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Tuesday, December 3, 2013
dailytexanonline.com
UNIVERSITY
University appoints Unions director By Lizzie Jespersen
that works directly with students and manages the Texas Union, Student Activity Center, Hogg Auditorium and Student Services Building. The director also oversees Campus Events + Entertainment and business and food services at the Union. Ferede, who has worked with unions for almost 20 years, will leave his post of eight years as
@LizzieJespersen
The University announced Monday that Mulugeta Ferede will be the new University Unions executive director, replacing long-time director Andy Smith, who retired from the position in August. The unions executive director supervises a staff
senior associate director of the Illini Union at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. In his time at UT, Ferede said he hopes to build an energetic atmosphere. “My interest is really the students,” Ferede said. “I must be a teacher at heart — I’m interested in helping and mentoring students.” Gage Paine, vice president
for student affairs, said she is excited Ferede has experience in working directly with students and managing facilities. “He brings a business sense and student engagement sense into the mix,” Paine said. “I have expectations that he’ll bring great energy into our programs. …
UNION page 2
biggest difference this year was the number of resources that came from outside the University, such as relaxation specialists and fortune tellers. Daniel McGinty,
Two hundred UT students were stranded in Dallas on Sunday night after Star Shuttle buses failed to arrive at its scheduled time. Replacement buses showed up more than three hours later after company officials discovered the error. The company will provide refunds for students whose transportation plans fell through. Star Shuttle, the company that works with the University’s Parking and Transportation Services to operate Texas Express, sent replacement buses to pick up any students who decided to stick out the wait at Mockingbird transit center. According to John Walker, president and CEO of the shuttle company, the buses’ failure to arrive was caused by a dispatch issue. “There was a software upgrade on Friday,” Walker said. “Some of the dispatch data was lost, so the wrong number of buses was entered in the system and not enough were dispatched for the night.” The company issued an official apology and is currently offering refunds to people who can prove they had a ticket and were not able to get on their ride. “We’re in the process of issuing about 45 refunds right now,” Walker said. “I foresee that we will be issuing probably another 75 in the future.” Computer science senior Daniel Haas was one of the students who was unable to get back to Austin because of the error. “The driver of the bus that departed around 5:10 p.m. said that there were three more buses that would show
CHILLFEST page 2
BUSES page 2
Mulugeta Ferede
New University Unions executive director
By Nicole Cobler @nicolecobler
Jonathan Garza / Daily Texan Staff
Marketing junior Collin McLaughlin plays with legos as sociology junior Emily Smith colors as a part of the University’s ChillFest. The ChillFest was held inside the Texas Union ballroom and included free stress relieving activities for students, such as massage chairs and pet therapy dogs.
Unions, hosted the event. Melissa Herman, American studies senior and the group’s vice president of publicity, said the event was designed to be a way for students to relax before finals. “In previous years, the Counseling and Mental
Health Center hosted Stressfest, but unfortunately they weren’t able to do it this year,” Herman said. “We wanted to make sure students still felt supported during finals week in terms of stress management.” Herman said the
Star Shuttle compensates 200 stranded UT students @christinabreit
ChillFest relaxes stressed out students
others waited in line to use the massage chairs. ChillFest replaced last year’s Stressfest, which had similar relaxing activities. Campus Events + Entertainment, which is the newly branded event-planning arm of the University
UNIVERSITY
By Christina Breitbeil
CAMPUS
Students had the opportunity to unwind by building Lego houses and popping bubble wrap Monday in the Texas Union ballroom for ChillFest. The event, planned as a respite from the last week of classes and upcoming finals, also featured massage chairs, pet therapy dogs and other stress relieving activities. Students, such as undeclared sophomore Haleigh Hoebener and elementary education sophomore Katherine Mazanek, made aromatherapy bottles to spray on their pillows by adding drops of their favorite scent to spray bottles filled with water. Hoebener said ChillFest made the campus seem more personal. “It brings everyone together during a stressful time,” Hoebener said. Therapy Pet Pals of Texas Inc. also brought therapy dogs to the ballroom. Studies have shown that therapy dogs reduce stress, lower blood pressure and contribute to other positive factors of well-being, the corporation said. Students also colored and frosted their own Texas-shaped cookies, while
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
POLICE
Google may provide UT faster services
Complaints filed against APD cause public scrutiny
By Amanda Voeller @amandaevoeller
By Julia Brouilette
Google Fiber, a highspeed Internet provider, isn’t coming to campus, but both the University and the City of Austin are in discussions with Google to possibly make Austin’s Internet network connect faster to Google services. “We asked Google to attach a very fast connection to [the Greater Austin Area Telecommunications Network, or GAATN,] which then will light up 450 places with higher speeds for Google [services],” said Brad
FIBER page 3
@juliakbrou
Illustration by Ploy Buraparte / Daily Texan Staff
The number of complaints filed against Austin Police Department officers this year is expected to exceed the number of complaints filed in 2012, according to a recent report released by the Office of the Police Monitor. In the first half of 2013, 674 people contacted the police monitor’s office with the intent of filing a complaint, an increase of approximately 9 percent from the first half of 2012. If this year’s numbers continue to rise, it will be the first time in three years that
the office has seen the number of complaints increase, according to the report. The office monitors all criticisms of APD and then provides information about those criticisms to the public. Police Monitor Margo Frasier said she is committed to promoting mutual respect between APD officers and the community they serve. “I tell my staff that their job is to increase trust and transparency, and part of that is being able to explain to people why police officers do what they do,”
UTPD page 2
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