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Monday, March 31, 2014
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CITY
CAMPUS
Council refocuses on housing issue
Texas GOP focuses on appealing to students
By Alyssa Mahoney @TheAlyssaM
As the “stealth dorms” ordinance goes into effect Monday, potentially decreasing housing density in some areas, city council members consider ways to address affordability issues
in Austin. The ordinance reduces the allowed number of unrelated adults who live together in a house or duplex from six to four, which may put further pressure on already increasing demand for housing in Austin. One way the city aims to address
Austin’s housing affordability issue is through CodeNEXT, a plan which will revise Austin’s land development code by approximately 2017. According to council member Chris Riley, the council and stakeholders should not assume
CodeNEXT will solve the underlying issue of housing affordability in Austin. “[We are] trying to figure out ways to have new housing types across the city to meet the demands of a very diverse and growing population within the central city,” Riley said during the second
and third readings of the occupancy limit. “This resolution does not fix that problem in any real way.” Heidi Gerbracht, council member Bill Spelman’s policy director, said there is an important distinc-
HOUSING page 3
CIVIL RIGHTS SUMMIT
Summit to bring exposure to LBJ Library By Alex Wilts @alexwilts
For the Civil Rights Summit in April, the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum has introduced the “Cornerstones of Civil Rights,” an exhibit that includes the original Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965, both signed by President Johnson. “The cornerstone documents of civil rights are all in one place for the first time ever,” said Anne Wheeler, communications director for the library. According to Wheeler, the museum underwent a $10 million redesign in 2012 to incorporate interactive technology into exhibits to reach more college students. Wheeler said the number of visitors, which is approximately 10,000 people per month, has increased since
LBJ page 2
Marshall Tidrick / Daily Texan Staff
Museum patrons look at the Legacy of Liberty Exhibit in the Great Hall of the LBJ Library and Museum, which will be hosting the Civil Rights Summit from April 8-10.
CAMPUS
By Alyssa Mahoney @TheAlyssaM
In an effort to win over younger voters, several Republican candidates vying for statewide offices spoke at the State College Republican Convention on Saturday. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, George P. Bush, state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, and U.S. Senator John Cornyn were among the guest speakers at the convention, which was held at the Student Activity Center. While many candidates appealed to convention attendees for their votes, they also stressed the need for the Republican Party to modernize. “There’s no doubt that we can win, but, in order to do that, we have to let go of the stale tactics of the past,” said Skot Covert, College Republican National Committee co-chairman. “How could a party that uses out-of-date, behind-the-times technology expect to be competitive with millennials, the very generation that is the most technology-savvy generation to live?” According to Covert, the Texas GOP is making significant changes to become more competitive with young voters, including incorporating social media into
GOP page 3
CAMPUS
Diseased tree prompts preservation efforts Fourteen fruit trees added to UT Orchard By Wynne Davis @wynneellyn
By Natalie Sullivan @natsullivan94
Students broke new ground in environmental awareness, as 14 new fruit trees were recently added to the UT Orchard. The Orchard, located at the intersection of San Jacinto and East 24th streets, was founded in spring 2010 as part of an initiative to generate environmental awareness and encourage student involvement.
Students from several environmental organizations around campus, including the Campus Environmental Center and the Division of Housing and Food Service’s Green Corps, helped plant and mulch the new trees. Fig, persimmon, lemon, kumquat and chokecherry trees were among the new varieties added to the Orchard. According to Jennifer Hrobar, supervisor of urban
ORCHARD page 2
Jenna VonHofe / Daily Texan Staff
Fourteen new fruit trees were added to the UT orchard located at the intersection of San Jacinto and East 24th streets. The orchard was founded in spring 2010 to raise environmental awareness.
Despite University efforts to improve its health, a tree on the South Mall will be removed after contracting two different diseases within the last year. Jim Carse, assistant manager of Urban Forestry, said he first noticed that Tree No. 618 — the third tree on the right when facing the Texas Capitol — had issues in January 2013. The tree had contracted hypoxylon, a fungal disease. In addition, soil testing results from the base of the tree came back positive for phytophthora, a root rot. “The fungus is ever present in the tree … but it only activates when the tree is under stress, usually due to low moisture levels in the tree,” Carse said. “Because of the drought for the past three to four years and because a lot of the compaction and site issues that have been happening over the past few decades, that tree was the first to succumb to some of the issues.” The University has spent approximately $3,500 on
Ethan Oblak / Daily Texan Staff
Visitors pass by Tree No. 618 on the South Mall on Sunday. Events such as Holi, which are traditionally held there, have been relocated because of concerns about the health of the trees.
efforts to save the tree, according to Carse. While this tree won’t be able to be completely saved, Carse said the University has taken proactive efforts on the rest of the lawn. “We’re more looking to the site as a whole now,” Carse said. “We started to take some different approaches to the South Mall, such as adding mulch [and]
doing some other maintenance to improve the soil quality to take better care of the turf.” For many years, the turf of the lawn has been replaced in the spring leading up to the annual commencement ceremony, but it won’t be replaced this year, according to Carse, who Carse said this practice is
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
ONLINE
Student leaders propose 2.6-percent tuition increase. PAGE 2
Can East Austin survive its growing population? PAGE 4
Men’s swimming finishes season second in nation. PAGE 6
UT twins dress the same but eat Oreos differently. PAGE 8
Check out our coverage of Texas Relays and the annual Holi celebration.
Professor weighs in on cosmology in Ancient Greece. PAGE 3
The problem with Abbott’s far-right politics. PAGE 4
Longhorns excel at recordbreaking Texas Relays. PAGE 6
The Holi celebration comes to the LBJ Lawn. PAGE 8
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detrimental to the trees because the work disturbs the soil and tree roots. In order to let the ground heal, Carse said he and his team have been working with the Office of Student Affairs to keep larger events off the South Mall, allowing them to replace the grass less often — though
SOUTH MALL page 2 REASON TO PARTY
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