thebattalion ! friday,
april 13, 2012
! serving
texas a&m since 1893
!"first paper free – additional copies $1 !"© 2012 student media
campus
Students, staff protest in plaza Demonstration against outsourcing draws 60 to Sul Ross statue Rachel Bishop
The Battalion Students who gathered around the Sul Ross statue Tuesday afternoon didn’t bring pennies for good luck on a coming exam, but sought an oppor-
tunity to educate Aggies about proposed outsourcing changes facing the University. Terrance Edmond, student senator and coordinator of the protest, became interested in Student Senate as an avenue to advocate for minority groups. The junior political science major said standing up for Dining Services employees, which he said is 97 percent minority, was an easy decision. “These human beings don’t get these
jobs for the money, they do the job for the benefits and because they are a part of this campus community,” Edmond said. “The operational philosophy will change if privatized, and that only will generate bad consequences for the employees.” Valery Owen, senior universities studies major, joined forces with Edmond when she saw his post on a Face-
Students and employees protest against outsourcing plans Thursday in Academic Plaza. Jade Bedel — THE BATTALION
See Protest on page 4
Room and boards
Shack-A-Thon is a fundraiser for the Texas A&M chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Aggie Habitat will give all of the money raised to support the building of a local house.
Temporary plywood residents raise funds for Habitat for Humanity Trevor Stevens
The Battalion The small village of shacks filled with student-squatters in front of Kyle Field, known as Shack-A-Thon, has been home to students from a dozen organizations this week. Some students out-bid while others out-built their fellow Aggies, but all helped to build a new home for a local family. “When people walk by and see us living in these shacks and say, ‘What on earth are you people doing in here?’ it will give us a platform to talk about the poverty housing that happens right here
in College Station,” said Hailey Minter, senior human resource development major and special events director for Aggie Habitat. Shack-A-Thon is a fundraiser for the Texas A&M chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and seeks to raise awareness about the poverty housing that is prevalent in Bryan-College Station. Shack-A-Thon is not poverty simulation, Minter said, because the shacks are nicer than the real shacks in which lowincome residents of the community live. “There are people living in conditions similar or worse than these in Bryan-
College Station,” Minter said. Aggie Habitat will give all of the money raised — almost $15,000 — to support the building of a local house. Aggie Habitat raises the money through an auction, “selling” plots for shack space. The minimum bid is $750 for a single plot and $3,500 for a double plot. The double plot auction guarantees the highest bidder a shack, but one double plot is usually left for the single-plot auction. One group of Shack-A-Thon veterans developed a strategy to claim See Shacks on page 4
student life
Trevor Stevens and Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION
weekend
Top-ranked paintball team scopes nationals Billy Currington
headlines Chilifest
Haley Lawson
The Battalion Fifteen students will look to paint competitors with Aggie colors when the nationally ranked Texas A&M paintball team travels to Lakeland, Fla., this weekend to compete in the collegiate paintball national championships. The team has already won two conference tournaments, including the North Texas Open and the Texas A&M Open. The Aggies enter the competition as favorites, ranked No. 1 in the country. “We have had an excellent season this year, not only in our competitions but in team expansion, as well,” said Michael Forgione, team secretary and sophomore kinesiology major. “We took home two first-place finishes, a third and a fourth-place finish during our conference events this year.” The team practiced in Reed and has been preparing for the
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John Tee
James Thompson — THE BATTALION
Mike Forgione, sophomore kinesiology major and Texas A&M Paintball team president, is set for nationals in Florida this weekend. upcoming championship. Team member JD Woody said the team practices strategies, shooting and gunhandling weekly. “We practice on Wednesday nights in Reed to go over fundamentals such as running, sprinting, gun-handling, snap-shooting and
communication. Sundays, we go to 5J Paintball in Houston to do live scrimmages,” Woody said. With the championship approaching, the team has taken every opportunity to practice. See Paintball on page 2
The Battalion Chilifest 2012 is one of the most anticipated weekends of the year for fans of country music, chili appreciators and students looking for a good time. As with the previous years, Chilifest 2012 will include a two-day chili cook-off and a concert featuring some of country music’s biggest names. Headlining Chilifest this year is Billy Currington, known for Top-40 hits including “That’s How Country Boys Roll” and “People Are Crazy.” Joining Currington are Texas favorites Josh Abbot Band, Randy Rogers Band and Sunny Sweeney. The main lineup will perform on Saturday. “The lineup this year is incredible,” said Carly Rosse, senior nutritional sciences major. “I’m really looking forward to it.” Other musicians include Six Market See Chilifest on page 2
If you go #"Chilifest activities are southwest of College Station in Snook. #"A park-andride program is available to transport students to and from Chilifest. Interested students can park at the Tejas Center, near the corner of Villa Maria and Texas Avenue in Bryan. #"For more information, visit chilifest.org.
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