The Battalion - April 17, 2019 by The Battalion

Savannah Mehrtens — THE BATTALION

Oriana Koot will serve as MSC president for the 2019-2020 school year.

Unifying the MSC Next president sets sights on creating home for all Aggies

Meredith Seaver — THE BATTALION

U.S. Secretery of State Mike Pompeo speaks with political science junior and MSC Wiley Lecture Series Chair John Petroff Monday evening at an event in Rudder Auditorium. Pompeo discussed U.S. foreign policy and fielded questions from the audience.

Secretary of State visits Aggieland Pompeo talks diplomacy at Wiley lecture, reviews Corps of Cadets

By Savannah Mehrtens @SJMehrtens

By Jordan Burnham @RJordanBurnham

Incoming Memorial Student Center President Oriana Koot, biomedical science and psychology sophomore, will lead the 70th MSC executive team for the 2019-2020 school year. Koot started as an MSC officer at the beginning of her sophomore year as chair of the MSC Fall Leadership Conference. She spent her freshman year in MSC Aggie Leaders of Tomorrow, where she served as a staff member. Koot is a first-generation college student and said she found a home through her Freshman Leadership Organization, which eventually led to her new role as MSC President. Among other goals, Koot aims to help unify the 19 committees housed within the MSC and make the executive staff more approachable. Koot said she views herself as someone who can unite students in the MSC by bringing together different committees with diverse missions. “There’s around 1,300 MSC members in the 19 different committees, and each of the committees are so different and have such different mission statements,” Koot said. “I see my role as a person to unite those and bring all those different people together under the same MSC umbrella and really kind of give them a purpose to be in the MSC and see that bigger picture.” Now preparing for her role as a prominent student leader, Koot said the MSC remains a welcoming place for all students. For those who are not on a committee, Koot said events like this year’s performance by actor and comedian Hasan Minhaj present another opportunity for the MSC to offer representation and a sense of community. “We’re somewhere students can come to and just really feel like they have a home, really feel like they belong in one of the 19 different committees we have,” Koot said. “We also put on different programs to allow the students who might not be in the MSC to still feel like they are a part of A&M’s campus.” As she transitions into her new role, Koot said she is looking up to business honors senior and current MSC President Taylor Welch, as well as the entire MSC executive staff. “I never thought I would be able to be the MSC President, especially now, but they really believed in me, and they really encouraged me to go for it and saw something in me that I didn’t see,” Koot said. “Taylor Welch has helped me, since I got the position and even

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Texas A&M Monday evening to speak to students at an event organized by the MSC Wiley Lecture Series. Pompeo, who served as director of the CIA before his current appointment, ex-

MSC ON PG. 4

pressed the importance of American diplomacy and spoke about several important international policy issues on the world stage. After the lecture, Pompeo visited the gravesite of Barbara and George H.W. Bush and the Corps of Cadets conducted a marchin review, in which cadets marched across the Quad into Duncan Dining Hall, saluting Pompeo and Corps Commandant Brig. Gen. Joe Ramirez. In the first moments of Pompeo’s lecture in Rudder Auditorium, two attendees, one of whom was dressed in military uniform,

stood and began to speak to Pompeo, who continued to talk over the protesters until they sat down. As Pompeo continued to talk, he urged the crowd to join the diplomacy sector, saying it makes a difference in the lives of all Americans. “Diplomacy and military strike go hand in hand,” Pompeo said. “They are indeed intimately related; each relies on the other.” On April 8, the Trump administration, led by the State Department, declared Iran’s POMPEO ON PG. 4

Graphic by Nic Tan — THE BATTALION

The number of non-medical vaccine exemptions has risen from less than 5,000 in 2003 to nearly 45,000 in 2015.

Vaccine refusal drives measles outbreak Infected Chuy’s customer may have spread disease to College Station By Luis Sanchez @LuisSanchezBatt Customers who visited Chuy’s in College Station on March 29 are advised to continue checking for measles symptoms until Sunday, according to the Indiana State Department of Health. On March 29, a person from Indiana who

had the disease went to the restaurant on Harvey Road, potentially infecting others. As of April 5, there have been 15 confirmed cases of measles in Texas. Also known as rubeola, the measles is described by the Texas Department of State Health Services as “a highly contagious respiratory illness spread by contact with an infected person through coughing and sneezing.” By increasing MMR vaccinations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were able to eliminate measles in 2000, meaning there was more than a year without contin-

uous disease transmission. However, Arizona, California, Kentucky, New York, Oregon and Washington are just some of the states that have reported cases this year. Alistair McGregor, associate professor of microbial pathogenesis and immunology, said there has been a notable increase in reported cases of measles in the country. “Nationally, in the U.S, the trend is obviously upwards,” McGregor said. “And it’s MEASLES ON PG. 4

Camping out for Krispy Kreme Doughnut chain opens first shop in B-CS, offers prizes to first customers By Shreya Rao @Shreyarao_

Kaylee Cogbill — THE BATTALION

Krispy Kreme opened its College Station location at 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

Students and community members camped out on Monday night to get a taste of College Station’s newest doughnut shop and a chance to win free doughnuts for a year. Krispy Kreme opened the doors of its College Station location at 6 a.m. on Tuesday. A campout was held the night before where guests could enjoy food, games and a DJ from 5 p.m to 9 p.m. Public health senior Myrian Anuna said her roommate rented a tent from Texas A&M’s Student Recreation Center and camped outside with her starting at 5:30 p.m on Monday.

“I’ve always been a Krispy Kreme customer, but the last time I had a Krispy Kreme doughnut was in Houston,” Anuna said. “I had the first one about 30 minutes away from our house, and after I tried the first doughnut, I’ve been a huge fan, especially compared to Shipley Do-nuts.” Approximately 140 people stood in a line that wrapped around the building. The store gave wristbands to the first 100 guests that arrived at the campout, allowing them to claim a t-shirt and free donuts at the grand opening. The first guest received a punch card allowing them to receive a dozen original glazed doughnuts for free each week for a year. The next 99 guests received a punch card allowing them to receive a dozen each month for a year. Guests who were not in the first 100 received a coupon for one free doughnut. KRISPY KREME ON PG.3

LIFE&ARTS

The Battalion | 4.17.19

PROVIDED

Paddle EZ’s location at Lake Bryan has paddle boards and kayaks available for rental year-round through the Paddle EZ website.

Making the outdoors more accessible Texas company offers online kayak and paddle board rental at Lake Bryan By Meagan Sheffield @mshef350 As summer approaches, a new paddle board and kayak rental service on Lake Bryan provides an escape from the Texas heat. Paddle EZ has four paddle boards and six kayaks available for rent year-round from sunrise to sunset at their Lake Bryan location, which launched on March 8. Customers rent the equipment by selecting a date and time on the Paddle EZ website. Both kayaks and paddle boards cost $18 per hour and come with paddles and life jackets. The company was started in March 2017 and serves parks throughout Texas, Tennessee and Washington State.

Paddle EZ founder and chief executive officer Scott Koester said he decided to open a location on Lake Bryan because around a quarter of a million people live in Bryan-College Station, including a large number of young people. “Among the younger demographic, paddle boarding is getting very popular, so having A&M there seemed like a really good fit,” Koester said. “Also, the lake itself had a really nice spot down a little canal where it’s pretty protected, so it was an ideal location.” Koester said he wanted to lower the cost and increase the availability of renting paddle boards and kayaks by not requiring someone to stay near the equipment and wait for customers to show up. “I always have a list of businesses I would start if I ever had the chance,” Koester said. “[Paddle EZ] was one of the ones at the top of the list. I like efficiency, and I like being

outside.” Koester said the rental program has received positive feedback throughout the past two years, and all of the locations that opened in 2018 wanted to renew Paddle EZ. According to Koester, Paddle EZ will likely expand in Washington State and Tennessee and into Alabama and Oregon. “It’s a Texas-created start-up,” Koester said. “We obviously appreciate people trying something new, and we welcome any kind of feedback people have as well.” Lake Bryan energy accounts manager Elisabeth Reyes said before March, visitors to the lake would have to bring their own paddle boards and kayaks. Reyes said it was reassuring that Paddle EZ was already in place at 15 state parks when Lake Bryan was considering having their own location. “We felt comfortable with the fact that they

had a relationship at that level, that they may be a good fit for Lake Bryan as well,” Reyes said. “I think that we’d like to have [Paddle EZ] there as long as it makes sense for us and for them.” Though there are no lifeguards at the lake, Reyes said she is not aware of any safety issue involving the rental program. Reyes said there is not good cell service in the park, so visitors should make their rentals ahead of time. Lake Bryan also provides camping sites, parking spots for RVs and a pavilion for events. The park will host Spring Into Summer on May 18, which will include food trucks, bounce houses and a showing of “Finding Nemo”. More information about renting and Paddle EZ is available at paddleez.com.

‘Missing Link’ misses the mark Renowned stop-motion studio disappoints with lackluster new release Keagan Miller

Creative Commons

Keagan Miller says “Missing Link” is an attempt at comedy that lacks good jokes, though the visuals remain stunning.

@KeaganMlr

really wanted “Missing Link” to be good. Not only am I a huge fan of stop-motion, but I also love Hugh Jackman, Zach Galifianakis and Zoe Saldana, the film’s three stars. But while the movie did deliver with a rich, colorful and intricate stop-motion style, it didn’t have a lot going for it outside the stunning visuals. For a film intended to be a straight-up comedy, there were surprisingly few jokes that actually landed. Something about the delivery seemed off, like the actors were trying too hard to be funny. Which, with an all-star cast led by the likes of comedy veteran Galifianakis, was probably due to poor writing or directing rather than the actors themselves. Aside from the fact that “Missing Link” is an unfunny comedy, there were a few other things working for and against it. The stop-motion style of the visuals was put to fantastic use, and the film ended up being a delightful visual feast. The group responsible for the film, Laika Studios, is the same one that did “Kubo and the Two Strings” in 2016 and “Coraline” back in 2009, both to great critical and commercial success. They had experience in stop-motion before

working on “Missing Link,” and it really showed. From the first second of the film to the last, Laika’s near perfected stop-motion stylistic techniques left their fingerprints all over the somewhat lackluster story. The film was an absolute treat to look at, and no matter how bored I got during the movie itself, I didn’t dare look away for even a second for fear of missing the next beautiful sequence. I admit I am predisposed to stop-motion and have always loved the highly stylized feel of stop-motion works. However, even in terms of other stop-motion films, this one was a cut above in terms of visuals. Unfortunately, the visuals were the only thing the film got right. Aside from unfunny jokes and poorly directed actors, the film also wasted its high-potential premise. The writers got all the basic story elements in place and even had a strong thematic message that tied the work together, but I felt they just didn’t capitalize on their setting or story. The plot follows Jackman’s character, an adventurer and monster hunter no one takes seriously, as he treks literally across the globe using trains, ships, horses and other 1800s transportation technology in an effort to bring Galifianakis’ character, Mr. Link, to Britain to show off his discovery — then to Asia to reunite him with others of

his kind. Meanwhile, the two are tailed the whole way by a vicious thug set on stealing Jackman’s character’s discovery. It’s a plot with promise for sure, but the writers waste most of its comedic and emotional potential by skipping around through the journey and focusing more on the destination than the road to get there. The film does have some emotional moments in it, and if there’s one thing other than quality stop-motion that Laika has proved itself capable of in the past, it’s drama. The characters do show genuine emotional release, and while the thematic elements are stretched a little thin over the film’s skeletal structure, they work nonetheless. “Missing Link’s” main flaw is trying to be a comedy without any good jokes. The film’s over-emphasis on comedic elements that just aren’t there makes the whole thing feel empty and dull. The style is phenomenal, but spectacular visuals can’t make up for a poor plotline. I really wanted to like this film, but I can’t in good conscience recommend it. Laika missed the mark with this one. Let’s hope they do better with their next stop-motion story. Keagan Miller is a psychology junior and Life & Arts columnist for The Battalion.

Senior Boot Bag Price Includes Logo and Name (More logos available) Shop for Little Aggies to an Aggie Xmas etsy.com/shop/aggiesandbows by Charlotte, Reveille’s Seamstress Aggie Mom & Grandma Located inside the office/store of: A&B SELF STORAGE / A&B SALES - EMBROIDERY 1711 N Earl Rudder Fwy Bryan, TX 77803 979-778-2293 charboeg@yahoo.com

For A&M Sterling Silver Jewelry: stores.ebay.com/charboeg979

Congratulations to

Maintenance Associate of the Month,

Gilma De La Rosa 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, Gilma, for all your hard work and dedication to AggieWorks!

Megan Rodriguez, Editor-in-Chief Luke Henkhaus, Managing Editor Jordan Burnham, News Editor Sanna Bhai, Asst. News Editor Henry Mureithi, Asst. News Editor Kathryn Whitlock, Life & Arts Editor Hannah Falcon, Life & Arts Editor Samantha Mahler, Life & Arts Editor Jane Turchi, Special Sections Editor

Angel Franco, Sports Editor Abigail Ochoa, Sports Editor Cassie Stricker, Photo Chief Meredith Seaver, Asst. Photo Chief Daoud Qamar, Video Editor Kevin Christman, Video Editor Brady Stone, Page Designer Sydney Clark, Page Designer

THE BATTALION is published Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during the 2019 spring semester (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University, 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. Newsroom 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 display advertising call 979-845-2687. For classified advertising, call 979-845-0569. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Email: battads@thebatt.com. Subscriptions: A part of the University Advancement Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1.

NEWS

The Battalion | 4.17.19

Caught by the Cougars Aggies fall to Houston ahead of series against Gamecocks By Brian Bass @brianbass4

Provided by Trevor Nolley — THE COUGAR

Sophomore outfielder Zach DeLoach runs to first during the Aggies’ 4-1 loss against Houston on Tuesday.

KRISPY KREME CONTINUED Local Mark Mannes and sport management senior Cheyenna Mitchell were both awarded the first guest prize. Both arrived at the shop at the same time, around 2:40 p.m. Monday

afternoon, but at different entrances to the building. “I’m so excited,” Mitchell said. “I love Krispy Kreme. It’s a back-home place to go for breakfast; that’s what I was raised on.” The shop is located at 1312 Harvey Road in the Post Oak Square shopping center. The

Designated hitter Derrick Cherry registered three hits and a single RBI in University of Houston’s 4-1 upset of No. 9 Texas A&M at Don Sanders Field on Tuesday. The Cougars found their stride in the first inning with a pair of scores after A&M left-hand pitcher Chandler Jozwiak allowed Blake Way to hit a double RBI into right center field, bringing in Jared Triolo to score in the second at-bat. Jozwiak’s struggles continued through the first inning when Cherry hit a single RBI to right center field, putting Way over home plate to extend the lead to 2-0. A&M came up short at the plate once again in the following inning after the Houston defense capitalized on a pair of groundouts and a pop fly, putting the Cougars back on the plate in the bottom of the second. After hitting second baseman Brad Burkel on the first pitch, catcher Kyle Lovelace singled to Jozwiak and then advanced to second after a throwing error. This error allowed Burkel to score an unearned run and move the score to 3-0 with no outs. “Give Houston credit,” A&M head coach Rob Childress told 12thman.com. “They were the aggressors early. They put two runs up in the first and then we gave them a couple of runs with the throwing error and the wild pitch.” Childress made the call to take Jozwiak off the mound after the

store stays open from 6 a.m to 10 p.m Sunday through Thursday. While the store is closed on Friday and Saturday, the drive-thru is open those days from 6 a.m to 11 p.m. General manager Brian Davis said the opening had a good turnout and he hopes students come out to this new location.

first two innings. Jozwiak finished with four hits, two walks, three runs and a pair of strikeouts. Freshman left-handed pitcher Chris Weber was called from the bullpen to replace Jozwiak to begin the third inning. Weber threw five strikeouts, one hit and no walks in three innings pitched. After Weber retired nine batters on the mound, Childress brought in left-handed pitcher Dustin Saenz to take over pitching responsibilities. Saenz would also only allow one hit in a single inning pitched. The Aggies got on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth inning after infielder Hunter Watson grounded out to first, bringing outfielder Zach DeLoach home and trimming the lead to 3-1. Houston answered in the bottom of the seventh after left-handed pitcher Joseph Menefee threw a wild pitch, allowing Lovelace to cross home plate to make it 4-1. The Cougars had a strong showing from its pitching staff, with the two pitchers combining for a 0.78 ERA and one walk for the entire game. “We had two runners in scoring position with one out and a chance to tie the game with our No. 5 and No. 6 hitters coming to the plate and we don’t score,” Childress told 12thman.com. “Those things make it tough to win, especially on the road.” With the loss, the Aggies move to 27-11-1 overall and 9-5-1 in SEC play. Houston improves to 21-15 in its overall season record and 6-6 in the American Athletic Conference. A&M continues its road trip, traveling to South Carolina to begin a three-game series on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN+.

“We had over 100 people last night that camped out; they were all troopers,” Davis said. “Lots of people in line, lots of students, lots of people from the community — it was great. We have Wi-Fi; we have music, we have good doughnuts and a lot of fun.”

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ANSWERS

to todays puzzles

HOLY WEEK & EASTER

NEWS

The Battalion | 4.17.19

ST. MARY’S CATHOLIC CENTER ~ 603 CHURCH AVE ON NORTHGATE

HOLY THURSDAY (APR 18)

Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7:15 PM

GOOD FRIDAY (APR 19)

Service of the Passion of the Lord, 7:15 PM Stations of the Cross 3:00 PM

HOLY SATURDAY (APR 20)

The Easter Vigil, 8:45 PM

EASTER SUNDAY (APR 21)

Masses at 10 AM, 12 PM, 7:15 PM

CATHOLIC STUDENTS ASSOCIATION ~ AGGIECATHOLIC.ORG

Meredith Seaver — THE BATTALION

The Corps of Cadets conducted a march-in review after Pompeo’s talk. Cadets saluted Pompeo, Brig. Gen. Joe Ramirez and Corps Commander Adam Buckley as they passed by.

POMPEO CONTINUED Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The White House released a statement describing “the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft.” Responding to a question posed by an audience member regarding the expected sanctions following the IRCG’s designation as a terrorist organization, Pompeo said the U.S. would “vigorously” pursue sanctions on companies with alleged dealings with the organization. “Some 20 percent of the Iraqi economy is controlled by the IRGC,” Pompeo said. “My wisdom for those of you who are connected to companies that might be doing business with them, or if you’re the general counsel for a European bank that’s doing business with the company that might have a 20 percent shareholder in the IRGC, is you should check your work.” In addition to discussing policy top-

ics in the Middle East, Pompeo spoke about Latin American policy and said that for the region to modernize, it must join the global market. “I’m telling you, I think there’s an enormous opportunity for American businesses to go to these places, to go to South American countries and sell our products,” Pompeo said. Pompeo said the United States, through USAID, has been generous in supplying aid to Venezuela, and President Nicolás Maduro has prevented the assistance from reaching its designated recipients. “They can’t always get it, as in the case of Venezuela we weren’t able to get it to the people who needed it,” Pompeo said. “Maduro is still denying food to the starving and medicine to sick children.” According to Pompeo, three million Venezuelans have fled their nation-state — roughly 10 percent of the full population. Around 1.5 million migrants are in Colombia, 750,000 migrants are in Peru and hundreds of thousands are scattered across other countries in South America. “The solution to that is creating

democracy and opportunity inside of Venezuela,” Pompeo said.“That’s the answer to the migration problem, which is burdening Peru and Colombia and Chile and now Ecuador. The solution to that is creating economic opportunity at home so these people can stay.” Pompeo, who attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, was met with applause from the audience after reflecting on the cadet motto used at both West Point and Texas A&M: “You will not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do.” “I was the CIA director,” Pompeo said. “We lied, we cheated, we stole. We had entire training courses.” In closing, Pompeo said the goal of the State Department is to turn struggling nations into steady, long-term democratic partners for the United States. “I know that you all have a tremendous sense of duty, a tremendous sense of service,” Pompeo said. “I hope that today that you can see that America’s State Department is committed to living up to those standards.”

Savannah Mehrtens — THE BATTALION

Oriana Koot said her goals as MSC president include unifying the MSC committees and helping all Aggies feel at home.

MSC CONTINUED before, so much in trusting in me and believing in me. I really look up to them, all of my mentors in the MSC, even from my freshman year.” Welch and Koot first met when Koot was chair of the Fall Leadership Conference, where both were able to connect with fellow student leaders. Now, Welch is working to help Koot transition into her role as MSC President. “We’ve worked together the past few months as we’ve transitioned, and it’s just been really exciting to see how much passion and enthusiasm she has,” Welch said. “I feel like Oriana is the kind of leader that cares not only about the MSC programs but also the individual leadership development of all students.” Koot said she is looking forward to the team she will be working with over the next year and is ready to continue to learn how

MEASLES CONTINUED more than likely due to an influx of people coming into the country, or visiting, who actually are carrying the virus. And then we have a situation now with a growing number of people who haven’t been vaccinated against measles, so there is this potential for a highly contagious virus spreading. Measles virus is one of the most effective viruses around.” Mary Parrish, a health educator at the Brazos County Health District, said cases in Houston, central and north Texas could be a concern for the Brazos County community.

to serve A&M as best she can. “Even though I’m young and I have a lot to learn, I am willing to learn, and I’m willing to put in the work to serve the MSC and to serve Texas A&M as best I can,” Koot said. “I’m just so grateful for this opportunity, and I’m especially so grateful for those I will be working with next year because they’ve already done amazing things.” Jack Oldham, supply chain management junior and incoming MSC executive vice president of business, will be working on administrative functions across the MSC. Oldham has also worked as director of the Fall Leadership Conference and will be working with Koot on the executive team. “I think Oriana is one of the most qualified individuals for this position,” Oldham said. “She has a lot of experience within the MSC and outside of the MSC that has prepared her to take on this role, and I can’t wait to see what she’ll bring to the position and to the Memorial Student Center as a whole.” “We are seeing trends that show that where people are not vaccinating, that’s where the majority of measles cases are,” Parrish said. “There definitely is a threat, but if people vaccinate, there is nothing to worry about. The main concern is for children who are not vaccinated and also for young adults who work with small children who have lost their immunity from the MMR vaccine.” Kathryn Bannon, patient services manager at Student Health Services, said students can receive the MMR vaccine on campus for $96, and anyone who is concerned about whether their vaccine is active can be offered the MMR titer test to check immunity.