WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2018 STUDENT MEDIA
Climbing to remember
PROVIDED
Kanika Gakhar, Class of 2018, was an undergraduate research ambassador during her time at Texas A&M.
LAUNCHing careers Research programs empower undergrads By Shakirat Adetunji @shakeeraah
Savannah Mehrtens — THE BATTALION
Bryan Firefighter Luke Aneillo catches his breath on the rooftop of the Varisco building in full gear.
Community honors those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001 By Savannah Mehrtens @SJMehrtens First responders and community members climbed 110 stories at the 7th annual memorial stair climb to honor first responders who lost their lives on 9/11. Participants from the Texas A&M Police Department, Bryan Police Department and other agencies repeatedly climbed the stairs of the Varisco Building to reach their total of 110 stories, mirroring the number of stories in the World Trade Center. Bryan Fire Department Chaplain Ernest Upchurch wore a wallet sized photo of Fire Department Chaplain Mychal Judge, who was the first to
die on scene in the 2001 attacks. “[Judge] never made it inside, he actually died outside from debris that fell on him,” Upchurch said. “As the Chaplain of the fire department, he gave everything. That’s my goal: to give these guys everything that I can so they’ll know they have support, too.” Bryan Battalion Chief Jordan Gallagher said the climb is ultimately a way to carry on the memory of those who lost their lives on 9/11. “A lot of us will carry cards of people who died [to symbolize] finishing that climb for them since they never got to finish it and come home,” Gallagher said. Gallagher said he wants people who do not have personal memories of 9/11 to understand the event’s significance. “Everybody has the stories; every-
body remembers where they were,” Gallagher said. “As the younger generations coming up, like my son for example, he wasn’t alive when this happened, so it’s just another story in the history book. We just kind of want to keep it on the front of people’s minds.” Wearing a Sept. 11, 2001 button on her collar and a silver fireman pendant necklace she received from a New York firefighter who survived 9/11, Bryan resident Carol Kimbrough-Clarkson watched outside as her son, a Bryan firefighter, participated in the climb. “I feel an attachment I guess you’d say to all of that,” Kimbrough-Clarkson said. “Of course I’ll never forget.” Kimbrough-Clarkson said her memories of 9/11 include the phone call she received from her son, who STAIR CLIMB ON PG. 4
The LAUNCH office provides undergraduate research programs and other high-impact scholarly activities to students at Texas A&M. LAUNCH is an acronym which stands for learning communities, academic excellence, undergraduate research, national fellowships, capstones and honors. It entails a body of academic programs for students and faculty at A&M. Annabelle Aymond, program coordinator for undergraduate research, said the LAUNCH office is comprised of incredibly collaborative teams. “The nice part of all the groups is that we have more reach for different types of students,” Aymond said. “Our programs allow us to bring all types of students from all majors and disciplines and walks of lives together.” One program LAUNCH offers is the undergraduate research expo, a campus-wide event that takes place every fall semester with about 400 to 500 participants. This year, the research expo will be hosted on Oct 3. in the Memorial Student Center. The all-day event will include faculty members, administrators, graduate students and undergraduates. “The goal is to get all the re-
search community on campus together in a place in one day,” Aymond said. “There will be open discussions about the state of undergraduate research, best practices in research, research opportunities and mentoring experiences.” Engaging in research can be intimidating for some undergraduates, Aymond said. To help with this, there are mini-workshops conducted throughout the year for students trying to get started in research. Those interested in researching for credit can inform their academic advisors about 291 and 491 courses, which can be taken from zero to four credit hours. According to Aymond, any interested undergraduate should consider applying for a position. “You don’t have to be an honor student to apply for these positions,” Aymond said. “Students interested in research should read about faculty members before approaching them. For example, look through their publications, CV, laboratory websites or faculty pages.” There are several resources for students to learn about the available research and scholarly opportunities. Apart from the regular university-wide emails and social media, the LAUNCH office has an online database with lots of research, presentation and funding opportunities. “The online database is actually brand new this year. We are working hard to populate the database and promote it to our LAUNCH ON PG. 2
Moving forward
Players and coaches looking past two-point loss to No. 2 Clemson and on to Saturday matchup with ULM By Angel Franco @angelmadison_ It has been four days since Texas A&M’s 28-26 loss to No. 2 Clemson at home. The anguish of losing by two points to the Tigers is still fresh in A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher’s mind. However, Fisher said the outcome of the game rests on the coaching staff and not the players. “I’m not very happy at all,” Fisher said. “There were a lot of missed opportunities in the game and fundamental breakdowns. I am not blaming [the players]. As coaches, we have to coach better; we have to put them in those situations [to win].” The biggest play of Saturday’s game came in the fourth quarter after sophomore wide receiver Quartney Davis fumbled out of the end zone and officials ruled it a touchback. Sophomore quarterback Kellen Mond said seeing Fisher erupt on the sideline reassured him that both the coaches and players are working toward the same goal. “I’ll definitely say it gives us a little more fire and something that we always knew that he would go to battle for us but it kind of showed that he would,” Mond said. “We would do the same thing. We’ve built that trust with him that no matter what, we’re always going to play four quarters and fight to the end for him.” As A&M moves on from the narrow loss, Fisher said the Aggies can’t afford to get caught up in what happened on Saturday and overlook the their next opponent, the University of Louisiana at Monroe. FOOTBALL ON PG. 2
Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION
Texas A&M football head coach Jimbo Fisher said he feels there were a lot of missed opportunities at the game against Clemson.
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The Battalion | 9.12.18
FOOTBALL CONTINUED Megan Rodriguez, Editor in Chief Luke Henkhaus, Managing Editor Taylor Fennell, News Editor Anthony Pangonas, News Editor Jordan Burnham, Asst. News Editor Kathryn Whitlock, Life & Arts Editor Hannah Falcon, Life & Arts Editor Samantha Mahler, Asst. Life & Arts Editor
Angel Franco, Sports Editor Abigail Ochoa, Asst. Sports Editor Cassie Stricker, Photo Chief Jesse Everett, Asst. Photo Chief Daoud Qamar, Video Editor Kevin Christman, Asst. Video Editor Sanna Bhai, Special Sections Editor
THE BATTALION is published Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the 2018 fall semester and 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.
Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION
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Sophomore quarterback Kellen Mond completed 23 of 40 passes, throwing for 430 yards and three touchdowns against Clemson.
“They’ve won two very tightly contested games, and they’re going to come in here ready to play,” Fisher said. “You have some disappointment in some things in which [you could’ve] done better. Once this film is over with, it’s gone. You can’t worry about it. … You [have to] move on and get ready to play UL-Monroe and lock in what you got to do.” For sophomore wide receiver Camron Buckley, the start of the new week means a new opportunity to learn from mistakes made in the previous game. “We have to move on from what happened this past week,” Buckley said. “A lot of stuff happened, but we’re focused week by week and improve as a team.” Buckley said while the focus is now shifting over to ULM, the team is using the loss to Clemson as motivation. “We’re angry,” Buckley said. “Who wouldn’t be angry after that? It’s driving us, it’s going to push us even harder and punish every opponent we have from now on. Period.”
Notice of University Student Rule Revisions Additions, deletions and changes to the University Student Rules may occur over the course of the year. The following student rules have been revised: Rule # 24 26 27 47
Rule Student Conduct Code Student Conduct Proceedings Sanctions Investigation and Resolution of Complaints Against Texas A&M Students for Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Stalking and Related Retaliation (SSDDSR)
Date Student Rule Website Updated 09/06/2018 09/06/2018 09/06/2018
09/06/2018
Each student has the responsibility to be fully acquainted with and to comply with the Texas A&M University Student Rules. Student Rules can be found at http://student-rules.tamu.edu.
PROVIDED
After participating in undergraduate research programs and graduating from Texas A&M, Kanika Gakhar was accepted into an AeroAstro master’s program at MIT.
LAUNCH CONTINUED
AGGIELAND 2018
students,” Aymond said. Engaging in research can offer impactful experiences to students, such as connecting classroom learning to the real world and making students more competitive for graduate schools and national fellowships. Former A&M undergraduate research ambassador Kanika Gakhar is currently an AeroAstro graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Gakhar said she’s been grateful for the scholarly opportunities and experiences provided by LAUNCH’s undergraduate research program. “It goes from knowing nothing about a field to being the expert,” Gakhar said. “The LAUNCH office also exposed me to various opportunities including writing research proposals, and how to communicate my research to general audience, which indirectly helped me with applications for national fellowships and graduate school.”
here
Texas A&M University Vol. 116
2018 AGGIELAND It’s not too late to order your copy of the 2018 Aggieland, a photojournalistic record of the 2017-2018 school year. The 116th edition of Texas A&M’s official yearbook. Go Online to aggieland.tamu.edu or call 979-845-2613 to make your purchase. $75.00 + Tax (Includes Mail Fee)
Don’t forget to also preorder your copy of the 2019 Aggieland yearbook. The 117th edition of Texas A&M’s official yearbook. Distribution will be the Fall 2019.
Gakhar said the program also helped her develop interpersonal communication skills that have been useful for future academic endeavors. “I used to be a shy person,” Gakhar said. “LAUNCH programs taught me how to get comfortable expressing myself and talk about my research and network with people.” Another flagship program of LAUNCH is Explorations, an interdisciplinary academic journal for undergraduates that will celebrate its 10th anniversary in November. “It is an amazing experience for students to be involved in Explorations,” Aymond said. “Undergraduates can publish their research and even be on the editorial board. They have the opportunities to learn leadership, graphic design, writing, communication and marketing. It’s an important transferable skill to the workforce.” For more information about undergraduate research and other programs provided by LAUNCH, visit launch.tamu.edu
SBP apologizes for 2012 post Sharp releases video to address concerns raised by activists By Taylor Fennell @TaylorPaige1299 Student Body President Amy Sharp is apologizing for using a racial slur in a 2012 Facebook comment that resurfaced on activist group TAMU Anti-Racism’s Facebook page Tuesday. Sharp’s 2012 comment was in response to a friend’s post which used the N-word to refer to her. In her comment, Sharp used the word to refer to herself again. TAMU Anti-Racism posted a screenshot of the interaction Tuesday morning, calling for an apology and “proof of change” from Sharp. Sharp responded Tuesday evening with a video on her Student Body President Facebook page, in which she said she regretted the comment and does not use language like that today. In their post, Anti-Racism said the comment did not reflect the values of A&M and pointed to the lack of a diversity commissioner in Sharp’s cabinet, asking for a change. “It is especially not a comment that contributes to the community of respect that our SBP claimed to want to encourage here at A&M,” the post said. “If she truly has changed, we want proof.” Sharp responded to this concern by saying she has worked relentlessly to cultivate an inclusive environment on campus and fill the position of diversity commissioner in her cabinet. “I want this year to be about fixing a climate on our campus, and I’m not the expert to do that,” Sharp said. “I have a passion for diversity and inclusion. Through my own experiences, I have grown and learned and
that’s become a passion of mine, but I cannot do that alone. That is why I’ve been working on these plans and trying to get a diversity commissioner confirmed in the senate, and that’s why I’ve asked so many diverse student leaders on campus to come together and dissect my plans and revise them and make them better…” A statement from TAMU Anti-Racism said Sharp’s 2012 comment was submitted to them anonymously, but members of the Student Government Association may have known about the post previously. “We were told that this post has been going around for weeks now, and that many others knew about in SGA, and yet no one was doing or saying anything about it,” the statement said. “We can’t allow people in positions of power in our Student Government, especially the Student Body President, believe that they can ignore past statements like this and hope that nobody will care enough to bring it up.” Sharp said she wants Aggies to hold her accountable by looking at who she is today, not who she was in 2012. “Don’t hold me in time to something that was said almost seven years ago,” Sharp said. “Judge me as an adult now. Watch my actions as I lead through my position as student body president. Help guide me, give me your insight and advice about what it’s like to be a minority on this campus.” After seeing Sharp’s apology, TAMU Anti-Racism provided a follow-up statement to The Battalion saying the group is looking forward to watching Sharp and ensuring she represents all Aggies. “We’re hopeful about her enthusiasm to prove that she’s changed,” the statement said. “[We] can’t wait to see if she will be looking into any of the campus issues mentioned in our statement.”
LIFE&ARTS
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The Battalion | 9.12.18
‘Operation Finale’ falls flat Standout performances can’t make up for slow pace Keagan Miller @KeaganMlr
PROVIDED
Agribusiness freshman Kimberlin Arnold has her own jewelry company that benefits Water to Life, a non-profit organiztion that focuses on the water crisis in Haiti.
More than just a pair of earrings Student-operated jewelry business sends help to Haiti By Jackie White @jackie_white21 Kimberlin Arnold, an agribusiness freshman at Texas A&M, has received growing attention for her jewelry business, Renmen Nicole Jewelry, which benefits the nonprofit group Water to Life. The name is a combination of the word “renmen,” which means “love” in Haitian creole, and Arnold’s middle name. Since founding her business in July, Arnold has donated 100 percent of the proceeds to Water to Life, an organization that provides water filters and education programs to communities in Haiti. Arnold has been passionate about Haiti and the people who live there since visiting the country when she was 13. Led by the founder of Water to Life, Bob Ford, a team of people from Arnold’s hometown of Lufkin have embarked on many journeys since. “He is kind of like my godfather now,” Arnold said. “Bob Ford started going to Haiti after the earth-
quake in 2010. He just wanted to go help out, and he saw how much basic need was there, so he started a team. I started going when I was 13 years old and have gone every year since.” While going on mission trips to Haiti is something Arnold has done for years, she said she wanted her support to go beyond that. The inspiration for how she could make an impact came to her a few months ago. “One night I just couldn’t sleep and I saw on Pinterest how to make tassel earrings,” Arnold said. “I texted my friend at 3 a.m. and said, ‘Hey I need you to help me make my website tomorrow.’ It was so spur of the moment and crazy.” Kinesiology freshman Kyle Wynne said he remembers the beginning stages of Renmen Nicole Jewelry and is excited to see how far it has come. “[Arnold] texted me that next morning and asked ‘Will you do a photoshoot for us?’” Wynne said. “[For] the next three or two days, we worked on her website with our other friend and put it together. Her business has kicked off really fast.” The Renmen Nicole Jewel-
ry instagram account has gained over 2,000 followers in just over a month. From Lufkin to College Station, Renmen Nicole Jewelry is continuing to grow in size. “It was hard for me to keep up,” Arnold said. “I have raised, from the jewelry business, about $1,000 in just one month. It’s crazy.” Ford said when he received that first check, it meant more to him than just money. He said it represented a meaningful support system. “I cried,” Ford said. “You know, you just have those moments in life that reinforce that what you’re doing matters, and when she handed me that check… I already knew it, but it reinforced that Kimberlin has a great serving heart. Just that I had a small part in giving her that… it’s amazing.” Ford said he believes Arnold and Renmen Nicole Jewelry will have a ripple effect of inspiration on others and the future of Haiti. “The future is in her hands, and I am really excited about that,” Ford said. For more information about Water to Life, or Renmen Nicole jewelry visit watertolife.org or renmennicolejewelry.com.
“Operation Finale” is a fascinating examination of the aftermath of the Holocaust and a study on what it really means to be a good guy. Ben Kingsley does a phenomenal job as Adolf Eichmann, one of Hitler’s highest-ranking officers and architect of the final solution that killed millions. He delivers a chilling performance that somehow simultaneously humanizes and dehumanizes his character. While the film, and Kingsley’s performance in particular, emphasized the fact that the Nazis were people with families and lives, it also maintained a distinct line between good people forced to do bad things and bad people who enjoy doing them. The film told the true story of Eichmann’s capture in Argentina by an Israeli team of operatives after the conclusion of World War II and the difficulty encountered in bringing him back to stand trial for his crimes against humanity. The plot itself stayed relatively true-to-life, at least as far as I could tell, and was therefore less action-packed than it could’ve been. This in and of itself is not an issue, but when combined with the film’s brutally slow start, the relatively tame suspense scenes caused the movie to drag on a bit. If you’re expecting a tense action thriller, you may want to reconsider buying a ticket. The other star, Oscar Isaac, also delivered a notable performance that complimented Kingsley in a wonderful way. Isaac played one of the Israeli operatives that captured Eichmann, and it’s through his eyes that we see most of the movie. Isaac’s character is somewhat sympathetic toward Eichmann and attempts to reason and bargain with him for his cooperation. It’s in the interactions
between Kingsley and Isaac that the meat of the movie takes place. Their dialogue is stimulating and the film uses brief flashbacks to detail the conflicting past of the two men. One, an evil person trying to justify his malice, and the other a good man pushed to the brink of animosity. It makes for a fascinating dichotomy. Outside of these interactions, however, the rest of the film leaves much to be desired. I was disappointed by the sloppy introduction of multiple side stories that ended up going nowhere, as well as a diminished sense of sacrifice, which could have played a much bigger role in the film. I got the impression the writers intended for the film to have more substance than it did. There was opportunity for so much more emotion and suspense within the story that went unrealized. The beginning and very end of the movie seemed half-baked, unfinished. The middle of the movie, when Isaac and Kingsley appear on screen together the most, is really the only good part of the film; the rest just feels like background. “Operation Finale” is a mediocre film with two brilliant performances that raises a few interesting moral questions and stays mostly true to the real-life story it was based on. However, the film wasn’t especially entertaining as its own narrative and lacked in both suspense and dramatic emotion. This movie might be worth seeing if you are a history buff or if you’re interested in philosophy. Otherwise, it probably isn’t worth spending the money on. Keagan Miller is a psychology junior and life and arts reporter for The Battalion.
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The Battalion | 9.12.18
Savannah Mehrtens — THE BATTALION
Top: Jason James of the Bryan Police Department waited by the entrance of the Varisco Building to begin the stair climb. Bottom: Participants of the 7th annual stair climb pose for a photo before beginning their trek up 110 stories. Right: Bryan Firefighter Jacob Zoch prepared his son for the stair climb.
STAIR CLIMB CONTINUED was serving in the Marine Corps at the time, telling her the country was going to war. “I wouldn’t want our children to ever go through that, but I’m sorry they don’t know the true impact of what it was,” Kimbrough-Clarkson said. “The shock, the crying, the trauma. I had been out feeding horses in the barn. My husband, who had cancer, walked in the door and said, ‘Come here, come here,’ and I just had to sit down and
then immediately my son called me.” Dallas Shipp, brand manager for Daniel Stark Law and Class of 2003, said he was honored to support the Bryan Fire Department and to be a part of memorializing those who died. “I think no matter where you were, you’ll always remember where you were,” Shipp said. “For us to have a small part in supporting our local first responders in their efforts to remember the ones that were lost in 9/11, it’s just a special thing for us to be able to be a part of.”
Shipp said he was in his apartment with his roommate when they heard the news during his junior year at Texas A&M. Shipp said many of his friends considered joining the military because of the attack. “I was in my apartment in college with my roommate and we just sat there and watched it,” Shipp said. “Just shock, really. You never expect for something like that to happen.” Fibertown Data Center owns the Varisco Building and has provided it as a space for the annual memorial. Director of Fibertown Sam White said he was working on an airline flying
over the pacific on 9/11 when he was called in to land and the airspace system was shut down. “We have a great relationship with the city of Bryan and the Bryan Fire Department and were happy to provide the space, these stairs, for them to do the stair climb every year,” White said. “I think 9/11 weighs deep in all of our hearts, and as we get [17 years] out, people tend to forget what that morning was like. It’s just wonderful that these firefighters honor all of the dead by doing the stair climb every year and we’re happy to host it.”