The Daily Texan 2019-03-13

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

volume

119,

issue

NEWS

OPINION

LIFE&ARTS

SPORTS

Girl gamers form new all-inclusive gaming student organization on campus. PA G E 2

The Center for Women in Law re-affirms its support of women of color in law. PA G E 4

“Villains” is a dark comedy directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen. PA G E 8

Longhorns dominate on the diamond in shortened seven-inning game. PA G E 6

UNIVERSITY

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CRIME

New housing policy will force out non-family roommates

By Morgan O’Hanlon @smorgans_bord

A change in University Housing Department policy will require the residents of two University apartment complexes who live with family members to relocate. Roommates the University deems nonfamilial won’t be allowed to go with them.

The University Apartments are currently reserved for families, graduate students and undergraduates with at least 30 hours of credit and in good standing at the University. The new policy designates Brackenridge as the only University apartment complex to allow families to live together. Residents currently living with family members in Colorado or Gateway will have to move into Brackenridge, and, under the new policy, all residents living in Colorado and Gateway Apartments must be University-affiliated. The University said it would provide a $500 credit to offset moving expenses.

In a letter sent via email on Monday, UHD defined family members to be “individuals who are related to the contract holder by marriage, dependency or some other form of recognized familial relationship.” It has since clarified this definition to include common law marriages, civil unions, domestic partnerships, informal marriages, fiancées, dependent minors, parents and siblings.

In the letter, UHD explained the changes would allow the department “to contract with approximately 190 more UT-Austin students than in

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joshua guenther | the daily texan staff Michael Center, Texas men’s tennis head coach, left, leaves a preliminary hearing at the United States Courthouse in Austin Tuesday afternoon. Houston-based attorney Dan Cogdell, right, represented Center, who is accused of accepting approximately $100,000 to designate a student as a recruit on the team to expedite their admission to the University.

Tennis coach placed on leave Head coach Michael Center has been charged in an ongoing college admissions scandal.

Dressed in a burnt orange t-shirt and black Texas Longhorns sweatpants, Center stood in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Austin, where the charges were handed down. The judge ordered Center to pay $5,000, or 10 percent, of the $50,000 bond within 72 hours.

Center was placed on administrative leave from the University of Texas at Austin as soon as University officials became aware of the complaint. Those within the University investigating the incident believe it is isolated and does not involve any other employees.

“It’s a difficult day in our department, as we received reports that a member of our staff is accused of wrongdoing,” Chris Del Conte, athletics director and vice

By Ross Burkhart & Robert Trevino @ross_burkhart @robtrev22

exas men’s tennis head coach Michael Center was arrested in his home early Tuesday morning on charges in conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud in documents unsealed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Massachusetts.

Center entered a preliminary hearing at the U.S. Courthouse in Austin later that afternoon where Houston-based attorney, Dan Cogdell, represented the 54-year-old Center.

president, said in a statement. “We have placed Coach Center on leave until further notice while we cooperate with the federal law enforcement authorities in reviewing this situation. In the meantime, with our men’s tennis team in the middle of its competitive season, associate head coach Bruce Berque, will serve as our interim head coach going forward as we continue to gather information.”

Unaware of the University’s action, Center told the judge that the Longhorn tennis team had a match against Rice on Tuesday evening. It wasn’t until the hearing ended that Center was informed he was placed

CAMPUS

By Catherine Lindberg @cathlindberg

@areeba_amer

barbra daly

“The film festival shows the community that a disability does not define a person’s life but is rather just a piece of it,” said Akhil Jonnalagadda, an economics senior who attended this year’s festival on March 3.

Dhruva Athreya, film festival co-director, said the festival is hosted in the Union Theatre and is open to the

MAKE SPRING BREAK GREAT again?

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UT System study reveals racial income disparities

By Areeba Amer

their cause.

Additionally, they are creating a film that will feature members of the UT community pledging to stop saying the “r-word.” The film will likely be featured at next year’s Best Buddies film festival, which is held in March to educate the Austin public about life with a disability.

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Best Buddies rallies to end the “r-word” UT’s Best Buddies chapter is rallying behind the campaign Spread the Word to End the Word this month.

Best Buddies pairs students with disabled and differently-abled people in Austin to provide companionship. This year, the organization wants to increase promotion of Spread the Word to End the Word, a worldwide movement with the goal of asking people to pledge to stop saying the “r-word,” a common slur for people with mental disabilities.

Kacey Vandervort, a Best Buddies student member, said this campaign is a starting point for creating more accepting communities for all people.

“The ‘r-word’ hurts because it’s offensive. It’s derogatory,” said Vandervort, communication sciences and disorders sophomore. “Language affects attitudes, and attitudes affect actions.”

The Best Buddies program at UT is one of the largest in the country, Vandervort said, and they will be tabling on Speedway Mall from March 24-29 to raise awareness for

COACH

| the daily texan staff

Austin public, with about 200 people attending their last festival.

While Athreya said he believes it is important for individuals to stop saying the “r-word,” he said it is even more important to understand why the word is hurtful in the first place.

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Hispanics, blacks and other minorities in the UT System are less likely to exceed their parents’ income than their white and Asian peers five years post-graduation, according to a UT System study published in January.

The study compared parental household income to an individual’s earnings five years post-graduation. The study showed college graduates are more likely to make more money than their parents within five years. However, this statistic varies on race and ethnicity.

The racial disparity likely exists due to societal workplace factors, which are not entirely in the System’s control, said Rebecca Karoff, associate vice chancellor for UT System’s Academic Affairs.

“I know that there is a disturbing aspect of the (racial disparity), but I don’t think that’s a function of what we’re doing in the UT system,” Karoff

said. “As our undergraduate students become more diverse, I think we’re going to really see some of these gaps being closed.”

Stephanie Huie, vice chancellor for the UT System’s Office of Institutional Research and Analysis, said she believed the income disparity was due to majors. She referred to a previous study that showed blacks and Hispanics are less likely to pursue higher-earning majors, such as STEM and business.

However, Huie said she still believes in the power of higher education.

“The fact that you have so many students who are making double what their families were making five years out really shows the value of that higher-ed degree,” Huie said.

International business sophomore Ricardo Lefranc Pierantozzi, who identifies as Hispanic, said members of the Latino community are less likely to pursue higher-earning majors because of the lack of

RESEARCH

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CLAIRE ALLBRIGHT NEWS EDITOR @THEDAILYTEXAN

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

This issue of The Daily Texan is valued at $1.25

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UNIVERSITY

UT gets $6 million grant to study invasive species

By Lauren Rahman @RahmanLauren

Researchers at UT Brackenridge Field Laboratory recently received a $6 million grant from the Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation to find ways to sustainably control invasive species in Texas.

“Sustainable control means something where you don’t have to go out and repeatedly apply pesticides or herbicides, but you can bring the invasive species into balance with the rest of the ecosystem,” said Ed LeBrun, an integrative biology research scientist.

The research targets five invasive species that are harming the native Texan landscape: imported fire ants, tawny crazy ants, moth larvae that feed on native cacti and African guinea grass and buffel grass.

The project attempts to naturalize non-native pest insects and plants, integrative biology professor Larry Gilbert said.

“Eradication is not possible, so the aim is to figure out ways of making them more compatible with our system,” Gilbert said.

Biological control can involve going to the native home of an invasive species to find their parasites and

pathogens, and understanding how the species’ population is controlled there, LeBrun said.

After a natural enemy of the invasive species is identified, it is brought to the lab to be tested for specificity and to demonstrate it won’t have unintended consequences for native plants or animals, LeBrun said.

One of the primary goals of the grant is to bring forward the guinea grass as a new emerging threat, said Rob Plowes, an integrative biology research scientist.

“The two species of African grasses were originally introduced for cattle pastures but have spread into the natural brush and have significant consequences, including changing the fire cycle and causing a major loss of biodiversity,” Plowes said.

Plowes said their operations expand to international work as well, to better understand the home ranges of the invasive species.

“The grasses come from Africa, and we work with a collaborator in Kenya where these grasses come from,” Plowes said. “But the two ants and the moth come from Argentina, and we were working with a collaborator in Argentina on this.”

Gilbert said when he became director of the field station in 1980,

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NEWS OFFICE (512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.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@ dailytexanonline.com.

AUSTIN WEATHER TODAY Mar. 13

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there were 55 species of native ants.

The next year, the imported fire ants arrived and rapidly reduced the diversity of ants and other insects.

“Having a place like (Bracken-

| the daily texan staff

ridge Field Laboratory) so close to the UT campus allows undergraduates to do independent and novel research during the semester,” Gilbert said.

SXSW

ISSUE STAFF Comic Artists Carissa Davis, Nikole Pena, Sara Yang, Steph Sonik, Dan Martinez, Caroline Perkison

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Students at SXSW discuss racism facing women of color

By Katie Balevic @KatelynBalevic

An unofficial South by Southwest event featured two students who spoke on a panel about their experiences as women of color at the University of Texas.

The event, called Inclusive Conversations, focused on increasing awareness of how racism impacts women.

Lakeya Omogun, a doctoral student in language and literacy studies, said she moved to Austin from Harlem, New York, when she was accepted to the University. Prior to her move, a colleague of hers had told her that Austin was “not like the rest of Texas.”

“It kind of set me up to think, ‘I’m moving to the South, but its not like the South,’” Omogun said. “I moved down here, and I was immediately struck by the visual lack of diversity. It was the first thing I noticed …

I didn’t see a black person for two weeks.”

Only 7 percent of Austin residents are African American, according to 2014 data from the the City of Austin.

Omogun said the lack of diversity took an emotional toll

joshua guenther | the daily texan staff Fouzia Sheikh, Erin Miller, Ayana D’Aguilar and Sofia Salazar discuss how racism impacts women of color, while also recounting their own experiences, at an unofficial SXSW event Tuesday night.

on her, which motivated her to write a piece for Medium that drew in thousands of readers. In her piece, Omogun describes an incident when a man leaned out of his truck window and called her a racial slur.

“I didn’t notice the emotional toll (of being the only black person) until a little bit later,” Omogun said. “It was that, coupled with a few experiences that

were racially motivated, that I talk about in the piece, that made me say, ‘I’m going to write about this.’ It was very difficult to write about.”

Ayana D’Aguilar said when she came to UT, her mother, a UT alumna, was nervous for her. D’Aguilar recently spoke out about experiences of racism at her former internship at UT’s Center for Women in Law, a

story she repeated at the event.

“My mom came to UT in the mid-80s when racial tensions were very strong — not that they’re not strong now, but they looked different,” said D’Aguilar, an Islamic studies, South Asian languages and Plan II senior.

“People could say (racist) things more boldly than they can now.”

D’Aguilar said she still feels Austin is not an accommodating

space for her.

“I’ve lived here for almost five years now, and I still go to Houston to get my hair done,” D’Aguilar said. “Walking down South Congress, I’m the only black person I see around here for a couple blocks at least.”

Omogun said there are racist systems and history that still impact people of color today, so people need to listen to people of color speak about their experiences.

“If you don’t have that experiential knowledge … whether that’s discrimination or racial profiling, it can be really difficult to understand,” Omogun said. “(It’s) empathy — putting yourself in someone else’s shoes to try to understand, and I think in order to understand, you have to listen first.”

Karen Fleshman, who moderated the panel and helped organize the event, said Omogun and D’Aguilar helped contextualize the racial issues that women of color experience.

“I think their stories really resonated with what we wanted to express,” Fleshman said after the event. “It was really important to focus on the real, contemporary issues that women of color are experiencing in Austin.”

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on leave.

According to the complaint, Center is accused of accepting approximately $100,000 from “CW-1,” or Cooperating Witness 1. The $100,000 was “in exchange for which Center would designate a student as a recruit to the (UT) tennis team, thereby facilitating his admission to (UT).”

“At this point, I don’t have anything to say,” Center said, walking down the front steps of the courthouse. “We’ll wait and see what happens.

Maybe you guys can go cover the team — they’re a lot more fun to watch than I am.”

The complaint also includes transcripts of a phone call made between the witness and Center on or about Oct. 5, 2018, which the witness made at the direction of law enforcement agents.

The two discussed the bribe that paid for the student’s recruitment (referred to as Applicant 1).

Center confirmed on the phone call that he signed the applicant, a resident of Los Altos Hills, California, to a “books scholarship” to secure his admission to the University.

During the conversation, Center confirmed that he was paid more than $90,000, saying, “I think the total amount was … in the nineties area.” Center also stated in the conversation that “some of the money” was put toward the tennis facilities.

The student “voluntarily withdrew from the

tennis team and renounced his ‘books’ scholarship” on or about Sept. 4, 2015, just after enrolling at UT. As a result, the applicant no longer received money from the University to purchase school books and was no longer classified as a student-athlete.

Documents reviewed by the complaint’s FBI agent show that the student’s University application listed him as a manager of his high school football and basketball teams. The only tennis participation mentioned in his application was from his freshman year.

Cogdell said the defense will plead not guilty and that Center was “devastated” by the charges.

“It’s a very serious allegation, but he is an outstanding human being,” Cogdell said.

“He’s an outstanding human being. He’s an outstanding coach. He’s a credit to the University of Texas. He believes, as do I, in trying this in a court of law, not a court of public opinion. He’ll get through this, and I believe in the system that we’ll get the right results.”

The criminal complaint document is part of a nationwide college admissions bribery case that involves several other Division 1 college coaches. According to federal prosecutors, the plot involved students who attended or were seeking to attend Georgetown University, Stanford University, UCLA, the University of San Diego, USC, the University of Texas, Wake Forest and Yale.

Center’s trial begins March 25 in Boston.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

CAMPUS

New organization promises safe space for girl gamers at UT

By Mason Carroll @MasonCCarroll

A new gaming organization that provides an inclusive and safe environment for players to meet fellow gamers will launch after spring break. However, this one’s just for the girls.

Sarah Schneider, communication studies senior and co-founder of Women in Gaming, said many women in gaming get harassed while playing. To fight these issues, Schneider said they are creating a community of women inclusive to the nonbinary and LGBTQ community where students feel at home.

“I hope that gaming can be a place where everyone feels comfortable and they can come, play a game and be respected and not have that hate speech,” Schneider said. “One of the reasons we find girls don’t like talking in (a gaming) chat is because they get harassed for being a girl and a gamer.”

Schneider said women gamers make up about 48 percent of the gamer population, and their goal with the club is to help these girls find a community of people like themselves.

“Honestly, it should be equal for everyone,” Schneider said. “I just think it’s really important to establish this space so people can feel more included … I think once they feel safe to play, they’ll think, ‘Screw the haters, let’s just play

anthony mireles | the daily texan staff Erin Reilly, Moody College director of innovation and entrepreneurship, is the adviser to the newest gaming club on Campus, Women in Gaming. The student organization aims to promote a community of women gamers within UT to have their voices and perspectives heard in the gaming industry without any negative interference from male gamers.

a game.’”

The group’s first meeting will be March 26 in the Jesse H. Jones Communication Center. Erin Reilly, Moody College

director of innovation and entrepreneurship, is the adviser for the group and has been in the gaming industry since the ‘90s. She said she has been around since the

original female gamers helped found the industry, so she knows how important female power is.

“To me, I feel like you need diversity and inclusion,” Reilly said.

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opportunity in Latino-majority - public schools.

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“It is more important to promote diversity, kindness and respect,” neuroscience junior Athreya said. “When people understand those

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University should work on classroom inclusion.

“In the classes that I’m in, I just feel like there is a disconnect between races,” Pierantozzi said. “Whenever I’m in class, I feel like the odd one out.”

The University is doing its best, but the programs make results happen, said Ruben

Cantu, executive director of the Office of Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

“We’re going to put our heads down and put a lot of work in to improve ourselves,” Cantu said. “I think that if we all show up either internally or externally, the community is going to realize that this is a good investment.”

things, they are going to naturally stop saying epithets to the community itself.”

Members and nonmembers competed in a 120-person dodgeball tournament fundraiser in Gregory Gymnasium on March 10 to promote

the campaign.

“It is so important to embrace everyone simply on the merit of their humanness,” Athreya said. “We all feel the same emotions. We all love, we all laugh, we all cry and we are all so very similar and human.”

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previous years.”

Graduate Student Assembly President Samantha Fuchs said graduate students are frustrated with the policy, primarily due to the way it was rolled out. Residents were notified of the these changes, which will go into effect on July 1, on Monday, giving contract holders who want to live in family housing only two weeks to submit a signed affidavit attesting to the nature of their familial relationships by a deadline on March 22.

“Two weeks is too short of a timespan to consider all these changes,” Fuchs said.

“We’re not just girls. The more voices and different perspectives we have in any industry, the better the experience is and development in creativity, especially

“Residents will have to make a decision about whether to stay or return.”

Giorgio Paulon, a statistics PhD student, moved into a two-bedroom apartment in UT’s Colorado building less than two weeks ago with his boyfriend. Paulon, who said he was on the apartment waitlist for two years, wanted to live in the Colorado Apartments because of its low cost and proximity to class and colleagues.

When they moved in, Paulon’s boyfriend was required to register with the University as a permanent resident.

Even if their partnership was classified as a familial relationship under the new University Housing

in games.”

Reilly said this is a great organization for women to come together to enjoy a shared love for gaming and find a comfortable space away from male harassment.

“We’re stronger together,” Reilly said. “Find your tribe, find your community and learn from each other. Get comfortable with your space, and then, let’s be vocal.”

Anthropology senior Dreanna Hill has been gaming since she was young and is looking forward to joining a group where she doesn’t have to prove herself because of her gender.

“It’s harder for women to show interest in stuff that men dominate,” Hill said. “It’s important for everyone to feel they can do what they’re interested in. I think it’s really refreshing to immediately be on the same page as everyone else.”

The group wants to become an affiliate of Longhorn Gaming, a male-dominated video gaming organization on campus, and Schneider said she is excited to watch the organization grow.

“Eventually, we’re going to build a community with the guys, and it’s going to be a happy, happy community,” Schneider said.

“I think gaming should be inclusive to everyone, because gaming means something different to everyone. Any person, regardless of who they are, can play a video game.”

Department policy, Paulon said he and his boyfriend would still be forced to go through the hassle of moving.

“Every person that I’ve talked to is against this,” Paulon said.

UHD has planned six community Q&A meetings to discuss the policy change. Only two of those meetings will occur before the deadline to complete the occupancy preference form. Both are during spring break.

Other policy changes include new occupancy limits, a rent increase and a reduction of the maximum contract term limit from seven to five years. Underpaid at UT will host a town hall meeting today from 3 to 5 p.m. to address all changes.

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LIZA ANDERSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TEXANOPINION

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The Center for Women in Law values all women in the law Editor’s note: This column is in response to a News story regarding allegations of racism within the Center for Women in Law. By the Executive Committee of the Center for Women in Law s the Executive Committee of the Center for Women in Law, we were greatly disturbed by an article in The Daily Texan that portrays our Center in an inflammatory light. While university practice forbids us from commenting on the specific allegations and personnel matters detailed in the article, we refuse to let stand the unfair and unsubstantiated characterization of our Center as racist.

That characterization impugns the collaboration and hard work of the more than 100 women from all backgrounds and all aspects of the legal profession who started and built the Center, not to mention the many advisory members, personnel and volunteers who have helped us achieve national prominence and important change.

We take particular issue with the suggestion that the Center is one for white women only. This insults the women of color who are signatories to this letter and are leaders of our events and programs, and it is offensive to the many women of color who participate in those events and programs. Our paramount objective is working together to tear down barriers for all women — not to create even more division.

The Center was founded by women who value and embody the diversity of our profession. Our inaugural event in 2009, which we called the Power Summit, brought together leaders in the legal field from across the country.

Together, we developed a document we titled “The Austin Manifesto,” a resolution to eliminate the obstacles that have held back the advancement of women in the legal profession. The more than 100 signatories to the Austin Manifesto made concrete pledges to achieve measurable goals for the advancement of women — and specifically women of color. Since then, we have worked on multiple fronts to benefit thousands of women in the law.

Our programs and events are diverse and inclusive. The now-biennial Power Summit draws hundreds of enthusiastic attendees from all over the country. Our Consortium for Advancing Women Lawyers regularly convenes 30 women’s organizations and thought leaders throughout the country, including the leadership of minority bar associations and organizations. We have specialized programs for law students and first-year associates to help them build platforms for their success. Our annual Women in Law Institute has served hundreds of law students and faculty. We provide executive-level coaching for dozens of in-house attorneys.

Our paramount objective is working together to tear down barriers for all women — not to create even more division.”

Last year, the Center conducted a major research project, in conjunction with the National Association for Law Placement, “How Career Opportunities for Women of Color are Shaped in Law School,” and we have supported efforts by the American Bar Association and National Bar Association to end unfair practices and lawyer misconduct directed to women and minorities.

We do all of this because we want every woman in the law to succeed.

We have been thoughtful and intentional about inclusion in our leadership.

One-third of the members of our Executive Committee are women of color, all of them proven

leaders of Fortune 10 companies and a top U.S. law firm. We know that the future of the legal profession depends on having leadership that reflects the diversity of our nation.

We deeply regret that anyone has had negative experiences in the Center. We take the allegations of the three women in The Daily Texan article seriously and are pained by the experiences they describe. No one should ever feel unwelcome, mistreated or unheard at the Center for Women in Law, and racist words or behavior are always, absolutely unacceptable, period.

We are listening intently to what the women are describing, and we will improve and innovate.

We feel compelled, however, to state unequivocally that during the course of our many years of working closely with the Center, we have never experienced or observed any racist conduct, only a passion for progress and inclusion. We know dozens of women of all backgrounds who have loved their experiences at the Center for Women in Law and who have cherished the mentorship they received from the Center’s leadership. These are women who believe that the skills they learned from the Center and the friendships made at the Center have improved their lives professionally and personally.

We are proud of what we have accomplished and the positive impact we have had on the lives of women in the law. We are eager to achieve even more. As we build on the foundation of the last 10 years, we welcome everyone who has an interest in our mission to join us.

- Linda Broocks - Susan Blount - Hilda Contrerás Galvan - Lisa Atlas Genecov - Marcy Hogan Greer - Cisselon Nichols Hurd - Cathy Lamboley - Janis Loegering - Sandra Phillips Rogers

COLUMN

The term ‘student-athlete’ perpetuates negative stereotypes

By David West Jr. Columnist

Student-athletes are often stereotyped because of the lack of coverage on their campus involvement, extracurricular activities and career preparation. UT’s academic and athletic community must do a better job recognizing and highlighting the student aspect of our student-athletes’ collegiate experiences.

We need to abandon the divide between normal students and student-athletes in order to improve equality on both sides. For the purpose of this argument, I will refrain from using the term ‘student-athlete’ and instead refer to our athletes simply as scholars.

Scholars at UT deal with stereotypes on a regular basis. Just to emphasize a few, some believe scholars take undemanding courses, have more access to academic resources and reap benefits without putting in substantial effort.

“A lot of people see it as athlete first and student second, and their view is, ‘You only came here to play sports’,” said Audrey Warren, a freshman UT women’s basketball player majoring in youth and community studies. “I definitely think we do (get stereotyped) a lot because we get so much stuff — the same backpacks, shoes, travel suits — and then (at that point) they know (that we’re) an athlete.”

This preconceived stereotype that scholars come into a university and value their

alexandra vanderhider

sports more than what they’re studying is degrading and can potentially harm their academic performance.

However, what non-athletes must realize is that a lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes.

“I’ve heard ‘(athletes get stuff that non-athletes don’t)’ before, but at the same time, we have

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.

| the daily texan staff

the same tough schedule as regular students — if not tougher, because we’re traveling, having to make work up and making schedules around our games,” said undeclared freshman Shae Routt, a UT women’s basketball player.

Ishan Rison, a UT football player, junior premed student and aspiring surgeon, said playing a sport in college is the equivalent to “living a

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.

second life.” “(Playing a sport) is probably about an eighthour credit class that you’re adding to your schedule on top of what you’re doing academically,” Rison said. “(College athletes) basically sign their life away as soon as (they) get on a team.”

Websites that cover college athletics, such as Texassports.com, will focus predominantly on athlete statistics with little to no emphasis on these scholars’ majors and career preparations.

They’re projecting that each scholar will go pro once they depart from college. According to the NCAA, fewer than 2 percent of Division I athletes actually end up going pro.

Without question, websites, publications and universities across the nation are doing these scholars a disservice with their use of the term “student-athlete.” We can no longer solely pay attention to athletics while undervaluing the student side of scholars.

Texas Sports and others must use more effective language when referring to scholars and include more information on what they’re doing in preparation for their professions. We must direct less focus to the athletic prowess of scholars and more to what is going on outside the numbers.

“Half Doctor – Half Football Player,” reads Rison’s Twitter bio.

It’s time for the UT community to view scholars in a more holistic manner in order to improve equality among students and scholars.

West Jr. is a journalism sophomore from New Orleans, Louisiana.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

SOFTBALL

Longhorns aim to rebound against Islanders

joshua guenther | the daily texan file Infielder Janae Jefferson bunts at McCombs Field. Jefferson has tallied 22 hits and 39 runs in her sophomore season, proving to be an instrumental part of Texas’ 21-5 season.

because that’s a team that’s going to be in the top 20, so we want to be able to play better against those better teams,” White said.

Looking forward, White is hoping The Longhorns will face Texthat one of his injured players will as A&M-Corpus Christi at home come back to make a difference for Wednesday night at 6 p.m.

The Islanders, who hold a 4–20 the Longhorns. “(We need catcher) Taylor Ellsrecord so far, will be one of the worth in the middle of the lineup six teams Texas faces before the somewhere,” White said after Texas’ Big 12 competition. second loss to Minnesota on SunAfter a tough weekend series day. “That’s what I’m hoping, but against No. 22 Minnesota, head that’s going to be another two weeks coach Mike White emphasizes the need to play teams that will pre- away. But it’s gonna help us. We Texas Student willankeep you connected have to get some consistency out of pare Media Texas for elevated level (the lineup).” of competition. with daily links to the news, sports and culture White, the head coach of Oregon “It really comes down to what stories shaping the UT community. until this year, brought an onslaught happened in that Minnesota game,

By Sydney Tasman @sydneytasman

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of talent with him to Texas. With a new coach and four new players, though, Texas’ dynamic may have been something to worry about. That doesn’t seem to be the case here.

“I think we are coming together pretty well,” sophomore Janae Jefferson said. “We are all meshing outside of softball and while on the field, too. I feel like our team chemistry is definitely there, and that’s needed in order to go far in the postseason and do well in the conference as well.”

The Longhorns have emphasized the need for a strong unit, and that’s something they’ve proven to have early on in the season. The big focus now for the upcoming competition is to work on their mental game.

“Mainly, it’s a mental error that we make, and if we practice our mental game more, it will benefit us and help us stay in those close match ups,” Jefferson said.

White emphasized the idea, saying that it’s something Texas is constantly working on to become a better team.

“Trust me, we’re emphasizing it,” White said of Texas’ mental toughness. “It’s very hard once you get out there and start playing. We’re working at it.”

Following Wednesday night’s game, Texas will travel to the Tennessee Invitational where they will see BYU and Tennessee, playing each team twice over three days.

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ROSS BURKHART SPORTS EDITOR @TEXANSPORTS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

BASEBALL

anthony mireles| the daily texan staff Texas head coach David Pierce improved to 13-6 on the season after the Longhorns’ 17-3 victory over Texas Southern. In his three years with the program, Pierce has attained a 93-53 record as the Longhorns’ coach.

Seven innings of domination

Peter’s breakout performance results in shortened 14-run victory over Texas Southern.

By CJ Vogel @cjvogel3

exas is back (to its winning ways).

The Longhorn lineup exploded on Tuesday night for a 17-3 victory in a seven-inning run-rule victory over Texas Southern and did so with an unexpected spark plug leading the way.

The win is exactly what the Long-

horns needed with the beginning of Big 12 play set to begin this weekend.

“We needed to come out here and play with some energy. I thought we had a great crowd for a Tuesday night (game),” said head coach David Pierce. “It was actually a pretty energetic game for our dugout, so that was great to see, and I think the kids are ready to start conference play.”

After going down a run in the top of the second inning, the Longhorns scored 10 unanswered runs of their own to put the game out of reach.

Texas’ offense was capitalized by walk-on catcher, Caston Peter, who went 2-3 at the plate this evening with a bases loaded double down the first base line and a three-run home run over the left field wall.

Peter, who has stepped in for the recently injured Michael McCann, has experienced some hiccups during the Stanford series while trying to adjust to the speed of the game and step in as an everyday player.

“It’s interesting, because I got onto (Caston Peter) the other day in the media and told him it was time to grow up,” Pierce said. “And he is actually growing up right in front of us.”

Peter’s double in the third inning was the first extra base hit of his career which he quickly topped with his first career home run in the sixth inning.

“He looked very comfortable (at the plate), the game is slowing down now,” Pierce said. “He blocked his tail off tonight, but then to go out and get a couple hits and some RBIs — it was awesome.”

Coming into the season, it was hard to imagine a night like this would have even been possible for Peter. The former co-valedictorian at Stratford High School in the Houston area came into the season as the third catcher on the depth chart, but due to injuries, he found himself in a position he never thought possible.

“I wouldn’t be where I am without

DJ (Petrinsky) and Mike (McCann),” said Peter. “They work with me every single day to get me in the best position to succeed.”

With conference play set to begin this weekend, it was imperative the Longhorns got the offense right after scoring just seven runs in the four game series against Stanford over the weekend.

Texas did just that — responded with the 17 run outburst — the most the school has scored in the David Pierce era and the most since April 24, 2016, against then-No. 11 Texas Tech. “(The win) is something that we can build on,” said Peter. “We had 18 hits and we kinda struggled offensively at Stanford, so it’s good to get this confidence to get back right into Big 12 play.”

Speaking of Texas Tech, they come to Austin this weekend for the beginning of Big 12 play with a three game series that begins on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

TENNIS

Texas tops Rice in first match with interim head coach

By Robert Trevino @robtrev22

The No. 3 Texas men’s tennis team handled business in the second round of their seven-match home stand, defeating the Rice Owls, 5-2, on a day in which head coach Michael Center was implicated in conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

With a crowd of over 100 in attendance — including a significant number of visiting Rice fans who made their presence repeatedly known — and a south wind gusting at over 20 miles per hour at times, as well as a nearby baseball game at Disch-Falk Field pumping in music, the Longhorns grabbed the doubles point after No. 13 Christian Sigsgaard & Harrison Scott clinched their match to win 6-3.

In Center’s absence, associate head coach Bruce Berque stepped in as interim head coach for Tuesday’s game and the foreseeable future.

“This is my fifth year altogether (at Texas), so I’m pretty comfortable with the routines that Coach Center has established,” Berque said. “So right now, we just want to keep those same routines and keep things familiar and keep going forward.”

The singles’ matches left no drama to be desired, as Chih Chi Huang battled back and forth with Rice’s Mohamed Abdel-Aziz before winning the first set, 7-5. Meanwhile, on the other end of the complex, Texas’ Rodrigo Banzer — who started singles against NC State, but otherwise had not played much singles this season — fell in a tiebreaker to the Owls’ Campbell Salmon.

The Longhorns clinched the match after Colin Markes finished Adam Oscislawski, 6-3, 6-2, followed quickly by No. 9 Yuya Ito, who won, 6-2, 6-2, over Jacob Eskeland.

With one more match needed to win, Scott rallied from 15-40 down to win the

game and the match, 6-1, 7-5.

“I think we did a pretty good job today, I was pretty pleased with it,” Berque said.

“Not everyone played well, but I told the team beforehand that it was quite windy to start, and I don’t think anyone was going to play their best tennis tonight … regardless of the level of play, that we wanted everyone to be positive and stay in good mental and physical habits.”

With the match already clinched, Huang added another point for Texas in his win over Abdel-Aziz, 7-5, 6-4. However, Rice’s Campbell Salmon would defeat Rodrigo Banzer while the Owls’ No. 1 Sumit Sarkar took down Texas’ No. 4 ranked Christian Sigsgaard in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6 (3).

“He (Sigsgaard) was very frustrated,” Berque said. “I think what hurt him is he got off to a really good start, and then

things started slipping a little bit and turning against him, and I was just trying to get him to stay positive and be aggressive. … He got a little negative tonight, and I’m sure he’ll agree with me, and I’m sure he’ll bounce back and be ready for the next one.”

The Longhorns move to 15–1 with their win and will welcome in their only loss Thursday, as No. 1 Ohio State comes into town. The match begins at 5:30 p.m.

pedro luna | the daily texan staff Junior Christian Sigsgaard shined in doubles play on Tuesday night. Sigsgaard paired up with Harrison Scott to defeat Rice, 6-3, in doubles. The Longhorns improved to 15-1 on the season after beating the Owls, with the top-ranked team in the country visting Thursday.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Wednesday, March 13, 2019

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TIANA WOODARD & JORDYN ZITMAN LIFE&ARTS EDITORS @THEDAILYTEXAN

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

SXSW

SXSW speaker on empathy, kindness Stanford psychology professor talks his new book, ‘The War for Kindness.’

By Landry Allred @l2ndry

eople filled the ballroom of the Hilton Austin Downtown Hotel, waiting to hear about empathy’s short supply, yet extreme importance.

Jamil Zaki, a psychology professor from Stanford University, spoke at SXSW on March 12 at the Hilton. Highlighting his upcoming book “The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World,” Zaki discussed empathy and how society can use it to mend gaps within cultures.

To better understand empathy, Zaki began by taking the crowd back in time and speaking about how although early humans on earth were intellectually underdeveloped, the thing setting them apart from animals was each other.

“As individuals, we were unassuming,” Zaki said. “(But) together, we were breathtaking.”

Zaki displayed a video of a man walking a tightrope and said viewers watching often squirm in their seats, imagining his experience as their own. He said the reason for this is because of our ability to empathize — sharing what others feel.

He listed ways empathy benefits the self, others and community, including a decrease in depression and loneliness, increase in marital satisfaction and a stronger generosity toward strangers.

“Empathy helps all sorts of

copyright jamil zaki, and reproduced with permission Jamil Zaki, a psychology professor from Stanford University, discussed empathy and how society can further develop it to overcome cultural division.

people, including the people who actually feel it,” Zaki said.

Despite these benefits, Zaki said empathy is easier said than done.

Looking at early humans, Zaki said

empathy looked different then because individuals lived in small, familiar communities, making it easier to empathize with others.

Today, society has shifted from

living in rural communities to urban areas.

“Being surrounded by people isn’t the same as knowing them,” Zaki said. “Humanity is alone in a

crowd. We see more people than we did before but know fewer of them.”

Because of this, he said empathy cannot develop. Thus, Zaki introduced a view of empathy he’s been studying — empathy isn’t a fixed trait. He said throughout his childhood, he experienced a continual recalibration of empathy when alternating from each parent’s house after their divorce.

“For me, empathy was a survival skill,” Zaki said. “It saved me but not because it became easy.”

Through this, Zaki concluded empathy isn’t only a trait but also a skill, and experiences shape it. He said encouraging empathy to be a norm can grow empathy.

In a study his research team conducted, they tried convincing 1,182 seventh graders from five middle schools in the San Francisco Bay Area that empathy was “cool.” They discovered the more they presented empathy as a norm, it impacted the children’s beliefs and kind behavior.

“Empathetic norms can make a difference in schools, but they can make differences in other places, too,” Zaki said.

Another way he suggested empathy growth was by focusing on an individual experience. His Stanford research team conducted another study using virtual reality to create an immersive experience of a homeless person. They found even after a month, individuals who went through the experience felt a greater empathy for homeless individuals.

“If we want to cross boundaries between us and them, a great way to start is with you and I,” Zaki said.

Thus, Zaki concluded saying through developing empathy, society can begin to take this renewable, precious resource and use it with purpose.

“If we can all do that, something special might occur,” Zaki said.

“We might start to mend tears in the social fabric.”

FILM REVIEW|’VILLAINS’

‘Villains’ brings out best in bad guys with dark humor, comedy

w tch us at YOUTUBE.COM/THEDAILYTEXAN

copyright brons studio, and reproduced with permission “Villains” is a dark comedy directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen that follows a criminal couple who breaks into a home that, unfortunately, belongs to a couple who may be more dangerous than them.

By Noah Levine @ZProductionz

It turns out the best movies are the ones with no heroes at all.

“Villains” is a dark comedy directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen that follows a criminal couple who breaks into a home that, unfortunately, belongs to a couple who may be more dangerous than them. The film stars Bill Skarsgård (Pennywise the Clown in “IT”) and Maika Monroe as the two main characters.

The dynamic duo of Skarsgård and Monroe is primarily why this film works so well.

The relationship between Mickey and Jules is surprisingly sweet and witty. The actors play off each other very naturally, and it’s hard not to believe they are actually in love.

Their performance is so likable that only minutes after the duo robs a convenience store at gunpoint, the audience is compelled to root for the criminals. This is such a unique dynamic, as it really challenges the cliché dynamic of the good guys and the bad guys. This film is simply bad guys and badder guys.

Jeffrey Donovan’s George and Kyra Sedgwick’s Gloria are worthy antagonists for the film. While George is very much a one-dimensional villain, Gloria expresses a bit more development and lore within her character. The villainous duo plays morbidly

off of one another, with Donovan’s George clearly caring for his wife’s well-being in a distorted sort of way.

The story is generally straightforward — two lovers are determined to head to Florida to start anew, even if it means committing several crimes to get there. The motivation of the characters is enough for the audience to get on board, and when the antagonists show up, it is easy to root for the success of Mickey and Jules. The story is intercut with strange VHS-style videos of a beach, which culminate into a big emotional reveal at the end of the story. The tone of the film is generally dark and comedic, though as the film progresses, the antagonists simply seem more absurd than intimidating. It would have been beneficial to retain a more menacing tone to up the stakes of the danger.

The cinematography is a bit too clean and simple to match the content of the film. Visuals are often crisp and bright, something that undermines the grittiness of the story. A darker, more uncomfortable style of filming would have been more integral to the scope of the story. Regardless, this doesn’t impact the entertainment factor of the film.

“Villains” is a neat, exceptionally evil, dark comedy that somehow gets its audience to root for the criminals. That, in itself, is no small feat.

“Villains” Score: 3.6/5