Serving The University Of Texas At Austin Community Since 1900 @thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Volume 121, Issue 65
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
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UT revives rivalry with Texas A&M by competing in cycling challenge.
UT must remove UTC’s upholstered seating to prevent future bed bug outbreaks.
Students make and sell tamales to pay bills and cover educational costs.
Texas looks to carry its newfound momentum into Ames for a game against Iowa State.
UNIVERSITY
UT to offer new course on autism taught in Spanish By Nataleah Small @nataleahjoy
UT’s Special Education Department will offer its first course taught entirely in a foreign language next semester. Mark O’Reilly, special education department chair, said the department will teach the course, known as Autism Spectrum Disorders: Perceptions and Realities, in Spanish. During the course, O’Reilly said students will learn about diagnosing autism spectrum
If we say the goal is parent training and there’s a communication barrier, then you can’t reach all of the cultural perspectives and the goals the parents need.” VARGAS LONDOÑO graduate student
disorders, resources for individuals with ASD and best practices regarding assessment and intervention. Course instructor Fabiola Vargas Londoño said she noticed language as a barrier to intervention therapies during her clinical work. Vargas Londoño, a special education graduate student, said Spanish speaking families that wanted services in Spanish needed to wait longer because she was the only Spanish-speaking Board Certified Behavior Analyst on staff. “If we say the goal is parent training and there’s a communication barrier, then you can’t
UNIVERSITY
Science curriculum changes Faculty council to relax science core curriculum, allowing students to take 9 hours of science in any field. By Neelam Bohra @neelambohratx
aculty Council relaxed science core curriculum requirements for the 202021 catalogue at its meeting Monday. The council unanimously voted to allow students to take nine hours of science in any field to fulfill their core requirements. The change will take effect in fall 2020, according to the Office of the Registrar. Before this decision, the core curriculum required all students to take six hours of science in the same field of study and another three hours in a separate field. During the meeting, council member Lorenzo Sadun said at least six of the nine hours have to be science courses, but the remaining three could be from the list of technology courses. He said the University has required students to take six hours of science in the same field since 1955. “An associate dean in the College of Natural Sciences raised the question in a meeting, asking, ‘Why do we have this?’ And we said, ‘We don’t know,’” mathematics professor Sadun said. “We went back to (the College of) Natural Sciences and asked around, and no one could give any reason for having that rule.” Sadun said the Educational
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Policy Committee decided the requirement does not work for students. He said it causes issues for advisors and scheduling because finding paired science classes for nonscience majors is hard. “Working toward depth and breadth is a good idea, but the consensus was it doesn’t work out,” Sadun said. “The rule you had to take at least two in one area wasn’t working because the pairings were a mess, and the consensus was (to) just get rid of the rule (because) it’s obsolete.” The previous rule said students couldn’t take all nine hours of science in the same
We went back to (the College of) Natural Sciences and asked around, and no one could give any reason for having that rule.” LORENZO SADUN math professor
field. Sadun said this will continue to apply. “In most of the departments, there aren’t three courses aimed at nonmajors, so you can’t overload in one subject anyway,” Sadun said. The council also approved the addition of numerous courses to the catalogue. Sadun said most of the courses applied to be added and passed through the committee easily. Brent Iverson, dean in the School of Undergraduate Studies, said all of these changes would give students more flexibility. S C I E N C E PAGE 3
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STUDENT LIFE
CITY
Students display project at Waller Creek
Steel City Pops closes Guadalupe Street location
By Sara Johnson @skjohn1999
By Laura Morales @lamor_1217
Ambient music filled the air around a luminescent dome of leaves and sticks as onlookers explored the mysterious Waller Creek Monster Habitat. The display is one of the light sculptures that make up Waterloo Greenway Conservancy’s Creek Show, which started Nov. 7 at Waller Creek between Ninth and 12th streets. A team of students at Texas Applied Arts, a program of UT’s College of Fine Arts, created Waller Creek Monster Habitat in reference to the show’s mascot. Meredith Bossin, the Waller Creek Conservancy’s director of engagement, said this is the first student group to contribute in the show’s six-year run. “Every installation has to take some point of inspiration from the creek,” Bossin said. “It could be about the
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The Creek Monster Habitat interactive installation was built by students of Texas Applied Arts and will stay on display until Nov. 17, 2019. history or something about the environment. How the artists wanted to tell the story in the pieces are all different and diverse in design, and that was what we were
looking for.” Karen Maness, scenic art supervisor with Texas Performing Arts, said the interdisciplinary team created the light display as part of her
design projects class. After the light show ends on Nov. 17, Maness said she wants to install the sculpture along W A L L E R PAGE 2
Steel City Pops closed up shop on the Drag as part of an 11-store shutdown to shift company costs to new ventures. The Alabama-based, customizable popsicle store closed nearly half of its 24 locations in Texas and Alabama on Nov. 1, according to a blog post on the company’s website. Owner Jim Watkins said the decision came from a combination of production costs and a desire to expand into vending and wholesale. “If we kept operating the way we were going, it would be harder to get ingredients local at every store, and that’s a huge part of our business model,” Watkins said. “It’s not ideal to operate a number of stores that spreads the revenue so thin … we’d have to change what we do to keep them all open.”
Watkins said revenue and access to ingredients factored the most into which stores remained open. “In Texas, Dallas is such an active customer base and has a great variety of flavors compared to some of our other locations,” Watkins said. “Focusing our attention there seemed to make the most sense.” Watkins opened the first Steel City Pops in 2012 in Homewood, Alabama to accomplish his goal of opening a restaurant. Watkins said he consulted Cameron Carr, owner of a popular diner in Homewood, to get advice before starting his business. Carr, who closed a second location of his own restaurant earlier this year, said he prepared Watkins for the possibility of closures as part of his advice. “In anything you do, you have to be prepared for things to not always go the way you P O P S PAGE 2
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MEGAN MENCHACA
News Editor | @THEDAILYTEXAN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
UNIVERSITY
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CONTACT US
UT School of Pharmacy dean to step down By Brooke Ontiveros @Brookexpanic
Pharmacy Dean Lynn Crismon said he will step down in August 2020 after 13 years of 70-hour work weeks dedicated to guiding the School of Pharmacy. Crismon said he will return to teach at UT after taking a sabbatical, potentially to research mental health, particularly student mental health. “When I became dean, I did it with the plan of serving two terms and stepping down because I think it’s a mistake for people to stay in these jobs too long,” Crismon said. “The job requires a lot of creativity, and there is only so long that you can sustain that.” During his time as dean, Crismon sought to support future pharmacists, whose careers now require more direct patient care and collaboration than ever before, he said. “The face most people think of in pharmacy is the local community pharmacist, whether it’s a Walgreens or CVS,” Crismon said. “But increasingly, they’re working on healthcare teams to provide … effective medication therapy for chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension.” Healthcare is continuously changing, Crismon said, and it is critical to improve education with it. Crismon oversaw two significant curriculum changes to support interprofessional
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After serving 12 years as dean of the School of Pharmacy, Lynn Crimson will step down next August. He looked back on his achievements and outlined what he hopes the School of Pharmacy will achieve in the future. education, with one being a nine-monthslong program that combined medicine, nursing, social work and pharmacy students, according to a UT College of Pharmacy accomplishment fact sheet. Pharmacy professor Patrick Davis said in the past, a pharmacist’s only responsibility was to dispense medication, but pharmacy has evolved to be
more patient-centric. Individual healthcare needs, such as drug prescriptions, can now take into account social and psychological factors, Crismon said. This multilevel patient care requires active collaboration with physicians and other healthcare professions, and Crismon has addressed this new need for interprofessional collaboration during his time
as dean, Davis said. “(Crismon) was an absolute champion of that,” Davis said. “That’s an example of making sure that forefront thinking is an integral part of our pharmacy curriculum, and it is now.” Crismon said he wants his legacy to be one of constant encouragement for pursuing dreams and passions. He said he wanted to develop
students’ skills to help them achieve success in any chosen healthcare career. “He would emphasize the importance of leadership in students,” pharmacy graduate student Danielle Alvarez said. “He recognized the platform pharmacists have to make an impact on and encouraged students to be leaders in whatever avenue of pharmacy they ended up in.”
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NEWS
New contract advances construction of telescope By Emma Gueorguieva @emmagueorguieva
The world’s largest telescope is one step closer to being finished after a new contract was signed to design, build and install the telescope’s steel structure. The Giant Magellan Telescope Corporation, which is responsible for the development of the new telescope, signed a $135 million contract with an engineering firm and manufacturer to design and build the Giant Magellan Telescope’s steel structure. UT is a founding partner of the telescope, which is 80 feet in diameter and will have 10 times the power of the Hubble Space Telescope, according to a press release. The GMT — planned to open in 2028 — isn’t the first telescope used by UT to study the far reaches of the universe. Taft Armandroff, a member of the GMTO board of directors, said the GMT will “dwarf” the mega telescope used by the University at the McDonald Observatory in West Texas. “It is going to be an amazing tool for the faculty, students and researchers at UT,” Armandroff said. Armandroff said the University plans to have about 10% of the observing time on the telescope. “Ph.D. students will be able to use (the
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telescope) for their thesis, and faculty will use it for their research,” Taft said. “I can imagine undergraduates will be very much exposed to it.” Armandroff said the funding for the steel structure is the largest contract to be issued in the lifetime of the telescope and observatory. He said the structure is nearly as tall as the UT Tower, reaching up to the location of the clock. “The area that’s been so exciting in recent years is finding planets around nearby stars … all with the major societal goal of understanding whether we’re alone in the universe or not,” Armandroff said. Armandroff said humans know more now than ever about the universe because of advances in technology like this telescope. Astronomy professor Steven Finkelstein said he is most excited about the ability to expand research and study faraway galaxies. “The GMT is going to allow groundbreaking research in a variety of areas, from exoplanets to blackholes to distant galaxies,” Finkelstein said. “Pretty much anything you want to do.” Biology freshman Arianna Farner said she thinks the telescope provides an opportunity for the University to do great things. “Having that opportunity as a UT student to (have access to) the world’s largest telescope is incredible,” Farner said.
laura gonima
Watkins said he is proud of his store’s success despite the closings and views the decision as a learning experience. “I don’t really see it as a
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plan,” Carr said. “I made that very clear to him. Jim’s done really well with what he has, and that’s something to be proud of.” Carr said he knew Watkins had passion for his work and would not close so many stores without it being “the right reason.” “When I closed my diner in Birmingham, I did it for my wife,” Carr said. “It wasn’t an easy choice, but it was the best choice for us. I know he’s thought this through and made the hard choice because he’s thinking of his family.” Chemical engineering senior Morgan Bordelon said she liked the customization options Steel City Pops offered at their store. “There was nothing more satisfying than getting all the chocolate options possible on
/ the daily texan staff
I see it as a hard step in a long process of growing ... We’re not going anywhere but up from here.” JIM WATKINS owner
kirsten hahn
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a pop after a really bad exam or a long paper,” Bordelon said. “It was definitely my favorite way of coping with
school stress.” Bordelon said she hopes the company finds its way back to Austin in the future.
“I just thought it was really fun and different,” Bordelon said. “It’s a good fit for Austin.”
loss,” Watkins said. “I see it as a hard step in a long process of growing, which happens all the time when you’re doing something like this. We’re not going anywhere but up from here.”
students, and we are looking for some solutions to that,” Maness said. “We want to use this art installation to draw attention to this complex riparian habitat that is in our backyard.” The dome is crafted out of natural materials, string lights, glass bulbs and steel framing. Black lights around the dome create the illusion that it is glowing, and six eyes occasionally light up
from under the foliage, alluding that the creek monster is watching onlookers. Bossin said the UT sculpture was mainly looking to expand on the folklore surrounding the creek and the creatures living there, and this was what made its concept so unique. “The UT Creek Monster Habitat is exploring what the little critter is,” Bossin said. “They really wanted to develop some of the story
around the creek and inspire people’s intrigue.” Theater graduate student Samantha Cole said her lighting team designed the eyes. She said the team wanted the eyes to blink, but they had to modify the original concept because of environmental and spatial constraints. Although she could not create her original vision, she said watching people react and interact with the display was
rewarding enough. “There was a little kid who pointed at the eyes and said, ‘Mom, there!’” Cole said. “And of course, by the time mom turned around they had turned off again and turned on somewhere else, and the kid ran all over pointing them out. That was the moment I realized we had succeeded, and people were excited to see the monster was home.”
Steel City Pops, located at the intersection of Guadalupe and W 30th streets, closed this month along with nearly half of its 24 locations.
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, 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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Waller Creek near the College of Fine Arts on Earth Day next year. She said the installation might help students connect more with nature, which could relieve some of their anxiety. “There is a pretty serious anxiety epidemic happening with contemporary college
NEWS
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
CAMPUS
UT competes against A&M in cycling challenge By Cara Daeschner @CaraDaeschner
UT students are competing against Texas A&M University this week to see which school cycles the most miles during various cycling classes. A&M has hosted the competition at its school for the past few years and wanted to bring the tradition to UT to rekindle their rivalry in a fun way, said CieCie Leonard, UT Recreational Sports assistant director for fitness and wellness. All cycle classes in the Gregory Gym cycle studio between Nov. 11 and 15 are free for UT students and RecSports members to attend, and they will count toward the total number of miles cycled at UT. Alongside the cycling competition, A&M and UT are competing to see which school donates the most canned food during RecSports Sport Clubs’ annual canned food drive that benefits UT Outpost food pantry, according to the RecSports website. The drive occurs throughout November, and cycle participants are encouraged to bring canned food, which enters participants into a raffle to win a free spring TeXercise pass, Leonard said. “All Longhorns seem to … be invested in the A&M vs. UT rivalry, and the fact that we are trying to win in more ways than one, I believe, will motivate them (to participate),” Leonard said in an email. Public health senior Zubia Akhtar said she cycled about nine miles during a class Monday and has attended cycle classes before.
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“I am probably going to come every free day I can,” Akhtar said. “I met a few people who have not come before … and a lot of my friends are coming … I feel like they stepped up their game with the music (and) adding the challenges.”
Biology junior Meaghan Martinez said the class she participated in played Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande songs back and forth, and the students would cycle to the beat. “I think it is a really good idea because it gives
people a chance to try out these classes if they did not have a TeXercise pass, and (they can) start getting interested in partaking in these classes,” Martinez said. Leonard said RecSports wants to get students “up, moving and active” through
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the cycling competition. “We think it is important to encourage philanthropy and healthy lifestyle habits in a fun and safe environment,” Leonard said. “This challenge has ignited students of both schools to get involved for a great cause.”
UNIVERSITY
Advertising school launches immersive technology program By Emma Gueorguieva @emmagueorguieva
A new program from the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations will give students an opportunity to create their own immersive technology experience. This fall, the Stan Richards School announced the creation of Texas Immersive, a new interdisciplinary program focused on bringing students of all backgrounds together to create experiences for real clients using immersive technology, such as virtual and augmented reality projects, said Erin Reilly, founder and managing director of Texas Immersive. Applications are currently open until Nov. 26 and consist of two parts: an online application and the creation of a digital or physical product that showcases the student’s definition of the term “immersive.” According to the program’s website, Texas Immersive begins in the spring and will only accept 48 students. Reilly said 20% of seats will be reserved for students outside the Stan Richards School.
“Texas Immersive will bring different students together ... to dive into the possibilities of bridging audience storytelling, emerging technologies and fostering innovative experiences,” Reilly said. Studentsi will take three courses focusing on different aspects in creating an immersive experience. The first is about audience engagement, the second teaches experimental storytelling and the third is on developing communication campaigns form immersive experiences. JoAnn Sciarrino, director of the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations, said the program is hoping to get students in a wide range of different majors. “When our students go out into industry, they will be working on more cross-functional teams solving problems that will be from different disciplines,” Sciarrino said.
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“Having the ability to do that here while they’re undergraduates will help them become more industry-ready.” Corporate communications senior Jasmine Peralez took Reilly’s audience development and engagement class last fall and said it was one of her favorite classes
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you can’t reach all of the cultural perspectives and goals the parents need to set up,” Vargas Londoño said. Although the students who are interested in the course will not be required to take a Spanish language exam before enrolling, Vargas Londoño said they should be able to communicate proficiently. “We need certain levels of just being able to understand the class because if not, it’s going to be too hard to just (learn) new content and then a new language,” Vargas Londoño said. O’Reilly said the course will be taught in Spanish because of the amount of Spanish speakers in Texas. According to a 2015 survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, almost 30% of Texans speak Spanish at home. Meanwhile, 1 in 59
at UT. “It was a little confusing at first,” Peralez said. “No one in my class was very familiar with the study of immersive experiences. It was really cool to learn this new industry and engage in a way that was more about learning and creating than anything else.”
8-year-old children are diagnosed with ASD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nataly Lim is a special education graduate student who is bilingual in English and Mandarin. She said she would have trouble talking with a parent about ASD in a different language because so much of the academic language is in English. “If I am learning about autism in Spanish, then I have that language to be able to communicate to those parents and the terminology for things to explain it to them,” Lim said. Lim said students will be better equipped to communicate with families effectively by providing this course in Spanish. “Knowing about the disability will give them another perspective,” Vargas Londoño said. “Maybe they’re not going to be working with a specific family, (but that) will give them another perspective.”
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Peralez said she thinks the program is very unique and incredibly beneficial to students from all disciplines. “The field of immersive and the ways of working are very different, and you’re only going to see that in the classes that are set for the program,” Peralez said.
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“There are two aspects,” Iverson said. “One is to give students more flexibility on what they take and give departments more ability to create more courses … and we’re thinking more broadly about technology, so it’s incorporated into the core curriculum naturally.” Advertising junior Julia Ramirez said she has not finished taking all of the science requirements for the core curriculum because of the original policy’s strictness. She said she took the first section of astronomy, but has not been able to register for any of its paired sections. “I struggled getting into the section I needed, and I couldn’t get into multiple sections,” Ramirez said. “A lot of people have to put it off until the last minute when they have priority registration.” Ramirez said the change in core curriculum will help nonscience majors. “I don’t really see the point of making us take two courses in the same field if that’s not remotely our field,” Ramirez said. “It will open a lot more options in registration. It’s not something anyone wants to worry about or struggle to graduate because they can’t get into a science class.”
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SPENCER BUCKNER
Editor-In-Chief | @THEDAILYTEXAN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
COLUMN
coleen solis
OPINION
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UT must begin to remove all carpeting, upholstered seating in UTC By Hannah Lopez Columnist
Last month, students weren’t the only ones crawling around campus. Several classes were canceled over a two day period at the University Teaching Center after a student reported finding bed bug bites on their body after sitting in the lecture hall. Even though the room was treated by an extermination team, there is still a risk bed bugs will return. To prevent the possibility of another bed bug contamination, UT should immediately remove the UTC’s carpeting and upholstered seating. I attempted to contact UT Facilities Services about the possibility of removing these materials in the UTC. However, Veronica Trevino, media manager for Financial and Administrative Services Communications, would not connect me with a facilities representative. She implied students are responsible for bed bug prevention, not UT, and renovating the UTC lecture hall would be a wasted effort. “Just for some background, and this is also on the (University Health Services) website, bed bugs are transported by host,” Trevino said. “So, the best method for preventing this from happening again is to basically identify the host and where they are coming from.”
Yes, bed bugs are usually transported by host. However, the UHS website also states bed bugs like to hide in upholstered furniture and carpeting. While removing these materials would not fix the way bed bugs travel to the UTC, it could prevent them from spreading to other students, possibly causing an outbreak. Additionally, Trevino stated the UTC could not be the source of the issue because bed bugs originate in areas where people sleep. “(Bed bugs originate in) apartments, dorms, homeless shelters even … basically where people live and sleep,” Trevino said. “Since they are transported by host, the best prevention method would be to address a health perspective of that and what to do to identify where individuals can prevent and treat where they are occurring … like in a residence.” However, the idea that bed bugs only occur where people sleep is a common misconception. Bed bugs typically bite whenever a host is stationary for an extended period of time. While this may include sleeping, it also extends to standing stationary or sitting. Since students have to sit for at least an hour during class, the UTC is a prime location for bed bugs to hide out. The constant flow of students means a constant flow of food for the bugs. In a previous article published
by The Daily Texan, University pest control supervisor Mart Stubblefield stated his team “could not be sure when or how the bed bugs got into the chairs in the room.” The UTC lecture room can hold up to around 350 students per class. Realistically, UT is not going to be able to identify the exact individual that carried the bed bugs. Since causation cannot be pinpointed, there is no guarantee the bugs won’t return to hide in the chairs again. While bed bugs are transported by hosts, they are unlikely to stay on that person. Bed bugs do not like heat and do not like to travel on bodies. The cushioning on the chairs gives them a place to hide in wait without having to sustain their body heat. Therefore, the only practical solution is to remove the areas where they could hide. “Ultimately, you can keep treating a place (like) an actual building, but if it is not treated at the root … then it’s going to keep occurring,” Trevino said. Trevino is right. While the problem may be solved for now, bed bugs could return at any time, possibly even from the original student who brought them. In order to treat the spread of bed bugs at its root, UT needs to completely remove the carpeting and cushioned seating from the UTC. Lopez is a rhetoric and writing sophomore from Nederland, Texas.
COLUMN
GALLERY
Social studies courses need to use essay-based tests By Maggie Lazaroski Columnist
Six hours of government, six more hours of history and three more hours of a social and behavioral science. These core requirements equate to an entire semester (or more) of classes — a whole eighth of every student’s time spent at UT. These classes are incredibly important to understanding the world we live in today and have the power to give students perspectives for a brighter future. For students to get the most out of their social studies courses, the guidelines for mastery should exceed memorizing and recalling facts. In order to understand the importance of such capacious disciplines, professors in these fields should replace multiple choice testing with essay-based evaluations. The differences between multiple choice and essay tests are well researched, and each assesses a different set of objectives and type of understanding. Essay questions are best for testing higher level learning objectives, while multiple choice are better for testing students’ knowledge of a topic in a short amount of time. “Being successful in a history class doesn’t mean just learning a bunch of names and dates,” history lecturer Rachel Ozanne said. “It means learning how to think about, interpret and understand the past, and I think essay tests get at that better than multiple choice.” Studies show the majority of students find multiple choice tests difficult because they need to know minute details. With essay tests, they feel like they need to know the topic completely in order to produce a good answer. “Politics is complex, so I want students to have an understanding of that complexity — of links between different concepts and
aspects of concepts, not just targeted knowledge,” government professor Kurt Weyland said regarding his use of essay testing. Essays, unlike multiple choice tests, require students to understand the meaning and significance of the topics they’ve learned in their own words, which both necessitates a thorough understanding of the material and proves mastery. “I feel like with multiple choice, it doesn’t take a lot of thinking,” public health sophomore Lawrence Robinson said. “You don’t have to formulate ideas because they’re right there in front of you.” In addition to developing these critical thinking skills, essay-based assessments contribute to greater retention rates, as handwritten ideas tend to translate well to our long-term memory. “I feel like I retain more information from essays because with multiple choice tests, I’ll memorize it for the test day, and the next day, I’ve no idea what I was tested on,” studio art sophomore Hope Harlow said. Subjects like chemistry or biology require more objective knowledge, but the social sciences contribute to a more theoretical understanding of topics. In order to serve students in the greatest capacity, professors in subjects such as history, government, international relations and sociology should remove multiple choice components from exams and use essays in their place. To ensure students still know some concrete facts, the use of specific examples should be included in the grading criteria. The utility of our education lies in the progression of our critical thinking skills and worldliness, not memorizing information that will slip out of our memory before we’re able to do anything with it. Lazaroski is an international relations and global studies sophomore from Dallas.
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.
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.
yulissa chavez
/ the daily texan staff
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LIFE&ARTS
5
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
STUDENT LIFE
Longhorn Singers value community, passion for music By Meghan Holland @MeghanHolland20
The audience grows quiet as the house lights dim and the spotlights come on. After hours of rehearsal and bonding, 29 students who form the Longhorn Singers begin humming the chords of their opening number. Garrett Mott, Longhorn Singers vice president, said the group is more than a choral group — it’s a family that brings together unlikely friends. “There are people (in our group) from every single school and all different majors,” physics senior Mott said. “It really gives us an opportunity to build connections and meet people you wouldn’t normally meet.” The Longhorn Singers became a united show choir over 60 years ago after the men’s and women’s glee clubs were combined. Now, the Longhorn Singers rehearse six hours a week to prepare songs and learn choreography for performances. English freshman Colleen Crabtree said while the group takes rehearsals seriously, they are not shy about having fun. Crabtree said at the end of each rehearsal, the Longhorn Singers hold up their horns and face the UT Tower to sing “The Eyes of Texas.” “It’s a really good way to learn that arrangement because we sing it all the time, but also it’s just a really nice way to bring the rehearsal to a close,” Crabtree said. “That’s the thing that brings us all together from different corners of campus.” Tyler Zapata, logistics coordinator and biology junior, said one tradition he enjoys is closing every announcement at rehearsals with a pun, but his favorite is welcoming new members and building bonds
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rates of loneliness, anxiety, depression and suicide among teenagers.
pedro luna
/ the daily texan staff
The Longhorn Singers rehearse their Broadway-style show on Nov. 6, 2019. The Longhorn Singers were formed 60 years ago and have since become a family, rehearsing six hours a week and making music together. within the group. “We do a lot of special things for them and really try to make the environment warm and welcoming.” Zapata said. For each major performance, the Longhorn Singers have “show buddies.” They draw names at random, and each member is responsible for buying gifts for the person they
drew. Show buddies buy gifts for the new member each performance day and for the Friday before the performances. This is a way for members to show their support for one another and relieve the stress of show week. Being a part of the Longhorn Singers is a large time commitment, especially near performance times. Despite this
commitment, the bonds formed with fellow members are worth it, Crabtree said. “It’s the individuality and uniqueness of these people that, for me, make it all worth it,” Crabtree said. “Even this 25 hour per week rehearsal schedule (is) worth it because it’s fun to hang out with them.” The Longhorn Singers are
very group focused, but performances allow them to showcase individual voices as well. “I absolutely love making music with all of these people,” Zapata said. “I am amazed (every semester) by how talented everyone in the group is.” Mott said he wants the people who watch the Longhorn Singers perform to see the group’s pride
and passion for the University and Texas, as well as show that nonmusic majors can still put on a great show. “(We’re having so much fun) out there as a group,” Nott said. “While we’re not all music majors, we are an incredibly talented group of musicians, and we put out, in my eyes, really quality product.”
Over the past 20 years, time spent with friends outside of school has decreased around a third. According to the study, the number of people — specifically teenagers — who report feeling
lonely, anxious or depressed increased more than 40% over that same period. “These are real physical health effects,” Allgood said. “They’re pointing to the fact that, as a society, we’ve made
major shifts in the way we behave and interact with one another. We believe the antidote is pretty simple: It’s spending more time face to face with your friends.” This sentiment is the
motivation behind what Twenty has built, said Jared Ahlstrom, co-founder and chief production officer. It is also why he named the app Twenty. “(Twenty) is the CB radio
call for ‘What’s your location?’” Ahlstrom said. “In the 1970s, you would say, ‘What’s your 20?’ The name is a hint back to a time of meeting up in person. That’s what the app is about.”
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D O N N AVA N S M O O T
Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
FOOTBALL
Injured Horns to return
casey crowe
/ the daily texan staff
Tom Herman addresses the media Monday ahead of Saturday’s matchup against Iowa State. The Longhorns’ 27-24 victory marked Texas’ third straight win against the Wildcats, keeping the team’s Big 12 title hopes alive.
Longhorns Big 12 title hopes aided by return of Brown, Overshown ahead of Iowa State. By Daniela Perez
@danielap3rez
he Longhorns may not be flying high after their last-second 27-24 victory over the Kansas State Wildcats Saturday, but team confidence has taken a considerable leap for a Texas team in danger of sputtering. Though the win showed the Longhorns are moving in a positive direction, Herman knows it’ll take more to get his team off the ropes. “Again, part of being on the ropes is you don’t get off of ‘em with one game, just one win,” Herman said. “But to beat a top-25 team the way we did … getting the ball back with 6:45 on the clock and
ending the game with double zeros and a win showed a lot of fortitude by our players.” Texas’ setbacks derive from their injured reserve, which houses some of Texas’ best defensive players. This past Saturday, sophomore defensive backs Caden Sterns and B.J. Foster played together under the lights of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for the first time since week two and added much-needed depth to Texas’ secondary. This week, a slew of healthy players will join the Texas roster while others join the injured reserve. Sophomore defensive back DeMarvion Overshown has been cleared but is still dealing with back pain while senior linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch is progressing daily with his shoulder injury. Junior
defensive back Chris Brown was cleared on Friday and will return Saturday against Iowa State. Herman said he will play with a cast and adds confidence to Texas’ defense and special teams. The Longhorns don’t have captains on special teams, but standout leaders hold a similar title as “field generals.” Brown’s performance on special teams catapulted him into a starting defensive position before his injury, and he stands as a player Herman can’t wait to have back. “Before (Brown) got injured … he was the leader of the special forces unit. (He) obviously had worked himself into being a starter on defense, really, because of the value early in our tenure here that he provided on special teams,” Herman said.
As Texas continues to reassemble its defensive pieces, the offense is now dealing with a few injuries. Senior wide receiver Collin Johnson tweaked his hamstring on Texas’ last drive on Saturday and is being aggressively treated in preparation for the Cyclones. Freshman offensive lineman Junior Angilau is out with an MCL injury and will be week-to-week. Herman’s best-case scenario is seeing Angilau on the field a week after Iowa State. At the start of the season, running back injuries dominated headlines. Now in week 12, Texas’ running back depth is solid and will be boosted by freshman running back Jordan Whittington, who has been cleared to play after being out with a sports
hernia injury. All that’s left is getting Whittington loose for Saturday. Texas’ season is quickly coming to a close, with only three games left in regular season play. Now heading into Cyclone territory, Herman is happy with his team’s progression this season but knows the difficulties that come with playing in a hostile environment. But, this will not stop the Longhorns. “I think playing complementary football the way we did, to be able to beat Kansas State the way we did in terms of time of possession and running the football and stopping the run is exciting,” Herman said. “It’s harder to win on the road. That’s why they call it a home field advantage. But it’s not something we lower our expectations because of.”
BASKETBALL
Longhorns look to continue hot start against Cal Baptist By Wills Layton @willsdebeast
This season’s Longhorns are starting to mirror last season’s team through the first two games of the season in terms of early performance. Last year, the team started the year with five straight wins and notched a win over a ranked team to bolster their résumé. While this year’s team has only played in two games, they have already accomplished the latter, upsetting No. 23 Purdue on the road. The Longhorns ended last season with five straight wins and look to keep that momentum up in the Austin regional of the 2k Empire Classic. “Our guys ended the year on a really strong note last year, winning our last five games,” head coach Shaka Smart said. “That is a momentum we have really worked to build on during the offseason.” The goal for this year’s team is not to replicate the performance of last year’s, but to improve upon the NIT title-winning team’s production. The win over Purdue was an excellent first step. While the NIT certainly gave the returning players an educational experience for this season, that tournament win will most likely have more value as a powerful motivating tool. “We just want to win more than we did last year,” redshirt freshman Brock Cunningham said. “We went to the NIT. That was an amazing experience, but in the end not the goal. We were disappointed we were there, but we embraced the opportunity.” Changes in the coaching staff and corresponding changes in philosophy could be the greatest difference between this year’s and last year’s team. Where last year’s team was more aggressive offensively and defensively, this year’s team has a
joshua guenther
/ the daily texan file
Fresh off a victory over No. 23 Purdue, Shaka Smart and the Longhorns look to carry momentum into the 2k Empire Classic tournament. Above, Smart against Northern Colorado on November 5. much more disciplined approach. “We take the next step by executing the details,” Cunningham said. “Last year we went for big plays and were focused on the big stuff, but what goes into the big stuff are the little details that lead to wins. With our new philosophy this year we are focusing on the details.” Along with changes on the court, the Longhorns are hoping for increased student support. In the 2018-2019
season, attendance was noticeably low, particularly for games Texas hosted during the NIT. The opener of the tournament against South Dakota State drew only about 1,700 fans, a small number for an arena with a maximum capacity of over 16,000. The team has a lot to be excited about so far. The resurgence of redshirt sophomore Andrew Jones, who recently completed his two-year battle with leukemia, has played a
large role in the team’s early success this season. Additionally, three new freshmen, guard Donovan Williams, center Will Baker and forward Kai Jones, have each received playing time this year, giving fans a glimpse of Texas’ future. If the team is to achieve its goal of improving upon last season’s performance, its new detail-oriented approach coupled with strong campus support will be of critical
importance. With the Longhorns playing California Baptist at home Tuesday, fans will be able to do their part. “It means a lot to us when fans and students come out and support at our games,” Smart said. “It gives our guys energy. Our guys are students too and walk the same campus and take some of the same classes as other students. That level of support is pretty cool.”
COMICS
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CHANNING MILLER & LAUREN IBANEZ
Comics Editors | @THEDAILYTEXAN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 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 Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Crossword ACROSS
52 “Fingers crossed …” 53 Repeated lyric in 5 Air-quality org. a 1987 Michael 31 Letter-shaped Jackson #1 hit girder 8 Supposed makers of 32 Translation of “je 55 Back, in a boat 57 “___ got it!” Keebler cookies suis” or “yo soy” 13 Remove the peel 34 After all expenses 58 Sentence ender 60 Give the heebiefrom 35 Lotion additive jeebies 14 Like most sushi 36 Items guided by 62 Entertainers fish brooms in the Miller and Close Winter Olympics 15 Mark who won 63 Archery asset … or a hint to the 1998 Masters this puzzle’s 64 “Are not!” theme comeback 16 Spray-painting 40 [Gasp!] tools 65 Helped 18 Looked hard (at) 41 Note between fa 66 Plaint during and la shearing 19 Info on an airline 67 Battle of website, for short 42 ___ Taylor (clothing chain) Normandy locale 20 Skirt’s edge 43 Engrossed 21 Artist Matisse DOWN 44 Alternatives to Levi’s 1 Underdog’s feats 22 Pace 46 Utter, biblically 2 Kathy with the 24 Employee of the #1 country hit 50 “Buen ___” Month, e.g. “Eighteen Wheels (Spanish and a Dozen 26 Local govt. official greeting) Roses” 29 Flavor 51 First extra inning 3 Speaker booster 4 Many a pres. ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE candidate O P T T V S S G T 5 The “E” in HOMES P R A N C E O W I E H U H 6 Las ___, Canary Islands F O R E S T F L O O R A R R F T S R O D L E A G U E 7 Cries meaning “How cu-u-ute!” T H O R E A U F I N E S S E N O W R E I N E R 8 Fix, as text C H I M E S A V I O D E S 9 Sinister look S I R I 10 The “x” or “y” in P I S A O O Z E S A T T N L A Y T H O R A X 2x + 3y = 15 T R I K E S A L E 11 Before, to a bard S E R I A L S L E N S C A P 12 Bummed E X A C T O O U R T U E V I N S Q U A R E R O O T S 15 Many a Gilbert and Sullivan work E S C O U S T C A R R O T 17 Beethoven’s “___” N T H N Y C T E E Symphony 1 Home squatters?
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PUZZLE BY ROSS TRUDEAU
21 Puts through a cruel initiation 23 “Murder on the Orient Express” detective 25 It turns up at the edge of a plane 27 Vietnam neighbor 28 “The Chronic” rapper, informally 31 “___ Montana” 33 Isn’t totally straight with 36 Tea variety 37 Matchless
38 What a Möbius strip has 39 Like some job training 40 Chicago airport code 45 Islamic law based on the Quran 47 Cellist at Obama’s first inauguration 48 Other half 49 Early German 51 Long-term security, for short 54 Not yours
56 Disaster relief org. 58 Org. offering member instruction, of course! 59 ___ Lilly (pharmaceutical giant) 60 One in line at an airport 61 Campaignfunding grp.
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.
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J O R DY N Z I T M A N
Life&Arts Editor | @JORDYNZITMAN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
STUDENT LIFE
LIFE&ARTS
Siblings start tamale business Olguin siblings make, deliver homemade tamales to help with college expenses. By Ariana Arredondo @arixgraciela
he smell of flour dough and chicken wafts around Lesly Reza Olguin’s apartment as she helps her brother Hector make dozens of tamales to deliver to students in the upcoming week. After encountering some financial obstacles her sophomore year, Lesly, a bilingual education senior, began selling homemade tamales to UT students out of her Riverside apartment. This year when her brother, a radio-television-film freshman, said he needed some financial help, she decided to start up the business again. “I know there’s not a lot of places in Austin that sell decent tamales, and I (was) pretty sure people would buy them, so I just thought, ‘I’ll go ahead and try this,’” Lesly said. “Overall it is hard work, but it pays off.” The Olguin siblings are first-generation college students and both said they have struggled with expenses since starting at UT. After tweeting to promote their business on Oct. 22, they received an unprecedented outpouring of support from the UT community. With over 1,000 likes and retweets to date, they said orders are piling up. “It constantly feels like people are attacking our
pedro luna
/ the daily texan staff
Radio-television-film freshman Hector, left, and his sister bilingual education junior Lesly, right, Reza Olguin have dedicated themselves to making tamales to fund their education. Their flavors range from traditional pork to not-so-traditional vegan tamales made out of seasoned jackfruit. community, but then we saw so many people trying to support us,” Lesly said. “It’s just really comforting.” The siblings buy their ingredients at H-E-B and El Rancho Supermercado, then make and deliver all the tamales themselves. The tamales can be made with various meats and salsas, including a vegetarian option. Some options include salsa roja, mole and
jackfruit tamales. As of now, the Olguins are booked until mid-November and said they hope to continue to sell for as long as they’re able. “We’re really grateful for all the support we’ve been getting with the orders everyone’s been putting in and the kind words people have been sending out,” Lesly said. “It really means a lot.” After a month of making tamales, Hector said
he has been able to pay the utility bills for his apartment in Riverside and hopes to save up enough money to buy himself a camera. However, he still has fears and concerns regarding his financial stability. “Currently we’re still trying to figure out the whole situation, especially now that they’re thinking of tearing down Riverside,” Hector said. “We’ve got to look into other
places where we can make that money.” Undeclared freshman Natalie Garcia also helps the siblings prepare the tamales and make deliveries. She said she enjoys making the tamales and hanging out with the siblings. She also said the support from fellow UT students has had a positive impact on her. “It really made me optimistic and realize there’s
more people out there than I thought that care about something like this,” Garcia said. When Garcia saw the response Lesly’s tweet received, she was shocked. “I really like it because it’s helping him out, and that makes me happy,” Garcia said. “To see support for an immigrant is eye opening. It makes me feel like there are people out there who care.”
CAMPUS
Congratulations, Class of 2019 Graduates
COME TAKE YOUR FREE
GRADUATION PICTURE FOR THE CACTUS YEARBOOK!
barb dally
/ the daily texan staff
Twenty app aims to boost real-life social interaction By Mackenzie Dyer @mackdyerr
Wednesday, November 13 9 AM–3 PM Thursday & Friday, November 14-15 1–7 PM HSM Building Lobby 2500 Whitis Open to all fall 2019, spring and summer 2020 graduates, including graduate-level degrees. No appointment necessary. Business Casual attire recommended. Receive a $10 discount off of the Cactus Yearbook with your picture.
The Twenty app has arrived on the Forty Acres, and it’s not another social media app. It’s an app that makes users more social. “Our mission as a company is to help people improve their real social life by helping them spend time together with their friends,” said Jared Allgood, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Twenty. Twenty allows users to see which of their friends are close by, what they’re doing later, discover nearby events and coordinate plans to meet up in person. The idea stemmed from what Allgood calls a need for today’s “plugged-in” generation to spend more time connecting with people and less time scrolling on their phones.
Since its launch in March 2019, the app has grown via its college internship program. The program extends to 13 college campuses, including the University of Florida, the University of Tulsa and most recently UT, where marketing sophomore Amber Meyerson is one of four Twenty ambassadors. She said her favorite way to use the app is the “Hangout” feature. “It’s based on emojis,” Meyerson said. “For example, I use a textbook to let my sorority sisters know I’m studying, or I’ll use some food emoji to let people know I want to go eat.” As a student ambassador, Meyerson encourages friends, such as journalism sophomore Ariana Kravetz, to use the app, so they can connect amid hectic college schedules. Kravetz originally downloaded the app to win a sorority competition. Now, it’s
part of her daily routine. “(Twenty) is like Find My Friends, which scared me at the beginning,” Kravetz said. “But it only uses my location when I open the app. I can get on, create a hangout and my selected friends will receive a notification to come over.” Kravetz said the app was confusing at first. Once it was explained to her, she came to love seeing her whereabouts and those of her close friends in one place. “I think it’s a good concept that people really need to hear about,” Kravetz said. “It makes my social life easier.” Allgood said one of the biggest inspirations behind the app’s development was a 2017 study titled, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?.” It showed the correlation between the proliferation of smartphones and the increasing T W E N T Y PAGE 5