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Aimee Breaux The Battalion

texas a&m since 1893

Corps embarks on academic initiatives, measures success Jennifer Reiley The Battalion

n an effort to be leaders in every aspect on campus, the Corps of Cadets has put into place initiatives to raise the academic standards of both the Corps and the University. Since 2008, the overall Corps GPR for a fall semester hovered around a 2.7. However, for 2013 the GPR jumped to 2.89, the same as the overall University GPR. The improvement has been credited to a number of programs that have been started within the Corps to help the cadets with their academics. Corps Commandant Brig. Gen. Joe Ramirez said the motivation to establish academic assistance programs for See Corps on page 4

William Guerra — THE BATTALION

hen sophomore political science major Hayden Greer noticed flashing police lights and officers with automatic rifles and shot guns outside his neighbor’s house Tuesday night, he did the first thing that came to mind — tweet about it. An hour after the College Station Police Department SWAT and Hostage Negotiations Team were activated Tuesday night in response to a family disturbance call on the 600 block of Harvest Street, Greer became the city’s live news source. According to a police report, officers were dispatched at 10:09 p.m. Tuesday after a gunshot was fired in a domestic dispute between 20-year-old College Station resident William Herrin and a family member who fled the house shortly after. The SWAT and Hostage Negotiations team set up a perimeter as Herrin evaded arrest until 12:09 a.m. Wednesday when he was caught and taken into custody, according to the report. As the event unfolded, Hayden tweeted from a closet on the second floor of his house. “It didn’t seem to be real,” Greer said. “We had never really seen anything like this. We’re all small-town people.” Greer posted tweets such as, “He’s back outside sneaking in backyard. We can see from second story police cannot.” Greer said a police officer came to his door

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Jenna Rabel — THE BATTALION

Sophomore history major Joseph Sherer studies on a computer in Evans Library Annex.

See Greer on page 4

military

Aggie theatre professor helps veterans share their stories Performance seeks to close gap between soldiers and civilians John Rangel The Battalion

o the average American, war is distant. It shoots from TV screens and claims millions in cash in a blockbuster movie weekend, but the fact that America has had a military presence in two countries for more than a decade points to an unprecedented disconnect — the gulf between the American warrior and the U.S. citizen has rarely been wider, said Jonathan Wei, national program founder of “The Telling Project” and “Telling Aggieland.” A Difficult Story It was 2008 and the U.S. was embroiled in conflict across Afghanistan and Iraq, yet the day-to-day lives of

American citizens reflected little of the overseas strife. “I was at the University of Oregon at the time, and what we saw was basically there was a significant understanding gap between military service and military families and their civilian community counterparts,” Wei said. “It wasn’t necessarily because there was any kind of hostility, it was just because no one really knew how to get the conversation started.” The apparent gap that Wei noticed prompted him to found “The Telling Project” in 2008, a nonprofit organization that gives veterans and those closely affected by conflict a chance to tell their story to the community in a professional production setting. Fifteen projects have taken place across the U.S., and “Telling Aggieland” will take place on campus at the end of the semester to give students and residents a chance to glimpse at war through firsthand accounts of See Telling Aggieland on page 3

religion

Breakaway sees spring attendance drop

Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION

Each unit of the Corps of Cadets attended A&M’s 75-67 win Wednesday over South Carolina.

A&M beats USC, stays perfect in SEC Jenna Rabel — THE BATTALION

The Jeff Johnson band worships before Breakaway on Tuesday in Reed Arena.

Lindsey Gawlik The Battalion

reakaway Ministries annually claims a higher attendance rate throughout the fall semester than the spring, and Tuesday night’s 5,797 attendees represented the same decreased numbers when compared to those seen throughout the fall. Lydia Irion, office manager for

BAT_01-16-14_A1.indd 1

Breakaway Ministries, said the momentum brought by the incoming freshmen slows once some freshmen find their own niche. “In the fall, there is a lot of anticipation since for [the freshman] it’s something new, and then in the spring a lot of freshman get involved in other things and may not be consistent with coming,” Irion said. One of Breakaway’s major goals, she said, is trying to help

students get connected. “Our goal is just to help students get connected to local churches so by the spring we hope they have found other ways to be involved in ministries,” Irion said. “Even if that may mean Breakaway might not be the place they are coming consistently.” Breakaway is held most Tuesdays in the fall and spring semesters at 9 p.m.

he Texas A&M men’s basketball team pushed its SEC record to 3-0, defeating South Carolina 75-67 Wednesday night at Reed Arena in a game where South Carolina led for most of both halves. Texas A&M came out of the gates slowly, allowing South Carolina to go on an early 14-3 run in the first half and an 11-5 run to start the second half. The Gamecocks maintained their lead for most of the second half until junior guard Jamal Jones gave the Aggies a 58-57 lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the game. Jones led the Aggies offensively, scoring 22 points while adding two

steals and two assists. A&M was helped by the scoring contributions of freshman forward Davonte Fitzgerald and redshirt freshman guard Shawn Smith, who each contributed 13 points. The Aggie victory moves the Aggies to 12-4 and 3-0 in SEC play while improving to 2-0 all-time against the Gamecocks. A&M will next take the hardwood against the Vanderbilt Commodores at noon Saturday at Reed Arena. Conner Darland, sports reporter For the full story, go online at thebatt.com

1/15/14 10:20 PM

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“It was a lot more energetic than the games in the past have been, just because there were so many more people there than normally.”

“It was really cool coming from behind and then just overtaking the team and winning.”

Courtney Walker, sophomore petroleum engineering major

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““I would say just how the students were really interactive in this game. How they were so excited and just willing to cheer on their teammates, cheer as the 12th Man.” Jenny Martin, freshman architecture major

“Just going in undefeated in conference play and just being able to get the win tonight was pretty special.” Kyle Mulvey, junior civil engineering major

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Yomi Adenuga — THE BATTALION

w. basketball

Sophomore guard Courtney Williams makes a move to the basket during a 72-35 win over San Diego State in December.

Top-10 SEC opponent looms No. 8 South Carolina to visit No. 25 A&M Thursday in Reed Tyler Stafford

The Battalion he No. 25 Texas A&M women’s basketball team will take on No. 8 South Carolina Gamecocks at 7 p.m. Thursday in Reed Arena. The Aggies carry a six-game win streak into their matchup against the Gamecocks, currently the only other undefeated team in the SEC. The Aggies come back to College Station after beating No.12 Georgia on the road last week, becoming one of only five teams to beat two ranked teams in one week this year: No. 1 UConn, No. 3 Duke, No. 5 Louisville, No. 13 North Carolina and Texas A&M. The first 100 students to the game will receive gift cards to Raising Cane’s and

thebattalion THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE OF TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893

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 979-8452687. 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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there will be a Raising Cane’s eating con- and 12.8 points per game, respectively. Setest at halftime. nior College Station native, Karla Gilbert, A&M (13-4, 3-0 SEC) will put its will look to continue her dominance in the eight-game home win streak, which is tied paint and add to her 32 blocked shots for for 24th in the nation, on the line against the season. South Carolina (16-1, In Thursday’s 4-0 SEC). The Aggame, both coaching gies are 17-7 all-time Women's hoops staffs will be wearing when 7,000 or more pink ribbons in honor w No. 25 Texas A&M vs. fans fill the seats of of South Carolina asNo. 8 South Carolina Reed Arena. sistant coach, Nikki South Carolina en- w 7 p.m. Thursday in Reed Arena McCray, who anters the game with its nounced earlier this lone loss coming to w First 100 students receive gift week she was diagNorth Carolina. The cards nosed with breast Gamecocks 4-0 concancer. ference mark matches their best SEC start The Aggies’ next test will come as in program history. South Carolina’s fresh- they host Mississippi State — coached man center, Alaina Coates, has averaged by long-time Texas A&M assistant coach 12.4 points per game and is the reigning Vic Schaefer — at 2 p.m Sunday in Reed SEC Freshman of the Week. Arena. Aggie sophomores Courtney Williams and Courtney Walker have averaged 12.6

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1/15/14 10:41 PM

news

page 3 thursday 1.16.2014

thebattalion

Equestrians acquaint Aggies with Polo Club Free Riding Week provides students chance to learn sport Caroline Corrigan & Lindsey Gawlik The Battalion

he Texas A&M Polo Club will open its barn to campus Monday through Jan. 24 as it hosts its annual Free Riding Week. Students can ride a horse and learn the game of polo for free from 6:30 to 10 p.m. The club will have areas for the riders to walk, trot or canter the horses. Members will also instruct students on the equipment they use and how they prepare their horses for the game. Among the stations is a stand devoted to answering any questions guests might have about horses or the rules of polo and an area devoted to playing foot polo to get a feel for the polo mallets. Hollie Boggess, senior English major and Polo Club president, said the event gives students an unusual opportunity — riding a horse for free. Boggess hopes the event will get students interested in Polo Club. “We want to give everyone at Texas A&M

Telling Aggieland Continued from page 1

its effects. “[‘Telling Aggieland’] is an approach toward getting military veterans and families in the same room with their civilian community members for basically a meaningful exchange of information and experiences person to person, as opposed to through the media, or Hollywood or second- or third-hand sources,” Wei said.

Opening Up

Michael Greenwald, Texas A&M theatre arts professor, will spend the next four months teaching almost 20 veterans and family members how to convey their stories on stage. The

the opportunity to come out and see what we do as a club,” Boggess said. “It gives them the chance to learn about the sport of polo and to even play if they want to.” Boggess said the team had around 40 members last semester but looks at Free Riding Week as a way to seek out new talent. Kyle Hamilton, junior accounting major and Polo Club vice president, said both men’s and women’s teams compete in the national championships. “There will for sure be teams competing in the regional tournament in March and then hopefully the national championships after that,” Hamilton said. “This is the second year we as A&M will be hosting nationals, regionals and tournaments.” Hamilton said the event is open to students with all levels of horseback riding experience and they will have different groups for beginners and advanced riders. As an equestrian for 12 years, Ashley Falls, sophomore kinesiology major, said the event is a great way to share the passion for horses with those who have had little to no exposure to horses. “Polo is a discipline not many have had the chance to watch,” Falls said. “As someone who loves horses, I think this event is a great way to

end product will be a full theatrical production of monologues and other group performances, accompanied by photography and media stills. But helping individuals left with the effects of war to convey these experiences poses challenges of its own. “[‘Telling Aggieland’] will run the full experience,” Greenwald said. “They’ve had everything from very funny moments to very heavy stuff. We have counselors, psychologists on call. It’s not that we won’t deal with some darker subjects. This isn’t a patriotic thing — this is what’s happened, these are the problems we’ve faced, and some of the most interesting parts are about coming back home and having to deal with issues.” Greenwald said the stories will span experiences outside of recent

Shelby Knowles — THE BATTALION

Polo Team members Lara Straussfeld (front from left), sophomore animal science major, and Amber Telscher, junior animal science major, warm up their horses. share the passion.” Renee Holmes, junior biomedical science major, has been a horse trainer and equestrian for 11 years and said this event sounds like a great opportunity for intermediate riders. “Admittedly, as equestrian-heavy as this

conflicts and are not restricted to veterans. A Vietnam veteran plans to convey his story as well as the wife of a veteran who worked for the government cataloguing casualties while her husband fought in Vietnam. Every participant at “Telling Aggieland” will have something in common, however. “Each show that’s done around the country is absolutely unique to that community, to those people, since the actors change,” Greenwald said. “This one [will present] people who have some connection to A&M. It’s a chance for our community in Aggieland to hear a first-hand perspective from people who’ve been there, many cases under fire, and who’ve had to deal with issues beyond the battlefield.”

school is, there aren’t a lot of opportunities for intermediate riders,” Holmes said. “There are the advanced A&M riders, the equestrian team and then the beginners who just want to pet the horses. This event sounds like a great event for the intermediates.”

Through a Different Lens

“Right now in America, less than one percent of our population has served in the military in recent conflicts,” said retired Col. Jerry Smith, director of the Veteran Resource and Support Center at Texas A&M. “Back in World War II and Korea and previous decades, that percentage was much, much higher.” Smith shares many of Wei’s sentiments about the experience gap between veterans and civilians. Wei’s group put on a production called “Operation College Promise” in San Antonio several months ago, after which Smith reached out to Wei. Their collaboration has been the driving force that led to “Telling Aggieland.” “Telling Aggieland” has finalized

its cast of veterans and family members this week and they will begin practicing performance techniques while Wei and his team go over recorded testimonials to write a script. The production will be free and will take place in Rudder Theatre April 29 through May 1. Army Capt. Rebecca Lesemann is a graduate student at the Bush School and one of the veterans who will be telling their story. “Some of our stories are funny, some are sad and some are us doing whatever we can to make it through that moment in time,” Lesemann said. “‘Telling Aggieland’ is a wonderful way to share these experiences with the community, providing a small glimpse into the life of a soldier.”

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news

page 4 thursday 1.16.2014

Greer Continued from page 1

asking him to stop tweeting and he received a call from a city official requesting that he cease tweeting until the suspect was in custody. “They said the suspect could be on Twitter looking to see where we were saying things could be happening,”

thebattalion Greer said. But the delay was short and four minutes later Geer was tweeting that the suspect had been tackled. By the end of the spectacle, the official Twitter account of the City of College Station posted that the suspect was in custody and used the hashtag Greer created — #LiveTweetTheNeighborhoodTakedown.

Corps Continued from page 1

members of the Corps was inspired by the real life issues recent college graduates are facing. Ramirez said cadets who do well academically while at A&M would be more competitive in the job market when they graduate. “With as many as 36 percent of college graduates since 2008 still without a full-time job, we have learned that a major discriminator for employers who are looking at hiring college grads is their GPR,” Ramirez said. “That cuts across all career fields, including corporate America, government service and even the military.” In the last few years, the Corps has begun a number of initiatives to encourage and assist cadets with their studies, including the development of the Buzbee Leadership Learning Center in Fall 2012. Ramirez said the programs and the new facilities have promoted a message of academic excellence within the Corps. “[We have] mandatory study time, fulltime academic advisors on my staff, academic mentors for every unit in the Corps, tutoring provided free for all cadets in critical subjects — physics, chemistry, calculus, et cetera — new facilities for our cadets to use for academics, like the Buzbee Leadership Learning Center and a structured environment that encourages upperclass cadets to assist underclassmen in academics are all elements of our strategy to improve the academic standing of the Corps on campus,” Ramirez said. Meredith Simpson, Corps academic advisor, said the idea for the academic programs started within the Office of the Commandant, which made academics the first priority in the Corps. “The directive started at the staff level and has disseminated down to the cadets through our cadet leadership chain,” Simpson said. “Changes to the cadet daily routine place an emphasis on the academic day and allow for a more conducive study environment in the evenings.” Eric Gil, Corps commander and senior industrial engineering major, said one specific program that has led to the higher GPR is the time set aside in the evenings for studying. “Over the last year or so, we have worked out the kinks to this [evening study time] policy that was a dramatic change to our old policy of Call to Quarters, which was essentially a forced study period after evening formation,” Gil said. “With this EST policy, the dorms are quieter and cadets are able to study better.” Gil said Wednesdays feature a “Marathon EST” which begins three hours earlier than other days of the week. One problem the Corps has faced in the past was that the underclassmen had required study hours, or Call to Quarters, in the evening, but the requirement dropped once they

There have been no reports of injuries inside the residence as the result of firearm discharge. Herrin has been charged with evading arrest or detention and with assault for other injuries inflicted on a family member in the original disturbance, according to a College Station Police report.

All of this certainly helps in our recruiting efforts — especially at a time when the competition to get into Texas A&M gets tougher every year.” — Corps Commandant Brig. Gen. Joe Ramirez

became a junior, which Gil said negatively affected the cadets who did not know how to study on their own. With adjustments made to EST, the junior class this semester posted the highest GPR of all the classes. Gil said the GPR increase in the fall is also a notable reflection of improvement because of the Corps involvement with football at that time of year. “This GPR is also significant because we had the most home football games ever and even with these time commitments our cadets were able to be successful,” Gil said. Joseph Sherer, junior history major, said he has found the academic changes within the Corps beneficial and that cadets are expected to perform well in classes. “There’s definitely an academic focus within the Corps, mandated study hours which is helpful and if you fall below a certain standard then you’ll just have meetings with scholastic officers and they’ll try to help you out,” Sherer said. Ramirez said the GPR might have an effect on the recruiting of future cadets in the next few years. “All of this certainly helps us in our recruiting efforts — especially at a time when the competition to get into Texas A&M gets tougher every year,” Ramirez said. “Our message to young people seeking to attend Texas A&M is that they can join the Corps and be successful academically.” Simpson said the rise in GPR is a step in the right direction. “Raising our term GPA allows the Corps to produce a better cadet and future former student for Texas A&M,” Simpson said. “The cadets that leave the quad now are more competitive in the military or the private sector because of their increased academic achievement.” While the change in GPR is an improvement for the Corps, Gil said the Corps will not stop there. “The academic improvements made within the Corps are amazing, but we are not done yet,” Gil said. “Our goal for the spring semester is a 3.00 overall GPR, a feat that has never been attained, but is certainly reachable.”

1/15/14 9:09 PM