The Daily Texan 2018-01-22

SERVING THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN COMMUNITY SINCE 1900 @THEDAILYTEXAN | THEDAILYTEXAN.COM

MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2018

VOLUME 118, ISSUE 85

N EWS

O PI N I O N

S P ORTS

LIFE&ARTS

Resource Recovery auctions furniture and other University items to the public . PAGE 2

Forum contributors discuss recent revelations about TEA special education caps. PAGE 4

Tennis program’s unveiling of new facilities displays bright future for Longhorns. PAGE 6

Film students and faculty weigh in on the Time’s Up movement.

PAGE 8

CITY UNIVERSITY

UTPD adds off-campus incidents to message alerts

By Meara Isenberg @mearaannee

Multiple texts lit up students’ phone screens Friday as they followed the frenzy of two related Subway robberies in West Campus.

The UT Police Department, who issues the emergency text alerts students receive, isn’t legally obligated to inform students of incidents in West Campus, but the robbery alerts were no anomaly.

In an effort to increase safety, the department has expanded the range of its text alerts to cover off-campus incidents this semester.

“During this past year, a lot of people were concerned about incidents that actually occurred off campus,” UTPD Police Chief David Carter said.

“We want to give as much information as we possibly can that is responsive to what we believe our community needs, especially if we pick up on something that could actually be a threat.”

The Clery Act is a federal law that requires college police departments to provide information on serious nature crimes that occur on or in close proximity to campus.

Carter said although they are only legally obligated to send emergency alerts regarding incidents a block or less away from the University, the department recognized many students that commute to campus from surrounding areas are potentially at risk.

“There have been a lot of incidents that have occurred off campus, not technically within that (required) reporting area,” Carter said. “We started looking at those kinds of incidents and finding out there’s no requirement to put out that

devika manish kumar | the daily texan staff Left: Former Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis speaks at Austin’s Women’s March in front of the Capitol.

anthony mireles | the daily texan staff Top: Design freshman Samantha Sturgeon raises her fist in solidarity with other Texas women.

carlos garcia | the daily texan staff Right: The “Texas Handmaids” stand in unity in front of the Capitol to protest women’s rights.

Thousands gather for Austin march Austinites call for Trump’s impeachment and women’s rights.

By Brianna Stone & Chase Karacostas @bristone19 @chasekaracostas

O

n the one year anniversary of President Donald Trump taking office, more than 1,000 people rallied together to call for his impeachment.

The Impeachment Rally began Saturday morning at City Hall with

two hours of speakers, including local activists and former state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, who ran for governor in 2014. Davis then led the crowd in a march down Congress Avenue to rally again at the Capitol for women’s rights and to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Several speakers throughout the day stressed the need for political change and encouraged citizens to be active civically and vote.

“We have to realize that Trump is in office because a lot of people got lazy,” said Chas Moore, co-founder

of local activist group Austin Justice Coalition. “A lot of us got comfortable. We didn’t go to the polls, we didn’t talk to our neighbors about our responsibilities as a democratic country.”

While speaking, Moore was interrupted by John Colgin, who came to the front of the rally yelling and blaring a blow horn. Anti-Trump activist Alexei Wood then snatched Colgin’s Make America Great Again hat and ran off with it.

Colgin chased him down — following a brief altercation — and both were arrested.

Colgin was one of about five

Trump supporters who showed up to counter-protest the rally.

At the Capitol, the Women’s Rally and Roe v. Wade celebration began with a moment of silence for women who have died because they were unable access adequate maternal healthcare.

“Texas has been relegated to third-world status in regard to maternal morbidity and mortality rates,” said State Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin. “As a former registered nurse, none of this anti-abortion legislation makes any

MARCH page 2

ALERTS page 3 CAMPUS

NATION

UTPD decreases frequency of Campus Watch reports from daily to weekly

Texas women hope to end dry spell in Congress

By Allyson Waller @allyson_renee7

For the past year, the UT Police Department’s detailed crime rundown has made a weekly, instead of daily, appearance in the inbox of its subscribers.

“We switched to a weekly format last year instead of a daily format just because some of the feedback that we got said that we were sending too many emails, (and) they were going unread,” said Michael Murphy, UTPD officer on the Community Outreach Unit.

UTPD’s Campus Watch, which comes to subscribers in the form of an email, differs from UT’s texts and safety email alerts that are required by law. It is not an emergency notification or timely warning but a list of selected daily crimes

rena li | the daily texan staff reported to UTPD. “When (University) Communications sends out an email, it typically means that there is some criminal activity that occurred, and the campus community needs to know about it because there’s a safety concern or we’re

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asking you to avoid the area,” said Murphy, who is responsible for sending out Campus Watch reports.

“Whereas, Campus Watch is something that you read during your work day or class day just to stay aware of what’s going on around

you, but it’s not designed to communicate immediacy.”

In 2017, UTPD sent out 50 Campus Watch reports, which was noticeably smaller when compared to the last few years. UTPD sent out an average of more than 200 Campus Watch reports per year from 2014–2016. As of now, 19,420 people have subscribed to Campus Watch emails, according to the UT Lists website.

When looking at how many Campus Watch reports were sent out in 2017 compared to previous years, radio-television-film sophomore Kaia Daniel was curious as to why the reports dwindled.

“It seems like they stopped putting much effort into it, which can be a cause of concern because I doubt crime has decreased significantly in

REPORTS page 2

By Sami Sparber @samisparber

Nearly 50 Texas women are running for Congress this year, each hoping to end the state’s 22-year dry spell of electing new women to

serve in Washington.

Motivated by a combination of national backlash against President Donald Trump and a surge of vacant seats throughout the state, experts say dozens of women have thrown their hats into the ring.

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MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2018

CITY

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ISSUE STAFF News Reporters Grace Speas, Estefania Rodriguez, Meghan Nguyen, Gracie Awalt, James Treuthardt, Madelyn Reiter, Kateri David Photographers Kate Dannenmaier, Devika Manish Kumar

Resource Recovery aims to reduce waste

Podcast Director JT Lindsey

Podcast Technical Producer Dani Matias

Video Editor Thomas Negrete

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Copy Editors Brittany Miller L&A Reporters Noelle Henry Sports Reporters Henry Corwin, Logan Harvill, Dalton Phillips S&T Reporters Kevin Dural

By Grace Speas @gracespeas

A piece of furniture can live a long life, whether it sits polished in a student apartment or smothered in the waste of a landfill. A UT branch called Resource Recovery is reducing trash pile-up by putting old campus furnishings and equipment up for sale online to the public.

“If it exists at the Univer sity today, it will one day be seen online or in the store,” said Robert Moddrell, manager

of Resource Recovery.

“The store” is in Building 30 at The Pickle Research Campus located at 10100 Burnet Road. The location serves as a pick-up site for items bought on Craigslist or SWICOauctions.com, sites used by Resource Recovery to sell items online.

Buyers have approximately two weeks to pick up items, and they are notified via email before their item is marked as abandoned.

Resource Recovery has worked with Surplus Property in the past to host retail events and auctions, but

CONTACT US

the branch is now mainly focused on online sales to make the process more effective and easier for everyone to participate, according to Moddrell. Auction items can be offered up by hired auctioneers, students and supervisors of the facilities.

“We make every effort possible to make items available for re-use at the University,” Moddrell said. “Once items have been available for re-use, we concentrate on selling as much as possible to reduce landfill and to help fund our operations.”

The largest volume of

items are office furniture items, but there are other items, from laboratory animal cages to vehicles, which are leftover and sold if they cannot be repurposed on campus.

“I don’t think many on campus know that they can buy a wood chair for $5, for example,” said Kristin Phillips, communications coordinator for the Office of Sustainability. “Most people don’t think about the financial and environmental burden of excess stuff.”

And there is a lot of excess stuff.

Resource

Recovery receives between two to three million pounds of material each year, Moddrell said.

Michel Asperas, a business marketing sophomore, is one of 35,000 members on a Facebook group called “UT Buy/Sell/Trade/Free.”

Asperas said he bought a bunk bed and desk combo unit on the page from another student, but he would consider buying from Resource Recovery if the inventory interests him and the prices are cheaper.

“Money talks at the end of the day,” Asperas said.

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MAIN TELEPHONE (512) 471-4591

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

UT Co-op paves way for new discount member program

MANAGING EDITOR

By Madelyn Reiter

Laura Hallas (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com

NEWS OFFICE

(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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BUSINESS & ADVERTISING (512) 471-8590 advertise@texasstudentmedia.com Director Gerald Johnson Business/ Operations Manager Frank Serpas III Advertising Manager Emily Cohen Assistant Advertising Manager Colten Crist

students from taking advantage of the program.

“I’ve never used it because I heard it was a super long process,” economics junior Tiffany Koo said. “You don’t get much back from it, and I’ve bought a lot

of stuff from the Co-op.”

Co-op administrators believe the rebate program, which has been around since the Co-op’s founding in 1896, is outdated and can be replaced with something more beneficial to

students. As a non-profit, the Co-op strives to serve its owners, students and faculty to the best of its abilities, Thrower said. The Co-op Board collectively agreed that a discount program would be more valuable

Hollywood tape.

“In the coming days, weeks, months and years, wrap yourself in the pride of what it means to be a doer in the world, not just a complainer,” Davis said. “No matter what form that takes – whether it’s writing to your Congressperson, calling or sitting in their office, whether it’s protesting in the streets, speaking out at town halls, voting a few bastards out

of office or even running for office yourself – remember that no action, no matter, how big or small is without impact.”

Daniela Rojas, Latin-American studies junior and Jolt Texas youth organizer, spoke at the rally about how reproductive justice goes beyond just abortion laws. Senate Bill 4, the anti-sanctuary cities law, had a less obvious impact on the reproductive health of

undocumented women, Rojas said.

“Undocumented women, who are already likely to be uninsured, were pushed further into the shadows out of fear of disclosing their legal status, discouraging them from accessing proper healthcare,” Rojas said.

Apparel design senior Melina Perez attended the rally at the Capitol and last year’s Women’s March. Perez said more work needs to be done

to ensure “women’s rights” stands for all women, including women of color and transgender women and not just the wealthy or privileged.

“It’s really important (to be civically engaged) because the more people who are seen and heard, then the more seriously we are going to be taken,” Perez said. “We have to use our voices for the people who can’t use theirs.”

@madireiter_

Ellie Breed (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com

TODAY Jan. 22

to students.

“The low adoption of this program is not meeting our mission to improve the lives of students, faculty and staff,” President and CEO Cheryl Phifer said. “After review, the Co-op Board voted to replace the rebate with a benefit for all owners in the form of a purchase discount program.”

The new program will offer members immediate discounts rather than prolonged savings resulting in more visible benefits for students and faculty.

“This is an effort to make it easier,” Thrower said. “Instead of a delayed benefit that a rebate provides, the membership program will have an upfront discount.”

Details about the membership program have not been released yet, as Co-op staff are going through a budgeting process, but the program is expected to launch in the fall. Students wanting to take advantage of the rebate program before it’s over must upload receipts for purchases made within this school year by Feb. 28.

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The University Co-op will discontinue its rebate program starting March 1 in preparation for a new purchase discount member program.

The rebate program, which gives current UT students and faculty a 10 percent rebate on purchases in the form of store credit, will be terminated because of its unpopularity. The membership program, replacing the rebate program, should be more favorable amongst students, said Co-op marketing manager Kate Thrower.

“In surveying faculty and talking to students, we realized that the people using the rebate program were declining, along with its uses,” Thrower said.

“People were confused about the process.”

The current rebate program requires students and faculty to create an account online and track their Co-op purchases through past receipts. The complicated process has deterred

MARCH

continues from page 1 sense from a public health perspective … and as a woman, I can tell you that this just pisses me off.”

Davis also spoke at the Capitol. She and her supporters were wearing the pink “pussyhats” inspired by a vulgar comment made by Trump in the now-infamous Access

carlos garcia | the daily texan staff Business freshman Victor Sambuis works on reorganizing books at the University Co-op on Sunday afternoon. The Co-op has made many changes recently including their plan to cut the rebate program.

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REPORTS

continues from page 1 just one year,” Daniel said.

UTPD is not required by federal or state law to send out Campus Watch reports, but has been doing so for over a decade, Murphy said.

In the future, the format of Campus Watch could stray away from traditional emails, Murphy said, but the decision is not definite.

“Moving forward we’re looking at maybe changing formats,” Murphy said. “Instead of sending an email we might just post on Facebook or Twitter once a week the same information, but put it in a different format.”

Radio-television-film sophomore Joshua Summers said less Campus Watch emails could worry UT parents who prefer to have

a comprehensive report about campus crime.

“I know as a 19, 20-yearold that that’s usually the last thing on my mind,” Summers said. “Being able to stay up to date and have your comprehensive check is, I’d say speaking for my parents at least, a very important aspect of that.”

As of now, UTPD has yet to send out a Campus Watch report in 2018.

“The Campus Watch will continue in one form or another for the foreseeable future, and so far, as I’m aware, there’s no conversation about ending it because it is a useful tool,” Murphy said. “We’re just considering what’s the most efficient way to get this information out.”

Students can subscribe to the Campus Watch through the UTPD website.

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MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2018

ALERTS

continues from page 1 information, but in certain instances, it’s of value for the community to be aware.”

Carter said UTPD will work with Austin Police Department to alert students of incidences that are deemed an ongoing threat.

Joell Sullivan-McNew, vice president of the nonprofit Safehorns, said this is an issue the organization has pushed for.

“Not only did we ask the University to report all crime that impacts you, we wanted them to relay information to you beyond the Clery Act, which we are grateful now that they are going to do that,” Sullivan-McNew said.

Sullivan-McNew said SafeHorns would like a parent optin feature for the text message alerts, but after students receive messages so as to not slow down the process.

Last semester there was student backlash because some text alerts were sent up to 20 minutes after

off-campus incidences or not at all.

Advertising junior Fabiana Pena Feeney said she has recently seen more text alerts than usual.

“This is an area where a lot of students live, so we need to be informed of what’s happening off campus,” Pena Feeney said. “I think it’s great being in the loop of what’s happening, it makes you feel safer.”

Carter said the new boundaries are 30th Street to the north, south to 15th Street, east to Poquito Street and all the way to Lamar Boulevard in West Campus. However, he acknowledges that “any time you come up with a boundary, there is always going to be something that happens just across the street.”

“We feel like the boundaries that are set now are actually put out pretty far from where the majority of students will be walking from,” Carter said.

“But we are going to evaluate it and see if this hopefully provides a value to our student community, and if we need to change, we will.”

ALUMNI

angela wang | the daily texan staff Amarie Gipson, deejaying under the name MUD Pit, performs during the celebration of the third anniversary of art magazine MUD at Space 24 Twenty Saturday evening.

Alumnus magazine seeks to change southern culture MUD Magazine wants to destigmatize the creative culture in the South.

By Sara Schleede @saraschleede

T

he South has something to say.

That is the main idea behind UT alumnus Quinton Boudwin’s MUD Magazine, which celebrated its threeyear anniversary at Space 24 Twenty on Saturday night. “(MUD is) a platform to elevate the voices of the South because there’s this stigma that people can’t stay here and thrive as creatives,” MUD Editorial Director Amarie Gipson said. “It’s a pushback to that.”

MUD Magazine started in December 2015 as a space for people of color to share their appreciation for southern culture. Gipson, an art history senior at St. Edward’s

CONGRESS

continues from page 1 “There’s a desire for change,” public affairs lecturer Victoria Soto said. “I think a lot of it has to do with the political climate of the 2016 presidential election, where the issue of gender and sexual misconduct were really front and center and left a lot women feeling energized either by anger or motivation to shake things up.”

Some of these women candidates include former El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar, former El Paso School Board President Dori Fenenbock and former state Rep. Norma Chavez, D-El Paso, who are all seeking to fill the seat vacated by U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso. Political fundraiser Bunni Pounds and communications consultant Jenifer Sarver are among the several Republican Texas women running for Congress.

Susan Heinzelman, director of UT’s Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, said there are

parallels between the surge of female candidates and the outpouring of female solidarity at last year’s Women’s Marches.

“Many women feel that it’s time to no longer simply complain and try to work out the issues that are important to women through men, but to stand as women and try and address these issues ourselves,” Heinzelman said.

Government lecturer Stephanie Holmsten pointed out that historically, women have been less inclined than men to run for public office.

“Thinking about why women are running now makes me want to think about which of those elements that typically might have hindered women from wanting to run might have changed,” Holmsten said.

Holmsten said one element in particular had an especially significant impact on women — and her name is Hillary Clinton.

“I think something that’s changed for sure is that we, as a country, watched a woman compete for office at the highest level and almost win,”

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Holmsten said.

Heinzelman suspects it will take another election cycle or two before a woman from Texas is elected to Congress for her first time, mainly because the current candidates lack the base and financial support required to win. However, she said the mere act of running sends a powerful message to all women watching from the sidelines.

“I think you’ll find that this is not going to change, that this is a tipping point, just like the #MeToo campaign is a tipping point,” Heinzelman said.

On a similar note, Holmsten said the fact that so many women are running will have a profound impact on the future political endeavors of other women, regardless of whether or not they win their races this year.

“Someone who might not think of running watches a women run and thinks, ‘You know what, maybe I could do that,’” Holmsten said. “It’s this sort of inherent invitation for other women to give it a try as well.”

University, joined the team in September 2016 and said MUD drew her in because it appeals to a “young, trendy diverse audience that does not exist in Austin at large.”

“In Austin, there’s this illusion of inclusivity for people of color,” Gipson said. “People of color can’t enjoy the same level of comfort that white people do in the city, so we really use our events to open that up for people.”

With their third-year anniversary comes a re-launch of their website, which will feature multi-platform coverage of southern artists not included in their quarterly publications.

“It’s going to open a lot more doors,” said Collin Sees, creative director and co-founder. “Everything is on the internet. If somebody has a website, it’s so much better than a business card or anything else.”

MUD plans to host more events in many states across the South to expand their reach. They have

already hosted events at South by Southwest and Atlanta. “(Our brand) definitely goes past the scope of Austin,” said Sees, a UT alumnus. “We’ve been all around the place, but we need to start nestling down in those areas and making a bigger impact.”

Mary Catherine Ellis, a digital media management junior at St. Edward’s University, has been attending MUD Magazine events for the past two years, and she said she admires the warmth among MUD staff and the creative community in Austin.

“Instead of being a cut-throat competition, everyone is helping each other get to the top,” Ellis said.

Gipson said MUD’s job is to recognize and elevate the work of artists in the area so that appreciation of the South can become more mainstream.

“The South is super underrated,” Gipson said. “Southern culture dictates what the rest of the country is on, and a lot of people don’t want to realize that.”

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JANHAVI NEMAWARKAR, VIK SHIRVAIKAR, LIZA ANDERSON

MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2018

FORUM EDITORS | @TEXASOPINION

Special education caps hurt Texas students T he Daily Texan Forum page is a place for people who are not on the Texan’s staff to weigh in on the happenings of the university and the surrounding community. Every Monday of this semester, we will run op-eds and opinion pieces from a diverse array of voices across our campus, our city and our state.

This week, we’re discussing a federal report’s confirmation that the Texas Education Agency illegally limited the educational opportunities for special needs students.

Linda Litzinger, Public Policy Specialist for Texas Parent to Parent — an advocacy group devoted to aiding and advocating for mentally and physically disabled Texas children and their parents — criticizes the Texas Education Agency for consistently failing to support the students

that they are meant to serve, even after rebuke by federal officials.

Next, we present a piece written by the Texas Center for Disability Studies at UT Austin, in collaboration with Disability Rights Texas. They write that parents and professional advocates must have input in the educational process, in order to ensure students are given the opportunities and services they deserve.

Forum functions as an integral part of The Daily Texan opinion department. By focusing on opinions that come from outside of the newspaper staff, Forum connects the Texan to UT students and the surrounding community. We strive to further the debate on campus by enabling community members with distinct expertise and experience to speak on issues relevant to the

university as a whole.

Throughout the past year, widespread turbulence made discussions about the news even more significant. Last January’s Women’s March kicked off a year of protests against people in power. The Trump administration’s move to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program faced major opposition — opposition that helped fuel Friday’s government shutdown. Texas’ 85th Legislative Session met major public backlash when bills endangered undocumented and transgender Texans. The #MeToo movement gathered momentum as a slew of men in power faced the consequences of sexual harassment and assault, inside and out of the Texas capitol.

Throughout last year, The Daily Texan served as a space for valuable debate on these

protests and facilitated further discussion.

The editorial board weighed in on University policy and funding, tuition and DACA. Members of the UT and local communities spoke out in Forum about immigration and Confederate statues.

This year, The Daily Texan Forum returns to the opinion pages as a platform for students and non-students alike to continue the conversations that shape our culture and policies. As always, if you have thoughts on this subject or any others, reach out to us at thedailytexanforum@gmail.com.

Nemawarkar is a Plan II and government junior from Austin. Shirvaikar is a math and economics junior from Frisco. Anderson is a Plan II and history sophomore from Houston.

illustration by melanie westfall | daily texan staff

GUEST COLUMN

GUEST COLUMN

Texas must work to change its culture and regain trust

By Linda Litzinger Texas Education Agency has a long way to go to gain the trust of families of children with disabilities in Texas. In a recent meeting with special education parent stakeholders, including Texans for Special Education Reform, Texas Parent to Parent and other non-profits who serve children, Commissioner Mike Morath stated that Texas’ local education agencies, ISDs, are TEA’s customers, rather than parents and students being the customer.

This arrangement creates distance between TEA and the student, particularly because on-site visits were dropped from TEA’s program, student Individualized Education Programs were sold to a data-mining company without obtaining parental permission and special education programs were capped without serving all students who qualified.

Read on for more about this last one.

Across the U.S. in 2014–2015, approximately 13 percent of children receive special education services from their public school.

In Texas, however, a full third of that 13 percent has been denied these services due to an illegal — per US Department of Education — 8.5 percent cap set by TEA about 14 years ago. One in three students with disability, despite possibly arriving with a diagnosis

This ballooning battle is long.

Imagine the anger and frustration felt by thousands of students and their parents as they lived day by day, school assignment by school assignment, without what they needed — and deserved. provided by the medical community, was denied their federal right to a diagnostician and diagnostics, merely so schools could remain in compliance with TEA’s 8.5 percent cap.

Many students have now graduated having been denied a Free and Appropriate

TEA policy results in more than one child left behind

By Amy Sharp

Public Education and are unprepared for the rest of their lives.

Alarmed by the Houston Chronicle’s reporting on this situation, the U.S. Department of Education traveled to four cities in Texas and listened to parents, educators, advocates and students well into the night. Last week, the DOE announced corrective actions required of the state of Texas in response to the cap.

Yesterday, TEA published a plan that outlines six years to make site visits, rather than tripling their proposed teams and addressing corrections in two years.

Also, there is far too much outsourcing in their plan.

This ballooning battle is long. Imagine the anger and frustration felt by thousands of students and their parents as they lived day by day, school assignment by school assignment, without what they needed — and deserved.

Imagine the frustration felt by teachers given no support? Imagine the funds spent on attorney fees instead of on kids. Picture teams of educators being forced to fabricate reasons as they deny one in three students who belong in special education. And when parents were stuck in a loop at their ISD, they learned they are not TEA’s customer.

Who will lead this culture shift? Can this train be turned around? Families will be watching this closely.

Linda Litzinger is a Public Policy Specialist for Texas Parent to Parent.

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.

In December 2016, a young student sat nervously before a panel of federal officials in Austin. The room was packed with parents, teachers and camera crews. But all fell silent when he told his story. With great composure, he recalled days when he didn’t want to live anymore. He was bullied for his differences and excluded. Devastated, he considered suicide. At the time, he was only 10-years-old.

Special education services are designed to help students just like this one. Unfortunately, a state agency policy imposed on Texas schools capped special education enrollment for over a decade. He, like thousands of others, didn’t make the cut.

After years of struggle, federal officials are finally giving that boy the validation he deserves.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education released its months-long investigation of the Texas special education system. Officials revealed to the public what the disability community always knew — the Texas Education Agency’s de facto cap on special education was illegal. Now, TEA must fix its mistakes.

In the report, the Department handed down clear and direct corrective actions. Our state’s education leaders must find students who were denied services in the past, bolster services for students today and revamp identification procedures moving forward.

Accomplishing these tasks will be challenging. Still, the investigation presents an opportunity to reorient TEA toward a culture of identification, rather than cost cutting.

Through its corrective action plan, TEA can rebuild its public education system, where students with disabilities have access to protections available nowhere else.

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But TEA cannot and should not rebuild itself on its own.

For decades, TEA has tinkered with special education issues behind closed doors. Leaders viewed public input as a problem, not a solution. Their choices consistently showed not only a lack of regard for federal law, but also a lack of respect for the Texans they are

When TEA works in isolation, students with disabilities ultimately pay the price. supposed to serve. Just like the cap, these attitudes must be left behind.

It’s time to change course. The Department’s directives do not mandate public input, but the TEA commissioner released an initial draft of the corrective action plan on Jan. 18 and comments on this plan will be accepted through Feb. 18. The final plan will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in mid-April 2018. The plan drafted by TEA includes providing resources to families, strengthening the continuing education for special educators, identifying the students who were denied services and providing compensatory services and increasing oversight, staff and resources for special education efforts in Texas.

Professionals and parents alike have solutions to contribute. Ideas range from simple information-sharing updates to more complex cultural shifts in Texas schools. They include steps to proactively incentivize inclusive services rather than reactively clean up scandals. Most importantly, the community’s suggestions outline ways to open up communication, initiate collaborative relationships and prioritize children first.

When TEA works in isolation, students with disabilities ultimately pay the price. The class of denied students dating back to 2004 is living proof. Fixing the general and special education systems for students with disabilities will take honest conversations and hard work.

The disability community is up for the task.

We just need a meaningful seat at the table.

Amy Sharp is the Director of the Texas Center for Disability Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

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5

MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2018

TENNIS

continues from page 6 Longhorn tennis.

“It’s a really special day,” Center said. “It warms my heart to see all these people here come to cut a ribbon to open up this facility.”

Many donors and former Longhorn tennis players were in attendance for the ceremony. The new facility, worth over $20 million, features 12 courts along with courtside seating.

The facility also houses communication rooms, a weight room and customized lockers for each player.

“It’s amazing to have this facility now,” senior Dani Wagland said. “It’s been four years that we’ve been without one, and I’m incredibly excited to get to play here for my final season.”

Current Longhorn players were wowed by not just the incredible physical features of the new facility but also its intangible ones. The facility looks to create a greater fan atmosphere

around Texas tennis, which has been missing since the last facility was torn down. “(The fans) change the whole dynamic,” junior Katie Poluta said. “It’ll be great to have our own supporters.”

It’s been four years that we’ve been without one, and I’m incredibly excited to get to play here for my final season.”

Dani Wagland,

senior, women’s tennis

Despite officially opening the new Texas Tennis Center this weekend, the Longhorns were unable to complete their weekend matches at the facility due to weather.

The Longhorns were forced

to move their matches to the Weller Indoor Tennis Center — but that didn’t prevent Texas from easily defeating its opponents.

The No. 12 Longhorn women looked strong on Saturday, winning 4-0 over UT-Rio Grande Valley and 4-0 over Texas State.

“I was very pleased with our group as whole,” Joffe said.

“There’s definitely a lot of rust on us, lots of places we need to get better and some places we were terrific.”

The No. 8 Longhorn men soundly defeated UTSA and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday, failing to lose a single match. Texas rolled past UTSA, 7-0, led by junior Harrison Scott’s 6-2, 6-2 victory over Gabriel Bugiga. The Longhorns finished off the day with a 4-0 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, which was clinched with a 6-2, 6-1 win by junior Colin Markes over Biyik Akinshemoyin.

The Longhorns also broke in their new home with a 4-0 victory over SMU on Sunday.

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WVU

continues from page 6 Virginia built its lead to 41-28 before a jumper from freshman forward Jericho Sims cut the lead to single digits.

Texas switched to a press of its own and managed one final, furious rally. A steal by Roach led to an alley-oop to junior forward Dylan Osetkowski on the other end. Moments later, the forward cut the lead to eight.

But that was as close as Texas would get. West Virginia kicked it into gear and went on a 15-0 run to make it a 22-point game with six

TECH

continues from page 6

the locker room with a commanding 44-19 lead.

The Longhorns didn’t lose focus in the second half, keeping Texas Tech scoreless for the first four minutes and 25 seconds.

Junior guard Lashann Higgs found her touch as well, outscoring the Red Raiders in the third quarter on her own, 11-10.

Texas also took advantage from

Day. It took a career night by Osetkowski for Texas to escape, 74-70.

Iowa State is coming off a dominant 18-point win over Texas Tech — the largest victory over an AP top-10 opponent in program history.

“For our team, we gotta turn the page quickly to Iowa State,” Smart said. “And we gotta really focus on what goes into winning against them.

They’ll be feeling good about themselves coming off of a win. And we’ve got to learn some lessons from today, but also move forward and be the best version of ourselves that we can be.”

the charity stripe, going 11-of-15 from the free throw line during the quarter to take a 73-29 lead into the final 10 minutes of regulation, where the Longhorns put the game on ice.

Atkins shined in the blowout with a game-high 22 points to go along with seven rebounds.

Higgs kept pace, posting 19 points and five rebounds. Texas forced the Red Raiders into a whopping 29 turnovers on the day.

The Longhorns (15–3, 6–1

Big 12) took away the Red Raiders’ identity, out-rebounding a Texas Tech team that prides itself on winning the battle on the boards, 31-18. Texas Tech’s 39 points also marked the second-lowest total allowed by the Longhorns this season. Texas defeated McNeese State, 10034, on Nov. 15.

Texas will need to maintain that level of defensive intensity when it heads to Waco on Thursday for a showdown against No. 4 Baylor at 6 p.m.

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minutes to play.

The Mountaineers closed the game on a 41-14 run, connecting on 72 percent of their looks from behind the arc.

Texas, meanwhile, went just 3-of-15 from three.

“As much as games today really, really hurt, they also better be lessons,” Smart said.

“There better be opportunities to learn and understand what caused the game to get away from us after we got off to a pretty good start.”

The Longhorns (12–7, 3–4 Big 12) return home to host Iowa State on Monday at 6 p.m. The two teams met in Ames, Iowa, on New Year’s

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6

TRENTON DAESCHNER

SPORTS EDITOR @TEXANSPORTS

MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2018

MEN’S BASKETBALL

West Virginia throttles Texas in Morgantown NCAA BIG 12 MEN’S BASKETBALL STANDINGS team

conf. overall strk

1. KANSAS

6-1

16-3

2. W. VIRGINIA

5-2

16-3

W1

3. TEXAS TECH

4-3

15-4

L2

4. KANSAS ST

4-3

14-5

W2

5. OKLAHOMA

4-3

14-4

L2

6. TEXAS

3-4

12-7

L1

7. OKLAHOMA ST

3-4

13-6

W1

8. TCU

2-5

14-5

L1

9. BAYLOR

2-5

12-7

L1

2-5

11-7

W1

10. IOWA STATE

W5

katie bauer | the daily texan staff Freshman center Mo Bamba drives into the paint at the Frank Erwin Center during the Longhorns’ 67-58 victory over No. 8 Texas Tech on Jan. 17.

Inconsistency plagues Longhorns on the road once again.

By Dalton Phillips @dalton_tweets

F

or the second straight week, it was a tale of two games for Texas. A gritty home victory over a ranked opponent led to a bad loss on the road.

A week prior, after defeating

then-No. 16 TCU at home, the Longhorns forfeited a double-digit lead down the stretch against Oklahoma State and lost.

But on Saturday, there was no advantage to surrender.

The Longhorns never led in the second half, and an ice-cold performance ended in a 86-51 blowout at the hands of No. 6 West Virginia. An angry Mountaineers team entered Saturday coming off of back-to-back conference losses.

The win, its fourth in a row over Texas, helped West Virginia maintain sole possession of the second

seed in the Big 12.

“West Virginia’s spirit and energy and toughness was as good as I’ve seen it,” head coach Shaka Smart said. “We stood up to that for about 12–14 minutes, but we didn’t close out the (first) half strong.

“And in the second half we were trading baskets a little bit. We got the lead down to single digits. But nowhere near the level of mental toughness and togetherness we need to have — especially on the road.”

Texas started the game like a

TENNIS

well-oiled machine, demonstrating the same sharpness displayed during Wednesday’s win over No. 8 Texas Tech.

Freshman forward Mo Bamba collected three blocks and added four quick points in the opening five minutes as the Longhorns jumped out to an early 8-4 lead.

But West Virginia’s press began to give Texas fits. The Longhorns coughed up the ball on their next two possessions. The change of pace helped the Mountaineers go on an 8-0 run to pull ahead 14-10.

The press also led to foul

trouble midway through the half.

Eight team fouls, including three on junior guard Eric Davis Jr. and two on freshman guard Matt Coleman, put West Virginia in the bonus and got Texas out of rhythm. The Longhorns failed to score for eight minutes, and West Virginia took full advantage. The Mountaineers ended the first half on a 13-2 run to go up 32-22 at the break.

The second half saw more inconsistency from Texas. West

WVU page 5

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Texas routes Red Raiders on the road

By Justin Martinez @jthesportsdude

anthony mireles | the daily texan staff From left to right: Women’s coach Howard Joffe, men’s coach Michael Center, UT President Gregory Fenves, athletic director Chris Del Conte and women’s AD Chris Plonsky open the Texas Tennis

New tennis facility provides bright future

By Henry Corwin and Logan Harvill

@henrycorwin1 @mrharvill Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte made a resounding proclamation during the ceremony for the new Texas Tennis Center Sunday afternoon.

“This is, by far, the greatest tennis facility in the country,” Del Conte said.

The Longhorns’ brand-new tennis facility, which is located

directly north of UFCU DischFalk Field, had its grand opening Sunday. The project has been years in the making. Since the retirement of the Penick-Allison Tennis Center at the end of the 2014 spring season, Texas’ tennis program has not had a formal home.

That all changed on Sunday when men’s head coach Michael Center and women’s head coach Howard Joffe cut the ribbon to signify a new beginning for

TENNIS page 5

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Make no mistake — Texas is just fine.

The No. 9 Longhorns entered Saturday’s road game against Texas Tech as losers of two of their last three games, pushing them to the edge of the nation’s top 10 for the first time all season.

But with questions looming over the team, Texas delivered an all-caps response, dismantling the Red Raiders in a 90-39 victory.

The Longhorns made a commitment to winning through their defense in the opening quarter, employing a full-court press that resulted in eight forced turnovers.

Senior guard Ariel Atkins, meanwhile, did it all on the offensive end in the first quarter, lighting up Texas Tech for eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and crashing the glass for two offensive boards. The Red Raiders managed to keep it close, ending the quarter with a pair of buckets to only trail 19-13.

After feeling out Texas Tech, the Longhorns began

angela wang | the daily texan staff Senior guard Ariel Atkins prepares to go for a basket during the Longhorns’ 79-62 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks at the Frank Erwin Center on Jan. 13. landing haymakers in the second quarter.

The first one came in the form of a 7-0 run to start the quarter that left the Red Raiders reeling. The second was a dizzying 14-3 burst to go up 40-16 with 2:51 left in the half.

Senior guard Brooke McCarty led the ambush, finishing the half with 12 points and six assists as Texas headed into

TECH page 5

NCAA BIG 12 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL STANDINGS team

conf. overall strk

team

conf. overall strk

W714

6. OKLAHOMA

4-4

16-4

W1

15-3

W1

7. KANSAS ST

3-5

11-8

L2

5-2

14-4

W2

8. KANSAS

2-6

11-8

L5

4. TCU

4-3

13-5

W4

9. IOWA STATE

2-6

8-11

L2

5. W. VIRGINIA

4-4

16-4

W1

10. TEXAS TECH

1-7

7-12

L1

1. BAYLOR

7-0

2. TEXAS

6-1

3. OKLAHOMA ST

17-1

Paaion

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7

MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2018

CROSSWORD; Black

Today’s solution will appear here next issue

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SUDOKUFORYOU 3 1 9 5 2 4 6 7 8

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CHARLES LIU & CHRIS DUNCAN

LIFE&ARTS EDITORS @THEDAILYTEXAN

MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2018

ART

CULTURE

Time’s Up takes a stand for equality

Third Thursday opens door into world of Blanton

By Brooke Sjoberg

0

@sj b3rg

Despite the association of Austinites with art culture, art museums remain inaccessible to disadvantaged residents. To preserve the city’s artsy reputation, the Blanton Museum of Art maintains free admission every Thursday and extends its hours to 9 p.m. every third Thursday of the month.

The Blanton celebrated its first third Thursday of the new year with a museum tour detailing the ways in which artists persuade their audiences, concerts from local and visiting composers and a discussion later in the evening concerning artists roles as agents of change.

Local photographer and retired Austin Independent School District educator Sue Cole said she saw the advertisement for the Persuasion tour on Facebook and wanted to go walking somewhere it wasn’t quite so cold.

Cole said she also works as an educator with the Travis County Underage Drinking Prevention Task Force and has seen the benefit of community outreach done by the Blanton.

“Sometimes it can be intimidating to go onto a campus when you don’t really feel like you’re a part of that community, especially if you’re a person of color or your family is from low-income,” Cole said. “Blanton has actually done some wonderful programs out in the neighborhoods to kind of encourage people to think of Blanton as their community, as their home.”

The Blanton also hosts family programs which encourage “close looking” at the art, nurture children’s curiosity and give parents

the opportunity to collaborate creatively with their children. The upcoming programs include Explore UT and the Blanton Block Party, as well as creative events in the fall.

As an educator, Cole said she sees the value of free admission days for schools, as they provide low-cost field trips for local students.

“There’s a lot of kids who are in school today, but there’s a huge homeschool community of kids who could be down here,” Cole said. “I know the schools take advantage, sometimes, of field trips here.”

Third Thursday also provides an escape from everyday life for couples like Jeff Schald and his partner Marz.

“Civic spaces aren’t always so welcoming when you think about government,” Marz said. “Some people go to churches, some people go to parks, some people go to museums. But we don’t have that many recreational civic spaces. Obviously, we’ve got the jail and the courthouse. This is a nice getaway in terms of a civic space that’s enjoyable.”

Schald said the free admission was a large draw

for their attendance, and he was looking forward to spending time in a space devoted to introspection.

“I think the free admission makes a difference,” Schald said. “It allows better access, and also encourages people who could afford to get in, but don’t (go to the museum).”

Marz also said she believes opportunities like third Thursday offers Austin residents the chance to see beyond the city limits without ever leaving their zip code.

Visitors of the museum were not the only people who said they saw the value of free admission to disadvantaged populations. Art senior Dana Suleymanova, who works as a gallery attendant with the Blanton, said she thinks more museums should have opportunities like third Thursday.

“I think not charging people can bring in different groups of people who are maybe socioeconomically disenfranchised, and they get a chance to look at the works in the collection,” Suleymanova said. “I just enjoy art, and I think a lot more people should be exposed to it.”

illustration by victoria smith | the daily texan staff

The movement seeks to create change in the entertainment industry.

By Noelle Henry @thedailytexan

A

kate dannenmaier | the daily texan staff Studio art junior Katie Broyles looks at a painting on the second floor of the Blanton Art Museum Thursday evening. The Blanton offers free admission to all exhibits every third Thursday of the month.

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A political statement dominated the wardrobes of many actors and actresses at this year’s Golden Globes — black attire and a pin. In honor of the Time’s Up movement, this year’s Golden Globes provided a public acknowledgment of the abuse that women in the entertainment business, and practically every other industry, endure.

The Time’s Up and #MeToo movements emerged as an outraged reaction to the release of the sexually inappropriate and sexist behavior from mogul producer Harvey Weinstein. Conveying her concern, Cindy McCreery, radio-television-film associate professor — who is currently developing a new show for AMC — said the belittling of women on sets is all too common.

“I have worked in the industry for a long time,” McCreery said. “And honestly, what happened with Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein wasn’t very surprising to me. I am just relieved that future generations in the industry will hopefully have safer and more equal environments.”

Although the movement’s attention has largely been focused on sexual harassment and assault, the movement calls for change

in areas such as equal pay and opportunity for working women. Madeleine Klein, an alumna of UT-Austin with a degree in radio-television-film, has worked on sets for advertisements and short films. Klein said she feels inequality in the interactions she has had on sets.

“I’ve been called to shoot on set at UT just to be a token woman for promotional purposes,” Klein said. “I’ve been talked over and around on my own sets.”

Klein said even though these are “small aggressions,” they contribute to the bigger picture of the disrespect that women face in the entertainment industry. Furthermore, Klein said even though she finds the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements exciting, it will take quite some time for the industry to change.

“Women make up barely a quarter of most high-standing positions, and women of color even less,” Klein said.

On the other hand, the movement has received criticism for being too harsh on men. French actress Catherine Deneuve signed an open letter that claimed the movement was based on “hatred of men and sexuality.” Deneuve has since renounced her support of the letter, but her actions opened a new discussion of whether the movement was valid in its treatment of men.

Kennedy Abney, radio-television-film senior, supports the Time’s Up movement, though she is sympathetic to Deneuve’s stance.

“To an extent, I do agree with Catherine Deneuve that

6558/Breed & Co.; Process color

some critics are being too harsh on men,” Abney said.

“All complaints should be taken seriously, but not all bad behavior is equal.”

Klein said the mistreatment of women spreads through every level of the industry and includes people from screenwriters to crew members, not just actresses.

“Gender inequality is a plague on the industry which needs to be addressed from every angle,” Klein said. “(That means) In terms of equal pay, rhetoric and treatment of women in scripts, treatment and equality of women on set, in editing rooms, distribution, in front and behind the cameras.”

As far as solutions, Abney said the issue rests in the discrepancy in representation between men and women in different positions in the industry.

“The more women you have behind the camera and writing screenplays, the more that issue will take care of itself,” Abney said.

Time’s Up aims to create long-lasting changes within the structural system of the industry. Students and faculty believe that by acknowledging the issues that are present in gender inequality, there is already progress.

“I do have a lot of hope in the future by working with students,” McCreery said. “The next generation of filmmakers, I believe, are more thoughtful, open and compassionate than their predecessors.”