The Daily Texan 2022-03-04

DT VOLUME 122, ISSUE 53 FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022

jack myer

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joshua guerra

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FAREWELL FRANK ERWIN CENTER

joshua guerra

kara hawley

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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs.

OKLAHOMA STATE

SATURDAY, MARCH 5 TEXASSPORTS.COM/BIGTICKET • 512-471-3333

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AUSTIN WEATHER TODAY March. 4

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76º 56º

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Students discuss of beloved barber Doug Fransen’s return to Wooten Barber Shop.

Sports

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Women-led student organization offers a safe space to exercise, advocates for female empowerment.

News

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The Frank Erwin Center hosts the final basketball games this week before demolition.

TOMORROW March. 5

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77º 61º

oh it’s rising

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Sanika Nayak (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Phoebe Hayes (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@thedailytexan.com

NEWS OFFICE

STUDENT LIFE

Student nonprofit receives grant to continue funding birthday parties for foster children

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copyright khira patel, and reproduced with permission

By Leila Saidane @leilasophiaaa

A student-led nonprofit that sets up birthday party kits for children in the foster care system received a $5,000 grant in February to continue organizing and funding its initiatives.

FostaParty’s birthday kits allow foster parents to throw parties for foster children for free. FostaParty founder Khira Patel launched the company in March 2020. Patel said she was inspired to provide parties for foster children because she used to mentor them in high school.

“Children in the foster system don’t necessarily have the opportunity to create those positive childhood memories that are extremely formative to growth and development,” Patel said. “And so I thought … this was a great way to help solve the root cause of children not being able to have these opportunities for positive experiences.”

FostaParty received the grant through the David and Tabitha Endowment for Female Entrepreneurship within the College of Fine Arts’ Center for Creative

(512) 232-2207 news@thedailytexan.com The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely. If we have made an error, let us know about it. E-mail managingeditor@thedailytexan.com.

Assoc. Comics Editor Sylvia Asuncion-Crabb

Assoc. Life&Arts Editors Sofia Treviño, Reya Mosby

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04

Senior columnist Hillary Ma urges UHS to open another location for students who live on campus.

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Assoc. Newsletters Editor Jessica Garcia Copy Desk Chiefs Mantra Dave, Angelina Braese

Life&Arts Editor Zoe Tzanis

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Opinion

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DT

Contents:

Entrepreneurship. Jan Ryan, the executive director of the center, said this is the first grant awarded by the endowment.

The grant will help FostaParty invest in a supply inventory and fund in-person parties, Patel said.

Chloe Rice, FostaParty’s finance and operations manager, said the grant will allow flexibility within FostaParty’s business model of allowing sponsor families to purchase a party plan for themselves and for a foster family.

“In order for (the business model) to work, especially when we have no initial funding, we have to squeeze costs pretty tight, trying to minimize everything just so that it works out,” said Rice, a management information systems senior.

“The business model is a lot more sustainable if each foster party is also funded through things like a grant or donations. The fact that we now have a store of revenues that we can put toward these foster parties allows us to be less limited in scope by the amount of money we’re able to get from sponsor families.”

FostaParty earned nonprofit status in August 2021, helping

legitimize the nonprofit and make it more accessible to partner with other organizations, Patel said.

FostaParty is finalizing a partnership with another organization to help siblings who have been separated in foster care celebrate their birthdays together. “(Those siblings) don’t get to necessarily have that bond and be able to spend time together, so we’re going to use this organization that focuses on bringing these families together during the special time,” Patel said.

FostaParty currently sends parties in a box that families set up themselves due to the pandemic, but Patel said she hopes the company can begin setting up and hosting the parties in-person.

“There’s so many ways that we can dream so big,” Patel said. “I would love for all of them to have a birthday celebration that (forms) memories they can cherish forever.

And (we hope) to grow not only in Texas, but even beyond Texas, and celebrate as many children as possible, possibly even beyond birthday celebrations … in all milestones of their lives.”

Director Gerald Johnson Business/ Operations Manager Frank Serpas III Advertising Manager Emily Cohen Manager for Product and Revenue Strategy Marlies Arevalo Are Media Account Executive Chance Weick Design Tillie Policastro Digital operations Jason Lihuang

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S A N I K A N AYA K

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Editor-In-Chief | @TEXANOPINION FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022

COLUMN

OPINION

Another UHS location needs to open for on-campus students To increase accessibility and keep students safe, a new UHS location is necessary.

By Hillary Ma Senior columnist

t was another autumn day for biochemistry sophomore Marwa Sultani.

She had woken up early, showered and went on with her daily morning routine.

Yawning was inevitable during these early morning days, yet as she let out another big yawn, her jaw locked. Panicked ensued throughout her apartment. For two hours, she and her roommates researched home remedies to unlock her jaw until they decided to call University Health Services for proper first aid attention. Because UHS is located on the opposite end of campus, Sultani faced a dilemma: she could either trek several blocks to receive immediate medical attention, or bear the pain of her jaw.

The only health center on campus for students is located on Dean Keeton Street, posing an issue of distance for the majority of on-campus students who live near the Jester corner. UHS must open up another clinic in closer proximity to where the majority of on-campus students are located.

“I had to walk from Dobie to UHS with my jaw hanging open,” Sultani said. “Getting on the bus, or any other way, wasn’t going to work.”

Sultani was in no physical state to walk. With no other option, she was forced to make the journey to UHS

from her apartment while bearing the pain and discomfort of her hanging jaw.

UT houses approximately 7,000 students on campus, the majority of whom live in the dormitory quad of the Jester area. The distance from this area to UHS poses a huge inconvenience for students who need prompt attention.

“I feel like there could’ve been a space near Jester or San Jacinto general area with a pop-up clinic for emergencies,” Sultani said.

Sultani said that the only people who benefit from UHS’ current location are students who live in dormitories near Kinsolving. To the majority of students who live on the other side of campus — or even students who reside in the West Campus area — that is not the case at all.

When asked about the possibility of opening up a satellite location on campus, Dr. Terrance Hines, UHS executive director and chief medical officer, said that the entity has no plans for it. Dr. Hines said that factors like space limitations, staffing, finances, construction or renovation of a space make it harder to build another healthcare facility.

“Someone with a musculoskeletal injury could access urgent care, sports medicine, physical therapy and X-ray all in one place,” Dr. Hines said. “And so that is one of the challenges that we might face if we were looking at opening a second location.”

Dr. Hines also said that students don’t necessarily need to be in the building to receive immediate care.

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.

He mentioned that aside from calling 911, students have the ability to call the 24/7 nurse advice line or opt for telehealth options. In regards to transportation, students can also rely on UT shuttles, rideshare options or friends.

“There are other urgent cares nearby so if we’re not available, we want to make sure that students are aware of the community resources as well as the UHS resources,” Dr. Hines said.

However, when a student needs immediate medical attention, the first entity that should be readily available for care is UHS. UHS’s

SUBMIT A FIRING LINE | Email your Firing Lines to editor@dailytexanonline.com. Letters must be more than 100 and fewer than 300 words. The Texan reserves the right to edit all submissions for brevity, clarity and liability.

website states that one of the entity’s driving values is being “student-centered” by “prioritizing students’ needs in every aspect” of their work.

If that were truly the case, why does it feel like the University is leaving students in the dust to tend for their own needs? It should be the job of the University to provide the sufficient support to UHS so that the facility can live up to its mission: “(supporting) students in reaching their optimal health so they can achieve their academic and personal potential.”

Emergencies and accidents are

bound to occur. Student medical needs are being displaced due to distance. The University must prioritize student health by placing another health service clinic like UHS closer to where a larger percentage of students reside. Campus life shouldn’t neglect tending for students’ health, safety and wellbeing — the basic necessities.

If the University truly cares about their students, then looking after our physical needs must be on top of its agenda.

Ma is a Journalism and Chinese junior from The Woodlands, Texas.

sharon chang

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/ the daily texan staff

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LIFE&ARTS

ZOE TZANIS

5

Life&Arts Editor | @TEXANARTS FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022

STUDENT LIFE

Female students use Gain Health to foster workout confidence

Gain, a female-focused workout club, includes over 140 members after its Texas chapter was launched in August 2021.

By Catherine Cahn @texanarts

CW: mention of eating disorders eights slam onto the floor, sweat drips down foreheads and grunts between deadlifts echo throughout the gym.

Amid this, the only girl in sight focuses on her own workout, trying to ignore lingering glances.

Finance and business honors sophomore Ishika Puri said she has always found fitness to be an effective emotional release and tool for re-grounding herself. However, she said intimidation in male-dominated gyms, commonly experienced by herself and other women, can discourage women from pursuing fitness and get interfere with this outlet.

Puri’s solution was to start Gain Health at Texas — a female-focused workout club that offers studio workouts, campus workouts, wellness workshops and socials.

“I thought that there was definitely a need for female spaces at UT,” Puri said. “Going to a gym and seeing all men and being the only girl lifting, I feel a little bit intimidated sometimes.

I think having that community of girls is really important.”

Gain originally started at Baylor University, and Puri decided to launch a UT chapter in August 2021. Since

then, the chapter has grown to include over 140 members, due to the club’s strong values and holistic approach to fitness.

“I really liked the goal and mission that Gain had about promoting working out and being healthy, not just through studio workouts, but also through wellness retreats, positivity and mental health,” said QT Dang, finance sophomore and Gain studio workout coordinator.

Puri said Gain’s encompassing approach to fitness grew out of personal experiences. Watching female friends struggle with eating disorders and female family members battle cancers specific to women fueled her goal for the club to include all aspects of health, not just exercise.

“People look at just physical, mental or emotional health, when in reality, your well-being is a combination of all of them,” Puri said.

Combining all aspects of health in a female-focused space helped members, such as Monica Villarreal, feel more comfortable in the gym and gave her a unique community to engage with.

“It can be intimidating to go to the gym by myself, especially if there’s only guys around, which happens quite often,” the business and international relations and global studies sophomore said. “You do notice guys are looking at you, and you’re afraid of being judged.”

Through her experience in Gain, Villarreal said she now

sophie stoeger

/ the daily texan staff

Sophomore finance major Ishika Puri uses a weight machine in Gregory Gymnasium on March 1.

Puri is passionate about creating a welcoming environment for female students to workout.

feels confident exercising in a group setting.

“Gain is empowering,” Villarreal said. “When (I’m) with a group of girls, or people that are like (me), I’m always laughing and having fun.”

Despite its already large member base, Gain is only in its beginning stages. In the future, Puri said she hopes Gain can offer intramural sports teams within the club, a big/ little sister program and group dinners after workouts. Puri said all her goals are united by one common theme: encouragement and community growth. “(Gain) is about starting spaces where women feel comfortable with other women to do things that they wouldn’t feel as inclined to alone,” Puri said.

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LIFE&ARTS

UNIVERSITY

Computer science teaching assistants express frustration with low wages

By Angela Lim @angelaiim

With sunken eyes glued to her screen, Nikita Sharma spends her nights meticulously reading through endless lines of code.

The computer science teaching assistant said she answers all her students’ concerns while evaluating their programs. “(Teaching assistants) help debug code, hold office hours (and) lead a discussion section,” computer science junior Sharma said. “On top of that, you often become the most trusted person on the teaching staff to students.”

Sharma said she noticed CS TAs receive disproportionate wages, starting at $10 per hour despite their extensive workload.

In March 2021, Sharma began

working with the Association for Computing Machinery 4 Change to address the insufficient salary and support system for TAs within the CS department through advocacies and mental health workshops.

According to a Fall 2021 survey conducted by A4C, which received 192 responses across the College of Natural Sciences, students avoid taking on a teaching position mainly due to large time commitments and low wages.

When the organization relayed these findings to the department through email, Sharma said the department remained passive in their response and noted that tuition and state funding limited proctor compensation.

“We tried several times to set up a meeting, (but) they didn’t want to set up a meeting,” Sharma said.

In addition to promoting salary increases, Jennifer Mickel, a computer science and math sophomore, said she helps plan the organization’s projects, such as TA trainings to create a safe and inclusive environment for other students. “(TAs) saw that students would come (to them) super stressed, and they felt there wasn’t adequate training revolving (around) how to handle the situation,” Mickel said. “If (TAs) are better trained (to be) more welcoming towards students, students are more likely to reach out for help.”

Although computer science junior Sweta Ghose became a TA primarily for the experience, she said she initially felt

BEYOND THE

frustrated seeing her efforts not being properly compensated.

“When I started, I got paid $10 an hour, and I didn’t know any different,” Ghose said. “I just thought that’s what everyone got paid.”

The CS department implemented a new pay increase system this semester, in which proctors’ compensation increases by $1 on a semestral basis. Ghose said she received the maximum possible salary of $12 per hour during her third semester in the position.

“It would be helpful if the department (directly) reached out to the TAs and asked them, ‘Do you feel like you need another TA for this class?’ or, ‘Is (the compensation) fair for what you’re

FR A ME

doing?’” Ghose said. “We haven’t had much communication from the department to begin with.”

Sharma said she wants TAs to have more avenues to connect with one another. Because their initiatives require more physical and financial support, she and A4C call for further action from the university.

“I want some sort of community. The only way I managed my first few semesters teaching was because I had upperclassmen I could ask (help from),” Sharma said. “Going forward this semester, I want $15 an hour, at a minimum. I don’t think that’s something not feasible to ask for. CS brings in countless corporate sponsors. $15 is not unreasonable.”

Featuring the best from the photo department.

peyton sims emma george

/ the daily texan staff

| daily texan staff

Hundreds of people wave their homemade signs and pride flags outside of the Texas State Capitol on March 1 in protest of Gov. Greg Abbott’s restrictions on transgender youth.

NEWS

7

FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022

WEST CAMPUS

Beloved barber Doug Fransen returns to Wooten Barber Shop after medical leave

By Nahiyan Khan @nahiyan_khan

Longtime clients flocked to get their hair cut by beloved barber Doug Fransen following his return to the Wooten Barber Shop this week after a month-and-ahalf of medical leave.

Fransen has worked at the shop, located on the Drag, since 2017 and said he is glad to be back at work.

“This is a sweet spot for me,” Fransen said.

“This is a home away from home.”

Fransen was unexpectedly admitted to the hospital Jan. 25 due to a lower bowel obstruction and received surgery, forcing him to take time off work.

Doug’s absence left a void in the student community, as students would regularly stop by and ask how he was doing, Wooten barber Don Stafford said. While his loyal clients awaited his return,

barbers James Nelson, Ralph Torres Jr. and Stafford filled in during Fransen’s recovery.

“Doug’s my barber,” Italian studies sophomore Nick Walsh said. “With the funniest Minnesota accent, he tells all these stories about his young times in Minnesota and gives me a good haircut.

I just have a great halfan-hour experience with the dude and talk to him about life.”

Before joining the Wooten Barber Shop, known to students as “The Woo,” Fransen grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he was first introduced to the trade and started cutting hair in 1987.

“My dad had been cutting hair since 1952, and all my other brothers were barbers prior to me,” Fransen said. “It was a family tradition.”

The bond between barber and client has kept students coming back to

Wooten year after year, Fransen said.

“It just shows that (if) you stay dedicated and you do what’s right — not just do a good job — but it’s (also about) personality and caring about people,” Fransen said.

“It’s not just what you’re getting for your college degree, I care about what you do for your life.”

The shop set up a sign at the store with Fransen’s Venmo, @Douglas-Fransen, after several customers asked if they could help with the cost of his medical care. Fransen said he set up a GoFundMe on Thursday.

“I really thought I’d never see this place again,” Fransen said.

“I really had a spiritual experience. … I didn’t think I was going to open my eyes again, but when I did, I said, ‘I’m definitely going to see things through a new pair of glasses.’”

jacob levy

/ the daily texan staff

Doug Fransen has been cutting hair since 1987 and has returned to Wooten Barber Shop after being gone for two months.

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Skip the downtown parking do-si-do.

FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022

NEWS

UNIVERSITY

UT Jackson School of Geosciences frees up funding for new initiatives

By Riese Yates @riese_yates

The Jackson School of Geosciences plans to propel research and free up funds by adopting academic provost money into the school’s salary funding, according to Dean Claudia Mora.

The Jackson School of Geosciences has historically paid its tenured and tenure track faculty with the college’s endowment funds, but effective Sept. 1, half of the salary funding will be paid using funding from the provost, Mora said.

The change will save the college nearly $930,000 a year, allowing them to develop many projects, including paid work and research opportunities for undergraduates, more ambitious field research for graduate students and professional development workshops for staff, according to Mora.

Mora said the college’s foundational studies have always been important, but will become exceedingly necessary to face challenges coming in the next 100 years because geosciences “(is) a field that’s fundamentally important to subsurface extraction of energy.” “(Geosciences) provides the foundation for energy science and a lot of environmental science,” Mora said. “It’s where climate science was developed. It’s where water resources are studied.”

Mora said the school is planning to pay undergraduate researchers to get more of them

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involved, because it is beneficial for students to participate in conducting studies early in their academic career. In doing so, they can begin understanding how fundamental geosciences work is performed.

“We recognize that you can’t simply ask an undergraduate to do your research for free in your lab,” Mora said.

Third year geoscience major Esly Balderas said she would save time doing paid research in place of working her current part-time job.

“Research is important,” Balderas said. “It’s good for college, graduate school applications and also when you start applying for internships. They like to see that you have experience other than academics.”

The college also hopes to use the money to support graduate students through research excursions, more fellowship activities and larger monthly stipend checks, Mora said.

Along with new student services, the funds will give faculty new opportunities to improve their professional skills in small group workshops and activities, Mora said.

Mora said another focal point of the new initiatives is bringing people together by facilitating connections between faculty and students.

“One of the important things for me is that the students understand and appreciate that they work not only with the faculty here, but with researchers at (the Bureau of Economic Geology), and that they have access to 300 geoscience professionals,” Mora said.

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/ the daily texan staff

Students walk in front of the Jackson School of Geosciences in the East Mall on March 2. JGB will be freeing funds to promote research, academic workshops and professional development.

SPORTS

HANNAH WILLIFORD

9

Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SENIORS HEAD INTO LAST HOME GAME Seniors Audrey Warren, Lauren Ebo and Joanne Allen-Taylor set a standard for future Longhorns this young squad win games. After every game, Joanne Allen-Taylor Although Allen-Taylor stepped into a new Allen-Taylor has been the one owning up to role this season with freshman guard Rori Harmistakes, and she carries everything with her mon being the main ball handler for the team, on and off the court. her mentality has not changed as a veteran leadEven when the Longhorns are rolling, she’s er of this team. been the one to keep the team focused on the Averaging around 11 points, three rebounds next game, looking to finish her collegiate and two assists per game, the senior guard has career strong. been a steady contributor for Texas all season.

“One game at a time,” Allen-Taylor said on However, the stats don’t show her real value to Jan. 26. “Can’t too far ahead. Just get the this squad.

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/ the daily texan file

Guard Joanne Allen-Taylor looks for a teammate to pass the ball to. Texas beat TCU at the Frank Erwin Center on Feb. 26.

By Amsal Madhani @amsal_madhani

oming into the season, there were many questions about whether a young Texas women’s basketball squad was ready to make an impact in the Big 12 this season.

Although No. 9 Texas is one of the younger teams in the nation, the team relied on veteran leadership from three seniors to lead the team to a top 10 ranking and a 22–6 record.

The Longhorns bid farewell to seniors Audrey Warren, Lauren Ebo and Joanne Allen-Taylor at the Frank Erwin Center on Saturday.

Their play on the court during their time with Texas has set a standard on what women’s basketball should look like for years to come. Here’s a look back at what these seniors have done over the course of this season with the Longhorns: Audrey Warren Warren averaged around nine points, four rebounds and two assists per game. She may not be the flashiest player, but head coach Vic Schaefer knows what he is going to get night in and night out.

“The thing you want from any player is just that consistency piece that you know what you’re going to get from her everyday,” Schaefer said on Feb. 11. “I’m always going to get somebody who plays hard in Audrey.”

Tied for second on the team with 1.7 steals per game, the senior forward has brought a hustle mentality to the floor that rubbed off on the rest of the team.

Along with her hustle and veteran leadership, Warren also knows when she needs to be aggressive. With games of 21 and 17 points under her belt, she will look to continue to pick and choose her spots to score heading into the Big 12 tournament.

Lauren Ebo Averaging around seven points and seven rebounds per game, Ebo has proven to be an anchor for the Longhorns in the past.

She came up big in pivotal games with her great rebounding and finishing skills around the rim. Her best game of the season came against a conference rival, Oklahoma, where she put up 13 points and 14 rebounds.

The senior center has provided consistency for Texas at the position, and has set a precedent for what the future starting bigs for the team should bring to the table moving forward. She will look to finish her collegiate career strong as the Longhorns head into the postseason with championship aspirations.

NOTE: The clues in this “uniclue” crossword appear in a single list, combining Across and Down. When two answers share a number, they also share a clue, in a manner to be determined.

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M E S A A S P T H Y

24 Collect, as profit 25 “___ dreaming?”

26 WNW’s opposite 27 Principle of complementary duality 28 Some people bow to it 29 Some protest handouts 30 Did some crunches at lunch?

31 Mass x acceleration, in physics 32 Area near TriBeCa in N.Y.C. 33 Gets comfortable with 34 Chewy Easter treat 35 Plains tribe 36 Bright color in the garden 37 Spoken 38 Italy’s Mount ___ 39 Things taken in class 40 Mess up 41 Issa of “Insecure” 42 Pleasantly concise 43 Joyful giddiness 44 DC Comics antiheroine a.k.a.

Selina Kyle 45 Talk show visitor 46 Loud chewing, for some 47 Id’s counterpart 48 Most faithful

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PUZZLE BY ORI BRIAN

49 First vegetable grown in space

58 Info collected by H.R.

51 Combine, as versatile wardrobe pieces

60 Scholarship consideration

50 Lead-in to a culinary attribution

52 “Veni”

53 Strobe light gas 54 Miracle-___

55 Medieval adventure tale 56 Add fuel to

57 Beats easily

59 Fashion accessories in a 1940s #1 Dinah Shore hit 61 PlayStation maker

62 Neutral shades

63 Author of macabre tales, in brief 64 Potpie bit

65 Stackable food item 66 “Let’s go already!”

67 Hearty meal options 68 Perceptive

69 Ones tending to brood?

70 Essential ingredient in Welsh rarebit 71 Miniature whirlpool

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FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022

SPORTS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

END OF THE ERWIN CENTER ERA

zoe fu

/ the daily texan file

The Frank Erwin Center is scheduled to be demolished later this year.

Since it’s opening in 1977, 28 NCAA Tournament-bound Texas teams have played in the Frank Erwin Center.

By Christina Huang @stina_huang

Since its 1977 opening, 28 NCAA Tournament-bound Texas teams have played in the Frank Erwin Center.

Out of those teams, 16 were led by Rick Barnes, the Texas head coach from 1998 to 2015. Barnes made his return to Texas back in January for the Big 12/SEC Challenge with Tennessee, facing off against his former team.

“17 years (at Texas),” Barnes said. “I loved it. I really did.”

Barnes’ last trip to the Erwin Center before its impending demolition served as a reminder of not only the most successful stretch in Texas basketball history, but also of the place where the magic happened. The Erwin Center was home to Texas’ 2003 Final Four team, which made the farthest NCAA Tournament run in program history.

No. 21 Texas men’s basketball played its final game at the Erwin Center on Monday night and came up short in a 68–61 loss to No. 3 Baylor. Regardless of the outcome, the game marked the end of a monumental era in Texas basketball history.

“Obviously, the outcome of the game’s disappointing for us,” Texas head coach Chris Beard said. “But it can’t, and should not, take away from the last (men’s basketball) game ever (at) the Erwin Center.”

Texas men’s basketball ended its time at the Drum with a 549–142 record, with a few of the wins coming from some timely plays. In a memorable 2017 win over Oklahoma, Andrew Jones led Texas to a victory. In 2015, Javan Felix’s buzzer beater upset No. 3 North Carolina.

A video that highlighted some of Texas basketball’s greatest moments, including

Felix’s buzzer beater, was shown prior to tipoff Monday night. The highlight reel also included plays from former Longhorn and two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant.

Although Texas basketball icons like Durant and T.J. Ford are long gone, their legacies are a part of what makes the Erwin Center so meaningful. Durant and Ford are the only players in Texas history to have won both the Naismith and Wooden Awards in the same year.

Ford was one of many former Longhorns to make an appearance at the Erwin Center’s farewell. Seeing past Texas stars at games this season was not a rare sight, with head coach Chris Beard heavily pushing a campaign to unite those of Texas basketball past and present. Beard’s “Unite the Family” effort also meant packing the Erwin Center full of 16,540 fans for one last ride.

Despite multiple sold-out games this season, the Drum never carried the reputation of being a difficult environment to play in.

“This is one of the easiest places in the league to play because they don’t bring people in here,” West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins said. “You can hear conversations in the stands almost.”

But Beard was able to turn things around for one last go-around in the Erwin Center. Kansas head coach Bill Self said the Feb. 7 crowd was the best he has seen in Austin.

“I will say this about tonight,” Self said.

“It’s probably as good of a crowd as we’ve had since we’ve played here.”

Although the demolition of the Erwin Center closes a chapter for Texas basketball, the legacy of success at the Drum lives on through the high expectations set for the Longhorns year after year.

COMICS

B A R B R A D A LY

Comics Editor | @TEXANCOMICS FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022

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