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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Volume 121, Issue 35
NEWS
OPINION
LIFE&ARTS
SPORTS
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This year had the hottest September in Austin history, reaching record temperatures.
UT must develop quantitative targets to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.
Tom Herman discusses team health, upcoming road trip to West Virginia.
Career coaches unpack their “toolkits” to help students entering job markets.
CAMPUS
UNIVERSITY
professor removed from school of music Dan Welcher removed from UT following accusations of sexual misconduct.
By Chase Karacostas @chasekaracostas
he Butler School of Music said Monday evening that composition professor Dan Welcher would not be returning to the University following allegations of sexual misconduct that arose last Thursday. The allegations first came out in a VAN Magazine article, the contents of which have not yet been confirmed by The Daily Texan. Former music students said Welcher frequently made inappropriate sexual comments and at times was “uncomfortably affectionate” in written and verbal communications, according to the article. Butler’s director Mary Ellen Poole, in an email sent to the music school Monday evening and obtained by The Daily Texan, said that after getting out of a two-hour meeting about the allegations, she felt “sick to (her) stomach,” adding, “I believe everyone who has spoken up. It has broken my heart. And now I must figure out a way for us to move forward.” Welcher was not currently teaching any classes at UT. He was serving a one-year phased retirement going into Spring 2020. “What I learned this afternoon has added many layers to my understanding of the ways Dan Welcher’s behavior has interfered with students’ learning, with their professional confidence, with the integrity of their physical selves and with their pride in saying they have studied at the Butler School,” Poole wrote. “The first important step is to assure you, tonight, that
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The Butler School of Music said in an email sent to students and faculty Monday night that composition professor Dan Welcher would not be returning to UT. Dan Welcher will not be returning to the Butler School except to clean out his office.” Universitymspokeswoman Shilpa Bakre said there were no findings of misconduct involving Welcher in a statement included in the VAN Magazine article. However, in a separate statement to the Texan, Bakre said as soon as UT learned of the new allegations that “swift action was taken to refer the alleged wrongdoing to the appropriate University offices for review.” “Professor Welcher is prohibited from any contact with students until the matter is resolved,” Bakre said. Poole first contacted the music school about the allegations last
Thursday and said in an email to students and faculty that “sexual misconduct will not be tolerated at the Butler School.” “Remember that all employees are obligated to report any such incidences. My door is always open to anyone with concerns,” Poole wrote. Poole and other music school staff also continued to reach out to students in the days following the VAN article’s release to offer support to students, according to emails obtained by the Texan. In Monday’s email, Poole said Welcher will not be teaching any composition classes in the spring and a concert of Welcher’s scheduled for Feb. 9 has been canceled. All of his other duties have either
been or will be reassigned to other professors, and any students who were assigned to his studio for the spring will be found alternate teachers, according to the email. Poole said Doug Dempster, dean of the Fine Arts School, has requested the Office for Inclusion and Equity to open an investigation into the allegations laid out in the VAN article. “It doesn’t seem fair at all that the burden of reporting sexual harassment, sexual misconduct or the creation of a hostile work environment that interferes with your education should be on YOU,” Poole wrote. The VAN article also cites a piece by the Chronicle of Higher Education published 17 years ago detailing similar allegations. The Chronicle reported that an investigation was conducted but did not find evidence of sexual misconduct, and that all students and faculty interviewed as part of the investigation denied the allegations against Welcher. While encouraging students to come forward if they had experienced harassment, Poole acknowledged the limitations and criticisms of the reporting system, which she said were “cumbersome,” “slow” and do not always “result in what we would consider justice.” “But the only way through this that I can see is for us to talk to each other about it, for faculty and staff to acknowledge the responsibilities that go with their power and influence, more often than in a yearly video training on sexual harassment,” Poole said. “I can’t expect that you will trust me to figure out how to make this better on the level of the Butler School. But I hope that somehow you will.”
New student organization strives to improve safety on campus By Emily Hernandez @emilylhernandez
A new student safety organization plans to put locks on every door and direct Austin City Council’s 2020 budget toward student safety. Horns for Safety, a student group that officially became a campus organization two weeks ago, aims to promote the safety of the UT community, said community outreach officer James Richardson.
The lecture hall I was in — there wasn’t a lock on the inside of it. We were all stuck there, and we couldn’t go on lockdown. That was the first moment when I felt like there’s something not quite right here.” JAMES RICHARDSON second-year law student
The organization had its first meeting Monday evening at Burdine Hall. Richardson, who was an undergraduate when former students Haruka Weiser and Harrison Brown were killed on campus, said he wanted to advocate for student safety because he did not think the University took enough responsibility after S A F E T Y PAGE 2
CAMPUS
CAMPUS
Coalition aims to combat interpersonal violence
UT encourages battery recycling
By Lauren Grobe @grobe_lauren
Multiple campus organizations have joined together to form a coalition under the Interpersonal Violence Prevention policy, a Student Government agency that provides information and resources about interpersonal violence. The coalition meets every other Thursday to discuss how to better share their resources, such as counseling and advice, said Mariana Hererria, Interpersonal Violence Prevention policy co-director. “It’s a place for us to help each other out because a lot of our goals are common,” English sophomore Herreria said. The group’s next meeting will be Thursday, Oct. 10 in the Jesse H Jones Building, said co-director Sara Ross. “It can be really overwhelming to know there’s all these organizations and resources
on campus but not know which ones to use or which ones are actually helpful,” said Ross, Plan II and social work junior. The coalition consists of Voices Against Violence, Not on My Campus, Men Can End, Women’s Resource Agency, It’s on Us, UT Senate, Deeds Not Words and Sure Walk. The coalition previously existed in 2016 but lacked an equal division of labor and commitment, Ross said. “We have an incredibly passionate team willing to put in the legwork to accomplish what we set out to do this year,” Ross said. “We are putting a major emphasis on collaboration.” Ross said she wants the coalition to be a place where interpersonal violence prevention organizations can work together and talk about their obstacles and frustrations. “We are making a space for C O A L I T I O N PAGE 3
By Laura Morales @lamor_1217
Sustainability Resources has collected more than 200 pounds of used batteries since placing battery recycling bins throughout campus in March. Sustainability Resources, a department of University Housing and Dining, put 35 bins in all dormitories and some offices last spring. The bins were purchased with $6,600 from the Green Fund, a grant program funded by UT-Austin tuition. Only common, non-rechargeable batteries can be recycled. Neil Kaufman, University Housing and Dining sustainability coordinator, said battery recycling not only helps reduce the pollution batteries cause when they decompose in landfills, but it also provides materials to create products such as sunscreen, steel cookware or asphalt. “There are problems with batteries being thrown away, but there is also opportunity in recycling them,” Kaufman said. “Most of the B AT T E RY
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ella williams
/ the daily texan staff