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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017
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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.
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Tuesday, December 5, 2017
ORGANIZATION
Refugee mentor program exceeds fundraising goals
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A month-long campaign through UT’s crowdfunding site HornRaiser proved lucrative for the Refugee Student Mentor Program, which raised $10,056 total, 25 percent more than its original $8,000 goal. The fundraiser, which ended last week and drew support from 136 individual donors, allows UT volunteers with experience in Middle Eastern languages to mentor refugee children in Austin schools. Program co-coordinator Thomas Leddy-Cecere said he was “absolutely thrilled” by the response. “And as much as we massively appreciate those donors who gave in large amounts, it’s just as encouraging to see just your average UT student who had $15, so they gave $15,” Leddy-Cecere said. The mentor program is a partnership that has become more difficult to maintain as many refugee families have begun relocating farther away from central Austin,
COURT
continues from page 1 benefits, in a statement Monday morning. While the case was still being litigated two years later, the Obergefell v. Hodges decision came, and the 14th Court of Appeals allowed the city to begin offering benefits to samesex couples. The Texas Supreme Court then rejected the case in September of last year.
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Laura Hallas (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com
recycling streams,” Gamble said. “There was, and is, a need to develop new systems to manage materials like wood, which can’t be tossed into a recycling bin. Reusing is one big way to reduce landfill waste.” At the end of each semester, volunteers collect over $7,500 worth of abandoned material from student desks in the UT School of Architecture. The project addresses UT’s 2020 Zero Waste Goals, which aim to increase campus-wide waste
MANAGING EDITOR
Michelle Zhang (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com
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(512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely. If we have made an error, let us know about it. Call (512) 232-2217 or e-mail managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com.
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MATERIAL
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copyright thomas leddy-cecere, and reproduced with permission
A month long fundraiser for the Refugee Student Mentor Program raised over $10,000 for UT volunteers to mentor refugees in Austin.
Leddy-Cecere said. Jonathan Kaplan, assistant professor in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, who founded the program in 2015, said the money will help with the increasing transportation costs. “Buses don’t go everywhere,” Kaplan said. “One of our biggest challenges … is coordinating transportation, and these (funds)
make the process more fluid.” Figuring out how to budget for time and money spent on travel has made volunteering much tougher, Leddy-Cecere said. “Most of our volunteers are approaching this trying to give what they can,” Leddy-Cecere said. “A student only has three or four hours a week to volunteer. It’s pretty tough to ask that student to
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded the decision in a statement Monday evening. “We’re pleased that the U.S. Supreme Court let stand the Texas Supreme Court ruling that the right to a marriage license does not entitle same-sex couples to employee benefits at the expense of Texas taxpayers,” Paxton said. Sarah Kate Ellis, president of LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD,
condemned the decision in a press release Monday morning. “The (U.S.) Supreme Court has just let an alarming ruling by the Texas Supreme Court stand which plainly undercuts the rights of married samesex couples,” Ellis said. “Today’s abnegation by the nation’s highest court opens the door for an onslaught of challenges to the rights of LGBTQ people at every step.”
diversion to 90 percent in the next three years. Another purpose of the Material Exchange is to save students money. The cost of materials can be a large burden on the student population, according to Gamble. “The costs for studio definitely add up,” said Kirthi Dronamraju, a Plan II freshman. “Every bit of help counts.” Savvy students grab the materials from the end-of-semester sweep quickly, Gamble said. She encourages cash-strapped students to volunteer on Dec. 20th.
“If you help out, you get first dibs,” Gamble said. During the school year, the Material Exchange relies on an honor system to keep going. The space is maintained with help from the Technology Lab and Material Resource Center staff. “One of our goals is to instill a culture of re-use in the studios,” Gamble said. Her team is also developing mobile Material Exchange stations that can be used in classrooms. “Many studios have an informal scrap bin, but we’d like to streamline the process,” Gamble said.
spend an hour and a half on a bus to get to the school.” Practical causes like these are easier for donors to contribute to, Leddy-Cecere said. “I think that often with these sort of major global issues like refugee aid, it’s hard to know where to start,” Leddy-Cecere said. “You may feel moved, but what do you do? You’re not the UN. (This) takes that giant global issue and brings it down to one $15 car ride.” Elizabeth Tuggle, an art history graduate student who donated, said she agreed with Leddy-Cecere that people often want to help, but need tangible proof of where their money is going. “I have no connection to the crisis in Syria or any of the political atrocities that are happening to refugees across the country, but I think that, especially for students in university, we’re constantly confronted by images of violence or turmoil that refugees are going through,” Tuggle said. “Having something concrete to donate to is what people want.”
COUNSELING
continues from page 1 wishes she had gone more in the four years she’s been at UT. “I remember a time my sophomore year I was really stressed and everything just kept piling up, and so I think back then I should have gone just to have someone to listen,” Fang said. Having social connections is one of the biggest factors of maintaining good Now, the Material Exchange team is planning on developing a similar system in the Department of Art and Art History. Gamble said she sees the makerspaces across campus, such as the Foundry in the art department, as an opportunity to work together for a sustainable future. “We’re learning about the culture over there, seeing where we can slot something like this in, if they want,” Gamble said. The Material Exchange program is holding an informational lunch on Wednesday in ART 4.202 at 11:30.
HEALTH
High maternal mortality overlooked in Texas
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The Feminist Policy Alliance hosted a panel Monday about Texas’ maternal mortality crisis and its disproportionate effects on women of color. Texas has the worst maternal mortality rate of any state in the U.S., said Dr. Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, panel moderator. According to a 2016 report from the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force, black mothers made up 11 percent of Texas live births but accounted for nearly 29 percent of all maternal deaths from 2011 to 2012. Dr. Soto began the panel with a direct statement of the current maternal health climate in Texas. “We are the worst,” Soto said. “If Texas were a country, we would have the worst maternal mortality rate than any other developed country.” Evelyn Delgado, president of family planning nonprofit Healthy Futures of Texas, spoke in the panel about the data she works with. “The first time I heard maternal mortality, I was like, ‘Oh, they’re dying in the hospital when they’re having a baby,’ (but) no, that’s not where they’re dying,” Delgado said. “As more data was reviewed ... we realize that it’s really
angela wang| daily texan staff
Marsha Jones, far right, speaks about particularly high rates of maternal mortality in black women, as part of a panel Monday afternoon at the LBJ school. The panel was moderated by Dr. Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, left, and also included Evelyn Delgado and Marsha Jones.
drug overdose that’s the number one cause.” Panelist Marsha Jones, executive director for advocacy group the Afiya Center, said conversations like these frustrate her because the discussion of data removes the human element from the issue. “We’ve got to find a way to prioritize and not politicize women’s lives,” Jones said. “99 percent of the women that I talk to everyday would not have understood one thing that happened on this panel today.” Marissa Evans, health care reporter for the Texas Tribune and a panelist, said legislators don’t know
as much about the issues as they should. “You have people who get elected who don’t read these (health reports),” Evans said. “You’d be surprised how many (legislators) don’t read.” Cassie Davis, a public affairs graduate student who worked as the public health intern for a Texas state senator during the legislative session and panel attendee, said she was not surprised with what she saw. “A lot of (legislators) don’t necessarily care about women’s issues, but they say they do,” Davis said. “They can say ‘We’re
working really hard for African American women to have access to prenatal health care,’ but there’s actually no legislative action being taken.” Eunice Ko, a public affairs graduate student and panel attendee, said she could feel the frustration the panelists feel because there tends to be a lot of conversation, but not enough action. “(Lawmakers) focus so much — here in Texas — about the value of life. So if we’re really going to uphold that philosophy then I think that it needs to echo in all areas, including maternal mortality.”
mental health, along with mindfulness and gratitude, Redd said. During finals, Redd said students can find themselves needing a little extra help. “Their kind of normal mechanisms for coping aren’t quite working, and they need a little bit of professional help to get through what they are dealing with,” Redd said. “That’s really what the Counseling and Mental Health Center are here for.”
INTERNATIONAL
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to the recent decreases in applications, but the U.S. political climate may also be a factor. “We did hear from some institutions that there are concerns about both the social and political climate in the U.S. this year,” said Rajika Bhandari, head of research at the Institute of International Education, in an interview with the Texas Tribune. Alex Molina, a public relations and radio-television-film senior, said UT has been welcoming to him as an international student during his four years in Austin. But he said President Trump’s immigration bans and discourse have felt threatening to international students like him. “As a person from Latin America, it’s been certainly rough just to hear all this hate speech,” Molina said. “There’s been negative comments and real threats of taking away H1-B visas to get jobs in the U.S.” The Protect and Grow American Jobs Act, currently in the U.S. House of Representatives, aims to make it harder for skilled foreigners to get U.S. work visas, according to Fortune. Molina, the director of community affairs for Planet Longhorn, said many international students in the organization have expressed concerns about future career opportunities for immigrants in the U.S. After 9/11, the U.S. government changed many immigration policies, and Albrecht said they were would prevent international students from bringing additional funding and expertise to UT. “There were a lot of U.S. embassies and consulates that were quite concerning as to how welcoming the United States was during that period,” Albrecht said. Because UT receives more international applicants than it can admit, the 5,244 new international students enrolled at UT this fall is the biggest group yet, Albrecht said. “We as a comprehensive research institution, sometimes transcend those issues that might be happening at a political level,” Albrecht said.
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Tuesday, December 5, 2017
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anthony mireles | daily texan staff
thedailytexan
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CITY
Fair Trade Festival opens door for underprivileged women By Grace Speas News Reporter
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The smell of tamales sizzled in the air at Austin’s Women and Fair Trade Festival, where vendors displayed wrinkled smiles, hand woven home decor and bright, beaded jewelry. “The marketplace was started by women in the community who were being directly affected by different injustices in different parts of the world,” said festival coordinator Cristina Gonzalez. “This is our way to help support their form of resistance.” Nine sellers from places like Palestine, Ecuador and Mexico lined the grounds of St. James’ Episcopal Church on Friday and Saturday. One group of seamstresses from San Antonio at the event had been laid off by Levi’s in the 90s because of outsourcing, Gonzalez said. The factory closed down overnight, so the women took to their own machines to sustain an income. Now called Fuerza Unida, the group sells jean items every year at the festival. Like Fuerza Unida, other vendors
continues from page 1
w -to young people. - “I liked that name,” Brintkley said. “Verts sounds smore like a Mediterranean -word than Noon. It kind ,of feels like they think they yneed to modernize and ,they’re trying too hard … lI looked into the window nof the restaurant because sI saw they had put up a -banner, and it looks a lot ndifferent, and I don’t know why they’re making all y d e l -
copyright austin’s women and fair trade festival, and reproduced with permission
A group of vendors lined the grounds of St. James’ Episcopal Church on Friday and Saturday for the Austin’s Women and Fair Trade Festival.
stand against practices like outsourcing and cheap labor. Gonzalez said these shared values have connected vendors to Austin Tan Cerca de la Frontera, the independent nonprofit which has hosted the festival for 14 years.
these changes.” This is the second name change the restaurant has undergone since its initial opening in 2011. The first name was VertsKebap, which then became Verts in 2016. Samuel Garcia, an English sophomore, said he regularly goes there with his friends for a quick bite but finds the change confusing. “I love the food. It’s like a Mediterranean Chipotle,” Garcia said. “Most people I know, when I mention
Verts, they pretty much know what Verts is. A lot of people I talk to when I say, ‘Hey, it’s Noon now,’ they’re like, ‘Oh, Verts closed.’” The name change does not affect Gloria Das, biomedical engineering and neuroscience sophomore. Das said, although the name change confused her initially, it did not affect her opinion of the restaurant. “I think it’s a good place with good food,” Das said. “I’ll keep going as long as the food is good.”
Rebecca Goodman said she attended because she likes to have a personal connection with what she buys. “For me, I really enjoy doing things in person,” Goodman said. Three bracelets clung to Goodman’s
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wrist after the event, but the advertising sophomore said she didn’t experience any language barriers while purchasing them. The festival had speakers of a wide variety of languages, but most knew Spanish and almost every vendor knew a little bit of English, Gonzalez said. Deborah Brown, who works with five different linguistic groups in Guatemala, said language is not a problem from the seller’s viewpoint either. Brown decided to help Guatemalan weavers sell 20 years ago after spending time in Latin America with a friend. “We had very, very little money on our trip, but we always had so many gracious people invite us to stay in their homes,” Brown said. “We saw a different kind of life than we normally see. We saw a lot of poverty, but we also saw a lot of talent.” Although Brown is not a native Spanish speaker, she said there is a shared interest between her and the weavers. “For them, Spanish is a second language, as it is for me,” Brown said. “So we can muddle through it. I wouldn’t say I’m fluent, but I can talk textiles.”
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Doug Christy chainsaws a snowman out of a block of ice and in the process, blasts children with ice crisps at the Holiday Sing-a-Long and Downtown Stroll this past Saturday in the middle of Downtown Austin.
carlos garcia| daily texan staff
The Verts on Guadalupe next to the Belo Center for New Media is now Noon, as the company announced it’s name change on November 17. The move was to appeal to a younger audience and to fit the purpose of their company.
The application deadline is Monday, January 29 at 12:00pm.
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LAURA HALLAS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
@TexanOpinion
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
COLUMN
It’s one year after the election, how are things? By Noah Horwitz Senior Columnist
Here we are, nearly one year into the Trump presidency. A year ago, the thing keeping me up most at night was the prospect of the United States turning into an autocracy, the rescinding of civil liberties and the end of constitutional protections. That did not come to pass. Instead, what keeps me up now is the prospect of a nuclear war with North Korea, which now has intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching everywhere in the United States, except Puerto Rico — which is incidentally still mostly without power since Hurricane Maria in September. I have been struck by two things. The first is how much more similar the Trump presidency is to other, normal Republican presidencies. The second is how much I underestimated just how bad a normal Republican presidency would be. Take the most evocative example: the Great Mushroom Cloud. After North Korea demonstrated their nuclear missiles’ capability last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham took to television. He rattled his saber with talk more suitable for Pyongyang than
Washington, at one point saying, “We’re legislation, every Republican senator — headed toward war if things don’t change.” sans Bob Corker — including supposed Graham is largely described as a reason- moderates such as Susan Collins and Lisa able Republican, though in recent years Murkowski just voted in the dead of night that descriptor may have for a tax bill that turned into an oxymoresembles a dystoron. If Graham were even pian antithesis of a contender for the presiRobin Hood. dency anymore, his comThis Funhouse “Many lower-level ments would be as inane of Horrors of a as Barry Goldwater’s quip gives huge tax politicians have become law about nuking Vietnam. breaks to corporaThe Trump administrations and the richest more comfortable with 0.2 percent, and is tion’s tweets and overall weirdness are something funded by massive their racism, more to behold. Most illumideficit spending nating, the ghastly policy and tax hikes on the eager to ratchet up the enactments and proposals working poor and are very much publican. students. Meanmendaciousness and Fellow reasonable while, it throws a Republican Jeb Bush hand grenade at more cynical.” praised perhaps Trump’s Obamacare by remost controversial cabmoving the individinet pick, Secretary of ual mandate. The Education Betsy Debill was rammed Vos. Even self-described through Congress moderates have cheered his reactionary, after just a few hours of debate, and even extremist picks that are reshaping the veteran journalists aren’t quite sure what all judiciary from the far-right fringe, such is in it. as Neil Gorsuch and Don Willett. As for Granted, part of this could be a
COLUMN
self-fulfilling prophecy. Donald Trump has begun to make the Republican Party more like him as it has been recast in his image. And certainly many lower-level politicians have become more comfortable with their racism, more eager to ratchet-up the mendaciousness and more cynical and willing to simply operate in bad faith. The thing is, though, a lot of that preceded Trump and predicted his rise, not the other way around. There are still a lot of ways this experiment could go irreversibly awry. The erraticism some have attributed to literal dementia could spiral out of control. The Great Mushroom Cloud looms. Special Counsel Robert Mueller could get fired, prompting a constitutional crisis that would likely see Republicans siding with their demagogic carny over the rule of law, justice and the Constitution. Journalist Chris Hayes recently tweeted, “Sometimes it feels like the institutions are holding and then sometimes it feels like they are very much not.” This is fair enough, but the institutions would be stressed even if supposed moderates, such as Bush, were in the White House. Horwitz is a second-year law student from Houston.
COLUMN
The goal of an education must The media must report on the GOP tax plan more completely go further than your grades
illustration by victoria smith | daily texan staff
By Laura Doan Columnist
It’s finals season, which means many of us are crunching grades. Students every year pull out the calculator to figure out answers to questions such as, “What is the lowest grade I can make on this final to still get an A?” or, if the semester has been less kind, “What grade do I need to pull on this essay to bring me up to at least a B-?” But while we sweat over letter grades, we don’t think to ask questions like, “What parts of this course engaged me the most?” or “How can I use what I’ve learned to create, write, or research something new?” If students want to wring the most from UT’s educational opportunities — and really enjoy their time in class — they need more holistic goals for their education than the shallow, sterile aim of making all A’s. Focusing on number and letter metrics for success drains the potential joys of higher education. And, in this era of grade inflation where A’s are becoming average, just “making the grade” is not a smart priority. “A” students are no longer exceptional. So many students are making A’s and B’s that GPA becomes less meaningful to future employers and graduate schools. Researchers Stuart Rojstaczer and Christopher Healy have studied the rise of grade inflation since the 1980s as the share of A’s and B’s students continues to increase. Their last study, done in 2013, found that A’s constituted 45 percent of college grades and that average GPA was a 3.15. When employers and graduate schools get a pool of applicants with similarly high GPAs, they begin to devalue number and letter metrics of academic success. A Chronicle of Higher Education study of over 50,000 employers in a variety of fields found that experience — internships, extracurriculars and
employment — mattered much more than GPA. In fact, of a list of eight relevant job factors, GPA was tied for sixth. As A’s are becoming devalued in the job market, it makes less and less sense for students to devote so much of their brain space toward achieving them. A grades-centric approach to learning also makes education less enjoyable and reduces the quality and depth of student learning. Students focused on grades are more likely to choose classes that they feel will be easy A’s than ones that challenge or interest them. Alfie Kohn, a leading thinker in progressive education and author of books such as “The Homework Myth,” has argued that concentrating on scores makes students less likely to rigorously engage with class work. Instead of focusing on comprehension, they skim assignments for what they “need to know,” and instead of asking questions like, “How can we be sure that’s true?” they ask, “Is this going to be on the test?” Students who want to become smarter, independent thinkers should adjust their aim from getting a 90 toward enjoying and growing from their coursework. This starts with choosing classes that interest you, the kinds of classes that make you pay attention to the material — even if it’s not on the test. As grade inflation rises and the value of an A decreases, judging academic success by letter grades is becoming outdated and increasingly illogical. More importantly, when students have myopic goals for their education, the educational power of our world-class university is lost. If you aim to become a profoundly educated individual — the kind who retains information past the test, thinks independently and innovates — then let go of grade-centric thinking. You should take more away from a UT education than a good GPA. Doan is a Plan II and English junior from Fort Worth.
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 rachel tyler | daily texan staff
By Kereece McLean Columnist
Graduate students research, teach and explore new ideas, yet their finances are being mishandled by our government. The Republican Party has recently proposed a tax plan that will increase the amount of taxes graduate students will owe. Graduate students are facing an increase in taxes that can put them at risk of facing greater financial barriers, but it is not being discussed in mainstream media. It is imperative that the media acknowledges the potentially catastrophic implications this plan may have for grad students so they can be discussed at large. The U.S. higher education institutions are beyond beneficial to the running of society and with the increases in debt students may have to endure, this could potentially discourage undergrad students from seeking further education. Right now, the average stipend of 25,000 dollars is the only taxable income graduate students receive. With the new tax plan, the stipend and their tuition would be considered taxable income, which puts them in a higher tax bracket, forcing them to pay more in taxes. Grad students taxes could increase by nearly 400 percent. And they would be taxed on money they don’t actually receive. Some students would be forced to take
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.
out more loans just to pay the additional amount they owe in taxes. In many cases the media coverage of the GOP tax plan speaks of it in broader terms. The media typically touches on the implications this may have on the poor, the deficit and larger corporations, while the student implications are either mildly discussed or pushed to the side. The coverage has become too broad and political that it is missing the intended target — current and future graduate students. Second-year Master’s student Kareem Mostafa understands the implication this will have on current and potential graduate students, even himself. “This can affect teachers’ assistants, student researchers and could turn away prospective students. Now if you recruit someone one with a full-tuition scholarship, it will be taxed,” he said. So, why isn’t this a national conversation? There are updates regarding the new tax plan, but so few actually discuss the implications it may have on graduate students. The lack of media coverage is leaving people who may be affected in the dark. But, prospective and current graduate students need to know what’s to come: a huge increase in debt. Students deserve a platform to talk about their concerns and should be taken into consideration. The detrimental effects of the tax plan should not go unheard. McLean is a English junior from Houston.
“Grad student taxes could increase by nearly 400 percent. And they would be taxed on money they don’t actually receive.”
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.
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Tuesday, December 5, 2017
TAT-TUESDAY
continues from page 8 childhood friend. Having to part ways after graduating from the University of Illinois, Conroy and his best friend each got a tattoo that commemorates their friendship and celebrates their favorite artist. “My best friend and I grew up listening to Led Zeppelin together,” Conroy said. “He got the symbol for John Paul Jones and I got the symbol of John Bonham, which was kind of like our best friend tattoo.” Although their tattoos are a lifelong bond, Conroy said staying in touch hasn’t been easy since his move. Nevertheless, Conroy said his tattoo brings back good memories of time spent with his best friend. “We’re both grad students and we’re both busy all the time so we don’t have the chance to talk,” Conroy said. “It’s still a nice reminder of our friendship and our mutual childhood together.” Allie Schauer Allie Schauer, history and sustainability studies sophomore, only needs to look to her arm for inspiration to continue making a difference in the world as she prepares for exams
SCAR
continues from page 8 represent an unwanted reminder. Pirez has seen multiple cases in which tattooed nipples have been disproportionate in size or didn’t match their skin tone. “Tattooing scars is different than tattooing regular skin,” Pirez said. “It presents a whole new challenge; you have to be tender. Usually the skin around breasts after an implant is way thinner, so you have to be really careful not to have blowouts or harm the skin.” When it comes to doing these difficult tattoos, Pirez’s is entirely self taught. An
this week. Before Schauer left for college, she and her mom got matching tattoos of the Lorax, a popular character from the Dr. Seuss book. “It’s a reminder to see what you can do to make a difference, a reminder to be the difference,” Schauer said. As passionate environmentalists, she and her mom decided to get a tattoos that reflected their shared values, but the tattoo also has a special significance for the mother and daughter. Schauer said as a kid, her mother would read her the Lorax before bed, but their love for the Lorax continued past her elementary school days. In high school, Schauer was required to take photos with a paper cutout of the Lorax for a class assignment, but Schauer and her mom continued the tradition long after the assignment was due until one day, the Lorax disappeared. “We were traveling and it fell out of my wallet at one point and my mom was like, ‘You wouldn’t have to worry about losing it if we just had it on our arm,’” Schauer said. “We had already been talking about getting a matching tattoo and I was like, ‘That’s perfect.’” Nicholas Woulfe When economics junior
apprenticeship is the common way to get into tattooing, but after being denied from all the well-known parlors in Mexico City, Pirez decided to practice on anyone who would lend her their skin. Her perseverance paid off. Last year, when Pirez visited Austin, she worked with the legendary artist Shanghai Kate in her parlor before her visa ran out. “When I tried to go back (to the U.S.), they said, ‘you’re trying to come back so fast, so we’re going to cancel your visa,’” Pirez said. Currently, Pirez is still stationed in Mexico City and hopes to be back in Austin within the next year after a
Nick Woulfe isn’t cramming for finals in a cramped cubicle at Perry-Castaneda Library, he likes to stretch his legs and go for a run. The 13.1 on his arm, which he spontaneously decided to get tattooed immediately after running in a half marathon with his mother last January, serves as a reminder to go the distance. “It was kind of off a runner’s high,” Woulfe said. “Immediately we were like, ‘You wanna get a tattoo?’” Because no one else in the Woulfe family enjoys running, Nick and his mother have been exercise partners for years. “I have a brother and a sister and my dad, but they all hate running so we just decided we’d keep doing this ourselves,” Woulfe said. “She’s always been there whenever I’m running.” The tattoo cements their bond as a two-Woulfe wolf pack. Woulfe’s mother sat with him during the tattoo process, and plans to eventually get the same one herself. “It’s something that’s nice just between us,” Woulfe said. “It was me and her just talking and (the tattoo artist) putting a needle in my arm.”
anthony mireles| daily texan staff
Allie Schauer, history and sustainability studies sophomore, has a matching tattoo of the Lorax with her mom as a reminder to continue making a difference in the world.
grueling immigration process. She said her goal is to be able to continue her nonprofit work in the states, changing lives one nipple at a time, but for Pirez, her biggest drive is to reunite with her husband of 2 years. “It makes you realized how broken it is,” Pirez said. “I support legal immigration, I think it’s important to do things right, but when you do such a horrible job of making an efficient process, it frustrates people.” In the meantime, while Pirez is awaiting approval for her visa, she continues her work in Mexico, championing the power of tattoos.
Government Masters student Tom Conroy got a tattoo of the John Paul Jones symbol with his best friend to celebrate their friendship and their favorite artist.
andre fernandez daily texan staff
TRIPLE CROWN
continues from page 8 pectations. One customer asked for an octopus in all purple, but Alonzi told her the absence of black ink can cause tattoos to fade and become distorted over time, making her octopus likely to end up looking like a bruise. “For the most part, the people I tattoo do listen,” Alonzi said. “I really appreciate that because one hundred percent of the advice I give to people comes from me wanting to make the best tattoo.” She also has advice for customers who simply
want something charming. “If you’re trying to steer clear of trendy images, going with classics is always a good idea,” Alonzi said. Ellis said over half the customers who visit ask for tattoos with sentimental value, whether it’s for a personal achievement or a family member who has passed. “Tattoos are sort of bookmarks on your life,” Ellis said. For this reason, Alonzi sometimes tattoos her fiancee to commemorate his travels as a musician. On his neck, a sketch of a little hot air balloon reads “Hurry Home.”
“He’s gone a lot,” Alonzi said. Her favorite tattoos are ones where “the story was really important to (her),” not necessarily the most technical, she said. The bond between tattoo artists and their clients can also be special, Ellis said. Unlike going to the dentist, he said getting a tattoo is more personal in its pain. “Once you get your root canal pulled, that’s it. You feel normal again,” Ellis said. “When you get a tattoo, that’s something you leave feeling proud of, and you remember the artist who did it.”
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MICHAEL SHAPIRO SPORTS EDITOR
@texansports
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
FOOTBALL
Texas moves past Tech loss, begins bowl prep By Trenton Daeschner Assoc. Sports Editor
They say one loss doesn’t define a season, but it can sure alter one. Right when the Longhorns thought things were figured out in a road win over West Virginia, they blew a lead late in the fourth quarter less than a week later in a loss to Texas Tech, finishing the regular season 6–6. But that’s all deep in the past now as far as head coach Tom Herman is concerned. The Longhorns have a date with Missouri in the Texas Bowl on Dec. 27 in Houston to prepare for. “We’re a resilient group,” Herman said on a bowl conference call Sunday evening. “I think the sting is gone already. We’re looking forward to this.” The good news for Texas right now: the Longhorns are going bowling for the first time in three years, returning to the same bowl as their last appearance in 2014. Playing in the postseason also gets Texas a few extra weeks of practice — something it hasn’t experienced the past two years. “That is critical,” Herman said. “This is a team that has not had that kind of development and for the last two winters has basically gone home for four weeks, five weeks. That development is critical in terms of staying
with your competition that are going to bowl games.” But then there’s the bad news for Texas. It began last Monday with the announcements of junior running back Chris Warren III deciding to transfer from the program and junior left tackle Connor Williams declaring for the NFL Draft, opting to also skip the bowl game. It continued on Thursday with junior safety and Thorpe Award finalist DeShon Elliott announcing his decision to declare for the draft and skip the bowl game. Junior cornerback Holton Hill, who was suspended for the rest of the season following the TCU game for a violation of team rules, announced on Monday that he was declaring for the draft, too. Many people suspect that junior linebacker Malik Jefferson will be next in line to jump ship for the draft. Junior cornerback Kris Boyd could also leave early. But as of right now, Herman said he doesn’t know what Jefferson and any others will decide. A lot will depend on the draft grades players receive from NFL scouts. Herman said players could know their draft grades this week. “I think the rest of them are waiting to get their grades back and make some informed decisions based on some of the NFL stuff,”
juan figueroa | daily texan file
Head coach Tom Herman walks down the sideline of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium during the Longhorns’ matchup with Kansas on Nov. 11. Texas defeated the Jayhawks 42-27 and now prepare for its Texas Bowl matchup with Missouri.
Herman said. The loss of Elliott and Hill, and the potential exits of more defensive players, is unfortunate timing for Herman. The Longhorns will square off in the Texas Bowl with a Missouri offense that is ranked in the top-10 in the country in both scoring and total offense. After a 1–5 start to the year, Missouri (7–5, 4–4
SEC) rides into bowl season on the heels of a six-game winning streak. “They’re playing some of the best football in the country right now,” Herman said. “They’re playing really, really well offensively.” It’s difficult to label a bowl game like the Texas Bowl, insignificant in the College Football Playoff picture, a must-win game. But the
Longhorns, who sit at 6–6, can avoid a fourth consecutive losing season with a win. A loss to Missouri and Herman would finish his first season at Texas with the same record that former head coach Charlie Strong finished with in his first year in 2014. Asked on Sunday how critical it is for Texas to finish this season with a winning
record, Herman said it’s important but not a huge difference-maker. “I don’t think one number difference on either side is really gonna make or break anything in our program,” Herman said. “We’re gonna stay the course, and we’re gonna continue to develop our players. We’re gonna try like heck to win the thing and prepare as such.”
BIG 12 NOTEBOOK
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Sooners dominate TCU, earn bid to College Football Playoff
Smart prepares to make first return to VCU with Longhorns
By Dawson Hinkley Sports Reporter
With regular season play completed, last Saturday saw just one Big 12 contest, the conference title game. After a seven-year hiatus, the Big 12 title was brought back to the conference this season, with a championship matchup between conference juggernauts Oklahoma and TCU. The No. 2 Sooners entered the contest on a seven-game winning streak, looking to keep the only blemish on their resume a 38-31 loss to Iowa State on Oct. 7. TCU sat further back in the AP Poll, suffering two losses following a 7–0 start to the year. Earlier in the season, TCU gave the Sooners a run for their money, but an offensive explosion in the first half gave Oklahoma a strong 38-20 victory. And heading into Saturday, a second Sooners’ victory set the stage for the program’s second College Football Playoff appearance. This championship rendition of the matchup between
the two squads proved to be a much more one-sided affair, strongly favoring the team donned in crimson. Oklahoma came hot out of the gates, looking like a team capable of running the table in the playoffs. The Sooners showed their custom brand of high-octane offense conducted by quarterback and Heisman front-runner Baker Mayfield. The senior once again went on a scoring tear against TCU, throwing for four touchdowns on top of 243 passing yards. And it wasn’t just Mayfield who controlled the contest. Oklahoma’s defense showed improvement in the matchup, holding TCU to only 17 points
while scoring their first defensive touchdown of the season. Saturday’s 41-17 victory kept Oklahoma at No. 2 in the final playoff rankings, setting up a Rose Bowl matchup with No. 3 Georgia. Kickoff on New Year’s Day is scheduled for 4 p.m. While the Horned Frogs won’t be competing for a national title in 2017, they’ll be continuing their season. TCU faces off against No. 15 Stanford in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28, with kickoff slated for 8 p.m. A win would give the Horned Frogs their third 11-plus win season in the last four years. katie bauer| daily texan staff
Head coach Shaka Smart looks on at the Frank Erwin Center during Texas’ game against New Hampshire on Nov. 15. Smart is set to return to VCU where he coached previously.
By Steve Helwick Senior Sports Reporter
anna kate hutton| daily texan staff
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Five tournament berths, 163 wins, 74 conference victories and one Final Four appearance. That was what Shaka Smart built for the VCU Rams in his six years with the program. And on Tuesday night, for the first time since accepting the Texas job in 2015, the Longhorn head coach will finally return to the arena where he built his basketball résumé — Richmond, Virginia. “I’m excited about every game,” Smart said. “If you take out even the fact that some of us coached there, even if we hadn’t, this would be an exciting place to play because they’ve sold out over 100 straight games. There’s an unbelievable passion and excitement there for basketball. There’s been great success for the past 15 years and plus there.” Smart is not the only former Ram on staff. His assistant coach Mike Morrell served under Smart at VCU and several other members of the Texas basketball faculty will also return to their former workplace on Tuesday. It was at
VCU where Smart created the mantra “HAVOC” — a term for his team’s aggressive playing style and a rallying cry for the Rams’ student section. “Now that we add the connections that we have there, it will be an interesting experience to be on the visiting side in that arena,” Smart said. “I’m most just looking forward to seeing how our guys respond to that atmosphere.” Smart coached the VCU Rams for six seasons from 2009–2015, culminating in annual trips to the tournament and a 2011 Final Four bid as an 11-seed. His success landed the Rams in a stronger Atlantic 10 Conference, and the team has still sustained its excellence since its former coach traveled west. Entering 2017–18, VCU currently rides an eight-season streak of achieving 25 or more victories. The Rams are currently 5–3, matching the Longhorns in the win column. The team’s leading scorer and rebounder is a former Smart recruit, Justin Tillman. The senior power forward collected 28 points in his last outing and has sunk 10-of19 threes this season. Familiar with the team, Smart is
prepared for any challenges Tillman and his crew might bring to the table. “They’ll challenge us in a few ways,” Smart said. “They’ve done a really good job of implementing the style of play that we’ve used in the past there — some people called it ‘HAVOC’ — which is pressing, extending the floor, playing very aggressively and a really just a mindset of just toughness and aggressiveness.” It will be an emotional game given the numerous ties the Longhorn program has with VCU. But in order for Texas to collect its sixth victory and continue fighting for a ranking, Smart’s team must come prepared as they enter the rabid atmosphere that the coach used to call home. “I think they’ll be some of everything,” Smart said on whether or not he would be greeted with applause or disapproval in Richmond on Tuesday night. “That falls under the category as things you don’t control as a coach. I have a lot of appreciation for all the people that made that experience there so special. Hopefully most of them will remember a lot of the good times that we had and the games we could
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Tuesday, December 5, 2017
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MORGAN O’HANLON LIFE&ARTS EDITOR
@thedailytexan
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
ART
Artist changes the world one nipple at a time By Pierson Hawkins
so many different things to so many people.” A few years ago, Pirez’s aunt died of breast cancer, sparking her interest in tattooing not only as an art form, but a relief. Pirez founded the nonprofit, Reconocerte (or Recognize Yourself), in 2014 with a group of coworkers and friends. After being interviewed by a local news station in Mexico City, Pirez began getting calls and emails from women who were in the process of breast cancer surgery. A tattoo with Pirez isn’t as simple as walking into an ordinary parlor or booking an appointment with an artist. Pirez builds relationships with her clients, attending to them through the process of initially inspecting the scar tissue, to following up on how the skin is healing. “It makes them feel more comfortable and embraced,” Pirez said. “I’ve always thought it’s not always about covering the scar because you’re ashamed of it, but about making it more beautiful and taking control of something that happened to you that you had no control over.” Sensitivity is important when it comes to breast tattoos, because they are done on a delicate area and
L&A Reporter
To most, a scar is merely a causal accident others think of as a source of pride, but for some, scars can symbolize painful memories. For survivors of breast cancer, the most frequent type in women worldwide, options for treatment are limited. A mastectomy, the removal of an entire breast, is a common remedy, but the scar left afterwards creates a new problem. “Scars are something not a lot of people love, especially if it represents something that traumatized you,” said Diana Pirez, a Mexico City based tattoo artist specializing in watercolor. Tattooing, which presents a new and unconventional solution to breast cancer survivors who choose to cover up their scar with a tattooed nipple or colorful piece, was first popularized by Vinnie Meyers in the early 2000’s, has recently been taken up by Diana Pirez. Growing up in a Catholic household, Pirez was deterred from piercings, hair dyes and tattoos. “Tattoos were for cholos, they were for criminals. Women wouldn’t get tattoos,” Pirez said. “My aunt always supported me in art, and I realized that tattoos can be
illustration by lexi acevedo| daily texan staff
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BUSINESS
Triple Crown Tattoo shares practical advice, sentimental tales from years of work By Albert Zhao Senior L&A Reporter
When a mid-20s woman asked for a patterned tattoo on her face, artist Michael Williams told her of the possible repercussions: having ink permanently etched across your temples may shorten a job interview. Williams, an artist at Triple Crown Tattoo, said most tattoo artists decline face requests if the person doesn’t have much ink elsewhere. He honored her wish, however, after she took 24 hours to rethink her decision and returned the next day, determined. “I knew that if I said no, she’ll go to some
other shop,” Williams said. “Chances are the place that says yes will do a bad job.” In its 10 years of operation, Triple Crown Tattoo has earned its reputation for skill, versatility and professionalism, even for the strangest of requests. Each of the seven artists at the shop have specialties that have been vigorously practiced and honed, though they all remain dedicated to the classics, such as roses or “I Heart Mom” tattoos. Williams enjoys reproducing childhood TV characters in bright detail, from Power Rangers to He-Man. He also builds his own tattoo machines from scratch, which he says provide a
closer connection to what he’s doing when drawing on someone’s skin. “The good thing about us is that we have somebody that specializes in just about everything,” said Triple Crown founder Scott Ellis, who has 23 years of experience. Fellow artist Annie Alonzi said customers may at times request an idea that may be impractical. If this happens, she said it’s important to listen to the feedback of your tattoo artist. When it comes to the popular trend of watercoloring, known for its splashy colors, Alonzi said clients often have unrealistic ex-
TRIPLE CROWN page 5
anthony mireles| daily texan staff
Triple Crown Tattoo has earned its reputation for skill and professionalism in its 10 years of service. The shop has seven artists that have honed their specialties.
TAT-TUESDAY
Students’ tattoos commemorate maternal love, influences on life Editor’s note: Tat-Tuesday is a weekly series that features students around campus and their tattoos. Check out more pictures and stories online.
By Andrea Tinning & Ruben Paquian Senior L&A Reporter, L&A Reporter
andre fernandez| daily texan staff
Radio-television-film freshman Peter Cowie’s tattoo honors his late grandmother’s love of card games.
Peter Cowie Many children play cards with their grandparents, but for radio-television-film freshman Peter Cowie, the memory stands out in his childhood. Cowie’s first tattoo, a playing card-themed piece, specifically honors his late grandmother’s love of
card games. “My grandma passed away from cancer and she loved the card game bridge. She used to play competitively and she was really good,” Cowie said. “(In my tattoo) she is the queen of hearts, (and) the red rose right there is her favorite flower.” Cowie made sure to not leave the queen without company. Right next to her is another card-themed symbol
that represents her husband, Cowie’s grandfather. “The joker right here is my grandpa because my grandpa is an absolute goofball,” Cowie said. “He’s just like a silly guy.” Tom Conroy When he came to Austin to get his Masters in government, Tom Conroy had to say goodbye to his longtime roommate and
TAT-TUESDAY page 5