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Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900
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Monday, February 9, 2015
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UNIVERSITY
CAMPUS
Report: Massive rise in bias reports
Party guests wear ‘border control’ garb to Fiji event
By Josh Willis @joshwillis35
The Campus Climate Response Team (CCRT) saw an increase of 713 percent in the number of “bias incidents” reported in the 2013-2014 school year as compared to the 2012-2013 school year, largely as a result of two events hosted by the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT). According to the report, the CCRT received 670 reports in the 2013-2014 school year, compared to 94 reports
in the previous school year. “The sevenfold increase stems in large part from reports on two high-profile events sponsored by a student group,” the report said. According to the report, 89 percent of the incident alerts made to the CCRT in the past school year were a result of the two events — YCT’s “Affirmative Action Bake Sale,” which they held in Sept. 2013, and the group’s “Catch an Illegal Immigrant,” which was planned for a month later and
ultimately cancelled. Students, faculty, staff, parents, visitors and alumni can file reports to the CCRT. “Another reason for the number of reports could be increased awareness on campus of the CCRT and its reporting function,” the report said. According to the report, the “Affirmative Action Bake Sale” led to 25 individual reports. Club members sold baked goods at different prices to students of different races and genders to protest UT’s race-conscious
admissions policy. YCT’s planned “Catch an Illegal Immigrant” event in November 2013 led to 572 reports of bias. In the event description, students were told they would win $25 gift cards if they could catch individuals walking around campus who were wearing “illegal immigrant” signs. President William Powers Jr. condemned the event, which also sparked a protest. “Our students, faculty and the entire University work hard both to promote
diversity and engage in a respectful exchange of ideas,” Powers said. “This Wednesday event does not reflect that approach or commitment.” Ultimately, YCT cancelled the event. “[Club members are concerned] that the University will retaliate against them and that the protest against the event could create a safety issue for our volunteers,” thenYCT Chairman Lorenzo Garcia said in a statement.
REPORT page 2
HEALTH
UT does not track measles vaccinations By Samantha Ketterer @sam_kett
Despite a national spike in measles cases, the University does not require that U.S.born students be vaccinated against measles. Documentation of a measles vaccine is required for international students. In the first 30 days of the year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 102 cases of measles in the United States. Ninety-two percent of those were traced back to one outbreak, stemming from a case at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Over the course of the month, the disease spread through 14 states, including Texas. Texas state law requires all children entering elementary schools to have two doses of the measles vaccine, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. By college, all students from
THE MEASLES WERE CONSIDERED ELIMINATED FROM THE U.S. IN 2000.
THERE WERE TWICE AS MANY MEASLES CASES LAST MONTH THAN LAST YEAR’S MONTHLY AVERAGE.
THE VACCINE IS 97% EFFECTIVE AND LASTS A LIFETIME. IN TEXAS, VACCINATION IS REQUIRED FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS.
THE MEASLES VACCINATION RATE FOR UT STUDENTS IS UNKNOWN.
?
THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPORTED CASES AT UT FOR THE PAST 11 YEARS.
MONTHLY AVERAGE 2014
54 JANUARY 2015
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MEASLES page 2
Graphic by Alex Dolan | Daily Texan Staff
UNIVERSITY
By Julia Brouillette @juliakbrou
Texas Fiji hosted a party guests said had a “border patrol” theme Saturday night, where attendees wore construction gear, ponchos and sombreros. Other guests wore army camouflage outfits. According to Fiji fraternity president Andrew Campbell, the party was this year’s annual Fiji Marshals event, a “western-themed party which focuses on the traditional old west.” Multiple attendees said the party’s theme was communicated as “border patrol.” Among the several hundred attendees, many wore construction hard hats with the names “Jefe” and “Pablo Sanchez” written on them, as well as reflective vests and work gloves. Decorations included painted photo cutout boards of people dressed in traditional Mexican attire. The bar was painted to resemble a Mexican flag, with the shape of Texas in the middle. Campbell said fraternity members intended to make sure the party theme was not offensive. “We notified our chapter prior to the party via email that the theme was Western — not south of the border or anything Mexican related,” Campbell said in an emailed statement. “It was our intention to monitor and enforce this policy
PARTY page 2
WEST CAMPUS
City plans to add lights, widen sidewalks By Wynne Davis
Civil engineering sophomore Lean Bennett walks through West Campus. The city is implementing improved lighting throughout West Campus as part of a parking benefit program between the city and University Area Partners. West Campus
@wynneellyn
Daulton Venglar | Daily Texan Staff
TSM Board President Mary Dunn speaks at the TSM Board meeting Friday afternoon in the Belo Center for New Media.
TSM projected to finish fiscal quarter in the black By Samantha Ketterer @sam_kett
For the first time since 2007, Texas Student Media (TSM), now under the domain of the Moody College of Communication, will not have to pull from its reserves at the end of the fiscal year. TSM, which manages five student-produced media
properties — Cactus Yearbook, Texas Travesty, Texas Student TV, KVRX 91.7 FM and The Daily Texan — has been under severe financial constraints for the last several years. In a TSM Board meeting Friday, director Gerald Johnson said TSM will receive an allocation of up to $250,000 an-
TSM page 2
City officials are planning to add lighting, trees and wider sidewalks to West Campus as part of a parking benefit program between the city and University Area Partners, a West Campus neighborhood association. The project, which began in 2012, first replaced free two-hour parking spots with metered parking spots. The profit from the parking meters goes toward initiatives intended to benefit the neighborhood, according to Steve Grassfield, the city’s parking enterprise manager. “The revenue from the parking meters — minus the city costs, which are the costs of the pay stations, enforcement, paper, back office support … and then whatever is left — over 51 percent of that money goes to the neighborhood,” Grassfield said. Since the start of the project, the city has
Chris Foxx Daily Texan Staff
already spent approximately $250,000 on improving sidewalks in West Campus, according to Grassfield. The initiative also includes benches for the sidewalks, as well as more lighting. Grassfield said after the city widened sidewalks along Rio Grande and 23rd streets, pedestrian traffic tripled in the area. Cathy Norman, president of University Area Partners, said the project began as a way to handle increased pe-
destrian traffic and regulate parking. “When we had two-hour parking, or no regulation on the parking, people would park there for an entire semester,” Norman said. “The car would never move. But now with paid parking it really does turn over, and people think about if they want to pay to have a car.” Linguistics junior Sandra Reyes said she wishes there was more free park-
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
ONLINE
Visiting professor predicts demise of capitalism. PAGE 3
Auto and payday loan industries need reform. PAGE 4
Isaiah Taylor leads Texas to win over Kansas State. PAGE 6
Student’s social media analysis goes viral. PAGE 8
Listen to our Life&Arts editors’ picks for the best tunes of the month.
Professors study more efficient solar panels. PAGE 3
UT alum Jeb Bush has a chance at presidency. PAGE 4
Longhorns win majority of games at Kajikawa Classic. PAGE 6
A decadent brownie recipe for Valentine’s Day. PAGE 5
dailytexanonline.com
ing, but she supports the project and thinks West Campus sidewalks need more maintenance. “[The sidewalks] aren’t even, so some spots flood when it rains, and it makes it hard to walk through,” Reyes said. “We have too many people in the area for how big the sidewalks are.” Grassfield said other cities, such as Houston, have implemented similar
LIGHTING page 2 REASON TO PARTY
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