The Daily Texan 2015-09-30

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COMICS PAGE 7

LIFE&ARTS PAGE 8

SPORTS PAGE 6

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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

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SYSTEM

System opts out of learning assessment

By Matthew Adams @MatthewAdams60

The UT System will no longer participate in a student assessment they have distributed since 2004.

Karen Adler, spokeswoman for the UT System, said the UT System decided over the

summer to not continue the Collegiate Learning Assessment, which measures how much undergraduates are learning in their academics.

Adler said the System made the decision to save costs for the University.

“Previously, the UT System paid for academic campuses

to participate in the CLA for $92,000 annually,” Adler said.

“The decision to no longer fund the CLA is a cost-savings measure and a reflection of our efforts to focus our budget on critical needs. The services previously provided by CLA will now be done in-house through the UT System Office

of Strategic Initiatives.”

A report from Watchdog, a political advocacy group, found UT students scored in the 23rd percentile on the assessment. However, Linda Dickens, senior director of institutional accreditation and effectiveness at UT, said the 23rd percentile is not correct.

From data between 2010 and 2014, Dickens said freshman students have not scored below the 98th percentile, and seniors have never scored below the 95th percentile.

“To say that our students are not stacking up to other students

Daulton Venglar | Daily Texan Staff

Sophomore Eddie Hall tried out Tuesday for the men’s basketball team. Hall has overcome numerous obstacles in his quest to make the team and hopes to be a member of the Longhorns in head coach Shaka Smart’s first year in Austin.

HEALTH

@nashwabawab

SPIRIT page 2

@ViewFromTheBox

freshman team at Foster High School in Richmond, Texas. His coaches told him they put him on the squad was because of his mother’s death.

“It just kind of sucks because I was looked at as ‘Oh,

By Nashwa Bawab

WALK-ON page 6

By Jacob Martella

could’ve removed the tumor, and she would have been perfectly fine,’” Hall said.

His mother’s death also impacted Hall’s court play negatively. Hall was a standout player in eighth grade but barely made the

SG members debate bill in support of school spirit

you’re not going to play that much because you’re only on the team for this reason — we’re doing you a favor,’” Hall said.

Instead of letting that

Student chases dream of walk-on spot

on Hall and his dad, especially since doctors saw she had symptoms of the cancer following a mini-stroke but did nothing.

“Once it was too late, they were like, ‘If we had known this a week or two ago, we

STUDENT GOVT.

After long deliberation and debate during a Student Government meeting Tuesday a motion in favor of recommitting A.R. 10 — a resolution in support of increased interaction between the student body and Texas Athletics — to committee was passed.

The legislation, which was originally in support of a University-wide effort to increase school spirit, was changed after SG members raised concerns about the bill having no clear purpose. The renamed bill now focuses on both school spirit and a healthy student lifestyle as it relates to student athletics, according to Jonathan Dror, author of the resolution.

Dror said he did not think the legislation would cause the debate to last as long as it did.

“I didn’t expect it to be so controversial,” Dror said. “I mean, we’ve had very controversial pieces of legislation in the past, but I thought this would be something that everyone would be for.”

Dror brought forward legislation, which members debated because of concerns that it was an unnecessary bill, according to Kallen Dimitroff, a University-Wide Representative who voted against the bill going back to committee. After a second vote, the legislation was sent back to committee.

“We could write a legislation that says, ‘I support students on campus’ or ‘I support learning on campus,’ like obviously we support those things,” Dimitroff said. “I don’t think we should write legisla-

LEARNING page 2

MEN’S BASKETBALL

When Eddie Hall showed up to Cooley Pavilion early Tuesday morning, he expected an intense workout.

He watched some film of head coach Shaka Smart’s defense — which is similar to what Hall played in high school — and was ready for a highly contested competition. But the tryout was vastly different from what Hall expected. Only five other eligible participants showed up, and the tryout consisted of typical drills: a three-on-three weave, halfcourt three-on-three and full-court one-on-one.

“It was really easy,” Hall said.

Despite the ease of the tryout, Hall walked out disappointed and feeling like he didn’t play up to his capabilities.

“If I had practiced a little more and known what we were going to do going in, I might have been able to shine more,” Hall said.

Hall’s road to Texas’ walkon tryouts has been a challenging one. In 2009, Hall’s mother died on Valentine’s Day after battling pancreatic cancer. Her death was hard

bit.ly/dtvid

CITY

UHS begins flu vaccination campaign Students injured at

ACL wristband sale

By Forrest Milburn @forrestmilburn

In preparation for the upcoming flu season, students lined up Tuesday for vaccinations at this year’s first flu shot clinic in the Student Services Building.

University Health Services has hosted the clinic campaign each year for several decades, aiming to provide a vaccination source for students, staff and faculty with the recommendation that everyone get vaccinated once a year, if possible.

“If you think of the campus as a large herd of animals, then it’s about herd immunity,” Kathy Mosteller, UHS director of nursing services, said. “We want to immunize as many people as we possibly can because that will protect those who, for whatever reason, choose not to or medically are not able to.”

According to the UHS website, the shot UHS administers contains an

By Zainab Calcuttawala @zainabroo94

Jesús Nazario | Daily Texan Staff

UT nursing student Maggie Gray administers a flu vaccine shot Tuesday to UT nursing sophomore Samantha Hong.

inactivated virus flu vaccine, which makes contracting the flu impossible, since the viruses in the vaccine are dead, not weakened.

Through surveying students, Sherry Bell, UHS senior program coordinator,

said UHS has found that between 15 and 16 percent of all students have suffered a negative academic impact from colds, the flu or sore throats in the last year.

Mechanical engineering sophomore Haley Ross

said she decided to get vaccinated at the clinic because she was worried any symptoms related to catching the flu could potentially hurt her studies.

“I know for a lot of

VACCINES page 2

A stampede of customers during ACL’s Student Day on Saturday led to the injury of college and high school students, according to UT students who attended the event.

ACL hosts a sale annually to offer students and members of the military wristbands at a discounted price.

UT electrical engineering sophomore Eduardo Zueck and public relations sophomore Diego Mejia said they arrived to wait outside Zilker Park around 9 p.m. the night before the sale, because the park has a curfew between the hours of 10 PM and 5 AM, when no one is allowed on park grounds.

Zueck said the stampede started because security opened the gates to the park early.

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

LIFE&ARTS

ONLINE

UT announces Pakistan film exchange program.

PAGE 3

Columnist writes on postincarceration employment.

PAGE 4

Club sports give students athletic opportunity.

PAGE 6

Longhorn Furs unites anthropomorphic animal lovers.

PAGE 8

Check out our video interview with English professor Heather Houser at

Students and community discuss refugee crisis.

PAGE 3

Columnist criticizes antiObama conspiracy theories.

PAGE 4

Linebacker Derrick Thomas shines in NFL. PAGE 6

UT student records album with band KaraKara.

PAGE 8

dailytexanonline.com

“People were by the fence waiting for the line to be opened [at 5 AM], and out of nowhere, they opened the line and people just started rushing in trying to scale the fence,” Zueck said. “In that process, most of the fences started falling down on top of people.”

Mejia said he sustained injuries after a fence collapsed on top of him.

“People just started moving forward, so I was getting squished against the gate, so I tried to jump over, but I just fell on the other side of the gate, and then the gate completely collapsed onto my leg,” Mejia said. “Then people collapsed on the gate, so my leg got completely squished under the gate, and I got a nasty gash. It was scary because I couldn’t move at all, and there were also other people who were under me.”

STAMPEDE page 3 REASON TO PARTY

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NEWS

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LEARNING

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or other institutions is not quite accurate, because we are surpassing other students,” Dickens said.

A 2012 story by the Washington Post found UT was one of hundreds of institutions to use the Collegiate Learning Assessment to test a student’s critical thinking and communication skills. Using the Collegiate Learning Assessment data, sociologists Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa conducted a national study in 2011 that found 36 percent of students did not

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nationwide statistics.”

Dickens said the University provides the assessment to 200 freshmen in the fall and 200 seniors in the spring. The results are sent to the University System to review before the campuses see the results.

Despite UT using the assessment, Dickens said the Collegiate Learning Assessment has not always been the best option to look at students’ progress.

“When our students score so high coming in, you need a test that is so nuanced that it can really capture the kinds of gains student make during their years here,” Dickens said.

“I’m not sure the CLA has been able to capture those changes of our students.”

VACCINES

continues from page 1 students, we don’t have transportation to go somewhere else and get it done,” Ross said. “It’s hard to find places nearby that will do it otherwise, so having this makes it that much easier to get it all done.”

To receive a vaccination, insured students are required to bring their UT ID and insurance card or complete insurance information.

Students who are uninsured or do not have the information available can have the charge

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TOMORROW’S WEATHER

High

make any significant learning gains between their freshman and senior year.

Tom Lindsay, director of the Center for Higher Education at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, said the percentage could be tied back to a lack of required curriculum.

“The humanities, social sciences, mathematics and natural sciences are the subject matter of what used to be a required core curriculum in the liberal arts and sciences,” Lindsay said. “In one sense, you can say these disappointing scores … is perhaps a decline of a required core curriculum in the liberal arts and sciences, [which] explains to some extent these

Low

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continues from page 1 tion if it isn’t necessary, and I don’t think it was necessary in this case.”

Some SG members opposed the bill because of the inclusion of a promotional school spirit video created by Dror, as well as the unclear intentions behind the legislation, according to Dimitroff. The promotional video, also created by Dror, was seen as a distraction from the purpose of enacting legislation.

“You don’t write legislation because you have an idea.

You write legislation because it is necessary to support an initiative in order to have that initiative come to fruition,” Dimitroff said. “My problem with this piece of legislation is — and why I didn’t want it to go back to committee was, — that I think regardless of whether it goes back to committee, the intention behind it not why we write legislation.”

—Kallen Dimitroff, University wide representative

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You write legislation because it is necessary to support an initiative in order to have that initiative come to fruition.

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billed to their UT accounts, and uninsured faculty and staff are required to pay $10 by cash or check when they get their shot.

“We don’t want students who don’t have insurance to think that they can’t get the vaccine, because they can,” Bell said. “We try to do everything we can to reduce barriers to getting the flu shot.”

Clinics are offered Tuesday through Thursday for four weeks throughout October, with a full schedule listing the locations and dates available on the UHS website.

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According to Jenny McGinty, cosponsor of the legislation, a lot of people had issues with very specific issues. She said she hopes members can come together to make the legislation suitable to fit everyone’s vision.

“Everyone is on the same page about school spirit, it’s just implementing these ideas is where people are on two different sides,” McGinty said.

“I hope everyone can come to the committee meeting to offer their suggestions so we can just find a solution that everyone wants.”

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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

CAMPUS

UNIVERSITY

UT, Pakistan partner for new film courses

Emily Nagel, a junior French and european studies major, gave a presentation on misconceptions about migrants and refugees. As the publicity coordinator for Amnesty International on campus, Nagel is in charge of the Amnesty newsletter and other outreach efforts.

By Catherine Marfin @ccaatheeerineee

The United States Embassy in Pakistan has granted $1 million to UT’s South Asia Institute and RadioTelevision-Film program to enable students from both UT and Lahore, Pakistan to travel and collaborate on film projects.

Kamran Ali, director of UT’s South Asia Institute, said UT is a prime location for the partnership between the two countries.

“Unlike Hollywood, Austin is a space of independent filmmaking,” Ali said. “The film industry in Pakistan may benefit more from our low budget filmmaking scene, since blockbuster Hollywood productions may not be feasible for their current industry.

This is an ideal place for the young and potential filmmakers to be exposed to filmmaking that will serve them well.”

Between now and the spring of 2018, UT faculty will travel to Lahore four times to conduct intensive filmmaking courses, while 16 students and faculty from Pakistan will visit UT to work on collaborative film projects. The threeyear program will culminate in a feature-length film, which is expected to screen at international film festivals in both countries.

“The National College of Arts will receive some of the most cutting-edge train-

Junyuan Tan Daily Texan Staff

Human rights group discusses refugee crisis

By Rund Khayyat @rundkhayyat

As refugee death tolls continue to rise, misconceptions about migrants and refugees must be addressed, said a representative of Amnesty International at a presentation Tuesday about the migrant crisis in Europe.

“Many countries have closed their doors to Syrian refugees, due to xenophobic thoughts that an influx of Muslims would hurt them,” French junior Emily Nagel said. “Not only is this statistically incorrect, it is extremely racist and wrong.”

The European Union is facing the largest influx of migrants since World War II, according to the United Nations Human Rights Watch.

STAMPEDE

continues from page 1 Mejia said the inadequate presence of security at the sale allowed for the stampede to occur.

Charlie Jones, partner at

Countries are taking measures to keep out migrants. Recently, Hungary built an electric fence along its border with Serbia to keep refugees out of the country, Nagel said.

The U.S. has agreed to take in 10,000 Syrian Refugees, according to statement made by the White House on Sept. 10.

Isabella Bejar, co-president of Amnesty International, said the number should be higher.

“In the scheme of things, that is pretty low, because the U.S is such a powerful country,” journalism senior Bejar said. “We clearly have our own issues with racism and immigration.”

The group is partnering with the Joel Nefuma Refugee Center to educate students about global issues they may be aware of but don’t understand their full impact,

said Jonathan Rufrano, club co-president and international relations and global studies junior.

“Homelessness is a huge problem in Austin, but UT students are so desensitized they don’t do anything to help,” Rufrano said. “That’s really sad. We are trying to work with spotlight issues that need to be addressed in a timed manner before they go away.”

The European Union’s 2013 Dublin Regulation, which states refugees must remain in the countries in which they first arrive, has made it more difficult for refugees to reach countries offering asylum.

“Refugees are going through countries like Italy or Spain in order to get to other countries, like the Baltics, who provide benefits for those seeking

asylum,” Nagel said. “Instead, they keep getting sent back.”

By working to educate students through its partnership, Amnesty is helping to dispel misconceptions, said Nagel.

“Through education, we take the step back and remember this is a problem, and these are people regardless of race, ethnicity and religion,” said Nagel. “They are people, and they need help.”

Misconceptions about Syrian refugees come from a disconnect, said Rufrano.

“Many people can’t even put Syria on a map, this is largely true for Americans.” Rufrano said. “There is a disconnect, because a lot of European countries are trying to keep their nationalities separate and hold onto their culture. This causes xenophobia.”

C3 Presents, the company responsible for Zilker Park during ACL, issued a statement attributing the incident to the nature of the crowd at the sale.

“A group of unruly fans at this year’s event

compromised the safety of others, including some of our most loyal fans,“ Jones said.

After being injured, Mejia said he rode in an ambulance to the hospital with a high school student who sustained

an injury to his forehead from a fallen fence. Both of their injuries were minor, he said.

“They got lucky,” Mejia said of the event organizers. “It could have gone so much worse.”

ing in areas of scriptwriting, cinematography, production, direction and much more,” Ali, UT liberal arts professor, said. “Students and faculty from both schools will gain exposure to new learning trajectories, creative impulses and aesthetic priorities, which provides for a productive and beneficial learning experience.”

RTF freshman Jeff Kardesch said he thinks the program is important because it shows UT students a different side of Pakistani culture.

“In this country, the only things we hear about Pakistan are negative,” Kardesch said. “This is a great way to learn more about their arts, culture, and method of filmmaking, which you would never see in today’s media. There’s a lot we can learn from each other.”

Michael Anderson, director of international relations and global studies at UT, said he feels the program is important in educating students about cultural issues in society.

“This kind of exchange brings the world to UTAustin, and the world can either complement or challenge many cultural preconceptions students have,” Anderson said. “This program will allow students to hear all kinds of voices and opinions through experts from a culture outside their own, broadening the education of students from both countries.”

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4 OPINION

CLAIRE SMITH, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | @TexanEditorial Wednesday, September 30, 2015

4

COLUMN

Felons deserve second chance

By David Bordelon Daily Texan Columnist @TexanEditorial

The felony “checkbox” — the box on the front of most job applications that requires ex-felons to state their criminal past — is an unfair practice that unduly harms ex-felons who are looking for legitimate futures. It keeps felons from finding jobs, which maximizes their chances of falling back into crime.

The checkbox is a common practice and generally acts as a filter for recruiters to automatically eliminate felons’ applications.

“In most cases, once they turn up a conviction, that’s the end of the road for your application,” said Jeffrey Ian Ross, a criminology professor at the University of Baltimore, in an interview with The New York Times.

Sociology professor Mark Warr teaches an upper-division criminology class that examines the U.S. criminal justice system.

He was approached by a man who was released from prison and began looking for a legitimate job. The man filled out more than 200 applications — all of which possessed the checkbox — and, in an effort to be honest, checked “Yes” on the checkbox every time. He received zero responses to his applications.

“That single checkbox keeps millions of

Americans from gainful employment,” Warr said.

When felons are continually turned down because of their past, they generally have only one direction to go — back to crime.

Recidivism, or relapse into previous criminal behavior, is an immense problem in the United States. According to the National Institute of Justice, 76.6 percent of prisoners were rearrested within five years of their release. Recidivism requires meaningful job opportunities to be combated, not joblessness and professional disdain.

The checkbox is also judicially incoherent.

The justice system is, in theory, supposed to hand down fair punishments for the crimes committed. The sentence given is also supposed to be the entire punishment. The checkbox, and its consequences, act as an additional unforeseen punishment beyond the sentence the felon received. Philosophy professor Paul Woodruff argues against the checkbox because it obfuscates the true severity of criminal punishment.

“If joblessness is meant to be part of the punishment, we should make that explicit,” Woodruff said.

The good news is there is a growing movement called “Ban the Box” that is working to make the felony checkbox illegal. Twelve states have banned it entirely, and many more are considering doing

Illustration by Connor Murphy | Daily Texan Staff

the same. Banning the box does not mean employers cannot administer background checks; it just removes the initial check from the application. Without this removal, felons can get interviews where they can explain their past actions on their own terms in order to show their rehabilitation.

“Ban the Box” is not a movement of hiding criminals’ pasts from employers; it is one of giving felons a chance to forge a better future in light of that past. And it’s time we give felons the second chance they deserve.

Bordelon is a philosophy sophomore from Houston.

COLUMN

COLUMN

DEA’s current drug scheduling is illogical, should be reformed

Synthetic marijuana endangers users, exploits legal loopholes

By Cuillin Chastain-Howley Daily Texan Columnist @notcuillin

With the legalization of marijuana in states such as Colorado and Washington, drug law is starting to ease up on the state level. However, national associations, such as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), still spread misinformation about drugs, and its current drug scheduling is misleading and potentially harmful.

The DEA organizes drugs into five categories, Schedule 1 through 5. Schedule 1 drugs are supposed to be very dangerous, “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” The three most instantly recognizable Schedule 1 drugs are heroin, LSD and marijuana.

Any metric, heroin is vastly more dangerous than marijuana or LSD. Heroin is extremely addictive and has been responsible for the collapse of many people’s lives. This is in sharp contrast to LSD and cannabis, which are virtually impossible to overdose on and have low addiction potential.

These aren’t cherry-picked examples, either.

There are multiple irrational classifications on the DEA’s list. Cocaine, a drug with a high addiction risk, is Schedule 2, which is lower than cannabis. Even meth, which rivals heroin in its capacity to destroy lives, is Schedule 2.

Part of the problem is that it is difficult to study drugs in general. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) only receives around $1 billion in funding every year, not nearly enough to keep up with the nation’s everchanging drug trends. On top of this, researchers looking for a grant to study a drug must have an established background, and, once he or she gets a grant, it usually takes four to five years to complete research — by which time the current drug climate has changed completely. All these layers of bureaucracy create an environment that is not friendly to drug reform.

Stephanie Hamborsky, Plan II and biology senior and the president of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, said drug sched-

uling is “completely misinformed, with no objective analysis.”

Hamborsky added that drug policy is based on the interests of big pharmaceutical companies. While there is no way to prove this, it is interesting that prescription drugs with established addiction potential, such as Xanax, are listed very low on the DEA’s list at Schedule 4.

The problem with grouping drugs such as marijuana with drugs such as heroin is that it destroys the government’s credibility. If a high school kid, who has been told all their life by the drug education program DARE and the government that marijuana is an immensely dangerous and addictive drug, tries it and finds out that it is marginally dangerous at best, what does that tell them about the other drugs that they’ve been told about? If authority figures lie about marijuana, why wouldn’t they be lying about heroin?

The government sabotages its own credibility with its outdated and misinformed drug laws.

To salvage credibility, the government should put more money toward drug research in order to properly classify drugs, increase awareness of the truly dangerous drugs and cure

By Memo Hutson

Daily Texan Columnist @memohutson

Synthetic marijuana — also known as K2, klimax or spice — has been receiving heightened attention as a fatal alternative to pot for recreational drug users.

Until overbearing drug laws are changed, the use of K2 and other synthetics will continue to grow.

K2 is a synthetic cannabinoid engineered to resemble THC. Its popularity is because it is sold legally in smoke shops and does not appear on drug tests.

The government has made efforts to outlaw specific chemicals used in K2, but synthetic marijuana manufacturers dodge these laws by simply altering its chemical makeup.

Alongside the government’s efforts to limit the con- sumption of K2, we also need to rethink our strict drug policy toward marijuana. Possessing 2 ounces or fewer of marijuana in Texas is a Class B misdemeanor and can land you up to 180 days in jail, a fine of up to $2,000

Illustration by Melanie Westfall | Daily Texan Staff

the dangerous misconceptions t h at have entered the American consciousness.

Chastain-Howley is an undeclared sophomore from Dallas.

or both. Such a draconian punishment for a drug widely regarded as harmless is leading people to turn to the readily available and

legal K2.

K2 is becoming increasingly problematic for UT students. At The Texan Talks, The Daily Texan’s weekly forum, UTPD Chief David Carter spoke about the challenges facing law enforcement as the substance’s popularity rises.

“A particular challenge involved a somewhat dramatic uptick in the use of synthetic marijuana,” Carter said. “UTPD quickly grasped the devastating effects K2 has on individuals and the impact to the areas surrounding campus.”

The National Institute of Drug Abuse has labeled K2 as a drug not meant for human consumption, and it is no wonder that people can act so erratically after consuming it. The constantly changing chemical makeup of the drug can have drastic, unintended consequences.

Neuroscience associate professor John Mihic said synthetic cannabinoids such as K2 have dangerous side effects, including psychosis and massive tachycardia or racing of the heart.

“You have no idea what you are getting and you are making an assumption that what you are consuming is actually safe,” Mihic said. “Do you really want to be the guinea pig, who tries this drug out without any idea what the toxicity is? It is naïve to think that these are just a straightforward replacement for THC.” It needs to be acknowledged that marijuana laws in the U.S. do not make pharmacological sense. In comparison with these synthetic cannabinoids, THC is extensively studied and is widely considered to be safe as it is less dangerous than other social substances, such as alcohol or tobacco.

K2 is an unknown drug with zero regulation, and quality control among dealers is not a given. The emergence of K2 abuse requires us to rethink our policy toward marijuana in an effort to push people away from dangerous and unregulated synthetic drugs.

Hutson is a history senior from El Paso.

COLUMN

Argument on Obama’s religion is a damaging political distraction

By Bailey Ethier

Daily Texan Columnist @baileyethier

Through the highs and lows of Barack Obama’s presidency, one question has constantly, and unfortunately, lurked in the background of his tenure — is the president a Muslim?

Although Obama has declared he is a Christian multiple times, a recent CNN/ORC poll found that 29 percent of Americans believe Obama is a Muslim.

These findings come at a time when Republican presidential front-runners Donald Trump and Ben Carson have been in hot water because of their comments, or lack

thereof, regarding Muslims.

At a Sept. 17 rally for Trump a questioner said, “We have a problem in this country. It’s called Muslims. We know our current president is one.” And Trump didn’t correct the man’s claim regarding Obama’s religion.

Three days later, Carson said on NBC’s Meet the Press that he “would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation” because a president should practice a faith that is “consistent with the Constitution.”

What 29 percent of Americans need to understand — Trump and Carson included — is that it doesn’t matter what religion the president is. The president’s negotiating and leadership skills are much more important than whether he practices

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.

Christianity, Islam or any other religion.

“Today, it’s not unusual to imagine a Catholic, or Jewish, president,” wrote Denise A. Spellberg, history and Middle Eastern studies professor, in a story for Time Magazine. “It’s a shame that in this religiously diverse country, Muslims seem to still inspire unconstitutional and un-American assaults on our most cherished ideal: civic equality, regardless of religion.”

Discussion of these Islamophobic statements and gossip regarding the president’s religion prevents productive and meaningful conversations about issues that actually matter.

Ashley Alcantara, University Democrats communications director and Plan II and government junior, said she believes progress can be

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.

made for the country by discussing these claims.

“It’s a good opportunity to discuss Islam and help inform people about a religion they may be less familiar with,” Alcantara said. “I think a broader understanding of beliefs can help to dispel stereotypes and create a more inclusive society.”

Instead of discussing and finding solutions and answers to climate change or our immigration issues, a significant portion of the nation is focusing on an outrageous conspiracy theory.

Let’s stop talking about the president’s religion and start talking about how we can stop another government shutdown.

Ethier is a journalism freshman from Westport, Connecticut.

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CLASS 5

LIFE&ARTS

5

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

60 SECONDS

continues from page 8 DT: If you were a thermometer, what temperature would you like to read?

HH: 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

DT: What barnyard animal would you most like to have as a pet?

HH: A goat.

DT: What singer would you like to do a duet with?

HH: I’m a terrible singer, so anyone who is good and loud.

The lead singer of the National.

DT: If you were a slice of pizza, what toppings would you have?

HH: Figs and apricots.

DT: Where on campus would you hide from anxious test-takers if you were the al-

bino squirrel?

HH: I would hide in the Turrell light installation on top of the CLA.

MUSIC From left, Nick Conroy, UT advertising and psychology senior Samuel Varga, Jacob Hollenbach and Cameron Murphy are the members of rock band KaraKara. The group plans to release its debut EP early next year.

DT: Which “Lord of the Rings” character do you most identify with?

HH: I really don’t know “Lord of the Rings” well enough.

DT: Do you have any odd hobbies or pastimes?

HH: Nothing very odd.

I guess this goes back to the Uber question a bit. I don’t have a car, so I bike everywhere. It’s not that odd to bike. I dance.

Multimedia

Watch our video interview with English professor Heather Houser at dailytexanonline.com

Photo courtesy of KaraKara

UT student returns to music scene, plans new EP with band KaraKara

By Abigail Zeitler @abz.zeitler

Heather Finnegan| Daily Texan Staff

English professor Heather Houser said she rides her bike to school and doesn’t use Uber.

FURRIES

continues from page 8 community.

Seifert said his fursona, EJ the otter, is an American river otter who, like Seifert, is gay and studies physics.

Mechanical engineering sophomore Will Borah, an officer of Longhorn Furs, said some people create fursonas that drastically stray from their personalities, while others create fursonas that are extensions of themselves. His fursona, on orange tabby cat, is the latter.

“Usually, people [with cat fursonas] are like cat people in

real life,” Borah said. “[They’re] kind of quiet, grumpy in the morning and do their own thing. But I like doing the cat thing. It works out well.”

One of the misconceptions Seifert said he wants to disprove is the idea that furries believe they are truly animals.

“A lot of people think that furries are weirdos that don’t fit into regular society,” Seifert said. “People use furries as the butt of their jokes. People judge it right off the bat and don’t take any time to look at the people.

We are just people who have this interest and want to be able to express it with others.”

After the former members of alternative rock band Scarlet Smile took a hiatus, they decided music wasn’t just a pastime — it was plan A. Now, under their new moniker KaraKara, the foursome plans to reemerge into the music scene with a new EP. “Plan A is to do music,” Samuel Varga, advertising and psychology senior and KaraKara’s lead vocalist, said. “Even when we were separated, we were still finding ways to do music together, and now our goal is to start playing for bigger and bigger crowds.”

Back in their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, Varga, Jacob Hollenbach, Nick Conroy and Cameron Murphy were the original members of the band Scarlet Smile. Their hit single “Between You and Me” garnered over 14,000

views on YouTube, and they’ve opened for artists including as Asher Roth.

After attending college in different states forced them to take a hiatus, they reunited during winter break to form KaraKara.

The new band recently signed a recording contract with Butler University’s recording industry studies program and plan to release an EP early next year.

“Over break, thought we should record a song,” Varga said. “We ended up recording two songs in the studio, and one was a song I wrote for a buddy that went through a breakup and put in my back pocket after freshman year.”

The band ended up releasing their song “As She Goes,” which inspired them to create more music. They recently finished an acoustic video for their song “Another of You” and will begin working on ten more songs.

Butler’s recording industry studies program gives Butler students the opportunity to record, produce and mix a project for a band of their choice that has signed to record and publish for a year. One song can cost up to $5,000 to produce at traditional studios, but KaraKara will record ten songs for free through Butler’s record label and publishing entity.

“The students and I like their energy, enthusiasm and talent,” Cutler Armstrong, creative media and entertainment lecturer at Butler University, said. “KaraKara also being based primarily in Louisville, two hours from Indianapolis, gives us the opportunity to promote the band in two decentsized markets right from the start.”

During their second semester, the students work to book their bands and promote what they created in hopes of getting

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“The great thing about this project is that everyone wins,” Armstrong said. “KaraKara will come away with a very professional sounding and looking product. The students will have an intense, immersive experience recording, mixing and producing a working band.”

With their upcoming release, Varga said the band will explore country and pop sounds while retaining their original pop-rock vibe. He said the band is excited to experiment with new genres.

“I’m ready to play more live shows,” Varga said.

“One story I remember is when a guy walked up to me after a show and told me that he played one of our songs to a girl he was interested in. Now they are married. It’s all about the crowd, and I am ready to see KaraKara be known nationally for it’s songwriting.”

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JORI EPSTEIN, SPORTS EDITOR | @texansports Wednesday, September 30, 2015

CLUB SPORTS

Club sports compete at high level

SIDELINE YANKEES

RED SOX

By Rachel Greenspan @rachelgreenspan

The University of Texas’ varsity teams have a storied history of athletic achievement, but sports on the 40 Acres doesn’t stop there. The University also hosts 43 different club sports teams, ranging from archery to water skiing and wrestling.

These student-run organizations provide students with the opportunity to compete on both local and national levels. Some of the most popular and successful club sports teams include the men’s soccer team and the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams.

The men’s club soccer team has grown to become a premier club soccer program. Although it is not an NCAA varsity program, it is highly competitive and is certainly run like one.

The team competes against Big 12 teams including Baylor and Texas Tech, as well as other teams throughout the state. After lasting until the final 16 in the national tournament last year, the team’s goals for this upcoming season include winning the conference and regionals, as well as making a run at nationals, sophomore forward Matt Picon said.

The men’s lacrosse team is one of the most developed club lacrosse

MARLINS

RAYS

METS

PHILLIES

TOP TWEET John Burt @burticus21

Junyuan Tan | Daily Texan file photo

Despite not being one of the University’s varsity sports, rugby provides students with an outlet for their skills and competitive spirit. Rugby is one of the 43 different club sports at UT, along with men’s soccer and men’s and women’s lacrosse.

programs in the region. It competes at the national level, and the team finished in the MCLA top 25 in recent years. Unfortunately, the Longhorns fell to Texas State in the championship last year, a matchup they had won the previous five years.

“Last year was tough,” said Noah Starr, former attackman and captain.

“We had a difficult schedule and had to overcome a lot of adversity, which

was a challenge for a young team.”

Despite losing some graduating seniors, the team looks to gain a number of talented freshmen for this season.

The success doesn’t stop with the boys. Established in 1993, the women’s lacrosse program has experienced much success in recent years. The Longhorns have qualified for the national tournament the past seven years.

Freshman Cruz looks to develop as runner

Senior guard Sedrick Flowers blocks a Notre Dame defensive linemen Saturday, Sept.

5. The Longhorn’ offensive line struggled in their 38-3 loss to the Fighting Irish.

By Isabel Miller @thedailytexan

Amy Zhang Daily Texan file photo

Flowers’ comments spark coaching staff, Longhorns @siegelezra

Senior guard Sedrick Flowers isn’t one to speak out. Notoriously a hard worker, he usually lets his play do the talking.

But he didn’t after junior tackle Kent Perkins went down against No. 20 Oklahoma State.

Texas’ offense stalled when senior tackle Marcus Hutchins entered, and Flowers didn’t hold back.

“Once somebody goes down, you expect the next guy up to pick up the slack and not be a drop-off,” Flowers said. “He played hard, but he has to understand that once you come in you have to do your job at a high level. You can’t use ‘I haven’t had reps’ as an excuse.”

The Longhorns went threeand-out three consecutive times when Hutchins was on the field. On a third down in

WALK-ON

continues from page 1 keep him down, Hall transformed the experience into motivation. He worked hard through his freshman year to prove that he belonged on the team. The following year, the work paid off. Hall moved up to the varsity team by the end of his sophomore year and started for varsity by his junior year.

season and aiming to light the tower orange.”

Crew, the largest club sport program at UT, and the cycling club — which consists of mountain and road bike competitions — are among the many other popular programs offered at UT. The wide variety of club teams doesn’t end there. UT Rec Sports also offers gymnastics, fencing, handball, powerlifting, volleyball, dance, ice hockey and many more.

CROSS COUNTRY

FOOTBALL

By Ezra Siegel

Last year, they placed fourth at the tournament and won their conference.

Mallory Claypool, sophomore defender and president of the team, said the team is ready and excited to prepare for another great year.

“Our seniors last year were extremely talented, but our returners are very strong, and we have a fantastic group of rookies,” Claypool said. “We’re super excited for the upcoming

the fourth quarter, he let two Cowboys’ rushers into the backfield unblocked for an easy sack. When Flowers publicly criticized his teammate’s preparation, his coaches supported his sentiments. Jay Norvell, wide receivers coach and offensive play-caller, said that Flowers’ concerns are valid. Norvell hopes to see his team respond.

“As long as our kids are constructive, I think it’s okay for a kid to speak up,” Norvell said.

“Our kids work awfully hard, and when you invest early morning workouts, weight training, sprints all summer, it hurts when our guys aren’t invested … I feel like it’s their responsibility to speak up, and we really need more of that.”

The Longhorns will need Flowers’ comments to resonate if Perkins can’t play on Saturday. TCU ranks third in the Big 12 in sacks, so the offensive line’s job will be even more

“He’s a naturally gifted player,” said Austin Cooper, a former teammate of Hall at Foster. “He would barely workout some times, but he would still be the strongest in the gym.”

But his challenges date back further. At age 13, Hall was diagnosed with a heart murmur. He said the murmur has never troubled him on the court, but it is a problem when it comes to physicals. Cooper said

We need more guys willing to stand for what they believe in, and I think it will show up on the field as well.

That type of conviction shows confidence.

—Jay Norvell, Wide recievers coach and offensive play-caller

critical. After Flowers’ outburst, Norvell expects the offensive line to answer the call.

“We need more guys willing to stand for what they believe in, and I think it will show up on the field as well,” Norvell said. “That type of conviction shows confidence.” he remembers one time in middle school when Hall had to sit out multiple games because he couldn’t pass his physical. After graduation, Hall went to UT-San Antonio hoping to transfer to UT-Austin after his freshman year as a part of the CAP program. He never planned to walk on, but after playing pickup games at the gym, his friends urged him to try out.

With a first-place finish in the Texas Invitational and a 16th place finish in the Texas A&M Invitational, Alexandria Cruz’s college career is off to a successful start.

Cruz, a redshirt freshman from Edinburg, Texas has been running cross country since seventh grade, as she racked up numerous high school accolades prior to her attending UT. For Cruz, the main difference between college and high school cross country is the competition. In high school, she would consistently see the same runners and focus on beating them year after year. In college, however, Cruz has been exposed to a higher class of athletes.

In her time at the 40 Acres, Cruz has had to adjust to college life both as a runner and as a full-time student.

“You’re a student-athlete,” Cruz said. “The first part of student-athlete is obviously student, so you’re balancing education while taking on, practically, a job. Running is your job.”

Cruz said much of her inspiration comes from her parents. Her mom and dad have been working “I didn’t want to try out, because I wanted to focus on my grades to come to UT,” Hall said.

Hall changed his mind and decided to try out but failed to fill out the necessary paperwork for San Antonio’s team. When he made the move to Austin, he decided to again pursue the goal.

“I’ve felt I’ve been good enough to play at the collegiate level,” Hall said. “I

since they were 13 to help their families. Cruz has embraced this work ethic as her motivation.

Cruz has learned the importance of balancing training and rest time. She has realized that not every day needs to be a workout day, and sometimes she needs to let her body rest as a response to the stress she endures.

Head coach Brad Herbster has been integral to Cruz’s development. His encouragement and dedication has inspired not only Cruz but the rest of the Longhorn roster.

“He is a really big motivator,” Cruz said. “He tells us never to doubt ourselves and not to think of ourselves as incapable of anything. It’s good to know that Brad is always there for us.”

Cruz’s goals for her freshman year include making it to nationals and placing in the top 40 of the national rankings, while her ultimate goal is to become an All-American. To achieve these goals, Cruz plans to focus on the little things, such as spending extra time in the weight room and picking up some extra mileage on the weekends.

Catch Cruz on Friday at 6 p.m. in the Longhorn Invitational at Balcones-Spicewood Cross Country Course. feel like I’ve never had a chance to prove myself.”

With a disappointing performance at the tryout, Hall doesn’t know whether he’ll make the team. Even if he does, it’s unlikely he’ll see court time this season.

But just making the team would be enough for Hall.

“I probably would be jumping off the walls and screaming,” Hall said.

“It would be a dream come true.”

I make a living off proving people wrong

TODAY IN HISTORY

1980

Oakland A’s outfielder Rickey Henderson sets the American League record for stolen bases in a season with 98. Henderson totaled 100 stolen bases by the season’s end.

SPORTS BRIEFLY Longhorns legend sets NFL team record

Derrick Johnson, a first-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, is now a part of Kansas City Chiefs history. On Monday night, Johnson broke the record for most tackles in team history. Gary Spani, who had 999 tackles during his eight years with the Chiefs, formerly held the record.

Johnson spent the majority of last season out with a torn Achilles tendon and the majority of his 2009 season on special teams. Before the game against Green Bay on Monday, Johnson was just five tackles away from breaking the record.

He recorded eight tackles in Monday’s game to officially become the new record-holder. Johnson also currently holds the record for most tackles in a single season by a Chief, with 179 tackles in 2011.

Johnson played football for the Longhorns from 2001–2004 under thenhead coach Mack Brown.

He was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year during his senior campaign, a season that resulted in the Longhorns defeating the Michigan Wolverines in the 2005 Rose Bowl.

Johnson is widely considered one of the most dominant linebackers in Longhorns history.

After breaking the franchise record for tackles, Johnson will now be considered one of the Kansas City Chiefs’ greatest ever linebackers, too.

—Leah Vann

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COMICS

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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

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DANIELLE LOPEZ, LIFE&ARTS EDITOR | @thedailytexan Wednesday, September 30, 2015

OFFBEAT

UT club encourages students to find ‘fursonas’

By Katie Walsh @katiewalsh_atx

Physics senior Joe Seifert walks into the bathroom. One minute later, he emerges as EJ the otter, clad in a hoodie, pink scarf, brown fur tail and otter head.

Seifert is the founder of Longhorn Furs, a club for students interested in fictional animals with human characteristics, similar to the characters in Disney’s “Robin Hood.” Members of the club and the larger international furry community call themselves “furries” and express their interest through drawing, writing stories or dressing up in costumes.

“Expressing your furry side is not a very common thing in colleges in general because people are so nervous about how they are viewed by others,” Seifert said. “In high school, it’s really hard to go out and be who you really are, but we want people to know that, in college, it’s totally okay.”

Longhorn Furs is an extension of the Austin furry community. Seifert said he estimates Austin has 200 to 300 active participants, not including the larger online furry community that com-

municates via chat rooms and forums.

The club began with a group of students from the Austin furry community who ate pizza together every Monday afternoon. These gatherings, referred to as “furmeets,” date back to 2011, but it wasn’t until April 2015 that the meetups became a part of an official campus organization. Since its creation, Longhorn Furs has hosted two dances and continues to meet weekly for pizza.

Grayson Northcutt, human biology senior and club member, said he was drawn to the community because members are always willing to sit down and talk without judgment.

“People think we are weird just because we like animals, but that is only scratching the surface,” Northcutt said. “It’s way more than just that. We like the community and each other, and [the furry aspect] is just kind of the central point where we met.”

Seifert attended his first furmeet one year ago after stumbling across a furry subreddit. He said he had not yet come out, but the community’s openness and accepting nature allowed him to truly express himself and embrace

Junyan Tan | Daily Texan Staff

Physics senior Joe Seifert, founder of Longhorn Furs, strikes a pose in his “fursona” — EJ the Otter — with mechanical engineering sophomore Will Borah, a Longhorn Furs officer. Longhorn Furs became an official campus organization in April 2015.

his sexuality.

The national furry community is predominantly LGBT. According to a 2014 study by the International Anthropo-

morphic Research Project, only about 20 percent of the fandom identifies as heterosexual.

Seifert said transgender people, especially those who

have not yet begun the process of transitioning, benefit greatly from the furry community. They can act as whatever gender they identify

with through their “fursona,” an animal character furries create to express themselves in the

FURRIES page 5

60 SECONDS | Q&A

English professor shares thoughts on Uber, GOP candidates Editor’s Note: 60 Seconds is a recurring series that peeks into the lives of professors across campus. This Q&A has been edited for brevity and clarity.

By Thomas Boswell @thomasboswell11

English professor Heather

Houser teaches classes on contemporary American literature and the writing of David Foster Wallace. She released her first book, “Ecosickness in Contemporary U.S. Fiction: Environment and Affect,” last year, which discusses how fiction can help bring awareness of environmental issues to

its audience. She shared her thoughts with The Daily Texan on Uber rides, GOP candidates and her favorite campus hiding spots.

of people expect me to say “Infinite Jest,” since I’ve taught it so many times. But for now I’ll say “Blood Meridian” by Cormac McCarthy.

Daily Texan: What’s your favorite book?

Heather Houser: I don’t really have one, though a lot

DT: What’s your ideal Uber ride?

HH: I dislike Uber. My ideal Uber ride would be none at all.

DT: If you had to date one of the GOP candidates who would it be?

HH: Oh that’s cruel. Carly Fiorina.

DT: If you could challenge to a one-on-one basketball game any UT English depart-

ment faculty member, who would it be?

HH: Coleman Hutchison DT: Do you have a least favorite word in the English dictionary?

HH: Not really, no.

60 SECONDS page 5

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