WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2019 STUDENT MEDIA
Cassie Sticker — THE BATTALION
A candle is lit in honor of an Aggie who passed away in the last year at the 2019 Campus Muster ceremony.
Meredith Seaver — THE BATTALION
Bill Howell, Class of 1969, addresses the crowd gathered for the Spirit Plaza dedication at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
Passing back tradition Spirit Plaza highlights Aggie values with new monuments By Camryn Lang @CamrynLang Members of the Class of 1969 gathered in the newly built Spirit Plaza Tuesday morning to dedicate the memorial to Texas A&M. The new addition is located in the heart of campus in front of Academic Plaza, stretching from the intersection of Houston Street and Old Main Drive to the A&M seal on Military Walk. The area houses the Muster and Silver Taps statues that previously stood in Academic Plaza, along with new plaques created to commemorate some of A&M’s most solemn traditions. While three of the
plaques recognize Muster, Silver Taps and the plaza itself, one is dedicated to a letter by Donald Coward — a freshman cadet who wrote about his experience at Silver Taps before dying in a car accident in 1968. Coward’s letter is read at Fish Camp each year during the Silver Taps presentation. University president Michael Young and several class agents spoke to the crowd about the importance of recognizing the history of A&M’s Muster and Silver Taps traditions through the monuments. With the class agents of 1969 and 2019 present, the plaza was given to the Class of 2019 to watch over and eventually add to in 50 years. Former student body president Amy Sharp spoke at the event as a representative of the Class of 2019. She was first contacted by Spirit Plaza committee
Gathering strength 140 honored at Campus Muster, Dwight Roblyer speaks on importance of unity and compassion By Savannah Mehrtens @SJMehrtens
member Bill Zemanek about the plaza two years ago and said the offer seemed too good to be true at the time. “They weren’t asking us for money; they were asking us for support and stewardship,” Sharp said. “It’s really exciting to be apart of that decision; to have an opportunity for the Class of 2019 to continue the legacy of the Class of 1969 and also to eventually play a part in the plaza.” Bill Maddox, 1969 class agent, said the plaza isn’t meant to bring recognition for his class, but to represent the A&M family. “There are so many of us involved that have done so much,” Maddox said. “There’s no bricks that say ‘so and so donated this,’ because that’s not what its about. It’s about A&M. The day you
At Muster, Aggies around the world gather to remember those who died during the previous year, bringing light to the darkness of their passing. This year, over 300 Muster ceremonies were held worldwide to remember Aggies and those close to the A&M community who died, including former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush. The 2019 Campus Muster was held in Reed Arena at 7 p.m. on Monday. Dwight A. Robyler, Class of 1984, was the Muster speaker for the campus ceremony. Roblyer said Muster is both a joyous celebration and a somber remembrance, pointing to the locations around the world where two or more Aggies have gathered and looking back at historical events tied to the tradition. “To Muster means to assemble,” Roblyer said. “‘Sergeant, muster the troops’ would have been a common order a number of years ago. However, the title of tonight’s event can also be used in the sense of mustering courage. Both of these meanings are appropriate on this day at this assembly
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MUSTER ON PG. 3
Muting the Mavericks Aggies earn midweek victory before traveling to Ole Miss for SEC series By Alek Caro @orackela
Annie Lui — THE BATTALION
Sophomore outfielder Zach DeLoach and junior infielder Bryce Blaum celebrate during A&M’s 10-5 win over the University of Texas at Arlington.
Texas A&M baseball continues its recent string of strong offensive performances, defeating the University of Texas at Arlington 10-5 at Blue Bell Park on Tuesday. This win gives A&M the same overall win total as SEC West-leading Arkansas. The Aggies move their overall record to 30-12-1 and 11-6-1 in the SEC, while the Mavericks fall to 28-14 on the season and 14-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. The game began to see some offensive action in the third inning after two scoreless innings from both dugouts. UTA struck blood first, but A&M responded immediately with a solo home run from sophomore outfielder Zach DeLoach. DeLoach said it was important for the Aggies to be aggressive because of the storied past between the two teams. “The past two or three years we have not beat them so I think it’s huge especially for our offense,” DeLoach said. “Our offense has not been productive as of late, especially in SEC
play, I mean we’re still getting wins but it is good to see we can score double-digit runs against a quality team.” The offensive momentum only grew into the fourth inning. Freshman infielder and outfielder Brett Brown got his first career hit and it ignited shouts of joy from the A&M bullpen. Sophomore infielder Will Frizzell followed up Brown’s hit with a single to get two Aggies on base. Freshman infielder Ty Coleman then hit a three-run home run deep into left field, building the Aggie lead to 4-1. A&M head coach Rob Childress said Brown’s success at the plate is not a surprise after watching his performances in practice. “When you come to watch our batting practices, Brett Brown has as good of batting practice as anybody we have,” Childress said. “He’s got a good approach, good power, a good swing and he’s certainly a good teammate.” In the fifth, the Aggies kept their foot on the gas. Junior outfielder Logan Foster hit a single that scored DeLoach for his second run of the evening. Although, it wasn’t just the offense who kept the Aggies in the game, but also the defense. BASEBALL ON PG. 4
Lawmakers propose weed reform Support grows as cannabis-related bills are up for Texas House consideration By Noah Woods @noahwoods_3 The 86th Texas Legislature, which formally began on Jan. 8 and will go on until May 27, has seen unprecedented support for marijuana reform. Unlike in past movements, recent cannabis legislation is seeing advocacy from both sides. Nearly 70 bills have been introduced to the House in the last four months regarding variations of cannabis reform. While Texas has seen small-scale progress toward liberalizing marijuana usage both medically and recreationally, it remains far behind the majority of states. However, with public opinion shifting and political support growing, the 86th Legislature could have a chance to make amendments to Texas’ currently strict marijuana laws. Texas has historically been ranked as one of the more conservative states when it comes to drug enforcement. However, with a growing wave of liberal support tied with extended advocacy for marijuana usage nationwide, Texas has seen recent strides toward decriminalization statewide, Ann Bowman, Bush School endowed chair in government and
public service, said. “In 2019 these bills appear to be moving, unlike previously, and that is due to the fact that so many states have already acted on this issue,” Bowman said. “Over 30 states have medical marijuana, and 10 allow recreational use. In general, there is a sense that this issue is maturing.” Bowman said another reason is because of changes in the legislature and public opinion. “There is a majority view that the public is more receptive to changes in the law that criminalize possession of small quantities of marijuana as well as support for expanding coverage of medical marijuana,” Bowman said. “It is kind of a sense that the time is right to really take up this question.” While reform is being pushed by multiple House members, there is still variation in the changes they would like to see in district courts and federal enforcement, according to political science lecturer Dwight Roblyer. “Some of the bills are asking for penalties to be lessened for possessing small amounts of marijuana, while others are asking to get rid of criminal penalties and make it a civil matter,” Roblyer said. Bowman said this issue has largely been a divisive and polarizing one among both parties throughout Texas legislative history, but for the first time, there REFORM ON PG. 3
Graphic by Nic Tan — THE BATTALION
Around 70 bills for marijuana reform have been introduced to the Texas house in the last four months.