The Daily Texan 2015-03-25

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LIFE&ARTS PAGE 6

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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

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CAMPUS

SG

By Samantha Ketterer

SG passes resolution to remove Davis statue

UT housing demand remains unmet @sam_kett

The number of on-campus housing applicants for fall 2014 was, again, more than the amount of people the University is equipped to house. For the 2014–2015 school year, 9,743 students applied to live on campus, and the Division of Housing and Food Services housed 7,363 of those students, according to

AlisonKothe,communications and marketing coordinator for DHFS. The number of applicants includes freshmen, upperclassmen and transfer students, as well as students who were not admitted into the University. The number does not include applications students withdrew from the pool. This year’s number of applicants is down from the number of students who ap-

plied for the 2013–2014 school year. Laurie Mackey, program director of the Administrative Systems Modernization Program, told the Texan in 2014 that more than 14,000 students applied for on-campus housing that school year. “We never really know what our housing demand will be,” Kothe said. “We never have a clear idea of how many freshmen will be attending the University. We do our very

best to accommodate every person who wants to live on campus.” According to a report The Daily Texan obtained last April, UT needed 3,900 additional beds on-campus to keep up with student demand for housing in 2013. Despite the report’s findings, Kothe said UT has been able to accommodate, at

RISE page 2

ON-CAMPUS HOUSING 9,743: Number of students in 2014—2015 who applied to live on campus. 7,363: Number of students who were housed that year. 3,900: Number of additional beds needed as of 2013 to keep up with student demand for on campus housing.

CAMPUS

‘Shark Tank’ star shares secrets to success By Sebastian Herrera @twitterhandle

Daymond John, a successful entrepreneur and investor who gained fame on the hit television reality series “Shark Tank,” spoke at the University on Tuesday, giving students advice on a successful entrepreneurship model. Learning business basics at universities such as UT is vital to an entrepreneur’s ability to stay successful, according to John. “People always ask me — should you get a higher education?” John said. “The fundamentals of business are always worth it because it’s so hard to [be successful], but it’s 10 times harder to keep [that success]. I hope I reinforce a lot of the lessons the professors are teaching.” John’s appearance was part of the Texas Cowboys Lectureship series. John focused his talk on his rags-to-riches story of starting FUBU, his clothing line he founded in 1992, and also spoke about business points he learned from trial and error during his career. In his speech, John emphasized the importance of paying attention to the appearance students present through their social media profiles and discussed the

Daulton Venglar | Daily Texan Staff

Daymond John, investor on Shark Tank and creator of FUBU, speaks at the Union on Tuesday evening about entrepreneurship as part of a lecture series that the Texas Cowboys hosts.

value students can gain though branding themselves. John fit the Texas Cowboys’ mold of core values that the organization wants to highlight, according to Wes Cole, communications studies and human relations senior and who is on the lectureship committee for

the organization. “I think his story is one of hard work,” Cole said. “He followed his dream, and I think that’s something that every college student can benefit from hearing.” Cole also said John’s message impacts many students at UT because of

the University’s large business footprint. “UT business is very driven at this school, so we knew it would be a big draw to have Daymond here,” Cole said. Having a successful and famous entrepreneur on campus gives students a model to follow as they navigate their

SYSTEM

college years, business freshman Madison Beltran said. “[John] gives valuable lessons to people who don’t know if they will do well in their career,” Beltran said. “His advice is not just beneficial to business majors but all students here who are all trying to figure out how be successful.”

By Samantha Ketterer @sam_kett

In its last Assembly meeting of the term, Student Government passed four resolutions, including a resolution supporting the removal of the statue of Confederate leader Jefferson Davis from campus. “It goes without saying that [Davis’] legacy continues to affect us today,” Vice President-elect Rohit Mandalapu said. “This statue serves as a permanent reminder of the atrocities committed against fellow humans.” The issue primarily garnered attention after Mandalapu and SG Presidentelect Xavier Rotnofsky made the statue’s removal a platform point during their campaign. The University has never taken action regarding the statue, which has been surrounded by controversy in recent years. Rotnofsky said the statue should be removed and students should be able to pick another statue to take Jefferson Davis’ place. “We still see the unrest and the negative campus climate [the statue] causes,” Rotnofsky said. “As Larry Faulkner, former president, suggested, let’s put him in the Bob Bullock Museum, where history is preserved.” A nearly unanimous vote approved the resolution. The Assembly also passed resolutions in support of allowing UT System student regents to have voting privileges and in support of recognizing a Texas Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The Assembly lastly voted on a resolution in support of the Texas Dream Act, a law that would allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at universities.

RESOLUTION page 2

CAMPUS

New system regent brings experience to UT Scholar: Cuba-US Editor’s Note: This story is the first in a two-part series on the two new members of the UT System Board of Regents. The second profile will run Thursday.

ties may improve

UT System Regent Sara Martinez Tucker will join the Board of Regents for the first time at a meeting Friday. The Texas Senate unanimously confirmed Martinez Tucker, a UT alumna, in early March with little contention, and she was sworn into the office of the Board of regents shortly after. Martinez Tucker is the president emeritus of the National Math + Science Initiative and served previously as CEO of the organization. Tom Luce, chairman of the National Math + Science Initiative board of directors, said Martinez Tucker

worked tirelessly for education. “She did a wonderful job at the National Math + Science Initiative,” Luce said. “She really did a terrific job of helping to improve operations and efficiency on a nationwide program, and she has a real passion for education for all kids.” Luce said Martinez Tucker’s wide variety of experience will benefit the Board of Regents. “She’s got one of the most impressive résumés anybody could have, in that she’s had private sector achievements, nonprofit achievements and public sector achievements,” Luce said. “It’s difficult to find somebody who’s done all three in their career, and she’s done them,” In a June 2014 article from “Hispanic Executive” magazine, Martinez Tucker spoke about her family’s dedication to education and how it influenced her. Growing up in a family of three

children, Martinez Tucker said she understood the importance of education after her youngest brother graduated from college. “I recognized how lucky I was to have parents that valued education,” Martinez Tucker said in the article. “They sacrificed to send me to Catholic schools, which had better education, and supported my decision to leave Laredo. Too many people don’t have all those things lined up for them.” Luce said growing up surrounded by a family that supported her education helped Martinez Tucker develop a passion for education. “I think she’s grounded by her personal story, growing up in [Laredo], and her mother was very passionate about education,” Luce said. “She served on the University of Notre Dame advisory board — I mean, she’s just got a heart

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

LIFE&ARTS

ONLINE

Archaeologist discusses study on Etruscan site. ONLINE

Current Texas truancy laws should be updated. PAGE 3

Walk-offs propel softball’s double-header sweep. PAGE 4

New York artist returns to Texas to help students. PAGE 6

Talk: Black women face scrutiny at airport. ONLINE

FCC ruling justly makes Internet a utility. PAGE 3

C.J Hinojosa’s three-run blast propels baseball. PAGE 4

Spontaneous album releases hint at larger changes. PAGE 6

Follow The Daily Texan on Twitter for the latest on-campus updates and breaking news.

By Josh Willis @JoshWillis35

By Laurence Florence returning imprisoned foreign @laurenreneeflo

Sara Martinez Tucker UT System Regent

for education.” Former President Bush nominated Martinez Tucker to be the undersecretary of education from 2006–2008. “As undersecretary, she [oversaw] all policies, programs and activities related to postsecondary education, vocational and adult education, and federal student aid,” a Department of

REGENT page 2

President Barack Obama’s January removal of the Cuban embargo is an important step toward restoring diplomatic relations between Cuba and the U.S., according to a senior research fellow at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. After nearly a half-century of deadlock between Cuba and the U.S., Julia Sweig, a Latin American foreign policy scholar, said reforming relations with Cuba will help maintain relations with other Latin American countries. Sweig spoke at the LBJ School on Tuesday about the effects of the embargo’s removal. The agreement includes

@thedailytexan

spies to their home country and putting embassies and ambassadors in place as soon as possible, Sweig said. On Dec. 17 last year, Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro simultaneously announced they had been meeting for the past six months to delegate parameters for a big diplomatic move, according to Sweig. Now that pathways into Cuba are more open, Sweig said Obama’s administration hopes the private sector will return to Cuba and increase pressure on the White House and Congress for policy reform. “The presidents issued

CUBA page 2 REASON TO PARTY

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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

FRAMES featured photo

NEWS

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Volume 115, Issue 122

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

The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely. If we have made an error, let us know about it. Call (512) 232-2217 or email managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com.

Xintong Guo | Daily Texan Staff

Two women play with the tool box transparency slides in The Contemporary Austin on Tuesday afternoon.

REGENTS

CUBA

RISE

Education report said. Luce said Martinez Tucker will make decisions on the Board to improve educational opportunities. “She’ll be very thoughtful, and she’ll ask good questions, and she’ll take an analytical look at things but always from a position of heart for education and education for all people,” Luce said. Luce said Martinez Tucker is excited to take her place on the Board of Regents and to give back to the school that gave her so many opportunities. “I’ve heard her describe [becoming a regent] as ‘really a dream come true to serve on the Board,’ where she went to school and was educated, and she’s very excited about the opportunity,” Luce said. According to UT System spokeswoman Jenny LaCosteCaputo, Martinez Tucker was not available for comment, pending orientation for her role on the Board.

some regulations a couple weeks ago that make the sanctions regime toward Cuba very much like Swiss cheese — that take his executive authority and say, basically, to the American private sector, ‘Go down to Cuba and explore and see what you can do. Come back and tell us what more you need in order to be able to trade, invest,’” Sweig said. Human biology junior Francisco Dominguez said the potential to make investments in Cuba gives him hope for the country’s future economic development — even if the legislation isn’t there yet. After Ted Cruz announced his presidential candidacy, Dominguez said the likelihood of a conservative president not following through with Obama’s efforts is worrisome. “More than likely, according to polls, I think it’s going to be a republican president [in 2016], so I was really worried about … all of the work that’s been done — like six or seven years in the making,” Dominguez said. “Is it going to be dismantled?” Public affairs graduate student Dylan Roberts said he found it surprising that the environment in Cuba is now so permissive for business. “In the past in Cuba, what they don’t use they’d end up selling and using as their own profits sort of on the black market, so it’s nice to see now that there’s above ground activity to help people start businesses where it really just used to be black market sales,” Roberts said.

some point in the year, every student who has applied for housing and stayed on the housing waitlist. “If they’re waiting until a month before classes begin, they might need to wait a little longer to receive their official contract,” Kothe said. “We don’t really see that we have a shortage on campus because we have been able to accommodate every student who wants housing.” The University houses 7,400 students on average each year in its 14 on-campus

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COPYRIGHT Copyright 2015 Texas Student Media. All articles, photographs and graphics, both in the print and online editions, are the property of Texas Student Media and may not be reproduced or republished in part or in whole without written permission.

CORRECTION In the Tuesday edition of The Daily Texan, a photo that ran with the story “UTPD boasts more women officers than US average” was meant for a different article. The person in the photo is Celena Mondie-Milner, who is not affiliated with UTPD.

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This issue of The Daily Texan is valued at $1.25 Permanent Staff

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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dormitories. In 2014–2015, approximately 15 percent of enrolled students lived in oncampus housing, compared to other peer institutions that house 20–30 percent of their students, according to the report. Kothe said DHFS had the most trouble in 2012, when UT had a record-size incoming class of freshmen. That year, DHFS had to create space for students on campus by way of supplemental housing. With supplemental housing, lounges in dormitories are converted to living spaces for students. A survey in the Residence

Hall Needs Assessment reported students would prefer new dormitories be built near the center of campus, although Gage Paine, vice president for student affairs, said building dorms east of campus would be more likely. Residential Facilities Director Randall Porter said DHFS does not have new dormitories officially planned. “Currently, Housing and Food is not working on any specific housing projects,” Randall Porter said in an email. “There [is] some discussion on campus about increased housing, but there are no formal plans at this point.”

RESOLUTION

continues from page 1 The Assembly tabled one heavily debated piece of legislation — a resolution supporting the creation of a pamphlet, which outlines many instances of racism in the University’s history. The pamphlet is not yet complete, but some Assembly members expressed concern over the content of the pamphlet, which would be distributed in each course with a cultural diversity flag. “[The pamphlet] incentivizes students to make negative opinions on their University based on what we see here,” engineering representative Edward Banner said. ”They should love their University, and I think this is the exact opposite.” Magee said the pamphlet’s purpose should be to educate students about race issues at UT — not to boost student opinion of the University. “The students that are oppressed and marginalized deal with [discrimination] on a daily basis,” said Amber

Jack DuFon | Daily Texan Staff

SG President-elect Xavier Rotnofsky discusses the resolution to remove the Jefferson Davis statue at a meeting Tuesday.

Magee, director of the Diversity and Inclusion Agency. “I think that we are doing a good job, and we’re doing better than we were 75 years ago, but we are not there yet.” Several Assembly members expressed concern about voting on the pamphlet before its content was finalized, prompting the Assembly to table the legislation. However, because Tuesday was the last Assembly meeting of the semester, the

bill will likely be resubmitted to Assembly during the next term, instead of being sent back to committee. Current President Kori Rady’s and Vice President Taylor Strickland’s term ends April 7th, and Rotnofsky and Mandalapu will be inducted the same day. The SG 108th Assembly passed more than 35 resolutions during the 2014–2015 term.


RILEY BRANDS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / @TexanEditorial Wednesday, March 25, 2015

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COLUMN

Clinton emails reveal need for accountability among public figures By Claire Smith

Daily Texan Columnist @clairesysmith

On March 3, news broke of unconfirmed 2016 presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton’s exclusive use of private email over her four years as Secretary of State. Both Americans and the media are stuck between Clinton’s insistence her actions were empty of impropriety and conservative conspiracy theories about her decision’s implications. What I now regard as a non-issue is still fuel for Republican fodder weeks later. I cannot deny that there was substance to the initial outrage over Clinton’s decision to opt out of using a State Department email address. As critics have pointed out, the location of Clinton’s private server in Chappaqua, New York, did not put it under the protection of Clinton’s security detail or her direct control. It was also against State Department policy: A 2005 order instructed employees not to use their personal emails even for “normal day-to-day operations,” and a 2011 cable from Clinton’s office reiterated the prohibition on using personal emails for any of-

ficial state business. Finally, government officials were terminated for not complying with those orders during Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State, lending her slip the stench of hypocrisy. In her March 10 press conference, Clinton offered mere convenience as her only excuse. Yet Clinton rectified her fault when she submitted over 55,000 documents to the State Department in an effort to clear her name. Later, when the U.S. House Select Committee on Benghazi subpoenaed Clinton and several members of her office, it was all but guaranteed that the Republican-led committee would unearth any hint of misconduct. Clinton appeared free from further suspicion. Clinton’s decision to operate exclusively from a private email on a personal server was irresponsible. It was also without precedent: Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice said they both had private emails, but only conducted state business over state-protected servers. Perhaps Clinton’s decision was also arrogant; the chief diplomat of the United States excusing themselves from department-wide rules seems indicative of some measure of frayed everyday workplace ethics, in addition to an obvious lapse in common sense. But Clinton is not the menace to national security conservative circles have suggested. In an official statement on his congressional office’s website, Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), a member of

COLUMN

the House’s Select Committee on Benghazi, compared the Clinton emails to Nixon’s self-edited responses in the Watergate proceedings, which was an act of treason. In the House Republicans’ Weekly Republican Address on March 14, Rep. Susan Brooks, R-IN, ludicrously suggested Clinton’s emails lay the blame for the Benghazi attack at Clinton’s feet, shamelessly rewriting history after Clinton confirmed she received no soluble security requests prior to the Benghazi attack when she testified before Congress on Jan. 23, 2013; in any case, such requests likely would have been denied because Republicans slashed $300 million from the State Department’s Worldwide Security Protection program. Finally, though Rand Paul may insist otherwise, I am not of the belief that the communication of Clinton’s yoga schedule specifically over a private server was, in and of itself, a threat to national security. Though it took Clinton a full week to get in front of the would-be scandal’s message with a press conference, a CNN/ORC poll released Wednesday reported untouchable gains over other potential Democratic nominees. Clinton towers nearly 50 points ahead of her nearest competitor, Vice President Joe Biden. Scandal and all, Clinton should be preparing for a primary coronation in 2016. And the right knows it. The would-be scandal remains

in the media because of conservative doggedness and partisan pettiness, not because of voter concerns. It is all too easy to forget that bipartisanship can serve as a system of checks and balances to hold the opposing party accountable. But we as a people, and the right wing as a party, do not have the privilege of rewriting the history of a leading Democrat’s decades of public service because a convenient opportunity arose. Capitalizing on Clinton’s mistake for partisan gains would be a grave mistake: It would be a dismissal of a governmental malaise at best and an exploitation of a system-wide failure at worst, instead of the correction of it. Much must change, and Clinton is only part of the problem. It is almost a given that Clinton will ride out this storm. She has not only been a devoted public servant but a bulldog in the advocacy of herself and countless others. Clinton is a survivor. Though Clinton made herself an exception to one of our country’s highest office’s rules, I argue that we can face this as an opportunity to re-examine government-wide lapses in accountability. I choose to remember this is as an issue of insisting that officials live by the rules meant to safeguard us all — in literally any case, a nobler alternative to partisan opportunism. Smith is a is a history and humanities junior from Austin.

GALLERY

With new FCC ruling, Internet access will become a basic right By Nathan Burchard Daily Texan Columnist @nathburch

The decision by the FCC to protect net neutrality has repercussions that extend beyond preventing Internet Service providers from “throttling” service and creating “fast lanes.” Designating the Internet as a utility is an important moment for our society. The Internet, now protected under Title II of the Telecommunications Act, is more equal in both accessibility and function. As previously mentioned in a column by Jazmyn Griffin, a level playing field is essential for entrepreneurship. Access to quality Internet service has allowed the tech industry to flourish and has been integral to the software industry’s incredible ingenuity. This is especially relevant to Austin’s status as one of the top cities in the tech industry for business development. Without equal access to equal Internet service, startup tech companies would not have the exposure or the capability to compete and grow. One of the great characteristics of the Internet is its democratic nature. Opponents to net neutrality, like Verizon, sought to create a class system by creating a privileged Internet service. How many of us would be able to afford premium Internet? If college students were not able to afford Internet in the fast lane, Facebook may not have “gone viral” and become the global phenomenon it is today. Apps for both business and pleasure would be prevented from accessing the market. Much of the tech industry’s success is the instant access and availability of the product. Many Austinites were excited when Google announced that Austin would be receiving the new Google Fiber Internet service. However, installation has been slow. Previously, AT&T refused to let Google use its telephone poles and other infrastructure already in place. Google was not considered by law as a “telecommunications provider” and thus was forced to construct its own infrastructure or pay AT&T. This policy prevented increased competition in the Austin area and may have doomed the effort if the company were smaller than Google. Now that the Internet is legally a utility, Google and other Internet service providers can compete using the infrastructure in place and more easily move into new markets. The market is more competitive, which promotes efficiency

and quality service. Declaring the Internet as a utility fits within a larger historical context. Universal utility services help define us as a civilization. At the moment net neutrality appears to stand out as a singular movement of the new millennium. However, this decision can be compared to past resolutions, which implemented telephone, water and electric services. Today we consider these services to be basic necessities because of their previous designation as public utilities. The omnipresence of these services is part of what makes the average American quality of life one of the best in the world. And there is a reason that certain services have been established as public utilities. There is an underlying principle that empowering our society as a whole is beneficial. The electric service industry may not operate at the highest profitability possible. But that isn’t the point. While the free market is certainly an important part of our nation and culture, it has its drawbacks in certain areas. What if other utility services operated based on the will of the market? What if electric companies provided stable electricity service to those who could afford it, and rolling blackouts plagued poor and rural communities? What if the safer potable tap water cost extra to come out of the faucet? What if it wasn’t guaranteed that your toilets would flush unless you paid for premium sewage service? These scenarios could be more profitable, and the majority of Americans would probably be able to afford it. But we have decided that together we are stronger when these and other services are extended to the public, extended to everyone. Defining the Internet as a utility makes it a right and not a privilege. We have the right not to use the service, and we have the right to pay for as much of it as we would like, but we also have the right to the product free from discrimination. We are going to contribute for our collective benefit. America stands for more than profit and individual freedom. As a society we succeed when opportunity is maximized, and when the fortunate invest in those with less than. Most interpretations of the American dream are based on equal opportunity. As a society we have decided that the quality of essential services should not be reduced based on privilege. The less fortunate must work hard to make a better life for themselves, but in the 21st century, the ability to work hard would be obstructed by life in the slow lane. Burchard is a Plan II and international relations and global studies senior from Houston.

ONLINE Our commentary doesn’t stop on the page. For more of our thoughts on the issues of the day, check out our blog, A Matter of Opinion, at dailytexanonline.com .

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.

Erica Ndubueze | Daily Texan Staff

COLUMN

Current truancy laws need updating By Mary Dolan

Daily Texan Columnist @mimimdolan

Many high school students in Texas are concerned about keeping their grades up and getting into college. They know that a low GPA or standardized test score could have a negative impact on their future. What they may not realize, however, is that their school attendance (or lack thereof) could hit them even harder. Texas is one of two states in the U.S. that charge students in adult criminal court for continuously missing class, according to a Houston Chronicle article. Students can be charged when they are as young as 12 years old, and they can be fined up to $500. The records of these charges are confidential, but they can have a harmful impact later on when potential schools or employers perform background checks. These practices were spotlighted in a March 5 report released by Texas Appleseed, an advocacy group that fights against social and economic injustices. According to the report, 115,000 students in Texas were charged in accordance with truancy laws in 2013. This is twice as many cases as the other 49 states have combined. The Houston Chronicle also reports that “80 percent of the children sent to criminal court on truancy charges were economically disadvantaged, defined by their eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch.” “These children are least able to afford steep fines typically levied in response to truancy charges,” said Deborah Fowler, executive director of Texas Appleseed. “Failure to pay fines, which can run as high as $500, can result in an arrest warrant and even incarceration,” according to the Houston Chronicle. Obviously, students of all incomes should go to school, but slapping lower-income students with a potentially unaffordable fine or an arrest warrant would only make matters worse. A child may have extenuating circumstances that could be handled in a far less dramatic way. Also, charging a student for missing school only exacerbates the problem, as they would be missing more school to appear in court. If their parents are called in, they

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.

would miss work, thus putting an even greater strain on many lower-income households. According to the San Antonio Current, a school must file a Failure to Attend School Class C Misdemeanor charge if a student misses 10 days in a six-month period without approval. Schools may also file a Parent Contributing to Nonattendance against one or both of the student’s parents. Texas Appleseed argues against these measures, saying that children who are prosecuted on truancy charges have a higher chance of dropping out and later going to prison. “In the vast majority of cases, the school, working with the student and family, could address the truancy problem if it made meaningful attempts to do so,” said Mary Schmid Mergler, director of Texas Appleseed’s Schoolto-Prison Pipeline Project. “Instead, schools often pass the responsibility to courts that are not designed, equipped or trained to provide meaningful assistance to students and their families.” The Texas Appleseed report recommends that students who face truancy charges should not be tried in adult criminal court and that both students and parents should not be hit with misdemeanor charges, according to the Houston Chronicle. Texas Appleseed is right to try and soften the blow of truancy charges against students and parents. Schools should, in many cases, have the opportunity to attempt to resolve truancy issues with students and parents before being forced to file charges against them. There will always be cases that need to be handled more aggressively, but the law should provide room for parents and students to discuss the issue with school districts. Perhaps soon there will be some change. According to the Houston Chronicle, David Slayton, executive director of the Texas Judicial Council, agreed with Texas Appleseed, saying, “They have to deal with the issues. What is causing the child to miss school?” Perhaps if schools are allowed to “deal with the issues,” students will be able to go back to worrying about tests and grades, not criminal charges. Dolan is a journalism freshman from Abilene.

RECYCLE | Please recycle this copy of The Daily Texan. Place the paper in one of the recycling bins on campus or back in the burnt-orange newsstand where you found it. EDITORIAL TWITTER | Follow The Daily Texan Editorial Board on Twitter (@TexanEditorial) and receive updates on our latest editorials and columns.


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GARRETT CALLAHAN, SPORTS EDITOR | @texansports Wednesday, March 25, 2015

SOFTBALL

Walk-offs spark doubleheader sweep

SIDELINE BASEBALL OKLAHOMA

By Claire Cruz @clairecruz5

As the only head coach in Texas softball history, Connie Clark had more on the line than improving the Longhorns record going into Tuesday’s doubleheader with UTSA. The 2–1 Texas walk-off victory in the first game of the doubleheader gave Clark and the program win No. 750. Then, a 3–2 Texas walk-off on the tail end gave them No. 751. “It’s great, but all it is is that I’ve had some great players through the program,” Clark said. “The best part about it is that we got to 751 real quick.” The biggest thing Clark took from the first game was the improvement in her pitching staff and her team’s focus. “[Senior Gabby Smith] and [freshman Erica Wright] competed pitch to pitch and really trusted their stuff,” Clark said. “I think they’re at a good place as we head into conference to compete, and we’re hoping to have Tiarra [Davis] back soon as well.” Solid performances from the Texas pitching staff helped the Longhorns (20–9) to consecutive walk-off wins for the first time since 2009. The Roadrunners came into the doubleheader with one of the strongest offenses in the nation, ranking in the top 25 in four offensive categories, but the Texas duo handled them. A pair of home runs accounted for all three UTSA runs, as it tabbed just 10 hits total in

(4) TCU

BAYLOR

UT-ARLINGTON

TOP TWEET Myles Turner @Original_Turner Joshua Guerra | Daily Texan Staff

Junior center fielder Lindsey Stephens delivered the walk-off in the first game of the doubleheader with a double down the right field line. Sophomore pinch hitter Mickenzi Krpec got the honors in the second game with a two-run single to walk off.

both games. Smith pitched the Longhorns to victory in the first by throwing a complete game, giving up just six hits and totaling seven strikeouts. But when she left the mound in the seventh, her team still wasn’t ahead. That changed when junior center fielder Lindsey Stephens drove a double down the rightfield line, scoring sophomore shortstop Devon Tunning for the walk-off victory.

Tunning, who extended her on-base streak to 14 games by reaching safely in both matches, set up Stephens’ heroics. Sophomore left fielder Stephanie Wong executed the sacrifice bunt to advance Tunning to second, and Stephens provided the magic. Wright followed up Smith’s night with a big one of her own, giving up just four hits and tallying a career-high 13 strikeouts to improve her record to 8–4.

BASEBALL | TEXAS 6 — TEXAS STATE 4

“I’ve been doubting myself a little bit, so going out there and having that good night before conference is definitely going to be positive,” Wright said. “Gabby pitched an awesome game the first game, and that’s great because it takes everybody to win a series.” Despite Wright’s performance, the Longhorns found themselves trailing by one in the final inning. Freshman catcher Randel Leahy singled to start the inning

and junior pinch hitter Erin Shireman reached on a bunt to set up sophomore pinch hitter Mickenzi Krpec. Krpec blasted a shot through the right side of the field that scored Leahy and Shireman to win the game as the Longhorns rushed the field in celebration for the second time in the day. “I felt good,” Krpec said of her at-bat. “I did what I could. I did my job, and that’s all I can ask for.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL | STAT GUY

Hinojosa powers Longhorns behind late, three-run homer By Nick Castillo @Nick_Castillo74

SAN MARCOS — The Longhorns were down and out against Texas State until junior shortstop C.J Hinojosa hit a three-run blast in the eighth inning. Hinojosa’s game-winning home run was the spark No. 10 Texas (17–8, 5–1 Big 12) needed to take down the Bobcats, 6–4. “I have the same approach [at the plate:] just go up there and just try to square the ball up and hit it hard.” Hinojosa said. “Luckily, this one went over the fence. It felt amazing. It brought back memories from Omaha. But it was fun. It was what we need at the time.” Before the Longhorns took the lead, Texas was struggling at the plate early in the game in front of a record-setting sellout Texas State crowd of 2,653. “We weren’t as competitive or disciplined as I would like them to be,” head coach Augie Garrido said. “We were disciplined over the weekend, but we can’t just flip that switch. If you’re going to get better from something, you have to learn something from last Tuesday and apply it to this Tuesday.” Texas State’s starting pitcher, freshman Montana

Parsons, was lights out Tuesday night. Parsons, a right-handed pitcher from The Woodlands, Texas, threw more than 100 pitches in the mid-week game. Parsons struck out six Longhorns and only allowed two runs in seven innings of work. “[Parsons] threw strikes,” Garrido said. “He got ahead in the count and threw his breaking ball and fastball well. What I saw is he was fearless. He pitched without any fear of the hitters.” While the Bobcats were finding success on the mound, Texas sophomore pitcher Josh Sawyer struggled in his first mid-week start of the season. On his second pitch of the game, Sawyer gave up a home run. Sawyer followed up the homer by hitting a batter and gave up an RBI double. The Longhorns trailed 2–0 after one inning. Texas’ offense wasn’t able to do much until the third inning when sophomore center fielder Zane Gurwitz scored the first run of game. Gurwitz ripped a ball off the center-field wall that the fielder failed to catch. Gurwitz raced around the bases for an inside-the-park home run. “[Hitting an inside-thepark home run] was awe-

some,” Gurwitz said. “Ben Johnson did it earlier this year, so I just had to show him up a little bit.” The Bobcats responded in the fourth with an RBI single to push their lead to 3–1. Both teams traded home runs in the fifth inning. Texas freshman catcher Michael Cantu hit a bomb to center field for his first collegiate home run. The Bobcats sophomore outfielder Granger Studdard ripped a ball into the parking lot outside of right field. After that, the two teams went cold at the plate until Gurwitz got the rally started with a triple in the eighth when the Longhorns were trailing by two. Junior outfielder Ben Johnson then earned a walk to set the stage for Hinojosa, who hit the go-ahead three-run home run. The Longhorns added an insurance run in the ninth to push their lead to 6–4 before closing it out behind the arm of senior pitcher Kirby Bellow. Junior pitcher Ty Culbreth picked up the win in relief. Texas travels to Lincoln, Nebraska, for a three-game series against Nebraska. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Friday.

Daulton Venglar | Daily Texan file photo

Junior shortstop C.J Hinojosa’s three-run blast in the eighth inning capped a Texas comeback at Texas State. Texas trailed by two at the time of his homer.

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TODAY’S EVENTS Track & field/cross country 88th Nike Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays 10:30 a.m. Austin, Texas Longhorn Network

SPORTS BRIEFLY Texas Relays begin Wednesday in Austin

Daulton Venglar | Daily Texan Staff

Head coach Rick Barnes’ record in the NCAA Tournament as a lower-seed is reason for him to worry about his future.

Tournament losses define Barnes’ tenure By Drew Lieberman @DrewLieberman

Over the course of 17 seasons, Texas men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes has amassed an extensive list of accomplishments — but that list could be longer. Barnes has guided the Longhorns to 20 or more victories in a single season 15 times. His 402 wins nearly doubles the previous high, 208, held by former head coach Tom Penders. But when it comes tournament time, Barnes has underachieved, especially recently. In Barnes’ first 10 seasons, the Longhorns won three conference crowns, losing more than nine conference games just once. They received 10 bids to the NCAA Tournament, averaging a 4.4 seed by the selection committee. In that span, Texas won 16 tournament games and made it past the first weekend five times. A vast majority of those wins and all five of Barnes’ Sweet 16 appearances occurred in a seven-season span from 2002—2008. This includes 2005’s anomalous eight seed drawing, a result of an injury to freshman forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge and sophomore forward P.J. Tucker’s academic suspension. During those six seasons in which the Longhorns were in full force, they won 15 NCAA Tournament games, 2.34 games better than the average amount won by their seeds in the past 30 NCAA Tournaments. The

team’s most successful campaigns were in 2003, 2006 and 2008, when Texas received a No. 1 seed followed by two No. 2 seeds. However, in their other 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, the Longhorns won just four games — 4.98 wins below average based on the team’s seeding. Those struggles are particularly evident when Texas faces “better” teams. Barnes’ record at Texas is only 1–7 against higher seeds in the tournament, compared to 18–9 when facing lower seeded teams. This means a Barnescoached squad is more likely to make a deep postseason run if they receive a top-four seed. However, over the past seven seasons, the Longhorns have fallen short of that plateau six times, including missing the tournament entirely in 2013. Texas’ average seed over this span was an eight seed, nearly doubling the 4.4 averaged in Barnes’ first 10 seasons. Not surprisingly, Texas underperformed to its seed, winning only three games to the 4.87 expected by its seeding. In total, Barnes has won just 21 games in 22 tournament appearances, 5.02 wins below the team’s expected wins based on seeding. He is the most decorated coach in program history — but his pattern of consistent struggles when it mattered most could be his ultimate downfall.

On Wednesday, Texas will host one of track and field’s biggest weekends. Athletes ranging from high school freshmen to Olympic medalists will come to Austin this week for the Nike Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, which begins Wednesday and runs through Saturday. A total of 6,625 athletes from 34 states and eight countries are set to compete in multiple events. Texas, which had a strong showing in last year’s events, looks to create momentum heading into its outdoor season. Junior thrower Ryan Crouser and junior sprinter Courtney Okolo–both Bowerman Award finalists, awards given to the best man and woman athlete in collegiate track and field— will lead the Longhorns. Texas’ pole vault specialist, junior Kaitlin Petrillose, 2013 NCAA decathlon champion junior Johannes Hock, junior Morolake Akinosun and sophomore Kendall Baisden will also compete for Texas. Former Texas star Trey Hardee will return to his former school as he looks to the decathlon in hopes of securing another title in his record book. The 2012 Olympic silver medalist also won an NCAA Championship with Texas in 2005 in the decathlon. Other Olympians, including Chelsea Hayes (2012 Olympian in the long jump), Antoine Adams (2012 Olympian in the 100-, 200- and 4x100-meter) and Amy Acuff (fivetime Olympian) will use the event as a warm-up for the national stage. The four-day event kicks off Wednesday morning with the college decathlon and heptathlon and runs through Saturday night’s finale, in which the 4x400meter will finish the events at Mike A. Myers Stadium. The races will be aired on the Longhorn Network. —Bradley Maddox


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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

THE DAILY TEXAN

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KAT SAMPSON, LIFE&ARTS EDITOR | @thedailytexan Wednesday, March 25, 2015

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CAMPUS

New York designer to mentor UT design students By Katie Keenan

Greg Foley is an artist and designer based out of New York. He visited the College of Fine Arts on Monday to deliver a lecture on his design work and to critique students’ artwork.

@KeenanArroyo

Illustrator and branding designer Greg Foley has worked with Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton and Warner Bros. His next venture: student mentor. When Foley isn’t working with designer brands, he writes and illustrates children’s books and works as the creative designer for various fashion magazines. Now, he’s seeking to take his multi-faceted artistic perspective to students, starting in his native Austin at UT. As part of a lecture series through the College of Fine Arts, Foley critiqued students’ artwork and shared his learning experiences with aspiring authors, illustrators and creative designers. The series, which seeks to actively connect students with artists working in their respective industries, features professionals from a wide range of artistic fields with the aim of fostering relationships between those professionals and UT students. The lectures are open to all students, and, occasionally, the series also offers workshops with experts from a certain field. Carma Gorman, director of the design division within the College of Fine Arts, said it sometimes takes an outside voice for students to take their professors’ advice to heart. “[The series is] just to give students some feedback from someone that’s not us,” Gorman said. “In the same way that it’s hard for teenagers to hear what their mom and dad say, it becomes more meaningful to hear the same

Carlo Nasisse Daily Texan Staff

thing from someone else.” Foley, who grew up in Austin but now lives in New York, began his artistic career with the nudge of a high school teacher who encouraged him to participate in art competitions. He said young people can find it difficult to know what to do with their lives, but a point comes when they find their passion and understand how to practically apply it. “I had no idea what I might want to do,” Foley said.

“Realizing that I could go to art school was a huge relief, and I think that it was probably from the moment that I arrived at the design school, I realized that’s where I belonged.” After high school, Foley’s itch to escape Austin and desire to explore the world of fashion design led him to the Rhode Island School of Design. He graduated in 1991, and, from there, he helped create Visionaire fashion magazine as well as V magazine and VMAN, for

FILM | COLUMN

which he is the creative designer and director. Foley said surrounding himself with a like-minded, passionate community inspired his wide-ranging career path. He said finding the right support along the way is essential if students want to carve out their own successful path. “Follow your creative questions, find a creative community and do a lot of favors,” Foley said. “You find the same people who are looking to do the things that

Spontaneous album releases hail shift in music industry By Chris Duncan

Illustration by Leah Rushin| Daily Texan Staff

Franchises limiting indie films By Charles Liu

Franchises have been around since the early days of film. The “Flash Gordon” and “Adventures of Captain Marvel” serials dominated the cinematic landscape in the 1930s and the 1940s, respectively. The most anticipated pictures of 2015 are the next “Star Wars” and the new “The Avengers.” These films have stories and spectacles that attract wide audiences. Smaller films have been around for a while, too, but their place is shrinking. Studios once funded a multitude of deep, adult-oriented films. They allowed directors Francis Ford Coppola (“The Godfather,” “Apocalypse Now”) and William Friedkin (“The French Connection,” “The Exorcist”) to make the movies they wanted, even though the films didn’t target a broad range of demographics. Studios are reluctant to green light smaller films because they don’t have wide appeal. Director Steven Spielberg (“Jaws,” “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”) struggled to create “Lincoln” because of lack of studio support, while Coppola had to self-finance his pictures with his wine business. Radio-television-film professor Tom Schatz said studios tend to fund recognized blockbusters over original stories because every film release is

trol your own promotion and actually find your audience without anybody getting in the way.” Foley said he values his experiences that began in Austin. He wants to reconnect with his home and is eager to begin his return to Austin with the UT community. “I was dying to get out of Austin,” Foley said. “But now, I look forward to visiting Austin and introducing myself to the University. Maybe it’s a way for me to bring my story back.”

MUSIC | COLUMN

Daily Texan Columnist @chr_dunc

Daily Texan Columnist @CharlesInDaHaus

you want to do, and, together, you make those things happen.” Overlapping artistic fields can pave the way for a wealth of opportunities for up-and-coming artists, Foley said. He added that social media can take these fields to new heights by providing low-cost or free publicity. “I think more and more people are expressing their ideas through many different mediums,” Foley said. “We’re in a revolutionary moment with social media. You also can con-

a gamble. “We’re getting to a point where the production and marketing costs of modern big blockbusters are in the $400 to $500 million range,” Schatz said. The low price of film tickets means studios have to coax as many people to see their pictures as possible in order to make a profit. The domestic box office, defined as theaters in the U.S. and Canada, is the film industry’s primary market. Studios, generally, try to release their films on as many domestic screens as they can. However, studios also need to rely on the international box office to make a profit in case they don’t make enough money domestically. For example, last year’s “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” cost about $435 million to produce and market but only made $203 million domestically, but it grossed $709 million worldwide. The average film ticket costs $8.30, according to Box Office Mojo. Studios invest more money in previously successful franchises because there is less risk involved. Familiar titles catch public attention and have established themselves in the marketplace. Big studios are so focused on producing blockbusters that they have sacrificed funding for smaller pictures. The big studios

had 15 indie divisions 10 years ago. Today there are only three: Fox Searchlight, Focus Features and Sony Pictures Classics. Studios are also reluctant to support original blockbusters. 2013’s critically-acclaimed “Snowpiercer,” a sci-fi action picture, was a commercial flop because The Weinstein Company was not confident enough to give it a wide release. Studios are limiting filmmakers’ creativity. It is less likely today for a director to make a great drama on the level of “The Godfather” or even a new franchise comparable to “Star Wars.” As a result, film won’t be an exciting medium because it lacks originality. Schatz said many talented filmmakers have moved to television in response to the film industry’s lack of support for mid-range and low budget films, citing director Steven Soderbergh (“Traffic,” “Ocean’s Eleven”) as an example. Soderbergh was able to produce “Behind the Candelabra” for HBO, proving that filmmakers could express their voices on the small screen. Unless studios decide they should value artistry over a quick buck, they will remain reluctant to finance pictures that don’t have mass-market appeal. The modern cinematic landscape is an unforgiving one, but smaller films and original blockbusters can survive the franchise onslaught if their creators play their cards right.

The time between an album’s announcement to the tour’s final show used to be fairly standard: advertise the album, release a few singles, drop the record and promote the album with videos and a tour. This standard is undergoing major revision as many popular artists ignore it completely by implementing spontaneous album releases. Years of experimentation have led labels to abandon extensive PR and instead rely on hype and social media to drive an album’s sales, avoiding the undermining effects of a potential leak. Staying relevant has always been crucial in music sales, but few acts have perfected this. Although social media was not prevalent when the White Stripes toured, Jack White and Meg White performed seemingly random day shows — playing on a boat, a public bus or even a bowling alley — before their concerts to promote their concerts and sell tickets.

This trend trickled over from live performances to album releases, such as Beyoncé’s surprise release of her self-titled fifth album. The impact of the release was massive; social media buzzed for days about the release and the album received critical acclaim and debuted at number one in the U.S. Social media was at the core of the success of Beyoncé’s album. Spreading the news of an artist’s new album is as simple as hitting the retweet button. Dave Junker, advertising and public relations lecturer, said the crux of social media is that it costs almost nothing for a PR group to use; the user does all the advertising. “Beyoncé is a prime example of how this model works,” Junker said. “The surprise release of her album allowed the loyal fan base to help promote the album. It becomes an organic thing, a bit of a sensation.” Junker said when users’ Facebook and Twitter feeds fill up with comments on a new album, people are more likely to purchase the record. Other artists have followed

suit. Drake mirrored Beyoncé’s model: He released his mixtape via Twitter, received more than 110,000 retweets and sold almost half-a-million albums in three days. Junker said piracy plays a major role when considering how to announce and release a record. “The main reason labels are pursuing these quick releases is to minimize the potential impact of some of the albums getting leaked,” Junker said. “As artists and management struggle to handle how quickly the industry is evolving, these quick releases help avoid major pitfalls.” If people get word that an album was released, Junker said they are more likely to support the artist by purchasing a digital or actual hard copy than downloading an illegal copy. Piracy is unavoidable once the album is released but eliminating the possibility of an accidental release or leak before the album formally releases increases sales. This trend may or may not be temporary, but one thing is for sure: it works.

Illustration by Lydia Thron | Daily Texan Staff


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