The Daily Texan 2020-05-08

jamie hwang

/ the daily texan staff

Friday, May 8, 2020 Volume 120, Issue 121 @thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com

4 eddie gaspar

/ the daily texan staff

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NEWS OFFICE

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Editor’s note:

The Daily Texan is donating 50% of the profits from this issue to the UT Student Emergeny Fund to help with COVID-19 relief.

FUNNY WEATHER

He grows a mustache and now he goes by Robert.

BUSINESS & ADVERTISING

Sexual misconduct, Super Tuesday, softball made headlines before coronavirus.

By Daily Texan Staff @thedailytexan

University

UT transferred all spring classes to online learning after an extended spring break in March to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. COVID-19 first touched the UT community March 13, when President Gregory Fenves announced his wife, Carmel, had contracted COVID-19.

In April, 211 UT students returning from a spring break trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, received national attention when at least 49 students from the trip tested positive for the coronavirus.

University

After a year of protests demanding a reexamination of UT’s sexual misconduct policies, external law firm Husch Blackwell delivered their list of recommended policy changes.

Suggested changes included the presumptive termination of certain policy violators, a consolidation of survivor resources and a commitment to releasing the names of policy violators.

State

Former Vice President Joe Biden won the Democratic presidential primary in Texas and in nine other states on Super Tuesday. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) won Travis County but lost the primary by 4.7% of the state’s votes. Voting lines at UT polling locations grew as long as two hours, and the last Texas voter cast their ballot at 1 a.m.

Big 12

As COVID-19 caused sweeping changes across the globe, it took the sports world with it. On March 13, the Big 12 canceled all remaining sporting events, prematurely ending the seasons of baseball, softball and more.

Softball

Texas softball announced their arrival as a championship contender in late February.

The Longhorns defeated No. 1 UCLA 6-4 in extra innings Feb. 27 and followed that performance with an 8-6 win over No. 2 Washington less than 24 hours later.

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SEMESTER IN REVIEW

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FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

Fall plans for the University are uncertain, but here is what we know so far.

By Daily Texan Staff @thedailytexan

University

Summer classes will move entirely online at 50% the tuition rate of the spring and fall semesters. UT-Austin’s plans for returning to campus in the fall semester are still uncertain, with a decision expected in late June, but UT System Chancellor James Milliken told the Texas Tribune he plans to reopen all UT System campuses in the fall. jack myer

/ the daily texan file

Mayor Steve Adler addresses the media about Austin’s reaction to the outbreak of the coronavirus at Austin City Hall on March 13.

University

UT President Gregory Fenves announced in April that he plans to leave UT to become president of Emory University in June. The Board of Regents named the interim president, McCombs Dean Jay Hartzell, a couple of days after the announcement.

Earlier in the semester, Maurie McInnis, executive vice president and provost, also announced she will leave her position at UT to become president of Stony Brook University.

West Campus

The University of Texas Police Department received $8 million

amna ijaz

/ the daily texan file

Students line up to vote outside the Flawn Academic Center on Super Tuesday, March 3, experiencing wait times of up to two hours.

from the UT System Board of Regents in February to introduce security improvements to West Campus this semester, such as the construction of a small police station on Guadalupe Street, a security camera system and the creation of a new seventh district under UTPD’s jurisdiction.

UTPD halted the planned developments until after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

SG

Anagha Kikkeri and Winston Hung were elected student body president and vice president.

Their platform included creating a committee for students living in Riverside, establishing culturally centered study spaces and increasing the number of confidential advocates in the Title IX office.

jack myer

/ the daily texan file

Anagha Kikkeri and Winston Hung will serve as the 2020-21 student body president and vice president. They were sworn into office in early April.

Basketball

Greg Brown III is only expected to play one season at Texas before declaring for the NBA Draft, but he is determined to make it count — he has already said he plans on winning Big 12 and NCAA championships next season.

jack myer

/ the daily texan file

The UT men’s basketball team prepares to play TCU on Feb. 19 at the Frank Erwin Center.

Texas won the game 70-56.

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FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

News Editor

S AVA N A D U N N I N G

GRADUATION

NEWS

Seniors celebrate commencement at home Unable to walk across the stage, graduates reflect on lost traditions.

By Austin Martinez @austinmxrtinez

or senior Moises Gomez-Cortez, graduation was supposed to celebrate the sacrifices his family made when immigrating from Mexico to the United States.

Now, Gomez-Cortez will graduate virtually from his home after hearing his name called from a computer.

Forced to postpone its in-person graduation due to COVID-19, UT will host its first virtual Universitywide commencement ceremony Saturday, May 23, according to the UT commencement website. The University plans to host a graduation on campus later in the year, according to a message from President Gregory Fenves.

“This year, this semester (and) this month was supposed to be filled with celebration, fun and getting to see my friends for the last time,” said Gomez-Cortez.

Gomez-Cortez, a first-generation college student who studied management information systems, said he was looking forward to his family visiting from Mexico and celebrating his new job at Microsoft. Despite this, Gomez-Cortez said he loves that his graduating class will share this historical event for the rest of their lives.

“We’ll all have this experience to look back to and say we

all experienced our graduations from home,” Gomez-Cortez said.

Kinesiology senior Chelsea Curry said she will miss out on UT graduation traditions such as the burnt orange lighting of the Tower and the fireworks released from the Main Mall.

“Although it’s understandable why we had to do it, it’s disappointing because walking across the stage is a big deal,” Curry said.

Computational engineering senior Andrew Pye said although virtual graduation feels unconventional, it provides a platform for his family living outside of Texas to see him graduate.

“With my initial reaction (of virtual graduation), I was just making jokes about it,” Pye said.

“But now, my sister in North Carolina (and) extended family … can more easily join in for the graduation, which is pretty meaningful to me.”

Kara Markert, a corporate communication senior, said it is impossible to simulate the experience of walking across a graduation stage.

“I always imagined my graduation at the Frank Erwin Center (on) a really pretty (and) exciting day,” Markert said.

“We would sit through a twohour ceremony … and go out to eat afterwards.”

Religious studies and neuroscience senior Nishita Pondugula said she understands the postponement is necessary but is disappointed she cannot celebrate years of hard work with her friends in person.

“You’re not going to get to walk the stage and accept your diploma from the dean, which is something so symbolic,” Pondugula said. “It means (getting) closure in the place you’ve been studying (at) for the past four years (next to) the people you’ve been studying with.”

Pondugula said she never received her cap and gown or took her graduation photos. She said she is just hopeful the University will

keep its promise of hosting an in-person graduation.

“It was such a small amount of time that was taken away from UT compared to the rest of the three years we had at UT,”

Pondugula said. “Most of my friends will be tuning in, as well as my fellow graduating seniors, so there is a sense of community around even though everyone is so far apart.”

copyright moises gomez-cortez, and reproduced with permission

Moises Gomez-Cortez is a management information systems senior from Long Beach, California.

copyright chelsea curry, and reproduced with permission

rocky higine

Chelsea Curry is a kinesiology senior with a focus in health promotion

/ the daily texan staff and behavioral science from Houston, Texas.

NEWS

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FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 FEATURE

President Fenves reflects on last 5 years

By Lauren Grobe @grobe_lauren

As UT President Gregory Fenves prepares to depart from his position in June, he reflects on his five-year term and what he learned from leading the University.

Fenves said he was planning to leave the University this summer before the COVID-19 outbreak and the implementation of social distancing policies, but he believes the University can endure the pandemic while he moves on to Emory University.

“One of the reasons I felt that it was the right time to leave after five years is we have a very strong leadership team,” Fenves said. “Dean (Jay) Hartzell is among that strong leadership.”

Jay Hartzell, McCombs School of Business dean, will begin serving as interim president June 1.

Before being selected as the 29th president of UT-Austin in 2015, Fenves was the executive vice president and provost under President William Powers. Fenves said the two worked closely together on student initiatives, such as increasing graduation rates.

“I don’t think he gave me any special advice as the transition was taking place because we knew each other so well,” Fenves said. “One of the reasons I came to UT in 2008 was because of President Powers.”

Fenves was appointed as University president June 3, 2015. Six months later, he was in Washington to defend the University’s admissions policies on affirmative action in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin.

“Preparing for the defense of our use of race and ethnicity in admissions … was a very formative time for me early in my presidency,” Fenves said.

Fenves said diversity has been an important aspect of his work as president since the Supreme Court upheld UT’s admissions policies.

“One of my favorite photos in my office is on the steps of the Supreme Court after the oral arguments with one of our former

joshua guerra

/ the daily texan file

UT President Gregory Fenves plans on leaving his position this summer, with McCombs School of Business dean Jay Hartzell taking over as interim president on June 1. students, Christle Nwora, speaking to the crowd about the educational benefits of diversity for all students,” Fenves said.

His first year was a tumultuous time, Fenves said, marked by success and tragedy.

Within his first two years as president, freshmen Haruka Weiser and Harrison Brown were killed in two separate incidents on campus. Weiser was killed in 2016, and Meechaiel Criner was found guilty of her murder in 2018. Brown was killed during the 2017 stabbing outside of Gregory Gym. Fenves said after these incidents, he thought of his own two daughters, who have graduated from college, and how he worries whenever they’re away.

“The murders of the two students were the hardest thing I’ve had to deal with,” Fenves said. “It was devastating.”

Student safety continued to be a concern when students protested UT’s sexual misconduct policies throughout the fall 2019 semester. Students called for the

firing of Sahotra Sarkar, philosophy and integrative biology professor, and English associate professor Coleman Hutchison, who were found in violation of UT’s sexual misconduct policies.

In January, Fenves, along with Vice President and Provost Maurie McInnis and Dean of Students Soncia Reagins-Lilly, attended an open forum where students voiced their opinions on the University’s sexual misconduct policies.

“It was important for me to hear those voices,” Fenves said. “They were very heartfelt, and they were very emotional, and they were very strong.”

He said the most important thing for a university leader to do is to listen to the voices of the community.

“You’ve got to start out with listening because the problems are often different than what you think they are,” Fenves said.

“The issues are often more nuanced and more difficult than you have thought.”

Fenves said this year’s graduation would

be “bittersweet” as it is his last UT commencement as president and also the graduation of Dell Medical School’s inaugural class. Plans for a medical school in Austin were approved in 2008, developing into the campus that opened in 2016. He said construction of the school would not have been possible without support from the Austin community.

“It is a milestone for the University,” Fenves said. “Dell Medical School is one of the signature accomplishments of this university, I would say, in the past 50 years.”

While the University handles the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19 going into fall, Fenves said he is confident that UT is in good hands.

“We have very strong leadership,” Fenves said. “And having seen how the University changed so quickly over the past two months, that wasn’t because I’m sitting in this office — it’s because of everyone who is working so hard.”

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The ‘UT 10’ Students past and present preserve the Asian American identity on campus.

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

Projects Editor

olice used plastic handcuffs when they arrested Shomial Ahmad and nine other UT students in May 1999 after a fivehour sit-in supporting the creation of an Asian American studies program.

“It was a typical student organization tactic,” Ahmad said. “We were told you could elect to get arrested, so some people left. It was sort of a decision to get arrested.”

Student activists first asked UT officials for an Asian American studies program in 1995. After going back and forth with the University for years, the struggle came to a head when police arrested the 10 student protestors and charged them with criminal trespassing, according to previous reporting by The Daily Texan.

The group became known on campus as the “UT 10,” catalyzing a campus debate that led UT to establish the Center for Asian American Studies and create an Asian American studies major by fall 1999.

Twenty-one years later, five students are majoring in Asian American studies at UT. “In a university this big, it’s so weird to walk into an office and see only a handful of students are studying this very particular thing,” said Sarah Phillips, an Asian American studies and government senior.

Without Asian American studies, the University seemed to question the value of Asian Americans themselves, said Eric Tang, current director of the Center for Asian American Studies.

“Students who demand ethnic studies courses and continue to engage in activism or advocacy for these programs are asserting that they are concerned with what the absence of certain peoples’ histories and cultures means,” Tang said.

Campus controversy

The 1999 protest elicited mixed reactions from the campus community. One Daily Texan columnist argued a single elective could summarize Asian American studies, with one half about Chinese railroad workers and the other about Japanese internment camps.

“Undergraduate university work is not about learning nifty little facts about how your immigrant grandpa contributed to America’s greatness,” the columnist wrote in July 1999.

In response, a guest columnist argued Asian Americans need an ethnic studies major to realize their community’s contributions to America.

“To my utter dismay, another individual has once again attempted to erase my identity out of the heritage of this great country of ours,” that columnist wrote.

“There is a definite lack of pride in Asian Americans in their identity.”

Today, Phillips said the array of cultural student organizations on campus illustrates Asian American students’ pride in their identities. Phillips said many students relate more to their national or cultural

joel pereira

/ the daily texan staff

Sarah Phillips flips through photos featured in her history exhibition of Asian Americans in Austin.

identities rather than a singular Asian American identity, but she identifies as both Indian American and Asian American.

“The words Asian American are a made-up concept,” Phillips said. “We’re talking about a vast group of people that come from hundreds of countries and speak hundreds of languages. In the context of the (United States), they’re grouped into one category.”

In 1999, about 17% of students on campus were Asian American, though they made up 4% of the U.S. population, according to U.S. Census data. Not all of the UT 10 were Asian American students, but Ahmad said they were frustrated with faculty members for dragging their feet and not seeking student input when selecting a dean for the new program.

“It was the lack of the democratic process,” Ahmad said. “In college, you’re trying to sort out your identity … Ethnic studies gives you an idea of how people are racialized in this country.”

The tensions were compounded when Judith Langlois, then interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts, postponed creating the program until officials selected its permanent director. At the time, the University was offering courses in European studies, Italian civilization, Jewish studies, East European studies, Mexican American studies and Black studies.

“Failed first attempts are not uncommon in university searches for persons of this stature and do not reflect bad faith,” Langlois wrote in a June 1999 guest column in the Texan.

By fall 1999, UT founded the Center for Asian American studies.

The Asian American identity

Tang said the center has faced challenges since then, such as losing half its full-time staff within the past decade. Phillips said she feels the center does not receive enough support in general, leading to less

S A M I S PA R B E R

PROJECT

students knowing about its existence. “(Asian Americans) are not underrepresented on campus, but we are underrepresented in terms of our histories and communities being documented at this institution,” Phillips said.

This year, about 23% of the undergraduate population is Asian American, according to University data.

Tang said not all Asian American studies majors are Asian American, and the proportion of students to majors does not measure the center’s success.

“The important indicator for us is our classes are consistently at capacity,” Tang said. “It’s very rare to find one of our courses with a whole bunch of seats left.”

The center received a larger space when it relocated from Burdine Hall to Bellmont Hall in 2019, which Tang said showed University support.

“The University invested tens of thousands of dollars into renovating the beautiful office in Bellmont and offered it to Asian American studies first,” Tang said. “That, to me, is a pretty clear sign that they support (the center) and the future of the field at UT.” Tony Vo, assistant director of the Center for Asian American Studies, said he graduated as one of the first Asian American studies majors in 2005. He said the center helped him articulate his struggles growing up as a Vietnamese American in Richardson, Texas.

“Our proximity to whiteness as Asian Americans makes it feel like, ‘We don’t need to know this stuff.

What’s the relevancy anymore?’” Vo said. “But when you look at history, you realize just 70 years ago, (the U.S.) was interning Asian bodies (in camps).”

“to my utter dismay, another individual has once again attempted to erase my identity out of the heritage of this great country of ours.” daily texan guest columnist

Phillips said she decided to major in Asian American studies to understand her community’s place in the racial framework of the U.S., but she recognizes why other Asian American students do not.

“There’s never going to be a time where all 20% of Asian American students on this campus will be completely united or majoring in Asian American studies,” Phillips said. “But we need to start thinking about organizing and political justice as part of our cultural preservation. Thinking of the students who were arrested 20 years ago — I’m trying to preserve that.”

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Thank you to all of the graduating Texan staff for your work in preserving and advancing the reputation of The Texan as one of the finest student newspapers in the US and best wishes for you in your careers.

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FOOD

West Campus restaurants cater to students

By Megan Hix @meganhix95

Whether you’re living offcampus and looking for a bite between classes or need a break from J2, these eight nearby restaurants can satisfy just about any craving.

Kerbey Lane Cafe Open 24 hours a day, Kerbey Lane offers late-night eats, all-day breakfast and their signature Kerbey Queso: a whitecheese queso with a scoop of guacamole. Like many diners, the menu features a wide variety of offerings including sandwiches, enchiladas and some of the largest pancakes in town with weekly specials such as cinnamon roll and s’mores.

2606 Guadalupe St.; 24 hours daily Halal Bros Before occupying their current digs on Guadalupe Street, Halal Bros sold shawarma out of an unassuming food cart.

Today, students line up for falafel wraps, fresh hummus and gyros over basmati rice.

Be sure to ask for an extra side of their signature sauces for even more flavor.

2712 Guadalupe St.; Mon. – Thurs., 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Fri. – Sat., 11 a.m. – 3 a.m., Sun., noon – 11 p.m.

Julie’s Noodles Delicious food trucks are in no short supply in West Campus, and Julie’s Noodles is no exception. Located in

the food truck park on 26th and Rio Grande streets, Julie’s Chinese noodle dishes are served in a warm soup broth — handmade by Julie herself.

All meals are packaged to take home or are ready to be enjoyed al fresco at one of the nearby picnic tables.

2512 Rio Grande St.; Mon. – Thurs., 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Fri. – Sat., 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Sun., 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Pluckers Wing Bar Decked out with almost as many televisions as tables, Pluckers always gathers a gameday crowd. While they serve up fried pickle spears, burgers and sandwiches, this place is all about the wings.

And with more than 20 sauces ranging from the super-hot Fire in the Hole to the sweet Honey BBQ, they’re sure to have something for everyone.

2222 Rio Grande St.; Sun. – Wed., 11 a.m. – 2 a.m., Thurs.

– Sat., 11 a.m. – 3 a.m.

Fricano’s Deli Hot paninis and crisp salads are this West Campus sandwich joint’s specialties.

The original location opened 10 years ago, and since then, it’s become a local staple. Creations like the Madison and the Ultimate Roast Beef sandwich pile on the toppings, while the Ainsworth allows a chef to create a sandwich combination to their heart’s desire.

2405 Nueces St.; Mon. – Fri., 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sat. – Sun., 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Source: Google Maps Infographic by Kelly Smith | Daily Texan Staff

Teji’s To get your fill of Indian food, look no further than Teji’s. Located on the south end of the Drag, Teji’s offers an expansive menu featuring chicken dishes, wraps and many vegetarian options.

They also have a wide selection of fresh-baked naan in flavors such as garlic, cheese and peshawari, which is stuffed with cherries, cashews and sesame seeds.

Patrons can also stop by the famed “Hi How Are You?” mural outside — a must for any new Austinite’s Instagram account.

2100 Guadalupe St.; Sun. – Thurs., 11 a.m. – 3 a.m., Fri. – Sat., 11 a.m. – 5 a.m.

Cream Whiskers There are many nearby options to satisfy sweet tooths — from frozen yogurt to cupcake shops — but Cream

BUSINESS

—The Friends of the Daily Texan

COMICS PAGE 16

Whiskers is the only one that makes cream puffs right before your eyes. Flavors range from choco-whip brownie to brown butter pecan and strawberry. Wash down the decadent treats with a coldbrewed coffee or hot latte.

2222 Rio Grande St., B120; 7 a.m. – 11 p.m. daily Barley Bean Rise and shine with a fruit smoothie or yogurt parfait at

Barley Bean, or stop by for an evening study session with one of their dirty chai lattes.

This cafe also knows how to make a serious sandwich; options include breakfast sandwiches and everything from the meaty Carnivorous to the vegetarian-friendly Hippie Dream Team.

2222 Rio Grande St.; Mon. – Fri., 7 a.m. – midnight, Sat., 9 a.m. – midnight, Sun., 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

New eateries add nearby food options SG leaders implement plans for fall semester

By Sarah Philips @sarahphilips23

With summer coming to a close, a wave of UT students and their fast food-eating habits are descending upon campus to new eateries like In-N-Out and Panda Express.

The Taco Bell previously located in the Student Union did not renew its contract with Aramark, the food service company partnered with University Unions, last year. Aramark negotiated a contract with Panda Express to fill the opening after taking recommendations from the Texas Union board.

James Buckley, director of facilities and operations at the Texas Union, said the restaurant will be open for students when classes begin this week.

Panda Express will have the full menu frequent visitors are accustomed to, along with a bonus — a tea bar, which is not standard for Panda Express restaurants in this part of the country.

According to their website, a Panda Express tea bar includes an assortment of drinks including fruit-infused teas, lemonade teas, milk teas, smoothies, coffee and shakes.

The tea bar is also taking on the boba tea phenomenon by advertising an option to

By Paul Cobler @paulcobler

Zoe Fu | Daily Texan Staff

In-N-Out Burger, which will replace Burger King, is one of many new food options for students in the West Campus area.

add honey boba and jellies to a drink.

Students can expect more changes in food options this semester. According to Buckley, a plan to bring new food to the Union is in the works.

“The I’s aren’t dotted, and the T’s aren’t crossed, so I can’t say anything yet,” Buckley said. “But I think the students will like the upcoming planned changes.”

Buckley said he couldn’t go into more detail until later

in the semester but did mention that the new options might replace restaurants that are currently established in the Union.

Panda Express will join restaurants such as Chick-fil-A, Field of Greens, Smokehouse BBQ, Quizno’s Subs and Wendy’s. Of these establishments, Wendy’s is the only one not contracted by Aramark.

On the Drag, In-N-Out will be making its way near campus with Austin’s sixth

location of the California-based burger joint.

Famous for its animal-style burgers, fries and shakes, the In-N-Out will replace the Burger King on Guadalupe that had serviced UT students for years.

Advertising freshman Riya Ashok said the new In-N-Out will be a good option to eat with her friends.

“I’m excited to have an

IN-N-OUT page 2

While most students were on summer break, Student Government President Kevin Helgren and Vice President Binna Kim have been busy putting into action their platform for the upcoming semester.

Making SG more inclusive, increasing campus safety, preparing for the Big 12 SG Association Conference and encouraging students to become more involved at football games are some of Student Government’s main goals for the semester.

“We’ve done a lot of good work over the summer,” Helgren said. “We’ve been working hard since we were sworn in April 7, and we will continue to work hard until our successors take our spot.”

Eyes to Eyes is one of the first goals that SG will work toward in the new semester. Kim said the name of the campaign comes from the tradition of singing “The Eyes of Texas” before and after every UT athletics event. The campaign — which works alongside the University Co-Op, Texas Athletics and Texas Exes — aims to have students arrive early to the game and stay until the very end.

We’ve done a lot of good work over the summer. We’ve been working hard since we were sworn in April 7, and we will continue to work hard until our successors take our spot.

—Kevin Helgren, Student Government President

“A big problem Texas Athletics voiced to us is how can we get our students engaged and get them to games early?”

Kim said. “I think we love our football team, but there’s always room for improvement, and that’s what we are hoping Eyes to Eyes will do.”

Helgren and Kim have also been preparing for the Big 12 Student Government Association Conference in the fall. The conference is in preparation for Big 12 on the Hill, where members of Big 12 student governments visit Washington D.C. to lobby legislators.

SG PLANS page 2

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FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

OPINION

Editor-In-Chief

SPENCER BUCKNER

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Editor-in-chief goes mask-on

courtesy of avery conyngham

By Spencer Buckner Editor-in-chief

I’m going to be honest, I still don’t know what I’m doing.

When I joined the Texan as a columnist my first semester of freshman year, I’d stay up past midnight to see if my columns made it into the paper.

None of them were very good, but being the young narcissist with self-esteem issues that I was, it felt amazing to pick up a paper and find myself in it.

There’s something special about the Texan, about being able to hold the physical proof that you’ve made something. The longer I’ve been here, the more amazing it’s been to pick up a paper and know that a team of 300 people, many basically living in the Texan basement, made something together.

I already miss that about this place. The basement may be dark and pretty damn ugly, but something about a global pandemic makes you forget the dim lighting and shocking lack of windows and remember the character, the passion and the energy of so many people working together to make something.

After failing upward over the course of a couple years, I found myself as editor-in-chief. While I can safely say the constant anxiety of the job has taken years off of my life, I am immensely proud of the work we did this year. From sexual misconduct to affordable housing to mental health

and COVID-19, I have no regrets about using our platform to unapologetically fight for and with our peers.

To every activist and organizer I’ve talked to and worked with this year, I am grateful to share a campus with y’all. It is incredibly humbling to have worked with you and to have played any small part in the movements you have started.

To our columnists, who volunteered week after week to share their stories and ideas on our page, I’m so happy I was able to meet all of y’all. I can’t wait to see what you say and do next — if you need anything, you know how to find me.

To Alex, Lisa, Sara, Megan Menchaca, Kirsten, Barb, the entire copy desk (especially Connor Tolany), Leslie H. Waggener, thank you for always making me excited to walk into the office. Oh, and Wills Layton — I promise I didn’t forget you this time.

Peter, I know we didn’t talk much, but thank you for listening to my anxieties throughout the year and recruiting me for your pingpong team.

Gerald, I know we talked even less, but thank you for always supporting me and the work that we did this year. All of the actual adults on the third floor: Thank you for supporting everything we do in this basement.

To Laura, Tinu, Bella, Emily Vernon — even you, Liam — and all Opinion staff of yore, thank you for putting up with me and helping me find a home here on campus. I could not be happier to have worked with y’all — even you, Liam. To this year’s forum editors and illustrators, thank

you for constantly working to make the page more interesting and more beautiful.

To everyone on the past three editorial boards, thank you for putting up with my idiosyncrasies — my wild swings between impulsive and introspective and my affinity for Chilean folk and swamp sounds included.

More than that, thank you for carrying the weight of our editorials and for everything you taught both me and our columnists. Thank you for making it worth coming into the office every day, for sharing in the stress of not knowing whether we’d have a page, and for making me laugh so much I wished the year wouldn’t end.

Abby and Sanika — you were here through it all. I can’t imagine why you came back semester after semester unless y’all both got a rush wondering if we’d fill the page every night. I sure as hell wouldn’t want me as a boss for that long. Abby, thank you for keeping me in check for 12 whole months. Sanika, thank you for always being there to share nervous looks with when shit inevitably hit the fan.

Angélica and Emily, thank you for coming back.

Without your guidance, I’m not sure I would’ve made it through that fall semester. Angélica, for the sake of the world, please write more prose ASAP — we need it. Emily, skip three paragraphs for your part.

Abhirupa and Hannah, I will never not be upset that I didn’t get to hang out with y’all for a full semester. Abhirupa, thank you for explaining One Direction to me and for actually contributing to

the quote wall. Hannah, thank you for never taking bullshit from anyone and for somehow taking pleasure in the most intense editing jobs. I can’t wait to see what y’all do next.

Liza, nobody has inspired me and genuinely intimidated me more during my time at UT than you. Your advice and mentorship — be it on editorials or some dating misadventure — has helped me grow tremendously as a person. I don’t know all 120 years of Daily Texan history, and frankly I don’t want to, but I know that nobody has done this job better than you. I hope I made you proud.

JT, you asshole, I never thought I’d have to see you again after all those high school speech tournaments. As frustrated as I am that I enjoy spending time with you all these years later, it will never cease to amaze me how someone just 22 years old is so profoundly in their mid-50s.

Emily, I know this isn’t the job you signed up for anymore, but I couldn’t have more faith in your ability to lead this paper through what are going to be difficult and uncertain times. With that being said — have fun. I can’t wait to see what you and your staff write this next year. As always, I’m only a phone call away.

I spent most of this job not knowing what I was doing. I really didn’t “know” until those precious few weeks before the pandemic. Thank you to everyone who trusted me, believed in me and made sure I didn’t burn this place down.

It’s been a good run. I’ll see y’all soon.

Buckner is a Plan II junior. He was the editor-in-chief.

10

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 EDITORIAL

junie yoo

/ the daily texan staff

It’s time to face our new normal, fight for better one

By The Daily Texan Editorial Board

This wasn’t the semester we were expecting.

There was the incredibly emotional town hall on sexual misconduct and sweeping reforms to sexual misconduct policy after years of student work. And then COVID-19 happened.

It’s hard to imagine the time before all of this — people, places, classes, parties. Now, we’re stuck inside our houses and apartments, Zooming with our professors and friends and working dangerous essential jobs, trying to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy.

Graduating students and those recently graduated are battling an economy that parallels the Great Depression.

Those of us coming back next year still don’t know what campus — or our lives — will look like.

We’re stuck in limbo, suspended in time, unsure when things will be “normal” again, or what normal will even mean when this is over.

We must, however, remain informed and vigilant. It is more important now than ever to stand in solidarity with our communities, especially the most vulnerable in them.

This means acting to take care of ourselves and those around us. The Cabo 211’s selfish, destructive actions are an extreme version of recklessness — recklessness that almost certainly cost people their lives. Breaking social distancing now, especially as cases and deaths continue to rise, is just as reckless.

As officials are racing to reopen the state and the country, it is our responsibility to limit social interactions to the bare minimum. And while government leaders make decisions to save their stock portfolios, remember that those working on the front lines and worst-affected by COVID-19 are primarily low-income, women and people of color. We are all affected by this pandemic, but systemic racism and classism means that marginalized communities remain worse off.

However, this pandemic has shown us what a better normal could look like.

Recorded lectures that improve accessibility to UT’s education, free online textbooks and resources and local mutual aid networks should not disappear when the pandemic ends. Universal health care, housing as a right, labor protections and a guaranteed basic income are just a short list of reforms more glaringly and desperately needed now than ever before.

In short, COVID-19 has laid bare many of the gravest flaws of the systems we inhabit, and with them the opportunity for a more equitable future.

As for us, the Texan isn’t going anywhere. We’ve been in print for 120 years, but for the time being we’ll be operating online as normal to bring you up-to-date, relevant information about campus, Austin and the UT System.

We don’t know when we’ll see you on campus again, but we hope it’s soon.

As painful as it is, it’s time to face our new normal.

The editorial board is composed of associate editors Abhirupa Dasgupta, Hannah Lopez, Sanika Nayak, Abby Spings and editor-in-chief Spencer Buckner.

OPINION

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The news is always real. Even if the candidates sometimes aren’t.

We need great journalists — now more than ever.

Hank T. Hallucination, Winning 1982 Candidate for UT Student Body President (Hank, courtesy Sam Hurt)

Best wishes from UT Journalism students, early 1980’s Melissa Ward Aguilar Steve Campbell Catherine Chriss Beth Frerking Michael Fry

Mike Godwin Suzanne Halliburton Carmen Hill Sam Hurt David Lindsey

Tela Mange Mark McKinnon Jennifer Bird Newton David Pyndus Gardner Selby

Kathy Shwiff Clayton Stromberger Martin Torres Dinah Wisenberg Brin David Woodruff

Susie Woodhams

12

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

Sports Editor

MARCUS KRUM

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SPORTS

Work(out) from home

Women’s basketball duo finds new ways to stay fit, motivated with remote exercises.

By Myah Taylor @t_myah

uring a time when offseason workouts would just be getting underway, Charli Collier’s day-to-day life may look just like the rest of the population right now.

“I’ll wake up, I’ll eat, I’ll do homework, I’ll work out,” Collier said. “I’ll probably take a nap, I’ll probably shoot around and then I’ll work out again. That’s my day, literally.”

But working out isn’t just a hobby Collier picked up to fill her newfound free time during the coronavirus pandemic. For Texas’ star sophomore center and her teammates, creating space in their schedules for training is a responsibility.

Cancellations of conference tournaments and the NCAA’s March Madness amid COVID-19 concerns brought the 2019-2020 women’s basketball season to a screeching halt.

While uncertainty still surrounds the status of the fall semester and when sports activities — including offseason workouts — can resume, Collier said the unknown hasn’t stopped her from preparing for next season.

“It actually motivates me more to work out because I know that if I don’t then I’m going to be so behind,” Collier said.

“You just always have to stay ready … when the season does come around, whenever that time is.”

When Collier isn’t shooting baskets on the hoop in front of her home in Baytown, Texas, or getting reps in at her personal trainer’s private basketball gym, she’s hitting the weight room and utilizing new methods to work out.

“My trainer actually came over, and we trained with just some sand in a bag, in a pillowcase, and we did a full workout

jack myer

/ the daily texan file

Texas sophomore forward Charli Collier puts up a shot in the Longhorns’ 69-51 loss to Iowa State on Feb. 12. Collier averaged 13.1 points and 10.5 rebounds in the 2019-2020 season. with that,” Collier said.

Collier used the last offseason between her freshman and sophomore year to make strides in her game, and she blossomed into an offensive focal point in the 2019-2020 season. Freshman guard Celeste Taylor is putting in the time to try and show similar growth next year, despite the circumstances.

“When I work out now, I just put everything that I have into it and just get better at the things I wasn’t so good at my freshman year,” Taylor said. “I know that people are going to see a huge jump from my freshman year to my sophomore year as far as being comfortable, as far as knowing what to expect and things like that.”

After the abrupt end to the season

before postseason play got underway, Taylor returned to her home in New York, where she’s been working on her basketball fundamentals in her trainer’s private gym and keeping up her stamina.

“I’ve done a lot of sprinting and running around my block, trying to do quick sprints up and downs, suicides, stuff like that,” Taylor said. “I haven’t really been able to access a gym, so I haven’t been able to lift weights.”

To accomodate players such as Taylor who may be missing out on gym access, Texas women’s basketball head strength coach Zack Zillner has sent out several programs for the athletes to stay in shape at home, no matter what their situation is.

“We have three different programs,” Zillner said. “One is like a bodyweight-only program. Some of the kids obviously don’t have equipment and stuff at home. The next program is a bodyweight plus minimal equipment, so they might just have like a pair of dumbbells.”

Collier has also stressed the importance of exercise during this time.

Posting videos of her sandbag workout and other fitness tips on her social media accounts, Collier hopes to inspire others to stay active during the pandemic.

“I really want to promote that — staying active — because I know it can be a hard time to do stuff,” Collier said. “But people can always do stuff at home, just little things, like pushups and stuff.”

SPORTS

13

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 FEATURE

Where the caged Longhorns moo

By Donnavan Smoot @Dsmoot3D

The world has been without sports for nearly a month and a half, and fans have been looking for anything to fill the void. Multiple channels have played classic games, ESPN hosted an NBA 2K tournament and fans have gotten a seemingly endless amount of Twitch streams from their favorite athletes.

For some, the beginning of the pandemic was surreal. Even as cancellations and suspensions of games and leagues as a whole began filing in, it took time for the new reality to set in.

“I saw that things were getting canceled, but I just kind of felt like that can’t affect us,” senior Texas sprinter Serenity Douglas said. “When you see it happening, you don’t think that’s gonna happen to (you).”

As the coronavirus pandemic began affecting the sports world, it had different effects on different people. Many of Douglas’ Longhorn teammates who are natives of Caribbean islands weren’t able to go home immediately.

Douglas was fortunate to be able to go home to Georgia but still feels for her teammates.

“When you’re in a situation, it’s just kind of like, things can’t get any worse than how they are right now,” Douglas said. “They just can’t because it doesn’t make any sense. That’s like a movie or something. And then it just did.”

Douglas is now back in Georgia living with her parents, which has been a noticeable change from the ever-busy schedule of an in-season student-athlete.

“I haven’t been home in four years during the springtime in Georgia, so that’s really odd to me,” Douglas said. “But it’s been good catching up on family time and getting on each other’s nerves.”

But just as Douglas has felt the change, other Longhorns — current and former — have also felt the impact of the pandemic.

Orlando Magic center Mohamed Bamba would have spent the last month gearing up for a playoff run. Instead, Bamba and the rest of the NBA are put on hold.

“Our team was starting to peak at the

right time, just like we did my rookie year, and I want to experience that playoff atmosphere again,” Bamba said in an email. “It’s a whole different level, and there are things you can only learn by being around the guys who are competing at that playoff level.”

For most of the athletes, the biggest difference is not having the game or match to look forward to. However, they are still training and preparing as if the season would resume tomorrow.

“I’ve been doing live workout videos for some of the volleyball girls in the North Texas region,” former UT volleyball star Micaya White said. “So I go (to my friend’s gym) and do that, and that takes up a lot of my time. I do that about three to five times a week.”

White, who was playing professionally in Puerto Rico when the pandemic began, is now back in Dallas and has been adjusting to her new normal.

Outside of training, the majority of her days are taken up by hit Netflix shows such as “Ozark” and “Love Is Blind.”

“I (realized) how much I really don’t leave the house because even though we were in quarantine, I didn’t feel very

angela wang

/ the daily texan file

Texas senior sprinter Serenity Douglas runs in the NCAA Indoor National Championships in College Station, Texas, on March 9, 2018. much different,” White said. “I felt like I was doing the same thing that I’ve been doing.”

During this time, many have found extra family time to be the silver lining.

Whether it’s watching new series or creating TikTok videos, the time with loved ones has brought a certain sense of relief.

“It’s been great to spend more time with my mom and sister, who I don’t get to see much during the season,”

Bamba said. “We feel very lucky that COVID hasn’t impacted our family at all, and that’s more than a lot of people can say, especially folks from my hometown of New York City.”

While navigating through times like this, there is a yearning for normality.

And for White, she already has her first post-pandemic trip planned.

“I need to go to the nail salon,” White said. “That’s the first thing I need to do.”

University Health Services & Counseling and Mental Health Center

We’re still here for you. Serving Longhorns all summer.

We’re making it easier during these uncertain times.

Students not taking classes over the summer can continue to use UHS and CMHC services without having to pay a service extension fee.

May 2020 graduates can now use UHS through 8/20/2020 (not applicable to CMHC services).

University Health Services (UHS)

Telehealth Appointments Extended weeknight appointments.

Call 512-471-4955 Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm UHS 24/7 Nurse Advice Line 512-475-6877 healthyhorns.utexas.edu

healthyhorns

Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC)

Telehealth and Virtual Groups Call 512-471-4955 Press option 3.

CMHC 24/7 Crisis Line 512-471-2255 cmhc.utexas.edu

14

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

Life&Arts Editor

T R I N A DY J O S L I N

LIFE&ARTS

GRADUATION

First-gen seniors, reflect on loss of in-person commencement t first, Alessandria Garza said she was unfazed.

“I was like, ‘It’s fine,’ but it’s when I called my mom and had to tell her that graduation was canceled (that) I just started bursting into tears,” theatre studies senior Garza said.

Garza found out the news while scrolling through Twitter. After four years of looking forward to graduation, the class of 2020 would not be walking the stage and instead would celebrate through a virtual commencement. For Garza, the postponement was personal.

“Because this is the first (college) graduation in our

Students explain significance of graduation for not just them, but their families.

By Ariana Arredondo @ArianaxGraciela

family, like ever,” Garza said. “I just definitely felt like, ‘Why me?’”

A third of college students are first-generation, according to the National Center for Education Statistics data. The NCES reports that these students graduate at a lower rate than those whose parents have a four-year degree.

Garza said that for her, graduating signifies breaking a cycle. She said walking the stage, diploma in hand, was going to be a big moment not just for her, but for her family.

“As a first-gen student, all we ask for is 10 seconds of fame when you get to walk across that stage and get that diploma,” Garza said “So it’s wild (after) these four years, I don’t even get to sum them up with my family.”

After calling her mom, Garza said she got on the phone with her grandfather, who was supposed to travel to Austin from Mexico to see her walk the stage.

“He’s always told me, ‘Que la educación es la única cosa que nadie te puede quitar,’ which means ‘Your education is the one thing no one can take away from you,’” Garza said. “So he was saying that although my graduation was taken away, I still got my degree.”

As the first in her family to earn a college degree, biology senior Ana Silverio said she’s grateful for her education, but the virtual commencement feels anticlimactic.

“Whenever you’re (studying) late at night at the PCL, in the back of your mind and the last ditch of effort that’s pushing you through is (that) one day, I’m going to be able to graduate in front of my family, get a degree,” Silverio said.

Silverio said because the in-person commencement has been postponed, her family is now planning a small celebration in their living room.

Like Silverio, radio-television-film senior Jonathan Castro said he has been looking forward to commencement his entire college career.

Throughout college, Silverio has taken graduation photos for numerous first-generation students. When he saw them pose with their ivory first-generation stoles, he said he always imagined himself on the other side of the lens.

“I always (thought) ‘Oh, when it’s my turn, I’ll wear it, and I’ll wear it

marissa xiong

with pride,’ and (I’m) just not able to,” Castro said.

Castro said although the postponement of the in-person commencement is disappointing, he and his family understand it is a necessary safety precaution.

Though they also understand, Garza said she and her family were disappointed.

“As a first-generation student, you’re

/ the daily texan staff

carrying years of your family feeling not good enough,” Garza said. “To walk across that stage, for my name to be pronounced, and for everyone to witness that, that’s the moment where it’s like, ‘Okay, we finally made it. We broke the cycle, we’re out.’”

Garza said her family is now looking for a way to celebrate her somehow, even if they have to build her a stage themselves.

LIFE&ARTS

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FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

GRADUATION

SSD hosts first Disability Graduation online

By Trinady Joslin @trinady05

After the cancellation of in-person graduation ceremonies due to COVID-19, Services for Students with Disabilities considered postponing the first-ever Disability Graduation. Then, they asked the students who were helping plan the ceremony, SSD assistant director Emily Shryock said.

“There still was a lot of enthusiasm, excitement and just a feeling that this is still really important, maybe now more than ever because a lot of other things here related to graduation have been canceled,” Shryock said. “(After) hearing that from students, we continued moving forward.”

In the weeks since, SSD has worked with students to create an online plan for the celebration.

“We really did want input and did want it to be something that was owned by the various disability groups on campus,” Shryock said.

“A lot of the planning came from students, because this is for them.”

“hey, yeah, college was for me and other people like me,” kasturi bandyopadhyay

The ceremony will take place on May 20, at 2 p.m., and anyone can livestream the event or watch the video after. According to SSD’s website, there will be student and staff speakers, videos, a message from

SSD and a slideshow of graduates.

Last year, Shryock said SSD hosted a postgraduation reception. She said the idea came from seeing other departments in the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement host graduations for their populations to acknowledge the different experiences they have.

“Sometimes, they’re experiencing more

in-person graduation,” Guevara-Ramirez said. “It’s a good way to test the waters and see what could be improved for the next one that’s coming around.”

Shryock said SSD hopes to host an in-person ceremony next year, but may explore options to also offer virtual participation.

Physics and astronomy senior Kasturi Bandyopadhyay said immediately after finding out about the ceremony through an email from SSD, she decided she would attend.

“It was super exciting just because acknowledging the fact that (as) a student with disabilities, graduating is also a big deal all in itself,” Bandyopadhyay said.

As a disabled student, Bandyopadhyay said she didn’t always feel like college was for her.

With all the other postponements, Bandyopadhyay said she’s glad SSD made the choice to hold the first ceremony online, even though they could have easily pushed it to next year.

“People with disabilities have worked just as hard, if not harder than everyone else to barb daly / the daily texan staff get to the same place, (and that) is something that’s worth acknowlbarriers in their time at UT, and (we reedging and celebrating,” Bandyopadhyay alized) that that’s true for students with said. “Understanding that I’m able to now disabilities as well,” Shyrock said. celebrate that, ‘Hey, yeah, college was for Though psychology senior Jacqueline me and other people like me,’ … I think Guevara-Ramirez said having the first that’s awesome.” one online isn’t optimal, she still plans Shryock said all disabled graduates, on attending the ceremony and thinks whether they are registered with SSD or the online platform could even offer some not, are welcome to join. benefits to disabled students.

“This is not SSD’s graduation,” Shryock “(It) might actually be a little bit more said. “This is Disability Graduation that accessible to some students compared to an we are hoping to host.”

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FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2020

Comics Editors

A L E K K A H E R N A N D E Z & B A R B R A D A LY

COMICS

S

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FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2020

COMICS

S

resilient and

adaptable

Congratulations to The Daily Texan and all of Texas Student Media for your outstanding work during this unprecedented time.

We are proud of you and applaud your leadership in navigating change with courage. Your quick pivot to reimagine ways to create and distribute news and entertainment kept our campus community informed and engaged.

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FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

30s

Social media editor finally takes a detox from @thedailytexan

By Rebeccah Macias @rebeccahmac

Whew, so this is really it, huh?

Coming in as a transfer student, I had no idea where my place would be on campus.

But here we are, one summer and five semesters later, and the Texan ultimately became my place. I knew my last semester wouldn’t be movie-perfect, but I surely did not anticipate it would be anything like this.

On March 12, I raced out of the Texan basement hoping I didn’t miss the MetroRapid 803 to head home.

I kept swirling the discussions of no longer printing and how everything would be online. Amid the pandemic, nobody knew what was to come.

Other colleges made the move to transition to remote learning. Then, on March 17, UT-Austin announced that all classes would transition online for the rest of the semester.

Then it hit me: no last night of

print and no commencement. What seemed to be just an ordinary Thursday evening leaving the dimly lit basement was now the last time I ever stepped foot in the basement, let alone the last time I would ever be on the Forty Acres.

Maybe then, I would have sat at the social media desk longer listening to conversations echoing throughout the basement or stared at the Belo bridge a little bit longer waiting for the crosswalk on Dean Keeton and Whitis Avenue to light up.

The same path I’ve walked through a hundred times to get to the Texan staircase — AirPods in, eyes glazed — is now completely out of reach.

The last two months feel like a blur, but the thing that comes to mind is how in awe I am of the work done by everyone carrying the same passion as I do — telling stories and keeping the UT-Austin community informed.

I can’t count the number of posts I’ve written over the last two years or

the number of times breaking news broke while I was out, but I never thought I’d find myself saying I’m going to miss it all and those who made such an impact during my time here.

To Michael: You and I have been here far too long. From scheduling posts at 2 a.m. on TweetDeck to holding our phones for nearly two hours during livestreams, I wouldn’t have spent my time on staff or running this department with anyone else.

To Hal and Katya: In case I didn’t say it enough, thank you for your hard work on p-staff. I’m going to miss our meme-filled group chat when this is all over.

To Megan: You may not realize it, but I don’t think I would have survived my last semester here without you. Thank you for everything.

Like Megan Thee Stallion once said, my hot girl (social) semesters are finally over. Now I really don’t have the Texan as an excuse for why I can’t take a social media cleanse.

copyright rebeccah macias, and reproduced with permission

Former photo editor shoots his last shot

By Eddie Gaspar @safoltseddie

eddie gaspar

/ the daily texan staff

Welp, it’s now my time to write my 30.

I initially wanted to join the Texan to take pretty photos as a hobby, thinking photography could never amount to a career. I tried out and found that it wasn’t for me. As college progressed, I never found a home in orgs or a group of friends with classmates.

I’d flip through the Texan, amazed at some of the photography. By then, I had a different attitude toward photojournalism and thought I might find a home there.

Though it may not seem like it, the photo department houses some of the most caring, loyal, friendly, funny and loving people I could wish to have in my life. It’s those people and more who I’d like to thank and recognize in this column.

Josh Guerra, thank you for not hiring me that first year. I definitely was

not ready for it, and your rejection was for the best. Also, I’ll see you back in the pit soon — don’t worry.

Carlos, thank you for hiring me after Josh was so mean. Thank you for your trust; it really meant more to me than you think. Your energy is truly unmatched.

Josh Guenther, a true right-hand man. I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done without you as an associate. You’ve had to take on more responsibility than you had hoped for, and I can’t appreciate you enough for your dedication to the department. Seriously, thank you.

Anthony, Angela, Pedro and Katie, thank you for always making me laugh in that dirty basement. Some of my favorite college memories will be in that basement because of you all.

Hours felt like minutes when we were hanging out.

To Amna, Presley, Jack, Jamie, Jacob and the rest of my editor cohort, you all inspire me to think differently both as a photographer and a leader.

Persist, and keep moving forward. I’m

here if you need anything.

And Peter, thank you for keeping us in check. Your tough love is, well, tough, but candidly, you make us all better journalists with it. I’m sure being the villain in the newsroom isn’t easy, but thank you for your sacrifice.

To all of my management people and the rest of the newsroom, it’s been an incredible honor to work with such amazingly talented and hardworking individuals. Even if I didn’t interact with you directly, I’m, again, inspired by the work we’ve all accomplished as a ragtag, underpaid crew.

Lastly, thank you Elena for your constant support throughout my collegiate photography journey. Your everlasting encouragement (Google’s synonym for “support”) keeps me motivated to be my best. From long editing nights that often went past midnight to spur-ofthe-moment assignment calls, I’ve always been so thankful and appreciative for how you’ve always believed in me and my place at the Texan. … Wow, I really finished this before that overdue essay, huh?

30s

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FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

Diversity + Inclusion director leaves after human rights investigation

eddie gaspar

By Tiana Woodard @tianarochon

There’s no better way to put it — I’m burnt out. I’ve spent five semesters at The Daily Texan, and I never thought writing my 30 column would bring no tears.

My decision to try out for Life&Arts two years ago led to lifelong friendships and limitless opportunities.

I met so many inspiring characters, I discovered my love for narrative storytelling and I even added a journalism major too far down the line.

Thank you Forrest for spending hours in the basement and Flightpath two years ago to make a Diversity + Inclusion Board happen. I can’t thank you enough for seeing potential in me that I still can’t see myself.

Thank you María for breaking the ice on this initiative from the beginning. I hope that Forrest, Lisa and I could help in building on the task that you were handed alone

that semester.

Thank you Lisa for listening. You took me to get boba, you showed me the only food I can make on my own and you listened to my tears when I felt this paper was against me.

This semester’s management team always swooped in to take on extra when I was at my breaking point. I can’t thank y’all enough.

Thank you everyone on the Board — Meghan, Divya, Lauren and Angelica and everyone who’s been a part of it and who will be — for wanting to change this paper when it hasn’t tried to change for you. I hope that I made you feel heard.

Thank you Faith for sharing so many looks of judgement with me from across the Larts-Video cubicle. I probably would’ve left earlier if you weren’t here.

Thank you Brooke for being the mom that I needed here. Thank you Trinady and Brooke both for doing everything for Larts that I never could.

Thank you Kirsten for coming to me four

/ the daily texan staff

semesters ago and introducing yourself when I felt like everything was falling apart.

This inch count doesn’t give me enough room to thank everyone — there are many more.

But I’m going to be frank. I knew there were and still are people here who don’t see a need in what we’re trying to do. I knew there were and still are people who feel that I’m too critical of this paper.

I know my blackness makes every step toward progress seem aggressive, so I won’t stay silent.

The Daily Texan isn’t systemically ready for the diversity and inclusion I and many others in this space want to see. Producing a daily paper goes before any diversity and inclusion when it should be the opposite. Its managing editor and editor-in-chief structure needs amending.

I only rip this system apart because I care. I can’t stand to see anyone a year or a decade down the line struggle with the same dilemmas every time they step into that basement.

SHIFTing the

conversation of substance use on campus (while at home)

shift.utexas.edu

22

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

Sports writer works 2 years without writing a story

By Cameron Parker @camerondparker

I remember the first time I walked into the basement. It was my first week at UT, and I was pretty sure I was in the wrong place. I looked around awkwardly after entering through the double doors — something everyone does at least once — and looked for the sports department. I saw a dude with an Oakland A’s cap on. He shook my hand, introduced himself as Alex and welcomed me as if I’d known him my whole life.

I knew two things growing up: I wanted to be a sports journalist, and I wanted to go to Texas. It always seemed like a pipe dream, too good to be true but fun to talk about. Next thing I knew I was attending The University of Texas at Austin, trying to figure out how the bus system worked and on my way to cover my first story for the Texan.

While I only spent two years at the Texan, I’m grateful for the time I got and the friends I made. I’m grateful I got to work at the best student newspaper in the country

alongside some of the hardest workers I’ve been around. I’m grateful I got to work in the best department at the Texan: Sports.

To Alex and Ross, thanks for hiring me even if it was a no-brainer. Y’all made me a better writer and gave me opportunities I’d only dreamt of. I’ll miss our trips to Home Slice and the 90-minute wait. I’ll miss giving y’all the smoke in NCAA Football 14. I’ll miss sitting in the press box, giving each other the “holy shit we’re really here” look.

I look forward to the day when we see each other again, working at our dream jobs because I know we’ll make it. We can reminisce about our time here, grab a slice of pizza and hopefully play a game of NCAA Football 30.

To everyone else, thank you. Thank you for welcoming me in and treating me like family. Even if I did work in the *whispers* sports department. Y’all made me a better writer and a better pingpong player. Peter, I’m going to come back and beat you one day. And you’ll be playing right-handed too.

Until then, hook ’em and see you when I see you.

cameron parker

30s

/ the daily texan staff

One last adequate from a sports writer

By Wills Layton @willsdebeast

I found out I got the job as a sportswriter in the silent library of the RLM. Despite the fact that I was in the RLM, a factory of sadness, my brother and I silently fist pumped as we disturbed many who were trying to study.

Since that day, I have worked in the opinion department, been the associate sports editor and worked many a late night in the basement, always wearing a Vikings jersey, which led to my nickname from Barb: Grape. Throughout my entire time at the Texan, I made memories I will cherish forever.

I want to specifically thank Christiana Peek, who got me into “Love Is Blind,” for which I am forever grateful, and Jason Lihuang, who was always seemingly a moment away from going off on someone.

Both of these amazing people made

working at the Texan a pleasure, and our conversations made the long nights much easier. I also want to shout out the entire copy and design departments for always working so hard and making our lives easier.

I also want to thank Trinady Joslin, who became one of my closest friends at the Texan. We watched way too many funny videos and talked about “The Bachelor” way too much, but it was always a hoot.

Next, I want to thank Lisa Nhan and Spencer Buckner, the absolute best people I could have worked for during my year on permanent staff.

Her superior memes and his attitude kept the Texan running even when things got hectic. I will miss watching “RuPaul’s Drag Race” lip syncs in her office and joking around during budget with Spencer.

In the sports department, I made some of my best friends. Covering men’s basketball, I got to work with Stephen Wagner, who always took the longest time writing articles postgame. Normally, I wouldn’t have

cared, but I was always his ride.

However, he always made up for it by making me laugh. We had the best time traveling to Waco to cover a blowout against Baylor, joking the entire time. Even the worst games were made better. It also helped that he’s an incredibly talented writer who will probably win an award at some point.

Next, and without a doubt my best friend at the Texan, is the most talented writer in the sports department. That is, of course, Myah Taylor. Myah and I really became close during my first semester on permanent staff and hit it off instantly. She is arguably the best thing to come out of my time at the Texan, and when I am at law school next fall, I will be sure to stay in touch and continue to read her amazing articles.

While my final semester at the Texan was cut short thanks to COVID-19, I am so proud of what I was able to accomplish and will miss the basement with all my heart.

Acta est fabula. Plaudite.

T m s a

m i I j t m i t h t F w a a h t carissa davis

/ the daily texan staff

t a p B

23

30s

Hey Curious Campus, how do you say goodbye?

barb daly

By Megan Menchaca @meganmmenchaca After being rejected from The Daily Texan five times my freshman year, I wasn’t sure I was cut out to be a journalist.

I vividly remember calling my mom, in tears, and promising that I would give everything I had to the Texan if I could just be accepted on staff. Since then, I haven’t taken a single moment for granted. While this is certainly not how I expected things to end, I can’t imagine having a better group of people to spend this experience with.

From reporting six stories a week to staying up until 3:00 a.m. tweeting from the main account, I’ll always remember how lucky I am to be a part of the Texan.

The stories I never published, the many mistakes I’ve made and the goals I never accomplished still keep me up at night.

But after seven semesters of

/ the daily texan staff

tweeting, reporting and editing, one thing I’ll never regret is not giving up. So, here’s to the people who never gave up on me: Forrest and Catherine, I will never be able to thank you enough for all the opportunities you gave me that I definitely did not deserve. Everything I’ve ever accomplished in college was because of you both, and I hope I’ve made you proud.

Lisa, I’m so lucky to be able to call you my friend, mentor and editor. My shoulder to cry on.

My go-to person for taco-eating and coffee-drinking. But most importantly, you’ve been my role model since day one.

Sara, from J FIG 6 to department heads, I’ve been so blessed to experience the Texan with you by my side. You’re also one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met. Savana and Gracie, I’m still in disbelief I got to experience the Texan with great friends.

You’ll never know how much I appreciate you sticking with me through the most stressful

semester(s) of my life.

Chase, Claire and Ellie, thanks for teaching me how to be a better journalist and for picking up the phone when I called. Kirsten, Brittany and Tiana, I consider myself incredibly lucky to be a part of your management team. Rebeccah and Michael, there’s no way I would have survived this semester without y’all. Trin and Emily, I can’t wait to see how you change the world.

Peter, thanks for teaching me how to not get sued, and I guess I’ll forgive you for never pronouncing my last name right.

To everyone else, from my staffers to my friends, thank you for helping me grow. Lastly, mom and dad, thanks for the unconditional support of my dreams.

And to anyone who stumbles upon this column and is thinking about joining the Texan, apply. And then apply again and again until you’ve given everything you have to this paper.

I speak from experience when I say it’s worth it.

24

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

Biology major turned design editor writes for first, last time

copyright christiana peek, and reproduced with permission

By Christiana Peek @cpilly_

Thank you to Faith for getting me into this organization. We stayed in the same dorm freshman year on the same floor, so it was inevitable that we would become such good friends. Through your encouragement, I signed up for tryouts in the photo and design department and was later accepted into the design department. I never knew I would become the editor for my department, especially since my major and course of study were not related to journalism.

I literally would not be here if it weren’t for you encouraging me.

The earliest memory I have of Kirsten would be the Harry Potter debate we had.

She is a true stan, and I cannot compare to her on that subject. Thank you to Jim for waiting for me to submit the paper and Lisa, Jason and Catherine for all the rides home and midnight conversations.

Reneé, you have been with me since the beginning in 2017. I know you’ll do great in your field, and every time I design I think, “What would Reneé do?” Thank you to Christina, Maria, Sierra, Kendall and Nila for riding with me through the fall and spring semesters. We have seen some roller coasters, and I wouldn’t trade any of the highs or lows. Thank you, design pups. My

favorite social was the one at Pizza Press because that’s when I got to fully experience each of your personalities and pizza preferences. I truly had a full dog house.

Thank you Peter for the approximately five critiques that I got that were positive over the three years I worked here. I’ve already printed them out and taped them to my laptop for motivation through med school. I feel my time has been cut short at the Texan, but I am really proud of how far I’ve come since I joined, and I expect to continue designing after I leave.

I may even sit in the office from time to time and design as if I had three minutes until deadline.

I’m going to try to name all of the people who were influential in my time here: Donnavan, Trinady, Wills, Sunnie, Cameron, Amna, Eddie, Carlos, Alex, The Andrea D’Mello, Forrest, Mireya. I failed that, but I think that goes to show how strong of a community the Texan can build. Every time I thought about leaving, I always remembered the people I had built relationships with and felt I had to stay because I had to see their smiling faces again.

I am so glad I chose the Texan to be my outlet for creativity away from the science world. I was chosen to be the design editor, which is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. What starts here really does change the world, and these people have changed my life. Sweet potato pie is still greater than pumpkin pie.

5 semesters later, staffer emerges from basement relatively unscathed

By Meghan Nguyen @banhmigoddess

Let me begin by saying that these past five semesters working in this basement have been … cathartic.

I’ve made playlists for people I’ve met in here. Watched my Tupperware rotate in the microwave. I’ve written about crime and senseless tragedy but also about amazing students, celebrations and restaurant openings. Fumbled with broken tripods for Video. Pored over 14 stories one night as news desk editor.

And this semester, as a member of the Diversity Board, I’ve been trying to make our staff and coverage more inclusive.

So much of my undergraduate life was lived here. Even though I was paid pennies an hour, I will never forget it. Lisa, Sara, Megan, Forrest,

Sarah, Peyton, Faith, Tiana, Kirsten, Sydney, Emily … I’ve met so many wonderful people who I will never have enough words to thank. Who have made this basement seem brighter than it was. Thank you.

It wouldn’t be possible to acknowledge the things the Texan has done for me without also critiquing it. That being said, the things I’ve witnessed here have made me realize the Texan is deeply flawed. It doesn’t just have a diversity problem — the climate and character of this paper is beyond merely a problem.

There is a colossal weight on top of that basement. It stinks of opportunism and privilege, and it is one that pushes people of color out, if they even manage to make it there in the first place.

That is why, after this semester, I do not see myself able to continue working here. At the start, I talked to friends about maybe running for

department head or joining Opinion, and I genuinely meant it.

But the things I’ve experienced here have shown me that all we have been capable of doing is enforcing the status quo over and over again. Unless we stop to ask who made the status quo, and who and what it benefits and caters to, we’re not that much different than the Texan was in 1900. I don’t mean that as an attack, I mean it as a reality and a truth.

I want us to stop asking our staff to evaluate their politics and engagement and to consistently be “apolitical.” I want our reporters to stop helicoptering into marginalized communities, slapping their name on stories hastily written about them and using these stories to try to get a leg up in the industry. Good journalism should expose injustice, challenge power dynamics and uplift intentionally marginalized voices, and we have a

copyright meghan nguyen, and reproduced with permission

duty to do exactly that. Readership, social media, staying “neutral” and attaching your name to your stories should not matter more to you than the people and issues you’re supposed to cover.

I’m sorry that it took me leaving for me to be able to address this properly, but I still remain adamant that this paper has promise and potential. The least I can do is hope that means something.

30s

30s

25

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

News editor tells one last dad joke

By Savana Dunning @savanaish

The day after I received my first assignment as a general reporter at The Daily Texan, I had a panic attack and quit.

I never considered myself a journalist until The Daily Texan made me into one. I chose journalism as a major because it sounded more direct than English and less of a headache than computer science. I never thought I’d have the confidence to actually do journalism.

But when I rejoined the Texan the second semester of my sophomore year, something changed.

I found the confidence to speak to students, to professors, to lawyers, to scientists, to senators and to write about what I learned. I found friends who made mistakes alongside me, who helped me up when I fell and who cheered me on

when I succeeded.

The Daily Texan helped give me a home … and something to do between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. on weeknights.

And now, I finally get to do something I’ve dreamt of doing since I started at the Texan: I get to write my passionate, tear-jerking 30 column.

Thank you to the spring 2020 news department, my dauntless family of reporters and editors who have battled through election seasons, sexual misconduct policy mayhem and a global pandemic just to keep the students at this University informed. You deserve more praise and respect than I could ever give you, and I feel truly honored to have worked by your side.

To Megan, who I have so much to thank for: You have been a dear friend to me since our first senior reporting gigs in the summer of 2018. I admire you so much for

so many different reasons. You’re going to set this world on fire, and I’m just glad I could help lay some kerosene along the way.

To Chase, whose homemade margaritas and late-night talks powered me through years of doubt and anxiety over whether I could do what he knew I could all along: You encouraged me to work hard, indulged my odd ideas and gave me opportunities as a reporter no one else would have. If my future stories are worth anything, it’s because you gave me the confidence to pitch them in the first place. I’ll try to dedicate all future articles about malfunctioning toilets and oddly placed sex toys to you.

And finally, to Lisa, who believed in me from the very start to the very end: From my first grammar corrections as a general reporter to my very last decisions as news editor, you have been there for me every step of the

copyright savana dunning, and reproduced with permission

way. You’ve been my friend, my mentor, my cheerleader and the funniest editor I’ve ever had. Your friendship means the world to me,

and without you I would not have been at the Texan long enough to write this.

Thank you all.

Workaholic finally breaks up with the Texan, will only miss the Tea

By Chase Karacostas @chasekaracostas

How do you write about the end? How do you encapsulate four years in a place that gave you every high and low you never expected? I’m not entirely sure, but I know it wasn’t perfect. My time at the Texan was a beautiful disaster, giving me five internships and bringing me to tears. It drew my blood and honored me in ways I never imagined.

Like all of my relationships, I’m thankful for the Texan. I learned more than I ever expected, and every minute taught me something new.

But I write this to offer some guidance to the future me. The main thing the Texan, and life, taught me the last four years is that nothing matters more than you. Throw everything away if it means saving your mental and

copyright chase karacostas, and reproduced with permission

physical health. You are your biggest champion, and comparing yourself to anyone else will never get you anywhere.

-Lisa, you were there for me in ways I never expected and never asked for. I love you

dearly. My partner in crime, London, how did we not graduate at the same time? It’s wild we were a year apart, and I’m thankful for our semester together running News. I couldn’t have done it without you.

Catherine, you challenged me

in a million ways, but I would not be as good of a person nor as good of a reporter today without you. Ellie, (even when you didn’t reply) you reinvigorated my love of journalism when I was convinced I was a terrible reporter.

Claire, you were the angel who got me through spring 2019.

Missing our Sunday daiquiris.

Stephen, thank you for being my go-to Texas baseball boi. And Marcus, I’m relying on you to help me meet my future pro-baseball-player husband (just text me anytime they bleach their hair, OK). Kirsten, my shoulder surgery buddy. So glad we finally had a class together this semester. :’) Ben, you’re the best boyfriendturned-ex-turned-frenemyturned-best-friend on Earth.

SAVANA, GIRLIE. I don’t know where to begin. You’re the best friend I don’t deserve but will forever love. Please

keep writing about weird shit.

Trinady, please create that advice column — Lord knows UT students could use some help.

Madame Menchaca, I love our love for sleep.

Anna, Lisa (D), Stephanie, Meara and Brittany, thank you for reading all of those stories before London and me. The world needs more editors like y’all.

Mom and Dad, thank you for championing me through my endless health problems and career plan changes.

Dr. McElroy, you are the best advocate journalism students have ever had. I am so thankful I met you all those years ago while studying on the third floor.

Gerald, thank you for listening to all of the literal nonsense that crosses my mind.

To the spring 2020 newsletters staff, thank you for giving me a reason to laugh every single day. I miss y’all already.

26

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

Life&Arts associate editor finally leaves the basement, takes blanket with her

By Brooke Sjoberg @Sjobergreport

In seven semesters working at the Texan, I’ve written 100 stories.

Story number 101 is my goodbye to this basement and its paper that have shaped my college experience.

All honesty, I dipped out of the tryout process my freshman year (or “freshmen” if you ask Kirsten Handler). It is my greatest regret that I did not make it to the basement sooner than the fall of my sophomore year. In this basement, I’ve been a general reporter, a senior reporter, longtime associate editor and — if you can believe it — I was the summer 2019 Life&Arts editor.

I did it all while balancing one to three other jobs and a full course load any given semester. I’m not sure how I did that, but I think it

was a combination of caffeine and the desire to succeed.

Working for The Daily Texan has been both the most taxing and rewarding experience of my time as a Longhorn. I joke about living there, but I took more naps and ate more meals there than I did in my apartment. The Texan has been home to so many, and I can only hope that it sticks around long enough to be home to many more.

Here comes the sappy part: The Daily Texan is where I met all of my best friends. So now I have to say (a temporary) goodbye to them. For the sake of word count I’m going to talk about my rocks this semester: Trinady Joslin, Noah Levine and Ariana Arredondo.

Trinady and Ariana are some of the most kind and supportive people in my life. I know they are going to go so far in their journalism careers. It’s been a pleasure to mentor you, Trinady, and I wish

I had gotten more time with you Ariana. You are both so inspiring to me, and I know you’ll change this basement for the better.

Noah Levine, film columnist and social media strategist extraordinaire, I am going to miss telling you to stop distracting me and firing you six times a day. You are so talented in so many ways, and I know you’ve got a bright future in film criticism ahead of you.

I love y’all dearly, and the last two years together have been magical.

I would like to thank my long stream of editors for the time and patience they invested into my training as a reporter. Thank you Ellie Breed, Chris Duncan, Charles Liu, Andrea Tinning, Tiana Woodard and Trinady. Y’all … Y’all really hired me and kept hiring me. Thank you.

I would also like to thank Forrest Milburn, Ellie (again), Alex Briseño, Catherine Marfin and

barb daly

Lisa Nhan for being the most involved string of managing editors to have ever lived. You’re all iconic, and I’m going to be

/ the daily texan staff

harassing you with my love online for the rest of our natural lives.

And props to my dog, Doc Holliday, for keeping me sane.

Audio editor retires to devote more time to vegetable gardening

By Sara Schleede @saraschleede

I never toured UT when picking what college I was going to attend. A week before decisions were due, my parents drove me down from Dallas to take a look at the Forty Acres. We couldn’t find the Tower, so we took a picture in front of the sign outside the Union instead. We stopped by The Daily Texan office, and then we drove home. I committed to UT that night.

Once I moved in for the fall semester in 2017, the first place I went was The Daily Texan office. Texas was in the midst of Hurricane Harvey, so I was soaked by the time I finished my walk from Jester East. I was excited to be a Longhorn, sure, but I was more excited to be a journalist.

And The Daily Texan is exactly where I became one. Not through my six semesters of journalism classes, but through three semesters in the news department and six semesters in the audio department. Through late nights covering Student Government, stressful afternoons transcribing interviews and early mornings crouched over Adobe

copyright sara schleede, and reproduced with permission

Audition. I’m not graduating yet, but I know the constant string of deadlines, high standards and tough adviser critiques have already more than prepared me for my future as a professional journalist.

Thank you to Lisa Nhan for telling me I did a good job after my first semester

on staff, and you hoped I’d come back.

Without that encouragement I might not have. Thank you to Catherine Marfin for hiring me two times after that.

Thank you to Megan Menchaca … for being Megan Menchaca! I am so grateful for Moody’s FIG program for bringing us

together, and I’m even more grateful for the Texan keeping us together. You’re the most impressive journalist I’ve ever met.

Thank you to JT Lindsey and Morgan Gray. You really should have fired me when I admitted I didn’t know how to open a multitrack session. But you didn’t — you were endlessly patient and encouraging bosses.

You turned this mess of a department into something worth listening to.

Thank you to Aurora Berry, Harper Carlton, Divya Jagadeesh and all of my wonderful reporters. This department would be nothing without you. You are all such creative, competent, beautiful creatures, and I can’t wait to see what you do after this.

It’s been a pleasure working with you and laughing with you.

Most importantly, thank you to all of my sources for letting me tell your stories. I hope I did them justice.

People who work for the Texan love to joke about hating the Texan. That’s fair — the work is hard and the hours are long.

But the truth is I walked into the basement every day bubbling over with excitement about what I had the privilege to help create. I love The Daily Texan. I’m going to miss it dearly.

30s

30s

27

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

Managing editor makes one last paper

By Lisa Nhan @lmnhan24

There were a lot of days when I didn’t know if I could keep working at the Texan.

I struggled a lot here. I struggled with the constant wave of production. I struggled with what being a student journalist meant and what it asked of me. I struggled with the emotional toll as we reported on the lives of those taken from this campus too soon: Haruka Weiser, Harrison Brown and Nicky Cumberland.

Yet, semester after semester, I returned. Every time, it was for the same reason: the people.

There is something magical about this paper and its people that makes you want to be a better journalist, a better teammate, a better person. In three years, no matter how hard it got, I couldn’t get enough of it.

I learned from the best (Forrest and María), who taught me how to truly listen and advocate for those around you. Some fellow editors (Catherine and Alex) gave me advice when I evidently made mistakes. I received more guidance from a staff adviser (Peter), who liked to hide my cold brew and even let me ugly cry in his office that one time.

I got to meet sources (the Cumberland family) who showed me what it means to be brave.

Friendships were made between late-night page edits in a basement that, at one point, was infested with crickets

(Spencer, Wills, Trinady, Brooke and Faith). When the paper lost its print production, the people I began this journey with (Savana and Chase) distracted me with Animal Crossing.

We had department heads who dealt with my bad jokes and all of this semester’s obstacles with grace. (I’d still hire every one of you if given the chance.)

I watched in awe of a staff who did everything they could to keep this campus informed in the midst of a global pandemic.

I surrounded myself with a management team of women who inspire me. One of them (Tiana) would steal my pasta recipes when she wasn’t working tirelessly to empower and support those around her. Another (Megan) pushed me and this paper to be better with her constant drive, and always let me pick where to eat. Then there were my co-pilots (Kirsten and Brittany), whose endless work ethic and kind hearts helped keep this staff — and me — afloat during some of our worst days.

Maybe I had some bad days at this paper. But I had so many more good ones. I would do it all over again if I could — every argument, every late-night pitch meeting, every missed deadline.

No matter what kind of day it was, I still got to do my favorite thing in the world: to work on something that matters with the people I cared about. You guys were always worth coming back to. So here’s to everything we did together. I already miss it.

cynthia trevino

/ the daily texan staff