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STATE
Recent hiring freeze may affect UT By Lisa Dreher @lisa_dreher97
Gov. Greg Abbott imposed a hiring freeze on state agencies during his State of the State address last Tuesday, and UT officials said the University may be affected. Abbott said the freeze, which prevents agencies from posting new jobs or filling vacant positions, will last until the end of August and would save the state about $200 million for other initiatives. There are currently 258 open positions for UT
Austin, according to the UT Austin Job Search website. “UT Austin administrators are working with UT System leaders to clarify the overall impact and understand the processes for hiring in light of the freeze,” UT spokesperson J.B. Bird said. “Our provost is working with academic leaders on faculty hiring to meet the critical educational needs of UT Austin’s students.” Jenny LaCoste-Caputo, the UT System executive director of media relations, said the UT System’s 14 cam-
puses and its new Dell Medical School may be affected. LaCoste-Caputo said hirings depend on how a campus is funded, whether it be from the state or other streams of funding. “It is important to note that UT campuses have a variety of funding sources, and the impact of the freeze will vary from campus to campus,” LaCoste-Caputo said in an emailed statement. Community colleges and state universities, such as the
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UNIVERSITY
Kiosk flyers disregard UT campus guidelines By Catherine Marfin @catherinemarfin
Marshall Tidrick | Daily Texan File Photo
Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference following his victory in 2014. Last Tuesday Abbott imposed a hiring freeze on state agencies, UT officials said the University may be affected.
CITY
Hundreds rally for Mental Health Day By Catherine Marfin @catherinemarfin
Nearly 100 people rallied Wednesday afternoon on the south steps of the Texas Capitol as part of Mental Health Day, a day for advocates to push for mental health policy changes. Hosted by the Texas Mental Illness Awareness Coalition, the all-day event began at the Schmidt-Jones Family Life Center with an issue briefing and advocacy training for attendees, who represented mental health groups and advocates from across the state. Holding posters reading “#StigmaFree,” “All Minds Matter” and “I Will Listen,” attendees then met at the Capitol and listened to guest speakers from the Texas Legislature and the advocacy groups that make up Texas MIAC. Guest speakers addressed issues such as mental health rates among children, the lack
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bit.ly/dtvid
Angel Ulloa | Daily Texan Staff
Members of the Nami Greater Houston Foundation gathered at the steps of the Capitol on Wednesday to rally at the Mental Health Day event. The members advocated for decreased stigma and policy change in regards to mental health.
SYSTEM
Roughly one week after the Inauguration Day walkout and protest at UT, numerous flyers appeared on kiosks and news boxes around campus targeting an individual’s presumed political affiliations. According to the flyers, the individual goes by several pseudonyms, is a student on campus and has been active in campus protests since last semester. The majority of the flyers have since been removed from campus areas by the Dean of Students for violating the University’s rules on posting literature, according to Sara Kennedy, manager of strategic and executive communications for the Dean of Students. “If you violate the rules for posting on campus, then the posting comes down,” Kennedy said. “Our staff monitors kiosks on campus and is responsible for removing the posters, so they absolutely were taken down.” Cylindrical, wooden kiosks exist in various locations around campus and are monitored by the Dean of Students. Students are allowed to post freely on these kiosks as long as publication meets guidelines defined by the University. Flyers and posters must include the name of the organization or person posting the literature in order to be placed on campus kiosks, according to policy defined by the Dean of Students. Additional parameters
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LECTURE
Rad Weaver becomes newly appointed Retired Army colonel UT System regent, discusses job goals hosts lecture on ISIS By Anusha Lalani @anusha_lalani
As a senior in high school, Rad Weaver was determined to become a professional baseball player, but he never expected in 20 years he would be the CEO of McCombs Partners and a new UT System regent. Last month, in a stark contrast to his high school dream, Gov. Greg Abbott selected Weaver to be a UT System regent, with his term officially confirmed Tuesday. “To be completely honest, I was surprised,” Weaver said. “It’s a great responsibility, and I’m super excited about it, and I’m very humbled to think that (Abbott) would choose me.” Weaver grew up in San Antonio in a middle-class family.
During his senior year of high school, Weaver met Red McCombs, a businessman and UT donor and alum, who would show Weaver endless entrepreneurial opportunities, something Weaver never imagined. “I say to Red, and I say to him regularly, ‘Thank you for giving me a pick-up to a game that I didn’t know existed,’” Weaver said. “That’s the truth.” Weaver began working for McCombs the summer before his freshman year at UT, starting with simple errands such as washing his cars. “I followed him through college, and he had a great career there at UT, both as a student and as an athlete and as a leader in his fraternity,” McCombs said. When Weaver graduated
By Rajya Atluri @rajyaatluri
Courtesy of Rad Weaver
Gov. Greg Abbott recently appointed Rad Weaver, CEO of McCombs Partners, to serve on the UT System Board of Regents.
from the University in 1998, McCombs encouraged him to go to Minnesota for a year to work for the Minnesota Vikings, which McCombs had recently purchased, before re-
turning to his hometown. “In the various companies that I own or control, I have over a hundred-thousand employees across the
REGENTS page 2
Name: 5426/Yellow Cab; Width: 60p0; Depth: 2 in; Color: Process color; Ad Number: 5426
Veterans, students and faculty packed the Texas Governors Room in the Texas Union Wednesday, some even spilling out and standing in the hallway, to hear retired Army Colonel Peter Mansoor discuss how governments are combating terrorism. The Clements Center for National Security and the Alexander Hamilton Society hosted the event featuring Mansoor, who is the General Raymond E. Mason Jr. Chair of Military History at The Ohio State University and a CNN military analyst. His talk began with a discussion of the Iraq war and ended with points regarding the world’s current situation
with ISIS, as well as conflicts between Sunni-majority and Shiite-majority Middle Eastern states. “(ISIS) has caused a lot of regional instability,” Mansoor said. “You have basically a fight within a fight over who is going to control Islam and who’s going to control the Middle East.” Especially with the influx of refugees and immigrants from affected countries, ISIS also has an impact on the United States and Europe. “These massive refugee flows and the unchecked immigration from the Middle East is an issue,” Mansoor said. “It’s become a political football, and it is destabilizing various states around the world.”
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Volume 117, Issue 98
CONTACT US Main Telephone (512) 471-4591 Editor-in-Chief Alexander Chase (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com Managing Editor Akshay Mirchandani (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com News Office (512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com Sports Office sports@dailytexanonline.com Life & Arts Office (512) 232-2209 lifeandarts@dailytexanonline.com Multimedia Office (512) 471-7835 multimedia@ dailytexanonline.com Retail Advertising (512) 471-1865 advertise@texasstudentmedia.com
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University of North Texas, are looking into how many jobs are at stake and how to budget around the freeze. In a letter dated Jan. 31 from the Governor’s Office to state agencies, budget director Steven Albright wrote agencies that do not receive funding from state appropriations are exempt from the freeze. According to The Texas Tribune, Abbott’s office
FLYERS
continues from page 1 exist for the allowed size of flyers and posters as well as the length of time they are allowed to remain on campus. Additionally, literature on campus cannot include obscenity, defame or harass an individual or incite violations of law, among other rules, according to UT’s Institutional Rules on Student Services and Activities. “I have heard from students
This issue of The Daily Texan is valued at $1.25 Permanent Staff
Editor-in-Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alexander Chase Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Jensen, Janhavi Nemawarkar, Khadija Saifullah, Caleb Wong Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Akshay Mirchandani Associate Managing Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eva Frederick, Michelle Zhang News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ellie Breed Associate News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Forrest Milburn News Desk Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Will Clark, Hannah Daniel, Sunny Kim, Sarah Phillips, Wesley Story Senior Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Claire Allbright, Mikaela Cannizzo, Lisa Dreher, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anusha Lalani, Catherine Marfin, Kayla Meyertons Senior Investigative Reporter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Van Nguyen Copy Desk Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kasey Salisbury Associate Copy Desk Chiefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jaree Campbell, Vanessa Martinez, Bella McWhorter, Colin Traver Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth Jones Associate Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Megan McFarren Senior Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liza Anderson, Sierra Garcia, Sunnie Lee, Rena Li Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Zoe Fu Associate Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emmanuel Briseno, Gabriel Lopez Senior Photographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Juan Figueroa, Joshua Guerra, Mary Pistorius, Briana Vargas, Rachel Zein Video Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monica Silverio Senior Videographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Negrete, Faley Goyette Science&Tech Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Zia Lyle Associate Science&Tech Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julianne Hodges, Kate Thackrey Senior Science&Tech Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sarah Bloodworth, Angela Kang, Freya Preimesberger Forum Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jordan Shenhar, Emily Vernon Senior Columnists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Emma Bernadier, Alyssa Fernandez, Sam Groves, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Noah M. Horwitz, Josephine MacLean, G. Elliott Morris Life&Arts Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mae Hamilton Associate Life&Arts Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Daisy Wang, Morgan O’Hanlon Senior Life&Arts Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephen Acevedo, Acacia Coronado, Chris Duncan, Justin Jones Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tyler Horka Associate Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sydney Rubin Senior Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Briseno, Vanessa Le, Shane Lewis Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Audrey McNay Associate Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Victoria Smith, Melanie Westfall Senior Comics Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Geovanni Casillas, Albert Lee, Bixie Mathieu, Jacky Tovar Social Media Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stephanie Martinez-Arndt Editorial Adviser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Chen
Issue Staff
Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rajya Alturi Life&Arts Writers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kayla Boller, Hannah Plantowsky Sports Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ashley Liu S&T Writers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annie Zhang, Laura Zhang Columnists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cuillin Chastain-Howley, Olivia Griffin Copy Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Connor Perry, Macy Bayern, Josey Hill Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jacob Sepulveda Photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pedro Luna, Thomas Negrete, Ramya Srikanth, Angel Ulloa Comic Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hyeyun Jesng, Serena Romera, Lauren Ibanez Illustration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jac Alford
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said four-year public universities receive only 30 percent of its money from the state, therefore hirings will not be greatly affected. “This directive only affects agencies under the direction of the Governor as well as institutions of higher education,” Albright said in the letter. “This directive does not affect agencies under the direction of other statewide elected officials.” In the letter, Albright said agencies may receive waivers
from the governor’s office to be exempt on a case-by-case basis. LaCoste-Caputo said UT and its campuses may ask for waivers if the University deems certain positions necessary, including those directly tied to public safety. Accounting professor Michael Granof serves on the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, a non-government private organization which sets accounting standards for local and state governments. Granof said
freezes prevent hiring across the board without taking into account a department’s need for resources. “Hiring freezes in general are a terrible way to reduce expenditures because they affect all departments and all programs uniformly,” Granof said. “They don’t make distinctions between those programs that are most valuable and those that are not so valuable. It’s a lazy man’s way of budgeting. In other words, you avoid making the tough decisions.”
Granof said universities, like other state agencies, can contract out employees by using donations instead of state money to avoid a hiring freeze, which affects only entities that receive state funds. “Agencies do not always save money as a result of a hiring freeze,” Granof said. “Instead of hiring people, they go outside and hire contractors, independent contractors, to do the same work. They have money that is not appropriated by the state.”
who were upset by the posters … and I became aware that students … assumed the poster was sanctioned, which isn’t true,” UT spokesperson J.B. Bird said. “I know from talking to students who are upset that it’s not widely known that the University enforces these kinds of things.” There was no individual or group of individuals included on the flyer, and as a result, the Dean of Students immediately removed the flyers not for content, but because they violated
University policy, Kennedy said. “As long as it meets policies of the University, they can post,” Kennedy said. “Before getting to that level [of targeting an individual], it already violated our rules, so we took them down.” The UT Police Department is currently looking into whether or not the flyers violated any laws, UTPD spokeswoman Cindy Posey said. UTPD and the Dean of
Students often work together when it comes to disciplinary matters. In the case of flyers on campus, UTPD will only get involved if a law is broken. “UTPD has been aware and as always, is looking into seeing if there is any violation,” Posey said. “UTPD enforces state law, so when someone has violated a UT rule, we hand it over to the Dean of Students. UTPD only intervenes when there is a law broken — we call that ‘staying in our lane.’ UTPD
enforces laws, the Dean of Students enforces UT rules, but we work hand-in-hand with them all the time.” The investigation into the flyers is ongoing and it is unclear of how the flyers got on campus or if students were responsible for their postage. Neither department could comment on the specifics of the flyers or the disciplinary actions that could take place for the individual or individuals responsible.
RALLY
Kimberly Allen, an advocate with the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, one of the advocacy groups under Texas MIAC, spoke about her mental health journey and struggle with substance abuse. “I am an ex-administrator of a treatment center, and I have seen enough denial of health care and I’ve seen enough of people falling through the gaps of health care,” Allen said. “We don’t wake up and say ‘I hope I grow up with mental illness.’ This is who we are and I have no shame in it. It is so important that we talk to everyone for the people who aren’t here, for the people who didn’t make it … and died by suicide. With treatment and care, we can keep moving.” After the rally, attendees
had an opportunity to speak with members of the Texas Legislature, where many spoke out on issues highlighted during the rally, including increasing access to health care that focuses on prevention and recovery strategies, eliminating barriers to mental health and substance abuse care and expanding the mental health and substance use disorder workforce. Paula Nunez attended the rally representing Crosspoint Inc., a San Antonio-based nonprofit organization that works to provide residential rehabilitation services to veterans and former federal inmates who struggle with mental health and substance abuse. “We want to just (share stories) and touch their heart
strings, and let (our legislators) know the reality of the issues at hand,” Nunez said. Throughout the event, legislators and guest speakers discussed the importance of community involvement in the fight for improved mental health care resources. “It’s important that we have advocates such as yourself coming to the Capitol,” said Rep. Joseph Moody, D-El Paso. “The phrase ‘end the stigma’ (around mental health) — you are that phrase in action, you are changing the dialogue. There’s no bill we can pass that can do work you’re doing with now. This is the session to do our part and make Texas a leader on mental health, and your work today is gonna make that a reality.”
where the bathrooms are located in the System building, he said he hopes to bring reform to graduation rates, spending and funding. “If you think of the System as a company, any company of this size has ways (to reduce spending),” Weaver said. “It’s sometimes hard to see from the inside and a little easier to see with a new set of eyes coming in and asking questions.” The UT System has received
criticism from state senators on the lack of diversity on the Board of Regents. Weaver said he understands the concerns, but he knows how to be inclusive of all backgrounds, “The first high school I went to, there were five percent Caucasian students, so I was absolutely in the minority,” Weaver said. “Many times when we think of diversity, we think of it in terms of the color of the skin and I don’t think
that’s totally correct. I think it’s important that we have a diverse mindset at the table for any division that’s impacting the System.” Weaver said he is grateful for the opportunities he has been given in the past and strives to achieve more than ever for his family and for the students he will be serving. “I expect to try to win whatever I’m doing every day,” Weaver said.
next generation of national security leaders. “We’re just really excited to bring these excellent speakers from the White House, from the National Security Council, from the State Department and from the intelligence community to undergraduate and graduate students so they can learn more about whether a
career in national security is what they want,” Johnson said. “We really try to make these events as informative and educational as possible.” Government junior Brittany Shoemaker said she attends all of the Clements Center events that she is able to because of her interest in policy relations, counter-terrorism and the in-
telligence community. “My ears just perk up with any information that I’m going to be getting from any kind of talk,” Shoemaker said. “Knowledge is something you can always learn, and that’s what my aim is, and that’s what I’m doing by attending these events and by learning about different aspects of national security.”
continues from page 1 of mental health care among Texas counties and the importance of advocacy groups in lowering the stigmas surrounding mental health. “We’re going to do this — we’re going to change the system in a way that works for people with persistent mental illness,” said Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the early 1990s. “What I hope is to be an inspiration to people, so they can know they can manage their illness and do what you want to do. It’s good to have champions of mental illness in the Legislature, to serve and to make sure we don’t stop.”
REGENTS
continues from page 1 United States,” McCombs said. “I would say that not one that I’m aware of has the leadership capabilities that Rad Weaver has.” Weaver is the current CEO of McCombs Partners, which invests in startups and struggling businesses. Although Weaver said there’s a lot to be learned, such as knowing
ISIS
continues from page 1 The center hosts several events like this throughout the year, typically focusing on topics of national security and international relations. Center Program Coordinator Jennifer Johnson said the mission of the center is to train the
ZIA LYLE, SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Thursday, February 9, 2017
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UT Energy Week hosts open mic on policy By Laura Zhang @_the_laurax3
Day one of UT Energy Week, Natural Resources Day, featured an open mic about President Donald Trump’s energy policies. During this open mic, Michael Webber, UT Austin Energy Institute Deputy Director, answered questions from the audience, which consisted of professors, students and people interested in the future of the environment and energy policy. Webber began by addressing the future of nuclear energy under the Trump administration. Nuclear energy is the use of nuclear reactions to generate heat, primarily in steam turbines for electric power. Webber said historically, nuclear energy has had trouble succeeding in economic markets without government intervention. He added that disagreements about this intervention have caused partisan debate. However, nuclear energy could potentially thrive under the Trump administration, as long as the United States discovers a way to responsibly store or reprocess nuclear waste, according to Webber. “Maybe Trump is different
date for coal,” Webber said. “I think that flies in the face of Republican orthodoxy...and he would definitely bump into oil and gas lobbyists.” Environmental regulations drive up the cost of coal and natural gas, but these costs are not driven by CO2 regulations, Webber said. According to Webber, the coal industry is already dying with or without CO2 regulations. “(Certain regulations) aren’t going to roll back as quickly and easily because there is more bipartisan consensus that acid rain is bad and consuming mercury in our kids is bad,” Webber said. “There’s less consensus with (greenhouse gases), but there’s more consensus with heavy metals and precursors to acid rain.” Another topic Webber addressed was construction of oil pipelines, specifically the Keystone XL pipeline, which Trump issued support for through an executive order last week. Webber said this is another definitive part of Trump’s environmental platform. The controversial and privately financed Keystone XL pipeline would carry 830,000 barrels of oil each day from Alberta, Canada and from Steele City, Nebraska.
Ramya Srikanth | Daily Texan Staff
Deputy Director of the UT Austin Energy Institute Michael Webber discusses how environmental and energy policies are impacted under the Trump administration.
Concerns about the project have incited protest efforts at the site of the pipeline. According to BBC News, the issues include renewed dependence on fossil fuels rather than renewable resources and the pipeline causing chemicals to seep into the groundwater near Native American land and sacred burial grounds. Though Trump signed the executive order supporting construction of the pipeline, Webber said the program itself still requires financial support for
execution. Webber reminded the audience that those who disagree with Trump’s energy policies should exercise their civic duty. “You have to yell at your local congressperson, and if you talk to them, they are in a better position to keep him in check than you are just tweeting at Trump,” Webber said. “We seem to be interested in entertainment more than news now, but if you’re worried about what’s going on in the world, pay attention to news at the local level—and vote.”
Energy Club connects UT to energy sector By Freya Preimesberger @freyapreim
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Longhorn Energy Club exerts all of its energy planning one of the largest student-run energy conferences. The club was formed three years ago, with the intention of connecting the UT community to energy-related opportunities and supporting students’ future careers in the energy sector. Now, the club’s primary activity is co-hosting UT Energy Week, during which experts from the industry, academia, non-governmental organizations and the government convene in Austin to discuss pressing energy-related issues. Originally composed of MBA students, the organiza-
tion has evolved to include around 100 students, both graduate and undergraduate, from a variety of fields, said Hector Arreola, president of Longhorn Energy Club and energy and earth resources graduate student. “The idea is to facilitate the conversation of people between different schools in the university, so we have people from the engineering school, business, public policy, geosciences,” Arreola said. “All of us have interest in energy, but of course we have different approaches and ideas and expertise. The idea is to facilitate that dialogue.” Longhorn Energy Club collaborates with UT’s Energy Institute, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Energy,
Law & Business and UT law school’s Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law to organize UT Energy Week, which is one of the biggest student-run energy conferences. Students plan all aspects of the conference, including inviting speakers and scheduling. The Longhorn Energy Club’s 13 member executive board is responsible for planning Energy Week. In addition to its keynotes and speakers, who come from organizations such as the U.S. Air Force and Conoco Phillips, the conference holds research and startup competitions for students. “(UT Energy Week) is the perfect stage for students to show their work and ideas,” Arreola said.
This year’s Energy Week will include tours of UT’s Cockrell School of Engineering, UT’s school of architecture and UT’s power plant. Arreola said he is excited about this year’s energy week because the club was able to organize a variety of panels. “I think we were able to balance really well and cover all aspects of energy — oil and gas, power generation, renewables,” Arreola said. “We have people from academia, other schools, senior vice presidents, CEOs.” Drake Hernandez, mechanical engineering senior and Energy Week co-chair, said he was most excited about hosting such an event at a leading energy university. “We’re most proud that (UT Energy Week) is free for UT
faculty, students and staff,” Hernandez said. “UT is the energy university.” Immediately after the event, Longhorn Energy Club will assemble its next executive board to plan next year’s Energy Week. Hernandez said the club is always trying to recruit more members and volunteers for their events. Arreola said he encourages both students and professors to attend this week’s conference. “People should take advantage that we are in a university that’s a leader in different aspects of the energy sector,” Arreola said. “This is the perfect way to stay connected to what is happening in the field.” Energy Week will run from Feb. 7 to 10 in the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center.
UT Energy Week holds panel, talks power outages
e By Annie Zhang @thedailytexan ” y, Fourteen years ago, a softdware bug in the alarm system lof a FirstEnergy Corp. control eroom led to the most widegspread power outage in the lUnited States. Over 55 million kpeople in both the U.S. and sCanada lost power for almost dtwo days in what became lknown as the Northeast Blacksout of 2003. On Wednesday, a panel titled “Energy Security and Resilience,” discussed how the senergy industry and U.S. gov-ernment are working to prervent accidents such as the 2003 gblackout. The panel was part of the 2017 UT Energy Week. l s d n e
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h g f y s t
enough and unconventional enough that he can get us on a whole new decision around nuclear where we manage our waste through reprocessing (it) and not just storing (it),” Webber said. While Trump’s overall environmental policies seem to be erratic and lack policy details, the new president is certain about attempting to resurge the coal industry, Webber said. In recent years, the coal industry has declined significantly because of competition from other energy sources, including natural gas. According to the Scientific American, natural gas is predicted to replace coal as America’s leading fuel source. Webber said renewable energy sources, which have become viable energy sources, also pose challenges for the economic success of coal. According to Webber, oil and gas lobbyists may become significant opponents to Trump’s attempts at growing the coal industry. Webber said one way for Trump to save the coal industry is to act as a proponent for coal despite current market forces supporting natural gas and other energy sources. “(Trump) could issue a man-
Participants included Jimmy Glotfelty, executive vice president of Clean Line Energy Partners, Lt. General Ken Eickmann, a retired member of the U.S. Air Force and Michael Goin, IT Manager at Austin Energy. Glotfelty said when the 2003 blackout first occurred, the FBI and Secret Service investigated the incident to see if it was a terrorist attack. “But it wasn’t (a terrorist attack),” Glotfelty said. “There was no physical intrusion. This was our own dumb fault. We did not have the right components and tools to ensure that our system was reliable.” According to Glotfelty, the outage, which under secure
conditions could have been easily managed, cascaded across U.S. electric grids before the voltage system stopped it from reaching the South. “The greatest thing about our grid was the fact that we had a voltage system that stopped the cascading outage,” Glotfelty said. “So to prevent (similar incidents) in the future, we need to think ahead, to gold-plate the system.” Glotfelty said the electric system needs higher voltage lines and extra capacity so it can absorb events when they happen, preventing power outages. During the panel, Glotfelty also emphasized the importance of redundancy, or adding
extra parts in case of failure. “The term security does not mean physical security or cyber security; it means redundancy,” Glotfelter said. “How do we protect our system in the event that the single most important element of the system goes down? That is the right thing to be talking about.” Glotfelty added that while redundancy is expensive, it’s the most important thing to work on. Another aspect of the panel discussion focused on cybersecurity issues and virtualization, or the process of moving information between computer servers. “Virtualization has changed
the landscape of how we do computers,” Goin said. “We’re able to move things from a server that’s having a problem to another server that’s ready to stand up in its place.” Although virtualization has been very efficient, Goin said hackers have access to more servers because they are all connected. Like Glotfelty, Goin said that redundancy is key to fighting cybersecurity. “If you’ve got five networks running across the town, why not run them twice?” Goin said. “And for God’s sake, don’t run them through the same category. One shovel takes down the whole system and you’ve got some explaining
The rest of UT Energy Week continues with… Texas Journal of Oil, Gas and Energy Law Symposium, Thursday and Friday, Etter-Harbin Alumni Center TJOGEL’s two-day symposium will cover topics in energy law, ranging from cyber security, to the impact of the election on the energy market, to energy issues being discussed in the Texas Legislature. Mohamed Al-Hendy, TJOGEL Director, said the
goal of the symposium is to provide one of the most comprehensive educational updates on energy law in the United States. “The TJOGEL symposium offers the opportunity to learn how the energy legal field has evolved in the last few years, where it currently stands today and what we can expect in the future,” Al-Hendy said. Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Energy,
Law and Business Symposium, Friday, Four Seasons Austin The KBH Energy Center’s annual symposium will feature energy leaders discussing pressing energy issues. The theme of this year’s symposium is “The Future of the Oil and Gas Industry.” Melinda Taylor, executive director of the KBH Center, said audiences can expect a robust discussion among the
nation’s top energy experts. “The discussion will revolve around how various companies are adapting to lower commodity prices, as well as how they expect that technological advances, such as even more efficient drilling techniques, cheaper solar panels and better battery storage, and geopolitical developments will affect their industry,” Taylor said. Registration for both events is free for UT students.
to do.” The panelists agreed that because of their nature, cyber and energy security are impossible to completely eliminate or protect against. “(Security systems) are changing every day, every hour, and the people who are trying to hack into our security don’t care if and when they get caught because they’re not subject to our rules or laws,” Glotfelty said. Glotfelty said hackers have little to lose by trying to hack into U.S. cyber and energy security, which is dangerous for the U.S. “We have to be perfect every time, but they only have to be perfect once,” Glotfelty said.
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ALEXANDER CHASE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | @TexanEditorial Thursday, February 9, 2017
COLUMN
House GOP fails to make the EPA great again By Sam Groves
Daily Texan Senior Columnist @samgroves
How does one make the Environmental Protection Agency great again? Rep. Lamar Smith, who chairs the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology — and represents parts of Austin including West Campus — sought to answer that question on Tuesday in a hearing appropriately titled “Making EPA Great Again.” But you might find his solution a bit perplexing: It involves soliciting guidance from the very industries the EPA is meant to regulate, financially crippling the agency and turning it into a mouthpiece of the last major bastion of climate change denial in the world: the Republican Party. Smith is likely to revive the Secret Science Reform Act, which would bar the EPA from enacting regulations backed by raw data that isn’t publicly available. Ostensibly meant to increase transparency, the bill is actually an effort to keep the EPA from doing its job. EPA regulations are often based on public health data, which must remain private because it includes the personal medical records of individual Americans. So by banning regulations based on private data, Smith’s bill cripples the EPA’s ability to protect public health. Moreover, a Congressional Budget Office analysis of the 2015 version of the bill found that
its provisions would cost $250 million annually to implement over the next few years but it only affords the EPA an additional $1 million to carry out those provisions. So in addition to weakening its regulatory capacity, Smith’s bill is also designed to put the agency in a financial bind. Maybe that’s why the bill is so popular with industries that often run afoul of public health regulations. Jeffrey Holmstead, a coal company lobbyist, called the reforms included in the Secret Science Act “important and meaningful” in his testimony before the committee on Tuesday, adding that “when regulations impose billions of dollars on consumers and businesses, it is surely appropriate for the government to … ensure that the scientific information used to support those regulations can be publicly available.” Holmstead was one of three witnesses called by the Republican majority to testify during the hearing. All three were associated with fossil fuel or chemical interest groups. Of course, this is all part of Lamar Smith’s war on established science as chair of the House Science Committee. During the hearing, he also cited a Daily Mail article about Dr. John Bates, a so-called whistleblower who used to work at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and now claims that scientists at the agency manipulated data in a 2015 study about climate change. The findings of that study have been independently verified by numerous other
COLUMN
These antics are a reminder that some of the most unsavory aspects of the new political landscape have nothing to do with the man in the White House. Trump certainly brings his own distinctly authoritarian flavor, but he didn’t invent the concept of denying reality at the expense of public health and safety. —Sam Groves Senior Columnist
institutions, and there’s no evidence to suggest data manipulation outside of Bates’ claim. Nevertheless, in a press release posted on the House Science Committee’s website, Smith thanked Bates for “exposing the previous administration’s efforts to push their costly climate agenda at the expense of scientific integrity.” These antics are a reminder that some of the most unsavory aspects of the new political landscape have nothing to do with the man in
the White House. Trump certainly brings his own distinctly authoritarian flavor, but he didn’t invent the concept of denying reality at the expense of public health and safety. That tradition is time-honored in Republican politics, and it’s one that Lamar Smith — along with the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology — is proud to continue on behalf of the fossil fuel industry and his constituents in Austin. Groves is a government sophomore from Dallas.
COLUMN
Psychoanalyzing Trump only stigmatizes the mentally ill By Olivia Griffin
Daily Texan Columnist @OGlikesdogs
Infographic by Liza Anderson | Daily Texan Staff
Universal basic income offers solution to future automation By Cuillin Chastain-Howley Daily Texan Columnist @notcuillin
Automation of thousands of jobs will eventually cause an epidemic of unemployment. We must brace for this future now and take the steps necessary to prevent it. Universal basic income is the most obvious solution to this problem. The idea of guaranteeing a certain income for every member of a society isn’t a new one. Bertrand Russell floated the idea in 1918, and numerous other intellectuals have endorsed it since. Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman sees it as the only possible solution to America’s growing inequality. Of course, UBI has a massive hill to climb — the American primal hostility toward socialism. What has to be made clear is that there’s nothing to be afraid of — UBI has already had limited trials to positive results. In South Africa, unconditional income was given to mothers as child support and it greatly improved child nutrition. It’s also been shown that impoverished people who receive unconditional income don’t use it on drugs or alcohol. While UBI has yet to be instituted on a grand scale, it’s been shown to have a positive effect on the most vulnerable members of society. The last time the U.S. instituted socialist policies on a large scale was in response to the Great Depression, when unemployment rose to 25 percent. To prevent this from happening again, Americans must confront a scary reality — the American dream isn’t realistic anymore. For the vast majority of Americans, where you start is where you’ll stay. Studies have even shown that downward mobility is growing as stagnating wages and student debt ensures that millennials will earn 20 percent less than the baby boomers did. This will only get worse as automation will replace hundreds of professions. Simple jobs like cashiers and retail workers, who account for 3.5 and 4.6 million
In South Africa, unconditional income was given to mothers as child support and it greatly improved child nutrition. It’s also been shown that impoverished people who receive unconditional income don’t use it on drugs or alcohol. workers, respectively, are already being replaced. Huge department stores are struggling to compete with online retailers such as Amazon. Jobs will be created by these online retailers, such as warehouse jobs, but they’ll pale in comparison to the jobs lost at thousands of brick and mortar shops. If your job is related to driving, you should be scared too. Self-driving cars are a reality right now, and when they are mass produced they’ll quickly become a more cost-effective alternative to taxi and truck drivers. Up to 45 percent of jobs could be automated using currently available technology, according to McKinsey & Company. If this trend continues — and it will — society as we know it will become unrecognizable. It’s up to us whether it can be a chaotic transformation or an amicable one. We need a solution to the epidemic of unemployment that will sweep the country in just a few decades. Unfortunately, the only sensible solution is one that Americans have traditionally been averse to: socialism. Hopefully we won’t need a crisis as catastrophic as the Great Depression to get people to accept UBI. Acceptance of socialism and socialist policy has been growing for years, and it must continue to grow for a smooth transition into our post-work future. Chastain Howley is a rhetoric and writing junior from Dallas.
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.
Psychologists have sloppily applied a range of mental health diagnoses to now President Donald Trump. These constant attacks on the President’s mental health, however, further stigmatize mental illness and perpetuate the false narrative that mental illness causes an individual to be fundamentally flawed. Regardless of whether Trump does or does not have a mental illness, casually throwing around pseudo-clinical diagnoses as an attack against his administration is unethical, unprofessional and damaging to the millions of Americans suffering from mental illness today. Several mental health professionals, including a Harvard professor of psychology, have gone on the record to diagnose Trump with a smorgasbord of mental health conditions. The only problem? Not a single one of these professionals has conducted any formal testing or even met Trump in person. Not only is this sloppy diagnostic work, but it also violates the American Psychiatric Association’s stance that it is unethical for psychiatrists to publicly diagnose individuals without personally examining the individual. While there is certainly something unprecedented about Trump’s behavior, it is inappropriate to jump to conclusions about the current state of his mental health. Most of us — myself included — have attempted to understand Trump’s shocking lack of empathy, irrational behavior and erratic policy decisions by claiming that there is “just something off about him.” Yet the current conflicts in American politics are more complex than one man’s possible mental illness. Attributing current events to Trump’s “insanity” is no better than the Middle Ages’ practice of
Several mental health professionals, including a Harvard professor of psychology, have gone on the record to diagnose Trump with a smorgasbord of mental health conditions. attributing disease to bad spirits and angry gods. By writing off Trump’s actions as inexplicably abnormal, we lose the ability to analyze the thought-process behind his decisions, effectively preventing us from addressing them in the future. Additionally, mental illness should not be regarded as a barrier to roles of leadership on the world stage, provided that the leader receives adequate support and care. In fact, numerous former presidents and leaders have been suspected to have had mental illness yet still successfully carried out their duties. A recent study from Duke University Medical Center theorized that half of all U.S. presidents from 1776 to 1974 met the criteria for a diagnosis of mental illness. These presidents, per the study, included Calvin Coolidge, Thomas Jefferson, Woodrow Wilson, Lyndon Johnson and Theodore Roosevelt. Abraham Lincoln simultaneously battled depression and the Confederacy, yet managed to be regarded as one of the most beloved presidents in history. A person can be a bad leader and not have a mental illness. Even if Trump does have a mental illness, it’s not an excuse for some of the decisions he’s made. By hurling allegations of mental illness against Trump, we continue to stigmatize and perpetuate stereotypes of individuals with mental illness. Griffin is a Plan II and government junior from Dallas.
GALLERY
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Illustration by Yulissa Chavez | Daily Texan Staff
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CLASS 5
SPORTS
5
Thursday, February 9, 2017
SIDELINE SPORTS BRIEFLY
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Davis trending in positive direction after shooting slump By Shane Lewis @theREALsplewis
Three players named to watch list.
Men’s golfers Gavin Hall, Scottie Scheffler and Doug Ghim have been named to the Ben Hogan Award watch list, according to a release Wednesday from Colonial Country Club, Friends of Golf (FOG) and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). Hall, a senior, has recorded four top-20 finishes this season for the No. 11 ranked Longhorns. Juniors Ghim and Scheffler have enjoyed similar success this season. Ghim leads the team with a 70.46 scoring average, while Scheffler recorded his third career win in October at the East Lake Cup. The Ben Hogan Award is given annually to the top men’s NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer. Ten semifinalists will be named on April 12, with three finalists being chosen on May 3. Texas and Florida are the only two schools with more than two players named on the list, each with three. Hall, Scheffler and Ghim are joined on the watch list by two other Big 12 competitors. Oklahoma State’s Viktor Hovland and Sam Stevens were also named to the list. Last season, Longhorn Beau Hossler was one of three finalists, an honor also enjoyed by Jordan Spieth in 2012. The winner of the award will be announced in Fort Worth, Texas on May 22 prior to the PGA TOUR’s Dean & DeLu Invitational. —Zephyr Melton
After a promising start to his collegiate career, Eric Davis Jr. came into this season with high expectations. The sophomore guard enjoyed a solid rookie campaign, averaging more than seven points a game while receiving modest minutes playing behind upperclassmen guards Isaiah Taylor and Javan Felix. He earned a spot on the Big 12’s All-Newcomer Team. Along the way, Davis became known for his ability to show up in big contests. In his third collegiate game, the guard scored a team-high 19 points in a losing effort to No. 25 Texas A&M. A few weeks later, Davis drained four of his five triples to help Texas knock off No. 3 North Carolina. In the Longhorns’ NCAA tournament bout with Northern Iowa, Davis was a standout, scoring 13 points on a night when other Longhorns struggled from the field. With the departure of Taylor and Felix, the stage was set for Davis to embrace and thrive in an expanded role this season. “Last year I learned from guys like Javan Felix and
HOCKEY
continues from page 6 Billy, listening on the radio miles away back home in Texas, knew his son had been concussed when the announcer said he was on the ice longer than usual. “It gave me a sickened feeling in my stomach and sadness mixed all together,” Billy Bowden said. It wasn’t the first concussion Bowden had sustained playing hockey, but it will be the last. After sitting out the rest of the season and talking with his
Isaiah Taylor, and different times I had to step up and be leader (of the) freshman,” Davis said in a preseason interview with Longhorn Network. “In the summer, me and coach Smart, we talked and he told me this is your team.” But things haven’t come easy for the sophomore this year. Despite receiving more than seven extra minutes per game, Davis has only increased his scoring average by a point. Davis has also seen his shooting percentages plummet from where they were a year ago. He’s shooting only 36 percent from the field, down from 37 percent, and 69 percent from the charity stripe, down from 80 percent. And after a season in which he made nearly 40 percent of his triples, Davis is shooting only 27 percent from deep. Despite the shooting woes, Davis’ confidence in his game has not faltered, thanks in part to the support of his team. “I always have confidence, it may not look like it, but I always have confidence,” Davis said. “Players, coaches, and the whole staff have been supporting
me. They have the utmost confidence in me.” All the confidence may be starting to pay dividends. Over the past six conference games, Davis has seen a resurgence in his game. He’s drained 13 triples over the span and has averaged more than 11 points. The clutch gene he possessed has a freshman has resurfaced, too. In last week’s win over Texas Tech, Davis hit the game winning three with half a
minute left. A week prior, the sophomore sank a clutch triple with 12 seconds remaining to help the Longhorns come back and beat Oklahoma. Smart believes Davis’ funk was a result of overwhelming expectations, but said the sophomore’s recent play is encouraging. The team will certainly need Davis as the regular season winds down and the conference tournament approaches. He’ll look to
continue his resurgence as Texas takes on Oklahoma State this Saturday. “There was probably a little bit of a thought going into the year that sophomore year was going to be this unbelievable launching pad after a solid freshman year,” Smart said. “But there’s still a lot of ground to gain. He’s made progress, and he’s realized over this (recent stretch) the team needs him more than ever.”
parents and his sister-in-law, who is a doctor, Bowden decided to put up his pads for good. The decision to give up the game he loves didn’t come easily. “In a way, I can assume it’s like doing heroin,” Bowden said. “You know it can have negative effects on your body, but the satisfaction of doing it is awesome and I would be willing to make sacrifices to do it.” Bowden’s teammates have been making those sacrifices for years. Cheston Danto has played hockey since he was four years old. He started skating when the other kids in Sugar Land were
finally perfecting how to walk. Hockey was all Danto, 22, ever knew. So, when he endured his first concussion at the age of 12, he didn’t know how to handle it. Neither did his parents. “Looking back, I rushed back way too soon considering I played in our games the next day,” Danto said. “But at the time my parents and I did not know any different.” Danto, who is in his fourth season playing hockey for Texas, sustained a concussion in January 2016 — the same month Bowden underwent his career-ending thump. Given his
experiences, Danto knows it’s a ruthless sport. But he said his love and passion for the game outweigh the life-threatening dangers it presents. He said he can almost guarantee he’ll have long-term impacts from his head injuries, but he also said it was all worth it. “I believe you have to make choices in life and no matter what choice you make or sport you play there are dangers in playing it,” Danto said. “Hockey taught me many life lessons and helped shape who I am and who I will be for the rest of my life.”
Bowden said he’ll surely have lasting effects from his head trauma, too. In fact, he’s already dealing with the consequences. “When I interned this past summer, I had to carry around a notepad so when my manager made suggestions or told me to do something I had a place to write it down,” Bowden said. “If I didn’t, I could not recall what they specifically wanted.” It’s hard for Bowden to accept that he’ll never play full-contact hockey again, but it’s even harder knowing that the memory issues he suffers with now will only get worse with time.
Rachel Zein | Daily Texan Staff
Sophomore guard Eric Davis Jr. is averaging 11 points over his last conference six conference games, after struggling with shooting for most of the season. Davis has helped Texas capture three wins in its past five games.
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6
TYLER HORKA, SPORTS EDITOR | @texansports Thursday, February 9, 2017
SIDELINE
HOCKEY
NBA SPURS
76ERS
TODAY IN HISTORY
1971
Satchel Paige becomes the first negro-league player elected to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame Courtesy of Faley Goyette
Senior defenseman Cheston Danto , Will Bowden’s teammate, has also struggled with concussions throughout his career.
Bowden faces tough reality of concussions By Tyler Horka @TexasTy95
Will Bowden looked on as the Texas Club Hockey Team worked its way through ups and downs to a 14-9 record this season. The Longhorns head to El Paso to play in the TCHC playoffs this week. Bowden, the team’s president, will watch from behind the glass again. Texas’ seven-game losing streak in the middle of the season pales in
comparison to the senior marketing major’s struggle during his junior campaign — a struggle he’s tried to avoid since childhood. Bowden, 22, grew up in Round Rock and took up roller hockey at age 9. Just a year later, he hit the ice. His father began telling him to be aggressive, drilling four words into his head so nobody else would. “Hit, or be hit,” Bowden said. “He never meant it for me to bully or put myself in a situation where I would be injured, but he saw it as the
only way to stay away from injuries.” In a way, Billy Bowden was right. According to NeuroTracker, ice hockey has the second highest concussion rate among all sports. One of the NHL’s premier players, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, has missed over 100 games in his career due to concussions. Hockey is a feeding frenzy in which only the toughest competitors survive; even those most prepared for the brutal blows are subject to
barbarity. Playing in his second season of ACHA Division II hockey for The University of Texas, Bowden and his teammates travelled to California for three games in January 2016. In the second game against Cal State Northridge, the puck fluttered toward center ice, and Bowden figured he could beat the opposing defender to it. He did, but the defender had no intention of playing the puck. He wanted to level Bowden into the ice.
“He hit me on the top of my head with full force,” Bowden said. “It dropped me to the ice. I knew immediately that it was a stupid play and that I could have easily paralyzed myself.” Bowden, vulnerable and dizzy, said he laid in a daze longer than he ever had after taking a hit. He knew he had a concussion when the team athletic trainer asked him how much longer they’d be in California. He couldn’t rationalize an answer.
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MOVIE REVIEW | ‘JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2’
‘John Wick’ sequel worthy extension of franchise By Justin Jones @justjustin42
“John Wick: Chapter 2” is an espresso shot of a movie, an action epic which ramps up its predecessor’s brutal fight scenes without any excess fat. Some of the most interesting elements of the first “John Wick” was the mystery surrounding The Continental Hotel, a secret society of assassins. The sequel dives headfirst into its mythology to wonderful effect, filled wall-to-wall with brutal, fun and sometimes humorous action. The film opens on John Wick (Keanu Reeves) during one of his trademark murderous rampages. In this opening scene, as Wick clashes with a veritable army of Russian henchmen during a vicious vehicular battle, director Chad Stahelski’s gory creativity runs wild. It immediately electrifies the audience while also giving a taste for what will follow. From the opening onward, Stahelski’s high-octane directing style is turned up to 11 for the film’s entire duration and never drops down a notch.
Flying solo without “John Wick” co-director David Leitch, Stahelski’s singular vision propels the movie into cinematic-action bliss. After once again attempting retirement to give himself time to grieve the death of his wife, Wick is drawn back into the society of assassins when an old acquaintance, Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio), claims his “mark,” a plot contrivance which requires Wick to assassinate any target for D’Antonio. The two clearly have a murky past, but Wick agrees to follow through with his duty and the story truly begins to unfold. Wick’s journey takes him to Rome, and its location of The Continental Hotel. Each glimpse of Stahelski’s world gives more information without taking away from its mystery, and instead piques the viewer’s curiosity. One of these glimpses features the Roman Continental’s “Sommelier” (Peter Serafinowicz) who doesn’t specialize with wine, but weapons. In one of the film’s funniest scenes, Serafinowicz and Reeves play perfectly off one another, using
extended wine metaphors to refer to preparation for a night of combat. The rest of the film is a globe-hopping journey which has Wick facing off against a brutal Common—yes, the rapper, startlingly intimidating here—as well as a mute yet equally imposing Ruby Rose. In a particularly stunning sequence toward the end, Wick takes down wave upon wave of assassins in a mirror house, using reflections and illusions to kill a vast amount of enemies. The body count in “John Wick” tops off around 80, and “John Wick: Chapter 2” at least doubles it, easily reaching 80 in headshots alone. Make no mistake, this is a ferocious bloody film, but Reeves’ and Stahelski’s awareness about its inherent impracticality makes it work. The movie features a glimpse of a silent film from one of the original geniuses of physical comedy, Buster Keaton, and his influence is obvious here. The most entertaining bits of Keaton’s films involve miraculously overcoming a seemingly insurmountable problem, and Stahelski adopts Keaton’s
Courtesy of Thunder Road Pictures
The director of “John Wick: Chapter 2” sat down with the Daily Texan to discuss his influences and process for creating the film. Read the full Q&A online at thedailytexan.com.
signature humorous flair to fit a violent action film. The most interesting action in both “John Wick” films comes from the moments when the titular hero runs out of bullets, and the many ways he is forced to compensate, including punching someone in the
throat to buy him time, spearing an enemy with the barrel of his rifle and simply throwing the gun at his assailants. These films do not aim to shock or surprise their audience, but entertain, and on that front, Stahelski and Reeves perfectly stick the landing.
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 Rating: R Runtime: 122 Minutes Score:
WEST CAMPUS
UT Chabad House brings together Jewish community on campus By Hannah Plantowsky @thedailytexan
Every Friday evening, the UT Chabad House welcomes Jewish students with the scent of homemade challah and matzo ball soup. Managed by Rabbi Zev Johnson and Ariela Johnson, the Chabad House is known for the support it gives and hospitality it shows to UT Jewish students. In addition to advice, they also offer various courses on Judaism and prayer services to students. In June, the Johnsons will be celebrating their 10th anniversary of managing UT Chabad
House. Since they arrived in Austin in 2007, they have increased their popularity amongst students by appealing to multiple facets of Jewish student life. Since his own time as a student, Rabbi Zev Johnson has been dreaming of improving and working with UT’s chapter of Chabad House. He said he knew he was destined to come back and be involved with the UT Jewish community. “I was just overwhelmed with the beautiful message of this Jewish center open to any one from any background with love and
Thomas Negrete | Daily Texan Staff
Located on 21st and Nueces Street, the UT Chabad House aims to educate and be a community center for Judaism.
acceptance,” Johnson said. “As a student I started to formulate in my mind, ‘I want to come back here.’” The foundation mission of Chabad Houses nationwide is to nurture and give love to any Jewish person that comes to their door. Chabad, an acronym for chochmah, binah, and da’at, translates from Hebrew to wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. These core values are what have shaped the Chabad movement since Zev was a student and made it what it is today. “The last leader of the Chabad movement, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, really emphasized the idea to love every Jew,” Ariela Johnson said. “So we really try to make it comfortable for anybody and everybody here.” Zev and Ariela’s mission is to work to maintain and pass down Rebbe’s message of education and acceptance. “You come to our doors and we have our values, that are not imposed onto you by any means, but nevertheless we present a smorgasbord of opportunities in Judaism,” Zev Johnson said. “We’re
CAMPUS
LBJ archivist talks internship By Kayla Bollers @kaylabollers
Editor’s note: In 300 words or fewer, this series spotlights people in our community whose stories typically go untold. Surrounded by over 45 million pages of documents, archivist Lara Hall never feels more at home than at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum. Hall’s lifelong fascination with stories led to the discovery of her dream job. Her passion for reading emerged and grew during her childhood. “I started reading when I was five and I really haven’t looked back,” Hall said. “I was that kid in high school who always had a book in her purse.” In her twenties, Hall became the manager of a bookstore. But, dissatisfied with her career, Hall decided to go back to school in her thirties to get her master’s degree in public history at Texas State University. Hall’s studies varied from British colonial history to Latin American studies. While attending classes,
Pedro Luna | Daily Texan Staff
Lyndon B. Johnson Museum and Library archivist Lara Hall has been passionate about books her entire life. She has worked at the library for many years now.
Hall also began interning at the LBJ Library and Museum. During her work as an archivist, Hall found her niche in 1960’s American foreign policy. Hall’s internship with the museum was a life changing experience. “I absolutely loved it,” Hall said. “So, at the end of the summer when my internship was up I was like, ‘I don’t think I’m gonna leave.’” For Hall, studying archives related to LBJ’s foreign policy brings history
to life. “Working here definitely makes the sixties seem much more real,” Hall said. “It’s tangible. You can see it in front of you, you can hear it.” Being an archivist also helped Hall appreciate the narrative nature of history, something that, as a reader, keeps her going. “It’s all in the interpretation,“ Hall said. “History is stories. You have to ask not only what is being told but also what isn’t being told.”
nonjudgmentally offering a plethora of Jewish education for the masses in an accepting, warm and loving environment.” At the end of every week, the duo hosts a three course Shabbat dinner for the entire Jewish UT community. At Chabad House, Shabbat, the weekly celebration of the Jewish day of rest, gathers crowds of around 50-150 students seeking a home cooked meal and a meaningful evening. Political communications
senior Sophie Degani began becoming attending Chabad House events after attending a Shabbat dinner her freshman year. She has since returned to Chabad for Torah classes, services and a countless number of Friday nights. “Something that’s difficult as a college student is really missing that home environment,” Degani said. “Every week you can just come spend time with your friends, there’s kids running around, and there’s delicious
home cooked food. It’s a really wonderful way to end the week and get to know other people that you might not have met otherwise.” Though things can get hectic managing a home at times, both Zev and Ariela take a lot of pride in their work and their students. “I look around and people are happy celebrating Shabbat,” Ariela Johnson said. “It’s a really beautiful feeling to know that you were able to facilitate that.”