The Daily Texan 2018-10-18 by The Daily Texan

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018

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NEWS

OPINION

LIFE&ARTS

SPORTS

Students, professors and researchers launch a “how-to” app for voting. PA G E 2

Students can do their part to combat climate change by conserving water. PA G E 4

SAGE Studio provides new opportunity for disabled artists to display their work. PA G E 8

Fans get first look at Longhorns basketball ahead of start of regular season. PA G E 6

CITY

Clery report shows uptick in drug abuse violations across Austin

STUDENT LIFE

PARTY’S OVER

By Megan Nguyen @ultravioletmegs

UT’s annual Security and Fire Safety Report recorded a 32 percent increase in the number of drug arrests and a 29 percent increase in the number of disciplinary referrals from 2016 to 2017. An increase in referrals could indicate that the UT Police Department is gravitating more toward helping those with a drug problem, addiction research professor Jane Maxwell said in an email. “Referrals are definitely a public health approach to intervene with someone who is exhibiting harmful behavior to himself or his roommates or others, and the intervention can be a powerful tool to recognizing a problem and behavior change,” Maxwell said. The safety report, required each year under the Clery Act, includes all crimes reported to campus police, other law enforcement and university officials, such as the University’s Office for Inclusion and Equity. “Our highest numbers regarding drug arrests are off-campus, and I would attribute that to (UTPD) being more proactive with our increase in patrols west of campus,” UTPD Assistant Chief Don Verett said. “Our university community had asked us to be more proactive off campus, off Guadalupe and West Campus. Just because the arrests go up may not mean there’s more drug use, but rather that we’re enforcing more and being more proactive.” Drug overdose deaths reached a record high in 2017, and there has been a steady rise in overall illicit drug use among college students since 2010, with consistent increases in marijuana

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U T F R AT S R E S T R I C T HARD LIQUOR.

eddie gaspar

| the daily texan staff

By Sara Schleede @saraschleede

Hard liquor will be banned from all fraternity events, unless served by a third party vendor, beginning Jan. 1. “I don’t think Greek life is ever going to be the same,” Interfraternity Council President Peter Driscoll said. “This is a very significant departure from the past.” The proposal was introduced to the IFC executive board Sept. 18. A vote on the proposal was postponed to Sept. 23 and again to Oct. 3 before fraternity chapter presidents approved the ban Wednesday with a vote of 19-1-0.

“It took feedback,” said Max Harberg, IFC vice president of communications and advertising junior. “It was a collaborative process. We were trying to come to a change together versus the higher-ups coming up with something that everyone else had to deal with.” Drinks with more than 15 percent alcohol by volume will be banned from being consumed on chapter property. Fraternity members who are 21 or older may own any type of alcohol, but they must consume it off chapter premises. Punishment for individuals violating the ban will be decided on a chapter by chapter basis, while organizations found in violation of the policy

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CAMPUS

Animal Make Safe rescues bats trapped in campus buildings By Gracie Awalt @gracieawalt5

With spooky season in full swing, students should look out for bats stuck in campus buildings or injured on the sidewalk. Every year in October and November, the largest urban bat population in North America consisting of 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats begins their winter migration from Austin to Central America and Mexico. The Animal Make Safe program within the UT Office of Campus Safety is available 24/7 to remove and rescue bats. Carin Peterson, Animal Make Safe training & outreach coordinator, said bats can enter buildings through ventilation ducts, open windows or open doors and can crawl under the cracks of closed doors if their heads fit through the bottom. “Bats get curious, and they can just get

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lost,” Peterson said. “They follow airflow patterns, so they may be attracted to something that’s drawing them to that space and then they can’t get out.” Peterson said if a bat is found sleeping inside a building during the day, an Animal Make Safe staff member will catch the bat with a coffee can and release them at night.

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If the bat is found flying inside a building, a large net is used to catch the bat. She said one time a flock of bats was found in a basement on campus and this method had to be used to remove them. If a student encounters a bat, they should never touch them because some have rabies, Peterson said.

“If there is one laying on the ground, somebody might mistake the bat for a leaf or a piece of litter if it isn’t moving,” Peterson said. “Sometimes when people see them crawling, they think it’s a mouse because they’re so small.” Peterson said the migration periods and the month of June, when baby bats are born, are when Animal Make Safe receives the most calls for rescues. Peterson said after 18 years of targeting and repairing buildings prone to house bats, the overall trend of bats seen in campus buildings has decreased. Injured bats are taken to the Austin Bat Refuge, a nonprofit organization that rehabilitates them. “The bat arm bones can be broken when people swat at them with an object out of fear,” said Dianne Odegard, director and co-founder of Austin Bat Refuge. “We see

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C H A S E K A R A C O S TA S NEWS EDITOR @THEDAILYTEXAN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018

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STATE

Gabriel Nila campaign breaks from GOP norms By Chad Lyle @lylechad

Editor’s note: This is one in a series of profiles of candidates running for State House District 46. It is not immediately apparent when reading Gabriel Nila’s campaign platform that the aspiring State House member is a Republican. Nila, who teaches middle school science and technology at Del Valle, is running to represent the 46th District while advocating for decriminalizing marijuana and putting a stop to gentrification in East Austin. These issues are not typical staples of a Republican campaign, but Nila said they are true to his values nonetheless. “I was a single dad for quite a while,” Nila said. “So I got to see a different perspective in life. When I was raising my daughter we would sit down at the table and I would talk to her about the values that were important to me, which is basically life, liberty and opportunity.” Nila said he has always been a

courtesy of the gabriel nila campaign and reproduced with permission

Gabriel Nila is a middle school teacher and Republican candidate for Texas State House in the 46th District. Conservative in the sense that he believes the government should stay out of people’s lives as much as possible. “I’m a firm believer that the government should be away from as much as possible and only be there

CAMPUS

BeVote helps students navigate voting in upcoming elections

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| the daily texan staff

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when they need to,” Nila said. “I want lower taxes. I want the government to not be so intrusive with the stuff that’s going on in our personal lives.” An issue where Nila would like

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to see less government involvement is that of marijuana possession. Nila said he wants to work towards decriminalizing and eventually legalizing marijuana. “One (benefit) is the economic benefit,” Nila said. “The other advantage that we’re seeing is sort of twofold. In the school to prison pipeline, we want to decriminalize that action with the kids so that they don’t face any type of legal issues on that front. But at the same time it works for the parents because … if we can move forward to not have a parent arrested for possession, they’re still able to keep their job.” Nila said his experience as a teacher at an alternative education campus directly informed his views on issues such as marijuana legalization. “When you have a child that reacts in a negative way in front of you because their mom or dad or guardian is incarcerated because they were caught with a little bit of weed, it changes your perspective on life,” Nila said.

A collaboration of researchers, professors and students are launching a new iOS app today to help and encourage members of the UT community to vote just before early voting begins on Oct. 22. The app, BeVote, will notify users of voting deadlines and inform them about registration, required IDs and maps with live wait times of polling locations, iOS app developer Robert McInvale III said. “A lot of people understand that voting is important. They just lack the little push that enables them to actually go and cast a vote,” computer science senior McInvale said. “Having information available at their fingertips to tell them, ‘Hey, you can walk 20 feet and cast your ballot,’ is going to be very effective.” Paul Toprac, computer

science senior lecturer, sent out a request for pitches of new mobile apps last spring for the Simulation and Game Applications (SAGA) Lab, which creates software solutions for research purposes. Hannah Wojciehowski, an English professor and co-founder of BeVote, pitched the idea for BeVote after she asked herself what could have made her younger self more civically engaged. “I thought that if it were possible to put relevant, clearly worded information where students could find it and to make it easier for people to cast their votes, the whole process would become a lot more manageable,” Wojciehowski said in an email. Soon afterward, Toprac approved the idea and recruited other faculty, graduate and undergraduate students to get BeVote up and running before the midterms. The

Android version will launch in early November Gabriel Fragozo, a communication sciences and disorders senior, said the last time he voted was in 2016 and sees value in the app moving forward. “Part of the reason so many people around my age don’t vote is because they don’t know a lot about the process,” Fragozo said. “Having that user friendliness in an app will be really beneficial to getting these people out to vote.” Data from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement showed 56.5 percent of registered UT students voted in 2016, but McInvale said he was motivated to continue increasing participation in the democratic process. “If people aren’t getting their voice out then the country isn’t expressing the voice of the people,” McInvale said. “I just hope this app helps people to do that more easily.”

CITY

Mayoral candidate Todd Phelps wants to save local businesses By Chad Lyle @lylechad

Editor’s note: This is one in a series of profiles on the Austin mayoral race. When he ran for Austin mayor in 2014, Todd Phelps eventually dropped out and endorsed now-incumbent mayor Steve Adler’s campaign, a decision he said he now regrets. “I was asked to endorse the mayor, which I did,” Phelps said. “However, at this point I regret endorsing him because he did not follow through on the 20 percent property tax homestead exemption … one of the main and only tools we have at the city level to provide property tax relief to

homeowners in the city.” Phelps, who is running on a platform of fiscal responsibility and supporting local businesses, said small business owners asked him to run because they felt they were being pushed out of town by rising property taxes and high rents. He said the recent closing announcement from Threadgill’s, a restaurant and music venue on Riverside Drive, is one example. “I’ve played that music venue,” Phelps said. “I’ve been a musician in this town for 20 years. I’ve also worked in the commercial lending industry, so I understand the development community and I understand what makes Austin, Austin. I also understand

that Adler is killing our brand by pushing out all of these music venues and iconic places in town and has not given any type of relief to them.” Phelps said addressing public transportation is a paramount issue for the city. He said he would like to see improvements made to Austin’s existing roads and public transportation. “I’d like to see an aboveground transit system that’s smart, that can move large numbers of people above ground with GPS technology,” Phelps said. “We need to reach out to some visionaries, guys like Elon Musk. Austin is better than a subway system, Austin is better than light rail.”

copyright the todd phelps campaign, and reproduced with permission Todd Phelps said he is running for mayor because he wants to support local businesses and uphold fiscal responsibility.

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The Daily Texan, a student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin, is published by Texas Student Media, 2500 Whitis Ave., Austin, TX 78712. The Daily Texan is published daily, Monday through Friday, during the regular academic year and is published once weekly during the summer semester. The Daily Texan does not publish during academic breaks, most Federal Holidays and exam periods. News contributions will be accepted by telephone (471-4591), or at the editorial office (HSM 2.120). Entire contents copyright 2018 Texas Student Media.

use, according to a national survey by the University of Michigan. Alcohol, marijuana, non-medical prescription drugs and tobacco are the most commonly used drugs among students at UT, according to the University Health Services website. Ian Sims, co-president of UT’s Students for Sensible Drug Policy chapter, said that UT should rethink its criminalization of those who use drugs and instead treat them with compassion. “Arresting a student for drug use can cause them to lose their financial aid from the federal government, which is an absolute detriment to one’s life, and would only put one in a worse situation than before,” said Sims, an international relations and global studies junior. “Treating people who use drugs with compassion,

while connecting them to healthcare resources and information that can allow them to reduce potential harms associated with substance misuse … is the most effective approach to substance misuse.” UT offers resources for students recovering from drug addiction, such as the Center for Students in Recovery, the Alcohol and Other Drugs Counseling Program and Living Learning Communities dedicated to substance-free lifestyles. In addition, Students for Sensible Drug Policy has connected students to life-saving resources, such as Naloxone, which reverses an opioid overdose. SSDP has made Naloxone available in all freshmen living communities, and all resident assistants are trained to administer the medication to students. Sociology professor William Kelly said UT can further tackle drug abuse by understanding that part of

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Forcing treatment is likely to result in failture. We need ... a public campaign making the point that (drug addition) is a medical disorder.” W I L L I A M K E L LY

SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR

effective treatment includes individual willingness. “Forcing treatment is likely to result in failure,” Kelly said. “We need … a public campaign making the point that (drug addiction) is a medical disorder, that it is about 50 percent genetic, that there is effective treatment, and that it is available to students.”

wing membrane injuries where they’ll have large holes in the membrane.” Biology senior Kyndal Irwin, a student animal control officer for Animal Make Safe, said she wears hiking boots to class and carries nets and animal carriers with her because she might get called to save an animal. Irwin said her favorite bat rescue experience was when she saved an eastern red bat from the UT Tower because the bat had “burnt-orange fur.” “Saving a bat is so rewarding because I feel like I’m playing a really special role as an Austinite and as a UT student because we share our city with this colony of bats,” Irwin said. “Especially with animals like bats that are very feared,

Saving a bat is so rewarding because I feel like I’m playing a really special role as an Austinite and a UT student.” KYNDAL IRWIN BIOLOGY SENIOR

I feel like whenever I save a bat and release them I’m sending out a message to the other bats that there are humans on their side.” In the event that a bat is found in a building or on the ground, students should call the 24-hour hotline at 512-471BATS (2287).

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018

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hannah yoes | the daily texan staff Peter Driscoll, senior and President of the Interfraternity Council, said Greek life will never be the same after IFC passed the liquor ban Wednesday night. Because of this bill, fraternities are not allowed to serve hard alcohol directly to any students on fraternity property.

Third party vendors may serve hard liquor, but party-goers must pay the vendor per drink. Fraternities must seek approval from the IFC executive board in advance for any third party vendor they hire, which must be a vendor approved by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Driscoll, a government and science and technology management senior, said he expects to see third party vendor use at fraternity parties go down drastically due to the expense. “Even if you’re having a huge party, and you have tons of money as a chapter, you still have to pay,” Driscoll

said. “(This is) going to limit exposure to risk chapters have by actually providing alcohol to people.” Driscoll said fraternity events will now be geared more toward socialization and community-building, rather than binge drinking. “It’s incremental,” Driscoll said. “It’s building toward what brotherhood should be about.” Driscoll said while some fraternity members may choose to leave Greek life due to the ban, he is excited to see the different types of people and values entering the organizations. “It will attract more than it will deter,” said Blaise Bucey, IFC executive vice president and finance senior. The policy was created

as an attempt to mitigate alcohol-related hazing incidents and binge drinking. Three UT students have died due to alcohol-related hazing in the past 20 years, according to the Hazing Deaths database. The IFC oversees 26 UT-affiliated fraternities, 11 of which have been sanctioned for hazing in the past three years, according to data from the Office of the Dean of Students. “Last fall, almost every chapter in some shape or form was serving liquor at some of their events,” Driscoll said. “This has been a very significant change very quickly. It personifies the acknowledgment within Greek life that we’re trying to constantly improve our community.”

CAMPUS

Resident peregrine falcon “Tower Girl” returns home with two falcon friends By Jackson Barton @Jackson_Brton

Perched atop the 307-foot UT Tower, “Tower Girl,” the University’s resident peregrine falcon, captivated bird enthusiasts with her first appearance in two weeks on Oct. 3, notably with two other peregrine falcons. Audience members witnessed the social event up close through the Biodiversity Center’s “Falcon Cam.” Nicole Elmer, the center’s administrative associate, displays one of Tower Girl’s feathers on her desk. Elmer said she witnessed the trio flying around the Tower during the foggy afternoon. “It was pretty exciting,” Elmer said. “I hadn’t seen her in a long time.” Integrative biology professor Timothy Keitt, who teaches a class in biology of birds and answers questions about Tower Girl, said it is not uncommon for

Tower Girl to host migrating falcons in the fall, which is outside mating season for peregrine falcons. “In past years, migrating males have visited the Tower and even mated with Tower Girl,” Keitt said. “It’s a bit early as egg laying is typically in April.” Unlike other peregrine falcons, Tower Girl does not migrate south for the winter. Keitt said this could be due to a scar indicating a possible wing injury. “It may be something that begins to be painful after a very long flight,” Keitt said. “Birds do strange things. There are many, many exceptions in the bird world and in most of nature itself.” Spearheaded by Elmer and UT alumnus Bruce Calder, the Falcon Cam went live in March. Calder, who graduated in 1981, has been closely involved with Tower Girl since he spotted her on campus summer 2013. “This was stunning to me since peregrine falcons are not known to inhabit Central Texas during midsummer,”

Calder said in an email. After constructing multiple nesting boxes, Calder observed Tower Girl with her eggs in the tower nesting box for three years, none of which hatched because they may have been infertile. Calder said Tower Girl has apparently only been “hooking up” with other males passing through Austin, and she will need to form a permanent bond for a successful breeding season. Calder said if Tower Girl successfully hatches and raises her young to adulthood, it could mark the beginning of a permanent peregrine population in Central Texas. If Tower Girl mothers a new generation of falcons, Calder said he wants the University to take credit. “It never was about me,” Calder said. “But instead is about UT encouraging the propagation of a rare and formerly endangered species.”

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018

COLUMN

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Austin’s green parrots deserve a stable home around campus

| the daily texan staff

UT students need to make water conservation a priority By Briana Torres Columnist

From filling up our water bottles during lecture to showering after long workouts at Gregory Gym, we use a lot of water. Students who live on campus may be less likely to notice their water use. I definitely was not thinking about water conservation during my freshman year. After all, we no longer have anyone telling us to take a quick shower or to turn the water off as we brush our teeth. This tendency to overlook our water usage is exacerbated by the fact that students do not receive utility bills when living on campus. According to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, UT-Austin used 775,935,637 gallons of water from the 2016-17 academic year. While UT has worked to integrate sustainability measures across campus, including the installation of an automated irrigation system and other water conservation methods, it’s time students do their part as well. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that of the 70 percent of water covering Earth, less than one percent can be used by humans. The EPA goes on to state that Americans use an average of 88 gallons of water a day. At this

rate, we are quickly using up that one percent. “Water affects everything around us,” said Chris Morphis, a history and economics junior. “We may not feel the immediate repercussions of water shortage, but a lack of water can lead to increased food, energy and living expenses.”

Americans use an average of 88 gallons of water a day. ”

Austin is regarded as a city with a medium to high risk of drought, further adding to the need to conserve water on campus. The repercussions of not doing so could lead to higher food prices because of agricultural issues, less available water for recreational use, the demise of ecosystems and can even lead to health issues. University Housing and Dining has also taken measures to conserve water in dorms by

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.

By Kateri David Columnist

installing new campus laundry machines, dish machines, showerheads, faucets and toilets, which all conserve water. Save the Drop is a new student campaign that works to make saving water a habit for UT students and encourage a mindset that views water conservation as a way of life. Morphis serves as the campaign’s economics lead. “Students should remember to keep showers short, use the washing machine only when they have a full load, and — if it is within their means — install water-efficient toilets, showerheads and faucets,” Morphis said. Maria Gonzalez, a corporate communication junior and communication lead at Save the Drop, firmly believes their campaign can help students see that saving water should be a priority. “That’s where we believe we can make a long-term impact — when conserving water becomes so routine in our lives and communities that it becomes weird not to do so.” If we simply become more cautious of the amount of water we use each day by taking small measures, we can make a considerable difference in how much water we preserve each academic year. Torres is a Plan II, English & creative writing junior from San Antonio.

GALLERY

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| the daily texan staff

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| the daily texan staff

I’ve noticed a pattern among first-time visitors to the University of Texas’s Whitaker Courts. At first, they’re annoyed by the incessant bird chatter. However, when they look up to the stadium lights, their annoyance dissolves to pleasant surprise at the sight of gray-chested, neon green parrots swarming in massive nests. Monk parakeets may be native to the subtropics of South America, but over the last 40 years, they’ve found a home in Austin. Although their exact origin is disputed, it’s accepted that in the early 1970s, parakeets were either released in the Zilker area or escaped their cages. Since this time, monk parakeets have experienced steady growth, but their commonality doesn’t mean they’re accepted. As non-natives, monk parakeets are not a protected species in Austin, but their nesting habits put their colonies under constant threat of removal. Nothing can be done to reverse past inhumane parakeet removals, but students can aid local wildlife organizations in protecting the species for years to come. Unlike other parrot species, these birds thrive in temperature extremes. Their elaborate, communal stick nests provide more than sufficient insulation against Austin’s cold winters and are frequently built atop transformers and cell phone transmission towers — structures that mimic the looming trees of their native habitat. However, the parakeets’ nesting habits have rendered them a nuisance on more than one occasion. In 2015, the birds were humanely removed from UT’s intramural fields for light renovations, displacing a colony of over 300 parakeets. Philosophy professor Sahotra Sarkar specializes in environmental ethics and conservation biology. Regarding the nest removals, he said there is no rational basis for this practice since the species pose no true threat. “They’re scavengers,” Sarkar said. “Except from some people who are bothered by their cries, I see no evidence that they do anything harmful.” Monk parakeets nest year-round and, in the case of the light renovations, such disruptive habitat loss results in mass displacement equivalent to a home being wiped out by a storm. In a matter of days, birds are forced to acquaint themselves to an entirely new territory. It will take years for the parakeets to build up the colonies to their former scale. In the summer of 2017, Austin Energy came under fire for using poles to strike and knock down monk parakeet nests. This issue, compounded with the company’s lack of concern for the parakeet’s egg-laying season, provoked enough outrage for the company to revise their practices. However, Austin Energy will continue to displace nests deemed hazardous. Travis Audubon, the first group to notify the public of Austin Energy’s inhumane parakeet removals, advocates for bird habitat preservation across Austin. In a similar vein, the Austin Wildlife Rescue rehabilitates injured parakeets and reintroduces removed birds into the wild. Both groups accept applications for volunteers, providing students the opportunity to aid monk parakeet colonies under threat. If we want a chance at preventing another wide scale removal, students need to join these organizations in order to influence the practices of institutions and companies that disregard the stability of monk parakeet colonies. UT’s urban campus makes meaningful experiences with Austin wildlife hard to come by, which explains why we’re thrilled by squirrels and sunbathing turtles. However, with monk parakeets we can catch a glimpse of the tropics in our own backyard — a unique experience that deserves to be preserved. David is a rhetoric and writing sophomore from Allen.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018

BASKETBALL

Longhorns dunk and dazzle their way into regular season By Steve Helwick @s_helwick

In the heart of the campus at Gregory Gym, Texas Athletics manufactured quite the production. Showcasing food trucks, a silent disco and a dunk contest, the Longhorns put forth their best effort to entice the student body and local fans to watch the dawn of a new season of Texas basketball at the fourth annual Texas Tip-Off. “It’s our first meeting with fans this year,” sophomore point guard Matt Coleman said. “Our freshmen got their little jitters out. It was sloppy at times, but we saw the potential that we have and how good we actually can be.” Even more important than the return of basketball was the presence of point guard Andrew Jones in the building. The junior, diagnosed with leukemia last January, was the lone player on the roster to receive a standing ovation from the audience during introductions. Head coach Shaka Smart began his pregame address to the crowd by recognizing Jones’ return, promising he’ll return to the hardwood once he overcomes a toe injury. “It’s moving. In seven months, his life has changed,” Coleman said. “He

was in the hospital. He wasn’t out there with us. Seeing him back with a smile on his face, him bringing joy, him maturing and growing up — it’s moving.” Before the Longhorns tipped off, the night began in NBA All-Star weekend fashion with a 3-point shootout and dunk contest. Coleman took home the 3-point champion title, while Royce Hamm Jr. triumphed in the dunk contest by jumping over three teammates and finishing with a one-handed, emphatic flush. There were strong showings by Hamm’s competitors, senior Kerwin Roach and newcomer Jaxson Hayes, who both displayed promising athleticism. Hayes, a 3-star power forward recruit from Cincinnati, does not have the same hype that No. 6 overall draft pick Mo Bamba did heading into last season. But the athletic 6’11” freshman has already raised plenty of eyebrows in practice from Smart and teammates. “The one thing about him that’s really good is he doesn’t really try to do anything outside of what he does well,” Smart said. “He runs and he rebounds, blocks shots. He’s

women’s

took place. The first round of the contest pitted senior Lashaan Higgs and graduate student Danni Williams against each other. Williams caught fire at the end, winning 12-9, and advanced to the final round against men’s sophomore guard Matt Coleman. Williams once again fell behind early but eventually found her rhythm and came back just as she had done in the previous round. At one point in the round, she cleared an entire rack without a miss. Her hot hand led to a tie with Coleman,

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NBA All-Star game — very little defense and free-flowing basketball. The style of play made it hard to get a clear beat on the individual players but gave an indication of what the team as a whole will look like. The scrimmage wasn’t the main event, however. Immediately after, a three-point shooting contest involving players from the men’s and women’s programs

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very good at finishing at the rim on the lobs. He’s still at the very, very infant stages of his development, but he learns fast.” After the 3-point and dunk festivities concluded, a brief 12-minute intrasquad

scrimmage commenced. The orange squad, equipped with the potent backcourt duo of Roach and Coleman, dominated the white squad, 31-19, behind the veterans’ offensive playmaking. “I let Jericho (Sims) pick

but the win would go to the men’s team as Coleman sank a sudden-death three to win the competition. After all the contests and scrimmages were finished, two things were evident — the ball will often be in the hands of Sug Sutton in closegame situations and Higgs will be a go-to scorer for the team. “I think she is the most improved,” Aston said of Higgs. The senior leadership of Higgs and the emergence of Sutton will be the first steps for the Longhorns to get to where they want to be.

the teams and he picked the two best guards (together),” Smart said. “In this league, the teams with the best guards typically win. In the games where we’ve come up short, our guards at times have been outplayed, so we

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need to continue growing those guys and helping the younger guards improve.” Coleman, Roach and the rest of the Longhorns launch the upcoming season Nov. 6 at the Frank Erwin Center against Eastern Illinois.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018

BASKETBALL

Three, two, and-one: Texas tunes up

joshua guenther| the daily texan staff Senior guard Lashann Higgs makes a move to the rim in the Longhorns’ scrimmage at the Texas Tip-Off event at Gregory Gym. Higgs will look to anchor what looks like another top 10 team along with junior Sug Sutton and senior Jatarie White.

Longhorn women make their first appearance in annual preseason event. By Donnavan Smoot @Dsmoot3D

ans packed into Gregory Gym on Wednesday night for the 2018 Texas Tip-Off. It was a chance for them to get their first look at both men’s and women’s teams

and set their expectations for the season. Head coach Karen Aston let the fans at Gregory Gym see that she had expectations for them as well. “You have a top 10 team,” Aston said as she addressed the fans in attendance. “What gets us to the next level, in terms of the Erwin Center being a rough place to play … is the student body.” Aston is hoping that her challenge is able to help the trend of growing attendance at their games. Last year, nearly 1,000 more people attended the games than in the 2016-17 season. In 2017 Texas

averaged 4,636 people per women’s basketball game, which ranked 19th in the country and third in the Big 12. The Longhorns enter the season ranked No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. With Texas being a team that is perennially one of the top in the nation, the program wants its attendance to reflect its national ranking. When it came to the game at hand, the women tried to show the fans in attendance what this season has in store. The 10-minute scrimmage looked very much like an

You have a top 10 team. What gets us to the next level, in terms of the Erwin Center being a rough place to play...is the student body.

KAREN ASTON HEAD COACH

WOMEN’S

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LONGHORNS IN THE NFL

“The “The opportunities opportunities the the College College of of Liberal Liberal Arts Arts allowed me to pursue, ranging from Russian allowed me to pursue, ranging from Russian studies studies to to international international economic economic policy, policy, provided provided me me with an immeasurable head start to compete with an immeasurable head start to compete and and excel excel in in aa rapidly rapidly changing changing workforce. workforce. My My career career as a CBS News correspondent/anchor & CNN as a CBS News correspondent/anchor & CNN contributor contributor would would not not have have been been possible possible without without the the liberal liberal arts arts education education II received received at at UT.” UT.” Bianna Bianna Golodryga, Golodryga, B.A. B.A. Russian, Russian, East East European European and and Eurasian Eurasian Studies Studies ’00 ’00

Goodwin, Hicks hit midseason stride in standout performaces By Isaac Gutierrez @isaaxgutierrez

The 2018 NFL season is now six weeks young. Some former Longhorns have found great success this season with their respective teams, while others have found quite the opposite. Here’s a look at how some of these players did this week: Marquise Goodwin Coming off a career year, wide receiver Marquise Goodwin was expected to produce big results for the San Francisco 49ers in 2018. However, Goodwin suffered an injury in the first game of the year, limiting his production and playing time up to this point. Fortunately, the wideout would only miss two games, but the injury began to impact his performance on the field. Through Week Five, Goodwin failed to bring in more than 30 yards in a single game. That changed with Monday Night Football when Goodwin had one of the best games of his career against the Green Bay Packers. Goodwin hauled in four

catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns — a new career high for the speedy receiver. His performance was key to the 49ers’ offense keeping the Monday night matchup competitive. Despite suffering a loss on a last-second field goal from kicker Mason Crosby, it was an encouraging game for a struggling San Francisco team. Jordan Hicks The Philadelphia Eagles were relatively disappointing through five weeks of the season. That was no longer the case in Week Six. The defending champions annihilated the New York Giants, beating them by a score of 34-13. This dominating effort was led by former Longhorn linebacker Jordan Hicks’ defense. Despite the Giants being one of the league’s worst teams, a divisional win in such a dominating fashion is still an impressive feat. The Eagles handled their business as well as they were expected to, which has not been the case for them in the first month of the season. Just as he has done all season, Hicks had a standout per-

formance, manning the middle of the field while recording 10 tackles. His presence on this team will continue to be essential for the defensive success of Philadelphia. Derrick Johnson Linebacker Derrick Johnson signed with the Oakland Raiders during free agency this past summer. After spending 13 seasons with the division rival Kansas City Chiefs, he came to the West Coast with the intention of being the Raiders’ starting middle linebacker this season. This was the case for a short period of time — two weeks to be exact. After the second game of the season, Johnson began to see his playing time dwindle as second-year linebacker Marquel Lee began to take his snaps. It was clear that Johnson was falling out of favor with his new team. This hunch became a reality when the team elected to release the 36-yearold on Tuesday. Johnson, who recorded 17 tackles during his brief stint in Oakland, is now a free agent and will be looking for a new team to finish the season with.

WHY LIBERAL ARTS

amy zhang | the daily texan staff Former Texas linebacker Jordan Hicks looks to make a play in the Longhorns’ 23-0 shutout of the Kansas Jayhawks on Sept. 27, 2014, in Lawrence, Kansas.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Thursday, October 18, 2018

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TIANA WOODARD & JORDYN ZITMAN LIFE&ARTS EDITORS @THEDAILYTEXAN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018

ART

Studio open for disabled artists Austin-based SAGE Studio gives disabled artists a space to express their creativity independently. By Noah Van Hooser @tofuvan

rt serves as a medium for a wide range of expressions spanning a wide array of identities, backgrounds and abilities. However, the opportunities to share such creations are not always readily available to everyone. Seizing this reality as an opportunity, practicing artist Katie Stahl and social worker Lucy Gross teamed up to create SAGE Studio in East Austin. In May, the two co-founders stumbled upon an 8-by-10-foot shipping container for rent. Drawing from past involvements with various art education programs, Stahl and Gross opened the container turned studio in June as a platform for disabled artists, hoping to assist the production and exhibition of their work. The studio welcomes visitors on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Thursday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and other days of the week by appointment. Coming from humble beginnings in Gross’ dining room, the now-converted studio has satisfied their wishes for a space. “Between the dining room and eventual backyard studio, we were pretty limited,” Stahl said. “Finding the container was serendipitous for us. We weren’t looking for anything huge, and it was still the kind of space that

amanda saunders | the daily texan staff Practicing artist Katie Stahl and social worker Lucy Gross turned an 8-by-10 foot shipping container in East Austin into a studio. SAGE Studio is a space for disabled artists to produce and display their work.

would attract people unfamiliar with our artists.” Prior to the conception of SAGE, Stahl and Gross bonded over similar passions while working at The Arc of the Arts, a daily arts education program for clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Despite her own past experiences with art education, Stahl said that the vision of SAGE employs an approach that doesn’t necessitate a teacherstudent dynamic. “We don’t view what we’re doing as education per se,” Stahl said. “We see our role as artist facilitators. These artists have distinct voices already and we try not to step on their toes. It’s about letting them do what comes naturally.”

The studio’s recent fall show featured work from a handful of SAGE artists, and even featured live painting from Dallas-based artist Charlie French. French has been painting for 10 years and has had his work featured in a Down Syndrome Association magazine. “Painting live for a crowd was fun,” French said. “I was proud and was able to sell (the piece). I am an abstract painter, and my favorite thing to paint is storms.” While the studio welcomes local artists, the project also seeks to work with statewide creatives. The scope of SAGE’s ambition has allowed the co-founders to constantly find new talent. Although the studio aims to create opportunities for artists, Stahl said the

impact has been mutual. “As an artist, I struggle with having a voice that’s distinct sometimes,” Stahl said. “We have different artists working with different mediums, but they all have a truly distinct voice. I admire their expression and it’s something I try to bring into my own practice.” For Gross, one meaningful component of forming a relationship with the artists is gaining insight into their other relationships. “One of my favorite parts of (working at SAGE) is meeting the artists’ families,” Gross said. “Getting to experience how families have interacted with their disabled children and how that’s affected them, those stories are the most significant.”

BOOKS

Freshman Kimberly Lee publishes poetry based on life and fiction

amanda saunders | the daily texan staff Communication and leadership freshman Kimberly Lee published her first poetry book “ln Which l Beg You to Listen.” Lee uses poetry as an outlet to express herself.

By Ambar Ancira @ambar_ancira

austin311.org

When it seemed impossible to express herself at home, communication and leadership freshman Kimberly Lee found her voice in poetry. With the encouragement of her friends, Lee published her first book. Lee turned her book “In Which I Beg You to Listen.” Some of its poems are inspired by the author’s real life experiences, while others are pure fiction. Lee said she started writing short stories and prose at a young age, but it was not until middle school that she began to write poetry. She said she was forced to learn poetry, but ended up loving it. Poetry became important to Lee because it served as an emotional outlet. She said because she comes from a family of South Korean immigrants, it is unusual to talk about emotions at home. “I didn’t feel comfortable saying what I thought in common language,” Lee said. “I felt more comfortable using a ton of metaphors and symbols.”

Drake Leach, a musical theatre freshman at George Mason University, said what sets Lee’s poetry apart from other works is the direct language and weight of the metaphors and symbols. Leach said his favorite poem of hers is about a chess board. “(Her poetry) used very metaphysical imagery and very tangible things you could hold on to,” Leach said. “You could think about the chess board, or the different pieces and draw your own emotional conclusions from the way she was using them.” Elise Little, a junior at Chaparral Star Academy, said she admires the way Lee does not mask the truth of the poem under flowery language, but lets the true emotions be the beauty of it. She said this is why it is easy for people to relate to Lee’s poems. Lee said she does not sit down with the intention to write a poem — they simply come to her in pieces throughout the day. “I’ll be eating food and then one sentence will pop into my brain and I’ll have to write it down quickly,” Lee said. “Then I’ll build a poem around that phrase.”

Lee would not have discovered her love for writing poetry without learning about it in school. She said sometimes when poetry is taught, it focuses on the history and structure of poetry as opposed to the freedom of it. “I think people have this misconception that poetry is this Shakespearean old art and a lot of people don’t look at modern poetry, which really has no rules, which is the best thing about poetry,” Lee said. Lee said it is important for people to learn poetry, and especially to know that it is a free form of writing because that is what sets it apart. “The way poetry is written has this quality where you understand what the person is saying even if they aren’t necessarily outright saying it,” Lee said. “You can relate to what the author is feeling without even realizing that you related.” Lee is currently working on an interactive poetry book where she writes some of the poem and leaves blanks for the reader to fill in. She said it is for people who want to write poetry, but don’t know how to get started.