thebattalion l tuesday,
june 25, 2013
l serving
texas a&m since 1893
l first paper free – additional copies $1 l © 2013 student media
OSHA investigates accident Equine complex collapse injures 5 workers Jessica Smarr The Battalion
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ccupational Safety and Health Administration investigations are underway to evaluate the cause of the collapse of a 300-foot-long barn under construction, which injured 5 workers, as a part of the $80 million Texas A&M University Equine Complex Project. Tom Hansen, senior vice president of Gamma Construction Company, said he and other company officials are working closely with federal investigators to provide information relevant to the collapse. Hansen said the investigation would be ongoing throughout the week. The building collapsed Saturday morning as workers were elevated in a lift 40 feet off the ground to tie beams together. Five workers, all employees of subcontractor Ramco Erectors Inc., were injured in the collapse. Ramco Erectors could not be reached for comment. Four of the injured workers were sent to St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan, while the fifth was sent to the College Station Medical Center. The Associated Press reported three of the workers at St. Joseph had been released. A representative of the College Station Medical Center said the injured worker they received was still in their care but in stable condition. Hansen said the efforts of the first responders on the scene were commendable. “I’m not from College Station, but I was real impressed with your people up there,” he said. At the time of collapse, Hansen said the first response of Gamma Construction company was two-fold — to ensure the well being of the injured workers and to immediately secure the site and notify the respective government
Josh McKenna — THE BATTALION
On Saturday morning a building under construction as a part of the Texas A&M University Equine Complex project collapsed, injuring five. At time of press at least three workers had been released from the hospital. entities. “Our initial response, first off, was concern about the injured workers, to make sure they were okay,” Hansen said. “Our thoughts and prayers were first with them and their families, and our first response on top of that was to secure the project, make sure those guys were taken care of and also to notify OSHA and the governing authorities and work with them in the investigation to determine what happened.” Hansen said no work would be done on the building site until the investigation is complete. Construction on the Equine Complex be-
gan in the fall of 2012. According to a College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science press release, the complex would include an education and outreach center, along with facilities for the Texas A&M Equestrian Team, the cross country team and Parsons Mounted Calvary when completed. “This center will be a major center of equine research, care and outreach,” said University President R. Bowen Loftin. “It is an excellent example of one of the things we do best at Texas A&M: work together across academic disciplines. Non-academic units are involved as well to make the center truly one-of-a-kind.”
Our thoughts and prayers were first with [the injured workers] and their families, and our first response on top of that was to secure the project...” — Tom Hansen, senior vice president of Gamma Construction Company
movie review
Monster weekend Sean Lester: Pixar’s latest coming-of-age tale isn’t just for the kids
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s I sat near the front row of the theater with kids at least 10-15 years younger than me Sunday, I couldn’t help but get a sense of nostalgia. We were all there to see Disney/Pixar’s “Monsters University,” the prequel to the 2001 blockbuster “Monsters Inc.” What we didn’t have in common was I remember seeing Monsters Inc. in theaters 12 years ago. Most of the other customers in attendance weren’t even thought of 12 years ago. “Monsters University” tells the story we didn’t know for all these years, how did Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James P. “Sulley” Sullivan (John Goodman) meet? It all began at a university that churns out the best “scarers” in the industry for a land that runs on the screams of scared children. Mike enters college as a wide-eyed freshman ready to hit the books and
become the best scarer after his four-year stay. He is quickly introduced to the equivalent of a no-brain jock in Sulley who considers himself too cool for school. The two are more enemies than friends, as Sulley quickly becomes the big man on campus while Mike falls in as a brainiac. The two charismatic characters are only united as friends when they are dropped from the scaring program, ending any dream of someday working at Monsters Inc. Mike joins a misfit group of monsters in the Oozma Kappa fraternity, vowing to win the annual Scare Games and win
COURTESY
“Monsters University” tells the story of Mike Wazowski and James P. “Sulley” Sullivan in their journey through college. The movie is a prequel to the 2001 hit “Monsters Inc.”
Opening weekend by the numbers movie
gross
change
total gross
1) Monsters University 2) World War Z 3) Man of Steel 4) This is the End 5) Now You See Me 6) Fast and Furious 6
$82,429,469 $66,411,834 $41,287,206 $13,290,642 $7,876,002 $4,930,685
--------- 65% - 36% - 29% - 49%
$82,429,469 $66,411,834 $210,078,153 $58,082,166 $94,456,978 $228,618,155
See Monsters on page 2
SOURCE: www.the-numbers.com
dining services
Chartwells proposes new meal plan, dining dollar system Allison Rubenak The Battalion
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Josh McKenna — THE BATTALION
David Riddle, resident district manager of Chartwells, said the new meal plan proposal acts as encouragement for students to dine in the dining halls, such as Sbisa (above) and Duncan.
BAT_06-25-13_A1.indd 1
hartwells, the food management division of Compass Group USA, proposed a new meal plan system to be implemented in the 2013-2014 academic year. Students will recognize familiar aspects of the 2012-13 plans in the proposal. There will be an increase in the number of meals included in the plan and a decrease in dining dollars. The dining dollars will not roll over from the fall to spring semesters as they have in previous years. Some A&M students preferred the plans they purchased last year over the new proposal. “It was good to have an excess of dining dollars, like if I wanted to buy a snack at Rattlers in the Commons,” said Jill
Palmer, sophomore International Studies major who was an on-campus resident last school year. When asked how she believed students would react to the discontinuation of the “rolling over” of dining dollars, the Director of Residence Life, Chareny Rydl, said the reaction would depend on individual students. “Honestly I think it depends on the individual student and how they use their meal plans and dining dollars,” Rydl said. Another key implementation is of “meal trades” and “meal trade zones” in the new plan. A “meal trade” is a meal used anywhere other than Sbisa or Duncan dining halls. Under the proposed Corps of Cadets, mandatory freshman and sophomore, and resident meal plans, only three meal trades may be used
inside lifestyles | 3 Brand new operation Apple recently introduced it’s new operating system with it’s first overhaul since the iPhone’s introduction in 2007. Our writer gives his opinion on the modern iOS 7 update that will be available this fall.
See Meal Plan on page 2
6/24/13 9:03 PM