SERVING THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN COMMUNITY SINCE 1900 @THEDAILYTEXAN | THEDAILYTEXAN.COM
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018
VOLUME 118, ISSUE 111
N E WS
O PI N I O N
LI FE&A RTS
SPORTS
UT will not penalize prospective students for participating in gun law protest. PAGE 2
The editorial board endorses candidates for March primary races. PAGE 4
Student orgs across campus require their members to volunteer. Paradox much? PAGE 8
Depleted Longhorns can’t pull off statement victory over No. 6 Kansas in Lawrence. PAGE 6
WEST CAMPUS
UT senior dies after falling from balcony on Saturday
UNIVERSITY
Fenves violates flight policy
By Anna Lassmann @annalassmann
Education senior Lawrence Emanuel fell from a balcony in West Campus on Saturday night and died shortly after, an Austin Police Department spokesperson said. The incident took place around 10:12 p.m. near 2500 San Gabriel Street in West Campus, an APD spokesperson said. APD is investigating the incident as an accidental death. “The loss of Lawrence is devastating to our entire university. We express our deepest sympathies to his family and friends,” the UT Police Department told KXAN. “The University said the school’s counseling services and other programs will be available for students as they mourn.” The funeral for Emanuel will be held March 3 with a wake held Friday evening. The times and addresses have not been set yet, according to a GoFundMe set up for Emanuel’s funeral expenses. The GoFundMe was set up by Lydia Breedlove, an athletic training and allied health professions senior. It has raised $16,722 out of a $20,000 goal as of Monday night. APD is still investigating the incident. Updates will be available on The Daily Texan website as more information becomes available.
CAMPUS
SG voting to begin on Dean of Students website By Katie Balevic @katelynbalevic
Voting for Student Government elections will begin at 8 a.m. on Wednesday and close at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Students can use their EID and password to vote on the Campus-Wide Elections page of the Office of the Dean of Students website. The ballot will be more crowded than usual with a total of eight executive alliances vying for the president and vice president positions. The campaigns are: Guneez Ibrahim and Hannah McMorris; Colton Becker and Mehraz Rahman; Aakash Saraiya and Daniel Noble Hernandez; Bryce Fuller and Vikram Sundaram; Austin Goss and Denny Lee; Aparna Chandarshekar and Shawn Killian; Joshua Richardson and Chison Liu; and Blake Dow and Walker Adams. Arvind Ashok and Max Lopez have dropped from the running. Detailed profiles of the executive alliance candidates can be found on The Daily
SG VOTING page 3
We acknowledge the audit results and the need to follow University rules.
Fenves to reimburse UT after flying business class. By Maria Mendez @mellow_maria
U
T President Gregory Fenves will reimburse the University $27,000 for violating UT-Austin rules by flying business class instead of economy multiple times. A February audit by the UT System found Fenves’ business class flights, considered premium airfare, to be in violation of UT rules, which only allow the University president to fly economy class for University affairs unless under approved exceptions. “UT-Austin’s institutional travel policy does not allow for payment of premium airfare without an approved allowable exception, which
includes a documented health issue, only seat available, lowest airfare available, contract/agreement requires it, another entity is reimbursing the airfare or research grant allows it with the use of grant funds,” the UT System audit states. The documents Fenves provided for the audit did not fall under any allowed exceptions. Fenves told the Austin American-Statesman on Monday he believed business class airfare was approved. He has agreed to follow University policy for future flights. “President Fenves accepts the findings of this audit, will reimburse the University for the cost of the business class travel and his office will follow all internal policies,” University Spokesperson Gary Susswein said in a statement. Fenves took 50 business class flights, 40 of which his wife accompanied him on, Susswein said. The
carlos garcia the daily texan file President Gregory Fenves will reimburse $27,000 for violating UT travel rules. Fenves flew business class instead of economy multiple times according to an audit done by the UT System.
were audited. Apart from the airfare, the audit concluded Fenves’ “expenses seemed appropriate and accurate.” But a February memo from the UT System, separate from the audit report, raised concerns about the University’s approval of “Entertainment and Official Expenses” for UT’s top administration officials. Under the University’s policy, food and beverages, facility rentals, flowers, invitations and similar
FENVES page 3
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
SG candidates will raise transcript fees, add pub on campus By Katie Balevic @katelynbalevic
Of all the campaign promises Student Government candidates have made in the last two weeks, only one president and vice president team has promised to raise transcript prices. Candidates Aakash Saraiya and Daniel Noble Hernandez are running a light-hearted campaign for president and vice president, respectively, with the hope of providing short term solutions for students. “We’d like to raise transcript prices to the point where graduate schools can no longer ethically request them,” biology junior Saraiya said. Noble Hernandez said the change will work out for students in the end. “We’ve got a novel
approach,” said Noble Hernandez, a biomedical engineering junior. “We’re going to create such a drama that President Fenves is going to take it right back to zero (dollars).” The alliance also hopes to add a pub on campus to foster a sense of community, Noble Hernandez said. “Most people don’t take it seriously, but it’s actually a serious point,” Noble Hernandez said. “It’s not a place you go to get drunk. It’s just a place you go to with friends, for food or just to chat, maybe grab a cider.” Saraiya said the idea is plausible because the University already has a location on campus that serves alcohol — Cactus Café, located at the Union. “It would be a more controlled (alcohol) situation for the University (and) a more casual place to experience
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added costs amount to $27,000. The flights were paid for with donations specifically made to cover presidential expenses. Tuition and taxpayer money was not used. The audit recommended the President’s Office stop purchasing premium airfare for Fenves and his wife, or revise University rules. The University said Fenves would comply with the existing rules and reinburse the University for the additional costs, even though the audit did not require repayment. “We acknowledge the audit results and the need to follow University rules,” the University’s statement said. The audit was part of UT System requirements to periodically examine the President’s travel, entertainment and University residence maintenance expenses. Since becoming president in 2015, this was the first time Fenves’ expenses
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angela wang | the daily texan staff Biology and premedical senior Aakash Saraiya, left, and biomedical engineering senior Daniel Noble Hernandez are running for student government president and vice president. drinking,” Saraiya said. “It would be a good place to have meetings as well.” The team has other unique ideas for solving campus problems, such as installing a moving walkway
along Speedway. Saraiya said they also want to address the University’s history of oppression by renaming campus buildings. “We would like to rename (Robert Lee Moore Hall)
… to a different famous mathematician who’s gone to UT who’s not as racist,” Saraiya said. Overall, the team is trying
SG CANDIDATES page 3