The Daily Texan 2021-04-02

new emails reveal alumni, donors’ support of alma mater

DT VOLUME 121, ISSUE 56 FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021

eddie gaspar

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CONTACT US

05

The Texas men’s tennis team isn’t showing any of its youth in clutch comebacks.

08

The city of Austin has begun its process to find a replacement Austin Police Department chief.

Life&Arts

12

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some UT students have never moved out of their childhood homes.

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Sports

STATE

By Sheryl Lawrence @sheryl_adelle

Texas State Representative Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, filed a bill at the beginning of March that would amend the Texas Constitution to provide student regents on the boards of public universities with voting power.

In 2005, the 79th Texas Legislature passed a bill giving the Texas governor the power to appoint a nonvoting student regent to the board of regents of any public university or university system in the state. Since then, student regents have been able to serve

on boards in one-year terms.

The responsibilities of a UT System student regent include attending the board meetings, reading meeting agendas and reviewing the regents’ rules, according to the website.

Current student regent Patrick Ojeaga, a medical student at UT-Rio Grande Valley, said in an email that he felt the UT System Board of Regents values his input on anything presented to the board during meetings.

“I have been able to provide my input in any matter that I felt my perspective as a student or Texan would be valuable,” Ojeaga said. “The board members really welcome and

respect the commentary that the student regent provides.”

Ojeaga said in his experience, his vote would not have changed the outcome of any agenda item.

At every UT System institution, student government organizations collect applications for the position in November to send to the institution president, according to the UT System website. Each institution sends applications to the UT System, which then makes recommendations to the governor, and the governor appoints the regent by June 1.

Per state law, the UT System cannot oppose or support any proposed legislation, Karen Adler, director of media relations and communications for the UT system, said in an email.

Raghav Aggarwal, a College of Liberal Arts

representative-elect, interns for Crockett and said he proposed the idea for the bill.

Aggarwal said he plans to start a petition within Student Government at the start of his representative term to garner support for the bill. Crockett did not respond to a request for comment.

“The nonvoting student regent position is more or less a dog bone for student involvement in the UT administration’s affairs,” said Aggarwal, an international relations and global studies and economics freshman.

“Adding that (vote) gives us more of that oversight over our institution that’s more in line with our interests, versus the interests of the other members of the Board of Regents who ... aren’t exactly in touch with the current student body.”

ISSUE STAFF Columnist Cole Krautkramer

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NEWS OFFICE

Texas state representative files bill to allow university system student regent voting power

Video Editor Brendan Long Assoc. Video Editor Jackson Barton

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04

Professors of courses with Writing Flags must teach the skills students need to write effectively.

Senior Sports Writers Matthew Boncosky, Taylor Hawthorne

Forum Editors Daisy Kielty, Maria Sailale

Editorial Illustrator Charlie Hyman

Opinion

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DT

Contents:

eddie gaspar

/ the daily texan file

In March, Texas State Representative Jasmine Crockett filed a bill that would allow the UT System student regent voting power.

(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.

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NEWS

3

FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021

COVID-19

All Texas adults eligible for COVID vaccine, UT prioritizing higher-risk individuals

By Kevin Vu

Winner of more: ADVOCACY CHAMPIONSHIPS;

@Kevin_Vu_

UT began administering COVID-19 vaccines to all Texas adults on Monday in accordance with new state guidelines, but is still prioritizing Texans that were eligible under previous vaccination phases, said Jonathan Robb, director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness.

Even though eligibility has opened to all adults, individuals in vaccine distribution phases 1A, 1B and 1C still need their vaccine, Robb said.

Robb said UT will still prioritize these predetermined groups in giving out appointments, and hopes they will vaccinate them in the next four to six weeks.

“We’re getting to a point, both at the federal and state level, where we’re getting more allocations,” Robb said.

According to the UT-Austin COVID-19 Dashboard, approximately 10,000 doses were administered in each of the past two weeks. Robb said he expects distribution to remain at these levels moving forward.

Approximately 340,000 people have pre-registered to receive the vaccine from the University, Veronica Trevino, media manager for Financial and Administrative Services, said in an email.

Max Carriker, a Plan II and mechanical engineering freshman, said he is

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not a part of a prioritized group and received his first dose on Wednesday.

Phase 1A and 1B, which opened vaccinations to medical responders, people over 65 years of age and adults over 16 with medical conditions, began in December, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Phase 1C, which includes people who are 50 to 64 year olds, started on March 15.

Carriker said he thinks taking the vaccine is a civic duty similar to voting.

“It’s more of a profound, meaningful activity, almost like voting in last year’s general election,” Carriker said.

“It’s such a huge issue, and it’s almost the most important thing you can do.”

Even though the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in late February, Robb said UT Health Austin has received mostly Pfizer and some Moderna vaccines — both of which require two shots.

“With the Johnson & Johnson (vaccine), you only have to use refrigerated storage, so it’s a little easier to

/ the daily texan staff

transport and handle,” Robb said. “They’re sending those to rural areas that don’t have the ultra cold storage like we do.”

According to Texas DSHS vaccine allocations, UT Health Austin did not receive any first doses on the week of March 29. In the first three weeks of March, UT Health Austin received 11,700 first doses per week, according to the weekly allocations.

“We asked the state to pause new allocations for this week, because we need to catch up after (Winter Storm Uri) and make sure to use the allocations we already have,” Trevino said.

Robb said UT received a large number of second doses this past week because no doses were administered during the winter storm. After the winter storm, he said UT doubled their vaccination appointments to catch up with the gap the storm produced.

This past week, UT administered second doses for people who received their vaccine after the storm in addition to regular first doses, he said.

UT is also vaccinating people on Saturdays for the next two weeks to use up all the allocated doses, Trevino said.

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Editor-In-Chief | @TEXANOPINION FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021

COLUMN

OPINION

Writing Flag classes must teach effective writing strategies

Professors who teach Writing Flag courses should offer an intro lecture on writing skills.

By Cole Krautkramer Columnist

he transition to college is a difficult process.

For many students, not only do they leave their home, family and friends, they are also forced into academic situations that can come as a complete shock.

Some students may struggle with collegiate-level writing and need more support in the classroom.

To accommodate students of all writing levels and minimize the burden placed on students to learn alone, professors who teach Writing Flag courses should hold a lecture at the beginning of each semester focused on skills needed to write effectively.

“I’m from the south side of San Antonio, and the education (there) isn’t as good as it would be in the north side or if I were to come from a school in Austin, so I was very unprepared coming out of high school

to go to UT,” government freshman Kassidy Muñoz said. “On the first day (of my signature course) we had an assignment … (and) I had no clue how to write any of the pieces that they wanted me to, and there was no introduction or instructions.”

For courses to receive the Writing Flag distinction, they must first pass a set of criteria proposed by the Faculty Council and approved by the Undergraduate Studies Advisory Committee. The criteria focus mainly on the need for substantial, reviewed and heavily weighted writing.

“The Writing Flag is a writing across the curriculum requirement, so we don’t mandate that faculty are teaching particular kinds of writing strategies,” said Jeanette Herman, the assistant dean for academic initiatives in the School of Undergraduate Studies. “We offer a lot of pedagogy support for faculty on how to do writing instruction well … (as) opposed to trying to have one rule that would cut across such a variety of courses.”

While it is understandable that the purpose of the flag is to aid in learning specific writing styles and developing critical thinking, it should not be assumed that students are already collegiate-level writers.

The burden of having to seek out additional resources, such as University Writing Center workshops, to obtain that skill shouldn’t be thrown on students when there is minimal instruction by the professor on how to write effectively.

It is important to note that some

professors have introduced writing tactics into their curricula through external means.

“I have, in the past, had reps from the Writing Center come and give a workshop to students, and then I’ve even had someone from the library come to … (teach) research skills …. I’ll follow up that conversation with targeted information about writing specifically,” said Ja’nell Ajani, an American Studies assistant instructor.

However, while these external sources can be effective, they lack the personal factor associated with the relationship between a professor and a student.

Not only would a single lecture be minimal commitment, but it would provide an opportunity for struggling students to pose questions to their specific professor before diving into writing assignments that heavily affect their grades.

Some professors would see this regulation as an infringement on their individual choices as a teacher. However, since UT prides itself on innovation and forward-thinking, I would call into question the appointment of any professor who remains unwavering and unwilling to change.

To give all students the best opportunity to grow as writers, all professors teaching courses with a Writing Flag should conduct a lecture focused on developing collegiate writing skills.

Krautkramer is a Plan II honors and undeclared business freshman from Grapevine, Texas.

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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.

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SPORTS

C A R T E R YAT E S

5

Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021

MEN’S TENNIS

‘So much fun’: Youthful men’s tennis enjoys playing as a team The No. 7 Longhorns have mounted five comebacks against ranked teams.

By Ross Fisher @rossfisher23

n match point against then-ranked No. 9 Florida, sophomore Eliot Spizzirri slammed a devastating inside-out forehand winner past Florida’s then-ranked No. 8 junior Sam Riffice, leaving Riffice with no choice but to watch as a dozen of Spizzirri’s closest buddies swarmed him in delirium.

Since the comeback win over Florida on Jan. 23, No. 7 Texas mounted four other comebacks, including 4-3 wins over thenranked No. 1 USC, No. 28 Oklahoma and No. 15 Arizona.

All five times that Texas found their back against the wall, a different Longhorn came up clutch with a clinching win, being mobbed by their teammates in the process.

This youthful Texas team has grown incredibly close due to its strength of character and closeness in age. Most of the team is made up of underclassmen,

with only one junior and no seniors.

Beating top teams with far more experience, Texas relied on this chemistry on and off the court in defining moments, including five comeback wins.

“We do have a lot of fun, and I enjoy living with the guys, but I think it also helps because we build strong relationships,” Spizzirri said. “We have had a lot of close matches, and I think because of how close we are as a team, we use it to our advantage.”

No. 23 Spizzirri and fellow sophomore No. 99 Siem Woldeab are the No. 12-ranked doubles team. Woldeab said he is appreciative that he can play alongside his best friends.

“It is so much fun honestly, like that win against Arizona, I was hurt, and I was feeling it a little bit,” Woldeab said.

“But I just wanted to do it for my team and just to have character like my teammates have, it is unbelievable.”

Woldeab went on to say playing with his friends “almost takes a weight off you and makes the sport more fun to play.”

Woldeab believes the team is so close because of the character of his

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Sophomores Eliot Spizzirri and Siem Woldeab celebrate in a match against then-ranked No. 15 Arizona. The doubles team is ranked No. 12 in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

teammates, which he credits to head coach Bruce Berque’s recruitment. Spizzirri is one example. Berque said his character led to him being the most sought after college tennis prospect at one point.

“I think a really underrated part of coach Berque’s recruiting process is how in depth he looks at guys’ personalities,” Woldeab said. “It is a huge part of why we are all so close, especially our recruiting class.”

Due to NCAA’s COVID-19 eligibility exception, freshman Micah Braswell, sophomores Spizzirri, Woldeab, Evin McDonald

and Cleeve Harper all have three years of eligibility left after this year. The sophomores recognize that, along with No. 16 Braswell, they have the potential to continue playing at an elite level together for a while.

“It would be amazing to have a fifth year,” Spizziri said. “We have talked about it, but there’s nothing set in stone yet.”

For now, Texas remains entirely focused on trying to win a National Championship this season, as they look to extend their win streak to eight against No. 8 TCU on Saturday.

6

FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021

SPORTS

FEATURE

Looking back on Francesca Raggi’s decorated rowing career

By Riley Glenn @rileyglenn13

Winter Park High School in Winter Park, Florida, has a distinguished rowing program that convinced Francesca Raggi to entertain the sport in her freshman year.

“I knew at my high school, rowing was a successful high school program,” Raggi said.

“Once I started rowing, I really fell in love with it. It’s the ultimate team sport.”

In rowing, the success of the team is dependent on the performance of all individuals working together, but Raggi quickly separated herself from the rest of the pack. The current Texas junior became the

first athlete in Winter Park school history to make it onto the U.S. National Team.

Working with and competing against the top high school talent in the country, Raggi began to grasp the level of commitment and preparation she would need to succeed at the next level.

“It was crucial to my development as a rower,” Raggi said. “It prepares you for the intensity and volume that comes with college rowing. ” Ever since she picked up the sport, Raggi dominated at Winter Park. But she quickly realized during her time as a member of both the 2017 and 2018 US Rowing Junior National Teams, she was not the most obvious recruit

in the country.

“It was very eye-opening to be surrounded by people who were faster than you,” Raggi said. “All these girls around me are going so fast. Maybe I can do that. It just served as another driving factor to get faster and work harder.”

And while some might have been faster and stronger, Raggi’s dedication as both an athlete and teammate earned her the 2018 Under 19 Female Rowing Athlete of the Year.

“The most special thing about that award is it’s not just based on speed or athleticism, but what kind of teammate you are, which I think is one of the most important aspects of rowing,” Raggi said.

Raggi is now competing against

the same prospects she did nearly four years ago to avenge Texas’ 2019 NCAA Championship Runner-Up finish.

Francesca’s mother, Amy Raggi, is in constant awe of her daughter’s dedication to the sport she loves. Her daughter has not stopped competing since she decided to suit up for Winter Park.

“Since her sophomore year in high school, the girl never really had a break,” Amy said.

“She went to summer camps, and that is quite a commitment for a teenager. I certainly as a teenager was never that committed to anything.

She was always so focused and dedicated.”

Raggi’s never had a break, until her 2020 sophomore

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Junior rower Francesca Raggi made the 2017 and 2018 US Rowing Junior National teams. Now, Raggi is trying to lead the Longhorns past many of her former teammates in the quest for a NCAA championship.

campaign was thwarted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For a relentless competitor, the extended break was abnormal and frustrating, but it allowed Raggi and her teammates to stew on their second place finish.

The Longhorns have worked incredibly hard to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks from derailing their mission once again, showing a remarkably low positivity rate, considering the amount of time they spend in close proximity.

“I think as the year has gone on, my team has handled COVID very well,” Raggi said.

“We have had one positive case the entire year, which I think is impressive for a team of 60 women.”

And just like the high school prospects of the U.S. team, the Texas Longhorns are pushing each other so they have a chance to hold the NCAA Championship trophy.

“Our team dynamic is one of a kind,” Raggi said. “Everyone is so competitive and pushes each other so hard.

Everyone’s first goal is for the team to win. Everyone is doing what they can to lead to team success.”

NEWS

LAUREN GIRGIS

7

News Editor | @THEDAILYTEXAN FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021

UNIVERSITY

alma mater controversy continues New emails reveal more UT donors and alumni who threatened to withold donations amid “The Eyes of Texas” controversy.

jack myer

/ the daily texan file

On Thursday, The Texas Tribune uncovered more than 550 new emails from powerful and wealthy UT donors calling for the University to keep “The Eyes of Texas” as the school song.

Our comments stand. We have been transparent through this entire process.

J.B. BIRD university spokesperson

By Samantha Greyson @GreysonSamantha

ver 550 new emails from powerful and wealthy UT donors calling for the University to keep “The Eyes of Texas” as the school song were uncovered by The Texas Tribune on Thursday.

The collaboration of University donors and fans to keep the school song began in June, according to the Tribune, after Black athletes asked for the removal of “The Eyes of Texas” as the school’s alma mater.

In October, UT President Jay Hartzell announced The Eyes of Texas History Committee of students, staff and alumni to discuss the history and origins of the song. A committee report was released in early March and claimed that while the song was written in a “racist setting,” it is not overtly racist.

Last month, The Texas Tribune initially uncovered racist emails from donors threatening to remove funds if the song was not kept in place.

In response to the article, Hartzell said while he received a “small number” of hateful emails regarding the song, they did not influence the University’s decision to keep “The Eyes of Texas.”

According to the Tribune, the more than 550 emails they received were sent by UT-Austin after they inquired about missing records. Some of the emails were from powerful alumni such as former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, oil tycoon Bud Brigham, chemical engineer and entrepreneur Bill Stanley, and Mickey Klein, an independent oil and gas producer and philanthropist.

“The Eyes of Texas” sparked controversy this summer when the

Black Lives Matter movement and push for equity brought the demands of Black students and athletes to light.

The song, which first premiered in a 1903 minstrel show, where white performers sang the song in blackface, has been condemned by many students for its racist history.

Colt McCoy, former Longhorns quarterback and current NFL player, was involved in the pressure put on the University to keep the song. He was part of an over 70-person email chain of fans and donors who discussed the song, according to The Texas Tribune.

Donor and alumnus Scott Ingraham, whose brother is former UT football player Rick Ingraham, called for an official task force of athletes to discuss the song. In an email published by the Tribune, he said the task force would have “ideally 50% African American and 50% non-Black” participants, according to the Tribune.

In a June email to Hartzell, Brigham said “a diverse group to illuminate the history and also the value of the song for ALL the stakeholders would be a healthy and beneficial process, as opposed to what is happening now with demands, or else.”

On March 25, history professor Alberto Martínez released a report finding that “The Eyes of Texas” is linked to Robert E. Lee and should not be the alma mater, in contrast to the committee’s report. On Monday, state leaders, the Texas chapter of the NAACP, students and Martínez held a conference at the State Capitol where they denounced the University’s decision to keep the song.

“Our comments stand,” said University spokesperson J.B. Bird. “We have been transparent through this entire process. Occasionally, people email abhorrent comments. We can’t control their speech, and the University would never entertain such hateful input, no matter from whom it came.”

8

FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021

CITY

APD launches national search for new police chief, looks outside department

By Tori Duff @torianneduff

Following last summer’s confrontation with racism and police brutality during the Black Lives Matter movement, some community activists are looking toward confirming a new Austin Police Department chief from outside the department.

Former police chief Brian Manley announced his retirement on Feb. 12, which took effect on March 28. Interim police chief Joe Chacon, who was previously an APD assistant chief, was confirmed to replace Manley by Austin City Council on March 25. City manager Spencer Cronk is leading the nationwide search for a new chief, a process that will conclude in August, according to a March 22 city memo.

“This process will start immediately, and will rely heavily on extensive engagement with the community, the City’s leadership and the employees of the police department,” Cronk said in the memo.

Cronk’s office declined to comment.

Chacon said in a press meeting on Wednesday that he has not made any decisions about applying for the permanent position at this point.

Some activists see this as a critical opportunity to create real change within APD, starting from the top.

“We’re watching systems break all around us, and so as those things break, we get the opportunity to start from the very beginning in a way that the growth will evolve into what it is that you want to see happen,” said Mayor Pro Tem Natasha Harper-Madison. “I really do see this as a brilliant opportunity and we have to get it right with our leadership.”

In April 2020, an investigation into racist and homophobic language used

by APD leadership found there were “cultural issues … in need of attention.”

jenny devico

The report found that racist and sexist slurs were used inside the department and officers were afraid of reporting.

Chas Moore, the executive director and founder of criminal justice nonprofit Austin Justice Coalition, said Austin needs a police chief who understands the public mistrust of law enforcement.

“People have reservations about police,” Moore said. “We need a police chief that understands that and is going to be willing to work with community advocates and activists.”

The first phase of the search involves increased community input. Cronk told the Austin City Council that the city will draft an initial ideal candidate profile this month. After this, stakeholders

who represent diverse communities will be consulted and the city will hold five virtual meetings with the community to revise the initial candidate profile, according to Cronk’s message.

Austin approved the reopening of a “reimagined” cadet academy last Thursday. Meme Styles, the president and founder of Austin activist group MEASURE, said it is critical to bring in a police chief with fresh ideals, as new officer classes are being sworn in to emphasize the importance of changing police culture.

“The new chief needs to embrace transparency,” Styles said. “They need to value evidence-based policing, and not just in theory (but) in practice.

/ the daily texan staff

And they also need to place a high value on higher education attainment standards for officers.”

Former police chief Manley was selected from within APD, having been in the department for 30 years. Harper-Madison said bringing in a chief from outside of the department will be a pathway for new ideas and change.

“We have acknowledged that we have a critical problem with our department,” Harper-Madison said. “Until we are able to reconcile or at least move in some substantive direction of reconciliation around the problems we have with our department, I just don’t know that it’s prudent to choose a person that came up in that same soil system.”

NEWS

LIFE&ARTS

A I S L I N G AY E R S

9

Life&Arts Editor | @TEXANARTS FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021

STUDENT LIFE

Petroleum engineering students consider different career paths As oil and gas job market shrinks due to the COVID pandemic, students consider other options.

By Fiza Kuzhiyil @fiza11k

tephen Clark had just gotten off the ski slope in New Mexico during spring break last year when his phone rang. With adrenaline still pumping through his veins, he answered.

His summer internship at Marathon Oil had just been canceled.

“It was devastating,” petroleum engineering senior Clark said. “I had just gotten done for the first time ever skiing, (which was an) exhilarating, fun experience, and I get the call saying that (my internship) had been canceled.”

Texas lost nearly 60,000 oil exploration and production jobs in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic lowered demand for crude and petroleum products. As a result, some students hoping to enter the once-booming industry have

megan fletcher

pursued further education or shifted career paths entirely.

After he graduates in May, Clark said he will shift his focus to the financial side of the industry and pursue a master’s degree in finance through the McCombs School of Business.

“I’ve always had aspirations to eventually go to grad school, but I was planning to work first and save up some money, but that just didn’t fall into place,” Clark said.

Richard Chuchla, director of the Energy and Earth resources graduate program, said in

2014, about 70% of master’s level graduates were being hired by the oil and gas industry.

Now, it’s only 30%.

The Global Energy Talent Index report estimates 78% of oil and gas employees feel less secure in their jobs now than they did a year ago, and twothirds of them say COVID-19 caused their uncertainty.

“All these big companies have cut capital spending (due to COVID-19), which means you don’t need as many geoscientists … or petroleum engineers as you did

/ the daily texan staff

before,” Chuchla said.

Chuchla said the industry has also been in a down cycle since 2015 due to the pressure of the climate crisis and the rise of renewable energy, also contributing to the decline in jobs.

Petroleum engineering senior Heidi Higginson said she applied to a wide variety of jobs in the oil industry, from business to data science. As a backup plan, she said she also plans on getting a certification to teach English abroad.

“I applied to a lot of random,

nonpetroleum jobs just because I knew that the odds of me getting an internship were significantly lower this year than previous years,” Higginson said.

Despite the loss of oil jobs in the past year, Higginson said she would still like to go into the oil industry. As a petroleum engineer, she said she hopes to provide the world with energy in the cleanest way possible.

“There’s a bad stigma about oil and gas and petroleum engineers, but I want to encourage any environmentally-minded people to go into oil and gas,” Higginson said.

“It’s really important to have people who value protecting the planet on the inside of the industry.”

Petroleum engineering junior Beatriz Torres’ father and brother both work in the oil industry. She said she planned to follow in their footsteps, but when she got rejected by all 100 of the internships she applied to her sophomore year, she said she had to consider other options.

“I’m very flexible,” Torres said.

“As long as I’m doing something that I like, or whatever they propose to me is something I can enjoy and has purpose, I can always transition and change.”

When she chose her major, Torres was confident she wanted to go into the oil industry. But with fewer petroleum engineering jobs available, she said it’s hard to get the hands-on experience she needs to decide if this is still the career path for her.

10

FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021

LIFE&ARTS

ART

Local artist creates pandemic-inspired piece

By Hanaa Irfan @hanaabun

After a long, COVID-19 pandemic-induced hiatus, Madeline Irvine finally returned to her messy art studio in September 2020. As she tidied up, she stumbled upon a box of washers, when inspiration struck.

The washers would become a central element in her seven-monthlong abstract art project called “Pandemic Clock.”

“I didn’t have any idea what I was doing other than that it was important to me,” Irvine said. “It took six weeks or more before I realized I was making the pandemic.”

Each day, Irvine rearranges the washers into different spirals on her desk, photographing the new configuration. The local multimedia artist said each different photograph represents a new day of the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 16, 2020 to the present day.

“I wanted it to have the calendar form, but for me, it felt more like a clock,” Irvine said. “I could really hear that time ticking.”

The 36 configured washers all have different colors and surfaces. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has placed new limits on people’s everyday lives, Irvine said creating new configurations represents how each day is still unique.

“I think of the washers not just (as) abstract actions (that) are taken in the day … but also as distinct individuals going through the pandemic in their own life,” Irvine said.

Irvine settled in Austin in 1993 after attending graduate school at Rhode Island School of Design for fine arts and working miscellaneous art-related jobs.

“The pandemic clock is made up of two series,” Irvine said. “One is a forward moving clock, which happens in real time, every day. Retrospect is a backward looking clock, photographing each day (from September to) March.”

When business freshman Lyba Zia first read about Irvine’s piece, she said it reminded her of how infinite the pandemic has felt.

“She makes this clock that represents this endless cycle of time, which I think a lot of students experience, staring at a computer screen throughout the entire day,” Zia said.

After moving away from her home in Houston to West Campus, Zia said it feels as if time moves much faster, and her days blur together. She said Irvine’s piece provides her solace as it reminds her that each day holds the potential to be different.

“It’s not as conventional, but (Irvine’s piece) really shows a story while being relatively simple to understand,” Zia said.

Vandana Seshadri, chemical

engineering junior and artist, said she uses the same intentions Irvine presents in her piece in order to track her progress.

“I kind of have the same idea of taking pictures of my work and that being kind of like a calendar for me too,” Seshadri said. “I measure time by the amount of work I’m doing.”

Like Irvine, art was an important part of Seshadri’s time spent at

home in summer 2020. She said the downtime allowed her to embrace her creativity while contributing to her community amid the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement.

“I felt really hopeless and very isolated from everything that was happening, and I just wanted to help,” Seshadri said. “So I started a fundraising campaign and a bunch of commissions.”

rocky higine

Artists such as Seshadri and Irvine have used the experience of living in a COVID-19 pandemic for artistic inspiration.

“I don’t want the experience of this pandemic to be minimized in any way or forgotten,” Irvine said. “The project kept me connected to the studio when living in the pandemic took so much time away (it).”

/ the daily texan staff

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LIFE&ARTS

STUDENT LIFE

Never left home: COVID keeps students from Austin

By Dex Parra @dexparra

At 8 a.m. every day, Carolina Cruz wakes up to her younger sister’s alarm blaring.

Her sister is in high school and begins class hours before Cruz even gets ready for her first college course of the day.

From the early hours of the morning until mid-afternoon, Cruz said she’s “kicked out” of the bedroom they share.

“We live two completely different lives,” journalism sophomore Cruz said. “We get into fights almost every day.

And we’re not really fighting, but we’re just annoyed with each other’s presence.”

For Cruz and many other students, the “leaving home” part of growing up hasn’t happened. The traditional college experience has been confined to students’ childhood homes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and remote learning.

“It’s mentally draining because even though we’re in the pandemic, I see my friends in Austin being able to

hang out,” Cruz said. “For me, I literally wake up, walk 10 steps to my little schoolroom and that’s the extent of my UT experience, so it’s really sad.”

When Cruz decided to transfer from Texas A&M International University after her freshman year, she said she imagined herself living in Austin. Over a year since her acceptance, she said she still lives in her family’s home in Laredo, Texas.

Psychology and linguistics freshman Sophia Boyd said living with her parents has hampered her independence, because they can be “a bit coddling.”

“My parents will try to be super supportive of (my independence), like ‘Woohoo, go and do things on your own,’” Boyd said. “But still, at the end of the day, I have to return home and be a semi-kid.”

Some older students expressed the same sentiment after returning to live with their family when the COVID-19 shutdown began in March 2020.

Early childhood education sophomore Tess Covey, who

lives in El Paso, Texas, with her parents and younger sister, said she has been “homebound” since she moved from Jester East Residence Hall over a year ago.

“It’s been nice to be with family,” Covey said. “Our relationship has grown this entire pandemic since we have been home for so long. We’ve had no choice but to get along because it gets lonely if you’re in your room all the time.”

Although she said she has strengthened bonds with family, Covey said there are times when she “goes crazy” in isolation. When that happens,

she said she drives around to get out of the house and grab a coffee or meal on her own.

“I have developed such an appreciation for FaceTime,” Covey said. “A coping mechanism of mine is to call my friend who goes to Texas Tech (University). It brings a sense of normalcy because it feels like she’s right in front of me.”

Like Boyd and Covey, Cruz said she has joined remote student organizations to feel more attached to the UT community.

“I’ve made probably two friends this entire year,” Cruz said. “It’s kind of hard to reach out to people through

Zoom. How do you even do that? I don’t know.”

Despite a general sense of gloom, students express optimism as the University plans a “near-normal” fall 2021 semester on campus.

“I’m having to figure out (campus life) far later than a lot of people, but at the same time, a lot of us are dealing with that, so it’s not as bad,” Boyd said. “We have each other’s backs in the sense that a lot of us are gonna be struggling.”

I literally wake up, walk 10 steps to my little schoolroom and that’s the extent of my UT experience, so it’s really sad.”

CAROLINA CRUZ journalism sophomore

megan clarke

/ the daily texan staff