WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2019 STUDENT MEDIA
Dropping the ball PROVIDED
“Finding Neverland,” a nationally touring Broadway show, will have two performances in Rudder Auditorium.
Flying to Aggieland Cast of “Finding Neverland” share their love for the theatre ahead of two-night showing at A&M By Rose Moczygemba @MoczygembaRose “Finding Neverland” tells the story of how J.M. Barrie created the world of Neverland and its fascinating characters, including Peter Pan. First premiering in 2012, the show eventually made its way to Broadway in March 2015. Now, it travels all over the country, with its next stop at Texas A&M. The show will play in Rudder Auditorium on Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Conor McGriffin, who plays both Captain Hook and Charles Frohman in the production, graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in musical theater in 2014, but had a long acting career before that. McGriffin has performed in several professional productions before this, including “Jekyll and Hyde,” “Annie,” “Hairspray” and “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.” This is his fifth national tour. NEVERLAND ON PG. 4
Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION
Senior third baseman Chandler Morris slides into first base after attempting to steal second.
Aggie baseball maintains losing streak with non-conference loss By Grant Spika @GrantSpika No. 12 Texas A&M baseball welcomed Texas State to Blue Bell Park on Tuesday as they looked to get back
on track after losing a series to LSU last weekend. However, the Bobcats started hot, scoring five runs in the first inning and ultimately taking the win 5-3. With the loss, the Aggies fall to a 25-9-1overall record and 7-4-1 in SEC play, while the Bobcats improve to 2112 on the season and 7-5 in Sun Belt. Sophomore lefty Dustin Saenz got the start on the mound for A&M after
a stellar performance against Texas last week. Saenz retired one batter before the Bobcats loaded the bases and forced Saenz to balk — an illegal move by the pitcher to deceive the runners on base which results in runners advancing to the next base — allowing the first run of the game. Saenz then walked the next batter to BASEBALL ON PG. 4
UPD, Carpool talk rideshare safety Following South Carolina student death, Aggies urged to stay aware By Camryn Lang @CamrynLang
FILE
Uber suggests double-checking the license plate, make and model and driver’s photo before entering a vehicle.
Around 2 a.m. on March 29, University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson was kidnapped and murdered after mistakenly entering the car of a stranger that she believed to be her Uber driver. The tragedy made national headlines and called into question the safety of rideshare apps — especially for students. It has prompted schools and authorities to take a closer look at rideshare apps, but no drastic changes have resulted from the crime. According to Uber, users should double-check car details by matching the characteristics described on the app. These include the license plate number, the car’s make and model and the driver’s likeness to the provided photo. Uber also recommends sharing trip details with friends, riding in the back seat of the car to ensure a safe exit and avoid sharing personal information with the driver. Texas A&M Police Lieutenant Bob-
by Richardson, Class of 1995, said students should avoid focusing only on their phones when waiting for their driver’s arrival. He recommends students stay aware of their surroundings throughout the process. “Trust your instincts; that’s what we in our culture don’t do enough of,” Richardson said. “A&M is a safe community, so we take that for granted sometimes. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.” Richardson said if a user enters a situation where they feel threatened, they should immediately leave and call 911. “We would also recommend sitting in the back of the car instead of the front. In the front, you’re accessible to the driver,” Richardson said. “So if you’re in the back, it gives you separation. You can get out if you need to.” A&M’s Carpool is a student organization that provides a free service to students who need a safe ride home. The group works Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights during the spring and fall semesters. Allie Migura, director of public relations for Carpool and agricultural economics junior, said the organization’s mission is to provide students with a
comfortable experience from a fellow Aggie they can trust to get them home safely. “One of [the Carpool founders’] main things is that the service had to be something that his fellow Aggies trusted,” Migura said. “We’re peers; we trust each other. They get in our cars knowing that we’ll get them home safely.” Team leader for Carpool and management information systems sophomore Jacob Miller said the group has a station exclusively for students leaving Northgate. “The Northgate station is right behind the Dixie Chicken,” Miller said. “There’s barricades and a bunch of green shirts. There you sign up for a ride, and when they arrive, we walk you to your car. There’s definitely no getting in the wrong car.” Miller said Carpool is meant to give students a transportation option with minimum usage obstacles. “One of the most common questions that we all get is, ‘why not just drive for Uber and get paid for it?’” Miller said. “I think what separates Carpool from that is that everything we do is to give you a reason to not drive home drunk. So when rates get up to $80, we’ll get you there for free.”
Starting the conversation New mental health organization hopes to spread awareness to A&M students By Shreya Rao @Shreyarao_ Aggie Mental Health Ambassadors was founded in the fall of 2018 by three students with a mission to bring more counselors to Texas A&M. Chief executive officer and chemical engineering senior Grace Dansby said the organization wants to empower students to educate the world about mental health. “We strive to make the Texas A&M student body an active force in changing the culture on mental health at our university and hopefully in surrounding communities and around the globe,” Dansby said. AMHA consists of five committees: programs, policy, awareness, training and development. The programs committee was in charge of the free ‘Mental Health is Real Health’ event at Rudder Theatre and Rudder Exhibit Hall on April 5. AMHA invited two mental health professionals who gave a presentation on anxiety and depression followed by a question and answer session. After the event, there was a resource fair with multiple on- and off-campus mental health
resources for students to learn about. Dansby said she thinks AMHA’s biggest connection to students is their ability to relate to them in a way Student Counseling Services has not been able to since they are closer in age and have similar experiences. “I think sometimes, especially with mental health, our peers are so much more willing to talk to their friends, individuals in their life or other college students who potentially might be experiencing the same things rather than someone who might be deemed a professional,” Dansby said. Sociology senior and programs committee chair Hannah Sokora said she hopes the organization starts conversations about mental health and helps get rid of the taboos that often surround the subject. “I think as a college student, we all go through something at some point in our college career, and being able to be open and being able to talk about that with other students or faculty or peers is really important for our overall well being,” Sokora said. “Even though we are new, it’s a great opportunity to grow as a student body in learning that it’s not just your physical health that matters.” Programs committee member and human MENTAL HEALTH ON PG. 4
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Lisa Elliot gives a presentation on the recent rise of anxiety and depression.