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olume 110 • Issue 164 • 8 pages
A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893
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OPINION:
Decline of
values
Page 7
www.thebatt.com
PAGE DESIGN BY: RACHEL VALENCIA
ormer student named Miss Rodeo 2004
By Natalie Younts
THE BATTALION
In 2000, Brooke Chaddick walked into the bath-
im of her new roommate Tanya Harvey, whom
had met just one week before, and was sur-
sed to find a poster of all the former winners of
Miss Rodeo America pageants on the wall.
“I said ‘What’s this?’ and she said, ‘That’s
Bless go ng to be me one day,”’ said Chaddick, who
pmjJrned her speech communication degree from
Texas A&M in May.
Harvey, a senior agricultural
journalism major, came one step
closer to realizing her dream
when she was named Miss Ro
deo Texas 2004 on June 25 in
San Antonio.
Winning the 40th annual Miss
Rodeo Texas state pageant al
lows her to enter competition for the national Miss
Rodeo America title which will be crowned Dec. 4
HARVEY
in Las Vegas, Nev.
Chaddick said that she, Harvey and Cori Wil
lett, who graduated in December with a degree in
political science, became roommates soon after
meeting and are now best friends. Chaddick said
she is confident that her friend will win the na
tional title.
“If anyone could ever win Miss Rodeo America
it would be her,” Chaddick said. “She has such a
passion for rodeos and horses and cowboys.”
Willett, who was on the A&M equestrian
team, said that her and Harvey’s passion for
horses helped them bond and contributed to
their friendship.
“We both really love horses and love to ride,”
Willett said. “That was something that she and I
could kind of talk about all the time.”
Miss Rodeo Texas Inc. is an annual pageant for
19 to 24 year olds who are judged on personality,
appearance and horsemanship.
See Rodeo on page 2
Tour de College Station
Sobert Rose, Class of 1993, adjusts the spokes of a Torelli road bicy-
de at his shop, Cycles Etc., which is located on University Drive. Rose
Brian Wills • THE BATTALION
is a former member of the Texas A&M Cycling Team and is currently
standing in third place in the Brazos Valley Cyclist Time Trials Series.
Duncan Coffee to begin
offering Fair Trade variety
By Lacy Ledford
THE BATTALION
Duncan Coffee executives may
decide to offer Fair Trade coffee at
Texas A&M, depending on the suc
cess of online Fair Trade coffee sales
this summer.
Fair Trade Certified coffee is a
partnership between consumers in
North America and producers in
Asia, Africa, Latin America and
the Caribbean that guarantees small
coffee farmers a fair price for their
Fair Trade Coffee
Duncan Coffee. AScM's coffee provider, is offering
varieties of Fair Trade Certified coffee.
harvest, access to credit and direct
access to American markets.
Jay Arekere, secondary adviser
for A&M’s Texas Environmental
Action Coalition, said that former
TEAC member and A&M graduate
John Chisenhall began campaigning
on behalf of Fair Trade Coffee about
a year ago. Chisenhall’s goal was to
see that Duncan Coffee Company
began selling Fair Trade Coffee on
the A&M campus.
See Coffee on page 2
FAIR TRADE
CERTIFIED
Look far the label!
Fair Trade is a partnership between
consumers in North America and
producers worldwide.
Guarantees fair prices for small coffee
producers in developing countries
Agreement also guarantees access to
credit and access to American markets
A&M expressed support for Fair Trade
coffee in a University resolution
Andrew Burleson • THE BATTALION
Source: |OY AREKENE, TEAC
Rangel
s dial-
fc^THE PLANT FROM HEM.
Soda Apple Wood, known
as "Sodom's Apples" and
"The Plant From Hell" (or Its
devastating effects on
farmland, has now spread
to East Texas.
Killer weed may be problem for ranchers
• Tbo wood is pere»ni;.il and vary
difficult to kill.
• It overtakes grazing land, kilting grass.
• An outbreak could increase beef prices
due to «be cost of treating the weeds.
• Originally from Brazil, the weed struck
Florida in the 80s and made Its way
through the South to Texas
Andrew Burleson • THE BATTALION
Source: MARY KETCHERSID, EXTENSION SPECIALIST
By Chelsea Sledge
THE BATTALION
Even when Yoda was a freshman living in the
dorm, he kept a little potted plant. Chris Mueller,
a senior finance major, is affectionately called
Yoda by his friends for his extensive knowledge
about plants.
“My parents own a whole lot of farm and ranch
land in south Texas,” Mueller said. “I have al
ways had plants wherever I live and probably al
ways will.”
For Texans such as Mueller, the recently discov
ered tropical soda apple weed is of deep concern.
The weed, also known as “the plant from hell” and
“Sodom’s apples” was recently discovered to have
infested Jasper County, located just north of Orange.
“The county agent from Jasper County called
me in late May,” said Mary Ketchersid, an Exten
sion Specialist. “I identified it and said ‘You’re
absolutely right! It’s soda apple.’”
Soda apple is a weed with round leaves and
thorns on the top and bottom. The stem is sprinkled
with cat claw-shaped thorns, and fruit that looks
like a watermelon about the size of a quarter grows
beneath the leaves. Often the weeds can be con
fused with horse nettle, but the flowers on horse
nettle are usually purple, Kerchersid said.
This weed causes a problem because it is peren
nial and extremely tough to kill.
“It takes over and the grass doesn’t grow,” Ketch
ersid said. “It’s covered with thorns and the animals
eat the fruit which spreads the weed. In effect you
lose your land. It’s an expensive situation.”
To average consumers, this weed could have
little effect on their lives. The cattle industry, the
largest industry in Texas, will be hit the hardest.
If the problem cannot be contained, the price of
beef could increase due to the cost of treating the
weeds, Ketchersid said.
“In an extreme situation there could be a quaran
tine on Texas beef,” Ketchersid said. “But we are
nowhere near that.”
Soda apple originates in South America, particu
larly in Brazil. The seeds were deposited in Florida
in the 1980s and infested the southern states. How
ever, until May the weed was not in Texas.
“It’s been coming toward us from Florida, and
we’ve been watching it actually,” Ketchersid said.
The weed is thought to have been carried to
Texas during the drought in 1998 when some hay,
which may have been contaminated with the weed,
was purchased from Louisiana.
“I heard some stuff about this weed at home. I
See Weed on page 2
n'EA endorses U.S. families in Bahrain
6 (erry for president receive orders to leave
at
ates
:y men
racist
i
in assi
lism
By Ben Feller
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The National Education As-
fciation, the nation’s largest union, endorsed Demo-
at John Kerry for president Monday, the final touch
you a its campaign to drive up school spending and re-
oiild | la P e the biggest education law in decades,
abral NEA, a 2.7-million member group composed
, n .. mainly of teachers, is out to advance its agenda on
Iverything from testing students to halting private-
j hool vouchers. The union is mobilizing its money
tod forces for Kerry — targeting political staff in 15
swing states, going into schools to rally its members,
,k jlid joining liberal groups to organize a massive night
political house parties.
Kerry, who is scheduled to speak to the 9,000 delegates
the NEA convention on Tuesday, was endorsed by
.5 percent of them. The Massachusetts senator offers
lany teacher-friendly promises the union likes, but he
|so advances ideas the NEA has long opposed, such as
ying bonuses to teachers based on student test scores.
| Although a quarter of NEA members identify them-
Ives with the Republican Party, the union has never en-
rsed a Republican for president and typically spends $9
it of every $ 10 it raises on Democrats. Its relationship
ith the Bush administration has been particularly prickly
ice his education secretary. Rod Paige, jokingly referred
| the union as a “terrorist organization” and even an-
byed members with how he apologized for the remark.
By Adnan Malik
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MANAMA, Bahrain — U.S. military
families will begin leaving Bahrain in
the next few days in the wake of reports
terrorists were planning attacks here, a
spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet
said Monday.
Cmdr. James Graybeal said the
formal departure orders came late
Sunday, two days after the Pentagon
announced the first such mandatory
evacuation from this longtime U.S.
ally in the Gulf.
Graybeal said the orders affected
35 families, or about 650 people. They
were relatives of service members or
Defense Department staff, he said. He
said earlier reports that nonessential
staff also were being evacuated were
incorrect.
“We are in the process of execut
ing the departure, which will happen
in the next few days,” Graybeal said.
Citing security, he refused to say how
the families would travel or exactly
where in the United States they were
headed.
The U.S. 5th fleet is based in Bahrain,
where the U.S. Navy has had a presence
for more than 50 years.
Thursday, the State Department cau
tioned Americans against traveling to
Bahrain and advised Americans who
live there to leave because of informa
tion that extremists were planning at
tacks in Bahrain.
The Pentagon said Friday it was
withdrawing service members’ fami
lies from Bahrain for at least 30 days.
The State Department added Saturday
it had authorized the voluntary depar
ture of family members and non-emer
gency employees of the U.S. Embassy
in Bahrain.
The State Department has provided
no details on the information it has
about possible terror attacks on Ameri
cans in Bahrain.
Bahrain is linked by a 15-mile cause
way to Saudi Arabia, which has seen a
series of attacks on Americans and other
Westerners living there. Some here have
expressed fears that Saudi militants, un
der pressure from their security forces,
might see Bahrain as an easier place to
attack Westerners.
Bright idea
BTU employee Mike Ferro and Bryan
Police officer Jeremy Elmore survey
an accident scene near East 33 and
Evan O'Connell • THE BATTALION
Texas Avenue Monday. A northbound
trailblazer struck a light pole after
being cut off by a semi truck.