Serving The University Of Texas at Austin Community Since 1900 @thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com
Monday, February 17, 2020
Volume 120, Issue 101
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
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Students participated in the Austin Half Marathon that ran through campus Sunday.
Contributors criticize Gov. Abbott for denying refugee settlement in Texas.
“Wendy” director talks untraditional casting, production style.
Texas basketball continues to struggle, dropping its fourth consecutive game.
UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY
Blanton to redesign exterior
UT students celebrate Black accomplishments in STEM field By Tori Duff @torianneduff
Students attended the second annual Black Excellence in STEM Festival on Friday to celebrate diversity and success of Black people in STEM fields. The Cockrell School of Engineering and the College of Natural Sciences hosted the event in the middle of Black History Month. Both colleges had presentations on influential Black people within the disciplines of STEM, as well as food, raffles, music and a dance performed by the African Students Organization. “It is important for people of color to see others that had great accomplishments in the past and know that they can do it as well,” mechanical engineering sophomore Trent Walker said. “It is important to see someone like yourself succeed.” Walker gave a presentation about Ervin Perry, a UT civil engineering assistant professor and the first African American professor at a major southern university, who the Perry-Castañeda Library is partially named after. Mechanical engineering sophomore Victor Winston said he wanted people to realize at this event that one face or stereotype does not symbolize success. Winston, Walker’s presenting partner, said that it is important for others to recognize success does not look a specific way. “It inspires all people, not just Black, to know you can achieve anything no matter what race, what gender or what religion you are,” Winston said. Presentations were given on people such as Mark Dean, the first Black International
amy zhang
/ the daily texan staff
The Still Water Foundation donated $5 million to the Blanton Museum of Art to remodel the building’s exterior and an additional $5 million to Landmarks, UT’s public art program in the College of Fine Arts. Still Water is an Austin-based, private and family foundation, which primarily donates to arts, education and the environment.
Blanton Museum of Art receives $5 million donation from the Still Water Foundation to remodel. By Neha Madhira @nehamira14
The Still Water Foundation donated $5 million to
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the Blanton Museum of Art to remodel the building’s exterior, according to a UT press release on Tuesday. The foundation donated an additional $5 million to Landmarks, UT’s public art program in the College of Fine Arts. This will help the program create an endowment to expand educational initiatives, outreach to new and more diverse audiences and conservation and communications efforts, according to the press release. Carlotta Stankiewicz, Blanton’s marketing and communications director, said the museum is in the
”The idea is that we have got this wonderful experience of art inside our galleries, so we want to bring that experience from indoors also to outdoors.” CARLOTTA STANKIEWICZ marketing and communications director
process of redesigning the exterior of the building to give it more of an identity. Stankiewicz said the
outdoor installation, “Austin,” by Ellsworth Kelly, elevated awareness of the Blanton in national and international media. “We want to make (the museum) more accessible,” Stankiewicz said. “The idea is that we have got this wonderful experience of art inside our galleries, so we want to bring that experience from indoors also to the outdoors.” Stankiewicz said the exterior and the ground will be open and designed in a way to facilitate their different programs. “We do a lot of music
programs and art-making, so we’ll be able to bring some of that outside as well,” Stankiewicz said. “We also want this to be (an area) where people can gather and have a nice community space as well.” Stankiewicz said the renovations will complement a pedestrian mall that is being constructed across the street. The redesign will also form a much-needed connection between the University, the city of Austin and the Texas State Capitol Complex, according to B L A N T O N PAGE 3
CAMPUS
CAMPUS
Decorative fruits, veggies add beauty to campus
Prospective LGBTQ students attend visit day, make long-lasting friends
By Nataleah Small @nataleahjoy
Landscape Services plants annual crops, such as ornamental fruits and vegetables, during the winter to add aesthetic beauty to the most visible areas on campus, said Landscape Services horticulturist Ty Kasey. “We picked many of the frilliest, most colorful varieties we could so that they would really pop to the eye, and it’d be a suitable replacement for just planting flowers,” Kasey said. Students can find the largest displays of edible herbs and leafy greens in the upper tier of Littlefield Fountain, the Graduate School of Business Plaza and the northwest corner of the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Kasey said. There are many fruit and nut trees across
campus, including ornamental pomegranate, Mexican plum and pecan trees, said Jennifer Hrobar, supervisor of urban forestry for Landscape Services. Hrobar said there are also a wide variety of fruit trees in the orchard by Waller Creek, including sour orange, sour kumquat, Mexican and Japanese plum, peach, fig, and pomegranate trees. Kasey said because the campus belongs to the students, Landscape Services cannot prevent students from consuming the fruit and vegetables grown on campus. However, he said the group does not encourage people to participate in a “free-for-all.” “We do know that some people help themselves, and we can’t stop that,” Kasey said. “In the end, it’s not really a problem per se if there’s V E G G I E S PAGE 2
By Jasmine Lopez @jazzilo99
The Gender and Sexuality Center and UT Admissions hosted its third annual visit day for prospective LGBTQ students Saturday. This year, the center and UT Admissions partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area to bus in local Austin students, said Liz Elsen, director of the Gender and Sexuality Center. Elsen said campus visits help prospective students meet current students who share their identity. “Unless you’re really intentional about outreach, there’s a lot of different communities that don’t perceive UT as a place they can
go or (don’t) think that they would fit in here or thrive here,” Elsen said. The day included general presentations about the University, its admissions process and financial aid. Prospective students had the opportunity to ask a panel of current students questions, while parents asked Elsen questions. Elsen said students and parents come with questions about policy, student organizations and gender-inclusive housing and bathrooms. “A lot of times folks ask about safety, and the difference between feeling safe and actually (feeling) full-on welcomed to an institution (is crucial),” Elsen said.
destiny alexander
Ariel Juarez, radio-television-film sophomore, came to
the event their senior year of high school with questions. For
/ the daily texan staff the last two years, they LGBTQ
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