thebattalionasks
Q:
Why do you think Obama is coming to A&M? Hayden Pottkotter freshman psychology major
thebattalion Air Force One ● thursday,
october 15, 2009
● Serving
Texas A&M since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2009 Student Media
to Texas
“Because Bush invited him, and you wouldn’t say no if a former president invited you.”
Opinion
Obama’s visit values civic involvement, not politics.
voices | 7 Video For more student responses on Obama coming to Aggieland, visit
Alyssam Schluter sophomore general studies major
thebatt.com KEY GUESTS ■ Ambassador Ron Kirk (United States Trade Representative) ■ Chris Draft, St. Louis Rams
“Because it’s the best school in the state.”
■ Thelma Melendez (Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education)
Mark Ori
■ Mayor Kevin Johnson (Sacramento, involved in Cities of Service)
senior chemical engineering major
■ Mayor Paul Winfield (Vicksburg, MS, involved in Cities of Service) ■ Herbert V. Kohler Jr. (president and chairman of the Kohler Company)
“I think he’s coming to talk about community service. That’s typically what the Bush School has people come and talk about the Points of Lights for.”
■ Marvin Odum (president, Shell) ■ Marian L. Heard (founding president and CEO of Points of Light Foundation)
Robert Lejeune
■ Jean Case (CEO of The Case Foundation)
senior english major Osa Okundaye — THE BATTALION
Obama and Bush to speak at A&M Meagan O’Toole-Pitts | The Battalion “Publicity and also to show off his Nobel Prize.” Laura A. Sanchez and Rachel Nhan THE BATTALION
Freshman nutrition major Ashley Stewart a member of the Young Conservatives of Texas makes signs to protest President Barack Obama coming to Texas A&M on Friday. Stewart and the YCT were asked to leave because Rudder was being set up for the president’s visit.
In his first visit to Texas A&M University, President Barack Obama will speak to encourage community service at an invitation-only presidential forum Friday. Following the lead of former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton on stimulating nationwide community service, Obama has filed in suit with his call to action “United We Stand.”
The event, hosted by former President George H.W. Bush and the Points of Light Institute, will take place at 4 p.m. in Rudder Auditorium and will be broadcast live on KAMU-TV. The forum will celebrate 20 years of service achievements stemming from Bush’s inaugural address in 1989, including the creation of Points of Light
Matt Woolbright
Forest service works with students Jane Lee The Battalion
The Texas Forest Service, a state agency with roots in College StaFor more tion, has had a close relationship with Texas A&M since the early times of information the University. on the Texas “The TFS was created under the Forest Service, log on to www. land grant Texas A&M University txforestservice. received to start the school,” said Texas Forest Service fire operations tamu.edu. chief Mark Stanford. The Texas Forest Service educates the Aggie community by allowing A&M students to experience careers in service. Many researchers have given presentations to forestry
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See Obama on page 8
Students plan protests for Obama’s visit
Nicholas Badger — THE BATTALION
Texas Forest Service
Institute and the volunteer service of more than 4,500 Daily Point of Light Award winners. “As president of the United States, I often thought that the big problems we face often has less to do with the differences between us than the indifference,”
and wildlife sciences classes asses on wildfires and prevention methods ethods used by the TFS. “We have also allowed ed meteorology students to come to our headquarters in College Station too see how we use the weather to regulate te wildfires,” Stanford said. The state agency is also so an emergency response center forr natural disasters and environmentall hazards. The Texas Forest Service’s vice’s main purpose is service to the community. Stanford said he remembers how the Aggiee family helped in the Hurricane Ike ke disaster. See Forest service on page 6
The Battalion President Barack Obama is coming to Aggieland Friday, and thousands from across the state are expected to join two protests on campus. The College Republicans are holding a “Hands Off Texas” rally in Spence Park, and are expecting between 5,000 and 10,000 attendees. The event will include food and drinks. “We want it to be a fun event, we want to be respectful and we want people to come away with something and hopefully see the
conservative policies we support will lead our country into a better direction than the Democrats’ [policies],” said Danny Stevens, a senior geography major and College Republicans chairman. The Young Conservatives of Texas protest is titled “Texans Against Obama’s Socialist Agenda,” and organizers expect chapters at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Houston and Baylor University to attend.
■ Roslynn MixonPhillips (chief community officer, City of Jacksonville, Fla.) ■ James Baker (former secretary of state) ■ Robert Gates (Secretary of Defense) ■ Sen. Harris Wofford ■ Sen. Sam Nunn ■ The Honorable Bruce S. Gelb (former Ambassador to Belgium) ■ The Honorable C. Gregg Petersmeyer (vice chairman of America’s Promise Alliance) ■ Walter Isaacson (president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, former chairman and CEO of CNN and former managing editor of Time)
See Protestors on page 6
New bioengineering techn technology saves lives In many regions of the world, health care is hard to come by, but Rebecca Richards-Kortum is helping to reduce those inequities. A professor of bioengineering at Rice University, Richards-Kortum has developed technology to detect cancer early in low-resource populations. Richards-Kortum spoke at Texas A&M University
Evan Andrews — THE BATTALION
on Tuesd Tuesday, focusing on global health solutions solutions. Her lecture “From Cell Phones to Cell Biolo Biology: High Tech, Low Cost Solutions for Global Health” was part of the University Distinguis Distinguished Lecture Series, established in 1998 to bbring distinguished scholars in various fields to the University. The discussed efforts to integrate advances in bioenginee bioengineering research that the majority of the world has not been able to benefit from, ssuch as cancer prevention in low resource areas. “We develop cos cost-effective optical imaging and spe spectroscopy tools to reduce the inci incidence and mortality of cancer and iinfectious disease through detection at the point-of-care,” early det Richards-Kortum said. Richards-Kor Travis Lawson, staff writer
10/14/09 10:37 PM