thebattalion ! monday,
march 19, 2012
! serving
texas a&m since 1893
!"first paper free – additional copies $1 !"© 2012 student media
women’s hoops
Aggies begin defense of title A&M starts the big dance with win, faces SEC’s Arkansas Monday Michael Rodriguez
Photos by Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION
Sonny Moore, known on stage as Skrillex, performs live at South by Southwest on Friday night at Mohawk venue in Austin.
Capital music South by Southwest rocks spring break in Austin Alec Goetz The Battalion
S
outh by Southwest, commonly known as SXSW, could be a dream come true for the college-age music fan: spring break in the self-proclaimed music capital of the world filled with non-stop performances by many top and upand-coming bands. SXSW has never been the most laidback festival in the world — no laying in the grass listening to Dave Matthews Band here — but those willing to put forth the effort to navigate this year’s madness found performances capable of satisfying even the most fickle audiophile’s tastes in one form or another. Those seeking new music were particularly rewarded by the 2012 lineup. “It’s not hard at all to find new music
that you like at SXSW, you just have to be open-minded,” said Amy Bauerschlag, junior communication major. “It’s one of the most diverse festivals I know of. There are so many free shows that I was bound to run into something I enjoyed pretty much wherever I went.” The range of genres and artists of varying levels of fame at SXSW remained as vast See SXSW on page 6
Grammy-winning singer Fiona Apple performs at Stubb’s barbecue restaurant and venue Wednesday night.
The Battalion The No. 3 seed A&M women’s basketball team kicked off its national title defense Saturday, defeating the Albany Great Danes in the first round of the NCAA tournament, 69-47, at Reed Arena. “I’m proud of our basketball team,” A&M head coach Gary Blair said. “When we’re not our Next up best, we were The Aggies will still able to win by 20. We had take on future some kids step SEC foe Arkansas up in the sec- in the second round of the NCAA ond half.” A l b a n y tournament at 8:30 came to Col- p.m. in Reed Arena. lege Station with a 10-game winning streak and showed a strong will to fight in the first half, going toe-to-toe with the 13th-ranked Aggies. A&M entered halftime holding a 30-26 lead. “I just think they had a great game plan,” Blair said. “Sometimes the team that’s favored plays not to lose and they don’t deliver the first blow. That’s what you have to do when you’re the stronger team and supposedly the better team, you have to deliver the first blow, which we didn’t in this game.” The Aggies came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, going on a 17-4 run midway through the period. During that run, the Aggies got four points from senior point guard Tyra White, who missed the past three games due to a foot injury. White finished the game with 18 points and seven rebounds. See Title Defense on page 3
bryan-college station
Fire consumes Young Life residence Barrett House
The Battalion With no shoes, bloodied fingers and black smudge on his face, Keane Richardson, junior business major, looks at his home of the past year, trying to figure out how he feels after escaping a fire that engulfed his house. At approximately 4:30 Sunday afternoon, a Young Life house located on Sulphur Springs Road in Bryan caught fire. The cause has yet to be determined. Richardson said he was in his room upstairs when he smelled smoke in the house and
found the downstairs bike room was full of smoke. After discovering the fire, Richardson opened the front door to let out his roommate’s dog, Odie, before trying to control the flames. “I went and found the fire extinguisher and tried to put it out, but it didn’t do anything,” Richardson said. “I called 9-1-1 because I knew I wouldn’t be able to put it out.” According to the Bryan Fire Department Fire Inspector Fred Taylor, when fire fighters arrived there was a lot of fire in the back of the house. Taylor said attempts to enter
the house were difficult because of the fire, heat and because it was a two-story structure. Taylor said when he left the scene around 8 p.m. crews were still at the house putting out hot spots and would probably continue doing so throughout the night. “They were still out there getting hot spots. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have to go back out to put out hot spots,” Taylor said. “At this point there’s nothing left in the house that’s salvageable.” Richardson said his faith is going See Fire on page 4
Barrett House — THE BATTALION
The Bryan fire department responds to a house fire on Sulphur Springs Road late Sunday afternoon.
campus
baseball
Senate tells administration to keep Kyle Field name
Aggies cap up-and-down week with series win over Wildcats James Solano The Battalion
who are named after the field — something he considers to be a testament to the stadium’s tradition. Mandry said keeping the recognized name is pivotal, especially during the University’s move to the Southeastern Conference. “As we move into the SEC and
The No. 8 Aggie baseball team closed a busy spring break on the diamond with a pair of Big 12 wins this weekend after a wild loss Friday night. Closing a 21-game home stand, the Aggies (16-5, 2-1 Big 12) welcomed Kansas State to the friendly confines of Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park for a three-game series, ultimately claiming two of the three games. It was the end of a topsy-turvy week, during which A&M went 4–4 against Cal State Fullerton, Texas Pan-American and Kansas State. The Aggies dropped two of three games despite outscoring the No. 11 Cal State Fullerton 14-11 in a trio of weekend matches to start spring break. Senior first baseman Jacob House and junior right fielder Tyler Naquin both enjoyed a three-hit night at the plate in the Aggies’ lone victory against the Titans, 6-1, on March 9. Junior pitcher Michael Wacha got his fourth start and third win of the season, registering eight strikeouts in six innings despite an hour-long rain delay in the dreary evening match.
See Renovations on page 3
See Baseball on page 4
Natalee Blanchat
The Battalion Responding to the A&M administration’s plans to renovate Kyle Field, the Student Senate saw fit before leaving for spring break to pass a bill supporting preservation of the A&M football stadium’s name. The signature title dates to 1904 and namesake E.J. Kyle, Class of 1899, who donated the land on which Kyle Field stands. The Kyle Field Preservation Bill is anticipatory, addressing a situation in which “Texas A&M University may potentially be approached” by sponsors seeking to rename the stadium.
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Jay Kapadia — THE BATTALION
Kyle Field was named after former A&M professor E.J. Kyle, Class of 1899, who donated the land on which the stadium stands. The bill suggests changing the name for monetary sponsorship be restricted to specific sections of the stadium and seating decks, as opposed to the entire structure. Tyler Mandry, junior computer science major, co-authored the bill. Mandry said he traveled to College Station to attend football games at Kyle Field while growing up and has friends
3/19/12 12:30 AM