DT
barb daly / the daily texan staff
Volume 121, Issue 5 Tuesday, July 7, 2020
a difficult road ahead
page
DT
Contents:
Managing Editor Sami Sparber
Senior Videographer Jennifer Xia
Assoc. Managing Editors Brittany Miller, Marcus Krum
Senior Audio Producer Aurora Berry
Internal Relations Director Lauren Girgis
Photo Editor Amna Ijaz
External Relations Director Assoc. Photo Editor Angelica Arinze Jamie Hwang Assoc. Editors Julia Zaksek, Jennifer Beck
Life&Arts Editor Trinady Joslin
Illustration Coordinator Abriella Corker
Assoc. Life&Arts Editor Ariana Arredondo
News Editor Nicole Stuessy
Sr. Life&Arts Reporters
Assoc. News Editors Emily Hernandez, Neelam Bohra
Sports Editor Myah Taylor
Enterprise Reporter Meara Isenberg Copy Desk Chief Jimena Pinzon Associate Copy Desk Chief Irissa Omandam Design Editor Sierra Wiggers Assoc. Design Editor Maria Perez
Assoc. Sports Editor Donnavan Smoot, Stephen Wagner Comics Editors Alekka Hernandez, Barbra Daly Assoc. Comics Editor Raquel “Rocky” Higine Senior Comics Artists Destiny Alexander, Steph Sonik
page
Beat Reporters Hannah Williford, Anna Canizales, Hannah Ortega, Areeba Amer
Aisling Ayers, Grace Barnes
page
Assoc. Multimedia Editor Faith Castle
page
Editor-in-Chief Emily Caldwell
page
PERMANENT STAFF
06 03 08 09 10
cover story Recent UT graduates face hiring freezes and rescinded offers as the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the job market.
News Students express concerns about unchanged tuition rates and double-occupancy dorm rooms this fall.
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Life & arts As Title IX investigations occur remotely, students experience delays in cases.
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Texas women’s basketball figures discuss the lack of female head coaches at UT.
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The Daily Texan, a student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin, is published by Texas Student Media, 2500 Whitis Ave., Austin, TX 78712. The Daily Texan is published daily, Monday through Friday, during the regular academic year and is published once weekly during the summer semester. The Daily Texan does not publish during academic breaks, most Federal Holidays and exam periods. News contributions will be accepted by telephone 2.120). Entire contents copyright 2020 Texas Student Media.
NEWS
News Editor
3
NICOLE STUESSY
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
CAMPUS
Students voice concerns about campus reopening Students grow frustrated over full-price tuition for virtual classes and plans for on-campus living. By Hannah Ortega
alejandra gavilanes / the daily texan staff
@_hannahortega_
ome students have expressed frustrations with UT’s fall reopening plan, specifically regarding the cost of tuition, online learning and double-occupancy rooms in residence halls. Details of the June 29 plan include requiring people to wear masks inside of campus buildings, creating a symptom-monitoring app for students and keeping tuition rates the same, according to the Protect Texas Together website. Alcess Nonot, Senate of College Councils president, said the plan needs to better address issues about tuition and online classes.
“The main frustration that a lot of students have with the fall reopening plan is ... the uncertainty, and I don’t think that is something that can be fixed really easily,” Nonot said. “I do feel like the University could put extra precautions and make the plans more clear so that students know in the event that cases start rising really heavily in August, what is plan B going to be?” Currently, the Protect Texas Together website lists student death, percentage increases in positive COVID-19 cases and personal and protective equipment shortages as reasons for campus closures. Nonot, a biology and human development and family sciences senior, met with professors
and Gregorio Ponti, Graduate Student Assembly president, as part of an online education task force. “I’ve been in countless meetings where faculty are trying to create modules and trying to help educate their own colleagues about how to teach online effectively while also balancing their kids and working over the summer,” Nonot said. Former economics junior Luke Chitwood said the University’s reopening plan made him feel more sure of his decision to transfer to the University of North Texas, which he made a few months ago. “For my identity as a disabled student, ... I always struggled with not being able to go to class and then finding clemency for the work that I
missed,” Chitwood said. “Now, the school is saying, ‘Oh, if you come down sick, all the resources will be online.’ They’re basically telling us that there won’t be any forgiveness.” At a June 29 press conference, UT Interim President Jay Hartzell said tuition costs did not decrease because the University offers “very high-quality online courses.” Currently, at least 3,500 out of 11,000 courses have moved online, according to an email from Hartzell. Biomedical engineering junior Kavya Alapaty said she believes online classes are not worth the same price as in-person classes. “Even the classes that are in-person, a lot of them are hybrid,” Alapaty said. “I really don’t think that
I’m getting the same value for my money as I would be in a regular, normal, in-person class, and so the fact that it’s going to be costing the same exact price is completely ridiculous to me.” Alapaty also said she worries about the roles of double-occupancy dorms and dining halls in spreading COVID-19 and would rather continue online learning for another semester. “Honestly, as much as I want to go back to UT and, you know, leave my parents’ home, I think that it would be definitely in everyone’s well-being to stick to remote learning,” Alapaty said. “I don’t know how much is going to change between now and mid-August.”
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News Editor
NICOLE STUESSY
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020 BLM
NEWS
What does ‘defunding the police’ actually mean? By Anna Canizales @annaleonorc As protests continue around the country against police brutality and systemic racism, students and activists are increasingly calling for cities to defund the police. On June 26, the Minneapolis City Council approved a proposal to eliminate the city’s police department and establish a department of community safety and violence prevention in its place, according to NPR. A month earlier, a former Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd, a Black man, by kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes during his arrest, sparking widespread protests over police violence. Austin City Council unanimously voted June 11 to demilitarize the Austin Police Department and reallocate part of APD’s $440 million budget to other public safety measures. Assistant government professor Derek Epp said defunding the police means to reimagine cities’ budget and structure so that more support is given to public health services rather than a militarized police force. Epp said communities struggle with issues including health care, homelessness and mental health that cannot be addressed with a police force. “(Defunding the police) is essentially a call to fundamentally rethink the role that police play in society,” Epp said. “There are a lot of social services that we don’t do a great job of delivering in the United States. It’s not really fair that the police don’t really have the tools to meaningfully fight or combat these problems.” Epp, who has researched racial disparities in traffic stops, said one incremental step toward defunding the police would be eliminating unnecessary vehicle searches since they are a large part of racial disparity in the police system. “Policing in America is a really good example of treating the
christina peebles / the daily texan staff symptoms and not the underlying disease,” Epp said. “Pretty much wherever we look, African Americans are much more likely to be searched after traffic stops. I’ve never been pulled over and searched by police because I’m a white guy. This is something that hopefully white people around the country are opening their eyes to.” Biomedical engineering sophomore Catriona Lochhead said defunding the police is not only about removing funds from the police department, but reassigning that money to initiatives supporting education, mental health and sexual assault prevention. “I think what scares a lot of
people is ‘if we defund the police, who’s going to protect us?’”
Policing in America is a really good example of treating the symptoms and not the underlying disease.” DEREK EPP
assistant government professor
Lochhead said. “In the absence of that, we can look to community-based policing, which already we see happening in very high-profile neighborhoods.” Kennedy Cannon, the membership director for the UT National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said certain aspects of Austin life, such as homelessness and education, are lacking funds. She said much of the funding that is given to police departments could instead be given to universities or mental health initiatives. UTPD directed the Texan to University Communications for comment. The University did not respond to requests before publication.
“I feel as though police officers have taken their power to extreme levels and have taken lives of innocent people,” Cannon said. “As far as we know, the police are here to protect and serve our country and our community, and not all police officers are doing that.” Cannon, a dance junior, said the NAACP is coming back onto campus after being inactive for three years and is focused on rebuilding a presence on campus. “We’re on campus to cultivate all minorities,” Cannon said. “We already are, in a sense, spreading what (the) Black Lives Matter movement is saying. NAACP’s overall purpose is to bring unity within the University.”
LIFE&ARTS
Life&Arts Editor
5
TRINADY JOSLIN
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
CAMPUS
Title IX complainants frustrated over timeline After going remote, some students who filed Title IX complaints say their cases have taken longer than expected. By Lauren Grobe @grobe_lauren
fter filing her initial Title IX complaint in November, public health senior Kierstyn Gallegos said she was regularly updated on her case after meeting with investigators in January. Since all campus operations moved online in March, Gallegos said she’s had to repeatedly contact her investigators for information and has seen little progress. Her investigation is now in its seventh month. According to the Department of Education, investigations are typically completed within 60 days. In April, Title IX coordinator Adriana Alicea-Rodriguez said investigation timelines would remain the same, but some students with active cases say they feel like they are slipping through the cracks. “There was a stalemate after things went online, and I wasn’t told how anything would be proceeding from the Title IX office,” Gallegos said, adding that she found information through
other resources. UT has multiple offices involved with Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex-based discriminiation in higher education, including sexual harassment. Investigations require the complainant, the respondent — who the complaint is filed against — and all witnesses to be interviewed. In an interview with the Texan on June 16, Gallegos said her respondent hadn’t been interviewed. In a follow-up interview on July 4, Gallegos said she learned June 23 that her respondent was interviewed two weeks prior. Because of the delay, Gallegos said she was worried about her case moving forward. Alicea-Rodriguez said if a respondent doesn’t answer an investigator’s interview request, they are referred to the Student Conduct and Academic Integrity department in the Office of the Dean of Students. “Our policies say that if you’re a respondent in our investigation process, you have to meet with us and participate in the process,” Alicea-Rodriguez said. “If you don’t participate, then you are not complying.”
rocky higine / the daily texan staff Gallegos said she is not aware if her respondent was ever referred to the Student Conduct office. Dean Kruse, director of Title IX Training and Investigations, said investigators are supposed to update complainants and respondents every two weeks on the status of the investigation. “I don’t think much has changed in terms of process on our end,” Kruse said. “We’ve communicated quite a bit with students. We do multiple outreaches via email and phone as well if we haven’t heard from someone in a while.” Gallegos isn’t the only student who hasn’t had regular communication from the office. Others say they had issues communicating with the office online even before operations went remote. UT student Kimberly said she filed a Title IX complaint
through the online portal on November 5. She was redirected to a screen confirming her form was received and saying she would be contacted soon.
There was a stalemate after things went online, and I wasn’t told how anything would be proceeding from the Title IX office.” KIERSTYN GALLEGOS
ut public health senior After receiving no updates, she emailed the office in December and was told her complaint had never been received.
Kimberly, who asked to remain anonymous, said she submitted the form with a friend, who also remembers seeing the confirmation. Kimberly has not yet filed another complaint. Kruse said there is no reason an investigator wouldn’t update complainants every two weeks, but there has been an increase in complaints in the past year. Alicea-Rodriguez said the number of complaints in 2019-2020 academic year have almost quadrupled from the previous year. While frustrated, Gallegos said she is not surprised with the office’s handling of her case. “I know cases in general take a really long time,” Gallegos said. “That’s the reputation they have. I feel like COVID has exacerbated that and made it feel so much longer, along with me being home all the time.”
6
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
COVER STORY
CORONAVIRUS
‘It was a dream position for me’ Recent grads say they face rescinded offers and hiring freezes as unemployment numbers grow. By Meara Isenberg @mearaannee
n late February, a few months before she graduated, Sarah Rung landed a job out of college at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Starting June 8, she’d be working full time as a collections specialist. “It was a dream position for me,” said Rung, who graduated from UT in May with a bachelor’s in history and certificate in museum studies.
In the months before her start date, Rung prepared for the big move by buying a plane ticket and co-signing a lease on an apartment. But during this time, the novel coronavirus was impacting the country in ways she’d never expected. By the end of April, the virus infected more than a million Americans, prompting states, cities and counties to issue stay-at-home orders and taking a devastating toll on the economy. After reading that other museums in the area were furloughing and laying off staff, Rung said she realized her position might be vulnerable as well. Then, on May 8, an email
and phone call from the Fine Arts Museums confirmed her fears — due to the financial burden they were under, her offer had been rescinded. “There were quite a few tears after the phone call ended,” Rung said. “I knew that it was most likely coming, it’s just really sad.” As some industries have been hit harder than others, the experience of a recent college graduate job-searching could vary, economics professor emeritus Daniel Hamermesh said. But overall, he said new job searchers are facing a double whammy — dealing with more competition as they apply for positions alongside
copyright sid rumalla, and reproduced with permission Sid Rumalla poses in front of the McCombs School of Business. Rumalla graduated from UT in May with a master’s in finance.
those who are recently out of gaining experience before work, and less hiring. attending graduate school. Amid shutdowns, there’s Like Rumalla, Brown was been little demand for workers interviewing for a job in Febin sectors such as restaurants, ruary and lost the opportuthe travel industry, airlines nity due to a hiring freeze. and transportation, and the She’s been spending her time effects have rippled through since applying to jobs and the economy, Hamermesh graduate schools. said. In June, the national un“I will say that this whole employment rate was 11.1%, COVID situation has certainup from 3.5% in February, acly solidified my motivation to cording to the U.S. Bureau of go to graduate school,” Brown Labor Statistics. said. “I know without reason“We’re in the midst of able doubt that I want to get what’s, no question, the worst my Ph.D. now. I’m just like, depression since the 1930s,” ‘Yeah, this job search is pretty Hamermesh said. tough. But one thing I am pretSid Rumalla also dealt ty good at is being a student, with unexpected developand going to school.” ments during his job search While this is a more difficult in March while complettime for recent grads to find ing his last semester as a fia job, it’s not impossible, said nance graduate student at Julie Brewer, a career counUT. That month, Rumalla selor at the Moody College interviewed for two jobs at difof Communication. ferent companies. However, “I think it’s kind of tempting both compato throw in nies went on the towel and hiring freezes say, ‘Well, within a counow’s a really Yeah, this job search hard time to ple weeks of each other, get a job, so is pretty tough. But he said. not even one thing I am pretty I’m Rumalla going to try,’” good at is being a still hadn’t Brewer said. secured a postudent, and going to “There is a sition as of possibility to school.” late June. find jobs. It’s “I know it’ll happening.” work out,” B r e w e r TAILAR BROWN ut 2020 alumna Rumalla said. said she be“I just kind of lieves this have to play the long game.” period is a slowdown, and Tailar Brown graduated from recent grads can use this UT in the fall with a bachelor’s time to reach out to people in chemistry and planned to in their industry, such as UT spend a year working and alumni, for advice or work on
7
projects like strengthening their online presence. “It’s often that we think about, ‘I don’t have a job. I do have a job,’ like black and white,” Brewer said. “It’s not just yes or no, it’s a series of steps. So celebrate those steps that you’re taking and realize you are making progress.” Alexa De La Torre studied neuroscience at UT as an international student. Before she graduated in May, she applied for Optional Practical Training, a work authorization available for eligible
students with her F-1 visa. This authorization would allow her to remain in the U.S. after graduation and work for up to 12 months in a job related to her field of study. Once her request for the authorization was approved in April, she had until July 6 to begin a job before she started collecting unemployment, of which she couldn’t accumulate more than three months, she said. The temporary authorization also required her to apply to jobs directly related to her major, which she said made her search a
bit narrower. In June, her efforts ended in success: She was offered two
We’re in the midst of what’s, no question, the worst depression since the 1930s.” DANIEL HAMERMESH
economics professor emeritus jobs related to neuroscience research assistance. “The whole COVID situation, like interviewing virtually and all of that, it was a little stressful,” De La Torre said. “But now that I have the job offers, and I even have the chance to pick, that is very rewarding and at the same time very humbling, and a stress reliever for sure.”
copyright tailar brown, and reproduced with permission Tailar Brown stands in front of the iconic Architecture Library door. Brown graduated from UT in December with a bachelor’s in chemistry.
copyright sarah rung, and reproduced with permission Sarah Rung poses in graduation regalia, sporting the College of Liberal Arts stole. Rung graduated from UT in May with a bachelor’s in history and a certificate in museum studies.
megan fletcher / the daily texan staff
8
Editor-In-Chief
E M I LY C A L D W E L L
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
EDITORIAL
OPINION
We need more information
alexandra vanderhider / the daily texan
B y T h e D a i l y Te x a n E d i t o r i a l B o a rd
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.
Trying to figure out your financial aid package can be incredibly frustrating — especially when you encounter mixed messages from your university. The Texas Advance Commitment, an effort undertaken by UT-Austin to better financially support its middle- and low-income students, and its various eligibility requirements have confused many students. When the Texas Advance Commitment, initially developed in 2018, was expanded in July 2019 with the help of a $160 million endowment created by the UT System Board of Regents, UT updated its Texas Advance Commitment website to detail the new inclusion of incoming freshmen and transfer students in the program. However, UT did not make it sufficiently clear that this new expansion was meant to make more students eligible for the program, not restrict eligibility to only freshmen and transfer students. UT must not only take the time to clarify the Commitment’s various eligibility requirements but also improve the way it communicates these requirements to its students. “The administration keeps sending a lot of vague emails about UT safety in the fall, but they haven’t even said anything about financial aid,” said Naomi Cruz Ojeda, a health and society junior. “It’s an added stress.” University spokesperson J.B. Bird
SUBMIT A FIRING LINE | Email your Firing Lines to editor@dailytexanonline.com. Letters must be more than 100 and fewer than 300 words. The Texan reserves the right to edit all submissions for brevity, clarity and liability.
said the Commitment expansion, along with the new eligibility requirements, will be implemented for the first time this fall. Both new and current students are covered, he said. On the Commitment’s website, “Enrolled full-time first-time-in-college under current program and also transfer students starting fall 2020” is one of the six eligibility requirements listed. This language is, at best, ambiguous. “It’s so confusing with all the information they put out,” international business junior John Hodge said. “They need to provide clear information that doesn’t contradict previous postings without distinctly saying that it’s an update that’s changed the protocol.” Under the Commitment’s 2019 expansion, all current UT students with families that have adjusted gross incomes of up to $65,000 will receive full tuition coverage, while UT students with families that have adjusted gross incomes of up to $125,000 will receive what UT calls “tuition support.” The UT office of financial aid automatically determines student eligibility based on information submitted through the student’s FAFSA, said Amanda Karr, director of marketing and communications for enrollment management and student success. The Texas Advance Commitment works in conjunction with other financial aid packages a student may receive and essentially fills the gap, Karr said. For example, if a student is slated to receive full tuition coverage under the Commitment and has already received a federal Pell grant that covers three-fourths of the
student’s tuition, the Commitment will cover that last fourth. However, on the financial aid notification students receive, students aren’t told which funds came from the Commitment and which didn’t. “We realize that’s something we should address so that students, when they receive that (notification), they understand this is part of the Texas Advance Commitment,” Bird said. “We didn’t spell it out clearly.” Many students are still waiting on their financial aid notifications for fall 2020, and, because of the lack of clear communication from UT, many are uncertain if they will be eligible to receive funds from the Commitment at all. Karr said the office of financial aid is still in the process of packaging students’ financial aid and will likely continue to notify students up until classes begin. Notifying students so late, though, gives them very little time to make important decisions about how they will pay for the portion of their tuition that may not be covered, in the case of students receiving tuition support, or other essentials, such as housing. “As soon as we start school, a few days later they expect us to have a decision on taking out loans or use our own money to pay for our schooling (and expenses),” Ojada said. “I have to be aware that I might have to pay for my tuition because I haven’t received my financial aid decision.” We’re taking the time to explain this because UT hasn’t. From what we can tell, a lot of this information hasn’t been explicitly stated anywhere else. We’re student journalists. Because of what we do, we have access to more resources than regular college students do. We couldn’t figure out how the Texas Advance Commitment works without talking to UT administrators. We acknowledge financial aid is complicated, but UT needs to be doing more to explain how the Texas Advance Commitment and its various other financial aid resources and initiatives function. UT needs to bring its students out of the dark.
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LIFE&ARTS
Life&Arts Editor
9
TRINADY JOSLIN
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020 STUDENT LIFE
Study abroad programs cope with online transition By Anissa Reyes @anissareyes
Orlando Kelm’s students were supposed to spend the summer cooking Brazillian meals while exploring the South American country. Instead, they’re learning these skills from their own kitchens through Zoom. After all summer 2020 study abroad programs were suspended due to COVID-19 on March 10, some professors began transitioning their courses to an online format. Students were refunded for their study abroad expenses, and those who remained in the online courses received full credit. “From the very start, we were saying to these students, ‘I know you can’t go to Brazil, but we’re trying to create a summer class for you,’” said Kelm, an associate professor of Hispanic linguistics and director of the Portuguese Flagship Program. When the program cancellations began, Kelm said he had to act fast because he had a group of students already abroad and another preparing for its summer program. He created a plan for students to receive Zoom lectures from professors in Brazil. “The object (for) the students is to achieve a high level of (language) proficiency, so we created an online course where we mix a lot of really cool things,” Kelm said. “It’s a logistics nightmare to do it all, but man, it’s cool to see it all come together.” Architectural engineering junior Shailey Patel signed up for the Emerging Technologies Maymester in London, England, and chose to remain in the online format of the course.
“At first, I was like, what’s the point? I could do it next year,” Patel said. “Then they told us it would cost nothing and counts for a class. I was like, ‘Well, I guess I’ll just do it then.’ It was worth it.” She said she was grateful her class could still meet with industry professionals, but the format made interactions a little awkward. Course material was also impacted by the change, Patel said. Instead of visiting the buildings they discuss during the program, they were just shown photos over Zoom. “(I was) still pretty sad because you can’t see the buildings they’re talking about,” Patel said. “(They tried to) show the location as best they can. They’re like, ‘If you were here, you could walk from here to here, and you could see it.’” Unlike Patel, advertising sophomore Gracie Gilchriest decided to drop her Maymester in Ireland when it was converted to an online format. “It had nothing to do with the material or the professor. I was really interested in the topic, but the Zoom format made it kind of awkward,” Gilchriest said. “Without the motivations of being able to go (to Ireland), it just made it a little more difficult.” Patel said the loss of social interaction was disappointing, especially after meeting some members of the study abroad group prior to the cancellation. “It seemed like we were all going to be pretty good friends and we would go on weekend trips (together), but now there’s not much time to talk,” Patel said. “We would have been taking the train together (around
London), but now we just hang up and see each other on the next call.” Although those who opted to stay in the online class still received credit, Kelm said
course credit is normally not the primary reason students enroll in study abroad. “I will tell you this, the (students in the) online class (have) not been flaky
at all,” Kelm said. “But there’s no doubt the trips and tours are precisely the reasons why we go abroad, and it’s precisely the stuff (students) lost.”
marissa xiong / the daily texan staff
10
Sports Editor M Y A H
TAY L O R
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
SPORTS
FEATURE
Texas lacks women coaches
Aston’s departure leaves two women head coaches, increasing Texas’ gender disparity. By Donnavan Smoot @Dsmoot3D
hen Texas decided not to renew Karen Aston’s contract in April, it left the women’s basketball team without a head coach and the athletics department with one less woman leading a program. Texas hired Vic Schaefer, former Mississippi State head coach, after Aston and the Longhorns failed to win an NCAA Tournament game during the 2018- 2019 season, falling short of Texas’ high standards. Although Schaefer’s hiring isn’t out of left field, it leaves Texas with just two female head coaches throughout its athletic department: Angela Kelly in soccer and Carol Capitani in women’s swimming and diving. Only 13% of Texas’ head coaches are women, which is barely half the national average, according to the NCAA demographics database. UT has continually hired women to lead its women’s basketball program after inaugural coach Rodney Page served from 19731976. However, many women across the country don’t get the opportunity to coach, as they struggle to overcome others’ idea of the “exceptional woman,” said Lucia Gilbert, an educational psychology professor emeritus. “In the fields where there are very few women and they apply for positions, they have to be very, very talented and have
zachary strain / the daily texan file Former Texas head coach Karen Aston talks with one of her players on Nov. 13, 2013. Aston left Texas following the 2019-2020 season after leading the program for eight seasons.
more experience than men in that same pool,” Gilbert said. “Then the idea is that all women who are going to be coaches are going to be exceptional, and of course, they’re not. I think that is one of the barriers, (having) maybe higher expectations for women in these positions than really fits the situation.” Although Aston and the Longhorns made six-straight NCAA Tournaments, they failed to upend perennial powerhouse Baylor, which went undefeated in Big 12 play from February 2017 to this past March. Texas was the last team to beat the Bears before their 58game conference-winning streak.
Meanwhile, men’s basketball head coach Shaka Smart has only led the Longhorns to two NCAA Tournament appearances and was on the bubble to get in this year before COVID-19 caused the remainder of the season to be canceled. Texas women’s basketball’s historic legacy began under Jody Conradt, who walked the sidelines as the head coach of the women’s basketball team from 1976-2007. Conradt led Texas to three Final Fours, a national championship and over 750 wins in her time as head coach. Conradt said her tenure was much more than just wins and championships, but a chance to break the mold.
“I reflected back on when I was growing up,” Conradt said. “It never occurred to me that I could coach because I didn’t see anyone who looked like me coaching. We know that if you see someone who looks like you, then you can accept that as a reality and realistic expectation.” Since Conradt started coaching, she said she’s seen an influx of men coaching at every level, which she believes takes away opportunities from women. “Growing up, I’ve always had a male coach,” junior center Charli Collier said. “It’s never been really an issue for me. I’ve had women
coaches as well in AAU.” While Collier has had coaches of both genders, her male counterparts have never had that experience, as no women currently coach a Division I FBS men’s basketball program. Conradt said she feels that women will be more visible in head-coaching positions if they are allowed the chance to gain experience. “If we give women an opportunity to get experience and we enlarge the hiring pool, then we can expect that there would be women qualified to move to the next level,” Conradt said.
COMICS
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B A R B D A LY & A L E K K A H E R N A N D E Z
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
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Sports Editor M Y A H
TAY L O R
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
SPORTS
FOOTBALL
Drive like a Ford: 3-star recruit looks to make impact
copyright jaylan ford, and reproduced with permission Texas football commit Jaylan Ford poses at a recruiting visit on Jan. 25. Although he was Texas’ lowest-rated recruit from the 2020 class, Ford looks to make an immediate impact as a freshman linebacker.
copyright jaylan ford, and reproduced with permission 2020 Texas football commit Jaylan Ford flashes a hook ‘em with his parents, Youlonda Taylor and Lamont Ford, during a recruiting visit. By Carter Yates @Carter_Yates16
From an outsider’s perspective, Jaylan Ford’s commitment to The University of Texas seemed predictable: a high school standout choosing a team he has adored since childhood. “Growing up, my little league team was the Longhorns, so that was cool because I kind of had it all planned out,” Ford said. “Texas became my favorite team in real life.” However, Ford’s road to
Austin wasn’t so clear-cut. Ford was the lowest-rated recruit for the Longhorns in the 2020 cycle despite his prolific career as a linebacker at Dallas-area powerhouse Lone Star High School. He may not have focused on his lack of recognition, but his mother, Youlonda Taylor, did. “My mom would actually look at (my three-star ranking) more than I did and tell me about it,” Ford said. “To me, it’s just something for the fans to see. The coaches know when they see the film what a player can do.” Ford finished off his
outstanding high school career earning District 5-5A Defensive MVP as a junior and senior and second team All-State honors as a senior. Coming from a self-described “sports family,” Taylor knew her son had the talent and drive to play Division I football. “I would always tell Jaylan, ‘Ball don’t lie,’” Taylor said. “Do what you are supposed to do, stay level-headed and the results will come.” Ford received the coveted offer from Texas toward the end of his senior season at Lone Star, over a month after he had committed to The University of Utah. After talking it over with his mother, Ford decided to stay close to home and don a burnt orange jersey for the first time since his little league days. “It was about family more than not wanting to go to Utah because Utah has a great program,” Taylor said. “He has
so much support here and people that are looking forward to coming to see him play.” Texas’ lack of depth and experience at the linebacker position makes Ford more valuable to the team as a freshman than his three-star ranking indicates, said Jeff Rayburn, Ford’s high school coach. “I know there’s a need in talking to coach (Chris) Ash for linebackers,” Rayburn said. “Especially with the switch to the 3-4 defensively, I think he will have an opportunity … to go get on the depth chart at linebacker.” Despite COVID-19 forcing the nation to adapt to social distancing norms, Ford has pushed through the freshman offseason program to strengthen his 205-pound frame. “I didn’t want to be one of those people that comes in out of shape and you can tell they haven’t done anything (in the
offseason),” Ford said. “Once they lifted the quarantine, I was finally able to get into the weight room, and I was there every day.” Few freshmen have the opportunity to contribute from the start, but Ford has bigger plans than just getting on the field during his time with the Longhorns. With a goal to help Texas win a national championship, Ford said the rankings and scouts who overlooked him no longer matter. Like always, he’s just going to play ball. In the end, Ford’s performance on the field will do all the talking, Rayburn said. “I think we will be talking in a couple of years and saying, ‘What a steal for those guys,’” Rayburn said. “People are gonna realize that they missed out, and I think Texas got a great one.”