The Battalion - February 14, 2019 by The Battalion

PROVIDED

Jacob Eisenbach will share his story in Rudder Auditorium on Monday evening.

Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION

Members of the Texas A&M chapter of Liberty in North Korea raise funds to help rescue North Korean refugees. Their $3,000 goal is enough to help one refugee reach freedom.

Students stand for liberty Organization raises money to help North Korean refugees seek freedom By Jordan Burnham @RJordanBurnham North Korean refugees’ journey to reach freedom doesn’t end when they flee the nation, and students at Texas A&M are working to raise financial support and awareness for an often-overlooked crisis. It is estimated that 80,000 to 120,000 North Korean citizens are held in prison camps under the regime of Kim Jong Un, and the 25 million citizens outside of these camps are also deprived of many basic rights and freedoms such as the freedom of speech, religion and movement. Because

of this repression, thousands of North Koreans attempt to flee the regime each year through the Chinese-North Korea border. If they reach China, they are not regarded as refugees despite China’s participation in the 1951 Refugee Convention, which guarantees the protection and non-repatriation of individuals fleeing threats to life or freedom. Liberty in North Korea, a nonprofit based out of Long Beach, California, helps North Korean refugees in China reach freedom in South Korea or the United States. The organization has helped 939 refugees to date, and students in the Texas A&M chapter are joining the movement by fundraising and bringing awareness to this crisis. International studies sophomore Jake Shatzer, the founder and president of Liberty in North Korea: Texas A&M, said he lived in South

Korea and created the chapter at A&M to make an impact on campus and overseas. “If you think about North Korea, the average person in the United States is going to think about Kim Jong Un, nuclear missiles, because that’s what the news focuses on,” Shatzer said. “But there are actually 25 million people living in North Korea and not a lot of people are thinking about what they’re going through and the fact that they’re trying to reach freedom — that they’re trying to change their country, and there are ways we can help them do that.” Shatzer said Liberty in North Korea staff go to China to guide North Korean refugees to safety and avoid repatriation. “It’s especially dangerous for female North Korean refugees because they have N. KOREA ON PG. 3

Holocaust survivor to speak at A&M Chabad welcomes Eisenbach for sold-out presentation in Rudder By Shakirat Adetunji @shakeeraah Dr. Jacob Eisenbach, a Holocaust survivor and international speaker, will visit Texas A&M on Monday, presenting an opportunity for students and community members to hear a firsthand account of the Holocaust. Eisenbach will speak to an audience in Rudder Auditorium at an event hosted by Chabad at Texas A&M University. The 96-year-old survivor from Lodz, Poland, will discuss his experiences during the Third Reich and the factors that led to the Holocaust. Eisenbach immigrated to the United States with his family in 1950 and worked as a dentist for around 60 years. He has traveled extensively to share his story and speak out against intolerance and discrimination. Chabad co-director Manya Lazaroff said the vision of the event is to educate and empower all Aggies to eliminate hatred from the world. SURVIVOR ON PG. 3

Meredith Seaver — THE BATTALION

Meredith Seaver— THE BATTALION

Sophomore forward N’dea Jones leads the Aggies in rebounds with a total of 257 on the season and an average of 11.2 per game.

Junior pitcher Kendall Potts pitched five innings for the Aggies and earned her first win in the circle, allowing only three hits from the Panthers.

Firing on all cylinders Painting the court pink Thursday basketball game to honor women affected by breast cancer By Hannah Underwood @hannahbunderwood After breaking a seven-game win streak with a 70-65 overtime loss to Missouri on Feb. 7, the No. 22 Texas A&M women’s basketball team is looking to get back in the win column against LSU on Thursday. The Aggies are 18-5 overall and 7-3 against Southeastern Conference opponents.

LSU (14-8, 5-5 SEC) is coming off a 71-34 win over Arkansas last Thursday. A&M previously lost to LSU on Jan. 6 by a score of 63-52. In that game, the Aggies turned the ball over 21 times. Head coach Gary Blair said limiting turnovers will be crucial in Thursday’s matchup. “That cannot happen,” Blair said. “You lose when the other team has possessions — doesn’t matter what you shoot. We have to take care of the basketball better against LSU.” W. BASKETBALL ON PG. 4

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NOT COLLEGE READY when they graduate from high school.

Aggie softball racks up another win ahead of Texas A&M Invitational By Abigail Ochoa @AbigailOchoa88

The No. 22 Texas A&M softball team continued its undefeated record against the Prairie View A&M Panthers with an 8-0 win — complete with a home run and eight RBIs — at Davis Diamond on Wednesday. With the victory, the Aggies secure a 5-1 overall season record and extend their win streak to two games. The Panthers move to

a 3-2 record and a two-game losing streak after losing to Alabama State University 11-3 during the last game of the Southern University Tournament. Freshman catcher Morgan Smith was the standout player for A&M. Smith began the bottom of the first inning with a leadoff home run that put the Aggies on the scoreboard and earned Smith her first career homer. A&M head coach Jo Evans said she admires the way Smith approaches her at-bats, and although the home run was unexpected, she was excited to see Smith had that power in her. SOFTBALL ON PG. 4

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OPINION

The Battalion | 2.14.19

‘Miss Bala:’ A hard-hitting American remake Hardwicke’s latest film is a fun, female-led action thriller

Cole Fowler

Creative Commons

“Miss Bala” was released on Feb. 1.

@thecolefowler

exan filmmaker Catherine Hardwicke is one of the most prominent female Hollywood directors currently working. Her movies “Thirteen” and “Lords of Dogtown” shaped the film aesthetic of the early 2000s, and although not entirely indicative of her prowess as a filmmaker, “Twilight” is one of the highest grossing films directed by a woman. Other than “Thirteen,” which she co-wrote with lead actress Nikki Reed, and “Plush,” which she co-wrote with Arty Nelson, Hardwicke works alongside writers with a completed screenplay. In some cases, such as “Lords of Dogtown,” the screenplay doesn’t hold back her directing ability. However, as in most cases where the writer and director are working collaboratively, one tends to outshine the other. “Miss Bala” is a prime example of the latter. Hardwicke took the reigns as the director of the film and, as evident in most of her previous works, is passionate about female representation within Hollywood. However, her ability is heavily suppressed by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer’s lack of writing ability. Dunnet-Alcocer, who

had never written a feature film screenplay until this one, does not seem like the right man to adapt the widely popular Mexican movie for American audiences. Gerardo Naranjo, the writer and director of the original film, is clearly a more developed filmmaker, and his screenplay is, surprisingly, far better than the mess Dunnet-Alcocer came up with. So just as any film where the screenwriter pales in comparison to the ability of the director, the screenplay sticks out amongst the bad-ass imagery of Hardwicke’s film. This, unfortunately, negatively affects the overall feel of the film. However, Hardwicke proves throughout the film why she is one of the top female directors in Hollywood. She beautifully paints her heroine, Gloria, played by Gina Rodriguez, trapped between the law of the DEA and the law of a Mexican cartel, perfectly developing her character arc. Rodriguez, who recently made the transition from her widely popular television show “Jane the Virgin” to film, continues to establish her presence within Hollywood. In 2018, she appeared as one of the four main characters in Alex Garland’s popular sci-fi film “Annihilation.” In each of these performances, she earns her growing reputation as an action star. Her screen presence is felt in every

scene and her ability perfectly compliments Hardwicke’s female-driven style. “Miss Bala” walks the blurry line that every American remake walks in the process of adapting a foreign film. In nearly every case, the American version of the film exploits the popularity of the original for the gain of Hollywood producers. Yet, in the case of this movie, Hardwicke seems to take the source film and tell her own story. Even with her lack of ability to change the screenplay, Hardwicke focuses her directorial power to creating a film where it doesn’t feel out of place for a woman to be the star of an action film. As stated and shown in her previous work, Hardwicke is passionate about bringing the female voice to a male-dominated industry. Her work, alongside the work of Kathryn Bigelow, Dee Rees, Sofia Coppola and the many other female directors in American film industry, is paving the way for younger women to have their voice in Hollywood. Overall, “Miss Bala” is heavily held back by its screenplay. However, the artistic talent of Hardwicke combined with acting ability of Rodriguez certainly makes up for the lack of quality writing. Cole Fowler is an English junior and columnist for The Battalion.

Creative Commons

“The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” was released in theaters Feb. 8. The movie features familiar characters from the first film including Emmet Brickowski and Wyldstyle.

Almost as good as the first installment Animated LEGO adventure a worthy follow up to original classic

Keagan Miller

@KeaganMlr

arner Bros.’ “The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part” is an exciting, fun adventure for all ages. It’s hilarious. It’s emotional. It’s engaging. It’s just straight up fun. The film capitalized on its format big time, once again using real world problems like losing LEGO pieces under the dryer as major plot points. Just like the first installment, the movie revolves around Emmet Brickowski, voiced by Chris Pratt, and his friend Wyldstyle, voiced by Elizabeth Banks, as they try to save their LEGO world from certain doom. “The Second Part” also sees the return of many characters featured in the

original, including Will Ferrell’s President Business, Will Arnett’s Batman and Charlie Day’s Benny, a 1980-something Space Guy. The voice performances from every one of them were phenomenal. The film is comedy gold, satirizing everything from “Planet of the Apes” to Batman’s long history as a television and film character. The true genius of the film is that it’s not afraid to make fun of itself and acknowledge its own ridiculousness. Some of the best moments occur when things get really silly and the characters turn around and comment on that. At one point, Rex Dangervest, a new character, even goes so far as to say “I told you stuff doesn’t make any sense here.” The music is once again fantastic, with the two most notable songs entitled “Catchy Song” and “Super Cool.” The

The 2018 Aggieland is here and it’s not to late to buy your copy. The 116th edition of Texas A&M’s official yearbook is a photojournalistic record of the 2017-2018 school year

ing as the villain, it’s his younger sister who’s always trying to destroy what he builds. The story parallels the challenges of growing up as well as the difficulties that a sibling rivalry can cause. The plot from the LEGO characters’ perspective is interesting enough, but when you finally realize what it all means from the live action kids’ perspectives, the film shows its depth on a whole other level. “The LEGO Movie 2” is a great film. Hilariously funny, deviously clever, heart-wrenchingly emotional and above all silly, it’s a film that everyone should experience. It didn’t quite measure up to the all-around awesomeness of the first one, but it came pretty close. It’s definitely worth the watch.

AGGIELAND 2018

2018 AGGIELAND

former is a bouncy pop beat with the repeating lyrics “This song’s gonna get stuck inside your head,” while the latter is a hilarious song designed to play over the film’s credits. As singer Beck says in “Super Cool:” “The credits of the film are the main attraction,” so don’t even think about leaving your seat until the beautifully-made credits sequence is over and the song about how great the credits are has ended. Story wise, the movie makes great use of the revelation at the end of the first film that all the LEGO people and the world that they live in are projections of the child who’s playing with them. “The Second Part” takes place a few years after the events of the original and the kid has grown into a young teenager, but the idea is the same. This time, however, instead of the boy’s strict father serv-

Keagan Miller is a psychology junior and columnist for The Battalion.

here

Texas A&M University Vol. 116

Go Online to aggieland.tamu.edu or call 979-845-2613 to make your purchase. $75.00 + Tax (Includes Mail Fee) Come by office L400 of the MSC and skip the mail fee charge.

Don’t forget to also preorder your copy of the 2019 Aggieland yearbook. The 117th edition of Texas A&M’s official yearbook. Distribution will be the Fall 2019.

NEWS

The Battalion | 2.14.19

Professor tackles cybersecurity improvement project Grant opens doors for Texas A&M researchers to explore safety, security in nation’s energy industry By Jackie White @Jackie_white21 This year, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded 11 teams around the nation with up to $28 million for cybersecurity improvement projects. Kate Davis, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, leads a team from the Engineering Experiment Station, which will be undertaking one of the cybersecurity projects in Aggieland. Davis is no stranger to projects involving national cybersecurity. She came to Aggieland after working on a project called CYPSA — Cyber-Physical Situational Awareness. Davis said reflecting on that experience from CYPSA launched her into what is now her biggest project yet. “For this new project, the idea is to come up with a next-generation cyber-physical energy management system that is considering security from the ground up,” Davis said. “The CYPSA project provided a seed for that.” Davis said her team’s primary goal is to improve cyber security and safety for energy industries in the U.S., protecting important infrastructure across the nation. “What we really want to be doing is not just sitting in an ivory tower coming up with some cool mathematical model,”

N. KOREA CONTINUED no legal status in China,” Shatzer said. “They’re frequently sold into forced marriages, trafficked into sex trade. It’s really dangerous for them there, and that’s why Liberty in North Korea staff goes there and helps them get out.” Chad Miller, treasurer and Bush School student, said North Korea is largely neglected at A&M, so information that students obtain deals only with Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump or North Korea’s nuclear program. “For us to come here and shed light on a different side of North Korea is really important because of the lack of alternatives that we have here at Texas A&M,” Miller said. “There’s

SURVIVOR CONTINUED “We are excited to give Aggies the exceptional opportunity to hear a firsthand account from a Holocaust survivor who lived through all the atrocities,” Lazaroff said. “We are so blessed that TAMU is a warm and loving campus, so we see that the power of bringing such a speaker to our campus is more about augmenting the positive energy of the Aggie spirit and values.” Lazaroff said interest expressed by Aggies has been immense. Tickets to the event sold out within two weeks of announcement. “About 3,500 Aggies showed interest in going to the event on our Facebook page,” Lazaroff said. “This only tells us one thing —

Davis said. “We really want to be doing something that’s going to have an impact in transitioning technology to industry. We’ll also be able to recommend to the user’s information about where the weak points are in their systems and what kinds of actions they might want to take.” While this is no small pursuit for the team, Davis said the project is the opportunity of a lifetime. “This topic is really the most important thing to me,” Davis said. “I tell some people that this is the thing that keeps me up at night. If I can’t fall asleep because I’m thinking about a problem, I’m thinking about this. It is very exciting that we actually have this opportunity to do what we think needs to be done.” Davis shares this enthusiasm and sense of urgency with the rest of her team. Abhijeet Sahu, graduate research assistant earning a doctorate in electrical engineering, is one team member who shed light on the importance of this topic. “We have a very big objective — there are different types of attacks that are possible, and our model will be able to detect them,” Sahu said. “We will be having a greater impact. This is something that is exciting and inspires me to work on this project.” Sahu said he believes it is necessary for all engineers to have some background in cybersecurity. “In any of the undergrad courses — whether it is electrical, computer science, or petroleum engineering — it is always good to have a cybersecurity course,” Sahu said. Sahu is not the only team member concerned about the next generation of cybersecurity knowledge. Graduate research asno classes to tell you otherwise, and then you’ve got the news that only focuses on that one aspect.” Miller said that in addition to helping refugees escape China and raising awareness about the crisis, Liberty in North Korea also helps resettle refugees once they reach freedom. “We see a tangible difference because we’re actually helping to save actual people,” Miller said. “I’ve met people who have benefited from the work that Liberty in North Korea does.” Ben Zimmer, outreach officer and Bush School student, said North Korean defectors can also bring information back into North Korea and eventually contribute to the liberation of its people. “A lot of movements that can topple regimes, like the Arab Spring — they start from the people,” Zimmer said.

that the Aggie community is willing to become educated and inspired to be ambassadors of right and goodness.” Kinesiology senior Josh Williams said he was motivated by the A&M community’s massive response to the event. “TAMU isn’t a Jewish school and doesn’t have the largest Jewish population, but to see that a lot of Aggies care about the history of Holocaust is just very impactful to me,” Williams said. According to Lazaroff, Eisenbach said the crowd in Rudder will be the largest he has ever spoken to. “This says a lot about our Aggie family,” Lazaroff said. “In the future we will be bringing in more speakers in such a great capacity, because if there is such a huge interest, we will

sistant and electrical engineering Ph.D. candidate Hao Huang said the work being done now will create lasting benefits for the engineers of the future. “I think it is great for the next generation,” Hao said. “We are providing something really new to people — we can help them protect power systems, which means a lot.”

Kaylee Cobgill — THE BATTALION

Electrical and computer engineering assistant professor Kate Davis is leading a project to improve cyber security.

Shatzer said the organization has raised over $1,250 and plans on reaching $3,000 by the end of the year, which is the amount of money required to help one refugee reach freedom. World Holocaust Remembrance Day took place two weeks ago and used the slogan “never again.” Shatzer said every individual should remember that slogan as they think about North Korea. “This should never happen again, and it is happening again,” Shatzer said. “It’s important to be the people that stood up and said ‘This is happening. This is wrong. We need to make a difference.’” Donations to the Texas A&M chapter of Liberty in North Korea can be made at fundraise.libertyinnorthkorea.org/team/ texas-am-university-rescue-team.

need to do something about that.” Animal science sophomore Benjamin Kaplan said he feels fortunate for the opportunity to hear Eisenbach speak. “Events like this bring you closer to what happened then,” Kaplan said. “I look forward to similar events that will encourage Aggies to continue to be ambassadors against negativity and hatred for the betterment of humanity.” Williams said he is particularly inspired to learn from Eisenbach’s resilience as a person who lived through the Holocaust at a young age. “A lot of the Holocaust survivors that we have today were children during the time of the Holocaust,” Williams said. “Eisenbach is 96-years old. Therefore, he has the perspective of the Holocaust from our age, so it will

be as if any of us were there at that time, and that is very rare to find these days.” This event is particularly timely, Williams said, since the window of opportunity to hear a firsthand account of the Holocaust era from survivors is closing. “What resonates with me very well is that the Holocaust survivors were the witnesses, and a lot of them are dying because of old age,” Williams said. “As time goes on, we will be the witnesses today, so hearing from them is tremendously important because we are the ones to take that lesson and pass it on.” More information about the event and the organizations involved is available at tx.ag/ Eisenbach.

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HELP WANTED Work around your class schedule! No Saturday or Sundays, off during the holidays. The Battalion Advertising Office is hiring an Advertising Sales Representative. Must be enrolled at A&M and have reliable transportation. Interested applicants should come by our office located in the MSC, Suite 400, from 8am-4pm, ask to speak with Joseph. The Battalion Advertising Office is hiring for our Street Team. Work around your class schedule on campus! Interested applicants should come by our office located in the MSC, Suite 400, from 8am-4pm, for more information Ask to speak with Joseph.

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The Battalion | 2.14.19

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Meredth Seaver — THE BATTALION

Sophomore guard Jada Walton will wear her mother’s name on her jersey for Thursday’s BTHO Breast Cancer game.

W. BASKETBALL CONTINUED The Tigers had four players score double-digit points against Arkansas. Junior forward Ayanna Mitchell led the charge with 21 points, also adding 17 rebounds. Senior guard Shanice Norton followed with 13 points, while sophomore guards Khayla Pointer and Karli Seay added 10 a piece. Sophomore guard Chennedy Carter — who remains A&M’s leading scorer — put up 29 points against Missouri last week to become the fourth player in A&M history to have over 10 points in 30 consecutive games. Fellow sophomore, forward N’dea Jones, had a career-high five blocks and a team-high 12 rebounds against Missouri. The theme for Thursday’s game is BTHO Breast Cancer, and each Aggie will wear a jersey with the name of someone in their life who has been affected by cancer. Sophomore guard Jada Walton and junior guard Jasmine Williams, who both lost their mothers to breast cancer, will wear jerseys in their honor. “Getting the opportunity to put her name on the back of

my jersey for the first time ever and being able to play in a basketball game representing her with a lot of my extended family and friends coming is something special that I don’t think many players in collegiate athletics get to experience,” Williams said. “I’m just privileged and thankful to have this opportunity.” After losing her mom in 2013, Walton said she turned to her 16-year-old brother Jarrett to find her inner strength. “I didn’t want to be down for him,” Walton said. “I wanted to maintain positivity for him and let him know that the sky’s the limit. I’m trying to be the best image of my mom to him now.” Blair’s jersey will have ESPN reporter Holly Rowe’s name on the back. Blair said he chose to honor Rowe because she interviewed him following A&M’s national championship win in 2011, and he admired her ability to continue working throughout her chemotherapy treatments. “I admire her,” Blair said. “[She’s] meant so much to women’s basketball in general and to sport in general. Holly Rowe is my person, and I’ll be proud to wear that jersey on Thursday night.” Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at Reed Arena.

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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 StudentAffairs.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

Meredth Seaver — THE BATTALION

Junior outfielder Kelbi Fortenberry slides into second base with an unsuccessful tag by Prairie View second basemen Destinee Williams.

SOFTBALL CONTINUED “[Smith is] a high IQ kind of kid and knows what she is doing at the plate, makes adjustments and really learns from one pitch to the next,” Evans said. “Sometimes you don’t see that in a freshman. They can get a little bit ahead of themselves, but she doesn’t.” Smith completed the game with two RBIs, a home run and two runs. Junior outfielder Kelbi Fortenberry led the offense with three runs, one RBI and three base hits. The Aggies, who have not completed a full seven-inning game once this season, due to run rule, took the lead early with two runs in both the first and second inning. Junior pitcher Kendall Potts pitched a 1-2-3 inning to close out the first and got out of a bases-loaded situation to close out the second. Along with Smith’s homer, A&M earned a 4-0 lead from a fly ball to center by sophomore catcher and third baseman Dani Elder and two RBI singles by Fortenberry and freshman infielder Baylee Klingler. A&M finished the game off with a triple down right field

by sophomore infielder Ashlynn Walls, bringing home two Aggies on base. The last two runs came from the fly ball to left field by Smith and a bases-loaded walk by Walls. The fourth and fifth innings went scoreless, with Potts securing the win on the mound. Evans said she was pleased with Potts’ performance against Prairie View, though there is still a lot to learn about the pitcher, who transferred from Baylor this season. “I think that [Potts] got comfortable as the game went on,” Evans said. “When she missed, she didn’t miss by much, which I was happy about. She didn’t miss over the plate. I think overall it was a good outing for her and a good start.” The Aggies will take on Liberty and McNeese State to kick off the Texas A&M Invitational on Friday. The first game against Liberty will start at 3 p.m. and will be immediately followed by McNeese at 5:15 p.m. at Davis Diamond. A&M will play Liberty again on Saturday, followed by a matchup with Rutgers at 3 p.m. The Invitational will wrap up on Sunday with a second game against McNeese State at 12:15 p.m. All games will be televised on the SEC Network.