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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17

OPINION Opinion writer says embrace the unexpected and see what life has to offer. A7

@THEBATTONLINE

SPORTS FIRST DAY OF IN-PERSON A&M, at top of SEC standings, EARLY VOTING opens second half of season at Mississippi State. B1

OCTOBER 21

Local church faces controversy Christland Church falls under scrutiny amid abuse allegations By J.M. Wise News Editor

Catherine Hunter holds a sign on the side of the road in protest of Christland Church off Highway 6 on Oct. 12, 2024.

Chris Swann — THE BATTALION

The Network, a series of non-denominational churches across the United States, England and Taiwan, has recently fallen under controversy as multiple churches are leaving and denouncing the group for allegedly hiding sexual abuse its leader committed and practices endangering children.. Members are also accusing the College Station location, Christland Church, of predatory recruitment and spiritual abuse of its members. Boiling over in a protest on Saturday, former members and families negatively impacted by The Network have been vocal online through blogs, subreddits, YouTube and Facebook. The Network began in 1995 when Morgan founded Vine Church in Carbondale, Illinois. It was renamed when Morgan created his own group that focused on spreading its influence through new churches called “plants.”

‘Culture of secrecy’ Originally from Illinois, Emma Wright, Class of 2022, wanted to attend a church she was familiar with when she moved to attend A&M. A former Vine Church attendee, she joined Christland in 2018. “I literally started going there when I was a baby,” Wright said. “A lot of the people who were at Christland, who planted it, lead it, currently lead it. A lot of those people I knew from Vineyard, I’ve known my entire life.” As reported by The Battalion last year, Wright was involved in Christland through a women’s group and often felt belittled and silenced by the sermons given by Sándor Paull, Christland’s head pastor and the vice president of The Network. “There were so many red flags that I wished I didn’t gloss over,” Wright said. “There was definitely a culture of secrecy … It was very much expected at Christland that you would obey your leaders in all things. I remember being told what kind of music to listen to and not listen to by leaders. I remember being told what kind of person to date or not date.” In 2022, court documents from Kansas revealed that Morgan, the NETWORK ON A5

Task force aims to halt opioid crisis A&M responds to drug abuse with prevention, treatment programs By J.M. Wise News Editor

United States Drug Enforcement Administration

A lethal dose of fentanyl next to a U.S. penny for comparison.

Texas’ public health system is facing a crisis fueled by opioid and fentanyl misuse. In 2023, 5,093 Texans died from drug poisoning, 45.3% of which were from fentanyl alone. In response to this trend, Texas A&M’s Opioid Task Force has been intensifying ef-

forts to reach rural communities across the state to combat overdose deaths. Gov. Greg Abbott declared October Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month and released an educational video featuring college football coaches, including A&M coach Mike Elko, discussing the dangers of overdosing. Aimed towards young adults, the effort is just one of the state’s initiatives to stop the upward trend of overdose deaths among Texans, especially young adults. At A&M, the Opioid Task

Force, or OTF, combines new research with community outreach to provide treatments and prevention for all Texans. Joy Alonzo is the co-chair of the OTF and an assistant professor at A&M’s College of Pharmacy. Established in 2018, the program encourages professionals from any healthcare branch to implement collaborative solutions to opioid overdoses. “I remember the day when the number of overdose deaths crossed the number of traffic deaths,” Alonzo said. OTF ON A5

University police warns of ticket scams, ways to stay safe this season at the University Police De- tickets through official sources,” Officers alert students ficer partment, or UPD. Leseth said. “That’s the best thing “What we know is that people can do to be safe. We recomabout common fraud are targeting our students and mem- you mend the 12th Man Foundation or involving sports passes bers of our community,” Leseth SeatGeek.”

By Mikayla Martinez News Editor With anticipated Kyle Field matchups such as the LSU and Texas rivalries on the horizon, ticket scams are back, according to campus police. As Texas A&M students and fans scramble to secure tickets and sports passes to these high-demand games, many are falling victim to online scams where fraudsters pose as legitimate sellers only to deliver fake tickets — or nothing at all. The scams are not new to this football season but continue to rise, costing people money with false promises of a valid sports pass, according to Robert Leseth, a field training and public information of-

said. “They’re using student IDs and GroupMe to target students.” With a recent increase in scammer reports, UPD advised students to be cautious when purchasing tickets from third-party sellers in a Facebook post. “From what I understand, the scam works when someone’s either trying to purchase a sports pass or sell a sports pass,” Leseth said. “One of two things will happen: They’ll transfer their pass and won’t get their money, or they’ll send their money but won’t get the pass.” According to UPD, scammers use images of other student IDs to convince buyers they are legitimate. Leseth said students can take precautions to protect themselves from the scams. “Be cautious and purchase your

Third-party selling occurs when students sell and buy sports passes, often online using apps like GroupMe and Facebook. One group on GroupMe updated semesterly has roughly 2,700 members, most of which are current students. Per the 12th Man Foundation, students are prohibited from reselling student sports passes for beyond the tickets’ face value. Selling for a profit is against Foundation rules. “Be cautious,” Leseth said. “Meet somewhere physically, so meet at the ticket window. I’ve seen people do that at Kyle Field or even here at the police department — or someplace where [can] you feel safe and make that physical exchange for tickets.” With three home games remaining this season, including two

Isabel Lubrano — THE BATTALION

Students wait in line for the ticket booths to open during student ticket pull for the McNeese State football game outside Kyle Field on Sept. 2, 2024.

high-profile SEC matchups, Leseth said the scams will likely continue to occur. “If something feels weird, call us,” Leseth said. “The more information that we have, it always helps us identify suspects. … We always want to educate our students now to be safe.” For those who fall victim to online scams, evidence like screenshots or digital records can help UPD identify the suspect. “Things like handles of Venmo, usernames, Snapchat handles and

stuff like that are really beneficial,” Leseth said. Leseth said students should remain vigilant and contact authorities if something feels suspicious. The university police phone number can be found on the back of student IDs, where reports of fraud and theft can be made. “I’m really hoping that the Texas game comes and nothing happens — that everybody gets their tickets, gets to go see the game and that we win,” Leseth said. “It’s affecting everybody in our community.”