thebattalion ● wednesday,
february 22, 2012
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2012 student media
candidate perspectives
SBP hopefuls discuss student services Emily Villani The Battalion From campus beautification to Code Maroon, student body president candidates Drew Barber, Brody Smith and Thomas McNutt have an eclectic mix of objectives when it comes to student services. Barber, a junior political science major, said one of his main objectives is to give students control of student fees. “The first thing that we need to do is get student control of non-academic student fees,” Barber said. Toward these ends, Barber backed the Student Senate’s Non-Academic Student Fee Review Act, or NASFRA, that requests that the administration give Student Senate control over non-academic fees charged to a majority of students. Barber said the state legislature could act on this issue. “We have to work in coordination with our local legislators. It’s up to the next student body president to make sure that NASFRA passes through the House and the Senate in every way we can,” Barber said. “[After NASFRA passes,] we can
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Sluts and studs Read about the double standard of sexual behavior on our Women’s Issues Wednesday blog at thebatt.com
campus news
start the conversation about what students would really like to see through student services.” The bill also recommends that student organizations such as the graduate student council and residence hall association be given control of non-academic fees specific to their populations. Smith, a senior history major, said the next student body president needs to resist a new policy that requires incoming freshman living on campus to purchase a $1,200 meal plan. “It’s a big waste of money,” Smith said. “I’m a big guy, but let me tell you right now — I don’t spend $1,200 in six months on food.” In addition to eliminating the mandatory meal plan, Smith said the student body president needs to work with Dining Services to improve food quality and options for students. “The endless cookies in Sbisa — those were the only reason to go to Sbisa,” Smith said. “Now they’re only served individually … and they’re usually cold.” McNutt said it is important to bridge the disconnect he sees between students and student government.
Lent begins Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent for Christians in preparation for Easter. The 40-day period symbolizes the 40 days and nights that Jesus wandered in the desert. Pastors and priests apply ash crosses to many Christians’ foreheads on Ash Wednesday, saying, “You came from dust and to dust you shall return.”
“If you stopped an Aggie on the street and said, ‘Hey, what has your SGA done for you lately?’ they wouldn’t have an answer,” McNutt said. “And that’s a problem.” If elected, McNutt said he intends to solve this problem by implementing what he calls the student services task force, and by making himself available for student suggestions weekly. McNutt’s task force idea includes an online database See Election on page 2
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Big Event signup The sign-up deadline for Big Event is Friday. In its 30th year, Big Event is a service project and that serves the BryanCollege Station community. This year the volunteer project will be held on March 24. To register, visit bigevent.tamu.edu
◗ Check out thebatt.com to get to know student body president candidates Sam Hodges and Thomas McNutt in video interviews. The Batt Online is publishing videos of two candidates per day, Tuesday through Thursday. ◗ Look for the third installment of the Candidate Perspectives series on Wednesday. The series features three candidates’ platforms per article.
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California, Louisiana, Colorado and Illinois are the four greatest sources of out-of-state students for the Class of 2014.
0.31 % Jorge Montalvo— THE BATTALION
Texans outnumber out-of-state freshmen 28:1 The time
Justin Mathers The Battalion Texas A&M’s student body is made up of students from all over the globe and every corner of the country, but, according to new statistics from the U.S. Department of Education, most of the University’s nearly 50,000 students still come from the lone star state. During even-numbered years, colleges and universities are required to report the total number of first-time, full-time students by their state of origin. The Department of Education’s survey covers students originating from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In 2010, 96.6 percent of incoming fresh-
when the
has passed
isolation of the
Texas A&M University campus served a compelling
utilitarian function.” — Vision 2020 Diversity Imperative
men at Texas A&M were from Texas. The survey also shows that the percentage of incoming freshmen from Texas has steadily grown in recent years. In 1994, the percentage of A&M freshmen from Texas was 93.8 percent. In the same year A&M registered 96.6 percent of
its freshmen from Texas, The University of Texas registered at 91.7 percent and Texas Tech University registered at 94.5 percent. Jason Cook, A&M vice president for marketing and communications, said A&M’s history as a land grant university meant the school was founded to be accessible and affordable to Texas citizens. “We will always look at serving Texas first,” Cook said. “We’ve seen an incredible rise in demand for students seeking admission and we’re consistently ranked as the best value in the state of Texas.” In 2011, Texas A&M received approximately 31,400 applications for a freshman class with only See Freshman on page 6
religion
men’s hoops
‘Shalom’ raises funds to fight human trafficking
Aggies look to upset No. 4 Jayhawks
Rachel Bishop Special to The Battalion Every Tuesday night, thousands of Aggies gather to participate in Breakaway, the nation’s largest on-campus collegiate Bible study. Established in 1989 by 12 Aggies, the study group has grown exponentially in the past 22 years. The Shalom Project began in 2007 as an effort to give students an outlet for spreading peace and the Gospel. D’Ann Ayers, junior marketing major and Breakaway volunteer, said the Shalom Project has such an impact because of its ability to make Breakaway more than just a Bible study on Tuesday nights. “It makes Breakaway more
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than just a religious gathering and makes it tangible. This is how we’re loving society. It’s a vehicle for spreading God’s word,” Ayers said. Tiny Hands International, the organization chosen for this year’s project, seeks to both raise awareness on human trafficking and actively inhibit trafficking to cross the border. Human trafficking is one of the most profitable criminal activities in the world, and, not surprisingly, some of the countries hit the hardest by human trafficking are the poorest countries. The U.S. State Department estimates that 10,000 to 15,000 people, mostly women and children, are kidnapped each year in Nepal and See Shalom on page 3
Austin Meek
COURTESY PHOTO
Ben Stuart, executive director for Breakaway, encourages students to be a part of the Shalom Project, a movement created to rescue children from human trafficking.
The Battalion As the regular season nears its close, the Aggies will try to steal a signature victory when the No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks visit Reed Arena on Wednesday night. “I’ve got great respect for Kansas, and the tradition of their program, and with what Bill Self has done there,” said head coach Billy Kennedy. “It’s a great opportunity for us to have a special moment and get a win. Now, we’ll have to play great basketball and they’ll have to play not so well — which I thought Missouri played really well. We’ve got to get some breaks at some point.”
A&M didn’t find any easy breaks in last Saturday’s 52-61 home loss to No. 3 Missouri and won’t be given any on Wednesday in a nationally televised contest. The Jayhawks, who are trying to lock up a No. 1 seed for March’s NCAA Tournament, know better than to overlook an Aggie team that has struggled in conference play but can pop off a winning effort on any given night. “We understand that every game is important to win a championship; every game matters if you want to win the Big 12,” said Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor. “You have to beat every team at home and on the See Kansas on page 4
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