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Thursday, May 2, 2013
INSIDE
Erich Weiss reflects on past two seasons.
NEWS Texas Dance competes at the National Dance Alliance competition in Florida, placing in top 10 for multiple categories. PAGE 5 How does the University help service students with visual disabilities? PAGE 5
SPORTS Barnes swiches philosophy but is the change in time to turn things around for Texas Basketball. PAGE 6
dailytexanonline.com
Wanna get away? LIFE&ARTS PAGE 10
SPORTS PAGE 6
SYSTEM
Fixed tuition bill clears hurdle By Joshua Fechter The Texas House of Representatives tentatively approved a bill Wednesday requiring universities to offer students the option of a four-year fixed tuition plan in
a move similar to one taken by the UT System Board of Regents earlier this year. Lawmakers and administrators, including Gov. Rick Perry and President William Powers Jr., have supported the plan before the current legislative session as a method to
increase four-year graduation rates and control costs for students and their families. Regents preempted legislative action on providing fixed tuition over four years in February by voting to direct all system institutions to offer a four year fixed-rate tuition
plan to incoming freshmen beginning fall 2014. UT-Dallas and UT-El Paso are the only universities in the system that offer fixed-rate tuition over four years. UTDallas has among the highest
BILL continues on page 2
CAMPUS
Rick Barns and DeLoss Dodds consider switching recruiting tactics, focus on keeping players for more than one year. PAGE 6 Rockets drop playoff series to Thunder but avoid the sweep as Oklahoma City wins it 4-1. PAGE 7
LIFE&ARTS Trek to Lost Maples is worth it, just for the red and orange leaves. PAGE 10 While you read all about vacations in the section, Science Scene reminds us of the one place we can’t go — back in time. PAGE 10
Illustration by Olivia Kwong | Daily Texan Staff
VIDEO Keep on mooning the towers! Or something like that... Today’s exclusive interview features comedian James Adomian.
bit.ly/dtvid
VIEWPOINT
MATT VALENTINE Lecturer and professional photographer Matt Valentine explains the emotional appeal of the iconic photograph of the Boston bombing aftermath known as “the man in the cowboy hat.” PAGE 4
What is today’s reason to party?
Library late nights Campus study rooms extend hours in wake of final exam preparation By Christine Ayala As students prepare for sleepless nights spent relearning a semester’s worth of class material, facilities throughout campus are making accommodations to help students make it through finals. Campus buildings are staying open later, expecting more students and aiming to reduce stress for
the next two weeks. UT Libraries spokesman Travis Willmann said several libraries will be open for extended hours. Perry-Castaneda Library will stay open around the clock seven days a week instead of five through May 14. Willmann said the Walter Geology Library in the Jackson Geological Sciences Building will expand hours and the Life Science
Library will provide coffee and cookies during dead days and finals. “In the final stretch of the academic semester, we recognize the increased need by students for space and access to the libraries and its resources,” Willmann said. Willmann said staff members will work double-time to keep spaces orderly, while copier services will make extra rounds to ensure adequate toner and paper. “We also have a new healthy food vending
machine on the first floor of PCL for on-site munchies, and we’re working to organize another visit by the therapy dogs from Austin Dog Alliance on May 6 to help alleviate a bit of the crushing finals anxiety through some quality face time with man’s best friend,” Willmann said. Crystal King, University Unions associate executive director, said the Student Activity Center will maintain its regular hours of 7 a.m. to 3 a.m.,
FINALS continues on page 2
STATE
Investigation to find cause of explosion forges ahead By Joshua Fechter Investigators may find the cause of the fire and subsequent explosion in West by May 10, the state fire marshal told lawmakers Wednesday. The West Fertilizer Co. plant explosion killed 15 people, injured more than 200 and destroyed 142 homes and several buildings, including a nursing home and two schools. Speaking to the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee, State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy likened the ongoing investigation to an archaeological dig and said investigators — who represent 28 state and federal agencies — are working to reconstruct the cause of the explosion by examining the 14.9 acres affected by the blast. “This is a very complex event as you can imagine, and we want to make sure we do it correctly,” Connealy said. The marshal said investigators have ruled out a natural event, such as a lightning strike, as the cause, but three other categories of probable causes — accidental, incendiary and “undetermined” — are still on the table. Connealy spoke at the first hearing regarding the explosion, where representatives from eight state agencies assessed their role in overseeing and regulating plants such as the one in West. As of February, the plant contained 270 tons of ammonium nitrate, a chemical with explosive capabilities, said David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. He said 41 other facilities in the state also have large amounts of the chemical. Lakey said facilities with
WEST continues on page 2
CAMPUS
Bike to UT Day, giveaways promote sustainability By Matthew Hart
Students and staff celebrated biking and sustainability with quick repairs and bicycle-generated smoothies at this year’s Bike to UT Day. Parking and transportation services organized the event for Bike Month on Wednesday afternoon at Gregory Plaza in order to promote cycling on campus. Various campus organizations including Orange SEE COMICS Bike1 Project, The AM Campus BH_ErinTweet_Frontpg_May2_4C.pdf 4/29/2013 10:38:33 Environmental Center and PAGE 9
RecSports lined the plaza for the cause. Blanca Juarez, the alternative transportation manager, said UT parking and transportation services puts on the event every year to celebrate cyclists’ choice of alternative transportation. “In the past we’ve done a free breakfast and a raffle, and this year we tried to do a little bit more,” Juarez said. “We have t-shirts and tote bags which we think are really important, especially since
BIKE
Rhetoric and writing senior Victor Harris, director of the Orange Bike Project, inspects a student’s bike at the Bike to UT event Wednesday afternoon.
Amy Zhang Daily Texan Staff
continues on page 2
@Erin318
14 Feb
Sold all my books at bookholders and have BookHolders a $120 check waiting for me #GreatDay Expand
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ground level in dobie mall (512) 377-9543 extended hours | bookholders.com