FEBRUARY 2014 THEGOODBULL.COM

‘Tis the SeasonGet ready for it, Ags...Student body election season is here.

BY BEN DIERKER

Should kinesiology be re-quired to graduate? Can meal plans be made better? Should there be more bike racks? You have the power to affect this campus and the opportunity to answer these questions.

Thursday and Friday, Febru-ary 20-21are two opportunities to vote. By logging onto vote.tamu.edu, you will be able to vote for the Student Senate, Class Presidents, Yell Leaders, Student Body President, Class

Agents and even special referendums.

Your vote will help to elect a new student sen-ate to be the voice of the students. The senate has helped to bring back Sbisa cookies, opposed student fee increases, and worked for better administra-tive accountability. It is in your power to elect the best people

for the job. Five Yell Leaders will make

their case to you. Five students will be the engine of the 12th

Regents Vote Raises Tuition

In This Issue

• Endorsement EthicsWhy Media Outlets Shouldn’t Endorse Candidates (p. 2)

• Wendy DavisInvestigation Reveals Misleadings About Gubernatorial Candidate’s Past (p. 6)

• “Duty” Former Texas A&M President Robert Gates Releases Historical Book (p. 5)

• Baseball Aggies Look to improve from 2013 season (p. 7)

BY AARON DE LEON

On Thursday, Jan. 30 at Texas A&M University – Galveston, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents recentlyunanimously passed an increase on both tuition and fees.

Tuition will now be charged at a fixed rate with pricing varied depending on a student’s major. On average, students can expect their tuition to in-crease by 6% during the next fall semester.

These increases come at a time when the econo-my, regardless of minor improvements, is still lag-ging. The higher fees will continue to put a greater burden on students and parents that are paying for their own tuition.

Many students have shown concern for these increases. The regents received more than a thou-sand student letters requesting them not to increase tuition and fees.

Incoming freshman will receive the biggest

blow. The average Liberal Arts student’s fees will increase by $250, while Architecture students will receive the largest increase at about an additional $700.

The idea of flat rate tuition came about in the Texas Legislator under SB 29. The bill’s intention was to help students and parents plan their under-graduate tuition costs by giving them “the oppor-

Texas A&M Student Elections had less than 15,000 people vote last year. Do your part to pick your student representation.

See Elections on page 3

See Tuition on page 5

TEXAS A&M’S INDEPENDENT TRADITIONAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER

2 • THE GOOD BULL FEBRUARY 2014

Endorsement EthicsBY AARON MITCHELL

Student election season is fast approaching, and the stu-dents of Texas A&M get to see the candidates duke it out for the endorsements of the university’s most powerful and well-known student-ran organizations. This year’s student body president can-didates hail from major orga-nizations like Greek life, the Corps of Cadets, RHA, Fish Camp and One Army.

For the next few weeks, these candidates will be vying for the votes of (often politi-cally disinterested) students with banners in every avail-able free speech zone, town hall debates, an avalanche of Facebook and Twitter adver-tisements, and a constant flur-ry of meetings with students, groups, and organizations.

It is common practice for newspapers to offer en-dorsements for major politi-cal races, such as the United States presidential race. In a more localized context, one could expect a campus pa-per to endorse a student body president candidate. It’s been done before, even at Texas A&M. For instance, the Batt endorsed current Student Body President Reid Joseph in last year’s elections. And though newspaper endorse-ments are not an uncommon practice, that alone does not advocate for its ethicality.

When the official news-paper of a school endorses a certain candidate for SBP elections, there is something horribly wrong. That newspa-per is using public dollars and public resources to fuel their

personal agenda.Similarly, in a move that

would make student govern-ment have a laughably low democracy rating, student govenment executive officals sent out a newsletter high-lighting freshman Will Al-ders two days before he was to be voted on for Freshman Class President this past fall. Although he did not win, this is another instance of crony students abusing their power.

Even though we do not use public funds for the Good Bull and have every right to do so, we do not want to to give any Aggie candidate an unfair advantage--it’s not our prerogative. As a media outlet, we reserve the right to criticize or commend any national, state, or local po-litical figure, however we do not think it’s the place of the media to encourage voters in a direct context like an SBP endorsement.

Aggies deserve to know the truth about their leaders, and it will remain the mission of the Good Bull to continue to deliver this truth. We will also continue to call out cor-ruption in our school, whether it be in student government, the administration, or in the school’s media outlets--that is if anyone cares to listen and know the below-surface-level truth. We are not in the pocket of anyone and have no giant student political agendas to serve, nor shall we. Our side is that of the student body.

For the latest election news and updates, follow us on twitter @TheGoodBull-TAMU or at thegoodbull.com.

TheGoodBull@gmail.com

TheGoodBull.com

Aaron MitchellEDITOR -IN-CHIEF

Aaron De LeonDEPUTY EDITOR

Hunter FarrisCONTENT EDITOR

Lauren FelderLAYOUT EDITOR

Ben DierkerSTAFF WRITER

Fernando SosaSTAFF WRITER

Chase McGuireSTAFF WRITER

Caroline PetersonSTAFF WRITER

Cary CheshireSTAFF WRITER

Cody MillerSTAFF WRITER

Redass RalphSTAFF WRITER

Miller BurnsSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Beau BrundretteSENIOR SALES ASSOCIATE

Kyle EliasTAX CONSULTANT

Austin DunsonONLINE MANAGER

That’d be great.”We’re looking for writers and editors,

so if that’s you, drop us a line:TheGoodBull@gmail.com

Don’t forget to follow us at @TheGoodBullTAMU!

“Yeah, so if you could go ahead and apply to

Fine Print The Good Bull, est. 2013, is a nonprofit organiza-tion dedicated to providing information to students through printed publications and an online presence. The Good Bull aims to promote the traditions and culture of Texas A&M with a fun read while serving as the university’s only true independent newspaper. Additionally, not affiliating with the university or any student organization allows TGB To Be A&M’s only student voice for administrative accountibility. The Good Bull is funded by generous donations from former students, ad revenue, mail subscriptions, and support from the Collegaite Network, a national organization that aids in the creation and develope-ment of independent campus publications.

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Opinion

The Good Bull would also like to remind

students to registrer to vote in their home or

Brazos county. The first round of primaries

start in early March, with an additional pri-

mary in May and final elections in Novem-

ber.

Remember to Vote State and Local

From the Editor

THE GOOD BULL • 3FEBRUARY 2014

Man at football games fueling yells and demonstrating Aggie traditions to the nation. You get to choose.

Finally there is the Student Body President. This is the executive, the highest office a student can hold at Texas A&M. This person will make executive decisions, sign or veto bills from the senate, trav-el to represent the university, and work with the administra-tion on the students’ behalf. There is no electoral college, just your votes and candidates. You have a duty to vote to en-sure A&M’s brilliant future.

Voting is perhaps the stu-dents’ most direct and influen-tial statement all year. Every vote counts and helps decide what direction the student body will take. Who will stand before the 12th Man in to lead yells, who will be the face of the student body, and who will speak for the opinion of the students?

Included in the vote is of-ten a special referendum- a time when all students get a direct vote. This is a time where the student body’s voice won’t be distorted through representatives. In the past these referendums have helped make decisions on sports pass prices, Kyle Field redevelopment, and even details of the official Texas A&M logo.

So whatever your reason is, it is highly encouraged that you vote. Whether you have invested personal in-terests in candidates, have friends that are running, or just want a particular policy to be voiced through a can-didate, it is vital that you give your vote.

Apathy is a disease. And remember, if you don’t vote, you can’t complain.

To vote in elections on Feb. 21-22, go to: vote.tamu.edu

electionsContinued from page 1

Students Prey to Pyramid SchemesYour parents were right when they said nothing in life was free

BY ANONYMOUS

As a college student bills can add up quickly, and the idea of quick income seems enticing. Yet, opportunities for honest employment are not hard to come by in a college town.

The problem with getting a job that arises for many college students however, is a lack of time and convenience. For most students working around a class schedule, extra-curric-ulars, and sporting events is a difficult task. But the mental-ity that “Hard work pays off,” is a concept that’s been around for ages for a good reason.

We live in an age of instant gratification—people want to earn a lot of money with little effort. This seems especially relevant among younger gen-erations. There’s an attitude of, “how can I get maximum reward with minimal effort.” Making a quick buck is ap-pealing, but the legality, moral-ity, and reality of this mentality with income is questionable.

One way students have been exploited is through what is called a, “pyramid scheme”. For those who don’t know,

a pyramid schemeis a busi-ness model that pays based on how many participants are involved. It is an illegal and unsustainable structure with

a 100% failure rate. Many of these businesses, however, a able to slip through the cracks. Often times, the participants involved do not even realize that that they are in an illegal activity. The CEO’s and hier-archies of these companies are often millionaires. However, the person responsible for the company typically either goes to jail, (for tax evasion, embez-zlement, fraud, etc.) or is sued

by one of their, “employees”. When one of these things oc-curs, the whole pyramid col-lapses and everyone involved is greatly affected.

These unlawful companies have started aiming their busi-ness towards college students. They are the perfect targets for two reasons: they are general-ly poor and they are inexperi-enced. College students often have vast networks of friends that make them extremely valuable to such companies. Students have friends who are often like-minded individu-als that are equally likely to succumb to the rhetoric these companies use.

How do you know it’s a pyramid scheme? (The 6 Tell-tale Signs):

There are often many ob-vious signs that a company is trying to involve you in a pyramid scheme. These can help students identify such schemes far before they end up throwing away what little money they have. These signs include:

1. There is no interview process, just a presentation of them trying to get your inter-est.

2. They are not actually selling anything. There is not specific product or service that they mention.

3. There is some fee to sign up, and it’s often steep.

4. They ask you to re-cruit more people or, “repre-sentatives”.

5. If the cash flow looks like a pyramid, it might be a pyramid scheme.

6. They continuously say, “this is not a pyramid scheme”.

At Texas A&M, we know that Aggies do not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do so. However, many Aggies that take part in these scams unknowingly do all three of these things. Before sign-ing any documents or doling out any cash, do the research. Blogs are not always factual, but they can offer a first-hand opinion from a witness or par-ticipant. Pass it back, Ags!

Business

“We live in an age of instant gratification--people want to earn a lot of money with little effort. This seems especially relevant among younger generations.”

4 • THE GOOD BULL FEBRUARY 2014Paid Advertisement

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COLLEGE IS ALREADY EXPENSIVE ENOUGH

THE GOOD BULL • 5FEBRUARY 2014

Former Texas A&M President Releases Tell-AllFormer defense secretary Robert Gates lets Americans into the intimate details of his career in Washington.BY AARON MITCHELL

Former Secretary of De-fense Robert Gates has drawn much criticism in Washington after the release of his new memoir, “Duty.”

Gates, the former president of Texas A&M University (2002-2006), worked under former United States President George W. Bush from 2006-2009 and President Barack Obama from 2009-2011.

After his tenure as defense

secretary, Gates left Washing-ton with his character intact and a reputation for being a steady-minded thinker and intelligent foreign policy advi-sor.

In this book, Gates goes deep into his time as defense secretary, putting the reader in negotiation room with Presi-dents Bush and Obama.

Gates show uneasiness about the wars in Iraq and Af-ghanistan, but writes that he generally agrees with the de-

cisions President Obama made about the war. Gates believed that the President was using the right strat-egy, but complains that President Obama’s heart was not in the war. In the words of Gates, Obama “doesn’t believe in his own strategy, and doesn’t consider the war to be his. For him, it’s all about get-ting out.”

When looking back at the Bush administra-tion, Gates did not know what he would have told the President if he had asked him his opinion on invading Iraq. According to Gates, Dick Cheney may have been the driv-ing force behind the war. Cheney also reportedly advocated for the bomb-ings of Syria and Iran.

Gates does have a great deal of criticism for the Bush Administration, claiming that Bush’s goals were too simple and “historically naive.” He believes that Bush’s policies helped to fuel the anti-Ameri-can feeling in the Middle East.

Gates offers criticism of multiple high-profile political figures like Vice President Joe Biden, claiming Biden was loud, obsessed with politics and initiated many of the is-sues between Obama and his generals. Conversely, Gates

praises Hillary Clinton for al-ways being cooperative and thoughtful in her decisions.

President Obama is painted as a sort of intricate character. Gates says Obama is “very thoughtful and analytical, but he is also quite decisive.” However, he is also shown to be withdrawn and distant from his everyday dealings.

More than anything, Gates seems to use the book as a way to funnel out the years of angst he experienced in Wash-

ington. He was very troubled by his time there and found his job very difficult to bare. At one point, in a personal email, he writes “no one knows how much I hate this job.” And, af-ter talking to a woman whose sons were fighting in Iraq, he wrote, “I couldn’t finish my dinner, and I couldn’t sleep that night. Our wars had just become very real to me, along with the responsibility I was taking on for all those in the fight.”

Robert Gates speaking while he was president at Texas A&M University.

Politics

Robert Gates pictured with former President George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld at the announcement of his nomination.

Good Bull Games

6 • THE GOOD BULL FEBRUARY 2014

BY FERNANDO SOSA

Wendy Davis, the Demo-cratic gubernatorial candidate expected to be nominated in March, recently defended her campaign against criticisms sparked by distorted life claims she has since acknowledged.

During a court case and at campaign events, Davis previ-ously claimed she divorced her first husband at the age of 19. A Dallas Morning News report recently found that she was not officially divorced until she was 21.

At a fundraiser in Austin last month, Davis defended a claim some believe she intentionally developed to appeal to voters.

“Most women, as I did, think that the moment they become the sole caregiver of their child is the time when their marriage ends,” Davis said. “My divorce was official on a piece of paper when I was 21, but in reality my marriage ended when I was 19.”

Davis, who divorced Jeff Davis soon after he helped pay off her law school debt, origi-nally failed to credit her sec-ond husband for his financial contributions to her education. On the candidate’s website, she claimed that her education was made possible “with the help of academic scholarships and student loans.”

“The truth is that this was a family effort from beginning to end. It was a family effort when Jeff cashed in a 401K to help pay for law school and it was a family effort once I became a successful lawyer working and contributing to our family finances to pay off my law school loans over the next decade,” Davis said while addressing the Texas Demo-cratic Party in Austin.

Matt Hirsch, the spokesman for the Greg Abbott republi-can gubernatorial campaign, reportedly told the Houston

Chronicle that “it’s disappoint-ing that a candidate would so cavalierly deceive voters about the most basic aspects of their life, while providing inaccurate testimony in the process.”

Some students are con-cerned about Davis’ ability to gain confidence from the pub-lic. Brad Head’15, the current president of College Repub-licans, believes it should not just be republicans concerned about Davis.

“The stories coming out about Wendy Davis should be concerning to both republicans and democrats,” Head said. “Do you really want someone in office that you can’t trust?”

Despite Davis admitting to withholding information about her life from the public, the candidate is viewing the criti-cism as an attack from Abbott and other conservatives on her campaign, who she claims are “lying about my family.”

Davis’s two daughters even issued statements in defense of their mother’s actions, each claiming Davis made the choices that were best for her children.

Davis is facing a challenging election against Abbott, who

has been elected to statewide office before to serve as Attor-

ney General. No democrat has been elected to statewide office in Texas since 1994.

“The governor should be a public figure that supports Texans and wants Texans’ sup-port. Wendy Davis, however, is busy soliciting donations from donors in other states,” Head said.

According to polls conduct-

ed by Public Policy Polling last November, the public plans to keep a Republican in office. Respondents favored Abbott with 47% over Davis’ 37%.

“Wendy Davis will win the governorship the day Ted Cruz enrolls in Obamacare and Bill Clinton is faithful to Hillary,” College Republicans Commu-nications Director Kathleen Sportsman’14 said.

Davis became popular dur-ing the special legislative ses-

sions last summer called by Governor Rick Perry ’72 in which an abortion restriction bill was placed on the agen-da. The senator from the Fort Worth area led an 11-hour fili-buster against the bill support-ed by several pro-life groups and politicians which has since been upheld by federal courts.

The officer team for Texas Aggie Democrats refused to comment for this story.

Politics

Davis’ Distortion Draws CriticismWendy Davis’ uphill battle for the governor’s mansion gets a little steep-er after media investigates biographical inconsistencies

“Davis, who divorced Jeff Davis soon after he helped pay off her law school debt, originally failed to credit her second husband for his financial contributions to her education.”

tunity to participate in a four-year fixed tuition price plan.”

Under SB 29, Texas A&M must agree not to increase tu-ition costs individually per semester credit hour for at least 12 semesters. This is ul-timately what caused tuition to increase. In order to reduce revenue loss due to the fixed tuition rate, the university as-sumed a percentage of tuition increase they found suitable.

What seemed like a simple way to manage tuition cost throughout a student’s time in college may have backfired,

hurting many families and stu-dents. Dallas Representative Dan Branch (R) proposed the bill.

The University System Board of Regents also voted on several other initiatives: the $16 million renovation of the Bright Football Complex, which will be gift funded, and a $40 million expansion of the Student Recreation Cen-ter, funded by the Texas State Legislator.

TuitionContinued from page 1

“Davis is facing a challenging election against Abbott, who has been elected to statewide office before to serve as Attorney General. No democrat has been elected to statewide office in Texas since 1994.”

Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis gained noteriety in June 2013 after she led an 11 hour filibust in the Texas state sen-

THE GOOD BULL • 7FEBRUARY 2014

Promising Season Set to BeginAggie Baseball fans have a lot to look forward to after the season offically hits off later this month

GOOD BULL STAFF

After a 34-29 showing in 2013, which included a re-gionals berth and a series win over #6 Ole Miss, the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Baseball Team shows promise for its 2014 campaign. Most notably, the Aggie’s nonconference sched-ule includes an exciting test with a road series at Fresno State.

The Aggies are ranked #24 in the nation and return all but one starter, shortstop Mikey Reynolds.

Leading the Aggies in bat-ting average last year with a

.352, Cole Lankford will spearhead the team’s offense. Seniors Krey Bratson and Troy Stein will follow his lead, with .279 and .287 batting av-erages, respectively.

Blake Allemand, who led the Aggies in runs scored in 2013, is also a notable re-turnee. Hunter Melton shows promise to be the Aggies’ top slugger after his team-high 6 home runs last season.

On the mound, the Aggies will turn to Parker Ray and Daniel Mengden. Mengden will start on Friday nights af-ter an 8-4 record with a 2.11 ERA in 2013. After starting

six games last season with a 1.73 ERA, Parker Ray will be the Aggies’ Saturday starter. Closer Jason Jester will return as the team’s key closer after holding batters to a .200 bat-ting average and racking up 14 saves in 2013.

The young Aggies look to improve under head coach Rob Childress (323-182-2 with the Aggies), who was re-cently announced as the pitch-ing coach for the Collegiate National Team.

“It is an incredible honor to have the opportunity to coach for Team USA and be a part of such an incredible coach-

ing staff with Dave, Ray and Steve,” Childress said. “They are not only incredible coaches but incredible men and great friends. The chance to coach some of the best collegiate tal-ent in the country and to repre-sent the United States together is going to be a humbling ex-perience.”

The Aggies have had three players play for the Collegiate National Team under Chil-dress, Michael Wacha, Tyler Naquin and Daniel Mengden.

The 2014 season will start Feb. 14 against Northeastern at Blue Bell Park.

“‘It is an incredible honor

to have the opportunity

to coach for Team USA

and be a part of such an

incredible coaching staff

with Dave, Ray and Steve,’

Childress said. ‘They

are not only incredible

coaches but incredible

men and great friends.”

Sports

Good Bull Game Solutions

8 • THE GOOD BULL FEBRUARY 2014Sportst.u. Makes Feeble Attempt to Invigo-rate Football ProgramRedass Ralph Spouts Off Again

BY REDASS RALPH

A new era in mediocrity for our less than inspiring archri-val began last month when the Longhorns announced that they would be making Charlie Strong of Louisville their new head football coach. Despite announcing that they were go-ing after a big fish such as Nick Saban, Gus Malzhan, or Chris Petersen, the Longhorns seem to have been stuck with their last respectable choice.

Texas Athletic Director Steve Patterson, a known Devil affiliate, was the administrator tasked with the decision, so it is simply logical to believe that this decision is tainted as well. The mascot of the University of Louisville is the Cardinal. In the opinion of this writer, it might as well be the “Cardi-nal” Sins. Of course this was simply glossed over by the cor-rupt demonic administration of Belmont, who said that Coach Strong was “a man of great in-

tegrity, with a wonderful fam-ily, who is well respected inside and outside the game.”

Charlie Strong will of course be replacing the late Mack Brown, who seems to have

spent the last of his own necromantic powers keeping the starting ros-ter of the Longhorns out of jail. After he was bled dry, it became almost im-possible not to cast him to the side in favor of a new overlord.

There has of course been no mention by Coach Strong since his hiring of renewing the historic rivalry in which the Fightin’ Texas Aggies often beat the tar out of the tea-sips. This writer would chalk that up to what is known as being a pansy.

Hoighty-toighty sports writers were rather split on the hire with some praising it as something that might make t.u. suck a little bit less and others saying that this would only push the team of girl scouts farther down the proverbial toilet. Charlie “Weaksauce” Strong speaks at a press conference.

“Hoighty-toighty sports writers were rather split on the hire with some praising it as something that might make t.u. suck a little bit less and others saying that this would only push the team of girl scouts father down the proverbial toilet.”

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