TheBattalion03222012

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thebattalion ! thursday,

march 22, 2012

! serving

texas a&m since 1893

!"first paper free – additional copies $1 !"© 2012 student media

The Big Event celebrates 30 years of service A&M community project spreads to colleges across nation Jake Walker

COURTESY PHOTO

Volunteers for The Big Event 2011 participate in a yell practice before heading to service project locations.

The Battalion From its humble, six-person origin at A&M in 1982, The Big Event has spread to 72 campuses across the U.S. and will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Saturday. Joe Nussbaum, vice president of the Student Government Association in 1982, began The Big Event to encour-

age students’ connection to the community. Nussbaum expanded his vision to incorporate every student organization serving community on the same day and, with that, The Big Event was born. The student-led service project has since grown from a one-job cemetery cleaning operation to a 1,750-job, community-wide operation. “It’s definitely going to be huge if we stay on the same path that we’re going,” said Caroline Janssen, outreach executive for The Big Event. Last year, more than 15,000 students spent a Saturday working on 1,500 jobs

in the Bryan-College Station area. This year, there are 17,300 students registered and 250 more job sites have been added. The Big Event at A&M continues to be the largest student-run service project in the nation. Next year, Janssen said she predicts 20,000 participants. The Big Event has grown not only at Texas A&M, but also nationwide. Every February, student coordinators of The Big Event at A&M hold a conference to help other colleges interested in starting See Big Event on page 2

inside lifestyles | 4 Cirque du Soleil awes and wows

Learn more about Dralion and a performer’s lifestyle: See page 4 for an exclusive Q&A with one of the show’s arial performers.

sports | 6 Tebow traded to Jets In a move as stunning as the quarterback’s NFL Career, the Denver Broncos trade Tim Tebow to the New York Jets and receive a mixed reception from a variety of sources.

Invisible Children promotes KONY 2012 Texas A&M Invisible Children will present two film screenings this weekend to promote the KONY 2012 movement. The first will be at 7 p.m. Thursday in Rudder 601, the second will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Wehner 113. The organization will show a film and will have representatives from Invisible Children and a former child soldier. Joanna Raines, staff writer

Corry Dobson — THE BATTALION

System Chancellor John Sharp answers outsourcing questions at the University Staff Council Forum Wednesday in Rudder Theatre.

Sharp end of the stick Spring Forum becomes outsourcing debate Justin Mathers

The Battalion John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M System, faced a hostile crowd of University employees packed into Rudder Theater Wednesday as he fielded questions about plans to outsource A&M’s nonacademic services. University employees have been up in arms since learning in late February that A&M submitted four separate requests for proposal for University dining, landscaping, custodial and building maintenance services. Student Body

President Jeff Pickering responded to the news before spring break by calling an emergency Student Senate meeting to address concerns about the plan. Critics of the plan maintain that privatization of services will cause a loss of employee benefits and could result in large-scale layoffs. Critics also say that outsourcing jobs to a private company goes against the Aggie family spirit the University attempts to foster. Sharp responded in recent days by saying that rumors of layoffs, including a 1,000-person fig-

campus

ure that was cited by some in attendance, have no factual basis. “The private companies we’ve interviewed as part of the [proposal] process have told us we can switch without having to fire anyone,” Sharp said. “In fact, we put a provision into our proposals which said to the companies, ‘You will be judged based on equitable treatment of our employees and on your ability to match our wages and benefits, including healthcare benefits.’” Jennifer Schulien, junior agricultural comSee Sharp on page 2

festival

Farmers market keeps menu fresh Grant marks first Emily Davis

The Battalion Locally grown and sustainable produce is growing in popularity as more people learn about the benefits of eating fresh foods. Texas A&M has made fresh produce accessible to students on campus by inviting a farmers market to set up shop in front of Sbisa Dining Center weekly, starting Thursday. Students will be able to purchase produce, much of which is locally grown by small farmers. Stacey Rugh, marketing coordinator for University Dining, said the farmers market is a visible product of the University’s sustainability initiative. “It’s done as a resource for students and faculty,” Rugh said. “It’s to help

people eat locally and promote a healthy diet.” The farmers market includes produce from Howdy Farm, a studentoperated farm on campus, and from the Farm Patch in Bryan. Brady Grimes, manager of Howdy Farm and senior horticulture and renewable natural resources major, said the food available at the farmers market is better than food you can buy in a large chain, such as Walmart or HEB. “It’s a big difference. Local food has several benefits that HEB couldn’t give you,” Grimes said. “One of those is variety. A lot of times big stores have the standard things, like Roma tomatoes and yellow squash. And the quality, nothing compares to See Market on page 6

www.campusapts.com/gatewayatcollegestation

CRAWFISH BOIL facebook.com/gatewayatcollegestation Call 888.698.5330

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for Fresh Minds

Alyssa Rivers

Josh McKenna — THE BATTALION

Fresh produce is available in front of Sbisa Dining Hall Thursday morning.

The Battalion Art and music are performance mediums often used to convey meaning, but what happens when they are used as research tools rather than features of a music video? Jeff Morris and Autum Casey, instructional assistant professors of the department of performance studies are researching this question with aid of grant through the Tier One Program. The program awarded 11 grants from 34 proposals across

several of the university’s academic colleges this year. These grants are expected to affect more than 4,000 students annually. The funds awarded to Casey and Morris will be used to create the Fresh Minds Festival in 2013, a collaborative initiative exploring the relationship between performance and technology, or “PerfTech.” Due to the interdisciplinary nature of their program, Casey and Morris both spend time in the music See Music on page 6

Saturday March 24, 2012 12pm - 5pm 117 Holleman Drive West, College Station, 77840

3/22/12 12:02 AM


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