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Thursday, April 16, 2015
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RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY
By Vinesh Kovelamudi
Hazlewood bill revisions left pending in committee
Texas teachers fly into the stratosphere @trippyvinnie3
After 17 years of development, UT’s astronomy department successfully flew Texas teachers to the stratosphere as part of an outreach program called the EXES Teacher Associate Program. In 1997, the Universities Space Research
Association awarded a grant to the astronomy department to construct a space-based telescope called the Echelon-Cross-Echelle Spectrograph, or EXES. The EXES was designed for NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, better known as the SOFIA, the largest flying astronomical observatory in the world.
The EXES Teacher Associate Program gave a variety of Texas teachers a firsthand glimpse into the development of the EXES so the teachers could relay information about the EXES to their own students. UT research associate Keely Finkelstein was one of the 10 teachers who boarded the SOFIA. On the SOFIA, the
teachers used the EXES instrument to observe evolved stars and certain molecules that had not previously been visible with the clarity and precision EXES provides, Finkelstein said. “EXES takes very detailed, exquisite spectra of objects at midinfrared wavelengths,” Finkelstein said. “This work can’t be done from
the ground — light at these wavelengths gets absorbed by our atmosphere before reaching the ground.” Mechanical engineering freshman Calvin Wong believes the EXES Teacher Associate Program should be replicated by other professors in different fields.
with [the HornRaiser] pilot program, so we decided to try again,” said Fiona Mazurenko, public affairs specialist for the International Office. PUC has raised $9,020 so far through HornRaiser for a project in Tanzania to build a new set of latrines for visu-
HORNRAISER page 2
HAZLEWOOD page 2
SPACE page 2
HornRaiser provides crowdfunding for UT By Wes Scarborough @westhemess13
Illustration by Albert Lee | Daily Texan Staff
Online donors are given the option to donate in certain increments. A description is listed below the donation to inform the donor where the money goes. Matthys said Annual Giving started a trial run for HornRaiser last fall with a few student-led projects. In order to participate, students
ALUMNI
have to apply and provide a one-sentence mission statement for their venture. During the pilot program, students from Projects for Under-served Communities (PUC), a collaboration between the International Office, Cockrell School of Engineering and School of Social Work, launched a fundraiser
on the site to improve municipal infrastructure in Nicaragua. They raised $5,495 through HornRaiser — 37 percent more than their goal of $4000 — to build handicap ramps, sidewalks and drainage ditches for low-income communities outside of the capital city of Managua. “We had a lot of success
@ellydearman
Last fiscal year, UT excused about $9.7 million in tuition revenue for 1,034 student veterans and their families as part of the Texas Hazlewood Act tuition exemption, according to a Legislative Budget Board report. State lawmakers are working to reduce losses to university revenue and the number of students who qualify for the exemption through House Bills 3566 and 3572, among others. The two bills were heard and left pending in committee Wednesday. “It is clear that the burden we are asking our state institutions to bear is unsustainable,” said Rep. John Zerwas (R-Richmond), member of the House Higher Education Committee and author of HB 3572. The Hazlewood Act is a state-mandated tuition exemption of up to 150 semester credit hours for certain veterans residing in the state. If a veteran does not use the credit hours, they may be transferred to his or her spouse or children. The two bills heard in the House Higher Education Committee would limit the exemption to those who have continuously lived in the state for eight-years or
CAMPUS
Launched last fall as a pilot program, HornRaiser, the University’s own crowdfunding platform, helps students and faculty to fund small projects created by members of the UT community. On crowdfunding sites, people can solicit donations to fund business ventures or charitable projects. Wellknown crowdfunding sites, such as GoFundMe and Kickstarter, have helped fund independent movies, tech startups and independent musicians. According to Adrian Matthys, the University’s Annual Giving Programs director, HornRaiser is a solution for students and staff who wish to promote philanthropic ventures. “We wanted to give [students and staff] an opportunity to raise their own funds and have those gifts stewarded and thanked in a way that is as seamless as possible,” Matthys said.
By Eleanor Dearman
SPORTS
Thomas finds success in broadcasting By Daniel Clay @dclay567
Rachel Zein | Daily Texan Staff
Fashion designer and UT alumna Dina Chavez displays one of her custom pieces from her Austin-based clothing brand, SixChel.
UT alumna participates in Austin Fashion Week By Mary Cantrell @mkcant
Fashion designer and UT alumna Dina Chavez thinks women shouldn’t have to choose between sexy and modest or professional and sporty. They should have it all. Chavez’s Austin-based brand, SixChel, launched in 2011 and has participated in Austin Fashion Week since 2009. This year, Chavez will show three formal looks at
AFW’s finale Saturday. Her pieces are a part of the capsule collection, which highlights local designers who primarily do custom work. Chavez, an established local designer, has shown collections at New York Fashion Week and won Project Runway Rio Grande Valley. She designs everything from cocktail dresses to business-casual attire. “I decided that I wanted to
FASHION page 5
The 2006 Rose Bowl game typically conjures up images of Vince Young tearing apart the USC defense and sneaking across the goal line with 20 seconds left on 4th-and-5. But few fans remember the team-leading 10 receptions that tight end David Thomas hauled in to help Texas earn its first national title since 1970. “We couldn’t have won it without that,” former head coach Mack Brown said. But Thomas’ earned more than just a national championship during his time at Texas. In his four years, Thomas also won the 2005 Rose Bowl by a slim margin and set the Longhorns’ record for receptions, yards and touchdowns by a tight end — records he still holds. His play caught the eye of the New England Patriots, who selected Thomas in the third round of the 2006 NFL draft. He went on to have a fruitful seven-year career, in which he brought a Lombardi Trophy to New Orleans.
Brian Ray | Daily Texan file photo
Former tight end David Thomas still holds records with Texas football, but now his success comes from his broadcasting job with Longhorn Network.
But Thomas’ love for Texas football stayed strong until he retired after the 2012 season. When Longhorn Network came calling, Thomas, a Texas native, leapt at the opportunity despite not having a communications degree or prior experience. “I hadn’t really given a
whole lot of thought to getting into broadcasting,” Thomas said. “The first time I did it, I started to see that I could still be around the game and be able to give my opinions and cover a team that I love to cover” The attributes that earned Thomas praise from NFL
and NCAA coaches and teammates have also garnered him strong reviews from his peers in the media. “[Thomas is] a really bright guy who earned his degree before going to the NFL,” said Brown, who is now a
THOMAS page 6
Austin Reggae Festival
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Lee Scratch Perry,Yellowman, New Kingston, The Skatalites, The Slackers, Alika, Black Slate and Many Others!
April 17-19 / austinreggaefest.com