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THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
VOLUME 118, ISSUE 83
N E WS
O PI N I O N
LI FE &A RTS
SPORTS
SURE Walk and Ride introduce wheelchair accessible vehicles. PAGE 2
Thoughts on how to overcome racism and slow internet speeds. PAGE 4
Will Dunkin’ Donuts knock out the other breakfast spots on the Drag? PAGE 8
Kerwin Roach returns as the Longhorns take down No. 8 Texas Tech. PAGE 6
UNIVERSITY
‘We Heard You’ Student feedback led Fenves and CMHC to subsidize the $10 fee. By Stephanie Adeline @stephadeline
U
T President Gregory Fenves announced on Wednesday that the University will no longer charge students $10 per counseling appointment in the Counseling and Mental Health Center. Psychiatry services will also be reduced from $15 to $10 per session, lowering to the same fee as other medical appointments. Both
changes are subsidized through the University’s partnership with ESPN on the Longhorn Network. This change comes after Fenves received feedback from students when a Daily Texan article last semester revealed that UT-Austin was one of the only top schools in Texas to charge students for counseling and mental health services. “Last semester, I heard from many students about the charges for counseling appointments at the Counseling and Mental Health Center,” Fenves said in an email to the UT community. “I am concerned that these charges have been a barrier for students seeking needed care.” Fenves also emphasized mental health should not be overlooked
COUNSELING page 3
illustration by victoria smith | daily texan staff
UNIVERSITY
Latinx admission, graduate rates don’t match up
NATION
Department of Justice seeks Supreme Court review of DACA injunction By Chase Karacostas @ chasekaracostas
The Department of Justice announced Tuesday it will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review last week’s federal injunction that temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from rescinding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. U.S. District Judge William Alsup issued the injunction on Jan. 9 stating that the Obamaera protections for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as minors must remain in place while lawsuits against Trump’s decision are pending. Officials are not, however, required to accept new applications for the program. If the Supreme Court takes on the case, the Department of Justice will be bypassing the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which would traditionally handle the next round of the appeals process for Alsup’s decision. For now, the Department has filed an appeal of the injunction with the Ninth Circuit. “It defies both law and common sense for DACA … to somehow be mandated nationwide by a single district court in
DACA page 2
By Maria Mendez @thedailytexan
More Latino students are enrolling at UT and U.S. universities, but they are still not graduating at the same rate as white students. A December report by The Education Trust highlighted a 10-percent gap between the national graduation rates of Latinx and white students in 2015. The report also found a 13-percent gap at UT-Austin and similar gaps at other UT universities. In 2015, 63.3 percent of white college students graduated from U.S. universities within six years, but only 53.6 percent
of Latino students graduated, according to report author Andrew Nichols. “If university leaders believe in the inherent potential for all students to succeed, regardless of race or ethnicity, then there is no way to justify that kind of gap,” Nichols said in an emailed statement. The 2015 national Latinx graduation rate remains higher than that for black and Native American students, but the report states that this improvement is slow compared to the recent growth in Latinx enrollment. Enrollment for Latinx students nearly tripled between 1999 and 2016, according to
LATINX page 2
Latino graduation rates at UT
How UT’s 2015 grad rates stack up to the national average 83% 70% 63.3% National average: 59.4%
53.6%
White
Latino
infographic by rena li | daily texan staff
SOURCE: The Education Trust
CAMPUS
Flu season expected to get worse as spring semester starts By Stephanie Adeline @stephadeline
Students returning to campus after winter break run the risk of getting the flu after more than 8,000 people in Texas have tested positive for influenza since October — more than six times as many as last year’s flu season — according to the Department of State Health Services. University Health Services has seen a relatively high percentage of influenza and influenza-like illness diagnoses out of the total number of primary care visits in the
Athletics FS; Process color
past two weeks, according to Kathy Mosteller, UHS director of nursing services. Mosteller said UHS expects the numbers to increase in the next few weeks as students start the spring semester. “(Students) come back to campus, they’ll be around other people who have the flu, people who are worried about missing class so they’re going to class and coughing,” Mosteller said. “Next week we’ll start getting a lot of phone calls … but this is very predictable. It’s nothing unusual about this year’s flu, so far.” According to the Center for Disease Control, this season’s
flu vaccine is predicted to be around 30 percent effective, similar to last year’s vaccine. Jiwon Lee, a postdoctoral fellow researching on flu vaccine, said flu shots are sometimes ineffective due to the nature of the influenza virus as a rapidly evolving virus. “Every year, three or four different flu strains are selected to be included in the seasonal flu vaccine,” Lee said in an email. “Sometimes, there are mismatches, meaning the virus strain widely circulating during the year is different from the ones included in the vaccine, leading to ineffectiveness of the vaccine.”
illustration by mel westfall | daily texan staff Despite getting a flu shot in October, Leo Angulo caught the flu the day after Christmas. Angulo, a biochemistry and psychology junior, said he also saw a number of his friends and family members getting the flu. “You think sometimes your friends are like pulling your
leg or make excuses to not hang out but no, people actually were sick,” Angulo said. “Then people ask me like do you want to do something … and I’m like no, I’m sick.” Angulo said he caught the flu because getting the vaccine
FLU page 2
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
CAMPUS
SURE Ride, Walk now wheelchair accessible
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SURE Walk and SURE Ride student use
@annalassmann
SURE Ride began accepting requests for wheelchair accessible vehicles when they resumed services at the start of the spring semester. “This has been in the plan from the beginning, and so we are extremely excited to see it finally being rolled out,” said Bobby Stone, director of Parking and Transportation Services, in an email. “The program was designed and is intended for the entire university community, and with this last piece it now can truly serve everyone equally.” SURE Ride is in a partnership with Lyft that began last fall. The program enables students to receive free Lyft rides from campus to residential areas between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. Students who want to participate in the program must opt in through Parking and Transportation Services online. To request a wheelchair accessible vehicle, students must select “Access Mode” under the “Settings and Services” of the app and follow the instructions given there. “It provides a great platform for providing the campus community with late night, safe access from the campus back to where the shuttles operate,”
Fall 2017 SURE Ride
18,000
Fall 2017 SURE Walk
15,000 12,000
Spring 2017 SURE Walk
SOURCE: Holden Hopkins, associate director of SURE Walk and Bobby Stone, director of Parking and Transportation Services
infographic by mallika gandhi | daily texan staff Stone said. SURE Walk, the student-run ride service on campus, also added a wheelchair accessible van to their fleet of vehicles during the fall semester. “Now we are able to fulfill requests for students who may have different needs in terms of vehicles,” said Holden Hopkins, associate director for SURE Walk. “We are fully accessible, that was one of our big goals coming in and SURE Walk is now fully accessible.” Government sophomore Archer Hadley said adding wheelchair accessibility for students like him is a step in the right
direction. Hadley is the founder of Archer’s Challenge, an event where people experience what it’s like to be wheelchair bound for a day. “To know that excites me a lot,” Hadley said. “I think this is all helping to make UT a more welcoming environment for all kinds of (students), and I think this is really helping to do that.” Hadley says the University still has a long way to go to make people more aware of disabilities and special education. “I think that they could do a much better job in putting money and efforts in the special education areas,” Hadley said.
“I think that they’re definitely trying to make efforts in that area, but it’s not without prodding and poking from students like me, so I think there’s a lot more to do.” Last semester, SURE Walk fulfilled about 15,000 rides, which is 3,000 more than the previous semester, said Hopkins, Plan II and business honors sophomore. This semester, SURE Walk plans to purchase more golf carts after raising money through UT’s fundraising site HornRaiser, during the fall. “It’s great to continue to see it grow,” Hopkins said. “We did have a successful HornRaiser
Past to present:
ISSUE STAFF
DACA recipients face uncertain future
Sports Reporters Keshav Prathivadi
Designers Chantal Rivera
SEPT. 5, 2017 SEPT. 2017
Federal government stops accepting renewal applications for DACA recipients
MAIN TELEPHONE (512) 471-4591
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
photographer juan figueroa | daily texan staff Aerospace engineering junior Jose Guillen remembers feeling lost as a Latino first-generation student his freshman year.
MANAGING EDITOR
LATINX
Laura Hallas (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com Ellie Breed (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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the Pew Research Center. At UT, the number of Hispanic students increased by a little over 20 percent between 2008 and 2013, said Carolyn Connerat, associate vice provost for Student Success Initiatives, which oversees UT’s student support programs. The Education Trust found UT’s six-year graduation rate of 70 percent for Hispanic students to be higher than the national average, but lower than the calculated 83-percent rate for white UT students. “Higher-performing institutions like UT Austin still can do more in terms of achieving equity,” Nichols said in an email. Connerat said UT-Austin studies graduation rates by ethnicity as part of its overall goal to improve fouryear graduation rates. Since 2013, UT has tried to increase four-year graduation rates for all students from 52 to 70 percent by implementing First-Year Interest Groups and success programs such as the Gateway Scholars Program. “Many of our programs across campus are predominantly (Latinx),” Connerat said. “But there’s a focus on helping those students that are first-generation to be successful.” Aerospace engineering junior Jose Guillen, a Latino first-generation student,
remembers feeling lost his freshman year and said he often couldn’t ask his parents for help. “Coming to UT, it was surprising to see people who already knew what steps to take and had mentors in the (aerospace industry),” Guillen said. Connerat said making sure Hispanic and Latinx students know about the resources available to them has been a big part of the University’s efforts. The University reached a 65.7 percent overall fouryear graduation rate in 2017, and Connerat said Hispanic students had showed some of the most significant increases. The four-year graduation rate for UT’s Hispanic students has increased from 43 percent to 60 percent since 2013, Connerat said. Connerat said the impact of the initiatives put in place in 2013 are still not evident in 2017’s six-year graduation rates, but the six-year graduation rate for Hispanic students in 2017 was 74.5 percent. With UT’s help, Guillen has managed to maneuver through UT and his industry, even securing an internship in France last summer, but said he wishes UT’s resources were more proactive. “Although UT has all these specific references available, it would be good if they could compile them, so you know what to do from the start,” Guillen said.
JAN. 19, 19, 2018 2018 JAN.
U.S. District Judge for San Francisco William Alsup temporarily blocks President Donald Trump from rescinding DACA while lawsuits to stop him from ending the program are pending
Jeff Sessions announces federal government will rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in six months
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that raised us some money that we’re going to be able to invest in the program and get us some more vehicles, and hopefully we can see that usage go even higher.” Hopkins does not foresee any major changes to SURE Walk operations this semester that will affect users, but program leaders are looking to become more efficient and decrease wait times. “We are always working and evaluating efficiency and working to get wait times down to respond to students,” Hopkins said. “We are looking at what students want and building that into the program.”
OCT. 5, 2017 OCT. 2017
Federal government budget deadline. Advocates for DACA recipients want to use it to leverage the passage of a DREAM Act
Federal government announces they will begin accepting renewal applications again JAN. 13, 2018 JAN. 2018
Original deadline for when Trump planned to begin phasing out DACA. Estimates say thousands of DACA recipients would begin losing their status each day after this. MAR.5,5,2018 2018 MAR.
infographic by mallika gandhi | daily texan staff
DACA
continues from page 1 San Francisco,” U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a press release Tuesday. “We are now taking the rare step of requesting direct review on the merits of this injunction by the Supreme Court so that this issue may be resolved quickly and fairly for all the parties involved.” The announcement came three days after the federal government reported it would begin accepting renewal applications for DACA once again as ordered by Alsup. Several groups, including the state of California, sued the Trump administration following his decision to end DACA. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other congressional Democrats said they still plan to move forward with passing a legislative version of DACA. “Let me be VERY clear: This ruling last night in no
FLU
continues from page 1 does not guarantee protection. “The flu shot can only do so much, but you still have to take care of yourself,” Angulo said. “It’s not like a magic wand where it just says ‘flu disappear.’” Mosteller said the flu has been widespread this season because less people tend to get their flu shot following a mild
way diminishes the urgency of resolving the DACA issue,” Schumer, D-New York, said in a tweet on Jan. 10. Elissa Steglich, an immigration law professor at UT, said the injunction was welcome news, but DACA recipients should still be wary as the ruling is by no means a permanent solution. “(The injunction) echoes what many legal scholars and attorneys were saying about the initial decision to terminate (DACA) from the beginning,” Steglich said. When Sessions announced in September that DACA would be rescinded, he said the decision came because the program was an overstep of power by the executive branch. In the ruling, Alsup wrote that if this was not the case, then DACA has been the “victim of a colossal blunder.” An uncertain future During a meeting with members of Congress just hours before Alsup’s decision, Trump expressed interest in a
flu season. “We see shorter lines and fewer numbers (in our outreach clinics) if the previous season was mild and if the weather was mild,” Mosteller said. “Nobody is thinking of flu when it’s 85 degrees outside. They’re thinking it’s not winter yet.” Although the flu vaccine needs improvement, Mosteller advised students that it is not too late to get vaccinated, because it helps to prevent the spread of the virus.
wide-reaching immigration deal to offer the millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S., not just Dreamers a path to citizenship, according to The New York Times. Two days after Alsup’s decision, during another meeting with members of Congress, Trump reportedly asked why the U.S. would want to allow in immigrants from “shithole countries,” such as Haiti, El Salvador and African nations. This inflamed already tense relations between Trump and the Democrats as they attempted to finalize a deal to replace DACA. Then, on Jan. 14, Trump tweeted that DACA is “probably dead.” The tweet came after several days of heightenedc tensions resulting from thet president’s vulgar comment. t Democrats have threat-w ened a government shutdown if a compromise tos help DACA recipients is notn reached by Jan. 19, when them federal budget expires. w t g u “If more people get the flu T vaccine, we’re protecting more b people in the population,” Mosteller said. “That’s a phenome- r non called the herd immunity.” s Mosteller said students h should also take other preven- n tative measures such as cough- t ing into their sleeves or shoul- w ders, washing hands often and T using alcohol-based hand rubs. a Students should stay at home and contact their professors if h they have flu symptoms, Mo- d t steller said.
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
CAMPUS
photographer anthony mireles | daily texan staff Former Senator Rick Santorum, R-Penn., speaks to an audience inside Painter Hall on Nov. 14 about moral governance. YCT was required to pay a security fee to have UTPD in attendance.
Young Conservatives call for removal of security fee The group was charged after hosting Sen. Rick Santorum in the fall. By Raga Justin @ragajus
T
he conservative youth organization Young America’s Foundation sent a letter to the University last Wednesday demanding the rescission of a $654 security fee charged to Young Conservatives of Texas after they hosted former Senator Rick Santorum, R-Penn., last November. Claiming viewpoint discrimination and negligence of con-
stitutional rights, the letter also includes a request for the campus security fee system to be revised from its current policy, which relies on police assessments of the potential for conflict at an event. YCT called for a system that relies solely on factors that can be predetermined without knowing the content of the speech. “The current security fee system abuses the First Amendment freedoms of UT-Austin students,” the letter reads. Before hosting Santorum’s lecture, YCT was required to attend a consultation with the UT Police Department to determine the number of police officers necessary. This consultation is manda-
tory for all student events hosted on campus, UTPD spokeswoman Cindy Posey said. Univerity spokesman J.B. Bird said the line of questioning carried out by UTPD before events is a long-standing process that fits with the constitutionally required “content-neutral” approach. “I can’t emphasize enough that this is a procedure that goes on routinely with a wide array of speakers and events,” Bird said. “We always ask those questions and then we plan accordingly if we think we need additional officers — but we don’t charge the organization for that. And that’s part of the content-neutral approach that we’ve followed for
many years. The law has been settled since 1992 on this.” The police staffing deemed adequate for an event is based on both its expected size and complexity, UTPD Captain Charles Bonnet said in an email to YCT. “When staffing an event, UTPD requests information about the event to determine basic staffing levels billed to the organizers and whether extra staff may be needed,” Bonnet said in the email. “We also may add officers if we believe there will be counter-protesters or others attempting to disrupt the event, but those costs are (borne) by the University and are not billed to the event organizers.” However, the invoice sent to
YCT in November charged the group $654, an amount which covers the presence of five officers and not the two officers for which the group organizers were told they’d have to pay, according to the organization. Bird said a clerical error was responsible for the incorrect charge. “It’s actually very straightforward,” Bird said. “We’ve done this for years, we have a very, very established process and it’s something the University takes very seriously, so we were glad they brought this to our attention.” YCT spokeswoman Ashley Vaughan said she had initially “reluctantly requested” only one police officer for the event, believ-
ing it should not have merited any officers at all. Vaughan said YCT is working to dismiss the fee. “We are working with YAF to request they rescind the fee in full,” Vaughan said. “We believe the questions that were asked to us in consultation are discriminatory and unconstitutional, and that has tainted the entire process and we should not be charged because of that.” Bird said the current system is intended to keep students safe rather than to discriminate against any organizations. “The notion that there’s some kind of attack is incorrect,” Bird said.
CAMPUS
Transition Week greets new students
Last week the University welcomed hundreds of new students to the Forty Acres and helped them kick off the spring semester with the 2018 Transition Week. Transition Week followed spring orientation and allowed new Longhorns to become acclimated to the campus. Students who participated were able to bowl in the Union Underground, tour the football stadium, experience a Gregory Gym TeXercise class and attend a UT basketball game. Desiree Alva, associate director of New Student Services, said although spring students had some welcome events, NSS noticed they didn’t have a structured welcoming like students who begin classes in the fall, so Transition Week was created about four years ago. “The idea came from Longhorn Welcome,” Alva said. “Students in the fall have a nice week to help welcome them to campus
COUNSELING
continues from page 1 because it impacts students’ performances. “This new investment in the Counseling and Mental Health Center underscores a university-wide commitment to addressing the mental health of students,” Fenves said in the email. “Your psychological well-being is an essential part of your success — both in academics and in life.” CMHC director Chris Brownson said the charges for counseling services date back to seven years ago, when the University’s budgets were reduced because of an economic downturn. In 2010, the CMHC started to charge $5 per counseling appointments and the charges were raised to $10 in 2015. Brownson said these fees were not a concern for the CMHC until the Texan article
came out last fall, when students began voicing their concerns about CMHC charges. “(Based on) our data over the last seven years … we did not see from a statistical standpoint that there was a decrease in our usage because of our charges,” Brownson said. “But when we started hearing stories that were coming up last semester (about) students who were not coming because of the charge … that’s when we started really looking a little further into this issue to see what can be done about that.” The reduction in fees will not impact the quality of the work that the CMHC does, Brownson said. “All of our services are staying exactly as they were before,” Brownson said. “We invest a lot of resources in making sure that students first come to us, that we have a counselor available to talk to them right away and
copyright new student services, and reproduced with permission New students attended events throughout Transition Week to explore campus. New Student Services hosted the annual welcoming week. said. “I knew that I would have to overcome obstacles and the path would not be easy, but I had had faith that I was making the right decision (by transferring).” Journalism senior Sim-
help them get connected with the resources that they need.” Bunmi Akindona, a psychology and sociology senior, said she is glad there are no longer any charges for counseling and mental health services because some students cannot afford $10 per appointment on top of all other expenses as a college student. “Sometimes there are times that I can’t afford to go to the Counseling and Mental Health Center because I have to buy groceries,” Akindona said. Akindona said this change is made possible through students’ voices and encourages students to speak up to bring change. “This was a student-led change,” Akindona said. “Students do have a voice on campus, so if there’s something that you see that you feel like needs to be done, your voice can be heard.”
one Obasuyi said being a new student is difficult to get used to larger classes and a huge campus. Obasuyi said she attended transfer orientation and some of
the welcoming events when she transferred two years ago. Most new students typically enroll and attend UT during the fall semesters. Roughly 10,000 students came to UT last fall,
according to the UT Institutional Reporting, Research and Information Systems Department. The numbers for new students in the spring have not yet been released.
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and help with the transition.” Transition Week directly follows spring orientation, which took place the second week of January, with seven free, on-campus events for students to attend. “About 500 students came to this year’s spring orientation, but that doesn’t include all registered students starting this spring,” Alva said. NSS has extended orientation events throughout the semester to continue helping with the transition process, Alva said. Although NSS targets freshmen, it also helps transfer students with registering for classes, understanding available resources, becoming familiar with Canvas and understanding how to navigate the campus. Finance senior Cameron Maxwell transferred from UT Arlington in the fall of 2015. Although he didn’t attend Transfer Week, he said attending several other on-campus events helped the transition. “The number one thing that made it easier was being actively involved on campus,” Maxwell
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
COLUMN
We must avoid defining racism for our peers By Jaree Campbell associate editor
A recent H&M advertisement, that has since been retracted, depicts a dark-skinned black boy donning a sweatshirt emblazoned with the phrase “coolest monkey in the jungle.” Implying that a black child is a monkey is racist. The trope of the black person as an ape goes back to Antebellum slavery and emerged as a way to ridicule and dehumanize black Americans. But the imagery survived the 20th century and has been used to attack the Obama family and describe athletes, like Serena Williams, for their athletic prowess. Although the hoodie is harmless enough, this offensive historical context evoked an outcry of rage from consumers and celebrities alike. However, the most unexpected response came from the boy’s mother Terry Mango, who suggested that people should just “get over it,” in a since deleted Facebook post. Mango’s response enraged me more than the ad did because as a dark-skinned black woman, I couldn’t just get over it, and I expected Mango to use her voice to inspire change instead of dismissing the controversy. But, the conversation surrounding the advertisement, exemplified by Mango’s comments, reveals a systemic
problem that conceals the actual issue of the company’s lack of consideration for racism. The problem lies with misusing our voices to police how we are allowed to experience racism. Blackness is not a monolith. It varies intergenerationally, regionally, characteristically. Therefore, there are inevitable differences in the way that people experience their own blackness. In a study by NPR, “respondents reported having different kinds of experiences with discrimination, which varied considerably depending on things like gender, age and where they lived.” Our upbringings shape us. Our communities shape us. And our experiences with overt racism shape how we understand ourselves and the discrimination we face. But we mustn’t try to use perceptions of our own
blackness and mock others for how they react to this ad. For example, instead it would be productive to address the actual problems we face as a community — even those that don’t hurt us as individuals. The discourse on social media and in op-eds has shifted toward whether or not the ad is racist, but that is the least important point in this controversy. Shifting to focus on how we are allowed to name and understand discrimination gives H&M the space to let this issue fade into irrelevance without actually making any changes. Whether or not the ad is racist is up for debate, but it is undeniable that H&M has a diversity issue. Understanding the
COLUMN
historical and cultural relevance of a black boy being indirectly labeled as a monkey is arguably limited to people who are black, and a question of whether or not the advertisement could be offensive is part of a larger, nuanced argument. However, having diversity in their upper management team would have opened that conversation. But since H&M’s board of directors is comprised of 12 white people, six of whom are women (as the company emphasizes), it did not happen. Representation is inherently limited in scope, but having no diversity continues to widen the gap in understanding racial and cultural differences. While Twitter real estate is used for debating one another, we are unable to hold H&M accountable for these missteps and confront a more universally damaging challenge. At the root of activism there must be sensitivity. In understanding blackness, we must acknowledge that there are different experiences of racism. Invalidating someone’s experiences and perceptions only serves to stand in the way of activism. We cannot be progressive without accepting all experiences as valid and important although they will differ from our own. Campbell is an English junior from El Paso.
COLUMN
Minority voices on television let us support media diversity
Million-dollar tech upgrades bring little benefit to students
illustration by rachel tyler | daily texan staff
10 percent. By giving creative control to the likes of Shonda Rhimes (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Atlanta.” “How to Get Away With Murder,” “Scan“Get Out.” dal”), Donald Glover (“Atlanta”) and Issa “Insecure.” Rae (“Insecure”), studio executives open “Moonlight.” doors and break boundaries. This doesn’t “How to Get Away With Murder.” The list goes on. Critics and viewers are mean that the television industry is a increasingly turning to TV shows and mov- perfect model. With the minority popuies that incorporate diverse narratives and lation of the United States at around 38 break previous creative limits. Television percent and growing each year, studios must do more if studios demonstrate a they want to paint willingness to empowa picture that is er minorities to tell reflective of what complex stories both “Television studios America looks like. on and off the screen. Box office ratings As consumers, we have demonstrate a a responsibility to supare in a downward port creative mediums spiral. The Ameriwillingness to committed to diversity can public is tired and the representation of watching the empower of all types of people. same old stories. minorities to tell While representaAnd Hollywood is tion in media still has struggling. complex stories...” a long way to go, studThough it’s not ies show television perfect, television is making strides in is beginning to prothe right direction. In vide a platform for 2017, the annual Holpreviously unheard lywood Diversity Revoices and narraport by Ralph J. Bunche Center for African tives. As consumers, we have the power American Studies at UCLA found that mito show these industries what we want nority actors made up 11.4 percent of lead our media to look like. And we want it to roles on television, an increase from about look like us. 3 percent in 2016. When asked who she was cheering for at This significant increase in representation in leading roles is a strong indicator of what the 69th Emmy Awards, Issa Rae said, “I’m viewers enjoy. A 2013 Bunche Center study rooting for everybody black.” The rest of us found that ratings were highest for television should follow suit. Braaten is a international relations and shows with casts that were 31 to 40 percent global studies junior from Conroe. minority and lowest for those with less than By Elizabeth Braaten senior columnist
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 jeb milling | daily texan staff
By Ryan Young senior columnist
UT spends hundreds of millions of dollars on new technologies, yet students continue to feel the pinch of bandwidth caps, slowed connections and network fees. It’s time to rethink our priorities. For starters, the weekly bandwidth limit for off-campus undergraduate students – a single gigabyte – is simply too low. It’s easy to smash that limit by accessing educational resources like videos and electronic textbooks. Indeed, 52 percent of students do so each week, so paying fees to increase your cap is almost mandatory. UT has not announced plans to roll out the next version of the Internet – called IPv6 – that is being phased in by Internet service providers around the world. In other words, students at a top school for computer science have no access to a technology many Comcast subscribers do. Much of our Wi-Fi woes are merely the result of a tight budget for Information Technology Services. For example, UT’s IT budget advisory commissions recommends increasing the free bandwidth limit by 500 percent. A big obstacle? “Very tight financial constraints.” However, ITS has had trouble keeping track of the money it has. As the Statesman reported, a major accounting oversight led the department to spend much more money than it was actually allocated. By August, ITS had racked up an annual deficit of $15 million. That’s a lot of money that disappeared down the drain. We deserve a thorough explanation for these mishaps, and the university should prioritize initiatives like lifting bandwidth limits that will directly benefit students. But if
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it’s not feasible to increase or shift ITS’s budget, then perhaps we need to take a broader look at technology spending at UT. In 2012, UT, flush with a block grant of oil money, established the Institute for Transformational Learning with a lofty goal: to act as a kind of higher education startup for new and innovative technology. Since then, the Institute’s funding has totaled almost $100 million. One of the Institute’s first major projects was the MOOC (Massively Open Online Course), which should have dramatically expanded the University’s reach through affordable online learning. But as the Texan opined back in 2014, the MOOCs turned out to be expensive boondoggles. They cost tens of millions of dollars to run – with no clear path to producing any revenue – and completion rates stood at an anemic 1-13 percent. More recently, the Institute has been working on TEx (Total Educational Experience), a “data-first” digital learning platform that resembles Canvas and Blackboard. But the first version of the new app – which also cost millions of dollars to develop – failed a pilot test at UT Rio Grande Valley last spring. The Institute continues work on TEx 2.0 and expects to launch it next fall. Maybe some of the money spent on these white elephants could have gone toward reducing Wi-Fi fees or implementing IPv6. Our technology spending is understandable. As a top-tier university, UT needs to be at the forefront of the digital revolution, and we can’t rely on Cold War-era computer systems forever. But we’re leaving our campus network to rot, and students are noticing. Clearly, it’s time for some disruption. Young is a computer science senior from Bakersfield, California.
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
DUNKIN’
continues from page 8 breakfast items in addition to sugary treats like donuts and ice cream. Dunkin’ also offers something rarely found near campus: reasonable prices on all of its items. For instance, a grande iced coffee will cost you $2.65 at Starbucks, and only $1.89 at Dunkin’. Einstein Bros. Bagels, the closest in location to the new Dunkin’, might be the biggest threat to the new store. This Drag favorite has been serving up bagels and coffee to hungry students for years and has developed a loyal customer base. Even once the hype of Dunkin’ fades, Einstein’s could stand to lose part of that loyal customer base due to the fact that Dunkin’ provides far more
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continues from page 8 Watergate scandal was also written about and investigated during his presidency. While many books have been written about presidents, few have been published while said president is still in
options in terms of food, with a whole plethora of breakfast sandwiches from croissants, bagels and toast and donuts galore. The final contender for Drag breakfast champion is an Austin classic, Kerbey Lane Cafe. While Dunkin’ offers more grab-and-go options, Kerbey has a diner feel, serving up pancakes and coffee at all hours. Kerbey will likely feel no harm from Dunkin’s arrival, and it will keep its title for Best Late-Night Breakfast, seeing as Dunkin’ only remains open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Dunkin’ Donuts’ arrival probably won’t harm the business of other breakfast venues because it fills a void that was previously missing from the Drag. While other
eateries cater to a certain food or customer, Dunkin’ seems like it will check all boxes for someone just looking to grab a quick, affordable breakfast. Possible competition could come from Rise Biscuits and Donuts, the North Carolina chain set to open sometime early this year. All in all, Dunkin’ on the Drag is really just another Dunkin’ Donuts, aside from how long it took to get built and its flashy interior. It remains just one of many, and another link in the chain of the corporate takeover of the Drag. Only a lengthy wait and the overwhelming stresses of college life could make the appearance of a Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins combo store seem downright magical.
office, and fewer still are so ruefully, for lack of a better term, messy. Wolff ends the book on an odd note, documenting Bannon’s fall from grace. He cites Bannon as the true leader of the “Trump revolution” and the hopeful president elect in 2020. This ending seems to
firm up what feels like Bannon’s heavy hand in the rest of the book and may have you once again questioning how much of the book is authentic. While “Fire and Fury” seemed to stir President Trump into another Twitter tizzy, it will most likely not have any long-lasting repercussions.
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TRENTON DAESCHNER
SPORTS EDITOR @TEXANSPORTS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
MEN’S BASKETBALL | TEXAS 67, NO. 8 TEXAS TECH 58
Texas dunks all over Texas Tech in upset win Kerwin Roach II scores 20 points in his first game back from a hand injury. By Steve Helwick @s_helwick
T
remendous, athletic dunks by freshman forward Mo Bamba, the return of junior guard Kerwin Roach II and shocking the No. 8 team in the nation — there were plenty of reasons the crowd at the Frank Erwin Center was on its feet Wednesday night. The Longhorns not only competed but played an exciting brand of basketball to boost the atmosphere at The Drum in a 67-58 upset victory. “The fans were great tonight, particularly the students,” head coach Shaka Smart said. “They made a huge, huge difference for our team. I really appreciated the way people in Austin, people in the UT community have rallied around our team in a difficult time.” Bamba’s energy gave the Texas faithful a reason to get excited, producing highlight dunk after highlight dunk and rejection after rejection. The freshman finished with a loaded stat line of 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. “I think he can block the moon
and the sun,” Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. “He’s a lottery pick for a reason.” But the most important dunk of the game belonged to Roach, whose right-handed flush down a wideopen lane mounted Texas’ lead to 64-52 with 2:06 remaining in the game. The 12,396 onlookers responded by achieving a maximum decibel level for the night. It was a spectacular outing for the junior guard, who returned after a fractured left hand marked him absent for the last two contests. Roach shoveled in a season-high 20 points, and the 59.1-percent free throw shooter showed massive improvement by sinking 8-of-9 shots from the stripe on the night. Additionally, he thrived in his primary role as a defensive nuisance, holding Texas Tech senior guard Keenan Evans — who averaged 17.5 points per game entering Wednesday — to just 11 points. “It was big for us,” Bamba said of Roach’s return. “Snoop (Roach’s nickname) really takes charge in our perimeter defense, and having him back in the lineup made all the difference. Keenan Evans is a really good player offensively, and Snoop really did his job on him tonight.” Texas moved slightly away from the three-ball and played to its strengths. Smart’s team only attempted 15 shots beyond the arc. The Longhorns finished with
32 points in the paint instead. A high-percentage shot selection led the team to finish 51.1 percent from the floor and obtain the Longhorns’ first top-10 win since February 2016. Despite the ranking disparity and the absence of sophomore guard Andrew Jones — who is battling leukemia — Texas was in control for the majority of the 40 minutes. The Longhorns snatched an early 12-11 lead with 10:42 left in the first half and remained ahead until the final buzzer sounded. The Red Raiders provided a brief scare by cutting the margin to five with just under five minutes to go. But thanks to a barrage of late layups and dunks, Texas (12–6, 3–3 Big 12) prevailed in an urgent game, avoiding a losing streak while managing to stay competitive against the elite in a challenging Big 12. “The thing about this league is teams being ranked and where they’re ranked will fluctuate some because people are going through a gauntlet of tough games,” Smart said. “There’s five or six teams in our league that could make an argument to be in the top 10, 15 or 20. “We’re not one of them yet; we’re trying to become one of them. Tonight was a good step in that direction.”
photographer katie bauer | daily texan staff Junior guard Kerwin Roach II drives past Texas Tech senior guard Keenan Evans. Roach scored a season-high 20 points against the Red Raiders on Wednesday.
FOOTBALL
Texas football offseason roundup: what you missed By Keshav Prathivadi @kpthefirst
For the first time in three years, the Longhorns’ season lasted into winter break. Apart from its bowl win, Texas was busy in all aspects as it geared up for the offseason and another round of recruiting. Here are some quick notes from what the Longhorns did while students were away on break.
Texas players going pro
The Longhorns have holes to fill for next season as five juniors declared for the upcoming NFL Draft. Cornerback Holton Hill, safety DeShon Elliott and left tackle Connor Williams
were among the first players to announce their intentions to play at the next level. Punter Michael Dickson, who won the 2017 Ray Guy Award, also declared for the NFL Draft but played in Texas’ bowl game against Missouri. Linebacker Malik Jefferson followed suit, making his announcement following the Longhorns’ Texas Bowl victory. He was held out of the game, however, with turf toe. The departures leave Herman and his staff with key roles to fill on both sides of the ball in 2018.
Signing day splash
When the early signing period rolled around on Dec. 20, there was plenty
photographer carlos garcia | daily texan staff Top left: Junior punter Michael Dickson punts from the end zone. Bottom left: Head coach Tom Herman monitors from the sideline.
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of good news that came along with it for Texas and head coach Tom Herman. The Longhorns received national letters of intent from some of the best players in the state of Texas, including defensive backs DeMarvion Overshown, B.J. Foster, Anthony Cook, Caden Sterns, Jalen Green and wide receiver Brennan Eagles. Having struggled in previous years to sign some of the state’s top talent, Texas made all the right moves in Herman’s second recruiting cycle by nabbing seven of the state’s top 10 players, per 247 Sports’ current rankings. In addition, this class brings in talent on both sides of the ball that can fill
the voids left by NFL-bound players. Texas still has more recruits to sign, and Herman and his staff will be out on the road recruiting leading up to National Signing Day on Feb. 7.
Sweet victory at the Texas Bowl
Texas seized the moment in its first bowl game in three years by securing a momentum-building 3316 win over Missouri in the Texas Bowl. The Longhorns quickly built a 21-7 lead, only to see it cut down to 2116 in the third quarter. But unlike many times this season when the team folded in close games, Texas held its own and pulled away late to obtain the win. The Longhorns saw
photographer anthony mireles | daily texan staff Middle: Junior linebacker Malik Jefferson takes down a Baylor ball carrier. Jefferson has declared for the 2018 NFL Draft.
production in all phases of the game, scoring twice on defense courtesy of a fumble return for a touchdown and a safety. In the end, Dickson stole the show by earning MVP honors for the game, only the second time a punter has ever earned that award in a bowl game.
New faces
The Longhorns have recently made a couple of adjustments to their coaching staff. Texas’ assistant director of player personnel, Bryan Carrington, will serve as the interim 10th assistant coach to help in the ongoing recruiting process. On Wednesday, Texas officially hired Herb Hand, who served as offensive
line coach at Auburn for the past two seasons. Hand brings in 27 years of coaching experience to the Forty Acres, and he will serve as co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach under Herman.
Injury Update
Texas announced late Wednesday that sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele will undergo surgery on Thursday for a torn adductor (hip)/abdominal muscle he sustained during the Texas Bowl. Buechele will begin treatment and rehabilitation soon after and is expected to be ready for the Longhorns’ first spring practice on March 5.
photographer anthony mireles | daily texan staff Top right: Junior offensive tackle Connor Williams runs onto the field. Bottom right: The Longhorns celebrate following a Texas Bowl win.
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
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CHARLES LIU & CHRIS DUNCAN
LIFE&ARTS EDITORS @THEDAILYTEXAN
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
FOOD
BOOKS
Dunkin’ Donuts enters Drag breakfast fight
illustration by geo casillas | daily texan staff
Dunkin’ Donuts becomes a contender in a competition of breakfast joints. By Collyn Burke @_collyn_
W
hat was once a littered alcove filled with everything from spray painted portraits of Johnny Cash to dead pigeons has been
transformed into a neon oasis of reasonably priced coffee, ice cream and breakfast delights, lovingly referred to as Dunkin’ on the Drag. Dunkin’ Donuts has opened its highly anticipated fourth Austin location more than a year after its “coming soon” sign was strung up on the corner of 24th and Guadalupe Streets. Once construction finally began, the excitement over the soon to be Dunkin’ reached a crescendo, sending
UT students into a tizzy. But with all the excitement surrounding the new Dunkin’ Donuts the question can be asked: How do the Drag’s other breakfast joints hold up? The new Dunkin’ seems to have filled a needed void in the Drag breakfast lineup, bringing in a variety of breakfast items where its competitors seem to specialize in one or the other. Dunkin’ provides a new and shiny option for
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DUNKIN’ page 5
copyright henry holt and company, and reproduced with permission Michael Wolff’s “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” tracks the trials and Tribulations Trump’s first nine months in the White House.
‘Fire and Fury’ has trouble discerning fact from fiction By Collyn Burke @_collyn_
There can really be only one word to describe “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House:” interesting. “Fire and Fury,” released Jan. 5, is USA Today columnist Michael Wolff’s tell-all book depicting these first nine months of President Donald Trump’s presidency. Trump’s cease and desist order to the book’s publisher only heightened its demand, leading to an early release date and massive sales. Readers and politicians alike may have been disappointed by what they found between the pages of Wolff’s book as “Fire and Fury” is full of sloppy reporting. Wolff even mentions in the book’s author’s note that he allows “the players (to) offer their versions” of the truth, adopting a “fly on the wall” narrative style while leaving the reader to wonder how he got most of his information. Wolff’s book reads more like Molière’s famous satire “Tartuffe” than a legitimate White House exposé. Wolff develops an exaggerated cast of characters, from the
childlike and possibly illiterate Trump, to the fallen hero Steve Bannon and the evil Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump mash-up. Wolff tries his hardest to create caricatures of every prominent White House staffer, focusing more on personalities than actual events. So much for journalistic integrity.
One must take the book for what it is: an interesting account, but probably not a wholly true one. Wolff begins his chronicle by insinuating that everything that has happened since Trump’s election is a result of the simple fact that he did not plan on winning. The book continues by unraveling the inner happenings of the White House through the power moves made by each
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of his characters, shedding an unpleasant light on everyone, it seems, aside from Bannon. Though Wolff’s portrayal of the Trump presidency is interesting and at times downright comical, it is very difficult to discern fact from fiction. While everything seems possible, it fails to present enough evidence to be labeled as the truth. One must take the book for what it is: an interesting account, but probably not a wholly true one. Like a tabloid, it’s eye-catching, but little more than that. Days before the book was set to be released, Trump’s legal team sent a cease and desist order to John Sargent, CEO of Macmillan Publishers, for “Fire and Fury.” Sargent later sent out a memo to the Macmillan employees in which he made it clear they would not stop the production of the book, arguing the First Amendment gives his company the freedom to publish Wolff’s book. Trump and his hatred of what he has dubbed “fake news media” may have been what spurred the writing of a book within the first year of his presidency. Trump is often compared to Nixon, whose
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