fall preview
DT Volume 121, Issue 10 Tuesday, august 11, 2020
a window into fall
barbra daly / the daily texan staff
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DT
Contents: News
CONTACT US MAIN TELEPHONE (512) 471-4591
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Emily Caldwell (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com
Student organizations plan virtual events and pause recruitment as UT encourages groups to limit in-person contact.
MANAGING EDITOR
cover
NEWS OFFICE
Amid nationwide protests and a global pandemic, the Texan looks back on a summer of social unrest and looks toward a fall of uncertainty.
Opinion Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, UT has to prioritize the implementation of sexual misconduct policy changes this fall.
Life & arts Students make masks to earn extra income and provide fashionable safety options.
sports Top Austin officials weigh in on the safety of 25% football stadium capacity.
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The Daily Texan, a student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin, is published by Texas Student Media, 2500 Whitis Ave., Austin, TX 78712. The Daily Texan is published daily, Monday through Friday, during the regular academic year and is published once weekly during the summer semester. The Daily Texan does not publish during academic breaks, most Federal Holidays and exam periods. News contributions will be accepted by telephone 2.120). Entire contents copyright 2020 Texas Student Media.
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News Editor
NICOLE STUESSY
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
NEWS
CAMPUS
ICYMI: UT’s plans for fall 2020 As thousands of students plan to return to Austin, here’s an overview of what campus will look like.
By Anna Canizales @annaleonorc
s thousands of students prepare to return to Austin for a mix of in-person, hybrid and remote classes, The Daily Texan has compiled an overview of what campus will look like in the fall. As of Aug. 10, Travis County is reporting 22,953 COVID-19 cases and is in the stage 4 risk category, according to the Travis County Coronavirus dashboard. As of Aug. 10, the University is reporting 473 cases, 288 of which are students and 185 of which are faculty and staff, according to the UT COVID-19 Dashboard.
Classes
About 60% of courses will be fully online in the fall, according to University spokesperson J.B. Bird. Classrooms will have a maximum capacity of 40%, and all classes will be fully remote after Thanksgiving break. Hartzell said students, faculty and staff will be required to wear masks in all buildings on campus. Exceptions to this rule include being in an office space alone and taking a break to eat lunch in a dining facility or private residence hall room. Mask requirements will be enforced, and teachers will be able to end class if a student does not comply. Housing
5,058 students have housing contracts for the fall as of July 24, said Cynthia Lew,
director of marketing and communications for University Housing and Dining. Dining halls will be open at a limited capacity with additional safety measures in place, including a smaller menu and additional late-night hours. Most dorm rooms will be double-occupancy. Student life
UT asks students to self-quarantine for two weeks before returning to campus to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Students arriving on campus will not be required to get a COVID-19 test, but free tests will be available even for asymptomatic students. The University aims to administer up to 1,000 proactive tests per day through a saliva test to identify asymptomatic cases on campus, said Elisa Spradlin, assistant chief medical officer at University Health Services. Proactive tests will be voluntary and will be administered at the Student Services Building and Gate 8 of the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Spradlin said. Students who are symptomatic or know they have been exposed to COVID-19 will be tested via nose swab and receive their results in one to two days. Tests for symptomatic individuals will be available at the 27th Street Garage testing site. These tests
will be charged to insurance, but the University will cover the cost for individuals who are not insured. Spradlin said the University purchased rapid testing machines that provide results within 15 minutes for symptomatic patients. The University will release the Protect Texas Together app in mid-August, which will allow students, faculty and staff to track their symptoms and locations on campus and be notified and directed to University Health Services if they may be sick. Days after a New York Times survey listed UT as the college with most COVID-19 cases, Hartzell said the Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium may reduce its capacity to 25%. On July 20, Texas Athletics Director Chris Del Conte said in a letter to season ticket holders that the school would begin the season with a maximum capacity of 50%. In June, Hartzell said the University is prioritizing the health and safety of students in an interview with The Daily Texan. “We’re gonna get through this together,” Hartzell said in the interview. “This University has wonderful fundamentals, has wonderful people, and I just wouldn’t trade what we have at our place for virtually any other university in the world.”
anthony mireles / the daily texan file About 60% of fall classes will take place fully online as students prepare to return to Austin.
NEWS
News Editor
5
NICOLE STUESSY
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 BLM
UT confronts remaining symbols of racism on campus By Hannah Williford @HannahWillifor2
This summer the University confronted some fixtures of racism on campus after students created petitions garnering thousands of signatures. These calls for change came amid nationwide protests for justice for Black Americans and against police brutality after George Floyd, a Black man, was killed May 25 by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck. In a July 13 letter to the UT community, Interim President Jay Hartzell pledged to fund groups supporting Black students both on and off campus through a multimillion-dollar commitment from the athletics department, hiring more diverse faculty members and creating a more inclusive UT Austin Police Oversight Committee. In response to student demands from
past years, Hartzell also announced the renaming of the Robert Lee Moore Hall to the Physics, Math and Astronomy Building. Moore, a math professor at the University in the late ‘60s, refused to teach Black students. Hartzell said other campus fixtures with a history of racism that would not be removed, such as T.S. Painter Hall or alma mater “The Eyes of Texas,” would now have education about their roots surrounding them. Painter Hall is named after T.S. Painter, a previous University president who refused to allow Black student Heman Sweatt into the law school, inciting the Sweatt v. Painter U.S. Supreme Court case. Although the building will still be named after Painter, the main entrance will be named after Sweatt and a statue will be erected in his memory, in addition to an exhibit informing the public about the case.
However, as of Monday, the biography for Painter on the University’s Office of the President website does not mention the racist history behind Sweatt v. Painter, instead saying Painter’s name is widely known as the defendant from the case which “opened all of higher education to ethnic minorities.” “The Eyes of Texas,” which was first performed at a minstrel show in which actors performed in blackface, will remain the University’s alma mater despite student groups asking for its removal. Some Longhorn Band members said they would refuse to play “The Eyes of Texas” in the future, and the Butler School of Music said it would not force any band members to play the song, according to previous reporting by The Daily Texan. “Aspects of its origin, whether previously widely known or unknown, have created a rift in how the song is understood and celebrated, and that must be fixed,” Hartzell said in his letter. “It is my belief that we can effectively reclaim and redefine what this song stands for by first owning and acknowledging its history in a way that is open
rachel tyler / the daily texan file
and transparent.” The letter followed multiple statements from campus groups, including the Black Student Alliance, Student Government and Senate for College Councils, calling for changes to building names and UT’s relationship with both the UT Police Department and the Austin Police Department. Despite requests from students to divest from APD there has been no public change in this relationship, such as the divestment seen by the University of Minnesota cutting ties with the Minneapolis Police. Student groups, colleges and organizations also released statements to the public in support of Black Lives Matter with calls to action, often accompanied by a public donation. Over two dozen student-athletes also created and signed a letter saying they would not participate in recruiting and alumni events without the University committing to confront its racism. According to a tally by UT Senate, 173 groups associated with the University released a statement about the University addressing its past.
6
THIS SEMESTER,
SAFETY IS ON THESAFETY SYLLABUS! MEASURES
News Editor
NICOLE STUESSY
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 CAMPUS
Professors prepare for fall classes, virtual communication with students By Andrew Zhang @andrewczhang
Much like going back to school, riding CapMetro looks a little different due toSAFETY COVID-19.MEASURES Our buses feature new updates like vinyl seats and social distancing measures to help keep you safe on the go. SAFETY MEASURES Don’t forget to bring your mask and yourVEHICLE valid UT MANAGED CASHLESS PAYMENT ID to VIA rideAPP free for all your essential trips! CAPACITIES
CASHLESS PAYMENT SAFETY MEASURES VIA APP
AFETY MEASURES
CASHLESS MASKS FORPAYMENT APP STAFF &VIA RIDERS
NEWS
As the spring semester finished in May, Marjorie Woods, an English and Plan II professor, knew COVID-19 would still be around in the fall. Because of her age and a lung condition from childhood illness, Woods said she asked her department heads if she could teach online out of concern for her health. She was initially worried they might resist, but she said her department heads welcomed her decision. Woods will teach two of the roughly 6,600 online course sections UT is offering this fall. The University will have approximately 11,000 total classes, with about 60% of the sections online, 24% hybrid and 16% face-to-face, University spokesperson J.B. Bird said in an email last week. Individual departments and colleges have the final say over whether professors teach online or in person, said Kathleen Harrison, communications manager for the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, in an email. Professors are being asked to talk to their supervisors about the decision. When making decisions about course delivery, the University is automatically permitting professors in high-risk categories to teach online, Harrison said. The University is also considering factors such as childcare,
MANAGED VEHICLE CAPACITIES
MANAGED VINYL SEATVEHICLE CAPACITIES UPGRADES
MASKS FOR VINYL SEAT STAFF & RIDERS MANAGED VEHICLE UPGRADES CASHLESS PAYMENT PAYMENTVIA APP MANAGED VEHICLECAPACITIES MASKS FOR CAPACITIES VINYL SEAT PP ELECTROSTATIC STAFF & RIDERS UPGRADES CLEANING
ELECTROSTATIC MASKS FOR PLEASE SEE CAPMETRO.ORG/COVID19 VINYL SEAT FOR DETAILS, FOR STAFF & RIDERS VINYL SEAT UPGRADES CLEANING RIDERS UPGRADES ELECTROSTATIC 7.14.20 FOR DETAILS, PLEASE SEE CAPMETRO.ORG/COVID19 CLEANING
a possible concern for professors since some Austin-area schools are starting the year online, Harrison said. Woods said professors have received lots of guidance on teaching online through University-led workshops, which have been helpful to her as she sometimes struggles to use Canvas and Zoom. Woods said she plans to visit her campus office on nights and weekends in the fall, but she is generally concerned for her safety. “I don’t feel safe at all just leaving my apartment,” Woods said. “I’m very careful. To me, it’s a huge deal that I’m going into campus … I feel sort of exposed when I leave (home).” Professors with high-risk conditions are referred to the Americans with Disabilities Act coordinators for assistance, University ADA coordinator Jennifer Maedgen said in an email. Maedgen, a clinical associate psychology professor, said her office has helped facilitate accomodations for approximately 50 professors, a number that grows every week. As fall approaches, Woods said she worries about starting the semester and creating community on Zoom from the start of a class — a first for her. Asian studies professor Robert Oppenheim said the University is doing what it can in response to the pandemic, citing the University’s testing procedures as a positive development. However, Oppenheim said the PROFESSORS
PAGE 9
7.14.20
FOR DETAILS, VISIT: CAPMETRO.ORG/COVID19
7.14.20
FOR DETAILS, PLEASE SEE CAPMETRO.ORG/COVID19
jamie hwang / the daily texan staff
Marjorie Woods, an English and Plan II professor, turned her guest room into a “Zoom room” for her classes when classes moved online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Woods, pictured here in her Zoom room on Aug. 8, 2020, plans to teach online in the fall because of her age and a lung condition from childhood illness.
NEWS
News Editor
7
NICOLE STUESSY
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 STUDENT LIFE
Students discuss effects of study abroad cancellations By Hannah Ortega @_hannahortega_
Abril Barraza was supposed to study abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this fall and graduate in fall 2022. Now, due to COVID-19, Barraza’s study abroad program has been canceled, and she will be graduating in spring 2021 without going abroad. “My biggest struggle right now is, in my head, I had a year left to decide more or less if I was going to go into grad school … or if I was going to take the LSAT and go into law school, where now I haven’t prepped,” said Barraza, an international relations and global studies and Latin American studies senior. The international relations and global studies major has a study abroad requirement, and some IRG students are facing uncertainty and
program cancellations because of COVID-19. “If you had planned to undertake a study abroad program that was canceled and you are due to graduate, we are not going to require that you delay your graduation because of that,” IRG director Michael Anderson said. “If students … are set to graduate beyond this next year … we’re hoping there will be opportunities for them to study abroad.” Barraza said she reached out to her academic adviser about her situation and was told she could graduate without studying abroad as long as she did so in spring 2021. “This was the second time I had applied to study abroad,” Barraza said. “And so they were like, ‘Because you have so many credits and you’re able to fit … you can choose to not study abroad. We’ll waive that requirement for you, you just have to finish spring ‘21.’”
IRG junior Dila Sarikaya was set to go to Irkutsk, Russia, this May. She said her graduation plan should not be impacted by the cancellation, but it has changed her internship plans. “I was planning on doing internship-types of things this upcoming summer, and now I’m going to have to do study abroad instead, which is usually something that’s really exciting,” Sarikaya said. “But now ... the timing is being forced, and we’re going to have to reapply to the program.” Hector Osegueda, a government and geography junior, was supposed to go to Botswana this summer but not as a requirement for his major. When his program was canceled, he said UT refunded all of his money except for his plane ticket. STUDY ABROAD
PAGE 9
My biggest struggle right now is, in my head, I had a year left to decide more or less if I was going to grad school ... or if I was going to take the LSAT and go into law school, where now I haven’t prepped.” ABRIL BARRAZA
8
News Editor
NICOLE STUESSY
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
NEWS
STUDENT LIFE
UT organizations make plans for fall recruitment, events By Meara Isenberg & Lauren Goodman @mearaannee @laurgoodman
Texas Crew, a competitive rowing club, has a five-week recruitment process each semester that consists of tabling at the West Mall and bringing potential members to Lady Bird Lake to teach them how to row. However, they haven’t decided whether or not to hold recruitment this fall, as competition travel is banned and efforts to maintain social distancing prevent them from practicing as a team. “On the table is, are we able to practice? At the moment, we can’t,” said Carson Davis, vice president of Texas Crew.
“We’re not able to get on the water.” As the University finalizes guidelines for on-campus events this fall, student organizations are making decisions about how to recruit new members and hold meetings and events that typically take place in person. Some are opting to move everything online, while others are considering hybrid options. Others, such as Texas Crew, are finding it hard to switch any of their organization’s operations online. The Office of the Dean of Students encourages student organizations to meet virtually over Zoom this fall, said Cheryl Le Gras, director of student activities.
During the beginning of the fall semester, the office will host virtual organization fairs on HornsLink, a platform that lists student organizations, Le Gras said. “A number of our students are going to be doing their classes online, and they won’t be here on campus,” Le Gras said. “We want to make sure that (there are) opportunities for those students.” The Hindu Students Association is moving all operations, including meetings, volunteering and events, online this fall, HSA President Apurva Gunturu said. Gunturu said events are the biggest, most public-facing aspect of the organization,
and HSA typically holds two in the fall — celebrations for Hindu festivities Navratri and Diwali. Gunturu said moving these events online has been challenging and has forced the organization to get creative. For example, HSA usually holds a traditional dance event to celebrate Navratri.This year, it will offer virtual activities, such as a movie screening and an online panel. “We’re looking into ways to be able to creatively maintain that spirit but still keep it safe and virtual,” said Gunturu, a Plan II and philosophy senior. Texas Lassos, a women’s spirit organization on campus, has canceled all indoor events for the duration of the fall semester until it is definitively safe to hold them, according to a COVID-19 plan made by Lassos President
Emma Crane. Events will either be virtual or follow guidelines that include being held outdoors with each person socially distanced and wearing masks. Lassos will not be accepting new members this fall, a decision made by the organization’s leadership board last spring, Crane said. She said last semester’s new members missed out on activities such as mixers with other organizations, their class service project and initiation. “I think it was a very considerate decision just because the new members in the spring didn’t get to finish all of the things that they were supposed to finish,” said Crane, an applied movement science senior. “If things are safe, then we would like to have in-person recruitment (next spring), but you can
never really predict what’s going to happen.” The University Panhellenic Council fall 2020 sorority recruitment will take place virtually for the first time due to COVID-19 safety concerns, according to an earlier report from the Texan. Davis said if Texas Crew’s recruitment is delayed this fall, the club won’t bring in new member dues. Alumni donations and savings would support the club this semester, but multiple semesters without recruitment could hurt it financially, Davis said. “I don’t think anyone expected this quarantine to last this long,” civil engineering junior Davis said. “I’m hoping that it doesn’t last into the (spring semester). It’s kind of out of our control.”
dan martinez / the daily texan staff
NEWS
News Editor
NICOLE STUESSY
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
professors continues from page
6
University’s efforts have been hindered by inadequate state and national responses. Oppenheim was slated to teach a class face-to-face but said he switched the class to hybrid in late July, citing a student who expressed concerns. “When I initially decided on face-to-face in June, that was based on an assumption that the local COVID-19 situation was not going to get significantly worse, and of course it did just that through late July,” Oppenheim said in an email. “If the situation has sufficiently
study abroad continues from page
7
“I bought insurance for the plane ticket just in case, and even though I did that, I wasn’t able to recoup that money,” Osegueda said. “(The) insurance company said ... because of a pandemic, I was not a circumstance they could basically insure, so I never got my money back for that. That wasn’t really fun, but UT gave me a scholarship to cover that.”
9
improved (by September 10) and if enough students agree, I may then switch back to in-person teaching.” Marketing lecturer Steven Brister will teach a hybrid class this fall. Brister said he is cautiously optimistic that students will follow the University’s regulations and also believes students and professors shouldn’t fear the possibility of moving fully online. He said he chose hybrid delivery because of the benefits in-person instruction offers. “I’m teaching at UT versus teaching at the University of Phoenix for a reason,” Brister said. “I really love getting to know my students and (facilitating) the in-person learning experience.”
Barraza said she wished the University addressed the widespread impact of COVID-19 on study abroad programs so students wouldn’t have to approach individual departments. “In the case where it’s a requirement, I would have liked some sort of acknowledgement from the University telling me, ‘This is what’s going to happen.’ Because had I not been the kind of person to seek help, I would’ve still been thinking, ‘Oh, I have to study abroad,’ and that would have potentially altered my graduation plan too,” Barraza said.
Start Planning Your Future Now Welcome back to school, Longhorns! It’s never too early to begin planning for your master’s degree. You are smart, driven, and destined for success, so start thinking about your future and consider staying an additional year at UT. Earn your McCombs master’s degree in accounting, finance, business analytics, marketing, or information technology and management. Begin your journey
laura gonima / the daily texan file
10
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
COVER STORY
looking Back Between protests and a pandemic, Longhorns experienced a summer of unrest and uncertainty. Coronavirus cases
BLM protests
The University has reported 473 cases of COVID-19 among students, faculty and staff since March 1. Over spring break, 211 UT students traveled to Cabo San Lucas and at least 49 of them tested positive for COVID-19. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released in June found that contact tracing by UT Health Austin helped control the outbreak after students traveled to Mexico.
Austinites took to the streets following the killings of George Floyd and Michael Ramos, calling for change in the police system and the treatment of Black citizens. During the June protests, the Austin Police Department responded to crowds with tear gas, rubber bullets and bean bag rounds, seriously injuring some demonstrators.
By The Daily Texan Staff @thedailytexan
Addressing racial injustice
The University announced in July it will rename the Robert Lee Moore Hall as the Physics, Math and Astronomy Building and name an entrance of T.S. Painter Hall after Heman Sweatt, following students’ and athletes’ demands for UT to address racial injustice. UT also announced it will keep “The Eyes of Texas” as the alma mater despite the song’s minstrelsy origins.
jamie hwang / the daily texan file Hundreds of Austinites protested police violence on the weekend of May 30 after the killings of George Floyd in Minnesota and Michael Ramos in Austin.
qiling wang / the daily texan file The Robert Lee Moore building will now be called the Physics, Math and Astronomy Building after students petitioned the University in favor of the name change.
Policy changes impact students
Athletes speak out
On June 18, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration’s plan to end DACA, which brought relief to Dreamers but left many undocumented individuals unprotected. International students were thrown into uncertainty July 6 when Immigrations and Customs Enforcement issued guidance requiring students to take in-person classes to maintain their visas. After nationwide backlash, these rules were rescinded eight days later.
More than two dozen Longhorn student-athletes released a statement June 12 with demands for the University in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing and nationwide protests against police violence. In the statement, the athletes demanded that “The Eyes of Texas” be removed as the school song among other requests, condemning the song’s history of being played at minstrel shows. Although the University decided to keep the song, the demands in the statement sparked conversation among students and alumni.
eddie gaspar / the daily texan file Texas football players join the crowd at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in singing ceremonial “The Eyes of Texas” following a 45-38 loss to LSU on Sept. 7, 2019. UT decided to keep its alma mater while acknowledging and teaching its history.
11 Campus safety measures
Football uncertainty
There are going to be more questions than answers this football season. Texas Athletics said it’s exploring 25% capacity at games. Several Longhorn Band
members said they will not play “The Eyes of Texas.” And with the Big Ten reportedly considering canceling its season due to coronavirus concerns, the football season itself is still up in the air.
Face coverings will be required in all on-campus buildings in the fall, with a few exceptions for private office spaces and dorm rooms. Dining halls will be open at limited
capacity with additional safety measures in place, including longer hours and a limited menu. The University is asking students to self-quarantine before returning to campus to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Upcoming elections
nicholas vo / the daily texan file nicholas vo / the daily texan file
The presidential election will take place this fall, with incumbent President Donald Trump as the Republican nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee. In the race to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate, Democratic nominee MJ Hegar will face incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn. At the state level, Democrats are hoping to flip nine seats to gain control of the Texas House of Representatives.
Posted signs near the Flawn Academic Center and the Perry Castañeda Library guide voters to polling stations for the primary election.
Texas football players walk off the field after a 37-27 loss to TCU on Oct. 26, 2019. College during a pandemic
Leadership changes
Nearly half of UT students have opted to go fully online this fall, Interim UT President Jay Hartzell said in August. 75% of the total seats in all UT classes will be delivered fully online, he said. On-campus residents have decreased compared to prior years, likely because of the large number of students who choose to go fully online, University spokesperson J.B. Bird said. UT will also provide coronavirus testing to community members. Proactive tests will be free to all students and symptomatic tests will be charged to students’ insurance, with the University covering the cost for those without insurance.
After former UT President Greg Fenves announced his departure in April, the UT System Board of Regents named Jay Hartzell, former dean of the McCombs School of Business, interim president. As of Monday, the UT System has yet to begin the search for the new UT president. Maurie McInnis, former UT executive vice president and provost, also left the University. Vice President for Research Daniel Jaffe will continue to serve as interim provost until a new provost is appointed later this year.
eddie gaspar / the daily texan file Then-communications freshman Shimena Simmons moves in and is accompanied by her roommate and then-psychology freshman Lillian Hicks on Aug. 24, 2019.
looking forward
By The Daily Texan Staff @thedailytexan
As an unprecedented semester begins, questions remain about campus life and sporting events.
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Editor-In-Chief
E M I LY C A L D W E L L
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
OPINION
EDITORIAL
rachel tyler / the daily texan staff
We haven’t forgotten
B y T h e D a i l y Te x a n E d i t o r i a l B o a rd
On March 2, former UT President Gregory Fenves announced a development that clearly resulted from years of collective advocacy work from student activists on campus: UT’s sexual misconduct policies were changing. This change should not have required so much from students in the first place, but Fenves’ announcement signaled to the UT community that activism on campus — organized sit-ins outside the provost’s office, petitions, lists of demands and investigative editorials — made a difference. UT brought in a law firm with expertise in Title IX legislation, Husch Blackwell, to assess the school’s sexual misconduct policies. Over the course of nine months, Husch Blackwell conducted a comprehensive review of UT’s policies and Title IX operations and released two extensive reports with recommended policy changes — the first in March and the second last month. UT administration and the Title IX Office still have a lot of work to do to implement these policies. We know the challenges UT will face this semester are unprecedented, but implementation of Husch Blackwell’s recommendations and incorporation of student
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feedback must remain a priority. This spring, Husch Blackwell worked directly with student activists affiliated with The Coalition Against Sexual Misconduct, a student advocacy group that supports survivors and fights for equitable sexual misconduct policies, while drafting its recommendations. “Our demands and (Husch Blackwell’s) recommendations were very similar, if not exact,” plan II junior Tasnim Islam said. “I think that they took what we had to say and solidified it into those recommendations.” In response to student requests and Husch Blackwell’s recommendations, UT Interim President Jay Hartzell said UT would adopt “a groundbreaking program to provide restorative justice.” Restorative justice allows survivors to heal and perpetrators to take responsibility for their behavior without causing further harm. “The thing to remember about restorative justice is that it’s not a uniform process,” said Kaya Epstein, a cell and molecular biology sophomore. Shelby Hobohm, a mechanical engineering and government senior, said examples of restorative justice include having perpetrators attend discussions with or without the survivor about the harm they’ve inflicted, or hosting support groups for survivors. Even though students are largely happy with the recommendations, we still don’t
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know much about what implementation will look like. Moreover, the student activists we spoke with said despite its many meetings with students, UT administration is not meeting students’ expectations. In response to our interview request, Brittany Clay, communications coordinator for the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, provided the following statement: “The university has submitted a draft proposal to the Board of Regents for approval of the new policy pertaining to the Prohibition of Sexual Assault, Interpersonal Violence, Stalking, Sexual Harassment, and Sex Discrimination. The Board of Regents is expected to review the draft and vote on this proposed policy later this month. The proposed policy includes Husch Blackwell recommendations as well as provisions related to Title IX compliance based on the new federal regulations and feedback from the campus community. After that discussion, we will have more information about concrete next steps for implementation.” We know federally funded universities must adopt policies that comply with the new federal Title IX regulations by Aug. 14. As these “next steps” will not be released until later this month, it seems students will have little time to provide feedback on
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policy implementation. In March, Fenves announced the UT community would “have opportunities to provide input as part of UT’s procedure for instituting new policies,” but the Coalition Against Sexual Misconduct students we interviewed said they weren’t aware of opportunities to work with administration on its implementation plan following this announcement. “Implementation is always going to be an issue at UT,” Epstein said. “We’ve seen it over and over. They kind of give us a solution but then really do the bare minimum.” From what we can tell, it hasn’t been made clear whether or not we should expect the University to continue to incorporate feedback from its community or if Husch Blackwell will continue to assess UT’s sexual misconduct policies. The COVID-19 pandemic poses a great number of challenges for the University this fall, and back in March, addressing sexual misconduct at UT was perhaps unavoidably sidelined because of it. However, UT must implement Husch Blackwell’s recommendations as soon as possible to make campus safer for everyone. Students have been instrumental in drafting these recommendations, and the administration must actively seek student feedback and use student input to guide the implementation process.
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OPINION
Editor-In-Chief
13
E M I LY C A L D W E L L
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 COLUMN
COLUMN
Ditch ‘The Eyes of Texas’
We deserve to survive this
patience hebert / the daily texan
“University leadership will continue to meet with students as the University seeks to own the history and, partnering with our campus community, redefine the meaning of ‘The Eyes of Texas,’” Bird said in an email. “UT has not issued, approved or received any recommended new polices beyond what was discussed in (the July 13) announcement.” Students don’t feel the same way about “The Eyes of Texas” as they did before, and that seems to be hard for a lot of people to understand. A song that was once sung loud and proud by a whole stadium has changed.
helen brown / the daily texan By Daisy Kielty Columnist
By Morgan Pace Columnist
In the wake of the social justice movements happening across America, student-athletes at UT made a list of demands they wanted the University to meet. One of them was to discontinue playing “The Eyes of Texas” at school events. In his response to the list of demands, Interim President Jay Hartzell said, “‘The Eyes of Texas,’ in its current form, will continue to be our alma mater,” and, “We can effectively reclaim and redefine what this song stands for.” But you can’t “redefine” a song that is inherently racist. A large group of people expressed their issues with the racist song, and our University president doesn’t get to determine if it is racist or not — especially if he is not the target of the racism. I urge Hartzell’s administration to meet students’ demands and not play “The Eyes of Texas’’ at our school events. Hartzell had the chance to shift the culture of our school in a dramatic way. He had the chance to right a wrong — and he didn’t. Instead, he prioritized tradition over his Black students and reaffirmed the song’s place in UT’s culture. The decision was met with a lot of backlash from students across social media. I reached out to Sharif Long, a biology and Plan ll junior, and asked how he, as a Black student, felt about UT’s decision to keep “The Eyes of Texas.” “The message failed to transparently address the reasoning behind this decision and the barrier from getting rid of the song, which makes it difficult for student activists to hold those outside forces of power accountable,” Long said. I tried to reach out to Hartzell directly but was forwarded to UT spokesperson J.B. Bird.
You can’t ‘redefine’ a song that is inherently racist. ... Our University president doesn’t get to determine if it is racist or not.” “Black students and allies have clearly advocated for reauthoring a song, so how does the University suggest we reclaim the lyrics of a song that Black students do not want or intend to reclaim?” Long said. “‘The Eyes of Texas’ and those who will continue to choose singing it will continue to make me feel unrepresented, unheard and uncomfortable as a Black student on this campus.” A school song is meant to unite, not divide, us, despite all our differences. It’s meant to bring us together as Longhorns. A song with racist roots, as much as one might want it to, cannot genuinely serve that purpose. If the players you’re singing to at the end of a game have expressed they aren’t comfortable with the song you’re singing, what is the purpose of the song? I encourage Hartzell’s administration to rethink its decision concerning “The Eyes of Texas” not because we’re in the middle of a very important social justice movement, but because it’s the right thing to do. UT owes this to its Black students, non-Black students and especially the Black athletes who make UT millions each year. Come up with a song that every Longhorn can be proud to sing from one end of the DKR Stadium to the other. Pace is a government freshman from Duncanville, Texas.
UT, please don’t sacrifice us to the pandemic. At the end of June, UT released a detailed list of “triggers” that would cause the school to take action to further protect students from COVID-19, such as moving classes fully online again. The list ranges from significant action by the governor to the inability to adequately test for COVID-19 on campus. Most notably, however, “student death” was listed as a consideration. Our community has so much more life to live. Whether you’re an 18-year-old freshman or a 70-year-old professor — you deserve to live. We all deserve to survive this pandemic. The UT administration needs to reassess its plans for reopening campus as well as the triggers that would cause the school to take action. “If that’s even something that needs to be discussed then it should be obvious what to do,” mathematics junior Andy Heineman said. “If a student could die from UT’s policy, then that policy shouldn’t be in place.” Unfortunately, the worst thing that could happen already did. In early July, UT Interim President Jay Hartzell announced that a UT custodian died from complications related to COVID-19. That shouldn’t have happened in the first place, and now, it should be treated as a warning sign and motivate the school to move fully online this fall. Yet, that’s not what’s happening. UT laid out a six-phase plan to describe the levels of campus reopening. Phase or “Level” 0 is what campus was in January of this year: no pandemic in sight or mind. Level 5 is what campus was in April: all students sent home to take their classes online. Right now, school officials consider UT to be at Level 3, or a hybrid model of instruction and open campus facilities, even though UT-Austin has the most reported coronavirus
cases of all universities in the United States. University spokesperson J.B. Bird said a variety of factors will play a role in moving the school to different phases. “This is a dynamic situation,” Bird said. “There is not one single factor that would cause the University to take a set action. It’s really a combination of factors that will be evaluated as the situation progresses.” UT’s policy makes it difficult to hold the school accountable. If UT does not establish a set of case number benchmarks that would trigger action, we cannot know when the school will decide to move to a different phase. The policy also means that a student or faculty member’s death is not grounds for immediate action. “It’s terrible to have had a death in our community, but statistically, it’s not realistic to think no one will die in Travis County over the next six months,” Bird said. “We’ve had 250 deaths, and there, unfortunately, probably will be additional deaths in the county. The fact that it took so long for a member of our UT community to die is a blessing for us. We’re grateful for that while we mourn the loss of the custodian.” We should not diminish the death of someone in our community to a statistic, nor should we normalize future deaths. UT has the opportunity to protect its students and staff members from adding to the nearly 150,000 COVID-19 deaths in the United States. UT has the opportunity to create a detailed plan for closing the school in response to the novel coronavirus. The administration owes the community an active response in the event that the virus takes over campus. We deserve more. We deserve to get an education without worrying the next day could be our last. We should not be reduced to statistics in Travis County’s records. We need UT to put its community members first, even if that means closing campus for another semester. Kielty is a government and sociology junior from Concord, Massachusetts.
14
Life&Arts Editor
TRINADY JOSLIN
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
LIFE&ARTS
CORONAVIRUS
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By Avery Wohleb @averywohleb
When COVID-19 cases first struck Texas, biology sophomore Ingrid Villarreal, an aspiring health professional, wanted to find a way to help her community and continue to stay active during quarantine. “I wanted to find a way that I could volunteer, but the hospitals (were) already at maximum capacity,” Villarreal said. “I needed to find a way to help that was safe for me as well.” Toward the end of May, she recruited two other aspiring health professionals: her younger sister Isabella Villarreal and Becca Friday, a nutrition and public health sophomore. Together, they co-founded a fitness organization called Sweat X Serve. Each week, the three girls, all certified fitness instructors, hold fitness classes over Zoom. Friday is certified in barre, Ingrid in yoga sculpt and Isabella in pilates. Some
weeks, they partner with different fitness organizations to bring in guest instructors to teach a class. A $5 Venmo donation is recommended for those who attend, and 100% of the proceeds are donated directly to Dell Medical’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. During the month of June they donated $270, and in July, they donated $380. All three girls hope to enter the medical field one day and said forming this organization was a way for them to help out the medical community while staying home. “Seeing other students and talking to them has filled me up with joy knowing we’re actually doing something to help,” Friday said. “It’s a community thing, but it’s also a medical thing too. We’re all interested in exercise and premed. It works perfectly for us.” Recently, the group was selected as the August featured female founders for the UT Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute for creating Sweat
X Serve. Isabella said while teaching classes virtually can sometimes feel isolating or awkward, Sweat X Serve has allowed her to connect with people while social distancing. “It has been very nice to connect with people through this while also raising money for a cause,” Isabella said. “It’s fun to feel like a little community.” UT alumna Alexandra Porter has attended several Sweat X Serve sessions and said they have allowed her to work out while social distancing. “You’re able to feel a little less helpless by giving to this cause while also catering to yourself and your needs,” Porter said. “This is a great way to do your part to help out but also to try something new.” In June, Sweat X Serve also donated $200 to the NAACP in light of nationwide protests in response to the police killing of George Floyd. In the future, Ingrid said she hopes to donate again to Austin organizations that focus on social justice.
COMICS
Comics Editors
15
B A R B D A LY & A L E K K A H E R N A N D E Z
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
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Life&Arts Editor
TRINADY JOSLIN
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
LIFE&ARTS
STUDENT LIFE
Students design masks to help keep community safe, fashionable during pandemic By Katya Bandouil @kat372
copyright cynthia trevino, and reproduced with permission
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When UT research labs closed in March due to COVID-19, neuroscience graduate student Lauren Hewitt traded her microscope for a sewing machine. As small businesses across the country have begun making masks with states continuing to pass mask mandates, Hewitt is one of several Longhorns to hop on the much-needed trend. “I started making masks as a way to deal with pandemic anxiety,” Hewitt said. “It felt like I was doing something to help.” Hewitt first started making masks for friends and family and then later expanded the business. She now has donated $350 of the proceeds she has made from her Etsy shop to local nonprofits, such as the Austin Justice Coalition, Connections and Black Queer Lives Matter ATX. Before making any masks, Hewitt said she reviewed multiple studies on face mask materials and filters. Hewitt takes precautions when making her masks such as adding filter pockets, multiple layers and nose wires for individuals who wear glasses. Like Hewitt, Evie Shaw, a business honors and management information systems junior, and Amie Nyugen, a business honors and finance junior, also began making masks. After ThousandThread, a platform Shaw and Nguyen created in 2018 for students to rent and borrow clothes, paused services due to COVID-19, they shifted their focus to creating and donating face masks. Shaw and Nyugen posted on ThousandThread’s Instagram account pledging to sew and donate one mask for every 10 likes they received. After receiving 350 likes, Shaw and Nyugen made and donated 35 masks to the Ascension Seton Medical Center
in Austin. To continue promoting ThousandThread’s mission of sustainability, they handmade the masks using materials they already had on hand. “Our whole thing is to make what you can with what you have already,” Shaw said. “We wanted to continue that mission.” After studio art sophomore Naja McDonald received the campuswide email on June 29 mandating the use of face coverings in the fall, she said she began designing masks as a way to provide safe yet fashionable options for students. “I just wanted to design something that would look cute with everybody’s outfits and take their minds away from everything,” McDonald said. She partnered with her grandmother, who has been a seamstress her whole life, to create distinct Longhorn-themed designs for the UT community. Her grandmother sews the masks while McDonald designs and markets them on social media. “I was just thinking, we go to UT and everybody loves to show their UT pride and wear UT shirts, things like that,” McDonald said. “So if I need to wear a mask every day, then I want a UT mask.” McDonald said her mask-making business is an opportunity to expand her design and marketing experience while also providing an extra source of income for her grandmother and herself. Although larger businesses help make masks more financially accessible, Hewitt said people should buy from small businesses instead to help support the community. “I think it’s really cool that people know me personally and can buy a mask (from) me because I put my time into it,” Hewitt said. “It’s very personally fulfilling knowing that I have that personal connection to people buying masks from me.”
LIFE&ARTS
Life&Arts Editor
17
TRINADY JOSLIN
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 STUDENT LIFE
New Black Student Weekend brings community to incoming students By Grace Barnes @gracebarnes210
New Black Student Weekend is an event by Black students, for Black students. Normally, the three-day retreat takes place at Camp Buckner and features workshops and team competitions. This year, due to coronavirus restrictions, the campgrounds will remain empty and the weekend’s events will be virtual. The weekend is planned by New Black Student Weekend, a subsidiary of Afrikan American Affairs, a student organization that works to support Black students on campus year-round. Prior to the weekend retreat, the committee hosts a series of late-night activities for incoming Black students each week at orientation. The events, called “Fade Texas,” help establish a support network for Black students before classes even begin. Co-executive director Brianna McBride said these events along with the weekend retreat can help connect Black students to each other on a campus where they only make up about 4% of the student body. “Fade Texas showcases to them that they have a community on campus already (that) they probably haven’t seen throughout orientation,” said McBride, a communication and leadership and government senior. “(It is) more so to orient them as a Black student at UT because it is a very different experience.” All students who participate in Fade Texas are invited to register for the retreat at Camp Buckner at the end of the summer. There, students get the opportunity to connect with other incoming freshmen, upperclassmen and Black faculty. Each year, students are split into teams based on a theme and compete in different events as a part of team building. In 2019, teams named after Disney characters Nala and Scar faced off during the “The Lion King”themed weekend. In the wake of COVID-19, the committee had to find creative ways to establish a community for incoming freshmen with an in-person retreat
deemed unsafe. The retreat will now be hosted virtually the weekend before classes start. For the rest of their summer programming, New Black Student Weekend shifted to Zoom meetings, Instagram lives and conversations on Twitter. Co-executive director Malcolm McGregor said their focus was on keeping people involved, even if the only option was to use virtual platforms. “We’ve been focusing on innovation — how can we improve and not just sit on the fact that things are different, but embrace it,” McGregor said. “It’s made things a lot more personal and more meaningful for freshmen.” On top of pandemic restrictions that forced organizations to move online, this summer also saw the police killing of George Floyd and widespread Black Lives Matter protests. “It is more important than ever that we continue to showcase what a supportive community we have here at UT,” McBride said. “But this is something that we do every year, despite
copyright nbsw, and reproduced with permission Students pose for a photo at New Black Student Weekend 2019, an annual retreat for incoming Black students hosted at Camp Buckner.
We are a 4% to be reckoned with. If anything, this 4% has your back.” CHIDERA NWAIWU
community engagement co-chair
there being tragic things that happen to our community on a daily basis.” Chidera Nwaiwu, one of the cochairs of community engagement, said she found many of her friends at New Black Student Weekend her freshman year and that most of those people are still involved as executives. “It’s cool to see how much the program changed our lives, so that we wanted to help in the future,” Nwaiwu said. “It for sure is a way to build your support system early on campus and for us to feel more at home.” Nwaiwu said New Black Student Weekend also introduced her to Black UT, which she says is a small yet strong and welcoming community. “We are a 4% to be reckoned with,” Nwaiwu said. “If anything, this 4% has your back.”
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Sports Editor M Y A H
TAY L O R
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
SPORTS
FOOTBALL
DKR attendance may be no-go Austin health officials think fans should stay home this fall as Texas debates 25% stadium capacity.
By Myah Taylor @t_myah
ames Miller loves Texas football, but the 2007 UT alumnus said he’ll listen to medical experts rather than his heart when weighing whether or not to attend Longhorn football games this fall. “What I don’t want is for us to be doing all of these things because we want them to happen, because we love football,” Miller said.
As COVID-19 plagues Texas, top Austin officials say it’s best for UT fans to watch games from home this football season. Sporting events are potential grounds for “superemitters,” defined by the Centers for Disease Control as individuals who release more particles than others and may contribute to “superspreader” events. Mass gatherings were the first to shut down during the onslaught of the pandemic and should be the last to reopen, said Dr. Mark Escott, Austin-Travis County Interim
Health Authority. “When we look at the current rate of transmission in Travis County, if DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium plans to open to 25,000 fans on September 5 and we have a similar rate of transmission, we can expect more than 100 of those individuals to be COVID positive,” Escott said in an email. “From there it multiplies to hundreds of people and then thousands of people infected.” Escott said the tight walkways inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
won’t be safe, and that lines at concessions and crowds waiting to enter the stadium will put those in attendance at risk. Preventative measures such as masking and practicing personal hygiene are beneficial, Escott said, but socially distanced or not, people won’t be much safer once seated in the stadium. “People will be yelling at the game, which means they are projecting their voice and increasing the spread,” Escott said. “Yes, many football stadiums are outdoors, which may help mitigate that risk, but there will need to be a lot of engineering controls built to ensure that we can do that safely.” In a video statement Monday, Texas Athletics announced new safety measures to address such risks. Fans will sport masks or face coverings to meet Texas’ requirements, and all staff will be screened prior to game day.
Additionally, Texas will install 3,000 hand sanitizing dispensers and remove all moveable food, condiment and merchandise kiosks. However, the University continues to flirt with a 25% stadium capacity limit. “To me, it sounds like we’re trying to retain as much of football as we can, but in doing so we’re compromising the very thing that we shouldn’t be compromising on,” Miller said. Texas Athletics Director Chris Del Conte initially had other ideas, writing in a July 20 email sent to season ticket holders that he planned to operate under a 50% limit, which would enable all season ticket holders to retain their seats. On Friday, UT announced that students who purchase The Big Ticket will receive access to all 2020 home football games and can sit in groups no larger than 10. Austin Mayor Steve
Adler said both proposed attendance options are unsafe, regardless. “My understanding is that they’re considering football, and I hope it doesn’t happen,” Adler told CBS Austin on Thursday. “I’m not aware of anywhere in the world right now where they’re putting crowds of 25,000 people.” If the goal is to have a football season, the emphasis should be on safely fielding two teams each weekend and not seating fans, Escott said. Miller said he’d be content watching Texas play on TV, but he hopes the University can reach a consensus with city officials to ensure everyone’s safety. “The University of Texas is usually used to making decisions for itself, but the city is saying ‘No, you’re a part of our community as well, and we will defend the interest of the community if we must,’” Miller said.
eddie gaspar / the daily texan file In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, fan attendance at fall football games is becoming increasingly unlikely. Several schools have already said they will play games without fans.
SPORTS
Sports Editor M Y A H
19
TAY L O R
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 TENNIS
How Texas women’s tennis signed nation’s top recruiting class By Nathan Han @NathanHan13
At the start of the spring 2019 season, women’s tennis head coach Howard Joffe began looking ahead to the next season. Joffe knew his recruiting class for the 2020-21 season would be crucial for the program, with seniors Anna and Bianca Turati, two of the winningest players in program history, scheduled to graduate in 2020. “We knew we had four spots to fill, so it was a really important recruiting year for our program,” Joffe said. “Before coronavirus, we thought we’d have to replace the Turatis, and we knew we needed good players to fill in that gap.” Joffe and his staff delivered, signing the country’s No. 1 recruiting class in 2020, with three top-10 recruits in Charlotte Chavatipon, Malaika Rapolu and Peyton Stearns filling out Texas’ first top 25 recruiting class since 2012. “Over the four or five years since I started at Texas, the team has steadily gotten better,” Joffe said. “And as a consequence of the team doing better, we’re able to attract high-level recruits.” Chavatipon was the first of the three to sign with the Longhorns in November 2019, shortly after playing in the H-E-B Women’s Pro Tennis Open held at the Texas Tennis Center. “I felt the vibe was right,” Chavatipon said in a November 2019 press release. “I felt this was where I could further develop my career in tennis.” Joffe said Chavatipon is already playing at a high level, which was clear when she faced Bianca in a singles match in the pro tournament on campus. Then a high school senior, she jumped out to an early lead before eventually falling to the Texas veteran.
At the same event, Rapolu caught Joffe’s eye when he watched her passionate response to losing a close match. The Cedar Park, Texas, native was already on UT’s radar as a junior at the time, so when she reclassified to the class of 2020, Joffe was ready to have her on board. “I remember really clearly the look on Malaika’s face after she lost that match, the disappointment, the sadness,” Joffe said. “It was just so palpable. It showed me that this is someone who just cares so much.” Ranked as the top incoming freshman in the nation via the Universal Tennis Rating system, Stearns rounded out the freshman class as another player who figures to jump in quickly at a high level. Pro events played a factor in Stearns’ recruitment, in addition to the friendships she developed with both Turatis playing in the same tournaments. “She actually developed a rapport with them,” Joffe said. “Both Turatis were enamored with how gifted and excellent Peyton was, and Peyton had a healthy respect for them as competitors.” Stearns said seeing Bianca and Anna play in those pro tournaments while at Texas contributed to her decision to choose Texas over other schools. “They will bring me to at least seven pro tournaments, and I trust them,” Stearns said to the Tennis Recruiting Network. “Some other schools say they will, but I have never seen their players play that many. That was huge for me.” Even with the uncertainty of the upcoming season ahead, Joffe said Texas has a new group of players that will play a big role for years to come. “These kids will be the backbone of the program,” Joffe said.
amna ljaz / the daily texan file With the addition of three top-ten recruits, head coach Howard Joffe’s tennis program is keeping Texas in the national spotlight.
20
Sports Editor M Y A H
TAY L O R
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
SPORTS
BASKETBALL
Lambert brings experience to young Texas team By Carter Yates @Carter_Yates16
The potential of the Texas women’s basketball team appears to be sky high, thanks in part to the addition of veteran point guard Kyra Lambert. Lambert, who comes to UT as a graduate transfer after a five-year career at Duke University, is part of new head coach Vic Schaefer’s effort to return the program to prominence following Texas’ 19–11 record last season. Lambert said the culture Schaefer built at Mississippi State was the deciding factor in her commitment to play for him at Texas. “It was a really hard decision, but the success that coach Schaefer and his staff have had at Mississippi State was what did it for me.” Lambert said. “It’s a blessing just to be here and to start what will be a dynasty with coach Schaefer.” The personal bond Schaefer and Lambert developed through Lambert’s recruitment and first few months in Austin bodes well for the team’s future, associate head coach Dionnah Jackson-Durrett said. “Kyra is all about the relationship,” Jackson-Durrett said. “A point guard
and a head coach have to be connected on the floor, and so off the floor that relationship is very important.” Lambert, who already has a bachelor’s and master’s degree and is seeking a second master’s in sports management, brings a much-needed veteran presence to the Longhorns. Lambert is the only senior or graduate student on the roster heading into the 2020-2021 season. “The first thing we are looking for from Kyra is leadership,” Jackson-Durrett said. “That is super important, especially with the position she holds because she is the veteran and the oldest on the team.” Lambert has fought through more than the average college player to get to the position she is in. After starring for the Blue Devils in her first two
seasons, Lambert missed her entire junior and senior seasons with two separate ACL injuries. Her perseverance to get back on the court in the face of adversity is a testament to her character, Schaefer said. “The first thing that you need to know about this young lady is she is tough and competitive,” Schaefer said in an April 21 press release. “She has been through some injuries in her career and has always battled back.” While coming back from two straight seasons of injury has gained her respect from her new coaches, Lambert said she is focused solely on competing with herself to get better every day in her lone season at Texas. “I don’t like to subscribe to the mentality that I have to prove myself to anybody,” Lambert said. “I know
what I am capable of, and I know the player that I am. So if I am proving anything, I am proving to myself that I’m a hooper, and I am more than capable of leading this team to a long season.” The COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges for the Longhorns, largely due to limited face-to-face contact between an all-new coaching staff and an admittedly young team. However, Lambert is not letting the virus stop her from stepping up as a leader for her new teammates. “There’s a lot of uncertainty right now, but one thing that is certain is we are going to have specific goals this season,” Lambert said. “The first is to win a Big 12 championship and then going further is to win a national championship.”
If I am proving anything, I am proving to myself that I’m a hooper, and I am more than capable of leading this team to a long season.” KYRA LAMBERT
graduate transfer point guard
copyright natalie ledonne, and reproduced with permission Graduate transfer point guard Kyra Lambert is teaming up with Vic Schaefer, first-year Texas head coach, as a graduate transfer after an injury-plagued career at Duke University. In her return from injury in 2019, Lambert averaged 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
30s
21
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
Even on final article, Smoot barely makes deadline By Donnavan Smoot @DSmoot3D
There isn’t some crazy story about how I joined the Texan. I walked in freshman year, said I wanted to work here and then got the job. Nothing special. The three years that followed have been filled with laughs (none bigger than the fudge night), conspiracy theories, thought-provoking conversations and much more that I wish I could talk about for hours. I’ve had the opportunity to do some great things here. The work I’ve done has meant a lot to me, but it hasn’t meant as much as the people I’ve met who have become some of the best homies I could
ask for. To Lisa, Catherine, Forrest — y’all were the best bosses, and I appreciate our time together so much. To Jimena and Brittany and the rest of copy — thank you for saving me countless times because I forgot how to count stats sometimes. To the big homies — Alex, Ross, Kirsten and Andrea — thank y’all for being the amazing friends that helped me find my way when I didn’t know what I was doing. Y’all were shining examples of how to be professionals and, most importantly, some of the best people I’ve ever known. To the design homies — Sierra, Reneé and Christiana — thank y’all for putting up with my constant changing of what the page looks like
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and rocking with sports like y’all did. Even when I would be joking around at 11:59 as y’all are staring at the screen trying to make deadline, y’all never spazzed out on me. Our conversations (and handshakes) are legendary, so thank you for being people I could truly rock with. To Marcus, Daniela, Stephen and Cameron — I’ve worked beats with all of you, and I can’t thank y’all enough for the laughs, knowledge and friendships that y’all have
given me. From awkward first car rides to taking road trips with driving anxiety to covering games at the Frank Erwin Center at 11 a.m. with both of us being dead tired from the night before, just know I wouldn’t have wanted to experience any of that with anyone else. One of the first things someone said at the Texan was that, “It is what you make it.” In this case, however, it is these people that made it what it was.
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
30s
In a nutshell, comics co-editor has to get going By Alekka Hernandez @texancomics
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One look at the little corner of the basement and it might not seem like much. There’s markers and sketchbooks strewn about, a few empty coffee cups waiting to be thrown away and a couple of cockroaches hiding behind comic books and board games. But to me, that dusty little corner has been my most beloved place on campus. It’s where I learned to be a leader and where I’ve made some of my favorite memories. It’s helped shape me to be who I am today. When I first applied to the comics department three years ago, I was a shy girl who felt out of place at UT. I was just hoping to get the chance to draw a few things and maybe make some friends. I never expected to work my way up to editor, come out of my shell and ultimately find a home with some extraordinary people. Throughout my many semesters here, I’ve grown a little more confident in my abilities as an artist, I’ve picked up skills
in InDesign and Photoshop, but most importantly, I’ve gotten the chance to see so many of you grow as artists and as strong leaders. Barb, you’re one of the kindest, funniest and most sincere individuals that I’ve ever known, and I’m really going to miss you and our Dunkin’ runs. I’m so incredibly proud of how far you’ve come, and I know that the department is in very good hands. To all the senior staff, it’s been an honor and a privilege to have worked with such talented and remarkable people, and I’m so excited to see all the amazing content y’all create in the future. I can say with 100 percent certainty that my time with the comics family has been the highlight of my college career. I’ve learned so much, made lifelong friends and have drawn way too many Bevos to count. So thank you to the entire staff for the happy memories, for putting up with me playing Harry Styles every day and for being the best family anyone could ever have. It’s been an unforgettable run, but I guess I gotta go now. Catch y’all later!
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