The Battalion: February 19, 2014

thebattalion ● wednesday,

february 19, 2014

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INSTANT REPLAY, FASTER HISTORY

Kyle Field to feature nation’s largest video screen, officials say Sean Lester The Battalion

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exas A&M will have the privilege of calling itself home to the largest college football stadium in the state upon the completion of the $450 million redevelopment of Kyle Field in 2015. And starting in September, Aggies can boast about having the biggest video board in collegiate athletics.

At a Kyle Field construction update Tuesday, the University announced the new 47-feet tall by 163-feet wide video board located above the newly constructed south end zone will top the current record-holder at the University of Texas’ by 224

square feet.

“The new scoreboard in the south end zone is projected to be the largest in collegiate athletics, almost twice the size of the scoreboard from last year,” said Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp. “You can see it in the rendering that it will be another intimidating factor in the redeveloped Kyle Field.”

The Aggies will also have a per-game attendance in 2014, if sold out, that will max out at 106,511, which would be good for the third-largest capacity among college footballs stadiums behind MichiSee Kyle Field on page 4

Photos by Jayavel Arumugam — THE BATTALION

Craig Kaufman, associate principal of Populous, discusses updates on Kyle Field renovations at Tuesday’s media conference in The Zone at Kyle Field.

graduate student council

tradition

Grad wildcat contest narrows to 3 finalists

Century Tree damage not permanent

Lindsey Gawlik The Battalion

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he graduate student wildcat video competition closed Friday, and the wildcat committee met Monday to declare the top three submissions that graduate students will vote on.

Graduate Student Council president Brittany Bounds said she wanted to thank all the undergraduate and graduate students who submitted videos and took an interest in the competition.

Bounds said the top three videos — made by graduate students Kevin Andrews, Jody Harris and Travis Kiser — all consist of wildcat ideas that stay within the range of the current four wildcats but incorporate symbolism that would be meaningful for graduate students.

The submission from Andrews, one of the authors of the bill that enacted the creation of a graduate student wildcat, featured the traditional senior yell mixed with the extended thumbs of a “Gig ’em.”

“One modification I also might suggest is that graduate students who have not yet earned their Aggie ring should cover their right hand with their left like juniors, while those who do have their Aggie rings interdigitate like the seniors,” Andrews said in his video.

Jody Harris, agricultural leadership, education and communications graduate student, suggested adding a “reload, whoop” after the traditional senior yell.

“The word ‘reload’ is significant because all graduate students, whether they did their undergrad at A&M or another university, they are doing their education for the second time,” Harris said in his submission. “They have come back and they have made the decision to continue their education, thus reloading.”

See Wildcat on page 3

Tree defacers could see jail time if caught Samantha Latta

The Battalion n inscription etched into an Aggieland tradition drew attention this week when an unknown suspect carved initials into the bark of the Century Tree.

Although the tree has been defaced, Steve Johnson, A&M grounds tree manager, said the damages appear repairable.

“We have already treated the area with sealant,” Johnson said.

“That should keep bees from burrowing in and keep other in-

A

sects out.”

Johnson said he estimates the monetary cost of repairing the damages will not be too steep, but the emotional price paid by Aggies who treasure the Century Tree will be higher.

“The cost of the total tree is nearly a million dollars because of its sentimental value,” Johnson said. “The cost for this fix — just labor, will probably be around $75.”

Lt. Allan Baron of the University Police Department said the damage could cost up to $250, and for the culprit it could even cost time behind bars.

“The Academic Building has See Century Tree on page 2

The initials carved into the Century Tree were quickly covered with sealant.

baseball

Freshman’s first start secures rout Tyler Stafford The Battalion

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Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION

Junior pitcher Daniel Mengden (left) consults with freshman Tyler Stubblefield, who made his first start against SFA.

MOSCOW FESTIVAL BALLET CHOPINIANA

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BAT_02-19-14_A1.indd 1

PROVIDED

ehind a four-run opening inning, the No. 21 Texas A&M baseball team (4-0) defeated the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (2-2) 12-3 before a crowd of 4,066 Tuesday night at Olsen Field.

Freshman pitcher Tyler Stubblefield made his first collegiate appearance with two scoreless innings in Friday’s 10-2 victory over Northeastern. Stubblefield, who was drafted in the 36th round of the 2013 MLB draft by the Atlanta Braves but chose to come to A&M, pitched for 4.1 innings.

“Knowing I was going to get the start was such a great feeling,” Stubblefield said.

“To go out and show everyone what I have and just having a good team behind me — knowing they could put up four runs in the first inning — makes you comfortable and gave me a lot of confidence.”

After 70 pitches, head coach Rob Childress pulled Stubblefield with a runner on first in the top of the fifth inning. Sophomore relief pitcher Matt Kent picked off SFA’s Will Vest to close Stubblefield’s final line at 4.1 innings pitched, one error, three hits, See SFA on page 4

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2/18/14 10:58 PM

news

page 2 wednesday 2.19.2014

thebattalion

BURGEONING PUBLICATION MINES LAUGHS

Q&A:

David Cohen, lifestyles reporter, sits down with Benjamin Gothman, junior biology major and editor-in-chief of The Mugdown, a new satirical website.

THE BATTALION: Why did you start The Mugdown?

GOTHMAN: We feel that there’s a niche here at A&M that we’d like to fill. I think our goal is very different from all other publications on campus. Whereas they might be looking to report on local news, we’re looking to have people stop and think about the issues.

THE BATTALION: How did you get the idea for this?

GOTHMAN: We all realized that we didn’t have a satirical newspaper here at A&M and that it could be very popular.

We wanted a different spin on the many voices we already have, and the more we thought about it the more we thought we could actually do it. This was all in the works for just under a month. Once the ball got rolling, really, it became much more concrete.

THE BATTALION: How have you learned from people who have previously attempted to start and maintain a satirical publication?

GOTHMAN: We got advice from as many people as we could. We talked to several satirical newspapers at other universities, for example, The Travesty at UT. Their biggest advice was for us to stay consistent and to make sure that we stay within the topic. What makes these stories popular is when they relate to the readers.

THE BATTALION: How much of your intent is comedic and how much of it is to report the news?

GOTHMAN: Finding that balance is something that we’ve definitely been

Creator of satirical site speaks out on the next step for The Mugdown working on. Right now, since it’s our first three weeks, it’s been largely comedic, but moving forward we’d like to transition to getting at harder-hitting issues.

THE BATTALION: How do you connect with the student body and the culture of A&M? GOTHMAN: We all really love A&M, so before we started we wanted to make sure we appropriately represented of all our traditions. One of the things that we all agreed on is that A&M takes itself very seriously — which can be both its best and most ridiculous quality — so that’s one of our big inspirations. We wanted to be the first to make fun of ourselves, in a sense. When we talk about a topic, it’s not so much the specific figure that we mention, but rather the overall issue.

THE BATTALION: How do you plan on having people take you seriously?

GOTHMAN: We’re working on becoming a more present figure on campus. This becomes extremely difficult, since we want to stay anonymous. It’s hard to be public when at the same time you’re trying to stay hidden. From here on out, we would like to get more consistent and have a better structure by releasing articles more often than we do now.

THE BATTALION: How does your staff relate to the stories as they write them?

GOTHMAN: One thing that makes me very proud of our writers is that they’re very plugged in here at campus. Everyone is involved in various organizations, so they all have a very deep understanding of our community.

They all have a knowledge of A&M history that far outstrips my own, and it’s been really fun to work with them.

David Cohen — THE BATTALION

Benjamin Gotham, junior biology major, is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Mugdown, a new online satirical publication.

THE BATTALION: How do you and your staff personally deal with the consequences of what you write?

GOTHMAN: It’s been very interesting to see [people’s] reactions, which to this point have been overwhelmingly positive, except for the people that are mad to learn that Coca-Cola is in fact not coming to campus. So, it’s been very fun. At the end of the day, we like to meet and talk about all the things we’ve heard about our work.

THE BATTALION: How do you overcome the challenge of not being able to figure out what people want to hear about, since you must remain anonymous?

GOTHMAN: Firstly, our connection to many of the organizations in campus helps out a lot. We often get a lot of feedback without people realizing it.

The other way has been through the

Library cans student fines Aggies may waive fines with food donation Kali Denton

Special to The Battalion

I

n an effort to foster a sense of community and service in Brazos County, the Texas A&M Libraries are hosting their first Food for Fines Drive through Friday.

Food for Fines is an opportunity for students to reduce their library fines by bringing in nonperishable canned foods for the Brazos Valley Food Bank.

Tonya Carter, event organizer and library associate, said the project allows students to give back to the community while also reducing their fees.

“It’s an opportunity to give back to the community, which I’d really like to do and with Aggieland spirit I’m sure we’ll have a good outcome,” Carter said. “I also thought it would be a good opportunity to help with the fines, so it’s a win-win for everybody.”

Carter said she avoided scheduling the drive during football season or the holiday season to eliminate competition with other organizations and events taking place throughout

the year and maximize the success of the event.

Susan Goodwin, associate dean for user services, said she expects the program to bring together both the student body and the community.

“As a team we are really thinking about ways to grow our services and really embed them into colleges and students’ lives over time in meaningful ways,” Goodwin said. “Activities like this help us make connections. The more we can build community, the more we can make a difference, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

For every can of food that is brought in, $1 will be deducted from the student’s library fines.

A maximum of $50 may be applied to a student’s fines, but extra donations are encouraged.

Students can drop off canned foods at the AskDesk or Service Desk of any library on campus.

“It’s a nice opportunity to allow students to bring in food donations in exchange for some leeway in their fines at the library,” Goodwin said. “You can bring in your donation to any of the libraries. No glass jars is key, but we are looking for things like peanut butter, canned chicken and tuna, cereal, canned fruit and soups.”

THE BATTALION: What’s next for The Mugdown?

GOTHMAN: In the immediate future, we want to become increasingly relevant with events happening around campus. We’re taking it day by day, but we’re looking at the pros and cons of becoming a student organization. We’ve talked to several people as to what that process would look like due to the nature of our group. As far as expansion goes, we’ll have to reconsider some of our policies in the future, but the anonymity of our writers will more than likely remain throughout. We would like to have more fan-created content.

Century Tree Continued from page 1

David Cohen — THE BATTALION

Goodwin said the library staff liked the idea of being able to help students eliminate fines.

“We’ll see how it goes this year, but if it’s successful we’ll want to continue it,” Goodwin said. “We like the idea of getting the fines paid off.”

Alex Irby, sophomore educational psychology major, said reducing fines by bringing in cans was an excellent idea.

“It is very generous that the library is willing to put on this event to help out stu-

internet. Being anonymous there is a lot simpler. We can receive a lot of comments there in that sense. Even though we don’t really have a public presence, we still manage.

dents. Whether it is to reduce fines or just give to charity and serve the community, I am a huge proponent of both,” Irby said. “Although there is a little more effort to bring in cans, it is worth it if I would get to reduce fines by $50. It is always so encouraging to be reminded that I go to a school that motivates the students to serve those out in our community.”

been a focal point for many years and next to it sits this beautiful grand oak tree that is a symbol to many students,” Baron said. “The punishment for this is a class D misdemeanor fine up to $2,000 or 180 days in jail.”

David Reed, horticulture professor, said the damage to the tree might not be entirely detrimental.

“If the carving is not through the bark, it is very likely it won’t be damaging to the tree,” Reed said. “In order for the bark wound to be damaging, you have to remove it down to the living tissue, which would be potentially damaging and would take a year or two to heal over.”

If needed, Reed said certain measures could be taken to cover up the damage and to prevent the initials from becoming a permanent fixture.

“You could go to another oak tree, you break off some the knobby parts of the bark and glue them into place over the area, like doing tiles in a bathroom,” Reed said. “Over time it will age and the color will change — we will always see the indentions, however, it would look far less obvious.”

Ryan Johnson, Traditions Council campus relations executive, said Traditions Council remains optimistic about the situation as it serves to preserve and promote Aggie traditions.

“I don’t think they should have done this, but the Century Tree is still the Century Tree and only one small part has changed,” Johnson said. “It’s not a good thing, but the Century Tree is still just as important and just as much of a symbol as it was before.”

Annie Pyryt, freshman English major, said she was not happy with the addition.

“I think it was extremely selfish and disrespectful of whoever did this,” Pyryt said. “The Century Tree is an Aggie tradition for everyone, not just the two who defaced it.”

The case is under investigation, and anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact University police.

thebattalion THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE OF TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893

Jake Walker, Editor in Chief

the ultimate gift.

PERFECT FOR ANY AGGIE. Texas A&M University’s award-winnng 2013 Aggieland yearbook chronicles the 2012-2013 school year — traditions, academics, the other education, sports, the Corps, Greeks, campus organizations and seniors and graduate students. The Aggieland is on sale at the Student Media office, Suite L400 of the Memorial Student Center. Hours: 8:30 A.M.–4:30 P.M. Monday–Friday.

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THE BATTALION is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Offices are in Suite L400 of the Memorial Student Center.

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2/18/14 9:36 PM

news

page 3 wednesday 2.19.2014

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b-cs

Oldest living Aggie celebrates 102nd birthday Mike Dillingham served in WWII, still attends football games Anna Davidson The Battalion

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scorted in a limo and greeted by a saber arch, Mike Dillingham, the oldest living Aggie, appeared in style Tuesday at his 102nd birthday at the Carriage Inn in Bryan.

Dillingham enrolled in Texas A&M in 1931, the same year Reveille I was adopted. He played baseball for the team that won the Southwest Conference Championship. Dillingham graduated in 1935 with a degree in petroleum engineering.

Dillingham said the increase in the student body is the biggest change on campus since his graduation. When he attended there were around 3,000 students — today there are more than 50,000. “It’s so much larger,� Dillingham said. “It’s because of the girls. When I went there, girls didn’t. When the girls hit the University, everyone came flocking to A&M. They made it better.�

Dillingham pursued a career in the oil industry and later fought in World War II. “You have to speak to him a little louder now,� said Julia McCravey, activities director for Carriage Inn retirement center in Bryan. “But he’s a very nice man and that’s what makes him unique.�

Dillingham and his wife Georgia live at the Carriage Inn and still watch all the Aggie games when they can. Dillingham has held season tickets for the same section in

Mike Dillingham, Class of 1935, celebrated his 102nd birthday Tuesday.

Kyle Field since 1967.

He and his wife have provided multiple scholarships, including two that benefit members of the Corps of Cadets. “You’re a part of something big,� said Dillingham, in a previous interview with The Battalion. “And why not participate?

It’s here for you. Why come here, graduate and take off? Stay in contact with A&M. You need them and they need you. I can’t see not participating with A&M. I think that’s one of the ways A&M survives. It’s the Aggie spirit.�

Wildcat Continued from page 1

Harris, whose submission includes whooping to both the right and then the left sides, said the motions signify both the unique identity of the graduate student and their status as graduates who have already moved graduate cap tassels from one side to the other.

Travis Kiser, curriculum and instruction graduate student, suggested graduate students do a modified senior wildcat, putting their thumbs in line with their pointer finger and removing the “A� before whooping.

These three videos opened to graduate students for voting at 5 p.m.

Monday and voting will close on Feb. 28. The winner will be announced at the March 1 basketball game against Ole Miss at Reed Arena where the new wildcat will be revealed. Ryan Beemer, co-chair of the GSC marketing committee, said 75 tickets for the basketball game will be given to graduate students to see the premiere of the wildcat, but encouraged all undergraduate and graduate students to attend.

Shelby Knowles — THE BATTALION

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page 4 wednesday 2.19.2014

Kyle Field Continued from page 1

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gan Stadium (109,901) and Beaver Stadium at Penn State (106,572).

Sharp said he was excited to announce that the project is on schedule.

“I’m pleased to report the team that is working this monumental project is doing a great and fantastic job,” he said. “We’re both on-time and on-budget to open in the 2014 football season.”

With the student section and south end zone getting a facelift in the first phase of construction, one noticeable feature three months into the project are “activation towers” at the corner of the east section.

Craig Kaufman, associate principal at architecture firm Populous, said these towers allow for entrance and exit points in the stadium. The north towers will feature ramps, stairs and escalators while the south towers will feature just ramps.

Greg McClure, project manager of construction company Manhattan-Vaughn, said all demolition and the lowering of the playing surface is complete, while most pier, great beam and foundation work is nearing completion.

“Starting in three weeks we will begin building the southern bowl and will work east to west,” McClure said. “That steel is being fabricated in four plants in the state of Texas and is being shipped here on a daily basis.”

The south end zone’s first deck will connect to the first deck of the student section, which has added six rows of seats to get students closer to the playing surface.

“When we first started working with the University, we got to see the Aggie spirit and we got to understand the student’s traditional involvement in games and that’s something we did not want to negatively impact,” Kaufman said. “For this reason the second and third decks are remaining intact. We did, however, want the student experience to improve outside the stands.”

Kaufman said the concourses have been widened and there will be twice as many concessions on the student side. Most notably there will be new bathroom facili-

Baseball Continued from page 1

one walk and eight strikeouts.

Childress said he wanted to get Stubblefield through the fifth inning, but felt like he ran out of gas. Otherwise, Childress said he was pleased with the start he got from Stubblefield.

“I was very impressed,” Childress said. “He was a little bit amped up, you could see that, but after he got that leadoff hitter he settled down and was really good. It was an impressive performance. He’s

thebattalion

ties with four times as many women’s bathrooms as there were in 2013.

By enclosing the south end zone, Kaufman said Kyle Field will be able to contain the sound of the 12th Man with the help of canopies above both the east and west sections.

“The canopies reflect crowd noise back onto the field,” he said. “The Seattle Seahawks actually used a similar concept on their stadium and this year they were able to break the Guinness Book of World Records for loudest stadium and I know for sure you guys are as loud as they are.”

McClure said the steel canopy above the student section will begin construction in late March with completion expected by mid-to-early summer. The playing field is expected to be completed in mid-summer with the sod ready for the first home game of the 2014 season on Sept. 6 against Lamar.

Sharp described 2014 as a “transition period” with the first phase of the $450 million redevelopment in full-swing while outlining provisions the Kyle Field Committee and Board of Regents made to the redevelopment plans first presented by former University President R. Bowen Loftin.

The group made the height of the east and west side of the stadium level and added canopies to both sides instead of just one.

“The other thing that was added was the first row of the second deck, right on the 50 yard line, there will be 12 seats that will remain empty forever,” Sharp said. “Those seats will be empty as symbolic seats [for the bonfire victims].”

Due to alumni-side renovations and the addition of press boxes, the total seat capacity after the second phase in 2015 will be 102,500 — making Kyle Field the largest stadium in the SEC and the state of Texas.

Dennis Christiansen, director of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, also spoke at the gathering and estimated that traffic congestion associated with Kyle Field would increase by 35-40 percent in 2014.

Christiansen said six local entities are funding an effort that will allow the institute to find ways to alleviate traffic in College Station and its surrounding areas for 2014 and

got good stuff.”

Stubblefield was aided by a big first inning that saw the first five Aggie batters reach base. When the dust settled, A&M scored four runs off Lumberjack starter and College Station native Kevin Bishop.

“I was really impressed with our offense tonight,” Childress said. “We started the game with 10 amazing at-bats and staked Tyler [Stubblefield] to a four-run lead.”

The inning was highlighted by an RBI double from junior third baseman Logan Notte-

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SEC honors Aggie sprinters Two sprinters of the No. 3 Texas A&M women’s track team were honored with SEC Athlete of the Week awards Tuesday.

Junior sprinter Kamaria Brown earned Women’s Runner of the Week and Shamier Little claimed Women’s Freshman of the Week. beyond. The use of a revolutionary new app specific to A&M gamedays could help with those problems.

“We have the intent of working with local partners to have the most sophisticated gameday app in the country with real-time traffic and parking information,” Christiansen said. “You’ll be able to pay online for parking and transit. The emphasis is on letting you know your options.”

Christiansen gave the example of someone traveling from Houston to College Station being able to find a parking lot, know which route to take and pay for a parking spot, while the app would also be able to give real-time traffic updates.

“We can keep congestion levels with 25-30 percent more people in the stadium at the level it was at this year, basically reducing congestion by 25-30 percent below what it would otherwise be,” Christiansen said.

As the construction continues at Kyle Field, interim University President Mark Hussey spoke of his excitement and the excitement of Aggies around the nation as the full redevelopment looks to be completed in 2015.

“I know that Aggies throughout the state and nation are as excited as I am to see the progress of this particular redevelopment and what I believe will create the very best venue in this country to watch college football games,” he said. “By combining the Aggie spirit with a world-class facility, this will be a must-see venue for not only Aggies but for all college football fans.”

brok that hit the left field wall.

The Aggies would have another big inning in the fifth, scoring four runs in the frame.

With the bases loaded, SFA pitcher Chris Hassold balked in a run. On the next pitch, sophomore outfielder J.B. Moss ripped a pitch down the third base line, bringing in catcher Troy Stein and Jonathon Moroney, who pinch ran for Mitchell Nau. A&M was led by junior shortstop Patrick McLendon, who finished the night 4-for-6 with two RBIs and a double.

McLendon’s speed allowed him to reach base on an infield single in the first inning and let him beat out a throw to first on a suicide squeeze attempt in the fourth.

McLendon’s said his speed surprised him. He said he didn’t think he had a chance to reach base after seemingly giving himself up on the suicide squeeze.

“I was honestly surprised,” McLendon said. “Being down in the count 0-2, I wasn’t expecting that at all. Putting it down, I don’t think the defense was ready for it either. I got a good bunt down and no one was there covering first.”

Junior first baseman Cole Lankford, a preseason AllAmerican, put an exclamation point on the victory in the eighth inning with a two-run home run over the short right field wall.

The win improves A&M’s all-time record against SFA to 22-1, with the lone loss coming in 2010.

The Aggies play Sacramento State (2-2, 0-0 WAC) at 6:35 p.m. Friday at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.

2/18/14 10:42 PM