The Battalion: August 31, 2016 by The Battalion

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Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin is 3-1 in season openers with the Aggies.

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New season, new talent By Lawrence Smelser @LawrenceSmelser

guys in the same spot for a solid year will help.” The Aggies will look to get off to another hot start as they face No. 16 UCLA Saturday in graduate-transfer quarterback Trevor Knight’s debut. The 23-year-old signal caller said he’s confident of himself and the team heading into the first game. “I believe in our guys, and I believe in the system,” Knight said. “I believe in the preparation that we’ve put forth so far. This is the best group I’ve ever been around as far as preparation goes and molding ourselves through fall camp. We’ve got a solid group of guys that are going to be out on the field.” Josh Rosen, UCLA’s starting quarterback, will pose a threat to the Aggies after throwing for 23 touchdowns and 3,760 yards as a true freshman in 2015. A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis said it will be tough facing the 19-year-old.

espite Texas A&M’s impressive 14-1 record in the first five games of the last three seasons, the Aggies have tumbled to 9-4, 8-5 and 8-5 records to finish the campaigns. They have struggled mightily in the latter half of the schedule and are 1-4 against ranked opponents at Kyle Field over that span. “We’ve spent a lot of time in the offseason talking about what we’ve done well in previous years and what we haven’t done well,” A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin said during Tuesday’s press conference. “We’re trying to address the struggles in the back half of the season. We need to have a better record at home. Being settled in with the stadium finished and having

FOOTBALL ON PG. 2 Lawrence Smelser— THE BATTALION

OPINION

DANCING WITH THE POLITICIAN

Don’t doubt the power of the 12th Man, Josh Rosen

Former Texas governor, former A&M student Rick Perry to compete on popular ABC show By Hannah Fenske @hannahfenske13

Alex Miller

@AlexMill20

yle Field is revered by many to be one of the toughest venues for opposing teams to play in. With more than 30,000 students standing and screaming throughout the entire game, many Aggies take deep pride in being one of the greatest fan bases in the entire country. When talking about the 12th Man, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit once said on-air during “College GameDay” at the A&M-Oklahoma game in 2006: “This here is the best student section in college football.” But despite Kyle Field’s reverence, some still

Former Texas governor Rick Perry, Class of 1972, will compete on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” this season.

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Rick Perry, Class of 1972, has had many titles in his day — Yell Leader, Texas Governor, two-time Republican presidential candidate hopeful, and now contestant on “Dancing with the Stars.” On Tuesday, “Dancing with the Stars,” a dance competition show that pairs celebrities with professional dancers, released the lineup for their season 23 cast. Other notable members of the star-studded cast are olympians Laurie Hernandez and Ryan Lochte, rapper Vanilla Ice and actor Jake T. Austin of Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place. Chairman for College Republicans David Isenhour, petroleum engineering junior, said although it’s interesting for politicians to compete on the show, it has been done RICK PERRY ON PG. 3

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Teen involved in deadly shooting located, arrested

Home away from home

By Chevall Pryce @ChevallP

International students share struggles, benefits of being from foreign countries By Dani Manley @danimanley18 When Alex Demblon flew to Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston from Zimbabwe for his freshman year at Texas A&M, all he had was $1,000 cash and a bag of clothes. Demblon will graduate in December with a degree in mechanical engineering. During his time at A&M, he became the captain of the Men’s Rugby Club and currently works at the Offshore Research Center. He said his favorite part about college, however, was being able to experience a place that was different from what he was used to. “Obviously having good degrees is one thing, because this is a fantastic university — especially for engineering — so I leave with a world-renowned degree, which is first prize, but I got to spend four years in America, somewhere different,” Demblon said. Demblon’s experience as an international student is not unlike those of other international students. However, making the transition to a new place and a new culture isn’t always easy. Braeden Hood, chemical engineering senior, is an international student from Australia. Hood came to Texas A&M initially as an exchange student, but after his first semester he decided to transfer and finish his degree at A&M. Hood said the hardest part about being an international student was leaving his family behind. “I would definitely recommend Skype or WhatsApp, some type of easy communication with your family so you don’t fall off track, because it’s really, really easy to fall off the grid,” Hood said. “It’s not bad, getting heavily involved in A&M, but your family will still miss you, and INTERNATIONAL ON PG. 4

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Engineering freshman Devin Young, English sophomore Madeline Rodriguez and economics senior Cinthya Saravia entered A&M as a freshman, transfer and international student.

HINDSIGHT IS 2020 Upperclassmen offer advice for freshmen students By Alice Corcoran @AliceJ_Corcoran “Study hard!”, “Have fun!”, “Call your mother!” — these are some of the phrases students entering their first year of college may hear on a regular basis. But some students soon find the first year is more than studying, having fun and keeping in touch with parents. Coming from a small town, Karter Ford, engineering freshman, said he struggled with adjusting to life in College Station. “The one thing I’m having issues with is getting adjusted on such a big campus because I come from a small

town,” Ford said. Technology management freshman Aaron Smith said learning time management skills is one of the things a freshman can struggle with. “There’s so much stuff to do I’m not really ever in my dorm,” Smith said. “There’s so much distraction; time management is hard for me.” Alyssa Winborne, two time Fish Camp counselor and animal science senior, said she believes being a freshman is a time for socializing. “The friends, connections, relationships and networking you gain are a critical foundation for next four years,” Winborne said. “In my first two years I met the people I know will be my friends for life. My friends are my family away FRESHMEN ON PG. 4

A person of interest involved in the Aug. 28 shooting at the University Trails apartment complex has been identified and arrested. The individual is identified as Larry Kent Bonner Jr. and is not a Texas A&M PROVIDED student. According to a news release Larry Kent Bonner Jr. from the College Station Police Department, 18-year-old Bonner was also involved in a robbery earlier that same night at 1300 Harvey Mitchell Parkway, apartment #1311. According to the release from CSPD, Bonner was arrested by Texas Rangers and U.S. Marshalls in McKinney Tuesday evening. The other aggravated robbery Bonner was connected to occurred at approximately 12 a.m. The news release said Bonner then committed another aggravated robbery at 1101 Luther st. apartment #1311, with this incident ending in gunfire. According to the news release, a fight began at University Trails and guns were discharged. The incident left 20-year-old Brysen Rhodes, who arrived with Bonner, and 20-year-old Jack Lopez dead. An unidentified victim was also injured, but was released from the hospital later the same day. Authorities believe Bonner and Brysen Rhodes went to the residence to “rob Jack Lopez and his roommate of narcotics.” Bonner has been charged with four counts of aggravated robbery, totaling up to $800,000 in bond and is facing five to 99 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. Although Bonner is in custody, CSPD is still investigating the crime and urges those with information to contact them at 979-764-3600.

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“You don’t just go out there and do what Josh Rosen does without being a very talented guy,” Chavis said. “He’s got a chance to be a great quarterback. He’s got a strong arm and understands the game. He’ll check at the line to get them into the right play. It’s his talent and football IQ that make him very good. He’s a mature young man for his age.” One of the biggest offensive changes entering 2016 for the Aggies was freshman center Erik McCoy taking the reins from previous center, Mike Matthews, who graduated in May. Sumlin said he is pleased with McCoy and the offensive line’s progress. “We’ve been working on different combinations along the offensive line,” Sumlin said. “We’ve moved Jermaine Eluemunor to tackle. Erik McCoy has gotten a solid grasp of things and has continued to get better. Colton Prater was here early and is doing well. We’ve got a good gauge of where our tackles are because of who they’re going against in camp. I’m not saying they’re tearing the defensive ends up, but seeing them hold up has been a good sign.” In 2015, the Aggies improved under Chavis, ranking tied for third in the nation in total tackles for loss with 111, as well as being ranked 51st in the country in total defense. The area which needed the most bolstering was the run defense where the Aggies allowed 213.7 rush yards per game putting them at 107th in the FBS. “Last year, we had a group of guys that were trying to figure out what to do,” Chavis said. “Now we have older guys that are teaching the younger guys. That’s when you see a team and a defense grow. The one thing we have to do is stop the run. We’ll worry about rushing the passer after that. We will be better at that this year. We’re a much-improved run defense.” Offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, who coached at UCLA from 2012-2015, said initially he had some paranoia facing his former team due to the fact that the Bruins knew his play calls and everything about him, but explained that the Aggies would not be at a disadvantage come gameday. “At the end of the day, plays are plays and schemes are schemes,” Mazzone said. “People have to make plays. We’re not changing what we’re doing because they are familiar with it. I don’t think there’s an advantage to either side. I want those guys at UCLA to have successful careers. I coached them for a few years and recruited some of them. That said, I want to beat them Saturday.”

Defensive coordinator John Chavis helped the Aggie defense gain 111 total tackles for loss in 2015, which was tied for third most in the nation.

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do not buy the hype of the stadium’s toughness, including UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen. In an interview Tuesday morning, Rosen was asked how he felt about the anticipating crowd noise at Kyle Field this weekend. Rosen responded: “After about 50,000 people, it all sounds about the same.” Rosen, who enters his sophomore year with one complete season as the Bruins’ starter under his belt, may not have quite enough experience playing for large crowds to get a taste for what he may be in for on Saturday. For starters, the average road crowd Rosen started in front of last season was just shy of 51,000. Not to mention three of them had less than 46,500 fans in the stands. Yes, Rosen led the Bruins to road wins over ranked conference foes Arizona and Utah last season as a true freshman. He also played in front of 83,000 in a road game against USC, the largest crowd he has played for. But the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where the Trojans play their home football games is a mere 16 miles from the UCLA campus and also sports a fairly quiet crowd. Not to mention the Bruins fell to the Trojans 40-21 in a game Rosen went 19-for-37 in with just one touchdown while throwing two interceptions. UCLA may also have averaged 66,858 fans per home game in 2015, but that average only fills 72 percent of the entire Rose Bowl,

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which holds 92,542 people. The largest home game Rosen started in was against Arizona State with 80,113 people in attendance — only 87 percent filled capacity. The Bruins also lost that game 38-23, as Rosen went 22of-40 for 280 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while logging -17 rushing yards in their friendly confines. Kyle Field, however, holds more than twice of what Rosen has seen on average in any stadium. Since Kyle Field was expanded to hold over 100,000 people, all 13 home games played since then have exceeded 100,922 people, which is over 20,000 more people than Rosen has ever played in front of. Furthermore, UCLA also returned an undisclosed amount of their allotted tickets to A&M, meaning there will be even fewer Bruins and more Aggies in the bleachers Saturday afternoon. When Rosen steps onto Kyle Field for the first drive, he may be in for a surprise — the pulse of the 12th Man. And with his track record of poor performances in front of large crowds added to an A&M defense out to prove they are contenders, it may be a rough day for the number three in white and gold. With UCLA picked to win the PAC-12 South Division and entering the game ranked 16th in the preseason AP Poll, a win over the Bruins for A&M this Saturday would be the biggest home win in six years. My request for the 12th Man: Show Rosen what Kyle Field is really about — not a stadium or fan base to be taken lightly.

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RESTAURANT BRINGS FARM-TO-TABLE TO B-CS First Watch works to provide healthier food By Michelle Milstead @mmilsteadd

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First Watch, a farm-to-table-style restaurant that opened in June, focuses on bringing more fresh food options to Bryan-College Station.

RICK PERRY CONTINUED before. Former representative Tom DeLay of Texas competed on the show in 2009. Isenhour said Perry plans on using his time on “Dancing With the Stars” to be an advocate for veterans. “[Perry] sent out a tweet [saying] that the primary reason he’s doing it is to help raise awareness of our nation’s veterans and to raise awareness of the issues of veteran affairs,” Isenhour said. Lucas Fernandez, chemical engineering junior and president

First Watch made its grand opening in College Station in June, with the goal of getting Aggies and local residents thinking about where their food is coming from. Located on Texas Ave. near Cafe Eccell, First Watch is a farm-to-table breakfast and lunch restaurant complete with modern — yet western — interior decorations and a wide variety of menu options like Belgian waffles, fresh juices and veggie burgers. First Watch has its roots in the sunny states of California and Florida. Scott Fraley, general manager of First Watch College Station, said the reason they opened a location in Bryan-College Station was because there weren’t many “fresh” restaurants in the area like it. “As far as healthy breakfast or healthy lunch, you really don’t have that [in Bryan-College Station] at all,” Fraley said. “I mean the only breakfast places you have here are IHOP and the Kettle and that’s pretty much it, so we look

of Texas Aggie Democrats, said while he’s doubtful that Perry would be able to compete against his athletic and young competitors, he is much more interested in Perry’s recent backing of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s construction of a wall between the United States and Mexico. “I just really wouldn’t picture Rick Perry doing the Salsa or the Samba. Maybe the Texas Two-Step,” Fernandez said. “I just never thought of Rick Perry as a dancer. I think he wants to continue staying in the international picture because he ran

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for cities that don’t have any of those,” Fraley said. Tori Parsons, First Watch server and nutrition senior, said she was drawn to working at First Watch because the company values adhered to what she is passionate about. “I definitely think they’re moving towards what the rest of America is moving towards with fresh food items and caring more about where your food comes from, sourcing locally and that sort of thing,” Parsons said. “I want to be a registered dietitian and so the sourcing locally and the fresh foods and the healthy options are all a part of my core values, too.” Although Parsons said she’s happy about the opening of her new favorite restaurant and place to hang out — even when she’s off the clock — she wishes there were more in the community like it. “There’s just not enough restaurants where I trust where the food is coming from, like I want more fresh food sort of places,” Parsons said. Petroleum engineering junior Alexandrea Gschwind said she doesn’t think there are enough restaurant choices that are honest about where they get their ingredients to know exactly what she’s

putting in her body. “I feel like finding where I want to eat is really difficult in this town so I just end up going to the grocery store and buying my own stuff because a lot of the options are unhealthy or just gross,” Gschwind said. Parsons said she believes making fresh food isn’t only important for the health of the customers and the taste, but because it reaps local economic benefits as well. “Since we are farm-totable, we source locally,” Parsons said. “So the more farm-to-table restaurants we have, the more our local farmers are going to get that business.” Along with helping the local economy, Fraley said he wanted to see the restaurant directly involved with residents to bring the business back to the wholesomeness of an earlier time. “We want to be a part of the community. The whole goal was to be College Station and Bryan’s ‘breakfast place,’” Fraley said. “We wanted the regulars; we didn’t want just the ‘Hey, Jim comes in to eat every now and then.’ We wanted ‘Jim comes in to eat every morning. I know what Jim does and I know he has grandkids and I know he has four daughters and I know his wife’s a nurse.’ Things like that.”

for president in 2016 and bowed out early on. I really think it’s about keeping his image fresh in the voters’ minds. I don’t think ‘Dancing With the Stars’ will really help him in terms of politics.” Perry will be dancing alongside professional partner Emma Slater. Season 23 of “Dancing with the Stars” will premiere at 7 p.m. Sept. 12 on ABC.

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FROM ONE CAMPUS TO ANOTHER Transfer students, counselors talk challenges of changing colleges By Ana Sevilla @anavsevilla

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“Be vulnerable. You can’t just tip-toe into the water of A&M … I feel like you have to jump head-first into it. Go to everything you can — go to football games, go to Midnight Yells, be immersed in the cultures and the traditions. Fall in love with A&M.” Liz Duggan, sociology senior and executive director of T-Camp

FRESHMEN CONTINUED from family … Have confidence in yourself and in your abilities to go out of your comfort zone and try new things.” Winborne said she also believes college is more than test grades and statistics. “It’s important to make sure you take care of your academic career, but there’s way more to college than that,” Winborne said. “My experiences have developed me into a better person. I’ve learned to love community service and that’s become a part of me.”

Samantha Janes, English junior, said in her experience, having the confidence to meet new people is key to finding a place on campus. “Don’t be afraid of people,” Janes said. “Just talk to them in class and they can turn into great friends. Also, walk your schedule before class.” Others believe joining organizations can be beneficial in many ways, but Gena Markantonis, chemical engineering junior and member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), said it’s important that freshmen don’t spread themselves too thin.

In 2011, 16-year-old Valeria May and her family moved from Tijuana, Mexico to College Station. May said learning a new way of life was difficult because of language and cultural barriers, but she eventually settled in Aggieland. May decided to attend Blinn and then transfer to A&M so she could save money and stay close to her family. After working her way to the university in the fall of 2015, May, an art and communications senior, said she began to experience difficulties with the transition. “The hardest part [about transitioning was learning that the college] doesn’t have the program that I actually want. The art program is very limited, and I had to adjust my wants and needs,” May said. “Another thing that slowed me down was the language barrier. To this day, it’s still difficult to understand what teachers with accents are saying.” While May struggled to adjust her degree plan, it’s not atypical for an average transfer student. Brianna Doucet, senior academic advisor for the Department of Performance Studies and Department of English, said that this is a common problem for transfers. “[One of the most common problems transfer students face is] creating a degree plan that may have differed from where they were. Having to translate and transition from where they were to where they are now and any differences there might be is a challenge,” Doucet said. English sophomore Madeline Rodriguez said the most difficult part of her transition as a transfer student has been adjusting to the size of campus and rigor of the courses. “I haven’t had to adjust much because [T-Camp] helped me so much, but the main

adjustment is the amount of people compared to [Blinn],” Rodriguez said. “I’m probably most concerned that I’m not 100 percent prepared for the new level of difficulty within classes.” According to College Portrait, Texas A&M received 6,340 transfer applicants for the fall of 2015 alone. Transfer Camp, or T-Camp, serves as a transitional period for many incoming transfers to learn about Aggie culture with the opportunity to build new friendships. T-Camp co-chair and education senior Lindsey Uresti came in as a transfer student in spring of 2015. “[As a transfer student] you feel sometimes that you aren’t an Aggie like everyone else because you didn’t necessarily start as a freshman,” Uresti said. “I think going to camp made me realize that wasn’t true — we’re all Aggies and it doesn’t matter when you come in or when you leave. Transfer students could potentially struggle with finding their place and having an actual community to back them up.” Uresti said she mostly stayed in her dorm and didn’t enjoy her college experience until she transferred to A&M and became involved with Aggie Transition Camps, or ATC. Doucet said getting involved is a good way to connect with new surroundings. “Students who are engaged in campus tend to become more engaged in classes, and in turn do better,” Doucet said. “As an advisor the goal is always to make the students feel at home and welcomed at A&M, but also helping [to] put into perspective what they’re getting into in college and what they have in front of them.” Liz Duggan, sociology senior and executive director of T-Camp, said remaining open to experience is the first step to success. “Be vulnerable. You can’t just tip-toe into the water of A&M … I feel like you have to jump head-first into it,” Duggan said. “Go to everything you can — go to football games, go to Midnight Yells, be immersed in the cultures and the traditions. Fall in love with A&M.”

“I joined way too many my freshman year; it was just overwhelming,” Markantonis said. Jeff Seale, Class of 1995 and four-time Fish Camp counselor, said he loved his time at Texas A&M so much that he made the decision to stay on campus another year. “Be a fish. You think it’s all about being an upperclassman, but really everything at this university is about you. Everything is for you. Don’t rush trying to be older,” Seale said. “You are who you surround yourself with, so surround yourself with happy people.” Rachel Grant — THE BATTALION

INTERNATIONAL CONTINUED and your friends as well.” Hood said college in Australia is very different from college in America. “I guess the strangest part would be how in to football people were,” Hood said. “I knew that people loved football, but you’d see people that were normal and nice and then it would come to a football game and they’d turn into demonic monsters. That is a thing to look out for, is how much Texans and Aggies love football.” International students have many experiences that are different from domestic students, but Demblon said a major one is the amount of paperwork that must be filled out in order for them to stay in school. “You’ve never had to file taxes this complicated in your life,“ Demblon

said. “The deadlines and such are so strict. International Student Services do hold workshops and such but it doesn’t make it any more enjoyable.” Ross Navarro is an international student from Trinidad and Tobag. Navarro has family in Austin and an uncle who graduated from A&M in 1995, which led him to apply to school in Texas. Navarro said being an international student is a great conversation starter. “University students are naturally curious and they want to know about where you came from,” Navarro said. “Most of them will have crazy stereotypes that they’ll ask you about, like, ‘Do you guys live in trees?’ And they’ll sound kind of ignorant but it’s really funny to hear what people think and to share what you know about your home, and I love mine so to be able to tell people about the culture and how we celebrate and what we celebrate is really cool.”

Rachel Grant — THE BATTALION

STAFFPICKS

“I got involved with The Batt early — like, Gig ‘Em Week early — and haven’t regretted it for a second. If there’s an organization or an interest you have, do your research and figure out what A&M has to offer. Odds are pretty strong it’ll have at least something pretty close to your interests.” Sam King, editor-in-chief

What is your advice for incoming freshmen?

“If I had focused on studying and going to class more as a freshman, I might still be an engineering major.” Katy Stapp, managing editor

“I wish I had transferred earlier. If you burst out of your bubble and try not to be a stranger Aggieland can be amazing if you try to start anew. I feel like I met my best friends here. Don’t forget your old buddies, though!” Chevall Pryce, news editor

“Do everything you can to convince your parents to let you have a car in college. Also, don’t skip class. The one time you skip will be the one time your prof will give out a test answer.” Lawrence Smelser, assistant sports editor