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Jasmine Wang (left) will serve as the 70th session’s speaker pro tempore, and Ja’Cory Clark (right) will serve as speaker.

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New faces of Senate leadership Ja’Cory Clark to serve as first black speaker in 42 years, Jasmine Wang to be first Asian-American pro-temp By Emily Bost @EmmyBost

he newly elected leaders of Texas A&M’s 70th session of Student Senate, Ja’Cory Clark and Jasmine Wang, are redefining the ideals and culture of the historically conservative legislative body. Ja’Cory Clark, history junior, was elected as speaker and Jasmine Wang, political science sophomore, was elected as speaker pro tempore of the 70th session of Student Senate on March 29. Clark is the first African American to hold the office of speaker in 42 years, since Fred McClure, speaker of the 28th session, while Jasmine is the first Asian-American to hold the office of speaker pro tempore. Together, Clark and Wang have a multitude of diverse experiences that will contribute to Senate’s student outreach and the efficiency of the legislative body, in order to produce legislation that will benefit students from every niche of campus. “Contrary to public opinion about diversity and leadership, the greatest attributes about these two is not the fact that they’re both minorities and not the fact that they represent minority populations,” said Jonah Chen, Bush School graduate student

and close friend to both Clark and Wang. “The great thing about them is that they care so much about the students and that when they go to sleep at night, they go to sleep thinking about policies, stances the administration has taken and what they can do to better supplement policy implementation.” Clark will oversee all operations of the legislative branch of the Student Government Association, chair Senate meetings and represent Student Senate to external bodies. Wang will serve as second-in-command of the Senate, after Speaker Clark, and the legislature’s chief administrative officer. “Ja’Cory is one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met, and I’m a little biased because we are such good friends, but I have never met someone who brings such warmth into a room when they walk into it and is so passionate about doing what’s right for the students … He brings an incredible myriad of experience that you couldn’t find anywhere else,” Wang said. “There’s no one more qualified or more passionate about the office of the speaker.” In addition to running for student council in grade school in Clark’s hometown of Sweeney, Texas, the election of former President Barack Obama is what inspired Clark to become involved in politics, because he saw that he could reach the highest rungs of his profession, he said. Clark began his time in Senate two years ago, after transferring from Stephen F. Austin State University, and has since gained experience through drafting legislation and fulfilling

various leadership roles, such as ad hoc campus climate and inclusion chair. “He went from someone who had some ideas about how to provide students with better student services all the way to becoming the speaker of the Student Senate and the only way you can do that is if you have a unitary character who has a considerable amount of integrity, honesty, respect and leadership and I believe he embodies all of those things,” Chen said. Wang was raised in a neighborhood in Houston that never made her feel like she was a minority in her community. Coming from a high school where Asians made up 42 percent of the population, A&M was a bit of a culture shock to her, as the Asian population is 3.3 percent on campus. Her role as a member of the community had changed, she said. Throughout her time in Student Senate, Wang has taken on various leadership roles and successfully passed bills and resolutions focusing on inclusion and sustainability issues. Some bills have even influenced administration to make policy changes, or implementations, on campus. “Jasmine was a brand new senator this past year, but you wouldn’t have known it by how she carried herself and how much work she really put into the body of the senate,” said Joseph Hood, Bush School graduate student and speaker of the 69th session of Student Senate.

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Student organization advocates for more pediatric cancer research funding By Brad Morse @bradsmorse53

Student groups form for multiple reasons, ranging from general interests to philanthropy. One student organization has made it its mission to increase the amount of funding that goes to pediatric cancer research. Founded in 2015, With Purpose hosts fundraising and awareness events throughout the year pushing for a larger portion of the federal cancer budget to be dedicated to pediatric cancer research. Currently the organization is working to increase student support for the “RACE for Children” act, a bill introduced to the United States Senate that would change how cancer drugs are tested for children. “RACE for Children Act allows the FDA to require different studies and researchers to test developing cancer drugs in childhood cancers,” said allied health sophomore Dylana Nguyen. “It is an updated version of the PREA, Pediatric Research Equity Act, in which companies developing drugs for adults with cancers are required to look at molecular targets and test them in matching or similar molecular targets that are found in childhood cancers. This will open doors

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Kristin Murray, Patty Fichera, Andie Edwards and Courtney McIlvoy (left to right) have worked with With Purpose, which raises funds for pediatric cancer research.

for childhood cancer treatments as children will be treated based on their molecular targets and not their specific cancers.” Were the RACE Act to be passed, the immediate effect would go beyond medical research, WITH PURPOSE ON PG. 3

Thunderstorm hits Brazos Valley Tuesday’s thunderstorm caused a live oak tree on campus to snap near Evans Library. The storms also led to flooding in some areas, and various other damages around town.

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Earth Galley Farms brings locally sourced produce to the Brazos Valley area.

Aggie-owned company brings locally sourced produce to B-CS By Madeleine Brennan @madkathbren “Local” is the name of the game for Aggie-owned and founded Earth Galley Farms, an organic food distributor that works with local farmers and ranchers to provide the Bryan-College Station area with access to fresh and locally sourced produce, meats, salsas, eggs and more. Started by three Aggies, Earth Galley Farms works to not only educate and inform the public about the importance of eating locally sourced food, but also provide the community with avenues for doing so. With more than a dozen local partners, Earth Galley works collectively with local farmers, ranchers, egg producers and others in and out of the Bryan Farmers Market, to bring people budget friendly and accessible opportunities to eat healthier. As a food retailer, Earth Galley packages and delivers produce and meat to people’s homes right from the farms and ranches, eliminating the middlemen of industrial food production. Although a lot of the food used in Earth Galley’s grocery bundles comes from outside Earth Galley Farms, Earth Galley also grows produce on site, utilizing various organically sustainable methods, such as greenhouses and aquaponics. Aquaponics, a way to sustainably grow organic food, utilizes fish to generate nutrients for plants growing on top of the water. Sharon Wells, a co-owner of Earth Galley Farms and Class of 1987, explained the importance of eating local EARTH GALLEY ON PG. 3