The Daily Texan 2018-10-30 by The Daily Texan

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

volume

119,

issue

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

LIFE&ARTS

2015 UT alumna receives Houston ISD Teacher of the Year award. PA G E 2

Students should not be deterred by SURE Walk wait times when going home. PA G E 4

Herman discusses Kris Boyd-Emmanuel Acho social media feud. PA G E 6

UT students turn to Reddit community for mental health support. PA G E 8

CAMPUS

WEST CAMPUS

Student’s drone aids campus water conservation around LBJ

West campus moped theft rates increase

By Gracie Awalt @gracieawalt5

If students see a drone flying through the sky around the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, it means UT is looking for ways to improve water conservation on campus. Electrical engineering junior Marwan Madi pitched his drone technology to UT, and now it’s flying around campus. As a high school student, Madi and his team won the National Innovation Merit Award for the drone in a competition that encourages students to address world issues through engineering. The drone uses special imaging technology to sense plant health. UT Landscape Services is in the process of gathering data about the lawn surrounding the LBJ Library, which uses 20 percent of the irrigation water on campus, said Markus Hogue, irrigation and water conservation coordinator for Landscape Services. “We weren’t sure of the best way to apply the technology on campus at first, but we knew we wanted to try something,” Madi said. “Water is a scarce resource, and I think a lot of people take it for granted.” Madi received funding through the Green Fund, a grant supported by tuition and fees, funds sustainability projects on campus. The grant paid for a $5,000 camera attached to a $2,000 drone. The camera takes images of the landscape and measures plant health based on how a plant reflects light. Hogue said his goal is to determine the minimum amount of

DRONE

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Here’s what moped owners need to know to prevent it.

andrew choi

By Megan Menchaca @MeganMenchaca13

fter a string of moped thefts in West Campus this year, the Austin Police Department is urging students to protect their mopeds. Forty moped thefts have occurred in West Campus and the surrounding area since the beginning of the calendar year, according to data from APD. During the same time from January to October last year, there were 22 moped thefts. “We certainly tend to see a small spike in moped thefts when students come back to school because students use mopeds

| the daily texan staff the most,” said Natalia Lee, APD auto theft neighborhood liaison. “But across the board, we’ve been seeing an overall rise in moped thefts throughout the year.” While there haven’t been any moped thefts on campus, Lee said the majority of moped thefts have happened in areas where there is a high concentrations of students, such as West Campus. Lee said the moped thefts occurred throughout the day, including during daylight hours. “It could be 2:00 in the morning, or it could be 2:00 in the afternoon,” Lee said. “If somebody is looking to take a moped and it’s not fastened to anything stationary, they’re going to take it.”

Lee said people do not understand how vulnerable mopeds are. APD recommends that moped owners keep their mopeds out of sight, lock the wheeluse a secure bike lock to attach the moped to something stationary and park their mopeds in front of a camera, Lee said. “A lot of these thefts are preventable,” Lee said. “We definitely recommend … locking your moped to something, keeping it out of sight when possible and then locking it again. People just need to take more personal preventative measures.”

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CITY

STUDENT

Voter registration in Travis County hits new record for 2018 midterm elections

SG advocates for new electronic IDs

By Sami Sparber @samisparber

Travis County set a “modern-day record” for voter registration ahead of the Texas midterms, said Bruce Elfant, Travis County tax assesor-collector. As of Oct. 26, 94.5 percent of eligible citizens in the county were registered to vote, up from 92.6 percent in 2016, Elfant said. The number of registered voters could continue to grow as his office processes the remaining registration applications. “We’re very proud to have so many people in Travis County registered to vote,” Elfant said. “We don’t normally see this kind of voter activity in a midterm election year, which is why this is so exciting.” At the state level, a record-breaking 15.6 million people registered ahead of the upcoming election, said Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos, earlier this month. A combination of factors at the national, state and local levels contributed to the increased interest in registration, said Joshua Blank, manager of polling and research at UT’s Texas Politics Project. “Our national environment is

relentless in focusing on politics and current events,” Blank said. “It makes even people who are otherwise unlikely to pay attention unable to avoid politics.” The closely watched U.S. Senate race between Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz is also influencing voter enthusiasm, Blank said. “The big factor here in Texas is a competitive race at the top of the ticket,” Blank said. “That’s not something that’s very common in Texas and is likely leading more people to pay more attention than normal.” Blank said the number of competitive races for seats in the federal and state legislature is also influencing voter enthusiasm in Texas. “At the far reaches of Travis County, in each direction, there are Democratic candidates running against entrenched Republican incumbents and/or for open seats in competitive races that are normally not very competitive,” Blank said. “Those Democratic candidates, in part, have an incentive to register and turn out voters in Travis County, which tends to be more Democratic than its adjacent counties.” Elfant said he’s encouraged by

VOTE

STEER CLEAR!

TEXAS ATHLETICS GAMEDAY CLEAR BAG POLICY

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Voter Registration in Travis County As of Friday

Young people aged

788,645

18-25

now make up the largest voting bloc

people in Travis County are registered to vote

Composition of registered voter population 18-35

36-55

56+

39%

35%

26%

S O U R C E : T E X A S S E C R E TA R Y O F S TAT E & T R AV I S C O U N T Y R E G I S T R A R emma overholt

| the daily texan staff

By Sara Schleede @saraschleede

Student IDs are the golden ticket to accessing campus resources, but they are just as forgettable as they are important. Speedway, bathroom sinks and dorm front desks are littered with lost IDs, but a new Student Government initiative that wants to turn IDs digital might help. SG nursing representative Nicole Flanigan said she decided to start an initiative to bring electronic IDs to UT after reading an article about them at Duke University, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Alabama. As of Oct. 2, students at those universities can access their college IDs through Apple Wallet to pay for textbooks or enter buildings on campus. “A lot of students will forget their student IDs or lose it,” nursing sophomore Flanigan said. “By having it on your phone, that’s going to provide a lot of convenience.” Samantha Lucas, UT

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Police Department property specialist, said UTPD Lost and Found no longer accepts student IDs because they used to receive too many to keep track of. Now, they send them to the ID Center. Still, she said the department returns about 20 IDs each week. Lucas said electronic IDs would be a great way to help reduce lost IDs. “People are less inclined to lose their phone than their actual ID,” Lucas said. Faculty and staff can currently display a virtual ID on a web page on their phone to gain access to certain locations on campus, according to UT’s ServiceNow website. Electrical engineering representative Michael Pontikes said electronic student IDs would only work for scanning, not swiping, devices. He said replacing all devices to make them scannable would take a few years. “We would start with what’s existing, and as it grows more possible we start to invest in more scanners,” electrical engineering junior

IDS

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

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2018

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CAMPUS

Professor debuts book on Beyoncé, black feminism By Adriana Rezal @adrianarezal

A UT professor who pioneered the course on Beyoncé and black feminism now has a book analyzing the singer-songwriter’s art. Omise’eke Tinsley, African and Africa Diaspora studies associate professor, celebrated the launch of her new book, ‘Beyoncé in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism’ Monday with a book reading and signing event. Since 2015, her “Beyoncé Feminism, Rihanna Womanism” course has discussed black feminism and themes similar to those described in her new book. Published by The University of Texas Press, the book analyzes Beyoncé’s visual album, Lemonade, in relation to the sexuality and gender of black women. Tinsley said the book is a “mixtape memoir” demonstrating how she combines these issues. It includes an analysis of Lemonade and her own accounts as a black, queer and femme woman. “This book is a love letter to black women, and I hope in writing it that I communicate that black women are loved and lovable, and that our lives not only matter but are brilliant,” Tinsley said. Candice Lyons, African and African Diaspora studies graduate student, said many reviewers of Lemonade failed to discuss the ways in which Beyoncé communicated a connectedness to her blackness, femininity and feminism. Lyons said Tinsley is one of the first to use the identity of femme, someone who identifies as queer and portrays themselves in

amanda saunders | the daily texan staff Omise’eke Tinsley, African and Africa Diaspora studies associate professor, held a reading and signing event for her book “Beyoncé in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism.” Dr. Tinsley analyzes the role that Beyonce plays in black femininity and sexuality.

a feminine way, in a literary setting. “‘Femme-eninity’ is something that hasn’t been theorized, so Dr. Tinsley is making this intervention in this book (for something) that isn’t necessarily pervasive in academic spaces yet,” Lyons said. Lyons said academia tends to discuss themes that relate to many people, and Tinsley’s use of Beyoncé and her art al-

low those outside of academics to engage in those conversations. “There’re so many people who maybe aren’t in academic spaces but who connect to Beyoncé on a certain level … that may not be (able to access) a traditional academic text that might find this book more helpful,” Lyons said. Biology freshman Amaya Lacy, who attended the event, said she is interested

in reading Tinsley’s discussion of black women’s sexuality and gender. “I love Beyoncé very much,” Lacy said. “I always have since I was a little girl. I’m very excited to get more of what (Tinsley) talked about today, like the whole black feminist perspective and what really inspired her to write the book.” The book will be officially released Nov. 6.

ALUMNI

UT alumna wins Houston ISD Teacher of the Year By Maysa Mustafa

@maysamustafa

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UT alumna Alejandra Ortega recently received the Houston ISD Teacher of the Year just three years after graduating. Ortega teaches eighth grade math at the same middle school she attended when she was younger – McReynolds Middle School. “As an elementary school student, I was bullied and did not have a teacher advocate,” Ortega said. “This changed when I entered McReynolds Middle School. Through their support and that of the rest of my teachers and fellow students, I finally felt accepted and celebrated for who I was. This became such a crucial piece as to why I returned to McReynolds as a teacher.” Later on, when Ortega became a college student, she was heavily involved in both the UT and Austin communities in terms of education. “I can gladly say that every

copyright alejandra ortega, and reproduced with permission Texas Ex Alejandra Ortega, pictured with her students holding a cake, was awarded 2018 Houston ISD Teacher of the Year only three years after graduating.

semester that I attended UT, I was involved with a campus in Austin one way or another,” Ortega said. “I had a variety of experiences in several classrooms during my time at UT, which I believe helped

prepared me to be the teacher I am today.” One of the organizations she was involved in was UTeach Outreach, a program that gives students the opportunity to be assistant teachers in local

schools. Garrett Mott, physics and math junior, is a peer ambassador with UTeach. “UTeach is a great program because it couples not only content knowledge, but also pedagogical knowledge, and

really caters to the specific skills needed to teach STEM content,” Mott said. Math senior Lacey Campbell said UTeach has provided her with the strategies she will use once she is officially a teacher. “Through all of this experience, I have learned that I am and want to continue to be the teacher that gets kids excited about understanding math and (makes) it attainable for all students,” Campbell said. Ortega is working on her master’s degree at UT-Arlington and said she hopes to one day be “considered a leader of leaders who empowers her fellow administrators and teacher leaders.” “Teachers are ultimately tasked with not only preparing students for the next grade level or state examination but to be the future members and leaders of our communities,” Ortega said. ”We must ensure that the work we design for them prepares them to do so while empowering who they currently are.”

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Electrical engineering senior Lorrie Tria said despite always locking her moped and parking it in front of a camera, her moped was stolen recently from a garage in West Campus. Tria said she now uses a U-lock and locks the wheel on her new moped to make sure it is safe. “I would tell all UT students to be extremely careful,” Tria said. “If I could go back in time, I wish that I also locked my moped to the garage wall with another bike lock. I think two forms of locks is the least you should do.” Lee said thieves are stealing mopeds for their personal use and because they have high resale value. Lee also said mopeds are easy targets because they are easy

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the increase in voter enthusiasm and hopes it translates to increased voter turnout. “I hope people keep it up,” Elfant said. “Registering is not enough — you have to be motivated to want to go vote. You have to feel like something’s at stake and recognize that you have a say in the matter.” Elfant said the 500 UT students serving as volunteer deputy registrars this year were instrumental in registering young people. Registered voters age 18 to 25 now make up the largest group in Travis County. Maya Patel, vice president of TX Votes, a nonpartisan student organization focused on

to transport. “People have this mentality that ‘I’ve locked it; I’ve done my part,’ and they think it’s safe,” Lee said. “But unlike a car, which you have to be able to drive away with key, a moped can just be rolled away. We also see people picking mopeds up and putting them into the back of trucks. They’re just very easy to take.” Tracy Staggs, UT Police Department detective, said despite the lack of thefts on campus, UTPD is still advising students to remain cautious. “We are telling people to lock up your moped just like you would your bike (and) parking it next to something that you can lock it to,” Staggs said. “All it takes to steal one is two guys and a pickup truck.”

increasing civic engagement, has spent months registering students to vote. She said student deputy registrars visited over 260 classrooms to register students ahead of the Oct. 9 deadline. “Last semester, we only went to 35 classrooms,” chemistry junior Patel said. “We’re really excited that we were able to register over 260 classrooms, and we feel it was a very effective way to get students registered to vote.” Patel said she hopes more students will vote now that they’re registered. “Young people are now the largest voting bloc in Travis County, which means we have a lot of power,” Patel said. “If we want to see something happen in our government, we have the power to vote and make it happen.”

sarah el-zein | the daily texan staff UT is putting more effort into conserving water usage across campus, especially in the area surrounding the LBJ Library. Drones will likely be seen flying around the lawn to gather data about plant health and how much water is needed.

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water they can use to irrigate the campus landscape without damaging the plants. Since 2009, the University has reduced water usage by 70 percent, or 125 million gallons, due to water conservation efforts led by UT Landscape Services. He said his goal is to save 10 percent more water, which equates to 4-5 million more gallons per year. “We want to start reducing the water usage on the healthy grass until it becomes noticeable,” Hogue said. “If I can run less water on the grass but people don’t notice it, that difference could mean a thousand gallons a watering cycle.” Hogue said the recent Austin water boil notice serves as a reminder of how we use fresh drinking water to irrigate landscapes, and how we need to be “good stewards” and conserve what we can.

“If we could get more student groups to do this, just think of the impact it would have,” Hogue said. “Other countries would kill for fresh water, and if they knew we were just putting it out on the landscape to have green grass, could you imagine what they would be saying to us right now and how crazy they would think we are?” Sustainability studies sophomore Susannah Cummins said we should not only focus on conserving water in times of crisis, such as the boil notice, but all the time. “Topics of environmental protection aren’t on the forefront of most people’s minds, which is unfortunate because it affects all of us,” Cummins said. “Everyone can make a difference, and everyone should be focusing on making a difference. We should try to minimize water usage on landscapes to the least amount possible because we should be conserving water in every aspect of our lives, and especially ones as trivial as lawns.”

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

CAMPUS

emma overholt

| the daily texan staff

Dining hall hours determined by student traffic By Neelam Bohra @_neelam_b

Students living on the north side of campus, such as in Kinsolving and Whitis Court, have complained about limited dining hall hours, but these hours have not been changed. Director of dining Rene Rodriguez said foot traffic determines how long the dining halls stay open. According to a recent dining hall report, around 10 percent of Kinsolving Dining customers arrive between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., with the exception of Monday. This is higher than the 3-7 percent of customers who arrive between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., but

the dining halls stay open during these hours. Rodriguez said they stay open during these times because it is easier for employees to work continuous shifts. “If 20 percent of customers were there, if we were higher up in numbers, we might keep these locations open during later hours,” Rodriguez said. “But, we consider real amounts to be double-digit numbers, and those percentages are not in the double digits.” Rodriguez said dining hall employees work two shifts. An extra hour to keep Kinsolving open until 9 p.m. would add a third shift, he said. Extending dining hall hours would be difficult because employees rely on public transportation, and buses stop running after 10 p.m.,

Rodriguez said. “It’s not just the hours that we’re open,” Rodriguez said. “We have to adjust for (two) hours of cleaning. Plus, if we added a third shift, we would have to charge students more for food. It’s a balancing act.” Rodriguez said different situations allow for locations such as Jester City Limits to stay open until 11 p.m. “It’s a little bit easier because we’re cooking on demand,” Rodriguez said. “We’re not cooking for masses in an allyou-can-eat situation. In that situation, we have to forecast how many people are going to come in. But, in an on-demand situation, we can handle a smaller amount of people.”

Public health sophomore Esme Anaab lives in Kinsolving and said she usually doesn’t have time to eat because her work schedule conflicts with dining hall hours. “As soon as I get off work, I can’t eat dinner unless I eat really early, and then I would go hungry,” Anaab said. “I feel like it’s fair to give kids an opportunity to get food, especially if they don’t want to spend outside money.” Aerospace engineering freshman Lakshmi Paluri said she could work to make the hours work for her. “The hours are not the most convenient,” Paluri said. “But I could definitely manage it better. It’s just something I have to get used to.”

CAMPUS

The Crafty Society serves as inclusive outlet to destress, create By Tehya Rassman @tehyarassman

UT has a new crafting and DIY organization where students can go relax and unleash their creativity. Every week, members of The Crafty Society meet to take part in activities such as lantern painting, bookbinding and making figurines out of clay. In the spirit of Halloween, Friday’s craft was pumpkin decorating while watching the movie “Coraline.” “I didn’t see enough arts and crafts orgs on campus, and I really like doing DIY projects and arts and crafts,” Crafty Society president Victoria Allen said. “So, I felt that there was a need for one, and I was just really excited about the idea of doing it.” The Crafty Society has grown significantly since its emergence, and it currently has about 70 members. “We were gathering people just from … Party on the Plaza,” studio art junior Allen said. “It grew pretty fast. We started with, like, 10 because I first started talking about the club in the spring. Then by August, there were, like, 45 people on our Facebook page.” None of the members pay dues because of funding they received from the Fine

Arts Council, Allen said. The organization meets Fridays 5-9 p.m. in CBA 4.344. Business freshman Keyi Ouyang said her favorite activity was making clay charms, which some members turned into keychains. Ouyang said she enjoys being able to come to The Crafty Society after a week of class to ease stress. “I really like the environment here because it’s really relaxed,” Ouyang said. “Some drawing (organizations), you have to be a certain level where you have to draw a certain thing, but this one’s more free-minded. You can just do whatever.” Despite being art-oriented, the organizaiton members are not all art majors. Biology freshman Annabelle Vincent said the meetings provide her with relief from her stress. “Biology is really academically challenging, and I spend a lot of time doing academically focused stuff,” Vincent said. “I do too much. So, I need somewhere to relax, and this is my relax time.” Allen said she tries to make the group enjoyable for everyone. Psychology freshman Nimisha Jain, who is new to the group, said she likes her experience so far. “I’ve only been here for a little while, but everyone that I’ve talked to has been really sweet, and it’s been a really welcoming atmosphere,” Jain said.

eilish o’sullivan | the daily texan staff Psychology freshman Nimisha Jain, math freshman Marlee Rosales and studio art sophomore Madison Ward decorate pumpkins and watch the movie “Coraline” at the The Crafty Society’s Wicked Halloween Bash. The free crafting and DIY organization is one of UT’s newest, and is quickly growing with about 70 members.

UNIVERSITY

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Pontikes said. “If it’s working and students are liking it, it’s a good investment.” The other universities with electronic IDs access student identification information through Blackboard Mobile Credentials. Flanigan said she reached out to

Apple last week to figure out how to incorporate Apple Wallet with UT’s ID system or Canvas. She said she would also like to offer the IDs on non-Apple devices if it’s possible. “It can be a long process (considering) the technology associated with it,” Flanigan said. “I would say it would be a little later down the road, but in the long run it can really be beneficial for students.”

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President’s Award for Global Learning selects teams for international research By Bonny Chu @bbbonny_

Fourteen student finalist teams were selected for a grant to take on international projects to benefit and serve communities abroad. The inaugural President’s Award for Global Learning, created by the International Office, will provide each team up to $25,000 and a fully funded trip to implement their projects across the world the following summer. The teams are comprised of two to four students from different majors, one or two faculty mentors and an international partner. After choosing one of the seven regions to focus on, such as the Caribbean or North Africa, the theme of the project must either expand existing research, social impact or entrepreneurship. “This is a new and great opportunity for UT,” said Laurie Young, director of the special projects from the

International Office. “Through this program, students and faculty are getting to work with international problems on addressing real -world problems.” The projects picked range from working with the International Red Cross in Lebanon to studying the negative impacts of colorism in Ghana to developing an assessment that brings housing and medical care together in Mexico. There were a total of 28 proposals. There were 98 students representing 10 colleges and 64 faculty members representing 14 colleges. The team finalists, only two per region, were chosen to advance and pitch their projects to a panel of judges who later recommend them to UT President Gregory Fenves for the award. Psychology senior Patience Ojionuka is a finalist studying the taboo of mental illness and suicide in South Korea. She said she’s excited to see the potential of her project

brooke crim | the daily texan staff Rebecca Chen, advertising junior, is one of the team members who became a finalist for the inaugural President’s Award for Global Learning. Her team will be studying colorism in Ghana.

unfold, especially because it will have a real-world impact. “You might think of it as an enhanced study abroad, minus the studying and with more emphasis on product building or an impactful takeaway,” Ojionuka said. Advertising senior Rebecca Chen, a finalist studying colorism in Ghana said she’s excited that she has the

capability to change the world. “This program is a great opportunity for ambitious undergrads to collaborate … and bring a project to life,” Chen said. “Most importantly, this program has given me the opportunity to take part in something much larger than myself by hopefully impacting the world and moving the needle on a global issue.”

LIZA ANDERSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TEXANOPINION

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

COLUMN

charlie hyman

| the daily texan staff

Waiting for SURE Walk is worth it By Emily Caldwell Columnist

A UT student was walking down Guadalupe at 9 p.m. Oct. 15. He was on the 2000 block, near Target. This was where a transient approached him. The situation escalated quickly. He was pushed, threatened and eventually stabbed in the forearm by the transient. Violent events regularly occur on and off campus at UT. SURE Walk and SURE Ride help students avoid potentially dangerous situations by providing free, convenient — and most importantly — safe walks and rides back to residential areas on and off campus. However, with a service like this, wait times are inevitable. All too often, students will call or walk up to the SURE Walk desk in Jester West, find out how long the wait time will be to get a walk or ride home and decide to get home another way. Students walk, bike, scooter, or even Uber home instead of waiting for a SURE Walk, the free and safest option. Waiting a few extra minutes for a safe, free ride home is well worth the time. Blanca Gamez, assistant director of Parking and Transportation Services, said in an email that, on average, students wait around seven minutes for a walk

or ride home from SURE Walk, but this fluctuates depending on the time of year. “During heavy usage times, like midterms and finals, wait times can vary and be anywhere from 11 minutes to 21 minutes,” Gamez said.

At a university where students are used to receiving alerts detailing violent events occurring on and off campus, the services SURE Walk provides are critical.” Gamez said at the program’s inception, SURE Walk provided limited options, meaning only walks around campus. However, they are taking measures to cut down on long wait times. “We have increased student employees, full-time coordinators, and vehicles,” Gamez said. Psychology freshman Paola Vazquez said she prefers to use SURE Walk when

she has the option. “In comparison to walking, or even riding a scooter, it’s just the safest option,” Vazquez said. Vazquez lives in Kinsolving and said the walk back from the Perry-Castañeda Library, where she does the majority of her studying, is usually 15 to 20 minutes long. When she uses SURE Walk, her ride usually gets her back even faster than walking would. Most importantly, Vazquez uses SURE Walk because she feels uncomfortable walking back by herself at night. “I think students need to make the appropriate decision for themselves and their own safety,” Gamez said. “If it’s not SURE Walk, then students need to have some other plan in place that will allow them to travel safely.” At a university where students are used to receiving alerts detailing violent events occurring on and off campus, the services SURE Walk provides are critically important to the security of the UT community as a whole. The alternatives to SURE Walk are not only expensive, they’re far less safe — especially walking. Don’t jeopardize your safety just to shave a couple of minutes off of your commute. Prioritize your well-being and wait for SURE Walk. Caldwell is a journalism and Latin American studies sophomore from College Station.

GALLERY

COLUMN

Skip the elevator, take the stairs By Chen-Pang Chang Columnist

yulissa chavez

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.

| the daily texan staff

On a rainy and bleak Wednesday afternoon last week, I went to the Perry-Castañeda Library to work on my homework. In the lobby, a large crowd of people was queued up for the elevator. Some looked rushed, others seemed impatient. I wondered why no one was willing to take the stairs. Instead of taking the elevator, taking the stairs benefits the environment and ourselves. Taking the stairs reduces our harm to the environment. A typical workplace elevator may produce 0.3 kilograms of carbon al ex an dioxide per person per dr a day. The PCL has over 1.8 va nd million visitors each year, er h according to Travis Willmann, id er communications officer for the UT libraries. Potentially, we are looking at about 595 tons of carbon dioxide pollution generated by the PCL in a single year. This is equivalent to an average car being driven nonstop for 2.64 years. That is the PCL alone — imagine the combined impact of all the other elevators at UT. What’s more, our body benefits from the exercise of taking the stairs. The U.S. obesity rate has quadrupled over the past 50 years. Texas had the 14th highest obesity rate among all U.S. states in 2017. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 43.1 percent of adults report

SUBMIT A FIRING LINE | Email your Firing Lines to editor@dailytexanonline.com. Letters must be more than 100 and fewer than 300 words. The Texan reserves the right to edit all submissions for brevity, clarity and liability.

meeting the minimum recommendation for aerobic physical activity in Texas. Walking up stairs burns almost five times more calories than taking an elevator, according to the CDC. Claire Hahn, UT work-life balance and wellness manager, helped coordinate a study which addressed the problem of people relying on elevators too much in 2013. The study suggests building coordinators should put motivational signs around elevators to encourage the use of stairs. Yielding the elevators to students in need is equally important. According to Willmann, there is no policy in place encouraging students to use the stairs. “But we do have an occasional campaign, such as Longhorn Respect, mostly deployed around the exam ff period in the librara st ies to encourage stun a x dents to be thoughtful te ly of each other, and that apai d e peal would certainly apply to th (priority to disabled students),” Willmann said. The library could put out more motivational signs to encourage people to use the stairs more. However, at the end of the day, it is still up to us to make the ethical decision — are we opting for the convenience of merely saving time and energy? Or are we going to reduce our harm to the environment, and at the same time, improve our well-being, by taking the stairs when we can? Make your decision, Longhorns. Chang is a philosophy junior from New Taipei, Taiwan.

RECYCLE | Please recycle this copy of The Daily Texan. Place the paper in one of the recycling bins on campus or back in the burnt-orange newsstand where you found it. EDITORIAL TWITTER | Follow The Daily Texan Editorial Board on Twitter (@TexanOpinion) and receive updates on our latest editorials and columns.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

CAMPUS

Actor Zane Holtz serves as team leader at UT ROTC training By Savannah J Salazar @savannahjai

Recently, actor and Austinite Zane Holtz led his team toward enemy lines, meticulously crawling through the trees and mud on the fields of Camp Mabry. But it’s not a movie he’s in — it’s UT ROTC training. Holtz stopped by Camp Mabry after the premiere of director Donovan Marsh’s “Hunter Killer,” a military thriller adapted from Don Keith and George Wallace’s novel “Firing Point,” to spend an afternoon in training. For his role as SEAL sniper Paul Martinelli, Holtz read books such as “Lone Survivor” by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson and spent time with professional trainers. Now, the UT ROTC got a chance to show Holtz a taste of what they do. Upon Holtz’s arrival, the students assigned him as alpha team leader and set up training for a squad attack drill —

no bullets, just paintballs. The teams were briefed as the students explained to Holtz their most common drill. Holtz and the ROTC students had to stealthily crawl and communicate their commands through whispers, shouts and hand motions. Kenwoo Kim, government junior and ROTC member, said the drill is meant to attack the enemy using one line to flank and the other to lay down fire. “Zane was my alpha team leader, so he was assaulting with me,” Kim said. “It was good to work with him. He picked up pretty quickly. I told him what to do and he did it extremely well — got his people in line and cut through.” Holtz said undergoing military training with UT ROTC differed from working on the movie set. On the set of “Hunter Killer,” he worked with three to four castmates at a time, and he played the stumbling underdog. For the ROTC drill training, he served as the alpha team leader for around 15 experienced cadets.

“We didn’t do anything quite as extensive as (ROTC training),” Holtz said. “(On the movie), we were working in a smaller group. The situations were a little bit different. This is very, very eye-opening, and what these guys are doing out here is truly awesome.” While Holtz had some military training for “Hunter Killer,” movies are understandably dramatized, Kim said. He said their work in ROTC isn’t accurately portrayed in film, but it doesn’t mean the movies aren’t enjoyable. In fact, Kim said seeing Holtz on screen the night before working with him on the field was an awesome experience. “It’s so interesting to watch (military movies) because in the movies, it looks all nice and flashy,” Kim said. “Getting an actor from (the movie) here in the field is cool. He did well, and it’s good to see that what he learned on set translated to the training here.” After every drill, the cadets are evaluated based on their performance. Quinn Blazek,

ta c o d e l i continues from page

Wilkerson said everything served at all 11 Tacodelis is made in-house, whether it’s the meats, vegetables or their four salsas. He said making everything with such quality is their biggest limitation. “The quality of the food and the attention to detail (makes the food better),” Wilkerson said. “Not just the authenticity, but the sourcing of the food, the taste — we try to have an elevated guest experience.” Both Espinosa and Wilkerson have backgrounds in the restaurant industry before Tacodeli. Espinosa worked in beverage sales in Atlanta, and Wilkerson worked in restaurant consulting. To students wanting to go into business for themselves, Espinosa said the best advice he can offer is to dive right in. “The one thing you have to do is just do it,” Espinosa said. “You just have to jump right in and get your hands dirty. There’s no substitute for just doing what you want to do.”

RECYCLE your copy of

nikita sveshnikov | the daily texan staff Actor and Austinite Zane Holtz lines up for shooting practice before a paintball battle tactics training with UT’s ROTC. Holtz was put in charge of a team during the battle in a forest at Camp Mabry.

international relations and global studies sophomore, co-led the briefing of Holtz’s team. “Going into (the train-

torres

continues from page

ing), it was a little difficult to have someone in charge who wasn’t completely familiar with our standard operating procedure,” Blazek said. “But

(Holtz) caught on super quickly. He was willing to learn and was so helpful and took charge in the leadership role, which was awesome to see.”

off the ground, it would provide a great service for students in the area, and it would provide another avenue for them to seek out the help.” Bryan Lopez, longtime friend and MIT electrical engineering and computer science freshman, has always seen Torres as a compassionate and caring individual. As a result, he was not shocked by Torres’ desire to start a nonprofit. “I think (Torres’) personality represents his ideas and nonprofit,” Lopez said. “It’s a unique personality — really altruistic. It’s almost as if it’s him trying to help people, talk to them and give them resources. He’s just trying to reach more people through a nonprofit.”

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ALEX BRISEÑO & ROSS BURKHART SPORTS EDITORS @TEXANSPORTS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

FOOTBALL

Herman addresses criticism Boyd stirs feud with social media response to Acho. By Ross Burkhart @ross_burkhart

exas fans tuned in to the flurry of emotions that took place during the final moments of Saturday’s loss at Oklahoma State, but as the game concluded, even more drama ensued on social media. Emmanuel Acho, ESPN analyst and former Longhorn player, took to Twitter during the game to call out the Longhorns’ poor defensive showing only to see cornerback Kris Boyd later respond with hostility in an Instagram post. In his first meeting with the media since the incident, Texas head coach Tom Herman said that he met with Boyd about the post and called it “a learning moment” for the senior. “It was an ill-advised attempt to actually prove that the only people whose opinions really matter are the ones in the team meeting room and in the locker room,” Herman said Monday afternoon. “If you want to silence any critic, the best way to do that is keep your

carlos garcia| the daily texan file Texas head coach Tom Herman watches his team warm up before the Longhorns’ 37-14 victory againt the USC Trojans on Sept. 15 at Darrell K-Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.

mouth shut and go play really good.” The social media feud began as Acho criticized Herman’s decision to bench Boyd and opposite cornerback Davante Davis for the first quarter against Oklahoma State after being late to a team function. Wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey also received a one-series suspension for the same reason. With Boyd and Davis sitting on the sideline, Texas allowed the Cowboys to generate 260 yards of total offense in the first quarter.

The Longhorns still failed to slow down the Oklahoma State offense even after the two entered the game, prompting Acho to post a series of tweets in response to Boyd’s poor play. “Bruh, you can’t be late to meetings THEN come out here and get mossed,” Acho tweeted. “Your team needs you.” Acho continued, “I can’t watch this dude play defense anymore. It’s actually trash. If you know. You know.” Acho’s initial tweet referenced a play late

during the second quarter in which Boyd mistimed a jump on a deep throw to OSU wide receiver Tylan Wallace. Boyd’s performance was quickly noted by Texas fans as one of the Longhorns’ many shortcomings during the game. Boyd then responded early Sunday afternoon on Instagram with a post of his own, calling out Acho for his tweets. “@themanacho keep running your f-----mouth,” Boyd said in the post. “Don’t show

SOCCER

Longhorns clinch Big 12 semifinal birth with win over Kansas

up around this facility. You was warned at practice … Running your mouth further than your football career took you. You a outsider just like everybody else. UT Football has no affiliation with you. Whether or not a prior incident occurred between Acho and team members at the practice facility is unclear, but Boyd’s post hints this was not the first instance of drama between the two parties.

CROSS COUNTRY

Mixed results define Texas at Big 12 Championship meet By Brooke Nevins @brooke_nevins

eddie gaspar | the daily texan file Junior Cyera Hintzen prepares to kick a ball during a match against the Kansas State Wildcats on Oct. 21 at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Hintzen leads all Longhorns in goals scored this season with 10.

By Daniela Perez @danielap3rez

The Texas Longhorns advanced to the Big 12 semifinals after beating Kansas in a penalty kick shootout Sunday night. The game, which was scoreless until the shootout, ended after four rounds of penalty kicks before Texas nailed the game as winner. By the end of the 110 minutes of play, it no longer mattered who was the better team. Instead, it lied in which team made a mistake first. Statistically, Kansas outshot the Longhorns 22-16. The second half saw 14 shots by Kansas, while Texas only had nine. However, the game resembled a pinball machine, constantly going back-and-forth.

However, none of this seemed to matter once the teams stepped onto the turf for the shootout. It no longer mattered that Kansas outshot the Longhorns in the first overtime (4-0), or that they outshot the Longhorns in their regular season match (12-9). Mistakes mattered, and Kansas made more of them. The Jayhawks’ first mistake came with a goalkeeper substitution. Kansas’ freshman goalkeeper Sarah Peters came in with eight season shutouts, while Texas’ goalkeeper Nicole Curry came in with seven. During the game, Peters had four saves matched with Curry’s five. Yet, possibly due to her lack of experience, Peters was subbed out for senior Lauren Breshears before the

shootout. With her in the goal, the Longhorns were able to tally three goals and win the match.

“Things are always different during tournament time. I’m just really pleased we are advancing. ” A N G E L A K E L LY HEAD COACH

During a halftime interview, Texas head coach Angela Kelly said, “It’s the first team to make a mistake.” It was this mistake by Kansas that helped catapult the Longhorns out of the quarterfinals and into the semis.

During the shootout, Kansas threw away one of their shots, missing the goal far to the left. Curry had two spectacular saves. And then there was Texas forward Cyera Hintzen, the current Big 12 leader in goals, assists, and points. Hintzen, whose birthday was Sunday, put the nail in Kansas’ coffin with a ground ball just off center. “Things are always different during tournament time,” Kelly said. “It’s not a great way to lose a game, but it’s an exciting way to finish, and I’m just really pleased we are advancing.” Now, the Longhorns have a week to recover from the match. They play West Virginia on Friday at 7 p.m.. The Longhorns lost to the Mountaineers earlier in the season 2-1.

Herman has consistently preached throughout the season that he and the other coaches have tried to instill the message that the opinions outside of the team facility shouldn’t be important. The message was no different during Herman and Boyd’s conversation after the incident. “If you’re concerned about the critics, then you’ve probably got bigger issues,” Herman said.

The cross country regular season continued for Texas at the Big 12 Championship meet Friday morning in Ames, Iowa, with the men’s team placing third with 70 points and the women finishing fifth with 113 points. The Longhorns are bringing home multiple All-Big 12 honors. Destiny Collins, who has led the women in every meet this season, paced the Longhorns in the women’s 6k championship and finished fourth individually with a season-best time of 20:06.7 to earn All-Big 12 honors. “I was really proud of the race that Destiny had to earn All-Big 12 honors with a strong fourth-place finish,” said PattiSue Plumer, women’s cross country coach. Senior Alex Cruz also had a season-best time of 21:02.1, finishing second for the Longhorns and 17th overall. By the end of the race, nine of the 10 women competing for Texas ran their fastest times of the season. “Although a fifth-place team finish was not what we had hoped for, several women had strong races today,” Plumer said. “We just need a few other pieces to fall into place and we will be able to have a strong Regional meet to qualify for NCAA Championships and run our best race of the season in Madison in three weeks.”

On the men’s side, the Longhorns marked their seventh top-three finish in the last eight conference championships. Senior Alex Rogers, Sam Worley, and redshirt junior John Rice each received All-Big 12 honors following the meet. Rogers, who also earned All-Big 12 honors last season, led the Texas runners in the men’s 8k championship with a season-best time of 23:54.4 to finish seventh in the field. Worley also ran a season-best time to finish eighth overall. “Alex and Sam led the way with nice efforts and maintained composure when they lost contact with the pack late in the race,” said Pete Watson, men’s cross country coach. “They lost to some very good runners who will be competing for All-America status in a couple of weeks, so their strong races were definitely a positive.” Although the conference meet has concluded, Texas’ season continues on as both teams will be preparing for the NCAA South Central Regional Championships on Nov. 9 in College Station with the hopes of qualifying for the Nov. 17 NCAA National Championships in Madison, Wisconsin. “That was a solid day,” Watson said. “The boys competed well as a team and we made another step forward as we prepare for the 10k at the Regional meet and NCAA Championships.”

emmanuel briseno | the daily texan file Destiny Collins runs during the Texas Relays on March 30, 2017.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 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 Monday, November 12, 2018

Crossword

SUDOKUFORYOU 7 5

8 9 1 5 7 2

3 4 8

2 6 7 5 9 1 3 6 2

5 4 9 3

7 6 3

6 2 4 9 9

Today’s solution will appear here next issue

7 9 4 2 1 3 6 8 5

6 2 8 7 5 4 1 3 9

3 5 1 9 6 8 2 4 7

1 8 7 3 9 2 4 5 6

5 4 6 8 7 1 9 2 3

2 3 9 5 4 6 7 1 8

9 1 5 4 8 7 3 6 2

8 6 2 1 3 9 5 7 4

4 7 3 6 2 5 8 9 1

ACROSS 1 Something up one’s sleeve? 6 To’s opposite 10 Fool 14 Fashion designer Geoffrey 15 Four-star review 16 “Lovely” Beatles girl 17 Anode or cathode 20 Onetime leader of Iran 21 Former Disney C.E.O. Michael 22 Antlered animal 23 Land for O’Connor or O’Casey 25 Unspoken but understood 27 Iconic San Francisco bridge 33 Chanel of perfume fame 34 Response to “Who wants to go?”

35 In order that one might

65 Letting others occupy the spotlight 37 Jewel 68 Roman poet 38 Where to find who wrote “Ars the ends of 17-, Amatoria” 27-, 50- and 69 Hat’s edge 65-Across 70 Pioneering name 41 Vinyl records, for in video games short 71 Garfield and 44 Hester of “The Odie, for two Scarlet Letter” 72 Subdue through 46 “Water Under the electric shock Bridge” singer, 73 1800s president 2016 nicknamed “His Accidency” 48 Frozen dessert franchise 50 Steinbeck novel set in Monterey 53 Admission of perjury 55 Daytime store window sign 56 Candy from a dispenser 57 UrbanaChampaign students 61 Rock music boosters

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE O F F E D R I V S E R I S E L O H H I I M O N N E S T K N E E N A T I T D E N I L A B O I R O N B A R S S T N

D E S A L F I M C I E R E D C A P O N O D R E D R I N I C A C E N A D O

S O S P A D S

A R C O O H O

S E A T R T E L E S

H E A R T S A N D M I N D S

L O T T A L T R

S O P S

T H A T S T H E S P I R I T

S H I N T O

Z I N C E D

A N G E R S

E X C A V A T E

G E A R E D U P

O L D S O P S

DOWN 1 ___ and flows 2 Jacob’s first wife, in the Bible 3 Software version for testing 4 Discreetly, informally 5 Tiny 6 Cooking in a pan with oil 7 “Confound it!” 8 Place to cook a turkey 9 Only 10 The first “T” of TNT 11 Relative of alcopop 12 Like this type 13 Address, as a listener 18 Bridle strap 19 Action star originally known as Laurence Tureaud 24 Team race 26 Make a scene? 27 Band’s booking 28 “You ___ me one”

Edited by Will Shortz 1

14 18

21 23 28

26 33

22 25

No. 1008

55 58

61 67

PUZZLE BY JACOB STULBERG

29 Rap rock band with the 7x platinum album “Significant Other” 30 “Quaking” tree 31 Excessively 32 Distinctive feature of Mr. Spock 36 Look that might “shoot daggers” 39 Abbr. ending a company name 40 Genetic stuff

42 West Bank-based grp. 43 Make clothing 45 Ingredient in a manhattan 47 China’s Ming or Manchu 48 Pinnacle 49 Synonym for both “adhere” and “split” 51 Undistinguished 52 “Beowulf,” e.g. 54 Loud noise 58 Pride parade inits.

59 Actress ___ Flynn Boyle 60 Long-legged wader 62 Offering now discontinued by most discount carriers 63 Cut (down) 64 Keep the sauce from congealing, say 66 Passports et al. 67 Kit ___ bar

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

TIANA WOODARD AND JORDYN ZITMAN LIFE&ARTS EDITOR @THEDAILYTEXAN

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

SOCIAL MEDIA

r/UTAustin offers student support

UT-Austin subreddit provides struggling students with online help. By Jennifer Martinez @trefinnejams

ook beyond UT’s more than 1,100 on-campus organizations and you’ll find the UT-Austin Reddit thread: an online forum that can serve as a platform to anonymously discuss student life — including the hardships. With over 17,000 subscribers, r/UTAustin is viewed by students as a source for support and resources. A quick scroll reveals students seeking guidance in the face of loneliness, academic stress and depression. Unspecified business sophomore Sarah Johnson turned to Reddit after experiencing difficulties finding a support group at UT. In her post, Johnson expressed dismay with barriers to friendship she encountered despite being a generally outgoing person. “It was difficult to make friends since I live off campus,” Johnson said. “That means it’s harder to participate in organizations and stick around for events.” Upon seeking help, Johnson found comfort in the responses she received from other UT subreddit subscribers. “Reddit is a community of outliers, so users are generally having similar issues,”

ziming xie

Johnson said. “There’s a community of people that are like you and can guide you, and sometimes you just need to vent and get (your struggles) out there to feel better.” The recurrence of stories similar to Johnson’s has prompted some users to offer ongoing guidance to distressed students. Economics senior Charles Wood said he felt compelled to offer support by channeling his own adversities at UT. “I wanted students to know that

if they’re having trouble, they could reach out,” Wood said. “I have empathy for people having a hard time because I’ve been in the exact same position.” Wood said he endured a miserable journey through UT’s computer science program beginning in 1988 due to the difficult transition from high school to college. “I barely made it through the computer science program and graduated with a 2.0 GPA,” Wood said. “The whole experience was incredibly stressful

and depressing.” Wood said one of his college friends committed suicide because of the pressures he faced as a young student. Twenty-two years later, Wood said he is glad the UT-Austin Reddit community exists as a low-barrier, helpful platform to connect with other people. “I just want to convey the simple idea that everything will be okay,” Wood said. Raven Wilson, psychology junior and peer educator at the

FOOD

@cmgibson98

Imagine a world where tacos aren’t that big of a deal. Wow, that was spooky. That was 1990s Austin, a city before Tacodeli. In 1999, business partners and UT alumni Roberto Espinosa of Mexico City and Eric Wilkerson of Dallas founded Tacodeli, a local taco restaurant that helped kickstart Austin’s weird obsession with putting everything in a tortilla. “We have a 740-squarefoot restaurant, which is the original at Barton Skyway and Spyglass, so it’s a tiny, tiny restaurant,” Espinosa said. “We’ve been able to get the word out about us through some more creative avenues to get people to sample our food and also to get some revenue going, so we’ve definitely had a bootstrap kind of approach to how we build our business.” Espinosa said their “bootstrap” business model

translates to going the extra mile in pursuit of extra sales. What that equates to is a history of pop-ups, catering, special relationships with coffee shops in Austin and going door-to-door at office buildings selling products straight from a cooler.

I don’t think you can serve quality food without a warm embrace from our staff.”

ROBERTO ESPINOZA

CO-FOUNDER OF TACODELI

“The palate of the American consumer has evolved a lot in the time that I’ve been open,” Espinosa said. “Service is one of our most important things. I don’t think you can serve quality food without a warm embrace

Counseling and Mental Health Center, explained that venting on social media is motivated by the comfort of anonymity and functions as a form of therapeutic action. “When someone vents on a platform like Reddit, there is a perceived audience in mind,” Wilson said. “Some psychologists call it an imaginary interested party, or a mass audience. People envision someone … would understand them. It’s reassuring to know someone who doesn’t have personal stock in your life is there

and willing to listen.” While Wilson warned that venting on community platforms can result in an echo chamber where members reinforce each other’s bad habits, users such as Johnson stand behind Reddit’s benefits. “Support is support, and I don’t think it matters where it comes from,” Johnson said. “A reply can change someone’s life. There’s power in knowing that you’re not alone. The power of community is really helpful.”

CAMPUS

Iconic Tacodeli is the ‘Doña’ of Austin Tex-Mex, taco restaurants By Chandler Gibson

| the daily texan staff

Charles Wood provides support through Reddit for UT students experiencing difficulty. He has inspired students to be a resource for other students.

from our staff. That’s a big part of why people gravitate to us.” One of their most iconic staff members, Bertha Gonzales, was born in Veracruz and moved to the U.S. over 50 years ago. She has worked in kitchens all her life. Gonzales — jokingly called the “Doña,” or the “Mistress,” of the kitchen — speaks very little English, so Wilkerson had to translate. Gonzales said she was one of the first three or four original hires, and quickly became a figure in the kitchen. Her own salsa verde recipe, called Salsa Doña, is featured in every Tacodeli and even sold by the bottle at Whole Foods. “There aren’t any shortcuts that we take in producing the food that we create, so, yeah, it’s limiting,” Espinosa said. “But it sets the standard for what we do. I think it’s also the reason that we have very talented kitchen staff that knows how to make the food we want to create.”

TACODELI

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alexandra vanderhider | the daily texan staff Tacodeli co-founder Eric Wilkerson displays a popular menu item at one of their 11 locations.

Freshman raises money for students of Rio Grande Valley

andre fernandez | the daily texan staff Victor Torres Jr., communications and leadership freshman, grills meat for Texas Tip-Off Cookout. Torres sells breakfast tacos on weekends to fundraise for students in the Rio Grande Valley planning on pursuing higher education.

By Farah Merchant @farahmerchant_

Victor Torres Jr., communications and leadership freshman, is from America’s poorest region, the Rio Grande Valley. The poverty and lack of resources there makes it so that many community members cannot leave and pursue a higher education. Torres decided to alleviate the issue by raising funds to start his own nonprofit called Lending a Helping Hand, which will provide students with scholarships for college essentials. “For myself, especially my senior year, I realized there weren’t any local scholarships,” Torres said. “Lots of them were these big national ones that, at the time, I didn’t really feel like I had a fair chance or much of a chance to actually get them.” Due to the lack of resources, Torres had little help implementing his nonprofit while in high school. Without anyone skilled in starting nonprofits or charity work in general, Torres’

ideas never became a reality throughout high school. However, after coming to UT, Torres learned from other nonprofits in the area about their structures and ways to fundraise. He said he hopes to apply that knowledge to his own nonprofit. “Being a part of this huge network (of nonprofits) is helpful and has made me realize how realistic (my goal) actually is,” Torres said. “Now, it’s a matter of getting the process started. It’s not ... an idea that seems too far-fetched because now it seems like a reality I can execute just through the networks I have access to.” His goal is to gain funding to apply to become a 501(c) (3) organization, also known as a nonprofit charitable organization. He plans on doing this by selling breakfast tacos on weekends with orders placed through Facebook. He sells two tacos for $3, and if the order totals more than $10, he will deliver them. Once Lending a Helping Hand is a 501(c)(3), Torres plans to contact small businesses by sharing his story,

offering incentives such as publicity and informing these organizations of the possible tax breaks they will receive for donating to a good cause. Sandra Cardona, Torres’ Advanced Placement U.S. history teacher, helped Torres with his nonprofit idea by answering questions and guiding him. Cardona said Torres’ passion for helping his community was evident even while he was a high school student. “(Torres’) vision of helping to that degree is very impressive for a person his age,” Cardona said. “He just has that maturity and understanding of the environment that pushed him to his goals.” Seeing the poverty of Rio Grande Valley herself as a teacher, Cardona said she hopes his nonprofit comes to fruition and helps students struggling to receive the funds to attend college. “He has the drive,” Cardona said. “He has the ambition. He has the right intentions. If he was able to launch this and get this

TORRES

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