thebattalion ● monday,
march 5, 2012
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2012 student media
sbp election
Claybrook not yet counted out Jake Walker The Battalion John Claybrook’s campaign will appeal its last-minute disqualification from the student body president election in a judicial court hearing Monday night. Claybrook was disqualified by the Election Commission Friday evening because of inconsistencies in his expense report. Violations and alterations involved the cost of Claybrook’s website, tax levels and shipping costs for campaign supplies, eventually adding almost $300 to the candidate’s total expenses. This addition put him over the $1,800 budget
allotted to student body president candidates. The Excel spreadsheet provided by the Election Commission was formulated to automatically incorporate taxes. In Claybrook’s expense report, the final total for items purchased outside the BryanCollege Station area did not include taxes, meaning the spreadsheet was likely altered. “Because this rule required Claybrook intentional alteration of the spreadsheet provided by the Election Commission, this should constitute falsification of
thebatt.com
a finance report, which the Election Commission has set as a precedent by ruling as a major campaign violation,” read the violation submission against the Claybrook campaign, obtained by The Battalion. The cost of items purchased outside the B-CS area is determined by the Election Commission’s interpretation of “fair market value,” which already incorporates tax, per the election regulations. Because of this, a Claybrook campaign representative said the spreadsheet’s imbedded formula counts tax twice on each item that has already been assessed at fair market value.
The Claybrook campaign was also accused of prorating its website, which is prohibited by the election rules and regulations. The Claybrook budget report only expensed one month of use of the domain, giving the impression that time was prorated. “Taking one bite out of an apple does not leave you with a fraction of unused apple,” read a second violation submission regarding the domain dispute. “If Claybrook had bought twelve separate months of web domain for, say, $5 each, then the unused months could be left out under this rule. However, an See Appeal on page 4
B1G home sweep
Softball coverage The Aggies defeated Houston in a Sunday revenge game, 3-2. The team finished the weekend with a 4-1 record. Read our recap and the A&M Invitational recap online at thebatt.com
inside voices | 3 Election mayhem Regulations and unruly candidates complicated this year’s campus vote.
nation & world Putin wins Russian election MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin scored a decisive victory in Russia’s presidential election Sunday to return to the Kremlin and extend his hold on power for six more years. His eyes brimming with tears, he defiantly proclaimed to a sea of supporters that they had triumphed over opponents. Associated Press
Jade Bedell — THE BATTALION
Senior first baseman Jacob House drives in two game-tying RBIs in a two-out at bat Sunday to swing momentum in the Aggies’ favor.
A&M sends Big 10 champs back to Michigan winless Roland Ruiz The Battalion On a sunny and breezy Sunday afternoon, the No. 5 Texas A&M baseball team completed the weekend sweep of Big 10 champion Michigan State, 9-8, in front of 4,528 at Blue Bell Park. The Aggies extend their winning streak to five games after a hard-fought battle Sunday, despite falling into a 4-0 early deficit in the first inning of the ballgame. The Aggies needed resilience and intensity on the base paths, building a come-back in the sixth and seventh innings to solidify the victory and sweep
against the Big 10 Conference favorite. The game began with two errors in the Aggie infield, setting the stage for four Spartan runs including a two-run homer from freshman outfielder Jimmy Pickens. A&M sophomore right-hander Rafael Pineda struggled in the first inning, surrendering four runs — none earned — on two hits. His defense three errors put the Aggies in an early hole. A&M head coach Rob Childress said he was impressed by the way his team continued to fight all game long. “It was probably my fault,” Childress said. “I
don’t know if I didn’t have them ready to play. By the time the first punch was thrown, they got ready to play and played well.” The Aggies (11-1) answered the Spartans’ (4-6) early offensive spark by scoring a run in the second and fourth innings, but were unable to add more despite bases-loaded opportunities in both at-bats. Junior shortstop Mikey Reynolds was hit by a pitch in the second and junior right fielder Tyler Naquin reached on an error in the fourth, giving the team a fighting chance to come back. See Sweep on page 6
nation
Churches protest contraceptive mandate Jake Walker The Battalion
ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Barack Obama’s new policy on insurance coverage of contraceptives in Catholic hospitals has caused controversy.
Seven states, including Texas, have joined a lawsuit suing President Barack Obama for passing a new Health and Human Services contraceptive mandate. The mandate requires employers to provide abortion-inducing drugs, sterilizations and contraceptives free of charge to their employees. The problem comes with religious-affiliated establishments that are against the use of contraceptives. The Ro-
man Catholic Church is one of these establishments, and spokespersons have said this mandate is an infringement on its rights of religious freedom. Since the mandate, Obama has released a compromise applying to churches and employers, but the churches are still not happy. “There cannot be a compromise to something that the government has no right to do in the first place,” said the Rev. David Konderla of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. The compromise is meant to exempt faith-based employers from covering the
women’s hoops
A&M falls to Texas in season finale, 79-64 Mark Dore The Battalion In A&M’s last trip through the Big 12 Conference gauntlet, the defending national champions found no mercy from their in-state rival. The No. 17 Aggies dropped their second game of the season against a Texas Longhorns team that has struggled in conference play, falling in Austin Sunday in their regular season finale. A&M head coach Gary Blair said
Pg. 1-03.05.12.indd 1
Texas was motivated by the prospect of missing the NCAA tournament. “Texas played with a sense of urgency tonight,” Blair said. “If they would have lost the game they would have been out of the NCAA tournament. It’s simple.” Three-point shooting was the difference maker in the contest: The Aggies made just one of four attempts from beyond the arc while the Longhorns tied a season-high with nine made three-pointers on 15 attempts. On a day when the Longhorns
honored their seniors, senior Yvonne Anderson rocked the scoreboard for a career-high 25 points to go with nine assists. Fellow senior Chassidy Fussell made five of seven attempts from three-point range for 19 points. Blair said Anderson’s play was the deciding factor in the contest. “[Anderson] was the biggest key in the ball game,” Blair said. “Fussell is going to get hers. We tried to play Tyra White, have a taller player on See Finale on page 6
cost of contraceptives, but requires that insurance agencies cover the cost instead. This raises implications in the case where there are some self-insuring religious employers and religious insurance agencies that may be against the use of contraceptives, but would still be required to provide them. “The compromise is, unfortunately, not acceptable. I believe it is a threat to the very religious freedom our founding fathers died to protect,” said Kristine Cranley, student minister at St. Mary’s. See Contraceptive on page 2
Physician with women’s clinic dies at 61 After serving the A&M community for 11 years, Dr. Janice Butchee died Feb. 28 at the age of 61. Butchee graduated from Lamar University and Texas A&M-Galveston, and received her medical degree from the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. She became certified in Family Practice, and served in her hometown Butchee of Buna, Texas, until she began working at the A.P. Beutel Health Center at A&M in 2001. She was a physician at the Women’s Clinic. Barrett House, staff writer
3/5/12 12:46 AM