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Friday, September 25, 2015
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UNIVERSITY
Board settles Patterson’s resignation By Matthew Adams and Jacob Martella @thedailytexan
The UT System Board of Regents unanimously approved a settlement for former athletic director Steve Patterson’s resignation Thursday. The details of the resignation are not yet available,
but the board announced that athletic department funds will pay for his settlement. When an agreement is reached between Patterson and the University, the information will be released to the public. “We needed authorization from the Board of Regents on the terms,” UT President Gregory Fenves said. “We have
that now, so we’ll finish it up expeditiously.” Patterson resigned on Sept. 15 after 22 months on the job. He oversaw a net loss of $8.1 million for the department in the 2013– 2014 fiscal year, and his actions to reverse that trend — raising season ticket prices for football and basketball — were unpopular among fans and boosters.
Patterson also had trouble getting along with Fenves. Two weeks ago, Fenves told the Austin American-Statesman editorial board that he and Patterson were “continuing to work through the issues.” Last week, Fenves introduced Mike Perrin, Houston attorney and former Longhorn linebacker, as
interim athletic director. Fenves did not say what led him to dismiss Patterson, but he said they did not “always see eye-to-eye.” Fenves said he does not have a plan to begin a search for a new athletic director, but said Perrin “has been fabulous” in his first week on the job.
REGENTS page 2
UNIVERSITY
Four-year graduation rates on the rise By Matthew Adams @MatthewAdams60
Four-year graduation rates are now at 57.7 percent, an increase from last year, UT reported Thursday. According to UT, the graduation rate is 2.6 percent higher than last year’s, and student diversity has also increased in the past year. “These new numbers are very positive. I am proud of the work our faculty and University leaders have done to keep UT students on track for fouryear graduation — and proud of our students’ success,” UT President Gregory Fenves said in a UT press release. “We will continue to work hard to help students graduate on time with a high-quality education.” Comparing racial diversity from the previous year, UT also saw an increase in both Hispanic and African-American students admitted. The Hispanic student population increased to 22.1 percent and the African-American student population increased to 5.3 percent. Xavier Clark, a political communication and communication studies senior, said he does not believe the University should be proud of a small increase.
OVERALL GRADUATION RATES
CLASS OF 2017 PERSISTENCE RATE
CLASS OF 2018 PERSISTENCE RATE
90.5%
95.5%
The class of 2017 had a persistence rate of 90.5%.
The class of 2018 had a persistence rate of 95.5%, a University record for a oneyear persistence.
57.7% Four-year graduation rates at UT are up to 57.7 (2.6 increase from 55 percent last year).
Source: Joey Williams | Interim Communications Director Infographic by Kelly Smith | Daily Texan Staff
“Due to the fact that minority representation continues to be a problem on campus, a small increase does not fix a history of systematic neglect towards students at UT,” Clark said. “We have to realize baby steps are just that, baby steps.” Under former UT President William Powers Jr.’s tenure, the University announced a goal for the class of 2017 to be the first group to have at least 70
percent of the students graduate in four years. The report stated after two years, the persistence rate for this class is 90.5 percent, the highest on record. Based on the data that was collected, Senior Vice Provost David Laude said University resources have contributed to the success of students. “We began programmatic work so that the class of 2017 would have advantages of with
respect to improved advising, course availability [and] registration availability, we are building a community around the class,” Laude said. “At this particular point, 85 percent of those students are on track to graduate.” Although the University’s graduation rates are improving, Laude said the University still plans to help students get into classes they need through a
program called Senior Countdown. “The reality is that we have a lot of work to do in terms of whether a student is going to be able to get those courses they need in their junior or senior year,” Laude said. “Toward that, we have created a program called Senior Countdown, which is an opportunity for
GRADUATION page 2
bit.ly/dtvid
CAMPUS
Speedway Mall plan to improve busy area By Nashwa Bawab @nashwabawab
The University will begin construction to renovate Speedway as a pedestrian-mall area on Oct. 26. According to Pat Clubb, university operations vice president, the Speedway Mall project is a construction plan that will reconstruct Speedway from Jester Circle, near the northern edge of the Blanton Museum, to Dean Keeton Street. Clubb said the project will be completed near the end of 2017 and will utilize the campus space for outdoor learning, organization tabling, campus festivities, concerts and other student activities. “[Speedway] is a wonderful asset that is not being used, and this project allows us to turn a dull, ugly — this place that students just walk past — into a true activity center,” Clubb said. “I think it will transform the student experience. It will become a place of learning, become a place of social activity. All of the things that will be possible are going to enhance the students’ experience.” The Speedway Mall Project has a construction price of $27 million and a total project cost of $36 million, which is all being paid for with University funds and donations, according to David Rae, Campus Planning and Project Management vice president. Rae said the construction will have
SPEEDWAY
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CITY
CAMPUS
City Council regulates short-term rental terms
Alumna discusses digital innovation, success
By Lauren Florence @laurenreneeflo
A one-year ban will be placed on applications to rent houses for a short-term period after the Austin City Council voted 9-1 on Sept. 17th. The City Council passed the ban as part of an effort to place more regulations on short-term rentals and put a stop to “party houses,” which have occurred particularly in residential neighborhoods, such as West Campus. However, an official ordinance to enforce the ban will take a few months, according to the City Council. The City Council also considered other stricter regulations for short-term rentals that aren’t owner occupied, called Type 2 rentals. Type 1 rentals, where owners only rent out the residence for part of the year, such as during Austin City Limits, will not
be affected by the ban. Austin Mayor Steve Adler said many owners of shortterm rentals do not license their residences with the city. “Maybe we’ll now capture a lot of people that haven’t signed up before that will now come within our licensing operation,” Adler said. “Recognizing that anybody that signs up in the next month are going to have to comply with these rules. It’s not like if they sign up before the rules, they get out of the rules — they’re going to have to do the rules.” Kristen Hotopp, supporter of stricter short-term rental regulations, said in a testimony that there are many more “underground” Type 2 shortterm rentals than are legally licensed to operate. Hotopp said more short-term rentals means there are less residential houses on the market,
PARTY page 3
By Mikaela Cannizo @mikaelac16
UT alumna Tressie Lieberman spoke about her journey from advertising student to vice president of digital innovation and on demand for Taco Bell on Thursday night. In her talk, Lieberman discussed how she built a brand for herself in both her personal and professional life. Learning how to dream big and take risks in college helped her achieve success in her current position at Taco Bell, Lieberman said. “My personal vision at work is to see what could be in myself, others and [the] business and make it happen through kindness, passion and creativity,” Lieberman said. Tasked with creating the digital brand and social media presence of Taco Bell, Lieberman said she has developed ways to engage with the community. “We set up this big vision to
Christina Severson | Daily Texan Staff
Tressie Lieberman, UT alumna and vice president of Taco Bell, speaks to students about her journey from UT to corporate America Thursday night.
be the most relevant brand,” Lieberman said. Taco Bell is often recognized for its social media presence. When the company developed a Taco Bell app
that allows customers to order food, it deleted all social media posts for a day to direct fans to the new app. Taco Bell also received attention when it was the first major brand to
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
ONLINE
UT to receive $81 million nanotechnology grant. ONLINE
Big data is essential for future of medicine. PAGE 4
Longhorns confident against Oklahoma State. PAGE 6
UT alumni lay foundation for Austin’s live-music scene. PAGE 8
TI CEO connects innovation to community service. PAGE 3
Peers should can help bridge gap for ESL students. PAGE 4
Texas starts conference play in Morgantown. PAGE 6
UT alumna documents Barton Springs’ history. ONLINE
Check out our recap video about campus safety from our weekly event, The Texan Talks. dailytexanonline.com
promote its business through Snapchat. While she emphasized the importance of interacting
TACO BELL page 2 REASON TO PARTY
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