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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2002)
New Student Conference The Yapper Page 3 • Thursday, June 20, 2002 ijjMSC helps Aggies get nvolved in programs, clubs By Ashley Montoya THE YAPPER Have you been looking for a club to join? Well, look no further; the ■emorial Student Center (MSC) stu dent program office has dozens and dozens of committees looking for new members. The MSC organiza tions give students a name instead of a number on the large Texas A&M campus. I The committees range from Team raditions to Arts and Entertainment, ach club has its own way to have fun. ■or example, OPAS brings shows and comedies to Texas A&M. If you don’t like Broadway, there is a film club, in which you get to see short movies and sneak previews of movjes. There is also Town Hall, which invites and brings musical acts, both local and famous groups.. The Student Program Office is locat ed in the MSC. During the school year, students go to the MSC to hang out, play games, eat, and go bowling. Some students go to the MSC to study for their classes. The MSC also has an art gallery that has many beautiful works of art. The J. Wayne Stark art gallery will have American Fractal, William Cropper paintings, and Rembrandt Etchings June 6 thru December 15. The MSC Visual Arts Gallery has dif ferent types of artwork that will be seen through May 20 to November 29, such as People’s Lives, which is pho tography, John Cunningham; sculp tures and graphics, and Expansive Narrations. The MSC is about 50 years old and was founded in 1951. “The MSC is a living memorial,’’ said Michael Venner, an MSC representative. CAROLINE RUGGLES • THE YAPPER Ashley Montoya, a 12-year-old from Austin, tours the Stark Gallery in the MSC on Tuesday. Montoya, along with several other stu dents, are participating in the YAP camp this week. JESSI WATKINS* THE YAPPER Freshmen mingle at Sbisa during the Howdy Lunch. Eating and meeting JESSI WATKINS • THE YAPPER New students look at the different activities they join in when school starts in the fall. New Aggies join the family there t them where J your e, yo» By Donny Pohlenz THE YAPPER Over 500 students come to each New s j 0[ Student Conference, and one of the many "activities featured is the Howdy Lunch. It is in Sbisa Dining Center and it featured many informational resource tables. One of the many educational tables is the student activities table. According to Sandy Briers, student activities are “ A way for students to get involved with ■ Rheir school besides academics and to )' ne find a place where they can connect with h me ”ipther students in a fun and learning envi- y 011 ronment.” Some of the many student w as ! activities are; Leadership development, ^11 University Calendar, Fall and Spring semester Calendar, Student organization Juide, and risk management informa- ion. So if someone wants to feel wel comed, this might be where he or she ■ ^ wants to go. If a new student is looking for a family L* 1 away from home then they should check out the Greek life table. “ Greek life it was enables students to become leaders and it helps prepare them for the career after col lege,” Jason Finehout, Delta Sigma Phi President, said. If a person has a feeling for the demo cratic process, then he or she might want to join the student government. “ It is a sector of student activities that puts on various programs such as CARPOOL and Big Event and represents student voices on campus issues especially service issues,” Brandon Hill said. Many students have a great feeling about the conferences. “I feel like I am more of a student now then it was when I was looking for a college,” incoming freshman Traci Toone said. Some students were more worried about finding their way around campus. “It is really comforting to know the campus so I won’t get lost on the first day,” Erin Mumy said. So all and all, the Howdy Lunch and resource tables helped the new students get to know their campus and each other. activities other than academics By Donny Pohlenz THE YAPPER Each summer freshmen, transfer stu dents, and their families gather at the Howdy Lunch in Sbisa Dining Center after their rigorous tests and deciding on their schedules for the fall semester. Sbisa serves everything from hamburgers and pizza to Texas barbeque and Asian food. After finishing their meal off with warm chocolate chip cookies, well-known and loved by all Aggies, parents and students can then visit the Resource Tables. While at the Howdy lunch new students have the chance to find out about different activities around campus. Sandy Briers, from the Student Activities Office, believes the Resource Tables are “a way to become involved with activities other than their academics”. Groups represented at the Resource Tables include Fish Camp, the Corps of Cadets, Study Abroad, and the Career Center, and the MSC Film Committee. Study Abroad Advisor, Erin Delcarson, said, “Italy, Mexico, and Spain on average are the top three countries college fresh men choose to travel to.” Each year, more and more Aggies choose to take advantage of the opportunities to travel abroad. It’s a way to become involved with r> Reciprocal exchange programs include universities in Italy, Mexico, Spain, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, and a new one will begin in Thailand very soon. The Study Abroad Office also has resources for stu dents who would like to look for programs through other universities. Here at A&M students even get to see sneak previews of movies. Film commit tee’s Michael Venmer says “the films give students an outlet.” Usually offered during the middle of the week, they are provide a good study break. Films shown include Three to Tango and National Lampoon's Van Wilder. The Film Committee also spon sors some of the old classics such as Goonies. The Resource tables also included a career center. Dale Pracht from the Career Center said “It helps new students with internships, co-op, and full-time placement.” The Career Center hosts lectures and workshops for all stu dents on job placement, interviewing, internships, and resume writing. The new students were impressed with both the Howdy Lunch and the Resource Tables. “They informed me of the different activities here at A&M.” said new student Veronica Spinnato. Although the Howdy lunch served a variety of foods and Resource Tables provided good informa tion, the cookies were the best. — Sandy Briers Student Activities Office Rec Center makes fitness fun KATE FORE • THE YAPPER finishing off his last set of crunches, senior finance major Ryan pNeunuebec is one of many students at Texas A&M that ventures to , thE yapp= th e Rec Center to take advantage of the numerous workout opportu- Pties the Rec has to offer. By Alicia Junaid THE YAPPER One of the first build ings new students want to see on the A&M campus is the Student Recreation Center. It is located on West Campus near Olsen Field. Dennis Corrington, director of the Department of Recreational Sports, said the 286,000 square foot building adds much- needed recreational space to the Texas A&M cam pus. After the Rec opened a year ago, Corrington said that it is important for peo ple to have a place where they can work out, play rac- quetball, swim, or do their own thing on their own time without being con fined to a specific program. He also said he hopes the new facilities will encour age people to pay more attention to physical fit ness. “We believe partici pation in sports and recre ation creates a lifestyle that’s very positive,” he said. When you first walk in the Rec there is a main desk, supervisor’s office, membership sales, intra mural entries, program entries, locker rentals, and guest service. On the left there is a lounge/eating area and an arcade room. There are sixteen gyms— four basketball courts, six volleyball courts, and six badminton or pickleball courts. There is a weight & fitness room and an indoor climbing facility (42 foot high). On the third floor there is a quar ter mile running track. Outside there are four sand volleyball courts, three outdoor basketball courts, and an outdoor pool with six lanes for lap swimming and a leisure area with underwater seat ing and current channel. Next to the pool there is an outdoor cool water spa big enough for a dozen people as well as locker rooms, picnic tables, grills and an outdoor pavillion. The Rec is supported by a $50/semester fee that the student body approved in a campus election. Students believe that it is money well spent. “I like to take step and yoga classes. I also run the track, use machines in the weight room and go to the pool,” Cathy Vo said. She also said that it is usually busy all year long except when final’s week comes along, and the busiest time of the day is night. Jeremy Rogers uses the Rec because there is enough equipment for everyone to be able to use it at once, and he usually goes to the Rec at night between 10- 12 p.m It seems as though the Rec center is fulfilling the goal its creators had for it — encouraging students to include fitness into their education. If you have not had the opportunity to use it, it is worth the walk to West Campus.