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july 3, 2012
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Officially SEC
It isn’t often a treat as sweet as “Moonrise Kingdom” graces the silver screens of these collegetown theaters. Check out thebatt. com for a review of the film.
Food, fun, fireworks Check out thebatt. com for a preview of The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum at A&M’s annual College Station Noon Lions Club’s “I Love America” Fourth of July Celebration.
mexico
Peña Nieto wins election The victor of Mexico’s presidential race, Enrique Peña Nieto, must reconcile with his party’s past, the limitation of his mandate and an opponent who has yet to concede defeat. His long-ruling and now-returned Institutional Revolutionary Party, the PRI, won about 38 percent of the vote and is unlikely to get a majority in Congress. In fact, it may lose seats. Associated Press
Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION
University President R. Bowen Loftin, Athletic Director Eric Hyman, women’s basketball player Kelsey Bone, football player Jonathan Stuart and other athletes “saw’em off” at the SEC flag raising celebration Monday at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium.
‘100-year decision’ puts A&M on national stage Chandler Smith The Battalion
A
nd so it begins. Texas A&M University officially joined the Southeastern Conference, the premier athletic conference in the country, effective Sunday — thus closing the University’s latest chapter in its rich, tradition-laden history. With the move, the Aggies will seek to attain something they’ve never possessed previously: a nationally recognized brand. Certainly sacrifices were made in the process. A&M, renowned for the preservation of its cherished traditions, severed ties with fellow Texas rivals —
including the Longhorns — to allow for the possibility of transition. Yet, the Aggies exclusive grasp of the formidable SEC brand presents a unique opportunity. Jason Cook, A&M vice president for marketing and communications, said the SEC — thanks to sheer brand
power — would carry the Aggies to a position of national relevance. He referenced University President’s R. Bowen Loftin’s declaration of a “100year decision,” emphasizing mphasizing the impact of the move. “Anytime a presiresident declares a 1000year decision, it’ss very significant. In a way, this move is going to say that Texas A&M has arrived at a national level,” Cookk said. “We see this his as Texas A&M becoming a nationall brand because we are now able bl to t associate with an extremely powerful national brand with the SEC.” If television ratings are any indicator of exposure levels, the SEC is head-
and-shoulders above the competition. According to the 2011 Nielson report, the SEC averaged 4,447,000 viewers per college football broadcast. By contrast the Big 12, A&M’s previou previous conference, aver averaged 2,347,000 vi viewers — more t than 2 million fewer pairs of eyeballs. Cook said the conference disparity in television packages. “We are goin ing to be able to par participate in [th [the SEC’s] nati tional media contracts, which will allow our athletic programs in our institution to be See SEC on page 2
olympics
Aggies make the cut, head to London Michael Rodriguez The Battalion Texas A&M student-athletes competing in the Olympic trials are steps away from reaching their goal: making it to London for the 2012 Summer Olympics. So far, A&M will be represented by at least five athletes who have qualified for London. For Team USA, sophomore Breeja Larson won the 100-meter breaststroke by .07 seconds over reigning two-time champion Rebecca Soni. Larson said in her post-swim inter-
view that every fiber in her body was burning but she was going to make them burn more just to keep going. Larson also finished sixth in the 200-meter breaststroke. Fellow A&M sophomore, Cammile Adams, joins Larson on Team USA as she won the 200-meter butterfly. Adams, who during the race fell behind to eventual runner-up Kathleen Hersey, pulled away in the final 50 meters to secure the victory by more than a second. “I can’t even put it into words,” Adams said. “I just feel so blessed for this experience, and to be part of Team
USA. I think I’ve made five junior teams and you get to a point where you say, am I ever going to make a National Team, and so this will be my first one, for sure.” In the Track and Field Olympic trials, junior agricultural leadership and development major Sam Humphreys set a school record when he threw the javelin for 268 feet, 7 inches to capture the victory at the Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore. Although Humphreys won the event, he was 5 inches short of the minimum qualifying distance — See Olympics on page 4
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Breeja Larson swims in the women’s 200-meter breaststroke semifinal at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials on Friday in Omaha, Neb.
military
fort bragg
Purple Heart recipient honored by church
Lieutenant colonel, former student killed Trevor Stevens
Naila Dhanani The Battalion SUGAR LAND, Texas — Purple Heart recipient Lance Cpl. Steven May was honored Sunday evening at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Star-Spangled Sing-Along. May, sophomore industrial distribution major, joined the Marine Corps in September 2005, serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. May is a third-generation Marine and said he was called to serve following the Sept. 11 attacks. “At 15, when 9/11 hit, that’s when I [realized] this is what I want to do…9/11 was the day that it turned for me,” he said. “That’s the day I decided I needed to stand up and fight for my country.”
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COURTESY PHOTO
Lance Cpl. Steven May, second to the left, is honored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lt. Col. Willie Blackmon, right, class of 1973, attended the event to honor May. He was deployed to Iraq in January 2007 and in April 2007, he and other members of his platoon suffered injuries while guarding a highway overpass that became the target of a suicide bomber. May suffered broken shoulders, fractured ribs and two collapsed lungs. “I spent a year-and-a-half in the hospital. I had to learn how to walk again, how to use my shoulder. But it was the easiest year-and-a-half of my life. You tell a Marine to go do something and he’s going to get it done to the best of
his abilities.” May said he found out he’d be honored at the Star-Spangled Sing-Along about an hour before the event. “I thought I was coming to speak on behalf of Impact a Hero and it turns out, I was going to be presented with this honor. It’s very humbling. I don’t think I deserve it, but other folks disagree,” he said. May’s appearance was arranged by See Purple Heart on page 3
The Battalion An Aggie was killed Thursday at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Authorities said 42-year-old Lt. Col. Roy Tisdale, Class of 1992, died immediately after being shot during a safety briefing, according to The Associated Press. The shooter and fellow soldier, Spc. Ricky Elder, turned the gun on himself after firing on Tisdale. Elder died Friday after undergoing treatment. A statement from Fort Bragg said Elder, an infantryman, had been charged recently with larceny of a toolkit valued at $1,700 and had been awaiting court Tisdale martial at the time of the shootings. Tisdale took command of the Fort Bragg-based 525th Brigade Special Troops Battalion in January. He was commissioned as an infantry officer after graduating in 1993 from Texas A&M with a bachelor’s degree in animal science. Tisdale was in Company D-2 of the Corps of Cadets. See Tisdale on page 3
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