The Daily Texan 5-12-10

1A

Baseball hopes to end regular season on top

EXPOSURE PAGE 8A

Seeing the world through a photographer’s lens

Writer signs off in last Hump Day column LIFE&ARTS PAGE 10B

SPORTS PAGE 1B

THE DAILY TEXAN

Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

LOOKING AHEAD MAY 12

Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900

www.dailytexanonline.com

Big fish in a small pond

Budget cuts will impact nonacademic areas most

Ready, set, go

Exams begin except for students in the School of Law. Go to registrar. utexas.edu to find your exam time and location.

potential nominees, including Kagan and Wood. Perry said Obama’s announcement Monday shows his desire to create more diversity on the bench and to fill the seat with someone who could remain for a long period of time. Perry also said Obama would have probably liked

By Shabab Siddiqui Daily Texan Staff The office that oversees a variety of nonacademic functions on campus will see its budget cut by about $4 million, the largest reduction in the University’s plan to cut its budget by more than $14.6 million by August 2011.

The Office of the Vice President of University Operations manages building maintenance, parking and transportation, and human resources, among other operations.

Patricia Clubb, vice president for University operations, said that while the reduction amount might be the largest, its percentage works out to be the same as most other vice president budgets.

“We’re not being asked to cut more than anyone else,” Clubb said.

“We just have the largest budget.”

The offices of the president, development, legal affairs and public affairs will cut the most at 8 percent, while the provost’s office and research office will face reductions of 4 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively.

Colleges will be asked to reduce 0.2 percent of their budgets. President William Powers Jr. said the decision to look at vice president budgets first was made to ensure that the academic side of the University is affected least.

Clubb said some of the cuts to the individual units within the University operations budget were made based on the size of their budgets.

She said campus security was one area that was prioritized when making the decision.

“Everyone’s committing something,” Clubb said. “[But] the police

LAW continues on page 6A

BUDGET continues on page 6A

Royal flush

Poker Walk 2010 celebrates National Employee Health and Fitness Day. Gregory Gym, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

MAY 14

Put a cap on it

Last day for graduates to order graduation regalia from the University Co-op. Visit universitycoop. com or stop by the Co-op Outlet.

MAY 22 The future awaits

Official University-wide commencement with graduation speaker Marcia Gay Harden. Main Mall, 8 p.m.

JUNE 3

Summer school

Classes begin for the first summer session.

Hot off the press

First day of summer printing for The Daily Texan.

Inside

In News: Student-led committee wants to outsource UT Webmail page 6A

In Opinion: The editorial board says goodbye to another school year page 4A

In Sports: Softball team hopes the third time’s the charm this weekend page 1B

In Life&Arts:

We continue our quest to discover the best tacos in Austin page 10B

‘‘

Quote to note “Through all the angry Firing Lines, the encouraging comments and late night trips to Wendy’s, I’ve learned a lot as a writer, a citizen and a fervent lover of spicy chicken nuggets.”

— Dan Treadway Associate editor OPINION PAGE 4

Peyton McGee | Daily Texan Staff

Six-year-old Leslie Ramirez fishes with her family at a pond near Cesar Chavez and South First streets on Tuesday. Ramirez and her family have been going to the pond about once a week for the past two years because they say it is where they find the big fish.

President passes on Texas alumna Elena Kagan surpasses Diane Wood to become Supreme Court nominee

Justice nomination, which went to U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan. President Barack Obama likely chose Kagan because of her background as a federal lawyer and her younger age, said UT

By Alex Geiser associate government professor Daily Texan Staff Despite possessing similar ide- H.W. Perry.

Kagan, who was appointed as ologies, UT School of Law alumna Diane Wood was passed over the first female solicitor general Monday for the Supreme Court in March 2009, supervised and

conducted government litigation on the Supreme Court. She graduated from Princeton University before attending Oxford University for two years and finished her education with a degree from Harvard Law School, where she would later serve as dean.

After Justice John Paul Stevens announced his retirement in April, Obama selected four

Group prepares for 4,500-mile ride Students to document

By Will Anderson Daily Texan Staff Steely figures on skeletal bicycle frames glide past closed storefronts and sleepy exteriors of oncampus dormitories in the postdawn stillness. It’s just past 7 on a Saturday morning, but the cyclists are already decked out in full riding gear, sweating, stretching and warming up for the five or so hours ahead of them.

This is just another weekend of training for members of the Sense Corp Texas 4000 for Cancer cycling team, which seeks to raise awareness and funds for cancer research.

The real ride begins June 5, when the team’s 56 members set out from Cedar Park with 4,500-plus miles ahead of them. They’ll cover between 30 and 113 miles per day, depending on the terrain, which alternates from oceanside causeways to grueling mountain climbs.

The riders battle all sorts of conditions, and they don’t stop for rain. The two teams — one heading to Alaska via the West Coast, the other traveling through the Rocky Mountains — will spend some days in 100-degree heat, cross deserts in California and Nevada and encounter sub-zero temperatures in the Yukon Territory.

conflict-ridden Kosovo

Amanda Martin | Daily Texan Staff

Members of the Sense Corp Texas 4000 for Cancer bike down San Jacinto Boulevard during training Tuesday. The Texas 4000 is the world’s longest annual charity bike ride, with a course that runs from Austin to Anchorage, Alaska.

To make it to their destination on time, they’ll have to cover a pre-determined distance every day. For instance, the team taking the Rocky Mountain route will travel approximately 4,734 miles in 62 days, with eight days of rest interspersed throughout the trip.

That’s an average of 76 miles per riding day. Riding from Cedar Park to Anchorage, Alaska, would be the same as completing the en-

tire Tour de France twice — plus an extra couple hundred miles.

The team has no fitness requirements for incoming riders. While some of them could pass as elitelevel athletes by the end of the trip, many begin the journey having never run more than a mile in their lives.

“No riding experience neces-

TEXAS continues on page 2A

“I grew up in a household

By Priscilla Totiyapungprasert that was very media-conDaily Texan Staff For the past semester, eight scious,” Spence said. “In colUT students have been prepar- lege I started thinking about ing to spend a month in Koso- the global impact of storytellvo, where they will film a doc- ing and how the media can be umentary showing the strug- a tool for social change.”

The team consists of filmgles related to financial illitermakers Juan acy and bankElizondo, also ing in the cona Daily Texflict-torn rean staffer, and gion.

Alex ArreThe stuI grew up in a dondo; prodents make up ducer and the UT team household that was Texan staffof Students of the World, an very media-conscious.” er Kara McKTexan Austin-based — Courtney Spence enzie; staffer Amnonprofit that CEO and founder of ber Genuske; partners college students Students of the World photographer Lara Haase; with socialfilm interly conscious viewer Tamilcompanies la Mirzoyeva; to document how these companies use inno- graphic designer Melissa Revative ways to solve different ese; and fundraising and events planner Emma Miller. problems around the globe.

Kosovo — a country in EastCourtney Spence, CEO and founder of Students of the ern Europe bordered by MonWorld, started the program 10 tenegro, Serbia, Macedonia and years ago during her second year at Duke University.

FILM continues on page 2A

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NEWS

FILM: Team hopes to increase

residents’ financial knowledge From page 1A Albania — declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, making it the newest country in the world.

Along with Kosovo’s internal disputes between different ethnic groups that plagued the region in the early ‘90s, Serbia and numerous other countries refuse to recognize Kosovo as a country.

The team is working on its multimedia project with RĂŞv Worldwide, a company that provides alternative banking services for people in Kosovo, among other countries. “A lot of infrastructure was destroyed after the civil conflicts and people had to rebuild their schools, hospitals and banks,â€? said Mirzoyeva, an economics junior.

Leading up to their departure for Europe on May 31, the students have met each week to learn about Kosovo and work on various media projects in preparation for the trip. In addition to the Kosovo documentary, the team will also work with MPower Labs to create another documentary that sheds light on the lack of financial understanding and services among Austin’s lowincome families.

The main issue is that a large population of people are denied access to traditional banking services because their income is too low, Mirzoyeva said. “What’s unique about this year’s project is that we get to re-

late this issue in Kosovo to Austin,� said Arredondo, a radio-television-film sophomore. “There are a lot of people here, mainly minorities, who come from cash-based backgrounds and are relunctant to use banks.�

The team hopes it can help people both locally and overseas to learn basic financial skills, such as building credit, transferring money and shopping online, Arredondo said.

Problems are not as obvious in Kosovo because people there tend to keep their financial struggles private, he said.

After the monthlong trip, the team will return to Austin for intensive post-production work.

Students of the World will host the Eastern European Block Party fundraiser on Saturday from 8 p.m. to midnight at Dominican Joe Coffee Shop. Fire spinners, disc jockeys, belly dancers and local bands playing a fusion of modern and “gypsy-style� music are scheduled to perform. The event will also feature Eastern European foods, which Mirzoyeva described as a blend of Serbian and Mediterranean cuisine.

People are encouraged to bring donations to help fund the project. “I’m really surprised that we’ve already gotten so many supporters for the event,� Mirzoyeva said. “A lot of the local businesses have been really enthusiastic in helping us out.�

Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

TEXAS: Cyclists looking forward to ride From page 1A sary,� says David Santino, one of the ride directors and a structural engineering graduate student. “Some of [the riders] haven’t been on bikes since training wheels. The majority of us are just your average college student.�

By 7:15 a.m. Saturday, some of the riders began to congregate in the parking lot behind the Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Building on Dean Keeton Street.

They form small groups, chatting about their weekends as well as the day ahead. There is no social hierarchy. They are nothing less than a family at this point, having spent the better part of the past year and a half together. “Everyone here has a tie to cancer,� Santino says.

His mother was diagnosed with leukemia in 2008; she has since undergone a bone marrow transplant and is now making a strong recovery. “We are our own support group in the sense that we all battle with it,� he says. “We all draw strength from each other.�

At 7:50 a.m., the riders gather in a small circle, leaning on one another. The team’s fitness director, John Fitch, goes over the day’s route and offers some motivation. “Pace yourself. Push yourself,� Fitch says. “We’ve all been through training camp together. We can all do this. Sometimes your muscles have more in them than you know.�

Then they all take turns dedicating the morning’s ride to someone — cancer survivors, those who have fought the disease and lost, their parents, their coaches and one another. It is one of the team’s pre-ride rituals and is as important as the riders’ lightweight Trek bicycles. “I want to ride today for a few people,� nursing sophomore Kristen Hattaway says. “For my grandmother first of all ... She passed away yesterday morning, but I just want to ride for her because her husband, my grandfather, passed

away about 15 years ago from brain cancer, and so she’s been surviving on her own since then.

She’s really an amazing lady.�

The riders closest to Hattaway comfort her with a few pats on the back. Everyone is silent for a moment, as if they all know how fortunate they are to be able to ride this morning. “I think that you guys are a wonderful team, and I’m unbelievably excited for the challenge of this summer,� biomedical engineering senior Daniel Walk says. “I know that without you guys, it would be insurmountable, but with y’all, it is so possible. I just want to thank you all for an awesome year and encourage y’all to finish strong.

This is the home stretch. Four more weeks, starting today.�

After a few more dedications and the team’s final instructions, the riders mount their expensive wheels and pedal out of the parking lot. Fitch stays behind, watching the individual groups form and depart. “I’m looking forward to it as an amazing 80-day vacation,� says Fitch, who graduated in the fall with a bachelor’s degree in radiotelevision-film and business foundations and now works for a commercial insurance company. “The most incredible part is the people who are involved. This thing is so important to them that they perform regardless of their fitness level. I am more proud of them than I am of myself.� ...

It’s 9 a.m., and riders pass Akins High School on South First Street in clumps. The entire operation functions on the classic buddy system — each person chooses a partner or two with whom they will cover the entire 68.4 miles that day.

Later, partners will bunch together with other groups and sometimes form mini-pantheons, columns of riders five- to 10-deep, floating along the narrow country roadways that lead out of town.

Safety and convenience bring the groups together, but they also benefit when traveling in a mini-

pantheon because of the principle known as drafting. The riders intermittently rotate their order, pulling the farthest back up to the front to block the wind and keep those behind well-rested. “The payoff is in the long run, just because you don’t have to deal with the wind all day,� Santino says. “It leads to a much faster ride.�

Luckily, there aren’t many hills on this morning’s route, just gently rolling plains. When the riders reach the southern outskirts of Austin’s suburbs, they open the throttle, ease off the breaks and pick up some speed. It’s here that the cycling also takes on an aesthetic value; with no MP3 players or other distractions to speak of, all the riders have on this Saturday morning are the scenic views of the Hill Country and each other.

They travel through Buda, then turn west and ride out to Driftwood before looping around and heading back toward Buda by a southern route. When they reach Akins again, they make a rest stop, their second of the trip, to refill on peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches and fruit.

Then it’s back on the bikes for another 11.25 miles to campus.

It’s a long morning, to be sure, but nothing compared to the physical struggles they can expect this summer. ... “The cycling is just a means to an end,� Santino says. “Don’t get me wrong. I love cycling, but the main objective is to get the message out.�

Many of the other riders echo Santino’s sentiment. They may be setting out on a journey few can ever hope to experience, but the athletic achievement is still second to the goal of raising cancer awareness. In less than four weeks, they’ll be on the road to Alaska, beginning the world’s longest charity ride. But their sense of accomplishment comes from their belief in one another.

And over 4,500 miles and three months, that’s what they’ll have to derive their strength from. “This is above and beyond what I ever expected from grad school,�

Santino says. “I think you could ask any one of us and get the same answer.�

THE DAILY TEXAN Volume 110, Number 206 25 cents

CONTACT US Main Telephone: (512) 471-4591 Editor: Jillian Sheridan (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com Managing Editor: Ana McKenzie (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com News Office: (512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com Web Office: (512) 471-8616 online@dailytexanonline.com Sports Office: (512) 232-2210 sports@dailytexanonline.com Life & Arts Office: (512) 232-2209 dailytexan@gmail.com Photo Office: (512) 471-8618 photo@dailytexanonline.com Retail Advertising: (512) 471-1865 joanw@mail.utexas.edu Classified Advertising: (512) 471-5244 classifieds@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.

COPYRIGHT Copyright 2010 Texas Student Media. All articles, photographs and graphics, both in the print and online editions, are the property of Texas Student Media and may not be reproduced or republished in part or in whole without written permission.

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Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jillian Sheridan Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ana McKenzie Associate Managing Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erin Mulvaney, Sean Beherec Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeremy Burchard, Dan Treadway, David Muto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lauren Winchester, Roberto Cervantes News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blair Watler Associate News Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pierre Bertrand, Lena Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Claire Cardona, Viviana Aldous Senior Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Audrey White, Alex Geiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Shabab Siddiqui, Bobby Longoria, Priscilla Totiyapungprasert Copy Desk Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nausheen Jivani Associate Copy Desk Chiefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cristina Herrera, Vicky Ho, Matt Jones Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Olivia Hinton Senior Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shatha Hussein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Veronica Rosalez, Mustafa Saifuddin Special Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thu Vo Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sara Young Associate Photo Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bryant Haertlein, Peter Franklin Senior Photographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Kang,Tamir Kalifa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peyton McGee, Daniela Trujillo, Bruno Morlan Life&Arts Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ben Wermund Associate Life&Arts Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Genuske Senior Entertainment Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rob Rich, Frankie Marin, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Ross Harden, Lane Lynch, Kate Ergenbright Features Entertainment Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gerald Rich, Mary Lingwall Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blake Hurtik Associate Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Sherfield Senior Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Hurwitz, Laken Litman, Austin Ries, Chris Tavarez Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Carolynn Calabrese Multimedia Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Juan Elizondo Associate Multimedia Editors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rachael Schroeder, Blas Garcia Senior Videographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carlos Medina Web Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryan Murphy Editorial Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Doug Warren

Issue Staff

Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Collin Eaton, Hannah Jones Photographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rene Huynh, Amanda Martin, Eric Ou Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Will Anderson, Jim Pagels, Ryan Betori, Kate Guerra Life&Arts Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Allistair Pinsof Page Designer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexa Hart, Simonetta Nieto Copy Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alysha Behn, Kelsey Crow, Keith Gardner Comics Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rachel Weiss, Edgar Vega, Ryohei Yatsu, Katie Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Victoria Elliott, Nam Nguyen, Johnathan Barcelo-Iniguez Videographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christopher Rajan, Adrian Arredondo, Alan McQuinn

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4

Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

OPINION

Editor in Chief: Jillian Sheridan Phone: (512) 232-2212 E-mail: editor@dailytexanonline.com Associate Editors: Jeremy Burchard David Muto Roberto Cervantes Dan Treadway Lauren Winchester

T HE DAILY T EXAN

Dear campus, Thanks for listening

GALLERY

By Jillian Sheridan Editor-in-chief

Joseph Pulitzer once said that a newspaper has no friends — to rephrase, the Texan has no obligations ... The Daily Texan is bigger than any one man. We will protect it and its tradition with our youth and our strength and, if necessary, with our personal reputation. You will be jostled, cajoled, embarrassed. Yet, through our telescope of ideas, you will see your life here in much nobler focus. ... Student apathy, this disregard for all save the most material, is a thing of the mid-20th century. If we do not kill it now, here on a thousand campuses, it will eventually kill us — an ugly cancer polluting the bloodstream of democracy.”

— Willie Morris, Daily Texan editor, 1955-56

late night trips to Wendy’s, I’ve learned a lot as a writer, a citizen and a fervent lover of spicy chicken nuggets.

By Dan Treadway It’s been a pleasure working with the Associate Editor rest of the editors on the board whom I believe to be the most intellectual group I suppose it’s fitting that I write this of individuals I’ve met during my reflection piece inside the Cactus Cafe time at UT. along with the rest of Every day in the ofthe editorial board. fice was truly enjoyThe defining stoable, except the day ry of this year has when Lauren, JilI’ve learned a been University-wide lian and David mainbudget cuts, and for tained that Lady lot as a writer, many, the budget cut Gaga was an artisa citizen and a that hurt the most tic genius. On that fervent lover of was the potential loss day, my faith in them of this cafe. diminished greatly. spicy chicken On paper, this cafe So while I know I nuggets. is a number, an exwill never again lispendable one at that. ten to music with Our job, particularly them, I will always this year, has been to f o n d l y re f l e c t o n examine and critique writing, editing and the human response to such numbers. laughing alongside them.

And through all the angry Firing But, that could just be the Guinness Lines, the encouraging comments and talking.

By Jeremy Burchard Associate Editor

So I suppose this is my moment to step out of the context of the editorial page and speak about my past year with the paper. The thing is, I’m not very good at reflecting; if I’m looking, I much prefer to look forward than backward. Instead of thinking about the opportunities I’ve had with this paper — from meeting with administrators, professors and leaders to weighing in on the issues that are shaping the University right now — I like to think about what being part of the editorial board means for the future.

First and foremost, being part of the editorial board means I will always appreciate the hard work and collaborative efforts of others, especially those who make an institution like UT the marvel that it is. And it means I’ll be all the more confident in my work. A job that requires you to put your name on your opinion necessitates confidence, clarity, caution — and thick skin. My experiences over the past year shape how I approach problems in the future. That is, openly, proactively and eagerly. Most importantly, having the opportunity to work with the people I’ve worked with and learn the things I’ve learned provides me with the ultimate rule for the future: Love what you’re a part of, but don’t be afraid to be critical of it. It means I’ll demand of myself to do what I love, love what I do and always strive to make it better.

LEGALESE Opinions expressed in The Daily Texan are not necessarily those of the UT administration, the Board of Regents or the Texas Student Media Board of Operating Trustees.

I have been so lucky to have this job. Trust me, I wasn’t saying that a lot this year. Editing the Texan can be burdensome — on sunny days, when your friends are headed to Barton Springs, it can be tough to get passionate about Student Government or budget cuts.

And it is humbling. If you want to know just how little you know, try publishing your opinions once a week for a couple of years. People will certainly inform you of your inadequacy, and often, they will be right.

Throughout this year, I felt the weight of the Texan’s tradition — the courageous editors who fought for academic freedom and freedom of information, for racial and gender equity. Their shoes often felt too big to fill, as the journalism industry, and the Texan’s financial security, eroded around us.

As editor, I felt a tremendous obligation to the University and to UT students. And, while I feel that I have fulfilled those obligations with mixed success, simply trying to be worthy of the office was one of the most rewarding things I have done.

The people who surrounded me, especially the truly wonderful associate editors I was fortunate enough to get to work with, are some of the most motivated, intelligent, selfless and idealistic people I believe exist in the world.

And though the issues we grappled with were as un-glamorous as transparency in meetings about tuition and reformatting foreign-language requirements, the biggest lesson of my Texan experience is that these things matter. These tiresome, bureaucratic decisions shape our experience, and if students are not brave and ambitious enough to fight for ownership of the University and instead choose to plug in their headphones and tag along for the ride, the University will suffer.

But, as discouraging as student apathy has sometimes been, the enthusiastic and tirelessly involved students I have met this year in Student Government, the Senate of College Councils, College Republicans, University Democrats and the Graduate Student Assembly, among others, have been more inspiring than discouraging.

And, of course, the smiling faces and courageous minds of the reporters and editors I saw day-in and day-out pushed me to continually address serious questions, reassess my own beliefs and speak out on controversial issues. Any success the Texan has had this year I, and this campus, owe to them.

So, in parting: UT students and future student leaders, it is time to put away childish things — and I don’t mean trips to Sixth Street, procrastination or inexplicable enthusiasm for Longhorn football. Put aside the childish preoccupation with self that has plagued our generation, and take a risk on something bigger.

By Bobby Cervantes Associate Editor For a newspaper completely produced by students, The Daily Texan is a standard-bearer for collegiate journalism. It is the pride of students who slave away in the Texan’s basement, writing and editing late into the night for little pay or recognition. It is larger than any single generation, encompassing in its pages the long, sordid history of this University, its administration and, above all, its students. It is an institution and a public trust.

Needless to say, those points are often overlooked or forgotten. And that is a shame. But I assure you, the Texan’s loyal readers, the cadre of smart and dedicated students who work here pour nearly all of their time and effort into this paper, hoping to live up to its legacy. I experienced that firsthand when I joined the staff in the fall of 2008, and it undeniably changed my life for the better.

But first, a few notable mentions are in order: Jillian, the wit and sheer persistence you have demonstrated during your term as editor sets a high bar for future Texan leaders. I still remember our first meeting last summer, when a small band of students looked to fill an opinion page we were not really sure anybody was reading. We did it any-

Working in the editorial office has added a new dimension to my editing experience.

I’ve been exposed to the inner machBy Lauren Winchester inations of UT, the world of budget Associate Editor cuts, politics, closed-door sessions and town hall meetings.

When you live underground, it’s When I sit in the basement reading easy to forget there’s another world budget spreadsheets, taskforce reports buzzing above you. and criticizing the missteps of UT adI’ve called The Daily Texan basement ministrators, the governor or even “home” these past our Student Govthree years — two ernment, I can feel of those as a news myself becoming reporter and editor, a cynic. and most recently Down here, in as an associate edithe artificial glow When I sit in tor, opining for the of fluorescent light, editorial board.

I become overthe basement ...

When I worked in whelmed with the criticizing the news, I spent qualibad news, the poor missteps of UT ty time outside the decision-making, the basement. I was in policy failures. administrators, the world, reporting But inevitably — the governor or on its curiosities and and thankfully — bringing that inforI’m reminded of the even our Student mation back to my all the amazing peoGovernment, I sunlight-starved edple at UT who make itors. I watched rothe University what can feel myself bot dogs play socit is, in spite of evbecoming a cynic. cer, spent hours with erything. I’m also res t u d e n t e n t re p re minded why I care neurs as they raced enough to descend to create a business the 24 steps underin 48 hours and celground, sit at my ebrated Dia de los computer and write.

Muertos on the steps of the Tower.

As a postscript, if it’s not too indulBut in the two years I’ve spent ed- gent, I’d like to thank my fellow ediiting, both in news and opinion, I’ve torial board writers for helping make become a fixture in the basement, this year the best I’ve ever had — both scouring the news, correcting copy, at the Texan and at UT. planning content and even designing I’ve enjoyed dancing to Lady Gaga on occasion. with all of you.

way. Thank you for all your sage advice and for giving me a chance to grace the Opinion page each week. I wish you the best of luck in law school.

Jeremy, you have become a brother to me. Since last summer, your unrelenting support and encouragement helped me brave one of the toughest semesters of my life. I am forever grateful for every second we spent together in the Texan basement, talking about everything from Lady Gaga’s cultural relevance to race relations in America — with a sprinkle of sarcasm here and there, of course. I simply cannot thank you enough.

A final word is reserved for Lauren, the incoming editor of the Texan. What is left to be said, friend? It was quite the semester for the both us. Only a few know what it is like to experience what we did this semester, and you were gracious and poised through it all. Here’s to an outstanding term as editor and many successes in the future.

There is no greater opportunity for students at the University of Texas at Austin than to work for the Texan. Simply no number of journalism classes or discussion sections or college degrees can teach you what the Texan can about writing, people, politics and life.

It will always be a special place for me, but then again, I assume every generation thinks their Texan is special. So it is with a somber and thankful tone that I bid farewell today to the Texan. To the current and future staff of the Texan, be brave and never forget the youthful vigor and sheer grit that has made this newspaper what it is today.

By David Muto Associate Editor Maybe it’s more telling than anything I write here that, in trying to craft this goodbye column, I’ve never had such a hard time trying to encapsulate my thoughts on a subject for this page.

(There are only so many ways to be creative with these things, so I’m going the schmaltz route.)

I’ve worked at The Daily Texan since my sophomore year, and in those three years, I’ve gone from working quietly as an editor behind the scenes on news stories to writing both my opinions and about myself here on this page.

In some ways, that progression mirrors my own timeline here at UT: In learning to love fixing comma splices as head of the copy department and then learning to truly appreciate the value of campus involvement as an associate editor, I learned what it means to love your work — and to love the niche you’ve carved for yourself, wherever you unexpectedly find it.

And in the process of finding a calling, I found co-workers I admire and friends I hope to keep long after we’ve parted ways. Vikram, Gabby, Shatha, Nausheen, my copy desk cohorts from semesters past, and Jillian and the editorial board: Please accept this hug via newsprint.

But this is all making me a little sad, so let me also reflect on the lighter things, like the hours we spent down here making each other laugh, Chatroulette-ing and fighting about Lady Gaga (Dan and Jeremy are wrong, and it’s unfortunate).

Oh, and I dated my former boss here for a while — probably some sort of ethical breach.

Whatever.

Jazz hands!

5A W/N

5A

NEWS

Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

Regents to honor math professor SG forms council

By Shabab Siddiqui Daily Texan Staff The Board of Regents plans to award UT mathematics professor emeritus John Tate with the title of regental professor emeritus during its meeting today.

Tate, who taught at UT for 19 years before retiring last year, won the 2010 Abel Prize in March for his work in algebraic number theory. The Abel Prize is regarded as one of the highest math-related awards in the world. It is presented by the King of Norway and comes with a cash prize of nearly $1 million.

UT System spokesman Anthony de Bruyn said that while he does not know the exact number of professors who have been awarded the regental title in the past, the awarding of the title is a rare occurrence. “It does not happen frequently, and it’s a very special honor,� he said. “It’s also very well-deserved.�

The regents also plan to clarify the roles of the board and UT System university presidents in dealing with intercollegiate athletics. De Bruyn said the amendment is more of a housekeeping issue to be in accordance with new NCAA regulations.

The rule charges either UT System presidents or the chancellor to oversee the “operation,

to advise mayor on student issues

Bobby Longoria | Daily Texan Staff

UT Board of Regents member James Huffines discusses tuition concerns during a meeting on March 3. The regents will award UT mathematics professor emeritus John Tate with the title of regental professor emeritus. fiscal integrity and personnel of the athletics program,� while the regents are responsible for providing “oversight and broad policy formulation.�

De Bruyn said issues such as contract negotiations would be under the president’s authority and issues regarding academic requirements would be overseen by the board.

The meeting will also culminate Karim Meijer ’s tenure as the student regent on the board. Meijer, a fourth-year medical student at UT-Southwestern and a UT-Austin alumnus, has been leading the initiative for introducing digital learning environments to students in place of current online textbooks. The digital book is

a more enhanced e-book with interactive features to help increase active learning. Meijer will present his findings to the board during the meeting.

The non-voting student regent serves a one-year term. Kyle Kalkwarf, a third-year medical student at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, will serve as the next student regent.

Center aims to turn high school students into leaders

By Hannah Jones Daily Texan Staff UT is responding to current demographic changes in Texas by giving high school students an opportunity to learn about public policy and becoming future leaders.

The University’s Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and Texas Exes have created a leadership academy that will launch this summer for Central Texas students entering their senior year of high school. “Subiendo: The Academy for Rising Leaders� will address the needs of the next generation, focusing on a growing Hispanic population.

Center director Ronnye Stidvent said the concept of Subiendo was conceived a year ago as a part of UT’s commitment to changing people who then change the world. “The state [of] Texas is changing [in] many ways, including the fact that the Hispanic population is booming,� Stidvent said. “Leaders of tomorrow are going to have to address the needs of the changing and very young rising population.�

One hundred students will be selected to attend the academy July 18-21. For four days, students will analyze current policy issues facing the state; prepare their own policy presentation; network with campus, community, state and national leaders; and work on skills such as team-building and communication.

Applications are open to all high school students, regardless of race, who have completed their junior year by July 1.

Students must submit an application online and write an essay on challenges facing Texas.

Kenny Jastrow, a member of the University’s Development Board and the Advisory Council of the McCombs School of Business, is co-funding the conference with his wife Susie, and David and Suzanne Booth.

Jastrow said the goal is to have all students believe they can be leaders. “We tried to think about future leaders and where they were in their school years.

We felt that the summer between students’ junior and senior year[s] in high school is when they are beginning to focus on where they were going to college and in their life,� Jastrow said. “I initiated the concept, and UT has assigned Ronnye Stidvent to be head of this.

It was her idea to name the conference ‘subiendo,’ which means ‘rising’ in Spanish.�

Jastrow said that Gov. Rick

Perry, President William Powers Jr. and other public leaders are set to speak at the upcoming conference. “The academy is all about leadership in the future, and I think it is a really important and critical endeavor. I am proud of UT for taking this on,� Jastrow said. “I think it is going to be very beneficial for the state and our nation to be able to have this new rising class of leaders.�

that are not actually on campus,�

By Audrey White Parks said. “A large portion of the Daily Texan Staff UT students will have the oppor- student body lives off campus, and tunity to address the mayor next issues in those areas are very imfall as Austin residents in a May- portant to student life.�

The council will also help the mayor’s Student Advisory Council established by Student Government. or’s office gain valuable insight on The council will most likely be how to best serve the student popucomposed of five students — the lation, said Matt Curtis, spokesman two City Relations Agency direc- for Mayor Lee Leffingwell.

Curtis said if there is a more tors and three students-at-large, who will be selected by the direc- open line of communication betors, said SG President Scott Parks. tween students and the mayor’s ofIt will serve as a way for students fice, he foresees a city where stuand city representatives to share in- dents feel more represented and formatio with one another about well served, creating an environhow to make Austin a better place ment they would want to stay in. “We want UT students to choose for the UT population, Parks said.

Austin as a home,� “I’m hoping this he said. “This is will start a better our greatest retrend of getting source for an edthe 40 Acres to be ucated, trained more integrated Mayor Leffingwell, workforce that can with the city and as a UT grad, wants become part of our identify more areas where we can to put his Longhorn community after graduate. We collaborate with cap back on and hear they need to hear from the city of Austin,� what students are them what they he said. want to see in their The idea of a thinking.� community now.� student council to — Matt Curtis Curtis said Lefthe mayor’s office fingwell and his is not new. From spokesman for Mayor office are excited 2005 to 2006, a coLee Leffingwell about the opporalition of Unitunity to engage versity students with the vibrant throughout Austin campus commuoperated a similar initiative, but it did not last. By fo- nity through the dialogue sessions cusing on UT, Parks said he hopes next year, and are allowing SG and the council will be more viable and students to take the lead on driving the organization and formation of have a longer lifespan.

In addition to the five students on the initiative. “We are going to go through and the council, Parks said students who are focused on specific projects and take a look at the program [stuneeds, such as transportation, safety dents] are designing and help them and housing, will also be invited to fulfill what they are looking for and attend the meetings, which will like- get them the information need so they can help us with their advice ly take place at least monthly. “It’s really important that stu- and council,� Curtis said. “Mayor dents have a direct connection to Leffingwell, as a UT grad, wants to City Hall because there are a lot of put his Longhorn cap back on and issues that directly affect students hear what students are thinking.�

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Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

Students push for Weekend trip ends with assault third-party-based e-mail platform Group says outsourcing UT Webmail will help increase storage space

By Collin Eaton Daily Texan Staff A student-led steering committee held a meeting Tuesday to discuss the possibility of outsourcing UT’s e-mail service from the current University Mailbox Service Webmail to a third-party e-mail platform such as Gmail.

The committee is made up of representatives from campus governance organizations and UT administrative offices.

During the meeting, the committee discussed a draft of the project overview, why the transition from Webmail to a thirdparty e-mail platform is needed, the resources required to make the transition and a potential timeline for the project’s progress. The transition is projected to be complete by winter break of 2010.

Brad Englert, chief information officer at Information Technology Services, said the Webmail service was launched in 2000. “Outsourcing student e-mail has been under discussion for a number of years,� Englert said. “Students have expressed frustration with the Webmail interface as well as the limited amount of storage available with the current student e-mail solution. Students have also requested access to their e-mail accounts after graduation.�

The transition from Webmail to a third-party platform will only affect students and

student alumni, not faculty or staff, student body President Scott Parks said. “There’s a lot that has to happen between now and December, but I think with our team, we’ll really be able to knock it out in a way that creates a really good solution for students,�

Parks said. “They’re committed to making the best decisions that they can, and I think it’ll be exciting.�

He said the plan for the transition was implemented in response to common complaints, such as those stemming from the speed of the interface and how frequently students must clean out their inboxes because of storage issues.

Steps in the project charter, or overview, include reviewing peer institutions’ solutions to email problems and developing a communication plan to reach out to the community about the transition. The ITS staff have a specific timeline detailing what documents need to be created and when they need to be created, Parks said.

Pharmacy senior Jobby John said he works with both a College of Pharmacy e-mail account and regular UT e-mail, but he forwards both to his third-party account because it’s much more user-friendly. “I don’t have any problems with the current Webmail,� education senior Steven Maddox said. “As long as I can continue to receive e-mail for free, I don’t think it would really matter to me.�

Englert said the next step is to get feedback from the steering committee on project goals.

By Bobby Longoria Daily Texan Staff History sophomore Farah Shalwani did not know that the walk she and three other friends took on the night of Saturday, May 1, would end with them on the pavement in pain, and her bleeding from the head.

After returning from downtown, Shalwani, her roommate Monali Pandya and friends Shruti Desai and Abin Abraham baked a cake for a mutual friend, then walked to her apartment in The Pearl Condominiums at the corner of 22 1/2 and Pearl streets. When they were near the staircase, three men from the third floor of the complex allegedly began to harass them.

Shalwani said Abraham asked the men to calm down, and at that point, the three men rushed down the stairs, knocked Abraham to the floor and began to beat him. Shalwani and the remaining girls were caught in the fight, and Shalwani said she was pushed to the ground by one of the men.

LAW: Age, experience affect decision From page 1A either Kagan or Wood in the justice seat because both have a history of fostering agreement between people and groups with different ideologies.

Although bitter debates based on ideological differences are frequent among the Harvard Law School faculty, Perry said Kagan, who has a more liberal and progressive perspective, has hired a number of conservative faculty members while she served as dean.

Similarly, Woods cultivated bipartisan relationships with conservative judges during her career in the Court of Appeals. “Despite strong ideological differences, [Kagan and Wood] can work well with others,� Perry said.

But he said Obama may have

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A woman with the three men began to fight Shalwani’s roommate soon afterward. The fight concluded with one of the men allegedly breaking the glass plate that held the cake onto Shalwani’s head.

Shalwani said the attacking three men and one woman left the area immediately after. “All I could feel was something slam across my head; I just knew I was in a lot of pain,� Shalwani said. “My roommate looked over, and she just saw glass everywhere, and she saw my head covered in blood, just dripping.�

Shalwani was treated by EMS and received two staples in her head to patch the wound. Abraham received a cut to his head and face.

Police responded at 3:14 a.m. on Sunday, May 2. Shalwani and her friends told the police that the attacking group was composed of two Asian men, one Caucasian man and one Asian woman.

Ewa Wegner, the Austin Police Department detective assigned to

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chosen Kagan because of her age — Wood, at 59 years old, has nine years on Kagan.

Another potential reason for Kagan’s nomination is her lack of experience in the appellate courts.

Unlike Wood and the nine current justices, including Stevens, Kagan has never served in the federal circuit courts. In this sense, her nomination provides some diversity, he said.

David Anderson, the Fred and Emily Marshall Wulff Centennial Chair in Law, taught Wood at the UT School of Law from 1972 to 1973, and she served as his research assistant the following year. “We all understand — and I think she understood — that the odds are against anyone,� Anderson said.

He said more seats could open up in the Supreme Court and Wood may have another shot at filling the position.

The Senate is expected to vote on Kagan’s nomination in August.

the case, said there were no other witnesses to the incident other than the three women and one man attacked.

Wegner said because it is still very early in the investigation, there are no conclusive leads that could result in an arrest. Most assault cases APD deals with are located downtown on Sixth Street, Wegner said.

Scott Miller, the condominiums’ association manager, said although Shalwani and her friends believe the attacking group came from either apartment 302 or 303, there are no residents on that floor who match Shalwani’s description.

Miller said he manages 25 condominiums in West Campus and he has not had a report of an assault in the past two years. “There are people that party and maybe get out of hand a little bit and fall down the stairs, or kick something over,� Miller said. “But this girl was really assaulted.�

The number of reported assaults in West Campus has fluctuated

throughout the years, going from 16 in 2005 to four in 2007. The number climbed to 19 in 2009.

Brian Donovan, general administrator of the Inter-Cooperative Council, which operates nine co-op houses in West Campus, said this increase in aggravated assaults may simply be because of the area’s increasing population.

Donovan is a member of University Area Partners, which is attempting to pass the parking benefit district plan that will change approximately 800 to 1,000 free parking spaces in West Campus to paid or permit parking.

He said although this assault occurred in a well-lit area, the plan will help fund the improvement of sidewalks and parking lots in West Campus and increase the overall safety of the area.

Donovan said he hopes people continue reporting crimes so that an increased number of police patrols can be allocated to prevent crimes in the area.

BUDGET: Cuts to occur in phases From page 1A cut has been minimized [because] we want to protect that budget for the safety of the campus.�

Clubb said another priority was to take care of the facilities in order to to minimize cuts to maintenance and repairs.

The reduction plan will take place in three phases. The University operations office will need to reduce its budget by 1.5 percent by August, an additional 3 percent by December and the final 1.5 percent by August 2011.

Powers said the timeline was instated to avoid instituting direct staff layoffs and instead allow a natural rate of attrition — or employees who leave the University or retire voluntarily — to take place. He estimates more than half of the 125 positions that have been cut since August 2009 came as a result of attrition.

Clubb said while attrition avoids having to directly cut

staff, the effects of not replacing a job or position can still be felt by the campus. “We simply don’t have the staff to take care of the campus the way we have in the past,�

Clubb said.

The budget reduction plans outlined for each vice president’s portfolio do not include funding for auxiliary enterprises. Auxiliary entities — such as the athletics department, the Division of Housing and Food Services and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center — are self-supporting bodies that depend on their own revenues to function, but can be subsidized by the University.

Auxiliary services within the University operations budget include the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center and parking and transportation.

Clubb said because the recent cuts focus on state-appropriated money, auxiliary enterprises will not be directly affected.

7A S/L

7A

—30— COLUMNS

Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

Senior designer makes peace with role

By Shatha Hussein Daily Texan Staff When people ask me what I do at the Texan, my answer is usually met with confusion. “You’re a designer?� they ask with a befuddled squint in their eyes. “Yes,� I answer, adding that it’s my responsibility to lay out pages and photo spreads and make little graphics when necessary. “So you don’t, like, write anything?� is the usual response.

Nope, and since you might be wondering, I don’t choose the photos or write the headlines either.

For a long time, exchanges like these made me feel like my job was unimportant. I started to wonder why I spent the majority of time under the unforgiving glow of the Texan’s fluorescent lighting, kerning paragraphs until 2a.m. Every department at the Texan will be the first to tell you that their job is the most thankless, but in our case, it’s true.

After all, no angry readers ever call

the office or type up a heated e-mail to the editor if I forget to put enough space around the lead story on page 1. No corrections will be written if a designer places a photo so that the subject is staring off the page.

It wasn’t until I took a required news editing class that I learned how important design really is to a newspaper. Looks matter, and this sad but true fact is what inspires people to pick up a paper in the first place. How a paper is structured, from the way that story is packaged together down to the typefaces that are used, is a large part of what draws in readers. Those tedious graphs and maps are essential to helping readers understand their communities and make informed decisions about their own lives.

This realization renewed my respect in my job, my co-workers and myself. It’s what caused me to start reading design blogs daily and nearly rear-end the driver in front

of me while admiring the retro lettering on a building along the highway. I found something I loved to do and no longer cared if people respected it or even understood it.

I believe this sentiment bonds myself and the other Daily Texan design nerds past and present who I love and will truly miss.

I wonder now as I’ve wondered out loud with the best friends that I’ve made here about what would have become of me had I not wandered down to the Texan basement, nervous and insecure, with no clue of what I wanted to do. Brace yourselves, this is where it gets cheesy. I know I’ve made friends here that will last a lifetime and working here has taught me more than any class I’ve taken at UT. In the end, all of the late nights and weird 3 a.m. nightmares about leaving stoCourtesy of Shatha Hussein ries cut off in the middle were well worth it. So, do what you love, and Shatha Hussein is currently a senior designer at The Daily Texan. She says the friendships and experience forget the people who don’t get it. she’s gained over the years have been worth all the long hours spent in the basement office.

One closed door opens another for copy chief

By Nausheen Jivani Daily Texan Staff Every semester in college has been like pressing the snooze button on my “life alarm.� Now, after 10 semesters and countless memories later, it’s time to wake up. I’m graduating in less than two weeks, and it still hasn’t sunk in quite yet. It feels like just yesterday I was roaming around campus with my orientation paperwork, deciding whether or not I should join a FIG. I, like most about-to-be graduates, started to freak out about finding work after college. So, I started looking for a job as soon as the school year began.

My heart had always been in Teach for America because I was determined to do the type of work that would help change the flaws in our current publicschool system. However, things didn’t go quite as planned. After an unexpected rejection from Teach For America last semester, I realized that nothing in life is ever guaranteed.

But, I did know one thing: I was committed to a cause. I didn’t need TFA to pursue my passions. I could find it in many other programs. So, I began my search. I looked for a way to change lives, and I finally found it in YES Prep, a charter-school system in Houston.

I applied in early December and was offered a position as a middle school English/language arts teacher for this upcoming school year. Honestly, I couldn’t

have asked for anything better.

The school is amazing, and the work that this charter program has accomplished in such a short amount of time is unmatched.

I’m excited to get started but scared to leave the comfort of college life. It’s hard to imagine a life that will soon be ruled by alarm clocks that can’t be snoozed, and not by all-night study sessions and random outings with my best friends at all hours of the day. Each moment here has defined a part of me, and I wouldn’t give it up for the world.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way. I would mention each one of you by name, but the list would fill up all the pages in this edition. I love you all.

A special shout-out goes to everyone at the Texan. We work hard, and even though much of our work goes unnoticed, it doesn’t matter because there are enough of us here who care to make this thing happen every single day.

And, to my copy editing staff: You guys rock. Thanks for putting up with my micromanaging ways. It’s been a pleasure working with each of you. And remember: We do it AP style.

Things have a weird way of working themselves out, and I’m a firm believer in that. If you’re still waiting for things to pan out, that’s OK. Our successes aren’t defined by whether or not we find jobs, because everyone

RECYCLE

your copy of

THE DAILY TEXAN

Tamir Kalifa | Daily Texan Staff

Nausheen Jivani has been at The Daily Texan for three semesters and currently serves as the copy desk chief. She plans to pursue a career in teaching after she graduates from the University. knows it’s hard out there. Heck, if you’re able to get through college without too much damage, then count yourself lucky.

So, to all of you out there looking for jobs, waiting to hear back from grad schools or just getting

started here at the 40 Acres, remember that there is a plan in place for you. Find your passions, and don’t let your letdowns become your downfalls.

Hats off to the class of 2010. See you at graduation.

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8A NEWS

8A

—30— COLUMNS

Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

Through the photographer’s lens PHOTO BY SARA YOUNG

A

photographer’s artistic eye is as unique as a fingerprint. He or she chooses every angle carefully, knowing that with each subsequent exposure the moment is lost, and it will not replay itself in the same way again.

What defines a photographer the most is not how they photograph, but what they decide to make their subject. We have been to places we may have never visited otherwise. Lives have passed before our lenses like feathers caught in the wind. Every face that stares into our lenses and into our eyes transforms us, and with this change we gain a better understanding of life.

Our duty to the public is to chronicle the ever-changing social landscape, and through our work the mechanisms that cause strife and injustice are revealed. We also capture happi-

ness and love so that we may hope to gain and share it with others.

Like a master painter with a brush, photographers reveal their interpretation of life with their cameras. After we press the shutter, we commit ourselves and our eyes to the hunt — a hunt for the decisive moment that will improve society.

One day, the light entering our eye will fade and the chaotic flurry of life we experience will last only on film and pages. Heralds of raw emotion and human interaction — nomads searching for truth, with camera in hand — this is all we can dream to achieve.

These images represent the vision, individuality and passion of the graduating Daily Texan photographers. — Bobby Longoria

PHOTO BY SCOTT SQUIRES Progress, patience, direction — a new life. In a world of clutter and chaos, the only constant thing is change.

In our journey forward, we must re-think our understanding of society, structure and the influences of popular culture.

PHOTO BY PETER FRANKLIN

Children climb on a structure at the Jantar Mantar Astronomical Observatory in Jaipur, India, in December 2006. Built in 1727, the structures were used as giant instruments to precisely calculate the motion of celestial bodies. For me, this image represents the childlike wonder with which I view the world, always striving to see more on the way up and the way down and never looking behind me. It is my intention to live and see all of life — its very best and its very worst — until, like this observatory, I gain a full awareness of my place in the cosmos.

PHOTO BY RACHEL TAYLOR Children fly a train of kites while the 262-foot-tall Parachute Jump towers in the distance in Coney Island, Brooklyn. In the summer of 2007, I photographed this weekend destination nearly every day for seven weeks as its future was threatened by development.

People view a piece entitled “Crystal Swallow� at the Desire exhibit at the Blanton Museum of Art in February 2010. As a Daily Texan photographer for the past year, I have learned more about photography than any photojournalism course could ever teach me. Almost no one realizes I’m a senior because I have a freshmanlike tendency to blend into the background, but I’m moving on to blend into a different background.

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9A NEWS

Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

9A

—30— COLUMNS

PHOTO BY BOBBY LONGORIA

Tamir Kalifa | Daily Texan Staff

Whenever a camera is to my eye, I become engrossed in a surreal moment. Reality shifts into a dreamlike state, and I capture what my heart is truly sensing.

PHOTO BY RENE HUYNH

This photo was taken of a bride and groom I happened upon while frolicking in Little Italy with my camera.

I chose this image because I love New York City — its grit and glamour never cease to enthrall me.

Bobby Longoria has worked in the news department since the summer of 2009 and has progressed to the senior cops and courts reporter. In the spring, he also served as an issue photographer.

Stress of working at Texan forges strong relationships

By Bobby Longoria Daily Texan Staff There is more to a newspaper than simply pictures interspersed within a sea of text. With every pixel of a picture, word in an article, illustration on a page and “pica� in less than a quarter inch of spacing, I see a union of people, each so multifaceted and passionate. Although we all began as strangers to one another, the bond created within the fibers that hold our paper together will link us for years to come because behind this paper is a family.

I started at the Texan relatively late in my college career, and it was primarily on a whim at the beginning of what would be a hot and eventful summer. Within seconds, I became immersed in news reporting and found my niche within crime and city issues. During that initial period, a few of us were distant from one another, but it was through that summer that I cultivated many

budding friendships.

Through the daunting hours laboring for the paper, we all came closer together under a common desire and conviction to quality journalism. Not only did my writing and photography improve throughout the semesters, but my love of people and friends grew.

We do everything together.

We are often overworked and stressed. We’ve spent many nights feeling the weight of a looming deadline, and at times, that pressure equated to fury, but we would all kiss and make up the next day. We also played together, remembering that work is only rewarding if you provide for enough time to celebrate the results.

Somewhere within the pages we found a commonality. For some, this root sprouted into many flowers of lifelong friendships, and even some romances.

I have learned from all of them, and I’ll carry with me the many

lessons in compassion and caring that I have learned here.

I will relish every moment I had, both in and out of the office.

I will remember the deaths, tragedies and disasters I have reported and how we strived to present a moral and just interpretation. I will remember investigating stories with my colleagues, breaking news and feeling glorious about our unified effort. I will remember when we yelled across the room to one another, and then when we laughed, ate cake and drank together.

All I can say to those who want to join The Daily Texan is be zealous and amicable, because you will struggle under this paper, but you will foster your greatest connections.

Being a published reporter and photographer meant less to me than the family I became a part of. Even if in time our leaves begin to part from each other, we will retain some sinew of the root that unites us.

10A NEWS

10A

—30— COLUMNS

Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

Mother, adviser inspired trip to top

Bobby Longoria | Daily Texan Staff

Left, Erin Mulvaney was a senior reporter, news editor and associate managing editor. Center, Ana McKenzie was a senior reporter, associate news editor, news editor, Life&Arts editor and the managing editor. Right, Blair Watler was a general news reporter, associate news editor and news editor.

‘Do it for the story,’ Texan staffer says

By Blair Watler Daily Texan Staff Do it for the story. The most fun I’ve had the last four years of college was when I threw all doubt, reason and apprehension out the window and just lived by this mantra. Sure, sometimes it left me with bruises down my back after bridge jumping at 2 a.m. or crying on the streets of Buenos Aires after getting robbed, but I was never left without the feeling that this is what it means to be alive.

Anyone who’s met me knows that I love to talk. I’ll spend hours talking about anything from trashy TV shows to why John Steinbeck is the greatest author ever with anyone who will listen. But my favorite thing to talk about is stories — and not just my own. I honestly believe that every person has a story to share, and there are few things I love more than stumbling upon a real storyteller.

I think it’s this inherent character trait (you can blame my mother) that drew me to journalism. Journalism is the only profession where you get to talk to strangers about

their lives and learn something new every day. Seeking out the story — the truth — can become an intoxicating journey. I have been honored and lucky enough to be a part of that journey at The Daily Texan, and I will sincerely miss my time here.

At the Texan, I have met my kindred spirits — young people who are ambitious, dedicated, radical and idealistic, a rare combination of traits in today’s world.

It’s been fascinating to watch my reporters never lose their enthusiasm, my associates come into their own as editors, my fellow department heads continuously strive to be innovative and my bosses carry the weight of the whole operation.

Sometimes it can be easy to forget that we’re all just a bunch of stupid kids doing the best we can. We’ve definitely messed up at times, but we’ve never wavered in our mission to serve the University community and report your stories.

Those names in the staff box aren’t just reporters, editors, photographers, designers and copy editors churning out a newspaper

day in and day out — they’re my friends. They’re the people that drove me home from work everyday after I totaled my car, made me laugh until I had tears in my eyes, celebrated my new job with me, bought me too many pitchers at Hole in the Wall and picked me up when I didn’t think I could do anything anymore. I will be forever grateful to them for sharing their stories with me and becoming such a huge part of mine.

I’ve never been one to follow anyone else’s advice, so it pains me a little that I’m now going to dispense some of my own. But after 166 hours of class, three studyabroad trips, seven different roommates, 200 sorority sisters and countless days in the Texan basement, the one thing I’ll be leaving these 40 Acres with is the conviction that you have to find your own truth. So ignore the naysayers, do something that scares you, keep an open mind, explore, never accept defeat, stand up for yourself, be bold, think radical — and along the way, you’ll write your own story.

By Ana McKenzie Daily Texan Staff I can remember being a sophomore, sitting pretty on my youth and success as an almost-over-thehill college student, when I came across two sentences that absolutely crippled my ego.

I was a senior news reporter at The Daily Texan in the spring of 2008 and had mentioned to some higher-ups that I was interested in becoming news editor over the summer. I figured that — after having covered a presidential debate on campus, Student Government and countless breaking news stories — I had a good shot. But, a few days later, I unintentionally saw the editor’s thoughts about my suggestion. “She wants to try out for news editor, but she’s a pretty bad reporter,” one wrote to another. “Actually, really bad,” she continued.

I went home to wallow in my sorrow, throwing myself an impressive pity party, complete with a dark bedroom and plenty of Kleenex. Searching for some comfort, I called my mother.

“Don’t listen to what other people say about you,” she said, re-

peating an age-old mantra that served as a swift kick in the rear.

“Prove them wrong.”

My mother, in her wisdom, was right. I steadily moved up the ladder until I reached the very top, where I have been this semester, as managing editor. I make final decisions about stories, headlines, photos and photo captions for the paper.

I’ve also been fortunate enough to work with the most amazing, gifted and talented staffers, some of whom have become my lifelong friends. But this semester, my last at the Texan, I was fortunate enough to work with someone who made this experience worth its salt.

Doug Warren, a veteran journalist and East Coast transplant, came to the Texan this semester as our new adviser. By providing us with critiques, advice, good music, good conversation and the occasional but much-needed beer, he has become the reason why most of us will look back on this semester as the best we ever had at the Texan. Doug has talked me down from many ledges, acted as the best sounding board and, most importantly, always been on my side. I

cannot thank him enough.

It is sad to think that after the paper you have in your hands becomes yesterday’s news, I will be right back down at the bottom of the “real world” ladder. I will work for pennies just to get what I write noticed.

The other day, I realized I have applied to 50 jobs since I started looking in March. What is even sadder than counting how many jobs I apply to is knowing that I have yet to hear from a single potential employer. No “Thank you, we’ll get back to you soon,” or even, “You’re kidding, right?” Nope. Nothing.

I have worked so hard throughout my time at UT that I naturally feel sad, maybe even a little defeated, when I look at my empty inbox. But, after 50 unanswered cover letters and the occasional painful e-mail, I’ve learned some invaluable lessons that brought me to the top of one of the best college newspapers in the country: Surround yourself with people like Doug. Don’t take anything personally. And, most importantly, always try to prove your editors wrong.

Editor looks back on reporting with ‘style’

By Erin Mulvaney Daily Texan Staff Some of my close friends and family get mad at me when I say things like, “It’s Ben and me, not Ben and I” or “‘Towards’ is not a word.” They hate it, but actually, it shows I really care when I decide to speak up, instead of simply correcting them in my mind. It’s for their own good.

Therefore, I am writing this —30— column following Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, the definitive guide to grammar and style.

Rule 20: Keep related words together.

Daily Texan staffers notoriously stick together. Like minds are drawn toward the ringing phones, the limited natural sunlight, the pressure from editors and the thrill of the deadline. I am proud to have found my place at UT in the basement, where what happens can be found daily in the orange, metal boxes that sit on almost every cor-

ner of campus.

I realized how big UT can be — fast. It may have been impossible for me to survive at such a large institution without finding my place in the basement of the Texan.

Rule 14: Use active voice.

I helped cover the aftermath of a two hurricanes during my first few weeks as a reporter. I, along with my coworkers, watched as the U.S. elected its first black president. I wrote about our state leaders fumbling through a legislative session and dug through documents to find articles written by our favorite Texan alumnus, Walter Cronkite, the day he died.

There were also those less distinguished moments when I had to interview U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in my cut-off blue-jean shorts and when I was forced to be in several photo illustrations, including a picture of me holding a Plan B Emergency contraception box and one of

me yelling at a computer screen for an online dating story. I started seeing the world differently after only a few months working as a reporter at the Texan. Everything and everyone has a story, and I learned that all you have to do is ask with the most active voice you can muster.

Rule 15: Put statements in a positive form.

I see a positive future for the Texan. This semester, it has been a pleasure to watch the young staffers grow and develop. Each one gives me hope that the Texan’s legacy will endure and its professionalism will be maintained.

As our wise adviser would say, “The good thing is there is a new paper every day.” I am looking forward to seeing all the papers to come.

For lack of a better ending quote I offer some final advice from my grammar guides: Rule 22: Place the emphatic words of the sentence at the end.

1B SPTS

SPORTS

Sports Editor: Blake Hurtik E-mail: sports@dailytexanonline.com Phone: (512) 232-2210 www.dailytexanonline.com

1B

Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

T HE DAILY T EXAN

SOFTBALL

Texas focused as postseason approaches Top-seeded Longhorns credit season’s success to teammates’ chemistry

By Kate Guerra Daily Texan Staff At this point in last year’s season, the Texas Longhorns softball team was 37-17 going into the Big 12 Championship tournament.

They earned the No. 4 seed but went out in the semifinals against Oklahoma. The year before, they also made an exit in the semifinals in another tough loss against rival Texas A&M. This weekend, the Longhorns will try to avoid their third early exit, now in better shape to make the championship title a reality.

This time around, the Horns are 41-12 and have the regular-season Big 12 title under their belts. Although last year’s team was record-breaking at the time, the 2010 season has blown those marks out of the water. The team collectively hits a .318 batting average, compared to .295 last season. The Longhorns have hit a whopping 81 home runs to last year’s 58 and are currently allowing their opponents only a .209 batting average against them.

Looking away from the statistics, the chemistry of the 2010 team has changed as well.

“The biggest difference between this year’s team and last year’s is how close our team is,” sophomore utility player Courtney Craig said. “We’re close on

NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals Boston 120 Cleveland 88

MLB American League Oakland 7 Texas 6 Chicago White Sox 5 Minnesota 2 Cleveland 8 Kansas City 2 Tampa Bay 7 LA Angels 2 Seattle 5 Baltimore 1 National League Houston 6 St. Louis 3 Washington 6 NY Mets 8 Atlanta 11 Milwaukee 3 LA Dodgers 13 Arizona 3 Chris Kosho | Daily Texan Staff

Texas freshman pitcher Blaire Luna will play a large role in the Longhorns’ success at the Big 12 tournament and beyond. the field and off the field. When we’re playing, we’re so close — we have fun, and we enjoy playing the game together. We go out

to eat Trudy’s. We have little gettogethers at each other’s houses, watch TV, movies, hang out and enjoy our team.”

Because the team is so close off son into consideration. The Georthe field, they can maintain a de- gia Bulldogs are a team that Texas termined focus. For example, take the last series of the regular seaSOFTBALL continues on page 2B

TRACK

TENNIS

Horns hurdle up rankings in time for championships

NCAAs last challenge for UT tennis teams

Women won’t let top-10 ranking get in the way of postseason title hopes

By Ryan Betori Daily Texan Staff For the women’s track and field team, this weekend’s Big 12 championship could not have come at a better time. After standout performances at the Texas Invite and Stanford Invitational on May 1, the Longhorns jumped 10 spots to establish themselves as the sixthranked team in the country in the latest coaches’ poll.

Bobby Longoria | Daily Texan Staff Despite the enormity of the leap, head coach Beverly Kear- Pole vaulter Hayden Clark clears the bar earlier this season. ney refuses to put much stock in rankings. To her, the polls Men looking to make up for poor indoor showing simply reflect what the team at conference championship, NCAA regionals already knows.

“I don’t think it brings any After a disappointing sixthBy Jim Pagels more,” Kearney said about the place finish at the Big 12 InDaily Texan Staff ranking. “I’m very confident in Finals may be wrapping door Championships last Februthe team that we have.” up this week, but for the ary, the Horns hope to rebound Kearney’s confidence is jus- Longhorns, the biggest test at the outdoor championships is coming this weekend in REBOUND continues on page 2B Columbia, Mo. RANKING continues on page 2B

Third-ranked Longhorns looking for one final trophy to cap seniors’ final season on the 40 Acres

By Rishi Daulat Daily Texan Staff If all goes according to plan, the Texas men’s tennis season may still go on for a few more weeks.

The Horns are currently the ITA No. 3 team in the nation and outright winners of the Big 12 regular season and the Big 12 tournament. UT begins its quest for one

final piece of hardware — a national championship — on May 14, when it hosts UTSA in the first round of the NCAAs. The winner of the match will take on the winner of the No. 30 Arizona and No. 35 Minnesota matchup in Austin on Saturday.

MEN continues on page 2B

After disappointing Big 12 final, Horns regroup for push toward national title in Oklahoma

By Alexandra Carreno Daily Texan Staff After an impressive run through the last month’s Big 12 championships, Texas’ hopes of finally being the conference champions were once again dashed with a disappointing loss to Baylor in the finals. But the Longhorns hope to build upon their second-place finish with a run in this weekend’s first and second rounds of the NCAA

championships.

Texas (17-5), with a 16th national seed ranking, will battle it out against Wichita State on Friday at 11 a.m. at the University of Oklahoma’s Headington Family Tennis Center.

“We are looking forward to [the NCAA championships],” head coach Patty Fendick-McCain said. “We are playing tough,

NCAA continues on page 2B

BASEBALL

College World Series or bust for Texas

By Chris Tavarez Daily Texan Staff The dawn of summer brings new opportunities, the hope of limitless possibilities and the potential for greatness.

For Texas, it specifically brings the chance at redemption and the dream of doing something no one on the 34-man roster has done before: Win a College World Series title.

But before the Longhorns can have a chance at closing out Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium with a burnt-orange national title, they have to finish out the regular season, which will start with a doubleheader against Louisiana Tech (25-22, 10-10 WAC).

Texas (41-8, 21-3) will welcome the Bulldogs to Disch-Falk Field on Sunday for the final two home games of the regular season and Texas’ first game in a week. Texas’ usual midweek starter Sam Stafford could possibly miss both games after being arrested Saturday morning in Manhattan, Kan., during Texas’ weekend series against Kansas State. After being suspended for the final two games of the series, Stafford has been reinstated to the team

SIDELINE

as of Tuesday.

After its two-game set, the Longhorns will wrap up their regular season with a weekend series at Missouri (24-22, 7-13).

Taylor Jungmann, Cole Green and Brandon Workman will try to continue bettering a team ERA of 2.14 — far and away the best in the country — to end the season on a high note. With a series win against the Tigers, Texas will not only have won every conference series this season, it will also have plenty of momentum heading into the postseason, which begins in Oklahoma City for the Big 12 tournament as Texas goes for its conference-record fifth tournament title.

“When you’re going good, you are not trying,” head coach Augie Garrido said. “You’re just there.

You’re competing. You’re looking for the ball.”

A win in the conference tournament guarantees Texas a trip to the NCAA tournament, but with a top-two ranking in every poll, it’s a forgone conclusion that Texas’ season will go on for at least another three games. However, it’s almost as important where those next games will be played.

As of yesterday, when the NCAA released its most recent RPI rankings, Texas sits at No. 5.

If it can maintain that top-eight ranking, it will likely get one of the eight national rankings for the tournament and will host an NCAA regional. If it makes it out of the four-team regional pool, it will host a super regional in a best-of-three series for a chance to make it to Omaha.

While conference titles are nice — Texas already wrapped up the Big 12 regular-season crown — there’s only been one thing on the Longhorns’ minds.

“Our main goal right now is to get to the College World Series,” Jonathan Walsh said.

For Garrido, the CWS is more than just a one-time goal: It’s a standard.

“The watermark is Omaha for this program,” Garrido said. “I didn’t set it; I’m just trying to pour water in the pool. Fortunately, I’m an aquarian.”

If the Horns are able to make it to Omaha, it will increase their record CWS appearances to 34 and put them Bruno Morlan | Daily Texan Staff in position to win their seventh Starter Cole Green anchors Texas’ pitching staff with a 10-0 record. national championship.

San Diego 3 San Francisco 2 Cincinnati 9 Pittsburgh 0

NHL Playoffs Chicago 5 Vancouver 1

SPORTS BRIEFLY Texas pitcher Stafford arrested Thursday for MIC in Kansas Texas sophomore pitcher Sam Stafford was arrested Thursday morning by Riley County police in Manhattan, Kan., for charges of a minor in consumption of alcohol and unlawful use of a driver’s license.

The lefty was attempting to get into a bar close to the Longhorns’ hotel during last weekend’s series against Kansas State.

After he was arrested, police brought him to the Riley County Police Department around 4 a.m., and he was released after he posted bail of $750.

The 20-year-old was suspended for the final two games of the weekend series but has been reinstated to the team as of Tuesday.

— Austin Ries

Missouri, Nebraska staying put, according to Big Ten officials Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany e-mailed conference officials Tuesday to stamp out a rumor that four schools had already been offered a chance to join the league.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith confirmed Tuesday that Delany had quashed a report that the Big Ten had offered expansion spots to Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Rutgers.

Asked if there was anything to that speculation, Smith said, “Nothing. There’s no truth to it whatsoever. Actually, Jim sent us all an e-mail telling us there’s no truth to that — which we knew.

There’s no extensions of offers that have been made, so that’s not true.”

The conference is looking at expanding from its current 11 members so that it can extend the reach of its lucrative cable network and add a league championship game in football.

The Big Ten athletic directors will meet May 17-19 in downtown Chicago. They will be joined by faculty representatives, senior women’s administrators and the head coaches in football and men’s and women’s basketball.

But Smith said the meetings were routine and nothing would be decided in terms of expansion.

“This is our normal meetings, the ones we have every year,” Smith said. “Jim [Delany] will probably give us an update on what the consultant has shared, and I don’t even know if the consultant report is done. He’ll give us an update and then move on doing what he’s been doing. I think they meet with the [university] presidents in June or something like that. So the timeline hasn’t changed, but there won’t be any action next week.”

— The Associated Press

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SPORTS

REBOUND: Stiff competition

awaits Longhorns at NCAAs Texas is currently ranked No. 42 in the nation, ninth-best in the Big 12. The Longhorns will have to compete against a murderer’s row of Big 12 competition this week, with eight teams in the top 25. No. 1 Texas A&M, No. 4 Texas Tech, No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 16 Nebraska, No. 17 Baylor, No. 18 Kansas State, No. 19 Kansas and No. 25 Arkansas are all expected to finish ahead of the Horns at There was a real lack Missouri. of maturity and we “It’s going to be a great competook some things for tition, but that’s what the Big 12 is granted. That won’t all about,� Thornton said. “Some of these teams haven’t been real conbe the case this time.� tenders for long, but we have the experience of being at the top.� — Bubba Thornton While the Horns are up against Texas men’s track long odds to win the championcoach ships this weekend, Thornton thinks that being finished with classes will be a major boost to Texas’ confidence. “Each day that passes, guys look While the class of 2013 promises success for the Horns down the relieved that they’re done with road, Texas suddenly finds itself classes or finished writing papers,� as a major underdog going into he said. “Now they can focus on just doing their best this weekend.� this weekend.

Hayden Clark. “[The freshmen] have certainly had a major impact on our team, and they have a great future ahead for them,� Thornton said. “But it’s time to step up at the championships right now.�

From page 1B and qualify as many athletes as possible for the NCAA regionals, held later this month on the UT campus. “That’s absolutely something we want to improve on,� head coach Bubba Thornton said. “We really felt like we left 25 points on the table [at the indoor championships]. There was a real lack of maturity, and we took some things for granted. That won’t be the case this time.�

While Texas has consistently been one of the top teams in the country for the past five years, it has not won the Big 12 Outdoor Championship since 2006. Texas’ four titles are just behind defending champion Nebraska, which currently has five.

The Longhorns lost many top athletes last year and have been carried by a slew of breakout freshmen this season, including sprinter Marquise Goodwin, hurdler Keiron Stewart, thrower Hayden Baillio and pole vaulter SUMMER/FALL PROJECTS DE

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The Daily Texan TSTV KVRX The Cactus The Texas Travesty

tified. The team has had a strong outdoor season that is capped by a recent hot streak.

Since April’s Texas Relays, many Longhorns have demonstrated that they belong on the national stage.

Sophomore Angele Cooper is currently ranked second and third in the country in the 400-meter and 400-meter hurdles, respectively. Following closely behind Cooper is Chantel Malone, ranked fourth in the 400. The junior is the defending Big 12 indoor long-jump champion and currently holds the country’s seventh best longjump clearance. Both athletes are a part of the defending nation-

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motivate as season closes “We’ll have practice, and grind through that, and hopemight very well see in an NCAA fully go to the tournament and regional. The Bulldogs sit at No. make a statement after this se10 in the country while the Long- ries,� Hooks said. “[The losses] horns are close behind at No. 12. show that we have some areas Being swept in we need to imcommanding prove on. We fashion by a team have some stuff you most likely we need to get can’t avoid could When we’re playing, back to work cause the focus we’re so close — we on this week. of even a profesWe ’ re l o o k have fun, and we sional team to ing at the Big waver — but not enjoy playing the 12. Then we’re this team. looking at regame together.� “I think [the gionals, so we losses] will defi— Courtney Craig have to take it nitely push us,�

Sophomore utility player one game at a senior outfieldtime.� er Brittany Chalk The Big 12 said. “We’re goTo u r n a m e n t ing to want to begins Friday rebound, and we’re going to but won’t start until Saturday be hungry for some wins. This for the Longhorns, who will face hurt a lot for us. We’re not used the winner of Friday’s matchto having a team put this many up between Baylor and Iowa runs on the board, so we’re go- State. After that, it’s on to an ing to put it all out on the field.� NCAA regional.

Junior catcher Amy Hooks, Summer goals for Texas: who has been recognized as one Bring back a few shiny new of the key motivators of the team, trophies to Red and Charline expressed a similar mindset.

McCombs Field.

From page 1B

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al champion 4x400-meter team, ranked sixth. Several other Longhorns rank in the top 20 in their event, including shot putter Jordyn Brown, high jumper Victoria Lucas, and long-distance runner Mia Behm.

Though these distinctions are impressive, they are hardly extraordinary in a conference that fields some of the best talent in the country. Besides Texas, six Big 12 teams hold positions in the top 25, and Texas A&M is the nation’s top team.

Furthermore, the Longhorns will have to make due without pole vaulter Natasha Masterson and 4x400-meter member Chalonda Goodman who are both sidelined because of undisclosed injuries.

“You can’t. There’s no way to at this point in the season,� Kearney said about compensating for the loss. “But it doesn’t shift our intent. That’s to represent ourselves and our university.�

Added Kearney: “At the end of the day nothing affects whether or not we perform our best.�

For Kearney and the Longhorns, the Big 12 championship is the culmination of a season’s worth of hard work and technical adjustments. There is little left to do besides going out and producing a performance that upholds the prestigious Texas track tradition. “This is what we train for. This is the show. This is what you come here for,� Kearney said.

Seniors look to leave UT on highest note MEN:

From page 1B The Horns are expected to get out of the region, and if they do, the team will head up to Athens, Ga., on May 20, with 15 other teams for the final rounds of the NCAAs. The Horns will lose two key seniors after this season.

Dimitar Kutrovsky has been one of the best players in Longhorn history. He has been an All-American and has played No. 1 for the Horns ever since his start as a freshman. He and fellow senior Josh Zavala have played doubles together all season and are currently ranked No. 6 in the country. Zavala amassed the best singles record on the team this season, playing at fifth singles.

NCAA: Doubles

trouble holding back Longhorns From page 1B and the girls are playing well.�

Doubles have been the Horns’ Achilles’ heel as they have surrendered the doubles point in three of their last four matches.

Texas freshman Aeriel Ellis was the only Longhorn to receive a bid to compete in the 64-player singles draw of the NCAA Championships, to be contested May 26-31 in Athens, Ga. Ellis’ first season on the squad was marked by a 37-12 overall record, including a first-place finish in the ITA Texas Regional Championships last fall.

Meanwhile, the Shockers had an impressive season of their own as they secured their fourth Missouri Valley Conference title in five years.

Also playing Friday are Arkansas and Oklahoma. The two winners of Friday’s matches will advance to Saturday’s NCAA round of 32, with the squad who emerges victorious advancing to the round of 16 in Athens, Ga., on May 20. “We are looking forward to a lot more tennis to play this year,� Fendick-McCain said.

www. daily texan online .com

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SOFTBALL: Recent losses

RANKING: Women racking up honors

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Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

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SPORTS

Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

Texans’ Cushing Writer has no defining moment tests positive for HCG, suspended

By Barry Wilner The Associated Press NEW YORK — Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing tested positive for HCG, a fertility drug that is on the NFL’s banned substance list.

A person familiar with Cushing’s case told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Cushing had one positive test last September, then subsequently tested negative several times. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the test results were supposed to remain confidential. “He had one low-level positive test for HCG in September, and then every test after that was negative,� the person said. “He has said he has no idea where the positive test came from.�

The NFL has suspended Cushing for the first four games of the season. He won the AP’s NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honor in January for outstanding on-field performance. Now, the AP is taking a revote for the award, as well as All-Pro outside linebacker because Cushing made the second team.

E S P N f i r s t re p o r t e d t h e banned substance was human chorionic gonadotropin, which is widely taken by steroid users to help restart natural testosterone production. HCG can mitigate the side effects of ending a cycle of drugs. It’s also used to induce ovulation and treat ovarian disorders in women.

In 2009, Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez was suspended by Major League Baseball for 50 games for testing positive for HCG. The person familiar with Cushing’s case said medical experts have talked about a surge in HCG levels for a man after a workout or after ejaculation.

U.S. Anti-Doping Agency spokeswoman Erin Hannan denied that. “You would not see a natural spike of HCG after a workout or ejaculation,� Hannan told The Associated Press. “You would only detect it in urine by actually having taken it.�

Cushing, a first-round draft pick out of Southern California, was a runaway winner for the rookie award in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. He received 39 votes, easily beating Buffa-

lo safety Jairus Byrd, who had six.

Cushing is suspended without pay until Oct. 4, although he can participate in offseason workouts, training camp and preseason games. He will not be eligible for next season’s Pro Bowl — he made the AFC team last January, but did not play, citing several injuries — or any NFL-sponsored awards.

Texans owner Robert McNair on Monday criticized the lack of information provided teams when a player has failed a drug test. He said he would like the testing system and lack of communication with the clubs addressed in the next collective bargaining agreement.

NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith responded to those comments Tuesday in an e-mail to the AP: “Sport is at its best when fans can witness great achievements under the rules of fair play. Players who break those rules cheat the game, cheat the fans and cheat themselves,�

Smith wrote. “The players want a clean game as well as a clean process for enforcing those rules. We intend to address both in the collective bargaining process to make the system better.�

Texans sign Clark A person familiar with the negotiations says the Houston Texans have agreed to a deal with free agent linebacker Danny Clark.

The move comes just days after linebacker Brian Cushing was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league’s drug policy. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because Clark hadn’t yet completed his physical.

The deal was previously reported by KRIV and the Houston Chronicle.

Clark, who spent the last two seasons with the New York Giants, played for the Texans in 2007. The 33-year-old appeared in each game, started 11 and finished with 53 tackles last season.

The 10-year veteran’s best seasons came with the Oakland Raiders where he had more than 110 tackles in both 2004 and 2005.

By Michael Sherfield Daily Texan Columnist I don’t have a defining moment for these past four years — a light-bulb event that made me understand who I am and where I’m going.

I find that to be quite ironic, seeing as I’ve covered plenty of them, from Hunter Lawrence’s reckoning in front of 90,000 people in the Big 12 championship game to an anonymous high school sophomore making the winning layup in a playoff game in a half-full gym.

Instead, I have a collection of memories and stories, some that I’ve written, some that I’ve taken part in.

And as much as I’ll always remember being on the Rose Bowl field in Pasadena, Calif., or driving for hours to Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series, there are things that will stand out more to me when I look back on this journey.

Things like an intramural softball game gone horribly wrong. Things like starting the exodus at the yearend Texan banquet after getting kicked out of the Scoot Inn — for reasons I won’t disclose — and the

night that followed.

For all the big events my fellow Texan staffers and I have covered over the past few years, I’ve always found that the small things stick out the most.

So with this final salvo at the Texan, it’s only fitting that I recognize those who I spent most of those moments with.

First off, the man whose hard work has allowed me to slack off far more than most people realize this semester and whose driving kept me alive through the Wyoming fog/clouds: Blake Hurtik.

Chris Tavarez, for forever corrupting that popping sound in my memory, for offending every one of my sensibilities while simultaneously making the whole room laugh and, finally, for taking on the mantel Blake and I are passing down. I know you won’t let us down.

Austin Ries, for some damned fine baseball writing that made my job easy, for knowing why the word “tighten� will forever make me laugh and for having red hair.

Because I like to use the word “ginger� whenever possible.

Texan sports writer Michael Sherfield sits alone at the national championship game.

He covered football, baseball, soccer, softball and swimming in his three years at the Texan.

Blake Hurtik Daily Texan Staff

Doug Warren, William Minutaglio, Melanie Hauser, Mark Morrison and Diana Dawson, some of the brave journalism professors who had to put up with me over the years. Some of you have helped me get internships or get my work published. Others have taught me about the job I love and about life, and I thank you all (as well as everyone I’ve left out, 500 words

fill up fast).

I can still vividly remember my first steps down those daunting stairs into the Texan basement three years ago. I find it hard to believe that in the coming days, I’ll make that journey for a final time.

I’m not one to give advice, mostly because I’m not one to take it, so I’ll just leave it at this: Enjoy the little things.

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5B PHOTO

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EXPOSURE

Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

OUR ECONOMY AUSTIN DURING THE RECESSION

Sara Young | Daily Texan Staff

Images of our economy inundate every pocket of Austin’s city limits. The roaring crowds of the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, the swinging “For sale” signs on the pristine lawns of Austin’s newest homes and the towering cranes that raise condominums out of Austin’s modest downtown are emblematic of an American boom town. But even a city as seemingly vibrant as Austin is not resistant to the uncertainties of being able to afford a new home, support a family or operate a small family-owned business.

The following images represent the highs and lows of Austin’s economy during the recession.

Teala Hurley, a real-estate agent for Urban Space, assists new Austin residents in their search for homes.

Peter Franklin | Daily Texan Staff

Upscale residential housing now fills the Austin skyline. Mayor Leffingwell said that in the past five years, 3,500 residential units have been added to the downtown area, which has attracted 5,000 new residents.

Peter Franklin | Daily Texan Staff

Sara Young | Daily Texan Staff

Tamir Kalifa | Daily Texan Staff

Top right, UT football attracts more than 100,000 fans to each game and generates millions of dollars annually for the local economy. Despite fluctuations in the nationwide economy, UT football has provided stability for Austin’s economy throughout the recession. Top, Businessmen gather outside the New York Stock Exchange. The repercussions of recent market fluctuations have been felt throughout the American economy. Above, Jordan and Kelsey Walton, 8 and 10, usher congregation members into the New Hope Baptist Church in East Austin at the start of a Sunday sermon. Members consider the church the spiritual center of the community and a refuge during difficult times. Right, During the worst American economic downturn since the Great Depression, Austin seemed to stay afloat with its wealth of local businesses and influx of new residents.

Sara Young | Daily Texan Staff

5B

EXPOSURE

Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

Peter Franklin | Daily Texan Staff

Above, Events surrounding the Lonestar Rod and Kustom Round Up brought thousands of people to South Congress earlier this year. Marathons, parades and conventions attract visitors from around the country to Austin, helping to strengthen the local economy. Left, In their search for new homes, many individuals and families took advantage of FHA loans, which were created by the U.S. government to stimulate economic growth and aid in the purchase of homes. Below, The city’s continued development has taken over many East Austin communities with modern homes and increased property taxes for residents and businesses.

Rachel Taylor | Daily Texan Staff

Sara Young | Daily Texan Staff

Mary Kang | Daily Texan Staff

Bobby Longoria | Daily Texan Staff

Mary Kang | Daily Texan Staff

Top, Mansu Lee runs Burger Tex, a family-owned restaurant located at 29th and Guadalupe streets. “It’s hard when customers don’t visit repeatedly and operating costs rise. However, I like to be optimistic and try my best in serving our customers.” Above, Andrew Joseph Stack flew his private plane into a federal IRS building on February 18.

Moments before his flight, his manifesto was released on the Internet, revealing his economic burdens, including a large bankruptcy inherited from his wife and the loss of any foreseeable retirement plan.

Above, A vendor prepares to sell used belongings in a flea market held every Saturday in East Austin.

Many individuals have had to find a second source of income to support their families during the recession. Left, University faculty and staff have dealt with routine budget cuts threatening employment and education programs over the past year. Publicly funded education has been more affected by statewide budget problems than many other sectors of the Austin economy.

Sara Young | Daily Texan Staff

6B CLASS/ENT

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—30— COLUMNS

Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

Writer proud of ruffling feathers

Courtesy of Rachel Meador

Rachel Meador started working at the Texan as a Life&Arts writer in the summer of 2007 before working as editor of DT Weekend this semester. She will dance ballet in San Francisco this summer.

Errors prepare staffer for life in ‘real world’

By Rachel Meador Daily Texan Staff My tenure at The Daily Texan started back in June 2008. I spent my snotty-nosed freshman year as a dance major, feeling less and less prepared to enter the workforce with just my arts degree.

Even though it’s no where close to the “sure thing� it was supposed to be, I added journalism as my second major.

That very first J-class drove me to apply for the Texan. We were told over and over that any chance of surviving in the field was to get involved with University publications. Intimidated, I decided to take my chances with just a degree and see what happened after graduation. Luckily, my friend Jamie convinced me to apply on the last day for summer staff.

The next day, I was eating at Thai Kitchen with my friend Ben when I got a phone call from a man who identified himself as Dylan Miracle. This name was day, month day, 2008

UNS AD IRNE FOR ONL

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(and still is) absolutely hilarious to me, and for a moment, I was convinced that it was all a set-up as I sat there looking for the hidden cameras. He offered me a job with Life&Arts, and that’s how it all started.

I am most grateful for my time at the Texan because of the mistakes I’ve made over these two short years. I misquoted, misspelled and misrepresented on a handful of occasions that would have earned me immediate dismissal in the “real world.� Take advantage of this opportunity to learn from your mistakes.

They’re inevitable, so you might as well make them now and then never again.

I’ve also met beautiful people and made great friends who I hope I keep forever down in the Texan dungeon. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, and I’m pretty happy about it. In conclusion: It was real. It was good.

And it was really good.

By Robert Rich Daily Texan Staff Not too long ago, news editor Blair Watler called me an “enigma.� I’m not sure I’m that intense of a personality, but I’ll admit to having ruffled some feathers and operated outside of the box during my tenure at this fair publication. I’ve angered readers, provoked calls for my termination and unknowingly scooped stories from other writers, but let me tell you this, I’d do it all again.

When I first joined the Life&Arts staff in spring 2007, I was a baby-faced freshman, in possession of a bundle of nerves and passions for progressive rock, professional wrestling, Chuck Palahniuk and NASCAR. Needless to say, my tastes didn’t necessarily match up with the typical college music fan. Not that there’s anything wrong with indie rock, but it’s just not me.

Luckily for me, my first editor, Ramon Ramirez, embraced those differences and let me run wild. He once told me that people like me, with my particular tastes, are what keep things interesting and are vital to entertainment journalism. I’m not sure if I’m worthy of such high praise, but it was his appreciation of my interests and the fact that he allowed me to write about those interests, despite his hatred for most of them, that made him a great editor and allowed me to develop those ohso-important skills that are crucial to young writers. From that point on, I was fortunate enough to work with a line of stellar editors, including, but 1 certainly not limited to: movie genius Alex Regnery, current managing editor Ana McKenzie (who has claimed that if she

didn’t like me so much she’d be pissed I mention “Scrubs� in as many articles as I can), the always-brilliant Leigh Patterson and now Ben Wermund, who let me start TV Tuesday and thereby permitted the wrath of a Canadian woman.

In the very first installment of TV Tuesday, I made predictions for the upcoming television season, and in passing, said that “American Idol� would plummet in quality after Simon Cowell’s exit and after Adam Lambert’s “downfall� following his unnecessarily provocative performance at the American Music Awards. That seemingly insignificant opinion drew the ire of one female from Canada, who called for my immediate firing, a retraction of the claim from the paper and an apology.

She did not get one, but I added another feather to my “people I’ve pissed off� cap. In a weird way, angry comments are more affirming than positive ones. It shows that people are reading, and it shows that you’re making enough of an impact to get them to actually pen a response.

If I’ve taken away anything from my time at the Texan, and if I had any advice to give to current and future writers, it’s to be proud of the negative comments you get. Don’t lie, don’t be unethical, but speak your mind and stay true to what you believe, what you know and what you learn from your reporting.

I pride myself on it; Mary Lingwall prides herself on it in light of the never-ending Hump Day controversies; and fellow writer John Meller, who is currently fighting for the Cactus Cafe and is being portrayed by local media as a hell of a lot meaner than he actually is, prides himself on it.

Courtesy of Robert Rich

Robert Rich has worked in the Life&Arts department as an entertainment writer for four years. He will be working for Texas Instruments in Dallas as a communications associate beginning in July.

And because this is my last chance, here’s what I believe: Dream Theater and Blue October are amazing bands. “Scrubs� is the best sitcom you’ll ever watch. Pro wrestling sucks these days but used to be awesome — and still is from time to time.

Most indie rock is actually haz-

CLASSIFIEDS

CLASSIFIEDS THE DAILY TEXAN

ardous to your health if you listen to it. Adam Lambert is godawful, and range alone doesn’t make you a quality artist. Nickelback, not ICP, is the worst band of all time. NASCAR is a sport, and a damn good one.

I await your comments. Thank you for reading. All of you.

3B

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AVAILABLE NOW/JUNE 1ST Small complex, Roomy Campus Efficiency. Water, Gas paid. 1 block to Guadalupe, Wheatsville Co-op.621 West 31st.

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3/2 HOUSE AVAILABLE AUG 1.

Office hours M-F 8:305:00. Please visit us at www.wsgaustin.com, call 512.499.8013 or email wsgaustin@yahoo.com

400 ZENNIA STREET. Excellent condition, W/D, near UT bus and Triangle shops, $1500/mo. Call 262-391-9378.

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HOUSE FOR RENT/PRELEASING

2BR/1Bath. $800. Water/ trash paid. Available now/June 1. Small complex. 5211 Eilers 1BR also available for $550. Call 512-899-9492

390 Unf. Duplexes

CENTRAL, 3BR/1.5 BATH, $1200/mo, CA/CH, appliances, 7 minute bus to campus, near 45th/BullCreek, June 1st, owner 512-658-4257, no smoking/pets.

WALK TO UTNICE 3 BR, $1595/mo, CA/CH, appliances, 3204 Beanna, June 1st, owner 512-6584257, no smoking/pets.

400 Condos-Townhouses 2/2/834sqft $1200/31stSt, 2/2/880sqft $1250/21stSt, 1/1/725sqft $650/Riverside, 3/2/1186sqft $1050/ Farwest, Contact Evergreen Agent text/email 512.771.4734 leasewithevergreen@yahoo.com

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AVAILABLE NOW, GREAT LOCATION Near Mueller/UT, very clean, 2BR/2BA, 2-livings, 2-car carport, fenced backyard, gas paid, no dogs, $950, 512585-3692

REMEMBER!

you saw it in the Texan

All Transportation, Announcement, Services & Merchandise ads are 50%off regular rates and appear online at no charge unless you opt for enhancements which will incur additional nominal charges.

For more information or assistance please call Classified Clerk at 512-471-5244 or email classifieds@dailytexanonline.com

Hyde Park; 602 Fairfield; Close to UT & bus line.

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NO Pets; NO Smoking; Call 414.708.8898; 262.569.9303

HOUSE 3 BEDROOM 1 BATH 3 miles north of campus, 1 block from bus line, ride for free with green pass from student services.approx. 1350 sq. feet on cul de sac with large shady trees $1500 avail. Aug 01 washer/ dryer incl. 512-870-7971

BIG 3-1 MILE FROM CAMPUS randolph rd. & manor, big kitchen, big backyard, quiet street. close to everything. must see. $1899/mo, June 1st. 310922-6296

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ROOM FOR RENT!

REAL ESTATE SALES

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CITY & HILL COUNTRY VIEWS! UT/Downtown 10 minutes! 3/2.5 2116sf new house. $329K. Kenny 512-751-4306

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STUDENTS & PARENTS! 1-bed/1-1/2-bath condo in well maintained community, $85,000. Close to UT bus line. Please call Darlene at Spicewood Realty, 512-826-0095

ANNOUNCEMENTS

560 Public Notice

IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD as we’ve come to know it. One unfathomable person prophesied by all the major world religions will soon speak to everyone simultaneously in their own languages via a satellite linkup.

He’ll inspire humanity to see itself as one family; to rebuild the world based upon the principles of sharing, justice, brotherhood, & love; and to permanently eradicate the scourges of political corruption, unbridled greed, war, hunger, poverty, & environmental degradation.

He will not endorse any religion over any other, nor will He work as a religious figure.

Read all about it! www.

Share-International.org

SERVICES

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Central air, DSL, all bills paid. Private room from $510/mo. Quiet, nonsmoking. For pictures, info, apps. visit www. abbey-house.com or Call 512-474-2036.

PET CARE SERVICES We provide Pet Care Services in Austin, TX with the highest quality of care and personalized service to fit every need.

Pet Sitting incl., Cat Sitting, Dog Walking, Pet Supplies and Pet Taxi Services. 512.318.8003

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BABYSITTER WANTED

610 Misc. Instruction

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EMPLOYMENT

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Enthusiastic, caring, energetic and reliable babysitter needed for 8-year-old boy.

One weekday afternoon each week during the summer, then one weekend evening starting in the fall. Requires experience with young children; knowledge of first aid/ CPR; own transportation. Call 731-0630.

800 General Help Wanted

seeking qualified applicants to work in our Austin or San Marcos Call Center who are able to provide excellent customer service and technical support to end users all over the US. We offer paid training, flexible scheduling, FT benefits, and a relaxed atmosphere. Apply online today at telenetwork. com/careers.html

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A month to drive our brand new cars with ads placed on them. www.

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810 Office-Clerical

Duties include: transport to and from summer camps, day care, extracurricular activities, light chores-load dishwasher, prepare evening meal, load dishes, pick up groceries, etc.

FILE CLERK Law firm in southwest Austin seeking filing clerk. $12/hr, 20 hrs/wk, flexible schedule, ideal for students. Email resumes to info@fblawllp. com

870 Medical

890 Clubs-Restaurants

BARTENDERS NEEDED BARTENDERS NEEDED Earn up to $250 per day FT/PT No Exp. Required Will Train Call Now 512-364-0289 x100

BUSINESS

930 Business Opportunities Seeks College-Educated Men 18–39 to Participate in a Six-Month Donor Program

Donors average $150 per specimen.

Apply on-line

understanding how couples adjust to the early years of marriage. We are looking for couples entering their first marriage and who currently have no children. Eligible couples can receive up to $445 for participating!

Please contact The Austin Marriage Project at The University of Texas 512.475.7504

YOUR AD COULD BE HERE!

CALL TERESA 512-471-5244 x ID 2860257

SUMMER BREAK ONLINE CLASSIFIED Web-Only May 13 to June 2. Rates for 50 words/$5/day, $20/week.

Email to classifieds@ dailytexanonline.com or call 512.471.5244

REMEMBER!

you saw it in the Texan

PARALEGAL CLERK TRAINEE

Mother’s Helper for energetic 8 yr old twins and 2 yr old.

Must have own car, license, insurance, etc.

810 Office-Clerical

www.123Donate.com BARTENDING! $300/DAY 875 Medical Study POTENTIAL No experience necesGETTING sary. Training provided.

MARRIED Age 18+. 800-965-6520 ext 113 SOON? STUDENTPAY- Recently Married? You may be eligible to parOUTS.COM ticipate in a study for

790 Part Time

near UT. Will train. Create form documents, assist clients, obtain state records, fax, file, proof. Flexible hours, casual dress. PT $11-12, FT $12-13 + benefits. www.

LawyersAidService.com Apply online.

Start time around 3pm to 7 pm M-Fr.

Call Sharyl @663-8569 WORD OF MOUTH I800 General Help Wanted PHONE REPAIR

Female grad student seeking female roommate, 1650 sq. foot condo, $375, split utilities, w/d, available June 1. close to campus, call 480-231-6670

790 Part Time

EDUCATIONAL

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DailyTexanOnline.com

7B ENT

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LIFE&ARTS

Spring 2010 — Exam Week Extra

Finding a job: a gamer’s gamble Latest releases fail GAME REVIEWS

to match gameplay with presentation

By Allistair Pinsof Daily Texan Staff

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction (PC/Xbox 360) After three years and many revisions, Ubisoft Montreal has finally decided the proper facial hair for rogue agent Sam Fisher’s fifth outing. There are two things that stand out about this entry: presentation and pacing.

The presentation is outstanding in every aspect. As you traverse European locales, you will see mission objectives and information projected onto the walls. It’s a novel effect that immerses the player in the great noir tone. The game has also brilliantly directed cut scenes with great camera framing and visual effects — not that these save the mediocre story and performances. Fans of the franchise will most likely feel ambivalent toward the gameplay changes in this entry.

On one hand, the game feeds the player enough visual information to make it easier to play a master spy. On the other hand, the game’s scenarios and level design encourage the player to play like a common burglar, shooting everything that moves when spotted. There is even a level set in the Middle East that plays and controls like a fifth-rate “Gears of War.� Even in the other levels, the game often gives mixed signals to the player, setting up enemy traps that encourage a firefight.

It ties everything to Fisher ’s rogue-agent state of mind, but it doesn’t make for a good stealth or action game. The co-op, on the other hand, places this conflict on your partner, which, surprisingly, makes it enjoyable. Instead of letting you face the conflict of stealth and firefight yourself, your incompetent partner will force you into the latter. Unlike the game devel-

opers, you’ll be able to scream at him for his errors.

Grade: B Cave Story (Wii) The story behind “Cave Story� is more inspiring than the game itself.

Daisuke Amaya was a bored, Japanese college student with too much time on his hands. Instead of playing video games, he spent five years of his life learning how to make them and made “Cave Story.� Released in 2004 for free on PC, the game recalls what The Velvet Underground’s first album accomplished in music: Everyone who played it started their own project.

Now, a couple of Americans have slightly tweaked the visuals and audio for a WiiWare re-release.

The original soundtrack, character design and story display Amaya’s enthusiasm and passion while the game itself mirrors old favorites such as “Super Metroid� and “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.�

Despite all this, the game doesn’t offer enough challenge or variation to hold the attention of a more experienced player. If you are new to video games, or just not good at them, you might find “Cave Story� continuously engaging, but those looking for something more complex will find that the game’s charm only goes so far. The levels are crude and simplistic; the boss fights, rote; and the game wastes most of your time with mind-numbing fetch quests.

Depending on your experience level, “Cave Story� will be a satisfying new game or a disappointment that doesn’t live up to the hype. It’s an impressive achievement and a wonderful world that Amaya has created, but it’s hardly the revolution The Velvet Underground once was.

Grade: C

Editor’s note: This is the last in a five-part series that focuses on Austin’s video game industry: the history, the creators, the fans and the culture that surrounds it.

By Allistair Pinsof Daily Texan Staff The game industry is highly competitive. It’s also very esoteric.

Even to a game fanatic who reads Game Developer magazine and visits Gamasutra.com on a regular basis, it can be difficult to find valid advice. Because game design is a young industry not taught at most universities, trying to get your foot in the door can be trying — especially when you don’t even know where the door is located.

Blake Rebouche, a recent recruit at Junction Point Studios, has known he wanted to join the industry ever since his dad brought home a Nintendo Entertainment System when Rebouche was 6. “It was literally the first job I can remember wanting from way back when other kids wanted to be policemen or astronauts. There was a brief time in high school where I was convinced it wasn’t a legitimate career path, but I still ended up coming to Austin to pursue computer science. Little did I know that I was moving to one of the hotbeds of game development in the U.S.,� Rebouche said.

Rebouche’s career has been one that many computer science majors aim for. He’s gone from convention attendee to intern to game designer at a major studio. “Upon graduation in 2008, I found myself in a job market totally shocked by the financial recession,� Rebouche said. “I had a hard time finding any work at all for almost a year. In that time I worked on several independent projects and with a few start-ups on non-paying projects.�

Rebouche ended up taking a game-testing job with a publisher here called Aspyr Media, a job he held for three months or so.

Several months later, he found himself in the position of associate designer. While at UT, Blake made the most of the school’s and city’s resources by attending Warren Spector’s Master Class series

TSM EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 5x5...............$25 5x10.............$45 10x10............$65 10x15............$85 10x20..........$105

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Wednesday May 19, 2010 1 p.m.

! "

Visitors Welcome

We encourage any community member who has any kind of temporary or permanent disability to contact Texas Student Media beforehand so that appropriate accommodations can be made. Anyone is welcome to attend.

Maxx Scholten | Daily Texan Staff

NCsoft game master John Henderson enjoys the atmosphere of Game Developer and Beer Night at Mister Tramps Sports Pub and Cafe on April 15. Twice a month, Austin game developers gather for drinks, video games and discussion about the gaming industry. on game design and attending the Game Developers Conference.

A strong work ethic is expected in such a competitive field, but a strong skill set is even more important. There are three major fields in game development: programming, art and level creation. “All of them have one thing in common, which is to have a very tangible skill. Production is the exception to the norm. You don’t often leave school and start managing people,� said Kain Shin, a senior programmer/designer at Arkane Studios.

Sound developers are another important field in game development, but one that can be learned just as well from UT’s radio-television-film program. Finding a video game programming class, on the other hand, can be a bit harder. “UT, at the time I graduated [2000], was teaching C++, and then two years after they kind of stopped that and it became this elective — now it’s Java. It’s good for web development, but not for classic game development,� Shin said.

Finding a proper education in game design is another hurdle.

Take Austin Community College’s game-design program, for example. The faculty won’t contain too many experienced game veterans because of the allure of better pay with a game company. Even when a talented programmer like Shin gives students a proper education, there is no guarantee that the program you’re in will have credibility outside the classroom.

Knowing the right internships to take — Rebouche stressed to never take a QA/game-testing job for a publisher, only a developer — and jobs to seek out are the next important step. Rebouche says he is lucky because he is a new recruit in a sea of veterans who can only manage to find contract work.

Brad Woolwine is a producer/ designer at Critical Mass Interactive, a studio that farms out its resources to other companies. It’s more of a game-development job center than a studio. Brad doesn’t think it’s such a bad place to be. “It’s a lot easier on a contractor to know this job lasts two years,

and then I’ll need to start looking for work, as opposed to, ‘Hey, I’m on salary — cool! We just shipped this game. What do you mean I’m fired?’� Woolwine said.

The tax benefits and uncertain economic climate for developers are the main reasons why studios like Junction Point rely so heavily on contract work. If you wish to rise above being a code monkey, however, you might want to start working on your people skills. “If you have the intention of working up, you need to make sure you are associating with who you want to work with,� Brad said.

Regardless of what path you take in the industry, what coding language you choose to learn or what job you seek, veteran game designer Peter Molyneux told me some advice at South By Southwest that applies to all: “Focus on doing something other people aren’t doing. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of, ‘Hey, I’ll do a game a bit better than this.’ Make the game for yourself because if you don’t enjoy it, others won’t enjoy it.�

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9B ENT

9B

LIFE&ARTS

Spring 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Exam Week Extra

HUMP: Column provoked honest dialogue â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think I agree with you Now at its end, Hump Day on much of anything,â&#x20AC;? he wrote. certainly has been challenging do with my own body. And it is â&#x20AC;&#x153;But I do like reading what you and rewarding for me, but in no this realization that prompted this write.â&#x20AC;? way has it been a single-handHump Day column.

I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure how to take this, ed operation. I could never have But intentions aside, noth- especially when I saw on his Fa- written Hump Day without the ing could have prepared me for cebook page that he was a conser- support of The Daily Texan edithe responses I have received. vative and a member of a frater- tors and staff â&#x20AC;&#x201D; especially Ana When I wrote my first column on finding a favorite condom, and even when I started venturing into topics like lube, anal sex and blow jobs, I never expected people to respond in the But my intentions aside, nothing could have way they have. And I am by no prepared me for the responses I have received. means only referring to the negative comments. Although constantly being called a â&#x20AC;&#x153;bad journalistâ&#x20AC;? and, my personal favorite, â&#x20AC;&#x153;a horrible human being who should be ashamed to call nity. But after a few more e-mail McKenzie, Leah Finnegan, Benherself a womanâ&#x20AC;? has undoubt- exchanges, I decided to meet with jamin Wermund, Jillian Sheridan edly had an effect on me, the him. And it was awesome. and Doug Warren â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who have most lasting impressions have Despite the stark contrast in each helped improve the qualibeen from the people who have clothing style and political affili- ty of my writing, while also desought me out for legitimate ation that distinguishes Michael fending my work against angry conversation. from myself when we are both on parents and professors.

The most memorable of these campus, he was willing to have a conversations has been with a conversation that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t depend UT undergrad whom I will re- on who we knew or which parfer to as Michael. A few weeks ties we went to. The differences ago, Michael found me on Fa- remained, but there was a mutual cebook and sent me a message respect that I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t felt during about meeting up to talk. most of my college career.

From page 10B

And, of course, a huge â&#x20AC;&#x153;thank youâ&#x20AC;? is owed to Guli Fager of the Health Promotions Resource Center and supervisor of the Healthy Sexuality Peer Education program, for her priceless advice and the countless informative interviews that have saved several of my Hump Day articles from lacking in substance.

And a special thanks to Thunderbird Coffee on Manor Road for providing a nice place for me to write and friendly people for me to bounce ideas off of.

And last, but certainly not least, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to thank my mom and dad â&#x20AC;&#x201D; my most loyal readers. I can still remember calling my dad after I e-mailed my anal sex article to my family. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The best part is that someone wrote â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;filthy mary filthy filthyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in the comments section,â&#x20AC;? I said to him over the phone. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yeah,â&#x20AC;? he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think that was your mom.â&#x20AC;?

FREEE WIN WIN AA FRE

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stands provide top-quality fare From page 10B with scrambled egg made for an interesting texture.

As readers of this column prepare for the summer â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for which many of you will sadly leave Austin â&#x20AC;&#x201D; hopefully youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve taken away a few lessons for future taco-stand runs. Obviously, you should always bring cash, including some $1 bills.

Be adventurous; youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find some of the best meals at the most modest of stands. Remember, if a stand is closed when you get there, another one is probably operating on the other side of ON THE WEB: the road.

Check out a map of Let me the best taco stands know if you in town stumble @dailytexan across a deonline.com cent stand soon.

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THE DAILY TEXAN

10B ENT

LIFE&ARTS

10B

Spring 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Exam Week Extra

Life&Arts Editor: Ben Wermund E-mail: dailytexan@gmail.com Phone: (512) 232-2209 www.dailytexanonline.com

T HE DAILY T EXAN

Discomfort with sexuality inspired Hump Day series HUMP DAY

By Mary Lingwall

Clockwise: Tamir Kalifa, Kari Rosenfeld, Catalina Padilla | Daily Texan Staff

Izzoz Tacos on South First Street, Al Pastor on East Riverside Drive and El Taco NorteĂąo at Ben White Boulevard and Manchaca Road serve some of the best tacos. The stands represent the geographic diversity of Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mobile-food experience.

Tacos soothe exam exhaustion

projects you put off for the first 10 weeks of the semester. But thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no need to settle for an overpriced, soggy breakfast taco from one of the University dining halls.

Get in the car, or hop on that bike, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll take a brief tour of your breakfast taco options in

By Andrew Kreighbaum South Austin. Ricoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tacos al Gusto on South Congress Avenue at Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 9:30 a.m., and your next exam Crockett Street is open, serving isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for another three hours. You early morning workers before could stay in bed, do more study- youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve even had your first blearyeyed look at the alarm clock. And ing (unlikely) or find breakfast.

The pantry is probably empty the stand, which sits in the parkâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t gone to the grocery ing lot of a Shell gas station, has store for weeks because you were the breakfast menu to match at finishing the papers and class $1.50 per taco.

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note: This is the last in a weekly series searching for the best undiscovered taco stands in town.

TACO STAND

BY ME

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never too early to go for a chicken fajita taco, and Ricoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s was just the right blend of savory and juicy. The verde sauce at the bottom of the bag is unnecessary â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it would only do a disservice to the meat.

Taqueria Mi Tierra, an oversized white trailer at South Fifth and Oltorf streets, offers similarly cheap fare. Upon opening the foil wrapper, the chorizo and egg and potato and egg tacos are pretty indistinguishable. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure how that makes me feel. The crunchy slices of potato served

TACO continues on page 9B

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In March 2008, a 19-year-old version of me was asked, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What sexual topic makes you most uncomfortable?â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Masturbation ... especially, like, female masturbation,â&#x20AC;? I said as blood rushed to my cheeks. But my sheepish answer and feverish blushing were based on a memory that had haunted me since I was 13.

I can still remember a certain night in the eighth grade, when a boy I had a crush on for about a year made fun of me in front of all of our friends. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I bet you just love to touch yourself ... down there!â&#x20AC;? he said.

Everyone in the room laughed, and even my best friend squealed, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gross!â&#x20AC;? I turned bright red and denied the accusation, but in reality, I had been masturbating since the sixth grade.

Though this episode might seem innocuous, once that boy made fun of me, masturbation turned into a big, bad secret that I felt disgusting for having, and the shame lasted long past eighth grade. At one point during my sophomore year of high school, I was convinced that my boyfriend broke up with me because I was still cursed from my masturbation habit.

Obviously, I never expected to go to college and start a sex column.

And I definitely never expected to step foot in a BDSM â&#x20AC;&#x153;play party,â&#x20AC;? or go to a strip club, or interview a porn producer, or be accused of

condoning child pornography.

But once I got to UT, I realized that maybe my conception of â&#x20AC;&#x153;normalâ&#x20AC;? had been wrong all along. My idea of normal was based on what the young people around me said they did. Little did I know how much they were hiding, but I should have, considering how much I was hiding from them. Underneath my cable-knit sweaters (yes, I shopped at Petite Sophisticate when I was 16) and behind my giant novels, I was just another kid trying to steal condoms from Kroger.

But I never really got past my shame of masturbation and sexuality until I was almost 20 years old, when I was certified as a Healthy Sexuality Peer Educator.

With my admittedly tame sexual background, it may come as a surprise that I even wanted to be a sex educator â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it definitely surprised my mother. But I think my vulnerability played a huge role.

When I got to college, I was sick of being afraid to say and do what I actually wanted to say and do.

And the peer educator program provided me with a healthy outlet to learn about sex and to also help other people learn about sex at the same time.

It was through this role that I finally got past the hang-ups that had plagued me since I hit puberty.

As I learned more about sex from sources other than television and movies, my primary source of sex education during my younger formative years, I realized that it is incredibly unlikely that I am the only person who has had or is having issues trying to understand what is â&#x20AC;&#x153;OKâ&#x20AC;? (natural, safe, acceptable) to

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