The Daily Texan 2019-11-20 by The Daily Texan

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

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Volume 121, Issue 71

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

LIFE&ARTS

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PAGE 4

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PAGE 8

Students inconvenienced by lack of natural hair products near campus.

UT must offer more information about how it creates the registration schedule.

Multihyphenate PJ Raval talks background and filmmaking experience.

Texas volleyball heads to Waco for a Big 12 rematch against No. 3 Baylor.

WORLD

HONG KONG PROTESTS ESCALATE

UT suspends spring 2020 Hong Kong study abroad programs amid student evacuations. By Emily Hernandez & Nathan Han @emilylhernandez & @nathanhan13

hen student protests at The Chinese University of Hong Kong became violent on Nov. 11, UT and other universities with exchange programs began to evacuate their study abroad students. “I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” said Taigon Chen, UT finance senior and exchange student at CUHK. “We just had two days of protests, and universities are already pulling out their students. Then … I saw all the kids pulling stones out of the sidewalk to build a barricade against the police, and it made sense.” CUHK officially canceled classes for the rest of the semester last Wednesday, and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology said it has reopened after

suspending classes last week. UT offered optional evacuations for students currently studying abroad in Hong Kong and suspended its Hong Kong study abroad programs at CUHK and HKUST for spring 2020 Tuesday afternoon, said Randy Penson, global risk and safety director for Texas Global, the center that coordinates UT study abroad programs. “Everybody’s safe,” Penson said. “Everybody who wanted to evacuate has evacuated in one form or another, whether it be completely back home for their mom and dad or family someplace else in the world. We’ve stayed in touch with them the entire time that things have been going on in Hong Kong.” Citing privacy concerns, Penson declined to provide the number of UT students who were studying abroad in Hong Kong or who chose to evacuate. The protests began in June, two months H O N G K O N G PAGE 3

TOP: After police left The Chinese University of Hong Kong on Nov. 12, 2019, protesters prepared for their potential return by fortifying their barricade at the main entrance. University officials evacuated students after protests became violent.

BOTTOM: Protesters set fire to the barricade built on Nov. 12, 2019 to block the road leading to The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s main entrance to campus to further block police from entering.

UNIVERSITY

UT to form group to evaluate sexual misconduct on campus By Graysen Golter @graysen_golter

The University is forming a new working group to address its sexual misconduct policies, UT President Gregory Fenves said in an email Tuesday. In a follow-up to the campuswide email sent earlier this month, Fenves said the Misconduct Working Group will include undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff to improve how the University communicates and evaluates sexual misconduct on campus. He said group membership will be finalized in December, and the recommendations will be delivered in April. The emails came after stu-

dents held two separate sit-ins other campus representatives to protesting the continued em- address the issues that they have ployment of English associate raised in recent months.” professor Coleman Hutchison Fenves said the administraand Sahotra Sarkar, a philostion has created a website that ophy and integrative biology includes a FAQ and updates on professor, who were found the group’s progress. The webto have violated UT’s sexual site also includes a link for peomisconduct policies. ple to submit feedback on what Fenves said the University has issues the group should considalso hired external firm Husch er and where people can report Blackwell to review its Title IX Title IX violations. policies and collaborate with the The FAQ explains the Uninew working group on possible versity does not automatically improvements. The firm will terminate professors accused of be led by Title IX experts Jusexual misconduct but instead lie Miceli and Scott Schneider, tailors disciplinary sanctions Fenves said. to reflect the violation. It also “These are all important steps, says the Title IX office is workbut our work is just beginning,” ing to secure more prevention Fenves said in the email. “We resources and investigators will continue partnering closely with student leadership and M I S C O N D U C T PAGE 3

SG proposes establishing center for nontraditional students By Neelam Bohra @neelambohratx

Student Government proposed support for establishing a center for nontraditional students at its meeting Tuesday. The resolution supports the creation of an on-campus center to help nontraditional students adjust to life at the University. The UT Senate of College Councils passed a resolution in 2014 that created Transfer-Year Interest Groups, and the center would act as a next step, said resolution author Matthew Kenny. Kenny, chemistry and public health sophomore, said the definition of a nontraditional student includes students with children, older students and transfer students.

“That resolution was very fruitful,” SG financial director Kenny said. “It created a better transfer experience. (Nontraditional students such as) transfer students are often thrown into UT and basically told, ‘Figure it out.’” Kenny said the resolution aims to create a larger space for nontraditional students in a central area of campus. Transfer students can currently gather at the Transfer Experience Center, which is located at the Student Organization Center on University Avenue. “We’re hoping in the future for the center to be a place used like the (William C. Powers, Jr.) Student Activity Center or The Texas Union,” Kenny said. “We hope to create a place where students can have that common background and a place to study

that is their own that coincides with their identity as being a transfer student.” Transfer student representative Colby Jaeger said a center like this would have benefitted her transition into the University. “I’m a transfer student, and I can personally attest that I don’t even know where the center we have now is,” government junior Jaeger said. “No one at my orientation was helpful, so having a center where people could give me information we didn’t get would help.” Student body president Camron Goodman said laying a foundation for this center is part of this administration’s seven platform points. S G PAGE 3

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UT students awarded for increasing voter turnout By Raul Rodriguez @RaulRod800

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A national political organization recognized members of the student voter advocacy organization TX Votes for helping increase student voter turnout in the 2018 midterm elections. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is a nonpartisan organization that supports and recognizes colleges, students and faculty for promoting political engagement, said Catherine Fish, associate director for the challenge. The University’s voting turnout for eligible student voters improved to 65.6% in 2018 from 23.5% in 2014, according to a University press release. The University earned the award for most improved voter rate among large public universities, according to ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge’s website. Kassie Phebillo, fifth year doctoral student in the University’s communication studies program, said TX Votes implemented a classroom voter registration program in 2018 which saw over 250 classrooms, from small classes to lecture halls, register to vote. Phebillo said the organization also hosted voter registration events to increase voter turnout, such as Vote Fest, which involved organizations in the Civic Engagement Alliance. The alliance, which is managed by TX Votes, contains over 110 UT student organizations that are committed to engaging their members in the voting process, she said. Phebillo won the outstanding graduate student award for helping increase voter turnout. She said TX Votes hopes to get involved with more University events. “A lot of the ways where we would

like to improve, we would need a lot of support from the University,” Phebillo said. “For the first time this fall, we were invited to Mooov-In, and we registered close to a thousand people … we are hoping to get included into more of those processes.” Maya Patel, former TX Votes president, was awarded the Student Honor Roll award for helping increase voter

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turnout. Patel, a chemistry senior pursuing a certificate in public policy, said seeing how many students voted as a result of their efforts is a testament to the difference students can make. “It’s incredible that we were able to turn out students in a midterm election at rates that are seen in presidential elections,” Patel said. “This proves that young people do vote, and when we make sure that young people have access to be able to vote, they do.”

Fish said although student voter turnout saw a resurgence in 2018, student voters need to be constantly engaged throughout their lives. “People need to be engaged democratically on an ongoing basis, during and between elections,” Fish said. “That’s the only way to help realize the goals and vision of full participation among students.”

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NEWS

/ the daily texan staff

CAMPUS

Natural hair products scarce near campus By Angelica Arinze @AngelicaArinze

Students with natural and textured hair have expressed dissatisfaction with the limited stock and availability of natural hair care products in stores near campus. Natural hair care products are products that cater to hair ranging from kinky to coily textured hair and include brands such as Shea Moisture, Miss Jessie’s and The Mane Choice. These brands can be found at retailers such as Target and Walmart. According to recent research by Mintel, a global market research firm, nearly 40% of consumers said they bought more natural hair care products in 2016 than in previous years. Despite the growing consumer demands, classical languages freshman Wendy Niba said she still struggles to find hair products that suit her needs. “My mother has had to ship me hair products from Dallas,” Niba said. “The only place I’ve found with a few natural hair products is Target, and even then, the products (there) are so limited that I wasn’t able to find what I needed.”

rocky higine

Target employee Marissa Williams works in the beauty section at the Guadalupe Street location. She said the store’s hair care sec-

/ the daily texan staff

tion isn’t as diverse as it could be, but it has made strides toward being inclusive in its product variety. “As our store has become more

popular and we’ve settled into our place and become less new, I think we’ve begun to get products that are more catered to a demographic that is more diverse,” Williams said. “I know we are a smaller store, so we don’t have everything.” Madison Goodrich, director of the Black Presidents Leadership Council in Afrikan American Affairs, said she hopes Austin makes their stores more inclusive. “I wish that there were more black hair products and beauty supply stores (in Austin),” said Goodrich, government and African American studies senior. “Maybe the small black population makes it so stores don’t carry black hair products, but I definitely think that needs to change, especially as Austin grows and hopes to diversify.” Elleanor Ross, textiles and apparel freshman, said she believes the scarcity of these products at stores near campus makes the products more expensive. “I’m not going to spend 20 plus dollars on shampoo or conditioner, so I mostly make my own,” Ross said. “It’s not really fair that we have to travel farther and spend even more money on hair products just because we don’t have the luxury of just having a store right by us.”

RESEARCH

Study finds increase in West Texas earthquakes By Mariane Gutierrez @marianegtrz

Earthquake activity is increasing in West Texas, according to a recent study by University researchers. The research team used an earthquake tracking system made up of 10 seismographs, which record earthquake data, and found a dramatic increase in earthquakes primarily in West Texas, according to a study published Nov. 4 in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. The activity in West Texas jumped from 19 earthquakes in 2009 to 1,600 in 2017, according to the study. Heather DeShon, study co-author and associate professor at Southern Methodist University, said her team conducted the research to find out why the number of earth-

quakes has increased. “West Texas now has the highest seismicity rates in the state,” DeShon said. Peter Hennings, study co-author and research scientist at the UT Bureau of Economic Geology, said researchers tracked the patterns of earthquakes using the TXAR seismic station, which is also used to detect nuclear explosions, near Lajitas, Texas, just outside Big Bend National Park. “Dr. Cliff Frohlich and his colleague Chris Hayward … use digital records going back to the year 2000 to find out if (the TXAR) recorded earthquakes in West Texas and, if so, used a consistent approach every year from 2000 all the way through 2017 to see how the earthquake rate has changed,” Hennings said. Oil and gas production has also increased in West

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Texas, according to the UT press release regarding the study. Hennings said while this was not directly shown to cause earthquakes, the two increases correlate. “What you would want to find is that one thing related specifically to the earthquakes, both in space and in time, and the researchers were unable to find a dominant signal,” Hennings said. “The paper concludes that the change in the rate of earthquakes per year generally correlates with the increase in overall petroleum activity in the same area.” Co-author and SMU scientist Chris Hayward said the researchers found thousands of small earthquakes coming from the direction of the Permian Basin, where there’s a lot of new petroleum development. He said if the two factors are not

destiny alexander

related, there must be an alternative explanation as to why the earthquakes suddenly increased. Hennings said even

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though the earthquakes in Texas have increased, none of them pose a threat as they have caused no significant damage or injury.

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

CAMPUS

Stop the Bleed receives funding to expand training

Misleading vending machine marketing causes confusion

By Carly Rose @carlyydrose

g The previously unfunded Longhorn Stop the . Bleed program recently received ﬁve years of e funding from Campus Safety and Security. n The program is a chapter of a national organization created after Sandy Hook to teach people how to respond in bleeding emergencies. UT alumna Claire Zagorski said she started a chapter of the program on campus to reduce fatality and helplessness. “I was inspired to bring it to UT after Harrison Brown was stabbed to death,” program director Zagorski said. “The bystander … was saying, ‘This is terrible because he was laying there bleeding and no one could do anything, just wait.’ I’m a paramedic, and I knew that wasn’t true, but I also knew people had to be taught what to do.” Zagorski said the funding will consist of $2,500 every year and is the result of safety advocacy nonprofit SafeHorns stressing the program’s importance to Campus Safety and Security. “It was very validating,” Zagorski said. “I’m glad that the work that we’re doing is getting noticed and that we’re making a diﬀerence, and

now we’re going to be able to take a big step forward in expanding the program because of that.” Zagorski said the program will use the funds to buy more training equipment for larger classes and to launch a promotional campaign to increase awareness. She said the training is useful in many contexts, but people pay attention to the program if they see a recent uptick in campus violence. “UT is an open campus,” biochemistry sophomore Sonia Patel said. “I think it’s a necessity for people, and students especially, to be aware of what to do in the event of a shooting or stabbing. If we were aware of it, we could help save people.” Zagorski said the program partners with the certified EMTs in Longhorn EMS to lead training courses. David Wu, lead instructor of Longhorn Stop the Bleed in Longhorn EMS, said empowerment is a huge goal of the training. “It isn’t necessarily having the skills,” biochemistry junior Wu said. “It’s having the confidence of knowing you have the training to know what to do in that scenario. Most bystanders are in shock when something happens, and with a little training, it gives you a bit of confidence to go, ‘Okay, I know what to do in this situation. This is how I should move forward.’”

CASEY CROWE

By Angelica Arinze @AngelicaArnize

r k e t I e

e d s

MEGAN CLARKE

k y H O N G KO N G , CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 n l after the Hong Kong govs ernment proposed an ex, tradition bill that would o allow people accused of a s crime in China and other Chinese jurisdictions to be sent to those places for trial, e according to BBC News. s The bill was withdrawn s in September, but protesters continued to demand s an investigation into police brutality during demonstras tions and less governmental e control from mainland Chin na, according to The New t York Times. f The protests reached college campuses Nov. 10 after protesters accused police of causing the death of a 22-year-old student from HKUST on Nov. 8, according to CNN. Chen said CUHK “transformed” into a fort Nov. 12 with students barricading the main entrance with bricks pulled from the sidewalks. “They turned the university gym into an infirmary,”

Chen said. “They turned dorms near the university into supply rooms … It was just a truly insane series of events.” Chen said by Nov. 13, CUHK had become a “rebel camp” run completely by university students because the staff stopped coming to campus. “There were 18-year-old protesters running the garbage system and collecting trash and transporting it down the mountain,” said Chen, who evacuated Saturday. “There were kids cutting down bamboo shoots to create the barricade. It felt like the entire school was mobilized to stop the police from getting on campus.” Jibraan Siddiqi, a CUHK exchange student who evacuated Monday, said protesters viewed all police as enemies rather than law enforcement there to help them. “The problem is that it’s a cycle,” UT chemistry senior Siddiqi said. “The protesters became increasingly violent in response to police com-

/ THE DAILY TEXAN STAFF

mitting a heinous act, so the police will escalate and commit another act, and then it just keeps going on.” For UT students who were studying abroad, Penson said the rest of classes for this semester will be determined by Hong Kong university professors but that many students will finish classes online. As a result of the protests, Texas Global placed Hong Kong on its restricted regions list with a high risk level, meaning students will have to apply to travel there. Penson said when places where students are studying abroad become potentially dangerous, Texas Global will send welfare check emails to make sure students feel safe. “We target those students, and we ask them to check in with us and we make sure that they’re okay,” Penson said. “If they’re not okay … that’s when we start the ball rolling to give them assistance. We do (this) weekly as we see things going on around the world.”

/ THE DAILY TEXAN STAFF

Vending machines promoting healthy options include junk food, cause confusion.

Grabbing a snack from campus vending machines can be a quick and reliable way to satisfy a craving or get a quick bite to eat in between classes, but some students feel misled by the advertisement of healthy snacks. Although vending machines do not usually have the healthiest options, University Housing and Dining have placed stickers on select vending machines throughout campus that claim the machines offer “healthy balanced options.” Individual items with less than 250 calories, 10 grams of fat and 20 grams of sugar are labeled with “choice plus” stickers and tags, according to labels on vending machines. Sarah Frey is the health promotion coordinator for the Longhorn Wellness Center. Frey said these stickers are a part of the “Light Bites” program, which is a wellness initiative sponsored by the University’s Healthy Dining Committee designed to infuse more nutritionally minded snacks with other vending products. Despite this, students have expressed confusion over the purpose and nutritional claim of the stickers, which are placed on vending machines that include various candies and snacks, such as Twix, Skittles and Pop-Tarts.

“The stickers are ridiculous,” psychology sophomore Faith Piland said . “There’s nothing healthy in the machines. I’ve seen cookies, candies and chips. They could at least have dried fruit or healthy trail mix or bars or something.” Radio-television-film freshman Steven Morvant said that while he still enjoys the candy items from the machines, the stickers claiming the snacks are healthy are misleading. “I don’t think snack options should be restricted, but the labels need to not be misleading,” Morvant said. “I believe that the snack options should be a great variety of healthy and less than healthy snacks, but the stickers are misleading in claiming that the snacks are very healthy when many of them have little to no nutritional value.” Frey said these stickers were put on select machines throughout campus to give students more nutritional variety to choose from and to encourage students to create more personalized snacking habits. “Each individual student should first approach looking at what their goals are for snacking and how snacking fits into their overall eating pattern,” Frey said. “The original goal of the healthy vending program wasn’t necessarily to limit the campus community snack choices; it was only to infuse the ‘Light Bites’ healthier choices and to ensure that healthy choices were present.”

NIKAYLA BELFORD

/ THE DAILY TEXAN STAFF

Jordan Clements, middle, voices his concerns about the A.R. 6 resolution during a Student Government meeting Nov. 19, 2019.

CONTINUES FROM PAGE

Finance senior Goodman said administrators have told him the University is currently reallocating spaces and renovat-

ing, so the center would be possible. He said they plan to model the center’s structure after the Multicultural Engagement Center in the WCP. “This is something administrators have told us speciﬁcally that they want to see student

support behind,” Goodman said. “We’re pretty excited about the progress we’re making, and being a transfer student myself, it’s really good to see this concept come to fruition. It’s been very satisfying. We’re helping a community that’s often overlooked.”

n e y t ZOE FU

Experience it in

/ THE DAILY TEXAN STAFF

Following two sit-ins at the Oﬃce of the Provost this month, President Fenves announces measures to address sexual misconduct on campus on Nov. 19, 2019, including a third-party review and a dedicated website with an FAQ and a feedback form.

MISCONDUCT CONTINUES FROM PAGE

to increase the speed of sexual misconduct investigations. “The University’s current disclosure practices are based on federal and state privacy concerns and are the norm in higher

education,” the University wrote on the website. “That doesn’t mean this is what we should do moving forward. We will ask the outside reviewer to advise us on best practices.” University spokesperson J.B. Bird said the website and opportunities for student feedback represent a desire to include

students in the University’s conversation regarding its Title IX policies, especially considering student protests in the last month. “(UT knows) students are very interested in hearing about the University’s eﬀorts on this issue,” Bird said. “We’re trying to get information out quickly.”

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Registration must be more transparent By Abhirupa Dasgupta Columnist

Fourteen tabs: open. Redbull: chugged, then chased with espresso. UT planner: burned into your retinas. During registration, it feels like the stakes couldn’t be higher. You’re competing against everyone else in the same registration window for the limited seats in the classes you need to complete your degree. Maybe you’re lucky and you get into the classes you wanted because sure, it’s possible that the stars were perfectly aligned in the shape of a 4.0 the day you were born. However, I know from personal experience that a lot of students don’t come out of registration with what they want. Sometimes, they don’t even get what they need. To better equip students for the mad rush of registration, UT needs to make the process more transparent. When I was a freshman, I didn’t know why my registration time was later than some of my friends and earlier than others. My academic adviser never mentioned it in our meeting before registration, and my professors didn’t either. I didn’t find out until much later from an informal conversation with a peer mentor that your registration time depends on how much of your degree you have completed. Plan II and public health freshman Nivedha Loganathan was in the same boat. “I was told that your registration time is determined by how many credits you have taken at college or claimed prior,” she wrote in a message. “I think most of that information came from upperclassmen, but my adviser has mentioned it.” Clearly, there’s a disconnect in information freshmen are getting about their registration time.

isabella hollis/ the daily texan staff

Influencer culture isolates, increases disconnect among students on campus By Maggie Lazaroski Columnist

That’s it. I’m going to say it. The thing nobody is supposed to say. College is SO hard. Difficult classes aside, you have to make new friends, live on your own, prepare for a career, look for internships, decide what your goals are as a human being, stay healthy, do extracurriculars, manage your money, keep in touch with your family and navigate your own identity. Through these trying times, we should feel comfortable and encouraged to discuss our struggles with the people around us. However, the very things that are supposed to connect us are pushing us further into isolation. The social media influencer phenomenon has set the expectation that we need to project a positive image of ourselves to the people around us. By creating a collection of content that portrays life as perfect, it isolates discussion of personal issues from our social sphere. We should consider reducing the time we spend on social media or taking a break from it completely, so we can escape the unrealistic standards it has set for our happiness. There is no shortage of evidence that social media makes us more disconnected. The internet creates a negative feedback loop of loneliness, as people are more likely to go online when they feel isolated, depressed or anxious.

A study from the University of Pittsburgh showed that negative experiences on social media lead to feelings of loneliness. This loneliness is especially painful for college students because all the other stresses in our lives necessitate a support system. Our struggle isn’t quantifiable but is well demonstrated in the 77% increase in the number of students served by the Counseling and Mental Health Center in the last eight years. “Whenever you’re constantly comparing yourself to other people on social media, it definitely makes aspects of college like isolation and loneliness a lot worse,” biology sophomore Chase Seabourn said. Influencers are people with a large social media following — often models, Youtubers or plain old conventionally attractive people — who are hired to advertise merchandise or a service by including it in their posts. In order to motivate people to want to be like them, influencers often project a glorified image of themselves that other people want to imitate, showing off their perfect body, social life, wardrobe; the list goes on. This influencer culture has invaded the lives of the 98% of people aged 18-24 who use social media, putting pressure on users to project an image of themselves that is desirable to everyone who might see it. Seabourn explained how this creation of our online personas leads to

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.

less honest social interactions. “You sort of develop these expectations around people, and people’s identities become intertwined with who they are on social media” Seabourn said. “So I definitely feel like it does bleed into your actual interactions.” The importance granted to social media in our society can give us the misguided idea that the attention we receive online is a measure of our value. In reality, there isn’t anything that determines the hierarchy of our selfworth. As students, we should take a step back from our online presence and evaluate how it’s affecting our social lives and our self-image. Along with that, there shouldn’t be any shame in taking a break from social media. Studio art sophomore Hope Harlow talks about how taking two weeks away from it has impacted her positively. “I actually hang out people more now because they have to text me to get in contact with me to see how I’m doing and stuff, which is really nice,” Harlow said. “It’s nice to hang out with people.” The difficulties we face during this pivotal time in our lives are significant to each of us and by no means easy to overcome. We should be aware that everyone faces difficulties and feel comfortable reaching out to our friends and classmates for support without letting internet-imposed vanity get in the way. Lazaroski is an English major from Dallas.

Without a standard source of information about the factors determining a student’s registration time, the whole process is left up to guesswork.”

GALLERY

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The disconnect doesn’t end there, though. Students with prior credit from AP or IB exams have the opportunity to claim those credits instead of taking introductory classes. Claiming credit helps to boost a student’s degree completion and thus helps them get an earlier registration time. However, the deadline to claim credit in order to get an earlier time is too ambiguous. For example, when neuroscience sophomore Sophie Hughes went in to get advising for Spring 2020 registration, her academic adviser didn’t know much more than her. “When (my adviser) told me to claim AP credit, he said it probably wouldn’t affect my registration time for this semester, but he said he didn’t really know when the cutoff was,” Hughes said. Mark Simpson, the assistant vice provost for Enrollment Services and University Registrar, agreed that such ambiguities do students no favors. “We run the calculations typically two or three weeks before registration, but every term, it varies,” Simpson said. “The process should be completely transparent.” Without a standard source of information about the factors determining a student’s registration time, the whole process is left up to guesswork. This leads to stress, falling behind and ultimately, disillusionment. Hughes, for example, registered a whole day after her peers, and all the classes she wanted were closed. She ended up not being able to add a prerequisite class, which has led to her degree completion lagging behind her peers’. “It doesn’t affect whether or not I complete my degree, but it does affect the quality of degree I’m getting as compared to my friends. Things are not equal,” Hughes said. At an institution with more than 40,000 undergraduates, registration is always going to be a fiasco. However, it is the University’s job to make sure that all students have access to the resources and information they need to ensure the quality of the degree they walk off the graduation stage with. Come spring 2020, I hope to see a holistic repository of information related to registration. Dasgupta is a neuroscience sophomore from Frisco.

RECYCLE | Please recycle this copy of The Daily Texan. Place the paper in one of the recycling bins on campus or back in the burnt-orange newsstand where you found it. EDITORIAL TWITTER | Follow The Daily Texan Editorial Board on Twitter (@TexanOpinion) and receive updates on our latest editorials and columns.

LIFE&ARTS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

FILM REVIEW

Lush musical atmosphere of ‘Frozen II’ falls flat despite initial hype By Noah Levine @ZProductionz

Forget “Let It Go.” It’s time to get “Lost in the Woods” with “Frozen II.” “Frozen II” is the highly anticipated sequel to Disney’s animated hit “Frozen.” Fan-favorites Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven return for another chilling adventure, this time venturing into a mysterious, enchanted forest that has been calling to Elsa. “Frozen II” features familiar yet entertaining high jinks accompanied by yet another infectious soundtrack. Idina Menzel’s Elsa continues to showcase her frozen fury, delivering powerful dialogue and ballads throughout the film. Kristen Bell’s Anna cheerfully compliments Menzel with a witty and ambitious performance. She is given more of a focus this time around, emphasizing her desire to truly be part of Elsa’s adventure, as opposed to just a side player. Jonathan Groff’s Kristoff is given more time to shine, as he comedically tries to figure

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Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter). Unlike Elizabeth, Margaret is spontaneous, funny and outgoing. However, similar to her sister, Margaret hides her true feelings — her initially jovial appearance disguises her sadness and discontent both in her marriage and in her role as sister to the queen. Like Colman, Carter excels at showing a range of deep feelings through only subtle changes in expression. All the actors deliver strong performances, but Colman and Carter’s interactions make the most memorable and affecting scenes of the season. When either one is on screen, it is impossible to look away.

out a way to propose to Anna. Olaf, played by Josh Gad, is as oblivious and optimistic as ever, prancing around the perilous dangers of the enchanted forest. He’s always there to lighten the mood, and it certainly works more than it doesn’t. The animation, as always with Disney films, is absolutely top tier. Lush, natural environments mesh beautifully with the smoothly animated characters. The use of warm color tones in the “Frozen” universe contrasts nicely with the abundant blue, cold visuals. The lighting, animations and whimsicality help bring magical elements to fruition, causing viewers to be wide-eyed with intrigue. At times it feels as if the audience is watching an extravagant musical, complete with a light show that would fit right in at Walt Disney World. It wouldn’t be a “Frozen” sequel without a slew of catchy tunes. While the first film offered powerful fan-favorites such as “Let it Go” and “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?,” “Frozen II” shakes things up a bit with

Although “The Crown” shows that the royals experience human struggles behind closed doors, the show also makes sure to remind viewers that the lives of Queen Elizabeth II and her family are far from relatable. The characters all wear perfectly fitted suits or dresses, which dazzle without being ostentatious. Each costume is a work of art that reminds viewers of the power and status of the royal family. The intricacy and high quality of each outfit helps fully immerse the audience in the story. The cinematography reinforces the extraordinary lives of the royal family. Breathtaking aerial shots showcase their sprawling estates and the many jets they use for travel. Within the palace, frequent wide shots show the walls of world class art and give the

a larger variety of music genres. Standouts include a hilarious homage to retro love songs in the form of Kristoff’s “Lost in the Woods” and a ditzy dark humor bop delivered by Olaf with “When I Am Older.” Elsa’s empowering “Into the Unknown” is clearly the intended follow-up to the success of “Let it Go,” but it can’t help but seem as if it is trapped within its shadow. For a film that has garnered a tremendous amount of fans from all age groups, it’s unfortunate that “Frozen II” continues to play it safe. The plot often feels rushed, with characters quickly progressing through a dangerous journey in order to get from one musical performance to the next. Along the way, characters suffer loss and grieve in some effectively heavy scenarios, but these consequences are often quickly resolved, resulting in an undeserved payoff. It is understandable that a film mainly geared towards children would shy away from truly tackling intensive situations, but as a sequel, it is important to show maturity

Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Sven return in “Frozen II” as they venture into an enchanted forest harboring many magical secrets. and risk when it comes to the continued experience of fan-favorite characters. “Frozen II” is certainly not as revolutionary as its predecessor, often playing it safe within the confines of

Fantasy 1h 43m

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viewer an impression of the palace’s sheer opulence. The cinematography and elaborate set design make the show engaging even when the plot lags. After its award-winning first two seasons, season three of “The Crown” had to meet high expectations. Although viewers won’t be kept on the edge of their seats, the beautiful cinematography and understated, but emotionally powerful, performances ensure “The Crown” remains one of the best shows on Netflix.

The third season of “The Crown” continues to shine as a new Queen Elizabeth II confronts a new set of challenges.

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Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

VOLLEYBALL

joshua guenther

/ the daily texan file

Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott rallies his team in Texas’ first matchup against then-No. 1 Baylor on Oct. 23. The Longhorns swept the Bears in three straight sets at Gregory Gym.

Texas chases Big 12 perfection The No. 1 Longhorns will head to Waco for Big 12 clash against No. 3 Baylor with postseason implications.

Elliott’s Texas teams have finished conference play undefeated only once: in 2013, when the Longhorns made the second of five consecutive NCAA Final Four appearances. But standing between Texas and this difficult mark of perfection is what is likely the toughest matchup the Longhorns will face this year. The path to an unblemished conference record goes through Waco, where the No. 1 Longhorns play No. 3 Baylor in a rematch of the early-season sweep of the Bears. Since the Oct. 23 loss to Texas, the Bears have put themselves back on track to remain in the conversation for a Big 12 Championship. They’ve won five straight, losing just three sets in that span. The Longhorns also dealt Baylor its only loss of the season. Pressure is mounting heading into this matchup, but Elliott says the Longhorns are excited to play in a high-stakes contest

By Marcus Krum

@marcuskrum

erritt Elliott finds himself in a position he’s been in just once before. The Texas head coach has the 13-0 Longhorns rolling with just three matches remaining in conference play.

late in the season like this one. Yet, they don’t look at this match as anything other than another step toward their ultimate goal. “I think the way that we look at our season and the way that we go about … being prepared for every match, we try to take it one match at a time,” Elliott said. “We’ll do that in the regular season, we’ll do that, and then … playoffs. So this is just another match for us. You know that the media and everybody else talked about how big it is. But for us, it’s just another match and seeing if we can improve on it.” The late-season matchup has ramifications for not only the final conference standings but also the postseason. A Big 12 title is still up for grabs, but the No. 3 Bears are on the hunt for more. The No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament is in reach for both teams. A win for

the Bears could change the course of the season. A win for the Longhorns could show that this team is headed toward greatness. “It’d be a great test for us on the road,” Elliott said. “I think it’s great timing. You know, our last two road matches were tough. So I think it’s going to be good timing for us to prepare. I try to take advantage of that.” Elliott has instilled this mindset into the entire team. This match will have clear impacts on the remainder of the season for the Longhorns, but Elliott has Texas focused on its improvement first. “Our biggest thing, before we step out of locker before every single game, we put a really big priority and just focus on our side of the net because we need to focus on ourselves in order to get better,” sophomore libero Sydney Petersen said.

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UT is reaching sustainability master plan goals faster than expected. PA G E 3

Dating on a budget is not only economical, but more fulfilling for students. PA G E 4

Nonbinary author discusses mental health and identity in new book. PA G E 5

CITY

1900

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Sororities to launch diversity initiatives, make rush more open

City of Austin declares water crisis, shortage By Sara Schleede @saraschleede

The University Panhellenic Council is launching a new task force and set of initiatives to diversify Greek life and make sorority recruitment more accessible. The council’s president Evana Flores said the executive board began their efforts in response to a Campus Climate Response Team meeting after UT Police Department removed masked protestors carrying torches from the Main Mall in November 2017. “They were asking us what we were doing to educate our members about white supremacy and making people allies,” advertising senior Flores said. “We set out to write a statement from that point owning up to the issues in the past and the issues currently going on and actual ways of amending it.” Starting fall 2019, the counpedro luna | the daily texan staff cil’s executive board will include Senior advertising major Max Harberg and senior finance major Lance of the Inter Fraternity Council give away water a vice president of diversity and Monday. This came after the city’s water boil announcement Monday morning, which left many students without inclusion. Business sophomore potable water. Eliana Schuller currently works on the new diversity and inclusion task force and is applying for the position. “It’s important that we address these issues on a chapter level within our community,” Schuller By Katie Balevic By Megan Menchaca said. “My biggest idea is to cre@KatelynBalevic @meganmenchaca13 ate more programming that is both engaging and informative to change the overall culture without The City of Austin issued a boil water notice MonA citywide boil water notice has been issued for the first making it seem too forced.” day following recent flooding, telling residents to time in the history of the Austin water utility. Here are some The new task force will overboil water before using it for drinking, cooking or answers to questions frequently asked by students. see each chapter’s diversity edmaking ice. ucation programs. Schuller said “The notice is being issued as the utility works to Why do I need to boil the water? the task force is committed to stabilize the water treatment system,” the notice said. After historic flooding in Central Texas,inclusivity the water and supply promoting integBoil notices usually only last 24 to 48 hours, but is now full of debris, silt and rity, muddespite and requires extended a history of segreupdates will be posted daily about the actions taken it difficult filtration by the city. These conditions gation are andmaking intolerance among to treat the water and how long the advisory will last, for the water plant to filter the volume of water needed for the notice said. By the end of the day Monday, the boil the entire city. S O R O R I T Y page 3 water notice escalated and the City urgently called for Although there is no evidence of bacterial infil infilresidents to limit their personal water usage. tration, Austin Water is advising residents to boil “Water reservoir levels are reaching minimal levthe water to ensure that it is safe to drink until UNIVERSITY els,” the notice said. “This is an emergency situation.” further notice. Recent flooding caused high levels of silt to flow

Austin tells residents to boil water after floods

NOTICE

SO CAN I...

page

Wash my hands?

Yes

Do laundry?

Yes

Boil water notice: Your questions answered

HOW O CNS toT offer new online computer Drink the waterscience Shower? Yes No with a filter? master’s Drink from Use ice from program campus water No No an ice maker? page

fountains?

By Savana Dunning @savanaish

The UT Department of Computer Science is in the of approval for a new online master’s degree program. “The question everyone wants to ask is, ‘Can online be done as well as the tradilecture?’” the PCL needs to be high in ordertional “Iton-campus really wasn’t until about Brent de- any for it to remain a permanent poll poll-said10:30 a.m.Winkelman, when there were partment of lines,” computer sci-said. ing location. significant Dillard director. “Polling locations are largeence“Even though“My it’s a response midterm elecfinal CAM P U Sstages

@savanaish

hope that will translate to greater student engagement.” While Monday marks the first day of early voting for mid-

@Dsmoot3D

1900

119, issue 44 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

volume

119,

issue

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

LIFE&ARTS

$175 million renovation with add new screen and student seatings to DKR. PA G E 2

Texas defeat Fairfield, NC State, 6. Texas defeat Fairfield, NC State, advance to. PA G E 4

Longhorns soccer remain undefeated with golden goal to take down Baylor. PA G E 6

Austin music community pays tribute to rapper Mac Miller with special event. PA G E 8

CAMPUS

UTPD introduces 11 new public safety officers By Megan Menchaca @meganmenchaca13

31 – 16 TEXAS

(3 - 1)

TCU

(2 - 2)

TEXAS JUMPS INTO LEGITIMACY

Along with officers wearing blue, black and white, the UT Police Department now has 11 officers patrolling campus in fluorescent yellow uniforms. UTPD previously had more than 50 security guards at various locations around campus, along with regular police officers. UTPD Chief David Carter said he made 11 of these guards into public safety officers by changing their titles and uniforms in By Ross Burkhart early September to fit with @ross_burkhart the jobs of similar officers at other public universities. “Other universities have here’s one question Texas playpolice officers and they have ers and coaches most frequently public safety officers, which answered this week: How would are basically mobile secuthis team respond after a win over USC rity guards,” Carter said. when a bigger, tougher opponent in TCU “But we see them a little bit was lurking ahead? differently. Their primary To the delight of an exuberant Texmission is to be ambassaas crowd, the Longhorns answered that dors and go out and be extra PROJECT question by giving one of their most eyes and ears for the campus complete, all-around performances in and UTPD.” recent memory. Carter said these new officers respond to non-emerSophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger gency alarms, collect losttook a knee on the final play as the rest and-found items, take police of the Longhorns walked onto the field reports from students and to celebrate the 31-16 win over the No. 17 answer questions. Horned Frogs on Saturday. The victory “They’re not police offimarked the program’s first three-game cers per se, but they are out win streak since 2014 and its first time there as community servants beating Top 25 opponents in consecutive working to support our Uniweeks since 2008. versity and especially our “I think it’s a huge win,” junior safety students, as well as faculty, Brandon Jones said after the win. “Me staff and visitors,” Carter said. “It’s healthy for stuF O O T B A L L page 2 dents to see these officers elias huerta | the daily texan staff out there and know that they Texas junior wide receiver Collin Johnson celebrates a 31-yard touchdown reception in Texas’ 31-16 victory over the can report things to them.” TCU Horned Frogs. The Longhorns have now won three straight games to improving their record to 3-1. Because the officers are non-commissioned and are not licensed to be police ofSTATE UNIVERSITY ficers, they do not have the ability to arrest people, carry a weapon or respond to emergencies on campus. Donald Smith, one of the public safety officers, said despite not being a commissioned officer, he still works to keep the University “(O’Rourke’s) focus seems to whether to revise the auto-admit threshold is “The University is anticipating a simBy Chad Lyle By Katie Balevic safe by easing the workload @LyleChad @KatelynBalevic be on fighting for illegal immibased on application data. ilar number of Texas resident freshmen reported children were held in of Lisa commissioned officers By Dreher grants and forgetting the mil“The University of Texas at Austin annualadmission applications, and this con@lisa_drehers97 prison-like cages and separatwho are often preoccupied lions of Americans — you know, ly assesses historical application and enrolltributed to our decision to maintain the ed from their families for months. Incumbent Republican Sen. Americans are The University’s automatic admission ment rates to determine the automatic admit same automatic admission criteria,” Thedreamers Trumpalso,” Administration and took on Democratic Cruz said. companies contracting threshold will remain at 6 percent for the percentage that will result in 75 percent of Wasielewski said. pageCruz 2 T PSystem D Ted with the UT-Austin and other UUT rival Rep. Beto O’Rourke for the During a discussion about 2020-2021 application cycle, according to a the University’s Texas resident population Sydney Simmons, a former Texas resigovernment have received pubschools have partnered with General first time Friday night in Dallas, marijuana legalization, announcement last week. being automatically admitted,” Wasielewski dent, applied to UT even though she knew lic backlash which over their Twitter handling of Dynamics Information Technology focusing on domestic issues O’Rourke supports, Cruz said Exercise science freshman Sanja Stojcic said in an email. she was not going to be in the automatic the families. and numerous other entities un unsuch as immigration. he thinks it should be decided at admitted when she apWasielewski said the University is exadmission threshold. General Dynamics is was one automatically of the der contract with the United States the state level. plied in to the UT in 2017. Stojcic, who applied pecting a similar number of Texas resident “I was in the top 11 percent,” said Simlargest defense contractors government, involved with carrying KXAS political reporter Juthreshold was still 7 percent, said lie Fine, who co-moderated the “Legalizing marijuana is acwhen the applications. Last year, a total of 51,033 mons, now a biomedical engineering country but also has done casework out President Donald Trump’s sep sepdebate at Southern Methodtually a question I think she recalls freshman applied, according to the Texas for where unaccompanied minors sinceher high school friends who did aration of immigrant children from ist University, posed the first reasonable minds can differ,” not the qualify Admissions website. 2000 under its contract with U.S. for automatic admission were A D M I S S I O N page 2 their parents. question of the night. She asked Cruz said. “IOffice think of it Refugee ought to Resettlement. more stressed The about the application process UT-Austin’s Cockrell School of O’Rourke about his support for be up to the corporation states. I think released Colshe was. “Being auto admit was defiathan statement Engineering has an ongoing research granting citizenship to Dreamorado can decide one way, and nitely a relief especially because I knew I was June 19 on Twitter and said it is not partnership with General Dynam Dynamers, undocumented immigrants Texas can decide another.” going to get involved in the family separations atinto UT,” Stojcic said. “The auto ics, specifically its Mission Systems who were brought to the United When thethe issue of gun vio-border or admit percentage is small. It’s tiny. Because U.S.-Mexico construcprogram. This program includes cre cre-

Collin Johnson’s big day provides spark in conference opener.

Cruz, O’Rourke clash in first Senate debate

New PCL polling location experiences long early voting lines By Savana Dunning

serving the university of texas at austin community since

MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2018 volume 119, issue 50 @thedailytexan | thedailytexan .com

Following battle with cancer, Andrew Jones looks to make a return to the court. PA G E 6

By Donnavan Smoot

serving the university of texas at austin community since 1900

SPORTS

CAMPUS

/ the daily texan file

Senior defensive end Malcolm Roach battles with an offensive lineman in Texas’ 37-27 loss to TCU in Fort Worth on Oct. 26.

University auto-admission threshold to stay at 6 percent for upcoming applicants

The Longhorns have a 24-hour rule around the program. The rule states that players have 24 hours to react to whatever happens in Saturday’s game before moving on to the next opponent. Since the loss to Iowa State, over 48 hours had passed, and it was obvious that defensive end Malcolm Roach hadn’t been able to put the game behind him. Roach, along with sophomore linebacker Joseph Ossai, jumped offsides on fourth-andfive, giving the Cyclones a new set of downs late in the fourth quarter. The Cyclones ran the clock down, and as the seconds ticked away, so did the Longhorns’ chances of making it to the Big 12 Championship. The penalty allowed the Cyclones to wind the clock down to 0:04 before kicking the game-winning field goal. Roach wears his emotions on his sleeve. As he processed his mistake Tuesday afternoon, Roach’s feelings had never been more clear. Many people were in his ears following the game, but the words that stuck with him most were his mother’s. “I talked to my mom,” Roach said. “She said, ‘Life goes on.’” For Roach, life not only has to go on, but his senior season does as well. Two games are still on the schedule for the Longhorns. With the chances of the Big 12 Championship game slim to none, the meaning for the season shifts more

toward the long term. “I want to leave a great example for them of how the game should be played and how you should interact with your teammates and things like that,” Roach said. Roach has been able to do that over the course of this season. He’s been a voice in the defensive room and has mentored several players, specifically freshman defensive lineman Keondre Coburn. “Malcolm, just, he’s a different type of player. He just teaches in a way to where you don’t have to worry all the time,” Coburn said. Roach has been the centerpiece of the defensive line this year, making the outcomes of this season even harder of a pill to swallow, especially after Saturday’s loss. “I’ve probably never felt like that after a loss before,” Roach said. Fighting through adversity is nothing new for Roach or Texas’ recruiting class of 2016. “Me and my class (have) been bouncing back from adversity since the day we stepped on this campus.” Roach said. “People telling us not to come here and people telling us, ‘Your coach will be fired within a year’ type of things, so just finding ways to stay strong.” Throughout the nearly five minutes Roach spoke to the media Tuesday, he cleared his throat several times as he held back tears. He looked at the ground and tried to explain why he was so distraught. “It’s just hard because I was just trying to make a play for the team,” Roach said.

COMICS

CHANNING MILLER & LAUREN IBANEZ

Comics Editors| @THEDAILYTEXAN

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 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 Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Crossword ACROSS Vacation spot 6 Push-button bankers 10 Bad day for Caesar 14 Seat preference, for some 15 Fool 16 Deli cry 17 Start of a quip about a hobby group 19 Blanchett of “The Aviator” 20 Golfer’s concern 21 “Buenos ___” 22 Kama ___ 23 Part 2 of the quip 27 Buds 28 Casual pair 29 Word before sauce or soda 1

SUDOKUFORYOU 7 1

9 3

8 7 4 1 3 6 4 9 3

8 7

9 2 6 7 8 2 9 3 3 9 5 1 6 7 6 9 4

Today’s solution will appear here next issue

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5 9 7 6 2 3 4 1 8

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4 5 8 3 9 6 2 7 1

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Reason why not “Deck the Halls” contraction 36 Part 3 of the quip 41 & 42 Usual result of a leadoff batter getting three strikes 43 Utah politician Hatch 44 ___ Horse 47 Shiny fabric 49 Part 4 of the quip 54 Part of U.S.M.C. 55 Memo abbreviation 56 ___ & Perrins (Worcestershire sauce brand) 58 Celebrated figure 59 End of the quip 62 Sicilian peak 32

64 65 66 67

Cousin of a bassoon Back-comb Full of promise, as an outlook Lip Came to a close

DOWN

Edited by Will Shortz 1

No. 1016 9

21 23

29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Cry like a baby 2 Letters from 36 37 38 39 40 down on the farm? 41 42 43 3 “My Name Is 44 45 46 47 48 ___ Lev” (Chaim Potok novel) 49 50 51 52 53 4 Browns’ home, on scoreboards 54 55 56 57 5 Instance of psychological 58 59 60 61 trickery 62 63 64 6 Family name of Morticia and 65 66 67 Gomez 7 Rwandan group PUZZLE BY PETER A. COLLINS 8 Dash readout 9 Catch, as a 30 Guitarist Wood 52 Classic story 45 Opportunity to movie of the Rolling in which determine if the Stones Paris figures referee blew it 10 Some evil prominently spirits ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE 31 Tiny orbiters 46 ___ longa, vita brevis 53 Intuition 11 Galactic Empire 32 Film director’s S K Y A G E N A P A S T A superweapon cry 47 Petrol units 57 Like Scotch, for H O E T U N E D H A R P E R 12 One playing a a minimum of 34 Here, to Henri 48 Prepare to get E A T M A N T O M A N T A L K small part three years a hand 35 Where trains E L I E R U T A N T I C 13 Place 59 What some stop: Abbr. 49 More P A S S F A I L C L A S S E S smartphones 18 Iranian standoffish 37 Nod off S U N E L O T R O N run on currency 50 Acknowledge E S C O R T U N D O A L E 38 Accepts, as an 22 Tahoe, for one 60 Dream Team silently argument R O E B E E P B E E P C O W members’ org. 51 What someone I N N Y E C H A T B E S T 24 Modern replacement for 39 Put up to run might make a 61 China’s Sun YatN I T S L I S D I O a cash register 40 Agonize (over) stand for? ___ C A T C H A S C A T C H C A N 25 Artery problem R A K E U M A M I A H I Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past T O R A T O R A T O R A M E W 26 Filmmaker puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Riefenstahl U V U L A S S H R E W E L L Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay. B I S O N H E A D S L A Y 29 Co. money manager

8 L&A

J O R DY N Z I T M A N

Life&Arts Editor | @JORDYNZITMAN

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

FEATURE

LIFE&ARTS

RTF professor contributes unique background to UT

jack myer

/ the daily texan staff

PJ Raval, filmmaker and radio-television-film associate professor, draws inspiration from his background as a queer Filipino to tell the stories of the LBGTQ community that would otherwise go untold.

PJ Raval’s films focus on queer subcultures, experiences overlooked by film industry. By Grace Barnes @gebarnes210

rowing up in a more conservative small town in central California, PJ Raval said there weren’t many people who looked like him, which left him feeling isolated. Raval is a queer, first-generation Filipino American filmmaker and radio-television-film

associate professor. His work focuses on LGBTQ subcultures and experiences he said he feels are often overlooked by the film industry, such as the murder of transgender woman Jennifer Laude in the Philippines. He said his experiences inform both his filmmaking and teaching style. “As a professor at UT, I think it’s shaped me in the sense of the type of films that I’m interested in making — stories that are not being readily told,” Raval said. “I’ve always been interested in featuring characters and storylines that are often overlooked and misunderstood. I think that’s because that’s exactly how I felt.” His most recent film, “Call Her Ganda,” is a critically acclaimed documentary about Laude’s death. Raval said it is his contribution to the discussion surrounding threats queer people face.

“As someone who grew up as a queer person of color in the United States, hearing the story of a violent crime about a trans woman of color, sadly, was not new to me,” Raval said. “It’s something I’m very aware of — the threat of violence, discrimination, hate. I thought that being able to tell (Laude’s) story in a documentary was a way for me to contribute.” Raval’s work often deals with very sensitive and personal topics, such as in “Call Her Ganda.” Because of the personal nature of filmmaking, he said he tries to create an open and collaborative environment where students feel free to express themselves without judgment. “Something a lot of filmmakers wrestle with is feeling like you’re putting yourself out there when you are creative,” Raval said. “I try to emphasize

in my producI’ve always been interested tion classes that we’re not in featuring characters and here to cristorylines that are often overtique one anlooked and misunderstood.” other. I think that’s one of PJ RAVAL the hardest associate professor things to do for anyone.” thing within our realm and Francesca Bertini, a raour passion.” dio-television-film junior, is a Kyle Henry, an associate film student in Raval’s Music Film professor at Northwestern UniProduction class, which requires versity, collaborated with Raval on several films while both were students to work closely with lostudying to get their Master of cal musicians to produce music Fine Arts in film production videos. She said Raval’s class is at UT. the first she has really enjoyed “(Raval) is probably such in radio-television-film because a great teacher because of his Raval gives students a lot of room amazing ability to creatively for creativity. collaborate with others,” Hen“Compared to other RTF ry said. “The way in which he is courses, I felt like we’ve able to be a team player and then been pushed to be more creturn around and be the director, ative,” Bertini said. “The way I think, makes him a very inwas open for us to do anyformed teacher.”

TV REVIEW

Third season of ‘The Crown’ dazzles while introducing new cast By Grace Ozor

@Grace_Sandra_O

In its third season, “The Crown” introduces a new cast but remains on the same level as its previous seasons due to stellar performances and high-quality production.

The season begins in 1964 and covers the years leading up to 1976 as Queen Elizabeth II (Olivia Colman) confronts coal miner strikes, Russian spies, growing national debt and a public shift in opinion against the monarchy. In addition to these problems, she also must contend with vari-

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ous issues at home. While this season of “The Crown” covers a large amount of time and explores the lives of many different members of the royal family and the government, the show takes its time developing the characters and plot. Due to this slow-moving

approach, “The Crown” is not designed to be binge-watched. The lack of action makes it hard to watch more than one episode at a time, and even within the episodes, the show often becomes boring. While the plot frequently lags, the performances never falter. As the sovereign, the

queen can never fully express her feelings in public, but Colman still manages to show intense sadness, anger and frustration through only her eyes and small movements. Her icy exterior contrasts that of her sister, Princess C R O W N PAGE 5