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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2018
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119,
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NEWS
OPINION
LIFE&ARTS
SPORTS’
Austin is now hiring homeless people to help clean up parks in the city. PA G E 2
The proctored online exam process needs to be more transparent. PA G E 4
Record subscription services enter the vinyl frontier of music curation. PA G E 6
Shaka Smart prepares for a home showdown with his former team. PA G E 5
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CAMPUS
Productive or provocative?
The University and some students call YCT ‘provocative.’ Members disagree.
elias huerta | the daily texan file Young Conservatives of Texas member Joshua Lambert debates with protesters against the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on West Mall on Oct. 3. Students on campus say that the University allowing controversial groups to hold demonstrations on campus could be handled better given the recent events surrounding YCT.
By Gracie Awalt @gracieawalt5
n Oct. 3, chants of “we believe survivors” could be heard echoing across campus as more than 50 people protested the Young Conservatives of Texas demonstration in support of the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The two groups clashed and signs were torn, marking the latest controversy involving the right-leaning group. UT’s YCT chapter is no stranger to political pushback from the student body and is often accused of holding provocative demonstrations. YCT’s leadership
said they do not intend to be provocative, but as a political minority group on campus, they always prepare for backlash. “We don’t expect anger, we don’t invite anger, but we prepare for it regardless because we’d be fools given the history of it all not to,” YCT Chairman Saurabh Sharma said. According to CNN exit polls from November’s midterm elections, 32 percent of 18–24 year olds voted for incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. During the 2016 presidential election, 34 percent of this same age group voted for Donald Trump. Sharma, a biochemistry senior, said YCT hosts conservative speakers throughout
the semester to help them rationally engage with people who have differing views. But YCT is much more wellknown for their controversial public demonstrations. In 2016 and 2013, YCT held an “anti-affirmative action bake sale” on the West Mall where goods were sold at varying prices based on race and gender. Both times, they were met with opposition and national media coverage. “Focusing our attention on the provocative nature of the YCT’s actions ignores a much more important issue: They create an environment of exclusion and disrespect among our students, faculty and staff,” said Gregory Vincent, vice president for
Diversity and Community Engagement. “In seeking an audience for their ideas, the YCT resorted to exercising one of the University’s core values to the detriment of others.” Sharma said YCT ensures members who are present at tabling events have an “even temperament” and are well-informed on the issues. “One of the most deeply troubling things to me is when people go out there not knowing what they’re talking about and decide to engage on an issue,” Sharma said. “We recognize that, even though the Right has a big tent, the worst among us represents all of us.” After the Kavanaugh demonstration, which drew
CAMPUS
@saraschleede
In a contentious final meeting of the semester, Student Government debated a resolution to support professors’ rights to display “Gun Free UT” signs around campus. UT President Gregory Fenves issued a directive earlier this semester telling faculty to remove all window signs, including “Gun Free UT,” by Sept. 7. Fenves then created a task force to investigate potential free speech violations following student complaints. Joint Resolution 3, originally introduced Nov. 14, requests student representation on the free speech task force. It also asks the University to issue a formal policy protecting all UT staff’s rights to express their freedom of speech in office windows or clarify their outward-facing sign policy. “There is an intense intersection between the rights of students and the rights of faculty,” Ian McEntee, SG academic affairs policy co-director and coauthor of J.R. 3, told The Daily Texan previously. “If a professor feels that they cannot adequately express themselves through window signage, that could be likened to a censorship of education.”
The resolution passed in Graduate Student Assembly and Senate of College Councils, but faced major amendments when referred to SG’s governmental affairs committee. First-year representative Ashish Dave said he and the
If a professor feels that they cannot adequately express themselves through window signage, that could be likened to a censorship of education.” IAN MCENTEE
SG ACADEMIC AFFAIRS POLICY
other committee members wanted to remove all mention of “Gun Free UT” signs from the legislation. The amendments were drafted during a governmental affairs committee meeting Nov.
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SG debates resolution regarding ‘Gun Free UT’ sign controversy By Sara Schleede
counterprotesters and the eventual ripping of YCT’s signs, University officials put out a joint statement. “Free speech of UT community members is fully protected on campus,” the statement said. “Violence and threats are not. You are able to discuss, argue and condemn those views you disagree with, but unwelcome physical contact with those who espouse them or the destruction of property is never acceptable.” Public relations junior Elizabeth Boone was among the protesters of the Kavanaugh demonstration and said several sexual assault survivors asked YCT to take
Experts release climate change report By William Kosinski @willkosinski
26, but none of the authors were present at the meeting. The authors rejected the amendments. “The point of removing ‘Gun Free UT’ was to make it equitable across the board,” said Dave, a plan II and business honors freshman. “It is our goal to make sure there is a clear, blanket policy, University-wide, for whatever sign anyone wants to put up.” The governmental affairs committee saw the legislation for a second time Dec. 3 and approved it, sending it to the assembly for a vote. The floor went into a debate to discuss the possibility of the governmental affairs committee taking more time to consider the legislation. Law representative Jordan Cope, who voted against the resolution, initiated the debate Tuesday night and another on Nov. 27. Cope said the legislation should be a more apolitical support of free speech. “When students come and visit campuses, what students ultimately are seeing is liberal-leaning posters, and it might make them feel like their voices aren’t welcome so much on campus,” Cope said. McEntee, humanities and sociology senior, said Student Body President Colton Becker
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Texas and its economy will face some of the worst impacts of climate change if no action is taken to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution, experts say. The Trump administration released the National Climate Assessment on Nov. 23, a quadrennial report detailing potentially catastrophic impacts of climate change on public health,
infrastructure, ecosystems, food, energy and water. John Nielsen-Gammon, a Texas A&M professor who coauthored a portion of the assessment that covered Texas, said extreme weather events will impact all aspects of the state’s economy. “It doesn’t matter where you are in Texas, the interconnectedness of our entire society with climate means climate change will be impacting everybody,” Nielsen-Gammon said. “And in fact, it already is.” Using Hurricane Harvey as
an example, Nielsen-Gammon said the 15 percent increase in rainfall due to existing effects of climate change contributed to billions of dollars in damages and aid paid by taxpayers nationwide. “All of these impacts may be things that people don’t immediately see because they are not clearly visible, but it is already affecting them through the pocketbook,” Nielsen-Gammon said.
CLIMATE
lauren ibanez
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| the daily texan staff