The Battalion — January 20, 2022 by The Battalion

Win for West Campus via MSC WBAC

Keynote speaker Molefi Asante invented the idea of Afrocentricism.

15th annual MLK Breakfast honors activist’s legacy Afrocentricity theorist Molefi Kete Asante to speak at MLK Breakfast By Myranda Campanella @MCampanella_ Every year since 2007, Texas A&M students, faculty and distinguished guests have gathered in celebration of the Black community and reflected on Martin Luther King Jr.’s global impact. The 15th Annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast will be hosted on Wednesday, Jan. 26 from 9-11 a.m. by the Memorial Student Center’s Woodson Black Awareness Committee, or MSC WBAC. Moderated by Lt. Col. Stephen G. Ruth, Class of 1992, in the Bethancourt Ballroom, attendees will hear a keynote address from Molefi Kete Asante, Ph.D., while honoring King’s legacy of activism. JJ Torres, a sociology graduate student and The Village Sub-Committee director for MSC WBAC, said Asante was chosen among five candidates for this year’s breakfast for his influential ideas and impact on the Black community. Asante is known for developing his theory on Afrocentricity, which inspired a movement across the United States in the 1980s. Torres said he’s looking forward to hearing Asante share how King inspired his work. “Most people view Afrocentricity kind of with a stereotype,” Torres said. “When it was concepted it kind of blossomed a whole early ‘90s, late ‘80s movement about Afro-positivity, positive Black images. [Asante] was very influential in that ideal … [and King’s] legacy moved those ideas of justice into the mainstream.” Political science senior and MSC WBAC chair Matthew Francis, who has been involved with the MLK Breakfast since his freshman year, MLK BREAKFAST ON PG. A3

Robert O’Brien — THE BATTALION

Copperhead Jack’s is one of the new dining options available in the two-story West Campus Food Hall.

New dining location features Copperhead Jacks Houston Street Subs, soon to open third campus Chick-fil-A By Aubrey Vogel @aubrey_vogel

ore dining options are coming to West Campus. After seeing a need for more food options for students who frequent Texas A&M’s West Campus, the Board of Regents approved the two-story West Campus Food Hall in May of 2020 for the area located behind the Biochemistry/Biophysics building. The project will now open its doors for the first time at the start of the spring semester on Tuesday, Jan. 18 with two restaurants: Copperhead Jack’s and Houston Street Subs. More vendors will continue to open as construction finishes throughout 2022. University Dining district marketing manager Stephanie Denson said the goal of the new center is to provide a bridge between Main Campus and West Campus, and to allow for students who frequent the area to have a place to dine and hang out. “Places like this are so important to Texas A&M and college campuses in general,”

Denson said, “In order for students to have a place they can gather together, whether that is to have a meal and have college bonding experiences or to have a time for them to go to study. It’s a different atmosphere from places around campus, where you have lots of dining options in a fun and energetic atmosphere.” With no large area to gather and study on West Campus, Denson said their hope is that students can use the hall to serve as not only a place to dine, but also a place to gather with friends and study at the many outlets located near the seating area. “The seating here is actually the same amount of seating available in the food court area of the Memorial Student Center,” Denson said. “People will be able to come over here to have breakfast, lunch and dinner.” Denson said University Dining conducted student and faculty surveys to determine which restaurants would be a good fit for the area. “We encourage all of the campus community to come here because we [will] have a little bit of our national brand chains like Chick-fil-A [but] also have what we call ‘Aggieland favorites,’ like Houston Street Subs and Copperhead Jack’s, which we only have [on campus].” Copperhead Jack’s will offer new breakfast options exclusively at the West Campus location, including burritos, bowls and tacos. “Previously, Copperhead Jack’s was only

on the northside [of campus],” Denson said. “It’s our Tex-Mex concept where you can get burritos, bowls and salads. It was created by our own executive chefs and campus, and it’s a type of cuisine you can’t get anywhere else. Copperhead Jack’s will be introducing breakfast this year, which we are super excited about.” Until the new Chick-fil-A location opens in February, Denson said the food hall will have adjusted hours, with Copperhead Jack’s serving Tex-Mex favorites from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Houston Street Subs offering fresh sandwiches from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. At a later date, the hall will also have a Shake Smart. In addition to this project, the former Ag Cafe, located in the Biochemistry/Biophysics building, will sport a full Starbucks with market and a sushi location in the fall of 2022, Denson said. Students like animal science sophomore Rileigh Mabry said they are excited for the addition to West Campus. “It’s gonna help a lot of people, just convenience-wise,” Mabry said. “I’m very positive that people would go to Main Campus [to grab some food] and if their schedule had time, they could do that. But not everybody does, so if they just want something quick, that’s right there. They don’t have to go far. It’ll help out quite a few people.” Mabry said she is excited for the inWEST CAMPUS DINING ON PG. A2

Spring semester surge begins University health officials assess omicron risk in College Station By Aubrey Vogel @aubrey_vogel

Aubrey Vogel — THE BATTALION

Beginning the fall semester of 2021, COVID-19 positivity rates on Texas A&M’s campus staggered between under 1% to nearly 7%.

Since the start of the spring semester, the omicron variant has lurked in the background of campus’s day-to-day operations. Beginning the fifth semester since the outbreak of the “novel coronavirus,” Texas A&M, alongside the rest of the world, has learned to adapt and trek on as SARSCoV-2 continues to evolve. Recently, the omicron variant, which was first reported in Botswana and South Africa on Nov. 24, was confirmed in the Brazos Valley on Dec. 20. The World Health Organization has called omicron “a variant of concern” with increased risks of reinfection. Before the start of classes, the campus population had a positivity rate of 23.4% for the week ending Jan. 8. Student Health Services, or SHS, director Dr. Martha Dan-

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nenbaum said in an email to The Battalion that with the return of classes and students on campus, they expect the increase in cases on campus and in the surrounding areas. “With the return of students and faculty, we expect there to be an increase in the raw numbers of individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and influenza, just based on the large increase in the numbers of people who will be testing,” Dannenbaum said in the email. “We typically see an increase in respiratory infections from all of the various viruses after the winter break. Many of us have traveled and/or spent significant time outside of the local area, which allows us to be exposed to viruses that may be more prevalent in other parts of the country or world.” The Brazos Valley has an 8.11% positivity rate and 3,286 active cases as of Jan.18, according to the county COVID-19 dashboard. Brazos County Health District Workforce Development coordinator Mary Parrish said the county is also expecting a OMICRON ON PG. 8

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OMICRON CONTINUED rise in the number of overall individuals testing and receiving positive results. “We are very concerned about the current caseload, and we are very sure that the numbers are going to go up as soon as students show up,” Parrish said. “We’ve seen this trend every semester that when the students come up, we’re gonna see another spike.” Dannenbaum said with the return of the activities, it is not certain what the positivity rate will reach. “It is difficult to predict the positivity rate for COVID[-19] because that depends on the total number of people testing and the reasons,” Dannenbaum said. “If the majority of the people testing are having symptoms of illness we would expect a relatively high positivity rate. But if we have a mix of people who are symptomatic along with those who are testing for reasons such as planned travel, or they want to know their status before attending in-person events or classes, the positivity rate will be lower.” Despite the flexible numbers throughout the semester, Dannenbaum said she does not anticipate a need for classes to move to a hybrid or online format. She rather anticipates only individual students will have to adapt for a short time upon testing positive. “Professors will work with impacted students to ensure they are able to continue learning while appropriately isolating or quarantining. In some cases it may be reasonable to provide a student with short-term virtual options,” Dannenbaum said. “Professors who are impacted by isolation or quarantine may choose to provide short-term virtual delivery of content.” As a continuation of last semester, A&M will not require but will instead highly encourage social distancing, regular testing, COVID-19 and flu vaccinations and masking,

WEST CAMPUS DINING CONTINUED creased options, specifically Copperhead Jack’s. “It’ll be nice to actually have [Copperhead Jack’s] as an option without having to hike all the way to the MSC for Cabo, or go all the way [across campus]. That’s just super out of the way for me,” Mabry said. Poultry science junior Carly OldAg said in a comment to The Battalion that she is excited to see the growth on West Campus since it is much less developed than other areas of campus. “[The food hall] was much needed,” OldAg said. “There are not anywhere near as many options as [Main] Campus. It will also definitely help with the lunch rush in between

a Jan. 7 email from Chief Operating Officer Greg Hartman said. Though, professors are asked to continue to offer incentives for students to adhere to safety practices during class time. “Health experts have warned that variants of the virus are expected to continue emerging. A&M is working closely with the Texas Department of Emergency Management and will continue to monitor COVID[-19]-related conditions in the region, state and nation, as well as local hospital capacity,” Hartman said in the email. “We know from experience that the uncertainty of the pandemic often interferes with plans, which is why we urge everyone to remain patient and flexible in the coming weeks as decisions are made. We believe it is critically important that we take steps now to avoid unnecessary spread of the disease.” If an individual begins to exhibit symptoms, Dannenbaum said they should refer to the A&M COVID-19 dashboard for guidance based on their vaccination status. She also recommends testing upon the onset of symptoms. “The symptoms are mostly mild, similar to a viral cold, with low grade fever, 100 [degrees Fahrenheit], sore throat, nasal congestion and cough. Body aches are less common with omicron, but can occur,” Dannenbaum said. “Loss of taste and smell is still being reported with omicron.” The risk with the new omicron variant comes from the infection rate and spreadability, even of those who have been vaccinated, Dannenbaum said. Although, the risk of severe disease and death for vaccinated individuals is still much lower compared to the alpha or delta strains. “Unvaccinated people, especially those with other risk factors such as older age, obesity, pre-existing heart or lung disease and other immunocompromising conditions, are still at risk for serious COVID[-19] disease,”

class times and how packed it can be or how long the lines are.” OldAg said she hopes the new food hall has a similar sense of feeling as the previous Ag Cafe. “Since it was smaller, I could never go into Ag Cafe without seeing someone I know,” OldAg said. “It was so fun and really felt like no matter how big Texas A&M seems, we really are family and it feels like a close-knit campus.” Though it is not opening until the fall, OldAg said she anticipates taking advantage of the new Starbucks. “Finally having a caffeine option is probably going to take the cake for me,” OldAg said. “No more energy drinks from vending

Aubrey Vogel — THE BATTALION

The percentage of positive COVID-19 cases on campus before the start of the in-person spring semester reached 23.4%.

Dannebaum said. Parrish said although the symptoms may be lessened for some individuals, they should still be concerned when having the virus. “The big thing about omicron is that it spreads much more quickly and easily than the previous variants that we’ve seen,” Parrish said. “While so far, we’ve noticed that it’s not as severe as delta, as far as symptoms and complications are, it still can really hinder a person. “It’s kind of like saying, just because you got hit by a car on a train doesn’t mean you’re not going to be hurt.” As the semester progresses, Dannenbaum said students should continue to practice selfcare including getting enough sleep, balancing their diets and managing stress. “If you are sick, especially if you have [a] fever, stay home. Do not return to class or work until you are improving and you do not have fever for 24 hours. This applies to any illness. If you test positive for COVID[-19], follow the published isolation guidelines based on your

vaccination status. If you are not vaccinated for COVID[-19] and/or flu, consider vaccinating,” Dannenbaum said. “While neither will absolutely prevent you from getting the illness, it almost always makes the condition less severe and shorter. Busy college students do not have time to be sick.” For testing needs, SHS is continuing to offer testing at their facility as well as kiosks and pop-ups around campus. Additionally, as of Jan. 13, SHS is now offering each campus member one pack of at-home antigen tests, or BinaxNow COVID-19 Ag Card, per week containing two test kits, according to a Jan. 12 campus-wide email. In addition to campus resources, President Joe Biden announced on Jan. 14 that his administration would be buying one billion athome COVID-19 tests to distribute to American households, allowing up to four tests per home. All orders will be completed online and shipped for free, starting Jan. 19.

machines when I’m on West Campus for me.” With having only three food options previously, finance senior Katelyn Gromala said in a comment to The Battalion it was hard to find a variety of options with her dietary restriction when eating on campus five days a week. “Adding diversity in dining options will really make the West Campus area so much more attractive,” Gromala said. “I always dreaded worrying about lunch since I had so few options of places to eat. I also think it will be another new gathering place for people to meet up instead of [West Campus Library], helping to alleviate some of the extra traffic there as well.” Denson encourages students to come visit the new location on West Campus, even

if students don’t frequent the area, to have a chance to visit with students who they may have not encountered before. “The West Campus Food Hall will embody the Spirit of Aggieland by giving that great sense of community on campus to get together and enjoy a great meal or spend time socializing together . . . just to get away to enjoy this beautiful brand new building and escape for a little bit,” Denson said. “We are happy to invite y’all into that this semester, and we are very excited to have this new option on West Campus.” For the latest updates on dining across campus and the construction of new facilities on West Campus, follow @AggieDining on Twitter.

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MLK BREAKFAST CONTINUED said he hopes this year’s event can expand even further upon previous breakfasts. “Our goal is to provide the opportunity for some learning and some growth,” Francis said. “Each time we put on a breakfast, people always leave with a new perspective and a new learning of the legacy of the Reverend Dr. King, and what he actually stood for in his goal to achieve equal rights and protections for all people.” Torres said it is still relevant to remember King’s legacy today because social justice is an ongoing process, as highlighted by the “tumultuous” times of the past few years. “Dr. King’s legacy means a chance for hope, an encouragement to do better society-wise, and not just with regard to race, but all aspects of society,” Torres said. “It’s something we’re still working on. It’s not perfect yet, [but] … there is plenty of hope to go around.” Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s breakfast is limited to 200 in-person attendees, with a Zoom webinar option for other interested parties. Ashley Dean, communication junior and vice chair of Development and Personal Relations for MSC WBAC, said this event invites attendees to expand their knowledge.

“The goal of the breakfast is to really educate the campus by honoring Dr. King’s legacy,” Dean said. “Everyone comes together to celebrate him in this key event that we have on campus. [It’s an opportunity] to learn more about ourselves and about each other, to be able to have conversations we wouldn’t normally have on a daily basis.” Several colleges and departments across the university support the breakfast annually; however, Dean said MSC WBAC was able to secure its first business partner in support of this year’s event, Aggieland Credit Union, whose donations helped pay for in-person tickets. While the in-person event is already sold out, campus members can check the MSC WBAC website for information on joining the live Zoom webinar next Wednesday. Francis said having this event to honor King, someone who has a legacy of service and integrity, is especially poignant on A&M’s campus. “In an Aggie’s perspective,” Francis said, “The fact that Dr. King really exemplifies what [A&M’s Core Values] means: Respect of all people, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity and Selfless Service; it speaks to a lot of things that us Aggies should always strive to exemplify every day.”

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New Year’s special offers nostalgic reunions, magical moments “Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts” Director: Casey Patterson Release Date: Jan. 1, 2022 Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes By Kathryn Miller @KathrynMiller0 Twenty years later, Harry Potter is still enchanting audiences with magic. The HBO Max New Year’s Day special “Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts,” reunited a majority of the cast members and crew of the Harry Potter film series to reminisce and openly discuss what it was like to be in the center of an ongoing worldwide phenomenon. Leading the reunion were the “golden trio” actors: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who played main characters Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, respectively. The special also brought in film alumni Helena Bonham Carter, Gary Oldman, Tom Felton, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps and Mark Williams, and filmmakers Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell and David Yates, among others. The reunion opened with a warm welcome to Platform 9¾, showing various actors such as Watson lingering in a second-hand bookshop and Matthew Lewis, who plays Neville Longbottom, speaking to a cab driver as they receive their Hogwarts letters. They giddily board the Hogwarts Express to make their return to the castle, serving as a way to remind audiences that they’ve grown up with the franchise, both characters and actors alike. As the brilliant John Williams’ “Harry’s Wondrous World” commenced, Watson entered the Great Hall, paralleling her scene in “Goblet of Fire” during the Yule Ball, hugging and greeting other actors surrounded by familiar props, lighting and sets from the films. Columbus, the director of the first two films, explained the process of the lengthy search for the “perfect” actor to portray Harry Potter. After seeing him in his first on-screen role in BBC One’s “David Copperfield,” Columbus said he brought Radcliffe in for an audition and after seeing the “happy child with a haunted look in his eyes,”

Columbus and series author JK Rowling immediately knew they found who they’d been looking for. Running nearly two hours, the reunion is split into four sections, each looking back at two films through which the actors and filmmakers recalled the highs and lows, reflecting on those specific films’ impact on their personal lives. Many reminisce on their personal relationships together, such as Radcliffe and Watson explaining how they had a “brother and sister relationship,” where they remember helping each other grow as child actors — as well as helping each other figure out how to text their crushes and talk to the opposite sex as teenagers. To top off the cast’s discussion of growing up together and filming during an awkward time of hormones and crushes, Watson also revealed her childhood crush on Felton while filming, who played Harry Potter’s Slytherin nemesis, Draco Malfoy. Watson said she had “fell in love with him” and Felton said he had “always had a soft spot for her,” which he still has to this day, though “nothing ever, ever, ever happened romantically.” This sweet but short moment felt like a way to further engage the audience with the actors’ personal and romantic lives during those years, which typically isn’t a topic of conversation among the media and fans. Much of the controversy leading up to the reunion’s release was to do with Rowling’s involvement with the event, whose anti-transgender comments in 2020 caused intense controversy in the media and among many cast attending the reunion. The reunion only featured her briefly recorded “archived footage” from 2019, but most of the cast members commended her creation throughout the special, commenting on how she’s transformed their lives, which regardless of the controversy, remains true. Though feeling slightly orchestrated and scripted at times, “Return to Hogwarts” provides fans with new content, stories and a nostalgic homecoming to ensure audiences still feel the true magic of Harry Potter in this new year. Kathryn Miller is a psychology junior and life & arts editor for The Battalion.

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OPINION

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OPINION

Cameron Johnson — THE BATTALION

The Texas A&M golf course, built in 1950, is an 18-hole course with a total of 171 acres. However, assistant opinion editor Nathan Varnell argues this land could be utilized otherwise for on-campus housing.

Golf course should be solution to subpar campus housing Assistant opinion editor Nathan Varnell calls for reclamation of prime campus real estate Nathan Varnell

@newncv

he Golf Club at Texas A&M is a typical 18-hole course, featuring 6,749 yards of golf from the tees and 171 total acres of land. A rolling plain welcoming students and guests alike to the university, the course occupies nearly a quarter of the main campus land and is approximately half of the total sweeping greenery surrounding New Main. Development on this land is obviously not a foreign concept to A&M’s Board of Regents in recent years. The course itself, originally built in 1950, was renovated in 2013, the same year Hullabaloo Hall was completed. Yet, for every year that countless new capital projects are approved by the Regents, such as Aggie Park or the new Rec Center just yards from the course itself, another year goes by without more university-operated student housing on campus. Another year goes by that the Department of Residence Life increases the cost of the existing on-campus housing. Another year goes by where the university spends tens of thousands of dollars on the upkeep of the land that could easily go to said housing, or any number of other actually meaningful ventures. Another year that millions of gallons of water will be wasted to keep the turf grass acceptably green for the Ol’ Ags the Association of Former Students wishes to woo for donations. Is all this talk of construction boring? Dates, distances, dorms; the details all tend to blur together. Yet, these details have a tangible impact upon the wealth disparity among current Aggies. Not to mention College Station’s housing supply — ever-wanting for more affordable options and ever-gentrifying with more pricey duplexes built on top of previously-affordable homes every year. Nationally, the largest universities have an average of 22% of students living in on-campus dormitories. This is already a fairly pitiful statistic, from a position of wanting to see more equitable housing, but A&M falls short of even that. “On-campus beds were available for 11,366 students, out of the 65,684 enrolled. That’s a little over 17% of students being able to live on campus,” Alyssa Halle-Schramm, the long range planning administrator for College Station, told The Battalion in an email. As it stands, even if A&M wanted to house every incoming freshman on campus, it couldn’t do it. Carol Binzer, Ph.D., the director of administrative and support services at the Department of Residence Life, told The Battalion in an email how the student housing situation lacks a simple solution or process. With an incoming freshman class of just over 11,400 students and 11,366 beds, it sounds doable, albeit right at A&M’s limit. But, Binzer said ResLife receives 10,000 new applications and 2,500 renewals annually. Okay, if we do the math, ResLife just has to reject about a thousand applications, right? That’s only 1,000 students displaced off-campus. Simply put, A&M is reaching capacity. There is no doubt that ResLife staff had the best intentions when booking

students for the fall; they certainly are trying to guarantee housing for as many students as possible. ResLife isn’t the bad guy here, in spite of the issues. At fault is the A&M System, specifically Chancellor John Sharp, for not prioritizing more housing while the university pushed initiatives such as 25 by 25, the goal of recruiting 25,000 engineering students by 2025. “The Chancellor … has said that no residential, on-campus buildings can be built without it being a Public-Private Partnership, in other words someone else taking on the debt to build and then controlling the revenue,” Binzer said. White Creek is one such partnership, for example, with the multinational Balfour Beatty company. For the five months of school per semester, the cheapest floor-plan comes out to $855 a month. That’s more expensive than many off-campus apartments, but less than many options off Northgate — and it added 1,260 beds to campus. But, let’s compare that to the most affordable existing dorms. The ramp halls can come out to $420 a month, the balcony and corridor halls to just over

le-Schramm said. “There are also environmental benefits, such as reduced [carbon dioxide] emissions from fewer vehicles, societal and health benefits from active mobility modes such as walking and biking and financial benefits in reduced mobility costs,” Halle-Schramm said. A&M has proudly paraded its efforts to be more sustainable and environmentally conscious, and it has certainly made strides in that direction. Yet, let’s take a closer look at our lovely golf course again. According to the 2017 Campus Master Plan, the golf course side of the campus entrance is 171 acres. A few of those acres have been dedicated to the new Rec; otherwise, that’s largely turf grass. For fairness, let’s cut that number down to 150 acres by deducting the ponds and sand traps. The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America reported for 20032005 an average of 1.9 acre-feet of water is used per irrigated acre. I’ll spare you the exact details, but that means the 150 or so acres of irrigated grass at the front of campus uses 285 acre-feet of water per

Cameron Johnson — THE BATTALION

The view of Texas A&M’s Campus Front and golf course as seen from the Oceanography & Meteorology Building on campus.

$500, the Commons and modular halls to about $750 a month and Hullabaloo, naturally the most as the newest, at right around $1,000 a month. That’s a really good range of prices. If we don’t restrict ourselves to the inflated desires of private building companies like Balfour Beatty, the majority of on-campus housing comes out to be comparable or less than off-campus rates. Students largely share the same amenities and benefits of on-campus living, with minor differences. Now, the near-necessity of a parking pass does worsen this cost, but all things tuition and fees considered, we can leave that issue for another day. In an email to The Battalion, Halle-Schramm discussed some of these benefits. A major initiative of the city government is presently to bolster the mobility network and diversify how citizens get around town. Housing in close proximity to people’s employers and campus naturally reduces the need for trips by vehicle, Halle-Schramm said, which consequently reduces congestion. I think everyone can agree upon College Station traffic being awful. On-campus housing helps to clear some congestion. It also makes taking the bus more attractive for the simple fact that more bus routes are available closer to campus, Hal-

year. As a rule-of-thumb, the average U.S. household uses one acre-foot of water per year. Converting to gallons of water, that means our golf course uses 92,867,656 gallons of water per year. Ninety-three million gallons. What the f-***? And I’m being generous to the green jewel of our golfers, because the American Southwest demands more water than the national average, according to the same report. Much more. To quote a 2008 NPR piece on the topic, “a golf course is a selfish creature.” Other universities have found that multiple residence halls — combined — consume less water annually. If you’re interested, check out this UC Berkeley report, figures one through 13. Now, we do know from the aforementioned Campus Master Plan that the university has “planned” on adding several thousand beds of residences through the same partnerships on Southside, West Campus and at the Gardens. I’m looking forward to when it materializes. In the meantime, sprawl and gentrification continues to worsen in the city for residents and workers alike — workers who need affordable housing even more than students, and who, respectfully, are more necessary to the university’s day-to-day

operations than students. The Master Plan correctly points out that future residential facilities should focus on “creating environments that will foster connections and learning opportunities for students.” It then points out how such facilities could host “mixed-use programs” including dining and retail, or other student support amenities. There is no better opportunity to foster connections in the campus community than affording our “Essential Aggies” a home on campus, living sideby-side with current students in an equal environment. Imagine how such an experience would inform a student’s empathy for the essential workers that serve as Aggieland’s backbone. Students may not realize that the Essential Aggies who keep the campus running day-to-day support their learning just as much as their families, professors and friends. The vast majority of college students such as myself are afforded privileges in life that those working in the essential custodial, utility and food-service industries are deprived of, consistently. Mixed-use housing in the heart of campus — designed purposefully so that all members of the campus community can benefit from the university’s resources — has the potential to counteract the effects of gentrification and sprawl in Bryan-College Station. Gentrification that has by-and-large been caused by the mass development around campus for the sake of students. Not to mention that the university, in a masterstroke of callous abuse, currently forces the Essential Aggies to pay for the same inflated parking passes that students purchase. If these workers are living on-campus, that won’t be as much of a problem. If the university must create housing through some Public-Private Partnership, then so be it. If reclaiming part of A&M’s wastefully illustrious golf course is too hard to stomach, then so be it — incorporate the housing elsewhere on campus. But let us seize the opportunity while it is abundantly available across hundreds of acres and many years to come. Let us draw on our history as a land-grant university to employ land in uplifting our underprivileged populations, just as was done with A&M’s original founding for rural Texans in the 19th and 20th centuries. Let us expand our project of academic and professional success for both the privileged and underprivileged students. Let us begin a new project for the holistic success of our Essential Aggies across many aspects of their lives; their health and wellness, mobility, building generational wealth and life-long learning. The rich student shouldn’t be able to walk to campus from an apartment with a pool on the seventh floor, meanwhile the poor student or essential worker can’t even get to campus without a vehicle because the bus routes don’t even go that far. These anecdotes are not conjecture, but the lived realities of many students and many more Essential Aggies. Speak to them and learn, if you doubt me. With the restructuring of the university and years of construction in our future, let’s lead the nation with this innovation and act upon our core values as an institution. Nathan Varnell is a political science senior and the assistant opinion editor for The Battalion.

AggieSearch is Texas A&M University’s only official off-campus housing search website.

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NEWS

The Battalion | 1.20.22

2022 Gubernatorial Election Candidates

Race to November

Anticipation builds as frontrunners move forward with campaigns By Kyle McClenagan @KMcclenagan In recent years, what has been regarded as an uneventful election cycle in Texas is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated midterm elections in the state since

the 1990s. So far, the Texas gubernatorial election of 2022 has 13 candidates, with five Democrats and eight Republicans. Presently,

Beto O’Rourke, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, and Gov. Greg Abbott stand as the favorites for their respective parties. Each front-runner, however, fac-

es a unique lineup of challengers spanning the full spectrum of the country’s political climate.

Graphics by Gabrielle Shreve — THE BATTALION Photos by Gage Skidmore — Creative Commons

Beto O’Rourke O’Rourke first garnered state and national attention when he ran for U.S. Senate in 2018 and lost by a margin of less than 3% against incumbent Ted Cruz. Two years later, he again gained national coverage after a failed 2020 presidential bid for the democratic nomination. For this state race, O’Rourke’s campaign announced that he has raised $7.4 million so far, outpacing all other candidates. O’Rourke brings along with him the possibility of a tight race, political science professor Anthony Ives, Ph.D., said. “Over the past 10 years there has been a slow increase in the competitiveness of elections, and in Texas elections are often not competitive,” Ives said. “So, that all gives anticipation to the prospects of this perhaps being a close gubernatorial election.” It is not out of the realm of possibility for state governors to differ from their state’s political tendencies, but such candidates tend to be more moderate, Ives said. “[O’Rourke] is well known … he is not, however, someone known for having more moderate views than the typical Democrat, and that is likely to hurt him,” Ives said. The notoriety O’Rourke earned during his presidential campaign was not all positive, which may influence Texas voters, Ives said. “We just have to keep in mind the saying that, ‘Not all publicity is good publicity,’ not in politics,” Ives said. “If you’re very publicly known for thinking something that the ma-

jority of voters don’t think in the state you’re planning to run, that’s not very helpful.” Ives said he has doubts about whether the gubernatorial election will have a similar course of events as the Senate election in 2018. “That election came down to the generic [likeability] of [O’Rourke] compared to a generic [dislike], for a certain segment of the population, of Ted Cruz,” Ives said. “Greg Abbott does not have that personal factor, and I would be very surprised if the election were as close.” Even if O’Rourke loses this race, the publicity and experience may still have a positive effect for him and his team, Ives said. “Sometimes people win by losing … their loss provides such organizing and such potential reality that something good comes from it later,” Ives said. Melissa Alfaro, the communications director for Annie’s List, a Texas-based committee supporting the election of progressive women, said organization will be critical for the outcome of O’Rourke’s campaign. “In 2018, when [O’Rourke] came as close as he did to winning the Senate seat, women had a huge role to play both in the success of his campaign and also [the turnout of] women voters,” Alfaro said. “When you look at who voted for Beto, it was women.”

Other candidates: Democrats: Michael Cooper: A former automotive executive who is concerned with climate change action, improving education and criminal justice reform. Joy Diaz: A former reporter for radio

station KUT Austin who wants to prioritize healthcare and sustainable energy. Rick Wakeland: A retired U.S. Navy reserve captain, former engineer and licensed attorney running on the platform of being a conservative democrat for Texas.

Greg Abbott Abbott has been the governor of Texas since January of 2015, and has recently entered national controversy for both his reversal of COVID-19 guidelines and his aggressive approach to border security. He has also raised over $18.6 million with an additional $65 million from his existing “war chest,” according to the Texas Tribune. It’s unlikely that Abbott will lose the Republican nomination, but there are no guarantees in the current political climate, political science professor Kirbey Goidel, Ph.D., said. “I would be surprised if he lost the nomination,” Goidel said. “When we look at the things we know as political scientists in contemporary politics … there’s a lot more surprises than we would expect.” Abbott is likely most concerned with drawing criticism from his contemporaries,

Goidel said. “Probably the bigger danger for him is simply that [when] you go through an electoral cycle it is nice, if you are the incumbent of the governing party, that you can minimize opposition,” Goidel said. “Because we tend to take it a little more seriously when a Republican is criticising a Republican, rather than a Democrat criticizing a Republican.” Given the history of Texas voters, Goidel said Abbott holds a strong advantage over other candidates. “The context works against [O’Rourke], so if I had to bet, I’d take Abbott, but that’s because he is sort of playing with a home field advantage,” Goidel said. “Not only is he the incumbent, but he is running in a year that is probably going to be hard on the Democratic Party.”

Other candidates: Republicans: Don Huffines: A Republican running on the platform of being, “an actual Republican for governor.” According to his campaign website, Huffines is 100% pro-life and 100% pro-gun. Some of his other top concerns are border security, election integrity and limiting federal oversight into Texans’ medical decisions. Allen West: The former state party chairman, West is running on the platform of rule of law, border security, energy independence and curtailing foreign influence. Danny Harrison: Small business owner from North Texas is running on the platform of a Texas-first government. According to his website, he is not a career politician and wants to protect local businesses and private property. Paul Belew: A Wise County resident with a background in criminal defense who

wants to protect Texans from government institutions encroaching on their rights. He also believes the legalization of THC would bring in tax revenue and allow for lower property taxes. Rick Lynn Perry: A Springtown resident with a background in computer engineering who, so far, has gained attention for commonly being confused with former Gov. Rick Perry. Not much is known about his political stance, and some have raised concerns over his candidacy possibly being a plot to trick unknowing voters. Chad Prather: According to his campaign website, he is a “modern day Will Rogers,” and a conservative YouTube commentator who wants to put Texas first. His main focuses are border security, education and removing COVID-19 regulations.

Robert O’Brien — THE BATTALION

Texas A&M men’s basketball saw its first SEC loss, third loss overall on Wednesday, Jan. 19 against the University of Kentucky with a score of 64-58.

Kentucky topples 3 takeaways from A&M in rowdy Reed men’s basketball’s Over 14,000 fans filled Reed Arena; broken attendance records prove not enough for Aggies to continue win streak By Jordan Epp @j_epp22

record-high 14,036 fans packed Reed Arena, flooding the air waves with chants and cheers. The stadium erupted with noise as sophomore guard Marcus Williams opened the game with a jump-shot for an early Texas A&M lead. Yet, Reed’s rocking was not enough for A&M to grab its first ranked win of the season, as the No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats snapped the Aggies’ eight-game win streak with a 64-58 victory for the visitor on Wednesday, Jan. 19. “Credit to the 12th Man, I thank everyone who came out to the game,” sophomore forward Henry Coleman III said. “Sorry it wasn’t the outcome they wished for or we wished for … but it was an unbelievable environment especially going down the stretch.” A&M took to the court with a scrappy and intense energy leading to an initial 2-0 lead, one it didn’t let go of for over 30 minutes of game time. Williams and junior guard Tyrece Radford exchanged buckets with Kentucky until Coleman went on a solo 5-point run for the Aggies, including an and-1 layup over Kentucky’s freshman guard Daimion Collins. Accompanied by a Radford free throw, A&M was up 12-6 seven and a half minutes in. “Considering we’re [nationally ranked low in terms of] experience on our team, I thought we played with great maturity from the very beginning,” A&M coach Buzz Williams said. The back-and-forth affair continued until a quartet of Aggies scored, composing a 9-point run and a 13-point A&M lead. Kentucky’s junior forward Oscar Tshiebwe and junior guard Sahvir Wheeler orchestrated their own 5-point run a few minutes later, tightening A&M’s lead to eight. A&M entered the halftime break with a narrow 35-30 lead against the Wildcats. Both Coleman and Wheeler had a team-high nine first-half points for their teams, with Wheeler being the lone Kentucky athlete to shoot over 50% in the opening period. Bench depth made an early difference for the Aggies. A&M’s bench output nearly doubled Kentucky’s, outscoring the Wildcats 17 to nine in the first half.

Kentucky emerged from the away locker room hot, quickly tying the game at 35 apiece, but the Aggies fought back to regain another five-point lead. Outside of the early 5-point run, no team scored more than four consecutive points as runs became scarce. A masterful alley-oop pass in transition from freshman guard Wade Taylor IV to Coleman energized the crowd and the Aggies, but didn’t stop Kentucky from earning its first lead of the game with a second-chance layup by graduate guard Kellan Grady with nine minutes remaining. Both teams swapped leads for the next few minutes, but A&M’s poor 3-point and free throw shooting performances eventually caught up to them. The Wildcats led the rest of the way with A&M attempting a last-second comeback that fell six points short. “The whole game, we were already thinking about Oscar [Tshiebwe] the whole entire time,” junior guard Aaron Cash said. “We had to take him out first, and it helped lessen the pain.” Despite a well-executed game plan to minimize Tshiebwe in the second half, the Wildcat’s leading scorer and the nation’s leading rebounder, the Aggies shot 10-for34 from the field and zero-for-14 from the arc in the closing half. Despite leading the SEC in 3-point shooting percentage entering the game, A&M shot just 4.5% from range. Coleman, the leading scorer for the Aggies during SEC play, continued his hot streak scoring a game-high 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Cash showed flashes off the bench; he played a season-high 26 minutes, narrowly missing out on his second double-double of the season with eight points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Wheeler was the only player for Kentucky to finish the game to hit more shots than he missed, but a team effort was enough to surmount the Aggies in College Station. “I’ve never participated in any of that sort of discussion [regarding quality losses],” coach Williams said. “I just think when you’re doing this all the time, every day other than when you sleep, you’re just trying to fight to find ways to improve the next day … I think part of the reason we have done well is: our guys are showing maturity in how we practice. “I didn’t think we played bad, but I didn’t think necessarily that on all of our priorities we were as good as we could be.” The Aggies fell to 15-3, 4-1 in conference, suffering their first conference loss of the year. Kentucky rises to 15-3, improving to 5-1 against SEC opponents. Next time out, the Aggies will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to face off with the Razorbacks at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 22.

loss to Wildcats Stingy defense, Coleman’s SEC dominance outweighed by pitiful shooting night, rare unproductive A&M offense By Ryne Ryskoski @rusty_ryskoski_

exas A&M men’s basketball played host to No. 12 Kentucky on Wednesday, Jan. 19 and dropped an extremely close contest after A&M led for the majority of the game. The home-court winning streak of 13 games, the longest since 2015-16, came to an end in the team’s first loss at Reed Arena of the year. It was the 13th all-time meeting between the teams and their first matchup since 2020. The last time the Aggies beat the Wildcats was in 2018, and A&M has now lost seven of its last eight games against Kentucky. Here are three takeaways from the Aggies’ third loss of the season: Free-throw shooting must be fixed in the future A&M is among the worst in the conference from the charity stripe, and it once again presented large issues down the stretch when looking at how many points were left on the board. The Aggies have shot 63% this season and were 5-for-13 in the 6-point loss, for a percentage of 39%. This was an issue in the Arkansas and Georgia games and could be an issue as the Aggies go on to face even better teams than they’ve faced so far. Making free throws makes the difference in closely competitive games like this one, and even more so when the postseason rolls around. It might end up being the thing to end this team’s season in March if it can’t be improved upon. “You look at the thin line,” sophomore forward Henry Coleman III said. “We didn’t shoot well from the free-throw line or the 3-point line, but for us to be in the game against a team like that shows what kind of team we are.” Defense can take this team far This team may not be lightning fast, but on the defensive end, the Aggies are relentless and do not give up easy baskets, regardless of the opponent. Transition and interior defense was on full display in the first half, with Kentucky only shooting 33% from the field. A&M also outpaced the Wildcats 16-10

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in first-half defensive rebounds, which gave the Aggies chances to dictate the pace of the game. Junior guard Aaron Cash, who logged 27 minutes, was very effective on the floor with 11 rebounds and eight points. “I thought [the team] played for one another,” A&M coach Buzz Williams said. “I thought our staff was spot on in regard to what would give us a chance to play and have a chance to win against one of the best teams in the country. We came up short, but not for how hard we competed and how hard we fought.” It seems when the Aggies play defense like they did against Kentucky, they are much more efficient and engaged on the offensive end, especially in the transition with players like fifth-year guard Quenton Jackson and his finishing ability. In the second half, which saw the Wildcats get their first with nine minutes left, was an example of what happens when A&M’s defense tapers off. Kentucky started to establish more of a presence inside, and it seemed to tire out the Aggies. Henry Coleman III is built to lead A&M The Duke transfer was clearly ready to play in the biggest game of the season, and he seems to be emerging as this team’s most important player. He’s constantly active in the post, looking to find the open spot for a putback or use his size and strength to finish at the rim and even the occasional alley-oop to spark the crowd. On defense, he can swat shots out of nowhere or grab a rebound to start a fastbreak. At halftime, he led the Aggies in points, blocks, steals, rebounds and didn’t have any turnovers. Coleman is also quite efficient in scoring and doesn’t take ill-advised shots that are overly contested. There’s also no doubt that his time at a big program like Duke helped prepare for Wednesday’s in-game environment against a top-tier opponent because he didn’t play nervously or seem out of place. It played like just another game for the talented, tall and physical forward. Coleman ended the night 8-for-12 from the floor with a team-leading 17 points, pulled in eight boards, logged two steals, one block and an assist. “I think [my scoring has been about] guys finding me,” Coleman said. “I think it’s Marcus Williams, Wade Taylor, [Andre Gordon], [Jackson], [Hassan Diarra], Manny [Obaseki] — all those guys finding me when I’m cutting. Credit to them.”

SPORTS

The Battalion | 1.20.22

Rocking Reed Arena

Photos by Ishika Samant and Robert O’Brien — THE BATTALION

Texas A&M men’s and women’s basketball displays its talents at Reed Arena. Men’s players pictured left to right: Andre Gordon, Ethan Henderson and Tyrece Bradford. Women’s players pictured left to right: Sahara Jones and Jordan Nixon.

SPORTS

The Battalion |1.20.22

Men’s basketball hits road for second Arkansas matchup

Robert O’Brien — THE BATTALION

Attempting a score, fifth-year guard Quenton Jackson jumps for a layup in the Aggies’ game against the Razorbacks on Saturday, Jan. 8. The maroon and white will face the Razorbacks again on Jan. 22.

Aggies hope for second season win, first SEC sweep over Razorbacks By Ryne Ryskoski @rusty_ryskoski_ On Saturday, Jan. 22, Texas A&M men’s basketball, one of the hottest teams in college basketball this month, will take on Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena, where the Razorbacks have seen few losses this season. After a rough stretch from going 1-5 with three consecutive SEC losses to open conference play, the Razorbacks have won three straight to claim a 13-5 record while going 10-1 at home. Like the Aggies, Arkansas has played its best basketball recently, with blowouts against South Carolina and Missouri, and a road win over then-No. 12 LSU. The teams previously faced off in Reed Arena two weeks ago, in which A&M won 86-81, with five different Aggies scoring in double figures. Similarly to previous games this year, they went on a significant scoring run (16-0) to separate themselves in the second half. Arkansas battled back within single

digits, but free throws from sophomore guard Marcus Williams and a clutch 3-pointer from fifth-year guard Quenton Jackson sealed the game for A&M. Jackson leads the maroonand-white in scoring this season, despite coming off the bench and getting the fifth-most minutes per game. Junior guard Andre Gordon said it was a case of two halves, one bad and one good, so the Aggies will have to become more well rounded from start to finish in order to continue winning important conference games against quality opponents. “I think it’s a good thing in the sense that, if we’re up 17, we’re a really good team,” Gordon said. “I think we should be able to put two halves together. We’ve been a first half team at times, a second half team at times. We have to be able to play two halves to win the game.” Coach Buzz Williams said it wasn’t a sustainable method for winning games in the future with poor free-throw shooting and lapses on the defensive end, but was encouraged with the team’s grit down the stretch. “If you look at the numbers, I’m not sure we can win a game based on these numbers,”

coach Williams said. “But, I thought our spirit, energy and fight that our guys played with, excluding the first six minutes, was fun to be a part of.” Another win over the Razorbacks would give the Aggies their first season sweep of Arkansas since joining the SEC, and A&M is 7-9 against Arkansas over that span. Last time the Aggies left Fayetteville, Ark., with a win was in 2019, which was also the first time they beat Arkansas since joining the conference. A win this weekend on the Razorbacks’ home court would be a unique experience for A&M as it makes a case to join the top-25 rankings and faces more high-quality teams over the next month. In the last AP rankings, the Aggies fell just short of being ranked. They sit in the upper echelon of the conference with No. 2 Auburn, No. 13 LSU, No. 12 Kentucky and No. 24 Tennessee. Senior guard JD Notae has been one of Arkansas’ best players this season, leading the team in minutes per game, has attempted an abundance of field goals at a 43% clip and is tied for first in the SEC in scoring with 18.8 points per game. Notae has attempted 274 field goals and made 117 while the next closest, graduate

guard Stanley Umude, has attempted 149 and made 71 in comparison. Notae is Arkansas’ key to success and the A&M backcourt will have to be disciplined and tuned in to him on defense and offense, as he’s racked up almost 30% of the team’s steals with 42. He leads the conference in steals per game with 2.6. It won’t be an easy win for the Aggies — they’ll have to be laser-focused on defense to limit Notae’s chances at scoring, and share the ball on offense to get the Razorbacks spread out. A&M finds strength when keeping the ball moving on offense and sharing scoring opportunities, like in its win over Arkansas a couple weeks ago. That game, apart from allowing a second-half comeback, could be another recipe for success. The 107th all-time meeting is set for a 7:30 p.m. Saturday night tip-off on SEC Network. A&M will then head to Baton Rouge, La., for a ranked road matchup with currently 15-2 LSU. The Tigers face Tennessee in a ranked matchup on Saturday night before hosting the Aggies.

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BUCK WEIRUS Celebrating 40 Years | Est. 1982

Application Workshop Review Sessions In-Person Open Application Review (Bring your Activities Sheet)

Tuesday, January 25 Koldus Building, Room 144 4 - 8 p.m. Monday, January 31 Koldus Building, Room 144 9 a.m. - Noon

Virtual Application Review (Available by appointment only)

Schedule a session at tx.ag/BuckWeirus

The Buck Weirus Spirit Award honors up to 55 students each year who demonstrate high involvement, create positive experiences throughout the Aggie community, impact student life at Texas A&M and enhance the Aggie Spirit.

Apply online at: AggieNetwork.com/BuckWeirus Application due Wednesday, February 2