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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2017
@thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com
Volume 118, Issue 68
RESEARCH UNIVERSITY
UT faculty lead research for biggest space-bound telescope yet By London Gibson Senior News Reporter
In a worldwide competition, several UT faculty members were selected to be the first to work with the new James Webb Space Telescope, which will be the largest telescope to ever be sent into space. The Space Telescope Science Institute received proposals from 106 teams across 10 countries, all vying to get their hands on the largest telescope launched into the cosmos. Thirteen programs were chosen, of which UT astronomers are members in five and leading one. The size of the telescope is not the only reason scientists are clamoring to get at it. It is capable of infrared light imaging, which is vital for clearer images of galaxies, said Steven Finkelstein, the only UT scientist leading a program. The James Webb telescope is considered the informal successor to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, but Finkelstein said it is seven times bigger than Hubble. “Because this telescope is so much better than Hubble … we don’t know what we’re going to find,” Finkelstein said. “We’re going to be the
TELESCOPE page 3 STATE
Bad data obscures scale of opioid epidemic By Chase Karacostas Senior News Reporter
According to national opioid statistics, it would appear that Texas does not have a severe opioid abuse problem relative to the rest of the nation. Experts say the data is dangerously misleading, however. “Unfortunately, that (trend) is a direct result of bad data collection,” said Mark Kinzly, co-founder of the Texas Overdose Naloxone Initiative. “Out of 254 counties in the state of Texas, the (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) will only report on nine of those counties because of how the data is reported.” According to the Foundation for AIDS Research, the death rate per 100,000 people from opioid overdoses in Texas is barely over half that of the U.S.’s rate. This foundation studies opioid abuse because needle sharing is a common route of HIV transmission. But, Kinzly said, this is
OPIOID page 3
illustration by victoria smith| daily texan staff
Auto-graduation affects four-year plans By Maria Mendez Senior News Reporter
The unadvertised University procedure alters students’ path to graduation. Junior Quynhanh Tran had her four years at UT all laid out, but her plans were shaken up by UT’s new auto-graduation procedure. Tran planned to complete her economics and Plan II degrees next fall and finish her government degree in Washington, D.C. through the Archer Fellowship Program during the Spring of 2019. But a couple of weeks ago, an advisor warned her the University could graduate her before she finishes all of her degrees. She worried this would prevent her from participating in an Archer Program internship — something she had been dreaming of since high school. “This was the first time I had heard about auto-graduation,” Tran said. “Because of (auto-graduation), everything is getting switched around for me.” Through the auto-graduation procedure, the University identifies students with 100 percent of their degree audit completed and adds them to the graduation list instead of waiting for students to apply for graduation, said Cassandre Alvarado, director of student success and graduation initiatives. Students selected for auto-graduation are notified through a secure academic note. Since only degree-seeking students can participate in the Archer program’s spring or fall fellowships, some auto-graduated students may have run into trouble when auto-graduation was implemented last spring. However, the University has created an appeals process
for students concerned about auto-graduation, which are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. “Student Success Initiatives has not denied any appeal to date that involved participation in the Archer Fellowship program,” said Katie Romano, executive director of the Archer Center.
or Advanced Placement credits. Tran is delaying her government thesis in order to ensure her participation in the Archer program. She said she believes the University is not communicating the new auto-graduation procedure because they do not want students to work around it.
D ouble majors by the numbers
Architecture
94
Business
906
Communication
761
Education
90
= 100 double majors (rounded)
Engineering
495
Fine Arts
212
The number of students who declared a double major by the college first entered.
Geosciences
114
Liberal Arts
Natural Sciences
2,725
1,635
Nursing
10
Social Work
41
infographic by sunnie lee| daily texan staff
Tran worries auto-graduation could become a roadblock for students pursuing multiple degrees who do not know about the procedure. Through an ongoing Liberal Arts Council survey about auto-graduation, Tran has heard of students facing similar eligibility concerns with UTeach, the Humanities Program and study abroad. Tran said those who do know are trying to avoid the procedure by not claiming all of their transfer
“When you do something that so fundamentally affects students’ experiences, you should tell students what those changes are, especially if they’re meant to help students,” Tran said. “This just seems like a horrible conspiracy theory.” Last fall, 3,084 undergraduates declared double majors and, in the spring of 2017, an additional 3,229 double majors were declared. These students all face the possibility of being selected for
auto-graduation if they complete one degree before the other. Currently, there is not a campaign to tell students about auto-graduation, Alvarado said, because the University expects students to graduate upon completing their degrees. “What we’re trying to message about is the expectation that students graduate in four years,” Alvarado said. Alvarado said the University introduced the procedure last December to help students who forget to apply for graduation, but only 2 percent of students hoping to leave UT forget to apply for their degree. “All we’re doing is facilitating the process by making sure students don’t get left behind because of a silly piece of paper,” Alvarado said. Students can continue pursuing UTeach classes and other degrees after completing one, Alvarado said. English junior Claire Zimmerman said she is taking UTeach courses to get a teaching certification, but worries auto-graduation could prevent her from receiving financial aid for her last semester. “I’m going to try to get financial aid for (fall 2018), but I won’t be able to for that final semester,” Zimmerman said. Students seeking a second degree can take out loans but would no longer qualify for the Pell and Texas grants commonly awarded to undergraduates. Tran said students like herself are already on track to graduate within four years and just want to take advantage of UT’s programs. “If you want to stay here and that would better your academic experience, UT should let you, because we’re paying tuition and the purpose of the University is to serve us,” Tran said.
NEWS
OPINION
LIFE&ARTS
SPORTS
Senate recommends no tuition increase after student survey. PAGE 3
Students weigh in on voting, mental health and tuition increase. PAGE 4
“Justice League” introduces fun into the DC Universe. PAGE 8
Longhorns search for bowl eligibility in Morgantown. PAGE 7