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Thursday, September 25, 2014
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UNIVERSITY
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TA task force looks at compensation
Crude oil prices may affect PUF endowment
By Eleanor Dearman @ellydearman
The College of Liberal Arts established a task force to meet this semester and discuss issues directly affecting teaching assistants and assistant instructors, such as compensation and workload. At its second meeting
Tuesday, the TA Task Force talked about the potential reduction of TA and assistant instructor positions and an increase of stipends. The task force is composed of 22 students with TA experience in the college’s doctorate granting units and two undergraduate
representatives. The group was created to give graduate students a say in administrative affairs such as workload, training, professionalization of graduate students and compensation of TAs, according to Lauren Apter Bairnsfather, executive assistant in the Office of the Associate Dean for Research and
Graduate Studies. In an email sent to the task force on Aug. 6, Esther Raizen, associate dean for the Office of the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, said the college needs to decrease the number of TAs and assistant instructors by about 10 percent in order make
its stipend competitive with other institutions. Currently, the college hosts approximately 832 TAs and assistant instructors. Bairnsfather said all solutions mentioned thus far are preliminary. She said the college is
sequined shirt — which he said he made himself — and a hat with a fake mustache glued to the top. Jeff, a UT alumnus, is a social worker in Austin and was planning to be on a float
LYFT page 5
PUF page 2
Lyft driver hopes for City Council approval By Brigit Benestante @BBenestante
Amy Zhang | Daily Texan Staff
Cris Nevares, math and actuarial sciences senior, has been a Lyft driver since July 4. For Nevares, being a Lyft driver allows him to connect with interesting passengers while scheduling his own hours.
as he drove them to East Austin. They explained that they had just finished eating at Franklin Barbecue and said they traveled to Austin mainly for the food. “This is not a long way [from New York],” Rohan said. “We’d go anywhere for food.”
Nevares dropped off the couple and said goodbye. “They’re definitely one of the nicer groups I’ve had,” Nevares said. “On average, the passengers are nice, but they were really awesome. That’s one reason why I feel I don’t have to make myself
do this.” After dropping Rohan and his wife off, Nevares soon received another request on his phone from a man named Jeff in Far West. Jeff was on his way to the Austin Pride Parade downtown. He wore cut-off shorts, a
CAMPUS
Watergate reporter for traditional media By Josh Willis
Bob Woodward, associate editor of the Washington Post, speaks at the Belo Center for New Media on Wednesday afternoon. Woodward spoke of his experiences throughout his career in journalism, including breaking the Watergate Scandal.
@joshwillis35
Bob Woodward, one of the reporters who broke the Watergate scandal in 1972, talked about his experiences as a journalist Wednesday at the Belo Center for New Media. Woodward, now the associate editor of the Washington Post, gained prominence following his coverage of the scandal with Carl Bernstein, in which President Richard Nixon attempted to hide evidence of a breakin at the Democratic National Committee’s offices in Washington, D.C., Nixon eventually resigned. Looking back on his experience since the scandal, Woodward said the changing environment for the newspaper industry is something he thinks can be reversed. “The answer is, ultimately, when you’re in the business, you have to make the product
Daulton Venglar Daily Texan Staff
better,” Woodward said. “We used to call them ‘bacon coolers,’ when a story in the paper was so good that when you’re eating breakfast, and you get the bacon on the fork, it never gets to your mouth because the story is so good.” In a time when social media is often used to spread information, Woodward said it should not be a substitute for accurate and
effective reporting. “If you are spending the time tweeting, you aren’t spending that time reporting,” Woodward said. “Reporting is something where you have to develop relationships and trust with human beings, and you have to talk to people.” Journalism professor Tracy Dahlby said he agreed with Woodward about the damages of social media,
but said that, for people who care about journalism, those distractions would not completely hinder the process. “I think that there is an issue with social media and digital technologies that we have because they tend to split our focus and distract us,” Dahlby said. “I do believe as Bob Woodward said,
WOODWARD page 2
@alexwilts
Decreasing international crude oil prices may affect the money available to the UT System, according to Bruce Zimmerman, CEO and CIO of the University of Texas Investment Management Company. From June 2012 to June 2014, the market value of the Permanent University Fund, or PUF, increased from $13.1 billion to $17.2 billion, according to reports from UTIMCO, the organization that invests money for the System. The PUF is an endowment containing 2.1 million acres in West Texas that was created by the Texas Constitution to benefit the UT and Texas A&M University systems. The proceeds from the sale of oil, gas, sulfur and water royalties are invested in the form of stocks, bonds and equity interest to establish the Available University Fund, or AUF. Two-thirds of these funds go toward the UT System, and one-third goes to the Texas A&M system. Scott Kelley, executive vice president for business affairs at the UT System, said the PUF’s market value grew as a result of increased oil production in West Texas. “The new technology and horizontal drilling and the ability to extract oil and gas from some of the shale that’s out there has just created a whole new wave of production,” Kelley said. In August, United States crude oil production averaged an estimated 8.6 million barrels per day, the highest
TA page 3
CITY
Cris Nevares’ nights as a Lyft driver are never the same. Since becoming a driver last summer, Nevares has come across a variety of people, stories and situations on the job. Each ride has a story of its own, whether it lasts five or 45 minutes. Nevares, a mathematics and actuarial sciences senior, began driving with Lyft because it allowed him to choose his own hours, leaving time for studying. “I heard it was decent money, and the entire ‘being able to make your own hours’ thing was pretty appealing,” Nevares said. He starts most of his driving shifts around 6 p.m. and will sometimes drive until 4 a.m. His car is equipped with bowls of candy, water bottles, throw up bags and even condoms for patrons. Saturday night, Nevares’ phone lit up, signaling his first request. The request came from a man named Rohan and his wife, a couple visiting from New York. Nevares can only see customers’ first names on the app. Nevares picked up the couple in West Campus and began making conversation
By Alex Wilts
CAMPUS
Jenna VonHofe | Daily Texan Staff
Professor Barbara Harlow and Professor Snehal Shingavi speak on the similarities between Ferguson, Missouri and Gaza, Palestine.
Students draw parallels between Gaza, Ferguson By Kylie Fitzpatrick @mllekyky
The Palestine Solidarity Committee held a panel discussion on campus Monday, in which professors and students discussed the links between oppression in Ferguson, Missouri, and Gaza.
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Man hospitalized after falling from parking garage. PAGE 3
Sound ordinance negatively impacts campus life. PAGE 4
Texas rallies from 2-0 deficit to bump West Virginia. PAGE 6
Science Scene looks at “tit for tat” study strategy. PAGE 8
Guest panelists discuss book banning today. PAGE 3
Law professor reflects on memory of PCL shooting. PAGE 4
DBU’s Gray continues to be involved in football. PAGE 6
The Mexic-Arte Museum celebrates Day of the Dead. PAGE 8
Follow The Daily Texan’s Twitter account for upto-date information on campus news. @thedailytexan
During the event, which was held on the start of the Jewish New Year, assistant English professor Snehal Shingavi said the purpose of the event was to highlight the connections between the conflict in Gaza and
GAZA page 2 REASON TO PARTY
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