WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2017 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2017 STUDENT MEDIA | @THEBATTONLINE
(Left to right) Robert McIntosh, Bobby Brooks, Kilian Bresnahan and Ben Ikwuagwu participated in the student body president debate Tuesday night.
BATT THE
THE BATTALION | THEBATT.COM
Hanna Hausman — THE BATTALION
SBP candidates field questions on student services, diversity during Tuesday debate By Meredith McCown @meredithrhoads
T
he four candidates running for student body president lined a panel in a debate forum centered on questions submitted by fellow students Tuesday night. Hosted by the Election Commission of Student Government Association, the debate took place in the MSC Flag Room. The discussion was moderated by Greg Fink, Class of 2008 and student development specialist at the Department of Student Activities. Throughout the four rounds of questioning, the participants were given two minutes to answer the inquiries pertaining not only to general topics, but to each specific campaign platform as well. Candidates Robert McIntosh, Bobby Brooks, Kilian Bres-
nahan and Ben Ikwuagwu discussed their platforms and initiatives to lead the university for the 2017-2018 school year. Because the candidate’s publicized campaigns on social media can only convey their goals to a certain extent, Fink said it’s important to listen to the potential student body presidents state their claims in person as well. “Because their voice is more important than just what they have on their website, just what they have on their platform,” Fink said. “You finally get to know about their personality, you get to find out their passion, not just the words. And if you’re voting for someone, you want the whole picture, so you got the whole picture tonight.” Business honors junior and SGA election commissioner Rachel Keathley said she was appreciative of the attendance, along with overall outcome of the debate. “I’m really pleased with how it went. This seemed to be
one of the higher attended debates in years past and I’m glad students came out to learn about the candidates,” Keathley said. “I think we had a fair distribution of questions, and that the candidates got to really display their platforms and ideas through their answers.” Management junior Sam Alders said the candidate’s interpersonal communication with the student body for each respective campaign is important, and that he has witnessed each potential president grow in character throughout this process. “I think this event helps because you get to see the candidate’s faces themselves and you get to come away from this watching how they interact with one another and how they interact with the student body,” Alders said. “One thing that I will say … is that what you see here tonight is the SBP DEBATE ON PG. 2
COURTESY
President Donald Trump signed an executive order beginning the repeal of ObamaCare on Jan. 20.
Students, professor share concerns, hopes regarding ObamaCare repeal FILE
Alexander Jones was a political science junior and the 2016-2017 Aggie Band Command Sergeant Major.
Campus mourns death of incoming Band Commander By Luke Henkhaus @Luke_Henkhaus Alexander Jones, 2016-2017 Aggie Band Command Sergeant Major and incoming combined Band Commander was pronounced dead after a collision with an 18-wheeler on the evening of Feb. 18. As news of 20-yearold Jones’ death has spread across campus, several prominent figures within the Corps of Cadets and the Aggie Band have released statements describing the magnitude of the loss, the person Jones was and the commitment to stand together in the face of tragedy. In a statement released Monday, Commandant of the Corps of Cadets Joe E. Ramirez confirmed Jones’ death and expressed a sense of mourning and remembrance on behalf of the Corps. “All who knew Alex remember him as a sociable, confident young man who had a resilient work ethic and a good sense of humor,” Ramirez said. “He was a very well-liked young man, and his loss will affect all of us for a long time to come.” Ramirez extended condolences to Jones’ friends and family and emphasized the value of camaraderie in the face of such a loss. “We all stand together as Aggies today as we mourn the loss of one of our own,” Ramirez said. “Alex Jones will be missed by all of us. As an Aggie, I hope the Jones family will take solace in knowing that Alex will never be forgotten, and that the unique Aggie spirit of camaraderie that is such an integral part of Texas A&M and the Corps of Cadets will hold fast to support them in this very difficult time.” Aggie Band Director Timothy Rhea said Jones will be remembered by his fellow band members for his commitment and compassion. “His reputation as a person of integrity, his strong work ethic and his leadership in the Aggie Band will define our JONES ON PG. 3
By Madeline Brennan @MadKathBren After President Donald Trump’s consecutive rounds of executive orders this past month, A&M students and faculty weighed in about the supposedly imminent repeal of ObamaCare and what it could mean for student access to healthcare in the future. For students on ObamaCare to those that use university health insurance to the ones who rely on a guardian’s insurance, the Affordable Care Act repeal will have a varying effect
on their health care access in the future. Several Aggies shared their experiences with the Affordable Care Act, including its furthered protection for people with pre-existing conditions and its allowing for children to remain on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26 years old. Alicia Bennett, education senior and cancer survivor, struggled with a rare type of sarcoma desmoid cancer for 6 years. The struggle ended in a surgery that removed her right arm, breast and chest wall. Bennett said she fears the impact of future health insurance changes, especially the struggle over ACA REPEAL ON PG. 4
Transportation Services partners with Zagster to begin bike share program By Rachel Knight @Reknight18 In order to provide an alternative mode of transportation on campus, A&M Transportation Services has contracted with a company called Zagster to implement a bike share program. The bike share program is a 24-hour service intended to help everyone get around quickly, efficiently and inexpensively on Texas A&M’s 5,200-acre campus. The bikes are checked out using smartphone technology or text messages with regular cell phones, and are equipped with proper safety lights, internal gears, a lock attached to the bike, front basket and bell. There are 75 Zagster bikes on campus and 10 Zagster bike racks strategically distributed across campus. Transportation Services pays $150 a year for each Zagster bike. Bikes can be rented hourly by individuals on campus for $3 per hour or with a $25 membership the first hour of each check out period is free. Ron Steedly manages alternative transportation for Transportation Services, and implemented the Zagster bike share program on campus. “Zagster is a bike share as a service,” Steedly said. “The fee is paid by the host to have bike share as a service, and then they do everything. Zagster likes to promote local, so they actually hired local contractors to help them implement bike share as a service. They chose Aggieland Cycling to be the ones that do the maintenance and the repair on the bikes.” Andrew Dobson, general manager and service manager at Aggieland Cycling, said Aggieland Cycling builds, repairs and maintains the bike share bikes. “We’ll do maintenance. Our goal is two times a month,
Carlie Russell — THE BATTALION
Zagster’s bike share brings on-demand bike sharing to campus, allowing students to borrow bikes from 10 oncampus locations 24/7.
but at least once a month on each bike,” Dobson said. “We’ll do this so often to make sure no one is trying to ride a bike in the program and can’t because it is broken or not working properly.” BIKE SHARE ON PG. 3
Have the summer of your life in Northeast Pennsylvania!
STUDENTELECTIONS
2
The Battalion | 2.22.17
If you love children and want a caring, fun environment we need counselors, program directors and other staff from June 17 to August 13. INTERVIEWS ON THE TEXAS A&M CAMPUS FEBRUARY 28 Select the camp that selects the best staff! Call 1.215.944.3069 or apply online at www.campwaynegirls.com
BATTASKS
How did the candidates do in the SBP debate?
Hosted by Post #159 American Legion Saturday, March 4th 9am‐12pm 101 Waco St Bryan Texas (off 21 between Hwy 6 and Texas Ave)
Hanna Hausman — THE BATTALION
Supported by Brazos Valley Cares
Robert McIntosh, Bobby Brooks, Kilian Bresnahan and Ben Ikwuagwu present their platforms and answer questions about their policies.
SBP DEBATE CONTINUED
All veterans and families welcome. All services free.
Employment Health Care Legal Clinic
https://march4bryanveteranresourcefair.eventbrite.com Partners: Houston Bar Association Lone Star Legal Aid Central TX Veterans Health Care System Kristi Fox Satsky, REALTOR® Homes for Heroes® Affiliate Century 21 Beal, Inc.
Take the career path as a
PARALEGAL Paralegal and Legal Studies at Blinn College The Blinn College Paralegal program provides students with the necessary substantive and procedural courses so that each graduating student is ready to successfully enter the legal job market.
Advantages • Degree and Certificate programs • Classroom, online, and evening classes available
EARL GRAY Criminal Defense Attorney Former Assistant District Attorney
• Faculty of lawyers and judges
www.blinn.edu Advertisement funded by Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, (Basic Grant) through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
batt THE
The IndependenT STudenT VoIce of TexaS a&M SInce 1893
Mark Doré, Editor Editor in in Chief Chief Sam King, Aimee Breaux, Managing Editor Jennifer Reiley, Asst. Managing Editor Katy Stapp, Managing Editor Lindsey Gawlik, News Editor Chevall Pryce, Editor Samantha King,Co-News Asst. News Editor Megan Rodriguez, Co-News Katy Stapp, Asst. News Editor Editor Angel Franco, John Rangel, SciCo-Sports Tech EditorEditor
Heath Clary, Co-Sports Editor Josh McCormack, Life and Arts Editor Leah Kappayil, Photo Chief
Katie Canales, Life & Arts Editor Carter Karels, Sports Editor ChrisKnowles, Martin, Co-SciTech Shelby Photo EditorEditor Josh Bradshaw, Hopkins, Co-SciTech Allison Asst. PhotoEditor Editor Alexis Will, Multimedia Editor Meredith Collier, Page Designer Olivia Adam, Page Claire Shepherd, PageDesigner Designer
Maya Hiatt, Page Designer Taylor Chojecki, Page Designer Grace Neumann, Page Designer
The BaTTalion is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University, College Station, daily, TX 77843. in Suite L400 THE BATTALION is published MondayOffices throughare Thursday during theoffallthe and Memorial Studentand Center. spring semesters Tuesday and Thursday during the summer session (except holidays news and department exam periods) at Texas by A&M University, News: University The Battalion is managed students at College TX 77843. inOffices are Media, in Suite aL400 Center. Texas Station, A&M University Student unitofofthetheMemorial DivisionStudent of Student Affairs. Newsroom phone: 979-845-3315; E-mail: editor@thebatt.com; News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M website:inhttp://www.thebatt.com. University Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. Newsroom Advertising: Publication of advertising doeswebsite: not imply sponsorship or phone: 979-845-3315; E-mail: editor@thebatt.com; http://www.thebatt.com. endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local, and national display Publication of advertising does advertising, not imply call sponsorship Advertising: advertising, call 979-845-2687. For classified 979-845-or endorsement TheareBattalion. campus, local,through and national display 0569. Officebyhours 8 a.m. toFor 5 p.m. Monday Friday. Email: advertising call 979-845-2687. For classified advertising, call 979-845-0569. battads@thebatt.com. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Email: battads@thebatt.com. Subscriptions: A part of the University Advancement Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The A part of the University Advancement FeeBattalion. entitles eachFirst Texascopy A&M Subscriptions: free, additional $1. of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1. student to pick up acopies single copy
culmination of two weeks spent diligently searching the students and searching out organizations across campus and you see people being stretched and shaped for the role better.” According to McIntosh, a major aspect of his campaign is to provide students with a voice, which if elected, he plans to do by hosting walk in hours with SGA. “I think that this is an unbelievable platform to impact people,” McIntosh said. “In life, we have a whole lot of platforms and we have to choose how we use them. I think the platform of student body president, I feel compelled to use that as a way to serve this campus and get to know people and I care deeply about our student body.” Sports management junior and events manager for McIntosh’s campaign D.P. Lambert said McIntosh embodies the Aggie core values. “I am supporting Robert because he upholds the character of a true leader by his humility, passion and leadership which is shown in his daily life,” Lambert said. “He genuinely expresses that to everyone he encounters and he desires to know more about people and who they are as Aggies.” Regarding his platform, Brooks said his experience serving as the executive vice president in the MSC and passion for diversity and inclusion translated into what qualifies him for student body president. “This is about more. This is about identifying those areas for improvement and making sure we get on those, and also making sure that we keep that high level of commitment, competency, knowledge and drive in the student body president position,” Brooks said. “To make sure that this university is in good hands and is capable of continuing on it’s current path to success next year.” Recreation parks and tourism senior Alaina Smith supports Brook’s campaign because of his friendly and personable disposition and caring heart for others. “Bobby is such a joy to be around consistently; he is one of the most genuine, warm, sincere people I have met at this university,” Smith said. “I’ve never heard him say a negative thing about another human being... He is just an incredible person, always happy to have a conversation, always has the best interest of every-
one around him at heart.” In terms of Bresnahan’s proposed policies, clear communication between SGA and the student body contributes as a significant factor to his aspirations. “One thing I really want to focus on is transparency … We need to be able to account for all that lack of communication, and the main idea here is that I want to create a committee that’s sole purpose is communicating with all of you guys,” Bresnahan said. “A leader is a listener, a leader is somebody that puts their own needs behind somebody else’s, and a leader is a servant … I feel I can exemplify a lot of these qualities for student body president.” Nursing junior Caitlin Curran applauded Bresnahan for his hope to speak on behalf of other people. “Kilian is probably the most passionate person I know about serving his community, whether that be in other aspects off campus or on campus,” Curran said. “Not only is he a leader but like he mentioned in his speech, he thinks a big part of leadership is listening so he’s very open to people coming up and talking about him and dealing with conflict in a healthy way so that people feel respected and their voices are still heard.” Additionally, Ikwuagwu said he plans to stand for values such as emphasizing inclusion and reducing the stigma associated with mental disabilities. “At this point, I think we can all agree that Texas A&M is one of the greatest universities in the country, but honestly, that’s not why I’m running for student body president. If A&M was perfect, I wouldn’t be on this stage,” Ikwuagwu said. “I want to be a changer of the status quo with this position. I want to offer new ideas, fresh ideas, ones that are critical for us to have on campus, but also ones that can possibly make an impact.” Accounting senior Reid Akers said he admires the authenticity displayed in Ikwuagwu’s intentions. “Ben, to me, just seems like he has the most genuine platform because something that Ben is always striving to do … He’s always finding ways to reach out to people that not necessarily are the main focal point, like the majority students,” Akers said. “He’s reaching out to everybody and to me, that’s something that’s really important.” Voting for student elections will be open online at vote.tamu.edu Feb. 23 and 24.
“I thought the debate tonight was very clean-cut, across the board very informative, I don’t think it really helped or hurt any campaign. I got to know the candidates very well. I do support one of them, and it was very cool to hear the voices of the other guys and see how they want to implement their plans and visions on campus as well.” D.P. Lambert,, sports management junior
“I thought the debate went smoothly, however, I was surprised to see it was in fact a true debate. Each candidate was instead posed different questions by another candidate or that had been previously polled from I assume SGA ... As far as how each candidate performed, I think there was a standout candidate. I am a little biased, but Bobby Brooks to me was by far the most well-spoken, the most informed in regards to most of the policy questions directed at him. That said, I think the debate was a success. There are a lot of people here, which is nice to see.” Francesca Hattan, English senior
“I felt that every candidate came prepared, however, I felt that the candidates had some key differences in their policies. Personally, I am going to vote for Ben, because I agree with his policies the most, but I wouldn’t be disappointed if Bobby Brooks won. Between those two, I feel like they’re both people who I could relate to, communicate with effectively and share my ideas with. I found it hard to relate to Robert, and [Kilian.]” Janelle Mendoza , general studies freshman
“I myself was a candidate for the president of SGA, and I felt the candidates all came very well prepared. I think there were some great speaking highlights on behalf of each candidate. I look forward to the prospective winner of this student body election providing their best effort in improving this campus.” Jared Miller, M.S. in accounting Hanna Hausman — THE BATTALION
PRESENTING...
DIAMOND DISCUSSION A
thebattalion
BATT SPORTS PODCAST
Ê*, /ÊÊUÊÊ" News News Sports Sports Opinion Opinion Mailcall
Lifestyles Lifestyles Photos Photos AP News Classifieds Classifieds
www.thebatt.com
BATT SPORTS REPORTERS BREAK DOWN THE 2017 A&M BASEBALL SEASON ON SOUNDCLOUD AND ITUNES.
NEWS
3
The Battalion | 2.22.17
BIKE SHARE CONTINUED
Carlie Russell — THE BATTALION
There are 75 Zagster bikes on campus and 10 Zagster bike racks.
According to Melissa Maraj, Transportation Services marketing and communications manager, the new bike share program holds true to both university and Transportation Services goals. “Introducing bike share not only complements the campus master plan, which is looking to make campus more pedestrian friendly and easier to access without a vehicle,” Maraj said. “It’s a great program to complement what transportation services provides overall.” Steedly said his department removes abandoned bikes from bike racks across campus on a weekly basis. One goal in implementing the bike share program is to reduce the number of unused bikes on campus. “We’ve got 75 bikes, so that’s the equivalent of 750 privately owned bikes on campus,” Steedly said. “So, if I can get 10 people to share each bike every day that’s 675 individually owned bikes that don’t need to be here. Imagine the clutter free environment if we could get 1,000 bike share bikes.” In addition to benefiting students, the bike share program fills a need for campus visitors, Steedly said. “In the fall my office gets calls all the time from visiting football fans asking if we have bike rentals because they just want to rent bikes for the weekend,” Steedly said. “Our campus is big and they want to see as much of it as they can, so this is awesome for them, too.” Physics freshman Michael Corregosa decided to invest in a Zagster membership after totaling his first bike and walking out of Sbisa Dining Hall to slashed tires on his second bike. “It’s just very convenient,” Corregosa said. “These bikes ride really nicely, and they’re very fun to ride. Plus they are in all of the main places I go — the MSC, close to my classes like Blocker. So it’s just really convenient to get to a relative location quickly then walk the rest of the way there. Plus with a Zagster bike you don’t have to worry about someone stealing or messing with your bike.” Transportation Services and Zagster will be hosting a launch event on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those interested in the bike share program will have the opportunity to ride Zagster bikes, ask Transportation Services and Zagster questions and receive giveaways.
ACA REPEAL CONTINUED insurance plan like ObamaCare, Bennett said, which would be an issue if said safety net is repealed “I don’t think it will affect students right away, unless they’re already on those programs, but I think it will affect us a lot after graduation or at 26, whenever we can’t fall back on parents’ health insurance,” Bennett said. While the ACA repeal places doubts on many students’ futures, Bretta Winters, aerospace engineering sophomore, said she remains cautiously optimistic about the repeal. “I am actually looking forward to it. My premiums skyrocketed when it got enacted,” Winters said. “The repeal should help bring those costs down ... My family can not really afford to pay the premiums we’ve been paying since ObamaCare; we’ve been struggling. But I am worried about how they’ll repeal it. If done wrong, it could be a complete mess.” Other students deal with health care through different avenues. Education junior Christi Hemmeline said she came to access insurance through the Texas A&M health care plan. “My dad got laid off in the recession,” Hemmeline said. “He got another job after a year, but it wasn’t as much payment ... He worked there for almost 6 years and then their entire
branch of the company went under. So I had to get student health insurance, which has been good.” Hemmeline said although she is hopeful that the repeal of ObamaCare will lessen the burden of rising deductibles, a program similar to the ACA is necessary. “My deductible and everything went up, so prescriptions were more because of ACA,” Hemmeline said. “I was scared though because if my mom can’t get a job … We can’t pay for private insurance. But I do think the repeal will make it harder to get health care. I know that for all the things people say about government healthcare, I think it’s helpful for students.” According to political science professor Joseph Ura, for many students if ACA is repealed changes in health insurance depend mainly on what type of insurance students’ parents are using, especially if students’ parents are self-employed. Furthermore, for students near graduation, shopping for insurance may get trickier as company insurance plans will no longer be required to inexpensively cover birth control or pre-existing conditions. “There’s another alternative floating around that they’ll repeal it but pass legislation with it’s most popular tidbits, such
as keeping kids on [parent’s] insurance and figuring out something for people with pre-existing conditions,” Ura said. “But the problem is you can’t have the pre-existing conditions part without the mandate to purchase part.” The ACA essentially subsidizes insurance for people with pre-existing conditions and the elderly through mandating universal purchasing of healthcare. By forcing young people, who usually wouldn’t purchase health insurance or would buy inexpensive plans, to buy insurance, the ACA requires healthier people to share the cost of the expensive health insurance of the elderly or people with pre-existing conditions,” Ura said. Ultimately, the question remains whether all the effort to provide access to health care proves worth the cost. Ura said there is an issue of mixing up health insurance and health care for health. “It’s unclear if people are actually going to get healthier from all of this,” Ura said. “We’re going to spend trillions of dollars over the next couple decades on health care through the ACA, Medicare and Medicaid. But if we focus on health instead of health insurance and health care, we actually make people’s lives better in tangible ways.”
classifieds
Place
an ad Phone 979.845.0569 Suite L400, Memorial Student Center Texas A&M University
FOR RENT
When
to call 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday Insertion deadline: 1 p.m. prior business day
FOR RENT
SPECIAL
see ads at thebatt.com
Private Party Want ads
$10 for 20 words running 5 days, if your merchandise is priced $1,000 or less (price must appear in ad). This rate applies only to non-commercial advertisers offering personal possessions for sale. Guaranteed results or you get an additional 5 days at no charge. If item doesn’t sell, advertiser must call before 1 p.m. on the day the ad is scheduled to end to qualify for the 5 additional insertions at no charge. No refunds will be made if your ad is cancelled early.
FOR RENT
HELP WANTED
1/1, 1/1.5 Lofts, 2/2, 2/2.5, 3/3 Wolf Creak Condos Falcon Point condos Broker/Owner, 979-777-5477.
Brand new 1bd/1ba, walking distance to campus, call 979-693-4900.
Luxury condo, close to campus, brand new, granite countertops, with wood floors, contact 979-693-4900.
Athletic men for calendars, books, etc. $75-$150/hr, up to $500/day. No experience. aggieresponse@gmail.com
3bd/3ba duplex, big backyard, close to campus, call 979-693-4900.
HOUSE FOR LEASE! Available for 2017-2018 school year. 4bed/2.5bath, ideal roommate floorplan, 1mile from campus on Sterling St right off Texas Ave, alarm system monitoring included with rent. $2000/month. Aggie owned and managed. Text 214-563-4040.
Northgate 1/1, 2/2, 3/2, and 3/3 & 3/2 house, parking free, walk to campus. aggievillas.net Available now. Call 979-255-5648.
Brazos Valley Imports part-time receptionist. $8/hr 12-8 Tuesday, Thursday, every other Saturday 96. Contact David 979-776-7600
Affordable 1bd apartment, close to campus, on TAMU bus route, call 979-693-4900. Beautiful two-plex for rent in CS, 2 bedrooms, ample with large fenced backyard, tranquil, 3 minutes from campus, remodeled, convenient to everything, call for special, 832-572-1090.
Less then a mile from campus, fully furnished, only $500/per room, call 979-693-4900.
HELP WANTED Cleaning commercial buildings at night, M-F. Call 979-823-5031 for interview. Immediate opening for website updating, flexible hours, if interested please email Equity Real Estate at jointhesuperstarteam@gmail.com Leasing agent needed, must have real-estate license, if interested please email Equity Real Estate at jointhesuperstarteam@gmail.com Room, board, and food with small monthly stipend in exchange for taking my 14 year old son with Down Syndrome to do fun activities from 7am-4:30pm Monday-Friday and one Saturday a month. Must have reliable transportation and pass background check. For application and more information, please email christynavaknight@gmail.com
ANSWERS
to todays puzzles
HELP WANTED SUMMER OF YOUR LIFE! CAMP WAYNE FOR GIRLS, Summer camp, Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania (6/17-8/13/17). If you love children and want a caring, fun environment we need Counselors, Instructors and other staff. Interviews on campus Feb.28! Select The Camp That Selects The Best Staff! Call 1-215-944-3069 or apply www.campwaynegirls.com
MUSIC Private Piano/Voice Instruction. Pianist for Weddings and Special Events. Call Scott today at 979-204-0447. www.brazosmusicgroup.com
REAL ESTATE Team McGrann wants to LIST/SELL your property! 979-777-6211/979-739-2035, Town&Country Realty.
TUTORS Tutoring available for accounting, biology, and algebra. $20/hr, call Karen 979-571-2455.
the
battalion Classified Advertising Easy Affordable Effective For information, call 845-0569
NEWS
4
The Battalion | 2.22.17
JONES CONTINUED memories of him, only to be topped by the fact that he was a caring human being who set a fine example to all,” Rhea said. “We are grateful for the time we had with him, and our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.” Jones was a member of the Ross Volunteer company which, among other duties, serves at both the Silver Taps and Muster ceremonies. Assistant Commandant of Operations and Training Colonel Glenn Starnes said Jones will be greatly missed within the company. “He was preparing for the Ross Volunteers company’s participation in the King Rex parade next week,” Starnes said. “We are sorely missing him.” As Jones’ loss is felt by many, several Aggies are expressing their grief over Facebook, including 2015-2016 Corps Commander Alyssa Michalke, who recalled Jones’ dedication to the service of others. “Although I received word of Alex’s passing yesterday afternoon, it still doesn’t seem real that a young man with such an outstanding character, a servant’s heart, and a positive attitude would be taken from us so soon,” Michalke wrote. “I had the privilege to talk with Alex numerous times throughout his sophomore and junior years, and he always asked me for advice on how to serve others better so they could grow and develop. His selflessness and maturity always blew me away, and it was my honor to become friends with such an exceptional Aggie.” Junior Yell Leader Cooper Cox described Jones’ hardworking spirit and emphasized the need to remember the life he lived. “Alex was a son, a friend, member of the Corps of Cadets, member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band and a Ross Volunteer that strived for excellence in everything he did,” Cox wrote on Facebook. “I do not understand how or why such an exceptional soul can be taken so soon. The only thing I can do is say ‘Here.’”
FILE
Alexander Jones was a cadet in A-Company. Additionally, he was a Ross Volunteer and a member of the OR Simpson Honor Society.
“He always asked me for advice on how to serve others better so they could grow and develop. His selflessness and maturity always blew me away, and it was my honor to become friends with such an exceptional Aggie.” Alyssa Michalke, 2015-2016 Corps Commander
“Alex was a son, a friend, member of the Corps of Cadets, member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band and a Ross Volunteer that strived for excellence in everything he did. I do not understand how or why such an exceptional soul can be taken so soon.”
“All who knew Alex remember him as a sociable, confident young man who had a resilient work ethic and a good sense of humor. He was a very well-liked young man, and his loss will affect all of us for a long time to come.” Gen. Joe Ramirez, Corps Commandant
“His reputation as a person of integrity, his strong work ethic, and his leadership in the Aggie Band will define our memories of him, only to be topped by the fact that he was a caring human being who set a fine example to all.” Timothy Rhea, Aggie Band Director
Cooper Cox, Junior Yell Leader
LAST TWO DAYS TO GET YOUR AGGIELAND PHOTO TAKEN! Specialties Photography will be set up to have your FREE portrait taken for Texas A&M’s 2017 Aggieland yearbook. ALL CLASSES ARE WELCOMED 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Wednesday & Thursday Feb. 22nd & 23rd Located at the Sanders Corps Museum Library Should any student be unable to make the specified times on campus they can contact Specialties directly to set up a complimentary in-studio appointment at 979-696-9898. Any graduating seniors who wish to set up a cap/gown photo will need to contact the studio at 979-696-9898. Cap/Gown sessions cost $21.95.