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MONDAY, JULY 31, 2017
Volume 118, Issue 9
Learn about UT’s most famous falcon. Read more on Page 6.
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Monday, July 31, 2017
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News Legislators and officials react to Trump’s tweet concerning transgender individuals in the military.
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Opinion
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Sports
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Life&Arts
Columnists condemn regressive attitudes toward transgender persons and explore new bike paths.
Junior safety P.J. Locke III established himself as a leader of the Longhorn defense prior to fall camp.
AUSTIN WEATHER TODAY July 31
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Puppet rock band plays songs based on children’s books for audiences at the Austin Public Library.
VIDEO FEATURE
A rundown of the latest exhibits at Blanton Museum. See dailytexanonline.com/multimedia/videos for more.
NEWS
KAYLA MEYERTONS, NEWS EDITOR | @thedailytexan Monday, July 31, 2017
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NATIONAL
Trump’s policy repeal tweets garner mixed responses By Claire Allbright @claireallbright
Attempts to regulate the lives of transgender individuals were advanced both nationally and across the state of Texas this week. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced, in a series of tweets, that transgender individuals would no longer be able to serve in the U.S. military, overturning a 2016 change in policy under the Obama administration that allowed transgender Americans to serve openly. “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow … transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” Trump’s tweets read. “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming … victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.” Trump’s statement left many wondering when this policy would go into place and what the announcement means for transgender individuals currently serving in the military. However, at this time, it appears there will be no immediate change following the announcement, according to White House officials. Pentagon leaders, including Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed
the confusion and said until formal policy measures are taken, transgender individuals would still be allowed to serve in the armed forces, and the military would “continue to treat all of (its) personnel with respect.” “There will be no modifications to the current policy until the President’s direction has been received by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary has issued implementation guidance,” Dunford wrote in a letter to other top military officials. Trump’s announcement sparked a deluge of response, from harsh backlash to others jumping to support the president’s new position. Many supporters of the announcement said his policy change came after talking with military officials, while those against the announcement said it was another way to discriminate against the transgender community. “There are those who’d like to use the military to experiment or to try different ideas out, including ones like this,” U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said on a radio show. “But what I always do is rely upon the experts, and I’m confident that’s what the president has done … And I believe that that’s the correct course of action.” Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, who has declared his bid for the Senate in the 2018 election, spoke out against the policy on the same platform Trump took to announce it.
“Nevermind that transgender Americans are today putting their lives on the line, serving (with) honor, earning praise from their commanders,” O’Rourke said on Twitter. “Every time we’ve made the military more reflective of America, it’s been made stronger.” Closer to home, legislation that would prohibit transgender individuals from using the bathroom of their choice was approved by the Texas Senate last week. Senate Bill 3, the special session’s version of the controversial “bathroom bill,” authored by state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, would require transgender individuals to use the bathroom in accordance with their birth certificate or government-issued I.D. in government buildings and public schools. No action on the bill has been taken in the House. The first step will be a public committee hearing, and the committee must approve the bill before it can be debated and voted on by the full House. The Texas Senate has taken action on almost all of Gov. Greg Abbott’s 20 priorities. However, Abbott said he won’t add any more topics to the call until bills for the initial 20 are sent to his desk. While the special session can last the full 30 days, it won’t be cheap. The San Antonio Express-News estimates that the session has already cost taxpayers more than $416,000 over the first 13 days.
Joshua Guerra | Daily Texan Staff
President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that transgender individuals will no longer be able to serve in the U.S. military.
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LAURA HALLAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | @TexanOpinion Monday, July 31, 2017
COLUMN
COLUMN
Bigotry, not pragmatism, at root of anti-transgender policy
MoPac bike bridge stunning, but too hidden to prosper
By Sam Groves Senior Columnist @samgroves
Can there be any justification for President Donald Trump’s recently announced intention to ban transgender people from serving in the military? In one of the tweets he fired off last Wednesday morning announcing the ban, Trump cited the “tremendous medical costs” that would supposedly burden the military if transgender people were allowed to serve. Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas’ first congressional district made a similar argument on the floor of the House of Representatives earlier this month, bemoaning that the “United States Congress is in favor of taking men and surgically making them into women with the money that they would use to protect the nation otherwise.” The argument that caring for transgender service member would be too expensive has been thoroughly debunked in the media since Trump made his announcement. A widely shared Washington Post article explains that medical care for transgender servicemen and women would cost just 0.0014 percent of the U.S. defense budget — five times less than the military spends annually on erectile dysfunction pills. Besides, the price is not as important as the fundamental principle that in America, we are willing to invest in the physical and mental health of those who offer up their lives in service of our country — no matter their gender identity. There’s another argument, though, one that Trump hinted at in his tweets when he referred to the “disruption that transgender in the military would entail.” This “disruption” was more colorfully invoked by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who said Wednesday that the “military is not the place
for leftist social experimentation.” But if the armed forces are a fine-tuned machine — and allowing transgender people to serve would be like throwing a wrench in that machine — then we have to consider the already-functioning components of that machine. There are 15,500 transgender soldiers currently serving in the military. Transgender people are disproportionately represented in the military, and the military is the single biggest employer of transgender people in the United States. Some of these people will be determined to serve no matter what. Will forcing them into hiding, requiring that they keep secrets from their fellow troops and live in constant fear of discovery, really make the military function better? It hardly seems likely. The true motivation behind this ban — or intended ban, anyway — is not so different from the motivation behind Senate Bill 3, the “bathroom bill” making its way through the Texas legislature right now. Defenders of both policies offer “pragmatic” arguments for their implementation. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a champion of SB3, has said that the bill is about protecting women’s privacy in public restrooms. But transphobia, or at least an overwhelming discomfort with the idea that gender is not so rigid as we once thought, lies at the root of both. The secret hope of those who support anti-transgender policies is that their efforts will make it impossible to be transgender in America — that the whole phenomenon of gender-nonconformity will simply melt away. Then the minds of people like Donald Trump, Louie Gohmert, Sid Miller and Dan Patrick can be at ease. But that will never happen, nor should it. Can there be any justification for banning transgender people from the military? Not unless you value the precious sensibilities of the few over the lives and livelihoods of many thousands. Groves is a philosophy junior from Dallas.
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.
By Ryan Young Senior Columnist @OldRyanyoung
A bicycle and pedestrian bridge opened along South MoPac last month, giving cyclists and joggers a new way to cross Barton Creek. Visitors can enjoy nature, gaze at the beauty of the hill country and take a break from a busy Austin lifestyle. Besides being a destination itself, the bridge is supposed to fill a big gap in Austin’s growing urban trail network and encourage more bicycle travel. But after spending $14.5 million and nearly four years on its construction, some are wondering if the effort was worth it. Ben Wear, Austin American-Statesman transportation reporter, did an informal head count a week after the bridge was finished. Discounting people just out for exercise or leisure, Wear figured there were only about three cyclists per hour commuting to work on the new route. The city plans to install a counter to track the bridge’s precise usage next month, according to city engineer Janae Spence. Wear concluded Austin had just spent a “heck of a lot of money” on a “glorified scenic overlook.” Austin cyclists immediately fired back, arguing that the bridge simply needed some more time — and cooler weather — to get discovered. I have my own theory as to why the new bridge isn’t popular yet — it’s only halfway built. The Mobility Bridge’s southern end lets off at Gaines Ranch, a small hill topped with a few office buildings and apartment complexes. Further south, toward Sunset Valley and Oak Hill, MoPac crosses the Gaines Creek Greenbelt on another set of bridges. However, the project did not include a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge across Gaines Creek. That’s expected to be built as part of the future Y at Oak Hill to Barton Creek Trail.
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.
NEWS
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Monday, July 31, 2017
CITY
Marchers celebrate defeat of ‘skinny repeal’ bill By Wesley Story @wesleystory0
A march in support of health care developed a victorious tone Saturday mornWithout this second crossing, the new bridgeing as Austin participants over Barton Creek is a great way to reach a se-celebrated the recent delect few locations at Gaines Ranch, but it stopsfeat of the Affordable Care just short of connecting to anywhere else inAct repeal legislation in the South Austin. U.S. Senate. The only way I could get to Sunset Valley, Protesters had intended to where I planned to run errands at Walmart andrally at Austin City Hall to get lunch at Mama Fu’s, was to ride my bike onprotest the Republican health the shoulder of MoPac’s frontage roads. Thereinsurance repeal bill, but afwas no barrier that separated me from otherter Friday’s senate vote, the traffic, nor was there a marked bike lane to givefocus shifted to a broader deme a legitimate place on the road. A few feetnouncement of the attempt away, cars zoomed past at 60 miles per hourto strip millions of Ameripreparing to enter and exit the freeway. cans of health care, according Only the most experienced, hardcore cycliststo the event’s Facebook page. are willing to put up with such harrowing com- Indivisible Austin Presmutes. Bicycle infrastructure like the Mobilityident Lisa Goodgame said Bridge is supposed to provide a comfortable alternative, but the dedicated lanes have to reach all the way to your destinations to be useful. I give the new MoPac Mobility Bridge an A-plus for its awesome views, but a C for its value as a bridge. It doesn’t connect me to the places where I want to go. Thousands of South Austinites will say the same. Young is a computer science senior from Bakersfield, California.
now that the repeal legislation has been defeated, the focus needs to be on looking forward to other health care challenges. “There are still a lot of challenges that we need to meet,” Goodgame said. “This win happened because millions of people across the country organized and told their members of Congress that repeal of the ACA and gutting Medicaid was unacceptable.” The ACA repeal bill officially died in the Senate early Friday morning after Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, voted “no,” rejecting the so-called “skinny repeal” bill on the Senate floor. The “skinny repeal
bill,” or Health Care Freedom Act, would have repealed or rolled back several Obamacare measures, including the individual and employee mandates. Goodgame said some of the challenges that still need to be addressed include improving the ACA and securing Medicaid for everyone who needs it. In addition to the Austin march, people gathered in 151 cities across 43 states Saturday to participate in a nationwide day of action known as “Our Lives on the Line,” according to the event’s website. After the rally, protesters filed into lines to march down
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Our commentary doesn’t end with the page. Visit dailytexanonline.com for more content. Don’t write off Greek life What Trump doesn’t understand about the Boy Scouts Evelyn Moreno | Daily Texan Staff Prisoners must be granted basic Dozens took to the streets to celebrate the defeat of the health care repeal bill. Despite the human rights
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victory, however, people marched to raise awareness on what is left to be done to improve and expand health care coverage.
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Congress Avenue, where they formed “life lines,” symbolized by a physical string. Participants brought written testimonies of their personal health care stories to hang on the string. Maria R. Palacios, founder and president of the National Women with Disabilities Empowerment Forum, said she attended the event to represent the health care rights of people with disabilities. “For millions of disabled Americans whose lives are on the line, this fight has meant the difference between life and death,” Palacios said. “People with disabilities refuse to be the throwaways of society.”
Many of the speakers encouraged the crowd to take a more civically active role and to continue to fight for their health care rights. Registered voter deputy registrars also attended the event to sign people up to vote. Some cars honked in support as they drove by City Hall and saw the signs held by protesters lined down Congress Avenue. Akhil Mulgaonker, one of the event’s organizers, told the crowd the defeat of the Obamacare repeal bill was a testament to their passion and tenacity, but they must remain vigilant because of the issues still being faced. “Because of you, 22 million
Americans have been spared of the journey and pain of having no health care,” Mulgaonker said. “At the end of the day, our people power prevails. When millions of Americans come together with one voice, there’s nothing that can’t be achieved.”
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COVER STORY
Monday, July 31, 2017
Monday, July 31, 2017
FOR THE
BIRDS From bird-bots to UT’s resident falcon, this week the Science&Technology section is celebrating our fine feathered friends.
Illustration by Rachel Tyler Daily Texan Staff
Robot birds could influence flight direction By Kate Thackrey @Kate_Thackrey
The computer simulations of artificial intelligence researcher Katie Genter could help robot birds lead real flocks away from dangerous situations. Genter, who presented her Ph.D. dissertation on flocking behavior and other research in UT’s Learning Agents Research Group to a panel of computer scientists this May, wanted to know if she could control the movement of virtual flocks by adding certain autonomous agents into the mix. In computer science, an agent is a computer program that acts on its own by following a series of pre-written rules. In this case, Genter developed “flocking” agents, which acted in the way a normal bird would, and “influencing” agents, which learned from the flock to push all the flocking agents in a certain direction. “Once you know who the neighbors of a bird are, (you can determine) what behaviors of the neighbors affect the behaviors of the agent,” Genter said. “The model averages the orientation of the neighbors, and that determines the orientation of the individual agents.” Genter said she doesn’t control these agents: They must observe
neighbors to make their own decisions through a type of artificial intelligence called ad hoc learning. “You’re joining a team that you haven’t pre-coordinated with and that you might not be able to communicate with, and you’re still helping them accomplish the goal,” Genter said. Through her thesis and a series of papers published through computer science journals and conferences, Genter tested how different combinations of neighbors and environmental factors affected the agents. “Intuitively I thought that the birds that were closer to the agent would have a stronger impact,” Genter said. “But … inherently there’s no reason that closer agents should have more knowledge than further agents.” Peter Stone, director of the research group and Genter’s Ph.D. advisor, said researchers normally approach flocks by studying where they end up rather than how they can be pushed in one direction or another. “Everybody up to this point had thought of flocking as something where all of the birds or fish are doing the same thing, rather than having this separation of flocking agents and influencing agents,” Stone said. “But we can insert some birds ourselves and influence what the rest of the flock is going to do.”
Genter said that these models have applications in real-life situations: Robot birds programmed with similar algorithms could infiltrate real flocks of birds and lead them away from dangerous areas such as airports and wind farms. “If you design a robot bird that has the same silhouette and the same wing-flap pattern, (birds will) actually think the robot bird is just another member of the flock,” Genter said. “Our method would … not scare the birds, not kill them, not take away their natural habitat, but just … lead the flock safely around the airport.” Dutch company Clear Flight Solutions has already developed working robot falcons and eagles, with prototypes operating at the Edmonton International Airport, but Genter said that these robots must be controlled by a human operator and rely on scaring birds away rather than leading them in a specific direction. A representative from the city of Austin Aviation Department said in an email that the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport currently uses habitat management, spikes in roosting areas and propane cannons to keep birds away and scare them when necessary. “Bird challenges vary by time of year,” they wrote. “(The airport is) currently rated as moderate.”
According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s wildlife strike database, the airport reported 35 strikes in 2016, with 289 strikes reported across Texas. Genter added that the models could also be applied to insects, fish and even herds of grazing animals. Stone said that artificial intelligence could lead flocks towards areas as well as away from them. “The airport is a representation of something that you want the flock to avoid, but in principle you could have them try to go somewhere, not avoid something,” Stone said. “You could have them try to go to wildlife preserves or avoid … areas where there’s not a lot of food for them.” Genter, who moved to Florida after her dissertation defense, said that although she plans to tour universities around the world as a guest lecturer, there are still many questions left open by her research. “(Researchers) could actually be able to take flocking models that biologists are proposing, try them out in our simulators and see if the resulting behavior is the same as what they’re experiencing in nature,” Genter said. “If it’s not, there’s something wrong with the model that they’re using — if it is, it validates their model.”
‘Tower Girl’ lays eggs, continues to excite local bird enthusiasts By Alice Kanitz Sanchez @thedailytexan
UT Tower’s resident peregrine falcon laid her second batch of eggs this year, but they didn’t hatch and were taken to Texas A&M University for research. The falcon was nicknamed “Tower Girl” by a few bird-lovers who observed her progress and egg-laying process, among them Bruce Calder, bird enthusiast and UT alumnus. Calder said he was surprised when he first saw the bird near the Tower on July 21, 2013. “(The bird’s presence) was astonishing to me since peregrine falcons are not expected to be found in central Texas past about mid-May,” Calder said. When he saw the falcon, Calder said he decided to take steps to entice her to stay and breed near the Tower. Calder introduced himself to former UT President Bill Powers with an unusual request. “I gave him a quick 30-second pitch for UT installing a nest box on the Tower in order to entice this rare bird to stick around and breed,” Calder said.
Shortly after, Calder said Powers delegated this to Pat Clubb, former vice president of university operations, who sent it to Animal Make Safe, a group where Carin Peterson coordinates training and outreach. Peterson said her team secured the nest box for the falcon’s eggs up at the top of the Tower. Peterson also acted as mediator. “The experts … were kind of feeding us information based on what they were observing, and we were giving information to (Project Management and Construction Services), because they were the ones who had access to it,” Peterson said. “We were saying, you know, ‘Don’t go out there … now it’s okay to go up there.’” Peterson added that peregrine falcons are fairly rare — they’re listed as threatened in Texas. Calder said the box was finally installed February 14, 2014, with the hopes that Tower Girl would lay eggs there during the spring. The bird mostly ignored the nest box until the spring of 2015, Calder said. Even then, no eggs were laid until a year later. Most of the eggs were found too late to salvage, and one remaining egg was taken to Texas
A&M for analysis and determined to be infertile last summer. When bird enthusiasts, including Calder, noticed she was laying eggs again this past spring, the excitement began. “I’d just like to see it work out for her,” bird watcher and photographer Chris DuCharme told KUT this April. Peterson said her group eventually removed the eggs because they were past the point of being viable. “It was decided that there was a date past which the egg would not be viable; it was an estimation but it was a very generous estimation,” Peterson said. “We wanted to give the eggs any chance they had of hatching”. The eggs were sent to Texas A&M to find out if the eggs were ever fertile at all and if something went wrong. “We are still awaiting the results; however, we are 99 percent certain that those eggs will be found infertile, as well,” Calder said. Peterson said her department may set up a webcam to watch Tower Girl next spring. “We’re hoping to get a webcam up there so we can monitor from the ground,” Peterson said.
Illustrations by Geovanni Casillas | Daily Texan Staff
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MICHAEL SHAPIRO, SPORTS EDITOR | @texansports Monday, July 31, 2017
TRACK & FIELD
Gordon, Burton bring bond outside Texas for World Championships By Michael Shapiro @mshap2
The last time Chrisann Gordon dug her spikes into the track donning burnt orange, she was at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. In the final meet of her collegiate career, Gordon saved her best for last, winning the 400m in 50.51 seconds. She led from start to finish, becoming just the seventh Longhorn to win the event in school history. Gordon graduated from Texas in the spring. Now, she’s eyeing victory on a greater stage: the 2017 IAAF World Championships, beginning on
Aug. 4 in London, England. “This year I’m living my moment,” Gordon said. “I get to leave Texas knowing I’m an NCAA champion, and that’s a good feeling … I can’t wait to step on the track (in London) and run the way I train.” Gordon is no stranger to competing on the world stage. She earned a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics with Jamaica’s 4x400m relay team and ran for her country at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships in 2016. But the championships in London will be Gordon’s first solo mission in
international competition. Instead of running as a member of Jamaica’s relay team, Gordon will be all alone, with goals of a medal placed squarely on her shoulders. “It will be a different feeling (at the championships),” Gordon said. “I’m always in the relay pool, but this year I have a lane to myself. Hopefully I can get some more (personal records) and get on the podium too.” Joining Gordon in London is a Longhorn with decidedly less experience in international competition. Fellow Jamaican and rising sophomore
Rushelle Burton will aim to parlay her strong showing at the collegiate level into podium placement at the world championships next week, competing in the 100m hurdles. Burton had nearly unparalleled success as a freshman. She dashed her way to the top time in the NCAA in the 100m hurdles at the Texas Invitational in April and was named Big 12 Athlete of the Week soon thereafter. She also racked up the accolades during the indoor season, earning Big 12 Outstanding Freshman of the Year. “For Rushelle to come in as a freshman and have the success that she did, making the
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national team at such a young age, that’s quite the feat,” head coach Mario Sategna said. “I think she’s raised the bar. Nobody else compares to what she’s done at such a young age.” The two runners share a unique relationship on and off the track. The veteran Gordon has taken to mentoring Burton in her first year with the Longhorns, dolling out advice on how to navigate both the collegiate track circuit as well as life in a new country. Despite being nearly 1,600 miles from home, Burton has found a sense of family in Austin with the help of her older teammate. “(Gordon) is always there for
@TrentDaeschner
Former Texas swimmer Will Licon has been named Big 12 Men’s Athlete of the Year for the 2016–17 season, the conference announced Thursday. Licon is co-recipient of the award along with former Kansas point guard Frank Mason III. It’s also the first time a swimmer, male or female, has won Athlete of the Year in the Big 12. Licon is the 11th Longhorn to have won the award, a group that includes Vince Young, Ricky Williams and Cat Osterman. “It’s really special and humbling to receive this award, and I appreciate the consideration from the media panel and the fans,” Licon said. “I’ve had the opportunity to watch Frank Mason through the years, and I’m honored to share this award with him. College swimming and diving is stacked with some really deep conferences. My teammates and I are happy
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Monday, July 31, 2017
FOOTBALL
Locke takes leadership role before fall camp By Alex Briseno @Alexxbriseno
me — she’s like my mom,” Burton said. “She’s always on my A forgotten water bottle back, telling me what to do, tell-in the players’ lounge one ing me what’s right … She reallyevening during summer helped me believe in myself.” practice originally appeared The pair’s time together into be little more than a Austin is over, but the bond theyharmless mistake by junior share extends outside of the 40cornerback P.J. Locke III. Acres. Burton and Gordon willBut he quickly learned to sport the same green and yellownever make it again. jersey in London on Aug. 4, and Soon after arriving back continue their careers side-by-to his dorm room later that side at international competi-evening, Locke received a text from head coach Tom Hertions for years to come. “This is very big for us, theman in a group message with first time with both of us goinghim and his position coach to the world championships,”Jason Washington. Gordon said. “We’ll get togeth- “He sent pictures of the er, and I’ll make sure to give herwater bottle and it had my name on it,” Locke said. “So I a pep talk like I always do.” was like, ‘Oh Lord.’ I was like, ‘Oh, I was looking for that.’ He said, ‘Well, it’s not OK to not know where your water is. Meet me in the morning.’” Long before the sun came up the next morning, Locke reported to the field, knowing a full day of hard work was ahead of him. And the punishment wasn’t without purpose. It was all part of Herman’s bigger message. “You can do it another way, you really can,” Herman said. “We had a talk the other day. You can go party all you want, you can go enjoy Austin, enjoy college, enJoshua Guerra | Daily Texan Staffjoy Texas. You can do all of Former Longhorn swimmer Will Licon dominated the competi- those things, but don’t come tion in 2016-17, winning an NCAA title in five separate events. to me and say you want to win a championship then. to have carried the flag for the Men’s Swimmer of the Year for Those two can’t coexist.” Locke stood at the goal Big 12 and keep the league on the second time in three years. “This wouldn’t even be re-line preparing to do “air top these last three years.” This past season, Licon won motely possible if not for theraids,” where he sprinted up an NCAA title in all five events training environment we haveand down the length of the he competed in. He ended his at Texas,” Licon said. “I’ve hadfield, touching the turf and career in Austin with 11 cham- the best coaches I could havereturning to the goal line evpionships in total. His perfor- ever asked for — from Eddieery five yards. mance helped the Longhorns Reese and Kris Kubik to Wy- But that wasn’t all. win a third-straight NCAA att Collins and Chase Kreitler Two hundred yards of air men’s swimming and diving — and my teammates are likeraids later, Locke found himtitle, giving Texas 13 all-time. brothers to me. This is a teamself with a bottle of Windex Licon was also named Big 12 award, and it’s all for them.” in one hand and a rag in the
Licon claims Big 12 Athlete of the Year By Trenton Daeschner
SPORTS
other. He was tasked with cleaning the weight room and scrubbing the weights — all of them before the 5:50 a.m. workout that morning. Locke hasn’t spent the offseason in Herman’s doghouse. In fact, he was praised by Herman on several occasions upon the coach’s arrival to Texas. Herman even went as far as to call Locke’s parents in the spring to express his gratitude for the way they raised their son. “That is as favorite of a guy that I’ve got on this team and that was not a very fun meeting,” Herman said. “We called an actual meeting, me and his position coach, and I undressed his position coach and him for leaving his water bottle where he couldn’t have access to it.” However, if anything was better than Herman’s reaction to a forgotten water bottle in the player’s lounge, it was Locke’s response soon after. “The next day I tied my shoe string around it and hooked it around my neck,” Locke said. “You never know.” One thing everybody does know, however, is the playmaking ability Locke brings to the Longhorn secondary. He started in nine games as a sophomore, recording 33 total tackles, two interceptions and one fumble recovery. Pro Football Focus even highlighted Locke as one of the top cornerbacks in the nation in 2016, citing opposing quarterbacks’ miniscule passer rating when throwing the ball his way. “He makes plays,” Herman said. “He does everything right … his work ethic is phenomenal and he is vocal. That is one thing we’re missing a little bit, is some vocal leadership.” As week one approaches, the spotlight now shines
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Zoe Fu | Daily Texan Staff
After picking off two passes and totaling 33 tackles last year, junior cornerback P.J. Locke III will eye an increased role in 2017.
brightly on the Beaumont native. There’s no escaping it. However, Locke doesn’t seem to be too phased by the extra attention. “Yeah I see it,” Locke said. “But I don’t really pay a lot of attention to it because I just always try to focus on being better than I was the year before and just keep working on my craft.” As Texas prepares to open
fall camp next week, one thing is for sure. The entire secondary will need to be better in 2017 if the program wants to take a significant step forward. Locke has established himself as one of the team’s premier cover corners and is in now prime position to bring the Longhorn secondary back to prominence. Now that’s something he won’t forget.
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Librarians make folk rock out of folktales By Acacia Coronado @acaciatree18
A puppet singing rock and roll and the story of a pigeon driving a bus to the tune of The Beatles might not seem like an everyday experience. But at Austin Public Library, this is the average show routine for Echo and the Bats. This summer marks the two-year anniversary of local band Echo and the Bats, composed of four children’s literature librarians from the Austin Public Library. Since their inception, the band with a name straight out of a children’s book have dedicated themselves to the art of adapting kid, tween and young adult books into rock and roll melodies. Band founder and drummer Jessica Hyink said she first came up with the idea after attending We Rock Camp, a rock music camp for ages 19 and up, where she became inspired to begin playing drums. “When I got back, one of my colleagues Gabriel was suggesting, I think as a joke, that we could start a library band,” Hyink said. Soon, Hyink gathered a group of volunteers willing to take part in the band and met for their first rehearsal, unsure of what to play and for who. Their first show attracted mixed age groups, but they soon found their audience to be younger children and focused on themes they would find relatable. Band bassist Gabriel
Ransenberg said though he never imagined they would play for such a young age group, the band has enjoyed the sincerity and responsiveness of their followers. Children, he said, are always very honest about whether they like the performance or not. “We played a pretty large preschool and there were 150 preschoolers in the crowd,” Ransenberg said. “It was really excellent. The entire back of the cafeteria was up and dancing around.” Last year James Loomis, band guitarist and UT alumnus, said they got the opportunity to play background music and during breaks for children’s mystery book novelist R.L. Stine’s reading at the library’s event Band Books: Libraries Rock. This, he said, was a significant moment for the band after growing up reading his books. For lyricist and UT alumna Kathleen Houlihan, composing the children’s bookthemed adaptations of rock songs came naturally. She said the process includes picking the book, finding lyrics within and then finding a rock song from the last half century to mold it to. “I try to pull our phrases from the book that match up with the rhythm of the song and the mood of the song,” Houlihan said. When choosing stories to spotlight, Houlihan said they try to give equal focus to new additions and
classic tales. “We want to both reinforce and validate kids’ love for books they already know, but also introduce them to books they might not have heard of before,” Houlihan said. “Part of the library’s mission is to support a love of reading in our community, especially with our youngest readers, and one of the ways we like to do that is through immersive book-related experiences.” Hyink said past playlists include picture book “I Like Myself!” adapted into the Ramones’ “California Sun” and woodland animal-themed “The Mitten” turned into The Choir’s “It’s Cold Outside.” Currently, they are working on “Goodnight Moon” to Radiohead’s “Creep.” After playing music since age 15, Ransenberg said the most enjoyable part has been encouraging children to pursue literature and the arts as more than a mere hobby. “I think it is important to show kids that music and the arts are also things that you can work towards and have a career in,” Ransenberg said. “They are not just hobbies or ways to pass the time — you can make something impactful.”
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Julianne Graper | Daily Texan Staff
At Austin Public Library, books are brought to life in music by librarian band Echo and the Bats.
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