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Black bean brownies Blogger Julie Blanco continues her quest to be vegan by experimenting with two recipes — black bean brownies and a green smoothie.
● tuesday,
november 20, 2012
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2012 student media
Divine equation Guest lecturer Walter Bradley places astronomy homework and calculus book alongside the Bible in a Ratio Christi lecture series. Read students reactions at thebatt.com.
inside life | 3 Aquatic acrobat Landen Ehler, junior construction science major, gained a national championship title in an unconventional sport — barefoot water skiing. Turn to page 3 to learn about his rise to fame in this niche hobby.
coming wednesday
Missouri preview Catch the final edition of The Battalion’s special four-part SEC sports package. Each edition is released every SEC home football game.
FILE PHOTO
Students cross over the H2O Fountain during the 1984 Elephant Walk. The tradition began in 1922 in the aftermath of a football game loss.
Out with the old Elephant Walk signifies the end of an era for students Chris Scoggins Special to The Battalion
T
hey are large, old and gray, and they wander campus visiting its many historic locations before wandering off to die. They are elephants, they are seniors, and they will march in the time-honored tradition, Elephant Walk, on Tuesday. Elephant Walk is a tradition in which seniors walk around campus in remembrance of their time
at Texas A&M while enjoying other festivities put on by the class council. There is also a junior EWalk that takes place at the same time for some class to class competition. “We just really thought about where the tradition started and how going to the SEC can really hurt us in our traditions and our uniqueness,” said Rachel Herrod recreational parks and tourism science major and the director for junior E-Walk “We really wanted to make sure we go back to our roots this year.” Elephant Walk began in 1922 after A&M experienced a football loss. After losing the game, two freshman bandsmen decided to march out of Kyle Field in mourning and the rest of the band and the Corps followed behind. Although these marches stopped after the end of 1922 season, the senior
class of 1926 performed the march again led by the same two cadets who began the original march, in remembrance of their time at Texas A&M. Junior E-Walk, which will also be taking place this Tuesday, arose purely from class rivalry. “Junior [E-Walk] started in the 1980s just because juniors wanted to rise to their place as seniors,” said Janelle Shen, junior communication major and the director of senior elephant walk. “They got really rowdy and became destructive to the school. They would throw mud balls, water balloons and flour at people.” Both of these walks are steeped in history and the celebrations Tuesday are designed to reflect the competitive atmosphere between classes. The event See Elephant on page 4
northgate
Freight restrictions frustrate business owners on Northgate Aimee Breaux The Battalion In hopes of improving safety along Northgate, the City of College Station has made various construction changes and significantly restricted loading zones in the area. The changes have made life more difficult for businesses on Northgate, leaving both the city and businesses to negotiate where to draw the line between the safety of Northgate-goers and
the sustainability of businesses. Perhaps the most tangible symptom of the struggle between businesses and the freight restrictions is the vacant building on College Main and University Drive that formerly housed Loupot’s Bookstores. For eight months, this building located on prime real estate in Northgate has been on the market. Robert Forrest, owner of Sarge’s military surplus two doors down, said the problem is that
freight trucks are forced to load more than a block away. He said the city has thus far not made the area conducent for the major companies that some local business were hoping would take over the corner building. “Walgreens or a store of that nature would have six or eight vendors a day coming to stock their shelves,” Forrest said. “Right now the city has left no See Business on page 5
Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION
Northgate feels tension from the current amount of freight restrictions taking place on University Drive. Business owners say the restrictions interfere with deliveries.
thanksgiving football
shuttle services
Lack of t.u. game shifts focus to holiday
Break shuttle benefits students
Darcy Jacoby Special to The Battalion Every November, the grateful hearts and grateful stomachs of many gather to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. For Texas A&M, even more significance has been placed on Thanksgiving with the traditional Lone Star Showdown, an anticipated football game against arch rival the University of Texas. But with no Thanksgiving football game scheduled this year, how will the holiday change for Aggies? Although the game would have been scheduled to be played in Austin this year, its absence is still felt in College Station. Some students who have previously attended or watched the Thanksgiving game are disappointed in the break of tradition, but plan to make adjustments to still enjoy the holiday. “It’ll be weird not having the game to go to, as my Thanksgiving is normally built around the game,” said Dustin Deere, senior accounting major. “My family is pretty much all Aggies, so we would either all go to the game or watch it as a family at home if it was in Austin. It’s been
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Jennifer Keith
FILE PHOTO
The Texas A&M and Texas rivalry dates back to 1894 and is the third longeststanding rivalry in the FBS. a tradition of ours. This year, we’ll eat a big dinner instead of lunch since we won’t have to rush to Kyle Field, and then we’ll probably watch the other football games that night.” Jamie Rouse, senior animal science major, has attended and watched every
Thanksgiving game as a student. She said not having a game this year is bittersweet. She will miss the game, but more room will be allowed for other special parts of Thanksgiving. See T.U. on page 6
The Battalion For the first time in A&M’s history, students will be able to go home for Thanksgiving break via shuttle buses thanks to the University’s partnership with the company Campus Coordinator. The “break shuttle” services provided by Campus Coordinator offer students a convenient way to travel to large Texas towns like Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas — trips that leave from Reed Arena and arrive in the heart of the city for Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Breaks. The founder of Campus Coordinator, Matthew George, said many students at A&M expressed interest in the break shuttle services. “Every college is getting more and more expensive and that’s a really big burden on some families,” George said. “We have heard from tons of students who just don’t go home because it’s too expensive.” Though the services are new to Texas A&M this Thanksgiving, George encouraged students to try them, as the services are thriving at universities throughout the nation. See Shuttle on page 4
11/19/12 11:35 PM