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Friday, January 17, 2014
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UNIVERSITY
Blackboard purchases UT’s MyEdu By Madlin Mekelburg @madlinbmek
MyEdu, a free online platform that helps students organize their classes and view career opportunities, has been acquired by Blackboard, a learning-management system from which the University is in the process of transitioning. The UT System Board of
Regents invested $10 million in a five-year agreement with MyEdu in 2011 to provide funding for the creation of new tools targeted toward UT institutions. MyEdu Co-founder John Cunningham is the son of William Cunningham, former System chancellor and UT president. The regents were aware of this connection at the time of the investment.
A UT System press release said the agreement would be honored on a cost-free basis through September 2016 and there will be “no financial return to the UT System as a result of Blackboard’s acquisition.” UT will transition from Blackboard to Canvas, a different learning management system, next fall. Brad Englert, UT chief information
officer, said the University’s transition to Canvas will not be affected by Blackboard’s acquisition of MyEdu. Frank Lyman, chief product officer at MyEdu, said the decision to partner with Blackboard was not influenced by this impending transition. “The UT System has been very supportive of MyEdu doing what we can to help
students,” Lyman said. “We were aware of [UT’s transition to Canvas], but I don’t think it concerned us necessarily. We had assurances from Blackboard that they had no intention of limiting MyEdu students at campuses with Blackboard.” Eighty percent of undergraduate students have
MYEDU page 2
FOOD
Author fights to preserve cultural cuisine By Kritika Kulshrestha @kritika88
Author, activist, culinary historian and food journalist Toni Tipton-Martin’s contributions to culinary traditions in America explore the breadth and depth of African-American cuisine. A journalism graduate from the University of Southern California and a former food writer at the Los Angeles Times, Tipton-Martin has spent more than three decades writing about food, nutrition and the impact of African-American cuisine on American culinary history. This weekend, TiptonMartin is speaking at UT Food Lab’s Women & Food Symposium on writing about food in the age of new media. “There was a time when the image of Aunt Jemima, which you can see on Quaker Oats packages, was so negative that it was used as
TIPTON-MARTIN page 6
Jonathan Garza / Daily Texan Staff
In 2010, author Toni Tipton-Martin created The Jemima Code project, curating hundreds of rare cookbooks written by African-American authors.
UNIVERSITY
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UNIVERSITY
TSTV studio engineer to be interim TSM director By Nicole Cobler & Jordan Rudner @thedailytexan
One day after The Daily Texan reported Texas Student Media properties were moving under the domain of the Moody College of Communication, the University appointed TSTV-KVRX studio engineer Frank Serpas interim director of TSM. As he steps into his new job, it remains unclear what the lasting impact of the move to the college might be. In a letter he addressed to TSM stakeholders, Serpas acknowledged the financial issues of TSM and said the communication school has an inherent interest in TSM’s success. “TSM’s charter is to educate students, serve audiences and remain solvent,” Serpas said. “Though the educational mission is paramount, at present solvency is the most urgent concern.” Serpas also addressed certain questions raised by Daily Texan alumni and supporters. Former Editor-in-Chief John Schwartz, who is now a correspondent at The New York Times, said he was unsure of what the Moody college’s involvement would mean for the Texan’s operations. “I have great respect for the UT journalism school — I love the people in it, but not everyone in journalism goes through the journalism
TSM page 2
CAMPUS
Blanton exhibit kicks off PrintAustin By Justin Atkinson @thedailytexan
Illustration by Connor Murphy / Daily Texan Staff
Meteorologists advise school in poor weather By Julia Brouillette @ juliakbrou
In the case of inclement weather, UT officials meet with local meteorologists to discuss conditions before making decisions about school closures, such as the decision to delay class Dec. 6. Classes starting before 10 a.m. were canceled Dec. 6 because of a National Weather Service advisory. By the time the University alerted students of the delay
at 5 a.m., the light rain had ceased and temperatures had risen from near freezing to above 32 degrees in Central Austin. Despite the fair conditions on campus, storm reports in nearby towns, including Buda, Georgetown and Round Rock, caused University officials to delay opening the campus, according to Troy Kimmel, senior lecturer in the
WEATHER page 2
The Blanton Museum of Art held an open-house exhibit showcasing its printmaking collection Thursday night as part of a month-long print festival in Austin. The exhibit, under the direction of print-room specialist Kristin Holder, features a collection of 23 pieces on paper ranging from the 15th century to the present. Holder said the universal subject-matter within print work might be the reason for a resurgence of interest. “The underlying theme of printmaking is that it has the ability to be massproduced and reach a large audience,” Holder said. “What is happening now is that recent developments like social media and the internet have exploded along those same lines. It has the ability to reach a large audience.” The pieces drew attention from students, such as sociology junior Brooke Brockman, who heard about the exhibit through email.
Lauren Ussery / Daily Texan Staff
Jeff Dell examines a print at the Blanton Museum on Thursday night. The exhibit is part of PrintAustin 2014, a month-long festival in Austin that celebrates the art of printmaking.
“I get the event emails from UT every day, and I usually just scan through them, but this time I saw the names of Diego Rivera and Pablo Picasso, so I was intrigued and thought I would check it out,” Brockman said. “I’m definitely an art enthusiast. [Printmaking is] an activity my boyfriend and
I like doing ourselves, so we enjoy exhibits. You get to come in and see some works that you may have never known existed.” The exhibition was an early event as part of PrintAustin, a celebration of the art of printmaking within the Austin community. Co-chairs Elvia Perrin and Cathy Savage have been
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ONLINE
President Powers meets with President Obama. PAGE 2
Rep. Turner is waging a battle on grade inflation. PAGE 3
Kenneth Branagh’s “Jack Ryan” isn’t as actionpacked as it could be.
Graffiti on Drag mural is being removed. Online
Texas’ emergency services rank last nationally. PAGE 3
Rebounding will be the key for Texas against Iowa St. PAGE 5 Addison returns to lead women’s tennis squad.
The first animated short of the semseter. A butler’s first night on the job ends in tragedy.
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dailytexanonline.com
preparing the events since last summer. “We started in July and have been working for the last six months,” Perrin said. “We have tons of support from volunteers, from the printmakers, all the galleries and UT. The Blanton and the Harry Ransom Center are all
PRINTS page 2 REASON TO PARTY
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