The Battalion — July 6, 2022 by The Battalion

10 YEARS OF SEC

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The Battalion | 7.6.22

Ishika Samant — THE BATTALION

FILE — THE BATTALION

Protesters march to the Texas State Capitol in Austin to decry the Supreme Court’s decision Texas A&M and the Military Admissions Department partners with the Warrior-Scholar to overturn Roe v. Wade. Texas A&M students offer their thoughts and opinions on the ruling. Project to help acclimate veterans to the university lifestyle after deployment.

Speaking on Roe v. Wade From soldiers to scholars A&M students, community react to historic overturning of Roe v. Wade By Kyle McClenagan & Caroline Wilburn @KMcclenagan & @Carolinewilb Texas, along with other states, will now ban abortion following a nearly half-century long fight to overturn Roe v. Wade. After a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court officially overturned the 49-year-old precedent on June 24, ending constitutional protections for abortion. The decision is expected to result in strict abortion bans in over half the U.S. Many of these states, including Texas, also had trigger bans ready to make abortions illegal either immediately or in the coming weeks after the Supreme Court’s ruling. Jason Lindo, a professor of economics at Texas A&M, said this decision will have lasting impacts. “The effects are going to be so extensive and far reaching,” Lindo said. “There are going to be more people who are unable to have abortions, people who will have delayed abortions and later people who are having children earlier than they otherwise would have … There will be tens of thousands of people whose lives will be permanently altered in this

manner.” Lindo, who specializes in health economics, said this will disproportionately affect lowerincome families and women of color. “They are already on average disadvantaged relative to the general population,” Lindo said. “Without access to abortion, and then having additional children, it is going to make them more disadvantaged. The racial inequality that we already have, and inequality that we have economically more generally, is going to expand as a result of more limited access to abortion.” Cameron Dunn, an aerospace engineering senior and president of Turning Point USA at A&M, believes more needs to be done if conservatives are truly going to be pro-life. “We need a successful pro-life culture, we don’t just need the legislation,” Dunn said. “We need people to start donating at food shelters for single moms, we need people to start donating their time and money to these community shelters. If you can’t do that, then go plug into your local community … go do something so that you can have people in your community fall back on you.” Dunn, who is the founder and treasurer of Aggies for Liberty, said he is glad to see this divisive issue handed back to the states. “Unlike a lot of conservatives that you might talk to, I’m more of a, ‘Hey, let’s leave ROE V.WADE ON PG. 4

Warrior-Scholar Project looks to help prepare war veterans for college By Emma Lawson @ELawsonAtTheBat Applying to college as a veteran comes with challenges that most high schoolers don’t have to worry about. The Warrior-Scholar Project, or WSP, hopes to ease these challenges for veterans to achieve their academic goals. Student veterans face unique obstacles — 47% are married or have kids and only around 15% are traditionally aged college students, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The WSP is a nonprofit organization that partners with colleges and universities to host one and two-week bootcamps as a resource to help transitioning servicemen and veterans reach their educational goals. From June 18 to July 2, the WSP held a humanities and science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, bootcamp at Texas A&M, with the first week being dedicated to the humanities and the second focusing on STEM. Ryan Pavel, the CEO of the WSP, said the first bootcamp was at Yale University in 2012 with the goal of giving veterans experience

they need to be successful in college. “We want [the veterans] to succeed, so WSP is equipping them with the tools and modalities necessary to succeed in higher education,” Pavel said. “Originally, it was just humanities, and then in 2015, we added the STEM component, which is the program that we have at TAMU.” The WSP offers both in-person and online bootcamps, Pavel said. Anyone interested in attending a camp can visit the WSP website to sign up. “The application portal will remain open, so anybody can go and fill out an interest form, which is very basic information,” Pavel said. “This includes [your] name, what kind of program you’re interested in, where you are in the transition process and contact information. It’s a three-or-four minute initial stage application, and then we talk to students and figure out how we can help you get to where you need to be.” Pavel said, for the future of WSP, he would like to continue growing the project and find more accessible ways to bring the bootcamps to veterans. “This summer, we will serve just shy of 400 student veterans across all of our bootcamps,” Pavel said. “There’s about 180,000 people that left the service last year, so subtracting the number that we’re serving and the number that’s available to serve is enormous. AnothWSP ON PG. 7

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ROE V. WADE CONTINUED

Ishika Samant — THE BATTALION

it at the state issues,’” Dunn said. “For instance, I don’t support pro-life legislation for all 50 states, I think that each state should determine their abortion policy, because I think government that is closer to you works more effectively.” Economics senior and incoming Young Americans for Freedom chairman Rachel Sweeney said she feels this decision may affect the upcoming midterm elections. “In my personal opinion, I think returning it to the state level does something interesting for the Democrats at the national level,” Sweeney said. “We’ve heard from Joe Biden, we’ve heard from other national level Democrats who said, ‘We’re going to make this a midterm issue.’ In my opinion, the Supreme Court said today that this is not a federal decision — the federal government has no power to

make this decision.” English sophomore Isabella Carillo said they fear the recent Supreme Court decision may affect more than just abortion rights. “It definitely connects to LGBTQ rights, and also to the Black liberation movement,” Carillo said. “I think it’s really scary that they can just do this, especially at this time when we need security in our bodies more than ever and we need that guarantee that we’re going to be OK.” Carillo said it’s important to demonstrate anger and frustration about the decision. “We have so much power as young people and we can go out there and we can use our voices to let them know that this is absolutely unacceptable,” Carillo said. “When people are loud, when people are annoying, they tend to listen because it affects

them. Young people should not feel discouraged. Discouragement is not going to get us to where we need to be.” Luke Leifker, a political science junior and member of Aggie Democrats, said he no longer has faith in the Supreme Court after they overturned Roe v. Wade. “It feels like the Supreme Court justices are legislating from the bench and also that they’re pushing their morals and their personal agenda on everyone else,” Leifker said. “First it’s abortion access, and then it’s gay marriage and I’ve even heard people talk about potentially Brown v. Board of Education being on the chopping block eventually.” Leifker said he also thinks those opposed to abortion don’t fully understand the position of those who are pro-choice.

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“I think one misconception that a lot of pro-life people have about pro-choice people is they think that we like abortion or that we want people to have abortions, but I don’t,” Leifker said. “I think that couldn’t be further from the truth. Abortions are a traumatic thing for everything involved. No one wants to have one. It’s never a positive thing. They’re here out of necessity.” Political science senior and president of Pro-Life Aggies Grace Howat said she continues to have faith in the Supreme Court and its decisions. “If you look at the Constitution, nowhere in it is the right to an abortion,” Howat said. “I think that this, if anything, improves the legitimacy of the [Supreme] Court because they’ve gone back on a case that was clearly very wrong.” Howat said she believes the pro-life movement does not end with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “We have a scholarship for pregnant parenting students,” Howat said. “Last year, we gave out over $10,000 to pregnant and parenting students. We also have a free babysitting program for parenting students as well that they can take advantage of, we have so many other ways to help.” Lindo said he believes it’s important to consider the long-term effects of this historic decision. “I think this often gets lost, because we all get a little bit of tunnel vision in terms of thinking about the immediate effects,” Lindo said. “Sometimes we forget about possible spillover effects. A majority of individuals seeking abortions have already had children. I think that’s an important thing to keep in mind as we think, in a broad sense, about the full set of effects of these changes that are going to be taking place.”

SPORTS

The Battalion | 7.6.22

New age on the diamond Robert O’Brien — THE BATTALION

Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle after the Game 11 elimination in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., on Wednesday, June 22, 2022.

With new staff, A&M baseball saw its deepest run ever, ending in Omaha By Neomi Brown @neomib_03 On March 15, following an 8-2 loss to Houston, Texas A&M was underperforming with a 10-6 record to the disappointment of many. It seemed like the team was bound for a similar performance to the 2021 season despite the high hopes fans had for this team featuring a new head coach, Jim Schlossnagle, and an astonishing 20 new players who were not on the previous year’s roster. Fast forward three months to the end of June, the Aggies boast a 44-20 overall record, with a 19-11 record in SEC play. Compared to 29-27 and 9-21 records from 2021, it was clear whatever Schlossnagle and his squad did worked. This improvement was the tip of the iceberg of success for this team. A&M topped the SEC West standings for the first time since joining the SEC in 2012 and was selected to host a Super Regional in the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies were far from finished with their work and steamed on like the locomotives that pass by Olsen Field. Under the vision of Schlossnagle and the grit of the players, the Aggies seemed to do the impossible: completely flip a program in less than 365 days. “I called [Schlossnagle] after the Penn series, and I said, ‘Coach, it’s going to be OK. We don’t have to panic. This is a long-term

build. This is a process.’ To have it flip like that and to be able to host and win the [SEC] West … an unbelievable turnaround in Year 1,” A&M Athletic Director Ross Bjork told TexAgs.com. In addition to an incredible regular season performance, the Aggies also had a historic showing in the postseason. A&M was the only team other than the Ole Miss Rebels to go undefeated, 5-0, through regional and super regional play. By crushing Oral Roberts 8-2, Louisiana 9-6 and Schlossnagle’s former school, TCU 15-9, the team earned the program’s 10th regional. Following through with 5-4 and 4-3 wins over Louisville, the team headed to Omaha, Neb., for the seventh time. Before this season, the Aggies had not been to the “greatest show on dirt” since 2017 and didn’t have an appearance with a win since 1993. After losing in the first elimination game 13-8 to the Oklahoma Sooners in the opening round, the Aggies faced off against its historic rival for the second time this season: the Texas Longhorns. During this all-star game with two of the best teams in the country, A&M was able to keep the Longhorns scoreless for the final five innings and sent the team back to Austin with a dominating 10-2 score. Two days later, the maroon and white faced their second elimination matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Luck wasn’t on the Irish’s side with its errors leading the Aggies to gain an early 2-0 lead. A&M didn’t let off the gas and stamped three more runs on the scoreboard to win 5-1, which led to a rematch against the Sooners where its time in Omaha came to end with a 5-1 loss.

If there is only one word to describe this team, memorable is a perfect choice, as Schlossnagle expressed after the Notre Dame game. “Whether we win or lose the rest of this thing, this team is going to be remembered for a really long time,” Schlossnagle said. The phenomenal performances by several of the players were noticed by the SEC, D1 Baseball, American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America among others. Junior second baseman Austin Bost, graduate outfielder Dylan Rock and sophomore infielder Ryan Targac all earned All-SEC Second Team recognition. Freshman righty Chris Cortez was honored with a spot on the SEC’s All-Freshman squad. Graduate left-handed pitcher Jacob Palisch earned All-America Second Team from D1 Baseball and Baseball America All-America Second Team honors alongside Rock. While player accolades and a great season can be exciting, having unique team traditions can be the cherry on top. Fans and visitors are accustomed to the bubbles in Blue Bell Park after a run, but this season, a new tradition emerged from the dugout in the form of a cylindrical can. It seemed the Aggies weren’t content with just having a chip on their shoulders, but also a chip in the dugout. After the early-season loss to Houston, Schlossnagle spoke to the players in the locker room telling them they needed to be “hungry for wins,” as reflected on by junior righty Micah Dallas. “He was saying winning needs to be like you’re eating Pringles,” Dallas told The Eagle. “He asked if we’d ever had a Pringle, and

we’re like, ‘Yeah,’ and he’s like, ‘You can’t just eat one. You’ve got to have them all.’ So, we kind of just took that to heart, and we all kind of liked that idea. The Pringles is just the face of it. It’s fun and exciting, but when you really boil it down, it’s just about competing with each other and having fun and being hungry for more wins. It kind of just gave us something to rally behind and loosen up a little bit and just play.” The Pringles instantly became a hit and even caught the attention of the company itself. Following the win over TCU on June 6, the company reached out to the team via Twitter and ended up sending a package weighing over 70 pounds to Aggieland. This is only the beginning for A&M’s squad as this experience has done nothing but give players the ability to share their advice and wisdom with a new recruiting class and each other. “Now, you’ll have a group of guys who have been there,” Schlossnagle said after the second loss to Oklahoma. “Now, instead of hearing [how important all the small things are] from a coach, now you’re going to hear it from players. The best way for younger guys on our team to honor the guys that were just up here is to work their tails off to get back here. We have a lot of work to do in recruiting. All in all, I think the Aggies are really proud today. The beauty of it too is that we’re also disappointed because we want to win championships.” While many could be content with the results from this season, Schlossnagle sees this as an opportunity to garner support for updating the program and, as he told the Houston Chronicle, a chance for an updated home for the team. “I hope [this season] spurs some people to want to speed up the process on renovating our ballpark. We have work to do to get our facility the right way,” Schlossnagle said. “We need a bigger ballpark, and there’s a demand for season tickets, and there’s demand for premium space. They’re on the docket, and when I talked about coming to A&M, those were things we discussed. It will happen in time.” No one knows what’s in store for this team of players and coaches, but if there’s one thing Schlossnagle can agree on, it’s that this team and this season is one to be remembered years down the road. “[This team] will forever be remembered as the team that hopefully reignited Texas A&M baseball,” Schlossnagle said. “It’s hard to create a team with the synergy that this team has. It’s time to start back from ground zero.”

SPORTS

The Battalion | 7.6.22

Robert O’Brien — THE BATTALION

Sophomore RB Devon Achane (6) runs into the end zone to score a touchdown at Kyle Field on Oct. 22, 2021.

Decade of dedication in SEC A&M sports celebrates 10 years of success in the Southeastern Conference By Jordan Epp @j_epp22 When news broke on June 30 that USC and UCLA were departing from the Pac-12 in favor of joining the Big Ten, the sports world erupted. Conference team movement has been a hot topic during 2022 after multiple conferences announced realignment including the Big 12, the American Athletic, Conference USA and the SEC.

On brand, the next day was the 10th anniversary of Texas A&M’s conference realignment, leaving the Big 12 in favor of the SEC alongside Missouri. Throughout the Aggies’ time in the SEC, things have been up and down, but the Aggies have seen their fair share of success. Early in the switch, A&M football took the world by storm with the meteoric rise of “Johnny Football.” Johnny Manziel became the first freshman ever to win the Heisman Trophy and the first Aggie since 1957 before capping off his season with a Cotton Bowl win. A&M has earned a bowl bid every year since joining the SEC, going 6-3 over that

span. The team has also gone 46-35 in conference play, with no win more significant than the 41-38 upset over No. 1 Alabama on October 9, 2021. In basketball, the men’s team sat at the top of the conference in 2016 with a 28-9 record. That team had four future NBA players and advanced to the Sweet 16 off a double-overtime win over Northern Iowa. During the Billy Kennedy head coaching era, the Aggies finished the season ranked twice, both times advancing to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA March Madness tournament. Since joining the SEC, the Aggies have gone 188-135. On the women’s side, the Aggies earned a regular-season conference title in 2021 and an

SEC Tournament title in 2013. The women’s team made the NCAA Tournament every eligible season except 2021 and went 232-94 during the last 10 seasons, 104-54 in conference play. At the end of the 2022 season, the team watched head coach Gary Blair retire after a half-century of coaching, two decades of which were spent in College Station. Out on the diamond, A&M softball is entering a new stage after Jo Evans, the team’s head coach since 1997, will not be brought back for next season. During Evans’ 10 years with the Aggies in the SEC, Davis Diamond saw an NCAA tournament appearance in every eligible season and a record of 357-189.

SPORTS The Battalion | 7.6.22

Robert O’Brien — THE BATTALION

Junior Lamara Distin attempts to clear 2.00m at the Alumni Muster meet at E.B. Cushing Stadium on Saturday, April 30, 2022.

For baseball, the Aggies made their second College World Series appearance since leaving the Big 12, advancing the furthest A&M has ever seen during its 2022 campaign. In its first season under coach Jim Schlossnagle, A&M had its first-ever multi-win appearance in Omaha, Neb. Eight out of the last 10 seasons saw NCAA tournament appearances for A&M baseball with a regular-season SEC West title in 2022 and an SEC Tournament title in 2016. Beside Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park lies the track and field stadium, home of the team with the most hardware over the last decade. Under

the leadership of coach Pat Henry, A&M has seen plenty of success during his tenure. The men’s team has two SEC titles with four runner-up finishes and two NCAA titles with one runner-up finish. The women’s team has one SEC title and one NCAA title with five and three runner-up finishes, respectively. On the tennis courts, the women’s team finished the 2022 season with the best record A&M has ever seen, 33-2. The Aggies earned their second SEC regular-season title and their first SEC Tournament title. The men’s team has a regular-season title in 2015 and an SEC Tournament title in 2013 and 2015. Neither

team has missed the NCAA Tournament during that span. A&M soccer missed the postseason in 2022, but during the Aggies’ first nine seasons, they won two regular-season titles, three SEC Tournament titles and made the NCAA Tournament nine seasons. In 2014, the team advanced all the way to the NCAA Tournament College Cup before losing to Virginia, ending the 22-3-2 season for A&M. Multiple other A&M women’s teams have won titles since leaving the Big 12. The Aggies earned one SEC title on the links when the women’s golf team won in 2015. The

A&M volleyball team won a conference title in 2015, too. Lastly, the women’s swim and dive teams have also seen plenty of success in the SEC, winning four consecutive titles between 2016 and 2019. In 10 years, the Aggies have gone through plenty of changes, shifting from the Big 12 to the SEC. From upsets to postseason runs, A&M’s time in the SEC has only just begun, and with old rivals in Texas and Oklahoma set to join them in the upcoming seasons, more memories are bound to be made along the way.

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Aggies defeat No. 1 Crims

A third-generation coach, Texas A&M track and field’s Pat Henry is one of the winningest coaches in any NCAA sport

on Tide 41-38 in instant

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Senior defensive back Leon O’Neal Jr. recovered the touchdown in the ball fumbled by Alabama following drive.

By Jennifer Streeter @jennystreeter3

at the end of the

first quarter. O’Neal

returned the ball

to Alabama’s 41-yard

Robert O’Brien —

THE BATTALION

line allowing

Fisher recording the A&M to score a first-ever victory over his former boss. on Georgia in an eventual 41-24 victory over While the win is the Bulldogs. young man. He cares, aturday was an upset and nobody expect- not be fully satisfied great, Fisher said he will to the fourth For the Aggies, it all came down ed. For the ground game, it matters to him.” until he sees how his quarter, junior team by one touchdown, with A&M only leading Isaiah performs throughout Texas A&M football Spiller and sophomore running back the 31-24. “We can be special. rest of the season. running back Redshirt sophomore Devon Achane stole No. 1 University of defeated thenOur football team quarterback Zach the show. Spiller ran Alabama in front learning to play is Calzada found 46 yards and one touchdown. for of a sold-out Kyle his groove. With the Field on Saturday, teams and have against other great football behind 12th Man of the One highlight Oct. 9 with 106,815 him, the signal caller success. That’s night for fans last time A&M defeated in attendance. The to me,” Fisher said. “It shows what matters score in all three possessionsled the Aggies to Achane’s 96-yardthe maroon and white was a kickoff return for a during the first down in the 2012 upset in the Crimson Tide was ter, and it shows a lot of belief lot of charac- quarter. Additionally, touchin the third quarter. Calzada Bryant-Denny Stadium. It shows in themselves. before Alabama head coach a lot of belief in their throwing an interceptionwas 10 for 10 Achane Nick Saban’s previous teammates.” in the middle amount said he was in disbelief with the At halftime, of the second quarter. record against his former of open green available assistant coaches was room trailing Alabama went into the locker to him. 24-0, with Texas “There on “I couldn’t believe is not a harder position the scoreboard for A&M head coach it because the hole the first in sports so big,” Jimbo time since Oct. 17, 2020, was Achane said. “After when the Tide took to play than quarterback,” Fisher said. scoring that, the “[I’m] very proud of Zach. He’s a high-character feeling was just amazing. It gave us a lot momentum. It was a big opportunity for of us.”

GAME RECAP ON

PG. 3

From Jimbo, with love

Jimbo Fisher celebrates

The Aggies’ 41-38 Robert O’Brien — victory over the Crimson THE BATTALION forth by the A&M Tide was the result football team. of months of hard work put

56th birthday coach. Starting in 2010, Saban began terrorizwith win over former boss ing his former assistants who had since taken Nick Saban over their own programs By Ryan Faulkner With 24 straight wins as head coaches. @ryanfaulk03 record against his earlier and an undefeated four wins over Fisher, protégés, including Saban’s dominance Over five months ago, Texas A&M head threatened to continue with no end coach Jimbo Fisher in sight; beating the seven-time made national champion “We’re going to beat a bold promise: seemed to be a feat his ass.” unconquerable to those On the surface, this who, at one point, claim worked under the man. with many left wondering lacked substance, Even so, in Fisher’s words, Saban’s downsingle out one specific why Fisher would fall “was inevitable” coach because — Alabama’s “someone Nick Saban. After going to do it, in time.” was all, Fisher had already complished almost acAnd though everything there is to do Fisher himself he didn’t necessarily expect it, in college football — two ships, three conference national champion- whose arrival became the grand champion was foretold in his own prophand a College Coach titles, nine bowl wins ecy. of the Year award. But beating Saban, his On Saturday, Oct. 9, the unranked Aggies to-head competition former boss, in head- upset the undefeated had significance of No. 1 Crimson Tide own. its front of 106,815 fans at Kyle Field. Not in “I have the utmost only respect for Nick Saban. did the win put A&M back on track I always have, I always after two consecutive losses friends,” Fisher said. will and I consider us but it also gave to open its SEC campaign, “But That’s ball, and I respect we’re competitors. — proof he Fisher another win of his own could do him Starting in 2000, Fisher for that.” be impossible and take what was thought to worked down under his former boss, ban as the offensive Sacoordinator and quarter- mentor and colleague. backs coach for Louisiana Saban said he had no choice but to praise The two won a national State University. his former assistant, impressed championship towith A&M’s gether with LSU in ability to snap Alabama’s 2003, 19-game winning for the Miami Dolphins, but after Saban left streak. the duo’s path split. Even apart, the two “I have great respect men’s for [Fisher]. I always mained similar, something coaching styles re- say that. He is one of the best who Fisher attributes to ever did it,” the pair’s similar upbringings Saban said on the postgame from the “same CBS broadcast. neck of the woods” learned a lot when in West Virginia. I coached with him, “I Nearly a decade later, we had a lot of good and times.” another streak of success Saban went on yet By finally defeating as a college football Saban, Fisher FISHER ON PG.

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“... he would do and say these things with intent to get me more comfortable with him.”

“He was bragging about it.” “He was reported to the chairs two times and those chairs did nothing.”

“I thought I could trust him.”

A TRADITION, TARNISHED

“It appears as though there was a shortcoming ...”

“... while traditions are important, sometimes traditions need change.”

“... a concern that existed in 2017 was able to perpetuate itself for many years.”

“After Fish Camp, he sexually assaulted her.” “Who knows how many other girls this happened to?”

Failures in reporting process, unbalanced power dynamics create culture of sexual assault, harassment in Fish Camp By Myranda Campanella @MCampanella_ Editor’s note: The Battalion does not publish the names or identifying information of rape and sexual assault victims. The names of victims and assailants in this article have been altered or removed to protect the subjects’ identities.

Power dynamics, grooming, hookups

The unequal power dynamic that Fish Camp creates between counselors and incoming freshmen makes it easy for someone who has not learned healthy boundaries to assert predatory behaviors, Carroll Spitznagle said. “Whenever you have someone that’s in a position of power like that — especially with students that come from all over the world Content warning: This article discusses with different cultures and backgrounds — it sexual violence and predatory behavior. becomes, unfortunately, a way for survivors to be preyed upon,” Carroll Spitznagle said. “I thought he was someone I could trust.” Ashley said when she met her D.G. dad on the first day of Fish Camp, she thought he Journalism junior, “Ashley,” said this of the was nice and trustworthy. Once classes began, male counselor in her 2018 Fish Camp Dis- Ashley said her D.G. dad remained in contact cussion Group, who was supposed to “offer with her and often told her to call him if she advice about classes, College Station and any- ever needed a ride from Northgate, which he thing else you need as you begin your jour- insisted was commonplace between D.G. parney as an Aggie,” according to Fish Camp’s ents and their freshmen. website. On the night of Dec. 1, 2018, Ashley called Ashley’s D.G. dad sexually assaulted her her D.G. dad for a ride home from Northgate, four months into her freshman year at Texas but when he picked her up, he locked Ashley A&M — the unwanted campus welcome that inside his car and tried to force her to kiss she said stole her joy about the school. him and perform oral sex. Afterward, he drove Boldly stated on the front page of its web- them to his apartment in Park West instead of site, Fish Camp, founded in 1954, is “A to her house, as she had asked, and attempted freshman’s first tradition” at A&M. Howev- to rape her. er, sexual assault and harassment have woven In hindsight, Ashley said she realized there their way in as a hidden part of the tradition had been red flags, like how he as current students — D.G. would ask the freshman girls if “moms” and “dads” — are COMMON TERMS: they had boyfriends and when placed in positions of power he saved his contact name in over incoming freshmen. The Fish Camp - Texas A&M’s Ashley’s phone with a smiley result is an established culture freshman orientation program face. Ashley said she now sees of hookups, grooming and these subtle actions as her D.G. sexual assault and harassment D.G. - discussion group dad grooming her because he among counselors that extends was ultimately able to build well beyond the four-day sum- D.G. dad - male discussion trust and put her in situations mer retreat held two hours group leader that would have otherwise away from College Station. In been weird. addition, a failure to adhere to D.G. mom - female “I was a freshman. I was proper protocols — in which discussion group leader young, you know? I was comclaims of abuse and harassment ing into this camp as brand against counselors are passed new; I hadn’t been fully educated on the conalong to director staff and faculty advisors — cepts of grooming and sexual assault, so I nevhas created a climate that protects abusers from er thought it was weird,” Ashley said. “Lookrepercussions and subjects freshmen to pred- ing back now, he would do these things and atory behavior. say these things with intent to get me more Lauren Carroll Spitznagle, executive di- comfortable with him.” rector of the Brazos Valley Sexual Assault After confiding in other members of her Resource Center, said it is “common knowl- D.G. following the assault, Ashley said she was edge” among her peers that students have told her counselor had also assaulted his Fish been assaulted by Fish Camp staff. Camp partner and another freshman in their

D.G. freshmen] … and also to make friends,” Grace “His D.G. partner was very uncomfortable said. “He was bragging about it.” with him from the start. [She] asked to get a Muñoz said Fish Camp has a strict no-datnew partner, and they told her no,” Ashley ing policy, and counselors are encouraged to said. “The organization told her no, and she “keep it PG” with the freshmen and other had to stay with him. counselors during camp until continuity ends. “After Fish Camp, he sexually assaulted “Counselors are told time and time again her.” that their role is to serve freshmen, it’s to be Additionally, Ashley said she was told by a resource and to be a mentor,” Muñoz said. her D.G. mom that her assaulter was also reDespite these policies and constant remindported to chairs for sexually assaulting fresh- ers about Fish Camp’s main missions, Grace men in 2017 and 2019. Because of those said she has discovered it’s really common for chairs’ failure to report up to the director staff, students to pursue leadership roles within the as is protocol, he was able to re-apply to be organization for the wrong reasons and to a counselor again and again. Ashley said he overlook its dating policies. ultimately graduated from A&M in May 2020 with no consequences. “He was reported to chairs two times, and Reporting sexual assault those chairs did nothing,” Ashley said. “And on A&M’s campus because those chairs did nothing [in 2017], I was sexually assaulted.” Denise Crisafi, Ph.D., a Health Promotion Ashley’s D.G. dad denied the allegations coordinator within the Offices of the Dean against him in a comment to of Student Life, said A&M The Battalion and declined to defines sexual harassment in FACULTY ADVISORS comment further. University Rule 24.4.2 in acEven though Ashley recordance with federal law as ported her assault to Title IX “any type of unwelcome sexuDIRECTOR STAFF two years later, Fish Camp’s al advance” made by students, current Head Director Eric faculty, staff or campus visitors. Muñoz, Class of 2021, said it This includes sexual favors as CAMP CHAIRS is not common for victims of well as verbal and non-verbal Fish Camp-related sexual ascommunicative conduct of a saults to report their offenders. sexual nature that is “severe, CAMP COUNSELORS However, he said if someone persistent or pervasive enough told him assault is common to [prevent access to] an educawithin the organization, he tional, living learning environwould be “very saddened, but INCOMING FRESHMEN ment,” Crisafi said. I also would not be as surprised Separately, sexual assault is as others.” definitively three different acts, Crisafi said: In addition to sexual assault, Fish Camp is rape, fondling and incest. She said there is no also a common place for counselors to meet scale for these acts in terms of importance, so dating or hookup partners, either among no one’s trauma is invalid. other counselors or, sometimes, even the “I think it’s really important for our campus freshmen, as was the case with now-junior community to understand that a lot of times, “Grace.” our initial reaction is to think of [sexual asGrace said she began hooking up with her sault] as rape,” Crisafi said. “And that’s true, D.G. dad within the first month of classes her and it’s incredibly valid. But it also includes freshman year, which Muñoz said is against other things that can happen in connection Fish Camp policy — counselors cannot be with it … or without the definition or action romantically involved with any freshmen un- of rape being present.” til their continuity program and membership Crisafi said national statistics show the risk ends in October each year. However, this pol- of sexual assault goes up within the first six to icy is not listed in Fish Camp’s Constitution eight weeks of the fall semester, particularly or by-laws. among freshmen. Grace said she quickly figured out her “Usually the risk of experiencing sexual viD.G. dad had ulterior motives for being a Fish olence and or alcohol poisoning and Camp counselor from the start. “He told me he did it to [hook up with FISH CAMP ON PG. 2

“My experience as a sports editor/writer was so much more valuable than most of my classes.” Carter Karels, ’18, University Studies/Journalism Florida State athletics beat writer, Tallahassee Democrat “What I learned at The Battalion helped land internships with the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Dallas Morning News. It gave me skills to seamlessly integrate into a professional newsroom.” Angel Franco, ’19, Telecommunication Media Studies Communications Coordinator, Houston Dynamo/Dash

OPINION

The Battalion | 7.6.22

Ishika Samant — THE BATTALION

Texas A&M biology Ph.D. student Ryne Maness says the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will endanger women for years to come. Demonstrators protest at Republic Square in Austin on June 25, 2022.

Biology: Not a political science A&M Ph.D. student discusses abuse of biology, says it impacts his partner By Ryne Maness, guest contributor The notion of “life begins at conception” is a loaded statement championed by conservatives to provide the pretense that biology is somehow on their side. Oftentimes, this statement is made by individuals who have no notion of embryology or simply cherry-pick which factual biological statements they support. The fact of the matter is that it does not matter when biology dictates life begins. Rather, the issue is when does the agency of the fetus preclude agency of the mother. By this standard, it is not a biological issue, but an ethical one settled by Roe v. Wade and confirmed by Planned Parenthood v. Casey. However, the weaponization and misrepresentation of biology continues with the stunning decisions by the conservative majority of the United States Supreme Court. Of course, I am particularly referencing the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which stripped women of the right to privacy granted to them by Roe v. Wade. Defense lawyers utilized the work of neuroscientist Giandomenico Iannetti in the ruling to bolster their argument that a fetus can feel pain before 24 weeks of gestation and does

not need a cerebral cortex to feel pain. This claim is “a misrepresentation,” according to Iannetti in an article with The Guardian and “an unjustified leap.” The abuse of biology cannot be understated as this landmark decision relegates women in almost half of the U.S. to second-class citizens unable to make basic choices regarding their bodily autonomy when impregnated. By delegating abortion laws to the states, women in Republican-controlled states are disproportionately restricted from rights granted to others in Democrat-controlled states. In addition, this creates an untenable situation for women, particularly those residing in swing states, with the potential to lose or gain access to essential health care every election. While benefiting from the inherent fact that I am a male pursuing his Ph.D., it would be far too easy to dismiss this ruling and silently focus on my studies and teaching. Normally, I would leave the political realm to my vastly more intelligent and well-versed partner who dedicated her college career to the noble pursuit of public service and political thought. However, it would be disingenuous to pretend that as a biologist and partner this ruling has no impact on my life and career. Indeed, as my partner and I discuss starting a family, a lingering thought in the back of our minds is access to appropriate healthcare should something go horribly wrong. As residents of Texas, our options are se-

verely limited with the implementation of Texas House Bill 1280, a trigger law that dictates an individual is a felon if “a person knowingly performs, induces, or attempts an abortion.” By definition this law creates an invasion of privacy, not only for surgical and medical abortions, but miscarriages as well. As noted by Planned Parenthood, the medical definition for a miscarriage is a “spontaneous abortion.” Currently, it is estimated that between 10-15% of pregnant women experience miscarriages, though that number is most likely under-representative, per the World Health Organization. With Texas House Bill 1280, the burden is placed on women who experienced a miscarriage to defend this tragedy against a jury of their peers. To pretend that criminalizing a woman experiencing one of the most traumatic moments of her life is anything but a waste of judicial resources is philosophical gymnastics at its most extreme. The issue at hand extends even further for Texas residents. The Harvard Business Review in 2021 highlighted the numerous barriers to healthcare, with Texas ranking 42nd in a measure of overall health system performance and possessing the highest uninsured rate, in part because it has not expanded Medicare. With the banning of abortions in Texas, it will be those who are unable to travel to refuge states that will suffer the most from the poor planning of the Texas healthcare system. The inability to pay for travel, let alone the egregious

hospital bills from giving birth, will decimate an already struggling middle and lower class. Relief remains to be seen with no current bills on the docket to lower the uninsured rate or address outrageous hospital costs, even as the few remaining abortion clinics close around the state. Finally, I want to emphasize — abortion care is healthcare. For example, ectopic pregnancies will not only never be viable, but also directly threaten the health of the pregnant individual. Without appropriate abortion care, they face internal bleeding, damage to their reproductive organs and death. As a biologist, I am an advocate for equal access to the healthcare that an individual requires. As a partner, I am an advocate for equal access to the reproductive care that an individual requires. By restricting women from adequate access to care, it condemns them to undue pain and suffering. Whatever your stance on abortion may be, granting only those with the means to circumnavigate the state’s abortion laws to ascertain the necessary care is not only discriminatory, but archaic. The ruling of the Dobbs case is not just a misuse of biology, but a dismantling of women’s healthcare. The damage from this verdict will take years of advocacy and potentially decades to correct. Ryne Maness is a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in biology at Texas A&M.

LIFE&ARTS

The Battalion | 7.6.22

WSP CONTINUED

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-er part of our strategy has to be a different modality of our programming, which is lower-impact, but more accessible.” James Chirdo, an advisor in the Military Admissions Department at A&M, said there is a sizable student veteran population they assist throughout the semester. “[A&M has] just over 1,200 student veterans on campus enrolled,” Chirdo said. “The Military Admissions Department is inside of the Veterans Resource and Support Center and has a FOR RENT wide variety of resources and scholarships available that they can utilize for free.” LOOKING FOR FOOTBALL RENTAL: Chirdo said A&M and the department partnered with the Looking for a room for home games. Need beds for 2 WSP for its two-week bootcamp, allowing veterans a chance to football adult males. Would come in on experience a college classroom. game day and leave early on Sun“[The WSP] brings [veterans] to campuses like Texas A&M day. Call Rudy ‘97 @ 713-385-8384 and gives them two weeks of a trial run at higher education,” Chirdo said. “We run them through with English professors STORAGE UNITS and history professors … and then the second week we get into CLOSE TO CAMPUS. $50 10x10 STEM week with professors from astronomy and physics. They Call 979-696-4464 have a couple of research projects that they do in group projects HELP WANTED and work on throughout the week and then do presentations at the end.” REAL ESTATE ASSISTANT: For students on campus who want to help veterans, Chirdo Howdy! Our team is looking to said there are opportunities to volunteer with the department hire a part-time Real Estate Assistant. Are you a TAMU student and make A&M’s campus a welcoming place. interested in flexible hours, good “There are a lot of different programs at the Veteran Resource pay, and the opportunity to gain and Support Center, like the Aggie Shield textbook learning REAL sales experience you won’t in the classroom? rokrbox library. We have student groups and students, both military and find might be a great fit for you! non-military, that come together to run them,” Chirdo said. Please apply at: “We also do a Vet Camp, so when veterans do come into school, tinyurl.com/rokrbox we bring together all of our resources to make sure they’re aware PET SITTER NEEDED: of them. This also allows students to volunteer and connect with Pet Sitter needed for 3 well behaved dogs. Contact Sally Matveterans and, essentially, network.” at smatthews13@gmail.com Accounting senior Robert Liu said he served in the Marine tews or call 979-777-3702. Corps at a base in Miramar, Calif., but after leaving, struggled to find a job in the accounting field. “After I got out of the military, I was looking for an accounting job or any job in the business world and I quickly realized that I don’t really know the business language,” Liu said. “On top of that, I didn’t know how everything worked. I went through the Warrior-Scholar Project in 2018 and it gave me the confidence to apply for school.” Some of the challenges Liu said he faced while applying for college were a lack of resources and the stigma around leaving the Marine Corps. “We were told in a way that the Marine Corps is the greatest thing that you ever do, so if you leave the Marine Corps, it’s uphill from there,” Liu said. “There weren’t a lot of transitioning resources, so the Warrior Scholar Project provided that skill bridge from the military to academia.” Liu said he now acts as a mentor to veterans in WSP bootcamps, including the A&M bootcamp, to assist veterans in achieving their academic goals. “I’m here to help inspire all the veterans and military members and make them realize this is doable,” Liu said. “There are a lot of us in four-year institutions, Ivy League or whatever school they want [to attend]. It’s all possible, so everything in the world that you want to do, you can do it.”

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