The Daily Texan 2012-10-19

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The Daily Texan

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INSIDE

Friday, October 19, 2012

dailytexanonline.com

Texas opens up fall ball against Sam Houston State

UT fine arts grad student Will Davis directs “The Cataract.”

4

SPORTS PAGE 6

LIFE&ARTS

OPINiON

The tuition survey: Student Government should finished what it started.

5 NEWS

Senate of College Councils adopted a proposal for a new University honor code.

6 SPORTS

Vegas leads Horns as only senior, hopes for another National Title.

CRIME

SG warns students of property crimes By Bobby Blanchard & David Maly

After evaluating the property crime situation in West Campus, Student Government is working to remind students to be more aware of the threat of theft. Carson Jones, University Area Partners’ external appointee, said SG will be using social media to remind

students to lock their car and home doors and keep their valuables out of plain sight. University Area Partners is a partnership between the city of Austin, UT and University-area businesses that focuses on neighborhood planning and crime prevention. Jones said there are simple steps people can take that can go a long way to preventing property crime. “People become too trust-

ing, and they forget that we are living in the heart of the city and others have an incentive to steal your belongings,” Jones said. Gary Griffin, Austin Police Department district representative for the West Campus area, said he does not think students are careful enough in the area because they are not used to a

2011 property crime rate comparison Property crime is defined as burglary, theft, motor-vehicle theft and arson

4 INCIDENTS PER 100 PEOPLE 78705 West, Northwest and North of campus

5 INCIDENTS PER 100 PEOPLE

UT

THEFT continues on page 2

FOOTBALL

CAMPUS

UT students visit Mexico, advocate for worker rights

10 LIFE & ARTS

By David Maly

The most promising movies screening at Austin Film Festival.

TODAY Salsa Fest

Join the Longhorn Sala for two nights starting tonight from 7 - 11:45 p.m. to experience the best salsa and Latin dance Austin has to offer. Students will be able to partake in fun competitions while listening to a variety music from bachata to merengue and much more. The event is free and located in the Texas Union ballroom.

Fest Africa

Come join the African Students Association as they celebrate the diversity and accomplishments of the African continent and its people. There will be music, food, and plenty of fun as you dance the night away. The event is free and will take place at the Main Mall from 7 – 10:30 p.m.

Brazil’s Grupo Corpo performs

Texas Performing Arts presents the twoevening return of Brazil’s world-renowned dance company, Grupo Corpo. The show will be held at the Performing Arts Center (PAC) at the Bass Concert Hall from 8-10 p.m, with tickets ranging from $10-$42.

Today in history In 1960

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested along with 50 student protesters for conducting a sitin demonstration at a whites-only restaurant located in Rich’s department store in Atlanta, Georgia. With help from presidential hopeful John F. Kennedy, King’s original four month prison sentence was dropped just one week after the incident.

Austin

Lawrence Peart | Daily Texan Staff Mustang Quarterback Garrett Gilbert threw for 265 yards and a career-high four touchdowns Thursday night. After a rocky start at Texas, the transfer to SMU has proven to be a refreshing start for the Lake Travis High School graduate.

A SECOND CHANCE Former Longhorn QB Garrett Gilbert trying to salvage career at SMU

By Christian Corona

T

he last time Garrett Gilbert had this good of a game, he was in high school. The former Longhorns quarterback looked like the prolific passer he was at Lake Travis High School, throwing for 265 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in SMU’s 72-42 win over Houston Thursday night in what was, by far, his best performance since

he decided to transfer from Texas last September. “The sky’s the limit for us,” Gilbert said. “I still think offensively with us and the playmakers we have and the running back we have in Zach [Line], and the offensive line continues to gel and get better and better each week. Tonight things just went our way.” He couldn’t remember the last time he threw as many as four touchdowns in a game. It had been a while.

CITY

Council investigated amid alleged violation By Joshua Fetcher Austin City Council members may avoid prosecution for allegedly violating the Texas Open Meetings Act by entering into an agreement with the Travis County Attorney’s Office. Mayor Lee Leffingwell and a lawyer representing Council Member Mike Martinez entered into an agreement requiring council members to follow open meetings laws and take online classes educating them about the law, according to The Austin AmericanStatesman. In the article, attorney Joe Turner, who represents Martinez, said members who sign the agreement will not face charges or fines. Under Section 551 of the

Texas Government Code, failing to follow the Texas Open Meetings Act is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 and up to six months in jail. In 2011 Travis County Attorney David Escamilla began an investigation after local activist Brian Rodgers issued a complaint to Escamilla’s office accusing council members of violating the Open Meetings Act by sharing information with one another about items the council would discuss in future meetings. Under the act, governing bodies must notify the public of the time, location and content of meetings. The act requires a quorum, or majority of members, be present to conduct business

ACT continues on page 2

He last accomplished the feat when he was a 17-year-old leading Lake Travis to a 48-23 victory over Longview in the 2008 4A state title game, his 30th straight win as the Cavaliers’ starting quarterback. The game took place in Waco, halfway between where he began his college career and where he’s trying to salvage it. A two-time state champion at Lake Travis, where he went 39-4 as a starter, Gilbert attracted the attention of many top-notch college football programs. He had his heart set on Texas, where he went 5-7 in his first full season as a starter in

2010. After making two starts in 2011, Gilbert underwent shoulder surgery and transferred to SMU. “Texas is the biggest and the best,” Gilbert said. “SMU is a program that obviously, in the past, has had some success but has had a little bit of a period of — I don’t know what the word for it is — but a lot of losing. You don’t see 100,000 people in the stands because we only have a 32,000-seat stadium.” Earlier this year, Gilbert revisited his alma mater at Lake Travis, where he enjoyed the

GILBERT continues on page 7

STATE OF EMERGENCY

Four UT students took a trip across the border last weekend to see the impoverished lifestyle of factory workers and the struggles they face just four hours to the south as they push for better working conditions. Philosophy senior Sophia Poitier, Plan II senior Sabina Hinz-Foley, Plan II sophomore Bianca HinzFoley and former UT student Yajaira Fraga traveled Friday to the border city of Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico. There, they met with representatives from an automobile manufacturing plant owned by PKC Group that employs close to 8,000 people. Employees of the factory have received international media attention during the last few months as they have attempted to form a union and gain better working conditions and increased pay. The four students are members of the UT chapter of United Students Against Sweatshops, an international organization that advocates for workers’ rights. Poitier said some of the factory workers invited the students to their homes, where they saw the dirty, cramped government or make-shift structures many

MEXICO continues on page 2 A bomb threat was made Thursday morning via email targeting Texas State University’s admissions building. The building remained closed for the rest of the day.

David Maly Daily Texan Staff

TX State acts quickly in bomb scare By David Maly

SAN MARCOS — Members of the Texas State University community breathed a deep sigh of relief Thursday afternoon after campus police issued an all-clear alert following a bomb threat against its admissions building that morning. In contrast to the response taken by authorities at UT when a bomb threat was made against their campus Sept. 14, authori-

ties at Texas State University alerted their campus community more quickly and evacuated the area targeted by the threat more effectively. Texas State University spokesperson Jayme Blaschke said a bomb threat was made against Texas State University Thursday morning through an email to a Houston-based admissions officer’s university email account. The email showed up in her email account at 7:21 a.m., but

she did not notice it until later. After she saw it, she immediately contacted her supervisors, who contacted Texas State University police at 8:48 a.m. Texas State University police then evaluated the threat’s validity and alerted the campus community at 9:40 a.m. via email, text, the university’s website, message boards around the campus and computer alerts. Texas State Police

THREAT continues on page 2


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