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BATTASKS
What was
your favorite
Super Bowl
commercial?
"The 911 call from the woman that
was a victim of domestic abuse, I
liked it because of the message and
that they used it the way they did.”
Gregory Wickwire, biology freshman
“I think it's either between the Microsoft one with the little kid and
just how inspiring it was, or the Dodge Challenger one where they talk
about how they've been around for 100 years and opened up with all
the old people just giving advice, kind of the motivational ones”
Bailey Kalka, finance sophomore
”1 liked the 'Run like a girl' one because it's pretty
important. Like, you have these little girls who are
confident when they're 10, and by the time they reach
13 they're not. It's kind of important to keep that
confidence up."
Azla Know, computer science freshman
CULTURE
TRANSPORTATION
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Black History
Month hits on
deficiencies
in education
Allison Bradshaw—THE BATTALION
BSAC officers Chelsea Jones
and Annie Williams will help host
campus events this week.
By Lindsey Gawlik
|*s^ The start of Black History Month
on Sunday brings with it discus
sions of the importance of black history
in America.
Joe Feagin, sociology professor, said
Black History Month helps to bring is
sues to the forefront of education.
“The history of African Americans
is not publicly discussed very much,”
Feagin said. “So to have a month where
it is discussed is better than nothing, of
course. We do have a very deep and
foundational racist history. We’re the
only advanced industrialized country
that’s founded on slavery.”
Feagin said more than half of Ameri
can history consists of the enslavement
or segregation of African Americans
and it is important that history be told.
“Those folks pushed back for what,
about a century, 70, 80 years,” Feagin
said. “They played a key role in bring
ing down the slavery system. So that
story needs to be told of black resis
tance, black heroism, blacks standing
up as the first Americans to articulate,
‘We really mean liberty and justice for
all Americans.’”
Sahar Aziz, associate professor of law
at the Texas A&M School of Law, said
Black History Month is a corrective
measure aimed at offsetting the lack of
representation of African-Americans in
the educational system, especially in the
public school system.
“It is a concentrated way of having
one month where there is a reason for
focusing on African-American history
in the United States,” Aziz said. “How
ever, that is not a super long-term so
lution because ultimately the objective
of Black History Month should be to
normalize African Americans as part of
the everyday teaching of students and
the everyday topics of discussions on
any social or public policy issue.”
Aziz said some people ask why there
isn’t a white history month, but said the
history taught in the United States is
taught from a white perspective year-
round.
“So that is the baseline and that’s why
we don’t need white history month be
cause that is already permeated, fully
integrated into the American educa
tional system,” Aziz said. “Frankly, ev
ery day is white history day. And so it’s
time now to make it everyday a diverse
American day and we’re not there yet.”
BLACK HISTORY ON PG. 3
Proposed speed rail could link Dallas
and Houston with College Station stop
By Nikita Redkar
■V exas may host America’s first high-speed rail
I line, and the Texas A&M area has risen as a
■ possible stop-over location.
A high-speed rail line proposal between Hous
ton and Dallas has gained momentum as a cheap
and quick connection between Texas’ two larg
est cities. One of the proposed routes places the
line’s sole waypoint in Bryan-College Station —- a
distinction that advocates and local government
officials say could spell dividends for the local
community, if the line is ultimately built and if
residents agree to it.
Mac Boles, Class of 2000 and high-speed rail
advocate, said the proposed route would give stu
dents and visitors a cheap and fast travel alterna
tive. He said Texas Central Railway and B-CS
would especially benefit during football season.
“A usual three-hour trip to College Station for
home football games would be cut down travel
time to an hour or less,” Boles said. “I could come
to a Saturday night game, be back before mid
night and not need to spend money on an expen
sive hotel room. Thousands ofpotential riders will
be traveling from Houston to Dallas to fill up a
100,000 seat venue — that’s some serious ticket
sales for the train company.”
Texas Central Railway — the for-profit com
pany behind the proposal — aims to use high
speed trains capable of operating at speeds in
excess of 200 miles per hour, moving passengers
RAILWAY ON PG. 2
SGA kicks
off ‘Gig
the Vote’
Officials look to increase voter
turnout in student elections
By Wade Feielen
Is. The Election Commission for
Texas A&M’s Student Govern
ment Association has begun its “Gig
The Vote” campaign to increase voter
awareness and turnout in campus elec
tions.
The campaign seeks to end a down
ward trend in SGA election turnout
through increased candidate-student
interactions and an increased social
media presence. SGA leaders hope
“Gig the Vote” will help raise voter
turnout to more than 30 percent of
Texas A&M’s student population — a
task that requires at least 4,000 more
votes than last year’s turnout.
“It’s very much about encourag
ing people to start voting, but on the
same hand we don’t just want students
blindly participating,” said Hannah
Wimberly, SGA public relations vice
president and psychology junior. “We
want them to know why they’re vot
ing, who they’re voting for and what
issues really matter.”
Election commissioner and business
sophomore Emma Douglas said this
election season is important because it
VOTE ON PG. 2
M. BASKETBALL
W. BASKETBALL
Cody Franklin —THE BATTALION
Danuel House (left) has helped lead the Aggies to
second place in the SEC standings.
The Aggies are second in the SEC behind No. 1 Kentucky. Since
its double-overtime loss to the Wildcats on Jan. 10, A&M has
won six consecutive conference games, earning them a spot in Joe
Lunardi’s latest bracketology as well as some AP votes.
There's more than meets the eye with this ball club. Here are four
takeaways from the Aggies’ hot streak and Saturday’s 69-58 win
over Vanderbilt, from assistant sports editor Carter Karels:
** Rebounding problem is fixed
| On Dec. 9, A&M became the first SEC team not to record an offensive
rebound in 19 years. All looked lost for the Aggies, until Kentucky
rolled into town. A&M only lost the rebounding effort by one board,
perhaps the most impressive turnaround Coach Kennedy and Co.
displayed all year after falling 65-44 to Alabama four days before.
In their last five victories, the Aggies have out-rebounded their op
ponents. Aggies rebound, Aggies win.
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Alex Caruso is a bigger factor than you'd think
Night after night Caruso finds way to contribute in ways besides
scoring. Danuel House and Jalen Jones have been the go-to guys
when it comes to scoring. The Aggies don’t have a predominant third
scorer, but Caruso can become that guy. In A&M’s six-win stretch, the
junior guard has posted four double-digit outings.
TAKEAWAYS ON PG. 4
Women’s hoops back on
track with 78-45 victory
By Andre Perrard
The No. 12 Texas A&M women’s
basketball team entered Sunday’s
game against Auburn on a two-game
losing streak, but the Aggies took care
of business behind 23 points from ju
nior Courtney Williams, beating the
Tigers 78-45 at Reed Arena.
After following up a road loss to No.
22 Georgia with a 79-61 loss to No. 1
South Carolina, the Aggies returned to
their winning ways.
“They had to be hungry for this
game,” said A&M head coach Gary Blair
after the game. “We needed this game.”
The Aggies started the game on a
17-4 nan, holding Auburn (9-13, 0-9
SEC) scoreless for five minutes. The
run was sparked by good shooting from
Williams as well as superb rebounding
from senior Achiri Ade. From there,
the Aggies never looked back.
A&M’s lead was cut to five in the
first half, but an 18-2 run brought the
lead back to 22. The run was capped
by a Williams 3-pointer at the buzzer
to signal the end of the first half Again,
the Aggie defense held the Tigers
scoreless for another five-plus minute
stretch, which helped the Aggies take a
39-17 lead into half time.
The second half was much of the
same as the Aggie lead was stretched to
as many as 35 points, thanks in part to
scoring from Williams and Courtney
Walker.
The Aggies were strong on the de
fensive side of the ball throughout the
W BASKETBALL ON PG. 4
Cody Franklin — THE BATTALION
Tavarsha Scott-Williams scored
six points, pulled down three
rebounds on her 22nd birthday
Sunday.