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Tuesday, March 22, 2016
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RESEARCH
Moody sky bridge opens to public By Jasleen Shokar @jasleenshokar
The Moody sky bridge opened to pedestrians today at 7 a.m. after the original projected completion date of Feb. 26 was delayed. The bridge connects the second floor of the Belo Center of New Media to the fourth floor of Communication Center buildings A and B, but its opening was delayed because of needed finishing touches. Hours for the bridge will be 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to
11 p.m. Sunday. “Our new bridge will help unite our faculty, staff and students, both literally and figuratively, and will become a major new campus landmark,” Jay Bernhardt, dean of Moody College of Communication, said in a statement Monday. The bridge will not be available for events or gatherings, and hanging banners or posting signs will be prohibited, according to the statement. Corporate communication senior Marina Guindy said she’s glad the bridge
is completed. “I hated construction because getting over here was really hard,” Guindy said. “Other than that, I feel like it’s really useful because sometimes, it’s really hard to get [between both buildings], and this will make it easier.” However, the utility of the bridge does not justify the amount of money spent, Guindy said. Construction of the bridge cost $3 million and was part of the $50 million donation from the Moody Foundation of
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State abortion providers saw a sharp decline of more than 9,000 procedures in 2014 compared to the previous year, when the state legislature approved restrictions on clinic facilities and procedures. Preliminary data from the Department of State Health Services shows there were 54,191 abortions in 2014, down from 63,849 in 2013. The drop in abortions represents a 14 percent decline in the first full year following increased abortion restrictions approved by the legislature in summer 2013. Daniel Grossman, an investigator with the Texas Policy Evaluation Project, said his research studying the recent restrictions’ affect on access to abortion has shown that women are facing nu-
Rachel Zein| Daily Texan file
The Moody skybridge near the intersection of Dean Keeton and Guadalupe streets, opens today. The bridge’s contruction cost approximately $3 million.
Number of Abortions Each Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
60
20
2011 2012 2013 2014 20
thousands
60
Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
Source: Texas Department of State Health Services Infographic by Elizabeth Jones | Daily Texan Staff
ABORTION page 2 ALUMNI
Professor pronounced not guilty in protest case @iamzachlyons
Texas sees decline in number of abortions @forrestmilburn
CAMPUS
By Zach Lyons
STATE
By Forrest Milburn
bit.ly/dtvid
After investigating complaints regarding an incident between government professor Ami Pedahzur and members of the Palestine Solidarity Committee that occurred in November, the Office for Inclusion and Equity found Pedahzur did not violate the University nondiscrimination policy. Members of the PSC demonstrated at an event hosted by the Institute for Israel Studies on Nov. 13, while Pedahzur was speaking. In complaints made to the University, PSC members alleged Pedahzur violated the University’s nondiscrimination policy with his in-person response to the protest and in a subsequent post to his blog, where he allegedly called them “red flags” for terrorism. The OIE’s findings officially dismissed these complaints. UT President Gregory Fenves stated his “strong support” of Pedahzur in a March 9 press release responding to the OIE’s findings. Fenves said he appreciates Pedahzur’s work and looks forward to his future contributions at UT. Pedahzur’s legal counsel, Carly Gammill of the American Center for Law and Justice, said the investigation uncovered the truth about the incident. “[Pedahzur] was hopeful that given the length of the
PEDAZHUR page 3
CAMPUS
District court to hear case over Debt-related stress increases alumna’s revoked Ph.D. degree among graduate law students By Janelle Polcyn
The Travis County District Court will hear UT graduate Suvi Orr’s case against the University on April 14. The University seeks to revoke Orr’s Ph.D. for the second time. Orr graduated with a Ph.D. in chemistry in 2008. The University began to review Orr’s work when an article containing her research was published in Organic Letters, a scientific journal, and later retracted in 2011. Following the article’s retraction and two years of review, the University attempted to revoke Orr’s Ph.D. Orr then filed a complaint, and her degree was reinstated in 2014. The University filed to revoke her degree again in September 2015. “It all basically generated when they had to pull or retract the article that was published, that’s really what started it,” Orr’s lawyer David
Sergi said. According to the retraction statement, Orr’s results could not be reproduced, and the University claims her falsified research was included in her dissertation. The University declined to comment on case specifics. “The University cannot legally discuss the academic records or performance of our students, including the issues raised in this lawsuit,” spokesperson Gary Susswein said in an email. Orr claims the University is unduly punishing her instead of her tenured graduate advisor, chemistry professor Stephen Martin. “They intend to revoke her Ph.D., making her the sacrificial lamb to protect [the University’s] tenured professor Stephen Martin,” Orr’s petition reads. “Rather than have professor Martin admit his own errors and shortcomings as a graduate advisor … the University has [attempted] to revoke [Orr’s] Ph.D. for what
may be subjective error in scientific judgment.” Orr did not respond to requests for comment. The plaintiff is not arguing that any facts of the case are disputable, but rather is questioning the right of the University to revoke a degree, according to Sergi. “We’re using the attorney general’s opinion from 1969 that involved the University of Texas and the attorney general, who basically held that [the University] couldn’t revoke a degree, that the legislature didn’t give them that right,” Sergi said. “Until the legislature clarifies what the rights of the state universities are, it’s our position that they have no right to revoke a degree.” Originally Orr’s case was to be heard by a panel of faculty members and students of varying majors. Orr requested a full trial and has been granted one in a Travis County District Court.
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UT professor directs film about public universities. PAGE 3
This year’s SG elections are farcical. PAGE 4
Women’s victory leads to Sweet 16 berth. PAGE 6
“Midnight Special” shines in sci-fi genre. PAGE 8
Check out our video coverage of SXSW at
Michelle Obama talks supporting young women. PAGE 3
Ride-hailing services in Austin are good and bad. PAGE 4
New questions in Smart’s sophomore season. PAGE 6
Baauer album moves beyond “Harlem Shake.” PAGE 8
@janellepolcyn
By Estefania Espinosa @essie20
A report issued by the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research revealed there has been an increase in debt-related stress in the past decade among graduate law students in the United States and Canada. The first survey, conducted in 2006, showed only 32 percent of law students expected to have more than $100,000 in debt by graduation, compared to 44 percent in 2015. More than half of the second group stated they had “high levels of stress and anxiety during the school year.” Rhiannon Hamam, a third-year law student, said the majority of students are concerned about loans and debt. “Debt after law school has been a huge concern for me and almost took me off of the career track that I want-
ed,” Hamam said. “I will graduate law school with almost $200,000 in debt, and those loans are just from law school.” Only 11 percent of public law students in 2006 reported expecting debt over 100,000 dollars, but that number grew to 31 percent in 2015. “During my first year, I seriously considered pursuing a different career track, perhaps working at a big law firm that would pay a high starting salary so that I could pay down my debt,” Hamam said. Daniella Martinez, a third-year law student, said many people use debt as a top factor in deciding where to begin their legal career. “It is undoubtedly a cause of stress — especially as graduation nears. Big law jobs pay over $100,000 a year — and many students take on those jobs to pay back debt quicker,”
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Martinez said. Plan II senior Zachary Stone has offers from law schools such as Columbia and Stanford University but chose to accept the Massey Scholarship, a full ride to UT’s School of Law. Stone said UT is the best buy for law school. “Texas is one of the best places for UT undergrads — lowest in-state tuition and extremely generous with scholarships,” Stone said. Ward Farnsworth, dean of UT’s School of Law, said considering both cost and opportunities, the return on investment at UT Law is the strongest anywhere. “I wish the school were less expensive, so my highest fundraising priority is to raise money for scholarship support,” Farnsworth said. “I want this to be the best place in the country to be a law student, and a big part of that is keeping the cost low.”
REASON TO PARTY
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