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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017
@thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com
Volume 118, Issue 77 BUSINESS
NATIONAL
Supreme Court dismisses same-sex benefit case By Chase Karacostas Senior News Reporter
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday left in place a Texas ruling that declared marriage licenses do not guarantee the right to spousal benefits with employee insurance plans for same-sex couples. The ruling by the Texas Supreme Court in June declared not all issues related to marriage were
decided in the landmark Obergefell v Hodges decision in June of 2015, which extended the right of marriage to same-sex couples. Therefore, the Texas court said the 2015 U.S. court decision left room for state courts to decide the range of its impact. The University currently offers employee benefits to married same-sex couples, according to communications strategist shilpa
Bakre. It is currently uncertain if Monday’s ruling will affect these benefits. The case began in 2013 when Annise Parker, then-mayor of Houston, began offering employee spousal benefits to same-sex couples who were married in states that had legalized same-sex marriage. Opponents of same-sex marriage sued to prevent Parker from offering these benefits.
“This is an incredible early Christmas present from the U. S. Supreme Court for taxpayers. We’re grateful that the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed our lawsuit to go forward,” said Jonathan Saenz, president of Texas Values and an attorney for Jack Pidgeon and Larry Hicks, whose lawsuit challenged Houston’s ability to offer these
COURT page 2
CAMPUS
International applications drop Decreased rates follow national trends, politics could contribute
International Longhorns Despite a slight increase in international enrollment, the number of international applications has fallen since 2016 International Applicants to UT
Enrolled International UT Students 5500
21000 Transfer: 1,045
Law: 100
Law: 90
5000
Transfer: 957
18000 4500
Number of Applicants
15000
First Time in College: 5,041
First Time in College: 4,968
12000
9000
4000
Number of Students
UT is receiving fewer applications from international students since 2016, a trend seen across the state and the U.S. While the number of international students enrolled at UT has continued growing, University data shows a decrease in the number of international students who applied to study at UT this fall. For the 2016 fall semester, UT received a total of 20,660 applications from international students. But for the fall 2017 semester, 19,874 international students applied to UT, creating a 3.8 percent decrease. Teri Albrecht, UT’s director of International Student & Scholar Services, said this decrease in international student applicants is small and not unprecedented. “It’s not as significant as maybe other schools are facing right now,” Albrecht said. The decrease in international applicants at UT comes at a time when national and statewide trends indicate international students are staying away from U.S. and Texas universities. International student enrollment BY MARIA MENDEZ Senior News Reporter
3500
3000
Undergrad: 2,120
Undergrad: 2,183
Graduate: 2,957
Graduate: 2,961
2500
2000 6000
1500
1000 3000 500
0
Graduate: 13,949
Graduate: 14,574
Fall 2016
Semester
0
Fall 2017
Fall 2016
Semester
Fall 2017
infographic by mingyo lee| daily texan staff
in universities dropped by seven percent nationwide since 2016, according to a November report by the Institute for International Education. Texas universities, including UT-Austin, also saw varying decreases in international student applications and enrollment.
University systems in Texas, including Texas A&M and the University of Houston, have also seen decreases in international student applications, according to the Houston Chronicle. International applications dropped by six percent at UT-Dallas, according to the Texas
Tribune, and by 41.3 percent at UTRio Grande Valley, according to the Houston Chronicle. Slowed economic growth and decreased scholarship funding in countries like Brazil have contributed
INTERNATIONAL page 2
The clock strikes Noon for Verts on the Drag By Anna Lassmann News Reporter
No, there isn’t a new restaurant on Guadalupe. Verts just changed its name to Noon Mediterranean. The name change, first announced on Twitter and Instagram on Nov. 17, was the result of extensive rebranding to create an aesthetically pleasing culture, Michael Heyne, CEO and co-owner, said in an interview with QSR Magazine. “The old name, it was not witty and millennial,” Heyne said in an interview with QSR Magazine. “We didn’t start a restaurant company to give it one name and keep it. We started a restaurant company because of our approach to cooking, to culture, to people. And that old name was just not the right one.” Noon has a double meaning, as it means bread in Farsi and refers to lunchtime. Along with changing the name, the restaurant will be changing its color scheme from red to a combination of green, blue and yellow and modernizing the interior design. When contacted, the Noon Mediterranean location on Guadalupe declined to comment on the rebranding. Reese Brinkley, human development and family science sophomore, said he doesn’t like when restaurants change just to appeal
VERTS page 3 HEALTH
MATERIAL SCIENCE
Counseling appointments spike as students approach finals week
Program recycles material for students’ use in coursework By Jessica Shu
By Mason Carroll
S&T Reporter
News Reporter
With students pushing to finish out the semester, the Counseling and Mental Health Center is seeing an increase in appointments to help students through this stressful time, said Katy Redd, CMHC associate director for prevention and outreach. There are specific times of the year when the center sees an increase in counselor visits, Redd said. “In general, there has been a trend of our numbers increasing every year, but there are also certain times of the year when our clinicians schedules are more full,” Redd said. “That tends to be in November and April.” The leading cause for visits to the center is anxiety related, followed by depression and then stress related problems, Redd said. “Of course, we know our students are dealing with multiple issues, and we’re well trained to handle what
A program in the School of Architecture is helping UT reduce, reuse and recycle by gathering excess materials and making them available to students.
The Material Exchange, located within the Sutton Hall Technology Lab, is a give-and-take system for the UT community to share materials for studio coursework and personal projects. UT School of Architecture lecturer Sarah Gamble saw
an opportunity to cut down on studio waste and, with funding from the UT Green Fee, launched the Material Exchange in the fall of 2015. “A lot of waste doesn’t fit into the campus-wide
MATERIAL page 2
gabriel lopez| daily texan staff
As the semester comes to an end, the Counseling and Mental Health Center is seeing an increase in appointments to help students through the stress.
comes through our doors,” Redd said. “The staff that we have are licensed mental health professionals who are trained specifically in working with the college age population.” Psychology sophomore Kyanna Richard said she plans to use the counseling services for the first time this week to help with stress from finals. “It makes me feel a lot better to know I’m not the only one,” Richard said.
Front Strip; Process color
“It’s a good thing, not a bad thing. (There is an increase in students) because they are going to seek help and find a way to diminish their stress going through finals week. Just (to have) someone to vent feelings to and then to fell better after venting. Nutrition senior Amy Fang used the counseling services once before to support her friend, but she
COUNSELING page 2
jessica joseph| daily texan staff
The School of Architecture started the Material Exchange program as a way to reduce, reuse and recycle by gathering excess materials and letting student reuse them.