THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5
Swan Songs: December graduates reflect on their time with The Battalion and at A&M. A2
SPORTS
Aggies prepare for second NCAA Tournament under coach Jamie Morrison. B1
The Battalion
This is the last
and
By Nicholas Gutteridge Managing Editor
Texas A&M will soon begin interviewing applicants for Corps of Cadets commandant, President Mark A. Welsh III said during a press conference in the Memorial Student Center marking his anniversary in the permanent position.
Applications for the Corps’ highest position closed on Nov. 12. The search committee, led by Welsh’s chief of staff, Susan Ballabina, is currently selecting top candidates for first-round interviews.
“The Corps — in my mind, it
is this noble, elite organization that should always be at the center of Texas A&M because of its tie to the heritage and the legacy of this university,” Welsh said. “Hiring a new commandant is really critically important to us.”
The search committee hopes to have finalists on campus by the end of January to “expose them to many different groups” and “give people the opportunity to make input on the final selection,” Welsh said.
Lt. Gen. Loyd S. “Chip” Utterback has served as interim commandant since Welsh directed the previous leader, Patrick Michaelis,
to step down in August for unstated reasons.
“There were just some things happening that made it very clear that it was time for a change,” Welsh said during a sit-down interview with The Battalion on Thursday, Nov. 21.
“I think there are a number of constituencies that believe that. Patrick knows why he was asked to step down. Let me say this: I have a lot of respect for Patrick Michaelis. He worked hard in his job, and it’s a very difficult job.”
By Nicholas Gutteridge Managing Editor
The outcome of a national class action lawsuit is set to reshape Texas’ NIL law that prevents universities from paying athletes for use of their name, image or likeness, Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III said during a press conference.
Passed in 2021, the state law excluded universities when allowing student-athletes to profit from their NIL. But a preliminary settlement in House v. NCAA, a national class action lawsuit, allows Division 1 universities — including A&M —
to use roughly $20 million toward NIL agreements with student-athletes. It would also see $2.75 billion distributed to various athletes who played for universities from as far back as 2016 to July 2021, when the NCAA first allowed athletes to earn money for their NIL.
While the settlement isn’t expected to be finalized until next spring, universities in Texas have taken notice, including A&M. Particularly, Welsh said current state law must be adjusted for A&M to fully comply with the settlement.
“We have been talking to the legislature about this,” Welsh said.
“We do have draft language as well that we will propose, but we’re holding off until we know where we stand getting a little bit closer to the settlement date to make sure there’s not some other changes that need to be incorporated into this draft language.”
During a press conference at the Texas-A&M Lone Star Showdown, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey said the conference plans to work with schools whose laws conflict with conference policies and the House settlement.
As
Seen as a distant blob or vague outline of fluff from most fans packing Kyle Field, Reveille X’s details of constant care are more than just meets the eye. Her pristine maintenance is supported by several moving parts — both Aggies and not.
Pampering the queen
Once an A&M student herself, Hayley Tilson, Class of 2017, has found herself in a full-circle moment.
Working at a dog grooming service during college, she began her journey grooming Reveille IX, branching off after graduation to become the owner-operator of Dizzy Dazee Dog Grooming — but her dream was to have Reveille back.
After Reveille’s former groomers shut down following COVID-19, it became a matter of knowing the right people to rekindle the old partnership.
“My coworker is neighbors with people that are really active with the Corps, and so it was when Batie [Bishop] was the handler,” Tilson said. “And so they sent Reveille to us, and she doesn’t do big dogs — and I was like, ‘Look, I used to groom her. I know what I’m doing. Sign me up.’”
Reveille X now comes in every two weeks and Reveille IX every four, with scheduling attempts to get them to come in together whenever they overlap.
‘It’s
When members of The Battalion sta graduate, they have the option to participate in one last tradition: Swan Songs. These are re ections of their time at A&M — their shining moments, awkward mistakes and favorite memories in the Batt Cave.
Luke White graduates with a bachelor’s degree in telecommunication media studies on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024.
“Why not?”
I didn’t place much stock into my decision to apply to The Battalion shortly into my freshman year in September 2021.
I had written for my high school’s student newspaper for four years and knew I wanted to get into the eld of sports media, so joining the then-128-year-old publication felt like the right decision. If nothing else, I saw it as a way to get involved as a sh in a sea of 70,000 students.
Looking back, I would have never guessed that a simple paper application would lead to a lifetime of memories, experiences and friendships. Over 1,100 days later and with a week to go until graduation, I can con dently say that writing at The Battalion has been a pinnacle of my time at Texas A&M.
Progressing on the sports desk from starting as a writer to serving as a sports editor has a orded me the opportunities of a lifetime, whether it’s covering football games at a sold-out Kyle Field, journaling A&M softball’s epic 2024 Super Regional series against Texas in Austin or wrapping up a story in the Minute Maid Park press box past 2 a.m.
‘This
is an
I’m going to miss the Arlington Wa e House trips that became tradition after covering the Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium or baseball at Globe Life Field. Traveling to Atlanta for the ACP Fall National College Media Convention in the 2023 was unforgettable. I never thought my rst eld storming would come at a Georgia Tech football game.
My time on the sports desk has featured the retirement of a Hall of Fame basketball coach and the sudden departure of a baseball coach in A&M fans’ Hall of Shame. Within the span of a couple weeks last fall, we saw Jimbo Fisher red and Mike Elko hired as the Aggies’ football coach. And I’m still not sure what happened with Mark Stoops.
Yet among all the experiences
I’ve forged at The Battalion, the ones I’ll value the most are the most simple.
Tuesday and Thursday trips to the Batt Cave for web production. Working print deep into Thursday morning. Sports desk meetings with icebreakers covering every topic under the sun, not that we get any in MSC L400.
It’s the people at The Battalion that make it so special, and I’ve
been blessed to be surrounded by an all-star crew for four years.
Ryan Faulkner, Casey Stavenhagen and Jenny Streeter set a standard of excellence that I’ve strived to reach every day. As my rst editors, they lled me with a desire to see The Battalion sports desk become the best it could be.
Zoe May, Grant Gaspard, Hunter Mitchell, Kylie Stoner, Braxton Dore’ and Matthew Seaver have been rock stars as co-editors. I can’t do this alone, and their support has helped us achieve great things. I’m thankful for the hard work of each writer I’ve worked alongside that has contributed to our comprehensive coverage of Texas A&M athletics.
The Battalion has given me some of my closest friends in Aggieland and allowed me to foster relationships that I’ll carry with me long after I’m out of here. Beyond the experience I’ve gained and the opportunities I’ve received, I’ll appreciate the friendships the most. There’s too many to list here, so to all: thank you.
Finally, thank you to you, the reader, for making our e orts worthwhile. I know my time at The Battalion was well spent because it’s so hard to say goodbye.
experience I’ll tell
my grandkids about one day’
Mikayla Martinez graduates with a bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in history on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024.
‘Thank
I never thought I’d see my name in the on-campus newspaper.
Since I was a little one, my nana raised me around the news. Being at her house every day after school meant I would be watching Austin’s KXAN. I was in awe of the anchors — how they showed up on TV at the same time every day. One day, they’d be playing with puppies at a local shelter; the next, reporting live from a crime scene.
They were my Beyoncé. Making newspapers with drawings of my teddy bears and friends was my idea of fun. I wondered, “Could I be like the KXAN people?” Coming out of high school, post-pandemic, I thought I wanted to be a doctor. After pouring blood, sweat and tears into just one semester of science classes in 2021, I realized that wasn’t for me. Props to those who stuck with it — I couldn’t be one of them.
I had always been creative throughout my K-12 years and had a passion for writing, but I didn’t know what to do with it.
My college journey wasn’t about disappointment — it was about nding my way unexpectedly. After a long year of deciding on a major, I stumbled upon
journalism and The Battalion. I rediscovered that writing was my passion, and Texas A&M had the resources to help me pursue it.
Honestly, I was inspired by “Gilmore Girls”’ Paris Geller and the wise words of professors Larry Lemmons, Dale Rice and Tom Burton. Most of all, I owe thanks to The Battalion’s open arms. Even though my time only spanned a year, the cliche of making lifelong college memories became a reality.The basement of the Memorial Student Center became a new home for me. As someone who came late into journalism at this university, I was apprehensive to join, but the news desk was the place for me.
From talking about sh species with a fascinating professor to covering the Travis Scott merch launch, reporting allowed me to learn about the world. What I love most about journalism — especially news — is telling the stories of people who haven’t been heard.
The Battalion sta includes some of the most creative and talented people I’ve ever met, and I’m honored to have spent my upperclassman years with them.
Working in journalism means
you never know what each day will bring. This semester, I had an amazing time as the honorary crime beat writer. The o cers at the University Police Department were informative and fun to work with, and I’m grateful to them. I’ve learned so much working beside J.M. Wise to bring in new, talented writers. After countless interviews and training sessions, I’m con dent I’m leaving the news desk in good hands. I hope I’ve left it better than I found it.
The late nights at print and newsroom shenanigans felt like being in a season of “The O ce.” Covering election print, rivalry games and welcoming President Mark A. Welsh III made me feel like I was part of A&M history.
The editors have been the best co-stars of this season. Each has their own unique writing style and drive to make the paper its best. Every desk is lled with extraordinary writers and idea makers. Our advisor, Spencer, is the glue that holds it all together. To the writers, editors, artists, photographers and readers: thank you. This is an experience I’ll tell my grandkids about one day when I am old and wrinkly.
you for a chance to tell the most inspiring stories’
Shalina Sabih graduates with a bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in communication on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024.
My love for journalism started when I was 8 years old.
I tried to read my grandfather Baqa Uddin’s articles. He was a well-known journalist in Karachi, Pakistan, and while he passed away before I ever met him, his stories gravitated me towards him and the person he was.
I used to have this dark green ink pen with white and black specks all around it, and it was the pen my grandfather wrote with. Fast forward ve years or so, I had lost the pen and with it, my passion for being a journalist.
It wasn’t until spring 2023 when I was a communication major at Texas A&M that I was reminded of where I truly belonged. I took a journalism class with professor Tom Burton, and he changed the trajectory of my life by saying something as simple as “You should switch to journalism.”
After I made the switch, I said to myself, “What now?”
The next part of my chapter I owe to The Battalion’s photo chief, Chris Swann, who constantly nagged me to join The Batt, and social media editor Sophie Villarreal, who (literally) dragged me by the hand one day and took me to the trenches (the MSC basement) and made me join the sta .
I took my love of sports and started as a sports writer, and I was immediately welcomed by Class of 2024 graduate Kylie Stoner. She was the reason I was never quiet in a room full of guys and why I worked so hard to get the opportunity to cover big leagues such as football and basketball.
In a year’s time, I was given the title of features writer and was the only one under my features editor. I was also one of the very few people who wrote for two desks at once, contributing to both sports and life and arts.
To my life and arts editor, Theresa Lozano: Thank you for your friendship and the moments you made me feel so welcome in the o ce. Your kindness allowed not only you but all the editors to have me as a plus one in the o ce, even though I was a writer.
To my features editor, Ian Curtis: Ian, if you’re reading this, thank you for believing in me and teaching me so much about how to nd meaningful stories. I will always cherish our tea times and debriefs, and what I will miss the most is pulling up shirtless Hugh Jackman pictures on your computer.
To my sports editors, Braxton Dore’, Luke White and Matthew Seaver: Thank you for never see-
ing me as less than because I was the only woman on the desk for a while. I will always cherish every moment of laughter and me pulling the “Is it because I’m a woman?” card. I will always hold the sports desk near and dear to my heart because of the three of you. Also, Luke, please give me a job wherever you go.
To my two top dogs, Amy Leigh Steward and Nicholas Gutteridge: Thank you for pushing me to become a better writer and for seeing my potential as a features writer in me. Amy, The Batt this year under you was my safe place, and the o ce became my second home. Thank you for letting me be there all the time to yap. Nico, from the moment I found you on Instagram to now, I still look up to you, and I want to thank you for seeing me of all people as “The Batt Beast.” I can not wait for you to be famous one day so I get bragging rights. As I get ready to put down the green pen that I picked up years ago, I leave The Batt with these last words … Thank you for a chance to tell the most inspiring stories and for allowing me to grow as a journalist. LSU girl out.
borrowed time.”
Michaelis was the commanding general of the U.S. Army Training Center at Fort Jackson before being named commandant in 2022. In the role, he continued the “March to 3,000” initiative to increase the Corps to 3,000 members. As of this fall, the organization boasts 2,400 cadets.
Michaelis faced criticism after attempting to reform various aspects of the Corps, such as a proposed plan to remove freshman cadets from the outfit structure in exchange for an academy where they trained together before integrating with the outfits. Opponents believed the change would dilute the individual outfits’ uniqueness, while Michaelis saw it as a reform that would better integrate freshmen .
“He’s a very smart guy,” Welsh said. “He’s a very conscientious guy. He’s a big-thinking guy, actually, and he did everything he could to move the Corps forward in the time he was here.”
In a letter the former commandant wrote earlier this year announcing his resignation to his staff, he said he had “been working on
Following Welsh’s directive, Michaelis transitioned to special assistant to the president. His current role’s duties are unclear. The next commandant, Welsh said, must be “an example of how things should be at Texas A&M and an even stronger defender of the traditions and the legacy of the university.”
“[The Corps] used to be all the student body, and it’s kind of — steadily, as the university has grown — has become a smaller and smaller percentage,” Welsh said. “To me, and to I think most of the members of the Corps, that means that you need to be even more and more prestigious. You need to have a greater impact, not a lesser impact.”
The committee searching for the new commandant is composed of Welsh’s chief of staff, Ballabina, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs Angie Hill Price, Dean of The Bush School of Government and Public Service John B. Sherman, Office of the Commandant Chief of Staff Meredith Simpson, Corps of Cadets Commander Deandre Macri and General (Ret.) William M. Fraser III. The committee anticipates announcing a finalist in February 2025.
states that do not have these restrictions,” the letter reads.
“We’ll work with our universities, and the universities with their states,” Sankey said. “We’ll work, I think, collaboratively, to make sure that we can implement this element under state laws.”
Further details will be shared in the February 2025 Board of Regents meeting to prepare for the lawsuit’s final hearing on April 7, 2025.
Welsh’s comments follow a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott from the regents leading the Texas Tech University System requesting the governor let universities ignore the state’s NIL law.
“As a result, TTU and other Texas universities are severely limited in their ability to recruit student-athletes, and Texas universities are likely to lose recruits to universities in
While the letter notes that they expect the law to be amended in the upcoming legislative session, the regents emphasize that state universities remain disadvantaged in the interim when making recruiting offers. A few weeks ago, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed an executive order allowing state universities to pay athletes for NIL.
“We are very fortunate in this regard, I believe, in having Trev Alberts as our athletics director,” Welsh said. “He enjoys this kind of challenge.
He is very good at it, and he’s putting together all kinds of options for how we should approach it, both organizationally and philosophically, that we have started sharing with our Board of Regents in our last meeting.”
“She just gets free range of the shop,” Tilson said. “But when it comes down to business, we got to get to business. So we get her in the tub. We use a deep-cleaning shampoo and then a good moisturizing conditioner. … Then we get her on the table, and I have a product that I put in her coat to help make it floof. And then we blow her out, get her dry, brush her and then scissor her up, and then she just relaxes in the shop, like, runs the roost while waiting for the cadet to come pick up.”
Tilson said accomplishing her tamed fluffiness is as simple as lifting it from the root with a metal comb. Whether it’s Reveille recognizing her outside of the office or her family being proud, Tilson doesn’t see this unique task as just a job — but an accomplishment, especially considering her journey’s origins: growing up as a Longhorn in Austin.
“I get to see her in a light that a lot of people don’t,” Tilson said. “So when she walks in that shop, she’s a dog, right? But let me explain that, in my shop, a dog’s not a dog. A dog, I hold above humans.”
Crafting the coats
Charlotte Boegner crafts the queen’s coats and has been the mascot’s seamstress since 2003, back when Reveille VII sat on the throne. The blankets that wrap her are embroidered and embellished for different occasions, with her maroon design being the most iconic.
When Reveille needs new coats measured, she visits Boegner’s home, where she and embroidery designer Ashley Taylor fit the dimensions while Rev barks at the cats and horses roaming the land.
Unless it’s a specialty design, the two ladies ensure the exclusive coats — often made out of polyester satin — are finished by the first football game. Reveille receives new maroon and white coats annually with a description, the corporal’s name inside the maroon one and the second dog’s name inside the white.
“When I first started, probably in the first four or five [cadet handlers], I charged $75,” Boegner said. “Then I found out the boys had to pay for it. I said, ‘That’s it.’ …. And then, of course, I felt like if I was charging, then anybody could get one. You know, that’s the attitude that they could have. But it’s not for the money. It’s just for the love of all their handlers and their parents and everybody in touch with the whole campus, everybody.”
The queen’s first coats had a belt at the bottom that tucked beneath, but they’ve since adjusted to use snaps because of her fluff. Knowing how the fabric stretches when too tight or too loose, and more recently using computerized machines, Boegner and Taylor pour time, care and attentiveness into the intricate designs that have slightly changed over time.
“Everybody’s looking down on her, so these can’t be off,” Boegner said. “The T [in A&M’s logo] have to be exactly apart from each other. So I made a little cheap stitching to help line it up, and that helps a lot. But you can’t stitch it all at one time. It’s stitched one side at a time. That was one of the biggest challenges I think I had for myself, was making sure that those Ts were straight across.”
Done proudly from the heart, thousands see the easily recognizable coats created by the two that allow the queen to shine.
“I just do it because I can and love doing it,” Boegner said. “It’s out of pride.”
Game day glory
Up and at ‘em with a day full of visits and visitors, Reveille X and 2024-25 mascot corporal, economics sophomore Joshua Brewton, see long days on campus.
As the highest-ranking member of the Corps of Cadets, Rev also adorns five sterling silver diamonds engraved with the current year on her coats. Because of the annual change, Rev not only receives new blankets every year but new diamonds as well. After their service, her two coats and leash are passed on to the handler and second dog.
“There’s a lot of really cool history and tradition that comes with Reveille,” Brewton said. “That’s why, personally, I think that she’s the best tradition A&M. Reveille started in 1931, and there’s really not much that’s changed since. So it’s really cool to see how far back we can go, with the leash being the same style and the blanket being very similar, the training styles, all these different kinds of things.”
Other things have changed, though — like flying in style. For lengthy away game trips, she’s always taken care of, and often gets her own seat.
“She doesn’t fly commercial,” Brewton said. “She flies with either the band or some sort of charter plane. … Whenever we first got on the plane to go to South Carolina, the pilots were so in awe of her that they wanted her to go in the cockpit. So she got a really cool picture
of her in the pilot seat.”
Rev has also grown accustomed to the booming atmosphere of Kyle Field, often barely flinching at the Spirit of ‘02 cannon firing. She’s unruffled the whole time, Brewton said, and even sports a smile during their “Power”-fueled runout, as a hundred thousand fans roar.
“She had ‘Power’ for her first two and a half years as a mascot,” Brewton said. “So she was used to ‘Power.’ She knew what the song meant. She knew that it was time. It was go time … I did not know it was coming back, so whenever I got on the field, one of the Yell Leaders told me that was happening. So I had about 15 seconds to realize that Kyle was about to erupt. And so that was a really cool feeling, just knowing that it was about to come down. I mean, that first one might be hard to beat.”
Sitting next to her as she rests in her dog bed on Kyle Field’s sidelines is another, smaller tradition: a passed-down longhorn stuffed animal from the early 2000s. Tattered with the shirt flipped upside down, the horns were ripped off at least twice by Reveille IX. The stuffed longhorn remains sewn up — and hornless — with red thread in several places, including on the backside.
“I swear 100% she tore the horns off,” Brewton said. “In fact, one of the previous handlers actually, you can kind of see where the stitching was. He tried to stitch the horns back onto the back to try to show that there was horns at one point, and she proceeded to then rip the horns off that spot. So I think it’s just kind of like a sign, like, ‘Hey, these don’t belong here,’ you know. So she’s definitely a Saw Em’ Off fan.”
As Brewton grows comfortable to the busy but attentive lifestyle that they foster but Rev has known, he recognizes that the role is a service position, and he has to focus on her and her safety.
Although the handlers enjoy attending different activities and events, Brewton said the best part of the duty is the reactions from people meeting her.
“Anyone, from a freshman’s first time meeting Reveille in the Commons to Von Miller on College GameDay, like it’s almost the exact same reaction,” Brewton said. “And I think that’s the coolest part of having such an honored and loved mascot that is so interactive with people, is that you can see the interaction that you can get with Reveille you can’t get with any other mascot. You’re not going to get Bevo to go to class.”
litical beliefs better?
Opinion Writer Joshua Abraham
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
I love the holiday season with a passion. As soon as Halloween ends, the cobwebs and spiders get exchanged for incandescent lights and a Christmas tree.
Tradition is huge in my family. We put up all the decorations as a family across many days. Dressing up and going for our church’s Christmas Eve service is a staple as we open up our presents after. Having the entire family together is truly one of the best feelings one can have; as my sister is getting married and moving out, and I pursue my career endeavors, times like this during the holiday season are what make life special and magical.
Don’t get me started on the music that accompanies this time of year. Ranging from classics like Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams, modern hits from Pentatonix, Ariana Grande and Laufey and obscure favorites from Gucci Mane, Phoebe Bridgers, Sufjan Stevens and Tyler, The Creator, setting the mood elevates my holiday experience. Just don’t let Mariah Carey into the conversation.
The holiday shows and commercials start pouring in, too; I love seeing the Sprite Cranberry commercial with LeBron James resurface on my social media feeds. My mom and sister also watch marathons of Hallmark movies — as bad as they are, the formula works, and I feel that Christmas spirit.
However, this year feels a little bit di erent. The recent election has brought out the worst in everyone. We’re incredibly polarized as a nation, and it’s really sad to see. No matter which candidate you supported, you can feel the disapproval one person has for another.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from social media and talking to people about this year’s election cycle, it’s that no one cares about others anymore.
“What I want is the best, and nothing else can convince me otherwise. Do you have a di erent opinion than me? I hope you get cast to the lowest parts of hell.”
This is the mentality too many people have now.
Now, I want this feeling to go away, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. The holiday season is supposed to be a time of unity and togetherness, but as many people might agree, everyone feels so distant and in their own world.
Where did the magic go?
We’re losing our holiday cheer due to mere political di erences.
The main point of this season — other than carving turkeys and celebrating the birth of Jesus — is to come together as a community and realize what we’re thankful for and give back to others who aren’t as fortunate as us.
I love participating in toy drives because I know that every toy is going towards a child who wouldn’t get a toy otherwise.
Now, imagine that you meet the child you donated the toy to and nd out he’s an illegal immigrant. Would you still want to give him the toy? Or would you want to give to another that ts your po-
No matter the situation, everyone deserves some form of love during this season. If you aren’t willing to give that love to someone just because of a di erence in political belief, then what’s the point of all of this? Let’s just cancel Christmas and move on with our lives.
We forget that some people aren’t able to celebrate the holidays the way that they want to. Economic circumstances prevent families from participating in traditional holiday formalities like having a three-course meal with family or presents under the Christmas tree. People aren’t going to be able to celebrate Christmas because they’re going through a war. Some students aren’t able to go back home and be with their family, so they will probably stay on campus and be alone for winter break.
And through all of this, you’d rather be divided because someone doesn’t agree with you? Be thankful for what you have! We’re so blessed to have people around who actually love us. The last thing you would want to do is compromise that love.
There was a time — it feels like a long time ago — when di erences in political beliefs were just di erences and nothing more. We could all get along because we knew that these contrasts in policy didn’t de ne us. We need to get back to that feeling. Stop putting your political beliefs over basic human decency. So this year, invite over that family across the street that has a “Make America Great Again” ag on their porch or that
couple that has a “Love is Love” sign on their front lawn. Maybe invite them both over at the same time! What you will nd is that we’re all not so di erent.
Instead of getting into an argument with that weird uncle who thinks the government is controlling us through the water supply, be thankful that you at least have someone willing to spend that time with you. Thankfulness is the ultimate gift one can give, and we can show that by being better humans to one another.
This holiday season, make it a point to be with those who are di erent from you and who share time together. We aren’t alive for enough time to despise others. Spread love around, not hate. It’s not the most wonderful time of the year if we aren’t doing it together.
Let’s share this time of joy and cheer together, not apart.
Joshua Abraham is a kinesiology junior and opinion writer for The Battalion.
Elves, gifts and Christ, oh my: How ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is a Christmas trilogy
Charis
Adkins
Opinion Editor
You’re either here because you already agree with me or because you had a visceral negative reaction to this headline. Either way, I promise you will leave this article satis ed.
I have one word for you: elves. I know, I know, that’s low-hanging fruit, but I need you all to hear me out.
There are only three classes of elves in this world: Christmas, Tolkien and Keebler.
It's very simple.
If you imagine a three-way Venn diagram, the intersection between Christmas and Tolkien is lled by Galadriel, Tolkien and Keebler is Samwise, and Keebler and Christmas is Mrs. Claus. At the very center of the diagram is Will Ferrell in “Elf.”
Allow me to explain. Galadriel gives gifts — Lembas bread, cloaks, her own hair, magical light condensed in a little vial, etc. — so she's the intersection of Christmas and Tolkien.
Mrs. Claus bakes, so she ts into the Christmas and Keebler section.
Samwise also bakes, especially potatoes, and while he's not technically an elf in Middle-Earth he
Opinion Writer Kaleb Blizzard
I need to be honest with ev-
eryone who’s reading this article right now: I’m a serial procrastinator, especially when it comes to gift-giving.
Even if I know weeks or months in advance of an event that I need to get a gift, there are many times when I’ll wait until the day before to get something. Why? Partially because I’m terri ed of getting someone the wrong thing, and partially because I’m afraid that getting them the right thing will cost me my entire bank account.
However, this Christmas, things are di erent. I know exactly what I’m going to be getting at least one person — speci cally, a certain Generation Alpha sister of mine.
From the creators of the incredible artistic touchstone known as Skibidi Toilet, we now have the “Skibidi Toilet Mystery Toilet” toy, sold at Amazon, Walmart, Target
and probably a ton of other places. And it’s a great gift, one that I’ll most likely be purchasing for my sister.
Unfortunately — and despite my usual negative feelings about Skibidi Toilet — only the rst part of what I wrote above is a lie. Skibidi Toilet isn’t an artistic touchstone; nevertheless, the toy is a legitimately good thing to buy for some people, and society is better o because of its existence.
How could I o er such bold praise to toys based on Skibidi Toilet, a series that has allegedly destroyed the attention spans of an entire generation? Because those same toys are — paradoxically — going to help us save the very same attention spans their creators helped destroy.
One of the most basic concepts in psychology is that of classical conditioning, or the idea that a mind can be trained to associate an — on its own — meaningless stimulus with a certain automatic response. We see this every day in every context: a dog starts salivat-
ing when it hears a bell that indicates it’s time to eat, a person starts grinding their teeth when they are under stress without even realizing it, and so on.
It’s a pretty basic psychological response; one which we have observed clearly through experimentation for more than a hundred years.
So, how in the hell does this relate to Skibidi Toilet?
Let’s apply the idea of classical conditioning to Skibid Toilet video consumption. When a Skibidi Toilet addict watches a TikTok, Reel or Short, they will — over a long enough period of time — develop certain automatic responses that prepare them to watch more of the short-form content, fomenting their addiction to it.
This happens by the same means that a person comes to salivate at the thought of food; someone has a positive experience with food, so they develop an automatic response to prepare for more of it. In the same way, a Skibidi Toilet enjoyer releases certain neu-
embodies all their values.
Will Ferrell is a Christmas elf, has the height and charisma associated with Tolkien's elves — I mean, he pulls Zooey Deschanel — and he cooks … spaghetti and syrup, at least.
You can hate me, but you can't say I'm wrong.
Okay, ne, maybe you're not convinced by elves alone. How about a white Christmas? There's an inordinate amount of snow in the trilogy, not to mention how prevalent trees are in both the holiday and the plot.
Gift-giving is also central to the series. We’ve already covered Galadriel, and Sauron literally calls himself Annatar, Lord of Gifts. And the whole thing starts with the giving of the 12 rings. What's more Christmassy than gifting jewelry?
That's not even mentioning all the Biblical allusions. For all ye unaware, Christmas is celebrated as the birth of Jesus Christ, and boy howdy was Tolkien religious. The fellowship sets o on Dec. 25. Birth of Christ, birth of a new adventure, anyone?
There are almost too many Jesus-like characters to count — Frodo bearing the One Ring like a cross, Gandalf dying and being rebirthed in a holy white hue,
Aragorn being Aragorn.
Gandalf is pretty much Santa. The white beard, the gift-giving, the quasi-omnipotence. And, operating under that presumption, Saruman is basically mall Santa, which checks out.
One nal note: We all know there are three classes of Christmas movies, those being Hallmark, “Die Hard” and “Home Alone.” I would put “The Lord of the Rings” solidly between “Die Hard” and “Home Alone” — there’s plenty of action to satisfy the John McClane angle, and then there’s the pint-sized-hero-taking-on-the-taller-bad-guys trope for both the hobbits and Kevin McCallister.
I hope I’ve convinced you to have a marathon during this winter break.You could even throw in “The Hobbit” as a warmup! It’s way less Christmassy than “The Lord of the Rings,” but it does feature an elf riding a reindeer, so I suppose that’s up to interpretation. There’s no better time to curl up with hot cocoa, a blanket and the extended edition box set.
So go get to it! I can hear Cate Blanchett already …
Charis Adkins is an English senior and opinion editor for
rotransmitters to prepare for more Skibidi Toilet.
The key is to use these automatic responses to make kids want to play in the real world instead of icking through TikTok every day. These Skibidi Toilet toys help us do that because they take the stimulus — the characters of the make-believe world — and make kids want to play without needing screens to do it.
Look, I know you might think this is just some insane marketing campaign or that I’m a crackpot, but the reality is that Skibidi Toilet
is here to stay, whatever the rest of us think of it.
It’s time to embrace change and start using it to our advantage.Will you join the side with the power of the Skibidis? Or will you let an entire generation fall into oblivion because of your carelessness?
Buy someone a Skibidi Toilet toy for Christmas to start helping Gen Alpha reclaim their attention spans.
Kaleb Blizzard is a philosophy sophomore and opinion writer for The Battalion.
as a national stem cell registry and connects patients who have blood cancers, such as leukemia, to potential donors, playing a critical role for those in need of stem cell or bone marrow transplants.
By Shalina Sabih Features Writer
It was her freshman year when biomedical sciences senior Claudia Garrett heard Mark Vassar, a nance senior and president of Texas A&M’s National Marrow Donor Program chapter, deliver a compelling speech on the importance of stem cell donations.
Previously, she had donated after her brother, AJ, needed stem cells in his battle against leukemia.
“I remember I found out I was going to be my brother’s stem cell donor,” Garrett said. “And it was such a meaningful moment.”
Though initially uninterested in joining the university’s marrow donor chapter, or NMDP, she had a lightbulb moment in 2022 while re ecting on AJ’s birthday and his battle with cancer.
The student organization serves
“My brother did unfortunately pass, and in August, I was remembering him,” Garrett said. “And I reminisced on what I did for him, and this organization on campus could help other people like him.”
She now serves as NMDP’s secretary and advocacy co-chair alongside public health senior Jillian Anderson, who is also the director of public relations. Together, they promote the organization and the good it has done for thousands of Americans across the nation.
“When we talk about NMDP, you are looking at how anyone can make a positive di erence in a patient’s life,” Anderson said.
“As someone who battled personal health problems, I wish when I was younger people cared that much, and NMDP allows that.”
The organization’s main goal is to promote recruitment and for
administrators, professors and students to understand the good that comes from stem cell donations.
“Tissue types are inherited, and patients are more than likely to match with someone with the same ethnic background.”
Anderson said she helps manage the group’s social media accounts, one of the outlets where NMDP advocates for various goals — like an update to Student Rule 7. The university policy sets class attendance standards.
If a donor matches with a patient, they sometimes receive a time-sensitive phone call that might require travel. But students often nd it challenging because university policies don’t count stem cell donations as excused absences.
“The problem with that is that every second you delay a donation, that’s another second the patient is without an immune system,” Anderson said. “And that’s a life-or-death situation.”
Professors sometimes don’t understand the donations’ importance, Anderson said, a major rea-
son NMDP is advocating for the change.
Through this and means like covering travel expenses, the group hopes to provide opportunities for students like Vassar, who has donated twice to the registry, to continue the lifesaving gift without having to worry about attendance or grades.
“Jill and her team have been amazing when it comes to changing the Student Rule 7,” Vassar said. “There are conversations with higher-ups happening daily for this change.”
A year after Vassar joined the registry in high school, he received a call and learned that he had matched with a patient.
He eventually became a primary donor for one person, donating in 2022, before getting involved with NMDP on campus. At the time, the group had three members.
“At the biggest university in the country, we could not have such small numbers trying to save lives,” Vassar said. “For the past two years, I got committed to growing the
organization, and now we have about 25 people in the org.” They spread the word through the MSC Open House and other outreach methods, such as providing free Celsius drinks outside the Memorial Student Center to encourage signups.
Once in, there are three steps to becoming a donor:
• Sign up and get swabbed to be added to the registry of potential donors.
• Wait to be matched with a potential stem cell recipient.
• Agree to becoming a primary donor and travel to the appropriate location.
Vassar said he got another call this semester informing him that he matched a second patient. He donated a few weeks ago during classes, and although his professors encouraged the lifesaving opportunity, he still hopes to make it an excused absence.
“You’re literally saving someone’s life, and all you have to do is give up so little of your time,” Vassar said. “I want people to know that. I need people to know that.”
December
December 6,
Running
December 7,
December
December
December
Amendment is passed, Wyoming grants women the right to vote.
December 11, 1936
King Edward VIII of England abdicates the throne to marry American actress Wallis Simpson.
December 12, 1913
The “Mona Lisa” is rediscovered in Florence, two years after it was stolen from the Louvre.
By Braxton Dore’ Asst. Sports Editor
Fresh out of the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, No. 22 Texas
A&M men’s basketball returned home on Dec. 3 to face a hungry Wake Forest squad in the Southeastern Conference/Atlantic Coast Conference Challenge, which pits the two conferences against each other in a series of matchups.
Needing a wake-up call on the free throw line, the Aggies showed they struggle most when earning less than 20 attempts, going 0-2 on the season. Shooting 11-for14 should have statistically been devastating for the group, but that streak was broken as the Aggies took the game 57-44 following a great defensive second half.
Hard-fought defense arose out of the Demon Deacons’ lineup early in the game, forcing three turnovers to get out to a 9-4 lead. However, bench points from graduate transfer Nebraska, guard CJ Wilcher, combined with free throws by senior forward Andersson Garcia helped curb the Wake Forest lead to only three points.
The biggest issue in the rst half was giving up the rock. A&M suffered from 14 turnovers in the rst half alone. The sloppy ball-handling also amounted to 15 Demon Deacon points o turnovers, even though Wake Forest wrestled to overcome the poor 30% shooting
Aggies enter NCAA Tournament for second time under head coach
Jamie Morrison
By Olivia Sims Sports Writer
Texas A&M volleyball enters the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed for its second postseason appearance in as many years under coach Jamie Morrison. Morrison led the Aggies to a 197 regular season, going 10-6 in SEC play for A&M’s rst 10-win performance in conference action since 2019.
The Aggies have been successful thanks to the e orts of junior opposite hitter Logan Lednicky, who has had an outstanding season. The Sugar Land native nished the regular season with 419 kills and accumulated 475.5 total points for the Maroon and White.
After a season-ending injury her freshman year, Lednicky has bounced back to lead the Aggies in kills for two straight seasons.
You can’t highlight A&M at the net without mentioning junior middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, who has propelled this team on both sides of the ball. The Flower Mound product ended the regular season with 208 kills and was one of two Aggies to hit over .300. Not only is Cos-Okpalla a threat on o ense, but she totaled 143 blocks for four weekly SEC honors this season.
After an impressive regular season, Lednicky and Cos-Okpalla landed on the All-SEC First Team, marking Lednicky’s third consecutive All-SEC honor and Cos-Okpalla’s much-deserved rst. With these two dominating at the net, the Aggies have a chance to make it far in the NCAA Tournament.
A&M will head to Tempe, Arizona at 5:30 p.m. Friday to kick o the postseason against 20-10 Colorado State, who is currently
on a four-game winning streak. The Rams are led by redshirt senior opposite hitter Malaya Jones, who has a whopping 541 kills on the season with a hitting percentage of .313.
Jones also secured the Mountain West Player of the Year accolade. Colorado State is heading into the tournament on a high note after winning the Mountain West Conference for the rst time since 2011.
Both teams are looking to extend their postseason to the second round, where they’ll face the winner of No. 3-seed Arizona State and New Hampshire, but it all comes down to who plays a better o ense.
With Lednicky and CSU’s Jones both being opposite hitters, both teams must have a strong block on the outside to shut down these key players.
The Aggies’ matchup with the Rams will stream on ESPN+.
The potential second-round game against the Sun Devils or Wildcats will be at 7 p.m. Saturday.
By Youngchan Kang Sports Writer
Texas A&M redshirt sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman entered the transfer portal on Tuesday after three seasons with the Aggies. Weigman joined A&M from Bridgeland High School as the nation’s No. 1-ranked quarterback in the class of 2022 by Rivals and ESPN. The Cypress native started 13 games for the Fightin’ Farmers with a 9-4 record, compiling 2,694 yards with 19 touchdown passes to seven interceptions. He added 261 yards and two scores on the ground. Weigman made his debut for
the Maroon and White on Oct. 22, 2022 in a 30-24 loss at South Carolina after replacing QB Haynes King. He went 2-2 as a starter, including a 38-23 upset against No. 6 LSU and QB Jayden Daniels. Weigman completed 55% of his passes for 896 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman. Weigmanstarted 2023 on a high note with a 2-1 record. His season ended, though, with a foot injury su ered versus Auburn. Weigman completed 69% of his passes for 979 yards and eight scores with two interceptions and ran for two more touchdowns.
He struggled to kick o the 2024 season, throwing two interceptions and 100 passing yards in
from the eld and 26% from beyond the arc.
“I thought our guys were tremendous in defending without fouling,” coach Buzz Williams said. “Least number of fouls we’ve given up in a Power Five game since [I’ve] been here [and] a lot of really good things.”
After a steal by senior G Zhuric Phelps turned into a full-court slam, the Aggies were rolling. Phelps picked the ball from the Deacons before laying it o to Garcia, who danced his way to a successful layup and extra point attempt.
After a long made three from the specialist, graduate G Wade Taylor, the Maroon and White defense came alive, smothering Wake Forest senior G Hunter Sallis into giving up a turnover. Living o the res of their shooters, the Fightin’ Farmers increased the lead to 2619 and capped o a 12-3 run after Taylor hit his second three and graduate G Hayden Hefner got a oater to land.
However, the lead diminished as the turnovers woes continued, eventually leading to a three-point edge over Wake Forest going into half, 29-26.
Heading into the second half, the Aggies started o on a great foot shooting wise, airing 57% from three and 57.9% from the oor. In the nal 20 minutes, turnovers became less frequent from A&M, leading to a shootout of threes between the Demon Deacons and the Maroon and White. Taylor went back-and-forth with Sallis and sophomore G Davin Cosby Jr., trading shots on his way to a 15-point nish.
Compared to the rst half, the Fightin’ Farmers got o to an
abysmal start on the oor, shooting just 3-for-19 in the rst 10 minutes of the half. However, the defense saved the day as it forced Wake Forest to shoot 25.9% in the half, the lowest of any opponent so far this season.
“Statistically speaking, it’s the best game we’ve ever had here defensively,” Williams said. “And that’s not aesthetically pleasing unless you just love ball.”
Rolling into a half-court press, the Aggies began accumulating more fouls but also made it to the line more often than not, going 5-for-7 by the eight-minute mark.
Bench points were key to success when shots weren’t falling, amounting to 20 of the Aggies’ 57 points.
“Just having that energy, like everybody’s on the same page,” Garcia said. “If you look at our bench, you look at the players on the court, everybody’s up on their feet [and] on the same page.
With successful shots coming few and far between, a slam by graduate F Henry Coleman III o a fast break woke the 12th Man into a frenzy, 49-42 A&M.
“We’re de nitely a hungry team,” Payne said. “We want to compete and we want to ght, so we come out swinging. We want to come out on top.”
A string of eld goals by Coleman and Garcia helped extend the Aggie lead to a comfortable 12 points after Wake Forest continued to struggle shooting, nishing just 7-of-27 from the oor in the second half.
Despite not scoring a eld goal in the last four and a half minutes, the game ended with a string of free throws, further cementing the lead as the Farmers nished 57-44.
a 23-13 loss to No. 7 Notre Dame. He su ered an AC joint injury in the game that sidelined him for two games, with redshirt freshman Marcel Reed taking over the job.
Weigman returned and had solid games against No. 9 Missouri and Mississippi State, but showed signs of inconsistency against No. 8 LSU on Oct. 26. He was benched for Reed in the second half of the Aggies’ 3823 win. Weigman didn’t return to action until the New Mexico State game, where he completed two of ve passes for 37 yards and a pick.
He nished the year with 819 yards on 56% passing with three touchdowns and ve picks.
