The Battalion: November 18, 2013

Page 1

thebattalion l monday,

november 18, 2013

l serving

texas a&m since 1893

l first paper free – additional copies $1 l © 2013 student media

ROUTE REDIRECTION Beginning next fall, several bus routes will see alterations in stops and direction, pending approval. William Guerra and David Cohen — THE BATTALION

Transportation readies route changes for Fall 2014

Jennifer Reiley

The Battalion he wheels are turning to enact changes in Texas A&M’s off-campus bus routes in an effort to better utilize transportation resources. Transportation Services has proposed a plan that will affect five bus routes, although the most significant changes are to Routes 31, 33 and 34. The changes, which Transportation Services said will increase efficiency on the routes and decrease the time each route takes, will take effect in Fall

T

2014 if approved. Route 31, Elephant Walk, is one of the routes Transportation Services plans to adjust for next year. Southwest Parkway, the route’s main street, only services stops on one side of the road. The proposed change would add stops to the other side so students can avoid walking across four lanes of traffic to get to their stop. Low ridership has also been noted along Holleman Dr., and the change would stop service along that road, which would stop service to the Oney Hervey stop. Route 33, Texas Aggies, is popular among

students on campus because it services a stop at the Walmart Ave. However, other stops along that route have low ridership. The plan proposed by transportation is to combine Route 33 with Route 34, Fish Camp, which runs along similar roads as Route 33 and has shown low ridership data in certain areas. Combining the routes will result in a 15-minute round trip travel time and will allow transportation to reduce the number of buses used for the See Transportation on page 2

service

Philippine group aids storm-ravaged homeland Talent show profits donated to typhoon relief Alexander Newolet The Battalion

T

Dee Huggan — THE BATTALION

Visitors watch cultural dances Saturday at Worldfest.

culture

Worldfest meshes B-CS diversity Event featured displays from around the globe Shelbi Polk The Battalion

T

he 50 culture displays grouped around Wolf Pen Creek for Worldfest on Saturday provided a colorful and fun way to celebrate BryanCollege Station diversity. The booths were each decorated for a different culture group or nonprofit and educated visitors about cultural customs and traditions from around the world. Jill Palmer, sophomore international studies major, said Worldfest gave her a hands-on opportunity to engage with her field of study and learn about things that interest her outside of the classroom.

“It’s neat being an international studies major and getting to hear people’s firsthand experiences and stories of other cultures,” Palmer said. There were culture displays from all corners of the world, including Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. Many of the culture displays were set up by students and displayed traditional aspects of different cultures and sold traditional foods. The Chinese Student Association offered samples of traditional Chinese tea and other foods as well as a display of traditional Chinese culture involving calligraphy and watercolor painting. Reubin Xu, civil engineering graduate student and association member, said the art was well received by festival attendees. Xu said people were

inside theater | 3 sports | 4 ‘Memphis: A&M tops the Musical’ Houston Hosted by MSC OPAS, the musical will be performed Tuesday and Wednesday in Rudder Auditorium.

BAT_11-18-13_A1.indd 1

The A&M women’s basketball team defeated Houston 6351 on Sunday behind Courtney Walker’s 19 points.

See Worldfest on page 6

religion | 5 GENTS panel Representatives from seven different religious backgrounds will participate in a panel discussion at 7 p.m. Monday.

he damage in the Philippines by Typhoon Haiyan, which hit land on Nov. 8, has left a great deal of people in need of help. A&M students have answered the call and are joining to collect money and provisions to send to survivors. The Philippine Student Association, PhilSA, donated all the money raised at its 15th annual talent show on Saturday to the Filipino humanitarian organization Gawad Kalinga. The talent show featured performances from campus groups such as Fade 2 Black, Aggie Fiddlers and PhilSA Cultural, along with performances from organizations at the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of North Texas. Liezyl Hinayon, PhilSA philanthropy chair and junior history major, said this event marks a shift in focus for the organization from the traditional talent show

Alexander Newolet — THE BATTALION

PhilSA members sing the Filipino national anthem at the beginning of their talent show benefitting typhoon victims. they put on every year to a show driven by the need to help victims of the typhoon. “Initially the main focus of our show was on the members and PhilSA organizations from other universities,” Hinayon said. “Now we are shifting our focus to something bigger to help

the Filipino typhoon victims by working with Gawad Kalinga.” Hinayon said the event touched home even though not all of the Philippines was affected by the typhoon’s 195-mile-perhour winds and torrential downSee PhilSA on page 6

volleyball

A&M surges to 5th straight win Aggies sweep Auburn with team defense Linley McCord The Battalion

T

he Texas A&M volleyball team (16-10, 8-7 SEC) won both its weekend Reed Arena matchups in sweeps, downing Tennessee on Friday before defeating Auburn, extending its win streak to five matches. As the Aggies entered Reed on Sunday against Auburn, the momentum from Friday’s win over the Volunteers spilled over into the quick threeset victory — 25-19, 28-26, 25-17. A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli said the key to the Aggies’ sweep was the group’s aggression throughout the match. “We stayed the aggressor most of the time,” Corbelli said. “Our blocking was superior and I just think we’ve gotten a lot better. Those are two big advantages right there. We have a lot of room for improvement. It’s not a hard sell to work the team out and remind them of how much better they’re playing. That’s built a lot of confidence. Our senior leaders have done a brilliant job of directing the team, and the team has followed beautifully.” A&M never surrendered the lead during the first set and was able to surge past the Tigers to a Bryan Johnson — THE BATTALION quick 25-19 victory. Senior setter Allie Sawatzky jumps for a block See Volleyball on page 4 during a Sunday sweep of Auburn.

11/17/13 8:40 PM


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
The Battalion: November 18, 2013 by The Battalion - Issuu