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thebattalion
2011
● friday,
thebatt.com
The Battalion’s endorsee The Battalion editorial board interviewed candidates and chose to endorse Hilary Albrecht for student body president. Reasons for this endorsement can be found on thebatt.com.
inside voices | 6-7 Election comments
march 4, 2011
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texas a&m since 1893
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Student opinions are also represented through mail call and guest columns received by the editorial staff at The Battalion. These opinions do not reflect the opinions of The Battalion or Student Media.
Baker
Illustration by Josh McKenna — THE BATTALION
Colson Last time at Reed The Aggie seniors play their final games at Reed Arena Saturday. Look for summaries of the player’s time at Texas A&M. Page 4
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nation&world
Yale student says no feud with Franco
Twelfth Man Day
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A writer for the Yale University student newspaper says a perceived feud between her and actor and fellow Yale student James Franco has been blown out of proportion. Cokey Cohen tells The New Haven Register that her critical blogs of Franco’s Twitter posts and pictures while he was cohosting the Oscars were “tongue-incheek” and just part of her duties as a blogger on youth culture for the Yale Daily News. Her blog postings, as well as Franco’s at times rude responses, were all in fun and she’s surprised they drew so much attention. The 20-year-old junior and English major says she’s actually a big fan of Franco. Franco is pursuing a doctorate in English at Yale. A call to Franco’s Californiabased publicist before business hours Thursday wasn’t immediately returned. Associated Press
The A&M men’s and women’s basketball teams invite all students to go to Reed Arena Saturday for Senior Day. The men tip at 12:45 against Texas Tech while the women play Nebraska at 7 p.m. All students get in free with a valid student ID.
Boarders break barrier stereotypes Ronald Ruiz
Special to The Battalion What looks like a surfboard, is spotted all over campus and rides like a magic carpet? That’s right, it’s a long board. Students ride long boards around campus all the time whether it be riding from class to class or cruising around with others. Long boarding culture has continued to grow around campus and is only going to get bigger.
Seth Fry, a skate shop worker at Moosegus and current Blinn student, said that anyone can long board and it’s easy to learn. Since Seth became a part of the long boarding culture two years ago, he developed an interest in long boarding and makes it a part of his daily life. “What’s unique about long boarding is that it doesn’t take as long to master rather than skateboarding,” Fry said. “Another thing that long boards stand
out from skateboards is the wheels getting stuck in the cracks on the roads and sidewalks. Since a lot of construction goes on at A&M, it’s easier for long boards to ride through the cracks and cruise along.” Avant Garde Skate Team, a student long boarding organization, meets in front of Kyle Field Tuesday nights at 10 p.m., with the exception of Silver Taps. Daniel Ramirez, a senior mechanical engineering major and member of the or-
Blue Bell Ice Cream
ganization, said the skate team is a club where people join to either prove their skills at long boarding or to cruise around with others who share their passion. “As a member of the Avant Garde Skate Team, we try to get rid of the prejudice of anyone that rides something representing a skateboard has a motive to cause vandalism,” Ramirez said. “The good thing about our student organizaSee Longboard on page 8
sleeping equipment
charity
Pillow fight raises money for Boys & Girls Club
OneLove, students organize poetry slam
Sarah Smith
The Battalion Profit shares and bake sales are classic fundraising events for the typical organization. Typical, however, is not the way Aggieland rolls. As an Aggie-based event, The Pillow Project puts all former fundraising events to shame, providing an oldfashioned pillow fight for a good cause. During the fall semester, Ben O’Brien, a senior media studies major, developed the Pillow Project as a creative way to raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club of the Brazos Valley. “We wanted to create history and change lives, and that’s what we’re going to do ... with the help of 4,000 other
people,” O’Brien said. After O’Brien developed the idea, he enlisted roommate TJ Roggy, a sophomore wildlife and fisheries science major, to from a committee for the Pillow Project. “Ben randomly came to me with the idea of the Pillow Project and asked if I wanted to be involved as the vice chair,” Roggy said. “At first I laughed a little, but as he began to describe his plans for the event, I was convinced of its awesome potential and we became a temporarily two man team.” With the help of parent organization See Pillow on page 8
Sarah Smith
The Battalion As we evolve into the 21st century, people attempt to make the world a better place through public policy and scientific discovery, neglecting those in their own back yard. For OneLove, changing the world starts at home, where the words of John Lennon ring true: love is all you need. In 2008, class of 2010 Betsy Keane, special education major, founded OneLove as an organization to support the beauty of life and respect for the world. “Love opens doors and presents opportunity. I wanted to create oppor-
Inflatable Fun this Friday Night!
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The editor -in-chief of The Battalion, Matt Woolbright, responds to the comments he has received regarding the election coverage.
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Don’t miss the extraordinary, hilarious and technicolor world of Fred Garbo! After sell-outs on Broadway, The New York Times called Fred’s show “helium light and hilarious!” Arrive one hour early for an ice cream social and enjoy Blue Bell ice cream.
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tunities for students to see the impact they can make simply by loving,” Keane said. OneLove has grown in leadership and membership over the past few years, with six committees and more than 70 members. Current OneLove Chairwoman Bianca Manago, a senior philosophy and sociology major, became involved with OneLove her sophomore year and said she has enjoyed every moment since. “I got involved with OneLove because I believe in the importance of sustainability in both social justice and the environment,” Manago said. See OneLove on page 8
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