Serving The University Of Texas At Austin Community Since 1900 @thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Volume 121, Issue 51
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
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PAGE 8
The United States Army delivered a new robotic vehicle to the University this fall.
UT’s archaeological laboratory should return ancestral remains to indigenous groups.
Having difficulty with your foreign language classes? A movie or two could help.
Players from the Texas offense discuss the final scoring drive against Kansas.
SG
UNIVERSITY
SG proposes bill to halt fast-tracking legislation in meetings By Neelam Bohra @neelambohratx
A Student Government member introduced a bill to eliminate fast-tracking from its code of rules during its meeting Tuesday. Proposed legislation normally goes to a committee where members may discuss and amend it before the assembly votes on it. Fast-tracking, which SG has done twice this semester, allows members to propose and vote on legislation within the same meeting. Zachary Pisarski, a Cockrell School of Engineering representative, said he authored the bill because he believes SG needs to spend days discussing legislation before voting on it. He said it is strange that there is fast-tracking in SG when there’s no fast-tracking in “real government.” “I don’t feel like anyone needs SG for anything,” chemical engineering senior Pisarski said. “From the time constraint aspect, it’s not like something will fall apart if we don’t say anything about it. There’s a certain process of introducing things, asking questions, debating, discussing and looking at things from multiple perspectives.” The two fast-tracked resolutions involved Austin City Council votes on Riverside redevelopment and Austin homelessness. SG Supreme Court is expected to declare the resolution, which expressed support for Austin’s homeless population, as unconstitutional because SG incorrectly fast-tracked it, said Jakob Lucas, speaker of
helen brown
/ the daily texan file
UT expands child care program Child Development Center plans to alleviate 650-person waiting list by adding 40 spots. By Lauren Grobe
@grobe_lauren
here are currently 650 children on the waitlist for UT child care. The University’s Child Development Center plans to alleviate the waiting list by adding 40 more spots in May 2020. Program director Hara Cootes said the center plans to expand their newest location at Lavaca Street through a partnership with the state government, with an emphasis on adding more classroom space for children under 2 years old. The center was built in 1991 to provide child care to University students, staff and faculty,
according to their website. Brian Evans, chair of the University Faculty Council, said faculty have been concerned with the lack of access to child care for those on campus and has worked with the center to implement expansions. Evans said the concerns were brought up in a staff meeting last June, when the waiting list for the center had 534 infants, 94 toddlers and eight 4-year-olds. “At this time of year, we have a lot of families who’ve gotten off the waiting list,” Cootes said. “Our waiting list numbers are a little lower now than they might be if you were to call me in March.” The newest child care campus was given to the center for free four years ago and is shared between University and government employees, she said. “We split the spaces,” Cootes said. “The opportunity was too big to pass up.” Cootes said it is not impossible to enroll a child to the center. The wait for older children, such as age three to four, is much shorter. “I got a call (Thursday) about a family
who’s at UT who would like care for a 4-year-old, and they (enrolled) Monday,” Cootes said. Paige Kubenka, rhetoric and writing senior, said she saw student parents struggling to get their children enrolled while she was the president of Horns for Life. “One mentioned that she had placed her child on the waiting list at the UT Child Development Center as soon as she could and still hadn’t gotten off over a year later,” Kubenka said. Kubenka said student parents usually have fewer resources than staff or faculty and struggle to find child care in Austin. “Parenting students need child care, while they are in class at the minimum, and often they do not have friends or relatives who can help,” Kubenka said. Cootes said University students, staff and faculty are all given equal priority when applying to the center and that they only serve the UT community. “It’s always been that way,” Cootes said. C H I L D C A R E PAGE 3
S G PAGE 3 CITY
CITY
Austin parking app charges users for months of missed fees
Sidewalk installment rules may provide better access
By Graysen Golter
An Austin parking app began charging customers last week for months of delayed transactions. Park ATX could not properly charge all customers for their parking fees because the app was in a testing phase for improvements at the time, said Jason Redfern, Austin Transportation’s Parking Enterprise division manager. In a statement made on Oct. 15 by app developer Passport, spokesperson Elizabeth Strickert said the missed fees occurred from July to September and affected less than 20% of customers. According to the Austin American-Statesman, the developers did not charge users around $500,000. “We sincerely apologize for any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused,” Strickert said in the statement. “Users may see multiple charges appear on their statements. Rest assured, we’ve verified that these are all authorized charges reflecting each individual wallet load transaction during the affected time.” Redfern said the error had nothing to do with the recent increase in parking meter rates to $2 per hour. He said the Austin Transportation Department should have charged the missed fees before or after the increase. There is not much Austin Transportation Department or Passport can do to prevent similar errors in the future, but a quick response time to customers would help solve the problem, Redfern said. Redfern said the errors should not deter people from using the app and other paid transportation resources over traditional parking methods. He said there are many advantages of Park ATX, such as a feature that allows customers
shouldn’t be that easy to just pay off putting in a sidewalk where it would make the area safer to navigate.” If the changes pass, city perA potential revision to the mit directors will assess whethAustin Land Development Code er or not a sidewalk installment will make it harder for building can be waived by considering developers to waive requirehow close it is to places such as ments for building sidewalks univerisites and libraries. They near high-traffic public areas, will also consider whether or not including West Campus. sidewalks are likely to be built in A city task force released a rethe future, according to the code vised version of the Land Develrevision draft. opment Code this month, which “Ultimately, it’s about making includes provisions on sidewalk the spaces safer construction and for pedestrians,” zoning requiresaid Erica Leak, ments. If passed, the head of Austhe code revision tin’s Housing will make the city Policy division permit directors and member of more responsithe draft’s polible than develcy development opers for decidteam. “Having a ing if building a more walkable sidewalk will be area means it’s required during easier to actually construction. use your neighAccording to borhood and the current code, LACY PATTERSON should build up sidewalk instalteam member the community lation with a around it.” building permit Leak said the changes make can currently be waived by develthe city more responsible for opers for an equal fee if certain improving the walkability of requirements were met. These neighborhoods. She said the acrequirements include having a countability of city workers in the block with a sidewalk on less than development process will help 50% of its space. keep residents’ interests ahead “Obviously, you don’t want to of developers. build a sidewalk where there ar“We’ve thought this through en’t going to be that many peofor a long time and talked to a lot ple walking,” said Lacy Patterof people about what they wanted son, a Land Development Draft out of this draft,” Leak said. “It team member. “With areas of heavy foot traffic, though, it’s a completely different story. It S I D E W A L K PAGE 3 By Sara Johnson
@graysen_golter
@skjohn1999
It shouldn’t be that easy to just pay off putting in a sidewalk where it would make the area safer to navigate.”
lauren ibanez
to only pay for needed parking time and the ability to map out parking zones and time limits. “We really want people … to trust (the) mobile payment solution,” Redfern said. “I’m surprised more people aren’t already on it, (but) that will happen in time as people get more familiar with our parking system.” Transportation engineering professor Kara Kockelman said Austin can solve the lack of parking spaces and
/ the daily texan staff
traffic congestion by expanding on technology similar to the Park ATX app. She said the data collected from transportation apps could lead to changes, such as adjusting parking meter rates based on time of day and special events. “The nice thing about an app is it can, in real time, reflect (traffic data),” Kockelman said. “That’s the kind of perfect world where you can reserve what you need to because you’re in a rush or something.”