thebattalion january 30, 2014
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
YEAR OF THE HORSE
Photos by David Cohen — THE BATTALION
Members of the Shaolin Kung Fu Academy perform a traditional lion dance Wednesday night outside of Sbisa.
Students experience Asian culture in Lunar New Year celebration Allison Rubenak
The Battalion tudents, volunteers and residents of the Bryan-College Station community meandered around a feast of Chinese food, various tables showcasing traditional New Year activities and gazed upon the Kung Fu, Tai Chi and lion dance performances set up in and around Sbisa Dining Hall on Wednesday. “Tonight is just another example of how much we value our cultural diversity and unique customs and traditions of the many cultures that are represented in our student body here at Texas A&M,” said Brig. Gen. Joe Ramirez, commandant of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, in a welcoming announcement before a performance at the eight-annual Lunar New Year Celebration, hosted by the Confucius Institute. For some students, the celebration was a representation of something they would have regularly Shane Robinson, junior human resources development major, awaits his hand-written See Lunar New Year on page 3 calligraphy at Sbisa.
S
politics
Capitol Hill visitors offer insight into debt
W
ith former President George H. W. Bush and his wife, Barbara Bush, among the audience members in a full auditorium, former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, and former Sen. Alan K. Simpson shared their insights Wednesday night on what it will take to solve the national debt. Bowles and Simpson were both awarded the Mosbacher Good Governance Award for their nonpartisan attempts to tackle the nation’s debt and each gave individual presentations before having a discussion moderated by the Bush School’s acting dean, Andrew Card. As co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Bowles said he and Simpson quickly saw the seriousness of conquering the national debt. “When [Simpson] and I said we would co-chair this commission, we thought we were doing it for our grandkids,” Bowles said. “The more we looked at the numbers, the more we got familiar with the country’s current fiscal condition, it became clearer we weren’t do-
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2014 student media
politics
Primary voting registration to close Monday
William Guerra — THE BATTALION
● thursday,
Annabelle Hutchinson
The Battalion onday is the last day to register to vote for the March 4 primary elections, where voters will select candidates to represent their respective parties in the November general election. The race for Democratic and Republican candidates for Texas governor and U.S. senator will be included on the ballot. Kristeen Roe, Brazos County voter registrar, said the easiest way for students to register is to pick up or print a registration card and postmark it before Monday. Roe said voter registration cards can also be hand delivered to the Brazos County Voter Registration office in Bryan. Voter registration cards are available at public libraries and post offices and will be available at the Memorial Student Center on Friday. Applications are also available online at brazosvotes. org or votetexas.gov. Postage is paid for on voter registration
M
m. basketball
Gamecocks wallop Aggies, 80-52 Conner Darland The Battalion
T
Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION
Alan K. Simpson, left, and Erskine B. Bowles, right, answer questions from Andrew Card about the debt crisis. ing it for our grandkids, we weren’t even doing it for our kids — we were doing it for us. That’s how dire the situation is.” Through Bowles and Simpson’s “Fix the Debt” campaign, Bowles said there have been mistakes and accomplishments, but there is still a long way to go. “I want you to stop and think about what the country has done since [Simpson] and I came out
with our report, over three years ago now,” Bowles said. “We’ve done the easy stuff, we’ve done the stupid stuff, but we’ve avoided meeting any of the big challenges that face the country today.” Kadie McDougald, staff writer For the full story, go online at thebatt.com
he Texas A&M men’s basketball team suffered a 8052 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks Wednesday night in Columbia, S.C. A&M trailed the entire first half, allowing South Carolina to start the game on a 10-2 run. At the 9:13 mark in the first half, freshman guard Shawn Smith hit two free throws to close the gap to six points, but the momentum quickly shifted back to the Gamecocks as they closed the first half on a 41-21 run. Texas A&M opened the second half on a 13-5 run to close the gap to 34-46, but that was as close as the Aggies would get. South Carolina stayed consistent on offense, outscoring the Aggies 36-18 to close the game. The South Carolina zone defense kept all A&M players from
greek life
Aimee Breaux
The Battalion group of women on campus is hoping to bring a message to the forefront for Black History Month — inner beauty is empowering. Taking this idea to heart, nine students will be featured in the 27th Miss Black & Gold Scholarship Pageant, an annual event put on by the Texas A&M chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity to
A
BAT_01-30-14_A1.indd 1
scoring double-digits. The Aggies shot 35.6 percent from the floor on 16-of-45 shooting. The Aggies were unable to take care of the ball, resulting in 18 turnovers. Junior guard Jamal Jones and freshman forward Davonte Fitzgerald, the Texas A&M leading scorers, were held to a combined 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting. The Aggies allowed four Gamecocks to have double-digit point performances. Freshman guard Duane Notice had a career night against the Aggies, scoring 19 points and grabbing four rebounds. The result marks the Aggies fourth loss in a row and the first ever loss against the Gamecocks. A&M next hits the hardwood against the No. 3 Florida Gators at 3 p.m. Saturday in Gainesville, Fla.
campus news
On-campus pageant to showcase inner beauty Competition offers platform for women
cards and all registration cards postmarked before Monday are valid. Roe said students who registered in their hometown but wish to vote in Brazos County must make changes to their registration by the Monday deadline. Students can make these changes by filling out another registration card and sending it to the registrar’s office. Early voting for primary elections begins Feb. 18. Anyone registered in Brazos County is eligible to vote in the MSC polling location during early voting. On Election Day, voters must vote at the polling location in their specific precinct. The most recent Brazos County voter registrations cards are orange and white, Roe said. If a Brazos County resident does not have an orange and white card, they should contact the county to update their card and contact information.
showcase women on campus. “I think beauty is empowering, not just on the outside but on the inside,” said Ashley Burk, participant and freshman biology major. “You have to be a strong person to be in a beauty pageant and if others see you being strong, they want to be strong as well.” With the multitude of images portrayed daily about women, Alpha Phi Alpha Chapter President, Daunte’ Cauley, said the organization wanted to counteract possible negative ideas by allowing a platform for intelligent and talented
COURTESY
Danielle Sanders, junior health major was last year’s
See Black & Gold on page 2 pageant winner.
Tuition increase on Regents’ docket The Texas A&M Board of Regents will discuss a proposed increase in tuition at a meeting Thursday at Texas A&M– Galveston. The proposal, announced Dec. 4 at a public hearing, intends to appease House Bill 29, requiring public universities in Texas to have a guaranteed tuition rate for a student’s first four years of enrollment in the institution. To comply with the bill, Texas A&M would raise tuition two percent per class starting at six percent for the incoming freshman class, four percent for sophomores and two percent for upperclassmen, said Provost Karan Watson at the public hearing that addressed the issue in December.
1/29/14 11:16 PM