member of Squadron
3. “When I told my parents about this, my dad said,
‘You’re not going to pay that.”’
Dorm 8 is also different from other Corps dorms
in that a larger number of cadets have access to it.
The dorm houses an Army company and an Air
Force squadron and Parsons Mounted Cavalry.
“I don’t think (the University) should charge the
people who live in this donn for this because,
excluding the Aggie Band, almost the entire Corps
has access to this dorm,” said Joseph Ferguson, a
senior international studies major and resident of
Dorm 8.
Some cadets also feel that the investigation was
mismanaged.
“Basically, (Assistant Coordinator for Corps of
Cadets Housing Buzz Refugio) told us that when it
first happened, commanders conducted an investi
gation, and when that came up empty they involved
the University Police. If I’m going to be fined for
something of this magnitude, I want to know why
they didn’t go to the police first? They asked RAs to
See Corps on page 2
ove others, evangelist says
THESTi
Iked ani(
By Aerin Toussaint
THE BATTALION
chan.K
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more
I Tom Short, a nationally known open-air evangelist
pio travels to college campuses around the United
■tes, spoke to Texas A&M students this week about
feChristian responsibility to love others and change
game lose who are in danger of committing sins.
lO-niJ About 75 students gathered in the shade on
liursday afternoon as Short spoke about the death of
, all ij kins Christ and the differences between Christianity
: rame Jardother religions. Short spent much of the time dis-
lance. iS ss ' n g issues with a few students willing to voice
ison a 1 *iropinions, some of whom claimed to be atheistic
th his M wantet * t0 discuss doctrinal issues with Short. Short
invited to A&M each semester by A&M Christian
,j I Uowship, a non-denominational Christian student
l | ganization.
“We don't believe in imposing Christianity on oth-
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ers by force,” Short said.
Wayne Buchanan, a graduate student in education
and a member of A&M Christian Fellowship, said that
the organization brings Short to A&M every year to
give people something to think about.
“It’s a good way to get people to think about spiri
tual things, and God, and what the truth is,” Buchanan
said. “Tom’s not afraid of butting heads or people
showing an angry side. If people don’t see a reason to
come to Jesus, then they won’t do it. He is showing
them a need that they have.”
Lauren Lust, a freshman communication major, said
she felt that Short was trying to defend himself more
than Christianity.
“1 just felt that as a Christian, he wasn’t representing
the body of Christ very well,” Lust said. “I don’t feel as
Christians our mission is to make people change and i
See Evangelist on page 10
iigh levels of mercury found
n seafood cause concerns
By Amelia Williamson
THE BATTALION
The United States Environmental Protection Agency
(expressed growing concerns about high levels of
rcury in seafood, but some Texas A&M University
landisf
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(end,col /stem protessors said mercury levels haven’t changed
it oidall § niflcantl y over th 6 years.
| Gary Gill, a marine sciences and oceanography pro-
Issor at Texas A&M University at Galveston, said he
lilieves that the mercury levels in fish have not
| tanged much over time and that the recent concern has
d to increased research on the issue.
“What I believe has happened is that with continued
tncem over mercury, there has been an ever increasing
fort to monitor for mercury in fish in places where no
^previously existed,” Gill said. “Because of all this,
are now aware of more areas where mercury levels
fish exceed safe consumption guidelines.”
ill also believes that the recently tightened guide-
for mercury levels in fish stemmed from studies
ne on the effects of mercury on humans.
“There have been recent ... studies of mercury in
tans that have suggested that the exposure level of
teem is lower than we previously thought,” Gill said,
te result here is that more fish are now considered of
:em than was the case previously.”
Presley, an oceanography professor at A&M,
id that fish acquire high levels of mercury from the
ganisms they eat. Small organisms take in mercury
)m the water and pass it on to larger organisms
rough the food chain and eventually up to people who
Itfish and other seafood.
“Long-lived, large fish have more mercury, especial-
qPswordfish, king mackerel, tile fish and shark, but bass
Something is fishy here
People should exercise caution
when dealing with mercury in
food and the environment.
Burning of fossil fuels can
introduce mercury into the
atmosphere
(^Larger, older fish tend to
have more mercury in them
[^High levels
of mercury
can harm
a fetus
^Mercury
can cause neurological
damage
Ruben DeLuna • THE BATTALION
Source : TEXAS A&M OCEANOGRAPHY PROFESSORS
from some fresh water lakes are also high,” Presley
said. “Oysters and crabs can be high (can have high lev
els of mercury) if they were collected near a mercury
source such as an industrial outfall.”
The intake of high levels of mercury is very harmful
to humans and can cause serious neurological damage,
Presley said.
r
See Mercury on page 2
‘Act a fool’
Ludacris performs at Reed Arena Thursday night.
Ludacris is currently on tour promoting his
Evan O'Connell • THE BATTALION
"Chicken & Beer" album which was released by
Def Jam late last year.
Gay awareness week
ends with ‘gayla’ Friday
By Elizabeth Knapp
THE BATTALION
Stephen Schmidt, a member of Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, Transexual Aggies
(GLBTA), said that when he first came to
Texas A&M, he was grateful to find on-campus
organizations that supported people like him.
“A&M is historically a conservative cam
pus,” Schmidt said. “Having a liberal voice is
always helpful.”
Gay Awareness Week kicked off last
Monday and has been celebrated on A&M’s
campus for more than a few years to observe
the diversity that encompasses A&M students,
faculty and staff.
The week presented different kems of inter
est including resource tables, panel discussions
and a “gayla” to finish up the week that will be
held at the downtown Bryan night club, Halo.
People are encouraged to attend the events to
learn more about homosexuality.
“I know that having information available
for anyone can help open eyes to
See Awareness on page 10
wil.
Vmm nt Body I i f < hons
6:001W
indap
lagic
2004
HIWMtUIUlD
I Student Body President Results
Will McAdams
Jack Hildebrand
Narietha Carter
Royd Hernandez
Andy Herreth
Mark McCaig
Senior Yell Results
Houston Haley
Ryan Bishop
Paul Terrell
Taylor Baumgartner
Junior Yell Results
Keaton Askew
Patrick Hebert
Jacob Scher
Wl'il'I'WIP
I OR ( OMJTI TI FLECTION COVERAGE,
vfsit: www. i ffi haft.com
10
Ruben DeLuna • THE BATTALION
A&M students design
Cambodian museum
By Natalie Younts
THE BATTALION
Decades of brutal civil war in the Southeast Asian country Cambodia
have left the country with more land mines than children.
Aki Ra was forced to fight in the armies of brutal regimes, including the
Khmer Rouge, in Cambodia when he was 5 years old. After the army mur
dered his parents, it forced him to lay land mines, which remain dangerous
for up to 50 years.
The Cambodia Land Mine Museum in Siem Reap, Cambodia, which Ra
founded, will soon be extended with designs by Texas A&M architecture
students.
The extension will include a school for 30 children who have lost limbs
from land mines, a prosthetic limb clinic and a unit for educating people on
land mines, said Julie Rogers, a senior lecturer of architecture.
Students from A&M became involved in the cause when Fitoussi con
tacted the College of Architecture in September 2003 and requested design
proposals for the center. Students in environmental design major 205 began
working on preliminary designs immediately afterward.
The students said they enjoyed working on the designs, but more impor
tantly, when they learned of the Cambodian crisis they resolved to help.
In Cambodia, one out of every 245 people is an amputee, about 100 peo
ple are reported injured every month from land mines and many more
injuries are not reported, said Richard Fitoussi, CEO and director of the
See Museum on page 2
‘Leaves of Grass’
Actor and former student Rip Torn,
Class of 1952, reads from "Leaves of
Grass" by Walt Whitman Thursday at
the Cushing Memorial Library and
Archives. A first edition of Whitman's
Evan O'Connell* THE BATTALION
book was donated by Sarah and
John H. Lindsey to the University
library marking the library's three
millionth acquisition.