The Daily Texan 2020-09-22

DT

70-year fight

Volume 121, Issue 19 tuesday, september 22, 2020

destiny alexander / the daily texan staff

PERMANENT STAFF Editor-in-Chief Emily Caldwell

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AUSTIN WEATHER TODAY Sept. 22

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TOMORROW Sept. 23

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MAIN TELEPHONE

04

opinion

UT must return a set of ancestral remains in its custody to the Miakan-Garza Band.

08

life & arts

Students head to social media to call out off-campus parties and large gatherings.

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The Black Studies Student Support Scholarship aims to provide real-world opportunities.

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News

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

sports

James Thomas graduates 16 years after his Longhorn basketball career ended.

Emily Caldwell (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Megan Menchaca (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@thedailytexan.com

NEWS OFFICE

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COVID-19

Residences host in-person events prompting student concerns for COVID-19 safety

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By Andrew Zhang @andrewczhang

Some UT students living off campus are concerned about their health as some residences host in-person events during the pandemic.

The city of Austin has issued ordinances restricting gatherings to 10 people or less until Dec. 15. Multiple off-campus student residences, such as Scottish Rite Dormitory and Skyloft Austin, are holding in-person events without stating a limit on how many people can attend, according to documents provided to The Daily Texan.

Skyloft Austin is hosting several events in September, including a pool party and a Halloween decoration party, according to an email Skyloft sent to residents obtained by the Texan.

“Don’t miss our awesome September events!” the email said.

“At each event, we have freebies, prizes and good times guaranteed!”

Kelsi Garrison, assistant regional manager for Nelson Partners, the owner of Skyloft, said in an email that Skyloft can host events outdoors where social distancing and wearing masks are enforced. She said events take place over several hours, which can limit the number of attendees.

Large gatherings inside apartments and amenity spaces of Nelson Partners properties are currently prohibited, according to the Nelson Partners website.

Skyloft resident Melissa Porras Paniagua, a business honors and marketing junior, said she thinks it is hypocritical that Skyloft asks students to social distance, limit elevator capacity and wear masks in the building, while also promoting these gatherings.

“They write in their emails and

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jack myer / the daily texan file As off-campus dormitories and student apartment complexes continue to host in-person gatherings, residents are concerned for their safety.

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text reminders for these events to ‘wear a mask’ and ‘remain socially distanced,’ but I’m still not convinced this is being strongly enforced,” Porras Paniagua said in an email. “If (Skyloft) expects their residents to practice social distancing and keep everyone safe, they need to be setting the example.”

According to emails provided to the Texan by a resident, SRD, a private, all-women’s dormitory north of UT campus, has reported at least four cases of COVID-19. SRD hosted more than a dozen in-person events in August, according to a schedule obtained by the Texan. SRD did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

SRD resident Claire Rudy said she’s disappointed the dormitory hosted about the same number of events during move-in this year as last year. She said residents will also sometimes host organization events on SRD property, such as Bible studies or friendship-bracelet making.

Rudy said she thinks people might believe it’s OK to gather with others if they live with them.

“SRD is a lot about building a community,” Rudy said. “That’s why they have all these activities the first week, and that’s wonderful. But I worry that, especially right now during the pandemic, they’re not taking it as seriously as they need to.”

Business junior Cheney Melton said she believes that most people in West Campus are not taking the pandemic seriously. She said that although her apartment isn’t hosting events, she sees gatherings happening at nearby apartments, which makes her feel unsafe.

“I do occasionally have to go to campus, and knowing that (people who aren’t being safe) may have to go to campus and cross paths (with me) is kind of frustrating,” Milton said. “You can have no regard for your own health … but in this situation it impacts so many people.”

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NEWS

News Editor E M I LY H E R N A N D E Z TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

3

CAMPUS

UT students fundraise for Black Studies scholarship

The Liberal Arts Council raises funds for Black Studies student experiences.

By Hairuo Yi @thedailytexan

iberal Arts Council student leaders are hoping to raise $2,500 through a HornRaiser to provide experiential learning opportunities in Black Studies.

Grace Blumenfeld, project logistics lead for the scholarship, said the scholarship will be the first student-led scholarship and the third scholarship available in Black Studies. It will focus on providing funds for students in the African and African Diaspora Studies department, Blumenfeld said. The fundraiser, running from Sept. 9 to Oct. 14, has raised $1,140 as of Sept. 21.

Mmeso Onuoha and Blumenfeld, the coordinators for the council’s Academic Affairs committee, created the Black Studies Student Support Scholarship. Blumenfeld said the fund was created because there are few financial resources for Black Studies students to apply their knowledge in the real world.

“People haven’t been able to take opportunities of experiential learning in this department because it’s a financial burden,” said Blumenfeld, an

economics and psychology junior. “Our (non-financial) goal is to bring awareness, get the word out and possibly motivate others to start their own scholarships when there is a problem.”

Onuoha started the project in May, and she said her goal for the scholarship is to relieve financial stress for Black Studies students so they can pursue opportunities with more peace of mind.

“We underestimate how important it is to actually apply what we’re learning in the classroom to the workplace and in our communities,” said Maria Sailale, project communications lead and international relations and global studies sophomore. “Experiential learning opportunities, like internships, for example, let Black Studies students stand out and be competitive applicants for certain jobs.”

Sailale said experiential learning, which includes research, study abroad

opportunities, academic conferences and internships, often does not provide stipends and is unaffordable for some students.

“The students have really expanded what experiential learning can be during the pandemic,” project department advisor Christina Bryant said.

“From online internship transitions to presenting at academic conferences, there are now opportunities that have virtually opened up but again, still require financial commitment.”

Onuoha, an economics and African and African Diaspora studies junior, said the team hopes the project will provide long-term resources for the department. She said she wants to make a difference in opportunities for at least two students within Black Studies.

“Honestly, students really inspire me here, and I just wanted to do something to say I appreciate what I’ve learned from my peers,” Onuoha said.

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4

Editor-In-Chief E M I LY C A L D W E L L TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

COLUMN

OPINION

Return ancestral remains to Miakan-Garza Band UT must return Indigenous ancestral remains to best account for rightful ownership.

By Yliana Roland Columnist

his summer, UT denied a request through the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act to return the remains of three Native American ancestors to the Miakan-Garza Band of the Coahuiltecan tribe. UT’s reasoning was that the Miakan-Garza people didn’t have substantial proof that the remains were from their people.

If you consider the history of Native Americans in Texas, this assertion becomes negligible.

It’s time for UT to do more in support of Indigenous groups and use its status as an esteemed institution to set an example for the treatment of Native Americans in this country. It is time to return the remains.

The remains that end up at Texas Archeological Research Lab are uncovered from road projects, construction or are transferred through past research. David Ochsne, director of public affairs for the College of Liberal Arts, said that while the lab respects tribal concerns, UT didn’t find adequate evidence of a link between the Miakan-Garza tribe and the remains in question.

“Who’s to say who has the right to get these remains if there’s no scholarship or academic research that connects any tribe or any band to these remains?” Oscnher said. “You

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

have a place, you have a rough age, but you don’t have any associated artifacts to establish that there’s any cultural linkages.”

Mario Garza, cultural preservation officer for the Miakan-Garza Band, and María Rocha, executive director of the Indigenous Cultures Institute, provided me with insight on how U.S. institutions use these types of technicalities in the restorative process to perpetuate oppression towards Indigenous groups.

For instance, the main reason UT declined to return the disputed remains to the Miakan-Garza Band was due to uncertainty regarding tribal affiliation, as the Native American Graves and Protection Act stipulates that repatriation cannot occur without established tribal affiliation.

That’s a hurdle that the U.S. put into place, and it’s not something Native people can always control.

According to the Native American and Graves Protection database, the three remains requested from UT were dug up from their graves in Hays County. They’re projected to be at least 500-1,000 years old. The only Native Americans populating this area at that time were the Coahuiltecan people, ancestors of the Miakan-Garza.

Before colonization by Europeans, Natives in the Texas area were considered a common people sharing the land. As the Miakan-Garza Band are considered Coahuiltecan people, it’s fair to conclude the ancestral remains belong to the tribe.

“We’re connected to them forever, through the land, through Mother Earth,” Rocha said.

The tribe believes when a person dies, the physical body is buried, but the spirit begins a journey. The body needs to become part of Mother Earth again. Otherwise, the spirit enters eternal limbo, suspended in

taylor sweet / the daily texan staff agony. This isn’t just a legal matter, but restoring spiritual sanctity to a centuries-old belief system of which UT has made a mockery.

“The main issue is that we have two different cultures with very opposing values,” Rocha said.

Despite the frustrating reality, the fight continues. This month, Indigenous students gathered in front of the UT tower for a dance demonstration, urging the University to bring justice to their ancestors.

Petitions have been started, and emails from Native and non-Native students alike have been directed to Interim UT President Jay Hartzell.

“This is not going to go away for UT,” Rocha said. “They need to deal with it, and they need to do the right thing.”

Roland is a radio-television-film freshman from Houston, Texas.

GALLERY

charlie hyman / the daily texan staff

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NEWS

5

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

COVID-19

UT community remains split on Protect Texas Together app efficiency

By Andrew Zhang @andrewczhang

The Protect Texas Together application has generated mixed reviews from the UT community as the app’s development team adds features.

Released in August, the app allows students, faculty and staff to track symptoms, log in-person class visits and track COVID-19 case counts. However, some students say information about when and how to use the app is unclear.

The app has 15,560 downloads on the App Store and 2,862 downloads on the Google Play Store, said Cameron Craddock, associate professor of diagnostic medicine and lead of the app’s development team, in an email Monday.

The team recently updated the app to accommodate larger fonts for users with visual impairments and is working with the Services for Students with Disabilities office to ensure accessibility, Craddock said.

Craddock said the team envisioned the app to collect anonymous statistics from people who

opt in about how often features are used. Due to a bug in the app’s code, he said the development team currently cannot analyze this information, but the team can estimate how many total people use the app through the number of data uploads.

“We believe that about 10,000 individuals are using the app daily, and that is the number of people who have consented to sending us statistics,” Craddock said.

“There may be some other number who have not consented.”

Once the bug is fixed, Craddock said the team plans to make a dashboard for community members to view statistics such as the symptom screening and room check-ins.

Craddock said the development team is working to build a contact tracing function into the app that users can opt into. If a user tests positive, location data, which would be stored securely, can be shared with contact tracers, he said.

Craddock said users will be able to review the location information sent to tracers and add details about how long they were there and who they

interacted with.

Users will also be able to redact locations from their history, he said.

“This will be a way that we can help improve contact tracing, improve the ability of the app users to recall who they interacted with, and at the same time reduce the burden of contact tracers,” Craddock said.

Despite updates, government junior Hannah Garcia said she isn’t sure if the application is effective because it is not mandatory. Garcia started the semester using the app daily to check into her in-person class, but she said she stopped when other students in the class were not doing the same.

“I feel like a huge amount of students don’t know what (the app) is,” Garcia said. “For the kids that are concerned or worried, it would be more peace of mind if more people were using (the app).”

University spokesperson J.B. Bird said UT did not mandate using the app because of legal concerns with requiring the storage of health information on phones.

Zuzana Baranova, a

cynthia trevino

chemistry assistant professor of instruction, has used the app to track student attendance in her lab class, which is partially in person.

“Personally, the UT app seemed to me like the most logical and universal tool to adopt ... but those first days/weeks were tough as many students were not aware or not accustomed to the app” Baranova said in an email.

/ the daily texan staff

6-Doubletruck

6

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

NEWS

UNIVERSITY

UT-Austin requires new Title IX training for employees and Sexual Assault, according to a Title IX resources handout. Thomas said faculty will need to file a report after assessing potential resources.

“We’re not saying that the faculty member or the employee can solve their entire issue, but that they can be a resource to get them where they need to be,” Thomas said. “We do remind people like, ‘Hey, your first goal is to support that person in the moment, but don’t forget to write your report afterwards.’”

By Brooke Ontiveros @brookexpanic

University employees are required to complete a new, instructor-led Title IX basics training course this year as part of the recommendations released in August to improve UT’s sexual misconduct policies.

The training will cover significant changes to Title IX processes implemented from law firm Husch Blackwell’s recommendations and federal regulations that went into effect in early August.

The training will also refresh faculty on when they are required to report and handle those conversations.

The deadline to complete the training is May 31, and it will need to be done every two years, said Brelynn Thomas, Title IX deputy and education coordinator and training instructor.

“It is for employees to understand what their duties are as mandatory reporters and for them to understand what resources are available to them and their students and colleagues,” Thomas said.

Thomas said the training will discuss new rules that mandate termination if a faculty or staff member commits acts of sexual assault or sexual harassment. The rules also mandate termination if faculty or staff fail to report disclosures of sexual assault or sexual harassment.

Resident assistant Leland Murphy, who must complete the training, said he is glad

Hopefully, we’ll be more informed on the processes and what our role is, ... and victims will hopefully be more supported.”

LELAND MURPHY resident assistant

marissa xiong

the new Title IX training is mandatory because approaching situations regarding sexual assault can be sensitive.

“University employees may not know how to approach a lot of these situations in the right ways,” government sophomore Murphy said. “Hopefully, we’ll be more informed on the

processes and what our role is, … and victims will hopefully be more supported.”

Thomas said the three R’s — reflect, refer and report — will help employees approach Title IX conversations with care and empathy.

“Usually, when someone’s disclosing something like that to you, they want you

/ the daily texan staff

to listen. They want you to understand,” Thomas said.

“The reflect part comes in … when you confirm that you understand.”

The training will outline all resources faculty can refer to survivors, such as Student Emergency Services, Voices Against Violence and the Institute on Domestic Violence

Undergraduate teaching assistant Jacqueline Porteny said she wouldn’t know where to start if someone reported a Title IX disclosure to her. She thinks the training will help her since she is a mandatory reporter.

“I think this training will hopefully set things a bit more clear and straightforward to individuals who are not fully aware of certain things Title IX entails,” anthropology senior Porteny said.

LIFE&ARTS

7

Life&Arts Editor A R I A N A A R R E D O N D O TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

FEATURE

‘Sweatt was an army of one.’

On the 70th anniversary of Sweatt V. Painter, Texas Law reflects on diversity within their school and on campus.

By Jenny Errico @errico_jenny

eman Marion Sweatt became the first African American student to attend the University of Texas in 1950. Seventy years after UT’s integration, Black law students walk by his portrait in the Atrium of the law school.

“Sweatt v. Painter is an important part of American history, not just UT history,” Christopher Roberts, executive director of institutional advancement at the UT School of Law, said in an email. “It is the building block that led to the decision in (Brown v. Board of Education), the better-known case that led to the desegregation of public schools across the country.”

Sweatt sought admission to Texas Law in 1946, but was denied by then-president Theophilus Painter. Texas Attorney General Grover Sellers advised Painter to bar Sweatt’s admission because of state segregation laws.

Sweatt, however, was undeterred. He sued UT and went to trial through the state and circuit courts. Four years later, Sweatt’s case was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, where he won in a unanimous decision and attended Texas Law that fall.

In 1956, 70 Black students enrolled at UT. Of the 51,832 students at UT today, only 2,500 or 4.9% of them are Black.

Sweatt paved the way for change, Roberts said, but aspects of the University wouldn’t be fully desegregated until 1964, almost 15 years after the Sweatt case.

“Many decades after Sweatt’s admission, neither the word nor the concept of ‘diversity’ as we understand it today was on anyone’s mind as an idea worth embracing, much less taking actions to ensure,” Roberts said.

destiny alexander

Yolanda Thomas, sociology and African and African Diaspora Studies sophomore said her mother attended UT in 1976. She said she’s reflected on how the University has and hasn’t changed since her mother walked the Forty Acres. “(My mother’s) classmates and teachers said she only got into UT because of her skin color, not because of her merit,” Thomas said.

Now, Thomas said access to resources and academic opportunities for students of color still needs improvement on campus.

She said the lack of inclusion at UT is especially noticeable in her

sociology honors program.

“I’m one of the only Black students. The rest are white,” Thomas said.

Roberts said the UT law faculty remains unsatisfied with the number of Black students in school and Black lawyers in the profession.

Roberts said in response, a pipeline program has been created as a long-term initiative to increase the number of Black and underrepresented students applying to law schools across the country.

“To have a school that doesn’t look like the world itself is to not properly prepare the leaders of tomorrow to continue making

the world a better place,” Roberts said. “This is why diversity, inclusion and equity are so important.”

Government, English and African and African Diaspora Studies sophomore Jeremiah Baldwin has found community in six different Black organizations on campus. One of them is the Heman Sweatt Center for Black Males, which provides resources, scholarships and connections for the roughly 900 Black male students on campus.

“College is an opportunity for you to learn from other people,” Baldwin said. “Part of that learning process is being exposed to

/ the daily texan staff

people with diverse backgrounds.”

Roberts said the Sweatt v. Painter case is taught in Constitutional Law I as a mandatory class, and no student graduates from Texas Law — or any law school in America — without knowing that case.

“It’s easy to believe because you’re only one student if you voice a concern, you’ll be ignored. But if you’re vocal about it and if you’re persistent, you can hold administration accountable,” Thomas said. “Sweatt was an army of one and he won his war.”

8

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

LIFE&ARTS

STUDENT LIFE

Students take to social media to discourage large off-campus gatherings, promote social distancing

By Sabrina LeBoeuf @_sabrinakaye

While walking her dog, Pompeii, through West Campus, government senior Rachel Wolleben said she heard what sounded like a party on 26th Street.

“Just the kind of sheer audacity of the number of people that were there and having a party at all during a pandemic struck me so much that I was like, ‘I’m going to post about this,’” Wolleben said.

Taking inspiration from a classic Vine, she wrote, “@ whoever’s throwing a massive party … yOuR MoMs A hOe” in the UT LONGmemes For HORNSy Quaranteens Facebook group. Her post gained more than a thousand reactions and 73 comments.

“I think it can make people a bit angry, especially the people in those groups that are partying,” Wolleben said.

“I understand those feelings, but I just hope ideally ‘callout posts’ raise awareness to show the people going to these parties, like, ‘People are watching you. There are indeed consequences to your actions, and you need to remember that.’”

Other students like Wolleben are taking to social media to post about parties and gatherings of large groups of people. Mark Escott, Austin Public Health interim medical director and health authority, said social gatherings are the reason for clusters of COVID-19 and need to stop.

As of publication, 636 UT students have tested positive for COVID-19 since classes started Aug. 26.

Business management junior P.J. Chukwurah said he feels embarrassed every time he sees a TikTok featuring UT students disregarding

COVID-19 safety measures.

He hopes to hold students and UT accountable by tweeting to his 2,262 followers.

“This is a matter of life and death for some people,” Chukwurah said.

“The reason I post about these organizations (that host parties) and these memes is to spread awareness and to hopefully put some pressure on UT to act.”

Chukwurah has made multiple posts calling out student parties and the University. One tweet featured a photo from the movie “Bird Box,” where Sandra Bullock wears a blindfold. He said this represents UT “pretending not to see” student parties. Others showed videos from TikTok of gatherings with more than 10 people.

Like Wolleben and Chukwurah, neuroscience and psychology senior Kevin Kim posted about UT parties, but with different intentions. He said shaming partiers is not the best course of action because they may feel attacked and retaliate with more parties.

Instead, he tweeted a TikTok by @a.little.bi.furious, which begins by saying, “If I receive word of any partying going on in the campus that I attend, I’m telling.”

“We should be doing our part,” Kim said. “If I see a party, I feel like a lot of people would also report it just because I feel like parties are not what we’re supposed to do right now.”

University spokesperson J.B. Bird said if students on campus want to submit a COVID-19-relat-

ed behavioral concern, they should contact the Behavior Concerns and COVID-19 Advice Line. He recommends

students off campus call 311.

Chukwurah said he’s not opposed to students reporting parties, but he’s less likely

to report parties he did not witness in person.

“What I can do is post what I’m being sent and spread

awareness,” Chukwurah said.

“People have been seeing these tweets. It’s more public pressure on UT.”

cate lowry

/ the daily texan staff

LIFE&ARTS

9

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

STUDENT LIFE

Students talk TikTok removal rumors, content creation

By Anissa Reyes @anissaareyes

Whenever Angela Angelova is “bored in the house, bored in the house (bored),” there is one place she knows she can turn to: TikTok. TikTok is a video-creating social media platform with nearly 800 million users worldwide.

Many use it to create 1-minute vlogs, give advice or do dance challenges.

“I think it’s a really powerful tool for our generation and millennials,” neuroscience senior Angelova said.

“It can really change perception of things and it has an influence.”

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Aug. 6, claiming ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, collects user data and poses a threat to U.S. national se-

curity. ByteDance had 45 days following the order to give partial ownership to a U.S. company, otherwise the app would be removed from app stores.

Experts said security concerns about data sharing cannot be dismissed, but believe an outright ban is an extreme measure, according to Wired.

“I was pretty sad (after the announcement) because I was just like ‘I wish I had more time, I could find so many more new things to explore,’” Angelova said, adding that she isn’t personally concerned about safety or privacy issues with the app.

Then, on Sept. 19, President Trump agreed to let TikTok remain in the U.S. on the condition that ByteDance partners with U.S. companies Walmart and Oracle.

After this weekend’s news, Angelova and other students

say they’re glad they can continue to scroll through the app.

Angelova said she benefits from the mental health advice and body positivity videos from therapists or doctors on TikTok. “It’s nice because these professionals are giving advice for free,” Angelova said.

“I feel so much happier and I’m on a new journey with feeling good about myself.”

Business freshman Madison Crosby makes TikTok videos about her life as a UT student. She said creating videos helped her meet new people and feel less lonely during her first weeks at college.

“It’s made me feel like (college) is not as big and scary as I thought,” Crosby said. “I was walking around campus and people recognized me (and) stopped me to be like, ‘You’re that girl

from TikTok.’” Crosby said aside from producing vlogs she also enjoys watching them on her “For You” page, a place where TikTok creates a feed of videos based on user viewing patterns.

Computer science senior Owais Raza said he likes TikTok’s recommendation algorithm because anyone has a chance to go viral and have their content shared with users from all over the world.

Raza also posts his own TikToks. One of his most popular videos features him counting all the bricks on Speedway.

“YouTube is so competitive, and Instagram’s algorithms are like a payto-play arena, so no one can organically go viral,” Raza said. “(TikTok) is an even playing field,

(and) you have a chance of getting exposure.”

As the app gained popularity following COVID-19-related shutdowns, students say they’re glad they have a way to continue to connect.

“There’s a lot more unity in our generation because of social media (like) TikTok,” Crosby said. “It’s a very efficient way to communicate and get everyone’s ideas out there.”

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/ the daily texan staff

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Sports Editor M Y A H T A Y L O R TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

SPORTS

FEATURE

Thomas scores in classroom

James Thomas graduated from the University 16 years after his Longhorn career ended.

By Nathan Han @NathanHan13

i x t e e n years after James Thomas played his

last game as a Longhorn, he decided to go back to school and get his degree.

The former Texas basketball center reached out to an academic adviser in the summer of 2019 and began classes that fall. Ten months and a pandemic later, Thomas graduated from the University with a bachelor’s degree in youth and community studies.

“I always preach education to my three kids,” Thomas said. “How can I preach that when I didn’t even finish what I started?”

Thomas, who promised his mother he would get a

college degree, said he will never forget celebrating his graduation with his family.

Both of his sons also graduated from pre-K and eighth grade in May. “I was like, ‘JT, you did it!’” Thomas said. “The great thing about it was we all really graduated at the same time. That’s going to be a family photo that’s going to be kept for years to come.”

The only hurdle in Thomas’ way was not just going back to school after 15 years off. He was also working two full-time jobs in Austin while separated from his family back in New York.

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Even with the busy schedule, Thomas still found time to go to Texas basketball games during last year’s season and speak to head coach Shaka Smart and the team.

“James had his family back in New York,” Smart said in a Longhorn Weekly interview in March. “So, you talk about a sacrifice that he’s making for his family, for his future. It’s such a great lesson for our players.”

In the same interview, play-by-play announcer Craig Way said he remembered Thomas as “one of the most determined people he’s ever seen.”

When he first came to the Forty Acres as a teenager from Schenectady, New York, Thomas said his determination came in a different form.

“I was an angry young man,” Thomas said. “I think that’s why I liked rebounding so much. I had a lot of built-up anger from my childhood.”

Thomas said it was anger that came from “coming from nothing,” but it was also anger that became determination with some guidance from former Texas head coach Rick Barnes.

“I never knew what accountability was until I really got down to Texas,” Thomas said. “When you’re young, it’s everybody else’s fault, but coach Barnes was like, ‘You got to look in the mirror when you wake up in the morning.’”

In his years at Texas from 2001-2004, Thomas finished as the Longhorns’ all-time leading

rebounder and helped lead the team to a Final Four appearance in 2003. The Longhorn great would go on to play 10 years in professional basketball, including a twoyear stint in the NBA. Once Thomas retired in 2015, he took an assistant coaching job for the Maine Red Claws in the NBA’s G-League, largely because of the impact Barnes and his other coaches had on him.

“Without (Barnes), I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Thomas said. “So I’ve always said, ‘When that time comes, I’ll be able to give my

knowledge and my expertise back to the ones that are in need.’”

Thomas returned to his alma mater, Schenectady High School, to coach the girls basketball team in 2018. After graduating from UT in 2020, Thomas is pursuing a master’s degree and working as the dean of students at Albany Leadership Charter High School.

“That’s a belief that I didn’t have when I was coming up,” Thomas said. “I want them to know that they have somebody in their corner pushing them for greatness.”

copyright james thomas, and reproduced with permission

Former Texas basketball player James Thomas flashes the Hook ‘Em sign at his graduation party. Thomas returned to UT 16 years after his college athletic career ended to earn his bachelor’s degree in youth and community studies.

COMICS

Comics Editor

B A R B R A D A LY

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

11

12

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

SPORTS

FEATURE

UT basketball alumnus reaches partnership with Texas Athletics

By Myah Taylor @t_myah

Carlton Dixon used to be an athlete. Now, he makes suits for them.

The UT basketball alumnus quit his job as a high school athletic director in 2015 to pursue sports in a new way: fashion. Dixon said he knew nothing about the industry when he first started Reveal Suits, a business that tailors custom suits.

Recently, the company partnered with Texas Athletics as its newest corporate sponsor.

Reveal Suits started as an idea Dixon said he couldn’t quit. He would watch NBA or NFL Draft nights and see athletes wear creative suits that often represented their colleges. So Dixon decided he would distribute personalized suits with officially licensed lining before a big name like Nike or Under Armour could beat him to it.

“I was kinda talking it up with some buddies … but we were just like, ‘What if this could be a viable product?’”

Dixon said. “Nice classic suit on the outside, and you see your t-shirts and your caps and your sweats, people rocking their alma mater and their favorite team on the inside.”

Dixon doesn’t do any of the tailoring, but he is the brain of the operation. About two years after he founded the company, he sold the idea to Baylor and Florida State football, and he has dressed numerous athletes since.

Reveal Suits is partnered with the Big 12, the Ivy League and the NFL Alumni Association. The company has also secured business with some of the Longhorns’

rivals, but the deal with Texas was hard to come by.

Ivan Wagner, Dixon’s former Texas teammate who had business connections to the University, said he wanted to help his friend in any way possible.

“As far as ambitions go, we’ve knocked at the door for a number of years,” Wagner said. “This year, we actually had a crack in the door that allowed us to walk all the way in. For what he does and what Reveal Suits does, it only makes sense that we want to partner with our alma mater.”

In August, Texas Athletics announced 4EVER TEXAS, a new program dedicated to professional development.

LEVERAGE, another program that launched in August, is committed to helping Longhorn athletes build their personal brands.

Arin Dunn, director of student-athlete development, said Texas began looking into companies that could provide professional attire for student-athletes pursuing jobs or internships.

“It’s such a great thing for our student-athletes to be able to have and also to be able to connect with Carlton,” Dunn said. “He’s obviously a former student-athlete who has had great success in the business world and forming his own company. Those are things that we want to teach our student-athletes how to do.”

The timing of the Texas partnership couldn’t have been better for Dixon, who said business slowed as a result of the pandemic.

“We knew that things would come back around, and this was about the time that

copyright carlton dixon, and reproduced with permission

Former UT basketball player Carlton Dixon started Reveal Suits in 2015, a business that tailors custom suits and blazers. Reveal Suits is partnered with the Big 12, Ivy League and NFL Alumni Association, and the recent partnership with Texas Athletics came as business was slowing due to the pandemic.

we knew we’d be having suit conversations again, which we are, so very grateful for that,” Dixon said. “But yeah, those five to six months, it was tough.”

After years of not being

able to even get the UT license for his suits, Dixon said the partnership was a situation where “the stars just kind of had to align.” He already has his sights set on who he’d like to see in one of his pieces.

“Let’s get big Sam (Ehlinger) hooked up,” Dixon said. “I want to get big Sam taken care of for when he goes to New York for the Heisman ceremony. … We want to have Sam ready.”