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UT lacks plan for power outages By Jackie Wang @jcqlnwng
The University of Texas does not have specific protocols to deal with blackouts but will begin to form new procedures for dealing with possible future power outages, according to University officials. “We have protocols in place to deal with emergency
situations [but] not specifically to blackouts,” University spokesman Gary Susswein said. “Whenever there is an emergency on campus, the president convenes the top leaders on campus to figure out what to do. They were gathering information and trying to decide what the course of action was..” Tuesday morning, the University experienced a
campus-wide power outage. The University will form new protocols for dealing with blackouts because of Tuesday’s power outage, according to UTPD spokeswoman Cindy Posey. “That’s the great thing about these incidents when nothing too bad happens — nobody was hurt and we learned a lot,” Posey said. Posey said UT’s
communication system stopped working during the blackout, forcing her to find new ways to communicate with students, faculty and staff. “We couldn’t get any emails out,” Posey said. “I learned to turn to other methods, and we did. We went to Twitter because the systems weren’t working. We also texted a message out. I learned to not spend so much
Travis County lifts marriage ban, holds off on licensing
time trying to get an email out on a system that doesn’t work. I kept trying, and Plan B is Twitter and text.” Although University officials did not cancel classes, professors are permitted to cancel class if they see fit, Susswein said. “Professors always have the discretion to let out class if needed, and many, many professors did that,”
By Julia Brouillette & Jackie Wang @thedailytexan
a civil engineering junior, are focusing their campaign on transparency, which Maly said begins as early as the campaigning process. “I feel like a lot of students don’t know how Student Government works, what it does, how to get involved [and] if they can get involved,” Maly said.
Travis County Judge Guy Herman ruled Tuesday that Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, but the county has not begun issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Herman issued his ruling as part of a case in which Austin resident Sonemaly Phrasavath pushed the Travis County Probate Court to recognize her eight-year partnership with Stella Powell as a common-law marriage. Powell died last summer before her will was validated, leading to a legal dispute between Phrasavath and two of Powell’s siblings. Although Travis County Court clerk Dana DeBeauvoir commended Herman for his decision, she has no immediate plans to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, according to a statement the County Clerk’s office released Wednesday. “In his order, Judge Herman did not instruct the County Clerk to begin to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples,” the statement said. “The Travis County Attorney’s office is examining the order as well as the status of the current federal litigation related to marriage equality at the Fifth Circuit and in the Supreme Court.” The ruling came Wednesday, after an hour-long hearing in the Travis County Courthouse in which Phrasavath argued against the prohibition on same-sex marriage. Brian Thompson, Phrasavath’s attorney, said he interpreted the ruling to mean same-sex marriage is now legal in Travis County. “I don’t see why the county clerk doesn’t rely on [the ruling] to start issuing marriage licenses,” Thompson said. “Every single day that goes by that we don’t have marriage equality in the
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STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Braydon Jones and Kimia Dargahi
David Maly and Stephen Svatek
Baylor Morrison and Matt Normyle
Xavier Rotnofsky and Rohit Mandalapu Marshall Tidrick | Daily Texan Staff
SG candidates announce platforms By Samantha Ketter @sam_kett
Campaigning began Wednesday morning for Student Government Executive Alliance, but the West Mall was void of flyers, yelling and promotional materials. The candidates for president and vice president — Braydon Jones and Kimia Dargahi, David Maly and Ste-
phen Svatek, Baylor Morrison and Matthew Normyle, and Xavier Rotnofsky and Rohit Mandalapu — have instead expressed a desire to gather student opinion and include more student groups in conversation during the initial stages of the election. Jones, a government senior, and Dargahi, an international relations and global studies and Middle Eastern studies
senior, said their platform will not be solidified until they sit down with students and hear what students want to be changed on campus. Jones, who currently serves as SG speaker of the assembly, said the campaign, called “Let’s Talk,” is focused on talking with students and not getting their names out just yet. “The big thing we want to do is listen,” Jones said. “We
want to start a conversation, hear what students want and watch their platform become our platform.” The duo’s platform points include working to strengthen tradition on campus, helping students “build bridges” for the future and increasing social advocacy and safety. Maly, an economics and journalism senior, and Svatek,
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APD reports increased amount of auto theft in West Campus By Wynne Davis West Campus auto thefts have increased because of students leaving their cars unlocked, according to the Austin Police Department. According to APD officers, students can help prevent auto thefts by doing two simple things: locking their cars and taking their keys with them. APD reported an increase in the number of car thefts since the semester began.
APD officer Veneza Bremner said the department recorded six separate thefts, most of which took place overnight. Bremner said the breakins occurred while cars were parked on streets or in garages, but students should always remember to lock their cars and take their keys when they leave. “Remember where you park,” Bremner said. “Take your keys. Lock your car. Hide any valuables. Take your keys. … Yes, that is in there twice. Historically,
around 50 percent of all car thefts where the location of keys can be determined are stolen because the victim left keys in the car.” Economics sophomore Alyson Chandler said people stole her auxiliary cable and phone charger from her car while it was parked outside her apartment complex. “They totally trashed my car,” Chandler said. “They turned it upside down and made a mess.” Chandler said her car was
unlocked at the time of the break-in. “I don’t usually lock it when I’m parked at home [for] convenience,” Chandler said. “If I need to grab something, I don’t have to take my keys.” Chandler said she tries not to keep anything valuable in her car but still keeps her car unlocked. Ryan Ward, management information systems senior, said he locked his truck doors but that didn’t stop thieves from stealing his
Kindle and iPod. Ward said he makes sure to take more precautions when parking his truck. “I make sure not to leave anything in my truck,” Ward said. “I also made it a priority that my next apartment would have a gate on our parking garage.” Besides an increase in car thefts, APD also reported an increase in motorcycle and scooter thefts. Bremner said thieves have a harder time
NEWS
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Round table discusses virtual LGBT relationships. PAGE 3
Robyn Metcalfe discusses UT’s Food Lab. PAGE 4
Longhorns win big behind Sanders career night. PAGE 6
UT students celebrate the Chinese New Year. PAGE 8
Energy industry experts discuss laws preventing innovations.
Art critic speaks about eugenics during WWII era. PAGE 3
Entrepreneurship agency encourages startup growth. PAGE 4
Myles Turner a factor for Texas success in postseason. PAGE 6
Famous juggler performs during UT’s Jugglefest. PAGE 8
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THEFT page
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WEST CAMPUS CAR THEFTS
6 thefts ALL CAR 50% OFTHEFTS
SINCE SPRING SEMESTER BEGAN
occur because the keys can be located
OF STOLEN CARS WERE RETURNED Statistics from Austin Police Department
REASON TO PARTY
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Thursday, February 19, 2015
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Persian studies department alters intermediate content By Vinesh Kovelamudi @trippyvinnie3
Persian-language students at UT are typically underprepared by the time they enter advanced classes, according to Blake Atwood, Middle Eastern studies assistant professor. The Persian studies department changed the content of its intermediate Persian language course, 322K, because the intermediate course failed to prepare students for the advanced courses, according to Atwood. Students in the department require more cultural knowledge in order to succeed in the advanced classes, Atwood said. According to Atwood, the intermediate course aims to teach the language through the historical context of Iran after the 1979
revolution. Atwood said the intermediate Persian courses fail to prepare students for the advanced Persian courses because of they don’t emphasize Persian culture enough. “I can’t teach a course on youth culture in Iran unless students build a better base,” Atwood said. Atwood, who received his master’s and Ph.D. in Middle Eastern studies at UT, said he also experienced difficulty with the advanced classes during his time at the University. “It was a shocker to go from two years of poorly taught Persian to reading classical poetry,” Atwood said. Atwood said an emphasis in the course changes will be placed on media jargon. “There are about 300 words that the Persian media uses,” Atwood said. “[Students]
can pick up a newspaper and know what’s going on.” The new course will provide improved vocabulary lists and use videos — some of which he will film himself — to help teach students more about Persian history, according to Atwood. “In the past, we tried watching YouTube videos [and] online videos, and it was an abysmal failure,” Atwood said. The use of native speakers will be incorporated into the videos to help students learn different viewpoints on historical Iranian events, according to Sadaf Ahmadbeigi, Atwood’s assistant. “Native speakers don’t just follow the vocabulary lists in class; they provide a lot of [historical] content for the students,” Ahmadbeigi said. Atwood said the tests would be restructured to
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stealing the bigger, heavier bikes, but scooters are easily taken. Neuroscience senior Colton Janysek returned to Austin after a trip at the beginning of the semester to find his motorcycle stolen off the street where he parked it. “I was gone for a couple of weeks [and thought] maybe it had gotten towed,” Janysek said. “Right [after], I didn’t know how to feel. I was just really numb.” His bike had been tampered with before while it was parked on campus, Janysek said. Because of the large size of his bike, Janysek said he thinks the thieves must have planned ahead of time. Bremner said riders should not rely on fork locks, for which the rider turns the front wheel to the left and uses a steering lock. “It must be chained to something like a post or tree or provided rack,” Bremner said.
MARRIAGE
Don’t leave any keys in your car. If it gets burglarized, the bad guys will find them and can enter your house [and] steal your car. —Veneza Bremner APD officer
Students should make sure to not have anything visible in their cars and to not leave other keys, in addition to car keys, in the vehicle, according to Bremner. “Don’t leave any keys in your car,” Bremner said. “If it gets burglarized, the bad guys will find them and can enter your house [and] steal your car.” Of the six auto thefts that have occurred recently, Bremner said two of those were recovered.
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state of Texas is an opportunity lost.” Herman’s ruling allows DeBeauvoir to immediately issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, according to Thompson. LGBT advocacy group Equality Texas issued a statement Wednesday urging DeBeauvoir to begin issuing licenses immediately. “Travis County Clerk
Dana DeBeauvoir previously stated she would be happy to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples once the law allows for it,” said Chuck Smith, executive director of Equality Texas. “The law in Travis County now allows for the freedom to marry. Equality Texas calls upon the county clerk to stand with us — on the right side of history.”
Thalia Juarez | Daily Texan Staff
Blake Atwood, Middle Eastern studies assistant professor, talks about UT’s Persian program Wednesday
place strategically chosen vocabulary words in historicalcontent questions. One concern about the change to the class is that students will be spending three semesters on course material that students previously completed in four semesters, Atwood said.
Mona Mostoti, Persian language and literature senior, sees the additions to the course as an advantage that will outweigh the risk of condensing the material into three semesters. “I think it will be beneficial; I don’t think it will be a problem at all,” Mostoti said.
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Thursday, February 19, 2015
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Panelists discuss media effects on queer men
Art critic talks about eugenics, modernism
By Rund Khayyat @thedailytexan
The Internet and social media allow queer men of color to comfortably navigate through relationships and communities, but it can construct a false sense of reality, according to UT alumnus and author Shaka McGlotten. McGlotten discussed his book, “Virtual Intimacies: Media, Affect, and Queer Sociality,” during a round table of panelists Wednesday. Many queer men of color navigate social worlds in which the boundaries between real and virtual worlds have been disconnected, McGlotten said. “The fluidity of the virtual world and the possibilities it offers, such as the suspension of typical social rules, are not real,” McGlotten said. It is easier for members of the LGBT community to express passions and desires online, whereas in real life they feel social pressure, media studies assistant instructor Alexander Cho said. Cho said online spaces can be anonymous and more safe. “This is why people don’t do this stuff on Facebook,” Cho said. “Facebook has become so much like real life — there is no way to be
SG
continues from page 1 Their other platform points include easier transfers between colleges at the University, advocacy for lower tuition, easier transportation from Riverside to campus, and keeping the Perry-Castañeda Library open 24/7. Rotnofsky, a Plan II and linguistics senior, and Mandalapu, a Plan II and economics senior — who are both involved in the satirical publication Texas Travesty — said their campaign will
By Nashwa Bawab @nashwabawab
During World War II, eugenics, combined with modernism, became a popular notion among progressives, Polish art critic Anda Rottenberg said in a lecture Wednesday. Eugenics is the theory and practice that aims at improving the genetic quality of the human population and leads to the mass popularization of sterilization, according to Rottenberg. “The individual body did not play any role anymore, and also, the notion of health shifted from the individual to the society,” Rottenberg said. “Nobody spoke about individual health; they started to talk about national health and how that might create a nation.” Sterilization is a permanent form of birth control that has been historically forced onto oppressed groups and is a violation of human rights, according to the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights. Many different countries popularized the idea of improving the human race, and this led to the mass sterilization in Germany, Japan and the U.S., according to Rottenberg. Lecture attendee Marisa Plumb said it is important for her to understand the popular social ideas at the time in order
Rachel Zein | Daily Texan Staff
English associate professor Neville Hoad speaks at a round table panel on digital race and sexuality Wednesday in Parlin Hall.
anonymous, and all your social connections are real.” Although many members of the queer community, regardless of race, feel more comfortable searching for relationships online, there are still certain dangers, according to McGlotteen. Many spaces — such as hate-based or criminal groups — would not exist if it were not for the virtual world, English associate professor Neville Hoad said. “The virtual world makes it hard to stop these groups,”
Hoad said. “If you shut them down, they just come back under a different name.” According to Cho, the digital world is an echo chamber, which is a situation in which information or ideas are reinforced by the media and different views are censored. This echo chamber makes the term “public” unclear, Cho said. “The word public has been so fraught with race and class divisions throughout history; it’s hard for me to even use it as a tool, and yet we always
evoke it,” Cho said. The topic of the conversation was important to make cultural and political sense of the current rise of virtual influence, said Patrick Jagoda, English assistant professor at The University of Chicago. “We’re in a historical period in which online identity and the status of public life is being negotiated at a rapid pace,” Jagoda said in an email. “Technologies enable and limit our ways of thinking, speaking, feeling, and being together.”
focus on reaching out to the smaller groups on campus. Their platform includes turning the UT Tower into premium student condominiums, promising that President William Powers Jr. will no longer be president by the end of the semester, and increasing transparency by mandating that all SG representatives wear cellophane instead of clothes. Mandalapu said the real point of the campaign is to make students realize that anyone can run for SG.
“We’re making a joke out of it, but we’re taking it very seriously,” Rotnofsky said. “We’re all about the campaign, and we’re all about Student Government. You have to love the thing you satirize.” Morrison, an economics junior, and Normyle, an electrical engineering senior, said their campaign will focus more on spreading their names by wordof-mouth and social media. Both students are involved with Camp Texas. “We’re funny, personal guys, [and] we’re lighthearted
guys,” Morrison said. “We want to [make Student Government] more approachable, more accessible. Humor is something we’re going to use a lot in our campaign, but we’re in it to win it.” Normyle said the campaign started as a joke, but now he said they are all in. Normyle said the team is going to use its “outsider” status to reach groups on campus. The candidates will participate in a debate among their competitors Tuesday. Elections will take place on Feb. 26 and 27.
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to avoid repeating history. “It made me think of World War II as a culmination of a lot of different trends in science and in cultural and social thinking,” Plumb said. Great caution should be taken when people use the word “progress,” especially when it is coupled with scientific definitions and ideas, according to Robert Abzug, American studies professor and director of the Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies. “The quasi-scientific definitions in any kind of era will produce doctrines like eugenics that lead to pretty cruel … consequences,” Abzug said. “You can believe in hygiene and cleanliness and good health, but, when it extends to racial definitions of what that is, then we’re talking about thousands and millions being killed.” Abzug said the importance of the topic to a historian might be to gain some perspective on the way society is configured today, but, for students, learning about the dangers of trying to create ideal types of humans means even more. “If one of the reasons why we go to college and university is to have a perspective on our own beliefs, our own morals [and] our own society, then this was a very important set of lessons,” Abzug said.
Rachel Zein | Daily Texan Staff
Polish art critic Anda Rottenberg speaks at a lecture Wednesday on eugenics during World War II.
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RILEY BRANDS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / @TexanEditorial Thursday, February 19, 2015
4
A BIWEEKLY PUBLICATION OF THE DAILY TEXAN EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
EDITOR’S NOTE
Be it food or start-ups, do not be afraid of new undertakings By Riley Brands Editor-in-Chief @ribran
It’s the UT cliche we all hold dear: “What starts here changes the world.” Like most other public universities’ mottos, the idea is to make you feel good about yourself and your future, but at this University, students and faculty go to consider-
able lengths to make that cliche a little more of a reality, especially in the field of entrepreneurship. Take the food lab. In the discussion we had below with Robyn Metcalfe, the director of the organization, the Texan learned a great deal about the fascinating work this group does not only to encourage awareness and research on culinary topics, but in supporting students who have their
own plans and dreams when it comes to food. The Longhorn Entrepreneurship Fund, to take the second example below, goes to impressive lengths throughout its entrepreneurship week and “Freshman Founders” program to convince students, business students or not, to go for their dreams and create the idea or business that they had always dreamed of. As the column notes, the
program has already been greatly successful in its brief history. The spirit evinced by these two organizations goes to show that what starts here really does change the world. Brands is a linguistics senior from Austin. Forum Editor Amil Malik is on a leave of absence while she runs for the TSM board.
Q-AND-A
COLUMN
Food Lab promotes research
Longhorn Entrepreneurship Agency helps students succeed
Editor’s Note: The Daily Texan recently sat down with Robyn Metcalfe, director of The Food Lab. The Food Lab is based in the School of Human Ecology, and it provides awareness of food issues, encourages and motivates students to engage with innovative food systems research and helps support startups that leverage university research. Printed here is just a small snippet of our interview. The full version can be found at www.dailytexanonline.com. The Daily Texan: Could you tell us about how you came up with the Food Lab concept and your thoughts when you first started? Robyn Metcalfe: The Food Lab is a project currently located in the College of Natural Sciences within the School of Human Ecology. It’s really a project that engages broadly across the whole campus within a wide range of disciplines including history, engineering, architecture, anthropology, American studies and the sciences. It really engages the university in a conversation about the future of food. We have a couple of projects. One is the food challenge prize that took place Feb. 14.
DT: When it comes to healthy eating and sustainable food initiatives, popular media tends to focus only on organic and natural food. But the Food Lab has a broader focus. Could you talk about that broader focus? Metcalfe: We really have an academic call, a systemic approach to food. It really is a big system. A successful, sustainable food system includes everything from soil, the inputs, the growing of it, the distribution of it, the packaging of it, the transportation of it, the formulation of it. DT: How can students get involved in the Food Lab? Metcalfe: If you’re curious about food, the Food Lab would be a great place to meet people who have built successful food businesses and see a range of people who are really enthusiastic about their ideas. You may never have thought that inventing a better cabbage or about 3D printing your food, or you might have a robot on your counter top that could produce your food in the future. Who knows? Students could intern or start their own business, so the Food Lab should ignite the imagination of a lot of students.
By Nick Spiller Guest Columnist @Nick_Spiller
As we prepare to celebrate the fourth Annual UT Entrepreneurship Week, it seems appropriate to reflect on how and why we started the organization that produces the event. Touching thousands of students every year, the Longhorn Entrepreneurship Agency of Student Government has built the largest entrepreneurial community ever on the 40 Acres. Being appointed the first director of LEA could possibly be the largest honor I’ll ever receive. UT Entrepreneurship Week was started in 2012 and was organized by an informal student group. Our intent was to create a free version of SXSW for students since SXSW is during UT’s spring break and badges are too expensive for a college budget. Therefore, we positioned UTEWeek to take place the week before SXSW and spring break. The week of events consisted of keynote speakers, workshops and parties. The catalyst of UT Austin’s new startup community was UTEWeek. After the community was established, we needed a way to sustain the community throughout the year. I met Thor Lund and Wills Brown while they were on the Student Government campaign trail and convinced them to add entrepreneurship to their platform. The Lund-Brown campaign deserves a Texan column of its own but all that matters here is that they won. Lund and Brown followed through on their promise to advance entrepreneurship in Student Government. After inviting Professor of Innovation Bob Metcalfe [Editor’s Note: See Q-and-A with Metcalfe’s wife Robyn on opposite side of page] to endorse the concept, the Assembly passed AB2 – Creation of the Longhorn Entrepreneurship Agency in September 2012. Shortly after I was appointed the first director and we put out an application for students volunteers to serve the agency. Over 50 students applied, and we selected 21 of them to serve as co-founders of the agency. The initial leadership team consisted of Jacob Deshaies, Grant Heimer and Hannah Hutyra. Our first duty was to produce the second Annual UT Entrepreneurship Week in March 2013. The second UTEWeek doubled in size and we welcomed President William Powers Jr. as one of our lead sponsors. The president’s sponsorship enabled us to create the UT Austin Student, Faculty and Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year awards. Once the Agency successfully hosted our second UTEWeek, we started planning for the succession of our initial leadership. Grant Heimer was appointed the second LEA Director in April 2013 and I moved into a vicepresidential role. Grant did an incredible job optimizing LEA’s operations. My position as VP of Innovation allowed me to launch a new program of LEA called Freshman Founders. The premise of Freshman Founders was that students were taking nearly all four years to recognize the opportunities in Austin around startups and entrepreneurship. Our goal was to accelerate the discovery of Austin’s startup community into one semester for any interested freshman. We enlisted all-star entrepreneurs like John Arrow and Metcalfe to serve as
mentors for the freshmen. Our mentors were invited to a series of events where 30 freshmen were able to wrestle with entrepreneurial questions and challenges with the mentors support. Along the way we taught them about the entrepreneurial organizations and resources in Austin. The first Freshman Founders experience wrapped up with the third UTEWeek in March 2014. Heimer and I were graduating in May, and we appointed Amanda Barrington as the third LEA Director. Even though my time as a student was coming to a close, I felt like there was a lot more for me to do for the startup community. Knowing what I was doing through LEA was very valuable to the University; I successfully proposed the institution create a job for me to continue my mission. Liberal Arts Career Services hired me fulltime as the student ventures coordinator in June 2014. My duties are broad but most of what I do on staff is in collaboration with LEA. In this position I was able to build a new track of Freshman Founders. This new track, Freshman Founders Launchpad, is the only startup accelerator for freshman-founded companies in the United States. We help freshmen launch companies through more intense mentoring, workshops and Freshman Founders Demo Day, where they will pitch to a crowd of hundreds. While the growth of LEA’s programs is important, the students actually starting a company create the most value. Above all, I think what LEA has done is make entrepreneurship more encouraged and celebrated among our student body. Notable startups that have emerged from UT Austin since LEA was founded include Favor, Beatbox Beverages and Burpy. Hundreds of other student startups have come and gone as well. While these startups are interesting, the full impact of the culture LEA is creating won’t reveal itself for decades. Most student startups won’t even make it to market, but that doesn’t mean the ventures aren’t worth undertaking. The experience gained from pursuing your own startup is the best education an aspiring entrepreneur can receive. For the most part, the innovation that student entrepreneurs are driving today won’t be incredibly successful. Rather, it’s the innovation that today’s student entrepreneurs will deliver 50 years from now that will truly change the world. The relationships and experience built through programs like UTEWeek and Freshman Founders will significantly increase an individual’s ability to innovate in the long run. Think back and imagine the great entrepreneurs that have come from UT Austin in the past. The list is long, but you’ll think of people like Michael Dell, Brett Hurt and Arrow. Now imagine the entrepreneurs that will emerge from the 40 Acres in the next 50 years. When the next generation of great Longhorn entrepreneurs reminisce about their time at UT Austin, they will remember how the budding entrepreneur inside them was embraced and supported by the campus community. I believe this difference will prove a profound impact on the University and the world. Spiller is student ventures coordinator for the College of Liberal Arts.
Illustration by Melanie Westfall | Daily Texan Staff
CLASS 5
LIFE&ARTS
5
Thursday, February 19, 2015
DISEASE
continues from page 8 biotics can clear it up and all of the workers made full recoveries. For a university system that stretches across the state and includes more than 100,000 students, 13 incidents over seven years may seem like a reasonable price of admission for the right to do research on infectious diseases. However, these mishaps caused UT to implement improved training programs, a new “Rapid Response Team” and an upgrade to research surveillance tools. Scientists need to manage diseases in the most effective way possible, whether during daily encounters or an emerging pandemic. This means that what stands between the UT community and BSL-3-level diseases are physical barriers and the good judgements of researchers. UT scientists maintain the highest standards of safety to uphold the reputation of the University, and, more importantly, the health of the students and faculty.
NEW YEAR continues from page 8 resemble gold coins, a symbol of wealth. Noodles are served long and uncut, predicting a lengthy life. Business freshman Johnny Shiao said, for his family, Chinese New Year means celebrating a number of family traditions. “We make dumplings,” Shiao said. “And we go outside to look at the giant moon.” Every year, China Central Television broadcasts the New Year’s Gala — an annual performance event featuring songs, dances, skits and acrobat-
ics. Business freshman Kelly Wu said watching the gala is one of her family’s traditions. “It’s kind of like watching the ball drop,” Wu said. “It’s really similar to an American New Year’s celebration.” The Texas Dragon/Lion Dance Team, a traditional lion dance group, of which Wu is a member, has a number of performances scheduled for Chinese New Year. “We get really busy during this time because we get a lot of requests [for
TBT performances],” Wu said. “This year, since we have a performance on New Year’s Day at a restaurant. It’s going to be really fun.” Wu said she will miss celebrating Chinese New Year with her relatives but is spending the holiday with her other family. “Since I’m not going home, I’m celebrating [Chinese New Year] through my dance team,” Wu said. “I feel as if each time we’re invited to [perform at] festivals and celebrations and parties, it’s kind of like a mini celebration itself.”
Greg Kennedy ended his career as an engineer over 10 years ago to begin professional juggling. Kennedy will perform his show, “Innovative Juggler,” this Thursday at the SAC Auditorium.
continues from page 8 UT now offers courses in Yoruba, a West African language spoken mainly in Nigeria. Courses in Swahili — a language people in Southeast Africa, including Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania, speak — are also available to UT students. In the article, Polk described common misconceptions of Africa. He blamed the school for perpetuating these ideas by not offering classes that address all aspects of Africa and its people. “We must rid ourselves of the myth that Africa consists of Libya and Egypt at one end of the continent, and South Africa at the other, with a vast, dark void in between,” Polk said. Over the years, UT expanded its courses to cover more in-depth African studies topics. This semester, for example, students can learn how recording artists Beyoncé and Rihanna con-
tributed to African diaspora and black feminism conversations. Students in this class read Beyoncé’s self-titled biography and study Beyoncé’s and Rihanna’s music videos. UT also offers a course entitled, “Black Queer Literature/Film,” which emphasizes “understanding the historical and theoretical construction of sexual and gender identities … in black communities.” Other courses include “Sex & Power in African Diaspora,” “African History in Film and Photographs” and “Politics of Black Education.” Ultimately, according to Polk, UT needed to make an active effort to avoid ignorance. “We all know that ignorance breeds more ignorance,” Polk said. “Therefore, the entire University community, students, faculty and administration, must come together in an effort to break the mental chains which bond us to old stereotypes and myths about Africa.”
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JUGGLER continues from page 8 UT scientists maintain the highest standards of safety to uphold the reputation of the University, and, more importantly, the health of the students and faculty.”
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juggling shows in Japan. Kennedy said he took the offer and never looked back. “I feel like I use my engineering degree a lot more today than I did when I was an engineer,” Kennedy said. “In the late ’90s, I kind of began experimenting and just altering what people think juggling is. I kind of thought, ‘Hey, how can I change that path?’” Little by little, Kennedy
gained a following in the juggling community. His “Cone Piece,” which garnered more than 2 million views on YouTube, features Kennedy standing inside a giant cone and bouncing balls off the sides. In another piece, “The Rotating Square,” he draws inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s sketch, “Vitruvian Man,” which features a man inscribed inside a circle and a square. Kennedy ac-
knowledges that, although juggling may seem hectic to onlookers, he finds calmness in its repetition. “One of the nice things about that piece is how many times the ball can bounce,” Kennedy said. “It’s very interesting because, to the audience, it’s very chaotic. But, to me as the juggler, I’m throwing and waiting, throwing and waiting. I just love that cycle.”
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SCIENCE FICTION: Can we genetically engineer our bodies and our ecosystem? We may have to. Would it work? WILDERNESS is a novel by Alan Kovski. Available via Amazon.com SCIENCE FICTION: Life will change fast amid genetic engineering, climate engineering and economic upheaval. Will we cope? WONDERS AND TRAGEDIES is a novel by Alan Kovski. Available via Amazon.com SCIENCE FICTION: Stolen memories, dangerous dreams, collapsing societies, new worlds, lost souls, transforming times: REMEMBERING THE FUTURE, 13 stories by Alan Kovski. Available via Amazon.com SCIENCE FICTION: What if plagues were spreading? How would you know? Engineered plagues could take strange forms. WONDERS AND TRAGEDIES is a novel by Alan Kovski. Available via Amazon.com
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6 SPTS
6
GARRETT CALLAHAN, SPORTS EDITOR | @texansports Thursday, February 19, 2015
SIDELINE
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
KANSAS STATE
TEXAS
VS.
Texas clobbers Wildcats on its own turf By Jeremey Thomas
DUKE
NORTH CAROLINA
LOUISVILLE
SYRACUSE
TOP TWEET Michael Baez | Daily Texan Staff
Junior guard Brady Sanders drives past a Kansas State defender. Sanders had a career night in which she scored 18 points and made four 3-pointers
position to score.” Freshman guard Ariel Atkins notched her fifth conference game in double figures with 11 points Wednesday. Atkins said the way Sanders played tonight gave the whole team a boost. “When she’s out there smiling and laughing on the court, it gives us the confidence to be like, ‘Oh, okay, she’s having a good time, so we can too,’” Atkins said. With injuries striking
the team hard, Aston said the Longhorns continued to find ways to fit into unfamiliar roles. “Their roles changed so much,” Aston said. “But I do think we’ve had some constancy with what we’re asking each person to do, so I think that gives them some comfort … and allowed them to settle in. I think they’re having some fun now, which is good to see.” Sophomore center Kelsey Lang, who didn’t score her first
MEN’S BASKETBALL
point until early in the second half, ended the game with 9 points and four boards, while junior center Imani McGeeStafford had 11 points and grabbed five rebounds. Texas won the turnover battle against a Kansas State team that ranks second in the conference with 9.1 steals per game. The Longhorns caused 19 turnovers, eight of which were steals. Texas sits three games away from a 20-win season, one of
the early goals for the team, according to Aston. With four regular season games remaining, the Longhorns look to continue their winning streak with a game against Texas Tech on Saturday. “I do think that [the team] is confident, but it’s one game at a time,” Aston said. “We worried about tonight, and tomorrow we’ll wake up and start figuring out how to win in Lubbock. We don’t need to look past that at all.”
SOFTBALL
Longhorns face tough road in weeks ahead By Jason Epstein @Jwepstein96
Griffin Smith |Daily Texan file photo
Freshman forward Myles Turner has put up a double-double in the last two games. He is one of the key factors for a long run in the postseason
For Texas success at the Dance, Turner needs to step it up By Drew Lieberman @DrewLieberman
The second Myles Turner signed, many thought that Texas could win the National Championship. Turner being on a team that made it to the third round of the NCAA tournament the previous year had fans hopeful. Turner was Texas’ highest-rated signee since Avery Bradley in 2009, and, although Bradley did not really improve during his lone season in Austin, there were some reasons for fans to be optimistic about Turner’s impact on the team. Although Barnes has recently struggled to develop highly touted guards, he helped improve forward Tristan Thompson into the No. 4 overall pick during his lone season in Austin. Turner’s addition meant another big man in Texas’ frontcourt rotation, and that should have been a key factor in the Longhorns pursuit of wins. Plus, the versatility of his offen-
IOWA STATE
OKLAHOMA ST.
@JeremyOBThomas
Blow out! The Longhorns (17–8, 6–8 Big 12) won their second consecutive game Wednesday night as they beat Kansas State (15–10, 5–9 Big 12), 76–58, thanks to a career night from junior guard Brady Sanders and a strong team shooting performance. Sanders’ 18 points and four 3-pointers were both career highs, and Texas collectively found its pace by not rushing shots and playing better defense. “I thought Brady got us off to a terrific start and really calmed our team,” Texas head coach Karen Aston said. “Then we settled in and played a nice game.” Wednesday marked the first time Texas has won consecutive games since emerging victorious in its first two conference games. “There were a lot of great decisions made,” Aston said. “Basically, I thought everyone who went into the game contributed something, so, overall, it was a really good team performance.” The Kansas State 2-3 defense forced errant shots from Texas, as the Longhorns missed their first seven field goals. But the buckets started to fall when Sanders hit the team’s first shot. “Really my only focus was getting the win,” Sanders said. “And it just so happened that my shots fell tonight, and my teammates put me in a good
NCAAB
sive game was supposed to help offset one of the team’s most blatant deficiencies: the lack of reliable 3-point shooters. This has not been the case, though, as the offense is producing 107.1 points per 100 possessions — just 0.1 points more than it scored per 100 possessions in 2013–2014. These offensive woes are being magnified in conference play, in which the Longhorns are averaging 7 fewer points against Big 12 foes and giving up 11 more points per game than they did throughout non-conference play. Meanwhile, Turner isn’t logging the amount of minutes expected from a player with his unique skill set on both ends of the court. His playing time ranks fifth on the team, and that may not even be the result of a crowded frontcourt, In fact, Turner’s minutes dropped slightly in the two games senior forward Jonathan Holmes missed because of a concussion. Turner followed his
25-point, 12-rebound performance in Saturday’s win over Texas Tech with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday’s loss at Oklahoma. The loss to the Sooners was the first time the Longhorns lost game in which Turner finished with at least nine rebounds. This season being Turner’s only one at Texas is certainly a possibility, and, with back-to-back double-doubles, it appears that he’s ready to be the best player on the floor. The question still remains whether Barnes will actually give the Thompsonesque freshman playing time down the stretch. With only five games left before the conference tournament and Texas needing to win more games to make the field of 68, the time is now for Turner to log significant minutes. If the Longhorns are to make a run in March, their talented freshman will need to lead the way.
Throwing out the first pitch Thursday night in Cathedral City, California, No. 25 Texas softball kicks off its five-game stint in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic against No. 8 Georgia. This marks the third of five straight tournaments in which the Longhorns will compete. After a 7–3 record to start the year, Texas cracked the USA Today/NFCA polls at No. 25, joining two other Big 12 schools — No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 7 Baylor. With the success so far, Texas hopes to keep progressing in the upcoming games. “We’ll just keep rolling into next week,” junior first baseman Holly Kern said after the Longhorns’ 11–4 victory over Colorado State on Sunday. “We are going to see some good teams out in California, so it will be a good challenge.” Kern posted a stellar performance in the Texas Classic. She recorded 15 RBIs, scored four runs, hit three doubles and added a home run to bring her batting average up to .367. Swinging strong for the Longhorns, sophomore infielder Kelli Hanzel has hit .545 over the past five games with three RBIs, three runs
and two doubles. Sophomore outfielder Stephanie Wong and junior catcher Erin Shireman lead the team with .414 batting averages each. Wong has also already stolen five bases, while Shireman has hit three over the fence. Delivering all around offensively as a team, the Longhorns bat .338 and have outscored their opponents, 79–42. Texas is tied for the third-best start in program history for the number of home runs hit in the first 10 games of a season, as they have already launched 10. From the circle, sophomore pitcher Tiarra Davis continues to establish a dominant presence as the primary pitcher. Davis went 3–0 with 15 strikeouts last weekend with a couple of starts, as well as a relief showing. Sophomore pitcher Lauren Slatten has the lowest ERA of the four pitchers, and freshman pitchers Erica Wright and Kristen Clark have each shown sparks of greatness in their early performances. As a team, Texas maintains a 3.17 ERA and has recorded 59 strikeouts, 26 of which Wright has recorded. After its match against No. 8 Georgia, Texas will play No. 12 UCLA, and, before the tournament ends, it will play two more ranked teams — No. 18 Missouri and No. 24 Notre Dame.
Daulton Venglar | Daily Texan Staff
Junior first baseman Holly Kern played well at the Texas Classic. Kern had 15 RBIs and is batting .367 on the year.
Quandre Diggs @qdiggs6
Soon as I see @Ced_Reed88 I’m Slapping him!
TODAY IN HISTORY
1984
Alpine skiers Phil and Steve Mahre become first brothers to win gold and silver in same event at the Olympics.
SPORTS BRIEFLY Big 12 honors two swimmers
Junior swimmer John Martens and junior diver Cory Bowersox both received honors from the Big 12 on Wednesday. The conference named Martens as Men’s Swimmer of the Week and Bowersox as Men’s Diver of the Week. In Texas’ victory over TCU on Feb. 6, Martens recorded two wins — the most notable coming in the 200-meter butterfly, in which he posted a season-best 1:44.02. Martens’ performance in the 200-meter butterfly puts him at No. 13 in the nation in the event. Bowersox’s performance against TCU was also strong, as he won both springboards, and his 1-meter score (455.63) was better than the winning 1-meter score from the 2014 NCAA Championships (443.50). The Longhorns return to action Feb. 25-28, as they host the Big 12 Championships at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center. —Aaron Torres
COMICS 7
COMICS
7
Thursday, February 19, 2015
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KAT SAMPSON, LIFE&ARTS EDITOR | @thedailytexan Thursday, February 19, 2015
8
CAMPUS
UT students celebrate Chinese New Year By Rebecca Fu @thedailytexan
Flashy headbands, excessive alcohol and the live stream of the Times Square ball drop kicked off 2015, but roughly 20 percent of the world’s population is getting ready to welcome the new year again. Chinese New Year, also referred to as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, is one of the most celebrated holidays in China and Chinese-populated countries. Based off the Chinese lunar calendar, Chinese New Year falls between Jan. 21 and Feb. 19. The date of the Lunar New Year varies based on the moon cycle. The first new moon of the year begins the celebration. When a full moon appears 15 days later, the celebration comes to a close. Each year features a different animal sign from the Chinese zodiac’s 12 different animals. The animal sign of a person’s year of birth — which cycles around every 12 years — is often said to determine personality types, love matches, fortunes, strengths and weaknesses. This new year will be the Year of the Sheep, and celebrations begin Thursday. People begin cleaning the
“It’s kind of like watching the ball drop. It’s really similar to an American New Year’s celebration.” —Kelly Wu, Business freshman
house, wearing bright red — a color that symbolizes good fortune — and greeting family and friends with “Gong Xi Fa Cai.” For many people, such as aerospace engineering sophomore Kaixi Wang, Chinese New Year means spending time with extended family. “All my relatives get together,” Wang said. “The moms cook a lot of food, and we just have a good time.” Dumplings and many traditional foods consumed throughout the 15 days of celebration are symbolic. The names of popular festival dishes often have double meanings or prosperous connotations. Dumplings
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Illustration by Hanna Bernbaum| Daily Texan Staff
THROWBACK
SCIENCE SCENE
African studies courses expand over the years
Scientists safely store deadly diseases
By Marisa Charpentier @marisacharp21
Titles such as “Beyonce Feminism/Rihanna Womanism” and “Black Studies & Social Media” fill up the spring 2015 UT course schedule. Students can learn about diverse topics, from African medicine to African film and dance. But 19 years ago, this wasn’t the case. The Daily Texan published a column on Feb. 5, 1986, in which history senior Robert Polk described UT in one word: ignorant. Polk condemned UT for not offering enough African studies courses. “Africa’s strategic, political, historical and cultural significance cannot be denied,” Polk said. “And yet, the University seems to be doing just that — denying Africa’s significance.” Polk wrote that the history department only offered two African history classes at the time, neither of which detailed
the history of indigenous African peoples. He criticized the government department for not offering courses about African politics and the geography department for neglecting to teach courses on Africa’s geography. “Africa is the world’s second largest continent, covering almost 20,000 square miles and containing nearly every variation of climate and geography on Earth, from tropical rain forest to desert to snowcapped mountain ranges,” Polk said. Polk also noted that UT did not offer African language courses at the time, even though Africa consists of many diverse cultures. “It is a continent divided into 52 nations composed of people of nearly every human ethnic, racial and religious group, speaking over 1,000 different languages and dialects,” Polk said.
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Illustration by Leah Rushin | Daily Texan Staff
By Ellen Airhart @ellenairhart
There are deadly diseases on campus. They are not carried by birds, squirrels or freshmen — they live in a few of the hundreds of labs. Scientists at UT take the strictest precautions to ensure these pathogens do not reach students. These precautions are organized into levels labs must comply with: biosafety level (BSL) 1, 2, 3 and 4. BSL-1 and BSL-2 labs store viruses, bacteria or fungi that are well-understood, treatable and not particularly contagious. BSL-1 labs deal with pathogens that do not usually cause a noticeable illness in humans. For example, they may carry the canine hepatitis virus or a non-threatening strain of E. coli. BSL-2 labs carry mildly infectious viruses or bacteria, such as the salmonella bacteria. The highest biosafety level at UT is BSL-3. BSL-3-level defenses are used for pathogens that could be deadly if inhaled. However, specimens stored in BSL-3 labs have a vaccine or an effective treatment plan. Scientists can study the bacteria responsible for the bubonic plague in a BSL-3 lab but not the Ebola virus. Other specimens scientists can study in BSL-3 labs include West Nile, SARS and rabies viruses. Labs use BSL-4 precautions while working with diseases that easily transmit through the air and cause crippling or deadly illnesses
Illustration by Chester Omenukor & Melanie Westfall | Daily Texan Staff
that have no vaccines or viable treatment options. There are no BSL-4 labs on campus, but scientists at UT-Austin sometimes use data that scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston gather for further research. There are only 15 BSL-4 labs in the world, and the UTMB branch has two. According to the UTMB website, scientists there study pathogens that cause illnesses such as anthrax, hemorrhagic fevers and drug-resistant tuberculosis.
These biosafety regulations may seem thorough, but they are not A&M-proof. In April 2006, inspectors from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that a worker at a high-containment lab at A&M was exposed to and infected by contagious bacteria. According to further government investigation, the same lab was performing unauthorized experiments and taking infected animals out of the lab without permission. It’s easy to snicker at the Aggies, but,
as the CDC official wrote, “No one knows whether the Texas A&M incidents are the tip of the iceberg or the iceberg.” This disaster at A&M led to a further investigation of Texas laboratories, and that inquiry found 13 mostly mild “incidents” in the UT system. Four workers on the UT campus became sick after exposure to Shigella bacteria, which causes abdominal infections. While this infection is uncomfortable, anti-
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CAMPUS
‘Innovative’ juggler kicks off 22nd annual Jugglefest By Emily Fu
@thedailytexan
Over 10 years ago, Greg Kennedy took a three-month leave of absence from his engineering job, packed up his bags for Japan and set off to pursue a brief stint as a performance juggler. That sojourn turned into a career as the “Innovative Juggler,” who will perform on campus Thursday. Kennedy received an engineering degree, but, rather than pursue this field as a
career, he uses his knowledge to spice up his juggling act. Instead of throwing and catching a ball in the air, Kennedy said he experimented by bouncing balls on different sculptures — all of his own creation — and seeing the different things he could make the ball do. “I started applying some of my engineering principles and just basic principles of geometry and physics into the design of these [sculptures],” Kennedy said. Although only about one
out of every three of his sculptures makes it into his show, Kennedy said his passion for creation and innovation keeps him designing and planning the ideas in his mind. “Once in a while, you see that little gem and you say, ‘Wow,’” Kennedy said. “It’s almost like having a child. You’re taking something that you’re putting into this world that has never existed before.” Kennedy said he especially likes to combine engineering and art to create innovative “pieces” — what Kennedy calls
his short performances. The 22nd annual Jugglefest kicks off with Kennedy’s show “Innovative Juggler” — an hour-long performance that involves traditional juggling, clean comedy and innovative use of props. The threeday event, which the Texas Juggling Society puts on, begins Friday. The weekend consists of workshops, games, demonstrations and juggling shows. Kennedy performs Thursday at 8 p.m. in the SAC Auditorium. Psychology graduate
student Nathan Blanco, president of UT’s Texas Juggling Society, said the organization invited Kennedy to start the weekend’s festivities. “[Kennedy’s] specialty includes lots of innovative props,” Blanco said. “He’s always got something new, and he’s got a lot of things no one else is doing or has thought of doing in his juggling act.” Kennedy said he never intended to become a professional juggler. “I always juggled as a kid,” Kennedy said. “It was kind
of a hobby, and I actually got really good at it to the point where I won a gold medal at the international juggling championship. But I was still not really thinking of doing it as a full-time job.” After graduating college, Kennedy entered the engineering field. Two years into that career, Kennedy felt the job no longer challenged him. Around this same time, his friend offered him the opportunity to perform
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