The Daily Texan 2017-06-05

SUMMER EDITION

Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900

Monday, June 5, 2017

@thedailytexan

THEY’RE BACK. Uber and Lyft return to Austin.

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KAYLA MEYERTONS, NEWS EDITOR | @thedailytexan Monday, June 5, 2017 This issue of The Daily Texan is valued at $1.25 Permanent Staff

Volume 118, Issue 1

CONTACT US Main Telephone (512) 471-4591 Editor-in-Chief Laura Hallas (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com Managing Editor Eva Frederick (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com News Office (512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com Retail Advertising (512) 475-6719 lhollingsworth@austin. utexas.edu Classified Advertising (512) 471-5244 classifieds@ dailytexanonline.com

Editor-in-Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laura Hallas Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cuillin Chastain-Howley, Mubarrat Choudhury, Michael Jensen Senior Columnists . . . . . . . . . Emma Berdanier, Sam Groves, Usmaan Hasan, Noah Horwitz, Caleb Wong, Ryan Young Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eva Frederick Associate Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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Brianna Stone Copy Desk Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kasey Salisbury Associate Copy Desk Chiefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jaree Campbell, Vanessa Martinez Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rena Li Associate Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mallika Gandhi Senior Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Luzdivina Ruiz Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emmanuel Briseno Associate Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Juan Figueroa Senior Photographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carlos Garcia, Josh Guerra, Angel Ulloa Video Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thomas Negrete Senior Videographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Geno Hernandez, Courtney Joyner Science&Tech Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kate Thackrey Associate Science&Tech Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julianne Hodges, Jack Stenglein Senior Science&Tech Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aditya Singh, Alay Shah Life&Arts Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mae Hamilton Associate Life&Arts Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Morgan O’Hanlon, Justin Jones Senior Life&Arts Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acacia Coronado, Jose Gonzalez, Lisette Oler Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Shapiro Associate Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Trenton Daeschner Senior Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robert Briseno, Justin Kong Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Melanie Westfall Associate Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Victoria Smith Senior Comics Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alexis Acevedo, Geovanni Casillas, Rachel Tyler Social Media Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stephanie Martinez-Arndt Editorial Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Chen

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CITY

Uber, Lyft resume operations after statewide deregulation

By Claire Allbright @claireallbright

Uber and Lyft returned to Austin on May 29 — the same day Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a bill deregulating ride-hailing services.

Authored by state Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, House Bill 100 establishes a statewide framework for operating the companies, overturning local city ordinances such as Proposition 1 passed last May by the Austin City Council.

The Austin ordinance, which went into effect after a city-wide vote last May, required ride-hailing companies to fingerprint their drivers as an added safety precaution. After pumping almost $9 million into campaigning and having an unsuccessful outcome in the ballot vote, Uber and Lyft withdrew their services to the

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Illustration by Mel Westfall | Daily Texan Staff

city, saying this requirement was a burden.

The new law still mandates that drivers undergo background checks and provide “all necessary information” to passengers, but they will not have to be fingerprinted.

While signing HB 100, Gov. Abbott called Austin’s ordinance “heavy-handed” and said it limits the free market.

“What today really is is a celebration of freedom and free enterprise,” Abbott said.

“This is freedom for every Texan, especially those who live in the Austin area, to be able to choose the provider of their choice as it concerns transportation.”

Since the bill received more than a two-thirds vote in both chambers, it went into effect immediately, allowing Uber and Lyft to return within the hour.

Although spokespeople for Mayor Steve Adler said he had no further comments about HB 100 becoming law, he expressed his disapproval in a May 17 statement following both chambers passing the bill.

“I’m disappointed that the Legislature chose to

nullify the bedrock principles of self-governance and limited government by imposing regulations on our city over the objection of Austin voters,” Adler said in the statement. “Our city should be proud of how we filled the gap created when Uber and Lyft left, and we now must hope that they return ready to compete in a way that reflects Austin’s values.”

In Uber and Lyft’s absence, some of the companies that filled the gap included RideAustin, Fasten and Fare.

RideAustin CEO Andy Tryba said he started the company as a nonprofit to give back to the Austin community.

“We started RideAustin to bring mobility back after Uber abruptly chose to leave Austinites out-ofwork and stranded,” Tryba said in a statement. “While we respect the State Legislature’s ability to overrule Austin voters, we believe the local Austin community is the best to set local Austin rules. In any scenario, we believe that RideAustin represents the local community values and will continue to be embraced by the local community.”

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MICHAEL SHAPIRO, SPORTS EDITOR | @texansports Monday, June 5, 2017

BASEBALL

Texas takes extra-inning thriller

By Alex Briseno

WHAT TO WATCH FOR Wednesday, June 7 at 3:30 p.m.

@Alexxbriseno

Two innings before Texas sealed its 5-3 12-inning victory over top-seeded Long Beach State on Saturday night, the Longhorns appeared to be the victims of a game-winning inside-the-park home run.

Texas freshman left fielder Austin Todd failed to corral a two-out line drive in the bottom of the 10th, and his error caused the ball to trickle onto to the warning track. With the game-winning run rounding third base and steaming toward home plate, Todd didn’t have many options but to desperately fling the ball as far as his arm allowed.

The ball sailed over the head of freshman shortstop David Hamilton and bounced right in front of third baseman Ryan Reynolds. There wasn’t enough time to field the ball with his glove, so Reynolds opted instead for the barehanded grab before firing to the plate. Long Beach faithfuls manically waved their arms in hopes of a safe call as the runner approached home plate, but junior catcher Michael Cantu put the tag down just in time. The once-raucous crowd at Blair Field became mired in disbelief, and the game continued on to the 11th.

“Well Austin (Todd) had to miss (the ball) in left for it to happen,” head coach David

SIDELINE

NCAA Outdoor Championships

Joshua Guerra | Daily Texan File Photo

The defensive heroics from freshman third baseman Ryan Reynolds extended the game in the 10th inning, setting up a walk-off RBI single by senior designated hitter Travis Jones.

Pierce said. “But when you talk about having a clock in your head and not being passive and going for plays, that was just a perfect example of Ryan being in a position and not being afraid to make a play, and he had to make it to keep the play moving. SportsCenter Top 10 right there.”

Reynolds’ heroics extended the extra-innings affair between Texas and the Long Beach Dirtbags, a heavyweight battle between two teams with College World Series aspirations. Two innings later, junior designated hitter Travis Jones delivered the knockout punch.

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A two-out, two RBI single to left proved to be too much for the Dirtbags, and Texas took the contest 5-3.

“I’ve been doing this for about 30 years now and that is by far the best ballgame I’ve ever been a part of, and I’ve been a part of a lot of great baseball games,” Pierce said.

“Both teams laid it on the line, both teams pitched and played great defense, and I’m just really proud of our fight.”

Every time Texas fell behind Saturday night, it had an answer. Before extras, all three of Texas’ runs came via solo homers. Redshirt junior Bret

Boswell launched two solo shots, one to left in the second frame and one to right in the seventh to knot the game at 2-2.

Then, with Texas trailing 3-2 in the eighth inning, senior center fielder Zane Gurwitz blasted another dinger to tie it up.

The Longhorns struggled in one-run games throughout the season, going 8–15 entering Regionals. But with Saturday’s victory and a 3-2 win over UCLA on Friday night, the Longhorns have proven their mettle in tight contests. Now, a Regional Final awaits, with a trip to the Super Regionals possibly on the horizon.

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Twenty-three Longhorns will head west to Eugene, Oregon, for the NCAA Outdoor Championships beginning Wednesday afternoon. Texas is sending 12 men and 11 women to compete for the nation’s top spots in track and field, from the 400 meters to the triple jump. Keep an eye out for Longhorn jumper O’Brien Wasome, who ended the indoor season ranked No. 5 in the nation in the triple jump.

He is the lone Longhorn jumper going to Eugene.

Friday, June 9 8:00 at p.m.

NBA Finals: Warriors vs. Cavaliers

Two former Longhorns will square off in Game 4 of the NBA Finals as the Warriors’ Kevin Durant takes on Tristan Thompson of the Cavaliers. Durant — the former NBA MVP and four-time scoring champion — erupted in Game 1 of the Finals, scoring 38 points while adding eight rebounds and eight assists. Thompson struggled in 22 minutes on the court in the series opener, failing to score a point.

Durant and Thompson are two of the eight former Longhorns who competed in the 2017 NBA playoffs.

Only two other schools had more players in the postseason, with Duke and North Carolina each sporting nine athletes.

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LAURA HALLAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | @TexanEditorial Monday, June 5, 2017

COLUMN

House, Senate bills overrule local autonomy

By Usmaan Hasan Senior Columnist @UzzieHasan

Last week Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 100, overturning Austin’s voter-approved regulations on the ride-hailing industry and opening the door for Uber’s and Lyft’s return to the city. In a Legislature dominated by conservatives, the session has been marked by uncharacteristically aggressive attempts to curtail local control — undermining the will of voters and overstepping the bounds of limited government that Republicans purport to respect.

HB100 does not stand alone in eroding local autonomy. Senate Bill 6 — the discriminatory bill that refuses to die — overrides local authority to establish protections for transgender constituents. SB451 forbids restrictions on short-term rental properties enacted by Austin, San Antonio and Fort Worth. Even trash bag legislation isn’t safe. SB 103 aimed to overturn local plastic bag bans, such as those present in Austin. These proposed bills were a fraction of the dozens of bills aimed to chip away the authority of local government.

This assault on local autonomy comes at a time in which voter turnout in the United States is at a 20-year low, driven in part by the feeling

that voting is an exercise in futility. Decentralization and local control exists for a reason — a decentralized system serves to legitimize the government, create more effective policy and, in large populations, make government accessible. Overruling local governments is a power that must be used sparingly, otherwise the last bulwark for an informed and involved constituency will fall.

These arguments should sound familiar to conservatives. As attorney general, Gov. Abbott railed against perceived overreach by the Obama administration. But now, principled opposition to big government has given way to a cynical agenda aimed at shoring up the conservative base.

The irony manifested itself in a bill forbidding municipalities from creating occupational licensing requirements stricter than the state.

The author, Matt Schaefer, is the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. Apparently freedom only counts if it’s handed down by the state government. A heavy-handed approach to policy making is both unwarranted and dangerous.

It allows legislators like Rep. Kelly Hancock, author of SB 451, who was elected to represent parts of Dallas and Tarrant counties, to override the wills of voters in Austin and San Antonio.

It’s undemocratic.

Photo by Stephanie Tacy | Daily Texan Staff

The Legislature’s decision to reinstate Uber and Lyft to Austin is symptomatic of a deeper problem. What’s at risk is greater than ridehailing, policy, or politics: It’s the very heart of the American experiment. To preserve the

legitimacy of Texas democracy, the 86th Legislature must tack carefully to avoid a collision course with an apathetic electorate.

Hasan is a Finance and IRG sophomore from Plano.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Find your voice, apply to join The Daily Texan this summer

By Laura Hallas

Daily Texan Editor-in-Chief @TexanEditorial

The Daily Texan is holding summer staff tryouts now through June 19. For any passion you might have, we have a department to help you explore and develop regardless of your major or previous experience.

Working in News will bring you to the front lines of history, our Sports and Life & Arts departments will give you front row seats to local events and writing in Science & Tech positions you at the cutting-edge of research and development. For those who prefer to show rather than tell, we need photographers, videographers and comics artists to enrich the words we put on each page. Copy editors and design-

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.

ers are tasked with bringing all of this content together to make a newspaper.

And of course, there is the Opinion department. Our page hosts personal narratives, offers expert advice and advocates for change.

Tasked with representing the student voice, we want to hear from you. Even if writing here full-time is not a possibility, submitted op-eds and letters to the editor are encouraged.

SUBMIT A FIRING LINE | E-mail your Firing Lines to editor@dailytexanonline.com. Letters must be more than 100 and fewer than 300 words. The Texan reserves the right to edit all submissions for brevity, clarity and liability.

The Daily Texan is a storied tradition. In our 117-year history, we have won more awards than any other student newspaper in the country. Our alumni have won 19 Pulitzer Prizes and graced the pages of many of the most respected publications in the world. We hope that you try out. You could be next.

Hallas is a Plan II and economics junior from Allen.

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MAE HAMILTON, LIFE&ARTS EDITOR | @thedailytexan Monday, June 5, 2017

WORLD

Study abroad program combats health inequity

By Acacia Coronado @acaciatree18

As the sun beats down on Oaxaca, Mexico, tourists walk the cobbled streets of El Centro, surrounded by art and modernity. On the outskirts, however, malnourished children lack basic health care resources.

Social work professor Melissa Smith, founder of the Global Health in Oaxaca study abroad program, said she first came to Oaxaca seeking to practice medicine and social justice principles. She said she realized that many citizens, especially in indigenous communities, didn’t have the resources to achieve health equity, and maternal and child deaths were at a dangerously high level.

“Twenty-eight percent of people in Oaxaca live in extreme poverty,” Smith said. “The definition of extreme poverty is not having enough to eat, so when you think about a place where a quarter of people don’t have enough to eat, it’s a very powerful statistic.”

Smith said she had a life-changing moment in Africa when a young child died of a treatable disease in her arms. Since then, Smith said she has dedicated her life to help underprivileged communities to prevent determinants such as social and economic structures from affecting health equity.

Now, Smith has created the global health study abroad program in partnership

with UT’s institutional partner Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social, or CIESAS, to inspire Longhorns to view health as a human right.

Smith said she co-teaches the global health seminar with CIESAS professor Paola Sesia.

“When you have gray hair, it is time to share what you have learned,” Smith said. “I went into the field of medicine to work on social justice, to use the lens of health and medicine as a way to work on broader social justice concerns.”

Sonia Wright, health and society senior, who began the program last weekend, said she was looking forward to the sociological perspective of public health since she came to UT. She was deeply affected by poverty she witnessed in St. Louis, Missouri, while she was growing up.

“You hear about things and you see them on television, but you don’t really know until you go,” Wright said. “It hit me that I was stepping into another place and seeing that reality for myself was going to be more useful than taking a course.”

Wright said they are required to work with one of the associated health programs or clinics in addition to the seminar and Spanish classes they take.

Wright said she hopes the child health and nutrition service project she is doing with Centro de Salud Xoxo,

the biggest clinic in Oaxaca, feeding 36,000 people, will help her gain a better understanding of not only her culture but global issues.

Alex Gajewski, Plan II and biology sophomore, also on the study abroad trip, said he chose to attend this study abroad because he wants to learn Spanish and get out of his comfort zone.

“I want to try new things, experience a different part of the world, experience a part of Mexico that is less touristy and more of what the real world is like in a sense,” Gajewski said.

For Wright, she said this opportunity is a means to not only gaining experience for her future profession, but also a chance to connect with her heritage in a meaningful way.

“I took this class because I need to learn Spanish for my family and myself to develop those relationships better,” Wright said.

“I want to go into public health helping developing nations, but I need to really see if that is something I can do. I want to be on the ground working.”

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Students in the Global Health in Oaxaca study abroad program will spend from May 27 to July 8 studying public health and sociology in Mexico.

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KATE THACKREY, SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

Monday, June 5, 2017

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RESEARCH

The 2017 Texas 4000 team left for Alaska on Friday, June 2. The riders raised money to fund grants for two biomedical engineering assistant professors’ cancer research.

Courtesy of Texas 4000

Texas 4000 cyclists embark on ride, fund two research grants

By Alay Shah @thedailytexan

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On June 2, 70 UT students departed on a journey of nearly 4,100 miles from Austin, Texas, to Anchorage, Alaska.

The riders, members of UT student organization Texas 4000, will take three different routes: 24 will pass through the Sierra Mountains, 25 through the Rockies and 21 through the Ozarks. But they all have the same mission — to spread hope and cancer awareness in search of a cure.

Biomedical engineering junior Katie Goodfellow joined a biomedical engineering research lab around the same time she was accepted to ride for 2017.

“Being both a rider and biomedical engineering student is really special because one enriches the other,” Goodfellow said. “Not only do I get to ride for my family and friends affected by cancer, but I also get to ride for my professors and their dedication to finding a cure.”

Texas 4000 awards yearly seed grants to two biomedical engineering labs that are researching new cancer

treatments or detection methods. Many of the riders are invested in both the human and research sides of cancer.

Biology senior Prem Patel has served the past three summers as a research assistant in cancer biology labs at both the UT Southwestern Medical Center and UT-Austin.

“Cancer research often involves exploring unaddressed avenues, or combinations of previously tested methods, which is a very expensive endeavor,” Patel said.

The Texas 4000 investment in funding to research at MD Anderson, Dell Medical School, the UT Biomedical Engineering Department and UT Southwestern is essential for helping accelerate promising projects to proceed to clinic and ultimately to act as a cure, Patel said.

Katie Russell, a public relations and radio-television-film senior, said the Texas 4000 commitment to research fundraising gives her hope that the funds raised will contribute to a cancer-free world.

This year, biomedical engineering assistant professors Tim Yeh and Hyun Jung Kim received Texas 4000 grants.

Yeh said he plans to use the

funding to develop biomarkers for prostate cancer prognosis and generate preliminary data to compete for further National Institutes of Health and Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grants.

“The biggest problem in prostate management is overdiagnosis and overtreatment … new biomarkers will help alleviate burdens not only to patients but also to clinical care providers,” Yeh said.

Kim said he will develop a microchip model for colorectal cancer that will allow researchers to test the cells of individual patients. It will simulate an environment with stimulants or toxins surrounding colon cancer cells and see the response.

He said the chip has the potential to tailor cancer therapies at a personal level.

Texas 4000 Chris Condit started the nonprofit organization when he was an electrical engineering undergraduate in 2004. He became inspired after experiencing Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of pediatric cancer, firsthand when he was a child.

“I just felt like I had to give back to that community,” Condit told the Daily Texan in April.

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Monday, June 5, 2017

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