The Battalion - October 1, 2018

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2018 STUDENT MEDIA

Silver Taps Thomas “Tom” Pierce Followwill 5/14/1996 — 8/16/2018

Joseph “Joe” William Little 4/13/2000 — 8/28/2018

TUESDAY NIGHT WE HONOR THE FALLEN

when 10:30 p.m. Tuesday where Academic Plaza

In honor of Aggies who have died, the Ross Volunteer Firing Squad will march in Academic Plaza and fire three rifle volleys of seven shots.

Buglers from the Aggie Band will play a special arrangement of Taps.

SILVER TAPS ON PAGE 3 FALL STUDENT BODY ELECTION RESULTS Freshman Class President: Matt Ryan Freshman Senator: Rachel Hutto Freshman Senator: Iman Ahmed College of Architecture Senators: Gustavo Marin Emma Sumrow Mays Business School Senator: Virginia Krog College of Engineering Senator: Dang Dang College of Geosciences Senator: Holden Tumlinson College of Science Senator: Joseph Collins College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Senator: Tyler Vallejo Transition Academic Programs Senator: Hannah Hardison Off-Campus Senators: Caroline (Libby) Moore, John Ryan Rodriguez, Lyndi Luttrull, Bubba Harris, Cydney Johnson, Hunter Martin, Briannah Wheeler and Rhett Crossland

THE BATTALION TURNS 125 Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION

Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher argues with a referee over a call at the Southwest Classic against Arkansas on Sept. 29.

‘WE’VE GOT TO GET BETTER’ Aggies struggle in underwhelming victory over Arkansas on Saturday

By Angel Franco @angelmadison_ With less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Texas A&M was leading Arkansas by one possession, and head coach Jimbo Fisher wasn’t happy about it.

A&M had several missed opportunities in the red zone, narrowing their victory. Eight of the 12 A&M possessions resulted in a turnover, punt or missed field goal.

Fisher, who has been animated on the sidelines all season, was visibly angry with his team following the 24-17 victory over Arkansas. In the postgame press conference, Fisher said he was glad to get the win, but wasn’t pleased with the fundamental aspects of the game.

“I’ve got to continue to teach, educate and make sure that doesn’t happen,” Fisher said. “We’ve got to get better.”

Junior linebacker Tyrel Dodson was on the receiving end of one of Fisher’s teaching moments. Dodson got into an argument with an Arkansas player following a punt in the third quarter, prompting Fisher to grab

Dodson by the face mask and reprimand him mid-game.

Fisher said he won’t tolerate one of his defensive leaders risking a flag or ejection over an argument.

“He is a great player,” Fisher said. “Emotions get in football. It’s an emotional game.

But you’ve got to play intelligently.”

The incident caught the attention of spectators and players alike, including senior defensive lineman Daylon Mack.

“I guess that would be the most animated he’s been in the middle of a game,” Mack

By Jane Turchi @JaneTurchi

PROVIDED

A&M graduate Megna Murali uses dance to spread awareness for human trafficking victims.

Megna Murali, Class of 2018, uses her classical training in traditional Indian dance to raise awareness for human trafficking.

Murali will perform her production, “Jaagrata,” on Oct. 6 at the Art of Living LA Center in Los Angeles. Trained in both Bharatanatyam and Kathak styles of dance — traditional forms from South and North India, respectively — Murali has been performing “Jaagrata” since November 2017. All her show’s proceeds go to “Project Udaan,” an anti-trafficking organization providing rescued victims with shelter, education and medical assistance.

“Jaagrata” is a Kannada word meaning “consciousness” or “alert.”

“You notice how crazy this situation is, and this is happening everywhere all the time,” Murali said. “People just don’t care and it’s like ‘What’s wrong with you?’ Someone needs to wake up.”

The music in “Jaagrata” is composed

SUPREME COURT UPDATE

FISHER ON PG. 3

A voice for the captive Aggie fights human trafficking through traditional Indian dance

On this day in 1893, the first-ever edition of The Battalion was released. One and a quarter centuries later, Texas A&M’s student news source continues to cover the events shaping the A&M campus and community. Since today’s edition is dedicated to the students being honored at Tuesday’s Silver Taps Ceremony, The Battalion’s 125th anniversary edition will be released Wednesday.

Via Creative Commons

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is under investigation ahead of the vote that could give him a lifelong court seat.

by Sudha Raghuraman, an award-winning vocalist and composer who has recorded with professional musicians in New Delhi, India. Murali was intimately involved in the development of the score.

“It’s beautiful,” Murali said. “We have something called ‘raga’ — specific scales to match the kind of mood that I’m trying to show and the kind of emotions I’m trying to express that these girls went through.”

Murali became inspired to use her skills to support anti-trafficking organizations when she met Annu Subramanian, author of “Another Heaven,” a novel about the horrendous effects of human trafficking. Subramanian dedicated three years to researching and interviewing victims of trafficking. “[Murali is] amazing,” Subramanian said. “She inspires me. When I go to speak here and there, I appeal to young people because they are our future, to consider embracing this project because they hold the future in their hands.”

In the summer of 2017, Murali traveled to Mumbai, India to teach English, computer skills and dance to trafficking survivors. On her trip, Murali partnered

With an 11-10 vote along party lines Friday morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee brought Judge Brett Kavanaugh one step closer to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. But the political saga surrounding President Donald Trump’s controversial nominee is far from over.

The committee’s vote came in the wake of allegations against Kavanaugh by three women who claim he sexually assaulted them and argue that he is not fit for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. Now, it’s up to the full Senate to confirm or deny Kavanaugh’s appointment. The vote will be delayed however,

MURALI ON PG. 2

KAVANAUGH ON PG. 2

Kavanaugh in the hot seat Trump’s Supreme Court nominee denies all sexual assault allegations

By Katie James @kaytayjames

Senior Boot Bag

NEWS

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THE BATTALION is published Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the 2018 fall semester and 2019 spring semester (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. 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: http://www.thebatt.com.

Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local, and national display advertising call 979-845-2687. For classified advertising, call 979-845-0569.

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.

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Megna Murali, Class of 2018, will perform a self-choreographed traditional Indian dance in Los Angeles on Oct. 6 to increase awareness of human trafficking.

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with You Can Free Us, a nonprofit that has been involved in the fight against human trafficking since 2010.

“It’s really intricate the way that you express emotions, how you make a piece, there’s just so much that goes into it,” Murali said. “I feel research isn’t the best way to do it, but to go and to work and to do some social work and to volunteer — that really helped me bring perspective into my art.”

While in Mumbai for a month and

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Notice of University Student Rule Revisions Additions, deletions and changes to the University Student Rules may occur over the course of the year.

a half, Murali spent a week working with You Can Free Us director Kari Dingler, conducting dance therapy with a group of trafficking survivors. “[The girls] just loved her as a friend,” Dingler said. “It’s really wrong because we’re just ordinary people and we know that they’re precious in the sight of God, but they see themselves as less than everyone else. … They just felt she was so affirming to them and so loving and it was just a huge blessing for us.”

Murali incorporates Surya, the Hindu sun god, into her performance’s

KAVANAUGH CONTINUED

The following student rules have been revised: Rule # 14.6 58

Rule Degree Requirements University Disciplinary Appeals Panel

Date Student Rule Website Updated September 24, 2018 September 26, 2018

Each student has the responsibility to be fully acquainted with and to comply with the Texas A&M University Student Rules. Student Rules can be found at http://student-rules.tamu.edu.

FASTER. SAFER. SMARTER.

as Trump has ordered the FBI to reopen their background investigation on Kavanaugh to look into the sexual assault claims by Oct. 5, according to the Associated Press.

Christine Blasey Ford, a professor of psychology at Palo Alto University and the first woman to speak out about Kavanaugh, testified before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Kavanaugh was given a chance to respond to the allegations.

Ford claims Kavanaugh made unwanted advances while drunk at a house party in high school, pushing her into a bedroom along with his friend Mark Judge. Ford said Kavanaugh pinned her to the bed and groped her while putting his hand over her mouth. She said she was able to escape, but was “too afraid and ashamed” to tell anyone what happened.

“I am here today not because I want to be,” Ford said in her statement. “I am terrified. I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school.”

Kavanaugh has denied Ford’s allegations, claiming in his prepared statement that all the accusations against him are “last-minute smears, pure and simple.” Kavanaugh suggested Ford may have been assaulted by someone else, but maintains it was not him.

“The truth is that I have never sexually assaulted anyone — not in high school, not in college, not ever,” Kavanaugh said.

Both Ford and Kavanaugh testified under oath that they were “100 percent” sure of their recollections, but if evidence arises proving either one was lying, they could be tried for perjury.

Many saw a striking resemblance between Thursday’s hearing and Judge Clarence Thomas’ confirmation hearing in 1991, during which Thomas denied accusations of sexual harassment from his former aide Anita Hill. Thomas was eventually approved and

ending. While Surya is commonly recognized at the beginning of traditional dances, Murali recognizes the sun god at the end to symbolize a new beginning for a broken society and its victims.

“Seeing those girls smile and happy and let go was beautiful,” Murali said.

“My experience with them is profound.”

Murali will speak at a TedX event in Houston on Oct. 13. More information about You Can Free Us and Project Udaan can be found at campaign. youcanfree.us and projectudaan.org.

serves on the Supreme Court currently.

Like Kavanaugh, Thomas said he believed the accusation was a political attack.

During the Thomas hearings, there was an outcry against a white, all-male panel of senators grilling the black, female Hill.

This time around, Republican senators concerned about optics brought in sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell to assist them in questioning Ford.

Despite the supplemental FBI investigation and presence of Mitchell, the senators on the committee made it clear that a confirmation hearing is closer to a public job interview than a criminal trial. It is an attempt to help senators to make an informed decision on a nominee, not prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt.

Though they did not testify in front of the Senate, two other women have come forward with claims of sexual harassment against Kavanaugh. According to The New Yorker, Deborah Ramirez claimed Kavanaugh exposed himself to her and engaged in unwanted touching at a party at Yale University while both were drunk. As part of the renewed investigation, the FBI has reached out to Ramirez.

The third accuser, Julie Swetnick, knew Kavanaugh in high school and is a long-time federal employee with several active security clearance statuses. Swetnick’s lawyer released her client’s sworn statement Wednesday on Twitter, in which Swetnick claimed that she was drugged and gang raped at a party by a group of boys, including Kavanaugh.

The “he said, she said” nature of the confirmation process has sparked national debate about how survivors of sexual assault are treated and the increasingly politicized nature of the Supreme Court. The events surrounding Kavanaugh’s nomination will likely be on the minds of voters as midterm elections approach.

Kavanaugh’s confirmation would shift the leaning of the Supreme Court decidedly to the right, and the nation is watching to see how it all plays out.

OBITUARY

Dr. Arnold Paul Krammer, Ph.D. August 15, 1941 - September 24, 2018

TEXAS HIGH SPEED TRAIN Houston to Dallas in 90 Minutes With a stop near Aggieland

Dr. Arnold Krammer, 77, of Bryan, passed away on Monday, September 24, 2018, in Bryan. Services are in the care of Callaway-Jones Funeral and Cremation Centers, Bryan-College Station.

Arnold Krammer was born in Chicago, Il, on August 15, 1941, to David and Eva (Vas) Krammer. He studied at the University earnedhis his of Wisconsin, Madison where he erned BS, MS, and, in 1970, PhD. He came to Texas A&M University in 1974, retiring in 2015 having taught thousands of Aggies American and German history. His specialties included the Frist and Second World Wars, 20th Century Germany, and the Holocaust. He led numerous Study Abroad groups of Aggies to Germany, Italy, Normandy, and Poland. He was twice honored with the University Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching.

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His parents, David and Eva precede him in death.

Visit TexasCentral.com to learn more.

Text TRAIN to 52886 for updates.

Survivors include his wife of twenty-seven years, Jan Smith Krammer; his sons Adam Krammer, of San Francisco, Doug and wife Erin Krammer of College Station; his brother Steven and wife Marlene Krammer, of Los Angeles; his adored grandchildren Mya, Avery, and Nathan; and countless treasured friends.

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Memorial donations can be made to Health for All or to Hospice Brazos Valley.

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SILVERTAPS

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The Battalion | 10.1.18

Silver Taps

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May 14, 1996 - August 16, 2018

THOMAS “TOM” PIERCE FOLLOWWILL A dedicated outdoorsman and honest friend

By Samantha Mahler @MahlerSamantha

T

Via Facebook

h omas “Tom” Pierce Followwill, construction science senior, will be remembered for his positive outlook on life, dedicated work ethic and love for the outdoors.

Tom’s older brother, Sam Followwill, said Tom was energetic and full of happiness throughout their childhood.

“He always wanted to go do something, never really wanted downtime,” Sam said.

“Whether it was practicing archery or playing sports in the backyard, we were always outside together.”

The Followwills traveled frequently, and usually went on hikes during their trips. Tom’s mother, Kim Followwill, said she has fond memories of Tom reaching out to support her any time he had the opportunity.

“On our recent hiking trip to Greece, there would be times when he would turn around and give me his hand and say, ‘Come on, Mom. I’ve got you,’” Kim said. “He’d pull me up the next step. He would tell me all the time, ‘I’ve got you, Mom.’” Tom loved being outdoors as often as possible, and enjoyed hunting and saltwater fishing.

Sam said Tom was always looking for a new challenge or hobby.

“It was almost like whenever he’d find something he was passionate about or enjoyed or [was] interested in, he’d just tackle it head-on no matter what it was,” Sam said.

One of Tom’s many interests was weightlifting, which became a major part of his life.

“He worked out every single day almost without failure,” Kim said. “If he had a long day of classes, he might get to Gold’s Gym at five o’clock in the morning.”

Kim, who compares Tom’s work ethic to that of his father’s, said one of Tom’s favorite sayings was “Chase success without failure.”

Kim said Tom lived out this motto in his everyday life.

“If it was something he wanted to master, it would be hard to get in his way and he would

Joseph “Joe” William Little The Battalion regrets to inform readers that reporters were unable to reach the family and friends of Blinn TEAM freshman Joseph Little for his tribute article.

If you knew Joseph and want to speak with The Battalion for an article, email editor@thebatt.com.

FISHER CONTINUED

PROVIDED

Tom Followwill and his parents, Kim and Jerry, enjoyed traveling together.

probably be the best at it,” Kim said. “He would do a lot of research trying to figure out what the best way was. I don’t think it ever crossed his mind that he couldn’t do something.”

Sam said the biggest lesson he learned from Tom was to always do the right thing, even when others aren’t watching.

“He’d bend over backward and help somebody,” Sam said. “He’d drive three hours to help you with something if you needed it.”

Kim said Tom’s favorite aspects of A&M were the traditions and support system the Aggie Network provided. Tom was active in the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and loved being surrounded by his family and friends.

Sam said he will remember all the times he spent with Tom, and he will miss having someone honest and trustworthy to open up to.

“We pretty much did everything together every weekend,” Sam said. “I know I only had him for 22 years, but I truly feel like I got more out of my brother in 22 years than most people get in a lifetime.”

Tom was grounded in his Christian faith, something his loved ones are finding comfort in.

“There’s absolutely no doubt that our Thomas is in heaven,” Kim said. “That is how his friends and family are weathering the storm.”

said. “But we’ve seen more.”

As reactions to Fisher’s outburst began to swirl on social media, Dodson provided his own take on the situation via Twitter.

“Coach Fisher is an amazing coach,” Dodson wrote. “He did the right thing. I let my emotions get the best of me at that certain moment.”

Junior running back Trayveon Williams said the team was aware that Fisher was unimpressed with their performance.

“We weren’t consistent,” Williams said. “Throughout the game, he was preaching on me, ‘We’ve got to finish. We’ve got to do the right things.’”

Fisher said if the Aggies are going to have a chance in the grueling SEC West, the team will need to make adjustments before next week.

“I don’t know if it was a step backward — we just didn’t play very well,” Fisher said. “We have got a lot of things we’ve got to fix and work on if we’re going to play in this league and play at a high level.”

Texas A&M will host No. 17 Kentucky at home on Saturday.

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