Daily Texan 11/24/09 by The Daily Texan

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

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Low number of thefts may break record Campus initiatives propel students to be proactive toward thwarting semester’s prior PCL crime-spree By Vidushi Shrimali Daily Texan Staff The University is on track for the lowest number of thefts in four years. If there are less than 19 thefts on campus between now and De-

cember 31, 2009, UT will have the lowest theft rate since 2006, when the police department recorded 486 thefts. UT Police Department Officer William Pieper said thefts are classified as the taking of proper-

ty without breaking into a property or using weapons or force. The highest amount of crimes recorded between 2006 and 2009 was in 2008 with 613 crimes. “If you stole a penny from someone, that’s still a theft,” Pieper said. Pieper said two of the most common areas for thefts to occur are the Perry-Castañeda Library

and Gregory Gym. UT Libraries spokesman Travis Willmann said about 29 thefts occurred in the PCL in October alone. The police department worked with staff at the PCL to lower the crime rate in the library after a spike earlier in the semester, placing signs and posters around the library that warned students to keep eyes on their belongings at

all times. Willmann said the PCL also used their PA system to alert students to the risk of theft five or six times every day. Additionally, employees leave cards warning of possible thefts on unattended bags and books they find in the library. Jennifer Speer, associate director for the Division of Recreation-

‘Double, double, toil and trouble’

Photos by Erik Reyna | Daily Texan Staff

Above, students gather annually at the Hex Rally to place a curse on Texas A&M. The annual tradition began after an 18-season losing streak to Texas A&M that ended in 1941 after the first Hex Rally took place. Below, Texas head coach Mack Brown delivers a speech before igniting his candlestick at the rally.

Longhorn football fans put ‘hex’ on A&M during annual tradition By Hannah Jones Daily Texan Staff Hundreds of Longhorns filled the Main Mall in front of the UT Tower to light their red candles during the annual Texas-A&M Hex Rally on Thursday night. During the pep rally, head football coach Mack Brown said that it was the biggest and most crowded Hex Rally he had attended. The tradition started in 1941, when a local fortune teller named Madame Augusta Hipple came up with a “hex” against the Aggies and told UT students that burning red candles before the game would put a curse on them. Red candles were burned all The fortune teller also said around the city that year, and the hex helped the Longhorns beat that the “Eyes of Texas” should the Aggies in College Station for be sung three times in a row in order for the hex to work. At the the first time in nine years, 23-0.

Austin strategist forecasts better economic weather Official anticipates likely conclusion to country’s recession at yearly event By Alex Geiser Daily Texan Staff Although the federal debt continues to grow, the nationwide economic recession has likely come to a close, said an official with an independent equity firm. Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist for Standard & Poor’s Equity Research Services, evaluated the nation’s economic condition and gave predictions for 2010 on Monday at the Austin

Chamber of Commerce’s annual Economic Forecast. “The upward intermediate trend will remain,” Stovall said. “The recession probably ended in August or September, but we won’t know for another six months or so.” Stovall said the gross domestic product rose 3.5 percent in the third quarter of 2009, and a slight growth is expected for 2010. He also predicts that une m p l o y m e n t w i l l d e c re a s e slightly between 2010 and 2011. “Our belief is that we are likely to see an improvement around

ECONOMY continues on page 2

Strength and conditioning coach Jeff Madden also spoke to the crowd and led the “Texas Fight” chant with the UT football team. Texas Cheer and Texas Pom performed with the UT band. Master of ceremonies and former Texas football player Ahmad Brooks of AM 1300’s The Zone said the competition between UT and Texas A&M is the third longest college football rivalry of all time. “This Thursday will be the 110th game between the teams, and our record is 74-36-5,” Brooks said. The Hex Rally comes just days after Texas A&M marked the 10th anniversary of the collapse rally Monday night, fans sang of the school’s traditional bonfire along with UT’s Ransom Notes Nov. 18, an accident that killed 12 acapella choir and Intervisions Gospel Choir. HEX continues on page 5

al Sports, said police officers patrol Gregory Gym and ask students to put their belongings in a locker or safe place if they see them unattended. She also said that the gym recently installed cameras trained on all the lockers in the facility to increase security. But Gregory still has issues with students leaving

THEFT continues on page 9

UT expands resources by adding global affairs project By Audrey White Daily Texan Staff In the spring, the University’s Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law will get an infusion of new talent from the Next Generation Project, a network of thinkers from diverse backgrounds that discusses U.S. foreign relations. The project, which has been based at The American Assembly at Columbia University since 2006, will move to the center after completing a series of three one-day visioning meetings in Washington, D.C. The project is an initiative intended to bring together interested people from sectors normally ignored in policy discussions, including journalists, business people, academics and religious leaders, for weekend-long meetings that revolve around intense debate and discourse about the future of U.S. global policy-making. The project’s network of alumni currently includes about 300 members. “Most people who discuss these things are ‘the usual suspects’ — professors and policy makers in the Northeast,” said Francis Gavin, the project director for the Next Generation Project and director of the Strauss Center. “It is our belief that the national debate will be greatly enhanced if a greater diversity of voices is included. Bringing in the ideas of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur or a Montana cattle rancher makes for a much richer, fuller and better discussion that will lead to better policy outcomes.” Next Generation Project meetings have featured discussions on a range of issues, including war and international trade. The project began at Columbia as a three-year endeavor with funding from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Ford Foundation. With the term of the fund nearly over, the time was right to explore a new base for the organization. Since it has always had strong ties to UT — several founding members are at the University — it was a logical fit, Gavin said. Retired Adm. Bob Inman, interim dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs, is chairman of the project’s senior advisory council. He said he hopes the move to UT will bring a wide range of resources to both the project and the University. In the past, the project has centered around discussion, but there has been no outlet for implementing new ideas, something Inman expects to change at UT. “Its principal advantage to UT is to give us access to people and ideas spread across the country that we would not have under most circumstances,” Inman said. “We’ve got a new center for politics and governance at the LBJ school, and we’d like to have that [center] develop to the point where they help take [Next Generation Project]

STRAUSS continues on page 2

Officers step up traffic safety during holidays By Bobby Longoria Daily Texan Staff Family, friends and the aroma of a good meal will drive millions of Texas residents anxiously across the state’s roads for the Thanksgiving holiday. But with growing holiday excitement sometimes comes a decline in driver awareness and safety, urging law enforcement officials to begin several traffic enforcement programs over the next few months. The Austin Police Department will begin the third annual “Home for the Holidays” traffic safety initiative on Friday, which aims to reduce the number of crashes and injuries in the city by increasing

police presence on roads. The initiative will run through New Year’s Day and will put nearly every rank of officer on patrol, searching for reckless drivers. “Treat that vehicle as what it is, and that is a deadly weapon when not driven properly,” APD Chief Art Acevedo said. “For the remainder of the year, you are going to see a lot of Austin police officers, from the chief of police on down to the newest rookie on the road. Everybody will be out working shifts to keep you safe.” In 2008, the initiative had Photo Illustration by Lauren Gerson | Daily Texan Staff 478 officers log a total of 4,362 additional hours enforcing State law enforcement officials will enact tougher traffic safety policies during the holidays. The Austin Police Department will begin the third HOLIDAYS continues on page 6 annual “Home for the Holidays” initiative on Friday.

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

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CONTACT US Main Telephone: (512) 471-4591 Editor: Jillian Sheridan (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com Managing Editor: Stephen Keller (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com News Office: (512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com Web Office: (512) 471-8616 online@dailytexanonline.com Sports Office: (512) 232-2210 sports@dailytexanonline.com Retail Advertising: (512) 471-1865 joanw@mail.utexas.edu Classified Advertising: (512) 471-5244 classifieds@dailytexanonline.com The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely. If we have made an error, let us know about it. Call (512) 232-2217 or e-mail managingeditor@dailytexanonline.com.

Anne-Marie Huff | Daily Texan Staff

Chief Investment Strategist Sam Stovall of Standard & Poor’s Equity Research Services speaks at the Austin Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Economic Forecast.

COPYRIGHT Copyright 2009 Texas Student Media. All articles, photographs and graphics, both in the print and online editions, are the property of Texas Student Media and may not be reproduced or republished in part or in whole without written permission.

CLARIFICATION In the photo accompanying the Nov. 20 article that ran on P1 entitled “10 UT labs fail to comply with safety training standards,” it might be assumed that biomedical engineering graduate student Hyunji Lim was personally cited for failure to complete mandatory training in a timely manner. The laboratory she works in, operated by biomedical engineering professor Thomas Milner, is actually being cited as a whole.

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the globe,” he said. Stovall said high treasury yields and rising inflation earnings are worrisome, as is rising consumer debt. He said he is only making predictions based on his company’s research, which is subject to change according to factors like debt and inflation. Robert Auerbach, a professor

the House Committee on Financial Services. Auerbach said most of the federal budget will have to be paid back via interest, much of it going to foreign countries. He expects the interest payment — which stands at $202 billion — to double and continue to rise over the next few years. Mike Riepen, president and chief executive officer of the Texas Department of Public

StrauSS: Ideas reach non-academic realm From page 1 ideas and move them into the political process.” Catherine Weaver, a UT global policy studies assistant professor and the research coordinator for the Strauss Center, participated as a fellow in one of the project’s weekend meetings in 2007 when she was a professor at the University of Kansas. She said the meetings expanded her viewpoint and

The Daily Texan Permanent Staff

This newspaper was written, edited and designed with pride by The Daily Texan and Texas Student Media.

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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sean Beherec Associate News Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pierre Bertrand, Austen Sofhauser, Blair Watler Senior Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Viviana Aldous, Bobby Longoria, Rachel Platis, Lena Price Enterprise Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Kreighbaum Enterprise Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hudson Lockett Copy Desk Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robert Green Associate Copy Desk Chiefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cristina Herrera, Nausheen Jivani, Matt Jones Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thu Vo Assistant Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Shatha Hussein Senior Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Fausak, Lynda Gonzales, Olivia Hinton Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . May-Ying Lam Associate Photo Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bryant Haertlein, Peter Franklin, Caleb Miller Senior Photographers . . . . Lauren Gerson, Mary Kang,Tamir Kalifa, Peyton McGee, Sara Young Life&Arts Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leigh Patterson Associate Life&Arts Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brad Barry, Francisco Marin Jr. Senior Features Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Audrey Gale Campbell, Lisa HoLung, Ben Wermund Senior Entertainment Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Doty, Mary Lingwall, Robert Rich Senior DT Weekend Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Genuske Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Austin Talbert Senior Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Will Anderson, Wes DeVoe, Blake Hurtik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Hurwitz, Laken Litman, Michael Sherfield, Chris Tavarez Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Carolyn Calabrese Web Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annika Erdman Associate Web Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erik Reyna Multimedia Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Juan Elizondo Associate Multimedia Editors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kara McKenzie, Rachel Schroeder Editorial Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Richard Finnell

Issue Staff

Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Shabab Siddiqui, Hannah Jones, Vidushi Shrimali . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Geiser, Audrey White, Lara Berendt Photographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Michael Baldon, Anne-Marie Huff, Erik Reyna Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Pagels, Rishi Daulat Life&Arts Writers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Katherine Kloc, Layne Lynch Copy Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Claire Cardona, Molly Nesbitt, Megan Gottlieb Sports/Life&Arts Copy Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amanda Hicks Wire Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dylan Clement Page Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tarrah Miller Columnists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joshua Avelar, Rebecca Counts Comics Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nam Nguyen, Ryohei Yatsu, Gabe Alvarez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rachel Weiss, Connor Shea, Katie Smith, Amelia Giller, Miles Luna Web Technician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jordyn Davenport Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Bowman, Edgar Vega, Emery Ferguson, Sammy Martinez

Advertising

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, Darius Meher-Homji 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, Lisa Hartwig Senior Graphic Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Felimon Hernandez The Daily Texan (USPS 146-440), a student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin, is published by Texas Student Media, 2500 Whitis Ave., Austin, TX 78705. The Daily Texan is published daily except Saturday, Sunday, federal holidays and exam periods, plus the last Saturday in July. Periodical Postage Paid at Austin, TX 78710. News contributions will be accepted by telephone (471-4591) or at the editorial office (Texas Student Media Building 2.122). For local and national display advertising, call 471-1865. For classified display and national classified display advertising, call 471-1865. For classified word advertising, call 471-5244. Entire contents copyright 2009 Texas Student Media.

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of public policy at UT, said the prediction that the recession has ended is probably based on the rise in GDP this quarter, but no one can verify that the recession has ended yet. “It is very possible that the economy could be thrown into another downturn when the amount of debt that we owe balloons up, and it doesn’t have to happen immediately,” said Auerbach, a former economist for

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taught her new methods to articulate ideas in more practical ways for non-academic audiences. “I’ve been a professor for seven years,” Weaver said. “The assembly had a majority of people from nonprofit and private sectors. It didn’t change my mind about anything, but it changed the way I articulated my arguments. It made things more pragmatic, less bound in ideals and more bound in reform.”

Inman said this kind of idea and discussion generation is the goal of the project, and he hopes to bring in younger thinkers, between the ages of 35 and 45 years old, who will serve as a positive force in U.S. international relations. “I’m 78 years old,” Inman said. “My generation has had a long run of policy making. We need a fresh group of people. Ideas are really what we’re after.”

campus watch Letting it all out DARRELL K ROYAL-TEXAS MEMORIAL STADIUM, 405 East 23rd Street Public Intoxication: A nonUT subject was found in section 105 while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage to the point the alcohol had more control of his bladder than he did. The subject was also found to be intoxicated to the point he was deemed to be a danger to himself. Occurred on 11/21/09 at 7:30 PM.

What are you lookin’ at? DARRELL K ROYAL-TEXAS MEMORIAL STADIUM, 405 East 23rd Street Assault by Contact: A patron of the football game reported making eye contact with an unidentified subject as they approached each other in the North End Zone concourse. The subject looked “mean” at the patron and made an aggressive arm gesture as they approached one another. As they passed, the subject bumped his elbow into the patron. The offensive elbow bump did not cause the patron pain. Occurred on 11/21/09 at 6:40 PM.

The bus stops here JESSE H. JONES COMMUNICATIONS CENTER; Building B, 2504 Whitis Assault with Injuries: Two Capital Metro buses pulled up to the bus stop located on the west side of the building. The driver of the first bus went inside the building to use the restroom. The driver of the first bus stated the driver of the second bus followed him into the restroom. The second driver then punched

the first driver in the eye. The second driver left the area. The first driver sustained injuries from the punch and was transported to a local hospital before the police were summoned. Occurred on 11/20/09 at 7:22 PM.

Slap Happy GEORGE I. SANCHEZ BUILDING, 1912 Speedway Disorderly Conduct / Public Intoxication / Criminal Trespass: Several non-UT subjects were reported as fighting with each other. Upon arrival, officers found that one of the subjects had slapped another in the face. The slap caused the other subject pain. The slapping subject was found to be under the influence of an alcoholic beverage to the point he was deemed to be a danger to himself and others. Occurred on 11/22/09 at 12:15 AM.

It tasted like Nerds JESTER CENTER WEST, 201 East 21st Street Public Intoxication: A UT student was reported as entering a 4th floor room that she did not live in. The student began to cry and complain of stomach and foot pain. The student later told officers while at a fraternity house, she consumed several cups of a “yellow” colored alcoholic beverage that tasted like “Nerds.” The student stated her memory of the night’s events were “not clear.” Austin-Travis County EMS needed to transport the student to a local hospital for alcohol poisoning. Reported on 11/21/09 at 3:08 AM. Compiled by UTPD Officer Darrell Halstead

Safety Credit Union, said the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with entitlements, including the federal assistance President Barack Obama’s health care plan provides to those who cannot afford insurance, have led to the economic slowdown and debt buildup. As a result, Riepen said people need to ensure that employers provide benefits to employees to prevent the cost of such

services from burdening general taxpayers. “The business model for companies like Wal-Mart don’t totally reflect the cost of doing business,” he said. “They hire people for 30 hours so they don’t have to pay them benefits. This business philosophy creates a country of people who are unemployed and unable to afford basic necessities like health care.”

Board approves adjustments to incentive pay for executives By Lena Price Daily Texan Staff The University of Texas Investment Management Company’s board of directors approved $3.4 million in bonuses for 30 executives Friday. The top six executives, including Chief Executive Officer Bruce Zimmerman, deferred their incentive payments for the next two years. The deferred bonus money will be reinvested and tied to the performance of the endowment. The UT System Board of Regents approved a set of changes in August that will tie the incentive pay for executives more closely to performance. The change was prompted last February by intense legislative criticism of bonuses paid out to Zimmerman and other UTIMCO executives as the endowments they managed were losing billions. Twenty-five UTMICO managers received $3.3 million in bonuses, over $1 million of which went to Zimmerman. The amount was based on the endowment performance from the previous year, before the value of UTIMCO assets began to plummet. State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, led the criticism of the bonuses in a hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance, during which UT regent and UTIMCO Chairman Robert Rowling abruptly resigned. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Gov. Rick Perry also voiced displeasure with Rowling and the UTIMCO board. In response to the legislative scrutiny, the Board of Regents passed revised compensation policies for UTIMCO employees in August. “We just came off a truly extraordinary year,” Zimmerman said of the UTIMCO losses. “Because of that, the way incen-

tive compensations will be handled in the future was slightly modified.” Between August 2008 and July of this year, the value of assets managed by UTIMCO fell more than $3 billion, to $19.7 billion. Zimmerman said this was the worst performance in the last 80 years. “Last year, the dropoff in the market happened before our compensation was over but before the decision on incentive compensation pay was made,” Zimmerman said. “The policy modifications by the Board of Regents don’t correct this set of circumstances, but they address it.” Currently, all executives who receive compensation incentive pay must defer 30 percent of their bonuses. Under the modified policy, which goes into effect next year, the president and CEO must defer at least 50 percent, and the percentage decreases slightly with the rank of the executives. If the endowments perform exceptionally well, incentive pay compensation for mangers will increase and potentially double if the endowment increases by more than 30 percent. If the endowment decreases by more than 5 percent, the executives might have to defer all of their bonus money. “The incentive pay has always been tied to the performance of the endowments,” Zimmerman said. Now, the compensation of UTIMCO managers will depend even more on how their investments play out. Despite the losses UT’s endowment took during the last fiscal year, Zimmerman said the funds would have suffered further if the money had been invested passively. “Our objective is to beat the market average,” Zimmerman said.

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Wire Editor: Dylan Clement www.dailytexanonline.com

World&NatioN

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

T he Daily Texan

Governor Sanford of South Carolina faces 37 charges

Eranga Jayawardena | Associated Press

Internally displaced Sri Lankan ethnic Tamil children gather to take a look at a public function in progress across the fence at a camp for the displaced in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka, on Saturday.

Tamil refugees return to homes By Edith M. Lederer The Associated Press UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. humanitarian chief on Monday called Sri Lanka’s decision to release Tamil refugees confined to government camps since the end of the country’s 25-year civil war “good news” but said the United Nations is concerned about how they are being returned home. John Holmes, who just returned from Sri Lanka, said the U.N. would have liked — and still wants — more consultation with the detainees and opportunities for them to see their home areas before going back, as stated in U.N. guidelines. The U.N. has also expressed concern to the government about the lack of advance notice to U.N. agencies to prepare to assist the Tamils returning home, he said. The government announced Sunday that the remaining 136,000 Tamil refugees in the squalid and overrun government camps, where they’ve been de-

tained against their will since the war ended six months ago, will be free to return to their villages after Dec. 1, and the camps will be completely closed by Jan. 31. Holmes called both these decisions “good news,” especially the decision to allow the detainees “freedom of movement” after Dec. 1, which the U.N. has been urging for months. But he said the U.N. is waiting to find out how the registration process for detainees entering and leaving the camps will work. He said humanitarian organizations on the ground in northern Sri Lanka believe that 20,000 to 30,000 Tamils may not be able to return home by late January because mines have not been cleared from their land or basic services are still lacking. “If they have freedom of movement there’s no reason why they shouldn’t stay in the camps, if that’s the best way of providing services to them, as long as they have a choice about that,” Holm-

es said. Some 300,000 war refugees were forced into the camps after fleeing the final months of the government’s war with the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, which ended in May. More than half were released in recent months amid pressure from human rights groups and foreign governments. Holmes, who visited the largest camp in the north at Manik Farm as well as several areas where Tamils had returned home, said the refugees were happy to be back in their home areas though many of their homes are gone. In addition to the release of the detainees, he said, there are other signs “that the dividends of peace may be coming.” Holmes cited the reopening of the main road from the Jaffna peninsula, the Tamil minority’s cultural heartland, to the south and the capital, Colombo, and the absence of any major security incidents since the civil war ended. “Nevertheless, there are ques-

tions about the quality of the returns process,” he said. Holmes said the United Nations will continue to follow “with concern” how much the refugees are involved in their return, how fast the de-mining process is going, the level of basic services in areas where they are returning home, and what happens to the people whose home areas aren’t ready for them to live in by the end of January. The United Nations will also be encouraging reconciliation efforts between Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority and the accountability for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by both sides during the conflict, he said. Holmes said another issue that must be resolved is the degree of autonomy to be given to the Tamil areas in a new constitutional amendment, but he said that probably won’t be taken up until after presidential and parliamentary elections likely in January.

By Jim Davenport The Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, whose tryst with an Argentine lover blossomed into a wide-ranging scandal, is accused of breaking ethics laws by using taxpayer money for pricey airline seats, taking state planes for personal and political trips and occasionally tapping into his campaign chest to reimburse himself for travel. The details of charges against the second-term Republican governor were released Monday. He has been under scrutiny since he vanished for five days over the summer, reappearing to tearfully admit to an extramarital affair with a woman he later called his “soul mate.” The civil charges, which carry a maximum $74,000 in fines, stem from a three-month investigation by the State Ethics Commission and could be pivotal in a push by lawmakers to remove him from office. The state attorney general is deciding whether the governor will face any criminal charges. The ethics charges include 18 instances in which Sanford is accused of improperly buying first-

and business-class airline tickets, violating state law requiring lowest-cost travel; nine times of improperly using state-owned aircraft for travel to political and personal events, including a stop at a discount hair salon; and 10 times he improperly reimbursed himself with campaign cash. The travel allegations were uncovered in a series of Associated Press investigations. Some of the allegations about his use of campaign funds were revealed by The State newspaper in Columbia. Governor Mark Sanford’s atSanford of S.C. torney characterized the allegations as “technical questions” Monday. “We are confident that we will be able to address each of these questions, none of which constitutes findings of guilt and none of which we believe rise anywhere near to the traditional standard of impeachment,” said lawyer Butch Bowers.

NATION BRIEFLY

victory Saturday for President Barack Obama. The 60-39 vote overcame a procedural hurdle and allowed floor debate to start after Thanksgiving. Senate Democrats hope to finish their bill by Christmas, but it remains to be seen whether Obama gets final health care legislation this year. A state Republican Party leader accused Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., of trying to have it both ways by talking conservative at home and voting with liberals in Washington. “Nebraskans are finally wising up that there are two Ben Nelsons,” said Nebraska GOP Chairman Mark Fahleson. “There’s the Washington Ben Nelson ... who gave Democrats the vote they wanted. Then there’s the Nebraska Ben Nelson ... who comes back here to Nebraska and tries to portray himself as a conservative.” — The Associated Press

Sen. Schumer vows Democrats will pass health care bill WASHINGTON — Failure is not an option on health care, a leading Democratic senator said Monday, even as Republicans turned up the heat on moderates who hold the fate of the legislation in their hands. “We’re not going to not pass a bill,” said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. With or without Republican support, Democrats will get it done, Schumer said, because a health care system that leaves nearly 50 million uninsured and spends more than any other is clearly broken. Republicans wasted no time Monday going after Democratic moderates who delivered a Senate

Sunnis reject Iraqi voting proposal, could postpone national elections By Qassim Abdul-Zahra The Associated Press BAGHDAD — Iraq’s parliament failed Monday to produce an election law acceptable to minority Sunni Arabs, prompting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to say that nationwide balloting scheduled for January “might slip” to a later date. The United States has linked the pace of its military drawdown to the elections, though the top U.S. commander in Iraq has said the schedule is on track for now. U.S. combat troops are supposed to be out of Iraq by August, and the rest of the forces are scheduled to leave by the end of 2011. The dispute over an election law highlights the ethnic and sectarian divisions in Iraq. While more secure than in past years of war, the country has yet to achieve the political reconciliation vital to long-term stability. Both Sunnis and Kurds have criticized earlier versions of the legislation. The parliament amended the law Monday with a version that pleased the Kurds but failed to appease Sunnis, triggering a likely second veto by the Sunni vice president and a delay in the elections. Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, a Sunni, initially vetoed the law because he wanted more seats for Iraqis living abroad, most of whom are Sunnis. The minority, dominant under Saddam Hussein, has seen its privileged status evaporate since the ouster of the dictator and the election of a government led by the Shiite majority. After days of intense negotiations by political blocs, lawmakers voted Monday to change the basis for distributing seats, most likely giving more seats to the powerful Kurdish bloc rather

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Iraqi Sadrist member Bahaa al-Araji, right, speaks next to Kurdish lawmaker Mohsin al-Saadun after an Iraqi Parliament session Monday. than to the Sunnis. The number of seats in parliament will be expanded from 275 to about 320 under the amended law to reflect population growth. The pre-vote dealmaking appeared to focus mostly on efforts to address complaints about the electoral system from the Kurds in order to win their support for the law, causing dozens of Sunni lawmakers to walk out. “What has happened today represents a setback to the policy of political accordance that the parliament has adopted,” said Salim Abdullah, spokesman for the Accordance Front, the biggest Sunni bloc in the parliament. Al-Hashemi is likely to veto the amended law now that it returns to the three-member presidential council, but parliament can override a second veto with a threefifths majority. Shiite and Kurdish political blocs have enough votes for an override. In Washington, Clinton said the dispute might delay the Iraqi election date but she expressed confidence that the voting even-

tually will be held. “We believe on balance that there will be elections,” Clinton said. “They might slip by some period of time until this is worked out, because at some point the law has to be in place for the planning to begin, and so there necessarily needs to be a period of time in which the planning can occur.” Sunni Arabs boycotted the last national elections at the height of the insurgency in 2005, ceding any influence in the parliament to the Shiite and Kurdish blocs. They are unlikely to sit out the 2010 elections, a tactic that would deprive them again of political clout. The amendment reshuffles the distribution of seats among Iraq’s provinces, basing it on 2005 Trade Ministry statistics plus 2.8 percent annual population growth. This solution would likely give Kurds more seats in the next parliament. The Kurds have threatened to boycott the elections if the three provinces they control in northern Iraq are not allocated more seats.

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OPINION

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

T HE DAILY TEXAN

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

VIEWPOINT

What UT can learn from California UT administrators must have been watching closely as chaos erupted on University of California campuses last week. Drawing national media attention, students protested — at times aggressively — and staged classroom sit-ins on public university campuses across the state, decrying the University of California system’s board of regents’ decision to raise undergraduate tuition fees by 32 percent. Undergraduate students in the state’s public universities will now pay more than $10,000 in annual tuition fees. The fervor comes as the UC system grapples with its largest drop in state funding since the Great Depression in a state still buckling under unprecedented financial stress. The tuition hike is just the latest in a series of money-saving measures that have cut programs and furloughed thousands of university employees across the state. California has taken stronger fiscal hits than much of the nation, but amid the cost-cutting, some see ulterior motives at play as officials move to restructure a UC system that — with skyrocketing tuition rates — is on a path toward more closely resembling a string of selective, private universities than the embodiment of affordable, quality public education its institutions once offered. UC’s system serves as one extreme example of a public institution on a march toward pricing low-income students out of higher education. Recent cost-cutting moves raise red flags that UT, alarmingly, may be headed down a similar path as administrators take steps to make cuts not out of necessity, but out of a desire to restructure the University to boost ranking prospects. At a university that has historically tried to maintain the status quo during lean times by holding off on significant expenditures to minimize layoffs, UT President William Powers has called on the University — which faces a flat budget for the next three academic years — to forge ahead with his long-term strategic plan for the school to become the highest-ranked public institution in the country. This will best be accomplished, he says, by focusing the University’s resources on recruiting top faculty members and graduate students. That goal, while admirable, is now being used to justify significant cuts across departments on campus, including the elimination of non-tenure-track faculty and increases in class size. A flat budget could be cause for Powers to wait to make such sweeping changes, but the president has instead chosen to stringently push his agenda to claim top-university honors — at the expense of UT’s core purpose. As a public institution, UT must level the playing field for students across Texas. If tuition continues to increase exponentially as it has in California, disadvantaged Texas students will not be able to afford higher education. In 2002, the average student at a Texas public research university was responsible for only 39 percent of the cost of education. Just four years later, students at UT paid 54 percent of the $11,012 cost of their education. The Texas Legislature is also below the national spending average per student. Students across the nation pay 51 percent of their education costs, But by campaigning against tuition reregulation, which would likely slow tuition increases and possibly encourage increased state support, Powers has made it clear that improving the quality of education at the University is a priority over maintaining affordability. In a February statement, Powers wrote, “We are greatly concerned about affordability. But it’s important to realize that regental control of tuition, so called ‘deregulation,’ has been critical to maintaining quality in an environment of declining state support. Tuition policy must be balanced with state appropriations and financial aid programs to ensure affordability and access.” The tuition-setting process is in full swing as UT’s Tuition Policy Advisory Committee prepares to present recommendations to Powers in January. It is crucial that UT not follow the UC system’s lead, forcing students to subsidize their education to a level in which lowincome Texans are forced out of public education. While UT is smart to use its resources to generate the greatest possible long-term benefits, if those benefits are accessible only to the privileged, UT will have failed on delivering on its stated purpose. — David Muto and Jillian Sheridan for the editorial board

GALLERY

Lessons from a fat guy and a smoker By Joshua Avelar Daily Texan Columnist In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I started thinking about all the gifts of life I am able to thoroughly enjoy every day – a readily available food supply is definitely something that deserves such attention. In fact, most Americans, but certainly not all, enjoy this commodity of readily available food on a daily basis. As I walked through campus with a delicious fried chicken sandwich in my hand, I came across fellow government senior David Buckner as he lit up a cigarette. Naturally, the topic of the recent smoking ban passed at UT-Arlington came up, set to go into effect in the fall of 2011, according to The Dallas Morning News. I asked Buckner what he thought of the significance of the ban, just to see if he was worried about this luxury one day being taken away from our own campus. Buckner seemed to feel understandable compliance when it came to other sanctions put on the tobacco-using community, such as the taxes placed on tobacco products, which may fund important programs. Having written columns on lowering the drinking age to 18 and legalizing gambling in Texas, I am quite a fan of letting adults partake in often harmful activities and then taxing them for the government’s economical benefit. Buckner then proceeded to say, “If I remember correctly, gluttony is a sin as well.”

It was at that point I looked at my fried chicken sandwich and began to see many parallels between the sandwich and the cigarette that Buckner had in his hand. I started to wonder if there was really any difference between my fierce eating habits and Buckner’s smoking habits. Is there any more of a reason for his habit to be taxed over mine? Turns out, there really is not too much of a difference when considering both habits’ impacts on society. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. For some reason, these statistics are even more dire for minorities, such as yours truly. Furthermore, diabetes is listed as one of the top 10 causes of death according to National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. Meanwhile, the American Cancer Association reports that one in every five deaths in America are tobacco-related. Buckner and I reached a general consensus that there should definitely be a gluttony tax on prepared food served in exorbitant portions. Having worked at a famous restaurant chain, Buckner saw first-hand just how ridiculous portion sizes were for individual entrees. “I would say the average meal we served was more than double the amount anybody really should be eating,” he said. The National Restaurant Association states that Americans, on average, go out to eat for 4.2 meals a week. If a smoker were to bring down his or her habit to an average of 4.2 cigarettes

a week, they would get praised by their non-smoking peers for severely cutting back. The proposed tax should not be on any food items you buy on the grocery store, or even on healthy food you would buy in a restaurant. Any meal well above a third of your recommended calorie intake should be subject to this federal tax. Obviously, poor Americans are subject to the negative effects of the largeportion craze in this country; it makes sense to attempt to get the most calories for your money when you are on a tight budget. Therefore, revenue from this proposed gluttony tax should partially go to subsidizing the cost of produce and organic items. The gorging of most Americans should in some way work to aid in the health of others. Many Americans have sincere problems with the thought of the government dictating which habits they should or should not keep. However, when the mass consumption of a product – or over-consumption of a product – puts such a strain on society, then it is the government’s job to find some way to offset the negative impact. The fact that gluttony is even a problem at all in this country is a pretty good testament to how much we Americans have to be thankful for. Having developed an excellent consensus to improve the future of this country, Buckner and I decided not to bring up the public option that day. I then proceeded to eat the rest of my sandwich as he finished that taxed cigarette. Avelar is a government senior

All the small things I’ve learned to miss about UT By Rebecca Counts Daily Texan Columnist

SUBMIT A COLUMN

RECYCLE!

The editorial board welcomes guest columns. Columns must be fewer than 700 words. Send columns to editor@ dailytexanonline.com. The Texan reserves the right to edit all columns.

Please recycle this copy of The Daily Texan by placing it in one of the recycling bins around campus or back in the burnt-orange stand where you found it.

LEGALESE

SUBMIT A FIRING LINE

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

E-mail your Firing Lines to firingline@dailytexanonline.com. Letters must be more than 100 and fewer than 300 words. The Texan reserves the right to edit all submissions for brevity, clarity and liability.

Nov. 2 turns Mexican cities into ghost towns. Día de los Muertos — Day of the Dead — is perhaps the quintessential Mexican celebration, the day the spirits of departed relatives and friends return to party with the living. It’s a nationally recognized holiday, like Independence Day or Revolution Day. Public schools, banks and offices all close so people can spend the night in graveyards visiting with the dearly departed. The Mexican university in which I’m studying abroad, of course, had class. Which brings us to my communications strategy class, to which a whopping five people showed up. The five of us were the unlucky souls who hadn’t planned our absences well and would lose credit for the class if we missed another day. Try as the professor might, she couldn’t get us to pay attention or contribute. Most of us had spent the entire night before visiting graveyards or

attending day three of Halloween festivities. I, for example, had come back that morning on a bus that left at 5 a.m. from a city three hours away, arriving just in time for class. When the topic changed to education in Mexico versus our home countries, however, we suddenly couldn’t shut up. For a university that prides itself on being “American style,” the Tecnólogico de Monterrey Campus Querétaro apparently left a lot to be desired compared to our home universities in Germany, England and the United States. To be fair, a lot of our complaints were motivated more by laziness than anything else. Their system of “parcials,” where there is a week of tests in every class each month, probably isn’t that bad of an idea. It’s just hard to get used to after three years of classes where the grade is more or less determined by two tests or a paper. There was also a lot of whining that can be chalked up to cultural differences. Of course, I was abhorred to learn that parents can access their grown students’ grades. But Mexican values

don’t emphasize the “go at it alone” independence Americans embrace. Then there are the small things that make me realize just how lucky I am that UT won out in my relatively random college choice, like a world class library system. Trying to do research papers with a library that takes up less than one floor of the student union has tested even my formidable Google skills. The databases UT subscribes to have saved my papers more than once. There’s also the third floor of the Union. Again, this is cultural, but there is no indoor location on campus where it is okay to nap. The only couches are in the library, and feet are not permitted. Nor is sleeping. How I long for the days of stretching out on two of those chairs with my derriére precariously suspended in the air. So, for everyone who’s starting to hate the University, as we all do a little bit around finals time, remember: At least we get Thanksgiving off. Now, about that travel day... Counts is a plan II honors and history senior

5 UNIV

News

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Expert chides military relations

Dr. Kamran Ali, associate professor of anthropology, speaks at the House of Tutors on Monday afternoon about the influence of the military in Pakistan.

By Shabab Siddiqui Daily Texan Staff UT associate professor Kamran Ali spoke about the influence of the Pakistani military in the country’s government Monday evening, the first event in the Alhambra Speaker Series. The monthly series is hosted by the Alhambra-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a nonprofit group that provides a range of services to American government, business and education institutions that operate in Muslim-majority countries. Ali, who teaches in the departments of anthropology, Middle Eastern Studies and Asian Studies, said the role of the military in Pakistani politics cannot be separated from United States’ intervention over the last few decades.

Anne-Marie Huff Daily Texan Staff

Program provides disabled students with independence

“For one pragmatic reason or another,” Ali said, “the United States has supported all three military coups in Pakistan and all three military dictators.” Jonathan Black, spokesman for the nonprofit group, said Ali’s work provides insight on Pakistan-U.S. relations. “He’s an expert on Pakistani politics and popular culture [whose] work frequently appears in the media,” Black said. “His work here at UT focuses on ethnic, class and gender issues in Pakistan and Egypt.” Pakistan has been a focus of U.S. foreign policy since the late 1950s. The southern Asian country, which boasts the secondlargest Muslim population in the world, was strategically important for the United States when funding anti-Soviet rebels in Af-

ghanistan in the 1980s and remains critical today in capturing anti-U.S. militant officials on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Ali said the United States’ strengthening of the Pakistani military has allowed the military to take precedence over civilian, democratically elected governments. He said that in the long run, military rule has brought Pakistan far more chaos than stability. “Time and again, the military rule in Pakistan brings the country to a brink of disaster and then is forced to give up power because of a people’s movement,” Ali said. “And every time it does that, [the military] then moves toward rehabilitating its image.” Ali said military rule undermines the ability of civilian gov-

ernments to negotiate and deal with issues peaceably, but he said civilian governments have been charged with corruption. He said the ultimate victims in the political turmoil are the people of Pakistan. “We should look from the Pakistani people’s perspective and not only look at what is good for those of us here,” Ali said. Ali said he didn’t believe the absence of United States from Pakistani politics would guarantee a less chaotic political and social situation, but Pakistan would need to take its own strides. “The mere restoration of democratic governments isn’t enough,” Ali said. “The struggle in the 21st century should not only be against tyranny, but against misery and injustice.”

Let’s get down to brass tacks

Special needs scholars get necessary assistance to enjoy college lifestyle

tional institutions. “Everything that we do with students allows them to transfer skills to adulthood and a professional life,” said Admissions CoBy Rachel Platis ordinator Martha Dorow. “It’s Daily Texan Staff about living an adult life with reJeffrey Weinthal has done a sponsibilities, but a full team of lot of growing up in the past six support.” years. College Living Experience in The 21-year-old moved from Austin currently serves about 35 Michigan to Texas after gradu- students, and has served about ating from high school, suffered 75 students since the local office the loss of a parent and started opened in 2006, Dorow said. taking classes at a community “For the most part, our stucollege while living with Asperg- dents are intelligent and often er Syndrome. times above average,” Dorow Despite the challenges, Wein- said. “Something that’s frustratthal has found a home in Austin ing for our students is that it’s not in a program called College Liv- a question of ability or aptitude, ing Experience, a postsecondary but an issue of access.” program for college students who She said that because disabilrequire support ities can be inwith academic, visible, people social and indemake the assumppendent living tion that students skills. need to try hardFor many with “It’s amazer, or just get oring here, and ganized. learning issues, there’s no place “For many with communication is like it,” Weinlearning issues, difficult. But you thal said. “[Colcommunication lege Living Excan’t always expect is difficult,” Dorperience] is libow said. “But you someone who’s erating because can’t always expect got that challenge I have indepensomeone who’s dence. I like begot that challenge to navigate an ing treated like to navigate an adadministrative an adult.” ministrative syssystem and get the We i n t h a l tem and get the joined the prohelp they need.” help they need.” gram this semesMisty, the mothter, and takes — Martha Dorow er of one UT senior hospitality and Admissions Coordinator who wished not to Texas history be named, said her classes at Ausson sought help tin Communifrom the program ty College. He is during his junior quick to tell you about his experi- year. The program helped him ences with College Living Experi- with severe lack of organization ence, which include working with and social skills, she said. many of the staff members at the UT’s Services for Students office in north Austin. with Disabilities recommend“We have relationships with ed College Learning Experiencevery student here,” said Di- es, and the student traveled up rector Athena Newsom. “More to the center every weekday for than the diplomas on the walls, assistance. it’s the safe place we provide “[My son] is a very literal rule that students and their families interpreter, and doesn’t do well cherish.” with faces. So, he would do his College Living Experience homework but couldn’t figure helps students like Weinthal liv- out who the TA was,” Misty said. ing with Asperger ’s, attention “So his homework wouldn’t get deficit hyperactivity disorder and turned in.” other learning disabilities or soIn terms of going to school cial and emotional maturation is- with a disability, students have sues to become successful learn- to be proactive about the disabilers and more independent adults. ity process, Misty said, which reStudents come from Austin Com- quires students to register their munity College, UT, St. Edward’s disability with the University and University, Concordia University present letters to professors about and other educational and voca- their conditions.

‘‘

Michael Baldon | Daily Texan Staff

Jeffrey Weinthal, Austin Community College student, pauses for a moment while discussing his desire to become a writer. Weinthal has used College Living Experience for approximately three months and has enjoyed the assistance it has provided him with.

Lauren Gerson | Daily Texan Staff

Chris Heldt, a first year masters student, practices his trumpet under the stairs backstage before the UT Symphony Orchestra’s concert Monday evening. The symphony ended the fall season with a performance of Igor Stravinsky’s “Petrushka,” conducted by Wesley Schulz, and Jeffrey Hass’s “Symphony for Orchestra and Electronics.”

UT provides potential med students By Hannah Jones Daily Texan Staff The University of Texas is ranked fifth in the nation for the highest number of undergraduates who apply to medical school every year, according to a Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions survey. The survey contacted 131 U.S. medical schools approved by the Association of American Medical Colleges between July and August 2009 by telephone, and 82 schools responded. The survey showed 618 UT

students applied to those medical schools last year. “UT, in general, is a school that is sought after by so many people, regardless of medical school,” said premed biology sophomore Jessica Bucheler. “Looking at the requirements to get into some of the med schools in Texas, UT isn’t the toughest but is still up there and a desired place to go.” Kaplan spokesman Russell Schaffer said that while the recent economy has had a slight effect on institutions with av-

erage tuition costs of $40,000, only 20 percent of medical school admissions officers who responded said more applicants declined admissions for financial reasons in 2009 compared to 2008. “Generally, medical school applicants are far less affected by economic trends because many premed students have been preparing for this since their teen years.” Schaffer said. The survey also studied school admissions and its connection to social networking.

School districts fight TEA laws Law removes teachers’ right to independently control student grades By Alex Geiser Daily Texan Staff Several Texas school districts have taken issue with the Texas Education Agency’s interpretation of a new law to curb grade inflation, and they are responding with litigation. The law, passed during the 81st legislative session, states that a district’s grading policy may not require a teacher to assign a minimum grade for an assignment but allows students who make failing grades an opportunity to redo those assignments or tests. The TEA has argued that, to carry out the spirit of the law, districts should be prohibited from telling teachers to assign minimum failing grades for the semester. Texas school districts previously exercised independent control over their grading policies. Six Houston-area school districts filed a lawsuit last week against the Texas Education Agency over its proposed interpretation of the grade inflation law.

Joy Baskin, the director of legal services at the Texas Association of School Boards, said the majority of Texas districts mandated a minimum failing score for assignments, tests and grading periods. Most schools that enforced this policy settled on a 50 as the minimum grade. She said this gives students who receive low failing grades on assignments a chance to make up for their mistakes and pass the class. “Teachers could possibly enforce minimum grades,” Baskin said. “As a result of this change in the law, districts are wanting to examine the grading guidelines they give to their teachers.” The six districts involved — Fort Bend, Aldine, Klein, Alief, Anahuac and Clear Creek independent school districts — have filed the lawsuit in hopes of gaining clarity on the issue, Baskin said. She said more districts are expected to join in the lawsuit. According to a statement released by Nancy Porter, spokeswoman for Fort Bend ISD, the district is complying with the law. “However, the district does

not agree with the Texas Education Agency’s interpretation of the law, and the board authorized the district to join in litigation regarding the TEA commissioner’s interpretation on Senate Bill 2033,” according to the statement. Rob D’Amico, the spokesman for the Texas American Federation of Teachers, said that while many districts oppose the TEA’s interpretation of the law, the majority of teachers support it, as they want the authority in the classroom to grade as they please. “Teachers are upset because they feel that they shouldn’t be told how to assign a grade for particular work that isn’t accurately represented,” D’Amico said. “You can’t tell a teacher to assign a grade of a 50.” D’Amico said a minimum failing grade isn’t an accurate reflection of a student’s course mastery. “It needs to be carried out as it was intended to be,” he said. “Also, there are multiple opportunities that districts have to ensure that students who are trying and working won’t be hurt by low grades.” The Texas Education Agency would not comment, as the litigation is still pending.

Schaffer said that social media has become a part of daily college life and there has been an increase in business and law students friend-requesting admissions counselors on Facebook. “According to our survey, only 30 percent of medical school admissions [counselors] received friend requests from applicants,” he said. “[Premed students] are perhaps a lot more cautious, and a vast majority of students tend to be a lot more traditional.”

HEx: A&M bonfire

tragedy still in the minds of students From page 1

people. Some students, including English sophomore Molly Ashcraft, were surprised that there was not any sort of memorial. “We should have school spirit but respect other schools, too,” Ashcraft said. “It was a tragedy.” Jacob Eaton, an undeclared liberal arts junior and UT cheerleader, said the pep rally was meant for the cheerleaders to do traditional chants and to pump fans up. “I’m not sure about honoring the bonfire during this,” Eaton said. “It would be nice but not necessary to do it.” Brooks, who played for Texas from 1998 through 2001, started in the game the year the bonfire collapsed and said that it would have been out of place to mention the bonfire during the rally. “That entire week [of the tragedy] I was very involved, it was a sad day,” Brooks said. “I’m not for sure now it’s as relevant — not to minimize the degree of how it should be remembered — but I really do think that this year is really about UT and working on its way to a national championship.”

6 S/L

State&LocaL

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Holidays: APD advises drivers to not rush, keep focused From page 1 traffic laws. More than 90 percent of officers ranked as corporal or above worked the initiative. Officers issued 4,600 citations, made 21 felony arrests, 95 misdemeanor arrests and seven drunk driving arrests. Sarah Schimmer, spokeswoman for the American Automobile Association Texas, said AAA projects that 12 percent of the state’s population, or 2.96 million people, drive over the Thanksgiving holidays,

whereas only 340,000 will travel by other means, including flying. The group expects Texans to travel over 1,100 miles round trip, 350 more than the national average. Schimmer said Texas residents are more inclined to drive because of a strong state economy in comparison to the nation as a whole, resulting in gas prices that are consistent and lower than the national average. On Thursday, APD will also implement the Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks Program, which is a $1.1 million federally funded

program that will add two shifts per day of extra officers on highways between Highway 183, Interstate Highway 35, MoPac and Ben White boulevards. APD Commander Stephen Baker said the department’s goal is to reduce highway collisions by 5 percent. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, during the 2008 Thanksgiving holiday that started Wednesday, Nov. 26, there were 50 fatal crashes and 58 fatalities statewide. Christmas weekend

starting Wednesday, Dec. 24 had 46 fatal crashes and 56 fatalities, and New Year’s weekend starting Wednesday, Dec. 31 had 47 fatal crashes and 52 fatalities. “People are tired because they are driving long distances,” said Jim Cotton, traffic operations planner for the Texas Department of Transportation. “They need to make sure they are rested, keep distraction to a minimum, concentrate on driving and the most important thing is not to be in a hurry.” The Texas Department of Pub-

lic Safety will have all available troopers working Thanksgiving to help reduce traffic fatalities, said trooper Robbie Barrera. Troopers will increase visibility to spot drunk driving, speeding and safety belt violations. Last year, troopers wrote 5,322 citations for speeding, 562 citations for seatbelt violations and made 252 arrests for driving while intoxicated during the Thanksgiving weekend starting on Wednesday, Nov. 26. This year, DPS is participating in the Combined Accident Reduc-

tion Effort, a national effort to reduce fatalities on major interstate highways. DPS advises Texas residents to give themselves plenty of time, maintain good driving habits and not resort to road rage. “Because there are more people on the roadway and everyone is in a hurry, we tend not to make the best decisions possible,” Barrera said. “Prepare yourself for that traffic, because it’s going to be there — how you react to it will determine how safe you get to your destination.”

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

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

T he Daily Texan

E D TH MEDIA A O L T N DOWS STUDEN ! TEXAONE APP IPH T YOUR FEED ON! GE

McCoy looking forward after senior day Colt McCoy celebrates with fans after the Texas 51-20 win over Kansas on Saturday. McCoy set the NCAA record for most wins by a quarterback.

SIDELINE NCAA MeN’s BAsketBAll top 25 1.Kansas (3-0) 2. Michigan State (4-0) 3. Texas (3-0) 4. Villanova (5-0) 5. Kentucky (4-0) 6. Purdue (4-0) 7. Duke (4-0) 8. West Virginia (1-0) 9. Tennessee (4-1) 10. Syracuse (4-0) 11. North Carolina (5-1) 12. Butler (3-0) 13. Connecticut (3-0) 14. Washington (4-0) 15. Michigan (2-0) 16. Louisville (4-0) 17. Ohio State (3-1) 18. Georgetown (3-0) 19. Clemson (3-0) 20. Illinois (3-0) 21. Maryland (4-0) 22. Minnesota (3-0) 23. Notre Dame (4-0) 24. Vanderbilt (2-1) 25. Oklahoma (2-1)

NCAA MeN’s BAsketBAll Gardner-Webb 72 No. 12 North Carolina 93 Appalachian State 53 No. 16. Louisville 80 No. 3 Texas 85 Iowa 60 No. 11 Tennessee 72 No. 6 Purdue 73 No. 22 Maryland 79 Chaminade 51 Cincinnati 67 No. 24 Vanderbilt 58 Colorado 72 Gonzaga 76

Big 12 stANdiNgs North

Erik Reyna Daily Texan Staff

Texas quarterback received congratulatory phone call from previous record holder By Michael Sherfield Daily Texan Staff Colt McCoy was all business Monday as he settled in for his weekly interview session. “I really want my focus to be on A&M,” he said. But before getting to the Aggies, there was one last order of business for college football’s all-time wins leader to address: his new record, and the conversation he had with its old holder. Former Georgia star David Greene

called McCoy after the senior won his 43rd game Saturday night, more than any other quarterback before him, surpassing Greene’s record of 42. “He called me, it was great,” McCoy said. “We talked for a long time, actually. It seems we have a lot in common. He congratulated me, said I was really special. It’s extremely hard to do.” With the congratulations, Greene also offered a warning to McCoy, who has hopes of a Big 12 and national championships this season.

Nebraska (8-3) Kansas State (6-6) Missouri (7-4) Iowa State (6-6) Colorado (3-8) Kansas (5-6)

Newton new starter The son of former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Nate Newton isn’t the fastest running back around the 40 Acres, but he does seem to have a few things going for him. Tre’ Newton has raised at least one comparison to another Cowboys legend. “He reminds me, and I don’t want you to laugh, he’s a little bit like Emmitt

FOOTBALL continues on page 8

BIg 12 fooTBAll

Oklahoma failing to win big road games with Jones at QB

south No. 3 Texas (11-0) No. 12 Oklahoma State (9-2) Texas Tech (7-4) Oklahoma (6-5) Texas A&M (6-5) Baylor (4-7)

NFl Tennessee 20 Houston 17 Sue Ogrocki | Associated Press

NBA

“He said, ‘Pat your teammates, pat your coaches on the back, because they helped you get there too,” McCoy said. “‘Enjoy it, but don’t enjoy it too much. You can smash it, you don’t have to just break it.’” Texas and McCoy’s next chance to extend the record will come sooner than usual. The Longhorns play on Thanksgiving night against rival Texas A&M with a chance to become the first Texas team to ever win 12 regular season games and register back-to-back 12-win seasons.

By Wes DeVoe Daily Texan Staff Where, oh where have the Sooners gone? Oh where, oh where could they be? Head coach Bob Stoops is fielding answers to this question and many more as his squad readies itself for a game against Oklahoma State this weekend — with hopes of staying above .500 on the season.

An injury-plagued year has all but worn down the Sooners, and their hopes of playing in a BCS game were crushed months ago when Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham were knocked out of the 2009 campaign. Oklahoma hoped to buck the recent trend of losing in Lubbock, but Red Raider quarterback Taylor Potts had a field day against the Sooners’ defense, completing

35 passes for 388 yards and two touchdowns in the 41-13 win on Senior Day. With Bedlam on the horizon, Stoops has to be wondering if Landry Jones can ever win a big game. The Cowboys haven’t won in Norman since 2001, and Stoops has only lost twice at Gaylord Memorial Stadium since he took over the

Sacramento 105 Memphis 116

Texas Tech’s Brandon Sharpe pressures oklahoma’s landry Jones during Tech’s 41-13 win over oklahoma. Saturday’s loss marks the second in as many trips to lubbock for the Sooners.

Milwaukee 98 San Antonio 112

MENS BASKETBAll

INTERNATIoNAl SoCCER

Horns overcome sluggish first half

Second half goal propels Sunderland over Arsenal

Chicago 98 Portland 122 Minnesota 87 LA Clippers 91

Nhl Columbus 4 NY Rangers 7 New York 4 Toronto 3 Detroit 1 Nashville 3 Washington 3 Ottawa 4 Pittsburgh 3 Florida 2

No. 3 Texas 85, Iowa 60

By laken litman Daily Texan Staff Before crushing Iowa 85-60, the Longhorns got a little too comfortable in the first half. No. 3 Texas let Iowa hang with them for the first few minutes, as they had a 13-point lead over the Hawkeyes with eight minutes to go in the first period. Everything was normal for Texas as it controlled the court, beating the Hawkeyes on the inside offensively, defensively and in size. It was all Texas for the first part

of the half, but then the Horns went too deep in their comfort zone. That’s when the Hawkeyes swooped in and attacked. After creaming UC-Irvine and Western Carolina in their first two games, the Longhorns didn’t seem as prepared as they should have been against the unexpected Iowa threat. Though the Hawkeyes started their season with two home losses to UT-San Antonio and Duquesne, they kept up with Texas in the beginning. Before Iowa caught up to Tex-

Boston 4 St. Louis 2 Carolina 0 Dallas 2 Phoenix 0 Edmonton 4 Philadelphia 4 Colorado 5 Calgary 2 Anaheim 3

Quote oF the dAy “Which is the good one Jekyll or Hyde? They will be Jekyll Thursday night. We won’t see Hyde. Hyde goes away.” — Longhorns coach Mack Brown on Texas A&M

Charlie Riedel | Associated Press

Jordan Hamilton drives towards the basket in Texas’ 85-60 win over Iowa in Kansas City in the CBE Classic. Hamilton finished with a team high 16 points.

as, freshman Jordan Hamilton went on a three-point frenzy, going 4-for-8. By game’s end, Hamilton tallied 16 points, which was the team high. Hamilton’s magic touch was evidence of how the Longhorns can score in a lot of different ways. Other tactics include freshman J’Covan Brown’s quickness underneath the basket for easy lay-ups and senior Dexter Pittman’s ability to use his 280-pound frame to muscle his way through the paint. With about seven minutes left in the first, Texas led 26-16, but three minutes later, Iowa could have reached out and touched the lead, as they were only down by three. For the remainder of the half, the Hawkeyes kept the Longhorns on their toes. When Brown made a two-point jumper with eight seconds left to give Texas a 3835 edge, the Horns thought they were going to head into halftime with the lead. However, freshman Cully Payne shot from the threeand-beyond to tie the game, 3838, before heading into the locker room. The Longhorns entered unfamiliar territory in the beginning of the second half when Iowa took their last lead after a three-point jumper by sophomore Matt Gatens, which would also be the last

BASKETBALL continues on page 8

By Rishi Daulat Daily Texan Staff Darren Bent just loves to score against top-flight teams. After his game-winning goal against Arsenal on Saturday, Bent has now scored a goal against each of the Big Four clubs this season. Bent’s strike was the only goal in the fixture as Sunderland’s 1-0 win could put a slight dent in Arsenal’s ambi-

BIG 12 continues on page 8

tious title hopes. The goal was a bit of a fluke, however. Andy Reid’s corner kick in the 71st minute was headed sideways by Bent and then took a deflection off a surprised Fraizer Campbell to the middle of the box before Bent smashed it home. Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia was just inches away from covering

SOCCER continues on page 8 Darren Bent celebrates after scoring the decisive goal in Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Arsenal on Saturday.

Scott Heppell Associated Press

8 SPTS

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

football: Davis compares Newton to NCAA appearance Emmitt Smith; Williams day-to-day proves valuable for young Texas team MEn’S CroSS Country

From page 7

Smith,” said offensive coordinator Greg Davis of his new starter at tail back. “I was around when Emmitt came out of high school, I remember the comments. ‘Great high school player, probably won’t be a great college player because he’s not fast enough.’ Draft day comes around. ‘Great college player, probably won’t be a great pro because he’s not fast enough.’ The proof is in the pudding.” Like Smith, Newton doesn’t have great open field speed but has been able to break big runs, including a 45-yard touchdown against Baylor. “He won’t wow you with his speed,” Davis said of Newton. “But he’s probably faster than we think.” Newton has used every ounce of speed to work his way to the top of the Texas depth chart this season. With a new focus on “efficient runs” — which the coaches define as gaining four or more yards, a first down or a touchdown — Texas is putting less emphasis on the big play and more on consistency. With his ability to read the field, which the coaches usually list as his best asset, and quickness in tight spaces, the freshman has been able to churn out a team best 5.5 yards-per-carry average this year. “He has great vision and a burst of speed,” said Head Coach Mack Brown. “He can get from here to there real fast.”

By Jim Pagels Daily Texan Staff While students may not have been clamoring to find flights and tickets to this national championship, the men’s cross country team competed in the NCAA Cross Country National Championships yesterday morning in Terre Haute, Ind. The team tied for 28th place with Duke University. Big 12 rival Oklahoma State won the title for its first national championship in school history. The Cowboys were followed by two-time defending champion Oregon, who placed 2nd. Alabama rounded out the top three. Despite finishing toward the bottom of the 31-team pool, the Longhorns were not too disappointed by the results. “The guys have come a long way,” said assistant coach John Hayes. “This was a team that didn’t qualify for nationals last year and now they are one of the top 30 teams in the country. Considering there are over 300 schools

basketball: James enters

record book for rebounds From page 7

Injury report After limping off the field with a knee injury for the second time this year, sophomore Aaron Williams received some much-needed good news this weekend. The diagnosis on his right knee is only a bruise. The shutdown corner is listed as day-to-day. Williams was hurt on Earl Thomas’ interception return in the fourth quarter against Kansas. He missed a game against Central Florida earlier this year after a collision with Thomas on the first drive against Oklahoma State. Williams, who has started 11 games in his career, has become

that compete in cross country, that’s pretty good.” The Horns were led by senior Habben Berhane, who finished in 79th place with a time of 30 minutes and 58 seconds in the 10,000 meter event. Sophomores Rory Tunningley and Brock Simmons followed, finishing in 102nd and 122nd place respectively. Senior Bradley Lowry and sophomore Brian Rhodes-Devey placed in the top 160. Hayes thought the meet was a positive sign for the future of the young Texas team. The Horns will only lose Berhane next season, and they have many bright young stars such as freshman Austin Roth, who finished in the top 200 yesterday. “Our goal was to finish inside the top 25, so we fell a little short of that, but I really thought the guys ran a better race than they did at regionals,” Hayes said. “They’ve continued to improve from race to race and have set a nice foundation for where we hope to take this program in the future.”

Erik Reyna | Daily Texan Staff

tre’ newton runs out of bounds during texas 51-20 win over Kansas on Saturday. newton was named the starting running back for thursday’s game against texas A&M. one of the best defensive backs in tions this season against Baylor the country this year, often seeing and Oklahoma. no passes thrown his way for enJoining him on the treatment tire games. He has two intercep- table after the Kansas game

was receiver John Chiles, who sprained his ankle on his only catch of the game. He is also listed as day-to-day.

time the Hawkeyes would score for six minutes, as Texas went on a 17-0 run. Poised as always, freshman Avery Bradley made his first start against Iowa and earned 11 points while going 4-for-6 in field goals. Pittman also established himself early in the second half, especially in the paint, where he was able to get low and accumulate 15 points. Iowa tried to initiate some sort of offense in the latter part of the game, but with Pittman and fellow senior Damion James on defense, the Hawkeyes had to think

twice before going inside for the bucket. James totaled 13 rebounds, which pushed him over the 1,000-rebound mark for his career. James joins James Thomas (1,077) and LaSalle Thompson (1,027) as one of three Longhorns to attain this impressive accomplishment. Despite a little laziness in the first, the Texas offense was able to outshoot Iowa 26-2 in the second half. With this win, Texas will face Pittsburgh in the 2009 O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic Championship Round at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., at 9 p.m. tonight.

nfL

Young leads Titans in close win over Houston By Kristie rieken The Associated Press HOUSTON — Rob Bironas kicked a 53-yard field goal with less than a minute remaining and the Tennessee Titans beat the Houston Texans 20-17 Monday

night for their fourth straight victory after an 0-6 start. The Texans (5-5) had a chance to tie it, but Kris Brown’s 49-yard attempt with 1 second remaining was wide left. It was his second miss of the game and the sec-

Vince young drops back to pass during last week’s win over the Bills. young won his fourth straight game since regaining the starting job for the titans against the texans on Monday night.

Wade Payne Associated Press

ond straight game he’s missed a chance to send the Texans to overtime. The Titans (4-6) haven’t lost since Vince Young took over at quarterback. He is 2-0 as a starter in his hometown of Houston after running for the winning touchdown in overtime in his last start here, as a rookie in 2006. The Titans started the go-ahead drive at the 6-yard line, but the Texans were called for a 15-yard horse collar penalty on a tackle on Chris Johnson. A 22-yard run by Johnson two plays later put the Titans on their 41 just before the two-minute warning. Young had a 12 yard run for a first down later in the drive but the Titans couldn’t keep it going and went to Bironas for the field goal, his second of at least 50 yards Monday. The Texans moved the ball 31 yards in five plays before Brown came in for the field-goal attempt. He missed from the same distance in the third quarter and missed one from 42 yards as time expired in a 20-17 loss to India-

napolis before Houston’s bye. Bironas had missed earlier, too, on a 49-yarder with about 10 minutes left. Johnson finished with 151 yards rushing and Young had a touchdown pass in the first half. Bironas added a 50-yard field goal in the third quarter. Tennessee took its first lead of the game on a 50-yard field goal by Bironas with about three minutes left in the third quarter. The Titans kicked the field goal after Bernard Pollard tackled Young for a 2-yard loss on third-and-5. A Titans drive early in the third quarter ended when Young scrambled up the middle for 10 yards before Zac Diles forced a fumble that Pollard recovered at the Texans’ 16-yard line. The Texans couldn’t convert when Brown’s 49-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right. The Titans had Schaub under heavy pressure all night and he was sacked four times. He was 25 of 39 for 305 yards and threw two first-half touchdowns.

big 12: Oklahoma State’s BCS aspirations still alive From page 7 head coaching position in 1999.

‘N’ stands for Nebraska Bo Pelini has finally brought the Cornhuskers back to prominence as memories of the past begin to set in for the Big Red faithful. After dominating the mid to late ‘90s and winning three national titles, Nebraska fell off the map during the Frank Solich and Bill Callahan eras. But this is a new and exciting time in the cornfields, with an exuberant coach in Pelini. In his second season at the helm, he is 17-7 and has his team in the Big 12 Championship game for the first time since 2006, and only the second time since 1999.

Quarterback Zac Lee felt the heat in the kitchen when he was benched for freshman Cody Green against Baylor. But since then, the junior quarterback has delivered the dough and led the Huskers to three straight victories heading into the regular season finale against Colorado this week.

BCS dreams still alive This was supposed to be a banner year for the Cowboys in Stillwater. After losing running back Kendall Hunter to injury and wide receiver Dez Bryant to ineligibility, Oklahoma State hasn’t gotten all the attention it was hoping for after two losses to Houston and Texas. On Thursday, the Cowboys

squeaked by Colorado 31-28 and kept their BCS bowl dreams alive, even without starting quarterback Zac Robinson, who was sidelined with a concussion. But the move to keep the senior quarterback off the field was precautionary, and he should be ready for Oklahoma. Both of the early season losses can be pushed to the back burner if Head Coach Mike Gundy can somehow defeat in-state foe Oklahoma in Norman for the first time in the Bedlam game since earlier this decade. It won’t be easy for the fifth-year head coach, considering the man on the other sideline, Bob Stoops, is nearly unstoppable at home. Oklahoma State hasn’t won the rivalry since 2002, but a win on Saturday could catapult the Cow-

boys into a BCS bowl.

Leach sets Texas Tech career wins record For the 10th straight season, the Red Raiders are hitting the allies and going bowling under Head Coach Mike Leach. The Red Raiders secured their bowl fate with the most lopsided victory over Oklahoma in team history in Lubbock on Saturday. Now they hit the road to take on Baylor in the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Saturday’s victory was Leach’s 83rd win as the Raiders’ head coach, making him the winningest coach in Tech history. Spike Dykes, Tech’s coach from 1987 to 1999 and Texas Sports Hall of Famer, was the previous record holder.

Charlie Riedel | Associated Press

Senior Dexter Pittman goes up for a shot in Monday’s win over Iowa in the CBE Classic. Pittman finished the game with 15 and helped the Longhorns advance to today’s championship game against Pittsburgh.

soccer: Manchester United rolls From page 7 up the ball, but Bent slid in and shot just before Almunia could snatch it. It was the English striker ’s ninth goal of the season in thirteen games; he is currently tied with Chelsea’s Dider Drogba for second on the scorer’s chart, one goal behind Liverpool’s Fernando Torres. Sunderland now has wins against Arsenal and Liverpool and an away draw at Old Trafford against Manchester United, an impressive feat for a team that usually struggles to finish in the top ten of the Premiereship. Arsenal’s offense, which has been brilliant all season long, was stifled against a determined Sunderland side, and it’s the first time the Gunners were held scoreless since May 16 against Manchester United.

One reason for Arsenal’s offensive struggles may have been the absence of striker Robin Van Persie, the Dutchman who picked up a severe ankle injury in the Netherlands’ friendly against Italy that could see him miss up to six weeks. It was Arsenal’s first defeat in fourteen games dating back to their 4-2 loss to Manchester City on Sept. 12. In other Premiere League matches, Darren Fletcher’s sublime finish put Manchester United ahead in the first half, and the Red Devils rolled from there, beating Everton 3-0. Tottenham hung an incredible nine goals on Wigan Athletic in a 9-1 thrashing, while Chelsea beat Wolverhampton 4-0 to remain in first place. Manchester City was involved in another draw as they tied Liverpool 2-2.

9 CLASS

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Campus

By Lara Berendt Daily Texan Staff Graduation may be at stake for obese students at Lincoln University near Oxford, Pa. Undergraduates with a body mass index of more than 30 are required to either lower their index or complete a course in exercise, nutrition and obesity before they will be allowed to graduate. Of the 92 entering freshmen in 2006 who had an index above 30, about 25 still have not met these requirements and may not graduate this spring. The class of 2010 is the first to face the requirement at Lincoln. Despite these new rules in Lincoln, UT health experts insist that a voluntary approach is the best way for undergraduates to embrace a healthy lifestyle. University Health Services officials said current voluntary programs for health and nutrition at UT are more appropriate and effective in addressing students’ needs. Amanda Buller, a registered dietician at University Health Services, said that according to recent statistics, 6.4 percent of UT students are obese, and this figure suggests obesity is not the most pressing issue on campus. “We recognize that when people engage in a healthy lifestyle, they’re going 1 to end up all different shapes and sizes, and we want to celebrate that,” Buller said. Buller said the type of program being implemented at Lincoln UniverLASSIFIEDS sity applies body mass index measurements inappropriately. The index is designed to determine rates of obesity for populations, she said, not to designate individuals as obese. It is calculated in such a way that an athlete with high muscle mass could inaccurately be categorized as obese, she said. “By shaming someone and not al-

CORKBOARD Erik Reyna | Daily Texan Staff

Michael Baldon | Daily Texan Staff

Economics sophomore Justin Castellano assists workout partner Chet Lockwood, a studio art sophomore, with stretches before they begin their workout in Gregory Gymnasium on Monday evening. Gregory Gym is one of many fitness facilities on campus open to students. lowing them to graduate, you’re probably not going to encourage them to engage in healthy lifestyle behaviors such as eating well or maintaining an active lifestyle,” Buller said. Phil Stanforth, the director of the Fitness Institute of Texas, said he would be open to discussions of implementing such a program at UT if it was proven to be successful. But the question remains whether requiring exercise and health education is effective, he said. “Obviously, the reason they’re doing it is because we have such a high rate of obesity, and they’re trying to change it,” Stanforth said. Lincoln officials did not return requests for comment. UHS offers free classes to University students including Your Healthiest Body, Heart Your Heart and Nutrition 101, which instruct students in how to make healthy lifestyle choices as opposed to choosing diet regimes.

After water levels in Central Texas lakes reached 52 percent capacity last week, Austin Water Utility has lifted water restrictions from Stage 2 to Stage 1. Stage 1 restrictions are standard for the months of May through September and limit outdoor watering to two days a week, with no outdoor irrigation between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. The city implemented Stage 2 restrictions Aug. 24 in response to severe droughts. Austin Water Utility spokeswoman Jill Mayfield said moving from Stage 2 back to Stage 1 is a positive sign for city drought conditions, but there is still room for improvement. She advised Austin Water customers to educate

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themselves on the changes, as well as water conservation programs and rebates the city offers to buy more efficient appliances. Small changes in homes can add up to the most significant solution to drought conditions. “It’s a good time to think about water conservation in your home,” she said. “If you’ve got a leaky faucet or toilet, fix it. If you’ve got an old toilet or washing machine, think about using one of our rebates. Small things make a big difference. Things like not running the water when you brush your teeth. That’s huge.” — Audrey White

theft: Officer cites alertness as key to prevention From page 1 “[Students] leave their keys and wallets on bleachers while they are playing basketball and don’t think anything will happen to them,” Pieper said. He said this year has seen an increase in bicycle thefts and thefts in office buildings. Repeated building

thefts are often the planned work of one individual or a specific group, Pieper said. “People [will] go into unattended areas of offices during business hours and steal whatever is in the area,” he said. “Normally, one person is responsible for the vast majority of those because they feel comfortable going to that building,

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875 Medical Study

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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Former Austinites Annie and Carlos AyaRojas walk past a fountain while taking a stroll down South Congress Avenue. Austin has been moved from Stage 2 water restrictions back to Stage 1 due to recent rainfall.

Katherine Cadigan, a health education graduate student, said Nutrition 101 attendance has recently increased and that students show an overall interest in health and nutrition. UT allows interested students to seek out health education resources voluntarily, a very different approach from what Lincoln University has implemented, she said. “Our classes are open to all students, but no students are sent to our classes,” Cadigan said. Kevin Prince, health education coordinator at UHS, said he doesn’t object to Lincoln’s efforts at raising awareness and educating their student body, but he thinks such mandated programs tend to have limited success because people have to want to lose weight. “Fundamentally, there’s no research to support that mandating weight-loss programs is effective,” Prince said.

BUSINESS

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LIFE&ARTS

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

MEAL: Foreign sides

complement typical Thanksgiving meals From page 12

delectable cup-shaped, baked pancakes often served in pubs vors, an easy Thanksgiving spin or for Sunday lunch. The pudon the amuse-bouche from the ding can be filled with a bit of chowhound.com forum is cream gravy or used to help sop up the of pumpkin soup beneath cran- plate after the meal. berry gelée, savory mousse and Finally, the New Zealandchopped pecans. ers brought pavlova, a fluffy, A great variation instead of sweet dessert, to finish off the Thanksgiving ham is a Danish meal. The dish, named after frikadeller. Made famous Ruswith ground pork, sian ballet this juicy, savory dancer Anna meatball is made Pavlova af... the Austrians even ter she vislike any other meatball and is joked about using one ited Austraserved on hearty and New of the frikadellers for lia rye bread. Zealand, profoosball ...” “They were acvides the pertually one the fect light treat — Taylor Timinsky to juxtapose best dishes of the night,” said Taylor Middle Eastern and the typically Timinsky, a Midreligious studies heavy Amerdle Eastern and ican meal. sophomore religious stud“Pavlova is ies sophomore. just meringue “At one point, the cream topped Austrians even with some joked about using one of the sort of summer fruit,” said Rafrikadellers for foosball, but ev- chel Taylor, an international reeryone had already ate them.” lations, Asian studies and develFor all the gravy-lovers out opmental studies junior. “I usuthere, the British have got you ally have it with passion fruit, covered. Yorkshire Puddings, but I couldn’t find any, so I used which really isn’t a pudding, are berries instead.”

‘‘

Jordy Wagoner | Daily Texan Staff

Margaret Powis and Ila Falvey discuss the current states of the gardens in front of Ms. Falvey’s plot, who has maintained her section of the Community Garden since 1993.

PLANTS: Center hosts gardening class From page 12

November to encourage sustainable agriculture. Don’t expect to find all community gardens in Austin created equally. “Each garden is run a little differently,” said Greg Hammond, who helps maintain the Homewood Heights Community Garden in east Austin. Some operate on a plot system. In other words, the organization sells or leases a plot of land to a gardener, who either pays a fee or commits to a certain number of volunteer hours (or in some cases, both) in exchange for use of the land, gardening tools and a community environment. Sunshine Community Gardens is noteworthy for UT students

ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFLY NPR’s Carl Kasell to retire from ‘Morning Edition’ NEW YORK — Carl Kasell will finally get to sleep in. The veteran newscaster is retiring from NPR’s

because of its proximity to campus. Adams, who helps grow the plants at Sunshine, says the rules are straightforward. “People join the garden and they get assigned a plot,” she said. “There are different sizes of plots, and depending on your plot size, that’s how many hours of volunteer work you have to do at the garden.” The cost averages about an hour a month, rounding out to roughly $90 per year for a regularsized plot. At Homewood Heights in east Austin, Hammond said, he and fellow gardeners don’t partition off space but delegate specific crops to different people. “The gardening system in place is more cooperative than plot-oriented,” he said. “We have many

members of the [Homewood Heights] community that want to participate, so we agree on the crops we want to grow as a group, and then each person is assigned to grow a specific crop. We share the bounty, so it’s a little different [than gardens that operate on the plot system] — we don’t come in and just pay for a row.” Homewood Heights, he said, is comprised mainly of neighborhood residents who pool their gardening skills and ambitions. “I think the plot-based gardens tend to have people who are not in the neighborhood. Ours is pretty much a neighborhood community garden,” he said. Those who are interested in participating in already established gardens should start scoping out prospective plots and gar-

“Morning Edition.” The 75-year-old Kasell has done the newcast during NPR’s flagship morning program since its inception 30 years ago. NPR says he will give his last broadcast on Dec. 30. Kasell will remain the judge and scorekeeper of NPR’s weekly news quiz show. A spokeswoman for NPR says that no one has been named to suc-

ceed Kasell on “Morning Edition.”

Little Richard asks fans for prayers after surgery NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Little Richard is asking fans to pray for his speedy recovery after undergoing hip surgery at a Tennessee hospital. The Rev. Bill Minson, a family

WHAT: Community Garden Leadership Training: How to Start and Sustain a Community Garden WHERE: Austin Mennonite Church, 5801 Westminster Dr. WHEN: Dec. 12 ADMISSION: $5 dens “just before the planting seasons begin,” Hammond said. In Austin, August marks one preplanting season on the calendar, and January marks the other. For those interested in starting a garden, the Sustainable Food Center is currently working with the Austin Parks and Recreation Department to develop guidelines for people who want to start gardens on city park land. friend, says the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had been in some pain leading up to the surgery but continued to maintain a rigorous performing schedule. Minson says Little Richard asked him to tell fans “to get ready to rock ‘n’ roll with him in the new year because he’s coming back strong.” He is recovering at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

Illustration by Rachel Weiss | Daily Texan Staff

LA official negotiating over Jackson memorial cost LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles official says she’s negotiating with the company that owns Staples Center about reimbursing some of the $3.2 million taxpayers spent on the Michael Jackson memorial. A City Council panel postponed Monday’s cost review after Council-

MUSIC: ‘Idol’ album features some gems From page 12 released Merriweather Post Pavilion, the fifth release under the Animal Collective name. Merriweather Post Pavilion felt like the end of an era for the band as they adapted gleeful, bubbly synths and singsong choruses. Once again, time has proven the album to be nothing more than a stage for a band that refuses to change. With its latest release, the Fall Be Kind EP, the group manages to sum up the past four years of Animal Collective without sounding redundant or nostalgic. With a digital release that came out on Monday (you’ll have to wait until mid-December for a physical copy), Animal Collective asks us to reconsider our perception of the band one last time before entering a new decade. Ironically, the EP mostly is made up of leftovers from the group’s past two albums, along with one entirely new track, “I Think I Can.” “Graze” opens the album recalling the Strawberry Jam sessions it was a part of while benefiting from Panda Bear’s newfound love of synths and samples. “On a Highway,” last heard in a BBC session in 2007, sounds more of its time and reflects upon the gloomy ambient pop the band was born from. Without a doubt, “What Would I Want? Sky” is the highlight of the EP and reason enough to call Fall Be Kind more than a collection of outtakes (as the band’s previous EPs has been). As a fan that has watched the band morph and grow over the years, this is the one song that takes something from every stage of the group to form one of the most cathartic and memorable songs of its career. The fact that it’s all built around a Grateful Dead sample only makes it more strange and amazing. Over a flurry of synths and an intoxicating vocal sample, Avey Tare sings, “I should be floating, but I’m weighted by thinking.” The song goes on to offer more intro-

spective lines and trippy imagery, but I don’t think a line can better sum up the eerie yet hopeful, complex yet minimal mindset of Fall Be Kind. — Allistair Pinsof

Adam Lambert For Your Entertainment It’s here. Perhaps the most anticipated release from an “American Idol” contestant ever, glam-rock giant Adam Lambert has released For Your Entertainment, and it’s just as off-the-wall, out of control and up and down as the singer himself. First thing’s first, mad props to Lambert for becoming the most celebrated and talked-about contestant in the show’s history, be it because of his extraordinary range or the constant talk about his sexuality. With all of that out of the way, it’s time to see what kind of an album he can make. Just like with almost all “Idol” contestants, the album, when taken by itself outside of the show, doesn’t quite live up to the hype. Lambert has it made, thanks to his huge fan base and an insane lineup of contributors and co-writers. Unfortunately, he spends much of his time trying to emulate the particular artists who gifted him their tracks rather than displaying his own style. “Whataya Want From Me,” courtesy of the Pink and Britney Spears writing team, is whiny and obnoxious, and “A Loaded Smile,” from Linda Perry, features nearly 100 percent synthesizers and no semblance of a song.

That’s not to say that the album doesn’t have any interesting moments. The opener, “Music Again,” written by Justin Hawkins of The Darkness, is as silly as you’d expect a tune from that band to be, and Lambert obviously has fun with it. Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo contributed “Pick U Up,” and the one-dimensional pop punk of 2007’s The Red Album suits Lambert’s wailing pyrotechnics. Interestingly enough, the best track on the album, “Broken Open,” is one of only a few that Lambert actually helped write. It’s goth, it’s moody and it’s completely up Lambert’s alley. Despite the inconsistencies, For Your Entertainment is one of, if not the best, “Idol” album to date, and as shown by the self-penned tracks, if Lambert’s given more freedom on his next release without the help of an amalgamation of current pop stars, he just might prove that he’s got something to say after all. — Robert Rich

woman Jan Perry said she had positive discussions with AEG about the memorial at Staples in July. AEG spokesman Michael Roth had no comment. A recent city report concluded the memorial boosted the local economy and determined there was no law in place at the time to force reimbursement. Compiled from Associated Press reports

CARTS: Trailer

offers healthy lunch options From page 12

Michael Baldon | Daily Texan Staff

Matthew Dodd passes by Counter Culture on his way home early Monday. Counter Culture, located off of North Loop Boulevard, serves vegan and vegetarian dishes and is open Thursday through Sunday.

salad, lunch with a drink will run you upwards of $10. Counter Culture is definitely a good place for those wanting to explore a new world of healthy eating, and they can do it right out of the comfort of a trailer. 120 East North Loop, Austin, TX 78751 (512) 512-5122 Hours of Operation: Thurs. – Sat. Noon – 7 p.m.; Sun. Noon – 6 p.m.

S ’ O V BE LIST H S I W

on stands Dec 19st DEC.

e k a TThe y e v r u S e n i l n o@ dailytexanonline.com

12 LIFE

LIFE&ARTS

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

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

T HE DAILY TEXAN

Gardens bring community together

Jordy Wagoner | Daily Texan Staff

By Susannah Jacob Daily Texan Staff For the aspiring gardener, a community garden represents an expedient option for surrounding yourself with knowledgeable, experienced green thumbs and like-minded eager beginners. There are abundant community gardening opportunities in Austin, and like other hosts of communal activities in this town, community gardeners in Austin are organized, welcoming and popular. “To get a plot in our gardens, you have to get on the waiting list, which is at the moment about 100 people,” said Janet Adams, president of Sunshine Community Gardens, located on Sunshine Drive just north of the intersection at Lamar Boulevard and 45th Street. It’s good that so many people want to participate, community gardeners say, because social and environmental benefits are attached to increased participation. “Community gardening has all the benefits of having a home garden, in addition to allowing some people to garden who may not have a space to garden at their home,” said Jess Guffey, the Grow Local program coordinator at the Sustainable Food Center. “Also, having a space where lots of different gardeners can work together makes it possible for gardeners to share information so they can learn even more about gardening. It introduces a whole social element where people get to know each other and know more about their neighbors. It also has the benefit of turning an unused lot where bad activities may happen into something positive.” For newcomers, the Internet is the best place to start before digging in the dirt. Try the Coalition of Austin Community Gardens’ Web site, which says the organization “actively promotes the stability, support and propagation of Community Gardens in Austin.” Online, the coalition provides information about 17 local gardens’ locations and contact information. In addition to being a good online resource, the coalition has begun sponsoring gatherings of gardeners and wannabes. The coalition is providing research and making recommendations to the Sustainability Food Policy Board — created by the city last

Margaret Powis tends her vegetable garden at the Sunshine Community Gardens on Thursday afternoon. Powis teaches an informal class at UT on vegetable gardening for beginners called “Victory Garden 101.”

FOOD REVIEWS

Food carts offer cheap Asian sides, raw meal options By Solomon Wang Daily Texan Staff Two fresh dining experiences have popped up within walking distance of the Intramural Fields, both of which are sure to enlighten the food intellect of any student, trailer atmosphere included. Watch out for limited open hours and days during the week. Also, only cash is accepted at both locations.

Chubby Hug Happy Fun Noodle Time Chubby Hug Happy Fun Noodle Time is definitely a unique (and ridiculous) name, even for an Austin food trailer. However, the inviting, sky blue trailer boasts a small menu of tasty twists on Asian-inspired noodle dishes. The no-seating inconvenience is overshadowed by the cheap prices. At $3 for a stuffed 8 oz. container of noodles, Chubby Hug keeps customers satisfied; a larger portion is offered for $6, but the small is sure to fill you up. For hearty appetites, the #1 “Malay-Style Special” is a creamy, curry-based noodle dish that contains a hint of sweetness and spice with fresh bean sprouts offering a nice crunch. On the lighter side, but equally delicious, the #2 “Sichuan Style” offers a cold concoction of spicy peanut sauce, tofu, chopped peanuts, cilantro and lime. A hot bowl of ramen noodles is offered for $7. On a side note, while you’re here, ask the owner about the ex-

travagant story of how the name Chubby Hug came to be — it’s sure to create good conversation while you enjoy your Happy Fun noodles. East 51st Street & Duval Street, Austin, TX 78751 (512) 323-6180 Hours of Operation: Wed. – Sun. Noon – 8 p.m.

Counter Culture Ordering foods such as tacos and desserts from an automobile is not a new concept to the city of Austin, but a new trailer in town — Counter Culture — is bringing fresh flavor to the mix with a side of sustainability and health. Counter Culture specializes in vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and raw foods, so there is something for all health cravings alike. The menu ranges from a crisp kale and carrot Caesar salad with raw dressing to a delicious Philly Seitan sandwich, a meat-free cheesesteak with cashew cheese in place of dairy cheese and wheat gluten for steak served on a whole wheat bun. For those seeking something really different, bruschetta made from flax seeds topped with cashew cheese and basil is sure to intrigue. The trailer’s daily specials are also good, with selections such as “fish” stick sandwiches and raw chocolate macaroons. These foods offer a new culinary twist on Austin’s cart culture, but not at a cheap price. At $6 a sandwich and $2 for a side

CARTS continues on page 11

CD REVIEWS

Artists’ albums show evolution, explore sounds Lady Gaga The Fame Monster The dark, rich techno-pop tones of Lady Gaga’s newest album, The Fame Monster, pulse to life with her newest single “Bad Romance.” Listeners are confronted with the same infectious beats that became pop sensations, but this time around, things are a bit darker. If you’ve been following her since the beginning, The Fame Monster feels like it picks up right after Gaga’s last manic single, “Paparazzi.” Her lyrics are tinged with love lost, depression and macabre laid over rich bass and hard distortion. This is all about the sinister side of fame. The only exception to this theme, though, is what will surely be her next hit — “Telephone.” The song, also featuring Beyoncé, feels more in line with the Lady Gaga that used to “just dance” with her “disco stick.” Rather than singing about the monsters of lust, loneliness and death, “Telephone” is a plea to stop calling her at the club while she’s dancing to good music. The song has the hip beat and accessible lyrics that made her popular in addition to providing a brief reprieve from the gloom. Gaga also throws in a completely new sound with the last song, “Teeth.” Instead of an electronica rhythm, the song has a consistent hammering — like a headboard banging against the wall. It’s completely unique yet still continues Gaga’s sex appeal that she started by “bluffin’ with her muffin.” Fans will undoubtably compare The Fame Monster to Gaga’s last album The Fame. However, there’s a very real and clear distinction between the two. The Fame Monster, for the most part, serves as a foil to the original bubble-gum pop of The Fame. It stands on its own as a powerful, grotesque ode to fame. This bleaker tone will probably turn off some fans. If her bloody performance at the VMAs earlier this year turned you off, then The Fame Monster will seem like just another weird iteration of Gaga. On the other hand, if you’ve enjoyed her performance art, then her latest album surely won’t disappoint. It’s packed with catchy new lyrics and fresh tempos to help dance the night away. — Gerald Rich

Animal Collective Fall Be Kind EP Whether you discovered Animal Collective through the band’s 2004 campfire anthems in Sung Tongs or knew of the group before they even adopted the moniker (members Avey Tare and Panda Bear have been releasing material since 2000), Animal Collective has been one of the most progressive and prolific bands of this decade. Every album, no matter how radical it may seem on first listen, feels like a natural stepping stone from the band’s previous release. Earlier this year, the group

PLANTS continues on page 11

Flexible holiday recipe a solution for meal leftovers Quiche offers healthy alternative to traditional turkey sandwiches By Lisa Holung Daily Texan Staff For many, the presence of a juicy, seasoned turkey is one of the main features of the highly anticipated Thanksgiving break. People will most likely indulge in as many portions of this traditional bird and its trimmings as possible on the one day a year it is acceptable to eat their weight in food. The last recipe of the Thanksgiving Tasty Tuesday series is a turkey and broccoli quiche, a solution for leftover turkey. Since it is easy to reheat, quiche often appears on breakfast tables or is served as an appetizer in small pieces. The layers of broccoli, turkey, egg and cheese offer a comfort food that rivals the Thanksgiving meal itself. Sometimes I like to add some cheddar cheese to the mix to add a different flavor or use an egg substitute for a healthier option. Quiche is flexible, and if you don’t feel like you can finish the whole quiche in a week, then freeze a portion of it for later, and you can enjoy your Thanksgiving turkey even after Nov. 26.

MUSIC continues on page 11

Tasty Tuesdays

turkey and broccoli quiche Ingredients 1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked 3/4 cup chopped fresh broc coli 2 tbsp. finely chopped onio n 1 tbsp. butter 3/4 cup chopped cooked turk ey 1/2 cup shredded Swiss chee se 3 eggs 1 1/4 cups half-and-half 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions • Saute broccoli, onion, turk ey and butter in a large skillet on med iumlow heat for three to four min utes. • Sprinkle broccoli, onion, turkey and cheese into the prepared pie shell. • Beat eggs, half and half and salt together. Pour egg mixture over turkey and broccoli mixture. • Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 and cont inue baking for about 20 to 25 add itional minutes.

ON THE WEB: Tasty Tuesday video

@dailytexanonline.com

Turkey and broccoli quiche is a dish that can be made with leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Rachel Taylor Daily Texan Staff

International Thanksgiving mixes cuisines, cultures By Gerald Rich Daily Texan Staff With Thanksgiving right around the corner, people begin to salivate at the memory of timeless dishes such as turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie. The comforts of home mix with aromatic pleasures of the meal to create an American holiday, one that encompasses the homeyness of stepping through the door of a Thomas Kinkade cottage and entering Norman Rockwell’s dining room. Yet this was far from the Thanksgiving meal that took place last Friday night. Interna-

As the night wore on, the seemingly unique American holiday of sharing food with loved ones transformed into something greater.

tional students trickled into the Jefferson 26 game room for Planet Longhorn’s first-ever potluck Thanksgiving. Kitchenware clanged as students brought in different international foods. As the night wore on, the seemingly

unique American holiday of sharing food with loved ones transformed into something greater. It became a pan-cultural, universal experience of simply sharing great food. Many of the students, having lived here for a semester

already, united like an old family to make and eat each others’ food. Here are some of the highlights to inspire your own international Thanksgiving meal: To kick the meal off, the French students brought two amuse-bouches: one with tomato, feta and pesto, and the other smoked salmon with avocado. An amuse-bouche, literally meaning “a mouth pleaser,” is served at the beginning of a meal in small shot glasses as a way to entice the tastebuds. While these petite dishes featured French fla-

MEAL continues on page 11