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Wednesday, April 2, 2014
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UNIVERSITY
RESEARCH
University rolls out graduation initiatives
Study shows overt police bias against black youth
By Madlin Mekelburg @madlinbmek
The University is introducing new efforts to increase four-year graduation rates following the highest freshman retention rates in UT history last fall. David Laude, senior vice provost for enrollment and graduation management,
said the addition of mental health counselors to academic advising offices, the launch of a four-year graduation rate help desk and a campus-wide initiative to “reclaim senior year” will contribute to increasing the likelihood that students might be able to graduate in four years. Laude said he gave a $3 million grant to the Office of
the Vice President of Student Affairs to establish mental health counselors in the advising offices of the McCombs School of Business, the College of Natural Sciences, the Cockrell School of Engineering, the School of Undergraduate Studies and the College of Liberal Arts. “The grant is from this notion of four-year graduation
FOUR YEAR GRADUATION RATES
rates,” Laude said. “This is part of the appreciation that graduating in four-years isn’t about academics.” The four-year graduation rate help desk will launch online next week. The virtual desk will provide students’ answers to frequently asked questions, put students in
2005: 52.6 % 2006: 50.6 % 2007: 50.9 % 2008: 52.2 % 2009: 52.0%
Lentz said. “Variations are mainly due to weather but are also affected by the
TOWER page 2
STUDY page 2
CAMPUS
Tower dims for energy conservation By Christina Breitbeil @christinabreit
While switching off all lights in the Tower is an insignificant action in terms of conserving electricity, the gesture still makes a difference, according to Jim Walker, director of sustainability for the Office of Campus Planning and Facilities Management. The University kept the Tower dark Saturday in support of Earth Hour — an international movement organized by the World Wildlife Fund to celebrate commitment to the planet by shutting off all lights for an hour. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s not saving a whole lot of energy,” Walker said. “We get the most bang for our buck in raising awareness. One evening of the Tower not lit isn’t putting a dent in [electricity usage], but you see the Tower from the highway and come home on a Friday and turn a power strip off for the weekend. … That’s where we see the real savings.” According to the University’s Utilities and Energy
Mengwen Cao / Daily Texan Staff
Last year, the University consumed 3,920,381 MMBTu, or million British thermal units, of natural gas. According to the University’s Utilities and Energy Management department, energy consumption correlates with the amount of people on campus and variations in the weather.
Management department, total natural gas consumption in 2013 was 3,920,381 million British thermal units, or MMBTu. Laurie
Lentz, manager of business and financial services, said energy usage from lighting is not metered separately and cannot be determined,
POLICE
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
APD to buy new license plate readers
UT Student Body President Horacio Villarreal (right) and Vice President Ugeo Williams ended their terms at the Student Government meeting Tuesday night.
By Julia Brouillette @juliakbrou
Pu Ying Huang Daily Texan Staff
New executive positions sworn in By Nicole Cobler
but the campus does use less energy when there are less people on campus. “The amount of energy used on campus does vary,”
The Austin Police Department is in the market for new license plate readers after City Council allocated new funds for investment in the technology, according to APD Sgt. Robert Smith. APD used its previous plate scanners from 2010 until 2012, when the department’s former vendor went out of business. Smith, who works in the Auto Theft Unit, said the readers are primarily used to locate and recover stolen vehicles. “It’s a huge asset in finding stolen vehicles because the operators don’t even have to pay attention,” Smith said. “They just drive around, and the cameras and computers do all of the work. When a stolen car is found, it directs the officer to where it’s at, and the vehicle can be recovered.” License plate readers are devices installed in
Mengwen Cao / Daily Texan Staff
APD officer Jermaine Kilgore demonstrates how to use the current license plate database inside a patrol car Tuesday.
select patrol cars and in areas of the city where auto theft rates are highest. The reader scans and photographs license plates and then feeds the plate information to a computer inside the patrol car. “The computer is connected to the license plate database, and that information is just disseminated to a server,” Smith said. “If the plate of a stolen car is detected, it’ll tell you which car it is and where
As newly-elected Student Government President Kori Rady and Vice President Taylor Strickland were sworn into their respective positions Tuesday, outgoing executives Horacio Villarreal and Ugeo Williams concluded a year of platform points centered on inclusion, safety, service and accessibility. Rady and Strickland ran
their campaign on over 22 platform points, including an extended Thanksgiving break, expansion of the uRide program and creating a basketball game at Gregory Gym. “Hopefully, we can push Student Government to be a positive light on campus,” said Rady, a government and corporate communication senior. “I think, with the platform points, the way we’re delegating our platform points and meeting with
administrators, we can do great things.” Strickland, a corporate communication junior, said she hopes to expand the uRide program to transport students safely home from downtown on the weekends. The program was created by Villarreal and Williams in the fall to give students rides home from the Perry-Castaneda Library.
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
ONLINE
Austin mayor speaks at Moody college event. PAGE 3
Beyonce is the clear choice for UT chancellor. PAGE 4
Texas knocks off No. 12 Rice 5-2. PAGE 6
Diana Colton owns local ad company Hack Studios. PAGE 8
UT professor speaks about human rights violations. ONLINE
Student voices were limited in tuition talks. PAGE 4
Steve Patterson talk Texas A&M and global brand. PAGE 6
The Five x Seven show displays miniature art. PAGE 8
Find out how a counselor blends psychotherapy and shamanic healing in a video profile at
@nicolecobler
@jeremyobthomas
Young black males may be viewed as older and less innocent, making them more likely to face police violence, according to recent research published by the American Psychological Association. The study, “The Essence of Innocence: Consequences of Dehumanizing Black Children,” tested more than 150 police officers from large urban areas to determine levels of prejudice toward black people. The research focused on young black males and did not study findings for black girls. According to the research, the officers received a questionnaire requiring them to provide age and culpability assessments for 12 scenarios that depicted male targets of a given race. Then, researchers compared the questionnaire’s findings with the individual officers’ personnel records. The results found that implicit prejudice of blacks is related to black children’s disproportionate experiences of violent encounters with police officials. Kevin Cokley, educational psychology and African and African diaspora studies professor, said the research validates many black males’ experiences of racial prejudice from police. “When you say this, and you kind of complain about it, some people will
The University hopes to have its four-year graduation rate at 70 percent by 2016.
GRADUATION page 3
By Jeremy Thomas
SG page 3
dailytexanonline.com
it was when it was found, and that allows any officer that’s working the equipment to find the stolen vehicle and recover it for a victim.” Smith said the department will only be able to afford a few scanners. “They’re very expensive units,” Smith said. “We wouldn’t have the funds to put them on all of the patrol cars. What we would do is
SCANNERS
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REASON TO PARTY
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