cites me because they don’t know what the MSC is,” Stewart said. “I think it’s integral that they are here, but no mat-ter how old you are, if you’re an Aggie, the MSC and the Rudder Fountain are for you.”

While the area itself has undergone tremendous change, Stewart said it still holds the memorial atmosphere and is representative of Aggie traditions.

! tuesday, april 10, 2012 ! serving texas a&m since 1893 !"first paper free – additional copies $1 !"© 2012 student media

thebattalion

thebatt.comSushi: The truthSushi takes more forms than the casual consumer recognizes. There may be a whole world of sushi left unexplored by many.

Rudder Fountain springs to life as Plaza, Breezeway open

To the sounds of whoops and wild-cats, the new Rudder Fountain spray-ers launched water into the Monday evening air with maroon lights col-oring the water’s surface. With the re-opening of the Memorial Student Center less than two weeks away, the relighting of the Rudder Fountain Plaza gave students a taste of what is to come.

The relighting also signaled the opening of Rudder Plaza and the MSC breezeway, clearing a route through construction that divided the Univer-sity for the past three years.

“I’ve seen a lot of you guys through-out the day looking around thinking ‘Can we actually walk through here now? Is the construction stopping?’

and I’m happy to say, ‘Yes, we’re open, we’re ready to go’,” said Eliza-beth Andrasi, MSC President, before giving the signal to bring the fountain back to life.

Andrasi, nonprofit management certificate student and Class of 2011, reminisced about the Plaza in years past. Andrasi said the area in front of Koldus and Academic Plaza pale in comparison to Rudder Plaza, which saw the highest traffic on campus.

Tyler Stewart, junior biomedical sciences major and 2012-2013 MSC President, only saw the original MSC and Rudder Fountain Plaza as a senior in high school, but said he was excited to participate in the Plaza’s unveiling, and that class year doesn’t matter.

“I’m excited because I’ve seen a lot of underclassmen here, a lot of fresh-men here who came out, and that ex-

Barrett House The Battalion

See Rudder on page 2

campus

The College Station City Council ap-proved a proposal for a new revenue program that will bill responsible parties of automo-bile accidents and other incidents to cover the cost of emergency services.

At a council meeting on March 8, Rev-enue Rescue was chosen from a list of ven-dors to provide a medium between College Station Fire Department and the numerous insurance companies who receive claims.

After a brief discussion, the council agreed to pass the proposal into the bidding phase by a six-to-one vote.

The proposal is not yet in effect, as the city’s legal department has yet to approve the bid from Revenue Rescue, but the fire department is hopeful all will be in place by Oct. 1, for the start of the next fiscal year.

City officials said Revenue Rescue was

chosen based on its history with the city of Bryan and other county volunteer precincts. The company operates in cities throughout the state of Texas and the U.S.

The details of the plan involve billing “re-sponsible parties” of automobile accidents and emergency service calls if special services are required.

“The use of hydraulic rescue tools, like the Jaws of Life, and the cleanup of vehicle fluid leaks or other hazardous materials are all situations where Revenue Rescue would send the responsible party a bill,” said Bart Humphreys, public information officer for

the City of College Station. “Any extenuat-ing circumstances will be handled on a case-by-case basis.”

The responsible party for each case would be determined by the College Station Po-lice Department, either through a ticketed offense or official accident reports. These in-clude motor accidents and storage and trans-portation of hazardous materials.

The bill is then handled between an in-dividual’s insurance company and Revenue Rescue, except in the case that a willfully

Chase Carter The Battalion

Citizens to pick up tab for emergency services

See Accident on page 2

College Station proposal requires responsible party in auto accidents to pay city expenses

COURTESY PHOTO

Linda Paul smiles with her grandparents, Rep. Ron Paul and Carol Paul, on the campaign trail.

Linda Paul spends semester on grandfather’s presidential campaign

Campaign stop: College Station

This semester, Linda has crisscrossed the country with her grandfather contributing to the campaign effort. She is still considered to be a student — enrolled in three hours of online courses to retain her student status — but for all practical purposes, she has taken the semester off. Linda said she didn’t even consider an academic hiatus until a family member made the suggestion during winter break.

“I was scheduled to graduate a semester early and am still unsure what I want to do after college,” Linda said. “So when the idea was brought up … I thought, why rush to graduate? Instead, I can take this chance of a lifetime and spend time with my grandparents.”

Linda spoke with the Ron Paul campaign chair to ex-

press interest in joining the campaign effort and began working almost immediately. She came to campus the first week of classes to settle affairs with her class schedule and to let her friends know about her plans, then rejoined her grandfather.

Moira Skea, junior finance major and Linda’s room-mate, said she was initially “shocked” by Linda’s decision.

“I guess it is something I would expect from her. She’s smart and usually so successful at anything she attempts. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” Skea said. “Not everybody’s family member has a legitimate run for president.”

Rachel Bishop The Battalion

See Linda Paul on page 7

GOP hopeful brings liberty message

to Rudder

Down-but-not-out GOP candidate Rep. Ron Paul will make a campaign stop at Texas A&M on Tuesday, looking to generate support with students as Mitt Romney threatens to put the Republican pri-mary out of reach.

Paul, who will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Rud-der Theatre, was invited to A&M after Youth for Ron Paul at Texas A&M began a petition to have the seasoned representative from Texas’ 14th district speak to Aggies.

Derek Seidel, graduate genetics student and mem-ber of Youth for Ron Paul, said he is excited for Paul to come to A&M and what the occasion means for the student body.

“It provides an opportunity for those concerned about the future of our country to gain a perspective that isn’t conveyed by our nation’s mainstream me-dia and the other presidential candidates, including Obama,” Seidel said. “The ideas that Ron Paul has for fixing our country are unmatched by the other candidates who mostly rely on unsubstantiated prom-ises with no real answers to the problems we face.”

Seidel said he isn’t discouraged that Paul hasn’t kept pace with GOP contenders Romney and Rick Santorum in recent months, saying students need to pay attention to the policies and ideas Paul brings “now more than ever.”

“It makes no sense for the youth to be apathetic about our politics only to inherit the consequences later in life,” Seidel said.

Tuesday’s event adds to Paul’s list of university visits, where he has drawn large crowds of college students. The “Ron Paul Revolution” has relied on

Barrett House The Battalion

See Rally on page 7

Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION

Students gather outside the MSC for the Rudder Fountain reopening Monday.

W

orking closely on the campaign trail with a presidential candidate is an oppor-tunity many would relish but few ever get to experience. Still fewer can call a presidential hopeful “grandpa.” The exception would be Linda Paul, junior

biomedical sciences major and granddaughter of Congressman Ron Paul.

b-cs

The Ron Paul campaign has used young voters’ enthusiasm to fuel a national push.

coming wednesday

Sexual assaultLearn about the impacts of sexual assault on men and children in the fourth and fi nal story in the series.

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thebattalion 4.10.2012

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thebattalion

Giving blood

Matthew Wong — THE BATTALION

A&M students donate blood at the Student Recreation Center Monday afternoon. Alpha Phi Omega will host blood donations this week at the REC, G. Rollie White Coliseum and Zachry Engineering Center.

courtesy of NOAA

Connect online

howtoapplyIf you are interested in writing or contributing content in The Battalion, apply at thebatt.com, or call 845-3313. The Battalion welcomes any Texas A&M student interested in writing for the arts, campus, metro or sports staffs to try out. We particularly encourage freshmen and sophomores to apply, but students may try out regardless of semester standing or major. No previous journalism experience is necessary.

correctionsThe Battalion welcomes readers’ comments about published information that may require correction. Please contact us at editor@thebatt.com.

illegal activity, such as arson or meth lab explosions, caused damage to people or property.

By implementing the plan, the city hopes to alleviate budget constraints caused by the cost of liquid absorbencies and maintenance on rescue equipment. Ticket costs will range from $550 to $800.

“Our whole principle behind this decision is to raise funds so we don’t have to raise taxes,” said R.B. Alley, fire chief of the Col-lege Station Fire Department. “We boast one of the lowest tax rates in the state, and we want to preserve that as much as possible.”

The number of annual traffic accidents is not expected to be affected by this decision. City officials also said it would not affect stan-dard emergency services provided by either the fire or police department during which the special circumstances outlined by the proposal were not implemented.

“Out of an estimated total of 7,000 EMS calls last year, 400 of those would have fallen under billable service,” Humphreys said. “By those numbers, an approximate $120,000 was used to answer those calls.”

Senior English major T.D. Durham said it sounded like an OK plan as long as the right party foots the bill and reasonable regulations would limit the amount charged.

Bruce McLemore, senior psychology ma-jor, said it offers an incentive to drive safely.

“We are in an economic crisis and every-

AccidentContinued from page 1

texasFederal judge sentences Houston residents HOUSTON — A federal judge has given prison sentences to a man and woman who prosecutors say smuggled Mexican women into the country to prostitute themselves at Houston-area bars and restaurants. A statement from the U.S. attorney’s offi ce Monday says Jose Luis and Maria Rojas received 16-year prison sentences for their November guilty pleas to conspiracy to harbor illegal immigrants and conspiracy to commit sex traffi cking.

Associated Press

“It’s the first step to the unveiling of this beauti-ful building that personifies what A&M is and what the Aggie spirit is. It retains that memorial aspect but it’s still something you’re excited to see,” Stewart said. “I think the fact that this maroon wa-ter is spraying means more than just the reopening of the fountain; it means the reopening of the heart of campus.”

Following the relight-ing, students could enjoy a performance by The Rock-etboys, a band from Austin. The Rocketboys played from a permanent raised platform in the Northeast

corner of the plaza, a new feature. Andrasi told those in attendance that this is the first of many performances in the coming years.

“This is where you’ll be recruited in the fall, this is where you’ll hand out flyers and we’re going to have tons more bands over the next few years to break in this stage,” Andrasi said.

The fountain now fea-tures sprayers — sending wa-ter as high as 12 feet — and lights that can turn any color. The area has been deemed a “dismount zone,” requiring campus cyclists to walk their bikes through the Plaza.

Andrasi also took the op-portunity to remind students to avoid walking on the grass and to remove their hats when entering the building

later this month, traditions only experienced by those who attended or visited the University before August 2009.

Although seniors won’t experience Rudder Plaza or the MSC for long as under-graduates, senior Ren Tsu-ruta said it’s good for A&M to make these kinds of im-provements.

“It’s an extreme differ-ence, a great improvement, something that we need for Texas A&M. It’s great to see that [the University] is im-proving in all aspects,” Tsu-ruta said. “It kind of sucks I didn’t get to experience it here as a student, but I know its for the betterment of the University.”

RudderContinued from page 1

Today20% chance of stormsHigh: 83 Low: 62

pagetwo

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thebattalion

news page 3

tuesday 4.10.2012

p g

tuesday 4.10.2012

Crochet kingStudent finds

unconventional way to pay for school

Christina Fuentes — THE BATTALION

This is not your grandma’s cro-chet collection. It’s not a hobby or pastime, and it’s certainly not a way to relax. For curriculum and instruction graduate student Jose Luis Zelaya, crocheting is a means of making financial ends meet.

After overcoming a violent and abusive childhood in Hondu-ras, Zelaya and his family came to America. Once here, crocheting became Zelaya’s way to provide for his mother and sister. Zelaya said he had to take control because his father was not in the picture.

“I had to find a way to help out my family,” Zelaya said. “I was the

man of the house.” Zelaya has crocheted for 12

years. He became interested in the craft while walking though the streets of Honduras as a child.

“I saw a lady who was crocheting and it really caught my attention,” Zelaya said. “I saw her making a sweater, and I asked her to teach me. … She told me no because I was not a woman. So I just watched her until I learned.”

Zelaya wanted to make the sweater, but instead elected to craft beanies, which he could make quickly.

“The crazy thing is, I didn’t make a sweater until 11 years later,” Jose said. “I actually just fin-ished it the other day.”

He began selling his beanies in flea markets in downtown Hous-ton while attending community college. Today, he sells various crocheted goods online through his Facebook page and website, dreambeanies.net.

“Whenever I first came to the United States, it was December and it was really cold,” Jose said. “I’ve always been the kind of guy that wants to help out my family, and I knew that I could crochet. People started buying the beanies, so I started to make more and more and more. And that’s how I paid for college.”

His mission is to raise enough money to finish the English as a second language graduate program

at Texas A&M and one day earn a doctoral degree. Zelaya ran for student body president earlier this semester, but didn’t tap into cro-chet profits to fund the effort. He did not spend a single dollar while on the campaign trail.

Zelaya’s younger sister is also a student at A&M, a junior commu-nity health major, and his mother is unemployed. He shoulders the responsibility of providing for his family while f inishing his educa-tion at the same time.

“He is the one helping me through college,” said Gaby Ze-laya, Jose’s sister. “In a way, he is kind of like the dad.”

Gaby said she didn’t expect the crocheting business to alleviate much financial burden, but they depend on it for rent and tuition.

Gaby is not the only one im-pacted by Jose’s “Dream Beanies.” He has spoken at two high schools in Bryan and hopes to continue in-spiring youth after graduating.

Jose specializes in beanies but said he has also made blankets, scarves, a puppy sweater — even a prom dress.

“One of the biggest things that I’ve done is made a lot of beanies and donated about 50 of them to a homeless shelter,” Jose said. “I was just trying to help out my com-munity.”

Jose is faster at crocheting than the current Guinness World Re-cord holder.

“The fastest crocheter in the world right now is Lisa Gentry, and she can do between 24 and 27 double crochet stitches per minute, and I can do between 37 and 44 stitches per minute,” Jose said.

Sophomore electrical engineer-ing major Leticia Ibarra said she was inspired by Jose’s Dream Beanies.

“How many people do you see going to that extent to afford school?” Ibarra said.

Ibarra has placed six orders for family and friends from Dream Beanies, and said the quality is good and the price is reasonable. Jose makes custom designs, and has hundreds of images online for cus-tomers to choose from.

Jose wants to use his graduate degree to impact the English as a second language program. As a for-mer ESL student, he hopes to in-spire others to find the means to go on to higher education.

His tenacity to achieve his dreams is not weighed down by financial burden. Although he says he is going through a difficult time financially right now, he knows he will earn his degree.

“Even if it means I have to crochet … I’m going to make it,” Jose said.

Joanna Raines and Kalee Bumguardner The Battalion

Jose Zelaya, curriculum and

instruction graduate

student, learned to crochet

as a child in Honduras, and uses his talent to raise money to support his family and put

himself and his younger sister

through college.

I’ve always been the kind of guy that wants to help out my family, and I knew that I could crochet. People started buying the beanies, so

I started to make more and more and more. And that’s how I paid for college.”

— Jose Luis Zelaya, curriculum and instruction graduate student

Jay Kapadia — THE BATTALION

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al to show care, acceptance and compassion with this common experience.

I never had to speak English before coming to the U.S., a personal experience shared by many international students. Now, imagine you are going to study at

a Nepalese university. You have to speak

in Nepali and stay away from your family on the other side of the world.

Now, suppose you are a Catho-

lic and you are gay. Suppose that you

are an Arabic Muslim who goes to a majority-Christian school in the U.S. You come to this other world and are pressured to live a foreign lifestyle — regardless of how unhappy it might make you. How inhumane does it seem if you cannot express yourself?

Put yourself in those situations.

We should not judge people for experiences, backgrounds and lifestyles not under their control, but rather accept them. History has shown that people can solve these issues, and it will only be a matter of time be-fore our community follows suit if we dedicate ourselves to action.

We are not limited to the university we attend, and should embrace the idea of spreading the feeling of “we” rather than “me.”

We can create a humane model of acceptance in this era of globalization. Texas A&M is where we can start.

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voices4.10.2012thebattalionpage4

MAILCALL

GUESTCOLUMN

Sarin Regmi: Students can make A&M ‘home’ for those studying far from their families

A tradition of acceptance

W

hen the plane took off, I felt that I was going to miss something that was dear to me — an environment

where I was happy and genuinely unconcerned about my being. I’ve never had such feelings while leaving College Station.

The idea of being ac-cepted, being cared for, being understood by someone has been really hard to com-prehend. During my time at Texas A&M, I barely experienced what it meant to be accepted by people for being different. It could be that I simply never appreci-ated the care and affection from people around me — after all, I can be difficult to please and am a silently critical being. Or, it could be that I never experienced the welcoming, liberal, accepting environment that I expected from a university.

As an international student from Nepal, I favor the sec-ond of the two hypotheses. I say, no we do not have a welcoming environment at Texas A&M. It took a week at Qatar during the spring leadership exchange program to figure this out.

There, people cared, people welcomed and people appreciated the differences I

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants in this paper do not necessarily refl ect those of Texas A&M University, The Battalion or its staff.

MAILCALL GUESTCOLUMNSMake your opinion known by submitting Mail Call or guest columns to The Battalion. Mail

call must be fewer than 200 words and include the author’s name, classification, major and phone number. Staff and faculty must include title. Guest columns must be fewer than 700 words. All submissions should focus on issues not personalities, become property of The Battalion and are subject to editing for style, clarity and space concerns. Anonymous letters will be read,

but not printed. The Battalion will print only one letter per author per month. No mail call will appear in The Battalion’s print or online editions before it is verifi ed.

Direct all correspondence to: Editor in chief of The Battalion (979) 845-3315 | mailcall@

thebatt.com

EDITOR’SNOTE

The opinion column “Outsourcing: a dirty word” (page 5, March 9) provides a good example of the inability to check one’s facts. In the column, the columnist throws out that Dining Services has run a “$1 million defi cit the past six years,” a fi gure fl oated by Chancellor John Sharp despite the fact that he wasn’t directly involved with the audits. The columnist also doesn’t acknowledge that an outside company has been hired to audit Dining Services and that this audit is not even complete — though it appears Sharp didn’t feel the need to wait for the results before initiating the outsourcing process. The columnist also failed to fi nd the facts about

the defi cit amount. According to audits by the Division of Administration, the actual defi cit is about one-fourth that which was included in the column. Furthermore, it is diffi cult to swallow the naïve notion that workers will simply “switch payrolls.” The workers will not only most likely lose the state retirement that they have been working toward for years, but also the state benefi ts that A&M has provided for so long. The real problem here is not the word “outsourcing,” but the ignorance that many students have about the matter. Instead of spreading lies, it would be better to ask the people who are actually behind the scenes working on fi xing the problem.

that I was t was nt

brought. Even though

I was not at-tending classes or living in the dorms, the comfort level I felt with the students was exceedingly high. In return, the U.S. students showed respect for the cultural and religious differences of the Qatar students, as well. Sadly, we are limited to this group of 27 people.

The vast majority of A&M students do not read-ily accept differences and diversities among their peers in day-to-day life. Statistics do not lie: our campus com-munity is among the worst at supporting diversity, as suggested by the Princeton Review. The spring program challenged the 27 of us to change that.

Can we create a welcom-ing environment for the entire A&M community? I think we can create such an environment of care and com-passion at our campus.

Those of us in the global leader-ship confer-ence spent days with the same people and grew familiar with each other’s global differences. We came to appreciate and respect one another for those differences.

We spent days together — A&M students spend four years together, being part of the same traditions and history, living in the same dorms. It shouldn’t be unusu-

Sarin Regmi is a senior computer

engineering major

From William Guzman, freshman chemistry major

“We can create a humane model of

acceptance in this era of

globalization.”

Jorge Montalvo — THE BATTALION

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File photo THE BATTALION

No. 2 A&M readies for UT-Arlington

Senior first baseman Jacob House’s two hits Saturday helped propel the Aggies to a series sweep of OU.

After a 3-0 series sweep against Oklahoma this weekend at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park, the No. 2 Texas A&M baseball team improved to 26-6 on the season, holding the second-best conference record in the Big 12, 7-2, as they prepare for a non-conference matchup against UT-Arlington Tuesday to close out a nine-game homestand.

Sunday afternoon, dressed in camouflage jer-seys to symbolize the search for a series sweep over the Sooners, the Top-5 Aggie baseball team won with a 5–3 victory. At Olsen Field, a crowd of 4,549 fans watched the televised victory

“I always tell our guys it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” said Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress. “Obviously, in today’s game that was definitely the case. We were able to get it back together. Pineda was able to get us into the sixth and those guys that came in from the bullpen did a phenomenal job.”

Sophomore Rafael Pineda picked up his fifth win of the season, as the 6-foot-6 righty gave up two earned runs on five hits in 5.1 innings of work en-route to victory.

Senior first baseman Jacob House and junior All-American Tyler Naquin both had two hits

apiece Saturday afternoon to lead the Aggies. “It’s always fun to come out wearing the

camo and trying to get the sweep,” House said. “The big thing with baseball is momentum. We were able to keep them from getting too much momentum by answering every time they scored.”

The Aggies welcome the UT-Arlington Mavericks, 20-12, Tuesday as they try to ex-tend their winning streak to six before resuming conference play this weekend at Kansas.

The Mavericks snapped a seven-game win-ning streak—that started March 27 against TCU, 4–3, in 10 innings—Saturday with an 8–4 loss to Nicholls State. The Mavericks also beat Texas earlier this season in a 7–5 contest.

Last season when the Aggies and Mavericks met on the diamond, it took 10 innings for the maroon and white to put the Mavericks away, 7–4. The season before last in College Station, the Aggies won 11–7.

Freshman right-hander Gandy Stubblefield is projected to get the start against the Mav-ericks. This will be Stubblefield’s third start of the season.

James Solano The Battalion

Game timeFirst pitch is at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.

Middleton declares for draftTexas A&M junior Khris Middleton has declared for the NBA draft. Middleton missed 12 games last season with a knee injury. He averaged 13.2 points and fi ve rebounds in a disappointing 14-18 season for the Aggies which broke a streak of six straight NCAA tournament appearances.

NCAA investigates Baylor callsWACO, Texas — Less than a week after its women’s basketball team won the national championship, Baylor said Monday it has been involved in a three-year investigation with the NCAA into what are believed to be hundreds of impermissible phone calls and text messages sent by coaches to prospects. ESPN.com reported that coaches for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs had made more than 1,200 calls and text messages to prospects over a 29-month span dating to 2008. ESPN.com cited an NCAA report it had obtained.

Trent Johnson joins TCUFORT WORTH, Texas — Trent Johnson relishes the opportunity and challenge of taking over a program that hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 1998 and is moving to the Big 12 Conference next season. TCU introduced Johnson as its basketball coach Monday, a day after he resigned from LSU. “I can’t express how excited I am about the challenge ahead of us,” Johnson said.

Associated Press

A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin wasn’t afraid to dish out tough love to the Ag-gie football team before they took off for the three-day weekend. As of last week, players talking a big game hadn’t walked the walk.

“We’ve got some guys that, just like any other time, are coming to the forefront, physical guys that like to play. And we’ve had some guys that are pretenders. Not very tough,” Sumlin said following Thursday’s practice. “We’ve got to figure out a way over the next couple weeks to de-velop some mental and physi-cal toughness.”

Following Monday’s prac-tice, however, the desire was starting to show in Sumlin’s players. The first-year coach said he saw more positive signs and, most importantly, a better sense of drive.

“We had a meeting today, just talking about where we’re going,” Sumlin said. “By no means are we ready to play a game but our attitude was better, our tempo was better and I think our want-to was better.”

Of greater focus since Sum-lin took over in Aggieland has been special teams. No lon-ger seen as a tool to not lose games, Sumlin — and his new special teams coordinator

Brian Polian — are looking to win in this oft-overlooked component of football.

Sumlin heaped praise on Polian, who he snagged from a Stanford program coming off two consecutive Bowl Championship Series appear-ances.

“[Polian] is one of the best special teams coaches in col-lege football. He’s had op-portunities to go to the NFL. He’s been at Notre Dame. He’s been at Stanford. He understands, as I say, what it looks like,” Sumlin said. “Being in BCS games, being the Rivals Recruiter of the Year and being a really strong coach, he brings real value to our coaching staff.”

Junior defensive back Ste-ven Terrell said he enjoys the enthusiasm that Polian brings to practice.

“Coach Polian’s a cool guy, I really like him. He has a lot of energy and he’s bring-ing a different side to special teams that we haven’t seen,” Terrell said. “I feel like he’s a great special teams coach.”

A unit that stood out to coaches in Monday’s practice was one that struggled with consistency through much of the 2011 season: the de-fensive backs. Sumlin said he was pleased with what he saw from the youthful group.

“Our young corners have a ways to go but I’ve been really pleased with their ath-

Chandler Smith The Battalion

Aggies adjust to new coach’s expectations

Photos by Chandler Smith — THE BATTALION

Aggies work on offense versus defense drills in spring practice Monday at the Coolidge Practice Fields.

Wide receiver coach David Beaty looks on as his wide receiver unit begins drills.

letic ability. Deshazor Everett and Floyd Raven continue to come on,” Sumlin said. “Those guys have to get a hold of the scheme, but what I am pleased with is our sec-ondary’s aggressiveness.”

In 2011, the Aggies ranked 113th in pass defense gave up 280.5 yards per game through the air.

Secondary coach and co-defensive coordinator Marcell Yates, former defensive backs coach for Boise State, said A&M’s secondary provides an athletic upgrade from Boise, but needs to improve the little things.

“We’re a lot more athlet-ic as a whole than what I’ve ever had. They don’t under-stand the game yet as well as I would like them to under-stand it,” Yates said. “We’re getting there. … We have to make sure those guys are disciplined and they’re doing they’re job.”

With A&M’s upgrade in

offensive pace, Terrell said the challenge of practicing so rap-idly would only increase the secondary’s performance.

“[The offense is] fast, that’s the biggest thing. They have a great tempo, but that’ll only make us better.”

sports thebattalion 04.10.2012

page5

softball | The Aggies travel to Waco 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to face the Baylor Bears.

tennis | After a loss to Notre Dame Monday, the women will face Texas Tech Friday at 6 p.m.

golf | The Aggie men’s golf team, now in third place, completes the Woodlands Intercollegiate Tuesday.

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thebattalion

news page 7

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COURTESY PHOTO

Linda Paul is spending the spring semester on the campaign trail with her grandfather, Ron Paul.

On the campaign trail, Linda acts as an extra pair of hands, the liaison for any other family members who tour with the candidate, and com-pletes any other tasks to keep things running smoothly. Working the campaign is something Linda said she not only enjoys, but believes in.

“To me, he is simply my grand-father. But after traveling with him, seeing him speak in front of crowds that number in the thousands, as well as the enthusiasm and dedication of people everywhere we go, well, to others he is this man who stands for things they believe in so fervently,” Linda said. “It has been an incredible experience.”

Linda has stayed connected with the A&M campus by making month-ly return visits. Alayne Andrie, junior finance major and one of Linda’s best friends, has enjoyed hearing Linda’s the tales from the trail.

“It’s just amazing what insights this experience has brought her. We’re both so interested in politics

and thrive off these things,” Andrie said. “It’s great to hear from her ex-actly what a presidential campaign is like and see how the media portrays things. In that way, it’s strength-ened our friendship, and because she comes into town whenever she’s in Texas, it’s like she’s still here.”

Linda’s interest in politics began early in life, fostered by her grand-father’s speeches and events. She connects with his platforms as well as with the message delivered by his stances and political record.

“He’s been saying the same thing, not only for my life, but for the past 30 years. And that’s not common for politicians,” Linda said. “He educat-ed himself and formed this philoso-phy, and I am proud for his commit-ment to the message and for never compromising on his position for political gain.”

Linda wouldn’t rule out a future in politics, but has no definite plans to pursue a career in policy anytime soon. While she has enjoyed her time with the Paul campaign, she leans on the advice her grandfather gives to anyone interested in politics as a career.

“He advises against [getting into

Linda PaulContinued from page 1

politics] straightaway, and to instead first get an education, then a job, and then, if you feel the need to change something in government, get in-volved,” Linda said.

Linda returns to College Station once more this week, as the Ron Paul Presidential Campaign Committee in-troduces the politician to campus Tues-day at 7 p.m. in Rudder Auditorium. The candidate will speak at the event.

Linda plans to continue to work for the campaign during the summer and return as a full-time student in the fall. When her time with the campaign ends, she does not see her interest in the process wavering.

“With my family, I’ll always be in-volved in politics,” Linda said, “in one way or another.”

COURTESY PHOTO

Rep. Ron Paul will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Rudder Auditorium.

energy and enthusiasm from the col-lege demographic to spread its mes-sage, something Seidel attributes to the generations’ political awareness and use of the Internet.

“We are the future of America, including those who will run for public office one day,” Seidel said. “If you’re asking why the youth is so involved, it has to be that we use the Internet more than older genera-tions. You won’t get Dr. Paul’s mes-sage through mainstream TV news networks. The Internet has given us a chance to inform ourselves.”

Some students said they are at-tending the event to hear Paul’s mes-sage. Senior chemical engineering major Samuel Congiundi said the event is a chance for those who are undecided to hear Paul’s message.

“I’m going to show my support for Ron Paul. I’m trying to bring friends who are undecided or who do not know much about him, as well,” Congiundi said. “Be pre-pared for a huge turn out. Freedom

is a universal message that appeals to everyone.”

Seidel said he believes Paul can still win the GOP nomination, but added that even if he doesn’t, the campaign will still have impacted U.S. politics.

“His ideas are spreading and peo-ple are waking up to what’s really going on in this country. Regardless of the outcome in November, the ideas that he has shared cannot be stopped,” Seidel said. “His message resonates with people of all ethnic, social, economic backgrounds. He is a man who can truly bring people together regardless of their differ-ences.”

Billy Yoder, sophomore political science major and member of Youth for Ron Paul, was active in the push to bring Ron Paul to A&M.

“The officers and members of Youth for Ron Paul at Texas A&M University worked very hard through their schedules to gather the petition signatures needed to host Congressman Paul,” Yoder said. “We gained 1,200 signatures in just four short days. That really solidified the support that Ron Paul has on this

campus.” And while not every person at-

tending is a Ron Paul supporter, they are still taking advantage of having a presidential hopeful visit the University.

Ryan Davenport, senior interdis-ciplinary studies major, said A&M has played a large role in the coun-try’s political history and continues the tradition today.

“The fact that a presidential can-didate is making a stop for a rally at Texas A&M demonstrates just how relevant our community and our students are,” Davenport said.

Before he became a politician, Paul was a medical physician, an OBGYN. Davenport has an un-common connection to the presi-dential hopeful — having been de-livered by Paul.

“We have one of the most conser-vative student bodies in the nation,” Davenport said. “That, coupled with our mission to ‘developing leaders of character dedicated to serving the greater good’ makes Texas A&M a prime stop for Ron Paul to excite his base, recruit volunteers and spread his message.”

Rally Continued from page 1

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page8

04.10.2012thebattalionsceneb!

Writer to share her workHelena Maria Viramontes, professor of English with the creative writing program at Cornell University and award-winning writer, will read at the Brazos Valley Reads program at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Bryan Civic Auditorium.

nationFacebook buying InstagramNEW YORK — Facebook is spending $1 billion to buy the photo-sharing company Instagram in the social network’s largest acquisition ever. Instagram lets people share photos they snap with their mobile devices. The app has fi lters that can make photos look as if they’ve been taken in the 1970s or on Polaroid cameras.

Associated Press

Texas A&M’s Self Defense Club teaches practical skills

Fight back

While some students arm themselves with knives or pepper spray, other students arm themselves with their bodies thanks to Texas A&M University’s Self Defense Club.

The club, officially established in 2011, teaches students in Krav Maga and the Key-si Fighting Method. Both styles of defense are meant to focus on real-life situations. The Keysi Fighting Method originated from the streets of Spain and Krav Maga is the preferred style of the Israeli military.

These methods promote self-protection and physical fitness by offering students a way to acquire more confidence and fight-ing skills for safety.

“We basically want A&M students and faculty to never be able to not defend themselves,” said John Tee, junior anthro-pology major, president of the self defense club and Battalion staff member. “That’s the mission of our club.”

Every Monday and Wednesday night, the club meets at the University of Side-kicks where they’re trained and taught new skills. The club is currently focusing on Krav Maga.

“At each meeting, we learn different techniques, like different strikes and take-downs,” Tee said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Although it sounds somewhat dangerous, senior psychology major Ken Richardson said the club makes sure no harm comes to participants. The University of Sidekicks offers them a non-hazardous environment and plenty of equipment for training.

“We practice in as safe of an environ-ment as we can,” Richardson said. “We’re using pads and there’s still physical contact but we never go full speed on each other. We try to do as much as we can in as safe of a way as we can, while still getting the

practice we need to use in the real world.”The club’s coach, Master Renee Nolte,

is a certified instructor and expert in both styles — brown belt in the Keysi Fight-ing Method and expert level in Krav Maga. Nolte has also been teaching self-defense for 16 years.

“She’s by far the most qualified person in the Brazos Valley to train us,” Tee said.

Tee said that Nolte’s training sessions, in addition to teaching students self defense, promote health through exercise and high-intensity training. Students are guaranteed a tough workout and intense training at each meeting.

“It’s definitely intense and a great mental release,” Tee said.

And, although the participants may be fighting one another in meetings, Ethan Cartwright, senior environmental studies major, said friends and bonds are made in the training process.

“The camaraderie is my favorite part,” Cartwright said. “We come in here and we’re fighting each other, acting like it’s the hostile environment, but at the end you’re training with your friends.”

Elise Brunsvold The Battalion

To learn morePrices and more information about the club can be found at selfdefense.tamu.edu.

Autumn Rizzo — THE BATTALION

We try to do as much as we can in as safe of a

way as we can, while still getting the practice we need to use in the real world.

— Ken Richardson, senior

psychology major

You can do something to make a difference in someone’s life.

bloodcenter.sw.org

877-724-HERO (4376)

Be a Hometown Hero. Donate Blood.

You can donate blood at the Scott & White bloodmobile at the Zachry Engineering Building. Blood donation usually takes about 30 minutes and can save up to three lives. Donors will receive:

All blood donated will remain in Central Texas so it will be available when you, your family or your friends need it most. Support your local community. Be a Hometown Hero.

Zachry Engineering Building 204 Zachry Engineering Center

Texas A&M University, College Station blood donation schedule:

A free “DONORS ROCK” T-shirt in your size

A free cow squeezie

Free snacks when you donate

12 free wings from Buffalo Wild Wings in College Station

A chance to win a $100 Walmart gift card

Monday–Tuesday April 9–10 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Thursday April 12 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Friday April 13 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Pg. 8-04.10.12.indd 1Pg. 8-04.10.12.indd 1 4/9/12 11:51 PM4/9/12 11:51 PM

page8

04.10.2012thebattalionsceneb!

Writer to share her workHelena Maria Viramontes, professor of English with the creative writing program at Cornell University and award-winning writer, will read at the Brazos Valley Reads program at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Bryan Civic Auditorium.

nationFacebook buying InstagramNEW YORK — Facebook is spending $1 billion to buy the photo-sharing company Instagram in the social network’s largest acquisition ever. Instagram lets people share photos they snap with their mobile devices. The app has fi lters that can make photos look as if they’ve been taken in the 1970s or on Polaroid cameras.

Associated Press

Texas A&M’s Self Defense Club teaches practical skills

Fight back

While some students arm themselves with knives or pepper spray, other students arm themselves with their bodies thanks to Texas A&M University’s Self Defense Club.

The club, officially established in 2011, teaches students in Krav Maga and the Key-si Fighting Method. Both styles of defense are meant to focus on real-life situations. The Keysi Fighting Method originated from the streets of Spain and Krav Maga is the preferred style of the Israeli military.

These methods promote self-protection and physical fitness by offering students a way to acquire more confidence and fight-ing skills for safety.

“We basically want A&M students and faculty to never be able to not defend themselves,” said John Tee, junior anthro-pology major, president of the self defense club and Battalion staff member. “That’s the mission of our club.”

Every Monday and Wednesday night, the club meets at the University of Side-kicks where they’re trained and taught new skills. The club is currently focusing on Krav Maga.

“At each meeting, we learn different techniques, like different strikes and take-downs,” Tee said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Although it sounds somewhat dangerous, senior psychology major Ken Richardson said the club makes sure no harm comes to participants. The University of Sidekicks offers them a non-hazardous environment and plenty of equipment for training.

“We practice in as safe of an environ-ment as we can,” Richardson said. “We’re using pads and there’s still physical contact but we never go full speed on each other. We try to do as much as we can in as safe of a way as we can, while still getting the

practice we need to use in the real world.”The club’s coach, Master Renee Nolte,

is a certified instructor and expert in both styles — brown belt in the Keysi Fight-ing Method and expert level in Krav Maga. Nolte has also been teaching self-defense for 16 years.

“She’s by far the most qualified person in the Brazos Valley to train us,” Tee said.

Tee said that Nolte’s training sessions, in addition to teaching students self defense, promote health through exercise and high-intensity training. Students are guaranteed a tough workout and intense training at each meeting.

“It’s definitely intense and a great mental release,” Tee said.

And, although the participants may be fighting one another in meetings, Ethan Cartwright, senior environmental studies major, said friends and bonds are made in the training process.

“The camaraderie is my favorite part,” Cartwright said. “We come in here and we’re fighting each other, acting like it’s the hostile environment, but at the end you’re training with your friends.”

Elise Brunsvold The Battalion

To learn morePrices and more information about the club can be found at selfdefense.tamu.edu.

Autumn Rizzo — THE BATTALION

We try to do as much as we can in as safe of a

way as we can, while still getting the practice we need to use in the real world.

— Ken Richardson, senior

psychology major

You can do something to make a difference in someone’s life.

bloodcenter.sw.org

877-724-HERO (4376)

Be a Hometown Hero. Donate Blood.

You can donate blood at the Scott & White bloodmobile at the Zachry Engineering Building. Blood donation usually takes about 30 minutes and can save up to three lives. Donors will receive:

All blood donated will remain in Central Texas so it will be available when you, your family or your friends need it most. Support your local community. Be a Hometown Hero.

Zachry Engineering Building 204 Zachry Engineering Center

Texas A&M University, College Station blood donation schedule:

A free “DONORS ROCK” T-shirt in your size

A free cow squeezie

Free snacks when you donate

12 free wings from Buffalo Wild Wings in College Station

A chance to win a $100 Walmart gift card

Monday–Tuesday April 9–10 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Thursday April 12 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Friday April 13 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Pg. 8-04.10.12.indd 1Pg. 8-04.10.12.indd 1 4/9/12 11:51 PM4/9/12 11:51 PM