The Daily Texan 2017-12-04

Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900

MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2017

@thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com

Volume 118, Issue 76

CAMPUS

Offensive decoration removed from dean’s office door

UNIVERSITY

Fenves shares father’s untold story

By London Gibson Senior News Reporter

At award reception, Fenves shares tale of Holocaust survival.

By London Gibson Senior News Reporter

He saw the numbers tattooed on his father’s arm for the first time when he was eight years old.

Before then, he did not know his father bore the permanent remnants of war under his sleeves: an arm marked by Nazi soldiers at the entrance to Auschwitz and an arm badly broken during a

A racially offensive image was removed from the door of the dean’s office at the McCombs School of Business on Friday. The decoration was part of a holiday decorating contest for departments in the school and was removed immediately after administration was notified, according to a statement issued

by Jay Hartzell, dean of the business school.

The decoration, placed on the door of Hartzell’s office, depicted a stereotypical and offensive image of an African-American male with brass knuckles and gold teeth.

Photos of the decoration were posted on Twitter on Friday morning and received intense student reactions, leading to its removal less than one hour after it was initially put up. On Friday night, Hartzell released a statement condemning the incident as a “hurtful act.”

Hartzell said that McCombs administration was aware of the contest, but had no part in providing formal oversight or a sign-off. He said he would be setting aside hours next week to meet with students and discuss the situation further.

“McCombs is a school and community where every student, faculty and staff member should feel welcome and know they belong,” Hartzell said in the email. “This morning’s incident demonstrates that we are not there yet — but deepens my resolve to get there.”

conflict with a concentration camp guard that never truly healed. UT President Gregory Fenves did not know about the horrors of the Holocaust until the day he discovered his own father was a survivor.

Publicly sharing his father’s story for the first time last month, Fenves opened up to an audience of over one thousand when he accepted the Holocaust Museum Houston’s Guardian of the Human Spirit Award on behalf of UT. The University received the award

for contributing scholarships to the museum and its overall educational impact.

“My father’s a Holocaust survivor,” Fenves said in an interview with The Daily Texan on Friday.

“It’s never been a secret, but it’s always been something important to me and important to the family … When I became president, this felt like a good time to tell people my family’s story, my father’s story.”

Steven Fenves grew up in

Yugoslavia. When he was nine years old, his home fell under German occupation. He and his family were taken to Auschwitz, where he remained for five months before the Polish underground smuggled him to a new camp.

A few years later during a forced march to Buchenwald, Steven Fenves was attacked by a guard, escaping with a badly broken arm. When he came to the

FENVES page 2

carlos garcia| daily texan staff

UT President Gregory Fenves reminisces about his father’s history as a Holocaust survivor. The University president opened up about his family’s past to 1,000 people while receiving the Holocaust Museum Houston’s Guardian of the Human Spirit Award on behalf of UT.

MCCOMBS page 3 UNIVERSITY

NATION

SURE Walk fundraiser extended to Congress halfway to raise sufficient funds for golf carts DREAM Act deadline

By Reagan Ritterbush Senior News Reporter

SURE Walk’s fundraiser for two new golf carts has been extended to the end of December, said Holden Hopkins, one of the SURE Walk directors.

“We just want to give people a longer opportunity to donate,” said Hopkins, Plan II and business sophomore. “This extension allows us more time to reach our original goal and maybe raise a little extra money for other resources.”

Each cart costs $9,000, and the fundraiser, hosted on the student crowdfunding website HornRaiser, will allow SURE Walk to increase their capacity by over 33 percent and serve around 5,000 new students in addition to the 15,000 students they currently serve, Hopkins said.

“After we made the

By Chase Karacostas

decision to extend the fundraiser, there was a huge spike in donations,” Hopkins said. “We may be able to reach our goal and have some left over to think about getting another accessible van.”

According to the fundraiser page, SURE Walk has raised about 80 percent, or around $14,000, of their $18,000 goal. Hopkins said in order to get another accessible van, the fundraiser would have to bring in another $50,000.

“It’s a lofty goal, but it would be nice to hit 10,000 or maybe 20,000,” Hopkins said. “If we don’t make that much, it’s okay. We can always look at holding another fundraiser later on.”

Through these two new golf carts, SURE Walk plans on reducing wait times and increasing efficiency, Hopkins said.

Hopkins said the group has enough drivers but just

needs the carts.

“We don’t want students to have to worry about wait times going up because we don’t have enough golf carts,” Hopkins said. “It also helps to have more golf carts in case one breaks down.

This fundraiser is all about

NEWS

OPINION

LIFE&ARTS

SPORTS

512 festival showcases student-made films.

PAGE 2

Thoughts on harassment, censorship and social media. PAGE 4

Students reflect on mental health through rapper’s death. PAGE 8

Texas defeat Fairfield, NC State, advance to Sweet 16. PAGE 6

6581/UT Athletics; Process color

Senior News Reporter

“After we made the decision to extend the fundraiser, there was a huge spike in donations.

We may be able to reach our goal and have some left over . . . ” —Holden Hopkins, SURE Walk director

improving the service for the benefit of students.”

Hopkins said he believes SURE Walk is increasing in demand because knowledge about it has grown.

“It’s just standard inertia,” Hopkins said.

SURE WALK page 2

Edilsa Lopez’s work permit runs out today. She managed to get her Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals renewal in on time, and now all she has to do is wait a few days for her new permit.

For now, UT alumna Lopez is safe from deportation. But, one day shy of three months since President Donald Trump rescinded DACA, she’s not sure how much longer that safety will last.

“I have been up and down with my emotions,” Lopez said. “I’m always a little bit concerned about what’s going to happen to many of us.”

Congress spent the past few months focused on healthcare reform and a tax bill, but there has been little movement on creating a new DREAM Act, which would provide citizenship to people brought to the U.S. illegally as children. The legislature is also halfway to Trump’s March 5

deadline to pass a bill to help the 800,000 DACA recipients in the country.

“To think about it is completely frustrating because this is our lives,” Lopez said.

“The only thing that many of us want is just the opportunity to have a work permit that is never going to end.”

The Hispanic Alliance hosted a DACA Summit on Saturday with speakers including Mayor Steve Adler and U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, to discuss the future of DACA recipients and the DREAM Act. “This (immigration) debate scares me because it is not our country or our state at its best,” Adler said. “It is not our better self.”

During a panel on the DREAM Act, O’Rourke said with budget negotiations going on to fund the government for the next nine months, it is the perfect time to try and leverage support for the

DREAM page 2

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Monday, December 4, 2017

FENVES

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next day, he had been rescued

by American soldiers, but the fissures in his arm and the psychological impact of World War II would last forever. At age 13, Steven Fenves was a refugee of war.

“I think about how his arm is still broken, from that forced march, how it never really healed,” Fenves said during his acceptance speech at Holocaust Museum

Houston. “There is a part of him that will always be shaped by the horrific experiences he endured as a boy.

That will never fully heal.”

Fenves said he was able to visit Germany with his father in 1995 and retrace his forced march to Buchenwald. Together, they stood in the spot where Fenves said he stood face to face with evidence of the evil he had heard so much about for the first time.

Twenty-two years later, they stood together in

remembrance again, when Fenves dedicated the Guardian of the Human Spirit Award to his father and brought him on stage.

“I wasn’t sure how he would react to me getting this award and talking about it,” Fenves said. “It was a uniquely moving and personal moment. And we were sharing that with over one thousand people in the ballroom.”

Surrounded by wooden bookshelves stacked with leather-bound books in his

office last week, Fenves emphasized the importance of education in preventing modern hatred in the nation and on the campus. “(Today’s intolerance is) very disturbing,” Fenves said. “And I think it’s essential that people recognize it and talk about it and learn about it so that they can be aware, and make sure that the values of tolerance and inclusion continue to be important for everything that we do.”

DREAM

DACA recipient Ainee Athar, left, interviews Congressman Beto O’Rourke, right, at the DACA Summit at Capital Factory Saturday afternoon. The event lasted all day and was hosted by The Hispanic Alliance, Capital Factory and the Entrepreneurs Foundation.

continues from page 1 DREAM Act. “This is the most encouraging place we’ve been at since (former) President Obama announced DACA, and it’s going to happen legislatively,” O’Rourke said. “It’s going to have the power of law, and it’s not up to the whims of whoever happens to be president at the time.”

Tension between members of Congress and the Trump administration has stalled the bill’s progress, such as when congressional Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi canceled a meeting with Trump to discuss avoiding a government shutdown this coming Friday when the budget runs out. The cancellation followed a tweet

by Trump targeting Schumer and Pelosi.

“Meeting with ‘Chuck and Nancy’ today about keeping government open and working,” Trump said in a tweet.

“Problem is they want illegal immigrants flooding into our Country unchecked … I don’t

Upon being asked if his father’s history has affected the way he leads the University and his life, Fenves was hesitant.

“I’m not naturally a contemplative person that thinks about it that way,” Fenves said.

“Anybody, whether they’re directly related or have studied the history of hatred that’s led to genocide, has to be aware of the factors that can lead a society or country down that path … So the answer is yes, I believe it has.”

angela wang daily texan staff

see a deal!”

Even with the strained relations between Democrats and Trump, O’Rourke said he still thinks there is hope because there is bipartisan support to help DACA recipients. O’Rourke said the most important issue is to ensure passage of a “clean” DREAM Act, a bill providing a path to citizenship

for DACA recipients without forcing them to relinquish rights traditionally given to legal immigrants, such as the ability to use their legal status to bring over family members.

“There is this thing that resides within the Democratic party at our worst where we try to concede something we don’t believe in in hopes

we’re going to get something big that we really care about,” O’Rourke said. “We’ve got to cut that out.”

Government sophomore Vanessa Rodriguez, also a DACA recipient, said she has been saving as much money as possible, not knowing how much longer she will be able to work. Rodriguez also said

she has abandoned plans to take a break from working her junior year because she wants to prepare in case she loses her work permit.

“There is that fear from a lot of people that if we don’t get it done this December, it is very unlikely that it will be done by March,” Rodriguez said. “It’s even scarier than finals.”

CAMPUS

UT performers unify in Project Linking the Arts

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Project Linking the Arts, held at Hogg Auditorium, was hosted by the dance group Steel Dance Company in an effort to unify the art community on campus. Performances included dance and a cappella performances.

Texas Latin Dance and UT Zobha, a non-competitive dance team which incorporates Indian dances to their performance. One of the performances had dancers carry glowing lights which lit up the stage.

Sanjana Jhaveri, finance and advertising senior and member of UT Zobha, said she is glad to share Indian culture with the audience and see the diversity of the UT arts community.

“We’re very excited to open up our organization to new ideas and new influences because of this show,” Jhaveri said. “All of the dancers in Zobha want to learn and continue growing as dancers, not just Indian dance but in various performing arts styles.”

In addition to dances, the audience also enjoyed lively music performances by a brass band and a cappella groups Fuse and Texas Deep Treble.

Jordan Newman, president of Texas Deep Treble, said the group’s mission, which was created by Ricky Jacobson, mechanical engineering senior, is to make the audience forget about their problems for a moment.

“That’s really what we try to be as a group,” said Newman, electrical and computer engineering junior. “We’re determined to entertain people and entertain ourselves along the way.”

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Nine different student organizations performed at the Hogg Memorial Auditorium on Saturday night, but they had one thing in common — a love for the arts.

The event, Project Linking the Arts, was hosted by the Steel Dance Company, a student dance group at UT. The purpose of the event was to unify the UT arts community and raise funds for Creative Action, an Austin nonprofit that focuses on promoting arts-based youth development.

“The arts are really important to all of us, and not everybody gets to have that growing up,” said Amy Weinberg, chemical engineering junior and dance performer for the company. “It’s a really good way to connect arts organizations to kids who can’t have them.”

Whitney Porter, Steel Dance Company’s artistic director, said the students involved in the project come from different majors, and so this gave them a chance to showcase their talent.

“Everybody just does it for the fun of it and because they love it,” advertising senior Porter said.

“Nobody is (an art) major and forced to do it … They are so happy to be here and to do this today.”

Six student dance groups performed at the event, including cultural dance groups

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SURE WALK

continues from page 1 “Also, when we initially launched the golf cart part of the service, our users were mostly freshmen and sophomores because juniors and seniors already had set routines, but now it is built into everyone’s routines.”

Aditya Kharosekar, electrical engineering senior, said she believes SURE Walk is increasing in demand because recent incidents on and around campus have made students feel unsafe.

“People didn’t really care about walking services before, but now SURE Walk has become students’ safety net,” Kharosekar said.

Since the demand for SURE Walk is growing, Hopkins said, the SURE Walk directors are working on exploring the data behind the increase

t i F i

of users.

“It’s not enough just to have the resources, but to allocate the resources we have efficiently,” Hopkins said. “Our analytics are going to show us when, where and who are using this service and what we should expect for the future. We are especially taking a look at how SURE Ride is affecting our numbers.”

Jonathan Paulino, aerospace engineering junior, said SURE Walk’s main impact has been making students feel safe anywhere on campus and he has witnessed this impact firsthand.

“I live in Roberts, which is really close to SURE Walk’s headquarters in Jester, which gives me a lot of opportunities to see the service at work,” Paulino said. “SURE Walk people are always out there giving rides.”

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Monday, December 4, 2017

CITY

d s

First 512 Film Festival showcases student talent

s

By Meara Isenberg

-

News Reporter

d e

t I

From a comedic film about prom to a documentary-style short where paintings come to life, the first ever 512 Film Festival was anything but ordinary.

Featuring a hodgepodge of student-produced, short-length films, music videos and documentaries, the free festival, held on Saturday in the Union Theatre, screened selections from across the country. The celebration of student film was organized by the Delta Kappa Alpha Cinema Fraternity to inspire filmmakers and newcomers alike.

“I hope the audience realizes how wonderful student film is and how talented people are all across the country,” said Sarah May, President of DKA and festival showrunner. “These stories that are just so unique and so different, we need more of them like that, and the only way to do that is to keep encouraging people who are doing this stuff.”

May, a corporate relations and radio-television-film

anthony mireles| daily texan staff

A group of movie-goers sit front row at the inaugural 512 Film Festival hosted by Delta Kappa Alpha this past Saturday evening at the Texas Union theatre.

senior, said this year’s focus was on diversity in the industry and displaying a passion for change.

Peter McCain, radio-television-film senior, took up the challenge with his film,

“Manmade Objects,” which portrays a world where paintings come alive to protest the way women are depicted in art.

“While the film begins with a social justice narrative, it

s sCAMPUS

t

y s

UNIVERSITY

Engineering center hosts student-run Casino Night

By Katie Balevic News Reporter

The Engineering Education and Research Center had its first major social event on Friday night since its opening in August.

The new building donned Christmas lights and poker tables for the casino-themed event co-hosted by the Student Engineering Council and the Texas Blazers, a service organization. All of the proceeds from the evening went to hurricane relief in Puerto Rico through International Relief Teams.

“This event is unique because it’s the first student-hosted event in the EERC,” said Kalli Kiefer, SEC service co-director. “It’s really neat to see that we’re touching people that aren’t just in SEC or (engineering) organizations.”

There were complications with being the first organization to host an event

at the brand new building, said Kiefer, mechanical engineering sophomore.

“There were a lot of things that hadn’t been figured out yet because the building has never been used for events like this,” Kiefer said. “From things like lighting to audio to dealing with alarm systems … just using the physical space was a big task.”

SEC was able to utilize the excitement of the new building to gain attention for the event, said Viren Joopelli, chemical engineering sophomore. “(There is) hype of this brand new building and all of the lights and decorations,” Joopelli said. “That’s one of the reasons why the event was attractive in the first place.”

Casino Night was a good welcome for the building and for the attendees, Joopelli said.

“It’s been successful in terms of the amount of

money raised and the general atmosphere,” Joopelli said.

“One of the things that I like about these types of events is that they mobilize the broader UT community …

A lot of the people here are not engineers.”

For accounting junior Mary Elise Chipongian, Casino Night was an opportunity to see the new building.

“I think that when a new building is built on campus, everyone gets excited about it,” Chipongian said.

“It’s a celebration of being a Longhorn.”

Students also have a responsibility to help those in need, Chipongian said.

“You don’t just celebrate with people,” Chipongian said. “You have to band together in times of difficulty.

We’re coming together with the UT community, not just celebrating, but doing it in a way that … also helps other people.”

anthony mireles| daily texan staff

From left to right, Michael Liu, Max Kratko and Prithvi Karyampudi look on as a pill, or roulette ball, spins around a roulette wheel at the Student Engineering Council and Texas Blazers’ casino night at the Engineering and Education Research Center this past Friday.

MCCOMBS

continues from page 1 Hartzell said the incident solidifies the need for a Chief Diversity Officer in the business school. While it has been considered for some time now, he said the school will now accelerate its search. He also said they will bring in an expert on culture and climate to address ways the school can improve.

Accounting junior Tyler Wilridge was shocked to see the decoration up Friday morning and posted an image of it on Twitter. Although Dean Hartzell’s public apology promises to take measures to ensure an incident like this will not happen again, Wilridge said he is worried the promises will not stick.

“I’m just waiting to see what happens once

evolves into how social justice can evolve into social capital, where people can take social justice issues and use it for their own personal gain,” McCain said.

Taking a different approach to the year’s theme, Elias Hinojosa, radio-television-film junior, incorporated his personal experiences into his film “Lullaby,” a short that highlights a single mother’s sacrifice.

“Being raised by a single mom, I began to see the sacrifices she made my entire life — getting me where I am now, providing me with an amazing childhood,” Hinojosa said.

“This movie essentially is a dedication to my mom and everything that she sacrificed.”

Hinojosa, who took away the award for best film at the festival, said that today’s film students and media creators are modern-day pioneers in a media landscape that is still not fully explored.

“The film community, especially in Austin and at UT, is just getting stronger and stronger every day,” Hinojosa said.

“We as young people know how to explore and how to navigate through the changing media landscape. The films here today and the people putting on this festival, it’s just the beginning for everyone, and it’s exciting.”

everybody forgets about this,” Wilridge said. “It’s easy to say that when everybody’s mad about it and you’re just trying to like, calm everybody down, but what’s going to happen in six months?”

Kastina Fishback, president of the Black Business Student Association and finance senior, said in many of her courses she is the only African-American student, and the low representation in the business school has always concerned her.

“The incident involving the racially insensitive door decoration reminded me that McCombs not only lacks diversity, but within the faculty and staff population as well,” Fishback said in an email. “Although we understand that the college acted swiftly in removing the decorations, it

nonetheless reminded us that McCombs must do a better job at creating an environment where all students feel appreciated and welcomed.”

Around 500 of McCombs’ 12,937 current students are African-American, making up 4 percent of business school’s population. Wilridge said the lack of black representation at McCombs is part of the reason an image like this was ever posted in the first place.

“There’s such a lack of representation of black students, especially black men, at McCombs,” Wilridge said. “I just feel like this is only the first step. An apology is fine, whatever, we accept it, but it has to be more than that. We have to get more representation out there so these things don’t happen.”

History symposium explores civil rights through cinema

By John Melendez News Reporter

The racial and regional tensions in the U.S. at the beginning of the civil rights movement were examined through the lens of the American film industry on Friday.

The history department’s Symposium on Gender, History and Sexuality featured Jackie Pinkowitz, media studies Ph.D. candidate, who spoke about the imagined south in the era of the civil rights movement, a social and cultural ideological construct which embodies America’s uncertainties concerning race relations.

“We talk about the south as an ‘other’ but in so doing, it works to show us problems that are actually quite national, particularly related to issues of blackness, whiteness and race,” Pinkowitz said.

Pinkowitz viewed two specific films, “Island in the Sun” and “Band of Angels” which were released in 1957, shortly before the start of the civil rights movement, to explain the film industry’s take on the growing racial tensions of the time.

Since the 1930s, on-screen sexual relationships between the black and white races had been explicitly forbidden. The films were made right after the miscegenation ban, which prohibits films to depict relationships between different races, was lifted,

megan canik| daily texan staff

Jackie Pinkowitz, history and sexuality featured media studies Ph.D. candidate, spoke about the film industry’s take on racial tensions at the beginning of the Civil rights movement.

Pinkowitz said.

“Miscegenation represented not only a source of risk, but also a compelling, potentially profitable sense of the taboo,” Pinkowitz said. “It was opportunely suited for the Hollywood film industry at this time.”

Pinkowitz said although the films faced some censorship, they were widely profitable and ultimately did not support integration or racial mixing.

“Though this proliferation of miscegenation films led critics to optimistically declare that Hollywood was finally ‘tackling the race issue,’ the industry’s capacity for racial and regional critique in commentary remained ultimately quite limited,” Pinkowitz said.

Brittany Erwin, co-coordinator for the symposium, said although the movies did not make progress addressing the

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issues, they allowed for more opportunities to discuss it.

“I think even engaging with mixed race couples onscreen does cultural work in this moment,” said Erwin, a history graduate student. “It increases opportunities for those conversations even if it doesn’t resolve them for many many years.”

Jesse Ritner, a history graduate student, said the lack of social impact the movies actually had was not surprising given the time they were made.

“It’s shockingly easy sometimes to convince yourself that you’re really at the forefront (of change),” Ritner said. “It’s believable that (production companies) thought they were doing this grand good even if they were really just profiting off of other people’s struggle.”

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LAURA HALLAS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

@TexanOpinion

Monday, December 4, 2017

COLUMN

COLUMN

Step up to the plate, men

Intimidating media is abominable

By David Howell Columnist

By Josie MacLean Senior Columnist

The allegations just keep coming.

Although the #MeToo social media campaign is largely over, many more victims have continued to speak out and lodge formal complaints about their experiences with sexual harassment and assault. As “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie said, we are having a reckoning.

Like with any ad campaign, the challenge after #MeToo is evaluating the effect it had on its target audience. Discussion of the campaign on a larger level must accept two generalizations: The large majority of #MeToo stories have come from women, and men are largely the cause of the problem. For the purposes of this story, although men’s views on this issue are nuanced, I will speak in terms of the patterns of thought common in men’s reactions to the campaign.

Men who saw the women in their life participating in the campaign to raise awareness expressed shock at the sheer number of women who posted that they had experienced sexual harassment or assault. “The whole #MeToo campaign on Facebook — it broke my heart.

It hurt to check Facebook for that week. But I think that pain was good (for society), it brought to life so many issues,” said radio-television-film sophomore Matthew Rodgers.

The surprise and shock experienced by men is indicative of the insidious nature of the problem: Not only is it commonplace, but the men around us to a large extent are not aware it is even happening. Sexual harassment and assault are not problems limited to celebrity culture, whether that be network executives, comedians or even politicians.

If the burden to speak up and raise awareness of the problem falls on women, as it seems to have in the last few months, then the burden to create change falls on men.”

The #MeToo campaign shed light on the regularity and widespread practices of sexual assault and harassment. But with the ongoing reactions to the truth behind the most powerful men in society, we should remember that the stories shared by so many women on social media are perpetrated not by the rich and famous, but by the men we interact with every day.

“Personally, the #MeToo campaign didn’t change my perceptions of sexual assault and the issues surrounding it. If you’ve been listening to women in your life, this shouldn’t have been too surprising. And it wasn’t,” Aaron Burroughs, an international relations and global studies senior, told me in an email.

But unfortunately, Burroughs seems to be in the minority of the undergraduate men I talked to. As the conversations I’ve had in my everyday life and the comments section on my past articles demonstrate, on the ground, many men are still struggling with the most basic aspects of defining sexual assault and harassment.

Gender biases are so deeply ingrained in our society that, even when recounting their own stories, women are rarely assumed to be reliable narrators. This credibility gap means men have a responsibility to compare their views with other men and build a collective understanding about how not to sexually assault.

If the burden to speak up and raise awareness of the problem falls on women, as it seems to have in the last few months, then the burden to create change falls on men.

“I at this time cannot recall a conversation that I had with a man about the #MeToo campaign. But it is an important conversation. And I think maybe (that’s) because I’m uncomfortable with it. I mean, the natural progression of that talk eventually ends with ‘Have you ever?’

And that’s very uncomfortable,” Rodgers said.

While it’s understandable that Rodgers, and others whom I spoke to off the record, would feel that way, shirking responsibility is not acceptable. People who identify as women have been held responsible for being victimized for too long, and putting the responsibility solely on us to change society is simply not fair.

Most of us agree the existing societal dynamic is both economically costly and morally wrong, but it’s time men pulled their weight by paying attention and speaking out against it. As for their surprise and shock at the prevalence of it, as “Saturday Night Live” put it, “Welcome to hell.”

MacLean is an advertising and geography junior from Austin.

Last week, Texas State’s newspaper, The University Star, found itself in the news; it had published an ill-advised column titled “Your DNA is an abomination.” With lines like, “ontologically speaking, white death will mean liberation for all,” inflammatory racialized language permeated the column.

In its apology to the student body, the editorial board said that the column’s author spoke of whiteness as a system of oppression rather than of white people. If one’s diatribe against a system can be taken as a call for genocide, it should not be published. The column’s divisive language outraged the student body, but the student body president’s response surpassed the article in foolhardiness.

Texas State immediately broke into a frenzy. The University Star received various death threats and the student body president Connor Clegg sought to censor the paper. Of these reactions, Clegg’s authoritarian zeal warrants the most ire. Amid the furor, he issued an ultimatum: Either the editors of the Star could resign, or he’d strip the paper of its student funding.

Gilbert Martinez, Texas State media law professor, insisted that targeting the Star violates the First Amendment. Frankly, I do not know whether Clegg and his fellow busybodies have the authority to defund the paper, but that isn’t the point here.

My qualms with Clegg are cultural, not legal. Clegg asserted that Martinez’s column contains “ignorant, dated, and close-minded opinion(s).” I agree. But attempting to suppress the Star because it published a fringe, far-left column is even more ignorant, dated and close-minded than the column.

illustration by jeb milling| daily texan staff

Muzzling the press makes students ignorant because it closes their minds to new ideas. And governments, student or otherwise, have been trying to intimidate publications for hundreds of years.

“In the South, pre-Civil War, there were publications banned because they were considered inflammatory. That is, they might lead people to want to overthrow slavery,” said UT

journalism professor Robert Jensen.

When Clegg warned that “(The Star) can’t hide behind the First Amendment when we are all supporting them financially,” I was instantly reminded of The Daily Texan’s history.

In 1974, UT Regent Frank Erwin persuaded the Board of Regents to cut off the Texan’s funding, saying, “We do not fund anything that we can’t control.” The next day, those nine words alone plastered the front page of the Texan. Students organized protests and petitions, and the regents rescinded the opinion.

The two quotes, 43 years apart, share similar themes: silencing dissenting voices and quashing a free, independent press. A free, independent press cannot be controlled. Otherwise, it’s not free, and it’s not definitely not independent.

If Clegg continues down this authoritarian path, The University Star should run a 13-word front page with an eerie line: “They cannot hide behind the First Amendment when we are supporting them financially.”

“I think we agree on this,” Jensen said, “I think that trying to somehow shut down the student newspaper is stupid.” Intimidating the press is far more abominable than publishing a bad column. I should know — I’ve written a few.

Howell is a history sophomore from Dallas.

COLUMN

Sad posts don’t help depressed people

By Elizabeth Braaten Columnist

If you’ve scrolled through any social media platform at some point during 2017, you’ve probably been bombarded by alarming phrases such as “I want to die,” or posts that otherwise present depression, anxiety and other serious mental illnesses in a joking manner.

Joking about depression on social media has become increasingly common in our generation, with many of these posts racking up hundreds of thousands of reblogs and retweets. The problem? This phenomenon normalizes the severity of mental illness to the point that it seems trivial, making problems that many people quietly struggle with on a day-to-day basis seem trendy and fashionable. We must stop perpetuating negative exposure of mental illness on social media, as it only allows people to wallow in despair instead of seeking professional treatment.

It’s been said before that the more we are around something, the more likely we are to do it. A 2013 study by the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that exposure to suicide is correlated with suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts in youth.

The skyrocketing rates of suicide and depression among teens are even more troubling. A study published in 2016 by Pediatrics found that the percentage of

adolescents who reported a major depressive episode in the last 12 months increased in odds by 37 percent from 2005 to 2014. Furthermore, suicide rates are on the rise again after declining in the ‘80s and ‘90s, rising nearly 25 percent from 10.5 out of every 100,000 people in 1999 to 13 per 100,000 people in 2014. It’s still startling that suicide is now the second-leading cause of death among U.S. teenagers ages 15 to 19.

An astonishing number of American teens struggle with depression and suicidal tendencies. Adolescence is, at best, a confusing time for us all and, at worst, utterly traumatic, so it’s not surprising that young people are hit the hardest. It’s not fair or accurate to attribute these trends to the rise of social media. However, joking about such serious matters on platforms such as Twitter only increases exposure to depression and suicide without any real solution. Though we may not like to admit it, our memes are causing more harm than good. While “I hate myself ” and “I wish I was dead” are legitimate feelings that

illustration by amber perry | daily texan staff

should be addressed, joking about them is problematic and distracts from the real issues at hand.

Before we can have any hope of reversing the alarming rates of depression and suicide within our society, we must first change the way that we talk about them.

This starts with creating a dialogue that draws proper care and attention to mental illness without mitigating the tragic emotional circumstances that come with it. And believe me, there are far greater ways to achieve this without joking about wanting to die.

You have 280 characters. Use them wisely.

Braaten is a international relations and global studies junior from Conroe.

GALLERY

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.

illustration by yulissa chavez | daily texan staff

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

RECYCLE | Please recycle this copy of The Daily Texan.

Place the paper in one of the recycling bins on campus or back in the burnt-orange newsstand where you found it.

EDITORIAL TWITTER | Follow The Daily Texan Editorial Board on Twitter (@TexanOpinion) and receive updates on our latest editorials and columns.

5

Monday,December 4, 2017

FOOTBALL

Texas matches up with Missouri in Texas Bowl

By Trenton Daeschner Assoc. Sports Editor

Texas won’t have to travel far for its first bowl appearance in three years.

The Longhorns will face Missouri in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl on Dec. 27 at NRG Stadium in Houston. Kickoff will be at 8 p.m. The matchup was announced on Sunday afternoon.

“I know the bowl staff there runs a first class operation, and the city of Houston will be excited to have the Longhorns in town,” head coach Tom Herman said in a statement. “For our team, it will be an added bonus that so many of their friends and family will have a chance to see them play, and I’m sure our fans will help fill NRG Stadium. We’re hard at work in Austin now getting ready for the game, and look forward to getting to Houston for bowl week in a couple of weeks.”

Texas and Missouri will meet again for the first time since 2011, when the Longhorns lost 17-5 in Columbia, Missouri. The Longhorns hold a 17–6 all-time record over Missouri, a former Big 12 Conference opponent. The Tigers left the Big 12 for the SEC along with Texas A&M after the 2011 season.

Texas is going bowling for the first time since 2014, the first season under former head coach Charlie Strong.

The Longhorns’ bowl ap-

BASKETBALL page 6

quick sometimes, then we have no opportunity to rebound. I think we’ve got to get more patient.”

Jatarie White building confidence Transfer junior center Jatarie White has wasted no time making an immediate

juan figueroa| daily texan staff

Head coach Tom Herman, senior offensive lineman Garrett Graf and the rest of the Longhorns look on from the sideline. Texas finished 6–6 in the regular season and will play in the Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium in Houston on Dec. 27.

pearance that year just so happened to be in the Texas Bowl against Arkansas. Texas lost 31-7 in a game that is now infamous in Austin for

the Longhorns’ offensive noshow. Texas gained just 59 total yards against the Razorbacks that night and was dominated in possession time. The Long-

horns controlled the ball for just 18:50 of game time.

After finishing the regular season 6–6 under Herman, the Longhorns will head to Hous-

ton in a bit of a deja vu scenario. A loss would give the Longhorns a 6–7 finish in 2017, the same result as Strong’s first season in Austin. But a win

would give Texas its first winning season since 2013 when it finished 8–5, the final year of former head coach Mack Brown’s tenure.

impact for the Longhorns, averaging 11.4 points and 5.3 rebounds. She’s started in all but one game this season and has proven herself to be a force inside the paint.

White had another solid performance against Georgia.

She flashed impressive footwork around the basket and finished the game with 13 points and six rebounds. As-

ton believes White will continue to post impressive numbers as she becomes more comfortable in the team’s system. “(White’s) just kind of getting her feet wet,” Aston said.

“I mean, she hadn’t played in a while. And she’s anxious. She’s learning. It’s still all new to her.

The nerves and the anxiousness about playing is something that she’s just got to work

herself out of.”

stopper role, often guarding an opposing team’s best player. Senior guard Ariel Atkins has been especially pesky and leads the team with 2.6 steals per game.

However, it remains unknown whether the Longhorns can continue to lock down on defense once it faces more skilled opponents.

Among top-10 schools in the

AP Poll, Texas is the only team who has yet to play a ranked opponent.

The Longhorns will get their first opportunity on Dec. 10 against No. 12 Tennessee on the road. The Lady Volunteers are averaging 81.4 points per game and defeated No. 20 Marquette en route to a perfect 8-0 record. Tip-off in Knoxville is slated for 2 p.m.

Tougher competition coming The Longhorns have shown they can be just as stifling on defense as they are prolific on offense. Texas has held teams to just 58.5 points per game this year, tied with No. 1 UConn for 68th in the nation.

Junior guard Lashann Higgs has claimed the defensive

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MICHAEL SHAPIRO SPORTS EDITOR

@texansports

Monday, December 4, 2017

VOLLEYBALL

Texas sweeps, reaches Regional Semi-Finals Texas sweeps Fairfield to advance to second round

By Justin Martinez

Sports Reporter

Texas entered Friday’s match against Fairfield with every advantage imaginable. The Longhorns had the depth, the No. 6 seed in the tournament and 3,817 fans at Gregory Gym behind them.

But the Stags were anything but deer in the headlights, fighting tooth and nail with the Longhorns every step of the way.

Fairfield came out firing in the opening set, tying the score at nine and silencing the burnt-orange faithful. So Texas amped things up, feeding off the play of senior middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu.

“It’s sad to think that this is our last home match at Gregory, but we’re just excited to get out there.”

—Chiaka Ogbogu, Senior middle blocker

The Big 12 Player of the Year continued her season-long dominance, recording five kills and leading the Longhorns to a 25-16 victory.

“In the NCAA tournament, there’s a lot of nerves,” head coach Jerritt Elliott said. “But I thought we were able to settle down, and we got some great production from our middles early on to give us some separation.”

With the momentum back on their side, the Longhorns hit their stride in the second set, dominating Fairfield to take a commanding 17-7 lead.

Fairfield had no answer for the Texas defense, especially on the front line. Five different Longhorns recorded at least one block in the set, stifling the Stags at every turn.

But the feisty road team led by head coach Todd Kress refused to quit, fending off three set points to bring the score to 24-18. Each time the crowd held its breath, ready to explode, and each time they exhaled in frustration.

Junior middle blocker Morgan Johnson finally put an end to the comeback bid, launching a missile through the heart of the Fairfield defense to secure the 25-18 win and take a two-set lead.

“We knew (Fairfield) would fight,” Elliott said.

“They got after it, and I have a lot of respect for what Todd (Kress) has done with this program.”

Fairfield finally broke in the third set, as Texas went in for the kill. The Longhorns didn’t allow the Stags to get anything going, and Texas cruised to a 25-17 win to complete the sweep.

Sophomore outside hitter Micaya White finished the match with a team-high 12 kills, .281, in the victory. Ogbogu had an efficient outing,

carlos garcia| daily texan staff

Top: Senior outside hitter Ebony Nwanebu spikes the ball over NC State senior middle blocker Kaitlyn Kearney on Saturday. Nwanebu finished the game with 12 kills. Bottom: The Longhorns huddle together after a point. Texas completed sweeps over Fairfield and NC State over the weekend.

tallying 11 kills on a .917 hitting percentage and adding four blocks as well.

The Longhorns made the most of their chances throughout the night, recording only seven errors and posting a season-high hitting percentage of 66 percent.

“Our communication was just about taking care of what we could take care of,” Ogbogu said.

“We focused on being calm on our side and just trying to scrape away points.”

The win sets up a second-round match against NC State. The Wolfpack are rolling after earning the program’s first tournament victory on Thursday with a five-set thriller over Oregon State.

But the match will mark Texas’ final home game of the year, and the Longhorns are determined to bid their fans at Gregory Gym farewell with one last win.

“It would mean a lot (to win),” Ogbogu said.

“It’s sad to think that this is our last home match at Gregory, but we’re just excited to get out there.”

California dreamin’: Texas downs NC State, advances to Sweet 16

By Keshav Prathivadi Sports Reporter

Senior middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu finished off Saturday’s second round match with a kill down the middle, splitting three NC State players before the ball hit the ground.

Madness ensued.

It was a fitting end to not only the Longhorns home season but also the seniors’ last sets in Gregory Gym, as the No. 6 Longhorns took care of business, sweeping the Wolfpack to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

“Tonight was a good match for us,” head coach Jerritt Elliott said. “I thought it was one of our most complete matches from start to finish.”

Both teams were locked in early, playing to a

15-13 lead in Texas’ favor at the timeout. The Longhorns took over from there, closing out the set on a 10-5 run to take an early one-set lead in the match.

Ogbogu and senior outside hitter Ebony Nwanebu both made their presence known early on. They took over the first set, adding three kills each and finishing the set off with a combination block.

“A block kicks in a couple times and is able to get (us) some great separation,” Elliott said.

“Good teams are able to sustain levels of consistency and put pressure on teams in a variety of ways.”

The second set saw more of the same, as the Longhorns again used a media timeout to their advantage. They put up a 10-3 run to close out the set and take a commanding 2-0 lead.

NC State was in front for the majority of the third set before Texas swung the momentum back in its favor. A combination of capable attacking and solid protection at the net propelled the Longhorns through a 9-4 run to seal the victory.

As with any tournament match, the result saw jubilation for one side and dejection for the other. For NC State seniors Julia Brown and Emily Harris, who played their last game with NC State on Saturday, the defeat meant a little bit of both.

“Tonight was a lot of fun. We enjoyed every single moment of it,” Brown said. “We laid the foundation, and we’re only going up from here.”

Saturday marked the Wolfpack’s first appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in school history. While it ended in a loss, it seems to show that the program is headed in the right direction.

On the other side of the net, senior libero Cat McCoy couldn’t help but feel the same way.

Despite helping Texas to the win with a 17-dig effort, it was the past four years that loomed larger for her in the moment. Sitting behind the podium, McCoy held back tears while reflecting on her time at Gregory Gym. “Yeah, I definitely got a little teary,” McCoy said. “Just looking around at the last couple points, I really got goosebumps. Our fans have been truly loyal to this team, and we are really blessed.”

This will be Texas’ 12th consecutive year advancing to the Sweet 16, and with it comes another challenge.

The Longhorns’ underclassmen core, although experienced in regular-season competition, are playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. With the postseason comes a new dynamic of play, and this weekend should prove their mettle.

“I obviously didn’t know what to expect (going into the tournament),” freshman setter Ashley Shook said. “But I think everyone has my back, and that’s awesome to know.”

The Longhorns will have the week off before traveling to a Dec. 8 contest against the Utah Utes in Palo Alto, California. The winner of that Sweet 16 matchup will then face either Stanford or Wisconsin on Dec. 9.

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Freshman forward Rellah Boothe rises for a shot surrounded by Louisiana Tech defenders on Nov. 30. Boothe made her first 3-pointer of the season on Sunday against Georgia.

Longhorns silence Lady Bulldogs, stay perfect

By Drew King Senior Sports Reporter

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No. 2 Texas has already established itself among the national elite this season, going 7–0 and winning by an average margin of 36.5 points to start the season. The Longhorns punctuated the hot streak on Sunday in an 81-53 victory over Georgia in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Here are three takeaways from the early portion of Texas’ red-hot regular season: Texas dialed in from distance

The Longhorns entered their game against Georgia as the highest-scoring offense in the NCAA, averaging 95 points per game. Texas has has found a unique balance between knowing when to attack and when to make the extra pass to turn a good shot into a great shot.

The burnt orange’s offensive explosion has largely been sparked by an improvement from beyond the arc. Through its first six games, Texas as a team had collectively made 38 percent of their three-pointers, up from 35.1 percent a

year ago.

The Lady Bulldogs were the latest victim of the Longhorns’ sharpshooting. Texas went six of 13 from deep, with seven different players firing from outside. While head coach Karen Aston is pleased her team has a newfound confidence shooting threes, she still wants to make sure it’s the best shot available.

“The only thing you have to be careful of with that is that you don’t shoot too quick,” Aston said. “If we shoot too

BASKETBALL page 5

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Monday, December 4, 2017

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MORGAN O’HANLON LIFE&ARTS EDITOR

@thedailytexan

Monday, December 4, 2017

TODAY’S ISSUE OF LIFE&ARTS

MENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS Editor’s note: Nearly 1/5 of Americans suffer from a mental health condition, more than half of whom have not received treatment.

With rates of severe depression worsening among youth, access to care and accurate depictions in popular culture have become increasingly important. This special project aims to bring attention to those affected by mental illness in multiple circumstances.

MUSIC

Lil Peep’s death harsh reminder to seek help Albert Zhao Senior L&A Reporter

Found unresponsive in his tour bus after a drug overdose, emo rapper Lil Peep died three weeks ago, shocking his fans and the music community.

But to some, his death was not a surprise. Lil Peep’s fan base, which stretches to over 448,000 followers on SoundCloud, were aware of the lyrics of his songs, which frequently referenced his use of Xanax, among other drugs, and his lifelong struggle with depression.

His reliance on prescription drugs places him among the 11.5 million Americans aged 12 and older who misused prescription pain medicine last year, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The Center of Disease Control reports 91 Americans die every day from opioid abuse.

In the wake of Lil Peep’s death, not only have fans and notable artists such as Post Malone expressed their sorrow, but Ariel Alexander, social work junior, said they’ve begun a conversation about the need to take seriously cries for help present in rap music.

“His lyrics were totally clues,” said Alexander, a fan who discovered Lil Peep’s music through SoundCloud.

“If someone is talking about wanting to die, he probably needs to talk to somebody.”

Alexander said Lil Peep’s heavy blend of emo and rap resonated with young listeners because his

illustration by mel westfall| daily texan staff

music echoed typical adolescent struggles, such as loneliness.

In his song “Praying To The Sky,” Lil Peep raps, “I found some Xanax in my bed, I took that shit, went back to sleep. They gon’ miss me when I’m dead, I lay my head and rest in peace.”

“I think there is a tendency in this genre to use self-medication for mental health issues,” Alexander said.

James Gorczyca is a metal rapper with 535 followers on SoundCloud.

He said both his and Lil Peep’s music share heavy, instrumental

REPRESENTATION

sounds. The rapper’s death, he said, made him reflect on what listeners thought of Lil Peep’s drug use.

“People who listen to his music and take Xanax think it’s all part of the culture,” James Gorczyca said. “They don’t see that when (Lil Peep) does it, it can mean

something darker.”

As someone who takes antidepressants himself, Gorczyca said their abuse is a neglected topic of discussion in music. Sometimes, the music itself encourages their abuse, he said.

“The music doesn’t help the Xanax culture… this dude really needed help,” James Gorczyca said.

Although Lil Peep has 1.9 million followers on Instagram, “they’re not someone you can talk to about your problems.”

Anthony Gorczyca, computer science senior and James’ older brother, said over the Thanksgiving break, he noticed how sad James was over Lil Peep’s death.

Anthony Gorczyca said Lil Peep is an example of a person who endured common teenage woes in an unlucky way.

“This is a broader issue,” Anthony Gorczyca said. “Fans need to learn not to repeat his mistakes.”

Lil Peep, born Gustav Ahr, was raised in Long Island, New York.

He told numerous publications that he struggled to fit in during school, and admitted to battles with drug abuse and suicidal thoughts.

After he dropped out of high school, he began pursuing music, uploading songs on SoundCloud.

Lil Peep later grew to prominence and has over 35 million views on YouTube for his music video, “Awful Things.”

“His death brings up a lot of discussion,” Anthony Gorczyca said.

“He lived a rock star’s lifestyle.”

SAD

Mental health gains representation End of fall, start of SAD and recognition in popular shows

By Acacia Coronado Senior L&A Reporter

By Morgan O’Hanlon, Daisy Wang and Justin Jones L&A Editors

As mental health awareness grows, so does representation in popular media. Though representation in this arena has a troubled past and even a troubled present in film — see: “Split” — some television characters are making strides to destigmatize mental disorders.

BoJack Horseman “BoJack Horseman,” Netflix’s first foray into the packed field of adult animated comedy, surprised viewers when it arrived in 2014 with a willingness to dive deep into the reality behind mental illness. Hidden behind the friendly exterior of a world co-inhabited by goofy humans and anthropomorphic animals lies brutally truthful depictions of humanity. The greatest example is the title character, an immensely relatable horse who deals with debilitating depression. The show doesn’t hesitate to deal with the very real consequences of BoJack’s depression, creating a somber tone unexpected from an animated comedy.

Rebecca Bunch Like “BoJack Horseman,” “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” excellently balances a tightrope between laugh-out-loud comedy and true-to-life representations of mental illness. Rebecca Bunch, played by Rachel Bloom, is the so-called crazy ex — “it’s a sexist term!” — diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. The show does a wonderful job of destigmatizing depression and anxiety and portraying them as human rather than irregular.

Bunch visits a therapist regularly, and it’s refreshingly treated as just a part of life. The show’s frequent musical numbers probably take place in Bunch’s mind, but they’re handled deftly by the writers, leaving “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” not only one of television’s best shows, but also one of the most layered depictions of mental illness in media.

courtesy of the cw, and reproduced with permission

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s” Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) is one of many characters on TV today with symptoms of a mental illness.

Jessica Jones “Jessica Jones,” a Netflix series set in the Marvel Universe, has been praised since its 2015 release for the portrayal of its spunky female protagonist and the trauma that left her with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Though Marvel touched on the topic of PTSD in “Iron Man 3,” the media giant dives in headfirst with Jessica, who doesn’t shy away from using direct language in reference to her past.

Underneath her tough exterior, Jessica is both fragile and emotionally damaged. She has panic attacks when confronting traumatic memories and locations, frequently downs hard liquor and even has a mantra she repeats during times of stress. Despite all this, Jessica continually refuses to let her past define her, demonstrating the resilience of trauma survivors and the superhuman strength they all possess.

Hannah Baker In the weeks following the release of Netflix’s adaptation of Jay Asher’s popular 2007 YA novel, “Thirteen Reasons Why,” the suicide of main character Hannah Baker led many to wonder about the implications of such a graphic depiction on-screen. Experts and mental health educators criticized

the show for its insensitivity, as the show might have brought up painful memories for others who suffer from depression. According to a study published this summer at JAMA Internal Medicine, the cry for trigger warnings might have been warranted: internet searches for suicide, correlated with suicide rates, have skyrocketed since the show’s premiere.

Frank and Liam Gallagher “Shameless” is acclaimed for its depictions of resilience in the face of poverty on the South Side of Chicago.

The setting affects the circumstances the Gallagher family endures, but most of the show’s many calamities revolve around Frank’s substance abuse, and the pressures it puts on his family. Frank Gallagher is hilariously, and often heartbreakingly, played by William H. Macy, one of the most frustrating characters on television.

Again and again, he demonstrates an utter lack of restraint to the peril of his family, which shows how devastating alcoholism can be. Though the show comedically portrays the aftermath of many of his actions, it doesn’t shy away from serious reflections when the stakes are high.

As the leaves turn brown and the sun lowers earlier each day, for some students this signals the arrival of winter, the closing of the semester and a much deserved break. But for English sophomore Hailey Kriska, it also means the hardest days for her mental health are right around the corner.

“Everyone at the end of the semester will get in a slump or hit a low point,” Kriska said. “For me, it always feels far more catastrophic than that.”

Kriska, who has been diagnosed with depression, said her symptoms often worsen in the winter months. Though she hasn’t been diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder, a condition that causes changes in mood and behavior or depression-like symptoms in the fall and winter, she believes she may suffer from a milder form of the disorder, the “Winter Blues.”

Although the disorder is most prevalent at higher latitudes, according to Mental Health America of Texas, it affects half a million people in the country every winter.

Dr. Marla Craig, associate director for clinical services at UT’s Counseling and Mental Health Center, said other factors, such as family life and the stresses of finals or living up to personal expectations as the semester draws to a close, can trigger symptoms of anxiety or depression.

“Sometimes it depends on what students are going home to, or if they even have a home,” Dr. Craig said.

Kriska said her most difficult days tend to happen when there’s a combination of bad weather and extreme stress, when even her usual remedy for poor mental health — naps — don’t provide their usual comfort. “(It’s) a combination of coldest, busiest day, when I can’t catch a break,” Kriska said. “It just feels like a big downward spiral, and the

cold doesn’t help because it makes you feel very unmotivated and physically sick sometimes.”

Dr. Craig said they do see an increase in calls, specifically for crisis situations, toward the end of the semester. She said possible factors in this trend include the level of support students receive from their families or when they’re stressed out by their classes.

Jane, a political communication sophomore whose name has been changed for privacy, said she was diagnosed with depression when she was 12, around the time her mother died. However, she said her psychiatrist noticed her symptoms tended to present themselves in the winter months and diagnosed her with Seasonal Affective Disorder.

“When the spring comes around, I don’t need (my medication),” Jane said. “When the fall comes around, I get really sad, I feel more lonely even though I have friends around (and) it is really hard to study because I lack motivation.”

Kriska said some solutions she has worked with to treat her symptoms include journaling and taking time to relax and read. She said it is a good idea to set a time apart for feeling anxious or sad, but when the timer goes off to not let those feelings continue to take control.

“I would definitely say reach out to anyone you feel you can trust or that you are comfortable sharing that personal information,” Kriska said.

Jane said her symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder are sometimes triggered by traumatic memories. Regardless of the trigger, she says it is important for anyone experiencing depression-like symptoms as winter break nears to reach out for professional help and remind themselves the symptoms from SAD only last for a limited amount of time.

“Just try to tough through it, and keep in mind that things get better at another time of the year,” Jane said. “It is like clockwork — you have to get through a few seasons.”