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SILVER TAPS Megan Callahan-Krejcar, Lindsey Webster, Mingdian Cai, Colby Fisher, Quinn Stegall A2-3

SPORTS A&M football kicks off its season at Kyle Field on Saturday, Aug. 30 against UTSA in an in-state battle B1

Illustration by Zoe Rich — THE BATTALION

Letter from the editor: By students, for students By Ian Curtis Editor-in-Chief

Ashely Bautista — THE BATTALION

Students walk into the Ice Cream Carnival event at Aggie Park during Howdy Week on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025.

Howdy Week marks the return of Aggie Spirit Series of events will run from August 20-26 across campus, College Station area By David Swope Associate News Editor Ushering in the return of over 72,000 students and the beginning of the fall semester, Howdy Week brings campus-wide events and traditions to new and returning Aggies. The festivities began on Aug. 20 and run through Aug. 26. Offering both Featured Events, large-scale gatherings directly sponsored by a university office, student organization or department, and General Events, Howdy Week provides a variety of opportunities for students to engage with their Aggie community. Though an annual tradition, this year’s Howdy Week includes the launch of two new initiatives from Student Life and the Division of Student Affairs: Howdy Hubs and Howdy Week Ambassadors. Howdy Hubs are pop-up tables that will be present at all Featured Events. They are staffed by Howdy Week Ambassadors, student leaders who are equipped with the necessary knowledge and resources to help guide new students through life in Aggieland. “Coming into A&M, it can be super overwhelming,” neuroscience senior and Orientation Team Leader Kortney Ammerman said in an insider podcast with the Division of Student Affairs. “I think Howdy Week is definitely one of the most important things for a student to attend because you will meet new

people; it’s not, ‘What if?’ It’s, ‘How many will I meet, how many friends can I make, how many people will I have classes with?’” At the Ice Cream Carnival, engineering freshman Truman Betz said he experienced this firsthand. Alongside his childhood friend, engineering freshman Wesley Peters, the two experienced college life for the first time. “Coming from a small town, I know a lot of people are coming out from Dallas and those places, so it’s just a completely different scene than back home for me,” Betz said. “But most people are geared towards wanting to know who you are and getting to see you.” Transitioning to life at a school with over 72,000 students at just its main campus can prove particularly challenging. Peters and Betz noted that a key part of their plan for navigating A&M is doing it together. “Me and Truman, we were just walking our classes earlier, and I feel like that was helpful in just kind of getting our bearings,” Peters said. “And then just having [Howdy Week Events] in the background has been really nice to where we can, if we wanted to, go to an event where we know people but also get to meet new people.” Interested students can also attend the variety of General Events offered by different university departments, such as the Howdy Engineering! Scavenger Hunt. To round out the Fall 2025 semester welcoming ceremony, Club Crawl, formerly known as MSC Open House, will be held on Aug. 31 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Memorial Student Center. Attendees will be able to interact with over 1,300 recognized student organizations. “A&M really prioritizes that kind of feeling

of comfort and knowing people, and people are inviting,” Betz said. “So I think stuff like Howdy Week, stuff like Aggieland Saturday and all of these events that are going on right now … A&M does a really good job of providing those ways to meet new people, share a meal with somebody and just go and see new people, so I’m taking advantage of all of it.” 6 p.m. — GatheRing and Yell Practice

SAT 23

Clayton Williams Alumni Center — A gathering for new students to connect alongside their first on-campus yell practice 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. — Class Photo Kyle Field — Class of ‘29 students will take their official class photo 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Rec-A-Palooza Student Rec Center — Partake in interactive activities and learn about the rec centers of

SUN 24

Texas A&M 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. — Off-Campus Student Carnival College Station City Hall — Explore resources for students living off-campus 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. — AggieFest Aggie Park — Listen to live music, eat free food and visit booths from student organizations 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. — First Day of Class

MON 25

Photos Various locations — Capture a memory with Student Life volunteers 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Treats and Greets Rudder Plaza — Meet with 27 student organizations to explore opportunities on campus with free food and drinks

When I was up in East Texas for a family event last January, I met a former student who graduated from Texas A&M in the 60s. As two Aggies often do, we struck up a conversation about our time in Aggieland — what’s changed, what’s stayed the same and what I’m doing as a student. That’s when the subject of The Battalion came up. “Back when I was at A&M,” this Old Ag said. “The Battalion was just a bunch of liberals.” It’s a sentiment many of you have heard before. If we’re doing our jobs correctly — opinion desk aside, of course — you won’t be able to tell if that’s true. Growing up in College Station, I’ve seen the impact quality student journalism can have on this university and on the Brazos Valley. It’s no secret that the media and the field of journalism are not exactly well regarded today. But unlike “the mainstream media” so many people often deride, we are accountable to you, the students, because we are just like you. We are in your dorms, classes and student organizations. You pass us on Military Walk on your way to class, and see us in Kyle Field every game day — you just don’t realize it. We report on this community because we are a part of this community. We do our job — to bring fair, objective and sometimes even entertaining journalism to Aggieland — because we love this place. And because we love it, we want to make it better by holding it accountable. I’ve seen how this publication rallies when the odds are stacked against us, and the service we provide is truly needed. From just a few miles down Welsh Avenue, I watched as The Battalion persevered when former university president M. Katherine Banks tried to end our print edition and bring us under the thumb of the university in 2022. While I’m deeply thankful that there is no current effort to end our 132 years of publication — that’s right, we’re older than most of the other traditions here at A&M — I can assure you that we will fight to keep our editorial independence if it’s ever tested again. Why? Because this place needs journalists who know the community and are accountable to the student body. When you see us every day because our newsroom in the Memorial Student Center is in one of the busiest spots on campus, you can approach us and tell us why you’re not happy. We’re not national media parachuting in and not understanding what makes Aggieland the place that it is. We get it. This is our home, too. And when we do make mistakes? Tell us. We’re approachable. My inbox is certainly open, and if you see me on campus I’d be happy to chat about our reporting or anything else you think needs to be said.

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