The Daily Texan
Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900
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Friday, September 14, 2012
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INSIDE
Know your ju-dos and ju-don’ts . LIFE & ARTS PAGE 12
4 Opinion
Gov. Perry’s yell leader approach to foreign policy.
Festival celebrates Latin American independence. NEWS PAGE 6
TExAN IN-DEPTh
5 news
UT researchers patent concept for nuclear reactor that may reduce nuclear waste.
6 News
Technology industry expands in and brings jobs to Austin.
SPORTS
Freshman Sara Hattis making instant impact for Longhorns volleyball squad this year.
10 Life & Arts
Top five Friday night movies, courtesy of Netflix.
TODAY
Mike Daisey: The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs “The master storyteller” Mike Daisey and his hilarious tale of technology icon Steve Jobs will be performed from 8 – 10 p.m. tonight at the Performing Arts Center. The event is priced between $10 – $42 and is open to everyone.
West Campus lacking diversity Editor’s Note: This is the first in a three-part series of stories examining the demographics of two neighborhoods where students live — West Campus and East Riverside. The next installment, about the makeup and history of Riverside student housing, will run Sept. 21.
The growing diversity of the UT student body has not spurred racial integration in student neighborhoods, census, city and UT records show. The majority of Asian and white undergraduates living off campus reside in West Campus, while most Hispanic and black undergraduates live in East Riverside. This trend has intensified in the past 10 years because of a convergence of socioeconomic inequality, disparate living costs in the two areas and alleged discrimination — and some fear it may not change. Ryan Robinson, demographer for the City of Austin, said population growth in West Campus is the result of massive multi-family complexes built in the neighborhood since 2004 under a plan called the University Neighborhood Overlay. Many of these new high-rises may not be affordable for
CAMPUS
Luna 2 was the first artifact of humanity to land on the moon. The Soviet Union launched the spacecraft Sept. 12, and it took 33.5 hours to reach its destination. Luna 2 sent back data confirming that the moon had no magnetic field or radiation belts.
20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0
UT
Photo courtesy of Rhey Mancini
Cooler causes concern, bomb squad responds By David Maly Students walking along the Drag Thursday morning encountered a curious scene bordered by police tape and local authorities cautiously examining a closed cooler. University of Texas Police Department officers were dispatched to a call made by an unidentified UT faculty member around 8:23 a.m. regarding a closed cooler left at the northeast corner of West 24th and Guadalupe streets, police said. Officers from the Austin Police Department were called in to aid the nearly hourlong examination of the cooler. After assessing the
scene, an officer opened the cooler and discovered it was empty, police said. The case was declared closed at 9:19 a.m. Austin resident Kati Adams, who watched the incident unfold, said many onlookers were on edge as more and more authorities arrived to deal with the mysterious cooler. “They had the corner where the cooler was completely taped off, and the whole block was surrounded by APD,” Adams said. “I sat there and just watched. I didn’t know what was going on.” Adams said when an officer opened the cooler, his relief was apparent. “They brought in a guy
WC
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UT
2000
UTPD and APD officers inspected a cooler on the corner of 24th and Guadalupe streets Thursday for almost an hour before declaring it empty.
“Futureland” Exhibition
In 1959
UT — UT white student population WC — West Campus white population ER — East Riverside white population
25,000
DIVIDE continues on page 7
Austin’s premiere movie mockers Master Pancake are taking over the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz at 10:00 p.m tonight. Their latest victim? “Fight Club.” Watch as the theater group turns this soap loving film into its own personal commentary. Ticket prices start at $13.50.
Today in history
From 2000 to 2010, the number of whites living in West Campus rose while the number of white undergraduates attending UT declined. There has also been an increase in diversity among Asians, but Hispanics and blacks continue to remain underrepresented in the area.
By Andrew Messamore
Fight Club Mockery
Ever wondered what the future might look like, literally? Designer Norman Bel Geddes brings you his vision of the world tomorrow. Come take part in this futuristic exhibition from 7 – 9 p.m. tonight at the Harry Ransom Center. Admission is free for members and $20 for nonmembers.
whites on the west side
A Tale of Two Neighborhoods
Number of Students
8
Photo illustration by Lawrence Peart | Daily Texan Staff
that had what looked like a shield,” she said. “He went around every angle of it and finally opened the cooler and yelled, ‘It’s empty!’” Adams said the mass of authorities and concerned onlookers that had gathered around the mysterious cooler soon began to disperse, and the drag was back to normal within a few minutes. “Very quickly, they were gone,” Adams said. Tony Ortiz, manager of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, a coffee shop across the street from where the cooler was found, said the incident did not seem to affect business for his establishment or halt other daily life in the area much.
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2010
UNIvERSITy
UT to fund tuition to fill Pell Grant gap By Bobby Blanchard UT is filling a void in student financial aid with institutional grants after 60 students did not receive their Federal Pell Grants, a grant ranging from $555 to $5,550 for the neediest students, because of a change in federal policy effective this fall. Thomas Melecki, director of Student Financial Services, said the University is still reviewing potentially affected students. He estimates UT will spend $250,000 in financial aid to students who were expecting Pell grants. Starting this fall, students nationwide can claim Federal Pell Grants for only 12 semesters instead of 18. The federal government implemented this rule to reduce spending on Pell grants by $11 billion over the next 10 years, cutting off students who had exceeded 12 semesters in school. “We knew we had to act fast so these students wouldn’t be left without grant support they needed to pay tuition and other expenses,” Melecki said. “So we replaced their 2012-2013 Pell grants with grants from the University. By doing this, we made sure none of this year’s students who were counting on Pell Grants got hurt by the new law.”
Melecki said the U.S. Department of Education notified UT last spring. Beginning this past April, UT’s Student Financial Services published the information online and tried to notify students via Facebook and Twitter. The University is dependent on the U.S. Department of Education to inform it of those affected. Because UT does not have access to the Pell grants students receive from other colleges, it cannot easily come up with these names itself. “The education department provided this information in early August, less than 10 days before UTAustin Pell Grant recipients had to pay their fall tuition bills,” Melecki said. While 60 students were affected this year, Melecki said he did not think too many UT students will be affected in the future because more than 80 percent of UT Austin’s undergraduate students graduate in 12 semesters. Melecki said the best way for students to avoid negative consequences would be to take 15 hours per semester. Music studies junior Joey Ovalle said while he is on a Pell grant to help him pay for his college education, he does not think this reduction will affect him
PELL continues on page
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