Serving The University Of Texas At Austin Community Since 1900 @thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com
Friday, January 24, 2020
Volume 120, Issue 85
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
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APD receives $50,000 from Texas State University to fund tobacco sales stings.
UT must implement a test-optional admissions policy and reject racist past.
Alumna credited for discovering two exoplanets before graduating.
Longhorns look to turn things around in home game against the LSU Tigers.
CAMPUS
Halal options come to campus After years of advocacy from the Muslim Students’ Association, J2 and Kinsolving Dining now accommodate halal requests by offering burgers and chicken breasts.
destiny alexander
By Nataleah Small @nataleahjoy
tarting this semester, students can request halal burgers and chicken breasts in J2 Dining and Kinsolving Dining. Halal options became available on Tuesday following years of advocacy from the Muslim Students’ Association, said Syeda Maryum Qadri, a radio-television-film senior. The MSA worked with University Housing and Dining to
make this change, she said. “I was so fed up eating grass every single day in that dining hall,” Syeda M. said. “I was so tired. And now my friends are able to go in and order a meat option. That’s just crazy.” According to the USA Halal Chamber of Commerce, halal is an Arabic word which means lawful or permissible. It is the dietary standard referring to food as outlined in the Quran, the Muslim holy book. Biology junior Ammar Abed said the preparation of halal meat, which is slaughtering an animal in a humane way in
accordance to the Islamic faith, sets it apart. “The very basic principle behind it is to just treat the animals with respect,” Abed said. “Obviously, a lot of us are meat eaters. We enjoy eating meat, but that doesn’t mean we can just do whatever we want (and) just disrespect the animal.” UT alumna Syeda Ayesha Qadri, Syeda M.’s sister, began asking UHD to offer halal options in dining halls in 2016, but when she graduated in 2018, halal options were still not available. Syeda M. said she decided to continue her sister’s advocacy work.
/ the daily texan staff
Syeda M. said she emailed UHD last January and asked for a refund for the dining portion of her housing and dining bill. She said she did not receive a refund. “I was like, ‘Hey, can I get my meal part reimbursed because I’m not eating the right amount of food, because y’all don’t serve halal,’” Qadri said. Syeda M. sent out a survey to MSA members asking if they would support halal options in dining halls, and received approximately 140 positive responses. H A L A L PAGE 2
CITY COUNCIL
HEALTH
City Council decriminalizes low-level marijuana offenses
Seasonal cedar fever causes allergy symptoms, discomfort By Lauren Girgis @laurengirgis
jack myer
/ the daily texan staff
City Council member Greg Casar’s proposal, which passed Jan. 23, 2020, will decriminalize almost all misdemeanor marijuana offenses in Austin. The Austin Police Department will update its guidelines by May 1, and will still prosecute large amounts of marijuana. By Austin Martinez @austinmxrtinez
Austin City Council passed a resolution 9-0 to end arrests and citations for most low-level marijuana offenses Thursday. Last year, House Bill 1325 legalized hemp and defined
illegal marijuana to contain more than 0.3% of THC, the psychoactive ingredient that produces a high. The passed resolution will stop funding THC testing for low-level marijuana offenses. The sponsors of the resolution, led by council member Greg Casar, say enforcement of low-level marijuana laws is not a safety
priority of Austin residents. “Spending extra dollars to pursue these low-level cases not only isn’t right, but actually makes us less safe because that instability in people’s lives is part of what drives lack of safety in our community,” Casar said. W E E D PAGE 2
From December to March, Central Texas’ juniper trees spread pollen, causing Austin’s residents to experience allergic reactions. “We call it cedar fever because you can feel so bad that it almost feels like you’re sick and not just having allergies,” said Terrance Hines, University Health Services chief medical officer and executive director. During this time of year the juniper trees release pollen into the air, triggering allergies in residents, especially those who are new to Austin. Common symptoms of cedar fever include runny nose, coughing and headaches, Hines said. Denisse Meza, a speech language pathology graduate student, said she experiences an itchy throat, watery eyes and constant sneezing every season, particularly starting in December. Meza said she did not start having allergies until she moved to Austin. “I drink teas (and) I try
not to sleep with the fan on,” Meza said. “But I had never heard about cedar fever (before).”
We call it cedar fever because you can feel so bad that it almost feels like you’re sick and not just having allergies.” TERRANCE HINES uhs executive director
Meza said her allergies were not too strong and usually did not prohibit her from coming to class. She said she does not know if her allergies are caused by the pollen. To prevent allergies, people should try to reduce exposure by bathing pets frequently because they
often bring in pollen, getting over-the-counter remedies and using air fresheners, Hines said. Hines said people experiencing allergies should take an over-the-counter antihistamine and nasal saline rinses. If home remedies are unsuccessful, they may want to be seen at the clinic, Hines said. “We definitely see an uptick of cedar fever allergy complaints in the late fall, early spring time frame,” Hines said. “It can be confusing sometimes because this is also the peak of cold and flu season. So we have to make that determination: Is this an allergy or is this an infection?” Advertising senior Kiana Fernandez said she usually experiences allergies at this time of year when she comes back to Austin from her hometown, Dallas. She gets an itchy, sore throat, becomes congested and sneezes a lot. Fernandez said she had not heard of cedar fever before, but she thinks it might be the cause of her allergies. “I use over-the-counter C E D A R PAGE 3