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.