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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2018
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Texas Football Double Coverage
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NATION
Paper or test subject? CAMPUS
Federal court rules against Trump admin attempts to end DACA By Chad Lyle @LyleChad
The Trump administration is not allowed to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday afternoon. DACA, which shields undocumented immigrants who were brought into the United States as children from deportation, has been a frequent target of criticism by President Donald Trump. The Trump administration announced its intention to rescind the program last September. The program was created by an executive order issued by former President Barack Obama. Trump’s attempt to rescind the program was also initially blocked by judges from lower courts in Washington D.C. and New York. A Texas judge declined to halt the program but acknowledged DACA would likely be declared illegal eventually. After the lower courts blocked the Trump administration’s initial efforts to end the program, the administration requested the Supreme Court weigh in. Now that an appeals court has made a decision, UT law professor Stephen Vladeck told CNN the Supreme Court will likely have the final say in Trump’s ability to terminate DACA. “Today’s ruling is yet another blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle DACA, but it may also only be a temporary one,” Vladeck told CNN. “It seems much more likely that the justices will agree to the government’s
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andrew choi
| the daily texan staff
Psychology course requirement sparks debate on ethics. By Cason Hunwick & Tien Nguyen @cason_official @tienjpg
ucked away in a fourth-floor office, psychology research coordinator Eunjung Lee-Furman holds an aged binder containing documents that detail the history of student subjects in UT psychology research experiments, some of which date back to 1985. The records all tell the story of the
“research requirement,” which has long been a part of the Introduction to Psychology (PSY 301) curriculum. To fulfill the requirement, students must either serve as subjects in five hours of psychology experiments, which range from simple questionnaires to clinical trials, or complete an research paper. As long as the requirement has been around, there has been a debate over whether it is fair to ask students to participate in research, said Sam Gosling, psychology professor and PSY 301 instructor.
“It’s something we have always done and other major universities do, but there’s a debate over whether this is a reasonable thing to ask,” Gosling said. “I could see arguments saying … this is exploitative … but most people agree that it is reasonable as long as you provide an alternative.” Lee-Furman said the alternate research paper keeps the requirement fair since both the paper and the research participation are
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CAMPUS
UT hosts first-gen student celebration
Celebration Day. The event included different stations such as a photo booth, a thank-you letter writing station and a station where Joanna Armendariz, biochemstudents could record a video tesistry junior and first-generation timonial of what it meant to be a college student, said the first time first-generation student at UT. she set foot in AusThe celebration tin was the first day was hosted by the she moved into her First-Generation dorm, after transCommitment Workferring to UT from ing Group, an orgaEl Paso Community nization dedicated A benefit of College this January. to increasing cam“It was crazy,” pus-wide support bringing folks toArmendariz said for first-generation about coming to gether is so that students, in order Austin for the first to provide these stutime. “I drove in by first-generation dents the opportunimyself at night, so ties to network with whenever I was pull- students can see each other as well as ing into the city of faculty and staff. Austin I saw nothing that they are not Cassandre Albut tall buildings. varado, co-chair of alone.” I was rolling into the First-Generation downtown Austin Commitment Workwith all the pretty ing Group, said such lights and it was like, celebrations can ‘I’m here. I did it.’” help diminish the Armendariz was C A S S A N D R E A L V A R A D O sense of loneliness ASSISTANT PROFESSOR one of the roughly students might feel 400 first-generation on a large campus. students, faculty “Sometimes and staff members who gathered when you’re on a campus as large in the UT Tower on Thursday for as UT-Austin you can really feel a celebration honoring them and alone,” said Alvarado, assistant their efforts, as part of the national First-Generation College F I R S T - G E N page 2
By Tehreem Shahab @turhem
anthony mireles | the daily texan staff From left to right, Audrey Oiu, Vivian Chan and Caroline Hao build a figure of Totoro during the Miyazaki Festival in the Student Activity Center Ballroom on Thursday afternoon.
First ‘Miyazaki Festival’ honors director By Bonny Chu @bbbonny
For decades, Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki impacted the film industry with his
famous works such as “Spirited Away,” “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Princess Mononoke.” To celebrate his legacy, hundreds of students crowded into the Student Activity Center ballroom Thursday evening for the first ever
“Miyazaki Festival.” The Campus Events + Entertainment Asian American Culture committee hosted the University’s first event to commemorate the famous film director, offering students such as Leila Chen the
ability to celebrate a director they love. “I was very excited about this event, because I knew about it weeks ago,” said Chen, a medical lab science sophomore. “I really love
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C H A S E K A R A C O S TA S NEWS EDITOR @THEDAILYTEXAN
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CAMPUS
Stress leads to freshman malnutrition By Hannah Ortega @_hannahortega_
Radio-television-film freshman Alma Zamora has always struggled to maintain a healthy weight, so her mother hoped she would gain a few pounds when she came to UT. Instead, the opposite happened. Zamora guesses she’s lost about five pounds — a considerable amount for her already small frame. “I’ll be so stressed that I lose my appetite, or when I finally have time to eat, the dining hall is already closed,” Zamora said. Unhealthy weight loss does not seem to be advertised as heavily as the “freshman 15,” but Zamora’s case is not an isolated one. Civil engineering sophomore Hugo De Santiago said he lost around 20 pounds as a freshman. He also wanted to gain weight. “Throughout the year, my eating habits changed a little bit because of the (Castilian) cafeteria,” De Santiago said. “It closed way too early, and the food was always the same … so I didn’t really want to eat that much. By the second semester, I had my harder classes … so there was more stress involved. I noticed my weight was going down.” University Health Services dietitian Jennifer Barnoud said stress can spur loss of appetite or overeating, depending on the person. The stress hormone, cortisol, decreases appetite by setting off an alarm within the body that tells it to
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spend energy combating the problem rather than eating. “It’s going to divert energy away from the digestive tract to be able to fight the bear or run away from the environmental threat, even if that threat is only an exam the next day,” Barnoud said. “But it doesn’t mean that we don’t need to continue eating … because not getting enough nutrition is further going to enhance that stress response and increase it.”
Zamora said her weight loss makes her feel “sluggish,” and De Santiago said a lack of energy from malnutrition caused him to take daily naps his second semester of freshman year. Barnoud said excessive weight loss can also cause dizziness, digestion and concentration difficulties, or an onset or worsening of depression and anxiety symptoms. There is also a risk associated with mortality. “Even if your BMI is overweight, your mortality rate
is still going to be much lower than that of somebody that’s underweight,” Barnoud said. To maintain a healthy weight, Barnoud suggests students plan lunch breaks, carry snacks and eat every three to four hours. She recommends busy students set reminders for when it’s time to eat so they don’t forget, and said students wanting to gain weight may want to try higher calorie drinks or nutrition supplements. She also recommends a
| the daily texan staff
balanced plate. “There’s a big meta analysis that shows diets … high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables and fish support significantly less psychological distress,” Barnoud said. “I interpret that as having a higher tolerance to stress, so … making sure you’re still getting those nutrient dense foods will help you tolerate it better. That same study also showed up to a 35 percent risk reduction for depression.”
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professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy. “And so a benefit of bringing folks together is so that first-generation students can see that they are not alone. They are part of a community that is 10,000 strong
Liza Anderson (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com
MANAGING EDITOR Ellie Breed (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com
and even more faculty and staff who have been there and navigated their way through college successfully.” Psychology sophomore Haley Capps said there is a lot of pride and eagerness for independence that comes with being a first-generation college student, but it’s important to ask for help and find a support system to make the
experience easier. “One of my really good friends sat me down and helped me do my FAFSA and told me about it and what it was so that way I could actually receive financial aid,” Capps said. “Your friends are your lifelines here which is why it’s important to get involved.”
NEWS OFFICE (512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely. If we have made an error, let us know about it. Call (512) 232-2217 or e-mail managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com.
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Group chat locates free food on campus By Lauren Grobe @LaurenGrobe
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| the daily texan staff
A student group chat focused on finding free food on college campuses has grown to a community that spans across multiple universities. Finesse UT is a group chat on GroupMe where students can post opportunities for free food they find around campus. It is one of many free food group chats created by Jack Klachian, a biology senior at UT-Dallas. Klachian said he started the group chats his freshman year with a few friends. “So many people joined in the beginning at UTD that I was like, ‘Why don’t I do this at other colleges?’” Klachian said. “I started putting up chats at different colleges and making a community out of it and calling it Finesse Nation.” To join Finesse UT, students could add themselves through a link to the group, which has more than 1,000 members. Students helping each other find free food makes the chat more effective than other apps with the same purpose, Klachian said. One such app is Hooked, which helps students find food and drink discounts near campus. “I want to make an app and be the king of free food and free stuff at colleges,” Klachian said. “I
feel like there are apps out, but they’re just not doing it right. I have the secret recipe.” Government senior Hannah Reinhard said the chat is helpful for finding food on campus in between classes. “It’s difficult to be able to find affordable places to eat around campus,” Reinhard said. “I’m not the greatest chef in the world so being able to come across these free things on campus is really nice.” Reinhard said the group chat works effectively because of student generosity. “It also builds a sense of community by just wanting to help each other out,” Reinhard said. Klachian said because of other expenses college students must pay, food insecurity should not be a problem. “Having help can really save you some money,” Klachian said. “If you’re going to drop eight bucks on Chipotle, you can save that and just eat for free.” Another food resource for UT students is UT Outpost. Will Ross, coordinator of UT Outpost, said food insecurity is a real concern for many students. “Food insecurity is a big need on our campus … It’s great to see students passionate about that and find creative ways to problem solve that,” Ross said.
hannah simon | the daily texan staff Zehra Tombul, a first-generation college freshman studying biology, chats with Dr. Aileen Bumpus, a representative of the Longhorn Center of Academic Excellence, at the First Generation College Celebration on Thursday.
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already-pending request that they settle the matter, perhaps as soon by the end of the current term in June.” Daniela Rojas, a DACA recipient and the youth organizer for Jolt Texas, a Latinx empowerment organization, said the court’s decision was good news, but she wants a permanent solution. “It’s definitely a great step
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Miyazaki and how his fantasy movies reflect social issues of Japan.” The event had a diverse range of activities for students to enjoy. Dozens of students crowded into a packed theatre to watch clips of Miyazaki’s films on a large projector. Other students were able to enjoy food from Miyazaki-inspired cookies to Hi-Chews, face painting, trivia tournaments, prize games and photo booths. Some students also arrived to the event in costume. Public health senior Blaine
forward,” said Rojas, a Latin American studies senior. “Although I’m very happy that this is still in place, I think that it’s also just temporary and I’d like to see a more permanent solution to this issue. A lot of (DACA recipients) have a lot of uncertainty right now.” Negotiations to settle government policy concerning DACA recipients have failed to produce new legislation in Congress since Trump took office. More than once, the
Nicolaisen, said he showed up in full-body, black costume as No Face from “Spirited Away,” because he loves the mysterious character. “This was the perfect event to show off my costume,” Nicolaisen said. “When I wore this costume on Halloween, no one understood who I was. So I’m glad I was able to find a community like this that can appreciate my costume as much as I do.” Van-Anh Van-Dinh, chair of the Asian American Culture committee, said she helped organize this event, because she’s a big fan of Miyazaki and felt others would enjoy celebrating
government has shut down because of a conflict over immigration reform. Over the summer, Republican lawmakers put forward a deal to grant DACA recipients a pathway to citizenship in exchange for increased funding for border security and potentially a border wall. Like other attempts at reform, the legislation was not put up for a vote. The Trump administration has not yet commented on the latest ruling.
him, too. “I proposed this idea because I wanted to focus on an event that I had personal interest in,” finance junior Van-Dinh said. “I wanted to bring it to life and it was really awesome that Events + Entertainment was able to make it happen.” Nicolaisen said he hopes the festival is repeated next year because it’s an event everyone can enjoy. “I’d like to see more stuff like this,” Nicolaisen said. “Something like this has a wide enough appeal to Americans that you don’t have to be a hardcore fan to enjoy it. A bunch of people can come and just have a good time.”
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SARAH BLOODWORTH SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR @THEDAILYTEXAN
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2018
RESEARCH
UT linguists study bilingual brains
Task force uses computational methods to study code-switching. By Lauren Schneider @laur_insider
hen architectural engineering sophomore Vanessa Velez talks to her friends from high school, they rarely stick to one language. Velez said her Latina friend group switches between Spanish and English. This phenomenon, known as codeswitching, is the subject of research headed by linguistics professor Barbara Bullock. Bullock leads the Bilingual Annotation Tasks Force, a project that harnesses computational methods to study how bilingual speakers switch between languages with ease. Bullock said that a long-term goal of the project is to determine whether the rules that govern code-switching are universal or vary based on the languages in question. “That (goal) requires a lot of computational models, because you have to know what languages we’re dealing with in order to tag them properly,” Bullock said. “In order to tag them properly, you need to have context … the tools that we currently use just break down. So we’re working on lots of different computational models.” Velez said her code-switching is governed
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by efficiency. “Most of the time we don’t have fully Spanish conversations,” Velez said. “If I need to say one specific thing that you can only say in Spanish, I’ll use that part in an English conversation. If I’m saying ‘I’m doing my hair,’
| the daily texan staff
I’ll say I’m ‘peinádome’ because that’s one word (in Spanish).” Bullock said she introduced computation into her research, because current linguistic tools are designed for work on single languages.
The tasks force analyzes all language combinations, but code switching is especially prevalent in some parts of the world, Bullock said. “India, for instance, is a huge case of language mixing,” Bullock said. “Either between Hindi and English, because English was the colonizer language, or between some of the smaller languages in India.” The phenomenon of code-switching between Indian state languages is familiar to Sunkulp Ananthanarayan, a linguistics junior volunteering with the project. He said his father grew up speaking a mixture of Tamil and Malayalam while his mother grew up speaking a combination of Kannada and Marathi. Ananthanarayan said this personal connection is what got him interested in the tasks force. “My parents are both very much multilingual and I am not, so I wanted to see what’s going on in their speech that I don’t understand,” Ananthanarayan said. Bullock said the force encompasses four facets: math, coding, data and linguistics. “The coding group and the math group are working together quite a bit now,” Bullock said. “We are trying to quantify the way people actually switch. We want to know not only how much of one language versus the other language is represented, in (Ananthanarayan’s) mom’s speech for instance, but how often she may switch between them, how regularly she might switch between them.” Ananthanarayan said in the future he anticipates an even better understanding of language as technology improves. “We’re constantly changing how we’re doing things,” Ananthanarayan said. “Our metrics are getting better as we go on.”
RESEARCH
Sex study: Exercise increases female libido By Isabella Anderson & Joyance Liao
@whythebellnot @joyanceiskool
It’s hard to fit exercise into a busy schedule, but researchers have found its effects on women’s sexual function, such as increased sexual arousal and better body image, make a compelling case to squeeze it in. Researchers at UT’s Human Sexual Psychophysiology Lab conducted a review on the relationship between exercise and women’s sexual arousal and satisfaction. The study also analyzed exercise as a treatment for women who deal with sexual dysfunction. The research distinguishes between the benefits of short-term and long-term exercise, said Hirofumi Tanaka, kinesiology and health education professor. “Acute exercise is one bout of exercise that you perform and we assess what happens physiologically to your body,” Tanaka said. “Chronic exercise is the adaptations that you can accumulate over weeks or months of exercise.” Graduate student and first author of the research, Amelia Stanton, said engaging in acute exercise, such as cycling for as little as half an hour, can make a woman’s sexual experience better. “There’s this perception that you have to be rested and relaxed to have good sex,” Stanton said. “A lot of the research on acute exercise has demonstrated that actually, if you’ve engaged in moderate activity before sex, you’re going to have more arousal or more genital blood flow.” After sticking with an exercise routine, Stanton said women can start to see the long-term effects on their overall sexual and emotional well-being.
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“Exercising, more chronically, seems to help with your general sexual satisfaction, body image … all of these things that really contribute to a positive sexual experience,” Stanton said. While exercise can improve regular sexual functions in women, 43 percent of women report some sort of sexual dysfunction, according to Cleveland Clinic. “There’s a lot of despair about sexual health problems,” Stanton said. “It’s really challenging to talk about them. It’s hard to find people who will listen who know what they’re talking about and can help.” Educational psychology senior lecturer Nancy Daley, who teaches human sexuality, said education is key in reducing problems with sexuality. “As a state, we’ve decided to keep our young people in the dark about seuxality with some diastrarous consequences,” Daley said. “The more you know, the better choices you can make and the better you can take care of your health.” Exercise can provide an empowering treatment option for women suffering from sexual dysfunction, Standon added. “With exercise, women can take their sexual health into their own hands and pursue other options that might be easier than connecting with a sex therapist or someone who has specific training in sexual health,” Stanton said. She said college can be a productive environment for developing healthy exercise habits. “There are resources on campus, there are places you can go to exercise at any time of day, there are programs you can join,” Stanton said. “It’s a good time to at least start an exercise program and get used to something.”
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equal in time and effort. “Students think the paper will take a lot of time, but it’s a really easy paper to write,” Lee-Furman said. Elizabeth Contreras, current PSY 301 student and public health sophomore, said she decided to participate in research because the essay did not seem like a fair alternative. “I did the research participation because a five-page essay is not equal to five hours of my time,” Contreras said. “Nothing about the research I was involved in was unethical, but the way they got me to participate was definitely a gray area.” The goal of participating in studies is to give students a more hands-on experience in the research process, Lee-Furman said. Yet, Contreras said she did not feel she gained anything academically from participating in the experiments. “It wasn’t an exciting experience at all,” Contreras said. “The experiments were very basic and the lab assistants seemed uninterested in being there. I didn’t gain very much from it except for the credit hours.” Along with educating students, Lee-Furman said the research requirement is meant to provide a way for researchers to get data. It’s especially useful because 1,226 out of 1,382 — or 89 percent — of PSY 301 students participate, according
to Lee-Furman. “You have a lot of students doing studies, so if the PSY 301 research requirement went away, people would feel it,” Lee-Furman said. “There would be a big effect, especially for student researchers who are the main users of the PSY 301 subject pool.” Current PSY 301 student and business freshman Emily Thomas said the requirement benefits both researchers and students, and is an overall positive part of the class. “Researchers are getting test subjects that are willing to participate, and students are learning about what researchers are doing and how they’re doing it,” Thomas said. “It’s cool to see what researchers are looking into.” Department of Psychology chair Jacqueline Woolley said research participation goes beyond getting data and allows students to give back to psychology. “They’re becoming part of the fabric of psychology,” Woolley said. Woolley said the department takes into account student experience and may reevaluate how the requirement benefits students. “Every once in a while, people step back and question what students are really getting out of this,” Woolley said. “Maybe we should be creative and think of other requirements to give students that would enable them to experience research.”
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LIZA ANDERSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TEXANOPINION
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2018
COLUMN
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Water crisis highlights need for alternative water sources By Brooks Johnson Columnist
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| the daily texan staff
Consider the author’s backgrounds before assigning literature in class By Julia Zaksek Columnist
I was excited to read “Heart Berries” — a new memoir by young Native American author Terese Marie Mailhot. The day before we were told to bring the book to class, I had already read the foreword. It was written by prominent Native American author Sherman Alexie. It was good and heartfelt. I was glad I’d bought the copy that included it. Until the next day in class. My professor asked if we had the copy with Alexie’s foreword. Most of us raised our hands. She then told us that most newer versions removed the foreword. Why? Unknown to me, Alexie was accused by several young female authors of sexual coercion and harassment. Despite the allegations, my professor said that reading Alexie was essential for understanding Native American literature. Even though reading the foreword had not been required, I wish my professor told us about the allegations before many of us had bought the book with his name on it. His work was not more important that the allegations against him. UT professors need to critically review the social and political backgrounds of
the creators whose work they assign and inform students if the creator has a history that could make students uncomfortable purchasing their work. Students should not feel pressured to monetarily support creators whose beliefs and actions they morally oppose. If there is potential a student could be uncomfortable purchasing an author’s work, the material should not be a focal point in the classroom. “I have the choice to not buy things from businesses or people with values I don’t agree with,” said Samuel Stafford, a Plan II and business freshman. “I should have that choice in an educational setting too.” Stafford said he was upset when he was required to purchase a book containing poetry by Ezra Pound. Pound, an esteemed literary figure, was also a fascist. He worked as a radio broadcaster in Italy, and for 20 years, he disseminated propaganda in support of the actions and policies of Mussolini and Hitler. The same man who spoke beautiful lines of poetry also once said, “Hitler was a … saint.” Clearly, Pound held views that are unacceptable for many students. “I don’t want to be forced to support somebody who holds ideals that I
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.
cannot agree with,” Stafford said. Admittedly, different students have different values, as do professors. However, if a professor can reasonably foresee buying a source’s work will make students uncomfortable, the professor should not require students to purchase it. Some professors may assign the work of controversial authors, because they believe it still has value. Assistant instructor Emily Harring said while she knew of the accusations against Alexie, she believes knowledge of Alexie is vital to understanding Native American works, such as “Heart Berries.” “I think even though Sherman Alexie has done terrible things he’s still very important in terms of thinking about Native American literature,” Harring said. “If you’re talking about Native American literature, you can’t not talk about him, whether or not you agree with what he’s done.” Nonetheless, even when a professor strongly believes that the work of an author is important to students’ education, they should not put students in an uncomfortable position. Students should never have to choose between their education and their values. Zaksek is a Plan II and womens and gender studies freshman from Allen.
With these methods of conservation and purification, the University and Austin could have been self-sustaining during the water boil. We have the means to thrive during future shortages.”
GALLERY
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| the daily texan staff
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The weeklong water boil came and went with little more than a feeling of inconvenience. However, the episode raised serious concerns about the precarious nature of how Austin gets its water. After a period of unprecedented rain raised area lakes to record highs, flood waters overwhelmed the city’s filtration system. As a result, drinking water obtained from the Colorado River was deemed unsafe due to large amounts of silt and residues. However, the central issue is not the volatile nature of the river, but our overdependence on it. The vast majority of Austinites are reliant on the Colorado River, and the weeklong scarcity of clean water highlighted that Austin’s methods of water collection have become far too reliant on unreliable and erratic sources. When it’s dry, so are we. When it’s flooded, so are we. The recent water frenzy reveals a bigger picture of not only Austin’s imminent need to conserve water for the long run, but the need for the city to get creative in obtaining freshwater. Rainwater purification offers a solution to create potable water. This is a solution UT could easily implement, and by doing so, the University could promote and encourage Austin to follow suit. As a local business that specializes in sourcing methods of rainwater collection and purification, Richard Heinichen of Richard’s Rainwater claims these methods are not overly challenging to implement.
“It’s all about capturing the rainwater, filtering it thoroughly, providing ultraviolet light and performing reverse osmosis, none of which is very time consuming or expensive,” Heinichen said. “(It) requires technology no more complex than a filter and lamp. Not only is the process efficient and all-natural, but it produces no waste and is cheaper than regular bottled water.” For such an environmentally sensitive city, Austin has very little infrastructure dedicated to the collection of water from inexhaustible sources such as rainwater and does not excel in terms of its conservation methods. Richard’s Rainwater claims that Austin has the potential to be a leader in the field of renewable water collection and conservation. UT can and must lead the way in this process. “The consumption of rainwater is the future,” Heinichen said. “A series of legislative advancements at UT or in Austin, none of which would be very costly, would enact sweeping environmental changes that hopefully will encourage these types of water conservation method and encourage such progress.” With these methods of conservation and purification, the University and Austin could have been self-sustaining during the water boil. We have the means to thrive during future shortages. Although these processes may require a short term investment, the benefits for students, Austin and the environment would pay large dividends. UT must be a leader in this movement, and students can be proactive during this process by not only becoming participants in water conservation, but supporting any University initiatives — such as installing rainwater capturing and purification technology. After a week in which our water system entered our collective consciousness, we need to continue our public discussion about our water system vulnerabilities. Creating a water conservation system based on rainwater purification processes would allow Austin and every other Texas community to thrive in the decades ahead. Johnson is a journalism freshman from San Francisco, California.
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2018
CAMPUS
bithia dantoumda | the daily texan staff Business Honors freshman Lucious McDaniel strives to make it easier for young people to donate to their favorite charities in order to make a lasting impact on their community.
‘Phly’ new method of giving back
Freshman to launch philanthropic app for charitable donations. By Ambar Ancira @ambar_ancira
usiness Honors freshman Lucious McDaniel was at dinner watching his longtime mentor write a check for $10,000 to a charity when the idea came to him. He made a sarcastic comment about how not everyone could just write a huge check and donate it. In his mind, an idea was forming. Now, McDaniel is preparing to launch his new app, Phly: philanthropy on the fly, which will allow people to easily and affordably donate to their favorite charities. After a quick setup, users can donate a certain amount with every swipe. “We want to make the donation process more accessible and more centralized,” McDaniel said. He said the app will have three donating options:
roundup, perpetual and one-time. Roundup takes the spare change from card payments and donates them, perpetual donates a predetermined amount with every swipe and one-time lets the user donate at any time. “So many people want to do good, but when you have all those barriers to entry and it gets more difficult, that’s when you lose a lot of people,” McDaniel said. McDaniel said Phly will keep track of every donation so when the user is ready to file their taxes, they can just export the document and print it. In addition, Phly will provide a survey to match users with local charities that they might be interested in. “When people think of philanthropy or charity, they might think of the few big charities out there,” McDaniel said. “However there’s lots of local charitable organizations that people could have such a profound impact on with just a few dollars here and there.” At the beginning of his journey, McDaniel spent months perfecting his idea under the mentorship of longtime friend Bill Peebles. “(McDaniel) said he wanted an idea that would help his community but still be profitable,” Peebles said. “He wanted to do good by giving back to the community but still get a profit.”
McDaniel said he entered in a pitch competition for DECA, an organization that educates students in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. After making it past every round with his idea, McDaniel won first place in the world competition. “I can’t say I was surprised, but I was stunned.” Peebles said. “I wasn’t surprised because of his ability and his tenacity, but I was stunned because I know what an undertaking that is for anybody.” When McDaniel joined GENESIS at UT, an entrepreneurship program, he met Katherine Allen, mechanical engineering and Plan II senior. Allen said she was a mentee her freshman year and wanted to return the favor as a senior. She said McDaniel is very passionate about giving back to his community. McDaniel is currently the owner and CEO of Phly, and he is testing out demos and talking to potential charities. He said he hopes Phly will be up and running by spring 2019. “(Donating) should be as easy as calling an Uber or getting on a Lime bike, where it takes you literally opening an app and hitting a button, or setting something up and then just living with it in the background,” McDaniel said. “I’m of the philosophy that if we make it easier for people to donate, more people will.”
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2018
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ALEX BRISEÑO & ROSS BURKHART SPORTS EDITORS @TEXANSPORTS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2018
FOOTBALL
ashley ephraim | the daily texan file Defensive end Charles Omenhiu rushes the passer during the Longhorn’s 42-41 loss to West Virginia on Nov. 3, 2018. Texas travels to Lubbock to face the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Longhorns will try to snap their two-game losing streak.
Texas looks to recoup in Lubbock Texas tries to get back on track after back-to-back losses. By Alex Briseño @AlexxBriseno
hen the Longhorns make the 372-mile trip to Lubbock, they won’t experience anything they haven’t already encountered this season — except for the flying tortillas. Texas Tech brings with it all of the characteristics of a true Big 12 team: a high-octane offense, a struggling defense and a hostile road environment. But once the lights flash on at Jones AT&T Stadium, Red Raider fans will start flinging tortillas the second the game kicks off. The long-running tradition in Lubbock dates back to the late 1980s. The hostile environment nearly helped Texas Tech upset No. 6 Oklahoma last Saturday. Now, one week later, both the Longhorns and Red Raiders look to maintain
relevance in the conference by avoiding back-to-back-toback losses. As for the environment, veterans such as defensive end Charles Omenihu don’t anticipate being flustered by the ruckus crowd, or soaring tortillas. “If that environment is going to make me cringe up then I’ve got problems,” Omenihu said. “… It’s going to be a night game, cool. It’s a big game, yeah. It’s another game we have to win. If you’re too worried about tortillas and environment and whatever the hell else they’re going to be doing, then you’re wasting your time.” While Texas players say they won’t be affected by the environment, or the tortillas, the Longhorns will definitely be phased by one thing: the horns down gesture. Week in and week out, every team does it, and Saturday won’t be any different. The latest installment featured West Virginia quarterback and Heisman candidate Will Grier when he flashed the upside down symbol in front of the Longhorn faithful at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium last Saturday. After the game, a small altercation broke out between the teams when West Virginia players celebrated on the Longhorn logo at midfield. Texas players, who usually remain silent on the topic, finally sounded off. “We don’t disrespect any other schools by throwing their signs down or anything like that,” wide receiver
Lil’Jordan Humphrey said. “It bothers us a lot because we take pride in what we do for that logo. For schools to disrespect us for no reason, it really pisses me and a lot of guys off. I guess that’s what comes with it when you’re a top-tier program and people don’t like you.” After Texas’ one-point loss to the Mountaineers, Sam Ehlinger tweeted out, “I remember every single team/ player that disrespects the rich tradition of the University of Texas by putting the Horns down. Do not think it will be forgotten in the future.” Ehlinger later took the tweet down and noted his frustrations weren’t geared toward a specific player or his friend, West Virginia wide receiver David Sills V, who was penalized 15 yards for throwing the horns down during last Saturday’s game. “It has nothing to do with individual players,” Ehlinger said. “It’s just something that if we take care of our business, then we can limit people doing that.” Texas has struggled to limit that gesture after giving up a combined 80 points and dropping back-toback last-second victories in the last two weeks. Now, the Longhorns face a must-win situation with the final sliver of their Big 12 title hopes riding on this matchup in Lubbock. The Longhorns and Red Raiders are set to kickoff in Lubbock at 6:30 p.m.
SOCCER
BASKETBALL
Longhorns prepare for home finale
Higgs, Littleton power Longhorns’ blowout victory
By Kihwan Lee @kihwanlee_
The No. 4 national seed Texas Longhorns will take on Virginia Tech at Mike A. Myers Stadium one last time this season to kick off the first round of the NCAA Tournament. With the win, Texas will complete a perfect home record on the season. Although Virginia Tech’s (9– 7–3) record isn’t as stellar as that of Texas (13–4–3), the Longhorns are expecting a competitive match. “I know that they are a wellcoached team from one of the top conferences in the country,” head coach Angela Kelly said. “They’re going to be a tremendous opponent for an opening-round match.” Virginia Tech is led by a pair of talented freshmen of their own: Karlie Johnson and
Emily Gray. Gray, a Sewell, New Jersey, native, leads the team in goals and points, and was just named to the ACC All-Freshman Team. Gray also leads the team in assists. In order for Texas to advance to the second round, the Longhorns will need to disrupt Virginia Tech’s offense and put the pressure on their defense early, which Texas has had very little problem doing this season. Of Texas’ 39 goals this season, 19 goals have come in the first period. The Longhorns will look to Cyera Hintzen, Katie Glenn and Alexa Adams to lead their offensive attack. Although the trio has been highly effective for the majority of the regular season, it has failed to score in their last three games. If the Longhorns are going to beat the Hokies, the difference may very well be decided by how effective these
players are able to attack Virginia Tech’s defense. Virginia Tech’s defense is led by junior goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn, who was a First Team selection for the preseason AllACC team. McGlynn boasted a .792 percentage. While the Longhorns aren’t looking past the Hokies, they definitely have high expectations for themselves. Last year, Texas went as far as the Sweet 16, something the Longhorns have only achieved four times in the program’s history. This year, Haley Berg is confident the team can repeat, if not advance further than it did last year. “Our whole goal is to get as far as possible and go even farther than we did last year,” Berg said. “And I think this team can definitely do that. Our mindset is to play for each other, play with each other and see what we can do.”
eddie gaspar | the daily texan file Senior Alexa Adams looks upfield during a Texas home game. The Longhorns will play their final home game in their NCAA Tournament opener.
By Donnavan Smoot @Dsmoot3D
Before tip-off, the Longhorns were looking for two things: an improvement on defense and for Lashann Higgs to be their offensive force. They found both Thursday in a 78-41 win over Duquesne. In the early stages of the game, offense was hard to come by for the Longhorns. Luckily for Texas, its defense picked up the slack. A swarming defense held the Dukes to seven points in the opening quarter, shooting 21 percent from the field. The intensity continued through the second quarter as they only managed a mere five points in the second quarter. “The biggest improvement in our team was our discipline,” head coach Karen Aston said after the game. “That’s a good team. That’s a NCAA Tournament team. We took them out of their offense completely in the first half.” While the Longhorns struggled to generate points in the first half, Higgs carried the load offensively. She started the game only 36 points away from being the 44th player in school history to score 1,000 points in their career. By the way she played from opening tip, it looked like she was going to get all 36 on Thursday. Higgs was aggressive early on, scoring seven of Texas’ first 13 points. In the second half, Higgs’ impressive performance
katie bauer | the daily texan staff Lashann Higgs goes in for a layup during Texas’ 78-41 victory against Duquesne on Nov. 8, 2018, at the Frank Erwin Center.
continued as she finished with 20 points, bringing her closer to the 1,000-point milestone. Higgs was dominant on the offensive end all night. However, the senior guard had the same mindset as her coach prior to tip-off. “I was just trying to do whatever I (could) for my team,” Higgs said. “I tried to focus more on defense than offense. Right now, there’s a lot we need to work on.” Once Higgs set the tone, Destiny Littleton followed her lead, setting a new career high in field goals, points and matching her career high in rebounds. The sharpshooter from California knocked down a corner three as soon as she checked into the game, bringing life to the offense. Littleton’s shooting opened the game up for the Longhorns and helped extend their lead to 25 at the end of
the first half. In her freshman year, Littleton only scored 17 points all season. Now a sophomore, Littleton scored 15 in Thursday’s game. For her, the performance was a result of how hard she worked during the offseason. “I had to ask myself what I wanted,” Littleton said. “I went back to what I knew. I grind, I grinded on a daily basis. I make my focus, whether I feel like practicing or not, (to be that) every rep matters.” The breakout performance might’ve been surprising to some, but not to Aston. “I would’ve been surprised had she not performed like that,” Aston said. Led by its defense and scoring from both units, Texas was able to go home with a blowout victory to begin the season and momentum for the next matchup against North Texas on Monday.
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2018
STUDENT LIFE
SUSTAINABILITY
Vibrant, dyed hair impacts students’ professional employment opportunities By Trinady Joslin @trinady05
lauren banez
| the daily texan staff
Spirit group plans garden, lunch fund at Eastside High Texas Blazers to teach sustainability, healthy eating with new service project.
By Landry Allred
@l2ndry
ince 1994, new inductees of Texas Blazers, a UT spirit group, have hosted service projects for the Austin community. This time, they aim to go green and expand student lunch options. This semester, the new Blazers plan to build a garden at Eastside Memorial High School to teach students about healthy eating, climate change and sustainability. They also intend to create a fund for Eastside students on the free/reduced lunch program. Billy Li, a new member and accounting and Plan II Honors junior, said the group brainstormed project ideas before landing on the garden and fund. Li said he proposed the fund because of his experience in elementary school eating free/reduced lunches and occasionally having to purchase unfulfilling meals, such as a cheese sandwich. “It wasn’t too bad,” Li said. “Sometimes it was a little bit sad eating something like that when the rest of your friends are eating regular or homebrought meals. The fund will help alleviate some of those feelings.” The members are currently planning fundraisers, which will also go toward purchasing gardening tools, Li said. Blazers plans to build the garden on Dec. 8 and partner with teachers and community members for future maintenance. Because of their long-standing relationship with the high school from past programs, the Blazers have no doubt they can easily sustain the garden. This garden and fund will assist the high school
in its existing efforts in environmental sustainability. Rhonda Barton, a science teacher and Eastside science department chair, said the garden will encourage outdoor learning. “Students realizing we’re all interconnected and our relationships with nature, whether that be plants or animals, is super important,” Barton said. “We can learn so much from nature.” Barton also said the fund will aid the majority of students, since 91 percent of Eastside students qualify for free/reduced lunches. “Most people know (the high school is) in a lower socioeconomic area,” Barton said. “We and our families don’t have excess money, so that gift to our school will be really appreciated.” Food insecurity among students is also an issue on college campuses, including UT. Will Ross, a coordinator for UT Outpost, a food resource for UT, said a University of Health Services study reported one in four students on campus have dealt with food insecurity. “In our American culture, there’s always a stigma attached to getting a handout,” Ross said. “We’re really trying to normalize this experience on campus.” With UT Outpost, Ross said students are provided with resources to help them succeed both academically and professionally. “Food insecurity makes it hard for students to stay in class and succeed,” Ross said. “Our goal is to help students understand what food insecurity is, what it looks like on campus and help them get access to nutritious foods, so they can be successful Longhorns.” Along with the immediate impact of the garden and fund, Li said he hopes the Blazers’ efforts will ultimately serve to educate Eastside students on the importance of healthy eating and sustainability. “There are a lot of studies that demonstrate how eating right is good for you,” Li said. “Sustainability is also important because climate change is real. We need to do a lot of different things for the future to reduce our impact.”
Journalism freshman Catherine Mouer’s hair has been bright blue since July. She said odd, disapproving looks from older adults are commonplace, as are excited points and stares from children. Although Mouer said unnaturally colored hair is “one of the least weird things you could do in this city,” students with hues ranging from vivid violet to radiant red may have more difficulty finding a job in the professional field because of the stigma surrounding the look. Daniel Hamermesh, a professor emeritus of economics, studies the importance of beauty and how it affects every dimension of economic activity. While he concedes there’s no specific research on the subject, Hamermesh said because dyed hair is unusual, it is unlikely to be a positive attribute in the mind of potential bosses. “(Colored hair) makes one look weird, and most employers are not looking for that,” Hamermesh said. “They want someone who looks fairly innocuous.” Over time, as those who have
dyed their hair unnatural colors in the past become hiring managers, Hamermesh said the stigma may change. But for now students should “go with (their) strengths or what people view as (their) strengths.” “Stress the things that you’re good at,” Hamermesh said. “Look for a job in an occupation or with an employer who’s less bothered by this rather strange appearance.” While employers may see a link between a student’s ability to complete a job with their choice of hair color, Hamermesh said he thinks appearance has no effect on one’s ability to be successful in their field and hopes employers are able to look past cultural biases. “If a student has a tremendous record and demonstrates hard work in other ways it will compensate,” Hamermesh said. “Unusual hair is just one negative of the many things employers care about.” While interviewing for a volunteering position at a hospital in Lake Jackson, biochemistry freshman Madeline Lampe had the underside of her hair dyed to resemble the galaxy. While none of the staff members treated her differently, some patients or family members did
not recognize her as a volunteer despite her uniform. Lampe said she has accepted she won’t be able to have unnaturally dyed hair in her professional life and decided to dye her hair back to her natural color before looking for jobs in her future field. Although she acknowledges this, like Hamermesh, she sees no correlation in her dyed hair and her work ethic. “I’m a very professional person,” Lampe said. “I’m very courteous, and I know what I’m supposed to do and when I’m supposed to do it. I just happen to like having colored hair.” Mouer, who aspires to work with senators in places such as the Capitol, also decided freshman year was the time to experiment before searching for professional internships. She has accepted that her hair color may stand in the way of potential job opportunities, but that she hopes the industry will soon accept and celebrate creative appearances. “My hair doesn’t change the quality of my work or the lengths I will go to be successful in my career,” Mouer said. “The caliber of my work should be what defines my ability to be hired — not what color my hair is.”
channing miller
| the daily texan staff