The Battalion — Muster Edition April 20, 2023

THURSDAY, APRIL 20 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2023 STUDENT MEDIA

“Softly call the Muster” Friday, April 21, 2023

Let Comrade Answer, ‘Here’ The Texas A&M Foundation proudly supports Muster in honoring Aggies past and present.

MUSTER

The Battalion | 04.20.23

‘Here’: How Muster came to be

Century-old tradition continues to honor legacies of fallen Aggies

By Caroline Wilburn @Carolinewilb

Aggie Muster, established over a century ago, is an annual remembrance held on April 21 to honor the past, present and future of the Aggie family.

According to the Aggie Network, Aggies began to celebrate San Jacinto Day on April 21 in the late 1800s. Eventually, Aggies began to use the holiday as a time to gather off campus.

During the early 1900s, this included Aggie gatherings in Europe during World War I.

In 1922, Texas A&M clubs, The Association of Former Students and A&M President William Bizzell encouraged former students to gather on April 21. A&M clubs and Aggie groups held “April 21 Parties” and San Jacinto Day “meetings” throughout the 1920s and 1930s.

“If there is an A&M man in one hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, sup a little, and live over the days you spent at the A&M College of Texas,” Texas Aggie magazine wrote on April 15, 1923.

Beginning in the late 1920s, some on-campus San Jacinto Day gatherings included a roll call honoring former students who passed away. In the 1930s, most “April 21 A&M Parties” were hosted off campus by former students across the state and the nation, and included several international gatherings.

On April 21, 1942, on the small island of Corregidor in the Philippines, Brig. Gen. George F. Moore, Class of 1908, and Maj. Tom Dooley, Class of 1935, gathered a list of Aggies fighting on the island to be honored.

The list named 24 Aggies, and solidified the Muster tradition for future generations. Less than a month later, Corregidor fell to the Japanese, resulting in the Aggies and their comrades being killed or taken prisoner.

In 1943, The Association of Former Students head E.E. McQuillen, Class of 1920, named all April 21 gatherings “Muster” and in 1944, the first on-campus student Muster was held along with over 600 Musters worldwide.

Eight weeks after Corregidor was recaptured, three Aggies held a Muster on the island in 1945. In honor of the 1942 Muster, 128 Aggies visited Corregidor in 1946 for Muster.

The Association of Former Students pro-

duced the live Worldwide Roll Call for the Absent in 2018, which marked the first time the entire annual Muster Roll was read and answered in one location. The live roll call is now an annual event.

The 2023 Campus Muster Ceremony will be held on Friday, April 21 at 7 p.m. in Reed Arena. Tickets are not required to attend the event and doors open at 5 p.m. for first-come, first-served seating. Free parking will be available from 5 p.m. to midnight in Reed Area lots 100a through 100f, 100j, 100m, and Lots 61, 74, 95 and 97, according to Transportation Services. Paid parking is available in the West Campus Garage.

Muster will honor the names of enrolled students and other Aggies from the on-campus community. The 2023 Roll Call can be found at tx.ag/CampusMusterRoll.

Reflecting on past, shining light on future A&M Foundation President, CEO Tyson Voelkel to give speech at Campus Muster

By Caroline Wilburn @Carolinewilb Texas A&M Foundation President and CEO Tyson Voelkel, Class of 1996, will serve as the Keynote Speaker at the 2023 Aggie Muster Ceremony on Friday, April 21, at 7 p.m. in Reed Arena. In his position at the A&M Foundation, Voelkel said he oversees the management of private endowments which produce income for the university.

Being chosen to give the keynote speech is a humbling experience, but Voelkel said he is nervous to be a part of such an incredible tradition.

“It is really the foundation for what it means to be a Texas Aggie, or an Aggie,” Voelkel said. “I just want to do a good job. I don’t want to let any of those people down. I don’t wanna let the students down most importantly.”

Muster is what makes A&M unique compared to other universities, Voelkel said.

“Muster is the epitome of everybody matters,” Voelkel said. “It doesn’t matter what your background was. It doesn’t matter how much money you have. It doesn’t matter what your skin color is, or where you came from, what religion you are. It doesn’t matter what you’re studying. What matters is that you’re part of this A&M family, and that we care about you.”

Twenty years ago while serving in Iraq, Voelkel said he met with the only other Aggie he could on April 21 to sing The Spirit of Aggieland in honor of Muster.

“Everybody thought we were weird,” Voelkel said. “Then we said, ‘Well, hey, I’ll hope you make it through and we’ll see you back on campus someday.’ That was our Muster. There was no ceremony other than us, finding one another to get together.”

Throughout the speech, Voelkel said he hopes to bring people together despite polarizing debates across the country.

“I think I’m most looking forward to the idea that, is there a way that through these remarks we can remind us of our best selves?”

Voelkel said. “Let’s remind everybody that this institution is special, this institution is different.”

To prepare for the speech, Voelkel said he read every previous Muster speech given and spoken with previous keynote speakers.

“It’s hard to believe but I can say I can even love [A&M] more because of the preparation for this,” Voelkel said. “Everybody needs to be reminded sometimes, even the leadership, even people in roles like mine … sometimes I need that little jolt in reminder. This was pretty incredible to see where we’ve come from.”

Muster has its own meaning for everyone based on the time in their life that they’re in, Voelkel said.

“The older I get, the more I think I appreciate and recognize how unique being a part of an extended family and being part of something bigger than yourself — it really, really matters,” Voelkel said.

Furthermore, Voelkel said he hopes to es-

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tablish a feeling of connectedness through his speech and remind people they can achieve more when they work together with others.

“When you think about Muster and its roots, you’re remembering those who passed away, so that their memories [are] never for-

gotten,” Voelkel said. “The assumption is that they were working toward something meaningful, they were doing something meaningful, and it’s our responsibility to carry that forward. It’s our responsibility to pick up where they left off.”

Photo courtesy Rebecca Eaton

A&M Foundation President and CEO Tyson Voelkel.

MUSTER

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The Battalion | 04.20.23

Adding a new layer to the legacy

Muster Committee chair shares passion for position ahead of 2023 ceremony

By Kenzie Finch @Kenziefinch6 The 2023 Muster Ceremony is organized by the Aggie Muster Committee and this year’s Muster Committee Chair Rachel Greve, is an engineering and biomedical engineering graduate student.

Greve got her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M in 2022 and said she came to A&M as a first generation Aggie. She served in several different roles for Muster during her undergrad, including being a host and the external relations coordinator before reaching her current position, she said.

Greve said her interest in Muster began when she saw one of her Fish Camp chairs was also in the Aggie Muster Committee, and she realized students could get involved. After feeling alone in Aggieland, Greve said she

struggled to feel connected and be involved in the university.

“I came to A&M not knowing anything at all,” Greve said. “[I was] completely in the dark about the traditions of the school and what it meant to be an Aggie. I felt really lost in my place in the Aggie family.”

Greve said she lost a few friends that were remembered in Muster 2020, and saw it as her chance to get involved as a Muster host to honor them.

“It was that moment like in the roll call where it kind of dawned on me that it doesn’t matter what your class year is, what your major is, how many generations you are, what you’re involved in on campus — you matter as an Aggie,” Greve said.

During COVID-19, Greve said she wanted to get more involved and dive deeper into organizing Muster, so she applied to be the external relations coordinator. Greve lost several more individuals close to her that were honored in the 2021 Muster, and seeing people from different backgrounds come together gave her a newfound appreciation for the tradition, she said.

Photo courtesy of Rachel Greve

“Every year you go into Muster, you get something new out of it as a new layer onto your appreciation for our traditions, and what it means to be an Ag in this university,” Greve said.

Greve wants to continue building upon this tradition in her current role and help her committee reach its goals, Greve said.

“I do think the creative mind, and the hands and feet of campus Muster must really start with general members and our executives on [the] Muster Committee,” Greve said. “They are the ones that have these big ideas and new ways to impact our Aggie family, and I just really wanted to like, push them, to achieve all that they wanted to do.”

Objects of spirit: Muster Reflection Display Momentos from fallen Aggies connect campus community

By Ruben Hernandez @battandmuse As students and faculty prepare to call the 2023 Muster Ceremony this Friday, the Memorial Student Center at Texas A&M hosts a collection of memorabilia of those who have lost their lives this past year.

Through the material and mundane, the coupling of trinkets and portraits paint the picture of lifelines that have affected other Aggies as well. As attendees of the exhibit walk through the MSC Flag Room and focus their stares upon the history of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and friends, a reflection of not just the human spirit is evoked through the commemoration, but that of the A&M spirit as well.

Examples of these items displayed on the tables are: a glass of liquor and cigar, marriage and family photos, newspaper clips, accolades, family-business knick-knacks, a glimmering trombone, dog tags, field guides, archived Battalion magazines, athletic and academic

medals, and much more. Doctors, nurses, engineers, veterans and undergraduate students occupy all these spaces during this time.

Psychology junior and Muster Host Taylor Adkins said through the help of the families these displays are able to be possible for all to see, permitting a window to look back at happier times.

“The displays are put together by the honoree’s families,” Adkins said. “I think the families can kind of put as much information about their loved one as they would like to.

I feel a lot of them do a really great job of representing who that person was and their time at A&M through the displays that they put together.”

Public Service & Administration graduate student Reed Russell, serving as Roll Call and Family Executive of the Muster committee, said his favorite part of Muster is having the chance to interact with the families of the Aggies who have passed away. “[The families are] so excited to see these Aggies walk around and get to know their loved one,” Russell said. “Something that is so cool and the first thing that I always think about at every reflections display is how every single student who walks around and Old Ag —

Ishika Samant — THE BATTALION

The Muster Reflection Display in the MSC Flag Room on Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

anybody — is how there is always something you can connect with in one of the displays, something that makes you say, ‘that’s me, I see myself in that display.’”

Accounting freshman and Community Relations Coordinator Lucas Wheeler-Irizarry said through the experience of serving under the Muster committee, a form of appreciation can be found through gestures of recognition.

“I really think you get to have the idea that

I will be able to have my own legacy,” Irizarry said. “I hope that whatever I continue to do at A&M, it’ll be honored by the rest of the people that come and attend. I believe that being a part of this ceremony in the future, I know that my name will never be forgotten as much as any other Aggie.”

There are no former Aggies; we are all Aggies forever and always.

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L&A

4

The Battalion | 04.20.23

Meat and greet: Class of 1973 returns to campus 50th anniversary invites current, former students to connect, reflect

By Diego Valle @jvalle88 The 2023 Muster Committee will hold a camaraderie barbecue event where current students and alumni can meet and enjoy a meal together.

This year’s Muster barbecue will be held for the Class of 1973’s 50-year reunion. The barbecue will have live entertainment, free food, games and a chance to meet Aggies from all walks of life.

Recreation, park and tourism science junior Campbell Lewis, the camaraderie coordinator for this year’s barbecue, said attendees can expect lots of entertainment options.

“[For] our entertainment this year, we are gonna have the band The Barn Dogs performing, the Aggie Wranglers, the Yell Leaders, there’s gonna be an appearance from Reveille and a photo opportunity with our big class of [19]73 number display,” Lewis said.

Applied mathematics sophomore Rachel Warren works alongside Lewis as well, planning to have other food outside of just barbeque.

“We are getting barbecue from C&J’s, a local barbecue restaurant, and we are also getting Whataburger,” Warren said. “We are having brisket, sausage, the sides and all the fixings.”

Lewis said the barbecue will be reserved for the reunion class members and current students will get Whataburger.

“For games we will have cornhole, dominos, Jenga and cards, cause who doesn’t love the classic barbecue games,” Warren said.

As a host last year, Warren said she was able to sit down with some of the class members

and talk to them about their memories at Texas A&M. “That was one of the very last classes that was all male,” Warren said. “I sat with some of the guys, a lot of them were in the Corps [of Cadets] so they told me all about their time in the Corps and they told me about this thing called ‘fish sandwiches.’”

Warren said a “fish sandwich” is when they would get a freshman, duct tape them between two mattresses and shove them off the side of their Corps dorms onto the ground.

“Their experiences were not any different than ours now,” Warren said. “I thought that was a really cool experience to hear that they went through a lot of the similar struggles that we as current students are experiencing.”

Lewis said the biggest issue they may run into is the threat of rainy weather.

“If it does rain we are moving it inside into Duncan Dining Hall,” Lewis said. “The people on campus have been really helpful with making sure that this can still be an event.”

Denice Resendez, Class of 1986, said she attended last year’s Muster barbecue with her family.

“You get a chance to have lunch with former [students] as well as current Aggies, and reminisce about your days at Texas A&M with the current students and those friends that you’ve lost,” Denice said. “In our instance you go and visit family and the family of loved ones who have passed over the years.”

Denice said her son Daniel Resendez, Class of 2022, was on the committee, so she got a chance to meet a lot of his classmates that were involved.

“It was really nice we were able to talk to the students and get their input on all the hard work they were doing for Aggie Muster,” Denice said.

Denice said she will not be able to make it to this year’s Muster, but she will participate in San Antonio’s Aggie Club Muster.

Echosmith comes to College Station

Photo courtesy of Echosmith

Triple-platinum band to continue new era in Aggieland

By John Chapa @JDChapaBatt Echosmith has garnered over 1 billion streams and has earned worldwide media praise for its spread of love, positivity and self-acceptance. The band will perform at Stage 12 at Brookshire Brothers this Saturday, April 22, at 7 p.m.

Echosmith cemented itself in pop culture after its catchy song “Cool Kids” went triple platinum. The song has gone viral again, years later, after 1.3 million TikTok videos were made using the song, including videos created by Demi Lovato, Drew Barrymore and Addison Rae. While the band has performed all over the world, this will be the first time the group has performed in College Station.

Echosmith’s lead vocalist, Sydney Sierota, said she is excited to play in Aggieland for the first time because it’ll be a great new experience for the band.

“I love playing shows of all shapes and sizes,” Sierota said. “We play a lot in Texas. We come to Dallas, Austin and Houston a lot and have even gone as far south as Corpus Christi. I love playing shows anywhere, but I was

also really excited about playing a show in a new city because you don’t always get to do that … when we got the text from Brookshire Brothers saying, ‘Hey do you want to come here on this date and perform at this venue?’ we were in.”

This will not be the first time the group performs in a new city this year. The group had the pleasure of performing in Anchorage, Alaska for the first time in 2023. In addition to the celebration of another new concert venue, Sierota will also celebrate her 26th birthday this weekend. The group couldn’t be more excited to perform their new era of music like singles “Gelato,” “Hang Around” and “Hindsight,” Sierota said.

“We’re so pumped about the new music we’ve been putting out and are putting together right now,” Sierota said. “It’s been really fun to share these songs that are going to be on the album. They’re a good representation of where Echosmith is and where we are going. Noah, our bassist, is co-producing all of our songs and that’s a first for us and it’s really special to be producing our own music.”

In 2022, Echosmith released a reimagined version of their classic hit, ‘Cool Kids,’ to reflect their newest era and sound today, giving the decade-old song a new bridge and more alternative feel. The band seeks to trace back to its roots and regain the feeling of when they made songs simply for fun, Sierota said.

“‘Gelato,’ ‘Hangaround’ and ‘Hindsight’ are fun songs that show a wide spectrum of what the album will be,” Sierota said. “There are also so many more layers that we’ll dive into as we lead up more to the album. These songs are really fun to play live and I look forward to performing them at our show.”

The lead singer also mentioned the possibility of performing one of their most recent, new creations from the studio. Sierota said there is no better way to gauge how people feel about a song than playing it right before them at a cooncert.

“I think we’ll also sneak in a new, unreleased song as well … the best way to bring your recorded music to life is with real people in the room, getting their reaction right in front of your eyes,” Sierota said.

Echosmith embarks on a new journey with its newly released music. The group seeks to implement the indie spirit in more than their music alone, Sierota said.

“We’ve taken many steps forward with our new music and we’ve taken the indie spirit with all sorts of things,” Sierota said. “We found our photographers for all the singles art for these recent songs on Instagram … It’s been cool to find these really talented people and have the creative freedom to move forward with them, make our decisions with them and decide our own timeline. Deciding to get what you want to do creatively is a huge

deal.”

The band has always made it a mission to serve as an inspiration for its fans because other artists have had an instrumental effect in their own lives, Sierota said.

“It’s an honor to be a part of anybody’s story in any way,” Sierota said. “If our music can inspire someone to pick up a guitar or pick up an instrument that’s so cool because there are so many people that have inspired us. Even if we are simply a part of someone’s story by making them feel comforted, that is so cool.

To see how many people at the end of the year on Spotify Wrapped are listening to our music is mind blowing because we still have people we look up to so much.”

Fans continue to etch Echosmith permanently in their lives through videos on social media and tattoos. The band is honored to have met countless people who have shared that its music has changed their lives in a positive way, Sierota said.

“To be even a sliver of that for anyone is so cool … we’ve met so many sweet people who have said our music has impacted them for the better,” Sierota said. “There is nothing better than hearing that. It’s the greatest honor and the best part of what we do.”

To learn more about Echosmith, visit its website. To purchase tickets for the upcoming concert at Stage 12, visit the Brookshire Brothers website.

CRITICISM

5

The Battalion | 04.20.23

Rock legends return after hiatus

Creative Commons

“72 Seasons” Artist: Metallica Release Date: April 14, 2023 Label: Blackened Recordings

8/10

By Emma Ehle @emmakehle4

On Friday, April 14, Metallica released its first project in over seven years: “72 Seasons” (2023). An impressive No. 11 studio album for a group in which most band members have surpassed the age of 60, “72 Seasons” is not only a delightfully gritty nod to the band’s earlier sound, but is also being referred to by some as its best work since “Metallica” (1991) — more commonly known as “The Black Album.”

While Metallica’s establishment as a steadfast pillar of American heavy metal is not really up for debate, the group’s 2023 fanbase doesn’t necessarily match that of the 1980s. After its move from thrash metal to regular heavy metal with the release of “The Black Album,” Metallica was labeled by many as a “corporate sellout,” losing a fair amount of original fans who preferred the band’s thrashy aggression to its slightly softer, 1991 attempt at mass appeal.

“72 Seasons” — despite not being the “Master of Puppets’’ (1996) “Ride the Lightning” (1984) thrash rock return that some may have hoped for — still contains

Shielding future generations

Courtesy of HBO

“Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” Director: Lana Wilson Release Date: April 3, 2023 Episodes: 2

8/10

By Rashid Eldoma @rashideldoma In the era of the #MeToo movement and ongoing conversations about the sexualization of children in the entertainment industry, a new documentary about Brooke Shields, the child actor who rose to fame in the 1970s, has rekindled spirited debate on both sides of the culture war.

Titled “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” the documentary delves into the life and career of Brooke, who was thrust into the spotlight at a young age and faced controversy over her sexualized image. I have been eagerly anticipating this documentary, which sheds light on Brooke’s story and the larger conversation about children in the entertainment industry.

I was first acquainted with Brooke through her film “Blue Lagoon,” which I watched when I was too young to understand what was going on. Through podcasts and press interviews leading up to the release of the documentary, Brooke has been open about her experiences, providing insights into the complexities of child stardom and the effects it had on her life, but also standing firm in her choices.

One of the strengths of “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” is its contemporary relevance. Even though Brooke’s rise to fame happened decades ago, the issues surrounding her story still resonate in today’s zeitgeist. The documentary dives into how Brooke’s image was carefully crafted and marketed by the entertainment industry, which capitalized on her youthful beauty and sexual appeal to create a public persona that was both celebrated and scrutinized. The documentary raises import-

one of the most honest, solidified sounds the band has produced in a long time.

Between the album’s vulnerable nature, piercing guitar riffs and James Hetfield’s raw, raspy vocals, “72 Seasons” is another step in the right direction for the band, which has experienced a multitude of sonic shifts over the course of its career.

Coming in at the top of “72 Seasons;” “If Darkness Had a Son,” “Screaming Suicide” and “Shadows Follow” all produce the fiery vigor of the group’s thrash roots.

“If Darkness Had a Son,” which is arguably one of the best tracks on the album, not only includes an addictively catchy guitar riff, but also showcases a phenomenal solo from lead guitarist Kirk Hammet.

Both “Screaming Suicide” and “Shadows Follow” are equally as impressive, with “Shadows Follow” maintaining a simultaneously melodic, yet head-banging aggressive effect that can be difficult to achieve in heavy metal.

Other standouts include “Too Far Gone” and “Inamorata,” which both continue the album’s trend of impressive shredding and act as strong conclusive elements to the work as a whole.

While “72 Seasons” produces very few

faults as a cohesive work, one of the chief complaints about this album is that it is just too long. At 1 hour and 17 minutes in length, the album is one of the longest the band has produced, however still comes in behind “Load” (1996) and “Hardwired …

To Self-Destruct” (2016) by one to two minutes.

Furthermore, despite arguments that could be made for the cutting of several of “72 Seasons” longer tracks, many of the album’s solos feel too impressive to condense.

Ultimately, “72 Seasons” is yet another venomous, gritty and skillfully done notch in Metallica’s edgy metal belt. Considering the fact that today’s musical climate — in the U.S. that is — does not necessarily embrace rock, let alone heavy metal, in the same manner that it did in the 1970s and 1980s, this album is a great example of an older band that has not lost themselves in the sea of modern music. It blends elements from its classic and more contemporary sounds, and does not falter in the lyricism department.

So, honestly, if this album is the product of thrash metal “sellouts,” perhaps Metallica should sell out more often.

ant questions about the responsibility of the entertainment industry in promoting child actors and the influence it can have on their physical and mental well-being.

The documentary analyzes Brooke’s relationship with her mother, Teri Shields, who acted as her manager and played a pivotal role in shaping her career. Teri has been widely criticized for her controversial parenting decisions, including allowing her daughter to pose in provocative photo shoots and appear in controversial films at a young age — like “Blue Lagoon” and the eponymous “Pretty Baby.” The documentary portrays their relationship as complex, showcasing both the love and support Teri had for her daughter, as well as the challenges and pressures she faced in navigating the entertainment industry.

“Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” also features interviews with industry insiders and fellow child actors, who provide valuable perspectives on the challenges and dilemmas faced by child stars. The documentary touches on the difficulties of navigating fame and growing up in the public eye, as well as the blurred lines between childhood and adulthood in the entertainment industry.

Another strength of the documentary is its balanced approach to the subject matter. It presents multiple perspectives on the issue of child stardom, allowing viewers to form their own opinions. While some ar-

gue that Brooke’s early sexualization was exploitative and damaging, others believe it was a reflection of the times and the norms of the entertainment industry at the time. It is the latter view that Brooke adopts, and at the end of the documentary series, Brooke’s daughters push back on this perspective. The documentary presents these contrasting viewpoints, allowing viewers to engage in a nuanced and thought-provoking conversation about the complexities of child stardom.

The documentary is also visually compelling, featuring archival footage and photographs that provide a glimpse into Brooke’s early years in the industry. The juxtaposition of Brooke’s innocent childhood moments with her sexualized public image creates a stark contrast, emphasizing the challenges and contradictions of being a child star.

The documentary also includes interviews with Brooke herself, who reflects on her experiences with candor and vulnerability, adding a personal touch to the story. By the time Brooke’s daughters enter the conversation at the series’ end, we as an audience can feel it is not without trepidation and care. But this glimpse provides a necessary touch point, inviting viewers to consider what lessons can be learned from Brooke’s story and applied to our own lives and families.

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OPINION

6

The Battalion | 04.20.23

Opinion: Denied on the basis of scales Opinion columnist Charis Adkins says apartments unfairly discriminate against reptilian roommates

Charis Adkins @charis_batt In the eyes of apartment buildings, all pets are equal, but some are more equal than others.

Even in apartments that advertise themselves as “pet friendly,” there is a lot of discrepancy between leases — namely, a lack of serpentine representation.

Pet reptiles are in over 5.5 million households in the U.S. Despite this, they are rarely included in apartments’ pet addendums. Why? It all boils down to public image. People are afraid of reptilian pets. More specifically, people are afraid of snakes.

So, let’s talk about snakes and why this pet discrimination needs to end.

First, to whip out my credentials: I’ve lived with a snake for almost a decade, and, not to brag or anything, but my family has generational ‘snealth.’ That’s like generational wealth, but only as it pertains to owning snakes.

Let’s get the biggies of snake misconception out of the way first, shall we?

No, snakes are not slimy. They’re actually very soft and smooth — if you imagine your

aunt’s faux snakeskin purse, that’s almost exactly the right texture.

Next, the thing people are most afraid of: biting. I’ve been bitten by a snake, and by a dog, lizard and horse … though that last one was more of a miscommunication than anything.

Of this strange creature lineup, the order of discomfort is as follows: dog, horse, lizard, snake. I’ve also been nibbled on by my fair share of bugs, several of which are less pleasant than a snake bite. The reason is simple: Most snakes don’t have teeth. I suppose bugs don’t either, but let me tell you, grasshoppers have a mean set of mandibles.

Some snakes have fangs, but these are very thin, and punctures heal within a couple of days. Snake bites are nearly harmless because they don’t hang on or chew once they’ve made contact; they let go immediately.

A domestic snake will only bite if they’re scared or confused, usually as a result of not being held enough or because the end of their shed cycle obstructs their vision.

Now that we’ve reviewed some of the most harmful snakey stereotypes, let’s talk apartment buildings. I’ve only heard two valid concerns: First, the calamity that would follow an escapee, and second, rodent control issues if feeder

rats make a getaway.

While snake escapism isn’t unheard of, it can easily be mitigated by requiring a locking cage. All of my family’s snakes have lived in locking vivariums, and none have ever escaped from their cage if it was properly sealed. Of course, the catch is that you must remember to lock it.

However, how is this any different from the small mammal requirement? Apartment buildings allow an assortment of rodents as pets in locked cages, despite our general collegiate incompetence. Why should snakes be any different?

As for rodent control, the main concern is what would happen if a feeder rat escaped.

This makes sense, until you realize that the apartments claiming the “oh no rats” defense are the same ones that allow you to keep pet mice.

The first incorrect assumption here is that all snakes eat live rats.Though less common, there are domestic snakes that eat other, non-rodent foods. For example, water snakes and garter snakes are happy with small fish or crawdads, and I bet you can’t guess what you’d feed an African or Indian egg-eating snake.

When snakes do require rats, they only eat

on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. So, every couple of weeks, when it’s time to feed your little friend Lemony Snaket, you go to a pet store and buy him a feeder rat.

Unless you’re running a veritable zoo, you don’t keep your own feeder rats. So, they’re actually present in your apartment for much less time than any pet rodent. Moreover, the chances of escape are also slim — where do you think you put the feeder rat when it’s time for your beloved William Snakespeare to eat dinner? On the bare floor of your apartment?

No. Snakes are fed either in their terrarium or in a separate feeding tank. Feeder rat getaways aren’t unheard of, but it’s much less likely than you would think. Besides, most snakes — like most college students — are accustomed to eating frozen meals.

Overall, snakes are sweet, quiet pets and much less of a liability than demonic chihuahuas that will tear up a couch before you can say “Stop that, Mr. Wittles.”

Clearly, this reptilian discrimination is unjustified. It’s time we reviewed our lease’s pet policies and stop this pet apartheid.

Charis Adkins is an English sophomore and opinion columnist for The Battalion.

Charis Adkins’ ball python snake, Hershey.

Photo courtesy of Charis Adkins

Michaela Rush, Editor-in-Chief Kyle McClenagan, Managing Editor Caroline Wilburn, News Editor Kenzie Finch, News Editor Ana Renfroe, Asst. News Editor Ishika Samant, Photo Chief Kyle Heise, Asst. Photo Chief Ruben Hernandez, Life & Arts Editor Anna Deardorff, Asst. L&A Editor Sydnei Miles, Asst. L&A Editor Megan Williams, Page Designer

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SPORTS

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The Battalion | 04.20.23

Who’s your caddy?

After five days on the course, A&M women’s golf brings home the SEC Championship

By Camille Coffey @coffeycamille On Wednesday, April 12, the No. 3 Texas A&M women’s golf team traveled to Hoover, Alabama and teed off on the par-72, 6,331yard Legacy Course at the Greystone Golf and Country Club.

The lineup led by head coach Gerrod Chadwell included senior Jennie Park, junior Zoe Slaughter, sophomore Adela Cernousek, graduate student Hailee Cooper and senior Blanca Fernandez Garcia-Poggio.

April 12-14 consisted of 54 holes of stroke play and a fight for the top eight spots on the leaderboard. The Aggies fell short on Day 1 and shot 7-over 295, tying them for 10th place along with No. 42 Tennessee and No. 16 Ole

Miss.

Day 2 was plagued by heavy winds and rain, but that didn’t seem to affect the golfers. A&M shot up the leaderboard and tied for fourth place with No. 19 Vanderbilt and a score of 13-over 301.

Day 3 was filled with nerves and anticipation in the fight to advance to match-play. The Aggies shot 1-over 289 and secured the third seed in order to continue on to the match-play portion of the SEC Championship for the first time in program history.

“This is pretty cool to see how much can change in 365 days,” Chadwell said to 12thMan.com. “Last year, we were disappointed with not making match play and now we are here. This group has an even better story to write than last year’s bunch. We got better every day this week, and we are learning a lot about this course. I am excited for the team and to get more match-play experience” On Saturday morning, the Aggies teed off against No. 21 Florida in the quarterfinals.

The maroon and white stayed consistent and

ultimately defeated the Gators 4-1.

Slaughter experienced a back and forth fight with her opponent, Florida senior Marina Escobar Domingo. However, Slaughter took the first point for the Aggies, 3&2. Garcia-Poggio followed up with the second point for A&M, 4&3. Finally, Cooper secured the final point for the Aggies, 3&2.

The golfers had a brief break before moving onto the unexpectedly long semifinal match between A&M versus No. 4 South Carolina.

Cooper, 4&3, and Park, 2&1, secured two points for the Aggies. Cernousek and her opponent, freshman Mia Lussand, went into the 18th hole tied and then continued on to play four more holes until Lussand took the point.

Slaughter also lost her point 2&1.

With just one final point up for grabs, it all came down to Garcia-Poggio and South Carolina senior Mathilde Claisse. Both golfers put up an incredible fight and displayed immense determination for their teams. Garcia-Poggio and Claisse went on to tie eight holes until Garcia-Poggio stole the final point

to send Texas A&M to the final Championship Match.

On Sunday, the Aggies faced the No. 5 Mississippi State Bulldogs for the SEC championship final.

The Aggies started the morning off strong and did not look back, holding a steady game and leading the majority of the matchups from the start.

Park secured the first point for the Aggies 6&5 and Cooper followed right behind her with the second point, 2&1. With just one more point to secure the championship for A&M, Slaughter headed to a playoff.

Slaughter and Mississippi State freshman Surapa Janthamunee went head-to-head on a total of 21 holes. It all came down to a Par 3 where Slaughter made her par putt to secure the third and final point for the Aggies. A&M defeated Mississippi State 3-2 and brought home its first SEC title since 2015.

The Aggies tee off next at the NCAA Regional on May 8-10, with the location yet to be determined.

Courtesy of HBO

Pranay Dhooper - THE BATTALION

Aggie tennis teams aim to tie at top Men’s, women’s teams set for SEC championships after season success

By Kylie Stoner @sportsbystoner Texas A&M tennis will attempt to be the second school to win the men’s and women’s competition in the same year since Florida did it in 2016. The first SEC tennis tournament was in 2015 and the competition did not happen in 2020.

Both of the A&M women’s and men’s teams defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in the final of the SEC tournament in their respective

championship years.

Up until the semifinals of the championship, none of the matches are televised.

Women’s Tennis No. 2 Aggie women’s tennis will begin its attempt to be back-to-back SEC tournament champions on Friday, April 21, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The maroon and white will play their first match against the winner of the match between Alabama and Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals at 12 p.m. on April 21. If the No. 1 seeded women’s team can defeat its quarterfinal opponent, then they will move on to the

semifinals on Saturday, April 22, at 12 p.m.

The Fightin’ Farmers defeated Alabama 4-0 and most recently Vanderbilt 4-1 with both matches being away for the Aggies.

While the Tide may dominate on the football field, its women’s tennis has only won a third of the games played against the Aggies.

Alabama last beat A&M narrowly in 2021 with a final score of 4-3, while the Commodores last beat the Aggies in 2019 where they swept the maroon and white.

Men’s Tennis No. 21 Aggie men’s tennis will attempt to secure the title of SEC tournament champi-

on for the first time since 2015 in Auburn, Alabama. The round-two match will be on Thursday, April 20, at 6 p.m. against Vanderbilt.

The men in maroon and white have defeated their next opponent already within the regular season. A&M defeated Vanderbilt 4-2 while being in enemy territory.

The Aggies have not lost to the Commodores since March of 2016 with a narrow score of 4-3. The 2016 loss is the only time that the maroon and white has fallen to Vanderbilt in their 10 year history of playing each other.

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Kyle Heise — THE BATTALION

Freshman INF Amari Harper (13) hits against Louisiana Tech at Davis Diamond on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

Maintaining reign over Rebel territory Aggie softball looks to continue winning ways in Oxford

By Matthew Seaver @matthew_seaver Fresh off of a series sweep to its SEC-rival South Carolina Gamecocks, the Texas A&M Softball team will look to rebound against another SEC Opponent. The Aggies will face off against the Ole Miss Rebels’ from Friday, April 21 to Sunday, April 23. The maroon and white will look to invade the Rebels home turf when it comes to Oxford, Mississippi. All three games are taking place at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.

Although the Aggies are coming off three tough losses to the Gamecocks, before that series the Aggies had a good amount of momentum. A&M had strung together four solid

wins, three against SEC foe Mississippi Bulldogs, and one versus the No. 25 Louisiana Ragin Cajuns.

The maroon and white will look to turn the tide with their upcoming SEC series against the Rebels. A&M holds a steep advantage when it comes to the history of the two teams, with 20 total games starting back in 1998. A&M defeated Ole Miss 16 total times, falling to the Rebels just a mere four times.

The maroon and white finds itself with a conference record with eight wins to 10 losses. The Rebels are three games behind the Aggies in conference play with a record of only five wins and 10 losses. Both teams will look to improve their less than stellar SEC records. However, it is the Aggies who will be defending their No. 21 ranking.

Coach Trisha Ford have yet to come out with any of its starters for the upcoming series against the Rebels. The Aggies should not be

worried as they have been batting extremely well so far this season, as five regular starters currently hitting over .300.

Junior C Julia Cottrill has been absolutely electric with the bat in her hands this season.

She is batting .357 with a team-high 112 AB this season. Continuing her dominance at the plate with an on base percentage of .400 and a slugging precentage of .598. With five home runs this season, Cottrill will look to keep her bat hot when the Aggies arrive in Oxford, Mississippi.

Another member of the Fightin’ Farmers who has been just mashing at the plate this season is junior INF Trinity Cannon. Cannon is hitting .330 so far and does not look to slow down when she comes up to bat versus the Rebels. Her OBP of .479 means that Cannon find herself on base more than any other Aggie. When you combine that with a SLG of .594 Cannon has a team high 1.073 on base

plus slugging percentage.

If A&M wants to defeat their SEC rivals then they will certainly need to keep up their level of high play from the pitching mound.

The Aggies’ three main starters, senior Shaylee Ackerman and sophomores Emiley Kennedy and Emily Leavitt have looked amazing so far this season. They have combine for an average ERA of 2.66, putting them in the upper echelon of softball pitching.

For the maroon and white to leave Oxford, Mississippi with all three wins it will need to perform on all levels. Ford has had her players in excellent form in just her first season in Aggieland. If they can keep up this high level of play and improve week by week then they could certainly look to make noise later in the season. First they will have to focus on defeating the Rebels.

Robert O’Brien — THE BATTALION

Junior RHP Nathan Dettmer (35) pitches from the mound during Texas A&M’s game against Mizzou at Olsen Field on Thursday, April 13, 2023.

Aggie bats versus Wildcats

A&M aims for fourth-consecutive SEC series win on the road

By Hunter Mitchell @hunterm1001

After handling both the Auburn and Missouri Tigers in back-to-back weekends, the Aggies will face off against more feline ferocity as Texas A&M hits the road to Lexington, Kentucky to take on the red-hot No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats on Friday, April 21.

A&M dropped the first two SEC series against LSU and Tennessee, but has now rattled off three series wins against Ole Miss, Auburn and Missouri. In the first two weekends, the Aggies averaged only 5.3 runs per game, and was 1-6 in league play.

During the midweek game against Texas before the Ole Miss series, senior RF Brett Minnich returned to the lineup after a hand injury in the first game of the season against Seattle.

Since then, the Aggies have almost dou-

bled their average runs, now averaging nine per game, and are 6-3 in conference play. In this stretch, A&M has also hit 22 home runs, hitting a long ball in all but two games.

Despite the offense heating up, the Aggies’ pitching staff continues to struggle as they have the majority of the season.

Junior LHP Evan Aschenbeck is currently the leader in earned run average out of the bullpen for A&M with a 3.13 ERA. Junior RHP Nathan Dettmer is the only solidified starter in the weekend rotation for the Aggies, and currently has a 6.09 ERA. No other starting pitcher has been decided for the Saturday and Sunday spot.

Freshmen LHPs Justin Lamkin and Shane Sdao, along with sophomore RHP Josh Stewart, have started in the weekend rotation in weeks prior, but none have had any relative success.

A&M will need more production from its pitching this weekend as they take on the Wildcats.

If the bats can continue to stay hot, all the pitching staff will need to do is just hang on.

The offensive production from freshman OF Jace LaViolette, junior INF Hunter Haas, junior INF Jack Moss and Minnich has won the Aggies games in recent weeks, so all the pitching will need to do is just not let things get out of hand.

This may prove to be a more difficult task than weeks prior for the Aggies, however.

The Wildcats rank No.15 in the country in ERA, sixth in hits allowed per nine innings and 17th in fielding percentage. If the bats go cold, there is not much to rely on from the bullpen to carry A&M to a series win against a top-15 opponent.

Good news for the Aggies, Kentucky is not a team that hits the long ball with much efficiency. The team leader for the Wildcats is senior INF Hunter Gilliam, who has hit six home runs this season. Homers hurt A&M in its series finale loss last week against Missouri, surrendering three on the game.

Bad news for the Aggies, this does not mean Kentucky has an inefficient offense.

Quite the opposite actually, as although the Wildcats rank dead last in slugging percentage

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in the SEC, they are fourth in the league in batting average.

Led by Gilliam and sophomore INF Émilien Pitre who both hit .370 and .377, respectively, Kentucky utilizes infield hits to score runs. As a team, Kentucky averages above .300 BA, hitting .302 on the season.

The potent Wildcat offense could pose problems to the aforementioned struggling Aggie bullpen, as despite A&M’s pitching being relatively deep, a three-game series against an offense that will wear you down slowly could expose the Aggies’ depth.

This weekend begins a difficult stretch for A&M, as after going on the road against No. 11 Kentucky, the Aggies will host a solid Sam Houston team in the midweek game before going back on the road to an always hostile Baum Walker Stadium to face off against the No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks.

First pitch for Friday’s game is set for 5:30 p.m., at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington, Kentucky. The game can be streamed on the SEC Network+.