The Daily Texan 2013-05-06

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Monday, May 6, 2013

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YEAR IN REVIEW

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NEWS

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Monday, May 6, 2013

STAY CONNECTED This issue of The Daily Texan is valued at $1.25 Permanent Staff

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Susannah Jacob Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drew Finke, Pete Stroud, Edgar Walters Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trey Scott Associate Managing Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kristine Reyna, Matt Stottlemyre Digital Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hayley Fick News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shabab Siddiqui Associate News Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elyana Barrera, Bobby Blanchard, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Allie Kolechta, Mustafa Saifuddin, Sarah White Senior Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christine Ayala, Hannah Jane DeCiutiis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joshua Fechter, Alberto Long, Jordan Rudner Enterprise Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew Messamore, Megan Strickland, Alexa Ura Wire Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Riley Brands, Kristine Reyna Copy Desk Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Riley Brands Associate Copy Desk Chiefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elisabeth Dillon, Jay Egger, Andrew Huygen, Sara Reinsch Editorial Copy Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nile Miller Creative Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Natasha Smith Senior Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pu Ying Huang, Omar Longoria, Jack Mitts, Stefanie Schultz Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Zachary Strain Associate Photo Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pu Ying Huang, Marisa Vasquez Senior Photographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Maggie Arrellaga, Jorge Corona, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pearce Murphy, Chelsea Purgahn, Shelby Tauber Multimedia Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jorge Corona Associate Multimedia Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrea Macias-Jimenez Senior Videographers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Demi Adejuyigbe, Shila Farahani, Lawrence Peart, Alec Wyman Life&Arts Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelsey McKinney Associate Life&Arts Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aleksander Chan, Sarah-Grace Sweeney Senior Life&Arts Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stuart Railey, Jourden Sander, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hannah Smothers, Alex Williams, Laura Wright Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christian Corona Senior Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Garrett Callahan, Nick Cremona, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sara Beth Purdy, Rachel Thompson, Matt Warden Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Massingill Associate Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephanie Vanicek Web Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tyler Reinhart Associate Web Editor, Social Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryan Sanchez Associate Web Editors, Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Omar Longoria Senior Web Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Helen Fernandez, Hannah Peacock Administrative Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Breanna Williams Editorial Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Doug Warren

Issue Staff

Copy Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Birkenstock, Alyssa Brant, Brett Donohoe, Lan Le

Business and Advertising

(512) 471-1865 | advertise@texasstudentmedia.com Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jalah Goette Business Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lori Hamilton Business Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barbara Heine Advertising Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CJ Salgado Broadcast & Events Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carter Goss Campus & National Sales Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joan Bowerman Event Coordinator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lindsey Hollingsworth Student Advertising Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trevor Nelson Student Assistant Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Zach Congdon Student Acct. Execs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fredis Benitez, Evan Breeland, Christian Dufner, Jake Dworkis, Rohan Needel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paola Reyes, Ted Sniderman, Emil Zawatskil Student Lead Generators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gabby Garza, Jennifer Howton Student Office Assistant/Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nick Cremona Senior Graphic Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Felimon Hernandez Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jacqui Bontke, Daniel Hublein, Sara Gonzalez Special Editions/Production Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Abby Johnston

The Daily Texan (USPS 146-440), a student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin, is published by Texas Student Media, 2500 Whitis Ave., Austin, TX 78705. The Daily Texan is published daily, Monday through Friday, during the regular academic year and is published once weekly during the summer semester. The Daily Texan does not publish during academic breaks, most Federal Holidays and exam periods. Periodical Postage Paid at Austin, TX 78710. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Daily Texan, P.O. Box D, Austin, TX 78713.

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5/6/13

Texan Ad Deadlines

Monday .............Wednesday, 12 p.m. Thursday.................Monday, 12 p.m.

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As the University of Texas at Austin’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Texan has been bringing university, city, state, and national news to campus since 1900. The way you get your news has changed a lot since then, but The Daily Texan is still committed to bringing it to you quickly and accurately. Here’s how to keep the news that concerns you the most at your fingertips: Get the latest news online at dailytexanonline.com Like The Daily Texan on Facebook to become a part of our online community Follow @TheDailyTexan on Twitter for breaking news, questions to the readers and good reads We have a video department, too! Find video paired with many of these articles and more at bit.ly/dtvid Listen to KVRX, your student-run radio station and home of The Daily Texan’s weekly podcast, at kvrx.com Watch Texas Student Television on antenna channel 29.1 or dorm channel 15 for news, laughs and fun Read the Texas Travesty, a student humor publication, at texastravesty.com JOIN THE TEAM Want to get involved in the exciting new changes happening in The Daily Texan’s newsroom? You will get the opportunity to actually put what you learn in the classroom into practice and learn a set of career skills you won’t find anywhere else on campus.

A large audience means large responsibility, but the pride you will feel in creating a completely student-run publication with your peers is experience you don’t want to miss out on in college.

From social media and online journalism to reporting techniques and media law, you will have both a print and web experience and access to cutting edge media tools and mentors. Our News, Opinion, Sports, Life and Arts, Multimedia and Web departments are currently hiring for summer 2013. Find out more about joining our team at dailytexanonline.com/employment Cover photo by Andrew Messamore | Daily Texan file photo UT President William Powers Jr. stands in front of the the United States Supreme Court building with the family of Heman Sweatt. After successfully winning a lawsuit against the University in 1950, Sweatt became the first black law student to attend the University of Texas.

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.

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Volume 113, Issue 156

CONTACT US Main Telephone: (512) 471-4591 Editor: Susannah Jacob (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com Managing Editor: Trey Scott (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com News Office: (512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com Sports Office: (512) 232-2210 sports@dailytexanonline.com Life & Arts Office: (512) 232-2209 dtlifeandarts@gmail.com Retail Advertising: (512) 471-1865 joanw@mail.utexas.edu Classified Advertising: (512) 471-5244 classifieds@ dailytexanonline.com

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COPYRIGHT Copyright 2013 Texas Student Media. All articles, photographs and graphics, both in the print and online editions, are the property of Texas Student Media and may not be reproduced or republished in part or in whole without written permission.

NEWS 3

NEWS

Monday, May 6, 2013

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Supreme Court hears UT admissions case

By Andrew Messamore WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court pressured UT to justify its use of race in admissions Oct. 10 as the justices picked apart the meaning of racial diversity in court.

Arguments in Fisher v.

Texas centered on whether UT’s use of race creates essential and meaningful diversity on campus. Supporters of affirmative action, including civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton, convened in the capital to show support for UT’s position during the proceedings.

The hearing kicked off the last stretch of the legal saga of Abigail Fisher, now a graduate of Louisiana State University. UT rejected Fisher in 2008 and she later sued the University, claiming her right to equal protection was violated because race was a factor in her application.

Fisher attended the hearing and issued a brief statement supporting her case when arguments concluded.

A decision on the case is expected sometime next year.

Bert Rein, Fisher’s counsel, said he did not intend to challenge the current precedent that race may be used to further diversity — a position affirmed in the court’s decision in Grutter v. Bollinger in 2003.

Instead, Rein said he intended to challenge Grutter’s “unlimited mandate” to use race classifications that discriminate against some applicants without creating measurable diversity.

“What we are concerned about is universities like UT that have read [Grutter] to be a green light to use race with no discernible target — critical mass,” Rein said.

Answering questions from Justice Anthony Kennedy,

The Cases for Racial Admissions 1961 Executive Order 10925 President John F. Kennedy issues an order mandating that government contractors “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.”

1964 Civil Rights Act President Lyndon B. Johnson signs a law allowing federal courts to apply affirmative action to improve representation in discriminatory organizations. Universities interpret this to mean they should increase enrollment among underrepresented groups.

When the Supreme Court heard arguments in Fisher v. Texas on October 10, UT’s admissions policy became a focal point in the national debate on affirmative action for the second time.

1978 Regents of the University of California v. Bakke In a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court rules affirmative action by universities to be constitutional for “diversity” but not for addressing “historic inequality.” The Court also rules quotas unconstitutional.

1996 Hopwood v. Texas A three-judge panel of the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules affirmative action to create diversity to be unconstitutional. The case began after four plaintiffs were rejected from the University of Texas School of Law when UT considered race as a factor.

2003 Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger In Grutter, a 5-4 decision from Supreme Court rules affirmative action constitutional as a “factor among factors” to “enrich everyone’s education.” In Gatz, a 6-3 decision rules “point systems” for race unconstitutional.

Hopwood is overturned.

Graphic by Natasha Smith | Daily Texan Staff

who may be the swing vote in this case, Rein said UT did not pursue race-neutral alternatives that would have furthered diversity.

Kennedy took aim at this point in his dissent in Grutter and said diversity goals could be achieved through race-neutral methods.

“Race should have been a last resort and it was a first resort,” Rein said.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said Rein was attempting to “gut Grutter.” By requiring UT and other universities to set specific targets for admissions, colleges would make their own policies unconstitutional, she said.

“Boy, it sounds awfully like a quota to me, which Grutter said you should not be doing,” Sotomayor said. “[Grutter said] instead you should

be setting an individualized assessment of the applicants.”

UT factors an applicant’s race into admissions decisions for students not automatically admitted based on high school class rank. UT admits close to one-quarter of its students under its race-conscious holistic review process.

Gregory Garre, UT’s counsel, said UT’s data shows the University met legal precedents set under Grutter because the University’s raceconscious admissions benefit all groups and do not set any sort of target.

UT admits more white students than any other racial group under its raceconscious admissions policy, UT records show. The University has admitted lower percentages of black and Hispanic students through race-

conscious admissions than through race-neutral admissions every year since 2007.

Garre said there was no way to quantify a critical mass of students from a particular group.

“I think the standard you would apply is to look to whether or not the University reached an environment in which members of underrepresented minorities do not feel like spokespersons for their race, an environment where the benefits are realized,” Garre said.

Garre also said UT did not rank students in ways where race could be a “tie-breaker” between two applicants, but Justice Samuel Alito questioned the feasibility of his comment.

Justice Antonin Scalia was critical of UT’s admissions

records — especially reports showing that the majority of race-conscious admits came from households with incomes above $50,000.

“Does the United States agree with Mr. Garre that African-American and Hispanic applicants from privileged backgrounds deserve a preference?” Scalia asked when questioning Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, who spoke on behalf of the United States government in support of UT. Verrilli said UT’s admissions policy was tailored to create diversity within different racial groups, not just between broad racial categories by only selecting underprivileged applicants. “[UT] will look for individuals who will play against racial stereotypes just by

what they bring,” Verrilli said. “The African-American fencer, the Hispanic who has mastered classical Greek.”

Chief Justice John Roberts expressed concern about the amount of faith the court would need to place in UT’s claim that its policy is being used effectively without any numerical analysis.

On the steps in front of the court, representatives from several UT student groups strove to place their own mark on the arguments cut in the courtroom. Those in attendance included Bradley Poole, president of the Black Student Alliance, and Joshua Tang, coordinator of a student campaign to support UT’s admissions policy.

This article was originally published Oct. 11, 2012 as: Supreme Court investigates UT.

4 OPINION

Monday, May 6, 2013

Editor-in-Chief Susannah Jacob

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We Asked: Year in review April 26, 2013 The Question: State funding currently makes up 13 percent of the University’s operating budget. It made up 47 percent of the budget in 1984. To make up for decreasing state support, the University has relied on greater private fundraising efforts. In the 2011-2012 school year, gifts to UT totaled $298 million. Should a public university be funded primarily by public money?

I believe that universities should be primarily funded by the government, but I feel like nowadays they’re not doing a good job of that. Since funding of universities has decreased in Texas, I feel like there is no other alternative but to get that money elsewhere.

If you’re confused as to whether it’s ethical or not, just go to a high school that’s publicly funded, and you’ll see how poorly equipped it is technologically. That may make you change your mind. Even if just a portion of the money that the University gets through private donors, even if just a small portion

VIEWPOINT

of it goes toward our actual education, it’s doing a lot more than the actual government is, in my opinion.

— Farhan Sahawneh Biology junior from Irving February 14, 2013 The Question: do you believe online classes will replace physical classes in your lifetime?

Should they?

I don’t know that they will. I just registered for a course yesterday on EdX. I don’t plan to take the course, but I wanted access to the syllabus. It’s on global poverty, and there’s a great book that they’re using. So I access it through our library, and so I have this book to read. So, you know, I think it’s going to be supplementary for a while, if for nothing else, to the value of a degree. But whether they should? No, I don’t think they should ever completely replace the classroom. There is something to be said for being able to associate with professors, and

being able to be with classmates, which I guess can all happen online as well. But I think that human interaction is always a good part of education, but as a supplementary material, I’m pretty excited about the future of EdX. If I’d been asked five years ago, I never would have thought anyone would offer this for free. I think it’s pretty exciting that anyone who has an Internet connection, which again is ignoring a large part of world population, but it’s at least an accessibility that hasn’t been around.

— Andrea Faz Speech language pathology senior from Del Rio November 2, 2012 The Question: Did you vote?

“I did [vote]. My parents emphasized it a lot. I actually had to write a paper today on why everybody should vote, but it’s really not something I’m that passionate about.”

— Brooks Beckelman Petroleum engineering freshman

October 26, 2012 The Question: We asked students on Guadalupe Street about their most memorable parking experiences and their overall impressions of campus-area parking conditions.

The West Campus parking situation is dismal. It’s completely terrible. I mean, there’s a ‘No Parking’ sign every 20 feet ... Even reserved parking gets taken all the time, so I wouldn’t be opposed to the construction of a parking lot or parking zone or something like that. I know that they say that’s just too expensive and that’s why they haven’t done it, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it.

[My fraternity] has accrued something in the way of a thousand dollars in parking tickets for parking in front of dumpsters, parking in front of fire hydrants, even parking in our driveway … it’s just ridiculous.

The parking control people take their jobs way too seriously.”

— Nathan Templeton Chemical engineering freshman

Digging for dirt and nothing else

Editor’s note: This viewpoint was published originally April 3, 2013 Yesterday, The Texas Tribune published a revealing story about UT System Regent Wallace Hall Jr. These days, Hall is best known on campus and at the Capitol for his apparent mission to unseat UT President William Powers Jr. Specifically, Hall proposed and received approval from the other regents on March 20 to fund an investigation of forgivable loans given from a private foundation to law school faculty, even though the Texas attorney general signed off on a previous investigation, the results of which placed no blame on Powers — who served as dean of the law school before becoming UT president — for “lack of transparency” related to the loans.

According to the Tribune story, Hall shares his own lackof-transparency moment: When he was being vetted after the governor nominated him as a regent, he omitted mention of several lawsuits to which he had been a party, despite a requirement he do so.

“The lawsuits themselves may or may not prove embarrassing to Hall, but the failure to disclose them provides fodder to critics who think the UT regents are on a ‘witch hunt’ to hurt its flagship university and take out its leader,” the Tribune reports.

Among those “critics” the Tribune article cites are state senators.

In December, when covering the development that Gene Powell, chairman of the UT System Board of Regents, failed to disclose his connection to a company the board had selected to build a new children’s hospital — at the time the company the board selected had a pending business deal with a company Powell co-founded with his son — this editorial board said, “for a public official, the appearance of a conflict of interest often drains public trust as irrevocably as a verified one.” The same observation applies to Hall’s omissions from his regent application. Powell didn’t view his connection to the hospital as relevant information.

Yesterday, in response to the Tribune’s questions, Hall called his omissions unintentional. “I do not recall the specifics,” Hall wrote in an email to the Tribune. “I have been asked by the governor’s office to supplement my disclosure and will do so shortly.” The brevity of Hall’s explanation starkly contrasts with his aggressive pursuit of Powers’ possible vulnerabilities due to the law school loans. We are disappointed and disillusioned by Hall’s apparent failure to disclose information, but we also aren’t surprised.

The missing Hall lawsuits is the latest development in the power struggle between the Board of Regents, the Texas Senate and the UT administration, yet not a decisive one. This development suggests two things we already suspected: First, the

regents consider themselves policy-setting, appointed judges.

In their view, their sole responsibility is to scrutinize administrators they are charged with overseeing. Second, they do not view themselves as public officials who should be subject to the same scrutiny as others. But that scrutiny is what the Legislature is applying, evident in one state senator’s sharp comments in reaction to the disclosures about Hall’s omissions.

“Clearly this was withheld. It would seem to indicate Mr. Hall felt like it was disqualifying for his nomination,” Higher Education Committee Chairman Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, told the Tribune. “Withholding that, I think, is a very, very serious thing.”

The regents, the administration and the legislators in this fight are digging for dirt on one another. In our online age when the splashiest “gotcha” moment has the potential to derail a career, each side attempts to catch the other lest they be caught themselves.

After all that has happened, distrust, and possible loathing, must thrive among the politicians, the regents and the administration. As this brawl gets uglier, we expect Gov. Rick Perry and certain members of the Legislature to emerge from behind the curtain and openly enter the arena.

We don’t know who will win and who will lose. But we know this fight is no longer about the long-term goals of this University, but rather about the short-term employment and power grabs of those who govern it.

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Women’s track coach alleges racist, sexist practices

By Shabab Siddiqui Bev Kearney, former women’s track and field coach, is alleging she was “singled out and treated differently” than her male, nonAfrican American counterparts, according to her filed complaint with the Texas Workforce Commission.

“I believe that I was subjected to a severely hostile work environment and constructively discharged by forcing me to resign in lieu of being fired because of my race, color and gender,” Kearney said in the complaint.

In her complaint, Kearney alleges she was publicly demeaned and falsely accused of NCAA violations

by Bubba Thornton, men’s

track and field head coach; she was harassed and her complaints were ignored by administrators; she was not given salary raises granted to other coaches; and she was told she was being fired for violating an “unwritten” policy, despite colleagues not receiving the same treatment for similar acts.

Kearney’s attorney, Derek Howard, said he filed the complaint March 12 with the “Civil Rights and Discrimination Division” of the Texas Workforce Commission. The commission has 180 days to investigate the complaint after which Kearney has a right to sue.

“Coach Kearney’s allegations of discrimination will be reviewed thoroughly and

responded to according to [the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] and Texas Workforce Commission procedures,” said Patricia Ohlendorf, the University’s vice president for legal affairs, in a statement the previous week.

Kearney resigned in January after being told the University was prepared to fire her for a having a consensual relationship with a former student-athlete in 2002. In the complaint, she cites the University’s handling of an incident concerning football offensive coordinator Major Applewhite as a “glaring example” of differing treatment. Applewhite engaged in “inappropriate, consensual behavior with an adult

student” in 2009. Applewhite’s salary was suspended for a year following the incident, but he has since received promotions and raises.

The complaint also levies several allegations of harassment by Thornton, who she alleges would speak negatively about her character, professionalism and coaching abilities to others in the athletic department.

She said while several administrators including head athletic directors DeLoss Dodds and Chris Plonsky acknowledged the harassment, they did nothing to stop it.

A pair of 2004 letters from Kearney to Dodds highlights a long-standing friction between Kearney and

Bev Kearney

Major Applewhite

Former women’s track and field coach

UT football offensive coordinator

Thornton. In the letters, obtained by The Daily Texan through the Texas Public Information Act, Kearney alleges Thornton offered her job to a coach at another university and would speak openly about becoming head coach of both men’s and women’s track and

field programs.

The complaint was filed against the entire University, not just the athletic department.

—Additional reporting by Hannah Jane DeCiutiis This article was originally published on March 25, 2013 as: Kearney files to sue University.

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Monday, May 6, 2013

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UT battles profiling after fall bomb threat

By Bobby Blanchard & Alexa Ura

Emily Ng | Daily Texan file photo State Sen. Kirk Watson delivers a speech at the Driskill Hotel on Nov. 6, 2012. Prop. 1, which passed that night, will improve health care in Travis County, according to Watson.

Prop. 1 gives life to UT medical school

By Jordan Rudner UT moved one step closer to establishing a medical school after voters approved a ballot initiative Nov. 6 that will increase property taxes to partially fund a proposed UT medical school and teaching hospital.

Fifty-five percent of Travis County voters approved increasing property taxes collected by Central Health, Travis County’s hospital district, from 7.89 cents to 12.9 cents per $100 of assessed property value. 45 percent voted against the tax increase. 176,755 voted in favor of the increase and 148,375 voted against.

The increase will contribute an estimated $35 million annually toward operations at the teaching hospital and purchase medical services there.

State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, said the proposed medical school would improve health care services in Travis County and provide a growing base of resident physicians who graduate from the school.

“People understood that this would benefit them and their families and their neighbors,” Watson said.

For the past six years, Watson has coordinated with the University and other local governmental bodies to bring the medical school and teaching hospital to Austin. Establishing the school and hospital are two components of Watson’s “10 Goals in 10 Years” plan.

In a statement, UT President William Powers Jr. said the University aims to complete the medical school and teaching hospital by 2015. Powers said he and Steven Leslie, UT

executive vice president and provost, will now appoint a committee of faculty members and health care officials to help recruit a dean and choose a location for the school.

“Now that the vote is over, the hard work of building a medical school begins,” Powers said.

Travis County Taxpayers Union, a political action committee that opposes Proposition 1, sued Central Health, alleging that the proposition’s ballot language violates the U.S. Voting Rights Act of 1965 by misleading voters and expressing advocacy for the proposition.

In May 2012 the UT System Board of Regents pledged $30 million a year for eight years and $25 million per year after that for the medical school.

The Seton Healthcare

Now that the vote is over, the hard work of building a medical school begins.

English assistant professor Snehal Shingavi opened his class, Literature of Islamophobia, to the public Sept. 17, 2012 in response to the UT Police Department’s initial statement during September’s bomb threat.

At least eight students who are not regularly in the class sat in, Shingavi said Sept.

17. Shingavi said racial bias against Muslim or Arabic students could have resulted from UTPD’s description of the man who called in the hoax bomb threat Sept. 14 as having a “Middle Eastern accent.” Shingavi said he was also concerned that UTPD decided to release the information that the caller claimed to be involved with al-Qaida.

“These are not helpful descriptors,” Shingavi said.

“The most harrowing bit about that story is not that they released the actual accent itself, it was that there was no other information about the guy.”

UT Vice President for Student Affairs Gage Paine

said she understands the concerns.

“It’s a difficult question and a legitimate issue,” Paine said. “You try to minimize and be sensitive about stepping on people’s toes, but I have no idea how they got to the decision to release the description.”

She said the most important thing in an emergency situation is safety, but she said issues that arose from releasing a description of the caller’s accent are part of learning how to handle an emergency situation.

Shingavi said while other reactions to the bomb threat were possible, the University’s response was sensational and inflammatory. A fake audio recording of the call spread via Facebook and Twitter. The fake audio recording claims the caller’s name is Mohammed.

“It is a product of some of the thoughtlessness and laziness of University administrators to think that such information would not have consequences,” Shingavi said.

This article was originally published Sept. 17, 2012 as: Description of hoax caller raises concerns over bias.

—William Powers Jr., UT president

Family pledged $250 million toward the teaching hospital in April 2012.

The proposed medical school would join six UT health institutions located in Dallas, Houston, Tyler, San Antonio and Galveston, some of which partner with local hospitals funded partially by property taxes in their areas.

This article was originally published Nov. 7, 2012 as: Prop. 1 passes, gives life to medical school.

Fanny Trang | Daily Texan file photo Computer science freshman Tyler Corley and biology sophomore Sayde Pihota read updates on the bomb threat from the UTPD text messaging system Sept. 16, 2012.

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Monday, May 6, 2013

Plant explosion shakes West

By Bobby Blanchard WEST — Outside her house on the afternoon of April 18, Carolanne Kocain struggled to describe the explosion that had happened at the fertilizer plant close to her home in the town of West the evening before. She described the event with improvised sound effects, broad hand gestures and an aching, shrieking voice. She remembered the balls of fire leaping into the air, she remembered the force that threw her and held her against a wall and she remembered pulling a glass shard out of her 1-and-a-half-year-old grandson’s leg.

As she described the explosion, Kocain looked around her front yard — now filled with discarded furniture and members of the media — before remembering her horses were missing.

“We weren’t prepared for this,” Kocain said multiple times. “No one told us nothing.”

“No one came. No sirens.

No nothing.”

Kocain was one of many West residents who were completely blindsided and shocked by the explosion at the fertilizer plant and the devastation it had wrought on the small town. West is located about 20 miles north of Waco and has a population of less than 3,000 — about the same as the number of students who live in the Jester dorms.

At approximately 6 p.m. on April 17, a small fire started at the West fertilizer plant. Less than two hours later, the plant exploded with such force that cities as far as 45 miles away felt the ground tremble.

The explosion resulted in

West resident Carolanne Kocain begins to choke up as she retells her story about surviving the plant explosion to a reporter on the phone.

Pu Ying Huang Daily Texan file photo

15 fatalities, injuries to more than 200 people, property damage and evacuations.

Hospitals in Waco treated more than 160 people.

B.J. Walters, a 23-year-old West resident, said the explosion felt like an earthquake.

Walters and his grandmother, Joyce Rucker, were told to evacuate. They managed to bring their 6-year-old dog Pepe with them, but they had to leave everything else behind at their home. Walters said he was not sure if their house would remain standing as part of their attic was caving in when he was leaving.

Walters and his grandmother evacuated to First Baptist Church of Gholson, where they tried to sleep on

air mattresses on the floor.

Gholson is a smaller town than West, located slightly southwest of the city with a population of just over 1,000.

“Nothing bad ever happens in West,” Walters said.

“The worst thing that ever happens in West is somebody gets too drunk.”

Walters said he was grateful to First Baptist Church and West’s surrounding towns for all the help they gave. Not all evacuees from the area stayed at shelters, however. Early on the morning after the explosion, Gholson ISD Superintendent Pam Brown noted she did not have any evacuees take shelter in her school, which could take up to 20 evacuees. Brown said she was

not surprised.

“It is such a tight-knit community that the people who are evacuating, I am sure most of them have relatives or friends they’re staying with,” Brown said.

Concerns about air quality forced anyone living near the fertilizer plant to move. Dark clouds and thunderstorms kept the morning and early afternoon grim the day after the explosion, and the same mood could be felt throughout the town. The explosion shattered the windows of many shops and restaurants in West. While store owners and their employees sifted through the rubble and cleaned up, few businesses were open.

Nors Sausage and Burger

House was closed that day.

Lori Nors, who owns the restaurant with her husband, said the restaurant was staying closed despite the minimal damage the building had taken from the explosion.

“It’s too chaotic … too heartbreaking,” Nors said.

Meanwhile, workers boarded broken windows and empty frames. Stores that were vulnerable to theft and the weather in the morning were safe by the afternoon.

Nors said she was confident West’s unity would help the city move past the tragedy.

“We’ll bond together,” Nors said. “We’re all intertwined. We’re one big family.”

At a press conference the day after the explosion, Texas Attorney General Greg

Abbott said the state would provide the community with any resources it needed to move past this event.

But that did not keep Kocain from feeling hopeless.

Kocain’s house is on the outskirts of West. It is not a part of the city and it is not a part of a neighborhood. Her husband died several years ago, leaving her to raise her children. Like her house, she feels very much alone.

“I don’t have insurance,” Kocain said. “I’m on Social Security; I don’t have no money to fix this. This destroyed my home. There’s nothing left of it.”

This article was originally published April 19, 2013 as: Residents of West band together for survival.

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UT law student creates 3-D, computer-based weapons

By David Maly UT law student Cody Wilson claimed in late 2012 that he was roughly three weeks away from printing his first gun using a 3-D printer, a machine that creates solid objects from digital designs.

“It was the most ridiculous, amazing, ambitious thing we could think of,” Wilson said.

At a public discussion hosted by Libertarian Longhorns on Nov. 14, Wilson said he and his friends endeavored to create a gun design called “Wiki Weapon” that could easily be shared online and physically recreated using a 3-D printer.

While printing a gun with a 3-D printer is not a new idea, Wilson said his goal is

to improve the process by continually making the designs more accessible and the product more functional.

Wilson said he wanted to undertake a difficult project, revolutionizing gun printing, to show people that they can take direct and creative actions to accomplish their goals.

“Don’t just sit around like we have been doing for hundreds of years writing a thesis about the perfect utopia or something,” Wilson said. “Make it.”

A spokesperson for Stratasys, a 3-D printer manufacturer, said the printers normally cost between $10,000 and $30,000.

Wilson said he has seen a backlash against his work from those who feel efforts to make such technology more

mainstream could have negative side effects, and he claims he has even been labeled by some as a modern terrorist.

Wilson said while he believes his efforts could create new problems, the technology he is creating is not something that could be controlled by the government because 3-D printing will become too accessible to be regulated.

During November, Wilson started three companies to further his work. He said he had been in talks with multiple companies interested in funding his endeavors, and his support had been growing, despite ideological objections to the work.

This article was originally published Nov. 2, 2012 as: Student to unveil plans for innovative 3-D gun.

Provost resigns, to return to teaching

By Jordan Rudner After six years as UT executive vice president and provost, Steven Leslie will be stepping down from his position to return to the College of Pharmacy in August.

“For the past six years, Provost Leslie has been an indispensable partner in transforming the academic life of The University of Texas,” President William Powers Jr. said in a blog post Feb. 8. “He has guided our deans and vice provosts with a steady hand and a vision that encompasses all aspects of this vast university.”

Powers appointed Leslie, then dean of the College of Pharmacy, to the vice president and provost position in 2007. Leslie has a doctorate in pharmacology

and toxicology, and in his former position conducted research on topics that included alcohol’s effect on the brain. He joined the University as an assistant professor in 1974.

M. Lynn Crismon, dean of the College of Pharmacy, said in an email that the college is excited to see Leslie return as a professor.

“Dr. Leslie was a great provost, and it was my honor to serve as a dean under his leadership,” Crismon wrote.

“We welcome him back to our college, and we look forward to him contributing positively to the mission of the College of Pharmacy.”

In his role as provost, the top academic post at the University, Leslie reported directly to the president and oversaw all 18 college deans and more than a dozen other senior academic posts. More recently,

Steven Leslie Executive vice president and provost

he led the early planning stages of UT’s new medical school. The provost’s office is in charge of deciding the new dean’s salary and overseeing the $1.2 million set aside for medical or surgery faculty salaries this year.

A new dean has not yet been hired.

This article was originally published Feb. 11, 2013 as: University provost of six years resigns.

Marisa Vasquez | Daily Texan file photo UT law student Cody Wilson printed a plastic lower reciever of an AR-15 with a 3-D printer, attached it to a real gun and fired six rounds before the plastic piece broke.

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Monday, May 6, 2013

State may limit regents’ power

By Joshua Fechter The Senate Higher Education Committee voted 4-1 on April 3 to move a bill before the Texas Senate that would limit the power of university boards of regents over individual institutions within a system. The Senate approved the bill on April 11.

The bill, filed by committee Chairman Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, would prevent regents from voting on personnel and budgetary matters without first undergoing ethics training and being confirmed by the Senate.

It would also amend state law to delegate all powers not specifically prescribed to boards of regents to individual institutions.

State Sens. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, and Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, were not present for the vote.

Seliger filed the bill in response to ongoing tension between the UT System Board

of Regents and President William Powers Jr. Legislators have alleged regents are micromanaging the University.

State Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, cast the lone dissenting vote, citing concerns that legislators are revamping laws that affect boards of regents statewide to handle one conflict related to one system.

“I tried to look at this through the 30,000-foot view of how we are structurally changing the relationship between boards of regents and universities,” Birdwell said after the meeting. “You’re widening that moat that essentially makes it more difficult for the people to express their desires of how our institutions and systems that are public are governed from those executing that governance.”

The committee adopted two amendments to the bill.

One would require regents to receive training regarding the federal Family Educational Rights and

Privacy Act, commonly known as FERPA. The law is intended to give students the right to privacy of information regarding enrollment, grade performance and billing information unless they give permission to institutions to release that information.

Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, said the vast amount of vague information requests regents have made of the University may inadvertently include information regarding students, which may violate the act and would result in repercussions from law enforcement officials.

Another amendment would prevent regents from voting before they are confirmed by the Senate Nominations Committee. If the committee does not meet within 45 days, regents will be allowed to vote if they have completed training required by law.

As of now, the committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for newly appointed Regents Jeff Hildebrand and

By Hannah Jane DeCiutiis & Joshua Fechter

Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo Senate Higher Education Committee chairman

Ernest Aliseda. Gov. Rick Perry appointed Hildebrand and Aliseda in February. The governor also reappointed Paul Foster, the board’s vice chairman.

Regents are nominated by the governor and confirmed by the Senate and serve sixyear terms. Perry appointed all nine of the current regents sitting on the UT System board.

This story was originally published April 4, 2013 as: Bill moved to Senate to curb power of regents.

Law foundation investigated for loans

By Alexa Ura A report released by the UT System on Nov. 13, 2012 determined the interaction between the School of Law and the University’s central administration was insufficient in regard to faculty compensation.

In December 2011, UT President William Powers Jr. asked Larry Sager, former dean of the School of Law, to step down from his position after it was found he obtained a $500,000 forgivable personal loan from the University of Texas Law School Foundation, which helps

support law professors’ salaries, without notifying appropriate administrators.

The UT System report, written by Barry Burgdorf, UT System vice chancellor and general counsel, looked into the relationship between the foundation and the University following Sager’s resignation.

Burgdorf ’s report found the forgivable personal loan program began in 2003 during Powers’ time as the law school dean prior to his appointment as University president. Powers did not obtain a forgivable loan but did receive a deferred compensation agreement from

the foundation in 2001, which was approved on various administrative levels.

The expansion of the forgivable personal loan program occurred while Sager was dean in response to the departure of various law school faculty members.

Burgdorf ’s report determined it was inappropriate for a public institution to grant forgivable personal loans to faculty through an independent foundation.

In Sager’s case, essentially awarding himself the forgivable loan, the lack of administrative approval is fundamental to the conflict.

“The idea of Dean Sager’s

House approves motion to increase UT funding

Larry Sager Former dean of the School of Law

$500,000 forgivable personal loan was his,” Burgdorf wrote. “Obviously, this lack of transparency and

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The Texas House of Representatives approved a $193.8 billion budget that would boost UT funding and limit the spending power of the UT System Board of Regents.

By a vote of 135-12, lawmakers decided to allocate $511.7 million in state general revenue funds to the University over the next two years. The amount is about $20 million more than the $492.5 million allocated during the previous biennium.

The Senate approved the budget in March. The two houses must now meet in a conference committee to iron out differences between the two bills.

Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie and House Appropriations Committee chairman, filed amendments aiming to limit regents’ spending authority by preventing them from using funds on investigations of university administrations and travel for regents who have not been confirmed by the Senate and prohibiting the UT System administration from accessing the Available University Fund.

The amendment would allow UT-Austin to continue accessing the fund.

Pitts, who co-filed one amendment with state Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, filed the amendments in response to the regents’ decision March 22 to spend $500,000 on an external investigation of the relationship between the UT Law School Foundation and the University.

Several lawmakers, including

Rep. Jim Pitts R-Waxahachie

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, criticized regents and interpreted the move as an effort to oust President William Powers Jr. Lawmakers suggested the Texas Attorney General’s office conduct the investigation if regents insisted on the additional investigation.

The attorney general’s office concurred with a 2011 report on the foundation conducted by Barry Burgdorf, UT System general counsel who submitted his resignation in March. The report found that a forgivable $500,000 loan issued to Larry Sager, former dean of the School of Law, was inappropriately awarded.

Prior to the report’s publication, Powers asked Sager to resign as dean in 2011 after the loan came to light.

Other amendments added to the budget bill include: —Rep. Bill Zedler, RArlington, filed an amendment to block appropriations to university gender and sexuality centers on the grounds that they promote “behavior leading to high risk behavior for AIDS, HIV, Hepatitis B or any sexually transmitted disease.” The amendment was withdrawn on the House floor.

BUDGET continues on page 12

Monday, May 6, 2013

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Pu Ying Huang | Daily Texan file photo Distinguished speakers officially announced Google Fiber’s arrival in Austin at Brazos Hall on April 9, 2013.

Google Fiber to come to Austin

By Hannah Jane DeCiutiis Google Fiber will bring Austin residents and UT students access to some of the world’s fastest Internet speeds in 2014, challenging Austinites to find ways to use the service at its full potential.

Google Fiber is a project that provides fiber-optic broadband internet and TV service to customers at a rate of up to 1 gigabit per second. This is 100 times faster than most connections today, according to the Google Fiber website.

City of Austin and Google officials announced to members of the press and invited guests that Austin would be the second city to receive Google Fiber on April 9 at Brazos Hall. Distinguished speakers at the event included Gov. Rick Perry, Mayor Lee Leffingwell and Council Member Laura Morrison.

Starting in mid-2014, the service will be provided in select communities called “fiberhoods” depending on

the level of interest in those areas. Kevin Lo, general manager of Google Fiber, said pricing has not been determined for Austin yet, but residents can look to the current Kansas City price model for an idea of what to expect. Kansas City, Kan. was the first city to be chosen to receive the service, edging out Austin in the 2011 application process.

Kansas City residents can currently choose from three plans, which range from free Internet with only an installation fee all the way to gigabit Internet and TV for $120 per month.

Google Fiber’s HDTV channel options will include the Longhorn Network.

William Green, director of networking and telecommunications for UT’s Information Technology Services, said the University will take full advantage of Google Fiber, though the details are currently unknown.

Milo Medin, vice president of access service for Google, said residents living in

high-density spaces such as apartment complexes will need permission from apartment owners to install the service.

Tech bloggers, such as Farhad Manjoo from Slate Magazine, have questioned whether the utility of Google Fiber has truly been realized beyond the scope of faster uploads and downloads, calling the service “totally awesome, and totally unnecessary.”

“During my time in Kansas City, I spoke to several local businesspeople, aspiring startup founders and a few city boosters,” Manjoo wrote on March 12. “They were all thrilled that Google had come to town, and the few who’d gotten access to the Google pipe said they really loved it. But I couldn’t find a single person who’d found a way to use Google Fiber to anywhere near its potential — or even a half or quarter of what it can do.“ This article was originally published April 10, 2013 as: Fiber-optic broadband service to arrive in Austin in 2014.

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Monday, May 6, 2013

Former UT grad student held in Iranian prison, stays strong

By Alberto Long Omid Kokabee, a former UT grad student currently imprisoned in Iran, said in a public letter he has been “persecuted for refusing to cooperate with Iranian military projects,” the Nature International Weekly Journal of Science reported in late April.

Kokabee, who transferred from the Institute of Photonic Sciences in Spain to UT as a laser physics Ph.D. candidate in 2010, wrote in a letter dated March 2013 that he has refused all petitions to collaborate with the Iranian military before and during his ongoing detention.

“Since 2005, I have been invited several times to work as a scientist and technical manager for military and intelligence projects,” Kokabee wrote.

Kokabee also said he was asked in 2006 to develop a powerful carbon dioxide laser for isotope separation, which can be used to enrich uranium.

LAW

continues from page 10 accountability is unacceptable and, at a minimum, it creates an impression of self-dealing that cannot be condoned.”

Sager approached former foundation president Robert Grable in 2009 and proposed the loan over dinner after Steve Leslie, executive provost and vice president, denied Sager a salary increase because of a tight budget. Leslie oversees compensation of University deans.

According to the report, Powers said he did not discuss the personal loan with

In the public letter, Kokabee says the Iranian military’s invitations often came with lucrative offers. He was offered a full scholarship funded by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to enroll in doctoral programs.

The coercion on behalf of Iranian officials continued while he was imprisoned, Kokabee wrote. While in prison, Kokabee received a visit from an alleged representative of Iran’s National Elites Foundation, an organization designed to support talented Iranians. He also reported government representatives visited his family in his hometown of Gonbad-e Qabus.

Kokabee said he has been offered release from prison in exchange for cooperation in several of these instances.

Iranian authorities arrested Kokabee on Jan. 30, 2011 inside a Tehran airport.

On May 13, 2012, Kokabee was sentenced to 10 years in prison for cooperating with a Sager either.

While the loan program did not violate any laws, it is inappropriate for a public university in Texas, Burgdorf wrote.

Burgdorf ’s recommendations include distancing the School of Law from the foundation as separate entities, not releasing compensation to a dean without consent from University administrators, permanently ending the program and awarding compensation to faculty through restricted gifts rather than direct payouts.

This article was originally published Nov. 14, 2012 as: Report: law school loans inappropriate.

Omid Kokabee Former UT grad student

hostile government.

In the letter, Kokabee maintains his innocence and says many transgressions have impeded the progress of his trial, detention and interrogation.

According to the Nature International Weekly Journal of Science, there are several scientific organizations in the U.S. that have openly supported Kokabee in his struggle and are petitioning for his right to a fair trial.

This article was originally published April 30, 2013 as: Iran prisoner details arrest.

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—Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, filed an amendment to increase funding for TEXAS grants by $2 million. To fund the increase, the amendment reduces a portion of the Texas Education Agency’s budget — funds which were originally intended to finance a second study on the relationships between educator preparation programs and student outcomes.

This article was originally published April 5, 2013 as: House approves boost to UT funding.

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Monday, May 6, 2013

UT utilizes all available spaces for parking

By Megan Strickland Fewer than 16,000 parking spots serve the 75,000 students, faculty and staff who make up the UT community, creating challenges for drivers and Parking and Transportation Services officials.

Every time a new building goes up on top of a parking lot, it leaves fewer spaces to accommodate needs and makes it harder for PTS to cover more than $14.5 million in expenses.

“If 75,000 people decided to come to campus today and said, ‘I’m going to hop in my car and no one’s going to ride in the car with me,’ we would have a big problem,” said Jeri Baker, assistant director of PTS. Baker said UT does have enough parking spaces, despite the fact that it sold 15,869 more permits than total spaces during fiscal year 2010-2011.

UT sold 31,744 parking permits during the year, and the campus has 15,875 spaces.

“Last year there wasn’t a day when people who had a C permit didn’t have a place to park,” Baker said. “Not everyone comes to campus every day.”

Because commuters are on campus for such short times on different days of the week, PTS Services is able to sell more permits than spaces but regulates sales to make sure there isn’t a parking shortage, Baker said.

“I don’t look strictly at the number of spaces we have,” Baker said. “I look at what the utilization of those spaces are. The worst thing you can do is walk past a space and wonder why you can’t buy a permit for that space.”

Michelle Hodge, a Spanish and UTeach junior, said as long as she arrives early she has plenty of spots to choose from in the C lots, where she parks

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. She said she would automatically go to the Longhorn Lots if the C lots were regularly full when she arrives, although she sees many people who don’t do this.

“I think a lot of people don’t want to go to the Longhorn Lots because of having to take the shuttle or make the long walk over to campus,” Hodge said. “I think a lot of people, if there is not parking in the C parking, will opt for street parking or drive around forever waiting for someone to come to their car and leave.”

The more parking passes PTS sells, the lower prices are, Baker said. The entity is self-funded from the revenue it generates selling passes and issuing citations. Each year it estimates its expenses and prices parking fees just high enough to break even, Baker said.

In the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the organization’s total revenue was almost $16.9 million. Garage parking revenue accounted for $9,763,119. Students, faculty and staff purchased 9,163 regular permits to park cars in garages during normal operating hours of the University. The University has 8,159 garage parking places available in its nine garages.

Surface parking accounted for $3,628,466 in total revenue during the same year.

Students, faculty and staff purchased 13,139 permits that granted them daytime access to University regular car parking spaces. UT has 7,716 surface parking spaces.

Many permits are already priced in the hundreds of dollars.

The least expensive daytime car permit for students is the C permit, costing $110 per academic year. It was the most popular permit in the 2010-2011 fiscal year. PTS sold

5,361 C permits that year. The R permit, which allows students who live on campus to park in garages, costs $743 per year. In the same year, 1,739 students purchased R permits.

The least expensive daytime regular faculty/staff permit was the $138 A permit.

PTS sold 4,555 A permits in the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

The most expensive daytime permit was the F surface lot permit, which cost $464 per year. Faculty and staffed purchased 1,780 F surface lot permits during the year.

Administrators and operators of the University paid the highest for parking in the fiscal year at $775. Deans and athletics staff also paid $775 for F99 and F21 permits.

These highest-priced permits were purchased by 191 staff.

Currently 30 percent of student fees, or $55 per student each academic year, goes to PTS to pay for faculty and student ridership on UT shuttle buses, according to the department’s documents.

With 7.5 million student, faculty and staff boardings annually, Baker said free Capital Metro service cost the department more than $6,160,000 last year.

The shuttle, carpool, bicycling and other methods of transporting people to campus are critical to maintaining the transportation situation at UT, Baker said. Because other buildings surround the UT campus and limit places to build new facilities, parking lots are prime targets for demolition. Baker said every new building constructed in recent years except the Almetris Duren Residence Hall has been built on a former parking lot.

“Every time we lose spaces to construction, I’ve got to convince more people to take Cap Metro,” Baker said. “I’ve got to convince more people that riding on their bike is a good idea.

Tyler Barron | Daily Texan file photo Only 15,875 parking spaces serve the 75,000 students, faculty and staff who make up the UT community.

I’ve got to convince more people to join the carpool.”

Currently 35 percent of students come to campus in a single-occupancy vehicle, and in Austin, 75 percent of people who answered the latest census said they commute via singleoccupancy vehicle, Baker said.

Building garages to accommodate more parking is not a viable option because it is cost-prohibitive, Baker said. Prices to construct a garage on the UT campus can be as much as $25,000 to $30,000 per space, she said.

“Building a garage is expensive,” Baker said. “I don’t want that to be the first thing people think of. If I build a garage, I have to pay for it.”

The San Jacinto Garage, opened in 1986, is the only garage of nine on campus for which PTS has fully paid back the loan, Baker said. The University is going to open a 525-space garage in the area Players restaurant and other non-campus buildings currently occupy. The garage will have 525 spaces, and

PTS does not yet know how much it will cost.

In 2010-2011, debt service accounted for $6,358,098 of the total $8,199,046 in operating expenses for PTS. It also had $542,154 in capital expenses, which pays for maintenance on vehicles, buildings and equipment.

Salary and wage expense for the year totaled $5,810,160.

“I think there’s this big misconception of enforcement hiding behind the bushes, just waiting until you leave to jump out and start writing a ticket,” Baker said. “That’s not what we do. We’re protecting the space you paid for.”

Baker encourages students to appeal tickets. She said she reads every citation issued, whether or not the recipient appeals. Sometimes appellants not only have a valid excuse but also provide information on how to improve parking.

“Through the appeal process I make changes to signs so they are worded more clearly,” Baker said. “I find

out there are signs covered by branches. I find out the paint on the ground is getting faded. Through this process I get to make changes that benefit everybody in the long run.”

Baker also said it’s important to give PTS feedback to improve the campus transit system.

PTS changed the flow of traffic in lot 80, next to Darrell K Royal-Memorial Stadium, because of a user suggestion, Baker said. PTS often adds motorcycle parking in places users suggest, Baker said. PTS will do everything it can to make the parking situation better, Baker said.

Whether people view PTS as the villain or not, the department has the monumental task of making sure everyone is able to make it to campus each day. The current situation is far from ideal, but it’s something UT and PTS have to manage, Baker said.

This article was originally published on Oct. 26, 2012 as: Without space to expand, concerns will continue.

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UT bans on-campus smoking to maintain research funding

By Christine Ayala The University removed temporary smoking locations in March to become a fully tobacco-free campus but continued to enforce the policy without fining violators.

Starting March 1, smoking tobacco was no longer allowed at the 15 temporary locations, including two at the Pickle Research Center.

University spokeswoman Adrienne Howarth-Moore said the tobacco-free policy applies to UT property and areas under the University’s control. She said the University will monitor areas on campus where tobacco use is reported.

“Although there is not

currently a fines structure in place, if someone repeatedly is advised to not use tobacco products and they continue to use those products, that is a violation of campus policy,” Howarth-Moore said. “It will be treated like any other violation of policy.”

Current violations of campus policy are dealt with by various organizations.

For example, students who breach University policy must deal with it through Student Judicial Services at the Dean of Students.

In February 2012, the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas, or CPRIT, required the University to make all facilities tobaccofree by March of that year to

continue to receive research funding. The University allowed select temporary smoking areas on its facilities for one year, as well as allowing smoking for academic research.

According to the University Health Services’ college health assessment survey, 2.7 percent of UT students reported smoking at least one cigarette every day of the month. The American Cancer Association reports that 19 percent of the United States adult population smokes.

Psychology junior Ticiane Silva said she smokes about 10 cigarettes a day, often near Littlefield Patio Cafe, and did not plan on quitting because of the campus-wide ban. She said students who regularly meet

Biology senior Muhammad Alsaedi smokes a cigarette at the Littlefield temporary smoking area Jan. 24th. Starting March 1, smoking tobacco was no longer allowed at the 15 temporary locations to make the University fully tobacco-free.

Shelby Tauber Daily Texan file photo

there would likely just walk to neighboring streets to smoke between classes.

“Last semester this area was pretty famous. We call it ‘The Lounge,’” Silva said. “We’ll just go to Dean Keeton now.”

University Health Services offered a mobile app and informative classes to help smokers who want to quit

make the transition easier.

Resources to help individuals minimize tobacco use increased through the semester.

Howarth-Moore said although CPRIT’s requirement allowed the University to implement the policy quickly, UT had been concerned with minimizing tobacco use.

“Because of the CPRIT requirement, what could’ve taken three to five years to accomplish, we had to accomplish it in months,” she said. “Looking at the future, we’re going to be a healthier institution.”

This article was originally published on Jan. 25, 2013 as: Campus to phase out temporary smoking areas.

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Monday, May 6, 2013

Oil boom brings struggles, successes to WestTexas

By Alexa Ura MIDLAND — For many years, the landscape in West was mostly uniform with dusty lots and artifacts of operating machinery left behind from a previous oil boom in the area. A generation removed from that boom, new oil rigs line roadways in the Permian Basin, where increased production will help the UT System bring in close to $1 billion in oil and gas revenue this year.

With a technologically driven oil-production boom, Midland’s landscape is transforming as the city works to build an infrastructure to support thousands of new residents while reaping the economic benefits associated with increased production.

The UT System is also benefiting from the economic boom, and it doesn’t show signs of slowing down as dozens of companies have showed renewed interest in chasing the oil reserves on the 1.4 million acres the System has in the region.

Last October marked the first time land managed by the UT System produced more than 3 million barrels of oil since 1972 at the peak of the last oil production boom in the Permian Basin, said Jim Benson, executive director of University Lands.

University Lands, which has a Midland-based office, is responsible for managing the System’s 2.1 million acres that make up the Permanent University Fund.

The surge in production is part of a massive oil boom under the Wolfcamp Shale formation accessible through drilling technologies and techniques — horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing — that were not commonly used during the last

boom in the area.

“This kind of changed everybody’s mindsets to, ‘Now, we can go produce these source rocks or unconventional plays,’” Benson said. “That is what’s happening in the resurrection of the Permian Basin.”

With 50 oil and gas rigs actively drilling, 25-50 wells being assembled and 500 more permits waiting to be built on its land, Benson said University Lands still stands to increase its profits in the next two years as oil and gas companies leasing on the System’s land in the Permian Basin move into full manufacturing mode by 2015.

“Even though there’s not a lot of manufacturing, there is a lot of capital expense, and our revenues are increasing in terms of the royalty rate,” Benson said. “Two years down the road, provided oil and gas prices stay as they are, we’ll make more than we did in the previous years.”

The Texas Railroad Commission defines the Permian Basin as an oil and gas producing area in West Texas 250 by 300 miles in area.

Benson said he expects University Lands to receive $850 million in royalties from production on leased land on top of the $112 million the System received in lease sale profits in the last fiscal year.

In the last five years, the number of drilling permits approved by the Railroad Commission in the Permian Basin has almost doubled, increasing from 4,703 in 2007 to 9,3335 in 2012, according to Railroad Commission figures.

Oil and gas lease sales first skyrocketed during the September 2010 sale as the boom took off with total profits increasing during the following two sales, including a record high sale in September 2011 that brought in more than

$310 million in profits.

The University of Texas Investment Management Company invests the sale profits and royalties and returns on investment make up the Available University Fund, which benefits the UT and Texas A&M systems. Last year, $205 million of UTAustin’s $2.34 billion 20122013 operating budget came from the fund.

Profits from subsequent sales decreased substantially because fewer acres were available to be leased as companies jumped to lease in 2010 and 2011 when the boom picked up, Benson said.

The most recent sale made only $70 million with about 16 percent of the acreage up for lease during the September 2011 sale.

Overall production in the basin totaled 312 million barrels of oil just last year, according to Railroad Commission figures. Production on University Lands, which fall mostly in the Permian Basin, reached 32 million barrels of oil in 2012 alone.

DEVELOPMENT AND CHALLENGES

In a city where pump jacks are as common in backyards as swing sets, millions of gallons of water are being used per well for fracking. Despite a long-standing drought in the area, most locals’ concerns revolve around increased traffic and the faster-paced lifestyle that has resulted from the oil-driven migration to Midland.

In 2005, the city’s population stood at about 99,000, according to city estimates.

According to the U.S. Census estimates, the population stood at about 114,000 in 2011.

Some locals complain about the lack of supplies in grocery stores. A trip to the

Zachary Strain | Daily Texan file photo Marc McPeters is a Midland resident with a pump jack on her property.

local Wal-Mart proves that multiple aisles have completely empty sections, including bottled water, raw chicken, sports drinks and toilet paper. Others complain about increased traffic in the area as travel time increases and major streets and roadways become a caravan of large oil transportation trucks and Super Duty Ford trucks emblazoned with oil and gas company logos.

Midland Mayor Wes Perry said the technology behind the current oil boom is essential to development in the area because it has boosted sales tax revenue, which the city is using for one-time capital projects after seeing increases in sales taxes.

“At this particular time, it’s not the typical situation like we had it in the past because it is driven by technology, not so much the price of oil,” Perry said. “When the price of oil drops, things will slow down, but it’s not going to be like it used to be where it was a boom and then a big bust cycle.”

Midland is currently undergoing various development projects to improve infrastructure, including highway widening projects and waterline extensions to industrial areas.

The increase of oil workers in the area has also transformed the city’s skyline with the construction of dozens of new hotels, which bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue for the city.

Perry said private sector developers are taking advantage of the financial opportunity in the housing market, which has faced increased levels in demand. Available and upcoming housing in Midland is projected at 5,300 available units, including 2,079 apartments and 1,301 hotel rooms, according to city housing documents.

EMPLOYMENT

The boom has also resulted in the lowest unemployment levels in the state as new drilling corporations have set up shop offering thousands of new jobs for locals and field

workers who have moved into the area. In February, the unemployment rate dropped to 3.2 percent for the Midland metropolitan area — the lowest rate in the state and one of the lowest in the nation — according to a monthly report by the Texas Workforce Commission.

The state unemployment rate, which has increased slightly this year, is 6.5 percent.

Adam Chavez, field coordinator for EagleOne, an independent transportation company that does oil field transportation, said he moved to Midland from Plainview in 2011 because of the work opportunities in the area.

Midland became the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the nation last year with a population increase of 4.6 percent, and Midland County was ranked as the 10th-fastest growing county, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

This article was originally published on April 12, 2013 as: Oil industry brings employment, growth, small business challenges

Monday, May 6, 2013

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Now is the time.

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Debby Garcia | Daily Texan file photo Bill Gates speaks to computer science students and various special guests at the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Bill & Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex and Dell Computer Science Hall.

Gates commemorates new building Bill Gates touted UT’s position as one of the top computer science institutions in the world during festivities for the grand opening of the University’s brand new computer science complex, which the Microsoft co-founder and chairman helped fund.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex became a new home for the computer science department. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donated a $30 million challenge grant to help fund the $120 million complex. The complex also includes the Dell Computer Science Hall, which was funded by a $10 million donation from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.

Before the building’s ribboncutting ceremony, Gates said the diversity in the computer science field is a driving force in making UT a top-notch computer science school.

“This University is one of the best in the world because

it combines many things,” Gates said in his speech. “It combines scale; it combines a spirit of public service. So not only is it a top-ranked computer science institution, but also is one of the best or the very best at reaching out to get kids into the field.”

President William Powers Jr. said the new complex represented a step forward both for UT and for science as a whole.

“The history of civilization can be written in a series of advances in the tools that humans use,” Powers said in his speech at the ceremony.

“Computation, of course, is the latest step in that long history. Today’s dedication of this magnificent complex is a very significant step in the life of the University of Texas and in the realm of computer science.”

Gates gave a closed lecture to computer science students, where he spoke about his experiences starting Microsoft and the possibilities for computer science to aid in such endeavors as curing malaria.

Gates said the new computer

science complex is much more sophisticated than what he experienced while learning computer science growing up.

“When I was fascinated by computers, they were very big, very expensive and very hard to get to,” Gates said. “My local university, the University of Washington, only had a few dozen, and they were locked up because they were so precious, and so I had to find ways to sneak in at night, get tied into some project [and] convince people I could help improve these computers just to get a little computer time.”

The computer science department hosted >goto_ GDC, the title of which is a play on the “goto” command found in several programming languages. The event included tours of the new complex, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the closed lecture

by Gates and a party that featured games and free barbecue as well as ice cream Amy’s Ice Creams.

This article was originally published on March 7, 2013 as: Gates visits campus.

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(TOP) A masked Romney and masked Obama were seen roaming the campus on Election Day, boxing and fighting with nunchucks and light sabers. Chelsea Purgahn | Daily Texan file photo (BOTTOM) Walk to West Campus protestors appeared on the corner of 26th and Rio Grande streets on Oct. 2, 2012 to voice their frustrations after incidents of racial bias were reported in the area.

Shelby Tauber | Daily Texan file photo

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(TOP) People enjoy the festival of colors “Holi” at the South Mall on March 24. The event was organized by the the Hindu Students Association to celebrate the Indian holiday. Shweta Gulati | Daily Texan file photo (BOTTOM) Project director Lucy Kerr demonstrates choreography to Jamie Schanbaum on March 2 in preparation for “The Way You Move Your Body” performance as part of the Cohen New Works Festival.

Sam Ortega | Daily Texan file photo

MEDIA

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(ABOVE) President Obama reflects during the video eulogy at the West memorial service at Baylor University on the afternoon of April 25. The memorial service was held in honor of twelve first responders who lost their lives in the West fertilizer plant explosion. Chelsea Purgahn | Daily Texan file photo

(TOP) University of Texas President William Powers, Jr. speaks with the media following the evacuation of all UT campus buildings on Sept. 14. Pu Ying Huang | Daily Texan file photo (BOTTOM) Longhorns fans react to Myck Kabongo’s bizarre buzzer-beater that sent the Feb. 28 game into overtime and ended in a UT victory. Lawrence Peart | Daily Texan file photo

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Monday, May 6, 2013

Volleyball wins NCAA title

By Sara Beth Purdy LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Longhorns looked like champions as they defeated No. 5 Oregon in three straight sets December 15, 2012 at the KFC YUM! Center (25-11, 26-24, 2519). The Longhorns were crowned the 2012 NCAA Division I National Champions with the victory over the Ducks. This was the second NCAA national title for the Longhorns, the first coming in 1988.

“This has been a long time coming. And I’m so happy for the University of Texas,” said Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott. “But to see these girls’ faces … We’re just so excited and proud of these ladies.”

The Longhorns finished their season 29-4 with a Big 12 conference record of 15-1.

As a team, the Longhorns hit .428 in three sets and turned in 43 kills with only four errors. The .428 hitting percentage was a record for three-set matches in the NCAA finals. In addition, Texas hit a combined .360 against both Michigan and Oregon, another NCAA record, with 108 kills and only

NCAA continues on page 25

Christian Corona, Sports Editor

21

UT remembers Royal following his passing

By Christian Corona The UT community paid tribute to legendary football coach Darrell K Royal, who died from complications of cardiovascular disease early on the morning of Nov. 7, 2012 at an assisted living facility in Austin. Royal was 88.

Visitors began gathering at Royal’s statue around noon, laying bouquets of flowers.

The southeast gates to the stadium near the statue remained open until 11 p.m.

Nov. 8. To further remember Royal, the Tower was lit burnt orange on the night of Nov. 7.

Garry Jones | Associated Press Sarah Palmer and her teammates hoist up the national championship trophy after sweeping Oregon in the finals. The Longhorns finished their 2012 season with a 29-4 overall record.

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Marisa Vasquez | Daily Texan file photo Former band director Vincent R. Dinino leads the Longhorn band in “The Eyes of Texas” and concludes the memorial service for Darrell K Royal at the Frank Erwin Center on Tuesday afternoon.

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Royal is survived by his wife, Edith, and son, Mack.

His two children, Marian and David, preceded him in death. A memorial service was held at noon Nov. 13 at the Frank Erwin Center, and was open to the public. Royal’s burial was private.

“Today is a very sad day,” head football coach Mack Brown said in a statement.

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Monday, May 6, 2013

Longhorns suffer brutal loss against Oklahoma

By Christian Corona Unacceptable. Inept. Disappointing.

These were some of the words the Longhorns used to describe their performance in a 63-21 loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry on October 13, 2012. But there might not be an adequate way to explain exactly what happened at the Cotton Bowl that weekend.

The same Longhorns that were undefeated a little more than two weeks before were then out of the conference championship picture and wondering how a team supposedly destined to restore the Texas football program back to the powerhouse it should be was struggling to stay above .500 in Big 12 play after one of the worst losses of the Mack Brown era.

A quarterback who connected on 77.5 percent of his passes before this game was hesitant, inefficient and injured by the end of the afternoon. David Ash’s left

DKR

continues from page 21 to me and all that he has done for me and my family.

I wouldn’t even be at Texas without Coach.”

Royal came to Texas in December of 1956 at age 32 and immediately began to turn around what was a downtrodden football team.

In his first season, Royal led the Longhorns to a No. 11 national ranking and a berth in the Sugar Bowl. The rest of his coaching career (195676) at Texas brought much of the same, with the Longhorns going 167-47-5 with Royal as head coach, including three national championships

wrist was bruised, swollen and possibly broken after it was sandwiched between his chest and Oklahoma defensive lineman Chuka Ndulue.

Case McCoy threw a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns against the Sooners’ second-team defense and had a good chance to start against the team he made his last start against, Baylor. But at the time the Longhorns’ best option was to take a step back without Ash, last seen pointing to the sky as he trotted into the locker room Saturday.

“We’re all feeling really sick right now,” said Jaxon Shipley, who made one catch for three yards, both career worsts.

“There are two ways you can go about this. You can let it beat you down for the next couple of weeks, or you can bounce back and come together.”

The Longhorns offensive line had paved the way for it to run for 209.4 yards per game in its first five contests. But the Texas tailbacks had no room to run on a mediocre Oklahoma defense as the team ran for

just 74 yards and Joe Bergeron was mobbed in the end zone during the second quarter for a safety that gave the Sooners a 29-2 lead. Unacceptable.

After allowing the smallest number of passing and rushing yards per game in the conference a year ago, the Texas defense was on pace to go down as one of the worst in program history.

Second-year defensive coordinator Manny Diaz was working with a unit that is one of the worst at tackling in the country, as evidenced by a 95-yard touchdown run by Damian Williams — the longest in the rivalry’s history — and four short touchdown runs by Blake Bell. Inept.

The Longhorns even allowed a 6-foot-2, 256-pound fullback in Trey Millard to rack up 119 yards receiving — more than he had in his previous 10 games combined. Disappointing.

“I’m disappointed for our coaches, fans and players,” head coach Mack Brown said.

“That’s not who we are ... We

and 11 Southwest Conference titles. Royal, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, remains the alltime winningest coach in program history.

“He built the foundation we’re working off of today,” athletic director DeLoss Dodds said in a press conference. “He absolutely got us started in the right direction. He took a program that was struggling and took it to new heights. He gave us confidence to help build and brand the University. This is a tough time for all of us.”

Royal was responsible for the integration of the football team, which had its first African-American member, Julius Whittier, in 1970. Integration had already been mandated at

that point, but many of Royal’s bosses thought the football field should be a place without color.

“He took a lot of criticism that Texas wasn’t integrated by then, but that wasn’t his call,” Bill Little, a close friend and special assistant to football coach for communications, said.

Whittier told The Daily Texan in 2010 that he “owed everything” to Royal.

Born in Hollis, Okla., on July 6, 1924, Royal grew up a child of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. He starred at quarterback, defensive back and punter at the University of Oklahoma, where he still holds the career record for interceptions.

After three consecutive

Andrew Torrey | Daily Texan Staff Landry Jones celebrates his third straight win over Texas. The Sooners held the Texas offense scoreless for three quarters in the 63-21 win.

just have to make sure that we don’t forget this, learn from it, move forward and try to win next week. We can’t sit around and feel sorry for ourselves.

We’re sitting in the same spot we were this time last year.”

That’s a troubling sentiment for a squad that lost five games last season and seven the year before. The rebuilding process was supposed to be over. Texas’ roster was still filled with former blue-chip prospects on

the brink of turning in another underachieving season.

This article was originally published Oct. 14, 2012 as: Orange Crushed: Catastrophic Cotton Bowl defeat exposes many far-reaching flaws

four-loss seasons, Royal hired Emory Bellard in 1968 to be his offensive coordinator. Together, they invented the wishbone formation — an offensive alignment that put the quarterback under center, a fullback directly behind him and two running backs lined up, offset, behind the fullback.

The formation, perfected by quarterback James Street, helped Texas win two more national titles under Royal, the next coming in 1969. In the top-ranked Longhorns’ regular season finale that year against No. 2 Arkansas — dubbed “The Game of the Century” — they faced a 14-0 deficit after three quarters.

Street engineered a pair of

fourth-quarter touchdown drives that gave Texas a 1514 victory, leading President Richard Nixon to proclaim the Longhorns the best college football team in the country in the locker room after the game.

Beloved for his folksy quips, Royal believed that “only three things can happen when you throw the football and two of them are bad,” that you “should dance with the one who brung ya” and once called an opposing quarterback “as quick as a hiccup.”

Dodds saw Royal before Texas’ game against Wyoming on Sept. 1, when Royal and his wife were honorary captains for the pregame coin toss. A victim of Alzheimer’s disease, Royal

had to be helped to midfield.

“I watched that and knew that’d be the last time he’d be at [the stadium],” Dodds said.

The Darrell K Royal Research Fund for Alzheimer’s Disease was launched in February to “expand the paradigms of care and access for Texans enabling exposure to preventative and treatment strategies aimed at combatting the epidemic.”

UT President William Powers Jr. is hopeful the new medical school will adequately serve those with Alzheimer’s disease.

This article was originally published Nov. 7, 2012 as” A Royal Legacy: Legendary coach, admired leader Darrel K Royal dead at age 88

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Charges not filed against UT players No charges were filed against junior quarterback Case McCoy or junior linebacker Jordan Hicks, who were accused of sexually assaulting a woman in San Antonio on Dec. 28, 2012, Catherine Babbitt, Bexar County chief assistant criminal district attorney, told The Daily Texan.

“Where it stands now, the San Antonio Police Department is not going to file a criminal case with our office, nor is my office going to conduct any additional investigation,” Babbit told the Texan on Tuesday.

Hicks and McCoy were suspended and sent home one day before Texas beat Oregon State in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29 for an undisclosed violation of team rules and reinstated to the team Jan. 13. Hicks’ attorney, Perry Minton, released a statement that day saying the “investigation is closed,” but SAPD said its Special Victims Unit was “still reviewing the case.”

“Obviously when you break team rules there’s a certain amount of trust that has been broken, and that will be addressed with further discipline,” Brown said in a statement. “That discipline will be handled within the team.”

McCoy and Hicks were subjects of a San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) investigation after being accused of sexual assault last December.

According to a police report obtained by The Daily Texan, San Antonio police received a report of an alleged rape on Dec. 28 and were reportedly dispatched to a downtown hotel at 2:49 a.m., one near where the Longhorns football team was staying.

—Christian Corona This article was originally published Jan. 22, 2013 as: Bexar County DA office says no office says no charges will be filed against Case McCoy,

Jordan Hicks Backup QB Connor Brewer arrested for public intoxication Backup quarterback Connor Brewer was arrested early Saturday morning for public intoxication.

Sgt. Robert Weyand confirmed Feb. 3 that UTPD arrested a Texas football player for public intoxication. Weyand said the arrest took place outside of Jester Center and that the player was taken to the Travis County Jail.

“We’re aware of Connor’s situation and are disappointed anytime one of our players is accused of wrongdoing,” Brown said in a statement. “We’ve talked with his family and will continue to monitor the situation … We’ve always prided ourselves in our program’s family atmosphere, and this will be handled within our family.”

According to county records, Brewer was booked at 2:49 a.m. Feb. 2. Three offenses were listed: public intoxication, minor in possession of alcohol and carrying a fake driver’s license, although no charges were filed for the minor in possession offense.

—Christian Corona and Sarah White This article was originally published Feb. 4, 2013.

Cayleb Jones suspended after aggravated assault Rising sophomore wide receiver Cayleb Jones was suspended after being charged with aggravated assault.

HornsNation reported that Jones was charged with assaulting Joey Swaysland, a sophomore tennis player at Texas, and fracturing his jaw at a bar downtown on Feb. 22 at 1:50 a.m. Jones and volleyball player Khat Bell had dated but the rela-

tionship apparently did not end well, and Bell, according to court documents, said Jones became angry and jealous when she began talking to Swaysland.

In Texas, someone convicted of aggravated assault, a second-degree felony, can serve a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

“We are aware of Cayleb’s situation and disappointed any time one of our players is accused of wrongdoing,” head coach Mack Brown said in a statement released March 12.

—Christian Corona This article was originally published March 12, 2013.

Kendall Sanders arrested, charged with DWI Texas sophomore wide receiver Kendall Sanders was arrested and charged for DWI on the morning of April 6 in Brazos County and released on $3,000 bond.

He was confined at 5:10 a.m. and released at 7:43 a.m., according to his police report.

“We’re aware of Kendall’s situation, have talked with him and his family, and are disappointed any time one of our players is accused of wrongdoing.

We take a strong stance against drinking and driving and will continue to monitor this situation to get more details. Following the completion of the legal process, we will do what’s best for the University, Kendall and the team. One thing we have great pride in about our program is our family atmosphere and there also will be discipline handled within our family.”

—Christian Corona This article was originally published April 6, 2013.

Alex Okafor earned defensive MVP honors in the 2012 Alamo Bowl after posting a record 4.5 sacks. The Longhorns celebrated a 31-24 victory over Oregon State.

Lawrence Peart Daily Texan file photo

UT football wins Alamo Bowl

By Chris Hummer SAN ANTONIO – Alex Okafor stood atop the winner’s platform on the 50yard line of the Alamodome, and his smile said it all.

As hundreds of colored balloons streamed from above and Texas players jumped around in childlike euphoria, Okafor’s toothy grin showed just how much the Longhorns’ 31-27 Alamo Bowl win over Oregon State meant.

The comeback victory was only Texas’ ninth of the year, but it signified much more. It wasn’t a leap back to prominence but it was a huge stride in the right direction.

The Beavers dominated the first half, holding the Longhorns to just 59 yards, excluding a 64-yard touchdown run

by Marquise Goodwin.

However, something sparked in the second half.

Well really, it was three things: Okafor, Goodwin and David Ash. Ash, the sophomore quarterback, struggled early. He looked out of sorts, underthrowing passes, but he found his rhythm in the third quarter. Ash, who had only run for 119 yards and one touchdown all season, began to scramble in the third quarter, and it

paid off.

After a Quandre Diggs interception, Ash marched the Longhorns downfield and capped a touchdown drive off with an 11-yard run, giving them momentum and putting them within three points of the Beavers.

“When you’re struggling you have to wait for the play that sparks,” Ash said.

“And in this game we started getting them.”

The Longhorns comeback never truly materialized until another bit of magic by Ash, this time with his legs and his arm.

With eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Texas trailed by 10 again.

The Longhorns got into the Beavers’ red zone, but things went amiss on third down.

As his pass protection broke down, Ash scrambled to keep the play alive. It was in that controlled chaos that Ash slipped out of a would-be tackle and rolled to his left, lofting a pass across his body to a streaking Johnathan Gray in the end zone, where it landed softly in his hands.

“I think at that point you just start reacting,” Ash said.

“It’s not really designed that way, just kind of happens that way.”

Ash’s instincts propelled the Longhorns. But it was

the defense, especially the pass rush, that kept the Longhorns afloat during the scoring lulls.

Texas exploited a weakness in the Beavers’ pass protection spotted by defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to the tune of an eye-popping 10 sacks.

Cody Vaz, who had only thrown one interception all season, was picked off twice in the loss.

Okafor lived in the backfield, recording an Alamo Bowl record 4.5 sacks as he broke through Oregon State’s offensive line time after time.

“I just kind of got in the zone,” Okafor said.

Okafor’s pass rushing ability sealed the game, but a connection between Ash and Goodwin won it.

With less than three minutes remaining and Texas down by three, Goodwin, an Olympian with elite speed, broke off a double move that left him nothing but open space and the end zone in front of him.

“It was a setup all game,” Goodwin said. “They bit on the double move and I escaped him, Ash threw a great ball, and touchdown.”

This article was originally published Dec. 29, 2012 as: Longhorns defeat Oregon State in Alamo Bowl, 31-27

24 SPORTS

SPORTS

24

Texas loses to Houston, eliminated from CBI

By Nick Cremona HOUSTON — To keep their season alive, the Longhorns had their work cut out for them from the onset of their March 20 game. In the end, Houston proved to be too much for Texas, winning 73-72 to knock the Longhorns out of the CBI. “It’s a disappointment,” head coach Rick Barnes said.

“You are what you are and we ended up being 16-18.”

Down one point with five seconds remaining in the game, Texas had a chance to take the lead but Julien Lewis was unable to connect on a jumper in the lane to give Texas the edge. Lewis scored a career-high 25 points but the Longhorns could not keep the Cougars from making big shots down the stretch.

Already down one scholarship player after sophomore forward Jaylen Bond announced he would transfer on March 18, Texas lost another player when Cameron Ridley exited the game with an upper respiratory infection just five minutes into the game against the Cougars.

With two big men out of commission, the job of

controlling the post fell to Prince Ibeh, a player not known for his offensive aptitude. However, Ibeh rose to the challenge and recorded career highs in points, rebounds and blocks. The freshman scored 12 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and blocked five shots.

“I knew I had to step up when Cameron went out,” Ibeh said. “I guess we assumed we were going to win and that it was just going to happen. We can’t assume that. We’ve got to make that happen. That’s what we’ve got to learn.”

Ibeh presented a challenge for the smaller Houston post players, and worked his way to the free throw line several times by clearing out space on the block and forcing the Cougars to contest any shot he took. His free throw shooting was less than stellar as he went 4-for-8 from the line, but with each successive trip to the line, Ibeh forced the Cougars deeper into foul trouble. Texas attempted just six free throws in the first half, but ended the game with 18 attempts, making 14 of those shots.

This article was originally published Mar. 20, 2013 as: Texas’ season ends with loss to Houston in CBI

Elisabeth Dillon | Daily Texan file photo Freshman Demarcus Holland reacts to the March 20 73-72 loss to Houston in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Texas swimming, diving win big Both of Texas’ swimming and diving teams took home the team Big 12 championship March 2 after four days of competition. It was the men’s 17th Big 12 title and the women’s 11th.

The men extended their dominance, earning their 34th consecutive conference crown under head coach Eddie Reese. This was the women’s first title with first-year head coach Carol Capitani.

Texas took first in every event except one and was able to put itself in good position for the upcoming NCAA Championships later this month.

The ninth-ranked women crushed the competition on the last day, pulling 475 points ahead of secondplace West Virginia, who scored 576 points. TCU rounded out the top three with 574 points.

—Brittany Lamas and Rachel Wenzlaff This article was originally published March 3, 2013 as: Horns capture Big 12 titles Horns capture first Big 12 title since 2004 Despite shooting an 8-over-par 288 in the final round, the Longhorns won their first Big 12 Championship since 2004 on April 24.

“Anytime a golf tournament says ‘championship,’ it’s a big deal,” head coach John Fields said. “And the Big 12 Championship, for the University of Texas and our athletic department is a very big deal. We don’t take it lightly.”

The Longhorns came into the final day of competition with only a sixshot lead over Oklahoma State. But the Cowboys had troubles of their own, shooting a 6-over-286 in the final round.

Chelsea Purgahn | Daily Texan file photo Several members of the Texas men’s swimming and diving team celebrate winning the Big 12 title March 2, the program’s 34th straight conference championship.

The Big 12 championship was Texas’ first since 2004, which was the end of three straight conference championships. In those seasons, however, the Longhorns finished no higher than tied for third in the NCAA Championship.

Despite winning the national championship last season, Texas finished in second the Big 12 Championship behind Texas A&M. —Jacob Martella This article was originally published April 24, 2013 as: Texas wins Big 12 title, Stone best individual Big 12 Track and Field Championship comes home No. 8 Texas captured the men’s Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championship on the weekend of Feb. 2324 in Ames, Iowa. This title was the sixth indoor title in Longhorns’ history and came on the back of strong victories by two seniors — Keiron Stewart and Hayden Baillio — and a brilliant campaign from freshman heptathlete

Johannes Hock.

“I’m really proud of the guys,” head coach Bubba Thornton said. “What a great team effort. We scored in every event but three, and every guy on the team scored a point.”

The Texas team captured the title with a strong 135-point total for the weekend, beating out second place Oklahoma who totaled 108.50 points. Stewart captured his second Big 12 title in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.72. Baillio won the shot put and his first Big 12 title with a toss of 64 feet, 5 inches — the second best toss in his career.

—Louis San Miguel This article was originally published Feb. 25, 2013 as: Longhorns return with Big 12 title Longhorns claim second Big 12 crown Texas powered past host Oklahoma State and narrowly slipped past Texas Tech before claiming a second straight conference title.

Freshman Lana Groenvynck provided the biggest spark for the Longhorns in the tournament to keep their title hopes alive.

In the semifinals, the Longhorns and Texas Tech were tied at three before Groenvynck went to a third set against Caroline Starck, and led 6-5 with the deciding game at deuce. She double-faulted twice on the first two match points. With the advantage for the third time, she faulted her first serve, but delivered an underhand serve on the next that was not returned to win the match, putting the Longhorns in the championship.

“That was the best underhand serve I think I’ve ever seen,” head coach Patty Fendick-McCain said. “It’s tough as a freshman. Lana began in January and that’s a lot for her to carry on her shoulder.”

—Chris Caraveo This article was originally published April 28, 2013 as: Longhorns claim second consecutive Big 12 crown

SPORTS 25

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Monday, May 6, 2013

NCAA

continues from page 21

19 errors.

“They played very, very well,” Oregon head coach Jim Moore said. “Blocked great, passed great, and they deserve it, a well-earned victory for them.”

In set one, the Longhorns got out to a fast start. They cruised to an easy 12-4 lead which quickly extended as the Ducks were never able to keep up. The Longhorns posted a powerful offensive attack which was helped along by numerous Oregon errors. Texas picked up the first set easily, 25-11.

The Longhorns turned in 11 kills and only one error while posting a .400 hitting clip. The Texas defense produced seven blocks in the first set alone and held the Oregon offense to only nine kills with a staggering 12 errors. The Ducks were also held to a -.083 hitting clip in the opening set.

The second set was typical for the Longhorns. The Ducks got off to a quick start, maintaining a slight lead throughout the set. A kill by junior Bailey Webster tied the set at 23-23 and a service ace by sophomore Haley Eckerman pushed it to a set point. Oregon tied it up again, before back-toback kills by Webster, with assists from junior Hannah Allison, ended the set 26-24 in favor of the Longhorns.

“We were like, ‘Guys, like we need this win. Act like we’re about to get eliminated. We need this win,’” Webster said about bouncing back after a difficult second set. “We literally took it one point at a time. I think that’s what worked for us.”

Oregon’s offense was much more productive in the second set, posting a hitting clip of .462 with 21 kills and three errors. Texas hit .515 in the second set with 19 kills and two errors. The

Texas defense was not as efficient in the second set, only producing one block.

With the 2-0 match advantage after the break, the Longhorns were looking to end the match after three sets. Oregon kept the set close with a score of 9-6 in favor of the Longhorns, but Texas extended the lead and pushed it to 23-19. A kill by senior Sha’Dare McNeal brought up the match point at 24-19. A block by Allison and sophomore Khat Bell ended the set, and the match, at 25-19.

In the third set, the Longhorns hit .387 with 13 kills and one error. The Texas defense turned in seven blocks and held the Oregon offense to a hitting percentage of .205 with 16 kills and eight errors.

The Longhorns turned in a .438 hitting clip for the match, holding Oregon to .202 in three sets. Texas had 43 kills and four errors while Oregon had 46 kills and 23 errors. The Longhorns turned in 15 blocks for the match to Oregon’s one.

Webster was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Webster, Allison, Eckerman and McNeal were named to the all-tournament team. Webster had 14 kills in the final match with a hitting clip of .500. Eckerman hit .400 with 12 kills. Freshman Molly McCage had an outstanding night on defense, turning in eight blocks.

Texas has the fourth-best winning percentage in history at .724.

“All I remember and all I know about this match is that I just felt like we did the whole thing together,” Webster said. “I think we really won this because we were such a team out there.”

This article was originally published Dec. 15, 2012 as: Horns clinch second title

25

Dodds: UT, A&M rivalry not yet dead

By Christian Corona When it comes to the possibility of Texas facing Texas A&M on the gridiron again, it may not be a matter of if it will happen but when it will happen.

Men’s athletics director DeLoss Dodds said he believes the Longhorns and Aggies will eventually renew their rivalry but a period of time to allow animosities to subside would be needed.

“I think we’ll play sometime,” Dodds said. “I don’t know when it will happen or how it will happen, but I’m sure it will happen.”

In their last meeting, the Longhorns beat the Aggies 27-25 at Kyle Field on Thanksgiving Day in 2011 after Justin Tucker hit a game-winning 40yard field goal as time expired.

That was the 118th and final time the two rivals squared off before Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC. This article was originally published March 18, 2013 as:

DeLoss Dodds on chance Texas plays Texas A&M: ‘We get to decide when we play again’ Dodds confident in Brown’s ability to turn program around It’s been a dry three seasons for the Texas football program. Three straight losses to Oklahoma, the last two by a combined score of 118-38. No BCS bowl appearances and no conference titles in that time. Good news is in short supply, but the losses (16) are not.

The temperature has been turned up on head coach Mack Brown, but men’s athletics director DeLoss Dodds remains confident Brown is the one who can turn things around for the Longhorns.

“I love stability. I love continuity,” Dodds said in an interview with The Daily Texan.

“If you have stability, you have continuity and you’ve got good people. It’s a formula that works. I think we’ve got that. If somebody tells me we need to change, I say, ‘Ok, but who should we hire? [Alabama

head coach Nick] Saban? Well, Saban isn’t going to come here.’”

While Brown has taken the fall for the Longhorns’ recent decline, he was also responsible for making Texas one of the country’s top programs during the first 12 years of his tenure. Texas won 128 games from 1998-2009, two conference titles and one national championship, with near misses in 2001 and 2009.

“Mack does it so much better than everyone I’ve ever seen,” Dodds said. “Instant gratification. We want it right now. And if it’s not working, we want to blow it up and get instant gratification. In this kind of world, that’s not necessarily the answer.”

This article was originally published Feb. 26, 2013 as: Men’s athletics director DeLoss Dodds confident Mack Brown can turn football program around Texas considering selling alcohol at games More than 100,000 fans flock to most

DeLoss Dodds Men’s athletics director

Longhorns football games but, at least for now, aren’t allowed to have alcohol at Darrell K Royal TexasMemorial Stadium.

That could soon change.

UT is considering selling alcohol at football, basketball and baseball games, according to men’s athletics director DeLoss Dodds. Texas would become the third Big 12 school to serve alcohol at football games after Iowa State and West Virginia.

“We talk about it constantly,” Dodds told The Daily Texan. “If we ever did it, we’d probably start with baseball.”

This article was originally published Mar. 6, 2013.

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Kelsey McKinney, Life & Arts Editor

New director joins HRC, talks with Texan staff

By Kelsey McKinney

Jorge Corona | Daily Texan file photo (From left to right) The Pechuga de Pollo, Bandeja Paisa and Tamal Valluno and Ceviche at Casa Colombia, a Latin American restaurant in East Austin.

Casa offers taste of home Editor’s note: The interviews in this article have been translated from Spanish.

By Jorge Corona The themed lampposts and the small benched waiting area, conjuring the Alamedas and the central plazas of many Hispanic cities, announce to the prospective diner that he or she won’t be in Texas much longer. Not completely, anyway.

Inside, the walls are adorned with maps of Colombia and small “fachadas,” miniature facades of colonial house fronts that instantly remind of childhoods left behind.

Such is the enchantment of Casa Colombia, a restaurant of eponymous genre hidden on East Seventh Street and helmed by manager Jazmin Nuñez and chef Emilia Hurtado.

Before their partnership the place was originally called “Mi Colombia,” managed solely by the current

chef, Hurtado, and nearing bankruptcy. Nuñez recalled the times: “[Emilia] had Mi Colombia, and she was about to close [permanently]. Then my husband — an American — said we couldn’t lose the only restaurant dedicated to Latin American food.”

As friends of Hurtado’s, Nuñez and her husband stepped in, managing the house while Hurtado focused on the kitchen. Nuñez’s intention was to partner up for a year only.

“Now we have five years with Casa Colombia, and it’s been going very well,” Nuñez said.

Casa Colombia evokes deep-seated emotions in the visitor, Latino or not, with its carefully crafted elements of nostalgia. Central to this is the food: a potpourri of South American options that are as close to comfort food as comfort food gets. Hurtado’s touch keeps the platters as typical Latin American home style as she can.

Pechuga de Pollo, a chicken

filet, grilled and bathed in a smooth lemon butter sauce, served with green beans, fried yucca (a potato-like vegetable) and a white rice pilaf tastes like a recipe that a grandmother could have made but forgot to. Much of the same can be said of the churrasco, a steak served with an olive oil chimichurri sauce, a South American staple. Or for those willing and wishing to go big, there’s the Bandeja Paisa, a meat lover’s delight with beef skirt, chicharron and egg over white rice, fried plantains, avocado and a thin bread called “arepa.” For the fish-driven, the ceviche peruano with fried plantain is fresh, limey, avocado-y and delicious.

For Hurtado, a shy and humble immigrant from Colombia, owning her own restaurant was always a dream. But it was not easy.

“I learned [to cook] by observing. I worked as a housekeeper, where I learned a little,” Hurtado said.

After arriving in Austin

in 1994 and working in local schools, she started selling tamales and empanadas from home, as well as making meals for her group of friends. Hurtado’s dream was always to open her own restaurant.

Hurtado is quick to correct with humility.

“My dream was always — not a restaurant like this … but [just] selling rotisserie chickens and roasted potatoes. That was my dream,” Hurtado said.

She cites her lack of formal training as the source for the formidable and homey taste of her food.

“I am not a ‘chef.’ I didn’t go to any culinary school to get any training. What I make are home recipes.

They’re not every [Colombian] recipe, but what I can, I make. I’ve tried to preserve that … to keep the food like that … typical,” Hurtado said.

Hurtado’s efforts have paid off, earning her accolades from organizations like Span-

CASA COLUMBIA Where: 1614 E Seventh St. Hours: Tuesday - Thursday, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Friday - Satuday, 11 a.m. 11 p.m.

Sunday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Monday, closed ish newspaper El Mundo.

Then, Hurtado smiled a slow, building smile with a bright, honest shine in her eyes.

“My source of great pride is that people come here from all over. Central Americans, North Americans, Asians … all nationalities,” Hurtado said. “That’s what satisfies me the most … to see that someone of humble origins like myself is making something that everyone who comes here loves. That brings me great pride and I thank God for it.”

This article was originally published on Sept. 24, 2012 as: Chef keeps food close to home.

After 25 years as the director of the Harry Ransom Center, Thomas Staley will hand over the responsibility of leading the staff and acquiring collections to Stephen Enniss.

While at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., Enniss was responsible for the world’s largest Shakespeare collection and the largest collection of early English printed books in North America. Enniss worked as curator and director of Emory University’s Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library before joining the staff at the Folger.

Enniss will start at the Ransom Center on Aug. 1 and assume all responsibilities upon Staley’s retirement on Aug. 31.

The Daily Texan interviewed Enniss about his expectations and motivations for his future tenure at the Ransom Center.

The Daily Texan: How do you expect your new job as director of the Ransom Center to differ from your current position?

Stephen Enniss: Well, I think that the Folger and my previous experience at Emory University have been perfect preparation for the Ransom Center’s very broad and deep collections, spanning from the Renaissance to the most contemporary writers and artists. Really, the past experience I’ve had touches on each period of history that the Ransom Center has

HRC continues on page 35

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LIFE&ARTS

Monday, May 6, 2013

33

L h

Jorge Carona | Daily Texan file photo Food trailers sit on a lot along South Congress Avenue. The trailers were forced to close or relocate throughout the year in order to make room for a new hotel.

Food trailers leave SoCo, make room for hotel

By Hannah Smothers The iconic cornerstones of the food trailer lot on South Congress Avenue have abandoned their coveted positions, leaving nothing but a patch of matted grass behind.

The neon cone that stands atop The Mighty Cone, which was previously located on the corner of South Congress and Monroe Street, moved to the new Rancho Rio Eatery in West Campus in late January. The giant plastic cupcake of Hey Cupcake! that once illuminated the corner of South Congress Avenue and Milton Street migrated north to a new lot at South Congress Avenue and Elizabeth Street on March 1.

The two trailers that formerly served as the borderlines to the miniature mecca of mobile eateries moved following a warning from SOCO ATX Development that the lot on South Congress will close sometime this year to make room for a new hotel.

According to JC Gulledge, Mighty Cone employee, the only guarantee that was given to the trailers was that they would be able to stay through the end of South By Southwest.

SOCO ATX Development is affiliated with Capital Sports and Entertainment, LLC, partner of C3 Presents — the company behind the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Patrick Jeffers, vice president of SOCO ATX Development, was ensuring the lot stayed busy before its eventual closure.

The Mighty Cone’s early departure from the lot left a piece of prime food truck real estate open on the corner of South Congress Avenue and Monroe Street. However, the scent of fried avocados and coleslaw had barely left the plot of land before Justin Burrow’s yellow shipping container opened for business as Burro, a mobile eatery that serves gourmet cheese dishes in the form of sandwiches.

“How I came across this spot is I used to work for

Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop and Capital Sports and Entertainment manages that business, so obviously they’re interested in it,” Burrow said.

Burrow met with Jeffers over lunch and mentioned he was building a trailer business of his own. According to Burrow, Jeffers — who could not be reached for comment — offered to help him secure Mighty Cone’s spot because he knew the trailer would be leaving soon.

“To me, moving here was a no-brainer,” Burrow said. “It was the best location in the city to launch a food trailer.”

According to Gulledge, The Mighty Cone left the South Congress lot early to claim a spot in the Rancho Rio Eatery lot. The new West Campus lot extended its original Jan. 1 move-in deadline to Feb. 1 in order to accommodate The Mighty Cone.

“They’ve told us they were building this hotel for three years, but this company is definitely more interested in pursuing it than anyone else has been,” Gulledge said. “We wouldn’t have moved if we

didn’t think they were gonna kick us off the lot.”

According to Gulledge and Burrow, the food trailers pay a lease to operate on the lot on a monthly basis. The cost of each lease varies by trailer.

Burrow said he has been pleased with the Burro’s success thus far, and has a new location lined up near Barton Springs Pool for when the lot finally does close to the trailers.

“Here’s the irony, is they’re building a hotel because the draw to come to Austin, from a tourist standpoint, is partly because of South Congress food trailers,” Burrow said. “But then you boot them all off and build the hotel and that’s no longer part of the draw.”

Shane Carr is a tourist that a future hotel on the South Congress lot could one day serve. He chose to patronize the array of food trailers for lunch while in town on business from Philadelphia.

“It’s unique. I watch the Food Network and the Cooking Channel and the Travel Channel and they’re at these places all the time,” Carr

said. “As of now, nothing like this exists in parking lots in Philadelphia. They’re either lined up around the street or are mostly near Penn and Drexel’s campuses.”

A petition urging SOCO ATX Development to preserve the trailer lot was started by Austinite Brian Nelligan in late October. Nelligan plans on sending it to the development company sometime soon.

“It’s hard to decide when to send it because every day it goes up a couple hundred votes,” Nelligan said.

As of Feb. 24, the petition had 691 signatures. Since then the petition has surpassed its original goal of 5,000 signatures, with 9,000 signatures and counting.

“I grew up in Austin. I was born here and I’ve seen it change a lot over the years, and it’s always sad when you see something that’s a part of Austin’s identity get torn down for something generic,” Nelligan said. “I wish they would realize what a gem they have there and spend the money developing that more.”

Here’s the irony, is they’re building a hotel because the draw to come to Austin, from a tourist standpoint, is partly because of South Congress food trailers.

— Justin Burrow, owner of Burro

In the meantime, the former veterans of the lot have since abandoned their posts.

While the lot may not be empty until the last lease runs out, it seems as though the glory days of the South Congress food trailers have come and gone, with nothing but the possibility of a hotel in the future.

This article was originally published on March 5, 2013 as: Trailing away.

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Monday, May 6, 2013

Latest Die Hard movie has explosions aplenty

By Alex Williams It’s 11:30 a.m. on Sixth Street the day after Fat Tuesday. The street is quiet and empty, and what possible reason could I have to be here? The answer is found in the Alamo Ritz where a sold-out audience slowly trickles in for what promises to be an intense marathon of movie-watching: “A Whole Day to Die Hard,” all five “Die Hard” films until we’re finished (or bleeding out of multiple orifices).

movies better, and it’s called beer. I can’t resist dipping into the Drafthouse’s special marathon menu to complement my first pint, and the John McClanewich — a steak, onion and cheese sandwich — proves to be delicious.

This film has a higher degree of audience participation than any of the others. Every big McClane moment gets claps and cheers, especially when he stabs a baddie in the eye with an ice pick.

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DIE HARD (1988, 131 MINUTES) I’m craving my morning coffee, but “Die Hard” proves to be an energizing alternative, and the audience reacts to the film like they’re watching it for the very first time — big laughs for each of McClane’s witty rejoinders and applause for his infamous punchline “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!”

“Die Hard” is an effortlessly enjoyable film, with great action, witty dialogue and engaging characters. It’s the best possible version of the blow-‘em-up, giving us one of the genre’s most iconic figures in Bruce Willis’ John McClane and an equally memorable antagonist in Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber.

“Die Hard” wraps up to uproarious applause, and it’s all downhill from here.

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DIE HARD 2 DIE HARDER (1990, 124 MINUTES)

Many returning characters are shoehorned in for plot convenience, McClane’s one-liners are a lot cheesier — probably thanks to Willis’ new improvisational freedom — and the villain isn’t nearly as compelling, despite being introduced while doing naked kung fu in front of a mirror.

Thankfully, there’s an easy way to make bad

DIE HARD: WITH A VENGEANCE (1995, 131 MINUTES) The film fits comfortably in the “Die Hard” universe, sending John McClane on a series of wild goose chases all over New York. For the “Die Hard” series to avoid becoming stale, they have to expand the scale and up the stakes for each subsequent film, and this one functions as an exciting, promising mission statement for the rest of the franchise.

Jeremy Irons stars as bad guy Simon Gruber, hell-bent on getting revenge on McClane for his brother’s death in the first film. Playing an elaborate game of Simon Says, he forces McClane to team up with sidekick Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson). Jackson’s easy chemistry with Willis is palatable and ends up being the most enjoyable part of the overlong but wildly entertaining “Die Hard With a Vengeance.”

Just before McClane lets out his trademark line, I order up a Yippie-Pie-Yay Motherfucker: a warm, crispy slice of apple pie.

Illustration by Colin Zelinski | Daily Texan Staff

Justin Long and eschewing the practical, largescale action sequences of the original trilogy with spastic editing and CGI-heavy set pieces.

It has its moments, especially when McClane leaps from a demolished semi-truck to the wing of a crashing fighter jet just before jumping into the remains of a wrecked freeway to escape the ensuing explosion.

Fatigue starts to set in for the crowd, and several audience members duck out of the theater to hit Sixth Street. The ones that stick around start to get fidgety.

The fourth film ends to a defined smattering of applause. No trailers for the last film — this is the main event, and we’re all business.

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LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD (2007, 128 MINUTES) “Live Free or Die Hard” illustrates a stark contrast between modern and retro action sensibilities, replacing McClane’s traditional sidekick with a dweeby hacker played by

A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD (2013, 97 MINUTES) Three minutes into “A Good Day to Die Hard,” I order a John McClane Bloody Mary.

After an opening exposition dump, the fifth installment finds McClane heading to Russia to retrieve his son, Jack (Jai Courtney), who has grown up to be capable of large-scale

destruction his father could only dream of.

John McClane is easily one of the most likable heroes of action cinema but Bruce Willis isn’t playing John McClane in this film. He’s playing an ignorant, uncaring jerk, stumbling around Russia shooting things and yelling, “I’m on vacation!” McClane doesn’t even have anything to do in the film’s narrative — this time, he’s the sidekick, and when the climactic showdown finally comes, he doesn’t kill any of the film’s main antagonists, leaving the heavy lifting to his son.

CONCLUSION Once “A Good Day to Die Hard” ended, a shell-shocked audience vacated into the chilly hustle and bustle of Sixth Street.

While it was nice to be among the world of the living again, I was kind of sad there were no more explosions to absorb and no more “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfuckers” to celebrate. More than that, I was glad to live in a city where a “Die Hard” marathon on a Wednesday afternoon would play to a packed house. As Greg MacLennan, a Drafthouse programmer, said before the first film: We don’t get to do these stupid, ill-advised ideas unless there are dumb, irresponsible people to come do with them with us.

This article was originally published on Feb. 15, 2013 as: How to Die Hard.

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LIFE&ARTS

Monday, May 6, 2013

HRC

Hormones in cow’s milk do not affect girls’ puberty

During the height of the Cold War, a conspiracy theory developed, with proponents insisting that the safety of our water supply was at risk. A fluoridation process, which the Soviets clearly devised, put everyone who ever drank water in danger of Communist brainwashing. As Sterling Hayden so famously said in Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove,” “We must protect our precious bodily fluids.”

For the most part, nobody believes this anymore.

However, there is a similar concept that’s more commonly accepted and, as far as the research shows, just as incorrect: Hormones injected into cows are poisoning our milk and causing children, specifically girls, to begin puberty at an earlier age.

The first part isn’t absurd.

Milk companies are, in fact, injecting hormones into cattle to increase production.

And whatever the effect on humans, putting this recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) into cattle may not be a great idea, at least from a moral standpoint.

While the hormone does result in a more economical and efficient system to help us better enjoy our cereal in the morning, it comes at a cost.

Cows injected with rBGH are at greater risk for infections as well as other health ailments.

However, rBGH is just one of many questionable elements in our factory farming system that most would agree operates in an inhumane manner.

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documented. Coming to the Folger, I was at Emory University for 16 years, and it was while at Emory that I was very active in acquiring major literary archives, which of course is a special strength of the Ransom Center.

To elaborate, I was always aware when I was building collections at Emory how I was engaged in an activity that paralleled the works that Tom Staley and the staff at the Ransom Center were doing. So in that way, I think the transition should be an easy one.

Illustration by Ploy Buraparate | Daily Texan Staff

But enough about the cows. What about humans?

Is rBGH causing a decrease in the age children begin puberty? Before we answer that, let’s address a more basic question: Is puberty actually starting earlier?

While there’s not a definite answer — because of a combination of the difficulty in collecting accurate data as well as defining what marks the beginning of puberty — it does look like children, particularly girls, are maturing earlier than they did in the past.

However, this trend began long before the introduction of rBGH, which was approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993. Records dating back to the late 1800s show a gradual decline in the age that girls, on average, had their first periods.

This age fell from around 17 in 1890 to about 13 in the ‘50s.

Over the past 25 years, it’s decreased even further, but by no more than four months or so.

However, the age of another indicator of puberty, the onset of breast development, has decreased by a substantial amount, perhaps as much as

a year over the past two decades. Again, in part because of the inherent difficulty in determining a definite starting point, the significance of this data is uncertain.

Returning to the rBGH: If the earlier onset of puberty is a genuine phenomenon, could the artificial hormones we’re injecting into cows somehow end up in our milk and explain at least part of this effect?

Almost certainly not. Our digestion process is very good at breaking up proteins, such as rBGH. Laboratory studies have shown that feeding mice excessive doses of the hormone (50 times the amount used during injection) has no effect on them other than an antibody response, which is neither harmful nor an uncommon reaction to other food proteins. Additionally, getting this response required a much higher daily intake of the hormone than even the most devoted dairy enthusiasts among us consume.

The FDA has approved the use of rBGH, and although a Google search is chock-full of poorly designed Web pages devoted to health problems

that the hormone may cause, the scientific consensus is that there’s no significant difference between milk from cows treated with rBGH and milk from untreated cows.

As for what actually is causing the early puberty, there aren’t any compelling explanations at this point. The recent increase in obesity may be partially to blame, though probably not entirely, since early onset remains even after controlling for body mass index. Exposure to chemicals in the environment (specifically bisphenol-A, the building block of plastics) may also explain the data, but these conclusions are also controversial and potentially premature. To add to the confusion, there’s also a racial component: Black girls begin puberty significantly earlier than their Hispanic peers who, in turn, begin earlier than white girls.

But, whatever the cause, rest assured, it’s not the milk. Your precious bodily fluids are well protected.

This article was originally published on Jan. 31, 2013 as: Hormones in food may harm humans.

DT: What led you to want to lead these large literary institutions?

Enniss: I certainly have been a literary creature from a very young age and a consumer of poems, and novels and short stories and plays. So that’s primary. But I also respond very much to the artifact, the object itself and what these objects say about the past and what they contain about the past, so working in research libraries that are known for their acquisitiveness has been a perfect fit for me. I’ve always had an acquisitive streak myself, whether it was natural history artifacts that I would pick up as a child or, later, books that I would collect. In some ways, I feel like the act of collecting is really the first act of scholarship and certainly a foundation of what the Ransom Center is engaged in.

DT: Do you have a favorite author or an area you’ve studied extensively?

Enniss: That’s something like asking someone to pick your favorite child. I presume that [Staley] can say that he prefers “Ulysses” because Joyce is safely dead. But I’m involved in collecting so many contemporary and living authors at this point that I wouldn’t want to pick among them. My own research interest is focused on

contemporary Irish poetry, but my own graduate work was in the American novel.

I should be equally at home in developing the collections of major novelists and shortstory writers as well.

DT: Looking forward to your time as director of the Ransom Center, do you have any personal goals?

Enniss: I think the first task is really to sustain the program of excellence that’s been achieved there and that’s not necessarily a new initiative. In terms of things that might be purely new, I think all of us in the research library community that collect major archives know that the nature of modern archives changed in the mid-1980s. We have to plot a smart path forward for managing and making digital archives available for research.

DT: Do you have any coveted collections you dream of acquiring?

Enniss: The most important acquisition is always the next one. What often focuses one’s attention is the next opportunity. I can’t tell you at this point what that will be, but we have to be oriented very much to the future. Certainly, literature is a personal research interest and a personal passion of mine, but the Ransom Center collections extend far beyond modern literary figures. Things that have been acquired over the years create a kind of DNA record.

When you look at the collection strengths that are there and map that DNA, you find that those strands lead you to other collections that are complemented by the existing holdings. I will very much be using my sense of that genetic map to further the Ransom Center’s collection activities.

This article was originally published on April 9, 2013 as: New head of Ransom shares qualifications.

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