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page 20 monday 5.5.2014
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thebattalion
Viz-a-GoGo showcases top visualization work Katie Canales
Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION
Viz-a-GoGo 21 displayed work from graduate and undergraduate visualization students this weekend.
The Battalion Paintings, photographs, stills from animated shorts, sculptures and more filled the Amity, a furniture restoration storefront, in Downtown Bryan this weekend for Texas A&M’s Visualization Department’s 21st annual Viz-a-GoGo. The project, traditionally run by graduate students, consists of receiving submitted art from graduate and some undergraduate students. Amy Richards, fine arts graduate student, said approximately 40 students had their art exhibited this weekend. Bill Jenks, visualization laboratory director, said his duty was to assist in the art displays. “The space is different,” Jenks said. “That means that the nature of the exhibit was sort of reinvented to fit the space better. And so we’ve modified some of our display techniques and other things. Plus the nature
of the work that the students are producing changes from year to year so the exhibit is different from last year.” One issue the Viz-a-GoGo coordinators face each year is finding a vacant venue in Downtown Bryan. Richard Davison, visualization professor, said the Amity was ideal for the kind of work being displayed. “This was the first year that we found this space, this Amity space, which was a furniture repair place way back in the old days and in the 20s and 30s it was a Buick dealership,” Davison said. “It’s this wonderful, big, raw space.” Richards said having Viz-a-GoGo offcampus on First Friday, when the downtown galleries remain open for longer periods of time, reaches a broader community. “So we have a lot of people from the Bryan-College Station community that come out and see the show and have no idea that we have this program here, so it’s really
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nice,” Richards said. “There’s lots of other events going on in Downtown Bryan since it’s First Friday, so that helps too because we get an even larger amount of people that attend the screening and the exhibition.” Both graduate and undergraduate work was displayed in the Amity, which hasn’t been the case in past years, Davison said. Katelyn Becker, a visualization graduate student whose art was exhibited in Viz-a-GoGo, said she is a part of a class that meshes art with science. In her computer animation course, Becker said she “scripts” objects so their movements can be controlled. Throughout the semester her scripted objects have become progressively more challenging. “I did a camel throughout the semester, so you start off with programming that movement and then actually rigging that animal, modelling it and then skinning it so that it moves with the skeleton,” Becker said. “And then you finish off the semester with an animation.” Becker said one of her pieces, a still from an animation based off concept sketches from Elsa in Disney’s “Frozen,” is a clear example of how much more difficult it is to create a female animation than it is to create a male animation. “It’s difficult to make them different,” Becker said. “I think with men there isn’t the expected type, so with all girls it’s expected for them to have the big eyes and the tiny nose, the full lips the fluffy hair. And with guys you can do a really exaggerated jaw, a big, bulbous nose. You can make more exaggerations that still feel normal. If you do that to a girl, she kind of becomes grotesque.” Jenks said it is because of a space like the Amity that allows for more modern types of art such as Becker’s work to be exhibited. “There’s more in here this year because the space is more conducive,” Jenks said. “It’s bigger and there’s more diversity of stuff.”
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Jake Walker, Editor in Chief THE BATTALION is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Offices are in Suite L400 of the Memorial Student Center. News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. Newsroom phone: 979-845-3315; E-mail: editor@thebatt.com; website: http://www.thebatt.com. Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local, and national display advertising, call 979-845-2687. For classified advertising, call 979-845-0569. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Email: battads@thebatt.com. Subscriptions: A part of the Student Services Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1.
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news thebattalion
page 19 monday 5.5.2014
admissions
White House releases plan to curb campus sexual violence
Students find summer success
In the federal government’s most recent written initiative to curb sexual violence on college campuses, the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Violence released its first report Tuesday that recommended a set of steps to initiate a new crusade against sexual violence on college campuses. Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to President Barack Obama and chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls, said sexual violence is a civil rights issue and is important to focus on because of the negative consequences it has on college campuses. According to the report, the first step is to identify the extent of the problem with campus climate surveys starting next year. The next step is to implement bystander intervention programs on campus to empower people to intervene when they witness someone in trouble. Step three in the report is a plan to help schools effectively respond when a student is sexually assaulted with confidentiality protocol, a comprehensive sexual misconduct policy, trauma-informed training for school officials, better school disciplinary systems and partnerships with the community. The final step is to increase transparency and improve enforcement by clarifying Title IX discrimination protections and encouraging schools to provide interim relief to survivors until sexual assault investigations are finished. The report states that under Title IX, which was part of the Education Amendment of 1972, students have a right to expect support and protection from their university if they report a case of sexual violence, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Charley Clark, associate vice president for University Risk and Compliance and A&M’s Title IX Committee chair, said Obama’s formation of the task force was essential to fostering a healthy campus environment. “It is very important,” Clark said. “It’s about access to programs and making sure that there is not a hostile environment at any University so that each person has equal access to
all of the programs that are offered.” “Sexual violence is a form of sex discrimination and its presence on campuses, if not addressed by the schools, can limit the opportunity of women, girls, men and boys to fully participate and benefit from the education provided by the schools,” Jarrett said. Jarrett said the report is just the first step to changing the culture of college campuses to one free of sexual violence. “This report will provide a healthy roadmap for campuses and all of us to follow as we move toward a future free from sexual assault,” Jarrett said. “It’s an important step forward and we look forward to working with colleges, essential stakeholders, students, lawmakers, all moving forward in this effort because this challenge is one that will require everybody’s participation because it’s not just a matter of passing laws or issuing regulations.” Cynthia Hernandez, assistant vice president for Student Affairs, said there are a number of online resources for A&M students that include information on Title IX, student assistant service and Student Rule 47, which addresses sexual harassment. “All of those sites also have information about confidential reporting options where students can go both on-campus and in the community to report confidentially,” Hernandez said. Clark said he found the report comprehensive and that it provided valuable insight into what the task force thought needed to be addressed by schools across the country. Clark said there are multiple people at A&M who work at keeping A&M compliant with the Title IX rules for sexual harassment, and Tuesday’s report is the most recent set of guidelines from the national government for guidance in compliance. The report comes in the wake of other recent initiatives put forth by the federal government to raise awareness of the sexual violence at universities. Hernandez said the Violence against Women Act of 1994, which was reauthorized in 2013, and the Title IX Dear Colleague letter of 2011, have also given guidance to universities. Hernandez said more work still needs to be See Report on page 19
Gateway offers provisional
acceptance to A&M Lindsey Gawlik The Battalion With summer just a few finals away for current students, the academic stress of college has yet to start for 404 high school graduates who are candidates for becoming A&M freshman. These students will be part of Aggie Gateway to Success, a provisional admission program at A&M. Gateway offers students a chance to earn full admission into Texas A&M for the fall semester following a student’s graduation from high school, on the condition that the student completes seven or more hours of coursework through A&M summer classes, with one of those hours coming from a mandatory study skills class. Students are required to live on campus and earn a cumulative GPA of a 2.5 or higher to be granted full access into A&M in the fall. Danielle Bishop, sophomore allied health major, completed the program in the summer of 2012 and said the program was difficult but worthwhile. “You had to have a 2.5 to get into A&M but if you didn’t get that you pretty much don’t go to college at all, at least not for that year,” Bishop said. “It was also stressful to know that whatever your GPA was after the summer would be what we would start our GPA at, versus other freshman who were starting fresh. If you got a low GPA, it could hinder you. However, on the flipside, if you got a high GPA it could help.”
Report Continued from page 2
done beyond what was recommended in the initial report. “The one thing I think the report might not have highlighted is this happens to our young men and our young women,” Hernandez said. “It’s not just women who are being assaulted.” Tony West, associate attorney general of the U.S., said the federal government will be allocating $400 million this year to improve and increase resources related to addressing
2014 STUDENT EMPLOYEES OF THE YEAR The Student Employment Office and Scholarships & Financial Aid wish to congratulate
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Kadie McDougald & Jennifer Reiley The Battalion
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Bishop said the stress of the program taught her focus and fostered good study habits early in her college career. Callie Newman, sophomore university studies major and summer 2014 Gateway mentor, said the majority of students make it through Gateway, but to help them deal with the pressures of the program and college life in general, Gateway assigns mentors. “Mentors will help them transition from high school to college as smoothly as possible,” Newman said. “All mentors are previous Gateway students, so we know exactly what they’re going through. The mentors help answer their questions and relieve the pressures of school.” Newman said the Gateway program can provide students with the opportunity to make friends and learn about Aggie culture before an overwhelming amount of students appear for the fall semester. “It allows these freshmen to get to know campus, College Station and college life in general when there isn’t anyone here,” Newman said. “When the fall rolls around, they’re seasoned pros. It definitely gives them an edge over the other freshmen.” Mukhtar Owais, senior mechanical engineering major and former Gateway mentor, said being a mentor for the Gateway program allowed him to help new students and to build a relationship with the Gateway director and other A&M faculty members. “My favorite part was getting to know the advisors and the professors,” Owais said. “Everyone knows you are in Gateway, the professors all know you are in Gateway so they are really helpful.”
sexual violence issues. Hernandez said she hopes taking actions such as those recommended by the White House Task Force will eventually render discrimination a non-issue. “I applaud them for continuing to bring a significant issue, a serious issue, to light and then helping colleges and universities in their efforts to address the issue,” Hernandez said. “We want to provide the environment for our students, men and women, that’s free from discrimination and free from sexual harassment and sexual assault.”
The 2014 Texas A&M Campus Student Employee of the Year
The 2014 Texas A&M Community Student Employee of the Year
Dunae Crenwelge
Zachary Cannon
Class of 1956 Endowed Scholarship Recipients
Joshua Herrington & Kimberly Johnson The following students were nominated for their outstanding contributions as employees both on and off campus: Jorge Aguero
Texas A&M Hillel
Charles Hart
The Heights on Luther Street
Jennifer Barnett
Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology
Joshua Herrington
Department of Soil and Crop Sciences
Katherine Howie
AgniTEK
Shelby Jeffcoat
Office of Professional School Advising
Jaclyn Johnson
Industrial and Systems Engineering
Kimberly Johnson
Study Abroad Programs Office
Shelby Bauer
Department of Horticultural SciencesAdvising Office
Bevin Bazar
College of Veterinary MedicineSupport Services
Zane Beard
Aggieland Prospective Student Center
Paul Jordan
Mattress Firm
Anna Blackmon
College of Education, Office of the Dean
Katie Kimberlin
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
Chelsea Bryant
Department of Architecture
Jordan Kopecek
George Bush Presidential Library
Mitchell Cain
Evans Library-Shelving Department
Shelbie Lashua
Zachary Cannon
Improving Enterprises
Engineering Technology & Industrial Distribution
Lila Capps
First Baptist Church-Early Learning Center
Barbara Light
Information and Operations Management
Ashvin Chandrakant
Evans Library-Patron Account Services
Emily Conaway
Disability Services
Clayton Crawford
Computer Science and Engineering
Dunae Crenwelge
Texas A&M FoundationMarketing and Communications
Austyn David
College of Veterinary MedicineProfessional Programs Office
Joshua Davis
Provost Information Technology Office
Miroslava De Leon Jamil Deen Savannah Ewing
Electrical and Computer Engineering USDA Eastern Business Service Center Comparative Medicine Program
Leigha Faulkner
Cloud 9 Baby
Timothy Forman
Clinical Microbiology LaboratoryVeterinary Pathobiology
Taylor McGinnis
Startup Aggieland
Naga Raghuveer Modala
Map and Geographic Information System Library
Kylie Peters
Scholarships & Financial Aid-Student Employment Office
James Pettit
Domino’s Pizza
Heath Richey
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Rosemary Ross
Department of Nutrition and Food Science
Mark Salinas
USDA-Southern Plains Area Systems Analysis
Cesar Sarabia
Veteran Resource and Support Center
Barbara Smith
Texas A&M Foundation-Information Services
Janie Smith
Texas A&M Athletic Department
Bailee Stooksberry
Memorial Student Center-Student Programs
Shannon Tevlin
Chartwells at Texas A&M
Jordan Galloway
College of Liberal Arts, Office of the Dean
Katherine Towers
Hayley Gibson
College of EngineeringInternational Programs Office
Evans Library-Computing and Information Services
Joshua Treadway
VTPB Cardiovascular Pathology
Jordan Glidewell
Texas A&M HSC-Teaching & Learning Resource Center
Erica Wallingford
Department of Nuclear EngineeringNuclear Power Institute
Abram Gutierrez
Utility and Energy Services
Meridith Wilde
Texas 4-H Youth Development Office
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page 18 monday 5.5.2014
sports thebattalion
news
page 3 monday 5.5.2014
thebattalion
baseball
Aggies squeeze past Tigers Shortstop Blake Allemand leaps over an LSU runner sliding into second base during the series finale against LSU.
Sunday’s 4-3 win gives A&M series victory over No. 5 LSU Tyler Stafford The Battalion
After splitting the first two games of a tight series, the Texas A&M baseball team outlasted No. 5 LSU Sunday afternoon before a packed crowd of 6,325 fans at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park, winning 4-3. Sunday’s game was decided in the eighth inning by a solo home run from freshman Ronnie Gideon. After losing a pop fly in right field that was ruled a triple and led to the Tigers scoring a run in the top of the first, freshman Nick Banks ripped an RBI ground-rule double to center field that plated Blake Allemand in the bottom half of the inning. Back-to-back singles by Cole Lankford and Banks put runners on first and third with no outs for the Aggies in the bottom of the fourth, but they were unable to score. LSU second baseman Conner Hale led off the top of the fifth with a booming solo home run to left field that hit halfway up the scoreboard to put the Tigers up 2-1. A&M answered immediately in the bottom of the fifth with Gideon greeting LSU relief pitcher Cody Glenn with a double to left field. Three pitches later, senior Jace Statum drove him in with a single up the middle. After two pitching changes and with the bases loaded and one out in the inning, Lankford drove in
Last pass for the Class of 2014 (Clockwise from top) B-Company Class of 2014 walks together to watch the second pass of final review where they will hand off control of the outfit to the new seniors. Eitze Huisman, senior industrial distribution major, and Veronica Bentley, senior environmental geoscience major, watch their old outfit as it passes during final review.
John Benson — THE BATTALION
Statum with a sacrifice fly to left field to give the Aggies their first lead of the game, 3-2. “We answered back in the fifth inning with two when they scored one, and we had other opportunities early in the game,” said head coach Rob Childress. “It came down to making a big play, and making a big pitch and getting a big hit. Troy [Stein] made the big play, Ronnie [Gideon] got the big hit and [Andrew] Vinson made the big pitches at the end.” Sophomore starting pitcher Grayson Long was pulled in the seventh inning after he allowed a lead-off single. Lefty Ty Schlottmann came on in relief trying to hold the one-run lead, but surrendered an RBI double to Tiger nine-hole hitter Christian Ibarra that tied the game at three. Long threw 89 pitches, going six-plus innings, allowing seven hits, three runs, two walks and fanning three. “I felt like I didn’t have my best stuff today,” Long said. “But I relied on the defense, and the offense and Troy [Stein] behind the plate to make all the great plays they made today.” On the first pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning, Gideon capped his 3-for-4 day at the plate with a solo home run to left field that gave the Aggies the lead. “It was a fastball up, right down the middle,” Gideon said. “I was sitting dead red fastball, and he gave it to me.” Sophomore relief pitcher Andrew Vinson closed out the ninth and sealed the victory for A&M. Read more at thebatt.com
Brig. Gen. Joe Ramirez, Class of 1979 and Commandant of the Corps, salutes the Class of 2015 as the new seniors during the second pass of final review.
Photos by John Benson — THE BATTALION
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The Texas A&M University Student Media Board is accepting applications for
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Qualifications for editor-in-chief of the Aggieland yearbook are:
REQUIRED • Be a Texas A&M student in good standing with the University and enrolled in at least six credit hours (4 if a graduate student) during the term of office (unless fewer credits are required to graduate); • Have at least a 2.25 cumulative grade point ratio (3.25 if a graduate student) and at least a 2.25 grade point ratio (3.25 if a graduate student) in the semester immediately prior to the appointment, the semester of appointment and semester during the term of office. In order for this provision to be met, at least six hours (4 if a graduate student) must have been taken for that semester; PREFERRED • Have completed JOUR 301 or COMM 307 (Mass Communication, Law, and Society); • Have demonstrated ability in writing, editing and graphic design through university coursework or equivalent experience; • Have at least one year experience in a responsible position on the Aggieland or comparable college yearbook.
Application forms should be picked up and returned to Sandi Jones, Student Media business coordinator, in Suite L406 of the MSC. Deadline for submitting application: 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, 2014.
BAT_05-05-14_A5-A16.indd 1
news thebattalion
page 5 monday 5.5.2014
PAID ADVERTISEMENT You deserve a factual look at . . . Why Should the U.S. Fund the Palestinian Authority?
entrepreneurship
Aggies help teach youth business with lemonade Katie Estep, junior business honors major, helped Jones Elementary School students during Sunday’s Lemonade Day. David Cohen — THE BATTALION
Andrew Harris
Special to The Battalion Running along the corner of Palasota Drive and Pecan Street with their handcrafted signs in hand, the students of Anson Jones Elementary, along with other elementary school students stationed all over Bryan-College Station, were eager to sell lemonade to passersby on Sunday. Lemonade Day is a national organization that teaches elementary-age kids about owning and operating their own business and the importance of budgeting and finances. According to LemonadeDay.org, the project serves approximately 1 million children and takes place in over 100 cities, including Bryan-College Station. Linda Montoya, principal at Anson Jones Elementary, said Lemonade Day was a wonderful experience for the 20 third- and fourth-grade students who have been working with Mays Business School students after school. “The kids really look forward to their mentors coming to the sessions every week and it gives them an opportunity to work with someone who’s in college and it gives us great hopes that all of our children will go to college,” Montoya said. “The students at Mays Business School have really been great with our kids and
we really appreciate everything they’ve done for our students here.” Ben Feldman, business graduate student, said the students had been working on the project long before the day of the lemonade sale. “Today is the culmination of a four-week process where we worked with the kids to help teach them about sales with their lemonade stands,” Feldman said. “This is the fun part where they actually get to sell the lemonade.” A portion of the profits the children made from lemonade sales will go to a local charity of their choice. Katie Estep, junior business honors major, said she was touched by the kindness of one young vendor. “One of my favorite days was when we went over what charities they could give to, and Louis was really excited about being able to give to the animal shelter,” Estep said. Brittany Cordell, freshman biomedical sciences major, was a customer of the young entrepreneurs. “I was just driving by and they were holding up their signs and too adorable to not buy some of their lemonade,” Cordell said. “It’s also nice to see the kids learning the value of a dollar and practical skills.”
The Palestinians spurn peace talks with Israel and now plan to align with Hamas terrorists. Should we be sending them more than half a billion dollars a year? Despite all efforts by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) has rejected U.S. diplomatic efforts and a negotiated peace with Israel by unilaterally signing on to 15 international agreements. Even more alarming, the P.A. just announced a merger with the Islamic terror group Hamas. Currently the U.S. sends some $440 million dollars annually in direct aid to the P.A., plus an additional $225 million in funding through the U.N. Is this the best use of American tax dollars?
What are the facts?
the deal later fell apart—knowing full well that it is against U.S. law for Congress to fund any Since 1979, the United States has expended organization with terrorist ties. Now Abba has untold diplomatic capital to forge an Israeliannounced a new merger with Hamas, the faction Palestinian peace. Yet every time peace has seemed at that openly advocates the conquest of every inch of hand—including the U.S.-brokered Oslo accords in Palestine, cleansing it of Jews, and establishing a 1993, and Israel’s historic Camp David offer in 2000 fundamentalist Islamic caliphate. Above all, Hamas of a Palestinian state with a capital in East refuses to accept the state Jerusalem—the of Israel and condemns Palestinians have refused “If a Palestinian state were declared today, it any efforts to negotiate to make peace. In 2008, following the Annapolis would be neither democratic, nor peaceful nor peace. In 2011, President summit, Israeli Prime willing to negotiate with Israel.” Abbas rejected pleas from Minister Olmert again U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen the Obama offered the Palestinians a administration and the state based on 1967 European Union to return to negotiations with Israel borders and a capital in Jerusalem, but P.A. President and refrain from making a bid for unilateral Mahmoud Abbas walked away without a counter recognition of a Palestinian state at the U.N. Instead, offer. In 2010, in order to bring the parties together Abbas proceeded to the U.N. and made his request. for new peace talks, President Obama convinced Now he has signed documents requesting additional Israel to enforce a moratorium on building in the recognition by 15 U.N. and other international Jerusalem suburbs for ten months. For eight months, organizations. P.A. President Abbas refused to take part in talks, and Time to stop aid to U.S. enemies. In 2011, eventually walked out. Now the Palestinians have Secretary of State Hilary Clinton stated that “We will again effectively ended peace talks with Israel not deal with nor in any way fund a Palestinian unilaterally by seeking international recognition and government that includes Hamas unless and until a unity government with the Hamas terrorist faction. Hamas has renounced violence, recognized Israel and In addition to its diplomatic investment, the U.S. agreed to follow the previous obligations of the has over the decades given the Palestinian Authority Palestinian Authority.” In fact, annual U.S. foreign more than five billion dollars in aid. Today, the United appropriations bills expressly forbid funding for States provides more than $665 million annually in “assistance to Hamas or any entity effectively direct aid and funding through the United Nations. controlled by Hamas or any power-sharing Yet despite this generous diplomatic support and government of which Hamas is a member.” financial largesse, Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Both houses of Congress have already Authority officials have verbally attacked the United overwhelming passed resolutions that threaten States and snubbed U.S. aid. In 2011, the Palestinian withdrawal of aid from the Palestinian Authority if it Authority announced a “boycott of the American persists in efforts to circumvent direct negotiations consulate, its diplomats, and the American with Israel by turning to the United Nations for institutions in Jerusalem,” adding that Americans recognition—which it has done—and if the “cannot extort the Palestinian people and humiliate it Palestinian Authority shares power with a with a bit of aid.” Referring to these huge U.S. recalcitrant Hamas. According to the chairman of the financial grants, Abbas said, “This does not mean that House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Ileana Rosthey [the U.S.] dictate to us whatever they want.” Lehtinen, “Despite decades of assistance totaling The Palestinian Authority did indeed reject billions of dollars, if a Palestinian state were declared requests by the United States not to form an alliance today, it would be neither democratic, nor peaceful with Hamas terrorists in 2011: President Abbas nor willing to negotiate with Israel.” proceeded to seal that agreement anyway—though By allying with the terrorist group Hamas, abandoning peace talks with Israel, and taking its case for statehood unilaterally to international bodies, it’s clear that the Palestinian Authority has no respect for the interests of the United States in the Middle East, including peace with Israel. With today’s ailing economy and soaring budget deficits, isn’t time for Congress to stop spending more than half a billion American tax dollars annually supporting the rogue Palestinian Authority? This message has been published and paid for by
Facts and Logic About the Middle East P.O. Box 590359 San Francisco, CA 94159
Gerardo Joffe, President
FLAME is a tax-exempt, non-profit educational 501 (c)(3) organization. Its purpose is the research and publication of the facts regarding developments in the Middle East and exposing false propaganda that might harm the interests of the United States and its allies in that area of the world. Your tax-deductible contributions are welcome. They enable us to pursue these goals and to publish these messages in national newspapers and magazines. We have virtually no overhead. Almost all of our revenue pays for our educational work, for these clarifying messages, and for related direct mail.
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BAT_05-05-14_A17-A4.indd 1
monday 5.5.2014
news thebattalion
residence life
A&M to revamp on-campus housing Renovations to prepare for projected student increases Samantha Latta The Battalion
From minor fixes to major construction, several short and long-term on-campus construction and renovation projects will be undertaken this summer to improve on-campus living. On west campus, an entire new unit is expected to go up as early as fall 2015, opening up 1,200 beds for student housing, said Kasey Krum, Residence Hall Association president. By 2016, that number will double. Krum said the first 1,200 beds will be in apartment-style housing and the second 1,200 in more residence hall-style housing. To ensure that the new housing offers an affordable and enjoyable option for students, Krum said Residence Life has worked with people across campus to get an accurate picture of what students want. “From students who are living on campus due to mandated scholarships to students in leadership positions, they hold several pilot tests and surveys made to make sure the student experience is at its best,� Krum said. “West campus is allowing more and more student input, and it’s really exciting to see that the University cares so much to really and truly listen to what students want.� Krum said Residence Life is working to meet all current and future needs regarding price, transportation and location “One of the main concerns people have is that it’s going to be a really high price, and will separate people who can and can’t afford it,� Krum said. “Reslife has taken this into consideration and we don’t want the cost to be astronomically high. The apartment style housing isn’t expected to be any higher than
what people would pay for most apartment complexes off campus.� Krum said a common misunderstanding among students is the west campus housing will be primarily for those enrolled in agriculture, kinesiology, or business. “Since its separated by the railroad tracks, west campus is considered a whole separate part of campus to some students, however, we plan to make this new housing very welcoming with a home-type feel to the area,� Krum said. Minor renovations, such as remodeled ramps in Walton and the addition of a kitchen area in Appelt will take place over the summer, Krum said. Carol Binzer, director of administrative and support services for the Department of Residence Life, said summer renovations to Corps housing will be minor and mainly cosmetic, but major expansions are predicted for the cadets’ living quarters in the next few years. More decisions will be made throughout the upcoming year, Bizner said. For now, the major changes in Corps housing will be seen in the reopening of Dorm 7 and the completion of the Ash Leadership Learning Center, both of which will be open for use by Fall 2014. Due to renovations, some cadets might be relocated to Commons halls, as well as reside in the three dorms that have already been renovated, Binzer said. Cullen Pickett, senior animal science major and member of the Corps of Cadets, said the renovations and construction represent the efforts of former students to improve the experience of current students. “If you look at the grand scheme of things, it helps you appreciate what donors and General Ramirez are trying to do for us,� Pickett said. “They want us to have the best, and these fully modernized dorms and learning centers really give current cadets and incoming students one more incentive to be a part of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Cadet Corps, the heart and soul of this wonderful university.�
FOR RENT Just available! Close to campus, College Main and Eastgate areas. 2bd/1ba., some w/dishwasher, 1-fenced, some bills paid. $325-$450/mo. 979-219-3217. Large, well kept 3/2/2 on bus-route, alarm system, W/D connections, $1200/mo. 1431 Magnolia Drive. 214-914-4305. Looking for two female roommates ASAP for Fall2014 and Spring2015, $550/mo for year contract, $600/mo for 6 month contract, call 512-565-9009 for more details. Luxury condo, close to campus, brand new, granite countertops, with wood floors, contact 979-693-4900 Northgate. Apartments 1/1, 2/2,and 3/2. House 3/3. Washer/Dryer. Walk to campus. aggievillas.net Call 979-255-5648. Now preleasing 2,3,4,5 bedroom houses and duplexes, pet friendly, Aggielandrentals.com 979-776-8984. Pre-lease 4 and 5 bedroom houses, available August, great floor plans, close to campus, updated, W/D, all appliances, no pets. www.brazosvalleyrentals.com 979-731-8257. Preleasing for May, efficiency apartment, 1bd, 2bd, 3bd, 979-693-1906, great prices and amenities. Spacious 3/2, CS duplex, W/D, prelease for May and august, $895/mo., 979-693-0551. Tribeca Square Apartments, 1&2 bedrooms with W/D, Prelease today and save $300 off move in.
FOR SALE 2011 LINCOLN CERTIFIED MKS. Bordeaux metallic (maroon)/Lt. dune leather, NAV, sunroof, SYNC, rear camera, Bluetooth, heated/cooled seats, more! 100K warranty. Call Patrick direct: (281)596-1139 /email: prodrigue@westpointlincoln.com
HELP WANTED 2015 graduating senior wanted for part time office assistant work for oilfield services company located in Bryan. $12/hr. starting pay with extremely flexible hours, will work around your school schedule. Opportunity for full time employment after graduation. Some accounting background preferred as attention to detail is critical. Please send resume with schedule of availability to pkammerer@kapproservices.com
AD Agency intern: a great opportunity to learn the agency business at a specialty shop. Develop skills in writing, media planning, strategic thinking, and social media. This is an internship for the summer with possibilty of employment. Send resume to danalee@leeadvg.com. Museum district area in Houston.
Athletic men for calendars, books, etc. $100-$200/hr, up to $1000/day. No experience. aggieresponse@gmail.com
Baby-sitter/nanny needed to help mother of six-- four school-aged and two toddlers. Starting this summer or fall; baby-sitting, laundry, picking up children, etc., previous experience required, contact Kevin 979-255-4478 for more information, flexible hours. Cake Decorators/Bakerey Assistant/Bakery Manager. Please contact with your resume or experience by email jobs@cake/junkie.com
Camp For All is looking for creative and energetic staff who are interested in working with children and adults w/challenging illnesses and special needs. These paid positions will be trained to lead activities for our campers in the summer. Please contact Jessicahat jholloway@campforall.org or visit our website at www.campforall.org/joinourteam
College Station: 122 Ridgewood. ‘98 Crest Ridge 16x86w/10x20, covered deck. CH&A, garden tub, large kitchen and island. Nice! $21,600/negotiable. 830-710-0145/830-703-9283.
Child Care FT & PT shifts available. Some nights & Saturdays required. Apply in person at 3609 E. 29th St., Bryan.
Senior Boots, like new, custom Holicks, approximately size 9, field style with laces, includes bags, $575, pictures available. maryloumcnair@gmail.com 713-805-3609.
CiCi’s Pizza Now Hiring! Counter Staff/ Register/ Drive-thru personnel needed. No experience necessary, Evenings &weekends a must. Starting Pay up to $9.00 hour. Apply in person at CS location.
HELP WANTED City of Bryan now hiring Camp Counselors, Recreation Assistants, Lifeguards and Water Safety Instructors, do not have to be certified. Apply online bryantxjobs.com, call (979)209-5528 for more information. Cleaning commercial buildings at night, M-F. Call 979-823-5031 for interview. Cotton Patch, College Station 979-695-9707, now hiring servers, hosts, cashiers. Apply between 2-4pm at Rock Prairie Rd and Hwy 6. Dairy Queen is seeking a part-time IT Support/POS Help Desk Technician to work in our Bryan corporate office. 20hrs/wk, $17/hr. Submit resume to alexis.alexander@smithdq.com or call 979-220-5412. Frittella Italian Cafe now hiring servers/busers. Please call (979)260-6666 for details. GIS mapper needed full-time. Must have GIS mapping experience or have completed GIS courses. Email resume to texaslandgis@gmail.com Housekeeper 1-day per week, 2-3 hours. Transportation available. Call, 979-255-1340. Howdy Aggies! SSC Grounds Management Department at TAMU is hiring students. Part-time opportunities and Full-time summer employment are available, we also offer internships for horticulture, turf (including athletic turf), greenhouse operations, entomology, and irrigation management. SCC provides flexible schedules including 4/10 schedules during the summer and highly competitive pay, training, and continuing career opportunities after graduation. Please apply in-person at the facilities services location at 600 Agronomy Rd in College Station for more information please call: (979)458-5533 Gig ‘EM! J. Cody’s hiring at all positions, apply within, 3610 S. College. No experience necessary just common sense! Lakeside Icehouse and Carney’s Pub now hiring bartenders, barbacks, cocktail waitresses, and event staff, please apply in person at Carney’s Pub located at 3410 South College Avenue from 3-6.
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
Leasing Consultant needed, individual needs to be energetic, customer oriented, have a professional appearance and able to work weekends, base pay plus commission, PT/FT available, apply in person at 3645 Wellborn Road, Bryan, Reveille Ranch Apartments.
Part-time summer help, apply in person, Conlee-Garrett Moving and Storage, 600 South Bryan Ave., Bryan.
MEMdata, a local hospital equipment management company is seeking dependable and organized FULL & PART-TIME employees to be part of a growing team! Must be able to work a minimum of 24 hrs/wk, M-F 8-5. Good telephone communication and negotiation skills required. Must be self-motivated and able to multi-task while working within deadlines. Computer skills essential & knowledge of MS Excel a plus! Pay DOQ plus bonuses. Email resumes to careers@memdata.com or fax to 979-695-1954.
RA or entrepreneur? Wants to earn extra money? Premium energy drinks distributor opportunity! Call 979-209-0778 call for an appointment.
Need HVAC service technicians. Willing to train. Great summer job. Top pay and great team. Call or text Aggieland Climate Control, Inc 979-450-2653 or email aggielandclimate@gmail.com or http://www.coolaggieland.com
New Position: Part-time staff position needed ($10-$12/hr) for busy real estate office. Must be a detail-oriented people person with reliable transportation and have reasonable computer skills in MS Word and MS Excel. This staff position requires 20-25 hours per week with additional optional hours available from time to time. Start date available immediately. For job description and application, go to: www.coventryglenrealty.com and click on Employment Opportunities side bar.
Now hiring dependable employees for part-time work. Good telephone skills a must! Flexible hours. Couple blocks from A&M campus. Casual but professional work environment. No selling, we do research. Pays $8.00-$8.50 DOQ. Please call or come by to fill out an application. Metro Center 3833 S Texas Ave, Ste 130R in Bryan. 845-9550, ppri.tamu.edu/employment and facebook.com/publicpolicyresearchinstitute
Part-time job helping handicapped. Male student preferred. $360/mo. 8-10hrs/wk. 979-846-3376.
Property Tax Research, Business or Engineering major preferred, email resume to texaslandgis@gmail.com
STUDENTPAYOUTS.COM Paid survey takers needed in College Station. 100% free to join. Click on surveys. SUMMER TRAINING FOR AWARD WINNING BRYAN EMPLOYER STARTS MAY 12th, Penncro Associates, Inc. is looking to hire Texas A&M school students and alumni for it’s May and June training classes for multiple positions at their state of the art call center facility in Bryan.  Penncro employees receive the same training that is delivered at prestigious Fortune 500 Financial Institutions. This provides for a great start or next step for any business professional’s career. After full time training, the team will work with you to set a full time or part time schedule that fits into your Fall School Schedule and business needs.  May 12th is the first summer training class. Penncro is holding a Summer Fest- College Career Fair at their office at 3101 University Dr. East on Wednesday, April 23rd from 3pm to 7pm. Apply for a position today through Penncro’s CAREERS page at www.penncro.com.  EOE/M/F/D/V.
MOTORCYCLE 2008 silver Honda Rebel with saddlebag, 4000 miles, $2500. 2-year TAMU student owner selling. TAMU motorcycle parking only $80/yr. Call or text 832-257-2577.
REAL ESTATE 8 CS 3/2 Duplexes, shuttle, $229,900, Town & Country Realty 979-777-6211, 979-739-2035 B/CS. Sell/Buy/Invest! Michael McGrann TAMU ‘93 Civil Engineering 979-739-2035, mike@aggierealtor.com Nadia McGrann 979-777-6211, Town & Country Realty.
SERVICES Party in style in our Hummer stretch limousine. Complimentary beverages ;) , tv's, and party lighting to go with our 1500watt stereo system. Check out our pictures, pricing, and availability online at www.traditionslimos.com or call or text 979-587-1727. Looking forward to serving you. Jose Rodriguez President TAMU Class of '92
If You Have Something To Sell, Remember Classifieds Can Do It! Call 845-0569
the battalion
ANSWERS
to todays puzzles
Texas Concrete Design, a decorative concrete company, is currently looking for full/ part-time installers. No experience is needed, but a good work ethic is required. Please forward inquiries to chris@texasconcretedesign.com Wilton's OfficeWorks is now hiring for Full Time Installation & Delivery Personnel and Outside Sales Representatives. OUTSIDE SALES REPRESENTATIVE Skills/Qualifications: Customer Service, Meeting Sales Goals, Closing Skills, Territory Management, Prospecting Skills, Negotiation, Self-Confidence, Product Knowledge, Presentation Skills, Client Relationships, Motivation for Sales. Must Provide a resume for this position. Please inquire within at 181 N Earl Rudder, Bryan Texas.
5/4/14 11:03 PM
news
page 6 monday 5.5.2014
thebattalion
news thebattalion
page 15 monday 5.5.2014
dining
corps of cadets
Sbisa renovations to end by Fall 2014
105 to be commissioned into US armed forces
New inside layout to accommodate more food selections Jennifer Reiley The Battalion
While Sbisa Dining Hall will still appear the same from the outside, Chartwells has planned extensive renovations for the inside layout to accommodate a greater made-to-order selection. Reid Joseph, 2013-2014 student body president, has been communicating on behalf of students with Chartwells and the university and said the renovations will cost around $4
million. Renovation of the facility will start May 8 and end early August, said Gina Capetanakis, marketing manager for Chartwells. Capetanakis said continuous services lines directly connected to the kitchen will be replaced with food preparation and service stations throughout the dining room. “These stations enable students to have more customization and more made-to-order selections that are prepared by chefs and culinarians right in front of them,” Capetanakis said. Kasey Kram, residence hall association president and senior agribusiness major, said the benefits of these “pods on dining” are better crowd control and more options for students, including gluten-free and vegetarian options. “They’re not in a line, they’re all over the fa-
cility so that students can break up and there’s not a mass crowd at any of them,” Kram said. Kram said the new facility will also include a variety of sitting arrangements, ranging from the long tables currently in the facility to booths and circular tables. Kram said the section that currently holds the world cuisine section will be renovated to hold two new separate restaurants, Smashburger and Lime, a Mexican cuisine restaurant. Capetanakis said part of the motivation behind renovating Sbisa was the need to upgrade cooking equipment. With all the renovations, Kram said Sbisa should have a more “homey” feel in the fall semester. “Sbisa definitely looks like a more friendly
place to go, not just to eat, but sit for a while,” Kram said. “You can grab lunch at 11 and then leave at 1 after you’ve done a couple hours of studying there, just kind of getting to relax with friends and stuff of that nature.” As a part of Chartwell’s contact with the university, Capetanakis said the Underground Food Court, The Grill at the Pavilion and Poor Yorick’s will also be renovated. Capetanakis said summer students and those visiting for their New Student Conferences will be able to eat at Duncan Dining Hall.
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Ariel Clay, senior political science major, will be commissioned into the Air Force after graduation.
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979-846-9257 David Cohen — THE BATTALION
Future officers prepare for careers
BE A MONEY WISE AGGIE You’re graduating: Now what? • • • •
Complete your exit counseling Know your student loan servicer(s) Find out when your repayment starts Find the right repayment plan to fit your budget • Can’t make a payment? Contact your servicer(s) right away • Still need help? Contact us at financialaid@tamu.edu we can help!
Go to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) website at www.nslds.ed.gov to complete your exit counseling and find out who your servicer(s) are, or contact the NSLDS at (800) 433-3243.
BAT_05-05-14_A15-A6.indd 1
Anabelle Hutchison The Battalion
As graduating seniors embark upon new and possibly uncertain chapters of their lives, 105 students graduating from the Texas A&M University’s ROTC program will enter the U.S. Armed Forces as second lieutenants. Kevin Abbott, senior political science major and member of Squadron 21, will be commissioned as Air Force officers and will enter the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program. With military service in his family’s history, Abbott said he has always wanted to join the military. “I’m obviously really excited about it,” Abbott said. “It has always been my goal and my dream to go to pilot training and be an officer in the Air Force. My grandfather was a pilot in WWII, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps.” Thomas Sujack, senior political science major and member of Squadron 4, will be commissioned as a U.S. Army officer. Sujack said he is looking forward to graduating but dreads leaving behind his Corps friends. “My buddies and I are all splitting up and going separate ways just like any other college group,” Sujack said. “Military wise, I am
pretty excited. I’m looking forward to the opportunity.” Sujack said he hopes he will be stationed near his fiancee, Holly Scott, who is a graduating senior at A&M pursuing a graduate degree this fall. “I’d like to end up at Fort Campbell for obvious reasons,” Sujack said. “It is 40 minutes away from Vanderbilt and that’s where Holly is going to be. There are opportunities there too. Being a part of the 101st Airborne would be exciting and getting to do air assault school would be pretty cool too.” Ariel Clay, senior political science major and member of Squadron 21, will be awarded commission as a Air Force logistics officer just three hours after walking the stage at her graduation ceremony. “I am excited for what is coming up, but I’m not going to lie, I’m kind of nervous,” Clay said. “The job that I got slotted, which is logistics, as a second lieutenant you get leadership right off the bat. There are only a few jobs where you get that.” Clay said graduation and commissioning fulfills a lifelong goal of hers, one that she could not be more excited for. “For me it is hard to describe the joy that I feel knowing that I will be serving in the military for my country. That sounds like such a corny line, but it is true,” Clay said. “I’m finally getting to have my dream. I’m finally getting my bars pinned on. I’m finally getting to walk across that stage as a college graduate.”
5/4/14 10:56 PM
news
page 14 monday 5.5.2014
thebattalion
Ag commissioner to give keynote the Texas House of Representatives before becoming Agriculture Commissioner, where he is currently serving his second term. 2013-2014 Student Body President Reid Joseph said while the graduation ceremony may mark the closing of a student’s time on campus, every Aggie will always carry a part of A&M with them. “[Graduation is] significant in the fact that we are becoming former students, and we’re not leaving A&M because we will always be able to come back,� Joseph said. “We’re taking the A&M family crest, the Aggie Ring, with us wherever we go. We’re taking A&M with us.�
John Rangel
The Battalion Texas A&M’s campuses will bid farewell to its graduating seniors in the next few weeks as they walk the stage and step into their roles as former students. The events will begin Thursday with a Commencement Convocation in Rudder Auditorium and will continue with 15 graduation ceremonies until May 29. Student Body President Kyle Kelly will give the invocation at Thursday’s commencement and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples will serve as keynote speaker. Staples, Class of 1984, served in the Texas Senate and
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news
page 7 monday 5.5.2014
thebattalion
graduation
Outgoing seniors reminisce on ‘best four years’ Transition from school to workplace ‘bittersweet’ Cassidy Tyrone
The Battalion The transformation from anxious freshmen to graduating seniors is one of personal, professional, spiritual and emotional growth. With graduation under a week away, some seniors have difficulty finding words that would give their experience justice. Morgan Malhiot, senior communication major, said her graduation rouses mixed emotions. Malhiot sees graduation as an exciting adventure into a world with more responsibilities. “It’s bitter because you are leaving behind four years of your life — there’s a lot of memories and friends you have made,� Malhiot said. “It’s sad when I start thinking about the friends I might not necessarily see again, but thank God for Facebook. It’s sweet because schoolwork is over, but also because you know you did it. Things are just starting for us — the world is our oyster.� After a trying year taking classes at Blinn and the death of her grandfather, Malhiot said she was unsure of what the future held in store. Malhiot said she had to find an inner strength and that her acceptance into the Disney College Program made her feel that everything happens according to God’s plan. While interning, she received news that she got accepted into A&M, an event that she described one of the highlights of her Aggie experience. “The whole college experience is something you are never going to get to do again,� Malhiot said. “You hear people say ‘College is the best time — the best four years of my life.’ So, as it is all coming to an end and I’m looking back, I truly think those were the best four years of my life.� Although everyone’s Aggie experience is unique, Malhiot said everyone shares the journey to self-discovery. “I think what makes a college experience is being able to find yourself,� Malhiot said. “It’s about coming out of your shell, doing things you would never had done before, and finding out what you want in life. Graduation seems surreal, said Taylor Rus-
sell, senior philosophy major. The first of his family to attend and graduate college, Russell arrived to A&M not knowing what college would have in store for him. Russell said his time at A&M and volunteering with Breakaway Ministries allowed him to meet friends that influenced self-reflection and led him on a path to self-discovery. “Breakaway was a huge part of my coming to faith,� Russell said. “When I started going there, I was asking myself ‘What am I doing here?’ I was doing it to just go through the motions. It was an image thing. I wanted people to think I was a good guy. I wanted the image of being a Christian.� Although some of his family did not support his transition from engineer to philosopher, Russell decided to forge a relationship with God and use his flair for teaching to pursue his passion for Christian ministry. “As I got more and more involved and became an active member, in combination with friends going through the same things — I decided to change my life for the better,� Russell said. Brett Hately, senior economics major, said he recently accepted an offer to work at an investment firm in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Hately said now that he has his job in order it’s harder than ever to maintain the mindset of being a college student — even if only for a few more days. Although Hately identifies as an extremely motivated person, he said he found support in his friends in Guide, an organization where he mentored freshman with other students on campus. “Just being able to watch these mentoring relationships with these freshmen grow has been amazing,� Hatley said. “It’s definitely taught me leadership skills and helped me become friends with some of the most awesome people here on campus.� Hately said now that he is facing the business world, he sees how invaluable the Aggie network really is, from the spirit of Aggieland to the distinctive gold ring. “Certainly the Aggie family gives us a degree of reassurance about the future,� Hately said. “We do have an extreme advantage being Aggies, having such a close bond. I think it definitely extends our reach. Despite his time as a student coming to a
close, Hately said he feels as though he is not really leaving Aggieland. Describing his experience as extremely fulfilling, Hately said he feels as though he has made the most of his time as a student and realizes that it’s time to start a new chapter in his life.
“I have really enjoyed my time here at Texas A&M, but it’s time to move on and make the most of things,� Hately said.
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MOCK DRAFT 12.0: A&M EDITION
Clay Koepke: Three Aggies are set to make A&M history in the NFL Draft
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othing is ever a sure thing in sports, especially in the business of betting a franchise’s future and beaucoup stacks of cash on a 20-year-old kid. It’s like Vegas, except rather than chips the reward for the right bet is a Super Bowl ring.
Through all the doubts and secondguessing of the draft process, two things remain constant moving toward Thursday’s NFL Draft — nerves are tense and uncertainty looms. Judging off Kevin Costner’s latest sports film “Draft Day” (which couldn’t hold a candle to his 1988 classic “Bull Durham”) and Drake finally giving Johnny Manziel his long-awaited shout-out in his new single “Draft Day,” it’s safe to say that the draft has been on everybody’s mind. The experts are calling this one of the deepest draft classes in history — and with three Aggies projected to hear their names
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called somewhere in the top 10 — it’s the best representation of Aggies in the draft in history and will be the fourthstraight year an Aggie has been Clay Koepke taken in the top Sports Editor 10. @clayquanjenkins With every sportswriter and football guru spitting their opinions on how the draft will shake down, now it’s my turn, and from the words of Drake himself, “You know I had to do it for you.” So, without further adieu, here is my Mock Draft 12.0: A&M Edition.
No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars — Johnny Manziel
As much as I’d love for Manziel to stay in Texas, I just don’t see the Texans taking him at one. If the Texans don’t end up trading the No. 1 pick (which I find likely), I think it’s near impossible to pass on Jadeveon Clowney, this year’s unanimous top prospect. Pair Clowney and J.J. Watt
together and Houston’s defensive line will be living in the backfield, haunting quarterbacks’ dreams. Jacksonville needs an identity, and Manziel is just the type of quarterback to bring that identity to the table. The Jags have failed to make the playoffs since 2007 and adding Manziel would bring some spice into a dull situation. It also wouldn’t be terrible to see Joeckel manning Manziel’s blind side again.
No. 6 Atlanta Falcons — Jake Matthews
Assuming the Falcons stick at No. 6 and don’t try and move up to get Clowney, I think Matthews could step in and make a real impact. Atlanta’s quarterback Matt Ryan was thrown to the ground a careerhigh 44 times last season, compared to a previous high of 28. Bagging an experienced blocker to keep Ryan’s jersey clean is essential for the Falcons, and if that’s what they are looking for, Matthews is their guy. With 45 consecutive starts to end his career at A&M, Matthews brings the skill and durability to be a plug-and-play starter in the league.
No. 10 Detroit Lions — Mike Evans
Evans should go before No. 10, possibly No. 7 to Tampa Bay or even No. 2 to the St. Louis Rams, but Detroit is where I want him. Think about it — Evans lining up opposite of Megatron with Matthew Stafford throwing him the ball and Reggie Bush in the backfield. Talk about explosive. Pairing Evans and Megatron would be the widereceiver equivalent of Watt and Clowney, making them one of the most feared receiving duos in the NFL. If the three Aggies are selected in the top 10 it will be the first time since the 1994 draft that A&M has had three players selected in the first round and the first time since 1958 — when Heisman Trophy winner John David Crow and Charlie Kreuger were selected at No. 2 and No. 9, respectively — that A&M will have two players selected in the top 10. Nobody can perfectly predict what will happen on Thursday or where each A&M player will ultimately fall. However, I can predict that come Thursday three players will make Texas A&M history, and whichever team Manziel suits up for next year will gain at least one more fan.
BLACK SHEEP OF THE FAMILY
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hen I was in high school, I shared a truck with my dad. It was this half-ton white-anddust colored Dodge that was consistently filled with tools I didn’t know the names of and empty cans of dipping tobacco. My dad had gotten it from a guy who worked in construction that had rigged the truck to beep when you threw it in reverse.
I loved that truck. I’m big on things that have “character.” That’s why I like my house in north Bryan so much. I tell people it’s nice because the neighbors are friendly or because the 20-minute drive to and from campus makes me feel like I’m really commuting somewhere important. But that’s only because it’s easier to explain those things than to tell people about the time some shirtless guy sporting what looked like a prison tattoo of a bull stood in front of my mailbox and asked me if I knew anything about his slashed tires. (I didn’t.) Or the kids down the street who either don’t have a wagon or just really, really like dragging each other around in boxes. Or that 13-year-old kid who passed by my house on his red scooter the other day, taking drags from a cigarette between his kicks against the pavement. He was scootin’ and smokin’ and looked as if he knew exactly where he was going. I don’t know if he was headed to a good place, but I can bet you it was probably more interesting than anywhere I’ll ever go. So with all of this in mind, it may come as a shock to those of you who wear those “Keep College Station Normal” T-shirts that I didn’t exactly feel like I was quite Aggie-material for my first few years here. I believe more in a strong English curriculum than a strong football recruiting class. I feel conflicted about whooping because I don’t like the idea of celebrating the death of a poor little kitty cat, wild or
not. And I just will never, ever be able to do the sorority squat, so I am that awkward person in the “Aggie family portrait,” the one who always forgets what they usually do with their arms as soon as a camera is pointed in their direction. I usually end up painfully aware of my hands and curl them up against my side and look something like a tyrannosaurus rex with self-esteem issues. It is less cute on me than it would be on a dinosaur, I think. I have a sneaking suspicion that this wouldn’t be a problem if I had just attended any old university. But we’ve got this whole “family” thing going on here and I’m a third-generation Aggie. Maroon is supposed to be running through my veins or something, but I’m pretty sure my blood is just the regular color. My heartbeat is supposed
to thump to the drum cadence, but I think it just does its own thing most of the time. (I don’t really know. I haven’t been pre-med for almost three years.) What I do know is that I’ve got my mom’s eyes and my dad’s ears, but I still think I might have been adopted. I read poetry and I walk around barefoot and I sure don’t vote Republican. I am everything my parents warned me about. The Aggie family never made sense to me, because I couldn’t fit into it and neither could a lot of people that I cared about. I’ve seen Aggies say and do some pretty nasty things to each other, just because difference was seen as grounds for punishment. Not only did I look like a lumpy, maroon potato in a 12th Man jersey, I wasn’t sure I wanted to look good in one in the first place. But this is an agricultural school and I grew up on a ranch, so it would be a cryin’ shame if there wasn’t at least one black sheep in the family. Someone has to say the wrong thing at the dinner table to keep it interesting. Pretending family means similarity and constant agreement is like eating tuna fish in class — just plain wrong. I grew up on sitcoms, so I came into
college with a rather warped definition of family. And in a cheesy, Lifetimemovie kind of way, it took me almost the full four years away from home to realize what the word “family” really meant. Four years of disagreements and feminist rants and finding my niche to understand that just because you don’t understand someone doesn’t mean they aren’t your sister or brother. And just to be clear, I’ll probably keep rolling my eyes when people say mushy things like how we’re all so close and a family and sentimental junk like that. But that doesn’t mean, somewhere, black-lung-in-the-coalmine kind of deep down inside of me, I don’t kind of want to say the same thing.
Jessica Smarr Copy Chief @jessica_smarr
Jessica Smarr: Family isn’t about fitting in
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-FACTOR Dante Hall, NFL All-Decade team member, makes his return to A&M and the classroom
However, Hall and Slocum’s dispute was quickly mended. The Battalion “Coach Slocum and I actually resolved the Dubbed with eccentric nicknames such as issue the next day,” Hall said. “I actually rethe “X-Factor” and “The Human Joystick,” mained on scholarship. I was able to work out it’s safe to say that Lufkin native Dante Hall was to prepare for the draft. We’ve golfed, we bea one-man highlight reel on Kyle Field. came good friends over time, so that was pretty After being recruited by college football much done.” powerhouses, Hall was plagued with an injury Hall was drafted in the fifth round of the that would steer his journey toward Aggieland. 2000 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs Hall said with the help of (No. 153 overall). After his high school coach and his rookie season and the oversight of skeptical upon the arrival of new top programs, his career of head coach Dick Verbegan wearing maroon and meil, Hall was asked to white. move to receiver, a poHall attended Texas sition he had not played A&M on a football scholarbefore. ship from 1996 to 1999 — Being inexperienced assuming the roles of runat the position, Vermeil ning back and kick returner sent Hall to Scotland for the Aggies. In 1999, to play for the Scotland Hall was dismissed from Claymores in the Eurothe A&M football team by pean League, which at then-head coach R.C. Slothe time served as a decum for violations that took velopmental league for place in the parking lot. the NFL. “I was a knucklehead,” “At first, I was not Hall said. “I was a notorihappy about it, but in ous bad parker. I had achindsight it was probcumulated a lot of parkably one of the top three ing citations and this was a to five experiences in my little problem for a couple Provided by Texas A&M Athletics life,” Hall said. “It totally of years. [Slocum] basically Dante Hall is honored in 2009 at changed my mindset. It came in to tell me he was broadened my horizons, Kyle Field against New Mexico. sick of it, and being the obviously, and just gave young, naive knucklehead me a totally different that I was, I had some words in exchange for perspective on life.” him. He obviously won that battle, and I was After his four-month stint developing his dismissed.” skills in Scotland, Hall returned to the Kansas
Clay Koepke
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Dante Hall accumulated 12,397 return yards during his time at A&M. City Chiefs where he would go on to claim his nicknames, among other coveted awards. Hall finished his career with his second NFL team — the St. Louis Rams — with just 162 receptions for 1,741 yards. However, Hall’s true value came in the special team’s game where he racked up a career 12,397 return yards and 21 total touchdowns and was named to the 2000s All-Decade Team. Hall said playing in the NFL may seem nice from the outside looking in, but it came as both a blessing and a curse. “It was a gift in the sense that as a child, that was my childhood dream — just to make it,” Hall said. “The curse came because I didn’t know what it all entailed. The money can get you into a lot of trouble and it can have people turn on you. You go from being the guy that everyone wants to help to the guy that everyone looks to for help. They say money changes people. I think my experiences taught me that money changes people around you.” After his 2008 retirement, Hall said he spent the next year and a half relaxing and catching up on the things that he didn’t get to experience before. “I golfed, I traveled, I got my real estate license during that time and kind of started to just — I guess you can call it educate myself on life,” Hall said. “I got into reading, I got my personal training certification — things that I was interested it. I was educating myself within those fields.”
In 2010, Hall moved to California to pursue a career as a sports agent. However, just as business was starting to thrive, the NFL passed a new collective bargaining agreement that required sports agents to have practiced law for a minimum of two years. After his career of being an agent fell through, Hall turned back to the life he knows best — football. After working with several youth camps and conducting numerous personal training sessions, Hall got a job as a running backs coach at St. Anthony High School in California from St. Anthony defensive coordinator and former A&M teammate, Jimmy Irby. “That further cemented the passion and my desire to coach, and that’s when I made the decision that after the season is over I am going back to finish my degree,” Hall said. Hall is now pursuing his A&M degree in agricultural leadership and education development and just finished working with the A&M football team under Kevin Sumlin during spring football practices. “I was able to be what you call a student assistant coach through the NCAA requirements,” Hall said. “Basically I just wanted to come in and be a sponge. Although I played all of those years, I knew I needed to build my coaching expertise.” Hall is scheduled to graduate in August and said his ultimate goal will be to continue coaching as a high school head coach or on a collegiate coaching staff. “I was a fan before the game, I was a fan when I was playing the game and I will always be a fan,” Hall said. “That passion and that desire for the game still resonate. As I reflected on all of the coaches that helped me along the way — it wasn’t really football they helped me with — they helped me in a tremendous way in my life. So I was like, ‘You know what, I love the game, and it’s a great platform to go back and help — it’s a no-brainer.’” Working with the team during spring football, Hall said highly touted freshman recruit Devante ‘Speedy’ Noil brought back flashbacks of him in his playing days. “The way he is built, the way he goes about the game, his personality — I see a lot of similarities,” Hall said. “I drew an affinity with Speedy because of that. We have the same kind of style, can do a little bit of everything — return kicks, slot, receiver, running back.” At the end of the day, one thing is clear — you can’t take the Aggie out of a man, and you can’t take the return out of Dante.
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WITH THE NO. 1 OVERALL PICK: MR. FOOTBALL
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his is the second draft of my column about the NFL Draft, the Houston Texans and Johnny Manziel. I deleted the first one. It was finished — 800 words, a conclusion I liked, a few Cleveland Browns jabs. That column said things like, “It would be different if the Texans picked fourth,” and, “Any other year, without a guy like Jadeveon Clowney in the mix.” This column is different, because after I wrote sentence after sentence about how my favorite team shouldn’t draft my favorite player, I changed my mind. This isn’t another love letter to Johnny (okay, it might be), but the reality is the only quarterback I want in Houston is the Aggie who makes dumb plays look smart and smart defenses look dumb. Bill O’Brien is the new Texans coach — Houston is the latest team to play the “maybe coaching with Bill Belichick makes you Bill Belichick” game. He and general manager Rick Smith are the assumed decision makers when it comes to Texans personnel. Maybe they should write one of these columns. Because here’s what I’ve learned: The more I actively attempt to discount, downplay or degrade Johnny Football, the harder it gets to do so.
After the Year of Darkness ended in December and the Texans “earned” the first overall pick in the NFL Draft (by virtue of winning two total games), we’ve had four months to pretend we know what it takes to be a good NFL player. NFL fans in the offseason say things like “lateral quickness” and “footwork” and “arm mechanics.” I can pretend I know what those things mean because I’ve watched SportsCenter every day since I was 10 and Jon Gruden and Chris Berman have shaped my sports worldview. But what do I really know? I know Jadeveon Clowney is the kind of person you call a “freak” and no one questions the distinction because he’s six foot six and faster than most trucks (or something like that). I know he’s called the “Andrew Luck of defense,” referring
Mark Doré: Objectively, it’s Clowney — but that’s no fun at all
to the notion that he’s a surefire pick, a no-brainer, the kind of player you lean on for a decade. He’s the guy whose jersey you buy because you know he’s not going anywhere for a while. I know Johnny Manziel is smaller than Clowney (as is every human ever) and might actually be slower, if the 40-yard dash is the best assessment of speed. I know Blake Bortles is some sort of Jake Locker-Blaine Gabbert hybrid, which is apparently something NFL teams want. I know there’s a good chance Khalil Mack makes more Pro Bowls than Johnny. Same with Sammy Watkins, Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews — even Mike Evans. It comes down to potential, but not the definition analysts often use when they talk about “ceiling.” Of course Manziel has on-the-field potential; the Kyle Field faithful know that more than anyone. I’m being selfish here. It would be great to watch Clowney and J.J. Watt fight over the heads of opposing quarterbacks. But if Manziel shapes into the Brett Favre-type he’s always been compared to, and Favre 2.0 takes his Aggie Ring, his Twitter account, his shifty feet and his No. 2 Texans jersey to the Super Bowl, I would lose my everloving mind. I would name my unborn sons and daughters and my past and
present dogs after Johnathan Paul Manziel. The only scenario that could be cooler would involve Acie Law IV hitting a Mark Doré knuckleball, Managing Editor @Mark_Dore step-back three-pointer to win game seven of the NBA Finals — in a Houston Rockets jersey. The same isn’t true of Clowney. And for me, as a shakily rational Texans fan and a maroon-blooded, wholly irrational Aggie, it’s as simple as that. I wrote this in College Station and that makes a difference. When I’m in Houston I can see clearer. I can pretend to think objectively and I can recognize the red flags that surround Manziel and his NFL potential. I can write almostconvincing columns that wish Johnny all the best in Cleveland. But an unbiased sports fan is a boring sports fan, and where’s the fun in that?
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8. Chick-Fil-A Bowl: After trailing Duke 38-17 at halftime of the Chick-Fil-A bowl on Dec. 31, Johnny Manziel added another memorable performance in his final game as an Aggie, willing A&M to a 52-28 victory.
File and courtesy photos
9. Loftin leaves for Mizzou: R. Bowen Loftin, former university president, accepted an offer to become chancellor of the University of Missouri, effective Feb. 1. Loftin was known by many for his iconic bowtie, his active Twitter account and his role in the university’s transition into the SEC.
1 1. Law school opening: The first classes at the Texas A&M School of Law in Forth Worth began Aug. 19 after finalization of the system’s acquisition of the Texas Wesleyan Law School.
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4. Funeral for Reveille VII: Following Reveille VII’s death in May 2013, a memorial was held Sept. 6 on campus. Student body president Reid Joseph (pictured) gave an address at the memorial.
2. Corps reactivation: The Corps saw the reactivation of three units Aug. 23: C-Company, C-Battery and Squadron 4. 3. 50 years of inclusion: Aug. 23 marked 50 years since A&M enrolled its first female students on a limited basis as well as its first African-American students, including Leroy Sterling (pictured).
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10. National Signing Day: A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin inked 22 new faces and another top-10 recruiting class on Feb. 5. This year’s class ranks No. 4 and is headlined by quarterback Kyle Allen, defensive lineman Myles Garrett and receiver Speedy Noil.
13 5. Hall of Honor: The MSC Hall of Honor reached two landmarks on Nov. 7 with the induction of Clarence Sasser, the first black veteran and first Vietnam War veteran to be inducted. 6. Kyle Field renovations: Following A&M’s last home
game of the season on Nov. 9, the grass from Kyle Field was torn up to begin the $450 million renovation. 7. SEC championships: The soccer team (Nov. 10) and the men’s tennis team (April 20) took home SEC titles this season.
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11. Student elections: Election results for yell leader and more were announced on Feb. 21, with Kyle Kelly elected as student body president. 12. Manziel’s pro day: On March 27, 30 of the 32 NFL teams were on
hand to witness Johnny Manziel throw at his private pro day. 13. Big Event: In addition to hosting the largest Big Event yet on March 29 with more than 20,600 student participants, Big Event went international this year with events
in Germany, Italy, Spain and Pakistan. 14. Elite Eight: The women’s basketball team advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history, falling to UConn on March 31.
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