thebattalion l wednesday,
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Police connect felon to Monday fire
april 9, 2014
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texas a&m since 1893
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LOOKING BACK AT
‘BEAR’
Lindsey Gawlik The Battalion
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olice have connected a felon to a house fire that occurred in Bryan and left two dead Monday, according to a probable cause statement released by Bryan Police. According to jail records, the subject, Dennis Wayne Brown III, was released Friday after serving 15 years in prison for aggravated robbery. The deceased are believed by Bryan police to be two Aggies: Noel Devin, Class of 2004 and associate vice president of resource management for the 12th Man Foundation, and her father Thomas Devin, Class of 1989. Local and state fire investigators found evidence of arson at the scene. According to the probable cause statement, police responded to calls at 4:30 a.m. Monday to an explosion and fire at 2009 Vinewood Drive. Noel Devin was determined to be the single occupant of the residence and was unable to be reached by phone. Noel Devin’s mother, Karla Devin, was contacted and responded to the scene. Karla Devin then told responders that Noel Devin’s 2011 Ford Edge was missing from her garage, which was attached to the house, the statement said. The statement said at about 5:50 p.m. Monday, officers received a call from dispatch stating that Noel Devin’s missing vehicle had been located in front of a room at the El Camino Motel on Highway 21, which the manager said was driven there by a white male. According to the statement, officers were invited into the room, which was occupied by Brown. A set of car keys with a Ford emblem were found after a search of the room and identified as the keys to Noel Devin’s missing vehicle. According to the report, Brown said he received the vehicle from a black male he knows as “Tear Drop.” Brown was arrested Monday for unauthorized use of a vehicle and confined in Brazos County Jail with a $150,000 bail, according to Brazos County jail records.
Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION
Heisman winner John David Crow looks over the original employment contract of Paul “Bear” Bryant on Tuesday afternoon at the Board of Regents Annex.
A&M presents legendary head coach’s contracts Homer Segovia The Battalion
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legacy was commemorated Tuesday when Texas A&M University System officials presented the original employment contract of Paul “Bear” Bryant, the former head football coach who oversaw a Heisman trophy win and Southwestern Conference title during his short tenure at A&M. The contract showed that Bryant made $15,000 per year and separate
documents stated that Bryant was to receive one percent of gate sales and the deed to a house still standing in the community today. Chairman of the Texas A&M System Board of Regents Phil Adams said he refers to Bryant as the Vince Lombardi of college football. “I’ve always felt that we were very fortunate to be one of the stops on his pathway to absolute legendary status,” Adams said. “He is clearly legendary, revered in every sense of the word and not just because of
his incredible record but because of folks like John David Crow, because his real legacy are the players and the coaches that he impacted in such a positive way.” John David Crow, Class of 1958 and Heisman trophy winner during Bryant’s tenure, said he spoke on behalf of his former teammates when he said Bryant’s direction was vital to the team and led him to the status of best collegiate football player in the country. “Coach Bryant was one of a
kind and he made every player that played for him a better player, and more importantly, a better man,” Crow said. “Coach Bryant has been honored in just about everywhere he’s coached, but I know that being honored here in Aggieland and especially in Kyle Field will be very special for his family.” A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin said realizing he is the successor of the position that Bryant filled years ago was a staggering feeling. See Bryant on page 2
curriculum
Students push for Chicano studies minor Panel to generate buzz for petition Wednesday Pallavi Kaushik The Battalion
inside service | 4 Student pledges nonprofit funds Senior Alexandra Dempsey wants to do something special for her 22nd birthday — donate $2,200 through her self-started fundraising project, Peace, Love & Down syndrome.
academics | 2 Scientist to talk funding Neal Lane, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during the Clinton administration, will be on campus Thursday to talk about increasingly limited funding for science research.
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Shelby Knowles — THE BATTALION
The Aggies fell into a 2-0 hole Tuesday against Prairie View A&M, but they rallied to seal the victory behind four RBIs from shortstop Logan Taylor.
baseball
Aggies score 8 straight to top Prairie View A&M rides Taylor’s career day to 8-2 win Tyler Stafford The Battalion
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fter allowing two unearned runs in the first inning, the Texas A&M baseball team buckled down and scored the game’s next eight runs en route to an 8-2 victory over the Prairie View A&M Panthers Tuesday
night at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. Sophomore southpaw Matt Kent started the game on the mound for the Aggies, but head coach Rob Childress pulled him after a shaky first inning in favor of junior Jason Freeman. Freeman threw five scoreless innings for the Aggies, allowing two hits and fanning four, lowering his earned run average to 4.15 on the year. Sophomore shortstop Logan Taylor drove in a career-
high four runs, going 3-for-5 and scoring two runs. With Allemand on first base in the seventh inning, Taylor belted a 2-0 offering over the left field fence. Taylor would reach base for the fourth time on an error in the eighth inning. Junior left fielder Cole Lankford also hit a two-run home run — depositing a full count offering into the visitor’s bullpen in the third inning to put A&M up 3-2, its first lead of the day.
hile the University offers a Hispanic Studies minor, some students believe there is a need for expansion of the curriculum. Aggies advocating for the addition of a LatinoChicano studies minor at A&M will convene a panel to discuss the proposal and generate publicity for online and paper petitions. Jasmine Jimenez, panel organizer and sopho-
more political science major, said the University doesn’t offer enough courses relating to Hispanic culture aside from those related to literature. “The University currently offers a Hispanic studies course path, which concentrates mainly on Spanish literature and arts and a linguistic course for the Spanish languages,” Jimenez said. “But for someone like me who wishes to learn about the history, problems and relevant issues, like immigration and laws, of my people, it’s pretty inadequate.” According to the current petition, the standing Hispanic Studies minor See Chicano on page 3
Jenna Rabel — THE BATTALION
Curriculum and instruction graduate student Jose Luis Zelaya discusses media strategies for the Latino-Chicano studies panel Wednesday.
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