The Battalion: April 11, 2016

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MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2016 STUDENT MEDIA | @THEBATTONLINE

BATT THE

Nearly 6,000 students received their little piece of Aggie gold this weekend in the first ever two-day Ring Day. The Aggie tradition, which became official in 2000, lasted from Friday morning into Saturday afternoon. Thousands of Aggies, family members, friends and more crowded the Alumni Center as 5,965 Aggies were given their rings by hundreds of volunteers.

THE BATTALION | THEBATT.COM

RING DAY HOSTS FIRST EVER TWO-DAY CELEBRATION Jena Floyd — THE BATTALION

FOOTBALL

Senior Cole Lyle’s service dog Kaya helps him combat his symptoms of PTSD.

Morgan Engel — THE BATTALION

Defensive back Noel Ellis warms up prior to A&M’s first spring football game since 2013.

5 takeaways from the spring game By Carter Karels

T

he funny thing about a spring game is it can be difficult to understand if a 70-yard play was either fantastic execution by the offense or a collapse by the defense, since it’s the same team. Texas A&M’s spring game Saturday, however, provided much needed answers to a few offseason questions. Here are five takeaways from the scrimmage.

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Wesley Holmes — THE BATTALION

A VETERAN’S BEST FRIEND

Trevor Knight looked like the veteran he is Before head coach Kevin Sumlin took over, it seemed like A&M always found a way to lose close games. Look no further than the 2011 game against the Razorbacks when the Aggies led 35-17 at halftime but ended up losing 42-38. On Saturday, the Maroon squad clawed its way back from a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter, showing times have changed.

Trayveon Williams is a player to watch With Keith Ford sidelined as an injury precaution, Aggie fans saw a handful of running backs they haven’t seen much action from. The one that shined was Trayveon Williams, whose versatility and shiftiness was put on full display. Last year under Jake Spavital there wasn’t much passing towards running backs, especially with bruisers Tra Carson and James White in the backfield. But with players like Williams under the new, screen-heavy Mazzone system, there will be a lot more where that came from Saturday night. Williams was one of the youngest on the field as an incoming freshman, yet he torched the A&M defense on a particular 43-yard screen pass. With his ability to make people miss in open space like Christian Kirk, Williams could be lethal as he matures. SPRING GAME ON PG. 2

Aggie veteran Cole Lyle looks to introduce service dog bill By Jack Riewe The Department of Veterans Affairs might be heading in the direction of providing service dogs for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder — with the help of U.S. Marine veteran Cole Lyle and his service dog Kaya. Lyle, political science senior, has been leading a self-funded crusade to pass a bill called the “Puppies Assisting Wounded Service Members”—

or PAWS Act — in order to create a five-year, $10 million program for the VA to provide servicemen and women suffering from PTSD with a service dog. The bill was introduced on March 13 with U.S. Rep. Bill Flores as a co-sponsor. “The VA does not provide service dogs that specifically treat and combat symptoms of post-traumatic stress,” Lyle said. “So in very simple terms, we’re trying to get the VA to provide dogs to do that. On average, there are 22 veterans a day committing suicide — that was concluded in a study done by the VA themselves back in 2013. But the

study was based on 21 states, so the number is probably — tragically — much higher than that.” According to the VA study, of the 147,763 suicides reported in the 21 states, 27,062 were identified as having a history in the U.S. military, making up 18.3 percent of suicides in the sample space. “I’ve personally had friends of mine commit suicide as a result of post-traumatic stress exacerbated by opiate addictions, you know, prescriptions they get from the VA, sleep aids, anti-depressants — things like that,” Lyle said. PAWS ON PG. 2

GREEK LIFE

First philanthropy event funds anti-bullying initiative ‘Dont Bully Me’ Festival honors Beta member’s brother By Jack Riewe

Jack Riewe — THE BATTALION

The first ever DBM fest took place at Wolf Penn Creek Ampitheatre and showheaded artists to stop cyber bullying.

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The Beta Theta Pi fraternity rallied behind one of its member’s anti-bullying message with the first ever “Don’t Bully Me” Festival Saturday. Seventeen-year-old David Molak, brother of “Beta” member Chris Molak, committed suicide in January in their hometown of San Antonio after reportedly being cyber bullied by his peers. Chris has been working since then to spread an anti-bullying message by creating the David’s Legacy Foundation, getting a law passed that holds those who cyber bully ac-

countable and — with the help of Beta — planning Beta’s new philanthropy event, DBM Fest. After deciding to change the frat’s philanthropy event in the wake of the tragedy, Beta members decided to host the DBM fest, which stands for ‘Don’t Bully Me’ and also serves as David Molak’s initials. The festival included music from Hudson Moore, the John King Band and Chris Knight, hourly raffles and a silent auction. All the proceeds went to David’s Legacy Foundation, a newly formed nonprofit which will work to combat cyber bullying. The amount of money raised from the event was not available at time of press. “After months of brainstorming

and trekking into unknown territory that Beta had never really attempted before, it really is cool to see how far simple ideas and suggestions can blossom into a successful event to be built on and improved in the future,” Chris said. Chris said he is proud of his fellow Beta members and their attributions to the success of the event. “I’m especially proud of the younger Betas that took initiative in the planning and execution of DBM Fest,” Chris said. “It means a lot to see others assume the passion that I have for this cause. I could not have done it without their help along with our philanthropy chair, Jared Stavinoha.” DBM ON PG. 2

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