c l o v c VOLUME 118, ISSUE 136 u q e SPORTS n m Love, laughter and baseball m encapsulate memorial service a for Augie Garrido. PAGE 6 d i b i d e
SERVING THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN COMMUNITY SINCE 1900 @THEDAILYTEXAN | THEDAILYTEXAN.COM
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Hearing the Homeless provides platform for homeless community in Austin. PAGE 2
Columnist spells out how Riverside redesign could impact, harm students. PAGE 4
A local sign artist reflects on his experiences and career in the Austin community. PAGE 8
CITY
Riverside’s affordable housing in danger with new proposal
CAMPUS
By Eilish O’Sullivan @evosullivan
Developers are proposing to rezone five properties in East Riverside, an area known among students for its affordable housing, in order to create an “urban village.” Three rezoning applications were filed for five properties spanning 97.09 acres — Town Lake apartments and the Ballpark North, East, South and West apartments. If approved, the rezoning will change the development regulations to allow for creation of housing, retail, office and hotel spaces at the intersection of East Riverside Drive and Pleasant Valley Road, according to the proposal. “The reason we choose this apartment complex over others is because it’s affordable,” said Jasmine Wong, kinesiology senior and resident at the Ballpark North apartments. “(The development project) is going to take away student housing.” The applications to rezone still need approval from the Land Use Commission and the City Council. The applications were filed by Michael Whellan, an Armbrust and Brown lawyer, on behalf of the developers, investment company Nimes Capital of Los Angeles and real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle of Austin. Whellan has rezoned properties throughout Austin and Riverside in the past. According to a letter sent by Whellan to the city of Austin on March 9, the area currently has 1,308 apartment units, and could ultimately have 4,709 multi-family units. Whellan said their proposal would require affordable
anthony mireles | the daily texan staff Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White speaks to UT students about his career and how he got there Monday evening at the Hogg Memorial Auditorium. He mentions that making mistakes and failing helped him develop his techniques throughout his career.
Olympian Shaun White visits 40 Acres ‘Greatest snowboarder of all time’ speaks about struggles, motivation. By Sara Schleede @saraschleede
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n hour before Olympic gold medalist Shaun White was slotted to take the stage at Hogg Memorial Auditorium, students whispered excitedly about, “The Flying Tomato” and, “The greatest snowboarder of all time” as they waited in a line that wrapped around the building. White spoke about his
snowboarding career and struggles with personal motivation Monday night in a conversation hosted by Texas Cowboys Lectureship. White began snowboarding at age six. He said he recalls his family of five cramming into motels on weekends, his mother cooking pasta or beans on the stovetop and setting off fire alarms, all to make it to the slopes as often as possible. White said he quickly drew attention for being small and fast, and he gained his first sponsorship at age seven. “At that point, I didn’t really think too much of myself, but then I realized, ‘Oh, I can win something,’” White said. White went on to compete in the
X Games for the first time at age 13. Today, he has a medal count of 23. He also received a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 2006, 2010 and 2018. “I love (snowboarding) because it is the one thing that can completely take you out of anything,” White said. “It’s so peaceful to just focus on one thing.” When White goes airborne, he said he often hums Christmas songs in his head and thinks of the next move to create a balance of preparation and mindlessness. “If you focus too hard, it’s too calculated,” White said. “It’s all a feeling.” His fourth place placement at
the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi was a wake up call, so White said he spent the next few years trying to make his failure “the greatest thing that has happened to (him)” before competing in PyeongChang in 2018. “It’s a lot easier to do a bunch of sit-ups,” White said. “It’s a lot harder to fix your mental issues and motivation.” Sarah Bookout, speech language pathology senior, brought her snowboard to the event, hoping White would sign it. While she had no such luck, Bookout said she was thrilled to hear from an athlete whom she has admired since she
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STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Be Kind to Your Mind: CMHC promotes mental well-being in weeklong event
Stickers help victims of sexual violence By Katie Balevic @katelynbalevic
By Meghan Nguyen @megnnguyen
This week’s schedule is full. Yoga, tie-dye and sugar scrubs are just a few of the attractions offered as part of the Counseling and Mental Health Center’s Mental Health Promotion Week. A wide committee of students, peer educators, CMHC student organization members and volunteers are putting on the weeklong event, now in its third year. The week features interactive events focused on promoting mental health resources and instilling healthy habits that are conducive to mental well-being, said Kelsey Lammy, mental health promotion coordinator for the CMHC. Common themes throughout the events include self-care, mindfulness, gratitude, resilience and inclusivity. On Monday, students visited interactive booths and collected stickers to earn prizes on the Flawn Academic Center patio. Be Kind to Your Mind Fest, the kickoff event for the week, highlighted various CMHC resources including workshops, volunteer opportunities and classes. The Thrive at UT iPhone app was one resource highlighted at
Stickers with resources for victims of sexual violence are popping up in University bathrooms in an attempt to give students and faculty a private place to access resources they may need. The green and white “We believe you” stickers, which appear on some bathroom mirrors in Gregory Gym and the Recreational Sports Center, are the result of Student Government legislation co-authored by Charlie Bonner, former University-wide representative,
nearly a year ago. “Our initial proposal was to have these resource stickers in every bathroom on campus to make sure we were getting the resources to every single person possible,” said Bonner, a Plan II and government senior. “We should be doing everything we can to support these survivors … so they can stay in school and get an education like the rest of us.” The stickers list contact information for Voices Against Violence, the Counseling and Mental Health Center, the Behavior Concerns Advice Line, the Title IX investigation office
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copyright meghan nguyen, and reproduced with permission CMHC peer educators Portia Yuen and Miriam Lamoreaux discuss the variety of resources CMHC has to offer to Brenda Martinez, a journalism freshman. Monday’s events. The app helps busy students make small changes in their routines to enhance their well-being. “This is actually the first time that (Be Kind to Your Mind Fest) has been this well-received and engaging for the UT community,” said Zachary Markizer, CMHC peer educator and public health sophomore.
“Though we’ve done this event before, it’s always been at a smaller scale.” CMHC is partnering with Tejas Club to host a talk on self-care Thursday evening. On Friday, students can de-stress with therapy dogs on East Mall and then participate in the Unplug UT campaign, signing a pledge online to “unplug” for
any amount of time to do more fulfilling activities. “I think we live in an age where we often think of social connections as connections we cultivate over technology,” Lammy said. “Disconnecting from technology can help you be more present in the moment and
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jessica joseph | the daily texan staff Charlie Bonner, Plan II and Government senior, co-authored a student government legislation that places “We believe you” stickers on bathroom mirrors. The green and white stickers list resources for sexual assault survivors.