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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 2015)
MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2015 I SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 I © 2015 STUDENT MEDIA I OTHEBATTONLINE BATT Allison Bradshaw — THE BATTALION Copper-stamped gift of education Duo hopes to tackle illiteracy in developing countries By Mason Morgan or two A&M students, break- ing the cycle of poverty in de veloping countries starts with copper wristbands. According to a research study done by the United Nation’s educa tional, scientific and cultural body, 86 percent of all refugees migrate to developing countries. In those countries, one out of four children is illiterate. They can’t read, they can’t write and the inadequacy of their education guarantees a diffi cult future. In response to this, students sup ported by Startup Aggieland work to fund education for refugees all around the world. “Refuge,” founded by interna tional studies junior Andrea Batarse and international studies senior Lexi Carley, supports refugee education with handmade bracelets, promis ing the proceeds from every brace let sold are donated to UNICEF, which then provides one month of education for a refugee. “Back in 2014, we, two fresh Texas A&M undergrads, were in spired by the stories of the refugees we worked with, along with our organization MSC Freshmen Lead ership International,” Batarse said. “We were shocked listening to the stories of those who had fled their homes and arrived in the U.S. with hardly an education or skills. Their perseverance to thrive and create their own future inspired us to help pave a way.” The bracelets, each taking about a week to make, are sealed to prevent oxidation and tarnish. This process REFUGE ON PG. 2 Frederica Shih —THE BATTALION The hazy future Handful of Texas proposals call into question the state’s marijuana forecast By Nikita Redkar The chatter surrounding marijuana law in Texas in tensifies this week as four pro posals go before a Texas Flouse committee hearing Wednesday. The Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, led by state Rep. Abel Herrero, will consider marijuana criminaliza tion through a number of lenses. One bill seeks to make possession of less than an ounce a civil in fraction, while two others would make it a Class C misdemeanor. A fourth aims for wholesale le galization. “[The bills] range from allow ing just one medicinal compo nent of marijuana to legalizing the drug in its entirety,” Texas A&M School of Law professor Frank Snyder said. More than half of the United States permits the drug in at least one of its forms, with 23 states recognizing medicinal usage of marijuana and four legalizing it for recreational use — Colorado and Washington since 2012, and Alaska and Oregon since 2014. Other states, including Texas, have pending ballot measures to allow the drug medicinally or recreationally. Heather Fazio, Texas political director of the Marijuana Policy Project, works to mobilize grass roots efforts in support of broad er marijuana policy in Texas. Fazio said the organization’s pri ority right now remains the re moval of all penalties for medical marijuana and lighter charges for those found in possession of the drug recreationally. “We are pushing for the pos session of a small amount of marijuana — one ounce or less — to be ticketable and without jail time,” Fazio said. “Addition ally, the charge will not remain MARIJUANA ON PG. 4 NEUROSCIENCE 'Memory Medic' talks nuts and bolts of learning proficiency Shelby Knowles —THE BATTALION Dr. Bill Klemm, who earned the name 'Memory Medic' for his research, has been a professor at A&M since 1966. Professor encourages students to exercise mind By Spencer Davis When Dr. Bill Klemm was 20 years old, he would mem orize the content of magazines and newspapers down to the page number to practice his skill. He said by adjusting memoriza tion techniques, anyone can have similar memory proficiency. Because of his knowledge, Kl emm, a professor of neuroscience at A&M, said people call him the Memory Medic. Klemm has taught in the Texas A&M Department of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences since 1966. He has covered the study of memory in three books, several dozen journal articles and in a well-read blog. Klemm also holds numerous speeches across the country, including one he held at a TEDx event. Most of Klemm’s work fo cuses on how students can study MEMORY ON PG. 4 Q&A FACULTY Student bodybuilder $2 million institute grant brings juggles work, school cancer researcher to Texas A&M The Battalion news reporter Nikita Redkar sits down with human resources senior and competitive bodybuilder Cory Hageman, who recently won second place overall in a statewide bodybuilding competition. THE BATTALION: What made you want to begin bodybuilding and pursue it competitively? HAGEMAN: I have been interested in bodybuilding competitions for a couple years now. I followed girls on Instagram who posted their fitness routines and results and it piqued my motivation to train. The more research I did, I found the idea of these girlstraining months at a time to get their bodies exactly where they want very appealing. It was their perseverance and healthy ap proach that motivated me. THE BATTALION: What are some fitness philosophies you have trained by during your preparations? HAGEMAN: Success in these competitions is a symbol of commitment, a technique that takes steady dedication and not extremity. I chose to do this competition because HAGEMAN ON PG. 4 By Gracie Mock w One institute’s effort ^ to bring notable cancer researchers to Texas institu tions has landed the A&M Department of Chemistry a new associate professor this fall. The associate professor, Jonathan Sczepanski, is one of three statewide recipients to receive a Cancer Preven tion and Research Institute of Texas, CPRIT, $2 million First-Time, Tenure-Track Faculty Member recruitment grant. This one-time award brings cancer scientists and researchers to academic in stitutions across Texas. According to a 2014 CPRIT report, an estimated 119,115 Texans were di agnosed with cancer and 44,150 died of the disease last year. The report states the CPRIT grants program has been highly successful in enhancing Texas’ cancer re search efforts and increasing the external visibility of the state in this field. To be eligible for the grant, Sczepanski was nominated by the Department of Chemis try. After an initial interview for a faculty position with the department head and anoth er faculty member from the Department of Chemistry, Sczepanski said he then ap plied for the grant which was reviewed by the CPRIT and GRANT ON PG. 2 PROVIDED Jonathan Sczepanski is one of three statewide recipients to receive a CPRIT grant.