coming monday Kyle Cunningham and Beau Holder recount their experiences with the town, tailgates and fans in Stillwater. They will follow the Aggies to all away games this season chronicling their observations.
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october 1, 2010
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A&M 35, OSU 38
Stunned in Stillwater Late interception sets up game-winning OSU field goal as time expires Kyle Cunningham The Battalion STILLWATER – Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy’s halftime adjustments led to 28 unanswered points in the third and fourth quarters, leading to an A&M loss against the Cowboys 38-35 Thursday in front of 48,284 fans at Boone Pickens Stadium. With the loss, Texas A&M falls to 3-1 on the season, 0-1 in Big 12 play. The loss also puts Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman at 0-3 against the Cowboys.
The offensive woes that plagued the team against FIU two weeks ago continued, with the Aggies turning the ball over five times in the contest. The five turnovers led to three scoring drives and 17 points for the Cowboys, including the final drive which ended on a 40-yard field goal by senior kicker Dan Bailey. “I told [the team] I was disappointed, and I thought we could have played better in stages of the game,” Sherman said. “[Oklahoma See Football on page 5
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The Aggies were defeated by OSU, 38-35, in Stillwater Thursday. Quarterback Jerrod Johnson accounted for five turnovers in the loss. The Aggies (3-1) will look to rebound against Arkansas in the Southwest Classic next Saturday in Arlington.
Fishing tournament raises money for Aggie Katie White The Battalion You’ve probably heard if you give a man a fish, you’ll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime. Well, the Aggie Gulf Coast Fishermen have shown if you throw a man a fishing tournament you could help save his life. Lee Mencacci, sophomore agribusiness major, was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in April. “When I came home for Easter weekend from school Friday night, my parents were waiting for me at my house, and my mom walked up to me and told me,” Mencacci said. He received the news five days after doctors in Houston performed a biopsy of his swollen lymph nodes. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is a form of cancer that infects the immune system and decreases the body’s ability to fight infection. “The emotions of a cancer diag-
nosis are unexplainable and hopefully none of my friends ever have to experience it,” he said. Mencacci, a freshman at the time, started his first round of chemotherapy April 19 and continued throughout the summer until Aug. 2. He started his radiation therapy in late August and finished Sept. 16. Lee felt as though two weights had been lifted off his shoulders after his final round of treatment. “Helping and watching Lee through his battle is the hardest thing I ever had to do as a mom,” Donna, Lee’s mom, said. “He amazes me every day.” Mencacci is a member of the Aggie Gulf Coast Fishermen, a club started in the spring devoted to networking saltwater fishing zealots and orchestrating fishing trips to the coast. “He never told any of us he was sick,” said Bobby Barron, sophomore general studies major. “I had to find out through a mass message
that went out to the entire class of 2013 on Facebook about a head shaving fundraiser that Farmhouse was throwing for him. After talking to the other officers, we decided to help out however we can.” Joe Calhoun, junior construction science major and president of the club, met with club board members after receiving the news of Lee’s diagnosis to discuss the idea of throwing a benefit fishing tournament for Lee. “The idea floated around for a week or two, but then we finally decided it would be the best way for us, being fishermen, to help out,” Calhoun said. The club had the tournament July 31 at the West End Marina in Galveston. There were approximately 75 competitors, and the firstprize winners received a free guided fishing trip donated to the club for the tournament.
DREAM Week to raise awareness on campus Connie Thompson The Battalion The Council for Minority Student Affairs will be putting on DREAM Week, five days contributed to raising awareness of the DREAM Act from Oct. 4 through 8. The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act or “DREAM Act” is a proposed legislation in the U.S. that would provide illegal aliens an opportunity to permanent resident status. To be applicable, beneficiaries must have arrived in the U.S. before age 16, obtain proof illustrating the alien has lived in the country for five consecutive years, be between of 12 and 35 at the time of the bill enactment and have a high school diploma from a U.S. institution or obtained a GED. The DREAM Act is a hot-button issue in Congress right now because Arizona lawmakers passed a controversial law that requires local and state police to arrest reasonably suspicious people who are unable to present doc-
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umentation proving U.S. citizenship, which many claim is racial profiling. The Act was filibustered by the Republicans Sept. 21. There is still speculation about the Act, and there continue to be many supporters. DREAM Week is dedicated to informing Aggies about the DREAM Act and to helping raise awareness of the issues that surround undocumented aliens. “There are Aggies who are affected by this piece of legislation whether it may be directly or indirectly,” said Selene Gomez, member of Council of Minority Student Affairs and president of Hispanic Students’ Council. “We should be there for our fellow Aggies just how we are the Twelfth Man in every football game. Let’s be there when one of our very own need us.” Some students said the troubles surrounding undocumented students are more prominent than many would think. “Many times undocumented stuSee DREAM on page 8
See Fishing on page 4
Courtesy photo
Members of the Aggie Gulf Coast Fishermen organized Lee Mencacci, sophomore agribusiness major, a fishing tournament to raise money for his Hodgkin’s Lymphoma treatment. The students raised $5,117 for Mencacci, which will be used to pay medical bills and to fund cancer research.
Alcohol awareness month begins today Rebecca Hutchinson Special to The Battalion With college students accounting for a high percentage of the deaths related to drinking and driving, the Texas Department of Transportation put a spin on its marketing campaign. October is National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness month, and Texas has the largest number of deaths caused by drinking and driving, with 17- to 24-year-olds, accounting for 27.5 percent of these deaths. In response, the Texas Department of Transportation commissioned the Sherry and Mathews Advocacy Marketing to make a video showing the consequences of a DWI. To increase awareness the video uses an approach for college age students. “We wanted to show the practical consequences — show how it affects daily life through a medium we use every day,” said Becky Bullard of Sherry and Mathews Advocacy Marketing. The video, called “Happy Hour FAIL,” uses social media, such as
texting, Twitter and Facebook to promote the idea of designating a driver. “It might scare some people — showing the practical affects is definitely impactful,” Bullard said. “But we wanted to take a different approach that no one else has taken.” The idea was influenced by a Google ad at the 2010 Super Bowl, where a story is told through Google search, Bullard said. He said the response has been positive, with more than 14,000 hits within a week and several sites such as “AdWeek” posting the video online. Sophomore international studies major Melissa Tupper said the problem is with people and not necessarily the marketing approach. “I think people are aware of it, but they’re too lazy to find someone who is sober to pick them up,” Tupper said. “They honestly think they’re fine. I know some people who have said they’re better drivers when they’re drunk.” However, she said she does not know the full extent of the conse-
quences for getting a DWI. This video, along with kits that the Texas Department of Transportation is sending to Texas universities — 400 kits to specifically Texas A&M — show what happens when one is caught driving while intoxicated. Fines can be up to $17,000. “I don’t think punishments are severe enough,” said Meagan Klinkenberg, sophomore international studies major. “Some people take this way too lightly because they’ve never been directly affected by it. The guy who killed my sister’s friend had three previous DWIs before that accident.” According to the Texas Department of Transportation, it is thought “this video will make viewers think twice before they get behind the wheel after drinking.” They are promoting the video on Facebook, Hulu and a network of various other sites. “It needs to be put into perspective,” Klinkenberg said. “Killing someone while driving drunk should not be what it takes for people to stop.
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