The Daily Texan 2019-03-28

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THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2019

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119,

issue

NEWS

OPINION

LIFE&ARTS

SPORTS

Michael Dell set to give spring commencement keynote address. PA G E 2

UT needs more open spiritual spaces on campus for students. PA G E 4

Business student creates app to cash-in or donate campus Dine In Dollars. PA G E 6

Texas dominates in final home game of the season, advances in NIT tournament. PA G E 8

UNIVERSITY

SIX YEAR SUSPENSION ‘Disturbing’ hazing culture uncovered in Cowboys investigation.

By Lisa Nhan @lmnhan24

he University has suspended the Texas Cowboys for six years, following a hazing investigation into their fall initiation retreat.

The investigation found evidence of hazing during the fall of 2018 and as far back as fall 2015. New members of Cowboys were subjected to multiple forms of hazing at the September 2018 retreat, including physical brutality, animal cruelty, forced ingestion of unwanted substances and coerced consumption of alcohol, according to the report.

The sanction will be finalized once the Cowboys decide whether to accept the sanction, appeal it or request a formal hearing. During the suspension, the Cowboys, a spirit organization known for firing “Smokey the Cannon,” will be removed from all game day operations and will no longer act as University ambassadors. The last time the Cowboys were suspended from campus in 1995, the Texas Silver Spurs took care of Smokey, according to Texas Monthly.

The report found that during the 2018 retreat, one new member was coerced into biting the head off a live hamster, a practice which occurred also in 2015 and 2017. Other members were required to ingest unwanted substances such as cat food and whole onions and were forced into the cannon’s trailer.

The Cowboys and their alumni group did not respond to requests for comment.

The investigation was requested by the Cumberland family after their son Nicky suffered fatal injuries in a car crash on the way back from the retreat in September 2018. The crash, which

occurred at 5:43 am, resulted from the driver falling asleep at the wheel. The hazing investigation found a lack of evidence to support claims that sleep deprivation was used as a hazing tactic.

The Cumberlands first became aware of hazing at the retreat after speaking to Cowboys who attended. They found severe bruising on Nicky’s buttocks four weeks after the crash while he was

Two families have lost their sons and the UT community has lost two of its students because the Texas Cowboys continue to perpetuate unlawful and irresponsible behavior time and time again” UT REPORT

on life support, and also found a shopping list on his phone that listed abundant amounts of alcohol that new Cowboys were required to bring to the retreat.

Underage drinking is a “major facet of the organization’s culture,” the report said. Members at the retreat told the University they were forced or coerced to consume alcohol, and at the time of the retreat, 14 of the 25 new members were underage.

anthony mireles | the daily texan file The Texas Cowboys have been suspended for six years following the University’s hazing investigation. The investigation found that hazing occurred at the fall 2018 retreat and in previous semesters, dating back to 2015.

In 1995, the Texas Cowboys were banned for five years after the death of then-pledge Gabe Higgins. After being hazed at that year’s initiation retreat, Higgins was found dead in the Colorado River near Bastrop with a blood alcohol content twice the legal limit for driving. Following their return to campus in 2000, the Texas Cowboys made a pledge to ban hazing from the organization.

However, the report said that while the Cowboys made attempts at reform, there is still a “disturbing, long-standing pattern of behavior” where “hazing within the Texas Cowboys has not only persisted, but continues to escalate.”

“The facts of the 1995 and current case are so similar it is clear that the Texas Cowboys are adept at passing on traditions, but not lessons,” the report said.

The recommended sanctions include probation for two years after reinstatement, permanent prohibition of live animals at events and the required use of chartered buses for all off-campus events.

The report said this continued behavior calls for more severe sanctions.

“Two families have lost their sons and The University of Texas at Austin community has lost two of its students because the Texas Cowboys continue to perpetuate unlawful and irresponsible behavior time and time again,” the report said.

Other sanctions required for the Cowboys’ return to campus include showing all members a

COWBOYS

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NATION

Father of UT student named in college admissions scandal

By Megan Menchaca @meganmenchaca13

Editor’s note: A source in this story agreed to speak to The Texan on terms of anonymity.

Christopher James Schaepe admitted to his firm that he is the father of the UT student who was referred to in the college admissions scandal complaint, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A spokesperson for Lightspeed Venture Partners, a venture capital firm which boasts of having $6 billion invested in startups, told the Times they cut ties with Schaepe after partners became worried about a “personal matter” which could “interfere with firm operations” this week.

In a 269-page indictment and multiple complaints released by the Department of Justice on March 12, federal investigators named more than 50 people as part of a nationwide scheme designed to fraudulently admit wealthy students into renowned universities. Now-fired

UT men’s tennis coach Michael Center was accused of accepting approximately $100,000 from William “Rick” Singer as a bribe to admit a student with little tennis experience as a men’s tennis recruit.

Schaepe is denying any wrongdoing and was “horrified” about Singer’s indictment, according to a source with knowledge of the family’s situation who spoke to The Daily Texan on the condition of anonymity. However, the anonymous source said the father and student in the complaint are Schaepe and his son.

The Texan’s anonymous source said Singer’s college advising services were recommended to the Schaepe family, who wanted to find colleges where their son could be the manager of a basketball or football team. Schaepe’s son did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Facebook Messenger and through email.

“The Schaepe’s were deeply disturbed that the person they had trusted to guide them through the college applica-

joshua guenther | the daily texan file Former men’s tennis coach Michael Center is flanked by his former lawyer Dan Cogdell, right, as he leaves the United States Courthouse in Austin on March 12. Center is charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

tion process was engaged in inappropriate acts,” said Ellen Davis, Schaepe’s spokesperson.

“Like countless other families,

they believed that (Singer’s) services and his foundation were all aboveboard, and were shocked by his deception.”

Singer introduced Schaepe, who has not been charged,

ADMISSIONS

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CLAIRE ALLBRIGHT NEWS EDITOR @THEDAILYTEXAN

THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2019

This issue of The Daily Texan is valued at $1.25

WEST CAMPUS

PERMANENT STAFF Editor-in-Chief Liza Anderson Managing Editor Forrest Milburn Assoc. Managing Editors Catherine Marfin, Andrea D’Mello Director of Digital Strategy Alexandria Dominguez Assoc. Editors Bella McWhorter, Emily Caldwell, Angelica Lopez Forum Editors Jennifer Liu News Editor Claire Allbright Assoc. News Editors Anna Lassmann, Sami Sparber

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Private housing increases security for Roundup

By Jackson Barton @Jackson_Brton

Architecture freshman Jacob Levy had never heard about Roundup until his dormitory in West Campus asked him to wear a wristband for four days to enter his dorm. Roundup is an annual social event hosted by UT’s Interfraternity Council.

Several private student housing in West Campus, such as The Castilian, The Callaway House and University Towers, will require residents to wear wristbands at all times from Thursday through Sunday. The policy is meant to help security distinguish between residents and non-residents during Roundup. Replacement wristbands will cost $50 at The Castilian.

Jamie Rule, The Castilian resident and psychology freshman, said she does not plan on attending Roundup, but the dormitory’s policy made her feel like management did not trust her to uphold the lease agreement.

“It’s really annoying that they have such little belief in us to uphold something that we signed,” Rule said. “I’ve never experienced Roundup because I’m a freshman, so I don’t know if they’re being excessive in this, but it’s something I thought was a bit unnecessary.”

Rule said she disagrees with the policy charging The Castilian residents for lost wristbands.

“If you lose your wristband, having to pay $50 even though you just live here — I think that’s just ridiculous,” Rule said.

University Towers said in an email to residents that bags will be subject to search during the weekend, and any alcohol or illegal drugs will be confiscated. University

joshua guenther | the daily texan staff Journalism freshman Adam Glick wears an orange wristband signifying that he is a resident of The Castilian. Multiple private student housing complexes in West Campus are requiring residents wear wristbands to enter their dorms during Roundup.

Towers did not respond to a request for comment.

Paige Giordano, design sophomore and University Towers resident, said she thinks the apartment’s management is being overly cautious.

“I think they’re just trying to keep people from partying, which is a weird mindset because they didn’t seem to care about it before,” Giordano said.

Police officers will also be stationed at both entrances to The Castilian starting Thursday, according to an email from the building’s management.

Liza Anderson (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com Forrest Milburn (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com (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

79º 63º

UNIVERSITY

By Laura Doan

NEWS OFFICE

HI LO

distinguish residents from visitors and preserve harmony.”

Levy said he doesn’t understand the need for extra security because there’s already parties every weekend outside of Roundup.

“There’s parties every weekend,” Levy said. “There’s drunk people every weekend. There’s just going to be more of them this weekend.

So it just seems unnecessary to me.”

American Campus Communities is also sponsoring Roundup and will have hydration stations set up outside of The Castilian, The Callaway House and 26 West for partygoers.

Professors research causes of grade inflation

MANAGING EDITOR

TODAY Mar. 28

Jacob Musgrove, regional manager of American Campus Communities, which manages The Castilian, 26 West and The Callaway House, said in an email that during weekends with higher visitor traffic, such as Roundup, there is a higher chance of inconvenience for residents and damage to the community.

“Policies like these are intended to serve our residents and maintain the academic and supportive environment at our residence halls,” Musgrove said in an email. “Despite the modest inconvenience, our community appreciates our approach to

TOMORROW Mar. 29

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tenure decisions.

In the past, the UT administration has demonstrated concern about the prospect of rising grades. In 2009, part of the explanation for instituting the plus/ minus grading system was it may be used to reduce grade inflation, according to a press release.

English professor John Rumrich said grade inflation likely played into the rise in GPA. “It seems to me as if the arrows in terms of policy and assessment all

point to grade inflation,” Rumrich said.

Chemistry professor David Laude, said he credits the GPA rise to other factors such as increasing student intelligence.

“All you have to do is look at our historical SAT scores and average class rank, and the average ability of our student population is just vastly better,” Laude said.

Laude, who was formerly senior vice provost for enrollment and graduation management, also

suggested UT’s student success programs, which aim to improve grades and graduation rates among economically disadvantaged students, partially drive GPA improvement.

Laude said he has given more A’s in his classes, not because his class is less rigorous, but because he has improved instruction for the disadvantaged students who often previously received lower grades.

“Maybe (leveling the playing field) ends up resulting in what people call

grade inflation,” Laude said, “But I think, ‘Wait a second, isn’t that just more learning taking place?’”

Still, both Healy and economics professor Wayne Hickenbottom said the steady GPA climb makes the metric less useful for businesses and graduate schools looking to distinguish amongst students.

Hickenbottom said if the upward trend continues, GPA on a resume will become as universally high and useless as drivers’ ratings on Uber.

Laude said professors have to stop and ask if the purpose of a faculty member is to teach or assess.

“It’s not my job to decide who goes to medical school,” Laude said. “It’s my job to motivate students to learn.”

Healy does not see the GPA rise hitting a plateau anytime soon, and he said students should be cognizant.

“You should know if you make an A in the class people won’t be impressed anymore,” Healy said. “You have to distinguish yourself in other ways. They’re not going to impress a future employer by saying, ‘I have a 3.5.’ Well, unfortunately, so does everybody else.”

invited to join the basketball team after the UT Summer Basketball camp in April 2015, which led to him leaving the tennis team. Schaepe’s son was a UT’s men’s basketball manager during the 20152016 season, according to the 2015-16 Texas Basketball Fact Book.

“I got him in the school, you know, and then he withdrew from the team,” Center said in a wiretapped call in October 2018, according to the complaint against him.

Before it was deleted, Singer’s website — The Key Worldwide — featured testimonials from students and parents thanking Singer for helping them get admitted into various colleges, such as UT and USC. One of the posts from April 2015 includes a photo of Schaepe’s son posing with Kevin Durant during the summer

basketball camp.

“I wanted to thank you personally for all your help in getting me into the University of Texas in Austin, and for helping me secure a managers position with the UT basketball team,” said a now-deleted post signed with Schaepe’s son’s name on the website.

The anonymous source told the Texan that the parents sent the photo to Singer, but he made up the testimonial.

The criminal complaint also alleges the UT student’s father made a donation of stock valued at $455,194 to The Key Worldwide Foundation — which is owned by Singer — in February 2015. In April and May 2015, investigators say the father also made payments of stock valued at $102,925 and $73,445 to

the foundation.

The anonymous source said Schaepe and his family have a track record of philanthropy and donated to Singer because they believed it would support community programs benefiting children.

Bird said Schaepe co-established a scholarship for undergraduate students at the Moody College of Communication with financial need in August 2017. According to the 2016-2017 UT annual financial report, the Chiu-Schaepe Family Endowed Scholarship was endowed with more than $100,000. The scholarship awarded $5,000 to two students in 2018.

University spokesperson J.B. Bird said Schaepe co-established the ChiuSchaepe Family Endowed Scholarship in men’s basketball to support the

cost of a scholarship for a member of the men’s basketball team. According to the 2016-2017 UT annual financial report, this scholarship was also endowed with more than $100,000.

Schaepe’s son was listed in the UT directory as a communications and leadership senior in the Moody College of Communication on March 13, the day after the federal indictment was released. The student was removed from the directory shortly after the father, the student and the University were contacted by the Texan for comment on March 13.

Bird said the university may remove a student from the directory in the interest of the student, but said he was not legally allowed to discuss any actions or decisions involving the student under FERPA.

@ledoan17

At UT, B+’s are average.

The average cumulative GPA for UT undergraduates at the end of last semester was about a 3.33, the highest it has been during any fall semester for the past 10 years. In fall 2009, the GPA for undergraduates hovered closer to a 3.07, and it has crept up incrementally each year since.

UT is in good company, said Chris Healy, a computer science professor at Furman University who compiled nationwide data from numerous private and public universities with Stuart Rojstaczer, a former Duke professor. Healy said grades have been climbing at almost every college since the late 1980s.

“There has been a gradual but chronic increase of more than 20 years,” Healy said. “But we’re at all-time highs.”

Healy said the nationwide GPA rise is partially due to grade inflation. According to Healy, grades have increased out of proportion to student improvement. Instead, Healy said professors are giving higher grades, in part, to perform better on student evaluations, which matter for promotion and

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to former UT men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes who said he could arrange for Schaepe’s son to be the men’s basketball team manager, the source said. The source said when Barnes left the University in March 2015, Singer put Schaepe in touch with a second person who worked with the school’s tennis team.

Despite the student only playing tennis during his freshman year of high school, the student was added to the UT tennis team roster as a recruited athlete after he and his father signed a letter of intent to play tennis in April 2015, investigators say in the complaint.

The anonymous source said Schaepe’s son was

cameron dehghani

| the daily texan staff

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THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2019

STATE

Legislators push for easier credit

State senators propose bills to improve college credit transfer process.

By Katie Balevic @KatelynBalevic

tate legislators are trying to ensure transfer students get credit for courses they’ve already taken and graduate in four years.

At UT, 15 percent of new undergraduate students were transfers in fall 2018, according to the Institutional Reporting, Research and Information Systems.

State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, outlined two bills at the Senate Committee on Higher Education meeting Wednesday that seek to improve the credit transfer process.

Of the 42 semester credit hours that make up the Texas common core curriculum, only 12 are consistently required and accepted state-wide for all undergraduate degree plans, West said. “(Students, parents and advisors) expect that the 42 semester credit hours and transfer work will not only satisfy state requirements, but will also apply to a student’s degree plan,” West said. “Yet, 30 semester credit hours of course work within the core can vary considerably among universities and even among various disciplines within each university.”

West said all 42 semester credit hours of the core curriculum should apply consistently to all degrees at all institutions across the state. West said his bills, Senate Bill 1923 and Senate Bill 25, aim to accomplish

joshua guenther | the daily texan staff The Senate Higher Education Committee hears testimony on Senate Bill 25 from Dr. James Hallmark of the Texas A&M University System. SB-1923 and SB-25 aim to create a pathway for students to transfer credits between universities.

that by creating transfer pathways at universities and simplifying the common core curriculum, respectively.

“The restructuring of the common core would be done by breaking it into two components — the general core and the disciplinary core,” West said. “The general core would transfer and apply to all degrees and consist of half of the 42 hours that exist in the current common core. The second portion would be the disciplinary core that would be comprised of meta majors.”

Meta majors are clusters of courses required by similar majors in an area of study. West

said creating meta major pathways would help streamline students’ selection of courses for their academic and career interests. The meta major pathways, proposed in SB-1923, would also transfer across all institutions in Texas, West said.

SB-25 would also require four-year institutions to establish agreements with some lower-division institutions, enabling students to receive up to 60 hours of transfer credit.

“These reforms would dramatically increase predictability and consistency for Texas students about which courses are transferable and applicable to degree requirements,”

West said.

Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, proposed an additional bill that requires institutions to report their reasoning for not accepting certain transfer credits to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

“SB 502 requires institutions to report to the Higher Education Coordinating Board how many credits they do not accept from a transferring institution and explain why the transferred credit was not accepted,” Seliger said. “It is up to the university to be the arbiter of those academic credits that apply to the university, but the information ought to be available to

the people trying to transfer to the university.”

Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, explained his bill, SB 2058, would require universities that do not accept a transfer credit to absorb the cost of the tuition and fees for the substitute course the student has to take.

“I’d like to shift the burden of additional classes due to nonaccepted credits to the receiving institution and not the students because we are all working so hard to lower their student debt,” Menéndez said.

All four bills were left pending in committee to be readdressed at a later time.

UNIVERSITY

Come take your FREE GRADUATION PICTURE

for the Cactus Yearbook!

gabriel lopez | the daily texan file Michael Dell, who has continually invested in the future of UT students such as helping launch Dell Medical School, will deliver the keynote address at this spring commencement.

Michael Dell to deliver spring commencement speech

By Bonny Chu @bbbonny_

Michael Dell, chairman and chief executive officer of Dell Technologies, will deliver this year’s keynote address at the University’s 136th Spring Commencement on May 25 at the South Mall.

“During his freshman year at the University of Texas, Michael Dell founded a computer company that would go on to become one of the most influential technology companies in the world,” UT President Gregory Fenves said in a statement. “By speaking at UT’s 136th Spring Commencement, Michael will be able to tell his story and provide inspiration and wisdom to a new class of Longhorns.”

After attending UT during the 1980s, Dell founded the Dell Computer Corporation in

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yearly presentation about the deaths of Nicky and Higgins and requiring all new members to read “The Cowboys’ Secret,” a book written by Higgins’ mother about her son’s death.

Allie Cumberland, Nicky’s sister, said the family was satisfied with the outcome of the investigation, but they are especially pleased the University listened to their recommendation of making “The Cowboys’ Secret” required reading. “She worked so hard on that book for so many years and was so devastated when she

1984, later becoming the youngest CEO ever to earn a ranking on the Fortune 500.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, which helps children living in urban poverty, has committed more than $135 million to the University to help students reach the same goals he once shared as an undergrad.

The 8 p.m. commencement ceremony will be preceded by a concert from the University’s Chamber Singers, Concert Chorale and Wind Ensemble.

Dell said he is honored to give a speech for the 7,076 students currently eligible to receive their degrees this spring.

“They have so much opportunity in front of them,” Dell said in a UT News press release. “I look forward to comparing notes from my time at UT, as well as sharing my thoughts about how we can bring technology into balance with our humanity.”

heard about Nicky,” Cumberland said. “Reading that book should be required for the Cowboys, but I would recommend it to any student organization or student leader because it is so powerful.”

University President Gregory Fenves said in an official statement that he and the rest of campus continues to mourn over Nicky’s death.

“Let me make clear — there is no place for hazing at The University of Texas. The mission of this university — to educate, learn, discover and serve — can only be accomplished in an environment where we respect each other.

Where we look after our neighbors, peers and friends,” Fenves said.

CONGRATULATIONS, CLASS OF 2019 GRADUATES When: March 25-29 Time: 1 – 7 PM Location: HSM Building Lobby 2500 Whitis Just show up, no appointment necessary.

Business-casual attire recommended.

Receive a $10 discount off of the Cactus Yearbook with your picture.

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LIZA ANDERSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TEXANOPINION

THURSDA, MARCH 28, 2019

COLUMN

UT should expand spiritual spaces to every building on campus

By Neha Dronamraju Columnist

Let’s take a walk down the Drag to campus. Among the shops and eateries, you will see at least two churches and maybe a mosque if you venture toward 21st and Nueces Streets.

These places of worship are not affiliated with the University, but they do serve many UT students because of their proximity to campus.

There are 144 religious organizations registered with the University, all representing a variety of faiths.

Every single one of these organizations lacks easy access to the specific space of worship their faith calls for.

It is impossible for the University to serve all religions to an adequate extent because of the sheer number of religions represented. Additionally, there are legal restrictions placed on state institutions regarding religious establishments.

However, UT can provide more nondenominational places of worship on campus. The University should redesignate at least one room in every building to for this purpose.

Biology freshman Ali Muhammad, who requested to not be mentioned by his full name, worships five times a day. He alternates his prayer space between the meditation room in the Perry-Castañeda Library and the mosque on Nueces. He often finds it difficult to practice his faith with the lack of University resources.

“I worship everyday, five times a day, and sometimes it’s hard to fit that into my schedule,” Muhammad said. “In my religion, we pray out loud, so it sometimes annoys occupants of the meditation room who are there to quietly meditate, and the mosque on Nueces is a 10 to 15 minute walk, so I can’t always make it there.”

alexandra vanderhider

Muhammad also said that while the meditation room accommodates his needs, he wishes there were more so he wouldn’t have to walk to the PCL every time he wants to pray.

| the daily texan staff

According to Student Body Vice President Mehraz Rahman, there are currently only three reflection spaces on campus: one in the PCL, one in the Union and one in Ernest

GALLERY

Cockrell Jr. Hall.

Rahman moved to reform this problem that inconveniences her and many of her peers.

“I pray five times a day, so I often had to pray in stairwells and put my face to the dirty ground because there were only two reflection spaces on campus,” Rahman said. “It’s difficult to run to the PCL or the Union if you’re in class. I wasn’t the only one who was having these problems.”

But when Rahman attempted to fix this problem, she encountered an obstacle — any space on campus is coveted, and claiming that space proved to be difficult. Rahman took on this project last year, and the reflection space she worked to establish in the engineering building opened just last week. Rahman said it took so long because even new spaces popping up on campus are already claimed — but it was still possible.

Adding a reflection space to every existing building on campus in addition to any new building plans is not an easy fix, nor is it a quick one. But it is an essential commodity for students who need a spiritual space.

There is a community of students on campus who pray regularly — sometimes everyday or multiple times a day. UT cannot reasonably expect students to incorporate a commute to a place of worship into their busy schedules. UT should redesignate at least one room in each building on campus — including dorms — as nondenominational places of worship. Students deserve access to spaces for worship across their campus.

“This is a great step for everybody,” Rahman said. “It’s reaffirming the University’s commitment to showing all students that they belong here.”

Dronamraju is a public health freshman from Dallas.

COLUMN

Professors shouldn’t consider using test banks cheating or come up with new questions for future tests.

Students have also been taught that one of the most effective ways to study is with practice quizzes and self-testing. Therefore, using old test questions to study should be encouraged rather than Test banks are a compilation of a professor’s test frowned upon. questions from past semesters. When students are Don Winget, an astronomy professor who gives either given back an exam or allowed to leave the students quizzes from past semesters to use when class with it, some students put the questions from studying, said test banks can be valuable because these tests into a database for future students of they help students know what to study, which the same class to use. reduces student anxiety.

Many students create and use test banks to “As a student … it seems arbitrary and study for exams, but there is debate over the ethics limitless the possible things you might (be) of using test banks and whether or not UT should asked about,” Winget said. “(Past exams) tell consider this practice cheating. (students) what kind of things There is no University-wide policy regarding are important.” test banks, according to Sara Kennedy, manager of While Winget, who has been a prostrategic and executive communications at the Offessor for 38 years, acknowledges that fice of the Dean of the Students. Policies vary classwriting new questions each semester can room to classroom based on what each professor be a lot of work, he said he doesn’t take allows for their respective class. issue with doing so because the field of According to Kennedy, students are free knowledge for astronomy is always to use past exams to study only if their changing and the information he professor allows it. “However, if the covers varies each semester. faculty member does not allow “(There’s) an evolving knowlit, then it is a violation,” Kennedy edge base,” Winget said. “That said. This means students can be means you’re going to have to found guilty of academic dishonescome up with new questions ty for using test banks, even if the because you didn’t talk about questions come from (it) before.” exams that a Students professor volshould have untarily handthe freedom ed back or did to study in not collect. It a way that all depends on greyson rauscher | the daily texan staff works for professors’ individual policies. them. For many students, practice quizzes Hacking into a professor’s computer or breakand questions are their best way to prepare ing into a professor’s office to steal an exam should for a test. The University should not give proabsolutely be considered academic dishonesty. fessors the power to make their own unique polHowever, UT should not consider it cheating icies to dictate when students can get in trouble when students compile questions from past exams for using old exam questions obtained legally. that a professor allowed their students to keep, If professors are truly against sturegardless of a professor’s unique policy. dents benefiting from test banks, they Any professor that gives back or fails to collect can always individually collect tests after exams should expect that future students can and exams or rewrite their tests. will use these exams as a resource when studying. If Corwin is a journalism sophomore from Long professors do not want this to happen, they should Island, NY. either make sure exams stay inside the classroom

By Henry Corwin Columnist

yulissa chavez

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

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THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2019

MEN’S BASKETBALL

joshua guenther | the daily texan staff Stu Streit, commonly known as “NIT Stu,” made it his personal goal years ago to attend as many NIT games as possible. Streit has been in attendance for each of the Longhorns’ three NIT games in March.

NIT superfan embraces atmosphere of forgotten tournament which include “NIT,” “TEXAS,” “The time is now,” “I love the NIT” and “32 > 68.” Each sign was entitled to its own reserved seat, spanning across the entire row.

The Frank Erwin Center closed its upper “It helps having this much space to work deck for the National Invitational Tournawith. It’s a big canvas,” NIT Stu said, pointing ment, so the 3,982 fans in attendance all to his array of signs. “I’m just trying to concompacted into the lower bowl of the 42-year vince people to love the NIT for what it is. I’m old venue. really just hoping to get Texas fans excited This crowd formation has been a staple of about heading to New York.”

Texas’ three NIT games this March. A loud, Stu Streit, a 24-year old Lyft driver and riveting audience aligns the sidelines, but an NIT blogger for The Barking Crow, moved to empty, barren student section lies behind Austin a few years ago and made it his misboth baskets. This mass vacancy has paved sion to attend as many NIT games as possiway for another staple to enter the arena — a ble. While the NIT is frequently overlooked dancing, bucket hat-wearing superfan who in favor of the NCAA Tournament, it’s NIT goes by the name “NIT Stu.” With no fans situated within a 20-feet Stu’s mission to draw as much awareness Texas Student keep you connected radius ofMedia him, NIT will Stu was a can’t-miss spec- and attention to the 32-team tournament.

But why the NIT? tacle during Texas’ 68-55 blowout win over culture with daily links to the news, sports and “Two years ago, that whole debacle where Colorado. Wednesday night was NIT Stu’s stories shaping the UT community. third-straight game at the Erwin Center, dec- Indiana didn’t know if they wanted to play a home game, and they ended up declining the orated with eight full-size posterboard signs,

By Steve Helwick @s_helwick

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home game because they said it was gonna devalue Assembly Hall,” NIT Stu said, reminiscing on several of his favorite NIT moments. “That same year, Illinois State was playing UCF and Illinois State’s clock broke, so the PA announcer was calling out the time every 15 to 30 seconds.”

The superfan is credentialed to the NIT Final Four in Madison Square Garden for the second consecutive year. While 17.2 million fans were submitting March Madness brackets on ESPN, NIT Stu filled out an NIT bracket and selected Nebraska as the winner. But now, he believes in Texas’ chances.

“I feel like they’re kind of the favorite right now,” NIT Stu said, while keeping tabs on the NC State-Lipscomb game, which ran during the Texas game. “They just gotta keep making shots and it’s there’s for the taking.”

In the city of Austin, it’s just not Stu who embraces the NIT. After originally viewing it as a disappointment, the Longhorns are

excited to continue their NIT journey in New York and compete for a championship.

“To ba able to play in March and go win a championship — that’s our goal as a team,” shooting guard Jase Febres said. “NIT or NCAA, we’re blessed to be in this position, and we’re gonna make the most out of it.”

The NIT fever rang through the Frank Erwin Center postgame as Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” resonated through the arena while players’ eyes lit up at the thought of playing in the renowned Madison Square Garden.

“It’s a pretty cool experience for the guys, and we were looking at something as a staff the other day — the all-time great performances that have occurred there,” Texas head coach Shaka Smart said. “We’ll give the guys a little history lesson about that, and hopefully, they’ll make the most of it.”

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TIANA WOODARD & JORDYN ZITMAN LIFE&ARTS EDITORS @THEDAILYTEXAN

THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2019

FEATURE

Student launches dining app SwipeMeIn allows UT students to sell or donate excess Dine In Dollars.

By Celesia Smith @celsmit

ff-campus students generally have the option of cooking for themselves or paying full price for on-campus dining halls, but one student decided to find his own economical option. After seven months and 10,943 lines of code, he has one.

Business honors and management information systems sophomore Jonathan Wong turned the shortage of accessible, affordable food options for off-campus students into a business. Last semester, Wong began drafting SwipeMeIn, a web app that allows off-campus students to purchase cheaper meals by paying on-campus students real money for their Dine In Dollars. The platform, expected to launch after spring break, also allows users to donate excess on-campus currencies to nearby food pantries.

While the idea for SwipeMeIn came to Wong during a conversation with a friend in Jester Residence Hall, the young entrepreneur began developing the app at the HackTX hackathon in October 2018. Wong and his team of UT Turing Scholars won “Best Hack That Helps The

avery chahl | the daily texan staff Business Honors and MIS sophomore Jonathan Wong developed SwipeMeIn, a web app where users can exchange Dine In Dollars for real money or donate them to students in need.

Community and/or Environment” and “Best Use of Data Against Hunger.”

“I found that UT wastes over $1 million in dining hall account funds annually. Then I saw UT Outpost was a food pantry that had just opened,” Wong said. “I noticed an opportunity to take economic and food waste that was occurring in the dining hall system and turn it into monetary value that could be reinvested into students, especially food insecure students.”

Since HackTX, Wong has coded the rest of the web app and worked with Mary Catherine Arnott, a business honors and finance sophomore, on

business strategy, marketing and stakeholder communication. The duo plans to launch the beta version of SwipeMeIn next week.

Some students see an immediate need for an app like SwipeMeIn. Applied learning and development sophomore Arturo Galindo said he would like to donate his unused Dine In Dollars instead of losing or spending them in bulk at the end of the semester.

“It would be real nice to have that option and know that your Dine In Dollars aren’t going to waste,” Galindo, who works as a cashier at Jester City Market, said.

“I feel like, as a person living

on-campus, that a lot of our meal plans go to waste.”

Despite interest from some students, Wong said a challenging aspect of SwipeMeIn has been getting people to commit to adopting the product. However, he said users won’t regret using his platform.

“To go from an idea to making it and then to getting people to use it is so much harder than I ever expected,” Wong said. “The rewarding part will be knowing people who use (the app) are gaining value from it from every single side.”

Ultimately, Wong said he wants SwipeMeIn to deliver this value on a larger scale.

CAMPUS

ENTERTAINMENT

North Campus arcade serves as unique venue for gaming

New UT course empowers entrepreneurial women

By Lindsey Ferris @Ferris_Lindsey

copyright arcade ufo, and reproduced with permission Arcade UFO stands as a reminder that physical gaming is still alive.

By Nikhil Agrawal @agrawan26

Today’s gaming industry is dominated by easy-access consoles and PC video games. This modernized entertainment landscape leaves the arcade an antiquated memory in the minds of most gamers — a nearly extinct relic of a past generation.

However, in the face of this contemporary attack, Arcade UFO, located on the corner of East 31st Street and Speedway, remains a thriving spot in Austin for gamers to enjoy an analog, in-person gaming experience.

While they first opened their doors to gamers in 2008, Arcade UFO’s atmosphere has shifted since computer science alumnus Matt Laux, who graduated in 2016 took over in 2017.

Laux said a large part of their success comes from exclusive, imported Japanese and Korean game cabinets they rigorously maintain.

“We have 29 machines on the floor right now, and before we bought it, there were only 15 working ones,” Laux said. “The most popular games are fighting

games such as Street Fighter and Tekken, as well as the rhythm games like Beatmania and Pump It Up.” First-time visitors to the arcade can feel the undeniable experience that Arcade UFO brings to its clients.

“The first time I walked in when I was in college, I was overwhelmed with all the flashing lights and loud music,” Laux said. “It felt really futuristic. It was like I was in a different place altogether.”

Laux attributes the continued success of the arcade to the strong arcade culture in Austin paired with the aforementioned exclusive nature of the consoles that Arcade UFO hosts.

“People definitely come here for the community, the people,” Laux said. “It’s like how some people go play basketball. It’s a place to hang out that isn’t work, school or home.”

George Flores, an employee at Arcade UFO for over a year, said the regular clientele are passionate people who have gotten to know each other through years of gathering there.

“Both the regulars and students who occasionally pop by love the games we have,” Flores said. “They

“Hopefully what (SwipeMeIn) does is expose a major flaw in the current dining hall system and incentivize people who supply food in universities to reduce waste and use that money to help students and people who really need it,” Wong said.

Arnott said the community impact is first in the team’s mind.

“We saw a huge problem (in on-campus dining halls) and figured out a more or less simple way to fix it (through SwipeMeIn),“ Arnott said.

“Students can buy a meal, save money and help a Longhorn in need.”

give people a reason to come and socialize over something they are so passionate about. It’s not really something that you can replicate online.”

A favorite of the Austin fighting game community, Arcade UFO also hosts weekly tournaments that can last beyond the official 2 a.m. closing time. Electrical engineering junior Daniel Chen recalled a matchup involving a team from Houston competing against a group of local Austinites.

“This place was open at four or five in the morning, way past closing time,” Chen said. “There was a 10 versus 10 Street Fighter tournament that went down to the last two players. It was so intense, everyone was yelling their heads off.”

Chen said this intense community culture around fighting games is a major factor as to why the arcade still exists.

“Let’s be honest, this place defies logic by being here,” Chen said. “The fighting and dance games they have here, they are the only physical games still around that people actually want to come in person to play with each other.”

When arts and entertainment technology senior Lexye Meeks first wanted to start her own athletic apparel brand, she didn’t know where to start. A new UT course, however, has equipped her with the tools to make this vision a reality.

Women in Entrepreneurship is an unprecedented class taught by Jan Ryan, creative entrepreneurship and innovation director and professor, to help students overcome the hurdles women face in today’s competitive entrepreneurial society.

The class will also be available in the fall.

“There are so many bright women at UT that want to explore entrepreneurship,” Ryan said. “But they’re hesitant to call themselves an entrepreneur, and they may not have the confidence that they need to do that.”

Ryan is an entrepreneur herself with 28 years of experience and three startups to her name. She said she is passionate about fostering the next generation of female entrepreneurs.

“There’s a lot less female entrepreneurs than male,” said Ryan. “But 67 percent of millennials say they want to have their own company one day.”

Ryan said the course was created to increase women’s confidence and empower them to pursue careers in business. Over the semester-long class, students can learn skills to form an entrepreneurial identity and develop strategies to overcome gender role stereotypes.

“When people envision an entrepreneur, they see some guy from tech who is on the stage pitching to investors and wearing a hoodie,” Ryan said. “It’s that stereotype, and they don’t realize that entrepreneurship is actually very accessible to women.”

Building self-confidence and business skills while using active thinking makes Women in Entrepreneurship an experiential course, Ryan said. Student groups create their own start-up business and learn about problems women might encounter in each step of the process.

Martha Czernuszenko, management information systems and business honors junior, is taking the class to fulfill a business degree requirement. Along with her project group, she has created a female-targeted jiu-jitsu rash guard company.

“We’re working on actually running this business using the strong suits of our group,” Czernuszenko said. “It has given me the idea to start a nonprofit

teaching girls how to code after graduation.”

The interdisciplinary aspect of the course allows students to work with diverse peer groups, utilizing each other’s strengths to prepare them for the entrepreneurial business world.

With the hands-on experience and interaction between students and experienced professor, Meeks said she feels her confidence rising.

“The thought of building my own business is very intimidating,” Meeks said.

“But the motivation and encouragement from the professor, students, (teaching assistant) and guest speakers has been so helpful.”

Czernuszenko said Ryan’s energy and support for her young entrepreneurs has left a large impression on her as well as other students. “(Ryan) is a bada--,” Czernuszenko said. “She has so much experience but is so humble about it, and it teaches us a lot about what it’s like to be a woman entrepreneur.”

Meeks said Ryan was helpful and inspiring with her care for each student. “(Ryan) has become a mentor to me as I am trying to build my brand,” Meeks said. “It’s obvious that she wants us to succeed and has worked hard to give us the tools to do so.”

mckenzie bentley | the daily texan staff A new UT course equips students with the tools to give women equality within entrepreneurship.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 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 Thursday, March 28, 2019

Crossword ACROSS

32 Screw up

1 Precursor to riches, it’s said

33 Player of V in “V for Vendetta”

5 “A Farewell to Arms” subj.

36 Cabinet dept. concerned with farming

8 Snide chuckle

15 Player of X in “X-Men”

37 Chicago landmark nicknamed for its resemblance to a legume

17 Alternatives to texts

39 Player of J in “Men in Black”

12 Unalaskan, e.g.

14 Hide-y holes?

18 Squeeze (out)

SUDOKUFORYOU 9 3 6 5 3 5 2 9 1 4 6 5 5 1

5 1 4

5 7 8 6 6

7 8 3

8 9 2 4 3 1 8 2

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3 9 2 7 4 1 5 8 6

6 2 8 5 3 4 9 1 7

7 3 9 6 1 8 2 5 4

43 Urban portmanteau

21 Scotch brand

45 Lead-in to -cide

23 Courtroom V.I.P.s

46 Equal

5 4 1 9 2 7 6 3 8

49 Member of a fratlike Silicon Valley work environment

25 Like many of Pindar’s works

52 “Game of Thrones” role ___ Snow 29 Carefully listening 53 Cardi B’s genre (to) 26 Player of M in “GoldenEye”

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

P T A S

D E A L T

D E P P

R O L E

B U R G L E

A N Y T H S M I P E N A L G

I T S A R O W N K E A N T U T E A M W E T E R T R I C E K E A N S M O A P R A L S E P E T H A N N A N D A G O

L A D E S H A D J A D D T O

I E N O N D S E R D U C H E S O R S C L U T B A D E A N B I N D B E A J O S H O T A B C A V E M A R E T O M T W E S S O E L L E R D S O N

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I R V E S S C L A N

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DOWN 1 Spanish fleet?

2 San Francisco Bay city 3 Becomes involved in 4 Big ___ 5 Ones going down in flames?

6 Shake, maybe 7 Walk-___ 8 Julia Ward ___, writer of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” 9 Really long times 10 Contained by this text 11 Ph-neutral vitamin brand 13 Mezzanine, e.g.

14 Magical basin used to view one’s memories in the Harry Potter books 16 Disgusting sort 20 “Lah-di-___!”

22 Honest-togoodness

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No. 0221

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47 Would really rather not

24 Part of some future planning, for short

Today’s solution will appear here next issue

9 1 5 3 7 6 8 4 2

19 Frequent favorite

54 15-, 26-, 33or 39-Across, punnily?

57 Answer to the old riddle “What wears more clothing in summer than in winter?”

58 What Dante wrote in 59 Try to get a good look 60 Crosses out 61 A really long time

Edited by Will Shortz

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PUZZLE BY SAM TRABUCCO

23 Cool woman, jocularly

35 Online handle for an Xbox player

47 Some circle dances

26 Typical Seder attendee

38 Zero

48 Super-uptight

39 Drippy, say

50 Title creature in an Aesop fable

27 Tiny amount 28 Rutherford known as “The Father of Nuclear Physics” 30 Popular boots from Australia 31 Title role for Sally Field 34 “How relaxing!”

40 Geographical feature of Mars 41 12-time Olympic swimming medalist Ryan

51 Title in Uncle Remus stories 52 “Black Swan” jump

42 Classic Camaro, informally

55 Two for the show, informally?

44 Actiondocumenting cameras

56 Org. concerned with bugs and plants

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

8

ROSS BURKHART SPORTS EDITOR @TEXANSPORTS

THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2019

MEN’S BASKETBALL

jacob fraga | the daily texan staff Texas power forward Dylan Osetkowski goes up for a dunk during the Longhorns’ 68-55 win over Colorado at the Frank Erwin Center on March 27. Osetkowski recorded 15 points and five rebounds in Wednesday’s game.

Texas looks to bloom at The Garden Longhorns advance to NIT semifinals after dominant home victory.

By Robert Larkin @r_larkintexas

hen they look back on Wednesday night years later, Dylan Osetkowski and Kerwin Roach II will call this their senior night. March 9 may carry that title on the Texas basketball schedule, but they will remember this moment at the Frank Erwin Center — the happiness, the standing ovations for them, the dominant victory — as theirs.

On an evening where the Longhorns dominated the Colorado Buffaloes in the quarterfinals of the National Invitational Tournament, it was Osetkowski and Roach who led the way for Texas. The two combined for 29 points, 11 rebounds and

six assists en route to Texas’ 68-55 victory that advances the Longhorns to Madison Square Garden for the tournament semifinals.

“We’ve had some games where they haven’t played like seniors,” Texas head coach Shaka Smart said.

“Tonight, they did. One silver lining of the way (the season) played out was those guys got to end it in a different way. I think tonight you could see they understood. They both were really aggressive.”

The first senior night essentially ended the Longhorns’ NCAA Tournament hopes when they lost in dismal fashion to TCU. Osetkowski played one of his worst games of the season. Roach didn’t even play, as he was serving a suspension.

But on Wednesday, both Osetkowski and Roach played with a controlled aggression and confidence they’ve missed. Osetkowski dominated Colorado’s bigs inside the paint and added a nice stepback three pointer. Roach made his own luck by driving past Buffalo defenders who simply weren’t quick enough to stop them.

“It was just amazing in so many ways,” Roach said. “I didn’t even

get to walk on my senior night. This opportunity was just a blessing for me.”

“To be able to get checked out, have the fans give me an ovation,” Osetkowski added. “My mom was in the crowd, my girlfriend was in the crowd. I think it was cool for them to experience that.”

Both seniors shined during a dominating 30-6 run for the Longhorns to end the first half. Texas smothered the Buffaloes on the defensive end, forcing nine turnovers and only letting Colorado score six points over the final 10 minutes of the period. Meanwhile, the Longhorns used good defense to lead to positive results on the other end.

The Longhorns employed terrific transition offense and were able to space out the Buffaloes by going on a torrid pace from outside. Five different Texas players hit three pointers in the final 10 minutes of the first half and the team shot 54 percent from outside during the period overall. And as the Buffaloes moved to respect the three point shot, Texas took advantage inside, where its pick-and-roll game featuring Jericho Sims and Royce

Hamm Jr. worked with ease.

By the time the action ended, the Longhorns held a commanding lead.

“We were just being aggressive, pushing the pace,” guard Jase Febres said. “And our defense was locking up and when you do to that to any team, it’s going to be hard for them to come back.”

While the second half wasn’t as efficient for the Longhorns, it didn’t matter.

Colorado cut the lead to as little as 15 at one point in the second half, but the Longhorns brushed any comeback attempts aside, finding just enough offense through the likes of Febres, Roach and Matt Coleman III to secure a lopsided victory.

Now, the Longhorns will move on to Madison Square Garden where they will get the chance to face the team who ended their NCAA tournament hopes less than a month ago — TCU. And with the bright lights of the Garden shining down, Roach wants an opportunity to avenge a bad defeat.

“It’s going to be a redemption game, especially for me,” Roach said. “It’s going to be an amazing matchup.”

SOFTBALL

O’Leary achieves perfection against Baylor

By Sydney Tasman @sydneytasman

When the shades are on, Shea O’Leary is seemingly unstoppable.

O’Leary, who is never seen in the circle without sunglasses tucked under her burnt orange Nike headband, completed a perfect game Wednesday night against Baylor.

The right-handed pitcher has her own hashtag on twitter, #feartheshades, and she’s proven to be a force deserving of some fear.

“I have no words and I can’t believe it,” O’Leary said of her performance. “(It’s a) good thing they didn’t tell me. In the seventh, I was aware, but I was trying to just stay calm and just go out there and just throw.”

The Longhorns put just two runs on the board in all seven innings, scoring their second run in the fifth inning when second baseman Janae Jefferson hit the ball to the left center field. The ball was dropped by the Bears in the infield, allowing center fielder Reagan Hathaway to run it in.

“It was (a team effort),” O’Leary said. “(Head) coach (Mike) White had great pitch calling and so I was just out there having fun with my team behind me. … I’m so happy.”

O’Leary has been a force behind the ball for most of the season. She is one of just two freshman pitchers in NCAA Division I to hold at least a 10–0 record. After Wednesday’s performance, she holds a era of 0.40.

“She just goes out there and does her job,” White said. “She lets the defense play and … most of the plays were kind of routine, but you know making the routine plays is not always easy sometimes so

I thought it was just a special game to be apart of and I’m real proud of Shea.”

Both White and O’Leary emphasized that the 2-0 win would not have happened without a solid team effort.

“I thought the defense did a great job behind her, and they were in the right position most of the game,” White said.

Looking ahead, Texas will play a series against Oklahoma State this weekend.

After a win like Wednesday’s, it’s clear the Longhorns are able to withstand a tough competitor.

“I think we took advantage of a couple of miscues tonight, which is what good teams do,” White said. “You’re not always gonna bash the ball over the fence, and

their pitcher threw very well tonight, as well.”

Texas’ pitching success doesn’t just come from the arm of O’Leary. Miranda Elish, who was named Pitcher of the Week by the Big 12 Conference and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association earlier this week, has also made quite an impact on the Longhorns’ accomplishments.

“We talk about a three-headed monster, and so you start thinking about the pitching staff in that term and that we can throw three to four different pitches out there,” White said. “(I) have confidence that we can do well with anyone out there, but right now we just have to build a little bit on our heading and scoring some more runs.”

joshua guenther| the daily texan file Shae O’Leary winds up for a pitch during Texas’ 6-2 victory against Texas Southern on March 9. Texas is now at 30 wins after O’Leary’s dominant performance.