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.

THE

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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.

Jacob Martindale — THE BATTALION

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

JOSH ROSEN ON PG. 2

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

Leah Kappayil — THE BATTALION

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.