serving the university of texas at austin community since
@thedailytexan |
thedailytexan . com
1900
FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2019
volume
119,
issue
NEWS
OPINION
LIFE&ARTS
SPORTS
Staff, alumni push for UT to become a Hispanic-Serving Institution. PA G E 3
The University needs to allot more rooms for freshmen and transfer students. PA G E 4
Students revive campus chapter of Design for America, utilize “design thinking.” PA G E 7
After an upset fall earlier this month, Alex Rogers bounced back in a big way. PA G E 5
125
CAMPUS
Roundup’s Long History of Racism What started as a homecoming event now alienates many on campus.
the daily texan archive
Top: Members of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity march in the 1955 Roundup parade wearing blackface and presenting a “Natives” themed float. Their float won “Most Comical” that year. Bottom: At a Roundup event in 1990, members of Delta Tau Delta pose with a car that an unidentified individual spray painted with racial slurs.
By Mason Carrol, Hayden Baggett & Nicole Stuessy @MasonCCarroll @haydenbaggett @nicolestuessy
hen Roundup was first advertised as a homecoming event in 1930, the ad read “The Texas Round-Up! Welcomes Each and Every Visitor to the University of Texas Campus.” However, after decades of racist displays occurring during the event, not everyone feels welcome to attend. After a Roundup event in 2017, public health junior Kassa Kassahun and a friend were approached by several students to take a group picture. Three days later, they were tagged in Instagram photos mistaking them as members from a rap group who performed that day — just because they are black. “When I saw the posts, I was completely taken aback,” Kassahun said. “That’s why they wanted
to take a picture, so I was pretty upset.” Neither Kassahun nor his friend resemble any member of the all-black rap group, FOE G4NG, they were mistaken for. Kassahun said he hasn’t been to a Roundup
event since then. “I know for a lot of minorities, their thoughts on Roundup are very negative,” Kassahun said. “It doesn’t make sense when you have black artists performing at your events, but you don’t
support black people on campus.” Throughout the 20th century, The Daily Texan and UT’s yearbook, The Cactus, chronicled several instances of blackface, racist parade floats and other insensitive actions at Roundup. In 1933, a yearbook photograph depicts “Thetas” clad in tribal attire and dark body paint. More than two decades later, Delta Sigma Phi fraternity members won “Most Comical” in the 1955 annual parade after painting their bodies black and presenting a “Natives” themed float. “By itself — as a spring homecoming for alumni and ‘party weekend’ for students — I wouldn’t classify the original version of Roundup as racist,” UT historian Jim Nicar said. “By the 1980s, though, it had evolved into something else.” In 1982, the Texan reported three Jewish fraternities withdrew from Sigma Chi’s Fight Night after the fraternity printed anti-Semitic
ROUNDUP
CAMPUS
Liberal Arts Council pushes for resolution hearing By Hannah Ortega @_hannahortega_
For a little over a year, the Liberal Arts Council has been crafting and attempting to implement a resolution supporting the addition of sensitive content disclosures to professors’ syllabi. The disclosures would not be required and would warn students when or during which topics sexual assault discussions would take place. Students would still be responsible for coursework assigned on that date, and attendance policies would not be adjusted to accommodate the student. Though Senate of College Councils and Student Government passed the resolution in fall 2018, authors of the resolution said they have experienced complications with receiving approval from the Faculty Council. “Chloe (Kersh) and I met with the (Educational Policy Committee) in December and had a very emotionally draining conversation, and then we emailed and heard nothing back,” said Ian McEntee, resolution co-author and council policy coordinator. At the end of January, humanities and sociology senior McEntee said the Educational Policy Committee notified them the resolution would not be heard by the whole Faculty Council. SG
george wunch | the daily texan staff Resolution co-author Ian McEntee speaks in front of the 112th Student Government Assembly meeting. McEntee, a humanities and sociology senior, and Chloe Kersh drafted a resolution that would add when topics regarding sexual assault would be discussed in class on the syllabus.
and Senate decided to post about their concerns with the Faculty Council’s decision on Facebook on March 8. “We have now received word that the Faculty Council committee in charge of approving this piece to be heard by the Faculty Council will not hear the resolution because they do not feel comfortable with the recommended proposition and are unwilling to prioritize this
resolution on their ‘really full agenda,’” the Facebook post said. The post asked students to email the council and encourage them to hear the resolution. Resolution co-author Chloe Kersh said students have been supportive of the resolution. “Sexual assault is obviously a part of a national conversation right now,” said Kersh, an international relations and French
junior. “There are a lot of things that UT (does) that need to be addressed in regard to sexual assault, and I think everyone — no matter what college you’re in — recognizes that.” However, Charlotte Canning, council chair and theatre and dance professor, said she felt the Facebook post did not accurately reflect ongoing conversations in the Educational Policy Committee’s process.
“(The) proposal was treated like all proposals, in fact maybe got a little extra attention because it was coming to us from Student Government and that’s such a crucial partnership,” Canning said. “We wanted to make sure we were focused on it and giving it all due diligence.” Canning said the committee voted against proposing the resolution to the entire council because there were concerns over academic freedom. “Academic freedom means that a professor is in charge of the content of the course and how that content is presented,” Canning said. “There are good reasons for resisting how to be told to present content.” Canning said committee chair Christine Julien reached out to McEntee in December or January with an offer to meet and didn’t hear back. However, in emails sent to The Daily Texan, Julien reached out to McEntee on February 6 and he replied a week later. “We figured things were fine, and ... we were very blindsided (by the Facebook post) because we had not heard back, so we had no way of knowing that there was upset and concern,” Canning said. “And when I was asked to meet with Colton Becker ... and Ian and some other students, I was happy to do so, but there seemed to be a
FAC U LT Y
page
2
page
2