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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017
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Volume 118, Issue 37 CAMPUS
POLICE
UT reports more hazing than other Texas schools By London Gibson Senior Reporter
brooke crim| daily texan staff
Lt. Laura Davis is one of 11 female officers out of 95 UTPD officers. She has worked there for 19 years.
UTPD officer discusses her job By Reagan Ritterbush Senior Reporter
Lt. Laura Davis explores the unique circumstances of being a female cop UT Police Department Lt. Laura Davis had just finished walking a woman to her car late at night
when she first realized the difference between being a female cop and a male cop. “The woman told me that she was going to watch me safely get back to my car,” Davis said. “I doubt she would have done that for a male
police officer. I didn’t take it as something horrible though, because I knew she was just trying to look out for me too.” Davis is one of 11 female police officers for UTPD, which is comprised of about 95 police officers.
“Not a lot of kids are raised thinking that police work is for girls,” Davis said. “That’s the only reason I can think of for the small number of female officers.” Davis, who has worked at the UTPD for almost
OFFICER page 2
UT-Austin has had more organizations disciplined for hazing in the past three years than most top Texas universities, but information regarding specific incidents can be difficult for students to get their hands on. UT has sanctioned 22 student organizations for hazing in the past three years, nine more than Texas State University, which was the next highest university with public hazing information, according to both schools’ semesterly hazing reports. Texas A&M found five organizations over three years in violation of their hazing policy and releases specifics of each hazing incident as well as details regarding the sanctions on the organizations. Currently, UT does not make specific information about each incident public, such as what occurred and whether or not multiple instances were reported, unlike some other Texas universities. Sara Kennedy, manager of strategic and executive communications for the Dean of Students office, said the office typically does not give out information that could identify the students involved. “It has been the practice on our campus to not include specific incident details in order to ensure students’ privacy,” Kennedy said. “It definitely could be that the practice could change in the future, and it’s definitely something that we have and
will continue to look at.” Students looking for details on hazing violations, such as what happened and how many were involved, can call the Office of the Dean of Students to request the information, Kennedy said. However, a request might still be denied if the office decides revealing the information could invade an individual’s privacy, as each request is reviewed case-by-case. Advertising junior Johanna Cho said if she were a part of Greek life or considering rushing, she would want to have more information on hazing made available to her. “If I wanted to know more about what kind of hazing could occur during that Greek life process, then having more information given to us rather than just going to look for it on our own would definitely be more helpful,“ Cho said. The University requires organization leaders to attend a safety education workshop at the start of every year to prevent hazing. At the workshops leaders are given hazing training and then required to teach the same procedures to their organizations, though this is not enforced and the University does not verify whether they do so, Kennedy said. The vast majority of the 22 organizations disciplined for hazing violations in the past three years at UT were sororities and fraternities. Peter Stanley, vice president of
HAZING page 2
UNIVERSITY
LECTURE
New scholarship aids homeless students
Journalist recounts stories from career
By Maria Mendez Senior Reporter
The Texas Homeless Education Office at UT will award the new Barbara Wand James Homeless Student Support Scholarship for Texas homeless college students this Friday. The new scholarship was modeled after a national scholarship for homeless students, but only a few awards were available for the many homeless students in Texas under that award, said James, the former office director. After directing the homeless education office for 24 years, James said she has seen how $1,000 can help homeless
students who often do not have the support of parents or family to attend college. “The only thing that stands between (homeless students) and getting out of poverty and homelessness is money,” James said. “So, I’m just happy we can give a little bit of money to people who are very deserving and help them have a better life and future for themselves.” Senior program coordinator Patrick Lopez said one in 50 students at Texas public schools are homeless, and a considerable number of these students graduate high school each year. Yet,
By Raga Justin Reporter
Veteran journalist Dan Rather drew laughter and a standing ovation from the audience during a lecture Wednesday night about stories from his career, which spans more than 60 years. A large crowd gathered in the LBJ Auditorium to hear Rather speak as part of the Liz Carpenter Lecture series. Rather gave humorous accounts of pivotal moments in American politics. One such account featured President Lyndon B. Johnson and his relationship with reporters in the midst of waning support for the Vietnam War. “Presidents have always
SCHOLARSHIP page 2
JOURNALIST page 3
brooke crim| daily texan staff
Veteran journalist Dan Rather speaks as part of the Liz Carpenter Lecture series at the LBJ auditorium Wendesday evening. Rather started his career-defining job as a CBS reporter in 1961 and is now founder and CEO of News and Guts.
NEWS
OPINION
LIFE&ARTS
SPORTS
SCI&TECH
CapMetro route changes to affect student commutes. PAGE 2
Columnist encourages students to bond with Austin’s seniors. PAGE 4
Want to cram for your exams? Researchers say think again. PAGE 8
Volleyball’s freshmen find their niche at Texas. PAGE 6
UT geology researchers find more evidence of water on Mars. PAGE 5
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Thursday, October 5, 2017
LECTURE
Goldsmith Talk explores future of virtual reality
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Reporter
In an instant, business freshman Arooj Sheikh found herself transported from a classroom in the UT School of Architecture to the inside of an Austin condo. The black virtual reality headset strapped to her face was the source of this new reality. “I am very interested in innovation,” Sheikh said. “If this is the next big thing, I want to be a part of that.” Sheikh had just attended the presentation “From Built to Virtual,” which discussed how virtual reality will affect our relationship to the built environment in 2030. The lecture on Wednesday evening was part of the Goldsmith Talks, a series of presentations organized by UT Architecture faculty, staff and students. Radio-television-film lecturer Deepak Chetty showcased a virtual tour of Mars that he produced with students for the Washington Post. They contacted NASA for the
terrain data that was used to construct their project. Although he said the virtual reality experience did not rival that of a video game, what’s important is the real world data used to build the space to scale. “The idea of scale is something that is hard to describe,” Chetty said. “When I think of the rover on the surface of Mars, I imagine it to be a remote controlled car, but in reality it is the size of a minivan.” He said in addition to new virtual reality advancements moving forward, it is also important to look backward by using virtual reality as an archival tool for future generations. “What really struck me is — in the future — what we can do with this kind of technology is provide these sort of experiences for people to better understand spaces that they may want to go to, may need to go to or could have missed,” Chetty said. Today, School of Architecture researcher Rob Stepnoski
ashley ephraim| daily texan staff
The attendees of the ‘Goldsmith Talks: From Build to Virtual’ got the opportunity to test out virtual reality equipment in a Minecraft-like environment during a live demonstration that took place after the discussion.
sets his sights on Virtual Information Modeling, which allows for interactive information to be immersed into a virtual reality model. Stepnoski said with this modeling, one can touch any surface and see the metada-
SCHOLARSHIP
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financial aid does not cover all college costs for needed technology, such as smartphones. “Just today having a smartphone is essential for most college students, and stuff like that just adds up,” Lopez said. “This scholarship was created to cover costs that tuition and fees won’t cover.” The office’s scholarship allows Texas high school graduates who faced homelessness sometime in their high school or college career to apply for the scholarship with a homelessness verification letter from high school or college officials. Staff members of the homeless education office created the $1,000 scholarship through a grassroots effort to honor James and help homeless Texas high school graduates and those currently enrolled in college with additional college costs. The scholarship will be presented on Friday to two college students at the annual Texas Conference on Ending Homelessness in Dallas, Texas. Since the Homeless Education Office staff contributed most of the
The only thing that stands between (homeless students) and getting out of poverty and homelessness is money.” —Barbara Wand James, former director of the Texas Homeless Education Office at UT
scholarship funds, office coordinator Ken Martin said they cannot pay for the travel costs of students to attend. “All of the donations go to scholarships, so we don’t have that other infrastructure in place to pay for travel, to pay for stationery, to pay for the administrative things that you need to run a scholarship program,” Martin said. Despite the lack of an endowment and external support, the office first made plans for the scholarship in 2015 when James retired as director. James led the movement for the safety and betterment of homeless students in Texas during her time as director, Lopez said. “She basically was the face of
homeless education in public schools in Texas for that time,” Lopez said. “A lot of things we do now are the result of her work. She’s very dedicated to homeless students. She’s very passionate about it. We just thought it would be a nice gesture to name the scholarship after her.” James said fighting homelessness is a moral issue that also benefits society, which will not have to pay for future welfare. She said she’s happy to finally have a scholarship program to help Texas students move out of homelessness. “It was something very near and dear to my heart,” James said. “For years and years we wanted to have a scholarship program.”
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19 years, said she chose to be a police officer because she likes to teach people different ways to stay safe. Being a woman never stopped her from pursuing this dream, Davis said. “My dad was a chief of police and my mom was a teacher, so I thought I could get the best of both worlds by being in police work,” Davis said. “My grandmother was a little shocked because she expected me to be a secretary, but overall my family is very proud of me for what I’ve done.” Although people think it’s harder to be a female police officer because they have different advantages than male officers in certain areas of police work that make the job easier, Davis said. “I definitely think (females) are better talkers,” Davis said. “When you’re a police officer, 90 percent of your job is talking to the public, and this generally comes easier to women. It gives us a different facet to working in law enforcement.” Davis said people act differently at crime scenes because she is a female officer. “Sometimes when we come on a scene, it will de-escalate just because
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it’s a female officer handling it,” Davis said. “It’s not always the truth, but it happens because someone doesn’t want to act a certain way in front of me. People tend to get more upset when they see male police officers.” Professional accounting graduate student Tasha Torres said she has only seen one female police officer on campus. “Police officers are not typically seen as a female job,” Torres said. “In the grander scheme of things, women do not feel as motivated to pursue law enforcement as a career because they assume police departments are only looking for male officers. It’s probably not the truth, but that doesn’t mean people don’t believe it.” Davis said she is grate-R ful for the opportunity to be a police officer and acknowledges that women in the past were not given the same access to law enforcement jobs. “We have come a long way,” Davis said. “Nationally, over 14 percent of police departments are female and I appreciate all the work the women that came before me have done to break barriers. I try to teach my nieces that they can do whatever they set their mind to, even if it’s not seen as something that is considered a traditional female role.”
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usually took around six weeks. Now, using VR, the doctors can walk around and literally put their hands out and say ‘this is in my proximity.’ They can touch on an object and get information and make sure it’s right.”
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TOMORROW Oct. 6
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ta and information related to that object and use that as an educational tool. “(Virtual reality) is used in the hospital industry,” Stepnoski said. “Traditionally we would have to build an emergency room physically, which
OFFICER
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The Daily Texan, a student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin, is published by Texas Student Media, 2500 Whitis Ave., Austin, TX 78712. The Daily Texan is published daily, Monday through Friday, during the regular academic year and is published once weekly during the summer semester. The Daily Texan does not publish during academic breaks, most Federal Holidays and exam periods. News contributions will be accepted by telephone (471-4591), or at the editorial office (HSM 2.120). Entire contents copyright 2017 Texas Student Media.
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Staff members of UT’s homeless education office work to create the first Texan scholarship for homeless college students. The scholarship is $1000 and will be awarded to two recipients.
Hazing violations at top Texas universities in the past 3 years
HAZING
continues from page 1 communications for UT’s Interfraternity Council, said the council actively takes Number of measures to prevent hazing organizations in its organizations. He said found guilty all new council members at- of violating tend a lecture on hazing in hazing rules the fall, participate in other risk reduction practices and some members also attend a risk-management retreat every spring. “Hazing is a very serious issue and one which we pro-actively try to combat,” Stanley said in an email. “Hazing can only erode the very foundation of fraternities.” The Office of the Dean of Students is currently looking to hire a full-time safety educator to monitor UT’s registered organizations. Kennedy said she expects the position to be filled before the start of next semester.
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Sources: http://studentactivities.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Org-Hazing-Report-Fall-17.pdf; http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/doscentral/downloads/HazingMemorandum091817.pdf; http://www.uh.edu/dos/pdf/hazing_statement.pdf; http://www.dos.txstate.edu/hazing.html; https://www.uta.edu/conduct/about/outreach/hazing-policy.php; https://www.utsa.edu/sa/get-involved/hazing-violations.html; https://www.utdallas.edu/conduct/hazing/
infographic by mingyo lee | daily texan staff
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Thursday October 5, 2017
CITY
CapMetro Connections 2025 alters routes By Allyson Walker Reporter
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. s y y y t e
Capital Metro’s Connections 2025 transit plan will affect the daily commute of some UT students, starting June 2018. Over half of CapMetro’s 82 routes are subject to change under the plan, according to their website. CapMetro spokesperson Mariette Hummel said the new plan will provide more frequent service for commuters. UT shuttles will not have changes in frequency, but routes near campus, such as those of the 653, 21, 22 and 110 buses, will be replaced by other existing routes. “(Frequency) is what the public overwhelmingly asked for during the development of the transit plan,” Hummel said in an email. Proposed increases in frequency for routes 10, 18 and 20 should benefit students traveling to and from campus, Hummel said. There will be a total of 17 eliminated routes if the transit plan is implemented, according to CapMetro’s website. Graduate student Kyle Shen frequently takes bus 653, which will be eliminated and replaced by frequent route 10. Shen
pedro luna| daily texan staff
For many students, CapMetro is an important resource for traveling to, from and through campus. Proposed changes are meant to bring better service, but may cause unforeseen drawbacks for some.
said he agrees route 10 is designated to get passengers to their destination faster, but he is worried about the increased density of both UT students and Austin residents the route will have to accommodate. Route
653’s average ridership was 1,537 during the weekday, and route 10’s was 4,273, according to CapMetro data. “I’m a grad student, so if I take (the 653 route) late at night, I prefer it to be more
University-centered rather than just folks from just all over Austin,” Shen said. Environmental science sophomore Jonah Shaukat took bus 19 last year to commute to school from the Ridgelea area. He now lives closer to campus, but still frequents the area when he wants to visit home. However, Bus 19’s route will be altered, which will cause the stop near his home to be eliminated, according to the transit plan. New stops will be available farther away near Red River and Park, and Red River and 44th. “I mean (my home) is not exactly close to campus,” Shaukat said. “You can’t walk from there unless you want to take an hour, but the bus stop that I took was probably less than a five minute walk away from my house, which was extremely convenient.” Despite these substantial changes in routes and distribution of commuters, graduate student Hannah Hopkins said she thinks the changing transit system is still a good thing. “I did my undergrad at a university that kind of had a similar bus system, and it was great,” Hopkins said. “If it just means I have to leave a little bit earlier because the bus will be crowded, then it’s totally fine.”
LECTURE
Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith explains reality of fake news By Brooke Vincent Reporter
President Donald Trump is consciously attempting to diminish the public’s faith in the media by calling real journalism fake news, said Evan Smith, CEO and co-founder of the Texas Tribune, during a lecture on Wednesday. “Calling everything he doesn’t agree with or is written fake news makes it so that when journalism uncovers damning things about him or his administration, his hope is that the public will say that it’s fake news,” Smith said. “He’s basically pre-budding the argument.” Smith gave “The Truth Behind Fake News” lecture as part of the Liberal Arts Council’s speaker series. LAC president and government junior Jordee Rodriguez said she invited Smith because of his experience with gathering verifiable
information in the industry. “I think its important for people to know how fake news came about,” Rodriguez said. “It’s important to understand how it’s affected society at large right now and how it’s contributing to the division of political ideologies, political bodies and our nation as a whole. I know that’s kind of cliché, but it’s true.” In regards to actual fake news and facts found on social media, Smith said the problem is people pretending to be other people or groups and creating and sharing fake content. “People are consciously masquerading as other people and other things,” Smith said. “I think anonymity gives people the opportunity to be dangerous cowards and say things that they wouldn’t say in public or would say with their names attached to advance an agenda in a way that is fundamentally dishonest and destructive.”
Smith also said it is important to not live in an echo chamber and only follow people who share your beliefs. “I think there is a really big confirmation bias,” public relations freshman Greta Silvertooth said. “I think that’s true especially for people my age. Everyone just follows who they agree with, and they don’t care to look further and see why people believe what they believe.” Ending his lecture, Smith said it is important for future journalists not to shy away from pursuing journalism as their professional careers. “It’s a tough time, but you’ve got to keep doing the work that you do,” Smith said. “Don’t get discouraged by people telling you this is the worst time to be in the business. The world needs you, and this is important work. Don’t shrink from the responsibility you have in finding the way forward.”
JOURNALIST
RESEARCH
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NSF funds research social media, Harvey By Nicole Stuessy Reporter
Researchers from the Moody College of Communication received a $168,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study the role of social media aiding rescue efforts for Hurricane Harvey. During Hurricane Harvey, stranded victims that were unable to connect with 911 dispatchers turned to social media to ask for assistance. Using that data, a group of researchers from within the college hope to develop a way to streamline disaster response. “We are going to be interviewing victims from
angela wang| daily texan staff
Evan Smith, CEO and co-founder of the Texas Tribune speaks to students and faculty at the SAC Auditorium Wednesday evening. Smith’s ‘Truth Behind Fake News’ was part of the Liberal Arts Council’s speaker series.
Harvey and Irma who posted calls for help and people who got those calls and responded through social media,” said Keri Stephens, principal investigator and associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies. “We are trying to figure out what decisions they made and what was responded to.” Corporate communications junior Courtney Dziersk will be in charge of reaching out to interview victims, emergency response organizations and volunteer groups and coordinating some in-person meetups in Houston. “This study was particularly interesting to me because my sister was in Houston and she was
actually stranded there during the hurricane,” Dziersk said. After the interviews, researchers will analyze social media feeds and develop an algorithm capable of flagging key words from social media posts in disaster areas, allowing first responders to quickly see the posts and provide assistance. Initial results from the study will be available in October 2018. Dhiraj Murthy, School of Journalism associate professor and co-principal investigator in the study, said that changes in our cultural use of technology such as smartphones have led to trends in other disasters. “In Mexico City, (the
earthquake) was one of the first disasters where people were really capturing buildings as the fell,” Murthy said. “During Harvey, people were able to post that content during the disaster, and now we have very different data points than we did in the past. Now, their first instinct during a disaster is to take out their phones.” This new way of communicating during natural disasters has saved many lives, Stephens said. “We can get the word out, and we can spread the word really easily through different social media platforms,” Stephens said. “It might have been really different if the cell service and internet service had gone down.”
complained about press coverage, but, in general, every president has understood journalists,” Rather said. “Presidents generally have understood that the Fourth Estate is as central to our strength as the military and good political leadership.” Rather compared previous presidents’ relationships with the press to the current relationship between the White House and the media. “I do think that in present circumstances we’ve moved into a whole new era about what a president says, what’s ‘normal’ for a president to say (and) what’s acceptable for a president to say,” Rather said. Rather addressed the recent attacks on the media among other issues facing journalism today. “The damage being done is not only to our reputation as journalists, but much more importantly, it is a direct threat to the sustainability of our republic,” Rather said. Rather started what proved to be an illustrious career in 1954 as a reporter for CBS
and is now founder and CEO of the independent production company News and Guts. Plan II associate director Alexandra Wettlaufer called Rather “a vital voice” and lauded his staying power. “Dan Rather, who was in our living room for so many decades, is now a wildly popular presence on our laptops,” Wettlaufer said. The Plan II Honors program hosts the lecture series, which typically features prominent figures in politics, current events and journalism. Government and Plan II freshman Rylan Maksoud met Rather earlier in the day as part of a small seminar. Maksoud said Rather covered everything from the looming consolidation of the media to his experiences with President Trump. “All throughout the conversation he was very candid (and) offered his opinions,” Maksoud said. “He really answered our questions thoroughly. He told us he’s made mistakes, but it’s up to us now to lead the way and make sure people aren’t apathetic about the world around them.”
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evelyn moreno| daily texan staff
Moody College of Communication professors and students will conduct research on the role social media plays during natural disasters. The study, made possible by a grant from the National Service Foundation, will be released next year.
ombuds.utexas.edu/student 512.471.3825
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Thursday, October 5, 2017
COLUMN
We must appreciate cultures, not appropriate By Elizabeth Braaten Columnist
As I waded through the hundreds of sweaty, fatigued concert-goers across Zilker Park during Austin City Limits Music Festival last October, I saw out of the corner of my eye a white girl with dreadlocks gushing to her friend about how excited she was to see Kendrick Lamar that night. I tried, and failed, to wrap my mind around the utter dichotomy on display. How could a white person flaunt a traditionally black hairstyle at a show put on by Kendrick Lamar, one of the most outspoken activists of his generation? I was shocked at the exchange, but I understood that it was a small representation of the larger, historic phenomenon of white people participating in black culture solely at the surface level while refusing to educate themselves about black issues. Cultural appropriation is the act of stealing things from a culture that is not one’s own, oftentimes without acknowledging where it originated from in the first place. This issue is one of our generation’s ugliest flaws, and only when we make an effort to differentiate between interest and theft can we begin to amend it. Whether by way of Vanessa Hudgens’ bindi at Coachella, Jared Leto’s unapologetic donning of a Native American war bonnet at a music festival in 2011, or Taylor Swift’s of-
illustration by rachel tyler | daily texan staff
fensive portrayal of black stereotypes in her “Shake It Off ” music video, the use of another’s culture for personal gain is prominent in our society and shows no sign of going away anytime soon. Each of these instances, which occurred years ago, should have been career-ending. However, Hudgens, Leto and Swift are still
COLUMN
relevant in 2017, continuing to copycat other cultures in disgraceful attempts to appear cool and still earning unimaginable sums of money from videos and performances that have disgraced and offended others. “If someone truly appreciated a cultural aspect and did their own research, learning about the history and significance, I think
they would realize that perhaps the greatest form of appreciation would be to not attempt to emulate, manipulate, or exploit the actions and dress,” said Betty Jeanne Taylor, the assistant vice president for Inclusion and Equity in the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. By opening our minds and choosing to educate ourselves about different cultures, we gain an understanding of where appreciation stops and appropriation begins. This includes recognizing where we and our peers fall short in our daily lives, educating each person so that they understand why they’re at fault and correcting the issue so it doesn’t happen again. The first step to making our society a better place for all people is to acknowledge and honor where each culture originates from without attempting to pass it off as one’s own. If you’re a student here at UT, you can take advantage of the fantastic language and area studies courses available, as well as an array of clubs and organizations to further your understanding of the world around you. ACL and Halloween are just around the corner, so use sound judgment when deciding what you wear and remember that each choice you make can either hurt or help people that you will never come into contact with. Choose to educate yourself each day, and, in turn, make the world a better place. Braaten is an international relations and global studies junior from Conroe.
COLUMN
First-year representative Students should seek out elections aren’t fair enough connections with seniors By Spencer Buckner Columnist
Last week, freshmen on the 40 Acres cast their ballots to elect our two first-year representatives for Student Government. The winners — Adam Bergman, applied learning and development major, and biomedical engineering major Alex Street — collectively received less than 25 percent of the votes from those who participated in the election. For a position designed to represent the interests of the freshman class, that task is complicated when candidates have neither connection to many on-campus issues, nor a majority of their peers backing them. Shoumik Dabir, Plan II and neuroscience major and one of this year’s candidates for first-year representative, noted that it was nearly impossible to craft a platform to campaign off of, as the election itself boiled down to a “popularity contest.” It makes sense. With only a month to campaign and a small margin of victory required, the election lends itself to benefit those with a quick connection to an organization — say an honors group or Greek life. Holden Hopkins, one of the class of 2020’s first year representatives, is in both Plan II and the Business Honors Program. He explains that the “300 or so students” in those programs “made up the bulk of (his) base” of voters in his 2016 campaign — and he’s not alone. This year’s winners are both members of Greek life organizations and this group has historically been overrepresented in SG. The current election system encourages Longhorns who are running for office not to branch out, learn about student issues and meet many of their classmates, but instead to rely on a base of people they share an organization with. One of the driving factors playing into
this effect is the voting system itself. SG uses a first-past-the-post voting system to elect representatives, which only requires the winner to have more votes than their opponents, not an actual majority of votes cast. Street and Bergman — the aforementioned winners of this election — respectively won just 12 and 11 percent of the student vote out of a field of 13 candidates. While Hopkins notes that they still obtained the votes of over 1,200 freshmen — that’s still less than a quarter of the class of 2021. How could these issues be fixed? Perhaps the most sure-fire way to encourage our first-year representative elections to be more than a popularity contest is to ensure the winning candidates receive an actual majority of support from their peers. A Single Transferable Vote system poses a possible solution. By allowing voters to rank candidates on the ballot in order of personal preference, the STV method of voting ensures that when no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the worst performing candidate is eliminated and voters’ second choices are taken into account — meaning that votes aren’t wasted, and the winner actually entertains broad support. Already employed internationally, this system could help ensure candidates reach out to fellow freshmen and not just drive up support from a single organization or program. As a current freshman, I wish our newly elected representatives the best of luck in listening to and representing the concerns of a diverse student body. While former Rep. Hopkins notes that past firstyear representatives “have been incredibly dedicated” to serving the interests of their class, it would be nice to have a system that served those same interests. Buckner is a Plan II and government freshman from Austin.
GALLERY
illustration by yulissa chavez | daily texan staff
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illustration by weatherly sawyer | daily texan staff
By Grace Leake
nior residents) of the happiest time of their life.” Gonzales said that building these intergenerational relationships doesn’t have to be Austin’s senior population is growing at complicated. “Students can visit, get to know a frenetic rate. Although Austin presents a them, see what they’re like, what they’re incarefully cultivated image of itself as a city terested in, make their lives happier.” These intergenerational friendships not for young creatives, its older demographic is becoming more prominent. Between 2000 only bring joy into the lives of elderly citiand 2010, the Austin-Round Rock area had zens, but are also vital in sharing wisdom and a unique perspective the fastest growth of ‘pre to younger adults. Senior senior’ (age 55-64) popucitizens have experienced lation in the nation, and a great deal of the world the second fastest growth along with the ups and of senior (age 65+) pop“Aging in western downs of life and can comulation. As the number cultures often municate the lessons that of elderly citizens swells, they’ve learned to youngstudents must consider means being er generations. A student how Austin and the stustruggling to find direcdent community at UT, placed in a retiretion in their career, for can best serve this growexample, could talk to a ing population. ment home in senior citizen who has exAging in America can perienced similar anxieties be a lonely experience. relative isolation. and can explain how they Unlike the experience —Grace Leake, learned to navigate the of aging in other culColumnist workforce. Gonzales noted tures, where seniors are that the seniors she works more likely to spend with have “so many stories their last years at home to tell, stories you’ve only being cared for by their children, aging in western cultures often heard in history books and at school.” When means being placed in a retirement home, our culture, obsessed with youth and terriin relative isolation from the rest of so- fied of aging, overlooks the senior citizens ciety. This often occurs out of necessity; isolated from the general population, it loses some seniors do not have a family to care a source of wisdom that should be treated as for them and others find that their chil- a priceless societal resource. Austin, and the students at UT, should dren are staying in the workforce longer and therefore do not have the time or re- strive for greater engagement with senior citizens. Not only do we have a responsibility to sources to tend to their parents. What can students do to help combat se- reach out to all of Austin’s communities, but nior citizens’ isolation? Miranda Gonzales, a we also have an immense deal to gain from recreation specialist at West Oaks Rehabilita- these intergenerational connections. I asked tion Center, said that something as simple as Gonzales what she has learned from working a visit, especially if the visitor is a young in- with senior citizens. She laughed. “I’m not dividual, can bring a lot of joy to senior resi- the one teaching them.” Leake is a Plan II and business freshman dents. When asked about intergenerational interaction, Gonzales said, “It reminds (se- from Austin. Columnist
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Thursday, October 5, 2017
ALTERNATIVES
continues from page 8 Ditch the Fest Fest 2017 Skip ACL with Ditch the Fest Fest, an event which will fulfill your need for live music at a lower price. Local Austin artists such as Eyelid Kid, Lola Tried and The Human Circuit will feature at the fest’s three different stages. You can also take an hour break from the music with Ditch the Fest Fest’s comedy hour. Bring a shirt for a free screen print by Raw Paw. When: Saturday, Oct. 14 Sunday, Oct. 15, 5 p.m.2 a.m. Where: Spider House Cafe and Ballroom Admission: Adults 18+ — $5 Why: R el at ively, it’s t he che ap est pl ace in t he world Anon(ymous) “A n on ( y m ou s ) ,” a new p l a y b y U T ’s C o l l e g e of Fine Arts, is a modernized adaptation of H o m e r ’s “ T h e O d y s s e y.” It s f o c u s i s A n o n , a refugee who arrives i n t h e Un i t e d S t a t e s and meets friends and foes on his journey to reunite with his fami l y. I f y o u ’r e f e e l i n g in the mood to watch a stor y that deals with relatable themes, or eager to support your fellow Longhorn thespians, check out this production. When: Friday, Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, 2:00 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, 2:00 p.m. Where: The Oscar G. Brockett Theatre Admission: C o l l e g e s t u dents — $15, UT faculty and staff — $21, full price — $26 Why: It’s a political version of “The Odyssey”!
joshua guerra| daily texan file
Brad Shultz of Cage the Elephant performs at the 2016 Austin City Limits music festival. The 2017 ACL music festival kicks off this weekend with headlining performances by Jay-Z, Chance the Rapper and the Killers.
MARS
continues from page 8 exposure of carbonate-bearing outcrop, which is uncommon on Mars and could reveal information about the early Martian atmosphere.” Furthermore, the delta deposit is an area of interest because it is a record of previous conditions of flowing water on Mars and may have concentrations and preserves of organic matter. “A major part of the mission goals for Mars 2020 is to search for
evidence of potential past Martian life, and so a well-exposed delta deposit, such as in Jezero crater, presents an ideal location to do so based on our terrestrial experience,” Goudge said. According to Goudge, because evidence of water and the potential for finding evidence of Martian life in areas like Aeolis Dorsa and the Jezero crater can open up new doors for Mars research, information gained from the study of these regions still remain hot topics in scientific discussions.
SLEEP
continues from page 8 as multitasking. She said many students believe the myth that they can be productive while switching in between tasks. “When you’re multitasking, if you’re trying to do two things at the same time, what’s happening is your brain is toggling back and forth between two tasks,” Sviatko said. “The result is that it’s going to take longer than it would to do each one of those separately, and your performance on both of those are going to
NEWSCAST
be decreased.” It also turns out multitasking in the classroom is counterproductive for students. In 2015, researchers from the University of Connecticut surveyed 361 students in a university course and found students who multitasked during class suffered GPA decreases. “Our data shows that (college students) are paying a price for this behavior now in at least two ways,” the study said. “First, multitasking during class is associated with lower grades; and second, students need to spend more time study-
ing if they are multitasking, and even this increased time does not seem to make up for what was missed in class.” For tumultuous test weeks, Sviatko said an analogy she offers her students is to prepare for tests the same way track athletes prepare for a race. “Would it make sense to do nothing for three weeks, and then say everyday for the week right before the race, I’m going to run as long as far as fast as I can?” Sviatko said. “No, but that’s often what students do when they’re studying.”
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MICHAEL SHAPIRO SPORTS EDITOR
@texansports
Thursday, October 5, 2017
VOLLEYBALL
Touted freshmen find niche with Longhorns By Keshav Prathivadi Sports Reporter
For a freshman member of the Longhorns’ volleyball squad, everything is new: the classes, the buildings, the people and even the food. On top of all that, there’s also the pressure of being put right in the center of the nation’s No. 5 team, surrounded by over 5,000 screaming fans on a weekly basis. “For a freshman, it’s always difficult,” head coach Jerritt Elliott said. “It’s more just getting comfortable playing a college volleyball game because they grow up watching it, see it all, (and) the excitement.” For freshmen outside hitter Lexi Sun and setter Ashley Shook, their journeys began on opposite sides of the country. Despite the distance, their paths still crossed. Both players earned Under Armour High School All-American honors and played at the AAU Junior Volleyball National Championships before meeting each other in Austin. “Our rooms are one room away, so we’re basically neighbors,” Sun said. “We’ve bonded a lot.” However, reality quickly hit the Longhorns early in the season. A 3-1 loss to then-No. 12 Florida on opening night saw the duo have its poorest outing. A .036 hitting percentage
katie bower| daily texan staff
Freshman outside hitter Lexi Sun has been a key contributer for the Longhorns this season alongside fellow freshman and setter Ashley Shook. The freshman duo has combined for 10 double-doubles through 13 games.
for Sun, the 2016 Gatorade Player of the Year, was an unceremonious beginning to the outside hitter’s college volleyball career. Texas spent most of its non-conference schedule on the road, including
a trip to Southern California, where three of its coaches and players hail from. A dinner with the Sun family only helped reinforce a growing bond between the two freshmen and the rest of the team.
Now with the season well underway, Sun and Shook have already combined for three Big 12 freshman of the week awards, accounting for half of the conference’s weekly honors. They have also combined for
MEN’S TENNIS
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Texas concludes qualifying at the ITA All-American Championships By Wills Layton Sports Reporter
The Longhorns completed pre-qualifying and qualifying matches at the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with the main draw beginning play on Thursday. Eight athletes traveled to Oklahoma to compete alongside the best tennis players in the country in what proved to be Texas’ toughest tournament yet. “It’s always a very good event,” head coach Michael Center said. “It’s a great way to test ourselves. I think we’ve played well early at these fall events. You’ll see a greater depth of player now at this tournament, and winning matches is a challenge.” While Texas has collected a couple of wins this season, including senior John Mee’s singles title at the Cajun Tennis Classic in Lafayette, Louisiana, this tournament is the most grueling of the year. Nothing came easy for the Longhorns in the pre-qualifying stage. While sophomore Yuya Ito and junior Harrison Scott qualified directly into the main draw, the rest of the team was forced to go through pre-qualifying and qualifying rounds. Mee advanced to the qualifying round, while junior Colin Markes, redshirt
junior Adrian Ortiz and redshirt sophomore Johnny Goodwin were all eliminated. In the qualifying rounds, Mee joined juniors Leonardo Telles and Rodrigo Banzer in the last stage before the main draw. All three came within two matches of the marquee event. The lone Longhorns remaining for the main draw are Ito and Scott. “You’ll get challenged — it doesn’t matter how good you are,” Center said. “If you go in there and you think you’ll play your way into the tournament, or you’re not into it for whatever reason, then it won’t work out. You must go in there with a great frame of mind and be ready to compete from the very first point.” On the doubles side of the event, the team of Ito and Scott made it past the
10 double-doubles through 13 games this year. Looking past the numbers, Sun’s and Shook’s growth has been evident on the court. The tight situations that Minnesota, West Virginia and Baylor put Texas in forced the duo to maintain and develop composure. “These experiences are great, especially early in big environments,” senior libero Cat McCoy said. “Playing Florida out in Florida for your first game, like that’s pretty intense.” While the duo have gelled with the Longhorns seamlessly, there is still the awe that comes with being a freshman at one of the best volleyball programs in the country. “I’ve been looking forward to it since I committed here,” Shook said. “It’s like a dream come true.” Following Texas’ 3-0 sweep of Baylor last Wednesday, the duo not only showed their growth as teammates, but as friends too. Now their teammates are starting to take notice. “It shows a lot about who they are,” McCoy said. “They’re just going to keep maturing and improving.” The pair’s rise to the top of the Texas depth chart proves they don’t have the timidness of typical freshmen. And with three more years left to don the burnt orange, the noise level at Gregory Gym won’t be dying down anytime soon.
qualifying round to advance to the main draw of the doubles event. The team of Markes and Ortiz — who won the doubles main draw at the season-opening Racquet Club Collegiate Invitational in Midland, Texas — came within one win of reaching the main draw, but fell to Virginia Tech. “Anytime you win against the best players in the country, you’ll build confidence,” Center said. “I think it’s a significant challenge and a test to go out there and win at this tournament. It is a great opportunity to see where you stand against the best.” Ito and Scott will take the court once again on Thursday as they look to keep the Longhorns’ hopes alive. A loss will eliminate Texas from the tournament.
Longhorns struggle at ITA All-American Championships By Logan Harvill Sports Reporter
The Longhorns participated in their second fall tournament of the season this past weekend in Southern California at the ITA All-American Championships, one of the biggest tournaments in collegiate tennis. After a strong showing at the Debbie South Fall Classic at Furman University, which left the Longhorns with two singles titles, Texas looked to build off the momentum in Southern California. Junior Katie Poluta and freshman Marta Perez-Mur, who won her first singles draw last weekend in her collegiate debut, played Saturday in the pre-qualifying singles draw. Poluta started off strong in the round of 64, defeating Janina Braun of Mississippi State swifty in a 6-1, 6-3 match. However, she was later defeated in the round of 32. Perez-Mur was eliminated early in the championships as well, losing in the round of 64
ann morris| daily texan staff
Sophomore Petra Granic fell to North Carolina’s Makenna Jones on Tuesday at the ITA All-American.
and also in the consolation round of 32. On Tuesday, sophomore Petra Granic dropped a close match to North Carolina’s Makenna Jones. Granic’s loss marked the second time she fell to Jones this season. Jones beat Granic in a three-set match last month at Furman. Assistant coach Taylor Fogleman discussed the difficulty of Granic’s defeat earlier in the week, but he remains optimistic about the rest of the season. “This was an incredibly tough match today for Petra,” Fogleman said on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, she
sustained a small injury after gaining a lead at the start of the third set. But she fought like a champion all the way to the bitter end and almost turned the match in her favor. We could not be prouder of her effort, and we know her best tennis is ahead.” The Longhorns won’t have to wait long for their next set of matches, as a United States Tennis Association singles event begins on Wednesday in South Carolina. Texas will send sophomore twin sisters Anna and Bianca Turati, as well as freshman Bojana Markovic. All three will compete in the main draw.
LONGHORNS IN NFL
juan figueroa| daily texan staff
Sophomore Yuya Ito qualified for Thursday’s main draw.
Brown, Hicks, Johnson prepare for week five games in NFL By Donnavan Smoot Sports Reporter
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With over 20 Longhorns currently suiting up on Sundays in the NFL, the Texas spirit is alive and well throughout the league. Here are a few former Longhorns to keep your eye on in week five of the NFL season. Malcom Brown Brown and the New England Patriots travel to Tampa Bay to take on Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers this week on Thursday Night Football. Brown, a defensive tackle, has the second-most tackles on the New England defensive line. The former first-round pick has morphed into a key piece on the Patriots’ defense. But when will he earn his first sack of the season? He’ll have another chance Thursday night at 7:25 p.m. Jordan Hicks Hicks, the starting middle linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles, has quickly made a name for himself. The
jonathan garza| daily texan staff
Former Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown, 90, is now playing with the New England Patriots.
former third-round pick is looking to build on a sophomore campaign that included a league-high five interceptions among linebackers, along with 58 tackles. Now he’s an anchor on Philadelphia’s defense, which will look to slow down wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and the Arizona Cardinals in week five. A win will place the Eagles at 4–1 on the season and possibly grant Philadelphia a commanding lead in the NFC East over both the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys. Kickoff for the Eagles is slated for 12 p.m. on Sunday.
Derrick Johnson After tearing his Achilles in 2016, Johnson is working his way back to playing at his usual Pro Bowl level as a linebacker. While he is averaging just four tackles per game this year, don’t bet against Johnson, the all-time leading tackler in franchise history. And according to his head coach, Johnson still has plenty left in the tank. “He comes out like he is 20,” Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid said. Johnson will next take the field in prime time as the Chiefs face the Texans on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NBC.
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Thursday, October 5, 2017
Amber Perry
Andrew Choi
CROSSWORD; Black
Today’s solution will appear here next issue
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MORGAN O’HANLON LIFE&ARTS EDITOR
@thedailytexan
Thursday, October 5, 2017
HEALTH
Students become zombies, but not for Halloween By Albert Zhao
ing specialist at the Sanger Learning Center, said she offers the same advice to her students: Distribute work on a daily basis rather than do so last minute. “Research, for the most part, is saying that within 24 hours you lose 40 percent of the information you learn in lecture if you don’t do any kind of regular reviewing or reorganizing,” Sviatko said. “If you pull an all-nighter, it’s basically showing up to take the test drunk.” Although she has avoided all-nighters so far, biochemistry junior Danying Huang said she wishes she could sleep more than her average five to six hours. Huang also said listening to music makes studying less boring — even if it can be distracting at times. “Doing physics is so boring sometimes,” Huang said. “(But) sometimes I get lost on YouTube searching for a song.” Sviatko cautions against this behavior, describing it
Senior L&A Reporter
Nistha Kapuria, a marketing and Plan II senior, averages about three hours of sleep during midterm season. She says everyone seems to feel the same whenever she surveys the Union or the Perry Castaneda Library. Research, however, shows students who sacrifice sleep to study perform worse overall than those who don’t. According to a 2013 study by UCLA researchers, whether it’s sleeping three hours and rising early for a cram session or pulling an all-nighter to finish a lab report, sleep deprivation hurts student performance the following day and damages academic performance in the long-term. “Our results suggest that the best studying strategy for adolescents who must juggle the demands of high school is to study consistently on school days,” the study said. Courtney Sviatko, learn-
illustration by harumi rangel | daily texan staff
SLEEP page 5
CITY
Alternative activities to ACL festival that won’t break the bank By Charles Liu L&A Reporter
If you had reservations about donating a kidney to get ACL passes, don’t fret! There are plenty of great activities to enjoy during both ACL weekends at a cheaper price. Here are five events that you can hit up outside of Zilker. The German-Texas Heritage Society’s Oktoberfest Get your taste of Germany at the German-Texas Heritage Society’s Oktoberfest. The party
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provides family fun with live music, games, German food courtesy of caterers at Frank Sausages and, of course, beer. Not only is this an alternative to ACL, it’s a cheaper and more easily accessible beer festival for Austinites than Fredericksburg’s annual Oktoberfest . When: Saturday, Oct. 14, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Where: The German Free School Admission: Adults $7, children 12 and under free Why: Beer Free Karaoke at Ego’s Instead of listening to a weekend’s worth of
ACL artists, you can take to the stage yourself and sing your favorite tunes at Ego’s, one of Austin’s best karaoke bars. Hit up this Austin gem early to reserve your spot at the mic and sing your heart out before a heckle-free crowd. While waiting to sing, check out the pool tables and pinball to keep up the fun. When: Weeknights, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Where: Ego’s Bar Admission: Adults 21+, karaoke free, menu prices vary Why: The sweet, sweet sound of drunk people who can’t sing
Austin Uptown Dance Free Dance Classes Start your journey to become the next Beyonce with Austin Uptown Dance’s free dance classes for beginners in two step, swing and salsa. This event will be a great way to pick up a new skill and meet new people while having relaxed, healthy fun. When: Saturday, Oct. 7, 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Where: Austin Uptown Dance Admission: All ages free Why: Never be too afraid to ask someone to dance ever again
ALTERNATIVES page 5
ASTRONOMY
Further proof of water on Mars By Sabrina Tran S&T Reporter
A team of researchers from the Jackson School of Geosciences has found evidence of a large, fluctuating body of water in a sedimentary basin on Mars. Geological studies graduate student Benjamin Cardenas, postdoctoral fellow Timothy Goudge and geological sciences professor David Mohrig collected high-resolution images and topographical data of Aeolis Dorsa, a large sedimentary basin, from instruments aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Global Surveyor. They studied sedimentary deposits in the Aeolis Dorsa area and concluded that water used to be abundant in the region. The research examined Mars’ once-incised valleys created by river-like erosion and looked at the now-elevated, winding ridges that lie within them as a result of geological processes. They looked at sedimentation characteristics such as geometry, flow direction and lateral
migration, or the migration of a river channel across its floodplain, of these ridges. Cardenas said he and his colleagues found evidence that the rivers could adjust to a migrating coastline because the downstream water body changed slowly. “The formation of these river deposits was controlled by a large, fluctuating body of water stable enough in its environment that the rivers flowing into it were able to adjust their depositional styles according to those fluctuations,” he said. Cardenas added that the research may provide clues about early Martian history. “There is ongoing debate about the nature of the ancient Martian hydrologic cycle,” Cardenas said. “Some hypothesize it was warm and wet for extended periods, and others hypothesize it was mostly frozen with episodes of catastrophic hydrology related maybe to volcanism or impacts.” They would not expect evidence of the
slow-moving hydrological processes under hypotheses that support more catastrophic scenarios, he said. Similarly, Goudge recently wrote a paper about evidence of an ancient river delta and a large body of standing water in a region called the Jezero crater. Goudge found that the crater was most likely formed by flooding as it slowly filled up with water. He said evidence of the crater’s formation suggests that the climate during the time of its creation was persistently wet, taking into account minor fluctuations in surface runoff. The new research has attracted the attention of the Mars 2020 Rover expedition because of the abundant information the region can provide. “The Jezero crater is an attractive landing site for the Mars 2020 Rover because it contains a diversity of geologic units that capture a range of information about the past Martian surface environment,” Goudge said. “One major unit of interest is a widespread
MARS page 5
illustration by mel westfall | daily texan staff