thebattalion
coming thursday Aggie basketball At 7 p.m. Friday the men begin and the women start Nov. 16, The Battalion previews the upcoming season Thursday with a special insert.
● tuesday,
november 9, 2010
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2010 student media
从美国到中国 Study abroad gives students advantage
Joyce Go The Battalion Today, a college degree does not guarantee a job after college. The workforce becomes increasingly competitive as job availability fluctuates during a recession. In response, college students strive even more today to make themselves appealing to future employers. Students not only work toward good grades but also add jobs and extracurricular activities to their resume. Acquiring time abroad and becoming culturally diverse is another way students build their résumé as they gain life experiences. J.D. Swiger, senior finance major and a photographer with The Battalion, explored cultural diversity when he went to China during the
summer. “I think it’s important to travel because it gives [students] an advantage in the workforce. Our world is moving towards a global economy and if you travel, you’re more likely to go overseas one day for your job,” Swiger said. “To have good knowledge of other cultures is important to show future employers.” Swiger also shared the differences he saw between American students and Chinese students. “Parents there care very much that their students do well. Students there don’t have to do chores or help around the house or things that students normally do here,” Swiger said. “Their parents take care of everything so that the students can spend all their time focus-
Photo Illustration J.D. Swiger— THE BATTALION
ing on school as opposed to America where the parents want their kids to be involved in sports, participate in extracurricular activities, do well in school, do chores at home, and have a job.” Swiger went to China to visit the family of a fellow Aggie. Xiadong Xuan, a doctoral student in the architecture department, is a Chinese international student. “It is only when you are in the country can you know the real country’s basic condition or state such as culture, economy, politics,” Xuan said. “There is an old Chinese saying that traveling is better than reading. Students can learn many things from traveling which cannot be obtained from books.” Xuan also commented on the difference he
saw between American and Chinese students. “Here the college student is more independent and has lower pressure than in China,” Xuan said. “[However], the gap between western countries like U.S. and China is decreasing. Two big countries like the U.S. and China should cooperate with each other to do something for the world.” Traveling abroad can provide students with not only a chance to get away on a mini-vacation, but it can also provide students with advantages like the opportunity to make themselves more appealing to future employers. “Going outside the United States adds an extra dimension to that stretching of your boundaries. It adds a dimension that is found See Diversity on page 4
Pancake breakfast raises awareness for Parkinson’s
Lyle Lovett, class of 1979, suggested the idea for the Thursday night concert, when he noticed an open night on his tour which will benefit the Association of Former Student’s building enhancement fund.
Joyce Go
Courtesy Photo
The Battalion Imagine not having control of your muscles just to do basic daily activities such as walking. That is what people with Parkinson’s disease have to go through on a daily basis. An estimated 7 to 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease. Texas A&M’s co-ed service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, presented Pancakes for Parkinson’s Saturday before the O.U. kickoff at Koldus Plaza. “The goal of Pancakes for Parkinson’s is to raise awareness and money for Parkinson’s disease research. One-hundred percent of the proceeds collected will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which is the largest nonprofit organization that is working toward
finding a cure and better treatments for Parkinson’s disease,” said Virginia Braly, a sophomore allied health major and co-chairwoman of the event. Although members of APO came together to raise awareness for the cause, they had different reasons for participating. “I have a couple friends who may be at risk for the disease,” said Jenny Domaschk, a senior nutritional sciences major. “By spreading awareness and donating funds for research, I hope that, if they have the disease, medicine will have a cure by then.” Stephanie Wedgeworth, a junior psychology major, also shared her goals and reasons behind participating in this event. See Pancake on page 2
Lovett to visit Aggieland Rebecca Bennett The Battalion Known for his wild mop of curly hair and his avoidance of the tight jeans and beat-up cowboy hat get-up, he defies the Texas musician stereotype. But with one glimpse at the familiar glint of gold on his right hand, it’s clear he is every bit the traditional Aggie. The famed singer-songwriter and four-time Grammy Award winner, Lyle Lovett, class of 1979, will marry his two loves of music and Texas A&M at an 8 p.m. concert Thursday in Rudder Theatre. The event, which benefits the Association of Former Students’ building enhanceThe concert ment fund and will be at 8 p.m. is also preThursday in sented by MSC Rudder Theatre. Town Hall, was Students get a Lovett’s idea. He was on tour $5 discount with to promote his valid student ID. album, “Natural Forces,” when he said he noticed a night off between two scheduled shows in Austin. “When this night presented itself, it seemed like a good idea to do something,” he said. “Coming to Texas A&M always feels like coming home.” Kathryn Greenwade, class of 1988 and vice president of the Association, said the concert
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will help reach the goal of $18 million for the enhancement of the Clayton Williams Alumni Center. “We took a building that was nice, but made it very nice and turned it into a building that Aggies can have a memorable experience in,” she said. Lovett came to A&M in 1999 to perform with Robert Earl King for a Bonfire Relief benefit and returned again in 2004 to celebrate the Association’s 125th anniversary. “I was so pumped when I heard he was coming to College Station, and I wouldn’t have to drive two hours to see him. I saw his picture on the slideshow scroll by at the new Former Student Center and started pumping my fists in the air, much to [my girlfriend’s] chagrin,” said Landry Redding, a junior mechanical engineering major. “I’m looking forward to seeing Lyle Lovett in person and hearing his band live. I’ve heard a lot of good things about his concerts.” Aggieland was home to the humble beginnings of Lovett’s career. As a freshman at A&M, Lovett became involved with “the basement committee” of the Student Programs Office, an organization somewhat akin to MSC Town Hall, in that the group scheduled both student and professional musicians for on campus performances. “I was really interested in people I could go and listen to. I was really influenced by Texas singer-songwriters,” Lovett said, listing fellow Lone Star artists Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt among his favorites. “People who lived in Texas and had moved on.” See Lovett on page 7
Senior communication major Travis Bell pours syrup on a stack of pancakes Saturday morning in front of Koldus. Students were encouraged to give donations to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Meagan O’Toole-Pitts — THE BATTALION
Students, community work to help B-CS homeless This weekend a fundraising event benefiting the Bridge Homeless Shelter took place in Downtown Bryan. The event was all about art, put on by Texas A&M students who wanted to touch lives and raise awareness about the artistic community in B-CS. “Fusion was an event benefiting The Bridge Homeless Shelter by fusing together a love of coffee, art, music and poetry with a passion for helping the homeless,” said Andrew Kaiser, a senior psychology major. The event was a resounding success, said organizer Ruth Cooper, a senior recreation, parks and tourism science major. “We raised a good amount of money, met a lot of
college students and families and sold a lot of art,” Cooper said. “I asked different people to bake and Sweet Eugene’s generously donated coffee. It was successful in fundraising and raising awareness about the artistic community in the B-CS area.” The event raised money, as well as fostering relationships. “The reason was love, really,” said Katelyn Holleyman, a junior landscape architecture major. “The Bridge is too close to going under, so Ruth had recognized a need to serve it. At the same time, it was to open our eyes to community, not circumstance.” Haley Lawson, staff writer
11/8/10 7:30 PM