The Battalion — March 1, 2022 by The Battalion

CANDIDATE GUIDE

Photos by Robert O’Brien and Ishika Samant — THE BATTALION

The 2022 student body elections will be held from Thursday, March 3 at 9 a.m. to Friday, March 4 at 12 p.m. Student body president candidates are (top row, left to right) Victor Ferro, Case Harris, Meghan Hein, Helena MacCrossan, Logan Mohr, (bottom row, left to right) Christian Newton, Jacob Pratt, Noble Udoh and Nicholas Zang.

SGA hosts student body president debate Candidates met on Feb. 22 to weigh in on campaign plans, platforms, goals for position ahead of March 3-4 elections By Aubrey Vogel @aubrey_vogel

The nine candidates for 2022-23 student body president gathered in the Memorial Student Center’s Flag Room for the annual Student Body President Debate, hosted by the Student Government Association. The Feb. 22 debate featured three rounds of questions, consisting of a general question for all candidates regarding their platform, a question from a randomly drawn fellow candidate and a choice of five questions submitted by students prior to the event, with time for an opening and closing statement and rebuttals. The forum allowed for students to get to know the candidates ahead of voting in the

election this week on March 3-4. Focusing much of his platform on diversity, inclusion and equity, performance studies and political science junior Logan Mohr said a goal of his is to create a welcoming environment for all students. “Diversity, inclusion, community and equity are not just about numbers. They’re not just about statistics, but they’re about how our students feel,” Mohr said. “My campaign’s initiative is to move the Aggie community toward a more diverse and more inclusive and equitable culture. We have a job here to study diversity to help our students, we have an investment to help our students and vascular body by enacting change to show as a leadership that we are invested in our students. That is the No. 1 call, is that we’re invested … in our student body. And that’s what I’m here to do. I’m going to put that leadership into action because words have meaning.” With a fun-loving approach, agricultural economics junior Meghan Hein built her campaign around the word “G.L.O.W.,” having each letter stand for a pillar of her campaign. Hein emphasized the importance

of growing A&M and touched on finding a way to better fund needed projects on campus which benefit the student body. “I want to touch on my true leadership philosophy, once again, that leadership is an action, not a position. I’ve been able to have all these diverse experiences and been able to fight for students in these conversations with administration, and it has not stopped here. Whether or not my name is called out in Kyle Field Plaza after 7 p.m. for student body president, I’m not going to stop fighting with the students,” Hein said. “I want to still continue to fit this in the student government so we can affect real change.” Biomedical sciences sophomore Christian Newton said he intended on making the SBP position accessible to all students by going out in the campus community to find what the student body needs and desires for the university. “[The goal of my campaign] is to reach out to every single student, it’s a lot more than sending emails or putting sandwich boards out on campus, but being right there with the students,” Newton said. “At the end of the day

it’s about always being sure that every single student feels a part of the Aggie family, whether that is me walking the halls, me just handing out flowers or donuts on campus. It’s about really being with the students.” Emphasizing the importance of diverse student voices, finance junior Jacob Pratt said he built his platform around students’ needs after meeting with a variety of students from Greek life to construction science majors. Pratt said he wants to focus on how all parts of student life can benefit from campus. “Well, one is for certain, people have always been my passion and why I feel most indebted to this university and why I want to give back the most. I could have gone to a number of other schools, but this is the place for me,” Pratt said. “When I was building my platform, I went to lunch with a number of different people from all over campus — the Corps of Cadets, Greek life, men’s org[anizations], women’s org[anizations], Fish Camp, a variety of majors from construction science, engineering, you name it. While my experience here has been better than excellent, SBP ON PG. 6

Yell Leader candidates share ‘An incredible opportunity’ candidates discuss campus passions for A&M traditions SBP diversity, inclusion in town hall

5 for Yell, Ag 5 Yell express motives

for running at Feb. 22 open forum By Kyle McClenagan @KMcclenagan

Students gathered in the Memorial Student Center’s Flag Room to listen as Yell Leader candidates worked to win over voters in lieu of this week’s student elections. On Tuesday, Feb. 22, 10 prospective Yell Leader candidates attended a debate hosted by the Texas A&M Student Government Association, or SGA. The 10 candidates were represented by two different parties, 5 for Yell and Ag 5 Yell. 5 for Yell is made up of five candidates who represent the Corps of Cadets, while Ag 5 Yell is composed of nonCorps members. Although this is the fourth annual Yell Leader Debate, it is only the third debate attended by 5 for Yell.

The debate opened with each candidate answering what motivated them to run for a Yell Leader position. Zac Cross, a construction science junior and current Yell Leader, said he came to A&M not knowing anything about Aggie tradition. “Being in the Corps, I really got to experience them all, Silver Taps, Muster [and] Bonfire,” Cross said. “There’s generation after generation of Aggies here that have come in knowing all these things … I want to give back to a kid just like me [who did not come in knowing the traditions].” Petroleum engineering junior and Ag 5 Yell member Michael Mubarak said if elected as Yell Leader, he will act under the assumption that every interaction he has with someone is their first and last interaction with A&M. “I want to assume that they are never again YELL LEADERS ON PG. 8

By Michaela Rush @Michaela4Batt On Saturday, Feb. 26, eight student body president candidates gathered in the Memorial Student Center to answer student-generated questions on the topics of diversity, inclusion, access and equity in a moderated town hall, hosted jointly by the Student Government Association Diversity Commission and the Matthew Gaines Society. This year’s town hall was moderated by telecommunication graduate Karlina Sample, a defender on the Texas A&M soccer team and president of “Black Leaders who Undertake Excellence” or B.L.U.E.print and communication sophomore Chase Lane, wide receiver for the Texas A&M football team and vice president of B.L.U.E.print. To start, each candidate was given two minutes for opening remarks. Sports man-

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agement junior Nicholas Zang was the first to give remarks, and said he feels his exposure to diversity at A&M has helped him to better understand his peers. “I feel the diversity of this university is lacking,” Zang said. “Diversity is not, to me, only about the color of your skin, but more importantly, about the culture and background that you come from, that has shaped you as a person. Without a mixture of cultures, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to truly understand each other as people and equip [ourselves] with the ability to get to know each other and understand what each person is going through.” During these opening remarks, finance junior Case Harris said that even though A&M has diversity, the campus experiences of students with different backgrounds are still inconsistent. “We have an incredible opportunity here at Texas A&M, we have 70,000 plus students of all different backgrounds, histories, religions, races, every type of diversity you can DIVERSITY PANEL ON PG. 6

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‘From start to finish’

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The Texas A&M Election Commission, comprised of current students from across campus, plans and monitors student body elections.

Election Commision members explain roles, encourage voting By Aubrey Vogel @aubrey_vogel Though typically known for giving violations, the Texas A&M Election Commission is more than that. The commission puts student body elections together from start to finish, ensuring fairness for all parties involved. Housed under the executive branch in Student Government Association, or SGA, the Election Commission organizes and oversees both the fall and spring student body elections while upholding the Aggie Honor Code, Election Commissioner and business honors and management junior Cara Maxwell said. “From start to finish, we’re looking at the confirmation of the Election Commissioner in

about April or May, and then moving forward into anticipating the February elections. A lot of what we do is try and set some kind of strategic plan for the year regarding what our goals are for the election, if that is going to include strictly facilitating the process, [and] promoting voter [participation in the] election as well,” Maxwell said. “We have a lot of liberty, which I think is great from a marketing and promotion standpoint, to try and advertise the elections. We get to kind of see what we want [elections] to look like in the fall for the spring, and then more technically, what people know us more for, is enforcing and interpreting the election regulations to help ensure that the campaigning space is one that is safe and secure, and fair and accessible to both candidates and students.” Though the Election Commission is a part of SGA, the commission is independent on their own rulings and governance, so they are able to build a team featuring players from all

walks of campus, Maxwell said. “We almost intentionally build our team to include people who are a little bit unfamiliar with SGA … because we think that their perspectives as students are super valuable,” Maxwell said. “My favorite aspect is [getting to] gather a really unique group of students who, at first, aren’t totally familiar with student government, and then seeing them learn more … seeing their hearts for the university, and how selfless and excellent they are in wanting to ensure that this process is fair and equitable for everybody. I think the collaboration that we’re able to have is super valuable, especially coming from students who necessarily wouldn’t otherwise have any kind of stake in this student government role.” One thing that is unique about the commission is that, besides the election commissioner, all roles are kept anonymous to ensure the fairness of the election and protect those on the commission.

One member, a political science junior, “Sam,” said their favorite part of the commission was getting to interact with candidates as well as with the student body at events like the debates and election celebration following the announcement of the winners. “I like the outreach [and] the engagement. We [recently] had the debates, and I absolutely love that because I like meeting the candidates face-to-face. [With] the fall elections, you don’t really get to have that [many] events as we do in the spring,” Sam said. “The election celebration is a great event that we’ve been planning since [the] fall elections … our role in that was just to figure out how we can get students there.” Before voting opens on Thursday, March 3, a commission member and public health freshman “Taylor” said they encourage students to take a look at the Election Commission Voter’s Guide, which provides information regarding all student body president and Yell Leader candidates, and individuals who are campaigning for a Student Senate seat. Taylor said they also encourage students to talk with candidates bannering on campus or to take a look at the candidate’s social media. “[The Commission is] going to be releasing [candidate] information [soon],” Taylor said. “Voting only takes a couple of minutes of your time, but it has such a big impact on every single, modern and past actions of the people who have won.” Looking at the time of a new university president and also the second student body president, commission member and business management senior “Cameron” said it is important to find candidates who align with the ideals and goals of the student body. “We’re at an important time with a new [university] president and new people around her and this next [student body] president is going to be the [student’s] representation to her,” Cameron said. “I think it is an especially important election.” Sam said they encourage all members of the student body to always vote, but especially with the many changes the university is currently experiencing. “I would encourage students to vote because I think this is a crossroads right now for students [and the] administration to work better together,” Sam said. “We’ve seen that the administration and the student body [have] had a little bit of disconnect in the recent past weeks, maybe the past few months, and if students want to see a little bit of change between the communication between the administration and students, it starts with your student body president, even your senators, and especially every other position that’s being voted on this cycle.”

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CANDIDATEGUIDE

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MECHANICAL ENGINEERING JUNIOR WHAT IS YOUR PLATFORM?

VICTOR

FERRO

My platform is simple. I want to put the students first. I want to put you first, because, at the end of the day, students are the core of this institution, the core of this university. If we don’t put students first, we’re not going to get anywhere. That’s why I’m running for student body president — to make sure that every single student has a place here on campus [to] find [themselves], their home away from home, to make sure that every student feel[s] supported. How we’re going to do this: we’re going to do this with my three-point platform, through community, access and inclusion and infrastructure.

PLATFORM POINTS:

Community: student organization autonomy, sustainability, violence prevention, tradition Access and Inclusion: Period Project sustainability, supporting underrepresented groups, efficient registration, physical and mental health Infrastructure: Physical, safety, digital, transportation

FINANCE JUNIOR WHAT IS YOUR PLATFORM?

CASE

HARRIS

PLATFORM POINTS:

My three main plot points, starting with No. 1, is unity through Promote unity through tradition tradition. I think that [it] is so key that we keep alive the heartbeat of this place. It’s what unites all students. We want to increase unity Connect Aggies to new possibilities through tradition, and we have tangible ways we’re going to do that. No. 2 would be connecting Aggies to possibilities. There’s so many Advocate for the support Aggies need opportunities available at Texas A&M, but there’s a little bit of a gap we need to bridge because a lot of students don’t know how to find those resources. The third thing is to support student needs; that’s the little things that make a big difference at the end of the day. We want to increase mental health awareness, sexual assault prevention program and grow the open resource textbook program and work with parking to decrease parking prices.

AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS JUNIOR WHAT IS YOUR PLATFORM?

MEGHAN

HEIN

The “Shine with Hein” campaign is all about student empowerment and really growing the buy-in into Student Government Association. When we decided on our platform pieces of GLOW: Growth, Leadership, Opportunity and Well-being, we really wanted to make sure that we first provide students with a voice that is too loud for administration to ignore, and that’s by growing student buy-in into student government. We will provide as many opportunities as we can for students to be able to provide their input and for me and my administration to listen and really grasp what they want here on campus because at the end of the day, the Shine with Hein campaign is here to represent students and to fight for students, and we first have to be present and listening to students in order to do that.

PLATFORM POINTS:

Growth: commitment to traditions, dining operations, student influence Leadership: accountability, continuity, transparency Opportunity: postgraduate plans and professional development, tradition access, protection of student organizations, President’s Council of Academic and Cultural Student Leaders Well-being: safety awareness, reduce food insecurity, expanded student services, student bill of rights

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PLATFORM POINTS: POULTRY SCIENCE & AGRICULTURAL from administraLEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT JUNIOR Transparency: tion and SGA, from MGT working

HELENA

MACCROSSAN

WHAT IS YOUR PLATFORM?

groups

My campaign is to make a better campus happen. This is through transparency, student success and an improved campus environment. Let’s connect to students. Let’s bring everyone together and make sure their voices are heard so that this campus is truly for them.

Campus Environment: transportation, updated classrooms, enriching tradition education, access to resources

POLITICAL SCIENCE JUNIOR

PLATFORM POINTS:

WHAT IS YOUR PLATFORM? “Mohr for Aggieland” is not just my initiative in my campaign for [the] student body, it’s for you. It’s for the students that experience these microaggressions, that experience these different things at the university in their experiences. To show them you know how they can fit in with the university, and to show them they matter, because all I want to give the university is more for diversity, more for inclusion, more for community, more for equity. Mohr for you, and then Mohr for Aggieland.

LOGAN

MOHR

Student Success: student bill of rights, consistency of programs during academic realignment

Diversity: sensitivity training, student disability support Inclusion: pronoun identification, inclusion research Community: mental health resources, monthly town hall Equity: tutoring access, social justice forums

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SBP CONTINUED there are some real, practical and tangible ways we can make that the experience for everyone.” Comparing his Aggie story to his personal move to the U.S. from Nigeria, public health senior Noble Udoh said it is important the SBP is connected with Aggies. “I’m running for student body president because I want to leave Texas A&M better than I found it,” Noble said. “I left Nigeria to come to the U.S. to take care of my family through opportunities here, and I am running for student body president because I want to take care of the Aggie family.” SBP candidate Victor Ferro, mechanical engineering junior, echoed a similar feeling of community from Mohr, though his platform had emphasis on ensuring students were the first priority when making decisions regarding university changes and on creating a stronger Aggieland. “At the end of the day, students are the core of this institution, students create their lives in this institution,” Ferro said. “We do this by making sure the students [and] the commu-

DIVERSITY PANEL CONTINUED think of, we have it here,” Harris said. “[It is] an incredible opportunity for us to grow and learn together, but we do have issues as well,” Newton said. “A lot of students here are underrepresented and are facing challenges and boundaries that other students are not facing.” For the remainder of the town hall, questions were divided into the topics of diversity, inclusion, access and equity. Two candidates per category were randomly selected to answer a directed question, followed by new questions that any candidate could respond to in two minutes or less. As a part of the diversity section, candidates were asked how they would work with the Diversity Commission to help students, if elected as SBP. Mechanical engineering junior Victor Ferro said one way he would partner with the commission is through the creation of new traditions. “The student body has become a lot more diverse, but our traditions haven’t changed,” Ferro said. “I love this university because of our traditions, but it’s a reality that a big part of the student population don’t feel represented with these traditions. Hopefully, as the student body president, I will open the door to new traditions that represent the new, evolving, student population, so they feel they have a place here to grow and develop, to be the leaders of tomorrow.” In the equity portion, candidate Helena MacCrossan was asked how she would support first generation students on campus, given that in the fall of 2019, 23% of freshman

nity around the students is taken care of; to make sure that students are first by allowing for them to grow and develop tomorrow’s leaders; consider organizations who make sure that students go first by having them in those conversations that affect their student life and not getting excluded from that.” After serving on multiple committees within student government and on various presidential cabinets on campus, poultry science and agricultural leadership and development junior Helena MacCrossan said she is focused on improving the transition in between student body presidents to continue the legacy of programs created each year, such as the Period Project. “Something I really want to look at during my campaign, especially and ultimately during my term, is how we prioritize [long- and short-term projects], but also find that continuity for those multiple projects so that we’re not starting from scratch each year,” MacCrossan said. “I want to really start with direct access to student leaders and ultimately to our administration and this will help and also provide direct communication, so that we don’t have students who feel lost, or assure them that things aren’t just changing around.”

Making traditions a forefront effort of his campaign, finance junior Case Harris advocated for an increased focus on A&M traditions in the mandatory freshman class, Hullabaloo U. Many candidates took interest in this aspect of his campaign and asked questions regarding the implementation and importance of traditions education. “It’s a great opportunity for us as a university and even SGA to teach students what’s important to Aggieland and what’s important to Texas A&M,” Harris said. “It’s not that people don’t care about or like the traditions at Texas A&M, it’s that a lot of people don’t know they exist or what they are about or why they are important to us. I think they are so important to us because they unify us and make sure every Aggie is included, and that’s a beautiful thing.” Stating that he decided to run for the position on a whim, sport management junior Nicholas Zang said even though he does not have a background in student government, he has a burning passion for the university and the student voice. Having no platform and instead focusing on what is important to the students, Zang was questioned by many other candidates who were interested in how he

planned to move Aggieland forward if elected. “I want to use this platform to point out what makes this place so special and how it feels the university is straying away from its true identity. I personally decided to commit to this university since there’s nothing like Aggieland and the traditions of this university. To me, what makes Aggieland special does not have to do with athletics, student government or even academics. The real thing that makes this university special is the traditions and community that we have,” Zang said. “Traditions like Midnight Yell, Silver Taps, Bonfire Remembrance, Muster, Aggie Rings, pennies on Sully, our yells and ‘Whooping,’ the Corps of Cadets and the old tradition of building the greatest bonfire this world has ever seen, which is represented by a burning desire of Aggies to BTHO ‘t.u.’ — no other place on earth has such a rich culture like this university has.” Voting for SBP will open on Thursday, March 3 at 9 a.m. on vote.tamu.edu, and will close on Friday, March 4 at 12 p.m. Results will be announced at 7 p.m. on March 4.

students fell into this category. MacCrossan said her idea is to ensure students have guidance to resources from their first interactions on campus. “[First generation students] might not know about the resources we offer on this campus to help them be successful in academics, in joining organizations, building their resumes, and ultimately getting jobs,” MacCrossan said. “We have some great examples of how we can get students to resources, in first-year experience classes like Hullabaloo U, and through their residence advisors. Making sure … their first-contact points are educated to connect them to those resources, that ultimately would be the biggest breakdown [of barriers] in connecting students to resources.” In the general question section, candidates were asked how they had personally promoted equity in their time on campus. Agricultural economics junior Meghan Hein said that in her roles within SGA, she made specific changes to the organization’s rules to help all members feel welcome. “For diversity, I served as the rules and regulations chair in the Student Senate, and I made two significant code changes to ensure that we are inclusive of everyone,” Hein said. “We changed the pronouns in official documents from she/her and him/his to they/ them, because most of the pronouns were he/him centered. We also introduced an act that removed gender identity from the dress code so when people show up for Senate, they are able to represent their constituents dressed however they feel most comfortable.” On the topic of inclusion, public health senior Noble Udoh was asked how he would

balance encouraging diversity of thought on campus while avoiding instances of hate speech. Udoh said by ensuring all sides of conversations see others as people, and using the Aggie Core Value of Respect, conversations can be had authentically and respectfully. “I think diversity of thought is necessary and important when it comes to the advancement of our institution,” Udoh said. “In order to have diversity of thought, while also making sure we don’t promote hate speech, we need to get people in the same room, like what we’re doing now. Sitting down and having conversations about what we can do about diversity, equity, inclusion and access so people can hash out their differences but do so respectfully. When you see someone as a human being, face to face, it’s easier to agree to disagree in a respectful, and not hateful, way.” When the panel was asked about concrete steps they would take to make sure LGBTQ+ students feel welcomed and included at A&M, political science junior Logan Mohr said he would ensure queer students have a seat at the table, especially in response to the recent Draggieland controversy. “If I’m being completely honest, when I first came to Texas A&M, I felt I had to hide my identity, because I was scared,” Mohr said. “I was terrified that if I were to express my gay self. [We need] to establish a new organization that is up there with Hispanic Presidents Council and the Asian Presidents’ Council to have a seat at the table with administration, because right now we do not have a seat at the table. That is something that needs to change. The voice of the LGBTQ+ population is being silenced by the administration. [This] will

allow for us, as a community, to come together to share our concerns that the university is not hearing.” To wrap the discussion, each candidate gave closing remarks on the four key topics. Finance junior Jacob Pratt said he wants to ensure, as SBP, he is actively reaching out to students for feedback and looking to find solutions to campus problems. “I don’t have all the answers, but people have always been my passion. I want to serve all the Aggies, and even though I don’t know 75,000 of you, I’m always willing to listen,” Pratt said. “I’d love to spend my summer attending every New Student Conference, every Fish Camp I possibly can, just to say, if elected, that, ‘I’m Jacob Pratt, I’m your student body president, I’ve loved my time here, and you’re going to love it, too. Here’s my office hours. Reach out to me if you have any questions, if you need anything, or have anything you’d like to address, or that I can advocate for.’” SGA Diversity Commission Commissioner and political science and Spanish junior Tori Davis said she was proud of this year’s event, and was excited to have the opportunity to hear from the candidates. “The event went really well. I’m excited we had a lot of candidates come out and join us and be engaged,” Davis said. “I’m also really excited that we were able to have student-athletes join this conversation, I think this was the first time that’s ever happened. I’m looking forward to seeing how the next SBP will take some of the things they’ve mentioned during their [presidency].”

Editor’s Note: Candidates appear in the article in the order in which they spoke.

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CANDIDATEGUIDE

The Battalion 3.1.22

BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES SOPHOMORE WHAT IS YOUR PLATFORM?

CHRISTIAN

NEWTON

The “All in for Newton” vision is to reach out to every single student in an effort to be all in for Aggies, to be all in for Remembrance, all in for Empowerment, all in for Academics, all in for Community, all in for Health. We really want to make sure that every single student’s voice is heard in our platform, and what we want to see in Aggieland next year and what the entire student body wants to see in Aggieland. I have significant ideas, and I have already talked about remembering our traditions as well as empowering students’ voices. I’m advocating for academic improvements as well as continuing to build with the community and pushing for health improvements on campus.

PLATFORM POINTS:

Remembrance: spirit week, Corps of Cadets recruiting, cultural traditions Empowerment: Northgate safety, Title IX support, student organization independence Academics: Howdy Portal updates, academic safety nets, advising reform Community: grants for organization dues, formal Greek Week, non-traditional student spaces Health: napping spaces, revival of Period Project, community-based counseling

FINANCE JUNIOR WHAT IS YOUR PLATFORM?

JACOB

PRATT

I’m a people person — that’s always been my passion. I’m probably one of the most extroverted people you’ll meet. I think my love for Aggies is what will make me a good representative and advocate for the student body as a whole. We got some practical changes that I want to implement — be that a week off for Thanksgiving, mental health for students or continuing to push to digitize student IDs and sports passes, providing scantrons for students so they don’t have to worry about bringing them on their tests and quizzes — this is something really personal to me. I’m really excited. This experience thus far has been a blast just running. I think all the people I’ve got to talk to, all the thoughts. I can’t think of how great it’d actually be being in the office and having a full year being my job. This is something I’m really passionate about, and I’d love if you would Partner with Pratt.

PLATFORM POINTS:

Practical: consistency of academic platform, pass/fail options, provided testing materials Personal: extended Thanksgiving break, digitizing student IDs, improving dining service Present: attending NSCs and Fish Camps, working platform, campus-wide cabinet applications

PUBLIC HEALTH SENIOR WHAT IS YOUR PLATFORM? My platform is increasing awareness of opportunities, increasing availability of services and decreasing barriers to accessing resources.

PLATFORM POINTS:

Increasing awareness of opportunities Increasing availability of services Decreasing barriers to accessing resources

NOBLE

UDOH SPORT MANAGEMENT JUNIOR WHAT IS YOUR PLATFORM?

NICK

ZANG

My platform is interesting. My whole idea is that student government has no voice, period. It’s been seen all throughout this entire semester so far, and we’re only a few weeks in. In reality, the administration does not care what the student body has to say. They’ve proven it by wanting to shut down The Battalion, that is. Still, the president is dodging questions, and hasn’t made it too clear about whether or not The Battalion is going to be printing past this semester, and that’s just one of the instances where I don’t feel like this current administration really listens to the student body. We are Aggies, we are rooted in culture and I don’t feel like this administration is really looking at that culture. My entire platform is that the student government has no power except for over themselves. I want to change that; I want to be the bridge between the student body and the administration. I am just a regular, average student, and I just want change.

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PLATFORM POINTS: Supporting traditions

Hearing average student voices Reforming student government

CANDIDATEGUIDE

The Battalion 3.1.22

5 FOR YELL AG 5 YELL

ZAC

MICHAEL

CONSTRUCTION SCIENCE JUNIOR

PETROLEUM ENGINEERING JUNIOR

CROSS

MUBARAK

Why do you want to be a Yell Leader?

I was a first-generation Aggie. When I came here, I didn’t know anything about A&M. I realized that there’s a lot of generational Aggies here who are raised Aggies, and they know about all the traditions from when they’re five years old, honestly, from when they’re born. I felt a little bit left out and I wanted to give that opportunity to someone like me because I didn’t have that opportunity. A lot of times, [as] a Yell Leader, having served in this position, I’ve seen that we’re usually the first impression of somebody for A&M, and I want to give a five-year-old kid or a kid in high school the chance to learn about A&M and find out how great it is and hopefully come here and experience it.

I’m running for Yell Leader under the assumption that every interaction I have will be that person’s first and last interaction with Texas A&M. My first experience with this university blew me away. It made me want to be an Aggie, whether it’s that person’s first time on campus, or whether they’ve been coming here for years, I just want them to be reminded or to be looked at or to learn for the first time, just that this university is something special. I want to give that experience to everybody that walks on this campus.

NATHAN

ANDREW

COMMUNICATION JUNIOR

COMPUTER SCIENCE & MATHEMATICS JUNIOR

DRAIN

PLANT Why do you want to be a Yell Leader?

Why do you want to be a Yell Leader?

I want to be a Yell Leader because I’ve grown up loving Texas A&M ever since I was a kid. I went to the football games and I got to see the spirit and the tradition since I was very young. Seeing the five guys on the field leading it all, I always thought that that would be a wonderful way to be able to selflessly serve and give back to the university that’s given me so much since I was a kid.

The Yell Leader position, to me, is everything that an Aggie should be; you’re upholding the Core Values, and you’re leading others to uphold those Core Values as well, and on top of that, you’re an ambassador for the Aggie Spirit. You’re going out to different organizations, and you’re making them excited about those traditions that make this university so incredible.

KIPP

PARKER

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING JUNIOR

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING JUNIOR

KNECHT

WAGNER

Why do you want to be a Yell Leader?

Originally, I came here knowing nothing. My first time on campus was with my mom during my New Student Conference, and we were just completely lost. I failed my math placement test, didn’t know where any of the buildings were, but my New Student Conference ended with the Yell Leaders running out into Rudder leading the yells, doing the War Hymn and my mom and I didn’t know a single word. We were super lost, but I just thought it was the funniest thing ever and that’s the first time I felt at home here in Aggieland. So fortunately, I’ve had this past year to hopefully give that same experience to other kids, and I just want to keep continuing to do that for not only people who know nothing about A&M, but also people who have loved A&M their whole lives.

I’m proud to run as a Yell Leader — not just for myself, not for just for the four guys I’m running with in Ag 5, but ultimately for a freshman who’s like, “I have a dream I want to be Yell Leader.” I want to make that a reality for me. I want this platform to serve as an ignition to that dream for them and, who knows, maybe there’s a fourth grader watching Aggie football, and they might not get involved in the Corps of Cadets or they might not have a specific inclusion here on campus, [but] we can set them up for being a Yell Leader.

RYAN

JABLON

THOMAS

GREVE PHILOSOPHY SOPHOMORE

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING SOPHOMORE Why do you want to be a Yell Leader?

It started out as kind of a selfish intent. Being a Yell Leader always sounded awesome to me. I mean, we led Yell Practices in Saw ‘Em Off, but meeting some of these guys and hearing their Why do you want to be a Yell Leader? stories, it really shows that they have the same passion and drive that I do … I just want to show I want to be a Yell Leader because I want to give back to the university that has given me so everyone that they can also do that. much. As a Yell Leader, you have the amazing opportunity to serve the greatest student body on Earth so, what better way to serve?

TREVOR

BLAKE

CONSTRUCTION SCIENCE SOPHOMORE

AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS SOPHOMORE

SCHUR

YELTON Why do you want to be a Yell Leader?

Why do you want to be a Yell Leader?

So, two reasons why I want to become a Yell Leader: one is to give back to the university that has given me so much. Another reason is to just impact people for the good — that’s been a goal I’ve had all my life, and I believe as a Yell Leader you have that position to do that on such a large scale.

YELL LEADERS CONTINUED going to hear about the 12th Man, and I want them to look at us as Yell Leaders and think, ‘Wow, there is something different about Texas A&M,’” Mubarak said. Communication senior and 5 for Yell candidate Nathan Drain said coming from a long line of Aggies, but being a first-generation member of the Corps, motivated him to run. “I’m a third-generation Aggie, so that’s been a big part of my life, but the big thing for me is none of my family was in the Corps and I was able to find out why I love Texas A&M, not why my family did,” Drain said. Computer science and mathematics junior and Ag 5 Yell representative Andrew Plant said he’s always looked for a way to serve. “Ever since I was a freshman, I’ve been searching for the opportunity to give back to

this university,” Plant said. “I just want to really emphasize tradition here because it is what brings all Aggies together.” Kipp Knecht, an industrial engineering junior and current Yell Leader, said seeing the Yell Leaders during his New Student Conference motivated him to one day hold that same position. “I thought that would be a really cool position to give back to those kids who felt like I did in their shoes during their New Student Conference,” Knecht said. “I never thought I’d be in these shoes, but here I am and it’s been an opportunity and a blessing to serve in this role.” Despite A&M’s student population, everyone feels like they’re part of a family, mechanical engineering junior and Ag 5 Yell candidate Parker Wagner said. “The Aggie family is real,” Wagner said. “On my tours I give to prospective students,

Going back to when I was younger, my first A&M football game, I was eight years old and I was in such awe. I was mesmerized by how the Yell Leaders can synchronize thousands of people together and motivate the Aggies from the start to the very last second of the football game … You couldn’t find another university this large, but [as] close [as] the Aggie family is. no matter where they’re from, no matter what their hobbies are, no matter what their passion is, they feel welcome at Texas A&M.” Philosophy senior and 5 for Yell candidate Thomas Greve said Yell Leaders unite the Spirit of Aggieland. “Yell Leaders are representatives and leaders of the university through the spirit, and they have such a unique ability to take a 70,000+ school and make a united front. That’s incredible,” Greve said. “I want to be one of those five guys who can unite such a powerful group.” Ryan Jablon, an industrial engineering sophomore and Ag 5 Yell candidate, said his defining moment as an Aggie was when he was in the third grade. “I went to my first Aggie Muster, I stood for Day Gray Class of [19]41,” Jablon said. “I’d never met that man, yet I called ‘Here’ for him, and that’s the Aggie Spirit I want to

embody everyday.” Yell Leaders are what makes A&M feel like home, construction science sophomore and 5 for Yell member Trevor Yelton said. “You can look at these Yell Leaders and feel like you’re wanted,” Yelton said. “After my first football game when I first came here … I saw those Yell Leaders and that’s what really motivated me to run for Yell.” Agricultural economics sophomore and Ag 5 Yell candidate Blake Schur said growing up in Aggie culture has meant a lot to him. “This is why I want to be on a platform to impact people as much as I can and just make people smile,” Schur said. Voting for Yell Leaders will open on Thursday, March 3 at 9 a.m. on vote.tamu. edu, and will close on Friday, March 4 at 12 p.m. Results will be announced at 7 p.m. on Friday.