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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 14, 2003)
New Student Conference Page 2 • Monday, July 14, 2003 The Yapper ; 'f/'i Deer in the headlights syndrome Aggies learn to lead through SGA By Sarah Anderson THE YAPPER Confusion, excitement, frustration: this is a portion of the spectrum of emotions experi enced by freshmen and their families. Each face shows an emotion at the Duncan Dining Hall where many new freshmen get checked in. The check in booth is a welcoming place for incoming freshmen. Expectations are high coming into the student conference. Most still do not know much about money and housing. The hustle and bustle of conference will soon cover these topics. The check in part is fairly easy, but getting there can be frustrating. Some have had trou ble with the shuttle busses, and these summer days are incredibly hot and humid. Even with maps and water it’s difficult to get around on this vast campus. Maggie Couch,parent of a new student, admitted the heat was uncomfort able, but “We get used to it,” she said. The wide spectrum of emotions expressed by the incoming Fish is seen on their faces. Ranging from bright smiles to the “Deer in the Headlight” syndrome, incoming Aggies and their parents stand in awe of TAMU. Senior Domenic Cusano ’04 states that,” ATM is a place where anything is possible. The people here are accepting and give an atmosphere of home.” Incoming Fish can put their fears to rest knowing that TAMU is “home away from home.” By Lewis Brayshaw THE YAPPER Did you ever wish that you were the president of the United States? The members of the Aggie student Association are already attempting and brilliant ly achieving their goal. Do you want to, too? Well you can by joining one of the many Student Government clubs in AGGIELAND! The Student Government Association, also known as the SGA, is fighting for the students of 2004 rights. The Student Government is made up of three parts or also known as branches. They are the executive, legislative, and judi cial. There are thousands of members in the SGA, split up in to 21 groups. A senior named Andy Glenn is part of the Student Government Association. He is the Executive Vice President of Communication. He decided he wanted to join because he wanted to be more involved. He said, “I have learned a lot about leadership and helping people.” A young junior named Cindy Laford is also in the Student Government Association. She wants to be a lawyer and wants to be the person to fight for the case of having a woman for president. She says, “ I have learned to grow a good and positive atti tude.” Christina Baker is a freshman who would like to join the SGA, She does not know what to do right now but she wants to bea senator, she announces, “ I want to explore my options.” Jordan Robinson, a freshman, is excited about the SGA, He thinks it’s a very good opportuni ty to make a difference. “It will be very fun to hare control and have the power.” Volume 1 off By Jt Students explore various dining options on campus By Chelsea Spurgeon THE YAPPER It is a well-known fact that most freshman gain 15 pounds their first year. Stress from missing their fam ily, not knowing where their classes are, and the whole process of adjust ing to college life causes them to eat a little more. Students participating in last week’s New Student Conference plan to try to avoid it by exercising, keeping themselves busy, and trying not to go overboard when it comes to “all you can eat.” To help students make appropriate eating decisions, Texas A&M University offers them a wide variety of Campus Dining Options. Dining options guarantee a prearranged number of meals per semester, and are paid for ahead of time. An account can only be accessed through Student, faculty, or staff ID. Dining Option prices can range from $1335.00 for 300 meals to $457.50 for 75 meals.’T think the prices are pretty reason able, since it’s all-you-can-eat” says Jason VanFickelo, a computer engi neering major in the class of 2004. Most students think Dining Options are fairly convenient, especially compared to cooking in the dorms. There are over 30 various locations Dining Options can be used, and some are open 19 hours daily (From 7am to 2am).If students run out of food on the Dining Option, they can “buy a bundle” of 10 meals at the usual cost per meal.The Department of Food Services provides over 30,000 meals and snacks each day for students, staff, and faculty. While students can use major credit cards at any food service facil ity, most purchase their meals using Aggie Bucks. Guest Meals are available in Commons, Sbisa, and lunchtime at Duncan. Guest Meals are a way for students to treat friends, family, and other visitors to a meal so they, too, can enjoy the awesome food, and visit with their loved ones. From Zachry Snackry on Highway 6 to The 41st Club on George Bush Drive, there’s terrific food and always something for everyone. If all else fails, The Department of Food Services offers online nutrition analysis. So no new student should have to worry about the infamous “Freshman 15.” m CHRIS VERRY • THE YAPPER Students stay active with recreation sports clubs By Henry Ung THE YAPPER Texas A&M students have the opportu nity of joining over eight hundred various clubs. Twenty-eight of them are sports clubs, ranging from archery to wrestling. These clubs are very important because they let people who aren’t on the school athletic teams participate in the sports that they love. According to the Texas A&M Department of Recreational Sports, nearly one-quarter of the University’s students belong to recreational sports clubs. This number includes intramurals, fitness, sports clubs, TAMU outdoors, wellness programs, and aquatics. Intramurals are the most popular program. Intramurals have programs that create really organized intra-university sports competition with sections for different levels of skill in the game. Fitness focuses on staying healthy aiid fit. Sports clubs have competitive inter collegiate competitions with 28 different clubs to choose from. The TAMU Outdoors programs pro vides equipment for people to rent for out door activities. The Wellness Program assists people in learning or continuing in a 27,000 Aggies call rec center second home By Umair Meghani THE YAPPER “We believe participation in sports and recreation creates a lifestyle that's very positive," said Dennis Corrington, the director of department of recre ational sports. This center has 286,000 square feet of space to play different kinds of sports, but it took $36.4 million dol lars just to build. The center is bigger than five whole football fields! After opening on November 18, 2003 the rec. center has seen 27,000 people in 220,000 visits. By including rock climbing, the rec. center produces a chance for A&M students to become stronger and faster. This center has an indoor track on the third floor where students run a mile or two everyday to lose weight and/or get faster. For students that don’t like running, there are bicycles and treadmills on the first and second floor. A normal daily fitness rou tine for the students are weight lifting and running. After that, things vary from racquetball to indoor soccer. These are just a few of the many activities offered at the rec. center. In the fall the rec. center holds different events including springboard diving, golf, well ness lectures, three on three bas ketball tournament, slow pitch softball, sand volleyball, indoor half court soccer, racquetball, and tennis. Few people sign up for the services, due to job conflicts. “With this center, we have to keep an eye out for any new things and additions,” said Nicole Ramirez, a junior in agricultural development. Students love the center but would still like a few improvements added to the cen- . * : ^ LINDA RHODEN • THE YAPPER Umair Meghani interviews a Texas A&M student at the Student Recreation Center as part of the YAP conference ter. They want things like bigger parking lots, larger weight rooms, and for the rec. center to be a twenty-four hour service. After students climb the tower of power, they can drink strawberry smoothies. As they run on the track, they can watch people play basketball and soccer. When people say multi-tasking, they mean you are able to do more than one thing at a time. The rec. center offers that chance! Miss Reveille reigns as First Lady of Texas A&M By Jeff Wu THE YAPPER When you think of the First Lady of A&M your probably think of the president’s wife. The First Lady I am talking about, though, is Reveille, the official mascot of A&M. Reveille was first found when some cadets were traveling back to College Station when they hit a stray dog. They brought the dog back to their rooms, and when they awakened her the following morning she barked during the song Reveille. Thus, the tradition was bom. All the Reveilles are full- blooded collies, with the excep tion of the first one, which was none other than a stray dog.All the selected Reveilles are females, because the first Reveille was a female. All the Reveilles are all trained for obe dience, and attend all sports games possible. If Reveille chooses to sleep in the cadet’s bed the cadet has to sleep on the floor because Reveille has a high er rank than that of the Mascot Corporal. When a Reveille gets too old or has bad health they are retired and replaced with a new, young, full-blooded collie. Reveille. When a Reveille passes away, she is buried on the north end of Kyle Field, facing the score- board. According to Aggie tradition, as expressed by Heath Brown, Reveille faces the scoreboard to see the Aggies win. There have been seven different Reveilles that were all females. Reveille five was chosen from a crowd of two thousand other pup pies, determined to get the title of Reveille. She first came into this world on August 29, 1984. Reveille is allowed some restau rants that provided acceptance to only one dog, Reveille. The Reveille that is working right know, was bom on October 9, 2000. She came to A&M in 2001, and has a full time trainer to teach her some obedience. Right know she proudly serves as the one and only First Lady of Texas A&M. Freshman plan to get involved with greeks By Maria Velasquez THE YAPPER Freshman Linda Carter discusses the pros and cons of being a stu dent and dining on and around campus, while eating lunch at Sbisa. particular skill. These include tai chi, karate, yoga, and more. The Aquatics Program provides world- class aquatics pools and equipment. Incoming freshman Curtis Smith said that, at first, he had no clue of what club she wanted to join. He had played football in high school but was doubtful about being on the team for Texas A&M. He said he wanted to join clubs for soccer, tennis, putt-putt golf, basketball, and table tennis. “Some of the sports, I’m not really good at, but love to play. Like basketball, I’m not that good but love to play it,” Smith said. Undergraduates are given the opportunity to join organi zations known as sororities or fraternities. “Aggie Greeks... Becoming the Best,” is the motto of the members of the 22 sororities and 31 fraternities. There they share efforts, friendship, and knowledge to help each other keep the slogan alive. Though all the associa tions are different, they all strive towards the same goals, including their ambitions to learn, grow, and to form life long friendships. Jill Selman ‘07, an incom ing freshman hopes that she will get in because she wants “to become part of a network of people that I can relate to and enjoy growing with through my years in college and throughout life.” Hopefuls like Selman must go through Rush Week, a time When students think about join ing. They meet members and decide which group is the “best fit.” Bids from the sorority or frat are given out at the end of Rush Week. After receiving their bids, the thoughtful recip ients decide whether or not they will join. Community service projects | last year included a project n which Alpha Chi OmegaandPi | Kappa Phi joined together!' paint and refurbish a local rest dent’s home. Other projects includei raising money for manymon charities. Since the Greeltl THE Incoming f students enroll department at receive a quail; recommendatic gram, said Di senior lecturei adviser. “A&M has i these students that commitme Even thougl transfer : ichools will b< inter the prog and one !lau< community tries to empha size the importance of educa tion, the Order Of Omega is important to all the members It is an academic honot exclusively for the top3M frat men and sorority women Order of Omega recognizes and men and women who have attained a high standard of leadership la Interfraternity activities and encourages them to continue on that path to success. Many people are unsure about joining the Greek sys tem, but the 4,000 Creel Aggies are happy with their decision, and many of then have no regrets. Most of them say that the people whom you meetandihe things you do have helped make them better people. In the words of Creel Ambassador Cherie Norman. 05, “The friends that you mate will last you throughout life and that helps make the experi ence really fun.” :om B TH SEA DR I FT jmile stretch o: force winds, to Tropical Storn- heading north (anticipated. The Nationa Three out of four Aggies now live off campus icane warning around Baffin miles south of Christi, to Higl just east of G some 7f h of F forecasters 1 Claudette become a hurric Monday and e lit to turn to tl ;before arriving the cover of c Wednesday moi Coastal resii v lying area Texas ’ coast ur By Laura Lindow THE YAPPER Of the 44,000 students that go to Texas A&M, about 33,000 live off campus. At Finders Keepers, a free apartment locator, a student may seek help to find a place to live off campus, but there are a few questions that Finders Keepers must ask of the stu dents before they help them. Finders Keepers must know the price range, the kind of living accommodations a student wants, if they have a pet, or if they need things such as a washer and dryer or a fenced yard, explained Penelope Nelson, an apartment locator at Finders Keepers. If you want the experience of living in a dorm with a room mate, but want to live off cam pus, Traditions Dorm is a great place to go. If you are looking for a roommate, you can look on the Aggie Search online, but before you find the right one, you might want to ask them some questions such as the times they prefer to study or sleep. At the Traditions Dorm, Walt Dennenberg can help you find just the right room mate by matching some of your classes and matching your personalities to your possible roommate. If you are worried that you won’t get along with your roommate, you can avoid issues like cleanliness, different study habits, having guests over, noise, privacy issues, or bor rowing persona] items by set ting standards and maintain ing a mutual respect for one another. Jennifer Howard and Kandice Kragh from Meadows Point Apartments lease many different kinds of apartments every day. Theri are many things to do si Meadows Point such as goiif to the club room, swimming in one of the two pools, going to the workout room, or play ing tennis, basketball, or vol leyball. They have gazebos with barbeque grills, laundry facilities, three bus stops, social events, and a computet lab that is open 24 hours. Catherine Robinson said that she chose to live on cam pus because it was part of tk college experience. Other stu dents said that their moms want them to live on campus because it would be safer Tara Moran will be living at home during her college years because it is very affordable and she thinks that it will k fun. Scott Brooks will be liv ing on campus for two semes ters and then will be moving off. “I think I will like living on campus better because il will be much easier to get everywhere,” Scott says- Kathy Ann Sheffield is going to be a senior at Texas A&M and she has been living on campus for her past years ai A&M, but will be moving off this next year. “I think I will like living off campus better because I am older than most people in the dorms and I will have more freedom,” says Kalb)' Ann. Here in Aggie land, ills important to make sure that you are living where youwani to and that you can make youf college experience as fun as possible while still getting a great education. 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