The Battalion - November 28, 2018

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2018 STUDENT MEDIA

NO DECEMBER SILVER TAPS Silver Taps, typically held on the first Tuesday of each month during the fall and spring semesters, will not be observed this December.

The tradition honors Texas A&M students who have passed away since the previous Silver Taps.

“To the best of our knowledge no student has passed away during the previous month,” said Student Assistance Services administrative coordinator Davanna Minter.

- Staff Report

A&M FOOTBALL MOVES UP IN RANKS

FILE

The fifth annual Holiday on the Quad will start at 6 p.m. on Sunday and will include a photo opportunity with Reveille.

Texas A&M’s 74-72 seven-overtime win over LSU was regarded as the game of the year in the SEC. Tuesday night the College Football Playoff selection committee released the latest rankings.

Texas A&M moved up three spots from No. 22 to No. 19.

Eight teams in the SEC ranked in the poll, including Alabama and Georgia both in the top four at No.1 and No. 4, respectively.

There are two more SEC teams ranked in the Top 10 — No. 9 Florida and No. 10 LSU. Kentucky was ranked No. 15, Mississippi State No. 18 and then A&M at No. 19. Mizzou came in at No. 24 and was the last SEC team ranked in the poll.

A&M is awaiting a bowl destination which will be announced on Sunday, following the conclusion of conference championship week.

- Staff Report

KEEPERS OF THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT Annual festival celebrates season, raises money for March of Dimes

By Jackie White @jackie_white21 This Sunday, the Corps of Cadets will host its fifth annual Holiday on the Quad festival, featuring games, lights and pictures with Santa and Reveille.

The celebration will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Holiday on the Quad is a Corps-led event that is held to kick off the holidays and raise money for March of Dimes. The Quad will be adorned with holiday decorations and Christmas lights.

There will also be hot chocolate and an opportunity to play with shelter dogs.

Corps public relations officer and sociology senior Yarielka Arrieta Batista said cadets play a big part in the success

of the event, from the booths run by each outfit to their hard work setting up decorations.

“Each outfit booth gets to show what they’re about and just incorporates Christmas in their own way,” Batista said. “The cadets themselves go out there every day this week setting up lights. It’s pretty big.”

Michelle Luu, university studies senior HOLIDAY ON PG. 2

Via GoFundMe

Communication sophomore Steven Anderson is raising money to help pay for his chemotherapy.

Fighting for his life Student battles rare form of cancer, seeks assistance from Aggie family

By Savannah Mehrtens @SJMehrtens

them to pursue true fulfillment in their lives.

“The things that we take time to do [will be] done in fractions of a second and we will live a purposeful life where we can do anything else,” Farhani said.

The opponents argued that AI can only aid human workers — not replace them — and that people will never accept a society in which humans are denied the satisfaction and dignity of work.

“AI does not have the capacity to replace all the human labor force,” Usoltseva said.

“Knowledge isn’t only driving it but also changes due to environmental demands.”

Based on audience votes, the debate was won by the proponents of the motion.

Bialy said audience members should open themselves up to the broader conversation of AI and the gaps in their own knowledge about the topic rather than only focusing on the specific topic of the debate. “[Take] the time to consider the

What Steven Anderson initially thought was an unusual back pain caused by his bed turned out to be a sign of something much worse.

The communication sophomore and proud Aggie is currently battling stage 4 renal medullary carcinoma at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. This rare form of non-clear cell kidney cancer has metastasized to other areas of his body, but it hasn’t stopped him from doing what he loves: making art.

Anderson likes to create short stories, poetry, scripts and drawings as well as play and write music.

He is currently working on a graphic novel, and before taking a hiatus from school, he was planning to create an organization for artists around campus.

“I like to write rap because it’s poetry itself,” Anderson said. “If I could sing, I would probably be a blues singer.”

In addition to his art and school work, Anderson is also a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, has served as vice president for the campus NAACP chapter and was a member of Aggie Black Male Connect and the Distinguished Gentleman’s Club. Anderson planned to run for senate.

“It’s people that you won’t even know that will help you as if you were their own brother, or their own son, or their own dad or big brother or something, just because you’re part of that brotherhood,” Anderson said about his fraternity brothers. “It’s crazy how connected it all is.”

While Anderson has never been the type of person to ask for help, he started a GoFundMe page so he could pay for his chemotherapy treatment.

“My friends call me a hermit because rather than go out or something, I’d rather just stay in my room and draw or write some poetry or

DEBATE ON PG. 2

ANDERSON ON PG. 2

Jesse Everett — THE BATTALION

Students present their arguments during the “Artificial Intelligence vs. Human Intelligence” debate hosted by ThoughtSpace.

Aggies debate effects of AI on workforce Student-led event promotes open discussion on emerging technology

By Henry Mureithi @HenryMureithi5 The student-led technology innovation group ThoughtSpace hosted an Oxford-style debate in Rudder tower Tuesday evening.

The debate, titled “Artificial Intelligence vs. Human Intelligence,” dealt with the pressing question of whether or not, and to what extent, artificial intelligence will affect and change the human workforce.

ThoughtSpace was formed at the beginning of the fall 2018 semester. Industrial distribution junior and ThoughtSpace president Mohamed Bialy said as part of the organization hosts events like this to connect students with educational, business and non-profit stakeholders in the implementation of emerging technology.

“Our value proposition is very simple: we want to provide internships on campus to students,” Bialy said. “We want students to be involved with industry throughout their four years.”

In recognition of the groups potential, three weeks ago the Texas A&M School of Innovation signed an agreement with the group to provide funding and resources.

The debate motion was “AI will replace the human workforce.” The proponents were general engineering freshman Ethan Merrill, physics freshman Andrew Powell, general engineering freshman Korbin Miguel and industrial engineering sophomore Brahim Farhani. The opponents were general engineering freshman Joseph Jackson, business administration freshman Joseph Almond, Blinn engineering academy sophomore Ekaterina Usoltseva and economics freshman Alex Keller.

The proponents argued that by replacing human workers, AI will liberate people from the tyranny of wage labor and allow

NEWS

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The Battalion | 11.28.18

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Aggies in Alpha Phi Alpha pose for their chapter photo in the Memorial Student Center. The fraternity has been raising support for their fraternity brother Steven Anderson.

ANDERSON CONTINUED something,” Anderson said. “I just tend to myself, stay out of everybody’s way. I don’t like putting my weight on many people because growing up I went through a whole bunch. I was kicked out of the house when I was like 13, so I was on my own for a long time just dealing with life the best way I could.”

He said after insurance, a single round of chemotherapy will still cost thousands of dollars. A perspective research article published in the Journal of Oncology Practice and supported by MD Anderson Cancer Center, among others, shows that Anderson’s situation is not unusual. The prices of cancer treatments average 20 to 30 percent for out-of-pocket expenses, equaling $20,000 to $30,000 a year, which is al-

most half of the average annual household income in the United States.

“I think the biggest takeaway is life can happen to anybody and knowing Steven, Steven is a fighter through and through,” said Gentill Abdulla, physics senior and member of Alpha Phi Alpha. “There’s nothing that can really strike fear in him. He always sees everything as something he can overcome, but even for him it’s something that takes a toll on you. It’s hard to realize that despite going through everything, despite coming from the hood, and growing up and conquering that, you can still get blindsided by something completely out of your control.”

Brandon Cummings, civil engineering senior and chapter president of Alpha Phi Alpha, is urging the Aggie family to support Anderson during his battle for his life.

“I don’t want him to be a part of Silver Taps if we can help him now,” Cummings said. “Also, I want the Aggie family to come out and step out of the box now and try and help him, whether it be words of encouragement because those are well needed as well, prayers, and the GoFundMe of course.

The funds are a big part of it right now for us because we’re trying to make sure he can afford the chemotherapy for his wellness.”

Anderson is asking for prayers and help with his GoFundMe campaign.

“I don’t ask for much at all, I just try to stay in my own lane, try to be a ghost,” Anderson said. “But prayers or anything or a simple sharing of the GoFundMe would be a blessing for me.”

Anderson’s GoFundMe can be found at gofundme.com/steven-anderson-cancer-treatment.

FILE

The Proceeds from Holiday on the Quad go the March of Dimes.

HOLIDAY CONTINUED and director of Holiday on the Quad, said she calls herself the “head elf” of the festival. Luu said the Quad arches are especially beautiful with the lights on display, and officers will even go so far as to dress up as the Grinch and Santa Claus.

“It is a really fun event and also a fun way for the cadets to de-stress,” Luu said. “It’s just a week before exams and gets everyone in the holiday spirits. All of the proceeds go to March of Dimes as well.”

March of Dimes is a nonprofit that works to prevent birth defects, premature births and infant mortality. Each year, cadets raise around $100,000 or more for the organization.

Corps public relations sergeant and political science junior Brandon Kreikemeier said the Corps has a passion for holding festivals and charitable events like Holiday on the Quad.

“We just like opening up the doors and having more community interaction with people,” Kreikemeier said. “It’s a great kickoff to the holiday season.”

Jesse Everett — THE BATTALION

Students came out to Rudder Tower to watch Thought Space’s Oxford-style debate on the future of artificial intelligence.

DEBATE CONTINUED question at hand,” Bialy said. “Really think about what they are going to do to prepare for the future — whether they are going to be ahead or behind the curve.”

Almond was named best debater of the night. He said he hopes events like this will help foster durable relationships between students and companies and expose students to important industry topics.

“I think the organization could completely change the way internships are done and companies and students interact,” Almond said. “There’s a lot of work to be done … but it has the potential to get there.”

Bialy said the long term goal of the organization is to create a student-accessible network of talent across universities and nations. “[Thought Space] will create a giant database of talent and people that can use that talent wisely and productively,” Bialy said.

OPINION

3

The Battalion | 11.28.18

A powerful story that understates the truth Struggling to depict emotion, Joel Edgerton’s film just misses the mark Cole Fowler

D

@thecolefowler

irected by Joel Edgerton, “Boy Erased” is adapted from the memoir of the same name

by Garrard Conley. The film follows Jared Eamons as he struggles through the horrors of the homosexual conversion therapy camp, Love in Action. Joel Edgerton’s adaptation certainly draws attention to this widespread issue but does not quite capture the true horrors of these camps.

The film opens on Jared’s admittance to the camp, and the plotline moves back and forth between his time at the camp and the events leading up to his admittance. This fractured narrative perfectly mirrors the underlying attempt of the camp to break down the young adults in attendance. However, this narrative structure mutes the emotional impact of the film. This is a direct result of Edgerton’s lack of experience in filmmaking, but the fact that he’s new to the craft does not tarnish the importance of this story.

Edgerton focuses on Jared’s narrative, but the most potent aspect of the film is exposure of the hypocrisy of the conversion therapy. Edgerton also has an acting role in the film, and his role as the “pastor” of the camp is much more impactful than his role as the director. His acting role infuses the hatred into the story and perfectly contrasts the purity of Jared throughout the film.

“Boy Erased” is the second film of 2018 to adapt memoirs of personal narratives describing the disgusting nature of conversion therapy. Earlier this year, “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” directed by Desiree Akhavan, followed Cameron Post through her experience in a similar camp but focused more on her personal story rather than an exposé of the camps themselves.

Unfortunately for Edgerton, it is impossible to watch each of the films without comparing the two.

Akhavan, although nearly equally as inexperienced as Edgerton, created a much more emotionally impactful film since she focused on Cameron’s personal narrative. This allowed the movie to develop much more naturally rather than the forced approach

taken by Edgerton.

The entire cast is phenomenal, but Lucas Hedges and Xavier Dolan deliver two of the most notable performances. Hedges, who plays the role of Jared, shines in his role, and his innocence on screen truly ushers in the heartbreak of the story. As he is forced to try to conform to the teachings of the camp, his struggle feels authentic, and this is due to Hedges’ the brilliant acting range.

Dolan is fantastic in his role as Jon, and he perfectly compliments Hedges in the scenes that they share.

Ultimately, “Boy Erased” is overshadowed by other films on the same topic and even the actors in the film.

These stories are immensely important, but “Boy Erased” does not successfully depict the subject as well as other films. However, the source material paired with the fantastic acting ranges of both Hedges and Dolan make up for the poor narrative structure choices of Edgerton.

Rating: 3.5/5 Cole Fowler is a English sophomore and Life & Arts writer for The Battalion.

Creative Commons

Cole Fowler says what “Boy Erased” lacks in structure is made up for with good acting.

“Let It Be” drags on but is remarkably satisfying Aggie’s debut novel will surprise reader with bittersweet truth Claudia Soto

A

@cisoto98

lthough it appears to be a simple plot with long-winded chapters, “Let It Be” is a novel that intricately lures its reader into a story brimming with emotional depth and bittersweet, hard-hitting reality.

“Let It Be” is the debut novel published in 2013 by Chad Gayle, who is a writer, photographer and a part of the Texas A&M graduating class of 1991.

“Let It Be” is entwined with The Beatles’ 1970 album of the same name as it tells the story of a family finding bits of comfort during the hardships which lead to a divorce.

The novel begins with a startling opening line that refuses to let the reader

sway away from its pages. The narrative shifts to tell the story of Michelle and her escape from her husband, Bill, with her two children, Pam and Joseph, in Amarillo in the summer of 1979.

Michelle insists on leaving her old life behind despite the incessant calls from Bill and soon takes up a job. As she finds comfort of her own, a rift forms between her and her children. The chapters told by her son detail the feelings of forlorn and confusion a 10-year-old child would have during a divorce.

“Let It Be” exudes an elaborate writing style, describing the details of ice in a glass in one sentence and intimate emotion in the next. The eloquence is admirable but excessive, as Gayle takes the long-route in illustrating conventionally quick and simple scenes. It can be difficult to hold interest with the overabundance of vocabulary telling

what could be a shorter story, but there comes a point in “Let It Be” where setting the book down means picking it back up minutes later.

The first extensive chapter is told by Joseph, whose later chapters become more interesting after we’re introduced to Michelle’s perspective. The oblivious innocence of a young boy seamlessly clashes with the weariness of a newly single mother. Despite the two vastly different perspectives, Gayle manages to profoundly deliver the distress the two endure. The author does this especially well with Michelle’s chapters, as she wistfully daydreams of the songs on her favorite record, “Let It Be.” The novel is littered with classic songs and artists such as Carole King, Elton John and, of course, The Beatles. Each of the nine chapters is titled with songs of the latter’s final album beginning with

“One After 909” and concluding with “The Long and Winding Road.”

In a literary sense, the album “Let It Be” emphasizes the events the characters go through. Michelle finds solace in the album throughout the story, and her escapist nature escalates. She tries to maintain her fantasy while Joseph does what he can to fix his broken family.

They each struggle to do what the title suggests and let things be, and the consequences are sudden and more severe than expected.

Overall, “Let It Be” instantly makes the reader want to further explore what seems to be a simple yet touching story of a family drama, and satisfies when it turns out to be a compelling and profound tale that leaves a bittersweet sting.

Claudia Soto is a communication senior and Life & Arts reporter for The Battalion.

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NEWS

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The Battalion | 11.28.18

Cassie Stricker and Angel Franco — THE BATTALION

Left: Jimbo Fisher said he is continuing to look into the details of Saturday’s post-game altercation. Right: Players from the Texas A&M sideline pulled an A&M assistant coach away from an altercation involving both the A&M and LSU coaching staffs.

Fisher says Saturday altercation ‘has been addressed’ Post-game fight leaves unanswered questions

By Abigail Ochoa @AbigailOchoa88 Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher is looking into an altercation between staff members from A&M and LSU after Saturday’s game at Kyle Field.

Shortly after No. 22 A&M’s 74-72 victory over No. 7 LSU, an altercation between four staff members, two from each sideline, sparked questions from fans and the media about what exactly occurred and who was involved. As pictures of the fight started to appear online, stories began to be revealed and those involved were identified.

LSU analyst Steve Kragthorpe was one of the four staff members involved. Kragthorpe told Glen Guilbeau of Gannett Louisiana that

the altercation started when he was punched in his pacemaker by an A&M staff member, who is now being identified as football student manager Cole Fisher.

“I didn’t appreciate getting punched in my pacemaker,” Kragthorpe told The Daily Advertiser, a newspaper in Lafayette, Louisiana. “I’m not feeling good right now. I have no idea who the guy is. But he was wearing an A&M shirt, and I think I saw him signaling during the game. He was credentialed, so A&M should know who he is.”

In a video posted on Twitter on Monday by Houston Chronicle reporter Brent Zwerneman, Cole Fisher is seen pushing Kragthorpe, as opposed to the punch that was described by Kragthorpe.

During the post-game press conference, Jimbo Fisher said he had no knowledge of the altercation. In a statement on Monday,

Fisher said he has been working with the Texas A&M administration, LSU and the SEC office to further investigate the incident by examining videos and “statements from relevant parties.”

“I want to assure everyone that the matter has been addressed internally with my staff members, and we will continue to demand that our program conduct itself in a manner that meets the values and expectations of this great university,” Fisher said. “We look forward to continuing our season at a bowl destination.”

Kragthorpe, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2011, is known to be free of injury following the altercation. According to The Advocate, a newspaper based in Baton Rouge, Kragthorpe was also in an argument with A&M wide receiver coach Dameyune Craig after he saw Craig yelling at the LSU coaching staff. “I went

up to Dameyune and said, ‘Hey, Dameyune get out of here. You won. You don’t need to be doing that. Move along.’ And that’s when I got hit. I mean, I got nailed,” Kragthorpe told The Daily Advertiser.

Immediately following the Cole Fisher-Kragthorpe incident, Cole Fisher and LSU director of player personnel Kevin Faulk got physical before being separated by other staff members and players on the field.

In two separate videos provided by Zwerneman and executive editor for TexAgs Billy Lucci on Twitter, LSU safety John Battle is seen trying to break up the fight between Cole Fisher and Faulk before punching Fisher moments later.

A&M athletics has not confirmed or denied the identity of Cole Fisher.

A&M leads efforts against nuisance grass

Graphic by Turner Harbert — THE BATTALION

Annual bluegrass is a species which has become more difficult to control.

USDA awards multi-million dollar grant for collaborative research project

By Keegan Hottinger @hottingerkeegan A team of researchers from 16 universities across the country is leading efforts to fight the threat of herbicide resistance in annual bluegrass.

Poa annua L., commonly known as annual bluegrass or annual meadow grass, is a problematic species of grass that is becoming increasingly difficult to prevent in managed turf systems.

The grass is native to Europe but has become a

widespread weed in most of the U.S., and the prospect of the species developing resistance to herbicides could have detrimental effects for the managed turfgrass industry.

Muthu Bagavathiannan, project leader and assistant professor of soil and crop sciences, said the weed has been prevalent in the U.S. for many years.

Funding for the $5.7 million research project was provided by the Specialty Crops Research Initiative of the United States Department of Agriculture, and according to Bagavathiannan, the focus of the research is all-encompassing. “[The grant] is big in size and is designed to address many different aspects of the problem,” Bagavathiannan said. “In this project, we are looking at the current level of resistance distribution, ecology, genetic and sociological factors that might affect decision-making, and we want to develop tools to create better management tactics.”

Bagavathiannan said although annual bluegrass has been prevalent in most of the nation’s lawns for years, herbicide resistance is making the issues of the weed more concerning.

“It has been present for quite some time, but the proliferation of herbicide resistance has made it worse,” Bagavathiannan said. “In the past, it was there, but we were able to control it with some common herbicides. Now controlling it is becoming more expensive.”

Craig Potts, Athletic Fields Manager for Texas A&M, said annual bluegrass is an issue for turf management because of its unsightliness.

“It’s more aesthetics than anything else really,” Potts said. “The problem with annual bluegrass is you get a white seed head which is not pleasing to look at. On a golf green, it will affect

the roll of the ball and will be detrimental. On a sports field, it’s detrimental because it will affect the wear and will look unpleasant.”

Although Texas is threatened by the spread of herbicide resistant annual bluegrass, Potts said the A&M isn’t affected to the extent of many other lawns and athletic fields in the state.

“Texas A&M is better because all our fields are sand-based — what we call man-made,” Potts said. “The soils don’t have a lot of native seedbed in them so the bluegrass occurs less often.”

According to the Golf Course Industry website, the cost of applying pre-emergent herbicides on U.S. golf courses in 2015 was $6,190 on average.

This cost of controlling weeds, which was projected to increase to $6,700 in 2016, is an important issue, Bagavathiannan said. Understanding the process of developing resistance is a crucial step to solve the problem.

“Resistance to herbicides is really similar to resistance to antibiotics,” Bagavathiannan said.

“As you use the same antibiotics over and over again, resistance develops and you’re forced to switch to a new antibiotic until there’s none left. It’s the same analogy with herbicides. It has huge economical implications.”

Bagavathiannan said he is optimistic and excited to begin researching the subject.

“The team is very excited about the opportunity to work on this species,” Bagavathiannan said. “We have never approached this in a holistic way from ecology to socioeconomics and how it impacts the people who manage it and I think our findings will have important impacts on the industry.”

PROVIDED

The yellow Ofo bikes are being replaced with VeoRide bicycles.

Out with ofo, in with VeoRide Texas A&M announces new campus bike share partner

By Hannah Falcon @hannahfalcon_ Texas A&M will be terminating their partnership with ofo in favor of the bike share company VeoRide, starting January 2019.

Transportation Services announced on Monday that the permit application process between the City of College Station and VeoRide has begun. VeoRide is already established in over 20 markets, including other college campuses.

The new bike share company will have an information table in the Memorial Student Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Dec. 5.

“Texas A&M University will have the largest on-campus micro-mobility share program in U.S., and VeoRide is proud to provide the service and various fleet options to students and residents,” VeoRide CEO Candice Xie said in the press release. “We will be a great partner for the community.”

While they are still working out the details, Transportation Services anticipates a smooth transition between bike share companies. According to the press release, the 39,500 registered users of the current bike share program should expect operational enhancements with VeoRide.

“We are excited to partner with VeoRide to continue the bike share program at Texas A&M,” Transportation Services Associate Vice President Peter Lange said in the press release. “We are pleased that we can continue to offer sustainable modes of travel to the campus community.”

In order to use VeoRide, customers first download the app and then use the QR code or bike ID to unlock a bicycle. Riders will have the option to pay as they go for 50 cents for 15 minutes or buy day passes for $6.99.

Discounts and unlimited one-hour ride options are offered to students, faculty and staff for $15 a month, $50 a semester or $75 annually. Customers will be required to use designated parking locations, which can be found on the VeoRide app.

More information and updates can be found at transport.tamu.edu/bikeshare.

AGGIELAND 2018

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