After interviewing both candidates, the edi-torial board of The Battalion has decided to

endorse Reid Joseph for student body president.Our goal was to determine which candidate

we thought would most selflessly represent the student body to University administrators and lo-cal and state communities.

Joseph displayed characteristics crucial to a position of public leadership. He deflected fo-cus from himself and demonstrated the student body’s need for a selfless leader. His personable nature was exemplified in the ease with which he moved around the newsroom, shaking hands, asking questions and referring to us by name.

Joseph showed sincere humility, responding with confidence to questions about campus issues such as the role of mandatory student fees, but

honestly acknowledging there are aspects to such issues to which he didn’t know the answer.

Joseph recognized a need to increase commu-nication between the student body and Student Government Association by proposing thought-ful plans to fulfill the needs of connectivity be-tween the two entities. He presented a clear understanding of how delegation is necessary to lead an executive branch that represents a mas-sive student body. For example, Joseph proposed implementation of a new community outreach team that would help bridge communication to the diverse student groups across the University.

Joseph could have had a better understanding or plan of action to collaborate with the legislative branch of SGA, which presents student opinion before the A&M administration and Texas Leg-

islature. However, he expressed sincere desire to continue learning about student concerns to help best represent the student body.

Joseph’s campus involvement and his post-graduation plans speak to his discipline and pro-fessional demeanor.

The Battalion fully supports Reid Joseph for the position of the 2013-2014 student body president of Texas A&M.

of having a big age difference,” Adams said. “It was so good to hang out with [Phelps], [Lochte], Natalie [Coughlin], Rebecca [Soni], and Dana [Vollmer], to have people to rely on and to ask them questions.”

Adams said the support given to the U.S. Olympic team doesn’t mean she doesn’t appreciate the 12th Man.

“It has been fun to see so much of the 12th Man come to the meets,” Cammile said. ‘’I don’t think you get that kind of school spirit any-where else. It speaks volumes about the University.’’

Hailing from Cypress, Texas, Ad-ams started to swim at the age of four.

Since then, there has been only one thing on her mind.

“My first swim meet was when I was five,” Adams said. “My dad was a swimmer, he was a swimmer in col-lege and he is a coach. So he got me into it.’’

Coming to Texas A&M was an easy choice for her, and it speaks volumes about the quality of the program here.

“I looked at four different schools; they are all in the SEC now,’’ Adams said. ‘’Looking back, I definitely feel like I made the best decision. I don’t

l wednesday, february 20, 2013 l serving texas a&m since 1893 l first paper free – additional copies $1 l © 2013 student media

thebattalion

COURTESY

Swimmer uses Olympic experience to further goals

Butterfly effect

At the 2012 London Olym-pics, competing along-side the likes of Michael

Phelps and Ryan Lochte, junior education major Cammille Adams said she felt like a “small fish in a big pond.”

In the 2013 SEC Men’s and Wom-en’s Swimming and Diving Champi-onships — which began on Tues-day — the fifth-place finisher in the Olympic 200-meter-butterfly isn’t so easily overshadowed.

Adams said asking questions of Phelps, Lochte and other Olympians was of benefit to her.

“It was such a close team, in spite

Krishnan Seshadrinathan The Battalion

See Adams on page 3

Junior education major Cammile Adams placed fifth in the 200-meter-butterfly final in the 2012 London Olympics.

Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION

From left: Sophomore Andrew Cantu, junior Andrew Dinwoodie and junior Bailey Murphy run down the field during Quidditch practice at Penrberthy.

A&M quidditch teams seek national championship

They may not fly through the air at break-neck

speeds or fight trolls in bath-rooms, but ranked No. 1 in the world, the Texas A&M quidditch team is not to be disregarded as a group of

wand-waving fanatics.With more than 800 teams

in the U.S. alone, quidditch has evolved from a group of enthusiasts’ pet project in 2005 at Middlebury College into a national sport about the spirit of competition and camaraderie.

“We don’t think we fly. We’re not role play-ing. We’re competing in an athletic event,” said Re-becca DuPont, president of A&M’s quidditch team and junior bioenvironmental science major.

John Odom The Battalion

See Quidditch on page 4

muggle life

inside

arts | 2Aggies got talentThe Student New Works festival is all about local Aggie talent, giving theatre students the opportunity to write, direct, and stage original works of drama.

voices | 2Failure to leadStudent Body President John Claybrook criticizes Student Senate for failing to provide accurate representation of its constituents.

sports | 3Thank you, 12th ManA&M women’s basketball coach Gary Blair shows appreciation for student support during Monday’s home loss to Kentucky.

campus | 5Curriculum revivalFaced with a declining number of applicants, A&M faculty members are working to preserve and revive the Africana studies program, which offers a minor and graduate certificate.

b!

The Battalion endorses SBP candidate

Reid Joseph

The Battalion’s editorial opinion is determined by its editorial board, with the editor-in-chief having final responsibility.

EDITORIALBOARD

ELECTIONSCAMPUS 2013

Two polls meant to gauge student opin-ion regarding renovation funds for

the east side of Kyle Field reached student email accounts.

An organization called “Aggie Polling” released a survey to an uncertain number of University email accounts before midnight Tuesday. This poll came prior to and separate from a University poll expected to be sent to the entire student body via email beginning at midnight.

Potentially three surveys regarding the stu-dent body’s role in funding stadium upgrades will be presented to students this week — the two aforementioned polls sent via email and a separate referendum put on by Student Government Association that will be acces-sible alongside student elections Thursday and Friday.

Aggie Polling’s survey refers to Aggie Poll-ing as “an independent student-run project.” The web address “Aggiepolling.com” redi-rects to an online publication called “Aggie Guardian.”

On its website, Texas Aggie Conservatives, TAC, lists among its officers Marc Pitts as ed-itor-in-chief of Aggie Guardian. Pitts’ email address is affiliated with TAC. Aggie Polling and TAC also list the same P.O. box.

The poll by the A&M administration was motivated by University officials’ concerns about the language of the SGA referendum. The A&M administration proposes 60 percent of the renovation to the east side of Kyle Field be funded by an increase in the University Advancement Fee while the SGA referen-dum proposes 40 percent come from a UAF

increase. The remaining fund source would come from an increase in sports pass prices.

The poll by Aggie Polling contains more questions than either the SGA or A&M ad-ministration survey. The survey by Aggie Polling asked whether the SGA or A&M ad-ministration poll would have “binding pow-er,” whether the A&M administration would widely or quickly publish the results of its poll, whether funds should be drawn from existing sources rather than from a fee increase and whether or not and to what extent Kyle Field should be upgraded.

Students receive non-A&M affiliated email poll

FILE PHOTO

Voting for student body elections will take place on Thursday and Friday at vote.tamu.edu.

SEC championships

Mark DoréThe Battalion

BAT_02-20-13_A1.indd 1 2/20/13 1:50 AM

From actors to designers, directors to playwrights, the Student New Works

Festival is all about showcasing Aggie tal-ent, and giving theatre students the chance to live out a dream.

For four years running, the festival has given Texas A&M theatre majors and mi-nors a complete hands on experience as theatre professionals. The students do it all, with the faculty just serving an advisory role.

“It’s been an amazing experience, but also humbling,” said Tori Dominguez, senior theatre arts major and playwright of “The Persistence of Memory,”, one of the works being showcased in the festival. “My piece is about my own personal experience with death and grief. The script came from entries from my own journal, so it’s relieving, but also makes me feel a bit vulnerable.”

Dominguez, along with five other lucky playwrights, had her work chosen out of proposals sent into the theatre program sea-son committee.

“Students submit proposals, including a design presentation and written abstract,” said Instructional Assistant Professor Amy Guerin. “The theatre program season com-mittee, with three faculty members and one student member, review the proposals and decide which proposals to accept.”

From surrealism to satire, various genres will be presented through the pieces show-cased in the event.

The five plays include “Henderson” by English and theatre major Emily Sturrock, “Slant” by senior wildlife and fisheries ma-

jor Citally Jimenez and senior English ma-jor Esmeralda Rodriguez, “The Persistence of Memory” by Dominguez, “What Are You Really?” by senior international studies major Justin Fullerton and “When I Grow Up” by senior agricultural communications & journalism major Josh Hardcastle.

Production stage manager and senior theatre arts major Madison O’Brien said the festival is a great learning experience for stu-dents, providing them with valuable insight into the world of production.

“I love the challenge that new works pose to all of the students involved in creat-ing new art and experimenting and trying new things in an accepting environment,” O’Brien said. “This environment not only allows everyone involved to learn from one another and the art they are creating, but invites the audience into this experiment as well.”

Dominguez said the festival allows people to experiment with their creativity, no mat-ter their professional level or prior experi-ence to play production.

“It shows that it doesn’t matter who you are, whether you’re a professional actor, writer or director, you can be creative too,” Dominguez said. “I hope students that come to the festival see that they can be creative as well.”

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The BaTTalion is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Offices are in Suite L400 of the Memorial Student Center.

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. Newsroom phone: 979-845-3315; email: editor@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 979-845-2687. For classified advertising, call 979-845-0569. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Email: battads@thebatt.com.

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correctionsThe Battalion welcomes readers’ comments about published information that may require correction. We will pursue your concern to determine whether a correction needs to be published. Please contact us at editor@thebatt.com.

whoweareThe Battalion staff represents every college on the campus, including undergraduates and graduate students. The leadership of The Battalion welcomes students to participate in the First Amendment in action as you utilize your student newspaper. We are students.

Senior agricultural journalism major Jake Walker, managing editor

Junior agribusiness major Camryn Ford, city editor

Senior university studies major Julie Blanco, city desk assistant

Senior French major Jennifer Keith, city desk assistant

Sophomore English major Elise Brunsvold, lifestyles editor

Senior English major Alec Goetz, lifestyles assistant

Senior English major Mark Doré, sports editor

Senior business administration major James Sullivan, sports desk assistant

Sophomore anthropology major Tanner Garza, photo chief

Sophomore spacial science major Chase Krumholz, photo desk assistant

Senior visualization major Collin Seiffert, graphics editor

Junior biological and agriculture engineering major Luis Cavazos, page designer

Freshman agricultural journalism major Jenna Rabel, page designer

Junior psychology major Jessica Smarr, religions editor

New Works Festival showcases student playwrightsElizabeth EvansSpecial to The Battalion

Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION

Senior Angelica De La Garza, sophomore Wesley White, and freshman Matt Hegarty perform a scene from the upcoming play “Henderson” by senior Emily Sturrock.

‘voicesGUESTCOLUMN

John Claybrook: Senate’s false representation fails to serve students

Failure to Lead

Among the optimistic, I lead the pack. I dreamed of a productive, working

relationship with Student Senate after being elected last February. I recognized the great opportunity we were given to proactively address issues that impact students every day. Surely, I thought, we could all work together as our student body’s elected representatives.

I thought wrong.What I found is a systemically unrealistic,

distrusting and surprisingly prideful organiza-tion of students characterized by an unwill-ingness to listen or effectively represent their constituencies.

Of course, there are exceptions. I’ve in-teracted with student senators — those with whom I’ve agreed and disagreed — who defy the norm, seek student opinion, and display openness to differing perspectives. Unfortunately, these student senators are few and far between.

The dominating principle guiding the decisions made by our Student Senate is an unrealistic philosophy of idealism that is often devoid of practicality. I completely agree that a hint of idealism is necessary and needed in any form of leadership. However, when Senate’s unwillingness to accurately consider current circumstances is dwarfed by an obsession with the unrealistic, effective-ness in leadership is nonexistent.

Additionally, our Student Senate is marred by a recent history of distrust toward the executive branch, including the student body president and committees, as well as the A&M administration. I don’t believe these parties are flawless, and I remain a strong ad-vocate of asking questions and seeking truth on behalf of the student body. However, a fundamental distrust of those you work with daily and rely on to enforce your policies is ineffective at best and destructive at worst.

For instance, when the Texas A&M CFO, B.J. Crain, attended the Feb. 6 Senate meet-ing, she told senators that using existing UAF funds or reserves was not a plausible funding option for the planned Kyle Field student section renovation. The Senate let her leave before accusing her of providing incorrect or misleading information, then voted 28-2 in favor of a referendum that will mislead the student body into believing that these funds are available. That is misleading. That is poor leadership.

Lastly, I believe the most harmful charac-teristic in our Student Senate is an inconceiv-able pride in believing that they were elected

because they were the most knowledgeable and capable of making decisions on behalf of students.

It is an argument I’ve heard multiple times.

Take the concealed carry on campus issue, for instance. Personal preference aside, two referenda from 2009 and 2011 proved that students, with a 54 and 57 percent majority, respectively, are against concealed carry on campus. This year, student senators took this issue into their own hands and passed a bill overruling student opinion by an over-whelming 38-19 majority — a 25 percent swing from a year and a half ago.

Call me crazy, but voting contrary to the student body is not representing students.

Constitutionally, our duty in the Student Government Association is to “serve and represent the student body.” Student Senate’s alleged service of the student body is broken at the foundation: a fundamental misunder-standing of its duty and an unwillingness to engage our student body.

It’s time for a complete overhaul of our Student Senate. It’s a big deal to be elected to represent students. I wish that being elect-ed to represent students was an aspiration of many and treated as an extreme honor to serve in that capacity. But the reputation of Student Senate has deterred many of our most outstanding students from ever setting foot in the Senate chamber.

It’s time for student senators to start reaching out to the students they represent and actually take into consideration student opinion. Set office hours, correspond with college or residence constituencies, offer polls to gauge student opinion, facilitate places on campus for students to discuss issues they want changed, or speak directly with classes or student organizations. Maybe even post the names of student senators on senate.tamu.edu, let alone offer contact informa-tion. Senate can’t settle for a Facebook group and a Twitter feed and expect students to respond. Be proactive.

It’s time for some serious leadership from our Student Senate, because what we’ve been getting is far from serious and far from leadership.

John Claybrook is a senior finance major and Student Body President

Senior English major Trevor Stevens, editor-in-chief

Connect online

Keep up with campus news at thebatt.com.

Curtains upThe Student New Works Festival will run Wednesday to Saturday in the Liberal Arts building.

BAT_02-20-13_A2.indd 1 2/20/13 1:25 AM

Swope makes final four of NCAA Cover Vote

The third round votes are in: Ryan Swope and Texas A&M have advanced to the semifinals of the EA SPORTS NCAA Football Cover Vote. Swope joins Eddie Lacy of Alabama, Denard Robinson of Michigan and Kenjon Barner of Oregon in the semifinals of the vote for the cover of this year’s video game. The tallies have reset and voting for the semifinal round has begun and will continue through Feb. 24. Votes can be cast through two avenues: by “liking” the photos specific to each university on the official EA SPORTS NCAA Football Facebook page or by voting in the university-specific polls. The two players and universities with the most votes will advance to a final round. Lacy and Alabama won their third straight round, with vote totals starting fresh with each round.

Staff report

think I would have been near this happy and swell any-where else.’’

Twelve Aggie Olympians competed in the 2012 Olym-pics, evidence of the niche the program has created.

“Coming to A&M and having 35 to 40 girls to train with has been such a bless-ing,’’ Adams said. “It has been so much fun just hav-ing someone that will always push you and race you in practice.”

Her performances this sea-son have led to some giving her the title of ‘’Miss But-terfly,” but her performances have come as no surprise to her coaches.

“[Adams] loves to learn about the sport and is will-ing to try new things to help her get the edge over her competitors,” said Tanica Jamison, A&M assistant women’s swimming coach. “[Adams] finds a way to give her best despite how she may feel on any given day.”

Adams’ fifth place finish in the 200-meter-butterfly event in Lon-don didn’t mark the end of her Olympic aspirations. She looks to compete in the next Olympics in Rio de Ja-neiro in 2016.

“I’ll definitely swim for more years,’’ Adams said. “I have two more years of school left. After Rio, I’ll as-sess whether I have to keep swimming or what to do and

see what I am going to do at that point. For me, now, the goal is to get a medal.’’

A&M head women’s swimming coach Steve Bult-man said he is excited for Adams’ progress and for what she can achieve in the future.

“I think she will continue

to improve and get better,” Bultman said. “She has be-come a force to be reckoned with on the national scene and is just starting to realize how good she could be in-ternationally.”

Jamison said the “sky is the limit” for Adams.

“I believe she can accom-plish great things, maybe greater than she may think is possible,” Jamison said. “If she continues to progress like she has over the past few years, it’s scary to think what she could become.”

Adams leads the No. 9 A&M women into the SEC Championships against such schools as No. 3 Auburn and No. 4 Tennessee, running from Tuesday to Saturday in College Station at the Student Recreation Cen-ter Natatorium. The No.

18 A&M men will face five teams ranked in the Top 20.

After Tuesday’s six events, both A&M men and women sit in sixth place. Tennessee leads the women’s standings while Auburn tops the men’s teams.

From Gary Blair, A&M women’s basketball head coach

I would like to thank you for making a difference in the A&M vs. Kentucky women’s basketball game on Monday night. Kentucky may have won the battle, but last night was also a tribute to things that we do right at Texas A&M — the Corps, the students, the Yell Leaders and the breast cancer survivors who were all there not only to support the cause, but also to remember and honor the firemen lost last weekend. Texas A&M is so much more than

winning or losing an athletic event. It is made up of champions in the class-room, professors who teach us, team-mates who push us, and friendships made at A&M that will last a lifetime. Thank you for coming out and creat-ing the electric atmosphere that you did last night — you gave our team hope, and you gave our grey-hairs, no-hairs, and blue-hairs a chance to stand with you and be a part of something special. Please bring a friend who has never seen women’s

basketball to one of the remaining games. I hope they’ll enjoy the ex-citement of being a part of something special and making a difference like you did last night. We still have Mis-sissippi and LSU at home, we still have the NCAA tournament at our place and we still have a chance to go deep in the playoffs. Again, I thank you 12th Man for being there when we needed you.

thebattalion

sports page 3

wednesday 2.20.2013

‘AdamsContinued from page 1

Swope

Letter to the 12th Man:

voices

Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION

Junior education major Cammile Adams — after a showing in the London Olympics — aims for Rio in 2016.

Baseball tops SFA, 9-2

COURTESY

No. 24 A&M overcame a sluggish start on Tuesday to put away SFA behind four hits from Mikey Reynolds. A four run 6th inning broke open a third straight win.

SEC Championships Events run until Sat. Feb. 23.

Live results SECdigitalnetwork.com

Free video 12thMan.TV

Live stream ESPN3 on Fri. and Sat.

BAT_02-20-13_A3.indd 1 2/19/13 11:48 PM

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newspage 4

wednesday 2.20.2013

Performance Studies profes-sor Amy Guerin is one of the team’s faculty sponsors, and has a great deal of respect for the team.“Their commitment to pur-suing this sport is admirable because they are not cavalier about it,” Guerin said. “They treat it very respectfully. They have figured out a way to re-ally raise the level of the game and raise themselves to more than just an intramural level of playing, but like a real competitive sport.”

Harry Potter vs. A&MSenior mechanical engi-

neering major and head in-tercollegiate coach Drew Wasikowski believes the manifestation of a game once only seen in movies into a legitimate sport can be attrib-uted to warring ideas on how the game should be enjoyed. In the beginning, people were playing for the “whim-sical” aspect of the game and then more people became involved for its competitive side. Wasikowski acknowledgedthe “Harry Potter” movies’ role in first sparking his inter-est in quidditch.

“I, of course, loved Harry Potter,” Wasikowski said. “I like it being more competi-tive, because it treats us more like actual athletes.”

Wasikowski admitted that it is easy for people to be skeptical about the sport’s le-gitimacy because the idea of people riding on brooms can seem silly.

According to DuPont, brooms are not always re-quired for low-level compe-tition. All that is required is an object of a certain length that won’t injure someone.

Rosemary Ross, sopho-more psychology major, ex-plained that certain players on the team bring uniqueness to the idea of riding a broom, which helps to lighten the absurdity.

“People who just want to tryout and play can bring whatever; if you can ride it like a broom, that’s fine,” Ross said. “Some of our play-ers have signature things like a plastic baseball bat and a foam sword.”

Club Sport StatusDespite being ranked No.

1 in the world, the Texas A&M quidditch team has not yet been granted “club sport status,” which would allow them to reserve intramural fields for practice time and

QuidditchContinued from page 1

receive funding for the more costly aspects of the game, such as equipment.

A&M quidditch team members depend on fundrais-ers, profit shares and mem-bership dues to provide fund-ing for travel and equipment, but most of the expense is paid for out of pocket. Even occasional medical expenses resulting from sport—relat-ed injuries must come from each player.

“I spend a lot of money on quidditch every year,” DuPont said. “I buy receiver gloves, cleats – I had to buy an ankle brace earlier this year because I sprained my ankle. I chipped my tooth this summer and I paid for fixing my tooth, so it gets pretty expensive.”

Backgrounds and Prac-tice

DuPont explained that because the sport incor-porates many players from non-athletic backgrounds, people have to prepare for playing this contact sport very differently.

“I was a band nerd in high school, so my background is a lot different from the guys who played football in high school,” DuPont said.

Although the sport is coed, tackling is still a very impor-

tant part of the game. Players can tackle one-handed as hard as they want as long as they do not tackle from behind.

“Guys will not show me any mercy; they’ll tackle me,” DuPont said. “I feel like a lot of our girls are pretty unique in that our girls won’t shy away from contact.”

To deal with the need to specialize training for its niche population, the team has con-

scientiously tailored its prac-tices for maximum benefit by breaking them up into three segments: conditioning, drills and scrimmaging.

The first segment of prac-tice is led by conditioning coach and senior chemical engineering major, Domi-nique Gauchei.

In order to enhance the team’s performance, Gau-chei utilizes his former soccer

experience by incorporating mundane exercises into every practice, such as running laps and doing sprints and pushups.

During the drill segment, the team splits up by position and works on specialty skills such as passing, shooting, blocking shots, tackling and even more conditioning.

The scrimmage portion of practice serves a very impor-tant purpose. In addition to adding extra conditioning and practice for essential skills in game situations, the players learn to mesh with each oth-er’s strengths and weaknesses and work on the moderation of playing intensity.

“We try to find the right balance of getting enough practice in while not injuring each other,” Wasikowski said.

CompetitionGuerin said they meet

whatever goals they set for themselves as a student or-ganization – to put together multiple teams within the or-ganization, to travel, to host tournaments, to rise in the rankings.

One goal the quidditch team hopes to achieve is more support from the A&M fam-ily. It seeks to make headway with this goal at the Southwest Regional tournament.

A&M will host the South-west Regional tournament at the Penberthy Intramural turf fields Saturday and Sunday. About 15 teams are expected to compete in the tourna-ment, including University of Texas, Baylor, University of North Texas, Sam Houston State, as well as teams from Los Angeles, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Colorado.

Teams that place in the Top 10 at this tournament will se-cure a position to compete in the International Quid-ditch Association’s 6th annual Quidditch World Cup in Or-lando, FL.

According to DuPont, this is the first year that teams have to qualify for World Cup. Formerly, most teams had to pay out of pocket if they wanted to attend.

“In previous years, it was more like a first come, first serve, if-you-can-afford-to-go kind of thing,” DuPont said. “This year you have to be able to afford and you have to actually qualify.”

Ross said they have two teams paying to go to the World Cup.

One team, the Silver Phoe-nixes, is one of the sport’s first ever “secondary” teams. The Silver Phoenixes were originally the non-competi-tive component of the team, but this year will compete at the intercollegiate level in the tournament.

The A&M quidditch team could potentially face off against the Silver Phoenixes in the tournament.

Players on the teams have formed deep bonds through this sport, providing them with what they are sure is the niche they fall into on campus.

“When I first got to A&M, I didn’t know where I was going to go,” DuPont said. “This is my place at A&M. I joined quidditch and instantly I was like, ‘This where I want to be.’”

Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION

Sophomore Andrew Cantu puts up some points at a late night quidditch match at Penberthy Field.

BAT_02-20-13_A4.indd 1 2/20/13 12:33 AM

thebattalion

news page 5

wednesday 2.20.2013

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BED AND BREAKFAST

Romantic Getaways & Engage-ments, secluded cabin suites. AllDay, All Night. www.7flodge.com979-690-0073.

FARM/RANCH

Aggieland Alfalfa. 50lbcompressed Alfalfa bales, 50lbcompressed Timothy bales. Callor text orders to 806-683-2916.

FOR RENT

$1100 Pre-lease, Brand New Gor-geous 2/2 on Northgate, walk toTAMU, granite, hardwood floors,free Wifi/Cable and W/D, call Ma-roon & White Management,979-422-5660.

$395 Prelease 1/1, 2/1 and 2/2.Free WiFi/water/sewer. OnNorthgate, on shuttle. Call Ma-roon & White Management979-422-5660.

$850 Pre-lease, 3&4 bedroomhouses, W/D, pets ok, near TAMU.Call Maroon & WhiteManagement, 979-422-5660.

1,2,3,4 bedroom apartments. Fur-nished or unfurnished. AvailableMay or August. 979-693-4900.

2, 3, 4, &5 bedroom houses, con-dos and duplexes. Now preleasingfor May and August.979-776-8984.

2,3,4 and 5/bdrm. CS duplexes.Very nice, garage, on shuttle, tile,fireplace, w/d, fenced, lawn serv-ice, pets o.k. Available August.Details and photos availableonline. http://arduplexes.cominfo@arduplexes.com979-255-0424, 979-255-1585.

2bd/1.5bath duplex, 1808 Holle-man Dr West unit #A, $775/mo,available August, remodeled,W/D, great floor plan, bus route,private parking, no pets.www.brazosvalleyrentals.com979-731-8257

2bd/1ba apartment, 800sq. ft.New appliances, carpeting andtile. W/D. bus-route. $600/mo.210-391-4106.

FOR RENT

2bd/2.5ba unique floorplansw/balcony views of Kyle Field.Brand new luxury apartment con-dos. Fullsize stainless steel appli-ances, W/D, designer ammenitiesgranite/wood/tile, bus stop. Only36units on Holleman at Wolf Pen.www.broadstoneranchat-wolfpen.com, www.aggie-landleasing.com, 979-776-6079.

2bd/2ba 4-plex. Spacious floor-plan, W/D connections, close tocampus. $550/mo.www.aggielandleasing.com979-776-6079.

2bd/2ba unique floorplansw/balcony views of Kyle Field.Brand new luxury apartmentcondos. Fullsize stainless steelappliances, W/D, designer am-menities granite/wood/tile, busstop. Only 36units on Hollemanat Wolf Pen.www.broadstoneranchat-wolfpen.com,www.aggielandleasing.com,979-776-6079.

3-3.5’s newer luxury condos avail-able 6/1/13, $1275/mo, Fantasticlocation, 817-437-9606.

3/3,3/2 Houses, Townhouses&Apartments, 1250-1400sqft.Very spacious, ethernet, largekitchen, walk-in pantry &closets,extra storage, W/D, great ameni-ties, on bus route, now pre-leas-ing, excellent specials.979-694-0320.www.luxormanagement.com

4/2 and 5/2 houses, CS, availableJune/August, updated, all appli-ances, great backyards, large liv-ing rooms, W/D, close to campus,no pets.www.brazosvalleyrentals.com979-731-8257.

4/3, 3/3 &3/2 Houses,Townhouses, Duplexes&Fourplexes, 1250-1700sqft. Veryspacious, ethernet, large kitchen,extra storage, W/D, greatamenities, on bus route, nowpre-leasing, excellent specials.979-694-0320.www.luxormanagement.com

4bd/2ba house. Close to campus,wood floors, tile floors, ceilingfans, granite countertops, W/D,fenced yards. 979-776-6079.www.aggielandleasing.com

FOR RENT

Brand New, 4bd/4ba houses.walking distance from campus,AAF 979-693-4900.

Apartment for rent 2bd/1ba,$475/mo, $350 deposit,903-244-5951.

August Leasing. 4bd/2ba house.Close to campus, wood floors, tilefloors, ceiling fans, W/D, fencedyards. 979-776-6079.www.aggielandleasing.com

Available now 2/2 duplex, fencedyard, pets ok, great location, andon shuttle, $700/mo.979-693-1448.

Available now 3/2 house with twocar garage, remodled on inside,large fenced backyard, stainlessappliances. 1708 Treehouse Trail.$1300/mo. 979-693-1448.

Brand new luxury condos, granitecountertops, tile flooring, greatlocation. 979-693-4900.

C.S. Waterwood Townhomes.1001 Krenek Tap #204. Gatedcommunity w/pool and sportscourt. 3bd/3ba. $1200/mo.Sarah Miller 979-255-1904.Re/Max B-CS.

Close To Campus! 4/2 &5/2houses, preleasing for August,great floorplans, updated, nopets 731-8257,www.BrazosValleyRentals.com

Duplex, CS, nice 2bd/1ba, 3-min-utes from campus, W/D, remod-eled, fenced front and backyard,beautiful with many extras, oneweek free, $570/mo,979-422-3427.

FOR RENT

For Rent: 4bd/4ba WaterwoodTownhome (Krenek Tap)$460/bd/moaustinplee@gmail.com281-387-1295.

Free locatoring service, HousesDuplexes and Apartments,979-693-4900.

Immediate move-in’s andpre-lease fall. Free cable/internet! Spacious 2bd/1ba. Close to cam-pus, on shuttle route. Largekitchen with full appliances. W/Dconnections. Front and back pat-ios. Ceiling fans. Hillstone On TheParkway, 528 Southwest Parkway.979-693-6102. Open 9-4Monday-Friday.hillstoneonthepkwy@yahoo.com

Just available! Close to campus,College Main and Eastgate areas.2bd/1ba., some w/dishwasher,1-fenced, some bills paid.$325-$450/mo. 979-219-3217.

Northgate. Newer 1/1, 2/2, 3/3and 3/2. Washer/dryer. Walk tocampus. Summer and 1 yearleases okay. aggievillas.net. Call979-255-5648.

Now Leasing and pre-leasing forAugust! 4bdrm/2bth houses. Spa-cious floorplans. Great Location.Close to campus, wood floors, tilefloors, ceiling fans, w/d, fencedyards, refridgerator,icemaker,lawncare.979-776-6079,www.aggielandleasing.com

One month free rent, free cableand ethernet.aggieapartment.com. Tamu shut-tle route. 979-693-1906.

FOR RENT

Pre-lease 4 and 5 bedroomhouses, available August, greatfloor plans, close to campus,updated, W/D, all appliances,no pets.www.brazosvalleyrentals.com979-731-8257.

Pre-lease for May or August 2/2Duplex with large fence backyard.Pets ok, walk-in closets, great lo-cation, and shuttle. $775/mo.979-693-1448.

HELP WANTED

Ags! Looking for summer work?Earn $9000.00 this summer, buildyour resume, great experience,call Taylor, 214-707-9145.

Athletic men for calendars,books, etc. $100-$200/hr, upto $1000/day. No experience.aggieresponse@gmail.com

Bryan Police Department is ac-cepting applications for POLICEOFFICER, no experience required,deadline 3/13/13, for informationcall 979-209-5323.

Cleaning commercial buildingsat night, M-F. Call 979-823-5031for appointment.

Commerce National Bank is seek-ing p/t tellers. For considerationplease visit commercenb.com

Do you possess strong leadershipand technical skills? Do you wantreal world IT experience, handson training and leadership oppor-tunities? Are you a self-starterwho enjoys a fast paced environ-ment? See Rexel Holdings USAjob posting #31127 on careercen-ter.tamu.edu.

King Ranch Turfgrass has immedi-ate part-time opportunities forexperienced farm laborers. Re-sponsibilities include general agri-cultural duties associated withsod farming such as equipmentmaintenance and operation. Forconsideration, call (936)825-6330or apply in person at 28132 TomMoore Rd. Navasota, Texas 77868.EOE/Drug Free Workplace.

Little Guys Movers now hiringFT/PT employees. Must be at least21 w/valid D.L. Apply in person at3209 Earl Rudder Freeway.979-693-6683.

HELP WANTED

MEMdata, a local medical equip-ment bidding company is seekingdependable and organizedpart-time employees to be part ofa growing team! Must be able towork a minimum of 24hrs/wk,M-F 8-5. Good communicationand negotiation skills required.Must be responsible, self-motiva-tated, and organized with theability to multi-task. Strong inter-personal skills; ability to workwith deadlines. Computer skillsrequired, knowledge of MS Excela plus! Hourly pay DOQ plus bo-nus. Email resumes tocareers@memdata.com or fax to979-695-1954.

Pepe's Mexican Cafe is now hiringsmiling faces and friendly person-alities to help make and serve thebest tacos and burritos in town!We need mgmt., cashiers, & cooksfor all shifts. Will work aroundclass schedule. Apply 2-5pm at3312 S. College in Bryan (1.5 milesfrom Campus!)

STUDENTPAYOUTS.COMPaid survey takers needed inCollege Station. 100% free tojoin. Click on surveys.

Web designer, programers, cus-tomer service openings at infinitypro sports send resumes tojobs@infinityprosports.com

REAL ESTATE

B/CS. Sell/Buy/Invest! MichaelMcGrann TAMU ‘93 CivilEngineering 979-739-2035,mike@aggierealtor.comNadia McGrann 979-777-6211,Town & Country Realty.

ROOMMATES

Roommate wanted, $450/mo+utilities, 3bd/2ba condo, frontparking, call 713-858-1740.

Roommates needed 4bd/2bahome with large backyard andnew flooring. Pets welcome. Callif interested 361-463-6763.

TUTORS

Need a Tutor? Friendly, helpfulone-on-one private tutors for allsubjects at TAMU/Blinn and SamHouston State. Check us out atwww.99tutors.com, 979-268-8867.

battalionClassifieds

read the fine print.

Call 845-0569 To Place Your Ad

the

Director of Africana studies works to revive program

Faced with a declining number of applicants,

Texas A&M faculty mem-bers are working to preserve and fortify the Africana stud-ies program in the College of Liberal Arts.

Violet Johnson, direc-tor of Africana studies and history professor, said the number of students in the program has been healthy, but has decreased in the past two years. Johnson said she wants to bring new life to the program.

“I’m really anxious to have students, faculty and the larger community know about the things we have been doing,” Johnson said. “Call me overly optimistic, but I think that if people knew as much about what we are doing, there would be more interest, there would be more involvement and more engagement, so I want it out there.”

Africana studies is an in-terdisciplinary program that offers a minor and a gradu-ate certificate program, and

focuses on the cultures, poli-tics and histories of people of African descent.

“It seems that interest for the minor has dwindled, which is one of my chal-lenges,” Johnson said. “I want to not only be able to restart the interest in the minor, but actually to grow that interest and have students more in-volved and desirous of taking courses in Africana studies.”

Johnson said she wants to eventually offer a major, but ultimately depends on student interest to make that happen.

“The minor is one of the most solid minors I’ve seen in Africana studies,” Johnson said. “The curriculum is really deep. That is why I think it is ready to move on to intro-ducing a major.”

In response to the interest deficit, Johnson has embarked on various initiatives designed to elevate interest levels. These initiatives include per-sonally attending classes relat-ed to Africana studies to talk to students about the oppor-tunities Africana studies offers to complement their major.

Illustrating the interdisci-

John Odom Special to the Battalion

plinary nature of the field, the core staff of Africana studies is composed entirely of joint-appointed faculty.

Phia Salter, professor of psychology and Africana studies, said each joint-

appointed faculty member teaches courses in both of their departments.

“We all have classes related to Africana studies,” Salter said. “As a jointly appointed person, I owe classes to both

the psychology department and to Africana studies.”

Johnson said there are joint appointments in the Depart-ments of Anthropology, English, Performance Stud-ies, Hispanic Studies, Com-

munication, Psychology and History.

To further her efforts of developing the program, Johnson encourages student involvement and thrives on feedback, particularly

through the evaluations that are given after open houses, in-house residencies by per-forming artists, panels featur-ing directors of documenta-ries and various seminars.

“The evaluation tells us how this went and how to proceed in the future,” John-son said. “Data will detail how to improve and how to move forward based on the feedback.”

Among the students who support Johnson’s efforts is senior international studies major, Diamilatou Sow. Sow minors in both French and Africana studies.

“If everything goes as [Johnson] says it will go, it will be a great department because she has great ideas and she’s willing to work at it,” Sow said. “I’m look-

ing forward to working with Dr. Johnson on some of the things she is coming up this semester.”

Salter believes that what holds many students back from getting involved in Af-ricana studies is not knowing how it could be beneficial to them in the future.

“We are living in an in-creasingly diverse place and in order to function in soci-ety, you are going to have to know how to navigate inter-acting with different people,” Salter said. “In the job market, as there is more competition for fewer jobs, you also need to credential yourself. If you know how to be a culturally competent person, I think it’s important in that it makes the world a better place.”

“Call me overly optimistic, but I think that if people knew as much about what we are doing, there would be more interest, there would be more involvement and more engage-ment, so I want it out there.”

— Violet Johnson, director of Africana studies

BAT_02-20-13_A5.indd 1 2/20/13 1:02 AM

The 12th Man® deserves the very best. Larger entrances and concourses.New restrooms. Enhanced concessions. A stunning exterior.

And prime seating, just as you have today. Join previous generationsof Aggie students and help us renovate and expand Kyle Field.

VOTE “YES” FORTHE KYLE FIELD RENOVATION!

Check your NEO email soon for details on the student vote.

BAT_02-20-13_A6.indd 1BAT_02-20-13_A6.indd 1 2/18/13 2:28:47 PM2/18/13 2:28:47 PM