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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

LIFE & ARTS Beloved taco bar makes return to College Station after ten years. A3

@THEBATTONLINE

METRO Students concerned about unsafe driving practices, road rage. B1

Upcoming Sports Soccer vs No. 13 TCU

Thursday, Sept. 5

Volleyball vs Texas State Friday, Sept. 6

Football vs McNeese State

Saturday, Sept. 7

Here is why you continue to get those crime emails Clery Act notifications explained by UPD By Mikayla Martinez News Editor Emails with the header ‘VPFAUPD-Clery’ are sent to students regularly — although seemingly benign, they’re vital in keeping students aware of emergencies and potential community threats. The Texas A&M University Police Department aims to provide timely crime report notifications under federal law, the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act. Also known as the Clery Act, the act mandates are notified of sexual assault incidents or emergency situations on campus. The family of Jeanne Clery — a student sexually assaulted and murdered in her Lehigh University dorm

in 1986 — spearheaded the law’s creation. After unreported crimes continued at universities around the country, Congress passed the law in 1990, requiring campuses to report crime data to students and faculty. The law has evolved throughout the years, with ever-changing rules on how to report crime on campuses. At A&M, the notifications appear as VPFA-UPD-Clery in university-wide emails. The emails include a phone number to contact the police, crime prevention tips and links to resources in case of related emergencies, according to Bobby Richardson, the current assistant chief of support services for UPD. “We put those in every alert,” Richardson said. “In those tips, safety tips are applied to the crime. So, it changes whether it’s a theft of a motor vehicle or sexual assault. Those tips are at the bottom [of the notification], so we hope everyone is

reading them and practicing those.” In the past, students were able to unsubscribe from these frequent notifications, but the feature was removed because federal law mandates all students receive them, Richard Paxton, a UPD professional compliance lieutenant, said. Following a recent motor vehicle theft notification, for example, the police department compiles a list of tips for students to protect their cars from frequent burglaries, Sergeant Jonathan Blythe, a patrol and public information officer, said. There have been seven theft of motor vehicle crime alerts since June. “Do not leave your keys in the vehicle,” Blythe said. “Close your windows and lock your doors when you leave your vehicle. Take your keys. Do not hide them in the vehicle. Thieves know to look in popular hiding places. Park in well-lit, high-density, conspicuous areas that

are in view of security cameras, then consider installing an audible alarm system or anti-theft device.” It’s important to pay attention to surroundings, Richardson said. Crime doesn’t take a day off — so students should take precautions to protect themselves. “Trust your instincts,” Richardson said. “Time and time again, when people report crimes to us, it is after the fact. They always say, ‘You know, something was off with that person. Something felt wrong. I felt like something was going to happen.’” From noise cancellation with AirPods in both ears to scrolling on Instagram reels, students’ observational skills are often limited. Because of so many distractions, staying observant of one’s surroundings is critical to safety, Richardson says. “Being aware of your surroundings means being off your phone … anything that may distract you,” CRIME ON A5

Thrifting for faith Stark Gallery exhibition documents religious identity in Aggieland

Class of 1993 alumnus said he ‘was a liability to the future of the Corps’

By Ian Curtis Features Editor The purchases line the walls: On one side, there’s an embroidered sampler with the full text of the Lord’s Prayer, offered up by a man who inherited his great aunt’s house and couldn’t bear to toss it aside. And mere feet away, there’s a mix of detailed Buddha statues, prayer beads, a bobblehead of Pope Francis and a candle dedicated to “Saint Harry Styles.” It’s every piece of religious iconography you could possibly think of — from just about every religion you could possibly think of — all coming from thrift stores throughout Aggieland and East Texas. And it’s all on display at the J. Wayne Stark Gallery in the Memorial Student Center from Sept. 3 to 29 as part of the Thrifted Religion Exhibition. The gallery consists of 538 religious objects separated into five themes: Finding Religion, Making Religion, Selling Religion, Doing Religion and Texas Religion. “We’re trying to map a picture of, ‘What’s the religious diversity of Aggieland really like?’” communication professor Heidi Campbell,

Former Corps head Patrick Michaelis ‘directed’ to step down By Nicholas Gutteridge Managing Editor

Ashely Bautista — THE BATTALION

Thrifted items found in East Texas and Aggieland being shown at the Thrifted Religion art exhibition in the MSC J. Wayne Stark Gallery

Ph.D., said. “How are people practicing religion, and what kinds of beliefs do they have based on what we’re finding?” The project is Campbell’s brainchild, who combined her love of thrifting with her career of studying communication and religion. “I’ve always loved to thrift, and I always collected antiques,” Campbell said. “And then I began to notice a lot of religious stuff around. And I was surprised where I was not just finding things like crucifixes and rosaries, but I started finding Buddhist statues and prayer beads from Hinduism. And so I began to say that, ‘Wow, there is much more diversity than I even thought.’” Campbell got her classes involved in the project, turning it into an ex-

tensive ethnography of Aggieland’s religious identity. “They would study one particular local thrift store, and they would just go there and catalog, ‘What are all the religious items I see?’ ‘How long do they stay on the shelves?’” Campbell said. “That’s what we’re mapping. What are the most common religious symbols, the religious objects and the religious sayings that showed up in the thrift store?” Meg Boone, one of the students involved in the project, said the research process was more complicated than it may seem. “You’d go through and say, ‘Okay, I found a cross,’” Boone said. “Well, is it a Protestant cross? Is it a Catholic cross? Is it a Baptist cross? How do you know where is GALLERY ON A5

After approximately two years as the Corps of Cadets commandant, Patrick Michaelis, Class of 1993, stepped down from the role on Aug. 12 and transitioned to special assistant to President Mark A. Welsh III. The Corps is now looking for its third commandment since 2021. New documents show that, rather than a simple transition as stated, Michaelis was “directed” to step down by President Welsh on Monday, Aug. 5, an order he accepted that Wednesday and announced publicly on Aug. 12. “It is no secret that since February, it has been tough,” Michaelis allegedly wrote in a printed document informing his staff of the decision. “At that time, I openly asked the question of whether or not I was a more of a liability than an asset to the future of the Corps. Quite simply, since the end of Feb, and the reaction to a recent hazing investigation … I have been working on borrowed time. Ultimately, I have become a liability to the future of the Corps.”

It’s unclear the exact hazing situation Michaelis is referencing. In December 2023, the Corps faced a $1 million hazing lawsuit by a student who said they faced “humiliating and degrading” acts in the Corps. Board of Regents Chairman Bill Mahomes convened a special workshop on Feb. 8 to receive updates on different sectors of the university, and Michaelis spoke to provide an update on the Corps, with part of his segment dedicated to policies on hazing. The documents detail Michaelis’ personal thoughts with the decision, including his opinion on the future of the Corps — a “great” organization with a bright future, he wrote. Welsh named retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Loyd S. “Chip” Utterback, Class of 1975, as interim commandant and said a national search committee would be formed soon after. In an alternate version of the letter meant for the cadets, Michaelis made the announcement and said farewell. “Welcome to real life,” he wrote. “The lesson is: you can do the right thing, you can stand up for what is right, you can be a leader of character … and you can still lose your good name.” He writes that he doesn’t know the reason for Welsh’s request and “can only speculate.” He quotes former Texas Gov. Richard Coke, CORPS ON A5