The Daily Texan 2020-02-28

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

Friday, February 28, 2020

Simona Harry & Lynn Huynh

Winston Hung & Anagha Kikkeri

Volume 120, Issue 110

Adam Bergman & James Comerford

Suseth Muñoz & Sean Tucker

Shay Holt & Wade Ivey

Tayler De La Cruz Kennedy & Alex Jackson

Jalesha Bass & Jerri Garcia

Brendan Walsh & Max Edwards

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

LIFE&ARTS

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Student Government executive alliance candidates run campaigns, rally for votes.

Vote for Simona and Lynn to “Mess With Texas,” bring activism, radical change to SG.

Sug Sutton learned how to be a leader over the course of her career.

Front and Center seeks to provide sense of community for Black students.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Simona Harry, Lynn Huynh aim to ‘Mess with Texas’

Anagha Kikkeri, Winston Hung plan to do ‘What It Takes’

amna ijaz

By Anna Canizales @annaleonorc

Student body presidential and vice presidential candidates Simona Harry and Lynn Huynh are running to uplift student voices and connect Student Government with the student body’s needs.

Their campaign, which

was endorsed by University Democrats on Thursday, emphasizes health and safety, environmental sustainability, affordability, and continued collaboration with student activism.

Huynh, an advertising and women and gender studies junior, said they decided to run after they began working with the Coalition Against Sexual Mis-

/ the daily texan staff

conduct to reform the University’s sexual misconduct policies. “(Our campaign) was born out of circumstance,” said Harry, an English and Black studies junior. “We decided to do it out of necessity ... out of anger at current structures. We’re doing this because there is a disconnect.”

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By Hannah Williford @HannahWillifor2

Executive alliance candidates Anagha Kikkeri and Winston Hung are emphasizing student engagement in their run for student body president and vice president.

“We want to make sure we’re interacting with the stu-

dent body,” government junior Kikkeri said. “Everyone (says) Student Government has so many promises and follows up on virtually none of them, and that’s due to a giant lack of communication between Student Government and the student body, and that’s something we just want to eliminate right now.”

If elected, Kikkeri and

/ the daily texan staff

Hung said they want to focus on specific issues within student safety, sustainability, and inclusion and equity.

They said their plans include creating a committee for students living in Riverside, establishing culturally centered study spaces, increasing the number of confidential advoA N A G H A PAGE 2

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S AVA N A D U N N I N G

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020

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With the motto “Texas Better Together,” Adam Bergman and James Comerford’s student body president and vice president platform emphasizes community, engagement and transparency.

“We emphasize being together as a community, embracing our flaws even though we have a lot of Texas pride,” Comerford said. “We want to be better together as a Student Government administration and hold ourselves accountable.”

The candidates’ platform includes implementing professional sexual assault and domestic violence prevention training for incoming freshmen and transfer students. Bergman and Comerford also want to organize a Mental Health Week for every UT college and promote transparency from the University regarding issues such as sexual misconduct by

faculty and staff and unguaranteed seating at sporting events.

Student body presidential candidate Bergman, an advertising and journalism junior, is a former SG first-year representative and former University Wide representative.

“Our platform emphasizes that we can get all these things done in one year,” Bergman said. “You will see actual change on campus rather than sentiments related to Student Government or anything that’s not tangible … We want to keep our promises true to ourselves and to the University.”

Bergman said he wants to expand on his previous SG work in fighting for campus safety.

“We want (the Stop Abuse for Everyone Alliance to) give presentations ... to inform students of how to avoid the situation of sexual assault and (understand) ‘the red zone,’ like Red River weekend,” Bergman said.

Vice presidential candidate Comerford, an urban studies

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junior, is a former advocacy director for SG Transfer Students Agency.

The candidates’ platform seeks to build on current student body president Camron Goodman’s Continuity Committee, which aims to continue the work and legislation from previous SG leaders.

“We see a lot of great ideas burn out with the passing of the torch,” Comerford said. “We want to take the ideas of the past and bring them into the future and ensure people aren’t burning out in quick flares.”

Bergman and Comerford said their transparency about issues within SG allows them to recognize critical issues at the University and hold administration figures accountable.

“We want to make sure we’re standing on the mountaintop and exposing what’s wrong with us and really hold ourselves to this standard of Texan excellence,” Comerford said. “What starts here changes the world, so let’s make sure it’s impactful.”

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Sean Tucker, Suseth Muñoz urge you to ‘Do You for Others’

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Student Government executive alliance candidates Sean Tucker and Suseth Muñoz encourage students to “Do You For Others” and aim to promote representation for students of all backgrounds.

The candidates’ platform includes developing a peer support program with the Counseling and Mental Health Center where students can connect with others who relate to their personal challenges. Muñoz said they also want to implement a centralized center on campus that provides first-generation students with financial, social and academic support.

Muñoz said they will help students with disabilities earn a vocational degree by expanding E4Texas, a UT program that certifies participants to become caretakers for people

with disabilities.

“I want to dedicate my life to advocating and creating a more equitable world,” Tucker said.

“I want to make this campus more accessible for students whose life situations make this campus harder to maneuver.”

Tucker, a communication and leadership junior, and Muñoz, a government, English and youth and community studies sophomore, currently work together as resident assistants for Jester residence halls.

After seeing students struggle with injury and illness as RAs, the candidates said they want to extend University Health Services Urgent Care Clinic hours and provide students with transportation to the clinic.

“I want to be vice president because representation matters,” Muñoz said. “Even putting yourself on the ballot is important because it’s going to drive forward people to apply to leadership positions.”

/ the daily texan staff

The candidates said they also want to implement a program where students can volunteer to be sober in social spaces, such as fraternity parties, to help those who feel uncomfortable. They said the program would focus on support rather than surveillance.

Tucker and Muñoz met last semester in a literature class and bonded after finding out they were both from the Rio Grande Valley. In that class, they volunteered together to help elementary school students from low-income areas in Austin learn how to read.

“I knew I was going to be really great friends with Suseth because she had that same fire for justice and progressive change I have,” Tucker said.

“She is really ambitious, so I hope at some point, whether it be at UT or in the future, we’d be able to work together to help others. We are two kids from the Valley trying to change the world.”

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Harry said they felt that administration would not listen to them unless they had SG titles, so that also motivated their decision to run.

Huynh said one of the campaign’s key points is continuing the fight for sexual assault survivors.

“It shouldn’t take three months for (the sexual misconduct) town hall to have happened just to be disappointed by the results,” Huynh said.

Huynh also said they want to create a blacklist of what they call “abusive West Campus landlords” and make the list available on a UT website to inform students’ housing decisions.

“It’s about holding these imbalances of power accountable for their actions,” Huynh said. “UT really has no service or pathway that helps students navigate housing.”

Harry said they want to create a Counseling

anagha

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cates in the Title IX office and implementing an orientation program on Title IX resources.

Kikkeri became involved in SG her freshman year and then became the first vice president of diversity and inclusion for the University Panhellenic Council, the largest affiliation of UT sororities. She said her experience with breaking down systemic barriers in sororities taught her how to work through bureaucracies.

“I had to work to undo years and years and years of rules and regulations that are outdated,” Kikkeri said. “That required me going into a bureaucracy and working around the red tape, but then also at the same time communicating with my peers and getting a whole population of thousands of women to understand and work with me and trust in me.”

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Holt said one of the campaign’s top priorities is making food on campus more affordable for students because the current inexpensive options are limited.

“I don’t know how you can expect to see kids succeeding at school when they’re worried about (what they’re going to eat that week),” Holt said.

Ivey said the University profits off students, and one of his top priorities is improving the quality of toilet paper on campus.

“My candidacy really isn’t about me so much as it is about a couple of things I think could really be improved,” Ivey said.

“I think that UT should be able to afford two-ply toilet paper.”

Ivey also said he

tay l e r

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“You shouldn’t be putting that stress on RAs, either,” Kennedy said. “They’re students too, and they’re trying their best.”

Jackson, a first-generation student, said first-generation students have a disadvantage because they do not know how to access the financial, housing or educational resources that other students do. “(Being a first-gen student) made my experience at UT a lot more difficult because I (was not) familiar enough with the advocacy groups and resources on campus,” Jackson said. “We have not done a good enough job as UT as a whole at providing (accessibility to resources) to the first-generation incoming classes.”

Jackson also said most of the older buildings on campus are inaccessible for students with disabilities.

and Mental Health Center bank where students can donate their unused free sessions to those who need them but cannot afford to pay. She also discussed sustainability initiatives, such as meatless Mondays in dining halls and the addition of a sustainability flag to College of Natural Sciences courses. “(Meatless Mondays) are a way of maintaining your health but also ... a way to reduce your carbon footprint,” Harry said.

Huynh said another focus is sensible drug policies, especially because of rapidly changing laws surrounding marijuana possession. Huynh said education about marijuana policy similar to AlcoholEdu is necessary for incoming students.

“We are not career politicians,” Harry said. “We’re not here to further our résumés or careers or for personal interest. We’re going to do our best to put ourselves and everyone else who works with us at the forefront.”

n i Hung, a chemical en-t gineering and finance junior, has never beenM involved with SG but hasr participated in organiza-d tions including the GuidesE of Texas and Texas THON.i Hung said he wants to en-W gage all student organizations with Student Gov-t ernment because manyp groups do not pay atten-i tion to SG. w Kikkeri said they uploaded policy papers toe their website to provide aw more in-depth view of theirp ideas. She said the alliancew also wants to send biweek-a ly newsletters about SGd proceedings to increase student involvement.

“When I talk to people that I was friends with freshman year (about SG), (they said) they’ve never voted before,” Hung said.

“They don’t even know how to vote or when to vote. That’s a big reason why I’m running with Anagha is because we’re trying to rally all of those populations and make it matter.”

wants to improve game day experiences for all sports, especially baseball and basketball.

“I do promise that every one of (students’) grievances, though maybe there’s nothing I can do about them, will be voiced,” Holt said. “I’m not doing this to put on my résumé.”

Holt said he wants to give back to the community, and the campaign has not spent any of the money in their budget. He said all he could do as student body president is uplift assembly legislation.

“All I can really promise anybody is that I will carrya out the enumerated pow-d ers of the president,” Holtn said. “It’s not just aboutf me. It’s about everybodys who’s been a Longhorn, ev-d erybody that’ll be a Longhorn, everybody that is a Longhorn.”

Kennedy said many students do not realize how difficult it is for students with disabilities or injuries to access buildings on campus. She said their experience in Residence Hall Council opened their eyes to these problems.

“We had friends that were disabled and they would say, ‘We can’t go there,’ or ‘I can’t live here,’” Kennedy said.

“UT isn’t as inclusive as it should be.”

Kennedy and Jackson also emphasize sustainability and healthier food options in dining halls.

Kennedy said she is working with the president of University Housing and Dining to improve food options, including those in vending machines. “(Our top priority) is representation for those that are not usually represented on and off campus,” Jackson said. “We’re representing not just the 3,000 people (who live) on campus, but also those 50,000 off campus.”

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Brendan Walsh, Max Edwards want ambition out of politics

Jalesha Bass, Jerri Garcia prioritize economic accessibility

amna ijaz

By Aria Jones @AriaJonesetc

Brendan Walsh is running for student body president, but he does not want the position.

Vice presidential candidate Max Edwards, a Plan II and radio-television-film junior, declined an interview because Edwards does not believe in being depicted in print, Walsh said.

Walsh said his platform is that he does not want to be president, so he will find qualified policy experts to come up with solutions for students.

“I guess it’s split about evenly between (our not wanting the position) and our professed inability to define what is best, which I think is an inability that everybody does have, but I think we’re

the only ones who are saying that we are deficient in that matter,” said Walsh, a Plan II and philosophy junior.

Walsh said he does not believe ambition has a place in democracy. He said Athenians drew their leaders at random with a process to keep ambitious people out of politics.

“The kind of people who want to lead probably want to lead for reasons that aren’t entirely just,” Walsh said. “I think that most people who are running stand something to gain out of this, besides doing what they think to be a good thing.”

Walsh said he will not benefit from becoming president and is not using the election as a “stepping stone” for his personal life. He said it will not help him with his career, time management or his personal relationships, and that

/ the daily texan staff

makes him an ideal candidate.

“It’ll probably drive friends and family away from me, so it’s really sort of a losing situation for me personally, which is why I think that I’m the best person to take the position,” Walsh said.

Walsh said he plans to go to graduate school for philosophy. He said he spends most of his time writing about philosophy but said he is not sure how it would inform his campaign.

Walsh said he and Edwards do not know what they will do if they get elected and do not know what is best for the University, but other candidates have ideas about addressing the University’s issues.

“I’ll say a vote for us is a vote of no confidence,” Walsh said. “I think (saying it’s a protest vote) might be pushing it a little bit too far.”

eddie gaspar

By Hannah Williford @HannahWillifor2

Executive alliance candidates Jalesha Bass and Jerri Garcia are running for student body president and vice president as first-generation students looking to make UT economically accessible.

Vice presidential candidate Garcia said they plan to create a second collaborative floor in the Perry-Castañeda Library, find a more affordable class ring vendor, make transcripts and credit transfers free to students, and tackle food insecurity by expanding the UT Outpost and reducing the cost of dining halls.

Neither Bass nor Garcia have served on Student Government, but Garcia said that helps them bring a different perspective to campus issues.

Presidential candidate Bass,

a journalism and communication and leadership junior, said she was motivated to run when she had issues with Capital Metro buses coming to Riverside during finals season in fall 2019.

Social work junior Garcia said the campaign aims to make transcripts free. Official transcripts currently cost $20 each.

“Free transcripts are something that we really want to fight for for every student because these are our grades at the end of the day,” Garcia said.

“We should be able to access it as much as possible.”

Garcia said the campaign wants to convert a floor in the PCL to another collaborative commons similar to the fifth floor because many campus spaces are not group-friendly.

Bass said she attended a low-income high school and did not plan on attending college until she discovered she was

/ the daily texan staff

ranked fifth in her class.

“When you don’t have to live with the issues that you’re fighting for every day, then it’s easy for you to sort of bypass them or be OK with not being able to completely solve the issue,” Bass said. “But when you have to deal with those issues every day, when you have close friends that are dealing with those issues every day ... I have to fight for it.”

Garcia said he wants to see representation for students experiencing hardships at UT. Garcia said he and Bass bonded over the barriers first-generation students face in college.

“We can build a UT with everyone in mind,” Garcia said. “(It) doesn’t matter what background you come from. We want to represent students like you, and we want to address issues that affect the whole student body.”

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Tayler Kennedy, Alex Jackson center first-gen, disability issues

Shay Holt, Wade Ivey aim to give back to UT community

amna ijaz

By Anna Canizales @annaleonorc

Student body presidential and vice presidential candidates Tayler De La Cruz Kennedy and Alex Jackson will focus on accessibility and inclusivity for first-generation and disabled students.

Kennedy, who is president

of the University Residence Hall Association, and Jackson, who is an resident assistant on campus, want to make campus accessible for students with disabilities and provide consistent and affordable mental health care.

“We want to bring a full-time care counselor to each individual dorm on campus,” mechanical engineering junior Jackson said. “If the cost restraints are

/ the daily texan staff

too great, we can downsize that to (groups of dorms.)”

Kennedy, a government and history junior, said students often cannot afford outside therapy that they need. She said students should have a trained professional available in their residence halls 24/7 instead of only being able to go to their RA at all hours.

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By Anna Canizales @annaleonorc

Shay Holt and Wade Ivey, candidates for student body president and vice president, are trying to improve the University experience for students with a hands-off approach.

Holt and Ivey aim to have healthier and more affordable

food on campus, improve game day experiences, keep Littlefield Fountain clean, make blue books free for students and place bike lanes on Speedway.

Holt, a history and European studies senior, said his alliance with Ivey was circumstantial. Neither candidate has any previous Student Government experience.

“I’m running completely by

/ the daily texan staff

accident,” government sophomore Ivey said. “I happened to be in the Student Government office when (Holt) was talking about how his previous running mate was ... ineligible to run with him. I didn’t want him to lose his shot. If he had plans to make his campaign, then I wanted to be there for anyone.”

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SPENCER BUCKNER

Editor-In-Chief | @TEXANOPINION

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020

EDITORIAL

OPINION

Vote Simona and Lynn to Mess With Texas Editor’s note: This endorsement reflects the opinion of The Daily Texan editorial board, and not necessarily the opinions of The Daily Texan staff The Daily Texan Editorial Board

disqualified them from our endorsement.

This year, UT students unapologetically challenged administration about professor misconduct. We achieved an unprecedented level of success in holding administration accountable for their actions, thanks in large part to Simona Harry and Lynn Huynh, who were instrumental in building the movement that has defined UT’s culture in the past year.

That is why we are proud to endorse Simona and Lynn for student body president and vice president. With their activism and organizing skills, we’re confident that they would be able to use Student Government to achieve even more on campus.

Typically, The Daily Texan has done line-by-line analysis of the platform points of each executive alliance to determine which team was the best fit for the job.

This year, we approached the endorsement process differently.

We still asked candidates to submit platform charts and op-eds, still asked them to interview with us and still hosted the executive alliance debate. This year, however, we looked for an alliance that was not only dedicated to making UT a more equitable place but also had the skills and theory of change necessary to do so.

As we continue to fight against sexual misconduct and the systemic racism and classism that underpin our campus, Simona and Lynn’s track record proves that they are more than capable of working with fellow activists to organize a student movement powerful enough to force UT’s hand.

Simona and Lynn are one of nine alliances running. The others, who we’ll address below, presented a broad spectrum of goals for our campus.

We wish we had the space and time to discuss all of those goals here. Instead, here are our greatest takeaways from each campaign: Brendan and Max & Shay and Wade Neither of these alliances gave us the necessary materials we needed to endorse. We were impressed, however, with Brendan and Max’s fashion sense and mastery of the Greek language.

Connor and Camille Connor Alexander and Camille Johnson were officially disqualified from the executive alliance election this week, but our editorial board would not have endorsed them had they stayed in the race. While they presented a laundry list of platform points, their platform expressed a fundamental aversion to challenging UT administration, or really any structural issue on campus. That, at the very least,

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.

Anagha & Winston Anagha Kikkeri and Winston Hung presented a detailed platform, but one that was often unrealistic, or failed to adequately tackle systemic issues. While the alliance wants to create a student-led commission to engage administrators on housing, their approach is top-down instead of bottom-up, choosing representatives instead of empowering advocates. Their idea for a farmer’s market to give healthier options to wealthy West Campus similarly feels privileged when UT’s food banks are under resourced and donation-based. For these reasons, we don’t believe they have “what it takes” to empower students and fight for change.

Jalesha and Jerri Jalesha Bass and Jerri Garcia presented intimate, firsthand knowledge of the struggle of existing within an institution not designed for you. While their understanding of UT’s classism informs tangible solutions to the obstacles low-income students face, without a defined strategy to implement change or any mention of sexual misconduct in their platform, we were unable to endorse them.

We hope to see them continue their activism, whether in SG or otherwise.

Simona and Lynn’s strength comes not only from the fact that they know how to advocate, but that they’re advocating for the right things.”

Tayler and Alex Tayler De La Cruz Kennedy and Alex Jackson, both of whom come from residence hall backgrounds, present feasible ideas and a wealth of experience in on-campus housing reform. Their overall platform, however, felt too narrowly focused on housing to adequately serve students’ broader needs.

While they would be capable student leaders for housing reform, we felt they lacked the expertise and vision to tackle the many other areas of UT policy.

Sean and Suseth Sean Tucker and Suseth Muñoz bring strong ideas to the table — our editorial board was particularly impressed by the caregiver program and first-generation initiative. A combination of underresearched policies,

particularly expanding E4Texas and creating a peer support program through the Counseling and Mental Health Center, as well as a failure to address the need for institutional change on major issues meant we were unable to endorse them.

Adam and James Adam Bergman and James Comerford emphasize sexual assault prevention as their biggest campaign plank, but demonstrated shockingly little knowledge of the subject. For instance, for much of the campaign, their platform inaccurately stated that English associate professor Coleman Hutchison and integrated biology and philosophy professor Sahotra Sarkar were found guilty of sexual assault — not in violation of sexual misconduct policy. This is a basic fact that anyone paying attention to campus activism would know. The rest of their platform reads as either misinformed or misguided.

Our endorsement: Simona and Lynn Simona and Lynn’s strength comes not only from the fact that they know how to advocate, but that they’re advocating for the right things.

Their platform on sexual misconduct reemphasizes and expands on the demands that they and their fellow organizers have been making for months. We supported these demands then and still believe that they are the institutional changes needed today.

Other platform points, including solidarity with graduate students in Underpaid@ UT, gender-inclusive on-campus housing, a CMHC bank where students can donate the free appointments they don’t use, expanding the Multicultural Engagement Center and many others demonstrate that Simona and Lynn have put thought into the future they are fighting for.

Student Government has underserved students for far too long with inaction, résumé padding and empty rhetoric. There is power in SG, though. The executive alliance gets unparalleled access to administrators and policymakers, tens of thousands of dollars in funding and a platform to organize student action.

Simona and Lynn understand this potential and understand that business as usual won’t get us anywhere. Unlike anyone else running, they are willing to radically transform SG by taking it off its pedestal and redistributing its resources to the students who are actively fighting for change.

Don’t forget to vote in campuswide elections Monday, March 2, until 5 p.m. March 3 at utexasvote.org. We’ll be voting for Simona and Lynn. We hope you will, too.

The editorial board is comprised of associate editors Abhirupa Dasgupta, Hannah Lopez, Sanika Nayak and editor-in-chief Spencer Buckner

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LIFE&ARTS review

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8

chuckle-inducing. Richard Ellis is uncomfortably menacing as Brad. His character is written like a typical jock cliché, but a certain scene in the final episode lets him truly showcase his evilness.

The storyline is relatively strong, contrasting Sydney’s mundane high school struggles with the impending growth of her powers. Her character shows growth and progression, often switching through moods and juggling relationships, which makes her feel real and tangible. The tension that results from Sydney’s secret crush on her best friend and the judgmental gaze of her football player boyfriend culminates in a wonderfully cathartic (and bloody) finish. Sydney narrates the story, providing insight into the struggle of growing up. For seven episodes, a good amount of narrative is covered, though it feels as if the show reaches peak engagement right before it ends.

The biggest fault of the show is its reliance on all-too-familiar sequences that make the production feel like a Frankenstein’s monster of comingof-age films’ greatest hits. The show sports cheesy clichés such as the awkward school dance and the menacing football jock.

In one instance, a main character shouts out, “Oh, I love this song. Come dance!” when a classic song pops on at a super cool high school party. One character consistently changes audio mix tapes on a giant speaker, queuing up musical sequences where they don’t really need to be. It’s moments like these that kill the show’s identity and reduce it to another helping of clichés.

The lead cast’s performances, enriching score and short bursts of storytelling keep this series fresh and engaging. Equal parts “The Breakfast Club” and “Carrie,” “I Am Not Okay with This” is a deliciously evil binge.

“I Am Not Okay With This” GENRE

Comedy/Drama

R AT I N G SCORE

TV-MA

5

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020

THEATER & DANCE

Front and Center fosters diversity in arts

steph sonik

By Catherine Cardenas @c_aaattt

When Briana Releford was recruited to join a performing arts organization called Front and Center in 2017, the group was almost inactive. Since then, she has become president of the organization and has watched the group grow from only eight members to 50 who perform regularly for the community.

Front and Center is a primarily Black performing arts organization created to support Black talent on campus. Releford, corporate communications and communication leadership junior, said the organization participates in spoken word poetry and musical talents but primarily fo-

cuses on different styles of dance.

The organization puts on a spring show every year to perform and showcase its talents. At last year’s show, the group performed a majorette piece, a staple dance in Southern Black college culture, Releford said.

“We did a majorette piece, which is super huge for the Black community,” said Paris Vincent, radio-television-film junior and vice president of Front and Center. “We’re obviously at a (predominantly white institution), and so a lot of these things about the (historically Black college and university) experience we essentially don’t get to be a part of.”

Vincent said the feedback they received from the Black community

on the majorette piece has allowed them to push the boundaries of their organization.

“People were calling it ‘HBCUT.’ I think it’s really important because I don’t know where else, if we didn’t have this org, we could push to see something like that on this campus,” Vincent said.

Releford said an important aspect of the group’s creative process is giving the choreographers the freedom to make their own stylistic choices.

“I like that (Front and Center) gives me my own creative freedom to put on whatever show I want,” Releford said. “It just really gives (the choreographers) a space to explore their own artistry. It gives them a space

/ the daily texan staff

to create.”

Front and Center also aims to create an inclusive space. Vincent said seeing a group of Black women come together and support each other is inspiring.

“We primarily have Black women in the org, so to see a group of those types of people all coming together and being really excited to work toward a show and perform — that’s my favorite thing about it,” Vincent said.

Johari Weaver, sustainability studies and geography sophomore, said the group has allowed her to find comfort in her college experience by incorporating aspects of a historically Black college and university to UT. “At HBCUs, you always see Black talent,” Weaver

said. “When you come to a university that’s predominantly white, you just feel kind of outside. Outside of everything that’s going on.

When you have organizations such as Front and Center and you’re interested in dance or performing in some type of form and (you see) people of the same color or minority background as you, you just feel like, ‘OK, I’m gonna be OK.’” Vincent said the support that Front and Center receives from the Black community on campus is inspiring.

“Our community really shows out for us,” Vincent said. “It shows that we’ve really been able to create a space that actually has significance and impact and can actually be supported.”

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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

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020

COMICS

SUDOKUFORYOU 2 5 1 9

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Friday, February 28, 2020

Crossword ACROSS

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7

MARCUS KRUM

Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020

Sideline Games to check out this week.

Baseball sat, feb 29

vs Softball sat, feb 29

vs

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Sutton shines as leader

After growing as both a player and a person, Sutton has stepped up for her team this season.

By Myah Taylor @t_myah

MVP of the Week

jack myer

/ the daily texan staff

Senior pitcher Miranda Elish

Elish pitched 21 innings in the last week, allowing just four earned runs and picking up two wins and a save. She also has hit .312 in that time.

Top Quote

By Pete Hansen

Freshman pitcher Pete Hansen on how his dad helped him get to Texas.

“He did it for me, DM’d (direct messaged) our Twitter, and Carli (Todd) noticed and told coaches about it. Now, here we are.”

o players and coaches alike, SugitSutton is the whole package. On the court, the senior point guard has become a true floor general for the Longhorns. But Sutton’s most valuable asset might be her ability to lead.

“At the point guard role, you have to be able to do multiple things,” Texas head coach Karen Aston said. “You have to distribute to the team.

You have to care about the team. You have to be able to make open shots … I just think (Sutton) is capable of doing all of those things.”

Since coming to Texas in 2016, Sutton has developed into one of the nation’s top point guards. She’s also become an important figure on the Texas women’s basketball team.

However, before other players looked to Sutton for direction, she needed some guidance of her own.

When Sutton first arrived in Texas from her native St. Louis, she was still rehabbing an ACL injury from the year prior and battling homesickness.

During her difficult college transition, Sutton periodically called Reggie Middlebrook, her AAU coach

jack myer

/ the daily texan file

Senior point guard Sug Sutton goes up for a shot against an Iowa State defender Feb 12. Sutton’s growth both on and off the court has molded her into a leader on the women’s basketball team. from her playing days with the Missouri Phenom. Sutton didn’t always believe she could lead the Longhorns, but Middlebrook was confident in her abilities.

“We would go to tournaments and after (her) game was over, instead of going back to the hotel and getting her rest, she would want to stay and watch some of our younger kids play,” Middlebrook said. “She wouldn’t just sit on the sidelines and watch. She would be on the bench cheering for them and almost coaching.”

Once she worked through those trying times, Sutton spent her freshman and sophomore seasons studying the veterans in the program.

“The (2018) senior class, we learned a lot from them,” Sutton said. “We were really close to them, and we’re very thankful that we were

able to play with them and learn from them because they were great leaders and great competitors.”

After sitting under future WNBA stars Ariel Atkins and Brooke McCarty, Sutton became an impact player in her junior year.

Starting all 33 regular season games, Sutton led the Longhorns in scoring, assists and steals.

This season, Sutton has facilitated Texas’ offense, getting her teammates involved on a regular basis.

In December, she helped propel the Longhorns to victories over then-No. 17 Tennessee and then-No. 1 Stanford. In February, Sutton was named a top-10 finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, an honor given annually to the nation’s top point guard in Division I women’s basketball.

“All the hard work that

I’ve put in paid off,” Sutton said. “Everyone’s believed in me since day one, and it just feels good to be recognized at the national level.”

Sutton’s biggest challenge as a leader is being more vocal with her teammates. But her strong suit has always been investing in the people around her.

“I don’t think it’s all about just being a leader on the court and talking to people on the court and telling them the good and bad,” Sutton said. “But it’s being for them off the court, too, and just being there as a sister.”

Sophomore center Charli Collier said she appreciates Sutton for doing the difficult job of keeping her teammates on the right path off the court.

“If we have a free weekend, (she) makes sure

we’re not doing crazy stuff or stuff that will get us in trouble,” Collier said. “Sug reminds us (to) make sure we’re getting extra shots up, make sure we’re in the gym, make sure we’re eating right.”

Between leaving her family behind, stepping into a supporting role her first two years and playing through injuries, Sutton has given a lot to the Texas women’s basketball program. Her time on the Forty Acres has allowed her to grow up, and she’s thankful for the opportunity to help others do the same.

“All that hard work — I’m putting it out there now, and all the sacrifices that I’ve made just being here and trying to build this team,” Sutton said. “I mean, it feels good to be a leader. I’m really grateful that I’m able to do that.”

BASEBALL

Second base still a question heading into challenging weekend games

By Name Name

PHOTO CREDIT: TROLLING OLIVES PRODUCTIONS

@twitterhandle

rankin white

/ the daily texan file

Freshman second baseman Brenden Dixon prepares to make contact on an incoming pitch against Boise State on Feb. 23. Dixon is one of several players who have seen time at second base in either a fielding or hitting capacity.

By Nathan Han @NathanHan13

There’s a lot for the Longhorn baseball faithful to be excited about after an undefeated start to the season. But given the level of competition the Longhorns have played so far, there are still several questions the team will have to answer.

There’s a lot the team will learn this weekend when they head to Minute Maid Park in Houston to face their biggest tests yet against No. 11 LSU, No. 6 Arkansas and Missouri.

One area where the Longhorns look to gain clarity concerns second base.

Over the first nine games of the season, Texas second basemen are 2-for30 with one home run and are batting a slash line of .067/.125/.167. No one from the position has recorded a hit in the past six games.

After the first five games of the season, the coaching staff supported slumping freshman Brenden Dixon, who at the time was batting .087 in his 23 at-bats as second baseman.

“I just walked out of the office with Brenden,” head coach David Pierce said. “And I basically said, ‘You’re the starting second baseman. Relax and go play because you’re putting some pressure on yourself … You’re trying to make up ground when you’ve only played five Division I baseball games.’”

The next four games following that conversation, Pierce started junior Murphy Stehly twice at second base. Sophomore Lance Ford pinch hit for Dixon on Sunday in his first and only at-bat of the season. Despite being passed on for starting at second base in two of the Boise State games, Dixon still has his teammates’ support.

“It’s early, and everybody goes through slumps,” freshman infielder Trey Faltine said. “(Dixon’s) a good player. We saw that in the fall when he did his thing, so we know he has it in him. He’s just got to do it, and it’ll come out eventually.”

Heading into this important three-game stretch, there is still indecision on who will start at second base.

“It’s pretty much wide open right now,” Pierce said. “I really love Dixon’s mentality and all,

but he’s just putting so much pressure on himself right now.

He’s a kid that, when he came out of the womb, he was ready to be a Texas baseball player. It’s what he wanted to be growing up.”

Pierce leaving second base open could result in a repeat of what happened at third base with redshirt junior Cam Williams. After sitting on the bench at the start of the season, Williams was given his shot in the series against Boise State.

“Something we noticed about Cam is when we were at Rice, he didn’t play,” Pierce said. “But he didn’t pout, and he just kept working. … When he got his opportunity off the bench against UTSA in a bad environment, in terms of weather and sitting all night, he was ready. Somebody’s gotta bump Cam out of there.”

This weekend in Houston is a prime opportunity for someone to take advantage of the opening at second base just like Williams did last weekend at third. Even the difference between below-average and average production from the second base spot could prove crucial for this Texas lineup against more talented opponents.

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8

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

Life&Arts Editor | @TRINADY05

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020

LIFE&ARTS

Q&A

Tameca Jones talks musical journey Austin soul musician discusses her history and evolving emotional relationship with her work.

By Avery Wohleb @averywohleb

hile traveling the country to perform her music, Tameca Jones said she discovered her true relationship with music.

Jones, commonly referred to as the “Queen of Austin Soul,” is a singer based primarily in Austin. Since splitting from her band, 8 Million Stories, in the 2000s, Jones has opened for musicians such as Gary Clark Jr. and Bob Schneider and performed at Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2015.

The Daily Texan spoke with Jones about her future plans with music and how she has defined herself as an artist over the years.

The Daily Texan: What was

the start of your solo career after 8 Million Stories split?

Tameca Jones: I didn’t want

to make music with a band at that time. I just didn’t want anyone else to define my sound, but then songs did not come that easily for me. In hindsight, I wish I had worked with more people so maybe I wouldn’t have gotten so burnt out. But it doesn’t work like that. I think that definitely contributes to where I am now. Music and I need some therapy.

DT: What is soul music by

your definition, and what is it like to be known as the “Queen of Austin Soul?”

TJ: It was a weird crown to

wear. For a long time, I fought it. Austin is not the most di-

copyright robert hein, and reproduced with permission

Austin-based musician Tameca Jones has opened for musicians such as Gary Clark Jr. and Bob Schneider and performed at Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2015. verse of places, so I didn’t want to be somebody’s mascot. But soul to me is something that comes from a direct source of the universe. I can just tell when someone has that soul. You can feel it and you can see it – a direct source to the light of the universe.

DT: Do you feel any pressures

placed on you as a musician, and does that affect your music and your shows?

TJ: For the past 12 years, music

was my sole source of income.

That put a bunch of pressure on me to have good-paying gigs, and with those gigs, people wanted a good sound. Once (my kids) grew up, I realized I

didn’t love music as much as I should. They were my main motivation for creating music and doing shows. Once that pressure wasn’t there, I questioned why I was still doing it.

That’s when I took a step back and realized I want to be happy.

DT: What kind of stories do

you try to tell through the music you write?

TJ: I used to tell really broad

stories about love, yearning, my kids and them growing up. But when I lost that connection to myself, I just wrote about a bunch of sexual things.

Now I’ve taken a step back, and I’m reevaluating my mu-

sic. It’s more about my mental health and the demons I’ve been fighting. I’m (going to) lean more into that darkness and write things important to me because when I’m on stage, I can’t fake it. If I’m not happy, that shows in my performances, and I don’t like that. I want to get back to the love. I want to get back to the light.

FILM REVIEW | ‘I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS’

‘I Am Not Okay With This’ mixes coming-of-age, horror

By Noah Levine @ZProductionz

“I Am Not Okay With This” is a new Netflix series from director Jonathan Entwistle (“The End of the F***ing World”) based on the graphic novel

by Charles Forsman. The seven-episode show follows high schooler Sydney as she struggles to deal with a distracted best friend, the weird kid next door, school bullies, a nagging mom and her increasingly violent telepathic powers.

Sophia Lillis and Wyatt Oleff share the screen yet again only months after starring together in “It Chapter Two.” It takes a couple of episodes to accept these performances as new characters — it doesn’t help that Oleff’s character shares the same name as his “It” counterpart — but eventually audiences will see them as their own. Lillis

is a powerhouse in the role of Sydney. Her deadpan delivery, physical comedy and overall presence sufficiently convey the character’s unique personality.

She plays fantastically off of the other characters as she showcases a vast variety of moods.

Oleff’s Stanley is excessively quirky, conveying a sense of awkward affection toward characters he shares scenes with. At times it seems that he is overacting a bit when it comes to the “quirky weird kid” aesthetic.

Regardless, Lillis and Oleff have great chemistry, and that certainly shines through in their performances.

The supporting cast is consistently intriguing throughout. Aidan Wojtak-Hissong is just as innocent and lovable as any coming-of-age film little brother should be. His pure quips with big sister Sydney are R E V I E W PAGE 5

copyright netflix, and reproduced with permission

Sydney (Sophia Lillis) accidentally exercises her telepathy in “I Am Not Okay With This.”

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