WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2019 STUDENT MEDIA
Discussing change
Megan Cusick — THE BATTALION
(Front to back) Gilberto Rebolloso, Hugo Casillas and Hayes Duffy spoke in Tuesday night’s yell leader debate.
Meredith Seaver — THE BATTALION
Student body president candidates Misael Jimenez, Michael Barrera, Mikey Jaillet, Gregory Cross and Caroline Moore answered questions on finances, traditions, diversity and more at a debate in the MSC Flag Room Tuesday night.
Representation, tradition on the agenda at SBP candidate debate By Jordan Burnham @RJordanBurnham Piano music can be heard echoing from the flag room almost every evening, but on Tuesday night, the voices of all five student body president candidates filled the room instead. The Aggies contending for the office gathered on Tuesday to share their individual stories and visions for the student body. The debate, mediated by Director of the Aggie Honor System Office Tim Powers, allowed the candidates to highlight their campaign platforms, personal
experiences and the changes they want to see on the Texas A&M campus. Political science junior Caroline Moore, who emphasized student safety and the importance of resources that help students with the financial burden of college, said her time as a student senator has prepared her for the position of student body president. She applauded the diversity displayed in the panel with LGBTQ+, Latino and female candidates represented. “I also believe we should focus on the candidate who is going to represent all of our student body as a whole,” Moore said. “And it’s not just uniting Aggies as one, but it’s uniting the Aggie family, and taking special time to recognize every single voice so we’re not having
populations of students being underrepresented like they have for years on our campus.” Expanding on a core element of his platform, history junior Gregory Cross said the implementation of open education resources has proven to be successful over the past year, citing the biology and psychology department’s use of the resources. Cross said these efforts collectively saved students over $2 million on textbooks. “I think that’s an initiative that your student body president can push to all departments, and at least the intro classes,” Cross said. “We can really implement those textbooks and save our students some money.”
Speaking on spirit Five for Yell a no-show at SGA’s first-ever yell leader debate, other candidates field questions By Henry Mureithi @HenryMureithi5 Three of the eight candidates running for yell leader positions answered student-submitted questions in a debate Tuesday night. Hosted by the Election Commission of the Student Government Association, the debate took place in the MSC Flag Room. The discussion was moderated by Scot Walker, assistant vice president of communications at the Association of Former Students and Class of 1990. Throughout the two rounds of questioning, the participants were given two minutes to answer the inquiries which pertained to general topics on school spirit and each candidate’s goals for the positions. Participants included senior yell candidates Hugo Casillas and Gilberto Rebolloso, along with junior yell candidate Hayes Duffy. Candidates from the 5 for Yell campaign — Karsten Lowe, Reid Williams, Jacob Huffman, Kenny
SBP DEBATE ON PG. 2
YELL DEBATE ON PG. 2
Preserving black history in Bryan Museum educates the public on local African American history and culture By Giselle Warren @GiselleWarren16
PROVIDED
The Brazos Valley African American Museum is on East Pruitt Street in Bryan.
During Black History month and all year long, the Brazos Valley African American Museum preserves an often-overlooked history. Established in 2006, the museum was constructed on the property that belonged to the first African American school in Bryan, founded in 1885. Museum curator Wayne Sadberry said keeping this spot the center of African American learning is the main purpose of the museum. “We’re trying to tell a story; we’re trying to draw attention to certain aspects of our society that we feel need to be recognized,” Sadberry said. “We’re not trying to reinvent the world; we’re just trying to uncover. There was a lot of history that was going unnoticed by the majority population so we feel that
it’s come upon us to bring that to the attention of the public.” Nancy Self, a member of the museum’s committee and former professor in the College of Education at Texas A&M, said it’s important to educate future generations through the museum. “It portrays the heritage of the African Americans in the Brazos Valley,” Self said. “It’s important for young people to have role models and to see the struggles that the people have gone through over the years in order to claim their rightful place in the community and in society and for an appreciation for what the African American culture has contributed to this whole community as well as to the world.” Co-founder of the museum Willie Pruitt said the museum sheds light on African American accomplishments that would have otherwise been lost. “[It] lets you see some of the things that you don’t know about the history of the African American living in Brazos Valley,” Pruitt said. “We always have
Still going strong
CORPS LEADERSHIP Monday evening, Commandant Brig. Gen. Joe Ramirez announced the following students to lead the Corps of Cadets next school year:
A&M baseball begins 2019 season undefeated with victory over Stephen F. Austin at Olsen Field By Jack Holmes @ Jack_Holmes98 Texas A&M baseball defeated Stephen F. Austin 5-3 on a cold, damp Tuesday night at Blue Bell Park, improving to 4-0 early in their 2019 campaign. “Stephen F. always gives us everything that we can ask for,” A&M head coach Rob Childress said. “It was a hard fought game. We didn’t feel like we played our best, but we played well enough to win. Winning is tough. Losing is easy. … You’ve got to do a lot of things right to win. I think our guys are leaving here tonight knowing we need to play a little bit better.” There were a couple of early runs, as the Aggies and Lumberjacks traded scores in the bottom of the first inning and top of the second. The game remained tied at 1-1, until A&M third baseman Ty Coleman homered down the left field line in the bottom of the fourth. “It was awesome, experiencing that here to be my first one with these fans that actually made it out in the cold weather,” Coleman said. “It was awesome.” After the Aggies tacked on another run in the fourth inning from an RBI by junior catcher Mikey Hoehner, SFA loaded the bases in the top of the fifth. A&M relief pitcher Chandler Jozwiak then walked the Lumberjack’s sophomore outfielder Jared Martin to cut the Aggies’ lead to one. A&M responded quickly with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take back the lead at 5-2. “Overall, it was our offense that got us rolling there late in the game and got us the lead,” sophomore pitcher Kasey Kasich said. “That made it a little bit more comfortable on the mound coming in late in the game and closing it out.” The final run of the night came in the top of the eighth inning, as SFA junior utility player Josh Campbell singled to right center, bringing home senior infielder Manny Velasquez from second base. BASEBALL ON PG. 2
MUSEUM ON PG. 2
Corps Commander Luke Thomas Deputy Corps Commander Daniel Strong Corps Chief of Staff Brett Johnson 1st Brigade Commander Weston Fisher 2nd Brigade Commander Garrett Beaty 3rd Brigade Commander Kamryn Coryell 1st Regiment Commander Ethan Cain 2nd Regiment Commander James McKenna 3rd Regiment Commander Jahanna Shah 1st Wing Commander Mia Birondo 2nd Wing Commander Jacob Bronson 3rd Wing Commander Ashlee Spence Annie Lui — THE BATTALION
Junior catcher Mikey Hoehner went 2-for4 with one RBI against the Lumberjacks.
Aggie Band Commander Nicholas Rossi