Join host Jay Socol for Brazos Matters, a KAMU original production featuring a variety of guests from the Bryan-College Station and Aggieland community. Discussions focus on healthcare, education, economic development, traffic management, quality of life and other topics important to residents and businesses.
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More than 11,000 students, several dozen buildings, and a staff of roughly 450 — all are the responsibilities of Texas A&M Residence Life, the second-largest employer in the Division of Student Affairs. In this episode of “Brazos Matters,” host Jay Socol and student contributor Kaleigh Mazy ’26 visit with Dr. Kyle McCracken, Director of Residence Life, to explore what it takes to run one of the university's biggest and most personal operations. McCracken traces his own path from reluctant RA recruit to residence life leader of nearly 15 years, and explains how his department tries to make a ma
Can a 25-year-old graduate student today realistically expect to own a home someday? In this episode of "Brazos Matters," host Jay Socol and student contributor Kaleigh Mazy '26 dig into that very anxious, very common sentiment with two guests from the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University: Research Director Daniel Oney and Research Economist Yanling Mayer. The pair explain what "housing affordability" really measures beyond sticker price — mortgage rates, property taxes, insurance, and maintenance costs — and challenge the assumption that Texas is still the budget-friendly
Ten years ago, College Station Municipal Court Judge Edward Spillane III wrote a Washington Post op-ed — ""Why I Refuse to Send People to Jail for Failure to Pay Fines"" — that struck a national nerve and pushed cities across the country to rethink how they treat people who genuinely can't afford their fines. In this episode of “Brazos Matters,” host Jay Socol and student contributor Kaleigh Mazy ’26 ask Judge Spillane to look back on what's changed since then — and what hasn't. Spillane, who has presided over College Station's municipal court since 2002, walks through the roughly 30,000 Class
An estimated 400,000 first responders across America are living with symptoms of PTSD — yet stigma, cost, and scheduling keep many from ever asking for help. In this episode of "Brazos Matters," host Jay Socol and student contributor Kaleigh Mazy sit down with Alisa McDonald, program director of the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service's (TEEX) Public Safety Wellness Program, to discuss how first responders process trauma — and what's being done to support them. Alisa, a licensed professional counselor who came to TEEX from the Texas Department of Public Safety, was tasked from day one with
Jennifer Nations, Water Resource Coordinator, City of College Station discusses her role with the city, water availability, student awareness of water conservation, local water quality, wastewater challenges, scaling water infrastructure with population growth, irrigation check-ups, incentivizing water conservation, & water conservation practices at Jennifer's home.
Victoria Taylor, Sarah Lankford, and Giulia Goerigk discuss their experiences as student athletes in the Texas A&M Swimming program, their paths to A&M, majors at A&M, how they got acclimated to college, hosting team recruits, what inspired them to be swimmers, culture shocks encountered when coming to A&M, things that they would have liked their freshman selves to know, what they would have done differently in college, greatest challenges, things they will miss about College Station, how A&M has prepared them for the future, and their post-grad plans.
Anne Black, Executive Director of OPAS at Texas A&M University discusses how OPAS looked when she started, how OPAS took over Broadway programming from MSC Town Hall, recruiting high-level acts & Broadway shows to Bryan/College Station, OPAS' impact on the local economy, kids programming, where OPAS advertises, programming events for our specific local community, and how she got started at OPAS.
Craig Huffhines, Director of the Institute for Equine Sciences at Texas A&M University discusses his background & path to Texas A&M, the beginnings and scope of the Courtney Cares program, program partners across campus, benefits of hippotherapy, the types of clients who can benefit, student outcomes, identifying horses that exhibit traits that make them a good fit for the program, areas of research in equine science, funding needs, and the difference between therapy dogs and horses.
Maggie Hostetter, Performance Dietitian with Texas A&M Athletics discusses her background, why she chose a career in college sport nutrition, her path to Texas A&M, what all is involved in a typical day either in or out of season, nutrition options made available to student athletes, common misconceptions and mistakes made in nutrition, protein needs, cherry juice, and guilty food pleasures.
Darby Roberts, Director, Student Affairs Planning, Assessment & Research at Texas A&M University & Robert Tirso, Data Analyst, Student Affairs Planning, Assessment & Research at Texas A&M University discuss the WISHES Survey & Aggie Wellbeing Survey, their roles in this office, trends that they're currently seeing, first generation students vs others, the importance of fostering a sense of belonging, positive vs negative survey responses, confidentiality of responses, the option of having follow-up from the university, faculty & staff student support, some of the questions in the survey, who t
Lauren Craig, PhD, Assistant Director of Counseling and Sport Psychology Services for Texas A&M Athletics discusses her path to this field and to Texas A&M, the teams she works with & resources available, what needs are the same & different among different sports, managing pressure in the postseason, traits that she usually sees in top athletes, things that the general public can also put into practice, growth and fixed mindsets, routines, and athlete superstitions.
Flora Charner, Professor of Practice in the Texas A&M University Department of Communication & Journalism discusses her background in journalism and path to Texas A&M, transitioning from a media career to education, examples of how she's stayed involved in the journalism field while teaching, including current events in the classroom, how the use of AI in journalism is evolving, where college students are getting their news, goals of the A&M journalism program, what skills hopeful journalists should prioritize, and renovations to the department's space in Bolton Hall.
Ashley Jackson, Assistant Director of Strength & Conditioning for Texas A&M Athletics discusses with KAMU Student Content Contributor Victoria Taylor why Brazos Matters is highlighting strength and conditioning, Ashley's background and path to Texas A&M, tailoring specific training to meet the different needs of various sports, Ashley's future personal training goals, what regular people should prioritize in their own training routines, proper form, connecting with student athletes, and other growth as a result of this career.
Rev. Bryan Jody, Assoc. Pastor of College Ministry at A&M United Methodist Church discusses their new food bank, how the church identified the need for an additional food pantry near campus, the results of student surveys regarding food insecurity, how the pantry operates, how many students utilize this resource, how they're helping students get connected to other resources, the need from the international student community, local grocery partners, popular and not so popular food items, and where students can find other local food resources. Food Resources at Texas A&M (incl. The 12th Can, Bra
Jennifer Cain, Director of Capital Projects & Facility Management for the City of College Station discusses what qualifies as a capital project, her background and path to College Station, collaboration with stakeholders, the city's approach to capital projects, what her team looks like, coordination with TxDot, neighborhood improvements, where people can find more info, and current active projects including new water wells, fire station #7, Thomas Park, & Texas Independence Park.
Martin Zimmermann and Katie Williams from the City of Bryan discuss the 2026 Bryan comprehensive plan, what all is included in this plan, why citizens should care, why it is required, outcomes of previous plans, the role of consultants in this process, public meetings and feedback, amendments to a comprehensive plan, the online survey, benefits of having a good comprehensive plan, and how residents can get in touch with their team. For more information, visit http://bryantx.gov/CompPlan
Graduating KAMU Students Macey Litterst, Jade Torres, and Grace Barr discuss what led them to A&M, their majors, the acceptance process, their roles at KAMU, involvement in organizations & clubs, navigating the rise of A.I. & new tech, finding community, the best and most challenging times while in college, how A&M has changed them as people, and advice for new freshmen.
Megan Culpepper, Texas A&M University Health Services Licensed Professional Counselor discusses what A&M counseling & mental health services is about, academic stress leading into the holidays, patterns in students seeking help, changes in coping with stress in this social media era, distractions from discomfort, recommended strategies for overcoming stressors, and resources available to students.
Dr. Holly Hudson, Associate Vice President for Global Engagement at Texas A&M University discusses the scope & responsibilities of the Global Engagement office, the benefits of studying abroad for participants, diplomatic benefits, study abroad in this current global political climate, increasing costs associated with study abroad, financial aid & programs at different budget levels, simplifying the application process, how Texas A&M ranks in participation, post-pandemic effects, expected outcomes of study abroad, and the need for multi-language skills.
Savannah Gaines, Development Director at Aggieland Humane Society discusses her history with AHS, the difference between the 2 shelters in town and the areas covered by each, the current pet population, their new animal transfer van, the difference in pet population between northern and southern states, the pet food pantry, how AHS is handling increasing costs, reasons someone might surrender a pet, managing fundraising, current fashionable pets, fostering opportunities, pet licensing requirements, and how people can support AHS.
Bast Schellhorn, Program Specialist, Texas A&M Cybersecurity Center discusses FBI crime statistics, his educational & professional background, common day-to-day cybersecurity risks, apartment internet, VPNs, password complexity, social media safety, concerns about AI & deepfakes, phishing emails & text messages, Defcon, and software & security updates.
College Station Police Chief Billy Couch discusses his history with the CSPD, the evolution of the Northgate district over that time, the introductions of high-rises in the district, the changing customer base, common crimes, CSPD's approach to policing Northgate, conditional use permits for new bars in the city, issues in other areas of the city, and police department staffing & recruiting.
Dr. Carly McCord, Founding and Executive Director at the Texas A&M Telehealth Institute & Dr. Mikaela Spooner, a Psychologist at the Texas A&M Telehealth Institute and the lead provider at FarmHope discuss their Professional backgrounds, Texas A&M Telehealth institute, the Farm Hope program, stressors felt by ag & rural communities, implications of long commutes on healthcare access & use, telehealth as a solution, other Farm Hope services outside of mental health care, response to this past summer's flood, technology resources available to those without.
Sydney Fox, Public Engagement Specialist & Blake Knox, Transportation Engineer with the TXDOT Bryan District Office discuss the scope of the SH 6 widening project, how long work is expected to last, the influence of public feedback, how they're planning to mitigate impact on businesses and commuters, new shared use paths, upgrades to the Briarcrest & William J Bryan overpasses, a new diverging diamond intersection at University Drive, and updates to the northbound Texas Avenue exit.
Claire St. Amant, True crime journalist, podcast host, author discusses her professional background, why she is visiting Texas A&M's Campus, What she plans to teach A&M Journalism students, her thoughts on the future of the journalism profession, and the evolution from traditional media to podcasts.
