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Tea-lightful hangout spots Thursday, October 1, 2009

65,000 to crowd ACL despite economy

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UT hosts Mates of State concert

Annual music festival sells out months in advance, will bring a profit to city By Rachel Platis Daily Texan Staff This year’s 8th annual Austin City Limits music festival is estimated to bring in about $35 million to businesses and industries throughout the city, about $2 million more than last year’s festival. Last year, ACL brought in about $33 million dollars to the Austin area, impacting taxis and transportation, restaurants, hotels, retailers and bars, said Lisa Hickey, festival marketing director of C3 Presents, the company that puts on ACL. Tickets are sold out at 65,000 people per day, and 30,000 festival-goers are expected to come from out of town. “The fact that we still have 65,000 people coming to the festival despite the state of the economy is a good thing and says a lot about Austin and the

ACL continues on page 2

Peyton McGee | Daily Texan Staff

UT Students Valerie Do, Victor Ozuna and Jacob Weiss cheer at the end of a Mates of State song at the Texas Student Union on Wednesday. The Music & Entertainment Committee of the Student Events Center gave out about 800 free tickets to students, faculty and staff.

Student-organized event draws hundreds to the Texas Union Ballroom By Priscilla Totiyapungprasert Daily Texan Staff A crowd of UT students made their way into the Texas Union Ballroom to enjoy the keyboard melodies and pop vocals of Kansas indie band Mates of State on Wednesday evening. About 480 students filled the Union Ballroom half an hour before Mates of State came on, mingling and listening to the opening act, Austin folk-rock artist Danny Malone. The Music & Entertainment Committee, or MEC, hosted the event after handing out free tickets during the week leading up to the

concert. Committee chairman Taylor Steinberg said almost 800 tickets were given away. The ballroom can hold a maximum of 1,000 people and those without tickets could still attend the show. Steinberg said the committee began brainstorming for a fall show at the end of the spring semester. “We went through the list and settled on Mates of State because they have artistic integrity and wide appeal,” Steinberg said. “This is the type of show MEC likes to put its name on.” Events are normally free, but tickets sometimes cost money if the committee works with the Per-

forming Arts Center to co-sponsor an event, including the Broken Social Scene concert last spring. The entertainment committee has 50 active members, which Steinberg said is ideal for “pushing as many ideas on the table as possible” and to uphold its responsibility to bring in a diverse set of acts. “It’s a committee’s job to put ideas that represent interests of the student body, not just the committee members themselves,” he said. The University houses the Student Events Center and its committees, including the entertainment committee. The committees

receive funds appropriated by the Union Board of Directors. Unlike other campus organizations, committees within the Student Events Center are held accountable by the student body because funding comes from tuition, said Andrew Nash, president of the Student Events Center. Although there are benefits and privileges to being housed by the University, such as a full-time staff and a yearly budget, committees have limits on how they can spend their money and what kind of events they can put on because

CONCERT continues on page 2

Food challenge tests the value of the dollar Caleb Miller | Daily Texan Staff file photo

Dallas-born musician Erykah Badu performs at Austin City Limits Festival in 2008.

Course feedback results question teaching styles By Vidushi Shrimali Daily Texan Staff Representatives from the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment addressed a smallerthan-expected crowd of instructors Wednesday about the benefits of receiving student feedback throughout the semester. Two faculty members attended the Wednesday workshop, which was the first in a semester-long series. “I was hoping to have a full room,” said Meghan McGlohen, a research associate in the Division. “I’m satisfied with [the turnout]. Attendance was low, but that’s just marketing.”

FEEDBACK continues on page 2

Shelley Neuman | Daily Texan Staff

Meghan McGlohen and Karen Lewis from the UT Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment led a course instructor surveys workshop for UT faculty on Wednesday afternoon.

By Viviana Aldous Daily Texan Staff When advertising senior David Lee went to Central Market in late August, he was disappointed to find his dinner would only consist of coffee and pineapple samples. Lee’s food budget was about $75 dollars per week until he decided to see if $20.09 would last him 20 days, which not only reduced his food allowance but prompted him to seek free meals from grocery store samples. “I had not eaten much, thinking I was going to be finally eating some good and tasty foods,” Lee said. “I was expecting to eat some fancy appetizers or even some red meat.” Lee decided to challenge the value of the dollar from Aug. 17 until Sept. 6 and promote the University Federal Credit Union’s “What Can You Do With $20.09” video contest, which he promoted for FG Squared, a marketing and advertising agency that publicized the event. The contest, the first of its kind for the credit union, challenged participants to creatively and efficiently use $20.09, said Lyndee Bennett, the credit union’s marketing specialist. The contest ended Wednesday, and winners will be announced on or around Oct. 9. “The message we were trying to get across is people should be more careful with how they spend their money, especially because of what the economy is going through,” Bennett said. “They can get back out there and enjoy life and not be too intimidated to make smart choices financially.” Lee said to achieve his goal of spending $1 per day, he had to sacrifice meat, fruit and snacks, and he could not eat out. The groceries under his budget included one dozen eggs, a sack of potatoes, pinto beans, sausage, two jars of peanut butter and bread. “I wasn’t sure if he could do it,” said Lee’s roommate Nathan Tuck-

Derek Stout | Daily Texan Staff

Advertising senior David Lee holds a 20-dollar bill, which was almost his entire budget for food over the course of 20 days. er, 32. “We both kind of agreed if he were in another country, it’d be no problem, but in America, it’s really tough to do that.” When his family visited him during the challenge, they decided to go to a popular restaurant in town. While they insisted Lee break his challenge, he declined and ate peanut butter sandwiches instead, he said. “I ate [the sandwiches] while they were enjoying the fiesta,” Lee said. To prepare for the challenge, Lee ate “very well” in the days leading up to it. He shared one of his last pre-challenge meals with his girlfriend at his

favorite restaurant, where the bill was more than $85. “It seems kind [of] ridiculous how the tip alone costs [almost as much as my] budget for the next 20 days,” he said on a blog he kept to track the 20 days. Lee’s first meal of the challenge consisted of a potato, a sausage, an egg, two tortillas and half a cup of orange juice. He concluded his first day’s blog entry, “I don’t know how I’m going to make it, but we’ll see.” After successfully completing the challenge, Lee said his grocery budget has been cut in half and he now con-

serves more food. “I learned how to take advantage of coupons and discount deals, how to find events that offer free food, how to store food properly to [preserve] the maximum freshness and how to be creative with potatoes,” he said. Bennett said she enjoyed following Lee’s blog and seeing how he creatively used his money. “It was interesting to see his development throughout the campaign,” Bennett said. “He started off basically saying, ‘What am I going to do?’ but he proved that there are ways to spend money wisely and still be prosperous.”

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CONCERT: Indie band has ‘wide appeal’ From page 1 they are considered a representation of the University, Nash said. The entertainment committee usually throws two performances every semester. Past acts include comedian Demetri Martin and musician Gavin DeGraw. Biology sophomore Evan Koch said he got a ticket for the Mates of State concert after discovering the event through a friend in the committee. “I like that [the events] are free, and the bands are pretty dope,� Koch said. Last spring, Koch attended the Broken Social Scene concert at Bass Concert Hall. He said although advertising and publicity could have improved, he had no qualms about the price he paid for the ticket. The entertainment committee plans to host a patio jazz show in November and has already startPeyton McGee | Daily Texan Staff ed searching for spring performers. Kori Gardner of Mates of State holds out a note at the Texas Student Union on Wednesday.

FEEDBACK: Students, teachers benefit from routine surveys From page 1 McGlohen said using a combination of classroom attendance techniques like small exercises such as short papers and small discussion groups to make sure students are actually understanding material, and a mid-semester survey to gain routine feedback, will allow professors to make constant alterations in teaching style. “If you ask for feedback more than just at the end of the semester it ... gives you more feedback, and then also trust from the student that you are actually using the feedback,� she said. Psychology project coordinator Erika Gonzalez-Lima, who teaches a small ethics lecture class of about 20 students, attended the workshop to learn new methods of increasing feedback. “That’s why this workshop is

so important, because it doesn’t matter how small your class is,� Gonzalez-Lima said. “It doesn’t mean you will have a large amount of feedback. Feedback takes the backseat when educating is what’s important to students and faculty.� The Course-Instructor Survey is a University-mandated test that every teacher on campus is required to give students. The test, which has several forms, can take anywhere from 10 to 50 minutes and is administered during the last two weeks of each semester. Professors can also choose whether to give the surveys online during this period. The University scans the surveys, publishes the results online and then returns the original surveys to the faculty, who are required to keep the results for 10 years after the assessment date.

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The survey questions evaluate teaching style, material and professor-student relationships and includes a comment box. An optional mid-semester form of the CIS, known as the ongoing-course assessment, can be requested by a teacher and e-mailed to students. Business freshman Smital Parikh took the survey last week and said she was grateful for the opportunity to provide feedback. “Obviously, it’s important what the student thinks,� Parikh said, “and it’s a good thing it’s anonymous for a lot of students, like me, who wouldn’t walk up to their teacher and say ‘this is how I feel about your class,’ and criticize them, so this way I have the opportunity to online.� A teacher can receive a promotion or tenure based off evaluation results, and their performance

NEWS BRIEFLY UT graduate awarded for work on educational equality issues A UT graduate now has an extra $25,000 and a bronze sculpture as recognition for her strides in Latino education. Sarita Brown was one of three educators in the U.S. to receive the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education on Tuesday at the 22nd annual Connecting Education with Innovation event. McGraw-Hill Education provides print and online resources for teachers and students. The prize, which was established in 1988, is awarded to select indi-

may be reviewed if their scores are too low. Kusum Warsi, a human development family sciences senior, said many students do not take the surveys seriously and would likely give a teacher negative scores based off of their grade in the class. “If a person got a C in the class, they would choose all the terrible choices. It’s a way of getting back at them, there is no other way,� she said. Sophomore Sabeena Ladha agreed with Warsi on the situation of students’ and teachers’ outlooks throughout the tests. “They might help, but in a class of 300 students taking the survey, everyone is just trying to get out the door, and they fill it out really fast,� Ladha said. “They should make it [to] where it’s voluntary and not forced.� viduals who provide exceptional education to students and prepare them for success in the current job market, according to a statement released by the company. Brown is president and cofounder of Excelencia in Education, an educational service geared toward increasing Latino success in higher education through the integration of research, policy and practice. Brown, former executive director of the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, received a bachelors degree in ethnic studies and a bachelors and masters degree in communication from UT. — Alex Geiser

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Thursday, October 1, 2009

ACL: Hotels, restaurants

anticipate massive crowd From page 1 festival experience,� Hickey said. “People look forward to it, and they think it’s a good value.� The last five ACL festivals have been sell-out events, and this year, the tickets sold out by mid-August, faster than ever before, Hickey said. “People still want to get away from the day-to-day and escape to something like ACL, where they are surrounded by music, friends and the overall weekend experience,� Hickey said. Single-day passes cost $80, while the three-day pass started at $135 and ended at the final price of $185. “We’ve got the park for it, a population that embraces it, and creative organizations like C3 that work well with the city of Austin to make something like ACL happen,� said Beth Krauss, spokeswoman for the Austin Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. For ACL weekend, hotels in close proximity to Zilker Park are already sold out, including the Hyatt and Embassy Suites. Hotels farther away, including the Sheraton at 11th Street and Interstate Highway 35 still have a few rooms left, Krauss said. P. Terry’s Burger Stand will be selling food at ACL all three days, as well as at its locations on South and North La-

mar boulevards and William Cannon Drive. Felix Pumarejo, the manager of the South Lamar location, said that although their business has not been affected much by the economic slump, the business looks forward to ACL weekend. “We sold about 15,000 hamburgers last year at the festival, which helps a lot with business in the area and brings in some money for our Barton Springs location,� Pumarejo said. The business was already setting up for the festival on Wednesday. Other local vendors at the venue will include Torchy’s Damn Good Tacos and Austin’s Pizza. Plan II sophomore Liz Roberts will be attending ACL for the sixth time this weekend. She began going as a freshman in high school with friends from her hometown of Midland. Roberts had visited Austin on trips prior to ACL, but Roberts said the festival is a unique experience. This year, she will play host to some of the same high school friends at her Austin apartment. “ACL is awesome because you get to see so many diverse people come out for one common event,� Roberts said. “This year, when my friends come into town, I’m the one that gets to show them around.�

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In Wednesday’s article “Friends hold ceremony for deceased UT student,� Andy Jones should be listed as a government and Plan 1 senior, and the date of the funeral was Wednesday. In Wednesday’s article “A new life in the ‘land of the free,’� the photo caption misspelled Fortaleza, Brazil. The Texan regrets the error.

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Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jillian Sheridan Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stephen Keller Associate Managing Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .David R. Henry, Ana McKenzie Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeremy Burchard, Dan Treadway, David Muto, Lauren Winchester News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vidushi Shrimali, Alex Geiser, Jim Pagels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Priscilla Totiyapungprasert, Melissa Pan Photographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jesus Montelongo, Shelley Newman, Derek Stout Life & Arts Writers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Molly Wahlberg, Javier Sanchez, Rene Huynh Videographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Debbie Finley Copy Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gabrielle Fontes, Carolyn Webb Comics Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gage Alvarez, Nam Nguyen, Rachel Weiss, Jermaine Alfonso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ryan Hailey, Kristi Rodriguez, Amelia Giller, Katie Smith Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kisa Punzalan Web Technician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jonathan Damrich Columnists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ashley Shew, Douglas Luippold

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Director of Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jalah Goette Retail Advertising Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brad Corbett Account Executive/Broadcast Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carter Goss Campus/National Sales Consultant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joan Bowerman Assistant to Advertising Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.J. Salgado Student Advertising Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathryn Abbas Student Advertising Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryan Ford Acct. Execs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lauren Aldana, Anupama Kulkarni, Ashley Walker, Natasha Moonka Taylor Blair, Tommy Daniels, Jordan Gentry, Meagan Gribbin, Jen Miller Classified Clerks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Teresa Lai Special Editions, Editorial Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elena Watts Web Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Danny Grover Special Editions, Student Editors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kira Taniguchi Graphic Designer Interns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amanda Thomas Senior Graphic Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Felimon Hernandez

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Thursday, October 1, 2009

T HE DAILY T EXAN

Chinese celebrate 60th anniversary of communist rule

Evan Vucci | Associated Press

The Senate Finance Committee’s ranking Republican, Sen. Charles Grassley, R- Iowa, second from left, talks to unidentified staffer as Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, second from right, reads prior to the start of the committee’s hearing on health care reform legislation.

Health bill nears committee vote By David Espo The Associated Press WASHINGTON — A White House-backed overhaul of the nation’s health care system survived a long day of Republican challenges over abortion, illegal immigration and other issues Wednesday, and the bill’s architect claimed enough votes for passage by the Senate Finance Committee, possibly by the end of the week. Emotions in Congress are running high as both houses edge nearer to floor votes on the legislation that is President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority. Republicans expressed out-

rage that one House Democrat summed up their alternative as an invitation to sick Americans to “die quickly.� “We’re coming to closure,� said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the Finance Committee chairman who has presided over daily sessions that began last week and occasionally stretched deep into the evening. “It’s clear to me we’re going to get it passed.� Baucus sidestepped when asked if he expected any Republican support. Olympia Snowe of Maine is the only GOP senator whose vote is in doubt, and she has yet to tip her hand. While

she has voted with Democrats on some key tests — to allow the government to dictate the types of coverage that must be included in insurance policies, for example — she has also sided with fellow Republicans on other contentious issues. Passage would clear the way for debate on the Senate floor on the bill, designed to accomplish Obama’s aims of expanding access to insurance as well as slowing the rate of growth in health care spending overall. The bill includes numerous consumer protections, such as limits on copays and deductibles, and relies

on federal subsidies to help lower-income families purchase coverage. Its cost is estimated at $900 billion over a decade. While the legislation would not allow the government to sell insurance in competition with private companies, as Obama and numerous Democrats would like, the White House was working to make a version cleared committee. Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, a Democrat who has been outspoken in his criticism of features of the bill, said Obama called him earlier in the day to seek support. “I was noncommittal,� the senator said.

By Charles Hutzler The Associated Press BEIJING — To mark 60 years of communist rule China put together its biggest-ever military parade: hundreds of thousands of marchers, batteries of goose-stepping soldiers and weaponry from drone missiles to amphibious assault vehicles. Everyone else, though, was asked to stay home. China blocked off its city center closing everything from Tiananmen Square to the Forbidden City as it readied for Thursday’s celebration, asking residents to tune into the events by television. Festivities surrounding the founding of the People’s Republic will feature President Hu Jintao reviewing chanting troops, a flyover by domestically made fighter jets and tens of thousands of students flipping cards to make pictures. Sixty floats celebrating China’s manned space program and other symbols of progress will follow the military convoy along the parade route through Tiananmen Square. The display is meant to underscore what the leadership calls the “revival of the great Chinese nation,� and the plans stirred both patriotism — and some unease at the pomp and firepower. “China’s international standing has risen in an unprecedented way. We feel extremely proud of the increasing strength and prosperity of our motherland,� Premier Wen Jiabao said in a nationally televised speech on the anniversary’s eve. The feel-good, if heavily scripted moment is tapping into Chinese pride surrounding the country’s turnaround from the warbattered, impoverished state the communists took over in 1949 to

the dynamic, third-largest world economy of today. The buoyant mood glosses over the country’s gut wrenching twists — the ruinous campaigns of revolutionary leader Mao Zedong that left tens of millions dead — as well as its current challenges: a widening gap between rich and poor, rampant corruption, severe pollution and ethnic uprisings in western areas of Tibet and Xinjiang. In a sign of concern about the social ferment unleashed by freemarket reforms, the government has suggested people in Beijing stay home to watch the parade on television. Security in Beijing has been intensifying for weeks over worries that protests, which are common in China, or an overexuberant crowd might mar the ceremonies. Parts of central Beijing were sealed off and businesses were told to shut down, beginning Tuesday. “How many hundreds of millions are being spent on the National Day troop review? Can you tell the taxpayers?� the prolific blogger Li Huizhi, a small businessman in southern Guangzhou city wrote on his popular blog Sunday. “Aren’t the possibly tens of billions in money spent perhaps a bit of a disservice to the people? Because in today’s China, there are countless places more in need of this money.� Explanations vary for why such elaborate festivities are being staged. Among them is the speculation that 60 is an auspicious number that plays well with Chinese who say it traditionally represents the full life of a person. The country’s leadership has avoided mention of anything to do with superstition, though.

West goes to Iran talks and readies sanctions By George Jahn The Associated Press GENEVA — The U.S. and five other world powers go to the table with Iran today to demand a freeze of its nuclear activities, and a senior U.S. official said Washington may seek rare face-to-face talks with Iranian diplomats. Even as they prepared for today’s talks, the U.S. and its allies were contemplating new and tighter sanctions on Tehran, in a clear signal of expectations that the negotiations may again end in failure. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary

Rodham Clinton suggested all six — the five permanent U.N. Security Council members and Germany — were of one mind on the need for Iran to meet international concerns on its refusal to stop uranium enrichment and heed other U.N. Security Council demands. “We support what the international community has said with a unified voice,� she told reporters at the United Nations. Iran’s choice, she said, is to agree to measures that “would guarantee that what they’re doing is solely for peaceful purposes — and the alternative track,

which is greater isolation and international pressure.� With the stakes raised by Tehran’s revelation last week of a secret uranium enrichment site, a move by the U.S. to break precedent and meet directly with Iran would reflect the Obama administration’s determination to get results at today’s gathering. Briefing reporters in Geneva, a senior U.S. official raised the possibility of a meeting between the Americans, represented by William Burns, the under secretary of state for political affairs, and Iran’s chief negotiator Saeed Jal-

WORLD BRIEFLY

British experts studied more than 17,000 children born in 1970 for about four decades. Of the children who ate candies or chocolates daily at age 10, 69 percent were later arrested for a violent offense by the age of 34. Of those who didn’t have any violent clashes, 42 percent ate sweets daily. The study was published in the October issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry. It was paid for by

Britain’s Economic and Social Research Council. The researchers said the results were interesting, but that more studies were needed to confirm the link. “It’s not that the sweets themselves are bad, it’s more about interpreting how kids make decisions,� said Simon Moore of the University of Cardiff, one of the paper’s authors. — The Associated Press

Study: Too much candy could lead to violent behavior, prison LONDON — Willy Wonka would be horrified. Children who eat too much candy may be more likely to be arrested for violent behavior as adults, new research suggests.

ili. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the talks. Such one-on-one negotiations would “offer an opportunity to reinforce the main concerns that we’ll be emphasizing in the meeting,� the official said. Also Wednesday, Iran’s foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, made an unusual visit to Washington after being granted a visa with striking speed by the State Department. The U.S. and Iran have not had formal diplomatic relations since the 1980 Iranian revolution.

The Associated Press

Soldiers hold pigeon patterns during a rehearsal for China’s 60th anniversary celebration performance in Beijing on Tuesday. A military parade and celebrations will be held in Central Beijing today.

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OPINION

4 Thursday, October 1, 2009

T HE DAILY T EXAN

HORNS UP, HORNS DOWN

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

GALLERY

Big bucks for bad management Fred Gilliam, Capital Metro’s chief executive officer and president since April 2002, announced his early retirement yesterday. Under his watch, Capital Metro’s reserves shrunk from $200 million to $3.8 million, according to The Austin American-Statesman and struggled through several strikes. It cancelled bus routes, and the MetroRail line originally scheduled to open 18 months ago will not open until 2010 at the earliest. Gilliam was a part of the chronic mismanagement that led to these problems. Despite this, his annual pension, when including the early retirement package offered to employees at Cap Metro, could exceed $92,750 annually. A substantial payoff for a man that has consistently failed to meet stated deadlines and whose poor planning has squandered millions of taxpayer dollars. It’s only fitting that his hefty pension will come at the taxpayers expense as well.

Austin declared “hip” Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal listed Austin as one of the top five cities in attractiveness for recent college graduates. The unscientific study was conducted by asking six experts for their picks on the “hottest, hippest destinations for highly mobile, educated workers in their 20s when the U.S. economy gets moving again.” The article pointed out that people between the ages of 18 to 29 are the nation’s most mobile age group. Where they settle can define cities’ futures and improve their economies. Seattle and Washington, D.C. tied for first place, followed by New York, Portland and Austin. Ross DeVol, director of regional economics for the nonprofit Milken Institute, said Austin’s high-tech, video game and renewable-energy sectors make it “a model for a thriving 21st-century knowledge-based community.” As young people in Austin, we can attest to Austin’s youth-friendly culture. Perhaps it should have ranked first.

Irritating remarks at A&M Texas A&M University System Chancellor Mike McKinney made several subtle jabs at UT this week in an online video message called “Notes from Dr. Mike.” “Texas A&M will not limit the number of top 10 percent,” McKinney said, apparently referring to UT’s new top 8 percent policy. Most irritatingly, McKinney makes a point of welcoming National Merit Scholars to Texas A&M. “We want you to know if you are a National Merit Scholar, we would love to have you at Texas A&M,” he said. “And I tell you, you would enjoy being at the university.” McKinney refers not to any additional incentive for National Merit Scholars at A&M, but to disconcertingly declining incentives at UT, which recently announced it will not be offering scholarships purely for National Merit Scholars. The money will instead go to need-based scholarships. While we understand that Texas A&M recruits bright students more actively than UT does because its admissions are far less competitive, we do not appreciate McKinnney’s jab at what we regard as a poor decision by UT’s leadership.

Tasing justice In May, an Austin police officer Tased a 72-year-old woman during a May traffic stop. The woman, a 4-foot-11 great-grandmother, refused to sign the speeding citation and belligerently dared the officer to Tase her. Now, she is asking for $135,000 from Travis County for her pain and suffering, her medical expenses and the humiliation she suffered, according to the Austin American-Statesman. She is also asking the county to review its policies and guidelines for the use of Tasers on elderly people. On Tuesday, commissioners unanimously approved $40,000 as their “firm” counteroffer. The disturbing video of the Tasing appeared on YouTube as well as news Web sites across the country. Choosing to Tase a small, elderly woman was a lapse in judgment by the officer. He inappropriately vented his frustration through an act of unnecessary violence. But $135,00 seems like an excessive demand on her part, especially considering her own bad behavior. We hope that the two parties settle soon and that police heed her recommendation that they change their policies on Tasing.

GALLERY

Don’t be an intern, run for office

By Douglas Luippold Daily Texan Columnist

Campus political organizations often feature local politicians at their meetings. Whether it is a meeting for University Democrats, College Republicans or the more extreme groups like Young Conservatives of Texas or the International Socialist Organization, there are certain phrases elected officials will often say to students. There will be a self-deprecating joke about the number of years it has been since he or she was a college activist. “When I was in college,” the speaker will claim, “everybody was a [insert opposite party].” Finally, the grand finale: “No matter where you stand, it is great to see young people involved in politics.” This is immediately followed by an “opportunity” to “work” for the campaign. You can’t blame them. Campaigns need free labor and students provide it. For many ambitious students, a line on a resume is like a line of cocaine, and the campaign is their sugar daddy. Campaigns claim to cherish youth involvement, and I’m sure many do. But what if instead of helping with the campaign, young people threatened it? Would these politicians be so encouraging if the names of young people were not on volunteer sign-up sheets but instead on a ballot? There is only one way to find out. People between the ages of 18 and 35 compose only about 5 percent of elected officials in America, according to the advocacy organization Young Elected Officials Network. This must change. Those born in the past 35 years came of age in a vastly different culture than older Americans who hold most public offices. The unique situation that younger

people face gives them an underutilized and more relevant outlook on many issues. While the idea of ageism in government is as old as politics, the Internet and new media now give younger people a legitimate chance to compete. Internet regulation and drug policy are just two of a host of issues that younger people have a unique understanding of. Ours is the first generation to grow up with personal computers and the Internet. It is imperative that members of this age demographic have a significant role shaping its laws. Many of the first Internet regulations are being established. Earlier this year, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 2003, which made it a third-degree felony to maliciously impersonate somebody online. The Austin American-Statesman reports that the Austin Police Department has started investigating those who impersonate city officials online. The Statesman stressed this issue’s growing importance, noting, “This is the second time in recent months that the department has confronted new social media.” It would be a travesty if the “Facebook Generation” did not craft these laws, which have critical implications for the future. Drug policy also needs input from younger people. Many of the people who crafted the failed “War on Drugs” did not directly experience the pervasiveness of drugs in their schools and communities. Those who grew up during the drug war have experienced it firsthand and see the need for change. Last January, the city of El Paso passed a resolution calling for an “honest, open national debate on ending the prohibition of narcotics.” The Economist describes its sponsor, Beto O’Rourke, as “a young city rep-

resentative.” Although the mayor vetoed the resolution, it inspired a conference on the subject at The University of Texas at El Paso. The impact of age extends beyond policy to worldview. Ours is the first generation to grow up in a world of absolute American hegemony. We have never faced a significant military or ideological threat from another nation. Perhaps claims that President Barack Obama is a communist and socialist have not resonated with younger people because such accusations do not resonate with those who never lived under a Soviet nuclear threat. To be sure, these generational rifts have always existed. The difference is that the Internet and new media now give young people the ability to actually run competitive races. The innovations are abundant. Blogs free candidates from reliance on mainstream media for exposure. Small online donations are replacing $1,000-a-plate dinners as candidates’ preferred form of fundraising. Voter registration Web sites are enfranchising voters in record numbers. Social networking sites make organizing events and recruiting volunteers easier than ever before. All of these innovations benefit younger candidates and diminish the organizational and financial advantages of older ones. Anyone who is skeptical should learn about Luke Ravenstahl, the 29-year-old mayor of Pittsburgh who hosted the world’s most powerful leaders at the G-20 Summit last week. Politically active Longhorns should seriously consider seeking office sooner, not later. The environment is ripe, the public needs it and “mayor” or “councilman” looks much better on a resume than “intern.” Luippold is a government and journalism junior

Music and Austin By Ashley Shew Daily Texan Columnist

LEGALESE

SUBMIT A COLUMN

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. All Texan editorials are written by the editorial board, which is listed in the top right corner of this page.

Have someting to say? Say it in print, and to the entire campus community. The Daily Texan Editorial Board welcomes submissions for guest columns. Columns must be between 500 and 700 words. Send columns to editor@dailytexanonline.com. The Texan reserves the right to edit all columns for clarity, brevity and liability if chosen for publication.

In the interest of connecting with my peers, I took to scanning the radio on a four-hour car trip home. Unfamiliar with Austin area radio stations, I took the opportunity to become a little more acquainted with them and a lot more acquainted with popular music. The radio stations follow the general Texas format. Near the ends of the spectrum, you hear various evangelical preaching and hymns. You might also catch some jazz. A little further in is the rock ‘n’ roll and country, and the middle has your hip-hop and pop. And oh, boy, is it a gem. Is anyone else shocked to the point of hysterics at what the kids are listening to these days? A contender for most outrageous song lyrics goes to Jamie Foxx’s “Blame It,” a classical ballad of temporary alcohol-induced affection. With lyrics like “feelin’ on your butt, what?” the Oscar winner and Grammy-nominated Foxx also demon-

strates his charm as a ladies’ man. Another highlight of my four hours on Interstate Highway 35 came in the form of Chamillionaire’s “I Look Good.” Apparently, Chamillionaire is under the impression that I don’t think he looks fly or good and wants to address the issue through song. His tone is defiant, and by the end, I was apologetic that I had ever thought of Chamillionaire as anything other than a well-dressed gentleman. My bad. Lady Gaga also serenaded me with lyrics like “bluffin’ with my muffin,” and Pitbull informed me of the king-sized mattress he owns. But there is hope for the world yet. Luckily, Austin is the live music capital of the world, and in my time here, I’ve had the chance to catch of glimpse of this. Yes, I can go downtown and bump about in the club to the Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow”, a song about nothing. Or I can hit up any number of awesome venues for original Austin fare. Mellow Mushroom and Austin’s Pizza regularly pump original live jams out of their

windows. One of the best nights I’ve had involved Mellow Mushroom pizza and Al Shire and the What Ifs. A friend and I recently explored the underground Austin punk rock scene in the Red River District. Bands like Born to Lose and Rubberhead, local Austin rockers, managed to simultaneously thrill and terrify me on stage. (At one point, a singer broke a bottle over his head and performed the rest of the show with a bloody face.) It was different, but it was real. Austin City Limits draws near, boasting scores of live original performances. I think I prefer Texas’ own ACL headliner Todd Snider ’s socio-political commentary to the superficial antics of the radio. In short, don’t let radio kill the music lover in you. While popular music has its place, there is something unique and genuine about Austin’s music scene that I discovered simply can’t be found in the hooks on the radio. Shew is a psychology junior

5 UNIV

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UNIVERSITY

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Federal grants benefit graduate students, faculty Money will support research while still benefiting community

Erik Reyna | Daily Texan Staff

Aaron Dewitt, a computer sciences freshman, inquires about his financial aid staus with scholarship counselor Leslie Davis at the Office of Student Financial Services. UT is facing higher demand this year for financial aid funding.

Budget losses affect financial aid

By Jim Pagels Daily Texan Staff While financial aid applications had been steadily increasing for years, the current economic downturn has caused the number of American students applying for financial support to jump. Nearly 90 percent of colleges and universities across the country saw an increased number of financial aid applicants, according to a recent survey by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Thomas Melecki, director of UT’s Student Financial Services, reported a similar trend at the University. Melecki said that there was a 4.6 percent increase in the number of students receiving aid and a 17 percent increase in the amount of aid distributed this year over last year. He said he was not sure whether this increase in funding

was merely due to the 2,000-student increase in enrollment. He said most additional financial aid would be distributed as loans or grants given from the state and federal government. “We are very grateful to Congress for the amount they put into grants, because without that, we fear the amount students would have to borrow would skyrocket,� he said. By the March 31 deadline for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the number of FAFSA applications filed was up about half of a percent from 2008. During the last legislative session, Texas lawmakers increased funding for the Texas Grant, the largest need-based grant program in the state. The national government also increased funding this year for Pell Grants, scholarships issued on the basis of financial need from the U.S. Department of Education.

“More students are qualifying for Pell Grants, and their grants could be about $200 or more [than last year],� Melecki said. More students could utilize work-study programs, but the majority of funds would come from loans or grants, he said. While the amount of aid given out based on need has increased, there has been a drop in many merit-based programs such as the National Merit Scholarship program. “We have a few more scholarship dollars this year than last because of new endowments created by alumni, but the growth in our scholarship programs has not been that great,� Melecki said. More than 11,000 students will receive some type of merit-based scholarship this year totaling More than $53 million. UT, along with most public universities, has been especial-

ly affected by the increased need for financial aid. This is due to significantly higher enrollment and transfer rates of students at public institutions than in previous years. This trend is apparent in the National Association for College Admission Counseling survey as 50 percent of public university admissions offices reported budget decreases, compared to 37 percent at private schools. These losses have affected not only students, but also the financial aid faculty themselves. According to the report, 29 percent of public institutions saw decreases in admissions staff versus 15 percent losses at private schools. For more information on financial aid, students can go to finaid. utexas.edu. Beginning Nov. 1, returning students can apply for continuing student scholarships.

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grants primarily benefit faculty researchers and graduate students but undergraduates indirectly benefit as well. “[Research grants] attract a high caliber of talent to not By Molly Triece only research but to teach in Daily Texan Staff The University received the classrooms,� he said. Undergraduates are also nearly $46.5 million of federal stimulus money in the form hired occasionally by gradof research grants — less than u a t e s t u d e n t s o r f a c u l other major research univer- ty researchers to assist in sities in states like California, lab work. “This is a one-time shot Massachusetts, New York and of revenue, you don’t want Pennsylvania. California received $453 mil- to rely on it for continuing lion in federal research grants year-in and year-out expenses,� said pubstate-wide, lic finance lecc o m p a re d t o turer Sherri the $91 million Greenberg. Texas received. Greenberg “Texas just said underdoesn’t have graduates the number of Each dollar of would receive tier-one unino tuition reversities you’d research money lief from the expect for a that comes into the stimulus dolstate of this state is worth five to l a r s b e c a u s e size,� said UT the same federChief Financial eight dollars in the al funding will Officer Kevin economy because it not be present Hegarty. creates jobs.� in next year ’s The funding budget. that Texas did — Kevin Hegarty She said the receive is funneled directUT Chief Financial g r a n t m o n will be felt ly to the projOfficer ey by all students ects the federbecause it will al government help the Uniearmarked. UT versity comreceived fundpete with othing for coner research instruction projstitutions. ects, includ“It’s all about getting to that ing building a new UT Data Center, as well as a number level where UT can pull in as of grants to fund scientific re- much money as [the University of California System],� search, Hegarty said. “Each dollar of research she said. “We’re trying to get money that comes into the to that level.� The grant money filters state is worth five to eight dollars in the economy because it down to the various improvements it allows the University creates jobs,� he said. Hegarty said the research to make, Greenberg said.

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Thursday, October 1, 2009

Banned books, censorship at center of discussion

Peyton McGee | Daily Texan Staff

Tom Moran, managing librarian of the Manchaca branch of the Austin Public Library, speaks about banned books and his oposition to censorship at Book People on Wednesday.

Annual ‘Blasphemy Day’ leads students to local bookstore for dialogue

derson spoke about censorship to a crowd of 20 people. Blasphemy Day marked the We like being a place of ideas, a marketplace where you day in 2005 that 12 cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Mucan learn about atheism and Christianity and gay rights.” hammad were published by a By Melissa Pan Danish newspaper and set off Daily Texan Staff — Alison Nihlean, Marketing Director Penguins, libel suits and chal- riots condemning the publicalenged books were among the tions. The day was created and topics discussed at BookPeople sponsored by the Center for Inon Wednesday evening for Blas- quiry, a nonprofit that promotes “The Center for Inquiry firm- should be treated no different skepticism and freedom of phemy Day. ly believes that religious beliefs than other subjects,” said Center UT law professor David An- expression.

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for Inquiry Austin executive director Clare Wuellner. “Religion should be able to be examined and criticized.” Anderson spoke about blasphemy and how it relates to censorship. “There have been so many libel suits brought by Muslims accused of terrorism that people describe it as a ‘legal jihad,’” Anderson said. “None of the suits have been successful.”

The bookstore chose to host Blasphemy Day because it falls in the middle of Banned Books Week, according to its marketing director Alison Nihlean. “We like being a place of ideas, a marketplace where you can learn about atheism and Christianity and gay rights,” Nihlean said. Tom Moran, managing librarian of the Manchaca branch of the Austin Public Library, spoke about banned books. “Students have to be well versed in their freedom as citizens,” Moran said. “That means protecting things like free press and the freedom to read.” UT library sciences graduate student Erica Leu attended Wednesday night. She teaches English as a Second Language and reading at a middle school. “When you ban books, more people will just want to read it,” Leu said. According to the American Library Association’s Web site, a challenge is “an attempt to remove or restrict materials based upon the objections of a person or group.” Books are considered banned when they are actually removed from libraries. From 2001 to 2008, less than 75 out of 3,736 challenged books occurred in college libraries, according to the American Library Association. “There are only two kinds of people who would want to censor anything — the government and religion,” said Chase Hammock, a member for the center. “They have something to lose.” In 2008, the children’s picture book “And Tango Makes Three,” based on the true story of two male penguins adopting a baby penguin in a zoo, topped the American Library Association’s list for most frequently challenged books. Religious objections were among the reasons for challenging the book, according to the organization. When asked by an audience member if the male penguins were really gay, Moran said, “That’s not my area of expertise.”

Ban on flavored cigarettes distressing to shop owners By Alex Geiser Daily Texan Staff Smoke shops and corner stores were dealt a blow by the passage of a bill that made flavored cigarettes illegal to sell. The ban is part of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act that President Barack Obama signed into law June 22. The law took effect on Sept. 22. Retailers who did not sell their stock before the law took effect are now unable to and will not receive government reimbursement. Menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars and other flavored tobacco products do not fall under the ban. “It’s incredible that they would do that to a small businessman in the middle of a recession,” said John Gibbs, senior employee at local novelty shop Planet K. “It’s not fair, and it’s at the worst possible time.” Gibbs, who smoked flavored cigarettes from India before the ban, said Planet K saw a 20 percent decline in revenue the day the law went into effect. In spite of the law, he said people will continue to shell out the extra

cash to purchase these products on the underground market. “No matter how hard they make it, people are going to smoke,” he said. The new law also created the Center for Tobacco Control, part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to regulate tobacco products. FDA spokeswoman Kathleen Quinn said the office was established in mid-August to ensure compliance with the smoking prevention act. Quinn said menthols will be looked at individually to determine whether a future ban will be enforced. “The law makes an exception for menthol cigarettes because we are required to convene an expert panel to look at it by itself,” Quinn said. Greg Matthew, a spokesman for Altria, the parent company of Phillip Morris USA and U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, said the company supports the entirety of the smoking prevention act. “It would add predictability to the tobacco industry,” he said, explaining that it would set stan-

dard rules and regulations for the industry. “It would ultimately benefit consumers because it would guide the tobacco industry on developing products that could potentially reduce the harm of tobacco products.” A 2008 National College Health Assessment survey found that 15 percent of UT students had smoked cigarettes within 30 days of being questioned. The percentage is on par with those at other college campuses, said Sandi Cleveland, manager of the Health Promotion Resource Center at the University Health Services Center. Cleveland said banning flavored cigarettes could curb smoking among younger age groups, but that flavored cigarettes are no more dangerous than flavorless cigarettes. She said 90 percent of adult smokers started smoking before age 19. “Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.,” she said. “It’s a way to restrict what is seen as a gateway to nicotine addiction. I would support any measure to prevent anyone to start smoking.”

Photo Illustration by Shelley Neuman| Daily Texan Staff

With a law that took effect September 22, the FDA has banned the sale and production of all cigarettes containing flavored tobacco.

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

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Thursday, October 1, 2009

T HE DAILY T EXAN

FOOTBALL

TEXAS 3

TEXAS A&M 0

Longhorns sweep to stay perfect

Break gives Longhorns opportunity to recharge Longhorns as ready for weekend as fans, but won’t settle for complacency

Photos by Shelley Neuman | Daily Texan Staff

Above, Texas’ Jennifer Doris and Rachael Adams played pivotal roles in Wednesday night’s win over the Aggies. Doris finished with one solo block and two kills, while Adams contributed four kills and two blocks. Below, Outside hitter Amber Roberson goes for the ball during Wednesday’s game.

Aggies take advantage of early struggles but can’t hold on late By Jordan Godwin Daily Texan Staff A recent trend that’s becoming a tradition at Texas A&M is to morph into a completely different team when facing Texas. Just as its football team has done in three of the past four seasons, the Texas A&M volleyball team showed up in a big way for the rivalry game. But just like the football game last season, Texas put the Aggies in their place. The Aggies walked into Gregory Gym unranked and unadorned with a 9-2 record over a weak lineup save for one game – a huge upset over No. 6 Nebraska two weeks ago, and Texas volleyball head coach Jerritt Elliott warned his play-

ers that A&M would be a threat. “Everyone on our team knew what A&M was capable of,” said outside hitter Destinee Hooker. “I’ve played against them for three years now, and I know how much this rivalry means.” The Aggies’ early 4-0 lead did not rattle the electric Gregory Gym crowd of 4,229, and after a Texas timeout, they quickly pulled the Longhorns to a 6-6 tie. After outside hitter Juliann Faucette assisted on a block that gave Texas its first lead, she shook her head, smiling as if she knew the outcome. Texas took their first lead of the set at 10-9, but the duel

Lone Star Showdown proves that rivalry is more about pride than numbers

Gym at 9-2 on the season and with a nine-match losing streak to Texas. But for this intrastate rivalry, all the numbers can be thrown out the window as A&M battled Texas to 29 ties and nine lead changes. “I think it just shows that A&M is a great team,” Faucette said. “Rankings don’t matter, especially with a rivalry like this. It’s awesome to have that rivalry and to be able to be pushed because at the end of the year, that’s how it’s going to be.” But having a team come in and play Texas to the wire like the Ag“I think that because we’re Tex- the same mentality that at any gies were able to do on Wednesday as, we have such a big target on our point in time we can be challenged. is no different than what the Horns back,” Faucette said. “Every week, PRIDE continues on page 8 face every match in the long season. we go into these matches and have

By Chris Tavarez Daily Texan Staff Forget the fact that Texas A&M came into this match as an unranked opponent. The Aggies were playing No. 2 Texas like they were the No. 3 team in the nation during this edition of the Lone Star Showdown. “They played like [a ranked team] tonight,” said junior outside hitter Juliann Faucette. “It was a great match.” The Aggies came into Gregory

By Blake Hurtik Daily Texan Staff The second-ranked Longhorns don’t even have an opponent this weekend, but they might be facing their biggest challenge yet. It’s a problem Texas coach Mack Brown repeatedly alluded to during his post-game comments after the blowout win over UTEP: complacency. “Now, we’ll have to be really careful that people don’t brag on this performance so much that our guys get complacent and lackadaisical,” Brown said after the game while referencing last weekend’s slew of upsets. Having an October bye week for the first time since 1999 while coming off one of the most offensively prolific games in school history could cause more harm than good, but Brown’s words resonated with his players. “It’s really easy to slip off and really not do that much in the off week, but we’ve taken advantage of it so far,” said quarterback Colt McCoy. “We’re using it wisely.” “It’s a good time to get some extra work in and get a beat on the next game,” said defensive tackle Lamarr Houston. The Longhorns (4-0) have welcomed the bye week as a chance to relax a little and, more importantly, heal. The team has dealt with numerous minor injuries through the first four weeks. End Sergio Kindle, defensive back Aaron Williams, running backs Vondrell McGee and Fozzy Whittaker, center Chris Hall and others have all been nicked up. A week’s rest will do them all good. “We’ve got a lot of guys banged up that we feel do have a chance to get well and should be ready for Colorado,” Brown said. Brown gave the team Monday off and plans to not hold practice on Friday or Saturday. Normal, pre-game preparation will begin Sunday evening and with an

BYE continues on page 8

STRUGGLE continues on page 8

Caleb Miller | Daily Texan Staff

Texas safety Earl Thomas looks to ready himself for Colorado during the week off. The Buffaloes offense uses sets different from the previous four opponents.

ALLDECADE

Defensive ends rush for spots alongside Texas greats on All-Decade Team and get to the quarterback. Redding was named an All-American in 2001 and 2002. He led a defense that ranked in the top 20 for yards allowed per game in his final three seasons, including the nation’s top defense in 2001.

ing Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Since day one, Wright showed that he would be a force to be reckoned with. He had 17.5 sacks in his career and a big interception return for a touchdown which ended Oklahoma’s dominance of the Longhorns in the early part of the decade. He Brian Orakpo was a First Team All-American in Winner of the 2008 Nagurski 2005 in addition to being a LomAward for best defensive player, bardi Award finalist. the Lombardi Award for the nation’s top lineman and the Hendricks Award for the nation’s top Frank Okam Okam was one of the most defensive end, Orakpo was the beast of the Texas defense from feared run stoppers in the Big 2005 to 2008. Orakpo complete- 12 during his time on the 40 ly embarrassed the opposing of- Acres. Okam had 111 tackles durfensive line on almost every play. ing his college career, including Of his 22 career sacks, 11.5 were nine sacks. Although five of his made in 2008, earning him the sacks occurred in the 2007 seahonor of a consensus All-Ameri- son, Okam fell off a bit in his seCory Redding can. He had 132 career tackles, 38 nior year, which ended up severeThree of his four seasons at Tex- of which were for a loss, and six ly hurting his draft status. as occurred during this decade in forced fumbles. which Redding had 20 of his 22 Tim Crowder career sacks and 55 tackles for a A defensive end out of Tyler, loss. Redding was double-teamed Rodrique Wright Wright came into Austin and Crowder was another playmaker almost every snap but still managed to get by the offensive line dominated as a freshman, earn- that left his mark at the UniversiBy Dan Hurwitz Daily Texan Staff Editor’s Note: This is the fourth part of a season-long series which will conclude with the all-decade team picked by The Daily Texan staff. The past 10 years of Texas football have been unlike any in history. Mack Brown has lifted the program back to its elite status and by the looks of it, the Longhorns will remain among the best for a long time. One of the biggest strengths of the Longhorns over the past 10 years has been their ability to stop the run. Texas has been able to do this because of its defensive ends, which have dominated the Big 12.

ty. In his four years, Crowder had 19 sacks, 190 tackles and two interceptions. Crowder earned himself numerous All-Big 12 awards as well as being named in AllAmerican in 2006.

Marcus Tubbs Tubbs had 15.5 sacks from 2000 to 2003 including being named to the All-Big 12 First Team in 2003. Tubbs made 207 tackles, 41 of which were for a loss. He also had 64 quarterback pressures and five forced fumbles.

Brian Robison Robison was one of the most underrated players in Texas football history, being overshadowed by the likes of Okam, Crowder, Aaron Ross, Michael Griffin and Michael Huff. Robison had 181 career tackles and 15 sacks. He was also a big contributor on special teams tying a school record Caleb Miller | Daily Texan file photo for most blocked kicks in a season with four of his six career blocked Former All-American Brian Orakpo wreaked havoc for quarterbacks as a Longhorn. Orakpo is now in the NFL with the Washington Redskins. kicks in 2003.

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Thursday, October 1, 2009

PRIDE: Despite being unranked, Aggies come ready

STRUGGLE: Texas regroups,

finishes strong with victory From page 7 continued. A&M narrowly missed the 24-23 set point by less than a foot, and Texas pounced on the opportunity to take the set 28-26. In total, there were 18 ties and seven lead changes. “It took us a while to find our rhythm in the first set,� Faucette said. “They were serving the heck out of the ball, and we had to adjust.� In the second set, the Aggies opened with the fire they had in the first set, but it began to dwindle after losing an 11-6 lead. The Longhorns got hot and went on to command the set, winning 25-20. “Our rhythm got better be-

cause of our passing,� Elliott said. “Michelle [Kocher] came in and really provided a good dynamic in setting up our hitters.� After the break, the burnt orange crowd seemed to expect a quick victory, and the maroonclad faithful carried the bulk of the energy. A&M kept pace early, but Texas built a five-point lead and didn’t allow a tie for the rest of the match, finishing the sweep 25-21. “They really played tough and gave us a challenge,� Faucette said after finishing with 14 kills, second only to Hooker’s 17. “We knew they’d come in wanting to beat us but vice versa, and we got a big win.�

BYE: Brown admits

Shelley Neuman | Daily Texan Staff

players will look ahead to Oklahoma

Outside hitter Bailey Webster goes up for the kill in the third set of Wednesday night’s matchup against Texas A&M. Webster, a freshman, saw limited action against Texas’ biggest in-state rival.

From page 7 Every week we are pushed.� The fact that they wear burnt orange for their matches isn’t the only reason the team has a target on its back. Texas is ranked second in both the American Volleyball Coaches Association and the Volleyball Magazine polls and trails two-time defending NCAA

Champion Penn State by only eight points in the Volleyball Magazine poll. With an unblemished record of 10-0 that includes eight ranked opponents that have fallen to Texas, the Longhorns could make an easy argument for that No. 1 ranking. But at this point in the season, rankings are beyond the scope of what head coach Jerritt Elliott is focused on.

“[Our ranking] doesn’t matter,� Elliott said. “It really doesn’t matter. The polls have nothing to do with the NCAA in regard to how they seed teams. There’s still a long way to go, it’s still only September, and it’s going to be tough to go through the season in the Big 12, and we’ve got to do everything we can to keep this team focused and rested and understand-

ing what the task ahead is.� While it’s not the No. 1 ranking Elliott is focused on, that task ahead still includes the number “one.� “We’re concerned about what the NCAA is going to do with our RPI so that we can be hopefully a No. 1 seed overall if we’re able to take care of our matches,� Elliott said.

NCAA FOOTBALL

Snead’s struggles serve as motivation By Chris Talbott The Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. — Jevan Snead’s got no rhythm. The Mississippi quarterback has been noticeably out of sync this season, completing less than 50 percent of his passes, and the No. 21 Rebels are suffering for it. He’ll miss a simple pass to the flat, then complete a difficult throw into coverage. His general lack of consistency resembles his early struggles last year, struggles he figured he put behind him while guiding Ole Miss on a six-game winning streak to end the season. “I was hoping to get into a rhythm quicker this year but obviously haven’t been able to do that,� Snead said. “That’s one of

the things we’re trying to correct.� Last week’s 16-10 loss to South Carolina shined a spotlight on Snead’s troubles. He’s been out of whack all season, but it has been easy to overlook the mistakes. Against Memphis, it was the team’s first game and Snead finished strong with two late touchdowns. Against Southeastern Louisiana, he threw three touchdowns a week after a bout with the flu and attending his grandfather’s funeral. Still, things seemed amiss even though he extended his record of games with multiple touchdowns to eight. Then he hit a low ebb against South Carolina, completing seven of 21 passes for 107 yards. He got moving late again with a sec-

ond-half touchdown pass, but he couldn’t rally the team to a win. And as Snead goes, so goes the Ole Miss offense. Up and down. Brilliant one moment, befuddling the next. “That’s probably been one of the most disappointing things, not being able to really come out and get in that rhythm like we are accustomed to,� coach Houston Nutt said. “Keeping the ball, getting first downs and putting points on the board, it has taken us too long to get going. I expect that to change now. I really do.� And when it comes to building rhythm, Nutt says Snead is the conductor. He listed several ways the junior can return the team to balance this week at Vanderbilt, the team that picked off Snead

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four times last season. “It’s just hitting open receivers,� Nutt said. “Don’t see ghosts. Don’t expect something (on the offensive line) to collapse or don’t feel like you have to concentrate on what is below you. We want his eyes downfield like he did last year. Just play the game like he is capable of playing. When he does that, our team moves.� And Snead had the offense moving like a well-oiled machine over the second half of last season. He had 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions during a 3-4 start, then figured it all out. The Stephenville, Texas, native threw 16 touchdown passes against three interceptions during a six-game win streak to end the season. He finished with 2,762 yards, 26 touchdowns and everyone’s attention. He was the sexy pick as longshot Heisman Trophy candidate and the pundits declared him a better draft option than guys named Tebow and McCoy. The school even started a Web site — www.need4snead. com — to help promote him. Snead has been good-natured about all the attention, but has clearly been uncomfortable. To deal with the overwhelming demand for his time the school’s media relations staff has given Snead a slot after Nutt at the school’s weekly news conference, something not done at Ole Miss since Eli Manning was quarterback. Snead was asked how he felt at the podium. “I didn’t ask for the podium,� he said in a lighthearted moment. “It wasn’t my idea. I was just told to be here and I showed up. I feel honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as Eli or any great quarterback.� Snead, who has completed 35 of 71 passes for 491 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions, can’t explain why he’s having such a rough start. He refuses to blame troubles along the offensive line or with a young group of receivers. Snead may be willing to shoulder the burden alone, but teammate Dexter McCluster says the quarterback isn’t the only piece of the offense still trying to get on track. “I think we have to have all 11 on the same page and that’s something we haven’t had,� McCluster said. “Sometimes the receiver is open, but he didn’t have the protection to get it there. Sometimes it’s a misread or a miscommunication.� “But if we have everybody on the same page, all 11, I think we’ll be all right. I know he will be all right once we start clicking,� he said.

May-Ying Lam | Daily Texan file photo

Texas defensive tackle Lamarr Houston will use the week to prepare for Colorado as the Buffaloes present a new defensive challenge. tight ends and backs instead of four or five receivers. early-morning, 5:45 a.m. practice “It’s just a different mentality,� next Monday. said end Sam Acho. “We’re conFor the team’s three practic- fident in our ability [to stop the es this week, Texas coaches have run], but we know we can get been using the time to work on better.� fundamentals, especially with Brown also said that the team the younger players. will be looking ahead a bit at “You work the older ones on Oklahoma. The Red River Rivalthings they need ry game is a little to clean up, and less than three then you’ll work weeks away. a lot with the That may not younger guys,� seem like much Brown said. “It an off week It’s a good time to get of gives you time to most, but the to go back and some extra work in.� c o a c h e s a n d work on fundaplayers will get — Lamarr Houston to enjoy a weekmentals.� To the playTexas defensive tackle end of football ers, the practicfrom a fan’s peres have a bit of a spective. Houspreseason camp ton plans to have feel to them. some of the play“It’s a lot like two-a-days,� ers over at his house to watch said safety Earl Thomas. “We’re Saturday’s games, while Brown going against our offense, just said he’ll hole up in a room in giving them different looks and his house that has three TVs, all helping them out.� tuned to football. But there’s still plenty of “I’ll be a tailgater in my game-planning taking place. house,� Brown said. Texas has begun to look at Which games will they keep Colorado’s power-running an eye on? The Oklahoma/Migame, a change of pace from ami matchup may pique their the four spread offenses that interests. the Longhorns have faced in “I don’t know, I might just each game so far. The Buffa- have to do that,� McCoy said loes use sets with multiple with a grin.

From page 7

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SPORTS BRIEFLY Key players declared ineligible for ‘09 due to academic issues Sophomore Christian Scott and junior Brandon Collins will miss the remainder of the football season with academic ineligibility, the NCAA announced Monday. The pair has missed all four games of Texas’ (4-0) season and had their appeals turned down after lengthy consideration. Senior cornerback Deon Beasley, the third member of the group that was ruled ineligible before the season began, won his appeal and returned to the squad after missing the first two games. Scott, a safety, was slated as a co-starter with fellow sophomore Blake Gideon and part of a three-

man rotation in the defensive backfield along with Earl Thomas. Collins was expected to start at wide receiver after impressing in the late stages of 2008 and replacing the graduated Quan Cosby. He finished with 35 catches for 430 yards and three touchdowns last year. Both players will remain on the team and continue practicing. “We’re disappointed for Brandon and Christian that they won’t be able to play this season, but they will continue to practice with the team and work toward earning their degrees, which is the ultimate goal,� said Texas head coach Mack Brown. “They both have two years of eligibility remaining, so they’ll help us in practice this year and then get back to competing for playing time in the spring.� — Michael Sherfield

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Thursday, October 1, 2009

No ‘biggie’

Advertising strategies no longer have ‘passive role’ By Priscilla Totiyapungprasert Daily Texan Staff It has been 15 years since marketing strategist Ian Wolfman has set foot on the UT campus. After watching the marketing and advertising landscape change globally, the former student returned Wednesday to discuss how digital media has transformed the marketing industry. Advertising and communication students filled the seats and aisles of the amphitheater in the AT&T Conference Center as Wolfman spoke about the shift of control from the marketers to the consumers and why marketers should focus more on the relationship between brands and people. Wolfman said in this new era of marketing, consumers no longer play a passive role in being persuaded to make a purchase. Through media outlets such as social networking Web sites, cell phone programs and the Internet, consumers can share opinions and interact with other consumers. Marketers must move beyond telling the consumer what a product does and how it will make them feel, he said. “It’s not enough to find out what the target audience wants and give them a persuasive message in a voice they like the most,� Wolfman said in an interview. Before the technology boom, advertisers used one-way communication channels such as television, radio and print. Nowadays, marketers must build longlasting relationships by reaching consumers through interactive channels such as iPhone applications and reiterating brand values, such as a company’s commitment to eco-friendliness, Wolfman said. “The digital media was a catalyst this,� he2008 said. “Consumday, for month day, ers want to know where the company stands before they purchase anything.� Wolfman also criticized schools who still teach antiquated marRTISE NT keting strategies E ADVE TUtoDstudents. Advertising S professor N! IsabelYOUR NIZsaid ATIOthe la Cunningham College A of Communication has a research ORG program on interactive media. “We’re not teaching outdated methods, and we introduced interactive advertising several years ago,� Cunningham said. Advertising freshman Andrea Hamann, who attended the presentation, said she felt that with customized advertisements through media such as Facebook, marketers cater to individual interests and brand loyalties. “Before, I used to never pay attention to ads,� Hamann said. “Now, it’s like I can’t help but pay attention because they’re based on my interests.�

Shelley Neuman | Daily Texan Staff

Camille Cline paints a fish she named “Biggie� on the face of 3-year-old Elle Kozusko at the Austin Farmer’s Market in the Triangle on Wednesday afternoon.

Ex-official offers students practical career advice By Vidushi Shrimali Daily Texan Staff A former White House aid during the George W. Bush administration encouraged students to take an active role in government Wednesday, calling on them to be known as ‘results’ people. The Center of Politics and Governance under the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs sponsored Clay Johnson, former deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, to speak about his experiences as a public official with considerable influence in the federal government. Some students, including government senior Garrett Mize, came hoping to gain advice to use in the future when entering public policy themselves. “A lot of times, people get into government not knowing how to achieve goals. What’s great about [Johnson] is that he’s goal-oriented,� Mize said. “He gave us realworld examples [of] achiev[ing] our ‘preferred outcomes.’� Veronica Stidvent, the director of the Center for Politics and Governance, interned in a department under the OMB while John-

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of the Bush family, he served as former Gov. George W. Bush’s chief of staff and selected officials for Bush’s administration. While Johnson worked in the OMB from 2003 to 2008, he took on the heavy task of evaluating the effectiveness of federal programs and agencies. His work led to discoveries of misuse of government funding, which he and his team worked to reduce by $7 billion. Johnson said the federal government is a large body that often gets misled and confused and forgets to keep a goal, what he calls a “desired income,� in mind. “Fed[eral] government is the largest, most complex organ in the world,� Johnson said. “There is the most unbelievable amount of public scrutiny over everything that takes place, and political leaders of administration change every two, three, four years. There are changes at the top that take a long time, so they have to focus on desired outcomes.� Johnson encouraged students to follow additional steps if they wished to properly serve the public: keeping a clear plan in mind and maintaining transpar-

son presided as director and said Johnson is renowned for what many consider to be the best reform of the federal government’s management practices in modern times, as well as a successful presidential transition from Bill Clinton to George W. Bush. “He was one of the president’s closest advisors. He had significant influence on management

reform and successfully made significant reforms to the federal workforce,� Stidvent said. “He placed a new emphasis on results and measuring those results.� Johnson graduated from Yale University in 1968 with a bachelors in administrative sciences and holds an masters degree from MIT Sloan School of Management. A close longtime friend

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Jesus Montelongo | Daily Texan Staff Contact Joan atClay512-232-2229 or email joanw@mail.utexas.edu Johnson, former Office of Management and Budget deputy director,

delivers a speech at Bass Lecture Hall targeting students who hope to work in public policy. He shared his past experiences and offered his audience tips on becoming successful public sector professionals.

ency in work. “There has to be a relevance to performance, there has to be transparency in work,� Johnson said. “That’s not to say you take privileged information and make it available to the public. But in general, the people whose money we are spending, the Congress, the press, has to know what’s going, or they will make it out to be worse than it is. It will make your life harder if you don’t surround your work with transparency.� Johnson told the audience to be dedicated, perseverant and always focused on results in their future public careers. “I encourage you all to go into public service and serve your country. It is hard work and maybe there is an occasional thrill, but it is really, really awarding,� Johnson said. “I want you to be that person who is constantly irritating. You be the person people call ‘the results person.’ You go in there not to make money, but to have the experience of a lifetime, to make a big difference. Don’t settle for ‘we are going to pass a bill’ or ‘we’ve got some money to spend’; focus on the desired outcome.�

ADVERTISING TERMS There are no refunds or credits. In the event of errors made in advertisement, notice must be given by 10 am the first day of publication, as the publishers are responsible for only ONE incorrect insertion. In consideration of The Daily Texan’s acceptance of advertising copy for publication, the agency and the advertiser will indemnify and save harmless, Texas Student Media and its officers, employees and agents against all loss, liability, damage and expense of whatsoever nature arising out of the copying, printing or publishing of its advertisement including without limitation reasonable attorney’s fees resulting from claims of suits for libel, violation of right of privacy, plagiarism and copyright and trademark infringement. All ad copy must be approved by the newspaper which reserves the right to request changes, reject or properly classify an ad. The advertiser, and not the newspaper, is responsible for the truthful content of the ad. Advertising is also subject to credit approval.

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11 ENT

11

LIFE&ARTS

Thursday, October 1, 2009

ART: Henry uses unusual media choices From page 12

Daniela Trujillo | Daily Texan Staff

Adreon Henry, a local artist, demonstrates his silk screening process in an in-house studio where he works.

the decade since his Taiwan commission, he has refined his skills and redefined his focus. Without a doubt, the objects scattered about his workspace are a testament to the ever-shifting focal points of Henry’s collections. “Everything in his environment has potential to be art,� said artist Jen Bradley, the curator of Henry’s latest show, “Nightclubbing� at Super! Alright!. “Adreon is an avid collector of anything that sets off the synapses in his brain. He cannot pass up a record store, a garage sale or the chance to peruse through the trash.� Even amid the ebb and flow of found objects that Henry fetches off the floor at Kinko’s and out of trash piles around Austin, there is a cohesive identifying quality to his work. This quality may be Henry’s fresh techniques and non-traditional media choices, the quirky shapes of his sketched figures or even the tongue-in-cheek captions that crop up in a few of his pieces. But what demarcates a Henry work is the undemanding nature of it. Without trying to make a statement, Henry still can. He doesn’t burden viewers with enigmatic symbolism or pretentious non-art set up in a gallery space. Henry’s works are at once easy to look at, detailed and thought-provoking — a refreshing combination in contemporary art.

DANCE: Students

BEE: Musical appeals to the

find confidence tastes of children, adults in ballroom class From page 12 From page 12 because I have always wanted to dance and be like Ginger Rogers with Fred Astaire,� said Ellen Browne, a TA for the Tuesday/ Thursday sections of the class. Campbell holds auditions for new TAs each semester, and even though she cannot pay them for their help, the competition is stiff. “I decided to try out at first because I wanted to know if I was good enough to be a TA,� said Carlos Chavez, a sociology junior and ballroom TA. “I just love dancing and teaching so much that it’s became almost an obsession. It’s a compliment when students come up and ask me to teach them. That’s my incentive.� It’s for students like these that Campbell wants to continue to build the program. She said she would love to offer more intermediate sections of the class, as well as add an advanced section for those students who really want to master the dances. “It’s not just about dancing, it’s about connecting with others,� she said fervently. “It’s a social sport. It builds confidence. It’s amazing to see how different people come out of here. They learn how to hold their body, and hold others and dance well. I love seeing the transformation.�

One of the most poignant scenes comes from the inner turmoil of Lucy Jennings’ Olive, who desperately tries to impress her absent parents. In “The I Love You Song,� she reveals her true feelings about the spelling bee, pleading for her ghostlike parents to take notice of her attempts. It is a beautiful and chilling moment, and Jennings has the ability to pull out all of the character’s vulnerability, making her not only plead with her parents,

but to the audience as well. “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee� is definitely a crowd pleaser and even involves the crowd. The first act relies a lot on improvisation, as members of the audience are asked to participate in the spelling bee itself. Kids will appreciate all the zany characters while adults can absorb the more mature humor peppered throughout the musical. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee� continues at the Zach Theatre until Oct. 25.

Photo courtesy of Zach Scott Theatre

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,� a musical nominated for six Broadway Tony Awards, is being performed through Oct. 25 at Zach Scott Theatre.

TREATS: Coffee house offers tea selection, hookah, wine, desserts From page 12

of white, red, yellow, oolong, a y u r v e d i c , f l o w e re d , t w i g , of varying shapes and patterns pu’erh, mate, infusion and chai. If enjoying a simple cup of tea on display. The server hands you two at Jade Leaves is starting to sound menus: one with food and one like a serious undertaking, don’t with tea. It’s like scanning the worry — tea expert So-Han Fan elaborate wine list at a ritzy res- is often available to answer questaurant, while an expert rattles tions or recommend teas accordoff subtleties between similar- ing to your individual inclinations. Otherwise, the tea menu itsounding choices. Jade Leaves offers 12 differ- self is rife with interesting facts on ent types of green tea (three each selection’s historical origin Japanese, nine Chinese), not to and properties. As you leisurely sip teas with mention the numerous blends

without the assistance of an expert. La Tazza Fresca offers both standard blends (e.g. English The tea menu itself is rife with interesting facts on Breakfast, Earl Grey) as well as each selection’s historical origin and properties. different types of mate (e.g. Rasberry, Chocolate Solstice). Unlike the Tea Embassy and Jade Leaves, this is more of a place to order a names like “West Lake Drag- La Tazza Fresca “regular� instead of venturing to on Well� and “High Mountain 519 W. 37th St. try bold new blends on each visit. Cloudiness� from a traditional Hours: Monday Saturday 8 a.m. – 2 Besides its tea selection, La TazChinese gaiwan, you might begin za Fresca offers hookah, wine, an to feel like you really are in Bei- a.m., Sunday, 9 a.m. – 2 a.m. OK, OK, this is a coffee house. amazing coffee menu, Mediterrajing during the Ming Dynasty inBut it’s perfect for the casual tea nean snacks and scrumptious desstead of in Austin off of Guadaldrinker who seeks some variety serts. Eccentric paintings of owls upe Street.

“DREW BARRYMORE HAS DIRECTED A WORK OF PURE GENIUS.�

and cats line the walls, and a stack of board games like “Battleship� and “Scrabble� are available for some old-school entertainment. The small coffee shop facilitates an intimate, mellow environment for catching up with friends, studying late at night or enjoying tunes by the local musicians who play on weekends. Although it’s not a tea house, La Tazza Fresca may serve as the appropriate place for transitional tea drinkers still married to their coffee culture.

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12 LIFE

LIFE&ARTS

12

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Life&Arts Editor: Leigh Patterson E-mail: lifeandarts@dailytexanonline.com Phone: (512) 232-2209 www.dailytexanonline.com

T HE DAILY T EXAN

Local artist surrounds himself in everyday art

Tea houses near campus are a tasty find

Adreon Henry’s chaotic workspace sheds light on his unique approach By Mary Lingwall Daily Texan Staff An aluminum foil-covered wall, a detailed plastic mask of a sorrel horse face and a lamp made of metal piping and candy-colored ice pops — these are but a few of the items that confront visitors of artist Adreon Henry’s eccentric work space. Deeper into the closets and shelves are more masks, tubing, paints, glosses, silk-screens, canvases, scraps of vinyl and artworks of varying sizes. Where there isn’t a dilapidated piano, there’s a vinyl record collection. Judging from the accoutrements that he chooses to surround himself with, Adreon Henry might be mistaken for a scatterbrained child or a zany collector of pop culture artifacts. And while he does show an anachronistic combination of a child’s enthusiasm and a seasoned antique collector’s love of all things random, a closer inspection of Henry’s eclectic surroundings sheds light on his identity as an artist. While Henry does paint, take photographs and partake in other more traditionally “artistic” endeavors, his most unique pieces are very physically intensive works on non-traditional media. These pieces require more innovation than classical training. Some of Henry’s most distinct works are his large distressed pieces. What appears to be tile from a distance is in fact strips of vinyl woven together (sometimes intermixed with strips of canvas), painted and either left slick or sanded down for a subtle industrial feel. “I like the idea of getting more textures in the pieces,” Henry said. “I spent a long time in West Texas; the way the abandoned buildings looked and the signage and stuff — that inspired me to do [projects] like this.” Although Henry lives and works in Austin and shows his work in metropolitan cities around the nation, he actually stumbled into his artistic career when he began a skateboard company based in Bryan, Texas. “I needed to come up with a really flashy way of making big display boards, and I have been really into silk-screen stuff since like seventh grade,” he said. “I’d already been looking to work with different mediums, so I tried some furniture vinyl, and it actually worked really well.” When Henry’s Taiwanese clients ended up selling his display boards and asking for more, he knew that there was a new opportunity taking shape. While his original coupling of the silk-screen print processes with vinyl has become a common theme in Henry’s works, during

Photos by Derek Stout | Daily Texan Staff

Above, Jonathan Sims describes different teas to a customer on Wednesday afternoon at the Tea Embassy. Middle, A cup of raspberry tea sits on a table at La Tazza Fresca’s outdoor seating area. Bottom, A teapot is displayed on a shelf in the showroom of Jade Leaves Tea House.

Nestled close to campus lie quirky tea joints that serve exotic blends By Rene Huynh Daily Texan Staff Considering that tea is the second-most consumed beverage in the world, finding full-fledged tea houses around campus is a surprisingly challenging task. While the quirky coffee shops conveniently sprinkled around town provide much-needed double and triple shots of espresso, local tea spots are quietly tucked away and often overlooked. Whether you’re a tea enthusiast or just seeking a healthy alternative to coffee (caffeine minus the jitters), the following venues will give you a place to start.

Tea Embassy 900 Rio Grande St. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. The Tea Embassy looks like a meticulously conceptualized setting from a Charlotte Brontë novel. Not only is the renovated house a historical landmark from around the 1870s, but the rosebud-patterned tea sets, vintage hats and pinstriped sofa lend a vague sense of deja vu, even if it was only from a scene you read in “Jane Eyre.” There’s even a “Red Room,” the fancier embassy-esque space, and a “Blue Room” for more casual lounging. Wood paneling and quaint knick-knacks create such a comfortable, homey atmosphere that you might as well be visiting your British aunt. Offering more than 200 unique

ART continues on page 11

‘Spelling Bee’ production rich with hilarity, drama Carefully constructed characters reveal quirks and insecurities of youth By Javier Sanchez Daily Texan Staff Think back to your elementary school years, those carefree days when homework didn’t exist and responsibility was a fallacy. At some point, however, you must have come across that quintessential competition known as the spelling bee. If you are aching to relive those glory days of youth, check out Zach Scott Theatre’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” The play is centered around a group of kids who attend their local spelling bee with hopes of making it to the national level, while simultaneously gaining fame and notoriety from every-

one, especially their parents. The Bee is hosted by Rona Lisa Peretti (Jill Blackwood) who is assisted by Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Les McGehee). The two work together to manage the motley crew of kids entered in the spelling bee. The bunch includes the sweet Olive Ostrovsky, whose mother is away on a “spiritual journey” in India, the awkward William Barfee (pronounced, Bar-fay) and other competitive rugrats. These individual characters are the most enjoyable part of the production. Watching each one closely reveals carefully constructed individual traits that ultimately enhance the entire production. This can be seen especially as each child takes his or her turn in spelling, each monologue complete with quirks and insecurities.

BEE continues on page 11

blends, the folks at the Tea Embassy know tea. Tastings are held daily and for those with a deeper curiosity, owner Jonathan Sims conducts monthly in-depth tea seminars. With zingy titles like “Margarita” (a fruity blend with lime and a hint of salt) and “Love Story” (a chocolate black tea blend with rose petals), there’s bound to be something fun for everyone. Even true coffee drinkers may find interest in the Tea Embassy’s “Café Latte” (a creamy blend with coffee beans, cocoa and yogurt) and “Cappuccino” (red tea with caramel cream bits and marigold blossoms). Keep in mind, however, that the Embassy does not offer cream to accompany your tea. This may appear problematic for individuals who are prone to dumping copious amounts of half-and-half into beverages, but, as Sims points out, “It gives you a chance to actually taste the tea.”

Jade Leaves Tea House 3110 Guadalupe St. Hours: Tuesday - Thursday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. From the minute you enter Jade Leaves, you can tell the place is legit. An enormous brown ceramic teapot the size of a beanbag cushion squats matter-of-factly at the edge of the entryway. The interior is Asian-themed with emerald green walls, bamboo plants, Buddhist scrolls and of course, tea sets

TREATS continues on page 11

Students get in step with ‘ballroom’ By Molly Wahlberg Daily Texan Staff Some couples move gracefully across the room. Others plod along muttering “one, two, three” under their breath as they try to remember the moves they’ve learned over the past few weeks. K.D. Lang’s “Curious Soul Astray” plays on a continual loop, and everyone spins counterclockwise around the Anna Hiss Gymnasium. The room is lined with mirrors for the couples to check their form as they practice — it’s test day in “Beginners Ballroom.” There are five sections of Beginning Ballroom offered at UT, all of which fill up almost immediately during registration. Campbell Miller, the director of the program and teacher of four of the five classes, said she is delighted with its popularity. Miller, a competitive dancer, only recently started teaching dance at the college level. “It’s really a dream job for me,” she said. With a major in comput-

er science from Stanford, Miller thought educational technology would be her career and dancing would remain a hobby. But fate intervened. When Campbell moved to Austin just over a year ago, the former ballroom dance director, Rosemary Slacks, was retiring and recommended Campbell as her replacement. Campbell has already made some positive changes to the ballroom dancing scene at UT, and she has big plans for the future. “Before I got here, [Beginning Ballroom] was almost all seniors,” she said. “I’ve tried to change the registration process. For my classes, I reserve a certain number of spots for sophomores, juniors and seniors. And I expanded the class size from 60 to 80. There’s also a chance for getting in after class starts when people drop.” Every student has their own reason for signing up for the class. “I signed up because it seemed like it would be a lot of fun and a good chance for me to learn

Peyton McGee | Daily Texan Staff

Ballroom dance instructor Campbell Miller demonstrates a dance step with Jamie Jackson for one of her beginning ballroom classes. some dance moves,” said psyThe TAs are undergraduate stuchology sophomore Dylan Tay- dents themselves with varying lor. “My favorite thing about it is skill levels but an equal passion how laid back it is. It’s really easy for dance. to talk with everyone since we’ve “I signed up to take ballroom already basically broken the ice by DANCE continues on page 11 dancing with each other.”

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