Serving The University Of Texas At Austin Community Since 1900 @thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Volume 121, Issue 37
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
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New Institute for Military and Veteran Family Wellness offers support to student veterans.
UT should revise its academic dishonesty policy to allow for collaboration in class.
Littlefield descendant talks historic family home, rumors of ghosts.
Volleyball takes down TCU in straight set win, marking their third conference victory.
UNIVERSITY
CITY
APD sexual assault cases to be audited by external evalutor
Summer enrollment drops Enrollment in summer classes has been decreasing since 2015, causing last-minute class cancellations as students opt for community college and online classes.
By Emily Hernandez @emilylhernandez
The Austin Police Department will meet this month with an external evaluator to perform an audit of the department’s sexual assault cases over the past seven years. Austin City Council approved up to $1 million Sept. 19 to pay the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based police research and policy nonprofit, to perform the evaluation along with the Women’s Law Project in Philadelphia and the Wellesley Centers for Women in Wellesley, Massachussetts. In January, the Texas Department of Public Safety found that APD incorrectly classified about a third of sexual assault cases from January, November and December 2017 as exceptionally cleared, according to the DPS audit. Cases can be classified as exceptionally cleared when police know who to arrest but cannot pursue it because of elements outside of their control, such as the offender’s death or the victim’s refusal to cooperate, according to the FBI’s uniform crime reporting guidelines. City Council unanimously passed a resolution Jan. 31 introduced by council member Alison Alter to fund an indepth external evaluation of how APD investigates sexual assault cases and why a large number of reported cases are not prosecuted. “When I began to delve deeper into the numbers and how few cases were being brought to trial and heard the stories from survivors about how their cases were being handled or not handled through the process, it seemed to me that we had a responsibility to change the way the system was functioning,” Alter said. “It’s hard not to look at what’s going on and not suspect a gender bias A P D PAGE 2
By Areeba Amer @areeba_amer
otal summer enrollment at UT decreased about 12% from 2015 to 2019, according to data provided by the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. All colleges, except for three, saw decreases in their summer enrollment over the past five years. The School of Undergraduate Studies and the Jackson School of Geosciences experienced the largest drops of nearly 50%, according to the data. Carolyn Connerat, associate vice provost for Enrollment Management, said the University implemented initiatives that encourage students to take more classes in fall and spring semesters to help their four-year degree plan, which may be a reason for the trend. However, the office did not necessarily expect a decrease in summer enrollment, Connerat said. “It wasn’t something that I think was planned,” Connerat said. A summer class is canceled if it cannot reach its minimum enrollment cutoff. Susan Somers, academic advising coordinator for the College of Liberal Arts, said she noticed decreasing summer enrollment from the time she began advising about nine years ago, especially with lower-division classes. This created “uncomfortable” situations with new faculty, Somers said. “If we were offering someone a job to teach and then their class didn’t make (the enrollment cutoff), we had to say, ‘Oh,
no, we’re going to cancel (your class),’” Somers said. Jeff Handy, interim director and Title IX liaison at the Vick Center for Strategic Advising and Career Counseling, said his student advisees have enrolled in summer classes that were later canceled due to low enrollment. “Depending on how much notice they have, they might be able to find something else,” Handy said. “But in certain cases, that can … affect someone’s ability to graduate.” Somers said the departments work to make sure they are offering classes students will actually take. “It’s really important to offer the things that people really need,” Somers said. “If we offer the wrong thing, that creates a lot of repercussions.” The amount of online course offerings at UT has doubled in the past five years, according to data provided by the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. Somers said the Latin program was not able to maintain enrollment when it offered in-classroom courses, but by offering classes online over the summer, enrollment increased. Brent Iverson, dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies, said he’s noticed how many core classes are now being offered online. “Several years ago, classes were mostly face-toface,” Iverson said. “Now, it’s almost all online.” Handy said his advisees prefer taking summer classes at local community colleges due to the lower cost. The average fixed tuition to enroll in one ENROLL
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reneé koite
/ the daily texan staff
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
CITY
First-year representative elected after 2 Supreme Court hearings
Abbott demands Adler to alleviate homelessness, threatens intervention
By Neelam Bohra
By Lauren Girgis
The UT Student Government Supreme Court held two hearings concerning violations of first-year representative Sid Puranik in the week leading up to the first-year representative election. Freshmen elected Puranik, a government and Plan II freshman, and government freshman Isabelle Riback as the campuswide first-year representatives Sept. 27. Voters ranked the eight candidates, and Puranik received about 23% of the first ranking. Riback received 18% of it. At two hearings on Sept. 23 and 26, other candidates alleged Puranik’s campaign submitted financial disclosures
Gov. Greg Abbott addressed a letter to Mayor Steve Adler and the Austin City Council on Wednesday demanding the city improve the issue of homelessness, or the state would take action. City Council has disagreed about a homelessness ordinance passed in June, which lifted restrictions on where people could camp in Austin. After the ordinance was passed, Abbott said in a tweet that the state would override the ordinance permitting camping on city streets. City Council will vote Oct. 17 to update the camping ordinances. “If Austin does not fix this homeless crisis by November the first, I will unleash the full authority of every state agency to protect the health and safety of all
@_neelam_b
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@laurengirgis
jamie hwang
/ the daily texan staff
The UT Student Government Supreme Court holds a hearing with Roosh Bhosale, an economics and Plan II freshman and Sid Puranik, a government and Plan II freshman on Sept. 23 about Puranik’s financial disclosure discrepncies.
Texans,” Abbott said in a video posted on Twitter. In his letter, Abbott said businesses are struggling to keep people experiencing homelessness off sidewalks, encampments are interfering with the flow of traffic, and feces and used needles are accumulating in public spaces. Abbott said in the letter he could direct state agencies to act if the crisis does not improve, including the Department of State Health Services, the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Transportation. Abbott said these agencies could conduct investigations to control disease, add troopers to areas of Austin that “pose greater threats” and remove homeless property blocking roadways. At a press conference Wednesday, Adler said while he understood Abbott’s rhetoric both as L E T T E R PAGE 3
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MEGAN MENCHACA
News Editor | @THEDAILYTEXAN
THURSDAY, 0CTOBER 3, 2019
This issue of The Daily Texan is valued at $1.25
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UNIVERSITY
College of Education ‘Reimagines Education’ with new campaign starting January 2020
Opinion Reporters Abhirupa Dasgupta, Neelesh Rathi
@RaulRod800
The UT College of Education will prepare students and faculty for the diverse challenges affecting education with a new campaign. The campaign, Reimagine Education, started this semester and focuses on using the College of Education’s strenghts to combat issues affecting education, said Charles Martinez, dean of the College of Education. Martinez said the campaign plans to deal with educational challenges by ensuring the well-being of students despite unique and diverse needs. “It’s not enough for us to be a great institution,” Martinez said. “Reimagine Education gives us a chance to … be clear about the things we’re going to be focused on as a college.” Through forums and discussions with students, faculty and education policy leaders, Martinez said Reimagine Education began to take shape in January. He said the college placed emphasis on researching educational disparities in other school communities and within itself. “We shared ideas with our former leadership team … in a way to begin a college discourse around what are our
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(512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely. If we have made an error, let us know about it. Call (512) 232-2217 or e-mail managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com.
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strengths and what difference can we really make,” Martinez said. “Our students also forced us to ask the questions not
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just about how we’re serving the state, but also what we’re doing to nurture the environment inside the college.”
The Center for Community Engagement will offer three low-cost, six-week classes allowing members of the Austin community to access the University’s resources and faculty. The Center for Community Engagement distributes University resources to the Austin community to meet community priorities, according to the official website. The three classes offered by the new program, called The Community Classroom, will focus on fostering conversations about equity and access to local communities. One class, called Race in America, will highlight race in contemporary political and social climates. Creating, Preserving, and Telling Our Stories will explore the gentrification of Austin’s neighborhoods, and The Art of Building Social Impact will address leadership in community building and social centers, according to the center’s website. Starting this month, the classes will finish by the end
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late and inaccurately and violated social media election code after posting in the UT Class of 2023 Facebook group. Puranik admitted to the violations in both hearings. Wes Dodson, SG Supreme Court chief justice, said Puranik’s violations did not derail his campaign. “We want to facilitate the electoral choices of students,” said Dodson, a Plan II and business junior. “Unless something truly undermines the democratic integrity of the election, we’re going to do our best to let the electoral tides flow as they may.” During the first hearing, Puranik said he believed his agent could submit financial disclosures for him and found out she could not after they were due. He said in his rush to submit them, he forgot to include an $8 bag of mints, which his campaign passed out to students. “There was no nefarious motive or action I took behind buying $8 of mints,” Puranik said during the hearing. “We weren’t trading them for votes. We were just telling students what my campaign is about and
of November and will cost $45 to $55 with fee waivers available, according to the center’s website. “Community members … can gather knowledge about conversations around equity, access and community advocacy,” said Virginia Cumberbatch, director of the Center for Community Engagement. The three classes will be available in different locations to promote accessibility, Cumberbatch said. She said Race in America, based off the Undergraduate Studies course Race in the Age of Trump, will teach community members about racial issues across the nation by providing examples within the context of Austin. “The issue of race in America … is something everyone talks about,” said Leonard Moore, who teaches the Race in the Age of Trump course. “To take this intellectual experience of campus to students of all ages is something I am excited about.” Providing working people the opportunity to share their knowledge and insights makes The Community Classroom unique, Cumberbatch said.
giving them flyers. I’m not going to lie or give an excuse, but I don’t see it as a big bargaining chip to my base.” Candidate Roosh Bhosale filed the complaint about Puranik’s financial disclosures. Bhosale said Puranik’s defense did not make sense because the rule of who
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“The community students will be a little more set in their political viewpoints, but I look forward to that,” Moore said. “I look forward to people in their 40s, 50s, 60s, possessing different educational backgrounds
can disclose financial information was covered in an earlier meeting. “I do believe the candy was the main gravitation to follow the campaign (on social media),” said Bhosale, Plan II economics freshman, during the hearing. The court decided Puranik committed a violation and imposed a 12-hour ban on
his campaign from midnight to noon on Sept. 24. At the second hearing, candidate Benjamin Farias alleged someone in Puranik’s campaign posted campaign-related content on the University of Texas at Austin Class of 2023 Facebook group, which is an election violation. The court decided Puranik had committed a violation and reduced his campaign expenditure limit by 30%. Puranik said having a large campaign team partially contributed to the violations as it was more difficult to manage problems. “I loved having a big, diverse team, but it was a little bit problematic in not being able to specifically know what everyone was doing or saying,” Puranik said. “I don’t think the few mistakes I made undermined the values I want to ingrain at UT.” These hearings were the first examples of the court relying only on candidate complaints to enforce election code, Dodson said. “Hearings are about having a conversation about what happened,” Dodson said. “All parties that were involved did a good job coming to have a frank discussion and, overall, the process worked as intended.”
the cost for three credit hours in 2019 was $255, according to the ACC district website. Somers said some students benefit from summer classes, and it would be unfortunate if the University cut more. “In the summer, there’s less distractions … you can really focus,”
Somers said. “It’s good for students.” Mathematics junior Meili Dubbs said she liked the experience of being on campus over the summer. “I really like the classroom experience and having that community with my classmates,” Dubbs said.
Unless something truly undermines the democratic integrity of the election, we’re going to do our best to let the electoral tides flow as they may.” WES DODSON
sg supreme court chief justice
The Daily Texan, a student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin, is published by Texas Student Media, 2500 Whitis Ave., Austin, TX 78712. The Daily Texan is published daily, Monday through Friday, during the regular academic year and is published once weekly during the summer semester. The Daily Texan does not publish during academic breaks, most Federal Holidays and exam periods. News contributions will be accepted by telephone 2.120). Entire contents copyright 2019 Texas Student Media.
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summer class at UT for in-state students was about $1,372 in 2015. In 2019, it was about $1,484, according to the UT Tuition website. For Texas resident students at Austin Community College,
/ the daily texan file
Leonard Moore’s Race in America is one of three classes offered through The Community Classroom and aims to spark discussions on race’s role in Austin’s political climates.
COPYRIGHT Copyright 2019 Texas Student Media. All articles, photographs and graphics, both in the print and online editions, are the property of Texas Student Media and may not be reproduced or republished in part or in whole without written permission.
/ the daily texan staff
Community Classroom brings UT classes to public @Brookepanic
TODAY Oct. 3
barb daly
UNIVERSITY
By Brooke Ontiveros
CONTACT US
The College of Education will be hiring faculty with diverse experiences that do not fit into a typical department category, Martinez said. The college will educate students on how to overcome race and social class inequity that exist in different schools students work with, Martinez said. Applied learning and development senior Emily Thrower said she thinks the new campaign’s focus on these topics will help teachers of the future. “I’ve always been a supporter of individualizing the curriculum for the students that you are serving,” Thrower said. “I feel like the vision that the school is doing right now of no generalizations and no cookie-cutter kind of approach to education is great because everyone is different, and they come from different backgrounds.” John Bartholomew, department chair of Kinesiology and Health Education, said Reimagine Education allows students to see all the areas of study the college has to offer, as well as its goals. “Very often, people don’t think of the College of Education as a place to come and do health-related work and get health-related training,” Bartholomew said. “Reimagine Education … helps to bring that to the forefront of what the college does.”
By Raul Rodriguez
Photographers Jack Myer Sports Reporters Clark Dalton, Isaac Gutierrez
NEWS
and perspectives.” Rene Otero, international relations and global studies freshman, said he is taking Race in the Age of Trump. Otero said the class teaches students to think through multiple racial lenses,
and everyone should learn to think this way. “You can look at race with statistics, but this class is based on narratives and ideologies, and so this is a skill for interactions with all people,” Otero said.
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to how resources are being allocated, to how victims are being treated.” Alter said the forum will provide City Council with a midterm report and recommendations at the end of the estimated 18-month evaluation in 2021, which she hopes will include an internal review process for APD to adopt in the future. APD assistant chief Jennifer Stephenson said APD will cooperate fully with the three organizations to provide as much information as legally possible. “We welcome an outsider to come in and assist us and recognize what those practice of policy improvements may look like,” Stephenson said. “This is also important to the survivors of sexual assault and our community.” Stephenson said APD did not have input in the selection process of the external evaluator, but this is not the
/ the daily texan staff
first time the forum has worked with the department. The forum completed a 2012 Patrol Utilization Study to determine the department’s staffing needs. APD, the city of Austin and Travis County are defendants in a federal class action lawsuit filed in June 2018 by eight plaintiffs, including UT alumna Marina Garrett. The women said the defendants violated their rights and discriminated on the basis of gender while handling their sexual assault cases, according to the lawsuit. Biochemistry junior Aditi Kulkarni said the external audit is necessary because she would feel unsafe in Austin if her sexual assault case was misclassified. “A lot of our governmental agencies, especially those that are supposed to protect us, tend to fail over and over again,” Kulkari said. “That is horrible, especially if you were assaulted and your case was dropped. I wouldn’t be able to feel safe in the city ever again, especially if … that much neglect was put into my case.”
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019
RESEARCH
UT chemist wins $1.5M grant By Nataleah Small @nataleahjoy
University scientists are developing molecular tools that could impact future research on antibiotic-resistant bacteria and cancer drugs. Emily Que, assistant professor of chemistry, was awarded the five-year, $1.5 million Maximizing Investigator’s Research Award by the National Institutes of Health, according to a Sept. 20 press release on. The award gives researchers flexibility to work on a wide range of projects in their field, according to the official website. Que said her lab, called the Que Lab, makes molecules that interact with metalloenzymes, proteins with a metal center that perform important functions in the cell. Que said the grant helps fund two projects researching molecular interactions. For one project, the Que Lab is collaborating with the Fast Lab, located in the College of Pharmacy. The project focuses on New Delhi metallo-beta lactamase, an enzyme that makes bacteria resistant to a range of antibiotics, Que said. “Bacteria just grow really, really, quickly,” Que said. “It becomes very easy for them to adapt and evolve new types of strategies to survive in the presence of antibiotics.”
Looking forward to the future is just trying to further expand these tools that we’ve been developing into other protein systems.” EMILY QUE
assistant professor of chemistry
brittany mendez
/ the daily texan staff
The Maximizing Investigator’s Research Award by the National Institutes of Health was awarded to assistant professor of chemistry, Emily Que. One of the molecular tools being developed by the Que Lab is a florescent molecule that emits light when it binds to the active site of an enzyme. Walter Fast, professor and head of the Fast Lab, said florescent molecules can be used to test whether drugs work. For example, if the cell lights up when the molecule binds to the protein and turns off when the drug is added, then researchers know that the drug has successfully reached the cell’s action site,
Fast said. The second project will utilize light activation to control whether a molecule binds to the enzyme, Que said. She said the arrangement of some molecules blocks their access to an enzyme’s active site, but different wavelengths of light can rearrange the molecule’s structure so it can access the active site. Kanchan Aggrawal, graduate student in the Que Lab, said this project can help with research on cancer drugs. She said
the carbonic anhydrase enzyme helps maintain a cell’s pH balance. In cancer cells, this enzyme is over expressed, leading to cellular defects and tumor spread, Aggrawal said. Along with these projects, there are limitless possibilities for this research, Que said. “Looking forward to the future is just trying to further expand these tools that we’ve been developing into other protein systems,” Que said.
UNIVERSITY
New institute provides support for veterans, families By Aisling Ayers @aisling_ayers
The Institute for Military and Veteran Family Wellness has officially opened its doors to offer research-based support for student veterans and veteran families. The institute, which opened this fall, is a collaboration between the Steve Hicks School of Social Work and the Dell Medical School Department of Psychiatry, according to the website. Founded by director Elisa Borah, the institute publishes nationwide research and holds programs such as the Veteran Spouse Network, Veteran Couples Connect and Veteran Spouse Resiliency Group that offer support for post-traumatic stress disorder and relationship counseling. Borah said she has worked for years to start some of these programs, and now, the new institute is bringing them to Austin. She said the institute’s research will help student veterans find purpose when transitioning to civilian life. “We’re studying how best to help veterans and their families transition,” Borah said. “Whether that’s getting used to a new culture on campus or finding a new identity outside of the military.” Amber Vasquez, math junior and veteran spouse, said the institute is unique because it prioritizes the veteran and their spouse. She said
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the peer support offered by the Veteran Spouse Resiliency Group has helped her heal by connecting her with others who share her experience. “It creates a peer network that can understand what we’re going through without really having to explain a lot,” Vasquez said. “Some of the issues that we deal with, especially if you have a wounded veteran in your life, which is my case, can be heavy issues that talking to someone who isn’t connected to the military wouldn’t quite understand.” Nikki Hammond, communication and leadership freshman, said her father’s deployment during high school took a toll on her entire family, especially her mother. “You’re kind of on your own, especially when it comes to spouses,” Hammond said. “This organization could be very helpful in managing finances, relationships and all of the exterior stuff (that) are definitely hard to manage when one person has to carry it all.” Borah said there are nonprofit groups that support veterans, but, unlike the institute, these groups do not conduct research to test their programs. “Research is needed to know for certain that the intervention is working,” Borah said. “A lot of times, people create something because they want to help veterans, but they don’t always know if the thing they’ve created is really helping.”
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state governor and a constituent of Austin, he said it is important to get people experiencing homelessness into homes, not send them back into less visible, unsafe areas. “Our neighbors, our fellow Texans, don’t disappear,” Adler said. “They just go somewhere else. Wherever they go, they would again be in a place where they should not be. Our community (has) to fix the challenge, to do something about homelessness being experienced by our neighbors.” Eric Samuels is the president and CEO of Texas Homeless Network, a nonprofit advocating to end homelessness in Texas according to the official website. Samuels said he disagrees with Abbott’s statement that homelessness has dramatically increased in Austin as the number of people experiencing homelessness only increased by 5% from 2018, which is slightly above the average 2.25% increase in homelessness across the state. “Abbott’s right — he could deploy these state agencies to protect the welfare of citizens,
/ the daily texan staff
joshua guenther
/ the daily texan file
Mayor Steve Adler, right, participates on a Texas Tribune Festival panel on how cities can deal with homelessness and is joined by San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, left on Sept. 28. but I don’t think we should exclude those experiencing homelessness from the definition of citizens,” Samuels said. “I would love the state to address homelessness in a more proactive, collaborative and compassionate way.” David Carter, UT Police Department chief, and Darrell
Bazzell, UT’s senior vice president and CFO, asked Adler to prohibit camping from the perimeter of campus and West Campus in letters sent in August and September, respectively. Adler said Austin is still enforcing laws which prohibit defecation and urination in public and impeding or blocking
people’s abilities to use public places such as sidewalks. “There are some people that read this letter as a threat,” Adler said. “I want you to know I understand the seriousness of this letter, but I choose to read this letter as an offer of assistance. This is not a city challenge. It is a statewide challenge.”
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SPENCER BUCKNER
Editor-In-Chief | @THEDAILYTEXAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019
COLUMN
OPINION COLUMN
hilda rodriguez/ the daily texan staff
Let’s not ignore our neighbors By Neelesh Rathi Columnist
gianna shahdad/ the daily texan staff
UT’s academic dishonesty rules set students up for failure By Abhirupa Dasgupta Columnist
In a blistering Canvas announcement entitled “A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day for Many of You,” John Kappelman ousted almost 70 students in a GroupMe for his online Anthropology 301 class. All members of the GroupMe were reported to the Office of the Dean of Students for academic dishonesty, regardless of whether they actively participated in sharing answers. I know there are some instances where cheating is completely unambiguous. If you’re in the middle of a test and you excuse yourself to go to the bathroom where you immediately pull out your phone to look up a test question — you’re a cheater. If you copy down a classmate’s response to an individual assignment word-for-word and try to pass it off as your own work — you’re a cheater. But what about a person who joins a group chat on the first day of class in hopes of finding a study group or making some friends? What about students who don’t partake in the sharing of answers and exam questions, the honest students who just need a resource to turn to when they’re confused? Are these people cheaters? I say they’re not. I would even go so far as to say that professors do a disservice to their students when they uphold UT’s more ambiguous academic dishonesty policies. For example, Government sophomore Hector Mendez faced similar consequences for academic dishonesty as the students in Dr. Kappelman’s class. After a classmate posted the answers to an online quiz in his history class’s GroupMe, Mendez and his classmates rushed to leave the chat so they wouldn’t be caught
up in a cheating controversy. However, he soon found himself without a support system in that class. “In previous classes, group chats were definitely very helpful for me, especially when I was struggling because I could find other students who could explain the problems to me,” Mendez said.
When the University and professors prosecute student simply for working together , it sends the incorrect message.” The most common charges levied against students accused of academic dishonesty are “providing or receiving aid or assistance” and “collusion.” But to me, these words just seem like synonyms for collaboration and group work, which is exactly what one student claims was actually happening in the GroupMe for Kappelman’s class. Students merely guessed at what would likely be on the exam. Had anyone actually shared exam questions or answers, I would totally understand the consequences. However, this is not the case. Electrical engineering and neuroscience sophomore Sai Koukuntla finds that group work is an incredibly important part of his job. As a student technician at Applied Research Laboratories, Koukuntla collaborates with colleagues at every stage of any project he’s working on.
LEGALESE | Opinions expressed in The Daily Texan are those of the editor, the Editorial Board or the writer of the article. They are not necessarily those of the UT administration, the Board of Regents or the Texas Student Media Board of Operating Trustees.
“No one’s doing their own thing, so you all kind of have to work together. There’s nothing that you have to do by yourself,” Koukuntla said. His classes are a different story altogether. “Some professors compare homeworks with each other to see if anyone worked together, and I don’t think that’s realistic because virtually no job would make you do everything by yourself,” Koukuntla said. Neuroscience department chair Michael Mauk agreed. “If you talk to employers, they all say the same thing: One of the most important attributes we need out of people is the ability to work in groups,” Mauk said. “The real world tells us we need people who can work with others.” As such, Mauk tries his hardest to make his classes collaboration-friendly. “My own personal view is that most of the grade should be based on exams and homework shouldn’t have much of an impact on your grade, to encourage (collaboration) instead of outlaw it,” Mauk said. This makes cheating a black and white issue, removing penalties for students who collaborate on class assignments simply to facilitate their own learning. Of course, I agree that cheating is absolutely wrong, and cheaters should face the consequences. However, when the University and professors prosecute students simply for working together, it sends the incorrect message — that learning and progress happen in a vacuum. In reality, academic growth is a journey, and all journeys are better with friends. Students should be able to depend on one another as a learning resource which is only possible if professors consider limiting assigning strictly independent work. Dasgupta is a neuroscience sophomore from Frisco.
GALLERY
yulissa chavez
/ the daily texan staff
SUBMIT A FIRING LINE | Email your Firing Lines to editor@dailytexanonline.com. Letters must be more than 100 and fewer than 300 words. The Texan reserves the right to edit all submissions for brevity, clarity and liability.
“Perhaps the single most significant attribute of homelessness is its visibility.” Joel Blau wrote this in “The Visible Poor: Homelessness in the United States” in 1992 because when homeless people are made overly visible — they lack the privacy that four walls and a roof provide to the rest of us. Our unfiltered view of homelessness can let us empathize and connect with people who’ve lost housing, but it’s also often at the core of how we mistreat them. We try to make them invisible because seeing them discomforts us. Instead of forcing them off some streets and onto others or into holding cells, we should help people suffering from homelessness get four walls and a roof by providing them with resources and support. “Our city (has) spent 23 years of taxpayer dollars on policing, ticketing (and) sending people to court and jail because they were trying to sleep,” said Valerie Romness, director and editor of Austin’s Challenger Street Newspaper. “And we actually caused the homeless problem to get big by doing that.”
They’re falling through the cracks of the city’s plan, so it’s our responsibility to be there to catch them.” On July 1, restrictive ordinances on Austinites suffering homelessness were loosened. However, partly as a result of public backlash since then, increased restrictions are currently being considered by the Austin City Council. “Since the ordinance was passed in July, after one week I noticed that people on the street were more rested, their cognitive abilities went up, and they seemed to have less mental health issues,” Romness said. “(People) didn’t have the fear of (being removed). … Now (they) can sleep through the night. … If you don’t sleep night after night after night, month after month, your brain doesn’t work too good, so you can’t function” — something many college students have experienced. Mayor Steve Adler and council members Greg Casar, Kathie Tovo and Ann Kitchen have said their goal is to house as many people as possible. It remains to be seen whether or not the council is sincere and capable of improving the conditions faced by all Austinites suffering homelessness. But until the predicted long-term improvements are achieved, our neighbors who’ve lost their homes will have to continue living on the streets. They’re falling through the cracks in the city’s plan, so it’s our responsibility to be there to catch them. Vaudia Vontineaux, a Challenger contributor who has lost housing, suggests that instead of handing out a few dollars, we should provide people suffering homelessness with material and psychological support through long-lasting solutions. Both material needs and community have to be provided to fundamentally and lastingly improve people’s lives. “If you would like to help somebody, study and call some of these places,” Vontineaux suggested. “Then, when (somebody) asks you for assistance, you’ll know where to (direct) ‘em (for lasting help).” “Your right to avoid discomfort does not outweigh people’s right to have rest,” Romness said. Visibility is a “significant attribute of homelessness” because it makes people who’ve never lost housing feel discomfort. But, it can also help us to feel that crucial sense of community Vontineaux describes. We can feel it when we acknowledge that homeless kids, dropped from foster care programs into homeless adulthood, need support systems and housing just like college students do. We can feel it when we acknowledge that we’re all neighbors — some of us have just lost their homes, but we’re all still in the same neighborhood. It’s impolite to try to avoid your neighbors, so be neighborly. Rathi is a Black Studies senior from Austin. 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.
LIFE&ARTS
5
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019 FILM REVIEW | ‘JOKER’
copyright warner bros, and reproduced with permission
Joaquin Phoenix puts on a happy face in Todd Phillips’ “Joker.” The highly anticipated film drew criticism for its violent content.
Latest ‘Joker’ is anything but a laughing matter By Noah Levine @ZProductionz
The highly anticipated and extremely controversial “Joker,” directed by Todd Phillips (“The Hangover”), has arrived, detailing a complex, mesmerizing and terrifying story about the infamous villain’s preliminary path of destruction. “Joker” pulls down the comic book veil and presents an unfiltered and utterly disturbing tale of an unstable human being. Arthur Fleck is a struggling clown trying to find work in the deteriorating Gotham City. In between attempts to pursue a career in comedy, Fleck spends time caring for his elderly mother, played by Frances Conroy. Arthur’s life becomes plagued with prejudice and misfortune, leading him down a path of terrifying violence resulting in Batman’s iconic foe. Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, who later becomes the Joker, by putting on a performance reflecting the deterioration and malice Arthur harbors
within him. Phoenix manipulates his facial expressions to smile in all sorts of horrifying ways, suggesting that he is consistently on the brink of acting out. There’s a stylistic, twisted flamboyance that oozes from his performance, consuming everything from his body language to line delivery. Fleck is far from a sympathetic character — he is the embodiment of societal evil. Viewers are not meant to feel happy about his achievements. In fact, audiences will constantly dread his next step to power. The score reflects these feelings by never truly conveying a somber or joyous feeling as it is accompanied by a dark, heavy instrumental undertone. A lot of controversy and concern surrounded the film before its release, and unfortunately much of it is somewhat justified. This is an ugly film, one that forces viewers to spend over an hour following a deranged character. Similar to being stuck on a terrifying haunted house ride at an amusement park, audiences have no choice but to witness the horror.
The violence is unfiltered, visceral and uncomfortably reminiscent of modern-day America. However, these moments are not glorified. They are depicted terrifyingly, as they should be. The violence in this film is anything but heroic, and its graphic nature drives this point home. There are no misogynistic plot elements or character traits within the film, as many were worried about. There’s a certain meta-awareness within “Joker.” One instance involves characters talking about the subjectivity of entertainment, which gives a nod toward the endless discussion that has been revolving around the film. Phillips appears to know that his film will raise eyebrows, and makes an attempt to attack these discussions through the eyes of his characters. Despite the intense thematic imagery, “Joker” is a technical masterclass in filmmaking. Sleek cinematography, scoring, performances and editing piece together this story with grace. It stays true to its tone, conveying an ominous and decaying
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vibe throughout. “Joker” ascends past its comic book limitations and reaches for an explicit and topical character study. “Joker” plays a weird balancing act between its comic book inspirations and gritty interpretation of reality. On one hand it plays into the Bruce Wayne- Joker rivalry that has notoriously consumed thousands of Batman comic books, while on the other it tells the story of a fragile and menacing individual suffering from a mental illness. It’s difficult to process the violent imagery in the film as one can’t just displace it as a fictional comic book story. “Joker” is an extremely memorable film — albeit not the first of its kind — for all the right and wrong reasons. It’s visceral, bleak, dark, disturbing and everything in between. In a way, it’s a menacing masterpiece. In another, it’s an extremely uncomfortable exploration of mental illness. This film is certainly not needed during this time in America, but it’s here and there’s nothing moviegoers can do about it. I can’t give this a rating. It’s horrifying.
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SPORTS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019
VOLLEYBALL
Horned Frogs flop in straight set win
Texas continues winning streak in Big 12 play with an away win over Texas Christian University. By Clark Dalton @Clarkdalton1T
exas saw and conquered Wednesday. The Longhorns continued their dominance against the Horned Frogs earning their ninth win in Fort Worth. Texas is now 17 for 18 against TCU in all time match-ups. They beat TCU in straight sets (25-19, 25-20, 25-21) and got their third straight win in Big 12 play. The Longhorns arrived sitting at the top of the Big 12 with two straight conference wins out of the gate and an 8–2 record overall. TCU has talent with the fifth-best recruiting class in the country according to volleyballmag. Yet, that talent still needs time to come together and is shown in their then-5–7 record this season. Despite their woes, TCU attempted to take the lead against the Longhorns by using a frenetic pace. The opening set resulted in a 5-5 tie early on, thanks to both teams trading points back and forth. But, TCU started to slip and made multiple service errors that eventually bolstered Texas a 10-6 lead. The Horned Frogs called a timeout to regain their composure but still struggled in limiting Texas hitting power
joshua guenther
/ the daily texan file
Middle blocker Asjia O’Neal makes an offensive play against the University of Southern California. Against the Horned Frogs on Wednesday, O’Neal had three kills and two block assists. and were never able to cut the lead below three. Texas would ultimately win the set 25-19. It was hard to combat three players hitting .500 or better. Freshman Skylar Fields, senior Micaya White and sophomore Jhenna Gabriel all achieved this mark during the first set. Sophomore Brionne Butler also joined the offensive mix in her third game back from injury and registered two kills. “It feels amazing to final-
ly play again,” Butler siad. “It’s been frustrating, but I’m excited to finally get back at it.” Freshman middle blocker Asjia O’Neal kept the Longhorns flowing by knocking down three kills and forcing an attack error, planting the seeds for an early Texas lead at 7-4 in the second set. Outside hitter sophomore Logan Eggleston launched an attack with a kill and service ace giving Texas a 10-7 edge. After three more points by the Longhorns, TCU started to
gain their footing again. The lead gradually dwindled from six as senior Ashley Waggle recorded two quick kills. White, Eggleston and O’Neal recorded three kills getting the lead back to six again. Then, the Horned Frogs launched an offensive attack, as freshmen outside hitters Julia Adams and Audrey Nalls seized two kills forcing Eggleston into an attack error slashing the lead to three. Eggleston quickly bounced back and clenched a kill, followed by a Butler slam a
mere moments later putting Texas up 20 to 16. This prevented the Texas boat from tipping over as the Longhorns sailed to a second straight win 25-20. The offense was showing why it was among the nation’s best with a hitting percentage of .336. TCU placed all of their chips on the table racing to a 3-1 lead at the beginning of the third set. Texas came back quickly, thanks to a kill from White and two attack errors by the Horned Frogs. None-
theless, TCU was a thorn in Texas side as they tried to hold on down the stretch. Both teams traded points with the score swinging back and forth. In spite of the fast pace, Texas finally delivered finishing with a White kill to clinch the set at 25-21. “I’m proud that we were able to bounce back in the third set,” Butler said. “Sets one and two were really good. We let off in the third a liitle bit but we didn’t let it get past three which was good.”
FOOTBALL
SOCCER
Coordinators Beck, Orlando talk consistency, confidence in players
Texas soccer continues Big 12 conference play By Isaac Gutierrez @ByIsaacG
amna ijaz
/ the daily texan file
Defensive lineman Malcolm Roach in a defensive play against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Named one of the 2019 captains, he has mentored many young defenders. By Daniela Perez @danielap3rez
Following the bye week, coordinators Tim Beck and Todd Orlando spoke Wednesday about how both sides of the ball are confident going into their matchup against West Virginia. Now moving into their fifth game of the season, players are also feeling good. “I think right now, we’re all very pleased about our confidence level,” offensive coordinator Beck said. “I think our guys, regardless of what takes place throughout the course of the game, a series or a drive, they don’t lose faith, they don’t doubt.” Texas has scored 167 points this season, averaging 41.75 points a game. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger has completed 73% of his passes, thrown 15 touchdowns and has only thrown one interception. Beck said Ehlinger’s understanding of their offense allows for less risky plays. “We’ve been able to get Sam to have a good understanding of
our offense,” Beck said. “So he knows the strengths of plays, the weaknesses of plays. And we continue to teach him about defense. So, the beautiful thing about him is the smarts he has, he’s able to at least keep us out of bad plays. And try to get us in minimal risk plays at times, if something like that or to occur.” Beck also credits his offensive arsenal and their confidence to their success. “I think they believe they’re (a) good offensive football team,” Beck said. “So, they almost blame themselves when they don’t score, they come off and say ‘Hey, we’ll fix this.’ ‘I blocked the wrong guy,’ ‘Threw to the wrong guy,’ ‘Ran the wrong route,’ whatever it was. (They’ll say) ‘We’ll fix that coach and be good.’ That part’s been really impressive. To see the resiliency of our guys and just how they attack the game right now.” Defensive coordinator Orlando’s defense has also been playing with a lot of confidence and consistency. The defense is still fairly young and learning the
ropes from some older players such as senior defensive lineman Malcolm Roach. “I think they’ve played really well and consistent,” Orlando said. “And like I said beforehand, there’s some veteran presence there. Guys that have been through battles, and unfortunately, you know, some of the guys in the back end, we would expect really help us have been hurt. So, you got guys out in that field that everything is the first time for him. … You get into the back end, you don’t have a lot of experience, every day’s a learning curve.” According to Beck, Roach consistently guides younger players in practice on how to pressure quarterbacks or how to cover up holes in a play. Now a mentor for younger players, Roach continues to fulfill his role as a leader. Roach is proud of the team and their resilience. “(Something I’m proud of is) just never stopping, just never going out without a fight,” Roach said. “We’re going to play until the clock hits zero.”
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Texas currently sits alone atop the Big 12 with a conference record of 2-0 after winning back-to-back games in their recent Kansas road trip. After a rocky start to the season, they have found their stride as conference play begins. Texas will look to keep this positive momentum rolling when it faces off against TCU and West Virginia this week. The Longhorns are entering the most important stretch of their season with senior forward Cyera Hintzen back in the lineup, whose absence earlier in the season played a big role in the team’s 0-4 loss against Monmouth. Head coach Angela Kelly viewed this as a turning point in the team’s season. “That (game) was an anomaly, but we learned from that,” said Kelly. “It was unacceptable. It’s fair to say they’ve found the grit since that moment.” Getting healthy and playing at full strength has played a big part in the team’s recent success after that loss, but it is the development of the team’s younger players that has stood out the most. “I can’t even tell you (how far our youth has come),” Kelly said. “If you go through any of the sophomores or freshmen that we’ve been
playing, their eyes have really been opened to the speed of play, to the tactics, and there has to be a rate of absorption that takes time. With this baptism by fire, you see the likes of the Carlee Allen who are now understanding when they shouldn’t be pulled out of space, when they’re absorbing a player. The communication is fantastic.” Kelly also highlighted play of senior defender Atu Mshana and the role she has played in turning the team’s defense around with her play at center back. The Longhorns aren’t giving up as many opportunities to opposing teams. Instead, they are tightening the lines and forcing opponents into uncomfortable situations. Although Texas and its youth are turning in the right direction, they are only two games into conference play and have a long road ahead. The next two stops on that road will be difficult tests for the newly rejuvenated Longhorns as they face the Horned Frogs and the Mountaineers. “They’re really good,” Kelly said about the team’s upcoming pair of opponents. Both TCU and West Virginia play at a conservative pace, preferring to keep the ball on their side of the field as much as possible. This is a challenge, but one that Kelly is confident her youthful squad is prepared to face. “We’re going to be organized for their tendencies, but they need to be organized for us,” Kelly said.
joshua guenther/ the daily texan file
Defender Atu Mshana chases after the ball against Monmouth. Mshana has helped the Longhorns defense this season as the center back.
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COMICS
7
CHANNING MILLER & LAUREN IBANEZ
Comics Editors| @THEDAILYTEXAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019
The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Thursday, October 3, 2019
Crossword
SUDOKUFORYOU 5 7
3 7 6 8 1 2 6 8 3 6 5 9 3 4 6 7 8 9 9 5 1
9 6
3 7 1 2 6 2 3 6
Today’s solution will appear here next issue
9 6 4 7 1 3 2 5 8
3 2 5 4 6 8 7 1 9
8 1 7 9 5 2 6 3 4
4 3 6 5 8 1 9 2 7
2 8 1 3 9 7 5 4 6
7 5 9 2 4 6 1 8 3
6 9 3 8 2 5 4 7 1
1 7 2 6 3 4 8 9 5
5 4 8 1 7 9 3 6 2
ACROSS 1 Indian royal 5 Molds 10 “Nonsense!” 14 Horse often used in endurance races 15 Name that appears 2,698 times in the Quran 16 Letter in the W.W. II phonetic alphabet 17 Word that can complete CARE___R 19 Already: Fr. 20 Teacher in une école 21 Number two 23 & 24 Namely 25 Person who might be chosen to be maid of honor, for short 27 Word that can complete SH___ED
29 Chicken or veal dish, in brief
57 One who might say “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s 31 Grande preceder uncle!”? 33 Shoe company 59 Stare slack-jawed that makes 61 Word that can Top-Siders complete ___ER 34 Fittings under the 63 LAX listings sink 64 Protein found in 37 Willing to listen muscles 38 Word that can 65 Store with a complete DE___ notably mazelike layout 40 Ostentatious display 66 Indian wrap 67 River painted by 41 They often end van Gogh letters 68 Goes unused 42 Traded points 44 Kylo of “Star Wars” villainy 45 Chow 49 Word that can complete ___TING 51 Mil. title in a Beatles song 53 Raiders’ org. 54 Thin bark 55 I.R.S. IDs
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE S P A Y S A F R O S S S T
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P R O S Y I N L I N E
A C N E R H S E C S O U U S T S A C H A O R Y E
T R A V E L R I S O T T O S
H A Z E R
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I O W S T A T A N A X T F U A L E M A P I S L
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DOWN 1 Cleaning tool usually used with a bucket 2 Grande preceder 3 ___ Pérez de Cuéllar, former U.N. chief 4 Lend a helping hand, in a bad way 5 Insouciant 6 Keyboard abbr. 7 Ukrainian, e.g. 8 “Star Trek” cast name 9 Noted fatherand-son Hollywood stars 10 Pea jacket? 11 First part of an English “rule” 12 Stopover 13 Like some laughs and stews 18 Feature of the king of clubs 22 Run one’s mouth
Edited by Will Shortz 1
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No. 0829
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PUZZLE BY JEFF CHEN
26 Some Nordic skiers 28 State of inactivity 30 Bad stethoscope sound 32 More of a headscratcher 35 They can stand on their own two feet 36 Places for balm 38 Cause for combatants’ confusion
39 A few notes that require answering?
48 Ones always wearing suits at work
40 Like shareholder distributions, typically
50 Biblical figure who “walked with God”
42 “Poor Richard’s Almanack” filler
52 Besmirch
43 Keep from practicing, say
58 Cleanup hitter’s stat
46 Bean popular in East Asia
60 Fraternity letter
47 Service easy to break?
56 ___ speak
62 Calculus calculation, for short
Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.
8
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019
LIFE&ARTS
CAMPUS
Littlefield mysteries unveiled
Littlefield family descendant addresses history, rumors of his greatgreat-uncle’s family home. By Mackenzie Dyer @mackdyer
or over a century, the Littlefield Home has collected history on the corner of Whitis Avenue and West 24th Street. With immaculate details such as carved staircases and antique family paintings on the interior, the house’s dramatic exterior draws the attention of students rushing to class. Despite its formidable presence on campus, the building remains a mystery to students. Built in 1894, Littlefield Home is one of the oldest buildings on campus. Major George Washington Littlefield and his wife, Alice, built the red Victorian mansion for their family and its future generations. Now, the building houses the University Events office. David Gracy, a Littlefield family descendant and School of Information professor emeritus, said the home accommodated about 30 of Littlefield’s nieces and nephews while they attended UT in the early 1900s. “As the patriarch of the family, Littlefield consid-
jack myer
/ the daily texan staff
Littlefield Home carries a rich history and rumors of ghosts on campus. The house was donated to campus after Littlefield’s wife passed. ered it his responsibility to provide an education for his family’s descendants,” Gracy said. To commemorate the centennial of his greatgreat-uncle’s death, Gracy said he is authoring the first full biography of Littlefield, which will retell the family’s history and include new information. It will be available Nov. 7. Littlefield, a Civil War veteran and Texas rancher, banker and businessman, began donating to UT in 1897 and served as a regent from 1911 to 1920. After his death in 1920, Littlefield left the house to Alice.
In joint wills, Gracy said the couple left the house to the University once they both passed away. The building became part of campus after Alice’s death in 1935. Due to its largely unknown history and intimidating appearance, rumors about the house being haunted began circulating after a student visited the house one dark Halloween night more than 14 years ago and told tall tales of the visit. Gracy said the stories told about that night, and all others, are pure fabrication. When the Univer-
sity posted the rumors on its website, Littlefield descendants protested and requested that they be taken down to preserve the family’s legacy. Although George, Alice and their housekeeper passed away in the home, Journalism Junior Ashleigh Osburn said she had no haunted experiences when coordinating a Halloween event at Littlefield for her professional spirit group, Texas Belles, last year. “I heard some rumors about Alice’s nervous breakdown,” Osburn said. “When I took a tour of the house, I expected
it to look eerie, but it was gorgeous. There was a sense of spookiness only because the decor was old, and typically old is associated with spooky.” When asked to comment on the rumors, James Hooker, executive director of University Events, denied the Texan an interview with employees who work within the home so as not to encourage the rumors. “Part of that could be (because) Haunted ATX includes the house on their tour,” said Susan Threadgill, associate director of production for University Events, in an
email. “I can’t count how many times I have interrupted their tour to make them move their hearse out of the circle drive.” With donor relations being as vital as they are, Threadgill said the University tries to respect the wishes of the founding donors and the intention for the land on campus. “They are the ones for whom Littlefield Drive, the Littlefield House, the Littlefield Fountain and the Littlefield (Residence Hall) are named,” Threadgill said. “I suspect this is a much more sensitive issue than most people realize.”
STUDENT LIFE
PRESENT
GRADUATE SCHOOL FAIR tuesday, october 8 10 am–2 pm
Gregory Plaza and Speedway Plaza The University of Texas at Austin Meet representatives from over 120 graduate programs around the world See more information about the event and other graduate programs in Graduates of Texas, inside The Daily Texan on Tuesday, October 7th.
Students discuss motivations behind learning new languages By Gary Dhingra @garykdh
By the time he graduates from UT, history sophomore Kyle Kaough plans to be fluent in five languages. With English and Spanish already under his belt, he’s taking language classes to increase his fluency in French. Later, he will pick up German and Italian. For Kaough, the motivation to become fluent in as many languages as possible stems from his goals to work as an intelligence analyst or translator. Some students taking one of the 33 language courses the College of Liberal Arts offers take classes to advance their careers, while others are motivated by credit requirements, wanderlust or simply the desire to learn a new skill. “I taught myself Spanish, and I took some German in high school,” Kaough said. “Once I get to a level where I’m more comfortable with my Spanish, I’m going to pick up German again, and then eventually Italian.” Kaough has studied language both independently and in a classroom setting, but said he prefers self-teaching. “The problem with the way we learn languages in school
is that it’s all based on memorization and cramming,” Kaough said. “If you learn how to produce the language yourself, you create sentences, you talk to people, you watch TV and you actually apply it.” After testing different language learning programs, such as Duolingo or Rosetta Stone, and techniques like audio immersion, Kaough found the perfect fit for his learning style. “I analyze words and find patterns within them and figure out ways to turn English words into Spanish words,” Kaough said. “I also use a program called Glossika, which is a space-based repetition system which just shows you what you need to know only at the times it will download the information directly into your long-term memory.” Vincent Vanderheijden has been a lecturer for the Germanic Studies department for the last 14 years and has gained insightful perspectives from former students about why they choose to learn different languages. While many students wish they had started studying a language earlier, Vanderheijden said it’s never too late to learn the basics. “You’ll be far more prepared to benefit from studying abroad or to explore minors or certifi-
cates if you have a good amount of language under your belt,” Vanderheijden said. “You just have more time and more options to explore new interests.” After discovering Sanskrit in UT’s course catalog, Mahi Perla, human development and family sciences sophomore, realized the opportunity to learn it may not come again. “Sanskrit is a religious language,” Perla said. “I don’t really like being told by other people what to believe in, so I want to find out for myself what the (sacred) texts actually say.” Perla also knows Telugu, a language stemming from southeastern India which she speaks with family members, and some Spanish, which she intends to use in her career. Despite the limited professional applications of Sanskrit, she still plans to utilize her skills in the ancient language. “What I want to do is teach it to other people,” Perla said. “I want other people to appreciate that it’s not really a dead language; it’s still usable.” Learning a language can become an important part of students’ professional and personal lives, but Kaough said they must remember to keep practicing. “If you don’t use it, you will lose it,” Kaough said.
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www.graduatesoftexas.com megan clarke
/ the daily texan staff