Serving The University Of Texas At Austin Community Since 1900 @thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Volume 120, Issue 117
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFE&ARTS
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UT System approves $1 million annual funding increase for Archer Center.
UT must be proactive in outreach to ensure students access disability accommodations.
UT cross country alumnus talks proposing at Austin Marathon, future plans.
Women’s golf struggles in a fifth-place finish at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate.
UNIVERSITY
CAMPUS
Fenves talks coronavirus
Students unite to support female-led protests in Mexico
After Rice moves classes online because of COVID-19, Fenves discusses plan for UT classes. By Anna Canizales @annaleonorc
By Lauren Grobe @grobe_lauren
ice University has canceled in-person classes for a week to prevent the spread of coronavirus after an employee tested positive. We sat down with President Gregory Fenves to see what UT’s plan would be if the University had to follow suit.
Fenves said the University will not prevent students from traveling but encourages students to not go to countries with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Level 2 or 3 travel health notice and hopes students choose to go home instead of traveling abroad. He said students traveling internationally for spring break and returning to Austin raise
Women in Mexico disappeared from the public eye Monday in a nationwide demonstration called “A Day Without Women.” For Mexican women, “A Day Without Women” was a strike against femicide, or the killing of a woman based on her gender, by staying in their homes to show Mexico how the country would function without them. Meanwhile, students at the University passed out purple ribbons and pamphlets to stand in solidarity with those women. Journalism sophomore Jimena De la Mora and social work sophomore Maria De Los Angeles Villarreal organized a protest to demonstrate their frustration with the killings in Mexico and to honor the women who were striking. About 10 women are killed each day in Mexico, according to the Mexico office of United Nations Women. “Women are outraged due to the inactivity or lack of response the government has (about) the femicide and killings of innocent girls and women that’s happening in the country,” Villarreal said. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been criticized for his response and lack of action regarding femicides. In February, Obrador said the protests were a distraction against his social programs and condemned earlier protests. “This issue has been manipulated a lot in the media,” the president said, according to the Associated Press. “I don’t want the issue just to be women’s killings.”
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DT: What events would prompt the University to transfer to online classes?
Fenves said as of Monday morning, since there are no confirmed cases in Travis County, classes would not go online earlier than spring break. “One confirmed case is probably not enough to transition to online classes,” Fenves said. “If we had multiple confirmed cases, that would be a strong indication that we need to move to more isolation.” DT: Would switching to online classes prevent COVID-19 from spreading at UT?
“(Isolation) is not going to totally solve the problem because we’ll still have students living together … which we don’t have any direct control of,” Fenves said. “It’s not just such a simple thing. The virus is still there. Students are still interacting with others. (Isolation) in itself doesn’t protect the student very much.”
DT: What is the University doing now to make sure students stay safe?
Fenves said the administration has been preparing to potentially move classes online for two weeks. The University sent an email out to all faculty Sunday night to prepare them for a potential switch to online classes. “We have been working every day on this in planning for those contingencies,” Fenves said. “It’s
rocky higine
a massive operation for students and faculty and instructors to move online. We’re not ready to make that decision, but if we do have to make that decision, we want to have as much preparation as possible.” The University is working closely with the city of Austin and Travis County’s public health departments in planning. Fenves said UT is not specifically subject to gathering restrictions from the city because it is a public state university, but is following similar guidelines.
DT: How feasible is it to switch all classes to online?
/ the daily texan staff
DT: Is the University restricting spring break travel?
Fenves said many classes already have material online, and it would not be too difficult to switch. “We have a pretty solid infrastructure for many courses,” he said. “What we’re working on is adding capacity for video. There will be decisions over whether classes are delivered synchronously … or recorded and available when students are able to take the course.”
C O R O N AV I R U S
STATE
SYSTEM
US Democratic senatorial runoff candidates to face off in May
Students at UT colleges waited up to two hours to vote on Super Tuesday
By Hannah Williford @HannahWillifor2
United States senatorial candidates Mary Jennings “MJ” Hegar and Royce West entered a Democratic primary runoff following Super Tuesday, narrowing a field of 12 candidates to two. The runoff will culminate in an election on May 26, where the winner will face incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn in November. According to her website, Hegar is advocating for lower rates for student loans and a grace period of a few months after graduation before students begin paying off loans. West’s website said he is focusing on debt relief programs for Texans and creating an easier pathway from a community college to a four-year university. Hegar served as a combat search and rescue pilot in Afghanistan, where her helicopter was brought down by the Taliban, said Amanda Sherman, communications director for MJ for
Texas. Although Hegar has never served on a government body, Hegar petitioned the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff to open ground combat roles to women following the helicopter incident, Sherman said. “She’s proven what you can do as a private citizen,” Sherman said. “She’s shown she can be effective in those ways, and she can accomplish large-scale change.” Hegar’s campaign emphasized health care, supporting a public option for Medicare, opposing any cuts to the current system and lowering the price of prescription drugs. “(Hegar) has traveled tens of thousands of miles across the state talking to Texans about what’s on their mind,” Sherman said. “The number one issue that always comes up is … making health care affordable and accessible to every single Texan.” West has served in the Texas Senate since 1993 for Dallas County. During his time as senator, he has stood for a R U N O F F PAGE 3
By Austin Martinez @austinmxrtine
Arriving at a UT polling location 10 minutes before it opened, business honors freshman Michelle Zhang thought she would beat the large crowd of voters on Super Tuesday. Instead, Zhang said she was greeted with a long line of students waiting to vote and had to wait about half an hour before doing so. Students at UT-Austin and UT-San Antonio said they waited up to two hours on March 3 to vote in the primary election. Meanwhile, UT-Arlington did not have any on-campus voting locations on March 3. The Flawn Academic Center and the Perry-Castañeda Library were UT’s two Super Tuesday, on-campus polling locations, open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Zhang said she was shocked to see a line of voters wrapped around the building at 6:50 a.m. “I didn’t expect it to be that busy,”
alice liu
/ the daily texan staff
Students wait in line to vote in the primary election on March 3, 2020, at the Flawn Academic Center. Zhang said. “They had to process a lot of people, and there were only three to five people processing (IDs), so it took some time.” Zhang said she skipped early voting to avoid voting for a candidate who would drop out before Super Tuesday.
Because she lives on campus, Zhang said voting at UT is most accessible for her. “If you live off campus near an off-campus voting center, go there V O T I N G PAGE 3
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Students show appreciation for faculty at McCombs Cameron Castilaw @CastilawCe
The Undergraduate Business Council kicked off its Staff and Faculty Appreciation Week with a Flowers for Your Professor event Monday. Students had the opportunity to take a flower from a table in the atrium of the McCombs School of Business and give it to a teacher or someone they appreciate. “The purpose of (this) is to appreciate the people that make McCombs as excellent as it is and cultivate relationships between students and (staff),” said Camila Bohorquez, management information systems and Iberian and Latin American Languages and Cultures sophomore. Along with giving a flower, students will have opportunities throughout the week to write notes for faculty and staff they feel has impacted them, Bohorquez said. “Every day (this week) we have some sort of thing where students can interact with faculty,” Bohorquez said. “All of the events have
to do with giving faculty and staff tangible examples of the way that they’re appreciated.” Lauren Johnson, business honors, management information systems and Plan II junior, said she felt the Flowers for Your
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Professor event helped remind students that faculty and staff of McCombs are there for them. “A lot of times when students interact with faculty, it can be negative,”
Johnson said. “This is a reminder that so many of the interactions we have with faculty are (also) positive, and we should make more of an effort to remember that they are people who are here to help us.”
cynthia trevino
/ the daily texan staff
Accounting junior Abigail Arvisu said she got flowers for professors who encouraged her in the classroom and felt that showing professors appreciation helps them see the importance of supporting students. “It’s important so that they keep (encouraging students) so other professors will follow,” Arvisu said. “Not all professors are encouraging in addition to pushing students to do their best.” Unspecified business freshman Christina Lowe said she gave her flower to a professor who helped her decide she wanted to minor in marketing. Lowe said events such as these help encourage a healthy relationship between students and faculty. “It’s a reminder that professors are teaching because they want to help students,” Lowe said. “They want to help uplift them and help them learn more and just by giving them a rose and having a personal communication with them is very important to show that students appreciate what they do.”
CAMPUS
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NEWS
Liberal Arts Council holds first inclusion focus group By Sana Hameed @sana21hameed
The Liberal Arts Council’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee held its first focus group Monday to collect feedback from students on how to make the College of Liberal Arts a more inclusive space. The council’s diversity director Frida Silva said the committee chose to do focus groups first to encourage student interaction and allow for follow-up questions. “With a form, it’s really easy to just type up whatever and send it,” said Silva, an English and health and society junior. “(There’s) something about doing it face to face — you can prod a little bit more, you can ask more questions and get more out of people than a survey where they just send it, and then you can never really get more information afterwards.” The focus groups discussed inclusiveness on campus, resources available in COLA and minority representation among advisers and faculty. Participants also split into two groups to come up with a program they would want to see implemented in COLA. Echo Nattinger’s group focused on income inequality and career security. “There’s this idea that … if you see faces that have different skin colors, you’re in a diverse environment,” said
Nattinger, a Plan II and government freshman. “That’s not necessarily true. You have to think about diversity of background, diversity of majors, diversity of income.” Silva said the committee intends to do at least eight focus groups. Harley Gutierrez, the council’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee co-chair, said while this was a general focus group open to anyone, it is important to have additional focus groups geared toward specific segments of the student population. “My experience as a Latina is going to be very different from someone else who is marginalized in a different way in a different major but still within COLA,” said Gutierrez, a Plan II and psychology freshman. Silva said this way, participants can choose which sessions they will attend based on their comfort level, and the council can get perspectives people might not be comfortable sharing in other spaces. The next focus group is Wednesday from 4 p.m.-5 p.m. at Patton Hall. The committee’s objective is to use focus group feedback and a collegewide survey to create a diversity action plan, which they will assign to a designated task force. “We can’t reduce diversity to ‘OK great, we have a Black Students Association,’” Nattinger said. “There has to be a really dedicated and deliberate and palpable and ongoing effort to push that needle.”
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Villarreal said she wanted to do something similar to the strike to support women protesting in Mexico that would be meaningful while living in the United States. “If I were to participate in this, not going to school, not going to work like women are doing in Mexico, it would not have the same impact because people wouldn’t know why we’re doing it,” Villarreal said. De la Mora said femicides are not a new problem in Mexico. They happen across the world, and she said she wants to do her part to raise awareness. “We’re trying to target anyone who can hear us, really,” De la Mora said. “The women in Mexico are taking action by doing this protest, and we just want to be a part of it.” Alessandra Russo, communication and leadership sophomore, participated in the student protest and said this issue is important to her even though she does not currently live in Mexico. “It feels good to be doing something from afar,” Russo said. “We don’t have to be there to participate.” The recent brutal killings of a 7-yearold girl and a 25-year-old woman in Mexico City incited frustration among the people in Mexico, De la Mora said. She said she is scared by how violent the killings are.
Paulina Fernandez ties a purple ribbon around a student’s wrist on Monday to bring awareness to femicides in Mexico. The silent protest occurred to show solidarity for women staying home in Mexico to protest gender discrimination. “It’s the fact that they’re not just being killed,” De la Mora said. “They’re literally being cut up. They’re being strangled to death. It makes me wonder, where is all this anger (from men) coming from?”
Fernanda Izquierdo, international relations and global studies senior, said she participated in the campus protest because she was in a position of privilege to raise awareness. “People in privilege need to be
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the voice for those who are often overlooked by society,” Izquierdo said. “Just because I don’t know any of the women who were brutally murdered, that doesn’t mean I don’t feel for them.”
NEWS
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TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2020
SYSTEM
UT System approves funding increase for Archer Center By Laura Morales @lamor_1217
The UT System approved a funding increase for the Archer Center to expand resources and make Washington, D.C., living costs more affordable for students. The Archer Center is a UT System fellowship program in Washington, D.C., that provides fellowships for students to intern and study in the nation’s capitol. At the UT System Board of Regents meeting on Feb. 27, the board approved $1 million in annual funding to the center from the system’s Internal Lending Program, with $600,000 going to scholarships and fellowships. The funding proposal came from Steven Leslie, executive vice chancellor for the system’s Office of Academic Affairs, on behalf of the center. “For many students and their families, the Archer Fellowship is cost-prohibitive, as students must relinquish jobs or graduate assistantships during their semester of participation while also funding the extra cost of living in Washington, D.C.,” according to Leslie’s proposal. The proposal also allocated $50,000 to hire a local mental health service provider for students in the center. Katie Romano, the executive director of the Archer Center, said they will also hire four part-time policy lecturers and a development specialist to recruit students and foster alumni relations. “This funding will be a tremendous benefit to UT System
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rather than on campus,” Zhang said. “If you have a car and the ability to go somewhere off campus, please make room for people who can’t.” While Zhang only waited about 30 minutes, physics freshman Hebah Goderya said she waited an hour to vote at the FAC last Tuesday.
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“It shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes,” Goderya said. “I went at 12:30 p.m., and the line wrapped around the outside of the building all the way to the other entrance.” At UT-San Antonio, electrical engineering senior Brian Canales said he waited two hours to vote at the campus’ only location last Tuesday. “As soon as you walk in, you see a really long line,” Canales said. “Some people just let out a sigh and turn
destiny alexander
assistance, even though there were more UT-Austin students in the program. He said this funding will especially help UT-Austin students afford the program. Maldonado said his classmates
around and leave. Some … started walking around to realize that’s only half the line.” Canales said opening more polling locations at UTSA and hiring more staffers would alleviate long waiting times for voters. “There was only one person taking IDs, so they were taking one at a time, and I thought that was ridiculous,” Canales said. “If they had two more people, it would have
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ban on assault-style weapons and defended women’s reproductive rights. During a press conference Monday at the Travis County Democratic headquarters, former senatorial candidate Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez endorsed West. “I think about where I stand as a woman, that Sen. Royce West has clearly always been protecting the rights of women,” Ramirez said. “When I think about where I stand as a mom … and making sure that (my child’s) school is as safe as possible, that Sen. Royce West is the best choice. And where I stand as a Latina and a daughter of an immigrant, that he is the best choice for my family and community.” Travis County constable Stacy Suits and Austin NAACP president Nelson Linder also endorsed West at the press conference. Suits said at the conference West is responsible for getting body cameras for police officers and video cameras in law enforcement cars. “When you begin to think about the difference between the candidates … you’ll begin to see that in terms of legislative experience, I am the only person in this race with a legislative track record of getting things done,” West said at the conference. University Democrats president Alex Meed said the group has not yet decided which candidate to endorse. He said one factor that plays into the decision is who took time to reach out to students and pay attention to student issues. “Is the candidate someone that is … genuinely trying to get support from young voters and respond to their issues?” Meed n said. “That’s what rises above to oconnect everyone.” w y t
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students, their families and their communities,” Romano said. “The Archer Center educates the next generation of leaders for Texas, our nation and the world.” Matt Maldonado, a government and Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies senior, interned at a foreign policy think tank through the UT-Austin Archer Fellowship Program in fall 2019. He said during his stay in Washington, D.C., he often found himself being selective on what he could do in the city, including going out with friends or on a trip, because he was on a budget. “When you are on limited funds, you find ways to stretch every dollar, whether it is taking advantage of free events that have free food, or on occasion … free transportation or going to things like happy hours,” Maldonado said. “Washington is a very expensive city, and if you don’t have the resources, it can be difficult to partake as fully as others.” Maldonado said the main appeal of the fellowship program is the internships it offers. Some internships pay or provide certain resources, such as transportation. Maldonado said his internship covered none of this, but he did get a weekly free lunch. “I had classmates who had paid internships and travel covered,” Maldonado said. “If there was anything they wanted to do, they’d do it. They had no type of financial restrictions, which looked really nice from the other side.” Maldonado said his classmates from other UT System schools covered housing for the students in the Archer program, but UT-Austin did not offer that same
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more safety concerns. “We may ask students to self-identify if they’ve been in an area that has had an outbreak,” Fenves said. “We’re working on measures for what we would do with that information in
copyright eddie gaspar / the texas tribune, and reproduced with permission
U.S. Senate candidate Mary Jennings Hegar is running to represent the Democratic Party against incumbent Republican John Cornyn in November. Hegar, a veteran, supports a public option for Medicare and will oppose cuts to the current system.
copyright eddie gaspar / the texas tribune, and reproduced with permission
Texas State Sen. Royce West is running as a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in November. West has been a state senator in Dallas County since 1993.
terms of accommodation of that student.” DT: Will this affect study abroad and graduation?
“Our highest priority are graduating seniors who need to complete their degree requirements this semester,” Fenves said. “Our goal is that students get the academic credit …
so if they’re planning on graduating, they’re able to do so.” He said another University priority is working with students studying abroad who need to come back to Austin. He said switching to online classes should not affect the graduation schedule.
met with UT chancellor James Milliken while in the program, and the chancellor remarked how impressed he was with the students’ accomplishments. Maldonado said he hopes his meeting helped
/ the daily texan staff
influence the decision to fund the center. “We didn’t necessarily get to benefit from it, but the subsequent generation of Archers will,” Maldonado said.
gone by faster.” At UT-Arlington, there were no on-campus voting locations for students last Tuesday, said Gavin Mitchell, student body president and information systems senior. Mitchell said although the campus hosted early voting, he wishes the university had a location open last Tuesday. “The more access to polling locations for UTA students, the better,” Mitchell said. “Not having a polling
place has the potential to limit those who either live on campus and have transportation of their own or keep those with hectic schedules from finding the time to vote.” Mitchell said it is important for young voters to have easy access to voting. “Young people are working harder than ever to secure a better life for themselves, so there’s less time in the day for them to go to the polls,” Mitchell said.
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SPENCER BUCKNER
Editor-In-Chief | @TEXANOPINION
TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2020
COLUMN
gianna shahdad
OPINION
/ the daily texan staff
UT must be proactive in outreach for disability accommodations By André Williams Columnist
Success on campus isn’t simply the result of hard work. Students can’t outwork a lack of resources. For students with disabilities, having proper resources is instrumental in achieving success. The role of Services for Students with Disabilities is providing these students the necessary resources while at UT. “That involves working with students to determine and put in place academic accommodations for classrooms and exams,” SSD assistant director Emily Shryock said. “It also involves working with faculty and staff to make sure those accommodations are provided for them.” Through SSD, students can receive testing, attendance, note-taking accommodations and more. But accommodations are not helpful if students aren’t aware of their availability. SSD currently has partnerships throughout UT to inform students of these opportunities, but more work needs to be done to ensure students with disabilities have a fair academic experience at UT. Shryock said SSD outreach is “an ongoing effort.” “We want to make sure students are aware of the availability of accommodations while on campus … through orientation and then during the whole time they are at UT,” Shryock said. SSD works with New Student Services to reach students at UT Orientation. When registering for orientation, students are asked if they need accommodations to participate and provided with information if they do. At orientation, student outreach includes either tabling or open house opportunities. However, when it comes to bigger
presentations at orientation, both representatives from SSD and New Student Services admit that disabilities are not a main part of conversation. Instead, the approach is more subtle. These vague references don’t always work, especially for students who are unsure of what exactly they need. “We don’t say … ‘Hi, we’re Services (for) Students with Disabilities. This what we do,’” Shryock said. Instead, students are meant to seek out these resources themselves.
Who are we as a campus, as a community, if we promote the success of some but are apathetic to the needs of others?” Once on campus, faculty and staff are another opportunity for students to learn about accommodations. If students make references to disability related issues, “that is an opportunity for (faculty or staff) to say, ‘Hey, you should seek out Services (for) Students with Disabilities,’” Shryock said. Being that faculty and staff are an integral part of SSD’s outreach, one might assume that all faculty and staff are trained by SSD on how to identify and support students who may need these resources. That is not the case. After asking whether SSD training was mandatory for all faculty and staff, I was told that it wasn’t. Colleges or departments, however, can request training for their staff. These methods of outreach leave some
students without the necessary information to receive help. Like many other students, Autumn Lanning, history and government sophomore, was not reached by these outreach initiatives. “I learned about (accommodations) for the first time this year because I have another friend that is chronically ill, and they were telling me about (them),” Lanning said. “That’s when I started looking to see what accommodations I could get so my grade wouldn’t suffer from things out of my control.” Stories like hers, which involve students with disabilities having to learn about accommodations through friends rather than University outreach, signify the need for new outreach techniques. I applaud the ongoing initiatives by SSD and New Student Services to make UT more inclusive and accessible, but we can always do more. It is time to be explicit and loud when talking about the availability of accommodations for students with disabilities. All students, regardless of their disability status, should have to undergo an informative lesson about disabilities and disability accommodations on campus. We require incoming students to learn about alcohol abuse and other topics — we need to make this a requirement too. Along with this, faculty and staff must have mandatory SSD training so they know when to reach out to students in need. Accommodations are not prizes or rewards that should be earned; they are a basic necessity for student success. Who are we as a campus, as a community, if we promote the success of some but are apathetic to the needs of others? Students with disabilities deserve the opportunity to thrive just as much as other Longhorns. Williams is an international business junior from Fort Worth.
COLUMN
GALLERY
Out of state students: look to Austin for spring break plans struggle to find fun things to do. “The benefit of volunteering locally is that you get to know your community,” said Amory Krueger, director of Longhorn Center for Hop in your car, catch the Megabus or grab a Community Engagement. “I think it takes you ride with a friend, and you’re home before you to parts of the city you wouldn’t normally go know it. For those of us who live in another state to. You get to know infrastructure and stories or country, going home for spring break can be of other people you wouldn’t normally get to costly and impractical. know, and it’s a chance to learn about the place Students from Texas are eager to get away, and where you live.” understandably so. Perhaps they’ve lived in Texas I already enjoy volunteering, so when I realall their lives, and Austin is just another construcized I would be staying in Austin over break, I detion and traffic-ridden city. But for students that cided to search for volunteer events near me. This come from elsewhere, Austin is a new and exwasn’t as easy as I thought, however, because the citing place with good music, delicious food and places I wanted to volunteer at required trainfriendly people. Unfortunately, ing, orientation and a weekly students just don’t have much commitment following spring time to explore it. break, and I could not fit this “A lot of times you have into my schedule. exams so you’re just stuck in Then I discovered UT’s a cycle of work, homework, Center for Community EnFor students that study,” biology freshman Kyle gagement website, which has come from elseChiu, who is from New Jersey, a list of local, one-time volunsaid. “Until you have a week or where, Austin is a new teer events available to UT stuweekend off, you don’t really I signed up to volunteer and exciting place ... dents. have much time to go out into at a three-day writing workAustin and explore.” shop for high school students, Unfortunately, (we) Spring break provides a weland I’m very excited. don’t have much come breather from the stress “It’s going to be my job to time to explore it.” of school, and many students promote these events across use it as an opportunity to travcampus as best I can,” Krueger el, relax and unwind. A trip to said. “We want to make sure Mexico with a group of close friends is tempting, there’s no divide between the campus community but simply not an option for many out-of-state and the greater Austin community.” students already paying over $37,000 a year So, to all out-of-state and international stufor tuition. dents: Before booking expensive plane tickets, “I’m already spending this much money. I consider engaging in your new community. Voldon’t want to spend an extra couple hundred,” unteer at an animal shelter, or Special Olympics said Chiu, who plans to stay on campus for Texas, or South by Southwest (when it’s not spring break cancelled). Austin was voted the best place to So what can we do? The answer is right in front live in America for a reason, so go out and have of us — we just need to know where to look. fun! There is so much waiting for you beyond the Volunteering is a great option for students who boundaries of campus. may not explore Austin because they don’t know Taylor is a Spanish freshman from Seattle, many people, are unfamiliar with the layout or Washington. By Natalie Taylor Columnist
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LIFE&ARTS
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T R I N A DY J O S L I N
Life&Arts Editor | @TRINADY05
TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2020
ALUMNI
UT alumnus races to propose
Former UT cross country runner proposes at the Austin Marathon finish line after girlfriend’s playful request.
how I wanted to (propose), and this was a really good way to make that happen,” Pinales said. After solidifying the idea for the proposal, Pinales called media outlets to let them know of his proposal. He said he even had members of his running group help get Nguyen Under Armour athletic clothes for the special occasion. “I had it very well planned
see her. She was definitely the driving force that got me through that race.” When the moment finally came for him to propose, Pinales said he was amused at Nguyen’s reaction. “She got a little excited. I got down on one knee and started saying my little speech that I had been practicing, and she goes and snatches the ring,” Pinales said. “It was the best day of my life so far.” Pinales runs several races a year, ranging anywhere from 5Ks to now marathons. Since the start of their relationship, Nguyen said few things will keep her from attending one of Pinales’ races. “I try my best to make it because I know it’s really important for him, and I just love being there to support him,” Nguyen said. Nguyen said by the time of the marathon, she had forgotten ever joking about Pinales proposing at the race. “I was just really, really in shock,” Nguyen said. “(Now), I think I (have) finally calmed down and realized that we’re engaged. It’s really exciting.” The couple currently lives in Austin with their two feline friends, Nala and Cat. A few days after the proposal, Nguyen said she had already had a solid plan for the wedding. “I had the plans in my head, and then I spent not that much time creating the workbook (for the wedding),” Nguyen said. “And then I realized, (it was only) the Monday morning after the race.”
By Avery Wohleb @averywohleb
ompleting a marathon and proposing to his girlfriend were two things Mark Pinales had never done before. Within the span of a few minutes, both of those things happened. On Feb. 16, Pinales, a former UT cross country runner, proposed to his fiancée Tiffani Nguyen at the Austin Marathon finish line. Pinales said the idea for the proposal sprung from a lighthearted challenge made by Nguyen months prior. “Tiffani asked me what my biggest running goal was, and I said to run the Austin Marathon and ideally win it,” Pinales said. “And she said, ‘Okay, well I want you to do that and then propose to me.’” Nguyen’s idea gave Pinales the push he needed to begin planning the proposal — something he said he had been wanting to do for a long time. “I didn’t know exactly
film
continues from page 8
terms of conveying a hopeful message to the audience. It would’ve had greater emotional impact and catharsis if it were wrapped up
I walked and jogged six or seven miles just to get to the end, just to see her. She was definitely the driving force that got me through that race.” MARK PINALES
former ut cross country runner
out. It was very exciting,” Pinales said. “The race was the hard part. The actual proposing was going to be the easy thing.” Despite getting injured in January, Pinales still decided to pursue the marathon. Toward the end of the race, those injuries began to flare up. “The ring really kept me motivated,” Pinales said. “I walked and jogged six or seven miles just to get to the end, just to
more finitely. “Sitara: Let Girls Dream” is a bite-sized beauty of animation and storytelling. While the narrative doesn’t seem to stick the landing, the lush and stylized experience carries the meaningful message of the film home.
“Sitara: Let Girls Dream” GENRE
Short Film G
R AT I N G SCORE
copyright mike thompson, and reproduced with permission
Cross country alumnus Mark Pinales proposes to girlfriend Tiffani Nguyen at the Austin Marathon finish line.
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MARCUS KRUM
Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS
TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2020
GOLF
Texas continues season struggles At the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, the Texas women’s golf team turned in its worst performance of the season.
joshua guenther
/ the daily texan file
Sophomore Hailee Cooper swings the golf club at the Betsy Rawls Invitational on Oct. 13, 2019. Cooper led the Longhorns on Saturday with her first top-10 finish of the season. By Cameron Parker @camerondparker
he Texas Women’s golf team recorded its worst finish of the season, placing fifth at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The Longhorns finished 36 shots overpar, a whole 33 strokes behind winner Wake Forest. “It was a tough week for us here in South Carolina,” head coach Ryan Murphy told texassports.com. “Long Cove is a Pete Dye golf course that holds you accountable in every facet
of the game. It is truly a test, and whatever your weakness is, it likely will be revealed here.” Of the 17 teams in the field, zero finished with a team score under-par and only one golfer, Emilia Migliaccio, did so individually with a one under-par total. Sophomore Hailee Cooper led the Longhorns with her first top-10 finish of the season, coming in at seven shots over-par. Cooper was named a 2019 WGCA First Team All-American after winning two tournaments last season, although she has struggled for most of this year. After not playing in the Northrop
Grumman Regional Challenge, Cooper has finished 15th and 10th in her last outings. Freshman Sophie Guo, who has seemed impervious to bad play all season, recorded her worst collegiate finish in Hilton Head. Guo’s opening round of 80 was by far the worst of her season, and she finished the tournament at 15-over-par. Tying for 50th, it was Guo’s lowest finish of the year and comes after a top-five finish at last week’s Icon Invitational. Agathe Laisne recorded her career first hole-in-one on the 140-yard par-three in Friday’s opening round en route to one-under par performance.
Laisne would eventually finish tied for 23rd, nine shots overpar after a final round 78. After missing the Icon Invitational, junior Kaityln Papp tied for 29th after finishing 10 shots over-par, and senior Emilee Hoffman tied for 53rd with a 16-over par total. The country’s number one team has not looked the part over the past month, finishing third, fourth and fifth in its last three tournaments. The Longhorns’ struggle this spring is mystifying considering Texas entered it riding a three-tournament win streak. “The team is not happy at the moment, but we are planning
to tighten things up and get into our best form for April and May,” Murphy said. Two collegiate tournaments remain for Texas before the start of the Big 12 Championships at the end of April. The Longhorns will compete in the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic from March 20-22 and then finish the regular season a week later at the Bruzzy Challenge. Competing in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur from April 1-4, Cooper and Hoffman will miss the Bruzzy Challenge where Cooper won the individual tournament last year.
COLUMN
Longhorns’ dominance transcends Elish’s pitching feats By Marcus Krum @marcuskrum
Miranda Elish is no stranger to the spotlight. The senior pitcher is in her second season as the star of the Texas program, and she continues to live up to the hype. But the Longhorns’ team numbers this year are even greater than those from her first season in Austin. Through 27 games, the Longhorns are 24–3. For context, this is their best start to a season since 2013, when former head coach Connie Clark led Texas to its last College World Series appearance and the Longhorns finished the season ranked No. 3 in the country. Texas is No. 1 in the country in batting average (.376),
and top 10 in nearly every other offensive statistic. Save a couple anomaly performances, the Longhorns have been stifling in the circle as well. Texas’ team ERA of 1.78 ranks 16th in the country. Of course, Elish has had her moments of stardom in nonconference play. She’s pitched nearly half the innings the Longhorns have played this season with a 1.25 ERA, all the while hitting .370 as the designated player. The transfer from Oregon has shown her flair for the dramatic, even in the mundane — her perfect game on Sunday closed out an otherwise routine weekend sweep with one of her best-ever pitching performances. But while Elish’s greatness is undeniable, she is but a piece of
the puzzle, albeit a vital one. Texas’ nonconference excellence is a sign that this team is not top-heavy, but is built to last as the season wears on. The Longhorns have eight of their regular starters hitting at least .320. In last year’s run to the super regional, just two of Texas’ starters reached this mark. “Our whole team just rallies together,” junior utility player Lauren Burke said. “Especially when we’re scoring a lot of runs, it’s easy to just feed off each other and just pass the bat.” That rally starts with Burke and junior second baseman Janae Jefferson at the top of the lineup. Jefferson, a mainstay in the top of the Texas lineup for her three years as a Longhorn, is hitting a ridiculous
.554 as the leadoff hitter, good for third in the country. Burke is fourth in the country with 12 doubles, and with Jefferson practically living at first base, the Longhorn offense is potent from the first pitch. “It gets us going,” Texas head coach Mike White said. “Janae is on base all the time. There’s a lot of things we can do with her. Lauren’s really driving runs in with a lot of pop at that position.” But while the consistency of the offensive lineup has thrust Texas among the country’s elites, depth in the circle will keep the team there. In White’s first season in Austin last year, Elish took the brunt of the load in the circle, while Softball America National Freshman of the Year Shea O’Leary held down the second spot. Yet the third pitching role never
fully solidified, and when Elish went down with an injury in the Super Regional, the Longhorns suffered. Freshman Courtney Day has more than filled that role in 2020. Through 28 innings pitched, Day leads the team with a 1.00 ERA. “She’s just buying in,” White said. “We try to help them and tell them what to do in certain situations, and either they buy in or they don’t. Courtney is certainly buying in, both at the plate and on the mound.” Elish’s heroics are sure to continue. But make no mistake — this is a complete team, from top to bottom. That’s precisely what separates these Longhorns from those of the past; their lack of holes makes them capable of achieving things no Texas team has ever done before.
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/ the daily texan file
Senior pitcher Miranda Elish runs around the bases in Texas’ matchup against Lafayette on Feb. 25. Elish is the fourth player in Texas history to pitch a perfect game.
COMICS
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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| @TEXANCOMICS
TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2020
The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Crossword ACROSS 1 Smidgens 6 Friend, to François 9 Sniper’s aid 14 Olympics symbol 15 Symbol for an audio device 16 Big name in pest control 17 Crams (in) 19 Center of U.S. lobstering 20 Luxury purse monogram 21 Long March leader in China 22 Abandons a commitment, in slang
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23 Some romantic entanglements
Today’s solution will appear here next issue
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28 ___ of one’s existence 29 Letters after Chuck Schumer’s name
30 Texter’s “One more thing …” 31 Philosopher with a “razor” 34 ET from the planet Melmac 35 Bank with M.L.B. naming rights, for short 36 Things clinked on New Year’s Eve 40 Fey of “30 Rock” 41 Drop from the roster 42 Alternatives to taxis 43 Prefix with freak or friendly 44 Undergarment with hooks 45 Harley, e.g., informally 47 Interviewing aids 51 St. Kitts’s island partner 52 Jerry’s partner in ice cream 53 Org. with codenamed programs
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56 Confine, as on a farm 57 Subjects of health class diagrams 60 Minotaur’s island 61 Trident-shaped letter 62 Man’s name whose last letter often has an accent 63 Funeral fires 64 “Even so …” 65 What the ends of 17-, 23-, 36-, 47- and 57-Across make DOWN 1 Teeny-weeny 2 Cries of awe 3 Online troublemaker 4 Nail, as a test 5 “Zip it!” 6 Make fizzy, in a way 7 Home that may have a butler 8 Returns org. 9 A bunch 10 Daniel ___, player of 007 11 “Sure, try me” 12 Bowling alley worker, once 13 L.A.-to-Chicago dir. 18 Gathering clouds, to some 22 Canada’s oldest national park 24 Michelle who wrote “Becoming” 25 Improvise, in jazz
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PUZZLE BY QUEENA MEWERS AND ALEX EATON-SALNERS
26 Lay off, as workers
37 Zoning divisions, maybe
48 Paperless party announcement
27 Roger Federer’s nationality
38 Green dip, informally
49 More than fat
31 Largish jazz combo
39 Princess Leia’s twin brother
32 Deceitful doings
44 Picklers’ solutions
33 Item made unnecessary by a pull tab 34 Bug in “A Bug’s Life” 35 Expert solver of a Rubik’s toy
45 Campaign promise of Boris Johnson
50 A bunch 54 Letters on a crucifix 55 “Just hold on ___!” 56 Angel dust letters 57 007, for one
46 Fig. on a 58 Animal in a flock driver’s license or passport 59 Animal in a herd
Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.
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TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2020
LIFE&ARTS
STUDENT LIFE
Alternative spring break options: Visit cinematic Texas locations By Grace Barnes @gebarnes210
Last Friday, the Austin community received the devastating news that South by Southwest would be canceled for the first time ever in its 34year history. If you were planning to take advantage of the huge, world-renowned festival and work 9-to-5 volunteer shifts every day and go to as many movie premieres as possible, don’t worry — it just so happens that a bunch of movies were filmed right here in Texas. The Daily Texan has compiled a list of must-see cinematic destinations nearby for a fun, spontaneous road trip.
The Hewitt House, Granger, Texas Featured in the 2003 and 2006 “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” slasher films, The Hewitt House provides an eerie and memorable drive-by on your cinematic road trip. The old, rundown estate served as the place of residence for Leatherface’s family of cannibals, who hide their unlucky victims in the basement. While visitors cannot trespass on the property, a great view of the house can be seen from the highway, only about a 50-minute drive from campus at 901 336 County Road.
Hamilton Pool Preserve, Dripping Springs, Texas Less than an hour away, Hamilton Pool Preserve boasts picture-perfect scenery all year long, making it a popular destination for locals and tourists. The preserve was featured in the 2010 movie “Predators,” starring Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne and Topher Grace. As the group of elite soldiers make their way across unfamiliar territory, they are relentlessly pursued by members of an unforgiving alien race, who apparently live in Texas and
laura gonima
Hawaii. Hamilton Pool is located at 24300 Hamilton Pool Road. Poteet Straberry Festival, Poteet, Texas Known as the “Strawberry Capital of Texas,” the town of Poteet in Atascosa County will provide a wonderful addition to your road trip. Every spring, the town holds a strawberry festival that features country western and Tejano musicians, a rodeo, gunslingers and more. The festival fairgrounds was featured in the 1997 film “Selena,” starring Jennifer Lopez as the beloved Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. While our spring break doesn’t quite overlap with the festival, the town of Poteet provides plenty of fun for tourists, and you could always make a weekend visit. The fairgrounds are about two and half hours away from Austin at 9199 N State Highway 16. Farmers and Merchants Bank, Pilot Point, Texas Farmers and Merchants Bank is now home to a converted art gallery, housing
/ the daily texan staff
works by contemporary Texas artists, but cinephiles will appreciate the location as being from the iconic 1967 film “Bonnie and Clyde,” a biographical crime movie starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. Farmers and Merchants Bank is a four-hour drive from Austin at 100 N Washington St. McCollum-Chapman-Trousdale House, Smithville, Texas Featured in the 1998 romantic drama “Hope Floats,” the McCollum-Chapman-Trousdale House was the location of the Pruitt family’s home in the film. Birdee Pruitt, played by Sandra Bullock, must decide between her head and her heart when the charismatic Justin Matisse (Harry Connick Jr.), who her daughter (Mae Whitman) disapproves of, walks into her life after her divorce from her husband (Michael Paré). The house is located at 201 E. Eighth & Olive streets in Smithville, Texas, a town designated as “Film Friendly” by the Texas Film Commission.
FILM REVIEW | ‘SITARA: LET GIRLS DREAM’
Netflix’s silent short ‘Sitara: Let Girls Dream’ speaks volumes
copyright waadi productions, and reproduced with permission
A heartfelt interaction between mother and daughter is witnessed amid a colorful animated backdrop in “Sitara: Let Girls Dream.” By Noah Levine @ZProductionz
Young ambitions fly sky high in this colorful Netflix experience. “Sitara: Let Girls Dream” is an animated short film written and directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy alongside Pakistan-based studio Waadi Animations. The silent film follows a young girl named Pari in 1970s Pakistan whose pilot ambitions are admired by her younger sister, Mehr. When Pari’s father begins to organize her arranged marriage, the young girl realizes the limiting barriers brought on by her family traditions. “Sitara: Let Girls Dream” is a small narrative that packs a powerful message, accompanied by lush visuals and smooth animation. The visual style of the film is awe-inspiring. Vibrant pinks and purples color the cloud-covered sky, while the moon’s cool blue tones drape over the vibrant furniture during night sequences. The
lighting smoothly rests on top of the animated characters’ faces. Each member of the family sports a uniquely colored outfit, offering visual differences in terms of style and personality. The wedding sequence toward the end is sprinkled with beautiful lighting and poignant purples, yellows and oranges. The animated world is visually engaging, captivating audiences within it despite the short runtime of 15 minutes. The cinematography flows and is never distracting. The camera acts as a silent observer, offering intriguing yet visible perspectives on the actions of the leading characters. One standout sequence involves a continuous shot that follows a paper plane as it soars through the sky and into the city. Static shots slowly shift to dynamic as emotions rile up and are emphasized. The environment is often a large contributor to the content of the frame, consistently setting characters within beautifully colored locations.
The score pairs seamlessly with the animated visuals. A combination of chimes and harmonies create an angelic soundscape for the accompanying imagery. The power of the score increases at emotional high points in a way that emphasizes character feelings and development more than any dialogue could have. One aspect of the film is its culture barrier in terms of American audiences. Since the film is silent, character actions and events must be communicated visually, and many of the Pakistani traditions may come across as unclear to American viewers. Audiences have to rely on visual context clues to understand these interactions and their significance. On the other hand, this is a film produced by a Pakistani production team, so the inclusion of these traditions is absolutely essential and should not be spoon-fed to the general American audience. The narrative of the film is left to end ambiguously, which works efficiently in F I L M PAGE 5