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Environmental studies junior Caleb Wilkins is rated 954 in the PDGA. The best disc golfer in the world is rated 1056.
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UP IN THE AIR, UP IN THE RANKS A&M student joins elite few pro disc golfers By Josh McCormack @_joshmccormack
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or many, the sport of disc golf is a relaxing afternoon pastime — but for environmental studies junior Caleb Wilkins, disc golf is a lifestyle. Wilkins has recently joined a handful of first-rate professional disc golfers and an even smaller percentage of those who are also college students in the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA). Along with playing as a solo professional player, Wilkins is also the captain of the TAMU disc golf team and an active member of the Brazos Valley Disc Golf Club (BVDGC). Wilkins was first introduced to the game when he was went out with his dad but didn’t pick it back up until high school. Wilkins said his goal is to earnestly pursue disc golf and improve his rank in the PDGA. “The best player in the world
right now is rated 1056. I am rated at 954,” Wilkins said. “I decided to start playing [professionally] because I think the best way to get better is to push myself by playing against players who are better than me.” Graham Clumper, recreation park and tourism sciences senior and A&M disc golf team member, has noticed Wilkins’ tenacity and talent. “Playing with Caleb is great — he’s always in a positive mood and is always eager to help others improve,” Clumper said. “He’s a great representative of the sport. He has an incredible ability to maintain focus, even when he’s not playing his best.” Wilkins’ positive attitude while playing is what makes him such a good golfer as well as enjoyable to play with, Clumper said. “The best part of playing with Caleb is his positivity,” Clumper said. “He challenges players to try new things and motivates them to stay positive when things don’t work.” Wilkins said there is more to DISC GOLF ON PG. 2
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FOOTBALL
NO. 10 AGGIES Hours after the Aggies’ road win over SEC west rival Auburn, a new AP Top 25 Poll was released and had the Aggies ranked No. 10 in the nation. A&M, which began the season unranked, has steadily climbed the ranks in the last three weeks. A&M made its debut at No. 20 after defeating then-ranked No. 16 UCLA in an overtime thriller at Kyle Field. After easily handling Prairie View A&M, the Aggies once again rose in the ranks to No. 17 before rising once more to No. 10 after defeating Auburn.
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Jacob Martindale — THE BATTALION
Following the death of Harambe, a gorilla from the Cincinnati Zoo, outrage and memes flooded the Internet.
CRIME
A&M Harambe Club seeks justice for zoo animals Club forms in response to death of Cincinnati Zoo gorilla By Brad Morse & Brad Canon @BradMorse53 & @BradCanon1
FILE
CSPD is still investigating the Aug. 20 death of Anton Gridnev at the Sigma Nu fraternity house.
16 arrest warrants issued for Sigma Nu frat house residents Staff report The College Station Police Department issued 16 warrants for six more residents of the Sigma Nu fraternity house Sept. 15. The warrants are regarding an Aug. 20 party where fraternity member Anton Gridnev died from an overdose. All of the warrants for the six members are drug related, ranging from possession of
marijuana to the manufacture and distribution of controlled substances. The names of all members who have warrants are not being released until the members are arrested. Some individuals have multiple warrants for their arrest. The investigation into the death of Gridnev is still ongoing, and if any students have any information regarding his death they are encouraged contact CSPD at 979-764-3600.
A Texas A&M group has taken what started as an Internet joke and turned it into an effort to support gorillas around the world. Harambe was a gorilla in the Cincinnati Zoo who was killed May 28 when a child climbed into his exhibit. Harambe’s death sparked social media uproar in the form of memes, direct messages to the Cincinnati Zoo’s Twitter account, and even songs written about Harambe. Other groups have formed in an effort to raise awareness for animals kept in zoos. One such group is the Texas A&M Harambe Club. While the Internet has made many memorials to Harambe in jest, the Harambe Club sees a chance to raise awareness of the importance of the wellbeing of these animals. “We realized we could actually do something good and support a foundation that helps gorillas all over the
world,” said Ana Ruiz, president of the club. “Bringing awareness to a cause that isn’t recognized as much is very important.” The club, still in its developing stages, is currently selling T-shirts to raise awareness for the foundation. “Currently our shirts are not made for initial income for the club,” said Cole Matkin, vice-president. “They are purely for the enjoyment of the members and to help spread the word of our new organization.” The group isn’t just focused on selling t-shirts. The club plans to hold several fundraisers throughout the year and donate all proceeds to the Gorilla Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on raising funds for research on Koko the gorilla, known for her ability to use sign language. The foundation also raises awareness for conservation in Africa and to continue the study of animal-human interaction. Erin Hickman, secretary of the HARAMBE CLUB ON PG. 3
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Wide receiver Speedy Noil is pushed out-of-bounds by an Auburn defender after making a 19-yard catch. The Aggies rose 7 spots to No.10 in the AP Top 25 poll after defeating the Auburn Tigers 29-16 in Auburn, Alabama on Saturday.
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The BaTTalion is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and THE BATTALION is published daily,Thursday Monday during throughthe Thursday the(except fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and summerduring session spring semesters Tuesday and atThursday during the College summer Station, 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. Forby classified Office are 8 a.m. to endorsement The advertising, Battalion. call For 979-845-0569. campus, local, andhours national display 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Email: battads@thebatt.com. advertising call 979-845-2687. For 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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FIELD GOAL KICKING WAS SUPERB
Arguably the biggest bright spot from Saturday’s win for the Aggies was kicker Daniel LaCamera’s perfect night. He connected on all five of his field goal attempts, which tied the second-most made kicks in school history and the most for a freshman. Special teams was a big question mark for Kevin Sumlin heading into the season as the Aggies had to replace place kicker Taylor Bertolet and punter Drew Kaser from last year, but LaCamera has made it a seamless transition. After missing his first kick of the season against UCLA, he has successfully converted his last nine attempts and it looks like the Aggies will be able to count on him to make big kicks down the stretch. “Daniel has been spectacular all year,” A&M quarterback Trevor Knight said after the game. “He’s a guy that you can trust, that you know when you get around the 30-yard line and in that you’re going to get three points on the board. That is nice.”
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RED ZONE AND THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
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KNIGHT PROVED HIMSELF — AGAIN
The only reason that LaCamera’s number was called so many times was because the Aggies could not score touchdowns when they got into the red zone. Teams that run a variation of the spread offense typically struggle to score when they get close to the end zone because the field compresses and there isn’t as much room for the wide receivers to operate. The Aggies must get better in this regard if they want to be successful against the elite SEC teams they will face later in the season. “We’ve got to get better and score touchdowns instead of so many field goals, although Daniel LaCamera did a great job,” Sumlin said. “There’s a lot of room for improvement.” In addition to not being able to capitalize near the goal line, the Aggies also did a poor job of converting on third downs. They went an anemic 2-for-15 on third downs in the game, which generally does not translate to wins in the SEC, when extending drives and giving your defense time to rest are pivotal.
In his first start against an SEC West opponent since he eviscerated the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2014 Sugar Bowl, the Aggies’ veteran quarterback once again played well for A&M. He wasn’t flashy, but he made some nice throws, protected the football and managed the game. Knight finished with 247 yards and one touchdown through the air, and also tacked on 42 rushing yards on a team-high 12 carries. In other words, it was pretty much par for the course for the Oklahoma transfer. He has established himself as a smart, crafty signal-caller who limits his mistakes. With the bevy of weapons on that side of the ball, he doesn’t have to win games by himself, he just has to do exactly what he did Saturday night.
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DEFENSE WAS DOMINANT
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BIG NIGHT FOR WILLIAMS
“That defense it playing top-notch right now,” Knight said. “They played Auburn was coming off a that way week one and they played game last weekend against Arthat way today, really shutting down an kansas State in which the Tigers offense that is capable of doing a lot of exploded for 706 yards and 51 points, things.” but that didn’t matter to the Aggies. A Auburn, who rotated between Sean year after Gus Malzahn’s squad gashed White and John Franklin III at quarterthe Aggies for 331 rushing yards, A&M’s back, could never get in a rhythm, and defense refused to allow that to happen the A&M defense was a big reason why. again. “We were just stout on both sides,” Defensive coordinator John Chavis’ said A&M defensive end Myles Garrett, unit sacked Auburn’s quarterbacks four who had a big game with two sacks times and made 13 tackles behind the against the Tigers. “We collapsed, the line of scrimmage. It marks the sixth holes didn’t get as big so the linebackers time in the Chavis era that the Aggies could fill them.” have recorded at least 10 tackles-for-loss.
Even though the Aggies controlled the game for the most part all night long, it still seemed like the Tigers were hanging around deep into the second half. Freshman running back Trayveon Williams put the game on the ice, though, with a huge run in the fourth quarter. Williams took the handoff from Knight out of the shotgun, made a few defenders miss, broke some tackles and raced 89 yards for a crucial touchdown. The big run was the Aggies’ longest rush since they joined the SEC in 2012. He finished the game with 127 yards on
WILKINS CONTINUED
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the sport than just playing competitively. “I play disc golf for a lot of reasons,” Wilkins said. “One of the most important reasons for me is the people I meet. I am a Christian, and I enjoy getting the opportunity to share my faith with those around me. Disc Golf helps me meet so many people who I would not otherwise know, including people from all kinds of walks of life. I like to use the sport as an opportunity to do my best to be an example of what a follower of Christ looks like.” In early high school Wilkins was forced to give up one sport and decided to pursue another and found solace in disc golf. “I used to play soccer competitively, but due to complications with my hearing loss and some concussions, I needed to stop playing soccer and any other contact sports,” Wilkins said. “I needed something to do with my competitive drive and ended up just playing a lot of disc golf and getting really into it. I haven’t looked back since.” Wilkins has become a role model for disc golfers who play in Bryan-College Station, including Taylor Johnson, disc golfer in the BVDGC and Class of 2014. “Caleb’s insight and critique have played
only eight carries, good for the first 100yard game of his young career. “It was big-time,” Knight said of the run. “That’s a big play, that’s an explosive play. We need more of those. That’s a play that kind of sealed the game for us, put it out of reach.” Williams has proven to be a speedy, explosive runner for the Aggies to this point and, coupled with Oklahoma transfer Keith Ford, the Aggies have a dynamic one-two punch in the ground game that they haven’t had in some time. Heath Clary is a finance sophomore and assistant sports editor of The Battalion.
a tremendous role in all aspects of my game, my skill level, my understanding and my appreciation for the sport,” Johnson said. “It’s a double-edged sword anytime I get to play with Caleb. One the one hand it shows me how wide the gap is between my level of play and top players in the sport, but on the other, I am always challenged to improve by throwing with him.” Johnson said Wilkins deserves the title of professional disc golfer for a number of reasons. “You look for two components in any ambassador of a sport — character and skill,” Johnson said. “We’ve seen in other professional sports what happens when you have one and not the other. Caleb has both. He’s an extremely gifted disc golfer. He’s constantly working to improve his craft and has the humility to elevate other players around him. That’s the kind of representative you want for your sport.” Wilkins will play in the PDGA sanctioned tournament, the Jack Brooks Open in Hitchcock, Texas, this weekend. The TAMU Disc Golf team will also participate in the Texas Collegiate Championships this October, where they took first place last year.
NEWS
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The Battalion | 9.19.16
HARAMBE CLUB CONTINUED
Compiled by Leah Kappayil — THE BATTALION
Harambe Club, said she initially joined the club thinking it was a joke. “When my friends [Ruiz and Matkin] were making a T-shirt, I thought they were joking around,” Hickman said. “Then I realized we were going to make this a real thing. I knew I had to be a part of it.” Hickman said although the organization is new, it’s already had an effect on its members. “My time with this organization has been impactful on me,” Hickman said. “I do see this organization going far and being a fun group to be a part of.” Justice Buford, sports management freshman, said although he doesn’t believe a Harambe club will be beneficial, it will still be a place where students can get together and have a good time. “I think it’s a pretty good idea; it will be a comedy club and a place where people who like harambe to all get together and talk about him,” Buford said. “I highly doubt they’re actually going to talk about it seriously. It will be more of a social gathering.”
BATTASKS What do you think of the formation of a Harambe Club?
“There’s honestly some things that need to be let go. If there was a formation of a Harambe club? I mean more power to you, you go for it. I would be not strongly against it, but I disagree with it; I wouldn’t be in favor of it.” Roberto Palacios, construction science junior
“I think that would be great — really awesome. I would definitely be a part of that one. I love the memes and how excited people get about it and it’s like you can’t get this type of excitement anywhere. And if you can, you should definitely bottle it up and make a club for it.”
“I think it’s great that people care so much about this gorilla, and I just hope that if a club gets formed, it focuses on the conservation of all gorillas and focusing on completing good tasks for the gorilla community.”
SAFETY
Event raises driving safety awareness Agrilife Extension speaker talks texting and driving By Eraj Mohiuddin @5678Eraj With almost 3,000 deaths caused by texting and driving each year, an Agrilife Extension speaker addressed the risks of distracted driving Friday in Rudder Tower. The Agrilife Extension puts on programs dealing with distracted driving about 60 to 70 times a year across four different universities and two counties to raise awareness of the responsibility of safe driving, according to Cindy Kovar, the speaker at the event. “When we are in our cars, we need to be driving,” Kovar said. “That’s what we are there to do — drive. You are not there to multitask. You aren’t there to even listen to the radio, even if it’s right there. That’s not what we are there to do. We are there to try to get from point A to point B safely.” Kovar said the feeling of using a phone in the car is a response from the prefrontal cortex of your brain that dictates short-term happiness.
Adam Neel, food science junior
LeDeja Holt , business finance freshman
She said one way to keep from using a phone while driving is to change the ringtone of family members’ calls and texts so the driver knows if a message is important. Community health junior Courtney Lawley attended the event because she feels like texting and driving is something she needs to work on. “I enjoyed this program because I struggle with texting while driving,” Lawley said. “I [text and drive] because I feel like I need to respond right then and I feel the pressure that they need the response right now.” Lawley said she found the program helpful. “I think this ban will be good for me because it can help me start changing my habits,” Lawley said. “People will start changing because they don’t want to pay the ticket. I think it will help me change even more.” Community health junior Laura Egger said the event put safety into perspective. “This presentation not only made me think about how I use my phone while driving, but also about my loved ones when they use their phones while driving,” Egger said. “It makes me concerned and I want to tell them about the risk.”
Kovar said she hopes to see more people attending programs like Friday’s event to get educated on the
“When we are in our cars, we need to be driving. That’s what we are there to do — drive.” Cindy Kovar, Agrilife Extension event speaker
risks of distracted driving. “I think it went well,” Kovar said. “We would like to see more numbers in the classes, but if we can just reach one person, then it was definitely worth my time. That one person may be the person that makes a difference.”
Valerie Gunchick — THE BATTALION
Res Life hosts staged burn This is the eighth year of the Mock Dorm Room Burn, an event put on each year by the Residence Life Department to promote fire safety. The demonstration took place on Simpson Drill Field Thursday evening.
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The Battalion | 9.19.16
Hanna Hausman — THE BATTALION
Business administration freshman Cheyanne Janssen, agribusiness senior Brooke Doherty, geophysics sophomore Adilah Amalia, international studies senior Miranda Lindsey and general engineering freshman Pablo Romo practice team building exercises at first meeting as members of the leadership organization, the Women’s Bakery.
AFRICAN NON-PROFIT COMES TO A&M Non-profit launches first collegiate chapter at A&M By Emily Bost @EmmyBost
Hanna Hausman — THE BATTALION
Ag. Comm Journalism junior Ashlie James introduces herself during an ice breaker.
Texas A&M will be the first university in the country to initiate a pilot campus chapter of the multi-national non-profit organization, the Women’s Bakery. The Women’s Bakery, a non-profit organization based in East Africa, strives to empower women through business and education, according to Alayna Davis, international studies senior and Texas A&M campus engagement liaison for Women’s Bakery. After completing regimented business and life skills training, women enrolled in the program in East Africa will be given knowledge and skills necessary to open a self-sustaining bakery where they can employ other women in their communities. This improves community nutrition and helps to support their families and themselves, said Davis. “I think that the Women’s Bakery goals — to empower
women and increase autonomy and their abilities to support their community, families and themselves — are so important,” said Colton Cassady, psychology junior and Women’s Bakery education officer. “The idea of social entrepreneurship is something that I really like — not just charity, but rather empowering people and helping them change their own lives.” The initiation of the A&M chapter came about when Davis was in Rwanda for a program called African New Life. There, she met July Green, one of the founders of the Women’s Bakery. “I met her at breakfast one morning and I was asking her what she was doing in Rwanda and she told me about the Women’s Bakery,” Davis said. “I was really interested in what they did and I emailed her once I got home to ask her if there was any place for me to help out in the organization.” After holding a social media intern position in the multi-national Women’s Bakery, Davis transferred into her current position as campus engagement liaison in February. In her cur-
rent role, she serves as the bridge between the A&M chapter and the non-profit organization as a whole. Because the Women’s Bakery Texas A&M is the first campus chapter, it will work in close partnership with the non-profit Women’s Bakery abroad to raise funds and awareness for the Women’s Bakery multi-national organization, Davis said. “Our overall goal is empowerment,” Davis said. “We’re empowering women in East Africa by raising money to allow them to go through this training program. Also, empowering our own students and the Texas A&M community by teaching them about global topics.” The A&M chapter will also partner with a local community service organization and set out to educate the members of the organization, campus in general and the Bryan-College Station community on issues regarding women’s empowerment, social entrepreneurship and non-profit work. “Our vision is to educate students about social entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment and to empower students to make
a difference in this organization,” Davis said. Although the name the “Women’s Bakery” may mislead some people about the purpose and role of the organization, Davis said the A&M chapter is not a women’s organization and is not affiliated with a bakery. “One thing that I always say when I’m telling people about [the organization] is our name is ‘Women’s Bakery,’ but we’re definitely not a bakery and we’re not a women’s organization. We’re supporting the Women’s Bakery,” Davis said. “That’s a distinction I like to make.” There are plans for the Women’s Bakery to expand to other universities across the nation in the future. In the meantime, the Women’s Bakery Texas A&M hopes to play a significant role in raising funds and awareness that will benefit the education and empowerment of women in Rwanda and any other countries that the Women’s Bakery expands to. “I’m really excited about the year and all of our officers are too, so we’re really optimistic about how it’s going to go and we’re super excited,” Davis said.
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Any graduating seniors who wish to set up a cap/gown photo will need to contact the studio at 979-696-9898. Cap/Gown sessions cost $21.95.