The Battalion: November 9, 2016 by The Battalion

ELECTION 2016

Donald Trump won the presidency Tuesday night.

Donald Trump wins White House despite favorable Clinton predictions, Republicans secure both House and Senate on Election Night By Chevall Pryce @ChevallP

onald Trump has been declared the 45th president of the United States, defeating democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in a close race. After taking swing states such as North Carolina, Florida and Ohio Trump was able to claim the 270 electoral votes necessary to win over Clinton. Shortly after Trump won the presidency according to Associated Press, CNN confirmed Clinton called Trump to concede the race to him. In Brazos County, Trump won the popular vote with 58.5 percent

compared to Clinton’s 34.9 percent. Although earlier this month Texas showed signs of being a swing state, the state remained red after Trump took its 38 electoral votes. Compared to the polls, Trump’s victory over Clinton was considered a surprise. Communication professor Randy Kluver said polls should be taken with a grain of salt considering that people could lie to tell the pollsters what they want to hear. “Polls are always hard to figure out. Usually, they’re off by about five percent,” Kluver said. “As we’ve seen from this election, I feel it would make sense for pollsters to change their methods of collecting data. It’s not like ELECTION ON PG. 3

XX — THE BATTALION

Driving safety law goes to effect College Station ordinance prohibits using cell phones in vehicles By Emily Bost @EmmyBost

Morgan Engel — THE BATTALION

A new College Station ordinance banning handheld-device use while driving goes into effect Wednesday.

Jake Hubenak takes the reins

Wednesday marks the official enforcement of the new law prohibiting the use of handheld devices while driving in College Station. The city ordinance will address the recurring issue of distracted driving in College Station, with regards to the use of handheld devices like cell phones. College Station’s City Council communicated with the College Station Police Department to gather research regarding the phe-

nomenon of distracted driving and its effects. CPSD also coordinated with other cities that have ordinances enforcing either no-texting or hands-free utilization of devices, according to Chuck Fleeger, CSPD assistant chief of police. “Our goal is to educate people of what the law is and the importance and to gain voluntary compliance,” Fleeger said. The results of these inquiries were presented to City Council, which then voted to pass the law to combat distracted driving. There is no student representation in City Council, as elected officials who are chosen to govern fill the positions. The chief of police, Scott McCollum, conducted student outreach programs to educate students of the HANDS FREE ON PG. 5

Strength on and off the court

Aggies drop to No. 8 in College Football Playoff rankings. By Lawrence Smelser @LawrenceSmelser Hours after announcing the loss of its starting quarterback, Texas A&M dropped only four spots to No. 8 in the College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night. After losing to Mississippi State in Starkville, A&M remains the top-ranked SEC program in the College Football Rankings behind No. 1 Alabama. A&M’s backup quarterback, Jake Hubenak, will conclude the regular season as the starter with Nick Starkel as his backup. Starkel, a true freshman, will have his redshirt burned if he is required to enter a game. Hubenak went 11-of-17 for 222 yards and two touchdowns along with an interception in the loss to Mississippi State. The former Blinn College product isn’t known as a dual-threat signal caller, but his head coach, Kevin Sumlin, said he can run well and that he was impressed with his composure. “For the most part Jake was effective in the second half,” Sumlin said. “The communication between Jake and the staff was great. I don’t know that there are many guys that can run like Trevor. It’ll probably change some things we do a little bit. The quarterback-read game isn’t the same

Kevin Chou — THE BATTALION

Junior Kiara McGee earned the Most Improved Player award in the 2015 season.

Junior Kiara McGee relies on strength, blossoms as volleyball player in 2016 FILE

Quarterback Jake Hubenak will start his first ever game at Kyle Field Saturday.

for everyone. It’ll change our scheme a little bit, but [offensive coordinator] Noel Mazzone has done a good job of playing to our guys’ skill sets.” FOOTBALL ON PG. 2

By Heath Clary @Heath_Clary If you asked any Texas A&M volleyball player who dominates the weight room, they would probably tell you without hesitation that it’s Kiara McGee. But strength isn’t the only thing that makes McGee a great player. Whether it’s bench press, squat or any other lift, McGee’s teammates marvel at her strength and the amount of weight she puts on the bar and the ease with which she completes each rep-

etition. “She’s so strong — it’s ridiculous,” said junior setter Stephanie Aiple. “She benches like crazy, she squats like crazy and she just makes it look so easy.” McGee is likely the Aggies’ most physically gifted athlete, but she has blossomed into a more complete player in 2016, not just a powerful one. She’s incorporating more changeups into her game this year — more finesse offerings where she is directing the ball to a specific part of the court rather than simply rearing back and letting it fly — making it harder for opposing teams to defend her. “Because she gets better position with the MCGEE ON PG. 2