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STUDENT GOVERNMENT
UNIVERSITY
GSA pushes for graduate housing By Samantha Ketterer @sam_kett
After months campaigning for increased graduate student housing, members of the Graduate Student Assembly said they are hopeful administrators will approve housing plans in the near future.
GSA’s Graduate Student housing committee began administering a housing survey to graduate students in February at the request of the UT administration, and more than 2,300 students responded. GSA president Brian Wilkey said the University administration has responded
positively to the results of the survey. “Our data was presented to the Graduate School and President [William Powers Jr.] has come to address at the GSA saying that the likelihood of the housing being approved is high,” said Wilkey, human development and family
sciences graduate student, in an email. “This means we’re simply in a holding pattern until approval is given.” Joy Wyckoff, psychology graduate student and committee chair, said most graduate students who responded to the survey said they felt affordable housing should be provided by
Orientation to offer more flexibility for new students
the University. “The majority [of] graduate students felt that it was important for UT to provide graduate student housing,” Wyckoff said in an email. “One reason is because many people found it difficult to find off-[campus]
By Caleb Wong @caleber96
support, and they promise to help us with recognition of that massacre, a later day they forget about this because they don’t want to damage their relationship with Turkey, which is an ally of [the] U.S.” No president since Ronald Reagan has used the word
Incoming freshmen and transfer students will be required to attend fewer activities at orientation this upcoming summer than in previous years. Alex Kappus, New Student Services coordinator, said administrators hope to increase student attendance at optional events by reducing the number of mandatory activities, although the overall number of activities offered will remain about the same. “A philosophical shift for this summer is this idea of really helping create an orientation that keeps in mind the flow for the new students, building in time for students to commute between events so that they don’t feel like they are rushing from place to place,” Kappus said. Joey Williams, communications coordinator for the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, said each incoming freshman will be required to participate in a small group, which he said helps increase student retention rates in the long-term. The class of 2017, the first class to participate in small groups, had the highest average GPA and retention rates of any UT class in history, Williams said. “We know [participation in small groups] has a direct impact on how well students do in terms of persisting, staying in school, their GPA [and] how many hours that they are taking,” Williams said. Williams said the personal finance course “Bevonomics,” which in the past has been taught in-person, has
ARMENIA page 2
SUMMER page 2
HOUSING page 2
CAMPUS
Armenians commemorate 1915 genocide By Caleb Wong @caleber96
Students and members of the local Armenian community lit candles inside a replica of an Armenian monument in memory of a historical tragedy. Volunteers from the Armenian Cultural Association built a replica of the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex, located in Yerevan, Armenia, on the West Mall to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1.5 million Armenian people killed in the Ottoman Empire, now Turkey, in 1915. Most historians consider the deaths one of the first modern genocides. Karen Aroian, who helped organize the commemorative event, said the goal was to increase awareness of the Armenian genocide and other mass killings. “If we, as [the Armenian genocide] descendants, do not speak out for the voiceless and vulnerable, then genocide is bound to continue to today,” Aroian said. “What more do you need beside the mass murders of women, children and men who are defenseless?” Brandon Keropian, coowner of South Austin Studio and member of the Armenian community, said the genocide personally affected
Charlotte Carpenter | Daily Texan Staff
Sophomore Nyrie Kasparian places her handprint on a poster commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Students and community members convened on the West Mall on Friday to remember the 1.5 million Armenians who were killed.
his family members. “My great-grandparents went through this,” Keropian said. “My great-grandmother was one of seven kids, and they were all murdered, and she was lucky that she was spared. Her parents hid her with some Mormon nuns in Armenia.” Advertising graduate student Davit Davtyan said he was
CITY
frustrated President Barack Obama broke his campaign promise to recognize the Armenian genocide in such terms. During his first presidential campaign in 2008, then-Sen. Obama called the events in Armenia in 1915 a genocide. He has not referred to the killings as a genocide since his election.
A White House press release to acknowledge Armenian Remembrance Day referred to the historical event as a “mass atrocity.” “He promised to recognize the Armenian genocide and name it a genocide,” Davtyan said. “Any time when a U.S. official, like a senator or someone like that, asks for
bit.ly/dtvid
CAMPUS
UT receives funds for Cabinet member addresses transportation Asian-American study By Nashwa Bawab
By Jackie Wang @jcqlnwng
The University will conduct a study about AsianAmerican quality of life in Austin funded by the Austin City Council. On Thursday, the Council approved to pay the University $139,758 for a one-year period of research. The study will focus on five major Asian-American subgroups in the Austin area: Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Indian and Vietnamese. The fast-growing population of Asian-Americans in Austin — an increase from 3.3 percent of the population in 1990 to almost 5 percent in 2000 and around 6.5 percent today — inspired the study. Social work associate
professor Yuri Jang, the study’s principal investigator, said Asian-Americans have not historically been the focus of research to help identify community needs. “Asian-Americans [are] a growing population that is underserved and understudied,” Jang said. “This is a unique opportunity to explore unexplored populations because the Asian-American voice is usually unheard.” The study will primarily focus on Asian-American Austinites ages 18–70 and involve a compiled database of resources that could benefit Asian-Americans in the city. The goal is to have data for public policy recommendations in the future, as well
STUDY page 2
@nashwabawab
Anthony Foxx, U.S. secretary of transportation, discussed the future of technology as it relates to transportation in a meeting with UT researchers, faculty, and graduate students Friday. Foxx, who was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2013, said the administration hopes to encourage new technological developments that will improve processes such as cargo shipping. “Freight is … a huge issue in this country because we are going to see 45 percent more freight moving around our country over the next 30 years,” Foxx said. Different governmental bodies must work together
to implement new technologies, according to Foxx. “Metropolitan planning organizations, state departments of transportation, local departments of transportation, federal department of transportation — all those players have to intersect in order for us to get the most out of the 21st century,” Foxx discussed “Beyond Traffic,” a federal initiative which will outline traffic trends and the way they shape the U.S. population’s needs over the course of the next three decades. According to civil engineering graduate student Kristie Chin, the program might help increase traffic control and make people more aware of the problems traffic causes, but possible
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Daulton Venglar | Daily Texan Staff
Anthony Foxx, right, U.S. secretary of transportation, tours the TACC Visualization Laboratory on Friday.
technological applications for transportation extend far beyond traffic monitoring. “We can increase market penetration [with Beyond Traffic], but then we also looked at [using] more futuristic, higher levels of automation like 3-D print-
ing, drones [and] automated trucking,” Chin said. Technology could make U.S. transportation systems safer and more efficient, said Andrew Kerns, electrical and computer engineering
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Volume 115, Issue 145
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I think I’m a blowfish.
Deborah Stevens dances in a drum circle at Eeyore’s Birthday Party in Pease Park on Saturday. This year marked the 52nd anniversary of the festival.
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Charlotte Carpenter | Daily Texan Staff
HOUSING
off-[campus] housing when they first came to UT.” Once the Graduate School drafts a plan that is approved by the University, Wilkey said they will send the plan to the UT System Board of Regents for approval. GSA Vice President Vance Roper said he believes implementing new housing off campus seems fairly feasible, although finances are always an issue. “The challenges are less [about] getting approved … because the University is behind this,” said Roper, public affairs graduate student. “The biggest challenge is detailing what kind of housing do you get. That’s a big bulk of the problem … the nuts and bolts.” The survey also asked students about their housing preferences, including room size, price and location. The committee and Graduate School have looked at placing the housing in nearby neighborhoods, Roper said. Wyckoff said affordability is one of the main issues graduate students face when looking for housing. “This is an important issue
for graduate students, especially as rent prices are increasing in Austin,” Wyckoff said in an email. “Students also are moving from far away (only 11% of survey respondents were already living in Texas), so having graduate student housing option would make the transition to Austin smoother.” Although the University does not have graduatestudent-only housing, it currently operates three off-campus University apartment complexes, each approximately six miles south of campus. According to the Division of Housing and Food Services, the apartments are traditionally reserved for graduate students, student families and undergraduates. Earlier this month, the GSA renewed the committee for another year so that they can continue to address the issue, Wilkey said.
SUMMER
continues from page 1 been turned into a preorientation video because many students walked out of the course before they finished it. “It’s kind of dry material, and it would take up a lot of time,” Williams said. “They are required to watch these videos, and we know that they’ve done that. That’s something we don’t have to do during orientation, so we have more time to do some of these other community and other programing things.” Additional changes were made to academic group advising sessions during orientation, which were previously one-day, four-hour sessions. It will now consist of two sessions, at most two hours long, spread over two days. Students will also only be
required to attend two wing meetings instead of five. Psychology freshman Ann Folker said she found the amount of information she received during orientation overwhelming. “It was kind of stressful, and I was already nervous going in,” Folker said. Pierce said students will be able to participate in more optional program sessions about topics such as campus life and Student Government during three different time slots every orientation session. “We did have optional program sessions last year, but new this year is that we are collectively calling them ‘Discover UT,’” Pierce said. “We hope that by branding them that way, students will be more interested in the programs and excited to attend and learn more about everything UT has to offer.”
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 Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brett Donohoe, Jack Mitts News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julia Brouillette Associate News Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . Anderson Boyd, Danielle Brown, David Davis Jr., Chanelle Gibson, Adam Hamze, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Natalie Sullivan Senior Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wynne Davis, Eleanor Dearman, Samantha Ketterer, Jackie Wang, Josh Willis Copy Desk Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taiki Miki Associate Copy Desk Chiefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Liza Didyk, Matthew Kerr, Kailey Thompson Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Dolan Senior Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Virginia Scherer, Kelly Smith, Iliana Storch Multimedia Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Resler, Lauren Ussery Associate Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amy Zhang Senior Photographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Carlo Nasisse, Griffin Smith, Ellyn Snider, Marshall Tidrick, Daulton Venglar Senior Videographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Conway, Hannah Evans, Bryce Seifert Forum Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amil Malik Editorial Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Antonia Gales Senior Opinion Columnists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jordan Shenhar, Claire Smith Life&Arts Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kat Sampson Life&Arts Associate Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Danielle Lopez Senior Life&Arts Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cat Cardenas, Marisa Charpentier, Elisabeth Dillon Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Garrett Callahan Associate Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Evan Berkowitz Senior Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nick Castillo, Claire Cruz, Jacob Martella, Aaron Torres Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lindsay Rojas Associate Comics Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Albert Lee, Connor Murphy Senior Comics Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crystal Marie, Isabella Palacios, Amber Perry, Rodolfo Suarez Special Projects Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amanda Voeller Tech Team Lead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Miles Hutson Social Media Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sydney Rubin Editorial Adviser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Chen
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Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nashwa Bawab, Caleb Wong Multimedia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Charlotte Carpenter, Thalia Juarez, Stephanie Tacy, Rachel Zein Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bridget Bonosaro, Jason Epstein Life&Arts Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mary Cantrell Columnists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bryan Davis, Paul Martinez Page Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Danny Goodwin Copy Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alyssa Aguilar, Angelica Guajardo, Natalia Ruiz
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NEWS
continues from page 1 “genocide” during his term to describe the killings. Undeclared sophomore Nyrie Kasparian said greater recognition of the 1.5 million Armenian deaths has long been a goal of the community. “I always made efforts to tell all my friends back in high school,” Kasparian said. “Even in elementary school, I would bring petitions to school and get my teachers to sign it. We’ve always been working toward recognition.” Davtyan said the Armenian community is committed to remembering its past to prevent genocides from being committed again. “We are doing this for peace,” Davtyan said. “This is not only for the Armenian genocide. We devote this event to all genocides that were committed in the past.”
STUDY
continues from page 1 as to improve overall quality of life for Asian-Americans in the city, said Richard Yuen, a forensic and clinical psychologist. Yuen, who chairs the committee responsible for community research, said the Asian-American population is the fastest-growing ethnic minority group in Austin. “Unfortunately, the city does not understand nor know much about this rapidly growing population of Austinites,” Yuen said. “Asian-Americans are not known to be activists in the community [and] not known to engage in voting or politics or community projects. Here, we want to have some strong public policy recommendations for programs in all areas that is supported by our research data, not only to benefit Asian-Americans but Austin as a whole.” Different Asian-American student groups on campus have expressed interest in the study, including the Vietnamese Students Association and the Chinese Student Association, Yuen said. Tram Ngyuen, mechanical engineering sophomore and president of the Vietnamese Student Association, said she feels that Asians are often overlooked in the city. “We are looked as neither a minority or a majority,” Ngyuen said. “We are often used as tools to prove another point rather than an ethnic group that can stand on its own. This study is important to show how Asian-Americans have changed throughout this country’s history. We are not an invisible minority. We are a culture that has thrived and grown so much.” Yuen said this study gives an opportunity to delve directly into the community to identify issues in a diverse population. “One of our most important issues … is being able to capture enough opinions from the various age groups so that we can disaggregate the data and understand there is acculturation and generational differences,” Yuen said.
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graduate student. “[We could] use managed lanes for connected and automated vehicles, especially for freight transportation, and … drones for situational awareness during traffic accidents,” Kerns said. “I’m particularly excited about the advent of connected and automated vehicles. The future is not very clear, but there are a lot of opportunities coming.” UT’s Center for Transportation Research, which has received funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation, works on projects that help improve driver behavior, traffic congestion and intelligent transportation systems. UT’s innovation with technology and transportation is one that should be emulated in the rest of the country, Foxx said. “We need to be thinking about the future — about how technology plays a role in transportation — and that kind of thought process is happening right here [at UT],” Foxx said.
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RILEY BRANDS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / @TexanEditorial Monday, April 27, 2015
COLUMN
GSA rightly supports full-time student ombudsman By Xing Liu
Associate Editor @liuox
At its last meeting on April 16, the Graduate Student Assembly introduced a new proposal to support funding a full-time student ombudsman, either a graduate student or a professional. This is a great step forward for students who need to vent their grievances to a neutral third party. The Office of the Ombudsman at UT, which today contains offices helping students, faculty and staff, was created in the summer of 1969 by President Norman Hackerman. The office’s mission is to provide a neutral, impartial and confidential environment for students to voice concerns related to life at the University and to provide information and assistance to students who have University-related questions or complaints. The appeal of this establishment is its role as an impartial third party. The credibility of the office rests on its reputation for independence,
fairness and objectivity. The fact that the Office of the Student Ombudsman does not side with individuals, the University or any other parties involved creates trust between students and the institution. Disputes the office hears cover issues as wideranging as grades, academic dismissals and student employment concerns, to name just a few. Every dispute almost invariably carries criticism of academic officials in the department or the school policies. The amount of compliance at UT has increased dramatically in recent years. In 20132014, the OSO served 1,400 students. The fall 2014 session saw a 77 percent increase over the previous fall semester and a 114 percent increase over the fall of 2012. The students the OSO serves include undergraduate, graduate and professional students. The tension between universities and students is surely timeless, but it started receiving serious attention in the late 1960s. The occurrence of a series of incidents at Hornsey and Guildford Colleges of Art, Birmingham University and the London School of Economics led universities to develop coping strategies to deal with student protesters questioning the character, purpose and management of higher education. Now, with issues related to abuse of power,
bullying, intimidation, nepotism, etc., firmly planted on everyone’s radar, action needs to be taken to make sure students are being heard and protected. At the OSO, the current staff includes one part-time student ombudsperson and two parttime assistant student ombudspersons. The only full-time staffer in the office is an administrative associate, who is not a student. “The biggest criticism of the office was, and continues to be, that there is no continuity of service because a new student is hired every year and comes to the position with only a vague idea of how to carry out the role,” former ombudsperson Amber Holloway said. Not only does it take the office a lot of time to train new staff, but it also causes the organization to look disjointed. The proposal presented by GSA recommends replacing the part-time student ombudsperson with a full-time staff member who will provide coaching and training on dispute resolution skills and facilitate constructive discussions between parties who use the office’s services. By doing that, stuPu Ying Huang|Daily Texan File Photo dents can expect a more effective conflict Frank Male, a GSA representative, has proresolution procedure. posed to fund a full-time student ombudsman Liu is an advertising graduate student from position in the University. Beijing.
COLUMN
Student Government should take up AR 31 again, observe UT’s past By Bryan Davis Guest Columnist
At the beginning of the spring 2015 semester, we, the Society for Cultural Unity, wrote Student Government Assembly Resolution 31, which asked for assembly support of “student-led efforts to raise student awareness and help stop the ugly history of racism and sexism from repeating itself at UT Austin.” Through distribution in every Cultural Diversity flagged class, these efforts would expose all UT students to archives that make strong visual connections between historical prejudice and today’s racism and sexism. The archives include police reports, newspaper articles and photographs of racial and sexual violence, blackface parties and protests, all from UT’s history, from the early 1940s through the 21st century. It took SCU nearly a month to shepherd the resolution out of the highly subjective and politicized committee “process,” where representatives modify the underlying messages of sponsored resolutions to their own liking. SCU endured the representatives’ in-
... these efforts would expose all UT students to archives that makes strong visual connections between historical prejudice and today’s racism and sexism.
dignation because we refused to dilute the language of the resolution. Not bending to make the message of the resolution more palatable for certain West Campus interests resulted in the strong opposition and scorn of various committee members. When the resolution finally escaped committee and came to a vote in favor of or against passing AR 31, the majority of the 108th Student Government Assembly voted to table the resolution largely because making students learn about UT’s historical struggles with racism and sexism might make an irreparable negative first impression in the minds of UT’s freshmen. If need be, take time to read that sentence again. When that argument was made by AR 31’s opponents during what was a quasi-Lincoln-Douglas debate over the resolution, neither I nor the representatives next to me could believe our ears. Some of them even whispered to me that the representatives who were attempting to make such arguments were not the people they had been working with this past school year. More embarrassing was the fact that during the debate, arguments became so vitriolic that various minority and women supporters of AR 31 had to leave the Assembly room before the vote could even be held. A room is veritably hostile when certain people feel targeted and threatened after they thought they were in a safe place. At another point, the debate became such a caricature of itself that one member of the opposition “pointed out” that his posturing against AR 31 wasn’t biased in any way because he was “Mexican American.” At no point during the 108th Assembly’s last meeting was there room for civil or respectful discussion about the resolution or
the various “issues” opponents had with it because of those types of outbursts. After AR 31 was essentially defeated by a small cadre of student representatives, many of them left the meeting laughing and with smug grins, having no idea how ironic and historically significant their actions were that night. As far as they were concerned, AR 31 would be left stuck in yet another one of their “editing processes.” Many of the people we read about in history books who perpetuated or condoned racism and sexism were ordinary citizens like you and me. Outside of why we read about them in the first place, they loved music, movies, politics, books, laughing, dancing, singing and those values of hard work and integrity in the pursuit of the American dream. But at the end of the day, we don’t learn about those people for their otherwise ordinary qualities or even for the color of their skin. We read about them because they represent the cautionary tale of what happens when society accepts a status quo that condones the inhumane and senseless marginalization of people with darker skin tones or different genders. When historians 50 years from now read about our ancestors who perpetuated or condoned the status quo, the ugly stain of ignorance will mark over most of the positive aspects of their otherwise normal legacies. After the Supreme Court stated in Dred Scott v. Sanford that people of African descent “were not intended to be included under the word ‘citizens’ in the Constitution,” its credibility as a system of authority would forever after be in doubt. The Student Government Assembly is far from having the authority of our nation’s
judicial branch, but the importance of the statements it makes in the form of the resolutions it passes still matters very much. When Student Government passes or rejects a resolution, it is making a statement about which values it represents. With AR 31, student representatives had an opportunity to say how much they cared about and understood many of the issues that minority students and women face every day. Since they didn’t take that opportunity, the Society for Cultural Unity is banding together with various student groups to give the 109th Student Assembly, recently convened, not only a chance to redeem the organization’s reputation but to also prove itself worthy of its affiliation with the word “government.” On Tuesday, we will be approaching Student Government to make a motion to bring AR 31 out for reconsideration. We are only changing its name, which will now be “In Support of Student-led Efforts to Raise Student and Student Government Awareness and Help Stop the Ugly History of Racism and Sexism from Repeating Itself at UT Austin.” All students are invited to come out and show support as we plead with Student Government on Tuesday in SAC 2.302 at 7 p.m. Interested students can also visit the Society for Cultural Unity on social media, where they can see examples of the historical archives, message us about involvement or share their stories of racial or sexual marginalization here at UT. The aforementioned Student Government meeting minutes can be found at the following link: utsg.org/minutes/. Davis is a government senior from Lake Arlington. He is a founder of the Society for Cultural Unity.
GALLERY
FIRING LINE
Don’t steal Uber/Lyft rides at night I am not and have never been a UT student, but as a Texas native, I’ve always cheered the Longhorns and have great respect for our state’s flagship university. Now as an Uber/Lyft driver, I feel like I’m part of the University in a small, gratifying way, particularly on Thursdays as I loop between West Campus and Sixth Street all night long. The vast majority of students I ferry are wonderful people with great energy who enable me to vicariously recapture my younger days. However, as the night ends, there is a consistent few who disgrace UT by trying to steal Uber/
Lyft rides. It works like this: A group jumps in your car, looks at the ride request name on your phone, a person then says that is them and urges you to head toward West Campus. I’ve had this happen to me once a night for the past three Thursdays. While these ride thieves have never succeeded with me, it wastes my time, it is a disrespectful attempt to steal from your fellow Longhorns and it sullies the reputation of your world-class University. — Paul Martinez, an Uber/Lyft driver in Austin.
OP-EDS Interested in seeing your opinions expressed on our page? The deadline to submit guest op-eds is April 30. Submissions can be emailed to editor@dailytexanonline. com.
Erica Ndubueze | Daily Texan Staff
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.
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.
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 Monday, April 27, 2015
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Taylor will remain for his junior season @CallahanGarrett
SPORTS BRIEFLY Women’s golf has bad outing in Big 12 Championships
Daulton Venglar | Daily Texan file photo
Sophomore guard Isaiah Taylor led the Longhorns in points per game and assists per game last season and will be leading the charge for Shaka Smart’s new offensive and defensive schemes.
something I feel can be special,” Taylor said in a statement. Underclassmen had until the 10:59 p.m. Sunday to make their final choice on declaring for the draft. Taylor said he received a late first- or early secondround draft grade from NBA evaluators. He is also listed as the No. 27-ranked sophomore on DraftExpress.
Taylor began the 2014-15 season with high hopes, but a wrist injury at the beginning of the year derailed his production. Despite the adversity, Taylor finished his sophomore campaign with a team-leading 13.1 points per game and 4.6 assists per game. “Really excited about the
opportunity to coach Isaiah next season,” Smart said in a statement. “We’ve had the chance to work out on the court several times over the past few weeks, and his commitment to improvement has been terrific. We are looking forward to Isaiah being a tremendous leader for our team!”
Spending another year with my teammates and coaching staff is a great feeling. —Isaiah Taylor Sophomore point guard
SOFTBALL
Horned Frogs jump on Longhorns’ backs @ViewFromTheBox
FORT WORTH — As the rain poured down on Fort Worth over the weekend, No. 5 TCU added its own flood of runs to complete a series sweep of the Longhorns. By the time the series was over, Texas had given up 24 runs and 33 hits, possibly damaging the team’s NCAA Tournament chances. “We just didn’t execute when we had to,” sophomore catcher Tres Barrera said. “We had our chances, but we didn’t capitalize on our opportunities.” After a rainout Friday, Texas and TCU played a doubleheader Saturday. Senior pitcher Parker French put the Longhorns in a bind early in the first game, throwing the ball well wide of second base while trying to turn an inning-ending double play in the first inning. The error led to two runs after a single two batters later. The struggles continued in the next inning as the Horned Frogs plated another run on a single and a fielding error by junior left fielder Ben Johnson to take a 4–1 lead. TCU (34–8, 10–5 Big 12) had stretched its lead to 6–2 by the time the Longhorns (22–22, 8–10 Big 12) tried to rally in the eighth. Texas loaded the bases with two outs and pushed two runs across on a walk and single, but senior right fielder Collin Shaw struck out to end the inning. The Longhorns added another run in the
Cameron Ridley
I swear I hate when short people sit in exit row seats on planes! Drives me crazy!!
BASEBALL
By Jacob Martella
TOP TWEET @cam_ctmd55
By Garrett Callahan Shaka Smart’s to-do list got a little shorter Saturday night. After weeks of speculation surrounding sophomore guard Isaiah Taylor’s future plans, Taylor announced late Saturday that he will return for his junior year and remain a key part of the Longhorns’ roster for Smart’s inaugural season. “Glad to be a Longhorn! Feels good. Looking to get this new era started. Love the guys on the team. Spending another year with my teammates and coaching staff is a great feeling,” Taylor posted on his Instagram account Saturday. Taylor continued working out with teammates and participating in team activities after the Longhorns’ season ended last month, even as rumors swirled that he would declare for the NBA Draft like his former teammate, Myles Turner. Taylor said his new relationship with Smart helped keep him in Austin. The 6-foot-1 guard had multiple conversations about his future with Smart after Texas’ season ended in March against Butler. Eventually, he decided staying another season was his best choice. “When it all came down to it, I didn’t want to leave my teammates and not be a part of
SIDELINE
ninth but fell just short in the end. Despite the loss, Texas’ momentum in the last two innings carried over to the second game. After TCU scored a run in the first and third innings, Texas fought back with an RBI single in the third, a home run by senior second baseman Brooks Marlow and another RBI single in the fourth to take the lead. “We kind of fed off of it a bit,” Marlow said. “We had the momentum a little bit even though we lost.” But that was it for the Texas offense for the rest of the series as TCU began an outpouring of runs. TCU scored once in the fifth and sixth innings and then broke the game open with a six-run seventh inning to take an 11-6 win. Sunday, in the third game of the series, Texas had a runner at second base in three different innings and came away with zero runs each time. Meanwhile, TCU scored three in the first as well as two in the sixth and eighth innings to seal a 7–1 win. “There was a six-run difference because of the quality atbats [TCU] took to get runners into scoring position and to score the runners,” head coach Augie Garrido said. The Longhorns return to Austin to face Prairie View A&M on Tuesday before starting their final Big 12 home series against Texas Tech starting Friday night. Texas will likely need to win the Big 12 Championship to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Rachel Zein | Daily Texan Staff
With another sweep by TCU, Texas’ chances of making the NCAA Tournament took a hit.
The momentum from the late-season improvement did not make a difference for the Texas women’s golf team as it finished in sixth place with a score of 887 (+23) at the Big 12 Championships in San Antonio. On The Dominion Country Club golf course, junior Tezira Abe led the Longhorns, tying for 10th place with a three-round score of 220 (+4). Abe’s 10th-place finish was her best finish this season and her score of 220 (+4) tied her personal best this season. After tying for first place at her last tournament, the Ping/ASU Invitational, senior Bertine Strauss struggled to play up to her past success. She posted her worst round of the season with a 77 (+5) while scoring a 222 (+6) overall. Strauss finished in 20th place due to her uncharacteristic performance. Two strokes behind Strauss was sophomore Julia Beck, who scored a 224 (+8) for a 22nd-place tie. Two other Longhorns — junior Natalie Karcher and sophomore Anne Hakula — also contributed to the team. Karcher posted a score of 228 (+12) and tied for 28th place, while Hakula put up a score of 229 (+13) and tied for 32nd place. Baylor finished with a score of 867 (+3) — 12 strokes ahead of secondplace TCU. —Bridget Bonasoro
Joshua Guerra | Daily Texan file photo
After scoring four runs in the first game, the Longhorns only managed to score three over the next two games against Texas Tech.
Red Raiders shoot down Texas’ offense to capture series victory By Jason Epstein @jwepstein96
After edging the Red Raiders in a close game Friday, Texas dropped the next two to conclude the three-game conference series this past weekend. With sophomore first baseman Kelli Hanzel’s go-ahead blast in the sixth and freshman pitcher Erica Wright’s 10 strikeouts Friday night, Texas grabbed a 4–3 win over Texas Tech for its ninth-consecutive road win. Texas (32–14, 7–5 Big 12) jump-started the game with a crucial three-run second inning, but Texas Tech (23–25, 7–8 Big 12) fought back. In the fourth inning, Devon Thomey, Texas Tech sophomore designated hitter, sent one into the stands to pull within two. The next inning, the Red Raiders rallied with two outs with an RBI triple and a windy tagup on a dropped foul ball that rolled fair. In the top of the sixth, Hanzel put Texas back in the lead with a home run, and in the bottom of the seventh, sophomore Tiarra Davis clinched the victory with a game-ending strikeout. “Significant win for us,” head coach Connie Clark said. “I’m just pleased overall with our fight and
our grit, especially when they tied it up. To answer right back, that was huge.” Clark said she was especially glad to see Texas’ success at the plate. “We’ve had a few of our hitters working really hard this week on some things — [Hanzel] specifically and Stephanie Ceo,” Clark said. The next day, the Longhorns struggled to find home plate. With an 8-to3 hit advantage over the home team, the Longhorns stranded seven over the course of the game. In the first inning, the Red Raiders pulled a role reversal over the Longhorns, and while Texas stayed scoreless, Texas Tech took off. Senior Gabby Smith struggled from the mound, pitching just twothirds of an inning. In that time, the Red Raiders scored three of their four runs. Wright relieved for 5.1 frames, allowing just one run while striking out six, but the Longhorns couldn’t manage to put a run on the board. In the top of the final frame, Texas junior designated hitter Holly Kern led off with a pop out, followed by singles from senior right fielder Marlee Gabaldon and junior
catcher Erin Shireman. Still, a strikeout and a fielder’s choice concluded the game with the Red Raiders on top, 4–0. In the third and final game of the series, Texas started out with a glimmer of hope. Sophomore shortstop Devon Tunning led off and reached first on a walk, her 30th time this season reaching base to begin the game. But she never made it around the bases, and with both teams scoreless in the first, the Red Raiders cracked the scoreboard after Davis walked a batter with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second. Finally, in the fifth, the Longhorns reached home plate for the first time in 12 innings. With Tunning and sophomore left fielder Stephanie Wong on base, junior center fielder Lindsey Stephens hit a threerun home run — her 14th home run of the season — to her respective area of the field to pull the Longhorns within two. But the Longhorns’ success didn’t last long, and after another run in the fifth and one in the sixth for the Red Raiders, Texas fell, 7–3. Texas continues conference play against Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. Friday in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Women’s rowing beats No. 11 Indiana
Texas’ 12th-ranked women’s rowing team outperformed No. 11 Indiana, Columbia and Notre Dame over two days of racing on Lake Lemon in Bloomington, Indiana, to take home the Dale England Cup on Saturday morning. The Longhorns collected 63 points over the course of the races, enough to earn them first place over Indiana, which finished with 57 points. Texas soundly defeated all of its opponents in Friday’s races, which pitted the Longhorns against Columbia’s varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four teams and Indiana’s first and second varsity four teams in a series of dual races. Saturday’s races featured a change in the racing format as inclement weather forced officials to abandon the dual races in favor of four-lane races, in which all four teams raced against each other. The schools competed in the varsity eight, second varsity eight, varsity four and second varsity four events. The Longhorns began the day with a secondplace finish behind Indiana in the varsity eight race to earn 27 points. The Longhorns beat out Notre Dame in the second varsity eight race for a top finish and 24 points and then completed the day with a pair of wins in the varsity four and second varsity four races to add 12 points to their total. —James Rodriguez
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Monday, April 27, 2015
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KAT SAMPSON, LIFE&ARTS EDITOR | @thedailytexan Monday, April 27, 2015
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CAMPUS
Students work to reform perception of drugs By Mary Cantrell
Stephanie Hamborsky, Plan II and biology junior, handwrites a letter to her local representative in support of a bill during a Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) meeting Wednesday. SSDP members have started a handwritten letter campaign to support HB 507 which would decriminalize the possession of marijuana under one ounce.
@mkcant
Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) are contacting their state representatives through a letter campaign in support of four bills up for debate during this legislative session. The students are focusing primarily on HB 507, which calls for the decriminalization of marijuana under one ounce. Letter-writing participants Francesca Brighty, geography sophomore, and Kerry Greathouse, biology sophomore, said SSDP has increased efforts to promote what members believe are sensible drug policy on campus this semester. The students have written letters at their past two meetings and plan to follow the Legislature’s decision on the bills until the session ends June 1. “We’re putting most of our efforts to the 507 decriminalization bill because it’s pretty easy to get behind for a lot of people,” Greathouse said. Greathouse said writing was a powerful reminder that representatives work for the public and need to know what their constituents think. “We’re about to flood them with handwritten letters they normally never receive,” Greathouse said. “They get tons and tons of emails, but I think handwritten letters — they’re unique and more impactful.” Jamie Spencer, executive director of Texas’ National
Thalia Juarez Daily Texan Staff
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said he believes when legislators receive a handwritten note, it counts 10 times as much as an email or phone call. He said one written letter represents a larger number of people behind the letter-writer, who agree with the sentiment expressed and just haven’t reached out. “They take handwritten letters more seriously because they believe it reflects a greater commitment on the part of the
letter writer,” Spencer said. Brighty said handwritten letters add a personal touch and allow students to share their stories with representatives. She wrote a letter to support a bill that would legalize medical marijuana because her father, who lives in California, has benefited after using the drug to treat multiple sclerosis. She said representatives should hear from UT’s student body on pivotal social issues. “I have seen it help my dad
in all these ways, and I feel like that’s what they want to hear,” Brighty said. “We’re not under any false ideas that we’re gonna be changing laws tomorrow, but whatever you can do minimally makes a difference.” SSDP’s 10 active members constantly look to recruit more students. Brighty said SSDP wants to start a dialogue on UT’s campus about drug reform and teach people to look at drug addiction as a public health issue rather than a
criminal issue. “When people think of [SSDP], they think, ‘Oh, it’s just a bunch of people who love drugs,’ or ‘stoners,’” Brighty said. “But having education can save your life or help your friend.” Brighty said campus and state policies surrounding marijuana affect all students, whether or not those students realize it. She said teaching students about legal ramifications associated with certain drugs
helps them make educated decisions and helps to prevent future arrests. Spencer said students involved in SSDP believe their work is worth any stigma that is attached. “If a student were able to put on their résumé ‘I was a leader with SSDP,’ they are actually going to open more doors by having the cojones to actually care about something and go out there and get it accomplished,” Spencer said.
CAMPUS
UT student displays designs at Fusion fashion show By Cat Cardenas @crcardenas8
French senior Ida Nematipour spent her childhood dodging scattered pins and needles around her house. Surrounded by her family’s sewing materials, she began designing clothes — first creating costumes for her dog and eventually focusing on outfits for herself. “My grandma and my mom were definitely an inspiration for me,” Nematipour said. “I have so many memories of them sewing, so it’s something that I’ve been around my whole life. It had a big influence on me, even though at first I didn’t take it that seriously.” Nematipour didn’t approach fashion design as anything more than a hobby until she arrived at UT. Originally a pre-med student, Nematipour quickly realized her interests were focused elsewhere. When she began taking apparel design
courses, Nematipour immediately fell in love with the work and said she felt eager to design and display her clothes. Nematipour and 23 other apparel design students showcased their pieces at UT’s Fusion fashion show Thursday. “Being pre-med was hard, but I knew that I could’ve done it,” Nematipour said. “The problem was that it wasn’t my passion. After about a year here, I started to realize fashion design was something that I could make a career out of.” Nematipour said her designs have changed dramatically over the years — she remembers an embarrassing yarn dress she made in an attempt to be different. The clothes she designs retain some aspects of her personal style, but she prefers to create clothes that are meant for a femme fatale, which are edgier than what she herself might typically wear. “My clothes are definitely very revealing,”
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Nematipour said. “I like the confidence it portrays. It’s like a very powerful woman with a seductive edge that she uses to empower herself. It’s edgy, so I’m not expecting someone to walk down the street in these clothes right now.” Billie Green, fellow designer and textiles and apparel senior, said Nematipour is a risk-taker, confident in her decisions without worrying what other people will think of her pieces. “Her clothes show a lot of skin, but it isn’t for the sake of showing skin,” Green said. “Her designs still come off as very classic and romantic. She’s not ashamed of the female body.” Nematipour who said she often struggles to find the perfect fabric in a city that lacks fabric stores, occasionally hand-paints her own fabric. She appreciates the individuality the hand-painting adds to her pieces. It’s just one way she manages to put a twist on
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French senior Ida Nematipour prepares for the Fusion fashion show, which occurred last Friday. Nematipour comes from a family of seamstresses.
many of the trends that inspire her. “When I’m not designing, I like to paint,” Nematipour said. “It adds another level of art to my piece and makes it into something completely custom.”
Despite stress-inducing deadlines and the occasional bout of tears, Nematipour said all the labor is worth it when she gets to see people respond to her clothing. “My favorite part about designing clothes is seeing
people’s reactions to what I’m making,” Nematipour said. “I feel like with my style, you either love it or hate it. When I get to see the reaction of someone who loves my clothes, that’s what I’m working for.”
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