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THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2018
volume
119,
issue
NEWS
OPINION
LIFE&ARTS
SPORTS
A city survey on dockless scooters and bikes could lead to new rules this fall. PA G E 2
Students should stop using Adderall to study harder. It doesn’t work long-term. PA G E 4
Netflix Original “The Innocents” is a grim tale with a twist of the unexpected. PA G E 5
Coordinators address media in preparation for Saturday’s visit to Maryland. PA G E 6
RESEARCH
13
WEST CAMPUS
UT awarded $60 million grant for new supercomputer By Katie Balevic @KatelynBalevic
The Texas Advanced Computing Center announced Wednesday afternoon they received $60 million from the National Science Foundation for a new supercomputer, known as Frontera. The new system, which will begin operations in 2019, will be the fastest at any U.S. university and one of the most powerful in the world, UT President Gregory Fenves said during the announcement on the J.J. Pickle Research Campus. “Frontera will become part of the iconic lineage of supercomputers here at TACC,” Fenves said at the announcement. “It represents the spirit and culture at the University of Texas where we’re always exploring, discovering, pushing new boundaries and raising the bar higher and higher.” Fenves said Frontera will help researchers address some of the world’s most pressing challenges today, such as disease treatment, natural disasters and climate change, while also creating the opportunity to analyze some of the greatest mysteries in the universe, such as black holes. “Researchers will be able to run computational experiments that have never before been possible to gain a deeper understanding of science,” Fenves said at the announcement. Manish Parashar, director of the NSF’s Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure, said they are excited to be partnering with TACC and are looking forward to Frontera’s deployment and operations. “We seek to foster a leadership-class computing system that can support a full range of science and engineering research,” Parashar said. “(Frontera) will provide access to new and innovative capabilities and technologies.”
COMPUTER
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eddie gaspar| the daily texan staff A concrete structure cuts through a room of a resident at Skyloft Austin. This unit, among others, have had issues regarding plumbing and placement of structural objects.
‘They’re scamming them’
Residents complain of misleading floor plans, additional room charges at Skyloft complex. By Jessica Regan @jessicareganUT
As students settled into their homes for the new school year, some tenants found themselves unsatisfied with their rooms at Skyloft, a newly constructed 18-story building on the corner of Nueces and 23rd Streets in West Campus. Residents have expressed discontent with malfunctioning electricity and pipes, as well as misleading floor plans. A handful of rooms have large concrete pillars that take up space in living areas and bedrooms. These pillars were not included in the floor plans shown to prospective residents. Biology sophomore Lexus Wilson, a Skyloft resident, said the pillar in her
bedroom makes it impossible to move around. “The pillar takes up about a quarter of my room,” Wilson said. “I can’t move any furniture around, it’s literally in the middle of everything.” Wilson said she was never told about the pillar before she moved in and plans to talk to someone about the issue later this week. Skyloft has not yet responded to The Daily Texan’s request for comment. Business sophomore Madeleine Stokes, a former staff member and current resident at Skyloft, described other resident complaints, including sewage water leaking through floors, closets with no racks in place and electricity that was not working in some rooms during move in. Stokes said although she’s paying $40 to $50 more per month in rent for a higher room with better views, her room faces a small dark courtyard and the rooms across the way. “I live on one of the upper floors
eddie gaspar | the daily texan staff Skyloft Austin, at the intersection of Nueces and 23rd Streets in West Campus, opened its doors to its residents this fall semester. Some residents feel misled by what they were promised upon committing to their living space.
and I face the courtyard. I get no natural light but I’m still paying the money just to be higher up,” Stokes said. “It really makes no sense.” Stokes said Skyloft claims to have a waiting list for switching to other vacant rooms and a
Another GOP legislator joins race for house speaker
@ultravioletmegs
juan figueroa | the daily texan file Texas House Speaker Joe Straus speaks at the Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 23 2017. Straus announced last fall that he would not seek re-election.
TEXAS ATHLETICS GAMEDAY CLEAR BAG POLICY
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protocols in place for football season developed in collaboration with the NCAA, Austin Police Department and UTPD. Instead of relying on data Lauren Lichterman, operafrom weather stations tions and sustainability miles away, UT meteocoordinator at Texas Athrologists can now preletics Fan Services, said dict inclement weather the new station will help right on campus with observe potential bad the help of a new roofweather that could impact As a Hellraiser, I am top weather station on game day. top of the UT Police De“We’re constantly monsomeone who will stand partment’s Emergency itoring the weather as well in almost any weather as all other aspects of game Operations Center. The station will proto watch the Longhorns day to ensure the safest environment for our fans, vide real-time data, play. teams and staff,” Lichtersuch as temperature, man said. “This weather heat index and rainfall system will help us better to complement existing predict potential inclement weather protocols. AUSTIN DECKER weather that could impact BIOCHEMISTRY JUNIOR After about two years the game day experience.” of planning, the rooftop Funding for the station was installed Aug. station amounted to less 17 and will be used for the first than $1,000. continuous observation UTPD Chief David Carhome game Saturday. Uni(whereas) the Mabry and ter said the new station is versity incident meteorologist Bergstrom sites only report Troy Kimmel spearheaded once hourly,” Kimmel said. the proposal. UT has specific weather W E A T H E R page 2
By Meghan Nguyen
@LyleChad
STEER CLEAR!
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Rooftop weather station will keep students safe during football games
By Chad Lyle
Straus, a Republican from San Antonio who announced last fall he wouldn’t seek re-election. “It’s been decades since someone has left the Speaker’s office on his own terms,” Straus said in a statement.
SKYLOFT
CAMPUS
STATE
State Rep. Travis Clardy, R-Nacogdoches, announced his candidacy for speaker of the Texas House of Representatives last Monday, joining three other Republicans and one Democrat also angling for a seat that hasn’t been open in 10 years. “I think the state of Texas, which is now the 10th-largest economy in the world, deserves someone who can be there and do this job,” Clardy said. “I’m at a place in my life where I’m passionate about the future of Texas. I am prepared to do this, and I think I can be a good spokesperson for the Texas House.” Speaker elections take place Jan. 8, the first day of Texas’ next legislative session. If elected, Clardy would succeed current House Speaker Joe
possible discount for those who are unsatisfied with the size of their rooms. However, Stokes said she doesn’t think this is
“But we have accomplished what I hoped the House would accomplish when I first entered this office, and I am increasingly eager to contribute to our state in new and
SPEAKER
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“We can get temperature data (from) Camp Mabry and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, but our new campus equipment allows for
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