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Go on, get crazy — while you can
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They came, they saw, we conquered
The Daily Texan Thursday, January 28, 2010
Candidates gear up for GOP debate By Alex Geiser Daily Texan Staff Incumbent Gov. Rick Perry, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and the dark-horse candidate Debra Medina will hit the stage Friday night in Dallas for the second and final debate before the primary election March 3. The hour-long Republican debate, sponsored by Belo news corporation, will begin at 7 p.m. and will consist of four panelists asking the candidates questions and a moderator from television station WFAA. The outcome of the March primaries and the Nov. 3 gubernatorial election could bring changes to the University because of the governor’s role in higher education. The Texas governor appoints the Board of Regents — the governing body for UT and the other eight universities and six health institutions that make up the UT System. The board, made up of nine members serving six-year terms, approves the System’s budget and sets tuition rates for the campuses. Perry appointed all nine of the current Regents. In addition to appointing the Regents, the governor works with the Legislative Budget Board to make recommendations and approve the state’s budget. The Regents determine tuition rates at the University in part by the amount of funding appropriated to the UT System from the budget. But misconceptions of the governor ’s importance to the University have held students back from voting, said Paula Poindex-
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Homeless icon still recovering
WHAT: Republican primary debate between Gov. Rick Perry, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and former Wharton County GOP Chairwoman Debra Medina WHERE: Friday at 7 p.m. WHEN: Broadcast live from Dallas by the Belo Corporation; KVUE-TV Austin (Channel 24) ter, a UT journalism professor. “They don’t see it directly affecting them,” Poindexter said. “If college-aged students don’t pay attention to elections, politicians won’t pay attention to them. When you start paying attention to politics, it becomes as exciting as a football game.” But before anybody can get excited about politics, they first need to know the rules of the game, the key players and the big issues, Poindexter said. The three participating candidates formed their platforms around protecting state rights and decreasing property taxes, which are some of the issues that are expected to dominate Friday’s debate. Hutchison, who has concerned conservatives in the past by voting to support abortion with restrictions, focuses much of her campaign on promoting transparency in the state government. Melanie Schwartz, campus cochair of Longhorns for Kay and vice president of the College Republicans, said she trusts Hutchi-
DEBATE continues on page 5
Stephen Spillman | Associated Press
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison speaks to supporters and the press in TAC Air at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport on Jan. 18.
Bruno Morlan | Daily Texan Staff
Leslie Cochran sits outside Cissi’s Market on South Congress Wednesday afternoon. Cochran was hospitalized in October for head trauma. When asked how he felt, Cochran responded, “With my fingers!”
Leslie only needs one more thing — a ‘Longhorn cheer outfit’ By Audrey White Daily Texan Staff Leslie Cochran, Austin’s cross-dressing, homeless icon, is still recovering from a head trauma sustained Oct. 3 that nearly killed him. However, his injuries haven’t prevented him from sporting his usual dresses and broad grin. “I am basically recovering,” Cochran said. “I’m still a little dazed at some points, but not too bad. I’ve been with friends, and I’ve had a lot of support and that makes it all easier.” The cause of Cochran’s head
neering graduate student and a member of the engineering team, said retrieving samples directly after an earthquake is the most efficient way to understand the mechanisms of ground failure.
By Chris Thomas Daily Texan Staff For only the second time in the history of the Super Bowl, advertising prices for a 30-second commercial will decrease. According to Kantar Media, an advertising analysis think tank, the asking price for a 30-second in-game television commercial fell from last year’s record price of $3 million to between $2.5 and $2.8 million this year. Ironically, a recent study by Nielsen found that 51 percent of Americans enjoy the commercials more than the game itself. UT advertising professor Wei-Na
to understand what went on.” The investigative team will work with other teams organized by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, a nonprofit technical society that attempts to reduce the risk of earthquakes by advancing the science of earthquake engineering and advocating measures. Marjorie Greene, special projects manager for the institute, said the The best model that institute sends teams to different lowe can get is just a cations around the world after natural disasters occur to bring back lesreality.” sons for performance in strengthening buildings. Collected data push— Oscar Suncar es engineers to make changes in civil engineering building codes and practices. graduate student “Learning from earthquakes is one big endeavor,” Greene said. “I think that for the geotechnical engineers in particular, [it is] “The best model that we can get critical to collect as much data is just a reality,” Suncar said. “We as possible. The more cases they then can interpret if it came from see, the better models are creata bad engineering judgment used ed and used in the United States in constructing buildings or if the in analyzing sites before building infrastructure was well-designed HAITI continues on page 2 but the soil failed. It’s a better way
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injury is unclear because the head trauma caused memory damage. Cochran said he believes that he may have been attacked, but Debbie Russell, president of the Central Texas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said initial health reports suggested his injuries were caused by a fall. Lisa Cortinas, spokeswoman for the Austin Police Department, said there is no record of Cochran, or anyone on his behalf, filing a police report about the incident, so there has been no investigation into the case.
After treatment at both the University Medical Center at Brackenridge and the Central Texas Rehabilitation Center, where Cochran said he received “excellent care,” he returned to his old South Congress haunts at the end of October and began to re-establish normal routines. Doctors recommended that he follow a rehabilitation regimen, but he said his transportation difficulties have prevented him from returning to the center. Cochran said the support he receives from the Austin com-
munity and his street smarts are among the reasons he was able to survive. “Most homeless people don’t have the survival skills and people skills that I do,” Cochran said. “When I got hurt, I knew how to take care of myself.” Cochran is an icon in South Austin, where he frequently roams the streets in thongs or women’s clothing and engages in conversation with locals and tourists. He has
LESLIE continues on page 2
Corporations forgo Super Bowl ads
Engineering students to aid Haiti By Priscilla Pelli Daily Texan Staff Ellen Rathje, a UT civil engineering professor, and a team of university engineers will conduct detailed mapping and surveying of Haiti’s damaged areas caused by the Jan. 12 earthquake that left close to 200,000 dead. The research could help prevent structural damage and minimize injuries from future earthquakes. The seven-person team will spend a week documenting the effects of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake and developing safer engineering design procedures for future building construction. The intensity of the earthquake created “liquefaction” along the coastline, causing the soil to pull apart easily. “By being able to look at what happened there, we’re trying to help them rebuild in better ways so it won‘t happen again,” Rathje said. “It’s so critical to observe how natural soils in the field respond to these extreme events.” Oscar Suncar, a UT civil engi-
TOMORROW’S WEATHER
Lee said that the main reason for the price decrease was the economic downturn. Big companies simply do not want to pay enormous prices for such an uncertain payback. “In the current economic climate, regulars in Super Bowl advertising like PepsiCo and General Motors are hesitant to spend millions on a 30-second reminder of their availability,” Lee said. “Such an activity might be perceived as extravagant by consumers affected by the recession. By staying out of this year’s Super Bowl, said companies are protecting their image.”
The absence of large corporations leaves room for smaller companies to advertise. Lee said he expects an increase in the number of first-time Super Bowl advertisers. Advertising professor Neal Burns also attributed the price dip to the recession. “This price decrease shows us that the economic climate is making it difficult for networks like CBS to attract advertisers,” Burns said. “The flow of new companies taking advantage of the lower prices should ensure that the gross revenue experiences little change.” He commented further on a
specific advertisement — a 30-second ad by Focus on the Family promoting a ban on abortion — starring former Florida State quarterback Tim Tebow. “CBS has refused to air advertisements deemed too ‘provocative’ before,” Burns said. “The fact that they are allowing a blatantly controversial commercial like this on the air shows they are desperate.” CBS spokeswoman Robin Brendle said that there are still several spots left to sell. She was confident, however, that the total ad revenue would exceed the $213 million mark set by NBC last year.
Drought improves; restrictions remain By Deborah Briscoe Daily Texan Staff Though the Stage 2 drought was lifted from Austin in late November due to heavy rain, the city will remain at Stage 1 until further notice. According to a message from the Lower Colorado River Authority board, Lake Austin’s water level is currently 60 percent full, compared to 39 percent last summer, but the board still considers that level to be low. Residents must follow restrictions for Stage 1 droughts, including limiting yard-watering of single-family homes to twice per week on designated days, said Jill Mayfield, Austin Water Utility spokeswoman. “We are urging folks to continue preserving [water] and making that part of their lifestyle,” Mayfield said Austin is currently experiencing El Nino weather pat-
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Boggy Creek Farm, an organic farm located in East Austin, relies on well water to grow healthy crops.
Shelley Neuman Daily Texan Staff