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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27

OPINION It’s time for football to dump “POWER” — hate has no place at Texas A&M A6

@THEBATTONLINE

SPORTS Back-to-back losses: How will No. 1 Texas A&M baseball perfom in Houston? B1

SILVER TAPS

ALICE ZHENG VICTOR GUERRERO LYNDON COLBERT

STUDENT GOVERNMENT:

HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW. Riley Pritzlaff and Ezra Villarreal

Economics and public administration junior Riley Prizlaff is running for student body president alongside his running mate political science junior Ezra Villarreal. Using the slogan “Pritz for Prez,” the two Aggies are centering the focus of their campaign on student engagement. Specifically, Pritzlaff wants to sign an executive order that would bring in student task forces to increase activity.

Villarreal aims to make a mark as the first student body vice president by speaking to organizations around campus and asking what they want from the president and the board of directors. Villarreal claims that will increase intentionality throughout the student government, as they will be contacting organizations outright rather than waiting for them to have complaints.

Pritzlaff and Villarreal aim to make a difference by reaching students who have not been reached before. Because of Villarreal’s involvement in several activities, such as working on campus and in Washington, D.C., he believes he understands how to approach people. Pritzlaff brings an inside perspective he gained from being the candidate with the most student government experience. Their campaign is en-

dorsed by the Good Bull Ticket, which has students running for Senate.

Business honors and finance junior Brandon Beller is running for student body president alongside his running mate education senior Gia Viggiano. Charging with the slogan “Better with Beller,” the duo prioritizes communication in their campaign. Viggiano expressed that because A&M has increased dramatically in enrollment numbers, resources and the administration has had difficulty following the trend. With this in mind, this duo aims to increase com-

munication between the administration and the students, increasing consistency and progressiveness. Beller first became interested in running when former student body president Case Harris ‘23 spoke at one of his organization meetings. After that, he served on a campaign team, further propelling his spark for student government. What ultimately drives his campaign is his passion for A&M and his fascination with student government.

2025-26 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Brandon Beller and Gia Viggiano Because Viggiano previously served as the Panhellenic vice president, she has expressed that her experience with student affairs will propel her into success with the previously stated goal of increased communication. She claims that what makes her and Beller stand out is their passion for the university and aspirations for it to excel in all of its endeavors.

BEGINS FEB. 27

9 A.M.

ENDS FEB. 28

NOON

2025-26 VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Colton Whisenant and Brock Barrington Agribusiness junior Colton Whisenant is seeking the student government’s top position with his running mate, finance junior Brock Barrington. Leading with the slogan “Count on Colton & Bet on Brock,” the duo is focusing their campaign on digital ID cards for students and improved campus parking, with a lack of moped parking on West Campus being one example of an area Whisenant

said he’d like to improve. The campaign has been endorsed by the student senators from the Corps of Cadets and the Interfraternity Council, Texas A&M’s governing body for its 19 recognized fraternities. Whisenant, a D-2 cadet and member of A&M’s Delta Tau Delta fraternity, is the current junior class president and served as the sophomore class president a year prior. Whisenant and Barrington have

become the first student body president campaign in recent history to initiate a text message campaign as well, with members of their team individually messaging students throughout campus after the campaign acquired an unknown number of student phone numbers and associated names. Whisenant did not reveal how his team acquired the phone numbers but said it was part of his goal to increase voter turnout this year.

Carter Mallory and Kathleen Parks Biomedical sciences junior Carter Mallory is running for student body president alongside society, ethics and law junior Kathleen Parks. Mallory realized he wanted to run for student body president when he saw this passion for the

Corps had stopped him from experiencing outside relationships. Because of this, much of his campaign’s focus is on rehabilitating campus culture. He also served on Fish Aides, a Freshman Leadership Organization, and the Muster committee during his freshman year, allowing him to see the organizational side of student government. On the other hand, Parks has

been a part of student government since her freshman year. Her passion sits within the academic policy side of government, but she has a love for all parts of the organization and the members within. She claims to be ready to take the next step and dive deeper into the Student Government Association as its first vice president. The primary pillar of this duo’s

campaign is affordability. They plan to decrease the costs of educational tools such as textbooks, scantrons and Packback, an online learning tool. By ensuring that higher education made is affordable, Mallory and Parks aim to break down the barriers that stop students from fully diving into Texas A&M and the culture that makes the university what it is.

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