FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2017 STUDENT MEDIA Saturday’s matchup against Mississippi State will be the third straight night game at Kyle Field.
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Aggies aim to avenge last year’s derailing loss to Mississippi State By Heath Clary @Heath_Clary It’s been nearly a full calendar year, but the Texas A&M defense still vividly remembers then sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald sprinting 74 yards on Mississippi State’s first offensive play from scrimmage in what began the Bulldogs 35-28 upset victory over the fourth-ranked Aggies. “I’ve watched it a couple of times. It’s still lingering in our minds,” sophomore linebacker Tyrel Dodson said. “We’re all mad
going into this game, and that’s how we’re going to play.” Mississippi State comes to Kyle Field for a Saturday night kickoff to face an A&M team who is coming off a bye week after defeating Florida 19-17 in a physical back-and-forth slugfest on Oct. 14. The Bulldogs (5-2, 2-2 SEC) are led by junior Fitzgerald, who gashed the A&M defense for 182 yards on the ground, 209 yards through the air and four total touchdowns last year. The 6-5, 230-pound dual-threat signal-caller presents a myriad of challenges for an Aggie defense that has been excellent in recent weeks. “We know that we have our hands full with Nick Fitzgerald, so our main focus is
A&M VS MISSISSIPPI STATE OCT. 28 AT 6:15 P.M. | ESPN
to eliminate big plays, maintain gap integrity and play physical football,” Dodson said. “He’s so big, he’s fast and he’s the heart and soul of that entire Mississippi State team. We’ve got to bring it to him.” A&M leads the nation with 28 sacks, while the Bulldogs have yielded the fewest sacks in the SEC to this point. A lot of that is due to Fitzgerald’s strength and mobility, but the Bulldogs also boast a big, physical offensive line that has allowed just three sacks through seven games. Defensively, Mississippi State ranks third in the SEC in total defense. Last year the Bulldogs held Aggie running backs to 3.7 yards per carry and first-year defensive coordinator Todd Grantham will likely try to make A&M
one-dimensional again this season. “We already know that they’re going to try to stop the run game and make the quarterback make quick decisions,” said senior running back Keith Ford. “We’re ready for it, we already know what they’re going to do and we just have to execute our game plan.” If the Aggies (5-2, 3-1 SEC) struggle to get the ground game going, the pressure will be on freshman quarterback Kellen Mond, who is coming off a pedestrian 8-for-24, 180-yard performance against the Gators. He did gain a team-leading 52 rushing yards, though, and he might have to make plays with his legs again, if the Aggies are going to PREVIEW ON PG. 3 Spencer Russo — THE BATTALION
Bringing back the rival game Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at Wednesdy’s A&M-UT charity exhibition basketball game that one of his next goals is to revive the A&M-UT football C. Morgan Engel — THE BATTALION game.
United student movement hopes to restore A&M-Texas football game By Alex Miller @AlexMill20 During the Notre Dame–Texas game in September 2016, then economics freshman Chipper Adams was watching the game and began to wonder – why aren’t Texas A&M and Texas playing each other? A year later, Adams would lead the launch of an independent student campaign “Reinstate the Rivalry” on Sunday aimed at bringing back the Texas A&M–Texas football game, which was last played in 2011. “The idea is that we’re running a campaign, but instead of running a campaign for a candidate, we’re running a campaign for an idea,” Adams said. As co-director of Reinstate the Rivalry, Adams said that although they are not associated with any organizations, students from all over campus are part of the movement. During Texas’s student body voting in September, a referendum was held for students to vote on whether they were in favor of the game returning. Of the 7,761 students that voted, 96.7 percent said yes. “We thought it was an important data point for President [Greg] Fenves and our athletic
director, Mike Perrin,” Texas student body vice president Micky Wolf said. “We’ve been in contact with them throughout the spring and summer and something they were looking to understand was how would students feel about the game coming back.” Wolf and Texas student body president Alejandrina Guzman were elected in March and renewing the annual A&M–UT football game was on both of their agendas. During their campaign, they approached former A&M student body president Hannah Wimberly about having a joint student-led movement. “We had conversations with student leaders at A&M before putting it on our platform that ensured there would be interest from the A&M side and making sure we could get the movement going,” Wolf said. While involved with Fish Aides his freshman year, Adams attended Student Government Association Executive Cabinet meetings as a member of the Legislative Relations Committee. At one meeting last spring, Wimberly explained Guzman and Wolf’s idea to student legislators — Adams decided to speak up. “The goal was to get both student governments to start working on this project together,” Adams said. “I had some insight to offer and said something and at the end of the conversation she said ‘Chipper, do you want to be in charge of this?’ And I was like, A&M-UT ON PG. 3
A FUTURE OF EXCELLENCE President Young looks to coming years in State of University address By Tyler Snell @Tyler_Snell2 In a room full of students and faculty members Wednesday evening at the Annenberg Presidential Center, President Michael Young described the kind of impact Aggies are making and how Texas A&M will be at the forefront of innovation and problem solving in the years to come. In his second State of the University address, Young commended students and faculty on the hard work and selfless service displayed for the university over the past year, while also encouraging the same for the future, with plans for a new School of Innovation and more high impact experiences for students. Young applauded A&M for recently moving into the top 25 of public universities by U.S. News and into the top 20 by the Wall Street Journal, attributing it to the energy and spirit of both students and faculty. “I’m happy to report today that the state of the university is strong,” Young said. “We have a tangible momentum over these past 12 months, one that will send us far into the future.” Aaron Lira, Class of 2017 and graduate student,
said Young’s focus on excellence and the support of students and faculty is already making an impact and will continue to in the years to come. “It seems like he has a really good idea of what we need, what kind of support we need and what kind of support the faculty needs as well to pursue those pillars of excellence,” Lira said. “I definitely think the commitment to excellence and innovation is something that will really impact us moving forward. It is a really powerful statement and something that can transcend the classroom and transcend the research going on here.” Young also took time to highlight the ADDRESS ON PG. 2 President Young gave his second State of the University address Wednesday evening.
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THE BATTALION is published Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 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 979-845-0569. 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.
crisis He’s an android with a manufactured body, manufactured mind and false memories of a childhood that never happened. In addition to the moral and philosophical questions such a character raises, it is revealed that this replicant has a digital girlfriend who thinks she’s in love with him. Whether or not this digital being is even capable of love is an unanswered question largely left up to the viewer to decide. Villeneuve shows us how quickly the water muddies when approaching issues such as these, and he poses a lot of philosophical questions through his artificial and human characters alike. Despite all the good, “Blade Runner 2049” wasn’t without its flaws. Namely, the villain was lacking in driving motivation. Jared Leto’s enigmatic and evil Niander Wallace was an almost unnecessary character with shaky foundations. There was one interesting exchange between Leto and Harrison Ford’s Deckard, but I found that Leto, through no fault of his acting but as the result of bad character development, came across as an underdeveloped plot device and not as a real character. In fact, he is regularly outdone in evilness and ruthlessness by his own replicant assistant, Sylvia Hoeks’ Luv, who displays savagery and a simultaneous sadness that is both disturbing and fascinating to watch. While the replicant Luv is very well done, Leto’s character Wallace could have and should have been written better, as his incompleteness detracts a little bit from the rest of the film. All in all, “Blade Runner 2049” is a breathtakingly beautiful sci-fi film that asks all the right questions. Despite its underdeveloped arch-villain and long runtime, it is without a doubt a sequel worth watching. Keagan Miller is a general studies sophomore and Life & Arts writer for The Battalion.
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groundbreaking research accomplished by both faculty and students over the past year, including astronomy and physics professor Jennifer Marshall, who witnessed the gravitational waves released by a neutron star merger. “I thought it was very informative and powerful and inspiring to be as great this year as we have been in the past couple years,” said Travis Johnston, Class of 2017. “From the research that people are taking on, such as [discovering] the gravitational waves to autonomous vehicles, it is amazing that [this] is happening at Texas A&M.” Young also spoke of some of the challenges faced by the university such as inclusion of all students who aspire to attend Texas A&M. “It is and still will be the responsibility of every single one of us to demonstrate excellence in how we treat, welcome and engage others who step foot on campus,” Young said. “We are proud to continue to be a welcoming environment to our students across the globe.” Texas A&M is also launching a new School of Innovation that aims to find ways to bring the world’s problems to A&M for students and faculty to work on and solve. “We have some of the most innovative, creative and intelligent students in the world here at Texas A&M,” Young said. “We’ve asked the [School of Innovation] to look at how it will be possible for people everywhere to bring problems that need solutions to Texas A&M and have our students and faculty take the lead in finding those solutions. We want Texas A&M to be the place where the world comes to help solve its problems.” Pertaining to the future, Young said he strives to increase the percentage of students who participate in high impact learning experiences that include leadership opportunities, study abroad and undergraduate research. “Our goal is to increase the percentage and number of high impact experiences for our students,” Young said. “We are preparing our students for these leadership and service opportunities.” Young said he hopes A&M will continue its pursuit and display of leadership, excellence and success that the university has focused on in the past year. “I think the future is even brighter than the year I have just recited,” Young said. “This has been a year of achievement, of great strides as a tier-one university, growth in reputation and rankings, faculty and staff who mentor each other and our students and students who selflessly serve in every way imaginable, but I know the best is yet to come.”
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Texas A&M currently leads the nation in sacks with 28, but will be challenged against Mississippi State who has allowed only three.
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Texas A&M will wear an alternate uniform called ‘Bright Lights’ in this Saturday’s game against Mississippi State. The special jerseys have been in the works for 16 months.
New ‘Bright Lights’ uniforms to debut Equipment staff completes over yearlong alternate jersey design process By Alex Miller @AlexMill20 Texas A&M’s traditional maroon will have a different look this weekend when the Aggies wear their ‘Bright Lights’ uniforms against Mississippi State. The two-toned jersey concept was pitched by sponsor Adidas in 2015, with the company offering A&M to be the first to wear them. After declining the initial idea two years ago, the Aggies brought back the design when planning this year’s alternate uniform 16 months ago. “We were deciding what we were going to do for 2017 and we had not done a maroon-based alternate uniform to this point since we’ve been doing them since 2012,” head equipment manager Matt Watson said. “That’s where we revisited this concept and massaged it into what you’ll see on the field this Saturday.” As part of A&M’s contract with Adidas, the sportswear company provides the team with at least one alternate uniform per season. Watson works as a middleman between Adidas and A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin to come up with ideas 12 to 18 months in advance. “We’ll come in with an idea or a
certain color pallet we’d like to use for a game we want to wear [the uniforms] in,” Watson said. “We’ll talk to Adidas about that and let them go to the drawing board and come back. On the flip side, Adidas will come to us and say, ‘Hey we’ve got a concept here we’d like to pitch to you guys.’ ” Nailing down a design can vary in time, Watson said. This year’s look took longer due to the complexity of the jersey, which features a two-toned weave design. The usual shoulder stripes and beveled numbers were removed and there will be no names on the back. “It’s a little more complicated just because there’s so much going on,” Watson said of this year’s uniform. “It’s really busy, you have a mash of two colors. It’s something we want to be respectful of our tradition, especially wearing it at home.” The first step to making the uniform game ready is to make sure all uniforms are accounted for before sending them through an extensive washing process. “We go through a pre-washing process to get out all the colors, so they don’t bleed,” assistant equipment manager Justin Volentine said. “We’ll pre-wash all the jerseys, pants, tight-fits and then I’ll start marking everything per player so whenever we go through our normal game week, we’re a step ahead.”
Players wore the new helmets and cleats during Monday’s no shoulder pad practice to break them in to make sure everything fit right. They will wear them again in Friday’s walk-thru. Helmets are only worn on non-contact days to keep players from damaging them during hitting drills. “A day is enough for them to sweat in it to get them to feel if they need air [in the helmet] or any adjustments they need to make,” assistant equipment manager Bryan Gossett said. “ We don’t want them wearing it on a day we wear shoulder pads because you get scuff marks and gouges in the helmet.” Sumlin himself decides which game the Aggies wear their special jerseys. “He had picked two games this year, and the nature of the other game that we did not go with dictated us going with this game,” Watson said. “After looking at the situation several months ago, we decided that this weekend would be the better one to do it.” Although there are 11 months separating now and the beginning of next season, Watson concluded that his staff is already well into planning next year’s alternate look and is hoping to see the first prototypes in the next couple weeks. “We’ve been working on 2018 for a while, but it’s still got a long ways to go,” Watson said.
SHUTTLE, DRIVE, TAXI OR UBER Lot 30E will serve as new drop off and pickup lot for gameday By Tyler Snell @Tyler_Snell2 Students and visitors now have another way to travel to and from campus on Aggie game day. Parling lot 30E is now a designated Uber and taxi lot for attendees to be picked up and dropped off. This new function of the parking lot started as a pilot project in 2016, but Transportation Services have now officially designated Lot 30E as a pickup and drop off area. Transportation Services Communications Manager Melissa Maraj said this helps alleviate congestion on the streets. “Lot 30E offers transport services, such as rideshare [Uber and Lyft], hotel shuttles, taxi services and limousines [and] easy access to a location that is within close proximity of Kyle Field—where fans can be dropped off and picked up safely prior to and after the game,” Maraj said. “Having the Lot 30E location reduces the stop-and-go traffic that is seen with these types of services and reduces congestion and backup on streets, which lessens traffic hazards and keeps pedestrians safe.” Texas A&M Transportation Institute Research Fellow Tim Lomax said it takes the work of the City of College Station and Transportation Services to make travel on game day safe and efficient. “The city of College Station and Transportation Services have a lot of people and technology that combine together to make the postgame work,” Lomax said. “It is a combination of people, technologies and communication.”
For those looking to save money, Transportation Services has free shuttle busses for people that park in Downtown Bryan and Momentum Plaza, located at University Drive and Copperfield Parkway. For off-campus travelers, A&M bus routes 22, 26, 31 and 35 operate two hours before kick-off, stop during the game and operate an hour and a half after a game ends. “Fans attending the game can take advantage of the free express shuttles that are offered during game days,” Debbie Hoffman, Transportation Services associate director said. “Taking the shuttles are a quick and hassle free way to get to and from the game.” Fans with a valid A&M parking pass may park in select lots on campus and utilize the on-campus bus routes that continuously run until an hour and a half after the game. For those without a parking permit, some lots range from $20 to $83.50 depending on how close they are to the stadium. “The added benefit for fans this year is that reservations are now available. Parking can be reserved and held until you arrive to make the process of finding parking that much easier,” Hoffman said. “Again, taking the shuttles are a quick and hassle-free way to get to and from the game.” Roughly 27,000 rides are given on the bus routes during an average game day according to Lomax who also said the challenges of bus transportation come after the game when ev-
eryone wants to go home. “The amount of time and the fact that we have a lot of people come for tailgates and other things makes traffic and transportation problems pretty moderate until after the game,” Lomax said. “You’ve got a stadium full of people and another 15 to 20 thousand sitting at Aggie tailgates that all want to leave at the same time.” Whether fans utilize the new Uber Lot, bus routes or parking on campus, Lomax said the safety of the fans is the highest priority. “If you look at the plan we have, we are trying to separate vehicles and pedestrians,” Lomax said. “Pedestrians are always going to lose that argument. It also doesn’t help the vehicular flow if drivers are having to watch out for pedestrians. What we are trying to do is, where we can, separate car flows and pedestrian flows to make Aggie game days safe and fun.”
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become bowl eligible this weekend. Head coach Kevin Sumlin did announce at Tuesday’s press conference that redshirt freshman quarterback Nick Starkel, who had surgery to repair a fractured ankle he suffered against UCLA, will be available to backup Mond. Sumlin also said offensive tackle Keaton Sutherland should return after missing the Florida game with an appendectomy. Getting back Sutherland, who has been one of the Aggies’ best offensive linemen this season, would be a valuable addition to a unit that was porous at times against Florida. The Bulldogs have been upand-down so far this season. They moved up to No. 17 in the AP poll after dismantling LSU in the third week of the season, but followed that up with back-to-back lopsided
A&M-UT CONTINUED ‘Absolutely.’” Over the summer, Adams stayed in constant contact with Wolf, discussing ways the two student bodies could work together on this campaign. Last spring, a similar survey to the Texas referendum was conducted at A&M, with the polling of 2,754 current students. From the informal survey, 94.3 percent voted in favor of playing the game again. “When you project that to the 68,000 students we have on campus, the margin of error is only plus or minus two percent,” Adams said. “We’re really confident once we start rolling out our stuff, getting it on social media, get the word out, it’s going to go crazy with people on campus getting excited about it.” At Texas, Wolf has had meetings with Fenves and Perrin to discuss his goal of bringing the game back. “I think everyone’s coming to this with an open mind,” Wolf said. “I think that there’s some questions they wanted to see answered, which hopefully we did from the student perspective.” Here in Aggieland, Adams has recently had initial conversations with higher administration, including A&M President Michael Young, and hopes to have official meetings soon. “Some conversations have been in official capacities, and others have happened in passing, but administrators across the board have all expressed some interest in reinstating the rivalry,” Adams said. Adams hopes to discuss the manner in particular with Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp, who has been outspoken about restoring the game. “We’re hoping he’s actually interested in bringing the game back,” Adams said. “I have not had a meeting with him yet … the first step for me was to gather this group of influential people because ttogether we have enough influence to hopefully set up a meeting like that.” As students, Adams said he feels the university is entitled to at least listen to what they have to say. “We are the university, the students are the university,” Adams said. “If this is something students want, I think the administration has an obligation to at least play with the idea.” By working together, Wolf said a joint effort could lead to something not seen before in groups and petitions that have worked to reconcile the game. “There’s never been a united stu-
losses to Georgia and Auburn, only to rebound with two straight convincing victories. “They’re extremely wellcoached offensively, defensively and special teams wise they’ve blocked a lot of punts,” Sumlin said of MSU State. “They’re always going to have good team speed and be physical, so it’s going to be a really big challenge for us.” The Aggies will hope to avoid the late-season struggles that have become common in recent years. They have put themselves in a good place in the SEC standings, but with games against Auburn and LSU still on the schedule, getting a win over the Bulldogs is crucial for A&M. “I don’t know that we’ve been successful yet,” Sumlin said. “We’re just at midseason — there’s a lot of football to go.” Kickoff between the Aggies and Bulldogs is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN. dent movement to bring this game back,” Wolf said. “It’s something that alumni talk about, people talk about, but ultimately, we’re universities here and universities that serve their student bodies and those voices really matter at UT and A&M.” Bringing back the game continues to build more steam as Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Texas class of 1981, showed his support of renewing the rivalry at Wednesday’s charity exhibition men’s basketball game between A&M and UT in Houston. “My next goal as governor is to reunite the Texas-Texas A&M football rivalry,” Abbott said. Moving forward, the group hopes to use a two-part process to spread awareness and get conversations started. The first motion is to create interest in current Aggies with on-campus events and through social media. “I think the interest of the student body is ultimately at the heart of the campaign’s efforts and as such, I believe it is integral to achieve an understanding of what current and former students think about bringing back the game,” Sam Alders, management junior who serves as a senior advisor to Reinstate the Rivalry, said. The next step is to gain traction with former students, which according to Adams will take different tactics, while catering to a different demographic with an emphasis on using the Aggie Network. Some of these tactics include going to A&M clubs, making phone calls and meeting former students to gain their support. As for putting the game back on the schedule in the regular season, Adams said it’s unlikely to happen soon. Both teams have their non-conference schedules booked in upcoming seasons. Adams said the hopeful target season is 2026. “We’re very far out from that and it’s very unfortunate, I would love to get to experience the game as a current student, but I know it’s not realistic,” Adams said. “Our idea is to bring the Texas game back as that premier non-conference game.” As a third-generation Aggie, Adams said that the uniqueness and tradition of the storied rivalry is one that he believes is unparalleled. “We believe that the rivalry we have with the University of Texas is so central to Texas A&M’s history, tradition and passion,” Adams said. “Our War Hymn is entirely about the University of Texas. When we had Bonfire, that was supposed to symbolize our burning hatred for the University of Texas. We are missing out on part of what it means to be an Aggie because we don’t get to take it out on them on the football field every Thanksgiving.”
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AROUND THE SEC
WEEK 9: STAFF PICKS Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State
A LOOK AT THE CONFERENCE FOR WEEK 9
Saturday, Oct. 28 @ 6:15 p.m. on ESPN
By Kevin Roark @Kevin_Roark
RYAN
ARKANSAS AT OLE MISS
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The Razorbacks are still chasing their first SEC win and to make matters worse, they’ll be without senior offensive lineman Frank Ragnow the rest of the season. Ragnow is arguably the best center in the country and went down with a high ankle sprain last Saturday that will require surgery. Arkansas isn’t going to push Ragnow to return in order to protect his NFL future. This weekend they’ll hit the road to face a Rebels squad that’s been putting up big offensive numbers at home. Unfortunately, it was reported Sunday that Ole Miss sophomore quarterback Shea Patterson will miss the remainder of the season after tearing the PCL in his right knee late into the Rebels’ loss to LSU. The five-star prospect leads the SEC in passing yards per game and total offense. This is a big hit for a team that is founded on its offensive identity. Stepping into Patterson’s place is Jordan Ta’amu, JUCO transfer from New Mexico Military Institute. The Hawaii native finds himself under center in a game that originally would have been an easy win for the Rebels. The Hogs now have a chance. The real battle will be won or lost at the line between Arkansas’s O-line and the Ole Miss pass rush. I’m thinking this one will be close, but the Razorbacks will come out on top with a few forced turnovers. Prediction: Arkansas 27, Ole Miss 24
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This is the most important game of Kevin Sumlin’s career. Coming off their bye week, the Aggies will be ready to go.
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With their four eyes, they can barely see, so how will they beat us?
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GEORGIA VS FLORIDA There’s no doubt that Georgia is clearly the better team here. However, Florida is likely to keep things close. On average Florida has won or lost each game this season by less than a touchdown. To compound that, this is a century-long rivalry both squads need to win. Florida is on a three-game winning streak over the Bulldogs and they have the secondary but not necessarily the D-line or linebacking core to halt Georgia’s run game. The Dawgs finally have all the pieces in place and they’re under a lot of pressure to make things happen. They’ll turn towards senior running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel to lead the offense on the ground behind freshman quarterback Jake Fromm under center. The Bulldogs defense isn’t a brick wall, but they’ll take their chances against a Gator squad riddled with injuries and suspensions. With as close as their games have been, it’s tough to get a read on Florida. One could make a case as to whether they’re just a few plays away from being 6-0 or 0-6. Either way, the world’s largest outdoor cocktail party is going to be a great matchup to look out for. In the end, I see Georgia taking care of business. Prediction: Georgia 38, Florida 13
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to call 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday Insertion deadline: 1 p.m. prior business day
FOR RENT Northgate 1/1, 2/2, 3/2, and 3/3 & 3/2 house, parking free, walk to campus. aggievillas.net Available now. Special price for January. Call 979-255-5648. PLANTATION OAK APARTMENT First 2 Months Free Move-In Special, NO security deposit. Cable, Wireless, Internet, & Pest Paid! 12 months and short term leases available. 979-693-1110. Email bcsplantationoaks@gmail.com
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$10 for 20 words running 5 days, if your merchandise is priced $1,000 or less (price must appear in ad). This rate applies only to non-commercial advertisers offering personal possessions for sale. Guaranteed results or you get an additional 5 days at no charge. If item doesn’t sell, advertiser must call before 1 p.m. on the day the ad is scheduled to end to qualify for the 5 additional insertions at no charge. No refunds will be made if your ad is cancelled early.
HELP WANTED Athletic men for calendars, books, etc. $75-$150/hr, up to $500/day. No experience. aggieresponse@gmail.com
HELP WANTED
Cheddar's and Fish Daddy's now accepting applications. Apply within, University Dr.
Part-time accounting clerk position at Aggieland Carpet One, duties include bank/credit card reconciliation and other small duties, basic accounting knowledge required, please call 979-574-3910 or email resume to csmith@aggielandcarpetone.com
Cleaning commercial buildings at night, M-F. Call 979-823-5031 for interview.
Part-time caregiver help needed. Fit For Kids 3609 East 29th Bryan, Tx. 979-846-1143
HELP WANTED Part-time/Full-time help needed at Bell Fence Supply, pipe cutting, forklift operation, possible welding, etc, will work with school hours/schedule, call Doug Tucker at 979-703-8901 to schedule interview. Seeking professionals with style and a desire to grow within a company. Apply at www.Dillards.com or send your resume to Sara.anciso@dillards.com We offer full-time and part-time positions and a competitive benefits package. Join the Dillardʼs team today! eeoc Student for ranch work. 14-16 flexible hours/week. $15/hour. 20 miles from Sam's on Highway 30. Send resume to mspeed@verizon.net
HELP WANTED Work around your class schedule! No Saturday or Sundays, off during the holidays. The Battalion Advertising Office is hiring an Advertising Sales Representative. Must be enrolled at A&M and have reliable transportation. Interested applicants should come by our office located in the MSC, Suite 400, from 8am-4pm, ask to speak with Joseph.
REAL ESTATE BUY/SELL with Team McGrann! Michael, TAMU'93 Civil Engineering 979-739-2035, mcgranntx@yahoo.com Nadia 979-777-6211, Town&Country Realty. Hablamos Espanol!
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The Battalion | 10.27.17
Philadelphia staple finds niche Savannah Skrivanek — THE BATTALION
Blake Zietman, owner, and Dean Brundage, business partner, open new location for Blake’s Steaks that will replace the space previously owned by Mickey Sliders on University Drive.
Former food truck Blake’s Steaks moves to concrete location close to campus By Andrew Little @drewlitt Long time food establishment owner Blake Zeitman’s level of success with his mobile operation has allowed him to open a stationary, brick and mortar restaurant. Zeitman’s first portable vending stint was Big Daddy Z’s, but after a trip to the East Coast last year, he decided to swap out the Caribbean-Hawaiian fusion idea for something he felt College Station was missing: Philly cheesesteaks. After a year of operating his food truck Blake’s Steaks, Zeitmans is now set to open up his own stable restaurant in the next few months. Zeitman said after making the switch from Big Daddy Z’s to Blake’s Steaks the food truck’s performance has monumentally improved. “We just really kind of hit our swing and stride, and saw what kind of feedback people had for the cheesesteak, and decided we’d take it to the next level,” Zeitman said. Roy May, owner of Good Bull BBQ and former Aggie Yell Leader, said he’s been impressed by the level of passion Zeitman has for
the food he makes and the lengths he’s willing to go for improvement. “That’s a lot of dedication to want to be better, and I mean you can see it obviously,” May said about Zeitman’s five-week East Coast trip which inspired the idea for Blake’s Steaks. “All the effort and all the sacrifice that he made, you know eventually it does pay off, and it’s evident by the fact that he’s about to open a brick and mortar.” Zietman and May, who originally met when May extended his Good Bull BBQ operations to campus as a food truck, said they now plan to collaborate on some of their menu items. One item to be introduced at the new Blake’s Steaks restaurant is the BBQ chicken wings, which will feature May’s Good Bull BBQ sauce. “We’re just two chefs picking our brains,” May said about their collaboration efforts. “We’re trying to work on something to where I can implement something into my menu to where, we’re both able to cross brand and cross-advertise.” Zietman’s business partner Dean Brundage, also one of the original co-founders of New Republic Brewing Company, said he originally met Zietman through hosting his food truck at New Republic. Out of all the food trucks they hosted, Brundage said Zietman’s was the
most reliable. Brundage, who stepped away from New Republic in January, said Zietman’s success can be attributed to his discovery of a Philly cheesesteak niche in College Station. “I saw that there was no brewery here in town, he saw that there was no Philly cheesesteak place, and that’s pretty much a mainstay staple on the East Coast, so it’s a good fit,” Brundage said.
Brungage said. In addition to their traditional Philly cheesesteak options, the new brick and mortar location will also feature several new items, like loaded fries and carved meats similar to shawarma, Zietman said. Off-the-wall Hawaiian-style items, reminiscent of his days as Big Daddy Z’s, will also be featured at the location. Zietman, who has been working in the service industry in College Station and Houston for over 10 years, said he and his wife are glad to finally operate something of their own in College Station. “We’ve been here for a long time,” Ziet“Texas A&M means man said. “We care about the community, and a lot to us, so we’re Texas A&M means a lot to us, so we’re glad to be a part of the culture.” glad to be a part of Zietman and May said they are aiming to the culture.” open the brick and mortar on Dec. 1, but will also have a grand opening sometime in January when students get back from winter break. Blake Zeitman, Brundage said he expects the new location Owner of Blake’s Steaks to perform well and is looking forward to the opening, but is slightly concerned about his Brundage said Blake Steaks will feature a health being around food all day. variety of local beers on tap, along with beer “Yeah I’m not excited about the 20 pounds that can’t typically be found at local restau- I’m going to gain,” Brundage said. rants. The restaurant will also have something called a Crowler machine, which will allow customers to take fresh beer to go in 32oz cans,
AGGIELAND YEARBOOK
It’s not too late to order your copy of the 2017 Aggieland Yearbook, a photojournalistic record of the 2016-2017 school year. The 115th edition of Texas A&M’s
Official Yearbook will be available before the holidays. Go online to aggieland.tamu.edu or call 979-845-2613 to make your purchase.
$75.00 + Tax (Includes Mail Fee)
Don’t forget to preorder your copy of the 2018 Aggieland yearbook. The 116th edition of Texas A&M’s official yearbook. Ordering can be done online at aggieland.tamu.edu, or by calling 979-845-2613. Distribution will be the Fall 2018.
2016 Aggielands and previous yearbooks are now on sale. Stop by room L400 in the MSC or call 979-845-2613. $40.00 + Tax (Includes Mail Fee)
TRAYVEON
WlLLlAMS
C. Morgan Engel— THE BATTALION
1741 University Dr. East College Station, TX 77840 979-846-3600
1740 Rock Prairie Rd. College Station, TX 77845 979-680-0508