The Daily Texan 2018-10-25

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serving the university of texas at austin community since

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1900

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2018

volume

119,

issue

NEWS

OPINION

LIFE&ARTS

SPORTS

Students encounter issues renting wheelchairs from University Health Services. PA G E 2

UT students will be affected by increasing climate change. Vote like it matters. PA G E 4

Annual Honey Fest brings community together to benefit Austin Food and Wine Alliance. PA G E 5

Over 50 years later, the legend of the famed number 60 continues to live on. PA G E 6

52

CAMPUS

Students struggle with insurance, paying for UHS services

PROJECT

Are you a First Generation college student?

By Emily Hernandez @emilylhernandez

WELL, IT DEPENDS WHO YOU ASK.

University Health Services offers options for students regardless of whether or not their insurance is accepted by UHS or if they do not have insurance at all. Business sophomore Ellena Beltran experienced insurance issues with her health maintenance organization, or HMO, plan because it was not accepted by UHS. She said her sessions with an integrated health counselor cost her $50 per hour, and she eventually stopped treatment because she “didn’t want to pay anymore.” “They definitely try to give me discounted rates, but I don’t get the charge immediately to my account because I’m out of network with them,” Beltran said. “Sometimes, I have to wait two weeks or even a month for a charge to appear on my account, and they don’t tell me when it’s there. I’ve missed a few payments. They’ve gone past due, and I’ve had another charge.” Undeclared sophomore Sarah Harper also has an HMO plan and has been unable to use UHS at all due to financial difficulties despite discounts. “I am a first-generation college student, so I pay for everything on my own,” Harper said. “What the insurance does cover, the leftover, the copays, is still like $15-20, which I just don’t have.” UHS bills students under their ‘What I Owe’ page if they are unable to pay the day of their appointment. Sherry Bell, UHS consumer education and outreach coordinator, said UHS offers various discounts on all services for students with insurance issues depending on their financial situation. “If it’s related to a physical exam office visit, a women’s annual exam office visit or any kind of medical clearance, we can offer (up to a) 50 percent discount of the student’s financial responsibility,” Bell said. “We can (also) offer deeper discounts for appointments with a dietitian, for STI tests performed here in our laboratory and for medical equipment.” Bell said the AcademicBlue Student Health Plan is an affordable insurance for any student within the UT system. UHS doesn’t directly sell the plan, but Bell said it is posted on their website to provide students access to healthcare. Spring enrollment for the plan opens Nov. 1. “The cool thing about that is that with very, very few

INSURANCE

page

By Sunny Kim @sunny_newsiee

rst fi e h ou t your y e r A on in ily m a s f r pe ediate lege? imm ttend col to a

This is the second installment of the semester-long collaborative series “First-Gen UT,” which will share the stories of first-generation Longhorns. Stories will be produced in partnership with UT’s chapters of Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Black Journalists, National Hispanic Journalists Association and the National Lesbian Gay Journalists Association. very day from 10 a.m. until 9:30 p.m., math senior Benjamin Duong’s parents work at their family restaurant called Kemah Cafe. Born and raised in Clear Lake, Texas, Duong spent his childhood helping out at the restaurant by taking orders, cleaning tables and making coffee or lemonade when needed. Since his parents work long hours, Duong said he had to figure out how to complete his college applications and financial aid documents with only the help of his older sisters. Neither of Duong’s parents attended college, making him a first-generation college student. However, Duong said he didn’t even know he qualified as a first-generation student, because his sisters had both gone to college. “I don’t think I was recognizable as a first-generation to myself or to other people,” Duong said. Business sophomore Lucy Gutierrez also researched the college application process without her parents because they were unfamiliar with the U.S. college system as Mexican immigrants. “It was something I researched, I applied to, I financed and I decided to move (to Austin),” Gutierrez said. “They drove me up here … but they were not able to be very involved in the application process and enrollment.” But according to the U.S. Department of Education, Gutierrez is not a first-generation college student because her mom graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Mexico. The definition of a “first-generation student” can be vague and unclear, leaving students like Duong and Gutierrez confused.

Who is a first-generation student?

FI

RST GEN

UT

Yes

Congratulations! You are a first-gen student according to UT and the federal government.

No

You are still a first-gen student according to UT and the federal government.

No

Have either of your parents ever attended college?

Yes

If your parents earned a degree outside of the U.S., you might be considered a first-gen at UT but not by the federal government, which determines most scholarships.

No

Did they earn a bachelors degree from a U.S. university or institution?

Sorry, you’re not a firstgen student.

Yes

infographic by emma overholt, icons by jeb milling

Duong and Gutierrez’s similar, but different, experiences are part of the ongoing debate over what the term “first-generation student” means. UT officials define first-generation students as those with parents “who have not earned a higher education degree from a U.S. institution.” But at the federal level, this is not the case. According to the U.S. Department of Education, a first-generation student is someone whose parents haven’t obtained a bachelor’s degree or someone whose primary guardian didn’t obtain a bachelor’s degree. The term also extends to people with parent(s) and or guardian(s) who attended college, but failed to receive a bachelor’s degree. Joey Williams, communications director for the Office of the Execu-

FIRST-GEN

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| the daily texan staff

samantha dorisca | the daily texan staff Math senior Benjamin Duong’s was surprised when he realized he qualified to be a first generational college student.

2

3

CAMPUS

Charlie Kirk visits campus, sparks political debate about conservatism By Gracie Awalt & Laura Morales @gracieawalt @Lamor_1217

A crowd of about 40 students surrounded by officers from the UT Police Department gathered on the West Mall on Wednesday to debate Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA founder and executive director. Turning Point USA is a

nonprofit created to teach students conservative principles. The UT Chapter of TPUSA, which started this September, invited Kirk in hopes the event would be a space for students to discuss political issues, chapter president Meghan Lovett said. “I just want people to get their voices out there,” Lovett said. “I want to let them know they have been heard, and let them

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converse with people with different ideas in respectful manner and hold an argument and learn a new perspective.” The event was part of the “Campus Clash,” which runs from Oct. 23 to Nov. 13 and during which Kirk travels to college campuses considered politically liberal and aims to spark discussion. “We thought we could do this peacefully,” Kirk said. “You can

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see in the news today that there are tensions arising on both sides, which is not okay. We should embrace our differences and do so peacefully.” Throughout the event, students approached Kirk and discussed political issues. Finance senior Alex Melton, who stood as a spectator, said people were unprepared for Kirk’s arguments, because they didn’t argue with

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enough facts. “He was coming with facts and breaking down every bit of the arguments they were trying to make,” Melton said. Economics senior Katherine Horstman, who identifies as a democratic socialist, said she spoke with Kirk about the Affordable Care Act and was not convinced by his arguments.

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