MONDAY, JANUARY 28 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2019 STUDENT MEDIA
WILD ART
Abby Collida — THE BATTALION
Texas A&M’s hackathon provides an environment for students to come together and work on creative, technical projects.
Hackathon ignites Aggie creativity 24-hour event challenges teams to make the most of technology Megan Cusick — THE BATTALION
Thirty-six canine teams geared up Saturday and Sunday for deployment training at the 15th annual FEMA Canine Search Specialist Training Weekend. The workshop — sponsored by Texas Task Force 1 and held at their Disaster City training facility — is known for being a top program for canine search specialists.
By Sanna Bhai @BhaiSanna TAMUhack offers an opportunity for students to come together for 24 hours of coding, teamwork and new experiences. The fifth annual hackathon was held in the Memorial Student Center on Jan. 26 through 27. As computers play an increasingly prominent role across all fields, computer science senior and TAMUhack president Muin Momin said hackathons bring people together to do something fun, creative and useful. “The best way to describe a hackathon is a 24-hour invention marathon,” Momin said. “Students form teams of four and they just work on any
technical project they want. They can build an app, a website, a robotic arm… They just put a bunch of technologies together and create it.” Sponsors are an integral part of the continued success of TAMUhack. In addition to helping fund the event, some sponsors have representatives available to consult with students and conduct interviews on the spot. Josue Martinez, senior program manager at Microsoft, said these types of events are ideal for students to get acquainted with major companies and gain a more in-depth understanding of their work. “It is not just an opportunity for us to have conversations with the students about the technology that we are building and what we are doing, but also for students to get to know us,” Martinez said. “We are a large corporation. We are a big name, and not everybody
UPSET PROVIDED
VIXIV players learn to overcome environmental obstacles, including pollution, disasters and overpopulation.
‘Game of survival’ Aggie-created board game teaches players about ecosystems through strategy and competition By Giselle Warren @GiselleWarren6 Players race to build the strongest ecosystem with ever-changing elements including viral outbreaks, pollution and overpopulation in a new board game designed by Aggies. While driving back from a wildlife education presentation, Dillon Jones, Class of 2018, and Corey Batson, Class of 2016, decided they wanted to create an enjoyable way for kids to learn about the environment. The pair combined the fun and strategy of a board game with educational components about ecology to create VIXIV: The Game of Survival. In VIXIV, players are tasked with creating the perfect ecosystem while trying to thwart their opponent’s ecosystem. The founders are working to raise $25,000 by Feb. 8 so they can sell the game online and in brick-and-mortar stores. In VIXIV, there are seven boards that each represent different ecosystems for players to choose from. Cards depicting types of events such as “wildfire” are disasters that might be used to damage the ecosystems and make the game fall into disarray. The goal is to gather the most points throughout the game by mastering species interaction and survival. Batson said that while the game is meant to be fun and competitive, the educational aspect was heavily emphasized when the game was being created. BOARD GAME ON PG. 4
Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION
Texas A&M sophomore guard Kayla Wells finished Sunday’s game against the Wildcats with 20 points.
knows what we do or why we do it or what we are passionate about.” One trio at this year’s hackathon – engineering freshmen Shion Ito, Anh Hoang and Hanh Nguyen – worked on an app that can identify a skin disease through a picture, assessing the symptoms and recommending a proper treatment. Hoang said that although he and his teammates are young and new to the industry, the event was a great way to get their feet wet. “I think it’s a great start for all of us,” Hoang said. “TAMUhack specifically said that anyone can join, even if we are first-timers, because there are going to be workshops, and those who didn’t have team members can create their own team. They are creating an opportunity for all of us. Equal chances to work together and do something.”
Texas A&M women’s basketball team edges out Kentucky, extends streak to five victories By Brian Bass @brianbass4 No. 24 Texas A&M upset No. 15 Kentucky 73-71 at Reed Arena Sunday night. After an up and down first half, the Aggies hit their stride late in the third quarter with a pair of three-point shots from sophomore guards Kayla Wells and Chennedy Carter for A&M’s first double digit lead of the game. Kentucky started off slow, only scoring once in a span of five and a half minutes to begin the game. Kentucky attempted 29 shots from three-point range throughout the course of the game, but never found a rhythm offensively. With a crowd of 4,752 in attendance for the Sunday afternoon game, the Wildcats struggled on the road shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc and never leading during the game. A&M, on the other hand, had one of the most efficient nights from three-point range this season. A&M shot 52 percent from the field and 75 percent from three-point range. Carter and junior guard Shambria Washington created plenty of good looks to teammates for the majority of the night. Carter found herself in the zone from three-point range, hitting four out of five shots down the stretch. Carter was also responsible for two other three-pointers, assisting Wells and Jada Walton in the second and third quarters. Wells and Carter both finished with 20 points each. With the Wildcats placing most of their defensive attention on Carter, Wells was often left with an open lane to shoot. “That’s basically every game, they try to take away Chennedy and then take away me,” Wells said. “But with them trapping Chennedy, that gets me a lot of looks, especially early.” Redshirt sophomore center Ciera Johnson was a constant throughout the game, only missing one shot. She finished 8-of-9 from the field with 19 points and six rebounds. Kentucky could not keep up with Johnson’s length in the paint throughout the game. The other winning factor was their plan and execution to feed Johnson the ball all night. “Credit to the guards for just giving me the ball in BASKETBALL ON PG. 2
Senior Boot Bag
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The Battalion | 1.28.19
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Tuesday, January 29 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Wehner Lobby Mays Business School crs.mays.tamu.edu
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The Big Daddy Party Bus can accommodate up to 30 passengers and has been expanding services beyond Northgate.
Student-run bus brings the party Safe and fun transport service offers entertaining nights out By Ronaldo Mata @ronniemata12 A party can start anywhere: a dorm, a house, a club — or even a bus. Big Daddy Bus is the newest way to spend a night out on Northgate. This service hosts up to 30 passengers and looks to transform the drive into an experience that is just as fun as the destination. The bus is equipped with LED lights, surround sound and a stripper pole. Economics senior and Big Daddy Bus manager Matthew Iommi jumped at the opportunity to provide College Station with a party bus of its own. As the number of party trips increase, so do the number of riders. Iommi said he believes Big Daddy Bus is becoming a staple in the Northgate community. “We have these frequent customers ... every weekend they are going out and the bars all know them, so we have
been pushed into that family,” Iommi said. “It’s usually just a rave in there. I’ll look in the rear view mirror and I’m like ‘wow, they are partying hard!’” Even for those who aren’t Northgate regulars, Iommi said the bus can be a key component of a great night out. “We are trying to expand into other market shares for people that don’t go out too often — once a month maybe,” Iommi said. “Then instead of taking two ubers, they can take the party bus.” The bus’ services have extended to proms, quinceañeras, bachelor and bachelorette parties. However, the nightlife scene at College Station’s Northgate district is still where Big Daddy Bus finds the majority of its clientele. “We have a good connection with the police because they understand what we are doing — [partygoers are] not out there driving, and that’s bottom line,” Iommi said. “We are giving them a great time, a much better time than just driving, having a designated driver and whatnot. Everyone gets to
party.” Making up to 10 trips a night, driver and economics junior Beck Nunnink said he enjoys the entertaining simplicity of his job and rarely feels the late hours he puts in behind the wheel. “My typical night starts at about 9 p.m. when I pick the bus up. Depending on the night, I may have bookings right away, but most times I get to just hang for an hour,” Nunnink said. “I really enjoy just driving around. I find it relaxing, and the best part is I still get paid.” For communication sophomore and frequent rider Melanie Rodriguez, the Big Daddy Bus company has made her nights on Northgate especially memorable. “For my birthday this year, I booked the bus for a few friends and I,” Rodriguez said. “The bus was definitely the best of the night. ... There is just something about taking the party bus to Northgate that just makes the night a definitely great night.”
Texas legislators weigh education funds Local educators offer thoughts on new state budget proposals By Kenya Robinson @_KenyaJ
Megan Rodriguez, Editor-in-Chief Luke Henkhaus, Managing Editor Jordan Burnham, News Editor Sanna Bhai, Asst. News Editor Henry Mureithi, Asst. News Editor Kathryn Whitlock, Life & Arts Editor Hannah Falcon, Life & Arts Editor Samantha Mahler, Life & Arts Editor
Angel Franco, Sports Editor Abigail Ochoa, Sports Editor Cassie Stricker, Photo Chief Meredith Seaver, Asst. Photo Chief Daoud Qamar, Video Editor Kevin Christman, Video Editor Jane Turchi, Special Sections Editor
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 student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1.
As the 86th Texas Legislature continues its regular session, the conversation about education remains prevalent on both the House and Senate floors State lawmakers released budget proposals on Jan. 14 that outlined multibillion-dollar increases in public school funding. The proposal from the Texas Senate would include a $5,000 raise for every teacher and a $4.3 billion overall increase in funding. A competing proposal from the House includes a possible $7.1 billion in extra school funding, with close to $2 billion set aside to combat property tax increases. Both proposals look to decrease the practice of recapture, which involves taking money from property-wealthy districts to cover education costs in property-poor districts. In 2016, Texas ranked 43rd in the nation in education but rose to No. 37 in 2018, according to Education Week’s quality count report and U.S. News & World Report. While the new budget proposals could possibly improve Texas’s C average rating in education, it all depends on how the money is allocated, said Lori Taylor,
professor and head of the public service and administration department at the Bush School of Government and Public Service. “Is the legislature trying to buy a Ford or a Cadillac?” Taylor said. “Another one of the deeply important questions is how has the legislature recognized that the cost of providing that education is not uniform throughout the state. We have some labor markets where hiring is more expensive, and you have to give them more dollars to be able to staff the classrooms identically to other parts of the state.” Taylor said she expects Texas A&M to be competing for an increase in educational funding, especially due to increases in labor costs. Taylor said the university could possibly lose its most capable faculty if it ignored rising labor costs. “If there’s no merit pull for faculty in increases, then other universities in other states are going to start cherry picking some of our most valuable faculty,” Taylor said. “One of the things to remember is that the nation’s economy is coming out of recession. It is in an expansion. The unemployment rate is very low and labor costs are starting to go up, and the universities have to compete.” Allison Meche, Class of 2017, teaches at College Hills Elementary in the College Station Independent School district. Although Meche stressed that
educators aren’t in the profession strictly for money, she said a raise for teachers would always be nice. “How do you get anywhere in life? It’s through education and having good teachers,” Meche said. “You’re going to have to pay them well, and I know it’s been talked of increasing teachers salaries, so that would retain really good teachers and keep them in the field instead of them going elsewhere and having a better paying job.” Teaching at a school that serves many students from a low socioeconomic background, Meche said she frequently takes it upon herself buy things for her class to ensure that students are reaching their full potential at school. “I feel like as a teacher nowadays, we are constantly competing with technology, constantly keeping them engaged, and we have to be super interactive,” Meche said. “You have to spend money in order to have those materials.” Deanne Sweirc, also a teacher at College Hill Elementary, said while CSISD could use the money, she has all the resources she needs for her classroom. “I think the school district does an excellent job for making sure I have what I need in classroom,” Sweirc said. “I still spend a fair amount of my own money, but … the only thing I have really had to purchase is some of my classroom books.”
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CARRYOUT SPECIAL! Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION
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Sophomore guard Chennedy Carter made 20 of the Aggies’ 73 points against Kentucky.
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the right place and the right time,” Johnson said. “All I did was two moves in the paint. Most of them were shot fakes.” A&M head coach Gary Blair made it clear postgame that Kentucky deserved a lot of credit for such a close ball game and keeping
it competitive. “[Kentucky] has three of the top twenty players in the league all in one team,” Blair said “So give them credit. You can only imagine what the game is going to be like in Lexington.” A&M takes on Vanderbilt Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. at Reed Arena.
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The Battalion | 1.28.19
Netflix has changed the stand-up industry Streaming service offers consumers a choice and comedians a platform By Navid Nathani @nathaninavid
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Creative Commons
Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj is one of the many comedy shows now on Netflix.
etflix has helped create a new boom in stand-up comedy with the release of their original specials. In 2018, Netflix released nearly 60 stand-up specials from a variety of comedians around the world. Of the specials released, about 20 were in a different language entirely, ranging from Spanish to Korean. This massive endeavor from Netflix isn’t anything new, with their first stand-up special released back in 2012 by Bill Burr. Since then, Netflix has become a powerhouse in the stand-up industry, with more specials than any other streaming service or platform. Prior to Netflix, comedians’ main form of exposure would be their comedy albums, purchasable specials and interviews to help sell their albums and specials. In the 1970s through 80s, the comedy album was a very popular form of entertainment, but as TV became an increasingly dominant medium, comedi-
ans had a tough time balancing between having people attend their shows and having their shows for sale. With Netflix, comedians are able to present a special that is cheap for the consumer as well as incredibly profitable for the comedians. In January, Jerry Seinfeld signed a deal with the streaming service for an estimated $100 million. Because Netflix has become so popular for stand-up, there seems to be a formulaic cycle comedians use to help maximize exposure. Usually, new comedians will put out a special toward the end of their stand-up tour, the special gains traction with audiences, who then buy tickets to their next tour, and then a new special is released toward the end of that tour and the cycle continues and expands. To see a recent example of this cycle, look at Ali Wong and her successful stand-up special, “Baby Cobra,” which led to her having an incredibly popular follow up tour with “Hard Knock Wife.” This cycle of exposure is dependent on Netflix’s ability to choose great talent. Naturally, there are some disparities
in terms of quality and production, but on the whole, the comedians Netflix chooses tend to gain esteem outside of their stand-up career. For example, Bill Burr now has an animated comedy show on Netflix, and Hasan Minhaj has a talk show. These careers are dependent on Netflix, and other streaming services are following suit with their own original specials to compete. The biggest advantage of Netflix is being able to comfortably binge shows, and now stand-up specials are a part of that culture. Consumers have easy access to a wide variety of comedians as well as the ability to binge multiple specials, allowing consumers to become well versed in their own comedic preference and dive deeper into the world of comedy. The stand-up industry has changed for the better due to Netflix, allowing consumers easy access to explore comedians as well as allowing comedians to gain exposure, helping comics around the world build successful careers from their talent. Navid Nathani is an MIS sophomore and Life & Arts writer for The Battalion.
AGGIES IN THE SPOTLIGHT The Aggie Network reaches far, including the entertainment industry and politics. Check out these five celebrities you may not have known are former students.
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LYLE LOVETT
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RICK PERRY
Via Facebook
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CHRIS TOMLIN
SARA WINTER-BANKS
ROBERT EARL KEEN Robert Earl Keen is a country and bluegrass singer. Some of his most famous songs are “The Road Goes on Forever,” and “No Kinda Dancer.”
Class of 1980, journalism
Class of 1972, animal science
Class of 1995, psychology
Class of 2006, speech comm.
Lyle Lovett went on to become a famous singer and actor. He’s best known for his songs “Cowboy Man,” “She’s No Lady” and “If I Had a Boat.”
U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry served in the Air Force and had a long career in Texas state politics, holding a seat in the Texas House of Representatives, and serving as commissioner of agriculture, lieutenant governor and then governor.
Chris Tomlin is now a famous Christian singer. Some of his most popular songs are “Good Good Father” and “How great is our God.”
Sara Winter-Banks, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift’s current touring manager, was recently put in Billboard’s 40 under 40 list.
Class of 1978, English
By Lexi Ellis @lexiellis10
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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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FILE
In Swaram A Capella’s Spring 2017 Showcase, Joseph Majan, Class of 2019, (left) performed a duet and business junior Akshara Parashar (right) performed “Duaa,” a Hindi song.
Singing to bring awareness to social issues Swaram A Capella group builds their sets around college students’ lives By Meagan Sheffield @mshef350 Award-winning a cappella group Swaram fuses South Asian and Western cultural influences to create sets that focus on social issues. Swaram A Cappella won first place at the All-American Awaaz competition in April 2017 and 2018 and placed second in the University of California, Berkley’s Anahat competition in December. Their next competition is March 9 in Dallas. During competitions, the group shows a short video of them performing a skit before their live performance. Their set focused on domestic abuse in 2017 and substance abuse in
BOARD GAME CONTINUED “As we developed it, we all worked together to create a game that can actually teach you while you play,” Batson said. “It doesn’t mean that it’s going to be very upfront or on the nose about what it teaches you, but by simply playing and learning how to play in a natural way, you’ll actually learn how animals interact
2018. Swaram president and biomedical engineering sophomore Jones Kalarickal said the group’s focus on these issues sets them apart from other teams. “Swaram is kind of unique in that they were the first team to start doing sort of a PSA, like a serious theme,” Kalarickal said. “Usually, teams don’t do themes, but if they do, it’s like a love story or something.” In addition to competing, Swaram has performed at the MSC and for several philanthropy groups, including Project 365. Their next performance is at Acappellooza on March 2 in Rudder Auditorium. Swaram vice president and finance sophomore Ammu George said they want to add meaning to their music by sending a message that their audience can relate to. “We try to focus on what issues college students go through, so things like domestic vio-
lence and substance abuse are really common issues, not just on our campus, but colleges worldwide,” George said. “Instead of picking songs that we hear on the radio or songs that everyone likes to hear, we think about a message we want to share, and then we build our songs and our set around that message.” In high school, George was in show choir but had to quit during her senior year to focus on her academic work. “As soon as I came to college, I wanted to join an a cappella group or a show choir,” George said. “When I first saw Swaram, I just thought it was really cool that they fused two different cultures together, and being someone that comes from Indian culture, I want to be able to share that.” Swaram music director and computer engineering senior Annie Blakeslee was in Century Singers during her first semester at
Texas A&M before deciding to join Swaram. Blakeslee said she was encouraged to join by a friend who was also in Century Singers. “I loved the big choir feel of Century Singers, but I wanted something smaller where I made more of a difference,” Blakeslee said. “I auditioned for multiple a cappella groups on campus, but I felt very welcomed by Swaram. I felt like I was at home when I stepped into the audition room.” George said that while the group performs South Asian music, the members are a diverse crowd of students. “The cool thing about Swaram is that we’re such a diverse group,” George said. “Everyone is a different major, we have so many ethnic backgrounds on our team. I always thought it was really cool that everyone is so drawn to being a part of this fusion of two different cultures.”
with each other, how they interact with the ecosystem and how the ecosystem can affect them.” Communications director for VIXIV and Class of 2019, Andrea Lloyd, said the game can help people understand scientific concepts in an innovative way, and they can use that knowledge in their everyday lives. “Science is only becoming more involved with our world, whether it be climate change
or the foods that we eat,” Lloyd said. “I really love how this game can teach concepts to people and then they can see how that works in their own life, whether it’s understanding how legislation works or understanding how a food network puts food on the dinner table.” While VIXIV’s educational aspect is beneficial, Jones said the game is also enjoyable for people who aren’t necessarily looking to learn about ecology.
“We try to make the game where fun is the primary goal, but education is a secondary part of it,” said Jones. “That being said, if you have no interest in animals and wildlife, you will still play this board game and absolutely have fun with it.” To learn more about VIXIV, visit vixiv. strikingly.com
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