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YOU ASKED, WE ANSWERED: SG ELECTIONS LIFE&ARTS PAGE 8
COMICS PAGE 6
NEWS ONLINE
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Friday, March 6, 2015
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STATE
Senate Committee approves Board nominees By Josh Willis @joshwillis35
The Senate Committee on Nominations approved three candidates for appointment to the UT System Board of Regents on Thursday. The appointees — David Beck, Steve Hicks and Sara Martinez Tucker — must now go before the Texas Senate for a vote in order to take
their positions on the board. Martinez Tucker was approved unanimously, while the committee approved both Steve Hicks and David Beck by 6–1 votes. Sen. Konni Burton (R-Colleyville) voted against Hicks and Beck. In light of investigations into UT admissions and the UT School of Law’s forgivable loan program, Burton said Hicks, a current
regent, and Beck, who was president of the UT Law School Foundation from 2002–2006, have contributed to a lack of transparency. “[Hicks and Beck] have presided over a period of secrecy, privilege and sharp rises in tuition at the University of Texas,” Burton said in a statement. “The University of Texas is in need of a fresh start, with
Regents concerned first and foremost with improving the strength of the University, getting tuition under control, and ensuring an admissions process that rewards the brightest students and not those with connections.” Sen. Troy Fraser (R-Horseshoe Bay), who also sits on the nominations committee, had no objections to any of the candidates, according to Fraser
spokesman Will McAdams. “Senator Fraser listened to the testimony from all three candidates and read the recommendations from the Governor’s Office,” McAdams said. “[He] believed the Governor’s Office had done their due diligence, and that’s why he voted for the nominees.” Martinez Tucker is the CEO of the National Math + Science Initiative, a foun-
dation that seeks to improve student performance in science, technology, engineering and math. Beck is a partner at the Beck Redden law firm in Houston. If approved by the Senate, Martinez Tucker and Beck will replace current regents Robert L. Stillwell and Vice Chairman William Eugene Powell on the board. Hicks’ term will be extended until 2021.
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Jones falls just short of majority
Griffin Smith, Daulton Venglar | Daily Texan Staff
Student Government Executive Alliance candidates Braydon Jones, second from left, and Kimia Dargahi, far left, will compete against fellow candidates and Texas Travesty editors Xavier Rotnofsky, second from right, and Rohit Mandalapu, far right, in a runoff election next week as neither alliance received over 50 percent of the vote.
Executive Alliance candidates to enter runoff election By Samantha Ketterer @sam_kett
After a University-wide Student Government election in which no executive alliance ticket captured over 50 percent of the vote, candidates Braydon Jones and Kimia Dargahi will enter a runoff election against Xavier Rotnofsky and Rohit Mandalapu. The Jones-Dargahi alliance received 46.34 percent of the
student vote, and RotnofskyMandalapu received 26.9 percent. The other two executive alliances on the ballot, David Maly and Steven Svatek and Baylor Morrison and Matthew Normyle, received a combined total of 26.74 percent. “We’re not as nervous anymore,” Rotnofsky, associate editor at humor publication Texas Travesty, said. “Surprised, for sure. … I’m pretty sure this has been the most
successful [Texas Travesty] campaign ever. Travesty alumns have reached out to us and said they loved the campaign. That’s been the best reward.” The Texas Travesty, a humor publication, enters a team in SG elections each year. Jones, who has described himself as the candidate with the most Student Government experience, said he is optimistic about his team’s
odds for the runoff election. “Our numbers looked great the first time,” Jones said. “We’re going to do exactly what we’ve been doing.” Nicholas Molina, Election Supervisory Board chair, said it was difficult to predict the results of the Executive Alliance race in advance. “I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a surprise,” Molina said. “[Both teams have] been campaigning so well.”
According to Molina, 9,108 votes were cast in the election, an increase of 14 percent in voter turnout over last spring. Arjun Mocherla, an agent on Jones and Dargahi’s campaign, said the run-off will allow more time to get student input for their platform. “Obviously, we’d love to win [the election] straight out, but Xavier and Rohit are hilarious guys,” Mocherla said. “This is a
great opportunity to continue to meet students on campus and see what students need.” Texas Travesty editor-inchief Chris Gilman said he attributes Rotnofsky and Mandalapu’s success to reaching out to smaller and more diverse groups of students. “I think they’re taking all the right moves,” Gilman said. “They’re talking to
ELECTION page 3
POLICE
UNIVERSITY
Students use genuine info for fake IDs
Some online classes still held despite cold weather
By Wynne Davis @wynneellyn
More students are including genuine personal information when creating fake IDs for themselves, according to UT police. “Lately, we’ve been seeing driver’s licenses that [have] the person’s picture on it, has their name on it, has their address on it, has their driver’s license number on it — has everything on it, except a different date of birth,” UTPD officer William Pieper said. “What students don’t realize is that we tend to run those driver’s license numbers, and, when we run it, the computer
comes back with their correct date of birth.” A public relations sophomore, who requested anonymity to avoid legal repercussions, said he uses his fake ID at least once a week at grocery stores and bars downtown. “It’s a pretty legit one — it’s not paper, it’s actually laminated — and has my name, my face, basically everything about me, except my address,” the student said. Police officers usually encounter students with fake driver’s licenses after they stop students for other criminal activity, such as underage
By Lauren Florence @thedailytexan
Crystal Garcia | Daily Texan Staff
drinking, Pieper said. “When I ask to see their driver’s license, [students] hold it very close to their chest … because they don’t want me to see their drinking ID,” Pieper said. Pieper said officers are
sworn to uphold the law, which prohibits people under 21 from drinking alcohol, but said officers can sometimes use their own discretion when deciding
ID page 3
Instead of using their laptops to watch Netflix on Thursday morning when classes were delayed, some students logged on to online courses to complete class work. Inclement winter weather Wednesday night and Thursday morning led University officials to close campus until 1 p.m. and delay classes until 2 p.m. Thursday. Even when the UT campus closed, journalism junior Felicia Rodriquez still had to log on to her Social
NEWS
OPINION
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LIFE&ARTS
ONLINE
University Writing Center will move to PCL. PAGE 3
Satire campaign prompts critical examination of SG. PAGE 4
Women’s basketball set to start Big 12 tournament. PAGE 7
Maroon Collective record label prepares for SXSW. PAGE 8
Watch our video footage of Student Government election night.
Peace Corps alumni court UT applicants. PAGE 2
Conservative position on vaccines raises questions. PAGE 4
Ibeh’s resurgence crucial for Longhorn’s season. PAGE 7
Roster Teeth Productions crowd funds for film. PAGE 8
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Media Journalism online class, in which students are assigned to update social media sites during assigned shifts. Rodriguez said she didn’t mind doing her class work even when campus classes were canceled. “In some ways, I never view Social Media Journalism as a class because it’s just fun for me and I love using social media,” Rodriguez said. “Also, I was enjoying my breakfast at the same time, and I had Netflix on in the background, so it was a very
DELAY page 2 REASON TO PARTY
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