The Battalion — February 24, 2022

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2022 STUDENT MEDIA

Silver Taps

SCAN FOR THE BATTALION’S DEVELOPING COVERAGE OF INVASION OF UKRAINE

Jason Robert Gentry Feb. 5, 1978— Jan. 19, 2022

TRIBUTE ON PAGE 5

Ishika Samant — THE BATTALION

‘I feel unstoppable’ FILE

Junior javelin thrower Nick Mirabelli at The Reveille on April 6, 2019, at EB Cushing Stadium.

Nick Mirabelli’s return from injury: a tale forged in love, compassion and brotherhood

By Ryne Ryskoski @rusty_ryskoski_

E

very athlete faces adversity of varying degrees at some point during their career. The question is: When will it rear its ugly head, and just how hard will it be to face and overcome? For Texas A&M track and field junior Nickolas Mirabelli, adversity came unexpectedly in a multitude of ways that have kept him from throwing a javelin competitively for nearly three years.

Nick’s freshman year went about as well as you could expect for someone going into their first year of collegiate competition. He placed seventh in the SEC Championships, competed in the NCAA West Regionals, won a bronze medal at the USA Track and Field U20 Championships and claimed the 10th-best throw in program history.

Then, everything changed.

COVID-19 wiped out Nick’s sophomore year of competition. He, along with many others across the country, returned the following season ready to show their growth and development with hopes of getting back to the postseason and beyond.

But a season-ending torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, suffered before the 2021 season began, took the javelin out of his hands once again, leaving him to wonder what could have been.

“It was difficult, but it’s more mental because, when you’re out for two years, you just have that urge to compete,” Nick said.

“Especially as a college athlete, that’s what you’re going to school for — that’s the main goal. So, having that taken away was a major setback.”

The story goes much deeper than just the past couple years, though. It truly begins with Nick’s family: His parents Karen and Mark, and his brother Chris, especially.

The three of them have instilled ideals and a purpose inside Nick that has brought him back to the point he is at now — about to finally return after a process that Nick described in one word.

“Long.”

The Parents Nick’s story in the sport starts with his father Mark.

Mark has taught javelin, shotput and discus throwing for nearly 40 years, and runs his own successful personal training business, the Mark Mirabelli Track and Field Throwing School in Lumberton, N.J., which brings in clients from all over the country and has helped develop countless kids into college athletes.

Before training, he himself threw the javelin at such a high level that he was a qualifier for the 1980 Summer Olympic Game Trials. Those games, of course, were boycotted and never happened.

It’s a strange comparison when looking at the 1980 Games and the postponement of the 2020 Olympics. Chris was planning on making a run at those games himself before they were suspended.

“It’s just an amazing story that Mark made the Olympic Trials exactly 40 years ago, and they were boycotted,” Karen said.

“Then the 2020 Olympic Trials come and COVID-19 hits. It’s been like [a] curse.”

So, it goes without saying that Nick and Chris were both born into the sport of throwing. They were involved with Mark and his immense, deep knowledge from a young age which allowed them to grasp as much about the ins-and-outs of throwing as possible.

“Ever since [Nick] was five years old, he’s been coming with me to practice. They already knew a lot about the javelin, and I taught him at a young age how to hold it and how to do other things correctly,” Mark said. “They have a great advantage over anybody else having a father that’s a personal trainer.”

As a result, the brothers, together, have enjoyed a wealth of success and accomplishments up to this point.

Mark recalled a pair of moments he said particularly stuck with him — Chris winning a gold medal at the 2016 Pan-Amer-

ican Games and Nick breaking the New Jersey state record for javelin throw.

“I cried like a baby when [Chris] was standing on the top of the podium with his hand on his heart, looking at the flag, going up and playing the national anthem,” Mark said. “That was [an] unbelievable feeling and comparing that to [Nick] breaking the record his senior year, that was another moment where I was just as proud.”

But none of those special moments can prepare you for seeing your child suffer an injury and be forced out of the sport they’ve done for so long as a family, Mark said.

“It’s never easy as a parent,” Mark said.

“We’ve had a number of things that we’ve dealt with, and we get through it and just hope for the best. We take a deep breath, and we try to encourage. You’re going to have to go through the process again in order to get back to you. But, you just take it one day at a time.”

He said he wants one thing above all else though: for Nick to be healthy.

“I want him to be healthy with no injuries — knock on wood — and open up at a slow rate,” Mark said. “I don’t want him to put the pressure on himself to throw big giant throws right off the bat. Little increments at a time. He sends me clips every day of his practice, and I can see so much improvement in them and his technique. I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people.”

Nick said much of the same, but he’s matured a great deal with the challenges he’s had to face. He’s got to be smart about what he chooses to do as he gets back to being competition-ready, Nick said.

“I came in from high school thinking I would be better than everybody. I just had a freshman attitude,” Nick said. “But now that I’ve been through a lot of adversity, I think I make a lot of smarter decisions. I’ve got to pace myself throughout the year even though I’m very excited about this season.”

It’s important for one to have the proper disposition and temperament when going through tough times. Karen said she believes Nick’s attitude is a big part of the reason why he can continue to deal with adversity.

“He just has a really good attitude,” Karen said. “He’s the kid that smiles all the time MIRABELLI ON PG. 3

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The Matthew Gaines statue is the first statue of a Black person on Texas A&M’s campus.

Black History Month: Celebrating progress, promoting visibility Students reflect on struggles, triumphs of Black people

By Lauren Discher @laurendischer Black History Month provides an annual opportunity to celebrate the steps taken toward racial equality, and to scrutinize the persistence of systemic racism in America.

The month of February is named to recognize the accomplishments of Black people and the adversities they have overcome. Each year, a theme is established by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History to focus the public’s attention. This year’s theme is Black health and wellness, and Texas A&M student organizations have planned various events intending to bring awareness and educate the community.

Member of the Memorial Student Center Carter G. Woodson Black Awareness Committee, or MSC WBAC, Kevin Johnson said Black History Month started out as a one-week celebration called “Negro History Week,” which encompassed the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

“The purpose was to highlight the history of people who were not recognized as having much history in the United States, people who were in various times in U.S. history referred to as everything from African, colored, Negro, Black and now we see the term ‘African American’ used,” Johnson said. “That group of people would study their own history as well as share the history with the community. The purpose was to provide that which otherwise may have been overlooked in the past in U.S. history.”

Furthermore, Johnson said Black History Month provides a way of telling the story of a group of people.

“If we can understand that story, and have better context on the stories that shape the communities that are represented on campus, the more we can understand these narratives and stories that give us a better appreciation of one another,” Johnson said. “From that, we can learn to communicate and understand one another and respect one another’s challenges, as well as unique talents and skills and innovations that we have.”

BLACK HISTORY ON PG. 7

NEWS

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The Battalion | 2.24.22

Tenure threatened

A&M officials react to Dan Patrick’s statements on academic tenure

By Aubrey Vogel @aubrey_vogel Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has proposed the end of university tenures for professors to combat critical race theory teachings on college campuses.

Following the passage of House Bill 3979 in June 2021, critical race theory has become a topic of academic discussion regarding what can be taught in university classrooms. The bill, which focuses on eliminating controversial teachings involving race and sex in the classroom, was enacted on Sept. 1, 2021.

“The bill prohibits compelling a teacher for any social studies course in the required curriculum to discuss a particular current event or widely debated and currently controversial issue of public policy or social affairs but requires a teacher who chooses to do so to strive to explore the topic from diverse and contending perspectives without giving deference to any one perspective,” the bill summary reads.

“The bill provides for certain protections for applicable student speech. The bill’s provisions apply beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, except that required changes to state curriculum standards apply beginning with the 2022-2023 school year.”

During a Friday, Feb. 18 press conference, Patrick expressed the need to end tenures for all new university professors, and additionally called for adjustments to the review of tenures for professors currently under contract. Patrick said there is a need to have an end-of-year review for tenured professors to evaluate their performances rather than six-year terms, to help combat professors who continue to teach critical race theory in classrooms.

“Tenure; it’s time that that comes to an end in Texas. Right now, tenure is reviewed about every six years, and pretty much anything you do in those six years, there’s nothing the university could do about it,” Patrick said in the press conference. “They can’t fire you.”

However, tenure is implemented to protect employees from being fired due to content taught and to allow academic freedom, according to an article from the Texas Tribune.

“Tenure is an indefinite appointment for university faculty that can only be terminated under extraordinary circumstances,” the article reads. “Academics said Friday that tenure is intended to protect faculty and academic freedom from exactly the kind of politicization being waged by Patrick.”

Following Patrick’s announcement on Friday, many school officials from across the state have rallied in support of tenured professors, many of whom have claimed they are

Photo by Gage Skidmore

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been publicly opposed to the teaching of critical race theory in K-12 schools and at universities. His proposal to disallow tenure for future Texas university professors is his most recent action fighting against the theory.

the backbone of their universities, including Texas A&M President M. Katherine Banks, who applauded scholar professors at the university.

“At Texas A&M, we have successfully recruited some of the best and brightest scholars in the nation who have contributed to development of a research portfolio of expenditures exceeding $1 billion annually,” Banks said in a statement to the Texas Tribune. “This has been accomplished with strong support from our states’ leadership

It’s more than an old ring.

and the Texas Legislature. Our research enterprise is critical to the future prosperity of Texas and the nation.”

Additionally, Banks said the university is ready to meet with state leaders to share the importance of tenured positions.

“We look forward to the opportunity to meet with state leaders when appropriate to discuss how we have used tenure to achieve our success in recruitment and retention of highly accomplished faculty,” Banks said in the statement.

The A&M Faculty Senate has also expressed support for tenured employees and its disapproval of the state official’s stance on the matter, according to the Houston Chronicle.

“The recent rhetoric of Texas state officials opposed to tenure and teaching about issues of race in the classroom is damaging the reputation and future of public higher education in Texas,” the statement reads.

“Educators, not politicians, should make decisions about teaching and learning.”

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Neither he nor this ring looks the same as they did then, but they both still shine, nevertheless.

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NEWS

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The Battalion | 2.24.22

PROVIDED

Chris Mirabelli (left) and Nick Mirabelli (right) are both elite javelin throwers.

MIRABELLI CONTINUED on the field, ever since he was a little kid. He would strike out in baseball and walk away smiling or tackle somebody in football and smile at him and pick them up. I’d say, ‘Nick, you’ve got to stop smiling, you’ve got to be mean.’ I couldn’t do what Nick does. It’s rare to be able to have that ability and still have a killer drive.”

But, as previously mentioned, Karen and Mark are just one part of Nick’s story and why he’s been able to adapt and overcome life’s inevitable obstacles.

The Brother To put it simply, Chris Mirabelli is a decorated and successful athlete. He threw the javelin for Rutgers from 2014-19 and racked up numerous accolades.

Chris holds Rutgers’ record for longest javelin throw at 76.67 meters, is a three-time Big 10 champion, a four-time All-American, was a 2017 and 2019 USA Championships finalist and now throws professionally.

Chris also has a master’s degree from Rutgers in sports business and is engaged to Casey Murphy, a goalkeeper for the U.S. Women’s National Team and member of the National Women’s Soccer League’s North Carolina Courage.

But much like Nick, Chris’ story is one of adversity heaped upon adversity that seems to have no way to escape.

“He’s been through more problems [than me],” Nick said.

Chris suffered a torn labrum and rotator cuff at the same time, was diagnosed with a serious heart condition, couldn’t do much of anything when COVID-19 began and also injured his ulnar collateral ligament, or UCL. In that exact order.

“Chris has been through hell and back to where most people would have never, ever picked up and continued,” Mark said. “The labrum, rotator cuff, heart condition and his elbow. Most people would just say, ‘Screw this.’”

After the UCL injury, Chris said he had to face a harsh reality and make one of the toughest decisions of his life, one that all athletes face at some point — whether or not to retire.

“At that point I’m looking at myself [thinking], ‘I’m 24 years old. I didn’t compete last year. I had to sit out a year [before COVID-19] because I completely tore my whole shoul-

der.’” Chris said. “I’m just thinking, ‘What do I do here?’”

But, as Mark said earlier, neither Chris nor Nick are the types of people who surrender.

“I will say that deep down I always knew that there was more [left],” Chris said. “The day I tore [my UCL], I told my parents, ‘I’m not ready to leave. I just don’t have that feeling where I need to leave.’ I didn’t want it to be a ‘what if?’ situation. I never wanted to be in that situation.”

Chris had to make a change deep within himself, one that not many people have the vulnerability to make for themselves when facing seemingly insurmountable odds.

He had to stop thinking of himself as a victim of his circumstances.

“It was always one thing after another,” Chris said. “I just always felt things were going against me. I had to get to the point where I had to stop thinking, ‘Oh, of course it’s me.’ I took those road bumps and I applied them to my training.”

He said he wasn’t able to do that before because he wanted to beat all the expected recovery timelines and get back to throwing as fast as possible.

Chris had to begin embracing the grind of building himself back up from injury.

“I learned to enjoy the process of my last surgery,” Chris said. “I learned to not try to beat it and just enjoy the progress as it comes.

It’s been an unbelievable experience, not just for my elbow, but mentally as well. I had two options: I can just sit out and do nothing, or keep training and just be ready. That’s exactly what I did.”

But the question is: How does this all translate to Nick and what life’s been like for him these past couple years?

It’s not as complicated as it may seem. Chris said their similarities are so present that they can’t help but act as a support system for each other. As Nick aged and matured, their relationship became even more intimate.

“We’re practically the same person even though we’re four years apart,” Chris said.

“We always mess with each other, we have the same thought process on damn-near everything. He’s made this beautiful transition into maturity with his sport and in his life where I’m free to give him advice. He has that vulnerability now about him, and I’m fortunate for that. It’s a really beautiful thing to share that with a sibling.”

Chris and Nick, tied through blood and circumstances, are as close as brothers come.

lot of athletes can relate. When you have a setback like that, especially for two years, it gets to you. Especially since I wasn’t able to do much physically after my surgery, I said, ‘I have to work on my mental game and my mental toughness.’”

Nick said the best part about being back with the Aggies isn’t that he can throw again, but that he can fully be with his cohorts to help and support — a characteristic which completely aligns with everything his parents and brother have passed on to him.

“Last year was hard because I wasn’t able to actually be with [the team],” Nick said.

“This year, I can finally motivate other people and push everyone around me. The environment is a lot better this year; we’re all supporting each other.”

Mark and Karen said they’re continuously surprised with Nick and Chris’ resolve and approach toward life and sports. This comes with an adage that Mark said applies to the entire Mirabelli family — “God, family, school and then track and field.”

“I really love the way our kids were raised,” Mark said. “They have a good heart, a good, gracious soul. The kind of person you are around other people is the most important, and the track and field is not first in life.”

A year and a half ago, Chris’ phone lit up; 1,083 miles apart, through just a couple text bubbles, Nick’s motivation came together.

Nick texted Chris with one simple question: “What’s your dream?”

Chris responded with a rather technical answer: “My direct javelin goal is to throw the farthest my body is capable of, which I believe is 85-86 meters. There’s a bunch of sub-direct goals of that, though.”

Nick replied: “Gotcha, I have one goal for javelin.

“I want to walk out into the Olympic stadium with you by my side. Nothing would be better than seeing my brother and I walk out there with Team USA uniforms with both of us as javelin throwers.”

That was quite a powerful moment for Chris and Karen, they said.

“That’s just a beautiful thing to say,” Chris said.

“I keep a photo of that conversation in my phone,” Karen said. “I think it’s so beautiful. Hopefully, God willing, that moment happens.”

For now, though, Chris, Mark and Karen excitedly await Nick’s return. So does Nick himself.

“I’m just going into it with fire,” Nick said.

In a way, his comeback is the start of a new chapter in the wild story of the Mirabellis.

Forged in love, compassion, brotherhood and facing unnerving hardships head-on, Nick is just a few steps away from his dream.

A symptom of their brotherhood is their undying support for each other.

“I never want him to stop growing in the sport,” Chris said. “I think true growth comes with happiness, so I just want him to be happy with what he does.”

Full Circle Looking back on the moment he was injured, Nick didn’t think much of it initially.

He said he thought it wouldn’t be serious enough to get an operation. But once he found out that was necessary to recover, he had a shift in mentality from looking at the downsides, to looking at it as an opportunity to grow and learn more about himself.

These thoughts echoed the same process his brother went through.

“I was still optimistic when I tore my shoulder,” Nick said. “A lot of throwers have torn labrums, but I wasn’t hoping to get surgery.

When I found out I had to get surgery, I initially thought of it as a bad thing that happened.

But then as I continued to think about it, [I thought] it’s probably a blessing in disguise.”

Nick gave a great deal of credit to Karen and the mindset she molded for him that he has adopted over the past couple years.

“My mom always told me to stay optimistic with anything, so I Myranda Campanella, Editor-in-Chief always try to think of the positives [coming] out Julia Potts, Managing Editor Cori Eckert, Design Editor & Lauren Discher, Audience Engagement Business Manager of this,” Nick said. “I & Special Sections Editor Casey Stavenhagen, Sports Editor can get a fifth year and Robert O’Brien, Photo Chief Kay Naegeli, Asst. Sports Editor compete when I’m 22 or Ishika Samant, Asst. Photo Chief Jordan Epp, Asst. Sports Editor 23 years old. I’ll be more Aubrey Vogel, Co-News Editor Caleb Powell, Opinion Editor experienced, older and Michaela Rush, Co-News Editor Nathan Varnell, Asst. Opinion Editor smarter.”

Kyle McClenagan, Multimedia Editor Kathryn Miller, Life & Arts Editor After all that he’s & Asst. News Editor Caroline Wilburn, Asst. L&A Editor endured over the past Grant Gaspard, Asst. Podcast Editor couple years, Nick said THE BATTALION is published Thursdays during the 2021 spring semester (except he feels that he can’t be University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University, College deterred in anything beStation, TX 77843. Offices are in Suite L400 of the Memorial Student Center. cause of how much his mental state and maturity News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M have improved.

University in Student Media,a unit of the Division of StudentAffairs.Newsroom phone: He also said the men979-845-3315; E-mail: editor@thebatt.com; website: http://www.thebatt.com. tal aspect was much more present in his reAdvertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local, and national display covery process than anyadvertising call 979-845-2697. For classified advertising, call 979-845-2697. Office thing physical. hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Email: battads@thebatt.com.

“Mentally, I feel unstoppable after all that,” Subscriptions: A part of the University Advancement Fee entitles each Texas A&M Nick said. “I’m sure a student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1.

NEWS

4

The Battalion 2.24.22

Cameron Johnson — THE BATTALION

Texas A&M’s Transportation Services continues to face a shortage of student bus drivers.

Braking news: Driver shortage Start of semester brings concerning strain to campus transit employees

By Grant Maclaurin @GrantMaclaurin The beginning of the semester has come and gone and once again displayed tension be-

tween students attempting to get to classes and the Texas A&M bus system.

A&M Transportation Services continues to operate below its full capabilities, lacking sufficient student drivers to combat the influx of students during the first weeks of classes.

Coupled with the decreased demand during A&M’s hybrid model during COVID-19, stu-

dents are struggling to get to classes.

Current bus driver and political science senior Ben Waddill said the process of becoming a bus driver is fulfilling yet difficult.

“I get a lot more enjoyment from the job,” Waddill said. “People ask me whether it’s a difficult job. It is, but I enjoy the fast-paced environment. There’s a long training process where you’ll find out if you don’t like it.”

Due to this fast-paced environment, employee turnover is a frequent concern. When demand is high, especially during the beginning of a semester, Waddill said some drivers choose not continue with the job.

“If you’re not a person who is comfortable in that environment where you are constantly multitasking, it can be very difficult to handle,” Waddill said. “Not everyone is capable of doing this job. The beginning of the semester is typically when you see most drivers quit.”

Like other campus jobs dependent on students, the frequent turnover due to graduating drivers requires employers to continually hire and train new employees. Transportation manager Justin Tippy said the transit department is continuously looking for new hires throughout the year.

“The number of drivers we have on staff is constantly fluctuating,” Tippy said. “We started the fall with about 195 students and 24 budgeted full-time drivers, and we began the spring with 185 students and 25 budgeted full-time drivers … While our total staffing numbers are similar to last semester, we are experiencing a higher volume of COVID-[19]-related staffing shortages, which has, at times, reduced the number of buses on route.”

Although the transit department is equipped to train 25-45 drivers at a time, Wadill said the number of bus drivers is still far below the required amount.

“At any point, we have 25-45 drivers in our training process,” Waddill said. “We were short of 100 at the beginning of the semester with 46 people currently training.”

An anonymous student driver and oceanography senior signaled that this trend resembles a feedback loop. Due to shortages of bus driving veterans, others within Transportation Services are charged with picking up the slack while supervisors train new drivers, slowing down some of the training process.

“One of the issues to getting more drivers is that the supervisors have to drive as well.

They can’t train anybody because they’re driving, because we don’t have enough drivers,” the student driver said.

To combat the shortage of drivers, the transit attempted to recruit more drivers with the incentive of an increase in wages, Tippy said.

“The pay rate was raised from $12 to $13 per hour in mid-November 2021 to increase retention and attract more applicants,” Tippy said. “We are hiring on a daily basis, and the flexible on-campus work schedule and pay rate makes this possible.”

The anonymous student driver said the recent hourly wage increases seems to have a negligible impact in recruiting new drivers compared to previous wage increases.

“A few years ago, I believed that the hourly wage was at $9.75,” the student driver said. “When they increased it to $12, they had a surge of people signing up. I’m not sure if the increase to $13 has been as helpful,” the student driver said.

Although the pay raise went active in November 2021, no increase in drivers occurred. Tippy said lengthy training periods offset the ability for new drivers to supplement openings.

“Most drivers we hire do not have a Commercial Driver’s License, so we guide them through from start to finish which requires an extensive training regimen,” Tippy said.

“The training process takes anywhere from one to two and a half months to complete, depending on student schedules, so there is a significant delay between when a driver is hired and when they can operate a 40-foot bus on their own safely.”

When the bus system seems the most inadequate to handle the demand for transportation, Waddill said transit anticipates this.

“The way we structure and organize ourselves, we’re based for week three and beyond for the semester. Everyone goes to class the first week, but not everyone goes to class week three. So, having that many buses is a waste, but that means that the first week is always hectic.” Waddill said.

Planning toward the third week of school, citing lower demand, coupled with a decline in drivers has affected students’ ability to get to class on time at the beginning of the semester. The anonymous driver said that is something they worry about.

“There’s not a lot of people driving. That causes a lot of routes to be dropped and no one is able to drive that route. It makes things slow down a bit for those people attempting to use the bus system,” the student driver said.

The student driver said they believe this trend is improving and hopes more Aggies will sign up to help other students.

“It’s still the highest-paying student job,” the student driver said. “Passengers sometimes are frustrating, but the job itself is not hard. I would like for more people to sign up for it because you’re really helping your fellow Aggies.”

SILVERTAPS

5

The Battalion | 2.24.22

Silver Taps February 5, 1978 — January 19, 2022

JASON ROBERT GENTRY A dedicated Christian father and husband

By Aubrey Vogel @aubrey_vogel

C

ommitted to his work and his family, Jason Robert Gentry was the proud husband of Jennifer and father of Samuel and Elisabeth

Spending time with his children and family was Jason’s main priority, right alongside serving God, his wife Jennifer said.

“Jason was the best kind of man — the type of man all men want to be and want to be remembered as,” Jennifer said.

“He was a phenomenal husband and father because he loved, trusted and followed God with all his heart.”

Jason was a provider who always ensured his family had everything it needed and was sure to get every job done right, whether professional or personal, Jennifer said.

“Jason was always quick to say, ‘I love you,’ and really meant it. I mean, really mean it. He was always quick to do what was right. He was not going to compromise on anything,” Jennifer said. “He always made sure we were provided for. Whether it was emotionally, financially, spiritually — whatever it was — he always made sure we were provided for and took care of everything.”

Making family time a priority, Jennifer said Jason always made sure to be home for breakfast and dinner to eat with the family.

“We were always together. We loved to be together; we made it a priority to always eat breakfast and dinner together,” Jennifer said. “Jason always made our date nights a priority and, in reality, he probably spent more time with his kids in five and seven years than most kids get in 18 years.”

Oftentimes, he would spend time playing with his children, Samuel, age 7, and Elisabeth, age 5, in any means he could.

“Daddy was always so good to us,” Elisabeth said.

“I love Daddy so much, and I’m very proud of him,” Samuel said.

“Many of the pictures I have with [him and the] kids, he’d frequently hold them or carry them or let them ride on his shoulders,” Jennifer said. “There’s so much joy on his face in these pictures.”

PROVIDED

Jason Robert Gentry will be honored at Silver Taps in Academic Plaza on Tuesday, March 1 at 10:30 pm.

With homeschooling their two children, Jennifer said when Jason would go on work trips, they were able to travel with him and experience places like Chicago together as a family.

“The kids and I explored Indianapolis when he was in a conference and we went up to Chicago and we traveled a lot together,” Jennifer said.

Jason also had a passion for home improvement projects. He was able to craft anything and learn new skills as needed, such as tiling or mechanic work, Jennifer said.

“He was incredibly intelligent. He could do really anything he turned his hand to,” Jennifer said. “He could do anything from rebuild the engine of a car to weld [and] he did intricate woodworking, the kind of stuff that people spend decades learning to do.”

Studying fluvial geomorphology, Jason was very passionate about how water changes and shifts, Jennifer said. While they

lived in Tennessee, Jason pursued a long-term project for his job which involved creating a flood warning system for an area that was prone to flooding in order to warn park rangers when to evacuate the area.

“People go down there and swim and play in the waterfall. You get a couple hundred people down there at a time and the problem is to get out of there, you had to hike along a trail along the riverbank for a long ways before you can start ascending upward, there was no other way to get out of that area,” Jennifer said. “They consistently had flooding [even when] they would have clear blue skies, and what was described as a ‘wall of water’ would come over the top of the waterfall. It would flash flood that area.”

After months of investigation, Jason installed rain gauges to alert authorities when the water was too high and the area needed to be closed, Jennifer said.

Though Jason’s collegiate journey did not begin at Texas A&M, Jennifer said College Station was the place that God intended for them to be. After graduating with honors from Tennessee Technological University, a professor mentioned to Jason that he could truly go anywhere with his intelligence and recommendations. Though A&M was not his first pick, Jennifer said Jason quickly fell in love with the campus and especially the people on it.

“He didn’t apply all over the place, but he really prayed about where God was calling our family next, and it came down to a couple of schools. He really liked the program at one of the other schools, it was exactly what he was looking at and while he likes A&M, it was not that perfect fit, but he really felt like this was where we were supposed to be,” Jennifer said.

“Jason really loved the people at A&M. So even though he wasn’t sure if the program was exactly what he was looking for, he really loved the people of A&M and of Texas in general.”

His father-in-law Bruce Dillinger said Jason was always very focused on his work and furthering his education, but always left time for his family and God. “Jason was a loving and Godly husband and father. We thought of him as a son rather than a son-in-law,” Bruce said.

“He was very diligent in his studies and work, but God and family were his priorities. He was also proud to be a part of the family of Texas A&M. He will be greatly missed.”

OPINION

6

The Battalion | 2.24.22

OPINION FILE

The biomedical sciences major is to move from the College of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences to the College of Arts and Sciences.

Advising crisis in biomedical sciences Opinion editor Caleb Powell discusses how lackluster advising, limited classes have upended students’ time Caleb Powell @calebpowell23

C

hemistry is the bane of my existence. Hours staring at a collection of Cs and Os during lectures and mixing acids in labs have all but melted my brain cells. Thankfully, I didn’t suffer alone — my pals over in biomedical sciences, or BIMS, made the experience bearable, and as much as I hated those exams, our study sessions were the start of a beautiful friendship.

That’s why I’m concerned about their present situation.

Hold a conversation with any BIMS student, and you’ll quickly find their department is plagued by lackluster advising and severely limited class seating, leading to potential delays in graduation.

Let’s start with the advising struggles.

BIMS Aggies should be able to access their academic advisers within a reasonable timeframe, as they are key to ensuring students graduate on time. Unfortunately, students like BIMS junior Lauren Cramer have not found the support they need.

“I emailed [my adviser] 10 days ago,” Cramer said. “I have still not received a response even though I’m struggling to the point that I have wanted to drop out [of BIMS].”

To get the help she needed, Cramer said she went to walk-in hours only to be met with an empty waiting room.

Over the course of two days, Cramer said she waited over six hours.

“They sent a message saying, ‘We advise you to come in at 8 [a.m.] so everyone can get seen,’” Cramer said.

“They didn’t enter the chat until 8:30 [a.m.], and I didn’t get seen before I had to go to my lecture.”

Sadly, Cramer’s struggle isn’t an isolated case, as BIMS junior Phillip Xenophontos has experienced a similar problem with drop-in advising. Xenophontos said during add-drop week, the BIMS advisers were only doing walk-in advising.

“I went Monday in the morning [and] I waited for … two hours,” Xenophontos said. “At that point, I was like, ‘OK, I have things to do.’”

After preparing for the week, Xenophontos said he returned that afternoon to no avail. So he tried again on Tuesday. And again on Wednesday. And again on Thursday. Fortunately, Xenophontos said he managed to get in — after four days of attempts to talk to his adviser.

BIMS junior Braeden Brinson echoed these problems with walk-in advising.

“I was trying to contact the advisers about anatomy,” Brinson said. “And the first two days I was in walk-in advising,

I didn’t get in at all, and I was in the adviser room for six or seven hours before I just gave up that day.”

It would seem like an easy solution to hire more advisers so people aren’t stuck in a waiting room.

However, even after effectively being on hold for 12 to 14 hours, Brinson said his advisers told him there weren’t any spaces available in his required anatomy class.

“Now, I either have to hope that I get a seat in the summer, or I have to skip the [prerequisites] and take it with physiology,” Brinson said. “They’re asking me to delay a class I need to take for a whole year.”

Brinson said he may even be looking at taking an extra semester, all because the department only offers about 180 seats for his anatomy class.

Now, 180 seats may sound like a large number, especially for an upper-level class. However, according to the Texas A&M accountability website, as of fall 2021, there were over 2,600 BIMS students enrolled. Even if you use generous math and round down to 2,400 students, that still comes out to about 600 students per graduating class. According to the biomedical sciences degree plan, VIBS 305, or biomedical anatomy, is a required course for juniors during the spring semester.

That’s 180 seats for 600 students.

Keep in mind this number doesn’t account for seniors who found themselves in Brinson’s situation, having to take anatomy a semester late or repeat the class. And, Brinson isn’t the only student in this predicament.

“One of the classes I didn’t get, [and] I know a lot of people didn’t get, was biomedical anatomy,” Xenophontos said.

“And that’s basically a prerequisite into physiology.”

Those who choose to take anatomy alongside physiology find themselves struggling. Xenophontos said taking the two together is like taking biochemistry without taking organic chemistry. For those who are less inclined to biology, it’s like hopping on a motorcycle before learning to ride a bicycle.

To be fair to the advisers, there are only so many spots for them to use force requests to get students into anatomy.

However, BIMS students have other contentions with their advisers.

Right before the spring semester started, Brinson said the advising staff told him and many other students that an elective they were registered for couldn’t be taken concurrently with biochemistry.

This sudden announcement left quite a few BIMS Aggies scrambling, including Brinson and Xenophontos.

“It dropped me below 12 hours,” Brinson said. “I had to put in a … form that made [my] research lab two hours.”

Likewise, Xenophontos said he was at risk of not having full-time student status.

“On the last day of add-drop, that Friday morning, [the advisers] were able to put me into a microbiology class,” Xenophontos said. “At that point I was finally put into being a full-time student.”

Cramer said she felt as if the advisers weren’t truly listening to her problems.

“They won’t really listen to you until you say something drastic like, ‘Wait, what did you say?’” Cramer said. “I just feel like no one listens anymore.”

It’s unacceptable for a department to not have enough classes for its students to take. Many Aggies have financial aid that depends on them being full-time students, and taking additional semesters may add to student loan debt. Furthermore, because BIMS is a pre-professional program, graduating late because of class unavailability can significantly throw off post-undergraduate plans, Xenophontos said.

“I have a son and a girlfriend that I’m BIMS CRISIS ON PG. 7

NEWS

7

The Battalion | 2.24.22

BLACK HISTORY CONTINUED MSC WBAC development and public relations Vice President Ashley Dean said Black History Month means the appreciation and acknowledgment of Black culture throughout society.

“It is an invitation for others to join in and celebrate Blackness and to really open the conversation that we probably wouldn’t have any other month,” Dean said.

This conversation about racial equality is one which Johnson said has gradually sparked change.

“It’s a work in progress in terms of the overarching theme of improving the nation and creating a more perfect union,” Johnson said. “One visible [piece of] evidence of that progress would be the demography of A&M today, in 2022, versus prior to 1963, for example, when basically there were zero Black students on campus.”

To celebrate Black History Month, student organizations have hosted various educational and celebratory events. National Society of Black Engineers President Jeremiah Lockhart said his organization is hosting Black excellence events to further educate members.

“The first thing we did was a Black history general body meeting, where we talked about Black wellness, social, cultural and emotional wellness,” Lockhart said. “We also went to the Brazos Valley African American Museum in Bryan.”

At the museum, Lockhart said the group was able to reflect on different aspects of Black history and culture.

“It was a really great time for us and it bonded us as a group to experience the culture together,” Lockhart said. “At the end of the month, we’re watching the ‘Proud Family’ reboot on Disney+. It’s a big show, and it should be a lot of fun.”

MSC WBAC hosted the West African Film Festival on Feb. 23, the theme of which was health and awareness. “[The films] deals with the issue of autism and mental health and how we need to move beyond stigmatizing mental illness, understanding mental illness and embracing people who are struggling with various forms of mental illness and embracing them as being integral parts of our society and community,” Johnson said.

As disabilities are yet another trait that isolate people, Johnson said it is important to prioritize respect for people with disabilities, both physical and intellectual. “[A] disability is also another thing that is a difference, but we need to recognize that difference and embrace, love and support those people who are struggling with those disabilities, as well as their families and work against the stigmatization that has happened in the past,” Johnson said.

A fresh start

Robert O’Brien — THE BATTALION

Freshman right-handed pitcher Khristian Curtis (No. 30) started against Lamar on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

Khristian Curtis received first start as an Aggie pitcher against Lamar

By Grant Gaspard @grant_gaspard Growing up just across the train tracks from the opposing team, a young Texas A&M pitcher marked the end of a long journey and the beginning of his bright future on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

Over a year ago, in January 2021, freshman pitcher Khristian Curtis began his rehabilitation following a repair to his ulnar collateral

BIMS CRISIS CONTINUED with that are depending on me to finish college as soon as I can,” Xenophontos said. “And then subsequently get a job and then hopefully go to medical school, and all of that needs to be done in a pretty specific time frame.”

Not getting into a class isn’t something BIMS students can kick down the road; their degree plan is incredibly rigid.

A&M’s failure to provide an appropriate number of classes and an adequate number of advisers is increasing the number of students who need to take upper-level courses at one time. Eventually, without additional faculty and staff, the backlog will be worse than Wellborn Road on

ligament, commonly associated with former MLB pitcher Tommy John. Curtis’ repair procedure was similar to Tommy John’s surgery but less severe. This ligament is located inside the elbow and can make the joint very difficult to move, let alone throw a baseball, when injured.

Week in and week out, the Groves native trained for his opportunity to prove why he should put on the maroon and white.

And at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, he stepped foot on the mound for the first time since his injury.

Texas A&M baseball secured its fourth victory of the season against Lamar University, the first day of class. In fact, Cramer said she already feels the stockpile growing.

“If I go to advising, I say, ‘Hey, I’m struggling with this,’ and there’s an underlying problem that they just sweep over,” Cramer said. “Until you get to the root of the issue, it’s going to get backed up and backed up and backed up, and it’s so disappointing to have that.”

When the consequences of lackluster advising and limited seats in classes include thousands of dollars in tuition and student loans, extra semesters and delayed time to professional school, A&M’s administration has an obligation to take immediate action.

The BIMS department is already seeing a significant change, as A&M President M. Katherine Banks has decided to move

9-3, with the help of 12 hits featuring six doubles, one triple and a two-run shot over the tracks from sophomore second baseman Ryan Targac.

“I was really proud of the way we swung the bat tonight,” coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “We had conversations right after batting practice, when the wind changed, about [how] the team that hits the ball low and keeps the ball out of the high air will be the team that wins tonight.”

Curtis shut out the Cardinals for four innings straight, giving up only three hits, had one strikeout for the first out of the game and struck a batter out looking in his last inning of the game.

“It felt really, really good getting back on the mound,” Curtis said. “Just have to capitalize on it every time I get out there. Keep building off of what I did today.”

Despite having only two strikeouts, he forced six groundouts and four flyouts. The Cardinals put six runners on-base in the first four innings.

However, Curtis and the Aggies’ defense held them to zero runs.

“It feels good being able to control the run game,” Curtis said. “Like coach said, ‘You just got to focus on keeping the hitters and runners off-balance and keep filling up the strike zone.’”

This game marked Curtis’ first win of his career as an Aggie. Schlossnagle said Curtis pitched a good game, but room for improvement is still present.

“I thought he did a nice job,” Schlossnagle said. “He did a nice job for the most part of throwing strikes until the one inning, but he’s certainly going to have to be better. Land his breaking ball better, land his secondary pitch better, but he threw strikes.”

It was an eventful night for another Groves native, who graduated from the same alma mater as Curtis. Junior designated hitter Austin Bost went 3-5 from the box with two doubles, one triple and an RBI in the bottom of the first inning.

“Bost is obviously a proven hitter at this level,” Schlossnagle said. “Bost always uses the whole field when he hits, that is why he hits for a high batting average.”

A&M will host Penn for a three-game series starting on Friday, Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m. the program into the new College of Arts and Sciences. Regardless of how this realignment affects BIMS, the program needs more dedicated advisers and additional faculty to facilitate the upper-level classes. Hopefully, the consolidation with three other colleges will not divert university administrators’ attention away from this crisis.

Our fellow Aggies in BIMS deserve better. Reducing bureaucracy and administrative costs is a great goal. However, these students need an investment right now, and money spent on students — the forefront of A&M — should be the priority.

Caleb Powell is a biomedical engineering junior and opinion editor for The Battalion.

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EDITORIAL

8

The Battalion | 2.24.22

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR This Student Press Freedom Day, editor-in-chief Myranda Campanella celebrates The Battalion’s staff

Robert O’Brien — THE BATTALION

Feb. 24 is Student Press Freedom Day, a celebration of student journalists across the United States. Overcoming the adversities of the past two weeks, having faced demands from Texas A&M’s administration to stop printing, The Battalion’s editor-in-chief recognizes the diligence of the publication’s staff for defending its right to freedom of the press.

By Myranda Campanella @MCampanella_ If you told me three years ago when I first stepped into The Battalion’s newsroom that I would be leading the fight for the publication’s survival and its right to freedom of the press, I’d probably have thought you were speaking to me in a foreign language. I’m an international studies major, after all, focused on diplomacy, not law or even journalism.

Yet, diplomatic I was on Feb. 11, 2022.

After a whirlwind 24 hours — during which, for the record, I was told we’d likely have to vacate our newsroom in the Memorial Student Center if we didn’t follow Texas A&M President M. Katherine Banks’ new plans for The Battalion — the independent student voice of Texas A&M managed to stay afloat.

I could use this letter to tell you my story from those 24 hours, but you’ve likely already heard it. Instead, on this year’s Student Press Freedom Day, I’d like to recognize the amazing, dedicated staff and adviser, whose work was all equally as important, if not more so, than mine in the fight to keep The Battalion as we know it.

First and foremost, to Julia Potts, my managing editor and second-in-command: thank you for keeping me sane.

Julia was in the initial conversation alongside me on Feb. 10 with Dean of Students Anne Reber, and her cool, collected demeanor and hard stare even set me on edge — she had a point to prove — The Battalion was not just simply going to accept these demands.

From “this doesn’t make sense” to “you’re not giving us an answer as to ‘why,’” Julia stood her ground throughout the hour-long conversation. And when shit hit the fan, Ju-

lia stood by my side, answering the phone that didn’t stop ringing for a solid five hours, scheduling interviews with various journalists from around the state and communicating with our staff.

To Cori Eckert, my design editor and student business manager: you are a godsend.

As The Battalion’s page designer since 2019, Cori had her job in the balance and a fight on her hands as she joined the Zoom call with myself and Banks on Feb. 11. Despite this, she was professional and polite, even when she told Banks, “I’m disappointed in your decision.” Kudos to you, Cori, for standing up to the woman in power charged with leading the largest university in Texas.

For reference, Cori was named Designer of the Year in 2021 by the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, a testament to the hundreds of hours staring into InDesign files in the newsroom and the beautiful collection of art she has produced within The Battalion’s print editions. She deserved the opportunity to express her disappointment to the administration.

To my staff adviser: Douglas Pils, thank you for being the newsroom’s rock during hard times.

Pils has mentored and offered advice to every single one of the staff members who walked through The Battalion’s doors since taking up his position in 2014. Even with his job nearly on the line, Pils stood by our side and defended The Battalion’s freedom of the press.

To Nathan Varnell and Casey Stavenhagen: thank you for becoming The Battalion’s “Spotlight” duo, staying in the newsroom until God knows when, investigating for our next big story in the works. Nathan, our assistant opinion editor, also communicated with members of the nonaffiliated #SaveTheBatt

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group to share updates on the administration’s demands, and he framed our editorial message, with the help of our opinion editor Caleb Powell, that print is not, in fact, dead.

Currently, Casey, our sports editor, is also working tirelessly to put together our 2022 Spring Sports Maroon Life, delayed for the events of late. So, when you pick up your magazine in about two weeks time, make sure to think of the care and dedication Casey and his assistants, Kay Naegeli and Jordan Epp, put into every single page at the same time when The Battalion’s printing status was in jeopardy. And make sure to give our sports podcast Home Turf, produced by Grant Gaspard, a listen to hear more about the production of the magazine and the status of A&M spring sports.

To our news team, Aubrey Vogel, Michaela Rush and Kyle McClenagan: thank you for always being willing to jump into the next big thing.

Our news editors collectively wrote 2,600 words to share with you all, the Aggie community, the details behind the administration’s demands for The Battalion last week.

Michaela also worked on a deep dive into the administration’s demands for Draggieland, while Julia investigated new changes for Fish Camp, to highlight that administrative overreach is not a problem unique to The Battalion. The work of all four of them helped give a voice to our three organizations when administration would not. In fact, Kyle, who also doubles as our multimedia editor, literally gave us a voice in last week’s episode of The Batt Signal.

To Kathryn Miller and Caroline Wilburn, our life & arts editors: thank you for always keeping the newsroom a lively environment.

Kathryn and Caroline work to bring fun into The Battalion, both through our content

and in our office, with their bubbly personalities and never-ending, quotable jokes. They worked to give the student body a voice over the events of last week — one of the fundamental jobs of student journalists.

To our photo chiefs, Robert O’Brien and Ishika Samant: thank you for the endless hours you dedicate to The Battalion, around campus, at games, attending protests and more. Ishika’s photo is the face of the now most-widely circulated article in The Battalion this semester. And a special thanks goes to Bobby, who is staying up until the wee hours of the morning, carefully designing the art for our Spring Sports Magazine in collaboration with Casey, so be sure to tip your hat to him, too, when you’re flipping through.

To our audience engagement editor Lauren Discher: thank you for keeping The Battalion’s digital presence — yes, we have that, too — professional and up-to-date.

Lauren carefully curates each of The Battalion’s posts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and she, too, was on the ball last week making sure all of Aggieland was kept up-todate on the news.

To my staff as a whole: thank you for putting up a fight and for working seamlessly together to produce our staff report, editorial and print edition last week. To our staff and photographers: you are the backbone of The Battalion, and your work never goes unnoticed.

So, this Student Press Freedom Day, I celebrate the student journalists who have built the 129-year tradition which documents Texas A&M’s history. We may have won the battle for now, but these student journalists will continue fighting the war for student press freedom.