The Battalion — February 16, 2023

Opinion: Texas A&M just can’t get over UT

CRAZY EX ON PAGE 5

MGT makes

Commentary: Aggies march toward postseason

BASKETBALL ON PAGE 6

recommendations for

University solicits community feedback on 31-page report

By Michaela Rush @Michaela4Batt & Caroline Wilburn @carolinewilb

Texas A&M is asking for feedback from students, faculty and staff on a new wave of recommendations for campus reorganization and renovation focused on the Texas A&M Galveston, or TAMUG, campus.

On Jan. 24, President M. Katherine Banks released the MGT of America Consulting’s findings and recommendations for the Galveston campus as a part of the comprehensive review of A&M. Galveston Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Michael E. Fossum, in an online message, said feedback collected on the report will aid in determining which recommendations will be accepted, rejected, modified or require further review. A confidential online survey will be available until Feb. 24 and one-on-one meetings with units

and departments mentioned in the recommendations will be scheduled shortly, Fossum said.

Galveston A&M named in top 10 for online programs

To complete the report, MGT held virtual interviews with five members of Galveston leadership, then conducted additional on-campus interviews with faculty and staff members at Galveston. MGT also reviewed state, system and campus documents and toured the campus. According to MGT’s methodology listed in the report, no students were interviewed.

Aggies commemorate Black culture

Students hold on-campus events for Black History Month

By Sydnei Miles @Sydnei_M04

Students celebrate Black History Month and engage in community events hosted by the Memorial Student Center Woodson Black Awareness Committee, or MSC WBAC.

MSC WBAC is an organization that helps students become more educated on the culture of people of African descent and prioritizes community involvement and experiences for students to learn about the importance of Black culture and its many aspects. For the month of February, the committee has planned three

Brunch on the go

Harvest Coffee Bar releases new menu for patrons of Aggieland

By Anna Deardorff @annardeardorff

Harvest Coffee Bar’s newest location incorporates a brunch restaurant and a drive-thru located on Ste. 100 off William D. Fitch Parkway.

The third Harvest coffee shop opened in the Caprock developments of South College Station. Customers can enjoy coffee and Cajun-style breakfast at the conjoined restaurant, Uptown Brunch, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Locals Trey and Ashley Martin have been in the coffee business since 2014 when they opened the original Harvest in Downtown Bryan. General Manager Jenna Karrer offers insight into the order-at-the-counter restaurant, which she said was inspired by New Orleans’ Uptown Garden District.

“[The Martins] traveled there and loved the environment and atmosphere and that fun eclectic food-oriented town,” Karrer said. “Everything we have is really from New Orleans. Those windows [are] several hundred years old. It’s meant to feel like you’re sitting on a front

events to honor of Black History Month.

WBAC has had a steady impact on the Aggie community since 1969, and is open to anyone willing to learn or share information about black culture and history. MSC WBAC creates a safe space to learn about Black culture, geoscience junior Trinity Boudreaux said.

“The purpose of it is to create events and a community for Black students on campus and to have a space for them to learn about different parts of the diaspora through our events and different social programs”, Boudreaux said.

Psychology senior Christiana Salone said this organization became known as the Woodson Black Awareness Committee nearly 35 years after it was founded.

“[The name] was changed in 2004 to honor Dr. Woodson’s legacy as a scholar and ed-

ucator, and as the creator of Black History Month,” Salone said.

The events for Black History Month are not only meant to educate the campus community, but also raise awareness for Black student organizations in order to aid students in finding their own sense of community at Texas A&M.

Kevin Johnson, Class of 1984, said these events are put together for a purpose that can sometimes reach beyond just the Aggie community.

“In addition to the campus student body, staff and faculty also have a way to engage in discussions and learn about black history in general through these programs and many of these events that also cater to the Bryan-College Station community,” Johnson said.

BHM ON PG. 3

The kitchen serves as the prep location for the other Harvests in Bryan and Century Square, and values freshness, Karrer said. An assortment of pastries including blueberry oat bread, cinnamon rolls and almond danishes are prepared in-house, according to their online menu.

“Harvest prides itself on high-quality, fresh ingredients,” Karrer said. “We’re not opening up packages and throwing it together. It’s good food that speaks a lot for itself.”

Harvest’s extensive menu is what sets it apart from other coffee shops in the area, Karrer said. Using beans from Amaya Coffee roasters in Houston, she said coffee brewing is “more science oriented than people think.”

“A lot of thought goes into what we make, how we make it [and] the process it’s prepared in,” Varnell said. “Lots of thought and knowledge has gone into how we grind the beans, how we pull the shots [and] how we texture the milk to make Harvest what it is.”

porch in New Orleans.”

The couple, along with staff, created the menu for Uptown Brunch, which consists of Louisiana classics from beignets to boudin balls. Despite some technical issues early on, the drive-thru is up and running from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a speaker board to “speed up the process,” Karrer said.

Uptown manager Andreya Varnell joined Harvest two years ago to help expand the business and grow Karrer said.

“If [customers are] not able to come in for whatever reason, they’re still able to get Harvest coffee that they know and love very quickly,” Varnell said.

The Martins view themselves as “dreamers” in the food industry, Karrer said.

“Trey and Ashley truly care about their people,” Varnell said. “Whether you’re brand new or you’ve been with us for five years, they treat you like you’re family. The people that work here are phenomenal.”

Varnell said in a joking way that by now, the Martins can “open up Harvest locations in their sleep.”

“We just want to do our part to make Bryan College Station a better place to live, visit, build your family [and] come to college,” Trey said. “It’s been kind of a sleepy little town for a while, and now it’s starting to quickly climb out of that. Ultimately, we love serving people.”

By Madison Umphrey @u_madison

Texas A&M’s School of Education and Human Development, or SEHD, is one of the highly ranked distance learning programs due to its scholarly support.

SEHD maintained its status as one of the best online education programs in the country. Jan. 24 marked its fourth consecutive year being ranked in the top 10 by U.S. News.

The School-level Distance Education Committee was founded five years ago to improve distance education experiences for students, said Beverly J. Irby, Ph.D., regents professor and senior associate dean of Academic Affairs, School of Education and Human Development.

“The SEHD implemented the practice of having an instructional designer to support distance education pedagogy and processes in each of the four departments,” Irby said. “Our SEHD Mar-Comm Department has been instrumental in sharing information with other universities across the nation about our distance education programs.”

The rankings reports benefit the department as a whole and its dedication to being better in all aspects, said Michael A. de Miranda, Ph.D., professor and dean of the School of Education and Human Development.

“The new U.S. News & World Report rankings serve as an index of our school’s commitment to developing the great professional teachers, coaches, school administrators and industry leaders in human resource development, sport management and kinesiology-related professional careers,” Miranda said.

Growing up, sports management senior Damian Sanchez said he fell in love with sports which motivated him to work in the sports field.

“I have loved A&M from top to bottom,” Sanchez said. “The opportunities it has granted me have been incredible. I don’t believe I would be this far into my career without the help of the department and the connections it has led me to.”

In order to be responsive to the constituents of working professionals, Irby said the school continues to improve and grow online degree program offerings. The online degree program has continued to improve and grow while being responsive to constituents of working professionals, Irby said.

“There are no drastic changes [being made within the education programs],” Irby said. “[However,] We are in the process of a new Ed.D. in Bilingual/ESL/Dual Language Education.”

The SEHD Distance Education Committee was developed and approved by the Dean’s Council as a Distance Education Faculty Training SAP for the SEHD, Irby said.

“This consists of five training levels for faculty in which they can attend trainings in TrainTraq,” Irby said. “These trainings can continue to improve their pedagogy in distance education. Each level has an attached certificate for the faculty member who completes it.”

The world-class faculty and advisors use training, experience and talents to provide a thorough education to graduate students, no matter where they reside, Miranda said.

“I am also proud of our dedication to serving our nation’s veterans who now seek to be difference makers in shaping a better tomorrow,” Miranda said.

Bernice King, JD, speaks during a breakfast hosted by the MSC Carter G. Woodson Black Awareness Committee on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023.

Ebba Turi — THE BATTALION

Kaili Gaston— THE BATTALION

Harvest Coffee’s new location in south College Station on William D. Fitch Parkway.

“We even have some students that will be joining us from Prairie View A&M.”

One event that the WBAC hosted to kick off their Black History month events was the MLK Breakfast that was held with Bernice A. King, Ph.D., Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s youngest daughter, as guest speaker. Boudreaux said the breakfast was a huge hit, bringing in many students and faculty members.

“One of our biggest events that we just had was the MLK breakfast,” Boudreaux said. “We had Dr. Bernice King [there] and every seat was full. We had full attendance. Dr. King was a phenomenal speaker to have at that event. I’d say it was one of our most well-accomplished events recently.”

The last Black History Month event the WBAC is expected to host, on Feb. 28, is called “The Resistance at Texas A&M”, which is a conversation about Black resistance with professor Rebecca Hankins, Ph.D., as guest speaker, Salone said. Being a part of this organization has helped her better understand the many different facets of culture and life at A&M, Boudreaux said.

“I like the emphasis on the education part of it,” Boudreaux said. “It’s allowed me to

Lovely tunes for lovers, for all romantic occasions

By Shea Kissell @SheaKissell

Though Valentine’s Day may be over, the feelings of love and companionship can be felt year-round through music. So here are 10 of the best love songs, in no particular order and without any of the clichés.

“There is a Light that Never Goes Out” — The Smiths

Admittedly, this one might be a little cliché, but it’s a classic. Is there really any better love lyric out there than “to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die?” In addition to Morrissey’s lyrics, it’s the best composed song The Smiths released.

“Fade Into You” — Mazzy Star

“Fade Into You” may as well be more famous than Mazzy Star at this point, but for good reason. It’s a dreamy, haze-inducing song with vocals to match that should appeal to all those country-blues and alt-rock cou-

understand certain aspects of what’s important to the university, and also where culture and community fits into that and just overall, a better understanding of A&M’s core values in a way. It’s allowed me to learn those things and I think it’d have a positive impact on anyone trying to figure out those things as well.”

Learning and participating in these organizations and events is beneficial to students of all cultures, as it continues to unite the Aggie community as one, Johnson said.

“[A&M] is different than it was,” Johnson said. The diversity is a lot different than it was certainly even when I was an undergraduate in the [19]80s. It’s going to continue, most likely, to become even more diverse in the future.”

Organizations and events such as these are the more reason that people should take the time to learn about cultures that we’re unfamiliar with, and even take time to learn more about their own culture and history, Johnson said.

“The sheer volume of students, faculty, and the staff that we have, we have lots of people who are specialists in lots of different areas,” Johnson said. “So we put all that together, there’s no telling where we could go in a positive way.”

In the mood for song

ples out there.

“K.” — Cigarettes After Sex

Cigarettes After Sex specializes in the slow burning, dream-pop love song. You could practically play any of their work and it would deliver an intimate mood with its distant guitars, reverbed synths and soft vocals. “K.” specifically is on here because of personal favoritism.

“My Kind of Woman” — Mac DeMarco College life is a mess, and most of us have probably learned to live in the chaos by now. Regardless, no artist appeals to those who are scrambled, directionless and existentially uncertain like Mac DeMarco, and in “My Kind of Woman,” he sings an ode to those who stick with us through it all.

“Mediodía” — Café Tacvba

“Mediodia” is a Spanish song that has an inherent tang of loneliness to it, but still celebrates the beauty of the world around us. The production hits you with slowly building drums and guitars that sway with emotion.

“Ladies and gentlemen we are float-

ing in space” — Spiritualized

If I could only list one song in this article, this would be it. Frustratingly underrated, the titular song of Spiritualized’s 1997 album is a snapshot of the feeling of falling in love. A wave of passion rushes in and lifts the listener off their feet into zero-gravity, where they are encompassed by layered vocals and overpowering emotions.

“Paradise” — Lil Uzi Vert

Lil Uzi Vert was pushing the boundaries of rap back in 2015. “Paradise” is a unique experiment with pop and dance from the SoundCloud rapper that results in a testament to his one true love while also being an atmospheric banger.

“Exist for Love” — Aurora

The immensely dreamy, passionate song by the Norwegian singer-songwriter illustrates a love so powerful and overwhelming it overrides all other reasons to exist. Apart from the incredible composition, “Exist for Love” is one of the purest love songs out there.

“Lazuli” — Beach House

Okay, everyone knows Space Song by

now. But Beach House, another expert in the slow burning tune that hits you in the feels, has a whole array of love songs to choose from. In “Lazuli,” singer Victoria Legrand expresses a love for someone who is like the gem lapis lazuli: precious, beautiful and irreplaceable.

“Best Part” — Daniel Caesar (feat. H.E.R.)

When it comes to the buttery smoothness of R&B, and the equally smooth expressions of love, Daniel Caesar is as good as it comes. With H.E.R. providing additional vocals, “Best Part” is a pure, catchy love profession to those who give life some extra excitement.

Bonus Pick:

“Control” — Playboi Carti

Vamp couples are a thing, right? Either way, “Control,” when boiled down, is a song about losing oneself to love, and is also extremely enjoyable. That is, if you can make it past the 43 second-long sample of DJ Akademics talking about how good Carti’s album is (it’s not a Carti song if there isn’t at least some narcissism).

School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts Professor Grace Adinku (middle) and Directors Ayo Shofoluwe (left) and Retji Dakum (right) at the West African Film Festival at Rudder Tower 701 on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023

Ashley Bautista — THE BATTALION

Organizational structure

Currently, Fossum serves as vice president of A&M, chief operating officer of the Galveston campus and the superintendent of Texas A&M Maritime Academy, or TAMMA. The campus is split between operations and academics with leadership positions often reporting directly to related areas at the College Station campus.

“Within each of the two primary areas, functional areas do not align with College Station nor other organizational structures of campuses across the nation,” the report reads. “For example, the director of information technology reporting through the academic structure is unexpected.”

The report stated the Galveston campus has struggled with finding a clear relationship with the College Station campus and has continuously changed in structure throughout the years. As a result, the report cites the challenge “to keep up with the larger infrastructure of the College Station campus.”

The MGT findings recommended creating a “chief of staff” position to guide dayto-day activities at the Galveston campus and further support internal focus on the campus. The chief of staff has five major responsibilities, including: “air traffic controller” for the leader and executive team, connector for bringing often siloed areas together, communicator within, among, across and beyond the leadership team and the rest of the organization, provider of objective, organizational-wide perspectives regardless of turf considerations and confidant without an organizational agenda.

Galveston leadership positions will report directly to College Station, in an effort to align leadership across campuses. MGT’s proposed Galveston administrative organizational structure includes the same number of positions as the current structure. However, the proposed structure includes new, repurposed titles, including: the chief of staff; special projects and critical campus priorities manager; advisor to the campus president, vice president and superintendent; community affairs liaison and an associate vice president, or AVP, of operations. The current external relations position will be terminated.

As a part of the larger reorganization of the College Station campus, Galveston’s Human Resource Department will be reorganized and evaluated for compensation and classification. The goal of this study is to evaluate the competitive salaries of other higher education human resources departments in the Galveston area and position the department to support “necessary” succession planning.

“This will also serve to provide opportunities for developing staff to identify pathways for career development and assist in employee retention concerns,” the report reads. “This classification and compensation study should include cost of living assessments and a review to ensure that positions are evaluated, and job descriptions align with work responsibilities.”

The report also states Galveston Technology Services should report to the AVP Operations and coordinate itself with the College Station model. The role of Technology Services should focus on financial concerns, training and support and being a strong advocate for software selection. The current information technology model was created when the department focused on classroom support and was responsible for a smaller number of students, programs and services. Furthermore, the report recommends Technology Services provide more staff support and training to better align with College Station’s software and systems.

“Employees identified that they would like more investment and support from College Station to more effectively align with the software and systems that are available to better support students and organizational efforts,” the report reads. “The reporting relationships should align with the larger College Station Information Technology reorganization.”

Finally, the report suggests developing onboarding to back the engagement of new employees.

“Employees identified a lack of commu-

nication, training on procedures and support for acquiring information and navigating campus process and expectations,” the report reads. “This process should be connected to the new efforts in College Station to best support all employees.”

Aggie Student Experience

When reviewing the “Aggie Student Experience,” MGT outlined an issue in communication and marketing from the university, as prospective students apply to Galveston through the College Station application process. Because of this unified application, there are two types of students at Galveston: those who specifically applied to programs on the coast and those who were placed at Galveston for College Station-based programs. These differences, according to the report, make for “a challenging student engagement experience and impact the campus community identity.” This is further challenged by the separation of students within TAMMA. Another challenge listed was the additional costs to students from some programs, such as the United States Coast Guard Merchant Marine licensing.

Alongside these challenges, benefits of the Galveston experience were identified, including smaller class sizes, unique educational opportunities — such as research and vessel trips — and student organizations directly related to coastal and marine experiences.

With these findings, MGT made four recommendations to improve the Aggie student experience, related to financial aid, recruitment and specifying the Galveston experience.

MGT recommended financial aid for Galveston be managed by College Station offices, with an associate director based in Galveston. The objective of this organization is to “provide additional scholarships and resources to students to equalize financial aid packages between College Station and Galveston.”

For recruitment, MGT also recommended centralizing operations to College Station, with a primary staff person at Galveston to “better align and coordinate recruitment strategies.” The group suggested recruiting students to Galveston by highlighting the unique opportunities available in a coastal setting. By increasing communication with applicants, MGT said the goal is to improve overall student experience, as well as retention.

Lastly, the report outlines Galveston as a “distinctly different Aggie Student Experience,” emphasizing that, though the values and traditions are the same as those in College Station, the campus affords different opportunities to students with coastal or marine academic interests.

Communications

In interviews, employees described confusion about the chain of communication which was attributed to the reality that some Galveston staff served in multiple roles. MGT also reported staff felt frustration for being left out of decision-making processes.

To address lack of communication from leadership to the larger community, MGT clarified communication should start with leadership, to then be emphasized and clarified by mid-level leaders to their respective units. For external communications, MGT identified a lack of resources and support, and a point of emphasis was creating a brand identity for Galveston that aligns with, but has unique aspects from, the College Station campus.

To resolve the external-facing issues, MGT proposed the centralization of marketing and communication, identifying a director of marketing and communications at Galveston to ensure accountability.

MGT also proposed the establishment of new procedures for several areas of campus, including marketing and communications, information technology, human resources and finance.

For establishing a brand identity for Galveston, MGT recommended promoting “Aggies are Aggies regardless of where they are,” and highlighting all campus locations to create greater awareness of the Aggie experience.

Student Affairs

MGT recommended that the management

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of all summer camps, other camps and minor programs should fall under the oversight of Student Affairs, based in College Station.

“Student Affairs is best positioned to handle the risk management and support of programs with campus guests and minors,” the report reads. “Other departments can lead campus and minor programs but should receive administrative support from Student Affairs.”

Furthermore, Galveston programs should be equally involved in A&M College Station traditions. However, because the Galveston campus is based on place, it should focus on also building “community, mattering and belonging opportunities” for students, according to the report.

“Ensuring support and alignment for Galveston community events, service/experiential learning, heritage months, affinity clubs, mental health support, international students, veterans and students with disabilities is essential to establishing a sense of belonging and support that is unique to the Galveston campus,” the report reads.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Despite “robust” student diversity initiatives, the report finds that limited funding often prevented diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at the Galveston campus.

The Civic Literacy, Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Committee publishes an annual diversity plan accountability report to assess the status of inclusion, diversity, equity and accountability efforts. The report is submitted to the Office of Diversity at the College Station campus, however, the report suggests a “dedicated diversity plan” for the Galveston campus would promote underrepresented student enrollment, retention and completion.

Additionally, the report finds an overall lack of “valuable information regarding a student’s socio-economic status, work-study eligibility, family income and other life situations” in interviews with underrepresented students. The report cites an overall lack of training and technology as a cause and states the issue may be worsened by a staffing shortage.

To demonstrate diverse participation in maritime programs, the report recommends the campus promote the success of women and minority students. In order to boost enrollment and connect with underrepresented populations, the campus should feature outstanding students.

To realign the focus of the Student Intercultural Learning & Engagement, or SILE, website, the report recommends pointing toward inclusive spaces on the Galveston campus, rather than in College Station. The current SILE website provides links to resources in College Station such as lactation rooms, meditation and prayer spaces.

Academic programs

The report finds confusion and misalignment between the organization of departments and programs that originated and are located in Galveston and in College Station, respectively. The report cites the Oceanography and Ocean Engineering programs in College Station’s use of Galveston resources as an example of this confusion.

To better serve a larger, more diversified student body, the report recommends the Galveston campus should aim to feature research and experiential learning opportunities as well as increase faculty joint appointments and further align itself with the Texas Sea Grant mission. Through the expansion of faculty join appointments, more faculty can serve on committees for students located in College Station and possibly expand research opportunities in Galveston.

“An expanded strategic recruitment effort, specifically to graduate students seeking to conduct research on the Gulf Coast, should be further developed between Galveston and College Station to capitalize on the existing joint faculty appointments between the College Station Department of Oceanography and Galveston faculty, and provide opportunities for additional research and funding to come to Galveston,” the report reads.

In addition, future assessments of the Galveston campus should be completed to determine if new Sea Grant programs can open as well as relocate any current College Station-based programs to Galveston.

The report recommends increasing joint

faculty appointments between Galveston and College Station faculty may result in unique opportunities for “new degree programs and educational experiences in Galveston.”

To promote enrollment, this model should also be adjusted for other programs, such as business and science degree programs.

“Identifying opportunities for new programs and experiences also serves to enhance the recommendation that Galveston be established as a vital component of creating lab experiences for TAMU students,” the report reads. “This provides an avenue for Marine Business Administration to join the larger Mays Business School in College Station to expand opportunities for students to go to Galveston for lab experiences.”

Due to low enrollment numbers, the report recommends the termination of the University Studies program as it is “unsustainable and does not meet the needs of students or faculty.” Liberal Studies faculty are encouraged to take advantage of joint appointment opportunities or transfer their tenure to the College of Arts & Sciences in College Station to administer courses and research opportunities furthering the lab experience provided to students by the Galveston campus. However, these courses and experiential opportunities should still be located in Galveston and staff will remain on campus.

In addition to clearly linking Sea Grant academic programs between Galveston and College Station, MGT recommended the consolidation of the Marine Biology and Marine and Coastal Environmental Sciences departments.

“A strategic opportunity exists to elevate the student experience and faculty collaborations by combining Marine Biology and Marine and Coastal Environmental Sciences into a single department,” the report reads. “Such a merger also will help address current recruiting and retention challenges specific to each department.”

The new department should establish a new name that represents the new academic mission and continue to align itself with the College Station campus through tenure transfer to the College of Arts & Sciences or joint appointments, according to the report.

The report cites the low retention rates of both departments as reason for the consolidation recommendation.

In order to meet student demand, the report mentions the possibility of re-envisioning the degrees offered by the respective departments, developed by interdisciplinary faculty and departmental stakeholders.

“The names of the degrees should be informative to potential students and their families and accurately describe the curriculum,” the report reads.

Within the new department, the report also suggests the possibility of establishing professional and scientific degree tracks, or “even developing a Bachelor of Arts degree program.”

MGT said strategic academic advising should also be provided in the merged department to better allow students to look at majors that better fit their academic interests and skills in order to provide further support to students who may transfer.

“This also allows for the newly joined department to identify interdisciplinary programs for new investment and to evaluate the sunsetting of existing programs that no longer are in demand,” the report reads.

Sea Grant Mission

Currently, A&M is one of 17 universities to hold a land, space and Sea Grant designation. The majority of the Sea Grant programs at A&M are carried out in Galveston, but College Station is the headquarters for the Texas Sea Grant.

To best support the Sea Grant mission, MGT recommended the headquarters of this program be moved to Galveston, along with the oceanography department. To incentivize this move to Galveston, faculty could receive joint appointments, research opportunities, resources and financial incentives. This change, MGT said, “invest[s] in Galveston as a lab campus, where students will receive critical career-ready experiences.”

Editor’s Note: The full version of this article can be found online at tx.ag/galvestonmgt.

Michaela

By Mark Jonah Snyder @MarkJSnyder25

Introducing The Correspondent

One of the defining, considerably essential, foundations of Texas A&M and its resplendent culture is the Corps of Cadets. Their legacy and reputation have cemented themselves as the backbone of not just the school, but The Battalion as well. Here at The Battalion, we wanted to give back to the Corps members who supported and gave way to the creation of our weekly publication by giving the voice back to the Corps. With this column, Aggies get to have the chance to create stories for the Corps, by the Corps.

“Knock at the Cabin”

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Fish Drill Team: Explained

On Monday afternoon, Feb. 6, sounds of combat boots slapping the ground echoed across the Quad. The block of about 65 freshmen cadets come running through, holding rifles and donning shiny black helmets, soon to reach Haney Drill Field where 12 advisors wearing white shirts joined them. At 4:30 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, this cycle is repeated.

The Fish Drill Team, originally founded in 1947, was created to promote unity and military precision at Texas A&M. Based on the Marine Corps Drill, what makes this elite unit unique is its entire assembly of all freshmen cadets, or “fish.”

This sight might bewilder those unfamiliar with the drill team, whether it be passers-by or residents who live in the Commons. These dedicated cadets form the roster of this year’s Fish Drill Team.

Supply chain management sophomore Claire Cox, team advisor, said she and her fellow advisors pride themselves on taking freshmen who have never marched or drilled before and turning them into national champions in just four months.

“The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Fish Drill Team is a discipline-based drill team that works on improving drill and instilling obedience … while developing the skills of [our] freshmen,” Cox said.

The freshmen are given opportunities to learn about accountability, leadership, working with others and communication. The drill team is unique because freshmen are given leadership opportunities, Cox said.

The team competes annually at the National Drill Competition at Tulane University against schools like West Point, the Naval Academy and Norwich University, consistently winning against these military schools for the past 12 years. General engineering sophomore Ronald Ridgeway, vice president of the Association of Former Fish Drill Team Members, shared his experience competing last year.

“Tulane is an amazing, super intense experience as a freshman,” Ridgeway said. “You’ve been working so hard all year alongside your buddies and now y’all are finally given the chance to

prove to the entire nation that you’re the best there is.”

The team practices three to five times a week, an additional mock drill meet on Saturday mornings, general engineering freshman John Pokorny, fish commander of the unit, described the routine practice.

“The team comes in and we take a couple of laps around Haney Drill Field,” Pokorny said. “Then we split off into our groups — regulation, squad, exhibition and color guard.”

Each group has a different focus: ‘regulation’ practices basic platoon Marine Corps drill, ‘squad’ focuses on precision drills, ‘color guard’ focuses on presenting the colors, i.e., U.S. and Texas Flag, and ‘exhibition’ practices modified drill. After practicing in their groups, the team goes to Duncan Dining Hall for dinner together, Pokorny said.

Pokorny said he is confident about the competition to come.

“I think we are,” Pokorny said. “It’s one of those things where you’re not really sure but we’re going to rely on our training.”

The team will represent A&M at the National Drill Competition this Friday, Feb. 17, where it will compete for their 13th consecutive title.

Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes 5/10

Release Date: Feb. 3, 2023

By Joey Kirk @joeypkirk

M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller, “Knock at the Cabin,” is a reminder of a great director wanting to play with big ideas without actually committing to them. Like most of Shyamalan’s movies, the plot is built on one premise. When two gay men and their adopted daughter are enjoying an isolated vacation in the woods, Dave Bautista’s character Leonard and three other intimidating figures show up, insisting on a sacrifice. The family must choose to sacrifice one of themselves to prevent the apocalypse.

Shyamalan has matured into a simple thriller director after years of young and inconsistent decision-making. When he directed “The Sixth Sense” (1999) there

was talk of a ‘new Spielberg’, but he went on to create only occasionally interesting films before the famously egregious 2010 movie “The Last Airbender” on the way. In the past decade, he found his niche. As a director, writer and producer, he’s managed to turn consistent profits from more small-scale thrillers. His latest is a chamber drama with only a handful of characters almost entirely in one location, but will certainly turn yet another profit.

In its favor is an exciting cinematic vision. Shyamalan is a student of the form, and there are clear nods and developments from some of the masters. Having studied how Akira Kurosawa blocks his actors or how Ingmar Bergman shoots the face, “Knock at the Cabin” features truly evocative extreme closeups and clever blocking in such a small location. Both his composer and editor take risks for a more interesting style, often with great success. On a technical level, Shyamalan knows how to craft suspense. Where his direction is consistently interested in his direction, his scripts is

often uninteresting. Shyamalan is such a literal director, more in tune with Hitchcock’s famous philosophy that audience reaction is more important than the content of the film. Most audiences would probably be interested, perhaps even invested, in the concept of “Knock at the Cabin,” but rarely provoked. The script has a lot on its mind, but undercuts most of those ideas.

One interest of the movie is the fears of gay men in America. There are flashbacks to the joys of the relationship and the violence they’ve suffered. The authenticity lacks personality. The flashbacks are generic, artificial and more fixed in working as a plot device than an accurate depiction of gay romance. It’s unsurprising, because Shyamalan is obviously more interested in mystery than romance or ideas.

“Knock at the Cabin” wants to work on an emotional level, but doesn’t commit there either. For a film mostly interested in a difficult choice, the weight of that decision is secondary to the feasibility of the plot. After spending most of the

story examining that feasibility, the film fails on a psychological level because it offers none of the ambiguity it built its suspense on, and fails on a character level because the choices are automatic and irrelevant to that plot.

There are compelling ideas of faith and more overt religious suggestions, but every investment in the characters feels like a missed opportunity because it’s so buried under a mystery about the apocalypse. That being said, the actors completely elevate the material. Dave Bautista and Ben Aldridge ground their subject matter and give humanity to the outlandish, but the extremely watchable performances can’t ground such a confused script.

“Knock at the Cabin” is a solid film with some clear misjudgments. Those that have read the book it’s based on might find an interesting comparison here and fans of efficient thrillers will get some effective suspense. It was often intriguing and occasionally bored, but somehow Shyamalan always manages to be interesting.

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Freshmen cadets find friends, compete through Fish Drill Team

PRINT IS [still] NOT DEAD

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the day we, The Battalion, were told to stop printing.

On Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, then-editor-in-chief Myranda Campanella and then-managing editor Julia Potts were called into an unexpected meeting with two administrators within the Division of Student Affairs. The same morning 5,000 copies of The Battalion’s weekly print hit stands, administrators declared it would be the final print version of the paper.

To relieve any lingering confusion, since 2018, the university has not provided any financial support for The Battalion’s print edition, nor does it provide compensation to any of The Battalion staff. The university does provide The Battalion, and The Aggieland Yearbook, an office space on campus and a fulltime adviser to the publications.

However, just as administrators have no right to order the student government to write or pass a bill simply because they conduct busi-

ness on campus, they have no authority to decide what, or how, The Battalion publishes.

The Battalion’s leadership acted swiftly upon receiving these demands, scheduling a meeting with University President M. Katherine Banks, who insisted this would lead to “a new era for The Battalion.”

In some ways, she was right.

The Battalion was able to respond quickly, publish its story and rapidly gained support from all corners of the Aggie community. Regardless of previous opinions, current and former students, faculty and staff and media outlets of all types spoke out in support of editorial independence, putting their full support behind the 130-year-old publication. Following the public outcry, The Battalion published its “Print Is Not Dead” edition on Feb. 17, 2022.

Since this new era began, The Battalion has dominated the national awards stage, earning eight Pinnacle awards from the College Media Association, ranking first in Associated Collegiate Press’ Fall 2022 Clips and Click Contest and winning the first-ever Student Press Freedom Award from the Student Press Law Center — just to name

a few.

Hard-hitting journalism such as “The Rudder Association” reached readers everywhere and even made The Texas Tribune’s “The 2022 stories Texas Tribune journalists wish we’d had” alongside work by The Houston Chronicle and The Marshall Project.

Our own coverage of the Memorial Student Center losing its status as an early-voting location last year informed the local community and directed eyes from all across the state to College Station and the importance of ballot access.

But The Battalion, and student journalism more broadly, is about so much more than the headlines that reach national proportions — it’s about telling the story of our community, Aggieland, authentically.

Being run by students, for students, allows us to pinpoint the stories that matter most to our audience, explore these issues with passion and sharing it to Aggies everywhere.

When our podcast producers sit down with college athletes to record their podcast, “Home Turf”, they’ll inquire into the athlete’s sport and achievements, but also their classes,

perspectives and student life.

When news of the overturning of Roe v. Wade rocked the country, our newsroom asked itself, “How will this affect students and other members of our community?” and subsequently published student voices on the topic.

The glory isn’t ours alone however, as we are incredibly fortunate and grateful for the support received in the past year. While thanking everyone who supported us would be impossible — that doesn’t mean we won’t try.

To our former adviser, Douglas Pils, thank you for being our rock and our tireless advocate. To the faculty of the Department of Communication and Journalism, thank you for always centering student voices in the conversation.

To Friends of The Battalion, the non-profit who helped us make the transition to a student organization, thank you for helping us to remain independent and improve pay our hardworking staff.

To the Student Press Law Center and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, thank you for continuing to advocate for student media across the country and

for coming to our aid in our time of need. Thank you as well to the other student media outlets who supported us on social media or wrote their own editorials championing editorial independence.

The biggest thank you goes to the Aggie community, who has continued to support us through their readership — physical and digital — outreach and by contributing to Friends of The Battalion and The Battalion Excellence Fund through the A&M Foundation.

While our staff is committed to embracing new mediums and ways to reach our audience, make no mistake; Print is not dead until we say it is.

The Battalion has been printing for 130 years, and today, we are committing to yet another. So here’s to another year of print journalism, of commemorating Aggieland and telling stories about students, by students, for students.

The Battalion’s Editorial Board represents the views of The Battalion, as a publication, and is composed of Michaela Rush, editor-in-chief, Caleb Elizondo, opinion editor, and Ruben Hernandez, life & arts editor.

Opinion: A&M is UT’s crazy ex-girlfriend

Lilia Elizondo @LiliaElizondo5

After graduating from public high school, I was certain I’d never have to hear people make hissing sounds in response to topics or people they don’t like, especially in university.

I was wrong.

Although these people aren’t wearing cat ears and hissing at people who don’t look like they work at Hot Topic and wear all black, they are now hissing at people for wearing orange instead.

Both people, however, are equally embarrassing.

Opinion: Is A&M really one of the worst colleges for free speech?

Ana Sofia Sloane @AnaSofiaSloane

Trampling expressive freedom. Crushing faculty rights. Leaving guest speakers in the dust. Destroying student expression.

… Welcome to Aggieland?

On Feb. 10, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, published its annual “10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech List.” Featured in this exclusive selection? Our very own Texas A&M.

The criteria for this ranking revolve around three A&M scandals: the cancellation of Draggieland, the restructuring of Fish Camp and the attempted print shutdown of The Battalion. None of these situations exemplify a particularly harmonious relationship between students and leadership — an inarguable fact.

Nevertheless, I can’t help but question if this “special dishonor” is truly merited.

First of all, FIRE named this very same university “the best in Texas for campus speech policies” a mere four years ago. In fact, the vice president of policy reform at FIRE, Azhar Majeed, encouraged other universities to “follow Texas A&M’s lead and put the First Amendment first.”

Quite the praise, no?

To make matters even more confusing, A&M received a green light in FIRE’s 2023 College Free Speech Rankings, which means our university’s written policies were not found to “seriously threaten campus expression.” Only 60 institutions received a green light this year, a small fraction of the 375 four-year public institutions and 111 top private institutions considered in total.

A rare moment in my writing history, I must say I agree with A&M: “[FIRE’s] more recent list does not appear to rely on its own data.”

Not to mention, this data is as varied as it is contradicting — a scroll down the incriminating list reveals that our university’s offenses pale in comparison to those of the other colleges.

Collin College fired a professor for advocating the removal of Confederate statues and criticizing the institution’s COVID-19 policies. Loyola University ordered a student to stop passing out flyers promoting a pro-choice march. The president of Tennessee Tech fully banned students of a gay-straight alliance group from hosting events on campus.

During my time here at A&M, I don’t recall witnessing such acts of outright censure and retribution.

Now, am I declaring this university to be a perfect haven of liberty? No.

Cutting Draggieland from the Memorial Student Center, or MSC, Town Hall’s calendar last year blindsided Aggies who participate in and cherish the popular event. Plans to change Fish Camp’s traditional location, motto and decision-making hierarchy have left student leaders in the dark. The infamous attempt to terminate The Battalion’s print editions and unceremoniously merge the newspaper into the Department of Communication and Journalism left countless shocked at the disregard for time-honored tradition and autonomy of the press.

Yet, I can’t ignore the force of the student body, which united in protest and fought in the face of these unwelcome changes.

Through the efforts of LGBTQ+ communities and student organizations across campus, the Draggieland program raised $5,000 in donations within a week and is planned to continue on campus in April. When news of The Battalion broke out last year, thousands of students and supporters signed petitions to save the publication and the hashtag “#SaveTheBatt” circulated through

social media like wildfire. As of today, the beloved newspaper is still printing.

We students are strong, not silenced — an influential force free to raise our voices in disagreement and opposition, achieving change more often than not. Friction between faculty leadership and the student body does not warrant being painted as some Orwellian oppressive regime.

A&M’s diverse student organizations, guest speakers and events further prove this to be true.

Polarizing figures like Govenor Greg Abbott, Beto O’Rourke and Ben Shapiro have all been welcomed with a microphone and sold-out Rudder Theatre and Auditorium. Clashing groups such as the Young Americans for Freedom and Young Democratic Socialists of America are open for any student who may be interested.

In fact, I’ve often wished our university would exercise more restrictions over who is given a soapbox on campus — the times I’ve had to walk by the Academic Plaza and witness random pop-up speakers preaching homophobia and women’s rights violations are truly nauseating. Alas, free speech is free speech.

So, deserved or not?

Undeniably, there is room for improvement, especially in the alignment of student and administration values. Overstepped boundaries and domineering decisions are unfair to all.

However, the issues at A&M simply don’t seem severe enough to merit being distinguished as the absolute “worst of the worst” out of 486 of the nation’s top colleges and universities.

All things considered, I say not deserved.

Ana Sofia Sloane is a political science sophomore and opinion columnist for The Battalion

One of the first traditions I learned about Texas A&M was its “famous” rivalry with (dare I say it?) … The University of Texas.

As a youth, I heard countless stories from Aggies about that “other school” who told me to never go there! It was apparently a dark and evil place with a horned creature!

They sure made it sound similar to another special place.

I grew up excited to become an Aggie and fight the great war against the Longhorns, competing against the other great rivalries like Batman versus Superman, Sparta versus Athens and Coke versus Pepsi.

And let me tell you, after finally attending A&M and witnessing this “rivalry” firsthand, it isn’t all some of you Aggies hyped it up to be.

In fact, it’s actually quite pitiful.

I mean, people even refuse to address the school with the proper word itself, instead referring it to as t.u. It doesn’t sound like we are disrespecting or demeaning them. It sounds like we’re afraid. This isn’t Harry Potter. Just say the word.

Although I understand that A&M and UT competed against each other from the late 1800s to the 2000s, we haven’t played a game against them in football for 12 years. Even if they are joining the SEC, why should they receive any special attention from us? They’re just like any other team playing against us and have not proved their worth.

There are more qualified teams already in the SEC … you know, because they’ve been good for a while. Whereas UT is only just joining.

However, we can’t seem to comprehend this simple fact and choose to dramatize them into a mythical creature, granting them an undeserving form of immortality.

They’re not boogeymen, ghouls, goblins or parking tickets, they’re just another school in Texas. While we should not care about them, we have chosen to do the opposite. We have glorified them to such a degree that they’ve become embedded into our school’s culture.

We spend actual money on merchandise dedicated to them, spread their symbols during our football games when the game isn’t even against them and make animal

sounds when someone brings up their name.

We give them capital. We give them exposure. We give them power.

Humiliating.

Personally, I don’t want some Longhorn walking around the SEC with an overinflated ego thinking they live in our head rent-free. They’re already obnoxious enough from believing living in Austin is a personality trait.

The worst part about our infatuation with UT is that it’s completely one-sided.They don’t have chants, merchandise, or hand gestures dedicated to us. They don’t even think of us as their main rival.

In fact, even in 2010, UT was already considering other schools as their main rivals, with the Oklahoma Sooners taking the spot.

While they mention A&M used to be a rival, they didn’t even say we used to be the biggest rival. Instead just referring to us as being a bigger rival in the past — the past. I need you to think about that again.

Already 13 years ago, UT considered us a distant memory.

At this point, we are literally an obsessive ex-girlfriend who refuses to move on from their previous heartbreak. Meanwhile UT is “winning” the breakup, already canoodling with other people.

We shouldn’t be reducing ourselves to this level of fan behavior. We have been in a higher, more competitive football division for 12 years and we still frequently beat them in other sports, with recent back to back wins in our hockey games against them on Jan. 28 and 29.

I understand A&M is a school rich in customs and traditions, but just because something is a tradition and “just the way it’s always been done” doesn’t mean it’s good. People used to have child marriages, bind their feet to make them smaller and practice human sacrifice.

And look, I understand these traditions are a lot worse than some jokes about UT, but the principle remains: some traditions are outdated.

I enjoy being a hater as much as the next person, but thinking UT is a worthy opponent anymore is obsolete.

While their entrance to the SEC might prove otherwise, we cannot let them believe we’re already fangirling them as we giggle in excitement about having an excuse to use the horns down symbol or obsessively talk about them throughout social media.

Why be a crazy ex-girlfriend when we were the hotter partner to begin with?

So let’s stop giving them unnecessary attention and direct our energy towards new rivals and make new traditions. After all, is that not what Aggies are known for?

Besides being better than UT.

Lilia Elizondo is an English senior and opinion writer for The Battalion.

Graphic by Ana Sofia Sloane — THE BATTALION

Commentary: Beware the madness of March

Men’s basketball continues to hone skills against SEC opponents

By Brad Bennett @Brad_Bennett13

Thus far, Texas A&M men’s basketball 2022-23 season has had its fair share of highs and lows. The Aggies started their season struggling through their non-conference slate, losing to Wofford, Colorado, Murray State and Boise State.

The maroon and white were in a tailspin as their schedule transitioned into conference play with an 8-5 record. Much like last year’s team, the Aggies responded to adversity with a strong run of play that has saved their season and put them on the precipice of making the NCAA Tournament for the first time under coach Buzz Williams.

One of the main shifts has been A&M’s defense as they made a habit out of holding conference opponents to under 70 points. The Aggies used their defense, alongside timely offense, to currently hold second place in the SEC standings with a 10-2 record.

During much of Williams’ tenure with the maroon and white, he dealt with incorporating transfers into his rotations. Last year, it was senior guard Tyrece Radford and junior forward Henry Coleman III. This season, Williams had to add graduate guard Dexter Dennis, junior forward Julius Marble and junior forward Andersson Garcia to the rotation. When healthy, freshman forward Solomon Washington also made his way into serious playing time just a year out of high school.

All of these new additions address last season’s shortcomings. For instance, the Aggies were a small basketball team last year and Marble added a post presence that wasn’t there previously. Garcia and Washington have also brought much-needed energy off the bench.

Both players seem to play taller than their listed heights and are magnets for loose balls. Dennis replaced the high-flying void left by the graduation of guard Quenton Jackson.

New additions coupled with continued development from returning players such as Radford and sophomore guard Wade Taylor IV have resulted in what looks like the best team Williams has coached at A&M. Taylor is up to 15.2 points per game after averaging 8 points last season, and Radford is averaging 13.6 points per game while showing the tendency to take over games.

One of the highlights of the Aggies’ recent run was their victory on the road against the Auburn Tigers. The win ended the Tigers’ 28-game winning streak at home.

However, there are still some questions surrounding the maroon and white. One would be how they would contend against tall teams. As good as Coleman and Marble are, they are still only listed at 6-foot-8 and the Aggies have struggled against conference opponents with true centers. Matchups against the senior centers Makhi and Makhel Mitchell from Arkansas and senior Kentucky center Oscar Tshiebwe each resulted in losses.

In the Razorbacks’ game, the Mitchell twins’ ability to protect the paint really hindered the maroon and white offense and was one of the main reasons they lost the game. An upcoming rematch against Arkansas on Wednesday, Feb. 15, will provide more answers in regard to this question.

Another problem for A&M has been inconsistencies on the offensive end. Take both Auburn games for example. In the first one, the Aggies won largely due to Radford’s herculean 30 points. A&M was dependent on Radford bailing out possessions by either drawing a foul or hitting a step-back 3-pointer. In the second matchup, the Aggies attempted 39 free throws to Auburn’s 14. The Tigers actually shot both a higher field goal and 3-point percentage, but the free throw differential aided

in its defeat. Both games resulted in wins, but also didn’t require A&M to consistently execute on offense.

A&M is at its best when it is creating easy opportunities off of its defense. At their worst, the Aggies get stuck in isolation situations and start shooting inefficient perimeter jumpers. Sometimes these shots go in, but it’s difficult to win while being dependent on them. For

A&M to go far in the SEC Tournament and eventually the NCAA Tournament, it will have to get better at creating offense in the half-court.

Luckily for the Aggies, upcoming matchups against the aforementioned Razorbacks, Tennessee Volunteers and Alabama Crimson Tide in front of the 12th Man will be a great litmus test as they prepare for March.

Aggies fall short against Tarheels in ITA semis

Women’s tennis adds blemish to previously undefeated record

By Nicolas White @Nico_w14

The Super Bowl wasn’t the only nail-biter happening on Sunday, Feb. 12, as Texas A&M women’s tennis took on the University of North Carolina in the semifinals of the ITA indoor tennis championships.

The match, which featured two of the top three teams in the nation, came down to the wire in one of the most must watch performances of the season thus far.

The maroon and white haven’t lost the doubles point all season, and that continued as

they took the 1-0 lead early on in Seattle. Senior Carson Branstine and sophomore Mary Stoiana struck first with their 6-1 win on the first court against freshman Reese Brantmeier and senior Elizabeth Scotty. Soon after, graduates Jayci Goldsmith and Salma Ewing closed out the doubles point for the Aggies with their 6-3 win on Court 2.

As play transitioned to singles, the action came down to the wire with four different courts entering deciding sets. After a strong win by freshman Daria Smetannikov, the Tarheels took a decisive 3-2 lead thanks to impressive wins by Brantmeier, Scotty and Fiona Crawley.

This top-three matchup would ultimately come down to the action on Courts 3 and 4.

Court 3 featured a back-and-forth matchup between Ewing and sophomore Carson Tanguilig, while Court 4 saw Aggie freshman Mia Kupres face off against UNC graduate Abigail Forbes. Half way into each court’s third set, Kupres desperately held onto the lead in her match, while Ewing was fighting to stay alive in hers, saving multiple match points on two different occasions to keep the Aggies in it.

Eventually, Tanguilig converted on her fifth match point to hand the Heels a 4-2 win and a trip to the finals. Their match finished 6-0, 4–6, 7-6 (2). The action on Court 4 did not finish, but Kupres and Forbes were on serve in the third.

This match ends the Aggies run in the Emerald City, and also brings an end to their un-

defeated start to the season. However, it was an impressive performance against the No. 2 team in the country.

“I am very proud of this amazing group,” A&M coach Mark Weaver said to 12thMan. com. “We came here to bring back a national title but just fell short to the three-time defending champions and it was a fight to the bitter end. Matches like this will make us stronger moving forward and the experience can really help us get across the finish line later on in the season.”

Next up for the Aggies is a series of out-of-conference matches at the USTA National Campus starting on Friday, Feb. 24. Meanwhile for the Tar Heels, a matchup with Georgia awaits them in the finals.

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Junior G Khalen Robinson (1) throws the ball away 10 seconds before the game ends with A&M up 25 points to Georgia at Reed Arena on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023.

Aggies dive headfirst into competition

6th place, final score of 334.55

All divers had A-cuts.

Ethan Gogulski, Andres Puente, Connor Foote, Baylor Nelson — 200yard medley relay — 5th place, 1:23.24, A-cut time.

By Justin Chen @Chen_Justin_

Texas A&M men’s and women’s swimming and diving hosted the SEC Championships in the Student Rec Center. A five day event that began on Tuesday, Feb. 14, Day 1 of competition saw Aggies on and near the podium.

Day 1 Box Score:

Victor Povzner — 1-meter diving —

1st place, final score of 375.50

Rhett Hensley — 1-meter diving —

3rd place, final score of 343.60

Takuto Endo — 1-meter diving —

4th place, final score of 342.45

Allen Bottego — 1-meter diving —

Kaloyan Bratanov, Baylor Nelson, Ethan Gogulski, Collin Fuchs — 800yard freestyle relay — 5th place, 6:15.38, fastest time of the season for the Aggies, A-cut time.

A&M men’s team lead after day one with score of 229.

Day 2 Box Score:

Kaloyan Bratanov, Connor Foote, Baylor Nelson, Ethan Gogulski — 200yard freestyle relay — 5th place, 1:16.64, A-cut time, second-fastest time in program history and fastest time for the Aggies this season

Trey Dickey — 500-yard freestyle — 18th place, 4:18.30, second-fastest time in school history

Baylor Nelson — 200-yard yard individual medley — 1st place, 1:40.86, A-cut time

Kaloyan Bratanov — 200-yard individual medley — 2nd place, 1:42.50

Anze Fers Erzen — 200-yard individual medley — 12th place, 1:43.91

Connor Foote — 50-yard freestyle — 14th place, 19.54

Ethan Gogulski — 50-yard freestyle — 20th place, 19.68

Kraig Bray — 50-yard freestyle — 24th place, 20.03

After the conclusion of Day 2, the Aggies are in second place with 380 points.

These are day-by-day scores from the swim and dive SEC Championship, updates will be added as competition concludes. For more details regarding the game, follow The Battalion sports accounts below:

@battsports — Twitter

@thebattsports — Instagram

Path to Omaha starts with Seattle

Schlossnagle returns for sophomore season

By Hunter Mitchell @HunterM1001

Last season, questions were raised about Texas A&M baseball with almost a whole new roster, a new head coach and coaching staff. Coach Jim Schlossnagle and company laid all concerns to rest with an SEC West title and the farthest run in the College World Series in A&M history.

Now in 2023, the Aggies come into the preseason ranked No. 5 with completely different expectations this season. With many familiar faces and impactful new ones, A&M looks to build on last season’s success and make another run in Omaha, Neb.

“I think team chemistry is at an all-time high,” junior pitcher Nathan Dettmer told the Home Turf podcast. ”This team feels like it has the culture of last year with more talent.”

The Aggies return six of the nine position starters from 2022, including preseason All-Americans in junior first baseman Jack Moss and senior designated hitter Austin Bost.

Bost, who had a .360 batting average in 2022, was also awarded the No. 12 for the 2023 season. This honor was bestowed to catcher Troy Claunch for the 2022 season.

“I’ve grown up an Aggie my entire life,” Bost said. “Getting to watch Troy Claunch last year wear that [jersey], it just made me want it even more.”

Another pivotal returner for the Aggies is junior third baseman Trevor Werner. Werner, who was plagued with injury in 2022, only batted .256 in his limited appearances. Despite this, he received interest from MLB scouts but decided to come back to A&M for his junior year. Schlossnagle has high hopes for Werner going into the 2023 season.

“I nicknamed [Werner] my first week here SEC Boy, SEC Player of the Year,” Schlossnagle said. “I want him thinking in that mindset. I think he is capable of being that type

of player. He is the most tooled-out player that I have ever coached.”

Despite all of the returning production for A&M, a few new key position pieces arrived this past offseason and are poised to have an immediate effect on the Aggies.

Freshman left fielder Jace LaViolette, who was the 27th-ranked outfield prospect in the 2022 class, opted out of the MLB Draft to attend A&M and has already shown his prowess in the preseason. In a fall scrimmage against Lamar, LaViolette went 3-for-4 with three home runs.

Another new player who will see immediate playing time for the Aggies is junior shortstop and Arizona State transfer Hunter Haas. Haas, who made the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team his freshman year, comes in to help an A&M infield that struggled in 2022, ranking 179th in fielding percentage to close the season.

A&M also returns key pieces in the bullpen with Dettmer, junior reliever Will Johnston and sophomore pitcher Chris Cortez.

Dettmer started 19 games for the Aggies last season, with his best out-

ing coming in his final start. Against Notre Dame in the College World Series, Dettmer worked seven scoreless innings to help the Aggies secure victory in the elimination game, but after another offseason with A&M, the right-hander looks to elevate his game this season.

“The main point of the offseason was feeling out my body, getting bigger and stronger,” Dettmer said. “Not much throwing in the offseason, really just taking that step and feeling out my body and growing into who I am.”

Similarly to the dugout, the A&M pitching staff also grew deeper this offseason with the addition of players like freshman Justin Lamkin and sophomore Purdue transfer Troy Wansing.

Wansing started 12 games for the Boilermakers last season and was named to the All Big-10 Freshman Team, while Lamkin comes in as the No. 34 overall recruit in Texas and the No. 5 left-handed pitcher in the state.

With all of the pieces A&M has at its disposal, the Aggies look to start strong against their first opponent

of the season, the Seattle University Redhawks.

Seattle is coming off of a less-than-optimal 2022 season that saw the Redhawks go 16-34, including losing their last seven in a row to close the season.

Pitching was an issue for Seattle last season, ranking 267 out of 293 teams in ERA at 7.64. Senior pitcher Peter Chronowski and junior pitchers Brady Liddle and Nestor German, who made up most of the Redhawks’ weekend starts last year, all return for Seattle.

On the batting side, Seattle’s hitting fared only slightly better than their pitching, being tied for 191st in hits on the season and tied for 224th in scoring. However, the Redhawks’ most efficient offensive weapon returns in 2023. Graduate infielder Matt Boissoneault led Seattle last year in most hitting categories, including batting average, slugging average, hits, RBIs, doubles, home runs and total bases.

First pitch for the series is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, at Olsen Field.

Junior Victor Povzner and sophomore Rhett Hensley receive their medals for the 1-meter dive on Tuesday Feb. 14, 2023.

Megan Williams — THE BATTALION

Junior RHP Micah Dallas (34) signs autographs and speaks with fans prior to the start of the Aggie’s game against the Sooners in Omaha, Neb. on Wednesday June 22, 2022.

Robert O’Brien— THE BATTALION

Day 1 and 2 of SEC Championships set tone for final three days of meet