Never forget Wednesday marks the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.
the l wednesday,
september 11, 2013
l serving
texas a&m since 1893
l first paper free – additional copies $1 l © 2011 student media
Photos courtesy of Aaron Cranford
Campus Bible study shifts locale
Breakaway, meet Simpson
Josh McKenna — THE BATTALION
Breakaway took its thousands-strong student Bible study to Simpson Drill Field on Tuesday. Jordan and Jeff Johnson (top left) led worship music and Breakaway director Ben Stuart (middle left) delivered a message.
a&m vs. alabama
Mae Jemison, the first black female astronaut, speaks to students Tuesday.
Sumlin, players preach preparation consistency For A&M, Alabama just another conference game
James Sullivan
The Battalion aturday’s matchup between Southeastern Conference rivals No. 6 Texas A&M and top-ranked Alabama has been under the watch of almost every college football fan around the nation. ESPN’s Saturday morning pre-game show, College GameDay, will be hosted live from Simpson Drill Field outside the stadium. “The Rematch” — a nickname the game has earned recently — was selected by CBS, which is only allowed to pick one SEC game per week as its choice for live broadcast to a national audience. Inside the Bright Complex Tuesday morning for the team’s weekly press conference, the A&M football program must have missed the memo. Each player who took the podium delivered the same simple message — Alabama is just another game, and the team is going to treat it as such. “As a player coming into a big week like this, you don’t want to blow it out of proportion,” said senior defensive back Toney Hurd Jr. “It’s just another game for us as we’re just starting out SEC conference play.” Five upperclassmen up, five down and not a
S
single mention that the Crimson Tide were any more special than Auburn, Vanderbilt or even Sam Houston State. Junior cornerback Deshazor Everett, whose fourthand-goal interception last season helped clinch A&M’s 29-24 victory over the top-ranked Tide, said it was key to maintain a routine each week when preparing for opponents. “If you approach it like it’s the Super Bowl, you’re going to go out there and be nervous and do things you wouldn’t normally do,” Everett said. “We have to approach it like it’s another week, but you also have to go out there knowing you have to play football and you have to bring your ‘A’ game. It’s a big game, but we’re going to go out there and play hard and do what we do.” The A&M coaching staff, led by head coach Kevin Sumlin, has preached the importance of consistency during practice regardless of the opponent. Junior wide receiver Malcome Kennedy, who scored the winning touchdown for A&M in Tuscaloosa last season, said Sumlin remains the source of the stability within the program, particularly when See Presser on page 5
Ben Malena
the eckleburg project
Evolving literary magazine hits stride in second effort
Fast-growing mag open for writing, art submissions Lindsay Gawlik The Battalion
T
he Eckleburg Project, a literary magazine at Texas A&M, is taking submissions for its Fall 2013 edition, the second edition in the magazine’s history. The Eckleburg Project was created in the fall of 2012 by eight students, in conjunction with the University Writing Center, who felt A&M needed a literary magazine. They named the magazine after the ever-watching eyes of the Dr. Eckleburg billboard in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” feeling this reflected how artists are constantly observing the world. Head fiction editor of The Eckleburg Project and senior English major, Taylor Wendt, said the Eckleburg Project is all about providing students with an outlet. “The Eckleburg Project is a literary magazine at A&M,” Wendt said. “It’s an outlet for creative minds to
BAT_09-11-13_A1.indd 1
David Cohen — THE BATTALION
express their creativity and to give students a chance to have a voice at A&M since we are predominantly a math, science and business school.” The Eckleburg Project, which started as an academic endeavor, is now a quickly growing A&M organization. The project was previously funded by the University Writing Center alone, but is currently waiting on official University funding. For the sake of publishing a strong fall edition, they are taking dues from their new members
and are charging $3 per submission. Each person may make three submissions. The Eckleburg Project has several new features, including a blog which will showcase different pieces of art weekly and new positions such as the “Old Sport” Advertising Advocates and the Managing Editor. This year’s managing editor, senior English major, Amanda BlackHendrix, said The Eckleburg Project is aiming to publish once per semester and is also currently in the process of interviewing for editing positions. The editors have been taken by surprise at how quickly the organization is growing, she said. “We opened up our applications for our editorial board and got three times the applications that we thought we were going to be getting,” Hendrix-Black said. “We on The Eckleburg Project Team are in awe, just so excited and surprised by the support and interest we are getting from the community.” See Eckleburg on page 6
Bryan Johnson — THE BATTALION
50 years of inclusion
Astronaut launches commemoration I
n 1963, Texas A&M opened enrollment to African Americans and women. Half a century later, the University is celebrating the positive impact diversity has made on the quality of Texas A&M. “Celebrating 50 Years of Inclusion” is a semester-long program led by the Office of the Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity. The kick-off event on Tuesday, “The Sky is Not the Limit,” brought the first African-American woman astronaut, Mae Jemison, to Rudder Auditorium to share her experiences. “Two days from now will mark the day of my 21st birthday,” Jemison said, referring to her first space flight aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992. At the event, Jemison spoke on the importance of space exploration and how it can serve to bring people together despite their differences. “The most important way to encourage space exploration is to make people feel as if they are all included, as if they are all a part of something,” Jemison said. “It’s amazing to think I am a part of this universe as a tiny
speck of dust in space.” Jemison’s speech attracted a diverse crowd to campus that included university, high school and middle school students. Kathy Li, senior international studies major, said Jemison’s talk carried an important message to those in attendance. “[Jemison’s talk] was hopefully inspiring to some of the elementary and middle school kids who were here,” Li said. Lisa Thompson, associate professor of education leadership and counseling, said Jemison’s story is a testament to diversity and achievement. Jemison left NASA in 1993 and has since pursued a variety of spacerelated ventures. She is currently involved in the “100 Year Starship” collaboration, with the mission to work toward the possibility of interstellar travel within the next hundred years. The next event in “Celebrating 50 Years of Inclusion” is the Hispanic Heritage Month’s opening ceremony at 6 p.m. Monday in the MSC. Staff report
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