Serving The University Of Texas At Austin Community Since 1900 @thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com
Friday, October 11, 2019
Volume 121, Issue 43
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
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Austin Transportation is raising parking meter rates to $2 to reduce traffic congestion.
As others claim to speak for us, UT students must stand in solidarity with the homeless.
ACL encourages sustainability, implements BYO bottle and Rock & Recycle.
The staffs of the Texan and the OU Daily go at it in the annual trash talk columns.
CITY
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
APD urges safety at ACL After reports of stolen phones, counterfeit wristbands, Austin police give tips on remaining safe and protecting belongings ahead of ACL Weekend Two.
By Lauren Girgis @laurengirgis
he Austin Police Department is informing citizens on how to stay safe at the Austin City Limits music festival and
combat theft. After the first weekend of the festival, 43 phones were reported stolen to APD as of Oct. 7, APD Sgt. Noel Guerin said at a press briefing. He said there are likely more that have not yet been reported. Guerin said the cellphone thefts could be due to organized crime. “Some people have made it their business to attend these festivals, simply doing nothing more than stealing stuff,” Guerin said. “There is a criminal nexus that is organized, trains and does a very good job of taking people’s stuff from them when they’re not paying attention.” Guerin said festival visitors should place their phones in front-facing fanny packs or front pockets and avoid attaching their credit cards or ID to their phones. “(Because of) the pure number of people who are present in a confined space … stuff like that is going to happen,” Guerin said. “It’s incumbent on our citizens and our guests … to pay attention to your surroundings.” Sharif Long said he had his phone stolen while at the festival Saturday, even though it was in
There is a criminal nexus that is organized, trains and does a very good job of taking people’s stuff from them when they’re not paying attention.” apd sergeant
my phone. I’ve had to be extra on top of things.” ACL has partnered with Crowdfind, a website which allows users to report a missing object, file a claim if it is found and then have it shipped to them. Three men were arrested Oct. 5 for 104 instances of selling and reusing wristbands, for a loss of more than $10,000 for the organizers of ACL, APD spokesperson officer Destiny Silva said during a press briefing. “Do not purchase wristbands from anybody you don’t know or
By Neelam Bohra @_neelam_b
his front pocket. “It’s very frustrating,” said Long, biology and Plan II sophomore. “It’s made things more difficult this week, even if it’s just socially hanging out with friends or going to meetings or checking my calendar, (which) is always on
NOEL GUERIN
Moody College Graduate Council added to UT Senate
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any unidentified source,” Silva said. “All wristbands need to be purchased through Front Gate. If they are not purchased through there, they are considered counterfeit and invalid.” APD advised visitors in a press release to lock their cars and take their keys, especially if the car has a keypad or keyless entry. The department also discouraged leaving valuables in plain view. “If you must lock valuables inside, move them to the trunk, glove-box, or out of sight before you arrive and park,” the press release said. “Thieves wait for and watch those who park, and they
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blend into the scene.” The press release also advised parking in well-lit areas or attended lots since thieves are likely to avoid those areas. To protect the personal well-being of attendees, Austin-Travis County EMS Capt. Christa Stedman said they have a special events team with dedicated ambulances on-site at ACL. “The festival allows you to bring in an empty water bottle, so stop at those hydration stations often,” Stedman said. “Take breaks in the shade if you need to. Don’t forget to eat so that your body has the nutrients that it needs for those long days at the sun.”
Senate of College Councils proposed and passed a bill adding the Graduate Communications Council to Senate at its meeting Thursday. Senate fast-tracked the legislation and passed it unanimously. Now, Senate has 22 councils with the addition, nine of which specifically represent graduate students, according to the bill. Jay Bernhardt, dean of the Moody College of Communication, founded the Graduate Communications Council in 2016, according to the Moody Graduate Communication Council Facebook page. It has held events for graduate students in Moody but has not represented them in any legislative student organization. Senate President Elena Ivanova and administrative director Adebayo Gbakinro authored the bill. Gbakinro, a computer science, Spanish and French junior, said he found the council on accident while researching information about college councils. “I had never heard of (the council), so I was interested and wondered if they were active,” Gbakinro said. “I saw they had been having events on their Facebook page, and it really surprised me that Senate had never reached out to them. Not all councils know Senate is a thing, so it’s more on the onus of Senate to reach out to councils to see if they want to U T S E N A T E PAGE 2
CAMPUS
UNIVERSITY
International students recieve scam calls threatening arrest, deportation
UT System does not collect data on efficacy of tobacco-free policy
By Emily Hernandez @emilylhernandez
By Arreba Amer
An international student paid a scam caller a substantial sum of money after they were threatened with arrest and deportation, according to the UT Police Department Sept. 30 Campus Watch report. The student filed a report with UTPD after paying. Margaret Luévano, interim director of International Student and Scholar Services, said scam callers target international students because they may be unfamiliar with United States laws regarding immigration status and how the government contacts immigrants. “Usually if there is a (legitimate) phone call, the person would identify which branch of government they’re with and then give them information on how to reach them, because they are also aware of scams that students encounter,” Luévano said. “They generally are very sensitive to (potential scam calls) and may even ask for a student to meet with them, whether it be on campus or off campus.” UTPD Cpl. Cory Morrison said students should be suspicious of unsolicited calls and try to get the caller’s name and contact information when possible. If a student feels intimidated by a call, they can hang up and call UTPD to investigate the caller, Morrison said. “The most important thing is
While the UT System has had a 100% tobacco-free policy across all campuses since 2017, the system does not currently collect data about tobacco use on campuses to see if the policy led to a decrease systemwide, said Dr. David Lakey, chief medical officer of the UT System. For a campus in the UT System to be considered 100% tobacco-free, they must have a policy that bans all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, said Lakey, who also functions as vice chancellor for health affairs. Some campuses collect tobacco use data among themselves, Lakey said, and the implementation of the policy varies by institution. “Different institutions have different cultures,” Lakey said. “We try not to be top-down on these type of things, but help support our institutions.” Lakey said the UT System’s 14 academic and health institutions are working to determine
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when we have international students, they need to understand that (government officials) like the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will never ask you to transfer money to an individual, or they won’t ask you to pay fees over the phone or email,” Morrison said. “If they’re on the phone and somebody is asking for money, it’s most likely … going to be a scam or a fraud case.” The case in which the student gave the caller money is still being investigated, Morrison said. To educate students about scam calls, Luévano said the International Office requires international students to take an online module, which covers the
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threat of fraud calls and how to make personal information more private in the UT directory and on social media. “Periodically, we do send out blog posts and email reminders to students and our scholar population … regarding information about typical types of scams,” Luévano said. “If somebody is trying to meet with you, feel free to try to meet them at the International Office.” Luévano said fraudulent calls targeting international students have occurred more often within the past five years, so the International Office started suggesting international students restrict their F R A U D PAGE 2
the best method for enforcement. However, the campuses try to approach a violation with the assumption that the students do not know the policy exists, Lakey said. “(The institutions) try to use peer pressure and education and referral to (cessation programs) versus a harder approach, and it seems to be successful,” Lakey said. UT-Austin has had a tobacco-free policy since 2012, which prohibits all tobacco product use, including electronic cigarettes, according to UT’s Tobacco-Free Campus website. After several violations, a UT-Austin student will be referred to the Office of the Dean of Students, who may then recommend training and conect the student with smoking intervention resources, said Osalunosse Ovienmhada, Office of the Associate Vice President for Human Resources work life balance and wellness manager. “Compliance with our policy is really grounded in education,” Ovienmhada said. Tobacco-Free Campus,
a program dedicated to the removal of tobacco use on campus property, currently has one survey regarding tobacco use on campus, where students can report violations they see. The survey is emailed out four times a year, Ovienmhada said in an email. There were 359 reports of violations on campus in 2016, which decreased to 116 reports in 2018, according to data provided by Tobacco-Free Campus. The survey is used to determine areas of improvement, Ovienmhada said. However, Ovienmhada said in an email she cannot speculate if this decrease is due to the policy. In 2017, University Health Services partnered with National College Health Assessment to do an overall report regarding health issues of students, including tobacco use. UHS has not done a survey since then, said Sherry Bell, consumer education and outreach coordinator for University Health Services. Bell said the data cannot be used to judge the success of the tobacco-free V A P I N G PAGE 2