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Monday, August 26, 2019
Volume 120, Issue 11
EDDIE GASPAR / THE DAILY TEXAN STAFF
NEWS Construction projects from summer continue into the fall semester. Page 3
OPINION Editor-in-chief encourages students to join the Texan staff. Page 4
SPORTS Another injury strikes Texas running backs leading up to Week One. Page 6
LIFE&ARTS Bask in the Afterglow of Taylor Swift s new album, Lover. Page 5
CAMPUS
UNIVERSITY
Title IX Coordinator finalists discuss their plans, meet faculty, students By Lauren Grobe @grobe_lauren
The two finalists in consideration to become UT’s new Title IX Coordinator met with students and faculty last week to discuss the future of the Office of Compliance. During the two meetings held at the Avaya Auditorium, about a dozen people heard candidates Donna Reddix and Adriana Alicea-Rodriguez each answer questions from the audience and present their plans for the Title IX Office, which oversees the University’s investigations and responses to reports of sex discrimination and sexual harassment. Reddix is the associate director of the Office for
Inclusion and Equity at UT and spoke at the first meeting. She said her plans for the Title IX Office include improving communication, Title IX training and education on campus, as well as gathering data on the history of the office. Alicea-Rodriguez is the director of Title IX training and investigations at the Office of the Dean of Students at UT and spoke on the second day. She said she would base changes around student and staff feedback and views Title IX as a “living” program that will continue to change and grow. The main issue discussed at both meetings, which were livestreamed and are available for viewing until Tuesday, was the student body’s lack of trust in the
office. To address this problem, Reddix said she would work to “rebrand” the office and try to meet with students one-on-one and in large forums. “It’s about telling people over and over again, ‘We’re here for you and this is why we’re here for you,’ and being visible,” Reddix said. Alicea-Rodriguez also said she would meet with students and suggested creating a student task force to review the office’s performance. “The program is only going to be successful if we have an accurate understanding of the experiences of the students who go through it,” Alicea-Rodriguez said. “That’s the only way that we can grow.” During both meetings, T I T L E I X PAGE 2
RAQUEL HIGINE / THE DAILY TEXAN STAFF
UTPD adds resources, increases safety before fall semester begins By Emily Hernandez @emilyhernandez
To help ensure the safety of more than 50,000 students and staff coming to campus this fall, the UT Police Department is providing several new resources to increase safety efforts. In the wake of mass shootings across the nation, UTPD Chief David Carter said he began reorganizing the structure of the police department
to better fit campus needs. The department’s officers are now split into three divisions: Public Order, Investigations and Analysis and Community Engagement. Public Order officers will develop action plans to respond to immediate and violent events, such as active shooters or bomb threats. The Investigations and Analysis division’s responsibilities are to develop and present thorough cases when prosecuting crimes, as well as to
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identify and address crime trends. The Community Engagement division officers will interact with students, faculty and staff to develop trustworthy and positive relationships. “In a global way, each of these three divisions work together, but they all have specific responsibilities to address the threats that we perceive that could affect UT, whether they are likely or U T P D PAGE 2
AFTER
JOSHUA GUENTHER / THE DAILY TEXAN STAFF Adriana Alicea-Rodriguez answers student and faculty questions in a meeting at the Avaya Auditorium on Aug. 20, 2019. Alicea-Rodriguez is one of two finalists, along with Donna Reddix, in consideration for UT s Title IX Coordinator.
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