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Wednesday, September 4, 2019
OPINION By promising us constant connection, cell phones are making us lonelier.
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Volume 121, Issue 16
SPORTS A star emerges in sophomore wide receiver Brennan Eagles.
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SG
WEST CAMPUS
Housing to reach new heights Austin City Council proposes higher building limits to increase density, affordability in West Campus.
SG presents budget legislation at first meeting By Neelam Bohra @_neelam_b
By Sara Johnson
@skjohn1999
ustin City Council recently advanced a series of amendments which would allow for increased building height limits in West Campus if passed. Mark Walters, principal planner at the City of Austin, presented the amendments to the city council planning committee Aug. 27. The amendments were proposed to the University Neighborhood Overlay plan, which was created in 2004 to promote high-density living in West Campus. The amendments include a series of changes to the established regulations on building heights in three of the four districts dedicated to residential construction. “One of the big (changes) here would be revising building heights as they relate to affordability,” Walters said during the meeting. “(The changes) would allow for an additional 125 feet of building height in the Inner West Campus subdistrict and an additional 25 feet in the Outer West Campus and Guadalupe subdistricts.” Walters said the height increases would apply to buildings with 10% of units set aside for individuals earning up to 50% of the median family income, which is defined by
raquel higine
the Austin Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Office as“very low-income.” “(The previous ordinance) would not allow those taller buildings to be built,” Walters said.“You couldn’t take advantage of the affordability because you don’t build buildings like this. You’d end up with a funny-looking, wedge-shaped building.”
Allie Runas, the chair of the West Campus Neighborhood Association, said the association supported the proposed changes for the neighborhood. “We support the proposed changes in order to promote a more walkable, diverse and rich experience for the residents of West Campus,”Runas said.“Our neighbors also voted to promote our vision by
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calling for reduced parking minimums, wider sidewalks on Inner West Campus and expanding the Inner West Campus area.” Rylan Maksoud, the Student Government Housing Policy Director and a Texas Student Media Board member, said while he supports the amendments T A L L E R PAGE 2
At this semester’s first meeting of the 113th Student Government Assembly, members introduced 2019-2020 budget legislation while also reviewing general rules, the legislative process and introductions. SG received $196,005.87 for the year from the University, and the SG Financial Affairs Committee recommended they stay within a budget of $112,820.00. This money will contribute to funds for student organizations, SG agencies, such as SURE Walk and the Women’s Resource Agency, SG operations, executive board and some assembly representatives stipends — which span from $3,420 to $6,840. Before discussing the budget, Jakob Lucas, speaker of the assembly, said he wanted to reintroduce everyone and go over assembly rules and formalities. “I understand this meeting feels like it is full of fluff, with the introductions and things like this,” said Lucas, a government senior. “But a lot of this work is your relationship with the people in this room, and for some of you, that relationship has been neglected for months.” But members, such as Brennan Caviness, a representative for the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, said they did work with other SG members over the summer. Social work sophomore Caviness said he was part of a S G PAGE 2
CITY
CAMPUS
Austin committee discusses THC testing, enforcement By Graysen Golter @graysen_golter
The Austin Judicial Committee met with public testifiers Tuesday to discuss improving THC testing after the Texas Legislature legalized hemp in June with House Bill 1325. HB 1325 differentiates between hemp and marijuana based on the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol each one contains. The committee met to address the difficulty of prosecuting marijuana offenses now that hemp, but not marijuana, is legal in Texas. During the meeting, Austin citizens and representatives from local organizations gave testimonies describing how the city should enforce marijuana laws. County officials previously dismissed 93 marijuana-related charges due to a lack of necessary testing equipment for THC. Troy Gay, Austin Police Department chief of staff, said the city must invest in testing equipment that will allow police officers to differentiate marijuana from hemp. Emily Gerrick, a senior staff attorney from the Texas Fair Defense Project, said marijuana laws in Texas are completely unenforceable due to the fact that there is only one lab in the state that can properly test for the difference in THC levels between hemp and marijuana. “Once we understand the time and the cost of testing, APD and the county will be in a better position to make decisions regarding the future of enforcement action,”Gay said.
Jumping into this school year like...
Gay said the lack of law enforcement in places around Austin will lead to a boost in the local marijuana market and an increase in violent offenses, such as murders involving drug deals. Gerrick said despite the inability to enforce the laws properly, APD officers are still citing and arresting people. She said this disproportionately affects people of color in Travis County, particularly African Americans, who are more likely to be jailed than their white counterparts for possession of marijuana. “It’s just a tremendous waste of resources, especially given that we have such a serious backlog for serious crimes,”Gerrick said.“(The)kAustin Police Department should stop citing and arresting people … for possession of marijuana, especially given that these cases are not currently being accepted (by the district attorney).” Austin resident Annette Price said she was against allocating resources for THC testing because of the impacts of jail time due to marijuana laws, such as the loss of access to employment, housing, public benefits and childcare. “When a person is arrested, their entire life stops,” Price said. “Now, we want to risk some funding that will be wasted on some testing. What are we saying to the community, and how are we really allocating our money that best serves our community?” Bratzzo Banich, the president of Texas Horns for Cannabis, said Texas campuses should engage in an educational effort M A R I J U A N A PAGE 3
eddie gaspar
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Regular traffic flows through Red River between Clyde Littlefield Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Construction will narrow Red River Street, close parking By Neelam Bohra @_neelam_b
Construction near the Steve Hicks School of Social Work began Tuesday and will close multiple parking spots and roads in the area. Between Clyde Littlefield Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Red River Street will narrow from four to two lanes until late
this fall. While construction started Tuesday, the Austin City Council approved the changes as part of the Arena and Red River Realignment projects during its Feb. 7 meeting, which will shift Red River Street to the west of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. According to a press release, the northern portion of Lot 80 will not reopen until RED RIVER
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