The Daily Texan 02-26-10

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SPORTS PAGE 8

LIFE&ARTS PAGE 14

MFA playwrights put their work onstage

Men’s baseball shakes off rough start NEWS PAGE 6

Irish president pays UT a visit

THE DAILY TEXAN Friday, February 26, 2010

Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900

Cafe conflict drives editor into SG race By Audrey White Daily Texan Staff Presidential candidate Austin Talbert and his running mate, Joe Zimowski, have never had any connection to Student Government, but they said this is exactly what makes them the best option for students. The recent Cactus Cafe controversy inspired the pair to file for candidacy, Talbert said. He said he considers the lack of student representation in that process and other recent decisions unfair and frustrating. “The longer you are in SG, the more disconnected you are from

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City condemns attack on gays

normal students,” Talbert said. “SG does do good things, and there are good people in it, but it needs to be more open.” As a result, the team has built a campaign platform based almost completely on open communication between students and SG so that representatives can work with the University administration and Legislature to accomplish things students care about, he said. “I want to communicate with the students and educate them on how SG can use their ideas to make this campus a better place,”

SG continues on page 5

Inspired to run in the upcoming student government elections because of the Cactus Cafe’s closing, Austin Talbert and his running partner Joe Zimowski believe they will make a good President and Vice President because of their close connection to students.

Danielle Villasana | Daily Texan Staff

Senior marketing major Emmanuel Winston, left, and Matt Morgan were victims of a hate crime early Saturday morning in the parking garage of City Hall.

City leaders speak out for tolerance as APD begins investigation By Alex Geiser Daily Texan Staff An alleged attack, which left two gay members of the Shady Ladies softball team battered and bruised, prompted an outcry against hate crimes in the city. It began as a night of preseason revelry for a softball team looking to start the season off on the right foot, but UT senior Emmanuel Winston and Matt Morgan, members of the openly GLBT-friendly team, were alledgedly beaten by four unknown men because of

Danielle Villasana Daily Texan Staff

Problem-solving Web site opens to alumni, students Service aims to collect input from past, present scholars on the 40 Acres

and faculty and staff. While Spigit has implemented similar programs at companies such as Cisco and Southwest Airlines, UT will be its first university. By Shabab Siddiqui Tso said the platform allows not Daily Texan Staff only ideas to be posted, but also Students may get the oppor- the best ideas to come forward. tunity to have their ideas imple“Each person has [his or her] mented at the University through own reputation score based on a Web outlet designed by the Of- their quality of contributions and fice of the President. if [the contribution] gets a lot of The University will launch a thumbs up on it,” Tso said. “Ultistudent and alumni version of mately, you get a 360-degree feedthe Ideas of Texas Web site on back into the platform itself.” Monday. The platform, which allows people to share ideas that will help advance the University, mirrors a faculty and staff version that was implemented Everybody’s looking in October. The Ideas of Texas site states at ways to increase the purpose of the site is to “stimefficiency.” ulate and recognize creative problem-solving at UT Austin” — Paul Walker through “discussion, review and UT presidential assistant voting.” Categories range from curriculum and teaching to student life and University funding. After a student posts his or her idea, other students and alumni Students on the Web site can will be able to rate and discuss it. check the top-ranked ideas any The number of votes and amount time they log in. At the end of of discussion help determine the the semester, the top ideas will be popularity of an idea, as well as sent to the president’s office and the credibility of the poster. then distributed to the appropriThe software was created by ate departments. The administraCalifornia-based IT firm Spig- tion has two weeks to respond it. Director of marketing Richard to the poster of the idea with eiTso said the company was ap- ther a promise to implement it or proached by President William a reason as to why they will not Powers Jr. over the summer to de- be able to. velop a way to increase collabora“It’s useful to have a way to tion between the administration comment and evaluate ideas,”

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said Geoff Leavenworth, special assistant to the president and Web site administrator. “It forces the institution to relook at the issue and [if the idea is not implemented] provides an opportunity to answer why it can’t be.” The faculty and staff version of the software will be separated from the student-alumni version. Leavenworth said it is important to keep the interests of the two different groups separate. The two entities also have different categories. As of press time, more than 260 ideas have been posted on the faculty and staff site, and about 4,000 faculty and staff have viewed the suggestions. Currently, the top ideas are providing free gym membership for faculty and staff and increasing staff vacation time. Some ideas posted by faculty and staff have already been approved. A suggestion to grow native plants in the flowerbeds by Garrison Hall and Hogg Auditorium by Jackie Dana, sociology advisor and vice president of the Staff Council, was approved last month. The University will start implementing the changes in the fall. Paul Walker, special assistant to the president, said he believes the Ideas of the Texas platform could help the University during a harsh economic climate. “Everybody’s looking at ways to increase efficiency,” Walker

SITE continues on page 5

their sexual orientation on Saturday morning outside of City Hall. At a City Hall press conference held Thursday, City Council members Laura Morrison and Randi Shade — who is openly gay — spoke out against the violence in an attempt to raise awareness of hate crimes in the community. “This is an opportunity for heightened awareness and dialogue within the community,” Morrison said. The attack is being investigated as an assault and could only be elevated to hate-crime status after suspects are charged said Dennis Farris, a spokesman for the Austin Police Department. He said he wasn’t

Attack shocks Austin softball team; players involved in protest

aware if investigators had any potential suspects. Chuck Smith, interim executive directory of Equality Texas, said many hate crimes continue to go unreported or lack the evidence needed for prosecution. “It’s important for the city of Austin to take a stand and say that we are not going to tolerate bias crimes in the city,” Smith said at the conference. Despite being victim to an attack that he believes was motivated by his sexuality, Winston, a marketing senior, said he will not let this incident control the way he lives his life and instead will try and use it as an opportunity

By Kate Guerra Daily Texan Staff Athletes from the Shady Ladies gay softball team were confident that they were safe in a city as diverse as Austin — a confidence which was badly shaken last Friday when the team found out about an attack on their fellow teammates. Two softball players from one of the teams were attacked last Friday night outside of City Hall garage while wearing their team jerseys. Emmanuel Winston, a UT

GLBT continues on page 2

BALL continues on page 2

Law school symposium explores how border walls affect liberties

By Shamoyita DasGupta Daily Texan Staff Multidisciplinary professors from across the U.S. and around the world joined University professors at the UT School of Law on Thursday in a symposium about the building of walls and their effect on human rights. The symposium, which continues today with a series of panel discussions with the professors, is the sixth annual conference hosted by the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice and the Texas International Law Journal.

The conference began in the Eidman Courtroom of the law school with the keynote speech by Wendy Brown, a professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley. “There is a paradoxical phenomena that we see,” said Yishai Blank, a senior lecturer at Tel Aviv University’s Buchmann Faculty of Law. “The more globalization actually proceeds, the more we see construction of walls all over the world. [With] globalization, everything is opening up and the world is becoming one big village, and then you see the

complete reversal of that by walls appearing everywhere. The more we see globalization, the more we see the dark side of globalization, in a sense.” In her speech, Brown discussed globalization and how the idea relates to the walls that have been erected, whether between the U.S. and Mexico, Israel and Palestine or in other countries around the world. “What we have come to call globalization harbors fundamental tensions between opening and

WALLS continues on page 5

Daniela Trujillo | Daily Texan Staff

Hart Murphy stands in the foyer of the Eidman Courtroom at the UT School of Law. The school hosted an event discussing border walls and their effects on human rights.

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Friday, February 26, 2010

BALL: Team familiar with homophobia From page 1 student, and Matt Morgan were walking back from Oilcan Harry’s, a popular gay bar in downtown Austin, when they were allegedly verbally harassed and then attacked by a group of four men. Despite the trauma of such an experience, neither player regrets their decision to join the team, which over time has become more like a family. To draw attention to the issue of hate crimes, members of the team have given interviews and the team has organized a protest against violence called the Austin March Against Hate. Participants will walk with Winston and Morgan to retrace their steps from that very early Saturday morning. The gathering will start at 2 p.m. at Oilcan Harry’s, and the crowd will march toward City Hall at 3 p.m. More than 800 people have RSVPed to the Facebook event. “Joining the Shady Ladies was the best decision I made since I moved to Austin,� Morgan said. “A lot of people look at what we do as recreational softball,� head coach Jeff Butler said, “and when you think of that, you think of a group of people are just out there to have fun — and if you win, that’s great. Our team isn’t like that. We want to have fun, but we’re not all friends because we were friends off the field and decided to play ball. We became friends because of softball and because we share a common interest to play in a competitive league.� But it’s hard to ignore the fact that the Shady Ladies are a special kind of softball team in that

Emmanuel Winston of the Shady Ladies softball team prepares to swing at a ball during a recent practice. Winston was back on the playing field for his team shortly after being the victim of an alleged hate crime attack.

Courtesy of Emmanuel Winston

they offer a comfortable environment for gay athletes to compete in a high-level league. Butler, who said he comes from a small town that did not approve of his sexuality, is familiar with trials that gay athletes face. “As an athlete, it shouldn’t matter if I’m gay or straight. It should only matter than I’m an athlete,� he said. “I think that’s important for kids of all ages to know. If you’re an athlete, the fact that you’re gay shouldn’t matter. There are people who are gay in every walk of life: lawyers, doctors, police officers, firemen, athletes. They’re just people. You don’t have the follow the stereotypes.� Every player on the two teams will tell you that his main goal is to get to the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance World

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Series, which features teams from around the country. Last fall in Milwaukee, the C division Shady Ladies team finished third, be-

tion to the Ladies’ pink and baby-blue jerseys — complete with a picture of a softball player swinging a sun umbrella. The crowd laughed and yelled inappropriate jokes. When the game was over, As an athlete, it there was silence. “We kicked their ass, 23-1,� shouldn’t matter if I’m Butler said. gay or straight.� Unfortunately, that heckling — Jeff Butler was just a taste of what was to Winston says that since Team Coach come. the attack, his view of the Austin atmosphere has been shattered. He was quickly comforted by his teammates, who are normally together on a regular basis coming the first team from Aus- outside of softball. “There was immediate anger tin to bring back a trophy from from the team when they realthe Softball World Series. The Shady Ladies also play ized they were targets of hate a few games against straight crime,� Winston said. “They teams in Austin. Butler re- wanted something to be done called the memory of their and were more passionate about first game against a straight retribution. As a team, it shook team and the crowd’s reac- us to the core.� Retribution is not on the mind of Winston and Morgan, but raising awareness certainly is. “We have some emotionIndividuals with the following al damage, but we’re fine,� Morgan said. “At this point, qualifications: it is about everyone else in the ( $ "' $ community. We were on a team " $ # & " that represents a small com ( !% #$ $" $ munity within a larger com ' $' munity, and that’s why this is ( $ ' %# ## all happening. Without this, # there wouldn’t be an anti-hate ( " " march this Saturday.� Apply at the One thing the team knows for sure is that the incident $" $ ' won’t stop them from continuing to compete. That was evident when Morgan and Winston both showed up to their next game, only two days after the attack, with still-fresh bruises and cuts. “The strength that they’ve had throughout the whole situation and the character that they’re showing is just unbe lievable,� Butler said.

THE DAILY TEXAN Permanent Staff

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Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jillian Sheridan Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ana McKenzie Associate Managing Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erin Mulvaney, Sean Beherec, Erik Reyna Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeremy Burchard, Dan Treadway, David Muto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lauren Winchester, Roberto Cervantes News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blair Watler Associate News Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pierre Bertrand, Lena Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Claire Cardona, Viviana Aldous Senior Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gerald Rich, Audrey White, Alex Geiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Shabab Siddiqui, Bobby Longoria, Priscilla Totiyapungprasert Copy Desk Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nausheen Jivani Associate Copy Desk Chiefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cristina Herrera, Vicky Ho, Matt Jones Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Olivia Hinton Senior Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shatha Hussein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Veronica Rosalez, Mustafa Saifuddin Special Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thu Vo Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sara Young Associate Photo Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bryant Haertlein, Peter Franklin Senior Photographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Kang,Tamir Kalifa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peyton McGee, Daniela Trujillo, Bruno Morlan Life&Arts Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ben Wermund Associate Life&Arts Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Genuske Senior Entertainment Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rob Rich, Frankie Marin, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Ross Harden, Lane Lynch, Kate Ergenbright Features Entertainment Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gerald Rich, Audrey Campbell, Mary Lingwall Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blake Hurtik Associate Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Sherfield Senior Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Hurwitz, Laken Litman, Austin Ries, Chris Tavarez Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Carolynn Calabrese Multimedia Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Juan Elizondo Associate Multimedia Editors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rachael Schroeder, Blas Garcia Senior Videographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carlos Medina

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Local writers including Elizabeth Crane, Nick Flynn, Amelia Gray, Elizabeth McCracken, ZZ Packer, and John Pipkin and members of The University of Texas at Austin community commemorate the life of J. D. Salinger with readings from his work and correspondence. The event marks the opening of a small display of Salinger manuscripts, letters, and inscribed books from the Ransom Center’s collections. FREE, BUT LIMITED SEATING Line forms upon arrival of first person. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Harry Ransom Center The University of Texas at Austin www.hrc.utexas.edu 512-471-8944

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2/26/10

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GLBT: Victim

THE DAILY TEXAN Volume 110, Number 158 25 cents

refuses to let attack change daily routine

CONTACT US Main Telephone: (512) 471-4591 Editor: Jillian Sheridan (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com

From page 1

Managing Editor: Ana McKenzie (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com

to motivate the community. At the end of the preseason celebration with his softball team at Oilcan Harry’s, Winston said both he and Morgan, 29, left the club about 2:30 a.m. to return to a car parked in the City Hall garage. Shortly after they left the club, Winston said he noticed they were being followed by a group of four men that he said beat and then verbally accosted them outside of City Hall a few minutes later. Morgan called police, who responded quickly but were unable to do a thorough search of the garage because they were understaffed, Winston said. The identities of the attackers are still unknown, police said. Winston had come to terms with his own sexuality in the past year but had not yet told his parents, employer or many friends he is gay because he was afraid of how they might react. After Saturday morning’s incident, saving other people from the physical and emotional pain he has gone through took precedence. “I didn’t want to wait until someone died,� he said. “I want the gay community to not be ashamed of themselves.� Despite his swollen face, Wilson participated in Shady Ladies’ practice Saturday morning after three hours of sleep and played in the season’s kick-off game Sunday. Federal legislation has strengthened hate crime law in recent years. After two bias-motivated murders in 1998 — one in East Austin — President Barack Obama passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009. The legislation expanded h ate- cr ime protection laws to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. According to a 2008 study from the FBI, the number of reported hate crimes against people due to their sexual orientation has increased 11 percent nationwide in between 2007 and 2008 — and 20 percent in Texas. While thankful for all the support he has received and the attention brought to the issue, Winston said he hopes life will get back to normal after this week.

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Friday, February 26, 2010

T HE DAILY T EXAN

Educators declare decision to appeal recent mass firings

Manish Swarup | Associated Press

Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao shakes hands with her Pakistani counterpart, Salman Bashir, before the start of a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday. India and Pakistan held high-level peace talks for the first time since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

By Ray Henry The Associated Press PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The entire staff of teachers fired in a radical attempt to improve one of the worst performing high schools in Rhode Island will appeal their dismissals to school authorities, the head of the teachers union said Thursday. The board of trustees overseeing the school system in Central Falls voted Tuesday to fire 88 high school teachers, administrators and other staff by the end of the year. Those teachers will appeal their dismissals to the school district’s board of trustees, said Jane Sessums, president of the Central Falls Teachers’ Union. She plans to meet with union lawyers and other labor representatives in the coming days before deciding whether to take additional legal action. “We need to get together, we need to talk about this, we need reach a resolution,” Sessums said.

The firings came after the state identified Central Falls High School as among the six worst in the state and ordered it to make improvements by selecting one of four reform plans outlined in federal law. Superintendent Frances Gallo said she initially hoped teachers would agree to a package of changes, including lengthening the school day, requiring teachers to offer more tutoring, get additional training and eat lunch with students once a week. Gallo said she decided to fire her teaching staff after union officials said they were not getting paid enough for the additional work. Gallo said she does not intend to resume negotiations over the firings, although she said there will be talks with the union over other aspects of the school’s turnaround plan. Gallo hopes to rehire some of the dismissed teachers, she said.

India, Pakistan begin peace talks By Tim Sullivan The Associated Press NEW DELHI — India and Pakistan held their first official talks Thursday since the 2008 Mumbai siege, with both sides saying they wanted to rebuild trust shattered in that attack but acknowledging that the meeting was just a first step toward a renewed peace process. Discussion in the four-hour meeting between the nucleararmed rivals ranged from shared water resources to the status of the disputed Himalayan region

of Kashmir. But terrorism was the focus — an emphasis Pakistan quickly made clear would only slow further talks. “The only way forward is to engage meaningfully across the board and not hold the relationship hostage” to the issue of terrorism, Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir told reporters after the meetings. India has long argued that Pakistan has not done enough to rein in militants operating from its soil, an accusation that Pakistan denies. Expectations were extremely

low for Thursday’s talks, which were seen as little more than a symbolic first meeting and which India had billed as “talks about talks.” But just meeting after 15 months was a significant diplomatic achievement — even if it came in the wake of months of pressure from Washington, which is eager to see Pakistan shift resources away from the Indian border and toward supporting the U.S. in its fight against the Taliban and al-Qaida. “Our aims were modest” Indi-

an Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said after the discussions. “We have set out to take a first step towards rebuilding trust, and I believe my meeting with the Pakistan foreign secretary has constituted that first step.” There was no immediate talk of a second meeting, with Rao saying only that she and Bashir “have agreed to remain in touch.” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed hope there was more to come. “The United States has encouraged a dialogue, and we certainly hope it will happen.”

Butch Adams | Associated Press

Central Falls High School teachers protest before a committee meeting Tuesday. They announced Thursday their plan to appeal the committee’s vote to fire every teacher at the end of the school year.

OPINION

4 Friday, February 26, 2010

Editor in Chief: Jillian Sheridan Phone: (512) 232-2212 E-mail: editor@dailytexanonline.com Associate Editors: Jeremy Burchard David Muto Dan Treadway

T HE DAILY T EXAN

GALLERY

ENDORSEMENT

The State Board of Education

Editor’s note: This is the last of the editorial board’s endorsements for the Texas primaries. Today is the last day of early voting. Vote today in either the Democratic or Republican primary at the Flawn Academic Center. Regular voting will take place March 2. To find your polling place, visit www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/ index.shtml. There are few governing bodies in America as contentious as the Texas State Board of Education. Controversy involving far-right board members and their attempts to shape state curriculum to conform with their ideology has made national headlines and overshadowed the hard facts surrounding the state of public education in Texas today. Texas, in fact, leads the nation in dropouts and ranks near the bottom of the nation in several subjects. On March 2, Texans will have the opportunity to vote to take the board in a new direction. While the University itself is a part of District 10, students registered south of Lady Bird Lake will vote in District 5. At the Central Texas Candidate forum on Feb. 4 at UT’s LBJ School of Public Affairs, the Republican and Democratic candidates for the District 5 seat debated one another. The Democratic debate hardly looked like a debate at all, with all the candidates in agreement on most issues. They presented a united front and plea to the general public to — for the sake of education — vote one of them into office come November rather than one of their Republican opponents. We recommended that Democrats and independents vote Monday in the Republican primary to, above all, oust Gov. Rick Perry from office. But we feel the clear choice in the Democratic race for District 5 is likely frontrunner Rebecca Bell-Metereau. Currently a professor of English and film at Texas State University, Bell-Metereau has worked in education for 28 years, winning several awards and commendations for her efforts. In the Republican primary, incumbent Ken Mercer, a dentist from Bryan, is battling Tim Tuggey, a lawyer and lobbyist. Neither candidate has any tangible experience as an educator, but it’s painfully clear that Mercer — an ideologue who claims in a campaign video that “liberals want to continue their nationwide culture war to rewrite American history” — should not be sitting on the board. While every other candidate for board has touted the importance of extricating politics from education, Mercer has been unabashed in his belief that conservative ideals are the only foundation on which to educate children. When campaigning, Mercer, who has served since 2006, also cites Texas’ low education rankings from 2008, blaming low state performance on education bureaucrats. Tuggey, while not an ideal candidate, has demonstrated that he is more concerned with improving the state of education in Texas than with flooding curriculum with conservative-approved content. We recommend Tuggey, who will hopefully serve as a moderate voice on the Republicandominated board. For students north of Lady Bird Lake, District 10 presents a less compelling but equally important collection of candidates. With incumbent Cynthia Dunbar — more famous for her paranoid remarks on public education than for her ability to serve any constructive purpose on the board — having decided not to seek re-election, Republican candidate Rebecca Osborne stands out. Though lacking legislative experience (all of the candidates do), Osborne’s educational background serves the position well, and she could offer a direct connection to the students as a Round Rock Independent School District high school teacher. Additionally, she’s the only Republican candidate who hasn’t promised to infuse education with politically polarizing ideals or use curriculum to politically influence children. Meanwhile, Judy Jennings is the lone Democratic candidate, but her merits are worth mentioning. Her experience in education policy, close work with the Texas Education Agency and commitment to teaching from qualified textbooks — and not attempting to rewrite them — make Jennings a name to remember come November.

Anybody but Azemi By Joshua Avelar Daily Texan Columnist The UT student body has reached a boiling point when it comes to its elected leadership, and we now have a chance to change the atmosphere of Student Government. The only way to assure a true change for SG is to neglect any consideration of voting for Minotar Azemi for president. In the spring of 2009, then-Election Supervisory Board co-chairman Cesar Martinez Espinosa e-mailed 21 students and former students just three days before the start of the SG elections he was responsible for supervising. In the email, Espinosa urged the recipients to mobilize support for current SG President Liam O’Rourke as well as current University-wide Representatives Azemi and Justin Stein, who is now in an executive alliance with Azemi. Espinosa frequently referred to an entity he called “Eyes,” the anonymous campus organization The Eyes of Texas. Espinosa referred to Azemi as “our Eye-prentice.” Furthermore, former SG President Keshav Rajagopalan sent out an e-mail – ending with his presidential title – to five fraternity presidents the day before the elections, also campaigning for O’Rourke, Stein and Azemi, a clear violation of the election code at the time.

— The editorial board

Texas education needs reform By Calvin Sloan Daily Texan Columnist Perhaps it was the lack of TV cameras present that inspired Don McLeroy, former chairman of the Texas State Board of Education, to be so candid with Mariah Blake from the Washington Monthly when she interviewed him for her recent article, “Revisionaries.” In the interview, McLeroy proclaimed, “Evolution is hooey,” and revealed that he is of the firm belief that the United States is “a Christian nation founded on Christian principles.” When discussing how he evaluates history textbooks, McLeroy admitted that first he looks at how “they cover Christianity and Israel. Then [he] see[s] how they treat Ronald Reagan — he needs to get credit for saving the world from communism and for the good economy over the last 20 years because he lowered taxes.” Keep in mind that McLeroy is arguably the most powerful member of a board that oversees the $17.5 billion Permanent School Fund, sets the academic standards for the state and selects the textbooks for 4.7 million schoolchildren. Furthermore, as reported by Paul Burka of the Texas Monthly, McLeroy recently said in a debate, “One of the first real breaches of limited government was public education.” Well,

that sure isn’t a great belief to adhere to for a man who oversees the wellbeing of the public school system. The results of having such characters on the board have been extremely detrimental for the educational integrity of Texas, as to be expected. The board proposed amendments requiring students to assess the explanations regarding the “inconsistencies” in the fossil record and to consider whether or not natural selection is in fact the sole cause of the complexity of cells. These amendments effectively replaced the polemical “strengths and weaknesses” of scientific theories (including evolution) proposal that was rejected last March. As McLeroy boasts, “Science standards are lightyears ahead of any other state when it comes to challenging evolution.” Unfortunately, that means we’re going lightyears in the wrong direction. Although much press has focused on the manipulation of the natural sciences, social studies have also been targeted by the conservative right for ideological gain. Partisan-driven members of the board are working to exaggerate the religious influences of the Founding Fathers, to decrease the importance of the civil rights movement, to justify the actions of Sen. Joseph McCarthy and to overall promote a Republican agenda. Conservative organizations such as the Heritage Foundation, the Moral Majority and the National Rifle Association — as well as conservative

LEGALESE Opinions expressed in The Daily Texan are those of the writer or editor. They are not necessarily those of the UT administration, the Board of Regents or the Texas Student Media Board of Operating Trustees.

icons like Newt Gingrich and Phyllis Schlafly — were inserted into the state standards, while liberal ones were disproportionately disregarded. The standards are being altered — history is being altered — in front of our eyes. As reported by Traci Shurley of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Don McLeroy successfully proposed that “imperialism” be replaced by “expansionism” and that any mention of “propaganda” be taken out of the section on World War I. In response to the latter of McLeroy’s proposals, board member Patricia Hardy objected, and declared, “Guys, you’re rewriting history now. Every book will tell you that propaganda was one of the reasons for U.S. entry into World War I.” In a true showing of the tyranny of the majority, Hardy’s criticism was ignored, and the amendment was added. Unfortunately, the vote over the social studies curriculum standards — which are rewritten only once a decade — will take place from March 10-12, after the primaries, yet before a shake-up of the board’s composition. The implications are grave not only for future generations of Texans but also for Americans across the country. Publishers adjust textbooks to fit the qualifications of the biggest buyers. With California in a fiscal hole, Texas is set to become the nation’s largest market and subsequently the nation’s leader in education policy. Now that is “hooey.” Sloan is a government senior.

SUBMIT A FIRING LINE E-mail your Firing Lines to firingline@dailytexanonline.com. Letters must be fewer than 300 words. The Texan reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity and liability.

After a slew of controversy and calls for his resignation, Rajagopalan simply put together a task force that made what he did no longer against the rules. Great reformers, huh? This inner circle from the Eyes of Texas has been intact for years, as evidenced by a firing line that Azemi wrote in 2008 as a freshman just beginning to make his way up the ranks, praising his mentor Rajagopalan. This close-knit group of Eyes members has essentially made SG a mere peddler to the administration and has continued to assert its elite status over the rest of the student body. Last Fall, O’Rourke and the rest of the Tuition Policy Advisory Committee felt that their meetings for developing the “student” suggestion for tuition rates were better off held without any input from the rest of the student body, saying that matters of tuition regulation were “complex.” Frankly, I cannot understand why O’Rourke would want to represent students since he feels we are generally too stupid to understand how tuition should be regulated. This infiltration of Eyes of Texas affiliates such as Rajagopalan, O’Rourke and now Azemi has turned a board of elected students into pawns for the higherups to which they should be advocating on our behalf. Tuition will continue to rise over the next several years, and while signature UT entities like the Cactus Cafe and Informal classes have been compromised to save money, our tu-

ition dollars will go to supplement the cost of the next SG president’s personal ambitions. In the spirit of assuring that the University’s budget is allocated responsibly, let us finally elect someone that conveys the message of working for the students alone, not for some circle of campus “insiders.” Admittedly, the alternatives to the Azemi-Stein alliance are not without their own drawbacks. But those drawbacks are minor ones when compared to Azemi’s track record. Scott Parks and Muneezeh Kabir — who are on the ballot as an executive alliance — may have actively campaigned for O’Rourke and SG Vice President Ma last year, but many people on this campus mistook O’Rourke’s campaign for positive leadership at the time, including the editorial staff of The Daily Texan. Austin Talbert, who is in an executive alliance with Joseph Zimowski, was involved with a campaign goof-up for last year’s Phillip Tau-Sarah Michelle Stearns campaign. As for Aaron Walther and Lara Grant, well, I guess we all need a light chuckle every now and then during election season. Azemi claimed to be “surprised” that he was included in the Espinosa e-mail when it first surfaced. I can only hope that he is even more surprised when the student body refuses to give in to his two predecessors’ plans for SG’s future. Avelar is a government senior.

Read the signs By Anna Russo Daily Texan Columnist This week, several students have questioned UT’s commitment to free speech, claiming that the University violated state law by removing gubernatorial campaign signs outside of the Flawn Academic Center, a state polling location. Members of the organization Students for Debra Medina say they conferred with the Texas secretary of state’s office and confirmed that the University, a public institution, could not restrict political sign placement outside of the prescribed limits of an early voting location. UT is also violating its own mission of fostering free speech. The University speech code states that “the freedoms of speech, expression, and assembly are fundamental rights of all persons and are central to the mission of the University” and that students “are free to express their views, individually or in organized groups, orally or writing by other symbols, on any topic, in all parts of the campus, subject only to rules necessary to preserve the equal rights of others and the functions of the University.” Jeffrey Graves, the University’s associate vice president for legal affairs, told KXAN in regard to the signs that the administration must ensure that “educational and business processes are not disrupted” and must guard against the “risk of [the signs] being misinterpreted as belonging to the University and that the University is endorsing a specific candidate.” The University’s interests in removing these signs are insubstantial. It is hard to imagine how the placement of 4-by8-foot campaign signs on the grass in front of the FAC interferes with the educational and businesses processes of the

University. Several other public institutions such as elementary schools and junior high schools serve as state polling places, and the placement of signs on their lawns is not seen as disruptive to the educational and business processes of their institutions. If anything, the placement of signs on these schools’ lawns only reminds people that it is time to vote. The University’s claim that the signs could be viewed as an endorsement for a candidate on behalf of the UT is also senseless. Such locations attract a diversity of political signage, making claims of bias nonsensical. In fact, after members of Longhorns for Kay Bailey Hutchison heard about the Medina signs, they planted their own signs — all of which the University removed. The University’s interests in its daily educational and business processes and maintaining neutrality in state politics are both important, but this case presents no threat to these interests. The real threat is to UT’s mission of fostering free speech. This is not the first time in recent memory that the University has threatened its own interest in free speech. In the 2008 presidential election, two students were forced to take down a campaign sign that they had placed in their dorm room window. After a bout of embarrassment from the national media, the University finally dropped the disciplinary actions pending against the students and changed its policy on campaign signs in dorm windows. The University should swallow its pride, as it did in 2008, and allow Students for Debra Medina and other political organizations to place signs outside of the FAC in conjunction with state law and in the name of free speech. Russo is a government and women’s and gender

5 UNIV

SG: Texan experience,

Vigil for plane crash victim

online success would provide needed skills From page 1 Talbert said. “I don’t care if you don’t care about SG — they take your money anyway, and right now, you’re not represented.� He cited his experience working for the sports section of The Daily Texan, including serving as editor of the section through the fall 2009 semester, and referenced a Facebook group he created in the fall of 2008 called “Texas did beat OU 45-35, lest we forget� that at one point had more than 60,000 members and garnered national media attention. The Facebook group caused controversy last year when one of the administrators changed the name to a message in support of SG presidential and vice-presidential candidates Phillip Tau and Sarah Stearns. The campaign was punished by the Election Supervisory Board because the endorsement was not approved and violated election code. Talbert said he told the other group administrator it was okay to change the name, not realizing it was a violation of election rules. Despite this problem, Talbert said the successful Facebook campaign and his interactions with the media after the group became popular prove he has strong communication skills that will help bridge the gap between SG and the student body, helping to facilitate better interaction with the Legislature. “That group was about football, but that’s how passionately I feel about everything — the Cactus, football and our great student body,� Talbert said. “My strengths are communicating and getting the message out to a campus that isn’t getting it — engag-

5

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Friday, February 26, 2010

ing them, making it relevant to them and then listening and actually representing them.� The only specific goals outlined on the alliance’s platform are preserving the Cactus and other campus landmarks, working to make textbooks tax-free and creating a Speaker of the Assembly position to preside over the representatives, a job currently held by the vice president. The team said they didn’t want to make a lot of specific promises, planning instead to make goals throughout the year as students’ needs become apparent. “You can say you’re going to do a lot of things, but I don’t see how that solves anything,� Zimowski said. “It’s about seeing what needs to be done and then doing it. If I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to get it done.� The alliance is not spending any money on the campaign but is using social media like Facebook and Twitter to reach out for student support. Except for the SG debate Monday night, the Texas Travesty debate Wednesday and an endorsement meeting with University Democrats, the team has not met with student groups or Greek organizations, choosing instead to talk with individual students about issues that are important to them, Talbert said. “I’m just talking to students wherever I am, outside the communication school, inside the Cactus [and] on the West Mall,� he said. “Joe is always working out and talking to people at Gregory, getting people connected with his passions. The other campaigns are reaching out to the groups that can help them get elected, but I want to reach out to everyone.�

From left, Charles Hollenshead, Benn Rosales, and Riccardo Guerrero gather at a candleight vigil on Thursday night in honor of Vernon Hunter, the only victim of Joseph Stack’s attack on the Echelon Building. The vigil was a spontaneous event set up by members of the Austin community.

Maxx Scholten Daily Texan Staff

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WALLS: Meeting breaks

barriers in human rights member of the Texas International Law Journal. Several organibarricading,� Brown said. zations on campus also work toCountries build walls in order ward the issues that arise because to increase their perceived safety of these walls. and assert their unique indepen“The Rapaport Center got dence from bordering nations, in on it because of the big huBrown said. man rights aspect,� Velarde said. Denise Gilman, a clinical pro- “We’ve [also] had so many [Unifessor at the law school, echoed versity] organizations volunteer, Brown’s sentiment. and they heard about this event “While there and they said is a trend tothat they would ward globalizalike to help out, tion, there is also that they would a trend toward like to donate What we have come greater fear and money and manto call globalization concerns about power.� national secuSeveral audiharbors fundamental rity and soverence members tensions between eignty,� Gilman were Universiopening and said. “Governty students who ments around also see the difbarricading.� the world, in the ferent impacts of need to show — Wendy Brown walls around the that they’re doUC Berkeley Professor world. ing something, “I think that have often decidwalls are impored to construct a tant to talk about physical barrier, because people It’s something concrete and tan- don’t always think about the siggible that they can present be- nificance of walls socially, ecocause it’s a way of addressing the nomically, politically,� said secfear they feel in their country.� ond-year law student Sarah FlyThe Rapoport Center chose the nn. “Walls divide communities.� subject of walls for this year’s The symposium continues tosymposium because of its per- day with panel discussions with tinence to current events, espe- professors about why walls are cially with the University’s close built, how they function, who litproximity to the Mexico, the U.S. igates over walls and what the barrier, said Cynthia Velarde, a future holds for them.

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on advantages of Web forum bit,� Dana said. “I think they need to be very honest about implesaid. “We expect to receive and menting projects, and until they implement ideas that will save start doing that part of it, it’s anybody’s guess.� money in the long run.� Business honors freshman Dana said she sees a lot of potential benefit for the University as Samir Hegde said he thinks Ideas long as the site is maintained and of Texas is a good idea — as long the ideas actually carried out. She as it is not dominated by a handful also said the communication be- of users. He said the ideas themtween the posters and the admin- selves should also be more accesistration could be improved, as sible for the perusal of students. “I don’t think I would go to the she was not directly notified about Web site unless I had an idea to her idea being chosen. “It has a lot of promise, but post,� Hegde said. “So there needs I noticed that there was a huge to be a readily available way for amount of interest when it first people to view other ideas more started, [and then it] tapered off a easily, such as on their UT Direct.�

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Friday, February 26, 2010

UT among schools to receive funding for research center By Radhika Sakalkale Daily Texan Staff UT, along with four other universities, has been granted $25 million by the National Science Foundation to establish a multiuniversity center for promoting evolutionary biology research in both digital and natural settings. The BEACON center, or Bio/ computational Evolution in Action CONsortium, will act as the central research facility and will synthesize scientific discoveries into computer science and engineering designs. These computational methods will be used to solve problems in evolutionary biology, said foundation spokeswoman Lisa-Joy Zgorski. “The neat thing about this science technology center is that it capitalizes on collaboration. [The center] really does draw cutting-edge research abilities from a number of different entities,� Zgorski said. Researchers from Michigan State University, the University of Washington, the University of Idaho, North Carolina AT&T State University and UT will collaborate using video-conferencing courses and workshops to provide long-distance education to graduate students, said integrative biology professor David Hillis. Video conferencing will also be used to facilitate research among the researchers at the universities. “Each of the universities in the grant brings a set of strengths to the center,� Hillis said. “That’s why all those different universities were chosen — to try to develop those strengths across the nation. [This research effort] benefits undergraduate students by the creation of new things.� Students and researchers will engage in face-to-face meetings once a year at the BEACON cen-

ter, where they will discuss their research, Hillis said. The theme of this project is to view evolution in action. Specific applications of evolutionary biology are studied — for instance, looking at a virus as it affects human health, Hillis said. “A good example, currently, is influenza. The reason we need to have a new flu vaccine each year is because influenza evolves so rapidly. New strains emerge [through] the evolution of influenza in short periods of time,� Hillis said. The digital aspect of this research is based on a program that shows evolution in action with the use of computer organisms, MSU Principal Investigator Erik Goodman said. The computer program can account for variables, like mutations, to help show the concept of natural selection, or survival of the fittest. Hillis said the computer program can be used to track epidemics in human populations, make predictions about which strains of the virus may be emerging and use this information for development of new vaccines to deal with influenza. Zgorski said the universities involved were chosen through a competitive peer-review process. A blue-ribbon panel with experienced colleagues has extensively reviewed these proposals. There were 247 schools applying to receive the grant and participate in the research program. Of that number, 45 schools were invited to submit full proposals and the science foundation visited 11 of the schools. From those visited, five schools — including UT — were chosen for the grant. The funds will be distributed in increments throughout a fiveyear span, Zgorski said. Additional reporting by Gabrielle Cloudy.

Maxx Scholten | Daily Texan Staff

Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland, addresses an audience in the LBJ auditorium Thursday. Robinson, who was also the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, focused on the role of ethics in a world leader’s job.

Irish president delivers address By Aziza Musa Daily Texan Staff The first female president of Ireland reflected on her 20-year career as a fierce advocate for human rights on the UT campus Thursday. Mary Robinson, former United Nations high court commissioner for human rights, opened the Hatton W. Sumners Student Leadership Conference in front of a crowd of more than 100 people. Robinson said after ascending to the Irish presidency, she always wondered how to fulfill the expectations of the population and the promises she made to them. She spoke of the difficulties she encountered in Ireland, including religious conflicts between Protestants and Catholics,

protection for the GLBT community and providing the local communities with bigger voices. She said the focus of the U.S. government has shifted away from human rights since the 9/11 attacks. “It’s desirable that human rights and security should work together,� Robinson said. While she was president, Robinson worked to ensure the security of several African countries, including Somalia and Rwanda. She rushed to the people’s aid after the genocides by building awareness as the high commissioner for human rights under the United Nations. Since leaving her position at the United Nations, Robinson remains involved in the human rights movement. She chaired the Council of Women World Leaders, which brings together about 30 women of high

stature that encourages gender equality in government. She currently teaches Practice of International Affairs at Columbia University and continues to take part in numerous leadership opportunities that advocate human rights. Robinson’s focus on the relationship between human rights and security and her experience in Africa attracted English graduate student Molly Hardy. Hardy said Robinson’s willingness to criticize people and their actions she believed to be unjust make her an admirable political figure. Robinson was one of the four confirmed speakers for the seventh annual conference, which brings college students from across the U.S., as well as from some from universities in Mexico. The conference seeks to increase awareness of leadership

challenges, to develop networks through which students can communicate and to inspire students to become leaders, said Howard Prince, director of the LBJ School of Public Affairs and co-chairman of the conference. Prince said Robinson fit into the goals of what the conference was trying to accomplish. “I heard her speak about five years ago, and I was inspired and impressed about what she had to say and what she had accomplished,� Prince said. Prince said Robinson wanted to change the religious and conservative Irish society by holding a leadership position. “She is a very good role model for future women leaders,� Prince said. “We [wanted her] to come because [she sees] the value in contributing to the education and development of the next generation of leaders.�

2010

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NEWS

Friday, February 26, 2010

Lack of reported rape cases results in repeat offenders By Hannah Jones Daily Texan Staff An article released Thursday from The Center for Public Integrity discussed sexual assault cases among college students that were not properly handled by campus law enforcement. Kristen Lombardi, the lead reporter for the campus assault project for the center — an investigative journalism nonprofit organization — has been releasing a series of stories since early December from a 12-month campus assault investigation. Lombardi said the stories are meant to shed light on systemic failures. His report states that these felony crimes are not treated as harshly as they should be within the campus judicial process. Campuses do not want to be arbitrators of criminal law, she said. The article covers a former Texas A&M student that raped four women before being arrested. He is now serving time in a Texas prison. A large number of sexual attackers are repeat offenders because their crimes often go unreported. According to the study, 95 percent of sexual assault victims do not report the incident. “These cases of campus assault are rarely taken to local courts because most district attorneys often do not take types of cases where there is little physical evidence, only ‘he said she said’ accounts and no eyewitnesses,” Lombardi said. “Because there are not enough prosecutors in local courts, victims have only one avenue: the campus judiciary process.” Meredith Lohn-Wiley, director of Voices Against Violence, said there is a huge disparity between the number of incidents that have occurred and number of incidents reported. Voices Against Violence is a sexual violence education and counseling program

in UT’s Counseling and Mental Health Center. A 2000 study found the victim rate was 27.7 rapes per 1,000 female students. The study wasn’t specific to one population or one age bracket and looked at differentsized universities, Wiley said. Based off that study, Wiley, who estimates there are 25,000 female students at UT, said she assumes there are between 800 and 900 attempted rapes against females in one year. “We try to get the word out to survivors here on campus to let them know what their reporting options are,” Wiley said. Martha Compton, administrator of the Office of the Dean of Students said the outcomes of students charged for sexual assault vary depending on the case. The cases she has been involved in at UT-Austin with students in violation have resulted in suspension or expulsion. “If a student is suspended, which means they can return to the University, there are typically other conditions imposed on the student prior to or upon their return,” Compton said. “[That] can include things like a psychological assessment, removal from University residence halls and an expectation that they not contact the survivor.” Compton said the goal of the office’s disciplinary process the is to provide accused students with all of their due process rights while holding them accountable to the University’s behavioral standards. According to the crimes and statistics of the UT Police Department Web site, in both 2006 and 2009, there were no cases of rape reported. In 2008, there were two rape cases reported and one was cleared. In 2007, there was one attempted rape reported and the charge was cleared. Additional reporting by Karishma Hossain.

Daniela Trujillo | Daily Texan Staff

Robert Draper answers questions after his lecture Thursday afternoon. The discussion chronicled his career, including his roots as a former Daily Texan writer and Austin Chronicle staffer.

Racial tension inspires new book By Priscilla Pelli Daily Texan Staff Robert Draper ’s interviews with the creators of two 1970s sitcoms — detailed in his upcoming book — revealed the essence of racial tensions and inspired the theme of race relations. The LBJ Center for Politics and Governance hosted Draper, a UT alum and former National Geographic reporter, as a part of its Perspective Series. The series brings prominent speakers from across the nation to speak about policy and public affairs. In the past, the series has featured Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham and former Houston Mayor Bill White. Draper is also a contributing writer for The New York Times and a correspondent for GQ mag-

azine. Before he began to work at national publications, Draper was a reporter for The Daily Texan and Texas Monthly. Draper’s talk focused on his upcoming book on race relations in the U.S. within the past 40 years, starting with the 1960s Civil Rights movement and culminating with the election of President Barack Obama. Draper said his book does not just focus on well-known events like the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. He also relates personal experiences from his trips to the South to conduct research. “I was restrained [by the publishers] to some degree, and I could not report [on] all things I wanted to,” Draper said. “I had to pick and choose which events I wanted to write about. I wanted

to find events that showed slow tectonic shifts taking place [in history].” Draper has written several books, including “Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush,” a book that chronicles the events of the Bush administration from 2001 to 2007 and revealed many events that were unknown to the media. He also wrote “Rolling Stone Magazine: The Uncensored History” and a novel called “Hadrian’s Walls.” Austin resident Shirley Canada said Draper was a fantastic speaker and his two books reveal flaws in both the Bush and Obama administrations. “The issue itself between the two books is very controversial,” Canada said. “The Bush administration had its flaws, but many

Texans believed in him nonetheless. Obama does, too, and it’s interesting to see how Draper reveals them and how the public in this forum responds.” Jeff Patterson, assistant dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs, said Draper was an invaluable speaker for students in the LBJ School learning about reporting and political experience. Patterson said the center ’s mission was to integrate political dialogue and policy to make sure the transition between the two is as profitable and functional as possible. “Any time we can bring somebody that’s got a lot of professional experience in public affairs [or] reporting, and to share experience and insight for students, is a positive experience,” Patterson said.

Outstanding Student and Cactus Goodfellow Awards The Cactus Yearbook is soliciting nominations for their Outstanding Student and Cactus Goodfellow Awards. For your convenience, we have placed the nomination forms on the Cactus web page:

A REAL WORLD JOB TO JUMP-START A REAL WORLD CAREER. The largest college media agency in the nation, Texas Student Media, is looking for a few business-minded college students to work as Media Sales Consultants HERE ON CAMPUS!

Do you think you have what it takes? Find Out! Email us and send your resume to: jbcorbett@mail.utexas.edu Or stop by the William Randolph Hearst Building 2500 Whitis Ave. – Rm. 3.210

http://www.cactusyearbook.com All rules and instuctions are included, so all you have to do is either print the nomination form from our web page or pick up one at the William Randolph Hearst Building (HSM), 25th and Whitis Ave., Room 3.304. The deadline for nominations is February 26th, so send us your applications today. Please call 471-1084 for more information. Recognizing extraordinary UT students for over 75 years.

8 SPTS

SPORTS

8

Friday, February 26, 2010

Sports Editor: Blake Hurtik E-mail: sports@dailytexanonline.com Phone: (512) 232-2210 www.dailytexanonline.com

T HE DAILY T EXAN

SIDELINE

BASEBALL

No. 3 Texas vs. No. 18 Stanford

Texas wants to put slow start in past

Winter Olympic Medal Count G S

B

USA

8

12

12

Germany

8

11

7

Norway

7

6

6

Canada

8

6

2

Russian Fed.

3

4

6

Austria

4

3

5

Korea

5

4

1

France

2

3

5

China

4

2

3

Switzerland

6

0

2

Sweden

4

2

2

Netherlands

3

1

2

Czech Republic

2

0

3

Poland

0

3

1

Italy

0

1

3

Australia

2

1

0

Belarus

1

1

1

Slovakia

1

1

1

Team cuts loose on snow day, wins against Dallas Baptist to prepare for tough Stanford By Austin Ries Daily Texan Staff Before playing Dallas Baptist on Wednesday, the Texas baseball team took Tuesday to forget about the weekend’s series against New Mexico by having team competitions in the batting cage and even playing in the snow. Indoors, the offensive players split into teams to play a hitting game they call “front-end net game,� that awards one point for hitting the net, two points for hitting the back net and five points for hitting random objects like a cup or glove. “It’s a great concentration game to see the ball and hit it every time,� junior outfielder Kevin Keyes said. “It helps us stay relaxed and create team chemistry.� Meanwhile, after stretching and throwing the ball around, Texas pitchers built a 3-foot snowman complete with a Longhorn jacket, baseball hat and black sunglasses. “We got them out here having fun,� said head coach Augie Garrido. “We played games and that’s how you put stuff behind, by having fun.� It worked for No. 3 Texas. They defeated the Patriots 7-2 with a solid pitching effort from Cole Green and timely hits in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Above all, the win took the pressure off losing before facing No. 18 Stanford this week-

NCAA Men’s Top 25 South Carolina 61 No. 2 Kentucky 82 Tulsa 52 No. 5 Duke 70 No. 6 Kansas State 83 Texas Tech 64 No. 19 Wisconsin 78 Indiana 46 Georgia 94 No. 20 Vanderbilt 96 F/OT

NCAA Women’s Top 25 No. 2 Stanford 62 Arizona State 43 No. 16 Kentucky 65 No. 4 Tennessee 81 Miami (FL) 62 No. 9 Florida State 87 Northwestern 47 No. 10 Ohio State 78 Jacksonville State 39 No. 13 Georgetown 70 No. 15 Iowa State 57 Kansas 54 Arkansas 53 No. 20 LSU 70

NBA Milwaukee 112 Indiana 110 Cleveland 108 Boston 88

SPORTS BRIEFLY Texas swimmers continue to shine at Big 12 championships

Jeff Heimsath | Daily Texan Staff

Third baseman Tant Shepherd, right, and outfielder Kyle Lusson round the bases against New Mexico. Shepherd and Lusson, along with the rest of the Longhorns, hope to get more offensive production this weekend against Stanford. end at Disch-Falk field. “It’s tough to talk about things that go wrong after losing because players start feeling guilty and bad and start to press,�

Garrido said. “But when you win, you Texas’ pitching continued to shine congratulate everyone for the win but Wednesday as Cole Green gave up only then say, ‘Here’s what went wrong,’ so it opens that door for you.� BASEBALL continues on page 9

MEN’S BASKETBALL

No. 21 Texas at No. 22 Texas A&M

DELIVERY

Horns look for third win in a row Texas builds momentum during stretch run; must overcome rival Aggies By Will Anderson Daily Texan Staff If you stopped following No. 21 Texas after they beat Texas A&M on Jan. 16 and then tuned back in for Wednesday’s victory over Oklahoma State, you probably thought nothing had changed. Texas (22-6, 8-5 Big 12) has been battered and bruised since it last played No. 22 Texas A&M (19-8, 8-5 Big 12), but the win over Oklahoma State was a return to form. Forward Dami-

on James led the way with 19 points, and Dexter Pittman controlled the lane as he finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Avery Bradley and Jordan Hamilton both reached double digits in scoring but were inconsistent from the floor, while J’Covan Brown played a paltry 16 minutes and missed all six of his field goals. In short, it was the same team that beat North Carolina and Michigan State back in December. Texas is also regaining some of the momentum it had earlier in the season. The team has won back-to-back games for the first time in more than a month. The

SATURDAY: No. 21 Texas (22-6, 8-5 Big 12) at No. 22 Texas A&M (19-8, 8-5 Big 12) WHERE: Reed Arena (College Station) WHEN: 1 p.m. ON AIR: ESPN

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Longhorns will try to ride that energy into Saturday’s game in College Station — set to begin at 1 p.m. and airs on ESPN. The Aggies have won three out of their past five matchups but lost a crucial conference game to

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BASKET continues on page 9

SPRING FOOTBALL

Mack pledges stronger running game Coach plans to use more under-center sets; Texas prepares for Gilbert era

The Texas men finished Thursday’s competitions at the Big 12 Championships with another sweep of all events. Sophomores Jimmy Feigen and Neil Caskey and seniors Ben Van Roekel and Dave Walters triumphed in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Feigen has taken first in the 50 freestyle in 19:34. Van Roekel placed second and Walters, fourth. Freshman Austin Surhoff showed what he can do. The Longhorn took top honors as he broke Olympian Ricky Berens’ meet record in the 200 individual medley in 1:43.26. He became the third-fastest Texas swimmer in the event and gained automatic qualification for the NCAA championships. Berens took second with a time of 1:44.37. Sophomore Jackson Wilcox led the Longhorns to a one-two-three finish in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:16.25 — college swimming’s fourth-fastest time. Juniors Scott Jostes and Jim Robertson placed second and third, respectively. The women sit in second place behind host Texas A&M. Sophomore Karlee Bispo highlighted her team’s day with a 50-yard freestyle win. Texas swims in the third day of the Big 12 Championships today at 10 a.m. — Compiled by staff reports

Don’t break the bank...

By Michael Sherfield Daily Texan Staff It probably comes as no surprise to anyone who has watched Texas run the ball the last two years that Mack Brown’s main concern this spring is to fix the ground game. The fact that it’s above leadership and securing the quarterback position — where the Longhorns lost college football’s all-time wins leader — should tell you something about how bad Texas was at running the ball. “We’re playing better defense, and that gives us the ability to be more patient,� Brown said. “It’s hard to criticize your offense when you’re scoring 42 points a game ... We don’t want to go back to scoring 24. But we’ve got to get back to having more balance.� Brown is doing what anyone who saw Alabama and Ohio State pound the ball down the throat of Texas’ usually stout defense the past two bowl games would do: He’s copying them. Brown said the Longhorns would switch to an under-center, two-back approach — similar to the Vince Young days in search of a consistent rushing attack — in 2010.

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Bryant Haertlein | Daily Texan Staff

Texas running back Tre’ Newton didn’t have much of an impact in the national championship game, but will be counted on in 2010. “One of the things I look at is the history of this school,� Brown said Thursday morning at the first press conference of the spring season. “This school was built on running the ball, playing man-to-man defense and stoning everyone. I’d like to see us be more physical and take control of the game and not force the quarterback to make perfect throws.� That responsibility will fall on an offensive line that lost three starters from a disappointing 2009 season that carried high expectations for the unit. It will also fall on an equally underachieving group

of running backs. Sophomore Tre’ Newton will handle the bulk of the responsibilities after being named the starter, but it’s a competition Brown is keeping a steady eye on. “I told our backs we’d like to separate [them],� he said. “When you have four backs, you’d like to have one. But none of them have jumped out and taken over and been the backs we’ve had around here. Our expectations around here of that back are really important to us.�

SPRING continues on page 9

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9 SPTS

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SPORTS

Friday, February 26, 2010

SOFTBALL

MEN’S TENNIS

No. 21 Fresno State 5, No. 13 Texas 4

No. 4 Texas 4, No. 23 Rice 3

Bulldogs hand Horns first loss Longhorns take By Matt Hohner Daily Texan Staff It might be warmer and sunnier in Southern California, but the Texas softball team may have brought some of the icy and snowy weather with them from Austin. The 13th-ranked Longhorns suffered their first defeat of the 2010 season, losing 5-4 to No. 21 Fresno State in the opening game of the Cathedral City Classic tournament in Cathedral City, Calif., on Thursday. Texas (11-1) got off to a good start with a base hit by designated hitter Alexis Bennett, and a walk by catcher Amy Hooks, threatening early in the top of the first. The Longhorns later drew first blood with an RBI double to right field by third baseman Nadia Taylor. The Bulldogs (8-1) managed to score one run in the bottom of the second, but the floodgates opened for Fresno State in the third. The Bulldogs scored four runs in the inning off of Texas freshman starting pitcher Kim Bruins. Bruins got herself into a jam after an error by shortstop Raygan Feight but gave up a three-run homerun and four total in the third. Head coach Connie Clark put in Erin Tresselt to stop the bleeding. Tresselt managed to pitch 3.2 innings of shutout ball to round out the game.

close one, change focus to weekend

Eric Ou | Daily Texan Staff

Texas pinch runner Torie Schmidt avoids the tag of DePaul catcher Simone Ashkar to score in the Longhorns’ 3-1 win Feb. 12. After an 11-0 start, the Longhorns lost their first game of the season to Fresno State on Thursday. The Longhorns responded well in the top of the fourth with two runs. Hooks’ walk followed by Taylor’s homerun, cut the Texas deficit to one. However, the Longhorns couldn’t bounce back and even

had the tying run on second but couldn’t bring the run in. The Longhorns demonstrated patience at the plate with four walks, but couldn’t get the bats sizzling in the loss. This is the first of five games that

lie ahead for Texas in the Cathedral City Classic. Tomorrow, Texas will play No. 4 UCLA, as the Longhorns look to bounce back from their defeat. They take on Syracuse and California-Davis on Saturday and Oregon State on Sunday.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

No. 14 Texas vs. No. 11 Oklahoma

Goestenkors wants team to stop being hesitant By Sameer Bhuchar Daily Texan Staff Texas will be fighting multiple battles Saturday at the Frank Erwin Center. The Longhorns have to fight to get the losing monkey off their backs after dropping two big games in a row. They have to tackle their up-again down-again tournament resume. They will need to scratch to get to their third 20-win season in a row, and they will also have to find the time to beat their heated rival to the North, the Oklahoma Sooners, for round two. It can be said that the Longhorns put this onerous weight on their own shoulders. After winning six games in a row, the Longhorns have taken two steps backwards. By failing to secure at least one win in their last two games, the No. 14 Longhorns (19-7; 8-4 Big 12) have put themselves in a precarious position in the Big 12 standings. Though they are technically in fourth place in the conference, a loss could propel them into the bottom of the pack without a firstround bye. A win, on the other hand, could help them secure a top four seed and a way out of the first round come time for the Big 12 tournament.

SATURDAY: No. Texas (19-7, 8-4 Big 12) vs. No. 11 Oklahoma (198, 9-4 Big 12) WHERE: Frank Erwin Center, (Austin) WHEN: 4 p.m.

Peter Franklin | Daily Texan Staff

Texas senior guard Brittainey Raven looks to head coach Gail Goestenkors for advice. The Longhorns have lost two straight games. If the Longhorns are to do the latter, they are going to need stellar play for a full 40 minutes. Struggling late in games has been a reoccurring problem for Texas that coach Gail Goestenkors can not quite explain. After Texas’ latest loss to Oklahoma State, she talked about this issue. “I don’t know what the answer is, but I think we did become a little tentative,� she said. “They put a little press on us. We didn’t have a lot of poise against the pressure and turned the ball over.� Giving the ball away is a prob-

SPRING: Texas has work

lem the Longhorns still have not addressed. The Longhorns are ranked ninth in the Big 12 conference in the assist to turnover ration. For Texas, there is a bright spot amid all this negativity. Longhorn Brittainey Raven has consistently been a high scorer even during Texas’ recent skid. She netted 17 points against Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. However, in order for the Longhorns to beat the No. 11 Sooners (19-8; 9-4 Big 12), they are going to need help from their supporting cast of scorers. Kathleen Nash re-

cently passed the 1,000-point plateau but only scored eight points against the Cowgirls. But Oklahoma is not necessarily playing its best basketball either. The Sooners have dropped two of their last three games. However, they have a star player in Danielle Robinson. The junior was recently announced as one of 30 candidates for the 2010 Women’s Naismith Trophy given annually to the women’s college basketball player of the year. Robinson averages 16.7 points and 5.1 assists and is one of the most consistent point guards in women’s college basketball. Both teams know that a loss this close to the end of the season would be detrimental to their ranking. For the Longhorns, a win against this highly ranked opponent would not only bolster their resume, but help create a sense of security. Texas has a full list of things they are fighting for this Saturday, but if they lose one, they may very well lose them all.

BASEBALL: Garrido wants

By Rishi Daulat Daily Texan Staff With their torrid start to the match, it seemed as though the No. 4 Texas tennis team would crush No. 23 Rice. But just as the Texas coaches predicted before the match, Rice put up a huge fight in the singles session. In the end, the Longhorns came out with a tight 4-3 win in Houston. The Horns are now 8-1 this season with their only loss coming to No. 2 Tennessee at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Indoor Championships. Texas took control of the match right away. In the doubles session, the Horns cruised at the first and third spots to secure the point while Ed Corrie and Kellen Damico were also leading their opponents at No. 2 doubles but didn’t need to finish. Texas’ ITA No. 8 doubles team of Josh Zavala and Dimitar Kutrovsky defeated the No. 31 doubles tandem of Bruno Rosa and Oscar Podlewski, 8-6, while newcomers Jean Andersen and Daniel Whitehead rolled over Isamu Tachibana and Jonathan Chang, 8-4. Corrie and Damico made sure to finish first in the singles session, however, as the two juniors grabbed an early 3-0 lead for Texas. In his first match as the new ITA No. 4, Corrie made quick work of Rice’s ITA No. 116 Podlewski at No. 2 singles, 6-1, 6-3. Damico, a Colorado native, finished just a few minutes after his doubles partner when he took down Michael Nuesslein at third

SUNDAY: No. 4 Texas vs. Laredo Community College, St. Edward’s WHERE: Penick-Allison Tennis Center (Austin) WHEN: 1 p.m. singles, 6-2, 6-4. The Owls made it interesting after that. Rice got their first win at fourth singles when the Horns’ Jean Andersen suffered only his second loss of the season, to Rice’s Sam Garforth-Bles, 7-6, 6-3. With the Horns needing only one match to clinch the victory, the matches at first, fifth and sixth singles all went to third sets. Ben Chen was the next Longhorn to fall, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Christina Saravia at sixth singles. In a battle between two of the top players in the country, Rice’s ITA No. 19 Rosa defeated Texas’s ITA No. 13 Kutrovsky at the first singles spot in a tough three-setter, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4. However, senior and ITA No. 54 Zavala was the hero for Texas as he came back from a set down to beat Tachibana, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 and earn the team win for the Longhorns. Next up, the Texas team will revert to last weekend’s format when they face two teams at the same — this time against defending junior college champions, Laredo Community College and St. Edwards in Austin on Sunday at 1 p.m.

BASKET: Rivalry game will impact

Big 12 standings, tourney hopes From page 8 Baylor on Wednesday evening. “We just couldn’t get it done,� A&M coach Mike Turgeon said after his Aggies lost a close 70-66 battle to the Bears. Texas A&M is now tied for fourth in the Big 12 with Texas and Baylor. An A&M loss would drop them behind the Longhorns and the Bears, while a win would split the season series and give them a leg up in the conference standings. With only three regular-season games left, Saturday’s contest also represents a crucial litmus test as teams prepare for the conference tournament. Neither Texas nor A&M will finish the season below .500, but a win on Saturday would go a long way in bolstering either squad’s resume. The biggest question for Texas remains the point guard position. Justin Mason played most of his 35 minutes against

Oklahoma State from the point and finished with three assists to no turnovers. He scored one point on a single free throw but played solid defense against James Anderson, the conference’s top scorer, holding him to five field goals. Brown and Jai Lucas also got some lip service at the point but were careless with the ball, seemingly overwhelmed. Bradley was the only other Longhorn to match Mason’s three assists, and the freshman provided some mid-range firepower. While Pittman finished on a high note, he only scored one field goal in the first half against OSU. His help defense was solid, but Texas will face a much larger and more physical frontcourt against A&M. “We’ve got to get him the ball more,� said Texas coach Rick Barnes about Pittman. “We’ll keep working on it.�

to do on many positions to see more from offense From page 8 Another reason for the emphasis on the running game will be the change in the person handing off. You didn’t have to search far into the disappointment of the BCS championship game defeat last month to find a silver lining for the Longhorns. Texas lost its quarterback of the present early but found its quarterback of the future a little later in the form of Garrett Gilbert, who recovered from a terrible start to lead Texas within three points of the Crimson Tide. But instead of trying to fill McCoy’s shoes, the Longhorns want to take pressure off the first-year starter. “If he was fragile, it would have hurt him,� said Brown of Gilbert’s role in the BCS game. “But he’s very confident ... he gets it. He uses that game to motivate him. He was disappointed. He thought we had a chance to win, he was putting it on him. If he had not played in that game and played well in that game, the team wouldn’t know what we have coming back.� Now, Gilbert is the favorite to claim the starting spot, leav-

ing a battle between Sherrod Harris and two incoming freshmen, Connor Wood and Case McCoy, for the backup spots. But that’s not to say Brown expects Gilbert, a sophomore, to perform at the same level as McCoy, who set an NCAA record for completion percentage his junior year and finished No. 2 all-time for his career. “We will expect Garrett to be out there full speed and go now. We expect him to be really good,� Brown said. “[But] you should never have the dependence of the game on the performance of one player or the health of one player.� Gilbert won’t be the biggest question mark on an offense that also lost Jordan Shipley. The Longhorns get a boost from a talented recruiting class that is particularly rich at the receiver but that will find itself relying more on youth and talent than experience. “This team will be more like the 2008 team because there a lot of great kids who are good players and haven’t played yet,� Brown said. “They’re going to have to step up. The expectations will be lower, but they’re going to have fun. They’re going to be a team that likes to play.�

From page 8

WEEKEND: No. 3 Texas (2-2) vs. No. 18 Stanford (4-0)

two runs on five hits, with five WHERE: UFCU Disch-Falk Field strikeouts in five innings of work. (Austin) The Horns’ bullpen also came up WHEN: 3 p.m., Fri.; 2 p.m., Sat.; 1 big, shutting down the Patriots p.m., Sun. the rest of the way and pitching four innings of hitless baseball. ON AIR: AM 1300 “The Zone� “It was good for our team to get a win after losing two in a row,� Green said. “It gets us ready for against New Mexico and against this weekend.� Dallas Baptist, he’s hitting .143 And while the Longhorns with a pair of hits. scored seven runs “You can’t get on eight hits, Garfrustrated, you rido gave their just have to take performance at what you can You can’t get the plate a “C.� get,� Keyes said. In fact, since Sat“Russell is one frustrated, you just urday’s game have to take what you of the best hitagainst the Loters on the team, can get.� bos, the Horns they’re just not have experienced alling right —Kevin Keyes fnow. some expected He just has Junior outfielder to keep hitting early-season offensive struggles. them hard, and Catcher Camthey will eventueron Rupp and first baseman ally fall. We’re not worried.� Tant Shepherd are leading the The Horns won two of three team hitting .462. And while against Stanford on the road last Keyes hit a two-run double in season, and they can’t wait to get Wednesday’s win, he and desig- a shot at them again. nated hitter Russell Moldenhauer “Stanford is a big series for aren’t producing as much as they us every year,� Green said. “I would like. know we’ve always looked at Keyes is hitting .267 with only them as one of our big rivals, one extra base hit, and while so I’m excited for that, and exMoldenhauer hit the ball hard cited for the opportunity.�

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10 CLASS

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SPORTS

Friday, February 26, 2010

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TRACK

Big 12 Indoor Championships

Todd’s road to recovery leads to title defense

s. lege, St. Tennis

Sophomore overcomes two stress fractures, bout with mono to compete By Jim Pagels Daily Texan Staff Think you’ve had a rough year so far? Don’t tell that to Patrick Todd. The track sophomore burst onto the scene last year after winning the 1,000 meters at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. He continued his success into the outdoor season, but while running in the Big 12 Outdoor 800-meter preliminary heat, his foot gave out. “I was running a good race, and the pace was something I’m comfortable with,� Todd said. “Something just didn’t feel right, but I didn’t know what it was.� After months of strain from intense training, Todd had stressfractured his left foot. “People started flying past me, at a part [of the race] where I’m strongest, the last 200 meters,� he said. “I just had nothing, and as soon as I crossed the line and started walking, it was just instant pain day, in mymonth foot.�day, 2008 The recovery process required Todd to stop running for nine weeks. Stress fractures are small cracks in a bone caused by unusuTISE T R E al or repeated stress. V AD DEN !C. ReesAccording StoTU Jonathan N R U TIOMarshfield er, a researcher YO NIZatAthe A G Clinic O Research Foundation, stress R fractures are most common in athletics, and they occur in anywhere from 5 to 30 percent of athletes and military recruits each year. For most track athletes, going just one day without training is difficult. “That’s crazy to think about,� he said. “I can’t even imagine going through that right now.� After only two weeks of rest, though, Todd was back in training mode. He got into the pool at the Texas Swim Center, where he did water aerobics exercises to simulate running motions. Afterward, he moved onto cycling before fi-

nally getting back on his own feet. But all of his work over the summer came to a crashing halt once school started up again. When Todd went to the doctor on Sept. 1, he learned that he had refractured his foot, requiring another extended rehab cycle until the end of October. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only issue Todd had. “I took eight weeks off. I remember it was a Monday when I got cleared to start running again. I felt kind of out of breath the previous week, but I just thought it was from training really hard in the pool,� he said. “So I started running, doing just 10 minutes easy on the grass, and I felt like my heart was going to explode,� he said. “I was like, ‘I know I’ve been out for a while, but surely I should be in better shape than that.’� After visiting a doctor, Todd was diagnosed with infectious mononucleosis — also known as mono. He was surprised to learn that he had actually had the disease for over a month. “The hits just kept on coming,� he said. “I just didn’t really notice it because I was doing different types of workouts, just being tired all the time and falling asleep in class.� The mono only kept Todd out for two weeks, but he had to take things very slowly to avoid contracting chronic fatigue syndrome — a disease that can be caused by rushing into too much physical activity. “Coming back from mono, I actually had to be more cautious than when I first broke [my foot],� he said. The extra caution held Todd out of full practice for five more weeks until the beginning of December. “For a while there, it didn’t even look like I’d be able to compete in the indoor season,� he said. After being out from May to December, Todd was back in competition shape — thanks in large part to encouragement from teammate Logan Gonzales.

WEEKEND: Big 12 Indoor Championships WHERE: Lied Recreation Center (Ames, Iowa) WHEN: All day “It’s a big deal being in the locker room and looking over to see your biggest competition right next to you,� he said of Gonzales. Gonzales finished second in the 1,000 meters at the Big 12 last Sara Young | Daily Texan Staff year, less than one second behind Texas runner Patrick Todd competes in a relay during last season’s Texas Relays. The sophomore will defend Todd. The junior is having a bit his Big 12 title in the 1,000 meters this weekend after overcoming injuries and illness. of a homecoming at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in Iowa this before championship capitalizing on the quality, not the To gain sixth conference weaknesses week, having grown up just 15 season. Now, it’s time to put that quantity, that they bring to each title, women will need to preparation to the test. miles from the track. event. This puts added pressure After being held out of the Ar“If you mess up now, there’s each athlete, but it is also gives rely on mental toughness no excuses because we’ve had so on kansas dual meet, Todd finally them a chance to shine. By Ryan Betori got back into competition Jan. 23 much time to work on mechan“Everyone is really excited. Daily Texan Staff at the Texas A&M dual meet at ics,� Cooper said. We’re going to put together our With five to their name since College Station. Cooper has also had a lot of best performances by feeding off 1996, the women’s track and field time to think about her perfor- each other,� said Betzy Jimenez, “Once I ran in that first meet team is all about Big 12 Champi- mance in that A&M upset. If this redshirt junior and middle-disand realized I was in decent shape, onships. That’s why head coach weekend comes down to anoth- tance specialist. it just kind of lit that fire of ‘Hey, I Beverly Kearney has never been er neck-and-neck finish, Cooper gotta go defend this,’� he said. After missing last year’s chamSince then, it has been full throt- 1 too concerned with winning reg- knows she’s ready. pionships due to injury, Jimenez ular season meets. Those were tle for the defending champ. Todd “I’ve already prepared men- is especially excited to compete. just warm-ups. But now, as the tally for it to come down to She described Friday as a “comclocked a personal record 4:02.84 team travels Friday to compete in that,� she said. in the mile at the Husky Classic in ing-out party,� and she’s ready to LASSIFIEDS the Big 12 Indoor Championships Washington two weeks ago, shavAccording to Kearney, it will be show everyone the athlete she’s in Ames, Iowa, it’s time to play this type of mental — not physical become since the injury. This year, ing nine seconds off of his previfor keeps. ous best. — preparation that separates the Jimenez has already collected “We focus for conference and Longhorns from the pack. “I never thought I’d have a two provisional marks as well as nationals,� Kearney said. “Our chance to be here four months “Once you get to this point, ev- a place in the Texas record books goal is always to win a champion- eryone’s prepared physically, so it with the fourth-fastest mile time ago,� he said. “But I definitely feel ship. That’s Texas.� 100 percent right now.� comes down to who’s prepared in school history. This season, the Longhorns have mentally,� Kearney said. The campaign to defend his Big Jimenez isn’t the only impresdone a solid job of putting them12 title will take a slightly different Young and oftentimes over- sive athlete. Senior shot-putter selves in a position to contend for looked, the Longhorns have de- Jordyn Brown is an All-American route this year, though. Todd will a championship. Five individu- veloped a blue-collar attitude ranked third in the Big 12. Felcompete in the distance medley reals and a relay team have com- throughout the course of the sea- low All-American Chantel Malay with teammates Gonzales, Anbined for 15 provisional marks. son. Kearney has repeatedly lone picked up provisional marks dre Thomas and Tevas Everett. The highlight of the season came stressed the importance of “go- in the long jump, triple jump and The relay will take place beearlier in the year, when the team ing to work,� and that theme has 400 meter. Also solid has been tween the preliminary and final upset No. 1-ranked Texas A&M at made for a mentally tough team. heats for the 1,000 meters, possisophomore All-American Angele College Station by edging them bly taking a bit of energy out of To pull out a victory this week- Cooper, who picked up proviout in the final 4x400-meter relay end, the team will have to rely sional marks in the 200 meter and Todd’s step. by three-tenths of a second. The Horns have a major obstaheavily on that toughness. The 400 meter. “Past performances don’t mean Longhorns lack the depth that cle in the path to winning their With preparation behind them anything, so that was just prac- they’ve had in the past. This holds and the pieces in place, there is fifth-straight Big 12 Championtice,� said sophomore Angele particularly true in the 60-meter only one thing left for the Longship, as they will have to beat No. Cooper, the anchor of that 4x400- hurdles and the 200- and 800-me- horns to do come Friday. 1 Texas A&M. meter win. According to Cooper, ter dashes. Since the team won’t But after everything Todd’s “This is like a battle,� said Cooregular season meets are a just a have as many athletes compet- per. “Texas is our country, and been through, the Aggies are just chance to adjust technique and fix ing, it will have to earn points by we’re going to fight for it.� a minor hurdle.

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13 ENT

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LIFE&ARTS

Friday, February 26, 2010

INDIE: Steel Train aims to be modern, not revivalist more of everything than [2007’s] Trampoline. The poppy songs are and their fans will enjoy listen- poppier, the dark songs are darking to. Holly Miranda has toured er — nothing is suggested, it’s all with both bands and as a solo act, sort of right there. This whole reand Tegan said she and her sister cord is way more complicated and were impressed by her flexibili- cluttered and fucked up.� ty. Steel Train was a natural fit as The album is also much more well, she said. progressive than their previous “The idea of spending three work, he said. Steel Train is ofmonths with ten identified as someone I don’t having a claslike is painful,� sic rock sound, Quin said. “But spurred in part we met Steel by their 2004 We want to be more Train, we liked EP 1969. modern and push their record, and “I’d much I met Jack’s parthings into what we rather be part of ents, and that a class of modwant the future kind of sealed ern bands pushto look like.� the deal.� ing things forSteel Train is ward than part — Tegan Quin, o f a re v i v a l touring in advance of the reco-singer and ist thing, which lease of their third co-songwriter of we were into full-length album, for a while,� Tegan and Sara Antonoff said. which is yet to be unnamed. Front “We want to be man Jack Antonoff more modern told the Texan that and push things they have produced 1,000 copies into what we want the future to of the Steel Train Is Here EP to en- look like.� courage fans to look forward to Showgoers can expect a toethe new album. tapping night of passionate per“I’m excited, but it also makes formances from three acts reme queasy to think about people nowned for energetic live shows. hearing it,� Antonoff said. “It’s got “Our shows are always rock

From page 14

FESTIVAL: Chefs

look into future for cake recipes From page 14

‘‘

Courtesy of Lindsey Byrnes

Jack Antonoff of Steel Train, second from right, said he references personal experiences and emotions when writing love songs. shows, and there are always parts when we try to interact with our audience and tell them a story,� Quin said. “The more

we tour and play, the better we get. We’ve brought on an amazing lighting director, and he’s going to help differentiate the dif-

ferent eras of Tegan and Sara because we’re playing a lot of new stuff as well as bringing back a lot of older songs.�

talented and experienced chefs present at the competition, amateurs can often surprise the judges. “Two years ago, the best-ofshow award went to an intermediate contestant,� Bartos said. “He made a really cool dragon cake. He was the clear winner.� Although Lodge said the judges tend to not discriminate against inexperienced chefs, they do prefer realistic-looking cakes with advanced technical skills to frivolous or cartoonish ones. In keeping with the contest’s ultramodern theme, Bartos has added a “Cakes of the Future� category this year, in which participants create recipes that anticipate upcoming taste trends. “This can mean anything from gluten-free ingredients to using a lot of boysenberries, because maybe everyone in the future will love boysenberries,� Bartos said. Kitchens’ futuristic recipe idea emphasized a recent dessert fad that combines chocolate with salty flavors such as chipotle spices. “I want to make a chocolate cake covered in bacon,� Kitchens said. “That’s my dream.�

EVENT: Student dramas hold themes overcoming past, innocence From page 14 In the midst of the excitement, there has been some difficulty in putting together “Blue Point.� Schmidt said because the play has autobiographical elements, it has been tough to put his work in public view. “I’ve been struggling a lot with this play,� he said. “In some ways it resembles my life, and it resembles a life I never had. You’re putting something very personal in front of people. There’s always fictitious stuff ... and there’s always a grain of truth. It’s very scary to show people, but that’s part of the thrill — showing them something of your-

self. There’s nothing else I’ve found more pleasurable. It’s the highest I’ve ever felt. I guess that’s why I keep doing it.� Audiences were lucky Schmidt did keep doing it. “Blue Point,� which tells the story of two boys growing up in rural Iowa, was a raw, imaginative and refreshing play. The plot follows the boys through a series of New Year’s Eve and 4th of July celebrations, showing that while their lives change, they always remain friends. The boys face the throws of divorce, death and loneliness, but through it all, there remains an innocent simplicity in their lives that invokes a sense of nostalgia.

The Tides of Aberdeen This weekend, UTNT will feature “The Tides of Aberdeen� by Erin Phillips, who is happy to have spent the past three years exploring her craft. “An M.F.A. in playwriting is sort of like a gift because you get three years to just write and not have to do anything else,� Phillips said. “The people you work with and your collaborators are probably going to be your collaborators forever, so it’s a good place to network.� During her first week of graduate school, Phillips began the first version of “The Tides of Aberdeen,� though she did not realize it would

develop into a play at that point. “I didn’t know I was writing this play then,� Phillips said. “It has taken shape in a lot of different ways, and I’ve probably done about eight drafts. It’s taken a really long time to find its form, but I think it has now.� “The Tides of Aberdeen� centers on a broken family in the small town of Aberdeen, Washington. The play follows two best friends trying to break the world record for holding their breath underwater, while also learning something about small-town rumors. “[It’s about] the past and how the past can sort of rule your life and haunt you,� Phillips said. “It’s

sort of a ghost story.� Phillips drew inspiration for the play from her experiences living in the Northwest, where the play takes place. “[The Northwest] has a really unique energy,� she said. “The sky is very different; there’s not a lot of sun during the winter, and it’s pretty much dark by four. It rains a lot and it’s just very grey, especially Aberdeen. It’s a very sad place, and there’s something that resonates about those kinds of places with me.� After three years of writing and working on the play, Phillips switched gears from comedy to drama. She said that while

she is excited, she has mixed feelings about finally seeing her vision come to life. “I wonder if it’s going to mean the same thing to anyone else that it’s going to mean to me — if I’ve done a good job of telling the story,� she said. “It’s a mystery too, so there’s a lot of elements where you’re just not sure how it’s going to read to the audience. I’m more of a comedy writer, and this is my first drama. I don’t have the comedy to sort of fall back on.� While most playwrights wouldn’t be in the room during production and tech times, she has used this opportunity to produce the end result with the entire crew.

2010 www.dailytexanonline.com t 'BTUFS BOE FBTJFS UP OBWJHBUF t .PSF JO EFQUI DPWFSBHF

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14 LIFE

LIFE&ARTS

14

Friday, February 26, 2010

Life&Arts Editor: Ben Wermund E-mail: dailytexan@gmail.com Phone: (512) 232-2209 www.dailytexanonline.com

T HE DAILY T EXAN

Event lifts curtains on student-driven playwright project By Sarah Pressley Daily Texan Staff University of Texas New Theatre — or UTNT — is an annual event for candidates in their third and final year of school for a Master’s in Playwriting. It showcases what students have learned and worked on during their graduate studies and also gives the writers a chance to collaborate and take part in the entire creative process of putting on a play. The New Theatre has already featured “Blue Point” by Kyle John Schmidt from Feb. 19-21 and will present the last in the series, “The Tides of Aberdeen,” by Erin Phillips, beginning tonight.

Blue Point Kyle John Schmidt decided to switch from acting to playwriting when, during a train ride to Connecticut, he realized the change meant choosing writing over memorizing monologues. Once he saw how time-consuming writing fulllength plays can be, Schmidt decided to take advantage of the opportunities graduate school has to offer. “I had time and space to make

mistakes and do things,” Schmidt said about his graduate school experience. “I had time to write. It’s been nice.” Schmidt’s play, “Blue Point,” was featured last weekend as a part of the UTNT production. Schmidt began writing “Blue Point” for a UT workshop, but it took encouragement for him to realize the potential of the play. “I wrote a 10-minute version of ‘Blue Point’ and it was different than anything I had ever done before,” Schmidt said. “[My professor] encouraged me to keep working on it. I fought back. I didn’t want to do it. Then I realized this was the play I needed to be writing.” While Schmidt has written and produced his own plays before, the professionalism and production value of UTNT was a new experience. “Usually it’s me and my friends bootlegging together, and this is actually produced,” Schmidt said. “[This time] I’m writing and working with people I don’t know. We’ve actually had a tech period and designers. It’s a very interesting process — a very new process.”

Shannon Kintner | Daily Texan Staff

Food Network Challenge winner and judge Mike McCarey, of Mike’s Amazing Cakes, will teach a chocolate molding class and judge several competitions at the “2010: A Cake Odyssey” on Saturday and Sunday.

Chefs, pastry lovers hope to take the cake at annual festival

EVENT continues on page 13

By Madeleine Crum Daily Texan Staff Decorated pastry chefs and amateur dessert lovers alike will come from all corners of the galaxy — or at least the country — this weekend to partake in Capital Confectioner’s sixth-annual cake festival, “2010: A Cake Odyssey.” The event, to be held Feb. 27-28 at the, will feature both tasting and sculpting competitions in addition to instructional classes taught by renowned cake specialists. Two such culinary celebrities are Lauren Kitchens, a Dallas cake designer and Food Network Chal-

Jeff Heimsath | Daily Texan Staff

lenge competitor, and Atlanta sugar artist Nicholas Lodge — best known for creating Princess Diana’s wedding cake. In addition to teaching newcomers the ways of their craft, Kitchens and Lodge will be judges at the competition. “These type of competitions are important for the cake world because there aren’t specific schools for cake decorators,” Kitchens said. “They’re a great resource to get people excited about cake, plus they offer an opportunity to learn.” Although Kitchens specializes in wedding cakes, she recently partook in a “Sesame

Street”-themed Food Network challenge. She sculpted an Elmo cake. Kitchens described her experience on the show as exciting but stressful. “Food Network challenges require that you use 100 percent actual cake, because they want a disaster to happen,” Kitchens said. “Competitions like the one this weekend aren’t like that. They’re just looking to showcase great work.” In addition to providing a relatively stress-free environment for the contest by including divisions which allow contestants to make their cakes at home, show director Jen-

WHAT: “2010: A Cake Odyssey” cake competition WHERE: Crocket Center, 10601 N. Lamar Blvd. WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 27: 10:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 28: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. WEB: thattakesthecake.org/ nifer Bartos also created separate competitions for differing skill levels — from beginners and children to cake aficionados. Bartos emphasized that although there are many

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Sydney Andrews rehearses her lines with a fellow cast member in the dressing room while she finishes getting ready.

Center, magazine honor ‘Catcher’ author’s life Richie Haven hits Austin By Susannah Jacob Daily Texan Staff A month after J.D. Salinger’s death, the Harry Ransom Center and the Austin-based literary magazine American Short fiction will pay tribute to the author of the American classic “The Catcher in the Rye” at an commemoration event tonight. It will be held at the Ransom Center’s Prothro Theater. The Ransom Center ’s collection of Salinger ’s letters and manuscripts will be showcased at the event, and local writers will be reading from the the collection. Some of the writers participating in the reading include Nick Flynn, Elizabeth Crane, Amelia Gray, ZZ Packer and John Pipkin. Both Molly Schwartzburg, curator of British and American literature at the Ransom Center, and Jill Meyers, editor of American Short Fiction, had a hand in selecting the material scheduled to be read throughout the evening. “We picked funny and vibrant letters to read that show off [Salinger’s] voice, dialogue and moments in his work that are celebratory and wonderful,” Meyers said. Meyers said the event coordinators wanted to display “Salinger’s celebration of innocence,” which she said often falls side-by-side with his “engaged criticism of the world.” To capture that contrast, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” a story from Salinger’s collection “Nine Stories,” was selected to be part of the program. The event was organized in conjunc-

with Woodstock nostalgia

WHAT: A Tribute to J.D. Salinger WHERE: Tonight, doors at 6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m. WHEN: The Prothro Theater in the Harry Ransom Center TICKETS: Free tion with the opening of a small exhibit with some holdings from the Ransom Center ’s Salinger collection. Manuscripts, letters and inscribed books will be on display at the Ransom Center until March 12. The center is one of six libraries in the country that has a Salinger archive, and its holdings are some of the most extensive. Meyers said the event is meant to do more than just show off the collection but also to show that some of the most revelatory information about the author, his published works, is freely available. By getting caught up in the possibility of unpublished work and letters written by Salinger, one could easily miss some of the greatest treasures of all: the books and stories published willingly and eagerly by the author himself. Tonight, doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and the reading will begin at 7 p.m. Since the Prothro Theater has limited seating and the Ransom Center is anticipating an enthusiastic turnout. Those interested in attending should plan to arrive early.

Courtesy of the Harry Ransom Center

By John Ross Harden Daily Texan Staff I’ll never forget what I saw while aimlessly surfing channels about six years ago. I came across Michael Wadleigh’s 1970 documentary, “Woodstock,” whose namesake is widely considered to be the greatest music festival of all time. There on stage — wearing a sweat-drenched tunic and accompanied only by a single bongo drummer and another guitarist — Richie Havens took a deep breath and began to rapidly strum his six-string while crying “Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!” to the audience. Within seconds, the crowd of more than 100,000 was on its feet, matching its energy with Havens’. Fortunately, Austinites won’t have to rent the “Woodstock” DVD to get a feel for the entertainment Havens is capable of providing, as he will be performing at Austin’s One World Theater on Saturday night. Although Havens, 69, is more than 40 years removed from his highly acclaimed Woodstock performance — the first act of the festival — don’t doubt his ability to continue to bring a heavy rhythm and soulful lyrics. Havens developed his musi-

cal prowess in Greenwich Village, the east-coast, counterculture epicenter of the ‘60s. This is where he hoped, like many young people during the early parts of the decade, to reinvent himself. He did just that when he picked up the guitar and began playing in an open-tuned style, a type of playing that involves tuning the strings to a chord that can be achieved without using any frets. He quickly grasped the style and used it to achieve the fast-paced rhythms he is known for today. With more than 30 albums released and an impressive resume that features performances alongside Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, Richie has successfully implemented this same style over the course of the developing music scene. On Saturday night, when Havens takes the stage, the audience will not only get to relive Havens’ earlier music, including the hit, “Freedom,” but they will also get to hear from his latest album, Nobody Left to Crown, released in late 2008. Just as Havens was able to captivate me from my couch six years ago, the man who preaches through song will do the same to audiences Saturday.

Tegan and Sara bring indie-pop style to campus venue By Audrey White Daily Texan Staff UT’s Bass Concert Hall will transform into a hotbox of indiepop wonder tonight, with sister-duo Tegan and Sara, rising rock group Steel Train and singer-songwriter Holly Miranda poised to take the stage. All three acts are Austin veterans, but none have played the Bass Concert Hall, which was completed in January 2009. Tegan Quin, co-singer and co-songwriter of Tegan and Sara, told The Daily Texan that Austin is one of her favorite cities to play because it is

such a vibrant, music-loving city and because she and sister Sara Quin have friends who live here. “People really appreciate music in Austin, and they know how to be a great audience,” Quin said. “We’ve played Stubb’s a bunch and done the gauntlet of great venues. Austin has its own thing going on, and it’s really great.” The band is touring in support of its newest album, Sainthood. Quin said the new album is much more optimistic than 2007’s The Con, which expressed a lot of the “aggressive sadness” they were feeling at the time. The sisters also collabo-

rated much more on Sainthood than on previous efforts. This was inspired after watching the Tom Petty documentary “Running Down a Dream,” in which Petty works with other artists like Jeff Lynne. “We only literally wrote one song on the record together, but we collaborated on all of them,” Quin said. “The songs changed magically. Sara and I have been making music for 14 years as a duo, and we always thought of writing as a very independent activity and something we shied away from doing together. We felt like we need a challenge.”

WHAT: Tegan and Sara with Holly Miranda, Steel Train WHERE: Bass Concert Hall WHEN: Tonight at 7 p.m. TICKETS: $15 for students at box office, up to $35 otherwise She said the process of picking who to tour with is always a difficult one because they have so many friends in the industry, but they try to choose artists that they

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Courtesy of Tegan and Sara

Tegan and Sara will be playing the Bass Concert Hall for the first time tonight at 7 p.m.

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