The Battalion: October 12, 2010 by The Battalion

thebattalion ● tuesday,

october 12, 2010

● serving

texas a&m since 1893

A campus divided north v. south

Samantha Virnau

Special to The Battalion North versus South. It seems like that phrase can be used to describe many rivalries throughout history like the Civil War and the Korean War. But there is one more rivalry that can be described in this phrase, and that is the constant dispute between sides of Texas A&M’s campus. “I love living on Northside just because of the community and the area and how once you get involved in certain things, you can get to know everybody. You can go from Neely to Walton to McInnis to Crocker and it’s like a small town. You can go and talk to everybody, and it’s like a community, where we

all know each other, and I like it a lot,” said Christina Renfroe, a sophomore environmental studies major. One distinct tradition is the slight “playful” rivalry that occurs within Northside’s dorms and between Northside and Southside. “There’s a lot of rivalry on Northside between the dorms, but it’s all good-natured rivalry, and there’s a slightly less good-natured rivalry between Northside and Southside,” said Nolan Eberly, a sophomore psychology major. Northside is a bit older, but with that age comes a distinct respect for Aggie traditions. “I feel as though Southside does not See Battle on page 6

Rebecca Hutchinson

Special to The Battalion Students living on Southside find they gravitate toward the convenient location of the Commons. With several different eating spots and a lounge area with plenty of couches, the Commons is ideal for a large range of students who come here to study or eat. “I hang out in either this lounge or the one at Aston, you know, the one on the floor, with a bunch of couches,” said Rachel Herrod, a freshman general studies major who lives in Aston Hall. This week she has been studying for exams,

but otherwise she goes to the lounges to talk with friends and play cards. “I don’t even know what’s over there besides Sbisa,” she said, referring to Northside. Freshman Sophia Lee, who lives in Mosher, likes the Commons because “it’s pretty convenient, since the cafeteria is right here, and the library is like five minutes away.” The table tennis room at the Commons is another popular hangout spot on Southside. Junior civil engineering major Rachel Poulin, who now lives on Northside, said one thing she liked about living on Southside was having many study spots and places to eat. “I studied in the Commons a lot and ate. Now I have to go off campus to eat.” Tim Isaac— THE BATTALION

See ‘of Mud’ at Cushing Library Amber Jaura The Battalion The Sea of Mud exhibit at the Cushing Library tells the story of Mexican forces after the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21,1836. The Texans charged while the Mexican army was sleeping. Around 910 Texans in Houston’s army got away, with less than 10 casualties while, almost all of the 1300 soldiers in the Mexican army were captured or killed. Mexican Gen. Vicente Filisola, left in charge by Santa Anna, decided to pull back to Colorado to rebuild his army. The terrain they encountered on the way described by Filisola as “un Mar de Lodo,” or sea of mud. The troops with their families, camp followers and animals got stuck in the disaster with no place to sleep and mud

up to their hips. The rainstorm prevented further military action against the Texan army as it took the troops 12 days to travel 20 miles. The sea of mud influenced the events that ultimately led to the growth of the Republic of Texas. Dr. Gregg Dimmick, a graduate of Texas A&M is a pediatrician and archaeologist in Warton, Texas. He began working on this research years ago. Where history left gaps, Dimmick sought to fill them. To pinpoint the locations of the Mexican army while pulling back to Colorado and coming back to San Jacinto, he talked to many people, often translating documents to get leads. He then worked with the Houston Archeological Society, leading them to the tracks for digging. Dimmick was able to get exact locations from an extensive

Creator of C++ recognized

Matt Young— THE BATTALION

Artifacts from the retreat of Mexican forces, including coins, keys, letters, manuscripts and books, are on display in Cushing Library. array of artifacts. From horseshoes “One of my favorite artifacts to musket balls, these pieces of the in the exhibition is the cannon past tell the story untold and allow which was found with gunpowder us to map out the path taken. still in. Dr. Dimmick had to have Todd Samuelson, assistant the bomb squad called in to make professor of library science, has sure that it got removed safely and worked at Cushing for three years was made stable,” Samuelson said. and has since been working with “They ended up having to destroy the exhibition. He said the ex- the cannon but Dr. Dimmick rehibit uncovers what was a huge ally wanted to keep it so he pieced part missing of the Battle of San See Mud on page 8 Jacinto.

Student Affairs dispels movies’ fallacies month’s title was “Smashed and Trashed.” “The media tells our college students it’s The Battalion OK to consume large amounts of alcohol; it’s October is National Collegiate Alcohol what they are bombarded with in the movAwareness month and to help stuies,” said Alicia Guevara, accommodadents, staff members have to edtions counselor. ucate themselves on the latest “The media Afterward, the audience lisdrug and alcohol abuse trends tells our college tened to music related to partying and prevention methods. students it’s and alcohol. Division of Student Affairs is OK to consume “We want you to feel comfortthe center for students’ well large amounts of able discussing these issues,” Guebeing, encompassing such alcohol.” vara said, addressing the staff memdepartments as Health Serbers in the Division of Student Affairs. vices, Department of Disability Besides the usual cigarettes, hookah and Services and Student Life. Division of marijuana, the presenters mentioned abused Student Affairs presented one of the monthly prescription drugs and K2. About 8 percent of programs Wednesday in Rudder Tower; this

Rebecca Hutchinson

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computer engineering teaching assistant Le Zhang The Battalion Bjarne Stroustrup was said while he does not recognized as a Distin- teach C++, Stroustrup’s guished Professor for his implementation of basic contributions to computer programming has paved science and software devel- the way for technological advances and signifiopment at Texas A&M. Stroustrup is the inven- cantly changed computer tor of C++, a program- programming. “The course I teach uses ming language originally Pascal, a fundamental of designed for electrical C++, and I can tell you and computer engineerthat Stroustrup’s work of ing and is used widely in making the more technical fields. advanced and con“I’m sure my venient language promotion had a of C++ allows lot to do with the students can get use of C++ in ena deeper insight gineering. C++ is on computer landesigned to make guage,” Zhang said. multiple systems and “His contribution is from it a lot of good one immeasurable.” Stroustrup systems have been Since its release built,” Stroustrup in 1985, C++ has spread said. “If you use Google, extensively. Stroustrup has Photoshop, cell phones, it’s published numerous books all C++.” on programming, all transStroustrup is the college lated in different languages of engineering chairman in computer science at A&M and read around the world. and has been teaching at the He now teaches graduate classes regarding his reUniversity for eight years. Senior computer science search related to analysis on major Larry Schultz said he programs and library and used C++ all four years in language design. “I’ve had lots of people college, and he prefers this help me all these years and language as it allows him to one reason my work is approgram more freely. preciated here is that it “C++ is a highly flexbrings current knowledge ible language. You are not constrained on your coding of industry to students. I’m style as you may be with keen on fundamentals. It using Java or C program- was fundamentals 25 years ming languages,” Schultz ago and it’ll be fundamentals 25 years from now,” said. Computer science and Stroustrup said.

Amber Jaura

the students polled, from spring 2009 in which 1,208 students responded out of 10,000, said they smoke marijuana. Eleven-point-six percent of student respondents said used prescription drugs they were not prescribed. K2, though a synthetic form of marijuana, is four times stronger and not intended for human use. “It’s basically potpourri sprayed with the stuff,” said Anna Williams, a student development specialist of Student Life. Quoting the professor who began experimenting with K2 on lab rats she said, “If you smoke it, you’re stupid.” According to Dennis Reardon, counselor See Smashed on page 6

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