thebattalion ● wednesday,
september 23, 2009
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Students to learn ways to study abroad Students who have recently studied overseas will share their experiences, and financial and student aid advisers will be on hand to answer questions at Texas A&M University’s Overseas Day Study Abroad Fair. The fair will be in Rudder Exhibit Hall between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Professors leading the programs will also be available to explain the coursework and what students can learn. The fair is intended to show students how they can benefit from time spent abroad, whether personally, scholastically or professionally.
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CRICKET FACTS:
Students complain about cricket invasion Joaquin Villegas The Battalion A large number of crickets have made College Station home, a move that many students are finding bothersome. During the game against Utah State, many students in the upper decks complained that crickets were disturbing their experience at the event. “There were so many of them,” said Adrianna Saenz, freshman general studies major. “Some of them were jumping
onto the other students, and one of them even landed on my shirt.” The recent increase in the Gryllus assimilis, or black field, cricket population around the city is a common phenomenon that occurs every year during the fall. “Crickets are around most of the year,” said Christopher Sansone, extension entomologist professor. “In the fall, they start to move around due to temperature changes, and they start looking for mates.” The cricket problem is not consid-
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■ Crickets have ear-like sound receptors located on their legs. ■ Males sing at night making a sound by rubbing his wings together. ■ When a cricket enters the house in some countries, it’s considered a sign of good luck, and the cricket is treated with respect. SOURCE: www.ozanimals.com
TAMU chapter to recreate perceptions of social justice Austin Vela The Battalion
Two men rob student off campus
Laura A. Sanchez, staff writer
See Crickets on page 6
■ Black field crickets lay between 150-400 eggs.
Global Justice Organization revamps mission
Landon Hagan, staff writer
A 22-year-old male was assaulted and robbed at 10:22 p.m. Monday on the 500 block of Cherry Street, according to a College Station Police Department news release. Prince Varghese, a senior electrical engineering major, reported that two black males jumped out of a vehicle and pushed him to the ground. The men then took Varghese’s phone and attempted to take his backpack but were unsuccessful. “He had some minor abrasions, but he didn’t require any treatment,” said Sgt. Todd Ban Dressar of the CSPD “He said he was just walking in the area when it happened.” There are no further descriptions of the vehicle or of the two males. The Texas A&M University Police Department sent out an e-mail to faculty, staff and students Tuesday.
ered a serious situation, but rather an inconvenience that cannot be completely averted, especially in areas like College Station. “They are a real problem in areas where agricultural regions are next to urban areas,” Sansone said. “They move from the fields and move towards the city areas.” Kyle Field provides the perfect ground for the crickets to reside.
■ Crickets eat decaying plant material and insect remains.
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Global Justice at Texas A&M University has separated its formal ties from the national chapters of Global Justice because the group says it needed better leadership. In name, logo and mission Global Justice TAMU is its own local entity. The mission of the national Global Justice organization remains as an inspiration for the TAMU chapter. Global Justice TAMU is a student-run organization that includes a faculty adviser Jan Fernandez and graduate student adviser Peggy Wantwadi.
“Global Justice provides opportunities for students to become leaders and advocates for the well-being of the global population trapped in social justice issues: child soldiers, global poverty, human trafficking, etcetera…through service opportunities,” Wantwadi said. In the past, Global Justice TAMU operated as a service organization that facilitated benefits, concerts, fundraisers and advocacy campaigns. After facilitating these events, the money raised was donated to national organizations. In 2008, Global Justice TAMU raised money that went toward supporting an orphanage in the Republic of Malawi.
Although facilitating these fundraisers is still important to gaining real-world experience, the problem with operating mainly as a service organization, said Global Justice chairwoman and junior psychology major Kayla Salazar, is there was a noticeable lack of leadership and fragmentation. Salazar said the social justice movement must better define what the movement stands for and wants to accomplish. The fragmentation in the social justice movement is a direct result of the vague definition of social justice. See Global justice on page 6
MSC Forsyth galleries relocates to Wimberly Building in Bryan Jane Lee The Battalion The Memorial Student Center Forsyth Center Galleries has relocated to a temporary location until the reopening of the Memorial Student Center in 2012. The galleries, which closed May 17, will be displaying exhibitions at the Wimberly Building located in downtown Bryan. “We chose this location because of the unique situations when dealing with art,” states Nan Curtis, the director of the MSC Forsyth Center Galleries. The Wimberly Building provided the right safety and environmental specifications such as regulation of temperature, humidity and light intake.
“Our first concern was to find a location on campus for the Forsyth Center Galleries, but we did not find a building that could accommodate to our specific needs,” Curtis said. The Wimberly Building provides free parking and is located at street level access. “We feel that the temporary building is actually a lot easier to access than if we had to located to a building on the Texas A&M campus,” Curtis said. Many students have been affected positively by the relocation of the galleries. “With the closing of the MSC, we are looking into partnering with Forsyth for some of our exhibitions over the next few years,” said Mary Tipton, a junior history major and chairwoman of the MSC Visual Arts
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Committee. “This partnership will be really exciting because of the opportunity it allows our programs to not only reach the student body, but the local community as well.” The MSC Forsyth Center
Galleries began as the Forsyth Center, an alumni center for the Association of Former Students. In 1989, Bill Runyon, Class of 1935, and his wife Irma donated an extensive art collection with an endowment
to A&M. “Bill Runyon found out throughout his life that art enhances one’s view of the world, and he wanted future Aggies to See MSC gallery on page 6
9/22/09 10:59 PM