The Battalion — February 28, 2023

Men’s basketball prepares to face Alabama

SPORTS START ON B1

Africana poetry event enlightens Aggieland POETRY ON PAGE A5

CANDIDATE GUIDE

BODY PRESIDENT CANDIDATES CRAD DOCK

WOOD

SBP candidates battle for ballot

moderator

By Caroline Wilburn @carolinewilb

The four 2023-24 Texas A&M student body president candidates gathered in the Memorial Student Center Flag Room to answer questions from students about their campaigns and argue their stance on issues regarding the student body.

The Feb. 23 debate was hosted by the Student Government Association, or SGA, and moderated by Frank B. Ashley II, Ph.D., executive associate dean of The Bush School of Government and Public Service. The debate consisted of three rounds of questioning, including an initial round of questions regarding the legacy of their campaign, a questioning period among the candidates and a choice of five student-submitted questions, as well as a period of time for opening and closing statements. The event allowed students to learn more about the candidates and their platforms before voting takes place on March 2-3.

This event is a unique opportunity for students to get to know the candidates better, said current Student Body President Case Harris.

“The students can benefit from this because you really get to hear what the candidates [are] passionate about and that helps a lot with vot-

ing decisions,” Harris said. “As a candidate, it’s a cool opportunity to get to voice your priorities and what you want to this student body. It’s the first time you’re publicly talking about, in person, your platform so it’s a big night for the candidates.”

Following an opening round of introductions, candidates were given two minutes to share what legacy they plan on leaving at A&M following their time as student body president.

With hopes of leaving a legacy of service, finance junior Hudson Kraus said his work as president of A&M Interfraternity Council, or IFC, included a $26,000 endowment that provides scholarships for IFC members.

“It’s something that’s going to be here, it’s going to continue to leave a legacy far beyond when I’m gone,” Kraus said. “It’s the same Texas A&M spirit that I want to bring into being student body president.”

Kraus said his favorite Core Value is Selfless Service and hopes to effectively and tangibly serve the student body if elected.

“That’s one of the things that I’m talking about all the time, is because, frankly, the majority of students on campus do not understand what student government does,” Kraus said. “So what I want to make sure that happens is that … It’s very evident that in the lives of students what student government is doing for them, they make a lot of positive impacts and a lot of positive things happen as a result of the Student Government Association.”

Marketing junior Cate Craddock said her

campaign is based on leaving a legacy of caring for and serving the 12th Man.

“I care about community for every Aggie,” Craddock said. “I want to advocate for mental wellness, addressing these rising student costs, upholding Aggie Core Values and traditions. I want to see every Aggie find their place, their community and making College Station their home.”

With the 12th Man as her motivation, Craddock said through her various involvement on campus she has learned how special the student body is.

“Specifically, what has been successful, I’ve seen in the past, is servant leadership,” Craddock said. “That also goes along with Selfless Service, and that making sure that we, whoever is in charge, puts the student’s needs above their own, and as student body president that is important to me, and it’s important that the student body is taken care of.”

Through serving as the 2022-23 junior class president, biomedical sciences junior Christian Newton said he has already begun leaving a legacy at A&M by building a sense of community on campus.

“That sense of community is really what drives student success,” Newton said. “As class president, I’ve gotten to do things like fundraise for a class gift, and so leave a physical imprint on our campus after we graduate here, but also keep our class connected years after our time at Texas A&M.”

With hopes to establish a Lyft initiative which would provide free or subsidized rides

to students, Newton was questioned by Craddock about how he plans to execute this program.

“Through conversations with some of those campus partners like TAMU UPD, as well as those Northgate district [businesses] and equity colleges, they’ve all been open to the discussion potentially funding those projects,” Newton said.

Race, gender, ethnicity junior Bailey Greenwood said she hopes students remember her as someone who leaves every room better than she found it.

“If you look at my involvement across the board, I have served in a leadership position in every single one of those and in every single one of those I have taken on a challenge that was told couldn’t be and yet here we are, they were done,” Greenwood said. “I think that the legacy that I would like to leave [is] … the impossible is not impossible.”

Kraus asked Greenwood about the tangible aspects of her campaign and what concrete results students can expect to see from her initiatives. Regarding her campaign initiatives, Greenwood said conversations have already started to begin to make campus more accessible for students with disabilities.

“I have had the opportunity to meet with the necessary offices for that,” Greenwood said. “I’ve met with the Disability Resources center once a week and I’ve been meeting with TAMU EMS to find and pinpoint the places on campus that are just not super friendly to those actions.”

Candidates field questions from students,

Meet the class president candidates

Candidates share their

platforms, goals ahead of student body election

By Jack Lee @JackTheBatt

Texas A&M students will have the opportunity to vote for their class president for the upcoming school year from March 2, at 9 a.m., to March 3, at 12 p.m., at vote.tamu. edu.

There are 12 candidates on the ballot, but students can also vote for “write-in” candidates by manually inputting their name. Information about the class president’s responsibilities and eligibility requirements can be found here.

All candidates were invited to comment, via email, about their campaign platform and goals.

Senior class president

Alexander Chaiken is a biomedical sciences senior running for senior class president. Chaiken said he is interested in promoting student well-being, events and connections.

“For a long while now, the events that other classes got to experience have been things the Class of [2024] missed out on,” Chaiken said. “It’s about time that streak ended.”

Senior class president candidate Ben Fisher was unavailable to comment at time of publication.

Junior class president

Ankit Lulla is a mechatronics engineering and computer science sophomore. Lulla said his diverse background allows him to represent communities across A&M.

“Five of my most dear qualities — and what I’d uphold as a representative of the Class of 2025 — are Diversity, Respect, Integrity, Versatility and Empowerment, or DRIVE, for short,” Lulla said. “I’m a social officer for the A&M Tennis Club, went to an all-boys Catholic monastic high school and have familial ties to Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism, allowing me to be a voice for every facet of our extensive community and the best candidate for the junior class presidency.”

Grace Touchstone is a marketing sophomore. Touchstone said she is interested in fostering connections and building an inclusive community.

“I am running for junior class president because I am passionate about pouring back into the university and the people that have poured so much into me! I plan to focus on how the Class of 2025 can help pay it forward,” Touchstone said. “My goals as class president are to establish unity to develop valuable relationships and strong connections among our classmates based on Texas A&M’s core values, improve involvement to cultivate an inclusive environment and create new events, fundraisers and opportunities that will exclusively benefit the Class of 2025.”

Ramón Rodríguez, an allied health sophomore, said he is interested in making sure every Aggie can participate in campus traditions.

“As junior class president, I am dedicated to providing equal opportunities and access to the traditions and activities that make Aggieland so special,” Rodriguez said. “I am passionate about making sure that every Aggie, regardless of their campus location and background, is included and can take part in the rich culture of this beloved university.”

Malik Salami, a biomedical engineering sophomore, said his goal is to create community inside and outside of the school setting.

“I believe junior year is a crucial time for us to bond as a class, build ever-lasting memories, and set the foundation for our future,” Salami said. “As your president, I will work tirelessly to create opportunities for us to connect, grow, and thrive both inside and outside the classroom.”

Cecil Lara, a political science sophomore, said he is running to support unity and tradition.

“Through my platform of Unity, Affinity and Tradition, I intend to lead our class toward excellence,” Lara said.

Junior class president candidate Will Rodriguez was unavailable to comment at the time of publication.

Sophomore class president

Colton Whisenant, an agribusiness freshman, said he is looking to be a voice for all A&M students.

“I want to have a positive impact on people,” Whisenant said. “I’m willing to put in the time and effort that it takes to be a good class president, and I want to represent everyone here in Aggieland.”

Kathryn Carter, a general engineering freshman, said she is interested in promoting mental health causes.

“I served as a senator for the College of Engineering this year and have really enjoyed representing the student body,” Carter

said.“I am passionate about making everyone at A&M feel like they have a voice. I would like to improve communication with students about what issues they would like addressed. I want to promote student involvement and leadership as well as mental health awareness and support.”

Owen Denman, an economics freshman, said he is looking to proceed with carrying out outgoing Student Body President Case Harris’ vision for the community.

“I’m running for sophomore class president to continue caring for the student body, ex-

Senior Boot Bag

panding our current mental health initiatives and providing better access to campus resources that students with mental health issues may need,” Denman said. “As class president, I plan on continuing the improvements Case Harris and I have strived for with mental health on campus and taking steps forward into promoting modern tradition and a lasting community for every student by partnering with organizations across all of campus.”

Sophomore class president candidate Erica Jantz was unavailable to comment at the time of publication.

Abbey Santoro— THE BATTALION

The exterior of the John J. Koldus Building on Sept. 13, 2022.

STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT CANDIDATES

CATE CRADDOCK

MARKETING JUNIOR

WHAT IS YOUR PLATFORM?

My platform is “Cate cares” for community for every Aggie, “Cate cares” for mental wellness, “Cate cares” about rising student costs and “Cate cares” about traditions and Core Values. Those are our platforms and we’re excited for you to hear more about them.

PLATFORM POINTS:

• Community for every Aggie

•

• Upholding Core Values and traditions

•

BAILEY GREENWOOD

• Addressing rising student costs

• • Advocating for mental wellness

RACE, GENDER, ETHNICITY JUNIOR

WHAT IS YOUR PLATFORM?

Stemming o of the four branches, intentionality, inclusivity, involvement and integrity, I truly believe that every Aggie on this campus is destined to be a great leader. We are all here for a reason, and I would love to serve as an encourager to just push every Aggie to be the best that they can be, but also know that they can make a di erence.You do not have to be in a position of power or even involved in a certain organizations to make a di erence on this campus. There are so many ways to get plugged in and I think that I would just love to be a good example of stepping into a campaign for a role like this.

PLATFORM POINTS:

• Inclusivity

•

HUDSON KRAUS

• Integrity

•

• Intentionality

• • Involvement

FINANCE JUNIOR

WHAT IS YOUR PLATFORM?

The three things we want to accomplish in the next year are: connect to culture, create opportunities for students and cultivate the spirit here in Aggieland. We want to make tangible and e ective changes that positively impact the daily lives of students, such as creating virtual student IDs and sports passes for students, highlighting impactful student organizations and continuing to advocate for traditions enhancement and advocacy across the campus of Texas A&M.

PLATFORM POINTS:

• Create Opportunities: Implement academic restdays. Provide free scantrons and blue book.Virtual student IDs and sports pass.

• • Connect the culture: Student organization development. Spotlight impactful organizations across campus.

• • Cultivate the spirit: Tradition dates and information on Canvas. Spreading awareness of traditions through Texas A&M social media.

BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES JUNIOR

WHAT IS YOUR PLATFORM?

Howdy, my name is Christian Newton. I’m a junior biomedical sciences major from Houston, Texas and I’m excited to share with you guys a little bit about my student body president campaign. My vision is simple. That’s to go all in for you. That’s to go all in for student government. All in for the student body. I want to go all in for advancing student success, all in for enhancing and living your Aggie experience and all in for lifting the community. That’s going to look like things like bringing free rides, free Lyft and subsidized Lyft rides to our campus students, getting rid of our awful registration system, as well as bringing napping stations to campus.

PLATFORM POINTS:

• Lifting: Traditions, engagement and finding your family.

•

WHY ARE YOU QUALIFIED?

I am quali ed to run for student body president and lead this university because I’ve served under two student body presidents. I have had the honor and the privilege to serve within top sta my freshman year, and currently executive cabinet as a vice president of the university committees. I’ve been able to see what it looks like to lead a student body and lead a team. That’s why I understand and I’m excited to step into this role because I’ve had the experience. I do not have much of a learning curve and I love the students and they are my passion and they’re why I’m doing it.

WHY ARE YOU QUALIFIED?

I feel I’m quali ed for this role because I have served in six organizations at Texas A&M and work in philanthropy o campus and also work in events on campus. In addition to that, I recently took on a new project and successfully saw it through. The ACHIEVE program here at Texas A&M is a program for students with intellectual disabilities, and they get to learn life skills and be fully emerged into the campus community here and they are just incredible. However, they are on a certi cate program and so they do not actually qualify to order Aggie Rings. So a good friend and I did not see this t, considering they are just as much of an Aggie as we are. We took it upon ourselves to design and create their own Aggie Ring and they got to order them for the rst time on Jan. 27, and they will get their rings for the rst time this semester. The history of the program was just completely altered and that is something that through that process, I learned the steps and the relationships and the communications necessary to really make an impact on a campus like Texas A&M.

WHY ARE YOU QUALIFIED?

I’m quali ed for this position because currently as president of the Texas A&M Interfraternity Council, my position functions very similarly to student body president, in where I’m taking input from 1,800 students and 18 di erent interest groups and setting [a] vision for the next year and initiatives for us to plan out as Interfraternity Council, and then taking those up the ranks to administration and being a liaison essentially between the administration and Interfraternity Council. As student body president, I’d be a representative of all the students here at Texas A&M, between them and the administration, setting that same vision and advocating for them on behalf of the entire student body.

WHY

ARE YOU QUALIFIED?

• Living: Safety, support and the Aggie experience.

When it comes to quali cations, I think I have been around the ring or so far at my time at Texas A&M. Serving as junior class president, I had the huge opportunity, as well as sophomore class president, to really dive into that community-building aspect at Texas A&M. Getting students all across campus involved in our traditions, as well as fundraising, handling our class social media and everything in between, it’s given me a huge opportunity to form that Aggie family. Another thing really comes from my experience being in the Student Government Association, as well as the Student Council of Arts & Sciences, just being able to advocate for student issues that students face every single day. So having a great relationship with administration and taking the concerns of students straight to them and trying to implement change throughout those organizations.

CHRISTIAN NEWTON

I

YELL LEADER CANDIDATES

ANDRES AGUILERA

ACCOUNTING JUNIOR

Favorite yell?

“Locomotive”

Favorite Aggie tradition?

Silver Taps

Why do you want to be a Yell Leader?

I I want to be a Yell Leader because in the short span of time that I’ve been here at A&M, I’ve been given so much by the

amount of organizations I’ve been involved in, the amount of amazing friends that I’ve met. And I see how much this means so much to a lot of people. With that being said, I feel that there’s people at

this university that may feel underrepresented, so I want to be able to be a voice for those people that may not be seen every day and show that they’re part of the Aggie family too.

ETHAN DAVIS

POLITICAL SCIENCE JUNIOR

Why do you want to be a Yell Leader?

I want to be a Yell Leader, because Yell Leading comes from a sense of service. And with that, I feel as though it would

THOMAS GREVE

PHILOSOPHY JUNIOR

Why do you want to be a Yell Leader?

This past year has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime and getting to lead the

JAKE CARTER

FINANCE SOPHOMORE

Why do you want to be a Yell Leader?

My desire to be a Yell Leader just stems from my mission: to just humbly serve

Favorite yell?

“Locomotive”

Favorite yell? “Locomotive”

Favorite Aggie tradition? Silver Taps

be perfect for me to serve back to the community that has given me so much. So with that, I mean, I just wanna make everybody feel as welcome, as A&M has made me feel welcome. Everything from

Favorite Aggie tradition? Silver Taps

12th Man in the light that I have is just an incredible and humbling opportunity and there is no better way to serve, in my opinion. I hope that everyone thinks I’ve done,

you know, a good enough job thus far. I’d love to just continue on in these whites and just spread the Aggie Spirit wherever I can.

TREVOR YELTON

CONSTRUCTION SCIENCE JUNIOR

I

Why do you want to be a Yell Leader?

I have a passion for this university. I have since I’ve stepped on this campus, learned about those traditions and seeing how these traditions aren’t just going to pass themselves. People have to do these traditions

Favorite yell?

just saying “howdy” to people, to representing the student body is demonstrating the Core Values.

Favorite yell? “Beat the Hell Outta”

Favorite Aggie tradition? Muster

every single year, so that people behind them can continue to do them to make them a tradition. Being a Yell Leader this past year, I’ve been able to be a part of all these traditions like Midnight Yell practice and going to away games and then also being in the Corps of Cadets, attending Silver

“Beat the Hell Outta”

Favorite Aggie tradition?

Midnight Yell

others and be intentional with the time I have. I believe that the position of Yell Leader is the perfect way to accomplish that goal. To add onto that, just to add on

that the spirit of Aggieland, and to keep the traditions alive and make sure every Aggie knows that they have a place here in Aggieland.

GRAYSON POAGE

CIVIL ENGINEERING SOPHOMORE

Why do you want to be a Yell Leader?

The people I’ve met so far in my journey at Texas A&M have meant so much to me. I have realized that our impact on

Taps the first Tuesday of every month and being able to attend Muster, and all these cool traditions that make Texas A&M. I want to continue being able to do that and I think the biggest impact I can do is by serving this university as a Yell Leader.

Favorite yell?

“Farmers Fight”

Favorite Aggie tradition?

Muster

people is what truly matters. To continue doing that would be the opportunity and privilege of a lifetime. I just want to use any platform that I have to continue serving others, making an impact on them and

making them feel welcomed and find their home here in Aggieland.

Aggieland spotlights Black poetry

Aggies celebrate selfexpression through written, spoken word

By Sydnei Miles @Sydnei_M04 & Ruben Hernandez @battandmuse

Students joined together at the Texas A&M Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research and enjoyed poetic recitals of Africana poetry read by fellow students as Black History Month ends.

On Friday, Feb. 24, the Department of Hispanic Studies and International Studies held the two-part Black Women Poetry event, which consisted not just of Black women’s poetry, but that of other cultures as well. The poems performed in the first part of the event

covered Africana poetry in multiple languages such as Spanish, Portuguese and French. In the second part of the event, students conveyed more of a personal message from their experiences of life, diversity, philosophy and inequities.

Africana studies professor Rebecca Hankins attended the event and gave a brief presentation on the history of Black women’s success in politics and literature in between the transition of the first part of the event about the next. Although rarely talked of and promoted throughout campus, Hankins said the poetry event has had its history here at A&M for over two decades.

“This is carrying on a slam poetry tradition that started when I first came here in 2003,” Hankins said. “It has history, go to Cushing [Library], they have all the materials about the earlier slam poetry programs that were done by an English student. This is a long tradition, I’m glad that they’re reviving that.”

It was ‘snort’ of good

Hispanic studies graduate student Alexa Hurtado, co-host of the event, said that events like these are safe spaces for students to communicate and express their emotions to students who are willing to listen. Hurtado said that poetic events like these not only allow for the flow of thought, but the introduction to respect for other cultures and backgrounds which may not be as represented here on campus.

“It’s really important that we keep doing these types of events,” Hurtado said. “So that we can all feel safe, that we can all share and to be in tranquility that my words won’t [negatively] affect others, but on the contrary, motivate others to keep doing these types of activities.”

Hispanic studies doctoral student Ivylove Cudjoe, co-hosted the event and said art events like these showcase the hidden talents of any student. Although A&M is presented as a majority engineering school, there is an im-

portant artistic side that needs to be expressed, Cudjoe said.

“There is a poet in everybody, just you have to touch your creativity and let it out,” Cudjoe said. “We are not just about engineering, and these other departments have people who want to express themselves and they want to express themselves through poetry. You can be digitally in any department, including engineering. This is a way to just merge everything together, all of the departments and shout that arts people are here and we need languages in each and every one of them.”

Hurtado and Cudjoe both said they hope to turn this event into an annual seminar for the artistic expression of Aggie poetry.

“Next year, I can definitely see more funding and to have more people participating and actually competing,” Cudjoe said. “I want to just encourage people that they shouldn’t be silent on their creative stuff, they should come up and share that with the world.”

Director: Elizabeth Banks

Release Date: Feb. 24, 2023

Run Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

By Joey Kirk @joeypkirk

Loosely based on a true story, the title of “Cocaine Bear” is everything an audience needs to know. The trailer goes a step further, promising theatrical absurdity and violent kills. To some extent, the film lives up to its name due to the iconic bear at the center. For the large amount of the movie without her, however, the fun is inconsistent.

“Cocaine Bear” follows a large ensemble of characters in a Tennessee National Forest as they confront the freshly intoxicated black bear. Some of these characters are great. For example, a park ranger is one of the only characters with a gun, and she uses it to hilarious effect. The tough guy trapped in the middle of a drug deal is similarly a great presence. For every entertaining character, though, there are generally more stable ones. The main characters — a mom and two kids — are particularly dull.

At its campiest, the film can be a lighthearted treat. The cocaine bear herself marks a lot of these standout moments. Without her, there’s a reliance on character interactions, which grow very stale. That’s to be expected, but the highs of the cocaine bear don’t overcome the lows of everything else. The R-rated slasher might’ve benefitted from more gore. The best kills can feel pretty watered down.

That tug-of-war between occasional action and constant chatter is burdened with a desperation for a 90-minute runtime. Unfortunately, the pacing constantly suffers as a result. Pushing the plot along as quickly as possible from kill to kill, the plethora of characters

overstuff and weigh the narrative down. Even with a premise so simple, “Cocaine Bear” has way too much going on.

Most of the film flies by well enough, but everything begins to fall apart in the third act. The first 30-minutes or so are a great time. Characters are introduced, some early jokes are great and folks are killed off pretty quickly. The longer the movie goes on, the more it loses its charm. Suddenly real villains and emotional stakes are introduced. An effort for a climax is never as intriguing as the earlier playfulness. Surprisingly, I got bored.

On the plus side, and maybe even more surprisingly, “Cocaine Bear” is pretty competently directed by Elizabeth Banks. The narrative ridiculousness is met by stylishly goofy camerawork. Even if the action isn’t particularly engaging, it’s easy to tell what’s going on. Aside from the dimly lit and uninteresting finale, most of the significant set pieces are pretty well done. Banks puts in a real effort to keep the visuals interesting even when not so much is going on. That doesn’t entirely pay off, but the effort is notable.

“Cocaine Bear” is a good time. It knows what it is and doesn’t try to be much else beyond it; a bear snorts a lot of cocaine and goes on a rampage. Everything in between varies in success. It’s a short watch and the kind of goofy February movie to be expected, but it’s too uneven to sustain itself for the whole runtime. Its expendability is its best trait, but “Cocaine Bear” deserved to be more memorable.

Hosts of the Black Women Poetry event, graduate students Alexa Hurtado (left) and Ivylove Cudjoe (right) pose for a photo.

‘Cocaine Bear’ 5/10

Via IMDB

Opinion: I hate to rain on your parade ...

Opinion writer Ana Sofia Sloane presents an open letter to Flag Room singers: reserve vocal talents for other venues

etiquette.

Just like no one appreciates that one person who unnecessarily riffs their way through a simple Happy Birthday, no one appreciates a quiet area disrupted by an unwarranted vocal performance. It’s like wearing a burnt orange and white shirt on campus — blatantly out of place and bound to stir some rage.

With musical talent or passion must also come respect and awareness.

Not to mention, as someone who requires immense effort and self-control to sit down and get work done, it’s frustrating when unplanned distractions arise as you’re in the middle of a focus groove or attempting to enter one. What’s worse, any music that isn’t exclusively instrumental ruins my train of thought when studying and turns my brain into a jumbled mess of chaos.

Unfortunately, it was around my third visit that this newly found utopia began to crumble.

Imagine: You’ve settled down in the Memorial Student Center, or MSC, Flag Room for the evening, diligently working on an assignment due at 11:59 p.m.

A delicate piano melody accompanies comfortable quiet, the soft sound of rustling pages harmonizing the black and white keys as students flip through textbooks and notes. Lightly murmured conversation and the pitter-patter of laptop keys paint a backdrop of delicate noise.

Suddenly, a voice pierces the air.

Confusion and annoyance flicker throughout the room — Did someone accidentally hit play on a Youtube video? Are there hidden speakers in the rafters? Is Lea Michele about to descend from the heavens?

But as the voice crescendos, you finally find the culprit: someone seated behind the piano, hammering away at the keys while singing along at the top of their lungs.

Why?

The scenario I just described is one that has characterized my MSC study sessions too frequently over the past month. To say I’m bothered is an understatement.

I’ve been an avid Evans Library supporter since my first semester at Texas A&M, spending hours upon hours holed up on the third floor reading endless chapters and writing countless papers. However, at the start of this year, I decided to branch out of my beloved sanctuary and explore what other study spots the world has to offer — namely — the Flag Room.

With warm ambient lighting, expansive oak tables, ample seating and a beautiful grand piano, what is there not to love?

I was just getting into a 100-page reading when a voice belted into the studious silence. Taken aback, students turned to the piano and watched the performer sing his heart out to a few melodies. At the end of the number, scattered applause filled the room. It was a surprising, yet somewhat enjoyable experience.

Then it happened again with a new bold vocalist the next week.

And again.

And again.

… And again.

Who decided the flag room is now a concert hall? A loudly-showcase-your-talent space? A sing-while-people-try-to-study arena?

See, playing the piano is one thing.

When Debussy, Chopin and Beethoven melodies fill the air, a blanket of serenity descends. Classical music and renditions of modern songs compose the perfect setting for studious listeners, providing a live focus playlist for all in the room. Once, I even witnessed an Aggie plug their electric guitar into the wall and skillfully play a jazzy duet with the majestic Steinway & Sons.

All beautiful, and peaceful, outlets of self-expression and musical talent.

What’s not beautiful? Belting to be heard over the piano. Violently playing the delicate keys. Singing in a mellow, crowded room full of students trying to write essays, pass exams or even sleep.

There’s a time and a place for such showcases of voice, and the Flag Room is neither.

As someone who is a music enthusiast and has sung in choirs for the past 10 years of my life, I like to think there is some credibility to my critique. Throughout the years, one lesson has been hammered into my soul after innumerable concerts, solos and rehearsals: singing

Thus, for the sake of my own and I’m sure many other students’ sanity and academic success, I ask we not turn the Flag Room into a makeshift singing concert hall. If I want to listen to Joji or Christian worship music, I’ll open Spotify and plug in my earbuds. Preferably during moments of free time.

To any guilty parties who may be reading this tirade, fret not. I offer some suggestions as a peace offering.

There are multiple music practice rooms

— a few with pianos — in the Commons and Hullabaloo. All you have to do is ask the front desk for a key.

Love the rush of performing? Join one of A&M’s diverse music ensembles. There are numerous acapella groups, jazz bands, orchestras and choirs to feed your passion. As a member of the mixed chorus, Century Singers, I can confidently say it’s worth your while.

If none of these options sound appealing, the great outdoors may be your best bet. An open bench or grassy field make perfect spots for a singalong session, where guitar strums and harmonies fade into the wind and open space.

So, dear Flag Room singers, you’ve heard my grievances and advice. Considering there are many other ways to express musical skill, I hope using the Flag Room as a personal stage does not become an Aggie tradition.

On the off chance it ever does, rest assured you’ll find me back in some bookshelf-hidden corner at Evans, studying in blissful silence while also plotting a way to get the piano removed from the MSC.

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

NEED A FAST eBIKE? Talaria Sting eBike -- in stock in Bryan. Electric mountain bike, no pedals! 50 MPH and runs up to 6 hours on a charge. See our Facebook page at E-Bikes of BCS.

HELP WANTED

TEACHERS NEEDED AT DAYCARE: Now Hiring teachers for infant and 2yr classroom. Apply in Person at FFK, 3609 E29th, Bryan TX

TUTORS WANTED for all subjects taught at Texas A&M, Blinn College and Sam Houston State. Pay starts at $15 an hour. Apply online at www.99tutors.com. Call 979-255-3655 with questions.

ATTORNEY NEEDS ASSISTANT: Boutique Law Office in downtown Bryan is hiring a Part-Time Office Assistant. Candidate must be a Notary Public. Pay is commensurate with experience. Candidate must have a high school diploma and reliable transportation. Bilingual speaker preferred. Please e-mail the cover letter and resume to: assistant@peslaw.com.

HELP WANTED

Local Artist: seeks paid posers for portrait practice. Vincent Campise 979-778-9072

FOR RENT

STORAGE UNITS CLOSE TO CAMPUS $50 10x10 Call 979-696-4464

Ana Sofia Sloane @anasofiasloane

Ashely Bautista— THE BATTALION Biology freshman Daniel Warren plays the piano in the Flag Room on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023.

Opinion: From ‘brewtiful’ to ‘depresso’ coffee at A& M

Opinion writer Lilia Elizondo ranks Starbucks locations on campus, lists pros and cons

Lilia Elizondo @LiliaElizondo5

Let’s get this out of the way: College students are caffeine fiends and coffee addicts.

Thus, I knew it was my civic duty to brew up a ranking of the Starbucks locations on campus. So here we go, Aggies, a list of the places to get a good cup of joe from best to worst — from brewtiful to depresso.

To clarify, these rankings are based on the location and atmosphere rather than the quality of the coffee itself and my personal experience.

At the top spot, we got Quadbucks

It’s fast, it’s efficient and it runs like the navy, which is to be expected due to its vicinity to (unsurprisingly) the Quad and Corp of Cadets. The baristas might as well be five-star generals, and you even get to see cadets in civilian clothes!

All jokes aside, what makes this spot take the cake is its well-roundedness. It has a warm and cozy atmosphere, but has enough room to fit a lot of people with its spacious upstairs lounging area. There is never a long line, it’s close to a lot of buildings on campus and it’s never out of ingredients. It’s a well-run ship. I don’t have much to say other than it does a solid job.

Ranking: 5 out 5 beans, brewtiful!

Second place, we have the Starbucks at Zachary

I already knew most of my tuition money was going to that building, but now I finally see the bang for my buck. This Starbucks makes you feel like a CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation on Wall Street. If you were to arrive in a suit and tie, I think you’d fit right in.

The location is also pretty big with many different tables, booths and sofas and it even has a secluded area for intense

concentration (something engineers really do need). Similar to Quadbucks, it’s quick and efficient. It almost feels like there is an engineer working there who made a mathematical equation for efficiency.

The only thing that makes this location second rather than first place is that it’s secluded and far from the rest of campus.

Ranking: 4 ½ beans out of 5.

Up next, we have Hullabaloo

The closest encounter I’ve had to meeting angels is ordering at this location. There hasn’t been a time where they don’t call me honey, wish me a good day or ask me how I am.

The line is also never long, so even if it’s far, you can still go where you need to on time. However, the location isn’t really interesting with only a few tables; it’s bland and very small.

Ranking: 3 ½ beans out of 5.

Now we have the Starbucks at West Campus

You probably didn’t even know this location existed unless you’re on West Campus often, which sums up how I’d describe it. Both its benefits and disadvantages are related to its location.

If you have a lot of classes at West Campus, it’s cool that you got your own spot. However, because it’s the only location on West Campus, it usually has a long line and there is never room to sit down. It’s also far from any other class most people have.

Ranking: 2 ½ beans out of 5.

At the bottom of the list, the Memorial Student Center, or MSC, “Starbucks”

The only good thing about this “Starbucks” is that it’s at the MSC. It’s also close to many other restaurants and stores, which are honestly more worth your time because, oddly enough, they are always missing some integral ingredi-

ent to making actual coffee.

Need a dairy alternative? Not an option.

Wanting Nitro Cold Brew? There’s no nitro.

Want an Iced Chai Latte? It’s gone.

The line also gets very long, and the sitting area is squeezed into a corner. Do yourself a favor and go to the neighboring convenience store or Chick-fil-A.

Ranking: 2 beans out of 5.

Lastly, we have hell on earth — I mean the Starbucks at Evans Library

Don’t let this very convenient location deceive you. If you want to experience all five stages of grief, the four seasons or how it felt to live as long as Queen Elizabeth II, then just make your way to the Evans Starbucks.

The line to order is eerily reminiscent of a reticulated python, the longest serpent in the world, and waiting for your order itself is equivalent to waiting for the last book of the Game of Thrones to come out.

This space never has available seating, making you feel like a loser as you wallow around aimlessly trying to find somewhere to settle.

OK, maybe it’s the most accessible spot on campus, and most people go there to grab a drink while studying at the library. Nevertheless, the wait time is so incredibly long that you’ll probably not even have enough time to study anymore.

Then to make things worse —the poor, well-intentioned baristas try talking to everyone in the line. It’s bad timing.

Ranking: 1 out of 5 beans, depresso.

So, if your life is on the verge of falling apart, go ahead and snag a coffee and use this list so you can ensure you can get the best cup you can find to achieve a brewtiful experience.

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

Michaela Rush, Editor-in-Chief

Kyle McClenagan Managing Editor

Caroline Wilburn, News Editor

Kenzie Finch, News Editor

Ana Renfroe, Asst. News Editor

Ishika Samant, Photo Chief

Jonathan Taffet, Asst. Photo Chief

Ruben Hernandez, Life & Arts Editor

Emma Lawson, Asst. L&A Editor

Megan Williams, Page Designer

Emma Moser, Business Manager

Dan Hung, Business Manager

Caleb Elizondo, Opinion Editor

Ryan Lindner, Asst. Opinion Editor

Zoe May, Sports Editor

Grant Gaspard, Sports Editor

Luke White, Asst. Sports Editor

Skylar Cheek, Social Media Editor

Evelyn Peterson, Page Designer

THE BATTALION is published Thursdays in the 2023 spring semester (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Newsstand locations can be found at tx.ag/battstands. Offices are in Suite L400 of the Memorial Student Center.

News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. Newsroom phone: 979-845-3315; E-mail: editor@thebatt.com; website: www.thebatt.com.

Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion For campus, local, and national display advertising call 979-845-2697. For classified advertising, call 979-845-2697. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Email: battads@thebatt.com.

Subscriptions: A part of the University Advancement Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion First copy free, additional copies $1.

TREN DY , D E SIGNER & VIN TAGE

EARN CASH FOR CLOTHES

Ani Tummalapalli — THE BATTALION

Fightin’ Farmers brace for Tide

Alabama appears formidable ahead of Saturday showdown

By Justin Chen @Chen_Justin_

The No. 24 Texas A&M men’s basketball team will host No. 2 Alabama on March 4 at Reed Arena.

This will be the nal home game for the Aggies and the team will face their toughest test yet in the Crimson Tide. Despite recent controversies regarding freshman star forward Brandon Miller, Alabama has the Crimson Tide have accumulated a record of 25-4 and sit atop the SEC with a conference record of 15-1.

The maroon and white will look to bounce back following a close loss against Mississippi State. Before facing Alabama, the Aggies will face-o against Ole Miss on Feb. 28.

A&M and Alabama have headlined this season as the top-two teams in the SEC and the winner of the conference will be decided after this week. In order for A&M to win, the team will need to beat Ole Miss as well as hope for an Alabama loss against Auburn to have a winner-takes-all showdown on March 4.

In order for the Fightin’ Farmers to win, the team will need to shut down the Crimson Tide’s best player in Miller. He’s had a terri c freshman campaign, especially o ensively. He has a dangerous outside shot, with a

3-point percentage of 42.4% and is regarded as a top NBA prospect. He is one of the top-scorers in college basketball, including a 41-point game against South Carolina on Feb. 22 and is averaging 28 points-per-game in the

Crimson Tide’s last three games.

A&M has been largely led by sophomore guard Wade Taylor IV, who has been averaging around 17 points-per-game during the Aggies’ last seven games and is averaging a career-best 16.1

points-per-game on the season. The team will look for him to score against the heavily favored Crimson Tide. The Aggies will also need to win the rebound battle to help their chances in winning, though they will come

into the contest undersized as the Crimson Tides’ 44.5 reboundsper-game outmatch the Aggies’ 36.8 rebounds-per-game.

The Fightin’ Farmers will also need to limit their foul trouble which plagued them during the Mississippi State game, especially from their bigger players. The Aggies need to have a strong o ensive showing, especially in the second half which has been problematic at times for the Aggies. The maroon and white will look to play a game at their pace as well as keeping its turnovers to a minimum.

A&M is experiencing a comeback this season after being removed from the No. 24 spot in Week 2 by the Associated Press Top 25. Though the Aggies dropped a game against Mississippi State, they had a six-game winning streak which included a victory over No. 11 Tennessee and has landed the Aggies back at No. 24, a spot up from last week’s poll.

The maroon and white have won four-straight games against the Crimson Tide and will look to make it ve this upcoming Saturday.

This game will serve as Senior Day and the Aggies’ last game before heading to Tennessee for the SEC Tournament starting on March 8. A victory against such a top-seeded team would be a positive momentum changer for the team heading into the tournament that will feature four top-25 teams besides the Aggies.

LaViolette launches Aggies to weekend win

Olsen Magic saves Aggie baseball from losing weekend

By Luke White @LukeWhite03

From a team and individual standpoint, freshman right elder Jace LaViolette’s double couldn’t have come at a better time.

The Texas A&M baseball team found itself facing a potential fourth-straight loss and at risk of being swept as it took on Portland on Sunday, Feb. 26, at Olsen Field. The Aggies were out-played in the previous three games as they struggled to produce o ensively. In the third game of the series, the maroon and white didn’t necessarily have trouble getting runners on base, but had trouble bringing them home to score, stranding 10 baserunners on the day.

Many players have faced slow starts to the season as well. Junior shortstop Hunter Haas has essentially been the lone bright spot in the lineup, as the Arizona State transfer entered the contest batting .381. On the other hand, veteran hitters such as junior rst baseman Jack Moss, junior second baseman Ryan Targac, junior third baseman Trevor Werner and senior designated hitter Austin Bost came in hitting .238, .143, .143 and .095, respectively.

LaViolette carried an average of .190.

Given the circumstances, it was clear that the Aggies desperately needed a victory. A&M entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 4-2, looking for its rst dose of “Olsen Magic” in 2023. Sophomore pinch hitter Tab Tracy got the Aggies going with a single to begin the inning before Haas worked a four-pitch walk. “Ball 5” chants poured down from the crowd of 6,347, and the cheering only got louder when Moss singled up the middle to plate a run

and bring A&M within 4-3.

Two batters later, LaViolette laced a 1-2 o ering down the right eld line, where it rolled to the corner as Haas scored the tying run. Pilot junior right elder Christian Cooney threw the ball to his cuto with junior pinch runner Travis Chestnut sprinting home. Portland graduate catcher Nich Klemp didn’t eld the throw home cleanly, allowing Chestnut to slide in for the winning run, securing a 5-4 A&M win.

“Hitting is the toughest part of the game,” coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “It can snowball on you so fast.You really need just one big hit, which, maybe this’ll be it, to kind of get you going.”

After falling behind 4-2 after four innings, the Aggies’ bullpen kept the squad in the contest. Sophomore starter Chris Cortez pitched ve innings, allowing three hits, ve walks and six strikeouts. Junior LHP Evan Aschenbeck then entered the game in relief with two runners on in the sixth, leaving the frame unscathed en route to a debut lasting four scoreless innings with three hits allowed with four strikeouts.

“You’ve got to start thinking of [Aschenbeck] in a lot of di erent roles,” Schlossnagle said. “He’s thrown strikes since he’s been here, but, honestly, we’ve gotten great swings on him. He’s never touched 92 mph. So, you don’t know until you put him in a game. Every single game has so much value. It’s not tryouts, but in some ways, it kind of is.”

The Blinn transfer’s scoreless outing was another welcome change for A&M after its relievers gave up an average of ve runs over the past three games. After being credited with the win in his rst outing as an Aggie, Aschenbeck may be turned to as a set-up man going forward.

“I’ve been practicing this, doing mental reps and staying in the game,” Aschenbeck said. “That’s what you have to do if you’re not getting playing time, just stay in the

game, and you’ll get called.”

A&M found itself in a favorable spot early on, as Moss lined a single and Werner doubled to put the pair in scoring position with just one out in the rst, but the following two batters struck out to end the frame. The Pilots were the ones that struck rst, as junior designated hitter Tristan Gomes belted a three-run shot o the batter’s eye in the second inning to put Portland up 3-0 early on.

The Aggies responded in the bottom of the frame, as freshman left elder Kaeden Kent doubled o the center eld wall to score Targac from rst base and make it a 3-1 game. A&M added another run in the third, as Werner reached third on a deep y ball dropped by the right elder. Two batters later, Bost hit an RBI groundout to score him. With each A&M run, a cannon was red beyond left eld to

ring in the debut of the team’s Corps of Cadets-themed uniforms.

In the top of the fourth, the Pilots grew their lead back to two runs at 4-2 after junior third baseman Jake Tsukada scored after a wild pitch by Cortez. Neither squad scored again until the Aggies’ comeback in the bottom of the ninth, although both teams threatened with multiple runners on base.

“Even in the locker room after those rst two games, we just had to believe in each other and just stick with it and know that, one through nine [in the lineup], if you don’t get the job done, somebody else behind you is going to come up and get it done for you,” LaViolette said after his 3-for-5 showing. “You just have to believe in that and believe in yourself and believe in all your brothers. Man, did we want to win. Oh, we wanted to win.”

It’s like uber, but for longer distances.

Senior Yell Leaders Zac Cross and Nathan Drain read The Battalion before A&M’s game against Tennessee in Reed Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023.

Jonathan Taffet — THE BATTALION

The Aggies celebrate after clinching the first series of the season after defeating Seattle U on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023.

Robert O’Brien — THE BATTALION

Aggies search for redemption at SEC tournament

when the maroon and white hired Taylor.

By Cade Harris @CadeHarris_

March is just around the corner which means postseason basketball is upon us.

The Texas A&M women’s basketball team will travel this week to Greenville, S.C. for the SEC Tournament as the 13 seed out of 14 teams. Ahead of the tournament, coach Joni Taylor along with freshman forward Janiah Barker and junior guard Sahara Jones sat down with the media.

Here are some takeaways:

SEC Freshman of the week

On Monday, the SEC offices announced that Barker was named SEC Freshman of the Week for the last week of the regular season. Barker averaged 16.5 points and four rebounds per game in that stretch, while also shooting 57.1% from the field and 100% from beyond the 3-point line.

“She’s a young lady who never complains,” Taylor said. “She shows up every day and wants to know what she can do to make herself better to help the team, and so for her to just be recognized for what she’s doing is incredible. I think it speaks to her but it also speaks to just our team and how happy they are for her and the success that she’s having so just extremely proud of her.”

Taylor watched Barker grow as a person since was in the seventh grade. Barker also originally committed to Taylor while she was at Georgia but decided to flip her commitment

“She’s matured a lot in the time that I’ve known her from seventh grade until now and I’m just enjoying watching that process for her,” Taylor said. “She’s obviously a very special young lady on the floor, but the person she is is even more special.”

Barker, the Marietta, Ga. native, suffered a setback early in the season when she broke her hand against Kansas on Nov. 30. She missed the next 10 games before coming back Jan. 22 against Georgia, scoring 24 points off the bench and helping her team win their first conference game of the year.

“It’s surreal, just knowing where I came from and how I broke my hand and just coming back from a journey and just having an opportunity to get that I’m truly blessed and I give all glory to God for that,” Barker said. “Shoutout to my teammates just continuing to feed me the ball and just trusting me and my team and my coaches. I thank them for that.”

Goals for the tournament

Likely the only way the Aggies will be playing basketball after this week is if they win the SEC Tournament. As the 13 seed out of 14 teams, the odds are not in favor of the maroon and white to hoist the trophy on the final day. Taylor said the main goal for A&M is to finish at their best.

“I think number one [goal] is to continue to run our offense, play better defensively, be locked in, have everybody chip in,” Taylor said. “You look at when we made our run in the third quarter against Arkansas, we got production from a lot of different people. When we played here at home we have production from a lot of different people and that’s what it’s going to take and so just getting them to understand the consistency that comes with

showing up every time you step on the floor.”

Despite the odds being against the Aggies, Taylor told her team that she is packing her bag with the intention of making it to the championship game on Sunday.

“My intention is to not play a game and go get on a plane and come home,” Taylor said. “I’m not used to playing on Wednesday. That’s not anything I want anybody here to get used to, so there’s a certain mindset you have to have.”

As easy as it may be to begin to think about next year when you are having an underwhelming season, Jones said the Aggies are focused on winning these games.

“I feel like we’re approaching it like our mindset right now is to go in and win games, we’re not thinking about next year, that’s what’s to come,” Jones said. “If we go against Vanderbilt and we lose the game, that’s when next year will come into place. We’ll work on ourselves, have the experience that we had and use it for next year. Right now we just want to go in there, we want to have a good game against Vanderbilt and if we win, we go on and focus on the next team and just keep going from there and keep building, but I don’t think it’s worth thinking about next year right now because that would be selfish to do.”

Shutting down Harbison and the Commodores

The Aggies will open up the SEC Tournament against Vanderbilt on Wednesday March 1 in Greenville. The last time the maroon and white faced off against the Commodores, they fell 88-79 behind a career-high 41 points from graduate guard Ciaja Harbison.

“She’s one of those players that when she gets going the rim looks like an ocean and we

told our team that and she got going and so we’ve got to make it tough for her to catch it,” Taylor said. “I tell our players all the time if they can’t catch it they can’t score it, so we’ve got to do a really good job of just making everything tough for her.”

Harbison had a size advantage on most of the Aggie guards defending her last game so the maroon and white may look at using some of their bigger players to guard the 5-foot-6inch guard.

“She’s bigger than most of our guards that are guarding her and when she gets to a certain point, even if we’re in front of them, she can just raise up and elevate over them,” Taylor said. “We’ll look at putting a bunch of different people at her just to try to throw her off but we’ve got to not let her get to her sweet spot.”

Taylor said the last time they faced the Commodores, they had to deal with their press defense. This time around, the Aggies will know a little bit more what to expect and can prepare for the different defenses Vanderbilt will throw at them.

“I think that they’ll probably press us,” Taylor said. “They pressed us last time, I think they’ll press a little bit more and they do a really good job of going man and zone and disguising that. Sometimes they’re man, sometimes their zone, sometimes I think they’re both in the same possession, so I think they just continue to throw different things at you to try to get you off kilter. I would fully expect them to double down on the paint and try to claw out the paint and take away obviously our inside game.”

A&M will look to avenge itself as they take on the Commodores Wednesday, in the first round of the SEC Tournament at 10 a.m..

Final press conference of the season previews postseason match against Commodores

Luca Yaquinto — THE BATTALION

Nguyen — THE BATTALION