thebattalion l tuesday,
february 25, 2014
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crime
2 A&M football players arrested
Clay Koepke The Battalion
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pair of Texas A&M defensive starters were arrested early Sunday. According to a Bryan Police Department report, defensive lineman Isaiah Golden was arrested for possession of less than two ounces of marijuana while linebacker and 2013 leading tackler, Darian Claiborne, was arrested for a noise violation. Golden and Claiborne were later released after posting bail. Golden, Claiborne and freshman signee Devante “Speedy” Noil were parked in a handicap parking space when approached by a Bryan police officer, according to the report. The officer reported that he immediately smelled marijuana upon approaching the vehicle. According to the report, Golden admitted ownership of the marijuana and was arrested for possession. Claiborne, who was suspended for the Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Dec. 2013 following a possession of marijuana arrest, “became very loud again complaining that this was going to ruin the defendant’s career,” according to the officer’s statement. The police department also found a three-quarters full bottle of brandy in the vehicle, which Claiborne was ordered to pour out in front of the officer as none of the occupants were of legal age to possess alcohol. According to the report, Noil, who was seated in the back of the vehicle, was not arrested.
David Cohen — THE BATTALION
Venezuelan student Esteban Garcia (center), pictured with Eduardo Cerri and Julio Gonzalez, says while he is located in Texas he is emotionally invested in Venezuela.
HERE AND THERE
Aimee Breaux
The Battalion hile the violent conflict in Venezuela continues across lines and borders, the effects of the turmoil are felt by Venezuelan Aggies. Esteban Garcia was born and raised in Venezuela, and came to Texas A&M to follow in his parents’ Aggie footsteps. Garcia, senior civil engineering major, said his life is still very much rooted in his home country. “I am emotionally, and my life is invested in Venezuela,” Garcia said. Garcia said because of his investment in Venezuela, he feels Venezuelan students are in many ways fighting his battle. Garcia said the movement led by Venezuelan university students was revitalized on Feb. 12, the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Victoria, a battle for independence against the Spanish government in Venezuela. Garcia said the movement began in part because
Venezuelan students grapple with violence from afar
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Venezuelans wanted the right to formulate their own opinions. “So, the [Venezuelan] students try to make something out of [the symbolic date] and demanded a nation-wide protest and marches all over the country,” Garcia said. “This is because especially at these universities, these are public universities, the government has tried to implement the ideology of their own, of communism and socialism, into students
that just want to think by themselves, who don’t want to be told what to think.” Garcia said those involved with the movement are also concerned about the crime rates in Venezuela. Garcia said his father and his friends’ fathers have been kidnapped in the past. Garcia said it is now a widespread practice to rob someone then drop the robbed party in the middle of nowhere hours later to ensure that no one is following them. Because of this security threat, Garcia said he now calls his mother three to four times a day to make sure that his family is okay. “It is awful, you cannot go on the streets,” Garcia said. “While you are walking, you are going to get mugged. I am constantly fearful for my mom and dad every time they leave for work. Like this, there are many stories. Most of the students over here identify with this security problem.” See Venezuela on page 6
HANGING WITH THE FRUIT FLIES
Q&A:
David Cohen — THE BATTALION
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A&M administrators and students prepare for 35,000 applicants for the Class of 2018 as A&M’s national brand continues to grow.
Prof discusses genetics research, intricacy of his work
David Cohen, lifestyles reporter, sits down with Keith Maggert, associate professor of biology.
Keith Maggert, associate biology professor, researches genetics utilizing fruit flies.
inside news | 5 Admissions
THE BATTALION: You do your research on fruit flies. Would you elaborate on how that works?
sports | 2 A&M to play HBU Tuesday PROVIDED
Valerie Hill-Jackson draws inspiration from her mother-in-law, Patricia Ann Ismail (pictured).
MAGGERT: So I study fruit flies not because I really like bugs, but because I really like chromosomes. I’m primarily a geneticist, and what interests me and those in my lab is primarily how genes are regulated. For example, when a gene knows to be turned off or on. Fruit flies have been studied to be good evidence for this over the last 100 years, so we can capitalize on this.
culture
THE BATTALION: What makes fruit flies different than any other types of organisms?
Special to The Battalion
MAGGERT: Flies are really easy to culture, first of all. You can take two flies and they will generate 200 flies within two weeks. They can also withstand very crowded conditions, and if you care about concepts like unusually large chromosomes and muscle development they have tissues that can help you there. They have got a pretty short life, but they’re complex enough that See Maggert on page 4
Prof gives GI’s wives a voice ‘Tiger Brides’ documentary to screen Cassidy Tyrone
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fter 70 years of silence, the GI brides of Tiger Bay are getting a chance to add their legacy to WWII history. Valerie Hill-Jackson, a clinical associate professor in the department of teaching, learning and culture at Texas A&M recently created the documentary film, “Tiger Brides: Memories of Love and War from the G.I. Brides of Tiger Bay,” which illuminates the untold stories of six brides
from Cardiff, Wales, who crossed the Atlantic to be with their African-American GIs. The office of the Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity at Texas A&M will be hosting a screening at of the film at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center. Tiger Bay is a halfsquare mile, multi-cultural community, Hill-Jackson wrote in a blog entry. The diverse community of Tiger Bay offered a place for black GIs to experience civil liberties they were denied in the U.S., she said. “When they came to town they weren’t judged See Tiger Bride on page 4
A&M closes out its opening eight-game home stand Tuesday against Houston Baptist at Olsen Field. Junior third baseman Logan Nottebrok, who bats .296 and has scored 10 runs, leads the offense into the matchup.
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2/24/14 9:51 PM