iSSSS
Mark Dor6, Editor in Chief
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
L400 of the Memorial Student Center.
News: The Battalion news depart
ment is managed by students at Texas
A&M University in Student Media, a unit
of the Division of Student Affairs. News
room phone: 979-845-331 5; E-mail: edi-
tor@thebatt.com; website: http://www.
thebatt.com.
Advertising: Publication of advertising
does not imply sponsorship or endorse
ment 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 Univer
sity Advancement Fee entitles each Texas
A&M student to pick up a single copy of
The Battalion. First copy free, addi
tional copies $1.
Brazos Natural Foods
“A World of Healthy Products
for Your Family!”
We Carry Over
50 Varieties
of Bulk Teas
mmmm Green, Black,
Yellow, Oolong
and Many
OVER 100 VARIETIES OF
TiH BAGS
4303 S. TEXAS AT ROSEMARY
BRYAN • 979-846-4459
MON-FRI 9 TO 6 • SAT 9 TO 4
Celeb fating 26 Years of Serving (be Btsaos VaHey!
Economic Research Laboratory
IJm
Play Games! Earn Money! Help Science!
Participate in our Research!
Sign up at: ERL.tamu.edu
Questions? erl@tamu.edu
2014-2015
WHO'S WHO AMONG STUDENTS
IN AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES
-TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-
The following Aggies hove been selected os the recipients
of the Who's Who Among Students
in American Universities and Colleges Award
for 2014-2015:
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Noah Andersen 2015
Drake Anthony 2015
Andrej Arquitola 2015
Rachel Bedinger 2015
Kelli Benjamin 2015
Armando Bernal 2015
Timothy Broderick 2015
Sarah Choi 2015
Michael Collier 2015
Hunter Dansby 2015
Meghan De Amaral 2015
Kaysi Dean 2015
Carli Domenico 2015
Mark Dore2014
Donovan Drewry 2015
Leigh Edwards 2015
Juli Ewell 2015
Casey Gattshall 2015
Kristen Gavigan 2015
Reid Geissen 2016
Leah Gonzalez 2015
Cameron Halbert 2015
Emilee Haubner 2015
Fram Haveliwala 2015
Jessica Haynes 2015
Paige Heilman 2015
Dylan Heye 2015
Adelia Humme 2015
Eric Jones 2015
Sterling Knapp 2014
Brian Knight 2015
Kasey Korbacher 2015
Daylon Koster 2015
J Lawton Lander 2016
Jack Loftin 2014
Maria Lyuksyutova 2015
Ashley Maynard 2015
Sam McDonald 2016
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Jesus Hernandez 2014
Sampath Jayarathna 2016
Jiniva Serrano 2014
Cullen Nauck 2015
Victoria Pilger 2015
John Hill Price 2015
Neil Rabroker 2015
Sydney Reese 2015
Peter Rozanski 2015
Akshay Shankar 2015
Leslie Smola 2015
Fernando Sosa 2015
Preston Sturdivant 2015
Laura Sumrall 2015
Amelia Tanner 2015
Brandon Valenta 2015
Kay ley Wall 2015
Alec Watkins 2015
Kevin Wilfong 2016
Jacob Zerr 2016
Rachel Zissimoas 2014
Monica Zuniga 2015
G Spring
Concert
April 18,2015
Saturday Night
of Parent’s Weekend
7:30pm
Rudder Auditorium
Tickets $5 at MSC Box Office
Purchase tickets online:
http://boxoffice.tamu.edu
Class
•S6zW
Class Stars is university-wide awards program aimed to
annually recognize outstanding members of each class.
Award recipients are honored at a special reception and
receive a personalized award for their merit. This
progam is unique in that students are nominated by
their peers in the categories of
Academics, Athletics, Leadership, Service, and Spirit.
2015
Academics: Grant Hopkins
Athletics: Shea Groom
Leadership: Kasey Kram
Service: R. Kyle Taylor
Spirit: Thomas Burrets
2017
Academics: Shelby Kilpatrick
Athletics: Shamier Little
Leadership: Daniel Rosenfield
Service: Lillian Townsend
Spirit: Cory Rodriguez
2016 2018
Academics: Shelby Sullivan Academics: Maximilian Doan
Athletics: Courtney Walker Athletics: Stephanie Aiple
Leadership: Matthew Barkis Leadership: Samuel Moffatt
Service: Angela Lowak Service: Melody Davis
Spirit: Robert Killion Spirit: James Berryman Toler
Scholarships serve
those who served
Jena Floyd — THE BATTALION
Rebecca Lesemann, graduate student and active-
duty Army officer, will receive her Aggie Ring Friday.
Funds help student
veterans receive their
Aggie Rings
By Jennifer Reiley
Class Councils is $2,500
away from establishing
an endowed Aggie Ring
scholarship specifically tai
lored for student veterans.
The Aggie Rings for
Veterans Fund, established
in 2010, was inspired by
Pristine Remolona, Class of
2012. Remolona has mili
tary history in her family.
Her grandfather served dur
ing WWII and her brother
died while serving in the
U.S. Air Force.
“While my family has
meant so much to me, being
a part of the Aggie family is
something unlike any other
alumni network in the na
tion and the tradition of the
Aggie Ring is one that con
nects Aggies worldwide,”
Remolona said. “Working
to start the Aggie Rings for
Veterans Fund was a great
opportunity to give back
and show my support for
our U.S. military veterans
and for my fehow Aggies.”
After Remolona gradu
ated, Class Councils con
tinued to work toward
the $25,000 goal. DanieUe
Snow, communication
sophomore and co-director
of the 11-11 Day Commit
tee, said 11-11 Day manages
most of the funding efforts
through T-shirt sales and a
silent auction during Par
ents’ Weekend. While the
goal is to collect the remain
ing $2,500 by May, Snow
said the funds may not get
raised until December.
Kathryn Greenwade, vice
president of the Association
of Former Students, said the
$25,000 minimum endow
ment can pay enough divi
dends in interest yearly for
one male ring or two female
rings.
Greenwade said veterans
often do not put funding an
Aggie Ring as a high prior
ity, as they typically use vet
eran’s benefits.
“While those veteran’s
benefits are paying tuition,
they’re paying housing
somewhat, they’re paying
books, an Aggie Ring is not
one of those things that’s
in there,” Greenwade said.
“Many of these veterans
have families, and so an Ag
gie Ring, as much as they
want it, is a luxury. It’s not a
necessity.”
While the Class Coun
cils scholarship is still in the
works, other scholarships
help donors pay for Aggie
Rings for student veterans.
Col. Jerry Smith, director
of the Veterans Resource
and Support Center, said
the office started working
with veteran scholarships in
2013. Through his office,. 26
veterans have since received
an Aggie Ring.
Smith said veterans are
typicahy referred to his of
fice by an outside source. He
then acts as a go-between for
the veterans and the Associa
tion, from which some of
the scholarships come. Smith
said veterans themselves are
hesitant to come forward to
ask for help, which he cahed
“warrior mentality.”
Rebecca Lesemann, pub
lic service and administration
graduate student and active-
duty Army officer, said she
was one of those veterans.
Lesemann, who receives her
ring Friday thanks to funds
from a larger donation to
the veteran support center,
said she did not want to take
away from other people
who she thought might be
more deserving. In the end,
Smith convinced her, saying
veterans deserve the money,
too.
“I’ve actually told other
people the same thing be
cause everyone says, ‘There’s
someone more deserving; it’s
not me,’” Lesemann said. “I
don’t want to use the money
that someone else could use,
and because he did that for
me, then I’ve actually told a
few other veterans to go fill
out the paperwork.”
Lesemann found out
about her scholarship on
Christmas Day, and even
though she did not come
from an A&M family, she
has wanted her ring since she
learned about the tradition.
“It acttially is very hum
bling for me because as a
veteran I personahy don’t
feel like I’m this special per
son that needs to receive a
ring, so the fact that some
one wants to donate a ring
because I’m a veteran is very
humbling and it’s an honor,”
Lesemann said.
Seven veterans will re
ceive rings Friday, two of
which Greenwade said are
from pass-through pro
grams, or direct donations
specifically for veterans. As
Class Councils works to
complete the Aggie Ring
Fund for Veterans, she said
it has been worth the time
to raise the money.
“Normally we ask that
scholarship be paid in about
three years,” Greenwade
said. “In the case of Class
Councils, because this is not
just one individual making a
gift, we’ll stretch that time
line out for as long as it takes
because we think that effort
of students funding this is
very meaningful.”
Lesemann said an en
dowed scholarship for vet
erans could increase the
number of veterans will
ing to ask for help funding
an Aggie Ring. Smith said
veterans who receive their
ring often turn around and
donate money of their own
for a future veteran.
“It is very telling of our
Aggie core values,” Smith
said. “Selfless service, ex
cellence, I think the stu
dent veterans that receive
an Aggie Ring from fehow
students greatly appreciate
the appreciation for what
they’ve gone and done be
fore they came for school.”
Even after Ring Day,
Smith said the impact of re
ceiving an Aggie Ring con
tinues.
“I never want a student
veteran to go to gradua
tion, and that Association of
Former Student representa
tive that’s at graduation says,
‘Okay, everybody, stand up
and turn your Aggie Ring
around,”’ Smith said. “I
don’t want a veteran stand
ing there looking at a bare
knuckle.”
THEBATT.COM
A&M Hillel members read the
names of Holocaust victims for 24
hours. Story at tx.ag/batt37.
Fish Fest allows freshman to
celebrate end of year.
Story at tx.ag/batt38.
Vietnam memorial dedication to
take place Saturday.
Story at tx.ag/batt39.
OPEN HOUSE
Saturday
April 18, 2015
10 a.m. - 12 noon
Light refreshments will be
served at both homes
The Office of the President and the
Division of Student Affairs invite you
and your family to visit the
Campus Homes
f