thebattalion ● thursday,
february 9, 2012
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2012 student media
news
SEC move to cost student seats Chandler Smith The Battalion As Texas A&M prepares to move into its new conference home, the Southeastern Conference’s bylaws threaten to break up the student section on the East side of Kyle Field, interrupting a tradition that dates back decades. SEC rules require that the section immediately behind the opposing bench — between the 30-yard lines in rows 1 through 25 — cannot be for students. At Kyle Field, this segment of the first deck has traditionally included the Aggie Band. University and student officials will meet on the issue as early as next Monday
to discuss options moving forward. Jason Cook, A&M vice president of marketing and communications, said the University is aware of the issue and that contact has been made with SEC officials on the topic. He could not confirm whether A&M had officially submitted an appeal. “I don’t know whether there was a formal appeal or not. We’ve had discussions with the SEC that it’s very important to us that we maintain Texas A&M as the home of the Twelfth Man,” Cook said. “We’ve talked to the conference office about the uniqueness that we have See Seats on page 5
Jay Kapadia — THE BATTALION
SEC bylaws prohibit students from sitting in the first 25 rows between the 30-yard lines on the first deck, behind the opposing team’s bench.
texas
Station gunfight RICHARDSON — A man suspected of starting a shootout with police at a suburban Dallas transit station that left a bystander dead Tuesday was himself found dead a short time later after a second gunfight with pursuing officers, authorities said.
nation GLBT progress OLYMPIA, Wash. — Lawmakers are poised to legalize gay marriage in Washington state, which would make it the seventh state in the nation to allow same-sex couples to wed. Associated Press
COURTESY PHOTO
Senior industrial engineering major Jay Kapadia, front right, competes with the traditional Indian dance team, Wreckin’ Raas.
Raas and Roll
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inside The 71’s perform at Shotzi’s See inside to learn more about the lead singer, Keeton Coffman, and why he wants to keep the band’s music separate from religion, page 3.
Watchmen debuts miniseries See inside for a review of the prequel, ‘Before Watchmen,’ a seven-part miniseries debuts this summer, page 3.
sports | 6 Aggie women win big See inside for a recap of the women’s basketball win against the Wildcats, page 6.
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Traditional Indian dance team takes the show on the road to national competition When and Where Raas Rodeo 2012 takes place Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Westlake High School in Austin. Other participating schools include Michigan State, Stanford, Duke and Miami.
O’Dell Harmon Jr. The Battalion A&M is filled with many diverse and unknown student organizations that Aggies are not aware of. One unique student organization, Wreckin’ Raas, is an Indian-style dance team comprised of 20 Aggies will compete On Saturday in Raas Rodeo, a national dance competition in Austin, Texas. Wreckin’ Raas, formed in 2009, competes across the nation— from The Festival of India to Dandia Dhamaka in Ann Arbor, Michigan — and will once again take center stage at the Westlake Per-
forming Arts Center to compete against students from schools including Michigan State, Stanford and Miami. “There will be teams literally from every corner of the nation,” said Tej Pandya, senior petroleum engineering major and captain of Wreckin’ Raas. “We will be there representing the University, like any other sports team. We’re here competing for Aggies.” The name comes from a combination of the terms “Wreckin’ Crew” — of Aggie football lore — and “Raas,” which is the style of dance the group performs.
“The Raas dance style originated from the western part of India in a state called Gujarat,” Pandya said. “There are two aspects to it. One Raas where we dance with sticks and the other is Garba, where you dance without sticks and is based off clapping and the rhythm.” Although a relatively young organization, Wreckin’ Raas has had success attracting members. Sonya Chanchlani, freshman general studies major, plans to help the group grow. See Raas on page 2
campus
research
Wiley Series tackles Iranian difficulties
Anthropology offers new focus Haley Lawson & Michal Ann Morrison
Trevor Stevens The Battalion Fluxuating oil prices and the threat of nuclear weapons development fuel the tension between the U.S. and Iran, a topic addressed in an on-campus discussion Wednesday evening. Two professors discussed these current global issues during the MSC Wiley Lecture Series symposium: The Iranian Hazard. Professor Paulo Barretto, consultant on international nuclear projects, said evidence of Iran acquiring nuclear-specific equipment and western sanctions imposed on Iran, are furthering the distance between Iran and western nations at the negotiating table. As a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT, Iran has the legal right to uranium enrichment, the key ingredient to
Trevor Stevens — THE BATTALION
Students listen Wednesday evening as professors discussed western challenges dealing with Iran. a nuclear weapon. A 20 percent concentration of natural uranium is the politically decided “red line” for NPT members. Iran has not crossed the “red line,” but continues to work at the “border line,” Barretto said. See Iran on page 4
The Battalion Faculty members in the department of anthropology have noticed a growing interest in archaeology from their students. After exploring options, they decided to begin a pilot program of an archaeology track within the department. Students will now have the option of an archaeology track, and if interest continues to grow, the department hopes to establish a Bachelor of Science in archaeology. Marco Valadez, advisor to the department of anthropology, explained what the track would add to the basic anthropology degree.
“It’s going to be a track,” Valadez said. “The major is actually going to say ‘anthropology,’ but the transcripts say it’s an archaeology track. You take the same introductory classes that anthropology students take, but then you take archaeology electives. We’re going to require field school, or lab experience, with one of the archaeologists on staff.” Felipe Castro, associate professor of nautical archaeology, said the idea for the track came about from the excellence of the programs offered by the department of anthropology. The program has been in the works for a See Archaeology on page 4
2/9/12 12:59 AM