1
LIFE&ARTS PAGE 13
SPORTS PAGE 8
Comedian Mike Birbiglia releases memoir
Longhorns win opening game against Navy, work toward perfection
OPINION PAGE 4
State battle between tacos and hamburgers arises
THE DAILY TEXAN Wednesday, November 10, 2010
TODAY Calendar Happy birthday
The graduate school will celebrate its 100th anniversary with cake and live music from 3 to 5 p.m. on the West Mall. More than 125,000 people have received degrees from the school since it opened.
The Legendary Pink Dots
The experimental rock group will make a stop at the Elysium during their 30th anniversary tour. Tickets cost $20 at the door and the show starts at 9:45 p.m.
Yard show
The Wildflower Center will display the art of the creator of the Cathedral of Junk and other yard art in the McDermott Learning Center gardens beginning at 9 a.m.
‘The Real Dr. Strangelove’
L.A. Theatre Works presents the story of Edward Teller, the creator of the H-Bomb. Tickets cost $24 and the show will take place in the Hogg Memorial Auditorium.
Today in history In 1969 “Sesame Street” debuts on PBS.
Campus watch Lost in the jungle A grey Nike wallet with a safari print containing $400 in cash, several credit cards and personal identification was stolen after being left unattended and unsecured on the bleachers during a handball tournament.
Inside In News: Study shows changes in views of sex page 10
In Sports: Volleyball roommates show off cooking skills page 8
In Life&Arts:
Author makes an art form out of comics page 14
‘‘
Quote to note “Because he was previously an atheist, [C. S. Lewis] comes at Christianity from a very practical point of view.” — David McCullers Director of “Shadowlands” LIFE&ARTS PAGE 14
Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900
TOMORROW’S WEATHER Low
High
63
82
www.dailytexanonline.com
Undocumented students support DREAM By Audrey White Daily Texan Staff Six students repeated a simple message: “I am undocumented, and I am unafraid.” Their voices rose above the hurried shuffle of the West Mall on Tuesday morning as they shared their stories of coming to the U.S. and to UT. Despite the danger of possible deportation, these students said it was time to speak on behalf of themselves and their communities. An estimated 200 undocumented students attend UT, according to the Office of Admissions, and 65,000 undocumented students graduate each year from U.S. high schools, according to research group The Urban Institute. In their speeches, the students urged U.S.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to put the DREAM Act on the Senate’s agenda before the new Congress takes office, and they want it to pass. The Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act would provide conditional permanent residency and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented minors who have lived in the United States since at least age 15, and who either attend college or join the armed services for at least two years. The earliest version of the legislation appeared before Congress in 2001 and despite consistent bipartisan support, it has never passed into law. “I remember driving up [Interstate High-
Government junior Alejandro Barrientos and electrical engineering junior Jesus Contreras rally in support of the DREAM Act in the West Mall on Tuesday.
Ryan Smith Daily Texan Staff
DREAM continues on page 2
Regents’ Expenses
Hotels = $138,547
Board spends on football games, resorts as part of ‘official duties’ By Collin Eaton Daily Texan Staff UT Board of Regents Chairman Colleen McHugh likes to live comfortably when she travels on university business. McHugh ran up $950 in charges in January at the Montage Beverly Hills hotel while in California to attend the BCS National Championship game between UT and the Alabama Crimson Tide. She also reported $687 in airfare expenses for that trip. The costs weren’t unusual for McHugh, who spent more than $22,000 in UT System funds to attend official University or UT System events in 2009 alone, according to reports obtained by The Daily Texan. Those costs included $12,578 in lodging for football games and board meetings that year, mostly at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin. McHugh is not the only regent to rack up large expense bills. Three other regents have spent at least $10,000 in UT System funds in a single year on official business since 2005, her first year on the board. But McHugh — who could not be reached for comment — has reported expenses of $10,000 in four separate years herself, not including $8,822 in the first half of 2010. Though the University has had to pinch pennies to avoid laying off employees and cutting classes, in 2008 and 2009 the UT Regents spent $116,750 of the system’s endowment payout on top-dollar luxury hotels, travel to football games and other travel expenses related to official duties. Regents are reimbursed for travel and hotel expenses from the Available University Fund, the UT System’s return on investment of its endowment assets. At UT, the endowment payout funds internship programs, technology services, library services and visiting lecturers — but in recent years, because state funding has not kept up with rising costs, UT has relied on AUF money for electricity and similar expenses. UT System spokesman Anthony de Bruyn said the regents — who are unpaid for their work — volunteer their time and effort to support UT and attend UT football games as part of their official duties. “It provides them opportunities for engagement with other friends and supporters of the University such as donors and alumni,” de Bruyn said. Faculty across the UT System have had to cut back on their
Flights = $62,738
John Barnhill Jr.
Colleen McHugh
Scott Caven Jr.
Total $37,007
Total $76,462
Total $46,422
own travel expenses, and some say they wish to see the regents share in that fiscal discipline. James Ramirez, a travel and purchase information specialist with the state comptroller’s office, said unlike other state employees who travel exclusively on the taxpayer’s dime, the regents have no technical limit on what they can be reimbursed for out of the AUF, according to the Texas Education Code. “As far as reasonable expenses, it could be almost anything,” Ramirez said. “Generally, we find that the Board of Regents are the ones that really take advantage of everything.” UT System travel-expense reports from the past five years show
ON THE WEB: Check out each regents’ total expenditures from 2005-2010 @http://ow.ly/37jh3
REGENTS continues on page 6
Injured woman aided by coworkers By Aziza Musa Daily Texan Staff Before last Tuesday, Austin resident Jasmin Rodriguez could carry out mundane tasks, such as walking and sitting, without any aid. Now, she cannot stand for an extended period of time without becoming exhausted. Rodriguez suffered from a gunshot wound to her stomach after a shooting in her neighborhood on Nov. 2. Austin-Travis County EMS transported Rodriguez to St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, where she was in stable condition in the intensive care unit. Doctors moved her to immediate care Thursday and restricted her to a clear, liquid diet, said former coworker John Johnston. “She needs to rebuild her abdominal muscles so she can get out of bed or out of a chair by herself,” Johnston said. “It’s about teaching her body to get used to the regular, daily routines.” At about 5:17 a.m. on Nov. 2, Rodriguez let her dog out of her house before heading out to Seton Medical Center Austin for her nursing shift. She saw someone peeking through the fence in her backyard, but didn’t think much of it, said coworker Vanessa Martz. Rodriguez brought her dog indoors and made her way into the hallway when neighbor Howard Huynh, a former UT student, shot at her. Jasmin Rodriguez Rodriguez began to yell at her partner and roommate, Darlene Derocher, to call 911. Derocher went to Martz said. “She looked at the guy for a second and use a phone in her home office when she spotted the realized what was going on. She went into the room, gunman in their home, Martz said. “He had his gun down when Darlene saw him,” INJURED continues on page 2
UT hires Google to update e-mail, expand features By Audrey White Daily Texan Staff The UT e-mail system will have a new look, more space and more features once the University finalizes a contract to outsource its e-mail platform to Google, likely during spring 2011. The announcement came after months of research and planning to meet the demands of students who find Webmail unattractive and difficult to use, said Chief Information Officer Brad Englert. Of the 52,000 currently registered student Webmail accounts, more than 20,000 set up auto-forwarding to an outside platform such as Hotmail or Gmail. The new Google-based platform will look just like Google and have all the same functions, such as chat and calendar sharing, Englert said.
“From space and archiving to aesthetics, everything in Gmail is better than Webmail,” said Senate of College Councils President Chelsea Adler, who served on a student-led steering committee to choose a new e-mail platform. “So many people on campus are outsourcing to Gmail, including me, because things like chat and sharing calendars makes it more than just e-mail.” While choosing a new email host, the steering committee considered three possible clients. Members spoke with representatives from universities that use each of the servers and considered each choice’s features. Google led the way in every category, Englert said.
GOOGLE continues on page 2