thebattalion ● tuesday,
october 13, 2009
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2009 student media
City of Bryan named ‘Tree City USA’
Planting for the future
Bryan is one of the 3,310 communities named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. Requirements for becoming a Tree City USA community are the following:
Yearly tree planting event brings students and cities together
■ Tree board or department to be responsible for the care and management of the community’s trees
Ann Littmann| special to The Battalion
W
ith shovels in hand, Texas A&M students from various organizations will unite to volunteer on Aggie Replant Day Saturday for the largest studentrun, environmental service project in the nation. “Replant Day is a one-day environmental service project which strives to improve the Bryan-College Station community, bring students together through tradition and provide an avenue for environmental service and action through a yearly tree planting event,” said junior biology major Catherine Tay-
HOW TO PLANT A TREE Information from Texas A&M Landscape Horticulturist Douglas F. Welsh
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Dig a hole double the size of the root ball and the same height. Save the soil you dig out to fill the hole.
lor, Replant Day Director. “We continue every year to beautify both A&M’s campus as well as the surrounding community.” This year about 300 trees, types including Bald Cypress, Live and Burr Oak and Crepe Myrtle, will be planted; 115 are from Replant’s Riverside Campus tree farm. “I’m participating in Replant Day because I feel that not only is it a great opportunity to beautify the city, it is also a way for the students at Texas A&M to show the Bryan-College Station community that we appreciate how they support us
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Remove the cover from the root ball and place it in the center of the hole. Spread the exposed roots out.
throughout our college careers,” said junior geography major Melissa Brauks. This year marks the first time for Brauks to participate in the project. She said the Geography Society and the Geosciences Student Association will be teaming up together on Saturday. “I am excited to have a large group of us going out to represent the College of Geosciences,” she said. Replant Day originated in 1990 when the chairman of the Environmental Issues Commit-
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■ Tree care ordinance provides guidance for planting, maintaining and removing trees from streets, parks and other public places ■ Community Forestry Program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita ■ Arbor Day observance and proclamation www.arborday.org
See Replant Day on page 7
Fill the hole with the dirt previously removed. Gently pack the soil using water to settle the water around the root ball.
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After the tree is planted, cover the area with mulch staying 1 or 2 inches away from the trunk to reduce weed competition.
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Week one, water daily with about a pint of water. Week two, water every other day with about a quart of water. Week three, water every third day with two quarts of water. Week four and beyond water once a week if needed.
Illustration by Evan Andrews
Constructing a good cause
Maroon Out reaches new heights, literally Laura A. Sanchez The Battalion Aggie students may be in the Guinness World Book of Records soon for the most people wearing the same shirt. Texas A&M Student Council and Maroon Out have applied for the record and hope to reach a broad audience through their billboard. The billboard, which is placed on Highway 290 after Highway 6 toward Houston, promotes the purchase of a Maroon Out T-shirt for $5. It was set up Sept. 15 and was a gift from a former student. “I got into contact with an old Ag that was trying to help class councils, and he gave us the billboard for free. On the billboard it says get your Maroon Out T-shirt for $5,” said Carrington Gilbert, director of Maroon Out. The billboard, designed by Caleb Paulson, assistant director for Maroon Out, is 20 feet tall and 40 feet wide. “We had an idea to reach people, not only in College Station, but outside as well. A lot of people from here are
from Houston, so we were trying to reach people in that area. It was kind of out of our budget initially, so we really didn’t think about it but since we had this connection, we got it a lot cheaper than it would’ve been,” said Paulson. The billboard includes the date of this year’s Maroon Out, Nov. 26. “It was geared more toward getting public involvement, not only within the University, but getting the public to support this tradition as well,” said Kyle King, Maroon Out finance director. The organization has also applied for a Guinness World Record for the most number of people wearing the same shirt. “The process they said would take about four weeks. We sent that in, and we’re just kind of waiting. It kind of gives more incentive for people to come out to the game and participate and to be part of something big, not just campuswide but worldwide as well,” Paulson said. See Maroon Out on page 7
Circle of Women builds house for a family in need in Bryan Christina Francisco The Battalion
Courtesy Photo
Lacey Terrette, junior environmental studies major, Kyle King, junior biology major, Carrington Gilbert, sophomore marketing major, and Caleb Paulson, junior landscape architecture major, are members of Maroon Out, the first recognized student organization with a billboard.
Shipwreck Grill
Nobel Peace Prize
Learn about the newest restaurant in Bryan opened by two former students.
Awarding President Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize is premature.
lifestyles | 3
voices | 5
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With help from a group of Bryan-College Station women, Bertha Ruiz and her family of four children and grandchild will soon have a place to call home. The women are part of the 2009 Habitat for Humanity Circle of Women Build, which is a project consisting of female volunteers, partners and businesses that work together to fund and construct a Habitat house for a family in need. “These women are amazing,” said director of communications for the Bryan-College Station Habitat for Humanity Abby Johnson. “They get sweaty and muddy and really establish camaraderie with one another.” But Meier said the project isn’t just for adult women. She said she hopes college students find a way to get involved. “In the future it would be a really cool idea to have a separate Circle of Women build by A&M students,” Meier said. Volunteers work in shifts of about eight women and arrive at the site in the early morning, sometimes staying until 4 p.m. A Habitat construction crew oversees the building, but most of the work is done by the women themselves. The eight-week build on Ruiz’s home began in late August and continues every Saturday, weather permitting, at the house site on 400 Baylor St. in Bryan. The Ruiz family will put in at least 500 building hours in the program before they are named the official homeowners. At that point, once the house is finished, the family will be able to purchase the home at a zero percent interest rate. Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity in Bryan-College Station Melanie Phillips has the chance of working on the house with her two daughters. “It’s a great opportunity for us to do something together,” Phillips said. “From painting the house to roofing, it’s an accomplishment to do things most people think women can’t do.” Diane Jones Meier, a member of the circle, sees not just an opportunity for community service but also an opportunity for learning in the build. “Women are less likely to have any experience in construction, so most are doing it for the first time,” Meier said. “It’s a great opportunity for them.”
10/12/09 11:10 PM