thebattalion
inside b-cs | 2 Pro-life campaign nears end As part of the national pro-life campaign 40 Days for Life, members of Coalition for Life provide a 24/7 vigil for 40 days outside of the Planned Parenthood facility in Bryan.
l tuesday,
march 19, 2013
l serving
texas a&m since 1893
l first paper free – additional copies $1 l © 2013 student media
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health | 3 The healthy choice
Off campus eating does not have to mean unhealthy eating. National Nutrition Month shines a spotlight on healthy alternatives to greasy burgers and pizza.
Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION
Junior center Karla Gilbert and the Texas A&M women’s basketball team celebrate announcement of No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Lucky number 3 sports | 4
Quiet confidence Senior pitcher Mel Dumezich has boosted Texas A&M softball to new levels behind her three no-hitters. Her leadership earned the Aggies a 19game win streak to start the season and a 26-2 overall record.
sports | 4 Tuesday baseball preview Texas A&M baseball matches up against Dallas Baptist on Tuesday following a threegame weekend sweep against Georgia.
Israel sends mixed signals Ahead of President Barack Obama’s arrival on a Mideast mission, Israel’s new government sent mixed messages about pursuing peace with the Palestinians Monday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said to parliament that his hand is outstretched in peace and that he is ready for a “historic compromise,” but one of his closest allies called hopes for peace “delusional.” Well aware of the large gaps between the sides, Obama has been careful to lower expectations for the visit, which begins Wednesday. Associated Press
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A&M women score No. 3 seed in NCAA tournament Charity Chambers
The Battalion ccording to Texas A&M women’s basketball head coach Gary Blair, music sensation Alicia Keys’ popular song “Girl on Fire” applies well to a group of players he’s developed throughout this past season. “You know that song that Alicia Keys sings,” Blair said. “I think our girls are on fire right now.” Despite losing four of their final five regular season games, the No. 9 ranked women’s basketball team surged to Texas A&M University’s first-ever Southeastern Conference title on March 10, de-
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feating Kentucky 75-67 in the league tournament championship game. On Monday, the squad awaited their postseason fate at the Cox-McFerrin Athletic Center. The athletic department hosted a selection-show watch party on the team’s practice gym floor and, with a packed house, patiently anticipated their NCAA tournament seeding. Texas A&M, who will host the first and second rounds at Reed Arena, earned the No. 3 seed in the Norfolk Regional and were paired with No. 14 seed Wichita State to kick off the tournament. Big East and ACC tournament champions Notre Dame and
Duke were slotted as the first and second seeds in A&M’s region. “We are excited to be in the NCAA tournament again,” junior center Kelsey Bone said. “And we’re excited that we’re hosting it again.” A&M is only one of four teams to gain a No. 4 seed or higher for the past seven consecutive years. Led by Blair, the Aggies will be making their 10th all-time NCAA tournament appearance and hope to bring home their second national title in three years. Senior guard Adrienne Pratcher said she looks forward to seeing everyone come out and support them in the first and second rounds. “I’d like to see all of you guys here for the first and second rounds and in Norfolk as we continue our journey,” Pratcher said to the crowd. “We hope to see you guys for our next six games because Kristi [Bellock], Cierra [Windham] and I plan on playing six more games in our career.”
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Quad eatery feeds cadets and non-regs Lauren Simcic
The Battalion ore than 2,000 uniformed cadets file in at 7:10 in the morning. Their day started an hour ago, with physical training, roll call and a ceremony to honor the American flag. Trays in hand, they are hungry for breakfast. Within 20 minutes, the cadets are seated with full plates of food, and after another 20 minutes, everyone has finished and is ready for class. For students not in the Corps, Duncan Dining Hall isn’t a popular place to grab lunch. For the Corps of Cadets, Duncan is part of daily routine. Located at the back of the Quad, Duncan is the primary eating location for cadets who gather there for two mandatory meals every weekday. Some cadets complain about the
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food in Duncan, but Shaun Bruner, sophomore history major and member of A-Company, said the complaints have less to do with the food and more with being a freshman in the Corps. “If you hear a cadet say he doesn’t like Duncan, it’s probably because of the way he had to eat [freshman] year,” Bruner said. There are rules cadets must follow. Freshmen stand at attention with their trays until everyone shows up and must ask the highest-ranking cadet at the table if they are allowed to sit down. Freshmen also set their place settings in a particular way, as well as eat at attention, which means sitting up straight and not looking around. Finally, freshmen ask permission to get up and then clean the table after they eat. See Duncan on page 6
Caleb Stuart — THE BATTALION
(From left) Freshman aerospace engineering major David Moore, freshman computer science major Terry Renfro-Pihut and freshman aerospace engineering major Adam Magera talk about their day over dinner Monday evening at Duncan Dining Hall.
Jenna Rabel — THE BATTALION
Senior agronomy major Blake Yount disposes of some trash on the way to class using a “Big Belly Solar Compactor” Monday afternoon near Rudder Fountain Plaza.
Interns promote attitude of sustainability on campus Tyler Webb & John Rangel
The Battalion he term “green” is an often politically charged word that the Office of Sustainability at A&M works to neutralize, while encouraging and equipping students with the means to help sustain their environment. The office promotes sustainable practices in everyday life — most recently the installation of water refilling station across campus. Interns in the Office of Sustainability will host two on-campus conferences on water conservation Wednesday and March 20. “We are taking the opportunity to make sure the students know where these stations are so they cannot waste resources on water bottles,” said Cam Bartzen, intern and junior environmental studies major. “We also want to discuss the importance of water sustainability and put into perspective just how valuable a resource it really is.” The office is celebrating its five
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year anniversary this month and Kelly Wellman has been head of the office since its formation in 2008. She makes an effort to refrain from using the common phrase “going green” when describing the purpose and function of the office. “Going green is not necessarily a bad statement,” Wellman said. “We just tend not to use it here because it can be something that politically polarizes people. Being sustainable is an idea meant to cross political ideologies because when you’re being sustainable you’re balancing the needs of people, planetary resources and financial resources.” The office describes sustainability as responsibly preserving the planet’s environmental, social and economic resources to promote the full prosperity of future generations. “People tend to make the jump from sustainability to recycling,” Wellman said. “While recycling is a very important piece of sustainability, serving as an example of conserving a resource, it is a very small sliver See Green on page 6
3/19/13 12:28 AM