^ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015 I SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 I ©2015 STUDENT MEDIA I ©THEBATTONLINE
BATT
THE BATTALION I THEBATT.COM
NEW MOUTHGUARDS COULD GIVE
EDGE IN TRACKING CONCUSSIONS ^
Tim Lai—THE BATTALION
Pitcher Turner Larkins collects himself during the
Tuesday win over Sam Houston State.
No. 1 A&M shells Sam Houston
with 13-run inning in 19-4 rout
By Andre Perrard
^ The Aggies lived up to their bili-
^ ing in their first game as No. 1 team
in college baseball Tuesday, dominat
ing Sam Houston State 19-4. A&M was
helped by a massive 13 run third inning
to run away with the game early.
“I’ve never seen anything like that in
25 years of coaching,” said A&M head
coach Rob Childress about the third in
ning. “Thirteen hits, 11 consecutive hits
— they were all hard hit too. It was fun
to sit back and watch.”
The teams traded blows early. After
Sam Houston State (14-17) drove in
two runs during its first at-bat, A&M re
sponded with a two-run home run from
Ryne Birk to make it a 2-2 tie at the end
of one frame.
The Aggies’ (28-2, 7-2 SEC) hit four
home runs in the third inning alone,
scoring 13 runs in the frame. Ronnie
Gideon hit two homers in the inning,
and Logan Nottebrok and Allemand hit
the other two. The Aggies went through
the lineup nearly two times, with every
player tallying a hit. They had 13 hits and
tied an NCAA record for most hits in a
row to start an inning without an out,
hitting 11 straight balls before the first out
was tallied. A&M added four runs in the
eighth to make it a 19-4 game.
“It was fantastic,” said a smiling Ron
nie Gideon about the big inning. “It’s
something that none of us have ever been
a part of, I don’t think anyone has ever
been part of that. To set a record like that
just shows how great our offense is, and
that we have the best offense.”
, The Aggies will hit the road to con
tinue SEC play Thursday, as the team
travels to Lexington to take on the Ken
tucky Wildcats.
VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
TRADITION
Student aims
to take wind
chime initiative
beyond campus
"
By Samantha King
F
or students like Kaidyn Kellermeyer,
who lost her vision-last year, wind
chimes will soon make it easier to
navigate the large Texas A&M cam-
Since Summer 2014, the international
studies junior has advocated for the place
ment of wind chimes at 10 key locations
on campus for visually impaired students.
All of the wind chimes have been funded,
eight by the Aggie Ho,nor Council and
the remaining through sponsorships. As of
March 16, the Student Senate bill concern
ing the chimes was signed by interim A&M
President Mark Hussey.
Kellermeyer now plans on bringing the
idea to major universities across Texas, like
the University of North Texas and the
University of Texas.
“I think it’s important because the prob
lem goes beyond A&M,” Kellermeyer said.
“I feel like there are - other people at other
campuses who are struggling with these is
sues — not understanding the campus, not
having the orientation cues that they need
to get around — and I feel like if we can
provide this really simple solution to make
such a difference in their lives, then I feel
like it’s worth the effort that we put into it.”
In finalizing the. project at A&M, Joseph
Hood, political science junior and co
sponsor of the Student Senate bill advocat
ing for wind chimes on campus, is working
with administration on the logistics of the
project.
“The concerns that [administration
have] brought forward to us are sustainabil
ity,” Hood said. “Not only just the fact that
they’re worried about wind chimes not be-
Jena Floyd — THE BATTALION
Kaitlyn Kellermeyer, who lost her vision last year, advocates for wind chimes
on campus. She will soon attend a summit to hone her ideas.
ing the most effective thing, but also the
fact that eventually Kaitlyn and I are go
ing to be gone, eventually [bill co-sponsor
Collin Kruger] is going to be gone and so
we have to make sure we have a sustain
ability plan in place.”
In order to help workshop her ideas to
make them the best possible, Kellermeyer
applied to be a delegate at the Global En
gagement Summit held at Northwestern
University in Illinois. From April 15-19,
Kellermeyer will work with leaders of so
cial change to cultivate her idea.
“The goal of the summit is to take
CHIMES ON PC. 2
The Association
alters pickup
process for
Aggie Ring Day
By Jennifer Reiley
In preparation for Aggie Ring Day on April
^ 17, when more than 4,800 Aggies will receive
their rings, the Association of Fomier Students has
ailnounced some changes to the pickup process.
The Ring Plaza, where guests and smdents have
typically gathered, will only be open to the num
bered group on deck to enter the building and re
ceive their rings, according to an announcement
on the Aggie-Network Facebook page. Because of
this, the Haynes Ring Replica in the center of the
Plaza will not be open as a photo station.
Kathryn Greenwade, vice president of the As
sociation of Former Students, said other students
and guests are welcome to gather on the lawn and
around the building. The area around the ring itself
will be the only area marked off. The decision was
made to better manage traffic control for the largest
Ring Day to date.
“We want to limit the amount of traffic that’s
around the ring at any one time, so that we can
make sure that we have easy access for everyone
getting their ring, for all of the guests that they have
with them,” Greenwade said.
The drop-off point for the Aggie Ring Shuttle
has also shifted. People can board at Houston St.
on the west side of the Clayton W. Williams Jr.
Alumni Center instead of on Throckmorton St.,
although the other stop is still at West Campus Ga-
rage.
Greenwade said there will also not be profes
sional photographers at the event.
“We will still have multiple photography sta
tions, but we’re encouraging everyone to do their
own personal photography because really now with
your smart phones, you can take the same quality
of photos and you can have it sooner,” Greenwade
said.
In preparation for April 17, Greenwade said she
encourages students to check the weather forecast
beforehand, referencing a storm that hit during
September Ring Day, for which a number of stu
dents were unprepared.
“If it’s raining, maybe time your arrival a little
closer to your actual ring pickup time so you’re not
having to be out in the weather,” Greenwade said.
“And maybe you’ll want to adjust your wardrobe.”
RESEARCH
Prof hopes to create blueprint for
success among black males in the US
By Kylee Reid
One Texas A&M professor’s re
search challenges popular stereo
types of the black community with a
different approach on what it takes to
become successful.
Marlon James, assistant professor in
teaching, learning and culture, describes
America’s perception of the black com
munity, particularly of young black
males, as a “black box.”
“It’s the socially constructed percep
tions of who black men are,” James said.
“It deals with what their moral charac
ter is, what their intellect is and what
their appropriate place is in American
society.”
James said the real danger of the “black
box” is the internalization of the beliefs
that it appeals to in the youth, primarily
concerning young black males.
“I think it’s undoubted, given the
media coverage of what’s happening in
America — particularly to black males
—that there is a set of challenges that
we need to attend to,” James said.
James is prepared to address these
challenges alongside many other aca
demic leaders with a new acronym,
“S.P.A.R.K.”
“The ‘S.P.A.R.K’ of black male ge
nius was a concept that emerged from a
two-year project that a group of black
male faculty set out to understand why
or how black men can resist this ‘black
box’ and become successful,” James
said.
During the two-year project, re
searchers studied successful black males
and asked for their personal stories on
what they went through and how they
dealt with the “black box” and the role
education played in their own life.
After reading close to 50 essays, the
researchers narrowed it down to nine
to appear in a special edition journal of
“African American Males in Education.”
James said from the essays emerged
the theory of the five markers of black
male genius — a theory based not on
the “black box” perception of who
black men are, but on the lives of suc
cessful black males.
“S.P.A.R.K. says that if men have a
specific set-up net of support structures
that they can achieve a type of genius,
one that may not be measurable in tra
ditional standardized testing, but this
form of black male genius is one that
is present in all successful black men,”
James said.
FIVE MARKERS ON PG. 2
Vanessa Pena — THE BATTALION
Marlon James, assistant professor in teaching, learning
and culture, studies characteristics of successful black
men.