WEDNESDAY, JANUARY21, 2015 I SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 I © 2015 STUDENT MEDIA I ©THEBATTONLINE
Photos by Shelby Knowles — THE BATTALION
New chapterfor Texas
INAUGURATION TAKEAWAYS
Corps of Cadets lends hand
in Gov. Abbott's inauguration
By Nikita Redkar
he south lawn of the Texas Capitol buzzed
Tuesday afternoon with an estimated crowd
of 17,000. Excited chatter and hopeful spirits
filled the air while performances from the Texas
Longhorn band and the Providence Catholic School
choir hyped up the grand Oath of Office ceremony.
A hush fell across the crowd as Gov. Greg Abbott was
sworn into office.
“I am living proof that we live in a state where a
young man’s life can literally be broken in half and yet
he can still rise up and be governor of this great state,”
Abbott said in his inauguration speech that highlighted
the promise of allowing motivated Texans access to
endless opportunities, no matter their background or
condition. Abbott is paralyzecf from the waist down and
relies on a wheelchair for mobility.
Abbott also emphasized campaign promises and his
determination to fight the federal policies being ap
pointed in Washington, if necessary.
“I will continue my legacy of pushing back against
Washington if they spend too much, regulate too much
or violate our state sovereignty,” the new governor
said.
Agribusiness senior Jordan Garcia was just 8 years
old when Rick Perry was elected governor of Texas.
Today, he got to help usher in Perry’s replacement in
the Texas Aggie Band as it marched in the governor’s
inaugural parade.
“[The Aggie Band] does a lot of performances
throughout the year, but nothing as big as a governor’s
inauguration,” Garcia said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime
kind of thing.”
Garcia said the band’s extensive practices during
football season prepared them to perform at the parade.
INAUGURATION ON PG. 4
'1 The journey: "During this month
I 30 years ago I laid in a hospital bed
recovering from injuries that broke
my back and left me forever unable to
walk," Abbott said. "The journey from
that Houston hospital to the Texas
Governorship was possible because of
two powerful forces." He said his journey
was made possible through the grace
of God and through the good fortune of
being born in Texas.
O "The Land of Opportunity": Abbott
^!l said Texas is the place where the
improbable becomes possible. "To this
day Texas has been filled with legends
who started humbly and succeeded
spectacularly," Abbott said.
Q "There is still work to be done":
O Abbott said some of the areas he
intends to focus on include bettering
transportation services, water services,
education services and care for veterans.
"And we must do more for the millions of
Texans who are tired of seeing our state
sovereignty and the rule of law ignored
by a federal government that refuses to
secure our border," Abbott said.
A Continuing the fight: Abbott said
^“The would continue his legacy of
pushing back against Washington "if they
spend too much, regulate too much or
violate [Texas] state sovereignty." Abbott
said for too long Washington has tried to
remake America in its image.
B ATT ASKS
What are your thoughts
on Greg Abbott taking
office Tuesday?
'Tm cool with it because he's pro
guns. So growing up in a family that
hunts, that's awesome.”
Rachel Mozingo, biology junior
"I think Greg Abbott being elected is
good for Texas because he challenges
some of Obama's acts and reforms
that he's passed, which may be better
for everybody.”
Tyler Tomasino, business administration
sophomore
ENGINEERING
M. BASKETBALL
Classrooms get greener twist with new complex
By Trey Reeves
Engineering students greeted the first complet-
ed portion of a massive facilities overhaul Mon
day as a new 600-seat education complex opened
its doors.
The Engineering Activities Buildings are a set
of eight greenhouse-inspired buildings dedicated
to engineering undergraduate education. The
facility is the first phase in a campus-wide effort
by the Dwight Look College of Engineering to
make its infrastructure capable of handling 25,000
undergraduates by year 2025 — the backbone of
the 25 by 25 Initiative.
The new facility — which sits between the
Student Computing Center and the Commons
— is a mixture of classroom and office space. Six
buildings house 100-seat classrooms each, and
the other two contain offices. The total facility
GREENHOUSE ON PG. 2
Tanner Garza —THE BATTALION
Eight greenhouse-inspired buildings, which opened this week, serve
as additional space for engineering classrooms.
A&M glad to be home
as Mizzou date awaits
By Conner Darland
Texas A&M returns to College Station for a Wednes-
^ day matchup with the Missouri Tigers with momen
tum on its side after a thrilling win in Baton Rouge.
“We’re excited to be back home,” head coach Bil
ly Kennedy said. “We’re looking forward to a good
crowd, hopefully, with the students being back. There’s
a little more enthusiasm on campus and we have a big
game coming up against the Missouri Tigers, who are
coming in here hungry and are ready to play.”
Missouri (7-10, 1-3 SEC) leads the all-time series
with Texas A&M (11-5, 2-2 SEC) 16-11. The last time
these two programs faced each other was in the second
round of last year’s SEC Tournament on March 13.
The Tigers came away with the 91-83 victory in double
MISSOURI ON PG. 2