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Saturday, August 22, 2026

TRADITIONS: Letter from the editor: SPORTS: Texas A&M volleyball’s New EIC Ava Loth addresses Aggies new faces take center court

@THEBATTONLINE

PUBLICATION NOTICE Tuesday, Sept. 1: Silver Taps

Kynlee Joyner — THE BATTALION

Howdy Week welcomes Ags back home Texas A&M’s Student Life division hosts back-toschool events for students to kick off fall semester By David Swope News Editor Texas A&M’s annual Howdy Week kicked off on Aug. 17 and will continue through Tuesday, Aug. 25, welcoming one of the United States’ largest student bodies back to Aggieland. In addition to the Howdy Week festivities, various subsequent welcome events are planned in the following weeks. Geophysics junior and Geology and Geophysics Society Treasurer Christian Mares, a Club Crawl table host, believes that taking advantage of the events and making new connections is paramount for those trying to find their place in college — a task that he believes can prove to be particularly challenging at such a large university like A&M. “If you don’t talk to anyone else besides your small group of friends coming in from high school, you won’t find your community,” Mares said. “The best way to do that is just to talk to brand new people and see what they’re doing, enjoy new experiences and do things on a whim.” During these events, Mares thinks students can get their foot in the door

with not only student organizations, but the faces behind them. “I think it’s really important because you don’t know anyone here, and clubs are just that first step to meeting new people,” Mares said. “ … You never know what A&M has to offer until you go to Club Crawl and other Howdy Week events.” With that said, here are some notable events to take place throughout Howdy Week and the beginning of the fall semester. Off-Campus Student Carnival Aug. 22 from 5 to 8 p.m. - College Station City Hall The Off-Campus Student Carnival offers an opportunity for students to connect with the Bryan-College Station community through games, carnival snacks, inflatables and a local celebrity dunk tank free of charge. In addition to connecting with fellow Aggies, students can meet various local officials and organizations to find unique ways to get involved. Rec-A-Palooza Aug. 23 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. - Student Recreation Center Situated among over 540,000 square feet of recreation space, RecA-Palooza aims to introduce Aggies to the wide assortment of facilities at their disposal. With 15 event booths, such as introductory bouldering and climbing classes and inflatable obstacle courses, students can explore the numerous sports clubs and activities

enjoyed by their peers, making new connections and discovering healthy hobbies. Class Photo Aug. 23 from 8 to 10 p.m. - Kyle Field As to one of Howdy Week’s most anticipated events, the Class Photo invites freshmen to Kyle Field to commemorate their arrival to A&M. New students will make their way on the field and arrange themselves in the shape of the number 30, marking their membership to the Class of 2030 with a group picture. First Day Photos Aug. 24 and Aug. 25 - Across campus Students can have the opportunity to memorialize their first day of the fall semester through First Day Photos. Located across campus, volunteers will be set up outside various colleges and high-traffic areas with chalkboard signs for students to take a photo with. A full list of locations can be found on the Howdy Week website, with more to be finalized prior to the first day of class. Part-Time Student Job Fair Aug. 26 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. - Bethancourt Ballroom A&M students looking for part-time employment opportunities can enjoy special access to the Jobs for Aggies Part-Time Student Job Fair. Admission to the event is free and requires no prior registration. Featuring

both on-campus departments and off-campus employers throughout the Bryan-College Station area, students can browse a diverse array of jobs and find openings that best suit their preferences and schedule. Club Crawl Sept. 6 from 1 to 5 p.m. – MSC and surrounding venues Club Crawl is A&M’s largest student involvement festival, bringing together over 1,300 recognized student organizations. Hosted in the heart of campus, everyone from incoming freshmen to graduate students has the chance to browse and interact with the wide assortment of different on-campus organizations. The list of approved organizations and general tips for attendance can be found on the Club Crawl website. A complete list of both general and featured events can be found on the Howdy Week website. Other A&M events that are not a part of Howdy Week are listed on the Get Involved website. With over 74,000 students enrolled at the College Station campus in Fall 2026, some find it hard to distinguish themselves and find where they belong, but Mares offers a simple piece of advice. “Just be yourself,” Mares said. “There’s always going to be someone else exactly like you. Finding your niche community is your best way to do it, by talking to different people, by meeting their friends and just connecting with a bunch of people.”

New DSA initiative to foster connection ‘We want you to feel connected’: Aggie Experience Groups promote community By Kynlee Joyner Managing Editor In addition to Texas A&M’s annual Howdy Week and subsequent events, Aggie Experience Groups — an initiative spearheaded by the Division of Student Affairs and one of its Associate Vice Presidents, Jennifer Ford ‘99 — will be added to the back-to-school events calendar this fall. With the first event kicking off on Tuesday, Aug. 25, these groups will aim to help students find a community on campus and their purpose at A&M. The initiative will feature 75 total events from Aug. 25 to Saturday, Sept. 19. The groups range from arts and

crafts to more active activities like bouldering, each one led by a Division of Student Affairs employee and student host. “We want students to feel like they are connected and belong here, and so that’s really what’s motivating all of this,” Ford said. “I think there’s been a lot of research and different programs that have happened on campus, that doing things in smaller groups is helpful. … The goal of leaving is with one new person that they know.” Statistics on the benefits of small groups are not the only research behind the push for student engagement. Since 2021, the Student Affairs Planning, Assessment & Research department has examined students through the Aggie Well-being Survey. The assessment covers a wide range of topics from overall health to engagement. The results of the survey — for Ford, specifically the loneliness and

belonging categories — helped the Division of Student Affairs recognize a need for an initiative dedicated to fostering connections between students through a shared likeness. Over the past three years, an average of 44.5% of students reported feelings of loneliness. On the other hand, over the past four years, an average of 63% of students said they feel a strong sense of belonging at A&M. “Will we ever get that percentage to a hundred?” Ford asked. “I don’t know, but wouldn’t that be nice? … My particular background has been working in Student Life for the last 10 years. And so, you know, seeing the students who are waiting to talk with one of our case managers who are experiencing some challenges of transitioning, I have seen it firsthand as our other staff are working on this effort, and I want to reduce the number of students who are feeling that way.”

The Division of Student Affairs hosted a kickoff on Aug. 19 for the initiative. Emails have begun being sent out to students to sign up for the experience groups and will continue to reach more students in the coming weeks through the first six weeks email. While the events are targeted at reaching incoming students, all are welcome to take part in the experiences. Events will be capped around 25 students in order to maintain a small group, but Ford assures that in the case of a high demand, adjustments will be made. “If there is a waitlist, if we see there’s higher demand, all of the hosts for these groups know that I’m going to go back and say, ‘Would you do another group?’ Ford said.

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