thebattalion ● thursday,
Employers value Aggies
september 16, 2010
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2010 student media
Dorm room dispositions
Ryan Seybold
The Battalion According to a recent publication by Wall Street Journal , Texas A&M University graduates are the second most sought after by employers. Penn State was number one. Total Engineering comes for the quality of engineers. “Texas A&M is one of our biggest recruits. I’ve met more people in the industry that are Aggies than anyone else. Engineers that comes from A&M are just good people,” said Phillip Keller. The ranking is based on a survey of hundreds of big companies in which each company was asked which universities they most prefer to recruit from. The results surprised several Ivy League institutions, including Stanford, who did not make it into the top 25. According to employers, state universities are a more preferred place to recruit because they consistently produce a high volume of well-rounded graduates. Another contributing factor is that bigger institutions facilitate recruiting by offering more potential employees in the same location. “A lot of employers like one-stop shopping,” said Leigh Turner, executive director of the Career Center. “That’s what we’ve been hearing from employers for years, how much they value recruiting at Texas A&M.” Employers have expressed appreciation of A&M’s responsiveness, flexibility and willingness to accommodate recruiters. Turner attributes much of the career center’s success to its better than average ability to connect employers with campus See Graduates on page 9
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Amber Jaura | The Battalion
orms of different sorts around campus tell the stories of the students residing in them. Rooms covered in personality allow students to call dorms their home away from home. Sophomore general studies major Stephen “Pull” Vinson is in the C-ramp of Walton Hall and his dorm is known for its partying and all-around fun image. “My room shows my laid back and carefree take on life,” Vinson said. “We go out on the weekends and then just have people over during the week very often.” Vinson said he and his suitemates are like family, staying close and just sharing a good time. “Even our furniture is multipurpose furniture to crash on and entertain people,” Vinson said. In addition to a couch and armchair, Vinson has a table in the middle of the dorm with signatures on it of all the people who have visited his room. He said he likes knowing that visitors see something unique when they come to his dorm.
Walk into Mayra Magana’s dorm in Briggs Hall and you can definitely get a sense of her studious habits and busy schedule. “I have books everywhere. On my desk with papers and binders scattered, but I like to have it all laid out and study, especially at night when it’s quieter,” Magana said. As a sophomore electrical engineering major she gives a lot of time to studying and keeps her room in the condition to do so. Her dorm is not cramped with decorations which would just be purposeless and distracting in her view. And though her books and study materials are always left out, she keeps her clothes neat in drawers and the closet. “I have a strong work ethic and so setting out everything on the table and in my dorm that I have to work on makes me feel organized even if my desk looks extremely unorganized.”
Katy Ralston
The Battalion The spirit of Texas A&M can be seen in many ways: from the sea of maroon and white shirts at a sporting event to the attendance of a Silver Taps. In this era of technology the spirit of Texas A&M is leaving its mark online through the Texas A&M Facebook page. Since launching in October 2008, the official Texas A&M University page has gathered a following of 211,000 people, ranking second among university-sponsored Facebook pages behind Louisiana State University. Director of Marketing and Communication Diane McDonald said the reason the Facebook page was created was to have a way to express the Aggie spirit. “We have a famous saying at Texas A&M, ‘From the outside looking in you can’t understand it, and from the inside looking out you can’t explain it.’ This saying is used to describe the difficulty outsid-
Sophomores Lauren Valdez and Madeline Brown share a dorm in Neeley Hall and the philosophy that a clean room is clutter-free and stress-free. “I have always been a neat freak. I’m a very organized person so for me my clean dorm is my comfort zone,” Valdez said. They said they make full use of having one of the bigger dorms on campus by keeping things in order and making their dorm room comfortable to their needs. “It’s easier to study in here because of the open space we have from keeping things straight and in their place. Food, shoes, desks, everything just looks better neat, and this gives us more room to focus on studying,” Brown said. “The library just can’t compare to a room which has an atmosphere that’s all my own.”
Sophomore general studies major Mason Lanham said he wasn’t always a messy person. Growing up, he was forced to keep things tidy but as he grew older and came to college he realized messy is a more efficient style for him. “Messy works for me. Despite it looking really dirty, everything has a place,” Lanham said. “Nothing’s out of order and it feels like home.” Looking at the clumps of clothes, food and books covering his entire floor and hanging off his bed give the impression that Lanham is just lazy but he said that is not the case. “I’m like my dorm. I might seem disoriented and all, but I know what I’m doing. I have a game plan regardless of how chaotic things may seem.”
Sophomore geography major Omar Roman is the homebody in Aston Hall who likes to stay inside his dorm whenever possible. He stays content with the comfort of his plain room and keeping to himself. “I don’t go out very often. I’m just a stayat-home kind of guy. Things like surfing the net and schoolwork usually keep me busy,” Roman said. He said he tries to go back to his dorm whenever possible between classes and doesn’t like for friends to come over.
Photo illustration by Josh McKenna, Daniel Crump, Matt Young — THE BATTALION
See Facebook on page 9
Down-and-out on working out(side) Enjoy outdoor activities, but keep safety in mind Gayle Gabriel
The Battalion The Student Recreation Center is not the only option students have in order to get in a good workout. Many students and locals prefer the outdoors to the indoors. Heat safety is an important part of outdoor safety that all outdoor exercisers and those who contemplate exercising outside should take into consideration. “I love working out outdoors,” said Lauren George, Recreational Sports fitness technician. “It gives you a break from the gym, and is a very liberating experience. You can get a great workout using nothing but your surroundings. Parking garage stairs, monkey bars, bleachers, benches and hills are all great workout tools that cost you nothing to use and are very effective.But there definitely are cons to working out outdoors. Some cons would be things like having to deal with the elements, not having any air conditioning, or constantly having to carry your water with you or having to run near a water fountain.”
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biggest concerns.” There are several ways for students to safely exercise outdoors. Picking the right time to exercise, wearing weatherappropriate clothing and carrying a sufficient amount of water are important to staying safe. “The most important thing is to stay hydrated,” said Aaron Alderdice, University EMS chief. “Make a conscious effort to drink plenty of water, even when you are not thirsty. As your temperature increases, your body tries to cool itself off by sweating. As long Photo by Paul Mezier — THE BATTALION as you stay adequately hydrated, your Sophomore general studies major Jennifer Carter uses a crosswalk body is able to sweat and cool itself off. As you become dehydrated, your while jogging Sunday on campus. body is unable to adequately cool itself Trevor Carney, fitness coach and happen, they’ll be dehydrated when off and you greatly increase the risk of owner of Innovative Fitness in Colthey go to bed, maybe have a migraine experiencing heat cramps, heat exhauslege Station runs boot camps outdoors. when they wake up in the morning tion and even heat stroke. Also, try to Heat safety is more than just staying and just feel awful the next day,” Carlimit outdoor activities to the mornhydrated, he said. ney said. “Many times a lot of people ing and evening hours when tem“I think people don’t realize how don’t nourish their bodies well enough peratures tend to be lower than in the much water they need to drink before before an outdoor workout. So not hav- middle of the day.” Heat injuries due to working out are they get out to class, because if they ing the proper nutrition and not having serious and can be fatal. start hydrating at 5:30 it’s not going to enough water are probably two of the
Before you go: 1. Work out early in the day or late in the evening 2. Drink water before and after a workout 3. Wear light colored, breathable clothing 4. Wear protective gear like sunglasses or hats 5. Wear sunscreen 6. Work out with a buddy 7. Eat a nutritious meal 8. Know your limits 9. Stop if you feel dizzy or faint “The most common environmental injuries and emergencies we encounter are heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which is a true emergency and a life-threatening condition,” he said. “Heat exhaustion can quickly transition to a life-threatening heat stroke. It is important to know your limits. Even if you are in shape and in good health but are not used to exercising in the heat, do not go try and run a marathon your first day exercising outside.”
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