The Daily Texan 2015-07-27

SUMMER EDITION

Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900

Monday, July 27, 2015

@thedailytexan

DAVIS IN-DEPTH

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Monday, July 27, 2015

CONTENTS COVER STORY Volume 116, Issue 8

CONTACT US Main Telephone (512) 471-4591 Editor-in-Chief Claire Smith (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com Managing Editor Brett Donohoe (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com News Office (512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com Retail Advertising (512) 471-8590 advertise@texasstudentmedia.com Classified Advertising (512) 471-5244 classifieds@ dailytexanonline.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 e-mail managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com.

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.

COMICS

COVER PHOTO Amy Zhang I’m going to use this for my routine

NEWS

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

Task force gets ready to announce its Jefferson Davis statue recommendations. PAGE 6

NEWS

After a controversial arrest and death of Sandra Bland, a vigil was held at the Capitol. PAGE 5 Conspirators worry about Jade Helm but citizens of Bastrop are not concerned. ONLINE

Editor-in-Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Claire Smith Senior Associate Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Noah M. Horwitz Associate Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Davis Clark Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brett Donohoe Associate Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Danielle Brown News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anderson Boyd Associate News Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Justin Atkinson, Lauren Florence Senior Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Matthew Adams, Jackie Wang Copy Desk Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Matthew Kerr Associate Copy Desk Chiefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ashley Dorris, Cameron Peterson Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack Mitts Senior Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hirrah Barlas, Danny Goodwin, Michal Krikorian, Kailey Thompson Multimedia Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bryce Seifert, Amy Zhang Associate Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daulton Venglar Senior Photographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tess Cagle, Marshall Tidrick Senior Videographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Conway Life&Arts Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Danielle Lopez Senior Life&Arts Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cat Cardenas, Emily Gibson Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aaron Torres Senior Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reanna Zuniga Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lindsay Rojas Associate Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Albert Lee Senior Comics Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connor Murphy, Isabella Palacios, Amber Perry Social Media Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sydney Rubin Editorial Adviser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Chen

Issue Staff Life&Arts Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charles Liu Multimedia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jesús Nazario, Ellyn Snider

OPINION

UT as a model for gender equality in sports, a look at history and Title IX. PAGE 4

SPORTS

UT alumni and international students go to Zilker park every Saturday to play handball. PAGE 10

LIFE&ARTS

UT alumni document their bike trip Pedal South, traveling from Alaska to Argentina. PAGE 8 Adam Sandler’s “Pixels” fails to live up to classic video game legends. PAGE 8

Business and Advertising

(512) 471-1865 | advertise@texasstudentmedia.com Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gerald Johnson Business/Operations Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frank Serpas III Advertising Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Denise Twellmann Account Executives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . Carter Goss, Allysun Gutierrez Advertising Assistant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shukree Shabazz Digital Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Curt Yowell Student Account Executives. . . . . . . . . Keegan Bradley, Emma Brown, Alex Unger, Marianne Locht, Alejandro Diez Student Assistants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MyMy Nguyen, Dito Prado Senior Graphic Designer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel Hublein Student Designers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jannice Truong Special Editions/Production Coordinator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephen Salisbury

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Texan Ad Deadlines

7/27/15 Monday .............Wednesday, 12 p.m. Thursday.................Monday, 12 p.m.

Tuesday.................Thursday, 12 p.m. Friday......................Tuesday, 12 p.m.

Classified Word Ads 11 a.m.

Wednesday................Friday, 12 p.m. (Last Business Day Prior to Publication)

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Monday

Wednesday

Thursday

Sunday

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El Cosmico Pop Up Shop and Marfa Party: Enjoy a cocktail, live music and goods for sale from the West Texas hipster town of Marfa.

Greetings, From Queer Mountain: Local LGBT community members share personal stories on stage, following the theme “Just a Fling.”

The Free Fringe: Get familiar with Austin’s improv scene and watch local comedians perform on stage.

SNESunday: At this 21+ event, gamers compete on consoles such as Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis and Nintendo 64.

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Where: Hotel San Jose When: 3–10 p.m.

Where: Cheer Up Charlie’s When: 8 p.m.

Where: The Hidehout Theatre When: 10 p.m.

Where: The Mohawk When: 5–8 p.m.

FREE SUMMERTIME AUSTIN

MULTIMEDIA

See a full list of this weeks events online at dailytexanonline.com.

d d w n A group of students connect while playing handball. c

Find out about their experience with this unique sport in a video at dailytexanonline.com.

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CLAIRE SMITH, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | @TexanEditorial Monday, July 27, 2015

COLUMN

Rise of women’s athletics, gender equity in sports can thank UT

By Jori Epstein @JoriEpstein

Editor’s Note: This column is a part of a series exploring the Title IX amendment at UT. When the U.S. won the Women’s World Cup final July 5, this country had plenty to celebrate.

It was the U.S.’s first World Cup championship since 1999. Team star Carli Lloyd scored three goals, a Women’s World Cup final record. And, most significantly, the FOX broadcast averaged an enormous 25.4 million viewers, making it the most-viewed soccer game, men’s or women’s, in U.S. history.

Pair that with tennis star Serena Williams’ four straight major victories (dubbed the “Serena Slam”) and Becky Hammon, the first female fulltime NBA assistant coach, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a summer league championship? It’s a good month for double X chromosomes.

Women’s intercollegiate athletics were virtually nonexistent before 1972, when tcongress passed the Title IX amendments to pertinent education laws. The law prohibited all federally funded institutions from exclusion, discrimination and unequal treatment on the basis of sex, and UT jumped on board immediately. The University opened a Department of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women in 1973; hired its first women’s athletic director, Donna Lopiano, in 1975 (UT remains the only school nationally to source and define a women’s athletic director); and hired legendary coach Jody Conradt to oversee women’s basketball and volleyball in 1976. By the end of the 1980s, Texas had already claimed 17 women’s national championships.

“Without that leadership early, I don’t think you’d see what Texas has become,” Women’s Athletics Director Chris Plonsky says of the University’s early administrative support. “To be among the large public universities supporting this … We were a model.”

Texas remained a model through the years. It went from developing infrastructure in the ’70s to managing its ratio of male-to-female athletic participants and scholarship offerings in the ’90s. By

Without that leadership early, I don’t think you’d see what Texas has become. To be among the large public universities supporting [Title IX]... We were a model.

—Chris Plonsky Women’s Athletics Director

the 2013–2014 academic year, the school supported 313 male and 283 female athletes. And since Title IX’s inception, Texas women’s sports have won 27 national championships to the men’s 16.

“Everything is evolutionary,” Plonsky says of the 43-year process. “But when you think about the coaches we had in that critical time of growth, they set a standard of excellence.”

It’s naïve to compare UT’s women’s sports to men’s in all measurements. Although their records shine, women’s revenue and popularity lag far behind. In 2013–2014, men’s sports generated $74.38 million while women’s sports suffered a net loss of $16.12 million — however, volleyball’s seven sellouts in 2014 were each profitable. The men’s profits largely sustain female participation.

For this reason, the University’s athletics model has much to praise. Male sports provide women with opportunities for athletic, academic and personal growth. And in sustaining these opportunities, UT promotes a national climate of gender equity. Because Texas Athletics has established itself as a brand, it holds clout. By using its platform to encourage women to take prominent roles in society, Texas furthers the fight for egalitarian employment. And because athletics so often take a national spotlight, when athletics commit to equity, the rest of society follows.

In addition to the University’s macro effect on encouraging women in sports, Texas has supported a burgeoning women’s soccer team for 21 years. Finishing as high as No. 8 nation-

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.

Melanie Westfall | Daily Texan Staff

ally in 2006 and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year, the team does more than just provide an opportunity for its players. It also supports women’s soccer more broadly, generating excitement and encouraging the growth of female athletic participation.

It may seem like a stretch to say Texas women’s soccer fans translated to Women’s World Cup fans. But data suggest otherwise. Among the record 25.4 million viewers of the Women’s World Cup final, Austin viewers constituted the fifth largest market — and the third among cities that don’t host multiple natives or local players on the team. UT’s promotion of a top-tier women’s sports program can define the cultural landscape of our city, just as it created a local base of support for national female soccer programs. It is clear that, in Plonsky’s words, UT has a “significant footprint in women’s soccer.”

The rise of women’s sports has been a joint effort between numerous actors and institutions.

But Texas’ choice to seize the moment in the 1970s claims some credit for today’s successes. It rose to the forefront of athletic equity and willed its female programs to succeed then. And the

SUBMIT A FIRING LINE | Email your Firing Lines to editor@dailytexanonline.com. Letters must be more than 100 and fewer than 300 words. The Texan reserves the right to edit all submissions for brevity, clarity and liability.

By using its platform to encourage women to take prominent roles in society, Texas furthers the fight for egalitarian employment. And because athletics so often take a national spotlight, when athletics commit to equity, the rest of society follows.

University still commits to the fight now. Each milestone it reaches holds social implications beyond the athletic sphere. For that reason, UT must continue to use its platform.

“It’s going to be an incredible next decade for women’s sports,” Plonsky says.

Epstein is a journalism and Plan II senior from Dallas.

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.

ANDERSON BOYD, NEWS EDITOR Monday, July 27, 2015

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Jesús Nazario | Daily Texan Staff

Fatima Mann, right, embraces a friend at the beginning of a silent march in honor of Sandra Bland that began at the Victory Grill on East 11th Street and ended at the Capitol on July 23.

Austinites march to Capitol in silent vigil for Sandra Bland

By Jackie Wang @jcqlnwng

A crowd of about 300 people gathered at the steps of the Capitol on July 23 to remember Sandra Bland, 28, who was found dead in a Waller Creek County jail cell July 13.

The procession walked from 11th Street to the Capitol in silence. People held signs with various messages, such as “Black Lives Matter” and “No Justice, No Peace.”

Fatima Mann, founder of Austin Justice Coalition, helped organize the demonstration. She said Bland’s mother asked her and everyone else to use social media as a tool and spread the hashtag #SandyStillSpeaks.

“I personally spoke to Sandy’s mother,” Mann said. “She doesn’t want any rioting. She wants us to be peaceful. We need to be peaceful until we can let them hear Sandy.”

Bland was arrested July 10 on the charge of assaulting

a police officer. Texas state trooper Brian Encinia, who arrested her, described Bland as “combative” in his affidavit.

Three days later, she was found with a plastic bag noose around her neck. Her death was ruled a suicide, and CNN reported the jail violated policy in Bland’s case, including not checking on her for two hours.

Mann said the narrative surrounding Bland’s death is inaccurate as she was stronger than a three-day incarceration.

“Sandy told her mother she had a purpose and knew what it was,” Mann said. “She was a walking wall of light. … Let’s stop saying it was suicide, and let’s call it murder. We are not going to be happy until the officer is in handcuffs.”

Three police officers preceded the marchers, clearing a path. Matt Fortes, Austin Police Department sergeant, said the officers in attendance were there to assist.

“The organizer contacted the department, and we just

Multimedia

Check out a slideshow of photos from the vigil at dailytexanonline.com facilitate their movement to express their constitutional rights,” Fortes said. “[We] protect them, yes. … As they walk, we follow along. As they pass one intersection, we open it up.”

UT alumna Demitra Musgrove stood toward the front of the crowd with three friends.

“Her life mattered and all black women and men’s lives matter,” Musgrove said. “We have to stop the police brutality on black people. … We want to see justice for the young lady found dead in her cell and for everyone else in the country victimized by police.”

Mann organized the rally with 11 other black women in the Austin area, according to 32-year-old Amber Watts.

“If we wouldn’t, who would?” Akpan said.

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Monday, July 27, 2015

COVER STORY

Monday, July 27, 2015

The Davis debate: an overview The University task force prepares to present its recommendations on Confederate statues on campus to President Fenves.

T

he task force assembled to review the Jefferson Davis statue and other Confederate statues is set to present its recommendations to UT President Gregory Fenves on August 1.

Following the shooting of nine black church members in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17 that sparked national debate about Confederate symbols, Student Government President Xavier Rotnofsky and Vice President Rohit Mandalapu started a petition for the removal of the statue, calling renewed attention to the Confederate symbols on campus.

University officials took action after the statues of Davis, Robert E. Lee and Albert Sydney Johnson were vandalized June 23 — the third such vandalism this year. The next day, Fenves announced the creation of a committee of student leaders, staff and alumni to analyze and assess alternative options for the statues’ future on campus.

Gregory Vincent, chair of the task force and vice president for Diversity and Community Engagement, said he believes Fenves will take the committee’s

recommendations seriously.

However, in 2003, when a different task force met to discuss the Davis statue, the University made no changes.

“President Faulkner [who was UT’s president at the time] gave it a serious consideration during his time,” Vincent said.

“The task force … addressed a wide range of issues, [but] here our charge is much more limited. I have no doubt that Fenves will take our options more seriously.”

The national debate surrounding Confederate iconography has caused many people and institutions to examine Civil War-era monuments more closely. Vincent said he understands why the presence of the statues are now a concern to students.

“Generally speaking, statues and flags do have meaning,” Vincent said. “They do represent ideas and a number of things that invoke feelings and emotions.

That is a concern of a significant number of students. President Fenves takes [that] very seriously.”

When the statues were first proposed

by George Littlefield during the early 1900s, they were to both symbolize the unification of the North and South and pay homage to Littlefield’s personal heroes. However, for Angelica Allen, African and African diaspora studies graduate student, the statues simply remind her of a racist past and honor racist men.

“They symbolize the history of

Confederate history and intent of centuries of racial injustice,” she said.

Davis was the president of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865, during the Civil War. His statue was installed in the Main Mall in 1933, but controversy did not arise about the monument until nearly six decades later.

In 1989, the statue was bleached in an act of vandalism, resulting in permanent damage. A year later, after a fraternity was accused of vandalizing cars with racial slurs and committing other racist acts during Round Up, students gathered around the Davis statue to protest “institutionalized racism.”

The current controversy surrounding the Davis statue was reignited this year when Rotnofsky and Mandalapu made the removal of the statue part of their campaign platform.

“We [wrote] for the Texas Travesty, and it’s been a running joke amongst the organization about how it’s absurd that we still have Confederate statues,” Rotnofsky said. “So when we were running, we knew no one would be talking about the Confederate statue. That’s why we mentioned Jefferson Davis in particular because he was the leader of the Confederacy and he is prominently honored on the South Mall.”

From the time Rotnofsky and Mandalapu brought renewed attention to it,

March 2, 2015

By Matthew Adams & Jackie Wang

The Davis statue was temporarily defaced with “Chump” written with blue chalk and an arrow pointing up to the statue.

@thedailytexan

the Davis statue was vandalized on three separate occasions.

The first vandalism took place March 2, when the word “Chump” with an arrow pointing toward Davis appeared on the statue in blue chalk.

One day later, Rotnofsky and Mandalapu drafted a resolution to remove the statue and submitted it to SG, which nearly unanimously approved.

“It goes without saying that [Davis’] legacy continues to affect us today,” Mandalapu said after the resolution passed.

“This statue serves as a permanent reminder of the atrocities committed against fellow humans.”

The second incident occurred April 16, with the phrases “Davis must fall” and “Emancipate UT” written in red and yellow spray paint.

The third and latest incident happened June 23, when Davis and statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnson were marked with the phrase “Black Lives Matter” in red spray paint.

One day later, the University announced the formation of the task force.

Vincent announced the University would hold two public forums in July to open the discussion up to the public.

A majority of speakers at the first forum, held July 7, were more supportive of removing the statues, whereas the

This year’s controversy: March 23, 2015

members of the second forum, held July 15, were more divided between those asking for the Davis statue to be left in place and supporters of its removal.

As the deadline for the committee’s recommendation approaches, the task force will need to compile options regarding the future of the statue for Fenves. Rotnofsky said the committee is considering recommending the relocation of the statues to the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, which Rotnofsky said would keep them on campus while preserving them for educational purposes.

“The Briscoe Center has a large collection of Confederate and Civil War documents, along with a huge collection of the University’s early history,” Rotnofsky said. “It is fitting these statues fit into their collection. This is an interesting point because [the statues] would still be on campus but they would be contextualized like we want.”

To follow this developing story, check dailytexanonline.com.

August 1, 2015

Marshall Tidrick | Daily Texan file photo

April 17, 2015

Then-Student Government President-elect Xavier Rotnofsky and then-Vice President-elect Rohit Mandalapu passed a resolution calling for the removal of the Jefferson Davis statue.

“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 the in Bob Bullock Museum, where history is preserved.”

The Davis statue was vandalized for a second time with red spray paint and the writing “Davis must fall” and “Emancipate UT.”

June 21, 2015

Rotnofsky and Mandalpu started a petition to remove the statue from the Main Mall. By the following evening, it received more than 1,700 signatures.

June 23–24, 2015 The third vandalism incident occurred with the Davis statue and the statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnson being vandalized with “Black Lives Matter” in red spray paint, and Davis also had “Bump the Chumps” written on it. The next day, UT President Gregory Fenves announced the creation of a task force to analyze and assess the statues.

Jesus Nazario | Daily Texan file photo

The task force will submit its opinion of what the future holds for the Jefferson Davis statue. President Fenves, however, will review the decision and will have the final say as to what happens to the statue.

July 7, 2015

The Davis statue through the ages: 2003

1989 1990 1985

1933 —

The Jefferson Davis statue was installed on the Main Mall.

In February, Davis’ statue was defaced with bleach, resulting in permanent damage. A second incident of vandalism occurred September 4, when “Roots (of the KKK)” and “fight racism now” were spray-painted on the base.

1995 The Black Student Association protested the “institutionalized racism” on campus and fought for the removal of the Jefferson Davis statue after several racially charged events from fraternities on campus.

2000 Then-President Larry Faulkner convened a Task Force on Racial Respect and Fairness, which produced a report on the Jefferson Davis statue and other race-related controversies on campus.

No changes were made to the statue.

2005

2010

Multimedia Check out our video timeline of the Jefferson Davis Statue at dailytexanonline.com.

2015 —

Tensions reignite around the statue.

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Tess Cagle | Daily Texan file photo

July 15, 2015

The second forum was held and received a much larger turnout of those who supported keeping the statue.

The first of two public forums was held by Gregory Vincent, chair of the task force, and other committee members to receive comments and suggestions from the University and Austin community. The forum consisted mostly of those who supported removing the statue.

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Monday, July 27, 2015

COVER STORY

Monday, July 27, 2015

The Davis debate: an overview The University task force prepares to present its recommendations on Confederate statues on campus to President Fenves.

T

he task force assembled to review the Jefferson Davis statue and other Confederate statues is set to present its recommendations to UT President Gregory Fenves on August 1.

Following the shooting of nine black church members in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17 that sparked national debate about Confederate symbols, Student Government President Xavier Rotnofsky and Vice President Rohit Mandalapu started a petition for the removal of the statue, calling renewed attention to the Confederate symbols on campus.

University officials took action after the statues of Davis, Robert E. Lee and Albert Sydney Johnson were vandalized June 23 — the third such vandalism this year. The next day, Fenves announced the creation of a committee of student leaders, staff and alumni to analyze and assess alternative options for the statues’ future on campus.

Gregory Vincent, chair of the task force and vice president for Diversity and Community Engagement, said he believes Fenves will take the committee’s

recommendations seriously.

However, in 2003, when a different task force met to discuss the Davis statue, the University made no changes.

“President Faulkner [who was UT’s president at the time] gave it a serious consideration during his time,” Vincent said.

“The task force … addressed a wide range of issues, [but] here our charge is much more limited. I have no doubt that Fenves will take our options more seriously.”

The national debate surrounding Confederate iconography has caused many people and institutions to examine Civil War-era monuments more closely. Vincent said he understands why the presence of the statues are now a concern to students.

“Generally speaking, statues and flags do have meaning,” Vincent said. “They do represent ideas and a number of things that invoke feelings and emotions.

That is a concern of a significant number of students. President Fenves takes [that] very seriously.”

When the statues were first proposed

by George Littlefield during the early 1900s, they were to both symbolize the unification of the North and South and pay homage to Littlefield’s personal heroes. However, for Angelica Allen, African and African diaspora studies graduate student, the statues simply remind her of a racist past and honor racist men.

“They symbolize the history of

Confederate history and intent of centuries of racial injustice,” she said.

Davis was the president of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865, during the Civil War. His statue was installed in the Main Mall in 1933, but controversy did not arise about the monument until nearly six decades later.

In 1989, the statue was bleached in an act of vandalism, resulting in permanent damage. A year later, after a fraternity was accused of vandalizing cars with racial slurs and committing other racist acts during Round Up, students gathered around the Davis statue to protest “institutionalized racism.”

The current controversy surrounding the Davis statue was reignited this year when Rotnofsky and Mandalapu made the removal of the statue part of their campaign platform.

“We [wrote] for the Texas Travesty, and it’s been a running joke amongst the organization about how it’s absurd that we still have Confederate statues,” Rotnofsky said. “So when we were running, we knew no one would be talking about the Confederate statue. That’s why we mentioned Jefferson Davis in particular because he was the leader of the Confederacy and he is prominently honored on the South Mall.”

From the time Rotnofsky and Mandalapu brought renewed attention to it,

March 2, 2015

By Matthew Adams & Jackie Wang

The Davis statue was temporarily defaced with “Chump” written with blue chalk and an arrow pointing up to the statue.

@thedailytexan

the Davis statue was vandalized on three separate occasions.

The first vandalism took place March 2, when the word “Chump” with an arrow pointing toward Davis appeared on the statue in blue chalk.

One day later, Rotnofsky and Mandalapu drafted a resolution to remove the statue and submitted it to SG, which nearly unanimously approved.

“It goes without saying that [Davis’] legacy continues to affect us today,” Mandalapu said after the resolution passed.

“This statue serves as a permanent reminder of the atrocities committed against fellow humans.”

The second incident occurred April 16, with the phrases “Davis must fall” and “Emancipate UT” written in red and yellow spray paint.

The third and latest incident happened June 23, when Davis and statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnson were marked with the phrase “Black Lives Matter” in red spray paint.

One day later, the University announced the formation of the task force.

Vincent announced the University would hold two public forums in July to open the discussion up to the public.

A majority of speakers at the first forum, held July 7, were more supportive of removing the statues, whereas the

This year’s controversy: March 23, 2015

members of the second forum, held July 15, were more divided between those asking for the Davis statue to be left in place and supporters of its removal.

As the deadline for the committee’s recommendation approaches, the task force will need to compile options regarding the future of the statue for Fenves. Rotnofsky said the committee is considering recommending the relocation of the statues to the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, which Rotnofsky said would keep them on campus while preserving them for educational purposes.

“The Briscoe Center has a large collection of Confederate and Civil War documents, along with a huge collection of the University’s early history,” Rotnofsky said. “It is fitting these statues fit into their collection. This is an interesting point because [the statues] would still be on campus but they would be contextualized like we want.”

To follow this developing story, check dailytexanonline.com.

August 1, 2015

Marshall Tidrick | Daily Texan file photo

April 17, 2015

Then-Student Government President-elect Xavier Rotnofsky and then-Vice President-elect Rohit Mandalapu passed a resolution calling for the removal of the Jefferson Davis statue.

“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 the in Bob Bullock Museum, where history is preserved.”

The Davis statue was vandalized for a second time with red spray paint and the writing “Davis must fall” and “Emancipate UT.”

June 21, 2015

Rotnofsky and Mandalpu started a petition to remove the statue from the Main Mall. By the following evening, it received more than 1,700 signatures.

June 23–24, 2015 The third vandalism incident occurred with the Davis statue and the statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnson being vandalized with “Black Lives Matter” in red spray paint, and Davis also had “Bump the Chumps” written on it. The next day, UT President Gregory Fenves announced the creation of a task force to analyze and assess the statues.

Jesus Nazario | Daily Texan file photo

The task force will submit its opinion of what the future holds for the Jefferson Davis statue. President Fenves, however, will review the decision and will have the final say as to what happens to the statue.

July 7, 2015

The Davis statue through the ages: 2003

1989 1990 1985

1933 —

The Jefferson Davis statue was installed on the Main Mall.

In February, Davis’ statue was defaced with bleach, resulting in permanent damage. A second incident of vandalism occurred September 4, when “Roots (of the KKK)” and “fight racism now” were spray-painted on the base.

1995 The Black Student Association protested the “institutionalized racism” on campus and fought for the removal of the Jefferson Davis statue after several racially charged events from fraternities on campus.

2000 Then-President Larry Faulkner convened a Task Force on Racial Respect and Fairness, which produced a report on the Jefferson Davis statue and other race-related controversies on campus.

No changes were made to the statue.

2005

2010

Multimedia Check out our video timeline of the Jefferson Davis Statue at dailytexanonline.com.

2015 —

Tensions reignite around the statue.

7

Tess Cagle | Daily Texan file photo

July 15, 2015

The second forum was held and received a much larger turnout of those who supported keeping the statue.

The first of two public forums was held by Gregory Vincent, chair of the task force, and other committee members to receive comments and suggestions from the University and Austin community. The forum consisted mostly of those who supported removing the statue.

8

DANIELLE LOPEZ, LIFE&ARTS EDITOR | @thedailytexan Monday, July 27, 2015

ALUMNI

MOVIE REVIEW | ‘PIXELS’

Save your quarters: ‘Pixels’ disappoints

By Charles Liu @charlieindahaus

Photo courtesy of Thomas Allison

UT alumni Thomas Allison, Riley Engemoen, Dyar Bentz and Ricardo Palomares are biking the 18,000-mile Pan-American Highway, documenting their travels along the way.

UT alumni document bike trip south from Alaska to Argentina

By Cat Cardenas @crcardenas8

After cycling 4,000 miles to Alaska five years ago, UT alumnus Dyar Bentz challenged himself to go further — bike the 18,000-mile Pan-American Highway and document it along the way.

Bentz began planning his project, Pedal South, after completing his trip with Texas 4000, a charity bicycle ride. He assembled a team in 2013, recruiting UT alumni Ricardo Palomares, Riley Engemoen and Thomas Allison to film and

photograph their route as they travel from Alaska to Argentina. In June 2014, the group set out for their first stop in Deadhorse, Alaska.

Along the way, the group has been collecting stories from the locals they meet, taking pictures and video, and writing short stories they publish to their site.

The members plan to release a documentary film of their trip once they return.

Although they originally planned to focus on nonprofits, Palomares said they eventually began writing stories about topics ranging

from strangers they encounter to local businesses.

“At the beginning we had many discussions about what was going to be the main goal of the trip,” Palomares said.

“Once we started the trip and truly experienced and understood what we were doing it changed into telling raw and honest stories of everyday life.”

Throughout the journey, Palomares said, the group has often come across people who opened their mind to new ways of thinking.

With the documentary, he said he hopes to open people’s minds up to be more

understanding of others.

“I hope we get to inspire people to get out of their comfort zone and explore more,” Palomares said. “I want to make people curious about the world, and more compassionate too — more open to other cultures and ways of thinking.”

Currently, the group has been traveling for more than a year, arriving in Ecuador last week. Engemoen said he knew disagreements between the team members were bound to happen but

PEDAL page 9

While many modern video games are arguably works of art, Adam Sandler’s movie about video games is inarguably trash.

It’s no surprise that Sandler’s latest fails to hit the mark. His roster of recent films, from “Grown Ups” to “Blended,” consists entirely of flubs, and “Pixels” is no different. The movie features a lame-brained story that botches an interesting concept, with few laughs and blatant sexism.

In “Pixels,” Adam Sandler plays a down-on-his-luck, underachieving schmuck who gets a shot at greatness and a chance to win the love of an attractive woman with his sensitive personality. His character’s essentially the same character from “Happy Gilmore,” “Mr. Deeds,” “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan,” and several others.

Really, the only difference is the character’s name — in this film, the guy is called Sam Brenner.

As a kid in 1982, Brenner played in a video game competition and suffered a crippling defeat during the final round. At the same competition, NASA recorded videos of the games that were played, stored them in a time capsule containing other pieces of Earth culture and launched the capsule into space to make contact with aliens.

When aliens find the capsule, they misinterpret the video game recordings as a declaration of war and attack Earth by mimicking arcade games, such as “Centipede,” “Pac-Man,” and “Donkey Kong.” The U.S. President (Kevin James), a

PIXELS Running Time: 105 minutes Director: Chris Columbus Score: 3/10

childhood friend of Brenner, calls upon him to coordinate a defense strategy that involves defeating the challenges posed by each game.

Sandler phones in his portrayal of Brenner, recycling bits of his prior roles. He plays the straight man of the story, rarely drawing laughs himself and reacts to the ridiculous actions of others.

On the other hand, it’s refreshing to see James play someone who is mostly competent. There’s irony inherent in casting Paul Blart as the commander in chief, and James uses that to fuel a subtly funny performance.

The standout of the movie is Peter Dinklage, who plays Eddie Plant, a tough-guy gamer who beat Brenner in the 1982 competition and returns to help fight the aliens.

Dinklage imbues Plant with an egotistical personality, which, combined with his short stature, is used to a genuinely humorous effect.

For a story based on a clever concept, “Pixels” is terribly rote. There’s nothing dramatic about Sandler overcoming his naysayers with ease and never truly failing, and there’s nothing interesting about the

PIXELS page 9

LIFE&ARTS

9

Monday, July 27, 2015

Photo courtesy of Happy Madison Productions

Adam Sandler’s boring execution of “Pixels” continues his streak of bad movies.

PIXELS

continues from page 8 formulaic romance which blossoms between Brenner and Lt. Col Violet van Patten (Michelle Monaghan).

Director Chris Columbus fails to imaginatively stage the action sequences. The “Centipede” sequence is a brief shoot-em up battle and the “Pac-Man” fight is a tensionless car chase. The “Donkey Kong” climax fares a little better at

PEDAL

continues from page 8 said the project has helped them understand each other better as well.

“Being part of a team, you move and adapt to circumstances as they come up,” Engemoen said. “You are not always right; your style may not be the best fit. Collaborating keeps you humble and always growing.”

Unlike other modes of transportation, the team said biking helps them get to know the city they’re exploring. Allison said they have the chance to run into people they would have never

challenging the heroes, but it’s still overcome far too easily.

Although “Pixels” is entirely innocuous, its blatant sexism is hard to ignore. The female characters in the film are treated as rewards for the good guys’ — emphasis on the guys — hard work. One character, a video game superheroine, clad in a skimpy red outfit that defects from the aliens’ side, literally has no personality and is dubbed a “trophy” for Josh Gad’s character, Ludlow

Lamonsoff, a walking conspiracy theorist cliché.

“Pixels” boasts some impressive special effects and provokes some laughs, mostly from Dinklage and its numerous celebrity cameos. But there’s an underlying laziness to the whole production, and it ends on a whimper rather than a bang.

Unlike the groundbreaking arcade games of the 1980s, “Pixels” is content to play it safe.

met otherwise.

“We just try to be flexible and follow a story wherever it takes us,” Allison said. “In Northwestern British Columbia, we followed up on a story about a group of First Nations people. One thing led to another, and, before we knew it, we were the only non-natives in attendance at the annual Tahltan Country Music Jam.” While the year-and-a-halflong journey has provided the group with once-in-a-lifetime experiences, Bentz said it still comes with drawbacks.

“I don’t know if I was ready for all of the aspects of being on the road for such

a long time,” Bentz said.

“I’ve been surprised by how frustratingly common it occurs that I allow myself to become close with someone and then have to leave right away.”

Despite this, Bentz said the honest connections they make with people, however brief, are what keep them going.

“Being affected by people we meet on the ride is the reason we’re doing this,” Bentz said. “Each individual we spend time with rubs off on us in a unique way, and the overall effect is an awareness that there are innumerable walks of life in the world.”

10

AARON TORRES, SPORTS EDITOR | @texansports Monday, July 27, 2015

HANDBALL

Athletes gather at Zilker to play handball

By Reanna Zuniga

This Week in Sports Monday, July 27 New York Yankees vs.

Texas Rangers

@ReannaSioux

Football, basketball, baseball and, recently, soccer are at the forefront of American sports. But, outside of the states, another sport captures the hearts of fans and players alike — handball.

Usually set up with goals 40 meters apart, two teams of seven take the court to throw or bounce the ball past the goalie. It’s described as soccer but played with hands instead of feet.

In Austin, there is one team that gets together on Saturdays in Zilker Park to play an outdoor version of the game.

The players range from former professionals to newbies and come from Bolivia and France to Houston and California.

Jennie Choi, former USA Team Handball member, put the team together a couple years ago.

Choi said she always loved sports growing up but didn’t learn handball until she arrived at West Point military academy. Choi eventually joined the USA national handball team.

“It was a dream to be able to put on a USA jersey and play for your country. It’s awesome, and I will always love that and miss that to an extent,” she said. “But I also love playing sports for fun. I don’t have to get so intense about it when we’re just having fun out there.”

Over the first year of the group really kicking-off, people from all over the world who live in Austin have joined.

“Austin is such a diverse city, and I think that’s reflected in our team,” Choi said.

“We have people from all over the U.S. and all over the world

SIDELINE

vs.

The Bronx Bombers start a four-game series with the Rangers on Monday in Arlington.

The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Tuesday, July 28 Los Angeles Angels vs.

Houston Astros

vs.

Tess Cagle | Daily Texan Staff

Every Saturday, handball enthusiasts gather in Zilker Park to play handball. Described as similar to soccer, but played with hands instead of feet, handball has gained popularity across the world.

— we have people who have been playing since they were a little kid to new joiners.”

Helene Ipas, a graduate student from France, grew up playing handball and now plays with the team.

“When I first arrived from France, my first thing was will I find some people playing handball. And so I tried and I found this group and its cool,” Ipas said. “In France, it’s really popular, especially for girls. Basically, guys will play soccer or rugby, and girls will play handball or basketball.

I played handball because I sucked at putting the ball in the basket.

For some, such as Ipas, handball represents a familiar

pastime, but for others, such as UT grad David Vargas, it’s a whole new world. A former swimmer for the Bolivian national swim team, Vargas said he loves the diversity and “fun” mentality of the group.

“In a way [handball is] like what the United States is — a melting pot. This sport is kind of like a melting pot, where we have all these different nationalities,” Vargas said. “The part that I like the most is the informality. Once it becomes formal and you have a team, you have to go for the win. I already do that at work, and I want to just chill and relax.”

But the team isn’t just made up of international players. Taylor Coffee, a

native of California and UT graduate, said he’s been playing with the group on and off since 2009.

“I had seen it on TV during the Olympics, and I just kind of up and Googled it one time and found we had a team in Austin, and I went out and played with them. Six years later, and I’m still here,” Coffee said. “It’s fast-paced and contact — it’s not just letting people go by you; you still have to hit them. And it’s with your hands — almost all American sports are with your hands — so it translates pretty easily.”

Despite having the elements of a sports that Americans love, handball continues to have a small following.

All the team members said they’d love to see the sport grow in popularity.

Choi sits on the Board of Directors for the USA Handball Federation. Although her competitive playing days are over, she still tries to do as much as she can to support the sport.

“I try to pitch it to some schools here in the Austin School District because I know parents are worried about kids, especially with football,” she said. “It’s semi-physical but still high intensity, fast-paced sport, and so I think kids really like it; they’re just not exposed to it. I think if we get kids playing, then we’ll have more people playing in the future.”

The Angels head to Houston to begin a three-game series with the Astros. The series will be key in determining who wins the AL West as Los Angeles holds a one game lead over the Astros in the AL West.

Saturday, August 1 Austin Aztex vs. Portland Timbers 2

vs.

The Austin Aztex season kicks off in Austin when they take on the Portland Timbers 2. USA soccer legend Landon Donovan will be a special guest at the game.

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