1
COMICS PAGE 7
SPORTS PAGE 6
LIFE&ARTS PAGE 8
Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900
@thedailytexan
facebook.com/dailytexan
Monday, April 11, 2016
dailytexanonline.com
POLICE
Suspect arrested, charged with murder By Caleb Wong & Mikaela Cannizzo @thedailytexan
Police arrested suspect Meechaiel Criner in connection with the death of dance freshman Haruka Weiser on Thursday afternoon and formally filed murder charges on Friday. According to an arrest affidavit released Friday afternoon, Weiser’s murder is classified as a first-degree felony. Austin Police Department Chief Art Acevedo said an unidentified
female recognized the potential suspect in the video released by APD Thursday as the same man involved in starting a fire she reported to law enforcement Monday afternoon in the 2900 block of Medical Arts. “We are very certain the suspect we have in custody is responsible for the death of this beautiful young woman,” Acevedo said during a press conference Friday morning. “We’re going to bring justice to that family and restore the sense of safety this community has always enjoyed.”
According to the affidavit, surveillance video shows the suspect carrying a “shiny rigid object” and following Weiser across the bridge and onto the sidewalk behind the alumni center at approximately 9:38 p.m. Sunday night. The suspect was not seen on surveillance footage again until 11:47 p.m. The suspect also carried a small duffle bag in the later footage that he did not have earlier, according to the affidavit. Weiser’s friend identified the bag as the one she was car-
rying when she left the F. Loren Winship Drama Building on Sunday night. Criner was detained for tampering with evidence after a detective found a burned notebook filled with collegelevel coursework, a black jacket, a Doc Marten shoe and a MacBook marked with a Portland sticker that her family previously confirmed was on her laptop, according to the affidavit. There hasn’t been a homicide on the UT campus since 1966 — the UT Tower
shooting — Acevedo said. Acevedo said the police do not know the motive of the suspect and are looking into his criminal background. According to a story published on Dec. 17, 2014 in the Tiger Times, Criner’s high school paper at Texas High School in Texarkana, Criner said he had been bullied from a young age. In the article, Criner talks about being a victim of physical violence and growing
ARREST page 2
CAMPUS
Women enrollment sees increase over time By Caleb Wong @caleber96
When UT alumna Margaret C. Berry was a student in the 1930s, UT’s student population was male dominated. “All the girls were prepared to teach,” Berry said about a time when most female students went into education or nursing. “That was just one of the things that you did.” More than eighty years later, this trend has reversed. In 1967 — the oldest data publicly available about gender ratios at UT — 62.68 percent of the students were male and 37.32 percent of the students were female. Since 2003, the number of female UT students has consistently outstripped the number of male UT students — 2003 was the first year female students outnumbered male students since World War II, according to University data. The most recent data from 2015 shows 51.1 percent of students are female and 48.9 percent of students are male. The trend not only occurs at UT, but at other colleges and universities across the nation, said David Laude, senior vice provost for enrollment and graduation management. “This should be an enormous concern,” Laude said. “If our population is 50
1967 Men: 62.68%
Women: 37.32%
29,841 students
Of the 29,841 students enrolled at UT, 11,138 were women.
2003 Men: 49.5%
Women: 50.5%
51,426 students
2016 Men: 48.9%
2003 was the first year that UT had more women enrolled than men.
Women: 51.1%
50,950 students
This school year there are currently more women enrolled at UT than men.
Source: The University of Texas Office of Institutional Research
ENROLLMENT page 2
Infographic by Kelly Smith | Daily Texan Staff
CITY
CAMPUS
Student supports use of PrEP pill to prevent HIV
By Lawrence Goodwyn undergone experimentation.
By Forrest Milburn @forrestmilburn
As a sexually active man who has sex with other men, marketing senior Justin Owens — like many in the LGBT community raised in the aftermath of the thousands of horrific deaths at the hands of the 1980s AIDS epidemic — made the decision to start taking antiretroviral medications as another safe-sex practice. “It’s one of the few diseases and STIs that is not curable at this point,” Owens said. “It’s that extra step, that extra caution, to protect myself.” PrEP — or Truvada, as it
is sold — is an antiretroviral prescribed medication used to treat HIV-negative people that, when taken as a daily medication, can reduce HIV contraction by up to 99 percent, according to recent studies and reports. In the age of popular dating apps such as Grindr and SCRUFF, the drug has attracted sexually active students, like Owens, who are HIV negative ever since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2012. “PrEP has probably been the most encouraging news
PREP PILL page 3
bit.ly/dtvid
CITY
Austin areas rank high in proximity to amenities By Bharath Lavendra @burreth
Three areas in Austin, including West Campus, rank in the top 10 most walkable neighborhoods in Texas, according to an article from the real estate firm REDFIN. According to the article, rankings are based on data from WalkScore.com, a website that scores neighborhoods on a scale of 0-100 based on their distatnce to nearby amenities. Downtown Austin ranked as the second most walkable neighborhood in Texas, following Downtown Dallas. West Campus and East Austin took the number three and eight spots, respectively. Dallas and Austin both had three neighborhoods ranking in the top 10, with two areas of Houston holding spots on the list. Mark Cole, a program consultant with the Sidewalk and Special Projects Division of the City of Austin’s Public Works Department, said articles and ranking lists like these are great for the city, but he still hears many valid complaints. “A lot of people think Austin should be more walkable, and I agree,” Cole said. “Traffic is slow, and we have to keep working to ensure that sidewalks are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.” Maitri Zalawadia, a junior civil engineering major, said despite its third place ranking, West Campus could use major improvements. “Most of the sidewalks in West Campus need to be fixed,” Zalawadia said. “There’s a lot of construction going on, so it sometimes it feels very unsafe.” Cole said Austin’s “Sidewalk Master Plan” contributes to the walkability of Austin, but is currently being updated. “Austin is one of only a
WALKABLE page 3
Petition supports monkey relocation @Tyler_Goodwyn
A student has started a petition to relocate macaque monkeys at the UT Animal Resource Center. If they are not relocated, scientists will euthanize these primates. Just about a half-mile from campus, researchers do neurological research on macaque monkeys. Once the research is complete, scientists struggle with the question of where these monkeys should go. Currently, the resource center and psychology sophomore Emily Wissel are collaborating to find suitable housing for the monkeys after they have
“We have worked for years to place [the monkeys] in retirement facilities,” said Gary Susswein, executive director of media relations for UT. “As recently as last fall, we placed a primate in a home. Whenever there is a primate who is eligible for that, we work closely with veterinarians and a research scientist to find a place that would be appropriate to place them in.” To relocate the animals, the researchers must find and fund a new home, which the research center is struggling to budget for. “They are interested in relocating, but the financial burden may keep them from
Illustration by Melanie Westfall | Daily Texan Staff
being able to relocate these animals,” Wissel said. Wissel has already garnered over 120,000 signatures on her petition, which launched more than two months ago,
to stop the euthanasia of these monkeys. Because her petition has gained so much support,
MONKEYS page 3
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
ONLINE
REASON TO PARTY
Students raise money, shave heads for cancer. PAGE 3
Self-driving cars prompt ethical questions. PAGE 4
Baseball wins series, but falls in final game. PAGE 6
Fashion student draws inspiration from the past. PAGE 8
New shuttle buses are arriving on campus. ONLINE
Hillary Clinton’s imperfect record proves an asset. PAGE 4
Softball earns first Big 12 series victory. PAGE 6
“The Interview” builds constant drama, suspense. PAGE 8
Did you run in the Longhorn Run this past Saturday? You might be in our video recap — check it out at dailytexanonline.com
PAGE 7