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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2018
volume
119,
issue
NEWS
OPINION
LIFE&ARTS
SPORTS
UT student restarts organization to combat youth homelessness in Austin. PA G E 2
UT should provide more information to students about e-cigarettes. PA G E 4
The Blue Genie Bazaar’s gift selection grants Christmas wishes. PA G E 6
Texas defense returns with dominant performance against Iowa State. PA G E 8
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CAMPUS
SG changes election code to simplify campaign season
TELEVISION
From notetaking to Netflix RTF student Sahana Srinivasan educates children in science show ‘Brainchild,’ produced by Pharrell Williams.
By Sara Schleede @saraschleede
After two personal moratoriums, an invalid election and a runoff election last spring, Student Government is proposing changes to its election code to help the next election cycle run more smoothly. Changes include a new single transferable voting system, the removal of all current Election Supervisory Board precedents and clarifications on what counts as candidate speech on social media. “The landscape of the University and elections is constantly changing,” said Sarah Mockler, SG chief of staff and business honors and accounting senior. “As we have changes in our lifestyles and the mediums we use to campaign, it’s important to make sure the election code is still applying in a way that is fair.” Under the new single transferable voting system, each student’s single vote will initially go to their first-choice candidate. As candidates with fewer votes are eliminated, votes will redistribute to second- or third-choice candidates on the ballot. “There will be no runoff elections,” said Benjamin Solder, speaker of the assembly and neuroscience senior. “You will be ranking the ballot.” There have been 10 runoff executive alliance elections since 1998, according to election records.
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amanda saunders | the daily texan staff Radio-television-film senior Sahana Srinivasan is the host of Netflix series “Brainchild,” a children’s science educational series that provides an interactive educational experience.
By Jennifer Martinez @refinnejams
For three months last winter, radio-television-film senior Sahana Srinivasan traded in her bookbag for lights, camera and action to become the host of “Brainchild,” Netflix’s new science education series. Following the blueprint of predecessors such as “Brain Games,” “Brainchild” provides an interactive learning experience for children. The show, executively produced by Pharrell Williams, tackles topics ranging
from the psychological woes of social media to the wonders of the cosmos. As the host, Srinivasan guides viewers through animated infographics, games and experiments. Srinivasan recounts pursuing “Brainchild” with no expectations of the show’s success. Srinivasan received word of an untitled science show from her L.A. agent last fall. Foregoing the usual, professionally taped audition, Srinivasan delivered scripted lines and improvised comedy bits against the backdrop of her college bedroom. “I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’m gonna be the star of this Netflix show,’” Srinivasan said. “It was
more like, ‘I have to give my hundred percent effort to make sure this is good.’” Srinivasan’s bedroom production landed her a callback for auditions in New York. “It’s like Murphy’s Law,” Srinivasan said. “When you expect something to be a certain way, it doesn’t turn out that way, so I didn’t have very high expectations when I was auditioning. I just really liked the content, and I thought I had a good interpretation of it.” By December, Srinivasan landed the role and was filming in chilly New York streets
NETFLIX
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CAMPUS
UNIVERSITY
Study abroad participation increases despite students’ rigid degree plans
UT completes $2.4 million in building security upgrades
By Katie Balevic @KatelynBalevic
Study abroad participation has increased over the last three years, which the International Office attributes to the University’s increased focus on career readiness. Participation in Maymesters — four-week study abroad programs led by UT faculty — have increased by 41 percent in three years, compared to a 3-percent growth for semester-long programs, according to the International Office. Study abroad director Heather Thompson said Maymesters may be increasing in popularity because they can easily fit into rigid degree plans. “Maymesters are scripted,” Thompson said. “They’re package deals. If you’re a student who wants to go abroad but you’re feeling overwhelmed and your degree plan is not your friend and your college has 10
By Megan Menchaca @meganmenchaca13
emma overholt
Maymesters, you’re going to click and go.” Aerospace engineering junior Michael Worthington said his Maymester in Vienna, Austria allowed him to stay on track for his degree plan. “If I did a semester-long program, I would be taking
fewer hours than I normally would here (at UT), but doing the Maymester, I would be taking classes when I otherwise wouldn’t be taking classes,” Worthington said. “It was just taking summer classes that just happened to be in Europe.”
| the daily texan staff
Worthington said it was a worthwhile experience that will set him apart from others in the future. Experiential learning, such as studying abroad and completing internships, has
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The University completed nearly $2.4 million in safety and security upgrades to all on-campus buildings at the end of October. The Department of Public Safety provided security recommendations to the University after the death of Haruka Weiser, including suggestions on how to make buildings more secure. The University finished adding surveillance video and electronic locks to the most-used entrances for all buildings frequented by students. Those entrances are also known as celebrated entrances. “While certainly the University is an open campus for the use of faculty, staff, students and invited guests, the celebrated entrances allow us to provide more enhanced security while still keeping an open campus,” said Jimmy
Johnson, assistant vice president for campus safety. The upgrades also include the installation of safety hubs near the entrances of these buildings. The safety hubs include automated external defibrillators, indoor emergency call boxes and Stop the Bleed kits, which include tourniquets, gauze and other supplies. Elva Ye, head coordinator for the UT chapter of Stop the Bleed, said the goal of the program is to provide supplies to help people save a life if they are ever faced with life-threatening bleeding or other emergency situations. “We talk about the importance of using different techniques to stop bleeding, but it’s not as useful if there’s no accessibility to tourniquets,” chemistry junior Ye said. “If something happens, people will now be able to apply aid and reduce potential disastrous effects.”
SECURITY
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