TheBattalion10032012

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thebattalion ● wednesday,

october 3, 2012

● serving

texas a&m since 1893

● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2012 student media

Down range Senior geography major Kyle Glaeser tees off at hole six Monday afternoon at the Research Park disc golf course on West Campus.

Photos by Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION

B-CS courses support student disc golf appetite Alec Goetz The Battalion

T

exas A&M is a great place to go to school for fans of just about any sport. The University’s commitment to athletics extends even to some lesser-known sports that are growing in popularity on campuses around the country. With virtually no barrier for entry, a strong and growing local community and a course located right here on campus, disc golf is quickly becoming the alternative sport of choice for Aggies looking to try something new. Disc golf’s concept is fairly self-explanatory. The game is played much like regular golf, with players trying to throw discs into a basket made of chains in the least amount of throws possible. Discs are for the most part smaller and heavier than the average Frisbee, and

inside

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campus | 3 Postgame pickup

Students volunteer to collect and recycle waste left in the stands of Kyle Field after football games.

trends | 6 Campus art portfolio University art galleries exhibit rare and classic works of art from around the world.

thebatt.com

National Night Out Student, residents and local law enforcement gathered Tuesday night for National Night Out. The University Police Department offered advice on how to stay safe and better integrate into the BryanCollege Station area.

advanced players combine different disc types with different throwing techniques depending on what kind of shot the situation requires. That might sound complicated, but for prospective players, there is a lot to like about disc golf, most of all the sport’s low bar for entry. “It’s a really easy sport to pick up and play,” said senior geological information systems major Kyle Glaeser, who began playing disc golf after having played Ultimate Frisbee for a while. “All you need to know how to play is throw a Frisbee

David Kent, Class of 1996, putts to make par on hole six after recovering from a drive into the woods.

See Disc Golf on page 5

a&m football

presidential election

Coaches emphasize consistency, Student issues team embarks on SEC road debut spark political James Sullivan The Battalion For Texas A&M, the 2012 season has evolved into a year destined for earth-shattering milestones. To cite a recent example, last Saturday’s 58-10 demolishing of Arkansas can be noted as the Aggies’ initial Southeastern Conference victory, not to mention the program’s first win over the Razorbacks since 1991. And that’s not even digging into the multiple individual records, both for the

school and within the conference, that were splintered over the weekend by a certain redshirt freshman quarterback. This season is one for the history books and next Saturday’s visit to a hostile Oxford, Miss., will be no different. The Aggies will be on the road for the first time in the SEC, a scenario many teams loathe. Yet, for A&M, it holds a certain charm. “I expect Ole Miss to be, obviously, a crazy atmosphere,” said senior wide reSee Football on page 5

Quick stats ◗ Ole Miss lost to No. 11 Texas and No. 1 Alabama

◗ The Rebels’ record is 3-2 (0-1) ◗ The Rebels’ are ranked 23rd overall in rushing yardage

Israel-Palestine conflict

Eagle’s eye offers new perspective Barrett House The Battalion The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has generated social and political unrest for decades, and debate and diplomacy is a constant resource utilized by world leaders. Harley Eagle, a Native American who has visited Palestine, argues a different approach based on personal encounters with those affected by the conflict. Eagle’s presentation, “An Eagle’s Eye View of Palestine,” Tuesday night in Rudder Tower was presented by Aggies for Palestine, a student group focused on raising awareness about the conflict and social issues stemming from the tension between Israel and Palestine. Eagle, who is of the Salteau and Dakota Nations (more commonly known as the Sioux), has visited Palestine several times through an exchange program with a faith-based non-profit organization. His initial experience with the program had been with a group of Palestinians who visited the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. He brought them onto a radio show he was working with. “We had a little interview, had a little talk with them and the phone lines lit up because there were so many indigenous people from See Eagle on page 4

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and it’s pretty much free.” Unlike traditional golf, which can require players to spend hundreds of dollars on equipment and club memberships, disc golf is a relatively low cost sport. A decent set of discs can set a player back around $25, but public courses are usually free. “Disc golf is great because it doesn’t really cost any thing to play,” said senior horticulture major Colin Wickstrom. “You can just grab your discs and go out to the park whenever you want, you can play while you walk your dog, whenever.” The casual nature of disc golf lends itself to a variety of levels of competition — it can be played alone in a city park or in an organized professional tourna-

Senior horticulture major Colin Wickstrom releases a “drive” at hole six. The course at Research Park features 18 par-3 holes.

Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION

Native American Harley Eagle parallels IsraeliPalestinian issues with North American-Native American past relations Tuesday at Rudder Tower.

discourse Ashe Matocha Special to The Battalion As the presidential election nears, students are hashing out issues expected to be debated by Republican nominee Mitt Romney and current oval office holder Barack Obama. And around A&M’s large campus, opinions about national, local and social concerns clash with student-related issues in the mix. The primary issue that needs to be dealt with, no matter who is elected, is the fiscal cliff, said political science professor B. Dan Wood. The fiscal cliff refers to the Bush Tax cuts that are set to expire on Dec. 31, as well as the fiscal stimulus tax cuts The for the middle class initiated by President Barack debate Obama and the reduction President in the payroll tax. If there Barack Obama is no congressional action and Republican prior to Dec. 31, Wood nominee Mit said all Americans, rich or poor, will face a large tax Romney will participate in a increase. “If Obama is re-elect- debate Wednesday ed, he has pledged to al- at the University of low the cuts to expire Denver. The debate for the wealthy, but not will air from 8 to for the rest of the na- 9:30 p.m. CST. tion,” Wood said. “In other words, he wants to keep taxes low for the poor and middle class. In contrast, Romney has pledged to protect the cuts for the wealthy and everyone.” Wood said he hopes that a balanced solution can be decided on, where a combination of tax increases and spending cuts can put the country on a path toward fiscal soundness. He also said since the Republican House has uniformly signed Grover Norquist’s “no new taxes pledge,” they have restricted themselves, so it’s a dangerous situation to deal with in the fall. “If Obama wins, he may be facing the same ‘no to everything’ House as he has for his entire administration,” Wood said. “We might hope See Politics on page 3

10/3/12 12:57 AM


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