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THE DAILY TEXAN Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900
TUNESDAY
Florence + the Machine, Wale and Randy Newman all offer spectacular new albums
BE LOUD, STAY LATE Hopes for a BCS bowl brought back to Texas SPORTS PAGE 6
LIFE&ARTS PAGE 9
>> Breaking news, blogs and more: www.dailytexanonline.com
TODAY Calendar Terror Tuesday
Ever seen a film about water-breathing nazi albino zombies? “Shock Waves” will be playing tonight at the Alamo Drafthouse. Showtime starts at 9:45 p.m. with ticket prices at $1.
Taste of Thailand Kinsolving Dormitory will be featuring a Thai street food dinner running from 5 to 7 p.m. Specialty items include Thai soups, salads, entrees, beverages and desserts.
Atomic weapons Discuss American opinions and attitudes on atomic weapons in the Sid Richardson Hall Room 3.122 at 12:15 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided.
Funding your study abroad
Learn about financial options and tips on planning ahead if you are interested in studying abroad from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Sanchez Building (SZB).
Today in history In 1994 The “Republican Revolution” begins with the GOP winning control of both the House and Senate for the first time in 40 years, led by current GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.
Inside In News: Inspiring creative problem solving page 5
In Opinion: How much does a candidate’s religion matter? page 4
In Comics: Cat Beard. page 8
In Life&Arts:
Medical studies may pay, but are they worth it? page 10
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Quote to note [Being bowl eligible] means a lot, especially when we sat at home during bowl week and watched everybody else play in a bowl and we got to eat cupcakes.
— David Snow Senior guard SPORTS PAGE 6
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Tuesday, November 8, 2011
APD changes ticketing focus to unyielding cars By Nick Hadjigeorge Daily Texan Staff
The Austin Police Department completed the first phase of its zerotolerance jaywalking initiative Saturday and has begun the second phase, which focuses on cars failing to yield to street-crossing pedestrians. According to Lt. Ely Reyes, APD issued 475 citations and 180 warnings to pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists for pedestrian-related vi-
olations during the first two-week initiative. Fifty citations were given to cars failing to yield to pedestrians and 13 arrests were made due to outstanding arrest warrants, he said. Reyes said the week-long second phase of the initiative targets cars that don’t yield to pedestrians as they cross the street and uses different tactics than the first phase. “We are utilizing plainclothes police officers who cross the street [legally] and see if cars obey the law,”
Reyes said. “Then we will have motorcycle police arrive and issue the citation if the cars don’t yield.” Reyes said the heavy police presence during the first phase made cars follow the traffic laws, but a stronger effort is needed to reduce the number of cars breaking the law in general. “Crossing the street or not yielding to pedestrians becomes a habitual action if you are never fined for breaking these laws,” Reyes said.
“Our plan was to enforce [car violations], but when [they] see officers, they are more likely to comply and yield.” APD sees the zero-tolerance initiative and the increase in citations given as necessary to promote safety and reduce the number of pedestrian fatalities. Reyes said the increase in pedestrian fatalities coincides with the relatively low number of citations given during the first nine months of
2011. “From January to September 2011, we issued 2,100 citations, which is a four-year low,” Reyes said. “We’ve also seen a spike in pedestrian fatalities during this time period.” In 2007, the number of pedestrian fatalities was 24, and APD responded in 2008 by issuing 8,000 citations for pedestrian violations. The number of fatalities dropped to 15,
TICKETS continues on PAGE 2
SG to vote on ambiguous appointment loophole rule By Allie Kolechta Daily Texan Staff
Long-standing ambiguity in Student Government committee appointment standards may be resolved tomorrow depending on the outcome of a hearing for a petition against the student body president. Student Government’s judiciary branch met for a hearing last night to hear out parties involved in a petition submitted by SG School of Law representative Austin Carlson. According to the petition, there is ambiguity concerning the process that a student body president must take to appoint someone to a committee. The confusion has resulted in ad hoc standards for what merits a constitutionally-defined appointment. SG Chief Justice Alden Harris said a decision will ideally be made by tomorrow. According to Carlson, current SG President Natalie Butler has made appointments and created committees without going through the assembly. This infringes upon SG’s transparency and on a students ability to become involved in student government because it allows for the executive office to bypass assembly regulations, he said. “If the student isn’t confirmed [by the assembly], they need to be confirmed or else the power of the assembly is being abridged,” he said.
SG continues on PAGE 2
Jorge Corona | Daily Texan Staff
Glenn Kasin fixes a bike for a Mellow Johnny’s Bicycle Store customer on Monday afternoon. Mellow Johnny’s is looking for volunteers this holiday season to help build and donate bikes for low-income children whose families could not otherwise afford one.
Bikes for Kids builds dreams By Rachel Thompson Daily Texan Staff
On the morning of Dec. 16, 750 underprivileged Texas children will head out to a parking lot full of bicycles, knowing that one of those bikes will be theirs to take home. Local Austin bike shop Mellow Johnny’s works with Mix 94.7 and
the station’s JB and Sandy Morning Show to sponsor Bikes for Kids, now in its 16th year. The project uses individual donations and the work of dedicated volunteers to purchase and assemble bicycles for children in Central Texas who wouldn’t ordinarily receive any Christmas presents. Mellow Johnny’s general manager
Craig Staley said more than 10,000 bicycles have been donated since the project began. “What’s amazing to me is that it’s so focused,” Staley said. “On that morning, it’s like a sea of bicycles in the parking lot.” JB Hager of the JB and Sandy Morning Show said the station began working with Mellow Johnny’s
on the project because of a longterm relationship with Austin cycling legend Lance Armstrong, the owner of Mellow Johnny’s and a project supporter. Armstrong contacted Trek, a bike company, so the bikes could be purchased in bulk, Hager said.
BIKES continues on PAGE 2
University to expel excessive paperwork By Liz Farmer Daily Texan Staff
In partial response to the decrease in state funding, the University is now clarifying and cutting operational reports to government agencies that were previously excessive and confusing, said Mary Knight, associate vice-president and budget director for the University. The eliminated reports were unnecessary and wasted employee time, Knight said. There are a variety of reports sent to state and federal agencies on issues ranging from budget to diversity. Knight said the $92 million cut in state funds to the University that occurred last legislative session led to employee cuts. She said the changes aim to decrease the time University employees spend compiling reports that do not benefit legislators. “Legislators say that they don’t use it and ask us for information they can understand,” Knight said. “Doing things that just sit on a shelf doesn’t make sense during these times.” Knight said Texas Senate Bill 5, which passed in the last legislative session, allows for the deregulation of some reporting done by state institutions. She said efforts include cutting
duplicative reports and restructuring remaining reports to make them easier for legislators to understand. “We’re trying to get it down to ‘What do they find meaningful and useful?’” Knight said. Knight said legislators worked with the University to provide reporting relief through the bill, and the process confronts University questions about the scope of state oversight since the drastic decrease in state funding from the last legislative session. “Even though they may not be able to provide increases in financial support, their support means a lot,” Knight said. Government junior Thomas Meehan worked as a Texas Senate messenger at the Capitol and attended some of the higher education committee meetings as a part of his job. He said he worked with some of the university reports and could tell reports from bigger universities did not present information in a concise way. “I know that some of the stuff was very confusing,” Meehan said. He said in some cases, legislators needed university officials to explain
REPORTS continues on PAGE 2
Fanny Trang | Daily Texan Staff
After a talk on biofuels, Alex Fontani, an 11-year-old student who won first place at the 2010 City Science Fair for his presentation on algae as sustainable energy, picks up samples Monday at the AT&T Conference Center.
Algae holds future potential for biofuel By Nicole Sanseverino Daily Texan Staff
Jerry Brand’s algae collection, with nearly 2,800 specimens in all, is more than just pond scum. The diverse range of organisms is part of a growing multi-hundred billion dollar industry, used to produce anything from supplements to ice cream thickener to
dental impressions and most recently, alternative biofuel, he said. Brand, a professor in the College of Natural Sciences, spoke to students, faculty and community members about the potential of algal research Monday at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center as part of the Texas Enterprise Speaker Series hosted by the McCombs School
of Business. Brand’s collection of algae, UTEX, is the largest and most diverse in the world. ExxonMobil, British Petroleum and the U.S. Navy are just some of the most recent visitors to the lab, located at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus. These oil giants have been
ALGAE continues on PAGE 2