The Daily Texan 2019-10-18

Serving The University Of Texas At Austin Community Since 1900 @thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com

Friday, October 18, 2019

Volume 121, Issue 48

CITY COUNCIL

HOMELESSNESS, RIVERSIDE CHANGES Council approves redevelopment of Riverside student apartment complexes, bans camping on sidewalks.

By Neelam Bohra @neelambohratx

By Graysen Golter @graysen_golter

ustin City Council approved the redevelopment of student apartment complexes in Riverside at its meeting Thursday.

In a 6-3-1 vote, the council approved the rezoning of 97 acres of housing into a mixeduse development. The rezoning will demolish 1,308 mainly student-occupied apartment units in Ballpark North, Town Lake and the Quad East, West and South.

“Here we are, faced with a difficult decision,” council member Natasha Harper-Madison said. “I am voting yes because I believe the work (council member Pio) Renteria, our office and others have done will ... prevent displacement and is what is needed to make sure our community can still thrive against the constant waves of gentrification.”

The developers, Presidium Group and Nimes Real Estate, said construction will begin in approximately 2023 and could take up to 20 years to complete, according to the application. According to the rezoning application, approximately 4,700 multifamily units, 600 hotel rooms, and more than 4 million square feet of office and retail space will replace the apartment units.

“The existing zoning virtually ensures a suburban-style condominium development with no affordable housing,” Michael Whellan, the lawyer representing the developers,

he Austin City Council approved an ordinance Thursday evening that will reinstate some limits on where people who are homeless can camp.

In June, the council lifted a ban on homeless camping, sitting and lying down in public areas. Over the course of 11 hours at Thursday’s meeting, the council deliberated and more than 30 people spoke on the proposal that would clarify where people who are homeless would not be allowed to publicly camp.

Austin mayor Steve Adler proposed an amended version of the ordinance, which passed 7-4, that bans camping on sidewalks, within 15 feet of business doors and by the Austin Resource Center.

“For too long, the city has been OK with having homelessness exist in places where we didn’t see it,” Adler said. “I labor over this because I also know that we have shared spaces we’re trying to manage, and when you have shared spaces, you have to make choices.

I think that (balance) is going to be what it takes to best serve … the community that’s experiencing homelessness.”

The council did not approve the original version of the proposal by council members Ann Kitchen, Kathie Tovo, Alison Alter and Leslie Pool, which would have also banned camping in places such as high-traffic areas, areas prone to

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jack myer

/ the daily texan staff

Dozens of protestors gather outside Austin City Hall on Oct. 17, 2019, and chant in opposition to the plan to redevelop the Riverside area. The development would replace affordable housing that is popular among students at UT-Austin.

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

LIFE&ARTS

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The Disability Advocacy Student Coalition hosts second annual Disability Fest.

UT MRI research participants should be subject to radiologist review to detect any concerns.

H O M E L E S S PAGE 2

Students discuss strategies on how to stay safe while studying abroad.

Midway through its season, football looks to turn corner against Kansas on Saturday.

UNIVERSITY

NATION

CDC report shows sexually transmitted diseases are ‘alarming threat’

By Victoria May @toricmay

emma overholt

/ the daily texan staff

Annual clery report compares drug, alcohol-related arrests

By Emily Hernandez @emilylhernandez

Arrests for drug abuse violations on campus have increased over the past three years while arrests for liquor law violations have decreased over that time, according to the 2019 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

The report is published annually in accordance with the Clery Act, a federal law requiring federally-funded colleges to publish crime statistics around campus. UT Police Department Sgt. Robert Land said the decline in alcohol violation arrests is likely due to the 2018 establishment of the Austin Sobering Center, a place where law

Before skydiving

enforcement can take intoxicated people to sober up instead of being jailed.

“UTPD makes it a priority to find solutions other than arresting students for that violation,” Land said. “We’ll refer that to the Dean of Students so that they can do C L E R Y PAGE 3

AFTER

Sexually transmitted diseases have become an “alarming threat” across the nation as the rate of yearly infection cases increases, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For the past five years, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia cases have steadily increased, according to the CDC’s Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report released Oct. 8.

“Not that long ago, gonorrhea rates were at historic lows, syphilis was close to elimination and we were able to point to advances in STD prevention, such as better chlamydia diagnostic tests and more screening, contributing to increases in detection and treatment of chlamydial infections,” Dr. Gail Bolan, director of the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, said in the report’s foreword. “That progress

has since unraveled.”

Since 2014, the number of chlamydia cases has seen a 19% increase, gonorrhea has seen a 63% increase, primary and secondary syphilis have seen a 71% increase, and congenital syphilis cases have more than doubled, according to the report.

What students don’t get is that having an STI is nothing to be ashamed of. You have to take care of yourself and learn how to manage the risks of being sexually active.”

SHERRY BELL

consumer education and outreach coordinator for uhs

The report said there have been 2.4 million cases of STD infections over the past year. Of those cases, more than half are chlamydia cases, and there have been 583,405 cases of gonorrhea, 35,063 cases

skydiving!

of primary and secondary syphilis, and 1,306 cases of congenital syphilis.

Sherry Bell, consumer education and outreach coordinator for University Health Services, said the University continues to provide a variety of ways students can prevent and detect STD infections. She said it’s important for students to take their health seriously regardless of whether they have STDs. “Discussions about having an STD, or even talking about them in general, can be incredibly hard because of the negative social stigma that surrounds the topic,” Bell said. “What students don’t get is that having an STI is nothing to be ashamed of. You have to take care of yourself and learn how to manage the risks of being sexually active.”

According to the CDC’s website, half of STD cases occur among young adults aged 15 to 24. The CDC said this age group experiences the highest number C D C PAGE 3

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MEGAN MENCHACA

News Editor | @THEDAILYTEXAN

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

This issue of The Daily Texan is valued at $1.25

NEWS

PERMANENT STAFF Editor-in-Chief Spencer Buckner

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CONTACT US MAIN TELEPHONE (512) 471-4591

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Spencer Buckner (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com

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NEWS OFFICE

(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.

AUSTIN WEATHER TODAY Oct. 18

TOMORROW Oct. 19

said during the meeting. “The proposed plan would achieve significant affordable housing.”

Student Government passed a resolution Tuesday requesting the council vote against the redevelopment. The group also organized a silent protest for SG members and individual students, which took place before and during the vote inside the council chamber.

Student body president Camron Goodman was one of the 20 people who spoke to the council before they voted.

“I wanted us to be in the room while they’re voting on it to show students are here this time,” finance

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senior Goodman said. “Students haven’t been a part of this. Its initial conversations were during the summer. Since (the council) couldn’t see us then, we’re going to make sure (they) see us now.”

After Goodman spoke, Austin mayor Steve Adler said he wanted to work with UT President Gregory Fenves to increase student housing.

“Not only (does Austin) have a housing crisis, the University has one too,” Adler said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s losing students who can’t come to school because they can’t get housing.”

The developers first introduced the project in March 2018, and it has received pushback from Defend Our Hoodz, an anti-gentrification community organization, since that time. Dozens of Defend Our Hoodz

It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s losing students who can’t come to school because they can’t get housing.” austin mayor

members protested outside of City Hall before and during the vote.

Jessica Meza, a Defend Our Hoodz member, said the decision

did not surprise her.

“It just makes me more motivated to keep coming out here,” neuroscience senior Meza said. “Our fight is not going to stop at this vote, and knowing that we’ve passed one chapter in this fight, will make me feel so much more motivated to get out in the streets.”

Alex Meed, a public affairs graduate student, lives in Ballpark North and spoke during the meeting.

“I’m glad it’s over,” Meed said.

“I’m still concerned on how it will affect students, both existing tenants and those for later on. But I prefer this to the alternative, which would be a sparse new development without affordable housing. This consumed a lot of energy, and now it’s done.”

UNIVERSITY

Annual review recommends formation of committee to evaluate substance use at UT

By Lauren Girgis @laurengirgis

HI LO

/ the daily texan staff

Gail Hoelzel as a member of Take Back Austin, while audience members supporting the homeless camping ordinance hold up signs, one reading “Take Back Austin = White Supremecy.”

The 2018 Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act review recently recommended that UT form a committee to develop goals on how to assess alcohol and drug use on campus.

This year’s review, which was sent last week in a campuswide email, encouraged the University to form a group that would create a strategic plan to support the health, safety and success of its students.

The review recommended that the committee focus on alcohol and drug-related activity within the campus community.

The biennial review is federally required to be completed and administered annually, said Edna Domínguez, assistant vice president for strategic initiatives in the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs. The review evaluates what educational and preventative programs the University has in place, policies and enforcement procedures, sanctions taken and recommendations for the future.

“The recommendation to the committee (is made) when we take the inventory of these programs across the University (and) make sure that we’re also gathering how we know they’re successful or not because ... the goal for assessment is continuous improvement,” Domínguez said. “So, are we building

on that?”

Dominguez said members have not been finalized yet, and the committee should be formed by January 2020. She said once the members have been selected, they will decide the committee’s future plans.

The review recommended that the committee consist of members from various organizations, including University Health Services, the Counseling and Mental Health Center and Student Government.

“We do want to include student voices, so I’m going to be reaching out to Student Government for that,” Domínguez said.

“There will be some academic programs as well because we do have programs across campus and academic departments.”

James Lee, co-president of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, said he thinks the recommendation is missing one key organization: SHIFT, a University initiative launched in September to change substance use culture on campus.

“If they are willing to really put people in those positions who have experience with this stuff, who know evidence-based practices for drug and alcohol-related stuff, then I think it could work out fantastically,” said Lee, philosophy and sociology senior. “It depends on how they frame it.”

SSDP co-president Allyson Todd said she also thinks other Austin-based organizations should be included, such as Texas Overdose Naloxone Initiative, Operation Naloxone,

Grassroots Leadership and Austin Harm Reduction Coalition.

“I think the committee could be beneficial in helping students so long as it is not fear and criminal-based but rather science, evidence (and) realistic-based,” Todd, an international relations and global studies and Latin American studies senior, said in an email. “If the committee is filled with police and UT representatives, it’s not going to give a holistic and realistic

view on what substance use looks like for students.”

Domínguez said assessment efforts are necessary to provide resources for students to be proactive since a large part of students’ health care takes place at UT. “The bottom line is to ensure that they’re educated about the risks of alcohol and drug abuse and how they can get help and how they can stay safe,” Domínguez said.

identify strategies for connecting people who are homeless with immediate help if possible.

During the meeting, Austin Police chief Brian Manley said he supports limiting public camping on sidewalks. He said there has been an increase in property and violent crime since the June ordinance that expanded where people could publicly camp.

“We do not have a public safety crisis, but we do have an issue with public order,” Manley said.

“We know that the encampments … seem to have grown in size and

substance … in places where they were not before.”

Jacob Porter, an associate at the law firm Dechert LLP, said the city should not reverse the June ordinance because it would go back to criminalizing homeless people.

“Being homeless is not a crime,” Porter said. “The law center thanks the city for these efforts to address the root cause of homelessness through positive, nonpunitive policies.”

Bill Brice, vice president of investor relations at the Downtown

Austin Alliance, said the city should ban camping on sidewalks and in areas around the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless.

“We believe that this … (is) not only good for downtown but good for the city as a whole,” Brice said. “Today, we have no more alternatives than we did June 20 that provide a real option for someone to go as opposed to camping on the street. It is not humane to allow people to languish on the street until they have a permanent unit.”

The changes to the ordinance will go into effect on Oct. 27.

ella williams

/ the daily texan staff

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wildfires, and creek beds.

“Council must help the community move forward past divisiveness by taking these actions now,” Kitchen said in a memo sent Tuesday. “We must refocus our discussion on solutions for our shared goals of housing while we compassionately address the health and safety concerns we hear from neighbors.”

The council indefinitely postponed two other ordinances that

NEWS

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

CAMPUS

jun yang

/ the daily texan staff

Psychology sophomore Anneli Garcia, left, and anthropology sophomore Jessica Seymour, right, navigate a wheelchair obstacle course during Disability Fest on Oct. 17, 2019 at William C. Powers Student Activity Center.

Disability Fest seeks to educate, raise awareness The event, held Thursday in the William C. Powers, Jr. Student Activity Center ballroom, featured booths and activities to The Disability Advocacy Stueducate attendees about mental dent Coalition hosted their health, chronic illnesses, mosecond annual Disability Fest bility-related disabilities, and to raise awareness and advisual and auditory disabilities. vocate for the experiences of “Just being able to acknowldisabled people. edge the experiences of different disabled people Just being able to acknowledge on campus (is important) because I think we the experiences of different tend to narrowly define disabled people on campus (is disability,” said Cole important) because I think we tend Glosser, the coalition’s to narrowly define disability.” outreach director and physical culture and COLE GLOSSER sports sophomore.

Naili Salehuddin, the disability advocacy student coalition’s outreach director DASC vice president and

By Cara Daeschner @CaraDaeschner

advertising sophomore, said she thinks everyone should be exposed to disability in some shape or form.

“First of all, our bodies are only temporarily abled, so you never know what’s going to happen to you,” Salehuddin said. “Then secondly, you never know who you are going to meet ... Maybe you have a coworker who is disabled. Well, if you are not exposed to the disability beforehand, how are you going to interact?”

Salehuddin said she hopes the event will help others be more aware and not see disability as a scary or patronizing thing. Instead, people can learn about what it’s like living with a

disability, she said.

Gabby Coelho, special education and Plan II senior, volunteered for the blind and visually impaired booth, where students wore masks and walked through a maze of chairs, bikes and other objects with and without a cane.

Coelho said she decided to volunteer because she cares about making education equitable for everyone.

“One of the most overlooked populations in our schools (are) students with disabilities, so that’s why I am in special education and why I am passionate about volunteering in causes that help to advocate and bring awareness to individuals with

disabilities,” Coelho said.

Elise Randall, a history and classics sophomore, said she is a student with a disability. Randall participated in the wheelchair obstacle course and said it was a lot more difficult than people may realize.

“You have to figure out how to turn,” Randall said. “You have to figure out how to get over bumps. It’s really difficult to wheel yourself.”

Randall said her biggest takeaway from the event was how different disabilities are on an individual level.

“A lot of disabilities are very varied,” Randall said. “It’s very different for each person.”

RESEARCH

UT, Baylor College of Medicine develop new thyroid cancer test

By Austin Martinez @austinmxrtinez

After her biopsy for thyroid cancer came back with inconclusive results, chemistry graduate student Amanda Helms was recommended to undergo surgery. Months of recovery and many medical bills later, Helms said she was told her surgery wasn’t necessary.

To prevent further unnecessary surgeries, researchers from UT and the Baylor College of Medicine developed a preoperative thyroid cancer test. Livia Eberlin, co-principal investigator and assistant professor of chemistry and diagnostic medicine, said the new test uses mass spectrometry imaging. The imaging identifies metabolites, or small molecules produced during metabolism, that are created by cancerous cells.

“Every 1 in 5 people who use the current diagnostic test for thyroid cancer gets inconclusive results,” Helms said. “I happened to be that

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one. I ended up not needing my surgery.”

Following her partial thyroid removal surgery, Helms said she had to wait eight months for her diagnostic results.

“It was half a year of waiting and agonizing over what the results would be,” Helms said. “With this new test, you can hear back in hours instead of days or weeks like I did, and less people will go through unnecessary surgeries.”

James Suliburk, test researcher and chief of endocrine surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, said the accuracy of diagnostic tests is important because partial thyroid removals are expensive, put patients at risk of needing thyroid hormone therapy and can cause surgical complications.

“Eighty percent to even 90% of these patients end up not having cancer, and therefore diagnostics surgery serves no purpose in terms of curing them of cancer,” Suliburk said.

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long-term population impact by reducing STD incidence and promoting sexual health,” Bolan said in the report.

UHS offers a list of off-campus locations where students can go to pick up free condoms to combat infection, a method that they

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of infections.

“It is imperative that federal, state, and local programs employ strategies that maximize

“Patients undergo all of these evaluations just because of uncertain biopsies.”

Eberlin said 50% of people will develop a thyroid nodule in their lifetime, meaning it is significant for an accurate diagnostic test to exist.

“We have all these patients undergoing extensive and life-altering surgical procedures to later find out they actually didn’t need them,” Eberlin said. “We hope to prevent many surgeries by providing a better diagnosis earlier and more accurately.”

Suliburk said he is glad Eberlin reached out to him to conduct research because the test will positively impact many patients.

“It’s been a fantastic, cooperative, collaborative effort across a couple of premier institutions,” Suliburk said. “Today’s demand for high-quality science that makes a difference in people’s everyday lives is huge.

Problems are also huge.

To solve those problems, collaboration must be the new competition.”

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everything they can to help that person out.”

While liquor law violation arrests have decreased and liquor law referrals have increased from 2016 to 2018, the report says drug abuse violation arrests have increased. Drug violation referrals spiked in 2017 and decreased the year after, according to the report.

Land said the rates not aligning for drug abuse vio-

ella williams

say is 98% effective at preventing STDs. They also offer STD testing for students regardless of insurance coverage.

A list of local government and nonprofit organizations geared toward providing free or lowcost testing options to students is

lations was “odd,” but they may be due to UTPD’s increased efforts to patrol areas surrounding campus.

“It’s probably having to do with our officers fielding more calls that aren’t just limited to the Forty Acres itself,” Land said. “That’s the most likely scenario I can think of.”

Texas has an alcohol amnesty law that protects minors from legal action in alcohol-related incidences, and UT’s amnesty policy protects students from disciplinary action for illegal substance-related emergencies, including

available on the UHS website.

Computer science sophomore Delaney Brown said she believes caring about one’s health isn’t wrong, so going to testing centers shouldn’t be treated like it is either.

“People treat it like it’s wrong to

drugs and alcohol. Land said UTPD can pursue cases through the University rather than criminally.

“If we come into contact with a student who has possession of marijuana and it’s a small amount and it’s something that we think is best handled administratively, we can refer them to Student Conduct or to Student Emergency Services,” Land said.

“If we’ve got an option that keeps the community safe and pursues those cases in a way that potentially has better outcomes than pursuing it through the criminal justice system,then we will take

/ the daily texan staff

get tested even if you don’t have an infection, but places like the Kind Clinic that offer not only free testing but open up a dialogue about sexual wellness really make you feel like it’s OK to get these checkups,” Brown said. “It’s OK to look out for yourself.”

that option.”

Chemistry senior Michelle Lopez said while it is good that students can be taken to the Sobering Center for alcohol-related incidents, there should be more support for students in drug-related incidents.

“I wish there was something like that for drug violations so (police wouldn’t) write everyone up for it, especially if they’re students,” Lopez said. “I’m sure a good amount of students have tried pot at UT, and I don’t think that writing them up is going to help them or the issue.”

Mark Smith, associate professor of American studies

and history, said he has called for additional campus resources for drug abuse in the past, but they were not implemented.

He said many drugs are more dangerous than they used to be because people can create new, stronger versions of existing criminalized drugs.

“Some of the drugs that are being used … can often be ordered on the internet because they’re not officially illegal yet,” Smith said. “You can’t keep up with that. If you criminalize one, then the next one is just another chemical bond away.”

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SPENCER BUCKNER

Editor-In-Chief | @THEDAILYTEXAN

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

COLUMN

OPINION

gianna shahdad | the daily texan staff

UT MRI research must require radiologist review for participants

By Neha Dronamraju Columnist

As a research assistant for a brain study, I had to get a test MRI. My scan went smoothly, but I still experienced some anxiety during the process. One of my panicked thoughts took me to the possibility of an aneurysm. What if I have one and it ruptures in these 30 minutes? I realized that my graduate superiors, even though they are accomplished researchers, are not health care professionals and would not be able to recognize my hypothetical brain injury.

Mental illness is often accompanied by other health issues, and the actual participants of these brain studies could have an undetected brain complication. If they do, my scanning team could easily send them home without alerting them to a concerning scan because we are not medical professionals.

All UT research with any kind of scanning protocol should involve a medical professional. A radiologist should be present while the scan is taking place and should review it after to see if there are any possible injurious or life-threatening complications the participant may be unaware of.

A 2016 Brain and Behavior study

assessed participants’ interest and needs and the feasibility of a radiologist reviewing their brain scans.

The study found that 34% of scans showed abnormalities of varying severities, and 2.5% of them required immediate medical attention. It also found that involving a radiologist would be expensive but feasible at most academic and medical institutions.

The University is neglecting potential undetected health problems in the large population of human research subects.”

As of right now, UT only requires a radiologist review of clinical research scans, or scans that are done on populations with physical brain injuries. If this policy isn’t expanded to research scans done on mentally ill participants as well, the University is neglecting potential undetected health problems in the large population of human research subjects and participants.

Michelle Stickler, the assistant vice president for research and director of the Office of Research Support and Compliance, outlined the existing guidelines and implications of requiring a radiologist review.

“We don’t mandate that a radiologist be present across the board, especially for academic research targeting physically healthy populations, because we haven’t seen a need,” Stickler said, “Having a radiologist present would be feasible, but resource intensive.”

Researchers are not federally required to have nonclinical scans reviewed by a radiologist in the United States. But the practice of reviewing MRI research scans can be seen as an ethical necessity. UT should also implement this policy to avoid missing critical incidental findings on participants’ scans.

While the occurrence of incidental findings in academic research conducted on campus might be rare, the prospect itself warrants investing resources to have every research scan reviewed by a radiologist. UT should universalize this policy across all University research studies that involve brain scans to transcend any ethical gray area surrounding neglect of participant health.

Dronamraju is a public health sophomore from Dallas.

COLUMN

COLUMN

UT needs to plant more trees to help with student stress

UT evacuation alarms need to be more specific for safety

By Anna Marlatt Columnist

Deemed one of the top public universities in the United States, UT has students who strive to live up to Texans’ expectations. It is no wonder that with résumé building, working and studying, students are forced to put their mental health on the back burner.

To help alleviate the symptoms of stress and anxiety students may be facing, UT should plant more trees and gardens on campus.

This project would help students relax in a natural environment.

The symptoms of stress and anxiety permeate the student body. In a 2017 study, 86 percent of students reported feeling overwhelmed in the last 12 months. Fifty-seven percent felt overwhelming anxiety. Stress can have a physical affect too — chronic stress is linked to the six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide.

However, staying in touch with the natural environment can actually reverse the physiological ailments of stress. While stress weakens the immune system, spending time outdoors increases the number of cells in our bodies responsible for fighting off disease.

Furthermore, spending time outdoors offers students a mental break from their highly urbanized surroundings.

“Usually when it’s nice outside, it clears my head,” psychology freshman Aviery Boone said.

“When I’m outside, I can appreciate the quiet, natural world. It isn’t hectic like my normal routine.”

Currently, the UT campus lacks this valued connection to nature. Students often struggle to find study spots that aren’t gloomy and cold.

“I will never study in the (Perry-Castañeda Library) again because it makes me feel sad,” said Kelly Choi, government sophomore and Student Government Mental Health Agency co-director.

“The lighting, the overworked students — it’s just bad vibes.”

Through an elevated exposure to nature, students can achieve a level of serenity uncommon in today’s world. There are several ways the University can provide this to students.

First, UT can improve students’ access to greenery by increasing the amount of gardens on campus. Currently, gardens are hidden in pockets inaccessible to most students. One example that comes to mind is the pollination garden. Tucked behind Jester Center, few students can appreciate this gem provided by UT Farm Stand.

In addition, planting more trees would increase students’ exposure to nature. Increasing the number of trees on campus would improve areas where they are sparse around campus.

“There should be so many trees that you can go and escape into them and find a sense of peace and joy in observing them as they develop and grow,” biology freshman Mackenzie Boaze said.

Funding these projects isn’t as complicated as you might think. It is the responsibility of Financial and Administrative Services to finance any landscaping changes, such as planting more trees and gardens. Students don’t need to raise money or plant on their own. They simply need to reach out to those who work for FAS and communicate the change they wish to see — whether the issue of physical and mental health is considered or not.

“We have identified potential areas for tree planting, but these have not yet been vetted for conflicts with existing utilities,” James Carse, UT Landscape Services manager, said via email. “On Dean Keeton, possible sites are the south side of the street west of Red River along the hill, the Law Complex street frontage and the (Chemical and Petroleum Engineering building) street frontage.

On north Speedway, the hillside at the Speedway Garage has potential.”

UT Landscape Services is currently working on the garden beds on the north side of Sid Richardson Hall and is developing a redesign for the western beds of San Jacinto Residence Hall to implement this winter. It is also exploring the possibility of adding more gardens of this type with Bee Campus USA in the near future.

With potential areas already mapped out, it seems a campus more enriched by nature is in the works. The Student Government Mental Health Agency hopes to advocate for more trees in the potential areas mentioned by Carse at the upcoming 2020 assembly.

Marlatt is an international relations and global studies freshman from Missouri City.

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.

you can take action ... not specifically on what’s happening.”

However, the vagueness of the alerts is exactly what stops me from knowing how to take action. I have a hard time focusing “ATTENTION: AN EMERGENCY SITUon what I’m supposed to do when I have no ATION HAS BEEN DETECTED. PLEASE details about the emergency.

EVACUATE THE BUILDING.” English senior Bee Whitehead agreed After almost three semesters at UT, I that the vagueness of the voice alarm sysknow I should no longer be panicked by the tem does more harm than good. Last week, alerts. A couple of words should not overWhitehead was in the Union when she had whelm me with such anxiety that I struggle to evacuate after a fire alarm was pulled. to breathe. However, no matter how many “My first thoughts were, ‘Oh, wasn’t there times I hear it, the vagueness of the messomebody that just threatened to shoot the sage always makes me fear for the worst. school?” Whitehead said. “‘What if it’s him?

As a student who has grown up in the midst Oh, what if it was something else? What if it’s of a national school shoota bomb threat?’ It sounded ing epidemic, ‘“emergenlike something much worse cy situation” carries a lot than a fire alarm. If I had of weight. I’m tired of not known it was a fire alarm, knowing how scared for I have a hard time I could have been like, ‘OK, my life I need to be during I don’t see a fire near me. focusing on what a crisis.

There’s the exit right there.

To prevent triggering I can just calmly walk out.’

I’m supposed to students, UT should utiWhereas if it was somedo when I have no lize their audible messagthing else, I could have insight about ing system to send more known if I needed to hide specific alerts during or something.” the emergency.” emergency situations.

Whitehead’s fears are not The emergency alarm unfounded. In 2016, a study system at UT is managed done by Citizens Crime by the Office of Emergency Preparedness.

Commission of New York City found that According to the director of the department there was a 153 percent increase in shooting Jonathan Robb, the audible messaging incidents from 2001-2002 to 2005-2006 alerts are connected to the fire alarm comcompared to 2011-2012 to 2015-2016. Admunication network. From their dispatch ditionally, they found that over half of colcenter, the office can send alerts along the lege campus shootings occur in the South. fire alarm system in the buildings.

Seeing that UT once held the record for the While the alerts can be the usual vague deadliest mass shooting in the country, stuprerecorded message, this system also aldents are justified in their fear. lows for individualized audible messagThe Office of Emergency Preparedness ing. Dispatchers could instead alert the should use their audible messaging reUT community to exactly what is happensources to help students during situations ing during an emergency event. Despite that could otherwise trigger panicked emothis, customized alerts are only sent out on tions. By specifying the emergency, UT rare occasions. can aid in the creation of a more safe and “Mostly what we try to do is kind of secure environment. generalize,” Robb said. “We want you to Lopez is a rhetoric and writing focus on what you’re supposed to do so sophomore from Nederland, Texas.

By Hannah Lopez Columnist

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SPORTS

5

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

TRACK & XC

eddie gaspar

/ the daily texan staff

Senior Destiny Collins runs in the distance medley relay at Texas Relays on March 30, 2019. Collins was edged by teammate Kathryn Gillespie in their last 6k.

Cross country to face top competition Women’s team heads to College Station for Invitational

By Sam Bellessa & Emily Barton

@SamBellessa @emily_barton1

exas women’s cross country will reignite the famous instate rivalry with Texas A&M when it

travels to College Station, Texas, to compete in the Arturo Barrios Invitational on Saturday. It will be the final meet for the Longhorns before the Big 12 Championship on Nov. 2.

The race this weekend will be the first 6k for the Longhorns since Sept. 28 at the Bill Dellinger Invitational in Springfield, Oregon, where the team finished seventh overall. Senior Kathryn Gillespie was the Longhorns’ top finisher, posting a time of 20:34.2 to beat out fellow Longhorn senior Destiny Collins by a tenth of a second.

Both times were impressive.

However, the Horns will have some serious competition in College Station. Several ranked teams will make up the field this weekend, including Texas A&M, California Baptist University, Florida and LSU. The Gators are the defending champions of the invitational, and both Cal Baptist and Florida have runners who have posted faster times in the 6k event than Gillespie and Collins this season.

Texas is no stranger to performing in College Station. In 2018, Collins finished fourth overall in the 6k, and Texas came away fourth on the leaderboard as well.

Texas is coming off of a second overall finish in the 5k two weeks ago at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Texas women’s distance coach PattiSue Plumer said the second-place finish was “a good springboard for championship season.” The end of October is a crucial time for the team as it decides who’s going to make it into November.

With less than a month before the Big 12 Championship on Nov. 2 and the South Central Region Championship on Nov. 15, Texas will get a chance to measure its strength against competition it

BASKETBALL

basketball continues from page

7

so I can focus on what needs to get done.”

When their college careers are done, all three players hope

to move on to the NBA. But in the case that none of the players make it to the highest level of basketball, each has a backup plan.

“I would want to be an investment broker,” Jones said. “I want to study

business here, and I’m working on that currently, taking Hickenbottom’s economics class.

It’s a grind, but that is definitely what I’d want to do.”

Any freshman has to make adjustments heading to college and have to start thinking

about life after college, and it is important to realize that student-athletes are no different.

Baker, Jones and Williams, as their collegiate athletics careers are set to begin, have entered into the same world as every other freshman on campus.

will be facing shortly. Of the teams competing this weekend in College Station, 16 are from the South Central Region and four are from the Big 12.

The Longhorns are currently ranked No. 2 in the South Central Region. If they are able to keep up that positioning, it will mean they will get an automatic bid to the NCAA championship in late November.

As far as the Longhorns being able to compete for a championship, “They decide,” Plumer said.

“If they can do it, we take them.

We’re super capable and they deserve to be there.”

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jack myer

/ the daily texan staff

From left to right, Texas basketball head coach Shaka Smart, freshmen Will Baker, Kai Jones and Donovan Williams talk at Tejas coffee on Oct. 11.

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CHANNING MILLER & LAUREN IBANEZ

Comics Editors| @THEDAILYTEXAN

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

COMICS

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Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

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of Longhorns arrange for a safe ride home at the end of the night if they decide to drink. @UTBruceTheBat 2019 UT Austin National Social Norms Center Survey

7

D O N N AVA N S M O O T

Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

FOOTBALL

ryan lam

/ the daily texan staff

Oklahoma graduate transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts breaks free in Texas’ 34-27 loss to the Sooners last weekend. It was Texas’ second loss this season, moving its record to 4–2.

Longhorns try to flip script With the loss to Oklahoma behind them, Texas will look to rebound at home Saturday against Kansas.

By Daniela Perez @danielap3rez

he Longhorns look to redeem themselves against the Kansas Jayhawks (2–4) this Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium following last week’s loss to Oklahoma. Considered 21-point favorites in the matchup, this game will give Texas an opportunity to shake off last week’s performance.

Although their chances of winning are high, the Longhorns are still not taking this week lightly. Players and coaches pointed toward Kansas’ defense and sophomore running back Pooka Williams, but are still focused on fixing last week’s mistakes.

“We all know what happened Saturday, and it wasn’t the results that we wanted,” senior center Zach Shackelford said. “But, you know, we can’t do anything about it now, so we’re going to get back to work and focus on Kansas and learn from the mistakes we made and get better from it.”

The Kansas defense has allowed 178 points in their first five games, and Kansas currently at the bottom of the Big 12 rankings with an 0–3 conference record. But Texas offensive coordinator Tim Beck is still not taking their defense for granted, especially the safeties. Kansas senior safety Bryce Torneden currently leads the team with 43 total tackles while senior safety Jeremiah McCullough was one of two players to register six total tackles against the Sooners.

“I think up front, they do a really good job,” Beck said. “I think their three guys and their Okie front do a really good job, they’re quick off the ball, physical, play with their hands. I like their secondary. I think their safeties are big-time. They do a really good job. They’re much improved.”

joshua guenther

/ the daily texan staff

Junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger tries to avoid pressure in Texas’ 34-27 loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. Ehlinger took nine sacks and threw for 210 yards with two total touchdowns in the loss.

Sophomore linebacker Joseph Ossai also pointed to Williams, who has rushed for a net of 445 yards and has tallied one touchdown.

Ossai said Williams stood out on tape.

“Their running back is explosive,” Ossai said. “He’s great. He can make people miss.

I’ve only really watched their running tape, and he’s doing amazing from what I’ve seen.”

However, this week is an opportunity for Texas to plug holes that were exposed during its game against Oklahoma. Both the defense and offense played a part in the loss, and players and coaches are hoping to fix these mistakes.

Senior safety Brandon Jones sees an

opportunity for Texas’ secondary to learn to be more situationally proactive against offenses.

“I think as a defense we need to be able to be able to attack the situation before it gets to that point … before it’s noticeable, before that it happens multiple times and (becomes) something that occurs often,” Jones said.

Offensive coordinator Tim Beck feels his offense also needs to be more proactive. Against Oklahoma, he felt players were waiting for others to step up and make plays. Beck said once one player makes a play, the spark and confidence will come back to the offensive line.

Texas’ game against Kansas is an opportunity to fix problems before it faces TCU and Baylor in the coming weeks.

Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando said the team must remember its fundamentals in order to succeed in the future.

“The biggest thing I’ll continue to say is, ‘Fight, man,’” Orlando said. “Stuff gets really, really hard when there’s (outside noise). There’s only one thing to do, and that’s to work harder. We’ve talked a whole bunch about how do we dig ourselves out or and just go back to what we know, and what we know is how to do things the right way and scratch and claw and fight.”

BASKETBALL

Freshmen basketball players try to acclimate in first semester

By Wills Layton @willsdebeast

For most freshmen joining the University of Texas, the adjustment can be difficult. A 437-acre campus, dorm living, time management and other factors make it challenging for students to develop a routine and get comfortable. For the freshmen of the Texas basketball team, that challenge isn’t any different.

This past year, Texas picked up a five-star commit in Will Baker, and four-star commits Kai Jones and Donovan Williams. Baker and Williams are native Texans, while Jones is an out-of-state recruit for

the team.

“I’m from Nassau, Bahamas, and I take a lot of pride in that,” Jones said at Tejas coffee on Oct. 11. Jones, Baker, Wiliams and head coach Shaka Smart spoke at the event. “I actually didn’t start playing basketball until two or three years ago. I was a track athlete and did triple jump and then high jump. Then I hit a growth spurt and I started to work hard at basketball.”

Considering how busy studentathletes are with a schedule that rotates around being a full-time student and a Division I athlete, the adjustment has been big from high school living.

“In high school you would have

off periods and you’d go to practice and then have the rest of the evening off,” Williams said. “Here, you wake up when it’s dark, and you go back to your room when it’s dark. The only free time you have is the time you take walking from one thing to the next.”

Additionally, the sheer size of campus has already made timing difficult, as it does for many firstyear students. Learning when to leave for class to make it there on time is a struggle that is not unique to non-athletes.

“In high school if I had a commitment at 8, I could leave the dorm at 7:45,” Jones said. “Here, everything is so stretched out and I’m

still getting my surroundings, so I don’t know how long it takes to walk anywhere. When I first got here we had a 7:30 workout, so I woke up at 5:00 and left my dorm at 6:00 just in case.”

It will probably take time before the players make a complete adjustment to being a college student, but with the first game of the season looming Nov. 5, they will have to adjust to being a college athlete quickly.

“We have a saying about freshmen,” head coach Shaka Smart said.

“They don’t know the difference between ‘something’ and a hole in the ground. These guys don’t know how to prepare for a game yet, so before

we play our first game, they will be taught.”

While they may not know how to prepare for a game as a Longhorn, each player has a different way of preparing for game day that they developed during high school. Some enjoy getting themselves hyped up and feed off the energy of the locker room. Others prefer a more laidback approach.

“I try to stay calm and make sure I’ve got the right fuel in me, but not too close to the game,” Baker said.

“I just listen to my music. I’m pretty quiet before games, but I try to keep my mind right and pray a little bit BASKETBALL

PAGE 5

8

J O R DY N Z I T M A N

Life&Arts Editor | @JORDYNZITMAN

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

STUDENT LIFE

LIFE&ARTS Q&A

Actor, director of ‘Zombieland: Double Tap’ talk new sequel at Austin premiere

By Noah Levine @ZProductionz

Audiences stepped foot into “Zombieland” in 2009, and a decade later the original cast and director have returned to the iconic undead stomping ground.

To celebrate the release of “Zombieland: Double Tap,” The Daily Texan attended a 15-minute roundtable interview with actor Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network”) and director Ruben Fleischer (“Venom”) to discuss all things Zombieland.

Daily Texan: With the onslaught of zombie-related content since 2009 like “The Walking Dead,” how did you aim to keep “Zombieland: Double Tap” feeling fresh?

barb daly

/ the daily texan staff

Students discuss staying safe abroad

Female students use the buddy system, location sharing to keep themselves out of danger.

By Ariana Arredondo @arixgraciela

ights flash and the bass of the music vibrates throughout an Italian club as Sara Packard suddenly feels her hair being pulled from behind. When she turns around, she’s face to face with an agitated Italian man. As he yells at her in rapid-fire Italian, her basic knowledge of the language fails her as she tries to reason with him.

“It was crazy,” Packard said. “I was like, ‘I don’t even know what you’re saying.’”

As he turned to leave, he threw his drink in her face and she was left alone, confused and stunned by the encounter.

Threats of danger exist in any city, but while studying abroad, language barriers can inhibit communication. Cultural unfamiliarity can amplify these situations.

Sara Packard, communication sciences and disorders junior, said she had multiple experiences that made her feel unsafe during her Maymester in Milan, Italy. She went abroad after her freshman year and said there were times when the people she encountered made her feel uneasy.

The language barrier, Packard said, is what makes these situations abroad more difficult to navigate.

“It’s just hard to compare a country where you’re not familiar with the language and you feel a tad less comfortable.

If some dude is yelling at me (in America), at least I understand (and can respond to) them,” Packard said.

Journalism associate professor Katherine Dawson leads a study abroad trip every year to London. Dawson said these threatening encounters can happen both abroad and in domestic cities, and it’s unfortunate that her female students have to take extra precautions.

“Safety is probably the number one concern for us women,” Dawson said. “We inherently have a feeling of vulnerability.”

Dawson said holding perpetrators accountable for the role they play in creating intimidating circumstances for women abroad is a key part of addressing the problem. Dawson advises her students to be aware of their surroundings at all times and participate in self-defense classes.

Female students can take other

precautions to ensure their safety, Dawson said, including sharing their locations with friends and avoiding unsafe areas after dark.

As a precaution, Jalesha Bass, journalism and communications and leadership junior, utilized the buddy system while studying in Beijing, China. But that didn’t prevent her from feeling uncomfortable in certain situations.

“You feel ostracized as a black person,” Bass said. “‘Locals all run up on you, trying to take pictures with you, recording you (with) cameras on their phones.

They would stand in line to take pictures with me.”

During the summer of 2019, journalism senior Laura Laughead was studying abroad in London and decided to visit Paris with a couple of her friends when she was pickpocketed on a subway.

“I looked down in my purse, and it was wide open,” Laughead said. “My heart leaped out of my chest and I thought, ‘Oh my god, oh my god.” I reached down and my wallet was gone.”

Despite having had experiences that left them feeling uncomfortable or unsafe, Bass, Packard and Laughead each emphasized the positive impact of their time abroad such as allowing them to get exposure to new cultures.

“The world can be scary, but that’s no reason for you to deprive yourself of experiences that can change your life.”

Laughead said.

Ruben Fleischer: I say this sincerely, I kind of had blinders on to everything else. I didn’t watch much of (other zombie content). For us, the touchstone was the original movie and just wanting to honor that.

There’s a little nod in the film to “The Walking Dead,” but other than that acknowledgment, our focus was truly capturing the spirit and magic of the first one and letting that be our guiding light and not worrying too much about what other people were up to.

DT: Do you have any advice for aspiring filmmakers or actors?

Jesse Eisenberg: Acting is an incredibly competitive field with no direct path. You don’t have to get a degree in order to excel in it, so there’s no really clear way to do it. My advice is understand fully how difficult it is and to study something else. I studied anthropology in college and

would be happy teaching anthropology because it’s a passion of mine. Also, you have to really love doing it for free because most likely when you start you’re gonna be doing it for free for a long time.

RF: There’s no excuse not to be making stuff because you have all the tools in that one phone in a way that I never did. I was a history major in college with no intention to become a director. And like Jesse said, there’s no path. If you do want to be a director, in addition to making stuff, get access to sets and work on films. (Filmmaking is) a craft that you can learn by watching other people. Hopefully by doing this yourself and learning from others, you can build a reel and show your work to people.

DT: As an actor, what is it like to play so many extremely versatile roles like Mark Zuckerberg, Lex Luthor and now back to Columbus from the 2009 film?

JE: It’s the great joy of my job. One of the things they tell actors who go to acting school for is (to learn how to) play characters you’ll never actually get cast for. Explore your own creativity before you go out into the world and just get cast as the same (type of role). If you’re getting to act in a superhero movie as the villain or something, you’re getting to do that thing that you always got to do in acting class and never thought you’d get to do (for a job). I kind of suspected I would (play) a character like the character in “Zombieland” because it’s kind of similar to me … but then when I got to (play meaner characters), it was exhilarating.

copyright columbia pictures, and reproduced with permission

“Zombieland: Double Tap” premiered Oct. 18, 2019. The sequel comes 10 years after the release of “Zombieland.”

CAMPUS

Students to participate in Texas National Period Day rally

By Mackenzie Dyer @mackdyerr

This weekend, hundreds of people dressed in red will storm Republic Square with signs demanding “No tax” and asking, “When did bleeding become a luxury?”

This rally will be one of many across the United States in honor of National Period Day. “We want to end the tampon tax,” said Alexa Atkinson, public relations and digital marketing senior at Texas State University. “All menstrual products are taxed, and tampons are considered a luxury item when Viagra is considered a tax-exempt medical necessity. It shouldn’t be like that.”

On Oct. 19, Atkinson, Periods United and Sunday Bloody Sunday founder — along with Period.

Inc., PERIOD Dallas, Deeds Not Words and nine other organizations — will host the Texas National Period Day rally. Their goal is to elevate the issue of period poverty, demand policy change to make period products more accessible, and to end the Tampon Tax. Atkinson said they encourage everyone — even those who don’t menstruate — to attend, bring posters and wear red.

“Simply put, menstrual hygiene is a right, not a privilege,” Atkinson said.

As of 2019, 35 U.S. States still have a sales tax on period products and consider them nonessential items, Atkinson said. Due to lack of income, 1 in 4 women struggle to afford period products. In February 2019, the first St. Louis citywide study on period poverty conducted by two universities found that 46% of low-income women are forced to choose between purchasing a meal or period products.

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“Because of the period stigma that makes menstruation a taboo topic, we don’t often think about what it’s like for a homeless or low-income person who menstruates to get their period,” said Emily Zhou, co-president of the Period ATX chapter at UT. “(We) don’t have open

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thedailytexan.com

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conversations about period health or solutions to period poverty.”

The rally organizers in Austin call themselves the “Menstrual Movement” and believe it is a fundamental human right for menstruators to have the opportunity to

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succeed regardless of their natural needs, Zhou said.

Her goal is to fight for equitable access to menstrual hygiene and to break down the stigma around periods. Unlike most poverty problems, Zhou said, this one is solvable. She believes the responsibility is on everyone to take action now so that no one else has to suffer due to a lack of access to menstrual products.

Atkinson is also partnering with UT Women’s Resource Agency and UT-Austin Deeds Not Words to bring free menstrual products to campus through a petition, which now has more than 930 signatures.

“Offering free menstrual products at UT would have a positive impact on at least half of the student body,” Atkinson said. “A large majority of people start their periods outside the comfort of their own home without the proper hygiene products needed.”

In 2016, a New York City Public School study reported that class attendance could increase by 2.4% as a result of offering free menstrual products, said Andrea Elizondo, Period ATX rally organizer.

Because some students struggle to purchase menstrual products due to limited finances, Elizondo said she hopes the rally on Saturday creates a legislative conversation around period prejudice.

“Menstruation should not limit educational opportunities,” Elizondo said. “This creates a discriminatory barrier to education for those who menstruate. So yes, even periods are political.”

@TheDailyTexan