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april 30, 2013
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Citywide profit share Regents to to support West community hear Kyle proposal J board of regents meeting
John Odom
The Battalion uggling early finals and the approaching end of the semester, student leaders at A&M continue to launch a six-day camnpaign to raise money for relief efforts of the community of West, Texas. The citywide profit share “A Night Out in B-CS” begins Wednesday and all money raised will benefit victims affected by the fertilizer plant explosion. The event was created last year to aid the families of constable Brian Bachman and Christopher Northcliffe after their deaths in an August shooting in College Station. Junior finance major Hudson Hoyle is one of the founding members of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, PIKE, which created the event. With 22 businesses registered to participate compared to last year’s 40, Hoyle said because this event is being organized over the course of six days, efforts might not reach their maximum potential. “The only thing hindering us from having more people sign up is just the short notice and not having enough time to go to the businesses and get in touch with them,” Hoyle said. “We haven’t had the privilege of a month’s worth of planning so we couldn’t go through the process of recruiting businesses then figuring out the operations and then marketing the event.” Hoyle said although he is losing sleep and time that would be spent studying for finals, it is well worth the struggle. “I could give up nights of sleep to make this event as big as possible, but at the end of the day we’re going to have a bed to go home to,” Hoyle said. “These families in West — a lot of these people instantly lost their entire homes and apartments — their lives were just completely changed, so really the least we could do is give a week of our time.”
Aimee Breaux The Battalion
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Caleb Stewart — THE BATTALION
President of the Collegiate Panhellenic Council Alice Schneider, a senior economics major, and fellow student leaders sport the “Stand for West” T-shirts made to raise funds for relief efforts for West, Texas.
See Benefit on page 2
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campus | 3 Before I die ... One student’s vision led to a chalkboard on campus on which passersby can record and reflect on life goals and dreams.
b-cs news Memorial service set for CS manager A public visitation for College Station City Manager Frank Simpson, who died Saturday of an apparent heart attack, will be held Tuesday from 5-7:30 p.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church at 2541 Earl Rudder Freeway. A memorial service is set for Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the church, followed by a reception. The graveside service will be private.
he University Board of Regents prepares to meet Wednesday and Thursday to consider approving various proposals, including the University’s proposed Kyle Field renovations and changes to tuition and fees for the Texas A&M University System. A projected $425 million expansion and renovation of Kyle Field would include a $95 million renovation of the east side, or student section. Of that sum, students have been expected to raise $75 million. The source of that funding will be potentially determined at the regents meeting. The University proposed that 60 percent of needed funds come from a mandatory increase in the University Advancement Fee, UAF, and 40 percent from an increase in the price of student sports passes. The proposal calls for an increase in the cost of student fees by $2.42 per semester credit hour and an increase in the cost of home game tickets by $11.48 per game. As the meeting nears, some student arguments regarding the way Kyle Field should be funded have resurfaced. The 66th Session of Student Senate will consider an emergency piece of legislation during its Tuesday meeting that opposes the administration’s proposal to fund Kyle Field. Bill authors Cary Cheshire, junior political science major, and Fernando Sosa, sophomore political science major, claim the proposal is a side effect of a greater lack of University transparency. Sosa said University officials did not seek the advice of the Tuition and Fees Advisory Committee, which is made up of staff and students, before submitting the payment plan to the board, a violation of the University’s own protocol, and See Board on page 7
baseball
Struggling A&M preps for Grambling visit
James Sullivan
The Battalion ollowing a seven-game road trip, the Texas A&M baseball team aims to ground itself with a home matchup against FCS opponent Grambling State on Tuesday at Blue Bell Park. A&M has lost nine of its past ten games, including each of its past five, and have sunk to the bottom of the SEC West. A&M head coach Rob Childress summed up the team’s frustration throughout the past three weeks, saying a “short memory” is a necessity for the final stretch of the season. “They’re mad, but it’s a matter of us going and doing something about it on the field,” Childress said. “We have to go out and play a better game. We’ve got to get after it from start to finish.” For A&M (22-22, 7-13), a knee injury to senior shortstop Mikey Reynolds, which sidelined the
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Aggies’ top offensive threat for two games near the beginning of the stretch, has left the team looking for a spark at the plate. Reynolds, now back at full strength with five starts under his belt since the injury, continues to lead the team behind his .393 batting average, but has found little support. Sophomore first baseman Cole Lankford, second on the team with a .360 batting average, has failed to return to his usual form after sitting out five games due to illness. Lankford said the Aggies need to remain levelheaded and approach the final stretch with an unequaled passion. “We made some errors, but that’s baseball, that’s what happens,” Lankford said. “We’re going to get some rest and come out and play our hardest with an intensity that we hope they can’t match.” Grambling State (16-26, 8-13)
enters the matchup coming off a doubleheader sweep of Selma University on Saturday. Behind Darren Farmer and Juan Bueno, the team’s leading batters with .352 and .309 averages, the Tigers offense has recently surged. The two combine for 100 hits, 57 RBIs and five home runs on the year. A&M will look to sophomore Corey Ray (3-2) to start on the mound against Grambling State, who holds a 5.58 ERA with 40 1-3 innings pitched. The Tigers turn to Edvardas Matusevicius (0-3) to start, who holds a 8.04 ERA on 43 2-3 innings pitched. Ray, who has struggled in his past two starts, aims to shut down Grambling State behind a combination of defense and pitching. “It always feels good when you can go out and produce for your team,” Ray said. “I just try and throw strikes and let my defense work.”
Chase Krumholz — THE BATTALION
Sophomore first baseman Cole Lankford looks to return to his old form in Tuesday’s matchup with Grambling State at Olsen Field.
west, texas
Bryan groups gather music acts for West relief festival Kadie McDougald
The Battalion ultiple Bryan-based organizations and companies will come together Sunday to host Fest for West, a festival that will raise money to assist relief efforts for victims of the fertilizer plant explosion in West. Rene Lawrence, executive director of the Downtown Bryan Association, said the idea for the event originated after family members of one of the asso-
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ciation’s board members were impacted by the blast, including the loss of a cousin and first responder. “We discussed how we could help and we kind of jumped on board and were excited to be able to help,” Lawrence said. “[The event is] pretty simple — it’s about raising as much money as possible for families who lost their homes or loved ones. People have to rebuild their homes and pay medical bills. Even homes that weren’t destroyed have a lot that needs to be repaired.” Lawrence said she wants people to show up and
have a good time. “It’s a really simple way to get involved,” she said. The event will feature live entertainment from more than a dozen performers, all who have offered their time and talents for the cause, headlined by reddirt country musician Brandon Rhyder. In addition, Lawrence said there will be a silent auction and food provided by various companies. “All of the performers agreed to play for free,” Lawrence said. “They’re donating their time so we can make this an all-profit event.” Bucky Bachmeyer, musician and owner of Big Red Drum Entertainment, said he will perform on Sunday and his commitment to assistance comes from the same altruistic desire that fuels his business. “I built [Big Red Drum Entertainment] on the principles of helping independent artists to get their See Festival on page 7
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