thebattalion l wednesday,
april 17, 2013
l serving
texas a&m since 1893
l first paper free – additional copies $1 l © 2013 student media
Blasts brace global resolve ‘Well-planned’ attack threatens national security Jennifer Keith
The Battalion wo bombs exploded Monday near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three, injuring more than 180 and leaving, in what President Barack Obama called an “act of terrorism” on Tuesday. “Any time bombs are used to target innocent civilians, it is an act of terror,” Obama said Tuesday in his second public response to the Boston bombings. “What we don’t know, however, is who carried out this attack or why, whether it was planned and executed by a terrorist organization, foreign or domestic, or was the act of a malevolent individual.” The Associated Press reported that federal agents found that the Boston Marathon attack was carried out with kitchen pressure cookers packed with explosives, nails and other lethal shrapnel — indicating that the bombs were meant to inflict maximum damage. Reports also said both bombs were stuffed into black duffel bags and left on the ground. A July 2010 intelligence report by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security stated that pressure-cooker explosives have been used in Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Pakistan, and were used in the May 2010 attempted bombing of Times Square. The explosions killed 8-year-old Martin Richard of Boston, 29-year-old Krystle Campbell of Medford, Mass. and a Chinese graduate student at Boston University whose name was not released at time of press on Tuesday. The attacks that the FBI have called “wellplanned” resulted in many victims suffering wounds to the lower extremities, with some requiring amputation. Though the bombings occurred on Patriots Day, a Massachusetts state holiday to commemorate the first battles of the American Revolution, the attack’s connection to the holiday is unclear. Larry Napper, senior lecturer at the Bush School of Government and Public Service and former ambassador to Kazakhstan and the Republic of Latvia, said the bombings may have been linked to the holiday. “It seems to me that it would be hard to believe
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Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION
Students come together in a moment of silence in front of the Sul Ross Statue to show support and raise awareness for the attack in Boston and the ongoing conflict in Syria.
Vigil couples Syria, Boston crises Mark Doré
The Battalion hen two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing three on the eve of a planned campus vigil for an ongoing Syrian civil war, the choice for the student organizers was clear — light candles for both. Members of the A&M Arab Student Association held a vigil Tuesday in Academic Plaza for a pair of crises that organizers said seem unrelated at surface level, but are bound by a global context. Damen Smien, event coordinator and junior international studies major, said the decision to incorporate the Boston bombing with the Syrian-awareness vigil was an easy one. “The fact that it happened on our own soil, we want to acknowledge that and honor those who were hurt from it while incorporating what’s going on in Syria,” Smien
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said. “There have been 80,000 people killed already [in Syria]. It’s a global issue that as Americans, as global citizens, as Aggies, we need to be aware of and combat.” Syrian warplanes swooped over the quiet town of Saraqeb in the country’s north Saturday, the Associated Press reported, dropping bombs on a residential district and leaving 20 dead. Activists say an average of 120 people are killed daily in violence and clashes related to the Syrian civil war across the country. “In Syria, it’s not Boston every day, but many times per day,” tweeted Jean Pierre Duthion, a French expatriate in Damascus, Syria. The United Nations said more than 70,000 people have been killed in Syria’s two-year conflict. Smien said civil war erupted between rebel groups and the authoritarian regime of President Bashar al-Assad at the beginning of the Arab Spring. “Syria is a very sectarian country,”
Smien said. “They just want freedom from the dictatorship.” Two explosions at the Boston Marathon on Monday wounded more than 170 people and killed three. The FBI is investigating the blasts as a terroristic act, but little is yet known regarding those behind the attack. Maggy Ibrahim, vice president of Arab Student Association and senior international studies major, said she has a joint vested interest in both crises. “It’s my duty as an Arab and as an American to remember both, and that’s the reason we incorporated them together — a massacre anywhere is a massacre,” Ibrahim said. A&M students from Syria stood at a unique cultural crossroads at the vigil Tuesday. One such Syrian student, senior industrial engineering major Ahmad Tarabichi, said he and the other attendees stood for the people of Syria as well as Boston under the
See Boston on page 2
See Vigil on page 2
student senate
Veto override vote to hit floor amid end-of-session agenda Kadie McDougald The Battalion
Student Senate will vote Wednesday to uphold or override Student Body President John Claybrook’s veto of S.B. 65-70 — also known as the Religious Funding Exemption Bill — which stirred controversy in early April. Claybrook and Speaker of the Senate, Scott Bowen, issued a statement after the veto decision, giving intent to postpone the veto override indefinitely — effectively ending discussion of the bill. Bowen said he and Claybrook later realized the student government constitution and bylaws stated that a vote must take place and could not be postponed as was initially believed. Judicial Court Associate Justice Julian Whitley, junior political science and history
major, issued a statement in response to the original release by Claybrook and Bowen, stating that a vote must be held. “The [response statement] was a simple correction from the previous statement released,” Whitley said. With all the other, end-of-session issues to work through, Bowen said he wants to drop the controversy and move past S.B. 65-70 altogether. “I can’t speak for individuals but I think in general most people want this issue to be over and move on to other things,” Bowen said. “There are a lot of other things we’re dealing with and a lot we need to go over Wednesday night. This is probably the least important of them. It’s time to move on to something else.” Bowen said he doesn’t believe the veto override will receive the two-thirds vote needed at Wednesday’s meeting.
Scott Bowen “We recognize there isn’t enough support to overturn the veto,” Bowen said. “Any sort of effort to actually do so would be completely unproductive. It’s not worth dragging ourselves and the student body through this debate again.”
Christopher Russo, electrical engineering graduate student and speaker of the 66th Session, said he doesn’t believe the veto will be overturned and hopes to move on as well. “For me, the original message of the people on the bill has been lost,” Russo said. “I don’t expect any sort of any real concentrated effort to overturn the veto but I can’t speak on behalf of the other senators.” Bowen said his mission now is to get through the override vote quickly. He said a motion to amend the debate and cut out non-required aspects of the meeting will be presented so that limited time may be spent on the bill. “We want to cut out the remaining things you usually have in the overturn effort,” Bowen said. “We want to check the constitution-mandated boxes and then let the bill die.”
Sophomore tennis standout exemplifies sportsmanship characteristics James Sullivan The Battalion portsmanship is an applied definition of respect, an unwritten code among the global athletic community. For Jeremy Efferding, a sophomore in the Texas A&M men’s tennis program, sportsmanship runs deeper than athletics, personifying a way of life. The kinesiology major said statistics and rankings fade over time — strong character lasts forever. “No matter what, win or lose, you have your reputation the rest of your life,” Efferding said. “Tennis comes and goes, but your reputation stays forever. My parents really stressed a lot [about] having a good attitude and respecting your opponent — giving an inch rather than taking an inch, which is not common as much in college tennis.”
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Jenna Rabel — THE BATTALION
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SEC Tournament The Texas A&M men’s tennis team travels to Oxford, Miss., for the SEC Tournament, running Wednesday through Sunday.
Recruited out of Boca Raton, Fla., the blue chip, five-star prospect quickly earned a reputation for his courteous approach on the court. Efferding proceeded to win multiple sportsmanship honors throughout his career, bringing home the prestigious Bill Talbert Sportsmanship Award in 2008, an accolade given annually by the U.S. Tennis Association to the Top Four junior players who exemplify the “finest qualities of sportsmanship.” Efferding excelled on the court throughout high school. He dominated Florida courts, winning the state individual title three times, including the Florida Closed 18’s Championship in 2010, and
earned the opportunity to participate in the USTA National Training Program. During his recruitment, Efferding found A&M emphasized an ideal he held in high regard — sportsmanship. “Here with the Aggies, the coaches are such men of character and they really stress [good sportsmanship] upon us,” Efferding said. “They won’t deal with bad behavior or bad character and that really rubs off on the whole team. It’s a number one priority and I try to emulate what they teach.” When he arrived, the A&M coaching staff began tweaking Efferding’s game, which focused on defensive play. Assistant coach Bob McKinley said advancing Efferding’s offensive capabilities dramatically increased his threat to more experienced players. “If somebody watched him last year, the way they would describe [Efferding] would be — in tennis terms — a grinder, meaning all he would do [was] play defense,” McKinley said. “Now, the See Tennis on page 4
inside lifestyles | 2 Art show on full display The College of Architecture biennial faculty art show in Stark Galleries features a diverse collection of art from professors of various departments. The show exhibits the talent and creativity of A&M professors as well as works in several mediums.
lifestyles | 3 Looking up at the stars Star parties, bi-monthly events hosted by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, allow students the chance to star gaze with advanced equipment. The events are facilitated by various members and students involved in the department.
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