thebattalion ● monday,
september 17, 2012
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2012 student media
The hard way
Aaron Cranford — THE BATTALION
Tori Mellinger came to A&M without a scholarship or a roster spot. In her senior year, she is a starting outside hitter and co-captain of the team.
Walk-on to co-captain, Mellinger finds alternate route to the top Michael Rodriguez The Battalion
T
ori Mellinger always knew that one way or another she would be at Texas A&M playing on the volleyball team. With obstacles blocking her goals, Mellinger was determined to make her dreams into reality.
She was not a starter right away, she would eventually find her calling. Mellinger began taking on several sports from softball to basketball, but none of them seemed to feel right to her. While playing basketball, she was always the one hustling and diving on the court for the ball. With her older sister playing volleyball, Mellinger’s parents felt that maybe it was time for their younger
daughter to do the same. “I played a lot of different sports but volleyball clicked with me right away,” Mellinger said. “[My parents] knew they needed to sign me up for volleyball when they had to buy knee pads for me because I was always diving for the ball.” In high school, Mellinger made the junior varsity squad during her freshman year. Be-
cause injuries ravaged the varsity team, Mellinger got the call up right away to join the varsity team. “It was pretty awesome because as soon as I got the starting role during my freshman year I never lost it, ” Mellinger said. “High school volleyball was so much fun because we had a great student section and all my best friends were on the team.” As her senior year was winding down, Mellinger was offered scholarships to take her game to the next level. As much as she wanted to take her game elsewhere, Mellinger had her sights set on becoming an Aggie. At the time, head volleyball coach Laurie Corbelli did not
have a scholarship to offer, but explained to Mellinger that she could try to make the team as a walk-on. The decision she had to make would be a difficult one: choose a small school and play with a scholarship, or come to A&M without any assurance that she would have a spot on the team. “Tori just comes across as the ultimate complete player, who you can see, she knows what she’s doing,” Corbelli said. “When she came here, we let her know that that she can try out for the team and she would have to earn her spot on the team, then she would
Jewish community observes new year Jessica Smarr Special to The Battalion The flame passes from one set of slender fingers to another, each candle blessed with light, as a rough and beautiful tongue bids the new year a welcome. Members of the Jewish community gathered Sunday at the Rohr Chabad Jewish Student and Community Center to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashana is a two-day holiday to celebrate creation. The Chabad is under the direction of Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff and his wife Manya Lazaroff. Yossi said the
purpose of the Chabad is to serve students at A&M. explained the purpose of the Chabad. “We cater to the students here at Texas A&M specifically,” Yossi said. “Our goal is to provide a home away from home for students, a place where they can come and tap into their Jewish identity.” Yossi said the center’s doors are open to every student on campus and 50-70 students regularly attend the services and events throughout the week. He said the Chabad places great emphasis on constructing a community. “We try to be their family here at Texas A&M,”
Yossi said. He said the holy day represents a new beginning to the Jewish people. “This begins a period of time called the 10 days of atonement, Rosh Hashana, the 10th day which is Yom Kippur,” Yossi said. “During this time we look back at our previous year and we see perhaps where we could find some correction and we look at our upcoming year and we try to correct it.” Rosh Hashana is about the forgiveness of the past,
B-CS celebrates Hispanic heritage Joanna Raines The Battalion Texas A&M students are invited to experience the rich culture of Latin America this month in celebration of Hispanic heritage. From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, people across the nation will celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. The observation began as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. President Ronald Reagan extended it to a month in 1988. “Sept. 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for several Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua,” said Melanie Krugel, adviser for the Professonal Hispanic Network at A&M. “In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively.” The month celebrates the history and contributions of Americans whose ancestry can be traced back to Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South Americas. Hilda Campos, executive director
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See Rosh Hashana on page 7
Congressman, A&M faculty talk student liberties Emily Villani
Hispanic community in America,” Campos said. At Texas A&M, students with Hispanic background make up the largest minority group, making the month a unique opportunity for students to grow and learn about one another. “We are big advocates of Hispanic issues and know the value of celebrating our culture in this great
The Battalion The American backlash against British tyranny that won the colonists’ independence from the crown was fresh in the minds of the men who signed the Constitution 225 years ago. The Constitution’s purpose was to limit federal power and define citizens’ rights. “The Constitution is the framework that gives us our personal liberties,” said Congressman Bill Flores, representative for the 17th District of Texas and Class of 1976. “The way the Constitution is structured, it says that the rights of people come from God and the only rights available to government, based on our Constitution, are those granted to it by the people.” The Constitution’s structure makes American government unique. “Most other governments assume that they have all power and they grant individuals their rights and their liberties,” Flores said. “It’s very important that Texans pay attention to the Constitution so they can make
See Heritage on page 6
See Constitution on page 4
Jade Bedell — THE BATTALION
Dancers in Aztec costumes parade down Main Street in downtown Bryan on Sunday. for the Hispanic Presidents’ Council, said Hispanic Heritage Month is important because it gives Latinos the opportunity to honor heroes and leaders and speak about issues affecting the community. “During this period, we are also given free reign to showcase the joyous aspect of our culture and the richness of our traditions while also using this time to shed light on deeper issues that particularly affect the
See Mellinger on page 3
inside campus | 7 Honorary tech lab opens Scott Savage Class of 2005, was honored at a lab opening Friday evening. Savage, who graduated with a degree in computer engineering, died Sept. 22, 2010. The Scott Savage ’05 Real Time Systems Laboratory took two years to complete and will start serving courses part time this semester.
sports | 3 Cherish the win Aggie fans take note: Saturday’s win should be remembered and cherished, but tougher roads lie ahead.
bonfire | 2 First cut Sunday marked the beginning of the preparation of student bonfire.
9/17/12 12:05 AM