Serving The University Of Texas At Austin Community Since 1900 @thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com
Monday, November 18, 2019
Volume 121, Issue 69
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
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College councils host activities for mental health awareness before finals.
UT students push for improved renters’ rights, sustainable housing in West Campus.
Popeyes chicken sandwich movement creator talks online trends with The Daily Texan.
Texas’ season ends with loss to bitter rival Texas A&M in first round of NCAA Tournament.
WEST CAMPUS
UNIVERSITY
West Campus on the rise
UT produced over 1 million tons of carbon dioxide gas last year
City Council approves reccomendations allowing for increased building heights in West Campus.
By Laura Morales @lamor_1217
By Sara Johnson @skjohn1999
fter an Austin City Council vote late Thursday evening, buildings in inner West Campus will now be allowed to expand by 125 feet. The council voted 7-2-1 in favor of amendments allowing height increases in residential buildings in inner West Campus, which covers most high-rise apartments between San Antonio and Pearl streets from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to 26th Street. Buildings in the outer West Campus and Guadalupe areas will be allowed to expand by 25 feet. The Planning Commission previously approved amendments in August which would have expanded the boundaries of inner West Campus where height increases were the highest in the University Neighborhood Overlay, a four-section planning zone covering the entire West Campus neighborhood. However, the council adopted the staff recommendations, which did not include the expansion. “I hear the interest in more student housing,” City Council member Ann Kitchen said
anthony mireles
on her support for the staff recommendation. “(The Planning Commission recommendation) doesn’t tell us we’re going to get anything particularly affordable. I’d rather deal with that issue as part of any additional zoning people may want to come back with.” More than 20 West Campus community members spoke mainly in favor of the commission’s proposed expansion of the Inner West Campus area. University Democrats president Joe Cascino said he supported increased affordability in West Campus to accommodate more students with a desire to live in West Campus.
“The area suggested to be added is small, so it won’t significantly alter the character of West Campus,” government sophomore Cascino said. “It’s a natural expansion based on the physical shape and cultural character of the area.” Mark Walters, a principal planner at the city of Austin, said repeated zoning discussions between neighborhood groups in the area nine months ago motivated the amendment process. “Instead of doing one-off (amendments) all the time, they said, ‘Well, let’s look at this a little more comprehensively,’” Walters said. “We’ll
come up with a set of amendments, so that we can address these things.” Mike McHone, vice president of University Area Partners, said he is concerned about the expansion of the inner West Campus area, because it would create affordability issues for smaller housing cooperatives, or co-ops, against for-profit housing. “What (the expanded area) was set up to be is a reserved area where the heights were not allowed to go very high so that co-ops could afford to buy land they did not own and build units that they could operate at a lower rate,” McHone
said. “We’d also like to respect the historical buildings in that area and not surround them with big, tall buildings.” While the Planning Commission’s recommendation did not pass, council member Paige Ellis said she commended students who came to speak their minds to the council. “When we talked about Riverside, there were UT students who came to speak to us,” Ellis said. “That’s a value I want to champion. When young people come here and speak to City Council to say they’re not being brought in early enough in the process, that’s something we can learn from.”
FOOTBALL
Nightmare in Ames haunts Longhorns By Daniela Perez @danielap3rez
The Longhorns’ special teams unit ran onto the field with a one-point lead, ready to block Iowa State’s game-winning kick and save their season. Plays earlier, sophomore defensive back Caden Sterns was called for pass interference — Texas’ second pass interference of the drive — to give the Cyclones a 15-yard boost to Texas’ 30-yard line. Texas’ Big 12 hopes were holding onto their last thread as the defense successfully bounced back from the penalties to force the biggest fourth down of the game. The Cyclones lined up for a 42-yard field goal with 2:16 left as the crowd at Jack Trice Stadium watched on. The Iowa State crowd erupted soon after when sophomore linebacker Joseph Ossai jumped through the Iowa State line before the snap, drawing an offsides penalty. The five-yard penalty not only gave Iowa State a first down, but also granted the Cyclones the opportunity to run the clock out before attempting the game-winning kick. “I think we just got a little too antsy with trying to make a play,” senior safety Brandon
/ the daily texan file
Austin City Council voted to approve amendments that will allow residential buildings in West Campus to be 125 feet taller.
Jones said. “And obviously it hurt us when we jumped offsides. It just moved them up from there.” It was a game-ending mistake. Iowa State extended its drive to the Texas 19, and from there, redshirt junior kicker Connor Assalley lined up for a 36-yard field goal with four ticks left on the clock. Four seconds later, it was 23-21 and the Cyclones stormed the field. Texas’ defense isn’t completely to blame for this moment. In fact, Texas was hindered by a lackluster offensive performance for the majority of the game. “Really, really poor performance by our offense in the first few quarters,” Texas head coach Tom Herman said. “You gotta really examine our game plan in the run game and our execution, but to not run the ball the way we thought we were going to was the biggest difference.” Texas’ offense rarely capitalized on its drives against Iowa State and trailed from the start after the Cyclones scored on their opening drive. Texas would go three-and-out in four of their seven drives F O O T B A L L PAGE 2
After including “supply chain emissions,” a report updated last week by the Office of Sustainability shows how many metric tons of carbon dioxide was recently produced by the University. According to the 2019 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report update, the University produced 1,076,486 metric tons of carbon dioxide during the 20172018 fiscal year compared to 612,000 in the 2013-2014 fiscal year. For the first time, the metric tons of carbon dioxide includes “supply chain emissions,” which accounts for emissions made by products and services the University purchases. The report also tracks emissions from University power plants, purchased electricity, transportation emissions and waste treatment emissions. Jim Walker, director of the Office of Sustainability, said the study will help the University understand its true environmental impact. “We want to look at the particular practices a particular supplier uses to produce something,” Walker said. “We are looking to favor companies that have better climate practices. The trick there is balancing what makes financial sense with environmental responsivity.” The Carl J. Eckhardt Combined Heating and Power Complex, the campus power plant, produced 227,000 metric tons of carbon in 2018, which is up 10,000 tons from 2014, according to the report. Walker said University Utilities and C O 2 PAGE 2
CITY
Austin Public Health reports increased flu activity in Travis County By Graysen Golter @graysen_golter
Austin Public Health reported a slight increase in Travis County flu activity in a memo Wednesday, and is directing residents to available resources for getting flu shots. “It is not just about you,” Mark Escott, medical director for the city of Austin and Travis County, said in the memo. “It is about those around you who are at greater risk.” According to the memo, Influenza B is the most common version of the flu currently circulating in Travis County. The memo also stated that uninsured residents or those on Medicaid can find resources for where and how to receive flu shots on the city of Austin website, where Austin Public Health publishes the updated number of flu cases every Monday. Hailey Rucas, an infections disease epidemiologist at Austin Public Health, said she is part of the surveillance unit tracking flu activity in Travis
emma overholt
County. She said the level of flu activity since August is slightly higher compared to last year, but the department will need more time to collect data to determine the overall trend. Rucas said Austin Public Health is currently notifying residents to encourage them to receive flu shots before
the situation gets worse. “It’s hard to say what it’s going to look like down the future,” Rucas said. “It might stabilize, but we don’t know what’s going to happen.” Melinda McMichael, interim executive director and chief medical officer at University Health Services, said
/ the daily texan staff
the University has had 13 students diagnosed with influenza since Aug. 26, while there were 16 cases in the same period of time last year. McMichael said the University has not yet had a large uptick in flu cases F L U PAGE 2