WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2017 STUDENT MEDIA | @THEBATTONLINE
BATT THE
THE BATTALION | THEBATT.COM
Patrick and Kaylee Cooper are hoping to raise $20,000 to help pay for adoption fees.
Made with love
Local couple hosts mac and cheese cook off to raise money to adopt child By Ana Sevilla @anavsevilla
W
hen Kaylee Cooper’s grandmother gifted an ornament to her and husband Patrick, it was adorned with a noodle and a caption that read: “I love mac and cheese.” Now, with a love for mac and cheese and an even stronger love for each other, the Coopers are taking their beloved dish’s purpose to the next level by hosting a Mac and Cheese Cook Off fundraiser. The fundraiser
will help the Coopers achieve their dream of becoming adopted parents. The couple is searching for “Mini Cooper” and hopes to earn enough funds to cover adoption costs. With a goal of $20,000, the entry fee for the contest is $5 a dish and it will cost $1 to taste the mac and cheese for the day. The event will also include games, activities and a silent auction, and the winner of the contest will receive a trophy and a prize. The deadline to enter the competition is Saturday and the competition will be held Saturday, April 29. Married four years, the Coopers decided a few years ago they were ready to start a family. This was when difficulties arose, Kaylee said. The couple struggled to become pregnant and
decided to seek a medical opinion. “We’ve had trouble with infertility for several years,” Kaylee said. “We’ve had two miscarriages and have gone through nine months of infertility treatments and they finally worked once. The first time I got pregnant was an accident. We decided in December that if our February treatment didn’t work we would go ahead and adopt.” Kaylee’s infertility is due in part to polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS, a condition that affects the body’s hormone levels and can result in future health problems and complications with conception. “[The fertility treatment] was very stressful, emotionally and on my body,” Kaylee said. “The doctor told us that even for healthy
PROVIDED
people, there’s only a 15 percent chance each time to conceive a child. When you throw in PCOS, it takes the chances way down. We’re looking at a one percent chance, and every month is a gamble. That’s what makes it difficult.” Patrick is serving his ninth year with the National Guard as a Logistics Non-Commissioned Officer and said people often assume he’s a parent because of his time spent in the military. Patrick said the process of accepting their infertility caused some issues within their relationship, yet the two ultimately learned to grow from the ordeal. Embracing adoption, however, was always a part of the plan. MAC N’ CHEESE ON PG. 2
Experts talk resources for finals stress management By Kenya Robinson @_KenyaJ
Sarah Bannon — THE BATTALION
A team of astronomers discovered the existence of a dead galaxy more than 12 billion years old.
2 A&M astronomers helped team discover dead galaxy 12-billion-year-old ZF-COSMOS-20115 challenges former astronomical theory By Mikayla Andrade @MikaylaAndrade A team of astronomers, including two from A&M, discovered a massive inactive galaxy more than 12 billion years old. Formed about 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang, a unique galaxy named ZF-COSMOS-20115 has led many astronomers to rethink their previous theories on how galaxies like the Milky Way formed. To study galaxies, astronomers look through telescopes and use light spectrums to measure characteristics such as distance, age and size of galaxies. The group of astronomers who made this discovery accomplished it by using the two telescopes at the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Since light from distant objects takes years to reach Earth, scientists are able to
With the semester swiftly coming to an end, final exams and major projects have become a main priority for students as well as a significant source of stress, and to help mitigate that stress the university offers several resources for students to utilize. Resources like the Psychology Clinic and Student Counseling Services work to help students persevere through the stress of finals through the use of various services like individual therapy and biofeedback services. Students can explore the different options available in both offices and decide what is best for them. The Psychology Clinic, open from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., offers specialized services including psychological evaluations, therapy for developmental disabilities and individual adolescent therapy. Jane Carter, clinic coordinator and psychology graduate student, said one-on-one therapy can be beneficial for students who may struggle with stress and anxiety. “Every client who comes to the clinic is given a series of tests that will give us an idea of what is going on with them,” Carter said. “This will involve some personality measure, a
Rachel Grant — THE BATTALION
The Psychology Clinic and Student Counseling Services are resources available to students dealing with stress from finals.
measure of emotional and physical experiences that the person is having and then it might also include things like a depression screening.” Clinic supervisors focus on therapeutic approaches that address a broad range of
CORPS OF CADETS
Neal McCoy visits campus
look through telescopes and see what these objects looked like when they were much younger. Kim-Vy Tran, professor of physics and astronomy and one of the astronomers who helped make the discovery, said using telescopes and light coming from other galaxies allows them to look at objects that existed long ago. “It’s kind of like if you wanted to look in the dark you would use special [night vision] goggles,” Tran said. “So we essentially used a special type of instrument that allowed us to look at different wavelengths that were particularly good for trying to find things in the distant universe.” This discovery is significant because it may help confirm or deny theories about the formation of galaxies. Physics and astronomy professor Casey Papovich was one of the astronomers who helped make this discovery, and said this galaxy is different because all the galaxies around it are rapidly producing stars. This particular massive galaxy formed GALAXY ON PG. 2
FINALS STRESS ON PG. 2
Country western singer Neal McCoy recited the Pledge of Allegiance with the Corps of Cadets as part of the Facebook Live video series this morning and was presented with flags in honor of his late father. MORE AT THEBATT.COM
Alexis Alvarez — THE BATTALION