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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2015)
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2015 I SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 I ©2015 STUDENT MEDIA I ©THEBATTONLINE m BATT THE BATTALION I THEBATT.COM Sumlin keeps signing day hot streak alive pages 3 & 4 HI i Vanessa Pefia — THE BATTALION POLITICS Meeting in the middle: Legislature day for A&M, UT Annual Orange and Maroon Day brings rival universities together By Jennifer Reiley ^ AUSTIN — The start of a new lob- " hying season for state funding be tween Texas A&M and the University of Texas kicked off Wednesday with pleas antries at the annual Orange and Maroon Legislative Day. A crew of roughly 100 Aggies, includ ing both former and current students, attended OMLD to sit in on legislative sessions and visit with Texas representa tives. In the morning, both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed a resolution officially recognizing the day. Jennifer Reiley—THE BATTALION Texas A&M Student Body President Kyle Kelly and University of Texas Student Body President Kon Rady visit Austin on Orange and Maroon Legislative Day. Representative John Raney, Class of 1969 -and author of one of the resolutions, said the teaching and research at both uni versities benefit the state by driving eco nomic prosperity through technology and educating future leaders. Despite the cordial and at times light hearted atmosphere, interim A&M Presi dent Mark Hussey said the importance of the day could not be forgotten. Hussey said the opportunity for students to inter act with legislators gives them the chance to share what A&M means to them. “That’s the key part because my expe rience in working with the legislature is when you bring people in who can tell their own stories and tell what something means to them personally, whether it’s a former student telling what A&M has meant for them in their career or a cur rent student being able to talk about the excellence that they’ve been able to expe rience at A&M, that’s absolutely the very best thing that can happen,” Hussey said. After both resolutions, visitors met with legislators to discuss the impact both schools have had on them. Hussey said OMLD ON PG. 5 And not voiceless. State legislators look to appeal DREAM Act, could affect undocument student education By Katy Stapp ■■■he Texas A&M Council for Minority V Student Affairs, an organization that ■ advocates for the rights of undocu- B mented citizens, has taken up arms against Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s movement to repeal the Texas DREAM Act, which offers in state university tuition to chil dren of immigrants who have come to the United States il legally. Patrick took a firm stance against in-state tuition for un documented students early on in his campaign for lieutenant governor. In a debate in April 2014 with San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, Patrick addressed the concerns he had toward the act. “We have limited resources in this state ... I appreciate the fact that DREAMERS didn’t come here on their own, someone brought them here. I appreciate the fact that they finished high school and want to better their lives. But if there’s one seat left at the University of Texas, and the dif ference is that student or someone who is actu ally a citizen of the state — if I have to choose between the two ... I will stand up for the citizen of Texas ... the fact is I have to put American students first.” Roxann Lerma, biochemis try senior and public relations representative for CMSA, said this sentiment is unfair to chil dren of undocumented citizens. “These kids know the Pledge of Allegiance and they know the Texas flag — they’re Texans. And some don’t even know that they’re undocu mented,” Lerma said. “But Dan Patrick said that undocu mented students are not Tex an, and that people in Kansas are more Texan than undocu mented students are. That’s not fair.” INSTATE TUITION ON PG. 5 Y7 "What upsets me most is the fact that such issues that can affect so deeply the lives of people is being used as a political issue." Gabriela Castillo, political science sophomore VIEWS Waking from the DREAM and facing the realities Jennifer Reiley @jreiley1 The Texas DREAM Act is under scrutiny this legislative session, and with the majority of the Texas Leg islature leaning to the right, things could soon change. To recap, the DREAM Act is a law that allows undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition if they follow a number of stipula tions. To qualify, applicants must have graduated from high school or received their GED in Texas, have DREAM ACT ON PG. 5 M. BASKETBALL Jones, House slump as A&M streak snapped Ole Miss too much on road as Aggies fall, 69-59 By Carter Karels The run is over. Texas A&M’s six-game winning streak was snapped with a 69-59 loss to Ole Miss Wednesday night. The Aggies (15-6, 6-3 SEC) committed 16 turnovers, and Dan- uel House and Jalen Jones were limited to single-digit scoring each. The duo together haven’t gone un der the 10-point mark since A&M faced No. 1 Kentucky, a game in which Jones did not play because of injury. With 4:25 left in the first half, Aggie junior guard Alex Caruso made a 3-pointer, ending an 0-for- 5 drought for the Aggies outside. Ole Miss (15-7, 6-3 SEC) started sluggish as well, shooting 0-for-12 from 3-point land in the opening 16 minutes. The Caruso bucket temporarily shifted the tempo to a quicker pace, giving the Rebels an advantage and a 4-for-5 hot streak from three in the halfs remaining stretch. A&M’s struggles continued when Ole Miss began the second half 7-for-ll shooting, while the Aggies remained cold. Early in the second half, senior post Kourtney Rober son headed to the locker room with an apparent injury. Taking his place was Tavario Miller, who finished with 13 points and six rebounds. Roberson only saw flashes after get ting hurt, and sat for the final few minutes. It looked like the game was slip ping away when junior guard Stefan Moody knocked down a jumper to put his Rebels up 50-38. However, the Aggies were re charged when Danuel House hit a step-back 3-pointer from the right wing, bringing it within single- digits. Roberson subbed in shortly after, making two quick buckets to cut it to 53-49. A&M was unable to get inside of five in the closing minutes due to missed opportunities with turn overs and Ole Miss’ crisp free-throw shooting, finishing 15-out-of-20 for the game. Stefan Moody led the Reb els with 19 points, but senior MJ. Rhett led the second half surge with all of his 11 points coming in the final 20 minutes. The loss resulted in the Aggies facing a three-way-tie for second place in the SEC with Ole Miss and Arkansas. LSU could join the trio if it takes care of business in Auburn Thursday. Columbia, Missouri, will play host for the Aggies next matchup against Missouri, which they de feated 62-50 on Jan. 24. ‘ J- .*■* 1 ' Danuel House