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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 2001)
ire still spaces of- 10 \s ant to come e Bra/os Center don't need. nda >’ Se P tember ,7 ’ 200 tree. It is. THE BATTALION rtunity for siudt \s the recruiter osphere.” *i)l be runninr ;i nee ring Buildr, i a I Student Ce throughout the s : he companies» diftereni type' irs they are looi a pretty good ^ s all the dtfferr s,” Theriot said Kin. director - in the Cdk. A penny saved Thifi stores give students the opportunity to save money and create their own styles me a* By LYCIA SHRUM THE BATTALION UK aid. One thing many college students have in * mmon is their income. For many, it is nost non-existent. After spending $300 on it and $100 or more on bills, students are t wi:h next to nothing for “luxury" expens- sucL as food, entertainment and the ever- -irrfcortant wardrobe. When shopping for outfit, students sometimes can spend too ach on name-brand clothing within a short of time, leaving them with credit card bt to pay off. Bui two affordable shopping alternatives ivelnade their way to Northgate. Vintage orthgate and Special Deluxe Vintage have )ened upstairs in the Sparks Building locat- l at the comer of University Drive and ollegc Main. These stores not only offer stu- ;nts more affordable clothing but a large iriety of clothing that is unique. Vintage orthgute and Special Deluxe Vintage supply udents with a variety of vintage clothing that hard to find at an average thrift store. Ryan Ewing, owner of Northgate Vintage, egan his vintage clothing business at a kiosk in Post Oak Mall selling different styles of T- shirts. After several transitions, Ewing has moved his store across from campus, offering a larger variety of clothing than just T-shirts. Northgate Vintage has a selection of baseball jerseys, ringer T-shirts, polo-style shirts and other items ranging from $9 to $15. He said his store offers students and others a cheap and original alternative to name-brand cloth ing. “Students in Bryan-College Station starve for ways to stand out and express themselves, and their clothing is one of the most visual ways students can do this," Ewing said. Ewing said the clothes he sells may seem expensive for second-hand clothing, but there is a lot of effort put into providing his shop pers with a large selection of clothing and making it a convenient place to shop. He said he spends hours sorting through the clothes his distributors send him from places such as Europe, New York and California. “There is definitely a convenience to shop ping here compared to other thrift stores because you don’t have to spend hours digging through clothes just so you can find one shirt worth buying,” Ewing said. Just two doors down from Northgate Vintage is Special Deluxe my nerw heroes" :a, Daer niversity of!: ■ ear, he rrer ministration ► n Universii) ivl presuka Houston St ■ groups currently i the Univ ate UniversiPi ~ Daerr said «l c walked ol : it her distinp lymn played. low of studer: get into (hex mg. busine." because of hose collect' lents are see® ilia I for them" Is. it the first tinXj opartment ha- i to cut backed indents in the' ; early W 1 ' own sized frorr X) students be- constraints. a & SARA JUDKINS ♦ THE BATTALION Vintage. Special Deluxe Vintage offers pearl snap western shirts, men’s vintage tuxedo shirts, terri-cloth shirts, dresses and even vari ous types of costumes. Owner Kerry Simon, Class of 2000, also spends hours sifting through clothes from his distributors to pro vide his shoppers with top-of-the-line vintage clothing and a selection that with a unique style. Simon said Special Deluxe Vintage opened Aug. 28 and has had a steady flow of business. Simon and Ewing said although the only form of advertisements for their stores have been signs displayed in the store win dows and word of mouth, business has been good. “1 think vintage clothing is growing in popularity because of its uniqueness. When you buy something from a store like mine, you’re almost always guaranteed to be the only person to own that exact shirt,” Simon said. Some students have already taken advan tage of vintage shopping and what it has to offer. Kayce Fitzpatrick, a senior exercise technology major frequents various vintage stores in Austin. “I think vintage stores are great for stu dents who don’t want to spend too much money on clothes and who don’t want to dress in clothes that you’re sure to see other people wearing as well. I think the two new stores on Northgate offer great variety,” Fitzpatrick said. Fitzpatrick said that when she did not have time to go to Austin’s vintage stores she was limited to resale stores located in Bryan- College Station. Fitzpatrick said although she pays more at vintage stores than she would at resale stores, she is still saving more money than if she was to shop at name-brand clothing stores. Adam Faught, a freshman general studies major at Blinn College, also has discovered the perks of vintage store shopping. Faught said he has been an avid vintage shopper for the last year and is thrilled to see Bryan-College Station getting quality vintage stores. “I started thrift store shopping mainly because of the personality it holds. But the prices are a big plus as well,” Faught said. Faught praised Northgate Vintage and Special Deluxe Vintage in the selections they offer their shoppers. Whether the pocket book is thin, or if try ing to make a fashion statement, consider the shopping alternatives. Between individuality and price, vintage stores benefit shoppers. I Away from home Students often get homesick when busy with school lATTMi and organizations, there are many ways to cope By Beth Mui.DOON come homesickness by talking to other stu- involved with my dorm,” Espinozr :>r in Chief Managing Editor vc Ext i tor lew s Ext i tor l«i. News Editor ist. News Editor Asst. News Editor ielife Editor Asst. Aggiclifc EdiW Asst. Aggiclifc Editor on Editor pinion Editor Editor Sports Editor 'roducer Rad it) Producer roto Editor Graphics Editor iphics Editor Xfcbmastcr 1055-4726) is published By Beth Muedoon g THE BATTALION If: It happens to everyone — the gut- wrenching feeling that something in life is about to change. The feeling that if some thing could go wrong, it will. Then comes a twinge of helplessness, loneliness and being needy of affection and attention from some one or something familial - . This longing for a comfort zone and security blanket is a com mon disease known as homesickness. i.‘ Kristi Bean, a senior electrical engineer ing major, said she misses the close relation ship she lias w ith her mother, p “The thing I miss the most is the late- mng the fail and spring sc night talks with my mom and having her ' Thursday during iresTF 1 "' ? holidays and exam pw* Periodicals Postage Ml ), POSTMASTER: Send aiW i, Texas A&M University W T7843-1111. is department is manage)! University in the DivisM lit of the Department.] • ere in 014 Reed MclM one: 845-3313; Fax: 8^ M@thebatt.com; Web s 6 | ol advertising does not *<1 ent by The Battalion. forc^J display advertising, call 8 1 ; j idvertising, call 845-05f i015 Reed McDonald,! to 5 p.m, Monday tlwxtl he Student Services Fee ei* j M to pick up a single copfl lee, additional copies 25 ( I 1 per school year, $30 (0^1 d$17.50for the summertl lard, Discover, or Amentfl rht there to assure me that everything is ling to be okay when things get rough,” fan said. | Each semester, at colleges and universi- is around the world, thousands of students iperience homesickness. While each stu- [nt has individual reasons for yearning for hat is familiar and secure, dealing with Imesickness is more difficult for some stu- |iits than for others. | Dr. Andy Smith, associate director of junselmg at the Texas A&M Student hunseling Service, said experiencing Imesickness is a completely normal expe- fnce for college student s. | “The first thing students who are home- pk need to realize is that everyone, at one me or another, feels homesick,” Smith said, peing homesick may be uncomfortable at rst, but students must realize that it will get ?tter with time.” Smith also suggests students can over come homesickness by talking to other stu dents who are also homesick. “Talk to other people and don’t isolate yourself,” Smith said. “Even if you have the strongest urge to lock yourself up in your room, don’t do it. The more you get involved the better off you will be.” Vanessa Diaz Clark, assistant director for the Department of Student Life, said home sickness is non-discriminating and can sneak up on anyone. “There is no single personality or per sonal background that is most likely to experience homesickness,” Clark said. “It can actually catch the most independent individuals by surprise.” Clark advises homesick students to first recognize that they may be experiencing homesickness or depression. She also encourages those students to give campus life a fair trial before packing their suitcases. “Homesick students should try to be committed and focused on all aspects of their life here at A&M,” Clark said. “They chose to come to A&M to attend college for a reason or reasons, so they should give that a chance.” There are numerous things a homesick student can do to improve their situation and help themselves to ease their home sickness. One of these options is to get involved with an organization on campus that is specifically designed to help stu dents combat homesickness by providing an avenue of involvement. Monica Espinoza, a sophomore educa tion major, got involved with student organ izations to combat her homesickness. “I tried to meernew people and 1 got involved with my dorm,” Espinoza said. “Also, I did not go home for the first month of school.” Programs and organizations such as Gig ’Em Week and FACT (First Time Aggie Contact Team) are specifically designed to help welcome new students to the A&M campus. Clark said FACT is an outreach effort coordinated by the Division of Student Affairs, Student Life Orientation and the Aggie Orientation Leader Program. FACT’S main purpose is to call new students and let them know that the University is concerned about their well being. “These calls are also an opportunity to assist new Aggies by answering their ques tions and referring them to the appropriate resources ” Clark said. The Student Counseling Service deals with hundreds of different types of problems every day, but, according to Smith, the biggest problem is that most students do not think homesickness is a problem worth talk ing about. “Homesickness is just as legit a problem as anything else,” Smith said. “We invite stu dents to come if that is their main issue, [butl sometimes that isn’t the only thing bothering them.” Homesickness is anything from missing the smell of your room at home to missing the way your mom’s home-cooked meals taste. One thing students must remember is that they are not alone in feeling this way. Much like the way Aggies bond together at a football game or during Muster, students should also bond together to help each other fpel at home in Aggieland. Have questions about Aggieland or trouble with roommates, classes or other on-campus issues? Email: AskAggie@thebatt.com Page 3 Getting personal - pus Officers share the lesser-known side ofPTTS By Matt Stellbauer THE BATTALION By themselves, the letters “P,” “T,” “T” and “S” do not add up to much, but put together, they can spell the most terrifying force known to students on this campus: the Department of Parking, Traffic and Transportation Service. Some students think PTTS is employed to issue tickets, tow cars and guard parking lots. While those are some of PTTS’ more publi cized jobs, students fail to realize there is another side to low is because we make a good bit of money from the tickets that are issued and from our garages among other things,” said Tom Williams, PTTS director. With all the parking lots and special needs on campus, Guajardo said a day in the life of a PTTS officer can be hectic but enjoyable. “This is one of the more challenging but at the same time fun jobs on campus. You never meet the same people twice,” he said. “It is a 24- hour job, and we always have people on duty guarding the parking garages and parking We have found that [students'] per ception stems from misinformation, and that if we sit down with students or the person making the complaint and show them why we do things the way we do, they are very understanding. — Woddy Isenhart, manager of customer service for PTTS the department. Woddy Isenhart, manager of customer service for PTTS said they receive most ly positive feedback from students and faculty but that there are some complaints. “There are those who don’t feel the same way,” Isenhart said. “We get lots of emails from students com plaining about lack of park ing spots or the way we han dle move-in day.” Isenhart said most of the animosity directed toward PTTS is caused by limited knowledge. “We have found that [stu dents’] perception stems from misinformation, and that if we sit down with the students or the person mak ing the complaint and show them why we do things the way we do, they are very understanding,” he said. However, if getting tickets and being towed is a com mon student experience, then a negative attitude is under standable. Yet Rudy Guajardo, a PTTS adminis trator, said there is much more included in the duties of a parking officer than just the “bad cop” routine people deal with on a daily basis. “On any given day, we have about 60 officers on duty, of which about 47 are statijoned in the garages and about 13 in the field,” he said. “We act as hosts to the guests on our campuses, divert traffic when weather or accidents have made trav el conditions unsafe, and are the people you see when traf fic is thick and you need to cross the street. As you can see, we want to help the stu dent body more than hurt them. If you pay attention, you will see more officers without ticketing machines than with.” While PTTS tries not to do a lot of ticketing and tow ing, it is still a major source of income for the office. “The reason we are able to keep our rates for parking so lots to ensure the safety of 1 students] and [their] vehi cles.” It is rumored that search ing for a parking spot is one of the most time-consuming tasks for Aggies, and with a campus this size, finding one should not be a problem. “Texas A&M is the num ber one university when it comes to parking spots,” Williams said. “Right now we have enough parking spots for every 1.7 bodies on campus, including blue, yel low and garage spaces.” Facilitating staff, visitors and special activities groups on campus often force stu dents to fend for themselves when it comes to snagging a decent parking spot. However, PTTS is always looking for ways to combat that problem without having to pave the campus to create new spots. “We are in the process of constructing a West Campus parking garage, to be com pleted in 2003, that will add 3,700-plus parking spots on campus,” said Doug Williams, associate director of PTTS. “The idea is that we would like to give every student a parking spot who wants one.” Still, the best advice the PTTS can give students con cerning avoiding ticketing and run-ins with parking officers is to find alternate forms of transportation for getting to school. To facili tate those needs, Angela Newman, a PTTS communi cations specialist, said sever al other transportation options are available. “One of the better options for students is to take advan tage of the busing system A&M has set up around campus,” Newman said. “We try to make this as con venient as possible for the students to use. With our new buses on campus, this is a premier form of trans portation for students.”