The Daily Texan 2019-04-16 by The Daily Texan

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TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2019

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NEWS

OPINION

LIFE&ARTS

SPORTS

Texas Senate to hear bill that would combat censorship on Facebook, Twitter. PA G E 3

UT needs to raise student workers wage to a living wage of $15 per hour. PA G E 4

Austin beverage company provides scholarships to people battling addiction. PA G E 8

Longhorns secure fifth Big 12 title after defeating rival OU in season finale. PA G E 6

STATE

FEDERAL

Trans student’s scholarship revoked i

anthony mireles | the daily texan staff Former U.S. Army ROTC cadet Map Pesqueira is one of the estimated 15,500 transgender individuals affected by the Trump administration’s ban on transgender service members that went into effect on April 12. In response to the administration’s new policy, the Department of Defense has voided his three-year scholarship, severely impeding Pesqueira’s capability to afford to attend UT-Austin.

Student’s future uncertain after military transgender ban. By Emily Hernandez @emilylhernandez

ap Pesqueira said he came to UT to pursue his dream of becoming a filmmaker and serving in the army. He was awarded a national three-year Reserve Officers’ Training Corps scholarship to help fund his studies. However, Pesqueira is a transgender man, and under President Donald Trump’s new policy banning transgender people from serving in the military, effective last Friday, Pesqueira is not allowed to serve in the military. Therefore, the U.S. Department of Defense voided his scholarship, Pesqueira said. He may not be able to continue his education at UT because he cannot afford it. According to the U.K.’s National Health Service, gender dysphoria is a condition where a person experiences discomfort or distress because there is a mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity. Trump’s ban prohibits people diagnosed with gender dysphoria who refuse to identify as their birth gender or who have already

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I really do see it as a waste of resources, money, time and personnel. It’s made figuring out my future education so much harder.” MAP PESQUIERA STUDENT

begun transitioning medically from serving in the military. “Since I’ve already had top surgery, hormone replacement therapy, gender marker and (a) name change, I can’t go in under this policy,” Pesqueira said. “I’d automatically be discriminated. I really do see (Trump’s policy) as a waste of resources, money, time and personnel. It’s made figuring out my future

education so much harder.” Lieutenant colonel Matthew O’Neill, UT’s army ROTC department chair and Pesqueira’s military science professor, tried to salvage Pesqueira’s scholarship by attempting to get Pesqueira “grandfathered” under the Pentagon’s 2016 policy, which lifted the ban on transgender people serving openly in the military, Pesqueira said. O’Neill declined to comment for the story, saying The Daily Texan must refer questions to the Defense Department, which did not respond to a request for comment. According to the Defense Department website, anyone serving or under contract to enter the military who was diagnosed with gender dysphoria before April 12, 2019 is grandfathered under the 2016 policy. “Unfortunately, this policy is so new, waivers (and) exceptions haven’t been determined,” Pesqueira said. “(O’Neill) wasn’t able to salvage it, but the fact that he tried — it’s more than I can ask for.” Despite having his scholarship voided,

TRANSGENDER

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Senate bill could prevent election fraud, create voter restrictions By Katie Balevic @KatelynBalevic

The Texas Senate passed a bill Monday that would require both electronic and paper ballots during elections by the 2024 general election. State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, said he authored Senate Bill 9 to prevent election hacking by leaving a paper trail of how a person voted and increasing the penalties for voter fraud, but critics say the bill would create more voting restrictions. “The paper-backed (system) is more secure because it would require a bad actor to simultaneously hack the electronic record and the paper record,” Hughes said on the Senate floor. “Changing one or the other would be hard, but it could be done. Changing both in the same way that would alter the results of an election is close to impossible.” SB 9 would increase the penalty for voter fraud from a Class A misdemeanor to a state jail felony. A Class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000, while a state jail felony is punishable by up to two years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. State Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, voiced concerns that the bill could create criminal penalties for people who fill out a provisional ballot if they are unsure of their voter registration status, a practice that currently has no penalties. “(Hughes is) telling us it’s about voter integrity, but we could actually be jeopardizing this by potentially criminalizing voters who cast a provisional ballot,” Menéndez said. “(Provisional ballots) allow voters to follow up with the county to make sure their ballot was counted, and the law explicitly refers to provisional voting as fail-safe voting.” Menéndez said Texas counties

ELECTIONS

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CAMPUS

UT determines registration times based on degree progress By Nicole Stuessy @nicolestuessy

Seconds matter when registering for classes, and assigned registration times can be the difference between getting into a course and getting put on a waitlist. While it is a common misconception that registration times are based on the total number of hours a student has taken, they are actually determined based on how close a student is to completing their degree. Students can track their progress through the interactive degree audit system, said Kendall Slagle, communications coordinator for UT’s Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. Slagle said academic advising is recommended for all students before registration, and some majors require academic advising before a student is allowed to register for classes. “If advising is required, a student’s registration information sheet

will show a bar,” Slagle said. “A student will not be able to access the registration system until the major department has cleared the advising bar on the student’s registration information sheet.” Because students in the School of Undergraduate Studies are not yet on a chosen degree path, their degree audits are based only on core and flag course completion. These students are required to meet with an academic adviser before registration, said undergraduate academic adviser Adriana López. “(UGS) students are required to meet with their adviser to ensure they are staying on track and for internal transfer purposes,” López said. “The registrar’s office runs what’s called a ‘slotting audit’ to determine their times.” Undeclared students who fail to meet with their adviser before the time listed on their Registration Information Sheet will not be able to register for classes, López said. “We try to avoid that as much as possible,” López said. “It’s

detrimental to the student because some consecutive classes could be restricted at that point, and there is much less availability for core classes.” Slagle said the University encourages students to utilize the online UT Planner service to help search for, create and save preferred schedule options before their registration times. Because registration is stressful for many students, computer science sophomore Sriram Hariharan designed UT Registration Plus, a free Google Chrome extension designed to make the registration process easier. “Usually during registration, you end up with a ton of tabs open and it can be super overwhelming,” Hariharan said. “Combining those things, like course instructor surveys and a visual schedule, into one page and adding extra stuff like conflict highlighting just simplifies the whole process.”

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| the daily texan file

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copyright sangeetha kumar, and reproduced with permission Sangeetha Kumar, a civil engineering graduate student who helped organize this year’s Sustainable Dog House Challenge, poses with a student-made dog house.

Photographers Dakota Kern, Samantha Dorsica Sports Reporters Robert Trevino, Daniela Perez

This year’s Sustainable Dog House Challenge was an un-fur-gettable experience, with dogs from the Austin Animal Center paying a visit. The event, hosted earlier this month by the Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering department, is a competition for students to build eco-friendly dog houses. The competition first began as an idea from Richard Corsi, a former chair of the department, who loves dogs and wanted to promote sustainable design in a fun and interactive way, said event organizer Sangeetha Kumar. “It’s a really great opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to do something more hands-on, learn what it is to be sustainable and win prize money for it,” said Kumar, a civil engineering graduate student. Competitors were split into two divisions based on their year, and both divisions awarded firstand second-place prizes of $1000 and $500. The hope is that students can apply concepts of building and designing sustainably to their future careers, said event organizer Hagen Fritz, a civil engineering graduate student. Civil engineering junior Andrea Flores, who was part of the “UT

Pawstin” team that won first place in the upper division, said the challenge was a great opportunity to apply lessons learned in the classroom to a real-life situation. Flores said her team designed the dog house to be partially underground to use the earth as insulation. The dog house also used a pumping system to water grass on the roof and keep the house cool. “I have a pitbull of my own, and I wanted to use this project to implement my interest in green building techniques while also learning about how to make an aesthetically pleasing and sustainable home for my dog,” Flores said. Civil engineering sophomore Matthew Luong participated in the competition last year and won first place in the lower division. This year, Luong said his team, “The Leashing Agent,” spent only $5 on their dog house. The rest of the materials were recycled, he said. “If anyone is thinking about doing this competition, I would definitely recommend it,” Luong said. “It teaches you about the building process as well as the importance of sustainability and reusing material.” This year, students had the option of donating their finished doghouses to the Austin Animal Center. “Being able to provide a really nice house for them and do it for free is really heartwarming,” Luong said.

CAMPUS

Cockrell School Cares initiative promotes health, wellness of students By Howard Yong @howard_yongg

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Anyone can feel like they’re an impostor, no matter how popular or accomplished they are, educational psychology professor Kevin Cokely said last week at a Cockrell School Cares event. Cokely said students can experience “impostor syndrome,” a psychological disposition where an individual doubts their accomplishments and internalizes a fear of being exposed as a “fraud.” Cockrell School Cares is a two-week long event dedicated to promoting mental health, inclusion and diversity within the Cockrell School of Engineering. It addresses issues such as masculinity, LGBTQ issues, gender in the workplace and dealing with stress, according to the Texas Student Engineering Council’s website. “We do everything like leading yoga sessions to practicing mental health and making face masks, but also hosting talks and lectures on

morgan boone | the daily texan file Educational psychology professor Kevin Cokely talks to students as a panelist at the Cockrell School of Engineering last week at the Cockrell School Cares event. Speaking about impostor syndrome, Cokely speaks upon the school’s “you belong here” mentality by saying, “Anyone can feel like they’re an impostor, no matter how popular or accomplished they are.”

embracing failure, overcoming racial barriers and (being a) woman in STEM,” said Scott Brinen, a Student Engineering Council member-at-large. The event is a testament to Cockrell’s “you belong here” mentality, said Sharon Wood,

the Dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering. “I think Cockrell School Cares helps engineering students realize that we are all facing the same issues together,” said chemical engineering sophomore Michael Guo, who helped plan the event. “I believe

that many people, especially freshmen, may be overwhelmed by the college experience. It’s important for them to realize that it’s OK to struggle and it’s OK to fail. Cockrell School Cares gives people a platform and place to speak out on issues they might otherwise feel

uncomfortable about.” Cockrell School Cares has a significant impact because many students have experienced the issues discussed in some shape or form, whether it be in classes, group projects, internships or school organizations, Brinen said. “My favorite event was the discussion about discrimination in the workplace,” chemical engineering junior Jessie Suns said. “There were several great speakers who shared their experiences as minorities in the workforce, and I felt like I could relate to them back from when I was interning.” However, participants are not limited to only attending the events. Brinen said the Student Engineering Council also encourages engineering students to reach out and take a role in helping them with their initiative. “I wanted to play a part in helping with (Cockrell School Cares) because I had a positive experience last year taking part in the events,” Guo said. “I wanted to be able to provide the same experience for others.”

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transgender continues from page

Pesqueira said he still wants to pursue a military career after he graduates and hopes to attend graduate school so that he could become an older lieutenant if the policy is reversed. Jazmine Hernandez, a chemical engineering freshman in the ROTC program, said she has been friends with Pesqueira since last semester and has watched him improve as a cadet while training together. “I know both his degree and the military is his passion,” Hernandez said. “Knowing … he’s on the edge of losing those two things hurts me as his friend.” Pesqueira created a GoFundMe page the night he lost his scholarship with a goal of $20,000 to pay for his sophomore year education. It has raised $845 as of this writing. Pesqueira, who is from San Antonio, said he plans to meet with a local news anchor and U.S. Reps. Joaquin

The Daily Texan, a student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin, is published by Texas Student Media, 2500 Whitis Ave., Austin, TX 78712. The Daily Texan is published daily, Monday through Friday, during the regular academic year and is published once weekly during the summer semester. The Daily Texan does not publish during academic breaks, most Federal Holidays and exam periods. News contributions will be accepted by telephone 2.120). Entire contents copyright 2019 Texas Student Media.

Hariharan said the extension can benefit students with late registration times because they can use it to narrow their course search to only the classes that fit their existing schedule.

Castro, D-San Antonio, and Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, to evaluate his educational and legal options. “Due to privacy concerns, the University does not comment on specific student cases,” University spokesperson J.B. Bird said in an email. “Since every student’s situation is unique, we offer many avenues for students who undergo sudden changes that affect their access to a UT education. These include Student Emergency Services and the Graduation Help Desk, which both work closely with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.” Pesqueira said he wants people to know how this policy is affecting people, and said it cannot be ignored by the general public. “My life has definitely taken a negative turn because of this,” Pesqueira said. “I’m trying to put it back on a clear track, but that may or may not happen. As much as it is a headline, … almost every aspect of (people’s) lives can be affected by this (policy).”

“By that time, you have probably already gotten into some classes and are just looking for the ones you need or are trying to reach a certain number of hours,” Hariharan said. “You can add classes to the extension that you are actually in and you can see what conflicts with that time.”

joshua guenther | the daily texan staff The Texas Senate passed a bill Monday that would require voters to cast their ballots both electronically and on paper by the 2024 general election. State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola authored SB 9 in an effort to prevent election hacking by leaving a paper trail behind the voter.

elections continues from page

encourage election workers to offer provisional ballots to people who may be unsure of their registration status if they’ve recently moved or do not have proper paperwork with them. “Under state law, provisional voting ballots automatically serve as a voter registration application,” Menéndez said. “(This bill) would criminalize people who aren’t sure of their registration status and fill out a provisional ballot.” Menéndez wrote an amendment that would strike

language from SB 9 concerning how officials determine whether someone knows they are voting illegally. As written, Section 1.05 of Hughes’ bill says a person is aware they are ineligible to vote if they are aware of the circumstances causing them to be ineligible. “If I know I’m not a citizen or if I know I’m a felon and I’ve not completed the terms and had my rights restored — if I know those facts then I’m not supposed to be voting,” Hughes said in response to the amendment. “By removing Section 1.05, we’d be weakening the bill and really complicating

prosecution of folks who are guilty of a criminal act.” State Sen. José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, wrote a similar amendment to clarify that false statements on voter applications must be intentional in order to warrant penalties. “If we’re going to make people felons, we should at least make sure they are intentionally committing the fraud and not just checking the wrong box,” Rodríguez said. Both Menéndez’s and Rodríguez’s amendments failed to pass a Senate vote. SB 9 passed out of the Senate in a 19-12 vote and now heads to the House floor for debate.

TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2019

STUDENT LIFE

YCT brings Steven Crowder to campus

dakota kern | the daily texan staff Steven Crowder, creator of “Change My Mind,” invites UT students to join his segment. The platform is intended to address public policy in a productive manner.

By Lauren Girgis @laurengirgis

Conservative political commentator Steven Crowder held a special edition of his popular segment “Change My Mind” in front of Gregory Gym on Monday. The segment, which has turned into a meme on social media, usually consists of Crowder debating controversial topics with college students. But during his visit to UT, Crowder broke from tradition by also facilitating debates between two students instead of debating with just one student. “I would describe (the format) as … rationalizing your point of view … and going through a line of questioning to see if it’s a logically credible position on a controversial issue,” Crowder said to a crowd of over 100 students. “(We want you) to attack other people’s ideas or

positions, not the person.” The event involved debates about contentious statements such as, “There are only two genders,” “I’m pro-life,” “Build the wall,” “America is superior to any other country” and “I’m pro-gun.” “We brought Crowder on campus (because he) is really good at having legitimate conversations about important public policy issues without escalating it,” said Saurabh Sharma, chairman of Young Conservatives of Texas and a biochemistry senior. “Everything about the way he creates these events is all about making sure that a proper conversation is possible. It’s all about actually engaging with the ideas and talking about the important issues that face us.“ When Crowder announced they would be trying out a different format, some members of the crowd booed out of disappointment, but others, such as YCT member Samuel Samson, were

STATE

Proposed bill to limit social media censorship

daulton venglar | the daily texan file State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, who authored SB 2373, says it is important for social media companies to remain content-neutral as “social media websites have become the primary public forum for the exchange of ideas.”

By Chad Lyle @lylechad

The Committee on State Affairs in the Texas Senate approved a proposal Monday that would protect Texans from censorship by social media platforms. The bill will now be considered by the Senate at large. Senate Bill 2373 was authored by state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, in response to accusations that companies such as Facebook and Twitter are censoring religious and political speech — typically made by conservatives — on their platforms. Under the bill, the Office of the Texas Attorney General could file consumer protection lawsuits against platforms if they restrict users based on their viewpoints. “Social media websites have become the primary public forum for the exchange of ideas,” Hughes said at the committee hearing. “Though the sites are privately owned, since they’re almost universally adopted, we understand there’s a need to hold them accountable.” Hughes said it’s important to hold these companies to their commitment to remain content-neutral. “Senate Bill 2373 tries to prevent those companies that control these new public spaces, this new public square, from picking

winners and losers based on content,” Hughes said. “Basically, if the company represents, ‘We are an open forum and we do not discriminate based on content,’ then they shouldn’t be able to discriminate based on content.” CJ Grisham, founder of Open Carry Texas, an organization that promotes expanded gun rights, testified in favor of the bill. Grisham said he has been censored by Facebook on multiple occasions because of his political beliefs. “I’m always getting banned for my conservative speech,” Grisham said at the hearing. “We have dozens of local chapters all around the state of Open Carry Texas. However, Facebook has been systematically shutting down our groups. We’ve lost 16 Facebook groups that have been shut down arbitrarily by Facebook, that have not violated any terms of service.” Grisham said as far as he can tell, his organization’s political leaning is what leads Facebook to remove its content. “I can only guess because Facebook doesn’t tell us why we’re getting banned,” Grisham said. “I know what’s posted because we moderate everything and we moderate everything heavily. We don’t allow hate speech, … we don’t say anything violent, we don’t encourage violence.” David Edmonson, the Texas

and Southeast executive director for TechNet, a network of technology CEOs across the country, testified against Hughes’ bill because it would put “the burden on Texas courts of policing social media.” “It creates an incentive for (social media companies) to not prohibit any type of objectionable material for fear of opening themselves up to potential lawsuits,” Edmondson said. “As a result, this puts the courts in the position of having to determine what is objectively considered to be obscene, lewd … or otherwise objectionable.” Federico Chávez-Torres, president of UT’s chapter of Young Americans for Liberty, a libertarian student organization, said he feels conflicted about the bill. “Ideally, a private company should be allowed to do whatever they please as long as they are not breaking any laws or infringing on anyone’s property,” government sophomore Chávez-Torres said in an email. However, he said companies such as Facebook and Twitter have too much power to regulate themselves and have cornered “the market, the regulators and our rights.” “This bill is a catch-22,” Chávez-Torres said. “The state of Texas shouldn’t have any say in what these companies do. However, it seems only fair to level this gamed system.”

excited to try something new. “One of the things … people on the left (will say they) don’t like about these Crowder events is that, ‘Oh we lost the debate because Steven is a professional debater,’” government sophomore Samson said. “But at this event, their points were being addressed by students just like them.” Crowder gave many of the participants tips after their discussions on how they could have done better or laid out their arguments in a clearer way — including Samson, who argued that there are only two genders. “(Crowder) told me personally afterward, ‘You could’ve accomplished what you accomplished in five minutes if you had just hit on these things,’” Samson said. International relations sophomore Lucas Test-Peralta argued sex and gender are two different things when he

debated Crowder’s claim that there are only two genders. “I think when it comes down to a lot of these issues, there are a lot of things we actually find similar in our viewpoints, and if you just talk them out like this you can get down to the exact, specific things we disagree on,” Test-Peralta said. The event lasted from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., with Crowder and participants rotating through various topics. “When everyone says things are getting worse and the next generation is becoming less capable, I actually see a generation of people who are becoming more capable … and I would say more passionate about conversations and rationalizing (their) own arguments,” Crowder said. “That’s why we want to eventually transition it to (students) doing all of the ‘Change My Minds’ … to change people’s minds on your campus.”

LIZA ANDERSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TEXANOPINION

TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2019

COLUMN

ericka suarez

| the daily texan staff

UT needs to raise its minimum wage for students By Abby Springs Columnist

It’s summer employment season. Students across UT are writing cover letters and submitting applications to find the perfect job or internship. I’m one of them. These past few weeks, I’ve been scouring websites such as Internships.com and Glassdoor to find the ideal place to spend my summer — or at least an employer willing to hire me. As an 18-year-old student, I don’t have much leverage when it comes to my wage. I don’t have enough experience to negotiate, and entry-level jobs don’t come with much flexibility. Students like me are stuck hoping their employer will pay them enough to get by. You won’t find that hope realized at UT. With undergraduate student salaries often ranging from $812 per hour, many on-campus student workers do not make a living wage. As such, UT needs to raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour. This proposal isn’t outlandish. It isn’t needlessly progressive. It is a necessary increase to ensure all student workers at UT can make enough to achieve a decent standard of living. Austin is an expensive city. With a booming tech industry and a skyrocketing population, it costs more and more to live here each year. Last year, Austin saw

the largest cost of living increase in the United States in terms of absolute dollars — which is why the City of Austin defines a living wage in Austin to be $15 per hour and pays all city employees accordingly. It’s the income you need to live in Austin and meet your basic needs. But at UT, students don’t just need to meet basic needs. Students bear additional costs an average employee does not face. Tuition, textbooks, equipment and organization fees all add up. UT employs 11,000 student workers in various positions and departments. Rob Richardson, the University’s principal human resources consultant for student employment, said in an email that compensation rates vary between each University department. “Departments may have internal hourly minimum pay rates for new student employees and may make compensation decisions based on the job responsibilities performed by the student employee,” Richardson said. “All departments must pay their student employees at or above the federal minimum wage.” University Unions, UT RecSports, Parking and Transportation and Texas Athletics advertise jobs between $8 and $12 per hour. Jobs found on Hire a Longhorn Job Bank, an employment website for students, offer similar rates. This is not enough. “There is a general view that when one is working, one should be making a living wage,” said James

Galbraith, Lloyd M. Bentsen Jr. Chair in government and business relations at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Galbraith supports raising the minimum wage on a federal level to $15 per hour. “From a student standpoint, they’re better off getting a higher wage, working fewer hours, having more time to make themselves effective, successful students — which is their primary purpose,” Galbraith said. This is especially true for students on work-study, who must work to earn financial aid. With a $15 minimum wage, work-study students will have to work fewer hours to earn their financial aid award. This leaves more time for studying and joining organizations, advantages their wealthier peers already enjoy. Several universities across the United States maintain a $15 minimum wage, including Columbia, New York University and the University of California System. The list grows all the time, with the University of Virginia announcing plans to raise its minimum wage last month. UT needs to join the list. It is inexcusable that a student working for the second-wealthiest university system in the country does not earn enough to live in their city. A $15 minimum wage will reduce inequality, decrease financial stress and ensure students can spend time doing what they’re meant to do: being students. Springs is a government freshman from Dallas.

COLUMN

Student orgs need to make more room for new students

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.

By Neha Dronamraju Columnist

ely german

| the daily texan staff

Narrow acceptance rates don’t end with the college admissions process. They follow you. I came to UT with so much enthusiasm. Before I stepped on campus, I detailed two four-year plans — one for academic purposes and another for all the organizations I planned to join. I had a solid idea of how to apply and what I would do once accepted. A couple months later, I found myself reconsidering all of that after receiving seven rejections. Was my planning excessive? Sure. Was I dramatic in thinking my life trajectory changed because of those rejections? Absolutely. But I still find myself pining for some of those missed opportunities. UT organizations often implicitly mandate that you already be accomplished to join, which defeats the purpose of exploring new things in college. If new opportunities are not accessible to freshmen or students without experience, they can’t be encouraged to broaden their horizons. Student organizations should offer a platform for new students to familiarize themselves with the skills required to be accepted to and succeed in the organization. Lisa Valdez, senior administrative program coordinator of the First-Year Interest Groups program, acknowledged the importance of exploring different fields as a young adult. “In FIGs, we encourage mentors to talk students through the benefits of joining different organizations and how to find them,” Valdez said. “We have a lot of students who come from smaller communities, and we want them to be able to branch out and explore different opportunities.” Branching out becomes difficult for new students because of the exclusivity and rigorous application processes of many organizations on campus. Plan II freshman Safa Michigan said her experience applying to student organizations started when she attended Camp Texas this past summer.

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There, she said she learned about different UT clubs she could join. “I applied to so many organizations ranging from spirit groups to a literary magazine, and I got rejected from all of them,” Michigan said. “I got all of those rejections within a week of each other, and I felt really disheartened. I value more transparency from organizations, because I think they‘re looking for different things and require different skills.” Students would benefit from organizations providing opportunities for new students. Specifically, organizations should help incoming students develop relevant skills before applying — similar to an audition period, but with more guidance. Organizations could offer specific workshops during the recruitment process. They could also build a new student level into their programs where prospective members spend a semester becoming familiar with the organization, thus bringing in interested freshmen who may not have advanced experience. Sarah Boatwright, a Plan II and sustainability studies junior, served as the student government director of communications over the 2018-19 school year. She writes the application for the communications positions in student government. “While previous experience adds value to an application, we think enthusiasm and a willingness to learn are just as valuable,” Boatwright said. “But I think the sentiment about new students not having opportunities is valid. Some organizations do present their applications in that manner.” A big part of the college experience is learning new things and cultivating new skills and interests. Student organizations are marketed as the ideal way to do that, but they are not always accessible to new students. Student organizations cannot accept everyone who applies, but applicants should have an opportunity to succeed in the application process. Organizations should offer new student workshops or create a new student sector in order to provide all applicants with equal chance of participating. Dronamraju is a public health freshman from Dallas.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2019

STUDENT LIFE

EnAIRgy pods aim to replace Juuls By Celesia Smith @celsmit

albert lee

With the popularity of Juul e-cigarettes, UT students have bought into an addicting trend marking its presence on college campuses. Two students have set out to curtail nicotine addiction by creating and selling nicotine-free Juul pods through their company, EnAIRgy. Juuls, devices marketed as a cigarette alternative, use nicotine-filled pods. According to Juul’s website, each pod includes the nicotine equivalent of a pack of cigarettes. While many students enjoy Juuls, management sophomore Travis Long and finance sophomore Dylan Rowling said student health should come first. EnAIRgy, founded in January, began as an idea for a class project that was denied by Rowling’s teammates. “(Rowling) told me as we’re eating dinner, ‘Yo, my group told me no on this. They think it’s dumb, but I think it’s good,’” Long said. “I was like, ‘I think it’s really good,’ so we started it.” Students who vape using EnAIRgy pods breathe in caffeine and vitamin B12 instead of nicotine. Rowling said he wants to curb “the nicotine epidemic” while providing a way for students to achieve higher energy levels. “I’m not going to bash someone for liking nicotine, but it’s just not (healthy),” Rowling said. “(Many) people Juul because of the social stigma or because other people Juul. (EnAIRgy) provides a healthier alternative.” Long said the pods increase cognition, decrease anxiety and boost user moods. He said EnAIRgy pod effects are also felt 5-10 minutes after inhalation, faster than most energy drinks. Long said he and Rowling

| the daily texan staff

Students navigate leasing difficulties complexes, even after a 12-month lease expires, the contract can stay current and change to a monthto-month lease if a tenant gives Moving into a dorm may 60 days of notice. take a center stage in the col“At individual leasing, you lege housing experience, but the sign a contract for 12 months and transition to apartments comes you don’t get a month-to-month with its own set of complexities option afterwards,” Poore said. and experiences. “Even though we do require noFor many students, the topic tice to vacate, if you don’t renew of housing in Austin is accom- you have to move out.” panied by feelings of stress. This Chelsie Martinelli, the interim can be amplified when students property manager of conventional decide to leave the secure cradle complex RARE Apartments, said of student apartment housing and the transition is unique for college opt for more conventional living. students because it’s a learning The former typically leases several experience. She said when movmonths in advance, while the lat- ing into a conventional complex, ter may have a window of only 60 she was surprised to have no days to sign a lease. washer and dryer. Kelly Poore, assistant proper“I didn’t even think about askty manager at University Village, ing my first complex, ‘Hey are helps manage a complex that fo- washers and dryers included?’” cuses on student housing. She said Martinelli said. “It was one of the complex leases as early as Oc- those moments where I thought, tober for the following summer. ‘OK, I’m becoming an adult.’” “We prelease, and (conventionBiology senior Valarie Ruiz al complexes) can lease out 60 said she has decided to move from days in advance,” Poore said. “We student to conventional apartTexas Student Media will akeep you connected are (leasing) so far in advance … ment next year to jump-start her with daily links tomove-in the news, sports and culture because we have a direct entry into adulthood. day and stories a direct move-out shapingday. the UT“Now community. that I’m becoming an That’s where we have flexibility adult, I need to buy furniture with (availability).” and get my life together,” Ruiz Poore said at conventional said. “Having the option of a fully

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furnished place doesn’t really make me wanna kick-start getting into my future.” Chemistry junior Cecilia Bui is also in the process of leaving a student complex for a more conventional one. She said seeing many of her friends already finalize a place to live months in advance has been difficult. “I feel a little alienated from the process because the nature of student housing is to get it figured out as soon as possible, and I haven’t,” Bui said. Marketing junior Maddy Delaney, who has undergone this transition, said it’s inherently more costly to switch from complexes that lease differently. “The pressure in West Campus is that you have to lease this early if you want a spot,” Delaney said. “I just didn’t feel comfortable waiting. I didn’t want a time where my other lease was going to be up and I didn’t have my next housing yet.” Bui said this experience is particularly unique for her and other college students. “I’m still dependent on my parents,” Bui said. “I’ve never lived on my own, so it’s weird to live in a place that’s technically your space but still within your family’s circle.”

studied peer-reviewed journals and spoke to professors of organic chemistry to perfect their pod recipe. The pods, sold in packs of four for $12.99, can be found in eight stores around campus, where they compete with Juul pods and other energy products for sale. Dobie Market manager Adil Maknojia said EnAIRgy’s biggest challenge is competing against brands such as Monster and Red Bull. “Energy is one of the top-performing categories in the grocery industry,” said Maknojia, who has worked at Dobie for eight years. “Many (consumers) are not aware that there’s a new product in the market where you can puff and get caffeine out of a pod, but I do see a lot of the young generation eventually adopting this in the future.” Recently, EnAIRgy secured a deal with a regional distributor, Amia Trade, that will place their products on the shelves of 90 stores in and around Austin. Long said EnAIRgy will continue to tweak their recipe and release new flavors to meet demand. “In the coming weeks, we’ll be rolling out pink lemonade, mango and blueberry flavors. We’re also increasing the amount of propylene glycol that’s in (each pod), which increases the throat hit that people feel associated with nicotine,” Long said. “We want our pod induce a similar feeling to what you get when you hit a nicotine pod.” EnAIRgy is not currently recognizing profit, but Long and Rowling said they expect their work to pay off over time. Long said continued growth is key to their success. “We want to be into a network of about 5,000 convenience stores in the next 365 days, beyond Austin,” Long said. “Now we’re getting a local market, and (being in) 90 more stores will give us a regional market. We’re going to expand nationally after that.”

samantha dorisco | the daily texan staff UT students Travis Long and Dylan Rowling founded EnAIRgy to help curb nicotine addiction while providing an alternative means of gaining extra energy.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2019

BASEBALL

MEN’S TENNIS

Leading by example, Reynolds Texas clinches Big 12 season looks to get Texas back on track title after defeating OU By Daniela Perez @danielap3rez

When you think Texas Baseball, you think of players like Ryan Reynolds. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound third baseman has been a rock in the infield for three seasons. He follows a legacy of Longhorns, including a sister who graduated in 2017 and a father who played baseball at Texas in 1989. Reynolds’ athletic accolades include starting 57 of 60 games his freshman year, hitting four homers and 37 RBIs during his sophomore campaign and now tying for the second-most hits on the team his junior year. His success on the field may be the reason why his fellow teammates chose him to be one of three captains in the 2019 season. Like any captain, he must now take responsibility for the Longhorns’ losing series against Kansas State. “We designated three captains when we were out of town a couple of weeks ago, and those guys need to take this responsibility because those three guys were voted by their team, and that’s Michael McCann, Bryce Elder and Ryan Reynolds,” Texas head coach David Pierce said on Sunday. After the 2-0 loss, Reynolds stood among the media and spoke for his team. Reynolds said he wouldn’t point fingers, but he knows they need to improve. He recognizes a disconnect on the field that needs mending. “I don’t think we’ve been playing to our ability, Reynolds said. “I feel like we’ve been playing down to these teams and everything just needs to click. Offense needs to get going, defense has been good and then last game, pitching was really good. It just all needs to connect and happen more

consistently so we can get back on track.” Reynolds is familiar with the Longhorns’ strengths and weaknesses just like he is familiar with the highs and lows of baseball. His father played professional baseball for 13 years and Reynolds followed in his footsteps by attending the same high school in Louisiana and playing for the same college team as him. Now, he feels confident that he knows where the team must improve in order to succeed moving forward. “Today, (Kansas State pitcher Jordan Wicks) just pitched a great game,” Reynolds said on Sunday. “He made us earn everything, and we really didn’t earn it and that’s why we didn’t score today. We don’t really

have a power team. We’re more doubles — we’re a speedy team — so we just need to get on base and just create chaos. I feel like if we start doing that, we’ll be in good shape.” For now, Reynolds will continue to lead his team. In front of reporters after the series loss, Reynolds was stoic and reserved but very aware his role is instrumental to Texas turning around its midseason woes. “(I) lead by example,” Reynolds said. “I guess I’m not a real big talker, so (I try to) lead right. If I see someone who may not being doing it right, just go over there and pat them on the butt and just try to talk to them, just kind of relate, and get them back on track.

ryan lam | the daily texan staff Junior Yuya Ito rallies during a match against Baylor on March 31 at the Texas Tennis Center. A key player for the Longhorns, Ito holds a 33–4 overall record this season.

By Robert Trevino @robtrev22

pedro luna | the daily texan staff Third baseman Ryan Reynolds lifts a ball into the air during the Longhorns’ 3-1 victory over the Rice Owls on April 9 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

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In an April that has seen the No. 1 Longhorns down then-10th ranked TCU in Fort Worth and escape an upset in Stillwater against No. 26 Oklahoma State, it’s only fitting that the last match of the season — a grudge match across the Red River border — would clinch the Longhorns’ fifth outright Big 12 regular season championship and a perfect Big 12 record. Wrapping up the season, the match started with Texas finally ridding its doubles point woes by winning the point with victories from Colin Markes/Leonardo Telles and Chih Chi Huang/ Yuya Ito. The doubles point was the first for Texas since its March 29 sweep of No. 29 Texas Tech. “It was really important (to get the doubles point),” interim head coach Bruce Berque said. “That gave the guys some confidence heading into singles. Our number two and three teams really stepped up. They’d both lost the previous match … but they stepped up and stayed strong.” The doubles point proved to be crucial, as Oklahoma’s No. 67 Alex Bakshi and Stefano Tsorotiotis grabbed wins and a couple of points for the Sooners. Texas’ No. 8 Christian Sigsgaard’s match against the Sooners’ No. 31 Spencer Papa became a moot point

after No. 50 Harrison Scott, Markes and No. 7 Ito clinched quick wins to secure the match for Texas. Scott particularly dispatched Oklahoma’s Ferran Calvo 6-2, 6-4, in a performance that Berque was particularly proud of. “(Scott) played really well,” Berque said. “He’s played (Calvo) several times throughout his career, and they’ve always had

point for us, especially on the road.” The top-ranked Longhorns head to Lawrence, Kansas, to defend last year’s Big 12 Championship, which Texas swept in front of the Austin faithful, winning both the men’s and women’s conference titles. The trip up to Kansas doesn’t bother Berque, who sees it as another road trip for the streaking Longhorns.

Our number two and three teams really stepped up. They’d both lost the previous match … but they stepped up and stayed strong.”

BRUCE BERQUE HEAD COACH

really close matches. Today, Harrison established himself as the better player.“ Despite winning the doubles point, Scott and Sigsgaard found themselves on the losing end of their match against Oklahoma’s Bakshi and Tsorotiotis. Berque wasn’t worried and stressed the speed of doubles matches as well as his confidence in his team. “Doubles is so dayto-day,” Berque said. “I think our doubles is going to be right back on track after this one. That was definitely a big

“We knew going into these two weeks that we were going to most likely have two matches to play to try to win a Big 12 championship this weekend, and two matches to play to try to win a Big 12 championship next weekend,” Berque said. Texas locked up the No. 1 seed in the tournament with the win, guaranteeing them a bye in the first round and a match next Saturday against the winner of what is likely to be a Texas Tech/Oklahoma matchup. Texas has faced both of them within the last three weeks.

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Crossword ACROSS

57 Website with crowdsourced reviews 26 Utopian 6 After the ___ 58 Lip (when to leave a 28 Naked 59 Bagel go-with phone message) 33 Like an orange 60 Bringer of rain tan, say 10 [Bzzt!] 63 The Cardinals, on 34 Content of a bog scoreboards 13 Some Dairy 35 Western tribe 64 Creator of a Queen orders member logical “razor” 14 Frequent Andrew 36 Military operation 65 Bird in the Wyeth model that might last flycatcher family for months 66 Favorite 15 Palindromic 38 Got chicken, say 67 Sport, as a sport woman’s name coat 39 Largest moon of 16 Affected Saturn 68 Touches down adversely, 41 Org. with a Form physically or 1040 DOWN psychologically 42 Modern acronym 1 When a play’s 18 Oil installation for “seize the plot is set in day” motion 19 Some Siouans 44 Play mates? 2 Honked 20 Part to play 45 Supply with 3 *Bo-o-o-ring updated parts 21 Runaway bestevent selling Apple 47 A puzzling 4 Comics direction products of the exclamations 2000s 50 Asleep 5 Happy ___ clam 51 “Listen!,” quaintly 23 Pince-___ (style 6 *Go order a drink of glasses) 53 Fresh 7 Fashion magazine with 24 ___ Godiva 54 Aerodynamic more than 40 international ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE editions 8 Psyche part C O L I C S A S S N E W S 9 *Flop sweat O H A R E A L T O O L I N producer L I V I N G D E A D D I N E “x” in T O A S T E D T A P I O C A 10 The Euler’s Identity — E L L I E A C T E D eiπ + 1 = x R E C O R D E D L I V E 11 Gung-ho O D O R S A D E L I L 12 Jumping pieces L I P B A L M W A R H E R O in a classic wooden puzzle L E E R O O F A V O N 14 Car part called F O U N D M I S S I N G a bonnet in A P L U S E R O D E England C R U D E L Y A E R I A L S 17 Slight vestige R I N G O P E N S E C R E T 22 According to E D G E T I M E N O O N E 24 *Scoffing remark S E E D S T U D E N D O W to an ignoramus 1 Clueless

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PUZZLE BY JULES MARKEY

25 Old Turkish title 27 Ride, in two different senses 29 Born: Fr. 30 Very conventional … or a hint to the starts of the answers to the four starred clues 31 H 32 Screening area? 36 Noble title 37 Rage 38 “Green Book” co-star Mahershala

40 Country on the Mediterranean: Abbr. 43 Many a time 44 Kvetches 46 Jane ___, anonymous plaintiff 48 Transitioned 49 People who count to five by saying “ett, två, tre, fyra, fem” 52 Homecoming returnee, informally

54 Nonverbal response to an insult 55 Mythology 56 Way out 57 Village People hit with a spelledout title 58 Philosopher Zeno of ___ 61 What a “neat” drink is served without 62 An NCO

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TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2019

FEATURE

CLEAN Cause funds recovery Recovering drug addict Wes Hurt helps others with his experiences, yerba mate. By Landry Allred @l2ndry

ive years ago, Wes Hurt struggled with addictions to cocaine, opiates and alcohol. Today, he runs a company that helps others recovering from addiction. In 2014, Hurt founded CLEAN Cause, an Austin-based yerba mate tea company, to help people recovering from addiction by allocating 50% of profits to sober-living scholarships. He said he not only wanted to be an entrepreneur but also have an impact. “I wanted to do something with my newfound freedom,” Hurt said. “So it was a natural fit to create something that could impact something I had experienced, which was recovery.” Hurt said his addiction started in high school, when he began experimenting with drugs and alcohol. In the span of 20 years, Hurt went to six rehabilitation centers and ended up in a psychiatric hospital. After realizing he was truly hooked, Hurt said he continued postponing the recovery process like a New Year’s resolution. “That was one of my more difficult realizations about my life,” Hurt said. “I knew there was going to be a long battle back.” It wasn’t until Hurt was

dismissed from his former company, had no money left and lived in a warehouse after his wife kicked him out that he realized he wanted to change. “CLEAN is the product of that extremism in a healthier way,” Hurt said. “It speaks to something bigger, which was an explicit purpose in life that gave my actions reasons (to fight) for recovery.” Within a week, Hurt developed the idea of sober-living scholarships as a practical and simple way to help consumers. He started CLEAN using profits from his former business Hey Cupcake! Hurt said he decided to sell yerba mate after his dependency on coffee and energy drinks increased his anxiety. CLEAN scholarships help people access high-accountability homes, find job opportunities and establish a recovery support system. When need outweighs supply, Hurt said they choose recipients based on their willingness to recover. As of 2019, CLEAN has granted over 540 scholarships, representing more than $270,000 in donations. One of

Wes Hurt, who struggled with drug addiction, is now the founder of CLEAN Cause, an Austin-based yerba mate company that helps others on their journey of recovery. those scholarship recipientsmm is Robert Golston, a CLEAN sales

representative who struggled with a methamphetamine addiction and lived on the streets

he moved around multiple sober-living homes. After receiving two $500 scholarships within the past three years, Golston said he used the money to remain in his sober-living household. Through this, he found a job and a s u p p o r t i v e community. “Before the scholarship, I was on the edge of being evicted because I didn’t have a job,” Golston said. “When I got the scholarship, everything started to turn around for me.” Golston’s mother, Teresa Moore, said he’s more responsible now and involved with sobriety. “(The scholarship h a d t h a t effect) because someone believed in him and gave him one more chance,” Moore said. “We can never give up on sobriety.” Hurt hopes that through the lives CLEAN impacts, he can keep the cause at the forefront rather than profitability, a conflict that develops alongside company growth. “We all have something we’re contributing to that’s bigger than the dollar bill,” Hurt said. “It has to do with impact. We’re not the solution. We’re just trying to support them on their next step of their journey.”

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