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Tuesday, November 11, 2014
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UT expects to hit energy goal early By Eleanor Dearman @ellydearman
In an effort to reduce energy consumption on campus, the University has saved more than $15 million by cutting down its energy and water usage since 2009. In 2009, President William Powers Jr.’s Sustainability Steering Committee initiated a University plan to reduce energy and water use by 20 percent in educational and general
buildings on campus by 2020. With more than five years left to reach its goal, the plan has decreased usage on campus by 16.5 percent through University education programs and conservation methods. The 16.5 percent reduction, while down 4 percent from last fiscal year, was up to 17.3 percent in May. Ana Thiemer, manager of the Energy and Water Conservation Program — which was started in 2012 to support the com-
mittee’s initiative — said the fluctuation is a result of the change in seasons and is expected when measuring energy. “Over the summer, we had a really hot summer, a lot of failures in terms of equipment, and so things like that make our numbers go down,” Thiemer said. According to Thiemer, the University is expected to meet its 20 percent goal in the next two to three years. She said the early completion date is a result
of technical maintenance efforts and behavioral programs that teach conservation to University faculty, staff and students. On the technical side, Thiemer said facilities staff members are monitoring buildings for potential energy waste, such as turnedon lights, leaky faucets or malfunctioning heating and cooling units. An internal program called High Energy Response Operators instructs and encourages facilities
Researcher receives crime study endowment
TOTAL FISCAL YEAR ENERGY CHANGE 2009 1.0% 2010: —4% 2011: —8.4% 2012: —7.8% 2013: —12.5% 2014: —16.5%
By Adam Hamze @adamhamz
The National Institute of Health awarded sociology associate professor David Kirk a grant to support his study, which examines criminal recidivism as a result of people returning to their former neighborhoods after incarceration. Criminal recidivism is the tendency for former inmates to return to illegal behavior after being released. Kirk’s project, titled “The Maryland Prisoner Reentry Relocation Experiment,” aims to find whether there is a relationship between recidivism and the neighborhoods in which ex-convicts live. “Prior research has demonstrated that when someone comes out of incarceration, if they go back to old neighborhoods, it is a recipe for disaster,” Kirk said. “The project examines what happens if they do not go back to their old social context.” The program is a yearlong pilot program that will take place in Maryland and will track two groups of released inmates. Both will receive subsidies for living, but half of them will return to their old neighborhoods while the other half will be relocated to different environments. In order to gather information about criminal recidivism, the Bureau of Justice Statistics tracked approximately 400,000
workers to look out for repairs that could save energy. “Our zone techs really do
ENERGY page 3
CAMPUS
UTPD, PTS launch campus safety initiative By Natalie Sullivan @natsullivan94
UTPD and Parking and Transportation Services are looking to promote cooperation between different modes of transportation on campus with a new safety initiative. The initiative, launched last week with help from Student Government and the Office of the Dean of Students, aims to raise awareness of campus safety issues for pedestrians, bikers, carts, buses and vehicles. The campaign includes a website, safety booklets for bicyclists and signs encouraging students to share the road around campus. Blanca Gamez, alternative transportation manager for PTS, said the department has been working on developing the initiative since early summer. “It’s really about being aware of everything happening around you,
SAFETY page 2
Sarah Montgomery | Daily Texan Staff
A bicyclist makes his way up 24th Street on Monday afternoon. UTPD and Parking and Transportation Services launched an initiative last week to promote safer transportation on campus.
RESEARCH
GRANT page 3
CAMPUS
Service society gives helping hand to elementary school
Brian Tsuji, associate professor and director of clinical research at the University of Buffalo, spoke about new ways to combat multidrug resistant bacteria Monday afternoon.
By Marisa Charpentier @marisacharp21
Stephanie Tacy Daily Texan Staff
Associate professor discusses research to combat superbugs By Ariana Guerra
bit.ly/dtvid
When strangers Tiffany Chan and Carolyn Ellis roomed together their freshman year, they learned three things the first night: They both wore the same shoes to prom, they both bruise easily, and they both share a love for volunteering. According to Ellis, an advertising junior, the pairing was practically a storybook romance. Now two years later, the friends continue to experience the result of their shared love for volunteering. In spring 2013, during the second semester of their freshman year, they created Chi Kappa Phi Service Society to make connections with people through service. “We were looking to fill a niche that had a vacancy on campus,” Ellis said.
Marshall Tidrick | Daily Texan Staff
Tiffany Chan and Carolyn Ellis, co-founders and co-presidents of Chi Kappa Phi Service Society, say that KPhi’s emphasis on philanthropy is what sets it apart.
“We saw a lot of spirit groups. We saw a lot of service groups. We saw a lot of groups that claimed to do both, but we weren’t sure if there was the passion and the drive to want to do the service.” Co-presidents Chan and Ellis held their first round of recruitment in fall 2013, and the group doubled to 45 students after
fall recruitment this year. The leaders sought members who are passionate about service. “Volunteering with people who want to volunteer makes such a difference,” Chan said. “We don’t do mandatory service hours because people in KPhi are there because they want to
An associate professor from the University at Buffalo spoke on campus Monday about his research in finding new ways to combat superbugs, bacteria that have mutated in response to antibiotics. Brian Tsuji, an associate
professor and director of research of antimicrobial pharmacodynamics at the University at Buffalo, said he recently received an accumulation of grants totaling more than $7.5 million to go toward his research. “This was a unique opportunity,” Tsuji said. “It’s really just asking the right questions and assembling an
outstanding team to drive the medical needs and help folks that have that infection.” Tsuji’s research focuses on clinical and translational approaches to combat multidrug resistant bacteria. According to Tsuji, his research has four major aims: bacterial killing and resistance,
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Guest lecturer from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill talks about her upcoming book on South Indian culture. PAGE 3
Has America lost its idealism? PAGE 4
Offensive line provides late season spark. PAGE 6
UT alumnus screenprints at studio in East Austin. PAGE 8
Fast food should sign on to farmworkers’ movement. PAGE 4
Longhorns buy into Strong’s message. PAGE 6
Sociology senior creates news aggregation website. PAGE 8
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