The Battalion — October 13, 2022

Baseball is back, for a limited time only

3 SECONDS, 2 YARDS, 1 DREAM

Transportation for early voting funded

By Kyle McClenagan & Caroline Wilburn @KMcclenagan & @carolinewilb

After voting to no longer include the Memorial Student Center, or MSC, as an early voting location on July 5, The Brazos County Commissioners Court approved a measure to reimburse Texas A&M $5,000 for the cost of transporting voters from campus to the College Station City Hall.

County Judge Duane Peters, Precinct 3 Commissioner Nancy Berry and Precinct 4 Commissioner Irma Cauley voted in favor of the measure which will provide transportation from Oct. 24 to Nov. 4. Commissioners for Precincts 1 and 2 were not present at the meeting due to an ongoing dispute over a tax rate decision which can only be passed with four members present.

Aggies fall short against undefeated Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium

By Jordan Epp @j_epp22

An hour outside of the SEC headquarters, Texas A&M traveled to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to take on the daunting task of facing 60 minutes of gridiron football against the top-ranked team in the nation, Alabama, a challenge no stranger to A&M.

But this time was different. All week, the signs pointed toward a battle of backup quarterbacks. A&M junior Max Johnson was announced to have broken a bone in his hand, a potentially sea-

Attempted arson at Annenberg

By Kenzie Finch @Kenzie nch6

Texas A&M student arrested after attempting arson at Annenberg Presidential Conference Center and setting fire to a car.

At 3:25 a.m. on Oct. 8, the A&M University Police Department, or UPD, responded to a 911 call at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center where they found a car on fire, and one of the windows in the conference center broken. The suspect is accused of committing burglary of a building with the intent to commit arson, according to police.

The suspect, animal science sophomore Kobe McAdoo, was allegedly “extremely intoxicated” and found bleeding, potentially from cutting himself on the glass,

son-ending injury. On the side of the crimson and white, junior Bryce Young injured his shoulder in the previous week’s defeat of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark.

And yet, the Aggies found themselves down just four points, 24-20, after nailing a field goal late in the fourth. Alabama, though, received the ball back with 3:32 left on the clock in the fourth. The Aggies continued to channel the defensive resilience they’d shown all game en route to 10 tackles for loss as a team. They put the Tide into a fourth down, forcing a punt.

With 79 yards to go, one minute and 50 seconds, the Aggies marched down the field. Impressive catches from freshmen, strong runs by sophomores and a crucial pass interference from Alabama put the Aggies on the 2-yard line.

Three seconds. Two yards. One dream.

However, the ball did not connect, and the Aggies lost in an instant thriller, falling short of the magic struck a year ago in Kyle Field.

“[It was] the same play we had scored on earlier,” coach Jimbo Fisher said. “[Alabama] changed the coverage, and they went right back and made the perfect read on it.”

The Tide pressured the Aggies from the start despite Young not taking the field; rather, Katy native and redshirt freshman Jalen Milroe was under center for Alabama to open the game, proving it would be a battle of backups under the flashing lights and night sky of Bryant-Denny Stadium. The legs of Milroe and junior running back Jahmyr Gibbs took the Tide past half field, but a clutch sack from senior linebacker Chris Russell

Quantum lights

A&M team is investigating, Yakovlev said, relies on a process called Brillouin scattering, where a ray of light, such as a laser, is beamed into the sample being imaged. The light’s energy causes particles in the sample to vibrate, and the specific frequencies of the vibrations reveal the positions and identities of the particles. Once this is known, scientists can produce an image of the sample they are analyzing.

Business senior Ishika Shah spoke to the commissioner’s court before the vote and said — while she appreciated the court’s reimbursement — she and the students of A&M would benefit from more early voting transportation funding to accommodate class schedules.

“From my understanding the county is currently planning to fund 36 hours in early voting transportation,” Shah said. “We calculated that we would require buses for a longer period of time …

The shuttle buses are not only for the voters that do not have vehicles, but also in the best interest of city traffic.”

Shah recommended that the court provide $15,303.50 in funds so the buses can operate for an estimated 115 hours in-

The Gulf Coast

By Jack Lee @JackTheBatt

Texas A&M scientists are using cutting-edge physics to create real life medical breakthroughs.

Professor of physics and biomedical engineering, Vladislav Yakovlev,

Ph.D., and professor of physics and biological and agricultural engineering, Girish Agarwal, Ph.D., FRS, at A&M, along with Tian Li, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, recently developed a new type of microscope that takes advantage of quantum physics in order to dramatically increase the resolution of images the microscope takes.

The microscopy technique the

“Brillouin microscopy is a very special technique which can measure the mechanical properties of materials with very good special resolution, so we can see inside cells,” Yakovlev said. “For example, in cancer, cancer cells migrating from one side of the tissue to another or to a different tissue is driven by mechanical processes, so understanding these processes is important.”

The problem, Yakovlev said, comes from an interaction between light and living cells. When imaging anything, the light waves

Blood drives are A+

Blood drives held on campus by multiple organizations

By Emma Lawson @ELawsonAtTheBat

All it takes is one poke and 15 minutes to save lives in the community. Blood drives are essential for nonprofits like the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center to be able to provide blood to community members in need, such as individuals going through cancer treatment or surgeries. Often, they partner with organizations at Texas A&M, such as the upcoming Global Medical Missions Alliance blood drive

located in Rudder Plaza on Oct. 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For those who are unable to donate blood, the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center also has opportunities for volunteers to assist in hosting or working blood drives. Students looking to donate can make an appointment through the Give Blood website where there are both mobile and stationary donation centers available.

Cameron Palmer is the public relations specialist at Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center and said they work with businesses and organizations to organize blood drives.

“We do about 7,000 blood drives every year,” Palmer said. “We do mobile

are subject to random interferences from the environment that cause the pictures to be blurrier. When it comes to Brillouin microscopy, which involves shining an intense light beam on a tiny sample, these typically small interferences can render images completely useless. To produce clearer images, the scientists want to use more powerful light beams to drown out the environmental noise. However, if the light beams are too powerful, scientists can risk damaging or killing cells when imaging them.

“When we image cells, we run into the problem where if we want to get more [clarity] we have to increase our light’s intensity. However, if we increase the intensity past a certain point we start causing damage,” Yakovlev said. “It seems like you can’t get both [image clarity and undamaged cells] at the same time just because you want to increase intensity to reduce your noise. But on the other hand, if you

drives in College Station, but we also have neighborhood donor centers as well.”

Palmer said they need about 1,000 units of blood every day to meet community needs and most people don’t realize the importance of donating blood until it affects them directly.

“There are patients every day from newborns to elderly who need blood,” Palmer said. “I met a little girl who was trying to find a bone marrow match and plasma was keeping her alive.”

Palmer said he would recommend that anyone not feeling well or experiencing symptoms of an illness stay home and reschedule.

“We’d prefer you have a good experience instead of a bad experience,” Palmer said. “If you’re having flu-like symptoms,

Courtesy of Texas A&M Engineering

A&M pioneers quantum microscopy technology

A&M coach Jimbo Fisher prepares to take the field with his team before the start of Texas A&M’s game against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, Oct.

at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Can

Amazon makes donation to support oncampus, student-run food pantry

By Avery Gerber @gerber_avery

After a multi-thousand-dollar donation from Amazon, The 12th Can will continue to address issues of food inse curity on campus.

On Sept. 27, The 12th Can, a student-led, on-campus food bank, received a donation of $5,000 and six pallets of food, from Amazon. The food pantry is open once a month. The organization partners with Brazos Valley Food Bank and has served over 90,000 pounds of food to Texas A&M students, faculty and staff, according to The 12th Can’s official website.

Biomedical engineering junior and Public Relations Di rector Shelby Wright said the donation included a variety of supplies.

“They were boxes taller than me, huge boxes, and six of them,” Wright said. “They were full of all sorts of stuff. We had pop tarts, flour, olive oil, all of the things we put on our most needed list. They also threw in practical things like trash bags that might not be cheap at the store.”

Wright also discussed the expected lifespan of the dona tion and what students can do to help address the issue.

“The physical donations will last months. The monetary

BUSES CONTINUED

stead of just 36.

No amendment to the $5,000 reimburse ment was made and the agenda item passed with a unanimous vote by the present mem bers of the court. The time and days in which the shuttles will run has not yet been deter mined.

Other groups raise additional funds:

Aggie Spirit charter buses will run 10 hours a day during the duration of early voting, ac cording to Mothers Against Greg Abbott State PAC, or MAGA. Buses will pick students up on Lubbock Street, near the Nagle Street in tersection and drop them off at Gilchrist Av enue near the College Station City Hall. The buses are funded by several entities and orga nized by MAGA.

MAGA founder Nancy Thompson said it was clear to the organizers that action was needed after the MSC was removed as an early voting location.

“We didn’t know first who to talk to and where to go and all of those things, so we had to do a little bit of research, as an organiza tion, to figure out what all the rules are around taking students to the polls,” Thompson said. “One of the first things we did was that we reached out to the Texas Democratic Party and we talked to their lawyers to see what we were able to do legally with the new voting laws.”

After speaking with lawyers, Thompson said the organization made a list of all Texas colleges that may be impacted by lack of access to transportations to polling locations.

“[After that], we reached out to the [Tex as Aggie Democrat club] at Texas A&M, and then [joined] them and their group chat,” Thompson said. “From the group chat, we discovered that there were a few people that were willing to donate to sponsor buses. Bus es are primarily going to be sponsored by [an anonymous] professor on campus.”

The complete list of donors includes Voters of Tomorrow, A&M Transportation, an A&M

donations will last us about two openings; we typically spend around $5,000 per month,” Wright said. “Com bined, we will definitely be set for four to five weeks of pantries. A lot of times, we tell students to get their other organizations involved. Whether that’s a food drive or a donation, just bringing people together to spread aware ness about how big this issue is. It’s very common for people to overlook it if it’s not something they struggle with directly.”

Management pre-law junior and Operations Director Erin Stokes said the donation will help The 12th Can achieve its goals for the semester.

“Our goal for this semester is to really get our name into the community and help end food insecurity on

campus,” Stokes said. “We are starting three days per week openings this semester, which will help achieve that goal.

The 12th Can wants to help as many Aggies as possible, and that is exactly what this Amazon donation is helping us do. We are able to give out so many products that we aren’t normally able to keep in stock, which is really excit ing for our clients.”

To receive food from the pantry, individuals must fill out the required paperwork and show a valid student ID. Wright said the issue of food insecurity, specifically at A&M, is evident.

“There are people here who are truly worried about their next meal rather than the exam they have the next day,” Wright said.

professor and the A&M chapter of Mobilize, Organize, Vote and Empower, or MOVE.

Voters of Tomorrow aims to engage, repre sent and empower Generation Z voters across the nation. Voter of Tomorrow spokesperson Jack Lobel said the organization was inspired to sponsor buses to make voting more acces sible to students.

“We encourage students to take advantage of this and show up at the polls and show the far right that we’re not going to keep accept ing the status quo,” Lobel said. “We’re not go ing to keep you know, they’re not going to be able to continue to launch these attacks against us on issues from book bans to the LGBTQ+ community, to gun violence in schools to cli mate change.”

Voters of Tomorrow has been active spe cifically in Texas due to concerns over the ac tions they consider to be anti-young people, both from the far-right state legislature and current Gov. Greg Abbott, Lobel said.

“That’s why it’s so important for students in Texas to get involved,” Lobel said. “If we show the far right now in Texas that young people here will not stand for their attacks and will stand up to them, I think that’s going to send a message to leaders across the country about the power of Gen Z in this space. The youth turnout in Texas could have national implications, and that’s why we’re getting in volved in this capacity.”

Thompson said any money not used in College Station will be donated to provide the nearby Prairie View A&M campus com munity with buses for limited hours during early voting.

“I don’t care if a child is going to vote for a Republican, independent, libertarian or Dem ocrat,” Thompson said. “I want them to ac tively start participating in democracy and that means voting. That’s what matters the most to our organization right now. What matters the most is that we get the kids voting and we start establishing a culture of voting at a very young age. As soon as they can vote, we should get everybody educated [on] voting.”

damage,” Yakovlev said. “It seems like you can’t get both [image clarity and undamaged cells] at the same time just because you want to increase intensity to reduce your noise. But on the other hand, if you increase intensity, you damage your cells.”

In order to solve this, Yakovlev said his team has built a device that takes advantage of a physical phenomenon known as entan glement. In the minuscule world of quantum physics, a group of particles, in this case light waves, can be generated in a manner so they effectively act as a single entity, and actions that affect one wave will affect the others. Entan glement forms the basis for many cutting-edge technologies, such as quantum computing, and may be the key to birds’ ability to circum navigate the globe, a phenomenon noted by M. Suhail Zubairy, Ph.D., professor of physics at A&M, in his book “Quantum Mechanics for Beginners.”

“[A] highly counterintuitive feature of quantum mechanics is that two or more ob jects can form an ‘entangled’ state,” Zubairy writes. “[Intuitively], if we have two objects such as two balls that are placed a large dis tance apart, they are strictly independent of each other. No matter what we do to one, it cannot influence the other. Quantum me chanically we can form states for the two ob jects such that, even when the two objects are very far from each other, what we do to one object can influence the state of the other.”

For Yakovlev and his team, its application lies in removing noise from microscopy im ages. Yakovlev said the new device his team has developed creates two entangled beams of light. When interference affects one wave, the effects are reflected in the entangled wave as well. The device compares the two waves and finds extraneous interference patterns by ana lyzing the similarities in the waves. Once this is known, the device removes the interference from both waves, resulting in an image that is significantly clearer than an image produced by standard Brillouin microscopy.

“We are essentially making clever manipu

CONTINUED

cutting himself on the glass, UPD officer Lt. Bobby Richardson said.

“He was arrested, taken to the hospital for treatment and then transferred to the Brazos County Jail where he was put in for public in toxication, burglary of a building and burglary of a vehicle,” Richardson said.

An international affairs graduate student said he and his peers found out about the van dalism through the news and were extremely shocked by the incident.

“I mean, at the end of the day, we know

lation of light beams so we know that there’s noise present in both beams and we know that these noises correlate,” Yakovlev said. “We know both these laser beams are entangled and so we know that the noise is going to be the same for both of them, so we can just find out the similarities and subtract them, and that’s how we make that clear image at the end.”

Li. a then-graduate student at the Univer sity of Maryland, was hired by A&M to build the laboratory for the device. Li said the device has successfully created microscopic images of several biological samples while also measur ing their composition.

“The whole lab was built from the ground up. The lab is relatively new but we have the capability of generating quantum entangled light [for the device],” Li said. “We have al ready [imaged] cancer cells. We’ve also tried the brain of the fruit fly.”

Marlan Scully, Ph.D., professor of physics and director of the Institute for Quantum Sci ence & Engineering at A&M, sponsored the research and provided the laboratory space. Scully said learning more about the applica tions and interactions between quantum phys ics and biology is a high priority for A&M.

“Combining what we know now about quantum mechanics and biology, we come to a new field called quantum biology,” Scully said. “That’s the essence of what people like Agarwal and Yakovlev are trying to under stand. It’s a big function of my lab at [the Insti tute for Quantum Science and Engineering].”

In a press release published by A&M’s College of Engineering, In a press release, Agarwal said the new device represented a breakthrough for medical imaging technol ogy as well as the growing development of real-world applications for quantum physics.

“It’s a new milestone in the capabilities of Brillouin microscopy and imaging exten sively used for biosystems,” Agarwal said. “It becomes part of an international effort to de velop quantum sensors for diverse applications like brain imaging, [and] biomolecule struc ture mapping.”

that everything is going to be OK,” the stu dent said. “I just felt surprised. Anytime there’s any sort of vandalism on campus, I think that’s definitely something that’s newsworthy.”

The incident is being investigated by the State Fire Marshall and UPD. McAdoo was in custody over the weekend, with his bonds set at $1,000 for public intoxication and $20,000 each for burglary of a vehicle and burglary of a building. He was released on surety bond Oct. 9.

Senior

Members of The 12th Can food pantry present their $5,000 check from Amazon at their office in the Mail Services Building on Sept. 27, 2022.

Resources for graduate and professional students

thy Richard-Jackson, a first-year at the A&M School of Law, began law school at age 20.

“Starting law school at 20 is isolating,” Richard-Jackson said.“You’re more alone than anyone else because there’s a limited amount of what you can experience.”

Like Friels, Richard-Jackson encourages students to take their time and explore differ ent options.

“Make sure you’re doing your research,” Richard-Jackson said. “Make sure you know what it would entail and you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

Beyond the program however, when con sidering postgraduate education, you must weigh the financial investment against the sup port you’re likely to receive. Jeff Green, direc tor of admissions at the A&M School of Law, advises students to weigh the cost carefully.

“Students that have support both individu ally as well as financially have more opportuni ties to pursue additional degrees,” Green said. “To take the risk of what could be more debt.” Green previously advised students to also consider the diversity of potential mentors when deciding whether a program is a fit.

Fair offers support, opportunities for postgraduates

By Rashid Eldoma @rashideldoma

The Graduate and Professional School Fair takes place on Thursday, Oct. 13, at Rudder Exhibit Hall, from 12-3 p.m.

For many of the current postgraduate stu dents, the COVID-19 pandemic provided time to reflect on their career trajectories and consider other career paths. This has led to an increase in postgraduate enrollment for many Americans. Tiffany Tran, a second-year Texas A&M School of Law student, said she did not have a linear path towards law school.

“I was bio[logy], pre-med, originally. And

wait until you feel better.”

Participants do not need to know their blood type before donating because Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center tests all blood, Palmer said.

“We want to make sure that everything that is infused into a patient is safe, potent and pure,” Palmer said. “So don’t self-defer yourself.”

Biomedical sciences sophomore Sara Ha mad said she gave blood as a freshman, despite her fears, and would recommend the experi

then I realized that medical school wasn’t for me.” Tran said.

Tran said she advises prospective students to be open to opportunities and pursue what feels true.

“I actually had fun studying for the [Law School Admissions Test, or LSAT], as bad as that sounds,” Tran said. “I think that’s what drew me to law school: I wanted to feel like I was good at something and that’s how I felt when I was studying for the LSAT.”

Breaunna Friels, a MBA student at the Uni versity of North Texas, knew she wanted to further her education beyond her bachelor’s degree after entering the workforce.

“I started thinking about [getting a] MBA at the end of undergrad[uate],” Friels said. “When I was at my job after undergrad[uate], I realized I needed to go ahead and get it done.”

ence to other students as well.

“I didn’t have a great experience when I was younger, so I was a bit squeamish with blood,” Hamad said. “But, they made me feel really comfortable last time.”

Hamad said the staff listened to how she was feeling while donating, which made the experience a positive one.

“They’ll give you a stress ball and you can sit there and watch Netflix on your phone for 10-15 minutes,” Hamad said. “Afterwards, they gave me a Gatorade and some snacks.”

Every blood type is welcomed, Hamad

Concurrent with her program, Friels works as a real estate professional. She urges prospec tive graduate students to weigh their options and make an informed decision.

“Undergrad[uate] should consider their ca reer [trajectory] and what is necessary to be a competitive applicant in their field,” Friels said.

Friels felt drawn to a MBA program due to its transferability across industries. Friels said students should take their time and enter the workforce before committing themselves to a postgraduate program.

“Work definitely made me more eager to go back to school,” Friels said. “I wanted to continue to learn in a structured environment while continuing to gain valuable career ex periences.”

However, many students go directly from undergraduate to professional school. Timo

said, and students looking to schedule ap pointments can use the donor portal on the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center website.

“Whatever blood type you are, even if you’re not the universal donor one, they still need it,” Hamad said. “It’s quick and easy.”

Biomedical sciences sophomore Mahira Khan said she has volunteered twice with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center through the American Medical Students Association.

“I like volunteering because it’s small steps I can take to help the community,” Khan said. “It’s saving people’s lives.”

“As students are considering law schools, [don’t just] look at the race and ethnicity makeup of the student body, but the faculty,” Green said. “Diversity among your professors is a huge component of having the support and mentorship to help you succeed.”

Pursuing a postgraduate education is not a light undertaking.

Luckily, the Career Center provides many helpful resources for those in terested.

“The Professional School Advising Office strives to be a continued source of accurate in formation for our students, for this reason we have created a handout for each pre-profession we advise,” Green said.

The Career Center has many resources to offer, year-round.

All A&M students can attend the fair to meet with representatives from various grad uate and professional school programs seeking applicants for their respective programs.

For those who are unable to donate blood, Khan said volunteering is also a great way for students to help the cause.

“It’s the little steps that are important too,” Khan said. “I’m personally not donating blood, but I’m here gathering other people to donate blood.”

Khan said she hopes the blood drives con tinue on campus to encourage students to take an active role in helping their community.

“I hope that more people get encouraged to donate and more people hear about them,” Khan said.

Students can attend the Graduate and Professional School Fair this Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022.

Kalena Agpasan— THE BATTALION

Ghosts, love and paranormal activity

Students find community through the

By Caitlyn Porras @caitlyncarole

Founded in 2018, Texas A&M’s Para normal Society, or TAPS, is the university’s first known paranormal investigative student organization that focuses on learning about anything in the paranormal realm in a real, scientific way.

Aerospace engineering senior Courtney Kramer is serving as president of TAPS this semester after spending a majority of her time at A&M as a member of the organization.

“We’re all a bunch of people who are into anything paranormal,” Kramer said. “I went through so many different organizations fresh man year, A&M has so many.”

Kramer said she remembers filing through the informational tables her freshman year and later calling her father to explain her deep in terest in TAPS and her excitement to join.

“I feel like a lot of people say you need to come in with a bunch of spooky experiences, but I came in because I like the show Ghost Adventures,” Kramer said.

Kramer said her craziest paranormal expe rience was her first ever experience with the organization in October 2019 in Dawson, Texas.

“It was this old gym, where back in the

[19]60s a plane crashed about four miles from it … about 85 people died, including the pi lot,” Kramer said.

Kramer said TAPS members were the first to truly investigate the haunted gym that held the bodies while officials were identifying the victims.

“We had an old investigator from there, so that’s how we got the connection,” Kramer said.

The group of ghost hunters experienced an entire night of activity with the use of differ ent equipment, provided by the organization.

“Different energies can do different things … We were asking questions like, ‘[are] there multiple people?’ and it would beep at me like 12 times,” Kramer said.

The student organization spends the major ity of its time investigating different locations across small towns all over Texas while also serving as a social organization for members to explore their interests in whatever paranormal topics the members see fit.

“It’s not just ghosts, that’s usually what we go on investigations for. We also talk about anything paranormal; aliens, cryptids, myths, legends, things like that,” Kramer said.

History senior Ayden Rodriguez is a con tinuing member that has never experienced any paranormal activity but knows a lot of people who have. He joined the organization with an open mind and tries to look at the evidence they gather during investigations in a skeptical light.

“[TAPS] is very opening and welcoming to

all types of believers or skeptics,” Rodriguez said.

“I think that I began more of a believer, but now, after investigating more, I’ve become more of a skeptic,” Vice President Annalia Jackson said.

Marketing senior Annalia Jackson initially joined TAPS because of her interest in horror movies and all things spooky.

“I felt like I really found my group at A&M and met all of my best friends in this organiza tion,” Jackson said.

As Halloween slowly approaches in Ag gieland, the investigating organization has a few on-campus recommendations for the ghost-loving students who want to get in the spooky spirit.

“If you want to go somewhere on campus, the Animal Industries Building is haunted,” Kramer said. “You can go in and walk around [during building hours] for sure.”

The reason the building is haunted, ac cording to Kramer, is because it was once a meat-processing lab and during a late-night shift, a man accidentally cut his left leg in what is now the basement.

“He made it to the elevator and apparently bled out and passed away there,” Kramer said. “This is on record and [on] A&M archives and everything.”

Francis Hall, right next to Evans Library, is also considered a ghost hub according to both Kramer and Jackson.

“I’ve only been once, but we were able to get it to say my name multiple times,” Jackson

said. “And everytime we would ask its name it would constantly respond ‘George.’”

“Apparently when Franics was being built … one of the construction workers died while building it,” Kramer said.

However, Rodriguez explained how not all deaths are followed with hauntings of the deceased.

“I’ve done a lot of research in Bryan, so I know Bryan is a very old place.” Rodriguez said. “It’s a tragedy that happened, [but] it doesn’t mean it’s automatic.”

Jackson said that her hairdresser, who grew up in Bryan, once explained how a building where Blinn College is now located, was once a theater.

“Back in the day, there was this couple … and a man ended up murdering his boyfriend in the theater. Supposedly it is still haunted and people get activity there,” Jackson said.

For students who are wanting to join, in vestigating these haunted areas is not a re quirement for the members who prefer social ly attending the meetings to discuss all things paranormal.

“We also do house calls, usually from col lege students in the area who think their house is haunted,” Kramer said. “We are always open to suggestions.”

TAPS meets every other Thursday at 8:30 p.m. in the Memorial Student Center, or MSC, and is currently closed for applications but will reopen in January for the upcoming spring semester for students who are interested in the world of paranormal.

EARN CASH FOR CLOTHES

Welcome Aggies!!

Magnolia

Magnolia

By Shea Kissell @SheaKissell

Sept. 30 proved itself to be a memorable day for rap music releases; big names such as Denzel Curry, Freddie Gibbs, Lucki and Kankan all dropped new music. But only one came alongside a 90-minute animated Netflix film: Kid Cudi’s “Entergalactic.”

Cudi dropped onto the scene in the late 2000s with a cosign from Kanye West, and would come to release melodic rap classics such as “The Man on the Moon” trilogy, and a critically acclaimed 2018 collabora tive album with his previously mentioned mentor, “KIDS SEE GHOSTS.” Now, Cudi shifts into the world of visual arts with the release of “Entergalatic,” his eighth studio album with a film counter part on Netflix.

“Entergalatic,” the album, is not to be confused for a film soundtrack, as Cudi explained on Twitter.

“Entergalactic is a Kid Cudi album. Not a soundtrack.” Cudi said. “This is another beautiful solo effort I think [you] all will enjoy.”

The album is Cudi’s most atmospher ic work yet, containing 15 songs and multiple features from other stars like Ty Dolla $ign and Don Toliver. However, his sound hasn’t changed much since his 2020 release, “Man on the Moon III: The Cho sen.” This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but don’t go into this album expecting anything new or innovative. “Entergalat ic” might as well be another sequel in the “Man on the Moon” saga.

Cudi’s signature psychedelic voice is utilized well in tracks like “In Love” and “She’s Lookin’ For Me,” and Dot da Ge nius delivers some standout production on “Willing to Trust” and “Angel,” among others.

While “Entergalatic” may not be the album of the year, it serves its purpose well as a decent collection of songs to put some headphones on and space out to, or to pump through the car stereos on a night

drive. It’s received generally positive critical acclaim, with Pitchfork bestow ing a 6.5 rating on the album and calling it “purely enjoyable.”

The cinematic component of the re lease has managed to find success as well.

The TV-MA animated film was co-cre ated by Cudi and TV Producer Kenya Barris, and stars the rapper himself, his friends Timothee Chalamet and Ty Dolla Sign, as well Jessica Williams. It follows the romantic adventures of Jabari and Meadow, two Manhattan neighbors and artists who are trying to find balance in the chaos of life.

The animation style is much like that of 2018’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spi der-Verse.” Any single frame of the film can serve as its own piece of artwork. But the smoothness of the characters’ movements are frustratingly inconsistent, and at some points distractingly choppy. At the very least, it takes away from the unique vision behind the film’s visuals, heavily inspired by the late fashion leg end Virgil Abloh, who was a close friend of Cudi’s.

As for the writing, it’s no Oscar-win ner. The plot is predictable, and the characters are shallow. Imagine a cook ie-cutter romance between two gentrifi ers. The music is tied in with the story, but watching the movie doesn’t really add anything to the listening experience.

However, like the album, “Entergala tic” the movie offers some innocent, casual enjoyment. There are a couple funny moments, and some beautiful vi sual counterparts for some of the songs.

If you’re interested in following Cudi’s career, or just a die-hard fan, it might be worth checking out, but it’s definitely not necessary to watch the movie to get the full experience out of the album.

The film has gained better reception than the album, including both a 95% positive score from both critics and audience on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.5 rating on IMDb.

This won’t be the rapper’s last con tribution to film and television, but it might be his last to music. In an inter view with Apple Music, Cudi said he was growing tired of making music, and wanted to focus on visual arts, like film and fashion.

“I kind of want to put [music-mak ing] on the back burner … I think I kind of want to be done with it” Cudi said.

Whether Cudi is just taking a break from music, or closing the door on it all together, he’s left behind a replayable, catchy, cosmic farewell album, with a mediocre Netflix original film to go along with it.

Applications Due October 28th

Artist: Kid Cudi

The Aggie Effect

Ana Sofia Sloane @anasofiasloane

My first semester at Texas A&M felt like a culture shock.

From professors starting classes with a boisterous “Howdy!” to students stomping their cowboy boots and swinging 12th Man towels at football games, it was like a new world to me.

This is largely due to the fact that I’m not the most “down-home” Texan you’ll ever meet — even though I’ve lived in this state for the past 16 years of my life.

For one, I’m from Austin. Yes, the accursed land of t.u., but also a city that’s like a lone island, detached from the rest of the south. Indie rock plays on the radio instead of country music, Doc Martens are the boot of choice and Whole Foods outnumber Whataburgers … the list of differences goes on.

Thus, moving to College Station felt like an abrupt immersion into southern culture which I somehow managed to evade for over a decade and a half. However, I expected as much — A&M isn’t necessarily known for being the hippest, most urban spot in the country. What I didn’t anticipate? That the Aggie lifestyle would change me.

To begin, the “Howdy.” Honestly, I couldn’t bring myself to use A&M’s classic greeting at the start of my freshman year. I didn’t understand how students and professors used the phrase without cringing, and envisioned remaining the only member of the Aggie community that never added the word into my daily vocabulary.

How wrong I was. A few weeks ago, I realized the word flowed naturally while speaking and writing, whether it be at the start of my emails, when greeting others or to get the attention of a room. This discovery caused a moment of reflection — when did the southern colloquialism creep up on me? How did a mere year change my previously obstinate stance? I can’t pinpoint the exact moment in which my dislike for the greeting turned into appreciation, but all I know is that even when I go back home to Austin, it feels unnatural not to address strangers with a “Howdy.” I don’t think my freshman-year self would believe me if I told her the news.

Something else she wouldn’t believe? That I own a pair of cowboy boots.

Yep, standing proudly next to my Converse and Nike shoes reside the

brown leather boots which I bought — almost as a rite of passage — for my birthday last year. As my second-generation Aggie roommate put it when we walked out of Cavender’s, purchase in hand: “Welcome to A&M, you officially drank the Kool-Aid.” I couldn’t agree more.

However, the simple act of donning the iconic footwear pales in comparison to one of the most prominent contrasts to my pre-A&M identity: football games.

I’ve never been a huge fan of sports, much less football. Yet here I am, sports pass and all, eagerly awaiting the next home game in Kyle Field. I don’t know whether it’s the unrivaled energy of the 12th Man or the fact that we have one of the largest college football stadiums in the country, but I actually look forward to attending games and cheering along with the crowd as our team makes the occasional touchdown. This weekend, I even convinced my family to watch the Alabama game on TV — the last few seconds had us all at the edge of our seats.

A newfound interest in football, “Howdy,” cowboy boots … These are all products of a phenomenon I’ve begun to call “The Aggie Effect.” You may not realize it at first, but the unique spirit at our university slowly sneaks up on you, powerful enough to transform even the most Austinite, non-country student such as myself.

No, I don’t mean this in a cultish, indoctrination type of way — on the contrary, the “effect” is what unites the Aggie community, highlighting our differences yet bringing together people of all backgrounds and interests. As the old saying goes, “From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. And from the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.”

To be honest? I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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

The War Hymn Statue outside Kyle Field on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.

Kalena Agpasan — THE BATTALION

Schloss Era continues

Aggies take on Lamar Cardinals at Olsen Field for first fall exhibition game on Saturday

By Grant Gaspard @grant_gaspard

On Saturday, Oct. 15, Texas A&M baseball will preview its 2023 season in the first of two exhibition games against a team the Aggies faced earlier this year.

The Aggies host Lamar University at the corner of Bush and Olsen at 1 p.m. and will provide the 12th Man with free admission into Blue Bell Park as well as an opportunity to watch familiar faces from the 2022 squad and a handful of newcomers.

The impact of these returners, such as junior infielder Trevor Werner and senior outfielder Brett Minnich, will be crucial to the success of the Aggies with the upcoming season approaching, A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle said.

“The older teams are the ones that seem

to be winning,” Schlossnagle said. “You can have a talented team but trying to be a freshman in this league and compete in this league is tough.”

On Feb. 22, A&M and Lamar competed for the 10th time in the two programs’ history — with one of the teams adding to its current nine-game win streak.

Two of the 14 letter winning returners made a significant impact in the 9-3 victory against the Cardinals.

Junior infielder Ryan Targac went 2-4 from the batter’s box which included a home run in the first inning and a double later in the game. Senior designated hitter Austin Bost had the most impressive performance against his hometown college. Bost went 3-5 batting which included two doubles, one triple and an RBI in the top of the first inning.

After Lamar left College Station, the team went on to have a successful season in Beaumont. The Cardinals finished second in the Southwest Division of the Western Athletic Conference, or the WAC, one game behind Sam Houston. They had an overall record of 37-21, 20-10 in conference play.

Soccer keeps the ball rolling

Aggies take on Auburn at Ellis Field on Friday Oct. 14 to keep tournament hopes alive

By Jordan Epp @j_epp22

Fresh off its first win of the SEC slate, Texas A&M women’s soccer prepares to take on the Auburn Tigers in College Station on Friday, Oct. 14 at Ellis Field in College Station.

Before A&M’s 2-1 upset over No. 20 Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., on Sunday, Oct. 9, the Aggies were off to a very slow start. Not only was the team 0-4-1 against ranked opponents, but the exact same record was sported against SEC competition.

“The fortitude and the belief that the players have in each other to get that win was awesome because beating a ranked team on the road is never easy,” coach G Guerrieri said. “Now we get to go home — we get to be home for a big game with Auburn.”

The Aggies’ tough start to the year is justified. Guerrieri called the Aggies the youngest team in the SEC, which contextualizes their season record of 7-5-3 and last-place standing in the SEC West. Twelve players have started in at least nine of the 15 games played so far: two freshmen, five sophomores, two juniors, two seniors and one graduate student. Leading the Aggies in goals so far this season

is sophomore forward MaKhiya McDonald who has scored five times in 15 games played. Offensively, though, the team has run through junior midfielder Kate Colvin and sophomore forward Maile Hayes, who was named the SEC’s most recent Offensive Player of the Week.

Colvin has started 13 games this year and leads the team in points accounted for with nine, four goals and a team-high five assists, and Hayes is close behind with seven goals accounted for, four goals and three assists.

The offense, though it hasn’t been the Aggies’ strong suit so far this year, needs to be a point of emphasis against Auburn. The Tigers have given up just eight points all season, nearly half as many as A&M. The unit is captained by junior goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska, who sits third in the conference with 44 saves. Even with the graduation of last season’s SEC Defender of the Year, Alyssa Malonson, Auburn’s back line has held strong all season.

“Everyone in the SEC is such a strong opponent, and everyone works hard,” graduate defender Karlina Sample said. “Something we’ve been talking about all season is just, ‘How do you respond when things don’t go your way?’”

Sample said, as the oldest on the team and as a team captain, she needs to keep the team focused and prepared, and that’s what the Aggies’ defenders will need against Auburn. One of the players to stay focused on is Auburn’s junior midfielder Anna Haddock. On the season, Haddock sits top seven in the conference in both shots per game and total assists, proving

The Cardinals are coached by Will Davis who — when the team is batting — will line up across the diamond from student assistant Braxton Boudoin. Boudoin and Bost graduated from the same alma mater in Port Neches and won the 5A Texas High School State Championship together during the 2016-17 season.

The Brazos Valley community may see more familiar faces then expected in this fall exhibition when the Cardinals fly in. Right-handed pitchers in College Station native Zach Williams and Bryan native Trent Tompkins will be entering their junior and sophomore seasons, respectively, at Lamar and could potentially be called to the mound come Saturday.

This will be Davis’s sixth season as the head coach and has a below-average record of 139-151. However, the Louisiana native has coached seven MLB prospects and has recruited the No. 1 class from 2022 in the Southland Conference, the conference Lamar was originally in before joining the WAC for just one season.

A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle is entering

his second season as A&M’s coach, and has already gained the trust and respect of the Aggie family.

In his first season, he finished with a 44-20 overall record, and a 19-11 conference record. Schlossnagle coached the 2022 squad to an NCAA College Station Regional, Super Regional championship and brought the Fightin’ Farmers to the semifinals in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

“[I’m] excited to get back on the field with our team and our 20-plus new players,” Schlossnagle said. “The biggest difference right now is I think we have 15-plus returning players that now can be great examples of everything we do.”

Besides the players returning to the maroon and white, the entire coaching staff will be back for another season of Aggie baseball even after the number of phone calls they received over the offseason from other programs.

“I think it says a lot about Texas A&M that all those guys wanted to stay here,” Schlossnagle said. “It’s been a much smoother first three or four weeks of school and hopefully we can keep that way for a really long time.”

strong defenses of the SEC.

“Going forward, we have four SEC games left, and we’re ready to win them all,” redshirt sophomore forward Laney Carrol said.

Auburn will be A&M’s second-to-last home game of the season before they travel to South Carolina, are home against Missouri and then end the regular season in Florida. The Oct. 14 game against Auburn will also serve as A&M’s “Former Player Reunion” game, which “is expected to draw Aggie stars from the 1980s

through today,” according to 12thMan.com.

With the potential to draw a strong home crowd, the Aggies could find their Ole Miss victory to be a turning point in the season as postseason play approaches. With only 10 SEC teams qualifying for the SEC Tournament each year, a late-season run might be necessary for A&M to avoid missing the postseason for the second year in a row after not even missing an NCAA Tournament since 1994.

It’s like ube r, but

lo nger dist a

Junior 1B Jack Moss (9) catches a ball from graduate C Troy Claunch (12) to get Louisville 1B Dalton Rushing (20) out during Game 6 of the 2022 College Station Super Regional at Olsen Field on

The Aggies celebrate after scoring a goal against on the Tigers during Texas A&M’s match against LSU on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

Jr. forced an Alabama punt and the ball back into A&M’s possession.

The two teams traded punts a few more times, ending the first quarter with a combined seven punts and only eight first downs. But the second quarter saw Milroe’s legs cause problems for the Aggies. He scrambled on broken pass plays for 14- and 33-yard gains, putting the Crimson Tide in the red zone for the first time all game. But on a third-and-eight play, Milroe connected with redshirt senior tight end Cameron Latu in the end zone for a 7-0 Alabama lead.

After another punt, sophomore defensive lineman Fadil Diggs sacked Milroe, forcing a fumble that was recovered by sophomore linebacker Edgerrin Cooper at the Alabama 30-yard line. Two first-down passes to freshman wide receiver Chris Marshall put the Aggies inside the 10-yard line, and sophomore receiver Moose Muhammad III put six points on the board with a touchdown catch, sealed by an extra-point attempt from sophomore kicker Randy Bond, tying things at 7-7.

Alabama retaliated quickly, though, as Gibbs ran for 37 yards and junior receiver Jermaine Burton caught a 35-yard pass for a score, changing the tides and bringing Alabama to a 14-7 lead. The crimson and white forced another Aggie punt, but Diggs got Milroe in the backfield again, forcing his second fumble of the game, a recovery by junior defensive back Jaylon Jones at midfield.

“[Defensive coordinator DJ] Durkin called the game aggressive, so it just gave us more confidence as a [defensive] line to get out there,” Diggs said, who ended the game with six tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, one quarterback hurry and two forced fumbles. “We were in the right place and punching out the ball more this week … Every chance we get, we got to

get the ball.”

On the very next play, King connected with freshman receiver Evan Stewart 43 yards downfield on a jump ball that put the Aggies at the 6-yard line. On third-and-goal, freshman tight end Donovan Green slipped behind the defense on a play-action pass, and King hit him in the end zone to bring the score back to a tie at 14-14.

Back in possession, Milroe took a deep shot downfield with a minute to go in the half that was intercepted by sophomore defensive back Jardin Gilbert; however, after being forced into a third-down situation, King got intercepted back, putting Alabama inside the 30-yard line with 0:38 in the half. Alabama kicked a 50-yard field goal for the 17-14 halftime lead for the home team.

It’s like uber, but for longer distances.

41-yard field goal to shorten Alabama’s lead to 24-17.

Alabama ran an 11-play, 46-yard drive to end the third quarter that resulted in a missed kick, but the Aggies turned the ball back over on a failed fourth-down conversion attempt at midfield. The Tide marched back into scoring position again but missed a second consecutive field goal to give the Aggies the ball with nine minutes to go.

Despite a late field goal and a six-point deficit, the Aggies failed to finish the game on top, losing to Alabama for the ninth time in 10 years.

Alabama kept the momentum on its side, capitalizing on some of A&M’s mistakes with a half-opening touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Ja’Corey Brooks for 29 yards. An A&M punt put the ball back in Alabama’s hands, but the Aggies’ defense forced another fumble against the Tide. Freshman defensive lineman Walter Nolen hit Alabama junior running back Jase McClellan from behind, coughing the ball up for recovery by freshman defensive lineman Shemar Stewart.

King hit his second deep bomb of the day, catching Muhammad behind the Tide’s defense for a 36-yard circus catch. The Aggies failed to complete the drive, stalling out and taking a

“I’m very proud of how we competed, but it’s no moral victory; there’s no such thing as moral victories,” Fisher said. “But, it does show you what we’re capable of, how we can play and things we can do. We have got to regroup next week, play our tails off to get better and finish these last six games.”

The Aggies will have a bye week to regroup as a unit before traveling to South Carolina to face off with the Gamecocks on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 6:30 p.m.

“This week of practice is going to be very big for us, and we’re just going to have to get each other better and get ready for South Carolina,” junior offensive lineman Layden Robinson said.

The Texas A&M Aggies football team fell short of the win against No. 1 Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Robert

“I’m very proud of how we competed, but it’s no moral victory; there’s no such thing as moral victories,”

JIMBO FISHER

AROUND

Arkansas @ BYU

Saturday, Oct. 15 – LaVell Edwards Stadium – Provo, Utah 2:30 p.m. on ESPN

In an uncommon non-conference road game in the middle of the SEC season, the Arkansas Razorbacks will travel to Provo, Utah to take on the BYU Cougars.

Arkansas has disappointed many up to this point in the season, with three losses to division foes in Texas A&M, Alabama and a thrashing at the hands of Mississippi State in Week 6. Arkansas had aspirations to be a silent contender in the west, coming off of a successful 9-3 season, but have underperformed.

BYU appeared to also be a surprise team early on in the season, with a Week 2 win against, at the time, No. 9 Baylor. Since then however, BYU has struggled against

quality competition with losses to Oregon and Notre Dame.

This matchup is a potential springboard for BYU, and a potential rebound for Arkansas. A win for Arkansas would set them up for, after next week at Auburn, a long, favorable home stretch that could easily see the Razorbacks winning out or losing only one more game

BYU has not scored more than 26 points against a Power Five school yet, and junior Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson and the Razorback offense pose a lot of issues. However, BYU and junior quarterback Jaren Hall could win if they find a way to exploit Arkansas’ thin secondary.

Prediction: Arkansas 31, BYU 21

No. 16 Mississippi State @ No. 22 Kentucky

Saturday, Oct. 15 – Kroger Field – Lexington, Ky. 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network

Kentucky, a team with preseason aspirations to potentially challenge Georgia in the east, got out to a hot 4-0 start. Since then, they have lost two in a row. Week 5 was a painful loss to Ole Miss, but last week against South Carolina was a masterclass on what having an experienced quarterback can do for an offense, or more so what losing an experienced quarterback does, as senior quarterback Will Levis missed the game with a foot injury. This forced freshman Kaiya Sheron into the starting role, and the offense only mustered 14 points.

Mississippi State on the other hand continues their hot streak, having scored at least 40 points in their last three games, as well as holding opponents to an average of 18 points in that stretch. Mississippi State

entered the season as a dark horse in the SEC, and after a loss to LSU early in the season, they are now showing why. Led by junior quarterback Will Rogers, who has casually thrown for over 320 yards in each of the last three games, the Bulldogs look to continue their streak against the Wildcats.

Kentucky, although being at home, will have a tough time with what Mississippi State presents. While Kentucky is an impressive 16th best in the country in pass defense, Texas A&M was 17th when they faced Mississippi State, and they scored 42 points on the Aggies. Pair that with the fact Levis is still dayto-day, Mississippi State looks to be better suited to pull this one out.

Prediction: Mississippi State 38, Kentucky 24

LSU @ Florida

Saturday, Oct. 15 – Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – Gainesville, Fla. 6 p.m. on ESPN

In a matchup of two bitter cross division rivals, LSU heads to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators. Florida has not won in this matchup since 2018.

LSU is coming off of a 40-13 drubbing at the hands of No. 6 Tennessee that quite literally began at kickoff, as the Tigers turned the ball over to start the game. For LSU, they are looking to rebound in a big way before a rough stretch against No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 3 Alabama and Arkansas.

Florida got a gritty win against Missouri 24-17 last Saturday, in which sophomore quarterback Anthony Richardson only threw for 66 yards, with Florida’s rushing game

providing most of the offense with over 200 yards on the ground.

If Florida wants to win this game, the Gators will need to throw the ball. Running the ball with as much efficiency as they did against Missouri will be difficult, so Richardson will need to make plays through the air. He’s shown he can do it, throwing for over 450 yards against Tennessee. LSU is coming off of a thrashing, and the Tigers may not have recovered by the time they get to Gainesville. If Florida can take advantage of this, and Richardson has a big game, the Gators will break the streak.

No. 3 Alabama @ No. 6 Tennessee

Saturday, Oct. 15th – Neyland Stadium – Knoxville, Tenn. 2:30 p.m. on CBS

The most anticipated matchup of this week, if not this college football season, is being played in Neyland Stadium on Saturday.

Alabama this season is how Alabama has been for over a decade; dominant. They are currently undefeated with wins against Texas, Texas A&M and Arkansas. Led by Heisman winner junior quarterback Bryce Young, paired with stud defensive players like junior linebacker Will Anderson or senior defensive back Jordan Battle, the Crimson Tide continue to look like one of the best teams in college football.

Tennessee has been the Cinderella of the SEC this season. Many expected Tennessee to be good, but not sixth in the country. Led by Heisman contender senior quarterback Hendon Hooker, the Volunteers have been explosive on offense,

never scoring less than 38 points this season. This game will come down to who can harness their emotions the best and play sound football. The only time Alabama has consistently struggled as of late has been on the road, with a road loss to A&M last season and a near loss to Texas this season, and Neyland Stadium is all but guaranteed to be sold out.Young is assumed to be healthy for this game, a huge plus for Alabama, but which team will rise up in such a crucial moment? Tennessee’s offense is one of the best in the country, but the Crimson Tide could easily exploit their 128th ranked pass defense. This one will be close, but Tennessee should finally be able to break their streak of losses against Alabama and get their first win against the Tide since 2007.

Prediction: Tennessee 41, Alabama 38

Cross country looks to run it back at home invitational

By Cade Harris @cadeharris_

Texas A&M cross country is set to compete at the Arturo Barrios Invitational Saturday, Oct. 15 in College Station. The Arturo Barrios Invitational is an annual meet put on by A&M and is named after former world record holder and arguably the best distance runner in A&M history.

The Men’s 8K is set to begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday and the Women’s 6K is set to begin at 9:45 a.m.. For-

ty-one schools will be competing in the invitational. Other SEC teams joining A&M in the meet are Florida and LSU. They will also be joined by fellow Texas rivals Baylor, Texas Tech and TCU.

In the 2021 Arturo Barrios Invitational, the A&M men’s team placed 5th and the women’s team placed 4th. Lipscomb took home the team title in both events last year and are returning this year to defend their titles.

Junior Eric Casarez placed second last year in the Men’s 8K. Casarez fin-

ished the race with a time of 23:34.2 and led for most of the race last year before falling into second in the last 2,000 meters. He looks to improve on that time and position this Saturday.

“I want to be in the conversation of one of the greatest distance runners to run for Texas A&M just like Arturo was,” Casarez said last year in a Q&A with Katy Gallaher for 12thman.com. “That alone makes him a big role model to me.”

Last time A&M competed at home

was at the A&M Invitational on Sept. 16 in which both teams earned first place.

The Aggies are coming off an underwhelming performance at the Paul Short Run in which the women’s team placed 19th and the men’s team placed 16th.

Spectators can attend the event for free at the Watts Cross Country Course and parking will be available just outside the complex.