Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 2015)
TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015 I SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 I © 2015 STUDENT MEDIA I ©THEBATTONLINE HIGH AND TIGHT Eighty years later, barbershop still trimming up cadets' hair By Wade Feielin ince 1935, Northgate Barber Shop has provided haircuts for members of the Texas A&M j Corps of Cadets while bearing witness to a transforming cam pus. Barbershop manager Sue Caceres has been at Northgate Barber Shop since 2002 and said she knew nothing of the Corps of Cadets before she began work ing. “I was still in training and they came in and swarmed the entire shop,” Ca ceres said. “It was a lot of fun, but a lot of nerves.” Barbershop owner Jennifer Baker said these Corps rushes are much different between the fall and spring semesters. “In the fall, they tend to hit us at the end of the week before the game,” Bak er said. “In the spring, they spread out throughout the week, with Monday and Wednesday being the busy days.” Each Corps classification has its own distinctive cut that has remained the same as long as the shop has been in business, Caceres said. “The higher rank you are, the more hair you get to keep,” Caceres said. “The freshmen come in and get a 2x5, then when you become a sophomore you get a 4x4 and as a junior you get a three-finger.” Baker said seniors pretty much choose how they want their hair cut as long as it is nice and clean. “You can sometimes find a senior coming in wanting a high-and-tight,” Baker said. “Well, he can really have a litde bit on the sides so they can do what they want as long as it is within the regulations.” Cadet and communication sopho more Wallis Blake Harvey said it’s taken awhile to get used to having his head shaved. “It’s really, really short and I don’t BARBER ON PG. 4 CORPS OF CADETS LGBT Shelby Knowles — THE BATTALION Supporters of same-sex marriage will await the Supreme Court's decision on marriage equality. Supreme Court to hear same-sex Full Corps dorms facelift in swing marriage cases Renovations to eventually encompass entire Quad By Josh Hopkins Thousands of Aggies have passed through Texas A&M’s Corps of Cadets dorms since before World War II, but now the Quad is targeted for a nearly $200 million dollar renovation project, which is scheduled to renovate all 12 dorms by August 2017. Will Schrank, assistant commandant of logistics, said the renovations will eventually encompass the entire Quad. Three dorms and two Leadership Learn ing Centers are complete and five more dorms will be renovated during the 2015-2016 school year. The remaining four will be fin ished during the 2016-2017 school year. Two more LLCs will be constructed in 2015. The Quad’s interior will also be re-paved and re- landscaped. “All 12 dorms on the Quad are being gutted and completely renovated to in clude new plumbing, elec trical and HVAC [heating, ventilation and air condi tioning],” Schrank said. Schrank said the four LLCs will be the largest changes to the Quad. Each will be 25,000 square feet of study rooms, computer labs and other educational facili ties. The construction was made possible due to dona tions from former cadets. Jessica Knowles, modern languages sophomore and cadet, said the renovations will be a welcome change. “I like the old dorms but at the same time it will be good for upcoming classes to have the new dorms,” Knowles said. “They will have their own laundromats, which will be super handy. It’s just the new style of the new dorms, in the rooms, they are oriented differently than the old Corps dorms, which is really weird.” David Trigg, Corps com mander, said the transition will be difficult but the Corps is prepared for the move. CORPS ON PG. 4 Long-anticipated ruling could be on the way By Nikita Redkar In what could be a mon umental decision, the Su preme Court agreed earlier this month to hear cases that could lead to a resolution on the hotly debated subject of marriage equality. Justices will take on cases from Michigan, Ohio, Ken tucky and Tennessee to con solidate a nationwide rule on same-sex marriage. They will listen to cases from each state and are expected to reach a decision by the end of the Supreme Court session in late June. While 36 states and the District of Columbia have le galized same-sex marriage —- through court decision, state legislature, or popular vote — its presence on the national stage is still a big question. This spring’s case will assess whether LGBT-identifying people have a constitutional right to marry or whether states have a right to recognize the practice. Meg Penrose, professor at the Texas A&M School of Law, is an expert in the law and policy surrounding this is sue. She said if this court rules broadly, it will either be a sig nificant victory for same-sex couples or for states’ rights. “If the Supreme Court finds there is a fundamental right for same-sex couples to marry, states will be required to grant marriage licenses ... despite democratically passed legislation finding such mar riages void,” Penrose said. “If the Supreme Court finds there is not a fundamental right ... then only those individu als currendy residing where same-sex marriage is legal will be able to obtain a marriage license.” The benefits that would MARRIAGE ON PG. 4 The Corps dorms are scheduled to complete a $200 million dollar renovation by August 2017. M. BASKETBALL W. BASKETBALL Aggies prepare for Auburn matchup By Conner Darland A four-game winning streak has nudged the Aggies into shouting range of the top 25. That won’t last if they can’t continue their recent win ning streak. After receiving two votes in the AP poll Monday, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team heads to Auburn, Ala., for an SEC matchup with the Auburn Tigers at 8 p.m. Tuesday. “We’re back on the road again and going into a hostile place at Auburn,” head coach Billy Kennedy said. “They’re a team that has played really well the last couple of games. They present us with a lot of problems with their guard play and one of the better big [men] in the [confer ence]. Our guys are con fident and hopefully we can continue to get bet ter, which we’re going to have to do in this game.” The Aggies (13-5, 4-2 SEC) started 0-2 in con ference play with losses to Alabama and Kentucky, but have not dropped a game since. Junior for ward Jalen Jones said he believes things are turning around because everyone is buying in and playing their part on the team. M. BASKETBALL ON PG. 3 Top-ranked South Carolina too much for A&M Provided by the Daily Gamecock Senior forward Achiri Ade led A&M with 15 points in the loss against the Gamecocks Monday. By Cole Stenholm The No. 12 Texas A&M wom en’s basketball team dropped its matchup Monday night with No. 1 University of South Carolina 79-61 at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. The loss marks two consecutive defeats for A&M and moves them to 5-5 in its last 10 games. The Aggies (16-5, 4-3) and the Gamecocks (19-0, 7-0) commenced their nationally televised Monday night showdown . exchanging buck ets for most of the first half in which there were nine lead changes and four ties through the first 14 minutes of play. Senior forward Achiri Ade led the charge for the Aggies with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting along with four rebounds and one block in the first half. However, a 14-0 run by South Carolina spanning from the 7:40 to the 2:46 mark was enough to give them a 39-31 lead heading into the break. The lead would prove to be in surmountable for Texas A&M in the second half despite four players scor ing in double figures, led by Ade’s 15. South Carolina, one of the nation’s two remaining unbeatens, routinely spaced the A&M defense, accumulat ing several layups and taking advan tage of 30 free throw attempts to put the Aggies away. Freshman forward A’ja Wilson and junior guard Tiffany Mitchell led South Carohna with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Wilson added nine rebounds. The Aggies return to College Sta tion briefly Sunday to continue SEC action against Auburn University prior to hitting the road for their next two conference games against Mis souri Feb. 5 followed by Mississippi State Feb. 8.