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The Big Event focuses more on quality instead of quantity

THE

THE BATTALION | THEBATT.COM

By Brad Canon

22,500 STRONG

Photos by Valerie Gunchick and Brian Okosun — THE BATTALION

1. The 2016-2017 yell leaders lead yells outside Kyle Field. 2. Student Body President Joseph Benigno spoke at the opening ceremony. 3. Students throw up gig’ems outside Kyle Field. 4. A&M President Michael Young spoke at his first Big Event opening ceremony as president. 5. Nearly 23,000 students gathered at The Big Event opening ceremony Saturday.

CAMPUS

early 23,000 students spent their Saturday gardening, clearing land, painting and performing other services for members of the Bryan-College Station community as part of The Big Event. This year’s event helped almost 2,400 residents, which was roughly 100 less than the number of residents helped last year. Katie Edwards, management senior and assistant director for The Big Event, said student organizers scaled down the number of job sites despite having more volunteers to ensure quality. “We ended up serving less residents this year, mainly because we wanted to do the jobs that we could do very well,” Edwards said. “We made sure we had enough students at all of the residents’ homes.” Edwards said due to the record turnout and detail the staff placed on logistics, it was the best Big Event to date. Edwards said the A&M students and the residents who participated were great to work with. “Everyone from A&M was so helpful — we all came together,” Edwards said. “In terms of feedback it was one of the best years we have ever had. Students came back happy and the residents that were served all seemed to have positive things to say. Overall it was a great year.” The Big Event is so successful because of the Aggie spirit, said Edwards. “Our mission is not to serve people that are in need. It’s to bridge the gap and build relationships between students and residents to build the community,” Edwards said. “Aggieland embodies not only Texas A&M but the cities of Bryan and College Station as well.” This was the first year The Big Event’s kickoff ceremony was held BIG EVENT ON PG. 2

BASEBALL

Student Media takes home 34 TIPA awards

Potent bats too much for A&M in UF sweep

By Chevall Pryce

By Carter Karels

Texas A&M Student Media took home 34 awards from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association competition held this weekend in Dallas. TIPA holds annual competitions and contests between collegiate student media including newspapers, yearbooks, radio and television. The competition judges publications and outlets on categories, including articles, columns, page design and photography. The Battalion, the student-run newspaper at Texas A&M, won 17 awards total, including nine firstplace awards — more first-place honors than any other university in Division 1. “The Aggieland,” the student-run yearbook at Texas A&M, won 17 awards total, including five first-place awards and first place in the overall excellence category. “We are actually one of the most decorated collegiate yearbooks in the nation,” said Hannah Fenske, former editor of “The Aggieland.” “We spent countless hours in the office throughout the entire summer working on this book so the school year could be documented … The awards are a nice touch. It’s good to be recognized for our work.” Aimée Breaux, applied mathematical sciences senior and editor-in-chief of The Battalion, said the competition allows The Battalion to showcase A&M as well as the talent of staff members. “At The Batt we’re really proud of the work that everyone has done, and I think the quality of the work is reflected in the fact that we’ve done so well in this state competition,” Breaux said. “But no one comes into the office thinking, ‘Let’s make a paper that will win an award.’ We come to the office thinking, ‘Let’s FILE make a paper that’s going to serve our readers.’”

With the hitting Florida produced all weekend, starter A.J. Puk’s exit after just 11 pitches would not stop the Gators from sweeping the Aggies. For the third consecutive game, the Gators delivered 12 hits, this time necessary in order to fend off Texas A&M’s 12 hits en route to a 10-7 comeback victory. The No. 1 Aggies (22-6, 4-5 SEC) started sophomore Jace Vines on the mound. Vines, who was cleared at the last minute to play from an illness, pitched only three innings after allowing five runs

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FILE

Junior reliever Ryan Hendrix took the loss on Sunday, allowing two hits and four runs in 2.2 innings of work.

on six hits. A&M starters Vines, Kyle Simonds and Tyler Ivey pitched 6.1 innings and allowed 11 runs on 14 hits, while also walking six batters. But on Sunday, Florida inflicted most of its damage in the seventh inning. The No. 2 Gators (27-3, 7-2 SEC) trailed 7-6 with two outs and the bases empty in the seventh. Ryan Hendrix walked a pair of batters, and Buddy Reed and J.J. Schwartz took advantage by driving them home with RBI singles to take an 8-7 lead. Mark Ecker could not stop the bleeding once he came BASEBALL ON PG. 3

RESEARCH

A&M reseacher urges healthy bedtime snacks Eating fatty foods before bed can have harmful effects By Zach Grinovich If you haven’t had a good night of sleep in a while, your favorite bedtime snack could be to blame. David Earnest, a Texas A&M neuroscience researcher who specializes in circadian rhythms — the body’s natural cycle of sleep and wakefulness — and his team have found that not all bedtime snacks are equal. “We have always known that saturated fats are bad for you and high fat diets are bad for you,” Earnest said. “It’s not only what you eat, but the timing of when you have these bad snacks can make things all the worse.” Earnest and his lab have found snacks that are typically eaten before

Morgan Engel — THE BATTALION

A&M researcher David Earnest found that eating healthy before bed can help avoid harmful effects.

bed can be significantly worse for the body when eaten late at night, especially when they are high in fat. “What we focused on was the sat-

urated fats, and there is one that is a common additive in the garbage that we eat late at night — it’s called SNACKS ON PG. 4

4/3/16 10:36 PM

NEWS

The Battalion | 4.4.16

MOVIE REVIEW MONDAY

A&M FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Students and fans got to see the Aggies in action when Texas A&M opened its Spring practice to the public Friday. Trevor Knight (pictured left) and Jake Hubenak split time at quarterback as the Aggie offense went against the defense in various situations.

Jacob Martindale — THE BATTALION

Thriller depicts drone warfare fairly Mason Morgan @MasonLMorgan

Morgan Engel — THE BATTALION

AGGIES IN THE MAJOR LEAGUE A look at former A&M baseball players’ careers in the MLB By Heath Clary With six Major League Baseball teams opening their seasons Sunday and the other 24 playing their first game on Monday, the 2016 season is finally underway. Five players who played their college baseball at Texas A&M made their Opening Day rosters. Michael Wacha St. Louis Cardinals After being part of the starting rotation in each of his three seasons at A&M from 2010-2012, Wacha pitched his first full season in the MLB in 2015. The 24-year-old righty went 17-7 with a 3.38 ERA in 181.1 innings pitched. In 2016 he will be a critical part of a Cardinals rotation that will try to make up for the loss of veteran starter John Lackey, who signed with the Cubs in the offseason.

season as a bench player for the Angels. He hit only .210 in 2015 with three home runs, but his versatility and defensive prowess allow him to stay in the league.

Tyler Naquin Cleveland Indians Like Stripling, Naquin also learned Friday that he would start the season in the big leagues for the first time of his career. The 24-year-old outfielder was arguably the Aggies’ best player when they went to the College World Series in 2011, and the former first-round pick likely would have cracked the MLB roster sooner if not for various injuries that delayed his ascent up the minor league ladder.

batt The IndependenT STudenT VoIce of TexaS a&M SInce 1893

Aimée Editor Chief Mark Breaux, Doré, Editor in in Chief Aimee Breaux, Managing Editor Katie Canales, Life & Arts Editor LindseyReiley, Gawlik, Stapp, News Editor Jennifer Asst.Managing ManagingEditor Editor Katy Carter Karels, Sports Editor MickeyGawlik, Gashaw, Sports Editor Sam King,Knowles, News Editor Lindsey News Editor Shelby Photo Editor LawrenceKing, Smelser, SportsEditor Editor Mason Opinion EditorEditor Samantha Asst. News AllisonMorgan, Bradshaw, Asst. Photo JackStapp, Riewe, LifeNews & ArtsEditor Editor Claire Shepherd, Katy Asst. Meredith Collier,Page PageDesigner Designer Alexis Will,Sci Photo Olivia PagePage Designer John Rangel, TechEditor Editor ClaireAdam, Shepherd, Designer

Zuri Sanchez, Page Designer

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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Alex Wilson Detroit Tigers Wilson transferred to Texas A&M from Winthrop for his final college season in 2009, and he blossomed into an excellent late-inning reliever for the Tigers in 2015, amassing a 2.19 ERA in 70 innings of work. The 29-yearold Saudi Arabian-born righty is projected to be an integral part of Brad Ausmus’ bullpen in 2016.

were vital to the success of the event. “Each staff member that we had could have done my job twice as well as I can, and we had full trust in them to get the job done,” Jones said. Mark Lutz, finance senior and director of The Big Event, echoed Jones’ sentiment. “The dedication, commitment and amount of thought that each executive put into the event really is what made everything go so well,” Lutz said. “The staff really prepared for any situation, and I would say that is what made the difference.”

THE

John Rangel, Sci-Tech Editor

in Kyle Field’s Zone Plaza, which Jones said helped with traffic flow, tool distribution and location access. “It was awesome having Kyle Field in the background of the stage,” Jones said. “It is a central location for where many people live, along with access to lot 61 and overall logistics it went really smooth.” Along with the 22,000-plus students, Kai Jones, industrial distribution junior and a recruiting executive for the event, said the 300-plus members of The Big Event staff

BIG EVENT CONTINUED

How will Texas MLB teams fare in 2016?

ble-A in his career, he impressed the organization enough in spring training to win the job at the bigleague level.

Ross Stripling Los Angeles Dodgers Stripling, who pitched for A&M for four years from 20092012, received great news Friday afternoon when the Dodgers announced he had earned the final spot in the team’s starting rotation. Even though he hasn’t pitched above Dou-

Cliff Pennington Los Angeles Angels The oldest player on this list, Pennington played for the Aggies from 2003-2005. He is not a star, but he has made a career as a serviceable middle infielder. The 31-year-old journeyMichael Wacha recorded 27 victories in three man will be employed this seasons at Texas A&M.

STAFF PICKS

Heath Clary Assistant sports editor @Heath_Clary Carlos Correa will assuage any fears of a sophomore slump and be in the thick of the AL MVP race, George Springer and Carlos Gomez will each have huge years and the starting rotation will be effective enough to win games. The Astros will win the division and improve on last year’s breakout campaign.

Grant Spika Sports writer @GrantSpika The Rangers will go 86-76 in 2016. I think that record will be good enough to grab second place in the AL West and the second AL Wild Card spot, which would put Texas in the AL Wild Card one-game playoff with a chance to advance to the AL Division Series.

Valerie Gunchick — THE BATTALION

This year The Big Event opening ceremony was held in Kyle Field’s Zone Plaza to accommodate the increased participation.

odern warfare is complicated. As political as it is strategic, words and decisions have replaced guns and bullets — in an atmosphere where political correctness is sacred, every consequence must be measured. And although “Eye in the Sky” presents a competent and compelling depiction of drone warfare, it’s partially tainted by its repetition. To put it bluntly, “Eye in the Sky” is a mouthful. Directed by Gavin Hood, the political war thriller focuses its time asking provocative questions and belaboring over their answers. What is the cost of one civilian casualty blown out onto headlines? When is the right time to pull the trigger if the target is always in sight? The film’s dialogue gets downright dialectic at times, but it serves a point: modern military decisions are as bureaucratic as any other government entity. It’s a good thing the actors behind those conversations are riveting. Helen Mirren displays fantastic work as Col. Katherine Powell, a no-nonsense colonel who rides the razor-thin line between authoritarian and empathetic. The film follows her as she leads a secret drone mission to capture a group of wanted terrorists. But when the group begins planning a suicide attack and the rules of engagement change from capture to kill, Powell must come to terms with the correct course of action. To do so, Powell and her team — which includes Aaron Paul as drone pilot Steve Watts — must “refer up.” This is the film’s central movement. “Eye in the Sky” tracks Powell as she seeks her superior’s permission, who then needs to seek their superior’s permission, and so on. Performances such as Mirren’s and Alan Rickman’s — who is surprisingly funny as the straight-faced, nearly droll Lt. Gen. Frank Benson — certainly carry the film forward, but eventually the rhetorical back-and-forth grows stale. I know there is a point to be made, and at times the pacing itself seems a comment on the tedium of war, but its repetitive nature will turn off some viewers. That said, the film does a lot right. I’ve already touched on the performances, but the cinematography also bears mentioning. The camera’s tendency to spotlight scenes from above imposes a dehumanizing effect, as though the audience — and by extension, the military — are gods toying with mere men. And at a timely 102 minutes, there isn’t much to fault. “Eye in the Sky” is leagues better than the usual popcorn political-thriller fare. With complex, weighted performances from all of its key characters and a selfaware script, the film takes a complicated subject and asks all the important questions — without overhanded conclusivity. The result is a tight, competent thriller that respects its audience, and that itself is worth the price of admission. Mason Morgan is an English senior and opinion editor for The Battalion.

Hold onto a piece of Aggieland It’s not too late to order your copy of the 2016 Aggieland yearbook. The 114th edition of Texas A&M’s official yearbook will chronicle the 2015-2016 school year. Distribution will be Fall 2016.

If you haven’t, come by and purchase a copy of the award-winning 2015 Aggieland yearbook, a 608-page photojournalistic record of the 2014-2015 school year. Purchase any Aggieland yearbook today and receive 50% off a second Aggieland yearbook. (Must come to the Student Media office, or call the office to receive the 50% discount)

For older Aggieland yearbooks go online to aggieland.tamu.edu or call 979-845-2613. You can also drop by the Student Media Office in Suite L400 of the MSC.

4/3/16 10:33 PM

SPORTS

The Battalion | 4.4.16

Aggies bounce back to sweep Arkansas By Grant Spika

FILE

Boomer White continued his hot hitting against Florida, going 8-for-12 at the plate with three RBI and three runs scored.

BASEBALL CONTINUED in to relieve Hendrix, as he faced the hottest bat of the weekend in Peter Alonso. Alonso blasted two home runs and registered five RBIs on 8-for-12 hitting in the series. In need of insurance, he added an RBI single to right. A flustered Ecker then delivered a wild pitch to bring in Schwarz from third, creating the 10-7 score. The early 2-0 lead for UF was quickly diminished once Puk was out of the picture. In the top of the third, Birk’s RBI double off UF’s Brady Singer scored J.B. Moss and Austin Homan to even the score at 2-2. Boomer White’s RBI single claimed the lead and Bank’s ground out RBI provided a 4-2 cushion. That breathing room vanished after Florida’s threerun fourth inning, but Birk was at it again in the fifth. Moss started the frame with a triple, and Birk followed with a homer to right center to place the Aggies ahead at 6-5. Then, Michael Barash created a 7-5 advantage with an RBI double that brought home White. Although two different Aggies recorded three hits on the day — White and Melton — it wasn’t enough to match up with Florida’s firepower. Four Gators registered two hits and Reed went 3-for-5 on the day. The A&M pitching staff did not help, as it walked 20 batters for the series. In total, the Aggies allowed 24 runs on 36 hits in the three losses to the Gators. Up next for A&M is a midweek Tuesday matchup at Rice before a home series with Georgia this weekend.

The No. 11 Texas A&M softball team swept the Arkansas Razorbacks this weekend in dramatic fashion, triggering the run-rule in all three contests to improve its record to 30-6 (5-4 SEC). The Aggies got three much-needed conference victories after being swept last weekend by Georgia. A&M won the three games by scores of 11-3, 9-1, and 9-1. The Aggie hitters dominated the weekend, scoring 29 total runs on 27 hits. The hot hitting was welcomed with open arms after the Aggies scored just seven total runs in their last series against Georgia. “I’m really pleased with our attitude and in our perspective that we came back with [after the Georgia series],” head coach Jo Evans said. “That’s all anybody wants to talk about — ‘What about the three losses,’ ‘What about the sweep at Georgia,’ and for us to go out here today and just get after it and play the game the way we know how to play and not panic was great.” Sophomore Ashley Walters led the offensive onslaught for Texas A&M as she racked up seven hits in 10 at bats, adding 10 RBI, six of which came in game three, and a home run as well. Walters raised her batting average to .340 with four home runs and 37 RBIs on the year. “[Walters] looked great out there,” Evans said. “I talk about this a lot with her, but she’s such a competitor, she’s a real tough out, she kind of goes under the radar with our ball club. She just gets her job done, she’s just a blue-collar, hard-working kid, and I couldn’t be more excited for her.” Freshman Samantha Show continues to be the ace in the circle for the Aggies. She threw 11 total innings, adding 16 strikeouts and giving up just four runs in the series. “I’m most proud of Sam Show,” Evans said. “She came out and cut down her

Morgan Engel — THE BATTALION

Freshman outfielder Keeli Milligan stole three more bases this weekend to push her nation-leading total to 42.

walks. She only had two walks on the day. For her to go out there and have command of her changeup, I thought that was the big difference maker today, and also for her to keep the ball down in the zone and attack the zone, and you can see how

dangerous she can be when she gets ahead in the count.” The Aggies will be back in action on Wednesday as they take on Stephen F. Austin at the Aggie Softball Complex. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

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4/3/16 9:51 PM

NEWS

The Battalion | 4.4.16

AGGIECON DRAWS HUNDREDS FROM SCI-FI COMMUNITY Cephoid Variable hosts 47th annual comic convention By Josh McCormack

Kathryn Perez — THE BATTALION

(Top left) Biology senior Rachel Harvey participates at AggieCon by dressing up as Asuka from the anime series “Evangelion.” (Top right) Artist and vendor Martin Whitmore competes in the “Iron Artist.” (Bottom) Attendees at the event could peruse through a collection of for-sale comic books.

SNACKS CONTINUED palmitate or palmitic acid,” Earnest said. “It’s in particular foods we eat for late night snacks, like chips and ice cream that have palmitate.” Earnest’s research also discovered late-night snacking could have much more dire effects. Earnest said eating these foods late at night can put one at a much greater risk of developing metabolic disorders such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Sam Moon Kim, a graduate student in Earnest’s lab, helped with

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a large portion of the testing. Using animal models, Kim monitored the effects of fatty acids at various times during the animal’s circadian rhythm. “The fatty acid that I used in this project was palmitate, which is a primary saturated fatty acid in bedtime snacks,” Kim said. “This study examined time-dependent effects of palmitate on the circadian clock and inflammatory responses.” Nichole Neuendorff, another graduate student working in the lab, described the testing process. “Cells were subjected to control or fatty acid treatments at different

Aliens, ponies and assassins roamed the Bryan-College Station area this past weekend at the 47th AggieCon convention. The convention brought together fans of science-fiction, fantasy, horror and comic books to celebrate their shared interests. Texas A&M’s Cepheid Variable, an organization dedicated to science fiction, fantasy, horror and technology, hosted the event at the Bryan County Expo Complex. This year’s theme played off of the famous line, “I Have No Memories of This Place” from the movie series “Lord of the Rings.” AggieCon featured artists, authors, panels and activities for attendees to participate in. The total attendance was estimated to be upwards of 300 people, said Brian Rabaey, graduate student and public relations officer for Cepheid Variable. The convention included an art competition called “Iron Artist” modeled after the cooking reality show “Iron Chef,” which had the artists compete by drawing and coloring under pressure. Engineering freshman Will Taylor said the event he was most excited for was a panel discussion with a respected Hollywood sculptor, Brian Muir, who has worked on films such as “Alien,” “Planet of the Apes” and “Star Wars: A New Hope.” Many attendees roamed the con-

times throughout the day to determine their effects on inflammation and our internal body clocks,” Neuendorff said. According to the team’s findings, inflammatory responses have direct connections to various metabolic disorders and are also affected by bedtime snacking. Kim said it is necessary to study the activity of the circadian clock and the inflammatory markers in the cells because inflammation is a key factor for the inducing of metabolic disorders. The results of the experiment proved the team’s hypothesis —

vention in homemade costumes based on characters from television shows, movies or comic books. Among the costumes were characters such as Rainbow Dash from “My Little Pony” and Ezio Auditore from the video game “Assassin’s Creed.” Biology senior Rachel Harvey was among this group of “cosplayers” and donned a red dress with hand-painted designs and an orange cut fabric pasted on the front. “I made my costume after the character Asuka from the anime series ‘Evangelion,’” Harvey said. “The costume took a couple of weeks to make, all the variations and additions to the dress, which was bought online, were done by hand.” Microbiology freshman Joseph Malveaux said he was impressed with what the convention had to offer. “I’m looking to get into a new board game or maybe a new card game in the board game room they have. I also want to go see some of the panels, especially the one with Brian Muir,” Malveaux said. Aside from the panels, the vendors’ tables had many handmade and original merchandise available for purchase. Of the vendors, Austin-based artist Martin Whitmore sold a roleplaying game he created, illustrated and produced called “Against the Dead.” “This has been my seventh or eighth AggieCon, and my favorite part about it is the people,” Whitmore said. “There is a pretty consistent core group of folks that run the show and come every year that I look forward to seeing all year round.”

these fatty snacks are most harmful when eaten later in the day. “Palmitate, saturated fatty acid, has its greatest effects in inducing inflammation and ‘jet lagging’ the clock presumably during the night,” Neuendorff said. To combat these potential issues, Earnest suggested two alternative methods of snacking. “One of the things that you can do is to stay away from those foods late at night ... and go to things that are better, like nuts and green leafy vegetables which are high in magnesium which promotes muscle relaxation,” Earnest said. “Unfortu-

nately, all the good things you can eat at night are not as attractive to us as snacks.” Another way to avoid the harmful effects is, essentially, to eat healthy fats with the unhealthy ones, said Earnest. “The other option is to compensate by ingesting foods that are high in omega-3 unsaturated fats,” Earnest said. “You can minimize the bad effects if you supplement your diet with these because they are anti-inflammatory; they combat the bad effects of the saturated fats late at night.”

4/3/16 10:37 PM