TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2016 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2016 STUDENT MEDIA | @THEBATTONLINE
Silver Taps
TONIGHT WE HONOR THE FALLEN when 10:30 p.m. Tuesday where Academic Plaza
In honor of Aggies who died in the last month, the Ross Volunteer Firing Squad will march in Academic Plaza and fire three rifle volleys of seven shots. Buglers from the Aggie Band will play a special arrangement of Taps.
Nov. 7, 1986 — Nov. 10, 2016
Anita Mantri
Determined scholar inspired all who knew her By Megan Rodriguez @MeganLRodriguez
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nita Mantri’s unwavering determination, unmatched intelligence and undeniable selflessness will never be forgotten by her family, friends, colleagues and mentors who deeply miss her loving character. A student in Texas A&M’s MD/ Ph.D. program, Anita earned her Ph.D. in May as one of her first steps in achieving the ultimate goal of becoming a NASA flight surgeon. However, Anita’s intellect and personality were not contained solely within the realm of math and science, as proven by her fluency in multiple languages, love for performing and her caring attitude. Shubha Mantri, Anita’s mother, said her daughter’s passion for space medicine developed at a young age, and even as a child she was determined to pursue a challenging career.
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Anita Mantri, a Ph.D. student at Texas A&M, will be honored at Silver Taps on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m.
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PRINTING
LAST ISSUE DEC. 12 The Battalion will not print on Dec. 7 or Dec 8. Our last issue of the year will be Dec. 12. The Battalion will return Jan. 17.
ATHLETICS
JASON COOK ACCEPTS POSITION AT BAYLOR Texas A&M University senior associate athletic director Jason Cook announced Monday that he has accepted a position at Baylor University as vice president for marketing and communications and chief marketing officer, as first reported by The Eagle. Cook has served as senior associate athletic director for A&M since 2013 and has been on staff at the university since 2003. “I want to thank Texas A&M for the opportunity to serve such a great university for over a decade,” Cook said in a Twitter statement Monday afternoon. “Aggieland will always be a special place for me and my family.” Cook left a mark on A&M athletics over the past few years. He was a key advocate in Texas A&M’s transition to the SEC, serving alongside former A&M President R. Bowen Loftin during the transition from the Big 12 in 2011 to 2012. Cook also oversaw Johnny Manziel’s Heisman Trophy campaign in 2012. Cook will oversee Baylor’s Division of Marketing and Communications, directing marketing, media and electronic communications for the university. “After spending time talking with Jason and hearing his passion for telling the Baylor story and his belief in our Christian mission, the selection team and I knew he was the right person to fill this important role,” said Baylor University Interim President David Garland in a statement released on Baylor’s website. “His varied experiences in corporate marketing, crisis management, athletics communication and higher education marketing will be an invaluable addition to the university’s leadership team. ” — Alex Miller @AlexMill20
“She had a very long vision for herself ever since she was in kindergarten,” Shubha said. “She would tell the counselor, ‘I want to be a space doctor,’ and the counselor would say, ‘I’m not sure if that’s a real profession’ and she said, ‘Yes, I will make it into a profession. That’s what I want to do.’” Anita’s love for education did not stop after class hours, and she used every opportunity to delve into other subjects, according to her sister, Trisha Mantri. “She was super talented at languages,” Trisha said. “She knew Spanish, Hindi, she was learning Italian. She could pick up languages in two weeks. She was an excellent singer and had a really beautiful voice. She trained in both traditional American singing as well as Indian classical singing.” In addition to Anita’s love for education and her future career, Shubha said she was talented in many different ways. “Anita was everything really,” Shubha said. “She was determined, she was able to have a clear plan for
Brazos County now allows 911 texts By Matthew Jacobs @MattJacobs3413 Emergency response in Brazos County has improved its capabilities by allowing any cell phone user to text 911 in an emergency situation. Cell phone signals cannot be tracked to a specific location, so allowing this feature can be challenging and requires cooperation from cell service providers. 911 texting capabilities are a new development that most counties still do not have. Executive director for the Brazos County District Patrick Corley said this change at the county level came from pressure by the federal and state governments. “Our office, the Brazos County 911 district office, we’re in charge of the 911 system and network within the political boundary of Brazos County,” Corley said. “There’s been kind of a push at the federal and state levels to get your dispatch centers text-capable. And at this point, nationwide, it’s probably only five to 10 percent of all of the dispatch centers in the country that are capable of accepting text calls.”
Alexis Will — THE BATTALION
Cell phone users in Brazos County can now text 911 in emergency situations.
The state of Texas has a higher rate of counties with 911 texting capabilities, according to Corley. “Here in Texas we’re a little bit
more fortunate,” Corley said. “We have a lot of areas that have more 911 ON PG. 2
Abbott says no sanctuary campuses
Students, minorities weigh in on governor’s tweet from Monday By Tyler Snell @Tyler_Snell2 Gov. Greg Abbott declared in a tweet Thursday that he will use his powers as governor to cut funding to cities or campuses that establish themselves as sanctuary cities. “Texas will not tolerate sanctuary campuses or cities. I will cut funding for any state campus if it establishes sanctuary status,” the tweet read. SANCTUARY ON PG. 2
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted Thursday that he will defund any university that declares itself a “sanctuary campus.”
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