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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 2004)
he Battalion me 110 * Issue 166 • K pages A Texas A&IM (VadiHon Since 1893 THE BATTALION Life Sciences debate Administrators discuss the building*s construction nteal engineering professor Eva Sevick ar- He merits of making the Life Sciences build- iliajor recruiting tool. By Lacy Ledford and Erin Price THE BATTALION More than 60 distinguished professors, deans and de partment heads filled a small conference room in Rudder Tower Wednesday afternoon to debate the construction of a new Life Sciences Building set to begin in a few years. The building, which has been a controversial topic since April, would come with a $100 million price tag, to be paid from the Permanent University Fund. Despite being designated by Texas A&M President Robert M. Gates as the No. I construction priority under the campus masterplan, several faculty members have a list of grievances with the building’s design, including biology professor Mike Manson, who has previously described the proposed building as a “life sciences mausoleum.” “We as deans wanted to jointly call for an open forum so that faculty and department heads could continue to give their views on the issue,” said forum moderator and College of Science Dean Joseph Newton. Researchers such as Mary Meagher, professor of psychology, and Eva Sevick, professor of chemical engineering, are in favor of the project and argue that an interdisciplinary research facility is essential for A&M to become a top-10 institution. “Better organization and fluidity affords cutting edge research,” Meagher said. “Science moves faster See Debate on page 2 www.thebntt athu PAGE DESIGN BY: RACHEL VALENCIA Heath Crawford • THE BATTALION Joseph Newton, dean of the College of Science, mod erates discussion among faculty and administrators on the logistics of the Life Sciences building. Picture perfect ngin as A&M and Southern Methodist University study abroad The engineering study abroad group will be in Germany for . "Tldents take pictures of the view of the Rhine River from castle six weeks taking classes and learning German culture. The pro- ill all atop the Drachenfels Crag in Konigswinter, Germany. gram started on Saturday and will continue through Aug. 14. ites m an.tfe] )n peofj , exp ■ lenz named psychology dept, head ipi by jni !us By Shawn C. Millender THE BATTALION In hael Benz has been named the new head of Texas I’s Department of Educational Psychology. Benz .ie from the University of Oregon, where he was the ir if the school’s Department of Special Education. >ei z, who arrived at A&M on July 1, specializes in 1-to-work transitions and employment opportuni- for young adults with disabilities. ■bought this was a really good career opportunity at j®,” Benz said. “The people here are outstanding and enormously talented faculty was part of the attrac- ■ was at Oregon for 24 years, and I’m very excited I being here.” Ifiz grew up the son of a military man. He honed his Jtng skills as a high school social studies teacher in the 1970s. He said that moving here from Oregon isn’t too much of a shock. “I lived in Amarillo as a child; my dad was in the military so I lived all over the country,” Benz said. “I’ve found that there isn’t a place that doesn't have its own kind of beauty. Bryan, College Station, the Brazos Val ley - they have their own kind of beauty. I love the oak trees and the great big cumulus clouds around here.” Benz said the draw of being an educator is in the im pact one has on students. “There are a lot of really important things in this coun try going on in terms of occupations,” Benz said. “But if you want to make a difference and shape the future, education is the way to go.” The search for a new department head started two years ago. Interim Department Head Victor Wilson said See Benz on page 2 Trial starts in Cole bombing; six al-Qaida members charged By Ahmed A1 Haj THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN’A, Yemen — A security court charged six alleged al-Qaida members Wednesday with plotting the attack on the USS Cole, opening the first trial in the suicide bombing that killed 17 American sailors. Among the defendants is reputed mastermind Abd al- Rahim al-Nashiri. Police and soldiers cor doned off the security court in San’a, and marksmen watched from rooftops, as five of the defendants were brought in to hear the judge read their indictment. Al- Nashiri, the sixth defendant, is in U.S. custody. The attack occurred in October 2000 when two suicide bombers brought a small boat alongside the destroyer as it refueled in Aden harbor. The bomb ers detonated explosives stashed on the boat, killing themselves and 17 sailors, and blasting a huge hole in the ship’s hull. The United States an nounced al-Nashiri’s arrest in 2002. He was detained in the United Arab Emirates and transferred to Ameri can custody. U.S. officials believe the Saudi-born al- Nashiri is a close associate of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. In addition to the Cole at tack, he is suspected of help ing direct the deadly 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. A diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in San’a refused to comment on the trial or disclose al-Nashiri’s where abouts. Nor would he say whether the accused would be handed over to the Ye meni authorities. U.S. diplo mats attended the hearing. The United States report edly pressed Yemen to delay the trial until all facets of the case had been thoroughly investigated. Journalists in San’a often heard the trial was about to begin, and then found it had been postponed. Judge Najib al-Qaderi said the court would publish a statement in local newspa pers summoning al-Nashiri to appear. Yemeni officials have said they have asked See Trial on page 2 University researchers question scientific theory By Andrew Burleson THE BATTALION Researchers from Texas A&M and the University of Oregon disproved a theory Monday that RNA is the only mechanism used by organisms to block potentially harmful information released from DNA in cells. This research could lead to a cure for cancer or other genetic diseases, said Ro dolfo Aramayo, an associate professor of biology and genetics at A&M. Scientists previously proved plants with mutated RNA failed to block extraneous DNA, which can have harmful effects. How ever, A&M scientists were excited to find that even when they mutated the RNA in a certain fungus, the extraneous DNA was still blocked. Pratt said the majority of DNA is repeti tive information and organisms try to con trol the number of repetitions because they can cause chromosomes to rearrange, which has been linked to cancer. “A lot of human disease is the result of chromosomal abnormality. We hope to be able to understand or even prevent these malfunctions,” Aramayo said. The discoveries at A&M are on the fore front of research in the field and, while there is still much left to be discovered, he is hopeful that the discoveries made _ I V ^ T Researchers from Texas A&M and the University of Oregon disproved a theory that RNA is the only mechanism used to block harmful DNA information in cells. Cells that c aery h.mttfrtt UNA inMtrn.Ukrn otum GUtse mutations ami abnonmlitim. Must human diseases msult bom chromiwomai .thn.’rm.rltUvs This iv.ean b could l*\>d to a rum for Mfttbf ami other ijfUfth dhr.vmv Will Lloyd • THE BATTALION Source: RODOLFO ARAMAYO, PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY AND GENETICS in the lab can help lay the foundation for future research leading to gene therapy, Aramayo said. The research is being conducted as a partnership between Aramayo’s lab at A&M and Eric Selker’s lab at the Uni versity of Oregon, and is funded by the National Institute of Health. The two labs have been collaborating for the past four years. Junior biochemistry major Rachel Redler said, “It’s exciting to see A&M doing re search like this. It’s amazing to me how See Theory on page 2 overs Wanted! August 22 is Residence Hall AAove-ln Assistance Day. The Department of Residence Life wants to make a welcome impression on incoming students and their parents. Cl Form teams of volunteers fo help ■ ^ students and parents move in fJdence Life lank trv Reduce unloading time to keep traffic I9(uii!^ moving Q Minimize move-in inconveniences Deadline for volunteer applications is August 2. Volunteer applications are available online at htfp://reslife.famu.edu Andrew Burleson • THE BATTALION Source: DEPT. OF RESIDENCE LIFE Volunteers needed for Move-In Assistance Day By Joanna M. Jemison THE BATTALION Moving into on-campus residence halls may be a pain, but the Department of Resi dence Life is trying to ease the burden on students and their parents by coordinating a campuswide volunteer force. A&M has des ignated Aug. 22 as Residence Hall Move-In Assistance Day and volunteers are needed for the special welcome effort. Residence Life is accepting applications for move-in day. Volunteers will be provided with free parking and will receive a Residence Hall Move-In Day T-shirt. An orientation session is required for volunteers who participate. According to a memo sent out campus wide, the object of the volunteer effort is to reduce unloading time at the designated unloading zones, keep traffic moving and minimize inconveniences that parents and students may encounter while moving into residence halls. Overall, Residence Life is trying to leave a welcome impression on incoming students and make the residence hall move-in process more pleasant. “I think that move-in assistance is vital to freshmen living on campus because it gives a first impression of Aggies helping Aggies,” said Lindsay Adams, a junior gen eral studies major and former Krueger Hall resident. “There were people that helped with moving in before, but I don’t think there were enough,” Adams said. Adams said moving in could be im proved by having more strong guys to move mini-fridges and furniture for “dam sels in distress.” The Department of Residence life is en couraging faculty, staff and especially stu dent organizations to volunteer. The dead line to turn in applications to volunteer is Aug. 2. Applications can be downloaded at http://reslife.tamu.edu. If you have questions regarding Resi dence Hall Move-In Assistance Day, call the Department of Residence Life at 845- 3158 or e-mail housing(o)tamu.edu.