The Battalion: May 1, 2017 by The Battalion

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David’s Law passed in the Senate Committee on State Affairs April 20.

Senate Bill 179 passes in State Affairs Committee ‘David’s Law’ seeks to criminalize cyberbullying, require schools to have cyberbullying policy By Meredith McCown @meredithrhoads Successfully accomplishing the first step in the legislative process, Senate Bill 179, known as David’s Law, passed in the Senate Committee on State Affairs and will strive to end cyberbullying abuse in younger generations. The bill was named after 16-year-old David Molak, an Alamo Heights resident who took his own life in January 2016. Its goal is to help prevent cyberbullying with minors and simplify the unmasking of anonymous usernames. While the bill has been making its way through the legal process, it must pass in the House and the Senate before moving to a full vote. The bill would require schools to have a cyberbullying policy, give students the opportunity to report cyberbullying anonymously, allow schools to investigate bullying off campus and other stipulations. David’s two older brothers, economics senior Chris Molak and Cliff Molak, medical student at the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, are patiently waiting as the bill is now en route to the Senate to be voted on at a later date. Chris said the bill has been given immense support by the team working to pass it. “It’s been a long year. There’s a lot of working pieces, but luckily we’ve got a good team of lawyers and lobbyists that work pretty hard and do a pretty fine job behind the scenes,” Chris said. “The team that we have is really ultimately responsible for getting us to where we’re at now.” According to Chris, if passed, David’s Law will make it logistically easier to uncover cyberbullying that goes on behind the scenes. “As far as I know currently … it prohibits cyber abuse to minors for one,” Chris said. “And two, there’s an unmasking portion of it, where anonymous usernames can be revealed without having to go through a really expensive legal process.” In terms of cyber abuse, Chris said it is much more than a screen for the victims. “I hope for one, it shows those who have been affected negatively by cyber abuse and harassment, let them know that this kind of thing shouldn’t be tolerated,” Chris said. “Also, I hope it mainly serves as a deterrent for parents to get involved with their kid’s lives, and actually feel like there could be some repercussions if their children misbehave, in the ways that we couldn’t pursue legally the first time around, so we’re trying to just create a precedent for families to go through.” Initially David’s Law received about $80,000 in donations, and within the last year and half the number increased to more than $250,000. “It’s been a lot of relying on helpful connections,” Chris said. “And we’ve got awesome financial support that started off with that GoFundMe.” Chris said the change will ultimately be enacted by his generation, and he gave a call to action. “We’re in the crunch time as we speak,” Chris said. “So constantly just talking to people around you, and contacting your state legislators, let them know how you feel about everything that’s happening, and how you perceive the digital world we live in, I think would make an enormous help … from where we were a year and a half ago to where we are now is like light years away.” Senator Jose Menendez is leading the fight to get the bill passed, and said he was thankful for the work that’s been done so far. “Yesterday was an important day for Texas students and victims of cyberbullying,” Menendez said. “Members of the State Affairs Committee made a thoughtful decision after hearing emotional testimony from families who lost a child. I want to thank the senators of that committee for helping us advance this cause.”

Jenny Hollowell — THE BATTALION

This weekend, 189 student engineering projects were judged by industry profssionals during the 2017 Engineering Project Showcase.

Engineering on display Engineering project showcase presents students’ design projects to industry professionals By Josh Hopkins @texasjoshua1

full semester’s worth of students’ engineering work and the accumulation of a lifetime of knowledge and education was on display this weekend for industry professionals to judge and admire. More than 1,000 students working on 189 different projects took part in the 2017 Engineering Project Showcase Friday. The various teams presented work from engineering capstone projects, design competitions and even the top freshman Engineering 112 projects.

Three of the top teams walked away with $1,000 and an additional 12 $500 awards were given to the top projects for various departments. Among the leaders this year was a project emphasizing rescuing turtles and a project focusing on CPU cooling. The event’s fifth year was the biggest yet, according to Magda Lagoudas, executive director for Industry Partners and organizer of the event. “This is the first time we are showing the work of over 1,000 students — this hasn’t happened before,” Lagoudas said. “This is the first time we actually have 100 industry judges — we’ve had a couple hundred industry people but we’ve never had 100 judges from industry. It’s amazing to talk to them

and hear what they have to say.” Jane Prugakova, software engineer and industry judge, said she was impressed with the diversity of projects and the tight timeline many of the students faced. “I get to see the next generation of science make their wave and I get to see how smart these people are,” Prugakova said. “Most of what I’ve seen is software technology in some state or form and A&M is really creating a great new generation of software engineers — it’s awesome.” One of the presentations Prugakova judged was Ignis, a customizable firefighting simulator developed over the course of the semester as part of a capstone project. Forrest ENGINEERING ON PG. 2

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In the Aggies’ 11-1 win over Missouri in the first game of the weekend series, Brigham Hill pitched seven shutout innings.

AGGIES OUTSCORE MIZZOU 25-4 IN DOMINANT 3-GAME SERIES SWEEP A&M cruises to fifth-straight series win behind offensive outbursts By Heath Clary @Heath_Clary No. 19 Texas A&M capped off its fifthstraight SEC series win Sunday, beating Missouri 7-0 to complete a three-game sweep. The Aggies (32-13, 13-8 SEC) cruised to an easy 11-1 win in the series opener on Friday behind seven shutout innings from Brigham Hill. They jumped out to an early

lead with a three-run first inning and never looked back as the offense churned out 14 hits and eight of the nine starters recorded at least one hit. Braden Shewmake went 4-for-6 at the plate with a run scored and two RBI, George Janca connected on his fifth home run of the season and Nick Choruby reached base four times and drove in two runs. Because of a possibility of inclement weather on Saturday, the teams played the second game of the series on Friday as well. Missouri (27-18, 8-13 SEC) sent its ace Tanner Houck to the mound in the back-half of the doubleheader, and the junior right-

hander kept A&M off balance for the first six innings of play. The Tigers got on the board first in the third inning when Chris Cornelius scampered home on a passed ball, and the score remained 1-0 until the fifth. Hunter Coleman reached base with a walk, advanced to third on a one-out double by Blake Kopetsky and then scored on an Austin Homan sacrifice fly. A&M starter Corbin Martin ran into trouble in the fifth by issuing a walk and then hitting a batter, but Kaylor Chafin came on in relief to shut the door. Chafin not only BASEBALL ON PG. 2

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Jenny Hollowell — THE BATTALION

More than 1,000 engineering students displayed their projects at the 2017 Engineering Project Showcase Friday.

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The BaTTalion is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and THE BATTALION is published daily,Thursday Monday during throughtheThursday the(except fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and summerduring session spring semesters Tuesday and atThursday during the College summerStation, session University holidaysand and exam periods) Texas A&M University, (except University holidays exam periods) Student at Texas A&M University, TX 77843. Offices are in Suite and L400 of the Memorial Center. 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. News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M Newsroom phone: 979-845-3315; E-mail: editor@thebatt.com; website: http:// University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. Newsroom www.thebatt.com. 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 advertising, call 979-or Publication of advertising does display not imply sponsorship Advertising: 845-2687. Forbyclassified Office are 8 a.m. to endorsement The advertising, Battalion. call For 979-845-0569. campus, local, andhours national display 5 p.m. Monday Friday. Email: advertising call through 979-845-2687. For battads@thebatt.com. classified advertising, call 979-845-0569. Subscriptions: parttoof5the University entitles each Texas A&M Office hours are 8Aa.m. p.m. Monday Advancement through Friday.Fee Email: battads@thebatt.com. student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1. A part of the University Advancement Fee entitles each Texas A&M Subscriptions:

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Hicks, computer science senior and member of the Ignis team, said the team wanted to aim to create an infrastructure, which could then be used by fire chiefs to create accurate scenarios. “Essentially, you can go through, you can place objects on the scene, you can build up a scenario to teach,” Hicks said. “You can also do an interactive demo or a video demo so it places a lot of creative power in the hands of the training chiefs themselves and gives them the power to teach whatever they want to teach.” Another project two booths down from Ignis created a machine designed to scan microfilm automatically, easily and much cheaper than most available microfilm scanners, according to computer science senior and team member Oron Hazi. Hazi said he was disappointed that the team did not have more time to improve the project, but was excited to see so many different types of projects in one place. “There is a lot of talented people out here doing talented things and it’s great to see that all in one place,” Hazi said. “We’re all seniors here so we are on our way out look-

ing back seeing what we’ve accomplished and this is really a culmination of that.” Other projects present at the showcase included the Formula SAE design team, the Texas A&M Hyperloop team, a presentation of a nautical archeology virtual reality simulator, designs for a NASA and an autonomous garden system. Katherine Banks, dean of the College of Engineering, said she felt the showcase is a great representation of the college’s aim to encourage students to participate in out of classroom research. “You will find in every one of these presentations a passion which you may not necessarily see in the classroom,” Banks said. “These students find themselves through these presentations, through describing what they are doing, and they are truly moving from students to professionals — this is the first step.” Lagoudas said she is excited to see the showcase continue to grow in the future and to be a place for students and industry to engage and work to solve real world problems. “We are looking to industry to join us in even greater numbers than they have in the past because today we have the capability,” Lagoudas said. “Do you have a problem that you would like our students to engage?”

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got out of the fifth unscathed, but then he proceeded to produce a masterful outing in which he retired all 14 batters he faced. In all, he tossed 4.2 flawless innings with a career-high eight strikeouts. The offense finally broke through against Houck in the eighth. Logan Foster got the scoring started in the eighth by driving in George Janca with an opposite-field RBI single and then Shewmake gave the Aggies a 4-1 lead by blasting a double to deep left-center field that plated Walker Pennington and Choruby. Sunday’s game three was another low-scoring pitcher’s duel before the Aggies offense came alive late. A&M starter Stephen Kolek was stellar for his fourth consecutive start. He did not allow a baserunner until the fifth inning and the Tigers did not get their first hit until Kirby McGuire singled in the sixth. The Aggies came through with some run support for Kolek in the fifth. Janca led off the frame by reaching on a hit-by-pitch and Homan followed with a walk. After Pennington reached on a fielder’s choice, Choruby scored Janca on a groundout to first. Kolek got two outs in the seventh before A&M head coach Rob Childress called on freshman lefty John Doxakis out of the bullpen with two men on and two outs. Doxakis promptly struck out pinch-hitter Alex

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Samples on three pitches to escape the jam and protect the Aggies’ 1-0 lead. Kolek gave up only one hit in 6.2 innings, striking out nine and walking none to improve his season record to 3-2. After a 75-minute rain delay between the seventh and eighth innings, closer Mitchell Kilkenny came into the game for the Aggies. He loaded the bases with two outs but came back to strike out McGuire on a 3-2 pitch to squash the Tigers’ scoring hopes. Similar to their outburst in game two, the A&M offense broke through in the ninth to give Kilkenny some breathing room. Kopetsky and Janca reached base to start the ninth and, after a strikeout by Homan, came around to score on a triple to right field by Pennington. That was only the beginning of the scoring, though, as Choruby followed with an RBI single, Foster then drove him in with an RBI double and Shewmake delivered the knockout punch with a long home run to right that came with two strikes on him. Kilkenny allowed two runs in the ninth on a homer by Robbie Glendinning, but rebounded to get a strikeout to end the game and complete the Aggies’ 7-2 victory. The Aggies have now won 10 of their last 11 SEC contests and sit one game behind Mississippi State and Auburn in the SEC West standings. They return to the diamond Tuesday at Olsen Field for a midweek home game against Houston Baptist University.

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The Battalion | 5.01.17

Don’t fear criticism Howdy, everyone! My name is Jake and for the past year and a half I’ve been the lead cartoonist for The Battalion. If you aren’t familiar with my name, you will definitely be familiar with my work! I was responsible for the re-design of Sarge, the weekly football promotional art and my Trump and Clinton caricatures. As an ag communications and journalism major and a cadet in the band, I didn’t have a lot on my resume that would entice The Batt to take me in. All I had was my ambition and a portfolio to try and prove my “talent.” Much to my surprise, I was hired almost immediately. After I began illustrating, I started getting university-wide recognition for my work. It was a pretty surreal experience that has almost felt like a dream. To my knowledge, there hasn’t been a student like myself that has worked for The Battalion in quite some time. Hell, I made up my own job title. So with that and the positive feedback I’ve been getting, it makes leaving The Battalion incredibly difficult for me. It feels like I’m letting my family down. And there’s not a whole lot I can do to fix it. The big boss that advises The Batt, Mr. Pils, has been jokingly saying, “I sure hope you are training a replacement.” While it’s always said in good fun, there’s a bit of a wallop that occurs when I hear those words. I don’t want to leave. As an artist, it’s very easy to be struck down by criticism. Whether it be your style, methods of production or just your developed product, there’s always someone’s opinion that can tear you down. I haven’t really had that here; everyone has been so supportive and loving, and I just don’t think I’ll find a network like that again. And that’s terrifying. As I move forward to grad school to pursue my illustration career, I carry a heavy heart that will always miss my days of being a loved and trusted member of The Batt. There won’t ever be anything like it. If you are an aspiring cartoonist, take my advice: Reach out! Put yourself on display! Show the world what you can do. The Battalion wants you and will greet you with open arms. Trust me. Forever animated, Jake Jacob Martindale is an ag communications and journalism senior and cartoonist for The Battalion.

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Science and technology editor Joshua Hopkins (center) acted as the head moderator for Aggieland Urban Gaming Society during their semesterly Human Versus Zombies games.

A message to folks like me Josh Hopkins @texasjoshua1

’ve always considered myself a two percenter, but now with graduation looming I recently discovered I have a whole lot more Aggie in me than I originally intended. When I first decided on A&M as my college of choice back in 2013, it was despite the strong football culture. It was a decision based around the fact that the other two institutions I applied for weren’t going to give me money and I thought the history classrooms and courses looked cool. My status as a two percenter stemmed not from any dislike of Aggieland, but rather an apathy for participating in some of the traditions I now realize today are incredibly unique and special. I skipped Fish Camp entirely, opting instead just to ask lots of questions during Gig ‘Em Week. Still, I wasn’t a total barbarian. The entirety of my college career I have respected — and desperately attempted to warn violators — of the importance of the seal and the Century Tree. Sully has helped me get A’s on many a test I probably shouldn’t have. Yet, my first (and only) attendance at a Yell Practice took a group of friends weeks of convincing and cajoling to persuade me to attend. Even then, I was dragged nearly kicking and screaming out of my dorm, and exhausted from their efforts none of them paid heed to ensure I wore the proper Maroon color. Thus, inevitably, by coincidence, I had the great fortune to wear a red shirt to the Yell Practice for the Alabama game. Whoops. I only discovered the existence of Muster and Silver Taps when I started working at The Battalion in the Fall of 2014. Despite all that, when I managed to cut myself on my Aggie Ring the other day I found I surprisingly bleed Maroon. When it happened I couldn’t tell you, but somehow the people I’ve met, and the things I’ve done at A&M have all

helped turn me into an Aggie. During the course of the past semester, I’ve realized I’ve attended every Silver Taps and attended Muster for the first time. Through my senior year, I’ve put almost 20 pennies on Sully, continued my good record of never walking on the seal, acquired my Aggie Ring and become president for two different student organizations. Heretically, I’ve still only attended two Aggie football games and even fewer basketball and baseball games — I’ve always enjoyed the A&M Quidditch team more. Still, in the words of one of my best friends, “You’re at least a three percenter now.” The point I’d like to make above anything else is that being an Aggie is more and means more than following traditions and liking football. More than anything else, it is my love for Aggieland making me more than a two percenter. Being an Aggie means different things to different people, and you don’t need to worry about becoming an Aggie overnight. Whether you attend Fish Camp, every football game and run for SGA your first semester or have about the interaction with contemporary traditions that I have had, you are still a part of the Aggie family. Part of what makes A&M special is the connection Aggies have to other Aggies, the Aggie network, our rings and traditions like Muster and Silver Taps. So in the end, don’t worry about trying to become an Aggie. By attending school, meeting people and enjoying your college career it will just happen. I am proud to be an Aggie. I’m going to miss Aggieland and the spirit that is imbued in every cobblestone, but I’m excited to carry that spirit forward into the real world. In the end, I somehow am bleeding Maroon — please take me to the hospital. Joshua Hopkins is a history and political science senior and the science and technology editor at The Battalion.

Jacob Martindale — THE BATTALION

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