The Daily Texan 2013-09-05 by The Daily Texan

LIFE & ARTS PAGE 8

SPORTS PAGE 6

NEWS PAGE 3

Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900

@thedailytexan

facebook.com/dailytexan

Thursday, September 5, 2013

dailytexanonline.com

UNIVERSITY

CITY

UT names interim engineering dean By Jordan Rudner @jrud

Structural engineer Sharon Wood has been appointed interim dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering. Wood will fill the vacancy left by Gregory Fenves, who was announced as the University’s new executive vice president and provost last month. Wood currently

serves as chairwoman of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and will begin her role Oct. 1. Wood, who is the school’s first female dean and was the first female department chair in the Cockrell School, said she is excited about the challenges the position will present — particularly the work she will do to secure funding for the University’s planned

Engineering Education and Research Center. The building did not receive a tuition revenue bond in the most recent legislative session. “It’s a really exciting time at the school,” Wood said. “We will need to raise the funds to move forward with our new building … but I’ve been involved from the beginning and I’m really looking forward to that challenge.” Though Wood said she

is excited to begin the process, she said accepting the offered position was not an easy decision. “It actually took me a couple of days to decide [to become the interim dean],” Wood said. “Professionally, there are many benefits, but I was going to teach a class this semester, and I’m going to have to give that up. I’ll also have to cut back on my research for the year.” Wood said accepting the

Austin seeks public input in process of redistricting

position ultimately seemed like the best choice. “I just had to weigh factors,” she said. In a statement, Steven Leslie, the outgoing executive vice president and provost, said he is confident in Wood’s ability to lead the School of Engineering. “The Cockrell School of Engineering will be in the

WOOD

By Amanda Voeller @amandaliz94

City Council members will soon represent 10 districts in Austin, though the district lines are being discussed in public forums throughout the fall. A 14-person commission of citizens is working on a new redistricting plan called 10-ONE, which focuses on giving each area of Austin representation in City Council. In a commission meeting, psychology sophomore Ryan Rafols, the only student commissioner, said creating a district with a large student population would be beneficial for Austin. “It just makes perfect sense to have a student district,” Rafols said. “There are skyrocketing rent prices, transportation issues, all these problems with crime … These are all major issues that affect the student population.” Between 15 and 20 percent of Austin’s population is made up of students, Rafols said. “Since students are such a big segment of the city, it’s something that we’ll have to take into consideration,” 10-ONE Executive Director Craig Tounget said. Mary Ingle, vice president of Austin Neighborhoods Council, said in order for there to be a district primarily covering West Campus, there must be 78,000

page 3

WEST CAMPUS

Balloon attack victim tells his story By Alberto Long @albertolong

Government senior Bryan Davis said he used to be “flippant” toward issues of race and racism. That was before a water balloon was hurled at him outside the University Towers apartment complex — an assault, Davis says, that was motivated by the color of his skin. Davis soon became the central figure in a racially charged controversy. Tensions emerged as Davis’ own account of the incident conflicted with the police investigation, the University’s statements and news coverage, culminating in a student-led rally on campus. A second student reported a similar incident this past weekend, fueling the controversy. On Aug. 22, Davis was on his way to a friend’s house when he heard an explosion and felt a “slight sting” on the skin of his right calf.

BALLOON page 2

Charlie Pearce / Daily Texan Staff

Government senior Bryan Davis was targeted by a balloon outside of the University Towers on Aug. 22. He believes he was targeted because of the color of his skin and speculates similar instances are more common than publicly perceived.

LEGACY

bit.ly/dtvid

PUBLIC page 2

CAMPUS

Investigative reporter, Party on the Plaza emphasizes charity Texan alumnus dies By Sunny Stone @sunnysone95

By Cyrus Huncharek @chuncharek

UT and Daily Texan alumnus and investigative reporter Stephen Lee McGonigle died Aug. 24, after his fight with cancer. McGonigle was a 1975 graduate from the School of Journalism. After receiving a master’s degree from Northwestern University, he went on to do investigative work at The Dallas Morning News. McGonigle’s colleagues said he was a passionate Longhorn and watched UT football religiously, making it to many games. They said he always bragged about UT and loved the University. During his time at The Dallas Morning News, McGonigle worked closely with the New Jersey-based organization Centurion Ministries to free Joyce Ann Brown who was wrongly accused of a murder and sentenced to life in prison. James McCloskey, executive director of Centurion Ministries, said the organization’s mission is to reinvestigate felony charges of execution or life in prison.

Stephen McGonigle 1953-2013

“Steve was the best investigative reporter I have ever worked with,” McCloskey said. Up until his death, McGonigle worked on trying to free Ben Spencer, whom McGonigle believed was wrongly sentenced to life in prison for a fatal robbery in Dallas. McCloskey said even as McGonigle was dying with cancer, Spencer’s incarceration still worried him. “Steve felt that he could have done more for Ben,” McCloskey said. Ed Timms, a Dallas Morning News reporter said

ALUMNUS page 2

RecSports made several changes to its annual fundraising event, Party on the Plaza, to reach its $5,000 fundraising goal and better allow organizations to showcase themselves. The event, held Wednesday at the Gregory Gym Plaza, had a philanthropic element: All participating organizations were required to donate $20 to the Student Emergency Fund during registration. In the past, Party on the Plaza organizers have donated a cumulative $55,000 to the Student Emergency Fund. The Student Emergency Fund provides limited financial assistance to currently enrolled students who are unable to meet immediate expenses because of an emergency, according to the Dean of Students website. “We’re just really excited about … how willing students are to come out and support causes as good as the Student Emergency Fund,” said Taylor Pousson, co-chair for the planning committee.

Helen Fernandez / Daily Texan Staff

Junior Whitney McClain, business sophomore Eugena Hwang and undeclared sophomore Sara Stuckly sing to recruit members for their a cappella group at Party on the Plaza on Wednesday.

“[It] really helps students out.” Additional changes to this year’s event include student organization performances and a rock climbing wall, Pousson said. Party on the Plaza, the largest student organization event on campus, drew more than 200 student organizations this year.

Randall Ford, associate director of the Division of Recreational Sports, said the party fulfills two roles: It helps students find their niche on campus and it replenishes the Student Emergency Fund. “I think one of the big keys for student success is you find your niche on campus, whether that’s a student

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

LIFE&ARTS

ONLINE

Panel discusses impact of HB2 on UT students. PAGE 3

Why Pitts’ recommendation letter doesn’t matter. PAGE 4

Texas football looks to up its game against BYU. PAGE 6

Humans are still smarter than computers. PAGE 8

Sidewalk Stories captures experiences of strangers.

Deaf students attend meet-and-greet dinner. PAGE 3

One student’s thoughts on race at UT. PAGE 4

Houston Texans continue to make winning a habit. PAGE 6

Pentecostal church sees less speaking of tongues. PAGE 8

Check out a slideshow from Party on the Plaza dailytexanonline.com

org, or a job you have on campus or friends,” Ford said. “There’s something you find that ties you to a group or groups, and that, I think, contributes to your academic success at the University.” Ford has been the leading staff adviser to the student

PARTY

page 2

REASON TO PARTY

PAGE 7

2 2

Thursday, September 5, 2013

NEWS

FRAMES featured photo Volume 114, Issue 16

CONTACT US Main Telephone (512) 471-4591 Editor Laura Wright (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com Managing Editor Shabab Siddiqui (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com News Office (512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com Multimedia Office: (512) 471-7835 dailytexanmultimedia@ gmail.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

Helen Fernandez / Daily Texan Staff

Melton Penson works on a billboard on Guadalupe Street on Wednesday afternoon.

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

CORRECTION Correction: Because of a reporting error, an article about owning a bicycle on the UT campus that ran in the Sept. 3 issue of The Daily Texan misstated the brand of bikes aquired by the Orange Bike Project shop. The actual brand of bicycles is Giant hybrid bikes.

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.

TOMORROW’S WEATHER Low High

100

A haboob is coming!

PUBLIC

continues from page 1 registered voters in the area. Students in West Campus are underrepresented because even though it is the densest neighborhood in Austin, few residents filled out census cards in 2010, Ingle said. “The census cap for the redistricting isn’t adequate enough for the number of people that live there,” Ingle said. “It’s not going to make a difference to the redistricting effort.” This is the first time in Texas that a group of citizens, instead of a political group, has been in charge of redistricting, Tounget said. Currently, voters choose seven Austin City Council members in a city-wide election, but those members do not necessarily have to be from different areas of Austin. After redistricting, the City Council will consist of 10 members, one from each district in Austin. “Some of the areas have felt that they have been underrepresented,” Tounget

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

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laura Wright Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Riley Brands, Pete Stroud Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shabab Siddiqui Associate Managing Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elisabeth Dillon, Kelsey McKinney News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah White Associate News Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christine Ayala, Samantha Ketterer, Jordan Rudner Senior Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jacob Kerr, Alberto Long, Amanda Voeller Copy Desk Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sara Reinsch Associate Copy Desk Chiefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brett Donohoe, Reeana Keenen, Lan Le Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack Mitts Senior Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hirrah Barlas, Omar Longoria, Jenny Messer, Natasha Smith Multimedia Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pu Ying Huang, Alec Wyman Associate Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chelsea Purgahn Senior Photographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gabriella Belzer, Sam Ortega, Charlie Pearce, Shelby Tauber Senior Videographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Barron, Jackie Kuentsler, Dan Resler Life&Arts Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sarah Grace Sweeny Associate Life&Arts Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hannah Smothers, Alex Williams Senior Life&Arts Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stuart Railey, Jourden Sander, Elizabeth Williams Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris Hummer Associate Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stefan Scarfield Senior Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evan Berkowitz, Garrett Callahan, Brittany Lamas, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Sblendorio, Matt Warden Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Massingill Associate Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephanie Vanicek Senior Comics Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cody Bubenik, Ploy Buraparate, Hannah Hadidi, Aaron Rodriguez Director of Technical Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hayley Fick Special Ventures Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexa Ura Special Ventures Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christine Ayala, Hannah Smothers, Zachary Strain Special Projects Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Natasha Smith Enterprise Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bobby Blanchard, Jordan Rudner Social Media Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Katie Paschall Journalism Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Michael Brick

Issue Staff

Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aaron Berecka, Shweta Gulati, Helen Fernandez

Business and Advertising

(512) 471-1865 | advertise@texasstudentmedia.com Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jalah Goette Business Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lori Hamilton Business Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barbara Heine Advertising Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CJ Salgado Advertising Salesperson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lindsey Hollingsworth Campus & National Sales Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joan Bowerman Event Coordinator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephanie Slabaugh Student Advertising Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Zach Congdon Student Assistant Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ted Sniderman Student Acct. Execs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chelsea Barrie, Aaron Blanco, Hannah Davis, Trevor Nelson Student Project Managers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rohan Needel and Christian Dufner Student Office Assistant/Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hannah Davis Senior Graphic Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel Hublein Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jacqui Bontke Special Editions/Production Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Gammon

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. News contributions will be accepted by telephone (471-4591), or at the editorial office (Texas Student Media Building 2.122). For local and national display advertising, call 471-1865. classified display advertising, call 4711865. For classified word advertising, call 471-5244. Entire contents copyright 2012 Texas Student Media.

The Daily Texan Mail Subscription Rates One Semester (Fall or Spring) $60.00 Two Semesters (Fall and Spring) 120.00 Summer Session 40.00 One Year (Fall, Spring and Summer) 150.00 To charge by VISA or MasterCard, call 471-5083. Send orders and address changes to Texas Student Media', P.O. Box D, Austin, TX 78713-8904, or to TSM Building C3.200, or call 471-5083. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Daily Texan, P.O. Box D, Austin, TX 78713.

Texan Ad Deadlines

said. “It’s going to give [underrepresented people] an opportunity to elect someone from their area to represent them.” The federal Voting Rights Act, written to prevent voting discrimination, is a priority on the 2012 City Charter Amendment that started this project, commission member Rachel Farris said. The Voting Rights Act requires that some districts must be minorityopportunity districts that allow minority groups to elect a representative, Tounget said. In addition to aligning with the Voting Rights Act, the commission will consider factors such as natural boundaries, neighborhoods and school districts. Rafols said he expects the City Council to be as diverse as the commission is. “It’s politically unfair to give someone more of a say in politics than anyone else,” Rafols said. Each district will include about 80,000 people, Tounget said. Between 450 and 500 people applied for the commission, and a group of local auditors chose the 60 most qualified applicants. Eight of those 60 people were chosen randomly, and to ensure balanced geographic and ethnic diversity, those eight people chose six others. The commission held four public input meetings regarding district boundaries in August, one for each precinct, and will hold four more in September. The commission will release a preliminary map in late September or early October and then hold at least four more public hearings, Tounget said. Most of the input has focused on keeping school districts and residential neighborhoods together. The commission intends for one of the meetings to be at the University, Tounget said. “I really enjoy hearing what people have to say at the public input hearings,” Farris said. “It’s really incredible to see the creativity and passion people have in their neighborhoods.” COLLEGE SKI & BOARD WEEK breckenridge

Vail • Beaver Creek • Keystone • Arapahoe Basin

20 Mountains. 5 Resorts. 1 Price.

FROM ONLY

plus t/s

9/5/13

Monday .............Wednesday, 12 p.m. Thursday.................Monday, 12 p.m. Tuesday.................Thursday, 12 p.m. Friday......................Tuesday, 12 p.m. Word Ads 11 a.m. Wednesday................Friday, 12 p.m. Classified (Last Business Day Prior to Publication)

WWW.UBSKI.COM

1-800-SKI-WILD • 1-800-754-9453

BALLOON

continues from page 1 “It felt like something small had jumped up and bit me,” Davis said. “I turned in the direction of the explosion. I saw the balloon and immediately went into a kind of shock. I was aware of the targeting and profiling of minorities in the area, so it all came together.” After consulting with friends, Davis reported the incident to police, University officials and the media. Davis’ case garnered national attention, and Davis said he received several phone calls and emails from students saying they had been assaulted in similar ways. “Some said they were spit on,” Davis said. “Others said they had been assaulted with glass from broken bottles.” Davis speculates that the number of students who have been subjected to these attacks is higher than what is publicly perceived, saying that many believe the incidents to be the “status quo” in the West Campus area. Over the weekend, the Campus Climate Response Team received a report of another balloon attack in the West Campus area. Ryan Miller, an educational administration graduate student and associate director of Campus Diversity and Strategic Initiatives, was unable to provide the location of the

incident, name of the student or contents of the balloon because of the ongoing nature of the case. Though Davis said he does not know what the second balloon was filled with, he thinks focusing on the bleach issue is secondary to a larger issue. “We’re beginning to see a pattern,” Davis said. “Even if the balloon was filled with butter or pudding, or whatever, [these incidents] are certainly symbolic because people know what those balloons mean to us.” On Aug. 27, UTPD told Davis that the APD detective assigned to his case was unavailable. Davis said UTPD proceeded to handle the investigation “unilaterally.” The APD detective assigned to Davis’ case could not be reached for comment. APD Cpl. David Boyd told The Daily Texan last week that APD’s investigation could not continue without a sworn statement from the victim. Boyd’s statement was inaccurate, as he was referring to pending investigations from 2012. Davis delivered his statement that same day. In the fall of 2012, several students reported similar incidents to police and University officials. “The people involved last year never showed any evidence,” Davis said. “APD hasn’t made any official public statements about my case yet.”

UTPD spokeswoman Cindy Posey confirmed Davis’ story. Posey said UTPD put considerable resources toward confirming the report of minorities being targeted with bleach-filled balloons last year, but were unable to confirm it after repeated requests for evidence went unanswered. “After media reports of a possible balloon incident, [former UTPD Chief of Police] Robert Dahlstrom asked students during a local media interview to come forward and report any incident where they were hit with a liquidfilled balloon or witnessed such an event,” Posey said. Posey said UTPD received more than 20 reports. However, the majority of reporting students were “Caucasian sorority females.” “Students came forward and confessed to throwing water-filled balloons, targeting no particular groups,” Posey said. “They were referred to Student Judicial Services.” Although his perception of Austin as a culturally diverse and tolerant place has not changed, Davis said racism is ingrained in many students attending UT. “A lot of people will say, ‘Oh, it’s just a balloon,’” Davis said. “But for others, it’s really not funny. It’s a reminder of the racial exclusion that pervades this campus.”

PARTY

continues from page 1 committee since the event began in 1999. The party began as a resurrection of the Spirit of Sport All-Nighter, a back-to-school carnival hosted when the RecSports center first opened. The event originally hosted live concerts and screened movies. When student attendance tapered off, the event was refocused to showcase Helen Fernandez / Daily Texan Staff student organizations and Dalai Reilly rides a mechanical bull at Party on the Plaza on the hours were adjusted to Wednesday afternoon. elicit the strongest student attendance. “Because UT’s so huge, it’s Biology junior Leah The event’s planning starts Rushin, who represented pretty much impossible to in the spring every year, SURGe, an undergraduate walk into a room and find Pousson said. Registration research group, said Party on people you like,” Rushin for organizations opens be- the Plaza allows organizations said. “Intrastudent societies tween the end of July and the to interact with students and are the best ways to make beginning of August. friends around here.” find prospective members.

ALUMNUS

continues from page 1 McGonigle’s work helped not only to overturn felony sentences, but also to influence how juries are selected today. Timms said most juries in Dallas were all white prior to McGonigle’s work, and McGonigle’s articles helped diversify the selection for fairer sentencing. “He was an incessant reporter who never let the pressures

divert him, he had a mission and he was going to complete it,” Timms said. Timms said McGonigle used his investigative skills to get to the bottom of a case. His main goal was to help people who were truly in need, without giving into the pressure of the community or editors, according to Timms. Randy Loftis, a Dallas Morning News reporter and friend of McGonigle’s, said

news in Texas will never be the same. “We have fairer jury selection and an innocent woman is no longer in prison all because Steve really believed in what he was doing,” Loftis said. McGonigle is survived by his wife, Kristine Imherr, his parents, George and Martha Ann McGonigle, and his two children. A memorial service will be held Friday at Sparkman Funeral Home in Dallas.

W&N 3

NEWS

Thursday, September 5, 2013

CAMPUS

Panel discusses women’s rights By Brigit Benestante @BBenestante

House Bill 2, which passed in the Texas Legislature this summer, will result in the closure of all but six abortion clinics in Texas, which some say might have implications for UT students. On Wednesday, the LBJ School of Public Affairs’ Feminist Policy Alliance and The Texas Observer co-hosted a panel on the effects HB 2 will have on Texas women. The panel, Stand for Women’s Health in Texas, featured Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, local activist Jessica Luther and Heather Busby, who works with National Abortion Rights Action League [NARAL]. Dave Mann, editor of The Texas Observer, moderated the event. Mann said interest in the subject was obvious following Wendy Davis’, D-Fort Worth, 11-hour filibuster to block the bill. Though Davis’ filibuster did not last until midnight, disruptions from the crowd gathered in the Capitol delayed a vote on the bill until the legislative session was already over. The bill was passed in a special session mandated by Gov. Ricky Perry. “We want to open discussion around the issue of manwomen’s health … Obviously medthere was a lot of energy around the filibuster this on-summer,” Mann said. ward The panel centered around miwith ear, m it continues from page 1 evihands of a distinguished and of askillful leader as Sharon Wood ent,assumes her responsibilities Po-as interim dean,” Leslie said in kedthe statement. “She has been ediaan integral part of the Cockrell wardleadership team and has the hereresearch and administrative uidssed

ved owortsian

ward owons, ular They dent

n of erse not m is ents

say, avis ally r of per-

Staff

, it’s to find hin ties ake

WOOD

the implications of these stricter guidelines on abortion clinics, what could be done to address their affects and what could be done to change them. Farrar was a vocal opponent of HB 2 during the summer’s legislative sessions. “You’re going to see more women having more unwanted pregnancies,” Farrar said. “You’ve got health care providers saying, ‘We are opposed to this.’ … It was political motivation to pass this bill, this wasn’t a response to any complaints from the clinics.” Luther said basic preventative health care for women would also be adversely affected by the bill. “The clinics you see shut down don’t only do abortions, so reproductive health will be affected,” Luther said. “We need to keep reminding the

state and legislatures that we are here and we’re still angry.” Luther, Farrar and Busby also discussed ways they planned to react to the bill. Farrar stated that there is a lawsuit in the works. “This bill is closing affordable clinics for women, making it harder for college-aged women and low income women to get what they need,” Busby said. “I’ve got people calling and saying ‘What can I do now? What can I do to help?’” Luther said pro-abortion supporters and organizations may begin to bus women from rural areas across the state to abortion clinics that are still open in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin. “That’s exciting to see Texans taking responsibility … It’s really concrete activism,” Luther said.

Shweta Gulati / Daily Texan Staff

Lisa Guerra and Rogelio Fernandez converse using sign language at the Deaf and Hard of Hearing meet-and-greet event.

Deaf students seek community, work to create support network By Julia Brouillette @juliakbrou

Aaron Berecka / Daily Texan Staff

Local women’s rights activist Nancy Ward addresses the crowd at Wednesday’s Stand for Women’s Health in Texas panel.

acumen to continue to propel the school in developing engineering leaders for tomorrow.” Wood said she hopes her visibility as a female dean will help inspire new female engineering students. “It’s important for women to have role models,” Wood said. “It’s important to see women as faculty members,

department chairs and in the administration.” Wood, a fourth-generation civil engineer, said her role models were her family members. “I decided I wanted to be a civil engineer when I was about eight years old,” Wood said. “My dad took me out to a construction site.”

Of the 54 Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) students currently attending UT, only a few have ever had the chance to interact with each other — but DHH students and Services for Students with Disabilities are working to change that. Dozens of DHH students met for the first time at an informal meet-and-greet dinner Tuesday. Lauren Kinast, associate director for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, said she noticed the lack of unification among DHH students shortly after her arrival on campus. “I often have students asking, ‘How many DHH students are there here at UT?’ and ‘Where do I find them? How do I meet them?’ [and] this is one way we hope to bring them together,” Kinast said.

Plan II senior Duggan Baker planned the event in conjunction with David Simmons, a linguistics lecturer who teaches sign language. Baker said he wanted to connect with a larger community. “I became deaf right when I was born,” Baker said. “I grew up going to school with hearing students, but when I came to college I had a little trouble adjusting. I was quiet, and I didn’t want to have to explain my deafness to everyone.” DHH students like Baker have formed small groups like SignHorns, a Facebook page designed to connect students to the deaf community on campus and in Austin. Students can also participate in College Bowl — an academic competition hosted by the National Association of the Deaf. History senior Lisa Guerra, a College Bowl contestant, said her experience

with the competition opened up more opportunities for her to socialize and make friends on campus. “It was like a culture shock for me,” Guerra said. “I had never seen so many deaf people all in one place, signing and communicating.” Still, Simmons said many students have yet to get involved or find a sense of community. “DHH students still feel very isolated and invisible on campus,” Simmons said. “We are looking to improve the quality of life for them.” At the meet-and-greet dinner, linguistics department Chair Richard Meier said the department is working on several new initiatives related to DHH students, including adding an American Sign Language minor. Baker said he hopes to hold more informal events in the future and to eventually unite all DHH students on campus.

4A OPINION

LAURA WRIGHT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / @DTeditorial Thursday, September 5, 2013

EDITORIAL

In Texas higher ed, leave petty politics behind On Tuesday, state Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, confirmed to the Texas Tribune that he wrote a letter of recommendation to the University of Texas Law School on behalf of his son, who was later admitted to the school. The possibilities for an abuse of power in this scenario are obvious, but the answers as to why controversies such as this have dominated conversations about higher education in Texas for the past several months are not. Pitts issued his statement on Tuesday in response to allegations made by Regent Wallace Hall about state officials influencing the admissions process at both UT-Austin and the School of Law. Hall claims he discovered these abuses of power through documents unearthed in an open records request. Hall, of course, is the UT System regent now infamous for being investigated by a House committee on transparency for possible impeachment. It’s not quite clear what Hall has done to deserve the threat of impeachment — only two state officials, both of whom were elected, have been impeached in Texas history,

and both were impeached for clear criminal activity. There’s no indication yet that Hall has committed a crime. It is, however, well known that Hall is a real pest when it comes to plaguing the University with burdensome open records requests. Previous records requests by Hall to UT-Austin have been so expansive in scope that they’ve necessitated the hiring of additional staffers in the president’s office just to process them. But back to the recommendation letter: Pitts denies having exerted any undue influence on the admissions process at the Law School, and at present (Pitts hasn’t released the letter itself), there’s no proof that his having provided a recommendation letter to his son is anything worse than misguided and tacky, despite Hall’s allegations. “This is nothing more than a pathetic, cowardly attempt by Mr. Hall’s allies — and possibly Mr. Hall himself — to distract from important questions about whether our flagship university system is being run appropriately,” Pitts said to the National Review of the situation. Pitts, incidentally, recently announced

COLUMN

he is retiring, which he says has nothing to do with Hall’s allegations. He did, however, tell the Texas Tribune that he was tempted to run for re-election because he would “really like to stay and fight this Wallace Hall thing.” It’s hard to even begin unraveling the complicated politics that lead us to spend precious time making fights out of people instead of policy issues. But we are sure of one thing: at the height of the regents controversy in 2011, the conversation at least had something to do with important changes to higher education policy. Now, what’s left of the battle seems just as ridiculous as the e-mail Gov. Rick Perry sent to several regents earlier this year that encouraged them to stand strong against “peacocks and charlatans.” In other words, Pitts’ influence over his son’s admission to the Law School — or lack thereof — isn’t worth discussing on a statewide stage, especially in a state with such large higher education challenges. Is using your political position to exert undue influence on the admissions process wrong? Absolutely. But is a case of

Pitts’ influence over his son’s admission to the Law School — or lack thereof — isn’t worth discussing on a statewide stage, especially in a state with such large higher education challenges. unconfirmed preferential treatment for a single applicant to the Law School worth debating for two months at the highest level of university system governance? Not for a second. The UT System had several victories this legislative session (the establishment of the new Rio Grande university and medical school, for one) as well as painful defeats (the failure of tuition revenue bonds, used to fund campus construction projects.) And yet, the conversation seems stuck in the gear of petty political skirmishes. It’s far past time for us to all grow up and move on.

HORNS UP: SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BENEFITS FOR VETERANS At odds with the Texas National Guard’s announcement Tuesday that it won’t grant benefits to same-sex couples, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told leaders in Congress on Wednesday that the Obama administration would no longer enforce a law preventing same-sex spouses of veterans from receiving benefits. The move piggybacks on the Supreme Court’s rationale in the June decision to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act. Although it’s not clear what effect the Justice Department’s ruling will have on the National Guard’s policy, Holder’s announcement is a step in the right direction for LGBTQ rights.

HORNS DOWN: SHAKY CONCEALED CARRY CERTIFICATION

Charlie Pearce / Daily Texan Staff

University Towers, the West Campus apartment complex at which the alleged attack on Bryan Davis took place.

Incoming freshmen: Bleach bombs happen. Report them. By Kalyan Venkatraj Guest Columnist

The reported “bleach bomb” attack on student Bryan Davis that occurred on Aug. 22 is one chapter in our campus’ long narrative of violence against people of color. Last Wednesday, thousands of new students attended their first day of undergraduate classes. Some, like me, grew up in a predominantly homogeneous, alienating city (In my case, College Station) and made the exodus to Austin hoping that its mythic status as a “blue dot in a sea of red” would provide a more accepting, engaging space. Much of this is folly. Here are three things you should know about your University: 1) UT is not a color-blind, post-racial, or anti-racist oasis. The university as an institution has always been America’s laboratory of the multicultural project. Our University is no different in its attempts to foster a more “inclusive” environment. There are constant forums, events and presentations dedicated to crafting solidarities, educating students and creating a plural environment. However, these initiatives are lacking as an ameliorative policy. Although The Daily Texan’s coverage of the incident has explained the confusion surrounding whether the attack on Davis was racially motivated, most people of color with experiential knowledge of our University will attest to experiencing either implicit or explicit racism. As a member of a South Asian-Interest fraternity and a student in the African Diaspora studies department, I am

You shouldn’t be surprised if you feel ostracized by the pervasive culture of privilege. The Bryan Davis incident is not isolated; he just chose to report it.

able to interact with a multitude of communities on the subject of race and racism. You shouldn’t be surprised if you feel ostracized by the pervasive culture of privilege. The Bryan Davis incident is not isolated; he just chose to report it. 2) West Campus is kind of scary sometimes. During the day, the neighborhood is a picturesque cloistered college town. At night, as the drinks get poured, the area becomes raucous. This is when and where assaults of all sorts are made. Student Government President Horacio Villarreal released a tactful statement concerning the attack, in which he made the claim that “our campus has become increasingly inclusive since I first stepped onto the 40 Acres.” I appreciate Villarreal’s comments, but I disagree that our school has become holistically more inclusive in the past four years. As The Daily Texan pointed out last month, West Campus is becoming increasingly insulated. Skyrocketing property prices don’t just “strain” students; they filter the students who can afford West Campus’ convenient location and amenities from those who cannot. As a result, the student body is becoming compartmentalized. West Campus, which is home to a saturnalia of Greek houses, is also arguably home to the majority of attacks on students of color. Some strides have been made but Greek institutions of all types need to continue to stamp out racism. 3)There’s reason to be optimistic. Despite our University’s chronic problems dealing with race, I am optimistic that the hate and bigotry will be reconciled. There are great organizations all over campus and I am sure you will find your niche — perhaps many. If you ever encounter an attack, racially motivated, verbal, physical, whatever it may be, do what Davis did and have the courage to talk about it. You have allies here. Venkatraj is a government senior from College Station.

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.

A knife fight at a suburban Houston high school has put the spotlight on a measure that proponents argue will make Texas schools safer. Under the program, which took effect Sunday, school officials could qualify to carry weapons on school property. While the Protection of Texas Children Act, as it is known, may reassure parents of Texas schoolchildren, we worry about the law’s certification requirements. Proponents of the bill likened the training course to the rigorous training federal air marshals undergo, but the differences between the two are stark: Those packing heat in our school’s halls will clock roughly half the hours of an air marshal trainee.

HORNS UP: DAYS WHEN THE RAINS CAME Oh, this weather! As of 8 p.m. Wednesday, storm clouds were rumbling over the Daily Texan’s basement office. The ominous sounds emanating from the sky belied an unusual sense of agreement on Twitter over the beauty of the rain. Even Empower Texans’ Michael Quinn Sullivan, whose tweets usually lean... aggressive, showed his softer side by tweeting, “Amazing lightning storm moving by -- no rain yet, but beautiful to see!”

HORNS DOWN: TED, TAKE A LITTLE TIME TO THINK In an interview with TheBlaze on Tuesday, Sen. Ted Cruz took the time to give a choice sound bite when he stated that the U.S. should not get involved in Syria because we shouldn’t be serving as “Al Qaeda’s air force.” The problem with his comments isn’t that he expressed a position on invading Syria but rather the way in which he did it: callously and without the thoughtfulness other leaders in both parties have displayed.

EDITORIAL

Your headline goes right here Editor’s Note: Tryouts for Opinion and all other Daily Texan departments are currently underway and will continue until Friday, Sept. 13. Apply online at the Texan website or walk into our office at 2500 Whitis Avenue. If you’re a student at the University of Texas, it’s safe to assume that you’re interested in learning valuable skills, preparing for a career and making a name for yourself. If you fit that description and don’t have a million-dollar NFL contract awaiting you, there’s no better place at UT to accomplish all three of those goals than The Daily Texan. Everyone who has ever worked for the Texan will attest that however competent a writer they were before they started, their skills grew more than they ever expected as a result of the job. At the Texan, you’ll learn through practice and example to write intelligently, professionally, compellingly and on a quick deadline. You’ll also learn to represent something much bigger than yourself, alongside some of the most talented and driven members of the UT community.

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

Whether you’re interested in a career in journalism or not, the skills you learn at the Texan will serve you well for the rest of your life. As an opinion columnist in particular, you’ll have your views read, considered and critiqued by an audience of thousands on one of the nation’s biggest university campuses. You’ll choose your topic so you can find what’s important to you as a UT student and have a space to show the rest of the 40 Acres why your issue-of-choice should be important to all of us, too. As wide-ranging as your column’s impact can be, the words will be yours to show off, now and for years to come. This is a hiring pitch, obviously, but let it also serve as a word to the wise. You’re fortunate enough to attend a university with one of the largest and most award-winning student newspapers in America. Texan staffers go on to great things, and they can attribute much of their success to their time here. It’d be a shame to let that opportunity go to waste.

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

CLASSIFIEDS THE DAILY TEXAN

UNS AD IRNE FOR ONL

E! FRE ad s

only

Self-serve, 24/7 on the Web at www.DailyTexanOnline.com

HOUSING RENTAL

400 Condos-Townhouses 1900 SAN GABRIEL Unit 108, West Campus. Huge, unique town home, 2 BR, 1 1/2 BA, garage- $1600/mo. 512 476-7059 or 512-484-7166

420 Unf. Houses UT 7 BLOCKS 2008 E 22ND 3 bedrooms 1 1/2 baths complete remodel, hardwoods, new appliances $1,895.00 512-467-8001

ANNOUNCEMENTS

510 Entertainment-Tickets

THE MUSIC FEST.COM AT STEAM BOAT 530 Travel - Transportation COLLEGE SKI & BOARD WEEK Breckenridge • Vail • Keystone Beaver Creek • Arapahoe Basin

breckenridge

20 Mountains. 5 Resorts. 1 Price.

783 Internship

791 Nanny Wanted

INTERN FOR @SMACKTALK Need clever sportswriters to intern / tweet for @smacktalk DirectMessage for more information

790 Part Time BARTENDING! $300/DAY POTENTIAL No experience necessary. Training available. Age 18+. 800-9656520 ext. 113

FUN JOB, GREAT PAY! Mad Science needs animated instructors to conduct entertaining hands-on, after-school programs and/or children’s birthday parties in Austin area schools. Must have dependable car, be available after 1:00pm at least two weekdays, and prior experience working with groups of elementary age children. We provide the training and equipment. If you enjoy working with children and are looking to work only a few hours per week, this is the job for you! Pay: $25 - $35 per 1 hr. class. Call 892-1143 or website at www.austin.madscience.com STUDENTPAYOUTS. COM Paid Survey Takers Needed in Austin. 100% FREE to Join! Click on Surveys. PART-TIME MEDICAL CSR’S Needed for data entry and answering phones. Email resume to: humanresourcedept1 @travismedical.com

FROM ONLY

ADVERTISING TERMS There are no refunds or credits. In the event of errors made in advertisement, notice must be given by 10 am the fi rst day of publication, as the publishers are responsible for only ONE incorrect insertion. In consideration of The Daily Texan’s acceptance of advertising copy for publication, the agency and the advertiser will indemnify and save harmless, Texas Student Media and its officers, employees and agents against all loss, liability, damage and expense of whatsoever nature arising out of the copying, printing or publishing of its advertisement including without limitation reasonable attorney’s fees resulting from claims of suits for libel, violation of right of privacy, plagiarism and copyright and trademark infringement. All ad copy must be approved by the newspaper which reserves the right to request changes, reject or properly classify an ad. The advertiser, and not the newspaper, is responsible for the truthful content of the ad. Advertising is also subject to credit approval.

plus t/s

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: Opportunity for efficient detail-oriented UT graduate student. $20 hour. As needed basis. CHILDCARE HELP Tarrytown family looking for afternoon help with kids (12, 8). 512-6268426

WWW.UBSKI.COM 600 West 28th St, Suite #102

1-800-SKI-WILD • 1-800-754-9453

super tuesday COUPONS

560 Public Notice

clip and

WANT TO BECOME A NOTARY? Contact 512-291-5400

every week

EMPLOYMENT

766 Recruitment

$5,500-$10,000 PAID EGG DONORS SAT>1100/ACT>24/GPA>3.0 N/ Smokers, All Races Needed! Ages 18-26. Reply to: info@eggdonorcenter.com

PICK UP DOUBLE COVERAGE EVERY FRIDAY

791 Nanny Wanted

AFTER SCHOOL HELP WANTED

PART TIME NANNY Care for 2 boys 11 and 15. M-F 3:30 -6pm. Pick up from school, help with HW and driving to sports events. Lbrucker@austin.rr.com. Start September 4th, car needed. 512791-0803

AFTER SCHOOL SITTER NEEDED

CAMPAIGN STAFF NEEDED! Staff needed for progressive political campaign! Flexible schedule and competitive hourly wages. Call (512) 981-6380.

After-school help wanted for easy-going 9-year old 4th-grade girl. Pick up from school and supervise homework in N. W. Hills area. Schedule and duties negotiable, but generally 4-6.30 p.m., M-F. GREAT PAY. Call, text or e-mail with your interest. 512431-9518

Looking for a responsible, positive person to help with transportation and homework for one middle school age boy. Flexible hours

PART-TIME BABYSITTER NEEDED Looking for a responsible student to pick up our 8th grade daughter 4 times/week from school and drive her home or to a lesson. Approx. 8 hours/week, $12/hour plus help with gas. Please call or text: 512-619-4898

800 General Help Wanted

870 Medical

approx. 3:30-7:30p 3 days /week $14/hr plus gas Call or text 512-924-8008 AFTER SCHOOL TUTOR 8 & 10 y/o homework and activities. Need car. West Bee Cave. $15/hr daily 3-5 pm 512-263-8135

GRAD STUDENT LIVE IN

Needed male or female grad student with great personal references to live with family, kids ages 12-15. Must be on call 2 pm-8pm M-F. Free private room + bath in exchange for picking kids up from school, taking to activities, tutoring in Math (4 hours per week) and help on any homework needed. Keep kitchen clean and various other duties around the house - willing to be an integral part of a fun family. Must be Christian, drug free, enjoy being a role model and like dogs /cats. Must supply reliable, clean car with good driving record. Take students to crewing from Lakeway to Town lake 4 days per week. Handy with keeping house in shape, knowledge on asthma and EpiPens a plus. Great accomodations at Lake Travis. Send resume and personal note via email to carolyn3939@att.net

RECYCLE RECYCLE

Seeks College-Educated Men 18–39 to Participate in a Six-Month Donor Program

Donors average $150 per specimen. Apply on-line

www.123Donate.com

FOR SALE

SEE WHAT OUR

ONLINE SYSTEM

has to offer, and place YOUR AD NOW!

REMEMBER! you saw it in the Texan

Sell Hobbies

AUSTIN POSTCARD & PAPER SHOW The Capital of Texas Postcard Club Presents a One-Day Show Featuring Antique & Vintage Postcards and Paper Saturday, September 28, 2013 The Norris Conference Center 2525 W. Anderson Lane Austin, TX 78757 Hours: 9:00 AM ñ 5:00 PM Admission: Adults $2.00 Buy ñ Sell ñ Trade Appraisals http//:www.ctxpc.org https//:www.facebook.com/ ctxpc ctxpc@ctxpc.or

BUSINESS

930 Business Opportunities YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR PROGRAM Young Entrepreneur Program designed for you! $1,000,000,000 the first year as a company. Limited availability 512-924-7978

visit dailytexanonline.com

recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle recycle

dailytexanclassifieds.com

Need to have your wisdom teeth removed?

Presented by

NEXT TAILGATE:

We have a research study. Right now, PPD is looking for qualified participants

SEPT. 14th

for a post-surgical pain relief research study of an investigational medication. Surgery for qualified study participants will be performed by a board certified oral surgeon. Receive up to $500 upon study

LOOK FOR THE DAILY TEXAN TENT AT THE CORNER OF MLK & BRAZOS SPECIAL THANKS TO:

TEXASNT STUDDEIA ME

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The Daily Texan • TSTV • KVRX • Texas Travesty • Cactus Yearbook visit us at WWW.UTEXAS.EDU/TSM

completion and the surgery is performed at no cost.

512-462-0492

For information, call Text “PPD” to 48121 to receive study information

Carter Goss Broadcast Manager & Sponsorships P 512.475.6721 E cartergoss@austin.utexas.edu

DailyTexanClassifieds.com

d wor

CLASS 5

6 SPORTS

CHRIS HUMMER, SPORTS EDITOR / @texansports Thursday, September 5, 2013

FOOTBALL

Texas to elevate game at BYU By Peter Sblendorio

David Ash and the rest of the Longhorns trained in the offseason for the higher altitude in Provo, Utah. There, the air is thinner making it more difficult to breath. The players ran drills in silicone masks that restricted their airflow, simulating the effects at higher altitude.

@petersblendorio

Four years ago, the Longhorns thrashed Wyoming 41-10 in their first road game of 2009. Despite the impressive score, head coach Mack Brown believes his team struggled to adjust to the higher altitude in Laramie. “We didn’t handle it well at Wyoming a couple years ago,” Brown said. “It got to us.” Texas will face a similar issue this week when it travels to Provo, Utah to take on Brigham Young University. Although Provo’s elevation is considerably lower than Laramie’s, junior quarterback David Ash expects the thinner air to have a slight impact. “I’m sure there will be an adjustment,” Ash said. “We played in Wyoming a few years ago at 7,000 feet. It was tough on some guys. This is half that, 4,000 feet. There will be an adjustment, but I think we’ve got plenty of depth and I think we’ll be okay.” A number of Longhorns seconded Ash, stressing that the team’s depth allows it to filter productive reserves in throughout the game to keep the starters fresh. Because of this, junior linebacker Jordan Hicks doesn’t expect the

Shelby Tauber Daily Texan Staff

change in elevation to affect the game. “We don’t expect it to,” Hicks said. “We’re playing two deep everywhere, so we hope that gives an advantage. We’re not worried about the altitude; we’re just ready to go.” Sophomore running back Johnathan Gray said the coaching staff has emphasized the importance of being in prime physical condition for the matchup against the Cougars. Thinner air makes it harder for oxygen

to reach a person’s muscles, making strong conditioning a must in preparing for the increased elevation. “Coaches are just [stressing] hydrating and getting extra conditioning in,” Gray said. “We’re just doing things that help us prepare.” Senior defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat is particularly unlikely to be affected by the altitude increase after spending the offseason training in Colorado. Jeffcoat was one of many Longhorns to wear a mask that reduced oxygen as

a conditioning exercise over the summer, but he believes it’s hard to emulate the difference in air pressure without playing in it. “[The masks] were really just to get in shape,” Jeffcoat said. “They were the kind of thing to just teach us how to breath with limited oxygen. It’s different when you are actually in [higher altitude]. They understand there’s going to be a difference in the air. The air is thinner.” Brown is used to preparing for games in high elevation,

as his Texas teams made regular trips to Colorado when the Buffaloes were in the Big 12. Although none of his current players ever made the trip to Boulder, Brown considers his team’s depth and preparation to be enough for the Longhorns to be ready for Saturday. “We usually handled it well at Boulder,” Brown said. “We’ve been talking about this for a year. Provo isn’t as high as Boulder. I think we’re ready for it and depth should help us.”

Texans’ weapons make winning a habit @callahangarrett

Not too long ago, a team could walk into a game

MLB ASTROS

TWINS

RANGERS

ATHLETICS

SPORTS BRIEFLY

NFL

By Garrett Callahan

SIDELINE

against the Houston Texans and mark it on its schedule as an easy win. That’s not the case anymore. Only two years off their

first franchise playoff appearance, the Texans have made winning a habit. The team has back-to-back 10-plus win seasons along with a pair

Live life above the rest. 2101 Rio Grande Suite 1001 Austin TX 78705

Salt water pool converts to giant hot tub Fitness Center overlooks downtown Floor to ceiling windows Fido Friendly all sizes Granite countertops

$ 500

off

1st Month’s Rent

$ 500

Southwest Airline Gift Card Limited time offer/ subject to change

of division titles. Now the Texans are an offensive threat. The power of Arian Foster with DeAndre Hopkins, the team’s new weapon at receiver, should mean the team will be hard to stop both in the air and on the ground. Foster, even with a decreasing yards-per-carry average every year since 2011, ran for 15 touchdowns last season, which led the league. You can expect more of the same from one of the most consistent runners in the NFL and his backfield partner Ben Tate. The passing game should also see a boost since Andre Johnson isn’t the only threat for Houston anymore. The Texans drafted Hopkins in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft, and the big-play threat from Clemson University should alleviate some of the double teams Johnson would usually see. On the other side of the ball, the Texans have built themselves to become a defensive powerhouse. Houston has arguably the best defensive player in the league in J.J. Watt. His passrushing ability often attracts a double team, which opens up holes for his fellow linemen. The Texans have gathered more leadership on defense as well. Linebacker Brian Cushing, who missed the majority of the 2012 season with a knee injury, recently signed a six-year contract extension, locking up the five-year veteran and securing a key piece for the defense.

Texan fans keep asking when it will be their year to host a Super Bowl Parade. Maybe this will be the year, but if not, it won’t be too far in the future. In the secondary, the Texans signed Ed Reed from the Super Bowl champion Ravens to lead a young group that has struggled in the past. Last season the Texans finished 16th in the NFL against the pass, and in the pass-happy American Football Conference, Reed will make a difference. He also brings a much-needed championship presence to the team. Reed knows what it’s like to win, and he’ll bring that mentality into the locker room. The Texans are doing everything right to make a Super Bowl run. Now they just have to produce. Houston starts the first season with what should be easy wins against San Diego and Tennessee. After that, the Texans will face a threeweek stretch against the top two teams from last season — Baltimore and San Francisco — and the top team in ESPN’s Week 1 Power Rankings — Seattle. Texan fans keep asking when it will be their year to host a Super Bowl Parade. Maybe this will be the year, but if not, it won’t be too far in the future.

21Rio.com 512.391.1991 Patric Schneider / Associated Press

Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub and the rest of the roster look to better their playoff results this season after the additon of safety Ed Reed and the return of Brian Cushing.

Spieth selected for Presidents Cup spot

Jordan Spieth started the season without status on any tour. He ends it by going to the Presidents Cup. Fred Couples used his captain’s picks Wednesday on the 20-year-old Spieth and Webb Simpson to fill out his 12-man team, making Spieth the youngest American to play in the Presidents Cup since it began in 1994. “I’m just super stoked,” Spieth said. Spieth was just starting his sophomore year at Texas a year ago when he decided to turn pro at the end of 2012, even though he failed to get out of the second stage of PGA Tour qualifying and was not a member of any tour. He played well enough to earn special temporary status on the PGA Tour, won the John Deere Classic in July and lost in a playoff last month at the Wyndham Championship. He is assured of being the first player since Tiger Woods in 1996 to start a season without status and reach the Tour Championship. Couples left out young players his last two times as captain — Dustin Johnson in 2009, Keegan Bradley in 2011, even though Bradley had won the PGA Championship for his second win as a rookie. The captain said he had help from his team “and probably all of the United States” in taking Spieth. Couples said not taking Bradley in 2011 “wore on me a little bit,” especially after watching Bradley play well at the Ryder Cup a year later. “I’m going with the young guy and our whole team is excited,” Couples said. “We have a great team, but to pick Jordan I think was the right move.”

Brian Waters signs with Dallas Cowboys

IRVING, Texas — Brian Waters is back in the locker room of the Dallas Cowboys for the first time since he was an undrafted rookie trying to make the team as a fullback or tight end 14 years ago. Now he’s a six-time Pro Bowler who played guard for Kansas City and New England. Injuries have created such a need at his position that the Cowboys brought him back days before the start of the season after a year away from football. Waters scoffs at the idea of being a “savior.” He says he is simply trying to help a “supremely talented” team. The 36-year-old doesn’t know if he will play in the opener Sunday night against the New York Giants. —Associated Press

COMICS 7

COMICS Thursday, September 5, 2013

Prep to the highest degree.

SUDOKUFORYOU t

5 4 7

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

SUDOKUFORYOU

S5 4 7 7 8 3 9 2 U 8 9 8 6 1 2 8 9 D 8 13O9 2 3 57 6 4 7 2 1 8K 6 59 7 1 5 3 U 8 1 2 9

Arrrtmatey. This scurrvy beast is today’s answerrrrrr.

5 4 7

Crop it out, or it’ll be the the fishes for ya!

2 3 4 9 1 7 6 5 8

6 8 7 3

8 9 6 1 5 4 1 6 7 2 4 5 9 8 5 7 8 3 9 6 1 2 4 5 2 8 1 3 6 7 6 2 3 4 7 8 5 9 3 8 9 5 6 2 4 1 9 3 4 7 2 1 8 5 2 4 1 9 8 7 3 6 7Today’s 1 solution 5 6will appear 3 9here2tomorrow 4

Today’s solution will appear here tomorrow

4 9 2 7 6 1 3 5 8

6 7 5 3 8 2 4 1 9

8 3 1 4 9 5 6 7 2

5 6 9 8 7 4 2 3 1

2 1 4 9 5 3 7 8 6

7 8 3 2 1 6 9 4 5

3 5 8 6 2 7 1 9 4

1 2 7 5 4 9 8 6 3

S U D O K U F O R Y O U

9 4 6 1 3 8 5 2 7

Available:

1 Delivery

specialists, for short 4 Something groundbreaking 10 Tiny bit of kindling 14 Chinese calendar figure 15 Seagoing vessels 16 Refine 17 With 22-Across, fail to cope with difficult circumstances 20 ___ Diurna (daily Roman notices) 21 She, in Italy 22 See 17-Across 23 Tolkien’s Dark Lord of Mordor 25 Belts boxers don’t want to receive? 27 With 35-Across, highway sign meaning “slow down” 34 Fist-pounding sort

S U D

35 36 40 41

42 43 45

50 51 53 56 59 60

63 64 65

T H R O N E S

A T H W A R T R E U N I T E

A N A E M I A A R S E N A L

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

S C H W A S I S L A N D E R

U R I A H

R E N T

F A D E

See 27-Across Ritually torments Unit of energy British poet laureate ___ Day-Lewis Whimsical outburst Ingredient in an Arnold Palmer With 51-Across, Monaco has the world’s highest The Yoko of “Oh Yoko!” See 45-Across Graceless landing, say Hindu noblewoman World Cup chorus What the three sets of shaded squares in this puzzle represent Terse invitation Too much Poetic preposition

S K I R M T R I M O O S O N O H T E M O D L A I D E D T A R E R L O P E E S T S

I R K T E E D M O I O T H A S L Y P A P A

LiveOnline

code DailyTexan$150 TheUse New promo York Times Syndication Sales Corporation to save $150 on classroom prep. 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Thursday, September 5, 2013 PrincetonReview.com | 800-2Review

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE M A S S I F S

In Person

Crossword

ACROSS

8 2

MCAT® | LSAT® | GMAT® | GRE®

C O A X I N G

E T H A N O L

S E N S A T E

A S P I R E R

W I E N E R S

S E A G A T E

66 67 68

Some Groucho Marx humor Tarnishes Greek night goddess

DOWN

1 Black-and-

white threats people get loaded on a train 3 Center of a square, maybe 4 See 29-Down 5 Language learner’s goal 6 Particle accelerator particles 7 Engine parts 8 Addressing 9 Old D&D co. 10 Sif’s husband in myth 11 Eroded (away) 12 South America’s ___ Trail 13 Plowman’s command 18 Stitch 19 Express 24 Exposes a secret of 26 German direction 28 Old A. C. Gilbert toy 29 With 4-Down, reluctant questioner’s opening 30 Eroded (away) 31 Actor Cage, informally 32 Early 10th-century year 33 California’s ___ River 36 What was cool in the ’50s?

Edited by Will Shortz 1

25 28

50 54

42 45

34 37

24 27

19 21

2 Where

No. 0801

62 65

PUZZLE BY TIMOTHY POLIN

37 38 39

41 43 44

Gone by Nuke Follower of brown. or auburn. Hunting gear, informally Golfer Poulter Form a ring around

48 49 52

City in New Jersey or California Dominican baseball family name Showing ill humor Like wet paint County bordering Cambridgeshire

53 54 55 57 58 60 61 62

10 benjamins Canticle Exercises Colgate product for men “Me neither” Hallucinogenic inits. Composition of many a music library Brit. legislators

For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554. Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information. Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

8 SPTS

SARAH GRACE SWEENEY, LIFE&ARTS EDITOR / @DTlifeandarts Thursday, September 5, 2013

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Computers still lag behind humans SCIENCE SCENE By Robert Starr

Let’s go back a few years to 1968, when Stanley Kubrick released his revolutionary sci-fi flick “2001: A Space Odyssey,” which gave viewers one of the most iconic cinematic renditions of artificial intelligence to date. H.A.L. 9000 spoke in complete sentences, using complex vocabulary and grammar and even had the illusion of consciousness, if not the real deal. It would seem that Kubrick and screenplay co-author Arthur C. Clarke severely overestimated how fast technology would move forward, because in the year of the title Microsoft released the original Xbox game console. Compare “Halo” to the chess game that a character plays on board the spaceship in Kubrick and Clarke’s movie, and it’s obvious that the team also severely underestimated some aspects of the progress of technology. In the same way, computers can accomplish things both too difficult and too laborious for the human brain, but they’re are also stupid and need to be hand-fed instructions in a careful and specific manner. Siri is among the best of her kind, but her performance at interpreting language isn’t even as reliable as a child’s. This isn’t to say that computers aren’t making progress, or that they don’t have a few tricks up their sleeves. In 1950, Alan Turing developed a simple test for determining whether or not computers had reached human levels of intelligence: If a human could have a text-based conversation with a computer and believe that it was another human, then the machine passed the Turing test. Unfortunately, it’s very easy for a non-intelligent machine to pass the test using some cheap tricks. One of the first examples is ELIZA, a

Illustration by Ploy Buraparate / Daily Texan Staff

computerized therapist developed in 1966, which cheated the test by leading the conversation. People like talking about themselves and by asking vague questions such as “How do you feel about that?” or repeating the person’s previous statement with a question mark at the end, ELIZA could convince people that they were actually talking to a real person. The illusion broke down quickly but, at least in small and specific cases, ELIZA passed the Turing test. A recent paper proposed a better test than Turing’s: Ask direct, multiple-choice questions that would be easy for humans to answer but difficult for a machine.

Of course, it goes without saying that a victory for computers is still a victory for humans (since humans programmed the computers) and the competition between the two is still friendly.

Try one: “The trophy would not fit in the brown suitcase because it was so small. What was so small, the trophy or the brown suitcase?” Assuming you’re human and you’ve had your morning cup of coffee, you can pretty confidently say that the answer is the suitcase. However, grammatically, the answer could go either way. There are computers that are essentially unbeatable at chess, and in 2011, a machine called Watson beat “Jeopardy!” champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter on national television. But at the same time, there are crowd-sourced projects such as Folding@ home, which use humans to solve scientific problems that computers can’t. Additionally, although computers can play certain games well, such as chess or tic-tac-toe, other games pose problems for computers. The clever webcomic xkcd ironically offers seven

Speaking in tongues declines in some Pentecostal churches more widely accepted, Walters said, there has been a tendency for large Pentecostal churches to downplay the differences between Pentecostalism and other well-known Christian denominations. The Assemblies of God, one of the nation’s largest Pentecostal denominations, has 66 million members worldwide. Assemblies officials worried about the decline in messages in tongues at a general council meeting this month. The practice decreased by about 3 percent to fewer than 82,000, the lowest total since 1995, according to statistics released by the Assemblies of God. Meanwhile, newer strands of Pentecostalism — often with roots in other countries like Nigeria and El Salvador — continue to emphasize the practice in church as well as in personal prayer, said Harvey Cox, an expert in Pentecostalism and professor of religion at the Harvard Divinity School. While all Pentecostals

Calculated net present values. Then netted a 10-pounder.

accept speaking in tongues as a “gift of the Holy Spirit,” these smaller, niche congregations aren’t afraid to embrace the practice and don’t care whether it scares some away, Cox said. Pentecostalism represents one of the fastest-growing segments of global Christianity. For the first decade, the movement was mainly composed of poor white and African-American worshippers. Influenced by the spiritual renewal of the Azusa Street Revival — a Pentecostal revival meeting that took place in Los Angeles in 1906 — the Assemblies grew with interracial services that included speaking in tongues. Pentecostals believe speaking in tongues may be an unlearned human language — as the Bible claims happened on Pentecost — or it may be the language of angels. Studies show that words spoken when delivering messages in tongues lack the components and patterns of a true language. —Associated Press

Sarah Parvini / Associated Press

Pentecostal members attend a service at Three Crosses Church in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles. The 40-member church is among others nationwide that are reducing or cutting out speaking in tongues in an attempt to be more mainstream, a shift that unsettled some parishioners who say the practice is at the heart of the movement.

“Last month, I joined a team in San Francisco to start working on a Silicon Valley project. Come to find out, a few of the clients share my passion for fly-fishing. And some of the best in the world is just a short drive into the Northern Sierras. Needless to say, when we head out on weekends, we take the phrase ‘Gone Fishing’ to a whole new level.” See every amazing angle at exceptionalEY.com.

LOS ANGELES — At Three Crosses Church, Pastor Ken Walters urges his parishioners to join him in song and scripture. The charismatic 58-year-old extends his arms skyward and belts out melodies praising God. While the small Assemblies of God congregation goes through all the traditional trappings of a Pentecostal service, there is one notable absence: speaking in tongues, a defining trait of the faith. The 40-member church is among many nationwide that are reducing or cutting out speaking in tongues as they become more popular and move to the mainstream. It’s a shift that has unsettled some more traditional Pentecostals who say the practice is at the heart of a movement that evolved out of an interracial revival and remains a spontaneous way for the poor and dispossessed to have a direct line to God. As the religion becomes

minutes in heaven as an example of one of these games, but humans can still beat computers at more mechanical games, such as Go, because of the huge number of possible moves available at any given time. Of course, it goes without saying that a victory for computers is still a victory for humans (since humans programmed the computers) and the competition between the two is still friendly. Far from overlords, computers are our friends and though it may seem like humans are slaves to their smartphones, these devices help them make meetings on time and stay awake during class. Though Siri occasionally spits out attitude, people ultimately have the option of shutting her up in the settings menu of their iPhones. But we would never do that to her, would we? And hopefully she feels the same toward us.