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thebattalion
sports | 5 Football gears up for Idaho Senior quarterback Ryan Tannehill and head coach Mike Sherman talk about the team’s level of preparation for the upcoming Idaho game.
campus | 3 Packed like sardines Freshman general studies major Brittany Perez tells her experience living in a converted study carrel. The recent destruction of some Northside residence halls, coupled with an increase in enrollment, have contributed to overcrowded on-campus living situations like Brittany’s.
● friday,
september 16, 2011
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2011 student media
campus news
‘Dreamers’ tell their stories Undocumented students publicly discuss life in the U.S. Natalee Blanchat The Battalion Four undocumented students stepped behind a podium and tearfully shared their fears, hopes and experiences Thursday. “I was born in Mexico and was brought to the United States when I was eight-
years-old,” said Adan Torres, senior accounting major. Torres, who has been active in the Corps of Cadet and Aggie Band, was one of the four panelist “dreamers” who shared their experiences during the “Meet an Aggie DREAMer” event organized by The Council for Minority Student Affairs (CMSA). Torres said he was eight when he and his family fled from Mexico. They were forced to live in a three-bedroom house with three other families — with multiple family
members living in a single room. “I just remember my mom saying to pack my bags because we were going on a vacation. When I asked her how long, she said she didn’t know, and then one night we crossed,” Torres said. Jose Luis, senior education major, described a “dreamer” as a person who qualifies for the Dream Act, federal legislation that would grant citizenship to
What do you think? ◗ Tweet your thoughts about the event. @TheBattOnline
See Dreamers on page 9
campus | 7 Aggie lends a hand The fires in and around Bastrop have left thousands of people homeless. Eduardo Sanchez, a senior ocean engineering major from Houston, resolved to help the victims of the fires when he witnessed the devastation firsthand.
Samantha Virnau — THE BATTALION
Junior linebacker Caleb Russell greets fans as he runs onto Kyle Field before the start of A&M’s game against SMU on Sept. 4.
Films | 2 Star Wars going Blu-ray
Living tradition
The multi-billion dollar franchise Star Wars releases today in HD Bluray. Fans can enjoy the entire triology, along with a number of special features spread across 11 discs.
Twelfth Man shares story of perseverance Adrian O’Hanlon III The Battalion
F
ormer walk-on Caleb Russell earned scholarship and Twelfth Man status this summer after three years of bluecollared determination. Caleb played tight end at Midlothian High School, enjoying the highlights associated with skill positions. He said he wasn’t the biggest or the fastest athlete coming out of high school, but knew he wanted to play for a Division 1
football program. Russell’s older brother, Josh, walked on at A&M in 2006 but did not try to recruit Caleb for the Aggies. Instead, Caleb went to football camps at various Division 1 schools under the guidance of his
parents. Caleb’s mother, Andrea, admitted that the recruiting process was difficult but they kept strong faith during the process. “We were behind in the process from the get go,” Andrea said. “It seemed like the recruiting process was left up to the parents so we took him places to get him exposed and kept praying.” After many football camps and a rogue recruit advisor, scholarship offers came from a list of schools that Russell narrowed to SMU, Air Force and Texas A&M. The list was further-shortened after SMU hired a new head coach
who wanted to utilize Caleb on the offensive line, which was not to his liking. Then, A&M was nearly eliminated from the list when Caleb’s recruitment file was lost during a coaching change. Bad news piled-on when the Russells were told that A&M could no longer honor the scholarship offer. Next on the list was a visit to Air Force, where his father, Ronnie, said Caleb became enamored with the thought of becoming a fighter pilot. The mountainous scenery of Colorado Springs, Colo., made See Russell on page 4
campus news
campus news
Ohio State President Gordan Gee tackles the future of higher education
Students take off in Marine Corps aircraft
Trevor Stevens The Battalion The Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee opened the fall 2011 Commitment to Excellence Dialogues Thursday evening in Rudder Theater. The Commitment to Excellence Dialogues are a series of lectures, divided into two segments: “Our Shared Responsibilities,” which focuses on the University’s respon-
sibility to advance Texas A&M’s role as a leader in higher education, and “Our Shared Accountability,” which focuses on how Texas A&M can continue to improve and demonstrate the University’s success. Time magazine named Gee one of the nation’s Top-10 university presidents in 2009. Gee has served Jay Kapadia — THE BATTALION as president or chancellor at several universities, both public and Dr. E. Gordon Gee, president of Ohio State University, speaks See Gee on page 4 Thursday in Rudder Theatre.
Comm+unity Presents
The Love In Between Tour Featuring
MATT MAHER
mattmahermusic.com
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Madeline Burns The Battalion Flying high above Kyle Field and circling the stadium with the G-forces pulling up and down and from side to side, Marine recruiters made their salespitch to students. For the past three days, the Marine Corps has been recruiting potential pilots at the College Station Eastwood Airport. At the event, Texas A&M students and prospective marines were able
Fly Higher ◗ For more information about opportunities as a pilot in the Marine Corps, visit marineofficer.com
See Flight on page 4
At Christ United Methodist Church SEPT 16th @ 7PM For Tickets go to itickets.com or visit Christ-UMC.org
9/16/11 12:53 AM