EDITORIAL
Respect fallen, their family In preparation for our Silver Taps edition of The Battalion, our reporters interview friends and family members of those being honored during that month’s ceremony. We learn their stories. We learn about their childhood, their hobbies, their passions and their unrequited plans for the future. More often than not, these legacies are relayed to us over tear-filled phone interviews. During Silver Taps, it can be easy to allow a name to pass through you without resonation. As you stand in the stillness tonight, as the crack of the rifles and mournful tones of the bugles reverberate through Academic Plaza, keep in mind that behind each name there is the life of a student just like you. And remember, it could just as easily be your name echoing out into the dark. We are a University known for its adherence to tradition. Be it Midnight Yell, the Aggie Ring, the Century Tree or the MSC, every Aggie is bound together by a unique sense of place, language and practice. But as a family, the characteristic that sets us apart the most is our acceptance and respect of our own mortality. Silver Taps is meant to honor and remember our fellow Aggies, but it is also an opportunity to offer a sign of respect to the family and friends of the deceased. It is important for students — on and off campus — to attend the ceremony. This is what Silver Taps and, to a larger extent, Muster, is all about — the celebration of life through the acknowledgment of its finite nature. There is nothing like it in any other university in the country.
thebattalion ● tuesday,
september 4, 2012
Trevor Stevens editor in chief senior English major Joe Terrell managing editor senior Telecommunications major
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2012 student media
Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION
March 19, 1992 June 2, 2012 Luca Bonasera
1970 - June 2, 2012 Nigel Hart
September 17, 1991 May 15, 2012 Blake Matthew Schoenrock
“He was always ready to help the underdog.”
Hart was working on his doctorate in psychology.
“He was always willing to tell about God.”
“Luke loved everything about Texas A&M.”
Luca, sophomore economics major
Nigel Hart, psychology doctoral student
Blake Matthew Schoenrock, sophomore petroleum engineering major
Luke Thomas Urbanovsky, freshman chemical engineering major
Special to The Eagle
Brave, caring, loving
October 26, 1992 June 16, 2012 Luke Thomas Urbanovsky
Marine, Funny, Helpful, published hard true scholar working Aggie
Barrett House
Camryn Ford
Robby Smith
Jake Walker
The Battalion Matteo Barbarino laughs as he thinks about the time his buddy woke him up in the middle of the night, claiming there had been a fight that night. His buddy, sophomore economics major Luca Bonasera, had failed to tell him it was him in a fight, and that he hadn’t come out on top. Barbarino, a physics graduate student, said Luca’s character was one of bravery. Luca was a sophomore economics major. He died in a car accident June 2. Maggie Bonasera, Luca’s mother, said he was very involved with his family. “He was always very attentive, protective of his younger brothers,” she said.
The Battalion Nigel Hart, formerly Reginald Sean Hartfield, will be one of the Aggies honored at Silver Taps on Tuesday. He died June 2 after battling an unexpected case of lung cancer. Hart was a driven and accomplished person. He was working on his doctorate in psychology at Texas A&M, but not before serving in the U.S. military. Before attending college, Hart had been a member of the U.S. Marine Corps for six years. He served in the Gulf War. “Nigel had worked as an undergraduate research assistant and then proceeded to enter into a master’s program at the University of California,” said Paul Wellman, professor and interim head of
The Battalion Blake Matthew Schoenrock grew up in Mesquite, but made his way to College Station as soon as he could. “From the time Blake started looking for a college to go to, A&M was his first choice,” said Randy Schoenrock, Blake’s father,. “When he got accepted, he was extremely excited.” While at Texas A&M, Blake attended Grace Bible Church. “Blake was a Christian and extremely proud of his faith,” said Garrett Chapman his friend of 15 years and junior finance major. “He was always willing to tell about God and loved him very much.” Chapman said Blake was probably one of the funniest people he ever met.
The Battalion Luke Urbanovsky was a friend to many and a true Aggie at heart. Luke was a freshman chemical engineering major and member of the freshman leadership organization MSC FISH. He spent numerous hours volunteering in BryanCollege Station at various local businesses and organizations, including the Waldenbrooke Retirement Home, Boys and Girls Club and a project called Tiger Friends. Luke set apart time to spend with special needs children at a local high school. “He loved to laugh and smile and make people feel good,”, said Connie Urbanovsky, Luke’s mother. “He was really smart, really helpful and was really looking forward to his sophomore year.”
See Hart on page 7
See Shoenrock on page 7
See Urbanovsky on page 7
See Bonasera on page 7
EDITORIALBOARD
● serving
where
how
Academic Plaza
An honor guard from the Ross Volunteers will march across campus from the Corps of Cadets area to the plaza, where its members will fire three rifle volleys to honor the memory of these students. Buglers from the Aggie Band will play a special arrangement of “Taps.” The tolling of the Albritton Tower bells will signal the end of the ceremony.
when 10:30 p.m. Tuesday
campus
campus
AT&T films commercial on campus
Ticket pulling randomized, student input unclear
Barrett House The Battalion Students were called on yet again to assemble at the YMCA building on Monday to partake in another commercial filmed on campus. This time, it was AT&T Inc. behind the Yell Practice. The commercial, another installment of publicity with College GameDay, which is coming to College Station for the A&M-Florida game on Saturday is part of an AT&T promotion for the show. “This is part of our sponsorship with AT&T and related to College GameDay coming on Saturday,” said Shane Hinckley, vice president and business development of Texas A&M. “AT&T is filming a national commercial to promote their sponsorship of College GameDay.” Hinckley said the premise behind the AT&T commercial is following two people, Will and Ravi, as they travel across the country and perform various tasks at different schools assigned by viewers. “One of the tasks assigned to us was to lead an impromptu Yell Practice on the steps of the YMCA building, where it all started,” Hinckley said. Will and Ravi practiced with the Yell Leaders prior to the Yell
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Michael Rodriguez
night,” Hinckley said. “The fact that we were able to pull off what we just did was awesome.” Students said they heard about the commercial through social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook. “I found out on Facebook earlier today,” said junior psychology major Wesley Carrera. “They said they were shooting a commercial and I wasn’t planning on coming, but one
The Battalion Pulling days were set to begin Monday morning for the Texas A&M-Florida game, and it has been a longstanding tradition that students camp out in front of Kyle Field before ticket windows open. However, this year campers were pitching tents without the possibility of pulling a ticket based off their placement in line. An email was sent Saturday afternoon by the Division of Marketing and Communication stating that the system for pulling tickets would return to its originally intended format. The updated system randomizes how tickets are distributed to students. Tickets are being distributed randomly by sections — four sections at a time — starting with the best section. Tickets are being assigned beginning with the seats between the 40-yard lines, according to 12th Man Foundation senior vice president Carole Dollins. It is unclear to the extent of involve-
See Commercial on page 3
See Ticket on page 4
Aaron Cranford — THE BATTALION
Aggie yell leaders practice yells with hundreds of students on camera Monday afternoon outside of the YMCA building for the AT&T commercial to be aired during ESPN College GameDay. Practice. Hinckley said they were then pitted against an Aggie crowd who were ready to hump it and see what they could do. But not only did Will and Ravi lead the group in yells, they were also carried to Fish Pond and thrown in like actual Yell Leaders. Hinckley said the call for Aggie extras was put out three hours before the shooting for the commercial began. “They didn’t announce where they were going to be until Sunday
inside news | 3 Back in action After a brief stall due to flooding, the newly renovated YMCA building has been opened to the student body.
sports | 5 Soccer in review The Aggies clinched the Texas A&M Invitational this past weekend, defeating a ranked Rutgers squad in the process.
sports | 4 GameDay at A&M Texas A&M hosts ESPN’s premier college football pregame show for the first time since 2006. A&M will face off against Florida on Saturday.
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