The Battalion: January 21, 2014

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january 21, 2014

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SONG AND SCI-FI

Cushing Library accepting filk material for collection Aimee Breaux The Battalion

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William Gue rra

— THE BATT

ALION

n an effort to expand its prestigious science fiction literature archives, Cushing Library has begun to seek out donations for a “filk” collection, a task that comes with a unique set of obstacles.

“Filk” refers to a type of fan music rooted in science fiction culture that has since branched out into other genres.

Filk songs can either be original or can be created by altering or parodying an existing song with new lyrics. Weird Al Yankovic is considered a filk artist by many, as are the wizardrock band Harry and the Potters.

“It’s a person and guitar and a lot of times they write existing songs with science fiction or fantasy themes,” said Lauren Schiller, Cushing Library specialist. “Or they write a song about their cat or they write a song about

their computer.”

Jeremy Brett, curator for the Cushing Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection, said the term originated from a 1950s article on the influence of science fiction on folk music, wherein the author accidently combined the terms and ended up with “filk.”

“It started out in the science fiction community, so it’s tied in a lot of ways to that,” Brett said. “But there are plenty of other communities that have taken

to that.”

The filk community today is well established with nationwide conventions, a hall of fame in Ontario, and the Ohio Valley Filk Fest Pegasus awards. But despite filk’s growing influence in music culture, Schiller said she has only found Bowling Green State University in Ohio to include filk in a list of material they collect.

Brett said while very few institutions in See Filk on page 4

Jenna Rabel — THE BATTALION

Cassette tapes with the music of Leslie Fish, author and well-known filk artist, are among filk material collected in the early stages by Cushing Library.

grad student council

YouTube channel highlights on-campus research

Physics graduate student explains his work on graphene Lindsey Gawlik & Jessica Smarr The Battalion

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n order to shine light on its efforts and achievements, the Graduate Student Council, in conjunction with The Partnerships for Environmental Education and Rural Health Program, will release Tuesday the first video of its new YouTube channel, “Breaking Grad.” The channel will feature graduate student research projects and let undergraduates peek into the lives of Aggie graduate students.

Jennifer Graham, GSC marketing committee co-chair and biomedical sciences graduate student, said the GSC has been working on the YouTube channel since the fall.

Ryan Beemer, co-chair of the GSC marketing committee and civil engineering graduate student, came up with the idea

for the project in September to share the research of A&M graduate students with the rest of the world.

“I wanted to give some grad students the opportunity to voice their research out to basically YouTube and to have a chance to say, ‘This is what I’m doing,’” Beemer said, “And to also give them an opportunity to show what grad students are doing on campus and that what they are doing is valuable.”

The premiere video features physics graduate student Les Sheffield and the research he has conducted over the last five years. Inspired and directed by Dudley Herschbach, Nobel laureates and Texas A&M professor of physics, Sheffield originally focused on studying the basic properties of fundamental particles in molecular collision experiments.

The Large Hadron Collider, CERN’s flagship particle accelerator responsible for confirming the existence of the Higgs Boson, also studies the fundamental properties of See YouTube on page 4

Lindsey Gawlik — THE BATTALION

Physics graduate student Les Scheffield explains his work as a part of GSC’s YouTube channel.

mens basketball

Aggies face Wildcats in Rupp Arena Conner Darland & Clay Koepke

The Battalion

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Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION

Junior guard Jamal Jones attacks the rim against South Carolina on Wednesday at Reed Arena. The Aggies won 75-67.

inside trends | 5 Spring MSC Open House showcases students

he Texas A&M men’s basketball team faces its toughest matchup of the season Tuesday as it heads to Lexington, Ky., to face the No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats at 8 p.m. in Rupp Arena.

The Aggies (12-5, 3-1 SEC) look to return to their winning ways after suffering an overtime loss, and lone conference loss of the season, during Saturday’s game against

Mississippi State.

Last season, the Aggies split two games against the Wildcats, with both teams able to earn victories on the road. The Aggies upset the Wildcats 83-71 in Rupp Arena behind a 40-point explosion from graduated senior Elston Turner. The A&M victory marked the first home SEC loss for the Wildcats under head coach John Calipari.

Although the Aggies don’t have Turner to lean on this year, they look to junior guard Jamal Jones to carry over his 24-point outburst

Saturday at Mississippi State — his fifth-straight contest scoring in double-digits and third-straight 20-point performance — to Tuesday’s showdown with Kentucky. Jones comes into the game averaging 20.8 points per game in SEC play, ranking him second in the league.

Freshman forward Davonte Fitzgerald is averaging 13 points in SEC play and earned SEC freshman of the week honors last week.

Sophomore guard Alex Caruso has See Kentucky on page 2

Bonfire fuels the Aggie spirit

Hundreds of organizations gathered in the MSC Sunday. The Battalion talked to some organizations to expose students to the variety of student life on campus.

religion | 3 Islam and America Event planned for Thursday to contrast common misconceptions on Islam. University of Pennsylvania professor Emily Sutcliffe to offer insight on American perceptions and tolerance.

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Photos by Chase Krumholz — THE BATTALION

Robert King (from left), Joseph Chavez, Patrick McAdoo, James Salinas, and Ronny Loveday carry a torch to redpots Saturday at burn.

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“I like his idea of a peaceful protest and trying to get people to unite. You can change things with your words in a peaceful way.”

Erin Hoelscher, sophomore communication major

“The idea of challenging ingrained social stereotypes. Just because it’s always been a certain way, it doesn’t mean that it’s not possible to change that.”

Dion Hubble, senior chemical engineering major

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“There’s a large amount of diversity around campus. If it wasn’t for MLK’s vision and ideas, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy this University as much as we do and there would be people who wouldn’t have affected A&M’s history as much as they have.”

“The equality part, where we’re all in this together. We have diversity in this campus, and I know we can all get along with each other regardless of who we are.”

Christina Higdon, freshman biology major

Andrew Quesada, junior political science major

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“The best part was the peacefulness of it. He wanted people to be treated exactly equal, where no one was favored over anyone else.”

Cari Klostermann, junior animal sciences major

“Having rights for everyone because it’s hard for everyone to remember diversity. I’m an RA on campus, so it’s easy to notice when people don’t treat others the same, even when it’s things you don’t expect to be treated differently on.”

Claire Casey, junior English and anthropology major Photo feature by David Cohen — THE BATTALION

Kentucky Continued from page 1

taken over sole possession of the Aggies’ point guard duties and remains the SEC leader in assists (88) and assists per game (5.2).

Kentucky (13-4, 3-1 SEC) enters Tuesday’s matchup scoring 80.4 points per game, while the Aggie defense is holding its opponents to 61.5 points per game.

The Aggie defense will have its hands full as it tries to tame the trio of freshmen talent Kentucky brings to the floor. Julius Randle averages 16.9 points per game followed by twins Aaron and Andrew Harrison, who are averaging 14.1 and 11.5 points, respectively.

Tuesday’s game is slated for primetime television and will be broadcast on ESPN as a part of its Super Tuesday coverage with Brad Nessler and Jimmy Dykes calling the action.

Tuesday’s matchup will be the sixth meeting on the hardwood between A&M and Kentucky. The series began during the 1941-42 season and Kentucky holds the all-time edge 3-2.

Following the game in Lexington, the Aggies will head back home to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at noon Saturday in Reed Arena.

Walker named SEC Women’s Player of the Week

Fitzgerald named SEC Freshman of the Week

After leading Texas A&M in points scored in its wins over No. 8 South Carolina and Mississippi State, sophomore guard Courtney Walker has been named SEC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week. Walker is the first A&M player to receive the honor of SEC Player of the Week in the 2013-14 season. Walker averaged 17 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals in the two games and has scored in double figures in four consecutive games. For the season, Walker is scoring 13.2 points per game, which leads the team.

After logging a career-high 20 points in Saturday’s loss to Mississippi State, Texas A&M’s freshman Davonte Fitzgerald was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday. Fitzgerald, a 6-foot-7 forward from Atlanta, Ga., is averaging 16.6 points per game while shooting 60 percent from the field over the past two games. His 13 points per game average in conference play ranks him sixth among SEC freshman.

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Jake Walker, Editor in Chief THE BATTALION is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Offices are in Suite L400 of the Memorial Student Center.

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thebattalion

religion

Organization tackles common stigmas of Islam ‘Islamophobia’ lecture to be held Thursday Homer Segovia

The Battalion he Muslim Students’ Association will present “Islamophobia: Exploring the boundaries of American tolerance�

Thursday to kick off the Islam Awareness Initiative, a series of events aimed at educating the public about Islam.

Emily Sutcliffe of the University of Pennsylvania Law School will be the speaker at “Islamophobia� and will explore her perceptions of whether American society’s focus on diversity as an issue of skin color has negatively impacted its ability to benefit from different lifestyles, the boundaries of tolerance and if tolerance should even be the goal.

Ziad Syed, education officer of the Muslim Students’ Association and accounting graduate student, said the group hosts the Islam Awareness Initiative each year to educate the community about Islam in a proper way, as opposed to simply using an Internet search. “One of the big issues we have with this is the fact that not a lot of people know about Islam, and when they want to find out they go on the Internet and search for it,� Syed said. “Usually the people who have the most hate tend to be the loudest, so that’s the voice that they usually tend to hear.�

Syed said the goal of the Islam Awareness Initiative is to create a forum where student questions on Islam can be answered by qualified speakers instead of other sources with sometimes misleading information.

Rafaat Yamak, junior geology major, said the purpose of

T COURTESY

Campers and staff members at Camp Kesem pose for a picture.

Cancer patients’ children find refuge at camp Camp Kesem opens applications for summer Samantha Latta The Battalion

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or students looking to spend part of their summer giving back, counselor applications are now open for Texas A&M’s chapter of Camp Kesem, which provides the opportunity to spend a week of the summer with children coping with the emotional strain that cancer can place on a family.

Camp Kesem is a nationwide organization designed to bring happiness to children from ages six to 16 who have a parent diagnosed with cancer. The organization was established in 2002 and the Texas A&M chapter began in 2007.

While the first camp started with only eight campers, 90 are expected this year, said Camp Kesem volunteer coordinator Caitlin Laneri, senior mechanical engineering major.

Laneri said the goal of the camp is to give children of cancer patients the kind of week that lets them be stress free, something that is often taken

away from them by their parent’s illness. “Kesem is the Hebrew word for magic, and this is exactly what occurs at camp,� Laneri said. “These children are an often overlooked community who have been affected by their parent’s cancer.�

Camp Kesem is able to host children free of charge because of member fundraising throughout the year.

At the Texas A&M chapter, members raise money through events like their annual dodgeball tournament, banquets and selling tacos on Northgate. “Individually, each counselor is required to raise $500, which covers both their own time at camp as well as a camper’s,� said member Brandon Dawson, senior political science major. “Many counselors, however, exceed this requirement, with some bringing in upwards of $1,000.�

While the parents of campers are incredibly grateful and the camp is rewarding for their children, Dawson said the counselors gain something in the experience as well. “Being a counselor at Camp Kesem is not like being a counselor for just any camp,� Dawson said. “Camp

Kesem counselors gain what I believe to be the most rewarding experience that one can have during their college career.�

Dawson said being a counselor is a balance between being a mentor and a friend, ensuring that campers experience the carefree kind of fun that all children deserve. “The campers look to you not only as the ‘cool college kid,’ but as their role model too,� Dawson said. “These children, many of whom have never really had a childhood due to their parent’s illness, are given an opportunity to be kids again. The smiles on the children’s faces while at Camp Kesem are more than worth it.�

For Camp Kesem director Hailey Armstrong, senior biology major, the experience is priceless. \ “Its amazing how a week at Camp Kesem not only changes the lives of campers, but of all \ the counselors as well,� Armstrong \said. “Camp Kesem is about making magic in the lives of children of cancer patients.�

Applications for counselor positions will be open online until Jan. 24, and the organization is looking to accept about 45 counselors for this summer.

Sutcliffe’s presentation is not simply to only deal with Islamophobia, but any phobias toward lifestyles found on campus. “I think phobias in general, whether it’s Islam or homophobia or fear of anything, should be addressed here at Texas A&M,� Yamak said. “We want to address any stereotypes, any misconceptions, and just address any phobia of any belief system in general, not just Islam.

That’s the whole point of the event.�

Yamak said Islam is a religion that is just as American as any other religion but is often misunderstood, a problem that he said is fueled by the media.

Such misconceptions will be addressed in Sutcliffe’s presentation.

Belal Krad, who completed his master’s degree in mechanical engineering at A&M last December, said students should take it upon themselves to learn and look past any media misportrayals by going to events such as Sutcliffe’s, and that Muslims should also make just as much effort to learn about their religion. “Honestly, everyone should attend these types of events.

Not just non-Muslims, but even the people of the Muslim faith,� Krad said. “One of the goals of the [Islam Awareness Initiative] is to reach out to the community and to show us that we are there, we do have a presence, we do have a voice so the goal is to get everyone to come to these events, not specific to any type of person.� “Islamophobia: Exploring the boundaries of American tolerance� will be from 7-8 p.m Thursday in MSC 2406A. The Islam Awareness Initiative’s speaker schedule can be found at msa.tamu.edu and will continue through early April.

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thebattalion

Former student publishes cookbook book designed and published within six months of time.”

Lee said he felt lucky when the editor of the publishing company visited College Station and happened to dine in his restaurant.

Lee primarily works at Veritas, but he interErum Salam acts with Aggies on campus through his many The Battalion food trucks.

“I used to go once or twice a week,” said Alexis eritas is known for its Asian and French infused cuisine, but will soon be home Salisbury, sophomore computer science major. to what author and executive chef, Tai Lee, “It’s really convenient and you know they’re calls the first locally published cookbook in making it right there for you so it’s fresh, and that’s neat.”

College Station.

Salisbury also said she feels the cookbook is Lee, Class of 2002, said writing a cookbook wasn’t in his wildest dreams as a student and great for A&M. “Obviously, that’s that cooking was once really cool,” Salisbury a hobby rather than On this much said. “A lot of things a profession. more elaborated here are Aggie owned “I was a finance major and operated so it’s nice at A&M and I thought I cookbook, the keeping tradition.” was going to take a very essence of that ‘gift’ Lee said he felt exstable route into a busitremely honored a pubness world, not a chal- continues as we share lishing company would lenging road of restaurant our cooking style and even consider a small industry,” Lee said. techniques with more restaurant to be publishShannon Telvin, juworthy. He said a sinnior human resource people around the country gle cookbook wouldn’t development major, said and share what makes us necessarily define who the cookbook was a great way to keep things local. such a unique establishment he had become, rather it would be a snapshot “It’s great especially in the Aggieland.” of what he had accomfor those who enjoy — Tai Lee, Class of 2002 plished as a chef. cooking from something and executive chef Lee said inspiration for other than your run-ofthe cookbook came to the-mill cookbook,” Tehim because of his passion for cooking and sharvlin said.

Initially, Lee said he thought about making a ing that passion with people.

“On this much more elaborated cookbook, the small cookbook several years ago as a gift idea for family and friends, but not the fully published essence of that ‘gift’ continues as we share our cooking style and techniques with more people work he has today.

“The initial works I have put in to make that around the country and share what makes us small cookbook has paid off when we got the such a unique establishment in the Aggieland,” book deal,” Lee said. “We were able to get the Lee said.

Chef showcases uniqueness of Aggieland establishment

V

YouTube Continued from page 1

colliding beams of gas, but does so by accelerating particles to high speeds and observing their interactions with other particles. Looking at the same collision dynamics but approaching it from the opposite end of the spectrum, Sheffield said he and his team worked toward the goal of creating the coldest, and slowest, molecular beam in the world.

This method of observation, which can have positive implications for the field of quantum chemistry as they work to isolate the quantum effects of molecules from the thermal vibrations produced by excessive heat and energy, was assisted by the use of rotors. As beams of gas molecules were sent through a long hollow rotor, the movement of the rotor would modify the speed of the molecules.

“The beam of gas coming out of this nozzle is just like you stepping out of moving bus,” Sheffield said. “When you hit the ground, your velocity is the sum of your forward motion, however fast that may be, and the velocity of the bus as it is going in the other direction. And depending if the bus was only going one foot a second, and you step relatively quickly, then your speed would be dictated by you. But if the bus is going thirty miles an hour and you step forward, your velocity would be dictated by the bus. So it’s the same exact thing with the rotor.”

In the past year, Sheffield has also researched the properties of graphene, which was discovered in 2004 and declared to be the first two-dimensional crystal observed by scientists. Simply flakes of graphite only one-atom thick, it boasts strength greater than diamonds and conductivity greater than copper, among other qualities on a laundry lists of positive attributes.

Sheffield said graphene, which won its

COURTESY

Tai Lee, Class of 2002 and executive chef at Veritas, has turned a hobby into a profession with the writing of his cookbook.

discoverers a Nobel prize only six years after its discovery, will have major implications over the coming decades on what he termed, “post-silicon electronics.” A transition from silicon-based to carbon-based technology wouldn’t be a simple one, he said, but the possibilities the material provides are endless.

“If we move to graphene, one, it’s going to take a heck of a lot of work because you can imagine how much work has gone into silicone-based electronics and to duplicate all of that for carbon-based electronics, well it’s going to take us 20 years, maybe 30 years, if everybody gets a lot of funding,” Sheffield said. “But on the plus side, you’ll need less power, you’ll have far better performance, and entire computers will be reduced to the size of a few square millimeters.

“Breaking Grad” will ideally be producing a video each month, highlighting different specialties around Texas A&M. Beemer said the next two videos would likely feature research about health communications and

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PEER provided the filming equipment for the project and will show the produced videos to middle school and high school students who use their resources.

Sheffield, who devotes his extra time to instructing students from kindergarten through high school in Physics Shows and mentoring freshman physics students, said he hopes the first installment of “Breaking Grad” will provide students with perspective on what graduate students truly do.

“I’m hoping, by watching my video, people who were considering going into science research can actually understand a little bit about what I work with, what I’m hoping to achieve,” Sheffield said. “I’m not trying to solve all of mankind’s problems, I’m trying to understand all the factors that go into certain systems and then improve them or try and solve one small piece of the puzzle.”

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thebattalion

Open House exposes Aggies to breadth of student life M

embers of organizations big and small gathered Sunday to showcase their organizations during the Spring MSC Open House. Of the hundreds of student clubs present, here is a sampling of those The Battalion talked to. A full list and description of Texas A&M’s student organizations can be found at studentactivities.tamu.edu.

Texas A&M Bhakti Yoga Club

The Bhakti Yoga Club introduces students to the holistic part of yoga that caters to not just the body but the mind, intellect and soul.

Abhijeet Shinde, chemical engineering graduate student, said the club offers physical exercises as well as philosophical discussions.

“Food is also an important part of yoga,” he said. “We offer cooking classes where students at A&M come and learn various recipes.”

Order of Aggie Illusionists

The Order of Aggie Illusionists caters to magic-loving folk and helps members learn how to perform magic tricks. Ted Goles, freshman health major and member of the

Filk Continued from page 1

the world collect filk specifically, the material is often collected accidentally.

“There are institutions that will collect it as something else.” Brett said. “For instance, before Lauren [Schiller] came to us, we had a few examples of filk in the collection, but it was just given to us as part of a larger collection, so we didn’t sit down and say ‘let’s start collecting filk’ as a collecting strategy.”

Archiving filk material has proven to be a daunting task for Cushing as donations begin to roll in. Many of the song books contain little to no reference as to what

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Order of Aggie Illusionist, started only last semester but has come to learn many illusions in his short time in the club.

“We are a teaching organization, you can show up to the first meeting not knowing anything and we will show you how to do some tricks,” Goles said. “I came in last semester not knowing how to do anything and now I am doing magic demonstrations for Open House.”

Zoological Society

For animal lovers, the Zoological Society takes field trips and has guest lecturers that speak on topics relating to zoos and animals.

“Usually we get zookeepers, veterinarians, professors doing animal research come to meetings and talk about what they do,” said member and senior zoology major Michael Stanley. “A lot of people in our club do want to work in zoos, or sometimes they are people who just like animals. We go on field trips to places such as the Dallas Zoo, big cat sanctuary and other zoos.”

MSC Visual Arts Committee

The MSC Visual Arts Committee serves to bring art to the campus. Amy Arndt, sopho-

melody the lyrics should be sung, Brett said. Sometimes the songwriter writes lyrics to a folk melody the audience is expected to know even though such melodies vary geographically and with time.

Brett said that some tunes in the Cushing collection are specific to filking conventions and may contain songs that simply say, “You should know this tune”.

Schiller said in addition to relabeling the filk material in collections already at Cushing, the library sent out word through online filk communities and received donations from individuals.

Another obstacle to collecting filk is the quality of the material. Some of the music was properly stored and

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ActiveMinds

ActiveMinds is a student organization that brings awareness to mental health issues, not only on campus but in the community.

Andrew Bae, senior accounting major, is the president of the organization at A&M. He mentioned the prevalence of depression and other mental health issues that can be mitigated with the help of other students.

“There’s such a stigma attached with mental health issues that the only way to get rid of it is to bring more information to people who are misinformed of it and to have everyone talking and feel comfortable talking about it,” he said.

history major, stumbled upon wizarding rock during a previous research project on J.K. Rowling, and said she would like to one day see that subculture of filk in Cushing.

“Anything associated with Harry Potter, like stuff from a Very Potter Musical or stuff associated with Harry and the Potters, because they kind of started the genre of wizarding rock, they were the pioneers of that genre,” Kuenzli said.

SWAMP

SWAMP is a student filmmaking club on campus in which students share ideas and learn about the aspects of filmmaking.

“If you’re interested in filmmaking, we put you with the right people,” said Melissa Neybert, junior telecommunication media studies major and president of the organization.

Salsa Fusion

Salsa Fusion Latin Dance Company is a dance organization promoting Latin culture and popular styles of dance through performances and classes. Nicole Ramirez, junior animal science major, said the organization provides a fun opportunity to learn a dancing skill and meet people.

“This year we are opening up a membership side,” she said. “You will have free lessons every Thursday, and after that there will be a social where you can practice what you learned and meet people.”

“That type of stuff would be really cool to see.”

As for the musicians themselves, they range from authors who make a career out of science fiction literature to novice musicians who jam out with lyrics about Norse Mythology on the weekends.

Schiller said musicians like Weird Al also get caught up in the mix as “found filkers “— musicians who don’t necessarily consider them-

selves filkers, but are considered so by the filking community.

At the end of the day, Schiller said filk music is a nebulous term.

“It’s really anything,” Schiller said. “I’ve heard one person describe it as ‘the music of our people,’ where our people are the ones that go to science fiction conventions.”

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HELP WANTED PART TIME TEACHERS, Primrose School of College Station currently has several positions for qualified part-time teachers. All part time positions are 3:00pm-6:00pm Monday thru Friday. Excellent opportunity for education majors seeking part time employment. These positions require criminal background checks and FBI fingerprinting.

Previous experience caring for children under the age of 5 years is required. Applications are now being accepted at the school. If you are qualified and seeking part-time employment in a rewarding environment, please visit the school to complete an application. Primrose School of College Station is located at 1021 Arrington Rd., just north of the HEB in the Tower Point Center, near Highway 6 and William Fitch. The school is opened Monday through Friday 6:30am-6:30pm, come by anytime during these hours to fill out an application. You are encouraged to bring a resume as an attachment to your application.

Part-time leasing, Saturdays a must, apply Doux Chene Apartments, 2101 Harvey Mitchell South.

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HELP WANTED Part-time warehouse help needed. Flexible hours. Business hours are M-F 8-5. Apply at Valley Supply 3320 S. College Ave. Bryan, TX. 979-779-7042.

Penncro Associates, Inc. in Bryan Texas now has Multiple Projects with open positions. Customer Service Representatives for one of the country’s leading servicers of home loans are open that we will train qualified candidates for!

The position requires strong communication skills and computer skills to navigate multiple systems. A HS Diploma/GED is required. Full-time positions are eligible for medical, dental and life insurance benefits. Contests and incentive programs create an exciting environment, state of the art facility and countless career opportunities. View Job Listings and Apply online today: https://www.penncro.com/careers. php EOE Pepe's Mexican Cafe is now hiring smiling faces and friendly personalities to help make and serve the best tacos and burritos in town!

We need mgmt., cashiers, & cooks for all shifts. Will work around class schedule. Apply 2-5pm at 3312 S. College in Bryan (1.5 miles from Campus!)

PT help needed. Local hunting club needs PT guides. Students only. Average 1-2 weekends/month in offseason; 2-3 in Fall and Winter. Limited hunting privileges. Applications at www.yardbirdhunting.com Senior wanted for part-time office assistant work in Bryan. Extremely flexible hours, $12-$14/hr, with an opportunity for full-time employment after graduation.

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The Battalion Advertising Office is hiring a clerk to work Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:30am-2pm. Student must be able to work all three days. If interested, please come by The MSC, Suite 400, from 8am-4pm., ask to speak with Joseph or Patricia.

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Cleaning commercial buildings at night, M-F. Call 979-823-5031 for interview.

Cotton Patch, College Station 979-695-9707, now hiring servers, hosts, cashiers. Apply between 2-4 pm at Rock Prairie Rd and Hwy 6.

more psychology and English major, said the members run the Reynolds Student Art Gallery in the MSC, where they help plan the shows and choose what artists are displayed.

They also host ArtFest, an art competition that displays student art in the gallery, as well as Aggie Frame of Mind, a photo contest.

“If you have artistic talent or if you are just appreciate of art in general, our organization serves well to bring the two together,” Arndt said.

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taken care of before donation, while others had physically degraded before coming to Cushing.

Even the definition of filk is still debated among the filk community.

Brett said “Filk” as a term is misleading as it implies music in the folk genre when many filkers delve into a variety of genres, including rock, jazz, blues, hip-hop.

Jasmina Kuenzli, junior

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Internship hunt seen as important but daunting

Students share job search experience, strategy Victoria Rivas The Battalion

T

o some students, the word “internship” sounds daunting, to others, exciting, and still some are unsure what to think. As the internship-searching season begins, Aggies weigh in on their personal experiences of an internship pursuit.

Samantha Wilson, director of campus programs at the Career Center, said an internship can be very valuable.

“An internship allows you to gain practical experience in your field of interest while building your skills and abilities,” Wilson said.

Wilson said an internship can also help a student determine whether a career is a good fit or not, as well as provide the opportunity for a student to build a network of professional contacts.

During the summer of 2013, Brooks Hutchinson, accounting graduate student, held an internship at a professional service firm where he was offered a job after his graduation in May 2014.

During his search, Hutchinson said his primary focus was on the quality of internships, not quantity of those he applied to.

“First, I decided where I wanted to work, ultimately all in the same industry, but there were different sized firms,” Hutchinson said. “There were larger ones, a little smaller and then middle market sized. I had to make a decision to go big or stay small.”

Hutchinson said he feels confident in his decision of interning last summer with a larger firm in Houston.

“With this company, I felt a large potential for growth, and the location is thriving with many opportunities,” he said.

William Guerra — THE BATTALION

Madisen Stites, junior industrial distribution major, interned with a company in the electrical industry last summer, but decided to shift her focus to the oil and gas industry.

“I’m glad I interned last summer, because I found out that I didn’t see myself working in the electrical industry,” Stites said.

After further researching the field, Stites said she is much more interested in the activities she would perform in the oil and gas industry.

“I know that this is an industry that I want to work in, and I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Stites said. “But I also felt a lot of pressure from the nature of the industry. I know that many internships in oil and gas lead to full-time employment, so in a way it already felt like I was looking for a full-time job.”

Stites said she believes that interning in two different companies will be great as a reference for comparison.

“The two companies are completely different in size and culture,” she said. “I can’t wait to see what I’ll learn.”

For Holly Vogel, senior marketing

major, an internship in the retail industry reaffirmed her aspirations to work in that industry, though she felt stressed while pursuing an internship.

“I felt a slight amount pressure,” Vogel said. “It wasn’t because I wasn’t confident in myself, but it was because I so desperately craved that experience.”

An internship offer did not come right away, but Vogel said her perseverance and determination eventually brought her success.

“In the fall semester I got rejected, but this didn’t stop me from hitting the ground running in the spring,” Vogel said. “It’s important to always remain resilient in rejection.”

Vogel said the difficult, stressful process was very much worth it in the end.

“In my future career as an assistant buyer, because of my internship, I will now know how a basic store operates,” she said. “I’ve always been drawn to the retail industry and I can’t imagine an industry that would fit me better.”

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WE’VE GOT YOUR NUMBER

2013-2014 Texas A&M Campus Directory Convenient listings of departments, administrators, faculty, staff, and other information about A&M.

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EPARTMENTS: You may charge and pick up Campus Directories in the Student Media office in Suite L400 of the MSC. Cost is $4 per copy. Please bring a Student Media Work Order. Call 845-2646 for info.

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Sorority partners with girl scouts Kappa Delta members act as mentors

TUDENTS AND OTHERS may purchase directories for $4 plus tax each in MSC L400 (by cash, check or credit card).

Hours: 8:30 A.M.–4:30 P.M. Monday–Friday.

Notice of University Student Rule Revisions Additions, deletions and changes to the University Student Rules may occur over the course of the year.

The following sections of the student rules have been revised during the calendar year 2013: Previously Approved: Rule # Rule 1.1.3 Student Registration 41.3 Student Organizations 12.2 Scholastic Deficiency/Probation 1.16.2 Student Registration 1.16.3 Student Registration 1.16.4 Student Registration 10.10.1 Grading 15 Graduation 14 Degree Requirements 1.8 Student Registration 8.2 Examinations 14.2 Degree Requirements 40 Lost and Found 13.3 Classifications 11 Distinguished Students 7.1.9 Attendance 10.21 Grading 14.2.1 Degree Requirements 19 Refunds Newly Approved: Rule # 47

Date Student Rule Website Updated 4/10/13 4/10/13 6/4/13 6/4/13 6/4/13 6/4/13 6/4/13 6/4/13 6/4/13 8/21/13 8/21/13 8/21/13 8/21/13 8/21/13 8/21/13 8/22/13 8/22/13 8/23/13 8/26/13

Rule Sexual Harassment

Date Rule Changed 1/7/13

Each student has the responsibility to be fully acquainted with and to comply with the Texas A&M University Student Rules. Student Rules can be found at http://student-rules.tamu.edu.

Aimee Breaux The Battalion

B

eyond raising funds for a cause, members of the Kappa Delta sorority are looking to provide girls with something money can’t buy — role models.

The Texas A&M chapter of Kappa Delta Sorority partnered with the Girl Scouts of Central Texas and will allow members to sell cookies at the Kappa Delta house this month.

Bailey Rainey, sophomore psychology major and Kappa Delta vice president of community service, said the sorority’s work with Girl Scouts has deeper philanthropic roots.

“It’s a huge part of Kappa Delta, increasing confidence in girls and women in our communities, in our schools, in everything,” Rainey said.

“The Girl Scouts help do that.

By partnering with them and doing this sort of mentorship, we are able to instill that confidence in young girls on an everyday basis.”

Rainey said other events include activities that introduce the scouts to Aggie culture,

including a campus tour and a yell practice with Yell Leaders.

“One of our best events that we do here that is very unique to A&M is we have the Yell Leaders come to our house and they do a yell practice for the Girl Scouts at the Kappa Delta house, which is really unique because A&M is the only place that does yell practice that these girls get to come to,” Rainey said. “And they get to spend time in a sorority house, meet Yell Leaders and meet Reveille.”

Rainey said their work helps the scouts think about the future, and more specifically the prospect of attending and graduating college, a feat that some scouts might be the first in their family to accomplish.

“It’s a lot of fun and we get to teach them about A&M,” Rainey said. “They always say things like, ‘I can’t wait to be an Aggie,’ and everything like that.”

While there is a need for charity efforts that simply donate money, Lindsay Ernest, junior agricultural leadership and development major and Kappa Delta vice president of

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membership, said it is this aspect of interaction that makes the Kappa Delta partnership with Girl Scouts such a great avenue for volunteering.

In addition to offering a platform for cookie sales and showing scouts the Aggie culture, the Texas A&M chapter also plans a monthly event with Girl Scouts, which has included a Halloween fashion show during October as well as service projects, Ernest said.

Megan Quinn, Kappa Delta member and senior international studies major, said she taught yoga during an activity put on for Girl Scouts centered around healthy living and being confident in oneself.

Quinn said the best part of the experience is building relationships with the scouts.

Ernest said sorority members have a chance to be the scouts’ friends as well as role models, all the while installing the notion of opportunity in young girls. “[The goal is] making sure they are getting the support they need, letting them know growing up that they are special,” Ernest said.

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