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Thursday, February 18, 2016
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CAMPUS
STATE
Panda Express coming to Texas Union
Committee hears cases for religious freedom bill
By Cassandra Jaramillo @cassandrajar
Students looking to eat on campus will soon have an additional choice for meals, as the University is planning to bring Chinese fast food restaurant Panda Express to the Texas Union. Food services company Aramark has a contract with the University Unions, under which Aramark manages restaurants within the Texas
Union — with the exception of Wendy’s. After the closing of Taco Bell last year, restaurant options in the Texas Union include Quiznos Subs, Chickfil-A, Smokehouse BBQ, Starbucks and Field of Greens Fresh Market. Taco Bell’s departure came after the restaurant decided to not renew its contract with Aramark, said James Buckley, director of facilities and operations at the Texas Union. After looking at college dining trends
and hearing student feedback on the Texas Union board, Aramark officials negotiated a contract with Panda Express. “Our executive director and Aramark board person strived to meet the needs of our students and found it important to not fill the vacant gap quickly but make sure that whatever we put in there was something that the students wanted,” Buckley said.
By Forrest Milburn @forrestmilburn
PANDA EXPRESS page 2
Illustration by Melanie Westfall | Daily Texan Staff
CAMPUS
Fenves decides on campus carry rules By Mikaela Canizzo and Caleb Wong @thedailytexan
UT President Gregory Fenves notified the University of his decision regarding the policies for campus carry legislation via email Wednesday morning. After communicating with the campus carry working group and reviewing the law, Fenves said in the email he will not be implementing a policy against handguns in classrooms. “I do not believe handguns belong on a university campus, so this decision has been the greatest challenge of my presidency to date,” Fenves said in the email. “As a professor, I understand the deep concerns raised by so many. However, as president, I have an obligation to uphold the law.” The policy document outlines Fenvess’ decision on campus carry adopts all 25 of the recommendations made in the working group report. The document states guns will generally be allowed in common rooms — but not bedrooms — of residence halls. According to the email, the Campus Carry Implementation Task Force, which will outline the exact details of
CONCEALED CARRY VS. GUN FREE ZONES
LOCATIONS TO KNOW WHERE YOU CAN CARRRY AND WHERE YOU CANNOT Concealed weapons will be allowed in classrooms.
Concealed weapons are NOT permitted in counseling and mental health centers.
Concealed weapons will be allowed at ticketed sporting events.
K-12 events going on in a particular area will be gun-free zones, such as a school tour at the Blanton Museum.
Guns will be allowed in common areas of residence halls.
Guns will NOT be premitted in labs with volatile chemicals or animal research areas.
Dining halls will allow concealed weapons.
Guns will NOT be allowed in areas where formal hearings are being conducted.
Study spaces such as the library will allow concealed weapons.
Concealed weapons will NOT be allowed at business on campus that sell alcohol, such as Cactus Cafe. Source: Campus Carry report Infographic by Iliana Storch | Daily Texan Staff
putting campus carry into effect, is still determining gunexclusion zones and guidelines for the policy. Fenves said he will monitor the effect of campus carry rules on recruiting faculty, staff and students. “It has been a very difficult decision balancing legal
FOOD
requirements with maintaining a productive educational environment,” Fenves said at a press conference. Rachel Osterloh, president of Senate of College Councils and member of the implementation committee, said she would advocate for student
safety and education. “I think once students have all the information, I think anxieties will start to quell,” said Osterloh, a government and philosophy senior. The policies and procedures of this decision comply with Senate Bill 11, which allows
licensed gun holders age 21 or older to carry a concealed handgun on campus. Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill last June, and the law will take effect Aug. 1, 2016. Robert Oxford, member of
WEAPONS page 2
After multiple religious freedom bills failed to see Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature last session, supporters and opponents of the bills spoke to members of the Senate State Affairs Committee on Wednesday to suggest possible pieces of legislation. Although the legislature doesn’t reconvene until January, members of the committee were charged by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick with evaluating how local nondiscrimination ordinances — such as Houston’s equal rights ordinance, known as HERO, which failed by popular vote in November — fit into state and federal law, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Some Republican committee members, including chair and Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston), argued the best route to protecting religious freedoms was through small steps in legislation that preserve individual religious liberties, while also ensuring members of the LGBT community are not inadvertently discirminated against in the process. “I don’t believe there’s anyone in this legislature or this committee who wants to legislate discrimination,” Huffman said. “We are trying to protect individuals’ First Amendment rights.” Last session, the state legislature approved Senate Bill 2065, which aimed to protect giving clergy and religious officials the discretion to refuse performing marriages that are in direct violation of their “sincerely held religious beliefs.” Although many other anti-gay marriage restrictions failed, SB 2065 — the Pastor Protection Act, or PPA —
AFFAIRS page 2
CITY
Researcher grounds Austin fetches high rank as dog friendly out history of taco By Janelle Polcyn
By Anusha lalani @thedailytexan
From Torchy’s Tacos to Taco Bell, many Texans share a love of tacos, but not many know the history behind the Mexican dish. One researcher, Alejandro Escalante, decided to research the taco’s origins and find out what makes it so popular. Escalante described the journey that took him to Mexico to write his book, “La Tacopedia: Enciclopedia del Taco,” in a talk at IBC Bank on Wednesday hosted by the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies. The book describes the various styles and traditions of the Mexican taco. It follows the evolution of the tortilla from a handmade to a largely machine-made item but discusses the continued tradition of hand-preparing the inside
contents, Escalante said. Escalante said his inspiration to write the book came from his need to explore the well known dish and to inform people about what it really is. “When I started to do the research, it was impossible,” Escalante said. “It stood out that there was nothing on this [subject], and there are tacos everywhere.” Escalante said attempting to define a taco was surprisingly difficult. “It’s easiest to recognize what a taco is not,” Escalante said. “It’s not junk food. It’s not a formal meal because you eat it with your hands. … The easiest way to approach tacos is to try to [understand] the three main ingredients: the tortilla, … the content [meat] … and
TACOS page 2
@JanellePolcyn
Dog is man’s best friend and, according to a new ranking list, Austin, Texas, is one of dog’s best friends. Austin was recently ranked as the second-best city for pet friendliness by apartment search engine Abodo. The city has also landed spots on several other lists for pet friendliness and accomodations in apartments, parks and businesses. Many businesses in Austin and surrounding suburbs welcome leashed or carried dogs inside. Pre-physical therapy junior Abigail Schacherl said this trend aligns with Austin’s accepting culture. “A lot of people here are open-minded and kind of accepting of whatever people want to do,” Schacherl said. “Pets are really important to the owners. If you accept
someone’s pet, it’s like you are accepting that person almost.” Government junior Steve Escamilla, who owns two dogs, said he saw the difference as a pet-owner in Houston, compared to Seattle and Austin, which are more dog-friendly. “I moved from Houston to Seattle, and I had my black lab with me,” Escamilla said. “She really thrived [in Seattle], so when I moved back [to Texas], I chose Austin because of that aspect. I take my dogs everywhere.” UT alumna Whitney Hill said she is not surprised at Austin’s ranking. “There’s always someone or something talking about pets,” Hill said. There are special accommodations for pets throughout the city such as numerous dog parks, water bowls at restaurants, fenced in dog areas at bars and dog-friendly apart-
Zoe Fu | Daily Texan Staff
Three dogs greet each other at Zilker Park. Austin was recently ranked as the second best city for pet friendliness.
ment complexes. Escamilla said these policies allow dogs in Austin to become socialized. “My dogs are incredibly friendly,” Escamilla said. “It’s easy to have my dogs interact with [my friends’] dogs because they get to interact with other dogs and humans
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
ONLINE
Student retracts complaint against Helgren-Kim. ONLINE
Carbon capture and storage has a future. PAGE 4
Texas survives slow start against Kansas State. PAGE 6
Students discuss virginity, sexual expectations. PAGE 8
Listen to Texas Talks forum podcast. ‘
Today’s college students are more politically active. ONLINE
Students should pay attention to SG elections. PAGE 4
Sophomore Scheffler looks to surpass Spieth. PAGE 6
Alumna founds jewelry, accessory line. PAGE 8
quite often.” The dog friendliness characteristic of Austin makes it easier for dogs to grow accustomed to other animals and humans. “If you’re going to have your dog out in public, they need to
PETS page 2 REASON TO PARTY
Throwback movies features top action scenes. dailytexanonline.com
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