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COMICS PAGE 4
LIFE&ARTS PAGE 6
SPORTS PAGE 5
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Friday, February 13, 2015
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SYSTEM
Report: Powers influenced admission By Josh Willis @joshwillis35
President William Powers Jr. helped secure admittance for a small pool of applicants over objections of admissions office officials, according to a report released Thursday by the UT System Board of Regents. An investigation, performed by Kroll Associates Inc., also found administrators at the
University and in the UT System hold “wildly divergent” attitudes regarding whether it is appropriate for a public university to consider relationships with high-ranking officials as part of the holistic review process. Kroll is a corporate investigations and risk consulting firm the UT System contracted to investigate UT admissions practices. The report concluded that
Powers pressured undergraduate admissions officials to admit a “select handful” of applicants each year. There is no law, Regents rule or System policy that regulates how much weight the University can give external recommendations, such as letters and phone calls, in the admissions process. “There are instances in which applicants do not succeed in the standard
admissions process and the President’s Office will request, and in some cases direct, that certain files be reviewed again,” the report said. “Efforts were also made to minimize paper trails and written lists during this end-of-cycle [admission] process.” Powers referenced similar practices at other universities to justify his actions. “In every case, I acted in what, I believe, was the best
long-term interest of the University,” Powers said. “In every select university across the country, similar processes take place.” UT System Chancellor William McRaven said because the investigation found no broken laws or rules, he intends only to make changes for future admission activities. “There are a lot of thing we
@sam_kett
VIGIL page 2
Over a hundred students, faculty and staff marched to the Texas Fiji house Thursday evening to protest a “border patrol” party hosted by the fraternity last weekend. The fraternity has apologized for offensive behavior and attire at the party and has agreed to work with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life to educate members on cultural sensitivity.
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MULTIMEDIA: Check out the video at dailytexanonline.com Joshua Guerra Daily Texan Staff
and other activities as responsible members of the University and Austin communities,” fraternity members said in the statement. Rocío Villalobos, a program director at the Multicultural Engagement Center on campus, said Fiji members should have given the
By Samantha Ketterer
PROTEST page 2
By Samantha Ketterer and Jackie Wang
and are offended.” In the fraternity’s statement, members agreed to work with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life to educate members on cultural sensitivity. “We have learned an important lesson about planning and conducting our social events
Students hold vigil for UNC students
party’s theme more careful consideration. “They don’t care that people risked their lives when they crossed the border,” Rivera said. “They don’t care that some people in our families proudly put on construction hats, gloves
ADMISSIONS page 2
Protests erupt over ‘border patrol’ party
theme was not intended to be offensive. “While the party was intended to have a western or old west theme, there were elements and dress that were insensitive and inappropriate,” Campbell said in a statement Tuesday. “We understand why people were
CAMPUS
Over 300 members of the UT community gathered on the front steps of the Main Building on Thursday night for a vigil in memory of three Muslim students at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill who were killed in their apartment Tuesday evening. Police charged Craig Stephen Hicks with three counts of first-degree murder for shooting Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha and her sister Razan Abu-Salha. Officers said the shooting was the result of a parking dispute, but the victims’ families said the act was clearly a hate crime. “This is a loss for the Muslim community, in general, all over the world,” said Rawand Abdelghani, psychology junior and Muslim Students Assocation president. “As far as we identify, this could have been any of us that this happened to. Even though we don’t all know the three victims, we feel with them, feel with their families.” English professor Snehal Shingavi said the repercussions of the UNC shootings stretch across the country, including to the UT campus. “It has now become very, very clear that the sort of racial debates that happen in America are finding their place on campus,” Shingavi said. Because the victims were college students, the vigil held a personal importance for many attendees, according to Usama Malik, president of Ahmadiyya Muslim
CAMPUS
Over a hundred students, faculty and staff stood outside of the Texas Fiji house Thursday, chanting, “Hey, ho, these racist frats have got to go,” to protest a party the fraternity held last weekend that attendees said was themed “border patrol.” Latino Community Affairs, an agency that works to advocate for Latino students on campus, organized the protest and march. Representatives from different cultural organizations spoke in front of the Cesar Chavez statue in the West Mall before the crowd marched to the fraternity house. Several guests at the Fiji party confirmed they were told the theme was “border patrol” and attendees wore ponchos, sombreros and construction gear with names such as “Jefe” and “Pablo Sanchez” on them. Fiji president Andrew Campbell said the party
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STATE
UNIVERSITY
Texas Senate committee supports ‘campus carry’
TSM Board members reconsider vote
By Eleanor Dearman @EllyDearman
Despite student opposition, the State Affairs committee voted to recommend that the Texas Senate pass SB 11, a bill allowing students, faculty and staff to carry concealed handguns on campus, with a vote of 7–2 on Thursday. The committee hosted a Senate hearing to allow supporters and opponents of “campus carry” to express their opinions about the bill. If passed by the Texas Legislature, the bill would allow licensed gun owners over the age of 21 to bring concealed handguns into University buildings and on University grounds. Hospitals, residence halls, sporting events, preschools and secondary schools would not permit campus carry. Public relations junior Andrea Hiller said she is concerned for the safety of female students on campus if SB 11 were to pass because of the possibility of sexual assault.
“To allow guns on campus would heighten fear in the female student population, including myself,” Hiller said. “How can I continue to be a dedicated student when I’m too afraid to walk or be alone on campus? Let me remind you that similar to many of my peers, I am under 21 and would legally not be able to defend myself [with a gun].” Government freshman Jordee Rodriguez said colleges are not conducive to campus carry because four out of every five college students drink, creating an unsafe environment for guns. “Considering the elevated risk for binge drinking by college students and the aggressive behavior that results from it, I am concerned that allowing armed weapons on campus would only facilitate attacks on students by individuals whose reasoning is hampered by intoxicating substances,” Rodriguez said.
SB 11 page 2
By Julia Brouillette
TSM Board member Heidi Toprac listens at Thursday’s TSM election committee meeting. Toprac recommended rescinding the Board’s previous qualifications decision.
@juliakbrou
Three members of the Texas Student Media election committee recommended the board “roll back” a previous, unanimous decision to amend requirements for The Daily Texan editor-in-chief applicants in a meeting Thursday. The TSM Board, which manages five student-produced media properties — Cactus Yearbook, Texas Travesty, Texas Student TV, KVRX 91.7 FM and The Daily Texan — postponed certifying candidates in a meeting last week after questions arose about the qualifications each candidate needed to meet. “It did not occur to me that we could have a situation where we have many candidates, some of whom do and some of whom do not meet the requirements,” board member Heidi Toprac, a finance senior lecturer, said. The Board voted to amend qualifications for the editorin-chief position at their November meeting. Candidates
Andy Nguyen Daily Texan Staff
are now required to have completed at least one semester as a permanent staff member in opinion to be certified, according to the TSM Handbook. Three students applied to run for editor-in-chief, only two of whom met all the requirements. Board members Toprac, Robert Quigley and Adam Alloy expressed concern over the decision in the meeting Thursday, saying the Board may have unintentionally narrowed the applicant pool.
The handbook states the Board may certify a candidate by waiving requirements only if no qualified candidate for editor-in-chief applies by the deadline. Toprac recommended the committee request the Board “strike out” the first clause of the requirement, which would make it possible for any candidate to be certified, regardless of whether any qualified candidates applied. The three candidates — David Davis, Claire Smith
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
ONLINE
Organization aims to fight tropical diseases. ONLINE
TSM election committee sets dangerous precedent. PAGE 3
Baseball to kick off season at Rice. PAGE 5
UT alumnus debuts film at Slamdance festival. PAGE 6
Valentine’s Day movie recommendations for the single lady or gentleman.
University redesigns academic logo. ONLINE
Hazlewood Act should be limited to Texans. PAGE 3
Javan Felix faces serious concussion concerns. PAGE 5
“Fifty Shades of Grey” fails to satisfy. PAGE 6
dailytexanonline.com
and David Maly — will discuss their applications with the Board at a meeting Friday. Davis said he thinks the qualifications should be upheld. “Why have qualifications if you’re just going to waive them,” Davis said. Board vice president Arjun Mocherla said waiving the requirements universally might be unfair to other Texan employees, who may have wanted to apply for editor-
TSM page 2
VALENTINE’S DAY
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Friday, February 13, 2015
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ADMISSIONS thedailytexan
Volume 115, Issue 99
CONTACT US Main Telephone (512) 471-4591 Editor-in-Chief Riley Brands (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com Managing Editor Jordan Rudner (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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TOMORROW’S WEATHER
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I am nocturnal now?
SB 11
and reflective vests because that job allows them to provide for themselves and for their families. There is no shame in being a migrant; there is no shame in being a construction worker; and there is no shame in having brown skin.” Officials from the Office of the Dean of Students met with the fraternity this week and said they are assessing the situation, according to a University statement released Monday. “The University of Texas at Austin holds diversity and tolerance among our highest values,” the statement said. “We strive to promote a campus culture in which all students feel welcome and safe.” According to Amber Magee, public health junior and director of Student Government’s Diversity and Inclusion agency. The Fiji party theme cannot be brushed off as “just a joke.” “On a daily basis, people of color still have to deal with these issues,” Magee said. “So if you tell me it’s just a joke, [or] it’s just a party, I’m going to tell you that the fact that you’re so privileged that you don’t recognize a problem with that — that’s your issue, not mine.”
UT System Chancellor William McRaven has previously stated he opposes campus carry, while Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp has said he supports it. Waco sheriff Parnell McNamara, who was invited to speak at the hearing, said he is in favor of campus carry because he thinks it will create an added protection measure for victims of crime. “The police can’t be everywhere at once,” McNamara said. “We simply can’t. The person, the victim — say you — are the first responders. Not the police. You’re the first one that knows what is
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PROTEST
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Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Riley Brands Senior Associate Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Noah M. Horwitz Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Olivia Berkeley, Cullen Bounds, Olive Liu Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jordan Rudner Associate Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brett Donohoe, Jack Mitts News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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happening to you.” Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said he is opposed to open carry because university campuses are an area with concentrated mental health problems, alcohol use and sexual assault. Acevedo said he thinks public universities should at least have the option to opt out of campus carry, like their private school counterparts. “As a father whose son is at a public institution, I certainly would hope that my son and his fellow students and the people [who] work in the public institutions will be given the same courtesy that those who can afford it will have, and that’s the option to opt out,” Acevedo said.
NEWS
Student Government President Kori Rady said he anticipates SG will soon vote on an SG resolution opposing the policy.“From my understanding, students feel safe on campus and in a classroom, and to change something that really isn’t broken doesn’t make sense to me,” Rady said. At the hearing, Sen. Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury), who originally authored the bill, said that if an open carry law were to pass, he would not support its enforcement on campus. “It has not been in the past, nor is it now, my intent to allow the open carry of guns on campus,” Birdwell said.
continues from page 1 could do better, but, at the end of the day, no willful misconduct [occurred], and I found no criminal activity, and, therefore, I intend to take no disciplinary action,” McRaven said. The UT System commissioned Kroll to conduct an external investigation of the admissions process after Board of Regents member Wallace Hall alleged that UT administrators were admitting under-qualified applicants with connections to prominent legislators. The report found that many children of UT System officials were likely given special treatment as well. In an email to Board of Regents members, McRaven said Powers’ lack of transparency concerned him. “Clearly, President Powers’ managerial style could have been less intrusive and his decisions more apparent,” McRaven said. Larry Sager, former dean of the UT School of Law, said Brazzil, Powers’ chief of staff, called Sager about students who had applied to the law school as many as 20 times per year. “Sager acknowledged that the intensity of Brazzil’s interest in a candidate ‘may have on occasion swayed [his] decision,’” the report said. The report found no evidence of a structured process for special treatment of recommended applicants. “Sending recommendation letters directly to the UT President has been a widespread and longstanding practice by a host of distinguished individuals, [and thus] any problems with this practice would seem to be much more a matter of culture than individual misconduct,” the report said. Powers acknowledged the wide-spread acceptance of the admission intervention culture. “I inherited this process, which was well-known by regents, former chancellors, the Board of Regents office and UT System officials — many of whom, as the report notes, asked me to intervene on their behalf,” Powers said.
TSM
continues from page 1 in-chief, but did not meet the requirements. “If we decide that we’re going to waive say the opinion requirement or something like that, I feel like every person at The Daily Texan could have filed at that point,” Mocherla said. Toprac said she thinks November’s decision did not reflect the intention of the board, which was to increase the number of applicants. “We never contemplated a circumstance that has now arisen,” Toprac said. Candidates will not be able to begin campaigning until they are certified. The deadline for certification is Tuesday.
VIGIL
continues from page 1 Students Organization. “Even though it’s 1,300 miles away, this event has hit more close to home than we can imagine,” Malik said. “These were individuals –— 23, 21, 19 year-old Muslim students — such as myself, at a public university, [who] were slain.” Several speakers cited Islamophobia, a hatred, prejudice or fear against Muslims, as a cause of the events that occurred in Chapel Hill. “At this time, Islamophobia is picking up some ground,” Malik said. “Through the actions of terrorist groups such as ISIS, people are having a skewed perception of what Islam is.” Shaykh Mufti MohamedUmer Esmail, an imam, or Muslim worship leader, at the Nueces Mosque in West Campus, said those who are persecuted should not have hatred toward the persecutors. “We want to remind ourselves that the future is bright,” Esmail said. “We’re not going to let the one percent who have hate govern our lives … we’re going to be much better than that. We’re going to show that love to that extent that those who don’t love their neighbor will change their mind.”
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RILEY BRANDS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / @TexanEditorial Friday, February 13, 2015
EDITORIAL
TSM election committee sets dangerous precedent for election If history’s greatest lesson is never to make the same mistake twice, TSM Board members Heidi Toprac, Robert Quigley and Adam Alloy are its worst students. At a meeting of the Texas Student Media election committee Thursday, these three dunderheads voted to recommend to the full board, which is meeting Friday to certify candidates for the upcoming Daily Texan editor-in-chief election, a “rolling back” of a previous decision by the board to change certain parts of the qualification process for the position. Their justification was to open up the position to a broader pool of applicants on the assumption that certain years would see no applicants (a situation that has not occurred any time in recent memory). If the full board votes to approve this recommendation, it could allow for the certification of a candidate whose victory in the upcoming campus-wide elections could spell disaster for the Texan and TSM as a whole. Over the course of the fall semester, the board voted to amend qualifications for both the managing editor and editor-in-chief position, respectively, of this paper. As a Texan reporter caught in a recording of the November meeting, the members of the board, including Toprac, Quigley
and Alloy, voted unanimously to accept changes which would force the board to reject any candidates who did not meet all the qualifications, unless no fully qualified candidates came forward. This year, candidates have come forward who meet all the qualifications as listed on the application. Another, David Maly, does not. Specifically, he lacks the editorial (opinion-writing) requirement that is absolutely crucial to the discharge of this job. Maly, who left the Texan two years ago, has since then maligned or threatened to malign numerous members of the organization, including last year’s board president, Dave Player, and has consistently brought negative attention to this organization. Now, Maly dangerously wants to lead the largest entity within that organization. Admittedly, the current board, which unfortunately suffers from high turnover, may not understand the unabridged version of the drama Maly has caused. At the very least, however, they do understand his obstreperousness and irascibility. They have seen him attack current board President Mary Dunn and request her removal for the flimsiest of reasons, mostly revolving around his failure to be certified for the editor-in-chief position last year,
ONLINE
COLUMN
Rodney Reed deserves justice
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By Mukund Rathi Guest Columnist
COLUMN
Although Hazlewood helps many, it should be restricted to Texans By Mary Dolan
Daily Texan Columnist @mimimdolan
One of the biggest issues that college students face today is the rising cost of higher education. Paying for college can be a difficult task even for students who come from relatively comfortable backgrounds. And for those who have faced financial obstacles, finding a way to pay for a degree can seem like a nearly impossible task. The Texas Veterans Commission has tried to ease this burden for many students. Many families have had immediate relatives, such as parents or spouses, who served in the military and were killed or significantly disabled while serving. Recognizing the undue financial strain placed on these families, the state created the Hazlewood Act, which the commission administers. The Hazlewood Act allows veterans who were either disabled as a result of military service or were honorably discharged after more than 181 days of service to be eligible for waived tuition at any of Texas’ public institutions of higher education. The benefit of waived tuition can also be passed on to the children or spouse of the veteran. It seems pretty simple. The program was designed by a Texas-based organization, the Texas Veterans Commission, and it was intended to benefit Texans. However, the Hazlewood Act came under fire in January after U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. struck down a part of the act that specified that veterans and their families may only receive benefits if the veteran enlisted while living in Texas. As a result, concerns have been raised that veterans who enlisted in other states could move to Texas to take advantage of the benefits of free tuition. These concerns are definitely valid, as the Hazlewood Act cost Texas’ public universities $169.1 million to cover 39,000 students in 2014, according to the Legislative Budget Board. If the program stays open for non-Texas residents, however, the Texas Veterans Commission estimates that the cost of the program could grow to
when he was also deemed ineligible for failing to meet certain requirements. They have seen him childishly stamp his feet when he didn’t get his way and go on a bad-mouthing rampage against the organization. Finally, they have seen him drag this organization, which has long protected the student voice on this campus, through more than a year of time-consuming administrative headaches. Maly has sought multiple remedies from the board, including the Andy Nguyen | Daily Texan Staff already-mentioned removal of Dunn TSM election committee members Arjun Mocherla, as well as a special election when the Adam Alloy and Heidi Toprac discuss election issues in board rightfully denied his application to run for editor-in-chief last the Hearst Student Media Building on Thursday. year. He is convinced that the board is corrupt, but the board has previously board will have a chance to hash out its disagreebeen cleared of all wrongdoing. ments when it meets Friday at 1 p.m. in HSM Two fundamental questions remain, then. 3.302. Why does a student so hell-bent on crippling We urge any member of the UT community this organization want to lead its flagship publi- with concerns about this situation to attend the cation? And why are certain board members al- meeting or to write to the board, which may be lowing themselves to be bullied into certifying an contacted through TSM Operations Manager unqualified candidate? Frank Serpas at serpas@austin.utexas.edu. Luckily, no damage has been done yet. The full
nearly $750 million and beyond, according to a recent Austin American-Statesman article. This is worrisome, as the responsibility of paying for the Hazlewood Act rests mostly on the shoulders of the universities in which the program beneficiaries are enrolled. The state picks up only about $15 million of the tab every year, according to the Statesman. This amounts to less than 10 percent of the program’s cost in 2014. The Texas Attorney General’s office plans to appeal Werlein’s ruling. Senator Jane Nelson, chairwoman of the Senate Finance Committee, expressed apprehension concerning the new eligibility requirements program, stating, “This is something we really, really, really need to figure out how we’re going to address this.” This statement by Nelson surely echoes the thoughts of others on the committee. Even Gov. Greg Abbott called for the state to cover the cost of the program while he was on the campaign trail, according to the Statesman. After all, the current method of paying for the Hazlewood Act would be unsustainable when Werlein’s ruling is taken into account. With universities picking up over 90 percent of the tab, it surely would not be long before universities balked at the prospect of paying the price. And if forced to pay by the state, most colleges would probably resort to bringing in the necessary funds by the traditional means — raising the cost of tuition. This would in turn place a larger financial strain on students and their families. It could even hurt the families covered by the Hazlewood Act if they are only covered for a certain amount of hours. It would be an understatement to say that the Hazlewood Act is a generous program. Without it, many families would be stuck in dire financial situations without any means to pay for college. However, the benefits of the program should only be reserved for those veterans who enlisted while in Texas. By opening up the program for all veterans, we risk financial disaster and further hurting families who already face the burden of paying for higher education. Dolan is a journalism freshman from Abilene.
Everything is bigger in Texas, including the state’s death toll. It is well-known that Texas has executed hundreds more than any other state, and openly executes the mentally ill. Advocacy groups have documented the many cases of wrongful executions in Texas, as well as wrongful convictions that have been proven through exonerating DNA testing (though typically only after the exoneree has been waiting for a decade on death row). Relevant for the Black Lives Matter movement is that the Texas death penalty regime is incredibly racist — while black people are only 12 percent of the state’s population, they are over 40 percent of the executed. This will come to a head on March 5, when Texas plans to execute an innocent black man named Rodney Reed. In 1998, Reed was convicted by an all-white Bastrop jury for the murder of Stacey Stites. Following DNA testing which found Reed’s semen inside Stites, the prosecution argued that Reed had raped and murdered her. Reed (as well as many eyewitnesses) maintained that they were having a consensual affair, which was kept secret because Stites’ then-fiance was police officer Jimmy Fennell — he also maintained that a black man was dating a white woman who was engaged to a white officer would be incredibly scandalous and dangerous if revealed. In 2012, the medical examiner who originally testified about the DNA came forward and challenged this link, saying that the decaying state of the semen implied it had been deposited well before the time that the prosecution alleges the crime was committed, fitting the defense’s version of events. The prosecution has not offered any other evidence to link Reed to the crime. There is, however, ample evidence to link Fennell to the crime. Fennell was found to be deceptive on two polygraph tests when asked if he had murdered Stites and could not prove his whereabouts at the time of the crime. Stites had been found on the side of a road, dumped from a truck that belonged to Fennell. Beer cans found near Stites’ body contained the DNA of Fennell’s neighbor and close friend. In the medical examiner’s 2012 declaration, he also stated that it appeared Stites had been sodomized by “a rod-like instrument, such as a police baton.” In 1995, Fennell was quoted by another officer as saying that if he caught Stites cheating, he would strangle her with a belt to avoid leaving fingerprints — this is how Stites was killed. As detailed by The Intercept, Fennell has a history of misogynistic violence, having harassed and stalked multiple ex-girlfriends and innocent women. He is currently serving a prison sentence for raping a woman while on duty and threatening to kill her if she reported him. This woman and nearly a dozen of Stites’ relatives have spoken
up in defense of Reed and implicated Fennell as the real killer. There is also ample evidence of New Jim Crow racism by the state: a police cover-up, inadequate defense and prosecutorial misconduct. First, the cover-up. The polygraphs that Fennell failed were in late 1996, while Reed wasn’t charged due to the DNA match until April 1997. In the intervening time, Fennell was not and still has not been treated as a real suspect — his apartment (the last place Stites was seen alive) was not searched; his truck (which Stites was dumped out of) was released to and promptly sold by Fennell, meaning a third party (such as Reed’s defense) could never confirm its contents or test any DNA; the crime scene and important evidence were purposefully contaminated by police investigators; the friend of Fennell’s, whose DNA was found near Stites’ body, was also a police officer; and the police decided to officially dismiss Fennell as a suspect, stating that it would be logistically impossible for Fennell to have committed the crime, even though this depended on the baseless assumption that Fennell acted alone. Next, Reed’s defense was clearly inadequate — the court-appointed lawyers only called two of Reed’s many willing witnesses and did not counter the prosecution’s original medical testimony (from the examiner who later recanted his incrimination of Reed) with its own medical examiner. Finally, the immense prosecutorial misconduct amounts to a cover-up in its own right. The prosecution withheld the crime scene DNA evidence from the defense, suppressed witness testimony that Fennell and Stites were arguing loudly the day before her death, suppressed Fennell’s 1995 statement about strangling Stites if she was found cheating and used racist smears against Reed to sway the all-white jury, portraying him as a criminal for whom “it was inevitable that we would be here at some point.” Reed’s mother, Sandra Reed, has bravely fought for her son while enduring this injustice — the courts, meanwhile, continue to reject potentially exonerating DNA testing. She reflected with The New Abolitionist about her experience, anticipating the Black Lives Matter movement: “This proved to me that the United States has defrauded all of us. They painted this so-called justice system with rose colors and made us think that we would get a fair shake... Looking back at Martin Luther King, how he fought for our rights--well, I thought we had our rights! But I realize now that we don’t. We never had equality.” Those who are interested in getting involved in this struggle and preventing the imminent execution can join Reed’s family at upcoming events, which can be found at justice4rodneyreed. org. Rathi is a computer science honors junior from Austin.
FIRING LINE
Piece spreading blame for Fiji party misidentifies culprit behind the event Olivia Berkeley is right to point out that the poor decision on the part of hundreds of students to attend Fiji’s racially offensive party last weekend was just as worrisome as the decision by the fraternity to throw it. However, she is woefully misguided about the reason as to why these events persist. In her effort to situate the event in the larger context of the University setting, she states that this party was the “direct result of the student body at UT as a whole.” This is a gross overstatement that undercuts the hard work of
multiple organizations that consistently voice their opposition to the racially charged episodes that occur all too frequently on or near campus (“catch an illegal immigrant” games, bleachbombing of students of color in West Campus, just to name two recent examples). Indeed, many students show much more than just “the slightest apprehension” about going along with these events, instead calling them out for what they are: racially themed parties whose central purpose is to degrade and diminish other cul-
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.
tures. When minority student organizations seek out justice they are met with accusations, in this case by Berkeley, of “pigeonholing” Greek culture. As associate editor, Berkeley rightfully asks us to “think about the source” of this party and others like it. The source she identifies, however, is UT’s insatiable desire for themed parties. Setting aside the fact that other people’s cultures should not be equated with “costumes and decorations” that characterize other themed parties, I know
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.
many UT students who would not consider compromising their basic values of respect for the cultures of fellow Longhorns for the sake of having a good time. By suggesting that those who seek out justice are somehow “pigeonholing” Greek culture, Berkeley precludes the very “progressive and purposeful decisions” that she states will move us forward. — Alvaro Jose Corral, government graduate student, in response to Olivia Berkeley’s Thursday piece titled “Fiji isn’t the only one to blame.”
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GARRETT CALLAHAN, SPORTS EDITOR | @texansports Friday, February 13, 2015
BASEBALL
Horns set to start season in Houston By Jacob Martella
Senior pitcher Parker French takes over the top spot in the pitching rotation after posting a 2.41 ERA last season.
@ViewFromTheBox
This weekend, the No. 6 Longhorns’ goal for their opening series at Rice is simple. “[I want them] not to be nervous like we were against Cal last season,” head coach Augie Garrido said. Last year, in the opening series at California, Texas committed six errors in its first two games, quickly earning a 0–2 record, before recovering to take the next two games of the series. A similiar performance this weekend against No. 13 Rice would likely end up with disastrous consequences. The Owls enter the season as the unanimous choice to win Conference USA and a fellow contender to make it to Omaha, Nebraska, in June. Rice’s junior pitcher, Blake Fox, was named the preseason pitcher of the year for the conference after posting a 1.46 ERA last year, and senior catcher John Clay Reeves was tabbed the preseason player of the year. But Texas senior second baseman Brooks Marlow said the team is not worried about how Rice is doing. “We’ve just got to take it pitch-by-pitch and gameby-game,” Marlow said. “It doesn’t matter who we play; we’re just going to play Texas baseball.”
NHL
SMU
Amy Zhang Daily Texan file photo
The Longhorns have firepower of their own, with 22 returning players from last year’s team, including seven starting position players who made a run at the College World Series. Texas even beat Rice in the regional round of the NCAA tournament last year. Garrido said experience should help eliminate the early-season errors they had last year. “They most likely will not doubt themselves as much [this year] because of that,” Garrido said. “That is my hope at Rice.”
One potential early-season weak spot is the team’s pitching. While senior pitcher Parker French will get the start Friday, sophomore pitchers Kacy Clemens and Josh Sawyer, Saturday’s starters, have yet to see substantial time on the hill in collegiate action. Last year’s postseason star, junior pitcher Chad Hollingsworth, is coming off shoulder issues from the summer. On the offensive side of things, the Longhorns stand out. Junior shortstop C.J Hinojosa, sophomore catcher Tres Barrera and Marlow, who
drilled four home runs last year, are just the tip of the iceberg of what Texas brings to the batter’s box this year. With freshmen such as catcher Michael Cantu, who hit .352 in high school, and third baseman Bret Boswell, who hit .410 before coming to college, Texas feels confident it’ll be solid on all sides of the ball this year. “We’ve got one of the best pitching staffs, and we have one of the toughest hitting lineups in the country,” Marlow said. “I think it’s all going to come together, and it’s going to be really good.”
How good the Longhorns will be this season probably won’t be determined during this four-game series, given the ups and downs the team had last season on its run to the College World Series. Still, the Longhorns want to make a statement this weekend. “We’ve got to go out there and play a hard game,” Marlow said. “We’ve got a lot of freshmen that need to get their feet wet. This is the weekend to do it and see how they’re going to react to the atmosphere around them and see what they’re capable of.”
TEXAS PROJECTED LINEUP
1. CF Zane Gurwitz 2. RF Collin Shaw 3. SS C.J Hinojosa 4. 2B Brooks Marlow 5. C Tres Barrera 6. 3B Bret Boswell 7. LF Ben Johnson 8. DH Taylor Stell/ Joe Baker/ Patrick Mathis 9. 1B Travis Jones
TEXAS PITCHING ROTATION
Sam Ortega | Daily Texan file photo
After batting leadoff last season, senior second baseman Brooks Marlow said he’s OK with head coach Augie Garrido putting him fourth in the lineup for this season.
baseman made 51 starts during his freshman season, batting .214 with 29 RBIs. He followed up his All-Big 12 freshman season with a solid sophomore year, hitting .250 in his second season with the Longhorns. Last year, Marlow was the leadoff batter and started all 67 games. He hit .268 and had a .383 on-base percentage last season. As a defender, Marlow was awarded the Rawlings
Gold Glove at second base. While Marlow had success in the leadoff spot last season, he has no plans to change his mentality at the plate this year. “Just like I was leadoff last year, now I’m the fourhole,” Marlow said. “Nothing is going to change. I’m going to attack the ball before it attacks me.” Now that the second baseman
has accepted his new role in the lineup, Garrido knows every player needs to follow suit. “We have a Division I player at every position,” Garrido said. “It’s been probably since maybe 2005 or 2006 that we’ve had every position with a Division I player. The players are good enough. It all gets back to how do the people accept … the things they don’t like and do them anyway for the good of
RHP – Parker French RHP – Kacy Clemens LHP – Josh Sawyer RHP – Chad Hollingsworth
the team. That’s what it comes down to.” As the new season begins Friday, Marlow believes the team has bought into Garrido’s message. Everyone is prepared to accept their roles, he said. “We’ve got to be ready,” Marlow said. “I believe everybody is ready. We’re swinging the bat pretty well, pitching well and playing defense well, so I would say we’re ready.”
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Felix concerned after suffering third concussion in a year Junior guard Javan Felix’s concussion, which he suffered on Jan. 31 against Baylor, was serious enough to keep him out of two games. But now, the injury appears to be even more significant than people originally realized, as Felix revealed Wednesday that the concussion was his third of the last calendar year. He said his first concussion happened on Feb. 1 of last year in a home win over Kansas, and his second came this season at some point in October. After 10 days of rest and monitoring, he returned Wednesday night to lead Texas with 16 points and four made 3-pointers in its win over TCU. “I healed up well, thank God,” Felix said.
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Marlow ready to take on new spot in batting order There is a method to Texas baseball head coach Augie Garrido’s madness. Every spot in the Longhorn lineup is carefully calculated, and every pitcher knows his duty. Garrido plans meticulously to build a team that can compete with the best, and, as the season approaches, he sees the team taking shape. Senior second baseman Brooks Marlow knows it. Although Marlow is moving down in the lineup to the fourth spot, he knows Garrido’s intention is to help the team. While Marlow’s move from the lead-off to the cleanup spot puts him in a new role, he’s ready to embrace the change. “I’m just glad I’m in the lineup,” Marlow said. “It’s not just for power because obviously I’m not the one who has the most power on the team. This whole lineup is just grinding it out, getting quality at bats and seeing good pitches and getting guys on.” Marlow, a Giddings, Texas, native, has seen plenty of time in the Texas lineup during his four years on campus. The 5-foot-9, 184-pound second
SIDELINE
Felix said he had no prior history of concussions before suffering his first 12 months ago, but, after sustaining three in such a short period of time, he said he is worried. “Of course,” Felix said. “It’s my brain. The only way to stop this is to not play, and I love basketball. It’s what I’ve been doing my whole life. I healed up, and I felt like I was ready to go, so I’m going to play as long as I can.” However, if he suffers one more, he said he would deeply consider ending his career. “I am worried about it,” Felix said. “Probably if I get hit hard, if it’s a real bad one, I won’t be able to play again.” Felix, who missed one game last season after his first concussion, said he must do a better job of listening to his teammates and being aware of what’s happening around him. Felix has been Texas’ best
perimeter shooter and most reliable scorer off the bench. The junior is averaging 10.5 points and 26.1 minutes per game in 21 games for Texas this season. He leads the Longhorns with 40 made 3-pointers, and he is posting career bests in field goal percentage (.433) and 3-point percentage (.396). Of course, the team is far more worried about his longterm health then it is in his ability to continue suiting up for games this season. “We are concerned about Javan, especially with the game the way it is,” head coach Rick Barnes said. “Concussions are always something you worry about.” Felix said he felt fine following his first game back Wednesday. He is expected to play once again Saturday when the Longhorns host Texas Tech. Texas (16–8, 5–6 Big 12) is
Marshall Tidrick | Daily Texan file photo
After suffering his third concussion in a year, junior guard Javan Felix is concerned about his future in basketball.
striving for another win against the bottom-feeding Red Raiders (12–13, 2–10 Big 12), as its schedule gets much harder after Saturday. The Longhorns are slated to play five consecutive games against ranked opponents — three of which are
on the road — before closing out the season at home against unranked Kansas State on March 7. The Longhorns topped Texas Tech, 70–61, in Lubbock on Jan. 3 in their first matchup this season.
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TOP TWEET Quandre Diggs @qdiggs6
Can’t believe they punished the kids of Jackie Robinson West, punish the adults who knew better! The kids really deserve better!
TODAY IN HISTORY
1972
Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, come to an end. The Soviet Union finished with the most gold medals and total medals.
SPORTS BRIEFLY Softball opens home schedule with tourney
After a challenging Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona, Texas is ready to impress its home crowd in its first homestand of the season. The Texas Classic kicks off Friday with five games for the Longhorns (3–2) over the weekend. Texas’ homestand begins Friday afternoon against IPFW (0–5), and the team will then face both Wichita State (3–2) and Colorado State (2–3) twice over the rest of the weekend. One area Texas needs to work on this weekend is defense. The Longhorns committed nine errors in four games in Arizona, including four in a one-run loss to Stanford, before playing a flawless game to beat No. 16 Arizona State, 9–4. But the Longhorn shouldn’t have a problem on the mound this weekend after impressive outings by multiple freshmen on-staff in Arizona. Freshmen pitchers Erica Wright and Kristen Clark earned all three Texas victories as Wright went 2–1 as a starter, and Clark went 1–0 coming out of the bullpen. Junior outfielder Lindsey Stephens and junior infielder Erin Shireman carry the offense for Texas. Stephens earned the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s national player and pitcher of the week award after hitting an impressive .471 while blasting three home runs — two of which were grand slams. Shireman added two home runs and seven RBIs while boasting a .462 average. —Claire Cruz
L&A
KAT SAMPSON, LIFE&ARTS EDITOR | @thedailytexan Friday, February 13, 2015
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ALUMNI
UT graduate’s movie blends horror with comedy By Cat Cardenas @crcardenas8
In common mythology, vampires are said to live forever — and eternity is how long Ryan Mitts thought he might have to wait to see his vampire workplace comedy on the big screen. Mitts, a radio-televisionfilm alumnus, started working on the script for his first movie after completing the UTLA program in 2007. The horror comedy, “Bloodsucking Bastards,” takes place in a “soulsucking” office where the main characters discover their boss is a vampire. Mitts wrote the bulk of the script when he was just 22 years old, and a few months after he finished, a production company made an offer — which quickly fell through. Just over seven years later, the film premiered as the opening film of independent film festival Slamdance last month. “It was a whirlwind,” Mitts said. “I wrote the first draft of the script from September to October, and, within three or four months, I had it optioned to a company. I really thought I would have that movie made that fast, and then, obviously, it kind of crumbled apart.” Eventually, “Bloodsucking Bastards” was picked up by Fortress Features. Patrick
Rizzotti, the film’s producer, said that without a tip from a company intern, the script would have never made it into his hands. “I can’t remember a time that a script that we made [into a movie] came in cold from someone we didn’t know,” Rizzotti said. “We read it and loved it. That just doesn’t happen very often.” Rizzotti said Mitts’ combination of horror and comedy made the film stand out. Mitts has been writing comedy for years, but writing about vampires meant covering new ground. When he first wrote the script, vampires did not have the domineering Hollywood presence they enjoy today. “People really liked the idea of a soul-sucking environment,” Mitts said. “It seemed kind of obvious, but he said the characters and their relationships were so genuine that it worked.” Mitts originally planned on majoring in economics, but he said his career took a turn his first year at UT. “I ended up taking creative writing my first semester, and I just fell in love with it,” Mitts said. “I started to wonder what I could do with that, and so I was thinking about film, and I just knew it was something I wanted to do.”
Michael Baez | Daily Texan Staff
Ryan Mitts is the screenwriter of “Bloodsucking Bastards,” a film that premiered at the independent film festival Slamdance in January. The movie, which took seven years to finish, is a “soul-sucking” workplace comedy.
During his time in the class, Mitts focused on developing pieces with comedic elements. As his career progressed, Mitts came to focus on writing more and more. Mitts said he draws inspiration from “Workaholics,” “The Simpsons” and other
shows that do genre homages. “I knew I wanted to write comedy because it was what I would always write,” Mitts said. “I also really loved the idea of genre blending. I wanted to incorporate the atmosphere of a horror movie but still do it as a comedy.”
Despite “Bloodsucking Bastards”’s ultimate success, Mitts said he is now more focused on writing for television. Mitts said he learned valuable lessons on the long road to seeing “Bloodsucking Bastards” on screen. “It was a really big learning
experience,” Mitts said. “A lot of promises are made, and, if you’re like me, and you’re pretty trusting, you can get burned. But I think that feeling — of instant success that didn’t turn out — really gave me the passion and the belief that it could happen if I stuck with it.”
MOVIE REVIEW | ‘FIFTY SHADES OF GREY’
‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ movie will leave you high and dry By Charles Lu @thedailytexan
It’s here. After three years of production, and over 100 million books sold, the film version of “Fifty Shades of Grey” has arrived. As far as adaptations go, this one is quite faithful to the erotic novel by E.L. James. For fans of the book series, that’s probably a good thing, but, for a general audience, “Fifty Shades” is just a boring picture – more laughable than erotic. It entertains at its own expense. The story focuses on Anastasia “Ana” Steele (Dakota Johnson), a shy college student, and her mysterious lover, Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan), a powerful business magnate who enjoys all things BDSM. Following an initial encounter, Christian starts to follow, or stalk, Ana. The two of them gravitate toward each other and, eventually, do the deed. Afterward, Christian tells Ana that he wants their relationship to be purely sexual. He asks her to sign a contract which will allow him to “dominate” her sexually with floggers, belts, chains and ropes. Ana must decide whether to consent to
his outlandish tastes. The conflict might be dull on paper, but it’s even duller on film because Ana is such a passive, unresponsive character. She’s swept along by Christian at every step of their relationship and rarely displays any strength. Director Sam TaylorJohnson (“Nowhere Boy”) and screenwriter Kelly Marcel (“Saving Mr. Banks”) do their best to elevate the source material, but they are held back by E.L. James’ work. When “Fifty Shades” manages to make the conflict somewhat interesting by allowing Ana to stand up to Christian’s abuse, it abruptly ends. What a tease. Though Ana is a weak character, Johnson does lend her some likability. She’s smart, gentle and often has something funny to say. She displays self-awareness about the film’s ridiculous plot, lampooning Christian’s bizarre behavior. On the other hand, Dornan’s performance doesn’t give Ana much reason to fall for Christian. He’s stiff in bed and equally stiff out of it. Cringeworthy lines make both leads’ jobs more difficult, hobbling their performances. When it comes to the sex, “Fifty Shades” is surprisingly flaccid. While the book takes
pride in its trashy, pornographic nature, the film is afraid to show its teeth. It depicts sex in a soft-core, romanticized way you’ve definitely seen before. Strangely, even though the film’s been marketed heavily towards women, it shows off more naked Ana than naked Christian, a win for the straight male audience. “Fifty Shades” does excel in its technical aspects. Seamus McGarvey’s cinematography is as stylish and slick as Grey’s apartment. The sets are clean, spotless and tasteful. The soundtrack, which features Beyoncé and The Weeknd, will undoubtedly be a bestseller. The best place to watch “Fifty Shades” is a theater, even though the subject matter is vaguely dirty. Like it or not, this is an event film which demands to be seen in a group setting. You’ll feel naughty watching it in public, but those awkward giggles you share with friends and strangers will distract from the thin story. In spite of its source material’s faults, “Fifty Shades” can be a fun time if you take it for what it is. Just don’t expect to reach a climax — because the film never does.
Illustration by Rodolfo Suarez | Daily Texan Staff
MUSIC
Unpleasant love songs to scratch off the Valentine’s Day playlist By Chris Duncan @thedailytexan
As every store, advertisement and radio song is reminding you, Valentine’s Day is upon us — but if you haven’t found the perfect gift, don’t fret. There’s a painless and cost-effective solution: master the art of serenade. Singing a song to your significant other is the perfect addition to any Valentine’s gift package, but song selection is key; you don’t want anything too cliché or not cliché enough. As you narrow down your musical selection, we’ll make the process a little easier for you — here are a few songs you should definitely take off the list. “Everybody Hurts” – R.E.M. With a dark string arrangement and agonizing
lyrics, this song makes the list because of its depressing feel. In general, R.E.M. songs work poorly as aphrodisiacs. Is R.E.M. a great band with musical genius? Yes. Are they romantic? Not at all. “Creep” – Radiohead Speaking of depressing, here’s another band that won’t help the mood, unless, of course, you’re the kind to get off on sadness. Radiohead’s first big hit tells the story of an inebriated man with low self-confidence attempting to get the attention of a woman — not exactly the message you want to send on Valentine’s Day. “Love Me Dead” – Ludo This song makes the list because of its obscene lyrics. The narrator commands his lover to, “Fill [his] soul
with vomit,” calls her a “parasitic, psycho, filthy creature,” and says some other things I can’t write in a newspaper. “Every Breath You Take” – The Police Written by Sting himself, this tune tells the story of a crazed stalker. The extremely simple lyrics and catchy tune sound deceptively optimistic, but, upon a second listen, it’s obvious that this song is anything but cheerful. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” – Taylor Swift Taylor Swift’s music is riddled with aggressive breakup songs, but few are quite as straight-forward as this one. I guess if you wanted to declare your breakup Saturday, this would be a good choice.
Otherwise, I’d stay away. “Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw?” – Jimmy Buffet The title says it all. Although it was written as a country parody song, your significant other might not see the humor in this one. With lyrics such as, “I just bought a water bed; it’s filled up for me an’ you,” your partner probably wouldn’t be impressed. “Crash Into Me” – Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band has always had a slightly erotic side, but this song breaks right through the barrier between sexy and creepy. The melody is catchy, and the vocals are fragile, but, when Matthews sings, “Hike up your skirt a little more, and show
Illustration by Leah Rushin | Daily Texan Staff
your world to me,” he goes from “sweet songwriter” to “discomforting weirdo” in seconds. “Yesterday” – The Beatles This acoustic tune may be simple to play on guitar, but the lyrics are the darkest of this list. The string arrangement enforces the aura of sadness, resulting in one of the most
depressing songs Beatles’ catalogue.
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“My Heart Will Go On” – Céline Dion Although this song is meant to be romantic, its massive popularity and overly-dramatic lyrics have propelled this Titanic tune into a realm no song wants to go: Everyone knows it, but no one wants to hear it.