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Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Volume 120, Issue 107
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
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UT laboratory tests robot created to help people recovering from a stroke.
Four Executive Alliance candidates make their case, outline their platform in SG election.
UT alumna Brittany Bernstrom discusses her pieces in “Celebrities” exhibition.
Sophomore guard Courtney Ramey leads Texas past West Virginia.
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
SPORTS
Candidates talk inclusion
Guards carry Texas men’s basketball to home win against WVU By Stephen Wagner @stephenwag22
for sexual assault to ensure student safety. “Sexual violence is not just an issue on UT’s campus … students face it across all spheres of campus,” communication and leadership junior Tucker said. Candidates also addressed concerns about access to mental health resources. Jerri Garcia, who is running for vice president with Jalesha Bass, said most students say they have had at least one bad experience with the Counseling and Mental Health Center and that University resources should not provide negative experiences to students. “We shouldn’t be creating financial barriers (for students),” social work junior Garcia said. “We should be opening doors.” Jackson, who is running
It’s been Shaka Smart’s belief this season that strong performances from two of his guards gives Texas a chance against any opponent. Smart was initially referring to guards sophomore Courtney Ramey and junior Matt Coleman III, but the formula rings true regardless of the combination. On Monday night against No. 20 West Virginia, Coleman took a backseat to a resurgent performance from Ramey and redshirt sophomore guard Andrew Jones. Jones’ career-high 22 points were more than enough as Texas cruised to a 67-57 victory over the Mountaineers. The game was a pleasant change from the 38-point embarrassment the Longhorns suffered in their last meeting in Morgantown, West Virginia. “Their aggressiveness and their ability to make plays is huge,” Texas head coach Smart said. “When you’re playing West Virginia, it’s not going to be pretty out there. It comes down to your guards being able to make plays, and those guys made a lot of them tonight.” Jones was nothing short of unstoppable in the first half, going off for 16 first-half points — nearly half of Texas’ 34 points. The Longhorns’ 62% first-half shooting was nearly a season high, only third to their first-half performances against Kansas State and California Baptist. “If we make some of these same shots in the second half against Kansas … or even in the Baylor or Tech game, maybe those (games) go differently,” Smart said. “And if we don’t make them tonight, then obviously our margin for error is much smaller.” Ironically, the season-ending injury to junior forward and leading rebounder Jericho Sims may have played a role in this late-season run. Since Sims’ back injury nearly two weeks
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jamie hwang
/ the daily texan staff
Candidates running for student body president and vice president discussed issues affecting UT students fiercely during Monday night’s debate. Candidates pictured here from left to right are Connor Alexander, Camille Johnson, Simona Harry and Lynn Huynh.
Candidates for president and vice president debate topics of safety, mental health, represenation. By Anna Canizales @annaleonorc
andidates for student body president and vice president proclaimed their opinions on student safety, mental health and student representation at the Student Goernment debate
Monday evening. Eight of the nine executive alliances gathered at an auditorium in the William C. Powers, Jr. Student Activity Center to speak about their campaign points and answer student questions. Shay Holt and Wade Ivey did not participate in the debate. Connor Alexander and Camille Jackson’s campaign was disqualified by the Election Suprvisory Board on Monday night after the debate because their campaign was issued two fines that exceeded the monetary amount of fines allowed. Alexander and Jackson will be appealing one of the fines with hopes to lift their suspension, according to an email to The Daily Texan. Candidates began with opening statements with their opinions about the biggest concerns facing the student body. Then,
the candidates answered questions about specific topics important to students. Candidate for president Anagha Kikkeri, who is running with Winston Hung, said the biggest issue for students is inclusion and equity. “Student Government and campaigns pick a few communities to tokenize … and leave out a majority of the student body,” government junior Kikkeri said. “We truly want to incorporate (everyone’s) voices.” Vice president candidate Suseth Muñoz, who is running with Sean Tucker, said the biggest concern is resource accessibility. Muñoz said the University needs to consolidate resources and give them back to students. Muñoz, a government and applied learning and
development sophomore, also said that if elected, her executive alliance would appoint a diverse executive board so all student voices are heard. Audience members asked candidates about sexual misconduct policies and the accusations against University professors last semester. Vice president candidate Alex Jackson said the sexual misconduct cases against UT professors have not been handled in a timely manner. “It makes it even more difficult and painful for survivors (to have professors accused of sexual misconduct at the University),” Jackson said. Candidate for president Sean Tucker said his campaign will create a committee of students who will monitor off–campus parties
UNIVERSITY
RESEARCH
Former UT tennis coach to serve 6 months in prison
UT scientists make coronavirus breakthrough
By Lauren Grobe @grobe_lauren
Michael Center, former UT men’s tennis coach, was sentenced to six months in prison Monday afternoon at a Boston federal court for accepting a $100,000 bribe to fraudulently admit a student to the University in April 2015. U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns sentenced Center to six months in prison and one year of supervised release. According to Center’s plea deal, the prosecutors originally recommended 15 to 22 months in prison and a $250,000 fine, the “low end” of the punishment range. Last March, the U.S. Department of Justice accused employees at high-profile universities, including UT, of accepting bribes to admit students as part of a nationwide investigation. Center plead guilty last April to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and
honest services mail fraud, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, the student’s father made three donations of stock totaling $631,564 to the Key Worldwide Foundation, a sham organization run by William “Rick” Singer. The organization was used to funnel money to coaches and administrators to fraudulently admit students. Singer paid Center $60,000 and donated $40,000 to UT’s tennis program. University spokesperson JB Bird said UT has worked on preventing fraudulent admissions in the future. “We remain focused on protecting the integrity of the admissions process for student-athletes,” Bird said in a statement. UT President Gregory Fenves announced in September that the University completed an internal legal review of the athletics admissions C E N T E R PAGE 3
By Nataleah Small @nataleahjoy
University scientists made a breakthrough in novel coronavirus research by creating a 3D atomic-scale map of the part of the virus that infects human cells, according to UT News. Jason McLellan, associate professor of molecular biosciences, and his UT colleagues published their findings Feb. 19 in the journal Science. Novel coronavirus originated in Wuhan City, China, in December 2019 and has killed 2,663 people worldwide as of Monday evening, according to the World Health Organization. Daniel Wrapp, molecular biosciences graduate student fellow in McLellan’s lab, said he studied the spike molecule on the surface of the novel coronavirus to create a 3D map of its structure. He said the virus uses the spike molecule
copyright ut news, and reproduced with permission
Jason McLellan, associate professor of molecular biosciences, and Daniel Wrapp, one of his molecular biosciences graduate student fellows, have created a 3D map of the structure of the novel coronavirus molecule.
to attach to and then enter human cells so it can replicate and infect the body. Coburn Allen, associate professor of pediatrics and infectious disease
expert, said the novel coronavirus looks like a crown under a microscope, and the spikes of the crown are where there virus attaches to V I R U S PAGE 2