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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2016 STUDENT MEDIA | @THEBATTONLINE
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Junior Beryl Gastaldello is a third-generation Olympian who swam the 4x100 freestyle relay, the 100-meter freestyle, the 4x100 medley relay and the 100-meter butterfly at the Rio Games. Hanna Hausman — THE BATTALION
Gastaldello continues family Olympic legacy AGGIE SWIMMER COMPETES IN RIO GAMES, FOLLOWS IN PARENTS’ SWIM STROKES
By Matt Koper @MattKoper
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or any family, swimming at the highest possible level — the Olympic Games — is quite the accomplishment, but for the Gastaldello family it seems to be the norm. A third-generation Olympian, junior Béryl Gastaldello — after swimming in various events in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for France — has now joined in the company of her family. Held in high regard in the swimming community in France, the Gastaldello family’s reputation proceeds them — rightfully so. Béryl’s grandmother Emilie and her mother Véronique both swam for France in the Olympic Games — her mother in
1984 Olympics in L.A. and again in 1992 at Barcelona, while her grandmother competed in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Her father Eric was a French National Champion in 1983. Born in Marseilles, France, Gastaldello, who has been swimming since she was seven, had her sights set on the United States to study and swim. After she met with A&M head coach Steve Bultman and associate head coach Tanica Jamison, the business major said the rest was history. “I never visited or anything,” Gastaldello said. “I knew nothing about the team or anything — I just followed my instinct.” Following her instincts paid off for Gastaldello, who joined the team in the 2014-2015 season, and had an immediate impact. As a freshman, she set school records at the SEC Championships in the 100-meter fly and at the NCAA Championships in the 50-meter freestyle.
In March of 2016, Gastaldello went back home to France to compete in the French Elite Nationals, the qualifier for Rio, but there was an issue with the French Federation requiring a faster time than the FINA A cuts which are the automatic qualifying times for Rio. “Well, France originally made their times even faster,” head coach Steve Bultman said, who was in Rio as an assistant coach for Mexico’s team. “And we were all like, ‘Why are you doing this?’ And it was pretty strange because, like the very first day of the meet, Béryl and this one other girl — who beat her in the 100 fly — both made the FINA A cut, but didn’t make the French standard.” As a result, there was uncertainty as to who would make the GASTALDELLO ON PG. 3
ENGINEERING
A&M breaks ground on RELLIS campus New facility to provide place for students to research on larger scale By Trevin Cooper @cooperstition The Texas A&M University System became even larger Monday morning with the breaking of ground for a building at the new RELLIS campus. RELLIS, which is an acronym for the six core values of A&M — respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity and selfless service — is the new research and development campus consisting of seven buildings and testbeds that will be available for research performed by students and those in the private sector. The expected completion date is 2018. Known as the Center for Infrastructure Renewal, the building construction began on will be the first RELLIS building and provide a place for students to collaborate with industry professionals and researchers on projects that require larger facilities than anything the main campus of Texas A&M can provide. The ceremony celebrating the ground
Yuri Suchil — THE BATTALION
FILE
The RELLIS campus will be a new research facility located just outside of College Station. RELLIS is an acronym for the six core values of A&M.
Blinn in Bryan is one of the five Chevron Engineering Academies.
breaking included key remarks by Regent Phil Adams, Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System John Sharp and Dean of Engineering Katherine Banks, who each played important roles in the development and commissioning of the project. “This wonderful RELLIS campus marks the beginning of something truly historic,” said Adams, Chairman of the Committee on Buildings and Physical
A&M adds fifth, final Chevron Eng. Academy
Plant. “The A&M System, Blinn College and private companies are coming together to build a most unique campus.” Sharp said, in many ways, the core values the campus is named after are what it means to be an Aggie, and the new campus will allow a greater number of people to become part of the ever expanding Aggie network than ever before. RELLIS ON PG. 2
Austin Community College selected for engineering co-enrollment program
LGBTQ+
By Josh Hopkins @texasjoshua1
A&M removed from ‘LGBTQ+ Unfriendly’ list Students, LGBTQ+ allies say there is still progress to be made on LBGTQ+ acceptance front at A&M By Mariah Colón @MariahColon18 The Princeton Review released its list of the “Top 20 LGBTQ+ Unfriendly” schools to attend at the end of August, and for the first year since A&M’s LGBTQ+ Resource Center has been open, A&M was not on that list. With the removal of A&M from the list, many students and faculty feel that the university is making strides in the right direction. Katie Stober, current Aggie Allies Vice President and class of 2005, said the campus climate around the LGBTQ+ community was very different when she was enrolled and has improved since. “Back in the early 2000s when we would do the marches around campus and things like that, there were frequently comments or derogatory slurs,” Stober said. “Some of my friends had experiences where there were certain places they didn’t feel safe going around campus or around town … But, now in the past four years, I’ve been on several of the pride walks around campus … We have never had any negative slurs … We’ve had people applauding us.” However, numerous people feel that while it has improved, the historically present discrimination still exists, including Stober. “On an individual basis, I do still hear stories of people being harassed or not being accepted but that seems to be fewer than when
FILE
Texas A&M is no longer among the 20 “LGBTQ+ Unfriendly” campuses, according to The Princeton Review.
I was here a decade ago,” Stober said. “Of course one incident of harassment is one too many, but from what I have seen it is getting better, and I hope it continues to get better.” Krista May, an adviser for the student group LGBTQ+ Aggies and an advisor for the student group Transcend, said while LGBTQ+ acceptance has improved in large part due to the LGBTQ+ resources available, she is still surprised by cases of discrimination. “I hear about both good and bad stories, but the bad stories are some things that really still surprise me,” May said. “Homophobia LGBTQ+ ON PG. 2
The College of Engineering at Texas A&M has extended its reach throughout Texas with the addition of its fifth and final Chevron Engineering Academy at Austin Community College (ACC). Engineering Academies are co-enrollment programs established between Texas A&M and select two-year institutions across the state of Texas. Students within the programs will spend two years at the respective community college or other two-year institution before transitioning to Texas A&M. Katherine Banks, dean of the College of Engineering, said engineering classes within the Engineering Academies are taught by Texas A&M faculty. “We send our faculty to the community colleges,” Banks said. “They teach these students their engineering courses as well as advise, mentor and connect these students with our main campus. The community college faculty teach math and science and the other classes required in the first and second year.” Banks said the college eventually decided on ACC as the final Chevron Academy following the institution’s interest in becoming an Engineering Academy. “They have a large program with very strong students,” Banks said. “ACC also has ENGINEERING ON PG. 3