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DT Volume 121, Issue 3 Tuesday, June 23, 2020 destiny alexander / the daily texan staff
Contents: page
DT Senior Videographer Jennifer Xia
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cover story Women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer and his daughter Blair bond through passion for the sport.
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NEWS
News Editor
3
NICOLE STUESSY
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020
CORONAVIRUS
‘How are we going to pay our bills?’ Undocumented students and their families face amplified challenges due to COVID-19. By Austin Martinez | @austinmxrtinez
t 8 years old, Gerardo Ruiz-Tenorio carried the traumatic weight of his mother being deported. Twelve years later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the weight on Ruiz-Tenorio’s shoulders has intensified with concerns about the health and financial well-being of his undocumented family. Like many undocumented workers, Ruiz-Tenorio, a management information systems junior, said his parents have been laid off, lack insurance and are hesitant to seek medical care due to fear of questions about their citizenship status. “How are we going to pay our bills?” Ruiz-Tenorio said. “There’s little assistance for our undocumented community. When there is, undocumented immigrants can be scared to apply because there’s a fear
gives approved undocumented people protection from deportation and permission to work. The ruling said the Obama-era program can remain for now and declared the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s attempt to rescind DACA as “arbitrary and capricious.” The undocumented community has been nervously awaiting the Supreme Court ruling, as ending DACA would eliminate protections from about 700,000 immigrants and take work permits away from about 30,000 front line health care workers, said Adriana Quiroga, a community organizer for RAICES, a Texas immigration legal nonprofit. Abolishing DACA would harm college students who rely on the program to receive loans and scholarships, most likely causing a drop in college enrollment among undocumented students, said Elissa Steglich, a co-director and clinical professor for the School You’re giving thousands of dollars of Law’s Imto a government that doesn’t m i g r a t i o n Clinic. support you, but yet, you’re the “None of backbone of the country.” their family members GERARDO RUIZ-TENORIO qualify for management information systems the stimujunior lus check, and if (stuthat it could raise a red flag dents) filed taxes and were … and then next thing you dependent, they also didn’t know, ICE is showing up qualify,” said Jamie Turat your door.” cios-Villalta, a health and On Thursday, the U.S. society senior who works Supreme Court ruled 5-4 for the Monarch Student against the Trump adminisProgram, which provides tration’s plan to end the Deundocumented students a ferred Action for Childhood supportive space on campus. Arrivals, a program which “So, you can imagine how
christina ke / the daily texan staff Gerardo Ruiz-Tenorio, a management information systems junior, said the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is immensely important for undocumented students and the immigrant community to continue attending college and working in the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled to protect DACA from President Donald Trump’s plan to end the program.
difficult it is to manage school while also having that pressure of ‘How’s your family going to make it to the next month?’” Although Ruiz-Tenorio is a U.S. citizen and his parents file tax returns, his family did not receive a stimulus check because his parents lack Social Security numbers. Ruiz-Tenorio said his parents are also ineligible for unemployment benefits due to their lack of
work authorization. “(My parents) work and pay their taxes, but they’re never going to see a stimulus check from the government because they just don’t have Social Security to their name,” Ruiz-Tenorio said. “It sucks because you’re giving thousands of dollars to a government that doesn’t support you, but yet, you’re the backbone of the country.” Steglich said she is
worried about immigrant students who must secure a job to maintain their visas. If these immigrants get laid off and lose their visas, it will cause them to become undocumented and possibly ineligible for unemployment benefits, she said. Compounding financial concerns the undocumented community is facing during the pandemic, they are also more vulnerable to contract COVID-19 because they have
minimal access to health care and work in essential jobs that expose them to the disease, sociology professor Nestor Rodriguez said. “You don’t have to be undocumented … to face economic pressure right now,” Rodriguez said. “But, the pressure may be greater for the undocumented because they … are more vulnerable in the labor market and have less resources to survive economically.”
4
News Editor
NICOLE STUESSY
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020 POLITICS
NEWS
District attorney race pivots to police accountability By Hannah Williford @HannahWillifor2
Candidates for the Travis County district attorney race entered their final month of campaigning for the July 14 runoff elections, emphasizing criminal justice reform in response to ongoing protests against police brutality. Incumbent Democrat Margaret Moore and Democrat José Garza, a former federal public defender and activist, are both campaigning on holding police officers accountable and reducing the number of people in jail for minor offenses. Jovita Pardo, senior consultant in Moore’s campaign, said the incumbent hopes to continue her work in the district attorney’s office by fighting mass incarceration and ending cash bail. In 2017, Moore created the Civil Rights Unit of the Civil Rights Division in her office. The unit reviews whether or not cases of police brutality should proceed to a grand jury, where details of the case would remain confidential. If the unit decides the case cannot be prosecuted, its details are released to the public and it does not go to a grand jury. “She thought it’s a little bit of a cop-out to say ‘Oh, well every case is going to go to a grand jury and it’s not on my hands,’” Pardo said. “She also moved away from that system in order to put more accountability on herself,
so that folks knew why or why not a case did decide to go to a grand jury.” In 2018, the Civil Rights Unit reviewed 15 cases of official misconduct and six cases of use of force, according to the Travis County District Attorney website. The office has not convicted any police officers in the last four years. Mike Ramos, who was shot and killed by an Austin Police Department Officer in April, is still listed as part of a pending investigation on the district attorney’s website. Moore said she plans on sending Ramos’ case to a grand jury, according to reporting from The New York Times. Challenger Garza said he would like to take all cases to a grand jury within 30 days. He said he would expand the scope of the Civil Rights Unit to include complaints filed against off-duty officers and plans to hire prosecutors with experience in prosecuting law enforcement. “The district attorney has a responsibility to be a part of and to be responsive to the movement that we are seeing all across this country and right here in Travis County to reimagine our criminal justice system,” Garza said in an interview. “Part of that responsibility is helping to redefine our understanding of what public safety is. What public safety is, is stability, and we need a criminal justice system that prioritizes those things that keep us safe.”
University Democrats President Alexandra Evans said the student organization endorsed Garza because of his progressive stance on criminal justice reform. “When you get involved in these local races … it’s incredibly important that you use your voice,” said Evans, a Plan II sophomore. “It’s a change that you’re going to be able to see when you elect people locally … you can definitely see a change in local officials and electing local judges, district attorneys, etc. So it’s very important to be involved, and it’s very important to be aware.”
copyright moore campaign, and reproduced with permission Margaret Moore, the incumbent district attorney, was endorsed by both Austin’s local chapter of the NAACP and the Austin Police Department’s union earlier this year.
jacob fraga / the daily texan file José Garza is challenging Margaret Moore, the incumbent district attorney for the runoff election in Travis County.
NEWS
News Editor
5
NICOLE STUESSY
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020 BLM
Small UT student groups raise money in support of Black Lives Matter movement By Hannah Ortega @_hannahortega_
Despite having about 30 active members, the UT Pre-Optometry Professional Society wanted to support the Black Lives Matter movement, and raised $1,448 for two organizations in just nine days. The group put out a statement on Instagram, asked for donations to their official Venmo and created a donation bingo where people could give the amount of money on a certain spot. The society raised $948 from donors and $500 from donation matching, society treasurer Gina Liles said. “We are a very diverse group of people from really all walks of life,” biology junior Liles said. “From personal experiences with race discrimination as minorities and as people who empathize with minorities, we thought it would be a really good stance to just support our Black brothers and sisters.” The society is just one of several small campus groups currently fundraising and spreading information and resources during the Black Lives Matter movement. Texas Wushu, a martial arts recreational sports organization at UT, also used their social media platforms to show support for the movement. “We figured that we do have some audience of the Asian American community, and it’s important to voice our support for the Black Lives Matter movement and stand in solidarity with them, and in a tangible way as well,” said Rosie Khan, Texas Wushu vice president.
Khan said club members set a pledge of up to $175, and decided to match donations from their social media followers. The group has raised about $92 so far, Khan said, but if they achieve their goal of $175 and then match that total, they could donate $350 to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, their chosen organization. “We chose (the fund) because we wanted to pick a reputable, national-level organization, but we were aware that some national-level organizations are not as effective or as accountable as grassroots organizations,” said Khan, a Plan II, economics, government and international relations and global studies junior. “We thought that the NAACP has a good track history of winning very landmark court cases.” Grandioso, a clothing brand with a three-person team of two UT-Austin students and one UT-Dallas student, released two new hats with all sales profits going to the Austin Justice Coalition. On Saturday, the company donated $270 to the
So many institutions … work against the Black community, so I feel like it’s part of our duty as a business to be an institution that works to empower and help these people.” ALY HIRANI
co-ceo of grandioso
julia zheng / the daily texan staff coalition from hat sales, additional donations from friends and donation matching. “So many institutions … work against the Black community, so I feel like it’s part of our duty as a business to be an institution that works to empower and help these people,” said Aly Hirani, co-CEO of Grandioso and mechanical
engineering sophomore. Co-CEO Jorge Villa Rangel said justice and togetherness are crucial during this time, and helped inspire his fundraising efforts. “It’s 2020 … it shouldn’t be like this anymore,” psychology sophomore Villa Rangel said. “It’s super sad to me that there’s
still people out there who don’t believe in Black Lives Matter or the movement itself. That’s why I was super empowered by what other people were doing, and I was like, ‘Yeah, we have to donate money. We need to help the organization with money so that they can do a good thing for Austin.’”
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TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020
COVER STORY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Like father, like daughter Bonded by basketball, Vic and Blair Schaefer bring family dynamic to Texas. By Myah Taylor @t_myah
or Vic Schaefer, developing his players and winning basketball games is a family affair. Although Texas’ new women’s basketball head coach picked up numerous individual accolades during his eight seasons at Mississippi State, Schaefer said he attributes much of his championship success to his tight-knit staff, which now includes his daughter, Blair. Blair, who serves as the Texas women’s basketball director of player development, has coached alongside her dad since 2019. However, their basketball bond dates back years to when Blair watched Vic coach Texas A&M as she grew up in College Station. “He was always coaching or bringing me to practices,”
Blair said. “When A&M was in the Big 12, I would go on away trips with him … so it’s just a sport that I was always around.” When the Schaefers moved to Starkville in 2012 after Vic took over as head coach at Mississippi State, Blair had just finished her sophomore year of high school and was impressing scouts on the basketball court. College coaches soon began taking
As a dad, we talked about how (she) could go anywhere in the country. … But as a father, I’m more worried about who you’re going to be around.” VIC SCHAEFER
texas women’s basketball head coach
copyright blair schaefer, and reproduced with permission Texas women’s basketball head coach Vic Schaefer and his daughter Blair Schaefer stand side by side on the basketball court after she won her first-ever Miss Defense award. Blair watched Vic coach Texas A&M as a young player in College Station.
notice of Blair’s play — including her dad. “As she continued to develop, she became someone that I felt like could help us win,” Vic said. “I knew there was a role for her. We needed that desperately, so we approached it just like any other recruiting situation from my standpoint as a coach.” Despite Vic’s uniform approach to Blair’s recruitment, their family tie made the process tricky. On occasions when coaches and recruiters weren’t allowed to scout, Blair said Vic “would
be the dad” when he watched her high school games. The NCAA understood the situation, Blair said, but whenever coaches were permitted to scout, Vic would sit away from the other parents so he could be in “coach mode.” Blair received several basketball scholarship offers, but she said she only ever considered playing for her dad at Mississippi State because she knew she could trust him and his staff. Similarly, Vic said he liked the idea of Blair playing under him because he knew she’d be in good hands.
“As a dad, we talked about how (she) could go anywhere in the country … and win a lot of games,” Vic said. “But as a father, I’m more worried about who you’re going to be around — who’s your role model, who’s coaching you, who’s taking care of you — if you’re not around me.” Following Blair’s commitment to Mississippi State, the father-daughter duo won two SEC Championships and knocked off a historic UConn team en route to competing in their first of two consecutive NCAA Championship games.
7
Not many coaches really understand all that he can do.” BLAIR SCHAEFER texas women’s basketball director of player development
copyright blair schaefer, and reproduced with permission (Left to right) Vic Schaefer, his son Logan, his wife Holly, and daughter Blair pose for a family photo when the twins were 1 year old.
Although she was the coach’s daughter, Blair said Vic treated her the same as her teammates, or sometimes tougher. At practice, Vic was always “Coach” and not “Dad,” but whenever Blair went home for family dinners with him, her mom Holly and twin brother Logan, Vic said the player-coach relationship was set aside. “We always talked in the third sense,” Vic said. “I’d ask her, ‘How was Coach today?’ and she’d say, ‘Well, he was in a pretty good mood, we had a big win yesterday,’ or ‘He was a little hard to deal with today in practice.’” After Blair graduated from Mississippi State in 2018, she pursued a career in broadcasting, but she said her heart wasn’t in it because she wasn’t able to invest in others like she wanted. In 2019, Vic said
Blair called him in tears expressing her desire to coach. “It was hard for me to tell him because he had been telling me for years I should coach,” Blair said. “When I finally had to tell him, … he was so excited.” Blair is one of four members of Vic’s Mississippi State coaching staff who made the move over to Texas with him. Assistant coach Elena Lovato, who began working with Vic in 2014 when Blair was a college freshman, also made the move to Austin. Lovato said Vic’s bond with his family is special, and it strengthens the coaching staff. “He’s an amazing dad,” Lovato said. “When he’s not coaching, he takes his family seriously. … I think it’s really neat to have Blair there, too, because she understands her dad better than anyone.” Vic said his family also includes his staff members, whom he emphasizes work with him, not for him. That dynamic is what separates his program from others, he said. “I’ve been able to surround myself with the best staff in the country, with the best people in the country,” Vic said. “We all have each other’s best interest at heart, and we all care
deeply about one another, and I think that’s what really makes us as good as we are.” Excited to start a new chapter at UT this upcoming basketball season, Blair said she’s thankful for the opportunity to help Texas’ players grow on and off the court. But she’s just as eager to work alongside the staff who
developed her and learn from the man at the helm of it. “The fact that he’s my dad is just a bonus because I feel like he genuinely is the best in the business,” Blair said. “Not many coaches really understand all that he can do.”
copyright blair schaefer, and reproduced with permission Vic and Blair pose together during a fishing trip before Selection Monday in March 2016. Vic said whenever the duo spent time together outside the court, the coach-player relationship was set aside.
8
Editor-In-Chief
E M I LY C A L D W E L L
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020 COLUMN
COLUMN
OPINION
Continue to record lectures
audrey williams/ the daily texan staff
Students with test anxiety deserve accommodations By Rayne Daniel Columnist
Final exam season came and went this spring as it does every semester, but this time, finals brought a new set of obstacles and unprecedented worries. As we were forced to study without libraries, have our professor communication restricted to email and our questions drowned out in crowded video chats, the fear of failure seemed to spread faster than the virus. As testing anxiety became a reality for many, students across the Forty Acres demanded new academic accommodations and a modified grading system. University officials heard these demands and eventually implemented a pass/fail policy for the spring semester. But UT still fails to provide accommodations for students struggling with test anxiety every semester. “Even before (COVID-19), I have had so many exams at UT where, despite my preparedness, I have almost run out of time,” finance senior Jonathan Danielson said. “The battle against the clock really gets to me, and it leads to massive test anxiety.” Biology junior Katie Greene echoed Danielson’s concerns. “Test anxiety gets in the way of my performance on tests and doesn’t actually display what I know,” Greene said. “It only displays my fight with overcoming testing anxiety long enough to attempt to take the test.” The commonality between their struggles: time. Currently, time accommodations for UT-administered exams are limited to students with documented attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. According to the Mayo Clinic, students with ADHD often have poor school performance due to problems focusing and prioritizing. However, research shows students suffering
from test anxiety experience similar cognitive symptoms, along with additional physical and emotional manifestations. According to publications from The University of North Carolina, experiences vary from student to student, but nausea, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, faintness, panic attacks, feelings of helplessness, negative thoughts, difficulty concentrating and procrastination are only some of the extensive symptoms of those suffering from test anxiety. The UT Counseling and Mental Health Center must stop dismissing test anxiety as something that can be solved with new study strategies, journaling and breathing techniques. According to Services for Students with Disabilities, maintaining academic accommodations is a way to “level the playing field” and “minimize the impact of a student’s disability on their academic performance.” But if this is the SSD’s true intention, they must address test anxiety as an equally debilitating condition and enhance test accommodations for anxiety-ridden students. “If students need more time or other exam accommodations, it should not be hard to get,” Danielson said. “With the amount of money we are paying the University, we should be able to take an exam that best suits our individual accommodations.” However, some students are quick to disagree. “It would be difficult to find a cutoff for what is considered being anxious enough to get special accommodations,” nutrition sophomore Carolina Flores said. But ultimately, while there may be growing pains, it is the responsibility of the University to develop a system for diagnosing students with test anxiety, be an advocate for all students and create an equitable and inclusive plan for student success. Daniel is a biomedical engineering and French senior from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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juwon yoo/ the daily texan staff By Richard Lee Columnist
Even in standard times, it can be challenging to manage the responsibilities of being a student. Add a global pandemic to the mix, and the challenges we face can become overwhelming. Many of us, students and faculty alike, are managing unexpected responsibilities. These obligations can lead to holes in our educational routines. The recorded lectures that arrived with the transition to Zoom due to COVID-19 helped fill this gap. It allowed students to reinforce tough subjects at their own pace. However, some professors chose to omit recordings, which led to inequality in accessibility for students. We need all professors to commit to recording live lectures for the benefit of our learning community. In order to provide strong support to students, all professors should continue to record lectures even after the pandemic ends. Many professors have already seen the need for recordings and the benefits it would bring to students. “Frankly, the shift to online education was coming anyway,” said Madeleine Redlick, assistant professor of instruction in the department of communication studies. “Having recorded lectures makes it easier for students to access the content they need on a timetable that works not only for them but for everyone around them.” The switch does not require extra effort by professors because the infrastructure supporting recorded lectures is already here. Tools such as Zoom or the Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services offer both the live broadcasting of lectures and convenient storage and access through Canvas. Digital lectures provide both faculty and students with a more efficient learning experience. Recorded lectures offer students the
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ability to revisit basic concepts they may have missed in class. The use of office hours can then focus on tackling more profound concepts that require a more thorough explanation. “Even before COVID-19 hit, having a lecture that I could revisit helped further my understanding of the material,” civil engineering junior Luke Harper said. “Not all students understand the material the first time, and I was better able to study for my recorded class than for ones that were not.” Having lectures available for remote attendance plays a role in protecting our campus health at a critical time as well. “When I was sick, I felt like I had to choose between my physical health and my academics,” sports management junior Sydney Johnson said. “More often than not, academics won out to my own detriment.” Because social distancing guidelines will be in place for at least the next semester, remote learning will help eliminate such stories. This resource may potentially prevent the spread of illness to thousands of others and benefits both students and faculty. Students are better able to manage their time and can build their schedules around new responsibilities. Understandably, some educators may be hesitant to keep recording due to concerns that online learning may threaten or decrease attendance for traditional education. However, live quizzes can be built into Canvas and administered through the Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services platforms to keep students engaged and accountable on the days that they are ill and can’t attend in-person classes. Limits on the use of such quizzes can also be enforced to ensure that students do not take advantage of this practice. Policies should be made on a case-by-case basis for professors to grant leniency while still presenting the best learning experience. The tools we need to enact this policy are already available through several mediums. It is time for all professors to embrace change and welcome online learning to benefit their students. Recording lectures enhances the learning experience by ensuring that students have the time they need to succeed. Furthermore, this approach protects our health and creates a safe and sustainable learning environment for all parties. If we are to stand for the UT community’s mental and physical well-being, all professors should embrace the shift to recorded education. Lee is a civil engineering junior from Plano, Texas.
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LIFE&ARTS
Life&Arts Editor
9
TRINADY JOSLIN
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020
BLM
Law students lead BLM initiative New organization supports the Black Lives Matter movement by providing legal and educational resources. By Katya Bandouil @kat372
fter nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd began, Sheela Ranganathan started a group message in early June with a few law students to brainstorm ways they could get involved. Overnight, the group swelled to more than 150 members. Ranganathan, a Texas Law student, said she didn’t want to speak for the Black community as a non-Black person, so she reached out to the Thurgood Marshall Legal Society at UT to see if anyone was interested in helping lead the initiative. “(I said) I don’t want to (create) more work and more burdens for Black students at UT, but at the same time if you think this is an opportunity that you want to take on, I would be really happy to help,” Ranganathan said. “That’s when Alyssa (Gordon) and Ayo (Adaranijo) stepped in.” Law Students for Black Lives, directed by Gordon, Adaranijo and Ranganathan, aims to use the trio’s legal knowledge to support the Black Lives Matter movement by educating their community and supporting other law students. “We’re not lawyers yet, we won’t be able to legally help someone, but we are able to point them in a direction (where) they can go seek help,” Adaranijo, a Texas Law
student, said. Volunteers can join one of the six teams focused on goals such as encouraging direct action and changing policy. Some can also aid protesters by connecting them to free legal representation or providing shelter. “There’s specific people who volunteer, ‘Oh, call me if anything happens’ or ‘Hey, I live right here downtown so if you need a break (during a protest), come to my house,” Ranganathan said. To educate the group’s almost 2,600 followers on Instagram, the marketing team posts weekly graphics about ways to get involved in the movement and
other information, such as facts about racist historical events. One topic they address is the connection between the legal system and the Black Lives Matter movement. “I couldn’t say there was a specific time where I was like, ‘Hey, we need to do something, we’re law students,’” said Gordon, a Texas Law student who has been involved in the Black Lives Matter movement since 2015. “It was just kind of intuitive for me because I know how intertwined the two systems are.” Law students can also connect with each other and share volunteering opportunities
through the outreach team. “I shared (a list of lawyers) with the group and said, ‘If you have any extra time, please consider reaching out to one of these attorneys and offering help, because the more attorneys we help, the more people they can see for free,’” Texas Law student Atticus Finch said. “We can make a real difference.” Adaranijo said she decided to get involved both to enact change and cope with her frustration following multiple incidents of police brutality. “I would say for me, around when George Floyd passed away, I was feeling very angry
and frustrated,” Adaranijo said. “With that and Ahmud Arbery and Amy Cooper, my mind was just kind of racing, and I felt helpless and I felt the need to do something.” Before being involved in the group, Adaranijo said she didn’t think she’d do pro bono work during college because she focuses on corporate law. However, she said she knew her action would impact the movement. “I kind of look at it as necessary work that needs to be done,” Adaranijo said. “I am privileged enough to be a law student, so this is just a way that I can help.”
I kind of look at it as necessary work that needs to be done. I am privileged enough to be a law student, so this is just a way that I can help.” AYO ADARANIJO
texas law student
steph sonik / the daily texan staff
10
Life&Arts Editor
TRINADY JOSLIN
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020
LIFE&ARTS
CAMPUS
Miscommunications mark virtual orientation By Aisling Ayers @aisling_ayers
After attending virtual orientation, Ashley Diaz said she still doesn’t feel ready to step on campus in the fall. Typically, incoming students attend an in-person orientation where they stay in dorms, participate in information sessions, attend social events and register for classes. Because of the pandemic, this year’s orientation is occurring virtually, and the price is cut in half. Diaz, theatre and dance freshman, said the three-day virtual orientation had many miscommunications, despite best efforts from orientation advisers. “A lot of things that are perceived as common sense aren’t really common sense whenever you’re doing it for the first time,” Diaz said. Many OAs, such as radio-television-film sophomore Efren Hernandez, offered their students one-on-one advising to prepare them for course registration in addition to the 30-minute scheduled meetings with UT academic advisers. After orientation was moved online, Hernandez said he empathized with incoming freshmen and wanted to help them in their transition to college. “I try to put myself in the mindset of these kids who got cheated out of their senior year,” Hernandez said. “I just want to make orientation as smooth as possible, especially in a scenario of having it online. Receiving so many Zoom links, I can imagine how stressful that can be.” Kyle St. Nicholas, assistant director of New Student Services, said UT tried to replicate the in-person orientation experience as much as possible. He said students were sent videos of how to set up things such as Zoom and Duo, a checklist for what they needed to complete, and two hours of Canvas modules to finish prior to their orientation. Despite the preparations by OAs and UT faculty, Diaz said her friends attending session two who didn’t feel as equipped to register called her for advice, as she received additional advising through the Gateway Scholars program.
marissa xiong / the daily texan staff “There was a lot of lack of communication between the students and UT as a whole,” Diaz said. “A lot of people got confused about everything that needed to be done.” Hernandez also said miscommunication was the greatest challenge for orientation students this year. Although virtual orientation takes up almost the entire three-day period, he said some students didn’t initially realize the time commitment. “They forget to ask for hours off from work so they couldn’t make it (to events), or some miscommunication happens and they don’t look at their email so they miss some really important information,”
Hernandez said. Google Earth and showed them areas on Government freshman Devon Whitsel campus, such as the Perry-Castañeda said he had low expectations for the virLibrary, Gregory Gymnasium and the tual orientation but Tower. However, he felt OAs put in a lot of said he was already work. He said he was familiar with most prepared for registraof what he saw on tion and got the coursthe tour. es he wanted. “That wasn’t Another challenge “I try to put myself in beneficial for me was the lack of an the mindset of these personally, but they on-campus tour, did try,” Whitsel kids who got cheated Whitsel said. said. “They can’t To supplement out of their senior be in-person, so the guided tour, they did the next year.” Whitsel said the OAs best thing.” led a tour through EFREN HERNANDEZ
orientation adviser
COMICS
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B A R B D A LY & A L E K K A H E R N A N D E Z
TUESDAY, JUNE 23 2020
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TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020
SPORTS
FEATURE
Shipley brothers’ careers finally on same playing field By Donnavan Smoot @DSmoot3D
For years, it seemed as if Jaxon Shipley was just following his big brother Jordan’s lead. When Jaxon attended UT from 2011-2015, he played wide receiver on the Texas football team just as Jordan did several years earlier. He even wore the same number. Then, following their stints in the NFL, the Shipleys carved out their own identities. However, the brothers have gotten back on the same path — this time in real estate. Now both retired from football, the Shipleys work for Dullnig Ranch Sales, a ranch real estate company based out of San Antonio. Jordan, the first of the two to transition into real estate, hosted “The Bucks of Tecomate” on the Outdoor Channel after his retirement from the NFL in 2014. It was there that one of his friends suggested he get his real estate license. After working with Jordan on occasion, Jaxon fully joined the company this past year. “(The) beginning of 2019 is when I got my license,” Jaxon said. “I got into it really because I was helping him out on some things, and it just ended up being something that I kind of fell in love with.” Jaxon’s love affair with real estate manifested in drives across Texas — sometimes four hours away or in the middle of the night — just to get the perfect picture to send to clients. “He would take pictures of ranches,” Jaxon’s wife, Blaze, said. “He would go in the morning or at night during the perfect lighting, and he was having to wake up really early and then stay really late. But he was doing it probably like four-ish times a week.” Real estate has become another step in the brothers’ identical journeys. Even though they are seven years apart, Jordan said they were interchangeable to some of the Longhorn faithful during his time on the football team. “A lot of people didn’t know what to think because they kept seeing Shipley and number eight, and a lot of them thought it was the
same guy for a long time,” Jordan said. Although fans saw them largely as the same person, Jordan said he never saw it that way. He said he just enjoyed supporting his little brother. “It’s fun for me to get to see him grow up,” Jordan said. “He was a lot younger, but I threw him probably hundreds of thousands of footballs growing up. It was pretty special.” Jaxon said working with his brother helps bring them together during times when life gets busy. He became a father to two boys, now ages four and one, and started a performance program for young receivers in the Austin area after retiring from the NFL in 2016. About three months ago, Jordan had a son of his own. “Us doing two separate things and me having boys, things can get pretty busy, and it can be hard to find time to really be around everybody,” Jaxon said. “But I’ve gotten to see him a lot more; we spend a lot more time just obviously working together. ... So it’s been pretty neat.” Jordan and Jaxon have shared the same passions for most of their lives but have had to experience them at different times. Blaze said they now get to enjoy operating in the same space together, as brothers. “To have Jaxon and Jordan working together makes it even more special, just because they both are doing what they love, and they get to do it as a team,” Blaze said.
jonathan garza / the daily texan file Jaxon Shipley played in the shadow of his brother, Jordan, during his four years at Texas. Now, both brothers are on the same team in the real estate business.
It’s fun for me to get to see him grow up. He was a lot younger, but I threw him probably hundreds of thousands of footballs growing up. It was pretty special.” JORDAN SHIPLEY
former wide receiver
caleb miller / the daily texan file Jordan Shipley is best remembered for his stardom at Texas, but now, he’s determined to make a new name in real estate.