The Daily Texan 2015-09-29

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NEWS PAGE 3

SPORTS PAGE 6

COMICS PAGE 7

Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900

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Tuesday, September 29, 2015

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

UT given hazard research grant By Ashley Tsao @tsaoashley

The Cockrell School of Engineering was given a $3.8 million grant by the National Science Foundation to continue hazards research on infrastructure resistance against earthquakes. UT is one of seven universities involved in the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure program, an organization created by the NSF. Professor Kenneth Stokoe, associ-

ate professor Brady Cox and assistant professor Patricia Clayton lead the team at the Cockrell School. UT was awarded the grant after submitting a proposal that went through a merit review process, according to NSF spokeswoman Sarah Bates. “The National Science Foundation had a call for proposals, specifically for facilities around the U.S. that could provide equipment to better provide information about infrastructure resis-

tance to natural disasters,” Clayton said. It is important that universities take steps toward investing more in hazards research in light of numerous recent disasters such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Haitian earthquake in 2010 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Clayton said. “Thousands of people were negatively affected by these natural hazards,” Clayton said. “For us to be able to understand these hazards will better allow us to design

our communities to be more resilient against them. With this research, we can reduce the amount of negative impacts that these hazards will have on people.” According to Clayton, this grant specifically helps to maintain machines called shaker trucks that were originally built in 2000 through a different NSF grant. These machines produce accelerations through the ground to simulate the same ground shaking that a real earthquake would do. Sensors

placed along the ground surface will detect these waves, and the data can be used to inform engineers how to build or rebuild structures to resist future earthquakes. Electrical engineering junior Jason Cai said grants such as this one are helpful to both faculty and students at UT. “If the departments didn’t get any grants, the professors would have to raise the money by themselves,”

GRANT page 2

MUSIC

Holy Mountain hosts closing concert By Megan Hix @meganhix95

To passersby, Sunday night looked like any other at Holy Mountain as audience members wafted in and out of the bustling bar. But as staff members and patrons embraced in familiar, welcoming hugs, the venue’s imminent closing overshadowed the evening’s festivities. Although the night was a happy occasion, it was time to say goodbye. Holy Mountain packed in a sentimental yet celebratory crowd Sunday for the last night of a three-day concert series marking the club’s final weekend before its lease expires Oct. 1. Holy Mountain is one of several Austin venues forced to close because of skyrocketing rents and short-term leases. Over the summer, these challenges also led venues such as

VENUE page 5

Lisseth Lopez | Daily Texan Staff

Ben Ballinger sings at the last show at Holy Mountain, a popular local music venue on Sunday night. Holy Mountain was open for three years and hosted a variety of local bands.

CAMPUS

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WEST CAMPUS

City plans to add parking meters west of campus By Lauren Florence @laurenreneeflo

The Austin Transportation Department and University Area Partners neighborhood association approved a budget of almost $220,000 for street and traffic improvement in West Campus, and more parking meters will be added to the area. Currently, there is only one parking benefit district in Austin, which is located in West Campus. Parking benefit districts make street parking more available by raising revenue from metered parking for street and sidewalk improvements, according to the transportation department website. Nina Lemieux, biology and Plan II junior and Student Government city relations director, did not mention any meter price changes for the future. University Area Partners is seeking approval from City Council to put the meters up over winter break, according to Lemieux. Lemieux said the expansion will also allow smaller neighborhood associations in the area, such as Caswell and Shoal Creek, to put meters in their neighborhoods. “I believe over the last three years, the current meters [have] paid for themselves and amassed $200,000 for [West Campus] improvements,” Lemieux said. The location of the new meters is supposed to be revealed during a public meeting Wednesday evening at Newman Hall, Lemieux said. She

PARKING page 2

CITY

Police policies reviewed by commission By Lauren Florence

Assistant police chief Brian Manley (left) discusses Austin Police Department’s policies and required training at Austin City Hall on Monday evening.

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Rachel Zein | Daily Texan file photo

Over the summer, Taco Bell vacated its space in the Texas Union with no explanation. Field of Greens took Taco Bell’s space.

Taco Bell vacates Union for undisclosed reasons By Eleanor Breed @thedailytexan

The Taco Bell franchise chose to discontinue operations in the Texas Union for unknown reasons this past summer. The franchise terminated its presence in the Union on their own accord with no involvement from University officials, Mulugeta Ferede, execu-

tive director for University Unions, said. “The decision for Taco Bell to vacate the space was strictly made by Taco Bell’s operator,” Ferede said. “The operator had an option to extend their contract and elected not to. There was no other bid for the space.” Aramark is responsible

TACOS page 2

Concerns about the effectiveness of racial profiling, cultural sensitivity and the use of force by police were raised at the City’s Human Rights Commission meeting Monday after an Austin Police Department presentation. Austin police monitor Margo Frasier said police officer training needs to emphasize personal bias in individuals more, especially when officers may conduct warrantless search and seizures on a hunch. Frasier said the police monitor department’s latest analysis show whites in Austin have a one in 22 chance of being searched, while Hispanics have a one in eight chance and blacks have a one in six chance of being searched. “What is perceived to be suspicious behavior [for me] may be different than if we’re talking about a 19-, 20-year-old African-

Zoe Fu Daily Texan Staff

American male, and it’s the same behavior, but it’s the perception of it by individuals — and I’m not saying that they’re necessarily even thinking about this consciously — but it’s just an intrinsic bias,” Frasier said. Paula Buls, Human Rights Commission board member, asked the police officers in attendance if they noticed a noticeable trend in increased community tension and movement away from a

perception of police officers as protectors. Assistant police chief Brian Manley said in response that officers haven’t faced this level of scrutiny since the Civil Rights era and that the handful of negative cases that have generated attention over the past couple of years are due to social media. “I think that what happens also is the media focuses on the negative encounters,” Manley said.

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

LIFE&ARTS

ONLINE

Speedway update outlines plans, raises concerns. PAGE 3

Medical schools move to incorporate human relations into traditional sciencefocused curriculum.

Former Longhorn runner aims for the Olympics. PAGE 6

Students share their stories behind tattoos. PAGE 8

TCU survives battle against Texas Tech. PAGE 6

The Dead Weather’s latest release is darker and heavier. PAGE 8

Need new music? Check out two album suggestions from music writer Chris Duncan.

Panel addresses inequality and human rights. PAGE 3

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dailytexanonline.com

“But what’s lost in the conversation is that for each and every one of those bad instances that happen, there were thousands of instances where police officers — maybe they saved a life, maybe they just handled a call appropriately — but they made a difference.” Manley said negative events regarding police force have forced the

APD page 2 REASON TO PARTY

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