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COMICS PAGE 9
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NEWS PAGE 3
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STUDENT GOVERNMENT
GSA appoints new vice president By Eleanor Dearman @ellydearman
Brian Wilkey, Graduate Student Assembly president, appointed architecture graduate student Vance Roper as the organization’s vice president Tuesday after having the seat vacant since August. On Aug. 21, David Villarreal stepped down as GSA president, making Wilkey president and leaving the organization without a vice president. Since becoming president, Wilkey has been
searching for his replacement. Wilkey said he sent out emails and made announcements to the graduate student body, and two people expressed interest in being GSA vice president. Out of the two applicants, Wikley said Roper was the best candidate. At Tuesday’s meeting, the assembly unanimously voted to instate Roper as vice president, moving him from his previous position as legislative affairs director.
“In our conversation, I believe he very much shares the vision of what the GSA should be working on this year and working towards,” Wilkey said. “More importantly, he’s got a long-term mindset about what we will do this year and what will be beneficial down the road.” According to Roper, his experience as legislative affairs director, in which he helped form resolutions aimed at graduate students, has helped to prepare him for
minor incidents happen frequently in the labs. “The minor accidents that we usually see are breaking of glassware and spilling of chemicals,” Fjetland said.
Chris Riley, a member of the Austin City Council, advocated for more transportation options at Tuesday’s Student Government meeting. Riley announced his plan Monday to legalize the ride sharing services Uber and Lyft in Austin. Currently, both are legal as underground operating services, but this push would advertise them to the public as an alternative to public transportation and traditional taxicabs. “It is a real paradigm shift,” Riley said. “We have a very elaborate set of regulations in place to govern the cab industry. We control the fares they charge, the number of cabs on the street, and for a good reason. The problem is the world has changed now, and there are opportunities to have more effective and more efficient modes of transportation in place.” Riley, a District 9 council seat candidate, said he hopes to legalize these services to minimize traffic. “What I want to do is figure out a way we can actually legalize services like Uber and Lyft, so you guys can know you’re getting into those options, getting into those services and use them safely,” Riley said. According to Riley, the City Council is scheduled to discuss an item on Sept. 25 that will encourage operating agreements for transportation services such as Uber and Lyft. Riley said some of these operating agreements include providing adequate insurance coverage, driver background checks, vehicle safety checks, a zero-tolerance alcohol policy, ADA accommodations and price of ride disclosure.
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Mike McGraw | Daily Texan Staff
Vance Roper was elected vice president of the Graduate Student Association on Tuesday. Roper hopes to improve graduate housing options and increase participation in GSA.
GSA page 2
By Natalie Sullivan @natsullivan94
Amy Zhang | Daily Texan Staff
Biochemistry junior Aubrey Trapp works in the Synthesis and Biological Recognition lab, a Freshman Research Initiative stream. Labs on campus require diligent attention to safety protocols in order to avoid hazards and accidents.
“Every student working in a lab is required to complete basic lab safety training, and then individual labs have their own specific training,” Nolan said. “We send a newsletter called ‘The Lab Safety Update’ out every few
City Council to vote on ride-sharing alternatives @ellydearman
Organization prioritizes lab safety
most common lab accidents on campus involve chemical spills, improper eyewash cleaning and use, and chemical storage and disposal. Nolan said EHS provides training to students as part of its safety efforts.
CITY
By Eleanor Dearman
CAMPUS
In late August, UTPD reported a chemical spill involving lithium aluminum hydride — a highly waterreactive chemical — leaking on to a work bench in the Hackerman Building. This is just one example of the types of accidents Environmental Health and Safety tries to prevent. EHS is the organization responsible for ensuring the safety of operations on campus, handling everything from food sanitation to lab safety. “We usually get about 30-40 significant accidents per year,” said Dennis Nolan, EHS assistant director of biological and lab safety. “Those can be anything from spills in a lab, an explosion, an equipment failure or a fire.” Nolan said there are more than 1,600 total labs on campus, and each is required to follow certain inspection and safety protocols. “EHS inspects each lab once a year, and then lab supervisors are required to self-inspect their labs once a semester,” Nolan said. According to the EHS “Big 12” Safety List, the
bit.ly/dtvid
months with information about recent accidents and training events.” Conrad Fjetland, organic lab supervisor and chemistry lecturer, said although students take safety precautions to prevent accidents,
POLICE
THEATER & DANCE
UTPD, APD diversity matches constituency
Texas Performing Arts receives grant
By Natalie Sullivan @natsullivan94
While some major cities have relatively high disparities between the racial makeup of their police forces and the surrounding community, APD’s demographics closely reflect those of Austin, according to APD community survey statistics. A 2011 demographic survey shows APD’s total sworn personnel are approximately 69 percent white, 9 percent black, 21 percent Hispanic or Latino and 1 percent Asian. The most comprehensive demographic data for Aus-
tin, taken in the 2010 census, said Austin is 68.3 percent white, 8.1 percent black, 35.1 percent Hispanic or Latino and 6.3 percent Asian. The survey allowed participants to identify as multiple races. APD Sgt. Gizette Gaslin said APD believes having a police force demographically similar to the community is essential to good policing. “We always try to represent the people we serve, so we try to mirror the demographics of Austin as closely as we can,” Gaslin said. “When people have issues, I think they really respond to people like
UTPD page 2
By Josh Willis @joshwillis35
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded a $400,000 grant to Texas Performing Arts on Thursday to support classical music production for various shows and performances on campus. “The largest benefit [of the grant] will be for the Butler School of Music because it is really about doing programming for classical music in a more contemporary way and applying it to a more interdisciplinary use,” said Kathy Panoff, director and associate dean of Texas Performing Arts Center. Panoff said the Mellon Foundation had spe-
cific intentions for the grant’s impact on Texas Performing Arts. “The Mellon Foundation was looking to elevate classical music,” Panoff said. “They were attempting to make classical music more popular, which is difficult in modern times with the younger generation.” Texas Performing Arts is not a first-time recipient of a Mellon Foundation grant, having previously received money from the Foundation in 2011. “We had a successful application the first time, and they awarded us $450,000,” Panoff said. “In January, they asked us to apply again because of the success of the program.”
Chris Foxx | Daily Texan Staff
The UT Performing Arts Department received a $400,000 grant from The Andrew Mellon Foundation last week. A large portion of the grant will be allocated to the School of Music.
The Mellon Foundation issues a large number of grants to institutions throughout the country and could not comment on
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
ONLINE
Stark Center opens exhibit on 1914 football team. PAGE 3
Adler’s tax-exemption plan could hurt student renters. PAGE 4
Former tackle Britt Hager means business. PAGE 6
UT alumna owns floral shop, event planning company. PAGE 8
Guest lecturer discusses politics in the Middle East. PAGE 3
Pay attention to Scottish independence referendum. PAGE 4
Women’s golf team finishes fourth in Minnesota. PAGE 6
An email newsletter aims to bring news to students. PAGE 8
Darrell K Royal Research Fund for Alzheimer’s Disease gives grant to UT professor. dailytexanonline.com
specific details about the money that was given to UT. According to Texas
MELLON page 2 REASON TO PARTY
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Wednesday, September 17, 2014
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Volume 115, Issue 25
CONTACT US Main Telephone (512) 471-4591 Editor-in-Chief Riley Brands (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com Managing Editor Elisabeth Dillon (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com News Office (512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com Multimedia Office (512) 471-7835 dailytexanmultimedia@ gmail.com Sports Office (512) 232-2210 sports@dailytexanonline.com Life & Arts Office (512) 232-2209 dtlifeandarts@gmail.com
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The Daily Cricket
Amy Zhang | Daily Texan Staff
A group of cyclists bike up Doug Sahm Hill in Butler Park on Tuesday afternoon.
UBER
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“As long as a company is able to meet all of our expectations on all those things, we shouldn’t have to keep wasting our resources trying to shut these services down,” Riley said. “We ought to be out there embracing it.” Jamie Nalley, chair of the Student Affairs Committee, said SG is in favor of alternative transportation options, such as Uber and Lyft, and plans to propose legislation in their favor for a vote next Tuesday, before the City Council votes Thursday. “Transportation in Austin is really terrible right now,”
GSA
continues from page 1 the position. “When the position opened, I felt I had the qualifications and the desire to step in and make this a really successful year for Graduate Student Assembly and for graduate students on the campus itself,” Roper said. Roper said some of his platforms include improving graduate student housing op-
This issue of The Daily Texan is valued at $1.25 Permanent Staff
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Riley Brands Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Davis Jr., Amanda Haight, Noah M. Horwitz, Amanda Voeller Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elisabeth Dillon Associate Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reeana Keenen News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jacob Kerr Associate News Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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Nalley said. “I think improving options in as many ways possible will benefit students and Austinites in general.” Riley also discussed the need for more housing options and construction in the city. “We’ve got to provide different options,” Riley said. “Not everybody wants to live in a single family home in the suburbs. A lot of people want to live smaller, live closer and drive less.” At the meeting, SG President Kori Rady also announced that the proposal for extended hours at the Flawn Academic Center will be revisited next week and that Safe Ride had increased usage last weekend. tions and increasing participation in GSA. Roper said he hopes to use his public policy background to encourage robust debate and participation among members. “I’m also going to try and have a very engaged assembly throughout the entire session,” Roper said. “We had a lot of turnout, and we expect a bigger turnout as time goes on.” Ropers’ appointment left the legislative affairs director position open. Wilkey said he made the executive decision to appoint Sharla Chamberlain, former election supervisory board member and director of Invest in Texas — a student initiative focused on voicing student concerns to the Texas Legislature. “It went through more of an appointment process based on what was allowable in the constitution, in the interest of time,” Chamberlain said. “I was a member of the election supervisory board, so I got a good view into all of the candidates and into how the electoral process works.” Wilkey said he expects a smooth transition into the adjusted executive board. “A lot has remained really unchanged, and it’s just a different name on the card,” Wiley said.
MELLON
continues from page 1 Performing Arts, the Mellon Foundation gives out grants to qualified colleges and universities with the intention of supporting programs that are among the best in their respective fields. These grants include money for programs in higher education and scholarship, scholarly communications, museums and art conservation, performing arts and conservation and the environment. The grant for Texas Performing Arts is given on an invite-only basis to the most highly accredited institutions with the highestranking music and performing arts departments in the United States.
UTPD
continues from page 1 them, so we try to hire a wide range of people, especially women, in the department.” While UTPD did not provide the specific demographics of its police force, UTPD spokeswoman Cindy Posey said a variety of different techniques are used to promote diversity in the hiring process, including attending minority job fairs and going to different regions of Texas to recruit people. “UTPD hires qualified applicants and continuously seeks out both traditional and nontraditional venues where qualified candidates from all backgrounds might be recruited,” Posey said in an email. A 2007 government survey of police departments found police forces across the country have a higher percentage of white officers than the communities they serve — the percentage of white officers was up to 30 percentage points higher in some areas. According to the survey, minorities make up about a quarter of police forces. Posey said UTPD recently renewed its emphasis on diversity, particularly after events in Ferguson, Missouri, highlighted racial tensions between police and citizens. “The new UTPD vision, instituted upon Chief Carter’s arrival,
NEWS
is to be respected and trusted by all members of UT’s diverse community,” Posey said. “Lack of diversity can present the appearance of not understanding the culture, history and potential concerns of any given community. Such perceptions will certainly make it harder for a police department to gain the respect and trust vitally needed to keep a community safe. Clearly recent events in the Midwest have borne this out.” Posey said diversity in UTPD’s operations allows it to better to protect the campus community. “UTPD sees diversity as strength and as a better opportunity to accomplish our mission: To keep you, our UT community, safe,” Posey said.
“For each lab, the students wear safety goggles, proper clothing, gloves and a lab coat. If an individual experiment has a specific safety issue, it is addressed in lecture.” UTPD works closely with EHS to take care of lab accidents, Nolan said. “When there’s a chemical spill, fire or gas leak, lab supervisors are supposed to report it to EHS, and we report it to UTPD so the appropriate action can be taken,” Nolan said. Nolan said EHS is continually trying to improve its safety standards, especially after major accidents occur, such as one where a lab-safe refrigerator storing more than 100 chemical containers caught on fire in Welch Hall in 2012. “We had a safety committee come in [after the fire] and put information out about making sure chemicals were properly labeled and caps were sealed,” Nolan said. “We always try to re-evaluate standards and see what we could be doing better.” Chemistry junior Emily Turner, who has worked in general and organic chemistry labs on campus, said she thought the University does a good job enforcing safety standards in labs. “Even in organic chemistry, when we handled a lot of hazardous chemicals, I feel like they did a good job with training us to work in the lab,” Turner said. “I never heard about any major accidents happening.” COLLEGE SKI & BOARD WEEK
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Wednesday, September 17, 2014
RESEARCH
Study: Discrimination affects mental health By Nidia Cavazos @thedailytexan
A researcher in the School of Social Work found that discrimination of multiple types experienced by African Americans and Caribbean blacks on a daily basis can increase the risk for mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety and drug and alcohol abuse. The research — co-authored by Christopher Salas-Wright, a social work assistant professor — was published in the August 2014 edition of “Addictive Behaviors.” The study compared the presence and severity of mental disorders in African-American, Caribbean black and non-Hispanic white populations in the United States. The research was based on the experiences of 4,400 respondents, ages 18-65, and their everyday discrimination. The study showed 83 percent of the respondents reported experiencing discrimination over the past year. Those who encountered multiple types of prejudicial discrimination were two-and-a-half times
more likely to develop addictive behaviors related to alcohol or drugs, and those who experienced it on a weekly or even monthly basis were four times more likely to develop addiction and behavioral problems. Trenette Clark, social work assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, led the study, along with co-authors Keith Whitfield, Duke University psychology and neuroscience professor, and Michael G. Vaughn, Saint Louis University social work professor. One of the main focuses of the study was the identification of the different categories of discrimination that can lead to depressive and anxiety disorders as well as drug and alcohol abuse. Salas-Wright said it is the combination of disrespect and condescension discrimination, along with character-based and hostile treatment, that puts African Americans and Caribbean blacks at a greater risk for mental disorders. “The different types of discrimination that people
Social work assistant professor Christopher SalasWright’s research on discrimination was published in the August 2014 edition of “Addictive Behaviors.” The study he coauthored found that discrimination increased the risk of addictive behaviors.
Mike McGraw Daily Texan Staff
were experiencing translated into different health outcomes,” Salas-Wright said. “People who just experienced condescension didn’t have the same health outcome as those who had more hostile forms of discrimination.” Noël Busch-Armendariz,
School of Social Work associate dean for research, said the research is relevant to society. “[The findings] tell us that racism is part of the everyday lives of a significant number of Americans and that this has significant negative consequences,” Busch-Armendariz
said. “Perhaps more importantly, this research opens the discussion about our collective responsibility and points to the need to move forward more quickly to rectify this persistent and demoralizing social issue in our country.” This study was introduced
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CAMPUS
Exhibit honors past players By Wes Scarborough @thedailytexan
The University’s football program is known for its long history, including the legacy of the 1914 season, when the team ended the season with both a championship and a perfect record. To celebrate the team’s 100th anniversary, the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium opened an exhibit in September dedicated to the history of the team and its accomplishments. Ten people who were associated with the 1914 team have been inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor, the most inductees out of any season. Seven of the inductees were players, including quarterback Clyde Littlefield.
Besides making history with a perfect season, Littlefield made a breakthrough in the game of football as well. “1914 was the year the ‘forward pass’ was invented,” center co-director Terry Todd said. According to Todd, Littlefield invented the forward pass and made four touchdown passes in one game. His passing record was not matched until 1977 when Randy McEachern threw four touchdown passes against Texas A&M. “People soon began to understand the possibilities of the forward pass,” Todd said. “And now it dominates the game today.” Littlefield was also a part of the basketball and track team at the time, lettering in all three sports.
Additionally, he coached the football team for 43 years, as well as co-founded the Texas Relays event. “One of the things that interested us about the team was how well-rounded all of the players were,” center codirector Jan Todd said. According to Jan Todd, most of the players were affiliated with an array of campus organizations, including fraternities, student government and honor societies. All players participated in at least one other sport as well. “One of the most interesting things to me was the fact that only one of the players was a little over 200 lbs,” exhibit designer Drew Patterson said. A chart in the exhibit features a comparison of the 1914 Longhorns and the
POLITICS Dr. Gökhan Bacik talks in a Mezes auditorium about relationships between different countries in the Middle East. Bacik is the dean and a professor of political science at İpek University’s School of Government.
Xintong Guo Daily Texan Staff
Lecturer explores Middle East politics By Samuel Tackitt @thedailytexan
A diverse audience filled a Mezes lecture hall Tuesday evening for a talk on the Middle East, with some audience members resorting to sitting on the ground and in the aisles. The Department of Middle Eastern Studies hosted the talk, which discussed sub-state groups in the Middle East. The audience included faculty and students, undergraduate and high school alike. “I brought the kids so they could get a perspective on the Middle East from a secular source,” said Cassandra Troy, an Austin High School English teacher. “Many parents were concerned about the situation with ISIS because we send a group of seniors annually to Turkey.” The lecturer, Gökhan Bacik — dean and professor of political science at İpek University in Gaziantep, Turkey — specializes in state formation. “If I were to personally sum up what’s happening in
the Middle East right now with one word, it would be ‘refugees,’” Bacik said. “Some cities in Syria have lost more than 200,000 citizens.” Bacik said “revolution-storations” are responsible for these refugees. “People want to dismiss regimes automatically,” Bacik said. “To remove regimes the people must act quickly to avoid disaster and state collapse.” According to Bacik, the outcomes of revolutions can be unpredictable. Bacik cited the political coup in Egypt as an example of a successful revolution. “People defeated the regime, and it left,” Bacik said. “Turkey officially views what happened in Egypt as a coup d’état.” Bacik said that discussions about the Middle East must no longer focus on nationstates but rather small substate actors. Bacik believes conflicts in the Middle East cause populations to seek stability within smaller groups. “This is the golden age of substate actors,” Bacik said. “When
To remove regimes the people must act quickly to avoid disaster and state collapse. —Gökhan Bacik, Dean and professor of political science, İpek University
extreme groups occupy an area and start killing peoples they are against, the only thing those people have to do, since there are no government machines, is turn to another sub-state group for protection.” The lecture topic appealed to an interdisciplinary group; many art history, political science and Middle Eastern studies majors attended. “We wanted to bring in a lecturer who would have an insight into a confusing area of the world,” said Jeannette Okur, Middle Eastern studies lecturer. “He came highly recommended by some of my former colleagues from when I was in Turkey.”
to history professor Leonard Moore, who related it to micro-aggression. “Micro-aggression [is] everyday aggression African Americans feel even at a work place and school that serves to remind us of our race,” Moore said.
Friday, Sep. 19, 2014 Board of Operating Trustees Meeting 10:30 a.m. Bele Center for New Media Room 1.108A 300 W. Dean Keeton St.
Chris Foxx | Daily Texan Staff
The H.J. Lutcher Stark Center is showcasing a Texas football exhibit in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 1914 UT football season.
2005 national championship-winning team average weight. The 1914 team averaged 174 pounds. In 2005, the team averaged 245 pounds. Henry Reeves, the team’s African-American trainer, is among the 10 inductees from the 1914 team. “Henry Reeves should be regarded as the first real ath-
lete trainer at the University of Texas,” Jan Todd said. “He wasn’t just the water guy. … And I did say water ‘guy,’ not water ‘boy.’” Reeves served the football team from 1895 until 1915, when he suffered a stroke in the middle of their game against Texas A&M. He later died but was not inducted into the Hall of Honor until 2000.
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RILEY BRANDS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / @TexanEditorial Wednesday, September 17, 2014
EDITORIAL
COLUMN
Adler’s plan to save homeowners money could hurt student renters A 20 percent tax exemption for Austin homeowners initially sounds great. Austin mayoral candidate Steve Adler is proposing this homestead exemption for Austin, but because most residents aren’t homeowners, the majority of the city wouldn’t benefit from this exemption. Renters make up more than 55 percent of Austin’s population, and because apartment complexes aren’t considered homesteads, many landlords wouldn’t receive this exemption, meaning that many renters wouldn’t, either. This fact alone isn’t necessarily detrimental to renters, but the city will have to make up the cost of the exemption somehow. Adler presents two options: either “find” the money in the budget or adjust the tax rate to ensure Austin’s revenue remains neutral. Adler says the current budget has a surplus that Austin could use to offset the exemption, which would cost the city $35.6 million of its $3.5 billion budget throughout the next year. But, of course, no one knows for sure whether future years will present a budget surplus or an opportunity to cut costs from other areas of the budget. The unpredictability of depending on the budget to offset the exemption’s cost leaves us with the possibility of a property tax increase, which would cause the rent for the average two-bedroom, $1,200-permonth apartment to cost $80 more per year.
Students may be looking at yet another costof-living increase, and because many student apartments already cost more in rent than the city’s average, the money students would indirectly lose to homeowners could be much more than $80. Adler’s attitude toward the possible rent increase appears to be that landlords would graciously absorb this cost themselves, an unlikely occurrence considering that landlords are notorious for nickel-and-diming students. Adler wrote on his website, “If the tax rate were adjusted upward to maintain revenue neutrality, it is unlikely that the resulting increased tax cost would be passed through to renters.” The median value of an Austin house is about $200,000, so if the city’s budget absorbed the cost of the exemption, then homeowners would save an average of $189 per year, and renters wouldn’t be affected. However, if the city were to increase property taxes to offset the exemption, homeowners would save about $104 per year, and the average rent would increase by about $80 per year. While $80 a year isn’t much to some people, especially when compared to college students’ many rising expenses, it is a significant amount to others, and we’re disappointed that Adler, if elected, may try to increase renters’ costs in order to decrease costs for people who might hardly notice the difference.
Illustration by Albert Lee / Daily Texan Staff
Pardon the sweat, I blame it on the stiflingly hot temperatures
GALLERY By Olivia Berkeley Senior Columnist @oliviaberkeley
Erica Ndubueze / Daily Texan Staff
To the general UT populace: I am sorry for my physical appearance these past three weeks. I have, without fail, shown up to every class since the start of school drenched in my own sweat. ‘Tis the season for armpit, upper lip and backpack strap sweat, and there’s nothing I can do about it. I remember my first day of class last year — I spent the entire hour I had between classes circling Burdine, looking for some sort of indication that I was in the right place, accumulating what seemed like ounces of sweat in the process. While my first day of school this year was significantly less confusing, it was still just as sweaty. Thanks, Texas weather! The only thing that gives me solace during this entirely unpleasant part of the year is that I am not alone. There are — despite our attempts to conceal it — many sweaty students walking around this campus during
class hours. I’ve always been a sweaty person, regardless of the season, but having to change out of my damp clothing as soon as I get home is something I’m unfamiliar with. That, and having to pick out clothing that won’t obviously display my sweat stains. As much as I wish UT wouldn’t set its classroom thermometers to below freezing, resulting in a sudden drop in body heat levels that is almost as awful as the actual act of sweating, I know this will never happen. It’s summertime (still), which means that the AC is stuck at the perpetually cold setting all over campus. However, there are also buildings that don’t have air conditioning in select rooms, which, if you haven’t experienced it, can be likened to traveling into one of Dante’s deepest circles of hell with a Cosby sweater on. In such an energy-conscious era, it’s mystifying to me that UT hasn’t done more to equalize the temperature control in all of its buildings. Leaving one frozen tundra, entering the sweltering outdoors and re-entering another frigid iceland can’t be good for my body or for UT’s electricity bill. Until UT decides to turn up the AC dials, I’ll be the girl who shows up to class with a mister and portable fan. Berkeley is a Plan II and public relations sophomore from Austin.
COLUMN
As Scottish independence referendum approaches, students should take notice By Andrew Wilbur Guest Columnist
After this Thursday, the United Kingdom as we know it may cease to exist. Every registered voter in Scotland has the opportunity that day to cast a simple, straightforward vote: “Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country? Yes/No.” The American media has barely touched the topic, and U.S. politicians and state officials have avoided making meaningful comment. Why should Americans care about the Scottish independence referendum taking place this week? Why should college students in particular be interested? I want to look past the numbers, although these should be enough to justify more attention to the topic. The U.K. is, after all, the world’s sixth-largest economy and stands to lose about 5 million people and $250 billion in gross domestic product in the event of Scottish independence. There are also significant implications for NATO, the European Union and national diplomatic services should a new country materialize on the northern tip of the British Isles. The current generation of college students should be viewing the Scottish independence movement as an experiment in popular democracy, a renewed model of politics for an age of fragmented allegiances, unequal influence and new media. Until relatively recently, Scottish independence was considered a fringe movement, its motives defined largely by the Scottish National Party. The SNP has developed a mixed political profile since its inception in the 1930s, with dips and spikes in membership reflecting its changing platforms. Until the last decade, its peak of success was considered to be a
period in the 1970s when it sent several Members of Parliament, MPs, to the House of Commons in Westminster, where those MPs made a case for Scottish independence that did little to motivate anyone outside the party’s core. The intervening years, however, have done much to reveal the democratic deficit that now forms the basis of a widespread, cross-party drive for independence. From 1979 to 1997, the Conservative Party, led first by Margaret Thatcher and then John Major, consistently held onto power in the U.K. Much of the party’s success has been attributed to its support base in the densely populated southeast of England. Scottish support for the Conservative Party has dramatically diminished since Thatcher’s first victory — and hasn’t been particularly strong since the 1950s. Scotland’s current constituency boundaries send 59 MPs to Westminster in a general election. In the last four of these, not more than one Conservative MP has managed to get elected in Scotland. The present U.K. government, however, is led by the Conservatives in coalition with the Liberal Democrats, a party that obtained only six Scottish seats in the last election. By contrast, the Scottish Parliament — which for our purposes here can be thought of as akin to a U.S. state legislature, though there are some significant differences — is dominated by the SNP and Labour Party, with a more pluralistic representation of other parties than that seen in Westminster. This situation, which seems intractable in light of a “No” vote on independence — and another potential Conservative victory in 2016 — has left many in Scotland feeling that their supposedly representative government in Westminster has no mandate north of
LEGALESE | Opinions expressed in The Daily Texan are those of the editor, the Editorial Board or the writer of the article. They are not necessarily those of the UT administration, the Board of Regents or the Texas Student Media Board of Operating Trustees.
the border. To make a more direct comparison to American politics, the current situation in Scotland resembles a hypothetical American state, roughly the size of Colorado in terms of both population and economy, where the two-party Republican and Democrat system of Washington has simply ceased to exist. Instead, the dominant party in Congress has virtually no representation from this state, and the state’s own legislature is composed of multiple, more regionally focused parties that feel perpetually thwarted by Washington’s Republican and Democrat machines. Ideas that until recently seemed the dogmatic remnant of the SNP have spread across the political spectrum in Scotland, engaging younger voters in particular, who have transformed the notion of independence into a renewed and creative vision of participatory democracy. The outline of an independent Scotland, agreed upon across party lines, encourages local decisionmaking, constitutional reform and fairer representation for small political parties. While the SNP has often been accused of promoting “anti-English” attitudes and a vague ethno-nationalism — charges that had some merit in the 1970s — the cause of independence has been adopted by numerous English people living in Scotland as well as other immigrant communities within the country. Many latecomers to the Yes camp describe a journey from skepticism, or even scorn, to a hopeful sense of possibility for a more just and democratic society. “Inspiration” is a word that commentators on the Yes campaign tend to use regularly, and with justification. All indicators suggest that the vote on Thursday will be very
SUBMIT A FIRING LINE OR GUEST COLUMN | E-mail your Firing Lines and guest columns to editor@dailytexanonline.com. Letters must be between 100 and 300 words and guest columns between 500 and 1,000. The Texan reserves the right to edit all submissions for brevity, clarity and liability.
close, and the majority may choose to stay bound to the United Kingdom. Even if that happens, there are vital lessons to be learned from this campaign that should be the source of inspiration far beyond Scotland’s borders. First, the independence campaign proves that no political system is too ossified to be broken apart. Second, the growth of the independence movement owes nothing to puppet masters. While it was once possible to easily conflate Scottish independence with a single political party, even unionists concede that the Yes campaign owes much of its success to a masterful use of new media, grassroots organizing and a diverse, self-supporting base. Finally, the independence movement cannot be reduced to a tired left/right dichotomy. Voters can only guess at the political composition of an independent Scottish parliament, but the Yes campaign is unified in its belief that more direct representation will produce a better outcome for all. Unusually, partisan rancor has been muffled by a diverse consensus around a common objective. It is probably too late to hope for a similar style of politics to emerge in America before our next election cycle, but if the Scottish independence movement can teach us anything, it’s that “hope” and “change” don’t have to be empty slogans or targets of mockery, but can — and should — influence politics within a broad range of opinion. Whatever the outcome of Thursday’s referendum, Scotland has shown that politics outside of entrenched elites, big money and partisan warfare is not only possible, but may be the only route to building a more legitimate representative democracy. Wilbur is a media support technician in the Perry-Castañeda Library.
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GARRETT CALLAHAN, SPORTS EDITOR | @texansports Wednesday, September 17, 2014
ALUMNI
Hager turns to business after football
SIDELINE MLB BLUE JAYS
By Evan Berkowitz @Evan_Berkowitz
Editor’s Note: This is part of a weekly series looking back at past Texas athletes and where they are now. This week features former linebacker Britt Hager, who played for Texas from 1986-1988. As Texas’s all-time leading tackler, Britt Hager was an intimidating figure. “Hager was [the Big Man on Campus] when I entered Texas in 1987,” former UT student Brian Combs said in his online blog in 2009. “I remember riding the UT Shuttle Bus with him a few times. He was a big, scary looking man.” Hager, who sported a Fu Manchu mustache, didn’t just scare Combs and opposing defenses, though. Legend has it that he got so pumped before games he even scared his teammates. The scare tactics worked for Hager. His 195 tackles in 1988 are the most ever for a Longhorn. His 187 in 1987 are second-most. “It’s an honor,” Hager said. “I know how many great players have gone through there since me. To still have that record is still a great honor.” The All-American’s football career continued after he graduated from Texas. The Eagles drafted him in the third round, and he played nine seasons in Philadelphia, Denver and St. Louis. But, after that ninth year, Hager decided he needed a year off. After that break, he went to work out for the
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John Moore | Daily Texan File Photo
Former linebacker Britt Hager, one of the most prolific defensive players in Texas history, played nine seasons in the NFL after leaving Texas in 1988. He is the all-time leading tackler in Longhorns history.
Chargers and was offered a contract for the 1999 year. But he turned it down. “[I was] ready to get on with life,” Hager said. “The NFL was hard to manage emotionally and physically, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” Life for Hager didn’t calm down after his football career, as he wasted little time diving into the business world. He started off at Mattress Firm, a company he invested in while playing. After working his way up to regional manager in six years, he decided to move on.
“I learned on how to grow and operate a business,” Hager said. “I parlayed the techniques over to the next thing.” That next thing was opening up the first 1-800-Pack-Rat in Texas in 2005. He stayed there for six years before selling it back to Waste Management. His business career kept rolling when he started Beetnik Foods, an online food company, from scratch with another investor. Now, he is involved as an investor and adviser, watching as his management team grows the company.
“As you build and learn it’s kind of like you learn a fundamental model,” Hager said of his business ventures. “You take that model to that business and try to follow your interest. Oil and gas is going back to where I grew up in Odessa.” Hager’s biggest enjoyment in life comes from watching his four sons thrive, as all of them received football scholarships. His oldest played for North Texas, while another played for Blinn College. Another of his sons, Bryce, is tormenting Big 12 offenses for Baylor
as a fifth-year senior. And his youngest, Breckyn, is a two-star high school senior working to decide on a college now. Breckyn can follow in his brother’s footsteps to Waco, where he has verbally committed. Or he can follow in his father’s, as Texas recently offered him a scholarship. “It’s hard to tell [where he will go] because he emotionally loves both of them,” Hager said of his son’s decision. “He’s my only son that looked at me and said, ‘I’m going to beat your tackling record.’”
FOOTBALL
Longhorns ready to forget 1-2 start By Stefan Scrafield @stefanscrafield
One of the great things about the Big 12, or any of the six power conferences in college football, is that no matter how poorly one team performs in non-conference play, there is still a shot at a BCS bowl game. And this year’s group of Longhorns knows that better than most. Last year, Texas started off the season 1-2 after humiliating losses to BYU and Ole Miss. Eleven weeks later, after winning seven of their eight Big 12 games, the Longhorns found themselves in the de facto conference championship game against Baylor. Of course, the Bears went on to win that contest and the Big 12 crown, but to think the Longhorns were even remotely close to a BCS bid after such a terrible start is remarkable. Now, a year later and under new management, the Longhorns find themselves in the exact same position. After opening the season with a win over North Texas, Texas lost back-to-back contests to BYU and UCLA and will enter conference play with a losing record yet again. The coaching staff may have changed, but the mindset is still
—Charlie Strong, Head Coach
Shelby Tauber | Daily Texan Staff
John Harris (9) and the Longhorns are eager to put their 1-2 start to the 2014 season behind them and focus on making a run in conference play.
from a title] like we were last year against Baylor.” The Longhorns have this week off before heading to Lawrence, Kansas, next Saturday to open their conference schedule against the Kansas Jayhawks. The matchup with Kansas may be an easy opener, but bouncing back from a rough start will be even more difficult this year than it was in 2013. Last year, the Longhorns
reeled off six straight victories to open conference play, but only one of those came against a ranked opponent. This October alone, Texas takes on No. 7 Baylor, No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 20 Kansas State. Strong’s bunch has showed promise at times this season, but they’ll need to be much better over the next few months if they hope to put themselves in a position to contend for a Big 12
championship again. But the Longhorn veterans have done it once before, and they’re confident last year’s feat can be duplicated. “We’ve got to lead by example,” senior defensive back Quandre Diggs said. “All that talking goes out the window. It’s time to lead by example and go out and do what I’m supposed to do, and [the team] will follow.”
WOMEN’S GOLF
Texas finishes first event in tie for fourth By Peter Sblendorio @petersblendorio
Texas women’s golf turned in a final round team score of 301 Tuesday to finish in a tie for fourth at the Minnesota Invitational. The event was the first of the season for the Longhorns, who carded a 43-over-par 907 team score at the two-day event. Senior
Bertine Strauss finished in a tie for third place among individual players, the best finish of her career, by shooting a 4-over-par 220 for the tournament. Junior Tezira Abe also recorded the best finish of her career, tieing for 21st with sophomore Julia Beck and shooting 12-over-par 228. “I was happy with the top-5 finish,” head coach
On the elevator and was on Instagram and saw a chick that was so beautiful my knees almost Buckled ... ... Dear Heavenly Father ...
TODAY IN HISTORY
2004
San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds hits the 700th home run of his career.
SPORTS BRIEFLY Texas gets commitment from point guard
So now everything counts. We just got to pick ourselves back up, and you just got to know how to handle adversity.
the same — forget about the first three weeks and realize it’s a new season. “The thing is that, when we come back up for that bye week, conference play again,” head coach Charlie Strong said. “So now everything counts. We just got to pick ourselves back up, and you just got to know how to handle adversity.” Strong enjoyed a perfect 3-0 start at Louisville this time last season, but, for the majority of his Texas players, this kind of adversity is all too familiar. “We are just going to keep fighting and try to get it back on track just like we did last year,” senior wide receiver John Harris said. “We will try to get into Big 12 [play] and get a Big 12 title. Get back to those 30 minutes [away
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Ryan Murphy said. “It is one of our goals this year to finish every tournament in the top five. I was pleased with Bertine’s finish. She had a strong performance to start what should be a terrific season for her. I was also happy with the solid play by [Abe] and Beck. While we still have plenty of room for improvement, overall, I am happy with our
performance and think it’s a solid start to the season.” East Carolina finished first among the 14-team field, carding a 15-over-par 879 for the event. Colorado finished second with a score of 36-over-par 900. The Longhorns’ next event is the Schooner Fall Classic in Norman, Oklahoma, from Oct. 4-6.
Bertine Strauss Junior
Texas men’s basketball received a notable commitment Tuesday night, as four-star recruit Eric Davis announced his decision to join the Longhorns. Davis, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Arthur Hill High School in Saginaw, Michigan, made the announcement in front of about 100 people in his high school gym. He received offers from basketball powers such as Kentucky. Michigan, Michigan State and UCLA, among many others. Once he visited Texas, though, he made up his mind. “I liked all the schools,” Davis said. “I really wasn’t sure yet. But, when I went to Texas, it really sealed the deal. It was Texas and that was it.” Davis is the No. 10 ranked player at his position in ESPN’s Class of 2015. ESPN ranks Davis as the second best player in the state of Michigan and 41st overall in the class. He averaged 27 points and five rebounds as a junior last season and helped lead Arthur Hill to a championship in the Saginaw Valley League. In Davis, the Longhorns will get a balanced combo guard with a solid jump shot and considerable scoring ability. He is the first player from the class of 2015 to commit to Texas, and the Longhorns appear to have the roster space to add at least one more recruit from the class. —Peter Sblendorio
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COMICS
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LAUREN L’AMIE, LIFE&ARTS EDITOR | @DailyTexanArts Wednesday, September 17, 2014
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LEADING LADIES
Alumna creates local floral, events business UT alumna Sunni Graham founded Gypsy Floral & Events with her business partner, Emily Reid. The boutique company dedicates its attention to only one event per week, combining vintage and non-traditional objects into an overall design that represents each client.
By Danielle Lopez @ldlopz
On the last day of every school year, when the Blanton Museum was still on Speedway and 21st streets, Sunni Graham would visit Jerry Bywaters’ painting “Oil Field Girls.” Graham related to the painting and its bleak depiction of two women waiting on the side of the road, suitcases in hand, as the barren West Texas landscape stood behind them. This art inspired the creation of her business, Gypsy Floral & Events. After graduating from UT in 2002 with a degree in American studies, Graham immediately worked toward combining her love of florals, art and design into a career. In 2012, Graham and her partner established their bohemian-styled floral and events business. “I’ve always wanted to provide for people,” Graham said. “Whether it’s food or flowers, it just became clear that events, entertaining and arrangements are what I need to be doing.” Graham came to UT in 1997 intending to study dance and theatre. After changing her major a few times, she found her interests were in liberal arts and decided on American studies. “You could take film, art history and language classes that attributed to the degree,” Graham said. “I really feel like studying those little bits that I was exposed to really influenced what I do now.” During her time at UT, Graham spent most of her time studying and working in the garden center of a hardware store. She was
Amy Zhang Daily Texan Staff
motivated by that job to join a botany class, in whichshe discovered her affinity for flowers. “The botany class got me going,” Graham said. “I remember the really gorgeous greenhouse behind the main building and spending a lot of time in there and just being really inspired.” Directly after college, Graham worked on odd jobs for friends and family, creating arrangements and helping with weddings. “It just kind of snowballed,” Graham said. “Pretty soon they were
saying, ‘Oh, you know, I want you to do my flowers and also coordinate and can you pick out my tablecloths and what do you think about this?’” In 2001, she and her husband started her first company, Puerta Bella Events. Eleven years later, Graham was introduced to her partner, Emily Reid. Together, they created Gypsy Floral & Events and became equal partners. “It’s required us both to know a little about accounting, social media and marketing,” Reid said. “We really both do everything.”
TECHNOLOGY
Easy-to-read newsletter seeks to make students news-savvy @Courtney_t_runn
According to the 2013 State of the News Media report, 18- to 24-year-olds have the lowest percentage rates of active news readership. In 2012, 23 percent of college-aged U.S. citizens read the news, and, if the millennial generation continues to stay on trend, that rate will remain — if not decrease. Enter theSkimm. Created two years ago, theSkimm is a free daily email newsletter that breaks down the top news stories of the day — from major stories, such as the fight against ISIS, to less publicized stories, such as new drugs to combat hepatitis C — in easy-to-understand, everyday language. It acts as a tool for people who want to keep up with the news but do not have the time. The newsletter selected ambassadors,
Whether it’s food or flowers, it just became clear that events, entertaining and arrangements are what I need to be doing. —Sunni Graham, Owner, Gypsy Floral
with our families, and, also, I feel like its just nice to have something that’s really your own.” Graham said she remembers the transition from college to establishing a career being intimidating. “But, I had some advice from a couple of different folks in the business
community around Austin,” Graham said. “They said, ‘If you’re going to be an entrepreneur, don’t be afraid. You’re young and it’s OK to make mistakes. Just go for it.’ So that’s what I did. I don’t know if it was naiveté or craziness or what, but I just haven’t looked back.”
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Illustration by Connor Murphy | Daily Texan Staff
By Courtney Runn
Graham said Gypsy Floral is a boutique company that tries to give its attention to only one event per week. The duo likes to combine non-traditional and vintage objects into their design concepts while making sure to incorporate their clients’ personalities and backgrounds. Despite the hard work and energy owning her own business has required, Graham said she loves what Gypsy Floral gives her. “There are a lot of fabulous perks to it,” Graham said. “We set our own schedule, get to take time off to spend
including UT students, to help better reach a younger community. Caroline Meyerson, a marketing and Plan II junior, became a Skimm ambassador for the UT campus after she was introduced to the company by her older sister a year ago. Meyerson said keeping up with current events is crucial for internships and interviews. With theSkimm, she said she feels prepared to discuss the news and participate in discussions with professors and potential employers. For sophomore Eleni Demeris, theSkimm is part of her morning routine. “It’s definitely my starting point, and, if I want additional info on what they’re talking about, I’ll go to a larger news outlet,” Demeris said. While theSkimm is not only for students, it is targeted toward millennials. Political communications
senior Kaitlyn Clark is also an ambassador on campus working to gain more student readers. Clark wanted to be an ambassador after hearing about the company at a presentation last fall while in Washington, D.C., for UT’s Archer program. Through her work on campus with theSkimm, Clark said she’s seen more students cultivate a passion for news and current events. She recalls a student who was the only one in his class who could answer his professor’s questions on current events because he read theSkimm daily. According to Clark, while options like theSkimm only provide short summaries of the news, they are significant in that they allow students to feel like they can participate. “If everyone on campus read it, we’d be a smarter campus,” Meyerson said.