The Daily Texan 2019-01-31

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019

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NEWS

OPINION

LIFE&ARTS

SPORTS

Two freshman Texas legislators share similar experiences with ties to UT. PA G E 2

More of UT’s film screenings should highlight female-centric films. PA G E 4

Students experience financial strain during month-long government shutdown. PA G E 8

Three Longhorns receive invites to inaugural women’s tournament in Augusta. PA G E 6

UNIVERSITY

CITY

On alert: UTPD uses emergency system

UTPD reviews sexual assault cases to help assess past investigations By Emily Hernandez @emilylhernandez

Notification system aids in alerting students, increasing awareness.

The UT Police Department initiated their own internal review of University sexual assault cases after learning of a Texas Department of Public Safety audit reviewing Austin Police Department’s sexual assault cases. “Anytime there’s an issue in general that comes to the forefront … we look carefully at that and say ‘What if that were us?,’” UTPD chief David Carter said. The DPS audit released earlier this month detailed how APD incorrectly classified about a third of rape offenses from January, November and December 2017 as exceptionally cleared. This means the cases should still be investigated. Carter said UTPD interprets uniform crime reporting guidelines for exceptional clearance as having enough information to file charges but being unable to because of factors beyond their control, such as the death of the suspect or the victim refusing to cooperate. The clearance codes are technical terms used to report crime statistics to the FBI and to determine a case’s status. Carter said a case is generally closed through clearance by arrest, exceptional clearance or unfounded clearance, which means no crime occurred. UTPD looked at 36 exceptionally cleared cases from the past five years. They determined six cases would have been more accurately classified as inactive, which indicates police cannot further investigate the case with the information available, Carter said. In a press conference held Jan. 16, APD chief Brian Manley said he ordered a third party investigation in APD’s handling of sexual assault cases. Manley said APD also created a template requiring the detective in a sexual assault case to establish exceptional clearance only after being able to identify and locate the alleged offender, have probable cause to make an arrest and to have reason as to why the arrest is not being made.

By Mason Carroll @MasonCCarroll

ike clockwork each month, students receive a text, an email and hear sirens echoing across campus for the monthly emergency communications systems test. While this is a routine procedure, there are many reasons why it is necessary, said David Carter, chief of the UT Police Department. UTPD uses the emergency notification system to send text messages to students during urgent situations to inform students of actions they should take. They also use email and social media to spread information after an incident. “The challenge for police in general … is that we get out critical information that helps our community respond to circumstances when something is going on,” Carter said. Carter has been UTPD chief since 2013, and since then he said they have strengthened their communication systems and connected with the UT community on social media. “People rely on social media more than ever before in terms of getting information, so that is always something the police have been working on,” Carter said. Cruz Zamora, international relations and global studies sophomore, said he always checks the messages he gets

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from the emergency notification system. He said he pays attention to UTPD’s notifications because they contain helpful information, and he said he understands the importance of the monthly tests. “I think the (monthly alert tests are) good because it

shows that (UTPD is) willing to practice and keep us aware of everything that is going on and could happen,” Zamora said. UTPD uses different platforms to communicate different types of incidents. Carter said for emergencies they

| the daily texan staff

send out instructions for students through text message. For incidents that have been handled, they use social media and email. “(Distinguishing) when to use one media format over the

EMERGENCY

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SEXUAL

CAMPUS

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CAMPUS

Students dance the night away at ¡Bailando! By Alyssa Weinstein @alyssaw305

The Campus Events + Entertainment Mexican American Culture Committee hosted the 4th annual ¡Bailando! dance event on Wednesday evening, inviting students to dance and enjoy Latin American culture. Students of all cultures were encouraged to dance to the beats of Spanish music and try Latin American dances such as salsa, merengue, rancheros and corridos. “The purpose of ¡Bailando! is to serve as an event for students to dance the night away and the stress away that comes with being a college student,” said Andrea Hernandez, biochemistry senior and chair of Campus E + E Mexican American Culture Committee. The event was held in the Student Activity Center ballroom, which was decorated with flags from various Latin American countries. Campus E + E invited Kyle Clark, also known as DJ Motivate to orchestrate the music. “My hope is that if there are other students from other communities that are not Spanish speaking communities, that they can see how important music is to the Latin culture,” Clark said. “My role is to really make sure everyone has a good time to good music.” Throughout the night,

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Electric scooters become targets of vandalism, crime By Hayden Baggett @HaydenBaggett

angela wang | the daily texan staff Corporate communications freshman Karina Nino and her brother, biology junior David Nino, cumbia dance at the ¡Bailando! event Wednesday night. The event was hosted by Campus Events + Entertainment’s Mexican American Culture Committee at the SAC Ballroom.

The purpose of ¡Bailando! is to serve as an event for students to dance the night away and the stress away that comes with being a college student” ANDREA HERNANDEZ BIOCHEMISTRY SENIOR

about 200 students of various backgrounds and levels of expertise participated in the dancing at ¡Bailando!. Along with dancing and music, ¡Bailando! also offered modern day Latin American refreshments for students to snack on including hot Cheetos and cheese, aquas frescas, fruit cups and various Mexican candies. Philosophy senior Khoa Nguyen said he was able to live out his interest in Latin American dance at ¡Bailando!. “I took a social dance class at UT last semester and that just really took off. I found that I particularly like Latin

dances,” Nguyen said. “So during the winter break I took some Latin dance classes at a dance studio and now that I’m back at UT, there was this Latin dance event where I could show off my new moves so I decided that I should come.” Computer engineering senior Jose Camacho attended ¡Bailando! to get in touch with his own culture. “It looked like a fun event to have with my friends and it seemed like a good time so I decided ‘Why not?’” Camacho said. “I was raised on the border, so seeing the setup and refreshments offered really makes me feel I have a place here at UT.”

New speed bumps are ahead for Austin’s thousands of dockless scooters as they become a popular target for vandalism and criminal mischief. After the deployment of multiple scooter fleets in Austin in the past year alone, scooter-rental companies and students are now voicing concern over the vandalism of electric scooters. Brian Gawlik, mechanical engineering graduate student, said he is often inconvenienced by scooter vandalism. “Sometimes you’ll see like ten scooters downed across the sidewalk, and you have to step out in the street just to walk around them,” Gawlik said. Bird, the first company to launch electric scooters in Austin, is encouraging people to report irresponsible behavior and vandalism to scooters. “When Bird vehicles are vandalized … it’s like breaking windows in our own neighborhood,” a Bird spokesperson said in a statement. “We hope that when people see available Birds, they are mindful of our friends and neighbors who rely on our vehicles to get to work on time or make it to their next class or appointment.” Bird works with law enforcement and removes people from their app to combat vandalism, according to the statement. Lime, Jump and Lyft did not respond to The Daily Texan’s request for comment. Noelle Newton, spokesperson for the UT Police Department, said UTPD has not encountered

Sometimes you’ll see like ten scooters downed across the sidewalk, and you have to step out in the street just to walk around them” BRIAN GAWLIK

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING GRADUATE STUDENT

any instances of scooter vandalism but urged students to report any vandalism in progress. Gawlik said from his experience, it is often immaturity that motivates scooter vandals. “When I’ve seen people pushing them over or putting them in trees and stuff, it seems like they’re doing it to impress their friends,” Gawlik said. “It’s part of the general cynicism toward new technology, but at the same time, I feel like it’s also kind of trendy to hate scooters.” This trend can be represented by an Instagram account, @birdgraveyard, where posts are dedicated to scooter abuse and vandalism. Whether it be by smashing, burying or burning scooters, the page has caught national

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CLAIRE ALLBRIGHT NEWS EDITOR @THEDAILYTEXAN

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019

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Editor’s note: This article is part of a series of profiles on freshman lawmakers who went to UT. State Rep. Jon Rosenthal, D-Houston, takes pride in being the only mechanical engineer in the state Legislature. The freshman lawmaker said his experience as a working engineer greatly influences his approach to the issues Texans face. “It’s funny because I wrote a paper in college about how I thought we should have more engineers in government and governance because engineers take a fact-based approach to problem solving,” Rosenthal said. “I always joke about how I’m the guy that brings spreadsheets to arguments, and I’m still that guy.” Rosenthal also has deep ties to Austin. He graduated from UT in December 1991, where his father, Haskell Rosenthal, was also a math professor. “My father taught at the University of Texas … for about twenty-five years, so I’m local,” Rosenthal said. “We moved to Austin when I was an early teenager. I was fifteen years old or barely fifteen. I skated through different high schools, and then I went to the University of Texas.” Another freshman State Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, is also a UT alumnus. Talarico traces his interest in

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Freshman lawmakers reflect on UT experiences

Near the end of the conference, Manley addressed survivors directly and said he did not want to forget there were faces behind the numbers. “I can’t say that I understand what a survivor goes through, but I know the questioning is difficult,” Manley said during the conference. “I know that sitting with investigators having to talk about a very violent, personal attack can be difficult, and there are so many challenges throughout the time.” Amanda Edwards, a radio-television-film freshman, said she took her sexual assault case to APD in October. After two weeks, Edwards said APD didn’t file charges because her alleged offender told the

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Rep. James Talarico is the youngest state legislator at 29 years old.

Rep. Jon Rosenthal is the only mechanical engineer in the state legislature.

public service back to his time at UT, where he graduated in 2011. “My first taste of legislative politics was as a student leader at UT,” Talarico said. “We organized students to advocate for themselves and for their families at the state capitol on the issue of college

because it will be up to them to lead on issues that will become more pressing as time goes on. “Our generation has the most to lose in these discussions at the state capitol,” Talarico said. “Whether it’s higher education or public education or jobs or the

affordability, particularly tuition reform. That was the first time that I was really in this building and pushing for a cause that I cared about.” At 29 years old, Talarico is the youngest member of the state Legislature. He said it’s important for students to pay attention to state politics

detective their interaction was consensual. Edwards’ case was not one of the cases reviewed in the DPS audit because she filed it in October 2018, a month not investigated in the DPS audit. “I went home and just cried,” Edwards said. “I put all of this effort to go to the police by myself and to get nothing out of it was really heartbreaking.” Carter said police can change the status of a sexual assault case, regardless of how it was cleared. “If new information comes to light … we always will pursue that for that victim and reopen that case as long as it’s within the statute of limitations,” Carter said. In most sexual assault cases, the statute of limitations in Texas allows police to prosecute a suspect within ten years, Carter said.

economy or climate change … we’re going to be the ones that are cleaning up the messes long after most of these legislators are gone. So I think it’s super important that people our age are not only paying attention but are actively involved in their legislative process.”

emma overholt

| the daily texan staff

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The Daily Texan, a student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin, is published by Texas Student Media, 2500 Whitis Ave., Austin, TX 78712. The Daily Texan is published daily, Monday through Friday, during the regular academic year and is published once weekly during the summer semester. The Daily Texan does not publish during academic breaks, most Federal Holidays and exam periods. News contributions will be accepted by telephone (471-4591), or at the editorial office (HSM 2.120). Entire contents copyright 2018 Texas Student Media.

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attention and surpassed Bird’s own Instagram page in number of followers. Psychology professor Art Markman said accounts like these could be one reason for the existence of scooter vandalism in Austin. “Twitter accounts and websites depicting scooter vandalism also create a lot of ‘me too’ behavior where one person’s behavior affects the behavior other others,” Markman said in an email. Markman said another possible explanation lies

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other depends on whether you as an individual need to take immediate action to protect yourself,” Carter said. Carter said he believes the system showed its value last Friday when there was a robbery at the Target on Guadalupe Street. After UTPD sent out a text warning students about the robbery, Carter said a witness saw the suspect and called UTPD, and they were able to arrest the suspect. “An engaged community plays a big, important role in terms of getting information out,” Carter said. “We can’t police the University of Texas and the areas around it without the support and active involvement of

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in the distance between scooter companies and their consumers. “It feels like a victimless crime,” Markman said. “The companies that leave the scooters on the street are faceless.” Markman said the vandalism could also be attributed to the etiquette and social norms of scooters. People are parking scooters inappropriately, and others might be using vandalism to retaliate, Markman said. “You can’t punish the actual person who left a scooter in a bad place because the scooters are a shared resource,” Markman said. “So

all of our students and community members.” Chemical engineering sophomore Teresa Soisson said when she sees an incident notification on her phone, she isn’t sure what to do in response to it. Soisson said she wishes there were clearer instructions along with these notifications. “It just says avoid that area, but it doesn’t tell you what to do if you are already in that area,” Soisson said. Carter said they also send out alerts for incidents happening off campus that could affect students walking home because student’s safety is a top priority. “(It’s important to) make the right call and get the message out quickly to the right people so that action can be taken if it’s needed,” Carter said.

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people end up vandalizing the scooters as a way of sending a message about their frustration.” On UT’s campus, students should use newly designated scooter parking zones, according to an email from Parking and Transportation Services. However, Gawlik said he sees vandalism as a contributor to community frustration with scooters. “(Vandalism) definitely just makes the problem worse because now you have scooters coming out of bushes and hanging from trees,” Gawlik said. “The backlash just serves to intensify the problem to its fullest.”

anthony mireles | the daily texan staff Radio-television-film freshman Brigette Terrian, center, attempts to climb on a knocked-over pile of electric scooters on the corner of 25th and Guadalupe street.



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LIZA ANDERSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TEXANOPINION

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019

COLUMN

COLUMN

brittany le

| the daily texan staff

UT needs to show movies with better female representation By Julia Zaksek Columnist

alexandra vanderhider

| the daily texan staff

Gender bent theater is a powerful tool UT should use By Gabriela Mata Columnist

The UT Theatre and Dance Department recently released a rendition of Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” a play known for its controversial nature on issues such as homophobia, misogyny and anti-Semitism. What truly made the show both interesting and novel was that the main antagonist, Shylock — traditionally a male character — was gender swapped into a female businesswoman. Gender swapping, or gender bending, is defined as “changing a fictional character’s biological sex and/or gender identity (changes) from the canonical norm.” All-male companies were hallmarks of Shakespearean plays, despite the cast of characters being both male and female, so having respectful and tasteful gender bent characters is definitely a step in the right direction. By implementing more gender swapping in academic theaters, we promote the idea of gender equality on the stage. Moreover, the impact of gender bending characters can be significant and influential for students to see in their own University’s theater productions. It not only aids students with coming into their own identities, but also in accepting diverse identities in communities that otherwise adhere to rigid gender constructs. As such, providing more opportunities like “The Merchant of Venice” to the student population is important. If the UT Theatre and Dance Department could possibly do more shows like this one or even open a workshop or class

which teaches students the relevance of gender in a theater performance, it would be a fierce step towards gender equality in the theater world. The conscious and direct choice of changing a character’s gender is made in order to highlight certain thematic elements. In the case of UT’s interpretation of a female Shylock, the way the audience perceives and understands

Gender bent theatre is a powerful tool in empowering student identity and acceptance.” Shylock is drastically altered. Cassidy Kaye, a theatre studies junior and cast member of “The Merchant of Venice,” said that gender bending Shylock’s character in the production emphasized aspects of the character that can otherwise be underwhelming or missed. “It became harder to villainize her for whatever reason when she was a single mom just attempting to protect herself,” Kaye said. “I think this choice was important, because it brought a lot of humanity to a normally scorned character.” Gender bending, in this case, is especially important because it warrants re-evaluation and analysis of a complex character in an already con-

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

tentious performance. By casting an actress in the role of Shylock, women gain a pivotal role beyond being a mere plot device or driving force for drama. “It feels good to know that what you thought would limit your role options and society’s expectations on what kind of character you should play is completely irrelevant,” said Ro Ganesh, a neuroscience freshman and an actor in UT’s Round About Players’ production of “Hunchback of Notre Dame.” “The same applies to any career. The common belief that a certain gender should play a certain character in society is ridiculous.” Beyond empowering gender equality and diverse roles, gender bent theater performances have complex facets to consider, especially in terms of being respectful to the original production, the actors and any gender identity implications. Being aware of these factors is also quite important, which is why beyond releasing more plays that feature gender bent characters, introducing a workshop on gender in the theater would be a great concept to bring more attention to this idea. A workshop can provide knowledge to anyone willing to learn, especially those interested in the theater field so that all these facets can be understood and aid students in understanding the power of identity. Gender bent theater is a powerful tool in empowering student identity and acceptance. The UT Theatre and Dance Department should wield it in order to better strengthen our students. Mata is a psychology sophomore from Houston.

GALLERY

yulissa chavez

| the daily texan staff

SUBMIT A FIRING LINE | Email your Firing Lines to editor@dailytexanonline.com. Letters must be more than 100 and fewer than 300 words. The Texan reserves the right to edit all submissions for brevity, clarity and liability.

Every semester, the Texas Union hosts a Late Night Film Series. The Showtime Committee, a student-run group that hosts television and film events, selects films it believes students will enjoy. The late-night screening offers students the opportunity to enjoy classic and popular films for free. However, every movie in the series this semester was directed by a man, and nearly every film focused on male protagonists. There is a sharp lack of female representation at one of the only events where UT students can enjoy free films. This lack of representation is discouraging for female students studying film. Next semester, the Union needs to include movies that tell the stories of women — films that are directed by women and that depict women accurately. Members of the Showtime Committee suggest films for the screenings, and then the committee votes to select eight for the late night screening schedule. Although a group of UT students is working to select the movies, the people in this group are not representative of the UT student population. “Students should have the opportunity to see all kinds of movies, movies that are created by and acted in by everyone,” said Ashley Griffith, a radio-television-film sophomore.

When women direct films, center the movie and tell inclusive stories, their work should be shared, both for students’ enjoyment and encouragment.”

Carter Spillyards, finance junior and chair of the Showtime Committee, says unlike the blockbuster film series, which shows films that were recently at the box office, the film options for the late-night screenings are virtually limitless. “Members can suggest their favorite movies, movies they think people will really enjoy, movies that can start a dialogue between students or really creative events,” Spillyards said. Students have the opportunity to suggest films, but the decision is ultimately up to the committee. This semester, the committee, unfortunately, selected almost exclusively men-centric films. “Representation is important,” Griffith said. “Women in the entertainment industry contribute so much, and they often go unrecognized.” Neglecting to offer films created by women implies that stories that women create are not worth sharing with the UT community, and that they are less likable and less enjoyable than films created by men. When women direct films, center the movie and tell inclusive stories, their work should be shared, both for students’ enjoyment and encouragement. “As someone who is going into the entertainment industry as a woman, and even more specifically as a trans woman, I want to feel that I’m going into a field where my work will be recognized,” Griffith said. The Showtime Committee can’t choose which films come out of the box office, but it can control which films play at the late-night screenings. It needs to select female-centric films in order to actively recognize the stories of women and the ambitions of its female radio-television-film students. Zaksek is a Plan II and women’s and gender studies freshman from Allen.

RECYCLE | Please recycle this copy of The Daily Texan. Place the paper in one of the recycling bins on campus or back in the burnt-orange newsstand where you found it. EDITORIAL TWITTER | Follow The Daily Texan Editorial Board on Twitter (@TexanOpinion) and receive updates on our latest editorials and columns.


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THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019

A L B U M R E V I E W | ‘ D N A’

copyright dennis leupold, and reproduced with permission

For the past six years, the Backstreet Boys have remained silent. L ast Friday, the group released its new album, DNA.

Backstreet Boys break silence with ‘DNA’ By Landry Allred @l2ndry

Backstreet’s back, alright! Six years of silence can’t stop the Backstreet Boys. Friday’s release of their tenth studio album DNA resurrected hints of their pop-ish edge that ushered in their fame in the 1990s. As a five-member group, the Backstreet Boys made their start in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. In the past 25 years, the group has dominated the charts, toured the world and won multiple awards, and continue producing music for the soul. A couple songs on DNA are reminiscent of old-school style, including “Nobody Else” and “Chateau.” Texas Student MediaAlthough will keep connected someyou songs kept their sound, the others with daily links to thepop news, sports andbranched culture influences of stories shapingout, the showcasing UT community. R&B, techno, alternative and even country. In one instance, the group even experiments with a cappella

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in “Breathe.” Most of the songs express serious concepts, like “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” and “Chances.” However, the songs often failed to dive deeper into these complex ideas. For instance, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” speaks on the fear accompanying new relationships, but the lyrics barely touch on feelings of hesitancy or vulnerability. “Chances,” which talks about the fate of two destined lovers, scratches the surface of what differentiates love and fate but fails to explore that idea. However, the album does a great job creating characters in each song. Despite the shallow lyrics in “New Love,” there is a perfect picture of the singer being a classic “bad boy” who focuses on the sex rather than his partner. This also occurs in “No Place,” which expresses a sweet love song voiced by a traveler comparing his lover to various places he’s been to and concluding nowhere in the world could amount to his true love.

“Is It Just Me” is the most narrative song of the album. Filled with heartbreaking lyrics, the song highlights the thoughts a partner may have in a slowly dying relationship. The lyrics highlight an increased vulnerability from the group, portraying its music’s growth. Aside from the meanings behind each song, the Backstreet Boys did a phenomenal job exploring different genres. In many of the songs, they took inspiration from pop culture. For instance, in “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” they used a futuristic techno, almost mimicking the keys from the “Stranger Things” theme song. Additionally, they added an R&B edge in “The Way It Was,” which imitated Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” and Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind.” They even tried country, playing an easygoing guitar in “Just Like You Like It,” and brought in an alternative edge in “OK,” similar to

“DNA”

G E N R E Pop R AT I N G

Florida Georgia Line’s music. Despite the change in music style, it should be noted that the Backstreet Boys stayed on one theme for the entire album — love. Some of the songs ranged from desiring love, like “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” or “Chances,” to desiring sex, like “Passionate” or “New Love.” Following those, one half of the songs displays a stable relationship, while the other half displays the mourning of a lost love. However, one thing is clear — the Backstreet Boys refuse to write about anything other than love, which seems to be a contributing factor to the album’s downfall.

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6

ROSS BURKHART SPORTS EDITOR @TEXANSPORTS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019

GOLF

Augusta opens arms to women

Longhorns invited to inaugural Augusta women’s tourney. By Wills Layton @willsdebeast

ordan Spieth, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Those are just some of the biggest names in golf who have played at the beautiful and exclusive Augusta National Golf Club, known for its greenery and trademark azalea flowers. However, there is one group of people who have yet to play a tournament on the hallowed grounds — women. That changes this April, as the top amateur golfers in the world will gather for the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship. The field includes the top 72 players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, including three Longhorns: Emilee Hoffman, Agathe Laisne and Kaitlyn Papp. “In women’s golf, in my opinion, the biggest thing of 2018 was the announcement of this women’s championship,” head coach Ryan Murphy said. “It’s tremendous exposure for the game around the world, and it’s

anthony mireles | the daily texan staff Texas golfer Kaitlyn Papp reads the green prior to a putt. Papp is one of three Longhorn golfers invited to the inaugural Augusta Women’s Amateur Championship in the field of 72. She will tee off on the historic course in Georgia during the first week of April.

a tremendous opportunity for the women’s game. We’re fortunate to have three players in that field.” To further put this event in context, Augusta National only started allowing female members to join in 2012, inviting Darla Moore and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to join the all-male club. A tournament

like this at a venue like Augusta is an unprecedented step in the right direction for a sport that has largely been a man’s game. “It’s incredibly prestigious, and I hope it brings more awareness to the women’s game,” Hoffman said. “I know the final round is going to be televised, so I hope a lot of people tune in and

realize that women’s golf is just as exciting as men’s golf.” In addition to the historical significance of the event, some of the golfers involved in the tournament will have a choice to make, as the event falls very close on the calendar to an event on the LPGA tour. “What will be interesting is

the event is close to the ANA Inspiration, which is a major tournament on the LPGA,” Murphy said. “Many of these players will have to choose whether to play in a major or have a chance to play at Augusta National. To think that someone may choose to not play in a major is pretty wild.” Laisne is no stranger to big

events, as the sophomore has already played in both the Women’s British Open and the Evian Championship, both major LPGA tournaments. However, her inclusion in the event came as a surprise, as her spot in the rankings left her very close to the cut line for the tournament. “I was not expecting to get into this event,” Laisne said. “I looked at the world rankings, and I thought I would be five spots away. When I got the letter I was super excited. I called my mom and said, ‘Oh God, mom, I’m going there!’ No tournament for women has been played there before, so it’s really exciting.” Meanwhile, Hoffman knew she would be in the field beforehand. Despite this, emotions ran high when she received her letter in the mail inviting her to participate in the tournament. “I had kind of an idea before,” Hoffman said. “I knew I was inside the top 30 in the rankings for Americans, but I was actually on vacation when they were sending the invitations out. I had my grandma go to my house and constantly check the mail, and when it got there she called us and we started crying.” At the end of the day, April 3 is going to be the start of a very special and historic tradition, one of both inclusion and equality. A new age of golf is starting, and everyone is welcome. “Walking through the gates at Augusta is going to be like walking through the gates of heaven,” Papp said. “I can’t wait to see the perfection and all the azalea flowers.”

TENNIS

Longhorns breeze past UTSA, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi By Robert Trevino @robtrev22

Texas men’s tennis has never in its illustrious history lost to UTSA or Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, going 23–0 and 15–0 in the respective headto-head series. The Longhorns made sure that there wouldn’t be a first on Wednesday in Austin by defeating the Roadrunners 6-1 in the first match and the Islanders 4-0 in the second, braving chilly weather throughout the sunset to move to 6–0 on the season. “Everybody’s getting a chance to play today,” head coach Michael Center said of the doubleheader. “Right now we’re just focused on how we’re competing and how much we’re improving … It’s so early in the season right now, we want to be our best in April and May, but we gotta utilize these opportunities to get better.” The weather for the match, being colder and windier than normal, played a factor in prematch preparations as well as mid-match adjustments. “The ball’s moving a little slower, so you can’t attack that much, so you gotta get your body going,” junior Christian Sigsgaard said. “It’s not gonna be that easy hitting

aces and returning winners all the time.” Sigsgaard, ranked No. 4 in singles play, won 6-3, 6-1 in singles over No. 66 Kai Breitbach and teamed up with Harrison Scott to earn a 6-3 win on the doubles front during the first match. Sigsgaard wasn’t the only Longhorn player making adjustments and staying focused, though. “It’s hard to move our bodies on the court especially in singles, you have a lot of time in between games and points,” said singles No. 18 Yuya Ito, who prevailed 6-4 in his doubles match with teammate Chih Chi Huang and his singles match 6-1, 6-2 over Joao Ceolin. “Today, I had to think about moving fast and moving my feet so that my body keeps moving better as the match goes on.” The matches were the fourth and fifth of a six-game home stand that concludes this Saturday with a matchup against the No. 6 North Carolina Tar Heels, who are coming off a 4-1 win over Duke. The match will mark Texas’ first this year at the Weller Indoor Tennis Center. “We’re going to start playing more indoors over the next few weeks,” Center said. “We’ll hit some balls indoors — we haven’t played a lot

eddie gasper | the daily texan staff Christian Sigsgaard tests his backhand during a match at the Texas Tennis Center in Austin. The junior from Denmark dominated the competition with singles and doubles and wins in the cold weather Wednesday evening.

indoors at this point. It’ll be a good match to see where we’re at. … (North Carolina is) probably a little better indoor team. They’re a legitimate top-five team, I think

we can be a top-five team, and we’ll see who’s the last man standing on Saturday.” After the defining match against the Tar Heels, the Longhorns will play their

next five matches away from Austin, including the ITA National Indoor Championships, which they qualified for by winning last weekend’s ITA Kick-Off Weekend.

“It’s gonna be tough going away for a month straight where we’re not going to play at home for a while,” Ito said. “But we’re gonna keep the same attitude.”

w tch us at YOUTUBE.COM/THEDAILYTEXAN


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THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Thursday, January 31, 2019

Crossword

SUDOKUFORYOU 6 3

2

8 9 5 4 8 1

6 3 7 2 8 5 2 7

1 5 8 3 6 7 5 6 9 2 6 8 6 7 4

1

Today’s solution will appear here next issue

5 4 9 1 2 8 6 3 7

8 7 3 9 4 6 1 5 2

1 2 6 7 3 5 4 9 8

6 3 2 5 7 9 8 4 1

7 5 1 2 8 4 9 6 3

9 8 4 6 1 3 2 7 5

2 6 5 8 9 7 3 1 4

3 9 8 4 5 1 7 2 6

4 1 7 3 6 2 5 8 9

ACROSS 1 ___ billiards, game on a pocketless table 6 Mount whose name means, literally, “I burn” 10 Something with teeth 13 In the course of 14 Detached 15 Fed. science org. 16 Family symbol 17 Flier with a message 19 Monomaniac of fiction 20 Divisions in the Congressional Record 21 View remotely? 23 Sunroof alternative 26 “You sti-i-i-ink!” 27 Follower of clear or cross 29 “Forever, ___” (1996 humor book)

30 Drone’s job 33 Rod’s partner 34 Realm with an Imperial Diet: Abbr. 35 Rods’ partners 37 Rival of Cassio 38 One might have a wink or a smile 41 Foreign-born musician with a Presidential Medal of Freedom 43 Trough filler 44 Tin or glass 46 Business meeting that participants dial into, informally 48 Bunch of lovers? 49 “Just like that!” 52 Gray 53 Words before “a good night” 55 Author Calvino 57 Former Yankees manager Joe 59 Crafty person?

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE C A R A T

I L O S E

N O B I D

K O N F A N C R E B A N D S

E T A I L

E M O J I

C H I A

H A N G A P R A T A E D N U T L T M I O N N G

U G H F R Y H O O D O O R N I M A O S R I P E S T I C I T O B L E J U I E E M S P I S E C E D Y

E L F V O I C E D

S A Y S H I T O E E L E R S

I G M A R I E L A N N I S U V O U S E B E M P O Y A G E E G A D D T E L T O R O R M A N E E S E K I E R

61 It helps keep the machinery running 62 Does something to a T 63 Clichéd 64 “A tyrant’s authority for crime and a fool’s excuse for failure,” per Ambrose Bierce

Edited by Will Shortz 1

2

3

4

5

6

13

8

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14

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11

12

24

25

50

51

15

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23 28

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29 32

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DOWN 1 Carolina tribe that allied with the colonists in the American Revolution 2 Song sung by Elvis in “Blue Hawaii” 3 Muscle with a palindromic name 4 End of an era? 5 Company that released “2001: A Space Odyssey” 6 ___ Club 7 Department store department 8 “___ get it” 9 It was once big for Aretha Franklin 10 It’s indicated by arrows on a map 11 Parody, in a way 12 Newspaper headline of 12/8/1941 14 Alternative to “Sincerely” 18 Department with a buffalo on its seal 20 One frequently pictured in GQ or Vogue

7

No. 1227

33 36

41

37 42

45 48

49

54

58

55 59

61

56

60

62 63

64

PUZZLE BY MARY LOU GUIZZO AND JEFF CHEN

22 Symbol on many a bumper sticker 24 Rolex rival 25 Texas’ ___ Duro Canyon 28 Radiation cleanup, briefly 31 “Fingers crossed!” 32 Brooklyn attraction 36 Acoustic measure 38 Sad songs 39 Burrowing rodent

40 Follower of a plane … or a hint to this puzzle’s theme 42 “Most definitely!” 43 Amos Alonzo ___, coach in the College Football Hall of Fame 45 I.S.P. option 47 Dominate 49 Lowest parts

50 Author Locke of the Harlem Renaissance, the first AfricanAmerican Rhodes scholar (1907) 51 Hall of fame 54 Comic strip canine 56 Bias 58 Celestial altar 60 Norma ___ (Oscar-winning role of 1979)

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.


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TIANA WOODARD & JORDYN ZITMAN LIFE & ARTS EDITORS @THEDAILYTEXAN

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019

NATION

bixie mathieu

| the daily texan staff

Shutdown scares students Government shutdown causes stress as students address tuition, financial bars. By Trinady Joslin @trinady05

fter 35 days of uncertainty and two missed paychecks, the temporarily reopened government allowed journalism freshman Anissa Reyes’ family to breathe a sigh of relief. Reyes’ father works in management for the federal district court. During the shutdown he was one of the lucky few whose district was able to pay their employees. The money was set to run out on Friday, the same day the government reopened.

Although the family didn’t miss a paycheck, the effect it had on the household was visible. Reyes said her dad was focused on forming contingency plans to pay for her housing bill after she received a notification saying she would soon be dropped from her classes because of a financial bar. “I got the notification and I was calling my dad (saying), ‘I don’t know what to do. I’m scared,’” Reyes said. “I didn’t know who to contact. I’m a freshman.” Preparing for the worst, Reyes considered asking family for money or reaching out to financial aid. Kendall Slagle, Communications Coordinator for Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, said each student’s situation is evaluated on a caseby-case basis in order to provide them with support. “We are focused on responding quickly to the individual needs of affected students,” Slagle said, “(We) will do all we can to assist students with issues stemming directly from the partial federal government shutdown.” Biochemistry sophomore Prajwal

Gowda’s father also works for the government as a research scientist in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was placed on furlough when the shutdown began. Like Reyes’ family, Gowda said cutting back and budgeting more carefully was a main focus over the holiday break, and although payment has resumed, they will continue to be weary. Additionally, the family decided to pay this semester’s tuition in installments, rather than in full. “They’re just trying to make sure each payment is made deliberately,” Gowda said. “We didn’t really know how to prepare because we didn’t know how long it was going to be.” With his mother continuing to work, Gowda considers his family more fortunate than some and has used his experience to make sure as many people knew about what his family and others were going through. “(This experience) gave my words more meaning,” Gowda said. “I can actually speak to the effect it has. We’re one of

the families, and this is what we want. We want to get our pay.” It’s easy to be apathetic about the government’s actions when they are someone else’s problem. “(My dad and his colleagues) just wanted to go back to work and get their money,” Gowda said, and they prioritized that over the political outcome of the situation. “That’s the first priority as a politician: making sure all your constituents are in a better position than they were before you got there, whatever form that be,” Gowda said. “That’s what they should strive for.” Reyes said her family shared this sentiment and her perspective was changed because of her involvement. While she said it’s hard to take sides, the main priority is ending their struggling and paying the employees. “I feel like (both sides are being) childish,” Reyes said, “There are so many things I want, but I’m not gonna shut something down or make someone’s life miserable just to get that.”

CAMPUS

Students struggle to obtain preferred garage parking permits By Denise Emerson @kaonnashii

Some students stress over being number one on a waitlist for a class, but others stress about being number 546 on a waitlist for a garage permit. For students who live far from campus or have to drive to a job, a garage parking permit can be a necessity. Besides the high prices for

S and R permits, getting the permit they want poses an additional hurdle. S permits are for commuter students, while R permits are for on-campus residents. Health and society junior Michelle Juarez parked in the garages on days she couldn’t bike the three miles to campus from her apartment. She estimated she spent hundreds in daily garage rates. Juarez eventually decided to buy an S permit for East Campus

Garage (ECG), which is across Interstate 35, for her second year at UT and walks to class from there. “Sometimes when it’s really cold or hot, or you’re running late to class, you still have to walk a mile to get there — it’s kind of rough,” Juarez said. Bobby Stone, director of parking and transportation services, said Parking and Transportation Services has to budget the distribution of

THE MOODY WRITING SUPPORT PROGRAM PRESENTS

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We'll cover how to craft interview questions, write basic news stories and communicate with editors.

passes because the garages are self-funded. Faculty receive the majority of passes at 5,549 this year, more than double the 2,125 S permits sold. R permits were allotted 1,312 spaces this year. PTS receives many student emails begging for spots in a better garage, Stone said. “We see lots of people making pleas for a space,” Stone said. “Some of these are heart-rendering stories in terms of why they need to be wherever, but we want to treat all the students equally.” To make the process less stressful for students, PTS implemented a waitlist lottery system for S permits in 2017. Sales for student passes start with renewals and transfer requests, which get priority over the

waitlist lottery. After the waitlist awards, open sales start for the remaining garages. However, some garages fill up within the renewal and transfer request period, Stone said. Students can remain on waitlists after permits are awarded, but the chances of a spot opening are rare, Stone said. “Once they get there, they’re hanging on for dear life,” Stone said. Anthropology sophomore Abigail Thacher said she decided not to try the lottery waitlist and bought an R permit during open sales in the Manor Garage. Thacher said she bought that particular permit because it was cheap and available, but she didn’t consider some of the consequences.

“A major complication is that it’s a long walk,” Thacher said. “I would be walking in the dark by Waller Creek.” Thacher said she would have done more research and tried to get into a more expensive garage in hindsight. Juarez said she also experienced safety concerns. One night she walked from the Perry-Castañeda Library across the highway to the East Campus Garage at 2 a.m., she said. Stone said PTS strives to open more garages as demand rises, but conveniently located garages will always be filled. For many students, they have to wait multiple semesters until they are lucky enough to win a spot in their dream garage.

Hear from former and present members of T he Daily Texan. And of course, we'll have pizza! THE DAILY TE�AN

Thursday January 24 or 31 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. BMC 3.206

lauren ibanez

| the daily texan staff


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