thebattalion l tuesday,
august 27, 2013
l serving
texas a&m since 1893
l first paper free – additional copies $1 l © 2013 student media
New tunnel in town Underpass at Old Main, Wellborn opens to traffic
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Texas A&M Spirit Bus passes through the newly opened Old Main underpass under Wellborn Road. The project, contracted by McCarthy Building Companies, cost approximately $34 million to build.
thebattalion asks
Q:
Should the Marine Corps allow women in basic infantry training? Did anything interesting happen to you on your first day?
David Cohen — THE BATTALION
music
Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band goes to ‘battle’ Cotton Bowl halftime performance nominated for NCAA vote contest John Rangel The Battalion
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s every Aggie knows, football games aren’t just about foot-
ball. What happens during the halftime of a Fightin’ Texas Aggie football game can be just as phenomenal as watching 22 helmets collide on Kyle Field. Aggieland residents already boast of the formations at the north end of field, but now they can share their opinion with the rest of the country. The NCAA’s online “Battle of
Vote at NCAA.com
the Bands” contest aims to decide which university band can hold the title of “best halftime show” for the 2012 football season. Six bands have been chosen, each with its own unique traditions and difficult maneuvers, and online polling will decide the winner. “The presence of the Aggie Band at a [football game] has a huge impact,” said Peter Schneider, senior kinesiology major and executive officer of C-Company, a band outfit. “Aggie football wouldn’t be the same without it.”
march on washington: 50 years
MSC memorializes historic march
Schneider said the Aggie Band represents the “true essence” of a college band because it plays a direct role in the stadium atmosphere and gameplay. Schneider said few other bands can claim the ability to make more than 70,000 students stand up, chant and sway, boosting morale both in the stands and on the field. For Alexandra Gonzalez, junior agribusiness major, the long-standing traditions of the largest military band in the country, coupled with the difficult formations, make the Aggie Band stand above others. “The Aggie Band’s precision, military history and ability to maneuver in ways that seem virtually impossible are what make it the best in the country,” Gonzalez said. “I’ll never know how they do those crazy maneuvers, but they amaze me every time.”
Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION
At the 2013 AT&T Cotton Bowl, the Texas A&M band performs its halftime show, which was nominated by the NCAA for “The Battle of the Bands” competition.
Dessert before dinner Sean Lester: A&M can walk over Rice, but enjoy the cupcake while you can
David Cohen — THE BATTALION
Freshman economics major, Brooke McGee, reads one of the posters that form part of the March on Washington exhibit Monday afternoon in the MSC.
John Rangel The Battalion
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ifty years ago, 300,000 people marched on Washington as the civil rights movement fought against the segregation and unequal treatment of minorities that was still embedded in various state constitutions. Throughout this week, the Woodson Black Awareness Committee (WBAC) is hosting an event titled “Celebrating 50 years: The March on Washington Exhibit” that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington in 1963, during which Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I have a dream” speech. Not only does 1963 mark the year Dr. King and 300,000 other citizens peacefully protested the infringement of rights, it also represents the first time Texas A&M admitted black students and women.
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The significance of this date and its importance to both the University and the nation is not lost on the organizers of WBAC’s commemoration. “It was a major moment in history,” said Lyndon Pryor, Program Advisor for the WBAC. “The March on Washington encapsulates what the Civil Rights movement was and had come to be.” A walk down 12th Man Hall in the MSC reveals a series of board presentations highlighting important milestones in the Civil Rights movement, provided by the WBAC. The presentations depict the Civil Rights movement as it occurred on Texas A&M’s campus in the 1960’s. Aja Holston, senior political science major and chair of the WBAC, said the exhibit in the MSC allows students to actually walk through See Washington on page 3
David Cohen — THE BATTALION
Freshman wide receiver, Ricky Seals-Jones, and the rest of the A&M offense will lend a combination of speed and size to Kevin Sumlin’s system.
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ach football season, opposing teams are welcomed to Kyle Field in the first week or two of the season to fulfill a role. These teams aren’t NCAA Division I opponents, they are “cupcakes” on the schedule for the Texas A&M football team, serving as tackling dummies and learning assignments.
inside football | 5 Updated Aggie depth chart
William Guerra — THE BATTALION
The Aggies hold a 50-27-2 advantage over the Owls from Rice. This week, as they enter the unfriendly confines of Kyle Field, the Owls are a “cupcake” if there has ever been one. And with See Cupcake on page 4
8/26/13 11:18 PM