1
LIFE&ARTS PAGE 10
NEWS PAGE 3
SPORTS PAGE 6
Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900
@thedailytexan
facebook.com/dailytexan
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
dailytexanonline.com
bit.ly/dtvid
WEST CAMPUS
CAMPUS
Second student reports balloon attack
UT students receive first SMOC with mixed views
By Alberto Long @albertolong
Another student has reported a West Campus baloon attack, according to a statement submitted to the Campus Climate Response Team. The report was filed nearly two weeks after government senior Bryan Davis received national media
attention after he said he was targeted by a “bleach bomb” balloon. Similar allegations were reported in the fall of 2012. Ryan Miller, an educational administration graduate student and associate director of Campus Diversity and Strategic Initiatives, said this most recent incident occurred Saturday night, but he was unable to provide information about
the location, the name of the victim or contents of the balloon — whether water or bleach. Miller said the investigation is ongoing. “Each case is unique,” Miller said. “If there’s an incident that requires a criminal investigation, we work with UTPD and the Austin Police Department.” Otherwise, Miller said,
incidents violating institutional policy are taken up with the Dean of Students. Davis, the victim of the previous balloon attack on Aug. 22, wrote an op-ed for the Burnt Orange Report on Friday in which he claimed that University and police officials made quick and uninformed statements to “scoot the [race] issue under the rug.” Davis wrote the
op-ed in response to a University statement that said the balloons used in his attack and the 2012 incidents were likely filled with water. “Unfortunately, both the report and the statement given by UT are a result of poor investigation and utter negligence in handling the details of my case,” Davis
BALLOON page 2
CITY
Retired professors’ work on display By Jourden Sander @jourdensander
A studio art exhibition spanning a variety of mediums is currently under way, but one common thread ties it all together: All eight of the artists are former professors from UT’s Department of Art and Art History. The exhibition, aptly titled “Compound Interests,” is open for viewing at Gallery Shoal Creek on East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from now until Sept. 14. One of the artists, Lawrence McFarland, is former UT photography teacher of 28 years. His portion of the exhibit includes four images forming a group titled, “Celebration of the Sun.” “The sun is the most powerful force to interact with the Earth,” McFarland said. “If we did not have the sun we would not exist. I hope to address, through my images, the sun and how important it is to us physically, intellectually, psychologically, creatively and metaphorically.” Much like McFarland’s images of the sun, the purpose of art is often to portray ideas and subjects in uncommon ways that allow for better understanding. Each of the artists has their own way of portraying these certain ideas and subjects. While Bradley Petersen and Susan Whyne have
pieces focused on drawing and painting, Thelma Coles focuses on ceramics and Don Herron’s pieces are metals. Mark Goodman, former photography professor, captured photographs of downtown Austin from 1980 through spring 2013. “When you pay attention and get to see what [a subject] looks like as a picture, it changes what’s in front of you,” Goodman said. “It changes how you can understand pictures. It’s a way of coming to terms with, and making sense of, what’s in front of you.” Goodman said pictures, and art in general, can help people understand who they are and what’s happening around them. McFarland said his attraction to art dates back to when he was five years old, recreating landscapes and cartoon characters with pencil and paper. “I decided then that I wanted to be an artist,” McFarland said. “Later when I went to college, I had a double major — math and art. Math was easy and art was hard, so I decided to major in art, and I have not looked back.” Kenneth Hale, a professor in the department for 40 years, said producing and viewing art is one of
ART
page 10
Charlie Pearce / Daily Texan Staff
Former art and art history professors Lawrence McFarland (top) and Bradley Petersen (bottom) are two of eight art and art history professors featured in the “Compound Interests” art exhibit.
By David Engleman @thedailytexan
In accordance with President William Powers Jr.’s plan for online teaching technologies, UT professors are experimenting with the world’s first synchronous massive online course (SMOC). After Powers published a report in August outlining his vision for technology, UT created its first massive open online courses (MOOCs) and the SMOC. Recently, the University participated in the development of new technological enhancements that range from MyEdu and Blackboard to the UT System’s membership in edX. Powers’ proposal included five guiding principles for technology-enhanced education. Those principles were to ensure faculty control the curriculum, to support and reward faculty, to create a model that is financially sustainable, to share content and to continue to innovate for the benefit of students. The SMOC, which is an introductory psychology course co-taught by professors James Pennebaker and Samuel Gosling, costs less than a regular course on campus at $550, and is available to anyone with a computer. Pennebaker said he thinks the SMOC could be a viable model for technology-enhanced education that would fulfill Powers’ goals of innovating for the benefit of students. He also said the financial model of SMOCs is highly sustainable. Gosling said the SMOC allows more students to participate than would fit in a lecture hall and once the startup costs are covered, UT could profit as
SMOC
page 2
STATE
Sudden deal brings Longhorn Network to TWC By Jacob Kerr @jacobrkerr
We see [the network] as a tremendous addition to our lineup. We’re excited to have been able to add it before the first game.
Content broadcast over the Longhorn Network will now reach a wider audience, after Time Warner Cable picked up the channel this Friday.
In an unexpected move Friday, Time Warner Cable added the Longhorn Network to its lineup of channels broadcasted in Texas. The decision, announced the day before the Longhorn Network aired UT’s first football game of the season, makes the channel available to Time Warner Cable customers in Texas who subscribe to the cable provider’s standard or premium packages. Since the channel is broadcasted digitally, customers will need a digital cable box to view it.
Previously, the channel was only carried in Austin on AT&T U-verse and Grande Communications. As part of a deal with the University, Grande provides the Longhorn Network to 7,300 students living on campus, as well as on TV screens at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium. Jon Gary Herrera, Time
Warner Cable’s vice president and spokesman, said the cable provider wanted to begin offering the network before UT’s football team kicked off its season against New Mexico State on Saturday, noting the large number of Time Warner Cable subscribers in Central Texas. “We see [the network] as a tremendous addition to
our lineup,” Herrera said. “We’re excited to have been able to add it before the first game.”
Herrera said the cable provider may offer the channel to customers outside of the state in the
near future. Only eight days before the
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
ONLINE
REASON TO PARTY
Capital Metro cancels UT shuttle routes PAGE 5
Early voting results in, but jury still out on voter ID PAGE 4
Texas’ balanced offense impresses in week one PAGE 7
Austin’s PRIDE week brings dancing and sing-alongs PAGE 10
UT professor attributes a new work to Shakespeare PAGE 5
Spend your four years at college in a basement PAGE 4
Johnson’s attitude change leads to great succcess PAGE 7
Grab a console controller for the “Diablo 3” release PAGE 10
Watch sidewalk stories, a new recurring series that highlights eccentric stories from the people of Austin. Subscribe at
—John Herrera, Time Warner Cables vice president
Elisabeth Dillon Daily Texan Staff
youtube.com/thedailytexan
LHN page 2
PAGE 10