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Wednesday, November 13, 2013
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SYSTEM
Regent shared private student files By Madlin Mekelburg @madlinbmek
During the complex process required to fulfill Regent Wallace Hall’s massive open records requests to the University, Hall was mistakenly given access to private student information — possibly in violation of federal privacy acts — according to testimonies of several UT System lawyers at a House hearing Tuesday. Testimonies were given as part of the House committee’s ongoing investigation
into the recent behavior of Hall, trying to determine if he overstepped his boundaries as regent. In her testimony, Francie Frederick, who serves as the general counsel for the UT System Board of Regents, said regents must be “diligent in seeking information.” If a regent requires information protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, they must have a valid, job-related reason in order to see it, Frederick testified. “I’m not a FERPA expert,
but my understanding is that the regent must have a legitimate educational interest to see FERPA [documents], something related to the regent’s duties,” Frederick said. Frederick said over the course of reviewing documents, Hall came across a chain of emails he should not have been allowed to see. “It had not been determined in advance that [Hall] had legitimate educational interest,” Frederick said. “No
HALL page 2
CAMPUS
Standoff subject will seek PTSD treatment By Lizzie Jespersen @LizzieJespersen
Jonathan Garza / Daily Texan Staff
Francie Frederick, general counsel member for the UT System Board of Regents, testified Tuesday morning.
ART
Social justice functions as artist’s muse By Lauren L’amie @lamelamie
Wura-Natasha Ogunji is an artist concerned with much more than brushstrokes and proper studio lighting. Based in Lagos, Nigeria, and Austin, Ogunji studies body movement and public performance art as a means to provide social awareness. From video art installations and public performances, Ogunji’s works are a commentary on social order — often bringing into question the idea of justice. In her ongoing work as an artist-in-residence at UT, Ogunji helped form the Institute for Performing Justice. She works in collaboration with a team of professors, including assistant theater professor Megan Alrutz and women’s and gender studies’ librarian Kristen Hogan.
BRAID page 5
bit.ly/dtvid
Shelby Tauber / Daily Texan Staff
Performer ruby onyinyechi amanze and artist Wura-Natasha Ogunji will perform “beauty” at the West Mall on Wednesday afternoon. “beauty” includes African-American women from different backgrounds being brought together by their hair.
UNIVERSITY
Gene Vela, public affairs graduate student and suspect in an armed standoff Sunday with the Austin Police Department, plans to receive Veteran Affairs treatment following his arrest, according to his lawyer, Adam Reposa. Vela, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq in 2002, was taken into custody the day after being shot in the torso by police. He was shot after alledgedly aiming a handgun equipped with a laser at two policemen through his apartment window in North Campus. Police were originally summoned to his apartment following a 911 call from a friend of Vela’s. “I got shot, I shook it off; they could shoot me ten times, and I won’t care,” Vela said in an official statement, according to Reposa. Reposa said Vela has been strained by post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychological stressors have affected his recent decisions. “He is an honest, intelligent and hardworking human being,” Reposa said. “Obviously, this is all a terrible misunderstanding. He served our country. I’m sure this will all get worked out.” In February 2012, Vela was charged with the misdemeanor of unlawful carrying of a weapon while drunk. In the affidavit for his arrest, Vela’s brother, Jason Vela, said Gene Vela acts aggressively while
SHOOTING page 2
CAMPUS
Conservation program cuts energy costs Ransom Center reveals new digital collections
By Julia Brouillette @juliakbrou
UT Facilities Services’ Energy and Water Conservation Program recently launched several initiatives to decrease energy spending over the next seven years, totaling roughly $43 million annually. UT President William Powers Jr. appointed a committee to reduce UT’s water and energy consumption by at least 20 percent by 2020. According to Stephanie Perrone, one of Facilities Services’ four energy stewards, UT is well on its way to reaching that goal. Since the program formed in 2009, UT has lowered its energy use by 7.8 percent and saved over $2.3 million in energy costs. “We need a 12.2 percent reduction over the next seven years, which seems really possible,” Perrone said. The bulk of funds UT spends on energy goes toward chilled water and steam, which are used to
By Alyssa Mahoney @TheAlyssaM
Erica Reed / Daily Texan Staff
Energy steward Meagan Jones shares energy conservation techniques for the office and the lab at Conservation Conversations, a series of speaker events related to sustainability.
heat and cool the buildings. “About half of our energy use at UT goes directly to air conditioning and about a quarter of it goes to heating up the buildings,” energy steward Matt Stevens said. Chilled water, electricity and steam for every
building on campus is supplied year-round by the Hal C. Weaver Power Plant. The plant burns natural gas to produce electricity and uses the heat produced in the process to generate steam. Facilities Services is working to expedite the
decrease in energy consumption by involving students in its efforts. Stevens said students help by taking part in initiatives such as Longhorn Lights Out, a campus-wide event where
ENERGY page 3
The Harry Ransom Center unveiled its new digital collections earlier this week, putting digitized versions of 14 collections online. The collections were spearheaded by digital collections librarian Elizabeth Gushee and included collaborations with curators. The project was funded in part by the Booth Heritage Foundation. Gushee said the collection gives people access to resources they would not have otherwise. “People don’t have to travel to Texas,” Gushee said. “We’d love for them to visit the Ransom Center, but if they can’t for financial reasons or whatever, they can access these collections online.” Gushee said the digitized collections can reunite documents, which may be separated among multiple research centers or libraries. “If something is online, it’s portable — you can take
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Sweet Leaf founder shares life experiences. PAGE 3 Panel discusses diverse liberal arts career paths. ONLINE
Texas should make water conservation top priority. PAGE 4
Alex De La Torre comfortable with background role. PAGE 6
Learn the history of a West Campus pizza joint. PAGE 8
Open to all majors or not, McCombs Expo a win. PAGE 4
Comfort level a huge asset for women’s basketball. PAGE 6
Apple may be working on a larger, curved iPhone. PAGE 8
See how the East Side Compost Pedallers help homes and businesses recycle. dailytexanonline.com
it with you, you can add it to other things, you can point your friends to it,” Gushee said. “It makes people more aware of the really unique content that these special collections libraries have.” Performing arts librarian Helen Baer said the study of popular entertainment in the past few years has increased. “Scholars are increasingly demanding materials in a digital format — not just texts, but also images,” Baer said. “That [interest] has skyrocketed in the past ten years.” Leslie DeLassus, a research fellow at the Ransom Center, said she is working on a dissertation focusing on a collection about Norman O. Dawn, a special effects cinematographer. DeLassus said the recent digitization of the collection allows her added flexibility because she knew she could return to view the materials if she encountered a
RANSOM page 3 REASON TO PARTY
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