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SG referendum garners 94 percent of vote By Viviana Aldous Daily Texan Staff The Student Government constitution will reflect changes to the election policy, approved by the SG Assembly in September, after more than 1,500 students voted in a University-wide referendum Tuesday and Wednesday. The changes, which passed with nearly 94 percent approval, will affect SG elections and any other entity that chooses to use the election code, and will include a new selection process for the Election Supervisory Board, the entity which oversees elections. University-wide Representative Carly Castetter said that after last spring’s general election, SG realized changes to the super-
visory board member-selection process were necessary. Controversy arose during last spring’s elections when both the board’s co-chairman, César Martinez Espinosa, and then-SG President Keshav Rajagopalan, campaigned for executive alliance Liam O’Rourke and Shara Ma. As the board’s co-chairman, Espinosa could not campaign for any candidates, based on last year’s election code. Rajagopalan violated the code as well, when he used his title in e-mails rallying support for O’Rourke. “We wanted to have [the changes completed] before the next election to be more fair and transparent,” Castetter said. “We wanted to fix the problems from
last year’s election.” Castetter and University-wide Representative Alex Ferraro proposed the changes and co-authored the revisions. Under revisions made in September to the election code, members of the supervisory board and candidates themselves cannot endorse or campaign for any other candidate. But leaders of organizations can, for example, send an e-mail to members of their organizations showing support for a candidate, as long as they include a disclaimer stating that their views do not reflect the views of their organization. With the presence of this disclaimer, those leaders can now include their position in any cor-
respondence. After this week’s referendum, the constitution specifies that SG, as an entity, may not endorse candidates in any election, even those not under the jurisdiction of SG’s election code. Ferraro said he and Castetter wanted to clarify that SG as an organization cannot endorse candidates, but members of SG can. “There was a lot of confusion last [spring] with whether the SG president making a personal endorsement constituted an individual endorsement or an endorsement on behalf of SG,” Ferraro said. “We wanted to clear that up.” The changes also remove jurisdiction over election matters
from the judicial commission, which settles internal disputes regarding the SG constitution. A judicial selection committee is in charge of selecting all members of the judicial commission. If the supervisory board were to determine that a candidate violated the election code, the candidate can appeal the decision to the appellate court, which consists of a faculty member and two students from UT’s School of Law. “We wanted to remove as much oversight as possible from SG,” Ferraro said. “That’s the same argument for changing how the [supervisory board] is selected. Basically, we wanted to create some distance and have it
be more autonomous.” The last two special elections were last fall and in 1997. Last fall, 1,225 students voted to amend the constitution to decrease the size of the Assembly, and this week, 1,548 students cast their votes. The general elections have a larger turnout — more than 10,000 students voted during the spring 2009 campuswide general election. Carisa Nietsche, a Plan II and government sophomore, said she read the constitution and the proposed amendments before voting. “Seeing the issues of last year’s election as well as their causes, I thought [these changes] would help alleviate some of those issues,” Nietsche said.
Minors will not be cited by TABC in cases of emergency By Alex Geiser Daily Texan Staff Underage drinkers should no longer worry about the legal consequences of dialing 911 for a friend suffering from alcohol poisoning. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission enacted a new policy Tuesday stating that their officers will not cite minors for illegal possession or consumption of alcohol-
Jordy Wagoner | Daily Texan Staff
At the memorial service for Leslie Jarmon, lifelong schoolmate Jude Holman, sister Jo Ann Jarmon, mother Joyce Hope Jarmon and other guests listened to fond stories about Leslie shared by friends, family and co-workers.
Crowds mourn scholar’s death By Alex Geiser Daily Texan Staff Leslie Hope Jarmon, a former faculty development specialist and pioneer of virtual environments at UT, died Nov. 24 in her Austin home at the age of 57 after a
First-year international relations and Chinese major William Yates and ACC graduate Josh Kunze talk in West Mall before riding to the farmers market in the Triangle Austin Apartments Wednesday evening.
Peyton McGee Daily Texan Staff
15-year-long fight against cancer. 93, and her five siblings — Jo Ann, 50; SpenJarmon was born Oct. 16, 1952, to Joyce cer, 52; Fred, 55; Paul, 59; Jake, 64 — shared Hope and the late Jake Jarmon and was me- stories and hugs throughout the night. morialized by a large crowd of friends and Her mother opened the memorial with colleagues at a service Wednesday night at Mercury Hall in South Austin. Her mother, DEATH continues on page 2
Farmers market, bikers support climate summit By Melissa Pan Daily Texan Staff Snowflake lights hung above a booth for the Orange Blossom Farm, where oranges were being sold for $5 a bag. The Texas French Bread table overflowed with loaves, muffins and cookies baked just earlier that morning. The Beatles’ “Love Me Do” blared from outdoor speakers. In the 50-degree weather Wednesday evening, UT students biked from the West Mall to the Austin Farmers Market, located at the Triangle Austin Apartments, to show support for the United Nations Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen next week.
Sociology junior Sarah Magnelia and William Yates, a government and Asian studies sophomore, participated in the bike ride. Both are officers of Oxfam-UT, an international-relief organization concerned with fighting hunger, poverty and social injustice. “The [Austin] Farmers Market is a good ending point because it’s good to make a difference as an individual,” Magnelia said. Although only three bikers showed up, Yates did not feel discouraged. “It’s the little things,” Yates said. “This is where things start — at the
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OXFAM continues on page 2
ic beverages if they seek help because of a medical emergency. The amnesty policy also extends to victims of sexual assaults or other violent crimes. But minors not in an emergency situation who are found in possession or consumption of alcohol, should still expect a citation. The commission officially re-
TABC continues on page 2
70 percent of college-age pregnancies unplanned By Audrey White Daily Texan Staff Some characterize unplanned pregnancy as a high school problem, but information recently compiled by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy indicates that it is a growing concern for college-aged women, too. Bill Albert, the campaign’s chief program officer, said there is little concrete data available on the number of unplanned pregnancies among college women because most studies focus on high school students. Statistics and anecdotal evidence, however, indicate that it is a growing problem, especially among women at community col-
leges. According to the report, seven out of 10 pregnancies among women in their 20s are unplanned. “There is precious little research on the rates of unplanned pregnancies for young people in community colleges and colleges,” Albert said. “The little data that is available is sort of patchwork. When this country thinks about unplanned pregnancy, they tend to think about teenagers, when in fact the highest rate of that is among women in their 20s.” Guli Fager, a University Health Services healthy-sexuality education coordinator, said a lack of resources available to pregnant and
RESEARCH continues on page 2
Sara Young | Daily Texan Staff
Nursing junior Lizzie Olguin works at the Student Services Building Tuesday morning packaging “safer sex kits” for distribution to students.
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OXFAM: Farmers markets in Austin
provide organic fruits, vegetables From page 1 grassroots movement.” Wrapping a black pea coat over her turquoise turtleneck, Magnelia, the climate change coordinator for Oxfam, said that climate change is her personal passion. “The future is a little bleak,” Magnelia said. “We have a duty to make sure future generations can experience what we have.” The farmers market at the Triangle is a project started by the Sustainable Food Center that brings together farmers and distributors of organic food. It is open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Wednesday. The Austin Farmers Market location at Fourth and Guadalupe streets is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday. “I think it’s awesome that you
The Daily Texan Volume 110, Number 125 25 cents
can get to know the people who grew the food you’re eating,” Magnelia said. “We sort of forget at the grocery store where your food is coming from.” Will Grant, who has worked for Texas French Bread for four months, said he supported the idea behind the farmers market. “I think it’s the best way to do things,” Grant said. Oxfam-UT will hold a screening of the Oxfam documentary “Sisters on the Planet” at Spider House Cafe tonight at 6:30 p.m. The film features four women from different parts of the world who are affected by climate change. The United Nations summit will address the impact of climate change on developing nations. President Barack Obama plans to attend the conference.
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deAth: UT pioneer leaves lasting legacy From page 1
structional Development at UT and Jarmon’s supervisor for ala poem by 13th century Persian most two years, said Jarmon was a poet, Rumi, that encompassed the remarkable, selfless woman. constant movement of Jarmon’s “If she was saddened, it was life: never because of her own situa“I have a thirsty fish in me that tion,” Eaton said. “She was sadcan never find enough of what it’s dened by the pain she saw other thirsty for.” people endure.” Jarmon, who worked for the Eaton said Jarmon was always Peace Corps in the early ‘80s, re- on the move, looking for and purceived her doctorate in communi- suing new opportunities. cations from UT in 1993 and began “She was always going full teaching two years later. speed ahead with deliberate inLynn Jones Eaton, director of tent,” she said, as the crowd Faculty and Graduate Student In- laughed in agreement.
From page 1 leased the policy Wednesday in remembrance of the one-year anniversary of Austin native Carson Starkey’s death from alcohol poisoning. Starkey lost consciousness after taking part in a fraternity hazing ritual requiring him to consume a large amount of alcohol in a short amount of time. Friends and fraternity brothers at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., neglected to seek medical attention until it was too late. TABC spokeswoman Carolyn Beck said handing out tickets to underage drinkers takes the back seat to assisting a person in an emergency situation, which immediately becomes a priority. “We hope this will encourage
young people not to be afraid to call 911 if something happens, like if they are the victim of a crime or if their friends have had too much to drink,” Beck said. “It’s important to weigh the possibility of losing your friend because you are afraid of getting a ticket and a $500 fine. It’s not even comparable.” Beck said it has been common practice to not ticket minors under these circumstances, but has not been written into TABC policy until now. She said the policy also aims to encourage other law enforcement agencies to establish similar policies and that many police officers already respond this way. Kevin Prince, a health education coordinator at UT, said the UT Police Department follows a policy similar to that of TABC.
From page 1 parenting students makes it nearly impossible for them to stay in school. Fager said there are no records kept of how many UT students become pregnant each year and that they are a population that remains unrecognized. “This lack [of resources] forces people who are pregnant, out,” she said. “That’s why we don’t see pregnant students here. It’s not because they’re not having sex and getting pregnant, because I promise you they are. It’s because they’re either getting an abortion or leaving school because there is nothing available to help them.” Fager said the only resources available to pregnant women are a few pieces of literature about abortion clinics, adoption centers and pre-natal care centers near the University. The University does have one day care center run by the Child Development Center, but it has a long waitlist and rates of $600 to $900 a month.
According to the campaign study, 61 percent of women in community colleges who become pregnant drop out. The Austin Community College system has similarly limited resources. Since the school does not have a student health center, students must rely on outside sources for sexuality education and resources. There is a day care at the Eastview campus, but it can only serve about 60 children at a time and usually has a waitlist of between 150 to 200 children. The ACC system also has a program set up to help provide funding for child care for eligible students, said Steven Christopher, director of Special Populations at ACC. “It’s a challenge for the student, but there are community resources for folks,” Christopher said. “We are addressing the need to help pay for child care once the children are born.” Some ACC students and faculty members have made efforts to
GREEK SPOTLIGHT Fall 2009
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Berenice B i M Medellin d lli
Majors: Sociology, Social Work Minor: Mexican American Studies Leadership Positions:
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Prince said that if an underage student suffering from alcohol poisoning on campus is reached by police, they will be taken to the hospital and are to be treated right away. Then, the police will contact the dean of students. Unlike other alcohol offenses on campus, this kind of citation will not negatively impact a student’s status at the University. The student will be required to complete a three-hour education program online and attend a two-hour group meeting to reflect on his or her experiences, he said. “It has been effective in increasing students’ awareness and changing some of their actions,” Prince said. Dennis Farris, senior police officer at the Austin Police Department, said although APD cannot
educate themselves and others, organizing information tables and speakers to distribute information about healthy sexuality and contraception. Cynthia Brown, a community health educator for Planned Parenthood, has given lectures in classes on human development and child psychology and said she hopes researchers will pay more attention to unplanned pregnancies beyond high school. “At the community colleges, I have several teachers who invite me into their classes every semester to talk about birth control and pregnancy,” Brown said. The National Campaign’s report says increasing comprehensive sex education and sexuality resource materials at the high school and early college level is a necessary measure to help reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies among college-age women. Fager agreed and said University Health Services works to reach out to freshmen students early on.
yet comment on TABC’s policy, he does not expect it will change the way he does business. “If I go to a house and there’s a party going on and we have a minor who has alcohol poisoning, the first thing I’m going to do is send the person to the hospital,” Farris said. “Then I’m going to write the report.” Reports are forwarded to the TABC. The commission may then file an investigation to find the source of the alcohol and how it was given to the minor, Farris said. “We may ticket the person who is providing alcohol to the minor,” he said. “If somebody’s being transported to the hospital, odds are I’m not going to write them a ticket.”
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Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jillian Sheridan Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stephen Keller Associate Managing Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David R. Henry, Ana McKenzie Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeremy Burchard, Dan Treadway, David Muto, Lauren Winchester News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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
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“Most of the students who come here are from Texas, and they’ve had abstinence-only education. They’ve never had anyone whose whole job it is to hand out condoms and teach them how to avoid getting pregnant,” she said. Nursing junior Lizzie Olguin is pregnant but said she’s determined to remain in school as a parent. Olguin works in the healthy sexuality resource center as a peer educator and said that despite the challenge of limited resources from the University, she believes it is possible to persevere as a pregnant student and soon to be parent. “It seems impossible, but I know it’s not, and I’m going to do it,” she said. “My mom got pregnant with me in college and had to drop out, and I saw how hard it was for her to struggle. It happened, and it was unplanned, but I just have to plan around it and keep going. My grades aren’t any different, and I’m not stopping next semester. I just need a little bit more help.”
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ters written by friends and family after learning of her death. “Thank you, Lord, for the gift of Leslie,” read one from a friend. Although Jarmon had no children, her brother Jake Jarmon said she treated her nieces and nephews as if they were her own. Many of these nieces and nephews were present at the service, and three of them sang songs at the podium as people mingled, snacked and then trickled home. “She constantly validated everyone around her, and she made them feel loved,” Eaton said.
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Jarmon was at the forefront of the movement that brought the virtual environment, Second Life, to the University in 2006, and has been involved in the initiative ever since. Eaton called the project one of her greatest achievements in recent years. The crowd in Mercury Hall was mostly smiles throughout the memorial service, but mourners teared up as they looked through mementos of Jarmon’s life. Displayed on long tables by the door were pictures of Jarmon and reminders of her achievements mixed with let-
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T he Daily T exan
Global economy to revive in 2010 according to U.N.
Julie Jacobson | Associated Press
President Barack Obama speaks about his policy on Afghanistan at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., on Tuesday.
Obama calls for troop increase By Darlene Superville & Steven R. Hurst The Associated Press WEST POINT, N.Y. — Declaring “our security is at stake,” President Barack Obama ordered an additional 30,000 U.S. troops into the long war in Afghanistan on Tuesday night, nearly tripling the force he inherited but promising an impatient public to begin withdrawal in 18 months. The buildup will begin almost immediately — the first Marines will be in place by Christmas — and will cost $30 billion for the first year alone. In a prime-time speech at the U.S. Military Academy, the president told the nation his new policy was designed to “bring this war to a successful conclusion,” though he made no mention of defeating Taliban insurgents or capturing al-Qaida terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. “We must deny al-Qaida a safe haven,” Obama said in spelling out U.S. military goals for a war that has dragged on for eight years. “We must reverse the Taliban’s momentum. ... And we must strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan’s security forces and government.” The president said the additional forces would be deployed at “the fastest pace possible so that they can target the insurgency and secure key population cen-
ters.” Their destination: “the epicenter of the violent extremism practiced by al-Qaida.” It marked the second time in his young presidency that Obama has added to the American force in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has recently made significant advances. When he became president last January, there were roughly 34,000 troops on the ground. There now are 71,000. After the speech, cadets in the audience — some of whom could end up in combat because of Obama’s decision — climbed over chairs to shake hands with their commander in chief and take his picture. Obama’s announcement drew less-wholehearted support from congressional Democrats. Many of them favor a quick withdrawal, but others have already proposed higher taxes to pay for the fighting. Republicans reacted warily, as well. Officials said Sen. John McCain, who was Obama’s Republican opponent in last year’s presidential campaign, told Obama at an early evening meeting attended by numerous lawmakers that declaring a timetable for a withdrawal would merely send the Taliban underground until the Americans began to leave. As a candidate, Obama called Afghanistan a war worth fight-
ing, as opposed to Iraq, a conflict he opposed and has since begun easing out of. A new survey by the Gallup organization, released Tuesday, showed only 35 percent of Americans now approve of Obama’s handling of the war; 55 percent disapprove. He made no direct reference to public opinion Tuesday night, although he seemed to touch on it when he said, “The American people are understandably focused on rebuilding our economy and putting people to work here at home. “After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home,” he said flatly. In eight years of war, 849 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan, Pakistan and neighboring Uzbekistan, according to the Pentagon. In addition to beefing up the U.S. presence, Obama has asked NATO allies to commit between 5,000 and 10,000 additional troops. The war has even less support in Europe than in the United States, and the NATO allies and other countries currently have about 40,000 troops on the ground. He said he was counting on Afghanistan eventually taking over its own security, and he warned, “The days of providing a blank check are over.” He said
New York rejects gay-marriage bill By Michael Gormley The Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. — New York lawmakers rejected a bill Wednesday that would have made their state the sixth to allow gay marriage, stunning advocates who weathered a similar decision by Maine voters just last month The New York measure needed 32 votes to pass and failed by a wider-than-expected margin, falling eight votes short in a 24-38 decision by the state Senate. The Assembly had earlier approved the bill, and Gov. David Paterson, perhaps the bill’s strongest advocate, had pledged to sign it. After the vote, Paterson called Wednesday one of his saddest days in 20 years of public service and he criticized senators who he said support gay marriage but “didn’t have the intestinal fortitude to vote for it. Senate sponsor Thomas Duane, a Manhattan Democrat and the Legislature’s first openly gay member, expressed anger and disappointment. “I wasn’t expecting betrayal,” he said. During debate, Sen. Ruben Diaz, a conservative minister from the Bronx, led the mostly Republican opposition. “If you put this issue before the voters, the voters will reject it,” Diaz said. “Let the people decide.” But Sen. Eric Adams, D-Brooklyn, challenged lawmakers to set aside their religious beliefs and vote for the bill. He asked them to remember that once even slavery
was legal. “When I walk through these doors, my Bible stays out,” Adams said. “That’s the wrong statement,” Diaz countered later. “You should carry your Bible all the time.” Others told personal stories of friends and relatives who are gay and unable to marry. Many also spoke of grandparents who survived the Holocaust and racism and said they wouldn’t want to see gays subjected to such treatment. Supporters had been hopeful they could eek out a narrow win, or a much closer vote. But afterward, they said private assurances were broken. In the end, a halfdozen Democrats opposed the measure when it was expected only two or three would vote ‘no’. While no Republicans supported the bill, most advocates expected it would attract as many as four or five GOP senators. “This is a loss for every family in New York,” said New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. “This is a loss for every lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender New Yorker.” Others tried to put a positive light on it. Immediately following the vote, gay rights advocates chanted: “Equal rights now!” “We have a road map for 2010,” said Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire Pride Agenda, a leading proponent of the bill. “We certainly know who
are friends. We certainly go to bed tonight knowing more about where our support is, and that’s a victory.” But a fight in the election year next year might be more difficult. Gay marriage is legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts and Vermont. A New Hampshire law takes effect Jan. 1. New York also doesn’t allow civil unions, but has several laws, executive orders and court decisions that grant many of the rights to gays long enjoyed by married couples. Karen Taylor of Queens stayed home to watch the legislative debate with her partner Laura Antoniou. The women, both 46, were legally married in Toronto, but hope to be able to marry in New York someday. “It would have more meaning to both of us to be able to marry in New York,” said Taylor, the national advocacy director for Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders in New York City. “This is something that should be available to us as New Yorkers.” A Marist College poll released Wednesday showed 51 percent of New Yorkers support legalizing gay marriage, while 42 percent opposed the measure. The poll questioned 805 registered voters November 12-16, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 points.
the United States would support Afghan ministries that combat corruption and “deliver for the people. We expect those who are ineffective or corrupt to be held accountable.” The speech before an audience of cadets at the military academy ended a three-month review of the war, triggered by a request from the commanding general, Stanley McChrystal, for as many as 40,000 more troops.
By Edith M. Lederer The Associated Press UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations forecast Wednesday that the world economy will bounce back in 2010 with a global growth rate of 2.4 percent, but it warned that the recovery will be fragile. In a preview of its annual economic forecast which will be released next month, the U.N. credited the massive fiscal stimulus measures by governments worldwide since late 2008 for the expected rebound. It recommended that these stimulus measures continue — at least until there are clearer signals of a more robust recovery in terms of increasing consumption, more private investment and rising employment rates around the world. “Before that, it would be risky and even could be self-defeating to withdraw stimulus,” said Rob Vos, director of the Economic Analysis Division in the U.N.’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The U.N. report said an increasing number of economies showed positive growth in the second quarter of 2009, with the recovery continuing in the third quarter. It pointed to increased industrial production, a rebound in global equity markets, and a rise in international trade. “This is an important turnaround after the free fall in world trade, industrial production, asset prices, and global credit availability which threatened to push the global economy
into the abyss of a new Great Depression in early 2009,” the U.N. report said. Assistant Secretary-General Jomo Sundaram told a news conference launching the report that while “there have been important signs of some recovery ... there are also very grave concerns about the possibility that this recovery will be short-lived and will not be sustained.” The report said the failure to address two risks could cause the global economy to enter into a double-dip recession. The first is the risk of prematurely abandoning financial stimulus measures and the second is the risk of a widening U.S. deficit and mounting external debt which could cause “a hard landing” for the U.S. dollar and set off a new wave of financial instability, it said. He said it was also extremely important that earlier U.N. concerns are addressed quickly including “the inadequacy of international coordination of the recovery efforts” and “the inadequacy” of efforts to reform the economic system to prevent another global financial meltdown. Reform efforts so far “have been rather limited,” he said. According to the report, economic growth next year will be strongest in developing countries, especially in Asia. In the industrialized world, the U.S. economy is forecast to grow by 2.1 percent in 2010 following an estimated decline of 2.5 percent in 2009, the U.N. said.
You deserve a factual look at . . .
Israel: A Light unto the Nations Those who demonize Israel are either misinformed or malevolent If that proverbial man from Mars came to visit and read the world’s newspapers, especially those in the Arab and Muslim world, he would be convinced that Israel was the most evil nation in the world and the source of all of the world’s strife.
What are the facts?
ridiculous, so preposterous, it is hard to believe that serious people can countenance it. The exact opposite A nation to be emulated. The reality, of course, is is the case. Israel is the only country in its benighted that Israel is a nation, a society, that should be neighborhood in which people of all colors and admired and emulated by many countries in the religions prosper and have equal rights. Israel, world. The very fact of how the State of Israel came expending substantial effort, rescued tens of into being is one of the most inspiring in history. thousands of black Jews from Ethiopia. And it has Born out of the ashes of the Holocaust, it has emerged given assistance and absorbed countless Christian as one of the most advanced, productive and expatriates from Sudan, who escaped from being prosperous countries in the world. slaughtered by their The demonization of countrymen. Israel, assiduously “As the prophet Isaiah presaged: Israel is Muslim Israel’s over one million cultivated by the Muslim indeed a Light unto the Nations.” Arab citizens enjoy the world, has reached a same rights and privileges crescendo following as their Jewish fellows. They are represented in the Israel’s recent defensive action in Gaza. Instead of Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and are members of its being grateful to the hated Jews for having totally bureaucracy, of its judiciary, and of its diplomatic withdrawn, the Palestinian Gazans showed their service. gratitude by almost daily pounding Israeli towns with All over the world, Leftists, including in the United close to 10,000 rockets and bombs. After countless States and, sad to say, even in Israel itself, tirelessly warnings, Israel ultimately decided to put an end to condemn and vilify Israel. Why would they do that? this travesty. First, of course, there is good old-fashioned antiWhen Israel finally did invade Gaza it took the most Semitism. Second, many of those who hate the United elaborate precautions not to hurt civilians. As a first States vent their poison on Israel, which they in the history of warfare, Israel dropped tens of consider being America's puppet in that area of the thousands of leaflets, warning the population and world. But Israel should certainly get top grades in all urging it to abandon areas in which military action areas important to the Left. In contrast to all its would take place. The Israeli military made thousands enemies, Israel has the same democratic institutions of phone calls urging people to leave areas that would as the United States. All religions thrive freely in come under attack. But fighting in a densely Israel. Also, in contrast to all of its enemies, women populated environment is difficult and loss of civilian have the same rights as men. The Chief Justice of life is hard to avoid. Hamas fighters wear no uniforms. Israel’s Supreme Court is a woman. One-sixth of the It is impossible to tell them from civilians. Is a person Knesset are women. Compare that to Saudi Arabia, a who allows a rocket launcher in his backyard a medieval theocracy, where women are not allowed to civilian or a fighter? And how about using schools, drive cars, where they cannot leave the country hospitals and mosques as munitions depots and staff without permission of a male relative, and where they centers? The hue and cry of Israel’s demonizers in can be and often are condemned to up to 60 lashes if accusing it of “disproportionate force” is totally the “modesty police” deems them not to be properly absurd. The ultimate insult, comparing Israel to the dressed in public. Gays and lesbians are totally Nazis, is freely bandied about by Israel’s detractors. unmolested in Israel; in the surrounding Muslim Israel is not an “apartheid state.” Another familiar countries they would be subjected to the death tack of Israel’s vilifiers is to call it an “apartheid state,” penalty. on the model of former South Africa. But that is so In spite of demonization and vilification by so much of the world, Israel is indeed a Light unto the Nations. The State of Israel is the foremost creation of the Jewish enterprise and Jewish intellect that has benefited every country in which Jews dwell, certainly our own country, the United States. Second only to the United States itself, Israel is the world’s most important factor in science and technology, way out of proportion to the small size of its population. Israeli Jews are at the forefront of the arts, the sciences, law and medicine. They have brought all these sterling qualities to bear in building their own country: Israel. By necessity, they have also become outstanding in agriculture and, most surprisingly, in the military. What a shame that the Arabs opted not to participate in this progress and this prosperity and chose instead the path of revenge, of Jihad and of martyrdom. As the prophet Isaiah presaged: Israel is indeed a Light unto the Nations. This message has been published and paid for by
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OPINION T HE DAILY T EXAN
VIEWPOINT
It’s SG’s job to help us care
GALLERY
Costly advice
College is a time when students not only learn new facets of the arts and sciences but also discover the importance of personal accountability. This comes easier to some than to others. Jennifer Temple, a former Texas A&M University student, is suing the school as well as her adviser for essentially giving her bad advice. Temple unsuccessfully attempted to transfer to UT and blames her adviser, Sofia Fuentes, for her low grade point average which included two failed classes. Temple claims that Fuentes told her that she should take advantage of a first-year grade-exclusion policy that A&M offers, after Temple said she was struggling in two classes. The policy provides first-year college students the option to exclude up to three classes in which they earn a grade of D or F from being counted toward their degree and cumulative GPA calculation. Temple claimed the difficulty she had in the classes stemmed from her instructors’ inability to speak English clearly. “She was not told that her overall GPA would include those courses that she eventually flunked, and she wasn’t able to get into UT,” said Gaines West, Temple’s attorney. Temple was hoping to pursue a degree in interior design, a major not offered at A&M. As such, the suit claims that by providing poor advice, Fuentes denied, without due process, Temple’s right to pursue an education — a violation of the Texas constitution. There are several reasons why Temple does not have a very compelling case. First, the Texas A&M registrar ’s Web site clearly states of the first-year exclusion policy that “while excluded courses will not be factored into the Texas A&M University GPA, students should be aware that employers, professional schools, undergraduate schools to which A&M students may seek to transfer, and graduate schools may recalculate the GPA to include such grades.” Temple may have been advised to take advantage of the policy, but perhaps in the time she spent not going to class and collecting her failing grades, she should have further researched what she was getting into, particularly because she planned to transfer. Temple also fails to take personal responsibility for her poor performance. If she felt her professors truly hindered her ability to perform well in her classes, she could have dropped the classes by the 12th class day so that she would face no academic penalty, or sought a teaching assistant or tutor for further clarification. If she was not motivated enough to do either of these things to perform better in the classes, odds are she would not perform well at UT, which has a multitude of international professors, some with heavy accents. In the time that Temple spent hiring a lawyer and putting together a case claiming she was denied the opportunity to pursue an education, she could have actually pursued an education. UT is not the only school in Texas that offers a degree in interior design — in fact, there are more than a dozen options for Temple to choose from that have less competitive admissions policies than UT. Advisers are in place to offer students guidance and, many times, to inform them of the options available to them. It is laughable to try to make a case against an adviser because of a student’s failure to fully understand the choices she has made. Any student who is unable to take personal responsibility and is not self-motivated will not be successful at UT. Temple should be thankful she wasn’t admitted to UT — by all accounts, she wouldn’t have lasted long here. — Dan Treadway for the editorial board
Be a columnist Have someting to say? Say it in print — and to the entire campus. The Daily Texan Editorial Board will begin accepting applications for columnists and cartoonists on Jan. 18. We’re looking for talented writers and artists to provide as much diversity of opinion as possible. Anyone and everyone is encouraged to apply. Writing for the Texan is a great way to get your voice heard. Our columnists’ and reporters’ work is often syndicated nationwide, and every issue of the Texan is a historical document archived at the Center for American History. Barack Obama may not be a frequent reader, but a copy of the Texan runs across UT President William Powers’ desk each day, and the opinions on this page have great potential to affect University policy. It’s no rare occurence for Texan staff members to recieve feedback from local or state officials, or to be contacted by a reader whose life was changed by an article. In such instances, the power of writing for the Texan becomes real, motivating our staffers to provide the best public service possible. If interested, please come to the Texan office at 25th and Whitis streets to complete an application form and sign up for an interview time. If you have any additional questions, please contact Jillian Sheridan at (512) 232-2212 or editor@dailytexanonline.com. You can be a Daily Texan columnist or cartoonist.
LEGALESE Opinions expressed in The Daily Texan are those of the editor or the writer. They are not necessarily those of the UT administration, the Board of Regents or the Texas Student Media Board of Operating Trustees.
Editor in Chief: Jillian Sheridan Phone: (512) 232-2212 E-mail: editor@dailytexanonline.com Associate Editors: Jeremy Burchard David Muto Dan Treadway Lauren Winchester
By Douglas Luippold Daily Texan Columnist
GRADUATE STUDENT VOICES
Thankful to be a graduate student By Stephanie Taylor Daily Texan Guest Columnist
We are graduate students. We are those select few who have volunteered for indentured servitude — um, I mean, we are the select few who have the opportunity to experience one of the last forms of apprenticeship left in the United States. Lucky us. Summer and spring break are not “breaks.” We do not find other jobs to earn extra money. We spend the holidays doing research and taking advantage of a relatively undergraduatefree campus. Now, don’t get on your high horse and talk about how being an undergraduate is tough. I am fully aware that there are those of you who work one or two jobs in addition to a full class load. I tip my hat to those of you who have a family and pursue your degree. I am not writing to belittle any of you. I am simply tired of trying to explain that graduate school is not some glorified extension of our undergraduate lives. It is a bizarre combination of school and career. It is not that graduate school is bad. More than 10,000 UT graduate students cannot be crazy. And I am grateful that I am essentially given a paycheck to get an education. Graduate school has taught me the value of managing my time. Or perhaps I should say the value of priorities. Currently, I am a teaching assistant, a researcher in a biochemistry lab and a student. The problem is that, of those three activities (teaching, research and classes), only one of them pertains to my pursuit of a Ph.D. The research. Have you ever wondered why your TAs bring in some sort of technical papers to read while they proctor your exam? Or seem annoyed when you turn in your assignments late? We are trying to get our teaching done all at once, as efficiently as possible. One late paper means I have to go back and re-
GALLERY
view the notes I took when grading the rest of the stack to determine exactly how much credit everything was worth. It is always better to answer last-minute e-mails as soon as possible, since the more questions I answer now, the better the assignment will (hopefully) be. But there are only so many hours in a day. One week ago, for Thanksgiving, my family and I gathered around a table and were each given the opportunity to say one or two things we were thankful for. Mine, of course, concerned graduate school. “I am thankful that I go to a school within driving distance of all of you,” I said. “And I am thankful that I now have an adviser who has tenure. The University can’t get rid of him!” My parents and brother laughed while my niece and nephew smiled, knowing there was a joke, even if they didn’t understand it. Looking at their faces made me realize how foreign the world of graduate school is to the uninitiated. Even though Thanksgiving was a week ago, that spirit of thankfulness stays with me. I’m grateful I have friends to go through this ordeal of graduate school with me. It is somehow comforting to know that when I am cursing graduate school for putting my personal life on hold, and when I want to quit, there is someone there who knows what I am talking about. Someone who reassures me that my students are trying their best and that my experiments will start to work any day now. Someone who has been there. Someone who will probably be needing my assurances next week. In the end, it is more than a fair trade. We get a paid education, excellent hands-on training and a chance to hone our teaching skills, which will always look good on a resume. The best part, though, has always been the friends we make along the way. Taylor is a chemistry and biochemistry graduate student.
On Wednesday, a constitutional amendment for Student Government election reform was passed by a student referendum. The amendment brings welcome changes, and the amendment’s authors, UniversityWide Representatives Carly Castetter and Alex Ferraro, deserve credit for their work. Unfortunately, an election that should have been an opportunity for SG to showcase its recommitment to fair elections and outside involvement was poorly publicized and received little attention. The election’s lack of exposure is emblematic of an underlying and recurring problem — that when SG believes the student body does not care about an issue, the organization’s members do little to persuade them otherwise. Like most UT students, including some members of SG, I learned of the referendum through a Facebook event that I received the morning of the 48-hour election. While election reform has been a hotly debated topic since last year’s election controversy, the actual referendum vote came as a surprise. Because most students only learned about the referendum when voting commenced, there was little time for students to, among other things, evaluate the proposal and help solicit voter turnout. To their credit, some SG members did take some steps to publicize the election. They advertised the referendum in The Daily Texan, as they are required to do, and some SG members reached out to organizations that frequently work with Student Government. While valuable, these strategies are essentially preaching to the choir. Someone who is involved in campus organizations, or somebody who reads The Daily Texan thoroughly on a daily basis (God bless you all), probably does not need to be informed or reminded about a campus-wide referendum. Some may defend the aforementioned strategies by claiming that preaching to the choir is how you get them to sing — but SG needs converts much more than a boisterous choir. In the referendum’s Facebook event more than three times as many respondents opted to “not attend” the online vote — which could be indicative of how outsiders feel about SG. A common line among many SG members is that most students do not care about the SG Constitution, and advertising a referendum on the subject would thus be futile. This is a cop-out. Not engaging students because they do not care would be like a defense end not rushing the quarterback because he doesn’t think he’ll get the sack. To be sure, many students will not care, but if SG leaders do not aim to change that, there are plenty of others who would like to give it a shot. Furthermore, if an issue isn’t important enough to interest the student body, why is SG focusing on it at all? This should be an instinctive standard. If an issue is important enough for SG to devote time and energy to it, it should not be very hard to convince students of its significance. If it is still impossible, perhaps those resources would be better allocated elsewhere. If I were an education major, my professors would call this election a “teachable” moment. There was little doubt this referendum would pass, regardless of turnout, so it could have been a good time to test different engagement strategies. One way SG could enhance interest is by having a greater presence in student meeting areas. While SG members do table occasionally in Jester and the West Mall, the two weeks before elections is really the only time many people notice SG members. Imagine what it would be like if representatives campaigned as vigorously for their issues throughout the year as they do for themselves in the spring. SG members work to improve campus and should be commended for that. But they fall short in engaging the student body. Obviously there will always be a limit to the interest the student body has in Student Government. But that does not mean SG members should not do as much as they can to convince as many students as possible why their work matters. Luippold is a government and journalism junior.
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Thursday, December 3, 2009
Environmental board calls for water fluoridation study Residents call on Council to conduct new research with unbiased committee By Rachel Platis Daily Texan Staff The Austin Environmental Board posed a question at Wednesday’s meeting that a city report failed to answer: Does Austin’s water fluoridation practices pose a threat to the city’s public health? Water fluoridation is the addition of fluoride to public water supplies to reduce tooth decay. A report on the practice was called into question at the meeting as a team gave a staff briefing to the board, and dozens of citizens spoke against the report findings. “Citizens have been bamboozled into believing that water fluoridation is helpful to our teeth,” said Austin resident Linda Green. “Most of us live in flood plains or downstream where water accumulates. What is keeping minerals from going into my thyroid gland, my brain or my child’s brain?” On a vote of 4-3, the board passed a resolution to ask City Council to appoint a new independent committee to conduct research and report its findings on fluoride and its effects on Austin’s drinking water. Assistant City Manager Rudy Garza, along with representatives from the Human and Health Services Department, Austin Water Utility and the Watershed Protection Development
Review Department, assembled the water-fluoridation report. The report found that water fluoridation does not pose a threat to public health, and that all of Austin’s fluoridation practices were within guidelines put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report stated that the estimated dental cost savings from fluoridated water was $18.62 perperson per-year for large communities. Fluoridation costs about 50 cents per-person per-year. Remarks by board members, who expressed their concern that the staff-appointed report was not thorough enough and did not address certain questions that it set out to answer, drew applause and whistles. “We requested that there be a study conducted by outside scientific experts who could give us clear information on fluoride,” said board chairwoman Mary Gay Maxwell. “To this moment, we have not received a response to our requests.” Austin has been fluoridating its drinking water since 1973, after it was put to the vote in a 1971 election and binding referendum vote in 1972. The CDC, which calls fluoridation one of the 10 greatest public health achievements in the U.S., says that the optimal fluoride levels are .7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter. Austin averages .75 milligrams per liter. Maxwell expressed “extreme displeasure” at the report. “This makes me very disturbed, it’s very hard to be the
chair of a board that’s been put in this position,” she said. Questions also arose about the differences between topical and systemic fluoride, and what kinds of effects fluoride accumulation has on the environment. Bill Kiel, a former councilman from Alamo Heights, was part of a movement that repealed the fluoridation of water for their city. Kiel spoke in front of the board about the benefits of fluoride and the lack of information in the report. “I was disappointed with how narrowly focused this report was,” he said. “It could have been given 20 years ago, literally. But there’s a lot of things and research that has been done that has happened since then.” Neil Carman from the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club handed out a list of 26 points that were not addressed by to the city’s report. The list claimed that hydrofluorosilicic is one of the deadliest chemicals used in Austin by the city, and that the fluoride chemical added to Austin water is not pharmaceutical grade. “I’ve taught at the university level for many years, and this paper would not receive a passing grade in an undergraduate course,” Carman said. “Where are the peer review studies?” The Environmental Board requested that the City Council supplement the water fluoridation report with scientific research. It will take four City Council members to change or end the city’s fluoridation practices.
House of the Hoses Cadet Mark Taylor peers through a second story window of the ACC Fire Training Academy training tower at the academy’s open house on Wednesday.
Photo illustration by Peyton McGee | Daily Texan Staff
A recent study, led by UT psychology professor Sam Gosling, found that people are more likely to illustrate who they truly are through social networking Web sites rather than to idealize themselves.
Study: Users unlikely to hide personalities online By Priscilla Totiyapungprasert Daily Texan Staff From untagging unflattering photographs to writing quirky “about me” sections, Facebook users have the opportunity to control how they appear online. Either this control is not enough or people do not care to idealize themselves online, according to a recent study led by UT psychology professor Sam Gosling. He found that people are more likely to communicate who they truly are than who they want to be on social networking Web sites, whether they intend to or not. “If you think about it, there’s lot of info on your profile that’s hard to control,” he said. “Even if you tried to act differently, it’s hard to pull wool over the eyes because you have to consistently behave a certain way.” People who try to take on personality traits they do not have also face the problem of being unable to fill their ideal traits properly, Gosling said. For example, if a messy and chaotic person tried to appear more neat and orderly, it would be difficult because they do not think like a neat and orderly person, he said. Gosling thinks, however, that people are simply using social networking Web sites to meet innate needs, including communication with other humans, rather than to promote themselves.
“You look at someone’s online space, and it may seem frivolous,” Gosling said. “People are having the most inane, ridiculous conversations on their walls. While it may look frivolous on the surface level, [people] are actually meeting important psychological needs.” The results from the study are based on how accurately research participants could guess personality traits based on strangers’ online social networking pages, specifically Facebook and two German Web sites similar to Facebook — StudiVZ and SchuelerVZ. Researchers then compared the guesses to what the user and close friends of the user put down for personality traits. A total of 236 young adults ages 17 to 22 from Germany and the United States, including students from UT, volunteered to take part in the judgement test where they guessed traits like extraversion, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness. Although participants seemed to have the most trouble accurately guessing a user ’s neuroticism and anxiety behaviors, Gosling noted that people could guess correctly whether someone was an extrovert about 75 percent of the time. Participants were also able to rank openness with a high degree of accuracy. People could also often guess
whether someone was abstract, creative and liked to try new things or was concrete, practical and cautious. Gosling said people based their assumptions on diverse photos and activities found on a user’s profile. Pre-social work sophomore Phuoc Bui admitted to deleting photos of himself that made him appear “less than classy.” To see someone’s actual personality in day-to-day life, it is more accurate to look at photos of someone tagged by other people than photos a person uploads of him or herself, Bui said. Other than photos, Bui said, he thinks people interact with people the way they do in the offline world. “It’d be weird if you interacted with people differently on Facebook than you did in real life,” Bui said. “It’s not anonymous. These people know you in real life. If people are talking to a new friend or stranger, though, they’ll try to seem more intelligent or funnier because they have time to sit at a computer and think about what to say instead of being put on the spot like in real life.” The researchers plan on conducting a follow-up study, which will identify the exact details and elements of a profile page that people use to base their assumptions.
Peyton McGee Daily Texan Staff
GET PAID TO WATCH TV! The Media Panel is a group of paid volunteers who participate in research studies related to television and other media. The research investigates people’s behavior in response to particular media content. Participants of each study receive monetary incentive and are scheduled according to his/her convenience. Each panel member can participate in up to 3 studies per month. Compensation for panel members is a $20 VISA Gift Card for every hour spent in the lab. To become a panel member with The Media Panel located in North Austin, please go to www.themediapanel.com and use registration code: “LONGHORN” The Media Panel is a proud member of the Better Business Bureau.
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E-mail: photo@dailytexanonline.com Phone: (512) 471-8618 www.dailytexanonline.com
T he Daily T exan
Photos by Peyton McGee | Daily Texan Staff
JB Castillo, the entrepreneur behind Southside Bicycle Shop, has owned and operated his business in Austin for the past seven years. Castillo has been working in the bicycle industry for more than 15 years.
Hugging the turn JB Castillo, founder of Southside Bicycle shop on South First Street, has been aiding the Austin bicycle community since 2002. Castillo’s shop is not only a place where his customers go for repairs and purchases. His shop facilitates a diverse Austin demographic and serves as a safe place for people from all walks of life to interact with each other on a personal level. Castillo is a local business owner who has felt the affects of the economic recession as much as anyone over the past year. Southside Bicycle Shop’s gross sales have dropped 32 percent from last year, he said. He said the problem has not been a decline in customer flow, but a decline in how much people are willing to spend on their bicycles. Castillo remains optimistic and is going to hang on as long as his business allows him. — Peyton McGee
Left, Lisa Colaco pets one of Castillo’s nine dogs at Southside Bicycle Shop on ACL weekend earlier this year. Castillo said his dogs attract customers into the shop and that he started the trend among Austin bike shops of taking his dogs to work. Above, Castillo looks down at a customer receipt inside his shop in September. Left, Kris Kwolek, an Austin attorney, looks through a catalog of bicycle parts at the shop. Kwolek has been a Southside customer for four years. Below left, Castillo works on a bicycle rim at his workbench in the back of his shop in early October. Below, Castillo smokes a cigarette outside of his shop on a slow afternoon in October.
Castillo checks the tire pressure of a bicycle tire in his shop earlier this year.
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Sports Editor: Austin Talbert E-mail: sports@dailytexanonline.com Phone: (512) 232-2210 www.dailytexanonline.com
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Thursday, December 3, 2009
T he Daily T exan
Texas looks to improve as USC looms
SIDELINE MEN’S BASKETBALL TOP 25
Young players see increased roles amid team’s veteran presence
Alcorn State 31 No. 1 Kansas 98
By Laken Litman Daily Texan Staff Every Longhorn athlete, coach and fan knows about the school’s age-old conference rivalries with Oklahoma and Texas A&M. But one that’s more current takes place between Texas and USC, which started a few years ago on the football field. It has since transferred to the basketball court and will likely spread to other domains as well. Senior center Dexter Pittman remembers the last time he faced USC. It was his freshman year, and the Trojans knocked the Longhorns out of the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Now, it’s Pittman’s senior year and he is the big man for one of the deepest teams in college basketball. Pittman said he’s excited for the atmosphere of tonight’s home game against USC, which is part of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series. “We are excited to play good competition and play a team that knocked us out of the [NCAA] tournament a few years ago,” Pittman said. “They’re good, but it’s still USC. Even our football guys are hyped about this game because it’s kind of a rivalry in football, so that will set the tone.” The Longhorns have started their season 5-0, while the Trojans have struggled to go 2-2. “USC is going to come in here and try to beat us with their power,” said freshman guard J’Covan Brown. “Just because they’re 2-2 doesn’t mean any-
No. 5 Duke 69 Wisconsin 73
Drexel 58 No. 3 Villanova 77
E. Tennessee State 66 No. 12 Tennessee 78 Boston U 64 No. 13 Connecticut 92 Florida State 64 No. 15 Ohio State 77 Illinois 76 No. 19 Clemson 74 No. 21 UNLV 74 Arizona 72 F/2OT Siena 61 No. 23 Georgia Tech 74 No. 25 California 78 New Mexico 86 Prairie View A&M 59 No. 22 Texas A&M 84 No. 20 Butler 59 Ball State 38 Sara young | Daily Texan file photo
Texas’ Dexter Pittman guards the inbound pass against Uc Irvine in the team’s opening game of the season. Pittman gets a second chance against USc tonight in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series after losing his first meeting against the Trojans as a freshman. thing. They just had a bad start. They can always come and shock the world, so we have to be ourselves and not backtrack.” Speaking of backtracking, head coach Rick Barnes said he thought last Sunday’s game against Rice was taking a step backward. “We are trying to create an identity for this team, and I don’t think we are there yet,” Barnes said. “I wasn’t happy with the way we played at Rice. I actually thought we took a
step backward. We didn’t pressure the ball the way we need to and we definitely didn’t help each other, and that’s got to be one of the main focuses for our team because that’s got to be part of our identity. The other part is execution. We have not executed offensively. Not even close. We just got to keep getting better.” Though Barnes may have seemed grumpy about the flow of his team, he under-
stands that patience is a virtue TODay: USC (2-2) at No. 2 that must be exerted when you Texas (5-0) have a young roster. WHERE: Frank Erwin “Avery [Bradley] can shoot Center the ball, he’s just a young guy learning a lot of things,” Barnes WHEN: 8 p.m. said. “This is a different game ON aIR: ESPN2 than he’s ever played. I think every one of those guys would tell you that they’ve learned teammate. And the game is just things that they’ve never even faster. Jumping right into this thought about. And what goes level is pretty tough.” into being a team, and doing your job, and being a good BASKETBALL continues on page 8
Stetson 48 No. 18 Louisville 80
NBA Indiana 105 Sacramento 110 Toronto 115 Atlanta 146 Phoenix 90 Cleveland 107 New York 104 Orlando 118 Milwaukee 102 Washington 104
SWImmInG anD DIvInG
PGa GoLf
World’s No. 1 apologizes Longhorns ready to get wet while hosting meet for recent ‘transgressions’ By Doug ferguson The Associated Press THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Tiger Woods said he let his family down with “transgressions” he regrets “with all of my heart,” and that he will deal with his personal life behind closed doors. His statement Wednesday follows a cover story in Us Weekly magazine that reports a Los Angeles cocktail waitress claims she had a 31-month affair with the world’s No. 1 golfer.
“I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves,” Woods said on his Web site. “I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.” Woods did not offer details of any alleged relationship. “I will strive to be a better
APOLOGY continues on page 8
Marcio Jose Sanchez | Associated Press
Tiger Woods stands with his family on the sideline during a Stanford football game. Woods has allegedly been having an affair, sources say.
By Tara Dreyer Daily Texan Staff The Texas men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will host the Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame Invitational today. The three-day meet will feature Texas, Arizona, Auburn, Wisconsin, North Texas and Wyoming; additionally, UCLA, California, Hawaii, SMU, New Mexico and TCU will compete in diving only. Today’s events include the 100 butterfly, 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay; diving will consist of the men’s 1-meter prelims and finals and the women’s 3-meter prelims and finals. On Friday, the meet will continue with the 400 IM, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, 200 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay, along with the men’s 3-meter diving prelims and finals, as well as the women’s 1-meter diving prelims and finals. Saturday, the meet will conclude with the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 1,650 freestyle, 400 freestyle relay and the men’s and women’s platform diving events. Texas’ men opened the season on Oct. 23 by taking first place at the Southwest Collegiate Plunge with 872 points; the meet showcased Texas, Texas A&M, SMU and Missouri, and on Oct. 30 they defeated Indiana by a 179149 count. Texas ranks No. 1 for
Stephen Keller | Daily Texan file photo
a Texas swimmer swims in a swim meet. The Longhorns will host the Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of fame Invitational this weekend. a third consecutive season in the inaugural release of the CSCAA Coaches Poll. They received 12 of 23 first-place votes. Stanford ranks No. 2 and Cal No. 3 Texas women are off to a 4-0 start this fall after defeating Missouri, Indiana, Michigan and Texas A&M. The team has returned 18 letter winners, including 10 All-Americans from last year’s team that placed fifth at
the NCAA Championships. They rank No. 4 this year, according to the CSCAA Coaches Poll. However, Georgia assumed the top spot in the poll by collecting 12 first-place votes. Last year at the Texas Invitational, Dave Walters set a new American record in the 200yard freestyle, breaking Michael Phelps’ American record of 1:32.08 seconds with a time of
1:31.83. His performance helped the Longhorns capture the 2008 Texas Invitational for the men with 1,424.5 points. Arizona, then the defending NCAA champion, took second with 938.5 points. Kathleen Hersey led the women by setting five new individual school records and three individual Big 12 marks.
SWIMMING continues on page 8
commEnTaRy
Henry bids farewell, gives advice in final column as graduation date nears By David R. Henry Daily Texan Columnist
I have a confession to make. I was once a Colt McCoy hater. And just like nobody says they voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, everybody today claims they believed in Colt from the beginning — even the drunk frat guys who screamed for John Chiles to replace him in 2007. As much as I was saddened when Ryan Perrilloux switched his commitment from Texas to LSU in 2005, I was equally as ex-
cited when Jevan Snead switched his commitment from Florida to Texas the next year. Texas’ future at quarterback looked bright even though Vince Young was leaving early for the NFL. Imagine my surprise when Mack Brown named some threestar prospect from a 2A high school named Colt McCoy the starter before the 2006 season. Oh well, it would only be a matter of time before he would become like Chance Mock and lose his starting position and fade into obscurity. He had a good first start but appeared to have an incredibly weak arm that offensive coordinator Greg Davis would mask by having him throw short passes. It
was only a matter of time before the kid would get exposed. McCoy proved me wrong that season, but when Texas lost to Kansas
He finished out the 2007 sea- because he doesn’t have an NFL son strong, and has been the best arm, but it would be foolish to quarterback in college football doubt him again. since the 2008 season. Anyway, I had to get that off my chest before I leave. It’s the end of my journey at The Daily Texan. Well, not yet. There are two more football games this season, but this is my goodbye column. It’s I was wrong about McCoy, but now I am a believer.” running now so it doesn’t compete with the Big 12 Champion— David R. Henry, associate managing editor ship coverage or Colt’s Heisman race coverage. You can’t compete with Colt on this campus — I’ve found that out the hard way. I started off at the Texan as the State 41-21 in 2007 and intoxicated I was wrong about McCoy, men’s track writer my freshman fans screamed “Put in Childs!,” I but now I am a believer. Now, I year and had the pleasure of covthought I may have been right af- still have doubts as to whether ering future Olympians such as ter all. or not he’ll succeed in the NFL Trey Hardee, Leo Manzano and
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coach Bubba Thornton. After that, I covered Gail Goestenkors’ first season at Texas. Unfortunately, not much has changed for the women’s basketball team since then. Then it was on to football. Since that time, I’ve risen to sports editor, associate managing editor and Double Coverage editor. It’s been an honor and a privilege to cover the things I have covered. After writing for my school and hometown paper in high school, I felt burned out and didn’t write my first semester of college. While I made good grades and enjoyed college, it felt like something was missing. As soon as the second
HENRY continues on page 8
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APOLOGY: Woods
in hot water as allegations form
Thursday, December 3, 2009
BASKETBALL: Horns must step up as depth takes a hit losing Ward From page 7
From page 7 person and the husband and father that my family deserves,” Woods said. “For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.” The cocktail waitress, Jaimee Grubbs, told the magazine she met Woods at a Las Vegas nightclub the week after the 2007 Masters — two months before Woods’ wife, Elin, gave birth to their first child. Grubbs claims to have proof in 300 text messages. About three hours before Woods’ statement, the magazine published what it said was a voicemail — provided by Grubbs — that Woods left on her phone on Nov. 24, three days before his middle-of-the-night car crash outside his home in Florida. Woods has been subjected to more media headlines during the last week than when he first won the Masters in 1997 and set off the first wave of Tigermania. He has spoken only three times through his Web site, although this was his longest posting. “Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means,” Woods said. “For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives.” And he continued to say accounts that physical violence played a role in his Friday morning car crash were “utterly false and malicious.” “Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect,” he wrote. His statement came one day after the Florida Highway Patrol closed its investigation into the accident — without Woods ever speaking to state troopers. He was charged with careless driving, which carries a $164 fine and four points on his driving record. The story soon shifted from a patrol investigation to sordid allegations into his personal life. In the voicemail released by the magazine, a man says to Grubbs: “Hey, it’s, uh, it’s Tiger. I need you to do me a huge favor. Um, can you please, uh, take your name off your phone. My wife went through my phone. And, uh, may be calling you. If you can, please take your name off that and, um, and what do you call it? Just have it as a number on the voicemail, just have it as your telephone number. That’s it, OK. You gotta do this for me. Huge. Quickly. All right. Bye.” The Associated Press could not confirm Woods was the caller.
Derek Stout | Daily Texan file photo
Texas’ Gary Johnson sets a screen as Varez Ward looks to pass the ball. The Longhorns will look to fill a void after Ward was lost for the season when he tore his quadricep last week.
Though Bradley and Brown have moved into the starting lineup, Barnes has more confidence in his veteran players like the senior trio of Pittman, Justin Mason and Damion James, and junior guard Dogus Balbay, to keep the ball moving. “J’Covan hasn’t quite figured out the tempo we want to play offensively. J’Covan is learning how to play defense and the level of intensity we want to play at,” Barnes said. “Dogus understands those two things so when he comes in the game he immediately does those two things. He’s going to start pushing the ball on transition, he’s going to pick up and guard the ball. He does a tremendous job on the ball. He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen at getting through screens and not allowing himself to be screened. He changes the game. That’s what he does when he comes in. He absolutely changes the way the game is going.”
Despite the team’s depth, losing sophomore guard Varez Ward last week to a ruptured quadriceps tendon was damaging to a work-in-progress Longhorn defense. “We definitely miss Varez,” Barnes said. “Defensive intensity is something that he brought to us. We knew that with Varez, and Dogus and Justin Mason that we could really lock people down. So we lost a guy who has that lockdown defender mentality.” To honor a fallen teammate, Brown decided that he would rock the No. 50 jersey, which was Ward’s number this year. “I felt like somebody had to do it,” Brown said. “Varez is a big part of this team through his leadership, defense and toughness. Now people tell me, ‘You got his jersey on, what are you going to do?’ I tell them I’m just going to do me. Just because I got his jersey on doesn’t make me him. But I am going to push more on defense. That’s what we [as a team] are trying to do right now.”
NCAA FOOTBALL
TCU’s Patterson signs extension after finishing undefeated Coach stomps Notre Dame talk after Frogs award new extension
“Like I’ve said many times, I don’t think people understand what kind of place TCU and Fort Worth is,” Patterson said. “This was my first head coaching job, but it also, now going into 12 By Stephen Hawkins years, it’s my home.” The Associated Press TCU (12-0, 8-0 Mountain West) FORT WORTH — Gary Patterson has always felt he has a better will find out Sunday which of the chance of competing for a nation- big-money BCS games it will play al championship at TCU than at in. The Frogs are fourth in the some other places with automat- BCS standings, the highest ever this late in the season for a team ic BCS access. With his No. 4 Horned Frogs from a conference without an auset to play in a Bowl Champion- tomatic bid. ship Series game — and perhaps a national title, depending on this weekend’s games — it might be hard to argue with him. And with his name being mentioned Like all of us, you for the Notre Dame job, Patteralways like to prove son agreed Wednesday to a new people wrong.” contract intended to keep him at TCU through 2016. — Gary Patterson “Like all of us, you always TCU head coach like to prove people wrong. A lot of people thought that TCU, because of where we started 12 years ago, we couldn’t do this,” “We don’t feel like our work is Patterson said. “We’ve achieved something that all those other done,” Patterson said. “We feel people talk about because they’re like we have a mountain to climb, part of a conference and yes, they a championship to win.” There is still a chance the Frogs have the access right now, a little bit quicker than we do. ... We’ve could be the first BCS buster to now jumped over a hurdle being play for the national championship if No. 3 Texas loses to Neable to get to a BCS game.” Patterson has led TCU to five braska in the Big 12 champion11-win seasons the past seven ship game Saturday night and years. TCU just completed its first they stay ahead of Cincinnati in undefeated regular season since the final BCS standings. The other 1938, when it won its only AP na- spot will be filled by No. 1 Florida or No. 2 Alabama, who face off in tional championship.
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the SEC championship game. Patterson has an 85-27 record in his ninth season at TCU. His contract had been through 2014, and the revised deal includes pay raises he and his assistant coaches. The private university doesn’t release financial details. Patterson, 49, came to TCU as a defensive coordinator with coach Dennis Franchione after the 1997 season, when the Frogs were coming off a 1-10 season. He was promoted when Franchione left three years later for Alabama, though the school did a national search before making that move. “We had a vision, as you can see on that pyramid,” Patterson said, referring to the pyramid of goals in the team’s meeting room. “That pyramid has not changed since we started, of reaching a BCS bowl, going to a national championship and doing a lot of things. And a lot of people laughed and a lot of people shook their heads and they were just saying, well, that’s nice.” TCU wrapped up the regular season and outright Mountain West title with a 51-10 victory over New Mexico on Saturday. It was the Frogs’ seventh consecutive victory by at least 27 points, a stretch that included BYU and Utah, last year’s BCS buster. The Frogs have a 14-game winning streak, matching the seven decade-old school record set in 1938 when Heisman Trophy winner Davey O’Brien was their quarterback.
Tom Pennington | Associated Press
TCU head coach Gary Patterson celebrates with his team after winning the Mountain West Conference championship. Chris Del Conte, who took had not been contacted by Notre over as TCU’s athletic direc- Dame or any other schools about tor only six weeks ago, said he talking to Patterson.
HENRY: Senior leaves mark on Texan
EXAMS ARE COMING
www.utrecsports.org
DEFINE YOURSELF
staff after exhilarating years in office From page 7 semester of freshman year started, I was at the Texan sports office with clips and my resume — something I’d probably laugh at if someone did it today. I’d like to thank all those who have helped me along the way: My previous sports editors, Eric Ransom, Ryan Killian, Ricky Treon and Anup Shah, for all their advice; My high school journalism teachers Ron Stokes and Edwin Quarles for actually getting me started; my sports journalism instructor in college, Melanie Hauser, for making me a better writer and editor; previous managing editor Vikram Swaruup for pushing me to step up and be the sports editor last spring; current managing editor Stephen Keller for not really caring what the hell I do; Gammy for always being my No. 1 fan; Mom and Dad for everything (the reason I became interested in sports and writing is because mom got me started watching the Rockets and Astros from a young age, and my dad started handing me the sports section in the first grade); and Randi Leigh Goff for your encouragement along the way (I wish you could have made it to the finish line with me, but don’t stop believing). Shoutouts: Austin Talbert — the current sports editor, thanks for being my Tony Sparano. You are hilarious and kept me entertained on a 16-hour drive to Glendale. You are going to be famous some day. Stop telling people about the time I introduced myself to you.
Blake Hurtik — the torch passes to you next. Good luck. I have the utmost confidence in you. Like VY and Greg Davis, there was every reason for us not to get along, but we did. You are the best writer at the Texan. Kolache. Michael Sherfield — You need a fake ID. I still can’t believe the way you were draining those threes in that one IM game. You should be a lawyer because you do a good job of defending defensive ends who get minimal sacks. Stay away from kolaches. Chris Tavarez — I see a future sports editor in you. Don’t be corrupted by the broadcast people. All of your antics have kept me entertained this year. Keep asking for the discount and don’t wake up in any more random parks. Stop saying “we” when referring to Texas. Will Anderson, Austin Ries — Thanks for your hard work this semester. Laken Litman — You aren’t intimidated being a female in a male-dominated field. Best of luck in the future. Wes DeVoe — I hope that picture of you in a bowtie on your resume gets you lots of internships and jobs. Dan Hurwitz — Just wanted to let you know that I don’t hate you. Anymore. Vo Thai Phoung Thu — You are very talented and underappreciated. Leigh Patterson — Subpoena. Ana McKenzie — I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes next semester, but know you’ll do a great job. Good luck. And last, but not least, to my Double Coverage team of Olivia Hinton, Caleb Miller and David Muto — You are all A-Teamers and the best staff I could ask for.
And finally, I’ll end with what I would do if I were UT’s athletic director for a day: First, I would take away Will Muschamp’s title as head coachin-waiting. He is a great defensive coordinator but does not show the PR skills and friendliness with the media that a head coach needs to have. I’d stop scheduling 11 a.m. games and put TCU on the schedule every year for football. I’d move all of the women’s basketball games to Gregory Gym. It would give the team much more of a home-court advantage. It’s not fair to these women to have them play in a big empty arena when they could gain a big advantage by playing in a smaller venue that would actually fill up. I’d start looking for a new softball coach. I’d add men’s soccer. And to meet the Title IX requirement, I’d add women’s gymnastics to go along with it. I’d serve better food than hot dogs at baseball games. I’d give the media relations department tazers to use on people — one person specifically. There are more, but those are some good ones to start with. As for my final words of wisdom to leave you with, I have none. I’m only 21; I don’t have that much wisdom. But I do want to share some of the best advice I received, which comes from sports journalism professor and writer for PGA.com, Melanie Hauser. “Treat celebrities like they’re normal people, and treat normal people like they are celebrities.”
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Thursday, December 3, 2009
Historic downtown ‘Starr’ prepares for makeover Kemp Properties strives to preserve unique style of building during project
feet for trees and benches, making the area more ideal for outdoor restaurant seating, Beasley said. “Just changing the sidewalk changes the ambiance,” Beasley said. “We want to make the area more pedestrian-friendly, similar to Second Street.” Kemp will also preserve a 1955 mural by former UT professor and artist Seymour Fogel. The land office recognized the mural as a historical artifact and required all potential buyers to keep the mural intact, said land Commissioner Jerry Patterson. Since the mural stipulation limited what purchasers could do, the land office had difficulty finding a buyer, Patterson said. The land office bought the Starr Building in 2005 from the state comptroller, but left the building vacant following the purchase to resell the property to a potential buyer. All property owned by the land office is open to the market, and all the proceeds go to the Permanent School Fund, which designates proceeds from certain land sales to public K-12 education. “[The office is] here to make money for schools,” Patterson said. “The buyer with the highest price gets the place, and if they want to tear it down, they can.” Preservation Texas placed the Starr Building on its list of places in danger of demolition. The organization, which works to preserve historical sites in Texas, listed the building after a nomination from the Heritage Society of Austin.
By Priscilla Totiyapungprasert Daily Texan Staff Other than the occasional squatter, no one in the past four years has occupied Austin’s historic Starr Building at the corner of Sixth and Colorado streets. But the downtown building, lauded in 1954 for its innovative design, will not remain vacant for much longer in light of renovations planned to rejuvenate the property. The Texas General Land Office announced its intention to sell the building to Kemp Properties, an Austin-based commercial real estate firm, for $7.7 million. The company plans to renovate the interior, yet preserve both the building’s exterior and overall mid-century design. After renovations are complete, Kemp will open the building to businesses, including several restaurants and an advertising agency, said Casey Beasley, a partner at Kemp. Beasley is also interested in restoring the building’s original escalators, which were the first in Austin. The challenge is finding the old parts, he said. Other plans include replacing the air and light systems with more energy-efficient ones. As part of the Downtown Great Streets program, Kemp will increase the sidewalk space by nine
Derek Stout | Daily Texan Staff
The Starr Building at the corner of Sixth and Colorado streets, which has been vacant for the past four years, has recently been sold to the Austin-based real estate firm, Kemp Properties. The building, which originally began as the American National Bank, remains a significant part in telling Texas history, said Krista Gebbia, executive director of
Preservation Texas. Hugo Kuehne, a professor at the UT School of Architecture at the time, designed the building after collaborating with an interi-
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or designer and other artists, including Fogel. “It was such an inviting, efficient and modern building during post-war 1950s,” Gebbia
University Democrats elect 3B officers for spring semester
CLASSIFIEDS
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RTISE ADVE TUDENT S ! YOUR NIZATION ORGA
Campus
CORKBOARD
By Melissa Pan Daily Texan Staff University Democrats elected officers for the spring semester at the last meeting of the fall semester Wednesday. The races for vice president, public relations director and treasurer each had two candidates running for the post. The candidates for the remaining six officer positions ran unopposed. “I wish there were more competitive races tonight,” said Thaddeus Woody, newly elected vice president of University Democrats and government junior. Woody was treasurer of the organization. Woody ran against government and philosophy junior Jeremy Yager, who heads the UDems
Weekly Rates: $100 – isLarge D.C. committee. The committee been her first semester in Univerplanning to take a trip to Wash- sity Democrats. ington, D.C., next$50 semester.– Medium “I’m really so excited,” Mirhos“Jeremy is one of my close seini said. “Trusting someone with $25 – Small friends, so it is hard,” Woody said. money is a really big deal.” After Yager lost in his race for
Contact Joan at 512-232-2229 or email joanw@mail.utexas.edu vice president, a member of the or-
Jordy Wagoner | Daily Texan Staff
Former University Democrats officer Brittany McAllister discusses the UDems officer election with committee chair and vice president nominee Jeremy Yager.
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ganization nominated him for public relations director against government senior Michael Hurta. Hurta, who gave his campaign speech from Israel via Skype, won the election. Yager had no comment on the election results. Government junior Roshanak Mirhosseini beat out government and psychology sophomore Elise Miller for the post of treasurer. “I’m sad that I lost, but it’s okay,” Miller said. Mirhosseini said the campaigning process was friendly. This has
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said. “To lose the building would have been a loss of an important piece of art. Turn it into a highrise, and you lose a part of Austin’s identity.”
Vice president Andy Jones ran the election. He also hosted the “Democademy Awards” during intermissions when other officers counted up ballots. The awards consisted of titles such as “Most Likely to Be Forgotten During Roll Call.” Government and psychology sophomore Derin Kiykioglu is the co-chair of the voter registration committee at University Democrats and is hopeful for the upcoming semester. “I’m excited to see what the new officers are going to bring to the table,” Kiykioglu said.
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Thursday, December 3, 2009
11 ENT
11
Life&Arts
Thursday, November 3, 2009
buys: Austin shops provide
shoppers cheap, sexy giftables ideas is a bundle of local ‘zines. From fanzines to topic-specific mini-magazines, ‘zines are widely writers, artists and musicians. Instead of getting the avid read- available at locally owned booker or devoted music fan in your stores around Austin for between life a book or a CD that they could $3 and $20 dollars apiece, these get from anywhere, try digging cultural artifacts can make really through the shelves at one of these fun gifts. Monkeywrench Books (110 places to find something that you E. Northloop Blvd.) and Domy could only find here. At Waterloo Records & Vid- Books have two of the biggest coleos you could try local favor- lections of ‘zines and other hardites like Fits, the newest album to-find handmade or low-circulatfrom White Denim, Brazos’s lat- ing reading material. est release, Phosphorescent Blues, Sexy stuff or Edward the Magnificent, the deIf you’re shopping for a sexy but album from Austin’s Wine friend, you’ll probably want to and Revolution. At Domy you can check out check out Forbidden Fruit (108 W. the store’s extensive selection of North Loop Blvd.). Whether you’re looking for new fiction and art books, including Austin artist Michael Sieben’s something as innocent as fla“There’s Nothing Wrong With vored body powder or a gift that is a little more suggestive You (Hopefully).� — like high-quality lube, lingeSuper cheap rie, fetish-wear, erotica or an edJust because you are a broke ucational sex manual — Forbidstudent doesn’t mean you have to den Fruit is Austin’s preeminent avoid holiday parties and gift ex- locally owned boutique for all changes. One of my favorite gift things sexy.
From page 12
Courtesy of The Long Center for the Performing Arts.
“Sister’s Christmas Catechism� is a refreshing divergence from traditional reenactments of holiday stories, giving audiences a unique chance to be a part of the fun.
Christmas play captivates crowds
By Kate Ergenbright Daily Texan Staff Every year, the holiday season brings an array of seasonally themed theatrical productions to Austin. They range from the traditional “Nutcracker� to David Sedaris’ sardonic “Santaland Diaries.� “Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold� is no exception to this long-standing trend. One of the multiple sequels to the surprise smash, offBroadway hit “Late Nite Catechism,� this one-woman show is an hour and 45 minutes of comedic nostalgia, reminding many audience members of time spent in Sunday school. Sister, a Catholic nun with an attitude, treats her audience like a class and the theatre, like her classroom. Like a teacher, she
quizzes audience members on the story of Jesus’ birth and instructs hand-chosen volunteers to act out the Nativity, complete with impromptu costumes. While acting out the scene, Sister, with the help of forensic evidence, solves the case of Magi’s stolen gold, a biblical mystery that has troubled her for years. While the themes of this show sound like your average Christmas production, it is so much more. “Sister’s Christmas Catechism� is a refreshing divergence from traditional reenactments of holiday stories, giving audiences a unique chance to be a part of the fun. The play is a comedic alternative to the traditional array of holiday productions. Unfortunately, Kathleen Stefano, who stars as Sister, fails to completely carry the show and at times,
seems awkward when delivering a monologue to the audience. Her pacing is slow, and her longer monologues sometimes cause the show to lag. But this really doesn’t matter — what matters are the audience members. However, Stefano’s talent shines as a teacher interacting with her “students�, and she does a terrific job of staying in character, no matter what anyone says or does. Since the majority of the show centers on audience interaction with Sister, its success hinges on the unique and outspoken characters in attendance each night. Stefano’s wit and sarcasm are enough to make anyone chuckle, but the real gut-wrenching laughter comes when audience members misbehave. Whether it’s nostalgia or the classroom envi-
food: Cafe transforms lunch market From page 12 already received raves by Yelp reviewers, was all that it was promised to be — decadently creamy and extremely delicious. No doubt it will become the trademark of the restaurant, similar to Kerbey Lane Cafe’s pancakes. On the final course, the “seasonal pie,� not surprisingly, was pumpkin pie, and it was all that
was to be expected. Despite the fact that most everyone is probably on pumpkin pie overload from Thanksgiving, the confection is worth trying with its smooth, velvety texture and burst of cinnamon. With that said, the crust could have been thicker and flakier. All in all, the restaurant hits the mark on creating an exciting new dining option in Austin. Despite the small size of the breakfast sec-
tion, the menu offers unique appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, entrees and a diverse selection of sides and desserts, including milkshakes. The restaurant will soon start serving homemade sodas as well. If 24 Diner is good enough for an Academy Award winner, it is certainly good enough for the eaters of Austin. So pick any hour of the day to dine at this establishment. Without a doubt, it will be open.
ballet: Company offers students dance opportunities From page 12 movements they feel most comfortable and confident performing. “When you go to college, you have a mental list of the things you want to accomplish to have your ‘ideal’ collegiate experience,� Villafana said. “I’m happy I was able to give the opportunities to these girls. Had it been another situation or another place, they wouldn’t have had that opportunity.� Sydney Lewis, English junior and dancer, joined Escape Dance Company her first year at UT, af-
ter she heard about it from a friend. Upon graduation, she hopes to teach at a high school where she can start a similar company that will give students the same opportunities Escape has allowed her. On Saturday, she will dance the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy. “It gave me a much needed artistic outlet and helped narrow down the size of the University to make some really good friends,� Lewis said. “It’s been a huge part of my college experience, and I will miss it.� “Visions of Nutcracker� was
the company’s premier performance, and this Saturday’s will be the last as Villafana departs to focus his energy on medical school applications next semester. He said this final performance will be bittersweet, as the company has become his second family over the years. “It has really fulfilled a part of me that was lacking,� Villafana said. “The reality of the company has morphed from the initial concept, but I’m leaving it at a place that I feel really happy and proud about.�
ronment — which comes complete with a chalkboard, teacher’s desk and framed pictures of John F. Kennedy and the Pope — Sister’s presence brings out the 13-year-old class clown within its audience members. As Sister continues to interact with these outspoken oddballs, they become theatrical characters themselves and, really, are the true stars of the show. The opening night audience included an actual Catholic priest (who became Sister’s star pupil, of course), an ex-Catholic school girl turned Buddhist and a loudmouthed housewife yearning for attention. There is no need to be Catholic to enjoy this unique holiday production. Just bring a friend, sit back, and wait for Sister to call on you.
boom: Typical man is afraid of an
armed woman, range manager says From page 12 women: Monday is Ladies’ Day, meaning that females can shoot for half-price. According to range owner, Karen Ziegler, more and more men show up on Ladies’ Day to meet women who share a common love of firearms. Give dinner and a movie a break. Take a leap of faith, and trust that a date at a shooting range is a wonderful alternative to a typical date. You may find that firing a gun with your partner is the perfect way to test the bounds of your relationship. “Typically, the American man is afraid of an armed woman,� Parchman joked. That being said, it’s only scary if she has never fired a gun and forgets to point it down range. If there’s good chemistry though,
then this date has the potential to be a relationship-defining experience. The two of you can rent separate guns or share one for a closer experience. This gives the guy a chance to show off a bit if he’s fired a gun before. If your partner has fired a gun before too, the date can turn into a bit of friendly competition. Try moving the target all the way down range, and see who has the best shot. The thing to remember is that this date only works if you already know the girl you’re taking with you. If you don’t, it can quickly turn awkward. Regardless of how experienced visitors might be, Red’s provides a full safety lecture, and there are a number of staff members on hand to help out if you have any questions.
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12 LIFE
Life&Arts
12
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Life&Arts Editor: Leigh Patterson E-mail: lifeandarts@dailytexanonline.com Phone: (512) 232-2209 www.dailytexanonline.com
T he Daily T exan
Gun range provides dates a bang-up time By Gerald Rich & Layne Lynch Daily Texan Staff If love is a battlefield, then a shooting range is the ideal place for a date. With the smell of gunpowder and metal, and the sound of guns firing in the air, it may be hard for some people to imagine an indoor shooting range ever being a place for a great date. While many people find shooting guns to be terrifying and unnerving, it can also be a unique and intimate experience. “People have got to remember that [a gun] is just a tool like any other,” said Bert Parchman, range manager for Red’s Indoor Range off West Highway 290 in Oakhill. “I saw a great license plate the other day that said that if guns are responsible for killing people, then pencils are responsible for misspelling words.” In total, the date will cost roughly $25 to $40. The cost includes renting a gun, and buying bullets and targets. Just like shooting a gun, a perfect date is a thrill to experience. Both the date and the gun have the ability to hit a bull’s eye or terribly fly off course. Still, it’s always worth a shot. Pun intended. Speaking for the women, I affirm that nothing loses its novelty more quickly than the typical romantic-comedy movie and fancy dinner date. After the routine sets in, a girl wants nothing more than to find some
excitement with her partner. Dates should be exciting and even a little dangerous. Firing a gun with someone you are dating is a way to feel both on the edge, but also protected and guarded by that person. Walking into the shooting range, everyone has to have ear guards on to protect against the horrible blasts of guns. With this said, a firing range is no place for deep conversation. Couples must rely on body language, an important conversational tool in any relationship. Advice to the inexperienced shooter: If this is your first time firing a gun, rent the .22. “[.22’s] don’t have a lot of kick or bark, but [those with] more experience are welcome to try any gun,” Parchman said. The shooting facility is not heated or air-conditioned. Therefore, the weather outside will parallel the weather inside the range. Even though going on dates is normally an opportunity to dress up, don’t try to pull an Angelina Jolie and fire a gun in stiletto boots and leather pants. The shooting range really isn’t the place to feel pressured to show off. It’s okay if you mess up — your partner can give you tips and suggestions. It makes the experience all the more endearing. Exciting news for the
BOOM continues on page 11
Tamir Kalifa | Daily Texan Staff
A shooting range can add excitement to any date, especially for gun loving Texans.
Ballet company kicks it ‘old school’ one last time
By Rachel Meador Daily Texan Staff It’s the last week of classes, and while most students are locked up in the library with horse blinders and an impossible to do list, one group of ambitious and dedicated students is preparing to voluntarily share their hard work with the UT community. Saturday marks the fifth annual “Visions of Nutcracker” showing by Escape Dance Company. This performance is the final one for the student-established and managed dance company, founded in 2004 by then-theater and dance undergrads Jorge Villafana and Lauren Thaxton. They started the troupe to fill a mutual void and, in the process, create invaluable memories for other students. “We weren’t finding the opportunities we wanted, so we had to create them for ourselves,” Villafana said. “I wanted more training and experience strictly in ballet, and the department here is predominately post-modern.” The company’s past performances include “Cinderella,” an original version of “Rodeo,” and variations on “La
Scott Kilpatrick and Rowena Castro converse underneath a photograph for sale at Thunderbird Coffee’s East Austin location on Wednesday morning. Thunderbird displays the work of several local artists on its walls, rotating in new work on a regular basis.
Bayadere,” “Don Quixote” and “Sleeping Beauty.” Now a guest artistic director and theater and dance graduate, Villafana balances creating choreography, booking rehearsal spaces, assembling costumes — all while balancing his own classes and job in a UT biochemistry lab. Thanks to the sincere interest and devotion of his student dancers, Villafana said the additional responsibilities that come with managing a company have gone smoothly. “I found eager dancers very easily,” Villafana said. “There was a big interest that wasn’t being recognized elsewhere, and the responsibility has been fun because you get to navigate the inner matrix and figure out how to break it down into manageable pieces.” Some members have been in the company since the beginning, with new additions each semester. What makes Escape Dance Company so unique is the freedom the members have to collaborate with directors in deciding which parts they want to dance to and what
BALLET continues on page 11
Sara Young | Daily Texan Staff
Kellee Brown, chemical engineering junior, right, rehearses wih Escape Dance Company for their last performance this Friday evening. Director and student Jorge Villafena started the company five years ago and is now closing the company.
Derek Stout Daily Texan Staff
Local shops sell best holiday gifts
By Mary Lingwall Daily Texan Staff As much as a trip to the mall may make holiday shopping easier, scouring the city for original finds at locally owned shops can give you one-in-a-million gifts for your friends and family. Plus, it keeps the local economy healthy. Altruism aside, the best part of shopping locally is that it often keeps your holiday shopping costs down. Below is a beginner’s guide to shopping locally this gift-giving season.
Clothing Parts & Labour (1117 South Congress Ave.) has everything from women’s apparel to random gifts (birdhouses, organic candles, Austin-themed coasters, etc.). By far the most outstanding women’s wear available at Parts & Labour are the women’s dresses made by Curry Beth. As the clothing is redesigned from vin-
pages featuring local artists’ work (Etsy is a Web site that works as a virtual craft fair, with products for sale directly from artists), there is an abundance of art available at any price range. Okay Mountain (1312 E. Cesar Chavez St.), Art Palace (2109 E. Cesar Chavez St.) and Birdhouse (1304 E. Cesar Chavez St.) all have original pieces by Austin artists ranging in price from $25 for a 7x7 collaborative piece at Okay Mountain to larger and more expensive pieces at Art Palace. But if you’re looking for something lower in price, one of the best ways to find cheaper or smaller pieces of art is to scan the walls of local coffee shops like Thunderbird Coffee (1401 W. Koenig Lane, or the eastside location 2200 Manor Road) or Flightpath Coffeehouse (5011 Duval St.). Thunderbird’s locations are Art particularly good at rotating new From local art spaces to Etsy artists’ work every few weeks.
tage fabrics, Curry Beth dresses have throwback appeal in trendy silhouettes that cost less than a brand-new one. Parts & Labour is well known for its local, handcrafted jewelry (most notably by Maneki, Tasty Jewelry and Lindsay Designs). For the men on your list, Service Menswear (1400 South Congress Ave.) and No-Comply (812 West 12th St.) feature some of the best men’s apparel and accessories in Austin. While neither carry exclusively Austin-made products, they are both locally owned and operated. Service Menswear co-owner James Newman listed Levis 514 and 501 jeans and Toddland chinos among the store’s bestselling items, but the boutique also has a variety of low-price gifts like scarves, Moscot eyewear and Happy Toe brand socks.
For the especially frugal art lovers, a cheap way to give art as a gift is to buy a locally made postcard or greeting card. Paint a cheap frame from a resale shop or even Ikea, and frame the postcard as if it were a small original piece. Parts & Labour also has one of the best selections of locally made greeting cards, including a variety of prints from one of Birdhouse’s fall exhibits, “What Is Not, Could Be If.”
Readers and music lovers Domy Books (913 E. Cesar Chavez St.) and Waterloo Records & Videos (600 N. Lamar Blvd.) have conveniently mixed product inventory. Unlike book shopping at Barnes and Noble or CD shopping at Best Buy, Domy and Waterloo carry national favorites but also feature works by local
BUYS continues on page 11
24 Diner opens doors to fame, success
By Layne Lynch Daily Texan Staff 24 Diner opened its stylish, chic doors to the public Tuesday night, with visitors such as Academy Award-winning actor Adrien Brody stopping in to try a bite. Any restaurant open 24 hours deserves major props for being at the beck and call of customers at all hours of the day. But if a restaurant manages to hit the nail on the head with its taste, service and atmosphere during its opening week, it can turn its little space in Austin into a gold mine. Walking into 24 Diner, customers wouldn’t have a clue this was the restaurant’s opening night. The staff seemed very casual and surprisingly relaxed. There was no plate dropping or kitchen fires, and not a single glass was shattered. 24 Diner’s interior design is a mix of industrial steel and modern. Everything from the chairs down to the light fixtures seems to have been thought out carefully. Even though the space is relatively small,
it houses an array of nuances. The walls are bare, with not a painting in sight, except for a constellation poster by the hostess booth. The minimalist ambiance works though, making the place feel both comforting and artistic. The menu is what any customer would expect from a diner. Breakfast has offerings such as chicken and waffles, frittatas, breakfast sandwiches, vegetarian dishes and many a la carte options. But if breakfast is what you’re aiming for, this may not be the best place to go. The breakfast section of the menu is small compared to the burgers, sandwiches and entrée options. Starting out, the “sparkies” (fried jalapenos) were exceptional. It’s better to try the jalapenos with the accompanying buttermilk dressing; otherwise, the burst of heat may force you to order milk. The pulled chicken breast sandwich was divine. The baguette was perfectly crispy and the combination of goat cheese, avocado, arugula and roasted tomato vinaigrette made a
Rachel Taylor | Daily Texan Staff
The pulled chicken sandwich from 24 Diner uses ingredients like a baguette roll and arugala from a local farm and is served with macaroni and cheese. spectacularly unique sandwich. sourdough bread and Gruyere The patty melt burger was also a make the sandwich sweet. success, but it wasn’t as good as the The mac and cheese, which has pulled chicken. The burger stacks FOOD continues on page 11 high, but the caramelized onion,