The Daily Texan 2020-09-01 by The Daily Texan

students with covid-19 can isolate off campus

DT Volume 121, Issue 13 Tuesday, september 1, 2020 rocky higine / the daily texan staff

PERMANENT STAFF Editor-in-Chief Emily Caldwell

Projects Editor Sami Sparber

Managing Editor Megan Menchaca

Projects Reporters Marcus Krum, Nicole Stuessy, Meara Isenberg

Assoc. Managing Editors Jason Lihuang, Trinady Joslin Director of Digital Strategy Michael Hernandez Director of Diversity & Inclusion Angelica Arinze Collaborations Director Neelam Bohra Internal Relations Directors Areeba Amer, Ariana Arredondo

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

opinion

Tiny Texan Stories contributors discuss our return to classes this fall.

sports

The Texas football team skipped practice last week to discuss racial injustice.

page

MAIN TELEPHONE

page

UT students created a website with information about professors and courses.

page

News

life & arts

Here’s a list of movies the late Chadwick Boseman has starred in.

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

MANAGING EDITOR

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

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Contents: page

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CAMPUS

6 students test positive for COVID-19 in on-campus, off-campus dorms

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sierra wiggers / the daily texan staff

AUSTIN WEATHER

Tuesday ............................. Friday, 12 p.m. Wednesday ........................ Monday, 12 p.m. Thursday ......................... Tuesday, 12 p.m.

TODAY Sept. 1

TOMORROW Sept. 2

By Andrew Zhang @andrewczhang

HI 100º LO 78º

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bro why do these literally hit so hard on their own?

Two students living on campus and four students in an off-campus residence hall have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a UT spokesperson and emails obtained by The Daily Texan. A resident of San Jacinto Residence Hall and a resident of Jester Residence Hall tested positive for COVID-19, University spokesperson J.B. Bird said Monday morning. An additional four cases have

been reported in Scottish Rite Dormitory, a private off-campus women’s dormitory located near the north end of the main campus, according to Sunday and Monday communications from dormitory director Mary Mazurek. Terrance Hines, chief medical officer and executive director of University Health Services, said contact tracers work with infected residents of University residence halls to identify primary and secondary contacts. UHS notifies primary contacts about

potential exposure by phone and asks them to get tested and self-quarantine, he said. “We also want to avoid alarm fatigue, which could result in complacency — when we send notifications, it is because we are asking for extra vigilance in self-monitoring and strongly encouraging participation in Proactive Community Testing,” Susan Hochman, associate director of assessment, communication and data informatics for UHS and the Counseling and Mental Health Center, said in

an email. “We don’t want this message to be ignored.” Hochman said UHS coordinates with University Housing and Dining to notify secondary contacts of their potential exposure. She said they notify a specific wing or floor of a residence hall, but not the entire residence hall. “From a public health standpoint, it doesn’t make sense for someone on (the) first floor of a residence hall to be contacted about DORMS

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The Daily Texan, a student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin, is published by Texas Student Media, 2500 Whitis Ave., Austin, TX 78712. The Daily Texan is published daily, Monday through Friday, during the regular academic year and is published once weekly during the summer semester. The Daily Texan does not publish during academic breaks, most Federal Holidays and exam periods. News contributions will be accepted by telephone 2.120). Entire contents copyright 2020 Texas Student Media.

NEWS

News Editor E M I LY H E R N A N D E Z TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

STUDENT LIFE

UTexas Review informs students Students developed a website condensing information about courses, professors and ratings. By Lauren Abel @laurena0324

fter registering for classes in the spring, three UT students decided to create UTexas Review, a website that condenses information about courses and professors to help students make informed decisions when registering for classes. Students Andy Ni, Iris Zhang and Yangle Xue finished programming the website Aug. 20. The website provides a database of information for over 18,000 courses and 5,000 professors. Computer science junior Ni said the website includes course

dorms

CONTINUES FROM PAGE 2

someone on the (10th) floor,” Hochman said in an email. UHD instructed secondary contacts of the infected San Jacinto resident to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms, continue social distancing and take their temperature twice daily, according to an email provided to the Texan by a recipient. The email said secondary contacts are encouraged but not required to sign up for a saliva test through the Proactive Community Testing Program. Bird said the University expected COVID-19 cases on

prerequisites, student and eCIS reviews, grade distributions for courses and professors and course schedule listings. “While I was registering for classes for the fall semester, I thought it would be really useful if I had other students’ opinions to see how difficult or useful it was and decide whether or not to take it,” said Zhang, an electrical and computer engineering junior. Students currently have access to UT Registration Plus, a Google Chrome extension that gives students access to grade distributions, eCIS ratings and past syllabi, and Rate My Professor, a website that provides student ratings for professors at universities across the country. Ni said UT Review differs from these programs because it includes reviews about professors and individual courses with more in-depth comments than eCIS reports. Students must use their UTexas email account to use the website. “For courses, students can rate them on usefulness, difficulty and workload,” Zhang said. “Students can rate professors on clarity, how engaging they are and how strict their

grading is.” They did not import reviews from Rate My Professor, so some professors and courses do not have reviews yet, but Ni said all other information updates daily. “We all created the metrics and ratings based on our own experience,” said Xue, an electrical and computer engineering sophomore. “We had to ask, ‘What would be useful for the typical UT student to know?’” Colin Wang, a computer science sophomore at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, assisted the students with creating the program after the resources offered at his own university inspired him. Once the website was published, students could test the application and offer critiques on its strengths and weaknesses. Physics sophomore Jonathan Tebo said he will use UTexas Review in the future. “It’s really nicely put together, has an intuitive feel, and contains pretty much every piece of information I could possibly need or want,” Tebo said. “It has UT-specific information about courses offered here, not just professors’ reviews.”

campus, citing a UT research study that predicted between 82 and 183 students arriving on campus with the virus. “The number of cases will continue to be updated on our COVID-19 dashboard, and if isolated cases evolve into significant clusters, the information will be shared on our website,” Bird said. Bird said as of Monday morning, he was unaware of any cases in on-campus residence halls other than the two reported. Infected residents at Scottish Rite Dormitory returned home or were offered an isolation room, Mazurek said in a Monday letter that reported three COVID-19

cases. The dormitory has asked infected residents to self-isolate until they receive a negative COVID-19 test, Mazurek said. “Maintaining a safe and healthy environment at SRD and ensuring that the building remains open and operational continues to be a top priority of ours,” Mazurek said in a Sunday email about the first case. SRD officials did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication. According to the UT COVID-19 dashboard as of Aug. 31, 37 UT students, faculty and staff have tested positive or reported testing positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of August.

barbra daly / the daily texan staff

A Student’s Right To Privacy The The information below below is is considered considered directory directory information. information. Under Under federal federal law, law, directory directory information information The Theinformation information information below below is is considered considered directory directory information. information. Under Under federal federal law, law, directory directory can can be be made madecan available available to to the the public. public. You You may may restrict restrict access access to this this information information by visiting visiting https:// https://by information information can be be made made available available to to the the public. public. You You may mayto restrict restrict access access to toby this this information information by onestop.utexas.edu/student-records/personal-information. onestop.utexas.edu/student-records/personal-information. Please be aware aware that thatwould ifif you you like visiting visiting http://registrar.utexas.edu/restrictmyinfo. http://registrar.utexas.edu/restrictmyinfo. Please Please be be Please aware aware be that that ifif you you would like to to request request that that ALL ALL your your directory directory information information be be restricted restricted NO NO information information about about you you will be be given given to restrict restrict information information from from appearing appearing in in the the printed printed directory, directory, you you must must make make your yourwill changes changes at atto this this anyone, anyone, including including your family family members, members, except as required required by by law. law. request Any Any restriction restriction you youyour make make will will web web page page by by the theyour twelfth twelfth class class day day of of except the the fall fallas semester. semester. IfIf you you request that that ALL ALL your directory directory remain remain in in effect effect until you you revoke revoke it. it. information information be be until restricted restricted NO NO information information about about you you will will be be given given to to anyone, anyone, including including your your

family members, except except as as required required by by law. law. Any Any restriction restriction you you ••make make will willparking remain remainpermit in in effect effect until until ••family Name Namemembers, •• Classification Classification Student Student parking permit you revoke revoke it. it. ••you Local Local and and permanent permanent •• Major Major field(s) field(s) of of study study information information addresses addresses •• Expected Expected date date of of graduation graduation •• Most Most recent recent previous previous educaeducaname name number •• classification classification weight and height height ifif member member of of •••• Phone Phone number •• Degrees, Degrees, awards, awards, and and honors honors •• weight tional tionaland institution institution attended attended athletic athletic team team local local address and and permanent permanent •••• Email Email address received received (including (including selection selection •an •anJob Job title title and and dates dates of of employemploy•• major major field(s) field(s) of of study study addresses addresses •• Public Public user user name name (UT (UT EID) EID) criteria) criteria)date ment ment when when employed employed by the the student parking parking permit permitby •• expected expected date of of graduation graduation •• student •••• Place Place of ofnumber birth birth •• Participation Participation in in officially officially university university in in aa position position that that information information phone phone number •• degrees, degrees, awards, awards, and andand honors honors •••• Dates Dates ofaddress attendance attendance recognized recognized activities activities and sports sports•• the requires requires student studentprevious status status the most most recent recent previous e-mail e-mailof address received received (including (including selection selection •• Enrollment Enrollment status status •• Weight Weight and and height height ifif member member of of educational educational institution institution attended attended •• public public user user name name (UT (UT EID) EID) criteria) criteria) an an athletic athletic team team •• job job title title and and dates dates of of employemploy•• place place of of birth birth •• participation participation in in officially officially ment ment when when employed employed by by the the recognized recognized activities activities and and •• dates dates of of attendance attendance DIRECTORY DIRECTORY INFORMATION INFORMATION SHOULD SHOULD BE BE KEPT KEPT CURRENT. CURRENT. Official OfficialUniversity correspondence correspondence is is sent sent that University in in aa position position that sports sports • • enrollment enrollment status status to to the the postal postal or or email email address address last last given given to to the the registrar. registrar. IfIf the the student studentrequires has has failed failedstudent to to correct correct this this requires student status status

address, address, they they will will not not be be relieved relieved of of responsibility responsibility on on the the grounds grounds that that the the correspondence correspondence was was not not delivered. delivered. For For details details about about educational educational records and and official official communications communications with with the the university university DIRECTORY DIRECTORY INFORMATION INFORMATION SHOULD SHOULD records BE BE KEPT KEPT CURRENT. CURRENT. Official Official correspondence correspondence is is sent sent see see General General Information, Information, 2020-2021 2020-2021 catalog. catalog. to to the the postal postal or or e-mail e-mail address address last last given given to to the the registrar; registrar; ifif the the student student has has failed failed to to correct correct

this this address, address, he he or or she she will will not not be be relieved relieved of of responsibility responsibility on on the the grounds grounds that that the the correspondence correspondence was was not not delivered. delivered. For For details details about about educational educational records records and and official official communications communications with with the the University University see see General General Information, Information, 2011–2012. 2011–2012.

Editor-In-Chief E M I LY C A L D W E L L TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

FORUM

Tiny Texan Stories

Upside down

Our thoughts on back to school. By Daisy Kielty & Maria Sailale Forum Editors

he Daily Texan Forum is trying something new. We want to share the personal stories of members from our community to show how unique and diverse our students, faculty and staff are. Through Tiny Texan Stories, you will get to share your insights, experiences and everything in between. No matter where you’re from, whether you are an international student or grew up just down the street, we want to give you a space to talk openly about your life. When done right, The Daily Texan can be a relatable and informative source for the community. With Tiny Texan Stories, we hope to take that a step further and let the community speak for itself.

In our introduction to Tiny Texan Stories, we are discussing our thoughts on returning to campus this fall. Forum editor Maria Sailale addresses what it feels like to be a student with numerous politicized identities returning to campus. Forum editor Daisy Kielty discusses the emotional effects of a global pandemic on college students. Plan II junior Safa Michigan questions what we’re supposed to do when our world turns upside down. We are excited to introduce Tiny Texan Stories, and we hope you like them and relate to them as much as we do. Submit your Tiny Texan Story to thedailytexanforum@ gmail.com or https://forms. gle/4ztRRkiVU9QeyzMC9. As always, if you have any thoughts on this topic or any other, please feel free to reach out to us at thedailytexanforum@gmail.com.

By Safa Michigan Contributor

daisy kielty

Currently the world feels as if it’s been tipped upside down, but truthfully it’s been upside down for the majority of humankind’s existence. People have been struggling for liberation long before us and will continue to struggle long after us. That begs the question: What can we do right now? Right now, we can commit to decolonizing our minds, unlearning what has purposefully been taught to us and reframing our consciousnesses through the lens of these struggles. Through this individual work, a revolutionary collective consciousness may arise — one that could heal the world. Our commitment is the most important part. Michigan is a Plan II junior from Shreveport, Louisiana.

/ the daily texan staff

FORUM

My politicized identities on campus

Surviving COVID-19 from my room

By Maria Sailale Forum Editor

Lately, I have been fluctuating between feeling angry and spent, energized and hopeless. I think many students are also experiencing these tidal waves of emotions that are, at times, all-consuming. For me, I can attribute this to the fact that anger is an emotion that is difficult to sustain for long periods of time. I have to sometimes intentionally barter my frustrated, angry reactions

to current events for my own peace of mind. There is also the issue of what my priorities are, given my politicized identities. I am a low-income student, a Black woman and an immigrant, and I feel that my life is in danger even on UT’s hallowed grounds. I walk around campus at once invisible and exposed with a target on my back. I feel invisible because I am one of the Black students that make up 4% of UT’s student population, but I feel very seen when I walk past a campus police officer. As a sophomore, I no longer

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.

tiptoe around campus questioning whether I belong, but I do tread cautiously because I know the Forty Acres weren’t built with me in mind. For reference, look up the racist origins of UT’s “The Eyes of Texas” song, or George Washington Littlefield, who was a slaveholder and fought on the side of the Confederacy yet has his name inscribed on several campus buildings and structures. Sailale is an international relations and global studies sophomore from Dallas, Texas.

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.

By Daisy Kielty Forum Editor

It’s okay. I’m struggling too. I’m not sure who handles a pandemic well, but I’m certainly not that person. No one taught me how to deal with a pandemic. Kindergarten was for “stop, drop and roll,” not “wear a mask and stay six feet apart.” This year is something out of a dystopian young adult novel, not my junior year of college. I won’t lie — the past five months have been hard. I

regressed back into my pre-college self and lost a lot of hope for the future. I’m only 20, and I feel the weight of the future of our society on my shoulders. Honestly, that feeling hasn’t changed with the start of the school year, and with the potential of a classmate dying from COVID-19, I don’t expect that feeling to leave me anytime soon. I’m still struggling. I think most of us are. Even with so much more life to live, it still feels like our worlds are ending now. But it will be okay. I can’t solve the pandemic,

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and unfortunately, you can’t either. But that’s okay. Our only job right now is to put one foot in front of the other and continue on the best we can. I’m proud of us for getting out of bed every day. For eating a meal. For talking to friends. For attending class. For taking care of ourselves. I’m proud of us for openly struggling. For cutting ourselves some slack. For trying our best. It’s okay. I’m with you. Kielty is a government and sociology junior from Concord, Massachusetts.

EDITORIAL TWITTER | Follow The Daily Texan Editorial Board on Twitter (@TexanOpinion) and receive updates on our latest editorials and columns.

NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

RESEARCH

UT researchers win $20 million grant from National Science Foundation By Amanda Figueroa-Nieves @amandafn02

The National Science Foundation selected UT on Aug. 26 to host the AI Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning, which will help improve the technology behind artificial intelligence. The machine learning institute is one of seven with different focuses on AI that the foundation created in universities across the country in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The foundation provided a $20 million grant to establish the institute and conduct research for the next five years starting Tuesday. The University will also establish the Machine Learning Laboratory with a donation from Austin-based tech entrepreneurs Zaib and Amir Husain. The lab will foster cross-disciplinary work and house the new AI institute, said Adam Klivans, who will direct the new institute and the lab. “The (institute) is exciting because it’s trying to improve the core algorithmic and modeling techniques that are common to almost every AI system,” computer science professor Klivans said. “When you make improvements there, you have the ability to automatically impact all of the AI systems that are deployed in a variety of different fields.” Jennifer Lyon Gardner, deputy vice president for research, said the institute will also create a new, fully-online master’s degree program in artificial intelligence, similar to the existing online master’s in computer science program. She said the institute will also focus on diversity through the initiative “40 by 24” with the goal of increasing the percentage of women in AI majors to 40% by 2024. Gardner said the institute

UT was provided with a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation to establish the AI Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning, led by institute co-director Alex Dimakis.

will also help undeclared freshmen transfer into computer science by holding some seats in CS 311 and CS 313, the beginning computer science courses. She said this system piloted last year, and people who were in the courses successfully transferred into the major. Gardner said the institute is unique because it allows researchers to study and improve the fundamentals of machine learning rather than looking for ways to apply the current technology. “Our institute … goes all the way into the math that underlies the algorithms to try to figure out how to make them way more efficient, learn things way faster (and) be more accurate,” Gardner said. Alex Dimakis, a co-director of the institute, said while machine learning is already in practice in many areas, the systems are still unpredictable. One goal of the institute is to make

machine learning algorithms more consistent, Dimakis said. “You have this (machine learning) system, you show it thousands of images and it learns to classify images,” Dimakis said. “You show it a fresh image of a cat, and it says it’s a cat … but then turns out if you modify five pixels … then it can classify the cat as something completely absurd, like a rifle.” Dimakis said the team will make some adjustments to the original plans due to the pandemic, but the program is well-suited to be fully online since there are no physical experiments. “We’ll be kicking off research activities and things right away,” Gardner said. “We had developed the whole thing and submitted it before (the COVID-19 pandemic), so we’re having to go back and think about how to make some of those face-to-face things all remote, which is definitely doable.”

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

NEWS

CORONAVIRUS

COVID-19-positive cases can quarantine in city facilities away from campus, it is a potential institutional rules violation and could result in the cancellation of their housing contract. “We hope that we would never need to get to that and that we can work with the student to find a solution that’s going to be good for them,” Voyles said. Voyles said staying at an isolation facility is free for UT students, staff and faculty. The isolation facilities have parking for students to take their car, or Austin Public Health can arrange other transportation options, Voyles said.

By Lauren Goodman @laurgoodman

UT students, faculty and staff who test positive for COVID-19 but cannot safely self-isolate will coordinate with the University and Austin Public Health to stay at the city’s isolation facilities, according to the Protect Texas Together plan. On July 29, the City Council approved the city to continue occupying the isolation facility to provide emergency housing for coronavirus patients for 60 days along with an option for three additional months. The University is partnering with Austin Public Health to provide isolation housing for the UT community at Crowne Plaza Austin and two additional hotels, according to the Protect Texas Together plan. Bryce Bencivengo, spokesperson for the city’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said the city leased two isolation facilities for all Austin residents who need to be in self-isolation and five protective lodges used for people experiencing homelessness. Bencivengo said only one isolation facility is currently being used. Bencivengo said the isolation facility has medical personnel on staff to monitor patients’ symptoms by telephone for the entirety of their isolation period. “If you’re positive, we

Making sure that (students) are following the regulations … is going to be critical to making sure that we can keep the numbers down on our UT students.” KATHIE TOVO

city council member

rocky higine

keep you until 14 days,” Bencivengo said. “If (your symptoms are) still on beyond 14 days, we’ll keep you until you meet our criteria for discharge.” Bencivengo said patients will receive supplies to check their symptoms daily, have WiFi access

and meals delivered to their room. Patients will also be allowed breaks outside in personal protective equipment within the hotel grounds. Aaron Voyles, director for residence hall operations for University Housing and Dining, said

professional staff will talk through options with students who test positive to go off campus for their self-isolation period. “We have community partnerships with isolation facilities in Travis County that have housing and food for students if they

/ the daily texan staff don’t have another option that they can self-isolate,” Voyles said. “The first step is working with (students) on an individual basis to figure out … what they need to be able to make that move off campus.” Voyles said that if a student refuses to self-isolate

City Council member Kathie Tovo said she worries about the large number of UT students living in her district, and she hopes students will social distance as they attend classes. “It’s certainly something I’m super concerned about,” Tovo said. “Making sure that (students) are following the regulations … is going to be critical to making sure that we can keep the numbers down on our UT students.”

NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

CAMPUS

Business students, engineering alumni call for increased anti-racist efforts, representation By Samantha Greyson @GreysonSamantha

The Black Business Student Association and UT Engineering Alumni have made public statements calling for increased representation and inclusion for UT students, faculty and staff of color, prompting the University to take action. BBSA released a statement June 29, which called for more Texas Exes scholarships for Black students, a McCombs’ required diversity flag, a safe space for underrepresented students in McCombs efforts to recruit and retain black students, and town halls with the Dean to discuss experiences of marginalized students. The statement was signed by members of BBSA, other students organizations and alumni. The engineering alumni statement asked for more representation for people of color in the Cockrell School of Engineering, including more diverse faculty and a safe space for Cockrell students of color. Cockrell alumna Saamiya Seraj, who helped write the letter, said the University was falling behind in its commitments to anti-racist efforts compared to other schools across the country. Cockrell comprises 3% Black undergraduates and 1.5% Black faculty, according to a 2019 presentation from the school titled, “Recruiting Diverse Engineering Students.” “What we’re really pushing for is a cultural shift within the Cockrell school,” Seraj said. “This includes … having more diverse voices in the Cockrell school leadership. In our talks with the Cockrell school leadership, we’ve only met up with white faculty and staff.” Christine Julien, the Cockrell assistant dean for diversity, equity and inclusion, said all Cockrell staff and faculty applicants are now required to submit a diversity statement detailing

UT engineering alumni discuss the progress of reforms for increased diversity and inclusion efforts made by student organizations to the Cockrell School of Engineering through Zoom on Aug. 21. The Black Business Student Association and UT Engineering Alumni are pushing to create safer, more equitable environments for students, staff and faculty of color.

how they’ve made their workplaces more inclusive in the past or how they plan on doing so at UT. Cockrell is also changing their recruitment process to focus on underrepresented applicants, Julien said. “We did more proactive soliciting and recruiting of applications, using mailing lists, meetings and groups that tend to have more (underrepresented applicants) in them,” Julien said. Cockrell alumni were given a chance to look at the diversity report initiated by the school, which will include progress updates and data on the school’s diversity initiatives, such as increasing diversity among Cockrell staff, Seraj said. “They have given us a lot of leaders

and also made some commitments, but we’ve noticed a lack of deadline in the commitments that were made,” Seraj said. “We pushed for transparency, we pushed for evaluation metrics and we pushed for deadlines.” The Cockrell annual diversity report will be published the first week of September, unless some major deficiency is brought up that hasn’t come up in any of the previous reviews, Julien said. Raji Srinivasan, the McCombs associate dean of diversity and inclusion, said McCombs is removing pictures of donors — who are mainly white men — from the building and creating a lounge for Black students within the College

of Business Administration featuring photos and stories of alumni of color. Srinivasan said McCombs is also attempting to create a more inclusive environment by raising scholarship money for students of color. “An area where we will have more difficulty is diversity in faculty recruiting,” Srinivasan said. “We need to do much better. There are many opportunities for improvement. Our faculty do not represent our students.”

What we’re really pushing for is a cultural shift within the Cockrell school.” SAAMIYA SERAJ cockrell alumna

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

SPORTS

FOOTBALL

Herman expresses full faith in new defensive coordinator By Stephen Wagner @stephenwag22

If you search “Chris Ash Media” on YouTube, one of the first suggestions to pop up is a nearly 5-minute video titled “In Memoriam: Rutgers Football Coach Chris Ash 2016-2019.” The satirical video includes a handful of highlights from his eight wins in three and a half seasons as Rutgers’ head football coach, but is mostly a blooper reel set to the song “I Will Remember You.” If you scroll down further, you’ll find more videos of the same genre. But on the surface, criticisms of Texas’ defensive coordinator’s three and a half years as Rutgers head coach don’t seem to bother him. Ash doesn’t see his .200 win percentage at Rutgers as a failure or a shortcoming and thinks he’s a

better coach because of it. “People can say that, ‘Oh, you didn’t do a good job at Rutgers,’” Ash said in an Aug. 26 teleconference. “I feel like I left in a better situation than I took it over. If you can say that at the end of the day, then I’m pleased. I can tell you right now, after going through the three and a half years of being a head football coach, I’m the best coach today that I’ve ever been.” Texas head coach Tom Herman, who previously coached with Ash at Iowa State and Ohio State, said there isn’t a correlation between success as a playcaller and success as a head coach. He previously called Ash the “(voice) for the defense.” “Being a head coach is such a different animal,” Herman said. “We’ve seen tons of guys in our profession that have become head

coaches that weren’t coordinators that were phenomenal at it. I don’t think you can ever judge a guy as a coordinator by what he did as a head coach and vise versa.” Ash feels that his time at Rutgers as a head coach helps him better complement Herman as a coordinator. He said it allows him to offer insight and advice regarding weekly operations and game plans. “I think, as a head coach, if you have some people that have sat in your chair and you understand, you know what the head coach is going through and can offer some insight advice every now and then,” Ash said. “I think it’s comforting.” On the field, both players and coaches have been pleased with the new defensive scheme and coaching COORDINATOR

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JUMP

/ the daily texan file

Texas junior safety Caden Sterns tackles Oklahoma State’s junior wide receiver Tylan Wallace to the ground Sep. 21. Sterns will be a key piece in Chris Ash’s 4-2-5 defensive scheme.

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SPORTS

Sports Editor M Y A H T A Y L O R TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

FOOTBALL

Texas football protests racial inequality The team skipped Thursday and Friday practice to create an action plan for addressing injustice. By Myah Taylor @t_myah

fter a summer characterized by countless instances of racial injustices being brought to light, junior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown communicated his pain in three words: “Am I next?” “I’m a big black man and police will easily be intimidated by my size. Am I next?” Overshown tweeted in a statement titled “Am I Next” on Aug. 27. “I have younger brothers and cousins that look up to me and I need to be here for them but sometimes I stay up late thinking am I next?” Overshown’s emotions are shared by other Texas football players who say they are tired of oppression directed at the Black community. The shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man and father, by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Aug. 23 spurred a new wave of protests against anti-Black police violence. However, unlike the protests in June demanding justice for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and other Black individuals killed by law enforcement, the most recent ones have transcended city streets, taking significant hold in the sports arena. It started with the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, who boycotted their playoff game on Aug. 26 to protest Blake’s treatment by police. Other teams in the NBA

AM I NEXT?” DEMARVION OVERSHOWN junior linebacker

and across other sports leagues also sidelined themselves, including the Texas football team which did not practice last Thursday or Friday. “We chose to sit out practice to dialogue about how to better our society,” Josh Thompson, redshirt junior defensive back, tweeted in a statement Saturday. “We, as players, realized that addressing racial injustice is more significant than playing the sport we love.” In the statement later reposted by several other Texas players, Thompson said the team hopes to take several steps to create change within society, including working with churches so they can cover issues of social justice in their messages and setting up monthly meetings with law enforcement. The continued movement has angered sports fans who take to comment sections to express their distaste for athlete activism. Head coach Tom Herman said Sunday in a Zoom teleconference that he would caution those who form strong opinions on issues that don’t affect them in the same ways as others. “(The players) are human beings that are affected by this,” Herman said. “And, you know, for any other human being to tell another human being how to feel, I think, without ever walking a mile in their shoes, I just don’t think is right.” Herman said he’s happy to see the athletes empowered, adding that they shouldn’t be silenced. At UT especially, he believes players can use their platforms to be both activists and athletes. “You can devote your time, effort and energy to playing this game and preparing to play this game at the level that we all expect,” Herman said. “There’s still enough time in the day to put

eddie gaspar

/ the daily texan file

The Texas football team sings “The Eyes of Texas” after a game. The team made the unanimous decision to not practice last Thursday and Friday to address racial injustice and promote an open dialogue.

time, effort and energy in yourself to go affect meaningful change in your society.” Fans should have the decency to listen, Herman said, because the players have earned the right to be heard. “I’m scared. We are scared. I’m tired. We are tired. I’m fed up. We are fed up,” Overshown tweeted. “We just want equality, fairness and justice. But yet I’m sitting here wondering … AM I NEXT?”

c o o r d i n at o r CONTINUES FROM PAGE 8

style Ash has brought to Texas. His physical and aggressive 4-25 defense allows the defensive line more freedom than they previously had in former defensive coordinator Todd Orlando’s 3-3-5 system. Along with a different scheme, the new coaching dynamic excites senior defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham. “I feel like (Ash and the defensive staff) bring the energy or the juice or whatever you want to call it every single day,” Graham said in an Aug. 20 t e l e c o n f e r e n c e . “ A s

players, we feed off that (energy).” Ash doesn’t deny the obvious — his tenure at Rutgers was less than superb, and he was fired because of his lack of wins. However, he still considers himself to be a good coach. Herman agrees, saying Ash doesn’t need to prove himself as a defensive coach. “I know what kind of defensive coordinator he is, not only from having him on the same staff but having to be an offensive coordinator opposing his defenses,” Herman said. “Chris has plenty of pelts on his wall as a defensive coordinator, (and) he’s got nothing left to prove to me.”

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Chadwick Boseman: Films to watch By Grace Barnes @gracebarnes210

Chadwick Boseman, an actor best known for his role as Marvel’s Black Panther, died Friday after a four-year battle with colon cancer. Boseman also played icons such as baseball legend Jackie Robinson, singer James Brown and civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall. Business management junior PJ Chukwurah said “Black Panther” was especially impactful to him. He said the film gave members of the Black community a chance to see themselves on screen in a way they never had. “I’m Black and Nigerian, so seeing a movie about a superhero based on African culture was so surreal,” Chukwurah said. “It left me feeling inspired and motivated because I saw myself in a big Marvel movie, and a lot of Black boys and girls don’t get to see themselves in a role like that. That just shows the impact Chadwick had.” In memory of the Hollywood hero, The Daily Texan compiled a list of some of Boseman’s biggest films and where to watch them. Netflix “Da 5 Bloods” Released on Netflix June 12, Spike Lee’s latest film is a war drama following a group of Vietnam War veterans. The group returns to the country to find the remains of their fallen squad leader Stormin’ Norman (Boseman) and treasure they buried during the war. “Message From the King” This revenge-thriller follows Jacob King (Boseman) as he travels from Cape Town, South Africa, to Los Angeles, California — first in search of his sister, then to avenge her after he learns she is dead. Disney+

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“Black Panther” Based on the

Marvel

Chadwick Boseman, best known for his role as Black Panther, died Friday from colon cancer.

Comics character, Boseman took on the now-iconic role of Black Panther in the 2018 film of the same name. After the death of his father, T’Challa (Boseman) becomes king and the warrior Black Panther, who must protect Wakanda from the outside world. “Captain America: Civil War” The 2016 Marvel film sees Captain American (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) go head to head, each joined by a team of their fellow heroes, with Boseman appearing as the Black Panther for the first time to back Iron Man. “Avengers: Infinity War” Released the same year as “Black Panther,” the first of the two-part culminating Avengers film sees King T’Challa (Boseman) help the Avengers as they try to stop Thanos from collecting all six Infinity Stones and wipe out half of all life in the universe. “Avengers: Endgame” In the final Avengers film, the remaining heroes rally together to reverse the damage done by Thanos. Just when they think all hope is lost, a portal opens, and Black Panther (Boseman), General Okoye (Danai Gurira) and Shuri (Letitia Wright) emerge in one of the most dramatic returns in modern movie history.

HBO Max, Amazon Prime “Get on Up” The musical biopic centers around the life and career of James Brown (Boseman), also known as the “Godfather of Soul.” Brown’s style of music and dance influenced many genres for decades after his death. Showtime “21 Bridges” In this action thriller, Boseman stars as a New York Police Department detective who must shut down all of Manhattan’s 21 bridges to locate two cop killers. Amazon Prime “42” This biographical sports film revolves around the racial integration of American professional baseball by star player Jackie Robinson (Boseman). During the entirety of his Major League career, Robinson wore the number 42 on his Brooklyn Dodgers jersey. “Marshall” The 2017 legal drama stars Boseman as the history-making civil rights lawyer and first African American Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall as he navigates one of his first cases, State of Connecticut v. Joseph Spell.

COMICS

Comics Editor

B A R B R A D A LY

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

Life&Arts Editor A R I A N A A R R E D O N D O TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

LIFE&ARTS

CAMPUS

Classes incorporate coronavirus By Jennifer Errico @errico_jenny

Aarya Desai said she was shocked to see entire sections dedicated to the pandemic in her Issues and Policies in American Government class this summer. The public health sophomore said the class had two subunits to show how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the oil crisis between Saudi Arabia and Russia as well as United States and China trade relations. “It’s really cool to see and understand the different policy actions governments are taking now rather than learning about it in a couple of years,” Desai said. “Application is a key part to any learning, and I’m able to do that every day now.” As the pandemic continues, professors from multiple departments are adjusting their curriculum to incorporate current events involving COVID-19. Clinical assistant professor Marilyn Felkner said she didn’t have to restructure the coursework for her Introduction to Public Health class because COVID-19 is such a natural fit to the major. Instead, she used the pandemic as an example to enhance core concepts. “I always give a lecture on the FDA approval of vaccines,” Felkner said. “This year I focused on COVID-19 as an

example to look at where they were in the approval process and how much was left to be done, so students could conceptualize the true timeline and procedures associated with administering a vaccine safely.” Felkner said for the fall semester, other public health faculty have also decided to incorporate the coronavirus heavily into their programs. “We will be using COVID to help students concretely understand the things learned in previous classes that have been theoretical concepts (and) are now very real to us,” Felkner said. Other departments, such as international relations, have also made adjustments to curriculum requirements. Cameron Waltz is an international relations and global studies, Asian studies and Chinese sophomore. Waltz said the department has rescinded their mandatory study abroad requirement for anyone graduating between now and spring 2021. “I still have to fulfill this requirement because I’m only a sophomore,” Waltz said. “I know I have lots of time, but I’m concerned because of continuing travel restrictions on Americans.” In the spring semester, Waltz said one of his Asian studies classes discussed the effects of the

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pandemic in relation to China. He said he believes U.S. and China relations will be discussed substantially in his fall Asian studies class. “I’m biased, of course, to all the changes in dis-

cussions because the content fits so well with my majors,” Waltz said. “The trajectory of the relationship between China and the U.S. is escalating every day, and it’s nice to be able to touch on that in all

my classes.” Felkner said she believes that no matter what the subject matter is, incorporating COVID-19 into the material is beneficial to not only enhance learning but help students

/ the daily texan staff

feel reassurance. “I don’t want students to feel completely out of control,” Felkner said. “Being educated enough to explain and understand these concepts is beneficial to everyone.”