thebattalion l thursday,
february 20, 2014
l serving
texas a&m since 1893
l first paper free – additional copies $1 l © 2014 student media
ELECTIONS CANDIDATE PROFILES PG 4-5
Gus Blessing
By Aimee Breaux
Kyle Kelly
Kasey Kram
VOTING INFORMATION
Voting is available at voting.tamu. edu at 9 a.m. Thursday and remains open until 3 p.m. Friday
Matt Neumann An online debate with three participating candidates is available at askags.com/election2014
Photos by Jenna Rabel and David Cohen — THE BATTALION
THE VIRTUE OF HINDSIGHT As students vote for his successor, Reid Joseph reflects on his tenure as SBP Annabelle Hutchinson, city reporter, sits down with student body president Reid Joseph. THE BATTALION: Looking back at your campaign last year, what sticks out in your mind? JOSEPH: We as a campaign team decided that we could not control whether we won or lost the election. Therefore, we would not base whether we succeeded or not on whether we won or lost because we couldn’t control that. We wanted to base our success on something we could control. And what we could control is how we treated people, how we represented the Aggie core values and ultimately how we represented our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We believe that if we did those three things, we would be a success
Q&A:
whether we won or lost.
THE BATTALION: How are the expectations set during campaigning different from the reality of being SBP? JOSEPH: Expectations and reality are very rarely the same. The same is true with this. So campaign is very different from your job in office. Campaign is an all-out sprint, and your term in office is a sprint as well. However, it is really a 14-month sprint. Being in office is more difficult than campaigning.
Bradley D’Souza
The Battalion iting low student participation, the Texas A&M Election Commission chose not to pursue student body president debates this election season. As a result, an online SBP debate emerged, allowing students to both interact with their candidates and learn more about what each candidate hopes to accomplish if elected. AskAgs.com, an online questionand-answer forum launched last year, has hosted an online debate. The election commission has traditionally held debates with the candidates. Allison Krenzien, election commissioner, said previous debates netted low student turnout and the commission opted to produce and distribute an informational candidate guide this year in hopes of reaching more students. The virtual debate allows visitors to post questions for the candidates and to vote on questions they want answered. The questions receiving
C
BAT_02-20-14_A1.indd 1
Student body president Reid Joseph will pass the reins on to his successor, who will be determined by the results of this week’s elections.
THE BATTALION: What is the hardest part of your job?
you work, there will always be one more thing to do.
JOSEPH: The hardest part of being in office is easily this: that you are pulled in a hundred different directions and you are also a student. And you can’t please everybody. No matter how hard
THE BATTALION: Were you able to achieve everything you campaigned on?
SITE HOSTS DEBATE TO FILL VOID Election commission opted not to have SBP debate
David Cohen — THE BATTALION
the most votes are given to the candidates to answer, with all candidate responses being posted by the website simultaneously. Tyler Mandry, founder of AskAgs. com and senior computer science and applied mathematics double major, said AskAgs constructed the virtual debate to give students a way to interact directly with their SBP candidates. He said the virtual debate affords students the ability to learn details about candidates’ platforms, rather than just hearing names as they walk around campus. “I realized, especially with the SBP campaigns, most of what all it involved was standing outside and yelling at people,” Mandry said. “That’s all well and good, but a lot of people weren’t really interested in learning about the candidates themselves and what they stood for. The reason most people didn’t is because it’s really hard to do that. You have to go to a bunch of different websites and read really long articles about them.” Mandry said while the virtual debate can provide increased accessibility and responsiveness, a potential downside to the online format is the See Debate on page 2
months left and we’re working hard. However, we have accomplished a great deal of what we set out to do and that is a tremendous testament to SGA as well as my executive cabinet.
JOSEPH: No. But I still have two
See Joseph on page 4
CAMPAIGN SPENDING LIMITS DRAW MIXED OPINIONS Aimee Breaux
The Battalion ehind the minimal increases this year in the Student Government Association campaigning budget limits is a careful consideration of the nature of campaigning on campus. The budget increased from $1,800 to $2,000 for SBP candidates and from $150 to $200 for student senators. Additionally, student senators running as co-candidates can increase their personal budgets by $50 for each additional candidate involved. Christopher Russo, speaker of Student Senate and participant of the Student Senate committee in charge of setting campaign budgets, said the reason for the budget bumps was in part to account for inflation and to combat marketing disadvantages toward senators running as co-candidates. Russo said when candidates decide to co-brand themselves, all parties involved must deduct costs from their budget. Under this system, Russo said if five cocandidates spend $50 dollars on fliers then the effective cost is $250.
B
John Benson — THE BATTALION
Students hold campaign banners outside the MSC on Wednesday. “There was a concern that cocandidacy was a disadvantage in marketing especially for fliers and things like that,” Russo said. “So we gave candidates a little more money total if they work on cocandidacy, just so it wouldn’t be
so much of a penalty.” Russo said the rules and regulations committee considers the competitiveness of the races and the relative perceived imporSee Finance on page 4
2/19/14 10:11 PM
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news
page 2 thursday 2.20.2014
thebattalion
Hearing puts impeachment to rest Lindsey Gawlik
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Texas A&M ASABE is hosting a Lawn mower Tune-up Fundraiser We will change spark plugs, change oil, and sharpen blades Costs is $35.00 for push mowers $50.00 for riding mowers In front of Sears at Post Oak Mall February 22nd and March 1st 8am to 5pm
The procedural impeachment trial for student body president Reid Joseph took place Wednesday evening as an item of business at the general Student Government Association meeting. In addressing the senators before the executive session, Christopher Russo, Student Senate speaker, said he feels SGA needs to reach out more often and convey to constituents SGA’s positive changes on campus rather than allowing students to focus on the difficulties. After the trial, Joseph said he and student senator Cary Cheshire, who brought forth the impeachment, spoke for 10 minutes and then held five-minute sessions for questions. Joseph said no questions were asked of him or Cheshire and that the debate period also was waived to move into voting. The vote was 33 for, two against and four abstentions for keeping Joseph in office. Joseph said that out of this whole process he hopes that students take away that they are the most important thing to the SGA and that there are many outlets for student voices to be heard.
Speaker of Student Senate Chris Russo addresses the SGA concerns about Joseph’s trial at Wednesday’s meeting in Koldus.
Full story at thebatt.com
stem
Conference encourages women in engineering Alexander Nelowet
The Battalion omen in Science and Engineering, an organization made up of graduate students, faculty, postdoctoral faculty and staff, will hold its annual career and professional development conference Saturday to provide information to A&M women looking for STEM careers. This is the 22nd year WISE has hosted its career and professional development conference and Saturday’s program, “Real Go Getters: Becoming Agents of Change,” will include different speakers and potential role models for women interested in science and engineering. Nancy Magnussen, director of educational outreach and women’s programs and one of the event organizers, said the speakers will focus on the challenges of being a woman in science and engineering. Eleanor Green, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, will be the keynote speaker. “This conference brings in successful women scientists and engineers from around the country to share their stories and experiences on how they overcame various obstacles along the way — both professionally and in their personal life,”
W
Debates Continued from page 1
lack of personal interaction between students and candidates. “I think the pros are that anyone can participate, anyone can submit a question,” Mandry said. “You get a response directly back from the candidate, so I think that’s pretty cool. However, the fact that it’s online means that you don’t get that a person-to-person interaction with the candidates, but most people don’t get to do that with all the candidates anyways.” A key feature of a traditional debate is the discourse between candidates, a characteristic that does not translate well online. Mandry said this aspect of the format both benefits and detracts from the virtual debate. “With a traditional debate, you’ll see one candidate answer, and then the other candidate will play off that candidates’ answer,” Mandry said. “With this one, the
Magnussen said Chris Kaunas, director of the ADVANCE Center, said there is a large gender gap in U.S. science and engineering jobs. Kaunas said the conference is beneficial for the A&M community because it raises awareness of this underrepresentation of women in STEM. “Basically we have a shortage of scientists and engineers in our country and we need to do whatever we can to broaden the pool of excellence and if we are leaving half the population out then we aren’t doing that,” Kaunas said. “Women and minorities are underrepresented in STEM nationally. Less than 25 percent of the workforce in STEM are women even though women are graduating with bachelors degrees just at a little bit more than 50 percent relative to men, so I think these kinds of conferences are very good at helping to facilitate getting women into STEM.” Magnussen said she wants students to have the opportunity to network with guests and gain valuable advice for their current and future endeavors. “Our hope is that the young women will leave the conference with new ideas for overcoming any challenges that they
are encountering in completing their degree,” Magnussen said. “We also hope that they might establish a new network with some of our guests that will lead to a mentoring relationship or step towards a new career. Whether trying to get out of graduate school or deciding if the current career path is the correct one, everyone should take away new thoughts and ideas from our motivated and inspired speakers.“ Bonnie Schiller, logistics coordinator for the conference, said WISE tries to gear the conference more toward graduate students. She said this year’s speakers will be focusing on the changes women may face in their transition from the academic world to the professional one. “[The speakers] will talk about the challenges that girls will face when transferring from school into the workforce,” Schiller said. “The girls get to interact with these ladies plus also interact interdepartmentally with the other attendees and in that fact it is very good because it creates a lot of camaraderie between the different departments and the girls get to interact and exchange ideas as well as speak with women leaders in industry and academia.”
virtual debate, we decided to have all the candidates give their answers, and then post them simultaneously, so that way no candidate has a disadvantage. In that way it’s a pro, but it also makes it harder for candidates to play off each other’s answers and show what’s unique about them.” Mandry said the response to the virtual debate has been positive and participation has been high. However, Mandry said he hopes more people will feel comfortable posting questions for the candidates, instead of just voting on questions. “We had our best traffic day ever just because of the debate,” Mandry said. “Right now, a lot of people are looking at it. We want people to feel like they can participate. A lot of people prefer to browse, instead of putting themselves out there and asking a question. We’d like to encourage people to ask more questions.” Freshman geophysics major Cassandra Vallecilla said the virtual aspect of the debate resonates with technologicallyinclined students who are more comfort-
able expressing their opinion and asking questions online rather than in person. “I believe an online debate is a good idea because this generation communicates mostly through social media, therefore they’d be more knowledgeable and be more willing to give an opinion and care,” Vallencilla said. Mandry said the debate allows students to cast a ballot based on conscientious decision making rather than superficial qualities and maximizes their ability to impact campus. “Without something like this, we devolve into a popularity contest, and that’s not how I want to choose my student body president,” Mandry said. “Students really need to realize that there are issues that really affect our lives that the student body president can change. This is a way for student to have an influence on their university, by participating in the election process.”
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news
page 3 thursday 2.20.2014
thebattalion
Professor’s work featured in Miley Cyrus video Dissertation experiments in facial expression find surprising new home Victoria Rivas The Battalion
A
skull made of French fries, stuffed deer, giant dancing teddy bears and hundreds and hundreds of slices of white bread are just are just a few features of Miley Cyrus’ music video “We Can’t Stop.� One aspect of the video, a black and white face resembling a masquerade mask, can be traced back to Texas A&M visualization professor Frederic Parke. The figure is a clip of a larger work of Parke’s, featuring his experiments in computer animated facial expression conducted for his Ph.D dissertation in 1973. Parke was the first to digitally represent changing facial expressions. “I collected data from a bunch of real person’s faces,� Parke said. “I measured their faces to get the shape and then I did an animation and got the shape to change from one person to another person to another person. I gathered the data from 10 or 12 different people and in the animation, it changed the shape from one to another. We thought we would try it, and no one had ever tried it before and it worked.� Fast-forward 40 years. Parke said he received a phone call weeks before the music video’s release from a production assistant working on the project. “They told me they had seen some of that footage on YouTube and they wanted to put some clips from it in a music video,� Parke said. “They didn’t say what music video, they
didn’t say who the artist was, they just said a music video.� Parke said he received an email a week later from the same contact asking for him to sign an email release. “It was a weird release in that they had in there that when they put this in their video that they had rights to use it ‘everywhere and anywhere in the known universe,’� Parke said. “I thought that it was quite an overreaching statement, but I thought, ‘Fine.’ On that document, it had the name of the video ‘We Can’t Stop,’ and it didn’t have it anywhere else.� It was weeks later that Parke received news where his footage was Frederic Parke used. Parke said a former student of his emailed him with a link to Cyrus’ video, and sure enough, it was there. Parke said he was neither offered nor received any compensation for the video, but he Still frame from Fred Parke, Faces, University of Utah, 1974 will be sure to ask more questions the next time he is contacted for permission to use art. The figure is a taken from a clip of Frederic Parke’s experiments in computer “I will probably be a little bit more careful if animated facial expression conducted for his Ph.D. dissertation in 1973. It was that situation comes up again,� Parke said. featured in Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop� music video. Parke said he believes students can definitely learn from this experience. They told me they had seen some of that “I don’t really think in those terms that much,� Parke said. “Technically the copyright footage on YouTube and they wanted to was expired anyway, but it’s certainly someput some clips from it in a music video. thing to think about for anybody who does They didn’t say what music video, they didn’t say creative work in terms of understanding how the work might be used in the future, and how who the artist was, they just said a music video.� to think about ensuring that it’s used in ways — Frederic Parke, Texas A&M visualization professor you intend it to be used and ways you can benefit from.�
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2/19/14 8:34 PM
ELECTIONS RHA president looks beyond studentsʼ time on campus Candidate vies for accountability with Regents, Corps of Cadets
MATT
KASEY
KRAM Aimee Breaux The Battalion
A
t the heart of Resident Hall Association president Kasey Kram’s student body president campaign is the idea that the Aggie experience extends beyond the typical four years as an undergraduate student at A&M. Kram said a large part of his campaign focuses on the big picture. Kram said he wants to maintain the University’s roots while considering what campus will look like in five years. “From freshman to former, it starts with a connection, and at Texas A&M University, this connection has already begun and needs to continue as we continue to grow,” Kram said. Kram said the constant demand to address student concerns as RHA president has helped him gauge what A&M students want and need. Kram said he built his platform off this and other conversations with students. Kram said his understanding is that the biggest issues facing campus are the University’s expansion of West campus and the building of 4,200 new bed spaces, ensuring core values and traditions are transferred over to that environment, bus times, mandatory meal plans, din-
ing locations and quality and the disconnect of communication with SGA. Kram said a major component to addressing these concerns is seeking out student opinion. “No one knows what students want more than students,” Kram said. “So being able to poll the student opinion is very important.” In addition to internal University concerns, Kram said he hopes to establish greater ties within the SEC by starting a community service project among SEC schools in the fall with other SEC student body presidents. “We definitely show our dominance on the field in the Southeastern Conference,” Kram said, “But we definitely want to show that core value of selfless service.” Kram said he also wants to implement a mentoring program with the Association of Former Students. While no specifics have been ironed out, Kram said this could be a matter of five-minute interviews or a weekly dinner between a student and a former student. Kram has come up with ideas like “The Good Bull Book,” a bucket list that would be passed out at new student conferences so that students could stamp off Ag-
Finance Continued from page 1
portance. The concerns of college government budgets mirror the debates surrounding national U.S. campaigning budgets with the exception of corporate and super PAC influence, he said. Election commissioner Allison Krenzien said budgets for campaigning vary widely throughout the SEC schools. Krenzien said the University of Florida student government allows for unlimited funds and student body president campaigners spend upwards of $20,000 on campaigns while Ole Miss only allows $500$1,000 on campaigns. Russo said the Texas A&M limit strikes a balance. “We think that $2,000 for a SBP election is a reasonable amount that most people who want to run can find a way to run or can at least find enough supporters to help them raise
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gie traditions or campus organizational events they participate in throughout their time on campus. “Every student has their different tale of what they did in Aggieland,” Kram said. “But there are some things that we all kind of end up doing, whether it’s going to Silver Taps, going to Muster, doing Big Event, getting a ride home from Carpool or just going to the Dixie Chicken and carving your name in the table.” Kram said part of the goal of the book is to allow students to maintain Aggie customs in the age of campus expansion and to even add to their bucket lists if possible. Kram said an inclusive and open committee would decide what goes in the initial book and that the book would change each year. Kram said if elected, he wants to foster a sense of transparency between senate and the SBP, as this is the key to conveying to the student body what its student government is doing for them. “I think communication is always key and something that sometimes goes by the wayside,” Kram said. “And I think that’s what sparks a lot of problems, because you don’t know what’s going on so therefore you get angry.”
that sort of a budget, whereas something in the order of $20,000 or $40,000, which is what you see in University of Florida, is just way out there,” Russo said. Much like the national debate, Russo said the argument for keeping funds unlimited rests on the notion that people’s money and time are their own property to use as they see fit. “If they really have a desire to be in a leadership role in which they serve students and they have the resources and the time to devote to spending that much money on a campaign, then you know, who are we to stop them. That’s the argument on the other side.” While student body president candidate Gus Blessing said he was able to pay for campaign costs with the money saved up from a summer law firm internship, he said the limit might still price some students out. Student body president can-
didate Kasey Kram said he was able to pay for the campaign through his livestock operation. “My family owns a beef cattle ranch, so I own a small percentage of the cattle on it,” Kram said. “So I have a small cow-calf operation and so I sold three of my own calves, which paid for my campaign.” Kram said these sales were not enough to reach the budget limit, but his campaign staff was in part afraid of going over the limit and facing fines or disqualification. While some candidates have to ask for funds from supporters, Kram said he was glad he was able to pay for his own campaign. “Why shouldn’t I, when I am easily able to pay for it by myself? Students and student organizations said ‘Hey, I’d like to chip in,’ but I said ‘No, I just want your time. You do not need to put in a monetary contribution.’”
NEUMANN
Aimee Breaux
The Battalion uoting former U.S. President George W. Bush’s 2008 Texas A&M commencement address, Matt Neumann said he is running off the idea that popularity is as fleeting as the Texas wind. Neumann said he knows he is not as popular as other candidates but he is not running to be everyone’s favorite — he is running to give students an accountable candidate. While Neumann said he would want a working relationship with University administration and Student Senate, he said his relationship with these two entities is fundamentally to hold both accountable. Neumann said he would put effort into making sure BUILD succeeds and said he hopes to add a new program to the executive mix called the Silver Taps Initiative, where students can donate money to the families of students honored. Neumann said the idea is to help families afford student loans and funeral costs, but said he did not think the initiative should be need-based. Neumann said the details of the plan are still unclear.
Q
Neumann said the biggest issues facing campus include communication between SGA and students, mandatory meal plans and the likelihood of tuition and fees increases. Regarding the Board of Regents approval in January of guaranteed tuition and fees, Neumann said he felt the tuition was raised higher than reasonable inflation increase predictions. Neumann said he felt this instance marked just one scene in a larger trend. “For one thing, tuition’s not going to be lowered,” Neumann said. “The fees won’t be lowered, because once they get it, they aren’t going to give it back. We need to try to halt the increase.” Neumann said the student body needs someone who will address the Board of Regents. “So what I’m going to do is go knock on their door every morning,” Neumann said. “I’ll show up and I’m going to bother the heck out of them.” Neumann said he would carry this persistence to conversations with administrators regarding mandatory meal plans. Neumann said if he is successful at
thebattalion asks
Q:
“The SBP needs to be charismatic because in a body of 50,000 students, not everyone will know him. So he’ll need to be a likable person if he wants the student body to represent him.” Gregory Obi, freshman petroleum engineering major
pressuring officials to get rid of mandatory meal plans as SBP, this will drive down prices and result in a higher quality of goods. Neumann said he would make himself available as SBP by sitting in an announced location for an announced amount of time each day. Neumann said part of his role as SBP is to showcase students and help address student concerns. One such concern that Neumann said is of particular importance to him is the way the Corps of Cadets chooses leadership, particularly with the way that the commandant decides who can qualify for certain positions in the Corps. Neumann said he has yet to find any students who have a problem with the Corps leadership, but said this might be because some cadets are intimidated. Neumann said he has not yet tried to address this possible concern without the SBP title and would like to use the position of student body president to communicate with cadets who might dislike the current system.
What do you look for in a student body president candidate?
“I think he should be a trustworthy and hard-working person who really wants the best for the Aggie student body.” Mary Sammann, freshman kinesiology major Photo feature by John Benson — THE BATTALION
2/19/14 9:47 PM
ELECTIONS Cadet runs on SGA experience, goal to represent diverse groups Push for student input, realistic expectations drive campaign
KYLE
KELLY Aimee Breaux The Battalion
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ith a student body president campaign centered on the unique Aggie experience, Kyle Kelly brings both understanding and fresh ideas. Kelly said his campaign is about more than just himself, it’s ultimately about serving students. With more than 50,000 students and 900 organizations on campus, Kelly said the students he represent have a variety of viewpoints and interests. Because of this, Kelly said SGA needs to recognize that the Aggie experience is unique for everyone. Kelly said being in touch with these students would be a focal point for his cabinet if elected. “Everyone is unique,” Kelly said. “We have to relate to all of those people.” Kelly said his position as executive vice president to Reid Joseph has given him insight on how to relate to students as well as a realistic understanding of the workload of an SBP. “Having been the righthand man to the SBP, some of the numbers I’ve given to equate to the job [are] that there will be about 200 speeches given this term,”
Kelly said. “In the month of August, [the SBP] will travel 8,000 miles, and then it’s about a 70- to 80-hour work week.” Kelly said he has unique goals ranging from larger projects that pertain to the admissions process, the academic calendar and other state legislated matters to smaller, less controversial goals like removing the MTV channel from the MSC basement floor TVs and putting plaques around Simpson Drill Field to honor the 55 Aggies killed in WWI. “The truth is that candidates run on policy every year and we have decided to take a very realistic approach with ours,” Kelly said. “The big things tend to be more controversial, take time and effort. The small things, they are quick, easy fixes. No one disagrees on them.” In an attempt to maximize his limited time in Joseph’s cabinet, Kelly said he began authoring bills in December and that many of his ideas came from this process. Aside from policy plans, Kelly said a fundamental part of the job before him is establishing working relationships with SGA, a rapport with administration and serving as an advocate for students. Part of
GUS
this relationship with the administration will entail helping introduce the new University president to students. “One of the things we bring to the table there is a consistency through the change,” Kelly said, “especially with the incoming president and being able to integrate him with the student body, having seen exactly how Dr. Loftin has integrated himself with the student body.” Citing endorsements from the Corps of Cadets and the Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta, Kelly said he has already begun communicating with diverse groups. “We’ve even seen, during this campaign season, a more united A&M ... behind us than has been seen in I think at least a decade,” Kelly said. Kelly said while each individual experiences the traditions and customs that make A&M special in a different way, a big part of the campaign is focused on maintaining this common spirit. “It’s not an easy thing to have a school like ours, there’s just not very many,” Kelly said. “Especially as we grow, [spirit] can be watered down, convoluted and eventually lost if we are not careful.”
BLESSING Aimee Breaux The Battalion
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he driving force behind Gus Blessing’s campaign is the simple idea that Student Government Association policies don’t matter if Student Government Association itself doesn’t matter. Faced with a multitude of students on campus who don’t know what SGA stands for, Blessing said there is a disconnect between students and their student government. “Our vision is to make SGA relevant to the lives of each and every student, because it’s not right now,” Blessing said. “People do not know what it is. People do not know what the student body president does.” Blessing said many believe the student body president has more power on campus than she or he actually has. The student body president’s role is one of influence, Blessing said, a role that is maximized with input from students. “When we talk to administrators, we need to let them see that it’s not only in the best interest for students, it in the best interest for Texas A&M. We have to convince them of that,” Blessing said. “So, it’s not just me talking to administrators, it’s me talking
Joseph
THE BATTALION: Where did you fall short?
Continued from page 1
JOSEPH: I don’t believe we are where we need to be in regards to dining and that is going to be a huge push in my last two months. There are a lot of moving parts. We are dealing with the University, a private company, Chartwells, a contract that has been signed. But, Dr. Hussey has been great to work with on this and we are looking forward to finding a solution.
THE BATTALION: Do you think you have accomplished your campaign goals? JOSEPH: You know, there is always room for improvement. I have learned so much this year. I look back and I definitely see areas where I could have improved and areas where I have improved. But yes, overall I do believe that we accomplished a lot of what we set out to do and in some regards, have accomplished things that we didn’t even know would be issues. THE BATTALION: What are your biggest accomplishments?
David Cohen — THE BATTALION
Student body president Reid Joseph says one of his biggest accomplishments has been BUILD.
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to administrators with a senate bill in hand and with 10 people by my side who are students who have problems and are talking.” Concerned with compensating for the growing pains associated with the University’s expansion initiatives, the bulk of Blessing’s platform pertains to the improvement of education and student services. “We’re experiencing a lot of growth, and as student body president, we need to make sure this growth is handled in a way that helps students, because at the end of the day, the deans are going to be thinking about something else, compared to what the students are thinking,” Blessing said. Blessing plans to speak with deans and faculty members about academic concerns. He is opposed to the faculty senate’s proposal to shift to an A+/- grading system and wants to follow the example of other universities in cutting textbook costs. Blessing said one way to cut textbook costs would be buying textbook directly from publishers instead of through retailers, and he proposed trial runs with specific departments in the University. Part of Blessing’s academic push is directed toward veter-
JOSEPH: BUILD, Evan’s Library, helping preserve and promote traditions — specifically Silver Taps.
THE BATTALION: What did you not expect when campaigning? JOSEPH: I didn’t realize how much direct access I would have to key leaders of the University and the University System. I didn’t expect to be on the president’s search committee. That has been quite an important role and I think that will be part of my legacy — my work on the president’s search committee. I do not have a vote, but I am
ans and the Corps of Cadets, and he said he hopes to be given the chance to push for priority registration for veterans and to encourage policy to exempt members of the Corps Band from needing a visual and performing art credit. Blessing’s agenda also includes advocating for nonmandatory meal plans, advocating against any plans to consolidate or reduce buses and reaching out to graduate students for joint ventures with mutual benefits. Blessing’s team has incorporated various student input components throughout campaigning, including text polling, chalk boards and a reddit AMA. If elected, Blessing said he hopes to continue gathering student input, though not necessarily through these outlets. Blessing said he is by no means a master politician and that his campaign isn’t about the votes — it’s about putting his heart on his sleeve and getting a message out. “We’ve never done this before. It’s just me and my best friend,” Blessing said. “I wish I could do it over. I’d know a lot more than when I just started, but I mean we’re not trying to just mass appeal it. We’re trying to send a message with it.”
in all of the meetings and I talk with all the members and they listen. THE BATTALION: What advice would you give the new SBP? JOSEPH: Well, obviously first of all, congratulations. This will be one of the biggest honors of your life. It will be the biggest responsibility of your life so far. I will tell them that they are just going to need to enjoy the process and trust the Lord with the results. They don’t have control over everything, they are not student body dictator. We are here to serve and represent. And that everyday they wake up is another day to serve the greatest student body in the world. THE BATTALION: Have you enjoyed your time as SBP? JOSEPH: I love it, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Even on the hard days, I absolutely love it.
2/19/14 9:24 PM
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Tournament to prepare A&M for SEC slate Milkyas Gashaw
Special to The Battalion
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he Texas A&M softball team will head to Cathedral City, Calif., this weekend to compete in the Mary Nutter Classic. Schools from around the nation will compete, including last year’s national champion Oklahoma and the University of Texas, which played in Women’s College World Series last year. The Aggies will start with a Thursday doubleheader at 5:30 p.m. against the No. 24 Arizona Wildcats followed by a 10 p.m. game against the San Diego State Aztecs. The Aggies will follow with Friday’s doubleheader against No. 23 California and No. 9 Nebraska. The Aggies will cap off the tournament with a noon date on the diamond Saturday with Cal State Northridge. A&M head coach Jo Evans said the tournament promises a welcome challenge to her club and some much-needed experience for her pitching staff. “I want to see how we respond after dropping a couple of games we didn’t expect to lose, so I really want to see our maturity and leadership in how we handle those setbacks and knowing that we’re going to play the best competition of the year so far,” Evans said. “I also want to see our pitchers continue to be consistent. But all of that is just a matter of getting some good games under our belt.” A&M senior third baseman Amber Garza said the key to playing against historically great programs is to treat them like every other team. “[Arizona] is just another team,” Garza said. “Yeah, [Arizona] has a great history, but so do we. I think it’s going to be a great game
and we’re going to go out there and fight just like we would any other game. [This tournament] will show [the inexperienced players] that you have to play good no matter who you’re playing. It doesn’t matter if it’s a ranked team or not, everybody’s good at the collegiate level.” Nebraska holds the No. 9 ranking in the nation, just behind the No. 8 Aggies. With the strong arm of pitcher Emily Lockman, the Huskers will be a test for A&M to see where the club stands. A&M senior infielder Jenna Stark said she understands how important these types of tournaments are for preparation in the SEC. “I think it’s really going to challenge us as a team,” Stark said. “That’s what preseason’s for, to play really good competition to get [us] ready for the SEC. We don’t, by any means, want to have a light schedule going into the SEC. We want to be challenged and that’s exactly what this tournament is going to do and I think it’s going to be great for us.” With eight seniors returning, Stark said their leadership is what will help push A&M over the hump this year and accomplish its goal of reaching the College World Series. “[Our goal] is World Series, no doubt,” Stark said. “What this team brings in leadership is invaluable. All these [seniors] have been to regionals, been to super regionals, [the postseason] is going to be comfortable for us. We’re going to act like we’ve been there before because we have and that’s something that’s going to allow us to play at our very best once we get to that point. I think this team has the potential to make the World Series, we just have to stay in the process and take it game by game and know that is our end goal. If we focus on every out, every inning and every pitch, we’re going to be alright.”
women’s basketball
Aggies travel to Oxford riding 3-game streak
Heran Guan — THE BATTALION
Senior center Karla Gilbert attempts a free throw during the Aggies game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Reed Arena.
Blair seeks first career road victory against the Ole Miss Rebels Patrick Crank
The Battalion
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Impacted? Century Club gifts of less than $5 a month help current students produce programs for Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, and Asian Heritage Month on campus. AggieNetwork.com
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he No. 16 Texas A&M women’s basketball team will face off against the Ole Miss Rebels at 6 p.m. Thursday inside the C.M. “Tad” Smith Coliseum in Oxford, Miss. The Aggies (20-6, 10-2 SEC) come off a win in Tuscaloosa against Alabama in which 12 players scored to top the Crimson Tide, 7146. A&M looks to improve its road conference record to 6-1. Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair said he is wary of taking the Rebels lightly as he has yet to win a game as a head coach in Oxford. “All you need is a trap game to try to start thinking ahead to Kentucky on Sunday,” Blair said. “We will not allow that with our team. Last week we didn’t allow it with Alabama, and we had one of our most solid road games of the year. We will do the same thing with Ole Miss, we will go in and prepare like this is a game to win the SEC Championship, and we will leave no stone unturned.” Ole Miss (10-16, 1-11 SEC) limps into the matchup on a six-game losing streak, with each loss coming by at least 10 points. The Rebels are last in the SEC standings but Blair said a team’s record is irrelevant when it comes time to lace up. “You see a lot of teams that are at the bottom of the league have pulled off big upsets,” Blair said. “We’re trying to sell Ole Miss. We’ve got to sell it — it’s up to our kids to buy into it.” The Rebels are led by junior forward Tia Faleru, whose 16.8 points per game ranks third
thebatt.com
Men’s b-ball preview Texas A&M’s men’s basketball returns to Reed on Thursday against Alabama as they look to redeem themselves from Saturday’s overtime lost to Vanderbilt. in the SEC. Faleru received SEC Co-Player of the Week honors earlier this season for her performances against Southeastern Louisiana and Tennessee State. “Faleru has been on the bench for two years, and all of the sudden this year she’s the third-leading scorer in the SEC,” Blair said. “She’s flourishing in this offense. She’s a rebounding machine and she does a great job of scoring quickly.” Senior A&M center Karla Gilbert has emerged as a dominant force inside the paint down the stretch and has reached double-digit scoring figures in the last six games. “I think we’re starting to realize as a coaching staff that [Gilbert] might be our most valuable player,” Blair said. “We’re starting to realize just how good she is. She’s starting to play with a lot of confidence and she’s scoring at will.” A&M sits at No. 2 in the SEC standings, passing Tennessee after the Volunteers fell 7571 to Kentucky on Sunday. Blair said he is pleased with where his team sits but ultimately not satisfied. “Second place is not first place,” Blair said. “But we’re competing for championships.” Looming after A&M’s return from Oxford is a showdown with No. 15 Kentucky at 1 p.m. Sunday in Reed Arena. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
2/19/14 9:20 PM