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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 14, 2003)
m\\ THE BATTALlt Aggielite among top Is for Hispa c Magazine i/l No. 21 among its es and universities in its annual ssue. fexas schools on de Rice Universits 2 University of TeiaJ Southern i at No. 24 and Iir i at No. 25. gazine said thetoj 'offer students a0 ckage: superiors It’s hard to believe Chester A. Nimitz is a Hispanic preser still alive. all-around exemp t Chester lives on the Quadrangle with his :e." roommates. Tony and Russell, and endures var- for students Vi. ous uncomfortable situations on a daily basis, ssionate college tii n the last month alone, Chester has been ool pride and car stuffed to the gills with food and has turned according to Hispi ;reen. Chester A. Nimitz isn’t your ordinary The Battalion Page 3 • Monday, April 14, 2003 i. Benefits includes environment mi network, as we nerit scholarships, ts of the yes / and Janice Ke D4 school year jple moved toG om Barlett, Tenn, year-old son Tiir i injuries sustaine: 3 Aggie Bonfire Welcome to the jungle -loving students share experiences of life with pets By Kim Katopodis THE BATTALION tudent. In fact, while his ■oommates are in class, Chester is content swimming aps in his aquarium. Chester A. Nimitz is just )ne of the many pets owned ‘S named A& } y Texas A&M students. His )wner, Russell Hurst, pur- hased him at Wal-Mart tbout a month ago. Hurst, a junior history tored as Texas Ai fnajor, said he wanted a pet of the Year" for ^ut dorm rules specify that fish are the only pets illowed. Hurst said he is appy with the fish, but his fiends in the dorm often verfeed Chester. Once, he eturned to find that hester’s whole tank had urned green. After a few drinks, my girlfriend likes to slyly open his cage in hopes that the snake will be stepped on and killed. Mr. T doesn’t seem to mind this abuse; he is an emotionally strong snake. —Ryan Mikus owner of Mr. T, a California kingsnake Duple opened several A&M slur of assisting stud: ransition from ms to College Sti: i Parents' Weelij 26. g to College Sir: ing with student'! the greatest ble es," Janice Kerlee ! that we would r son, we nowgt\ ; of others, anil® that love is reciptf , times over. Wei and humbled bfE dees organize a bi n dance, an aim and in Noveml :y pioneered a “wfl idy to help stuif i the Bonfire traje cook "welcomed r students each I "fish Fridays" in )r freshmen in Cadets. ;ks, told of being fe iterrogated while ft ir treatment impn* ent on. As U.S. d, they said they* • to keep ahead ofi whole thing collapsil fleer Young, one off nong the prisoners. ‘It turns out someone had decided it would ne a good idea to see what would happen if a Skittle was dropped in the water,” he said. “Of eourse it turned really nasty but surprisingly lidn’t kill anything. We recovered from the fiasco well.” While fish are the only option for those who |ive on campus, many off-campus students pre fer dogs and cats. Steve Troy, a sophomore finance major, sur prised his roommates by showing up with his pew dog, Chevy, on move-in day. Troy describes Chevy as “a dog with a lot of puppy in him.” “One of the things I love the best about him is that he knows when you are about to leave to go somewhere,” he said. “So he tries to take your shoes out of your hand when you are put ting them on.” While students love their pets, the animals often do things that annoy and frustrate their owners. Troy said that Chevy likes to bark at trains as they go by, but only when they go by at four or five in the morning. Some students prefer a more exotic pet than the usual dog or cat. Ryan Mikus, a junior accounting major, owns a California King snake named Mr. T. Almost every aspect of pet ownership changes when the pet is exotic, Mikus said. Feeding the snake is more irregular, but if Mikus for gets, Mr. T tends to snap at him when he takes him out of his terrarium. Mr. T doesn’t just eat store-bought bagged food, however. Every week or two, Mikus goes in search of a live mouse to feed Mr. T and then watches as natural selection takes its course in his living room. Snakes are not always popular with every one, however. Mikus said he sometimes has problems keeping people from harassing Mr. T. “My roommate, Kevin, enjoys holding the snake while informing him Tf you bite me, I will rip your head off,’” he said.”Also, after a few drinks, my girlfriend likes to slyly open his cage in hopes that the snake will be stepped on and killed. Mr.T doesn’t seem to mind this abuse; he is an emotionally strong snake.” Many students adopt their pets from local animal shelters, because pets there aren’t as expensive as buying them from a breeder. The Brazos Valley Animal Shelter offers dogs and cats for adoption. The adoption price includes all shots and spaying or neuter ing of the animal. The shelter’s Web site, www.ipt.com/bas, features photographs of the pets up for adoption, and users can request to be contacted if a specific breed becomes available. Woodstock Animal Foundation also offers animals for adoption and foster care. Its adoption fee of $85 also includes the shots and spaying or neu tering of the animal. Jeannie Skalsky, a Woodstock volunteer and botany graduate student. Fosters for animals must be 21 years old and be able to bring the animal to Petco every Saturday to help find a permanent home for the pet. Skalsky describes A&M’s student population as “an untapped market for fosters.” She said fostering animals is flexible, which is good for stu dents who often move ^ around a lot. If at some point a student is no Oj longer able to foster an ^ animal, they need to contact Woodstock and the animal will be placed in another foster home. Fostering is good for the budget-conscious but animal-loving students because Woodstock incurs all the food costs and medical expenses so that the financial burden does not fall upon the foster parents. Brazos Valley Golden Retriever Rescue also offers a fostering and adoption program similar to Woodstock’s; however, its adoption fee is RUBEN DELUNA* THE BATTALION $150 and there is no age limit for fosters. Leigh Ann Clark, a Brazos Valley Golden Retriever Rescue volunteer, said fosters are their biggest need right now. For information on adopting or fostering, interested students should refer to the Woodstock Web site at www.woodstocktexas.org, or the Brazos Valley Golden Retriever Rescue site at www.brazosvalleygoldens.com. ef orter,' Opinion Editor son, Asst. Opinion Ediwi ow, Sports Editor nlaub, Asst. Sports Edit® Photo Editor imon, Asst. Photo Edit® .una, Graphics Editor i, Radio Producer rbusch, Webmaster ■t Stackhouse 3ickford, John David Blakley, latt Cheshier, Colin Ennen, , Sara Foley, Laurel Franck, _ nathan Havens, Matthew i te McHenry, Mackenzie M# holas Neumann, Erin Pirn# nan Rogers, Tim Schniedwici r, Michael Ward, Courtney mer Chance, Joshua Daiwin.W Ford, Becky Maiden, Leig 3 Swenson, Radhika - Carmen Kelling, Julie ea Reinecker, Janelle Vaigas I issa Bauer, Donna Betny, Mid® v Bullinger, Scott Dennis, Cl i, Mica Mojica, Amber Noffl's, Carol Treece, Jim Walker y during the fall and spring setf sity holidays and exam perioJsl- ; ISTMASTER: Send address cMf* 1111. Jniversity in the Division of S# ed McDonald Building. News'® //www.thebattcom nent by The Battalion. Forcaff'f „ call 845-0569. Advertisingoi® ugh Friday. Fax: 845-2678. lent to pick up a single copy oli 1 ' oer school year, $30 for the IH 11 -2611. REGISTER UNTIL APRIL 25 AQUATICS-Make a Splash TAMU OUTDOORS. PRE-REGISTRATION IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED GET FIT-Fitness & Classes LIVE THE EXCITEMENT with Sports Clubs Join the Lifeguard Training or CPR-Rescuer Challenge Pro-gram. Courses are designed to renew certifications for existing life guards. Registration Cost Jan. 13-April 21 $110/$130 Jan. 13-April24 $25/$35 Jan. 1 3-May 3 $50/$75 Jan. 1 3-May 12 $25/$35 Jan. 13-May 19 $110/$130 All semester $50 All semester FREE rrogrom Lifeguard Training CPR-Pro Rescuer Challenge AED/PDT/OA Training Water Babies Lifeguard Training Master Swimming Polar Bear Club • Group Exercise Instructor Auditions! Get ready to show I • Archery, Texas Shootout, April 24-27, all day @ Penberthy \/r»nr iff .^nturrlnx/ Anril frnm 1 fYDOn m —9-OOn m I your stuff Saturday, April 26th from 10:00a.m.-2:00p. Sign up at the second floor reception desk before Ar: 24tl ' ■ ■ ■ ■ m. P ril 24th. Audition information packet available when you sign up, call DeAun Woosley at 862-3995 or email Get Going with TAMU Outdoors dwoosley@ rec.tamu.edu SALE! UNLIMITED Aerobics Passes—NOW only is good until the beginning of Summer Session I. now at Member Services. $25. Pass Get yours Upcoming Events Kayak Roll Instructional Clinic 7th Annual Aggie Pumpfest Registration Jan. 21-April 21 Event Date April 22 March 17-April 1 8(earlyregis.) March 19-April 26 April 26 Get a Job with Rec Sports Lifeguards—Make a difference today in the Student Rec Center Natatorium. Now hiring lifeguards for the summer. Interested? Apply today in room 202, on-line at http://rec- sports.tamu.edu or call Elizabeth at 862-4968. Photographers—We need qualified action photographers to capture the excitement that is Rec Sports. Color 35mm and digital photography experience preferred. Be prepared to show samples of your work. Apply in room 202. Graphic Layout Assistant—Are you creative and interested in getting practical on-the-job experience? Join the Rec Sports Marketing team. Experience with Photoshop, Pagemaker and Quark necessary. Apply in room 202 and be prepared to show samples of your work. recsports, tom. edu Spring Fun with Intra/wurals Program Registration Cost Baseball Hitting April7-April 15 FREE Disc Golf April 7-April 15 FREE Be Your Best at the A&M Golf Course TAMU OUTDOORS SPRING CLEANING SALE—ENDS TODAY, APRIL 14th. All headlamps 20% off, all climbing shoes 15% off, plus a free Nalgene water bottle when you sign up for any May or August break trip. Climbing shoes, harnesses and backpacks at clearance prices while supplies last! Hurry and buy before the sale ends! DRIVING RANGE NOW OPEN—The Texas A&M Golf Course is proud to present to Texas A&M students, faculty, staff and the community the newest addition to our services, a full driving range at $3/bucket. Don't forget about the rest of our recently renovated course with its paved cart paths. Visit today! The Texas A&M Golf Course is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Call 845-1723 for tee times. PRIVATE LESSONS—Whether you want to learn the game or improve your stroke, our golf pro can get you on track with pri vate lessons for one or many. Discounts available for larger groups. Call 845-1723 for more information. AUGUST BREAK TRIP • SAIL & SCUBA the Bahamas—Sai and trace the historic route of p galleons. Registration ends June 9 Rec Sports On-Line I on Blackbeard's cruise irate ships and treasure . $819 RECSPORTS.TAMU.EDU—Find everything at our site from Rec Center news, operating hours, job listings, our exclusive Intramural Headlines link, Fitness & Classes schedules, Natatorium hours, Golf prices, Walk of Champions infor mation and much more!