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COMICS PAGE 7
LIFE&ARTS PAGE 8
SPORTS PAGE 6
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UNIVERSITY
CAMPUS
Study abroad unaffected by world attacks
UT student petitions for dining plan expansion
By Mikaela Cannizzo @mikaelac16
No major changes to the study abroad department are being recommended at this time in light of attacks executed by the Islamic State in Paris on Nov. 13, according to Jess Miller, UT international risk analyst. Miller said the department will reinforce precautions with its students abroad, such as avoiding protests, reporting suspicious activity and keeping
travel registration current. “While the University is shocked and saddened by the horrendous acts of violence that occurred in Paris, we choose to respond with hope rather than fear,” Miller said. “We do not see any reason to suspect the threats in France pose any greater risk to our travelers than those present anywhere in the world, to include here at home.” Miller said that, while international travel is an enriching experience and high
priority for UT, ensuring the safety of students, faculty and staff is paramount. In the event of an emergency situation abroad, the University’s International Crisis Advisory Team provides recommendations concerning evacuations if needed. As coordinated terrorist attacks continue to occur throughout the world, Miller said increased security measures, both prior
ABROAD page 2
By Catherine Marfin @ccaatheeerineee
Courtesy of Wynne Davis
A woman lights candles to commemorate the lives lost in the recent Paris attacks.
CAMPUS
UT policies control campus cat ‘colonies’ By Nashwa Bawab @nashwabawab
Some stray and feral animals may have a temporary home on the UT campus. One of the more noticeable animal populations on campus is the cat population, which is mostly feral, according to Carin Peterson, training and outreach coordinator in the environmental health and safety department. Feral cats have had no contact with people or have lost contact with people for a long period of time, whereas stray cats have recently been without contact with people because they have been lost, abandoned or have “strayed.” UT does not relocate feral cats, but they do try to find an owner for stray cats that are found and reported, Peterson said. “[The feral cats] have an area, a territory if you will, that they are comfortable with and rarely roam far. Cats in these colonies are managed by volunteers who feed and water them and also practice TrapNeuter-Return,” Peterson said in an email. “TNR
CATS page 2
Illustration by Albert Lee| Daily Texan Staff
A UT student launched a petition last week proposing to extend the “Dine In Dollars” meal plan to students living off campus. Started as an assignment for her government class, electrical and computer engineering junior Makeila Sorensen created a petition on change.org in an attempt to change the current Dine In Dollars system, which is only offered to students with on-campus housing contracts. The petition has been active since Nov. 17 and has collected more than 500 online signatures to date. If the petition reaches 5,000 signatures, Sorensen plans to send the petition to UT President Gregory Fenves. “As a college student and a commuter, I have serious time and budget constraints,” Sorensen said. “Not only would a meal plan save me a lot of time and money, but I would also be able to eat healthier.” Of the 52,000 students at UT, 44,600 of them live off campus without access to the Dine In Dollars meal plan, according to Director of Food Service Rene Rodriguez. All students have accessibility to Bevo Bucks, however, which can be used as another payment option at any dining hall and at over 130 places on and near campus. Students without Dine In Dollars pay as much as $3 more for each meal in the dining halls. Sorensen said she believes this price increase causes off-campus students to turn to unhealthy options, such as fast food or vending machine snacks. “Bevo Bucks are technically offered as a meal plan for everyone,” geography freshman Sunnie Lee said. “I signed the petition because Bevo Bucks just encourage
DINING page 3
THEATRE & DANCE
ART
UT students criticize play’s use of blackface
Homeless artists showcase original work
By Forrest Milburn @forrestmilburn
UT theatre students have voiced concerns over the theatre department’s latest production of “The Wild Party” because of a main character’s application of blackface. According to the Texas Performing Arts website, “The Wild Party,” co-written by Michael John LaChiusa and African-American playwright George C. Wolfe, is set during the Roaring ’20s. Throughout the play, Queenie and her partner Burrs — the character in blackface — host an unruly party seeping with jazz, gin and debauchery. In the UT production, the actor playing Burrs
applies blackface — when white actors use charcoal, face paint or masks to mock caricatures of black culture or stereotypes — twice during the show. Theatre and dance senior Fallon Christian, who helped paint scene floors, said it was “bold and inconsiderate” for the department to not have consulted with the black community before deciding to include blackface. “Blackface, for me, represents the beginning of a very horrific and damaging practice,” Christian said. “It sort of made it so that black people couldn’t even portray themselves as we fully are. Like we were distilled down
THEATRE page 2
By James Rodriguez
Penny Hunt, a homeless resident of Austin, displays her art. Hunt will be selling her work at Art from the Street’s annual art show Dec. 5 and 6.
@jamie_rod
Penny Hunt arrived in Austin in 2004 with a mountain bike, two backpacks and what little remained of her salary from a job at a failed circus. Her surroundings were unfamiliar, but her situation was not. She had been homeless or at-risk since the age of 10, and now, once again, she found herself without a place to stay. Hunt had always had a passion for art, and soon after her arrival, a friend took her to Art from the Streets, a nonprofit organization that provides homeless or at-risk artists with the opportunity to make and sell their art. There she was given the materials to continue painting and drawing. Eleven years later, Hunt
Thalia Juarez Daily Texan Staff
is preparing to sell her work at the organization’s 23rd annual art show on Dec. 5 and 6 at the Austin Convention Center. “I just love, eat and breathe art,” Hunt said. “[Art from the Streets] helps me a lot because I can borrow money through-
out the whole year against my artwork. Plus they’ve been getting more involved in the last couple of years with more shows for us, putting us in auctions and other places. For somebody like me that wants to get recognized, that helps.
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
ONLINE
UT offers special education teaching certificate. PAGE 3
Free on-campus sexual assault exams are vital. PAGE 4
Senior Boyette chases 1,000 career points. PAGE 6
Students discuss college “blackout” culture. PAGE 8
Fort Hood helicopter crash kills four. PAGE 3
Recent protests threaten free speech on campuses. PAGE 4
Longhorns prepare for battle with Texas Tech. PAGE 6
A UT professor’s app helps monitor butterfly migration. PAGE 8
Check out The Daily Texan’s recommendations for movies to watch this Thanksgiving break. dailytexanonline.com
The more exposure the better.” Art from the Streets began in 1991 as an avenue for homeless artists to hone their talents and make money by selling their work.
STREET ART page 8 REASON TO PARTY
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Wednesday, November 25, 2015
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NEWS
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Volume 116, Issue 75
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TOMORROW’S WEATHER
High
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If you’ve heard of it, I probably don’t like it.
THEATRE continues from page 1
CATS continues from page 1
NEWS BRIEFLY
to this one depiction and it created other caricatures that inform how people see us today still.” Through several tweets, Facebook posts and a website disclaimer, the department has warned audiences about the “exploration of sexuality, violence and graphic racial representation” in multiple scenes during the play that depict rape and gratuitous sex. But Christian said the department did not do enough to warn viewers of the play’s material beforehand. “If you’re going to make the choice to include blackface in the show, you should explicitly state it,” Christian said. “Otherwise, [the warning] could mean anything.” Department chair Brant Pope said the playwrights were intentional in using blackface, and no director of the production can
stabilizes the colony, identifies cats who can be socialized and adopted, and controls the influx of new strays/ferals who may bring health issues with them.” Specific locations of the cats could not be identified for the safety of the animals, Peterson said, but they can be found all around campus. “Waller Creek, which runs through campus, serves as a natural pathway for many animals,” Peterson said. “The campus is surrounded by neighborhoods which often contribute to strays found on the fringes of campus.” Peterson said if a stray animal is found on campus, the animal is checked for tags or a microchip and local lost pet ads are searched in order to locate the owner. If an owner for an animal is not found, it is taken to the Austin Animal Center, where Peterson said “most residents know to look for lost pets.” The animal is then left in the shelter for three days, and, if the owner does not pick it up within that time period, the animal is put up for adoption, according to Patricia Fraga, spokesperson for
UTHealth receives new name, $75 million gift
This issue of The Daily Texan is valued at $1.25 Permanent Staff
Editor-in-Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Claire Smith Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Adam Hamze, Kat Sampson, Jordan Shenhar Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack Mitts Associate Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amy Zhang News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Samantha Ketterer Associate News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anthony Green News Desk Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sameer Assanie, Rachel Lew, Josh Willis, Caleb Wong Senior Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Matthew Adams, Nashwa Bawab, Zainab Calcuttawala, Lauren Florence Copy Desk Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cameron Peterson Associate Copy Desk Chiefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Myra Ali, Megan Hix, Kailey Thompson Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Virginia Scherer Senior Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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Walker Fountain Senior Opinion Columnists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Dolan, Noah M. Horwitz Life&Arts Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Danielle Lopez Life&Arts Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cat Cardenas, Marisa Charpentier Senior Life&Arts Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris Duncan, Alex Pelham, Katie Walsh Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jori Epstein Associate Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jacob Martella Senior Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Akshay Mirchandani, Blanche Schaefer, Michael Shapiro, Aaron Torres Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Albert Lee Associate Comics Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amber Perry, Lindsay Rojas Senior Comics Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Connor Murphy, Isabella Palacios, Victoria Smith, Melanie Westfall Special Ventures Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Madlin Mekelburg Special Ventures Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julia Brouillette, Eleanor Dearman, Graham Dickie, Jackie Wang Special Ventures Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rachel Zein Social Media Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erin Duncan Public Outreach Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny McKay Technical Operations Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Li Senior Tech Team Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nicole Cobler, Adam Humphrey, Sam Limerick, Cameron Peterson Editorial Adviser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Chen
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Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eunice Ali, Mikaela Cannizzo, Catherine Marfin, Forrest Milburn Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jasmine Johnson, Ezra Siegel Copy Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vera Bespalova, Kasey Salisbury Life&Arts Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ellen Airhart Page Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sammy Jarrar Comics Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nathan Burgess, Jessica Vacek, Rachel West Columnists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Bordelon, Bailey Ethier
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remove it without “insulting the spirit of the play or its creators” and risking legal action by the play’s rights holder. However, some productions, such as the Broadway adaptation, have used clown makeup in place of blackface, according to Christian. “Extensive and substantive discussions between the creative team, the faculty and scholars across the campus preceded this production,” Pope said. “All parties agreed that [the play] was an important, provocative and exciting addition to the theatre and dance season.” Theatre studies senior Amber Trince said the fault lies with the department and possibly the creative team, not with the cast. “I think the Department of Theatre and Dance should have … asked the students what they thought before that was put on the main stage,” Trince said. Christian said department officials have taken steps in response to talks with faculty and staff within the department. “There was a [promotional] blackface poster in the lobby display, and there was no text at first,” Christian said. “Since we’ve been talking to the dean of fine arts, that has been taken down and replaced with a letter from the actor putting on the blackface.” The department will host an open conversation Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. to discuss diversity and inclusivity in the department. Christian said she is looking forward to the discussion and hopes students outside the theatre department also voice their concerns. “It won’t be enough until we have a conversation about race every single time something like that is on the stage,” Christian said.
RECYCLE
your copy of
the Austin Animal Center. Fraga said UTPD and the environmental health and safety department have jurisdiction over campus strays and feral animals. “We have, on occasion, assisted [UTPD] with an animal impound or animal bite incident, but that was at their request,” Fraga said. Libby Griswold, geosystems engineering and hydrogeology freshman, said she has seen a white cat with spots and a black cat around campus. Griswold said she likes the cats and has only had friendly experiences with them. “Stray cats are common in Austin, and as long as they’ve been fixed, they seem to do well on their own outside,” Griswold said. “All the ones I see don’t look skinny or sick, so I think we should leave them be besides fixing and releasing them.” Although the animal population at UT can be vast, very few in the UT community have complaints, Peterson said. “The calls we receive are usually out of concern for a stray animal,” Peterson said. “Many in our campus community will go out of their way to help reunite a lost animal with its family.”
ABROAD continues from page 1 to departure and during travel, will possibly be implemented in the future. Miller said potential safety advancements are uncertain at this time because of the evolving situation, which includes recent attacks in Beirut and Mali. During an on-campus conference about terrorism Saturday, Robert Chesney, associate dean for academic affairs at Texas Law, said he believes these incidents are not novel 2015 developments. “It could be like this every day, and it’s been like this for a long time,” Chesney said. “This is a situation that’s been unfolding for a very long time, including its modern manifestation as terrorism.” Miller said she does not think these attacks will discourage students from studying abroad and said she believes students will be more interested in being immersed in a new culture through the power of global connection through tragic events. Government sophomore Mariadela Villegase said
If something were to happen, it could happen anywhere, and the U.S. is also a target for terrorist groups. Essentially, I’m in the same level of danger here that I would be over there. —Mariadela Villegase, Government sophomore
she plans to study abroad in Paris next year. She said while news of the attacks initially frightened her, her decision to live in Paris for a semester was not altered by these events. “I don’t really feel that scared about it,” Villegas said. “If something were to happen, it could happen anywhere, and the U.S. is also a target for terrorist groups. Essentially, I’m in the same level of danger here that I would be over there.”
The UT Health Science Center at Houston Medical School will be renamed the John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Medical School following a $75 million gift from the John P. McGovern Foundation on Monday. The gift is the largest in the school’s history, according to an email from UTHealth President Giuseppe Colasurdo, and it will be given in 14 separate endowments to the medical school and to the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics. Colasurdo said the endowment will be used to “bolster medical training, will provide full scholarships to outstanding students and will support scientific discovery and education.” The gift will also enhance programs at the McGovern Center and will create a collaborative research endowment for interdisciplinary learning and discovery, according to the McGovern Medical School website. —Samantha Ketterer
Helicopter crash kills 4 soldiers at Fort Hood
A UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter carrying four crew members crashed Monday night in the northern part of Fort Hood during a routine drill. Emergency crews announced after a search that four crew members were found dead. “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the death of four First Army Division West Soldiers as a result of a UH-60A helicopter crash that happened Monday evening,” Maj. Gen. Jeffrey N. Colt, commanding general, First Army Division West, said in a statement. “The accident is under investigation and the names of the deceased will be released after the families have been notified. ” Soon after the incident, Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement about the plane crash. “[First Lady Cecilia Abbott] and I extend our sincerest condolences to the families of the four soldiers who tragically lost their lives in preparation for defending our country,” Abbott said in the statement. “Whether at home or abroad, our soldiers put their lives on the line every day to secure the freedoms we hold dear in Texas and the United States of America. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and with the military community at Fort Hood during this difficult time.” Fort Hood, a military base located in Killeen, Texas, is one of the Army’s largest bases, with a population of about 218,000 personal including their wives and children. —Matthew Adams
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Wednesday, November 25, 2015
DINING continues from page 1 unhealthy choices.” According to Rodriguez, the current Bevo Bucks system is meant to serve as a more flexible meal plan for off-campus students. “Bevo Bucks aren’t like Dine In Dollars, which can only be used in a few places for meals,” Rodriguez said. “They have a lot of neat benefits. We want students to stay as customers, which is why we create these multiple options.” Sorensen said she plans on presenting the issue to University officials if the petition does not spur enough action on its own. “If no action is taken after sending the petition to Fenves,
A server prepares plates fpr students at J2 Dining Hall on Nov. 19.
Not only would a meal plan save me a lot of time and money, but I would also be able to eat healthier. —Makeila Sorensen, Computer engineering junior
I will attempt to contact higher officials directly and schedule a meeting with them,” Sorensen said. “I hope that the higher officials will take the petition into serious consideration and that we will be able to work together to reach a resolution.”
Stephanie Tacy Daily Texan Staff
SYSTEM
UT continues System-wide sexual assault survey By Zainab Calcuttawala @zainabroo94
Researchers released a sexual misconduct survey to a random sample of students across the 13 UT System schools on Nov. 4 as part of the Cultivating Learning and Safe Environment project. The results of the CLASE survey will be used to carry out institutional policy changes to make University procedures easier to navigate for survivors and perpetrators of sexual misconduct, according to University Title IX coordinator Latoya Hill. “The survey will help us learn if there are systemic problems that we need to address,”
Hill said. “Are the bystander programs effective? Are they really getting to the heart of the matter? What are the policies that need to change for us to work better with sexual assault victims and perpetrators?” Hill said the survey aims to uncover the emotional, economic and academic impacts of sexual misconduct on perpetrators and survivors. “The question of focus is the economic impact,” Hill said. “If you went to the hospital, how much did that cost? Did you have to move? What was the financial impact of a Title IX-related incident? What was the academic impact? Did you have to change classes? Did you
have to drop out of school?” In August, Chancellor William McRaven announced the four-year, system-wide CLASE study, which seeks to understand the dynamics of four kinds of on-campus, intimate, interpersonal crimes — sexual assault, dating violence, sexual harassment and stalking, according to the project’s website. Over the duration of the study, social workers will conduct three phases of analysis that will lead to a report on the emotional, academic and economic impact of Title IX violations on 13 campuses in the UT System, according to lead researcher
Leila Wood. The survey represents the first phase of analysis, in which a random sample of students from each campus take surveys regarding their experiences as university students so researchers can gain a surface-level understanding of the prevalence and effects of each crime, Wood said. The second phase of the study entails a series of focus groups with a variety of participants, including those who have experienced a Title IX violation, those whohave perpetrated one of the violations and those who have never experienced any violation in the category. The final phase
involves a four-year cohort study that follows a group of students from the beginning of their freshman year until they graduate. The researchers are still developing a methodology to attract students for each of the needed categories for the focus groups, Wood said. Wood said the bulk of the survey uses questions from the Administrator-Researcher Campus Climate Collaborative, or ARC3 Survey, which was developed by national experts to assess the perpetration of sexual misconduct on college campuses in the United States. She said the CLASE team added questions regarding the economic impact of
sexual misconduct, questions addressing perpetrators of sexual misconduct and questions about bystander intervention programs in order to meet the goals of the study. Computer science senior William Yager said he thought some of the questions regarding bystander awareness programs had sexist implications. “One question asks if the surveyee would ‘do something if [they] see a woman surrounded by a group of men at a party who looks very uncomfortable,’” Yager said. “It implies … that it’s anyone’s responsibility to police benign, uncomfortable social interactions.”
UNIVERSITY
UT to offer special education certificate beginning fall 2016 By Eunice Ali @euniceali
UT graduate students in special education will soon be able to earn a teaching certificate. This year, Diane Bryant, learning disabilities and behavior disorders professor, and her colleagues will launch a three-semesterplus summer program to equip graduate students in the high-incidence disabilities master’s concentration area with a special education teaching certification. The program will take three semesters and a summer, and classes will be available beginning in the fall of 2016. Students will be eligible to take the state certification exam at the end of fall 2017. Bryant said the new curriculum aims to meet the needs of children and youth with high-incidence disabilities — reading and math disabilities, ADHD, problem behaviors, mild autism and mild intellectual disabilities — in elementary and secondary grade levels. “This program is designed to respond to requests from graduate students to be able to graduate with special education teacher certification,” Bryant said. “There is a need
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for highly qualified, wellprepared special education teachers to assume teaching positions at the elementary and secondary levels in school districts in Texas.” Jessica Toste, learning disabilities and behavior disorders assistant professor, said she will teach a course on reading instruction for students with dyslexia and focus on skills critical to reading development, such as how to read words, access texts and interpret meaning. “When I teach alphabetics — the understanding of the sounds and symbols that govern our written language — we begin by talking about theoretical foundations related to how we process sound, how phonological awareness develops [and] the rules and patterns that govern our written language,” Toste said. Toste said graduate students will spend most of the time learning how to teach alphabetics — how to provide explicit instruction to support students with significant and persistent reading challenges and how to select words and texts to use in teaching. Rachel Siegman, an English senior at Pepperdine University, said she is interested in taking part in the program because it would allow her to
Diane Bryant
Learning disabilities and behavior disorders professor
earn a credential alongside a graduate degree. Siegman said this program would be the culmination of her current studies as an undergraduate, which includes receiving English teaching credentials with a Spanish concentration, in addition to a liberal arts degree. Siegman, whose career goals include working in education policy, said she found her passion for special education after a teaching placement where she worked with students with mild to moderate disabilities in study skills, math and English classes. “Special education has expanded my heart in ways I did not think were possible,” Siegman said. “I want to be the voice for the students and teachers who are not heard.”
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CLAIRE SMITH, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | @TexanEditorial Wednesday, November 25, 2015
COLUMN
On-campus sexual assault exams vital By Mary Dolan
Daily Texan Senior Columnist @mimimdolan
In spite of the Safe Campus Act currently being heard in Congress, UT has started taking steps forward to give administrative support to survivors of sexual assault. University Health Services began offering free post-assault medical exams at the Student Services Building on Nov. 16 by bringing in guest nurses from exam provider SafePlace Austin. Previously, survivors of sexual assault had to go to SafePlace’s Riverside location in order to receive the exam. However, the new campus location ensures that survivors who are sexually assaulted closer to UT will be able to have a convenient, safe place to be examined. While the new exam will definitely benefit students, it would be rendered pointless if the Safe Campus Act was passed. The act, which has been widely opposed by universities and student groups, would prevent universities from investigating a student’s sexual assault case unless the student first reported the crime to law enforcement within 48 hours of the assault. If a student does not choose to report the assault or waited longer than 48 hours to report it, this could potentially affect whether or not he or she is able to be examined. However, if the act fails, the exams will continue to provide many important benefits. Psychology sophomore Anne Kopca said
I think that having free sexual assault tests is a good idea, and I feel like UT is doing a good service for sexual assault survivors by making the tests [financially accessible] for everyone. —Judy Al-Sayyad, Biochemistry freshman
she felt that providing the exam services at the University would help survivors who might feel intimidated about going to an unfamiliar location to be examined. “I’m glad that they’re providing them now because that’s a great resource to have on campus,” Kopca said. “It can really lower barriers for those who have been sexually assaulted and don’t want to go off campus or to a hospital.” The exams are also provided free of charge, which makes them accessible to all UT students regardless of their financial situation. Figuring out how much an exam costs can be difficult, and some sexual assault survivors may be wary of potential costs. By making the exams free, survivors can easily receive the care they need without worrying about unwanted financial burdens. Biochemistry freshman Judy Al-Sayyad
Rachel Zein | Daily Texan Staff
University Health Services began offering free sexual assault exams in the Student Services Building located at 100 East Dean Keaton Street.
said that while the exams don’t solve the problem of sexual assault, she is glad to see that UT is taking steps to offer more financially accessible resources for those who have experienced assault. “I think that having free sexual assault tests is a good idea, and I feel like UT is doing a good service for sexual assault survivors by making the tests [financially accessible] for everyone,” Al-Sayyad said.
While it remains to be seen whether the Safe Campus Act will negate the exams, providing convenient, free exams for survivors of sexual assault in its absence is a positive step forward. By doing so, we ensure that these survivors are able to get the care they need and let them know that their care is a priority, not an afterthought. Dolan is a journalism sophomore from Abilene.
COLUMN
COLUMN
Recent protests threaten free speech on campuses By David Bordelon Daily Texan Columnist @davbord
Illustration by Albert Lee | Daily Texan Staff
Bernie Sanders’ plans are as ridiculous as Trump’s By Bailey Ethier
Daily Texan Columnist @baileyethier
What do arguably the most notorious American billionaire and the sole independent socialist in Congress have in common? A lot actually. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders have more in common than weird hair and being born in New York City in the 1940s — both have infeasible and ridiculous ideas for the nation. For starters, Trump has repeatedly stressed that, if elected, he’ll make Mexico pay to build a wall along the border. But with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s administration already saying they won’t pick up a tab of billions for any kind of wall, Trump’s plan to increase visa fees until Mexico agrees to do so is foolish. Why hamper one of the nation’s closest allies and trading partners? Some voters such as Chris Lutsko, a mathematics senior and President of UT Students for Donald Trump, oppose Trump’s plan for a wall and base their support for Trump because of “the man, not the message, policies nor the experience.” “If we put a bulldog businessman like Trump in office, he will get the job done,” Lutsko said. “He just will.” In contrast, Sanders has staked a large part of his support on his plan to tackle college affordability and student debt. Jasey Patterson, a Sanders supporter and biology junior, said many of her high school friends couldn’t afford to go to college. “It makes me sad that we live in a country where individuals who actually want to better themselves educationally can’t, simply because of financial reasons,” Patterson said. “Education should not be a
debt sentence; it should be available to those who want it, not [only] those who can afford it.” Equally infeasible is Sanders’ plan of eliminating tuition at four-year public colleges and universities in order to tackle the issue of student debt. The average in-state tuition at public four-year colleges is just above $9,000, according to The College Board. With 13.2 million undergraduates at four-year public colleges and universities, that would require billions in tuition payment. Sanders has said that these funds would come from Wall Street taxes and that states would provide about a third of the funds. Sanders’ proposals, including government-run health care, infrastructure improvements, the expansion of Social Security and free tuition, would cost around $18 trillion over the next decade. But the tax increases Sanders has laid out only show $6.5 trillion coming in over the next ten years. While the budget deficit for the 2015 fiscal year was $435 billion, $48 billion less than in 2014, the U.S.’s debt is still approaching $19 trillion, and Sanders either needs to account for $11.5 trillion or scale back some of his proposals. Trump and Sanders both have good intentions. Trump wants to “improve jobs, wages and security for all Americans,” and he sees a wall as a way to do that, and Sanders wants to create “the best-educated workforce in the world” by making college tuition free for students. But bullying our allies and adding to the nation’s debt isn’t the way to do so. Neither Trump’s wall nor Sanders’ “political revolution” will “make America great again.” Ethier is a journalism freshman from Westport, Connecticut.
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.
In the wake of protests regarding Halloween costumes at Yale and protests over racial incidents at the University of Missouri, many online news sources and opinion columns are clamoring to denigrate the protesters as coddled, self-important and entitled students who scream in anger when they are confronted with an idea they don’t like. While the detractors have likely gone too far, the overly zealous battle over politically correct speech, or the “PC movement,” that burns through universities across the country is definitely troublesome, especially when it threatens the right to free speech. Colleges have long been a place where revolutionary, oftentimes diverse, ideas are cultivated, either by the postulation of academics or demonstrations of draft dodgers. That is part of what makes college so wonderful — new ideas rise and are challenged in perfect harmony with the expectation that college is meant to create such an intellectual space. This is also the defining feature of First Amendment rights to free speech, a cornerstone of American democracy. However, the idea circulated through recent protests that “the right not to be offended” is greater than the right to free speech threatens this ideal. This idea is a non-right that undergirds extreme instances of the PC movement and works in direct contrast to free speech. Free speech has to protect idiotic, backward ramblings as much as dignified intellectual discourse for it to remain the vehicle for almost all social and political change. “Offensive speech must be protected,” said Gary Jacobsohn, a government professor who specializes in constitutional law. “The ‘right not to be offended’ is surely not one that is an exception to the constitutional guarantee under the First Amendment.” When protesters argue they have the right not to be offended at costumes, slurs and other offensive behaviors, they are missing an important point. They should be offended, and they should use their right
Free speech has to protect idiotic, backward ramblings as much as dignified intellectual discourse for it to remain the vehicle for almost all social and political change. to speech to educate the offenders on why those actions are offensive. But saying such speech should not be allowed only acts in opposition to free speech. The choice to engage in reasonable discourse can actually promote more ethical behavior while protecting the greatest freedom Americans possess. For example, protestations of the “border patrol” party at Fiji were handled well. The offenders were made aware their actions marginalize others but were not punished because of their protected free speech. However, threatening speech is not protected — by protesters or offenders. “Targeted, vilifying speech need not be tolerated on campus,” Jacobsohn said. “Such speech is experienced as a form of direct intimidation, the effect of which is to silence its targets rather than to encourage discussion and dialogue.” This is a key distinction. Speech that targets groups of students with the purpose of intimidating them is not and should not be protected. Such speech works to silence other people, limiting their right to free speech and is unprotected under the First Amendment. If protesters argued racial incidents were meant to silence them, rather than that it was offensive, their point could be legally backed. The protesters are tugging at important problems but in a harmful and unconstructive manner. By seeking to limit free speech, the protesters are attacking the very principle that protects their speech from attack, which is both self-defeating and dangerous to everyone’s freedoms. Bordelon is a philosophy sophomore from Houston.
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CLASS 5
SPORTS
5
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
VOLLEYBALL
Texas looks to secure Big 12 title against Sooners By Michael Shapiro @mshap2
No. 3 Texas secured a share of the Big 12 title with a home win over Kansas State on Saturday, but the Longhorns aren’t done yet. The Longhorns control their destiny in the Big 12, as a win over unranked Oklahoma on Friday will guarantee them a solo spot atop the conference. Texas currently leads No. 9 Kansas by 1.5 games after sweeping the Jayhawks in two matchups this season. “We have to go into Oklahoma knowing that they’re going to play really well,” senior outside hitter Amy Neal said. “OU always plays a high level against us, and we need to finish out the season strong.” The Longhorns will face the Sooners having won six straight games and 20 of their last 21. Head coach Jerritt Elliott said this year’s team is one of his best,
TOURNAMENT continues from page 6
over like we did [Saturday],” Felix said after the game. “I think we turned the ball over 18 times. That’s too many, and that’s something that we have to correct along with a lot of other things.” No. 10 Gonzaga, No. 18 Connecticut, Charlotte, Syracuse, Michigan and Washington will also compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Texas lost to Washington, 77-71, in its season opener in Shanghai. If the Longhorns beat A&M, they play the winner of Gonzaga vs. Washington on Thanksgiving. If Texas
WHAT TO WATCH Texas @ Oklahoma
Junior middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu prepares to spike the ball over the net. Ogbogu led the Longhorns in hitting percentage in 2014 and was named Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year prior to the 2015 season.
Friday 3 p.m. Fox Sports Southwest
despite having coached one national champion and five Final Four squads. “I’m as confident with this group as any group I’ve had,” Elliott said. “They have a really unique chemistry, and they fight well together. When they click as a team, they’re really tough to play.” The trip to Norman will be the Longhorns’ last time on the road for over two weeks. Texas hosts one of the NCAA regional matchups this year and will play at Gregory Gym until they potentially reach the Final Four. Elliott said being at home for an extended period gives the Longhorns loses, it instead plays the loser of Gonzaga vs. Washington. The championship, third-place, fifthplace and seventh-place games will be on Friday. “We’re going to play three games in three days,” Smart said. “It really gives us a great opportunity to grow.” But first, Texas looks to top its rival. “We have a chance to make a really big statement, we have a chance to show everyone what Texas is about, and it just so happens that Texas A&M is our first game,” Felix said. “We’re going to prepare for them like any other opponent. We’re going to prepare for them hard and just be ready to play.”
Junyuan Tan Daily Texan Staff
a strong advantage, but it’s not something Texas can take for granted. “We’re pretty comfortable at home,” Elliott said. “But we’ve gotta make sure we keep pushing at practice
POINTS
continues from page 6 to play in the WNBA after this season and needs to focus on playing well. However, improving as a team is her true priority. “At the end of the day, no one cares about teams who don’t win,” Boyette said. Boyette grabbed four of the Longhorns’ 37 rebounds Saturday, 10 short of their season average of 47 per game. Texas has an average rebound margin of plus-19.7 on the season but only out-rebounded Rice by eight. Aston said the team’s poor rebounding stemmed from
and know that we’ll have to overcome some adversity, even in our building.” The Sooners currently sit at sixth place in the Big 12 with a record of 10-15 and should serve as a tuneup failing to distinguish between good and bad shots. “Our shot selection is not creating offensive opportunities on the board,” Aston said. Aston said she hopes the Longhorns improve their shot selection and decision-making against Hampton. “I thought that we were headed in the right direction, and then I thought we went a bit backwards, honestly, in the Rice game,” Aston said. The Longhorns hope to earn their fourth win of the season as they square off against Hampton on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game will be held at the Frank Erwin Center.
prior to the NCAA tournament. Aside from senior outside hitter Kierra Holst, the co-Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, the Sooners trot out an inexperienced roster that
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has often been inconsistent in 2015. First serve from McCasland Field House will be at 3 p.m. The match will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest.
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JORI EPSTEIN, SPORTS EDITOR | @texansports Wednesday, November 25, 2015
SIDELINE
FOOTBALL
NBA MAVERICKS
GRIZZLIES
CELTICS
HAWKS
PACERS
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CLIPPERS
NUGGETS
Daulton Venglar | Daily Texan file photo
Freshman linebacker Malik Jefferson stares across the line of scrimmage. Jefferson and the Longhorns currently sit at 4-6 prior to their matchup with Texas Tech on Thursday night. Texas will look to stop a Red Raiders attack that ranks as the nation’s No. 3 passing offense.
Texas prepares for Red Raiders’ attack By Ezra Siegel @SiegelEzra
The Longhorns’ backs are against the wall. At 4-6, Texas likely needs to win both of its remaining games to fend off elimination from the postseason. The Longhorns know that several fans and pundits are already counting them out, but they are driven to prove those doubters wrong. “We’ve got two games left,” junior safety Dylan Haines said. “I know everyone’s kind of wrote us out for not making a bowl, and the season’s over, … but that shouldn’t be the
mentality. If there’s an opportunity [where] you can make a bowl, then why not go for that?” Texas’ postseason aspirations continue against a high-powered Texas Tech team on Thanksgiving night. The Red Raiders haven’t beaten the Longhorns in Austin since 1997 and have yet to beat Texas under head coach Kliff Kingsbury. However, they will test Texas with one of the nation’s top offenses. “They’re a big-play team,” head coach Charlie Strong said. “What they can do is they can throw the ball out in the flat. … They can
make people miss, and they can take the ball the distance. We’ve got to corral the ball, and when we go hit it, we’ve got to get it on the ground, and there’s got to be enough people running to the football.” Led by sophomore quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Red Raiders boast the No. 3 passing offense in the nation. However, Strong said Texas Tech is most dangerous for its ability to sustain drives. The Red Raiders rank No. 1 in the country in thirddown efficiency and No. 7 in plays per game. Their third-down success looks to cause problems for the
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Longhorns’ defense, which ranks No. 114 in opponent third-down efficiency. “Tech’s offense is a high potent offense,” redshirt freshman cornerback John Bonney said. “They’re highscoring, and they like to throw the ball. So us in the secondary, we’re going to have to really be focused and do our job well and be where we’re supposed to be.” Texas hopes to counter Texas Tech’s high-octane offense with a strong ground game. The Longhorns rank No. 25 in rushing while churning out 214 yards per game on the ground through 10 games. Thursday’s contest
also marks senior night for 18 Longhorns, who look to finish their career at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium with a victory. Additionally, the younger players and coaches emphasized the need to get their seniors to a bowl game. In order to do this, they must get a win against Texas Tech on Saturday. “When a young man gets to his senior year, you just want to make sure that they go out the right way,” Strong said. “You would like to have a winning season for them, and that’s still in place for us if we go out and get these next two.”
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Boyette looks to hit 1,000-point mark By Jasmine C. Johnson @AllThatJasss
Joshua Guerra | Daily Texan Staff
Senior guard Javan Felix dribbles the ball. Felix ranked third on the team in assists in 2014, leading the Longhorns to a second-round birth in the NCAA tournament.
Longhorns to reignite rivalry with A&M in Battle 4 Atlantis By Akshay Mirchandani @amirchandani41
Men’s basketball head coach Shaka Smart hasn’t experienced the TexasTexas A&M rivalry firsthand. But he didn’t miss the memo. “I know it means a ton to the fans,” Smart said. “I know it’s important to the fans on both sides.” No one on Texas’ roster has ever played against the Aggies. The last time the two teams met on the hardwood was Feb. 6, 2012 in College Station — a 7068 Texas win. A year later, A&M moved to the SEC and Texas’ current senior class became freshmen. On Wednesday, Smart and the seniors will add their own chapter to the
rivalry in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Paradise Island, Bahamas. The game tips off at 6 p.m. on the opening day of the three-day tournament. “We’re going to prepare for it like another game, but we know the tradition of this rivalry,” senior forward Connor Lammert said. “It’s very important for the University of Texas.” The 4-0 Aggies checked in at No. 25 in the latest AP poll and boast the best offense in the SEC — scoring 93.5 points per game. The Longhorns are A&M’s first Power Five conference opponent. “Texas A&M has got a terrific team,” Smart said. “I think they’re a top-25 caliber team, and they’re very dynamic with their
WHAT TO WATCH Texas vs. Texas A&M
Wednesay 6 p.m. AXS-TV
attack. They’ve got a lot of older guys. They’ve got a really good freshman class. So it’ll be a really good challenge for us.” The Longhorns are coming off a 67-56 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Senior guard Javan Felix, who had 12 points in the win, said Texas knows where it needs to improve. “We can’t turn the ball
TOURNAMENT page 5
Senior center Imani Boyette entered Saturday’s game against Rice just eight points short of becoming Texas’ 38th player to reach 1,000 career points. But after picking up two early fouls, the 20142015 Big 12 Female Sportsperson of the Year scored her first points in the fourth quarter. Boyette ended the night with just four points and five turnovers. “I just didn’t have a good game, period,” Boyette said. Boyette’s second foul on Saturday came on what head coach Karen Aston called “a freak foul.” As Boyette was running up the floor, a guard stopped in front of her, causing a collision and subsequent foul. Although Aston knew it was inadvertent, she said those two early fouls are an
WHAT TO WATCH Hampton @ Texas
Wednesday 7 p.m. Longhorn Network
example of what Boyette will have to work on. “When you get that first foul quick, can you be disciplined enough to not get the second?” Aston said. While Boyette will likely reach the 1,000-point mark against Hampton on Wednesday, she said it’ll be just another individual accolade. “I have a lot of individual accolades, but I don’t have any championships or anything like that,” Boyette said. “So that’s not really relevant to me.” Boyette said she hopes
POINTS page 5
Joshua Guerra | Daily Texan Staff
Senior center Imani Boyette scores during Texas’ matchup with UTSA on Nov. 14. Texas is 3-0 on the season, with all three wins coming by over 20 points.
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TODAY IN HISTORY
1961
Boston Celtics guard Bob Cousy became the second player in NBA history to reach 15,000 points.
SPORTS BRIEFLY Big 12 releases 2016 football schedule
Texas’ 2016 football schedule was released Tuesday with the Longhorns opening the 2016 slate against Notre Dame on Sept. 3. The game will be played at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Following two more out-of-conference matchups with UTEP and California, the Longhorns will start Big 12 play Oct. 1 against Oklahoma State. Texas will have few breaks throughout the 2016 season, as it will not have a bye week throughout the entirety of conference play. Starting with the battle against Oklahoma State, the Longhorns will play in nine consecutive weeks. Their regular season calendar ends Nov. 24 when they face TCU at home. —Michael Shapiro
COMICS 7
COMICS
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Wednesday, November 25, 2015
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DANIELLE LOPEZ, LIFE&ARTS EDITOR | @thedailytexan Wednesday, November 25, 2015
8
CAMPUS
Students reflect on blackout drinking culture Editor’s Note: This recurring series attempts to offer students an opportunity to share their thoughts on subjects difficult to discuss with peers.
By Katie Walsh @katiehwalsh_atx
On a typical Thursday evening in West Campus, the overbearing bass of a hip-hop song pulses through the air beneath a layer of indiscernible laughter and conversation. Some students will wake up the next morning and laugh at their drunken escapades. Others remember nothing. These students are part of a campus culture where the term “blackout drunk” is commonplace, even though less than 10 percent of adults and college students are considered binge drinkers, according to Healthyhorns. The term refers to memory loss caused by consuming too much alcohol, ranging from fragmentary blackouts to complete loss of memory during the period of intoxication. There is a wide range of student opinions tied to alcohol and blacking out. In her New York Times best-selling memoir, “Blackout: Remembering The Things I Drank To Forget,” UT alumna Sarah Hepola discusses her alcohol-ridden young adulthood and the wisdom she obtained from those experiences. Through her research, she said she found that today’s college crowd generally approaches blacking out more casually than the students she observed during her time on the 40 Acres 20 years ago. “I think we live in a culture
Illustration by Rachel Tyler | Daily Texan Staff
that has encouraged a lot of [drunken] shenanigans, especially in college, as sort of rite of passage,” Hepola said. “I think that needs to be disrupted a little bit.” In her research, Hepola found that the blood alcohol content levels for people with fragmentary blackouts is generally around .2 BAC. At .3 BAC, full-blown blackouts occur, and at about .35 BAC, death could occur. The legal limit in Texas is .08 BAC. Hepola said she found these numbers concerning because the small .05 margin between blacking out and death and the ease at which drinkers can unknowingly pass from one level to the next.
Journalism junior Jules Lawrence said he often finds himself on the verge of blacking out but disregards his limit because once he is already drunk, his decision-making skills are no longer sharp. Lawrence said he thinks blacking out can become a problem when done in excess, but he doesn’t consider himself a crazy partier and has never felt shame or worry after a blackout. “It’s honestly kind of fun to piece back together what happened that night,” Lawrence said. “It’s like [the game of] Clue — you have some pieces, but you have to figure out what all the other ones are.” After interviewing both
men and women about their drinking habits, Hepola said she found that women have more anxiety and regret than men after blacking out, worrying about how they were perceived or if they tarnished their image. Twenty-five-year-old journalism senior Alexa Hart said she regretted many of the nights she unintentionally blacked out when she was younger. Now, she realizes getting blackout drunk wasn’t cute or fun but hurtful to the people she cared about and herself “Everyone says, ‘It’s not alcoholism when you’re in college,’ and that kind of obscures realizing that maybe you are drinking too much,” Hart said.
“Maybe what you are doing isn’t normal or healthy or OK.” Maddie Houston, a communication sciences and disorders sophomore, said she does not have what she considers normal drinking habits for a college student. She attends parties but does not drink, limiting her alcohol intake to a glass of wine with family or friends. She said her faith and the fear of losing control or her memory keeps her from ever getting drunk. “I’m a Christian, but it’s not like I think God condemns those who drink,” Houston said. “It just gives me a different outlook on how I want to live, and I think it would be hard for me to do that if I were drunk a
lot of the time.” Twenty years removed from her blackout streak, Hepola said she remembers the sense of belonging that came with drinking in college. She doesn’t encourage students to abstain from alcohol but to be more aware of the risk factors involved with drinking, which include personal injury, sexual assault, violence and alcohol poisoning. “I don’t like giving advice because I never took advice,” Hepola said. “People would be like, ‘This horrible thing happened to me,’ and I would be like, ‘OK, that’s sad, but that’s not going to happen to me.’ But when it does, that changes you.”
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
UT researcher’s app tracks monarch migration By Ellen Airhart @ellenairhart
Every year, millions of monarch butterflies fly from Mexico to Canada. But some don’t make it, and UT researchers are trying to figure out why. Pictures of monarch butterflies on ships and oil rigs off the Gulf of Mexico have flooded Monarch Watch, an organization that promotes education, conservation and research about monarch butterflies. Tracy Villareal, a UT professor in the Department of Marine Science, said he wondered whether the butterflies were flying through the Gulf of Mexico as part of their usual migration from Mexico to Canada or if they were directed there by a storm. To discover the answer to this question, Villareal developed an app called “Monarch Migration.” It was funded through the UT crowdfunding program HornRaiser, which is currently raising money for projects such as an electronic scoring machine for the Texas Taekwondo team and a neuroscience project to create mutant mice that can’t get drunk. Orley “Chip” Taylor, founder and director of Monarch Watch, also supported the Monarch Migration app and plans to eventually use the app to gather information about the monarchs’ entire migration route.
STREET ART
continues from page 1 From its roots as a small annual show with only 70 pieces of art, the organization’ has grown to include more than 75 artists who produce thousands of works this year alone. Three days a week, volunteers and homeless artists converge at the Trinity Center at St. David’s Hospital to create art. “Sometimes our workshop is the best human interaction
“The way scientists used to record butterfly sightings is by running behind them with a compass in their hand while trying to write down where they were and time of day,” Villareal said. “The app can do all this seamlessly.” Monarch Migration is designed for oil rig workers who want to record monarch butterfly sightings in the midst of their hectic and often dangerous work. It is simple to use — once a user is registered, only one touch is necessary to record the time and location of the butterfly. The user can choose to report more information such as the number of butterflies, the angle at which they are flying or what direction they are going. The app was released in the spring of this year, and users have uploaded 75 reports so far. “I want this to be a minimal distraction. I am very happy if even one person per platform reports,” Villareal said. “The app was designed to allow us to gather information that is distributed as widely as possible.” Villareal said he eventually would like to expand the use of the app across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. People have reported monarch sightings as far away as New Zealand, North Africa and the United Kingdom,
where the butterflies are called “stormchasers” or “wanderers.” This app will help scientists direct resources to the most effective efforts to conserve this internationally popular butterfly. The population has declined over the past 15 years, according to article in the journal Insect Conservation and Diversity. Scientists contribute the
decline to several factors including declining winter habitats, depleted food sources and storms. During the colder seasons, the monarchs live in evergreen forests in Mexico, which are often targeted by illegal logging. In the warmer months, the butterflies live in the United States, where they struggle to find enough milkweed, their
favorite food. Farmers in the Midwest genetically modify their crops so they are resistant to herbicides that decimate the milkweed population — a technique that is effective for raising crops but not for helping butterflies. At any point during their migration, storms can blow the monarch butterflies off course. Villareal’s app will help
scientists understand how much the last factor is affecting the monarch butterflies’ migration. “Independent of the research, I think monarch butterflies are cool. They do this iconic migration over thousands of miles and are visually appealing,” Villareal said. “It’s hard to imagine a world without monarch butterflies.”
they’re going to have all day,” said Kelley Worden, the executive director of Art from the Streets. “That’s definitely evolved with our volunteers because they’ve connected with the artists. We’ve created a community.” At this year’s show, Hunt will display a collection of roughly 60 drawings, many of which depict animals surrounded by bright backgrounds. Hunt has participated in 11 shows since joining Art from the
Streets, even creating and selling art while in jail. During her time in jail, she submerged Skittles in water to make watercolors and used Q-tips as paintbrushes. Hunt, who is currently homeless and uses a wheelchair after breaking her leg, said the artists of Art from the Streets represent a spectrum of homelessness that defies stereotypes. “A lot of people are not aware that there are different types of homelessness,” Hunt said. “The hobo that’s drunk
and rides the rails and goes from place to place and sleeps in your doorway — it’s not that person no more. Now you’ve got whole families, old women that should be enjoying their SSI, and they can’t because they’re working at McDonald’s because they don’t have enough money. People like me who are hurt and don’t have enough money to get inside.” Art From The Streets does not provide any formal training for the artists, many
of whom rely solely on talent and acquired techniques. UT law professor Jane Cohen, a member of Art from the Streets’ board of directors and an avid collector of the organization’s artwork, said she enjoys the range of styles on display at the shows. “The art from Art from the Streets is just incredible because it’s filtered through a lot of imagination and life experience,” Cohen said. “There’s a lot of exuberance and
real energy.” At the show, the artists will be available to converse with customers who are purchasing their work. Hunt said she hopes this dialogue will make it easier for people to approach the homeless in their everyday lives. “We’re human, too,” Hunt said. “Just because we’re homeless doesn’t mean we’re not human. We have dreams and ambitions and hopes like everyone else.”
Illustration by Connor Murply | Daily Texan Staff