TheBattalion05012012 by The Battalion

thebattalion ! tuesday,

may 1, 2012

! serving

texas a&m since 1893

Silver Taps for Garbarino, Kaitson Tuesday night Emily Davis

The Battalion As the year comes to a close and students begin to celebrate the end of another semester, a moment will be taken to remember two Aggies, Nick Garbarino and Michael Kaitson, at the last Silver Taps of the academic year. The Silver Taps ceremony that was scheduled for April 3 will be held Garbarino Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. in Academic Plaza. The ceremony in April was cancelled due to dangerous weather conditions. Taryn Tipton, chair

of Traditions Council, said both the Garbarino and Kaitson families will be in attendance at Tuesday’s Silver Taps ceremony. “The families of those Aggies who are being honored at Silver Taps were given a few dates to choose from and ultimately they decided that May 1 worked best for both families to come back to College Station,” Tipton said. “The families were very understanding Kaitson about the postponing of Silver Taps. Like everyone else, they were also concerned about students’ safety.” Nick Garbarino, senior mechanical engineering

major, died on January 26 after battling cancer. One and a half years prior, he married Andi Garbarino. She remembers her husband as an intelligent and caring person. “It didn’t matter if you weren’t even half as intelligent as him, you still felt like you were important and could totally be yourself around him,” Andi said. “He was the most wonderful husband a girl could ask for — he took good care of me and loved me well.” Richard Garbarino, Nick’s father, encountered many of Nick’s friends during his struggle with cancer and at his funeral. See Silver Taps on page 9

Silver Taps #"Silver Taps begins

at 10:30 p.m. in Academic Plaza #"Students are asked to gather silently in the plaza, muting electronic devices #"Campus lights will be darkened beginning at 10:15 p.m."

EDITORIAL

higher education

Senate should rectify mistake, confirm Zelaya

Lawsuit against UT could reshape affirmative action Robby Smith

The Battalion A white female will bring the issue of affirmative action policy in college admissions before the U.S. Supreme Court after a nine-year hiatus, her accusations aimed at the University of Texas. The nation’s highest court will hear oral arguments this fall in the case Fisher v. University of Texas. Attorneys affiliated with conservative activist groups will argue on behalf of Abigail Fisher, who was denied admission to the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. “The case really is asking: ‘Is treating others differently based on race a violation of the Equal Protection Clause?’” said McKinzie Craig, political science doctoral candidate. The Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution prohibits states from denying equal protection under the law to any person. Critics of affirmative action argue that preferential policies based on race do not offer the same protection to individuals who are not minorities as to those who are, referred to as “benign discrimination.” The last time the Supreme Court addressed the issue was in 2003, when justices struck down a pointbased admissions system incorporating race at the See Affirmative Action on page 2

Virtually every member of the Student Senate agreed Wednesday that curriculum and instruction graduate student Jose Zelaya was qualified to be Student Government vice president of diversity. Senators recognized Zelaya’s passion for representing marginalized and minority populations on campus, even applauding his commitment to the betterment of Texas A&M. But Senate blocked Zelaya’s confirmation — not because of his qualifications or vision for the role, but because of his immigration status. If Senate were to confirm an illegal immigrant for a leadership position, one student senator said, “I have no doubt he will do a great job. But it looks bad on this University.” This sentiment was echoed by others who later voted against Zelaya, blocking his confirmation by four votes. With this single act, the Student Senate demonstrated it is more concerned with the University’s public image than the well being of the students it purports to represent. Zelaya is not asking for Senate to

take sides in a polarized immigration debate. He’s only asking for the opportunity to serve the student body through SGA. Senators would be foolish to deny this Zelaya request a second time when they revisit his nomination in a meeting Tuesday night. During the past several years, Zelaya took it upon himself to unify marginalized and minority campus groups, leading Latino students and working hand-in-hand with the Muslim Student Association, GLBT Aggies and black student organizations to increase campus appreciation of diversity. He didn’t wait for a job title or SGA approval, but identified a need in the

A&M community and acted. Zelaya has reached out to students whose political, religious and cultural backgrounds differ dramatically from his own, dispelling fears that he will only champion the causes that national media outlets have prescribed to Zelaya, namely the DREAM Act. But senators ignored Zelaya’s body of work. We have no doubt that Zelaya will serve the cause of diversity at A&M whether or not he is confirmed Tuesday, because that is the kind of Aggie he is. On Wednesday, senators voted against their organization’s best candidate to reach minority groups. Tuesday night, they can rectify this mistake.

EDITORIALBOARD The Battalion’s editorial opinion is determined by its Board of Opinion, with the editor in chief having final responsibility. Robert Carpenter Editor in Chief senior applied math major

Naila Dhanani Opinion Editor junior biomedical sciences major

Michael Rodriguez opinion columnist senior industrial engineering major

Coming out GLBT students struggle with sexual and gender identity during college By Jennifer DuBose & Joanna Raines The Battalion

College can be a time of self-discovery and actualization. Students mature – challenging or validating their beliefs and upbringings as independence transforms adolescents into adults. But for students in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, adding “coming out” to the equation can make the college experience frightening and tumultuous. “It’s not my job to tell them they’re gay. Students already know when they come to me,” said Mary Ann Covey, associate director of Student Counseling Services and founder of Aggie Allies. “It’s my job to help them be comfortable with themselves.” Many GLBT students find it difficult to be comfortable with who they are while the possibility of family being disgusted or outraged constantly hangs overhead. As a result, some do not come out to family members at all – choosing instead to hide their identity from the ones they love. “That’s a type of imprisonment, psychological imprisonment.” said Ty Allison, a gay man who holds a graduate degree from the NYU Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness program. “Imagine... you’re keeping a secret from the DNA of which you were created. It’s difficult – I could not imagine it.” Ahmed, an A&M student who asked to have his name withheld, has yet to tell his family that he is gay. Raised in India under strict Jesuit schooling by Muslim parents, he believes his family would disown him if they found out. Ahmed holds onto the hope that they would be See GLBT on page 5

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thebattalion Robert Carpenter, Editor in Chief THE BATTALION (ISSN #1055-4726) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University. Periodicals Postage Paid at College Station, TX 77840. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, Texas A&M University, 1111 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-1111. News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. News offices are in The Grove, Bldg. 8901. Newsroom phone: 979-845-3313; Fax: 979-845-2647; E-mail: metro@thebatt.com; website: http://www. thebatt.com. Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local, and national display advertising, call 979-845-2696. For classified advertising, call 979-845-0569. Advertising offices are in The Grove, Bldg. 8901, and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fax: 979-845-2678. Subscriptions: A part of the Student Services Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1. Mail subscriptions are $125 per school year.

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thebattalion 5.1.2012

Affirmative Action Continued from page 1

University of Michigan but upheld a policy that considered race as one factor at the university’s law school. “The court has said that claiming ‘diversity’ OVER 100 VARIETIES OF [as a justification for considering race in admisTEA BAGS sions] meets the constitutional standard of a 4303 S. TEXAS AT ROSEMARY compelling government interest,” Craig said. BRYAN • 979-846-4459 When administrators redesigned the UT MON–FRI 9 TO 6 • SAT 9 TO 4 affirmative action policy after the 2003 deciCelebrating 23 22Years Years of of Serving the Brazos Valley! sion, they made every effort to follow the legal guidelines set by the Supreme Court, said Wendy Moore, attorney and sociology profes1805 Briarcrest, sor at A&M. Bryan “UT’s method is very careful, thought(corner of 29th St. & Briarcrest) ful and nuanced. They used all sorts of legal 979-776-0999 strategies and were very careful when creating this policy,” Moore said. “They looked at the OPEN population and their own student population, 7 DAYS A WEEK! doing a bunch of research to redevelop an affirmative action program. If you can’t do it this conscientiously, [then it seems] you cannot do • Monday thru Saturday it at all.” Event Packages 1st Session 6:30, 2nd Session 8:00 Moore said that race is only used as one of & Planning Availabl • Sunday - 1st Session 6:00pm, e many factors in the evaluation of candidates. 2nd Session 8:00pm 774-7266 Students submit an essay about what they bring • 1/2 price paper on Thursday to the university in terms of diversity, she said, • $10.00 1/2 price FortuNet Electronics and race can be a part of that. “I am surprised that they agreed to hear this • Thurs. - Free Beer (limit 2) case since it is exactly the same situation as the • $2500 session play [2003] Michigan Law School case,” Moore • 1/2 price full pay Monday, Wednesday and Friday said. “Maybe they are rehearing it in order to www.brazosbingo.com revisit it.” LARGE NON-SMOKING ROOM Moore said some speculate that the court Great Food • Security • Unlimited Pull & Event Tabs and Much More! will “get rid of” affirmative action with the !"#$%&'()* 21,3&'$4,--(5 20<<,$=&&1( !"#$%&'()* decision. =(>&1.,$ !"#$%$ +,"*&-./$ +,"*&-./$ A&M students have mixed views on the 6-7'$89:; ?1&0)@$AB/# +*01/* !/*&&practice of affirmative action. Junior psychology major Malaika Murry said students often don’t respect the educational benefit affirmative action can bring to campuses, diversifying the demographic to improve educational exposure. K,)-&'8$&& “They think that unqualified minorities are (%,G)-(&& being admitted just so that their institution :$#+-:&<,%& looks good,” Murry said. Other students, such as junior economics 4@@;)$:&& major Jordan Silverman, are not happy with 6$78-,;,(0 the means used to achieve the goals of creating &?%,<$**),-+;*H& a heterogeneous student body. “Discrimination of any sort is unacceptable !"##$%&'$%#&%$()*'%+'),-&.$()-*&/+0&1 in any context, regardless of the motivation,” Silverman said. Tyra Metoyer, who graduated from UT before the Supreme Court established modern 2345&6$78-)7)+limitations on affirmative action, pointed out 9"-:+#$-'+;*&,<&=$;:)-( that people today do not actively pursue policies aimed at making up for the many years of 5,#.)-+'),-&>&?)@$&=$;:)-( discrimination and racism in the U.S. “A lot people say they support some kind of preferences for students from low socioeco!"#$%"#&$'()"#%*+'"($*(,$+"$#&-'.+&#/$$ nomic areas or who are first-generation college .+"0$12$"3#$")45&$6"5*+&,$*+$$ students, but don’t want it to be race because 789$:".+$;)45&$<+#&&+$'($=#2*(/$"#$-'>&$3.$$ they don’t want it to be discriminatory,” said *$5*66$*+$=6'(($?"66&-&$@"#A)"#5&$B,35*+'"($$ Metoyer, now a higher education administration doctoral student at A&M. ABACDEACBDEF Texas lawmakers implemented a state-wide affirmative action policy at Texas public universities when they passed the “Top 10% Rule” in 1997. The legislation is not based on race, but requires state-funded universities to ad3)*)'&"*&,-;)-$&+' mit all applicants who graduated in the top 10 GGGH.;)--H$:"IG,%J<,%7$ percent of their high school class regardless of academic competition, standardized test scores or other admissions factors. This policy came on the heels of a 1996 decision by a federal appellate court that struck down a more explicit affirmative action practice by the University of Texas. After the 1996 decision, Texas A&M and

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!"Supreme Court Justice Elena Kaegan has disqualified herself from hearing Fisher v. Univerity of Texas because of her involvement in the case prior to joining the court in 2010. !"The case will likely be heard in the middle of fall, close to the national elections. However, the court will not issue a ruling until the following spring.

Starting Thursday May 3, students will be able to relieve their exam stress at the main libraries on campus. There will be chair massages, qigong and puppies. for more information go to library.tamu.edu

the University of Texas both discontinued their affirmative action admissions policies. To this day, Texas A&M does not practice a unique affirmative action policy in admissions decisions, though it does abide by the top 10 percent rule. “A&M does not use race or ethnicity in making an admission decision, especially for freshmen. The top 10 percent policy has helped with [diversity of] race and ethnicity, as well as geography, getting students from rural areas,” said Scott McDonald, director of admissions at A&M. “We use recruitment tactics to target historically underrepresented groups. Though not using affirmative action specifically, we are relying on many other tactics.” UT, on the other hand, reinstated its own affirmative action policy after the Supreme Court’s 2003 ruling regarding the University of Michigan. This is the policy challenged by Fisher before the Supreme Court. Voicing support for the top 10 percent policy, Murry said many minorities would not be admitted without this statewide rule. Senior history major Garrett Emerson opposes affirmative action that considers race, but supports use of the top 10 percent policy. “You should be admitted on your education and your merits. Your ethnicity should not play a huge part in the acceptance process,” Emerson said. Metoyer said this approach neglects a continuing history of societal inequalities. “We have black people who rise above, yes, but they are a small part of the population overall,” Metoyer said. “You cannot wake up one day and just say that everyone starts fresh today and is equal.” Despite gaining admittance into A&M through a race-neutral policy, Murry said she still faces many stereotypes at A&M. “I was in the top 10 percent of my class. I worked very hard in school,” Murry said. “Freshman year, I had someone tell me the only reason I got in was because of a quota.” The U.S. is the most racially residentially segregated country in the world, Moore said. The top 10 percent rule in Texas relies on this residential segregation history to create racial equity in admissions processes. “I’m ambivalent about the top 10 percent rule. It relies on a history of racism, residential segregation and [grade and high school] inequalities,” Moore said. “But, if we’re doing nothing else, then it is better than nothing,” Moore added that legislators had varying motivations for passing the legislation, including closing wealth and resource gaps between races. Craig said when hearing arguments from UT and the rejected student, Supreme Court justices will have to decide what value affirmative action has for government interests in diversity. “At some point, we will be sufficiently diverse and not have to take factors like [race] into account anymore,” Craig said. “[But] the Court could say that this government interest has still not been met.”

texas Problem kids drop in number The number of Texas children in schools for those previously expelled because of disciplinary problems declined by nearly 40 percent over five years, a top juvenile justice official told lawmakers Monday.

nation Pro-life bill rejected The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a proposed amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution that would define a fertilized human egg as a person violates a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court decision involving a Pennsylvania case and “is clearly unconstitutional.”

world Ferry capsizes

GAUHATI, India — An overcrowded ferry boat capsized in heavy winds and rain in remote northeastern India late Monday, killing at least 41 people and leaving at least 150 others missing, police said.

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thebattalion

Negative effects W

Kori Wilson: Race-based admissions unproductive at university level

hen the Supreme Court upheld the use of race-conscious admissions at universities in Grutter v. Bollinger in 2003, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s majority opinion was based on the assumption that a diverse student body produced educational benefits.

For the first time since this monumental decision, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to affirmative action practice at the University of Texas. Although affirmative action at institutions of higher education may have good intentions, there are adverse effects that outweigh the presumed benefits. With any luck, the Supreme Court will repeal the permissibility of race-based university admissions. According to Clint Bolick, director of the Goldwater Institute, “Affirmative action programs that leap-frog less-qualified minorities over morequalified non-minorities sweep those systemic problems under the carpet. As such, race-based affirmative action programs perpetuate fraud upon the very groups they are designed to help.” The heart of educational inequality in the U.S. lies at the K-12 levels of schooling and cannot be miraculously solved by admittance at the university level. The NAACP cites that a high percentage of African-American students attended schools classified as “low Advanced Placement” relative to all other racial groups. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, both white and Asian-American students were at least twice as likely to take classes considered academically rigorous than African-American and Hispanic students. Less than 10 percent of AfricanAmerican or Hispanic students participated in courses deemed demanding and challenging in 2009. Analyses by the Center in 2009 and

2011 show that African-American and Hispanic students lagged behind white students by an average of more than 20 test-score points in math and reading assessments in fourth and eighth grade — a difference of about two grade levels. Statistics were similarly telling for graduation rates, with white and Asian students leading African American and Hispanic students by more than 20 percent. It is reasonable to infer that socioeconomic factors drive achievement disparity. It is clear that there are inherent issues within the American primary and secondary education systems that lead to inequalities at the developmental levels, reducing the pool of minority college applicants and significantly hindering many minorities that do enter higher education. The Pell Institute and Education Sector think tanks have found national higher education graduation rates to be stagnant. These static rates, compounded by graduation rate gaps between racial groups, reflect the theory that universities are more focused on achieving diversity than undergraduate success for minorities. Although educational benefits are the cornerstone to the legality of racebased admissions in universities, the concept of diversity can be defined in more ways than one. Should diversity be concerned solely with race? Does the color of a person’s skin determine his or her unique contribution to the student body? If universities are looking for a good measure of diversity in the student body, it would be less preposterous to have socioeconomic-based admissions,

rather than relying on race and further perpetuating outdated stigmas. What does affirmative action mean for major universities? Under the Supreme Court’s ruling, Texas A&M has the ability to consider race in its admissions process, opening the possibility for racial minorities to edge out non-minority, but equally-qualified applicants and further limiting the chance of admission for severely underprivileged, non-minority applicants. The ‘Top 10 Percent’ admission rule is effectively an automatic race-based admissions process, considering actual academic performance on a mutually exclusive scale, rather than a relative one. 10 percent is 10 percent, but not all graduating classes are created equally. Race-conscious admissions at A&M serve as nothing more than a public relations agenda, placing any improvement of the University’s overall performance and future achievement in the background. Race-based decisions could be effective at the primary levels of education, but affirmative action at the University level is counterproductive, focusing the institution’s efforts on non-qualitative diversity rather than tangible achievement.

Kori Wilson is a senior finance major.

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news

page 4 tuesday 5.1.2012

thebattalion

Designing for the future

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Freshman students in Environmental Design 106 display their project, a Cambodian school that will benefit up to forty-two students in rural Cambodia.

A&M works to turn the page on textbooks Michael Dror

The Battalion Aggies tired of hauling around backpacks of heavy textbooks should take note. A new proposal making its way through A&M could transform the way textbooks are used at A&M. A program to use e-books rather than their physical equivalents, is drawing attention from administrators and student proponents. Texas A&M University-San Antonio debuted the program two years ago, and its success has A&M considering a plan to implement it throughout the system. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It gives professors more flexibility in preparing their classes,â&#x20AC;? said student regent and junior political science major Fernando Trevino. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They can assign more books since students donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to buy the whole thing.â&#x20AC;? Under the envisioned system, students would have the opportunity to log into a University-wide database and see the books assigned in classes for which theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve registered. With an environment similar to eLearning , professors could select books or individual chapters that the class requires. The system at San Antonio has advanced functions, such as highlighting and notetaking, which students can save in their version of the books. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we can get it going, the program would provide Texas A&M students with more options at a much lower cost,â&#x20AC;? Trevino said. Students have the option of viewing the books through the Blackboard website or use mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad to access their books. In response to con-

cerns from students who prefer hard copy, the program also allows students to print out required pages themselves. Printing costs add up to approximately $10-15 per book, according to the TAMU-San Antonio website. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I spent $460 on books this semester, and these were the cheapest I could find,â&#x20AC;? said William Arnold, junior construction science major. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m on my computer when I take notes anyways, and if I could read my books online itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be even more cheap and convenient.â&#x20AC;? According to the TAMU-San Antonio website, students and the University have already realized savings of 60 percent from moving textbooks online. Were this policy to blanket the entire A&M system, students might save even more. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A&M has enormous buying power as an institution,â&#x20AC;? Trevino said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If the University can make the deal for all 100,000 of its students, we could save as much as $2 million annually.â&#x20AC;? The proposed policy will be centered around introductory classes, where hundreds of students all buy the same set of assigned books. Many books, particularly those from upper-level classes, will not be covered under the program, leaving professors free to form their own curricula. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Having to stare at a computer screen for the whole day would hurt my eyes,â&#x20AC;? said Catherine Koola, sophomore psychology major. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d prefer the savings from printing it out than using actual textbooks.â&#x20AC;? The success of the San Antonio program means that efforts are in place to increase ebooks throughout the A&M system, including the campus in College Station. There is no timetable set for the plan to be considered, let alone implemented. It remains to be seen whether the proposal, begun in earnest last month, can take effect.

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lifestyles

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GLBT

came out to the rest of his family and experienced the same positive feedback. He said he is grateful for the experience he has had Continued from page 1 because he knows that some do not have accepting, having already taken a chance by al- the same luxury of family support. lowing him to attend school in the U.S. He Coming out on Campus Openly identifying as GLBT in public plans to tell them about his sexuality in the brings about a myriad of reactions, both future, when the time is right. “It sounds selfish but I’m not in India, I negative and positive. This could be the don’t see them often, so why tell them now? reason why so many of the GLBT individWhy not save them the heartache?” Ahmed uals who seek counseling at A&M experisaid. “But I don’t think they want me to suffer ence an internal crisis. “It’s not that LGBT people suffer from for who I am.” depression, anxiety, et cetera, due to their The hesitations of students like Ahmed innate qualities and sexual attraction, It’s may be founded by the testimonies of other how society responds to that,” Allison said. students, such as David Elizondo, “It’s when you’re reacting with society senior human resource developas a whole, that’s where you have to ment major. manipulate around.” On a Saturday evening Senior anthropology major Aiden during his high school years, Powell discovered his academic calling Elizondo was talking on the after interacting with society as a trans phone with a close friend man, a person making a femaleand the subject of his to-male transition. own homosexuality When Powell decided to arose. Little did he make the physical transition know, his father An estimated from female to male, he was listening in on 2 to 5% of the could not find a physician in the conversation. the Bryan College Station A few moments population is area with the knowledge later, he stormed transgender and resources he needed. So violently into Powell went to Houston. Elizondo’s room. “It’s not that the [doc“He walked tors] were like ‘Oh, into my room, we’re not going to treat pushed me you because you’re transagainst the wall gender,’” Powell said. “They and was hitting me. didn’t have the resources.” My mom came into Powell realized that the the room and was scarcity of transgender healthtelling him to stop, but care is a problem that affects many he wouldn’t,” Elizondo people, so he decided to make it his said. “There are two things research in graduate school. [my dad] told me that night “Because I’ve embraced my that shifted our relationship: identity as a trans person, I’m able ’You’re lucky I didn’t kill to be successful. I’ve been accepted you,’ and ‘If this is the way to Purdue with full funding and you’re going to be, I could someone wants to work with me on never be proud of you’.” my project to research transgender Shortly thereafter, Elihealthcare,” Powell said. zondo’s parent took away Powell said he has had a relatively his cell phone, made him positive experience openly identifying as cut ties with all of his friends transgender at A&M, despite drawing occafrom school and was transferred to a private sional mean looks or snide remarks. He said Christian academy. Covey said these reactions are not uncom- in the dorm community his freshman year was welcoming and he even met his current mon, and she counsels college students dealgirlfriend there. He said his most uncomforting with the aftermath of these situations on able obstacle is having to use the women’s a regular basis. restroom, because by law, he cannot use the “I’ve had parents cut [the students] off. men’s. Women sometimes run away after I’ve had parents say ‘I wouldn’t have had seeing him in the bathroom. you if I knew you were gay,’” Covey said. “The more I looked masculinized, the “It’s striking. It becomes all about the parent. more issues I would have with bathrooms They say ‘You’re an embarrassment to me, an embarrassment to the family.’ It’s amazing on campus,” Powell said. “You’re like ‘I just want to go to the bathroom, I don’t how many parents can’t say ‘I love you.’” want to make a social statement. I don’t Elizondo said his relationship with his want to scare people. I just want 60 seconds mother is better because she is more underof peace.’” standing. His relationship with his father, on Powell added that he has learned to just the other hand, is now reduced to awkward laugh at the situations and move on. light conversation. Texas A&M does have a map of genThe rest of Elizondo’s family does not der-neutral bathrooms that can be found know about his sexuality and his visits home online, and is in the process of adding more never last longer than two or three days. – including one under construction in the At the other end of the spectrum, there anthropology building. are families who provide care and support to their student. Coming out to God Camden Breeding, senior electrical GLBT interactions with engineering major and president religion are often interof GLBT Aggies, had a positive twined with familial experience when coming out to and societal struggles. his family. The King James “My mom was one of Bible describes Hell the first people that I told,” as a “lake of fire” Breeding said. “She didn’t where the “wailunderstand it at all, but she was ing and gnashing welcoming. She said, ‘Family of teeth” will take comes first. No matter what, place for eternity. you’re my son.’ And my dad was The Qu’ran says OK with it.” that people will This Easter, Breeding “long to leave the fire” but “theirs will be a lasting torment.” While coming out, many religious students live in a

Pg. 5-05.01.12.indd 1

Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION

Camden Breeding, Aiden Powell, and David Elizondo each volunteered to share their coming out stories with The Battalion for this issue.

According to a 2011 poll by the Pew Institute...

64% of women

and 52% of men ...believe that homosexuality should be accepted by society. Highest concentrations of LGBT people in the US City name

% population LGBT

Lowest concentrations of LGBT people in the US City name

% population LGBT

1. San Fransisco, CA

15.4%

1. Detroit, MI

2. Seattle, WA

12.9%

2. Richmond, VA

3.4%

3. Atlanta, GA

12.8%

3. Cleaveland, OH

3.5%

state of constant fear that such a fate could await them at the end of their lives, making psychological stress unbearable. “When you’re told that being attracted to the same gender means ‘I’m going to Hell,’ how do you reconcile that?” Covey said. Religious GLBT students often go through a period during which they try to change themselves. Before Breeding came out, he tried to rid himself of his sexuality. “I would always feel so dirty and disgusted … I would try to do things to change. I would wake up every morning and read the Bible for several hours and do all sorts of prayers,” Breeding said. But nothing changed, which caused him to spiral into depression. When Breeding started college at Baylor University, where being openly gay can be punished by university expulsion, his depression worsened into manic episodes. During his first semester at A&M, Breeding almost completed suicide. After seeking help from Student Counseling Services and finding support at the GLBT Resource center, Breeding is now more comfortable than he has ever been with himself. He identifies as an atheist, but said being gay did not make him leave the Christian faith; it only sped up the process. For a while, Elizondo was determined to become straight as well. He confided in his youth pastor, who told him that being gay is a sin and that he would have to fight off his desires. In efforts to do so, Elizondo spent more time involved in church activities, personal Bible studies and prayer. “First I would ask [God] for forgiveness for any lustful thoughts I had, and please give me the strength to fight off these temptations and please make this go away because I want to live a normal life,” Elizondo said. But when his feelings remained the same, and he could not depend on his family or church for support, Elizondo had to escape. “It was a really dark time in my life where I was losing hope with everything I had known to be right. I was really depressed,” Elizando said. “I ended up resorting to pills to zone me out because I couldn’t stand to think about everything that was wrong with me, or what I thought was wrong with me.” Elizondo saw no way that he could continue being Christian and gay at the same time, so he chose to abandon his faith because he could not control his sexuality. He eventually came out to his friends at A&M and got involved with GLBT Aggies, and became more accepting of himself and comfortable with his identity. But despite this comfort, Elizondo still felt a longing for a relationship with God. “I started feeling an emptiness for God, so I found Friends Congregational Church,” Elizondo said. “My relationship with God

1.5%

has grown so much, especially because there isn’t a part of me that I don’t accept. So it’s not only that I think God accepts me, but I accept me and I can continue my faith without all this doubt that was keeping me before.” Dan De Leon pastors the Friends Congregational Church of College Station. The church openly accepts people of all sexual orientations. De Leon said students often feel scorned from the church because of their sexuality. They often hear that they are going to Hell because of it. Leading a church that opposes such beliefs can create controversy. “I’ll get flurries of hate mail, email, phone calls” De Leon said. While the backlash does occur, De Leon said it is the exception, not the rule. Ordinarily, the feedback he receives is out of curiosity, which opens up for dialogue and De Leon said that is a good thing. On the contrary, Rabbi Yosi Lazaroff of the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center said that in his opinion, sexuality is something that is to be kept private. “We look at sexuality as something that is very holy in general. It’s something that we keep in private,” Lazaroff said, “What happens in the bedroom stays in the bedroom.” While he prefers to not hear about the sexual practices of his congregation, he has had experience in dealing with gay Jewish students. In this case, Lazaroff said that it is his priority to treat every human being with respect. “In general, the way we define people is not based on their sexuality,” Lazaroff said. “The way I look at it and the way the Torah looks at it is when someone does something wrong, that does not define who you are.” Lazaroff said he could not marry a same sex couple, because it is against the Jewish religious beliefs. However, he does not reject any member of his congregation because of sexual orientation – their Jewish identity cannot be changed because of sexual orientation. “I don’t deal with them any differently than I do any other student. They are human beings and they have struggles.” Lazaroff said. Pastors from Grace and Central Baptist, along with the Sheikh of the Islamic Community of Bryan College Station, were not available to discuss their experience with openly gay students or students considering openly gay lifestyles.

Campus Resources ! GLBT Resource Center 979.862.8920 !"Student Counseling Center 979.845.2700

5/1/12 12:03 AM

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baseball | The Aggies next home game begins at 6:35 p.m. Friday against bitter in-state rival Texas Tech. thebattalion 05.01.2012 page6

sports

Top-25 SHSU next on gauntlet James Solano

The Battalion Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no rest for the weary as the No. 9 Texas A&M baseball team comes off a 2-1 series win over arch-rival Texas but travels to Huntsville, Texas, to take on No. 21 Sam Houston State at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night at Don Sanders Stadium. Tuesday nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s non-conference contest against the Bearkats will mark the Aggiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; eighth top-25 game in its past nine outings â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with the lone non-ranked opponent being perennial NCAA Tournament contenders, TCU. The Aggies were one run shy in Austin this Sunday of sweeping the Longhorns in a three-game series to end a storybook rivalry that dates back 118 years, but Texas was able to muster two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to avoid the sweep. Sophomore right-hander Rafael PiĂąeda had one of his best outings of the season against a touted Longhorn team in Sundayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loss, pitching 7.2 innings of shut-out baseball, with six strikeouts, before being relieved in the eighth inning with the Aggies up 1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;0. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really, really proud of [Pineda],â&#x20AC;? said Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as good of a performance as heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s had here to date. He did everything he could to give us a chance to win.â&#x20AC;? The Aggies will have another tough test Tuesday at Sam Houston State. The Bearkats are 31-12 on the season under the tutelage of firstyear head coach David Pierce as they enter the week holding the top spot in the Southland Conference standings with a

Go to the optional services box in Howdy when you register for fall, or call 979-845-2696, or drop by the Student Media office in the Memorial Student Center, Room L400. Hours: 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Mondayâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; Friday.

Roger Zhang â&#x20AC;&#x201D; THE BATTALION

Freshman outfielder Chance Bolcerek bats against Texas Friday evening. The Aggies face SHSU Tuesday. 19-5 league mark. The Aggies hold an 84-372 all-time record over SHSU â&#x20AC;&#x201D; going 15-1-1 since 2001 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but last season the Bearkats beat the No. 6 Aggies 5â&#x20AC;&#x201C;8 in 12 innings at Olsen Field. The Aggies won the season before that, 3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1, in Huntsville. Freshman Daniel Mengden will get the start for the Aggies against the Bearkats. In Mengdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debut as a starting pitcher at TCU, the Houston native lead the Aggies to a much needed 4â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1 victory over the Horned Frogs, pitching six innings, giving up

one run on one hit and striking out two batters. The Bearkats will bring its ace pitcher Michael Oros to the mound against the Aggies Tuesday night. The senior SHSU right-hander is 6-0 on the season with a 2.14 ERA. SHSU is also coming off a 2-1 series win this weekend, defeating A&M-Corpus Christi 6â&#x20AC;&#x201C;3 Sunday for the series win. The Bearkats are 4-2 this season against top25 opponents as they look to knock off the No. 9 Aggies with home-field advantage.

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