The Daily Texan 2020-02-06 by The Daily Texan

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

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Volume 120, Issue 94

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

LIFE&ARTS

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Recent city report finds racial disparities in APD traffic stops last year.

UT needs to promote its ethnic studies programs to all students.

Student-veterans discuss growth and new services in UT’s veteran program.

Texas brings in third-straight Top 10 recruiting class after successful National Signing Day.

CITY

UNIVERSITY

Commission recommends cashless ban for Austin businesses By Hannah Williford @HannahWillifor2

input was considered, such as the page of information and student demands handed out to audience members. “It was difficult to come to a complete consensus on all details, but the working group considered and responded to all input to achieve the event objectives,” Bird said. The page handed out to attendees also contained a large “NO” on one side of the sheet. Huynh said she designed this based on advice from community groups as a way to express disagreement with the administration. “(We wanted) some way to visually voice dissonance and disagreement with whatever the people on stage would say,” Huynh said. “We don’t have to just sit there and listen to administrators and just take what they’re saying.” Islam said she was surprised when

The Human Rights Commission of the city of Austin passed a recommendation Jan. 27 to ban businesses from going cashless. Human rights commissioner Garry Brown put forth a recommendation that said cashless businesses are not accessible to those without a bank account. Brown said he has seen other cities starting to go cashless, and he wants Austin to get ahead of the trend. “(Cashless is) not what we should be doing right now because not everybody has access to a bank account or to a credit card or even a debit card,” Brown said. “Austin is so tech savvy that I want to be able to be proactive on something instead of reactive.” Brown said cities including New York and San Francisco currently have a cashless ban, and he plans to meet with the management of Tiff’s Treats to understand what requiring cash would look like to a business. The recommendation would not affect businesses with five employees or less, giving leeway to people running their own business, Brown said. “We should all be for more inclusive consumerism than preferred customers,” Brown said. “It’s one thing for a car to be thousands of dollars and another thing to walk into a 7-Eleven and you want a pack of gum and you have to use the credit card or a debit card or some sort of card for that. It’s not right, and I think it can be discriminatory.”

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eddie gaspar

/ the daily texan file

Students raise papers reading “NO” when they felt the panelist’s answers were unsatisfactory during the Sexual Misconduct Forum held at a Belo auditorium on Jan. 27.

Students frustrated with forum Organizers’ voices ‘overpowered’ by administration in planning sexual misconduct town hall. By Lauren Grobe

@grobe_lauren

tudent members of the Misconduct Working Group said their voices were overpowered and their ideas ignored during meetings to plan a forum about sexual misconduct on campus. The group was formed after months

of student protests against the continued employment of UT faculty found in violation of sexual misconduct policies. One demand of protesters at the time was a town hall on sexual misconduct. That forum was held on Jan. 27. Tasnim Islam, a Misconduct Working Group student member, said she was frustrated with the group while planning the forum. “It was all done with good intentions,” said Islam, a Plan II and women and gender studies sophomore. “But it has been very difficult to feel like the time that we’re spending together is valuable time.” Students and administrators disagreed on the logistics of the forum, such as the size of the venue, the presence of police and how the forum would be moderated, Islam said. “From the very beginning, we fought for the large spaces like the Bass

Concert Hall,” Islam said. “It went from 50 people allowed in a room to 300 (at Belo), which was a small win.” The forum took place in the Belo Auditorium at the Belo Center for New Media, which seats 295 people. There were also two overflow rooms containing at least 30 people in each room. Bass Concert Hall seats 3,000. Student protest organizer Lynn Huynh said there was miscommunication between the administration and the student members about whether there would be police present at the forum. “From the very beginning of us organizing this town hall to literally the day before, we were promised there would be no police,” said Huynh, an advertising and women and gender studies junior. “Student feedback was not taken seriously.” According to a statement from media spokesperson J.B. Bird, student

RESEARCH

UNIVERSITY

UT scientists develop strategy to protect bees

Online nutritional sciences master’s program to start this fall

By Neha Madhira @nehamira14

UT scientists have engineered strains of bacteria that could live in the guts of honey bees and protect them from mites and viruses, according to a UT press release. The strains would also protect honey bees from colony collapse, according to the release. This is a disorder that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency website. “Bees have a microbiome just as humans do, and this microbiome can contribute to bee health,” said Sean Leonard, a cell and molecular biology graduate student. “We started out developing genetic tools for the bacteria that live in the microbiome as a way to understand how they function.” Leonard said his research team then came across the use of double-stranded RNA to impact bee gene function and protect them

against viruses and Varroa mites, which feed on bees. The team activates the bees’ immune systems to help them fight off viral threats, Leonard said. “The way that double-stranded RNA is usually applied is kind of being fed or injected,” Leonard said. “We thought (we could instead) produce it using the bacteria that live inside the bee gut because they are a lot easier to grow. We got some promising results and expanded on that.” Beekeepers lost nearly 40% of their honey bee colonies last winter, according to a Bee Informed Partnership survey. This has been the greatest loss since the survey started 13 years ago. “Bee losses are critically important, and they can change each year, but it has been an ongoing problem for years,” Leonard said. “(Bee loss) wasn’t the main motivating factor of this research because we were initially interested in researching how these bacteria interact

The University’s nutritional sciences master’s program will be available on the online course provider platform edX starting this fall. Since 2017, UT’s nutritional sciences master’s program has offered two online degree options: health promotion and disease prevention, and biomedical and functional nutrition, said Sara Sweitzer, nutritional sciences associate professor and director of the online nutritional sciences master’s program. Sweitzer said by offering these courses on the edX platform, the University will have the potential to reach more people. Sweitzer said in the future the program would possibly branch out with other general instruction courses to offer nutrition science information to a wider audience. The University currently has 21 course offerings on the edX

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By Nataleah Small @nataleahjoy

rocky higine

/ the daily texan staff

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News Editor | @THEDAILYTEXAN

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

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Reports show racial disparities in APD vehicle stops

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Sports Reporters Seth Forman, Cameron Parker

By Neha Madhira @nehamira14

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(512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely. If we have made an error, let us know about it. Call (512) 232-2217 or e-mail managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com.

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/ the daily texan file

The city of Austin’s Office of Police Oversight, Office of Innovation and Equity Office released a report that shows people of color are pulled over at disproportionately higher rates than the rest of the city’s population.

A report from the city of Austin concluded that people of color are stopped in their motor vehicles at disproportionately higher rates than their share of the Austin population. The report released Jan. 30 by the city’s Office of Police Oversight, Office of Innovation and Equity Office found 15% or 17,754 traffic stops in 2018 involved Black drivers while Black people represented 8% of people 18 or older in Austin. That same year, Hispanic and Latino drivers were stopped at a rate 2% higher than the percentage of Hispanics or Latinos 18 or older in Austin. The three offices wanted people to acknowledge that these racial disparities are worsening compared to past years, according to the report.

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students started raising the sign on their own. “We didn’t even have to tell the students to raise them up, we just passed out the flyers,” Islam said. “After the very first question, all the ‘NO’ signs went right up. It was beautiful to see.” Huynh said the forum was a step in the right direction, but more action is needed

“This joint report is a further analysis of the racial profiling (data) the Austin Police Department released February, March of 2019,” said Farah Muscadin, Office of Police Oversight director. “This report looks into the data as it relates to the African American population, the Hispanic population, the Asian population to the overall percentage of population in Austin.” The Office of Police Oversight will host a community conversation about race and policing in Austin on Feb. 22. “I think all of the police departments across the country are having to deal with racial profiling issues,” chief innovation officer Kerry O’Connor said. “From a community perspective, I think you’ll hear, ‘No, we are not surprised (about the racial disparities in Austin).’” O’Connor said the fact that people are not surprised is what makes the joint report so much more important. “Obviously, there are several

communities that have experience with this,” O’Connor said. “We are looking at the data, and the data seemed to (support) what a lot of community members and a lot of individuals in the various communities have been feeling for years.” APD Chief Brian Manley released a response to the report last month. Manley said APD is aware of this problem and wants to get a further analysis of these numbers because there is still some information they do not have available. “Are these arrests based on individuals that have warrants for their arrests, or are these arrests discretionary decisions that officers are making?” Manley said. “(The community conversation could) determine who’s best suited to do this level of (further) review.” Manley said that community members living in or visiting a crime-cluster neighborhood may have an increased likelihood of interacting with more officers, which

may also speak to the disparities. “We don’t deploy our officers equally around the city,” Manley said. “We’re a data-driven police department, and we deploy our officers to those locations where crime has clustered or where we are having upticks in crime.” Chas Moore, Austin Justice Coalition founder, said the organization has been talking about the racial disparities since they were founded five years ago. The coalition is a grassroots organization addressing criminal, economic and social justice issues at the local level, according to their website. “(There) seems to be a lack of innovation (and) a lack of creativity within the police department to help these things go away,” Moore said. “It just goes to show you that even though the mass majority of people in Austin are white, (people of color) are negatively being stopped, sighted and arrested by police. That’s crazy to me.”

from the University. At the forum, UT President Gregory Fenves committed to attending the next meeting of the Misconduct Working Group on Feb. 13 after students questioned his absence at previous meetings. “I’m not happy with the administrators’ responses,” Huynh said. “There’s still so much work to be done. This is something people are still talking about, including administrators, including Fenves.”

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platform, according to the edX website. UT has partnered with edX since 2012 and in 2018 was one of the first universities to offer a computer science master’s program on the platform, Mike Dumbroski, senior director of educational services at edX, said in an email. Programs offered on edX help address the challenges presented to people who work full time or would otherwise have trouble paying for an advanced degree, Dumbroski said. “These learners come to us looking for an online option that gets them a top-ranked degree — at an affordable price point — that they can earn flexibly on their own time,” Dumbroski said. People who are interested in this program range from registered dietitians to people applying to pharmacy and medical school, Sweitzer said. A person applying to a professional program can improve their résumé by earning a master’s degree in nutritional sciences, Sweitzer said. Offering this master’s program online can also help practitioners who currently work as registered dietitians stay competitive, Sweitzer said. In 2024, newly registered dietitians will be required to have a master’s degree, Sweitzer said. “Another portion of our students are practitioners, dietitians who are out in the field practicing, and they can’t take the time off from

work,” Sweitzer said. “They’re able to complete a master’s degree online.” Angie Cook said she participated in a online program and graduated with her master’s in nutritional sciences in August 2019. Cook said she graduated from Baylor University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in nursing and currently works as a registered nurse for UnitedHealth Group. Cook said she was inspired to learn more about nutrition when she developed health issues a few years before enrolling in the program. “That has led me on a journey to learn more about nutrition and have a desire to use that and incorporate that into my nursing career, which that part’s still evolving,” Cook said. Although she did not use the edX platform, Cook said there are benefits to using any online platform to complete a degree. “It offers so much flexibility and ability to be able to accomplish this around your schedule,” Cook said. Nur s i n g fr e sh m a n Thunyathorn Jaruves said she has already taken two online classes during her time at UT and appreciated that she could do the work at her own pace. She said online master’s degree options are beneficial for people with families and full-time jobs. “It will be better for them because they’ll be able to do it and then also take care of their other responsibilities, such as if they have a family,” Jaruves said. “It’s more at their pace and how they need to do it.”

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

T H R O U G H T H E LENS

Featuring the best from the photo department.

eddie gaspar

/ the daily texan staff

Computer science freshman Mariana Medina, English, government and youth and community studies senior Suseth Muñoz and computer science freshman Bianca Alvarado take a selfie in front of the snow and the Tower on Wednesday night.

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with each other. We set out to do something else and kind of discovered (the double-stranded RNA) can be used in this way.” Alex Pointon, an international relations and global studies freshman, said colony collapse is a massive force that is harmful to both the bee species and the entire agricultural industry. “Up until now, strategies to combat it were mostly preventative because no one cause could be identified,” Pointon said. “If (the genetically-engineered bacteria) could stop one of the most serious colony die-offs in recent years, I for sure support at least piloting it in a few colonies.” Integrative biology professor Nancy Moran said the next steps

e o w y f y

gaby breiter

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Devin Pham, manager of food truck Greenade located across from Dobie Mall, said they prefer doing cashless business for convenience and safety and plan on going cashless in the future. He said payment with card or apps allows for better tracking of cash flow and eliminates human error. Pham also said the business has issues with people stealing from the tip jar that sits on the sill of the food truck, which makes paying the fee that allows businesses to process credit

cards worth it. “With cash, a lot of people can fake bigger bills,” Pham said. “When they have a 100 (dollar bill) and a $6 meal, we give them more cash back, and there’s just more mistakes that can happen. I think in the long run it’s better to pay (a credit card fee) than worry about all of that.” Although Brown recognizes the safety appeal of not having cash at stores, he said there will likely always be some cash in stores, so the prospect of robberies is unavoidable. “There’s always going to be robberies,” Brown said. “That’s just the way life is, and I’m sorry about that. But let’s be inclusive.

of this research would require experiments that are more realistic in an indoor bee enclosure. “We did these experiments all in an enclosed lab with bees in small cages or growth chambers in the lab,” Moran said. “Do these (genetically-engineered bacteria) help the whole hive? Do they spread from hive to hive? How long do they persist in hives? All of those are things we don’t know yet.” Moran said it is important to understand that bees are seasonal when planning these next steps and their time frame. “In the middle of winter, they are not making new bees and they are relatively inactive, so this (research) has to be done during the warm part of the year,” Moran said. “We hope that we can have more trials this coming spring and summer.”

/ the daily texan file

The city of Austin is known as being an inclusive community. Let’s live that value.” Makayla Byars, government and anthropology junior, said she doesn’t usually notice when businesses don’t accept cash because she usually pays with a debit card. Byars said she feels more secure using a card since her bank has reimbursed her when her card was stolen. However, she likes using cash to budget her spending. “Banks can be really expensive,” Byars said. “Sometimes it is cheaper to work with cash, so I could see how that could make it harder for people to pay for things.”

destiny alexander

/ the daily texan staff

CAMPUS

Activist speaks about intersex awareness, harmful procedures at Diversity Dialogue By Lauren Abel @laurena0324

Activist Alicia Weigel spoke about intersex awareness and said intersex children are subject to harmful procedures at the Diversity Dialogue on Wednesday. Students for Equity and Diversity hosted the event in a partnership with the Gender and Sexuality Center. Intersex individuals are born with different variations of reproductive characteristics, which can lead to unnecessary surgery to alter their bodies to fit within the gender binary, Weigel said. Weigel, who was born intersex, has a history in politics and gave testimony against the bathroom bill in 2017. She now works throughout the Austin community and as a human rights commissioner for the city of Austin, advocating for inclusive legislation and better conditions for intersex individuals.

“I think for me it was just realizing that there are so few out intersex people that are doing this work, and so if I weren’t doing it, I would feel kind of guilty and like I missed my calling a little bit,” Weigel said. Students for Equity and Diversity developed Diversity Dialogues to give students opportunities to further their understanding of intersectional issues. The event was held in the Multicultural Engagement Center and was the second Diversity Dialogue of the school year. “The aim is to promote diversity in an interesting way, where we use student narratives,” said Imani White, a Students for Equity and Diversity member and international relations and global studies senior. “We use real life people to talk about their experiences.” This is the first event discussing intersex education hosted by the organization. Katelyn Hobbs, a social work graduate student,

attended the event for a class and said her affiliation with the LGBTQ community prompted her excitement to learn about intersex education. “I’m a part of the LGBTQ community, but I don’t know a lot about the intersex identity,” said Hobbs. “I want to learn more so that I can be a better ally and hopefully take that into consideration.” Weigel said she continues to educate students in hopes of influencing younger generations and creating a more inclusive future. “I think y’all are going to be the next generation of leaders in the world,” Weigel said. “We can’t make the changes we need if (people) don’t know that we (intersex individuals) exist.” The Students for Equity and Diversity will host their next event, a 5-week leadership program called the Multicultural Leadership Institute, starting on Feb. 11.

jack myer

/ the daily texan staff

Alicia Weigel (left), an interesex activist, tells her story to students in the Multicultural Engagement Center on Wednesday.

SPENCER BUCKNER

Editor-In-Chief | @THEDAILYTEXAN

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

OPINION

COLUMN

brittany le

/ the daily texan staff

Ethnic studies programs need increased promotion By Madison Goodrich Columnist

When I first started my undergraduate career, I didn’t fully appreciate all the educational opportunities UT had to offer. I was originally admitted as a government major, but soon into my college career decided to add a second major in African and African Diaspora Studies. That choice opened my eyes and enriched me in ways I could have never imagined. However, I was only exposed to the African and African Diaspora Studies Department after taking one of their classes and having multiple conversations with professors and other passionate students. Unfortunately, not many students are lucky enough to have the opportunity to receive degrees in majors like African and African Diaspora Studies, Asian American Studies, Mexican American and Latina/o Studies, Middle Eastern Studies or Native American and Indigenous Studies, to name a few. UT needs to do a better job of promoting and encouraging students to major, minor or earn certificates in various ethnic studies programs. As of now, there is currently no specific University-wide recruitment process to encourage enrollment in the various ethnic studies departments. “We don’t have anything that is currently specific to those particular majors,” executive director of admissions Miguel Wasielewski said. “Our efforts focus more broadly on admission to the University and recruitment to the University of students that are coming from underrepresented backgrounds. Our outreach is not tied to individual majors.” Tony Vo, advisor for the

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.

Center for Asian American Studies, said he believes the lack of enrollment and advertisement comes from students wanting a certain income once graduating from college. “Liberal arts, by nature, is really hard to sell,” Vo said. “I think students are worried about real-life issues like how do I make money … how do I provide for my family … and I’ve seen, even in the way that we advertise or don’t advertise, majors really are impacted by this trend.”

The University should advertise these majors to all students regardless of their racial background during the admissions process.” Another concern various ethnic studies programs have is the lack of certain minority students on campus who would possibly consider completing degrees from their programs. Wasielewski said there are currently recruitment efforts in place by admissions to change this. “We came up (with) a plan to develop a pipeline of students,” Wasielewski said. “We want to be able to start as early as their freshman year and identify students who might be admissible to the University.” Although UT has made strides to recruit more students from various backgrounds, individual departments shouldn’t bear all

the burdens of recruitment, especially when these departments are underfunded and understaffed. The University should advertise these majors to all students regardless of their racial background during the admissions process and until they must declare a major. Students should be made aware of the unique opportunities right at their fingertips. For example, the African and African Diaspora Studies department is one of the best in the state and hosts multiple renowned professors that participate in groundbreaking research. Journalism senior Jacqui Briddell said she decided to minor in African and African Diaspora Studies because of the esteemed faculty and all the opportunities she can gain through the program. “UT has one of the largest black studies departments in the country and … we’re not taking advantage of that enough,” Briddell said. With better recruitment efforts early on, more students may be encouraged to complete a minor, major or certificate because they’ll know more about the opportunities those majors offer them. They will also have more time to consult with other students and faculty members in these departments. Ethnic studies departments not only serve as platforms for learning, they also encourage research on underrepresented populations and help diversify the University’s faculty composition. The University should encourage all students, not just minority students, to engage in meaningful study with these rigorous and vital departments. Goodrich is a government and African and African Diaspora studies senior from Dallas.

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SPORTS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

GOLF

Longhorn golf looks to reach next level in 2020 By Cameron Parker @camerondparker

Entering the spring season ranked No. 1 in the country, Texas women’s golf is adamant that the best is ahead of them. After opening their season with a third place finish, the Longhorns won their next three tournaments, but that’s not enough for head coach Ryan Murphy and his players. “There’s always a next level,” Murphy said. “None of them are finished products, and we’re gonna continue to try to get them to the next level.” Senior Emilee Hoffman shares the same sentiment as her head coach, with one goal on her mind after last year’s elimination in the NCAA Championship. “Our main goal is to be number one in the spring and win the National Championship,” Hoffman said. “I think a lot of us are really focused and determined, especially after what happened last year. I feel like we’re all ready to go.” After breaking the team’s 18hole and 54-hole record earlier this year, another level and more determination might see every Longhorn record shattered before the season ends. Freshman

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Sophie Guo, who has already set the program record for lowest individual 18-hole and 54-hole total, can attest to that. “This team is definitely the most competitive team we’ve had so far,” Hoffman said. “You want your team to be the best, and you want to be surrounded by the best.” Texas also returns junior Agathe Laisne, who missed the fall season while recovering from a torn ACL in her right knee. Laise will make her first appearance in a golf tournament in over seven months at this week’s Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes Estates, California. Laisne, who was named the 2019 Big 12 Player of the Year and was awarded First Team All-America honors by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association and Golfweek, returns to the lineup alongside Guo, Hoffman, Sara Kouskova and Kaitlyn Papp. “(Laisne) brings tremendous potential to make us that much better,” Murphy said. Her return means that Texas now has eight players attempting to qualify in each tournament for only five starting slots. “There’s some serious competition now, and they all know it’s for real,” Murphy said. “If you’re going to qualify you gotta play

Green as well. White expects Green to draw some pinch hitters with her left-handed pitching. Texas will also have a new voice in the dugout via new assistant coach Steve Singleton. Singleton played shortstop and second base for the Minnesota Twins and was the hitting coach for Fort Myers High School in Florida. Singleton was also hitting coach for the MLB All-Star Futures Game and will be hitting coach for the Texas Longhorns. Elish was not shy when it

anthony mireles

well. In the end, that’s going to help us.” Fellow WGCA All-American and the Big 12 Freshman of the Year Hailee Cooper did not qualify for this weekend’s tournament. It will be the first time

comes to the impact coach Singleton has had in his brief stint in Austin. “Coach Steve is awesome,” Elish said. “He’s definitely brought so much toward me. We’re super lucky to have him. He’s not only a great hitting coach, but a great person.” The No. 6 Longhorns will take on Wichita State twice, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Lamar University, Colorado State and Maryland on opening weekend at the Texas Classic. With six games in four days, there’ll be plenty of softball for Texas to get off to a quick start this season.

RECYCLE your copy of

/ the daily texan file

Senior Emilee Hoffman follows through on a putt at the 2018 Betsy Rawls Invitational. Hoffman is one of the three seniors leading the Longhorns into the 2020 spring season.

recruit

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Cooper failed to qualify in her collegiate career, speaking to the depth the Longhorns now have. “(Murphy) says we have one of the deepest groups, and we all agree with that,” Cooper said. “We just have to keep pushing

do everything right. He’s going to give his teammates everything he’s got every time he steps on the field.” The 6-foot-5, 284-pound defensive end was selected to play against the nation’s best recruits in the Army All-American Bowl in January. In Collins’ senior year at Cedar Creek, he recorded 86 tackles, 35 tackles for loss, eight sacks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

He tallied even more tackles in his 92-tackle junior campaign en route to his 253-tackle, 18-sack high school career. Aside from his proximity to UT, he also has another UT tie with his mother, Benita Pollard, who played on the Longhorns women’s basketball team from 1990-1994. “With Alfred, it seems like we’ve been recruiting him for forever,” Herman said. “It’s been about two-and-ahalf years. He’s from right here in Bastrop. His mom played basketball here at UT

and grinding because we want to win the National Championship.” The Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge is the first of five tournaments leading up to the Big 12 Championship and the NCAA Championships.

for Coach (Jody) Conradt. His dad has got a great job here in Austin. All of the boxes were checked a long time ago from a character and work-ethic standpoint.” Collins joins four-star defensive tackle Vernon Broughton (Cy Ridge) and threestar defensive tackle Sawyer Goram-Welch (Longview) as the Longhorns’ three defensive linemen in the 2020 recruiting class. The commitment only strengthens Texas’ recruiting class, which is No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 9 nationally, according to 247 Sports.

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MARCUS KRUM

Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

FOOTBALL

Texas lands 4-star defensive end Alfred Collins picks Texas over Oklahoma, Alabama as Longhorns bring in third-straight Top 10 class. By Alex Briseño @alex_briseno

exas received one last gift on National Signing Day after four-star defensive end Alfred Collins (Cedar Creek) announced his decision to play for the Longhorns over Oklahoma and Alabama. Collins sat in his high school gym Wednesday afternoon with a couple hundred Cedar Creek students waiting for him to announce where he plans on spending his college career. He sat at a table with his parents along with a wrapped box and a black, oversized balloon set on a table a few feet in front of him. His top three schools — Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas — were announced in alphabetical order. The Cedar Creek gymnasium is 22 miles away from the UT campus, which was evident when the gym erupted as Texas was announced as the third and final school in contention. Before Collins made his decision, his high school highlight reel was projected on a screen. Collins eventually walked up and popped the balloon, which sent orange

anthony mireles

/ the daily texan file

Texas head coach Tom Herman and the Longhorns wait in the tunnel at the Cotton Bowl ahead of the 2018 Red River Rivalry. After this year’s National Signing Day, Herman has officially brought in the Big 12’s best recruiting class for three-straight years.

powder and confetti flying. He reached inside the box to pull out a Texas hat as “The Eyes of Texas” began to play throughout the gym. “At the end of the day, it came down to where I play,” Collins said to reportHe’s going to give his ers after the announcement. “They down to a four-man, and teammates everything he’s switched I like four-man because I don’t like got every time he steps on getting double-teamed every play. I the field.” think that’s where I fit best.” Former defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, who was fired in December, TOM HERMAN was known for stubbornly sticking to texas head coach

a three-man front, which is partially why Texas struggled to get to the quarterback. That failure to adjust his scheme is also what eventually got Orlando fired. As Collins’ decision proves, Texas switching to that four-man front is already starting to pay off. Collins also mentioned the importance of UT being so close to Cedar Creek, which will allow his family to easily make it to home games. Collins is the No. 2-ranked strong side defensive end in the country, and the No. 8 overall recruit in the state of Texas,

according to 247Sports. His dominant high school career earned him All-America, all-state and three-time all-district honors, including getting named a twotime Defensive Lineman of the Year for his district. “When you turn the film on, this is a guy who just continues to get better,” Texas head coach Tom Herman said in a statement. “He’s so long and strong, but extremely athletic. He’s a starter on their basketball team and a guy that’s going to R E C R U I T PAGE 5

FOOTBALL

Longhorns finalize third-straight Top 10 recruiting class By Marcus Krum @marcuskrum

With many top high school football players choosing to sign their letters of intent during the early signing period, National Signing Day has become more of an afterthought in the recruiting world. But as Texas tried to shore up its 2020 recruiting class, a pair of last-minute commits rounded out the Longhorn class that ranks ninth in the country and first in the Big 12. Four-star Cedar Creek defensive end Alfred Collins and fourstar Carthage athlete Kelvontay Dixon were the only two signees of the day for the Longhorns, helping vault Texas’ class into the country’s Top 10. “February is not really (the) regular signing day anymore,” Texas head coach Tom Herman said in a press release Wednesday. “It’s almost late signing day with most of our class wrapped up in December. We addressed a lot of areas of need and brought in a lot of guys we think will be able to come in and play early.”

joshua guenther

/ the daily texan file

Texas head coach Tom Herman addresses the Longhorns during their game against Baylor in Waco, Texas on Nov. 23, 2019. While the Longhorns hit on two big recruits, several players considering Texas decided to take their talents elsewhere. In deciding between Texas and

Missouri, Duncanville cornerback Ennis Rakestraw chose the Tigers. Manor High School defensive end Princely Umanmielen had narrowed down his options

to Auburn, Baylor, Texas and Florida. In the end, Umanmielen picked up the blue and orange hat and threw up the Gator chomp. “I know that I want to play

big competition and my goal is to go to the NFL,” Umanmielen said. “And I know that the SEC produces big-time D linemen.” Texas’ 2020 class is headlined by the only five-star recruit in running back Bijan Robinson. Hailing from Salpointe Catholic in Tucson, Arizona, Robinson ranks as a top-three running back in the country. Even though his home is nearly 900 miles away, he already has big plans for his time in the Lone Star State. In a Bleacher Report article, Robinson said he came to Texas to “try to get them back to the top.” Outside of Robinson, every player in the 2020 class has its roots in the state of Texas. That’s 18 athletes from Texas high schools that Herman has brought in to help reestablish the state’s most iconic college football program. “I want to thank the high school coaches here in the state of Texas and their straight-line recruiting model,” Herman said. “We take a lot of pride in getting the best of the best in our home state to play for their flagship University, which is The University of Texas. We couldn’t be prouder.”

SOFTBALL

Texas softball returns with championship aspirations By Seth Forman @SethForman4

Last season, Texas fell just one game short of the 2019 Women’s College World Series. The Longhorns made it into a Super Regional Series with No. 8 Alabama before losing Game 3 of the three-game series. This weekend, Texas will go into 2020 on the backs of its veteran players who return with title aspirations. One of the biggest players to watch will be star pitcher Miranda Elish, who is returning this season after an injury in Game 2 of last year’s Super Regional that would take her out for Game 3. Elish suffered a facial injury after her catcher, Mary Iakopo, attempted a throw the ball to second, but unintentionally struck her in the face instead. Surgery was not required, though Elish will be wearing a mask this season.

Elish left Oregon after her sophomore season along with Lauren Burke, Mary Iakopo and Shannon Rhodes. All four left to follow head coach Mike White from Eugene, Oregon to Austin, Texas. The quartet of players made a big splash in their first year in Austin, and this year White thinks the team will really come together. “I feel like our team is close this year,” White said. “I think the blend of the team’s a lot stronger (than last year), the clubhouse is definitely stronger.” Another key player to keep an eye on will be freshman pitcher Courtney Day, who White also believes is the most consistent power hitter on the team. Several other freshmen will look to make a quick impact on this year’s roster. White calls freshman infielder Alyssa Popelka “the fastest kid on (the) team,” and has high praise for freshman Grace S O F T B A L L PAGE 5

blaine young

/ the daily texan file

Senior pitcher Miranda Elish delivers a pitch during the Longhorns’ 1-0 win against Baylor at McCombs Field on May 4, 2019.

COMICS

A L E K K A H E R N A N D E Z & B A R B R A D A LY

Comics Editors| @THEDAILYTEXAN

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

The The New New York York Times Times Syndication Syndication Sales Sales Corporation Corporation 620 620 Eighth Eighth Avenue, Avenue, New New York, York, N.Y. N.Y. 10018 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For For Release Release Thursday, Thursday, February February 6, 6, 2020 2020

Crossword

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Online Online subscriptions: subscriptions:Today’s Today’s puzzle puzzle and and more more than than 7,000 7,000 past past puzzles, puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 ($39.95 aa year). year). Read Read about about and and comment comment on on each each puzzle: puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay. nytimes.com/wordplay.

T R I N A DY J O S L I N

Life&Arts Editor | @TRINADY05

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

UNIVERSITY

LIFE&ARTS

UT rated No. 6 for veterans

Career website Zippia ranks UT as one of the friendliest schools for student-veterans nationwide. By Mackenzie Dyer

@mackdyerr

he University of Texas is the No. 6 best college for veterans nationwide and No. 1 in Texas, according to a new ranking by the career website Zippia. However, some student-veterans say the Forty Acres hasn’t always been the supportive campus it is today. “Traditionally, the view of UT as a veteran-friendly institution has not existed on the veteran side,” said Rebecca Larson, UT’s Student Veteran Association president. When Air Force veteran Larson transferred to UT in the spring of 2013 with 143 credit hours and eight college transcripts, she said she was rejected by her first school of choice, the McCombs School of Business, because she “did not look good on paper.” Once she was accepted into her second choice, the College of Natural Sciences, she said her issue was no longer with UT, but with how difficult it was for her to get to that point. Since then, she’s led the charge in renovating veteran services at UT with hopes that no more nontraditional students experience what she did. “It became apparent that what I needed to do was change the way veterans’ positions are perceived at this University,” Larson said. The Student Veteran Services office opened on Veterans Day in 2011, and its main focus was to create a community of support for returning veterans, according to a UT News article. Larson said she received the minimum amount of help she needed throughout her admissions process and that she felt unwelcome as a female in a male-dominated office. As a veteran, Larson said she expected more. She connected with other female veterans through a national organization called the Student Veterans Association. From there, she got to work rewriting the UT chapter’s constitution and bylaws to create a more inclusive environment. It wasn’t until the fall, after Jeremiah Gunderson took over as director of Student Veteran Services, that her vision became a reality. “Basically, we invited (Gunderson) to an SVA happy hour and yelled at him,” Larson said. “But we weren’t yelling that (he) needed

evan l’roy

/ the daily texan staff

Rebecca Larson, Student Veteran Association president (left), and Jeremiah Gunderson, director of Student Veteran Services, pose for a portrait at the Student Veteran Services office. Their goal is to make a more inclusive environment with more services for veterans on campus. to fix it; we were yelling at (him) that we were going to fix it and (he) was going to help.” Since that not-so-happy hour night, UT has introduced a variety of veteran services, including an on-site Veterans Affairs counselor who specializes in mental health care full time. The University also offers professional guidance for veterans’ benefits, career services and, most recently, the Institute for Military and Veteran Family Wellness to help with the transition from military to civilian life. “It’s night and day versus when (Larson) got here,” Gunderson said. “Now, we offer veterans the same amount of support as any other student, and one thing is evident — veterans are doing well.” As opposed to when Larson applied in 2012, students can now specify their

classification as a veteran on ApplyTexas. Their application is then pulled out of the system and looked at with their status in mind. Zippia marketing manager Kathy Morris ranked UT as veteran-friendly. While analyzing all 517 four-year public colleges in America, Morris said she calculated the rate of completion, rate of students making over $28,000 a year after graduation and the percent of student tuition spent on instruction rather than other administrative costs. At UT, 80% of veterans graduate, and 77% earn more than $28,000 upon graduating with a UT degree. “During my study, UT’s veteran webpages were surprisingly accessible and easy to navigate,” Morris said. “My numbers showed that 130% of veterans’ tuition goes toward their

own services.” Morris also clarified this percentage includes federal funding, grants and scholarships. Larson said there are still discrepancies regarding veteran student enrollment, but that UT has received a high ranking because it’s making an effort to be apart of the conversation. Today, Larson has two Bachelors of Science in astronomy and physics, as well as a master’s in astronomy — all from UT. She’s currently in the middle of completing a Ph.D. in astronomy. “The good thing is we’re talking about what we need to do to not be put through the cookie-cutter machine,” Larson said. “Veterans don’t fit in the box, and we still don’t.”

TELEVISION

CAMPUS

Here’s a look at what’s being released on Netflix this February

Law students create a space for law-themed puns, runaway dinos By Kaylee Benavides @thedailytexan

Netflix is set to release a sequel of its original movie “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” later this month called “To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You.” By Brooke Sjoberg @Sjobergreport

Netflix is pushing a horde of new releases for the month of February. Whether you’re looking for some comic relief or a new favorite for Valentine’s Day, there’s plenty of offerings rolling out through the month. The Daily Texan rounded up Netflix’s scheduled releases for this month to make finding your next obsession or filling out a Friday night marathon that much easier. “Tom Papa: You’re Great!” — Feb. 4

Doing

This comedy special featuring Tom Papa reminds viewers that it’s okay to be where you are in life, moving at your own pace in a world moving ever quicker. As responsibilities and obligations pile up, Tom Papa is here to tell you, “You’re doing great!” “The Pharmacist” — Feb. 5

After losing his son in 1999, a small-town pharmacist hunts down his killer to bring him to justice in this documentary series. However, when he begins to see people who don’t need OxyContin filling prescriptions for the drug, he takes the fight straight to Big Pharma.

“Locke & Key,” Season One — Feb. 7

The series is an adaptation of the comic book series of the same name created by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez. When the Locke family loses their father, they move into Keyhouse, their ancestral home. The house is full of magical keys with special powers, which the children use to accidentally summon a demon whose goal is to steal the keys. “Horse Girl” — Feb. 7

This psychological drama shows Alison Brie as Sarah, a girl who prefers the company of horses to that of people. After a series of strange dreams, Sarah finds the line separating reality from imagination grows ever thinner. “To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” — Feb. 12

As a sequel to the 2018 streaming hit “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” “P.S. I Still Love You” catches up with Peter and Lara Jean’s growing relationship as another recipient of her old love letters comes out of the woodwork. “Narcos: Mexico,” Two — Feb. 13

Season

The second season of “Narcos: Mexico” picks up where the first left off, as Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo struggles to maintain control of the Guadalajara cartel. As the

death of a DEA agent complicates his leadership and makes him the target of an investigation, the cartel is made even more unstable and volatile. “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon” — Feb. 14

In the latest installment of Shaun the Sheep’s wiley stop-motion adventures, Shaun befriends an alien and endeavors to keep him safe from the government.

“Gentefied,” Season One — Feb. 21

A cast member runs across the Utopia Theatre stage, dinosaur hobbyhorse in hand and law school stress nowhere in sight during last year’s production of “Game of Loans.” Founded in 1953, Assault & Flattery is a musical theatre group of 55 law students who write, produce and perform a parody show of pop-culture franchises each spring. “We do kinda break the stereotype,” said Elena Thompson, Assault & Flattery producer and law graduate student. “Everyone thinks law students are very cut and dry and super boring and have no sense of humor, and we’re just here making a parody of ‘Mamma Mia’ and calling it a day.” This year’s show, “Scalia Mia!: May He Rise Again” will take place Feb. 27-29 in the Utopia Theatre in the School of Social Work. It tells the story of a law student who is deciding between three different pathways in the law field, a struggle Thompson said is common when entering law school. Thompson said writing the show is a collaboration among all cast members. If someone says a funny joke, members will collectively chant, “Put it in the show! Put it in the show!” Many of the lines in the show are from this tradition. Jason Gallant, Assault & Flattery business director and law graduate student, said the atmosphere created by the people

who join the group make UT Law feel less stressful and more like a community. “In a way, an organization like (Assault & Flattery) is inevitable in this environment because half of the stuff that we joke about in the script is basically what people observe on a regular basis in law school,” Gallant said. Even if students don’t have a particular talent, director and law student Patrick Sipe said all are welcome to join. “The first thing on the audition sheet says talent not required, and in some ways, it’s probably better if you don’t have any, because that’s just more fun,” Sipe said. Thompson said the group is by no means professional. With interactions from the audience and the group’s tendency to go off script, Sipe said last year’s show ran long because they were having too much fun. “Five of my friends who came to see the show last year loved it so much that they’re all in the show this year,” Sipe said. The group does more than perform, Sipe said. They also participate in weekly trivia nights, karaoke and dog-watching picnics in Zilker park. Assault & Flattery goes against the typical law school attitude of only participating in activities for students’ professional development or résumés, Thompson said. “Law school can be really overwhelming at times,” Thompson said. “The biggest thing for us is making sure that we make it a really fun place to be. I think if we make it a haven from law school, it sustains itself.”

This dramatic comedy is adapted from a 2017 film which premiered at Sundance. The bilingual series focuses on three cousins as they chase their American dream.

“I Am Not Okay With This,” Season One — Feb. 26

From the director of “The End of The F***ing World,” “I Am Not Okay With This” follows a high school girl as she grows into her own sexuality and mysterious super powers. “Altered Carbon,” Two — Feb. 27

Season

Picking up right where the first season ended, the second season of “Altered Carbon” continues with the lone survivor of an elite clan of space warriors looking for his lost love, while also investigating multiple awful murders.

The Assault & Flattery musical group performs. Their latest pop-culture parody, “Scalia Mia!: May He Rise Again,” will premiere on Feb. 27.