The Daily Texan 2019-02-27 by The Daily Texan

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SPEEDWAY PLAZA 10-3 ,

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

volume

119

issue

NEWS

OPINION

LIFE&ARTS

SPORTS

Peace Corps Prep Certificate officially launches at event this evening. PA G E 2

The University should provide open forums for political discussion. PA G E 4

Embrace or opt out: students experience difficulties with Spanish program. PA G E 8

Aitor Fungairino escapes turmoil in Venezuela to find opportunity at Texas. PA G E 6

UNIVERSITY

CITY

Campus projects waste money, resources

Pedestrian deaths rise City experiences record number of traffic deaths in 2018 as UT records zero.

By Grace Dickens @dickensgrace

With UT estimated to grow 10 percent every decade, there are constantly construction projects around campus, some of which include the demolition and replacement of buildings. Director of Sustainability Jim Walker said the University doesn’t take building demolition lightly. “It’s not really a simple calculation if the building is more expensive to renovate than replace,” Walker said. “I can see where someone could have that kind of concern, but it’s very expensive to renovate and it’s very expensive to build new.” Walker said buildings are only torn down if the systems within them, such as heating or air conditioning, are outdated or if the structure of the building does not allow for upgrades to meet modern needs. David Rea, associate vice president for campus planning and project management, also said buildings will only be demolished if it’s in the interest of cost and future accommodation. “The Campus Master Plan envisions that most existing buildings on campus will remain and be renovated over time,” Rea said. “Over the past 25 years, campus has completed many full building renovation projects.” However, Katherine Stowe, landscape architecture graduate student, said she believes construction projects on campus could be more mindful of the effects the construction changes could have on the future of campus. She said the Frank Erwin Center was an example, which is being demolished and rebuilt in a new location to make room for the expansion of Dell Medical School’s new medical district outlined in the Campus Master Plan. Stowe said on the plan for the new medical district, there are two large buildings planned to be built that are labeled “health science gateway,” which will create a more

By Hayden Baggett @hansfirm

he University and West Campus did not see any pedestrians hit and killed by vehicles in 2018, but the City of Austin recorded the largest number of pedestrian-traffic fatalities in more than 10 years, according to Austin Police data. Out of 74 total traffic fatalities in 2018, the data indicated 31 of the fatalities were pedestrians — the largest annual count of pedestrian-traffic fatalities since 2008. The last time Austin approached this number was 2015, when police recorded 29 pedestrian-traffic fatalities. Dustin Farahnak, a UT Police Department officer, said several factors contribute to campus street safety and the lack of pedestrian deaths at UT, including constant police presence and a 15-mph speed limit. “Beyond speed, enforcement and lighting, I also have seen that communication and demands from our community are greater,” Farahnak said in an email. “We hear (from faculty and staff) when scooters, carts and cars are driving poorly, disregarding crosswalks or otherwise causing concerns … UTPD tries to be responsive to these concerns.” Despite UT being free from pedestrian fatalities, Farahnak said he personally encounters at least one pedestrian-traffic accident every six weeks. “The risk of an auto versus pedestrian collision exists on campus,” Farahnak said. “We must all be cautious and take our safety into our own hands. Being aware of our surroundings and being patient are two vital steps to being safe when travelling.”

emma overholt

Joel Meyer, pedestrian coordinator for the City of Austin, said most pedestrian traffic fatalities occur in either suburban or highspeed areas, because these areas aren’t designed for safe walking. In turn, Meyer said UT’s lack of pedestrian deaths can be attributed to its high concentration of pedestrians. “Around campus and West Campus, the streets are actually a lot narrower, people are going a lot slower and there’s also a lot of pedestrian activity there,” Meyer said. “Because

there’s so many people walking, it actually creates this safety in numbers situation where people are looking out for pedestrians and expect them to be there.” It is difficult to identify the reason for the 2018 spike in pedestrian-traffic fatalities, Meyer said, but the Austin Transportation Department is taking some concrete steps to stop the increase from becoming a citywide trend. “There’s not a lot of opportunities for pedestrians to

| the daily texan staff

cross the street safely, so we’re looking at how we can retrofit our city to try to make them safer,” Meyer said. To help, Meyer said the Austin Transportation Department received $4 million from Proposition G last November designated for pedestrian safety. “We’ll be using that to install more crossings around town to give pedestrians a safe place to cross the street,” Meyer said. “That’s one way

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CONSTRUCTION

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STATE

Introducing Curious Capitol: Answering your Texas lege questions

Heartbeat bill gains traction in Texas legislature

By Megan Menchaca @meganmenchaca13

Editor’s Note: Curious Captiol is a new project frome the Texan where reporters collect and answer questions submitted by readers related to the current Texas legislative session. To submit a question, fill out the Curious Capitol form on www.dailytexan.com or fill out the embed form in any Curious Capitol story.

Is there something you’d like to learn about the Texas Legislature? An issue or lawmaker you’d like The Daily Texan to cover? Or even just a more in-depth look at a bill that was recently introduced? I’m Megan Menchaca, the Texan’s first engagement editor, and I’m interested in hearing from you. Last year, the Texan launched Curious Campus, a new series where we collected and answered nearly a dozen questions

submitted by readers just like you. As the engagement reporter, I looked into submissions about topics ranging from early voting to whatever happened to the Starbucks inside DKR. But there’s a lot of questions left unanswered. That’s why we’re not only continuing Curious Campus this semester, but we’ll also be launching Curious Capitol, a series solely dedicated to answering any questions you have about what goes on inside the Texas Capitol. For the next few months, you can ask us anything that you’ve wanted to know about the Texas Legislature. Before the 86th legislative session even began, lawmakers introduced hundreds of bills tackling issues like marijuana legalization, funding for mental health services,

LGBTQ rights and immigration — all of which will have significant effects on Texas residents. And if you’ve been wondering what these bills mean for UT-Austin or even why the Legislature only meets for 140 days every two years, Curious Capitol is the place for you. Here’s how it’ll work: Similarly to last semester, you’ll submit your questions to Curious Capitol in a form located on the Texan’s website and at the bottom of stories related to the Texas Legislature. Then, the engagement reporters will investigate until they find answers to the questions asked by you and other members of the UT community. So, Longhorns: What are you curious about? Ask the Texan your questions online or whenever you see me in person, and I’ll get you answers.

By Katie Balevic @KatelynBalevic

The Texas “heartbeat bill” that would outlaw abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected is gaining traction in the Texas legislature. Within a week of being filed on Feb. 7, House Bill 1500 had 39 co-sponsors. By Tuesday, it had 52. “The Texas heartbeat bill ensures that unborn children exhibiting a heartbeat are protected from the cruel practice of abortion,” said Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, in a statement to The Daily Texan. “Put simply, if the heartbeat is detected, the baby is protected.” Versions of the heartbeat bill have been filed every session since 2013, and while the bill hasn’t been assigned to committee, Cain said this year is more promising. “2019 is the year of the heartbeat bill,” Cain said. “Eleven states have filed heartbeat bills in 2019. I’m humbled to

see the growing wave of support this and other heartbeat bills are receiving across our state and nation.” Abigail Aiken, public affairs assistant professor and an expert in reproductive health, said a fetal heartbeat can be detected as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. “At that point, many people don’t even know that they are pregnant,” Aiken said in an email. “So, the bill essentially aims to leave people with no choice when it comes to making a decision about whether or not to continue a pregnancy.” On Tuesday, the Young Conservatives of Texas held a rally favoring the bill in the West Mall. “If there’s a heartbeat, that child is clearly alive, clearly a baby and can’t be aborted,” said Lillian Bonin, YCT spokesperson and government junior. “If the woman would have preferred to get an abortion, it would be

HEARTBEAT

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CLAIRE ALLBRIGHT NEWS EDITOR @THEDAILYTEXAN

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

This issue of The Daily Texan is valued at $1.25

CAMPUS

PERMANENT STAFF Editor-in-Chief Liza Anderson Managing Editor Forrest Milburn Assoc. Managing Editors Catherine Marfin, Andrea D’Mello Director of Digital Strategy Alexandria Dominguez Assoc. Editors Bella McWhorter, Emily Caldwell, Angelica Lopez Forum Editors Jennifer Liu News Editor Claire Allbright Assoc. News Editors Anna Lassmann, Sami Sparber News Desk Editors Gracie Awalt, Meghan Nguyen, Meara Isenberg, Hannah Daniel, Raga Justin Beat Reporters Chase Karacostas, Tien Nguyen, Chad Lyle, Katie Balevic, Hannah Ortega, Savana Dunning, Rahi Dakwala, Mason Carroll, Nicole Stuessy, Jackson Barton, Emily Hernandez Projects Editor Ellie Breed Projects Reporters Maria Mendez, London Gibson, Lisa Nhan, Morgan O’Hanlon, Kayla Meyertons Projects Designer Rena Li Copy Desk Chief Kirsten Handler Associate Copy Desk Chiefs Jason Lihuang, Brittany Miller, Jimena Pinzon, Haylee Reed Design Editor Mireya Rahman Associate Design Editor Renee Koite Senior Designers Christiana Peek, Kendall Jordan, Nila Selvaraj Video Editors Sarah Tang, Peyton Young

Assoc. Video Editors Faith Castle, Bonny Chu Photo Editor Katie Bauer Assoc. Photo Editors Anthony Mireles, Carlos Garcia Senior Photographers Eddie Gaspar, Angela Wang. Joshua Guenther, Ryan Lam, Pedro Luna Life&Arts Editors Tiana Woodard, Jordyn Zitman Assoc. Life&Arts Editors Brooke Sjoberg Sr. Life&Arts Writers John Melendez, Landry Allred, Trent Thompson Sports Editor Ross Burkhart Assoc. Sports Editors Steve Helwick, Keshav Prathivadi Senior Sports Reporters Robert Larkin, Donnavan Smoot, Cameron Parker Comics Editors Channing Miller, Bixie Mathieu Assoc. Comics Editor Lauren Ibanez Senior Comics Artists Alekka Hernandez, Andrew Choi Social Media Editor Ryan Steppe Assoc. Social Media Editor Tirza Ortiz Engagement Editor Megan Menchaca Newsletters EditorPeter Northfelt Sr. Digital Staffers Iris Bilich, Alexis Green Audio Editors JT Lindsey, Morgan Kuehler Audio Producers Sara Schleede, Eric Kiehnau Editorial Adviser Peter Chen

ISSUE STAFF Columnists Henry Corwin, Julia Zaksek

Steph Sonik, Cynthia Treviño, Albert Lee, Audrey Lynn Racnay

Comic Artists Laura Gonima, Carissa Davis, Gianna Shanded, Sophia Solomon, Leslie Tang, Joe Wallace

L&A Reporters Romi Geller

Copy Editors Divya Jagadeesh, Ryen Holda, Lauren Girgis

Photographers Hannah Simon, McKenzie Bentley

Designers Claire Bills, Benjamin Tan Illustrators

News Reporters Alyssa Weinstein, Joshua Guenther, Grace Dickens

Sports Reporters Lili Hall, CJ Vogel, Daniela Perez, Marcus Krum

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Liza Anderson (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com

MANAGING EDITOR Forrest Milburn (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com

NEWS OFFICE

copyright puc team india, and reproduced with permission From left to right, Ayah Alomari, Zia Lyle, Victor Butcher, Erica Lopez, Michael Ramirez, Jane Cloninger and Sarah Jarrell compose Team India of Projects with Underserved Communities.

Engineering students help foreign countries By Alyssa Weinstein @WeinsteinAlyssa

With service projects ranging from an education center to a water filtration system for schoolchildren, the engineering and social work students of Projects with Underserved Communities have devoted themselves to a yearlong commitment to serve disadvantaged communities globally. PUC is a collaborative program between UT’s International Office, the Cockrell School of Engineering and the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. The less than 30 students who enrolled in PUC are divided into four different teams: Team India, Team Mexico, Team Thailand 1 and Team Thailand 138. “(PUC) is like Doctors Without Borders, but it’s Engineers Without Borders,” said Gabriela Kackley, project manager of Team Mexico and mechanical engineering junior. “To me, this is what engineering is really about — which is communication, teamwork and creating things that help other people.” The PUC students were assigned their country and project in fall 2017. Since then, they have planned the concept from scratch — while collaborating with professors, social workers and people in foreign countries — and will physically implement the projects in May.

Team India will construct a 20-foot multipurpose learning sector for the village of Sirupinayur. Team Mexico has been creating a greenhouse structure to be used to dry mesquite pods that are used as protein supplements in food for the malnourished people of Santiago Suchilquitongo, Oaxaca, a town in southwestern Mexico. “I really hope that we’ll have a positive impact on the community and that we’ll create a learning center that is culturally appropriate,” said Michael Ramirez, project manager for Team India and civil engineering senior. Additionally, Team Thailand 1 will be providing electricity and water to wash dishes and provide lunch for schoolchildren at the Ban Thap Ta Thaen School in the Suphan Buri Province of Thailand. The second team for Thailand, Team Thailand 138, is creating a water treatment system and sink structure for the 138 students at the Ban Huai Yang Elementary School in rural west Thailand. Biomedical engineering junior Taylor Holland said PUC has allowed students to use their education in a real-world setting. “I’ve just never been around so many people who are so dedicated to making a change in the world,” said Holland, risk, safety and quality manager for Team Thailand 138. “These people have given their blood, sweat, tears and time to make these projects work to benefit these communities.”

albert lee

| the daily texan staff

Peace Corps certificate officially launches at UT By Hannah Ortega @_hannahortega_

A launch event this evening will mark the official arrival of the Peace Corps Prep Certificate program at UT and help students learn about service abroad. The event, which coincides with Peace Corps Week, will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the University Teaching Center. Attendees will get to ask questions about the certificate before watching short films created by Peace Corps volunteers. Following the screening, there will be a panel featuring former volunteers who served in sectors including education and health in places such as Botswana and Tanzania. “I tried to make sure it’s a wide selection … and part of the panel is to really get that perspective,” said Jacqui Stewart Hobbs, Peace Corps campus recruiter. “This will be particularly focused on, ‘What do you wish you’d done differently before starting Peace Corps?’ I want to make sure students have that opportunity to really hear from people who’ve already had their service of, ‘I really wish I’d had more training in this’ or, ‘If I’d done more volunteering in a certain different thing, that would’ve really helped me in my service.’” The certificate, announced last fall,

is awarded by the Peace Corps, not UT. It is open to all students and does not guarantee a position within the Peace Corps. Michael Anderson, director of International Relations and Global Studies, said the certificate is “a very welcome addition” to campus. “I hope … (the certificate) will reinforce what we’ve tried to emphasize for a long time, (which) is that global awareness only comes through direct engagement,” Anderson said. A sizeable amount of students have shown interest in the certificate, said Michael Mosser, faculty adviser for the Peace Corps Prep Certificate. He also said he hopes students leave the launch event knowing they don’t have to declare commitment to the Peace Corps their first semester. “We hope Peace Corps Prep … broadens the pool of people who have an interest in international service or … in community service projects … (or) in the kinds of qualities that somebody who might be a Peace Corps volunteer has but don’t necessarily want to be a Peace Corps volunteer themselves,” Mosser said. “We will broaden the scope of Peace Corps activities here on campus beyond just the formal Peace Corps program itself, and that’s how PC Prep fits into … what I think is kind of the holistic Peace Corps experience on campus.”

(512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely. If we have made an error, let us know about it. Call (512) 232-2217 or e-mail managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com.

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no one said anything funny steph sonik

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unfortunate for her, but I think it’s the best outcome for the baby.” Government junior Bonin said national support for heartbeat bills is changing the conversation around abortion. “If you look across the country, I think there is a decent amount of pressure from citizens who want to see it go through,” Bonin said. “It may be considered a watershed moment for the issue … At the very least, this one will go further than heartbeat bills in the past.” Along with the low number of abortion clinics in Texas, there are several limitations keeping Texas women from obtaining safe abortions, Aiken said. “There are already a lot of restrictions on abortion access in Texas, including a waiting period, a mandatory ultrasound and lack of coverage via state Medicaid,” Aiken said. “The state also mandates that information that

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we’re doing it, but we’re also looking at education and enforcement efforts that we can kind of wrap around those engineering improvements and really get the most bang for the buck.” Biochemistry sophomore Eoin Doyle said he walks to class every day from West

| the daily texan staff

is misleading and not medically accurate be given to people seeking abortion before they can access care.” Planned Parenthood spokesperson Sarah Wheat said the heartbeat bill could have a disparate impact on certain women. “With every other restriction that Texas has put in place … we’ve seen that typically those have a disproportionate impact on younger women, women of color and uninsured women,” Wheat said. Wheat said politicians have a history of limiting medical access for women, and Planned Parenthood is encouraging Texans to contact their elected officials to oppose the bill. “Every single time the Texas legislature meets, we have a handful of politicians, like Rep. Cain, who may not have any medical background and may not have any expertise in women’s health, but who feel that they have a special commitment to making medical decisions for the women in Texas,” Wheat said. Campus and often feels concerned for his safety as a pedestrian. Doyle said he’s wary of passing vehicles, because zero pedestrian deaths at UT does not mean zero pedestrian accidents. “People drive like maniacs in West Campus, so it’s crazy to me that nobody has been seriously hurt,” Doyle said. “I’m certainly very aware of imminent danger at any crosswalk in West Campus.”

Apply now for $5000 scholarship! One scholarship will be awarded in 2019 to an outstanding college student studying media (or related field) at a university in the Austin area. Application deadline is March 1 . Visit www.awmaustin.org/scholarships for more information regarding qualifications and online application.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

SG presents bill for Instapoll

A new Supreme Court Justice was also sworn in at weekly SG meeting. By Hannah Ortega @_hannahortega_

tudent Government proposed legislation supporting Instapoll in classrooms and approved a new Supreme Court Justice during a meeting Tuesday night. First year representative Avi Patel presented Joint Resolution 9. The resolution seeks to encourage professors to institute UT Instapoll, a polling system available through Canvas, in their classrooms instead of response systems such as iClicker and Squarecap. The resolution was referred to the Academic Affairs Committee. “Students at the University of Texas at Austin are faced with the issue of having to pay for subscriptions to multiple services that provide the same function in different classrooms,” business freshman Patel said. “Additionally, they’re not able to take advantage of the year-long value package that these services provide because of the variances among classrooms at UT.” Patel said UT Instapoll was created by the Liberal Arts Development Studio, giving students and professors direct access to the developers. “This legislation proposes to form a task force composed of students, faculty members

mckenzie bentley | the daily texan staff First Year Representative and business freshman Avi Patel presents a resolution at the Student Government meeting on Feb. 26 that seeks to encourage professors to stop using iClicker and Squarecap. The resolution would encourage the use of UT Instapoll in an effort to save students money.

and UT Instapoll developers to essentially meet with department heads and professors to ensure the proper implementation of UT Instapoll in each department,” Patel said. Additionally, James Dodson, a Plan II honors, government and business sophomore, was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice by Chief Justice Aaron Birenbaum. “When we interviewed him, we felt like he really stood out in the way he was able to sort of structure arguments and create a case,” said Birenbaum, Plan II honors and business honors

senior. “Really, all Supreme Court does is thinks things through logically and tries to write in a way that’s very clear so that people are really able to understand the arguments, they’re able to flow very effectively, and James did a great job at being able to do both.” Michael Lee, chair of the Joint Resolution Committee, also presented Joint Bill 1. The bill would codify the Joint Resolution Committee, which was deemed necessary after what Lee said was a successful first year of having all three Legislative Student Organizations — SG, Senate of

College Councils and the Graduate Student Assembly — represented within the committee. “All the LSOs (Legislative Student Organizations) worked very well together, and we decided that it would be very beneficial to go forward and make sure that we all were on the same page, and all agreed to what guidelines the committee would follow,” Lee said. Assembly Bill 14 and Assembly Bill 15 were approved. Assembly Bill 14 will create the Soncia Reagins-Lilly Award for Administrative Excellence, which will honor a staff or

faculty member who has contributed to SG. Assembly Bill 15 will create the Student Government Excellency Awards, one of which is for Outstanding Leadership and the other for Community Impact. The leadership award is for SG members not in leadership positions, while the community award is for students who are not SG members. Members also approved Joint Resolution 8, which supports the creation of standardized guidelines for training teaching assistants and assistant instructors.

CITY

Professor closes local boutique due to high rent, new goals By Joshua Guenther @yoshguenther

Human ecology professor Gail Chovan is closing her South Congress store Blackmail Boutique, which features primarily black-colored clothing items. The boutique opened in 1997 as a project for Chovan to feature her own designs. The closing is not only due to increased rent and construction on SoCo, but also a desire for a new project, Chovan said. “I want to change the face of fashion exhibits,” Chovan said. “My goal is to … make fashion exhibits more experiential and more empathetic.” Chovan said she is currently pursuing a Master of Liberal Arts in Museum Studies through Harvard University to accomplish this goal. “(Clothing’s) original purpose is to be worn, but when people do these huge museum exhibits, the clothing is not embodied. It is sitting there static,” Chovan said. “How can I help bridge that gap between making a piece of art and having it be worn by somebody?” Chovan said the store has taught her what fashion students need to know to succeed. “I was never a business major,

joshua guenther | the daily texan staff Gail Chovan, apparel designer and human ecology professor, is closing her South Congress store, Blackmail Boutique, after 21 years to pursue a new project in experiential fashion exhibits.

and (Blackmail Boutique) really threw me into the arena of having

to figure out how to run a business,” Chovan said. “I tell students (to)

hannah simon | the daily texan staff Construction workers wait while their colleague reverses a dump truck into the work zone at Welch Hall on Tuesday.

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cohesive medical district. “It almost seems like spending money for the sake of showing off,” Stowe said. “Personally, I think that that’s

wasteful. But I don’t think it’s a UT problem. I think it’s an across-the-board problem.” Stowe said she believes many of these renovation and demolition projects could be because of the way buildings were built in recent history. “In the past probably

50-plus years, buildings are not built well,” Stowe said. “They don’t use great materials, it’s not craftsmanship. It’s just kind of throwing things together. In Austin, you can see it all over the place. I think this is more indicative of our society than it is necessarily of UT.”

take a few business courses. You can’t just be a creative.”

Chovan said she wanted Blackmail Boutique to be a conceptual store. “I thought, ‘Why can’t I have a store that is all black?’ If you want to buy something black, you’d come to the black store,“ Chovan said. Chovan and her store received about 20 of The Austin Chronicle’s annual “Best of Austin” awards, including Best Clothing Designer and Best Window Display. Jessica Miller, store manager and buyer, said it has been a challenge to adapt the all-black theme to appeal to customers. Blackmail Boutique has grown to include apparel from a range of artists, Miller said. “I have found being at Blackmail has been a form of self-expression as opposed to some sort of commercial exchange,” Miller said. Amy Cooper, owner of Trove Artist Management, visits the store a couple times a year and said she is sad to hear the store is closing because there is nothing like it in Austin. “I always come in here for fun postcards. I have gotten clothing here,” Cooper said. “Most recently, I have been really excited about the jewelry, and I found out about a lot of really cool jewelry designers from coming here.”

LIZA ANDERSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TEXANOPINION

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

COLUMN

UT needs open forums for political discussion By Julia Zaksek Columnist

alexandra vanderhider

| the daily texan staff

Courses need some standardization to prevent major grade disparities By Henry Corwin Columnist

Work ethic and intelligence should determine a student’s GPA. However, professors often have the biggest effect on student grades. UT Catalyst, a website created by the Natural Sciences Council, allows students to see grade distributions for thousands of classes semesterly or aggregately, dating back to 2013. Students can pick a class, professor and semester and see how many students received an A, B, C and so on. The data is obtained through the Office of the Vice President. Jonathan Wong, a sophomore business honors student, said he knows students who choose their classes largely based on the grade distributions shown on UT Catalyst. “You can use UT Catalyst to see (which) professors give out the best grades and then choose solely those professors,” Wong said. UT Catalyst exposes enormous differences in grading between professors teaching the same class. For example, according to UT Catalyst, in a chemistry class in the Spring of 2018, 75 percent of students received an A or A- in the course taught by a specific professor. For a different professor teaching this same class, just 19 percent of

students received an A or A-, with the most common grade being a C-. A class in the history department also illustrated this disparity. According to UT Catalyst, in spring 2018, approximately 62 percent of students received an A from one professor, with another 15 percent receiving an A-. In the same class taught by a different professor that semester, just 21 percent of students received an A, with the most common grade being a B+. It isn’t fair for a student’s grade to be so heavily dependent on who they happen to choose as a professor. In many cases, students have to work harder to achieve a B while students taking the same exact class can work less and receive an A. The University must take action to establish a level of consistency across grade distributions for courses taught by several professors. Susan Somers, an academic advisor in the College of Liberal Arts, said students can gain valuable experiences from tougher professors, which is part of the reason professors have freedom to teach their class and evaluate students in a way they believe is most effective. “Maybe the professor that is more challenging, perhaps, is going to be somebody that creates a better transformational educational life experience for (a student),” Somers said. “Part of the academic

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

freedom in the eyes of most people in the humanities is that (professors) would be able to teach their own course in the way that they see fit.” According to the University’s General Information Catalog, professors are “free to develop their own methods of evaluating the performance of students in their classes.” Methods used can be reviewed by the appropriate administration. Grades are not the most important part of an academic experience, and one of the things that makes UT so special is the diversity of professors and teaching styles. However, GPA is still important for students who depend on scholarships that have minimum GPA requirements. Additionally, some employers and graduate schools use GPA to determine who to hire or accept. Because of this, the University must work to ensure greater consistency across grade distributions. Professors need some freedom to run their class however they see fit, and grade distributions shouldn’t necessarily be identical. However, major disparities in grading are problematic. While diverse learning experiences are important, some level of standardization to ensure fairness is important, too. Corwin is a journalism sophomore from Long Island, NY.

GALLERY

yulissa chavez

| the daily texan staff

SUBMIT A FIRING LINE | Email your Firing Lines to editor@dailytexanonline.com. Letters must be more than 100 and fewer than 300 words. The Texan reserves the right to edit all submissions for brevity, clarity and liability.

UT is divided. Protests, counter-protests and counter-counter-protests frequently occurred throughout the fall semester. Images and videos of students yelling at each other, tearing up signs and teetering on the edge of violence circulated within the UT community and spread across the nation on social media. UT’s current no-holds-barred campus as a battleground method for encouraging political discourse isn’t working. Productive conversation by and large is not happening. Beliefs and opinions are being shouted at and waved in the other sides’ faces, but no one listens. Our current discourse is a war of escalation, and we need a better way. UT needs to host forums for political discussion open to all students, student leaders and political organizations. “The way we talk about politics on this campus tears people apart,” economics senior Katherine Horstman said. “It leaves people without the ability to explore their political beliefs and discuss them effectively.” An open forum — supported by the University — that offers every student the chance to voice their opinions and concerns would promote an environment that fosters civil discussion and community engagement. Horstman says she thinks students from every part of the political spectrum want to share their views, and others agree. “Young Conservatives of Texas is ready and willing to discuss and engage with these issues,” said Saurabh Sharma, YCT chairman and biochemistry senior.

Demonstrations allow students to express their beliefs and solidarity with others, but so far this year, they’ve led to increased polarization multiple times.”

While interactions may get heated, a commitment to civil discourse and the moderation of forum discussion by student leaders can ensure productive communication still takes place. Anything is more productive than a shouting match on the sidewalk. “We’d have to expect people to get emotional and passionate about the issues, but I still think that there is a way to talk about them respectfully,” Horstman said. Demonstrations allow students to express their beliefs and solidarity with others, but so far this year, they’ve led to increased polarization multiple times. “When you see students advocating for something you don’t agree with, there’s this expectation that there has to be this explosive, strong response,” Horstman said. “Otherwise, people don’t feel like they’re defending their beliefs.” Then, in response to that response, another demonstration is held. And then there’s a response to that demonstration, and so on. We need a way to break this cycle and bring people with different views together for a meaningful discussion. “I think it’d be fantastic for the University to provide a venue for this to happen,” Sharma said. “We need willingness from students to understand different perspectives.” It’s easy for students on a campus as large as UT’s to become insulated from different political and social views. An open forum could encourage students to encounter new and different ideas. The University could host the political forums partnering with various political student orgs. “We don’t want to forget that there are people with other perspectives here,” Horstman said. “I think that’s a big reason that people react so strongly when they see demonstrations by a group that holds opinions that they don’t really think they agree with. They’re shocked and they become defensive.” Open forums hosted on campus will encourage productive political discussion, allow students to freely and openly express their views to their peers and promote a greater and more diverse sense of campus community. “I think political forums are a great way for students to start considering other people’s experiences and perspectives,” Horstman said. “If UT wants us to change the world, they need to give us an opportunity to better understand it.” Zaksek is a Plan II and women’s and gender studies freshman from Allen.

RECYCLE | Please recycle this copy of The Daily Texan. Place the paper in one of the recycling bins on campus or back in the burnt-orange newsstand where you found it. EDITORIAL TWITTER | Follow The Daily Texan Editorial Board on Twitter (@TexanOpinion) and receive updates on our latest editorials and columns.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

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“The transition was very easy,” Iakopo said. “The team was so open and welcoming … The support staff here was so much greater than it was at my previous school, so that was amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation to walk into.” The reasons the four transfers made their move to Austin vary from comfort to the desire to play on a winning team. But for each of them, White’s move to Texas played a major role in their decisions to join the Longhorns. “Coach White, he has three daughters, so he relates to us as female athletes,” Burke said. “He understands that we have life outside of softball … He brings us in together. He’s made this transition a lot better.” White and the four former Ducks players have quickly made an on-field impact. Texas is 12–1, its best start since 2016. There’s a new excitement at McCombs Field, something that has been missing over the last few years. It starts with the energy the new coaching staff brings on a daily basis. But with this culture change comes new expectations. The wins that continue to pour in are simply a byproduct of a 180-degree shift in the attitude of a program that needed direction. With an adjustment in approach, White believes this team is built to recreate the McCombs Magic of years past. “Athletically, we’re the same as any other team in the country,” White said. “But a lot of it

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Joshua guenther | the daily texan staff Texas head coach Mike White has compiled a 12-1 record in his first season in Austin. The former Oregon coach brought four transfers along with him to help build the successful squad. is mental, our approach … Do we believe that with the hard work and doing some things a little differently, can we get to the top and be there? I have full confidence that we can.”

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PEP PERCEPTIONS ENHANCEMENT PROJECT Both courses will be taught by Sam Cox creator of Comedy Gym and Bill Johnson aka Leatherface Texas Chainsaw II. Classes start March 29th from 4-7pm, held in

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

SWIMMING

Swimming out of turmoil Amid Venezuelan conflicts, Aitor Fungairino finds diversion in swimming. By Liliana Hall @lilihallllllll

itor Fungairino didn’t dream of being a swimmer as a kid, but once his family was forced to leave Venezuela, it became his only option. Fungairino’s family decided to leave Venezuela in 2013 as protests grew violent and the country’s future became uncertain. Six years later, the humanitarian crisis has forced 3.4 million citizens to flee their country. “The people of Venezuela weren’t just holding signs and marching through the streets chanting words of the opposition,” Fungairino said. “People were grabbing tear gas grenades and throwing them into the streets, and people were dying. I was a young kid and I had to tell my mom not to get killed in the protests.” Carolina Perpetuo, Fungairino’s mother and a Venezuelan actress, moved her family twice with hopes the political climate would improve, but when it became difficult to find work abroad, the family returned to Venezuela both times. “We lived in Holland when Aitor was 3 years old, but two years later returned to Venezuela because we thought we could build a normal life with a certain level of wellbeing,” Perpetuo said. “We put up with the political circumstances and we were good at fighting it, but after the second move, we had to build a third opportunity to leave the country for the United States.” Fungairino attended Belen Jesuit Preparatory School after moving to Miami, where the idea of swimming in college started to become a reality. “(While in high school), I always wanted to swim in college, but even in Venezuela, I never had any idea if that was even possible, because in Venezuela you go to college, but you don’t swim for a team unless you are going to the Olympics,” Fungairino said.

Anthony Mireles | the dAily texAn stAff Aitor Fungairino left Venezuela in 2013 to escape political conflicts. The freshman freestyle specialist has since found a niche in swimming, and he earned a spot on Texas’ roster after medaling at the 2017 World Junior Championships. Fungairino had a slow start on the Belen Jesuit swim team after not making it to zones his freshman year, but he began gaining national recognition after medaling at the 2017 World Junior Championships, where he won the 3A title in the 200 free and a state title in the 500 free. With eyes on a verbal pledge to Texas, Fungairino was invited to swim under the leadership of head coach Eddie Reese. During his freshman season, Fungairino has competed in three dual meets and participated in the Texas Hall of Fame Invitational. He won’t be competing at the Big 12

Championships this week, but Fungairino remains optimistic for his next opportunity to compete at the American Short Course Championship on March 7. “I have never been the top dog at a pool,” Fungairino said. “I’ve always entered a swimming program being the slowest one and eventually improving little by little.” The issues in Venezuela left Fungairino with an indication that he wouldn’t ever swim in college — especially for a top-10 team. But now, his mother views his career as a testament to the circumstances their family has overcome. “To see Aitor studying and swimming at such a

great university gives meaning to the struggle we had all those years,” Perpetuo said. Fungairino’s family no longer has ties in Venezuela that would merit a return. Still, he finds it difficult to be content with his life in Texas as the humanitarian crisis gains international attention. “I don’t know why I have the privilege of being in the United States when my country, my people are fighting over there,” Fungairino said. “I want to go back one day, but at the same time, I have to be realistic. It is either that or I swim.”

BASEBALL

Texas overcomes slow start to dominate Bearkats at home By Daniela Perez @danielap3rez

A crowd of 4,575 people gathered Tuesday night to watch the Longhorns take on Sam Houston State. Those dedicated enough to travel from Huntsville, as well as with Austin residents, were blown away by Texas’ offensive explosion in a 10-3 victory. For one night, Disch-Falk Field housed two completely different baseball clubs under the light — a thriving metropolitan university against a micropolis college 70 miles north of Houston. Longhorn and Bearkat fans mingled within the green chairs to watch the three-hour spectacle. Bearkat fans rallied loudly for four-straight innings while their team struck first to obtain a 3-0 lead. Texas’ defense looked flat, while Sam Houston State pitcher Seth Ballew shut down the Longhorns’ offense. “I thought Ballew was really good,” Texas head coach David Pierce said. “I thought he had great command. He created some hitting problems.” Down by three in the fifth inning, Pierce called on pitcher Ty Madden to amend Texas’ defensive struggles. On the mound for the second time this season, Madden provided two crucial strikeouts to retire Sam Houston State’s batters and set up the Longhorn offense in the bottom of the fifth. “Ty picked us up on the mound and really turned the momentum,” Pierce said.

Anthony Mireles | the dAily texAn file Pitcher Ty Madden checked in midgame to throw seven strikeouts and allow just one earned run in four innings pitched. The freshman was granted his first career victory after stifling Sam Houston State’s offense on the mound. After four innings of play, Madden ended the game with only one earned run and seven strikeouts. “My fastball felt really good, and my curveball has made a lot of improvement the last couple of weeks,” Madden said.

“And gaining the confidence to go out and throw that is really nice.” After Madden’s first inning, Sam Houston State’s one hour of domination shifted into a 45-minute fifth inning that put the Longhorns up six. This stretch

allowed nine Longhorns to step onto home plate and combine for five RBIs, four of which were RBI doubles that helped steal the lead from the Bearkats. With the game in Texas’ hand for the first time of the evening, Pierce was impressed

by his team’s recovery at the plate. “I can’t recall the last time we hit four doubles in a row, especially rockets,” Pierce said. In the sixth inning, the Longhorns’ prowess continued. As Sam Houston State made its fifth pitching change of the night, Longhorn fans fed off Texas’ energy and clapped along to Pharrell’s “Happy.” Later in the sixth, a deep voice screamed “Texas” and was met with a powerful, “Fight” while Sam Houston State struggled to contain the Longhorn offense for another long inning. The eighth, ninth and tenth runs were added against the Bearkats as their lead dissipated with their fans’ energy. Texas had found its rhythm moving steadily from plate to plate. By the bottom of the sixth inning, the Longhorns gained full command of the game. “The offense continued to tack on. It was a really solid win tonight,” Pierce said. Another unlikely standout in Tuesday’s game was outfielder Tate Shaw. A usual on Texas’ bench, Shaw started at left field and tacked on two runs and two hits. “You saw depth on my bench today, for Tate to come in and have a great night. We’ll continue to utilize guys in the best way we can,” Pierce said. Owen Meaney will step onto the pitcher’s mound Wednesday as the Longhorns look to keep their home momentum moving against UTSA at 7 p.m.

SOFTBALL

Texas embodies ‘New Era’ under White By Marcus Krum @marcuskrum

There’s a new team playing this season at Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin. It’s still the Texas softball squad that plays its home games in the quaint ballpark situated just across I-35 from the UT campus. But heading into a home matchup with Houston Baptist on Wednesday riding a six-game win streak, it’s clear that talk of “A New Era” of Texas softball is not just limited to a Twitter hashtag. Since the day newly hired head coach Mike White and a quartet of Oregon transfers arrived on campus in the

fall, a new product has been on full display. White and his coaching staff took a team with a wealth of talent that had struggled to pick up victories and immediately instilled a winning culture. “They’re excited about the season,” White said. “They’re excited about something new. They liked the direction that the coaching staff was taking them, and they kind of bought in. We kind of got the trust early, and our job now is to keep that trust.” White said his first indication that the new-look team was getting along was during a team Christmas party at his house, a type of event where he usually would have to “pull teeth to get (players) there.” However, this

year, everyone showed up, and nobody wanted to leave. “The team’s really meshing really well,” outfielder Shannon Rhodes said. “We have a lot of fun together. It’s kind of cool to have those feelings out there on the field.” Rhodes was part of the caravan of players who transferred from Oregon this offseason that also included pitcher/designated player Miranda Elish, catcher Mary Iakopo and utility player Lauren Burke. Adding four starting-caliber players to an already filled out team is no easy task, but it’s one that has been accepted gracefully by the veteran team members.

SOFTBALL

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Crossword

SUDOKUFORYOU 4 3 1 6 5 9 5 8 2 4 6 8 5 4 4 1 3 4 9 8 6 8 7 1 6

8 6 4 7 1

7 3 2

Today’s solution will appear here next issue

9 8 1 6 2 7 3 5 4

3 2 5 1 4 8 7 6 9

6 7 4 9 3 5 1 2 8

2 3 7 8 6 4 5 9 1

8 1 6 3 5 9 2 4 7

5 4 9 7 1 2 8 3 6

1 6 2 4 8 3 9 7 5

4 9 3 5 7 1 6 8 2

7 5 8 2 9 6 4 1 3

ACROSS 1 Grouch 5 Some lines drawn with protractors 9 Airbnb alternative 14 Miller ___ 15 One nabbed by the fuzz 16 With eyes open 17 Trotter’s course 18 Marquee performer 19 Shot down 20 Maternity ward worker who counts each day’s births? 23 First pope to be called “the Great” 24 Great 25 Noncollegiate fraternity member 28 Dairy item thrown in a food fight? 32 Snake’s warning

35 Navy rank below lt. junior grade 36 Fry up 37 Quick rests 40 Dined on humble pie 42 One selling a Super Bowl spot, say 43 MSNBC competitor 44 Tampa-toJacksonville dir. 45 Dynamite? 50 Thesaurus offering: Abbr. 51 “___ we go again …” 52 Lava below the surface 56 Like 20-, 28and 45-Across vis-à-vis the female-sounding phrases they’re based on? 60 “___ at ’em!” 62 Cat with no tail

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE M L K J E I E I W I N G S C Y D R E U B Y O R E W A T G A W K E R

A D H E R E

R O S C O E

C H B I R E P A M S P I A T D S

T O P R A R W E N S T H Y O P P O S N L A E S D A

S H E E N P O E F I N A L

K S I O A D T S N I D I D E T E U R S S O C A I A T M R O D S L U L E S

V I E W S

A D V I S E

T I E B A R

S E R E N E

T E P A L O U R E O F A F C D I D E S E E R S T E R N

63 Latin music great Puente 64 Look forward to 65 ___ bowl (trendy healthful food) 66 Last word said just before opening the eyes 67 Parts of volcanoes 68 Foe of Russia, with “the” 69 Where a bell is rung M-F at 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. DOWN 1 Thickheaded sorts 2 Stud on a pair of jeans 3 In the slightest 4 Agnostic’s lack 5 Place to pray 6 Prepares for a second career, say 7 Boxful for a kindergartner 8 Activated, as a trap 9 Unit of measurement for a horse’s height equivalent to four inches 10 Scraped knee, in totspeak 11 Annual filing 12 Barely win, with “out” 13 Commanded 21 Radio dial: Abbr. 22 Girl entering society, in brief 26 Pretend

Edited by Will Shortz 1

35 38

51 56

43 46

25 31

No. 0123

59 62

PUZZLE BY AMANDA CHUNG AND KARL NI

27 Group organizing a Mardi Gras parade 29 “Sure is!” 30 Operate 31 Sea-___ (Washington airport) 32 Coverings of cuts 33 “Alas …” 34 Dictator 38 Unopened 39 Kwik-E-Mart storekeeper

40 Cell tower equipment 41 Cable airer of N.B.A. games 43 Monaco Grand Prix, e.g. 46 Successful defender, in academia 47 Granny, in the South 48 Land-bound bird 49 Wicker material

53 In need of a good scrubbing 54 Ones to share a pint with 55 Without company 57 Give off 58 Trawlers’ equipment 59 On-ramp’s opposite 60 Washroom, informally 61 Homophone of “you” that shares no letters with it

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

TIANA WOODARD & JORDYN ZITMAN LIFE&ARTS EDITORS @THEDAILYTEXAN

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

CAMPUS

Students struggle with Spanish UT program director explains difficulty.

audrey mcnay

By Trinady Joslin @trinady05

fter three years of high school Spanish, public health junior Fatimah Sunez was ready to continue learning Spanish at UT. Hoping to become fluent, her background and enthusiasm provide her with an advantage over students who are beginners. Sunez is currently taking 601D, an introductory Spanish class. She said the course proves to be more difficult for students who have no background, which is a sentiment her classmates share. “The class needs to focus on starting from scratch so people aren’t discouraged from the language,” Sunez said. “(Sometimes) they expect you to know words they haven’t taught.” Melissa Murphy, language director of Spanish and Portuguese, said the class starts with the basics, with zero expectation that students have prior knowledge. However, the course is able to take advantage of UT’s location. “The vast majority of our students have a background in Spanish,” Murphy said. “We’re able to move faster than we would if we were in a different location.” Murphy also said testing on words students may not

have been taught in class is intentional. “Students are exposed to more words they’re not familiar with,” Murphy said. “Their ability to understand new and unfamiliar material is much better than it was before.” Using authentic materials such as newspapers, Murphy said the introduction of new words and grammatical structures allows students to mimic learning Spanish in the “real world,” where they will be faced with words they haven’t seen before. “We want them to develop the skill of being able to navigate through that material,” Murphy said. “That’s an essential skill for a second language.” Nonetheless, after hearing about the level of difficulty and time commitment from advisers and seeing others take the course, students such as advertising sophomore Marty Abell decided to take the course online, rather than at UT. “Every night, (my roommate) has Spanish homework and often neglects other courses that pertain to her degree because the Spanish course is so demanding,” Abell said. Murphy doesn’t see the class as hard, just challenging. 601D lecturer Rose Potter agrees and said although it’s a

| the daily texan staff

difficult course, she’s had students with varying amounts of experience take her class and perform well. “I had two students in my class that had no language skills,” Potter said. “One of them worked super hard and she made a B.” Government sophomore Ava Said took Potter’s class last semester. She came into 601D with three years of high school Spanish and said although there’s a gap between beginners and those with experience, it can be closed with hard work. “What makes or breaks the course is the professor,” Said said. “As long as you’re willing to go in it with an open mind, it’s going to work out fine.” Beginning in 2010, the Spanish program transitioned from a four-semester course to a more rigorous, three-semester course. Murphy said the program has seen students’ fluency improve since the transition. Paired with a new way of teaching that shifts away from rote memorization and sixhour courses, the course can be overwhelming for students expecting a smaller workload, Murphy said. “Twenty years ago, Spanish was seen as an ‘easy A’ course and (students) can get an A if (they’re) putting in the work,” Murphy said. “But it’s not guaranteed.”

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‘Athleisure’ influences UT fashion By Romi Geller @macaromes

Jeans are a thing of the past and leggings are of the present. With athletic wear coming in colors ranging from neon to polka dot and sizes celebrating all body types, more people are passing up on trying to squeeze into their skinny jeans. According to the “Global Active Wear Market Analysis” report, the athletic wear market is growing at 6.8 percent each year, expected to reach $567 billion by 2024. As the activewear market continues to grow, some choose to integrate workout clothes into their daily wardrobe while putting exercise on hold. Athleisure, a word coined to describe wearing athletic clothes for leisure activities, has changed when it is acceptable to wear athletic clothes. Although the market is expanding rapidly, some athletes remain indifferent to their workout attire. Public health senior Nurin Salehuddin said although she feared others’ judgment of her stylistic choices, those worries passed as she’s gained more confidence in her athletic skills. “A lot of new people, they get conscious being at the gym surrounded by different people and are worried if they look okay,” Salehuddin said. “When the adrenaline kicks in, I forget about what I am wearing and don’t worry about what I look like.” As people continue to discuss how athleisure fits into the realm of exercise attire, the trend’s popularity persists. Advertising junior Jess Hains said wearing athletic clothes allows her to focus less on her appearance and more on her performance.

cynthia treviño

“I feel like my best, purest, most confident self when I’m wearing what I’m comfortable in,” Hains said. “I perform better and feel better about myself when I have no makeup on and my clothes aren’t a huge part of my day. I love that activewear allows you to do that and still feel good about yourself and not look sloppy.” In light of this growing trend, brands such as Outdoor Voices, Gymshark and Girlfriend Collective have been added to the market, giving consumers a plethora of options to choose from. Biochemistry sophomore Soha Dessouky, who exercises three to five times a week and wears exercise clothes daily, said her preference for athletic clothes derives from the strength and femininity that her

| the daily texan staff

clothes empower her to feel. “In high school, I’d work out so I could feel good in a dress,” Dessouky said. “Now I feel more feminine in workout wear. If I had it my way, I would never wear a dress.” Salehuddin, Dessouky and Hains agreed that while people’s exercise routines may vary, athletic wear remains popular. Athletic wear allows an individual to seamlessly transition between different activities without an outfit change, which remains an appealing benefit. “Even though people wear athletic clothes and are not necessarily going for a run, I feel like it encourages activity because you don’t have to go home and change,” Hains said. “There is a certain freedom that comes about with versatility.”

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