DT Volume 121, Issue 15 Tuesday, september 8, 2020
opinion:
maggie lazaroski / the daily texan staff
UT needs to increase oversight of Greek life off campus
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opinion
To better protect its community, UT should increase its oversight over Greek life.
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life & arts
Students adjust to in-person class restrictions, masks and socially distant class discussions.
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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UT System academic institutions have different approaches to COVID-19 testing and tracking.
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News
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sports
UT announces that Mike A. Myers Stadium will be open to spectators for soccer this fall.
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Emily Caldwell (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com
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STUDENT LIFE
Students move away early from Austin housing due to COVID-19 fears By Anna Canizales
BUSINESS & ADVERTISING (512) 471-8590 advertise@texasstudentmedia.com Director Gerald Johnson Business/ Operations Manager Frank Serpas III Advertising Manager Emily Cohen Assistant Advertising Manager
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Some students are choosing to leave their Austin housing and return home, fearing the University will send students home as coronavirus case numbers rise within the UT community. Students living on campus can stay until their housing contract ends Dec. 17 or leave early, while students living off campus can continue to pay rent or sublease their apartment if they want to go home. As of Sept. 7, there have been eight reported cases in residence halls and 130 student cases overall since Sept. 1, according to reporting by The Daily Texan. UT has not declared a specific number of cases that would cause the school to transition online and send students home. Nutrition freshman Zaina Ghaffar said she moved to Kinsolving Residence Hall Aug. 19 to take in-person classes, but she moved back home a week later when her classes were changed to online-only. “I decided it wasn’t worth risking my family and those around me if it wasn’t necessary for me to be there,” Ghaffar said. “Because many campus resources were remote anyway, it was more financially responsible for me to move home.” Cynthia Lew, University Housing and Dining director of marketing and communications, said students will receive an adjusted housing bill if they move out of their residence hall before Nov. 30, when fall in-person classes and activities will move online. She said emergency housing will be available for students who do not have somewhere else to go if UT closes. Omar Eldaour, government and international relations sophomore, said he moved to North Campus to attend an in-person class but switched to online-only classes for safety reasons. Eldaour said he did not feel comfortable seeing friends, so he felt lonely and decided he would rather be at home with his family.
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rocky higine / the daily texan staff “I was just in the apartment all the time by myself,” Eldaour said. “I would also have to depend on my friends … for rides to do something as basic as (getting) food. I didn’t really think that arrangement was very feasible.” Eldaour said he has a sister who is immunocompromised, so he is restricting contact with others before he goes home. He said he is currently in the process of subleasing his apartment so he can go home. “I was really in a precarious situation,” Eldaour said. “I just felt like before anything bad happened, it would be smarter to just move back home for safety purposes.” Biology sophomore Kushaal Vaidya said he originally decided to return to Austin even though he was worried
about cases rising. However, now that he knows people who have been exposed to COVID-19, he said he is considering moving back home. “I just feel like if the rate keeps going up and up and up, it’s almost not worth it for me to be here,” Vaidya said. “I don’t want to get (COVID-19), and even if I do, I don’t want any of my friends to get it from me.” Vaidya said he feels he can take his classes just as easily from home, and it will be safer. “I don’t see how UT can put the responsibility of keeping everyone safe on us, the students, when we can only do so much,” Vaidya said. “They, as a University, could just be doing so much more than they are.”
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NEWS
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
CORONAVIRUS
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UT clinic offers free online therapy for stress, anxiety related to COVID-19 By Brooke Ontiveros @brookexpanic
UT’s Anxiety and Stress Clinic will continue to offer three free therapy sessions this fall for anyone experiencing distress or anxiety due to the coronavirus pandemic. “When the pandemic started, and certainly as it’s progressed, we’ve seen such an increase for everyone in anxiety, stress and depression,” clinic therapist Talya Feldman said. “It is a struggle in dealing with this totally new and terrifying reality.” The clinic, a community-based training facility for the UT clinical psychology Ph.D. program, offers affordable group and individual therapy to manage anxiety, stress and other mood symptoms. The three free therapy sessions, which started in April, are available to anyone who lives in Texas, fills out the online form with an outline of issues to address and has internet access for remote, 50-minute therapy sessions. Since there are only three sessions, therapists will focus on practicing tools tailored for
each person’s issues, clinical psychology graduate student Feldman said. After the three sessions, University students can transfer their therapy to the Counseling and Mental Health Center, which also provides free sessions. Patients who are not UT students can be referred to outside counseling, Feldman said. “A lot of people come in with really high anxiety and feel overwhelmed, (so) it’s hard to be present in the moment or be engaged with whatever they’re doing because they’re so pulled away by the thoughts that are causing anxiety,” Feldman said. Feldman said patients will practice grounding themselves by focusing on the feelings of the earth beneath their feet or naming five things in the environment around them. This way, they will be more present in the moment as opposed to getting pushed around by intense waves of emotion, Feldman said. Citlalli Soto-Ferate, a health and society freshman, said her daily interactions with friends and her dance studio helped her cope with anxiety. Since she has been isolating
in a home with at-risk family members and her dance studio closed, Soto-Ferate said she now sometimes finds it hard to leave her bed. She said she is interested in the free therapy the clinic provides. Soto-Ferate said she often worries about whether she will accidentally bring the virus home since her father and younger sister have asthma. “It is definitely stressful and anxiety-inducing,” Soto-Ferate said. “I try my best to wear a mask every time I go out, and then I stay in my room a lot. I was definitely feeling very isolated and very scared because I don’t want to be the reason my parents die.” Fay Medina, an international relations and economics junior, said she has struggled with mental illness for years but is wary of signing up for the sessions because she is looking for long-term treatment. “(The appointment) will be over something like Zoom, but I value that personal connection more,” Medina said. “(The therapy) feels a little bit too robotic, but I feel like it could be worth it if it weren’t just three sessions.”
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4
Editor-In-Chief E M I LY C A L D W E L L TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
OPINION
EDITORIAL
Release more information. Create a taskforce.
To better protect the UT community, our University needs to do more to hold Greek life accountable. By The Daily Texan Editorial Board
espite UT accounting for 23% of COVID-19 cases in T r a v i s County last week, students living off campus have continued to violate COVID-19 guidelines — largely without consequences from the University. We’re starting to see COVID-19 clusters develop, and the number of new COVID-19 cases multiplies every day. A New York Times study linked Greek life organizations to the increases in COVID-19 cases at universities across the country. It’s fair to assume UT is no exception. “With recruitment last week, there were 40 girls outside a (sorority)
house wearing halos but not masks,” business junior PJ Chukwurah said. “That really shows the lack of accountability and empathy in Greek life.” To protect the well-being of the UT community, the University needs to do more to oversee Greek life organizations. UT must release information about Greek life COVID-19 rule violations — similar to how it routinely informs students of organizational hazing violations — and create a permanent task force that investigates Greek organizations’ infractions and conducts disciplinary hearings to hold members responsible. Sara Kennedy, director of strategic and executive communications for the Office of the Dean of Students, said in an email that “Student Conduct and
Academic Integrity is not currently pursuing any investigations into off-campus events, as part of the campuswide philosophy to focus on the health and well-being of our students and community.” 82% of UT students live off campus. The vast majority of UT’s fraternities and sororities are located off campus as well. Greek life parties have the potential to infect students who will eventually make their way onto campus for in-person classes. On campus, students interact with faculty, staff and with each other. Any effort the University makes to focus on the health and well-being of UT students has to involve the oversight of off-campus events. Moreover, we know several other universities comparable to UT
already do more. At Florida State University, each Greek life organization has a “scorecard” that lets students know if the chapter is in good standing with the University. Louisiana State University requires all Greek life members to sign a “membership contract” that stipulates students follow all University policies and allows the University to intervene when deemed necessary. In 2015, Texas Tech launched a reporting website that allowed students to report whether Greek life organizations were violating university codes of conduct. These universities have implemented extensive accountability and transparency measures to keep their Greek life organizations — on and off campus — in check. We believe UT can, and should, do the same. David Kelly, astronomy and physics junior and Interfraternity Council president, said the majority of the reports of COVID-19 violations the council has received concerned fraternity members who have held gatherings in their apartments. “The issue has become a few dozen fulltime students like me and some other chapter presidents are essentially being placed in charge of 2,000 IFC members,” Kelly said. “We absolutely have
the ability to self-govern chapter facilities and chapter events, but we’re hoping the University takes a more active role in off-campus apartments.” Despite the ban on parties, the University has done little to prevent them from happening, and has not held the organizations or people throwing them accountable. “They can sanction organizations for things like hazing, but they’re not doing anything during COVID-19,” neuroscience sophomore Annisa Salsabila said. “UT doesn’t have a plan for how to stop these organizations, or they just don’t care enough to limit their activities.” UT sends out an email a few times a year to the student body with details on hazing violations
student organizations have committed in the past three years. While we realize UT is under no legal obligation to do the same with COVID-19 rule violations, we believe students have the right to know if members of an organization they want to join violated COVID-19 guidelines and intentionally put others in danger. UT must begin to conduct investigations into reported COVID-19 guideline violations off campus and inform the student body of its findings. The University has the resources and the ability to better hold Greek life accountable. Doing so is especially imperative now, when a pandemic threatens the safety of the UT community as a whole. GALLERY
charlie hyman / the daily texan staff
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.
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NEWS
5
News Editor E M I LY H E R N A N D E Z TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 SYSTEM
UT System develops COVID-19 plans System academic institutions have planned processes for screening, testing and tracking COVID-19.
according to UT-Arlington’s and UT-Dallas’ respective websites and Roebuck. Testing at most institutions is free or charged to insurance for students. UT-Tyler did not return comment by the time of publication on the cost of testing. Case Counts
By Andrew Zhang @andrewczhang
T System academic institutions have developed separate approaches for screening, testing and counting cases of COVID-19 across their institutions this fall. All will offer some form of testing and symptom screening to students. Although the UT System made the decision to move all academic institutions online in March for the spring semester, UT System spokesperson Karen Adler said changes to instruction delivery will be made at the campus level this fall. She said the systemwide move to online instruction in March was “necessary and appropriate at the time.” “We expect decisions on whether to change delivery to be made on a local basis, where the campus and health experts are most aware of each institution’s situation and experience,” Adler said in an email. “Any such decisions would be made in consultation with the UT System and public health officials, taking into account many factors in the
sierra wiggers / the daily texan staff campus community.” Adler said UT’s academic institution’s presidents meet weekly with UT System Chancellor James Milliken to provide updates about COVID-19 on their respective campuses. She said Milliken and his staff communicate with campuses regularly about COVID-19 testing, precautions, policies and cases. Symptom Screening
All universities are asking community members to screen themselves for symptoms regularly, although some institutions have made screening mandatory. Screening is optional at UT-Austin, UT-Arlington, UT-Permian Basin, UT-San Antonio and UT-Tyler, and
daily symptom screenings are required at UT-Dallas, UT-El Paso and UT-Rio Grande Valley. Community members at UT-Austin, UT-Dallas, UT-El Paso and UT-Permian Basin can use mobile or web applications to track their symptoms. UT-Tyler screened approximately 1,700 students for COVID-19 symptoms before they moved on to campus in August, UT-Tyler spokesperson Lucas Roebuck said in an email. Testing
All institutions are offering some form of on-campus testing, with the exception of UT-Permian Basin, who partnered with a local health provider to offer free testing for students, said Tatum Hubbard, chief of
staff of the UT-Permian Basin president’s office. UT-El Paso will not test individuals with symptoms, and instead tests students and employees daily on a random opt-in basis, UT-El Paso spokesperson Victor Arreola said. The program is intended to identify positive individuals who may not know they have the virus, he said. UT-Austin and UT-San Antonio are offering all community members testing, regardless of whether they are symptomatic. UT-Arlington, UT-Dallas and UT-Tyler require students to have COVID-19 symptoms or a compelling reason to get tested, such as exposure to a positive individual,
While six institutions are publishing a total number of COVID-19 cases, they differ in how often those numbers are reported. According to university case count websites, UT-Austin, UT-Arlington and UT-Dallas are reporting case numbers by day, while UT-Rio Grande Valley is publishing confirmed cases by week. UT-Permian Basin and UT-San Antonio are posting a total number of active cases. Spokespeople for UT-Tyler and UT-El Paso said neither schools currently publish case counts, but they said the universities are planning to report case counts online soon. UT-El Paso is sharing information with the city health department daily and to media outlets upon request, Arreola said. The websites also provide varying features, with UT-Austin’s dashboard displaying the University’s case count within the context of Travis County’s COVID-19 numbers and including proactive community testing results. UT-Dallas’ case count shows a breakdown of where the infected individuals may have traveled on campus, and UT-San Antonio’s case count reports the number of students in isolation or quarantine.
6
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
NEWS
UNIVERSITY
Indigenous tribe urges UT to return ancestral remains By Amanda Figueroa-Nieves @amandafn02
The Miakan-Garza Band of Texas hosted a teach-in and ceremony Monday evening to continue to urge the University to return the remains of three of their ancestors. Speakers recounted the history of the remains and the band’s request at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus while also livestreaming the teach-in online. The tribe requested these remains in March 2016 and was denied July 7 by the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory. “For Indigenous people, there is no concept of ownership of the land, only a concept of responsibility,” said Carlos Aceves, an elder of the Coahuiltecan community. “In order to exercise that responsibility, we need to allow our generations to become a part of the land.” María Rocha, executive director of the Indigenous Cultures Institute, said the tribe believes remains should be reburied as close as possible to their original burial homeland to preserve their spiritual wholeness, according to previous reporting by The Daily Texan. The Miakan-Garza Band founded the institute in 2006 to preserve Native American cultures in Texas and northeastern Mexico, according to its website. The Texas Archeological Research Laboratory denied the request because it could not find evidence of a shared group identity between the tribe and the remains, according to previous reporting by the Texan. Mario Garza, cultural preservation officer for the Miakan-Garza Band, said the repatriation movement will take many years to complete. Garza said he encourages
presley glotfelty / the daily texan staff UT alum Mario Ollincoyotl Ramirez performs a spiritual dance during the indigenous culture teach-in Monday outside the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus. The Miakan-Garza Band of the Coahuiltecan people requested the return of ancestral remains in 2016, but the request was recently denied by research lab director Brian Roberts.
anyone to write a letter to UT Interim President Jay Hartzell to request the return of the remains. Event organizer Emily Aguilar said multiple student groups at UT have organized letter-writing campaigns, and the institute created graphics that give people context for the issue, as well as a letter writing template they can use. At the teach-in, the speakers played a video of the reburial ceremony of remains from Texas State University and presented
a ceremony allowing audience members to bring offerings. Business honors senior Cheyenne Grubbs represented the Native American and Indigenous Collective and Texas Orange Jackets at the virtual event. She said both groups join the Miakan-Garza Band in demanding the University return the three remains. “Despite claiming to actively participate and becoming more inclusive, (the) University administration has failed to meet the demands of Indigenous people, both affiliated
and non-affiliated with UT,” Grubbs said during the event. Theatre studies senior Juan Levya said the Latinx Theatre Initiative stands in solidarity with the Indigenous Cultures Institute. “The oral history time and time again places the Coahuiltecan people in central and south Texas,” Levya said during the event. “The creation story places them specifically in San Marcos. This, combined with their legitimate documentation, makes it abundantly clear that these remains belong to
the Miakan-Garza Band, yet these bodies were still ripped from the ground in Hays County.” Oral tradition and geographical evidence are used to prove cultural affiliation, according to the National Park Service website. “We still have a long way to go,” Garza said during the event. “Right now, we’re only fighting for three remains, but UT has over 2,400, and there’s over 3,500 that were removed from Texas. Nationwide, there’s seven million.”
LIFE&ARTS
7
Life&Arts Editor A R I A N A A R R E D O N D O TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
STUDENT LIFE
Students adapt to new normal Social distancing guidelines force students in in-person classes to relearn pre-pandemic classroom behavior By Jenny Errico @errico_jenny
uring Katelyn Davis’ sociology lecture, her professor asked the class to discuss global beauty standards. Davis turned to the seat next to her, but it was empty. The nearest student sat 10 seats away. “The girl who usually sits 6 feet apart from me was absent because she had COVID-19 symptoms, and I can’t talk to the person behind me because (we’re) technically not 6 feet apart,” English sophomore Davis said. “If I want to communicate with anyone, I have to literally shout.” As a transfer student, Davis said she registered for two in-person classes to meet new people. Her class experiences differ from what she knew pre-pandemic. According to the fall reopening plan released June 29, classrooms are at 40% capacity and masks are required indoors. An Aug. 20 message from UT Interim President Jay Hartzell said only about 5% of seats are in classes that are fully in-person and 19% are hybrid. “I think with time, I’ll obviously get used to the new norm, at least learning-wise,” Davis said. “Sometimes I get so distracted trying to make sure I’m following the rules it takes away from my learning.” In her sociology class, Davis said students must wear a mask and sit in assigned seats. Unavailable seats are ziptied to maintain social distancing. “Everything’s so structured now,” Davis said. “We can’t just walk into class
when we want or leave when we want. There’s always something you have to remember to follow.” Mechanical engineering sophomore Alaina Tibbs is taking a yearlong in-person engineering class. She said it’s hard to remember that what was allowed in class before COVID-19 isn’t anymore. “My class is two hours long, and at some points I want to drink water, but I can’t just pull my mask down and start chugging,” Tibbs said. “I have to go outside, drink my water, then go back inside. By that point, I want another sip of water.” Tibbs said the class is hybrid, and students are allowed to switch to online learning if they feel uncomfortable attending in person. Currently, eight students sit in the classroom, while 16 online learners are on a Zoom call that’s projected onto a screen at the front of the room. “Sadly it’s kind of like an ‘us-versus-them’ mentality,” Tibbs said. “The professor gives more attention to the in-person students because we’re there. It’s just easier for him to interact with us.” Both Davis and Tibbs said there are constant distractions in class that prevent them from focusing on learning. “My professor’s mic screeches against his mask, muffling his voice and making it hard for me to understand what he’s saying,” Davis said. “I’m also constantly checking to make sure my mask isn’t falling down, and if I have to sneeze, I can’t because I don’t want to alarm people.” Despite the extra precautions, physics and math sophomore John
alejandra gavilanes / the daily texan staff Houghteling said he is happy to attend his three in-person classes. “I’m still in a room with a professor, and that’s what I care about,” Houghteling said. “I’m able to hear their voices better and understand the content more thoroughly than online.” Davis and Tibbs, however, said they
still need more time to adjust to the new learning environment. “I miss the in-person contact, like going up to someone new and saying hello or making them laugh,” Davis said. “It’s sad in class, because even though I’m surrounded by people, there’s still a barrier.”
8
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
LIFE&ARTS
CAMPUS
UT sustainability efforts roll back amid COVID-19 concerns By Zoe Tzanis @ZTzanis
On her first day on campus, environmental advocate Zosia Sandweiss approached Kinsolving Dining and was met with trash cans filled with plastic foam boxes, piled on top of one another like Jenga blocks. Due to COVID-19 restrictions this semester, UHD was forced to change long-standing policies. Instead of using reusable cups and plates or taking food to-go through the sustainable Eco2Go program, dining halls are now solely dependent on single-use polystyrene plastic foam boxes. “Using styrofoam will lead to tremendous amounts of waste,” said Sandweiss, a business and sustainability studies freshman. “I wish (University Housing and Dining) would have weighed the University’s environmental footprint more heavily.” Riley Anderson and Siddha Sannigrahi, student co-directors of UT’s Campus Environmental Center, are among those who oppose UHD’s reliance on plastic foam. “Most of us know that styrofoam is bad,” said Anderson, a biochemistry and sustainability studies senior. “It doesn’t break down. It releases toxic chemicals in the air when you heat it, and it takes up a lot of our landfill space.” According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the polystyrene industry is the fifth largest contributor to toxic waste in the country. Experts estimate the decomposition of polystyrene can take up to 500 years. “There should be more emphasis
on trying to find alternatives,” public health junior Sannigrahi said. “There’s a lot of materials we could use instead.” To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends university cafeterias use disposable food service items where possible. Rene Rodriguez, director of food
I wish (University Housing and Dining) would have weighed the University’s environmental footprint more heavily.” ZOSIA SANDWEISS
business and sustainabilty studies
services at UHD, said using plastic foam was less of a choice and more of a last resort. “Everyone in the country scrambled to get these kinds of materials,” Rodriguez said. “Suppliers didn’t have enough inventory to meet our needs.” Now, he and UHD sustainability coordinator Neil Kaufman are working together to find more sustainable alternatives for the future. “Our preference is not to use styrofoam,” Kaufman said. “Our preference is to return to the way we were and to go beyond that in terms of
victoria smith / the daily texan file sustainability. We want to innovate.” Rodriguez said any changes to current UHD policies on single-use plastics will depend on cost and student population on campus. “We are looking to introduce some kind of compostable container next semester,” Rodriguez said. Although plastic foam is not recyclable, Kaufman said students can still promote sustainability during the pandemic by paying careful attention to what they’re recycling and throwing away. “Another way students can practice sustainability is by sorting their waste properly, making sure that what they put in the recycling bin is actually
recyclable,” Kaufman said “We need students to do this so we can actually recycle recyclable products.” Rodriguez encourages students to buy reusable utensil kits available at Jester City Market, Cypress Bend Cafe or Kin’s Market. Kits are $6.29 and include a reusable fork, knife, spoon, chopsticks and straws. Rodriguez said while UHD wants to work toward sustainability, theCOVID-19 pandemic forced them to put their environmental goals on hold for the safety of students. “We want to do what’s right,” Rodriguez said. “Unfortunately, like anything during this pandemic, there were surprises and hiccups.”
SPORTS
9
Sports Editor M Y A H T A Y L O R TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
SOCCER
Soccer opens stadium to fans Texas soccer announced gameday measures and stadium protocols for the upcoming fall season. By Matthew Boncosky @mboncosky
ans hoping to watch Texas soccer in person this season are in luck. Mike A. Myers Stadium will be open to spectators this fall, Texas Athletics said Friday in a statement. Texas Athletics will implement various new measures in the stadium to allow for social distancing and admission to all games will be free, according to the statement. No announcement has been made about a limit on stadium capacity. Texas Athletics Director Chris Del Conte said protocol at Mike A. Myers Stadium will mirror guidelines he and other administrators have set in order to ensure a safe fall sports season for Longhorn student-athletes, staff and fans. “Sports in our country have helped us through some of our most challenging times, and it’s something we need as much as ever right now,” Del Conte said Aug. 18 in his weekly newsletter, Forty Acres Insider. “We’re doing everything in our power to provide that opportunity for our student-athletes, staff and fans in the safest possible manner.” Texas Athletics will require fans to enter through specific gates and abide by social distancing markers, according to the statement. Hand sanitization stands
jack myer / the daily texan file Senior midfielder Haley Berg dribbles to avoid an Iowa State defender in an Oct. 25, 2019 game against the Cyclones. The team will play four home conference games this fall in Mike A. Myers Stadium, where social distancing measures will be enforced for spectators.
have been installed throughout the stadium and all restrooms will be sanitized by GermLogic, a commercial sanitizing company, throughout the season, according to the statement. Staff will also regularly clean and sanitize all common areas and high-touch surfaces with antibacterial spray and wipes. “It’s imperative we take care of ourselves and those around
us, all wear our facial coverings, maintain social distancing, wash our hands regularly and use hand sanitizer so we can do our part in this health crisis to keep our campus flourishing and fall sports seasons on schedule,” Del Conte said in the Aug. 25 edition of his newsletter. Fans will be able to purchase concessions through the
Texas Longhorns mobile app, and all parking and concession purchases must be made on a cashless basis. A clear bag policy will also be in place. Track-level seating will not be available this season unlike in years past to ensure student-athlete and fan safety, according to the statement. The Longhorns will host four matches this season as part of
their 2020 conference-only schedule, providing fans a chance to get outside and cheer on the team this fall. Texas soccer kicks off its season this Friday at 7 p.m. with a home match against Kansas. Other opponents making their way to Austin this year include Oklahoma on Sept. 25, Kansas State on Oct. 9 and Baylor on Oct. 30.
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
SPORTS
BASEBALL
Texas students study analytics for baseball team By Nathan Han @NathanHan13
After Ryan Monsevalles worked with the Texas baseball team as a student video manager, the experience opened up a world of opportunities, including a job with the Toronto Blue Jays. But when he returned to UT in 2019 to lead the baseball analytics team, he wasn’t sure how interested current students would be in joining. “I didn’t really know how many people would apply,” said Monsevalles, Texas baseball director of player personnel and analytics. “After talking to somebody at James Madison (University), I realized this guy was pulling 100 candidates at a much smaller school, so how many kids can we get at Texas?” Last spring, Monsevalles grew his team from three student interns and volunteers to seven. His workforce charts games and creates scouting reports among other projects. UT alum Dylan Harkrider was the first student to join the team after Monsevalles graduated from Texas State University in 2017. For the past three years, Harkrider has been a constant in the group of students who work in the press box and chart every pitch thrown. “At the beginning, it was mostly just charting games and charting opponent games,” Harkrider said. “That was our only responsibility because our pitching coach heavily relied on video.” However, with facility upgrades and a new pitching coach, the students have grown into larger roles. In the spring, baseball head coach David Pierce introduced a new way of relaying signs to baserunners and coaches: wristbands that players and coaches will wear with predetermined signals. Ian Arzt, Texas baseball analytics and video student
copyright texas athletics, and reproduced with permission UT assistant baseball coach Sean Allen fixes the grip of redshirt sophomore RHP Cole Quintanilla. Allen said he has put a greater emphasis on analytics this past off-season, which allows the student analytics team to grow into larger roles.
manager, created his own method to generate signs, eliminating potential sign stealing. “Basically, it’s just all random,” sport management senior Arzt said. “No team will be able to pick it up, no matter how hard they try, because it’s just literally based on random computer code.” The new signs are one of many projects the coaching staff has entrusted with the students, going beyond their daily roles of scouting reports and charting games. “There’s no way any of the
coaches could trust me in my first couple weeks,” Harkrider said. “Over the past three years, we’ve all built relationships with coaches, with the players, with the strength coach, with literally every one of the staff. They’ve relied on us a lot.” Another project developed in the fall of 2019 was sorting through pitching data and working with pitchers in individual bullpens based on the numbers. In those individual bullpens at the J. Dan Brown Family Player Development Center, pitchers will be able to see statistics of a
pitch right after they throw it on a television screen. With pitch design and tracking technology, the pitch can be analyzed with underlying statistics like spin, spin axis and spin efficiency, measurements that help break down what makes a pitch harder to hit, according to Artz’s blog. “The bullpen sessions help adjust those numbers, like where we want a pitcher’s slider, the spin and the spin axis,” Arzt said. “They can see their numbers as they pitch and just see if this pitch looks off.”
The expanded data and further introduction hasn’t just helped the pitchers, but also students like Harkrider and Arzt, who gain valuable experience toward their goal of working in professional sports. Experience helped Arzt land an internship with TrackMan before it was canceled due to the pandemic. “Opening up the program to more students is probably the next step in developing the program,” Monsevalles said. “And if I keep giving back to the University that did so much for me, I’m more than willing to do that.”
COMICS
Comics Editor
B A R B R A D A LY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
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M O R E I N F O : T E XA S S P O RTS . C O M / G O M O B I L E