NEWS
The Battalion I 3.5.15
Senior
Boot Bag
Price Includes
Logo and Name
(More logos available)
Shop for Little Aggies
to an Aggie Xmas:
etsy.com/shop/aggiesandbows
by Charlotte, Reveille’s Seamstress
Store Location:
A&B Self Storage
1701 N Earl Rudder Fwy
Bryan, TX
979-778-2293
charboeg@yahoo.com
Second Location:
Craft and Antique Mall CS
2218 Texas Ave. South
College StatioN, TX
979-255-8905
THIS
WEEK
walk in to have
your free portrait
taken for Texas
A&M University's
2015 Aggieland
yearbook.
ALL CLASSES:
9 a.m-5 p.m.
Monday-Thursday
in MSC Suite L400.
March 12 will be
your last chance.
It's your
yearbook.
Be in it.
PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM
IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
Jump start your life sciences
career right here in Aggieland!
Enroll in the unique Master of Biotechnology
program at Texas A&M University.
Attention, Science and Engineering Majors!
The Biotechnology Industry Needs Science Managers!
Learn cutting-edge biotechnology techniques in the lab.
Earn Certificates in Business and/or Entrepreneurship
with courses from Mays Business School.
Complete a professional industry internship.
Call (979) 8451448 for details
or contact larissap@tamu.edu http://ppib.tamu.edu
TWO LOCATIONS TO DONATE AT!
(979)315-4101 I (979)314-3672
4223 Wellborn Rd 700 University Dr E.. Ste 111
Bryan, TX 77801 | College Station. TX 77840
Hold onto a piece of
Aggieland
It S Dot tOO late to order your copy of the
2015 Aggieland yearbook. The 113th edition of Texas A&M’s
official yearbook will chronicle the 2014-2015 school year
- traditions, academics, athletics, the other education, the
Corps, Greeks, residence halls, campus organizations, and
student portraits. Distribution will be in Fall 2015.
If yOU Haven t, pick up a copy of the
award-winning 2014 Aggieland yearbook that is a 520-page
photojournalistic record of the 2013-2014 school year.
By credit card go online to
http://aggieland.tamu.edu or call
979-845-2613. Or drop by
the Student Media office in Suite
L400ofthe MSC.
BAT 7
Mark Dore, Editor in Chief
Aimee Breaux, Managing Editor Katie Canales, Life & Arts Editor
Jennifer Reiley, Asst. Managing Editor Carter Karels, Sports Editor
Lindsey Gawlik, News Editor Shelby Knowles, Photo Editor
Samantha King, Asst. News Editor Allison Bradshaw, Asst. Photo Editor
Katy Stapp, Asst. News Editor Meredith Collier, Page Designer
John Rangel, SdTech Editor Claire Shepherd, Page Designer
THE BATTALION is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and
spring semesters and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer session (except
University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University, College Station,
TX 77843. Offices are in Suite L.400 of the Memorial Student Center.
News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas
A&M University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs.
Newsroom phone: 979-845-3315; E-mail: editor@thebatt.com; website: http://
www.thebatt.com.
Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement
by The Battalion. For campus, local, and national display advertising, call 979-
845-2687. For classified advertising, call 979-845-0569. Office hours are 8 a.m. to
5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Email: battads@thebatt.com.
Subscriptions: A part of the University Advancement Fee entitles each Texas A&M
student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional
copies SI.
2
VIEWS
ACTIVISM
Council for
Minority
Student Affairs
vice president
Gabriels Castillo
(right) and
other student
advocates in the
march across
campus to show
their support of
DREAMers.
Tim Lai — THE BATTALION
Student advocates march across campus
in support of the Texas DREAM Act
By Katy Stapp
Chanting “Si Se Puede” — “Yes
We Can” — and with “Undocu
mented” printed across their black
T-shirts, close to 70 students and sup
porters marched Wednesday morning
across campus to draw attention to a
brewing legislative battle over fees for
undocumented student.
Local DREAM Act advocates
marched at 10:30 a.m. from Rudder
Plaza to Simpson Drill Field to show
their determination to keep the act a
part of Texas’ law. The DREAM Act
allows undocumented students to pay
in-state tuition rates if they graduated
from a Texas high school or received
a GED in Texas, and if they sign an
affidavit indicating they seek legal resi
dency. The act was adopted in 2001,
but the Texas legislature has the act’s
advocates readying to fend off attempts
at a repeal.
The marchers held signs stamped
with, “We have earned it” and, “Edu
cation, not deportation.” The march,
hosted by the Council for Minority
Student Affairs, concluded at Simpson
Drill Field with a press conference.
Gabriela Castillo, vice president of
CMSA and political science junior,
said the march was the first of its kind
and intended to bring awareness to
the community about participants’ de
termination to fight the repeal of the
DREAM Act.
“We wanted to reach out to the
community and let them know that
we are aware of these proposed legisla
tions, willing to fight them, and willing
to go far out of our comfort zone to do
so,” Castillo said. “We want them to
know that we are keeping a watchful
eye on Texas legislation.”
The efforts to repeal the DREAM
Act center around House Bill 360, filed
in November by Republican Rep.
Mark Keough, which would deal a
blow to the DREAM Act by requir
ing applicants for in-state tuition to be
citizens at the time of application.
Roxann Lerma, CMSA public rela
tions representative and biochemistry
senior, said the march was scheduled at
an ideal time to combat efforts to repeal
the DREAM Act.
“We knew these bills were about to
start rolling,” Lerma said. “We want
ed to make our statement at the right
time.”
Castillo said the march also intended
to advocate for DAPA, or Deferred
Action for Parents of Americans and
Lawful Permanent Residents, which
was recently ruled unconstitutional
by U.S. District Court Judge Andrew
Hanen.
DAPA is a form of immigrant relief
that essentially extends DACA, or De
ferred Action for Childhood Arrivals,
to include eligible parents of United
States citizens. To qualify, the indi
vidual must have been physically pres
ent in the U.S. since Jan. 1, 2010 and
have a child who was born on or before
Nov. 20, 2014.
Castillo said the march was success
ful and received a lot of attention.
“People saw us and were cheering
us on. Some even joined in to march
with us,” Castillo said. “It was refresh
ing and powerful.”
Lerma said one of her hopes for this
event, which was named the National
Day of Action, is that it will encourage
other universities to advocate for those
who enter the U.S. illegally.
“What we want is for other uni
versities to start marching like this as
well,” Lerma said. “Universities like
the University of Texas and the Uni
versity of Texas Pan-American — we
want them to join us in the fight.”
Yell Leader revote
to be announced at
E. King Gil statue
By John Rangel
The results of A&M’s
Yell Leader revote will be
announced at 6 p.m. Thurs
day next to the new E. King
Gil statute, barring any rule
violation allegations.
The revote comes after
this year’s Senior Yell Lead
ers nullified the Student
Government Association’s
Yell Leader election process.
Faculty and staff were able to
access the ballot, but Ryan
Trantham, special election
commissioner and MSC pres
ident, said non-student ballots
are not tallied.
Trantham said while the
online ballot is open to faculty
and staff, the computer system
only tallies student ballots af
ter a validation system com
pares cast ballots with a list of
current students.
“Faculty and staff can go in
and fill out a ballot, but that
ballot won’t be validated,”
Trantham said.
David Sweeney, director
of A&M’s Information Tech
nology department, said it is
•typical for faculty and staff to
be able to access the online
ballot for student elections.
Sweeney said the system en
sures only student ballots are
counted once the voting clos
es. Enabling ballot access to
anyone with a Net ID and a
UIN makes the system easier
and cleaner from a program
ming standpoint, Sweeney
said.
Trantham said he was op
timistic the revote would be
successful, but is prepared
to postpone the election an
nouncements if violation al
legations are brought forth.
“If for whatever reason
there are allegations of rules
violations that do get sub
mitted before the deadline of
[Thursday] at noon, myself
and my student appeals pan
el will have to review all of
those different allegations and
then any appeals that would
come from our rulings prior
to announcing any results,”
Trantham said.
The deadline to submit al
legations to the special elec
tion commissioner is noon
Thursday.
REACTOR CONTINUED
reactor inside was used to teach students about opera
tional materials and safety techniques.
“The nuclear reactor is a five watt reactor that has
about enough power to power a light bulb, but never
theless it is a nuclear reactor,” said Tell Butler, manager
of engineering facilities.
Butler said the university will take every precaution
to safeguard the reactor. A special utility system will
be put in place to ensure the reactor has the same level
of stability and power that it had when the building
was fully operational. Access to the reactor area will
be restricted to the nuclear reactor supervisor, a federal
nuclear commission agency and a group of consultants
hired to look after the area. The reactor area will also
be under video surveillance in addition to being guard
ed by police at night.
The reactor is the only piece of equipment to re
main in Zachry as construction crews ready for the
eventual renovation. All other pieces of equipment
have been removed from the building and taken to
new locations, Butler said.
“To move that equipment appropriately, we
brought in the manufacturers of that equipment and
they actually disassembled it, packed it for moving and
when we put it in the new locations they came in and
reassembled it,” Butler said.
All of the pieces of equipment moved out of Zachry
will remain in their new locations, Butler said, and
new equipment will be brought in for the Engineer
ing Education Complex when it is completed. Much
of the equipment that has been removed from Zachry
is mainly used by graduate students, but the Engineer
ing Education Complex will focus on undergraduate
education. The new equipment that will be brought
in will be smaller scale, simulation-based equipment
Butler said.
Butler said the process of emptying Zachry for
construction has been ongoing for nearly a year but
was completed in the first week of February. Zachry’s
renovation into the Engineering Education Complex
will begin during spring break with the abatement of
any hazardous materials, such as asbestos.