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Wednesday, August 31, 2016
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UNIVERSITY
University construction continues By Paul Cobler @paulcobler
Construction has become a familiar sight on campus as students begin the new school year. The University is currently undertaking nine different construction projects to build new facilities and update older ones. While the construction hopes to improve University buildings, it also is a source of problems for
students navigating their way across campus. “We do know that the construction can cause the students, faculty and staff to have to change their usual routes to get to buildings on campus,” said Laurie Lentz, manager of Communications for University Operations. “But we do believe that once the construction is done, they’ll be very pleased with the results.” The Engineering Education Research Center will be
over 400,000 gross square feet upon completion in 2017. The building is being constructed on between San Jacinto Boulevard and Speedway, next to Ernest Cockrell Jr. Hall. “I think it’s great,” mechanical engineering freshman Cesar Urueta said. “It’s awesome that the University is investing into the program that I’m in. I feel honored that I get to use the building for a long time during my career at UT.”
Robert B. Bowling Hall is being constructed on the corner of Guadalupe Street and MLK Boulevard. When the building is completed by summer 2017, it will be over 200,000 square feet and host the McCombs School of Business’ graduate program. Andres Bustamante, a supply chain management sophomore, said he is impressed with the improvements being made to his college. “For me, as a McCombs
student, I’ve been so pleased with what they’ve offered me,” Bustamante said. “The programs they offer there are just extraordinary, so for them to build a new facility where you can go as a grad student is just awesome.” Upgrades to the Dell Medical District are also occurring, as construction of the Health Discovery Building and the Health Transformation Building are
BUILDINGS page 2
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
SG holds first assembly meeting of year By Paul Cobler @paulcobler
Student Government held its first general assembly meeting of the year Tuesday, approving the budget as well as laying out plans for the coming year. The first meeting of the 110th session included descriptions of the executive committee’s seven platform points and an amendment to the Student Government Code of Rules and Procedures that aims to increase the organization’s outreach. Mental health support, sexual assault awareness, campus safety, student health and wellness, federal relations, student spirit involvement and campus inclusion are the executive committee’s platform points they hope to push this semester. “All seven members of the executive board each have taken a policy area that we are each going to work with for the next year,” said chief of staff Isaiah Carter, a government junior. “We think that the best way to achieve all of them is to delegate them.” Kevin Helgren and Binna Kim previously ran on five platform points but have
Mary Pistorius | Daily Texan Staff
Student government meets for their first meeting of the semester to discuss budgets and new staff apppointments. Their budget proposal met unanimous approval.
increased that number to seven in order to address more concerns, Carter said. “As chief of staff, I’m going to be working on campus safety the entire year,” Carter said. “Safety was something that happened
because we got sworn in right after the tragedy on campus, so obviously safety became a priority.” The budget for the various committees and organizations within SG, as well as for student organization
appropriations was approved unanimously by the body. “Student Government has a budget graciously given to us by the University of almost $100,000,” said internal financial director Jonathan
Harper, a finance and Plan II senior. “We went item by item and cut out about 30 to 40 percent of the items that were requested in terms of the monetary amount. We
ASSEMBLY page 2
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CAMPUS
University promotes suicide prevention By Sarah Philips @sarahphilips23
With the biggest freshman class in UT’s history trying to get acclimated to college, suicide is of special concern this year. Suicide is the secondleading cause of death for people ages 15 to 19, following accidental deaths and preceding homicide, the Center for Disease Control reported. Marian Trattner, the suicide prevention coordinator at the Counseling and Mental Health Center, said first-year students could be at higher risk for depression and suicidal thoughts. “I think college is super exciting for students, but it can also be a really stressful time,” Trattner said. “Especially for a first-year student, you’re learning all about the college experience, but you’re also learning how to live on your own for the first time and not under your parents’ wing.” Gustavo Molinar, a teaching assistant for the CMHC’s Peer Education program, offered tips for students who sense problems with their friends or roommates. “We tell students that you never put the idea [of ] suicide into their head,” said Molinar, a psychology and health and society senior. “Tell your roommate or friend that you’re there if they need it, and tell them about the mental health center and the crisis line.” Molinar said the stigma that still surrounds
SUICIDE page 2
CAMPUS
CAMPUS
Native American group shares culture, heritage
New club unites LGBT graduate students
By Courtney Joyner @courtjoy42
Four Directions, the Native American and Indigenous Collective’s annual welcome program, took place on the Main Mall on Tuesday night. NAIC, a division of the Multicultural Engagement Center, is an organization geared towards creating an open space for students who identify as a Native American, indigenous or are curious about those cultures. “What we do mostly is we interact with the community,” NAIC co-president Yasmeen Davila said. “We try to bring the students in so they can learn about
Native American issues and indigenous issues.” Davila, a history junior, said last night’s events were specifically geared toward new students on campus. “[Four Directions] is about visibility, and it’s about interacting and trying to get Native American and indigenous first-year and transfer students to know that there are campus resources that are specifically for them and that they’re not by themselves that it’s an identity that they can claim,” Davila said. Luis Carcamo-Huechante, associate professor of Spanish and director of Native
NAIC page 2
By Ryan Prokell
The Queer Graduate Student Alliance promotes community across queer graduate students and their allies. The organization held its first Meet and Greet Tuesday evening.
@rprokell
UT’s Queer Graduate Student Alliance hosted its first Meet and Greet at Gabriel’s Café on Tuesday, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Established by several graduate students and staff members in April of this year, QGSA promotes community across the UT campus for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning graduate students and their allies. The QGSA is an agency of UT’s Graduate Student Assembly. “QGSA was founded with the purpose of creating a community in which queer graduate students at UT could feel comfortable and welcome,” said Willis Brown,
Zoe Fu Daily Texan Staff
the president of the newlyformed organization. The alliance organizes social events and other relevant programming to provide graduate students with the opportunity to connect
with members of the LGBTQ community outside of their colleges. GSA is an advocate for graduate and professional student needs on the 40 Acres and serves as the official voice of UT graduate students.
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
ONLINE
A UT sorority has recently gone viral for a video PAGE 3 An Iranian prison has released a UT student PAGE 3
Texas voters should reject Trump’s isolationism. PAGE 4
Malik Jefferson prepares to take on leadership role PAGE 6
Rapper Common spoke and rapped for UT students. PAGE 8
Teaser would go here and then we would give them a
Young Thug’s album cover pushes gender norms. PAGE 4
Texas basketball’s key non-conference matchups PAGE 6
Motivational movies help students kick off semester PAGE 8
“It’s nice to have an umbrella organization to unify all the different graduate school LGBTQ organizations,” said
QGSA page 2 REASON TO PARTY
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