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news for you campus Ceremony formally installs Loftin Ceremonies leading up to Academic Convocation will begin about 1:45 p.m. Friday when about 250 faculty, staff, students and others — among them more than 50 delegates representing other institutions and learned societies — march across the heart of the campus in a traditional academic procession.
Regents to meet Thursday The Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System will meet Thursday and Friday in the H.D. Smith Operations Complex (Building 25) at the Brayton Fire Training Field.
b-cs area Police find no motive for murder On Monday evening 45-yearold Stanley Lamar Griffin was arrested and accused of murdering Jennifer Hailey and severely injuring her 9-year-old son. College Station police responded to a call early in the morning on Monday regarding a possible homicide. The police found 29-year-old Hailey dead in her apartment around 5 a.m. less than five miles south of campus on the 2400 block of Pedernales in Hailey’s residence. Hailey was pronounced dead at the scene. Her 9-year-old son, who suffered serious bodily injury, was immediately transported to the College Station Medical Center for surgery. After Hailey’s son positively identified Griffin as the man he saw choking his mother, he was detained as of 5:15 Monday afternoon. Hailey’s son told police that Griffin came into his room and struck him in his face and neck. College Station police say the little boy was stabbed several times in the neck with a gardening tool. The boy is in stable condition and recovering from his wounds. Staff report
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far, far away McAfee also took weekend trips touring Ireland, including the northern coast.
Junior international studies major Nicole McAfee traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland while interning in Ireland, where she worked for a Member of European Parliament.
Senior economics major Zach Piñones visited Segovia, while studying at the University of Toledo in Spain.
Andrew Cagle, senior international studies major, took a trip to Jerusalem this summer where he visited the Dome of the Rock.
Cagle also went to Amman, Jordan where he produced a feature-film documentary about Palestinian refugees in Jordan.
Courtesy photos
Study Abroad offers new insights Paula Harman Special to The Battalion Adventure awaits. From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. today, the Study Abroad Programs Office will have its annual Overseas Day Study Abroad Fair in Rudder Exhibit Hall. A variety of information and resources will be available for students who are interested in opportunities such as studying, researching, interning, working and volunteering abroad. Faculty and staff from the University as well as representatives from outside program providers will be present to give out information and answer questions. “The goal is to recruit students and to also inform students of their options other than classes — these are valuable real world experiences,” said Angelina Fonseca, study abroad adviser. Over 80 programs will be represented today, and
of these, about half are led by Texas A&M faculty. “It’s a good opportunity to compare different programs — you may prefer a faculty led program or maybe reciprocal exchange,” said Kristen Kurtz, senior international studies major. “What helped me the most was being able to narrow down my choices; ultimately I decided that an independent program was right for me.” Fonseca encourages students from all departments to come to Overseas Day because there is a program to fit everyone’s goals and interests. “One of the goals of the University is to have this vision 2020. Diversity is important — not just race and gender, but a well-rounded group of students, and all majors need to be represented,” she said. “A larger amount of funding is increasingly becoming available for majors like math, technology, science, agriculture, biology, etc. We’re looking to internationalize the study body; by 2020, we would like for
25 percent of the student body to have this credit bearing experience.” Even after completing her study abroad experience, a reciprocal exchange in Lausanne, Switzerland, senior international studies and French double major, Amber Wilmeth said she will attend this year. “After last year’s Overseas Day, I was encouraged to do more research into different study abroad programs.” This year Wilmeth plans on returning to help guide her in her search of post graduation opportunities. “I hope to learn more about different options such as the Peace Corps or teaching abroad, and maybe discover a career path I haven’t considered before,” Wilmeth said. To show her support of the Corps and of Study Abroad, Reveille will be there from 11:30 a.m. to See Overseas on page 2
Dining Services proposes change for students Ryan Seybold The Battalion Texas A&M University is the only university in the Big 12 that does not require students who live on campus to purchase a meal plan. Come 2012, that might change. There is a possibility on-campus residents will be required to buy a minimal meal plan. If it were passed, the new policy would be phased in over four years, starting in 2012. The proposed change would provide the funds Dining Services needs in order to operate its facilities at a break-even point rather than a deficit, so it’s possible that it might result in lower prices for oncampus dining or improved facilities with
A proposal has been made to require students living oncampus at A&M to buy minimum meal plans starting in 2012.
more staff. “Right now about 88 percent of residents buy a meal plan voluntarily, and while you’d think that that would be enough to sustain places like Sbisa and some of the other infrastructure that we really have for residents, not so much the general campus population, it’s not. The difference between 88 percent and 100 percent is, for me, running some these operations at a break even or at a loss,” said David Riddle, director of dining services. It may be important to note that even if the proposal is approved and comes to fruition, A&M’s dining program would still be See Dining on page 2
Daniel Crump — THE BATTALION
9/21/10 7:29 PM