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SPORTS PAGE 6
LIFE&ARTS PAGE 4
A look at Texas sports’ past year and the seasons ahead
Austin gets ready for Fashion Week 2010
LIFE&ARTS PAGE 4
Teaching English abroad is a postgrad alternative
THE DAILY TEXAN Friday, August 13, 2010
WEEKEND FRIDAY School’s out for summer Second session final exams continue today. Good luck!
‘Ah, push it’
Salt-N-Pepa rock Austin Music Hall like it’s 1987. Show starts at $8 p.m. and tickets cost $30 online.
SATURDAY ‘Put your records on’
Corinne Bailey Rae and Dan Dyer play La Zona Rosa at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20.
Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900
THIS WEEK’S WEATHER
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Budget cuts diminish UT’s edge University could eliminate 600 jobs; quality of education may deteriorate By Collin Eaton Daily Texan Staff There’s no way around it — the 10-percent state-directed budget cut poses a threat to the quality of education that UT can provide and may result in the loss of 600 filled or vacant positions, UT President William Powers Jr. said Thursday. Even before the 5-percent statedirected cut trimmed $14.6 million from UT’s budget in May, the University had difficulties keeping up with its competition in attracting quality faculty and graduate students, Powers told the UT System
of the aggregate resources — we have to be able to attract the kinds of faculty, the kinds of graduate students [we need.] It will diminish our research enterprise; we will Board of Regents in the Academic not be able to support the mechanAffairs Committee meeting. Now, ics of a major research university the University faces the prospect in anything like the same way.” of redesigning courses, redesignPowers said UT had an edge ing pathways to graduation, of- over its competitors two years ago fering larger classes and requir- but no longer does. Other univering fewer sections of basic cours- sities have more money flowing es, sustaining blows to student from tuition and have been able success and graduation rates and to balance their accounting books. having a smaller faculty-to-stu- Compliance rules and regulations dent ratio. on researchers take away time “I would trade my budget per available to spend researching. Instudent per year with UCLA’s stead, time is used inefficiently in Erika Rich | Daily Texan Staff budget, and we know what’s go- administrative work, he said. ing on in California,” Powers said. UT President William Powers Jr. speaks at a Board of Regents meeting “We are still behind them in terms Thursday about the challenge of trimming the University’s budget. BUDGET continues on page 2
talk Cactus’ ‘iconic’ era comes to a close Fourth on cafe fate focuses on finances
Butch Hancock plays the final show in his five-night “No Two More Alike” run at the Cactus Cafe at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $15 at the door.
ON THE WEB ‘Daily Headlines’ TSTV highlights Daily Texan headlines in the “Daily Headlines” webcast.
Deep in debt Student-loan debt surpasses credit card debt, according to a new study.
Movie madness Reviews of the new movies “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” and “Eat Pray Love.”
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Quote to note “I don’t know what’s next, but it’ll be good, because it’ll be the Cactus Cafe.”
— Griff Luneberg Cactus Cafe manager NEWS PAGE 2
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Later, y’all News, features, M.E. Pumpkins aren’t really my thing. See you guys later. — Ben Wermund
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End of the iconic years
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Peyton McGee | Daily Texan Staff
Butch Hancock performs Wednesday night during the last round of shows at the Cactus Cafe before KUT takes part ownership of the bar.
Manager Griff Luneberg looks back on past as venue enters next phase By Ben Wermund Daily Texan Staff Cactus Cafe manager Griff Luneberg greeted his guests diligently at Wednesday night’s show. He made his way through the tiny venue over and over, shaking hands and adjusting the volume on the house music, and finally gave the cue to lower the lights before climbing on stage to introduce Butch Hancock. Silence fell over the hall, which has been the center of commotion since it was announced in February that the venue would close. In the months following, multiple groups were formed to “Save the Cactus.” UT decided in May to run the cafe in cooperation with KUT Radio. Luneberg, who many said was the heart of the venue — from the shows he booked, giving the place its distinct character, to the attention he gave to details such as house music and seating arrangements, to the way he greeted his guests — will continue to book
bands until December, but it’s all up in the air after that. Saturday is the last night of the cafe under its current management and the final night of Hancock’s five-night “No Two More Alike” run at the venue to close out what is being billed as its “iconic years.” In these five nights, Hancock will play full sets without repeating a single song, a feat he has done just once before — 20 years ago. In his introduction Wednesday, Luneberg
said the first “No Two Alike” set was his favorite of about 9,000 shows that made up the iconic years. Hancock explained that the iconic years were a time when you could see Townes Van Zandt greeting people at the door before his shows at the venue. He said Van Zandt was always his favorite act to see at the cafe. “There’s a very real sense that nothing really changes,” Hancock said. “Who knows what change means? What it is to one person could be a different world to someone else. So, it doesn’t make a difference in one sense. But it’s a connection a lot of people share, and they feel the pull and tug.” Hancock said even though his run of shows is booked as the end of the iconic years, that is just a label. “No word is what it represents,” he said. “The muse visits sometimes at night and people fight, argue, drink and love over the
ICON continues on page 2
By Collin Eaton Daily Texan Staff The fourth of five Cactus Conversations gave attendees a chance to offer their input regarding the sustainability of the cafe’s music operations Thursday. Wiley Koepp, co-founder of Friends of the Cactus Cafe, said Thursday’s meeting was a financial discussion between three different groups of interested parties hosted by KUT representatives. “The goal of the discussion was that KUT was seeking insight into addressing what the Cactus Cafe is and moving ahead with a longterm, sustainable operating model,” Koepp said. “We discussed things like ticket prices. What was refreshing was that several folks spoke up and said, ‘You know, I don’t know the current business model of the Cactus Cafe.’” He said the meeting was broken up into “brainstorming” and “looking-ahead” sections. Several KUT representatives were stationed at each of the three tables, and Koepp said he thought this was an effective structure because everyone’s voices were heard in detail. “KUT just really wanted feedback [about our] ideas for the future in the interest of sustainability,” he said. “We talked about the pros and the cons of a donor model.” He said the donor model would involve making a donation and, for instance, being reserved a space at the cafe. “Should there be Cactus Cafe merchandise, and what sort of things would work well there, such as hats and T-shirts — we talked both sides of that” he said. “We said, ‘Hey, that could bring in more money, but you also don’t want to turn it into some cheesy merchandising.’” Matt Portillo, co-founder of Student Friends of the Cactus Cafe, said the discussion involved the parts of the cafe’s past that they would like to keep, how the cafe
CAFE continues on page 2
Texas politicians contest federal bill By Nolan Hicks Daily Texan Staff Gov. Rick Perry and members of the Texas Democratic Congressional delegation continued their verbal duel Thursday over a recently enacted $26 billion federal spending bill. They’re arguing over language added to the bill by U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, that requires Perry to provide assurances that public education funding in Texas won’t be disproportionately cut when compared to other agencies to qualify for $830 million in education aid.
“Everyone understands that this just isn’t doable; the constitution is the constitution. You have to respect it,” Perry said. “I’m stunned that [Doggett], a person of supposed high intellect that graduated law school and was elected to our state’s Supreme Court, either does not understand the Texas Constitution or wants to disregard it.” Doggett rejected the governor’s argument in a statement issued late Thursday, saying his actions necessitated inserting the controversial language into the bill. “The governor can and should indicate that he will use the full
constitutional powers of his office to take a stand for Texas school children,” he said. “The only reason for failing to make such an assurance would be if the shenanigans of last year are what he and his cohorts have in mind for our schools again next year.” The legal argument is largely contingent upon whether any such agreement is enforceable, legal experts say. “I think that the gist of his argument is right, but I’d frame it a very different way,” UT law
BILL continues on page 2
Erika Rich | Daily Texan Staff
Gov. Rick Perry speaks at a Texas Association of Broadcasters breakfast Thursday morning, stressing the importance of low taxes.