fuesday • May 5, 1998
mm The Battalion
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A&M’sJazz
Band gets readij
for CD release
By Leah Templeton
Staff writer
N early a month ago the Texas
A&M Jazz Ensemble was not
quite a full ensemble. Mem
bership consisted of 15 people who
were looking to perform at events
around campus and College Station.
What a difference a month can make.
The jazz band now has 30 members
and an upcoming CD. The group con
sists of students who have a desire to
play music and give listeners some
thing they cannot hear everywhere.
Patrick Ash, vice president of the
jazz band and a sophomore petro
leum engineering major, said the
band is a student-run group that al
lows A&M to be in on the jazz circuit.
“We’re basically a student-run or
ganization that represents A&M in
the jazz area,” Ash said. “We play a
little funk, jazz, we’re not constrict
ed. We play a lit tle of everything.”
Ash said the jazz band began when
he got to A&M and realized there was
no jazz band. Along with Derrick Far
rell, president of the jazz band and a
sophomore genetics and biomedical
science major, the band was formed.
“We took it upon ourselves to
start this organization,” Ash said.
Farrell said the CD consists of a
variety of jazz styles.
“There’s a little Gershwin, some
rock, swing; it’s really a mix of every
thing with a contemporary style,”
Farrell said.
Ash said the band recorded the CD
at Central Baptist Church and was ex
cited with the finished product.
“The record is just stuff we put
together in the last few weeks, but
the sound and quality came out
really well.”
The band also performed a live
jazz combo in the radio studio of
KEOS 89.1 recently.
Blaine Douglass, a member of the
ensemble and a freshman journalism
major, said the band is looking for
ward to playing upcoming events.
“We have a few potential gigs, like
the grand opening for a hotel in Col
lege Station,” Douglass said. “We
also played RHA Casino Night and
performed in front of the MSC.”
Ash said the jazz band is still
making improvements and hopes to
gain even more members.
Please see Jazz on Page 5.
de ‘Ttiatpa
cele&iated camfeub
By Chris Martin
Staff writer
T oday is Cinco de Mayo, the fifth of May. For many
students it is a day to reconcile with the past—cel
ebrated by making up Good Friday’s lost day of
classes. But for those of Mexican-American heritage, it is
a day to celebrate Mexican culture in the United States.
Angie Castro, program advisor for the Committee
for the Awareness of Mexican American Culture (CA-
MAC), said Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico’s
freedom from French occupation after the Mexican-
American War.
“The holiday celebrates the day that Mexico won in
dependence from Napoleonic rule,” Castro said. “Sep
tember 16 is the day of Mexican Independence, but Cin
co de Mayo marks the victory of Mexico over France in
the Battle of Puebla in 1848.”
Castro said the holiday has become an important day
to celebrate the culture of Mexicans and Mexican-Amer-
icans in the United States.
“[Cinco de Mayo] is traditionally celebrated more in
our country than in Mexico,” Castro said. “You can al
most equate it to St. Patrick’s Day when everyone gets to
celebrate being Irish.”
Please see Cinco on Page 11.
cwjcuid mhanczi itucUnt i [ij-z
By Travis Irby
Staff writer
Texas A&M student possesses a prodigious prize
Lwhen it comes to her poetry.
Barbara Deakins, a senior English major, was recently
ffiamed an alternate to the prestigious Bucknell University
â– tadler Center for Poetry Award. She was also one out oflO
indents from across the nation chosen to attend the Buck-
tcti Bell Seminar for Younger Poets during the month of June.
I The students competing for the honors come from
top schools like Vanderbilt, Georgetown, University of
Jhicago, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania.
The award is so coveted that many winners can pick
torn the graduate school of their choice when it comes
to creative writing programs.
I The accomplishment is not bad for someone who took
| poetry class on a whim and turned it into a possible career,
.ltd Deakins came back to A&M after a long hiatus. While
y mr* her major was English, she figured advertising copywrit-
sutoingwas to be her eventual career.
Deakins said she always wrote poetry, but thought
eadM nothing of it.
Killnotff “iVe wr itten poems since I was nine, but 1 never kept
'"f any of them,” Deakins said. “No one had read my poems
^ iintil the poetry class.”
While an audience was new to Deakins, she knew how
to impress readers.
Dr. Paul Christensen, an English professor and
Deakins’ instructor at the time, said he recognized her
talent when he read her first poem.
“I read her work, and it was excellent,” Christensen
said. “It was the best in the class, but I didn’t realize how
good it was.”
Christensen said that her achievements reflect well
on the University.
“This is a real honor for not just Barbara, but the Eng
lish department and the school.”
The encouragement Deakins received from her pro
fessors and peers was a fresh experience for her. She is
the first person to attend college in her family.
Please see Poet on Page 11.
Massages offer students a healing touch
By Marium Mohiuddin
Staff writer
S ince we were young we were
taught, “This is your space, and
this is my space,” and “Don’t
touch me, and I won’t touch you.”
However, it seems to be that in
every other country in the world,
touching is the norm. All along the
street people can be found hugging,
kissing and holding hands between
family members and friends.
In this society of “no touching”
and “elbow room,” tine emergence of
massages into the mainstream is the
touchiest subject of all, and it has
been catching people off guard.
Tammy Jones-Hemphill, a reg
istered massage therapist, said
touch used to be very common
centuries ago, and more people
are becoming aware of how thera
peutic massages can be.
“I know everyone is afraid of
touch,” Jones-Hemphill said. “That
is because we don’t take a lot of time
to be touched. Touch is vital; there
is a great need for it. There is no re
placement for the human touch.”
Jones-Hemphill said she saw the
rewards from massages when she
was going to school.
"Being an ex-Aggie I know how
much massages have helped me
with school,” she said. “It made
school easier. It helped me to cope
with financial, educational and
personal problems. It just relaxes
you. It is a great way to keep the
body in balance.”
Jones-Hemphill said her in
volvement with massages in school
led to her training as a registered
massage therapist.
“I got involved because I
wanted to go into physical thera
py school, and I had to do some
volunteer work so 1 decided to do
it in massage,” she said. “At first, I
just thought that massages were
an asset to physical therapy. I grew
to love it because I love working
with people and making a differ
ence in their lives.
“There is so much stress in this
society and so many worries that
there has to be something to re
lieve this,” Jones-Hemphill said.
“This is anti-stress therapeutic
treatment. It helps people relax
and lower their stress level. The
profession is purely therapeutic.”
Kristi Murphy, a registered mas
sage therapist, works at a physical
therapy center and said people do
not associate massages with this
kind of profession.
"Physical therapy is not just ex
ercises,” she said. “We do a lot of dif
ferent things like working on
headaches and head injuries. To
help people with these pains we
give them head massages. We don’t
do full Swedish body massages. We
do trigger-point therapy.”
Please see Massage on Page 5.
AGGIE RING ORDERS
THE ASSOCIATION OF FORMER STUDENTS
CLAYTON W. WILLIAMS, JR. ALUMNI CENTER
ATTENTION: JUNIOR & SENIORS
If you will be eligible to order your Aggie ring after either May ‘98 graduation or the
May final grades are posted, please do the following:
1. Visit the Ring Office in the Alumni Center beginning May 8th between the
hours of 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. to complete an application for eligibility verifi
cation and to receive order information.
If you are a qualified May or August degree candidate, please inform the staff per
son when completing your application.
2. Upon completing the application, you may request a mail order form if you
will not be in the Bryan-.College Station area to place your order in person
between May 27 - June 12, 1998.
Undergraduate Student Requirements:
1. You must be a degree seeking student and have a total of 95 undergraduate
credit hours reflected on the Texas A&M University Student Information
Management System. (A passed course, which is repeated and passed,
cannot count as additional credit hours).
2. 60 undergraduate credit hours must have been completed in residence at
Texas A&M University if your first semester at Texas A&M University was
January 1994 or thereafter, or if you do not qualify under the successful
semester requirement described in the following paragraph. Should your
degree be conferred with less than 60 undergraduate resident credits, this
requirement will be waived after you graduate and your degree is posted on
the Student Information Management System.
30 undergraduate credit hours must have been completed in residence at
Texas A&M University, providing that prior to January 1, 1994, you were reg
istered at Texas A&M University and successfully completed either a
fall/spring semester or summer term (I and II or 10 weeks) as a full-time stu
dent in good standing (as defined in the University catalog).
3. You must have a 2.0 cumulative GPR at Texas A&M University.
4. You must be in good standing with the University, including no registration or
transcript blocks for past due fees, loans, parking tickets, returned checks.
ATTENTION: GRADUATE STUDENTS
If you are a May ‘98 degree candidate and do not have an Aggie ring from a prior
degree, you may place an order for your ring after you meet the following requirements:
1. , Your degree is conferred and posted on the Texas A&M University Student
Information Management Systerm: and
2. You are in good standing with the University, including no registration, tran
script or hold blocks for past due fees, loans, parking tickets, returned
checks, etc.
Visit the Ring office in the Alumni Center beginning May 8th between the hours of
8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. to complete an application and receive order information.'
ATTENTION: AUGUST ‘98 GRADUATES
August undergraduate degree candidates who complete all of the ring require
ments in May ‘98 and pay their diploma fee no later than May 20th, may receive
their ring approximately August 13th; provided, however, the ring order is placed
with the Ring Office on May 21 - 22 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
If you are an August ‘98 masters or doctoral degree candidate and will complete
allot your degree requirements (including being cleared by the thesis clerk) prior
to June 12th, you may request a “letter of completion” from the Office of Graduate
Studies (allow at least 5 days). The original letter of completion, with the seal, will
he accepted by the Aggie Ring Office in lieu of your degree being posted.
Please visit the Aggie Ring Office in the Clayton Williams Alumni Center between
the hours of 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. on May 8 - 18 to complete an application.
(Orders placed between May 27 - June 12 will be delivered in September).
Hopes Creek Music presents
Haywood
Tuesday,
May 5th
$5 Cover
Doors Open at 8
Drink Specials 8-Close
Show Starts 9 pm Sharp
18 & Up
EVANS LIBRARY'S HOURS FOR FINALS
May 3 - May 13
OPEN 24 HOURS
(Opens May 3 at Noon/Closes May 13 at 7:00 p.m.)
Interim Hours
May 14 - May 31
Mon. - Fri. • 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Sat. & Sun. • 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
PAVILION SNACK BAR HOURS
Thurs., May 7 open 7:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Mon. - Tues., May 11-12 open 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Complimentary beverages and snacks available
after close until 10:30 p.m.
Coffee
Finals Special!
25% OFF.
ALL DRINKS
ALL DAY &
May 3rd
• Your Coffee Paradise! •
• Now with More Seating •
• A Great Place to Study-
• Bring your Friends! •
•not valid with any other offer
Station
ALL NIGHT
May 13th
907-A Harvey Road
Next to The Tap
694-2844
11 am - 1 am
7 Days a Week
Stressed Out
Over Finals?
The Following Food Services Locations
will be Open to All Students for Quiet Study
during Finals Week:
Locations open late Thursday, May 7
and Sunday, May 10 through Tuesday, May 12.
Pavilion closed Sunday.
Commons and Sbisa
Dining Centers
Open 8:00 pm - 2:00 am
Complimentary Coffee
will be available
Bemie’s Place and
Stone Willy's
Open until 1:00 am
for late night pizza
Hullabaloo
Open until 10:00 pm
Complimentary Coffee will be
available 4:00 pm to close
Meeting Room close
to MSC Front Desk
Complimentary Coffee will be
supplied by MSC Food Services
at the MSC Front Desk
The Pavilion Snack Bar
Thursday, May 7 open 7:30 am - 2:00 pm and
Monday - Tuesday, May 11-12 open 7:30 am - 4:00 pm
Complimentary beverages and snacks available
after close until 10:30 pm
It's our way of helping and saying thanks
for letting us serve you this semester.
PROFITABLE NUMBER!
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