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Thursday, March 5, 2015
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SYSTEM
Regents defer presidential decision By Josh Willis @JoshWillis35
After seven hours in a closed-door session Wednesday, the UT System Board of Regents declined to name a president or announce the names of the finalists for the UT presidency. According to a UT System press release, the Board “must vote to name one or more finalists and then must wait 21 days before making an official appointment.”
The three finalists have met with a small search committee but have not met with the Faculty Council or the System Faculty Council. Following the meeting Wednesday, UT System Chairman Paul Foster spoke about the leaked information regarding the candidates for the presidency. An unknown source close to the University leaked the identities of the three candidates in late February, although Foster could not confirm the leaked identities.
The source named Greg Fenves, executive vice president and provost of UT, David Daniel, president of UT-Dallas, and Andrew Hamilton, vice chancellor of the University of Oxford in England, as candidates. “I’m as frustrated as anybody whenever there are leaks,” Foster said. “The search committee was a broad cross section of a lot of different people, and I don’t know where the leaks came from. I certainly don’t
REGENTS page 2
POLICE
Gene Vela found not guilty on all counts By Wynne Davis @wynneellyn
Graeme Hamilton | Daily Texan Staff
The UT System Board of Regents declined to announce the candidates for the UT presidency after a closed-door session Wednesday.
FRAMES featured photo
Marshall Tidrick | Daily Texan Staff
UT music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia performs outside of the 2015 President’s Faculty and Staff Awards. The fraternity sang an array of songs ranging from “The Eyes of Texas” to Billy Joel’s “For the Longest Time.”
CAMPUS
bit.ly/dtvid
Gene Vela walked out of the Travis County Courthouse a free man Wendesday after being found not guilty on all charges. The trial occurred more than a year after the standoff between Vela, a former public affairs graduate student, and Austin Police Department officers outside Vela’s apartment. Vela faced charges for aggravated assault against a public servant, making a terroristic threat and unlawful carrying of a weapon. The jury reached a verdict of not guilty after four hours of deliberation. After hearing that her son had been found not guilty of all charges, Karen Emerson, Vela’s mother, said she is happy the nightmare is over. She said the past year has been hard on her and the rest of Vela’s family. “Just even from the beginning, just finding out my son was shot and just having to wait all this time while he’s been in jail,” Emerson said. “It’s not easy for him, and it’s not easy for the family for him to lose a year out of his life. I’m very, very grateful that he can resume his life.” At press time, Emerson was waiting for Vela to be processed and released before she could reunite with him. “I’m just grateful that he’s out,” Emerson said. “I’m grateful for the jurors and that they took into account all of the
VELA page 2
CAMPUS
LGBT students face homelessness St.Patrick’s Day gear may go unsold LGBT UT students face homelessness from familial rejection and employment discrimination because of the lack of antidiscrimination protections the state government offers, according to Ana Ixchel Rosal, director of Student Diversity Initiatives. Familial rejection forces LGBT students to drop out of school in some instances, and discrimination in hiring practices inhibits enrolled students from securing competitive jobs, said Chris Dao, a petroleum engineering senior and president of LGBT student organization oSTEM. Most often, LGBT students and youths find themselves without a home after their parents become aware of their sexual orientation, Rosal said.
“We have dealt with students who are homeless and/or on the brink of homelessness because, after the student came out to their family — intentionally or unintentionally — the response from the family did not go well,” Rosal said. “It could mean everything from parental disappointment to disapproval, but it can also look like total and complete rejection, including financial support. Then, the students are just out there on their own.” For college students, the length and consequences of homelessness can vary, said Natalia Ornelas, program director at Austin nongovernmental organization Out Youth, which two UT alumni founded to provide social and health services to LGBT youths in the area. “We get many phone calls from students looking for shelters,” Ornelas said. “Maybe a student was living with their
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Alumni launch production company during SXSW. PAGE 6
Follow The Daily Texan on Twitter for the latest oncampus updates.
Racism alive and well in Texas, on campus. PAGE 3
Longhorn legend Manzano overcomes odds. PAGE 4
Spider House hosts church service on Sundays. PAGE 6
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By Zainab Callcuttawala @zainabroo94
LGBT FACTS
Physical Violence: Roughly 34% of LGBT youths report suffering physcial violence from their parents because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Leaving Home: 26% of LGBT youths are forced to leave home because of conflicts with family. Homelessness: 25–40% of youths who become homeless each year are LGBT.
parents during college and the situation turned unsafe — they were kicked out and cut off. Maybe a student is living safely in dorms, but the school year is ending and their parents are not accepting of them, so they need to find somewhere for the
LGBT page 2
By Rund Khayyat @rundkhayyat
The University Co-op is stocked with green Longhorn shirts, caps and mugs to ensure students don’t get pinched on St. Patrick’s Day, but a good portion of the merchandise will end up on the clearance rack after the holiday ends. While Jeff Halliburton, vice president of operations for the University Co-op, said there is sufficient demand for holiday-themed UT apparel, students around campus disagree. “You’d be surprised. We sell hundreds and hundreds of pieces across the different St. Patrick’s Day styles,” Halliburton said. “We have pretty decent demand this year, especially with the head wear.” Stephanie Del Paggio,
Illustration by Leah Rushin | Daily Texan Staff
a Plan II and marketing junior, said many of her friends shop at the Co-op a few times a year for clothes or souvenirs for family members, but that’s about it. “A lot of my friends shop online, where it’s cheaper, or get free shirts from fairs on campus,” Del Paggio said. Incoming students, family members, alumni and tourists are most likely to shop at the Co-op,
according to radio-television-film freshman Amanda Booth. “Beyond these groups, I think students use the Coop for convenience or gifts,” Booth said. “Most students buy clothes from organizations they join.” The Co-op sells thousands of pieces of merchandise a year for many holidays,
TSHIRT page 2 REASON TO PARTY
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