The Battalion, April 25, 2018 by The Battalion

Memorial service for former first lady Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION

Give your student body a voice by supporting student media.

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#SaveStudentNewsrooms

or nearly 125 years, The Battalion has been the student voice of Texas A&M University. We have been at the forefront of historic news both locally and nationally. Thousands of dedicated students have worked for this publication over the years and their efforts are displayed in the newspapers that line our entryway. Each one marks a milestone in this university’s long history and reminds us of the high standards we are expected to uphold. On April 4, the independent student media company at Southern Methodist University announced it will dissolve in May due to lack of funds. SMU’s student newspaper, The Daily Campus, will become an online-only publication under the control of the university’s journalism department. In response, student-run papers across the country are working to #SaveStudentNewsrooms, rallying support and

shining a light on the vital role of student journalism. For most college papers, this kind of self-advocacy doesn’t come naturally. We are accustomed to writing about others rather than ourselves. But student journalists are an integral part of campus life and we report on it in a way no other news outlet can, so if anyone is going to share our story, it needs to be us. The Battalion’s staff works tirelessly every day, on top of full class loads, other jobs and outside organizational commitments. This is what is truly incredible about students at The Battalion and other student papers. We place journalistic integrity and dedication to our readers above outside responsibilities because we understand the importance of what we are doing. In this newsroom, we are not just writing and editing — we are giving students a voice, we are training future writers and EDITORIAL ON PG. 2

Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION

A remembrance ceremony featuring the Texas A&M Women’s Chorus was held outside the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum on Tuesday evening for Barbara Bush.

Bush Library interns organized gathering to celebrate her life By Taylor Fennell @TaylorPaige1299 Aggies gathered outside the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum Tuesday evening to remember Barbara Pierce Bush and her contributions to the nation and Texas A&M. The ceremony, organized by the intern staff at the Bush Library, was held at the Bush Library fountain at 8 p.m. in honor of the former first lady. After a brief prayer, Alexandra Gonzalez, chief ambassador to the Bush School of Government and graduate student, spoke about Bush and her role in the A&M community. To close the ceremony, the Texas A&M Women’s

Chorus sang the Spirit of Aggieland. In her speech, Gonzalez said Aggies have a responsibility to continue promoting the values of service that Bush exemplified. “Mrs. Bush was an example to many of those who knew and loved her,” Gonzalez said. “This is especially true for Aggies, who yearn for public service and dedicate their lives for the greater good. … That is such a beautiful burden and responsibility for each and every one of us to have to carry throughout the rest of our time here at Texas A&M and throughout our careers.” Gonzalez said Bush loved A&M, and in turn A&M demonstrated their love for her when she was buried in College Station. “Just this past weekend, as we saw with Mrs. Bush’s funeral services, we

saw firsthand her love for Texas A&M University, specifically for the Corps of Cadets and for the Texas A&M Singing Cadets,” Gonzalez said. “Our cadets ensured Mrs. Bush’s body was appropriately greeted with a Texas Aggie greeting, with over 700 cadets that lined both sides of Barbara Bush Drive.” Bush was welcomed by the community when she was buried at the Bush Library on Saturday, according to Gonzalez. “Along the entire route of her motorcade, she was also greeted by the thousands here in the Bryan-College Station community, showing their patriotism, waving their American flags and standing in complete silence as she passed by each of them,” Gonzalez said. “That, my friends, is how MEMORIAL ON PG. 4

Nic Tan — THE BATTALION

Most of the intra-communication in “A Quiet Place” takes place through sign language or other non-verbal cues.

A movie to talk about “A Quiet Place” keeps viewers on the edge of their seats Hollis Mills @sillohsllim

“A

Quiet Place” isn’t your father’s horror film, nor does it feature your mother’s Jim Halpert. It is a lean, mean, terrorizing brute that pins you to your seat as far back as it can for 95-razor sharp minutes that cut straight to the bone. You think you’ve seen this before, and in its bits, you have. A family must navigate a now ravaged and crumbling world following the arrival of creatures so atrocious, who’s to say they didn’t crawl their way out of hell to get here? Its story beats are a “how-to-guide”

smeared with decades worth of coffee stains, so you think you’ve seen this before, but “A Quiet Place” is unlike any horror film within recent memory. Sitting in the director’s chair for the third time in his feature film career, John Krasinski approaches his material with a grizzled expertise that elevates the picture from one breathless sequence to the next. In addition to his place behind the camera, Krasinski stars in the picture as Lee Abbott, alongside his in real-life wife, Emily Blunt, as Evelyn Abbott. The pair are parents who are desperate to ensure the safety of their children in a world where if the beasts aren’t lurking behind every corner, they’re barreling toward them at the sound of mere conversation.

The Abbott family must tiptoe their way through barren towns, communicating solely through sign language, as even the creak of one misplaced step could spell certain death in a matter of seconds. This devotion to sound design is demonstrated to spine rattling effect, as your hands retreat to the middle of your face, clutching your mouth in the hope of preventing the faintest sound from escaping, for the fear of what’s happening on screen could burst through the projection and rip you out of the audience at any moment. Krasinski is at the helm of a remarkable picture that doesn’t just invoke the thrills of B-movie madness, it REVIEW ON PG. 3

Annie Lui — THE BATTALION

Junior catcher Cole Bedford hit a three-run homerun in the Aggie’s win over Abilene Christian University.

Conquering the Wildcats Baseball defeats Abilene Christian 8-2 in midweek matchup By Dylan Poitevint @Poitite Tuesday evening, No. 18 Texas A&M hosted Abilene Christian as part of a non-conference, in-state showdown, which saw the Aggies beat the Wildcats 8-2. A&M’s pitching rotation also played a significant factor in the game as seven pitchers were used throughout the game, combining for seven strikeouts, limiting ACU to two runs and six hits. A&M head coach Rob Childress said he was impressed with his pitchers, namely

their calm demeanor. “It all started on the mound. I’m really proud of first two left-handers for working fast, and attacking the strike zone and pitching with a lot of poise and confidence,” Childress said. In the bottom of the second inning, junior catcher Cole Bedford’s deep centerfield home run ignited the Aggies offensive production, driving in three runs to give A&M the lead. Bedford’s hit got the offense going as the Aggies recorded hits through the next three innings, one of which was a single by freshman infielder Will Frizzell that drove home sophomore outfielder Logan Foster in the BASEBALL ON PG. 2

FROMTHEFRONT

The Battalion | 4.25.18

EDITORIAL CONTINUED are striving for excellence in the field. This is a place of learning and we emphasize that everyday. From formal training at the beginning of each semester to working with writers individually on a daily basis, the editors work hard to help the entire staff improve. With the way the journalism industry is going, no one can be a one-trick pony. We strive to build our staff’s skills in a number of areas, including writing, photography, videography, page design and editing. It is not easy being a student journalist, but it’s something we all love. The news never stops and we’re always ready. More often than not, we end up studying for our exams or working on projects while producing papers in our basement newsroom or coordinating stories between classes. While difficult at

times, this connects us to the staff who came before us and to those who will come after us, building a sense of camaraderie and creating a network that spans decades and crosses the country. Just during the time our current staff has been working, we have broken stories with national and statewide importance. We won an award for our indepth coverage of the events surrounding white nationalist Richard Spencer’s visit to campus in December of 2016. Last semester, we saw all five living former presidents join together at Reed Arena for the One America Appeal hurricane relief concert. While stuck in I-10 traffic on the way home from Baton Rouge, our editors wrote about Kevin Sumlin being fired, then came directly into our newsroom and produced an entire edition on Sumlin’s six years. Eight days later, we created a full edition on Jimbo

Fisher’s historic hiring and contract in the middle of finals. Less than two weeks ago, freshman Mia Miller became the first female mascot corporal in school history, a year after the E-2 mascot company was integrated to include women. Our editors were the first to report on this, and statewide news all pointed back to us for reference. This past week, our staff worked hard to produce a special edition of the paper, doing justice to both Barbara Bush’s memory and one of our most important traditions, Muster. We had editors, photographers and videographers along the route of the motorcade in the afternoon, and inside the Muster Ceremony that night. We are fortunate to be at a university where traditions are so revered and worthy of sharing. As Texas A&M continues to grow and change, we’re proud to be

writing the next chapter of our university’s history. While we do not do this for the praise, we hope our efforts do not go unnoticed and that we, along with fellow student journalists across the country, recieve the support necessary so we can continue our work for our readers.

The Battalion’s editorial opinion is determined by its Board of Opinion, with the editor-in-chief having final responsibility.

BASEBALL CONTINUED

Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION

Aggie pitching, including senior pitcher Kaylor Chafin, played a vital role in the 8-2 victory over Abilene Christian University.

bottom of the third inning to put A&M up 4-0. In the seventh inning, ACU got their first run on the board. The Aggies responded with five hits as they exploded in the inning, scoring four runs. A&M loaded the bases with no outs and sophomore shortstop Braden Shewmake drove in freshman center fielder Zach DeLoach to extend A&M’s lead. Junior catcher Hunter Coleman drove in junior second baseman Michael Helman in the seventh. Shewmake then scored on a wild pitch. Later, Coleman scored the last run of the inning. Following the win, Helman said he credited the pitchers and hitters for their performance in the win. “The pitching staff came out and just shoved all night, and even when they did give up runs our hitters came through and got those back,” Helman said. The midweek game started off with freshman outfielder Zach DeLoach snagging a pop fly in centerfield off the first pitch of the day. This play was quickly followed by a single by ACU’s

Brad Morse Editor-in-Chief Gracie Mock Managing Editor

Caleb Kyle, who would steal second base on the following play. The remainder of the inning would prove a defensive struggle between the teams as both failed to get on the board. Senior left-handed pitcher Kaylor Chafin earned the start for A&M. Chafin pitched the first three innings, allowing only one hit during that time. “I was just trying to be aggressive at the start,” Chafin said. “I feel that I’ve been passive lately, so I just went right at the hitters and tried to draw strikes. I feel that it helps with my confidence a lot that they trust me to get this together, and try to help the team with what I can.” Freshman Dustin Saenz came in for relief in the fourth inning. Sanez pitched three innings, allowing two hits. “I felt great, just getting back to these innings,” Saenz said. “I haven’t thrown in quite a few months, but getting out there and competing with my fastball and my curveball was really good.” The Aggies improve to a 3011 overall record and are 9-9 in conference play. The Aggies will travel to face Mississippi State Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT.

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HELP WANTED Summer Employment: Bussers/Waitstaff. Frittella Italian Cafe, Casual but elegant environment; need motivated individuals with good work ethic, neat appearance and personable. We will train, apply in person. 979-2606666 The Forsyth Galleries in the MSC is looking for three new student employees to start early May. Check out Jobs for Aggies, Gallery Attendant/Guard for more details or you can leave your resume and cover letter at the Forsyth front desk. Work around your class schedule! No Saturday or Sundays, off during the holidays. The Battalion Advertising Office is hiring an Advertising Sales Representative. Must be enrolled at A&M and have reliable transportation. Interested applicants should come by our office located in the MSC, Suite 400, from 8am-4pm, ask to speak with Joseph.

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THE BATTALION is published Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during the 2018 spring semester and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer session (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. Newsroom phone: 979-845-3315; E-mail: editor@ thebatt.com; website: http://www.thebatt. com. 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.

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Aggie Agora hosts a weekly Friday lecture series, inviting distinguished guest speakers to talk to students.

Discussion on the American Dream Acclaimed author will present in lecture series finale By Jordan Burnham @RJordanBurnham Aggie Agora will host Richard Reeves, author of “Dream Hoarders” and one of Politico’s top 50 thinkers in the U.S., on Friday. The lecture will focus on Reeves’ new book about the American upper-middle class. Reeves is a Brookings Senior Fellow and teaches at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University and is a member of the Government of Canada’s Ministerial Advisory Committee on Poverty. The Politico 50 list covers “the ideas blowing up American Politics — and the people behind them,” according to the magazine’s 2017 Ideas Issue. Reeves earned a spot on the list for his exploration of contemporary class conflict in the U.S. Jennifer Mercieca, communication professor and director of Aggie Agora, said the lecture is a continuation of a series Aggie Agora has hosted over the past few years, which has included Robert Putnam’s “Our Kids: the American Dream in Crisis” and Mi-

chelle Dickerson’s lecture on how race and the American dream are related. “Reeves is carrying on that conversation and discussing it from a different aspect, which is that it is in fact the upper middle class, not so much the elite 1 percent that we hear so much about, that is disproportionately benefiting from political decisions and economic decisions in the country,” Mercieca said. This is the first year, Aggie Agora has a student committee according to Jessica Gantt Shafer, Aggie Agora graduate fellow. “The beginning of this school year was the official start to the Aggie Agora Student Committee and I hope that it will continue on, because the whole purpose of the Agora is to create that space for students to interact with community members, each other and experts in that field to become engaged citizens,” Shafer said. Mercieca said the Aggie Agora Student Committee personally nominated Reeves as the final lecturer of the year. “Richard Reeves was their choice, so we are happy that he was able to accept our invitation,” Mercieca said. “This is the first time that the Aggie Agora has had a student committee and

this is the first year we asked them to nominate one a speaker for Friday lectures.” Following the event, Aggie Agora is set to have a coffee hour with Reeves from 2-3 p.m. to offer a small number of students the chance to personally talk with him. “[Coffee hours are] an opportunity to sit down and meet a person and talk to them like they’re real, instead of having the idea that they’re this really distinguished scholar and on a stage, far away,” Mercieca said. “You get to sit around a table and just hang out.” Mercieca said she hopes students will come to this event and learn about the role of class and economic inequality in America. “Discussions about economic policy and the American Dream are crucial to students — they’ll be in the economy soon,” Mercieca said. “We have a good number of first generation college students here, we have a wide distribution of economic backgrounds here and so its a conversation that’s relevant to everyone.” A book signing will follow Reeves’ lecture on Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Rudder Tower, Room 601.

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John Krasinski directs and stars alongside his wife, Emily Blunt, in “A Quiet Place.”

REVIEW CONTINUED transcends tired tropes to create an utterly original horror film that proudly brandishes its heart on a worn and tattered sleeve. Yes, behind the horrific beasts and nerve-jangling tension, “A Quiet Place” is a love letter to the trials of parenthood. Lee and Evelyn inhabit a world unfit for the strongest survivalists, and yet they persist, because nothing stands in the way of a parent’s unceasing love for their child. Every barefoot journey and stern correction is pursued in the hope that one day, when the earth may be rid of the horror that runs amok, their children can lead easier lives. The reality is there will never be an appropriate time

to become a parent. The world will always be fearful, but that shouldn’t lead anyone astray. We appreciate those who brave the task of parenthood and thank God for those who stay, our true heroes and heroines. Even after all this has been said, I’ve stumbled to find the right words, because “A Quiet Place” is a film crafted from the heart. It is art. Art which has left me in absolute astonishment and speechless when I have the urge to say everything. I am not certain it is appropriate to call any newly-minted film an “instant classic,” but I am certain we will be talking about “A Quiet Place” for years to come. Hollis Mills is a English sophomore and a Life and Arts

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2017 AGGIELAND YEARBOOK Today

Friday, April 27th 9am to 4pm 12th Man Hall of the MSC The 2017 Aggieland Yearbook is a photojournalistic record of the 2016-2017 school year. The 115th edition of Texas A&M’s Official Yearbook. $65.00 + Tax Purchase a 2017 Aggieland on this day, you can purchase previous Aggieland years for a flat rate of $20 dollars.

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2018 Aggieland yearbook, a photojournalistic record of the 2017-2018 school year. The 116th edition of Texas A&M’s official yearbook. Distribution will be the Fall 2018. Go online to aggieland.tamu.edu or call 979-845-2613 to make your purchase. $75.00 + Tax (Includes Mail Fee)

Meredith Seaver — THE BATTALION

Students and citizens gathered on Tuesday to pay their respects to former first lady Barbara Bush at an event organized by the Bush Library interns.

MEMORIAL CONTINUED you demonstrate loyalty and respect.” In addition to hosting the ceremony, the Bush Library interns organized a book drive to honor Bush’s dedication to literacy and education. Bethany Irvine, public programs intern at the Bush Library and communication senior, said the drive is one way community members can honor Bush’s memory. “Our book drive is for new and gently used children’s books and will be available through Saturday,” Irvine said. “People can bring and donate books into the blue boxes located at the entrance of our museum and if they want to be involved later after the book drive is closed, they can contact Books

and a Blanket, which are located in the Bryan-College Station area.” Willie Blackmon, Class of 1973, attended the ceremony and said Bush was an inspiration to the American public. “Barbara Bush, to me, was a role model on how to be a good wife, a good friend to her husband, a good friend to the public, a life of selfless public service and teacher on how to help each other,” Blackmon said. “She was always so concerned about helping people to read and to write, because if you can’t read and write, you can’t earn a living. You can’t get an education. I think of her as a role model and a person who you can emulate her life if you put her life into your world, you will have a successful life.”