The Battalion - November 14, 2019

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2019 STUDENT MEDIA

‘Short, but not little’

FILE

Cadets line the perimeter of the memorial at the Bonfire Remembrance ceremony.

Aggies

remember Events to be held leading up to 20th anniversary of 1999 Bonfire collapse

By Camryn Lang @CamrynLang Meredith Seaver — THE BATTALION

Freshman Ainias Smith is tied for second shortest player on the team.

College Station connections brought Ainias Smith to Aggieland, where he has found success in his first year

By Hannah Underwood @hannahbunderwoo

O

n a team full of underclassmen, freshman wide receiver Ainias Smith is making a name for himself.

He may not be the tallest guy on the field, with his 5-foot-10 stance tied for the second-lowest height on the team, but he makes up for it with his physicality, Fisher said.

“He’s physical for his size,” Fisher said.

“He’s shorter, and I joke about it all the time with him, but he’s not little. He can block, he can run through tackles, he breaks tackles. He has a natural knack to play the game.”

Smith’s physicality has allowed him to

contribute 119 punt return yards, 197 kick return yards and 213 receiving yards for Texas A&M so far this season.

The freshman’s collegiate success comes as no surprise as he is coming off an illustrious high school career that made him a three-star recruit. A Houston Touchdown Club UIL Offensive Player of the Year finalist and District Co-MVP, Smith recorded 718 receiving yards, 481 rushing yards, 10 receiving and 10 rushing touchdowns, and a kick return touchdown in his senior season at Dulles High School.

He also added two passing touchdowns on offense and three interceptions and one touchdown on defense.

According to 247sports.com, Smith fielded scholarship offers from 15 schools before choosing to become a late addition to A&M’s 2019 recruiting class, signing on Feb. 6.

Fisher said though Smith signed late, the Aggies had pursued him for a while.

“We wanted him the whole time,” Fisher said after A&M’s 62-3 win over Lamar on Sept. 14. “It was his choice to be a late addition to the class. It wasn’t my choice.

But I’m glad he made that decision for sure.

That guy’s a very talented guy.”

Fellow wide receiver junior Quartney Davis played a role in getting Smith to campus. Davis said he was helping coach wide receivers at a camp when Smith, a participant at the camp, caught his eye. Smith’s scholarship offer came soon after, Davis said.

“I was talking to [wide receivers] coach [Dameyune] Craig about him, and I told him he was going to be a really good player,” Davis said after A&M’s 31-27 victory over Arkansas. “They ended up giving him a scholarship offer, and he came here and worked so hard. In the summer workouts he always wanted to go with the older guys.

He never wanted to miss a rep in practice.”

Davis wasn’t Smith’s only College Station connection, though. Smith grew up playing flag football with junior wide receiver Jhamon Ausbon, who said his message to convert Smith to A&M was simple.

“I just told him, ‘You’re playing in the SEC West, the best of the best,’” Ausbon said after the Lamar game. “What kind of games do you want to play in? What kind of SMITH ON PG. B4

Fireside chat Gates discusses career achievements in United States government and at A&M

By Julia Potts @juliaapotts Former Texas A&M President and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates joined Dean of the Bush School Mark Welsh in Rudder Theatre on Wednesday for a discussion about his decades of public service.

The event offered insight into Gates’ many achievements throughout his career. In addition to his roles running A&M and the Department of Defense, some of Gates’ most notable credits include director of the CIA and interim director of the Bush School of Government and Public Service. He’s currently a partner at consulting firm RiceHadleyGates LLC. Gates has also received multiple awards for his dedication to public service, including the Presidential Citizens Medal, National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the CIA’s Distinguished Intelligence Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

When Welsh introduced Gates, he listed many of Gates positions in government and said Gates’ work was exemplary during his years as Secretary of Defense under the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.

“During that period, he actually transitioned from one president to another, remaining as Secretary of Defense,” Welsh said. “[That is] the first time that’s happened in the history of our country.”

GATES ON PG. B2

As the 20th anniversary of the 1999 Bonfire collapse approaches, Traditions Council is offering opportunities to honor and remember the lives that were lost.

In the week leading up to the Bonfire Remembrance ceremony, held on Nov. 18 at 2:42 a.m., Traditions Council will have a Reflections Display in the MSC Flag Room featuring photos and a description of the collapse. A member of Traditions Council will accompany the display from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and answer questions from visitors. Students will also have the opportunity to attend on campus showings of the 2009 documentary “The Burning Desire,” which will be screened on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. at Hullabaloo Hall Room 117 and Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. in The Commons Room 109.

Bonfire Remembrance & Service Committee Chair and biomedical science senior Brooke Wilson said the film covers the eight days from the Bonfire collapse to the rivalry football game against Texas, showing how the Aggie MEMORIAL ON PG. B7

BONFIRE DOCUMENTARY “The 13th Man,” a documentary about the 1999 Bonfire tragedy and the life of collapse survivor John Comstock, will continue playing at Bryan’s Premiere Cinema until at least Nov. 21.

Its run at the theater was extended following “a very successful turnout on opening weekend,” director Charlie Minn said. The film will open at over a dozen other theaters in Texas on Friday.

“The film is brutally honest and will bring you to the scene,” Minn wrote in a letter published by The Bryan-College Station Eagle on Wednesday. “I am not pro-A&M or anti-A&M. I am pro-honesty. Part of the Aggie Code of honor is not to lie. This film follows that value and more.”

FOOTBALL VS. SOUTH CAROLINA

Saturday, Nov. 16 — Kyle Field 6:30 p.m. on SECN

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VS. 3-4 Courtesy of Sam Craft — TEXAS A&M UNIVERISTY

Robert Gates is a former U.S. Secretary of Defense and former Texas A&M President.

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NEWS

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The Battalion | 11.14.19

FILE

A piccolo and a tuba from the Aggie Band play as students walk between destinations during Elephant Walk 2018.

One final walk together Elephant Walk will be held Thursday and will feature new activities

By Kendall Michaelis @kendallmich45

The Association of Former Students congratulates the 2019 Gathright Phi Kappa Phi Deans’ Excellence Award recipients.

2019 AWARD RECIPIENTS

College of agriCulture & life SCienCeS Cody McQueen ’22 Katharine Tyson ’21 College of arChiteCture Abigail Steudtner ’22 College of eduCation & huMan deVelopMent Mary McQuade ’22 Samantha Gonzales ’20

College of SCienCe Ryan Rahman ’22 Rachel Porter ’20 College of Veterinary MediCine & BioMediCal SCienCeS Mariana Cantu ’22 Joshua Korb ’21 dwight look College of engineering Meghan Truong ’22 Qiji Lian ’21

College of geoSCienCeS Paige Wirth ’22 College of liBeral artS Emily Mann ’22 Sheridan Steen ’21

MayS BuSineSS SChool Sunjay Letchuman ’22 Elena Bacon ’21

Seniors will soon embark on the bittersweet Elephant Walk, honoring their class and uniting for their last walk on campus together.

Elephant Walk will occur on Thursday, and the participating seniors will step off from the Quad at 6:20 p.m. Elephant Walk is a free event provided by Class Councils, and any senior from the Class of 2020 is welcome to participate.

Elephant Walk is a longstanding tradition at Texas A&M that started in 1922. After the loss of a few football games, two freshmen decided to play a funeral march and walk around campus. They carried on the tradition as seniors to reminisce on their time at A&M. This event is engrained in Aggie tradition and has occurred before the last home football game every year since 1926.

Kaylee Trotter, kinesiology senior and director of Elephant Walk, has been planning this year’s event since its completion last year.

Trotter said Elephant Walk is an important symbol for students to reflect upon their accomplishments and to have that last time with their class instead of always looking to what is ahead.

“Elephant Walk provides seniors that opportunity to give their last farewells and to reflect on their time here,” Trotter said. “Especially before taking that last step forward.”

Trotter is involved in every aspect of Elephant Walk and has become increasingly passionate about it. To Trotter, Elephant Walk is a memorable and important experience for the senior class. Trotter said this year’s Ele-

GATES CONTINUED At the start of his chat, Gates said he particularly enjoyed his time as president of A&M, eliciting a “whoop” from the current and former students in the audience.

“The four and a half years I was president here, I can say with some confidence, was the most fun job I ever had,” Gates said.

Laura Leddy, an international affairs graduate student, said she enjoyed attending Gates’ “Fireside Chat,” which was hosted by the Bush School and the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs.

“I thought it was really interesting,” Leddy said. “I like how great a reaction the crowd had to Bob Gates. I think that says a lot about his time as president of the university and beyond.”

One of the first topics addressed in the chat was the impeachment of President Trump.

Gates contrasted the current issue to some that he has experienced with past presidents.

“It’s hard to make any unique observations,” Gates said. “I guess what I would say is that I joined the [National Security Council] for the first time four months before Richard Nixon resigned. As I like to say it, I signed on as a deckhand of the Titanic after it hit the iceberg.”

Gates said this process of impeachment will most likely distract politicians across the board from problems that deserve more attention.

“We have a lot of serious problems facing this country,” Gates said. “My worry is that this process will not only further polarize the Congress, which seems pretty hard to do at this point, but will also further distract them.”

This polarization that has become more pronounced under the current administration has radicalized the political parties, Gates said. He said this is one of his main concerns going into the 2020 election.

“I don’t hear any unifiers out there,” Gates

phant Walk will be a unique event with new and engaging activities, such as a custom fable told by the Yell Leaders only for Elephant Walk.

Lane Morris, biology senior and assistant director for public relations and marketing, said there will be a distinguished speaker and the revelation of the Class of 2020 gift. The history of Elephant Walk is what makes it so special to the campus and its students, Morris said.

“It’s one of A&M’s oldest traditions,” Morris said. “When those [original] freshmen became seniors, they decided to take one final walk around campus together for the last time to relive their time at Aggieland. As they were walking, they all began to put their hands on each other’s shoulders, and an observer noted that they looked like elephants about to die.”

Morris said Elephant Walk is a unique tradition to the A&M campus and provides a lot of nostalgia for the students as they embark on one last walk around campus.

“It’s one of the traditions that fully embodies the Aggie Spirit in every way,” Morris said. “Through this tradition, we are able to celebrate the diversity, uniqueness and individualism of every member of the Class of ‘20, while it still being a completely unifying tradition that brings everyone together one last time before we graduate.”

Although Elephant Walk is a time for seniors to reflect and reminisce, it is also something for them to look forward to. Biology freshman Kelsey Mainard said Elephant Walk is a symbolic gesture of the senior class leaving campus with pride.

“As a freshman, I am already starting to learn about the traditions of our school,” Mainard said. “So, as a senior, I can only imagine the amount of excitement that goes into walking with your whole class.”

said. “All the candidates that I see are trying to divide. That’s across the spectrum. It seems to me maybe that’s one of the most important things we need to talk about.”

Gates said employees of the government need to improve their methods and strategies if they hope to confront the problems of today.

“One of the things that troubles me about Washington generally is the absence of a strategy for dealing with anything, and that’s not new with this president,” Gates said. “It’s especially harder to make strategy on Twitter.”

Another topic Gates discussed was U.S. foreign policy, specifically in regards to China.

“I think Gates has really important insight into foreign policy, which I am especially interested in from his time as the director of the CIA and secretary of defense,” Leddy said.

Gates said he fears the government will act too radically toward China and threaten the possibility of a civil relationship.

“I’ve always compared the American government to a dinosaur,” Gates said. “It has a little tiny brain and no fine motor skills.

I’m afraid we’re going to overreact too far in the other direction with China and not understand that this relationship has to be kept peaceful.”

One point Gates consistently referred to was the need for unity between Americans, regardless of political party affiliation. He said politicians must resolve the problems between themselves before they can be successful in solving the problems facing the nation.

“I don’t hear any of the candidates talking about the importance of bringing Americans together, about how we begin to repair the divisions among us and how we begin to deal with the reality that we’re all in this together,” Gates said. “We’re going to have to work together to make progress in this country.”

11

LIFE&ARTS

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The Battalion | 11.14.19

Photos by Angelina Alcantar — THE BATTALION

The latest MSC Reynolds Gallery exhibit seeks to raise awareness of sexual assault, on and off campus. The exhibit displays the clothing survivors were wearing when they were assaulted.

‘It can happen to anyone’ Reynolds Gallery presents tangible stories from sexual assault survivors

By Rebecca Morris @RebeccaSheWrote Along the walls hang everyday clothes, including T-shirts, jeans, shorts and even a child’s dress, its flowery pattern standing out against the white interior of the gallery. While the articles of clothing look innocent, there is a painful story behind each outfit: the story of someone who was sexually assaulted.

The MSC Visual Arts Committee (VAC) hosted an opening reception on Thursday in the Reynolds Gallery for their latest exhibit “What Were You Wearing.” The exhib-

it’s goal is to raise awareness of sexual assault and reduce the stigma that what people wear changes their likelihood of being assaulted.

Students who visit the gallery, like animal science sophomore Edgar Montoya who attended the reception, can see examples of clothing that students wore when they were sexually assaulted, ranging from work uniforms, to sweatpants and sweatshirts, to a prom dress and a sari.

“Honestly, it hit hard because I’d never actually thought about it until I saw the outfits,” Montoya said. “I think the topic of sexual assault is getting better because people are seeing it as more of an issue. Exhibits like this bring more of a visual aspect to the issue because you can walk through yourself and see what’s actually happening instead of having people tell you and base your own ideas off of that.”

MSC VAC Chair Mckinsey Meeker helped write the proposal and worked behind the scenes to bring the exhibit to the Reynolds Gallery because sexual assault is a prevalent issue in society today, especially on college campuses.

“As a committee, we believe that one of art’s many purposes is to create awareness,” Meeker said. “I would like students and members of the Bryan-College Station community

to leave the exhibit with increased awareness, being more aware of not only sexual assault, but also the fact that it can happen to anyone, wearing anything.”

VAC Advisor Mary Compton said the idea for this kind of exhibit started at Kansas University. Since first showcasing the exhibit, the university now assists other schools and programs like VAC to put on displays by providing a toolkit and database of survivors’ stories.

“Going through the submission process and hearing the stories was incredibly moving, and they continue to weigh heavily on me,” Meeker said. “But we want to use this exhibit to increase awareness of sexual assault and show our support for those survivors.”

Compton said she helped team members get materials and facilitated them as they decided upon which stories to display. In preparation for the display, VAC partnered with Texas A&M Health Promotions to train committee members on how to prepare and present the sensitive topic.

“We did do some discussion to prepare them for what they were going to read,” Compton said. “They knew this was going to be a difficult subject. We talked about how we were going to present that in the exhibit, but then actually reading the stories it was pretty challenging. But because we had done

all that preparation, we knew what we were getting into.”

The exhibit presents a wide variety of stories, depicting how people of all genders, sizes and sexualities are affected by this issue. Case manager Ryan Jackson works with sexual assault victims through the Department of Civil Rights and Equity Investigations, getting survivors the resources they need and walking them through the reporting process.

“The unfortunate reality is that sexual assault impacts people of all genders, races, socio-economic statuses, sexual orientations, religions, lifestyles,” Jackson said. “When a sexual assault occurs it is not because of any decision the survivor made, it is because of a choice to harm someone made by the attacker. Awareness events like this are important because it is a reminder to all that this is an important issue for members of our community.”

While the exhibit is on display, VAC hopes students will educate themselves on the topic and learn about advocacy groups such as Step In, Stand Up and the Green Dot, that support and provide resources for survivors.

“I believe the exhibit speaks for itself,” Meeker said. “It does not matter what someone was wearing or what situation that person was in. It is never the victims’ fault.”

FOOTBALL

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The Battalion | 11.14.19

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Sports content sponsored by:

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A LOOK AT THE CONFERENCE FOR WEEK 12

By Adithya Prabakaran @ADP_445

Last week, the SEC saw an LSU-Alabama matchup that lived up to its pregame hype while the rest of the SEC was filled with blowouts and upsets.

This week, the conference features a top-15 matchup as other heavyweight

programs look to add another win to their resume in pursuit of a place in the College Football Playoff.

No. 5 Georgia (8-1) vs No. 13 Auburn (7-2)

No. 4 Alabama (8-1) vs Mississippi State (4-5)

Saturday, Nov. 16 — Jordan-Hare Stadium — Auburn, Alabama 2:30 p.m. on CBS

Saturday, Nov. 16 — Davis Wade Stadium — Starkville, Mississippi 11 a.m. on ESPN

No. 5 Georgia is coming off a shutout win over Missouri, in which the Bulldogs allowed the Tigers to accumulate only 128 passing yards on 34 attempts and 55 rushing yards on 21 carries. The Bulldogs’ dominant defense was followed up by an efficient rushing game led by running back D’Andre Swift, who averaged 6.9 yards per carry.

This week, they face a better program in the No. 13 Auburn Tigers, who are coming off a bye week. Auburn’s defensive line, with defensive tackle Derrick Brown and defensive end Marlon Davidson, will look

to be disruptive against a powerful Georgia running game to force junior quarterback Jake Fromm to win the game with his arm.

Conversely, Georgia’s physical defense will look to make things hard for freshman quarterback Bo Nix, who had his best game of the season against Ole Miss, throwing 30-of-44 for 340 yards and picking up a rushing touchdown. Georgia’s defense could make things difficult for the young Auburn offense and uncomfortable for the freshman signal-caller and running back.

The Crimson Tide is coming off a loss to No. 1 LSU at home in one of the highestscoring matchups in college football this year. Junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returned after missing one game with an ankle injury. However, the injury affected other parts of his game too, as his lack of pocket mobility and inability to step into throws contributed to his 52 percent pass completion percentage. Despite the circumstances, he still threw for over 400 yards and four touchdowns. With another week to recover, Tagovailoa will look to take

Prediction: Georgia 38, Auburn 20

the field with his wide receiver trio of Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III and Devonta Smith against a Mississippi State defense that is allowing 389 yards of total offense per game.

Mississippi State, led by freshman quarterback Garrett Shrader and junior running back Kylin Hill, will face a defense with linebacker Anfernee Jennings, defensive end Raekwon Davis, safety Xavier McKinney and cornerback Trevon Diggs. Look for Alabama to rebound from last week’s loss with a big win over the Bulldogs.

Prediction: Alabama 45, Mississippi State 10

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Texas A&M vs. South Carolina

Samantha Mahler

Managing Editorf @mahlersamantha

LUKE

If the Aggies don’t win my last home game as an undergraduate, I don’t think I can graduate.

Brian Bass

HANNAH BRIAN

Assistant Sports Editor @brianbass4

App St. beat South Carolina :)

Hannah Underwood

Sports Editor @hannahbunderwoo

Muschamp will have to change his name to Musloser after Saturday.

Hollis Mills

Life & Arts Editor @sillohsllim

After their loss, USC can at least enjoy some downtime on one of their beaches...I’m sorry?

There’s another USC?

HOLLIS Meredith Seaver

Photo Chief @MeredithSeaver

MEREDITH BRADY

SMITH CONTINUED competition level do you want to play in? I know everybody wants to go to the NFL, what way do you want to go out and be prepared for the next level? This is no better way to go out. The top players play in the SEC.” Smith was already privy to the appeal of the SEC, however. His older brother Maurice began his collegiate career at Alabama before transferring to Georgia as a graduate student in 2016. He now plays safety for the Washington Redskins.

Despite his late arrival to Aggieland, Smith had already made an impression on the team by the time fall camp ended.

“Even in the summer, what caught my eye is him, Quartney [Davis] and some of the other receivers would compete to see who could run the best routes,” junior quarterback Kellen Mond said. “He’s a competitor, and he always wants to be the best.

Even in that, he showed his flashes of elite quickness. That was something I saw early on.”

Fisher said Smith’s success this season is due to three things.

“One, he has ability. Two, he has super competitiveness. Three, he has great intelligence,” Fisher said. “He gets it. Football makes sense to him.”

Smith got his first collegiate start

After being in the Corps, it’s taking a lot of effort not to make a joke about how their mascot is the Gamecock...

against Alabama after junior wide receiver Roshauud Paul elected to redshirt this season. In that game, he had only one punt return attempt for 10 yards and two receptions for 21 yards.

In A&M’s last game against UTSA, Smith had two punt returns for 25 yards, two kick returns for 41 yards and three receptions for 31 yards.

Smith’s improvement is a result of catching punts from the No. 1 punter in the nation, senior Braden Mann, who averages an NCAA-leading 49 yards per punt.

“I don’t think he saw a whole lot of college-type punts when he was in high school,” Mann said. “He had trouble at first judging exactly how far and how high and where they’re going to land. Now, he’s really come into it, and he’s doing a lot better job.”

Ausbon said that although Smith entered the program with a loaded resume, he continues to develop his skills daily.

“He came in advanced, but he’s continuing to learn,” Ausbon said.

“He’s learning how to use his body.

He’s not the tallest guy in the world, but he’s learning how to use his physicality use his quickness.”

Davis said Smith’s contribution to A&M’s offense is simple: “Like Coach Craig says, all he does is score touchdowns.”

Brady Stone

Head Page Designer @bradystonex

South Carolina’s mascot looks like the triangles we just removed from our paper design.

Meredith Seaver — THE BATTALION

Freshman wide receiver Ainias Smith has 17 receptions for 213 yards on the season.

FOOTBALL

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The Battalion | 11.14.19

Meredith Seaver and Paul Burke — THE BATTALION

Saturday’s game will be the last one in Kyle Field for Braden Mann, Colton Prater, Roney Elam, Charles Oliver and Mitchell Howard.

‘It’s crazy to think that four years is gone’ A&M seniors will play their final game in Kyle Field on Saturday

By Hannah Underwood @hannahbunderwoo Texas A&M has only five seniors listed on its roster — four on scholarship and one walkon — and Saturday’s home matchup against South Carolina will be their last in Kyle Field.

For punter Braden Mann, Saturday’s game is especially bittersweet because Kyle Field is where his college career began. His first punt for the Aggies came on Sept. 3, 2016, in A&M’s 31-24 overtime win over UCLA. “My legs were shaking; I was nervous, just a scared little freshman,” Mann said. “It’s crazy to think that four years is gone.”

That punt started what has been an illustri-

ous career for Mann. He is currently first in the NCAA with an average of 49 yards per punt. He was a Ray Guy Award winner and a unanimous All-American after accumulating 2,549 punting yards and 5,138 kicking yards last season.

Mann enrolled early at A&M in January of 2016, along with his now-roommate Colton Prater, a fellow senior. Prater took over as center this season after Erik McCoy’s departure to the NFL. Sharing his final game at Kyle Field with Prater will make the day more emotional, Mann said.

“We’ve been through it with each other for four-and-a-half years, so it’s going to be a crazy experience,” Mann said.

Saturday’s game will also be the last Kyle Field outing of defensive backs Roney Elam and Charles Oliver, and defensive lineman

Mitchell Howard.

Elam recorded two interceptions and eight tackles over the first three games of the season but has not seen any playing time since, while Oliver has accumulated 15 tackles in seven games, bringing his current career total to 78.

Howard, the lone walk-on senior, hasn’t seen much playing time in his collegiate career. However, a 45-14 win over UTSA on Nov. 2 allowed him to boost his stat line with an eight-yard sack of quarterback Jordan Weeks in the fourth quarter, which caused a fumble.

Junior quarterback Kellen Mond said that while there are just a handful of seniors on A&M’s roster, the effect they have had on the team has been huge.

“Braden Mann and some of those other guys showed us the ropes and help us continue to grow as players on the field,” Mond said.

“They’re leaders on and off the field; they lead by example.”

The seniors will lead the Aggies one last time at Kyle Field as they take on the Gamecocks at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Mond said he couldn’t think of a better way to send out the seniors since the last time that A&M hosted South Carolina, Kyle Field was “electric.”

“That was one of the loudest environments I ever played in,” Mond said.

The night game, in combination with his last time playing at Kyle Field, will make Saturday emotional for Mann.

“Hopefully I keep [my emotions] in check at least until after the game,” Mann said. “I think it’ll be emotional, especially at the end because it’s a night game in Kyle, my last one.

It’s going to be a lot of fun, though.”

Final night in Kyle A&M to play South Carolina in its last home game of 2019

By Jackson King @MrJacksonTKing

Meredith Seaver — THE BATTALION

Freshman Isaiah Spiller leads the Aggies in scoring this season with eight touchdowns.

After the bye week, Texas A&M is trying to close out its season with a victory at Kyle Field.

In the final home game of the season, A&M will face a South Carolina team that needs to win two more games to become bowl eligible after losing to Appalachian State last weekend. Despite the Gamecocks’ losing record, A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said South Carolina is still able to compete with the top programs in the SEC. “South Carolina’s a very talented football team,” Fisher said. “They come off a tough loss this weekend, but it’s also a team that went to Georgia and won. They’re going to come in here guns blazing, ready to play, and we need to finish these next three games and play the way we need to play.”

Since starting the season 3-3, the Aggies have bounced back in the second half of the season, going on a three-game win streak and clinching bowl eligibility with a win over UTSA. Junior linebacker Buddy Johnson said being able to hold onto that momentum will be key for the team in this final stretch of the season, which includes road games against LSU and Georgia.

“This last stretch is huge for us, and right now we’ve got the momentum,” Johnson said. “We just

have to continue to keep it going.”

On offense, A&M has increased its offensive output over these last three games, and the running game has been a big part of that. In their last contest against UTSA, the Aggies posted their best rushing game of the season, totaling 267 yards on the ground while freshman tailback Isaiah Spiller had a career-high 217 rushing yards.

Junior quarterback Kellen Mond said he had seen the offense’s improvement over the last month.

“I like where we’re at, with the progress that we’ve made in the last two or three weeks,” Mond said.

“We’ve seen flashes of us getting better each and every week. That starts in practice, and look for that to continue to grow this week.”

The Aggies will have to try and contain South Carolina wideout Bryan Edwards. This season, Edwards leads the Gamecocks in receiving yards (816) and touchdowns (six), and he has the fourth highest reception total in the country (71).

Junior defensive back Keldrick Carper said Edwards would pose a challenge for the defense to deal with.

“Edwards is a very talented receiver,” Carper said. “He’s tough [and] physical. They use him in a couple different ways, and they want to give him the ball in the pass game. They’re a really physical run team, but when they get out in the pass game they try to find him, so we’ve got to be able to match up with him.”

A&M will face off against South Carolina at Kyle Field on Saturday with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised on SEC Network.

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The Battalion | 11.14.19

OPINION

Creative Commons

What we eat is usually a product of government policy. Too often, that is exactly the problem, says opinion columnist Keerthana Rameshbabu.

The government’s role in America’s unhealthy diet There is a stark contrast between what the government says we should eat and what it actually funds Keerthana Rameshbabu

S

@keerthana_rb

ince starting college, my diet has evolved into a steady stream of instant noodles, granola bars, packaged snacks and pizza, or a burrito bowl when I feel like leaving my dorm. With a busy schedule and no access to a kitchen, what more can you expect? As in my case, the main reasons most students have unhealthy diets are lack of time, the high price of healthy food and easy access to junk food.

Unfortunately, it’s not just college students who eat this way; many children and older adults do for the same reasons, and it’s killing Americans. It is widely known that America is going through an obesity crisis.

Yet governing bodies rarely bring up reforms to our food system. The very institution which has the power to fix this

issue makes it worse. Through farm subsidies and turning a blind eye to profit-driven corporations, the government fuels our destructive eating habits.

The largest portion of subsidies goes to crops which are used in processed foods, despite the government’s suggestion that most of your diet should consist of fruits and vegetables. Over 70 percent of farm subsidies go to commodity crops such as corn, soybeans and wheat, none of which are inherently unhealthy but are rarely consumed in their original unprocessed form. Conversely, farmers who grow fruits, vegetables and nuts receive a smaller percentage of government subsidies, though they own a larger proportion of land than the area used for commodity crops.

In a 2016 study, CDC researchers divided 10,000 subjects by the proportion of foods they ate containing subsidized ingredients and observed their

consumption patterns. They found the groups with a high proportion of subsidized foods had a greater risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease. So it’s time lawmakers put taxpayer money where the government’s mouth is and subsidize healthy foods.

It is important to note that obesity and poor nutrition disproportionately affect people based on race and socioeconomic status. The groups with the highest risk of diet-related diseases are low-income Hispanic and black families. Naturally, subsidized foods are cheaper, and oftentimes they are all low-income families can afford.

Even with food stamp programs, poor shoppers can usually only buy processed and packaged grains such as bread and cereal, as well as processed lunch meat.

Fresh fruits and veggies are not in the top 10 most-bought items. Low-income families also live in areas with little access to

groceries in general and have parents who are overworked with little time to cook, so they are more likely to eat out often.

Another major reason Americans have such unhealthy diets is that we are presented with substandard options. A single mother making minimum wage, a broke college student and a young adult trying to be independent are all likely to choose a convenient dollar menu option over a home-cooked meal, and the government makes it easy for corporations to feed us anything if it makes them money. Fast food companies are allowed to use vast amounts of sugar, trans fats, sodium and synthetic chemicals in their foods to keep people addicted. Beyond requiring nutrition information to be labelled, the FDA barely regulates fast-food chains and even allows ingredients banned in other countries to be used in American food.

With government subsidies

and lack of regulation, unhealthy food with little nutritional value will continue to be the main part of Americans’ diets. Even though it is not the average citizen’s fault they have limited options, we almost always talk about diets as if we must take personal responsibility. Of course, it is important to make healthy decisions and care for yourself. However, sometimes that is not possible economically. And even if you can afford healthy food, it doesn’t help to have fast-food places around every corner, tempting you.

It’s time to stop pretending our deadly diets are the fault of normal people and start encouraging the government to put our money toward healthy crops and better regulation of the restaurant industry.

Keerthana Rameshbabu is a university studies freshman and an opinion columnist for The Battalion.

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The Bonfire Remembrance ceremony will be held Monday at 2:42 a.m. at the Bonfire Memorial and will be livestreamed on the Tradition Council’s Facebook page.

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community came together after the tragedy. The 68-minute film was produced by 12th Man Productions and released November of 2009 to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of the collapse, according to 12thMan.com.

“We are offering more showings to get more students to watch the film and help them understand what we’re doing and why we’re doing it,” Wilson said.

“Especially since so many freshmen and sophomores weren’t even born when Stack collapsed.”

Wilson said the Reflections Display is meant to give students and visitors a complete understanding of Bonfire’s history so they can see how the tragedy united A&M. “We want to give the students the opportunity to see the tradition from how it was before [the collapse], through the tragedy and how we united after that,” Wilson said. “We want to give them the whole picture.”

Kristen Sarna, Traditions Council chair and environmental studies senior, said the display offers students a chance to learn about how the university was impacted by the collapse and allows them to feel a connection to those who

suffered through the tragedy.

“There’s a difference between hearing, ‘20 years ago, Stack collapsed and people were injured’ and seeing pictures of what happened,” Sarna said.

“There’s just such a difference when people can visually connect with what happened. It makes it a lot more real for them.”

Accompanying the Reflections Display will be paintings by the visual arts students of Assistant Professor Benjamin Knox, who is known for his gallery of paintings featuring historical images of Aggieland.

“He’s having his students paint the scene of Bonfire Memorial and how they interpret it differently,” Wilson said. “They will put a layer on top [of the painting] and etch the faces of the 12 into it.”

Economics senior and Public Relations Chair of Traditions Council Michael Osborn said if visitors aren’t able to attend the Bonfire Remembrance, a livestream of the Yell Leaders conducting the ceremony will be available on the Traditions Council’s Facebook page. “[It’s] for members of the community and the Aggie family who can’t make

it into town,” Osborn said. “The event will be recorded later on for Facebook so they can see what the tradition is and be a part of it.”

Traditions Council encourages attendees to dress warmly and hydrate before the ceremony, and if plans for the ceremony change, the organization will let visitors know well ahead of time.

“We won’t be making any calls at 1 a.m.,” Wilson said. “People won’t be getting up and walking out there and we’re [saying], ‘Oh no, it’s not happening.’ There will be plenty of updates going out on our social media accounts and through email.”

Despite how far removed current students may be from the event, the Bonfire ceremony reminds students of the strength of the Aggie family, Osborn said.

“In the future, I hope to continue seeing that every year, the same spirit for the families and for the students even as we move to students who have less and less connection to that time,” Osborn said. “They can foster that connection through Bonfire Remembrance with these Aggies and with the spirit of Bonfire every year.”

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