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THE BATTALION | THEBATT.COM

A QUARTER CENTURY OF CHILIFEST Photos on Page 4

Brian Okosun — THE BATTALION

Ethan Dias — THE BATTALION

MILITARY

Family members arrange mementos of Aggies honored in Muster Roll Call.

PROVIDED

Veteran Ken Meyer, along with his service dog, tries to spread awareness of PTSD.

Vet to walk 628 miles for PTSD

College Station marks pitstop in Air Force Vet’s journey around Texas

MONUMENT TO MEMORIES

By Katie Fuller The road to recovery is long for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, and one veteran, is walking 628 miles around Texas to prove that. Texas A&M’s chapter of Lone Survivor — the only collegiate chapter of the Lone Survivor foundation, will welcome Ken Meyer, an Air Force veteran during his College Station pitsop Monday. Ken said he hopes this walk will encourage conversation about “PTS,” as he refers to PTSD. “I leave the ‘D’ off when I talk about post-traumatic stress. When you say ‘disorder,’ that ‘D’ is an automatic stigma,” Ken said. “It keeps people open to what I am talking about, and it is a way for me to talk about a mental health issue.” Ken said he was inspired to walk 628 miles by Operation Red Wings — a military operation in Afghanistan that resulted in 19 deaths and inspired the film “Lone Survivor.” He will alternate between walking 19 miles per day and 22 miles per day. Nineteen in honor of the 19 servicemen who gave their lives during Operation Red Wings and 22 for the estimated 22 U.S. veterans who commit suicide per day — a statistic that comes from a study released in 2013 by the Department of Veterans Affairs and covers suicides from 1999 to 2010. “There is a pair of boots I have that — if anybody has post-traumatic stress or lost anyone to post-traumatic stress — I will write their names on the boots, so it is like I will walk in their shoes and have them with me,” Ken said. “My boots are pretty much covered in names.” Judi Meyer, Ken’s wife said they are hoping that this walk will allow people to feel comfortable talking about post-traumatic stress. “Mental illness in general, people just don’t talk about it,” Judi said. “So people don’t try to reach out and get help like they would if someone had cancer or a broken leg.” Ken started his walk Saturday and will end it in Galveston 628 miles later. He is traveling with his service dog and others involved in the Lone Star Foundation. Ken will speak at the Fox and Hound Pub at 1 p.m. the Tuesday before moving on. “Having been in the dark side of post-traumatic stress, I want to raise awareness and educate people about post-traumatic stress and what those symptoms are,” Ken said. “It doesn’t discriminate. We look at it as a military issue, but it can affect anybody that is involved with a traumatic event.”

Muster Reflections Display offers glimpse into the lives of the honored By Gracie Mock

tudents and visitors will have a chance to glimpse into the lives behind the Muster Roll Call this week as the 2016 Muster Reflections Display transforms the MSC Flag Room into a living memorial for those honored at Thursday’s ceremony. The Reflections Display is set up every year the week of Muster to attach stories to the names read on the Roll Call for the Ab-

sent. Families of those honored are invited to set up a display with objects and photographs meant to give viewers an intimate look at who their deceased loved one were. Around 80 families have chosen this year to set up a display. “It’s a way to put faces to names that we’re going to be calling on Roll Call, and so it’s a way that we get to see who these people were and why they’re so loved and so missed and why they’re people that we want to honor and continue their legacy as members of their specific family and the Aggie family,” said Lauren Evans, reflections dis-

REFLECTIONS ON PG. 2

BASEBALL

Aggies reclaim SEC road record A&M ofense stays hot in Mississippi State sweep By Andre Perrard

Valerie Gunchick — THE BATTALION

Senior outfielder J.B. Moss went 3-for-5 with two RBI on Sunday.

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play coordinator and marketing sophomore. Hannah Bezet, reflections display coordinator with Muster Committee and human resource development junior, said the objects brought by the families portray who they were, what they loved and what they were dedicated to during their life. “It’s really special that students get to go through and get a look into these Aggies’ lives,” Bezet said. Bryan Tutt’s father — Fehrlin Tutt, Class of 1955 — will be one of the many Aggies honored at the 2016 Campus Muster.

No. 3 A&M finished a sweep of Mississippi State with a 10-5 win on Sunday. Friday night opened a series of closely contested games. A&M led 4-3 heading into the ninth inning. Then the offense managed six runs, headlined by a grand slam from Nick Banks, and the Aggies ran away with a 10-3 win in game one. The game was close late once again Saturday evening. Nursing another one-run lead in the eighth, the Aggie bats opened up the game once again. The Aggies tallied three in the eighth frame thanks to RBI from Hunter Melton and Ryne Birk to clinch a 10-6 win and the series. The two top-10 teams went back and forth Sunday. A&M (29-8, 10-5 SEC) got the bats rolling early in the contest. J.B. Moss slapped a two-run single in the second inning to give the Aggies a 2-0 lead. The Bulldogs would cut the lead to 2-1 the next inning with a passed ball that added an unearned

run to Aggie starter Kyle Simonds’ line. Boomer White kept his hot streak up with an RBI single to extend the Aggie lead to 3-1 in the fourth. An inning later, a error by the Bulldogs put two runners on for Nick Choruby, who roped an RBI single to make it 4-1. Simonds was pulled in the fifth after tossing four innings, allowing one unearned run on four hits; Ryan Hendrix entered the game and quelled one Bulldogs threat. However, the wheels came off for him in the seventh inning. Mississippi State (24-12-1, 8-7 SEC) showed its resiliency with a four-run seventh inning. Gavin Collins pulled a two run homer to make it a 4-3 game. After another single, Brent Rooker roped a two-out RBI triple down the right field line to tie the game 4-4. Hendrix was pulled and allowed four runs on four hits in the inning. The Bulldogs weren’t done yet, though, as Elih Marrero smacked an RBI double to give the Bulldogs the lead at 5-4. But just as they had all weekend, the Aggies bats saved their loudest BASEBALL ON PG. 3

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The BaTTalion is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Offices are in Suite L400 of the Memorial Student Center. News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. Newsroom phone: 979-845-3315; E-mail: editor@thebatt.com; website: http://www.thebatt.com. Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local, and national display advertising, call 979-845-2687. For classified advertising, call 979-8450569. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Email: battads@thebatt.com. Subscriptions: A part of the University Advancement Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1.

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The Battalion | 4.18.16

Equestrian finishes season with loss Texas A&M heads to Waco, falls short in national competition By Aaron Anderson After a shift in momentum for Texas A&M’s equestrian team landed it in the semi-finals of the NCEA National Championships, the Aggies fell just one match short of a chance at the trophy. A&M equestrian fought to the third round of the tournament in Waco’s 2016 edition of the NCEA National Championships. After lopsided victories over No. 12 Fresno State Thursday and No 4. Oklahoma State Friday, the Aggies met their match against SEC rival and No. 1 Auburn Saturday afternoon. A&M was only able to win one event against the Tigers — reining. The Aggies pulled quickly ahead with a 1-2-3 punch over the Tigers in reining Saturday morning to start off the semifinals match. The Aggies’ monumental start was short-lived as the Tigers finally tied the score at 4-4 before they got carried away with the match victory. Despite the dominant 3-1 start in reining, Auburn was able to take command of the match in the Hunter Seat Equitation and the Western horsemanship event. Auburn was able to take swift advantages over the Aggies in individual performances, particularly in equitation over fences. When Auburn riders won in the event, they outscored Aggies riders by an average margin of over 14 points. Individual performances led to 3-1 victories in equitation over fences, equitation on the flat and horsemanship. The Aggies missed out on a chance to compete against the Tigers in the SEC Championships in March. A&M first fell to Georgia in the opening round before again losing to South

FILE

The Aggies lost to Auburn in last weekend’s NCEA National Championships. Carolina in the consolation match. However, the Aggies were able to redeem their postseason slump by placing in the NCEA National Championships this year. Despite the losses at the SEC Championships, the Aggies were given a No. 5 seed heading into the final tournament. After two weeks of preparation, the Aggies were pitted against No. 12 Fresno State in the first round to see who would face No. 4 Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals. After a 9-9 tie breaking victory on Oct. 24 over the Bulldogs, A&M was able to show its maturity against the club with a 14-2 askew first round victory at Nationals

Thursday. After sitting out with a first-round bye, the OSU Cowgirls challenged the Aggies Friday morning. Their firstround break was not enough to keep the Aggies from putting on a show as A&M let loose to a 11-5 one-sided victory over Oklahoma State Friday. Although the Aggies did not finish the season as NCEA National Champions, they were able to right any wrongs from the SEC Tournament with two clear-cut wins at the NCEA finale. After its victory over A&M, Auburn went on to compete in a 8-7 thriller win over the TCU Horned Frogs in the championship round.

REFLECTIONS CONTINUED

SERIOUS DELIVERY!

John Rangel, Sci-Tech Editor

NEWS

Bryan, who graduated from A&M in 1987, said his family is thrilled to have Fehrlin honored at the campus Muster. He said the family is excited to put together a display for Fehrlin that will be shared with the student body, because A&M played such an important role in his father’s life. “As much as he loved A&M and what a special place it was, it really meant a lot to us that the university remembers its students, not just in the Muster ceremony,” Tutt said. “But in the [Reflections Display] too, it gives us a place to come and look at him, and once they’re all up, we’ll be able to look at the displays for all the other families and just see that connection that we all have remembering our loved ones.” Evans and Bezet have worked since the fall to put together the 2016 Reflections Display. The process begins by assembling the physical space the displays will reside in, and continues in the spring with contacting the families to let them know their loved one may be honored in this way. Every family is contacted and informed of their opportunity to put together a display for their loved one. Evans said some calls are hard to make, but some families are excited to memorialize their loved one with a display. “Those are the best ones, when you get the calls from the little old grandmothers whose husbands have passed away and they’re telling you about all the things they’re gonna bring and all the things that were so cool about them, then you’re like 30 minutes on the phone,” Evans said. Both Evans and Bezet have a special connection to Reflections Display. Bezet said when she was deciding where to apply for college, one of her brother’s friends was honored at Muster and the tradition solidified her decision to apply to A&M. Bezet’s brother was also a Muster host during her freshman year, and she got to sit on the floor with him. This inspired her to become a Muster host for two families the following year. Bezet said she spent every free hour she had when she was a Muster host at the Reflections Display. “Working those hours and getting to walk through the display and learn about each Aggie and realize that everyone has a different story and everyone has someone who loves them so immensely that they would send in all this information and want to share it with the student body, that was so special to me that when I applied for committee this year,” Bezet said. Evans had a close experience with Muster her freshman year when her dad unexpectedly died. Evans said going through Muster last year, the part she connected with the most was the Reflections Display. “I just loved that it was an opportunity that I could show all of my friends over the past year, who my dad was and why I loved him so much and why he was such a unique individual,” Evans said. “I think the Reflections Display was a really cool way to share him with the student body.” The Reflections Display is open to the public in the MSC Flag Room Monday through Wednesday while the MSC is open, and Thursday until 1 p.m. Muster hosts will be stationed throughout the Flag Room to assist any visitors 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and Thursday until 1 p.m.

Photos by Ethan Dias — THE BATTALION

(Above) The family of Fenrin Tutt, Class of 1955, displays photos of Tutt on a tree in the Muster reflection display. (Below) Communication senior Holly Rine prepares a display in honor of her grandfather Sam Gordon Jr., Class of 1962.

4/17/16 10:03 PM

SPORTS

The Battalion | 4.18.16

Men’s golf finishes as runner-up to Georgia At SEC championship, Texas A&M men finish second, women fourth By Matt Koper The Aggie men’s and women’s golf teams hit the course this weekend for the SEC Championships. The Aggie men’s team finished as the runner-up and the women’s team finished in 4th place. The men’s team fell just three strokes short of first-place Georgia at 16-over par. Despite finishing in second, this was the best finish the team has had since joining the SEC. Senior Andrew Lister and freshman Chandler Phillips tied for 5th place, shooting two-over par — just seven strokes back of the individual medalist —Lee McCoy of Georgia. Lister finished in the top-five for the third time in his career while Phillips has finished in the top-five three times this season. Rounding out the men’s lineup, Seniors Ben Crancer and Adria Arnaus finished in a tie for 18th and 36th place, respectively. Sophomore Cameron Champ finished in 38th place, shooting 13-over par. The women’s team finished at 20-over par with the champion Alabama carding a five-under par for the tournament. After winning the tournament in 2015, the women have now placed in the top-five for the second consecutive season. Sophomore Maddie Szeryck was a stand-out for the women, shooting even par for the tournament and finishing in 7th place for her second consecutive top10 finish at the tournament. Junior Bianca Fabrizio shot her best

BASEBALL CONTINUED moments for the final innings. They responded immediately in the eighth when an RBI single from Banks took an odd hop and allowed Homan to score from second and tie the game. Following a single from White, Melton gave the Aggies the lead again with a two-run double down the line. Birk would score Melton on a sacrifice fly to make it an 8-5 Aggie lead. The Bulldogs struggled against reliever Mitchell Kilkenny, who got the win after pitching 2 1/3 innings, allowing one hit. Banks broke the game open with a two-run double in the ninth to make it a 10-5 lead. Banks finished 3-for6 with a double and three RBI. All in all, the twothrough-four hitters Banks, White and Melton went a combined 23-for-42 (.547) from the plate over the weekend with two home runs and 17 RBI. Through the series, A&M tallied 30 runs on 47 hits and have now scored 10 or more runs in each of the last six games. They went 17-for-39 (.435) at the plate with runners in scoring position. The sweep also gives the Aggies sole possession of first place in the SEC West. Up next, the Aggies host Texas State for a midweek contest Tuesday night.

LET’S BE FRIENDS PROVIDED

Men’s golf finished as runner-up at last week’s SEC championship. round on Sunday at one-under par and finished seven-over for the tournament in a tie for 23rd place. Juniors Andrea Jonama and Thanya Pattamakijsakul shot 13-over and 15over, respectively — enough to put them in a tie for 29th and 40th place. Junior Callie Scheffler finished in a tie

for 46th. The women will host the 2016 NCAA Regionals May 5-7 at Traditions in Bryan and are in line to qualify for the tournament. The men’s postseason pairings and destinations will be announced for the NCAA Championship May 5 on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive.

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NEWS

The Battalion | 4.18.16

CHILIFEST 2016 1

2 Photos by Brian Okosun— THE BATTALION

1. Thousands flocked to Snook, Texas, this past weekend for the 25th anniversary of Chilifest. 2. “Turnpike Troubadours” and “Whiskey Myers,” headliners of Chilifest, perform live over the course of the two-day event. Noticeably absent from the lineup was “ZZ Top.” The band backed out after bassist and co-vocalist Dusty Hill dislocated his shoulder. 3. A Chilifest attendee cooks up barbecue for his team. 4. “Shane Smith and the Saints” perform during the two-day festival.

VET SCHOOL

MOVIE REVIEW MONDAY

‘The Jungle Book’ is a remake worth seeing

The Open House featured various activities for visitors, including a petting zoo.

Live-action version of beloved story walks the line between classic, new

Mason Morgan

@MasonLMorgan

roducing a remake is equivalent to walking a tightrope over a pit of alligators. Lean too far to the right — nostalgia and faithfulness to the original — and your product comes off redundant. Too far to the left — modernization and new ideas — and you risk severing the connection between past and present. Either way, you’re swamp meat. It takes enormous effort to strike the perfect balance, and thankfully for “The Jungle Book,” director Jon Favreau does just that. “The Jungle Book” follows a very similar plot to the 1967 animated original, but the key difference lies in its tone. This version is much darker, much more sinister — an attribute most obviously noted in the film’s score. Only two actual “songs” are sung by the film’s cast, and when they are, they feel out of place. But in shedding its infantile joviality, “The Jungle Book” embraces a sense of realism that ultimately renders it a more compelling and exciting film than its predecessor — a feat made ironic by the film’s near-total use of CGI. Not since James Cameron’s “Avatar” have audiences been welcomed into a world wholly alien from their own. Nearly everything in the film, from its setting to its characters, is computer-generated. Filmed entirely on a soundstage with a single human actor— Neel Seethi, a newcomer who plays Mowgli — “The Jungle Book” is beautifully shot and animated. A sense of wonder permeates the entire film, and I have to highlight both the film’s use of lighting and its incredible animal animation. Sunlight cascades down through the jungle canopy, darkness engulfs King Louie’s temple and all of

it is achingly realistic. I can’t begin to imagine how many man-hours were spent on lighting alone, and the same can be said of the animals. Every piece of fur sways independently, creatures have defined bone structures and the vocal dubbing is some of the best I’ve ever seen. Truly, the film’s most amazing aspect is its visuals. But the film’s characters are also a delight. For a film devoid of real humans, its characters are vivid and colorful thanks to fantastic voice acting from the entire cast. In fact, the least interesting persona is Mowgli, the film’s protagonist and only live-action character in the bunch. The depths of his emotions and dialogue can’t reach that of his co-actors due to their literal animation, but there’s more than that. Rather than heightening the film’s sense of realism, Seethi’s performance seems detached from the world around him. Every aspect of the film is bright or intense, so Mowgli — because of his inability to truly interact with the film’s world and creatures — seems dull in comparison. He sticks out amongst the lush visuals and experienced voice actors. That said, “The Jungle Book” is a rare breed. Not often do remakes carry more weight than their original, but thanks to modern decisions, great voice acting and incredible visuals, “The Jungle Book” is a shining example of how to do a remake justice. The rest of Hollywood, take notice. Mason Morgan is an English senior and opinion editor for The Battalion.

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Morgan Engel — THE BATTALION

Vet school open house allows for paws-on experience with animals Demonstrations teach visitors animal science By Connor Smith The sights, sounds and even the smells of the animal kingdom took over the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Saturday at the Texas A&M Vet School Open House. The event featured a variety of animal demonstrations intended to teach participants about human-animal interaction. One of the more popular attractions was a demonstration put on by the Bryan Police Dogs in which the dogs and their handlers demonstrated what the K9s have learned in their line of work. Alex Goldsmith, civil engineering sophomore, saw the

demonstration and said he was impressed with the dogs’ abilities. “It’s amazing to see everything that the dogs are able to do,” Goldsmith said. “These dogs have been trained so well it’s hard to think they are the same animal as your pet at home.” The open house also offered visitors the chance to learn about fistulated cows, or cows that have their stomachs surgically “pierced.” The holes in the cows’ stomachs allow for scientists to easily access and learn about the cow’s digestive system and to remove and use the healthy digestive fluid in the cows. The fluid can then be transplanted into other cows that needs it. Quite often the fistulated cows are literally lifesavers for the other cows.

Justin Dunn, a biomedical science senior, was one of the visitors brave enough to experience putting his hand in a fistulated cow through the opening. “It’s a really weird feeling,” Dunn said. “It’s like the cow’s stomach is grabbing your hand back. The whole thing is surprisingly muscular. The idea that this cow has been used to save so many other cows through this procedure is really cool too.” Roxanna Jeffreys, veterinary student and publicity chair for the open house, said the team of students who have put on the event aim to find fun ways to engage the public in their work. “It is our chance to show the community what veterinary medicine is about, and why it is so important to both animals and people,” Jefferys said.

4/17/16 9:34 PM