thebattalion l thursday,
october 17, 2013
l serving
texas a&m since 1893
l first paper free – additional copies $1 l © 2013 student media
CALL TO SERVICE
Cadets help restore Blocker after flooding damage Lauren Simic The Battalion
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locker received some unexpected visitors Tuesday. Members of the Corps of Cadets joined workers from SERVPRO, a company specializing cleanup and restoration, late Tuesday to clean out much of the John R. Blocker Building’s first floor water damage. The crew worked from 9 a.m. to midnight to meet the University’s deadline to reopen the building by Friday morning. Greg Owens, Class of 1995 and owner of the Brazos Valley SERVPRO, said his staff was in need of a helping hand after several days of non-stop cleaning. After a request for
help was posted online, Corps volunteers assisted by stripping walls, cleaning up debris and carrying equipment. “[The cadets’ assistance] means we won’t be here all night,” Owens said. “We expected to work straight until 8 a.m. They don’t know what a favor they’ve done us.” Owens and his staff have worked in Blocker with a staff of about 30 people from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. every day since Sunday. As the Friday deadline was fast approaching, he posted a request through Facebook for paid workers and a friend advised him to contact the Corps.
(Top) Timothy Erb, senior construction science major, carries in heavy-duty fans to dry the first floor of Blocker. (Left) Landon Ellis, junior civil engineering major, clears insulation affected by water damage.
See Blocker on page 2
Photos by Matthew Wong — THE BATTALION
thebattalion asks
federal government
Page 2: What should Johnny Manziel be for Halloween?
Two-week shutdown delayed A&M research
Q: Congress avoids default, reopens government
inside | 5 Free pancakes Baptist Student Ministry offers free pancakes and prayer to Northgate crowd from midnight Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday.
Katy Stapp & Jennifer Reiley The Battalion
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he U.S. Congress marked the short-term end to a stalemate over differing positions on the 2013-2014 fiscal year during 11th-hour talks Wednesday, ending the shutdown that deadlocked Washington for more than two weeks. The Senate and House agreed to a deal that would lift both the partial shutdown and raise the U.S. debt ceiling for the next several months, averting possible wide-spread economic implications from a U.S. loan default. However, damage has already been done for many research institutions across the United States, including those at Texas A&M. Nicholas Suntzeff, professor of physics and astronomy, said it will be a difficult process for the University staff to bring the system back to normal. “There is a lot of work that will have to be done
here at the University to re-establish the funding flows and the submission of new grants,” Suntzeff said. “This will add a new burden to the University staff who is already overworked.” Doug Woods, department head of psychology, said some federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation were unable to process his department’s grants and award money during the government shutdown, which caused a startup delay. “Many of the grants that were supposed to be viewed at this time of year didn’t get viewed,” Woods said. Thomas McKnight, professor and interim department head of biology, said several professors and scientists from other countries were unable to travel to the U.S. to aid in research during the shutdown, because they were having trouble obtaining visas. Woods said he and his colleagues had become increasingly frustrated with the inability to move forward in research. McKnight said the University instructed pro-
campus
thebattasks
Nominations for 25th A&M president open to community Lindsey Gawlik
The Battalion he search for someone to fill University President R. Bowen Loftin’s bow tie has reached another landmark as the Board of Regents created a website to provide information on the search and allow students and community members to provide nominations. The Texas A&M Presidential Search Advisory Committee, the group facilitating the process, is made up of seven A&M faculty voting members along with two non-voting members, including Student Body President Reid Joseph. Voting member John Gladysz, professor and Dow Chair in Chemical Invention at Texas A&M, said he advised the student body to remain engaged with the next University administration, particularly through the Student Government Association. “I think student government is very important, and I hope that student government will always be engaged with our University administration,” Gladysz said. President Loftin will leave his position as the 24th president of Texas A&M on Jan. 13, 2014. Loftin said he will not be an active part in helping decide the
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fessors and research officials to continue submitting grant proposals until the government shutdown ended, but newer projects were halted. “In situations like that, research starts to lose people and expertise,” McKnight said. Suntzeff said science at Texas A&M and around the country still faces the sequestration of discretionary funding, which hits science hard. “Congress, both the GOP and the Democrats, see the need for government support of basic research because private industry, except in a few cases, is not able to fund such research given the short term economic goals demanded by the way our financial system works,” Suntzeff said. “There is bipartisan support for continued strong funding of science, but understanding that given the economic crisis in the U.S., science funding too must share some of the budget slowdowns.” The congressional deal agreed upon late last night provides funding for the U.S. government until Jan. 15.
Q:
next Texas A&M President, but will continue at A&M as a physics professor in the Dwight Look College of Engineering. “I am looking forward to resuming a very long career in higher education,” Loftin said. “I’ve been working almost 40 years in universities and the bulk of my time has been spent as a regular faculty member who mentored and taught students and did research and I’ll go back to that, presumably next year.” Joseph will be the only student member on the Texas A&M Presidential Search Advisory Committee, and as such he said he is currently preparing a way to represent the voices of the students directly to the committee. “I am actually in the middle of formulating a way of [hearing the student voice],” Joseph said. “I’m considering creating some type of form for students to say, ‘Hey, this is what we are looking for in our president. These are the qualities we would really like to see,’ and then I’ll voice that [to the rest of the committee].” The applications and nominations for the 25th Texas A&M University President will be accepted until a new president is selected. For more information, see presidentialsearch.tamu.edu.
How do you feel about University President R. Bowen Loftin leaving? “Upset because we, as freshman, are not going to experience what it feels like when he’s around. He brings the spirit to the school.” Yuvani Ochoa, freshman biology major
“I’m going to miss his bow ties.” Seneida Canan, freshman forensics investigative sciences major
“I’m not sure. He’s a great president so I think he’ll be a great teacher.” Paige Achten, freshman forensics investigative sciences major Wafi Alzaward — THE BATTALION
graduate student council
Loftin gives state of the school address University president answers student questions at meeting Caroline Corrigan The Battalion
Wafi Alzawad — THE BATTALION
President Loftin answers the questions of graduate students Wednesday evening at the MSC.
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resident R. Bowin Loftin gave a State of the University address and answered questions from students at the second annual Town Hall
meeting presented by the Graduate Student Council. While Loftin was the key speaker, Vice President for Student Affairs Gen. Joe Weber, Provost Karen Watson and Associate Provost for Graduate and Professional Studies Karen Butler-Purry also discussed campus-related topics. In his address, Loftin spoke to the expansion of the University in size and influence with the addition of a law
school and the start of the designing stage for the re-opening of the Health Science Center. Loftin said growth brings both challenges and opportunities. The most difficult challenge the University faces is dealing with the increase of 1,500 students in this year’s freshman class as compared to last year’s. See Town Hall on page 3
10/16/13 11:27 PM