thebattalion l monday,
september 30, 2013
l serving
texas a&m since 1893
l first paper free – additional copies $1 l © 2013 student media
As we have witnessed this fall, we are significantly affected by the increased enrollment, which places more demand on our services and impacts the traffic on campus.” — Peter Lange, executive director of Texas A&M Transportation Services Graphic by Osa Okundaye — THE BATTALION
STANDING ROOM ONLY
Overcrowded West Campus buses persist despite A&M efforts
Jennifer Reilley
The Battalion s the No. 5 bus drives away, filled to the brim, 20 other students are left at the stop, waiting for the next bus to come along. Since the Texas A&M Transportation Services made changes to the campus bus routes for the
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2013-2014 school year, this scene has become more commonplace. The changes included the consolidation of four of last year’s bus routes into two and the elimination of certain stops altogether. In addressing the newfound complaints, Peter Lange, executive director of transportation services, said the University is
working to alleviate overcrowding, but there are factors this semester that the University did not see coming. “As we have witnessed this fall, we are significantly affected by the increased enrollment, which places more demand on our services and impacts the traffic on campus,” Lange said. In the long term, transpor-
tation services officials said the plan is to purchase larger buses to replace the smaller buses. However, transportation services does not have the funding to expand the bus fleet. For now, according to transportation services, consolidating some of the bus routes frees up See Buses on page 4
campus
White board prompts cross section of campus ideology Lauren Simcic
The Battalion esign a wooden frame, assemble it in Rudder Plaza, stretch about 30 feet of butcher paper over it, hang some Sharpies off the top, and what do you get? A crowd of Aggies eager to share their opinions and experiences through writing. Young Americans for Liberty, a libertarian organization on campus, constructed this interactive display Thursday morning. Its goal was to encourage free speech by providing a blank canvas for students.
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Cody Alejandro, junior psychology major and member of Young Americans for Liberty, said the display is a fun thing to do. He said Young Americans for Liberty had planned this event for Constitution Week, but postponed it because of the paperwork required by the University. “Free speech is a vital part of libertarian ideology, which can best be summed up with the phrase, ‘Live and let live,’” Alejandro said. As the wall of paper filled
up with ideas, it became a cross-section of beliefs held by the Texas A&M student body. Some people wrote encouraging quotes, others drew doodles and others spoke up to represent a political or religious cause. Disagreements sprung up between anonymous students regarding topics like abortion and Christianity. Among other discussions that were ignited, a written dialogue on the Second Amendment of
Students write their thoughts on an interactive display set up Thursday in Rudder Plaza.
See White board on page 6 Lauren Simcic — THE BATTALION
Soccer, volleyball bag weekend wins
William Guerra — THE BATTALION
Saucy competition Applications open for annual salsa contest Bradley D’Souza The Battalion
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he first step on the road to the Brazos Valley Worldfest’s third annual Salsa Challenge has begun with the opening of online applications. Kim Fox, festival coordinator, said the challenge — which has both an amateur and professional division — is part of the annual Brazos Valley Worldfest, a joint effort between Texas A&M and the City of College Station to highlight the culture of
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the local community. “The mission is to promote and celebrate the international diversity and heritage of the Brazos Valley,” Fox said The festival will take place Nov. 1516 at the Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater, with free parking provided at Post Oak Mall. Entry fees for the amateur division are $25, and fees for the professional division are $40. Prize money will be awarded to the winner of the amateur division, and the professional division winner will receive a plaque to display in their business. Applications are due Nov. 6. See Salsa on page 4
Page three: Weekend women’s sports success, and Saturday’s RB revelation Texas A&M sports played a full weekend of matchups, with the football team traveling to Arkansas and the soccer and volley-
ball squads hosting SEC opponents. Each came out on top — the football team beat Arkansas 45-33 in Fayetteville, the soccer
team won two games at home and volleyball topped Georgia on Sunday, 3-0.
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