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inside Paying tribute Be sure to use the block sign on pages 4 and 5 to pay respect to the Oklahoma State coaches who died in a plane crash on Nov. 17, 2011. Instead of being rowdy during Saturday’s game, the Women’s Roadies request that you use this display as a silent tribute to Kurt Budke, Miranda Serna, Olin Branstetter and Paula Branstetter. As a further sign of respect, please continue to display these pages during the introduction of the Aggie players and coaches. \mbhg% ma^ Ph f^g l Khp]b
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● friday,
february 17, 2012
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2012 student media
sports
Aggies press for comeback Mark Dore The Battalion The No. 14 Aggie women’s basketball team will welcome the Oklahoma State Cowboys Saturday, albeit with a heavy heart as coaches, players and fans reflect on the deaths of dear friends to the Aggie basketball program. Nov. 18, 2011, Oklahoma State head coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna were killed in a plane crash, along with two others, while traveling to Arkansas on a recruiting visit. The tragedy forced the Cowgirls to cancel two games, and led to the interim appointment and later confirmation of head coach Jim Littell. A&M head coach Gary Blair said that he and Budke trace their histories back to Louisiana Tech, calling Budke the person he’s been the closest to in this league since they both joined. Blair said that Serna was one of coaching’s young rising stars.
thebatt.com
Barney and friends Check out this weeks Prime-time blog as Jared Baxter explores this generation’s hit show. It’s legen — wait for it — dary.
See OSU on page 7
campus Sit and watch The Battalion’s style spectator, Jason Syptak, encourages technological abandonment to be aware of Aggieland sights and styles.
Josh McKenna — THE BATTALION
Ameer Webb, a junior sprinter and transfer student, remains undefeated in the indoor 200-meter.
Leader of the pack
No memes, no! The new tech blogger, Chase Carter, takes on the meme nonsense that has plagued Facebook when the average person grabs hold of a Internet concepts that has been around for years.
Aggies vs. Tigers The No. 3 Missouri Tigers will knock heads with the Aggies at 1 p.m. Saturday at Reed Arena. Read the preview at thebatt. com.
Sprinter bypassed football offers to run track Drew Chambers The Battalion As a transfer student, junior sprinter Ameer Webb has already written his name in the record books. In his short time at Texas A&M, he remains undefeated in the indoor 200-meter and won the 60 meter dash on multiple occasions. The track star captured his latest win at the Texas A&M Invitational last weekend. Webb said he realized he had a talent for running when he started winning races at the junior college level, while trying to keep in shape for football.
“In high school I was running track and I was beating people,” Webb said. “When I came to junior college I thought it was going to be a little bit different. I thought, ‘Okay these are college people,’ so I started running, and I was still winning and eventually my times started being top-five, not only state wide, but nationwide. I was like, ‘Maybe there’s something here.’” Webb only received one letter from an Ivy League school to run track after high school, but received offers by Pac-10 schools to play football. He decided See Ameer on page 2
Regents approve new building Kelly Tucker The Battalion The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences is built on a legacy dedicated to teaching the next generation of Texas’ veterinarians and has done so since 1916. On Feb. 3, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents voted to continue to build upon that tradition by approving a $120 million project to add a new veterinary education building and an extension to the small animal hospital. The project is in the design phase and the plans include stateof-the-art enhancements to support a more dynamic learning experience for the college’s students. “Our goal is to build a premier teaching and research facility that complements our world-class faculty in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and the far-ranging impact they have on both animal and human health,” said R. Bowen Loftin, Texas A&M University president. “At this point, the building will be one of the largest construction projects in the history of the See Veterinary on page 7
campus
‘Queer in College Station’ Jake Walker Special to The Battalion Texas A&M University is ranked the least GLBT-friendly public university in the U.S., according to The Princeton Review. Students, staff and members of the College Station community gathered Thursday evening in Rudder Tower to participate in a workshop organized by GLBT Aggies for Social Justice Week. The workshop, entitled “Queer in College Station,” highlighted what life is like on campus for GLBT students, and how to deal with going to school on the least GLBT-friendly campus in the nation. The word “queer” is considered by many to be a derogatory term. The GLBT community establish a word that encompasses all non hetedero-
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normative identities, and “queer” has become the best fit. “I prefer to use the word ‘queer’ as opposed to ‘LGBT’ because it’s a little more inclusive,” said Andrew Jancaric, vice president of GLBT Aggies. “It’s all about context.” Jancaric said prejudices on campus, from religious radicals in Academic Plaza to inconsiderate passers-by who utter slurs under their breath, are serious problems that need to be addressed. Jancaric said Texas A&M’s ranking as the least GLBT-friendly public university in the U.S. is indicative of important issues on campus. Part of the workshop consisted of those in attendance break into groups to discuss possible solutions to common social issues for GLBT students. See GLBT on page 6
James Thompson — THE BATTALION
Andrew Jancaric, GLBT Aggies vice president, meets and converses with students at ‘Queer in College Station’ Thursday in Rudder.
2/17/12 12:45 AM