thebattalion ● thursday,
april 24, 2014
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2014 student media
In-flight humor: Aggie’s mom goes viral
HAZY
LEGALITY
Flight attendant appears on Ellen show Allison Rubenak The Battalion
Local, national lawmakers converge on e-cig regulation Homer Segovia
The Battalion lectronic cigarettes are a part of life for some student users, but lawmakers have yet to step in to regulate their use. That may soon change — around the city and across the nation. Unlike cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes remain unregulated and can be used and purchased by minors. The Food and Drug Administration lacks the authority to regulate makers of e-cigarettes, but the FDA will propose rules for e-cigarettes as early as this month, according to the Associated Press, which could have a significant effect on the multi-billion dollar industry. College Station Mayor Nancy Berry said the negative health effects of e-cigarettes must be taken under consideration, and Berry
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said the lack of e-cigarette regulation in College Station could change in the near future. “At some point, I would expect in the next month or so, our staff will come back with a report and I’m hoping we ban e-cigarettes in the same places that regular cigarettes or tobacco is banned — so you wouldn’t be able to light it up anywhere inside, or at a restaurant or all the places that you can’t smoke now,” Berry said. Berry said she hopes instituting regulations will be as simple as amending current smoking regulations to also include e-cigarettes. Berry said she is working with Bryan Mayor Jason Bienski and Brazos County Judge Duane Peters on the matter, both of whom are interested, she said. “I think they’re waiting for College Station to take the lead
Photo by Jenna Rabel, graphic by Remington May — THE BATTALION
Pros and cons of e-cig use, as provided by Dr. David Teller of Beutel.
Over the years, Marty Cobb, veteran flight attendant for Southwest Airlines, found that anecdotal and humorous safety instructions break up the monotony for well-seasoned travelers and relieve the anxieties of first-time fliers. Recently, Cobb became the subject of a YouTube video, featuring her popular safety antics and coaxing laughs out of countless Southwest patrons. Her video has gone viral and drawn more than 11 million viewers to YouTube. Cobb received a phone call from the producers of The Ellen DeGeneres Show to appear as a guest on Tuesday’s airing. Sunday, she hopped on a plane to California along with her two daughters, one being Hagan Parkman, junior communication major. “I remember it had 33 views and she was freaking out,” Parkman said. “I shared it and then I had some friends who were sharing it and it just blew up so quickly. It definitely was See Flight attendant on page 5
and then they’ll follow,” Berry said. Texas A&M student policy, meanwhile, requires all university property to be “entirely smokefree.” A&M policy defines smoking as “the use or carrying of a lighted pipe, cigar, cigarette, tobacco or any other type of smoking substance,” and under the definition of tobacco are listed e-cigarettes. The rules specifically ban all tobacco use on campus, said Anne Reber, dean of Student Life. The e-cigarette debate often centers on the health effects of their use. Dr. David Teller, associate director for Student Health Services, said opinions on the health effects of e-cigarettes differ widely but said using e-cigarettes See E-cig on page 3 Jenna Rabel — THE BATTALION
Christopher Mintz-Plasse, at Rudder to promote his film, poses with a portrait painted by a fan.
sustainability
Green Fund awards campus grants Jennifer Reiley The Battalion
With the announcement of the Spring 2014 grant recipients, the Aggie Green Fund Advisory Board allocated about $233,000 to nine different sustainability projects around campus. The board has been allocating funds since 2011, and the money comes from the university advancement fee. Sophia Mora, student intern at the office of sustainability and freshman business honors major, said the nine projects include, among others, funding for the Big Belly recycling bins and water filling stations and a “visual recycling” program in the chemistry department that uses a color-coded system to guide people as to what is recyclable. Another organization benefitting See Green fund on page 6
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SEARCH FOR ‘HOOPLA’
Q&A: THE BATTALION: Did you grow up in a small town? When did you discover that you were drawn to small town stories? HOLLANDSWORTH: I grew up in Wichita Falls, which is not a small town, it was a city of about 90,000 when I was there. But my hero growing up was Larry McMurtry, the famous novelist who wrote Lonesome Dove. When I was a boy,
Student groups lend hand with ‘Neighbors’ tour Pallavi Kaushik
Magazine writer stretches limits of traditional journalism
Allison Rubenak, lifestyles editor, sits down with Skip Hollandsworth, award-winning journalist and executive editor at Texas Monthly, who spoke on campus Wednesday. In 1998, Hollandsworth wrote “Midnight in the Garden of East Texas,” which was later turned into the 2011 film, Bernie.
film
Jenna Rabel — THE BATTALION
Journalist Skip Hollandsworth speaks Wednesday on campus. they were shooting the movie ‘The Last Picture Show,’ it’s a famous movie from the early ’70s and they shot some of the movie in Wichita Falls and I would go stare at McMurtry — this nerdy cattleman’s son who had become this nationally famous novelist, and I thought that’s what I wanted to do. I can’t explain why I am drawn to these stories, but I love looking for small town hoopla. THE BATTALION: What sparked your interest specifically for longform narrative journalism? See Hollandsworth on page 3
The Battalion Screaming fans, a flip cup tournament and a talent show with a star-studded panel of judges all made appearances Wednesday in a series of events before the pre-screening of the upcoming film “Neighbors.” Actors Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Jerrod Carmichael fielded student questions in a question-and-answer session and judged “Texas A&M’s Got Talent!”, a talent show won by dance group Fade 2 Black. Torri Clark, Fade 2 Black member and senior telecommunication media studies major, said she was excited to perform in front of well-known actors. “I think it’s an amazing opportunity to showcase the young talents of our university to the young talents of Hollywood and have our fellow Aggies cheer us on from the audience,” Clark said. The event filled Rudder Theatre and some hopeful
attendees were turned away. “I’ve been doing my assigned job, but this has drawn out a large crowd, mostly of enthusiastic girls,” said Lilly McAlister, Class of 2013 and security guard for the event. “However, everyone’s been reasonably understanding and respectful and good Aggies.” Jenna Kassul, senior telecommunication and media studies major and CampusU representative for A&M, said students have been emailing in and lining up for tickets to the screening of the film for the past two weeks. The Aggie Screenwriting, Acting and Movie Production Club assisted Kassul in screening the movie. Martin Hinojosa, member of Aggie SWAMP club and educational technology graduate student, said he hopes A&M continues to be seen as a destination for such film promotional tours. “I can hope that other studios will take note of this growing population of moviegoers,” Hinojosa said.
4/23/14 10:28 PM