The Daily Texan 2019-09-05 by The Daily Texan

Serving The University of Texas at Austin Community Since 1900 @thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com

Volume 121, Issue 17

Thursday, September 5, 2019

STATE

PROJECT

UT adopts new Title IX policy in light of legislation change By Emily Hernandez @emilylhernandez

eddie gaspar

/ the daily texan staff

Echo Nattinger, a Plan II and government freshman, was unable to get automatic admission into UT because she was home-schooled.

from home school to UT UT denies home-schooled students automatic admission, narrowing their chances to get in.

By Savana Dunning @savanaish

cho Nattinger is just like any other incoming freshman. The Plan II government major wants to join a theater troupe, Student Government and has her eye on law school. “I realized I wanted to pursue politics and political science in a manner that was more intense than just a hobby,” Nattinger said. “I wanted to find an outlet for my politics that wasn’t just complaining on Facebook or Twitter. I wanted to do something to change it.” Like many UT students, Nattinger said she was as an academic overachiever in high school. And she has a vast profile of extracurriculars, from working on James Talarico’s 2018 house district campaign to participating in YMCA’s Texas Youth and Government club. Yet, despite Nattinger’s high SAT and ACT scores and academic successes, she was not automatically admitted to UT. She was not in the top 7% of her class, or even the top 10%.

But that’s because she didn’t have a class to be ranked against. Other than a brief stint in a private school in first grade, Nattinger was home-schooled her whole life. Home-schooled kids made up around 3% of the United States school-age population in 2016, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Since Texas is one of the few states which does not require families to disclose to the state whether or not their child is enrolled in public school, estimates for how many UT students were home-schooled are hard to quantify. Miguel Wasielewski, UT’s executive director of admissions, said he estimates a couple hundred home-schooled students apply every year. In 2003, Texas amended its education code to require public universities to treat graduates from nontraditional secondary education, such as home-schooled applicants, the same as applicants who graduated from a public high school, so long as they have completed an education “to the same general standards,” according to the Texas Education Agency. While state law requires home-

of students

are home-schooled in the U.S.

home-schooled students

apply to UT every year (estimated)

schooled applicants to be treated like accredited high school graduates, it does not require that homeschooled applicants be eligible for automatic admissions policies. This means home-schooled Texans like Nattinger go through the holistic review process for admittance into UT, which evaluates extracurriculars, essays and recommendation letters just for initial admission. For those automatically accepted into UT, the process is used for admission to their major. “It was frustrating to me because I knew I had better test scores than some of these kids, but I can’t qualify,” said Nattinger, who scored in the 99th percentile on her ACT. Texas law also requires 75% of the in-state students to be automatically admitted. As a result, home-schooled students are competing with a larger pool of applicants for a smaller amount of seats. “It’s the same bucket you would be in if you were a public school student but weren’t in the top 10%,” said Amy Quartaro, an aerospace engineering senior who P R O J E C T PAGE 2

Beginning Jan. 1, state law will require public and private colleges to enforce mandatory employee reporting of Title IX violations to the Title IX Office or employees will face criminal offenses and employment termination. The University began sending emails to students and employees Aug. 27 to address the passing of Senate Bill 212 during the 86th Texas Legislative Session. Title IX is the federal law banning discrimination on the basis of sex at any institutions that receive federal financial assistance. LaToya Smith, interim Title IX coordinator and senior associate athletics director for student services, said it is the University’s responsibility to clarify what this law will mean for the UT community as information for implementation and employee compliance training is released by the UT System and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The University’s new Title IX coordinator will take office Sept. 16, Smith said. “The intent behind the law was to really put teeth behind reporting and … (to ensure) that the University was being transparent in reporting what was going on on their campus,” said Smith, who served as UT’s Title IX coordinator from 2015 to 2017. “If anything, it really will encourage the University to not only maintain but also step up resources and areas where students can go and get support and information.” Current Title IX requirements include mandatory reporting by responsible employees, such as professors and resident assistants. This new law strengthens the consequences of not reporting Title IX violations by charging those who fail to report with a Class B misdemeanor and those who intentionally make false reports with a Class A or B misdemeanor, plus employment termination. Both misdemeanors include thousands of dollars in fines and/or at least 180 days in jail. Delaney Davis, president of the sexual assault prevention student organization It’s on Us, said with the new law, she hopes T I T L E I X PAGE 2

CAMPUS

UTPD police chief diagnosed with lung cancer, continues reforms By Emily Hernandez @emilylhernandez

A diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer unrelated to smoking has not stopped UT Police Chief David Carter from continuing to push for campus policing reform. Carter, 61, who also serves as assistant vice president for campus security, told the Austin American-Statesman he visited the doctor after he felt he was not properly recovering from back surgery earlier this year. He said he was shocked when his doctor discovered tumors on his spinal cord from lung cancer, according to the Statesman. Carter did not provide any comments to The Daily Texan. “If you look at it in terms of statistics, mine aren’t good,”

Carter told the Statesman. “I’ve pretty much tried to focus on what do I have to do to beat it. That is where I’ve tried to be in this process.” Despite his diagnosis, Carter continues to work from his office on campus, reorganizing the department into three new units focusing on investigations, community engagement and public order. He is also partnering with the Steve Hicks School of Social Work to investigate challenges to campus policing this semester. According to the Statesman, Carter has worked in public safety for three decades, from his start as a patrol officer at the Austin Police Department to police chief for the University. He told the Statesman his cancer diagnosis reforming the way police departments

operate on college campuses across America feel even more pressing. “We have these huge challenges that remain,” Carter told the Statesman. “We are policing a polarized community, and I want to say, ‘Let’s figure out a way to put our energy in the right place.’” UTPD spokesperson Noelle Newton said she has admired and respected Carter since she worked as a FOX 7 News Edge reporter while he was APD’s chief of staff. “I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work for him,” Newton said in an email. “What he is doing here at UT is revolutionary. I often tell him we should change our mission statement from ‘serving those who will change C H I E F PAGE 2

anthony mireles

/ the daily texan file

UTPD police chief David Carter continues to work on-campus police reform despite battling stage 4 lung cancer.

News

Thursday, September 5, 2019

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PERMANENT STAFF Editor-in-Chief Spencer Buckner Managing Editor Catherine Marfin Assoc. Managing Editors Alex Briseño, Lisa Nhan Director of Digital Strategy Peter Northfelt Assoc. Editors Angélica López, Emily Caldwell, Abby Springs, Sanika Nayak Forum Editors Julia Zaksek, Kateri David News Editor Megan Menchaca Assoc. News Editors Gracie Awalt, Savana Dunning News Desk Editors Hayden Baggett, Nicole Stuessy, Jackson Barton, Hannah Ortega Beat Reporters Neelam Bohra, Lauren Grobe, Laura Morales, Emily Hernandez, Lauren Girgis, Sara Johnson, Graysen Golter, Tori May, Areeba Amer Projects Editor Chase Karacostas Projects Reporters Trinady Joslin, Tiana Woodard, Savana Dunning Projects Designer Emma Overholt Copy Desk Chiefs Jason Lihuang, Brittany Miller

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CITY

City of Austin attempts to reduce traffic fatalities through Vision Zero program By Lauren Girgis @laurengirgis

The number of traffic fatalities in Austin this year is already higher than it was at this time last year, but Vision Zero hopes to turn that around. The official City of Austin website states that 57 traffic fatalities have happened this year, which is nine more fatalities compared to last year. Vision Zero, an international movement started in Sweden and introduced to Austin in 2017, has set the goal for working towards zero fatal crashes in Austin by 2025. “(Vision Zero) is a collaboration between police departments, city leaders, transportation departments, DA’s offices … everybody within the whole community to eventually try to do whatever we can to bring fatalities down to zero,” APD detective Patrick Oborski said. David Gray, Austin Transportation Department’s community engagement specialist for Vision Zero, said Austin’s population growth needs to be taken into account. “If you look at the number of fatal and severe crashes per thousand Austinites, we’re actually seeing a decrease in the rate of fatal and severe crashes,” Gray said. “That being said, our goal is not the rate. It’s the absolute number.” Gray said part of Vision Zero’s goal is to change the discourse surrounding fatal crashes. “Traffic-related severe and fatal crashes are a preventable public health issue,” Gray said. “For far too long, our community has considered traffic deaths and serious injuries to be an inevitable side effect of modern life. In fact, people often

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was home-schooled. “No matter how good of a homeschooled student you are, you always fall (outside) the automatic admit.” Quartaro, who is returning to UT for her final year after taking a break to work with NASA, participated in some of the many home-school based science clubs throughout high school. The extracurriculars helped Quartaro get into UT, but also helped her disprove to others the stigmas about home-schooling, such as being socially isolated before going to college or not well-rounded enough to gain admission. “A lot of people who don’t know anybody that was home-schooled have their preconceived stigmas,” Quartaro said. “I definitely had friend groups. I had friends for sure.” Stephen Howsley, public policy analyst and lobbyist for home-school advocacy group Texas Home School Coalition, said the organization believes UT’s policy, while it might be in compliance with state laws, creates a disadvantage for homeschooled students. The organization even penned a letter in 2014 to Michael Washington, admissions director at UT, saying the policy creates “unfair and discriminatory requirements.” “If we’re coming from the basis that home-schoolers are equivalent, then ideally it would be good for them to be considered equal across the board,” Howsley said. The state added a requirement in 2015 that homeschooled applicants be assigned a faux class rank by comparing their SAT or ACT

anthony mireles

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the world’ to ‘changing the world of policing.’ It’s exactly what he’s doing. We are so very fortunate to have him.” During his time at APD, Carter also mentored current APD chief Brian Manley, who told the Statesman Carter is one of the most strategic leaders he has worked for. “The way in which he approaches difficult situations from both an organizational and systemic approach, trying to keep

/ the daily texan staff

Introduced to Austin in 2017, the goal of Vision Zero is for no traffic fatalities to occur by 2025. However, almost nine months into 2019 57 traffic fatalities have occurred, 9 more than this time last year. refer to crashes as accidents and not as preventable tragedies.” Oborski said Vision Zero’s communications committee, which is comprised of APD, the Austin Transportation Department, the Texas Department of Transportation, the District Attorney’s office, Austin Independent School District and CapMetro, is pushing Vision Zero’s message through commercials, billboards and social media. On social media, city officials have posted videos promoting the Vision Zero movement, including Mayor Steve Adler and APD Chief Brian Manley. Oborski said drivers should be alert, never drive impaired and drive defensively. He said it is important for all

scores to the average class rank of students in the state who received a similar score. Wasielewski, however, said the reason home-schooled applicants are still barred from automatic admission is because a student’s trueclass rank is a standardized way to assess how students perform against peers in similar environments. “It’s a way to, in a sense, compare apples to apples,” Wasielewski said. UT isn’t the only school to do this – Texas A&M does, too. Texas Tech, however, automatically admits homeschooled students with SAT scores who meet that top 10% threshold created with their artificial ranking. Wasielewski said UT isn’t seeking to make it harder for home-schooled students to get in simply because they didn’t go to a typical public or private school, and their experiences can still bring a lot of new and diverse viewpoints to campus. Although Nattinger said she doesn’t agree with the system in place, she said her homeschooling never negatively affected her education. She said she might even have an academic advantage over students who went to public school, as she already had to work on time management and scheduling her own classes, much like many college students learn in a trial by fire their first semester. “I was in general familiar with how being a college student worked,” Nattinger said. “I know my limits, I know how I best study, I know how to set up a schedule that works best for me and I think that’s the most valuable thing I learned was knowing yourself and how you best operate academically.”

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MEGAN MENCHACA

emotion out of the decision and out of the moment so you remain calm,” Manley told the Statesman. “And then, thinking about not only the decision you make in the moment, but the impact that decision will have across the operations.” Carter told the Statesman while he is not sure how long he will be able to advocate for policing reform, he will do so as long as he can. “I absolutely feel called to do it,” Carter told the Statesman. “The question is, what can I do in the time frame I have?”

drivers to expect the worst on the road. “Pedestrian fatalities are one of our biggest issues here in the city of Austin,” Oborski said. “While you don’t expect somebody to be trying to cross I-35 on foot, it happens on a regular basis.” Gray said the city has been working with APD to enforce laws on Austin’s “high injury network,” a small percentage of city streets where about 70% of all severe or fatal traffic fatalities occur. Gray said the Austin Transportation Department will also be making recommendations to Austin City Council later this year about holistic speed management. Jamie Byers, a civil engineering

alekka hernandez

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the University will increase the number of confidential advocates in the Title IX Office, who students can speak with if they do not want to undergo an investigation. “If a sexual assault is reported through mandatory reporting, that means a survivor didn’t go themselves,” said Davis, a government and Spanish junior. “Not every single person who is sexually assaulted may necessarily want to go through the investigation

graduate student, said she appreciates how Vision Zero connects engineers to the public and introduces them to how users interact with roads. “I believe the city is doing the most they can, but of course, we all wish it could happen on a faster timeline,” Byers said. Jacob Barrett, Austin Transportation Department public information specialist, said it is vital that every part of the city of Austin is working together to achieve transportation safety. “The UT student body is definitely a demographic that we really care about,” Barrett said. “They are a part of our transportation network, and everyone has to do their part.”

/ the daily texan staff

process for a variety of reasons because it can be very mentally taxing.” Isabella Lotrean, an international relations and global studies sophomore, said she agrees with the intention behind the law, but she is skeptical of how it may be enforced with students. “It’s good they’re trying to have more reporting and responsibility on campus … but ultimately, (it) can infringe on someone’s right to say, ‘I don’t want to talk about this,’” Lotrean said. Davis said she hopes the University will continue to

educate students about how the law will be implemented. She said she worries students may unknowingly trigger an investigation they do not want to be involved in by saying something about a Title IX violation to a University employee. “At the end of the day, UT can’t change a law passed by the legislature,” Davis said. “I don’t blame UT for wanting to comply with this, but I do think we do have some power to make responses so that a bunch of students aren’t thrown into a process they may not want to participate in.”

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News

Thursday, September 5, 2019

CAMPUS

New Admissions Welcome Center to open at end of month By Laura Morales @lamor_1217

Prospective student tours will be welcomed in the center of campus instead of on the other side of Guadalupe Street. The new $5 million Admissions Welcome Center will be located inside the Perry-Castañeda Library, replacing the current visitor’s center in Walter Webb Hall, said Veronica Trevino, media manager of Financial and Administrative Services. All campus walking tours will start at the new center, and prospective students will be able to meet with admissions counselors to work on their applications

When students and families are visiting campus, we want them to envision themselves as Longhorns,”

MIGUEL WASIELEWSKI

ExEcutivE dirEctor of admissions

eddie gaspar

and learn more about the University. The center will open Sept. 31 on the side of the PCL facing Speedway, said Miguel Wasielewski, executive director of admissions. Trevino said the old visitor’s center will be reconfigured as office space for nonacademic departments. Wasielewski said they chose to put the new center in the PCL because it is in the core of campus, and it is surrounded by buildings like the Blanton Museum of Art and the Jester West Residence Hall, which are both relevant to the student experience at the University. “When students and families are visiting campus, we want them to envision themselves as Longhorns,” Wasielewski said. “(The center) is centrally

/ the daily texan staff

Starting Sept. 31, campus tours for possible future students and families will begin at the Admissions Welcome Center rather than at Walter Webb Hall. The new starting location will have an auditorium, counselor offices and will hopefully make visitors feel more welcomed to campus. located in one of the most beautiful areas of campus.” The center will include a 150-seat auditorium where admissions officials will give tour presentations and host recruitment events, Trevino said. She said the building will also have new office spaces for admissions counselors to meet with prospective students and some Texas-themed art installations in the lobby area. The construction of the center is the first project out of three to be completed as part the Enrollment Management Initiative, a series of projects led by the The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. The other two central campus

projects include the future Texas One Stop for Enrollment Services on the first floor of the main building and an upcoming career center on the third floor of the Flawn Academic Center, said Mike Carmagnola, director of Project Management and Construction Services. He said these projects are expected to undergo construction in the coming year. Carmagnola said the Enrollment Management Initiative contains projects focused on serving students in the core of campus. He said his team is aiming to increase student access to career and admissions services by placing them in areas of campus heavily used by students.

“Those are three major initiatives to support the student experience,” Carmagnola said. “Those pieces will start with the Welcome Center and then roll out with the others in the next year or so.” To open space for the center in the PCL, offices and PCL staff cubicles were relocated to a different part of library. Project Management and Construction Services tore down the walls to make an opening for the center’s entrance facing Speedway. “The Admissions Office worked closely with Project Management and Construction Services and external vendors to create a space that suited their mission and goals for the future,” Trevino said.

CAMPUS

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rocky higine

/ the daily texan staff

New Italian restaurant MoZZo opens in Union with waffles By Laura Morales @lamor_1217

MoZZo, a new Italian restaurant in the Texas Union, opened on Aug. 26 and serves made-to-order bowls, wraps and Tuscan waffles on a stick. Adam Weisberg, owner and founder of MoZZo, also created Zen Japanese Food Fast in the Student Activity Center and Lucky Robot, a Japanese restaurant on South Congress. Previously, MoZZo’s space was occupied by Revolución Tacos Y Tortas, another one of Weisberg’s restaurants, but he said there are already many taco restaurants around the University. Weisburg said he saw a need for an Italian option on campus because Italian restaurants are largely missing from the culinary scene in Austin. “As a business owner, I look at where the blue ocean is and where the opportunities lie,” Weisberg said. “We decided to pivot and bring something to the University that was not being done, not only on the campus area but wasn’t being done citywide.” As opposed to fast food franchises like Chick-fil-A and Panda Express, Weisberg said MoZZo is a new restaurant concept he developed specifically for campus. The MoZZo location is the only one in Austin, and Weisberg said he crafted the menu over the summer to include healthy options with fresh ingredients for “Italian street food,” such as customizable wraps and pasta salads. He said students can order off the menu or create their own meals, an option that is not available in many other campus restaurants.

“It’s basically ‘Chipotle style’ Italian food,” Weisberg said. “We wanted to bring that because there is nothing in the surrounding market that offered students this option. Also, no one has seen waffles made on a stick with homemade cinnamon whipped cream.” Aramark, the University’s food service contractor and manager of the restaurants in the SAC and the Union, worked with Weisberg to create MoZZo over the summer. Henry Jackson, the food service director for Aramark, said Aramark advised Weisberg on the creation of the menu and management of the restaurant to introduce a local flavor to the University. “He is very creative in what he does,” Jackson said. “He has brought creativity to campus and added the local flavors of Austin. It has been a really good partnership because together, we develop good concepts for our campus.” Jackson said Aramark contacted Weisberg about opening a Zen Japanese Fast Food location on campus before the University opened the Student Activities Center in 2011, following the opening of a location in North Austin. Public health sophomore Gauree Srinivasan said she wanted to try the new restaurant because it seemed to offer healthier options than the other restaurants in the Union. After finishing the meal she ordered, Srinivasan said she plans to eat there again. “I like to eat a lot of vegetables,” Srinivasan said. “Most of the stuff around campus serves fast food and seems more processed than this place. It is a really good addition and gives us more choice.”

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Editor-in-Chief @THEDAILYTEXAN

COLUMN

helen brown | the daily texan staff

Students need resources about unions By Abby Springs Associate Editor

Last weekend, you probably barbecued with friends, picnicked at Barton Springs or caught up on school work with the luxury of a three-day weekend. However, along with the minimum wage, retirement benefits and safe working conditions, you have one group to thank for it — labor unions. Unions benefit all kinds of industries, from screenwriters to academics to education professionals and teachers. However, union membership has declined over the last half-century, and union participation hit a record low in 2018. This decrease has lowered both union and non-union wages, reduced voter turnout and can account for a fifth to a third of the increase in national income inequality. It’s surprising, then, that public approval for labor unions is at 64%, the highest in 50 years. People support unions, but they aren’t participating in them. That needs to change. As a university, UT has the unique opportunity to shape the next generation of laborers. Information is powerful, and when politicians, large companies and influential online figures spout anti-union rhetoric, students need resources to balance out the misinformation. As such, UT should provide more resources for graduating students looking to become unionized workers. While union membership in Texas is lower than most of the country, UT graduates may still choose to go into a trade career or a

unionized industry such as education, media or public service. After graduating in 2012, UT alumnus Dale Hanson decided to diverge from his government degree and join a trade. “I decided the future was digital, and computers need electricity,” Hanson wrote in an email. “The (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) offers a cheap apprenticeship where you can earn while you learn.” Hanson said he would absolutely recommend that students join unions if they can. “My local offers (are) paid vacation time, free health insurance, 6% 401k contribution, three pensions and job security as an apprentice,” Hanson wrote. “Our dues are currently $40/month. So yes, I think it’s well worth it.” Resources about unions would be valuable to not only students going into a trade profession but also students in fields with high union membership. Nearly all workers involved in film and television production are union members. Nearly 70% of teachers participate in unions or employee organizations. One in three workers in the public sector are unionized. Radio-television-film sophomore Robby Goldman said most people in his major only know about Hollywood unions or guilds because of their prevalence in the film industry. “I think there is a general awareness about guilds among most (radio-television-film) people because … of their importance in production, but also they all have awards shows during awards season in the beginning of the year that are precursors to the Oscars,” Goldman said. However, he wasn’t aware of any resources

from UT. “I’m sure some faculty, like professors or advisors, have basic to advanced knowledge of these topics, but at my stage, there isn’t much we hear about unions,” Goldman said. For students like myself, in industries without elaborate union award shows, UT’s current services may not be much help to get information we need. To find cursory information about labor unions, the different career services offices would seem like a good place to look. However, neither the Education, Liberal Arts or Communication Career Services websites include direct links to union information among their career advice pages. When I asked Liberal Arts Career Services about their information, I was pointed to a database that had some articles, but it was difficult to find on my own and not provided by all colleges. To provide those resources, UT colleges could include easily accessible, direct links to information about labor unions on their career advice pages. For more personal information, union representatives could be invited to table at career fairs. The information doesn’t have to be in support of unions, but students in unionized fields should have unbiased information about what they are, what they do and how to join one. When union membership is low, it hurts all of us. When students talk about their future career plans, a labor union should be part of that conversation. Springs is a government sophomore from Dallas.

COLUMN

Promote student organizations on UT social media accounts

We can resolve the undergraduate research catch-22

all the questions they want to,” Emily Mitchell, president of UT’s beekeeping society, said. “I think this would help people get in touch with organizations they like without the awkwardOne thousand and ninety four. That’s the ness of tabling.” number of student organizations currently acThis would also help prospective members tive on campus, and each one is an individual filter through the huge number of clubs around labor of love for their members. They bring campus. Students are busy, and the ranks of people together around a shared passion, and tables in front of Gregory Gym can often appeople pour hours of their time each week into pear too much of a hassle to sort through. If the clubs where they’ve carved out a home. The University Communications were to spotlight University takes great pride in the diversity of one club at a time, they could regulate the clubs available on the Forty Acres. otherwise torrential amount of information The problem is, with so many student orga- and allow viewers to actually process what is nizations, prospective members are often over- presented to them. whelmed with options. They ignore the majorThis idea wouldn’t be difficult to implement, ity of opportunities around them because the either. “It’s definitely something different UT organizations tasocial accounts bling provide too can consider,” much informaDeseré Cross tion at once. To Ward, social meresolve this issue, dia strategist for UT’s social meUT, said. “The didia should begin versity and vitalito spotlight inty of our student dividual student organizations are organizations a big draw for around campus. people looking Each week, to come to UT, so UT or its varishowcasing their ous constituent activities is an colleges such appealing idea.” as the College These posts of Liberal Arts can easily be could create an incorporated Instagram post by Instagram albert lee | the daily texan staff about a particuaccounts other lar organization than the official on campus, providing information about what UT Instagram account as well. they do, when they meet and contact informa“I think this is a good way to help students be tion for further questions. Clubs interested in more aware of the different opportunities that participating could send in their information they have on campus,” Emily Nielsen, digital to ensure that it’s current and correct, and the content producer for the College of Liberal Arts, posts could recognize the organizations as first said. “This is definitely something I could work come, first served. into our calendar.” This solution could benefit both clubs and Having so many opportunities at your fingerprospective members. For clubs, a social media tips is one of the advantages of coming to a large feature would enable them to reach a large au- school like UT. It would be a shame if people dience and would encourage people to join by never discovered the perfect club for them just offering information about what they do and because that club was lost in the hubbub of the when they meet. other 1,093 organizations on campus. A simple “We have a lot of issues getting (information Instagram post could make all the difference. about our club) to people because campus is Thielman is a sophomore history and rhetoso big and not everyone has time to come ask ric and writing major from Fort Worth.

programs that the institute offers, such as Science Sprints and Inventors Sprints, don’t provide a long-term research placement or enough experience for students to qualify for further It’s no secret that UT and its students love lab positions. research. This campus hosts more than 6,000 Thus, it must fall on faculty members to reindividual research projects worth more than solve this undergraduate research Catch-22 by $500 million. Professors and students alike opening up their labs to undergraduates — even lead a plethora of labs exploring everything those without prior experience. from education policy to financial mathematics, “Faculty members with streams get tons of earning UT its classification as a Carnegie R1 benefits,” said Kara Rogers, the director of the research university. Freshman Research Initiative. “They become This culture of experiential learning is a great quite a bit more research-productive because asset to students. But sometimes it’s difficult to students produce novel data. And because get your foot in the door, as labs often turn away they’re freshmen, that can allow for a long-term students who don’t have prior research experi- relationship with these faculty members and ence. For undergraduates who didn’t have the that research.” opportunity to participate in research before The initiative helps tailor faculty members’ entering college, this practice deters them in research to freshmen skill levels and provides their quest to find a position in the labs they’re the resources to set up an introductory lab expeinterested in. rience. As the program grows, it When health and society might fall on faculty to take the sophomore Kate Gist was initiative themselves and emtold that the labs she wantulate a similar model in their ed to work in were looking This Catch-22... caus- labs. Admittedly, this is not an for more experienced stueasy task. es students stress, dents, she felt frustrated “Science is a competitive field, making them feel and disappointed. and unfortunately there’s not “(The whole process) is like they are perpet- enough funding to go around just really selective,” Gist to everyone, so (the CNS faculually lagging behind ty’s) focus is on sustaining their said. “And then, you start feeling anxious … because as research … and it is difficult for their peers.” we go through college, peoinexperienced undergraduates to ple are looking for students get trained,” Greg Clark, research with more and more expeeducator for the Discovering Sigrience but you look back, and you’re just not at nals stream, said. However, Clark maintains that that level.” the long-term benefits to faculty and to the UniThis Catch-22 of missing out on research ex- versity as a whole outweigh the upfront costs of perience because of a lack of that very research employing inexperienced undergraduates. experience causes students stress, making them “Part of the responsibility of being a scientist feel like they are perpetually lagging behind and a faculty member at UT-Austin is training their peers. the next generation of scientists and commuThe Texas Institute for Discovery Education nicating scientific research to young students,” in Science does offer programs to support stu- Clark said. dents in their search for experiential learning The novel research done at UT has the imopportunities on campus. The best-known of mense potential to impact almost every facet of these programs is the Freshman Research Ini- the globe. It is understandable that faculty memtiative, which has 30 active research streams bers may feel daunted by the prospect of inviting that undergraduates can start working in during young, inexperienced students into their labs, their freshman year. This popular program has but only the best and brightest come to this camreceived national acclaim and now serves almost pus, and they want to learn and discover. Let’s 1,000 natural science freshmen. make sure they can. However, these programs only reach approxDasgupta is a neuroscience sophomore imately 10% of CNS undergraduates. The other from Frisco.

By Sam Thielman Columnist

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Thursday, September 5, 2019

VOLLEYBALL

Longhorns earn third win in epic match Texas sweeps Minnesota Golden Gophers for second win over ranked opponent

the second set. The back and forth set favored the Gophers as they were able to get to a set point at 24-21. Texas fought back and was able to pull off the win 29-27. The toughness of the team was on full display to the delight of the fans. “The crowd was pheneomal,” Elliott said. “I loved how engaged the crowd was. It was like an NCAA tournament game. People were involved and cared about it. It’s the best energy By Clark Dalton we’ve had.” @Clarkdalton1T Senior Micaya White played a large role in the comeback effort, being a part of three straight or the second consecutive game, points to tie the match at 24 before the team a ranked opponent walked into pulled away. The two sides fought point for point Gregory Gym hoping for a victory. until Eggleston and White combined for back to For the second consecutive game, back kills to end the set “I think it’s a good confidence booster that we that ranked opponent would can be down in those type of positions and fight leave dissapointed. The No. 3 Longhorns took down the No. 8 back,” White said. “We have a lot fiery kids. It was exciting to be tested and see what those freshmen Golden Gophers of the University of Minnesota in straight sets on Wednesday night. While could do.” The third set was the most dramatthe final two sets turned into marathons, Texas ic of the three, with both teams unwillwould finish 25-22, 29-27 and 35-33. ing to give any room to the other. At one The match had important poll implications for each team, as Texas tried to remain perfect point, the match would be tied at 33 points while Minnesota was trying to maintain a .500 apiece. Both team were forced to fight for record after being upset by Florida State the every point. The freshmen showed to be weekend before. It was also more than ready for the chalan opportunity for Texas to put on a show in front of a lenge. Molly Phillips and Skylar packed house. Fields would record consecu“It was so great to get testtive kills before combining for a ed like this with this group block that would tie the match of players,” head coach Jerat seventeen and shift the moritt Elliott said. “You know mentum back to the Longhorns. we think we have a special Minnesota fought back for group, and you have to see momentum, as both teams what they look like in the test would trade point for point. Texas fought off nine set points, of time.” a display of tenacity that has Minnesota knew that Texbeen a staple of the team for the as was playing with a smaller past decade. rotation and took advantage JERRITT ELLIOTT White would finish the match early. With an aggressive atcoach off with two more kills, clinchtack and a constant presence ing the hard-earned sweep for at the net, the Golden Gothe Longhorns. phers made life difficult for the team. The Longhorns are now 3-0 heading into an However, Texas would adjust by riding the even bigger test aginst No. 1 Stanford, the deserving prowess of sophomore outside hitter Logan Eggleston. Late in the set, the Longhorns fending national champion. While this was a scored four points in a row with Eggleston serv- big test for the team, this Sunday should be an even tougher fight, but this team is prepared to ing, taking the lead for good in the set. Minnesota came back fast at the beginning of keep fighting.

You know we think we have a special group, and you have to see what they look like in the test of time.”

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Senior Micaya White goes after a ball versus Minnesota. White would lead the team during the three-set sweep.

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ComiCs

Thursday, September 5, 2019

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Thursday, September 5, 2019

Crossword ACROSS

35 Prized athlete, for short

65 TV character who said “Computers make excellent and efficient 38 MNOP servants, but 42 Bank stamp abbr. I have no wish to serve under 43 Powerhouse in them” cricket 66 Commute communally 44 Doesn’t delay 67 Standish on the 45 World champion Mayflower athlete under two 68 Passes different names 69 Boatful 46 QRST

1 Card holder at a casino 5 Leave in a hurry 9 Sensation 14 Artist’s collection 16 “Got it, I’m on it,” in radio lingo 17 ABCDE 18 Warmly lit 19 Pasture sound

SUDOKUFORYOU 3 7 9 8 4 5 2 1 6 4 8 9 9 4 3 6 1 9 8 2 4 6 9 8 2 3 5 8 3 6 8 9 4

This scurrvy beast is today’s answerrrrrr.

20 Stomach problem

49 Zipped

21 FGHI

52 Winter Wyoming hrs.

23 Gross amount 24 Change clothes?

Today’s solution will appear here next issue

7 9 1 2 6 3 5 8 4

3 5 2 8 4 1 7 6 9

4 6 8 9 7 5 2 3 1

9 1 4 5 3 7 6 2 8

6 3 7 1 2 8 4 9 5

8 2 5 4 9 6 3 1 7

1 4 6 7 8 2 9 5 3

5 7 3 6 1 9 8 4 2

Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum

54 Temperature test, of a sort

2 8 9 3 5 4 1 7 6

25 Pronoun in Proverbs

55 UVW

26 JKL

57 Fooled

30 Under Prohibition 58 Long life: Abbr. 32 Tolerable

61 When the Lyrid meteor shower occurs

33 Who sings “America” in “West Side Story” 62 XYZ

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE E S M E

T E T R A

B R A T S

C O M I R A A B R Q S O U A N I W E S N U E P S

S P I E R T A S T T W I R A M A N E O A D U A I T H S C T F I V A A T

B E T H E S D A D E L V E S

I N T E L

B E H A V E

O X E I N T V E I N E T W E S S

M O T O C A R L E S K U L R N I E P A C E C A S H T Y P E A H O B T R A N E E A L N S T E P T N R H E N D I S E I Z T O T E

A L P S B O T S A G E

DOWN 1 Food invention of 1937 2 So-called “king of the road” 3 Qualifying phrase 4 +, briefly 5 B(r)est friend? 6 Geezers, with “the” 7 Concoction 8 Rush order deadline 9 Sponsors’ giveaways 10 Herculean 11 Figure also called “the Creator,” “the King” and “the All-Seer” 12 Afternoon tea offering 13 TV host Mandel 15 What bathroom mirrors may do 22 Gave, as a meal 23 “The ___ the limit” 24 One who knows the drill 26 Doe; a Deere?

Edited by Will Shortz 1

No. 0801

17 20

23 27

PUZZLE BY PATRICK MERRELL

27 Some of them come in “pineapple” and “soprano” varieties, informally 28 Green one 29 Developer’s purchase 31 Specialty of Bad Boy Records 34 Modern home of the ancient king Gilgamesh 35 They might squeak by

36 May marchers 37 Covert come-on 39 Nice chunk of money 40 Cartoon genre 41 Image on an Irish euro 45 Counsel 47 Accepted applications 48 Staffers 49 Uncontrolled jerk 50 Small part of a pound?

51 Flynn of “Captain Blood” 53 Symbol of power 56 Sorts 57 Douglas ___, first president of Ireland 58 “So long” 59 Poet Pound 60 Kitchen, for a chef 63 Common clock topper 64 Calgary is in it: Abbr.

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Life&Arts

Thursday, September 5, 2019

J O R DY N Z I T M A N

Life&Arts Editor @JORDYNZITMAN

ESSAY

rocky higine

I studied abroad in London in hopes of finding my identity, but I left more confused. By Tiana Woodard @tianarochon

“Where are you from?” It’s a simple question, but for years, I answered with some variation of, “I was born and raised in Nashville.” It wasn’t until college that I began to question this. As a freshman, I went with a friend to a black community welcoming event. Other than family gatherings, being in a majority black space was rare for me. I had never seen so many people immersed in their culture, all different but united by shared experiences. An upperclassman sparked a conversation with us, and as expected, the casual, “Where are you from?” question came up. But in this setting, an answer I had used for years suddenly seemed wrong. “Oh, well, Nashville?” I answered, sounding like I asked it myself. “I don’t know anything past my great-grandparents.” He then turned to my friend and asked more about her origins. But unlike me, she, a first-generation black American, knew everything. In that moment, I finally faced one fact: I’m 20 years old, and I know nothing about myself. I couldn’t build one generation of my family tree without asking my parents for help. Even then, we couldn’t get past the 20th century.

Studying abroad, I thought, would help me find my identity. I hoped that spending a month in London — one of the world’s most diverse cities — putting together a class documentary would be a way of finding myself. Little did I know I’d instead become the center of attention for many tourists and foreigners, and the experience would only complicate my own understanding of myself. During our first day in London, my friend and I listed all the tourist attractions we wanted to visit. But we didn’t expect to become the focus of unwanted eyes ourselves. As we met up with our professor to talk about our projects, two middle-aged tourists interrupted our discussion. They asked us directions to the closest museum. When we tried to explain our lack of familiarity with the area, they focused on my appearance instead. “I like your style,” one woman said twice, taking in my features as if I was Big Ben right down the street. Before she asked for our permission to snap a few shots, the elderly tourist already had her smartphone ready, focusing on my blonde box braids and my friend’s brown ones. We looked at each other and our professor, trying to escape the uncomfortable situation. I still wonder where those photos went. Maybe they ended up on Facebook. My friend joked that we probably became the models of the women’s braiding hair company, stacked on the shelves of some rundown beauty supply store in who knows where. Or maybe they stayed in perfect secrecy on her phone album, only pulled out at family gatherings along with photos of London Bridge, Buckingham Palace

and other objects of amazement. Although I stood out in areas like West London, in Peckham I fell right into the crowd. As I traveled with my friends to this predominantly black community, the amount of black people around us grew. More black Britons — the elderly slinging the results of a full shopping day, those trying to get a quick lunch during break and others — climbed onto the double-decker bus with me.

You have to decide who you are and force the world to deal with you, not with its idea of you.” JAMES BALDWIN Peckham was its own little world from the moment I entered. Fruits I had never seen met my eyes for the first time. The smells of Jamaican jerk chicken, jollof rice and raw fish at markets all hit my nose in a frenzy. Peckham residents indulged in the samples offered by vendors negotiating prices. They all seemed immersed in one setting that I struggled to join. All this culture welcomed me with a gracious hand, but I stayed with what I knew best. My trip ended by finishing cheeseburgers and fries too greasy for even my American stomach. There’s a sense of feigned comfort in being around groups of first-generation members of the African diaspora. My answers on the census, my experiences with the police and my features make

us one in the same. But in spaces like this, cultural divisions become obvious. I wish I could step over these boundaries, but it takes more than one life to wipe away schisms that have been in the world’s fabric for centuries. But there is one moment in this hectic month that wrapped my experiences up in a bow. I visited a bookstore that sold books from around the world. Despite the range of books around me, I found myself gravitating towards ones from America. I pulled out “James Baldwin: The Last Interview and Other Conversations.” In one interview, Baldwin discussed America’s impact on the black psyche and his life abroad. “All you are ever told in this country about being black is that it is a terrible, terrible thing to be,” Baldwin said. “You have to decide who you are and force the world to deal with you, not with its idea of you.” This experience served as a metaphor for my existence. I was across the Atlantic Ocean, thousands of miles from home, but I couldn’t break past my upbringing. My identity as a black American still impacted my experiences abroad. No matter how hard I tried to break from this mold, I still let my past consume me. I left Heathrow Airport in as much confusion about my identity as I had when touching down a month before.

Editor’s Note: The Daily Texan’s Helen M. Powell Traveling Scholarship gives one current or ex-staff member the opportunity to travel and report outside of Austin.

/ the daily texan staff