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THE DAILY TEXAN Wednesday, February 3, 2010
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Powers in the line of fire Community addresses changes to UT’s budget in town hall meeting
alumni constituted the majority of the more than 200 attendees who packed the Avaya Auditorium, most of them speaking out against the Texas Union Board’s By Shabab Siddiqui decision to phase out the CacDaily Texan Staff tus Cafe and the informal classes President William Powers Jr.’s program by August. The board tuition recommendations and up- cited cost reductions and repurdates on possible budget cuts posing resources to “better serve were out-clamored by sentiments student needs” as its reasons for to save the Cactus Cafe during the decision in a statement rethe president’s town hall meeting leased on Friday. Tuesday afternoon. “I believe the Cactus Cafe is a Community members and special place,” said architecture se-
nior Adam Gates. “And my commitment to the preservation of special places will not let me watch it fall silently into history.” Powers said he understands the value of the cafe but said the board has a governance structure, and he supports the decision it reached. The president opened the meeting by announcing his decision to present the Tuition Policy Advisory Committee’s recommendations to the UT System Board of Regents, who will set tuition. The committee’s report recommended
a 3.95-percent increase in tuition each year for the next two years. Powers has the ability to make his own recommendations but said he believes the committee acted responsibly and submitted a reasonable proposal. Powers also talked about the Jan. 15 letter from Gov. Rick Perry’s office that asks all state agencies, including the UT System, to Tamir Kalifa | Daily Texan Staff submit a plan preparing for a possible 5-percent reduction from the UT President William Powers Jr. listens to concerns raised by students, alumni and Austin residents during a town hall meeting organized to address University-wide issues. PROGRAM continues on page 2
CONSTRUCTION JUNCTION
Group voices concerns at open meeting, stresses cultural value of cafe
Wichita Street
University Avenue University Avenue
NORMAN HACKERMAN BUILDING Construction dates: Winter 2008 – Fall 2010
24th Street Speedway Street
Guadalupe Street
Dean Keaton Street
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING BUILDING South Wing Construction dates: Fall 2010 completion goal
FLAWN ACADEMIC CENTER Renovation Construction dates: Summer 2009 – Winter 2011
22th Street
STARK CENTER Construction dates: Spring 2010 completion goal
STUDENT ACTIVITY CENTER AND LIBERAL ARTS Phase I Construction dates: Summer 2008 – Fall 2010
San Jacinto Boulevard
Whitis Avenue
27th Street
BELO CENTER FOR NEW MEDIA Construction dates: Winter 2010 – Winter 2012
21th Street
University aims for sustainability with building projects By Audrey White Daily Texan Staff UT is building a new standard for sustainability with its current and future construction projects. All new buildings on campus are now expected to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards. The LEED system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is a nationally recognized approach to green building that follows a process of ensuring efficient energy and water use, low waste and resource conservation. “Everything that has a crane on it has a green-building ethic surrounding it,” said UT sustainability director Jim Walker.
Students demand answers from SG for Cactus closure
Students across campus can see the array of construction projects in process, ranging from the south wing of the biomedical engineering building, scheduled for completion in October, to the Belo Center for New Media, a communications school building that has been under consideration for 20 years and will be completed in spring 2012. There are four LEED ratings: platinum, gold, silver and certified. Buildings earn points with different efficiency components, and the total score determines whether the building earns an appropriate LEED rating. Walker said UT is seeking a LEED rating of at least silver for all new buildings. Steps toward achieving LEED rat-
By Audrey White Daily Texan Staff A small but vocal group of students took advantage of the open-forum portion of Tuesday’s Student Government meeting to demand accountability from SG in its role in closing the Cactus Cafe. Most of the students present also attended the town hall meeting Tuesday afternoon that addressed closing the Cactus, canceling informal classes, tuition increases and budget cuts. Those who spoke at the SG meeting emphasized the impact of the Cactus on students and the University. “A lot of people haven’t been to the Cactus Cafe, but it has been a significant part of my experience as a UT student, and it’s an important fixture in the American music scene,” said Daniel Miller, a chemical engineering graduate student. “It fosters a good relationship between the University and the Austin community as a whole. I think the name should stay, and I think the music should stay.” Students also voiced their concerns regarding the cancel-
lation of informal classes at the SG meeting. Established in 1971 as a community education program, informal classes are open to the Austin community and offer courses in subjects such as Web design, hip-hop dance and dog obedience. “Informal classes is a program where people can go to a completely conducive, no-grades learning environment,” said Michael Bowman, a theater and dance senior. “It doesn’t make sense that the makers of this institution think they serve students by getting rid of something they can learn from.” SG President Liam O’Rourke said only he and Universitywide Rep. Nathan Bunch were directly involved in the decisions, since they serve on the Texas Union Board that acted in an advisory capacity regarding the plan. Miller said that because SG members knew about the meetings to discuss the cuts, they were still responsible for playing an active part in events and activities that directly impact students. “Many of you said you knew meetings were happening to discuss this, but I didn’t know about it.” Miller said to the assembly. “Remain more
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ings include the construction methods used while building and the installation of energy-efficient lighting, high-performance thermostat systems and automatic toilets, Walker said. He said these building standards allow for more durable buildings and contribute to utility-bill savings and other cost reductions. Although savings may not translate directly into tuition cuts for current students, Walker said the longterm benefits will serve students, the University and the state. “Students may not see a financial benefit, but as an agency of the state, UT has a responsibility to be a steward of state resources it is given,” he said.
CAMPUS continues on page 2 Illustration by Thu Vo | Daily Texan Staff
Tamir Kalifa | Daily Texan Staff
Assembly members and students listen as speakers address the crowd in the Glenn Maloney Room during an open forum on campus issues at the Student Government meeting Tuesday evening.
iPad may allow for cheaper textbook option
Marcio Jose Sanchez | Associated Press
The Apple iPad is examined after its unveiling at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on Jan. 27. The device’s e-book technology could be used by students after its release in about two months.
By Karishma Hossain Daily Texan Staff Apple’s upcoming launch of the iPad may present students with a cheaper alternative to the conventional textbook — an initiative already in the works by the University with other digital readers. The California-based company announced its latest innovation on Thursday. The 9.7-inch tablet computer will be available to the public, who can use the device to access e-books, in about two months when the product is released. Because e-books are cheaper than traditional books, students
with the iPad and other e-book readers may save money each semester, said business professor Prabhudev Konana. Still in its early phase of growth, the e-book market has the potential to cut production and distribution costs of traditional textbooks and make education more affordable in the long run, Konana said. “Traditional textbooks are static whereas e-books make reading more dynamic,” Konana said. “With e-books, teachers will be able to embed electronic video tutorials and sound clips within the text, making reading textbooks more engaging for students.”
The Texas Language Technology Center in the College of Liberal Arts received a $263,000 two-year grant in October from the U.S. Department of Education to develop an online publishing model for foreign language textbooks and instructional materials. Aside from the iPad, other ebook providers, such as Amazon’s Kindle DX, offer alternatives to the traditional textbook. Konana said though the e-book market is taking off slowly, bookstores, including the University Co-op, may suffer from decreased sales due to e-books. Customers would purchase texts straight
from the publishing company rather than through the bookstore, she said. Although e-books are cheap compared to their textbook counterparts, the devices needed to access them can be costly, Konana said. The cost of the iPad can range from $499 for 16 gigabytes of memory to $829 for a 64-gigabyte tablet with 3G access. Architecture freshman Farhana Maredia said she downloads ebooks to her iPod to read for leisure but does not download electronic textbooks.
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