The Battalion: May 30, 2018

STRIKING WHILE HOT WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2018 STUDENT MEDIA

ON PAGE 4

Junior pitcher Stephen Kolek and the Texas A&M baseball team open NCAA Tournament play in the Austin Regional this Friday against Indiana.

Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION

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PAGE 3: CELEBRATING RAMADAN

PAGE 7: OPAS INTRODUCES FRESH SOUND

: E M A L O S

PAGE 8: REMEMBERING AGGIE D-DAY SERVICE

Stop Cruel Muscular Dystrophy Tests on Dogs at TAMU

LIFE&ARTS

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The Battalion | 5.30.18

Congratulations to Grady Winkler

EDCS Associate of the Month

Associates who receive this award are recognized for going above and beyond their normal duties to promote teamwork, unity, a positive attitude, kindness and exceptional customer service.

Thank you, Grady, for all your hard work and dedication to the Engineering, Design & Construction Svcs team!

Graphic by Nic Tan — THE BATTALION

“Solo”: a decent movie with an unconvincing lead Alden Ehrenreich fails to bring iconic character Han Solo to life in an otherwise strong film Keagan Miller

Taylor Fennell, Editor in Chief Asha Fuller, Content Editor Alex Miller, Sports Editor Meredith Seaver, Photo Chief

Sarah East, Page Designer Cassie Stricker, Page Designer

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@KeaganMlr

he long anticipated film, “Solo,” has characters that should jump off the screen. Han Solo, Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca are some of the most recognizable and iconic characters from one of the most recognizable and iconic film franchises in history.

While “Solo’s” story is strong and Donald Glover does an absolutely phenomenal job as Lando, Alden Ehrenreich simply fails to deliver a convincing performance as Han, falling woefully short of the casual charm and endearing arrogance fans have come to expect from the character.

Harrison Ford’s shoes proved too big to fill for Ehrenreich, and while he doesn’t perform badly, per se, it’s just difficult to accept him as Han. Throughout the film, I kept having to remind myself that the man on the screen was supposed to be Han Solo and not some other character in the same universe. The way Ehrenreich delivers his lines just doesn’t reconcile with Ford’s portrayal of the character.

That’s not to say “Solo” is a bad

film. It isn’t. Overall, Ehrenreich was my only major complaint.

Without spoiling anything, we finally got to see Han and Chewie meet for the first time, Han and Lando meet for the first time and the Millennium Falcon’s notorious Kessel Run. While I thought some things (like the Kessel Run) were better left as myth, there’s no denying they handled the story and all its momentous events with grace. The film did greatly develop Han as a character and helped shed some light on a few of the events that turned Han into the cynical, reluctant hero we see in “A New Hope.” The story turned what could’ve been a bad movie with a poor lead into a pretty good movie with a poor lead.

Visually, the film was striking.

It captured the essence of the Star Wars universe nicely, and I found the various ships and speeders to be very true to form. A few scenes on a mountainous snow planet were especially beautiful. And although Ehrenreich failed at acting like Han, he did at least look the part.

Another strong point of the film was its supporting cast. Glover was incredible as Lando, and he proved to be the perfect casting choice to match Billy Dee Williams’ original portrayal. Woody Harrelson

also played his major role very well, alongside yet another strong performance from Emilia Clarke.

Although he didn’t get much screen time, Paul Bettany played a fairly decent alien crime boss (even though I couldn’t stop seeing him as the Marvel character, Vision).

Honorable mention goes to Joonas Suotamo, who, with the aid of the sound effects department, gurgled and growled his way into my heart as Chewbacca. It’s sad to think Han Solo could be the weakest major character in his own movie, but Ehrenreich’s performance really is the weakest part of the film.

Overall, “Solo” is a pretty good movie. It has a strong story, plenty of character development and shows fans at least three iconic Star Wars moments for the first time on the big screen. Ford’s Han proves too tough a challenge for Ehrenreich to handle, and I was taken out of the experience considerably by his inability to become the character. However, the supporting cast members all deliver good, if not great, performances, and I’d say that’s reason enough to go see “Solo.”

Keagan Miller is a general studies sophomore and Life & Arts writer for The Battalion.

NEWS

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The Battalion | 5.30.18

Abby Collida — THE BATTALION

The Islamic community fasts from dawn until dusk to increase their connection with God during Ramadan. Many communities gather at the end of the day for a large meal.

Building character and community through faith Ramadan encourages charity, brings Muslims closer to their families

By Ashley Cardenal @adcardenal Ramadan, a time for increased awareness, spirituality, charity and community, has begun with the new moon.

It’s a Thursday night in June and the mosque in College Station is packed. Community members have gathered for evening prayers and to break their day of fasting. Anwer Ahmed, President of the Islamic Community of Bryan-College Station and accounting professor, said there are five pillars to the Islamic faith: declaration of faith, five daily prayers, taking care of the needy, pilgrimage, and fasting in the month of Ramadan.

“The purpose of the fast is to increase our Taqwa, which is the consciousness of God, the love of God, and the fear of God. Basically to strengthen our connection with him,” Ahmed said. “Every act of worship in Islam is actually directed towards that … Basically, in fasting you’re giving up your food, your drink

[and] your relations with your spouse for the sake of God during the day. From dawn to dusk you avoid these things.”

Nooran Riaz, an allied health sophomore, described the character building aspect of Ramadan.

“The main basis of it is to learn to control your desires — hunger, thirst,” Riaz said.

“When you learn to control these basic desires, you can control your behavior which leads to being a better Muslim and a better person.”

In ways other than than fasting, Ramadan brings out a heightened sense of personal awareness. Mu’Ath Adlouni, president of the Muslim Student Association and biomedical engineering junior, explained other ways Muslims modify their behavior for the month of Ramadan.

“Other than fast, they try to reduce some of their bad habits in general,” Adlouni said. “So maybe some people would listen to more appropriate music. Maybe they would stop biting their nails or maybe read the Quran more.

Maybe they would stop cursing or hold their tongue or practice more patience. [It’s about]

making sure that you are in control of yourself and your desires.”

Aldouni said his family participates in Ramadan by praying and eating together throughout the month.

“A big part of Ramadan is community and family,” Aldouni said. “We wake up early in the morning together to get some last bits of food before we begin the fast. Then we hold our fast together, we go about our lives like we normally do and then we’ll prepare a large meal just for the family. It’s sort of just more of a family spiritual situation.”

Iftar, the evening meal which signifies the end of the day’s fast, is a special event focused on family and community. Ahmed said the College Station mosque hosts Iftar every night during the month of Ramadan for students. According to Riaz, Ramadan is a time to strengthen the community, which can be particularly important to Muslims living in College Station who may be separated from their families. Riaz highlighted the community aspect of Ramadan when discussing her favorite moment at the end of a long day.

“That moment when I sit down after fast-

ing the whole day, just serving food and dealing with small issues that come up and I finally get to sit down and I look around … I look at all the different groups,” Riaz said. “Seeing everybody interact together, that’s my favorite part. I just love watching my mosque having that time because it’s such a special time.”

Riaz said Ramadan is a very special time because the charity you do matters more than it does in other times of the year. Charitable donations are a significant tradition of the month and mosques are able to hold large fundraisers for themselves and other organizations. Ahmed described the fundraising which takes place at the local mosque.

“The charity is given locally; we have refugees in Houston,” Ahmed said. “Sometimes it’s sent overseas to the Rohingya Muslims who are really suffering in Bangladesh. It’s a terrible crisis going on there. [We give] wherever there is a need.”

Ahmed said students and community members who are interested in Ramadan and Islam are invited to the mosque’s open house.

The next open house will be held in the fall semester.

SPORTS

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The Battalion | 5.30.18

Ready for Regionals Sophomore shortstop Braden Shewmake is second on the team in batting with a .329 average for the season.

Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION

Aggie baseball eyes to continue hot streak in NCAA Tournament

By Alex Miller @AlexMill20 Heading into the SEC Tournament, Texas A&M knew it still had work to do if it wanted to make the NCAA Tournament for the 12th-straight season.

The Aggies stumbled to a 13-17 finish in conference play and entered the tournament as the 11-seed. A loss in the opening round to Vanderbilt would almost crush any chances of A&M making a last-ditch effort to make the Field of 64.

Right on cue, the Aggies reeled off threestraight wins over the Commodores, Georgia and Auburn before falling to Ole Miss in the semifinals, leaving no doubt the maroon and white would hear its name called on Selection Monday.

“We played free,” third baseman George Janca said. “We didn’t worry about what was

going to happen and what might happen. I think that’s where we play our best is when we go out there and play for each other and play free, not worrying about consequences.”

There were not so many nerves when A&M saw its name appear as the 3-seed in the Austin Regional facing Indiana first when the brackets were unveiled. This was thanks to the successful week the Aggies had in Hoover, Alabama.

“I feel like if we didn’t win a couple of games there, we weren’t going to get in,” shortstop Braden Shewmake said.

Two key areas sharpened up for A&M in Hoover – pitching and fielding.

On the mound, the Aggies were nearly lights out, allowing just five runs in 36 innings of work. Collectively, A&M struck out 43 batters, while walking just five. Sophomore John Doxakis earned All-Tournament honors after carrying a no-hitter into the 8th inning in A&M’s 4-2 win over Auburn in which he out-dueled potential No. 1 draft pick Casey Mize.

“I feel like we’re just being competitive,” senior Kaylor Chafin said of the pitching staff.

“We all went into the [SEC] Tournament expecting something to prove and we went in

there and I felt like we did a good job of just competing really hard.”

In the field, the Aggies committed one lowly error throughout the entire tournament after committing 11 total errors in their previous six games.

“We played incredibly well last week in Hoover in the conference tournament and I know our guys are anxious to continue to play well,” Childress said.

The 3-1 outing at the conference tournament was a confidence booster as A&M had suffered a rather miserable May, going 4-7 to close the regular season, including a 2-7 mark in SEC play.

“It was a little up and down throughout the year, but we got in and that was our goal,” third baseman George Janca said. “We made the postseason, but know we’ve got bigger things ahead of us.”

Now the Aggies will make a 90-minute trip west to Austin for regional play, which is hosted by longtime rival Texas. A&M will face the Hoosiers on Friday at 4 p.m.

“It’s going to be as good of an atmosphere as we could hope for other than playing at home,

but it’s going to be like playing at home seeing a lot of A&M fans there,” Janca said, who grew up 20 minutes from Disch-Falk Field in Georgetown. “I think it’s going to be a big asset for us having a home crowd.”

A&M has its work cut out, potentially having to face the Big Ten’s strikeout leader in Indiana’s Jonathan Stiever. The Aggies are also in line to square off against Big 12-champion Texas at their place. But Childress said SEC play has prepared his team for any situation.

“The league the last 10 weeks, now 11 weeks with the Southeastern Conference tournament has prepared us for anything we’re going to see for the rest of the season,” Childress said. “It’s callused us up, it’s made us tougher and I know our guys are feeling really good about the way we played.”

Additionally, the Aggies continue to play as the underdog, hoping to make another magical run to the College World Series for the second-straight season as a 3-seed.

“I feel like we’ve proved to ourselves and to a lot of people that we’re ready to go in the postseason and that we can play with anybody,” Shewmake said.

SCITECH

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The Battalion | 5.30.18

Studying stressed out plants in the low stress summer Graduate students spend break researching telomere biology

By Ashley Cardenal @adcardenal While the interim period at Texas A&M can seem quiet, graduate students say they are excited to begin a productive, undistracted summer.

The Shippen group in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics is studying telomere biology, an area of study related to a repetitive region of nucleotides at the end of a chromosome which serves as a mechanism for protection. The group is specifically interested in the telomere biology of a plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana. Callie Kobayashi, a seventh year graduate student in the lab explained the benefits of using a plant as a model organism.

“There are some things in plant telomere biology that are more similar to humans than yeast,” Kobayashi said. “But the biggest thing is that a lot of the time in yeast and human cells that when you make a mutation its lethal. So if it can’t survive a mutation then we can’t characterize what that particular gene or protein is responsible for doing. But with plants you can make all sorts of mutations and it still can grow. So we can really characterize how that mutation affects telomere biology.”

Kobayashi explained plants are more resilient to changes in their genome due to the fact that they cannot move. This has caused them to develop systems to adapt to stressful situations. Sreyashree Bose, a fourth year graduate student in the lab, studies a long non-coding RNA which appears to be involved in mitigating DNA damage. She said this long non-coding RNA is similar to one found in humans which is important in maintaining telomere length, but this new non-coding RNA has some strange behaviors.

“It is actually not involved in acting as a subunit of the telomerase, but what we think it is doing is that it is acting as a regulator of the telomerase instead,” Bose said.

Bose explained that telomerase is an enzyme responsible for the maintenance of telomeres. This enzyme needs a subunit to operate, which is a more canonically behaving long non-coding RNA; however, the long non-coding RNA she studies appears to regulate the activity of the enzyme instead.

Bose explained the reason that regulation of telomerase is necessary.

“Our DNA is under constant stress and especially plants’ DNA it’s under constant stress,” Bose explained. “Whenever a damage is created the type of structure that is generated at the damage site is very similar to the structure present at the telomeric end.

So the telomerase might get confused and think that this is where the telomeric repeat needs to begin. So that’s why we need some component which is going to regulate the activity of the telomerase enzyme under such conditions.”

Bose said she is interested in the movement of these long non-coding RNA upon the occurrence of DNA damage in a cell.

A typical experiment performed by Bose allows her to locate the position of the long non-coding RNA of interest and include techniques such as cell extraction and fluorescence microscopy, allowing her to visualize where the long-coding RNA is localized.

For example, she said, it could be present in the nucleus or the cytoplasm of the cell.

Borja Barbero, a third year student in the group, said he is also interested in DNA damage and the machinery necessary to protect a cell. He studies POT1B, a unique protein in Arabidopsis thaliana which appears to be important in protecting cells from DNA damage.

“We found out that POT1B is highly expressed in tissues that naturally occur DNA damage such as seeds,” Barbero said. “A dry seed is basically like a bear, hibernating, basically sleeping and waiting for the conditions to grow and you don’t want the bear to be damaged. POT1B is highly expressed under those conditions basically when the seed is hibernating and waiting for the conditions to appear. We believe that is to protect the DNA from being damaged.”

The researchers offered advice for undergraduate students who are interested in obtaining graduate degrees.

“You have to want to go to graduate school,” Kobayashi said. “You need to be committed and really want to do a Ph.D. It’s difficult and you need that mentality. I think people need to know how intense and difficult it can be.”

Bose discussed the independence that graduate students need to develop.

“Graduate school comes with a level of uncertainty, first off,” said Bose. “Nobody is going to hold your hands. You will have to start developing critical analysis on your own in order to be successful. Graduate school is your own journey.”

Meredith Seaver — THE BATTALION

Graduate student Borja Barbero said the research team discovered a unique trait that prevents DNA from being damaged.

OPINION

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The Battalion | 5.30.18

GUEST COLUMN

Leading by example What is the Texas A&M Foundation?

Tyson Voelkel

H

@TysonVoelkel

owdy Ags! I’m Tyson Voelkel ’96, president of the Texas A&M Foundation, and I look forward to writing this monthly column in The Battalion, called “Leading by Example.” I want to use this space to share stories of how private philanthropy impacts Texas A&M University in hopes that current Aggies, faculty and staff will better understand the phenomenal impact that former students, corporations, organizations and friends of the university have on Texas A&M. For this first column, I simply want to explain what the Texas A&M Foundation is and where we’re located on campus. The Foundation is a nonprofit organization that works to raise major private gifts of $25,000 or more to support the future of Texas A&M. Each year, thanks to our generous donors, we make millions of dollars available to the university.

These funds create scholarships for students; fund faculty chairs to support research and teaching; support student organizations like Fish Camp and The Big Event; and fund capital construction projects, like the new Zachry Engineering Education Center and the new John D. White ’70 – Robert L. Walker ’58 Music Activities Center.

In the future, I will share stories about how some of our donors, in collaboration with our university leadership, are making Texas A&M a better place for

all of us.

In the meantime, if there is one “big picture” idea I could hope to convey about the work the Foundation does, it is the importance of education.

Education is the only societal lever we have that can truly change our economy, our security and our prosperity.

The Foundation gives thousands of people a chance to make meaningful contributions to educational causes that have ripple effects across generations.

The Foundation also provides the right vehicle to further our Aggie values, which I believe are required to ensure our state, nation and world enjoy a brighter future—a future with less suffering and more prosperity regardless of race, creed or geography.

As for where to find us, we are located at the corner of George Bush and Houston streets, across from The Association of Former Students and the Aggie Ring sculpture. The next time you pass by, feel free to drop in and look around our Legacy Hall, which has the names of thousands of Texas A&M donors engraved on its walls.

It’s a humbling, inspiring experience.

Or if you can’t do that, just pause to give some mental thanks for all those who are doing their part to support our great university.

Thanks and Gig ’em!

Tyson Voelkel ’96 President, Texas A&M Foundation If you have any questions for me or want to learn more, feel free to email info@ txamfoundation.com.

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The Battalion | 5.30.18

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Place an ad Phone 979.845.0569 Suite L400, Memorial Student Center Texas A&M University

When to call 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday Insertion deadline: 1 p.m. prior business day

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OPAS announced its new season, which will include the Grammy-nominated musical, Something Rotten!

Fresh sounds

MSC OPAS announces upcoming season featuring two new Broadway muscials

By Taylor Fennell @TaylorPaige1299 MSC OPAS announced its 2018-19 “Raise Your Voice” season Tuesday, May 29, promising two new musicals which debuted on Broadway in 2015.

OPAS, a Memorial Student Center organization, was founded in 1972 and brings professional performers to Rudder in order to inspire audiences of the Brazos Valley.

Its upcoming season, which will debut in October and conclude in April, is comprised of six Ann Cobb Wiatt Main Stage events, five events in the Intimate Gatherings series and three special events.

Executive Director Anne Black said two standout events are The Choir of Man, an international sing-along concert which will kick of the season in its first U.S. performance, and the Boston Pops, who will perform a John Williams program, which Black says will have a “broad appeal.”

In addition to The Choir of Man, the Ann Cobb Wiatt Main Stage series will feature The Sound of Music, Celtic Woman’s Best of Christmas Tour, The King and I, and two new musicals, Finding Neverland and Something Rotten!

In 2016, Something Rotten! was nominated for a Grammy Award for best musical theater album.

The Intimate Gatherings series, which often includes question and answer sessions after performances, will feature The Capitol Steps, Steel Magnolias, Frankenstein, The Red Hot Chilli Pipers and Lonesome Traveler: The Concert with Guest Star and Folk Legend Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary.

Joining the Boston Pops in the special events series are Soweto Gospel Choir and Erth’s Prehistoric Aquarium Adventure. According to an OPAS press release, both of these events are perfect for families.

Season and single tickets are available at MSCOPAS.org.

Special pricing is available for students.

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The Battalion | 5.30.18

From Aggieland to Normandy

PROVIDED BY CUSHING LIBRARY

Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder was one of the 20,229 Aggies who served in World War II, leading the men of Task Force A over the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc.

As the 74th anniversary of D-Day nears, look at Aggies who made a difference on historic day

By Jane Turchi @JaneTurchi Exemplifying selfless service, Texas A&M University alone provided more officers for the armed forces during World War II than all the nation’s other military academies combined.

In fact, the state of Texas contributed a larger percentage of men to the armed forces than any other state during the war.

More than 150,000 American, British and Canadian soldiers invaded a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Among them were renowned Aggies such as 34-year-old Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder, who would become A&M’s 16th president.

Making his mark in the history books, Rudder led a provisional ranger unit up the cliff of Pointe du Hoc on D-Day, 74 years ago. Director and curator at Cushing Library, Anton duPlessis said Rudder Tower’s height memorializes the 100foot high cliffs that the brave soldiers climbed under Rudder’s command.

“There were so many Ags that were in leadership roles that essentially, they probably helped guide battle — we had officers for instance that were in the highest level of decision making,” duPlessis said. “A&M has long been an institution to

provide a lot of officers in particular to the military.”

Rudder and his men were assigned to take out the Germans’ howitzer cannons on the cliff over the beaches of Normandy.

Germans considered the cliffs unscalable, however American forces considered it an accessible assault point and reasoned that with a well-trained force, soldiers could land on the narrow beaches below at low tide and ascend the cliffs with the assistance of ropes and ladders.

“Ags were all over the place and essentially by being there, having their experience and the sort of education they did, they helped make the United States Military more effective,” duPlessis said.

After landing nearly 40 minutes behind schedule at 7:10 a.m., Rudder led the 250 men of Task Force A under German fire to take out enemy cannons on the cliffs. The mission proved vital to the outcome of the landing of Operation Overlord in Normandy and consequently the entire allied invasion.

American academic lecturer, Thomas Hatfield wrote about the occurances of June 6, 1944 in his book “Rudder, From Leader to Legend,” the first comprehensive biography of James Earl Rudder.

“The allied landing, principally of the Americans, British and Canadians in Normandy on June 6, 1944, was, I think, the main effort by the western allies to defeat Nazi Germany,” Hatfield said. “[The invasion] was important because it clearly established the United States as a preemptive world power.”

The Rangers experienced much difficulty climbing up the

cliffs that day. Using steel ladders and rocket-propelled grapnel hooks with ropes attached, Rudder’s first Rangers scaled the cliffs within ten minutes. Lisa Kalmus is a curator at the Sanders Corps of Cadets Center museum, where she helps share the history of the Corps of Cadets from its beginning in 1876 to today.

“History is made up of extraordinary people who rose up to do extraordinary things and I think A&M was a place that really prepared them for that,” Kalmus said. “We look back now on what they did and how they served and we’re just like ‘wow!

How could someone do that,’ but they were normal students.”

By June 8, Rudder’s Rangers had suffered a 70 percent casualty rate. Of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, 77 were killed and 152 soldiers were wounded.

“They’re not called the great generation for nothing,” Kalmus said. “They knew what they were getting into … more then than today — and they went anyway.”

The success of Rudder’s mission allowed for the success of the D-Day invasion. To honor the brave men, a monument to the 2nd Ranger Battalion sits atop a cliff about eight miles west of the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.

“These ideals that we hear about [at A&M] were actually put into practice by these guys,” duPlessis said. “This idea of service and of sacrifice and putting others ahead — valor — it’s there and these guys kind of exemplified it.”