After months of hard work, MSC FISH members were excited to host Kyle Field Day, an all-day service event designed to bring the community together. Kyle Field Day took place Sunday, April 11 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the northeast corner of Kyle Field. The event has been put on annually for the last 10 years by MSC Freshman in Service and Hosting, or MSC FISH. Along with its various service projects, the event includes performances by the Aggie Wranglers, Maroon Prestige, Aggieland Mariachi and more, as well as a food truck serving chicken and waffles. According to MSC FISH’s website, Kyle Field Day is the largest freshmen-led service event held at Texas A&M. “Putting on an event of this scale requires a dedicated and cohesive group of individuals to facilitate the year-long holistic planning process for not only our headline event, but also the Service FLO Down and Share Your Service booths,” the website reads. “We strive to find creative ways to spark a lasting passion for service, and all of our events reflect this desire.” This year, health junior and MSC FISH assistant director of marketing Grace Simank said the event consisted of about 20 booths. “All the booths are different organizations hosting service projects,” Simank said. “They range from making dog toys [and] writing notes to putting together bags for foster children [and] making a bench.” Within their organization, Simank said there are different subcommittees, one of them being Kyle Field Day, or KFD, which spends the year planning the event. “All year, members of the KFD committee work to put on this event,” Simank said. “We’re gathering information from different organizations wanting to host booths and anchor projects and contacting entertainment and advertising and things of that sort to prepare for it.” Although events such as Kyle Field Day are designed to serve different philanthropic causes in the community, Simank said the organization’s freshmen who help plan and coordinate the event also benefit from the experience. “It’s all freshman-focused, and it’s trying to develop freshmen, get them involved on campus, and give them a home in our organization,” Simank said. “We do that through these programs.” Despite challenges that arose due to COVID-19, business administration freshman and MSC FISH member Taylor Lammi said she is proud that the event still came together. “We’ve been working on this for the past four months, and as a freshman, you have no clue what this is supposed to look like,” Lammi said. “I’ve made a lot of friends in MSC FISH, so I’m looking forward to just hanging out with them today and doing a bunch of service, which is what we’re all here for.” Lammi said both she and Simank feel the culmination of their hard work in action is a gratifying sight. “I think I’m most excited to see the way everything is going to look and the way that everything comes together,” Lammi said. “We put in all this work, and like [Grace] said, it’s so rewarding to see the outcome of it.”

Free and open to the public, Downtown Bryan Street and Art Fair will feature a variety of activities, displays and booths to shop from for all patrons. The event, to be held Saturday, April 10, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., will promote local artists and businesses. According to Downtown Bryan’s website, there will be over 30 artists participating this year, and the event hopes to encourage local artists. “Over the last several years, Downtown Bryan has actively fostered arts and culture,” the website reads. “This fair continues to build on that by inviting our local artists as well as regional artists to support the rebirth that is occurring there.” Destination Bryan public relations and communications manager Abigail Noel, Class of 2012, said she is looking forward to this year’s fair. “I’m super excited. The art fair hasn’t happened for two years, one year due to weather and last year due to COVID[-19],” Noel said. “It’s such a fun, family friendly and community-focused [event]. It’s an official Texas A&M Family Weekend event as well. I know there’s going to be a lot of families in town for Ring Day and all the other celebrations happening in the community.” Noel said she enjoys the diversity of art presented at the fair and looks forward to seeing which creators showcase and sell this year. “We’ve got artists set up in the street, we have live music with acoustic local singer-songwriters throughout the day, there’s always a kids interactive art area and of course, any local artists that have their work in Downtown Bryan,” Noel said. “[We will have] everything from painting, to handmade jewelry, to woodworking, pottery, a little bit of everything in between.” One feature of the event will be a live demonstration from Houston chalk artist Anat Ronen, who creates 3D interactive chalk murals. Noel said this will be a great opportunity for visitors to see art in action and interact with the piece itself. “She’s done large murals all over Houston and does artwork for events like this,” Noel said. “It will be interactive, so you can take pictures with it as well.” The Frame Gallery owner Missy Barron said she will be using the event time to highlight new artists and give a unique learning experience to artists who haven’t been able to showcase or sell their artwork yet. “We decided to have a tent out in front of The Frame Gallery this year. Having a gallery, I have a ton of artists that come in who are interested in putting stuff in the gallery,” Barron said. “I’ve had several of the newer [artists] cross my path that are still learning. They really need that opportunity, but they’re not quite ready for a gallery yet … The tent is a little dip into that. It gives me a chance to see some of these newer artists and what people respond to.” Barron said she is looking forward to featuring the new artists, but she is also hoping to see many students and family members learn more about the Downtown Bryan community. “With it falling on parent’s weekend, it’s nice for those parents to be able to get out with their kids and see our community,” Barron said. “Not just things related to the university, but what is the community that their kids are living in? It helps introduce all these businesses in Downtown Bryan to these families, so when they come back, they’ll come here again.” Barron said she greatly encourages students and families to come down to Bryan and enjoy the event even if they’re not able to spend money on the art itself. “I love festivals and how it brings the community together,” Barron said “You’re all there for a similar reason, and to enjoy this one thing, which happens to be art. The whole purpose of art is to inspire. I hope people will come here, and even if they’re not able to buy pieces, they’ll see something that sparks an emotion or inspiration and discussion.” For more information about the festival, visit the Downtown Bryan or Destination Bryan websites.

Beaded Blondes is a family company that accessorizes students’ Aggie Rings. Sisters Lauren Lindemulder, Class of 2018, and Lexi Lindemulder, Agricultural Communications and Journalism junior, currently operate Beaded Blondes. The company makes small rings made to be paired with Aggie Rings, along with necklaces, earrings and other jewelry. Beaded Blondes is currently owned by Lauren and Lexi’s mother, Lisa Lindemulder. The sisters have been running it since November of 2020. The concept for the company first arose when Lauren said she wanted a new way to wear her Aggie Ring. “I came up with the idea because I wanted an affordable way to accent my Aggie Ring,” Lauren said. “I wore these small dainty rings with my Aggie Ring and people would ask where I got them. I went to Lexi and just said, ‘We should make these,’ so we started making them for friends and eventually just opened an Etsy.” While the sisters recognized there are other companies making ring accents, Lauren said they believe they are able to cater to those wanting a different kind of ring accent. “I think we’re filling the market for people that don’t want to pay $1,000 for an accent,” Lauren said. “They want a more affordable option but still need the quality of the beads.” Lexi said she currently runs the more “creative” side of things, such as designing and making the jewelry, in addition to filling orders and shipping packages. “My favorite part about my job is finding new styles that we get to come out with, but also seeing people post once they get their orders,” Lexi said. “I really enjoy making the rings. It’s really satisfying to see my designs come to life.” Beaded Blondes has received positive feedback and has known a lot of success so far, according to Lauren. Lexi said she is proud of the growth the company has accomplished. “Whenever we first hit 1,000 followers on Instagram, that was pretty exciting because our Instagram grew so fast,” Lexi said. “Also, when we hit 200 sales on Etsy, which led us to creating our website, that was awesome.” Lauren said she agreed with Lexi and discussed some of her own favorite accomplishments by Beaded Blondes. “The response we got was great as far as brand growth,” Lauren said. “Also, we’re in two retail stores now, so I think that was huge, having an extension of our brand to be in-store, as opposed to just online.” Lauren said she and her sister want Beaded Blondes to continue to grow nationally and hope that the company will get large enough for them to work there full-time. “In the future, we’d like to get in more stores, so we can get more visibility on the wholesale side of things,” Lauren said. “I’d say going more national with retailers [is a goal].”

As spring graduation approaches, many members of the Class of 2021 are reflecting on how COVID-19 restrictions and online learning have pervaded the last year of their college experience. Texas A&M’s spring commencement ceremonies will take place over the course of several days to ensure social distancing. Many seniors also saw modified versions of other campus traditions that graduating Aggies have participated in for decades, such as the last home football game and Elephant Walk. Public health senior Anais Guitierrez said despite COVID-19, all four of her years at A&M have lived up to her expectations. “I have gotten to meet so many wonderful people that I will take with me as I move onto the next phase of my life,” Guitierrez said. “But COVID[-19] brought a sense of chaos and uncertainty for our remaining year.” Despite having to miss out on a number of traditions, Guitierrez said her COVID-19 semesters at A&M taught her how to cherish her past college experiences and to not take normalcy for granted. “I wish that our last year at A&M could have been normal in terms of attending events and not having to distance from friends,” Guitierrez said. “I wish I could have experienced Kyle Field at full capacity during football games and go to my organization’s formals for the last time.” Psychology senior Maggie Hoffman said adjusting to online courses was difficult because she was accustomed to attending classes in person for over two years. “It took a while for me to figure out how to continue to have the college experience while I had to stay home. It was a big change being COVID[-19] cautious,” Hoffman said. “But now that I have a more flexible schedule, I’ve had time to prepare for graduation and my career outside of college.” Mechanical engineering senior Chiedu Nwaobi said he was satisfied with his college experience at A&M leading up to the pandemic. “Until COVID[-19] hit last spring, I was involved in many different organizations and had plans to study or spend time with friends all the time. I met so many amazing people,” Nwaobi said. “A&M managed to exceed my expectations for college, even with the rough days.” COVID-19 devastated the final stretch of college that many students begin dreaming about well before graduation, Nwaobi said. “As a junior, you start making a mental list of what you want to do with your friends before you graduate because it hits you that you may never see them, even in a year,” Nwaobi said. “I had high, but still realistic, expectations set for my senior year and was excited to finish my junior year smoothly. Unfortunately, things did not go smoothly at all.” Missing events that seniors traditionally experience was difficult to deal with, and Nwaobi said before COVID-19, he was greatly anticipating experiencing his “lasts” with loved ones in person. “I wish I would have been able to have my Ring Day in person,” Nwaobi said. “I got my ring when COVID[-19] hit, so it was shipped home to me. Seniors didn’t experience things like last football and basketball games and Ring Day events in the typical fashion with friends and family. Especially at a school that values traditions more than almost anything, it just feels weird.”

Following suit of many events hosted on campus this spring, Texas A&M is hosting a hybrid option for Family Weekend on April 9-11. Family Weekend will kick off with 6,400 Aggies receiving their Aggie Rings from the Association of Former Students beginning Wednesday. Other events include several home sporting events, a Yell Practice and a drive-in movie hosted by New Student & Family Programs and MSC Aggie Cinema. Assistant Coordinator of Family Programs Alex Jantz said the organization is excited to provide both in-person and online events to promote safety and community. “We are excited to provide a hybrid Family Weekend this year as it makes the event more accessible to our families,” Jantz said. “By providing both in-person and virtual events, we are able to curate an experience that celebrates the Spirit of Aggieland while also connecting with more members of the Aggie families.” Coordinator of Family Programs Libby Daggers said one of their main focuses is to safely put on events with precautions including face coverings and physical distancing. “We are following all local and university COVID-19 protocols for our in-person events. We have tried to maximize using outdoor spaces as much as possible,” Daggers said. “Most events require registration this year so that we made sure we were prepared to accommodate families within the spaces we have.” With many activities canceled due to COVID-19 this past year, political science senior and Corps of Cadets Commander Tanner Cedrone said the Corps is excited to have an audience for the Corp of Cadets Review and a Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band drill. “As much as the Corps Review on Kyle Field is about us, it is even more so about the folks who got us through this year, our parents and families,” Cedrone said. “We are unbelievably grateful for the opportunity to get them into Kyle Field where they can safely watch their cadets march, some even for the first time.” In addition, the Fish Drill Team, Ross Volunteers and Parsons Mounted Cavalry will perform this weekend. “While this year was a sizable challenge for us, the Corps has proven time and time again, whether it’s world wars or a global pandemic, that we aren’t going anywhere,” Cedrone said. “We will continue to be the Keepers of the Spirit, the Guardians of Tradition and to produce leaders of character prepared to lead wherever they go with whatever it takes.” Off campus, many community businesses are also offering deals and events for students and their families to enjoy. C.C. Creations is hosting “Hullabaloo at Holleman” where both The Warehouse and Maroon U will have activities and special discounts. Vice President of Marketing for C.C. Creations Ashleigh Krause said they will have free food as well as picture opportunities with the big maroon chair and Reveille IX. “What we really love about those weekends is it’s drawing people into College Station who may not be familiar with [the area] or they may not get to come except for those specific weekends,” Krause said. “We have a big family line, so this is a great time for us to promote that line but also promote our store as more than just random stuff but that one-stop-shop for any and all Aggies.” The Warehouse will host its Guinness World Record Ceremony as it is honored for having the largest collegiate merchandise store on Friday, April 9, at 11 a.m. after the event was delayed last year due to the restrictions on gatherings. “We wanted to attempt this record because we really use in our tagline that we are the largest selection of Aggie merchandise with over 20,000 square feet of retail space,” Krause said. “It is a great thing to add to our reputation, and we do pride ourselves on that because it is really big and a lot of hard work that we put into it.” With a full schedule of events, Daggers said there is something for everyone to enjoy, whether in person or virtually. “The purpose of Family Weekend is to celebrate the Aggie Family and allow students to show gratitude to those who support them in their journey at Texas A&M,” Daggers said. “Family Weekend started in 1919 and is a long-standing tradition. It’s unique in the fact that the focus is celebrating families. We love that we get to share this weekend with families.” For a full schedule of events, please visit familyweekend.tamu.edu/events.

Texas A&M University Libraries provide an abundance of resources for students and researchers in pursuit of information. National Library Week, celebrated April 4-10, celebrates libraries, honors library workers and promotes library use and support. A&M offers library services at Sterling C. Evans Library, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, the Medical Sciences Library, the Policy Sciences and Economics Library and the Business Library and Collaboration Commons. These facilities are dedicated to being “the indispensable hub of discovery, learning and creativity at Texas A&M University.” The libraries offer a variety of resources for both students and professors alike. “Texas A&M University serves both the research and study needs of students and faculty across campus,” the University Libraries’ website says. “Online research collections and services include Get It for Me and AskUs, thousands of books and journals, subject guides and more. Study space and additional research help can be found in any of the libraries located across campus.” Evans Library Specialist Jonathan Reibensties said the university’s librarians are essential to the function of the libraries. “We have about 70 staff members in Evans,” Reibensties said. “Of those, probably 20 to 30 are technical librarians, and then the rest are subject librarians who have knowledge of specific subject matter.” The job of a librarian, Reibensties said, is generally to organize or find information, but this role differs depending on the individual’s exact position. “It’s typically a sort of advisory type of role,” Reinbensties said. “A librarian like myself works mostly in the reference area, basically handling customers directly.” On the other hand, Reibensties said other librarians interact closely with students and professors working on research. “Those librarians are more on the front end,” Reibensties said. “On the back end, there are librarians that deal with the catalogues, purchasing and digital initiatives. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes.” Though librarians may be the most well-known library workers, Medical Sciences Library student worker and agribusiness senior Kelsey Jones said there are other essential positions that keep the library running. “We have three main librarians,” Jones said. “However, they work remotely [and] student workers fill in the gaps.” Depending on the library, Jones said workers provide various resources for different areas of research. “We serve similar purposes to other university libraries, but focus primarily on medical sciences majors like [biomedical sciences], public health and kinesiology,” Jones said. “We have computers and quiet study space for them to enjoy as well.” In the spirit of National Library Workers Day, Reibensties said students can show their librarians some love by being respectful and understanding. “Wear your mask and be kind to your librarians,” Reibensties said. “Understand that sometimes it takes a while to process a book and we aren’t always there all the time because of our work schedules.”

This Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, Aggies and the Bryan-College Station community are highlighting resources for victims and survivors. April 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. April is dedicated to creating awareness and fostering education in the hopes of decreasing cases of sexual assault while increasing understanding and prevention. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in five American women and one in 38 men have experienced, attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. These statistics make it clear consent needs to be prioritized. To clarify what constitutes consent, Aggie Feminists for Reproductive Equity & Education President and sociology senior Shelby Wilkins said her organization offers free consent workshops for other student organizations as well as dorms on campus. “We have been doing consent workshops for a few years now,” Wilkins said. “We give an introduction to consent, Title IX at Texas A&M, self care and resources for survivors.” Due to the ongoing pandemic, Wilkins said the workshops are being held virtually to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19. “These workshops are completely free and last around 45 minutes,” Wilkins said. “People can request them by filling out the Google form in our Linktree.” The workshops, Wilkins said, make the definition of consent comprehensible in order to eliminate potential misunderstandings. “Consent means clear, voluntary and positive verbal or nonverbal communication that all participants have agreed to at the time of the activity,” Wilkins said. “Student Rule 24 also clarifies that a bit more.” Student Rule 24.1.6 says consent must be given for current sexual activity. The rule also states that the existence of a prior relationship or activity does not ensure consent for current or future activities. “There must be consent for each specific type of act throughout the activity,” the rule reads. “Consent must be given by each participant involved. A person must be 17 years of age or older to be able to consent to sexual activity if the other participant(s) involved are more than three years of age older than that person. A person who is clearly or visibly incapacitated is not able to give consent to sexual activity.” A&M offers resources for survivors of sexual assault and bystander intervention services like Green Dot training. The Brazos Valley also offers resources for survivors such as the Sexual Assault Resource Center. A&M’s Sexual Assault Survivors Services Commmittee member and former chairperson Kristen Harrell said in an email to The Battalion there are a variety of resources both on and off campus. “On-campus resources include Civil Rights and Equity Investigations, Counseling and Psychological Services and Student Health Services,” Harrell said in an email. “Off-campus resources include the Sexual Assault Resource Center and local hospitals.” For those seeking forensic exams following an assault, Harrell said the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in College Station has trained sexual assault nurse examiners in its forensic medicine unit. When supporting a survivor, Harrell said the biggest priority should be to listen to and give the survivor as much control as possible over what and how much to share and their next steps. “A supporter can educate themselves on resources to be able to provide options to a survivor and consider ways to provide those options so that the survivor can choose to access them when they are ready,” Harrell said in an email. “Individuals should always seek consent to touch others, but should be especially thoughtful about, if wanting to physically comfort a survivor, ensuring that is what the survivor wants.” For those looking to learn more about supporting survivors, Harrell said there are additional resources available on A&M’s campus. “Students, faculty and staff who are interested in learning more about supporting survivors are encouraged to attend a STAND Up Workshop developed by the Sexual Assault Survivors Services committee and hosted by Health Promotion in the Offices of the Dean of Student Life,” Harrell said in an email. The National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached by calling 800-656-4673.

Elsa Murano, Ph.D., has set her legacy in stone at Texas A&M as the first Hispanic and first female president of the flagship university. Murano, a Cuban native, initially came to A&M in 1995 as a professor of food science and food technology. She served as dean and vice chancellor of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences from 2005-2007, and she was then president of the university from 2008-2009. She currently serves as the director for the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture and Development at A&M, a position she has held since 2012. Murano studied biology at Florida International University, where she said it became clear to her that she wanted to pursue a career in research. Murano said she then attended Virginia Tech, where she earned her master's degree in anaerobic microbiology and her doctorate in food science and technology. “I studied microorganisms that can cause foodborne illness when they contaminate food,” Murano said. “At that time, food safety was a huge issue in the U.S. because there had been an outbreak of foodborne disease from contaminated hamburgers. It was a huge scandal, and five children had died from E. coli.” Due to multiple foodborne illness outbreaks, Murano said she was offered an assistant professor position immediately after earning her doctorate. Then in 1994, after a major outbreak due to E. coli O157:H7, Murano was recruited to come to A&M as a food safety professor, where she continued her research and was eventually appointed as director of A&M’s Center for Food Safety. “In 2001, I got a call from the White House employment office saying they were looking to fulfill the position of Under Secretary for Food Safety,” Murano said. “They had contacted the Commissioner of Agriculture in Texas, Susan Combs, because she had connections with President [George W.] Bush at the time. Combs recommended me for the position.” After arriving in Washington, D.C. for her job as under secretary for Bush, Murano said she soon discovered she needed an anchor to ground herself in D.C.’s tumultuous work environment. “I realized that I wasn’t going to please everybody,” Murano said. “There's going to be somebody mad at me, whether it be political parties, the media, the consumer groups or the meat industry that I was regulating, so I told myself I had to base what I do in science.” After serving as under secretary from 2001-2004, Murano said she returned to A&M in 2005 and was appointed as dean and vice chancellor of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences by former A&M President Robert Gates. During this time, Murano said the department launched initiatives with several companies such as Chevron and Monsanto and received $50 million to build the new agriculture headquarters. “There was a search for a new president at A&M after President Gates left,” Murano said. “I was contacted by the chancellor of A&M at that time, and he told me he wanted me to consider being appointed president. He told me the university needed someone like me, with my initiatives and my visions.” When she informed her mother of the presidential opportunity, Murano said her mother advised her to take the position for a variety of reasons, the most important being that she would set her legacy in stone as the first Hispanic person and first woman to be president of A&M. “As president, I was attempting to elevate the university,” Murano said. “We wanted people to know the incredible value of an Aggie education, so our plan of action was called ‘AGGIE’: ‘A’ stood for academic quality, ‘G’ for great value, the second ‘G’ for globalization, the ‘I’ infrastructure and the ‘E’ for enlightened and shared governance.” During her tenure, Murano said she implemented a variety of initiatives, including the “Do You Wonder” campaign aimed at recruiting first-generation students. Murano said she also made strides in diversifying faculty by appointing the first female dean of the Vet School, the first female dean of the College of Business, the first Hispanic dean of the College of Architecture and the first African-American woman vice president for diversity. “My anchor as president was to protect and enhance the reputation of A&M,” Murano said. “Whatever decisions we made needed to enhance the reputation of the university [and] not diminish it in any way.” A hindrance that Murano said she has perpetually faced in her career is not being taken seriously as a Hispanic woman. Showing her colleagues what she’s fully capable of and personally connecting with peers is what Murano said has led to her success. “Some of the presidential backlash wasn’t because I was a Hispanic woman — it was because I wasn’t an Aggie,” Murano said. “But I care about A&M. I’ve been here since 1995, and I have a strong connection with Texas from a cultural perspective. I love the traditions, and A&M’s Core Values resonate with the values that my mother taught me.” Murano said she loved the challenge of getting out and proving herself to skeptical Aggies. “You have to be yourself and stand by your principles — then everything else works out,” Murano said. “When you show that you can work with people from various places and different backgrounds and get down to the common factors of what's important in life, all of those other differences start to disappear.” Former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Eric Bost, who served as under secretary with Murano at the United States Department of Agriculture and currently serves as her deputy at the Borlaug Institute, said Murano is a tremendous inspiration not only to him, but to other students and faculty as well. “What sets Dr. Murano apart is that she is a person of great integrity and a visionary when it comes to being an effective leader,” Bost said. “She is very successful in encouraging an environment of teamwork, not only now at the Borlaug institute, but she showed that as president of the university and as under secretary.”

On Friday, April 2 allies and others will have the opportunity to hear Aggies share transformative stories not often voiced at Texas A&M. The goal is increased understanding and awareness of how to be supportive of the LGBTQ+ campus community. Now, more than ever, entering post-secondary education means finding a school that fits each person's needs. With more people identifying as LGBTQ, one resource at A&M working to make sure students of all backgrounds feel welcomed is the Texas A&M LGBTQ+ Pride Center. One in six members of Generation Z above the age of 18 identifies as LGBTQ, according to a 2020 Gallup poll. A&M has worked to take steps to be more inclusive and welcoming, Frances Jackson, coordinator for the LGBTQ+ Pride Center, said. With the support of the university, the Pride Center is able to put on annual events, offer programs and partner with organizations on campus to spread awareness, educate others and help students get involved in the LGBTQ+ community, Jackson said. On April 2, the Pride Center will host “The Coming Out Monologues,” an annual event that will again be held on Zoom and streamed on Facebook Live, according to the center’s website. “It is an event where folks come in and tell raw and transformative stories,” Jackson said. LGBTQ+ stories are difficult to find for some people, and it’s important to have a night to share these stories, graduate student Bradford Garcia said. After three years of being in the audience for “The Coming Out Monologues,” Garcia said last year was the perfect time to present a monologue. No one ever really comes out just once, and this year’s monologue will serve as an update on how life is going now, Garcia said. “To have a night where we can all come together and celebrate our personal victories and also our common grief it’s truly a really impactful night,” Garcia said. Students have also taken matters into their own hands by starting organizations to help other students who are LGBTQ find their place, Jackson said. “We had two LGBTQ clubs form in the 2019-2020 academic school year,” Jackson said. One of the clubs is Freshmen Leading in Acceptance Kindness and Equality, a new freshman leadership organization, or FLO, started in January 2020 that welcomed its first class of freshmen in the fall 2020, meteorology sophomore and executive director Ben Gettleman said. Also known as FLAKE, the club joins the 20 other FLOs on campus and currently consists of 40 freshmen and 13 upperclassmen staff members who either identify as LGBTQ+ or are allies, Gettleman said. “My freshmen year I sat at the all-FLO informational and I realized there wasn’t one specifically for LGBTQ freshmen,” Gettleman said. “And I didn’t know why there wasn’t one for me here.” Not seeing a FLO geared toward LGBTQ+ freshmen inspired the creation of FLAKE, Gettleman said. Now, he said, FLAKE is an affiliated organization with the Pride Center, which has been helpful in spreading awareness of a new organization for incoming freshmen to join. The Pride Center and FLAKE are not just for people who identify with the LGBTQ+ community; it’s a place for all people to find love and acceptance, Gettleman said. “I think it’s amazing that we have this place where we can find other people like us and have such valuable resources,” Gettleman said. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the LGBTQ+ Pride Center is not physically open right now, Jackson said. Even though students cannot visit the Pride Center in person, Jackson said they can contact the Pride Center by phone, email and the Pride Center’s social channels to schedule a meeting or find resources. “It’s a resource center, or now as it is called the ‘Pride Center,’ but above all, it is a community center,” Garcia said. “Every student should feel a little responsibility in making this a campus that any Aggie can feel welcome attending.” For more information about the LGBTQ+ Pride Center, visit studentlife.tamu.edu/lgbtq.

In light of the recent anti-Asian attacks in Atlanta, Asian Pacific Islander Desi American, or APIDA, students reflect and give insight into their personal experiences growing up as members of this marginalized community. On March 16, a series of shootings occurred at three massage parlors in Atlanta. The rampage killed eight people, six of whom were Asian. While authorities state the motivations of the suspect are still unknown, many believe the incident was an anti-Asian hate crime. Texas A&M’s Asian Presidents’ Council, or APC, President Ritika Gangarapu said she believes the March 16 rampage was a racially motivated hate crime. The police statement that the shooter’s motivations were derived from a “sex addiction” calls for the public to empathize with the shooter, Gangarapu said. “[Law enforcement stating] the shooter ‘had a bad day’ left a very poor taste in my mouth,” Gangarapu said. “The shooting demonstrated how dangerous the stereotypes surrounding Asian women can be. In the media, Asian women are often sexualized and seen as meek and subservient individuals with no sense of self. This can make it really easy for others to dehumanize them.” Despite growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, Gangarapu said her family ensured she was involved in her local Indian community. Since coming to A&M, Gangarapu said she has met many people who have helped further her journey in developing a stronger sense of self and growing her cultural identity. “I grew up listening to people mocking Indian accents, making fun of ethnic foods and calling me a terrorist,” Gangarapu said. “Since coming to Texas A&M, the discrimination I’ve faced is more subtle but still prevalent. I’ve had people comment on how good my English is and been in classes where students have mocked my [teaching assistant]’s accent.” These instances, along with the feeling of constant pressure to meet peer expectations of being the model minority student, have had a negative effect on her mental health, Gangarapu said. International studies sophomore and APC intern Stella Lee said the recent shooting heightened her fears and anxieties of being an APIDA woman. She said the “sex addiction” comment augments the constant degrading rhetoric from racially dominant groups about the APIDA community. “Having an Asian community through APC means that I can help others embrace the APIDA community present on campus,” Lee said. “The contrast from high school to college can be a big jump, but having APC and the APIDA community [at A&M] feels like I can have my home community with me as I go through tough times.” APC’s presence at A&M is significant because the council can make direct changes and movements toward the growth and development of the university’s APIDA community, Lee said. Through APC, Lee said the APIDA community has become more united as they collectively learn the importance of understanding the challenges and prejudices their community faces. “A&M can benefit from having a bigger, more diverse APIDA community,” Lee said. “The APIDA community is vast in its own cultural subsets. I believe it may be difficult for A&M to expand its AAPI population due to the lack of resources that exist for the group. To draw more APIDA students in, A&M should work on recognizing the community and work to provide more for us.” Biomedical sciences junior Megan Lopez, APC external vice president, said she doesn’t think A&M has done its best at giving the APIDA community the guidance and resources it needs. Lopez said she wants purposeful cultural conversations on campus and for A&M to provide the space to educate about the disparities between APIDA students’ backgrounds. “It’s already a difficult task to unite the APIDA organizations on campus considering our diverse backgrounds,” Lopez said. “Asking to expand our numbers puts a heavier burden on a foundation we are still trying to create. I don’t particularly care about the overall [APIDA percentage] of our school, as long as each individual finds their second home in some of our APIDA organizations.”