The Battalion - October 24, 2019

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2019 STUDENT MEDIA

UP TO THE CHALLENGE

New inside man staying humble after big score against Ole Miss

By Hannah Underwood @hannahbunderwoo

When the Aggies found themselves behind 14-10 in the third quarter against Ole Miss, junior linebacker Buddy Johnson was their saving grace.

On a second-and-7 from A&M’s 25yard line, A&M juniors Justin Madubuike and Elijah Blades sacked Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee, forcing a fumble on the play. Johnson then scooped up the loose ball and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown, giving A&M a 17-14 lead.

“I definitely saw daylight,” Johnson said. “I was seeing through the stands out to the parking lot. I knew I was going for [a touchdown].”

Johnson’s score created momentum for the team that allowed the Aggies to earn the 24-17 win, sophomore linebacker Anthony Hines said.

“That was monumental for us, just to have that big play and get points off of it,” Hines said. “Whenever you can get points on defense, that’s huge, not only the turnover, but also the points. That was a big shift in the game for us, and we continued to build on that.”

The score was A&M’s first defensive touchdown of the season and earned Johnson the title of SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week, along with LSU’s Junior linebacker Buddy Johnson Jacoby Stevens. Johnson also led the Aghas started all seven games for the gies with 10 tackles for his second-straight Aggies this season, accumulating 48 game with double-digit tackles, taking his total tackles and a touchdown. season tackle total to 48.

After the long run, Johnson said he is Paul Burke — THE BATTALION

not opposed to stepping into a role in A&M’s depleted running back rotation.

“I am most definitely up for the challenge,” Johnson said. “I can go back to my high school days.”

Johnson spent his high school career playing offense at Justin F. Kimball High School in Dallas. For the Knights, Johnson took turns at quarterback, running back and wide receiver, as well as outside linebacker and safety.

As a high school junior, Johnson earned second-team all-district honors as quarterback, then was selected first-team all-district as a linebacker his senior season.

Though he has the experience at the position, Johnson said his 62-yard touchdown run made him remember the exhaustion he used to feel as a running back.

“That’s the first thing that came to my mind,” Johnson said. “I see why I don’t run the football anymore. But it was fun; it was good for me to run the ball again.”

Though Johnson started out his college career at outside linebacker, he has moved inside this season to fill a spot vacated by Otaro Alaka, who signed with the Baltimore Ravens in April.

A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said Johnson’s move to the role was challenging for the junior, though he has taken it in stride.

“He’s filled a significant role at which we were light in depth,” Fisher said.

“Moving him inside from outside, that’s a different animal. Inside linebacker and outside linebacker is a totally different deal.

I’ve seen some guys in the Hall of Fame or [who] were All-Americans in college that couldn’t play inside. That’s hard.”

Following his position change, Johnson has proven to be an invaluable part of the JOHNSON ON PG. 5

KYLE FIELD INTRODUCES METAL DETECTORS

Meredith Seaver — THE BATTALION

Texas A&M will implement walk-through and hand-held metal detectors in Kyle Field this weekend in preparation for a new SEC mandate.

The new rule, which is set to take effect in the fall of 2020, is part of the SEC’s new enhanced security measures and requires the conference’s football stadiums to have metal detectors at all entrances. A&M will also implement the safety measures at men’s basketball games.

“Our obligation is to provide the safest environment possible, and we are always looking for new ways to enhance game day safety features,” A&M Director of Athletics Ross Bjork said in a statement. “Testing this system of metal-detecting devices will allow us to gather important details as we look to continue enhancing the game day experience while preparing for additional safety

features for the 2020 season.”

This weekend’s implementation of the metal detectors will give guests and staff the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the new game day process before full implementation next fall.

According to A&M’s statement, guests will be required to remove their car keys, cell phones and other “non-permitted items” prior to passing through the entrances with metal detectors. In the case that the alarm goes off, a handheld sensor will be used.

Those with health-related needs can choose to be scanned with a hand-held metal detector.

The metal detectors will remain in effect through A&M’s final three home games of the season against Mississippi State on Oct. 26, UTSA on Nov. 2 and South Carolina on Nov. 16.

— Hannah Underwood, Sports Editor

FIRE IN NORTH CAMPUS PARKING LOT At 7:30 a.m., the College Station Fire Department responded to a fire involving a garbage truck in a parking lot near the Blocker building.

According to the department’s public information officer, Carter Hall, a pile of trash being transported by the truck ignited inside the vehicle for unknown reasons. One fire engine and six other department vehicles arrived at the scene along with a front end loader provided by Texas A&M to help remove the trash from the truck.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire within a few hours. There were no injuries or damages.

Via @CSTXFire on Twitter

— Camryn Lang, Asst. News Editor

Jose Olvera — THE BATTALION

Animal science senior Nicholas Free developed CowSim as a tool to teach proper behavior around cattle.

Down on the digital ranch Aggie-made simulator game teaches cattle handling skills

By Luis Sanchez @LuisSanchezBatt Animal science senior Nicholas Free has developed an educational video game called CowSim to help animal science students with no previous experience learn about handling cattle safely.

The game is meant to teach players proper behavior around cattle, including how to guide them to where they need to be.

CowSim can be played via traditional mouse and keyboard or virtual reality (VR).

Free said before attending Texas A&M, he did not have any prior knowledge of cattle. He chose the animal science major so he could challenge himself to learn something new. That decision brought a series of advantages and disadvantages that differed from those faced by his experienced peers.

“It was a blessing and a curse,” Free said. “Everything that I was learning, it was new; it was fresh.

So I didn’t have any old habits that

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they were having to get rid of. ... I was just a blank slate.”

With other newcomers like himself taking up animal science, Free said he saw an opening for an academic simulator game. Free said technology should be a priority in this field as it would offer more accessible alternatives for inexperienced students.

“I think we need to increase the scope of how we approach learning,” Free said. “We are still using old technology, reliant on two dimensional graphics and figures that don’t provide real life experience.

Virtual technology can be used in every facet of education.”

Richard Toussaint III, an interactive technology graduate student at Southern Methodist University, is an old friend of Free and served as the lead level designer for CowSim. Toussaint said he and Free would visit his grandmother’s cattle ranch outside Fredericksburg to observe the cattle.

“I grew up around cattle; I have a fair amount of experience with them,” Toussaint said. “We went down to the ranch a few times during the development of the project so we’d get an idea of what

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we were working with.”

Toussaint said the way players move cattle in the game is by using the different pressure points the cattle have. He researched the patterns and factors behind cattle movement in order to apply them into the game. “[In] the game as a whole, the player is herding cattle into barns using their pressure points,” Toussaint said. “Cattle have flee and attack behavior based on how you approach them. My job is to build the space-environment puzzles that the players will be engaging with, and a lot of my research went into all these different factors that play into space cattle are comfortable with and why they move the way they do.”

Primary developer Kazim Hasan said he was responsible for the animal artificial intelligence and reward/penalty system for players.

“The true nature of the project and its potential didn’t really hit me straight away to be honest,” Hasan said in an email to The Battalion. “I reached back to Nick and told him I can handle it and we should get on a call so that I can have a better COWSIM ON PG. 3

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Aggie Nickwork members Nick Evans, Nicolas Godoy, Nick Zang, Nick Hutcheson and Nick Saldana meet in the Memorial Student Center basement for a social at Smoothie King.

Organization unites students named Nick ‘Aggie Nickwork’ to focus on service and community among its members

By Alyssa Gafford-Gaby @AGaffordGaby A group of students, all named Nick, have joined together to create a new organization on campus — the Aggie Nickwork.

A casual conversation between friends led to the idea to unite Aggies that go by Nick.

Nicolas “Nic” Hutcheson, a business freshman, realized he had seen a large number of people On campus who shared his name. On Sept. 3, Hutcheson created a GroupMe and began to add various Nicks, encouraging them to add all the other Nicks they knew. From there, it exploded and the foundations of an organization were built, Hutcheson said.

“I didn’t expect people to talk,” Hutcheson said. “I thought everyone would just get a

kick out of it, but every day people will chat and say ‘I didn’t do well on a test, hype me up’ and the Nicks are very supportive.”

The Aggie Nickwork now has 75 members and is en route to becoming a recognized student organization. Hutcheson said all the organization needs now is an advisor.

Chemical engineering senior Nicholas “Nick” Sims said he was added by a random Nick and ended up falling in love with the group.

“I think there is a real opportunity here,” Sims said. “It’s a cool opportunity for people to network and get to know other people who might have completely different experiences or stories. It’s all about building that Aggie culture that we’re all huge fans of.”

According to its mission statement, the Aggie Nickwork’s official goal is to “support and encourage Nicks and Nicholas’ on campus as well as other unofficial Nicks through various

social and service projects.” The organization allows non-Nicks to join, but in order to attend events, they must bring an unofficial Nick license, which the organization is currently making.

In addition to Nick licenses, the organization is working on Nick apparel, said computer engineering sophomore Nicholas “Nick” Evans. He plans to open up a Nick merchandise shop for the Aggie Nickwork called ‘Nick-knacks,’ though he believes the organization is more than just Nick puns.

“Being a Nick is more than a name — it’s a lifestyle,” Evans said. “This is a place by Nicks, for Nicks. We can all come together and be ourselves and show the world what our name means.”

Hutcheson said the Aggie Nickwork has a few events it plans to host once it becomes an official organization, ranging from a group PicNick to participating in the Big Event

(called the Nick Event in the Aggie Nickwork) and even a service project called St. Nick, in which members will donate presents to children in need.

According to Hutcheson, all Nicks are good Nicks, and because of that, he wants to make sure service is integrated into the structure of the organization. Hutcheson is implementing a points system called “Good Bull Points” to keep members active and to get them involved in projects and events around campus.

“Being a Nick means everything,” Hutcheson said. “All Nick’s are a little quirky, kind of tall and overall a good guy. Nicks are overall good people. That’s what we are trying to do with this organization — keep the good rep with the name.”

For more information on joining the Aggie Nickwork, contact Nic Hutcheson at hutchn00@tamu.edu.

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Trade, Finance, and Development: a New Role for the United States DAVID BOHIGIAN

Head of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)

Also featuring a conversation with

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Wednesday, October 30, 2019 Reception: 5:00 p.m.

Lecture: 5:30 p.m.

Annenberg Presidential Conference Center 1002 George Bush Drive West College Station, Texas Acceptances only by Monday, October 28, 2019

http://bush.tamu.edu/mosbacher/ 979.845.1927

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Tackling tough topics

Difficult Dialogues on Campus Race Relations will be held on Oct. 29 in the MSC. Online registration is required. (tx.ag/DifficultDialogues)

Upcoming workshop to facilitate conversations on race relations

By Madison Brown Guest Contributor In an effort to make Texas A&M a more welcoming and inclusive campus, students, faculty and staff are invited to attend Difficult Dialogues on Campus Race Relations, Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. in MSC 2300D. Difficult Dialogues was created in 2016 in response to a racist incident that occurred on campus, communication professor and founding co-director Srivi Ramasubramanian said. A group of students from Uplift Hampton Preparatory were visiting Texas A&M when they were subjected to racial slurs while in the Memorial Student Center, Ramasubramanian said.

The university took immediate action to denounce the behavior and discipline the students involved. Students began a campaign in which they wrote letters to Uplift Hampton Preparatory to apologize for their fellow Aggies’ actions. Moved by the response to the incident, Ramasubramanian created Difficult Dialogues.

“We don’t have to wait for these incidents to happen in order to have these conversations,” Ramasubramanian said. “Difficult Dialogues is an initiative that is open to anybody in the campus community to come and have a conversation about race relations.”

Ramasubramanian said the workshop promotes active listening and creates a space where people can share honestly, feeling heard and validated in their experiences while discussing a difficult topic.

It is important for students who have experienced racism at A&M to have a commu-

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nity who will validate their experience, said Vanessa Gonlin, a sociology doctoral candidate and co-facilitator of Difficult Dialogues.

“Difficult Dialogues really started with this idea that some students experience racism on A&M’s campus and then other students are very unaware that it is happening,” Gonlin said. “We want to bridge that gap and show the perspectives of their classmates and peers.”

It is important for students who do not experience racism on A&M’s campus to have a better understanding of what their classmates are going through, Gonlin said.

It also makes them less likely to dismiss the experiences of their peers.

All campuses need to have conversations about diversity with the student body, faculty and staff, co-director and assistant professor Anna Wolfe said.

“When we do that, we are able to create an environment that is more inclusive, that is more welcoming to a wider range of people and can facilitate the highest level of thought together,” Wolfe said.

All who attend are encouraged come with an open mind and a willingness to engage, Wolfe said. Attendees can expect to learn about available resources to be part of building a positive environment at A&M. From a student perspective, Gonlin said she has yet to see improved race relations on A&M’s campus, but she is hopeful that the climate will change.

“We have an opportunity for people to begin this conversation,” Gonlin said. “First you have to acknowledge the problem. In the future, when we have acknowledged it and implemented what we can do as individuals and as a collective university, then there will be more change and enhanced relations.”

COWSIM CONTINUED understanding about the project. And we clicked! I instantly realized what he was trying to achieve with this, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

Hasan worked from Pakistan and said he enjoyed developing the game after seeing Free’s passion for it. Hasan agreed that the game could be an important tool in modern education.

“This is important because of how our lives are shaped now,” Hasan said. “We live very urban lives — completely out of touch from how livestock and agriculture work.

With Cowsim, we intend to teach people how livestock is handled and how to behave with the cows.”

Free said this is only the beginning, and he’d like to see the field expand, making further use of such technology in the classroom. He said the only reward he needs comes from meeting his goals and helping those who need it.

“Who knows where that goes after this, but at the end of the day, making a change makes a difference,” Free said. “No matter what I’m doing, if I’m able to influence one person, that’s a huge deal to me.”

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We are a group of professors, instructors, lecturers, and administrators united by our common experience that Jesus Christ provides intellectual and spiritually satisfying answers to life’s most important questions. We are available to students, faculty, and staff who might like to discuss such questions with us. For more information about the Christian Faculty Network and its activities, please visit our website: http://cfn.tamu.edu Chris Carson 12th Man Foundation Clint Dempsey 12th Man Foundation Sharon Haigler Academic Success Center Joel McGee Academic Success Center

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A LOOK AT THE CONFERENCE FOR WEEK 9

By Adithya Prabakaran @ADP_445

Although Week 8 did not see any top-ranked teams play each other, LSU, Alabama and Georgia won their respective matchups in convincing fashion while Vanderbilt upset Missouri for its first conference win of the year. This week, a matchup of Top 10 opponents stands out while other bowl-eligible teams try to separate themselves from the bottom dwellers of the conference. Here are four games from around the SEC to check out this weekend.

No. 9 Auburn (6-1) at No. 2 LSU (7-0)

Arkansas (2-5) at No. 1 Alabama (7-0)

Saturday, Oct. 26 — Tiger Stadium — Baton Rouge, Louisiana 2:30 p.m. on CBS

Saturday, Oct. 26 — Bryant-Denny Stadium — Tuscaloosa, Alabama 6 p.m. on ESPN

In one of the most fascinating matchups of the week, the Tigers of Auburn will take on the Tigers of LSU in a contest pitting two Top 10 teams against each other. The Auburn offense showed some life last week against Arkansas as freshman quarterback Bo Nix completed 12 of 17 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns. He’ll look to carry that efficiency over this weekend as he comes face to face with the No. 24 LSU defense, which includes stars like cornerback Kristian Fulton and safety Grant Delpit. The LSU offense has been explosive all season with senior quarterback Joe Burrow at the helm. Thus far, Burrow has completed 79 percent of his passes while throwing for 355 yards per game and 29 touchdowns. In addition to a phenomenal passing attack, LSU has been able to rely on running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire to get its rushing attack going. He is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and has scored seven touchdowns this season. With Auburn’s stout defensive line consisting of senior defensive tackle Derrick Brown and senior defensive end Marlon Davidson, the LSU offensive line will need to step up for Burrow and Edwards-Helaire as they will be facing one of their most difficult matchups of the young season.

Coming off a crushing loss to Auburn, Arkansas will look to find some answers against the No. 1 team in the nation. The Razorbacks continue to struggle with inconsistent quarterback play as they are looking to roll out quarterbacks Ben Hicks and Texas A&M transfer Nick Starkel. Fortunately for Arkansas, running back Rakeem Boyd has proven he can be a reliable source of rushing yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry and rushing for five touchdowns on the season. Similarly, tight end Cheyenne O’Grady has continued to be an important pass catcher as he leads the team in receiving yards with 359. For Alabama, the offense will be without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as he recovers from ankle surgery. In the meantime, quarterback Mac Jones will be taking snaps from under center. For Jones’s first start, he will have an array of wide receiving talent in Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle, as well as reliable running backs Najee Harris and Brian Robinson. Expect Alabama to continue to put up points against an Arkansas defense that has produced only 10 turnovers on the season while allowing 30.7 points per game — good for 93rd in the NCAA.

Prediction: LSU 42, Auburn 24

Prediction: Alabama 37, Arkansas 13

Missouri (5-2) at Kentucky (3-4)

South Carolina (3-4) at Tennessee (2-5)

Saturday, Oct. 26 — Kroger Field — Lexington, Kentucky 6:30 p.m. on SECN

Saturday, Oct. 26 — Neyland Stadium — Knoxville, Tennessee 3 p.m. on SECN

After a stunning loss to Vanderbilt, Missouri is looking to regroup against a Kentucky offense that appeared severely overmatched against No. 10 Georgia. Missouri quarterback Kelly Bryant was stymied last week as he completed 50 percent of his passes for 140 yards with one touchdown and one interception. This week, he’ll have to improve his play against a defense that has allowed an average of 183 passing yards and less than a passing touchdown per game. This could be a big week for the Missouri rushing offense as running back Larry Rountree and quarterback Kelly Bryant will look to attack Kentucky’s porous run defense, which has allowed an average of over 180 rushing yards and over two rushing touchdowns a game. Offensively, Kentucky struggled against No. 10 Georgia last week as wide receiver-turned-quarterback Lynn Bowden only completed two of his 15 pass attempts, with the first completion coming in the fourth quarter. With quarterback Sawyer Smith’s status unknown for this week’s game, expect Kentucky to rely on its rushing attack led by Bowden and running back Asim Rose. However, they’ll be taking on a Missouri defense that has allowed only 114 rushing yards per game at an average of 3.2 yards per carry.

South Carolina followed up its upset of No. 10 Georgia with a tightly contested game against No. 7 Florida in which the Gamecocks lost by 11 points. In that game, running back Tavion Feaster was their biggest source of offense as he carried the ball 25 times for 175 yards and one touchdown. After returning from an injury that sidelined him for a good part of the Georgia game, freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski had an inconsistent return to the field, completing 17 of 35 pass attempts for 170 yards and one touchdown. This week, the Gamecocks will have the ability to snatch a win in Knoxville against a two-win Tennessee team that is coming off of a loss to No. 1 Alabama. Tennessee has yet to find a consistent starter at quarterback as redshirt junior Jarrett Guarantano is splitting reps with freshman Brian Maurer. While the inconsistency could be good news for South Carolina team that has caught five interceptions in the last three weeks, the Gamecocks have also allowed over 250 passing yards and two passing touchdowns per game. As Tennessee attempts to counter South Carolina’s two-dimensional attack, the Volunteers will try to find some consistency in the passing game, hoping to upset the Gamecocks at home for their third win of the season.

Prediction: South Carolina 31, Tennessee 17

Prediction: Missouri 31, Kentucky 10

WEEK 9: STAFF PICKS

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Saturday, Oct. 26 at 11 a.m. on SEC

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Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State

Samantha Mahler

Managing Editor @mahlersamantha

SAMANTHA

LUKE

Mississippi State? What is that? That sounds like a made up college.

Hannah Underwood

Sports Editor @hannahbunderwoo

HANNAH Mississippi is still a knock-off Alabama.

Luke Henkhaus

Editor-in-Chief @luke_henkhaus

Bulldog fans will have a hard time getting those cowbells through the new metal detectors.

Brian Bass

Assistant Sports Editor @brianbass4

I really don’t know what to make of Mississippi State.

BRIAN Meagan Sheffield

HOLLIS MEREDITH

Life & Arts Editor @mshef350

Although we’re both maroon and white, at least our mascot doesn’t sound like it was named by a six-year-old.

Meredith Seaver

Photo Chief @MeredithSeaver

Miss Rev > Bully Nobody likes a bully.

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5 things to watch for during A&MMississippi State

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Junior quarterback Kellen Mond completed 16 of 28 passes against the Ole Miss defense for 57 percent. Mond threw two interceptions, his most of the season, last Saturday in Oxford.

By Jackson King @MrJacksonTKing

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Last week, the Aggies put themselves back into the win column with a close victory over Ole Miss in Oxford. This week, they face another 3-4 team from Mississippi, as Mississippi looks to gain its first road victory of the season. Here are five things to watch for when the Aggies host the Bulldogs this week.

A game in the trenches As mentioned in Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead’s press conference, the SEC is “a line of scrimmage league,” in which the team that wins the game is the one with the more physically demanding offensive and defensive lines.

However, this matchup sees two teams whose offensive lines have left much to be desired, with both giving up nearly three sacks per game this season. On the defensive side of the ball, both the Aggies and Bulldogs have struggled to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Last week, A&M had three sacks against Ole Miss for a season total of 12, while Mississippi State recorded three of its own against LSU to take its sack total to 13.

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A chance to sweep Mississippi Since joining the SEC, the Aggies are 3-4 against Mississippi State, with the Bulldogs winning the last three matchups. After A&M’s win against Ole Miss, a victory against the Bulldogs would give the Aggies something they haven’t had since Johnny Manziel was in school — a solid sweep of Mississippi teams.

With Golden Gate Casino sportsbook listing A&M as a 10-point favorite, this game gives the Aggies the best opportunity in years to claim victory against the Bulldogs.

JOHNSON CONTINUED team, Fisher said.

“His ability to adapt and handle that has been huge for our team,” Fisher said. “His leadership for our team, it gets better and better each week. His role keeps growing, and the guys see the way he’s playing. He’s been a

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The return of Kylin Hill?

Every good rushing attack needs a great tailback, and through the first stretch of the season, the Bulldogs found a productive rusher in Kylin Hill. In their first four matchups, Hill became a focal point of the offense, rushing for over 100 yards per game and totaling 551 yards at over six yards per rushing attempt.

But ever since the Kentucky game, Hill has mostly disappeared into the stat sheet, only totaling 92 rushing yards at 2.1 yards per attempt over the last three games. With Moorhead committed to getting Hill going — and A&M’s rushing defense allowing 4.3 yards per attempt — Mississippi State will try to make the most of the tailback’s talents.

Mond’s chance to rebound Against Ole Miss, A&M quarterback Kellen Mond had his worst statistical performances of the season, completing only 57 percent of his passes for 172 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Now back in College Station, look for Mond to rebound against a weak Bulldog passing defense that allows 244 passing yards per game. With A&M’s receivers finding their footing in this offense, including the emergence of freshmen like Jalen Wydermyer and Ainias Smith, the Aggies will look to have a much more potent passing attack.

big contributing factor for us on this defense.”

Fisher may have high praise for his ability to adapt, but Johnson’s humility is perhaps his shining trait.

Following his Defensive Player of the Week honors, Johnson refused to accept personal recognition for it, saying it was a team honor.

“It’s a big honor for me, but at the end of the day, it’s never been about me,” Johnson

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said. “My accomplishments are this team’s accomplishments. We’ve just got to keep working. It’s a great accomplishment for us to have.”

Johnson and his defensive touchdown created momentum for the team to finish strong against Ole Miss, and A&M could continue to reap the benefits moving ahead to Saturday’s matchup against Mississippi State, Fisher said.

Another dual-threat quarterback One week after facing off against Ole Miss’ dual-threat quarterbacks John Rhys Plumlee and Matt Corral, the Aggies face a similar opponent in freshman Garrett Shrader. Similar to his Rebel counterparts, Shrader has displayed the ability to run and throw well in his four starts this season. In Mississippi State’s last game against LSU, Shrader threw for a career-high 238 yards while also rushing for 66 yards against a tough Tigers defense. Look for A&M to try and limit Shrader’s ability on the ground like it did against the Rebels.

“Now your confidence grows,” Fisher said.

“That’s why I was so happy with this team in that game when things weren’t going as well, looking as good in certain situations — they just kept playing. You’ve got a lot of young guys sometimes that can get frustrated, but that strip sack comes, and you get a big score.

The things we’re saying as a coaching staff are happening, and we’re making them happen.”

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The Battalion | 10.24.19

OPINION

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Cynthia Duarte on

Politics and Relationships

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Amid new environmental risks, the American Black Duck population has dropped from 1.5 million in the 1950s to about 600,000 today.

How we oversimplify climate change In facing the environmental challenges of our time, we should embrace complexity - not run from it Joshua Howell

O

@JoshuaEHowell

ne should begin, I suppose, by giving the devil his due: no matter how much it comforts climate change activists to think otherwise, a major reason climate change skeptics persist has little to do with their supposed ignorance and everything to do with our occasional sloppiness. Sometimes it is us flubbing up on the difference between weather and climate (a level of carelessness that advocates simply cannot tolerate); other times it is a gratuitous focus on headline-grabbing factoids: “The Warming Climate Is Making Baby Sea Turtles Almost All Girls” may very well boost newspaper sales — and it may very well be true — but it isn’t the entire story on climate change.

It’s a bit like the old Cyanide and Happiness comic. The first character tells a random factoid to the second — the type of thing people whip out at parties to make themselves sound more interesting than they actually are.

Hands on his hips, head held high, he declares: “Yeah, I love science!” The second character, exasperated, then lectures him about how a true lover of science is fascinated with “the tedious little bits as well as the big flashy facts.”

He concludes, with a bluntness that should make all Aggies withering away under Bachelors of Science degrees proud: “You don’t love science, you’re looking at its butt when it walks by!”

The truth about climate change is that, while absolutely real, when you zero in on “the tedious little bits,” you

begin to understand its complexity.

That was the major takeaway when I spoke with Dr. Perry Barboza of Texas A&M’s Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Department earlier this week: While it is true that average global temperatures have risen by 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 67 years, describing all 196.9 million square-miles of the Earth’s surface with a single statistic can be misleading.

Brace yourself, Ags. This is where things get complicated.

First things first: climate change affects different geographies in different ways, and not all changes are bad in the short term. As Barboza said, “We’re actually going to see a short term [productivity] increase over a decade or two on the Great Plains. It’s going to get greener so it’ll be more productive.

But as that continues, it’ll start to become drier… and that’s basically going to cause drought.”

Second things second: rising temperatures are not all that’s important; the climate is always changing and animals are always adapting. What’s just as important is the pace and volatility of those changes — something which the average global temperature statistic simply does not capture — because if animals don’t have time to adjust, they die.

Got it? Awesome. Now consider the example of the American Black Duck, a migratory fowl that breeds along the eastern seaboard from the northern regions of Canada all the way down to Florida. “They have to attenuate risks at both sides of the continent,” Barboza said. Climate change increases the environmental risks to which the American Black Duck is exposed: rising sea levels

flood crucial portions of their habitat and introduce known predators such as foxes. When there is uncertainty about things such as food, the ducks adjust by living longer and not breeding in the short term. If they go too long without a stable food source, they simply die off. That’s one of the reasons their continental population numbers have dwindled from 1.5 million in the 1950s to about 600,000 million today.

The first people to see this are usually not scientists, but hunters; they notice that duck populations aren’t nearly as high as they once were and the population isn’t rebounding as quickly as it once did. In fact, the vast majority of conservation funds come from hunters — not a liberal group by any stretch of the imagination — through the sale of hunting licenses. Of the 21 states which have added the right to hunt and fish to their constitutions, 19 are deep red.

(The noteworthy outlier is Vermont, from which a certain Democratic Socialist hails.)

Here’s the kicker: much like the number of American Black Ducks, the number of hunters has been decreasing as well — by about 50 percent over the past 50-years. So while the American Black Ducks’ population has been dwindling in part due to climate change, they are also dwindling because conservation funding is flagging due to decreasing revenues from the people who hunt American Black Ducks.

If you thought reversing climate change was difficult, try squaring that circle.

Joshua Howell is a computer science Ph.D. student and opinion writer for The Battalion.

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Keerthana Rameshbabu on Architects of the opioid crisis

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“Purdue Pharma’s executives and the Sackler family, which owns the company, are directly responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths. By pushing for the dissemination of opioids, even after knowing about the addictive nature of the substance, the Sacklers proved they are no better than illegal street-level drug dealers.”

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The Battalion | 10.24.19

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Senior Jacob Collins (left) and Junior Brady Allen — both aerospace engineers — stand with CAF Wings Over Houston Scholarship Committee Chair Debby Rihn Harvey.

High-flying future Aggies receive scholarships to aid with career aspirations in aviation

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Earlier this month, two Texas A&M students pursuing careers in aviation received scholarships for their work.

On Oct. 19 and 20, junior Brady Allen and senior Jacob Collins — both aerospace engineering majors — attended the Commemorative Air Force Wings Over Houston Airshow to receive scholarships for completing two years of study in aviation and showing academic potential. After years of study and work experience, both Allen and Collins said they were grateful to receive the scholarship, which promises to aid their future in aviation.

Allen said he decided to pursue aviation when he began an internship after his freshman year at A&M with the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), where he had plenty of hands-on experience.

“After freshman year with the Commemorative Air Force, I was doing maintenance on airplanes from World War II, as well as serving as a flight crew member on rides for visitors or rides from tour visit to tour visit,” Allen said.

While at the airshow, Allen had the opportunity to see some of the Air Force demonstration teams, which he said was one of his favorite parts of the weekend.

“The F-35 demo team was there and the Air Force Thunderbirds were there,” Allen said. “I had never seen these demonstration teams before, so seeing so many in a short time period was worth the drive to Houston for sure.”

Allen said he was very grateful to the CAF Wings Over Houston Airshow Scholarship Program for the financial help, which he expects will ensure that school remains his primary focus.

“This scholarship is definitely going to allow me to keep pursuing my passions and making sure I’m doing the best in school, because I won’t have to work a part-time job or anything,” Allen said. “Focusing on

my classes is the most important thing for my desired path to aviation.”

Allen said he intends to put his education and experience to good use by preparing for a military aviation career.

“I’m hoping to pursue a career as a naval aviator by doing Officer Candidate School when I graduate,” Allen said.

Collins, who has done extensive research in the labs on campus, also participated in aviation-related work outside of A&M with defense contractor Northrup Grumman.

“We were working at the Johnson Space Center, basically doing resupply missions to the International Space Station,” Collins said.

Collins said he intends to continue his work with the company and is hopeful he will get up in the air one day.

“I’ve already accepted an offer with Northrup Grumman to go back down to Houston and continue the work that I’ve been doing in May,” Collins said. “At some point I’d actually like to experience aerospace as a pilot, so I’d love to get my pilot’s license. I’m just going to see where that takes me.”

Debby Rihn Harvey, chair of the scholarship committee for CAF Wings Over Houston, said the airshow where Allen and Collins were honored was a success, and the festivities kicked off even before the weekend began.

“The show went great,” Harvey said.

“On Friday, we had a show for people with special needs, and we also had some senior citizens come out. It was more of a rehearsal for the flight teams to practice, but there were accommodations so that the people could watch.”

Harvey spent some time with Allen and Collins at the show and said the valuable traits they possess made them standout candidates for the scholarships. “[Allen and Collins] were very appreciative,” Harvey said. “The money goes to the university and is applied to their student accounts for tuition. They are both very nice, very intelligent and giving. They have done a lot for the community, and they are leaders.”

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