1
THE DAILY TEXAN Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900
Will you be smoking at ACL?
VOLLEYBALL Yogi poised to lead Texas back to Final Four
Answer our poll online.
>> Breaking news, blogs and more: dailytexanonline.com
Calendar Music for Bastrop
Several local artists, including Mother Falcon and the Sour Notes, will team up to raise money for victims of the recent wildfires. Admission is $5, and the show starts at 8:30 p.m. at the 29th Street Ballroom.
UT’s Birthday
The tower will burn orange to celebrate the 128th anniversary of the day the University opened.
Third Thursday
The Blanton Museum will host a free evening of art, literature and yoga from 5 to 9 p.m.
Be That One
NEWS PAGE 5
SPORTS PAGE 8
http://www.facebook.com/dailytexan
TODAY
Poetry on the Plaza features summer-themed writings
@thedailytexan
facebook.com/dailytexan
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Powers eyes UT grad rates, budget By John Farey Daily Texan Staff
President William Powers Jr. challenged the University to boost its four-year graduation rate from 51 to 70 percent in the next five years. At the same time, he defended current faculty members from outside critics and suggested con-
crete plans about a UT medical school in Austin will be announced next week. During his annual State of the University speech Wednesday, Powers addressed students, faculty, alumni and state leaders at the B. Iden Payne Theatre on the eve of the University’s 128th birthday. He stressed the need to keep tu-
ition costs affordable while operating under an overall 16.5 percent smaller budget and state funding down $46 million from a year ago. Despite tighter economic conditions, the University received the second-highest annual donations of $374 million, only $9 million less than the 2008 record, Powers said. He said increasing UT’s four-
year graduation rates by 20 percent would be a huge savings for students, for families and for the University. “It will take a combination of designing better pathways through the University, incentivizing students to make the right choices and holding students to degree plans that lead to timely graduation,” Powers said.
By Allie Kolechta Daily Texan Staff
Today in history In 1954
Campus watch Grand Theft TV
DKR TEXAS MEMORIAL STADIUM, 2200 Robert Dedman A UT staff member discovered eight 32-inch flat screen televisions were stolen from the stadium. During the investigation, the officer learned all of the televisions had been removed from several unsecured concession stands and one secured concession stand. Loss value: $4,000.
Inside In Life&Arts:
Bands take a break from ACL preparation to chat page 6
‘‘
Quote to note This is my favorite lineup of any festival we’ve done in the U.S. It’s nice to be in a lineup of people you listen to — Fleet Foxes, Empire of the Sun, Kanye [West]. It’s like hanging out to your iPod. — Noah “Xaphoon Jones” Beresin Chiddy Bang ACL PAGE 6
UT continues on PAGE 2
SG looks to cooperate with organizations, protest meters
The Austin City Limits Music Festival on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2006 featured Massive Attack, Willie Nelson, TV on the Radio, the Shins, Brazilian Girls, Sterling Lands and the Warrior Gospel Band.
University Future First Responders, Longhorn EMS and the UT Counseling and Mental Health will host a program designed to give students a greater awareness of suicide prevention. The event starts at 8 p.m. in SAC 2.120.
A photographer takes the famous image of Marilyn Monroe laughing as her skirt gets caught in a breeze from a subway vent.
As more students graduate in a timely manner, other students will be granted entry into the University, Powers said. Redesigning courses would be a major part of the initiative to improve graduation rates, with $50 million being delivered over five
Marc Hamel Daily Texan file photo
INSIDE: Turn to the Life&Arts section for The Daily Texan’s coverage of the Austin City Limits Festival, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and will kick off on Friday. This issue includes a history of the festival, artist interviews (including a special ACL Basement Tapes session with Cowboy and Indian), tips on dressing fashionably for a three-day outdoor music celebration and some alternatives to the festival for budget-conscious music lovers. If that isn’t enough, make sure to check out this week’s Longhorn Life for a map of Zilker Park and recommendations on everything from who to see to what to eat.
After a welcome week with record attendance to promotional events, Student Government has been checking things off of its to-do list, said SG president Natalie Butler. All of the research on its current projects is complete, and now the focus is on getting feedback from student groups on what improvements, such as room renovations, need to be made in order for student activities to run more smoothly, she said. “The semester‘s already pretty much underway,” Butler said. “Now that e ver yone is back on campus, we really want to sit down with a lot of different groups to work with them.” This year is the first year that SG will have first-year representatives, she said. Wednesday was the first night freshman candidates were allowed to campaign.
STUDENTS continues on PAGE 2
UT celebrates 128 years of progressive development
“University Avenue, whose cool parkades tempt Ed and Co-ed from Library and porch swing on moonlit evenings.” —An excerpt from the Cactus Yearbook, 1920.
By Allie Kolechta Daily Texan Staff
The University of Texas is celebrating its birthday today, 128 years after the original opening in Old Main, where the Tower and Main Building now stand. When t he University f irst opened to eight professors and a class of 221 students, campus construction was incomplete and classes were held in the temporar y Capitol building, which has since burned down, said Texas Exes historian Jim Nicar. Officials separated the House and Senate cham-
Cactus Yearbook file photo
bers into classrooms with plywood dividers, he said. The opening ceremony of the University was held in the unfinished west wing of the Old Main, where the Tower stands today, he said. “The University’s first chair of
faulty spoke last. His name was Mallett,” Nicar said. “He made a really neat quote at the end of the ceremony about it really being the students who are the University, that the faculty were looking to the students and how important it is that you hear
phrases like, ‘I’m going to the University, enrolled in the University or coming to the University,’ not realizing that you are the University.” UT consisted of the College of Academia and the School of Law, Nicar said. Programs in
the College of Academia included English, ancient languages, physics, psychology, chemistry and other typical academic programs, he said. A student could enroll in the School
BIRTHDAY continues on PAGE 2
‘Wendy’s Guy’ inspires students with record By Kayla Jonsson Daily Texan Staff
Junior, “The Wendy’s Guy,” celebrated both his 13th anniversary working at the Wendy’s in the Texas Union and his six-year anniversary of breaking a fast food world record at the place he loves most — behind the register. Six years ago, a man known as only as Junior to friends, coworkers and supervisors made 246 sales, earning $1,035.43 for Wendy’s in the 30-minute time span between 12 p.m.
and 12:30 p.m. — a world record for the fast food chain. The event can be seen on thewendysguy.com in a 12-minute documentary by UT alumnus Stephen Stephanian. “I went after a record, and I broke it,” Junior said. “The dream came true.” The film was shown at The Union Theater in 2006, and at South By Southwest before traveling to Denver, Colo., Palm Beach, Fla., and even reaching Hollywood, Junior said. “My movie helped open the door for the film students who
made it,” Junior said. “They’re working for TV stations now, and their bosses told them they were hired because they saw my movie. I’m so glad to have helped them.” Along with helping the students who made the documentary, Junior said he inspires others to reach for their goals and never give up. “The Wendy’s Guy” said he can tell many stories of UT students he has become close to while working in the Texas Union.
JUNIOR continues on PAGE 2
Trent Lesikar | Daily Texan Staff
Junior, “The Wendy’s Guy,” celebrated his six-year anniversary of breaking a world record for the fast food chain located inside the Texas Union.