The Battalion: January 23, 2017

MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2017 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2017 STUDENT MEDIA | @THEBATTONLINE

INAUGURATION

BATT THE

Dozens of women and men from A&M and the community marched Saturday as part of a national protest.

THE BATTALION | THEBATT.COM

PHOTOS VIA CREATIVE COMMONS Hanna Hausman — THE BATTALION

Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States Friday.

Aggies join in on nation-wide protest Experts, Republican Women’s March advocates for women’s rights in light of election

By Josh McCormack @_joshmccormack

P

olitical science junior Maddison Ellis stood at the concrete edge of Rudder fountain, megaphone inhand, and began chanting, “Women’s rights are human rights.”

In turn, a crowd made up of approximately 50 people followed Ellis, marking the beginning of a march around A&M’s cam-

pus Saturday in support of feminism, one of hundreds of marches around the country mirroring the larger Women’s March that took place in Washington D.C. “This is honestly the first time I’ve marched for anything,” said associate professor Lisa Baumgartner. “I do not want to see a repeal of the progress we’ve made the last 50 years of my lifetime.”

The end of a heated election cycle, a widely divided national discussion of social rights and the inauguration of President Donald Trump were all reasons which lent themselves to protest, Baumgartner said.

“This happened organically,” protest or-

ganizer Ellis said. “My professor was in class telling us about the demonstrations and how there wasn’t one here and that’s how it started. I put my name up and put things on Facebook and people started following.”

During the march, passersby were seen shouting dissenting views, some comments in support of Trump. Philosophy junior Everett Nelson said the problem he saw with the protest did not lie with the act of protesting, but rather with the march’s disorganization.

“My personal take on it is if they’re going to support something, they need to make WOMEN’S MARCH ON PG. 2

OPEN HOUSE

BASKETBALL

Morgan Engel — THE BATTALION

Freshman Robert Williams had 18 points, 12 assists in 27 minutes of play against Georgia.

A&M secures 63-62 win over Georgia after game clock mishap

By Kevin Roark @Kevin_Roark In a controversial ending, A&M emerged barely victorious in a tightly wound SEC matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday.

The Aggies (10-8, 2-5 SEC) were suffocated by the Bulldogs (12-7, 4-3 SEC) with full-court pressure and trailed for the majority of the game, but after halftime, A&M was able to counter the pressure and earned its second conference win of the season by just one point and a clock mishap.

With mere seconds winding down in the game, freshman Robert Williams, who collected his fourth career double-double, and extended his blocking streak to 18 games, hit two free throws and a layup to push the Aggies into a one-point lead. An official’s belt pack issue caused an unplanned clock stoppage and the clock never hit zero. After a seemingly endless discussion between officials, they determined time had run out for the Bulldogs and the Aggies took the win.

“I really believe [the officials] made the right decision,” head coach Billy Kennedy said. “I hate it for Georgia but the last five minutes we deserved the win. I know the first 20 we didn’t. We’re real fortunate. Being at home, our crowd was great and they supported us through it. Hopefully the win will get us to play better.”

Before the unexpected victory, the Aggies never had a lead in the first half. Sophomore Tyler Davis may have finally met his match with like-numbered 6-foot-8 Bulldog Derek Ogbeide. Georgia really packed the paint with BASKETBALL ON PG. 4

Yuri Suchil — THE BATTALION

SPRING 2017 OPEN HOUSE Hundreds of Aggies crowded the MSC hallways and ballrooms Sunday as more than 340 organizations participated in the recruiting opportunity.

Aggies weigh in on transfer of power

By Meredith McCown and Emmy Bost @meredithrhoads & @EmmyBost

Millions of Americans watched Friday’s inauguration as Donald Trump officially became the 45th president of the United States.

Several A&M organizations, such as TAMU College Republicans and Aggies for Trump, hosted watch parties and other events in honor of the historic day.

David Isenhour, chairman of TAMU College Republicans, said he was grateful for the peaceful transition of power that took place Friday.

“It was a great day for both sides of our political spectrum. Even though the Democrats didn’t see their way this time around, it truly is a testament to the miracle that is the United States of America,” Isenhour said. “People transitioning in power is something that is so common to the United States, yet so uncommon to the course of human history.”

Zach Russell, president of Aggies for Trump and international studies sophomore, said he was pleased both by the inauguration itself and the work supporters did to get Trump to that position.

“I’m happy that he was able to be inaugurated and that something that we all wanted to happen and had worked for actually did happen,” Russell said. “I thought that the speech he gave was wonderful about putting the people of the United States before anything else.”

While Russell wishes the group could have done more for the election, he is content with the outcome as well as the fact that more people had the opportunity to be included in politics this semester.

“I wish that we could have done a little bit more, but overall, I’ve been happy with what we were able to do,” Russell. “We got out on campus, answered questions that people had, and we were able to get people registered to vote and just more involved in the political process.”

After listening to parts of Trump’s speech, Isenhour said Trump will continue to be an atypical president, just as he was an atypical candidate.

“I think it was characteristically what we would expect from Trump, and that it highlighted that he is here in the White House to bring definite change to the way the old government is done,” Isenhour said. “It shows that truly this president has no intention of keeping INAUGURATION ON PG. 2

Former Astronaut to join TAMUG staff Colonel Michael Fossum, class of 1980, to begin term in March

By Eraj Mohiuddin @5678eraj Texas A&M Galveston will welcome former astronaut Colonel Michael E. Fossum to its staff at the beginning of March.

Fossum, A&M Class of 1980, served in the U.S. Air Force and worked with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration since 1993. He received the opportunity to travel to space in 1998. He will serve as vice president, a chief operating officer as well as an executive professor.

“I’m going in completely open. I commit to doing my best, to listen and to work hard,” Fossum said. “It will be a collaboration because I am a democratic type of leader. We will work together to make decisions. I want to get around the table. I want people to be free to express their ideas ASTRONAUT ON PG. 3

COURTESY

Former astronaut and Class of 1980 Colonel Michael E. Fossum’s first day at Texas A&M Galveston will be March 1.

INAUGURATIONDAY

2

The Battalion | 1.23.17

Traveling down Houston St. on campus, the leaders of the Texas A&M Women’s March chant for women’s equality.

Hanna Hausman — THE BATTALION

WOMEN’S MARCH CONTINUED to support something, they need to make it more obvious,” Nelson said. “The signs were like, ‘We want rights,’ but who are you marching for? Do they relate to the student body as a group? The most effective day [to protest] would be on a day when classes are actually happening, not on Saturday when no one is here.”

Juniors Anna Dean, anthropology, and Chris Holt, biochemistry, marched because the message hit home for them.

“I’ve always been a pretty staunch advocate for various women’s rights and minority rights,” Holt said. “I’ve started to notice various transgressions through the years, and I feel like one of the best ways we as students on such a world renowned campus can do to fight back against it, is to protest.”

Dean, who has dealt with these issues firsthand, said she thinks protesting is one of the best ways to be active in the political discussion.

“I’m a survivor so obviously women’s rights are very near and dear to my heart,” Dean said. “I think it’s important as an informed citizen to make your voice heard and one of the best ways you can do that — almost an obligation — is protesting

INAUGURATION CONTINUED Communication professor Randy Kluver said the president’s speech was not what he expected.

“It was disappointing to me. I thought that President Trump would … try to achieve much more of a unifying tone,” Kluver said. “He took a different tack in a way that sort of surprised me; he drew a stark division between the governed and the governors, and I thought that was probably unfair. It wasn’t a ‘left and right’ division that he made as much as it was an ‘us the people versus them, the elites.’”

Kluver said many people hope to see success through Trump’s actions.

“I think that there are two things that Donald Trump talks about that are very appealing to people,” Kluver said.

“Number one is reclaiming opportunity for the upper and middle classes, and I

and demonstrating and making sure that the collective that believes in your rights is being recognized for what it stands for.”

While the broad stroke idea behind the march lied in the national discussion, Baumgartner said the issue is prevalent at A&M, noting that female educators are held to higher standards than their male counterparts. “[Women educators] have to be nicer to students,” Baumgartner said. “We also get lower evaluations, no matter what we do, just because we’re women. I have female and male students ask about my qualifications, everywhere I’ve taught, and I’ve taught at three institutions.”

Despite the protest’s message focusing on social change, TAMU library staff member and Class of 1983 Cathie McQuistion said A&M has come a long way and hope remains for the future.

“There were women trying to get in the band [when I was here] and the general student population didn’t want that and it was tradition, which is a wonderful thing, but sometimes can be a stumbling block to us moving forward,” McQuistion said. “The fact that [Ellis] could gather so many people to support such a positive message that women’s rights are human rights ... and that we can all work together on that is really cool.”

think everybody hopes he’s successful in that. The second thing that I think is interesting and I think a lot of people agree with him on is the emphasis on rebuilding the infrastructure.”

Kluver said he doesn’t think Trump is attempting to bridge the gap under one nation between his supporters and those who didn’t support him during election season.

“He’s got that core level of support, but it’s really critical for him to bring in the rest of the nation as well,” Kluver said. “So the 50 percent of people who did not vote for him, he is not doing anything to make them comfortable.

He’s not doing anything to bridge the divide with them that has not been introduced …That’s got to be an area he that turns his attention to.”

Kirby Goidel, communication professor and fellow at the Public Policy Research Institute, read the speech online and commented on the negative rhetoric

he noticed throughout the speech.

“Trump is a different kind of communicator than what we’re used to in politics. It was a very popular speech,” Goidel said. “It was very much about the people versus the power structure in Washington and very much identified sort of Washington as the enemy … That’s consistent with his theme throughout the election, that it’s time for the people against the power.”

Goidel said because Trump isn’t a “cookie cutter” defined by either political party, it could help him to appeal to a wider political spectrum.

“He’s not a clear, conservative Republican the way most Republicans are, and he’s certainly not a liberal Democrat,” Goidel said. “So potentially, he could position himself as sort of the person in between the parties, and occupying that ground could help him to govern in a way that would get some things done that might not otherwise have.”

LET’S BE FRIENDS THEBATTONLINE

THEBATT.COM

@THEBATTONLINE

THE BATTALION

THE

BATT SPORTS PRESENTS

PODCAST COURTSIDE CONVO WILL TAKE LISTENERS THROUGH AGGIE MEN’S BASKETBALL’S 2016-2017 SEASON.

ON SOUNDCLOUD AND ITUNES

NEWS

3

The Battalion | 1.23.17

PROVIDED

Colonel Michael Fossum said he is excited to join Texas A&M Galveston’s staff.

ASTRONAUT CONTINUED

Madeline Sambrano — THE BATTALION

Students may choose to use the ellipticals at the newly renovated Rec to stay in shape throughout the school year.

Local experts talk healthy eating habits Dietitians, CrossFit instructors say moderation is key for health goals

By Shelby Adamson @shelbypaige13 Implementing healthy habits in the new year that have lasting results starts with taking a relaxed mental approach that allows for mistakes, focusing on simplicity, say some local health experts.

Many resolve to get fit or eat better in the new year but find it difficult to reach these goals and maintain them for more than a couple of weeks. Jonathan Ortiz, level one CrossFit instructor with Sawed Off CrossFit and A&M allied health student, said he often sees people over-complicate the process.

“You just got to start, plain and simple,” Ortiz said. “If you’re worried about how you look working out, you want to reflect on why you’re working out in the first place.

You’ve got to find your purpose.”

The same idea relates to dietary habits, both physical activity and nutrition require complete effort for success according to Ortiz. Some might get discouraged if they falter

FOR RENT

from their good eating habits mere weeks into the change, and their negative mindset causes them to quit entirely.

“There is definitely a lot of fluctuation allowed in dieting and if you have a bad day, or even a bad weekend or even a bad week,” said Victoria Shillings, product development coordinator for Functional Foods and Class of 2015. “It’s not like a means to stop or, you know, give up and start binge drinking or binge eating or whatever you do that’s your vice.”

With a degree in both nutrition and food science through Texas A&M University, Shillings said she is able to compare two different perspectives on food intake. She said there is no need to completely cut out any one type of food in relation to dieting. Moderation is a way to keep track of the foods that you are eating and how much you are eating.

“Kind of get involved in your cooking or take an interest in it, because then it becomes more fun and it becomes a lot easier, and you know exactly what you are eating,” Shillings said.

Meghan Windham, Texas A&M University’s registered dietitian spends her work

FOR RENT

HELP WANTED

day helping students get involved in the improvement of their diet. She, along with Student Health Services, offers a Grocery Store Tour four times a month for three months throughout the semester. These tours are designed to help students know what to look for when they are shopping on their own.

“We talk through different sections of the store and see what too look for, and this is a great hands on activity for them and any student to understand,” Windham said.

“Sometimes we think we know what is healthy to buy, but it’s often more challenging when you get into the store and there’s five different choices of breads or 10 different choices of peanut butter to buy.”

Ortiz said becoming fit is just as mental as it is physical and learning that is a way to ensure long term success.

“I feel like you learn a lot about yourself as a person [long-term].” Ortiz said. “Again, in my realm of CrossFit, you know, how I workout, there is going to come time that it sucks and you don’t want to be there and it’s hard. So are you going to dig in and realize ‘Oh, there was an extra gear there for me to use and it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was.”

HELP WANTED

without rank, and find the best path forward.”

Fossum said some of his goals are increasing communication between the Galveston and College Station campuses, raising awareness of the work and opportunities available on the Galveston campus and building close ties with the maritime industries. He also wants to raise awareness in Austin and Washington, D.C. of the Corps training done on the Galveston campus as one of six maritime academies in the United States.

“To understand our fisheries, coastlines floodings, all of those things, it struck me that all of these things are making a big difference to the state of Texas and the country,” Fossum said. “I want to be part of an organization that is making a big difference.”

Fossum hopes to achieve his goals and give back to his old school by using his previous experiences from the military and NASA to offer a new perspective.

“The leadership and opportunities of growth in military and NASA are similar of what is needed,” Fossum said. “I want to bring those skills here with a different point of view and perhaps with some new perspective.”

With the experiences and perspective of serving his old school, Fossum expressed his excitement about the new opportunity.

“My life was changed by my time at A&M,” Fossum said. “I showed up as a student without much idea what college would be like. My eyes were opened up to huge opportunities. The world is tough and you have to build a resilience and an attitude of working hard, and I got that through my experience as TAMU. I’ve been blessed. I worked hard, but I am blessed to get to do things, like being able to serve the university that I love. To help young people and prepare for them to achieve their goal and dreams is huge.”

HELP WANTED

MUSIC

REAL ESTATE HELP WANTED

SPORTS

4

The Battalion | 1.23.17

Men’s Swimming and Diving outscored LSU on Senior Day 173-127.

COURTESY

MEN’S, WOMEN’S SWIMMING EARN SENIOR DAY VICTORIES

By Matt Koper @MattKoper In the last home meet of the season, the Texas A&M swimming and diving team took on LSU, capturing wins for both the men’s and women’s teams on Senior Day at the Student Rec Natarioum.

The men’s team returned to College Station after taking second place in the Orange Bowl Classic in Florida with a 173-127 win over LSU, with good performances from their upperclassmen.

The Aggies kicked off the meet against the Tigers with the 200-meter medley which included juniors Brock Bonetti and Mauro Castillo Luna and seniors Turker Ayar and Cory Bolleter taking first place with 1:27:27.

The Aggies finished in the top four spots in the 50-meter freestyle with Bolleter taking first with 19.88 at the halfway point of the meet. Following his win in the 50-meter freestyle, Bolleter closed the meet out with a time of 18.94 a win as the anchor in the 200 freestyle relay.

“He had good starts today, I thought both of them were really good starts,” head coach Jay Holmes said of Bolleter’s performance. “Him going 18.9 at this time of the year — there’s not too many people around the country that are doing that. They’re just not.”

Sophomore diver Sam Thornton earned a victory on the 3-meter dive with a score of 372.98 with his teammate junior Tyler Henschel winning the 1-meter dive at 382.50 After a sweep of SMU Friday night at home, the No. 7 ranked women’s team defeated LSU 193-103. The women led off their meet with a win in the 200 medley relay with the team of

juniors Beryl Gastaldello, Jorie Caneta and Kristin Malone and senior Sarah Gibson in 1:39:82.

A former long-distance swimmer, Gibson helped her team win with victories in both of her individual events — the 200-meter butterfly and the 100-meter butterfly in 1:58:37 and 54:15, respectively. Sycerika McMahon was another senior who won her event in the 500-meter freestyle, clocking in at 4:50:17.

Gibson said it hasn’t quite set in that her swimming career at A&M is almost over, but she’s thankful for what her coaches head coach Steve Bultman and associate head coach Tanica Jamison have taught her.

“I think it’s really just starting to hit me that this is the last time that I will get to represent this amazing team and this amazing school in this pool,” Gibson said. “It’s been so special to me and I think I’ve come such a long way and really do owe that to Steve and Tanica and the rest of the staff.”

Bultman said he was not only proud of Gibson, but the seniors as a whole for what they’ve accomplished during their time at A&M. “They’ve definitely contributed — four of the five swimmers have been numerous times to NCAA’s,” Bultman said. “And a number of them are scorers and at least two of them are top eight scorers. So, They’ve definitely contributed to our success.”

On the diving board, senior Madison Hudkins won the one-meter dive with a score of 303.98 and took second place in the 3-meter dive at 317.33.

The men’s team will travel to take on SMU Jan. 27, while the women’s team will return to the pool Feb. 14 to 18 for the SEC Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Morgan Engel — THE BATTALION

Sophomore Tyler Davis averages 24 points per game in 18 games this season.

BASKETBALL CONTINUED Ogbeide and company to make sure Davis didn’t get a clear look at the basket.

Despite Davis’ rebounding efforts he struggled offensively and didn’t find the net until 6 minutes into the second half. He emerged with 8 points and rebounds.

“We were missing a lot of easy buckets we should’ve made and they were capitalizing,” said sophomore DJ Hogg. “We know what we’re capable of. We just have to focus and play hard. Really we just kept believing that even though we were down we could come back. We kept believing and playing hard and the ball bounced our way.”

The teams hit the locker rooms at halftime with the Aggies just hanging in 3929. It was obvious A&M

had to get Davis open or hit some outside shots before the game got out of hand. Both teams went into halftime almost statistically identical. The only outlier was the Aggies’ detrimental 37.0 field goal percentage.

“At half time I got pretty upset and I made everybody leave the locker room,” said A&M head coach Billy Kennedy. “I was trying to be as patient and positive as I could but at half time I had seen enough. Missing free throws and not finishing baskets was hard to watch. I said, ‘You guys figure it out. It’s time for you to go up and each guy take ownership.’”

The beginning of the second half brought nothing new to the floor and was nearly a mirror image of the first. The Aggies continued to shoot poorly while failing to limit fouls and turnovers. It wasn’t until a 7-0 run put the Ag-

gies within striking distance with less than 10 minutes left of play. A&M’s full court press forced a couple Bulldog turnovers and left just a minute on the board.

“They kept putting it in the corner where we trapped so we were able to force a couple turnovers,” Hogg said. “They didn’t handle the pressure very well and pretty much gave it to us. We were able to capitalize on the turnovers and put us right where we needed to be.”

Georgia head coach Mark Fox explained the discussion he and Kennedy had with the officials. He said his players were not at fault for the loss.

“I can’t blame my team for that,” Fox said. “They thought they had time to make a play.”

The Aggies return to action in Oxford on Wednesday as they take on the Ole Miss Rebels. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m.

rice master oF accoUntinG

Go From bachelor’s to master’s in 10 months!

Learn how a MAcc from Rice can complement your major.

business.rice.edu/RiceMAcc