The Daily Texan 2020-08-24

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

Monday, August 24, 2020

Volume 121, Issue 11

welcome back fall 2020

jamie hwang, jack myer, kirsten hahn / the daily texan staff NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

LIFE&ARTS

Students seeking a COVID-19 test can schedule an appointment through University Health Services.

UT must require routine COVID-19 testing for students living on campus throughout the year.

Tom Herman and football players discuss athlete safety and COVID-19 protocols this season.

LHBlacks works to create safe space for Black students in Longhorn Band through recruitment.

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UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY

Students express doubts about UT’s safety guidelines, fear COVID-19 outbreaks

UT model says 82-183 students may arrive with COVID-19

Anna Canizales

By Amanda Figueroa-Nieves

@annaleonorc

@amandafn02

After other universities have reopened and closed down weeks later due to coronavirus outbreaks, some UT students said they are not confident in the University’s policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Masks will be required in all buildings on campus, student organizations will mostly operate remotely and the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium will be limited to 25% capacity, according to the Protect Texas Together website. Of over 11,000 courses offered in the fall, University spokesperson J.B. Bird said 76% will be online, 19% will be hybrid and 5% will be in person.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reported 135 COVID-19 cases after one week of in-person classes and shifted all undergraduate courses to remote instruction Aug. 17, according to the University’s newspaper The Daily Tar Heel.

After reporting 147 cases in a week once in-person classes began

Between 82 and 183 UT students may arrive infected with COVID-19 during the first week of classes, according to a report published Friday by a group of University researchers.

The COVID-19 Modeling Consortium projected for gatherings of 10 students, there is a 4.9% chance that at least one student will arrive infected.

This probability increases to 39.4% for a gathering of 100 students, according to the report.

The researchers in the consortium, which creates projections of COVID-19 death rates in all U.S. states and most major metropolitan areas, did not account for the possibility that contact between students before the first class day could increase prevalence of the virus among students, according to the report.

The report also states 156 to 341 students would test positive for COVID-19 if all students returning to campus were tested in the first week of classes. This estimate includes people who are no longer infectious but would continue to test positive.

UT does not plan to test every

destiny alexander / the daily texan file Aug. 10, The University of Notre Dame announced a move to online classes until Sept. 2.

Interim President Jay Hartzell said in a message to the UT community July 29 that self-quarantining for 14 days, wearing masks and social distancing will help lower the spread of COVID-19

on campus. According to the Protect Texas Together website, students are expected to follow the City of Austin’s health and safety guidelines off campus, but the University will not enforce policy violations DOUBTS

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student returning to campus, but instead will test up to 5,000 people every week in the Proactive Community Testing program, according to an Aug. 4 message from Interim President Jay Hartzell.

The model assumed 12,000 students are already in Austin and 10,000 additional students will be returning to Austin by Wednesday.

The researchers noted the model also assumes more than half of students enrolled at UT will not return to Austin for the fall semester, according to the report.

The introduction risks of spreading COVID-19 may be lower if students quarantine and self-isolate, and UT performs extensive and rapid testing, according to the report.

Lauren Ancel Meyers, head of the consortium, said voluntary precautions students should take include vigilantly wearing face masks, limiting the number of people they come in contact with and isolating themselves if they or anyone in their household has even mild COVID-19 symptoms.

“When you do get together with other people, keep the MODELING

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E M I LY H E R N A N D E Z

News Editor | @THEDAILYTEXAN

MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020

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UT reduces seating capacities, reorganizes classrooms following COVID-19 safety protocols

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UT has reduced seating capacities in buildings and reorganized classrooms to meet COVID-19 safety protocols in preparation for in-person fall classes.

Out of 11,586 total class sections, 1,818 classes are in person, according to a University press release. In an Aug. 11 email to the UT community, Interim President Jay Hartzell said the University projects 45% to 50% of undergraduate students will take all of their courses online.

Hartzell said all students have to embrace the new measures for safety both on and off campus.

“This is a voluntary code of conduct and a statement of shared purpose — a series of actions that any one of us can, and should, take to protect our community during a public health crisis unlike any other in modern history,” Hartzell said in the email.

Mike Carmagnola, director of Project Management and Construction, said his teams have reworked facilities by installing sanitation stations, reducing seating capacities in

jamie hwang / the daily texan staff More than half of the seats are blocked off with cable zip ties in the Mary E. Gearing Hall in order to make room for social distancing procedures in fall classes.

classrooms to 40% and reorganizing furniture to maintain social distancing.

He said students should also expect signs restricting elevator capacity and directing traffic flow on stairs and in hallways.

“We’re a big campus with a lot of buildings,” Carmagnola said. “We worked with building managers and the individual building units … to try and encourage social distancing

and discourage the crossing paths of folks to make it as safe as possible.”

Ann Stevens, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said the college asked faculty to designate a spot outside the building for after-class questions.

Stevens said professors will also hold extra office hours and dismiss students in sections to prevent crowds.

semester approach.

Terrance Hines, chief medical officer and executive director of University Health Services, said the University has received three rapid-testing machines, and UHS plans to use them around the beginning of September. The machines will allow for approximately 100 COVID-19 tests per day, according to the Aug. 4 message.

Hines said this will aid UHS’s existing capacity of hundreds of nasal swab tests daily, barring test kit supply issues.

COVID-19 cases among returning UT students would

also pose a resource challenge, according to the report. If 15,000 students return to Austin, the researchers predicted UT would need to test up to 2,750 contacts of positive cases in the first week, solely from imported cases, according to the report. This requirement would decrease if fewer students return, fewer students are tested and students have fewer traceable contacts, according to the report.

“We urge members of our community, especially returning students, to take note of the study’s findings, rigorously follow public health guidelines and

Stevens said the college allowed professors to decide whether or not they would teach their classes in person.

“We focused on faculty whose own health and judgment about the way their class is taught could allow it to be taught in person given the need for social distancing,” Stevens said.

Joaquín Moreno, a biology and sociology

senior, said he hopes for smaller sections in his organic chemistry lab. He said he expects the class will follow social distancing guidelines, especially for teaching assistants who may lack experience in managing a group of students.

“I’m a little worried,” Moreno said. “I’m being positive and hoping that UT will have the necessary precautions for the students.”

Undeclared freshman Jocelyne Covarrubias said she feels unsure about what to expect from her in-person class.

She said she is concerned students will not take the new measures seriously.

“I feel like it’s a big worry that so many people are just not going to care as much … and forget the fact that there’s a pandemic going on,” Covarrubias said.

Carmagnola said his team will be available to follow up and make adjustments once classes start.

“Obviously, no one person can do all this work,” Carmagnola said. “We’re going to allocate a portion of our teams to stay on board and be available for follow-up work … just because we got to the first day of class, it doesn’t mean we’re going to forget about things.”

(512) 471-4591

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Emily Caldwell (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Megan Menchaca (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@thedailytexan.com

NEWS OFFICE

(512) 232-2207 news@thedailytexan.com The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely. If we have made an error, let us know about it. Call (512) 232-2217 or e-mail managingeditor@ thedailytexan.com.

modeling continues from page

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group small, insst that everyone wears a face mask, keep a good physical distance from others ... and try to meet outdoors rather than indoors when feasible,” Meyers said.

University spokesperson J.B. Bird said the University’s academic planning group for the fall semester requested this analysis to help plan for the limited return of students to campus and Austin. Bird said the University has used modeling to shape their fall

steph sonik / the daily texan file university rules, stay home and contact a doctor if sick, and be

mindful of the welfare of our community,” Bird said.

AUSTIN WEATHER TODAY Aug. 24

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off campus.

Economics junior Rohin Balkundi said he is not returning to Austin in the fall because all his classes are online.

He said he has seen UT students choosing not to follow health and safety guidelines.

“I’m concerned that within two weeks, we’re going to have to go back all online, and everybody here is going to be like, ‘What a waste,’” Balkundi said. “I think it’s gonna blow up in everybody’s faces and we’re going to have a similar semester to last year.”

Dean of Students Soncia Reagins-Lilly said July 31 that parties, on or off campus, would not be allowed.

Mercy Ogunlade, a geography and sustainability studies junior, said she feels as though social distancing guidelines will not be effective if they are not strictly enforced by the University, and telling

students not to attend parties will not work.

“It seems like all the problems (students have) had with what (the University has) said haven’t really (been) addressed,” she said. “It needs to be consistent, it needs to be repetitive, it needs to be more. It’s not making (the University) look serious at all.”

Hartzell said in a message to the UT community Aug. 20 that the University is learning from universities like UNC and Notre Dame to better understand how to control the spread of the virus.

“Our decisions about returning to campus in hybrid mode this fall have been driven by the health needs and concerns of our entire community,” Hartzell said in the message. “I believe our students and other community members can respond to these stories by behaving responsibly and protecting each other, enabling us to continue to have safe in-person experiences on campus this fall.”

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MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020

CAMPUS

WEST CAMPUS

Fewer students Mooov-In to residence halls due to pandemic concerns

West Campus security improvements delayed, progress remains uncertain

” g r

n e . w

jamie hwang / the daily texan staff y t Business freshman Ali Merchant moves into Jester West Residence Hall during early h check-in on Aug. 18, 2020. t ” include a more spread out Mooov-In

By Samantha Greyson schedule, a mask policy, a maximum @GreysonSamantha m of two guests to help with moving in p and social distancing.” e Around 3,600 students settled In previous years, Mooov-In featured a variety of social opportuinto the University’s residence n halls during this year’s Mooov-In, nities, including a Hook ‘Em dinner, - which is less than half of the numa photo booth and different campus o ber of students moving into campus partners available at tables to talk to s housing compared to the past incoming freshmen, Castro said.

- two years.

This year, only students could t Traditionally, Mooov-In is a enter the UFCU Disch-Falk Field to y get their ID and pass. Castro said the two-day process that welcomes stue Mooov-In area had 6-feet markers, dents living on campus into the Uniplexiglass barriers separating stuversity’s 14 residence halls, said J.D. dents from staff and parking spots in Castro, an assistant director for resievery other space. dence life at University Housing and Zia Virani, an elementary Dining. But Castro said this year, education and psychology freshman, Mooov-In had a very specific pursaid she felt the Mooov-In process pose: a swift and safe transition into was planned out nicely. the residence halls.

“I love how there are masks “We’re trying to make it more of required everywhere on campus and a stop-and-go event,” Castro said. even off campus,” Virani said. “It’s “We’re not going to have the opporreally safe.” tunity to have them stop and mingle.

Radio-television-film freshman (Residents will) quickly transition Lauren Haughey said there were into the residence halls.” a lot of people on the field, but it The University extended Mooov-In to last a week, from Aug. moved fast.

“I feel like everything is really 18 to Aug. 23, and there were several clean and organized,” Haughey said. new COVID-19 requirements, includ“There wasn’t music, but it wasn’t too ing social distancing and mask-wearbad. It was just kind of quiet.” ing. Resident assistant Gabriel Parae Parada said he is excited for da said the procedure for Mooov-In the new students to live in the was mostly similar to last year. residence halls.

“Mooov-In will be different “RAs have been in the residence because it won’t be as jam-packed, hall for a bit by ourselves, so it will so it’s more spread out this time be nice to see some new faces,” around,” biology sophomore ParaParada said. da said. “Some of the preparations

By Brooke Ontiveros @brookexpanic

Security improvements in West Campus that were set to be near complete by the first day of the fall semester continue to be delayed due to the pandemic, UT Police Chief David Carter said.

Last semester, the UT System Board of Regents granted $8 million to the UT Police Department to make security improvements in areas around West Campus. These included a new police substation in Walter Webb Hall, a security camera system and 13 additional officers.

“Our target initially was the beginning of class, and we know that it’s not going to happen,” Carter said. “For now, I don’t have enough information to give. … With the way things are working, we hope to have progress before the end of the fall semester.”

Carter said the timeline for each of the security improvements would hopefully be released in the coming weeks.

The substation will be available in a few weeks for students to file reports and communicate safety concerns with UTPD. The substation will have limited business hours that are still being finalized as of Aug. 18.

UTPD has already selected the cadets they wish to hire as officers, but the academy postponed training

planned for this summer due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in Travis County, Carter said.

The HALO security camera system is also still going through the University’s purchasing process, which has likely been slowed due to the pandemic, Carter said.

The important thing is that the original plan is still in play. … We just need to have these processes approved before we can start.”

DAVID CARTER

utpd chief

“In my experience, everything has been slowed down (by the pandemic),” Carter said. “The important thing is that the original plan is still in play. The funds have been identified, part of the cadets have been hired, so we just need to have these processes approved before we can start.”

Joell McNew, president for SafeHorns, a nonprofit UT safety advocacy program, said building a better relationship between UTPD and the community through some of these improvements is an “excellent start” to keeping West Campus safe.

McNew said she is concerned about safety in West Campus whenfunding for the Austin Police Department was cut by nearly 35% after Austin City Council approved the city’s annual budget on Aug. 13.

“Looking at different safety initiatives like the HALO cameras and the partnership between the community and law enforcement, which is UTPD and APD, we just want to make sure that it doesn’t negatively impact the quality of life for students,” McNew said.

Carter said defunding APD would not impact the progress of their West Campus security improvements plan because the funds have already been received and allocated. He said West Campus is still under the jurisdiction of APD, and the security improvements are meant to help APD keep West Campus safe.

Electrical and computer engineering senior Janine Bariuan has lived in West Campus for three years. She said she feels endangered because of frequent crime notifications in West Campus from a crime-tracking app called Citizen.

“One time me and my roommate saw someone jump the gate into my apartment and (steal) a bike,” Bariuan said. “We saw him break the lock and exit with it. (It) was really scary to actually see someone break into your apartment and steal something.

It’s small things like that that make you feel even more unsafe.”

sierra wiggers / the daily texan staff

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E M I LY C A L D W E L L

Editor-In-Chief | @THEDAILYTEXAN

MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020

OPINION LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

COLUMN

diane sun

/ the daily texan staff

Apply for The Daily Texan’s fall staff

By Emily Caldwell Editor-in-Chief

maggie lazaroski

/ the daily texan staff

Routinely test all students in dorms

By Hannah Lopez Associate Editor

This past weekend, around 3,600 students moved into UT’s residence halls for the fall semester. According to UT’s Protect Texas Together guidelines, 75% of those students are predicted to contract COVID-19 symptoms while living on campus.

Despite this data, the University did not require students to be tested for COVID-19 before move in, nor will they require residents to be regularly tested throughout the semester. This decision possibly compromised the health and safety of residents by allowing potential asymptomatic students to enter residence halls.

In order to limit the spread of the virus and increase transparency, University Housing and Dining should make it mandatory for students living on campus to get routinely tested this fall.

Aaron Voyles, director for residence halls operations, stated that UHD will follow the guidelines set by University Health Services, which is to encourage, but not require, residents to be tested for COVID-19 prior to coming on campus or routinely thereafter.

“There’s not a requirement for students to be tested before move in,” Voyles said. “But we are part of the proactive testing procedure with UHS, so we’ve started working with them to offer testing so that students will be able to get tested before the first day of class.”

The UT Proactive Community Testing Program was designed to monitor the spread of infection by testing up to 5,000 asymptomatic

UT community members each week at no cost.

However, according to Interim President Jay Hartzell’s announcement, “The university will identify and reach out to individuals and groups to participate in voluntary, proactive testing and is not currently accepting individual requests to participate.”

Just because testing is encouraged, there is nothing stopping asymptomatic students from forgoing testing and exposing other residents to the virus.”

Voluntary testing will show significantly different results than mandatory testing. Just because testing is encouraged, there is nothing stopping asymptomatic students from forgoing testing and exposing other residents to the virus. UT cannot claim to be proactively testing the community when it allows members to opt out of the program without definitive reasoning.

For Arundhati Ghosh, an incoming electrical and computer engineering freshman who will be living at Andrews Residence Hall this fall, her main concern about living in a dorm is that other students may not take the pandemic seriously and might disregard their own safety as

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.

well as their neighbors’ health.

“I can’t control how other people respond to the pandemic even though I can control what my own response will be,” Ghosh said. “I know we’re supposed to isolate or quarantine 14 days before moving in, but I’m sure there will be people who blatantly ignore that.”

The students who are disregarding the health and safety guidelines probably aren’t going to be the ones volunteering to be tested. In order for UT to limit the spread of the virus, they need to require students to be tested on a regular basis throughout the semester.

Ghosh believes that routine mandatory testing would limit the spread of the virus from the students who aren’t taking the pandemic seriously enough to voluntarily test and would make her feel more comfortable living in the dorms.

“I think UT should make testing mandatory,” Ghosh said. “A lot of people who are moving into the dorms will be freshmen and we don’t really know what we’re doing just in general, so I think knowing the administration has its eye out for us and is keeping track of the things would put me more at ease.”

UT cannot control how students respond to the pandemic or whether they will adhere to the health guidelines put into place. However, UT can and should take control of testing its students, especially those in vulnerable housing situations such as residence halls. Anything less and they will be leaving the health and safety of a substantial portion of the student body up to chance.

Lopez is a rhetoric and writing junior from Nederland, Texas.

GALLERY

charlie hyman

/ the daily texan staff

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.

The Daily Texan has been The University of Texas at Austin’s student newspaper for 120 years. We’ve never had a year like this.

In March, for the first time since the 1918 influenza pandemic, we suspended production of our printed paper.

As we continued to work and keep the UT community informed this summer, we witnessed a national reckoning — protests swept the country in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and against abhorrent police violence and institutionalized racism.

Through what felt like the most tumultuous months in the Texan’s history, we kept working. Although our papers were online-only this summer, our standards never faltered.

This semester will be different as well. For the first time since its inception, The Daily Texan will not produce a daily printed product in the fall. We’ll publish a paper on Tuesdays and Fridays, with plans to print Tuesday’s paper and publish Friday’s paper online.

Just like you, we’re new to this new normal.

Everyone is. But that doesn’t detract from the important work we do at the Texan to hold our University accountable and keep the UT community informed. As we begin this unpredictable fall semester, The Daily Texan’s staff applications have opened again, and we’d love to see you apply.

The Texan is one of the oldest and most accomplished student newspapers in the country. It’s one of the largest and most award-winning, too.

Our alumni have gone on to win 25 Pulitzer Prizes, and big names such as Lady Bird Johnson, Walter Cronkite, Robert Rodriguez and Sen. Judith Zaffirini have worked in our newsroom.

If you want to be a part of the team that breaks important campus, city and administrative news, apply for our news department. Check out our Life&Arts department if you want to explore the human aspect behind the news — and write fun movie and TV reviews. Interested in covering how the sports community adapts to our ever-changing COVID-19 reality? Apply for our sports department.

If you want to hone your photography skills under the guidance of the best photographers on campus, apply for our photo department.

Apply for our video department if you want to produce stunning videos that supplement our written coverage, and check out our comics department if art, animation and illustration are your jam.

The Daily Texan’s interest form for this semester can be found at bit.ly/DTFall2020.”

Do you practice your podcast voice in the shower? Apply for our audio department. If you’re UT Twitter famous — or aspiring to be — try out for our social media department and help us maximize our online outreach. If you want to contribute to daily briefings, weekly updates and the latest reports, apply for our newsletters department.

If you’ve got a killer graphic design instinct and know your way around Adobe InDesign, try out for our design department. If you actually enjoy editing the news more than writing it, check out our copy department.

Are you interested in making the Texan a more inclusive and diverse space? Apply for our Diversity & Inclusion Board and help members tackle diversity initiatives from the ground up.

Lastly, apply for our opinion department if you want to push for change on campus. In the opinion department, we investigate, editorialize and write about our passions. If you know UT can do better and want to help it get there, join me in opinion.

More important than the department you work for, though, is the community you’ll find here at the Texan. You’ll make life-long friendships, and the Texan will define your college experience.

If the Texan’s not the right fit, there are other Texas Student Media entities to explore — Texas Student Television, Bevo Video Productions, KVRX, Texas Travesty, Cactus Yearbook, Burnt X and Texas Connect will welcome you too.

The Daily Texan can’t function without a talented, hardworking staff. Regardless of your year, major or background, you have a place at this paper.

The Daily Texan’s interest form for this semester can be found at bit.ly/DTFall2020. If you have questions about the application process, email me at editor@dailytexanonline.com.

Caldwell is a Latin American studies and journalism senior from College Station, Texas.

She is the editor-in-chief.

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NEWS

5

MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020

UTPD

UT Police to educate on COVID-19 campus guidelines

By Brooke Ontiveros @brookexpanic

The UT Police Department will ask people to leave campus if they do not cooperate with mask and social distancing guidelines this fall.

UTPD will remind students violating mask-wearing and social distancing on campus of the orders. However, the department will not be enforcing city mandates off campus regarding social distancing and mask-wearing because it is a state-funded agency and does not have the authority, said Peter Scheets, assistant chief of police and chief of operations.

“If you’re coming into the library or a classroom, and you’re not going to abide by the rules, then we’re going to have to ask you to leave,” Scheets said. “If they don’t leave, then it’s a criminal trespass issue.”

Scheets said zero officers have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Wednesday.

The department will continue to operate under Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention-directed guidelines for safe work practices that were instituted in the spring.

“The biggest thing operationally we did was to initiate alternate schedules to really minimize the cross contact between the different teams,” Scheets said.

Officers and staff will primarily work with the same people to minimize exposure, and if someone does test positive, the team will be isolated, Scheets said. Officers can also voluntarily be tested by the University as part of the University’s proactive community testing initiative.

“We are an agency that has been here the entire time, and we are public-facing, so officers, employees and staff in the building are concerned about contracting it and potentially spreading it to their families or communities,” Scheets said. “I think the interest level on getting tested is very high here.”

Zachary Thomsen, an arts and entertainment technologies junior, said he hopes

UTPD can act as an authority on mask-wearing guidelines.

“I am a little afraid that the University will have to shut down just because I have seen a few students already not following social distancing guidelines, and they might ruin it for everybody,” Thomsen said.

Thomsen said it will take a community effort to get the pandemic under control and thinks most students will follow city guidelines.

“There are times when you might forget your mask or you might not realize you are not as distant as you can be, so it’s good to have UTPD to give us that reminder,” Thomsen said. “But it’s unacceptable to be purposefully not complying with these mandates.”

Biology junior Ethan Meilinger said he wishes UTPD would take more “stringent action” with people who are not wearing masks or social distancing properly because of the danger it poses to at-risk populations like his mother, who has an autoimmune disease called scleroderma.

rocky higine

to walk (outside) to get fresh air, but we never went out or drove anywhere. We always stayed in the house and got

“During quarantine, I literally was not allowed to leave the house for six months,” Meilinger said. “I was only able

/ the daily texan staff

everything delivered. I just feel like people do not consider the greater impact they can have on people around them.”

CAMPUS

Course materials, library resources to be available largely online

By Anna Canizales @annaleonorc

The Perry-Castañeda Library opened Thursday with limited capacity and safety measures in place to enforce social distancing and will continue to provide resources largely online.

All other libraries on campus remain closed, and students will not be able to go inside those libraries and browse for books. Instead, students will have to request books online and pick them up at the front desk of the PCL, said Carolyn Cunningham, head of

collection development for UT Libraries.

“The (PCL) is going to look a little different right now,” Cunningham said.

“As always, we provide e-books, electronic journals and streaming media for online use. I don’t think people always know that they can ask for things. If we don’t own (a book or article), we will try to buy it or borrow it.”

Associate history professor Aaron O’Connell said he had to adjust the course materials and assignments for his seminars this semester, which rely heavily on library access.

“Normally … I would say (to my students), ‘Go to the library, check out at least 10 to 20 books that you think will be useful on this topic,’” O’Connell said. “We can’t do that now. I’ve had to do a lot more researching into online databases and digital archives and fully online books that are on the shared subject matter of the (seminar).”

Cunningham said the PCL will not let people in after it reaches a maximum capacity of 400, and students and faculty will scan their ID cards when entering to keep track of how many people are inside.

katie bauer

/ the daily texan file

She said the number of people inside will be displayed on a monitor inside the library and online.

UT Libraries is also expanding conversations with faculty about textbook affordability, Cunningham said.

“I hope that this is a push toward faculty finding more low- or no-cost options for their students,” Cunningham said. “Librarians are really good at finding that kind of thing, so if instructors need help, they can always ask the library. (Finding books will) just have to

have a little bit more of an online component.”

Computer science senior Ben Carter said all of the course materials for his classes are fully online and free, and his biggest concern is communication with professors.

“All of my (College of Natural Sciences) classes have been that way — all the course materials were online and free anyway,” Carter said. “I expect (communication to be difficult), but the degree to which it’s strenuous I’m not sure. I do expect my professors to be

diligent about it, especially since they’ve had time to prepare.”

O’Connell said the content of his classes will remain the same, but students will not get to collaborate in person in the same ways.

“We’re doing the best we can, but without an actual community in-person classroom, you’re going to lose a big part of that experience,” O’Connell said. “It’s just something we have to chalk up to (COVID-19) … get through (it) and return to what we know works best, which is in person.”

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MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020

NEWS N

CORONAVIRUS

UT Health Austin recruits coronavirus symptom screening volunteers

copyright jeshua maudlin, and reproduced with permission

UT Health Austin is reaching out for volunteers for its typical clinical operations to screen faculty and staff for COVID-19 symptoms during the fall semester.

By Hannah Williford @HannahWillifor2

University students and community members are volunteering as COVID-19 symptom screeners for UT Health Austin in order to allow its typical clinic operations to continue.

Volunteers ask each person who enters the facility a list of questions to determine if they are exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms and take their temperature with an infrared thermometer. Devin Kline, the clinical materials manager for UT Health Austin, said they have had 150 volunteers since the program began in March.

Kline said the volunteers were initially medical students and nursing students, but after those students returned to their rotations, UT Health Austin reached out to more people in the community.

At first, they approached those with past medical backgrounds or those wanting to enter the medical field.

However, in the past few weeks, Kline said UT Health Austin experienced a critical shortage of volunteers, leading the team to reach out to the general UT community.

Kline said that after reaching out to a broader group, he feels they should have enough volunteers to make it through October.

“I think we’re going to be safely covered for this period,” Kline said.

“Then (we’ll be) trying to figure out what the next steps will be in terms of reaching out for more volunteers, or if this will have a lasting effect on students coming back on campus, and people are willing to help out and want to have experience in a health care setting.”

Kline said in order to keep volunteers safe, they are provided with surgical masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. Volunteers can also take temperatures from a longer distance with the infrared thermometers. Volunteers work five-hour shifts on weekdays of their choosing, Kline said.

Retired nurse Deb Sarosdy started volunteering at the clinic in April.

Although she is in a high-risk age group, she said she still wanted a way to help the community. Despite having concerns about the risk when she first started volunteering, she said UT Health Austin made expectations for social distancing clear.

“People kept saying, ‘You’re

putting yourself at a higher risk,’ ‘you’re already in a high-risk age group,’ and ‘why are you doing that?’”

Sarosdy said. “I said, ‘Well I want to help. It’s how I’m engineered, and I’m careful.’”

Nutrition junior Yanning Li also started volunteering as a screener in June and said he plans to continue working there in the fall. Although there is a COVID-19 testing center in the building, he said the volunteers are kept separate for the most part, and he feels safe while volunteering.

“It’s definitely a difficult time, so I’m just trying to help out as much as I can,” Li said. “We’re just trying to eliminate any possible threat to the general clinic.”

Although many volunteers have had interest in the medical field, Kline said the job is created for people with no clinical background, and anyone can volunteer.

“It’s just important to remember how willing people have been to step up and help out during the pandemic,” Kline said. “It’s a nice reminder of what the community of UT is and what the community of Austin is and how important that is to people during a pandemic. Just remembering that people are able to help out in different ways.”

CORONAVIRUS

Consortium created to reduce COVID-19 effects

By Neha Madhira @nehamira14

More than 50 organizations across Texas have partnered together to form the Texas Global Health Security Innovation Consortium to alleviate the effects of COVID-19 and future pandemics.

The consortium was organized by the Austin Technology Incubator, a deep tech incubator affiliated with UT, in late July. The consortium is working on numerous pilot projects such as mass vaccination systems, large-scale decontamination and community contact tracing, according to a UT News story.

Members of TEXGHS will also participate in institutional research collaboration, company participation across incubator and accelerator programs, co-branding and co-marketing, according to their website.

The consortium is currently recruiting organizations, including Dell Medical School, and they will have a launch event Sept. 22 at 10 a.m. open to the public, said Dr. Lisa McDonald, director of healthcare incubation at Austin Technology Incubator.

“We’re a partnership across the state

of Texas between places like the University of Texas at Austin, different units within (UT-Austin), other academic units across (the) UT System and across other university systems,” McDonald said. “What we are doing is really supporting innovators and supporting technologies that are at the intersection of health, security and technology.”

Verena Kallhoff, a manager at Dell Medical School’s Workspaces, said there are a lot of great ideas for pandemic responses but not necessarily the resources and connections to implement those ideas.

“There’s a lot of really intelligent individuals out there with great ideas on how to combat specific facets of how the pandemic affects everybody,” Kallhoff said. “That is where (the consortium) comes in. We can help make those connections to build a communitywide impact.”

Arthur Jackson, an Austin Chamber of Commerce senior director, said the chamber joined the consortium to collaborate with community partners on bringing innovation and funding to the region.

“With the Austin region being a top emerging life sciences and health care

market, we look forward to being able to provide support (the consortium) as they seek development of new technologies and the adaptation of existing technologies that address pandemic infectious disease threats,” Jackson said.

Mark Chiarello, senior student associate at Austin Technology Incubator and a mechanical engineering graduate student, said the consortium will become an important player in global health security moving forward.

“I think a lot of the general population doesn’t really think about (global health security) outside of episodic pandemics and infectious disease outbreaks,” Chiarello said. “At (the consortium), we are dedicated to supporting and facilitating these efforts — not just right now while everyone’s life is impacted in a variety of ways by the pandemic, but to continue to do so even on the other side of this pandemic.”

Chiarello said that he was asked to join the consortium to help provide structure to the organization because of his background in project management.

“There are plenty of opportunities to get involved,” McDonald said. “It is a volunteer organization at this point (in) time and we are definitely looking

nat hadaway

to make an impact, certainly in the city of Austin but (also) across the state of

/ the daily texan staff

Texas supporting entrepreneurs that are working toward COVID-19 solutions.”

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NEWS

7

MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020

CAMPUS

UHS to continue telehealth services with on-site presence

By Amanda Figueroa @amandafn02

University Health Services will continue offering telehealth services this fall but will also use in-person services to distribute flu vaccinations and hold necessary visits.

Terrance Hines, chief medical officer and executive director of UHS, said UHS will continue to operate as it has over the summer by mainly using online appointments.

However, there will be some onsite presence, including the respiratory clinic for evaluation of possible COVID-19, labs, X-ray and allergy and immunization services. Other services, including women’s health and sports medicine, will be offered in person on an as-needed basis, Hines said.

Hines said that while some services, such as allergy shots, may be restricted, UHS will continue to provide all the services it would in a regular semester. “(Telehealth) has given us the opportunity to … care for students who are not in Austin but are still in Texas and still eligible for our services,” Hines said. “It’s been really neat to see how quickly we were able to get these processes in place and move towards doing telehealth, which was something that we had previously talked about but would have taken much longer in the ‘normal world’ to implement.”

Hines said UHS will still

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administer flu vaccines and hopes to top the 16,000 vaccines administered last year. UHS will use the Union Ballroom as a location for flu vaccination because it is a large space with high ceilings, which

creates a similar environment to the outdoors while allowing for climate control, Hines said.

“We’re really highlighting how important it is (to get a flu shot) this year, in particular, because of the

/ the daily texan staff

presence of COVID-19, and we’re making sure that we’re trying to avoid having both infections at the same time,” Hines said.

Hines said it is difficult to predict what the volume of UHS usage will

be, as social distancing and masks may result in a decrease of other illnesses. He said students with COVID-19 symptoms will likely seek care or advice.

Visits are conducted through a Zoom meeting between the student and provider, who will ask the same questions they would typically ask in an office visit, Hines said. He said the providers are trained to facilitate a modified physical exam through video call.

Political communications sophomore Journey Sais said she had a positive experience when she used UHS for women’s health services last year. She said having to use telehealth would not change her decision to seek out UHS services.

“They were really kind … and made me feel really welcome,” Sais said. “I felt really comfortable telling them about my experiences.”

UHS physician Melinda McMichael said telehealth works well for treating patients with anxiety and depression but not as well for appointments with a physical exam.

McMichael said telehealth can remove some of the stresses of physically going to an appointment. She said some patients who would not have made an in-person appointment seek out medical attention virtually.

“I have seen a couple of patients who said, ‘I haven’t been out of my apartment since March,’ (because) they’re afraid of the virus,” McMichael said. “It gives them an option they wouldn’t have had in the past.”

CAMPUS

UHS, UT Health Austin offer COVID-19 testing for UT community this fall

By Amanda Figueroa @amandafn02

University Health Services and UT Health Austin will test students, staff and faculty this fall to monitor the spread of COVID-19.

Terrance Hines, chief medical officer and executive director of UHS, said a student who has COVID-19 symptoms or has been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 should schedule a telehealth visit with UHS. “We can test people who have been exposed to a known person who has known COVID-19,” Hines said. “But the ideal date of test is probably five to eight days after exposure, so we want to … make sure that we are getting the appropriate tests at the appropriate time.”

UHS will collect students’ nose swab samples at the 27th Street Garage outdoor testing center, Hines said. Within one business day, positive results will be notified by a phone call, and negative results will be posted on the myUHS portal, Hines said.

UHS will bill students’ insurance for the cost of the test and the University will cover the cost of testing for uninsured students or if the insurance does not fully cover it, according to the UHS website.

Faculty and staff who are The University will cover the symptomatic or who were cost of the saliva test. If a stuin close contact with somedent tests positive, UHS will one who tested positive can do a confirmatory test at the get tested at the UT Health 27th Street Garage.

Austin drive-through clinic, Hines said the saliva test alaccording to the UTHA weblows UHS to conduct a greatsite. An employee’s insurance er amount of tests. UHS aims plan will be billed for the to use the program to test full cost. UTHA will explore 5,000 asymptomatic people the use of federal programs per week. for employees who are unHines said students with insured, if available, to help positive saliva tests are noticover the cost, according to fied by phone call, but those the message. who test negative will not be Asymptomatic people who notified. He said he encourhave not previously tested ages students to participate positive and have not been in in the Proactive Community close contact with someone Testing program. who tested positive The ideal date of test is probably within 14 five to eight days after exposure, days can particiso we want to ... make sure that we pate in the are getting the appropriate tests at Proactive the appropriate time.”

Community Testing TERRANCE HINES Program uhs chief medical officer and executive director by invitation only.

People will be sent invitations to the pro“It’s a way for us to gram with a link to sign up on understand the progress of a voluntary basis, according to COVID-19 in our community the UHS website. and whether or not we need to The program, which is debe making any adjustments to signed to trace asymptomatour educational programming ic cases on campus, will test or other risk reduction stratthrough saliva samples at the egies,” Hines said. “It also Student Services Building or helps to identify people who Gate 8 of the Darrell K Roymight have it and don’t have al-Texas Memorial Stadium, symptoms. That’s a way to according to the UHS website. protect the community.”

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8

MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020

STUDENT LIFE

CAMPUS

International students face time zone differences, travel restrictions

By Andrew Zhang @andrewczhang

This fall, Bhavya Shukla will start her class day as the sun sets. Since Shukla lives in Singapore, which is 13 hours ahead of Austin, her classes will start around 9 p.m. and end around 3 a.m. daily.

After the summer brought embassy closures, travel restrictions and visa regulation changes caused by the pandemic, some international students will be studying from Austin this fall. Others will be in countries across the world. Since travel remains difficult because of global travel advisories and closed borders, students in different time zones face odd class schedules.

Economics freshman Shukla said she realized midsummer that going to campus was impossible.

Even though she said she would be able to get a visa, she decided to stay home because of the extent of the virus within the United States.

Shukla said she will take classes from home but is worried about her ability to

focus on her schoolwork because of the time zone difference.

“I have a calculus class from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.,” Shukla said. “Calculus requires a lot of attention … and I don’t know how to focus during those times. That’s one of my biggest concerns because I actually need to do well in calculus (for my major).”

Over the summer, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released guidelines that would have required students on F-1 visas to take in-person classes in order to maintain their visas. These guidelines caused anxiety and confusion in the international student community at UT and were later rescinded.

Shukla said restrictions such as the ICE guidelines are part of larger uncertainties for whether she can attend school in person during the pandemic.

“I’m still not too sure if I’ll be coming (to UT) next semester,” Shukla said. “I don’t know if things are going to get better. I hope they do because I really want to come on campus.”

International Student

NEWS

and Scholar Services within Texas Global is providing international students with resources such as virtual one-on-one advising, online orientation modules, support systems for students in Austin and virtual hangout sessions, said Fiona Mazurenko, marketing manager for Texas Global.

Le Dang Khoa Pham, a civil engineering freshman from Vietnam, will live on campus this fall. Pham said he attended high school in Texas, where he lived in a school dorm, and he is currently staying at a friend’s house. He said he has not been able to return home to Vietnam because travel from the U.S. has been restricted.

Pham said he is excited to start at UT in the fall, and he tries not to think too much about the changes brought on

by COVID-19.

“I don’t want to be too worried (about what’s happening),” Pham said. “I’m very optimistic. I’m still worried, but I just want to relax and don’t want to be caught up or drained of energy all the time. Things will get better.”

What’s open, online, closed on campus at UT this fall?

By Andrew Zhang @andrewczhang

Since this semester will look a little different, the Texan has gathered a list of which University services and resources are open, closed or online to help students navigate campus.

Academic common areas, such as building lobbies and study lounges, will open at the discretion of the operating college, school or unit, said Kathleen Harrison, communications manager for the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. All open spaces will follow social distancing guidelines.

RecSports: Gregory Gym, CavenClark Field and the Recreational Sports Center are currently open. On Aug. 26. Whitaker Courts, Wright-Whitaker Sports Complex, Bellmont Hall and the outdoor lap pool at the Gregory Gym Aquatic Complex will also open, said Jennifer Speer, senior director of communications, development and memberships for RecSports.

Shake Smart and the Amazon pickup lockers in Gregory Gym are open, according to the UT RecSports website. The University Federal Credit Union is closed.

Full facility hours for RecSports locations can be viewed at http://www.utrecsports. org/hours.

Union and WCP: The William C. Powers Student

Texas

steph sonik

Activity Center and the Texas Union are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, said James Buckley, director of facilities and operations for University Unions. All restaurants inside both buildings are open and have a mobile order option through Grubhub, Buckley said.

The Union Underground will open Aug. 31, he said.

The Flawn Academic Center will be open for use of the ID center and the Campus Computer Store, said Veronica Trevino, Financial and Administrative Services Communications media manager. Study spaces in the FAC are currently closed, but the University will announce reopening plans for them in the coming week, said Ellie Breed, University media relations specialist.

FAC:

Tutoring: The Sanger Learning Center is offering all tutoring services online, said Paige Schilt, Sanger Learning Center director.

The University Writing Center is offering appointments online, according to its website.

Libraries: The second floor of Perry-Castañeda Library is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, according to the UT Library website. Collaborative and group study spaces are unavailable, and a UT ID is required for entry.

The Life Science Library and

additional floors of the PCL may open later in the semester, said Travis Willmann, communications officer for UT Libraries.

There are no plans to open the Architecture and Planning Library, he said.

University Health Services is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and students can talk to a UHS nurse 24/7 year-round at 512-475-6877, said Sherry Bell, consumer education and outreach coordinator for UHS and CMHC. UHS offers the same services it always has, but most services will be initiated through a telehealth appointment. A full list of services and their availability can be viewed at https://healthyhorns.utexas.edu/hours.html.

UHS:

The Counseling and Mental Health Center will provide services via telehealth 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Bell said.

CMHC:

Guests are not allowed to visit residence halls until further notice, according to the UT Housing and Dining website. Study lounges in residence halls are open.

Residence Halls:

Dining halls: All University dining

halls are open to the public, said Cynthia Lew, director of marketing and communications for UT Housing and Dining. Hours for dining halls and cafes have been modified and can be viewed at https://housing.utexas.edu/ dining/hours.

/ the daily texan staff amna ijaz

/ the daily texan file

Due to COVID-19, some University services will not be available to students. All open spaces will follow social distancing guidelines.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

SG plans to focus on COVID-19 accomodations, tuition transparency

By Anna Canizales @annaleonorc

Start Planning Your Future Now

Student Government will focus on student safety and work with the University to listen to and accommodate a wide range of students this fall while operating remotely, Student Body President Anagha Kikkeri said.

“We have partnered with the University to distribute student safety kits with masks, hand sanitizer, thermometers and informational pamphlets,” government senior Kikkeri said. “We want to ensure that students have easy access to these resources.”

Kerry Mackenzie, SG speaker of the assembly, said SG will focus on affordability and equity, as the pandemic has created financial obstacles for many students.

She said SG will release a social media series with recommendations on staying safe as well as a summary of University information on COVID-19.

“We wanted to have a place where students could look to remember everything that’s going on, especially because forgetting just one of the health behaviors we’re expected to be following

can have such a large negative impact,” said Mackenzie, a government and Plan II junior.

Winston Hung, student body vice president, said all SG operations will be fully online by the time school starts, and they will try to make meetings adaptable and inclusive for students staying at home.

“Student engagement is probably the biggest challenge that we’ll have to face, just because Zoom fatigue is real,” said Hung, a chemical engineering and finance senior. “With people here and people at home, it’s definitely hard to focus on one specific area. (Our) platform was to engage the student body, specifically those who were most disengaged from Student Government, and I think that that priority still stands.”

Hung said SG conversations with administration have continued to emphasize students’ physical, economic and mental situations, as well as tuition transparency.

“Tuition isn’t something that can switch overnight, but … we’ll definitely be continuing those conversations in a lot of different formats,” Hung said.

SG and the Senate of College Councils released a joint letter

earlier this month asking for more transparency from the University and the UT System Board of Regents with tuition and extra fees.

“A lot of students have been burdened economically right now and are confused about why tuition has remained the same,” Mackenzie said. “My number one concern right now is affordability for students, specifically just understanding where tuition is currently being allocated and how it can be transparent and hopefully responsive with aiding students in the future.”

Kikkeri said SG is also pushing the University to move more classes to online or hybrid settings and create a more concrete list of triggers that would cause University closure.

“Many of the University’s plans rely on trust, with no plans on enforcement if that trust is broken,” Kikkeri said. “We are pushing for safer practices throughout the UT community, so the risks of outbreaks seen at other schools will be less. The student body has made it very clear what changes they want to see, and these demands have given me a plan for action this semester.”

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/ the daily texan file

Student Body President Anagha Kikkeri and Vice President Winston Hung maintain that although it will operate entirely online, SG is committed to making campus safe and welcoming this fall. They plan to promote safe practices through a social media series and are looking after the interests of the students in conversations with the administration.

COMICS

Comics Editor

B A R B R A D A LY

MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020

9

10

M YA H TAY L O R

Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS

MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020

FOOTBALL

Questions surround player safety Amid concerns on player safety, Texas remains cautious as it moves forward with fall football.

By Myah Taylor @t_myah

exas football players will wear face shields under their helmets this season — not to protect them from cleats to the face or fingers to the eye, but from COVID-19. This is life in 2020.

Players and staff don’t like wearing face coverings, football head coach Tom Herman said, but they understand it’s necessary.

“It doesn’t feel normal having to pull your mask up or wearing a shield on the bottom of your face mask or standing 6 feet away from guys,” Herman said in an Aug. 7 press conference. “But I think for the most part our guys are pretty used to that new normal.”

The Big 12 decided Aug. 11 that it would play a 2020 football season, despite cancellations from other conferences around the country. Frequent testing and mask-wearing will help foster athlete safety and keep the season alive, but medical experts say players could still be vulnerable this fall even if they follow protocol on the field.

“It’s not just the activities such as the practices and the games where disease transmission is possible,” Dr. Mark Escott, Austin-Travis County interim health authority, said in an email. “They are going to see each other at meals, recreation and throughout their normal daily routine.”

joshua guenther

/ the daily texan file

With two Football Bowl Subdivision Power Five conferences electing not to play, questions about player safety arise. Three Texas players have already opted out of playing in the 2020 fall college football season.

If athletes aren’t vigilant off the field, they could face worse consequences than a canceled season. CBS Sports reported that one reason the Big Ten conference elected to postpone its football season is that league doctors found at least 15 players had developed myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, after contracting COVID-19. Myocarditis reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood, causing rapid or abnormal heart rhythms, according to the Mayo Clinic.

In an Aug. 15 press conference, Herman acknowledged these risks and the need for his team to stay disciplined, noting that upward of 90% of the team

is taking classes online, and his players know the social sacrifices they’ll have to make for a successful season.

Senior defensive lineman Marqez Bimage and senior running back Daniel Young have opted out of the season, but senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger said in an Aug. 18 press conference that he thinks players are safest on campus.

“Texas is taking the best care of us and has every single detail thought out to protect us from the virus,” Ehlinger said. “And we feel more comfortable being here than if we were at home.”

Ehlinger’s opinion may hold some validity. Texas announced June 18 that 13 football players

16. At the University of Notre Dame, off-campus parties led to 222 new cases, including five on the football team, Notre Dame announced Thursday. North Carolina canceled all in-person classes for the semester, and Notre Dame paused in-person learning. Both universities are still scheduled to play football.

For now, the Longhorns will play too. Ehlinger is confident in Texas’ ability to keep players safe, and so is Herman. “(We) tell (parents) and swear to them that we’re going to treat their sons like ours,” Herman said. “The proof is in the pudding right now in terms of how we’re handling it as a department and as a program.”

had tested positive for COVID-19 when they arrived to campus for voluntary workouts. Texas has reported no other positive cases on the team since then.

But there’s no telling how long athletes can sustain this laser focus, at UT and beyond.

Texas’ rival Oklahoma boasted zero positive tests from July 8 to July 29, but announced Aug. 15 that nine players tested positive for the virus after returning from a weeklong break.

The return of students to campus could also complicate things at UT, as it has around the country. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 students contracted the virus between Aug. 10 and Aug.

SPIRIT

Hellraisers hope to cheer on UT football this fall season

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eddie gaspar

/ the daily texan file

Rain or shine, pandemic or normalcy, the Longhorn Hellraisers plan to cheer on UT sports. The Hellraisers are staying flexible, social distancing and meeting via Zoom with hopes of attending UT home games this fall.

By Carter Yates @Carter_Yates16

The Longhorn Hellraisers will be front and center in the student section as the Texas football team takes on UT El-Paso to open the 2020 season, but this fall will look far different for the spirit group than it has in the last 32 years.

Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte announced Aug. 16 that Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium will operate at 25% capacity this season, and UT announced Aug. 3 it will prohibit groups of more than 10 from sitting together in the stands. This means that the Longhorn Hellraisers, who pride themselves on packing the student section, will need to adapt.

“It’s really important that we make sure the spirit and the integrity of the organization isn’t lost,” Hellraisers Vice President Avery Matheson said. “We still want people to feel our presence around campus and at games, but safety is so important. Right now, we are working on how we can balance safety and spirit at the same time.”

Matheson, a speech-language pathology senior, has worked with her colleagues to come up with a plan to keep members safe while still supporting Longhorn teams. The group is currently holding all meetings and get-togethers on Zoom and is working on a staggered arrival strategy at sporting events to maintain social distancing. While no plans are concrete due to the uncertainty of

this season, Matheson said the Hellraisers are trying to stay flexible and upbeat.

“The information changes every day, so we don’t have anything really specific just yet,” Matheson said. “We have had eight plans so far, and each one keeps changing.

We are trying to make sure we don’t get washed up with the circumstances.”

The one certain thing about this unpredictable year is that the Hellraisers will have the opportunity to attend games in person, which Hellraiser Maddie Ott said is more crucial now than ever.

“It is going to be important, especially this year, for the Hellraisers to show up and show out,” said Ott, a government and French studies sophomore. “The energy we bring is infectious. Since we don’t have the massive crowds this year, we need to be on our game supporting, cheering and encouraging our athletes.”

While it is important to support the athletes on the field, the Hellraisers think they also have the ability to set the tone for how strictly the student body follows required safety precautions, Hellraiser Max Lidstone said.

“When you look at the Jumbotron, nine to 10 times a game you will see the Hellraisers,” biology junior Lidstone said. “If people see us taking the social distancing guidelines seriously, they will be more likely to follow suit. I think we are going to have to set the example.”

HELLRAISERS

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SPORTS

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MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020

CLUB SPORTS

FOOTBALL

Fall club sports adapt to RecSports safety guidelines

College football players take to Twitter to save fall season

By Nathan Han @NathanHan13

When the coronavirus pandemic forced UT to shut down in March, club sports were in full swing. The handball team had just hosted their collegiate national tournament on campus, and both the men and women’s ultimate frisbee teams were about to host a large national tournament in Austin.

“It really just destroyed our season,” said Caroline O’Connell, captain of the women’s ultimate frisbee team.

With the spring and summer seasons lost to the virus, club sports are hoping that they’ll be able to return to the practice field in the fall, even if official games against other teams and colleges are off the table.

“Being able to practice is astronomical,” said Eric Allen, club baseball vice president.

“Having time to get back into form is pretty essential. … For a lot of these teams who have been off since March and are unable to do anything, it’s going to be pretty damaging.”

The University’s recreational sports department is currently

in Phase I of its three phases for reopening. For Phase II, RecSports has designated each sport as green, yellow or red, which are statuses for potential return issued by the Olympic Committee.

Thirteen of the 48 club sports, including running, table tennis and baseball, are green, meaning they’ll be able to practice in Phase II. Those sports will have to comply with new regulations, which include practice attendance logs and the addition of authorized safety officers for each team.

“We would have a split-team practice,” biochemistry junior Allen said. “So that could look like half of our team hitting in the cages while the other half works on defense.”

Other sports in the yellow or red statuses will have to wait for Phase III due to space limitations and contact. For the sports with an unclear return, one hurdle for the fall semester is just trying to keep the team together.

“Our goal for this semester is member retention,” said Avery Shepherd, handball team president and anthropology and biology senior. “We’ll have Zoom workouts every other week.

Other times, we’ll have game nights so we can all get together socially because having a club sport isn’t all about just working out and being part of a team — it’s also about friendship.”

Recruiting is another challenge. Shepherd and Allen said they’re both worried about getting the word out to freshmen.

“Normally, we might get 80 signing up each year, but that comes with being in person and asking people on Speedway during orientation,” said O’Connell, a fifth-year mechanical engineering student. “With the 20 or so freshmen that signed up this year, we know each one of them is really interested and will probably show up.”

Even with all the uncertainty around returning to practice, Allen, O’Connell and Shepherd all said they’ve appreciated how RecSports has handled the situation.

“I have a lot of respect for what our RecSports supervisors are doing to make sure we’re staying updated,” Shepherd said. “They’ve done a great job with handling that and advocating for us to the University.”

copyright avery shepherd, and reproduced with permission While the COVID-19 pandemic caused the NCAA to cancel most fall championships, 13 of UT’s 48 club sports may be allowed to practice this fall. However, presidents of individual sports are still uncertain if they will compete against other colleges or universities.

hellraisers continues from page

10

The Hellraisers typically add the majority of their members during the fall semester. While the Hellraisers are still actively seeking

new students, their strategies have shifted online, fifth-year Hellraiser Logan Kuenstler said.

“We usually set up a booth on Speedway to recruit people as they walk by and invite them to parties and get-togethers with

joshua guenther / the daily texan file With major conferences canceling or suspending their season, college football players use the hashtag #WeWantToPlay to express their support for fall football.

By Stephen Wagner @stephenwag22

The COVID-19 pandemic has left more questions than answers for the fall 2020 college football season, but one thing is certain: student-athletes want to play.

Since several Football Bowl Subdivision conferences announced they would not play in the fall 2020 college football season in mid-August, dozens of prominent student-athletes have shared their opinions on Twitter by tweeting #WeWantToPlay or calling for the season to go on. Among them are several Texas players, including junior safety Caden Sterns, junior cornerback D’Shawn Jamison, redshirt junior defensive back Josh Thompson and senior defensive lineman Jacoby Jones.

“Let the ones who are actually playing make a decision,” Thompson tweeted. “No one should control what we want but us.” #WeWantToPlay became one of the top Twitter hashtags a week after “Players of the Pac-12” published a statement in The Players’ Tribune titled “#WeAreUnited.” The requests included allowing players to opt out of the 2020 football season without losing athletic eligibility, a third party selected by players to enforce player-approved COVID-19 health and safety standards, and restructuring budgets to “preserve all existing sports by eliminating excessive expenditures.”

On Aug. 9, one day after the Mid-American Conference became the first Division I conference to announce it would not play fall football, junior Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence tweeted “#WeWantToPlay,” along with the statement “#WeAreUnited X #WeWantToPlay.” The statement contained a list of requests regarding player safety, eligibility and a college football players union. Dozens of student-athletes tweeted the same statement minutes after Lawrence.

The #WeWantToPlay movement, the latest development in a long history of player activism, is changing perceptions among college sports fans on what players can push for. College athletes are recognizing the influence they have at universities, said Markell Braxton-Johnson, a sports management graduate student.

“Sports fans, whether they’re donors of the universities or casual fans of college sports, are realizing now that universities and athletic conferences and the NCAA are raking in so much money and market shares in the sports

us,” marketing senior Kuenstler said. “(This fall), we are mainly going to be reaching out online through Facebook and Instagram due to COVID-19. We are planning on revamping our social media presence.”

landscape that they can’t deny the desires and wants of the players,” Braxton-Johnson said. “Now that’s being adjudicated in the public.”

Braxton-Johnson said university presidents are being placed in difficult situations in deciding whether or not to play the 2020 fall season, and the door to a potential players union could open if fall sports are played this year.

“Most students are doing online distanced learning, and if they have football players on campus during the fall, they less look like student-athletes and more look like essential employees,” Braxton-Johnson said.

However, the effectiveness of the #WeWantToPlay movement in changing the minds of conference commissioners and athletic directors is unclear. In an Aug. 19 open letter to the Big Ten conference community, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said discussions of resuming fall sports will not be revisited.

These player movements, they’re not going away. These players are going to increasingly realize the power and leverage they have, and they are going to force universities to answer that question one way or another.”

MARKELL BRAXTON-JOHNSON

sportsmanagementgraduatestudent

While the #WeWantToPlay movement may not have an immediate effect on conference commissioners, university presidents or athletic directors in their decisions to play or cancel fall sports, Braxton-Johnson believes player activism opens doors for future discussions.

“The question about whether (student-athletes) are employees of the university or not is going to have to be answered,” Braxton-Johnson said. “These player movements, they’re not going to go away. These players are going to increasingly realize the power and leverage they have, and they are going to force universities to answer that question one way or another.”

After a long offseason that almost saw the upcoming season escape them, the Hellraisers are thankful to have an opportunity to do what they love.

“The University is doing their best to offer some sense of normalcy,

and normalcy for spirit groups like ours is being able to attend games in person and go crazy,” Ott said.

“Win or lose, we are still there to make sure that everyone in the athletic department knows we support them.”

12

MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020

SPORTS

FOOTBALL

Texas lands No. 1 overall quarterback in 2022 recruiting class, Southlake Carroll’s Quinn Ewers

By Marcus Krum @marcuskrum

From 2003 to 2009, Texas was nothing short of spoiled with its quarterback play. The Longhorns went from national champion and Heisman Trophy finalist Vince Young straight into the Colt McCoy era, when the Longhorn passing record books were rewritten.

But Texas was hard-pressed to find consistent quarterback play until four-star recruit Sam Ehlinger took over as a true freshman and didn’t look back.

Now, the Longhorns are beginning to look forward to the next era.

Five-star Southlake Carroll quarterback Quinn Ewers, the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2022 class according to 247Sports, announced his verbal commitment to Texas via Twitter on Aug. 14. Currently, Ewers is one of 247Sports’ highest-rated pro style quarterbacks ever, ahead of the likes of Matt Barkley and Matthew Stafford, who are both NFL quarterbacks. The last quarterback this highly rated to find his way to Austin?

Young himself.

“Congratulations on making the best decision of your life man,” Ehlinger tweeted out after Ewers’ commitment. “Welcome to the family!”

In just one season as the varsity starter at Carroll, Ewers vaulted his name into the national spotlight. He completed 72% of his passes for 4,003 yards and 45 touchdowns — as a sophomore.

Ewers’ is Texas’ second commit for the 2022 class. Four-star receiver Phaizon Wilson from

anthony mireles

/ the daily texan file

Texas commit Quinn Ewers becomes the second-highest ranked high school prospect ever to commit to UT, behind Vince Young. The five-star recruit from Southlake, Texas, makes the Longhorns’ 2022 class sixth in the nation, according to 247Sports.

Lancaster announced his commitment to the Longhorns just two weeks earlier. Wilson tweeted that he likes what he sees from his potential future quarterback.

“Texas building some special @QuinnEwers me and my qb gonna make sum happen,” Wilson tweeted.

New Texas offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich has a history of coaching elite quarterbacks. Yurcich held

the same positions at Oklahoma State, where Cowboy quarterback Mason Rudolph lit up the Big 12, and was the passing game coordinator for last year’s Ohio State offense that saw then-sophomore quarterback Justin Fields become a Heisman Trophy finalist.

“We gonna LIGHT it up!!! I was asked why I came to TEXAS? (No brainer),” Yurcich tweeted.

An early commitment from elite talent can have a major impact on

future recruiting. 2021 quarterback Jalen Milroe, who had been committed to Texas for over a year, flipped to Alabama just three days after Ewers’ commitment.

“I have decided to decommit from UT and commit to another University that shares my visions and aspirations,” Milroe said in a Twitter statement.

Yet other recruits may be drawn to Austin simply by the idea of playing with a top talent

like Ewers.

“So is Austin the movement @QuinnEwers ?? QB of the Offense and the QB of the Defense on the same team ..now that’s interesting,” four-star Cy Park linebacker Harold Perkins tweeted.

For now, the Longhorns are focused on what is sure to be an unpredictable 2020 season. Life after Ehlinger is uncertain, but with an early commitment, Ewers may have provided an answer.

FOOTBALL

K & LEASE SPECIAL

Season ticket holders face uncertainty regarding fall football attendance

K & LEASE SPECIAL

K & LEASE SPECIAL

K & LEASE SPECIAL

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jack myer

/ the daily texan file

With no guarantee if the 2020 college football season will be fully played — or if it will be played at all — UT season ticket holders are contemplating what to do with their tickets.

By Brittany Archer

LOOK & LEASE SPECIAL

@brittanyarcher_

UT alumnus Trey Schmedt has been a Texas football season ticket holder for two years. However, this year he won’t know until late August if he is able to get tickets or what the seating arrangement will look like.

“Basically, I am waiting each day for a 512 area code number to pop up,” Schmedt said. “My main question is, exactly how far away the other people are sitting? Are they five seats apart, two rows apart? Will we be checkerboarded across the stadium?”

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My wife and I are both in our 60s. We just don’t feel SPECIALlike the whole process of getting into the stadium is SPECIALgoing to be as safe as we would like it to be.”

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DARELL DAVID

season ticket holder

In an email sent to season ticket holders Aug. 16, Texas Athletics Director Chris Del Conte announced that Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium will operate at a 25% capacity instead of the 50% limit Texas initially planned for.

Texas Athletics presented season ticket holders with three different options for their 2020 season tickets. Fans could choose to attend the games this season, receive a full refund or donate their 2020 balances to the Longhorn Foundation.

Fans who do attend games will be required to wear masks inside the stadium and will be

socially distanced in the stands. These new guidelines left some season ticket holders in a difficult position.

Darell David, a Longhorn Foundation member and season ticket holder since 1980, decided to opt out of attending games to minimize any health risks.

“My wife and I are both in our 60s,” David said. “We just don’t feel like the whole process of getting into the stadium is going to be as safe as we would like it to be. I can’t even imagine trying to get 25,000 people into that stadium and keeping them that far apart.”

Although he opted out of attending games this season, David agreed with many of the guidelines Texas Athletics has set.

“The guidelines that they are coming out with have been very well vetted and researched.” David said. “I trust them. I trust Chris Del Conte and his staff to create guidelines and procedures that are as safe as you can be.”

Schmedt has decided to keep his tickets for the season, but he said he’s still unsure if he’ll attend all the home football games because he has mixed emotions about the guidelines. He said his new seat location will also impact whether he attends the games or sells his tickets.

“I think they are trying to put us as close as to where our season tickets are originally, but I am in the lower bowl and I would not be surprised if I will be seated in the upper deck.” Schmedt said.

Despite his decision to forego in-person games in this year’s shortened season, David said he’s still excited to see the players.

“If we get 10 games this year, that will be 10 opportunities to watch the players that I love,” David said. “I’d love to see these guys play, and they’ll be awesome.”

Schmedt said he’s going to follow the team whether he’s in the stadium or not.

“Even if they go without fans, it won’t diminish my viewership,” Schmedt said. “I am still going to follow the team regardless if there are fans or no fans in the stadium.”

PHOTO

13

P R E S L E Y G L O T F E LT Y

Photo Editor | @THEDAILYTEXAN

MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020

T H R O U G H T H E LENS

Featuring the best from the photo department.

jack myer

/ daily texan staff

Theatre freshman Zoe Anderson moves into Jester East with the help of her father, Doug Anderson, on Aug. 19, 2020. Zoe will be living alone in a double-occupancy room due to the lack of students who have applied to live in residence halls.

jack myer

/ the daily texan staff

Zoe gestures to her father after moving into her room in Jester East on Aug. 19, 2020. Many students are uncertain about the upcoming semester and the associated risks.

jack myer

/ the daily texan staff

Hand sanitizer dispensers await distribution around Jester Center on Aug. 19, 2020. These are part of the University’s efforts to make the campus safe for in-person attendance this fall.

14

ARIANA ARREDONDO

Life&Arts Editor | @ARIANAXGRACIELA

MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020

STUDENT LIFE

LIFE&ARTS

LHBlacks fosters community

Black students make up less than 3% of the Longhorn Band. They hope to create a safe space through LHBlacks.

By Ariana Arredondo @ArianaxGraciela

Editor’s note: This story references a derogatory racial slur. fter transf e r r i n g to UT in fall 2017, Longhorn Band member Kyanna Richard said she had a hard time finding a community on campus. Most of her time was spent with the band, so she didn’t feel connected to Black community life.

“It was already hard enough trying to make friends within (Longhorn Band) ... let alone even try and find friends within Black UT,” psychology senior Richard said.

In June, Richard and the 11 other Black members of Longhorn Band formed LHBlacks, an organization dedicated to uplifting Black students at the Butler School of Music.

The members of LHBlacks are the only

Black students in the approximately 400-member band, meaning they make up less than 3%.

“Even with LHBlacks, it’s kind of difficult to say (Longhorn Band) is a safe space for Black students, and I think that only making (up 3%) of the organization really played a large factor in that,” said Judson Hayden, president of LHBlacks and communication and leadership junior. “I really wanted the Longhorn Band to be a safe space for everybody, and I think that’s what LHBlacks is trying to achieve.”

Kristoff Crayton, biology senior and member of LHBlacks, said he hopes LHBlacks will connect Black band members to the Black community on campus. Because the Longhorn Band is a time commitment of about 20 hours a week, Crayton said it was difficult for him to join Black student organizations.

He said connecting with the Black community at UT is

destiny alexander

important, especially when Black students make up 4.9% of the student body population.

“It is really important

for anyone to join a community, but especially here as a Black person,” Crayton said. “There’s not a lot of us.”

In late June,

/ the daily texan staff LHBlacks was able to meet with the Longhorn Band directors to discuss their goals and plans. Richard and Crayton said they have

since been working in collaboration with the directors.

“I am really proud of these students for coming up with the idea for this organization, for the way they have structured it in a professional manner, and for the important goals they have established,” Scott Hanna, director of Longhorn Band, said in an email.

LHBlacks is currently working to reach out to Black alumni as well as incoming Black members of Longhorn Band. They also plan to do outreach with band programs at Austin high schools in an effort to increase the number of Black members in Longhorn Band.

Overall, Mercy Ogunlade, geography and sustainability studies junior, said she and LHBlacks just want others to listen to Black voices and their concerns.

“We’ve had non-Black people say the N word.

We’ve had racial jokes being made in a public setting,” Ogunlade said.

“We’ve had numbers of times where we’ve just

been treated unfairly.”

She said what the Black members of Longhorn Band are fighting against is nothing new.

“It feels like it’s about time because a lot of these issues are not new at all,” Ogunlade said.

Richard said she is glad the group can now stand together and address discrimination and inequalities within Longhorn Band and at UT. “I can breathe a little bit more because I know I’m not the only one going through these issues,” Richard said.

The group said in early August they would not play UT’s alma mater, “The Eyes of Texas,” because of its racist origins. However, Crayton said the group stands for more than just getting rid of the song.

“LHBlacks is bigger than the song,” Crayton said. “Everything is about supporting and uplifting the community so that we can feel like we belong, and changing ‘The Eyes of Texas’ is just one step in that.”

Q&A

Self-care advice for students during virtual fall semester

By Anissa Reyes @anissaareyes

As students begin the fall semester, many may feel uncertain about how they will navigate the virtual college experience while caring for their mental health.

The Daily Texan spoke to Kathryn Redd, the associate director for prevention, development and media relations for the Counseling and Mental Health Center, about resources and advice students can use to practice self-care.

The Daily Texan: How can students alleviate themselves of anxiety or fear concerning the virus?

Kathryn Redd: Take a break from the news and monitor how much you’re consuming. Something that typically works for alleviating fear or anxiety is talking to someone about it. These are unprecedented times, so our typical coping mechanisms might not be working right now. It’s really important that we listen to ourselves when we need to seek outside help.

DT: Do you have any tips for how students can effectively manage a space where they will be doing multiple things such as taking classes, sleeping, etc.?

KR: Some folks (have) success with orienting (themselves) in a different direction when doing a different task. So like, “This is the direction I face when I’m doing schoolwork, and then I go out into the living room when I’m working out.” Getting up and taking breaks regularly and building those into your schedule is really important.

DT: How should students discuss social distancing boundaries with friends or roommates?

KR: There’s some roommate guidelines on the Protect Texas website.

Take a look at that document, assess your situation and figure out what sort of issues you need to talk through.

DT: What are some ways students can still maintain somewhat of a social life during this time?

KR: Make it a priority — don’t just wait for social connections to come to you or for opportunities to just present themselves. We all need to actively incorporate (socializing) into our life. I think intentionally making a plan for, “Here’s how I’m going to stay engaged with my friends, family or loved ones,” (is important).

DT: Do you have any tips on

how students can engage and feel comfortable and in their virtual classes?

KR: One of the pitfalls that we all fall into is it’s so easy to multitask when you’re listening to a Zoom call. Your computer is right there and you think, “I might as well just get these other things done.” I noticed when I make the intentional point of sitting and listening and I turn off my notifications, I’m more deeply connected to the content and the people in that Zoom.

DT: What are some ways students can deal with frustrations concerning the longevity of the pandemic?

KR: We all are sort of waiting for this to be over in order to live our lives. This is life right now and maybe it’s not what we would have chosen, but (we should) not let holding off for some future event prevent us from living our lives. It’s so much easier said than done, and there’s a lot of barriers that can prevent that from happening — you know, fear of family members getting sick or getting sick yourself.

But, (we need to remember) this is life right now, and life doesn’t stop.

destiny alexander

/ the daily texan staff

LIFE&ARTS

15

ARIANA ARREDONDO

Life&Arts Editor | @ARIANAXGRACIELA

MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2020

STUDENT LIFE

FEATURE

Lebanese students mourn Beirut explosion

By Jennifer Errico @errico_jenny

Celine Farhat was finishing a physics lab in her bedroom in Houston when she heard sobs and prayers from downstairs.

“I knew in my heart something bad, something terrible, had happened,” mechanical engineering sophomore Farhat said. “It was like time stood still.”

Farhat’s parents had just been told over a FaceTime call with her uncle in Lebanon that rubble had collapsed on top of her grandmother, taking her life.

Farhat’s grandmother was one of the 220 people killed in the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 4.

For six years, about 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate were unsafely stored in a warehouse in Beirut. BBC reports this as the cause of the explosion. The blast was felt 150 miles from Lebanon, and it damaged residential areas, essential ports and buildings that provided local food storage.

Now, Farhat and other UT students with ties to Lebanon are getting involved with relief efforts as they mourn the tragedy from Texas.

Even before the explosion, Zaynab Noormohamed, an international relations and global studies sophomore who has family in the country, said Lebanon was in an economic crisis.

It escalated in October 2019 because of increased government corruption

and economic mismanagement, the Washington Post reported. In July, the Lebanese pound lost 60% of its value, leading to price inflation.

“There was a point where (my aunt) was paying 40 American dollars for a pack of strawberries,” Noormohamed said.

The coronavirus pandemic has also caused a supply shortage for Lebanese hospitals to treat the thousands of injured victims from the explosion.

Noormohamed’s cousin, aunt and uncle were in their home 1.5 miles away from the warehouse when the explosion occurred, injuring her four-year-old cousin. “(My cousin) had cuts in her leg from broken glass so deep you could see bone,” Noormohamed said. “She needed immediate surgery. The hospitals ran out of anesthesia though, so my cousin took a Tylenol.”

Thousands of miles away in Texas, Farhat said she feels limited in her ability to help the relief effort.

However, she has since gotten involved in the Lebanese Cultural Organization, which focuses on connecting UT students with ties to Lebanon. They have fundraised $7,120 through GoFundMe, and an anonymous benefactor agreed to match the donations up to $10,000. The money will be donated to the Lebanese Red Cross and Beit El Baraka, a nonprofit that collects necessary medical supplies for hospitals.

Economics senior Yara El Hayek is president of the Lebanese

Cultural Organization and on Aug. 8, El Hayek organized a candlelight service with around 50 people in front of the Texas Capitol. The candles spelled Beirut in English and Arabic.

“We all lit the candles together and had a moment of silence,” El Hayek said. “We united together as a community to mourn our loss.”

To raise money for the Lebanese Food Bank, El Hayek and nine of her cousins started selling homemade candles and bracelets over Instagram on a donation basis. Their parents have agreed to match their total donations, and they’ve already raised over $3,000.

“In the beginning, every single fiber of my being was screaming for me to be back in Lebanon,” El Hayek said. “I felt so useless. I’m over here making bracelets and candles while people are on the streets literally digging up rubble to find missing people. But even if this is all I can do, at least it’s something.”

Farhat, El Hayek and Noormohamed said others can help by raising awareness and donating to nonprofit organizations not associated with the government, such as the Lebanese Red Cross, because it’s unclear whether the government will utilize the money to help the Lebanese people. “(The Lebanese people) have nicknamed Beirut ‘the phoenix’ because the city has been destroyed and rebuilt seven times before this,” El Hayek said. “And we will rise again.”

copyright yara el hayek, and reproduced with permission

Economics senior Yara El Hayek and 50 other Lebanese Austinites gathered to grieve the explosion in Beirut outside the Capitol.

barbra daly

/ the daily texan staff

Students, faculty adapt to virtual social life

By Anissa Reyes @anissaareyes

Weekly club meetings, late nights at the library and catching up with friends on Speedway are all part of the usual social atmosphere on campus. However, because of current Travis County orders prohibiting gatherings of 10 or more people, most of campus social life will be virtual this fall.

After UT-Austin’s reopening plan was released June 29, a few students and campus departments began creating online resources to help create that virtual social life.

“A lot of the things that would normally make up the fabric of life on our campus aren’t going to be the same (anymore),” said Sara Kennedy, director of strategic and executive communications for the Office of the Dean of Students. “It’s just not safe for some of the things that you enjoy to look the way they did before.”

The University created the website Longhorn Connection to share virtual events, as well as wellness and social tips with students. The site also has spaces to share playlists and a submissions-based community mural currently featuring Baby Yoda, pet hamsters, dogs and cats.

After feeling lonely and disconnected from their friends and campuses, business junior Amerison Shrestha and UT-San Antonio student Brandon Walter were motivated to create the UT Social app.

“After a couple of weeks (in quarantine), I realized that it was very difficult to connect with campus, and it just didn’t feel like I went to UT anymore,” Shrestha said.

The app will have a community wall where students can have open

discussions or share ideas and resources. Shrestha said they plan on adding a study-buddy feature where students can find others taking the same class.

They also want to add a space to serve as a marketplace for students to buy or sell items.

“I’d say it’s like a social hub for UT,” Shrestha said. “It would be really helpful for (students) to have an app they can rely on to narrow (down) what’s happening on campus, what’s happening on Speedway and what’s the latest trend.”

The iOS beta version of the app is currently available for download, and the full version releases in the app and play stores Sept. 20.

The 1,100 various student organizations on campus also typically serve as a way for students to connect with each other. Now, most of them have rethought what their recruitment process and social events will look like in the fall.

Blake Turney, president of Texas Quidditch and mathematics junior, said the organization has been impacted by the loss of in-person practices and games. Now, they try to organize regular Zoom meetings where they play games like Kahoot! and catch up with each other to maintain the connections they already have.

“It has a little bit of a damper on our plans with the social aspect because half of our org is geared to having different kinds of social (events),” Turney said.

As students and faculty prepare to step back on the Forty Acres this fall, Shrestha said finding community is going to be essential.

“It’s really important to have that sense of community right now because if you don’t, there can be a lot of mental health implications,” Shrestha said. “It’s important to have a group of people to rely on and have a sense of belonging and a community.”

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