MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2018 STUDENT MEDIA
Silver Taps
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.
November 4, 1998 - January 11, 2018
MARC PORTELL ELIZONDO A talented and hardworking student driven by his faith and love of others By Brad Morse @BradSMorse53
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arc Elizondo will be remembered for living through his faith, selfless outlook on life and desire to help improve the world. A keen academic, Marc came to Texas A&M on a full scholarship to study biomedical engineering, a desire born from an illness he was diagnosed with before arriving at A&M. “Two years ago he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis,” Clare Elizondo, Marc’s sister, said. “He never complained, and he decided that he wanted to cure the disease … not for himself but for other kids, so they wouldn’t have to go through what he did.” Kind and considerate, Marc was not an ordinary kid, according to Arleen Elizondo, Marc’s mother. “Marc was different,” Arleen said. “I would say he taught me more than I taught him. He was very humble, sensitive to what other people needed, just extremely kind … honestly, no matter what the person did or who the other person was, he literally never said anything bad about anyone.” Arleen said Marc was a phenomenal ath-
PROVIDED
lete, excelling in tennis and reaching at least the semifinals of the state championship every year in high school. But no one could ever guess that, as he never boasted of his talents. She added that he never complained on the court, and no one could tell if he was winning or losing, as his attitude and demeanor never changed. “Tennis can be maddening, but I never saw him angry on the tennis court one time, and I never missed a match,” Alreen said. “And sometimes, the kids he’d play were just jerks. He’d come off the court and his dad and I would say ‘Can you believe he said this or he did this?’ And Marc would just say ‘No, he was pretty nice, really.’ Nothing could get under his skin.” Marc’s humble attitude was noticed by others, including his kindergarten teacher, according to Arleen. “His kindergarten teacher, at the end of the year, put together a booklet with each kids picture in there and she wrote something about each kid,” Arleen said. “And by Marc’s name, she put ‘This is certainly how Jesus was as a little boy.’” Marc’s selfless attitude was apparent in several other areas of his life. When he got his driver’s license, he became an organ donor. In ELIZONDO ON PG. 2
Marc Elizondo was a selfless person who was driven by his faith and a need to help others.
A small gesture that means more Attending is the least you can do By Cassie Stricker @cassie_stricker
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of the coastal and Great Lake states to Washington, D.C. and provide them with a marine policy experience,” Plotkin said. When the fellowship was established in 1979, many federal laws had been put in place the decade before such as the Clean Air Act of 1969. This time period is often known as the beginning of the environmental movement in the United States. “I think the importance has been at multiple levels,” Plotkin said. “For the Sea Grant network, this fellowship experience has given us an opportunity to educate early career professionals about the Sea Grant program and about what we do in each of the coastal states and the Great Lake states. We get to share some of the impacts and accomplishments that we have in our states with our fellows and they bring that knowledge with them when they go up to Washington, D.C.” Sepp Haukebo, Class of 2013 and manager of private angler management reform
t’s 10:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month. You’re standing in Academic Plaza, listening to the end of “Amazing Grace” being played on Albritton Bell Tower as students continue to make their way to the plaza. A few quiet minutes pass and you hear the Ross Volunteers getting closer and closer to the Sul Ross statue; their steps in perfect unison as they march in a slow, chilling cadence. You tense up as they fire a three-volley salute; your heart skips a beat with each gunshot. After a moment of silence, the buglers begin to play Texas A&M’s unique rendition of “Taps.” Shivers run down your spine as the chilling notes pierce the quiet night. The guy in front of you puts an arm around his girlfriend’s waist as she rests her head on his shoulder. You hear someone near you softly praying. Faint sobs come from somewhere in the middle of the crowd. The buglers finish playing and the last note lingers for a moment before fading into a deafening silence as you think about the students being honored that night. This is Silver Taps, one of Texas A&M’s most sacred, yet dreaded, traditions; the final tribute to Aggies who were students at the time of their death. This is what it means to be an Aggie. When I attended Silver Taps for the first time as a freshman in the fall of 2015, I didn’t fully understand its significance. My motivation for attending that night
SEA GRANT ON PG. 3
SILVER TAPS ON PG. 2
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The Knauss Fellowship gives graduate and Ph.D. students the chance to broaden marine knowledge outside of the classroom.
From the coast to the capital Sea Grant Knauss fellows reflect on year-long marine policy experience By Savannah Mehrtens @SJMehrtens Sitting in her office, Texas Sea Grant director Pamela Plotkin thought back to 1994 and the experience that ultimately shaped her career. “There were no barriers or obstacles in my way,” Plotkin said. “I was allowed to get involved in just about anything I wanted to be involved in when I got to my fellowship opportunity, and that’s the experience most fellows have when they get there.” The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship, established in 1979, is for any graduate and doctoral students who are close to or have completed their degree and are interested in ocean, coastal or Great Lakes resources. The program will lead them to offices that affect legislative or executive national policy while completing their fellowship in Washington,
D.C. The fellowship’s namesake, John A. Knauss, was one of Sea Grant’s founders and a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) former administrator. Plotkin said Knauss’ vision was to provide early career professionals with experience in government and public policy. “We’re indebted to him and grateful for his vision because this is a program that has not just provided experience and opportunity to thousands of people, but has also helped federal agencies and congressional offices gain real great experience from the people who worked in these positions,” Plotkin said. “It’s really an opportunity that helps in two directions — the people who receive fellows and the fellows themselves all benefit from the opportunity.” The fellowship is crafted to provide an intensive real-life experience to top students interested in national policy in relation to the oceans and Great Lakes, according to Plotkin. “The fellowship program is meant to bring the best and the brightest from each
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SILVERTAPS
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SILVER TAPS CONTINUED
ELIZONDO CONTINUED
was selfish, but I quickly came to understand that attending Silver Taps is a small, but incredibly meaningful act you can perform for the families who have lost a son or daughter. I haven’t missed a Silver Taps ceremony since. It is so easy to find an excuse not to attend. You’re tired. You need to study. You have a project to work on. You could be working out or spending time with friends. Taking 30 to 45 minutes out of your Tuesday night may feel inconvenient, but I promise you that this small sacrifice is nothing compared to what the family and friends of the students being honored are going through. It is on the nights you find every excuse not to go to Silver Taps that you must remind yourself that being an Aggie is so much more than attending classes at Texas A&M University. Being an Aggie means standing with your Aggie family to honor the brothers and sisters who were taken all too soon. When you choose to attend Silver Taps, you are choosing to be a living representation of the Aggie Spirit. We’ve all heard the saying – “From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. From the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.” This is “it.” Silver Taps is the purest embodiment of the Aggie Spirit and the most loving way we can honor the Ags we’ve lost. Whether you’re a freshman or a fifth-year senior, whether this is your first Silver Taps ceremony or your nineteenth, I encourage you to think not only about the students we lost, but about what your presence must mean to the people who are standing with you, not for a stranger, but for a loved one. We stand for the Aggies who will never get their rings. We stand for the Aggies who can never again greet us with a warm smile and a “Howdy.” We stand for the Aggies who won’t pull another all-nighter studying in Evans or endure another finals week. We stand for the Aggies who won’t walk the stage and become proud former students. We stand for our fellow Aggies, and know that if the roles were reversed, they would be standing for us. So, this Tuesday when you’re deciding if it’s worth a drive back to campus or the walk from your dorm, remember that while you may be stressed about whatever else is going on in your life, you have the opportunity to stand in Academic Plaza for the people who can’t anymore. Feb. 6 we stand for Marc Elizondo. Here.
typical Marc fashion, he didn’t tell anyone or brag about this, and his parents didn’t know until later, according to Arleen. This act has helped several people, as News 4 San Antonio reported. University Hospital in San Antonio said several lives have been saved, and countless more will be touched through his donation. “He registered to donate every darn thing on the list,” Arleen said. “And as a family you can refuse to go along with that … we still could have said no, but we all knew Marc and his generosity and his kindness … it’s exactly what he would have wanted to do and we had to honor that. They said there were five people’s lives that he saved, because he donated both kidneys, his liver, his lung and his heart.” Behind his academic demeanor, Clare said Marc was thoughtful and a bit of a prankster. “Marc was really kind, really funny, always pulling pranks on me and my older brother,” Clare said. “He had the wittiest, driest sense of humor. But he was also really athletic, really hard working. He was super devoted to his faith … he really just went for everything.” Clare said that while several memories of Marc stand out in her mind, one picnic she went on with him is one of her favorites. “He would always use his meal trades on me and we would get lunch together all the time,” Clare said. “He was always just really generous, even though I’m the older one and should be taking care of him. And after his finals, we had a picnic at the Bush Pond, just the two of us. We talked about his first semester, and we just sat there. The weather was perfect and it was really fun.” Clare said Marc came to A&M for several reasons, including academics, the Catholic community and his family. “He wanted a good engineering program … for his disease,” Clare said. “But a few other big things were that he got the Brown scholarship, which is a full ride scholarship,
Cassie Stricker is an agricultural communications and journalism junior and photo chief for The Battalion.
and me and my older brother both went here on that scholarship. So when he got that, it kind of made sense for him. And then my dad also went to A&M. He was really into sports and his Catholic faith, and A&M was just really good in all those areas. The fact that all three of us would get to be together here is why he came.” Marc’s favorite part of being an Aggie was the people he met, and the relationships he made through classes, church and tennis club, according to Clare. She said she has been blown away by all the people who had met Marc, and how much they cared about him. At Marc’s visitation, Arleen said 1,000 people attended, with some showing up an hour and fifteen minutes early, and about the same number of people also attended his funeral Mass. “He made an impact,” Arleen said. “And I think we had six priests on the altar … there were priests calling me and leaving me messages asking ‘Can we be a part of this Mass?’ There’s something about him that was just very impactful.” Arleen said there was one encounter she had with a classmate of Marc’s at his visitation that personifies who he was. “There was one girl … I had never heard her name; she said ‘I was in Marc’s high school class and I had to tell you if it weren’t for Marc, I would have failed calculus,’” Arleen said. “He must have been helping her … he never came home and said ‘Oh this girl needs so much help’ or ‘I don’t have time’ … he never said her name to me. I never met her.” Arleen said Marc was a blessing, and it’s unfortunate some people do not know somebody like him. “There are many people who are not lucky enough to have been able to know a person as good as Marc,” Arleen said. “To have a role model, such a generous, giving, kind person. I’m lucky that we had 19 years of learning from him. He just gives us all something to aspire to – be like Marc.”
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Team LatinX Cultural Center prepares to present their solution to the challenge presented at Hackathon.
Creations for a more inclusive Texas A&M Student teams work to address challenges of diversity and inclusion at Hackathon competition By Naren Venkatesh @KnowNaren The College of Architecture Diversity Council’s annual Hackathon kicked off Friday, Feb. 2 at the Langford Architecture Center. Participants in the 24-hour competition teamed up to tackle diversity and inclusion challenges with a variety of data sources and creation tools at their disposal. Cecilia Giusti, assistant professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, put the event together with the help of student volunteers from her department, including urban and regional planning senior Carlo Chunga. “I’m a part of this because I care about changing the dynamics of this university,” Chunga said. “I like to see this as an engagement tool with students, faculty and staff from different disciplines. I get to see people come up with different ideas to solve a challenge. It is very interesting.” The hackathon has a different theme each year, giving participants different challenges related to it. “Last year [the theme] was ‘Accessibility’ and this year, it is ‘Diversify Space and Place,’” Chunga said. “Students use technology, marketing or whatever else they come up with to solve theme-related challenges.” Participants attempted to solve one of six challenges posed by various offices and organizations over the 24-hour period. “We don’t limit participants to using coding or any other technology-oriented solutions,” said Hannah Kastor, urban and regional planning master’s student. “It’s exciting to see the solutions they come up with, especially some simple ones that involve critical thinking” Each challenge, sponsored by a different university office or organization, is aimed to make campus a more welcoming and inclusive space. This year’s challenge sponsors were the College of Engineering, University Libraries, GLBT Resource Center, Disabilities Services, College of Architecture Diversity Council and the A&M chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens. “These organizations had the freedom to come up with a challenge bound by this year’s theme,” Kastor said. The six challenges were improvements to the Zachry engineering building for students with hearing, visual or physical impairments, wayfinding on campus, finding your place in the Aggie family, Latinx space on campus, creating a more welcoming environment in the libraries and creating an open space for communication.
SEA GRANT CONTINUED for the Environmental Defense Fund, was a Knauss Fellow. He works directly with anglers and with regional and national leaders. A fellow graduate student in his lab was working with NOAA in Washington, D.C. and encouraged him a few years before he finished his master’s to apply to the fellowship. “I never thought I would be interested in policy,” Haukebo said. “Most folks that are going [the] science route either want to be out in the field out collecting data or they want to be doing research or writing papers or teaching classes.” Haukebo said the year the fellowship takes place is comparable to a boot camp in everything related to policy in marine conservation. “It’s almost like getting a master’s on it’s own,” Haukebo said. “It’s a year long crash course in everything from running an organization on the administrative side, how to run a grant process – it’s different for everybody.” Beyond the variety of skills the fellowship can provide, Haukebo said there are many benefits that come from becoming a Knauss fellow. “There’s a few really big things that come out of the fellowship,” Haukebo said. “One is that it takes you from a very academic standpoint in your master’s or Ph.D. to the basic 9 to 5 … You’re working on anything you could find yourself doing at a federal agency. The other huge benefit is growing your network.”
The best solution to each challenge along with the most interdisciplinary solution were awarded a $500 Amazon gift card with other awards like Most Practical, Most Visionary and People’s Choice earning winners $250. Each of the 25 teams were formed before the competition began at around 7 p.m. Friday evening. The teams were allowed up to eight members and were given three minutes of presentation time to display their solutions. “We heard about the event through the ‘Engineers Serving the Community’ group,” said Jaxon Tucker, engineering freshman. “We worked on a device that fits on a pair of spectacles and aids a visually impaired person in navigating the campus through buzzers attached to it.” Many other logical and practical ideas were implemented by the students participating in the event. Ruoran Shi, landscape architecture masters student, said she was in a team of six who created a way for students to easily find a study spot at the libraries, for which they won the Most Interdisciplinary award. “We worked on the ‘AggieSit’ app that shows you seats available in libraries across campus in real time,” Shi said. The Judge’s Choice award was presented to Megan May, engineering freshman, for her out-of-the-box solution to the issue of increased foot-traffic on campus. “I came up with the idea of zip-lines going from one building to another,” May said. “It is a good solution because it is inexpensive, low-maintenance and fun.” Jorge Vanegas, dean of the College of Architecture, took part in the event with an interest in implementing some of the competitor’s projects. “Our colleges embrace diversity in multiple levels,” Vanegas said. “This event has been a great exemplar of what diversity represents and we want to tap into that richness that our campus possesses.” Vanegas said the event exceeded his expectations and gave credit to the organizers. “I have been involved with the event every year and it always addresses an issue of critical importance at a place like A&M,” Vanegas said. “Aggie ingenuity was well represented at the event.” Vanegas said he will share some ideas with University President Michael K. Young to see if any could be practically implemented. “This is in line with one of the strategic imperatives of President Young — transformational learning — students transforming lives through what they have learned,” Vanegas said. “I have committed to personally bring these ingenious ideas in front of President Young.”
Haukebo said there have been fellows from a variety of backgrounds that apply to this fellowship. “Don’t rule yourself out based on the type of degree you are getting, other than the fact that you have to be pursuing a graduate degree,” Haukebo said. Mridula Srinivasan, chief of the protected species science branch in NOAA’s office of science and technology located in Silver Spring, Maryland, was a Knauss fellow in 2009 in the office of NOAA Research – International. “The whole job was to try and establish research collaborations with different countries with a focus on climate science research and oceanographic research,” Srinivasan said. “That was really good because this was almost like taking up a new job or a professional position and I was treated like almost any other staff member of the office.” This experience is what Srinivasan said helped launch her professional career, rather than being a researcher or graduate student. It also helped her build a network in her field, making contacts she can still count on to collaborate with any research she is working on. “In terms of experience, I think it was just wonderful,” Srinivasan said. “It really helped to build my skill set, my knowledge of climate science… but also opening me up to these amazing climate scientists and oceanographers who were working for NOAA but also internationally.” Part of her fellowship included international travel, during which she learned how to initiate and continue
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LAST CALL FOR ORDERS Eligibility Check Deadline: Feb. 12 Order Deadline: Feb. 13 Aggie Ring Day: April 13 & 14, 2018 HOW TO GET YOUR AGGIE RING ON APRIL 13-14, 2017: If you meet the requirements after Fall 2017: 1. Log in to AggieNetwork.com by Feb. 12 to check your Ring eligibility. (You will need to create an account on this website.)
collaboration at an international level with people from different cultures and perspectives. “It really prepares you to be cool, confident, prepared but also be assertive, so that was something that’s really awesome about that experience,” Srinivasan said. “It really helped me understand how NOAA works but also how international agreements, diplomacy and collaberation can happen, so that was pretty neat and different from most fellowships.” Srinivasan recommends that fellows remain clear on what they want to do while in the fellowship and after it is completed, but also work to expand their knowledge and skills. “This one year allows someone to experience something totally different and that’s great,” Srinivasan said. “Do something that you’ve never done before. Build on your skills, diversify, rather than just repeating the same thing over and over again.” Plotkin said this opportunity can open many doors for networking and experience. “People want to work with them, people want to involve them in different things, they get exposed to just so many different aspects of the federal government that it’s kind of like being a kid in a candy shop,” Plotkin said. “You really have so much to choose from and you’re overwhelmed with the choices and opportunities that are there for you. It’s unbelievable.”
• Your records will be reviewed and your eligibility status will be displayed online instantly. 2. If eligible, schedule an appointment online to order your Aggie Ring at the Aggie Ring Office. • Select from available order dates between Feb. 5 - 13. • If you are unable to order in person, submit an order to the Aggie Ring Program prior to the deadline. 3. On your appointment day, visit the Aggie Ring Office to find your Ring size (with official Aggie Ring sizers) and pay for your Ring. • FULL PAYMENT IS DUE AT TIME OF ORDER. • Pricing is available online. • Ring Loans are available to qualified, currently enrolled students at the Short Term Loan Office. Visit AggieNetwork.com/Ring for full details. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT REQUIREMENTS: 1. 90 cumulative completed undergraduate credit hours. 2. 45 undergraduate resident credit hours completed at TAMU. 3. 2.0 cumulative GPR at Texas A&M University. 4. Must not be on academic probation, suspension, dismissal, expulsion, or on honor violation probation from the university. GRADUATE STUDENT REQUIREMENTS: Master’s Thesis Option 1. Defended Thesis Due to ordering deadlines, you may order at the beginning of the semester you will graduate. Your Aggie Ring will be delivered on Aggie Ring Day if you have defended your thesis prior to the deadline set by the Office of Graduate Studies. If you do not defend your thesis prior to this date, your Aggie Ring will be held until the qualification is met. 2. Must not be on academic probation, suspension, dismissal, expulsion, or on honor violation probation from the university. Master’s Non-Thesis Option 1. 75% of coursework completed for degree program at TAMU. 2. Must not be on academic probation, suspension, dismissal, expulsion, or on honor violation probation from the university. Ph.D. Students 1. Accepted as a Ph.D. candidate at TAMU. 2. Must not be on academic probation, suspension, dismissal, expulsion, or on honor violation probation from the university.
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Consequences of Magic Mushrooms Picture the list of drugs you think of when you think of “hard drugs.” Those of you who are entirely unassociated with the drug culture will likely consider the more accepted drugs such as marijuana. Others will likely think of more severe drugs such as heroin, meth, and crack cocaine. The harder drugs are usually known to be severely addicting, have harmful physical effects as well as severe legal penalties if they are found in any amount on your person. However, many people are unaware of the harsh penalties that go along with some other forms of drugs. These drugs are much more prevalent in the college communities, and many of you likely know people who have used them. These drugs are those such as Adderall, Xanax, and Psilocybin (more commonly known as Magic Mushrooms). Possession of any amount of Adderall and Psilocybin is a felony with all the legal trouble that follows suit. Xanax is a felony in amounts greater than 28 grams. I am going to focus on Psilocybin. As stated before, any amount on your possession is considered a felony, but here is the break down of the amounts with the legal punishments. Possession of less than one gram of Psilocybin is a state jail felony. This means you can spend 180 days to 2 years in a state jail facility, and up to $10,000 in fines. Possession of 1-4 grams is a 2nd degree felony which has a punishment of 2-10 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. Possession of 4-400 grams is a 3rd degree felony and can put you in prison a minimum of 2 to possibly up to 20 years in prison with a fine of up to $10,000. If someone is found with over 400 grams of Psilocybin, it is punishable with a minimum 5 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. These punishments are intimidating, but they are more so when you realize the nature of Psilocybin and its consumption. The mushrooms are dried so they weigh very little but it requires a not insignificant amount in order to feel the effects. The first-timers may use just under 2.5 grams. For frequent users it’s about 3.5+. As you can see, that is already getting dangerously close to minimum prison time of 2 years. One very common method of consumption of Psilocybin is brewing a tea with these mushrooms. If someone is found in possession of this tea, the entire weight of the liquid is used to determine your level of possession. To put that in perspective, one cup of water is about 225 grams. One only needs 2 cups of this tea and you are looking at a minimum of 5 years in prison with a very hefty fine. Psilocybin is very difficult to overdose on, needing the amount of about 1.5 times the amount of caffeine in order to become lethal. However, taking Psilocybin is unpredictable. Those who take it may have a spiritual experience that many people claim to have, but others may suffer from a “bad trip” which causes such effects as extreme anxiety, panic attacks or paranoid delusions. In extreme occasions, users have experienced the inability to distinguish reality from hallucinations. Another issue is that it is moderately difficult to tell the difference between magic mushrooms and others that grow in similar climates which may be toxic. If consumed, the user will suffer from extreme stomach pains, vomiting, and diarrhea which could potentially require medical. I hope to educate you on all the possible consequences that can follow if you are thinking about experimenting with any drug. I would know, because I was arrested for possession of mushrooms. It was my first time to purchase anything of this nature. I had heard it could help with depression and give you a new perspective on life. I had obviously not done my research. Had I not been arrested, the outcome could have been more than criminal record, jail time, and fines. It could have ended in the death of me or others. I hope that this has educated you on these drugs that you may have thought are “no big deal”. Making the decision to purchase this drug could change your life in a negative way. I promise, it is not worth it!
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