thebattalion ! thursday,
april 26, 2012
financial aid
TEXAS grant shortage State budget cuts leave low-income students with less aid Jake Walker
The Battalion Due to recent budget cuts passed by the Texas Legislature, some students will have to make do with less financial aid in the form of the TEXAS Grant for the next academic school year. The TEXAS, Towards Excellence, Access and Success, Grant was established in 1999 to assist academically successful students in paying for college. To receive a TEXAS Grant, the student must be a Texas resident, be enrolled in at least nine semester hours, have not been convicted of a crime involving a controlled substance and have an estimated family contribution of less than $4,000. In the past, students were awarded approximately $4,400 to $7,400 per year, depending on the type of institution they attended. More money was awarded to students attending a public university, and less for students attending a technical college. Although the program is consistently supported by the Texas Legislature, it has recently been met with high demands and funding concerns. “Recent reductions in the funding has resulted in limited funding and in some cases no funding for new students entering college that are qualified students,” said Bridgette Ingram, See TEXAS Grant on page 3
baseball
Coach instills blue-collar mentality Michael Rodriguez
The Battalion When you stand by Aggie head baseball coach Rob Childress, there is a silence about him, yet his message is communicated loud and clear. “His message is to take one game at a time, because you never know when your last game is going to be,” said senior starting pitcher Ross Stripling. “Coach said to us, ‘What if this was your last game? Play with a fire,’ and I think this team has embodied that.” For a student-athlete going through the grind of a 56-game baseball season, the brevity of a college career is sometimes overlooked, but Childress’ philosophy cements the foundation of hustle and hard work that has built his team. “I stress effort and attitude and those are the only two things. We’re going to out hustle you and out compete you from when the first pitch is thrown,” Childress said. “If we do that, the scoreboard will take care of itself.” Childress has been the Aggies’ head ball coach since 2005. He preaches strong pitching, defense and aggressive base running. While other programs recruit flashy student-athletes, Childress said he looks for athletes who will fit his system. “None of our players were premiere recruits. We recruited kind of in our image, blue collar, hard-nosed guys, and they’re told that on their visit. When you come here, it will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done but it will be the most rewarding,” Childress said. Senior first baseman Jacob House said Childress stresses the importance of hard work and accomplishing goals. “I think coach does a good job relaying his message, keeping us motivated and giving us goals every day,” House said.
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Going Pro Where he stands See where Ryan Tannehill ranks among his peers at the position. These stats, among others, are considered by NFL general managers and scouts when selecting prospects on draft day.
Brains The Wonderlic test A cognitive ability test designed to rate the problemsolving ability of NFL prospects Andrew Luck Ryan Tannehill Kirk Cousins Brandon Weeden Robert Griffin III
37 34 33 27 24
Size Height and Weight Brandon Weeden 6’5” Kirk Cousins 6’5” Andrew Luck 6’4” Ryan Tannehill 6’4” Robert Griffin III 6’2”
221 214 234 221 223
Arm Career passer rating Andrew Luck 134.2 Robert Griffin III 158.9 Kirk Cousins 157.7 Brandon Weeden 146.1 Ryan Tannehill 134.2
Legs 40-yard dash in seconds Robert Griffin III 4.48 Ryan Tannehill 4.65 Andrew Luck 4.67 Kirk Cousins 4.84 Brandon Weeden 4.89
Tannehill stock soars as NFL draft nears Austin Meek
The Battalion Just one day before the draft, pundits are as confused about senior quarterback Ryan Tannehill as ever. The man will go down in Aggie lore not only for his passing prowess, but also for the speed and precision with which he ran his routes back during his days as a wide receiver. After being converted from a pass catcher, Tannehill registered 19 starts behind center, and this versatility has become a polarizing topic among NFL circles. Can a player with less than 20 college starts under his belt handle the rigors of the NFL? If he couldn’t even win his own starting quarterback job until his junior year, is he really worth building a franchise around as a top-10 pick? Pat Dye, the gunslinger’s agent, said that what Tannehill lacks in film footage is made up for by his “prototypical measurables.” “His height, weight, speed, arm strength, is tops,” Dye said. “Then … you throw in the intangibles that are off the charts: the character, the work ethic, the intelligence, his ability to talk football
and translate it on the boards.” Tannehill’s ride up the draft charts has been an unorthodox one. After throwing for 3,744 yards and 29 touchdowns in his final season in Aggieland, he was considered a late first-round selection. He then sustained a foot injury, which kept him out of the Senior Bowl and other showcases, but wowed teams enough with his tape and interviewing skills that he continued inching toward the top of the board. Now, he’s considered one of this year’s premier talents and will most likely be selected among the top-10 picks. “To come back from having surgery and having a screw inserted in his foot, to come back and work out the way he has at his pro day and his private workouts, I think is really remarkable,” Dye said. “He’s held up physically and mentally. Now I think he’s just probably ready, like everybody else is, to find out where he’s going to be.” Tannehill has drawn significant interest from the Cleveland Browns, who pick in the No. 4 slot, and the Miami See Tannehill on page 2
A&M firstround draft picks since ’93 #"2011: Von Miller, 2nd overall, LB, Denver Broncos #"2003: Ty Warren, 13th overall, DE, New England Patriots #"2003: Sammy Davis, 30th overall, CB, San Diego Chargers #"1996: Reggie Brown, 17th overall, LB, Detroit Lions #"1994: Sam Adams, 8th overall, DE, Seattle Seahawks #"1994: Aaron Glenn, 12th overall, CB, New York Jets #"1994: Greg Hill, 25th overall, RB, Kansas City Chiefs #"1993: Patrick Bates, 12th overall, DB, Los Angeles Raiders
See Childress on page 2
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