thebattalion ● wednesday,
february 29, 2012
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2012 student media
The results are finally in Following appeal, Thomas McNutt and John Claybrook in runoff election Barrett House The Battalion
Roger Zhang and Robert Carpenter — THE BATTALION
Student body president candidates Thomas McNutt, left, and John Claybrook, right, will face each other in a runoff election Thursday and Friday.
A few hundred students sit patiently in front of Koldus, dividing into groups based on support of student body president candidates. In the Governance Room, a trial unfolds, pitting the McNutt campaign against the Election Commission. Then the Judicial Court deliberates. Three hours later, McNutt prevails, but now faces John Claybrook in the runoff election. The original plan to announce the election results at 8 p.m. Tuesday was postponed after an appeal was filed by the McNutt campaign against
a decision from the election commission Monday, adding an additional $450 to McNutt’s expense report for his website, bringing the total to $1,789.98 — a mere $10 shy of the allowed $1,800 budget for student body president candidates. SGA’s Judicial Court officiated the appeal. The Judicial Court ruled that the $50 value McNutt assigned to his website is not accurate, but that the Election Commission is unable to value the website at $500. Kyle Jackson, election commissioner, said the commission valued the site at $50 and See SBP on page 4
Primary results ◗ Thomas McNutt: 32 percent
◗ John Claybrook: 21 percent
◗ Drew Barber: 18 percent
◗ Jose Zelaya: 7 percent
◗ Sam Hodges: 6 percent
◗ Brody Smith: 3 percent
Student elections yield tight races, first woman yell leader candidate keeps hope Justin Mathers The Battalion Tuesday night’s election results ushered in a new generation of Texas A&M representatives, including three yell leaders, three class presidents and a Residence Hall Association president. Tuesday also gave way to a first at Texas A&M: a yell leader runoff election in which a woman candidate will be on the ballot. The RHA president-to-be, junior Mason Lanham, was elected with 58 votes in a vote featuring three write-in candidates. The newly elected junior and senior class presidents, Rachel Norman and Trent Segers, respectively, won in single candidate races. Sophomore class president Meghan De Amaral was victorious after a close race, with a difference of only 236 votes.
Yell leader elections yielded two new junior yell leaders, one returning senior yell leader and a runoff election that will decide the fate of the remaining four senior candidates. Returning senior Nelson Ingram and juniors Hunter Cook and Ryan Crawford were outright winners of the night, each capturing more than 50 percent of his respective votes. The runoff election that will determine the other two senior yell leaders will continue until the winners are announced Friday night. Campaigning will continue Wednesday, while Thursday and Friday are the designated voting days. The election will feature Drew Nelson, Hunter Skoog, Samantha Ketcham and current junior yell leader Josh Light. See Elections on page 4
inside religion | 3 Striving to find links Texas A&M’s SGA Diversity Commission will hold a “World Religion and Spirituality Symposium” Wednesday at Mays Business School. The main focus of the evening will be to link different belief systems together.
thebatt.com
Ten-run comeback for Aggies The Aggies pulled off the biggest comeback in school history Tuesday against Northwestern State.
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Senior yell Because only one candidate, Nelson Ingram, received at least 50 percent of the total vote for senior yell leader, four candidates advanced to a runoff election for the final two spots: Drew Nelson, Hunter Skoog, Josh Light and Samantha Ketcham.
Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION
‘Five for Yell’ candidates kneel in anticipation, waiting for election results to be announced Tuesday in Academic Plaza.
campus
conference news
Aggie smokers may be blown off-campus by fall semester
A&M, Big 12 finalize terms
Justin Mathers The Battalion Smokers at A&M might find themselves squeezed out of their last remaining strongholds on campus by Aug. 31. University administrators on campuses around the state are carefully considering tobacco-free campus policies as a result of new rules created by the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas, or CPRIT. In January, CPRIT’s oversight committee adopted a policy that requires grant recipients to have policies in place prohibiting tobacco use in buildings and structures where financed research activities take place — including outdoor areas immediately adjacent to those buildings. Grant recipients must also provide smoking cessation services for community members who wish to partake. As the University of Texas
Chandler Smith
regulations are too extensive. “I would think a lot, if not most, of the buildings on campus are used in research for one way or another,” Lucky said. “I don’t think it’s fair to
The Battalion According to a Texas A&M University press release issued Tuesday, Texas A&M and the Big 12 conference have reached an agreement on withdrawal terms for the Aggies’ July 1 transition to the Southeastern Conference. In the agreed settlement between the two parties, the Big 12 will withhold approximately $12.41 million from A&M — money that would otherwise be distributed to the Aggies by the conference in fiscal year 2012. A&M expects, however, to receive some monetary benefits from the Big 12 signed television contract with Fox Sports, among other unspecified concessions. A&M’s total losses from the settlement, all considered are expected to be $9.31 million. A&M president R. Bowen Loftin said he was thankful for the way the negotiation was conducted. “We appreciate the Big 12 working with us on a quick and amicable settlement,” Loftin said in the press release. Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas expressed similar sentiments. “This agreement was accomplished through a collegial, respectful process among the conference, its
See Smoking on page 3
See Big 12 on page 6
James Thompson — THE BATTALION
Michael Youngkin, junior chemistry major, smokes on campus while University administrators consider a tobacco-free campus by fall 2012. at Austin mulls over a campuswide tobacco ban, smokers and non-smokers alike at A&M are grumbling over a similar possibility. Nathaniel Lucky, a freshman biology major and a non-smoker, said he thinks the
2/29/12 2:43 AM