The Battalion - February 20, 2019 by The Battalion

Discussing change

Megan Cusick — THE BATTALION

(Front to back) Gilberto Rebolloso, Hugo Casillas and Hayes Duffy spoke in Tuesday night’s yell leader debate.

Meredith Seaver — THE BATTALION

Student body president candidates Misael Jimenez, Michael Barrera, Mikey Jaillet, Gregory Cross and Caroline Moore answered questions on finances, traditions, diversity and more at a debate in the MSC Flag Room Tuesday night.

Representation, tradition on the agenda at SBP candidate debate By Jordan Burnham @RJordanBurnham Piano music can be heard echoing from the flag room almost every evening, but on Tuesday night, the voices of all five student body president candidates filled the room instead. The Aggies contending for the office gathered on Tuesday to share their individual stories and visions for the student body. The debate, mediated by Director of the Aggie Honor System Office Tim Powers, allowed the candidates to highlight their campaign platforms, personal

experiences and the changes they want to see on the Texas A&M campus. Political science junior Caroline Moore, who emphasized student safety and the importance of resources that help students with the financial burden of college, said her time as a student senator has prepared her for the position of student body president. She applauded the diversity displayed in the panel with LGBTQ+, Latino and female candidates represented. “I also believe we should focus on the candidate who is going to represent all of our student body as a whole,” Moore said. “And it’s not just uniting Aggies as one, but it’s uniting the Aggie family, and taking special time to recognize every single voice so we’re not having

populations of students being underrepresented like they have for years on our campus.” Expanding on a core element of his platform, history junior Gregory Cross said the implementation of open education resources has proven to be successful over the past year, citing the biology and psychology department’s use of the resources. Cross said these efforts collectively saved students over $2 million on textbooks. “I think that’s an initiative that your student body president can push to all departments, and at least the intro classes,” Cross said. “We can really implement those textbooks and save our students some money.”

Speaking on spirit Five for Yell a no-show at SGA’s first-ever yell leader debate, other candidates field questions By Henry Mureithi @HenryMureithi5 Three of the eight candidates running for yell leader positions answered student-submitted questions in a debate Tuesday night. Hosted by the Election Commission of the Student Government Association, the debate took place in the MSC Flag Room. The discussion was moderated by Scot Walker, assistant vice president of communications at the Association of Former Students and Class of 1990. Throughout the two rounds of questioning, the participants were given two minutes to answer the inquiries which pertained to general topics on school spirit and each candidate’s goals for the positions. Participants included senior yell candidates Hugo Casillas and Gilberto Rebolloso, along with junior yell candidate Hayes Duffy. Candidates from the 5 for Yell campaign — Karsten Lowe, Reid Williams, Jacob Huffman, Kenny

SBP DEBATE ON PG. 2

YELL DEBATE ON PG. 2

Preserving black history in Bryan Museum educates the public on local African American history and culture By Giselle Warren @GiselleWarren16

PROVIDED

The Brazos Valley African American Museum is on East Pruitt Street in Bryan.

During Black History month and all year long, the Brazos Valley African American Museum preserves an often-overlooked history. Established in 2006, the museum was constructed on the property that belonged to the first African American school in Bryan, founded in 1885. Museum curator Wayne Sadberry said keeping this spot the center of African American learning is the main purpose of the museum. “We’re trying to tell a story; we’re trying to draw attention to certain aspects of our society that we feel need to be recognized,” Sadberry said. “We’re not trying to reinvent the world; we’re just trying to uncover. There was a lot of history that was going unnoticed by the majority population so we feel that

it’s come upon us to bring that to the attention of the public.” Nancy Self, a member of the museum’s committee and former professor in the College of Education at Texas A&M, said it’s important to educate future generations through the museum. “It portrays the heritage of the African Americans in the Brazos Valley,” Self said. “It’s important for young people to have role models and to see the struggles that the people have gone through over the years in order to claim their rightful place in the community and in society and for an appreciation for what the African American culture has contributed to this whole community as well as to the world.” Co-founder of the museum Willie Pruitt said the museum sheds light on African American accomplishments that would have otherwise been lost. “[It] lets you see some of the things that you don’t know about the history of the African American living in Brazos Valley,” Pruitt said. “We always have

Still going strong

CORPS LEADERSHIP Monday evening, Commandant Brig. Gen. Joe Ramirez announced the following students to lead the Corps of Cadets next school year:

A&M baseball begins 2019 season undefeated with victory over Stephen F. Austin at Olsen Field By Jack Holmes @ Jack_Holmes98 Texas A&M baseball defeated Stephen F. Austin 5-3 on a cold, damp Tuesday night at Blue Bell Park, improving to 4-0 early in their 2019 campaign. “Stephen F. always gives us everything that we can ask for,” A&M head coach Rob Childress said. “It was a hard fought game. We didn’t feel like we played our best, but we played well enough to win. Winning is tough. Losing is easy. … You’ve got to do a lot of things right to win. I think our guys are leaving here tonight knowing we need to play a little bit better.” There were a couple of early runs, as the Aggies and Lumberjacks traded scores in the bottom of the first inning and top of the second. The game remained tied at 1-1, until A&M third baseman Ty Coleman homered down the left field line in the bottom of the fourth. “It was awesome, experiencing that here to be my first one with these fans that actually made it out in the cold weather,” Coleman said. “It was awesome.” After the Aggies tacked on another run in the fourth inning from an RBI by junior catcher Mikey Hoehner, SFA loaded the bases in the top of the fifth. A&M relief pitcher Chandler Jozwiak then walked the Lumberjack’s sophomore outfielder Jared Martin to cut the Aggies’ lead to one. A&M responded quickly with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take back the lead at 5-2. “Overall, it was our offense that got us rolling there late in the game and got us the lead,” sophomore pitcher Kasey Kasich said. “That made it a little bit more comfortable on the mound coming in late in the game and closing it out.” The final run of the night came in the top of the eighth inning, as SFA junior utility player Josh Campbell singled to right center, bringing home senior infielder Manny Velasquez from second base. BASEBALL ON PG. 2

MUSEUM ON PG. 2

Corps Commander Luke Thomas Deputy Corps Commander Daniel Strong Corps Chief of Staff Brett Johnson 1st Brigade Commander Weston Fisher 2nd Brigade Commander Garrett Beaty 3rd Brigade Commander Kamryn Coryell 1st Regiment Commander Ethan Cain 2nd Regiment Commander James McKenna 3rd Regiment Commander Jahanna Shah 1st Wing Commander Mia Birondo 2nd Wing Commander Jacob Bronson 3rd Wing Commander Ashlee Spence Annie Lui — THE BATTALION

Junior catcher Mikey Hoehner went 2-for4 with one RBI against the Lumberjacks.

Aggie Band Commander Nicholas Rossi

NEWS

The Battalion | 2.20.19

Prominent health researcher hired Ramos to lead A&M Institute of Biosciences and Technology thanks to Abbott’s initiative By Giselle Warren @GiselleWarren16

PROVIDED

Dr. Kenneth Ramos currently serves as the associate vice president for precision health sciences at the University of Arizona Health Sciences.

YELL DEBATE CONTINUED Cantrell and Keller Cox — did not attend the debate. Five for Yell campaign staff declined to comment about the candidates’ absence. The Election Commission typically only holds debates for student body president candidates. Walker said the yell leader candidates were rightfully getting a similar opportunity to directly address students’ questions. “I think it was overdue to have a panel discussion for the yell leader candidates,” Walker said. “It’s difficult for the candidates to get around and to get in front of all the students because the election campaign window is very short, and there are a lot of students. This is an important opportunity for the students who vote to learn about the candidates.” Rebolloso said a major part of his campaign is to promote diversity on campus. “Yell leaders have the amazing opportunity to embody A&M’s traditions and spirit and then give it to the students,” Rebolloso said. “The ambassadors of the university should reflect A&M’s coming diversity.” Casillas said as yell leader, he would emphasize maintaining the Aggie Spirit even as the school grows and changes. “It’s as simple as saying ‘Howdy!’ more when you pass people down the street,” Casillas said. Duffy said he distinctly remembers his first time interacting with

yell leaders when he was a freshman and aims to have that same type of lasting impression on people if selected. “The fact that the yell leaders have the kind of power and the platform to inspire people like me — just a normal Aggie — to want to be in their shoes and to want to impact people, I’d love to be one of those people,” Duffy said. “Hopefully, I have an impact on at least one person.” SGA election commissioner Mary Franklin said she was encouraged by the student interest in the debate and how the candidates fared in response to questioning. “We were really excited that we got some interest from the yell leader candidates,” Franklin said. “We got a lot of responses from the student body when we sent out the questionnaire for students to submit questions, so there seems to be a lot of interest on both sides.” Political science senior Kate Wynn said the debate was a good chance for students to familiarize themselves with candidates and get impressions of their individual personalities. “[Yell leader] is definitely one of the important positions,” Wynn said. “You want to make sure you’re really educated who you’re going to be voting for and know kind of what their character is or what kind of people you’re going to be voting on to represent you.” Voting for student elections will be open online at vote.tamu.edu on Thursday and Friday.

SBP DEBATE CONTINUED Sociology junior Misael Jimenez said he elected to wear a penguin suit throughout campaign season because it represents the willingness he has to meeting students where they are. “If we don’t meet students where they’re at by actively engaging ourselves with the students and without this air… I don’t think we’re going to be able to most directly create impacts within the students,” Jimenez said. Manufacturing and mechanical engineering technology junior Michael Barrera referenced his leadership in the Corps of Cadets and said

MUSEUM CONTINUED had some outstanding blacks in our neighborhood, but there was no way of showing it, so we’ve got the museum here, and we can show what the African Americans did in the Brazos Valley.”

In March, Dr. Kenneth Ramos will begin his time as assistant vice chancellor for health services for the Texas A&M University System, leading the Institute of Biosciences and Technology in Houston. Currently, Ramos is the associate vice president for precision health sciences and the executive director for the Center for Applied Genetics and Genomic Medicine for the University of Arizona Health Sciences. Ramos will enter the university system through an initiative Governor Greg Abbott enacted four years ago. The Governor’s University Research Initiative was created to bring acclaimed researchers to Texas. Ramos received his undergraduate degree from the University of Puerto Rico, his M.D. from the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center and his Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin. “My immediate goal is to leverage existing strengths and identify areas where future ventures need to be made and then address the knowledge gap in ways that will position us to be competitive, which means growing the enterprise as well as overcoming the health challenges of the future,” Ramos said.

He plans to use his background in precision medicine to advance medical breakthroughs during his time with the A&M system. “I’m interested in utilizing this platform to help identify solutions for individuals with lung disease who may be at risk of progressing into malignancy,” Ramos said. “Right now, we have very limited ways of identifying people of higher risk, and I utilize precision medicine to identify those individuals and then give them targeted therapy that might better help change the trajectory of the disease.” Dr. Carrie Byington, dean of the College of Medicine and senior vice president of the A&M Health Science Center, said Ramos will be a major asset in A&M’s research efforts. “For Texas A&M, we’re bringing in recognized leaders in medicine and science to our organization,” Byington said. “He is a National Academy of Medicine member, which adds distinction to Texas A&M. We will be able to expand our research and expand our improvement in [the Institute of Biosciences and Technology].” For Ramos, his new appointment means he has an increased ability to address health needs in Texas. “I’m extremely excited to be returning back to Texas to contribute to the growth and extension of programs in medicine as well as biomedical research, and I look forward to my interactions with Texas A&M University and beyond,” Ramos said.

Megan Cusick — THE BATTALION

Political science sophomore Hayes Duffy and chemistry junior Hugo Casillas participated in Tuesday’s debate.

that he intends to be a visionary leader, working with other leaders around campus and trusting those assigned as his council. “The administration here has been here much longer than us, and it starts with working with people like that, ensuring that we are being taken in the right direction,” Barrera said. “You’re leading the students, but at the same time you’re following the guidance of the administration and ensuring that the communication there is clear.” When asked how he will improve the spirit of A&M, Cross referenced changes to Elephant Walk that were implemented by Class Councils this year and said that he intends to

have roundtables with former students to discuss traditions from a multi-sided perspective. “I think having that dialogue of new traditions and our current but old traditions — maybe some traditions to be forgotten over time — I think that’s important and something that would really unite us,” Cross said. Finance junior Mikey Jaillet, who has served as the Interfraternity Council president, said that in order to improve communication among Aggies, roundtables should be monthly so they can gain traction. “I also believe that we need to create monthly town halls as well that are just an open forum,” Jaillet said. “I think this two-

prong approach is the right way to improve the dialogue between SGA, administrators and all of the Aggies as well.” Barrera said the support all candidates show toward the ongoing Matthew Gaines statue initiative is an example of how they all share similar visions and platforms. “Take comfort in knowing that there are similarities,” Barrera said. “The Matthew Gaines statue, all five of us are committed to ensuring that that goal is met.” Voting for student elections will be open online at vote.tamu.edu on Thursday and Friday.

On Friday, the museum is hosting its 18th Annual Appreciation Banquet to honor those who have made important contributions to the community. The Appreciation Banquet is also the museum’s main source of income and the determining factor in how successful events and exhibits will be developed and

operated. Self said the banquet is necessary for the museum to continue its mission of educating the public. “The banquet is another great opportunity for the people who attend to appreciate the role models who are right here in our com-

munity and to provide that knowledge to their children so they have someone to look up to,” Self said. Museum admission is free through the end of February. For more information about the museum or the banquet, visit bvaam.org.

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OPINION

The Battalion | 2.20.19

Creative Commons

“Horror Noire” is a documentary exploring the role of African Americans in the horror genre.

Black history through horror movies Film based on A&M VP’s book examines evolving representation By Cole Fowler @thecolefowler

irected by Xavier Burgin, “Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror” is a documentary based on a 2011 book by Texas A&M Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity Robin Means Colman. The documentary asserts the close relationship between the representation of blacks in horror films and their treatment within American culture. Although not necessarily reflected by this year’s Academy Award nominees, the film world has seen a positive shift toward equal representation of African Americans on the big screen. However, it is only recently that black voices have begun to be heard in regards to their cliché or token roles throughout film. “Horror Noire” is a fantastic, all-encompassing dissection of black representation, highlighting many influential films throughout the 20th century. The first film is D. W. Griffith’s “Birth of Nation,” a racist agitprop film about the Ku Klux Klan from 1915. While not typically classified as a horror movie, this film proved a direct threat to the treatment and perception of blacks, which presents the idea that horror is interpreted differently by people marginalized in the film. Next, the documentary follows the evolution of the horror genre and how

black actors are represented. The documentary features an impressive range of directors and actors from each of the films mentioned. The most prominent of these is Jordan Peele, director of the wildly popular film, “Get Out.” Alongside Peele are William Crain, director of “Blacula,” and Tony Todd, lead actor of “Candyman,” along with various black film critics and professors. Although their individual experiences with horror may differ, their collective voice is a refreshing addition to discourse of a genre that is, for the most part, still dominated by white perspectives. While providing fresh discourse that dissects the subjectivity of horror based on race, Burgin provides a new voice in the world of documentary filmmaking. Similarly to the horror genre, documentary filmmaking is, in general, dominated by white writers and directors. Burgin’s work, and all of the talented team behind this film, place it among the elite of documentaries. Rich in dialogue from a group of marginalized black directors, this documentary is essential viewing for anyone who loves horror films but also to those who enjoy hearing other viewpoints. These perspectives can challenge even the most open-minded person, and history always requires a close reexamination. Cole Fowler is a English junior and columnist for The Battalion.

“Alita: Battle Angel” was released in theaters on Feb. 14.

“Alita” is a gorgeous dumpster fire Long-awaited adaptation proves disastrous but visually appealing By Cole Fowler @thecolefowler

exas-native Robert Rodriguez’s latest film, “Alita: Battle Angel” is the big-budget, Hollywood adaptation of the Japanese manga series, “Gunnm.” The film, which remained in production limbo for nearly 10 years, is a jumbled mess of its source material and nearly every sci-fi film of the 20th century. The film follows Alita — a cyborg who was discovered and repaired by cyborg scientist Dr. Dyson Ido — as she seeks to learn her place in this dystopian world. The screenplay, written by writer-producer James Cameron, feels as though its sole purpose is to brutally murder even the slightest amount of enjoyment during the runtime. Cameron, who hasn’t written an adequate screenplay in nearly 30 years, is clearly over-reliant on his visual effects team to make up for his inability to generate even a single line of decent, believable dialogue. For a screenplay that is as bad as Cameron’s, the film’s budget is downright outrageous. The budget, which is rumored to be between $175 and $200 million, just does not make logical sense. With source material that the majority of Americans have never even heard of, this film’s production is bizarre. Hollywood has always been run as a business, so these types of films must have a certain draw to them.

With the budget that this film has, there is a substantial amount of money wasted on acting talent that is completely unused. Mahershala Ali, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Barry Jenkins’ 2016 film, “Moonlight,” plays one of the film’s villains, Vector. Ali, who has roughly 10 minutes of total screen time, is clearly just collecting his check in this film. The screenplay obviously plays a major role in restricting him of acting talent, but Ali doesn’t mutter one line of convincing dialogue in this film. Jennifer Connelly, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in Ron Howard’s 2001 film, “A Beautiful Mind,” is similarly as useless as Ali. Both Ali and Connelly are among the elite of Hollywood acting, but they are reduced to monotonous, lackluster mechanisms to recite Cameron’s uninspired screenplay. As dreadful as the film’s acting and writing may be, the visual effects of the film are a spectacle. The VFX team features many of the same skilled artists who have worked with Cameron on his previous films, but they don’t venture into new territory as they have in previous films. So, as beautifully stunning the world of the film is, the visuals fail to make up for the lack of a coherent film. Cole Fowler is a English junior and columnist for The Battalion.

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NEWS

The Battalion | 2.20.19

Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION

Mays Business School lecturer Ted Boone wrote “Langford’s Leap,” which is available on Amazon.

Professor publishes sci-fi novel Boone draws from experiences at A&M for his 10-year project By Navid Nathani @nathaninavid Drawing from his experience in the classroom, Texas A&M lecturer Ted Boone’s independently published novel follows two teenagers in their quest to save the inhabitants on a planet called Langford’s Leap. In this post-apocalyptic story, Maxine lives in a colony on Langford’s Leap that is struggling to recover from a technological dark age. Above Maxine’s planet, Ceres is the only remaining inhabitant on a space station. Ceres has a vast knowledge of technology in the station but no idea that there is a whole world beneath her. When the two accidentally contact each other, they have to do everything they can to prevent history from repeating itself and completely wiping out the colony. As a lecturer for the Department of Information and Operations Management in Mays Business School, Boone’s job revolves around technology. He said he is constantly pondering scenarios that could arise in the

future. “I thought that it would be really interesting if somebody in the future had some technology but did not understand it because of some communication breakdown,” Boone said. “How would we approach a computer or an automobile if we were 50 or 100 years in the future and didn’t have any idea how they worked? This particular book deals with computer networking, viruses, vulnerabilities… and because I teach some of those concepts in my class, I have some insights on where the story could go.” Boone started “Langford’s Leap” 10 years ago as a part of the international writing event National Novel Writing Month, which tasks participants with writing 50,000 words during the month of November in hopes of creating a short novel. According to Bryan’s Municipal liaison of NaNoWriMo, Summer Wilson, Boone is part of a rare group that ends up publishing a novel after the event. “The vast majority of participants just enjoy the writing exercise,” Wilson said. “We have about 25 percent that reach the goal of 50,000 words and those tend to be the people that eat, sleep, write. ‘Langford’s Leap’ is a

great book and is very compelling. He made science fiction something that is accessible to people that are science idiots.” Ted Boone’s wife, Marisa Biondi, Class of 2018, has a Ph.D. in psychological and brain sciences and said Boone’s novel makes her question the human spirit. “I read a beta version about five years ago, and the novel was amazing,” Biondi said. “One of the things that really stuck out to me about the story is that it left me with the question, ‘what does it mean to be human?’ And as someone who studied psychology and now has a doctorate in psychology, that was really interesting to me.” Boone said his novel was influenced by the characteristics of people he has met in Aggieland. “During some of the editing process, I was inspired by how the students approached comradery, honesty and the general culture here,” Boone said. “That certainly had some influence on how I was characterizing some of the characters in the book.” “Langford’s Leap” can be purchased on Amazon, and an audio book is also being produced.

Annie Lui — THE BATTALION

Freshman third baseman Ty Coleman batted .400 for the Aggies in their 5-3 win over the Lumberjacks.

BASEBALL CONTINUED Kasich took the mound with one out in the eighth and struck out three of the final six batters to secure the Aggie win. “Honestly, it’s the energy that the dugout brings,” Kasich said. “Having a great team behind you and having great guys in the dugout… That’s really what allows us to get through this on the mound by yourself on a big stage.” The Aggies’ starting pitcher Dustin Saenz managed four innings, allowing just one run on five hits and striking out four batters. As a team, A&M recorded 11 strikeouts on the night. At the plate, second baseman Bryce Blaum and catcher Mikey Hoehner stood out, each going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Blaum also scored two of the five runs, while Coleman hit the only home run of the game. The Aggies will be back in action Wednesday night against Prairie View A&M at Blue Bell Park. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.