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Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900
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Wednesday, April 22, 2015
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APD policy reduces drone restrictions By Wynne Davis @wynneellyn
Officers from the Austin Police Department said they will no longer check to see if drone operators have a certificate for themselves or for their drone, unless the drone is flying near a crowded area. The change is part of an attempt to shift focus to policing drones used near large events, such as concerts and sports games, while giving individuals
flying drones in less crowded areas freedom, APD officers said. Although policing drone usage hasn’t been much of an issue for APD, chief of staff Brian Manley said the department wanted to make the policies more friendly for those who may want to fly drones in their yard. “We’re always focused on the safety and well being for the community, and we realized that the ordinance is quite restric-
tive in that it bans all use in all places in all circumstances — unless the individual had the licenses and qualifications,” Manley said. “Individuals flying these in their own yards … [don’t] really present the same issues.” Drones’ potential to cause disturbances became evident when APD heard concerns about the drones’ presence during the South By Southwest festival this
DRONES page 3
Illustration by Andrew Brooks | Daily Texan Staff
Mariana Gonzalez | Daily Texan Staff
At the Student Government meeting Tuesday evening in the SAC, Kallen Dimitroff, government junior and University-wide representative, left, and law student Mohammed Nabulsi, a law school representative and author of the AR 3 resolution, debate the passing of the divestment resolution.
After weeks of contentious debate, the Student Government Assembly voted against a divestment resolution which would have asked the UT System Investment Management Company (UTIMCO) to pull investments from five corpora-
tions that the resolution claimed “facilitate in the oppression of the Palestinian people by the State of Israel.” The Assembly voted against the resolution by a 11-23-1 vote Tuesday night. The resolution asked UTIMCO to divest specifically from Alstom, Cemex, Hewlett-Packard, Procter & Gamble and
United Technologies because of “human rights violations,” according to the resolution. University-wide representative Santiago Rosales said he voted against the resolution because he thought it was too divisive to support. “I do not mean to say that either side is divisive in itself but rather that the approach of
By Eleanor Dearman @ellydearman
Jack DuFon Daily Texan Staff
University: Exam space insufficient As the University continues to expand its range of online classes, officials at the Center for Teaching and Learning said they have recognized a need for a larger testing center. The Center currently
opposition to the decision. University of Texas Police Department officers came to monitor the scene. UTIMCO CEO and CIO Bruce Zimmerman said the company makes investment decisions solely based on the financial interest of the
SG page 2
House committee bill proposes Stetson as official hat of Texas
Nestled on the ground floor of the Graduate School of Business Building, the Center for Teaching and Learning’s testing facilities serve thousands of students.
@sam_kett
[the resolution] is divisive in nature,” Rosales said. “This student government has taken unified approaches of bridging differences in this campus, bringing students together to bring meaningful change.” After the vote, many students who had lobbied in support of the resolution protested outside of the Assembly room, voicing
An investigation conducted by the dean of students office found no connection between UT’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and a racist chant the University of Oklahoma’s SAE chapter was punished for singing last month. A video of members of the OU SAE chapter singing a chant that included lynching references and anti-Black slurs went nationally viral in March. Three weeks ago, an OU investigation found the students learned the chant on a cruise sponsored by SAE’s national organization, its use was likely widespread. Dean of Students Soncia Reagins-Lilly said an investigation into UT’s SAE chapter, launched in the wake of the video, found the chapter was not connected to the song. “Following the events involving the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity chapter at the University of Oklahoma, our office was made aware of online rumors of similar behavior at our local chapter of SAE,” Reagins-Lilly said in a statement. “Our review of these statements included contacting current organization leadership and speaking with alumni of different periods, who all stated no knowledge of the chant and that such behavior had no place in their organization.” Reagans-Lily said the investigation was complete. “At this time, our office has received no official complaints or reports of this behavior and found no evidence in our review,” she said.
STATE
CAMPUS
By Samantha Ketterer
University: No evidence SAE tied to racist chant @sam_kett
SG votes against divestment resolution
@sam_kett
CAMPUS
By Samantha Ketterer
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
By Samantha Ketterer
bit.ly/dtvid
operates a testing space in the Graduate School of Business Building, although the space is not considered an official testing center. The space has 23 seats for testing, according to executive director Harrison Keller, and allows students to take exams in a proctored location. Students come to take exams for online
courses, take placement exams to test out of courses or receive testing accommodations for a disability. David Laude, senior vice provost for Enrollment and Curriculum Services, said an increased number of online courses has
TESTING page 2
When liberal arts sophomore Madi Maino, originally from Virginia, prepared to move to Texas for college, her image of the state boiled down to one thing: a cowboy wearing boots and a hat. “When I came down here, I remember driving and seeing cowboys working on the side of the road — working on fences or something,” Maino said. “They were wearing stereotypical boots, jeans, a big belt buckle and a cowboy hat.” The House Culture, Recreation and Tourism Committee heard a resolution Tuesday that, if passed, would further confirm Maino’s initial impression. Several representatives, led by author Rep. Marsha Farney (R-Georgetown), proposed a resolution that would
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make the cowboy hat Texas’s official headgear. The bill was left pending in committee. Farney, who did not attend the hearing, wrote in the resolution that the cowboy hat is a “stylish” representation of Texas’ history, worthy of its own recognition by the 84th legislature. “The cowboy hat is recognized all over the world as a symbol of the Texas Western heritage,” said Rep. Lyle Larson (R-San Antonio), who spoke on Farney’s behalf. “It’s very distinctive when you wear that hat anywhere in the world. People ask the question, whether you’re from Colorado or Texas — ‘Are you a cowboy?’” Texas currently has more than 50 official state symbols — chili is the state dish, the Texas Toad is the state amphibian and the state’s official epic
poem is “The Legend of Old Stone Ranch.” The modern cowboy hat’s origins date back to the 19th century, when a Philadelphia hat maker, John Stetson, made an exaggerated version of popular hats such as fedoras and bolo hats, according to Jeannette Vaught, a Ph.D. candidate who researches the history of cowboys and rodeos in the state. The hats became a status symbol because of their high price tags. As the hat grew in popularity, different styles emerged across the nation. Vaught said the hat is part of Western culture as a whole but is especially associated with Texas because of ranching’s prominence in the state. “Obviously people all over the country … wear cowboy
COWBOY HAT page 2
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