The Daily Texan 2018-11-30 by The Daily Texan

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018

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NEWS

OPINION

LIFE&ARTS

SCIENCE&TECH

SPORTS

A nonprofit founded by UT students offers after school sports program to kids. PA G E 2

Current students should be consulted before policies are changed. PA G E 4

Burrito Factory brings authentic Mexican cuisine, family atmosphere to 40 Acres. PA G E 5

Toxic shock syndrome is a rare but deadly bacterial infection for tampon users. PA G E 7

Texas linebacker has more than just a conference championship at stake. PA G E 8

CITY

CAMPUS

City invites community feedback on new mobility system

Deaf students struggle to request last-minute interpreters

By Raga Justin

By William Kosinski

@RagaJus

@WillKosinski

A $1 billion project to overhaul Austin’s current mobility system is in the works and up for community discussion until Dec. 21, according to city officials. Draft maps of the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan were released last week and reveal the city’s proposals for transportation improvements. The plan has several goals, including repairing sidewalks throughout the city. It also contains specific projects, such as streamlining the busy intersection between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Guadalupe Street near campus. Liani Miller, projects manager for the plan, said it will re-imagine transportation in the city for the next 20 years. Previous transportation plans focused on individual “modes” — such as pedestrians, cyclists and vehicular transportation — but the plan will pull all of those together under one umbrella, Miller said. “These plans can complement each other rather than compete to make us more safe and mobile going forward,” Miller said. Miller said the plan was developed in part because of concern over the city’s rapid growth, with current transportation infrastructure not sufficient or sustainable enough for the way the city is expected to grow in the next few decades. Ultimately, project managers hope to see congestion improve and the number of traffic-related fatalities decline, Miller said, “We’re setting a vision for our future,” Miller said. One of the plan’s main partners is Capital Metro. The draft maps recommend that the city adopt CapMetro’s plans to develop high-capacity transit, known as Project Connect, which have been in development for several months. Jacob Calhoun, a transportation planner with Capital Metro, said a project as ambitious as high-capacity transit requires a cohesive plan like the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan to pull it

MOBILITY

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FROZEN IN PLACE jeb milling

| the daily texan staff

Student sexual assault survivors share what it’s like dealing with PTSD on a daily basis. By Francesca D’Annunzio

@ftcdnz

Editor’s note: Julia and names have been changed to their anonymity.

Sarah’s protect

hen Julia is having a bad day, she may be in class, but, for more than half of the day, she’s mentally checked out. “My body would be in this frozen mode, (and) I would not recall any of the major points that had been made in class,” Julia said. Julia suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, caused by sexual violence, making her one of roughly 50 percent of all sexual assault survivors who suffer from PTSD following their assault. The term PTSD first appeared in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of

Mental Disorders, a guide for psychologists, in 1980 and was typically a diagnosis reserved for soldiers returning from combat. Recently, the scientific community has begun to recognize that anyone who suffers from a traumatic experience can develop symptoms of PTSD. Dr. Michael Telch, an internationally renowned psychologist and UT professor who studies anxiety disorders, said the likelihood of a person — man or woman — developing PTSD after sexual trauma is much higher than it is for other traumatic events. “Not all traumas are created equal (in terms of likelihood of developing PTSD),” Telch said. “Sexual trauma has the highest conditional probability. For women, that is the single most potent event that can lead to full-blown PTSD.” The pain of Julia’s sexual trauma spilled over into her personal life, making it hard for her to

PTSD

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As finals approach, students are scrambling to attend extra review sessions, last-minute office hours and group study sessions, but some deaf students said their inability to secure an American Sign Language interpreter on short notice may leave them out of these opportunities. The Services for Students with Disabilities’ policy requires deaf students to submit requests for interpretation services outside of class hours with at least three days’ notice. Several deaf students said professors and other classmates often change times or locations of meetings at the last minute, meaning students may not be able to find an interpreter in time. “A few weeks ago, my professor made last-minute office hours,” said Jacob Cheek, a communication sciences and disorders junior who is deaf. “On the same day, he said the review session would be moved back an hour. I can’t do anything about that. I knew that if I submitted a request, I would not get (an interpreter).” Environmental engineering sophomore Rebecca Giuntoli said the complexities of engineering are hard to translate into ASL and present communication barriers between herself and her interpreters. Giuntoli said when she is able to find interpreters on short notice, they often cannot appropriately translate engineering concepts. “I can’t go to office hours, tutoring or study groups last minute,” said Giuntoli, who is also deaf. “Everything has to be three business days in advance. That is very challenging to me because professors and classmates often don’t put that into consideration.” Interpreters from an independent company are called in by the school when UT interpreters are unavailable, SSD Executive Director Kelli Bradley said. Nonetheless, situations still arise where both UT and independent interpreters are booked, so Bradley encourages deaf students who need interpreters quickly to contact SSD as soon as possible. “We are fully aware that unexpected situations can come up, and that is why our office will always try to arrange

INTERPRET

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CAMPUS

Students take precautions while using dating apps By Hannah Ortega @_HannahOrtega_

Cat Kline said there is a lot of stigma surrounding dating apps, and occasionally for good reason. After all, it was just last month a person she connected with on the Badoo app tried to pressure her into having sex. “Of course I resisted all pressure,” Kline, a music education freshman, said. “And I was going to file something, and I found out that I didn’t know their name, their correct name, because they used a … fake name.” Because she didn’t know her harasser’s real name, Kline couldn’t reach out to the Office of the Dean of Students for help. However, if identification can be provided, UTPD detective Eliana Decker said the office can assist students who encounter unsafe situations through dating apps. Decker also encouraged students to contact UTPD. “Typically we’ll tell people, ‘If you’re uncomfortable about something or you feel suspicious or something just doesn’t feel right, let us know,’” Decker said. “We like to be a resource for students and try to guide them on how to handle situations, make sure they are staying safe and then how to move forward.”

Who you chose to date and how you choose to do that is a personal decision ... I’m just encouraging you to try to do it in as safe a manner as you feel comfortable with.” ELIANA DECKER UTPD DETECTIVE

Decker estimates UTPD receives at least one report regarding dating app concerns every semester. She recommends students keep personal information private, meet in public for dates and clearly express to the other person what is acceptable — and what isn’t — in order to stay safe. Architectural engineering junior Grace Hannemann, who primarily uses Tinder, said she protects herself on dating apps by trusting her gut. “If I get a bad vibe or as soon as a conversation starts with somebody I feel like we already don’t want the same thing, I just end it right there,” Hannemann said. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with just stopping replying to somebody, especially if you’ve only exchanged four or five texts.” Decker said in stressful or potentially dangerous events stemming from dating apps, UTPD wants “to help each person figure out what’s best for their situation.” “We as police understand that these are personal situations,” Decker said. “Who you chose to date and how you choose to do that is a personal decision. It is not my place as a law enforcement officer to tell someone how they should do that. I’m just encouraging you to try to do it in as safe a manner as you feel comfortable with.”

bixie mathieu

| the daily texan staff

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018

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When an elementary school student raised his hand to ask what a football looked like during his first after school session, coaches from Students Creating Opportunities for Recreational Exercise Athletics realized the impact their program could have. SCORE, a UT student organization and nonprofit, works with Austin elementary schools in a lower socioeconomic area to an create after-school sports programs coached by UT student mentors. “We grew up around football, we watch it on TV and we go to football games every Friday night in high school,” SCORE CEO Connor Alexander said. “The idea that someone doesn’t know what a football looks like seems crazy to us, but that really explains how much this program means to these kids.” SCORE Athletics started as a class project and became an official nonprofit after the group was named one of the winners of Envision Austin 2018, Alexander said. “All of us at SCORE are passionate about the way team sports taught us communication skills, leadership skills and how to work together as a team,” government sophomore Alexander said. “We feel that there’s no better way to teach those skills than through team sports, especially at that age.” SCORE provides the elementary schools with soccer goals, balls, jerseys and other maintenance equipment. Once the nine-week program is over, schools will keep the equipment, chief communications officer Jonathan Waslh said. “That is something SCORE is trying to eliminate, that cost of time and energy that might hinder these kids from

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connect with people. She experiences dissociation, or an involuntary disconnection between a person’s thoughts, identity, consciousness or memory, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Julia’s trauma has since caused a “fracture” in her identity. “It’s like a complete disconnection from my body,” Julia said. “It feels like I’m not in it.” Telch said he would not even describe experiences such as dissociation as a symptom, but as a reaction. “For most of us, the reactions start to die down within the first 30 days or so (following the event),” Telch said. “We call this digestion of trauma.” But this isn’t the case for everyone. “For a smaller percentage, let’s say 30 percent, people get stuck,” Telch said. “The reactions don’t die down.” Julia said her disassociation can happen at any moment. If she is walking to class and sees a car that looks like her abuser’s, it takes her back to the day of her trauma. When triggered, she may enter into a trance-like state and mentally check out for the remainder of the day. “I’ll hear my voice and I’ll be doing something … and I don’t feel like (it’s) me,” Julia said. Since trauma encodes memories differently, something that may be considered mundane or normal by someone who has not experienced trauma may be triggering or cause extreme distress for someone with PTSD, said T’shana McCain, a researcher at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. Sarah, another survivor, said she was dissociated during her sexual trauma, which makes recalling the event in detail difficult. “I closed my eyes and pretended to be somewhere else,” Sarah said. Mental fragmentation can also occur due to the victims’ dissociation during the trauma and make it difficult to recall the details of the event, Telch said. This fragmentation explains why sometimes survivors cannot remember how they got home the night of their assault or the exact location where it took place. University of Texas Police Department Sgt. Samantha Stanford said for these reasons, UTPD waits

eddie gaspar | the daily texan staff Olivia Smith, the chief business development officer, Connor Alexander, the chief executive officer, and Cooper Carlyle, the chief financial officer, are members of the board of directors for SCORE, a UT student organization and nonprofit.

participating in team sports,” Alexander said. “There are sports leagues around Austin and other opportunities for them to get involved in sports but those cost money.” In their first semester, members of SCORE worked with students from Harris and Pecan Springs elementary schools once a week for an hour to 90 minutes. Next semester, the nonprofit will expand to three additional schools, Walsh said. “We target Title I elementary schools that are under-resourced because that’s where we think we can have the greatest impact,” said Walsh, an electrical engineering and government sophomore.

at least two sleep cycles to interview survivors. “After sexual assault, there can be a lot going on,” Stanford said. “We want to allow them time to take care of themselves physically and give them time to process. Studies have shown they might be able to recall better if they’ve had time to process everything.” Sarah also said she experiences difficulty maintaining focus and suffers from paranoia due to her PTSD, making her school-life balance more difficult. “I try and focus and I try and study and … I don’t feel like a person anymore sometimes,” she said. “I am still paranoid a lot of the time.” Sarah also suffered from night terrors and nightmares following the trauma, waking up in the middle of the night screaming. Julia, like Sarah, has experienced multiple sexual traumas. She said, at this point, she has so many triggers and memories that her life with PTSD is like walking in a hall of mirrors. “Everything (in your life) becomes related to what happened,” she said. Both survivors said classroom conversations about Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s September confirmation hearing made coping with their trauma even more difficult. One way to be an ally to people dealing with trauma and symptoms of PTSD is to debunk the “perfect victim myth,” said McCain, the researcher at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. “They’re told they need to act like this, or else they’re not being truthful,” she said. It’s also important to understand the neurobiology of trauma, McCain said. The body could respond to trauma by fighting, fleeing or freezing. “You’re more in your primitive nature, in a sense,” McCain said. “You might freeze because you just don’t know what to do. That’s called tonic immobility.” But the most detrimental thing for PTSD is selfblame, McCain said. “People who have a lot of self-blame have more PTSD symptoms. While at the same time, PTSD symptoms tend to make people have more self-blame,” McCain said. Julia said she attends therapy and takes antidepressants to try to cope, but she wishes more people understood the “absolute hell” of PTSD.

“We also work closely with Communities in Schools coordinators to see how we can best help students.” Letsvia Reyes-Lerma, the Harris elementary school CIS coordinator, said some students have told her their parents won’t let them play outside at their apartment complexes because of a lack of parental supervision. “Although we have other after-school programs here at Harris, nothing compares to having college students mentor and encourage our students to succeed,” Reyes said in an email. “It’s not just outdoor play. It’s a life skill that our students are being coached on.” Reyes said both students and parents

are very pleased with the program. “Our teachers have also reported the difference it is making in the classroom,” Reyes said. “Students are displaying improved classroom conduct and positive social skills. Students look forward to Mondays because of our SCORE Program.” Cooper Carlyle, the SCORE chief financial officer, said he and the other officers spend 15 to 20 hours per week running the nonprofit. “The responses we have received kind of justify all the work and countless hours we put into it,” finance sophomore Carlyle said. “The work we are doing is helpful to kids beyond sports.”

mel westfall

mobility continues from page

all together. “Without a policy framework in place, it is really hard to get these things done,” Calhoun said. “A policy framework provides almost a legal backing, to make sure everything is allocated properly and goes well.” The plan will be up for adoption before the City Council in early 2019 and projects will be completed at different times in the next few years, Miller said.

“Some projects have been very well-scoped, we have design and cost but maybe we don’t have funding or construction hasn’t started yet,” Miller said. “And some projects are just concepts, we know there are issues and we know there needs to be some sort of improvement but we just don’t know what they are yet … it’s a spectrum.” Allie Runas, an electrical and computer engineering senior, said she gets around campus by walking and using bikes or public buses. She said she

| the daily texan file

appreciates the city’s promise to improve those three areas of transportation among others. The city’s focus on sidewalks is especially important, as sidewalks in West Campus are often in poor condition, Runas said. “Literally every day I’ll walk and come across a sidewalk that’s pretty much unnavigable,” Runas said. “It’s really great seeing that that’s on the agenda. It’s something we really need and could help reduce some of the frictions that we feel living in Austin as well.”

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interpreters (even with short notice),” Bradley said in an email. “However, the reality is that the less notice that is given, there may not be enough time to find an available interpreter.” Psychology sophomore Damon Rush, who identifies as hearing impaired, said he submitted requests that were fulfilled with inexperienced interpreters from the independent agency. Rush, Cheek and Giuntoli all said inadequate funding is to blame for a lack of consistent, experienced interpreters. “SSD is short on the number of interpreters because of a funding problem here,” Rush said. “(The University does) not invest a lot of money in Services for Students with Disabilities. UT needs to hire more interpreters, but they can’t do that without the money.” Bradley said costs for deaf and hard of hearing services have increased alongside the number of eligible students who request them, and SSD’s entire annual budget adjusts over time to match the needs of all its students. Additional resources, such as more interpreters, transcription services and professional notetakers, would give deaf and hard of hearing students sufficient

copyright jacob cheek, and reproduced with permission Jacob Cheek, a communication sciences and disorders junior who is deaf, said a lack of funding leaves him without ASL interpreters.

support to fully utilize educational opportunities, Cheek said. “I want to be on the same field as everyone else,” Cheek said. “At UT, every assignment,

every lecture, every classroom is made for hearing people with no disabilities. It’s not made for us; that’s why we have the accommodations.”

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018

RESEARCH

Alzheimer’s vaccine seen on horizon Potential Alzheimer’s vaccine passes pre-clinical trials. By Mina Kim @theminkim

esearchers at UT Southwestern have developed a potential vaccine for Alzheimer’s disease with successful trials on rabbits, monkeys and now mice. In a paper published ten days ago, neurology professor Roger Rosenberg and assistant professor Doris Lambracht-Washington said the vaccine reduced toxic proteins contributing to Alzheimer’s by almost half in mice with the disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia where the brain’s memory and function decline, typically in aging people. The association predicts the number of cases in the U.S. will rise to 13.8 million by 2050. John Bertelson, a neurologist at Dell Medical Center who is unrelated to the study, said this disease might be America’s next medical catastrophe. “(Alzheimer’s) affects about one in three people over the age of 85,” Bertelson said. “As much of a problem this is right now, it’s going to be even more of a problem down the road as America ages.” Rosenberg said the vaccine may be able to combat this rise by reducing the damaging buildup of amyloid and tau proteins central to Alzheimer’s. When these normally harmless proteins accumulate, they make plaques and tangles the brain can’t fight off. A compound called ABeta42 peptide can prevent buildup by making the body create antibodies that decrease the amount of harmful proteins, Lambracht-Washington said. Previous studies have attempted the same, but those vaccinations caused brain inflammation in human patients. Lambracht-Washington said that unlike the previous vaccines, this one contains the DNA that makes the body create the peptide itself.

Roger Rosenberg, left, and Doris Lambacht-Washington, right, are the two authors of the new Alzheimer’s study. “We didn’t find any cells of the immune system that made an inflammatory product,” Rosenberg said. “In the animals we tested, it’s safe, non-toxic and tolerated.” The vaccine has not been tested in humans, since it has just passed animal trials. But the results have been promising: ABeta42 reduced amyloid buildup by 40 percent, and tau buildup by 50 percent, which Lambracht-Washington said is a remarkable difference. If all goes well, clinical trials could start as soon as two years from now, Rosenberg said. The lab is preparing to apply for grants and hasn’t finalized how they’ll administer the vaccine to people, but Rosenberg said they plan on giving it to patients in their 60s and 70s.

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“The potential of the vaccine lies in significantly reducing the levels of amyloid and tau in very early Alzheimer’s disease (before symptoms have presented themselves),” Rosenberg said. “Theoretically this could delay onset of Alzheimer’s, which has the potential to reduce the amount of disease in the population.” Bertelson said it’s difficult to predict how the vaccine will interact with the human body; ABeta42’s effect on mice may not have as strong an effect on people. However, delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s by even five years could significantly affect the number of cases, Bertelson said, as well as potentially halve Medicare costs for this increasingly common disease.

Rosenberg, Lambracht-Washington and Bertelson also said they were cautious of potentially damaging side effects that clinical trials could unearth. “(The previous vaccine) did not show any pathology in the mouse, it was beautiful,” Lambracht-Washington said. “But when the people were the patients, eight percent developed brain inflammation so it had to be stopped right away.” The future of the vaccine may be unpredictable but its current potential can’t be ignored. “This is a critically important area to study right now,” Bertelson said. “It’s really very exciting that (Rosenberg and Lambracht-Washington) are doing this.”

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Next time, ask current students before you change the handbook By Briana Torres Columnist

If you ever went on a tour of UT as a prospective student, you most likely heard your Guides of Texas tour guide boast about the variety of student organizations at UT. You might have even heard them say the popular phrase “It only takes two friends and $20 to start an organization.” But they can’t say this charming phrase anymore. UT Student Activity Center recently emailed student leaders of campus organizations to inform them about a new student organization requirement. According to the email, old and new student organizations will be required to have at least 10 members on their HornsLink roster when starting an organization in January and re-registering in April. This announcement seemed sudden to some, such as Grace Schrobilgen, health and society junior. “I think that at the very least the Office of the Dean of Students should have consulted with students before changing their policy regarding membership requirements,” Schrobilgen said. Susan Buckenmeyer, director of Student Activities, said it wasn’t as sudden as it seemed, because the office consulted with the Student Government Assembly two years ago. However, Buckenmeyer, said, some of the students they consulted with have since graduated. Since this new policy impacts current students, it should have been brought to the attention of this school year’s Student Government before being implemented into the institutional rules in September. There has been pushback since current legislative bodies were not able to give their input or opinion on the new requirement. Both Liberal Arts Council, in association with Senate of College Councils and the 2018–2019 Student Government Assembly have written legislation against this new requirement. Buckenmeyer said she has discussed the issue with Liberal Arts Council, but the new requirement will stand since it is now written in the

institutional rules. Buckenmeyer explained the reasoning behind this new requirement, “Ten members isn’t arbitrary. We benchmarked with other institutions and looked at how many members most organizations on campus already had through annual registration data.” They found 10 was a common amount of members in successful organizations. Schrobilgen is the president of a student organization called The Language Campaign, which works with English as a Second Language high school students. The Language Campaign has a total of eight members. The email sent stated the Office of Student Activities would be willing to help organizations who do not meet the requirement, such as Schrobilgen’s, to grow. Schrobilgen said the email did not explicitly explain how the office would help them and she doesn’t believe that they even should. “Learning how to grow an organization on your own is a valuable learning experience,” Schrobilgen said. “I don’t think I would have learned nearly as much if someone had been directing me in what to do.” When asked about what help the office would offer, Buckenmeyer said organizations with less than 10 members are not going to be made inactive or eliminated. “We’re going to do a coaching program,” Buckenmeyer said. “They’ll connect closely with our office and go over their goals … We don’t have set requirements yet, but they’ll be minimal.” Regardless of the work the Office of Student Activities will put in to assist organizations through the change, an institutional rule should not have been passed without input from current Student Government members. This year’s Government Assembly should have been consulted about the new membership requirement. The requirements for organizations who do not meet this number also should have been initially transparent. A situation such as this one should not happen again. Torres is a Plan II, English & creative writing junior from San Antonio.

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Students would benefit from gender inclusive housing By Gabriela Mata Columnist

There is no denying that college is a daunting experience, especially when incoming students are faced with the perils of a new school, a new home and a new life. The transition into college can be even more challenging for members of the LGBTQ community who seek a supportive environment that is accepting to all genders and sexualities. While UT has been making strides toward inclusivity, such as designating gender-inclusive bathrooms around campus, it still does not provide gender-inclusive housing on campus. With the Scottish Rite Dormitory, a private women’s dorm just north of campus, being accused of discriminating against a gay student, UT needs to make strides toward improving the housing environment for the LGBTQ community. As such, it is imperative UT provides a gender-inclusive housing option for its students. Finding housing is difficult in Austin, and the search for housing for incoming students frequently centers around on-campus options. With as many dorm options as UT has, it should not be hard to establish a safe environment for LGBTQ students to live. “Gender-inclusive housing is so important because it would help students get into housing with the gender that they identify with,” said Emily Chauffe, an arts and entertainment technologies sophomore and member of LGBTQ community. “I know the process to do that, currently, is rather difficult.” There is not a formal choice for students to find room-

With as many dorm options as UT has, it should not be hard to establish a safe environment for LGBTQ students to live.”

mates who identify as the same gender as them, which means LGBTQ students may be placed in hostile and uncomfortable spaces. It’s on the University to ensure that comfortable and safe student housing options are available to LGBTQ students. In contrast to UT-Austin, UT-Dallas and Rice are the only two universities in Texas that have gender inclusive housing. This is an alarmingly low number considering that the Lone Star State has 170 universities and one of the largest student populations in the nation. According to UT-Dallas’ website, this housing option includes gender-inclusive units across residential halls in spaces with accepting roommates. A new housing environment similar to UT-Dallas’ gender-inclusive option could open up new opportunities for LGBTQ students who feel apprehensive and discouraged to attend UT amidst a hyperpolarized political and social climate. “UT should build an environment conducive to everyone’s needs and show that they care about marginalized students,” said Izzy, a non-binary marine and freshwater sciences sophomore who wishes to remain anonymous. “UT tends to be performative in their inclusion — they haven’t shown that they really care yet. (Opening gender-inclusive housing) would be a big step forward in terms of inclusion.” Although not enacted, the idea for gender inclusive housing has been discussed before. In 2012, UT’s Student Government passed legislation to establish a gender inclusive housing program at UT. It later fell through at the University level, eventually retiring into the stacks of the PCL. It is time for UT to follow through on a change that would fairly provide a safe environment for all students. Changing housing may seem unreasonable since it is so limited already. But UT does not have to create new buildings for LGBTQ students. UT can follow the UT-Dallas model for gender inclusive housing, where students in any dorm can opt for inclusive units. Transforming floors in dorms to be exclusively open to all genders, thereby creating a safe space, is also a viable answer. UT should follow through on making its campus inclusive and diverse. None of our students should ever have to face discrimination and unfair treatment in their housing spaces. Providing a community-based and gender inclusive housing option is just one step toward pursuing a genuinely inclusive and diverse campus. Mata is a psychology sophomore from Houston.

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.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018

CITY

CAMPUS

Zilker neighborhood offers aquatic recreation, peace in middle of city By Anna-Kay Reeves @annakay_reeves

eddie gaspar

| the daily texan staff

Burrito Factory’s owners bring life to Dobie with a passion for Mexican cuisine.

Sibling-owned Mexican restaurant in Dobie celebrates hard work, culture Burrito Factory brings genuine Mexican cuisine to students. By Jennifer Martinez @refinnejams

ourteen years ago, Burrito Factory owner Jose Luis Perez hung his family’s livelihood over a food court stall in Dobie Mall, where he set out to provide authentic Mexican cuisine for students and Austin residents. But behind every filledto-the-brim taco lies a familial journey beginning in Michoacán, Mexico. Burrito Factory prides itself on remaining family owned since opening its doors in May 2004. From the kitchen to the register, Burrito Factory is manned by three siblings: Jose Luis, Juan Luis and Ana Bertha Perez. Juan Luis, the youngest, said Burrito Factory’s success is motivated by a simple phrase his father repeated at their childhood meat market in Mexico: “Échenle ganas,” or, “try your hardest.” “That’s why we put more and more effort into our work,” Juan Luis said. “We want Burrito Factory to either maintain its quality or constantly improve. We try to do the best possible.” After 19 years of working long days alongside his father at his meat market, Jose Luis set out to pursue the American dream in Chicago. Braving the city’s characteristic wind and an inevitable language barrier, Perez worked Chicago’s food industry. As an undocumented immigrant, Perez found security in his uncle’s burgeoning taco business, all the while maintaining a hope he would have his own business someday. In 1995, Nene’s Tacos was born. That same year, Jose Luis’ siblings followed him to Chicago where they set out

to build Nene’s as a family effort. Although work was plentiful, Juan Luis recalls feeling like the business had consumed his life. “Our lives have always been defined by work,” Juan Luis said. “In Chicago, we worked from 10 a.m. to midnight every day of the week. Life over there was heavy. It was stressful. Work never ended.” Nearly 10 years after opening Nene’s Tacos, Jose Luis was motivated to improve his family’s quality of life once again. Perez followed his wife’s nursing career to Austin, where Burrito Factory’s current location caught his eye. Dobie Mall offered a steady UT clientele and less strenuous work hours. The Perez siblings jumped at the opportunity to uproot their lives for the better once more. Now, the family has made a home of their compact workspace. “It was hard at first, but we slowly progressed,” Juan Luis said. “We’ve been fortunate enough to have a successful business.” Throughout the day, students line up to enjoy classic Mexican dishes, and the Perez siblings say they gladly report for duty. Equipped with a steady stream of smiles, banter and boisterous Latin tunes, Burrito Factory brings life to Dobie and students alike. Advertising senior Analucille Trevino said Burrito Factory’s allure lies in the comfort their dishes provide for students craving a taste of home, like herself. “It’s authentic Mexican food, they’re friendly and it’s great service,” Trevino said. Similarly, geography senior Justin Pulliam said tasty food and pleasant management motivate his weekly Burrito Factory trips. “Every time I eat (their tacos), I always feel better,” Pulliam said. “No matter how bad I’m feeling, I know I can find happiness in their food.” Juan Luis said the family feels proud of their life-long work. “We love what we do, we’re comfortable here,” Juan Luis said. “We’re among family.”

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SWIMMING hosts TEXAS HALL OF FAME INVITATIONAL

Amid the hustle and bustle of downtown Austin, traffic has not yet drowned out the sounds of birds in the trees of Zilker Park and the splash of Lady Bird Lake. With skyscrapers peeking through the trees, the Zilker neighborhood offers the combination of a thriving urban center and natural beauty. Although the area is thick with hallmarks of a city — fusion restaurants, electric scooters zipping by and modernist decor — the neighborhood’s many businesses and cultural centers focus on providing opportunities to explore and appreciate nature. One such long-time Zilker business is Zilker Park Boat Rentals. Owners Howard and Dorothy Barnett, both UT alumni, have been helping people get out on the lake and into the beauty of nature since 1969. The idea for Zilker Park Boat Rentals came to Barnett nearly 50 years ago as he drove across the Lamar Bridge and looked out at the lake. “It was a beautiful day and I could see people out on the water,” Howard said. “I wanted to help them get there, so I made my proposal to the Parks Board and we set up shop.” According to their website, Zilker Park Boat Rentals offers canoes, one-seat and two-seat kayaks and stand up paddleboards for $18/hour or $54/day. They are open seven days a week from dawn until dusk. Just up Barton Springs Road is Barton Springs Bike Rental and Tours, a business

that provides Zilker explorers a chance to see the neighborhood from solid ground, according to shop manager Devon Lampman. He said in the 10 years since opening its doors, Barton Springs Bike Rental and Tours has become increasingly focused on the touring aspect of their business. “We have the bikes available to take out on your own, but we also have great tours lined up for electric bikes and regular bikes,” Lampman said. “Our guides are people that love Austin and really enjoy taking people to see the sights.” Regular bike tours range in price from $35 to $60, and electric bike tours cost $75. The expert-led tours range from family friendly to a Rainey Street Pub Crawl and can last anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours. For nature and culture all in one, Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum is an option. The garden is across Azie Morton Road from Barton Springs with an admission fee of $5. Short walking trails weave through the collection of statues, leading to dirt trails for the more adventurous. Umlauf’s regular hours are Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. “(The garden) is the perfect respite from city life,” executive director Sarah Story said. “We feel very lucky to be where we are in Zilker, close to downtown but still very much in nature.” Story said the garden is a peaceproviding home for culture and the arts. “Aside from the garden itself, we do events like yoga at Umlauf on Wednesdays and Fridays and Umlauf After Dark, where we’ll have live music and vendors selling artisan crafts,” Story said.

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 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 Friday, November 30, 2018

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Longhorns think only 60% of UT students had 4 or fewer drinks the last time they went out. In reality,

80% of students had 0-4 drinks the last time they went out.

@UTBruceTheBat 2018 UT-Austin National Social Norms Center Survey

SARAH BLOODWORTH SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR @THEDAILYTEXAN

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018

H E A LT H

Tampons hold hidden dangers Toxic shock syndrome is rare but deadly for tampon users, UT experts say. By Sunny Kim @sunny_newsiee

hen sociology senior Kate Hardin gets her period, she sets an alarm to take out her tampon. She worries she could get Toxic Shock Syndrome, a potentially deadly bacterial infection, if she doesn’t. Toxic shock syndrome is a rare condition caused by a toxin most commonly released by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and is associated with tampon usage. If the condition is not identified and diagnosed right away, it can cause complications that can lead to loss of limbs or death. Toxic shock is also incredibly rare, with only about three to four women out of 100,000 affected by the bacterial infection, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders. But Hardin said the warning signs on her tampon box remind her of the possibility of getting the condition every month when she’s on her period. “The whole week I’m thinking about it,” Hardin said. “I have an alarm set to make sure that I don’t have any prolonged exposure that could potentially make me get (toxic shock syndrome).” Last month, the UT Real Beauty Campaign invited keynote speaker and model Lauren Wasser to share her personal story of how toxic shock affected her life. Wasser lost both of her legs due to the condition and is known as the “girl

with golden legs” because of her golden prosthetics. Toxic shock syndrome causes multisystem issues, including low blood pressure, high fever, rash and gastrointestinal distress, such as bloating, cramping and pain, said Lauren Thaxton, obstetrician and gynecologist at the Women’s Health Institute at UT Health Austin. But symptoms of toxic shock syndrome can be vague and associated with many other disease states, Thaxton said. “I think it is important to be aware that this condition exists,” Thaxton said. “However, this is an extremely rare condition and it is important to keep that in mind.” Using highly absorbent tampons is one of the biggest risk factors for toxic shock because they may be changed less often, which gives more time for bacteria to flourish, Thaxton said. But other feminine products that are typically considered to be safe, such as diva cups, can also raise the risk of toxic shock, according to a study in the journal, Applied and Environmental Microbiology. The most common scenario for toxic shock is a woman using a highly absorbent tampon, but it can also occur in men and children through skin wounds and surgery, Thaxton said. Hardin said the fact not a lot of women know about toxic shock syndrome speaks to a larger problem of not talking about women’s health. “Menstruation is treated as such a taboo that we often don’t know about things like toxic shock syndrome, endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome,” Hardin said. “There really needs to be more open communication about menstruation and women’s health to ensure that all women are making smart and healthy decisions. That includes providing higher access to these resources and those affected by it.”

lauren banez

RESEARCH

| the daily texan staff

RESEARCH

Researchers solve authorship mystery with language analysis By Kevin Dural @kevindural26

bixie mathieu

| the daily texan staff

UT study of male chimps sheds light on human development By Rahi Dakwala @Rdakwala

While human growth patterns have been extensively studied, it is unclear whether these patterns are shared with other mammals, so UT researchers are using chimpanzees to analyze these growth pattern differences. Anthropology assistant professor Aaron Sandel is studying growth patterns of adolescent male chimps from Uganda. He plans to compare them with human growth patterns to see if humans develop differently from other mammals. Human growth is characterized by two spurts, Sandal said. “Children will grow rapidly until nine years of age when the rate slows down,” Sandal said. “The rate will increase again during puberty in what is called the adolescent growth spurt and last until 16 to 18 years of age.” Chimpanzees have a similar life history, with rapid growth during infancy and then a gradual slowdown before puberty, Sandal said. “Chimps reach puberty around the age of nine which is just a few years earlier than humans,” Sandel said. “It is not clear if they have a growth spurt in height during this time, but they do have a growth spurt in mass, meaning that they have an increase in muscle and fat and this can last up until their 20s.” To measure if they have growth spurts in height, Sandal took limb measurements from a distance using a technique called photogrammetry that involves detecting distances with a camera and lasers. “In the photo, the lasers act as a scale and through photoshop, the number of pixels corresponding to the length between the lasers is found,” Sandel said. “It creates a length-to-pixel ratio which is used to find the length of limbs.”

Since chimps are endangered and hard to catch, capture and release techniques could not be used, Sandal said. Graduate anthropology student Rachel Voyt said there were many challenges in the application of this technique. “We have to account for the fact that chimps we wanted to measure might be sitting in different postures or be in trees,” Voyt said. Between 2014 and 2015, Sandal and a research assistant obtained pictures of 18 adolescent and young adult chimps to see if there was change in growth from the beginning to the end of the year. Primate movement can also be studied through analysis of body size. Liza Shapiro, a professor in the department of anthropology who studies primate locomotion, said the size of the primate affects how they move. “Primates who spend time in trees vary in movement,” Shapiro said. “Larger ones tend to move beneath branches by hanging, swinging and climbing. Smaller primates move on top branches quadrupedally (moving on all four limbs), or they can leap across (branches).” No conclusions have been reached yet since data collection and analysis are still ongoing, Sandal said. He said the results will be used to define adulthood in chimpanzees. There are currently many definitions of adulthood that range from things such as the social behaviors of chimps to their reproductive age. If chimpanzees are found to not have a growth spurt, evolutionary analyses can be made as to why two phases of growth spurts evolved in and confer advantages to humans. On a broader scale, the study can help enhance our broader understanding of animal and human evolution, Sandal said. “To understand what it means to be human you have to know what it means to be an animal,” Sandal said.

No researcher could say for certain whether 17-century playwright Aphra Behn wrote five plays considered to be scandalous and revolutionary for women at that time. The authorship of “The Woman Turned Bully,” “The Counterfeit Bridegroom,” “The Debauchee,” “The Younger Brother” and “The Revenge” were all contested — until recently. UT psychology professors Ryan Boyd and Jamie Pennebaker, along with researchers from Loughborough University, have developed a new mental-profiling method to analyze the words used by an individual to develop a personal psychological profile. Using this technique, the group was able to determine the most probable scenario is that three of the debated plays were not written by Aphra Behn. “Decades of research have shown that the words people write and say can be deeply revealing of their underlying psychology,” Boyd said. “The things that generally occupy a person’s mind typically spill over into their language, sometimes nonconsciously.” Boyd said since an extrovert will tend to enjoy being around people more than an introvert, he or she will spend more time thinking about people than an introvert and will use more social language in their everyday conversations and works of literature. “There are several other markers in people’s language that are less obvious, but still reflect their thinking styles,” Boyd said. “People suffering from depression tend to use more self-referential language.

People who are more analytic and purposeful in their thinking tend to use more articles and prepositions, and so on.” The project also utilized Pennebaker’s Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software, which he described as a program that extensively analyzes over 70 types of words. These include, but are not limited to, emotion-related words and those that connote physical issues or current concerns. The analysis of these types of word measurements, he said, can effectively unearth a variety of information regarding the individual. “Style-related words can signal basic social and demographic categories, such as sex, age and social class,” Boyd said. “Style-related words can also reveal basic social and personality processes, including lying versus telling

the truth, dominance in a conversation, depression and suicide-proneness.” Boyd said the researchers applied this logical framework to pieces known to have been written by Aphra Behn. Ultimately, they “unmasked” Behn’s psychological profile and compared this characterization to the five disputed plays. Ultimately, they figured that only two of the plays fit Behn’s “psychological fingerprint.” As for its potential applications, Boyd said mental profiling is relevant to any field that desires to quantify and analyze psychological consistency over time. “This could be particularly helpful for monitoring mental health, whether that be to help people who are in distress or even ensuring that someone is recovering or responding to treatment,” Boyd said.

bixie mathieu

| the daily texan staff

ALEX BRISEÑO & ROSS BURKHART SPORTS EDITORS @TEXANSPORTS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018

FOOTBALL

carlos garcia | the daily texan staff Linebacker Breckyn Hager has vowed to not cut his hair until the Longhorns win a Big 12 Championship, which is possible on Saturday.

Hager closes in on haircut Hager can finally see big chop in his future. By Ross Burkhart @ross_burkhart

he Texas Longhorns have an opportunity to win their first Big 12 title game in nearly a decade, but Breckyn Hager, their captain with the boisterous presence and golden locks, hopes to break a spell of his own by cutting his hair. Hager, who walked onto the 40 Acres as a short-haired, cleancut freshman, made a promise

in 2015 that he wouldn’t cut his hair until Texas returned to postseason glory by winning a Big 12 Championship. Hager vowed to let his teammates cut his hair off while standing on stage to receive the Big 12 trophy from commissioner Bob Bowlsby. As Texas spent last offseason evolving into a true conference contender for the first time in recent memory, the senior decided to double down on his promise. “I’m gonna let (Sam) Ehlinger (cut it), I’m gonna let (Andrew) Beck, I’m gonna let (Todd Orlando), I’m gonna let everyone get a piece because it’s gonna be historic,” Hager said at Big 12 Media Days in July. “And then I’m gonna put it all in a Ziploc bag and donate it to Locks of Love.” But while Hager’s hair has continued to grow down to his

shoulders, the trademark look isn’t something that’s grown on him personally. “I think that’s a pretty convicted individual,” Herman said on Thursday. “He hates it, he hates it, but he made a promise. I don’t know what his plans are in terms of when or how he’s going to do it, but maybe it will be like March Madness where everybody gets a snip. I don’t know, but I’ll definitely take part in it.” Texas might be an 8-point underdog in Saturday’s game against Oklahoma, but Hager and the Longhorns are now right on the doorstep of a “historic” celebration in front of a crowd of over 100,000 screaming fans. And while many of his teammates acknowledge that there’s still work to be done, they’re already planning to partake in the

FOOTBALL

postgame festivities. “You never know what he’s going to do so I’m going to leave that up to him,” Ehlinger said. “I know he’s got a plan for something.” Ehlinger continued, “I would definitely be willing to cut it. We’ve got to take care of business first though.” Ehlinger and Beck, two of Hager’s roommates at their apartment in Austin, are fully aware of how much he’s looked forward to finally chopping off his flowing mane. Now, all that stands between Hager and the opportunity to get a new haircut is a game against the Sooners. “I was with him before I came up here and he was brushing his hair,” Beck said. “He was like, ‘I hate this thing.’ He’s excited. We’re getting close. We’re bringing the clippers on Saturday.” VOLLEYBALL

Longhorns advance with sweep By Wills Layton @willsdebeast

carlos garcia | the daily texan staff Texas head coach Tom Herman walks the sideline during a Longhorn game. With a win, Texas would capture its first conference championship in the Herman era and first since 2009.

Texas gears up for OU again By Alex Briseño @AlexxBriseno

At this time two years ago, Texas’ season was over. The Longhorns didn’t have a Big 12 Championship to prepare for with a New Year’s Six Bowl on the line. A bowl game wasn’t even on the table. “I was just getting ready to wrap up school and head back home,” defensive back P.J. Locke III said. “I didn’t know how to feel. I was fresh out of high school. I didn’t know what it felt like to play in a bowl game or to be playing before Christmas, in December at least. I watched other teams play, discouraged knowing that could be us.” As head coach Tom Herman arrived on campus in 2016 to start a new era, Oklahoma’s dominance was just beginning on the northern side of the Red River. The Sooners secured conference titles in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Now Texas is the only team standing between Oklahoma’s fourth straight conference championship and a probable shot at the College Football Playoff. While Texas and Oklahoma will meet twice in the same season for the first time since 1903, this go-around will hardly resemble the Red River classic that unfolded earlier this year.

The rivalry is relocating roughly 21 miles west of the Cotton Bowl to the home of the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. And while the excitement surrounding the Red River rematch continues to grow, Texas must handle the emotions from both the Red River Rivalry and the Big 12 Championship. “I did tell our guys, this is not the Red River Showdown, this is not October,” Herman said. “That game was played in the Cotton Bowl, and that’s played for the Golden Hat, and that one is over.” The emotions surrounding the rivalry have only intensified after senior defensive end Breckyn Hager said Oklahoma “has no defense” followed by, “And what time is it? It’s 11:12 … and OU still sucks,” after Texas’ 24-10 win over Iowa State. Hager was later reprimanded by the Big 12 and forced to apologize. But that just sparked a slew of comments from both sides, including a response from Oklahoma linebacker Curtis Bolton following the 59-56 win over then-No. 13 West Virginia. “It blows my mind,” Bolton said. “We hung 50 on them, too. If anyone on their defense has anything to say, they can have fun playing Kyler next week.” As for the officiating, the Big 12 has confirmed the ‘Horns Down’ gesture will earn an un-

sportsmanlike conduct penalty. On the other side, Texas defensive end Charles Omenihu aimed a specific celebration toward Kyler Murray, who was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 MLB Draft, during the first matchup in October. Omenihu picked up an imaginary bat and swung for the fences after a big defensive play. And he’s planning on bringing it out again this Saturday. “My coaches saw me swing my imaginary bat. I told y’all when I swung it was 450 feet,” Omenihu said. “I’m gonna try and hit Jerry’s big TV up there.” Trash talking and celebrations aside, the Sooners and Longhorns have created the biggest matchup in this rivalry since the 2008 matchup between No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 5 Texas. Now, two programs who were in completely different classes just two years ago will go head-to-head, and it’ll be for much more than a Golden Hat. “It’s his best game against ours, and it’s for the championship,” Locke said. “You’ve got a Heisman candidate at quarterback, you’ve got a team fighting to get into the playoff, we wouldn’t want it any other way. We’ll definitely have our hands full, but this is something we’ve worked for since my freshman year.”

Texas is no stranger to the postseason. The Longhorns are seeking a return to the Final Four after falling in the quarterfinals last year. Before that, the team had made the Final Four five times in a row, winning the title in 2012 and finishing as the runner up in 2015 and 2016. The journey to Minneapolis began with a bang for the Longhorns, who swept the Ladyjacks of SFA on Thursday by scores of 25-14, 25-17 and 25-21 to advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament. “We’re excited to moving on to the next round,” head coach Jerritt Elliott said after the game. “As a staff, we were prepared for some nerves, which always happens whether you have a young team or a veteran team. How you manage your emotions is a big part of this. Overall, to be able to come in and win 3–0 is something I’m happy about.” In the first set, it looked like the Ladyjacks were going to hang around with the Longhorns, matching them point for point. The turning point occurred when Elliott challenged a call that originally went SFA’s way, tying the set at 10 points apiece. The call was overturned and was the start of a six point run for the Longhorns, who never let SFA get close again. In the first set, outside hitter Micaya White led the team in kills with six, while Jhenna

ryan lam | the daily texan staff Micaya White goes for a spike during Texas’ 3-0 victory against SFA on Nov. 29, 2018, at Gregory Gymnasium.

Gabriel led the team in assists with 14. The first set was an excellent display of both the youth and the upperclassmen leadership the Longhorns currently boast.“I think we just played our game,” White said. “We just tried to play consistently and tried not to think ahead. We took it one point at a time.” The second set was much of the same for Texas. SFA hung around to prevent a blowout, but the Longhorns were not in any danger of losing, with defense continuing to be excellent. The set featured several impressive rallies with both teams displayed athleticism to keep the play alive. “Every single day in our gym, it’s super competitive, and we’re always working hard and playing our hardest during practice,” outside hitter Logan Eggleston said. “I think that’s one thing that prepares us for games like this with teams that

play at 100 percent all the time. We were super prepared for this game and they did a great job with that.” The third set was much closer than the previous two. The Longhorns dominated the Ladyjacks at the net, never giving the SFA offense a chance to develop any sort of rhythm, but errors and sloppy play allowed SFA to stay within three for a majority of the set. Texas leaned on scrappy play to pull off the sweep and earn the ticket to the next round of the playoffs. “I’m pleased with the way we played tonight and we’ll keep moving forward,” Elliott said. “Tomorrow we will be challenged and need to emotionally ready. That’s what I told my team in the locker room.” Texas will play Texas State tonight at 8 p.m. in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

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