thebattalion l wednesday,
april 3, 2013
l serving
texas a&m since 1893
l first paper free – additional copies $1 l © 2013 student media
Bill drops ‘GLBT’ language Authors broaden scope of funding legislation Aimee Breaux
The Battalion he verbiage and title of “The GLBT Funding Opt-Out Bill” were amended Tuesday at a Student Senate finance committee session to avoid singling out the GLBT Resource Center. Under the new title — “The Religious Funding Exemption Bill” — the four new bill authors said the goal of the amendments was to expand on a refund system already in place. Christopher Russo, aerospace engineering graduate student, new co-author of the bill and speaker of the 66th Session of Student Senate, said he had a problem with the bill targeting one group in particular. He said the original intent of the bill was to be a safeguard for the future of religious rights for all groups at Texas A&M. “My problem was that by singling out one group, you aren’t speaking to the principle of the matter,” Russo said. “The biggest thing is that this is a legal matter and something that is held dear both in the federal constitution and in the state constitution.” Changes made to the bill during committee deliberation included the addition of three enactment clauses and changes to the preamble to encompass more than just the GLBT Resource Center. The added second enactment clause requests that students be provided with specific instructions and an electronic form of communicating religious disagreements at the time of tuition and fee payment.
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Student Senate has the task of recovering from a bill that both unnecessarily isolated a minority student group and fell short of an attempt to go toe to toe with foundational University policy.
“What this is saying is that when you are scrolling through and paying for your tuition, that there be a link for religious disagreement exemptions ... and it would take you to the email process,” said Christopher Woolsey, sophomore political science major and original author of the bill. The new third and fourth enactment clauses ask the University to respond in a timely manner to students who request refunds and, if a request is deemed valid, to efficiently refund students the amount in question. Woolsey said while current measures are in place to allow religiously objecting students to opt out of certain funds, the system is not easily maneuvered and the amendments were an attempt to address this difficulty. Woolsey said the current mechanism is unresponsive and unwieldy for the average student and that the bill only makes See Senate on page 4
Jade Bedell — THE BATTALION
Student senator Chris Woolsey, original author of “The Religious Funding Exemption Bill,” presents an amended version of S.B. 65-70 on Tuesday.
student life
campus
Scuba club encourages Vietnam author diving through trips, events shares realities of war Molly Livingstone
The Battalion s Meghan Loftus strapped on her scuba gear and plunged into the Comal River, she knew not only that was she making a positive impact on the environment, but that she had also chosen to be a part of a unique organization at Texas A&M. Loftus, a sophomore zoology major, joined the Texas A&M Scuba Diving Club her freshman year. The group’s annual trip to “Trash Fest” in New Braunfels was her first dive with the club. “Groups get together to clean up the river, which is right next to Schlitterbahn,” Loftus said. “It’s a competition. Whoever bags the most trash wins a prize, which is anything from bumper stickers to a paid cruise. Founded in the 1990s, the club currently has between 20 and 30 members and was created to promote the sport and connect divers at A&M. The club organizes diving trips and an annual Race for the Reefs 3k and 5k, which benefit reef preservation. “It’s an organization where divers can get together, have a group of friends and find dive buddies,” Loftus said. “It’s a hangout for divers.” The group travels to nearby dive sites, such as New Braunfels, but sometimes travels internationally. “In the past, the group has
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Chase Krumholz — THE BATTALION COURTESY
Miranda Moore, senior management major, and Meghan Loftus, sophomore zoology major, advertise for the scuba club. gone to Cozumel and this May we are going to Belize,” Loftus said. Former club president Miranda Moore, Class of 2012, said her experience with the club was strengthened by the dive trips she participated in. “Last spring we went to Pensacola for our Spring Break trip,” Moore said. “We didn’t know each other that well, and just on that trip alone we gained so many friendships.” Moore said the club also plans social trips that do not involve diving.
“To join [the club], you don’t have to be a diver,” Moore said. “We do plenty of things that aren’t scuba diving related. [Recently] we went to the Houston aquarium.” Ellen Giddens, junior wildlife and fishery sciences major, said she joined the club after transferring from the University of Tampa last year. “I had been scuba diving for a long time,” Giddens said. “I wanted to meet other people my age who were doing the See Scuba on page 4
Students line up Tuesday afternoon as Tim O’Brien signs books after sharing his experiences from the Vietnam War.
Kadie McDougald
Special to The Battalion hen the award-winning author of “The Things They Carried” spoke on campus, he wanted students to understand that war is much more than the patriotic acts depicted in movies. Author Tim O’Brien spoke Tuesday to a full house at the Melbern G. Glasscock Center about his experiences as a soldier in the Vietnam War and how his years in combat affected his life. O’Brien’s appearance was part of the Glasscock Center’s lectures program. Richard Golsan, director of the Glasscock Center, said O’Brien’s reputation made his visit particularly noteworthy.
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“He’s the most distinguished American writer of the Vietnam era and one of the greatest writers of the 21st century,” Golsan said. O’Brien read excerpts of his semi-autobiographical novel “The Things They Carried” to the audience. “My hope with the story is to touch on what war really is,” O’Brien said. “War is one guy saying to another guy or one country saying to another country, ‘I’m so right and you’re so wrong, I’m going to kill you’… War is day-byday, second-by-second nastiness.” Donna Malak, communications specialist for the Glasscock Center, said bringing in scholars for lecture events See O’Brien on page 4
4/3/13 1:05 AM