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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2017
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Volume 118, Issue 75
CRIME CAMPUS
Woman kidnapped, sexually assaulted in Hyde Park By Reagan Ritterbush Senior News Reporter
Austin Police Department is searching for a man suspected of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman around the Hyde Park area Wednesday night. “(The victim) is doing as well as she could be and is actively helping us in this investigation,” APD Asst. Chief Joseph Chacon said. “She obviously, like us, wants justice.” According to the victim’s report, around 8 p.m. she was hit from behind and knocked unconscious after leaving her friend’s apartment near the 900 block of Duncan Lane. When she regained consciousness, she was inside an unknown person’s apartment where she was sexually assaulted, APD said. APD cannot confirm at this time whether or not the victim is a UT student. “(When she woke up) she was once again, violently struck and lost consciousness again,” Chacon said. “When she woke up a second time, she found that she was basically dumped on the side of the road.” Chacon said the victim was dropped off a block from where she was originally kidnapped. The victim told police she could only describe the suspect as a Hispanic male and did not get a good look at him. “I wish we could put out more information on the suspect at this time, but it is still really early,” Chacon said. “We are doing everything we can to find him.” Chacon said the sex crime unit is actively investigating this crime. He said even though the case is in the very early stages of investigation, the department is trying to remind people in the area to be alert and should call APD with any information they know about the case. “This is very concerning to us because we don’t have that many stranger assaults occur,” Chacon said. “When we have this, we don’t want this to continue.”
angela wang| daily texan staff
Azie Dungey, writer for “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and creator of “Ask a Slave,” speaks about American slavery to students in the University auditorium on Thursday afternoon. The lecture was hosted by the Moody College Honors Program.
Guest lecturer covers history of slavery Actress and comedian Azie Dungey discusses new web series and history misconceptions By Stephanie Adeline News Reporter Americans have an unhealthy relationship with their history, especially when it comes to black history, actress and comedian Azie Dungey said to an auditorium of UT students Thursday afternoon. “There certainly will be no George Washington without black people,” Dungey said. “So to tell a story about George Washington … and (to) not talk about his slaves is insane. They literally are the reason why he could leave Mount Vernon and have the pursuit of happiness.” Dungey is the creator of the comedic web series “Ask a Slave,” which was inspired by her experience working as a character interpreter at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate in Virginia. The show satirizes people’s ignorance towards slavery in America, which is often avoided in conversations. Dungey said her presence reminded guests of how America treated black people and often
made them feel uncomfortable. “If memory is identity, then my very presence at Mount Vernon was a threat to the visitors’ understanding of themselves as citizens, as people and as
that Africa was underdeveloped compared to Europe. To demonstrate, Dungey compared ancient European and African homes, and found little differences between the two.
“That (narrative) was something that was obviously created later when we started to racialize in a new way.” — Azie Dungey, Actress and comedian
Americans,” Dungey said. During the talk, Dungey listed ten common misconceptions about American slavery and debunked them. One of the most popular misconceptions Dungey identified is
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“When we hear the narrative of white people coming to Africa and the Africans were swinging on trees and grass huts, that’s actually not true,” Dungey said. “That (narrative) was something that was obviously created later when we
started to racialize in a new way.” Dungey advised the audience to help solve this problem by encouraging hard conversations in institutions. Dave Junker, director of the Moody College Senior Fellows Honors Program whose program co-hosted the event, said although the issue of slavery ended over a century ago, it is still relevant today. “Slavery is not so easy to talk about, (and) it’s not exactly a conversation starter,” Junker said. “We might say that slavery is the elephant to the room of American history … (but) slavery still matters because inequality and prejudice still matters.” Journalism junior Marina Navejas said Dungey taught her to approach the sensitive topic of slavery with empathy and understands now that lacking proper education can contribute to bigotry and racism. “We all have to come together, and (empathy) is something that we all have to share,” Navejas said.
STATE
Police arrest woman suspected Bill restricting abortion of four West Campus robberies coverage goes into effect By Reagan Ritterbush Senior News Reporter
A woman accused of robbing a house in Central Austin is now in Austin Police Department’s custody, according to online APD records. The suspect, identified as 24-yearold Kaylee Morgan Gustin, has been charged with burglary of a habitation, which is a living residence. According to APD, Gustin entered a West Campus residence through an unlocked door around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Gustin, who has not been identified as affiliated with UT, has also been linked to three similar robberies in West Campus, each involving her taking electronics and entering through unlocked doors, according
to APD. Finance sophomore Jaladhi Shukla said with these burglaries and the stabbing that took place on Monday night, safety on campus needs to improve quickly. “I see police officers driving around all the time, but clearly this isn’t enough,” Shukla said. “If someone can easily break into several houses without being caught then our police departments need to work on security.” According to the APD reports filed by the burglary victims, the suspect took a Samsung 40-inch television, a Sony soundbar and RCA antenna. Austin police tracked the television’s serial number and found it at a pawn shop in North East Austin on Wednesday afternoon.
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Gustin is currently being held in Travis County jail, and her bail is set at $30,000. The cases are still under open investigation, said Tara Long, APD public information specialist. “There’s a lot connecting the four cases and officers are hoping that through the investigation we can link the suspect to all of it,” Long said. Radio-television-film freshman Julia Bencomo said although she usually feels safe on campus, she always locks her doors out of fear of being robbed. “I’ve never really been afraid for my safety when I’m outside my apartment, but I definitely like to be precautious about getting robbed in my home,” Bencomo said. “If I can make myself feel safe without the help of the police then I will.”
By Chase Karacostas Senior News Reporter
A Republican-sponsored bill restricting insurance coverage for abortions goes into effect in Texas today. House Bill 214, passed during the state’s summer special legislative session, requires women to pay a separate insurance premium for non-emergency abortions. Authored by Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, the bill does not include exceptions for rape, incest or fetal abnormalities. The bill was one of Gov. Greg Abbott’s agenda items for the special session, which he called shortly after the end of the regular session in May. “This bill prohibits insurance providers from forcing Texas policy holders to subsidize elective abortions,” Gov.
Abbott said in a press release after signing the bill. “I am grateful to the Texas legislature for … working to protect innocent life this special session.” Smithee was unavailable for comment prior to publication of this article. Critics of HB 214 dubbed it the “rape insurance” bill because of the lack of exceptions for rape or incest. Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, was a staunch opponent of the bill during the special session. Now that the bill is being implemented, Howard said the bill, in practice, will not likely have any major ramifications because many insurance plans already do not cover abortion. The bigger issue is the “chilling effect” it has on women seeking an abortion or doctors who might carry out the procedure,
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Friday, December 1, 2017
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alissa jae lazo-kim| daily texan staff
Maisha Barrett, community education training specialist at SAFE Austin, discusses what factors go into building a healthy, long lasting relationship.
working on the emotional, serious aspects of relationships can be challenging. “With people … who may not have been taught to carry emotional labor, it’s hard to convey to them how much more of a burden it is,” said Beckworth, Russian studies and government senior. “It’s hard to say, ‘I need you to carry some of me, this emotional invisible thing that doesn’t make any sense.’” The sorority is in the process
of reestablishing itself on campus after it died down in 2011. OWLS consists of Latina students hoping to pledge in the Spring of 2018 and revive the sorority. Perez, president of UT’s Chi Upsilon Sigma, said workshops about relationships and abuse provided support to UT students. “As a survivor of abusive relationships, I can say that it is important for students to know that UT is meant to be a safe place,” Perez
said. “The best resource out there out there is SAFE Austin and the (Counseling and Mental Health Center) … if (survivors) need someone to go with them, they can talk to anyone of us … we are here to help and support.” SAFE Austin is an organization dedicated to ending domestic violence and abuse. They offer free sexual assault forensic exams and other resources to survivors of sexual assault.
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Michelle Zhang (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com
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If your partner starts to cry, you should probably stop talking, biochemistry junior Kimi Perez said in a discussion about respecting boundaries in relationships. The Organization of Women Looking for Sisterhood held an interactive workshop to discuss what constituted healthy and unhealthy relationships on Thursday. The organization, also known as OWLS, is an interest group associated with UT Austin’s chapter of Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority Inc. The workshop was facilitated by Maisha Barrett, community education training specialist at SAFE Austin. Barrett discussed redflags that would be indicative of unhealthy and abusive relationships such as a sudden change in appearance or constantly being checked up on. “Some couples love texting each other all day,” Barrett said. “The way I would differentiate it is that the person who is being abused has fear. So you’re out with them, their partner calls them and they jump, because they know if they don’t answer that call immediately they’re going to be in trouble.” Barrett said a healthy and equal relationship was based on principles of trust, support, respect and shared responsibility. Erin Beckworth, community chair of OWLS and UT’s Chi Upsilon Sigma said
By London Gibson
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Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, authored House Bill 214 in 2017 which requires women to pay a separate insurance premium for non-emergency abortions.
Senate proposal fights internal transfer policies based solely on UT GPA
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Chi Upsilon Sigma discusses healthy relationships in campus workshop
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In support of a holistic admissions process, members of the Senate Communications Council proposed a resolution Thursday night to combat internal transfer policies based on GPA in some colleges. Currently, the Cockrell School of Engineering, McCombs School of Business, Moody College of Communications and some College of Liberal Arts majors determine internal transfer admissions on GPA. Cockrell takes into account what classes a student has taken. Senate Resolution 1710 proposes the policy be changed to include other supplemental materials such as resumes, essays and letters of recommendation. “It’s important to consider the applicant as a whole because we really want to make sure that every aspect, every good quality about a student is being shown to the college,” said Michelle Lacey, resolution co-author and international relations and global studies senior. “GPA is just a number … this legislation is putting a person behind that number.” Apart from the above four colleges, UT’s seven other schools accept internal transfers on a holistic review process. James Treuthardt, marketing and journalism junior and resolution co-author, said a GPA-based decision does not make sense for certain majors, like radio-television-film majors.
“It’s a lot easier to measure whether someone can succeed in a major if you know they’ve done things similar to that in the past,” Treuthardt said. “How are you supposed to gauge whether someone can succeed in a major if you don’t have any idea what their experiences and circumstances are?” The authors of the resolution have not had communications with administration about changing the policies. Treuthardt, who wrote an opinion story for The Daily Texan about Moody’s switch to GPA-based admissions in September, said during the assembly that when he reached out to administration for the piece they were not able to speak on the issue. The authors used the written opinion in a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court Case between UT and Abigail Fisher to support their argument. The Court declared class rank is not a reliable measure of a student’s qualifications. “The idea of holistic review is boiled down to considering a person for who they are in their entirety and not focusing on small parts of their identity,” said Marcus Sloan, communications studies sophomore and resolution co-author, during the assembly. “Not only did the Supreme Court rule in favor of holistic review, but the University itself also supported it as well.” The resolution was passed to councils for further review.
COPYRIGHT Copyright 2017 Texas Student Media. All articles, photographs and graphics, both in the print and online editions, are the property of Texas Student Media and may not be reproduced or republished in part or in whole without written permission.
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.
evelyn moreno| daily texan staff
Members of the Senate Communications Council present their resolution for a more holistic admissions process from UT colleges at the Senate Assembly.
becca gamache daily texan file
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continues from page 1 Howard said. “Part of it is just an ongoing effort to just continue … to make it more and more difficult (to get an abortion) regardless of how pervasive the effects might be,” Howard said. “The fact that this is continuously being at the top of our agenda I think presents some dissuasion in and of itself.” Howard said one effect the bill could have is reducing the ability of lower-income women from getting an abortion. Some women might not have the money to buy health insurance in the first place, and adding this requirement puts an abortion even further out of reach. Jensen Soderlund, president
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of abortion rights advocacy group Texas Rising, said the fact that the bill lacks exceptions for incidences of rape or incest gives credibility to the belief that women need to be prepared for rape, which contributes to rape culture. “It’s upsetting for a lot of reasons,” government sophomore Soderlund said. “I love Texas …. It hurts that sometimes it feels like the Texas government doesn’t care about women as much as (it) should.” Alicia Torres, president of pro-life group Texas Students for Life, said she has mixed feelings on the bill. While she said she always supports legislation discouraging women from getting an abortion, she doesn’t like the possible implication that only wealthy individuals can afford one.
“It’s sort of coming at the whole issue sideways,” said Torres, human dimensions of organization junior. “I prefer policies that are both stopping abortion because abortion is wrong and always ends a human life, and … address the root problems that cause women to get an abortion in the first place.” In cases of rape or incest, Torres said she is glad there is not an exception within the bill. Having the option to get an abortion only adds to the stress and trauma of that experience, Torres said. “I think especially in those cases, restricting abortion access is a great idea,” Torres said. “It does remove that tiny problem, which is that temptation (for a mother) to hurt her child and herself longterm.”
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Friday, December 1, 2017
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Liberal Arts Council addresses diversity in honors programs
Association names four science faculty members as fellows
By Emily O’Toole News Reporter
Liberal Arts Council convened Thursday night for students to discuss problems concerning diversity in the University’s honors programs. Siji Deleawe, Plan II and business sophomore, said she immediately noticed the lack of diversity in the 2020 Business Honors program class. “In the class of 2020, we have five black students,” Deleawe said. “The class of 2019 has one, and they came in with three. This whole problem is really magnified in the business honors program.” Osman Yasin, philosophy and English honors junior in Liberal Arts Honors, said levels of diversity vary by major. “English and philosophy are both very (predominately white) majors to begin with,” Yasin said. “With the honors program, it gets even worse (in terms of diversity).
Sometimes I’m one of the only people of color in my class. All of the professors are white for the most part too.” Alexis Allen, Plan II and government junior, said in the two-year period in which she visited UT to attend honors information sessions, she noticed the homogeneity of those in attendance. “I think I saw one black family the whole time,” Allen said. “How do you change that?” One reason for the lack of diversity in Plan II and other honors programs is failure to reach out to students who don’t come from Austin, Dallas, Houston or large Texas suburbs, said Jay Anand, a Plan II, history and accounting sophomore. “I knew about Plan II because I heard about it from people at my high school,” Anand said. “From what I understand, there’s only one recruitment advisor … who
goes to Houston, Dallas, Austin and those suburbs.” One way to make sure recruitment efforts reach all parts of Texas and place no undue burden on the recruitment advisor is through hometown high school recruitment, said Carolina Sarria, Plan II and international relations sophomore. “We want to bring this diversity issue to light,” Sarria said. “People who are at UT could return to their own high schools to talk to younger students and reach out to their communities that might now be unrepresented (in Plan II).” Allen said within UT, making sure undergraduates have access to support systems and providing spaces for students of color to convene is important for maintaining diversity. “It’s nice to talk about your experiences with other people who relate to you,” Allen said.
Students discuss their experiences of being the minority in their respective honor programs. There is a problem of admitting more and keeping students of color in the honors programs.
kurt naig daily texan staff
thedailytexan
By Sami Sparber News Reporter
Four UT-Austin faculty members were recently recognized for their work in advancing science, according to a UT press release. The American Association for the Advancement of Science, an international nonprofit society of scientists, awarded the members for their individual work in various scientific fields. Pharmacy professor Rueben Gonzales was elected for his innovative approach to researching the behavioral effects of ethanol in alcohol. Gonzales said the honor serves as an external reinforcement of what most scientists, particularly those at UT, believe and exemplify every day. “We (at UT) pride ourselves on the excellence of our scholarship from a research standpoint as well as from a student learning standpoint,” Gonzales said. “So it’s nice to get external recognition that we are making significant contributions to society and pushing the frontiers of science forward.” The society chose mathematics professor Philip “Uri” Treisman for his work in making mathematics education more equitable for students of all backgrounds. “It’s a wonderful thing to be recognized by peers for our scholarly and public service activities,” Treisman said. “In
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continues from page 5 production inside infected cells,” Brinton said. “We are continuing to define this complex viral RNA-cell protein interaction by using other physical chemistry and biochemical techniques.” Fellow author on the paper and University of Texas Health Science Center researcher Borries Demeler works with a technique called analytical ultracentrifugation, which played an important role in studying West Nile virus. “Analytical ultracentrifugation is a separation technique in which high centrifugal forces are used to separate molecules of different sizes and shapes mixed in a solution,” Demeler said. “It can then measure the size and shape of different kinds of molecules and indicate if they are interacting, and if so, how strongly.” Demeler developed analysis software for research
that uses analytical ultracentrifugation; however, information processing can require more significant computational power. “The separation methods used in (analytical ultracentrifugation) are computationally extremely complex and require a demanding algorithm for modeling,” Demeler said. “Due to the very large data amounts, large computers are needed to extract this information, which was done on supercomputers at the TACC.” Demeler also said researchers used a new technology, a multiwavelength detector, which can separate molecules based on their optical properties in addition to size and shape. Because different types of molecules absorb light at different wavelengths, biological molecules like DNA, RNA, carbohydrates and lipids all show different absorbance patterns. Using the high sensitivity
of the detector, the researchers were able to separate their biological samples. “It gives us a new way to look at complex interactions occurring in a living cell,” Demeler said. Using these same computational techniques, Demeler said he expects a wide variety of applications in biological research, especially by studying the interaction between two dissimilar biological molecules like DNA, RNA or proteins. “The problem we tackled with the West Nile virus is just one example of a nearly infinite range of interactions and systems that could be studied using this technique,” Demeler said. “I expect many new discoveries will result from this ability to examine mixtures in greater detail and help answer important questions in biochemical research, contributing to developing cures for cancer and many other diseases.”
copyright rueben gonzales, and reproduced with permission
Pharmacy professor Rueben Gonzales is one of four UT faculty members named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
the everyday conduct of the activities so honored, we do experience moments of exhilaration, but most often (we experience) frustration … from always skating at the edge of one’s competence.” Treisman said being recognized encourages scientists to further pursue their research despite uncertainties. “Recognition serves as a navigational aid,” Treisman said. “It lets us know that our respected colleagues believe we’ve chosen a good path forward and that gives us courage to proceed.” In a similar way, seeing faculty succeed outside the classroom reaffirms students’ beliefs that they are receiving the best education possible, said Alec Blair, environmental science, journalism and Plan II Honors sophomore.
“It’s really nice to know that the people above us are not only dedicated to research but also successful with it,” Blair said. “It speaks to the way that we invest our time as undergraduates, since we are a reflection of our graduate students and professors.” Chemistry professor Michael Krische and chemical engineering professor Thomas Truskett are also part of the 396 newly elected fellows who will be inducted at the AAAS Annual Meeting in February, held in Austin for the first time. In the meantime, Gonzales said his students and research are still as much of a priority as ever. “That’s what we do, and we would do it without the recognition, but it’s nice to know that other people appreciate it as well,” Gonzales said.
angela wang | daily texan staff
Freshman Evie Pfeifer swims in the A final of the 200 Individual Medley at the Texas Hall of Fame Swimming Invite Tuesday afternoon.
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JANHAVI NEMAWARKAR & VIK SHIRVAIKAR FORUM EDITORS
@TexanOpinion
Friday, December 1, 2017
National public health issues spark student responses By Janhavi Nemawarkar and Vik Shirvaikar Forum Editors
As the national debate on healthcare heats up (again) this week, we feature student perspectives on public health topics that have a national scope but clear local effects: access to contraceptives,
the opioid crisis, and preventative healthcare. Isabelle Archer makes the case for contraception to be covered by standard health insurance. She tells her story of living with endometriosis, pointing out that women have a wide range of unique reasons for using contraceptives. Claire Zagorski, who works as a paramedic with the Austin Harm Reduction Coalition, relates her
experiences providing treatment to opioid and drug users. She argues that the stigma surrounding opioid use creates a hostile environment, making recovery efforts more difficult, and that empathy is needed both in healthcare and in society. Finally, Joanna Chyu outlines the structures within our healthcare system that lead to reactionary treatment being emphasized over preventative
care. She argues that this has negative effects for both individuals and society as a whole. We’d love to hear your thoughts on these topics or anything else. Please reach out to us at editor@ dailytexanonline.com. Nemawarkar is a Plan II and government junior from Austin. Shirvaikar is a math and economics junior from Frisco.
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Contraceptives are an easy cure in a complex system By Isabelle Archer Forum Contributor
I was 13 when the severe pelvic pain started, pain that made me miss a week of school every month and took away my power to do a simple task such as walking. Pain that felt like a knot twisted with every organ, pain that felt as if my strength had disappeared. I was 13 when I got my first menstrual cycle. And at age 21 I was diagnosed with endometriosis. I was 21 when doctors told me that while I may never be able to give birth, I would also encompass a life of pain. My only lifeline during this time was oral contraceptives. Although 99 percent of women aged 15–44 use contraceptives, their reasons are unique. This age bracket includes your
friends, your girlfriend, your mom, your neighbor and the woman that sits next to you in class. This medication benefits nearly half the population. The fact that its most-used purpose is to protect against unwanted pregnancy should be more than enough to convince policy makers and insurance companies to continue allowing free contraceptives under health insurance. However, women who use it for other reasons, such as controlling hormones, controlling acne, or in my case, for easing the wrenching pain that comes with every monthly cycle, should emphasize how life-changing this medication can be. After my diagnosis, I learned that while there is no cure for endometriosis, hormonal contraceptives like the pill could help relieve
pain by shortening a women’s menstruation. In addition, this disease is hardly researched, which could be why there is no cure. Last year, the National Institute of Health only allowed $10 million of its nearly $32 billion budget to be allocated for endometriosis, with women’s health already on the back burner. With Trump’s administration threatening to repeal the benefits of the Affordable Care Act that allow contraceptives to be covered under your health insurance plan, outrage and a cry for help is needed. So, why should you care? Why should Americans care? As Americans, would we tell someone with high cholesterol to forego statin drugs because healthier food is an option? Would we tell a person who suffers from chronic migraines to just wait out the pain? Would
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we tell a man with an enlarged prostate to forego the medication to treat it? You may think these questions are obvious, but the drugs to treat these issues are covered under insurance. So if insurance companies and policy makers have decided that these drugs can be covered, why are we so reluctant to allow women to get the treatment they need? I encourage every reader to reach out to a friend, to a parent, to a policy maker and voice their opinion. Voice your opinion and opposition to the reluctance that is shown towards allowing this life-changing medication to be affordable. At a time when there is no guarantee of affordable health care or any protection from our government, every woman could use your support, your voice. Archer is a public health senior.
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U.S. health care prescribes first, prevents later By Joanna Chyu Forum Contributor
illustration by victoria smith| daily texan staff
Addiction stigma fuels the opioid crisis By Claire Zagorski Forum Contributor
In the three years that I have been working with people who inject drugs, as a volunteer and then a paramedic with Austin Harm Reduction Coalition, AHRC, I have become good at telling when someone is lying to me. But not for the reasons you are imagining. The people I serve, almost all of who inject drugs — usually heroin, sometimes cocaine or a combination of the two — don’t lie about what or how much they use. They will lie, however, about going to the doctor. As a member of AHRC’s wound-care team, I give out the overdose-reversing drug naloxone and teach people how to use it, coach people in taking care of their veins, and monitor and help care for infected wounds and abscesses. “Do you have a regular doctor?” I will ask. This comes after I examine a baseball-sized abscess nestled into the soft fat of a hip, or see a wound seeping a tell-tale green fluid, or after a client tells me about symptoms that make me worry about an infection in their heart. Usually, the answer is no. We will keep talking, and I will learn more — that this problem has been going on for days or weeks, that they are certain it will go away on its own. I will hand out the card of our medical director, who has a practice nearby. I will tell them how concerned I am, and strongly urge them to go see our medical director, or visit the emergency department if it gets worse before they can be seen in the clinic. They will nod, and tell me that they will. But I can spot the tells. The opioid crisis, which generally encompasses the abuse of heroin, prescription painkillers like hydrocodone, and the synthetic painkiller fentanyl, is the deadliest drug crisis in American history. Opioid overdose deaths are increasing at a rate greater than that of AIDS-related deaths when the AIDS epidemic was at its peak. Today’s opioid crisis is borne of a combined surge in legal opioid prescriptions, cheaper heroin and widespread access to fentanyl on the drug market. A common introduction to heroin use now is not a life of crime and delinquency as we often imagine, but prescribed use that spins into a physical dependence, coupled with poverty and unemployment. Indeed, the
areas most severely hit by the opioid crisis are those with high unemployment rates: the Rust Belt, Appalachia and New England. If I asked you to tell me what kills people who inject drugs, you would probably say overdoses. Or maybe a bloodborne disease like HIV. And while these are both major contributors to mortality, I believe that the number one killer of people who inject drugs is stigma. Stigma is a major upstream contributor to all drug-related deaths. It works insidiously, snaking its way into everything from everyday personal interactions up to institutional policy. The science is clear: zero-tolerance drug policies do not work, and harm reduction methods like medication-assisted treatment and the distribution of naloxone do. But when a person who injects drugs feels stigmatized, the person is far less likely to seek treatment for addiction, or ask friends and family for support or seek out naloxone. Stigma directly undermines the best practices we have for the prevention of drug-related deaths. And while stigma and its consequences commonly exist at the community level, stigma from the healthcare community is further fueling addiction and hobbling recovery efforts. When my clients fib about going to the doctor, it is not that they are being difficult; it is that the health care environment is inherently hostile toward people who inject drugs. It is the casual use of the term “junkie,” staff who berate and mock them, or a doctor who tells them that they are a waste of time. Every time a client of mine sees a doctor and experiences stigma from physicians and nurses — professionals expected to be bastions of trust and compassion — it becomes twice as hard to convince them to see the doctor the next time. And this happens constantly. Living up to an arbitrary moral standard should not be a requisite for receiving compassionate and empathetic medical care, but it often is. We must demand universal compassion and empathy from health care providers, who should be leading us as models of progressive and kind attitudes surrounding addiction. Opioid addiction is eating this country alive, and stigma is fueling this addiction. We must confront stigma and insist on better treatment. Zagorski is an anthropology senior. She works as a paramedic at the Austin Harm Reduction Coalition.
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.
Prevention is not emphasized in the current health care system of the United States. Decades-long dependency on prescription medication as the magic cure for sickness has caused an increasing reliance on physicians to bring us good health, rather than motivating us to promote our own well-being long before we get sick. The lack of general societal proactivity to prevent disease before its onset, however, cannot be blamed solely on us as consumers of the health care system. Rather, incentive structures for the physician, the patient and the health care system as a whole have perpetuated centuries of reactionary medical practice rather than prevention, leading to the crisis-oriented system of health care we are familiar with today. Increasingly prominent in the U.S. health care system is the consolidation of insurance, research and industry companies, a process that champions pharmaceutical advancements and surgery over less profitable prevention measures such as immunizations, screenings and lifestyle modification regimens. Physicians, too, are largely motivated by financial incentives to practice reactionary over preventive medicine, as witnessed by the use of patient turnover rate to indicate doctor productivity and determine physician salaries. Higher turnover rate has resulted in shorter patient visit times, which favor prescription medication over longer-duration preventive services such as health evaluations or screenings. Likewise, physicians are often given samples by drug companies, incentivizing them to push drugs onto patients, and they can even be paid to attend pharmaceutical research and development meetings as supposedly nonpartisan consultants. Financial incentives for physicians and corporate health care conglomerates inflate health care costs, which earns them more money, which further inflates health care costs, creating a vicious cycle that leaves the patient dependent on reactionary medical treatments rather than long-term disease prevention. Patients are also incentivized to receive reactionary treatment rather than preventive care,
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because prevention requires greater self-discipline, higher levels of doctor intervention in their private lives, and a shift in perceptions of health and well-being at the individual and cultural levels. Moreover, health care in the U.S. is largely founded on the idea of reductionism, a concept that streamlines the complex factors contributing to an individual’s overall health into targeted diagnoses and cure. Reductionist treatments are, by their very nature, acute rather than holistic, and reactionary rather than preventive, often leading to one or both of the two primary forms of reactionary medicine in use today, prescription medication or surgery.
The network of incentives in place has systemically skewed the landscape of health care away from prevention.” This is not to say that drugs are inherently bad, or that preventive medicine is capable of stopping the onset or progression of all disease. But the network of incentives in place has systemically skewed the landscape of health care away from prevention, reduced costs and patient-centered care, and toward reactionary medicine, inflated costs and profit-centered care. Thus, preventive medicine is also intimately linked to the growing practice of volume-based over value-based care in the U.S. health care system. With the push for developing more profitable, patentable drugs and medical technologies, and the presence of profit-oriented industry and insurance companies looming in the background, the future of health care is at a crossroads, one that will foresee a revaluation of our most dearly held values. Our biggest hope is that reform in coming decades will incentivize physicians and patients to become more active proponents of disease prevention, rather than remaining players in a health care system in which patient health is not the primary goal. Chyu is a biochemistry and Plan II junior.
illustration by victoria smith | daily texan staff
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JULIANNE HODGES SCIENCE&TECH EDITOR
@thedailytexan
Friday, December 1, 2017
GEOLOGY
HEALTH
Environmental leaders talk the Researchers use supercomputers to future of growing population study complexities of West Nile virus By Areeba Khwaja
By Sarah Bloodworth
Senior S&T Reporter
Assoc. S&T Editor
The population in Texas is expected to nearly double by 2070, according to Texas’ 2017 State Water Plan, and that means a not so excellent future for a state with already strained resources and vulnerability to natural disasters. On Wednesday night, urban planning and environment experts discussed the future of Texas through the research initiative Planet Texas 2050 at the Paramount Theatre as part of the Environmental Science Institute’s 110th Hot Science Cool Talks. Panelists included UT mechanical engineering professor Michael Webber, urban revitalization strategist Majora Carter and leading climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe. In order to mitigate the negative effects of population growth and climate change, Planet Texas 2050 researchers plan for the sustainability of Texas and include faculty and staff researchers from UT’s Jackson School of Geosciences, Environmental Science Institute, College of Liberal Arts and more. UT President Gregory Fenves kicked off the event by making a statement emphasizing the need for Texas to adapt to the pressures of the future and UT’s role in helping to plan urban strategies to become more sustainable through Planet Texas 2050. According to the Environmental Science Institute director Jay Banner, global warming is creating more frequent and intense natural disasters such as droughts and hurricanes. Coupled with a quickly rising population, the impacts could affect many aspects of Texan life including health, the economy and even our supply
illustration by veronica jones| daily texan staff
of barbecue. Webber said he believes we can view natural disasters and a rising population as an opportunity to not only become more sustainable, but also to get rich doing it through properly managing and profiting off of Texas’ large supply of renewable energy resources. “Energy is wealth,” Webber said. “Texas matters, as it is one of the largest producers of resources such as oil, natural gas, wind and electricity. It seems you can’t get anywhere without a Texas drop of fuel.” Webber added that while Texas needs to decrease carbon dioxide emissions, which worsen the effects of climate change, people can utilize wind energy and experiment with more sustainable technologies. He said moving away from using automobiles, which are a large contributor of greenhouse gases, is a great step to take. “Let’s not replace all 500,000 cars that were wiped out by Hurricane Harvey,” Webber added. “Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past but use these challenges to get better.” Hayhoe also said moving away from our old ways is important in preparing for the future. “The future is different, so trying to invest in coal today is like trying to invest in a horse
buggy,” Hayhoe said. Hayhoe added that Texas is a particularly vulnerable state to the effects of climate change because of its dense population and inherent exposure to natural disasters. She said Texas pays the most out of all U.S. states on events like hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires and many other natural threats. Carter, who specializes in urban revitalization in the Bronx in New York, said local changes are necessary for future preparedness. “Discrepancies in environmental equality go on to create downstream social, economic, and atmospheric consequences,” Carter told The Daily Texan. A specialist in people empowerment, Carter said social cohesiveness is important for bettering the quality of a community using her work in the Bronx, such as building community hubs, offering technology jobs and pushing for eco-friendly practices. The panelists were overall optimistic for the future of Texas while still emphasizing the intensity of the challenges ahead. “We need to give people equal access to resources,” Webber said. “This is in a state where we struggle to give people equal access to bathrooms.”
Using the computing powers of the Texas Advanced Computing Center, TACC, at UT-Austin, researchers are making progress on the biological mechanisms of West Nile virus. The computational heavy lifting was done by the TACC’s Stampede2, Jetstream and Lonestar 5. “Humans get infected with West Nile virus by the bite of an infected mosquito,” said Margo Brinton, lead author and professor of biology at Georgia State University. “The virus replicates primarily in white
blood cells in the blood. In a few people, it can cross the blood-brain barrier and replicate in the brain’s neurons, causing (inflammation of the brain).” In present day, the virus is now in Africa, Southern Asia, Australia, the Middle East, North and Central America and Europe, according to Brinton. West Nile virus has an RNA genome, or genetic material, which it can replicate in the cells it infects. Certain conserved structures, including a stem loop on the RNA strand, have shown to play an important role in regulating the ability of the virus to replicate
its genome. The researchers had previously discovered a protein called TIAR that interacts with this stem loop structure in RNA. Now, in a paper published in Analytical Chemistry from January 2017, they found that the specific ratio of TIAR proteins to the stem loop in RNA is 4-to-1. The researchers said it was important because they realized how much more complex the viral interactions in the cell can be with RNA than previously thought. “We think the cellular protein TIAR acts to enhance viral genome
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Friday, December 1, 2017
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MICHAEL SHAPIRO SPORTS EDITOR
@texansports
Friday, December 1, 2017
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Texas cruises to another victory at the Drum By Drew King Senior Sports Reporter
During the halftime of Texas’ game against Louisiana Tech on Thursday night, former Longhorns Jody Conradt and Nell Fortner sat at midcourt reminiscing about their first game at the Frank Erwin Center. Forty years earlier, Conradt was entering her third year as head coach while Fortner was a freshman forward making her debut, still trying to carve out minutes. “I was mad,” Fortner said. “(Conradt) didn’t start me.” On Nov. 29, 1977, the pair took to the floor for a matchup against Temple Junior College. Texas won the game 67-64. It took the Longhorns less than three quarters to surpass that total against the Lady Techsters on Thursday night. Freshman forward Rellah Boothe converted on an and-one free throw to bring Texas’ score up to 67. A three from sophomore guard Alecia Sutton off an assist by senior guard Brooke McCarty put the score at 70–33 with 1:13 remaining in the third.
angel ulloa| daily texan staff
Senior guard Brooke McCarty prepares to drop off a pass between two Lousiana Tech defenders. The Longhorns crushed the Bulldogs 88–54 at home behind 15 points and five steals from McCarty.
Ball movement was critical to the orange and white’s success. The Longhorns finished the game with 25 assists, including five from McCarty. Head coach Karen Aston enjoyed the way the starting point guard fed off her teammates.
“I think that (McCarty’s) really enjoying playing with this group of girls,” Aston said. “I also think that she needs to shoot sometimes when she doesn’t. Sometimes she’ll pass up open threes, I just don’t know that she needs to do that.”
McCarty averaged 2.5 assists per game through the past three seasons, but has kicked it up to 5.5 per game through the first six games of the year. “When my teammates are open, I like to give them the ball, and, I mean, that’s
what it’s all about,” McCarty said. “So, I do get in trouble for not shooting, but at the same time, (Aston) doesn’t mind the assists.” Many of McCarty’s dimes came as the result of Louisiana Tech turnovers. She stole the ball four times in
the first quarter and finished the game with five. After every steal, McCarty would push the ball in transition and usually find an open teammate. The point guards willingness to share the ball has infected her teammates, smoothing out the wrinkles of the offense. Three other players finished the game with four or more dimes and the team only committed 15 turnovers. “I think they’re really starting to get a feel for each other and some chemistry,” Aston said. “And you can see as we go along, they’re not really caring about who’s scoring the ball right now. They’re enjoying passing the ball to each other. And I think that makes for good basketball.” Following the win, everything felt familiar. Music from the ‘70s filled the arena. Conradt looked on from the sideline. Texas had won for the 515th time inside the Drum. The Longhorns travel next to Georgia to take on the Bulldogs in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Tipoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. on Dec. 3.
FOOTBALL
NFL
Patience is a virtue: Don’t be too quick to call 6-6 a failure
Former Longhorns make push towards the playoffs
By Alex Briseno
By Donnavan Smoot
Senior Sports Reporter
Sports Reporter
Let’s tap the brakes, Texas fans — at least for the time being. Just face it, the Longhorn faithful got greedy. The possibility of finishing the season 8–5 for the first time since 2013 crossed their mind and they just couldn’t let it go. There’s plenty of blame to go around for everybody, but let’s shift the blame for now toward Longhorn fans. Texas laid out a perfectly placed trap, and just like the gullible Longhorn fan base has done for the past four years, they fell for it. They got greedy. All it took was two mediocre victories. One win was over a terrible 1–11 Kansas team. The other came against what was a decent then–No. 24 West Virginia team. Then the Mountaineers’ starting quarterback Will Grier left the game with an injury. Texas’ 28–14 victory appeared to be a solid win over a ranked opponent on the road, but let’s not kid ourselves, Texas’ thirdstring quarterback Jerrod Heard could have won the game for the Longhorns. That’s how little of a chance the Mountaineers had to win once their starting quarterback left the game. But of course, Texas fans didn’t take that into consideration. All they saw was the record: 6–5. And just like that, Texas laid the trap. And boy did the Longhorn faithful bite, hard. They saw the chance to beat Texas Tech, win a bowl game and all of a sudden the thought of finishing 8–5 was a realistic possibility. That’s when expectations all of a sudden shifted. Shifting expectations often leads to greed. Both are dangerous. We saw exactly why on Friday night and the days following as Longhorn fans reacted to Texas’ brutal 27-23 loss to Tech. The Longhorns’ record
With the NFL postseason right around the corner, players league-wide are coming into form to help push their teams to the playoffs. Here are how a few former Longhorns fared on fields across the nation this weekend. brooke crim| daily texan staff
Fans stand in disbelief as a 27-23 fourth-quarter collapse at home at the hands of Texas Tech sends the Longhorns to
is 6–6. The regular season ended one week ago on Friday, and the term failure is already being associated with head coach Tom Herman’s first season. And Texas hasn’t even played in its bowl game. Here’s a foreign concept, Longhorn fans: Don’t try evaluating an entire 12game season immediately after one bad loss. It’ll help. It might even prevent the premature use of the term hot seat. Texas fans’ overreaction to Herman’s first season is worse than this country’s premature celebration of Christmas. We need to stop listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving and Texas fans need to stop pretending like 6–6 is worse than the back-to-back 5–7 seasons. This greedy, gullible, dramatic fan base needs to let the dust settle. If we are going to mention hot seats, however, there is one person that comes to mind, and it’s not Tom Herman. It’s offensive coordinator, Tim Beck. It may be too soon to declare a 12-game season a failure but in this case, 12 games was more than enough to realize that this Longhorn offense is borderline comedic. That was on full display Friday night. With a 23-20 lead and just over 2 minutes remaining in the game, Texas faced a third-and-2 needing just one more first down to seal the game.
Instead of running the ball for a short first down conversion, the Longhorns decided to throw the ball. In case you haven’t heard, freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger threw an interception, allowing the Red Raiders to score the game-winning touchdown moments later. That’s what I meant by comedic. The 250-pound running back Chris Warren III didn’t get one carry Friday night. But hey, the Longhorn coaching staff hasn’t utilized him all season, so why start now? No wonder he decided to take his talents elsewhere. Warren will transfer to another school where he should be utilized much better than he was here at Texas, and once Longhorn fans have time to calm down, they’ll realize there’s one more game this season. A 6–6 record isn’t the end of the world. It’s Herman’s first season and patience is a virtue. Texas hasn’t been elite in years, so the Longhorns’ return to prominence won’t happen overnight. Don’t forget Texas’ place in college football right now. It may not be easy, especially after Texas’ collapse against Texas Tech, but slow downs on labeling this season as a failure. Oh, and enjoy the bowl game. Don’t be greedy, it’s something.
Derrick Johnson: Johnson recorded three tackles in Sunday’s loss against the Buffalo Bills, continuing an underwhelming season by his standards. The 35-year-old linebacker has 51 tackles this year, putting him on pace to have less tackles than last season, 90, and significantly lower than his total two years ago, 116. Granted, the fact that Johnson came into the season healing an Achilles tendon injury, the decline in play is understandable. Johnson will be needed by the Kansas City Chiefs if they are going to right their ship. Kansas City has gone 1–5 in their previous six games after starting 5–0. Johnson’s veteran presence
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and leadership will be needed and tested in the upcoming weeks if the Chiefs want to make the playoffs, much less make a run at the Lombardi trophy. Kenny Vaccaro: The Saints played the second best scoring offense this past week in the Los Angeles Rams and came up short, 26-20. They were down both starting corners which put extra emphasis on the back end of the defense, led by safety Kenny Vaccaro. The former Longhorn standout was on the field for all 77 plays the Saints had to defend, ending the game with five tackles. Sunday’s loss snapped the Saints eight-game winning streak. During the loss, Vaccaro allowed a 53-yard play after he was beat on a route by rookie receiver Cooper Kupp. But even with the loss, New Orleans is still in the thick of the NFC playoff race. The Saints will host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in a pivotal NFC South matchup.
Earl Thomas: With two of the star members of the Legion of Boom gone for the season, the Seahawks looked to Earl Thomas to keep them afloat in the NFC playoff race. After a loss to Atlanta on Monday Night Football, Thomas and the Seahawks’ defense got a boost from playing the now 1–10 San Francisco 49ers. Thomas and the still-impressive Seahawks’ defense held the 49ers to 13 points. The All-Pro safety had five tackles in the win. Earl Thomas is feeling the pressure that fellow former Longhorn Kenny Vaccaro is feeling as Thomas is playing without two of the top star teammates on the defense. Now, he’ll look to use this past win to rally the troops and keep the momentum going in order to get the Seahawks into the playoffs. Their next contest won’t be an easy one, though. The 10–1 Philadelphia Eagles come into town this week for a battle on Sunday night.
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MORGAN O’HANLON LIFE&ARTS EDITOR
@thedailytexan
Friday, December 1, 2017
BOOKS
MOVIE REVIEW | ‘MUDBOUND’
Five books to educate and entertain this winter break By Collyn Burke L&A Reporter
After a stressful finals season, there is nothing better than sitting down to slip into a good book over winter break. Whether you’re looking for expertly written social commentary or immersive fantasy, these are the best books to read over winter break: ‘The Power’ by Naomi Alderman Alderman’s “The Power” imagines a world in which women suddenly acquire the ability to electrocute people and thus outpower their male counterparts (finally). Alderman’s expertly written dystopian novel follows the perspective of five very different individuals as they navigate their new world. A troubled Jacksonville girl turns into a prophet, a spoiled young man becomes a fearful citizen journalist, and by the end of the book, their reality is nothing like it was before. While our world is just now seeing men held accountable for their actions of sexual misconduct, Alderman’s book asks the question: Are men to blame for the world’s problems, or is it the power they’ve always held? ‘Alias Grace’ by Margaret Atwood Alias Grace is Atwood’s take on the true story of Grace Marks, an Irish-born Canadian who, in 1843, was accused and arrested for the murders of Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery. Atwood’s novel uses the bones of the historical case and marries it with the story of fictional doctor Simon Jordan, who, in his research of the case, finds himself emotionally attached to Grace. The spellbinding novel keeps readers
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copyright netflix, and reproduced with permission illustration by cameron dehghani| daily texan staff
on their toes trying to figure out the truth of Grace’s case: Was she guilty? And if she was, can she really be blamed for her actions? ‘The Underground Railroad’ by Colson Whitehead Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer prize for fiction, Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad” follows the story of two slaves, Cora and Caesar. Cora, who is an outcast even among the slaves, tries to obtains her freedom by escaping her plantation using the Underground Railroad, which in Whitehead’s world is an actual underground train. Whitehead’s brilliant prose gives life to Cora’s Odyssey-esque adventure that will take you on a whirlwind of emotions. With our current political climate there is hardly anything so needed as the narratives of black women. If you somehow missed this book in the past year, now is the time to read it. ‘Fish in Exile’ by Vi Khi Nao Poet Vi Khi Nao takes a turn with prose in her first novel “Fish in Exile,” which follows Catholic and Ethos, two parents who are trying to navigate
the loss of both of their young children. Nao puts her poetry skill to use by giving larger meaning to every small aspect of her story, down to the names of her characters, which allude to the ways they interact with their environment. Unlike many traditional authors, Nao’s depiction of grief doesn’t read artificial or overworked, but true, painful and occasionally completely confusing. Nao’s novel is not a conventional story, but an experience of what it is like to live with the pain of loss. ‘A Darker Shade of Magic’ by V.E. Schwab Parallel cities, magic and dangerous secrets create an addictive world in Schwab’s “A Darker Shade of Magic.” Schwab crafts a world in which there are four separate universes, each their own version of London with a varying degree of magic. The story follows magician Kell, who has the rare ability to travel within and through these Londons — a gift that soon leads him to trouble. Schwab’s story provides its reader with the perfect escape into a world far from our own.
The Jacksons struggle against oppression and poverty in the moving “Mudbound.”
‘Mudbound’ depicts1940s racism, mirrors issues today By Charles Liu Senior L&A Reporter
To call “Mudbound” a period piece would do it a disservice. Yes, the film is about two families — one white, one black — who struggle to get by on unforgiving Mississippi farmland in the 1940s, but this masterfully crafted drama of the past is also one of the timeless conflict between race and class. The movie begins with the white McAllans purchasing the farmland which African-Americans Hap (Rob Morgan) and Florence Jackson (Mary J. Blige), along with their children, have been diligently working as tenants. The McAllan patriarch, Henry (Jason Clarke), is not a good farmer, which means he often rudely demands Hap and Florence’s aid. “Mudbound” relies on counterpart characters from both families to illustrate how skin color dominates all aspects of social life. Henry and Hap, as well as Henry’s wife Laura (Carey Mulligan) and Florence, are in many ways the same, but the hierarchy controls how they behave. Henry refuses to acknowledge Hap’s needs when he suffers a broken leg. Meanwhile, Hap must refer to him as “sir.” When the McAllans have settled in, “Mudbound” shifts its focus to the eldest Jackson son, Ronsel (Jason Mitchell), a veteran who helped liberate Europe from the Nazis and tasted freedom and respect while abroad. Upon his return to
Mississippi, Ronsel has far less tolerance for the daily racism he experiences. Unfortunately, his defiance of a Jim Crow South even draws ire from his family, rather than praise. The possibility of retaliation cows them, for they are still, in a sense, slaves. Luckily for him, Ronsel finds companionship in Henry’s younger brother, Jamie (Garrett Hedlund), another veteran who drowns his painful memories of war with alcohol. Both men cross the uneasy divide between their families and form an unlikely bond. But their relationship threatens their safety as Henry and Jamie’s racist father, Pappy (Jonathan Banks), lurks in the wings, ready to strike. Mitchell, who previously starred as Eazy-E in “Straight Outta Compton,” continues to display the same charisma and sincerity that makes him a likable performer. Even though he’s surrounded by an extremely talented cast, Mitchell is very clearly the soul of “Mudbound.” As Jamie, Hedlund brings a roguish, freewheeling charm that provides a foil to Ronsel’s seriousness, but he also channels a tragic vulnerability when his character’s grief resurfaces again and again. There are a lot of films as busy and sprawling as “Mudbound,” but few filmmakers have the same command of character and plot as writer-director Dee Rees. Drawing from Hillary Jordan’s 2008 novel of the same name, Rees
MUDBOUND RATING: R RUNNING TIME: 135 min SCORE:
frequently and seamlessly hops between the narratives of the McAllans and the Jacksons without damaging the picture’s pacing. She does this by connecting scenes with thematic threads and parallel events, highlighting the universality in the characters’ struggles while deftly pushing their arcs forward. The resulting film is both epic and intimate in scope. Cinematographer Rachel Morrison excellently films the dire Mississippi squalor, imbuing “Mudbound” with an overbearing gloominess. The sludge is nigh impossible to escape, and mud clings to black and white bodies alike. Both the McAllans and the Jacksons have been brought low, but Henry and Pappy lack the self-awareness to realize they are no better off than their black neighbors. The bleak imagery ensures that this irony is obvious. “Mudbound” is snapshot of a time before, but it grapples with issues that are startlingly familiar, issues that still play out on the airwaves today. It challenges perspectives by reminding us that we all share hopes and dreams, fears and nightmares, the capacity to love and to hate. It reflects on the power of decency, and how acts of kindness go a long way toward building a better tomorrow.
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