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spring 2012
housing guide
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3/28/12 12:22:17 PM
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A&M set for Parents’ Weekend Ring Day, Midnight Yell festivities headline events for families Barrett House
The Battalion It’s that time of year — time for Aggie parents to invade College Station, bearing grins, looking for hugs and celebrating the academic year their students have endured. With five weeks of school remaining, Parents’ Weekend begins a season of transition, from freshman to sophomore, sophomore to junior, junior to se-
nior and senior to former student. The campus will come to life during the weekend with a multitude of events, giving parents the opportunity to experience the University their students attend. “I think the overreaching goal for Parents’ Weekend every year is to give parents and family members of Aggie students a glimpse into college life [and] to show them the spirit of Aggieland while they’re here,” said Audrey Roeder, director of the Parents’ Weekend Committee and junior communication major. Official events for curious family members include Midnight Yell Friday night, Taste of
Aggieland on Saturday and the All-University Awards Ceremony on Sunday. Midnight Yell will feature the new face of Aggie football, and Taste of Aggieland is a new addition to the weekend lineup. “We’re solely doing [Midnight Yell] for the parents’ benefit. We’ll have Coach Sumlin and the new student body president, John Claybrook, speaking and addressing the crowd,” Roeder said. “[During] Taste of Aggieland, there will be 10 local restaurants out in front of Kyle Field offering free samples and selling their entrees.” See Parents’ Weekend on page 2
inside Sweet memories Many of the thousands of students who receive their Aggie Rings on Friday will participate in the unofficial tradition Ring Dunk this weekend. See page 6 to learn a few creative twists students use to personalize ze their celebration. n.
Mirror images Rightie Katerina Ruzickova and leftie Patricia Garcia have the Aggies aiming for the green
James Thompson— THE BATTALION
Sophomore Katerina Ruzickova is leading the women’s golf team with a 73.33 average score, while freshman Patricia Garcia won her first collegiate tournament this month.
Michael Rodriguez The Battalion
S
ophomore Katerina Ruzickova and freshman Patricia Garcia walk onto the Traditions Golf Course for afternoon practice equipped with bright smiles, youthful energy and more talent than seems fair for a couple underclassmen. But the pair still has some adapting to do — learning to play golf at the Division I level, balancing college life and golf, and adjusting to a new environment. Their coach, though, has nothing but confidence. “I definitely think that they are the future for our team heading forward,” said head coach Trelle McCombs. “Before you build depth, you have to build the foundation and they are definitely part of that foundation. They are just freshmen and sophomores, but they’re already playing like seniors.”
Ruzickova, a sophomore psychology major, is an international student from the Czech Republic. Her golfing story began in footsteps of her brother who played for the Czech Republic National team. “[My brother] was my role model when it came to golf,” Ruzickova said. “He was on the national team and I wanted to be on the national team. Then he came to the U.S. and I followed him wherever he went.” It’s not that Ruzickova feels pressure to live up to the standard. It’s more like a challenge. “He’s done it, obviously, so I can do
it,” she joked. On the course, she hasn’t left any room for doubt that she inherited the family’s golf gene. As a freshman, Ruzickova garnered a spot in the Golfweek Freshman All-American team and was an honorable mention on the collegiate All-American squad. She finished with eight top-25 and six top-10 finishes, adding a tournament championship at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Tournament. Ruzickova tells McCombs that her performance has been “B-game” quality so far this year, a testament to her potential. She paced the Aggies to a victory in a March 13-14 tournament in Hawaii, finishing fourth individually, but said she needs to make adjustments to be successful both on and off the golf course. “I just need to keep finding a better balance when it comes to golf and school. I’m getting a
better feel for things,” Ruzickova said. “I need to keep working on my technique, that way the repetition is there the same way in pressure situations as it would be in normal situations.” Finding similar success early in her collegiate career, Garcia is coming off a second-place finish at the Battle of Rancho Bernardo Inn Tournament during spring break, her best collegiate finish to-date. The freshman general studies major is also an international student from Puerto Rico. She played soccer in her home country, due to its popularity in the region, but picked up golf following her father’s example. “My dad started playing golf on the weekends, so my brother started playing too. I was like, ‘I want to go play golf with you guys,’” Garcia said. “Then we would play golf year See Golf on page 10
research
business
Algae shows promise in biofuel tests
Longtime textbook shop closes doors
Kelly Tucker The Battalion
Anyone with a fish tank has probably put plenty of energy into cleaning algae out of water. Within the next decade, though, the energy in algae may be a viable source for fuel, thanks to researchers at Texas A&M University who are developing an algae biofuel. Algae naturally converts sunlight into an energy source during photosynthesis and can be used as a type of biofuel in two different ways. The most common way involves taking lipids, or fats, out of the algae to use as biodiesel. An alternative method creates a hydrocarbon fuel similar to gasoline or diesel. Unlike biodiesels, hydrocarbon fuel does not have oxygen and is more energy dense, which makes it a more versatile fuel source and usable in aircraft. “The overall efficiency, rapid growth rate and yield are the major advantages of using algae,” said
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Robby Smith
Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION
A&M researchers are learning to harvest energy produced by Algae for use in biofuels. Joshua Yuan, assistant professor in the department of plant pathology and microbiology. The research group aims to create methods that would generate higher yields from algae; these yields could make it possible for algae biofuel to
be produced on a larger scale, then sold as an alternative to gasoline. For this to happen, the process will have to become more cost-efficient. “For the algae to be useful as a See Algae on page 9
The Battalion As of Saturday, an Aggieland staple since 1930 will no longer have its doors open to sell Tshirts and textbooks. This is not an ill befalling Loupot’s Bookstore or “Old Army Lou,” but part of a corporate bankruptcy reorganization plan. On June 27, NBC Acquisition Corp. filed for Chapter 11 protection as it plans to restructure the national chain of college textbook stores. Nebraska Book Co., referred to as Neebo, is a subsidiary of NBC Acquisition. A hearing for its second amended plan of reorganization is set for April 13. “This is an important step in our process,” Barry Major, NBC Acquisition president, said in a statement. “Our off-
campus stores have faced tremendous competition over the past year. Our financial performance as a whole missed our target due to the performance of our off-campus stores.” By Saturday, the three Loupot’s stores, all off campus, will be closed. One of the Tradition’s Bookstore locations, which also uses Neebo as textbook supplier, closed earlier this year. The other two Tradition’s locations will remain open through the remainder of the semester, but the future remains unclear for both locations. Neebo indicated previously that 39 locations will close nationwide. Major also said revenue declines have been severe in off-campus stores, which have See Loupot’s on page 12
3/30/12 12:05 AM