DT VOLUME 121, ISSUE 57 TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021
UT community discusses reactions to COVID vaccine sylvia asuncion-crabb
/ the daily texan staff
PERMANENT STAFF Editor-in-Chief Emily Caldwell Managing Editor Trinady Joslin Assoc. Managing Editors Emily Hernandez, Ariana Arredondo Director of Digital Strategy Hal Riley Director of Diversity & Inclusion Areeba Amer Internal Relations Director Sanika Nayak External Relations Director Abhirupa Dasgupta Assoc. Opinion Editors Isabelle Costello, Hannah Lopez, Julia Zaksek
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Vaccine side effects are common, but some individuals have experienced allergic reactions.
Opinion Illustrators Andreana Lozano
Comic Artists Emma George, Chloe Pertuit, Meredith Browden
L&A Reporters Ikram Mohamed
Copy Editors Valeria Sixtos, Adriana Van Tho, Casey Ellis, Katie Stam Designers Minka Atkinson, Emma Gilliam
By Skye Seipp @seippetc
Some Longhorn Band members said they still don’t know if they will be required to play “The Eyes of Texas” at events and games. Some members said band directors have not provided much communication since UT’s history committee report was released March 9. The band lacked the “necessary instrumentation” to play the song at a football game last fall, according to an internal survey last October that came after Douglas Dempster, former dean of the College of Fine Arts, said band members were “expected” to play the alma mater at performances. Dempster’s statement contradicted a July letter from Mary Ellen Poole, director of the Butler School of Music, saying members would not be penalized for
not playing the song. Last fall, some band members refused to play the song because of its racist history. Poole said band leaders are waiting on a decision from UT administrators regarding if band members will be required to play the song. “That decision will determine how we proceed,” Poole said. “And the band members will be the first to know about that procedure/solution, whatever it is. They have waited long enough.” UT spokesperson J.B. Bird did not say whether the band will be required to play or not. “Our student band leaders have had numerous meetings with the University and continue to have important discussions as we work toward a solution,” Bird said. Issie Luna, a fourth year choral music studies major who has played french horn in the band for the past four
seasons, said she attended a meeting with band members, history committee chair Richard Reddick, UT President Jay Hartzell and other committee members on March 9. Luna said the conversation was mainly to tell band members to keep an “open mind” when reading the report and to not “cherry pick” information from it, which she said they did as they gave an overview of the report. Luna said she would not play the song but wants to be in the band for her fifth year. Associate band director Scott Hanna said there were “limited conversations” with the whole band before the committee’s report was released. “There have been and will continue to be many meetings and small group discussions as we consider our plans going forward,” Hanna said in an email. “We have actively
News Reporters Nicole Gomez, Sam Halloum Sports Reporters Kaitlyn Harmon, Payton Luster, Maya Martinez
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Rhasidat Adeleke’s outstanding freshman campaign is a result of her mother’s sacrifice.
Longhorn Band members unclear on alma mater
ISSUE STAFF Columnists Susan Cardone
Sports
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MIT and UT researchers are working to expand the capabilities of the lithium-ion batteries.
Life&Arts
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News Editor Lauren Girgis
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UT should allot all students a specific number of wellness days, or days off, each semester.
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 gapsar
/ the daily texan file
The Longhorn Band performs during the Texas football versus Baylor game at McLane Stadium in Waco on Nov. 23, 2019.
engaged student leaders through conversations with the Office of the President.” A copy of a March 10 email from Hanna obtained by The Daily Texan asked band members to have read the report and watched the videos by March 29 for smaller group meetings that would take place sometime that week. Luna said she has not received any communication about these meetings. “We’ve missed out on our performance opportunities because of this song,” Luna said. “We’ve missed out on experiences with each other, and the whole reason we’re in band is because we love each other. I want the band directors to talk to us. … We have no idea if they’re on our side or not.” Clarinet section leader Mercy Ogunlade said she doesn’t believe the directors are prioritizing conversations with students or listening to students. Ogunlade, a geography and sustainability studies junior, said she worries about her decision to not play the song affecting her ability to get a leadership position or a scholarship, which come from UT alumni. Ogunlade said she and her peers will not be forced to play anything. “We need to be told straight up that all decisions will be respected, and we need to have a layout of how next year will look,” Ogunlade said. “They need to listen to us and not only listen but make changes within the band such as what we’re required or not required to play. … I just wouldn’t want to be in an organization … where I don’t feel like I’m being cared for and I don’t feel like my voice is being heard.”
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Emily Caldwell (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com
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Trinady Joslin (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@thedailytexan.com
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(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.
NEWS
LAUREN GIRGIS
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News Editor | @THEDAILYTEXAN TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021
CAMPUS
UT to simplify tuition process Starting in the fall, UT will implement seven new changes to simplify the tuition payment process.
By Sam Halloum @samhalloum
he University will make seven changes to the tuition payment process starting this fall to make it simpler for students, as recommended by the Tuition Payment Deadline and Funds Flow Working Group. Project lead Carolyn Connerat said one of the biggest changes the University will implement is moving the due date for undergraduate
fall tuition to Aug. 17, when financial aid disperses. Additionally, institutional scholarships will automatically pay current tuition and housing debts, and tuition and housing due dates will be aligned, according to the Texas One Stop website. “It will make it easier for students, when they confirm attendance, to know that their financial aid or other scholarships will defer that payment, so they will not have to make a payment or worry about how they’re going to come up with that money,” said Connerat, the associate vice provost for Enrollment Management and Student Success.
The number of tuition due dates for students who choose to pay in installments will be lowered from five to three. The University will also lower the minimum amount for the first tuition payment to $1,500 for instate students and $5,000 for out-of-state students. “Today, the minimum amount due that you have to come up with is about 50% of your tuition,” Connerat said. “We’ve reduced that so that it’s about 20%.” Jennifer Love, director of Texas One Stop for Enrollment Services, said tuition can currently only be paid using one form of payment,
including financial aid, checks and credit cards, rather than switching between multiple for different installments. However, she said the University will begin to accept multiple forms of payment for different installments. “We know (students and families) are bringing together financing potentially from many different avenues and places,” Love said. UT will introduce a financial responsibility statement for students to sign before completing their registration that consolidates relevant information about tuition payment into one form, Connerat said. The statement
megan fletcher
/ the daily texan staff
will include information about due dates, consequences for payment failure, an installment plan promissory note and more, according to a copy of the statement obtained by The Daily Texan. “Nothing is new in that statement,” Love said. “It’s just all in one location.” The University will also redesign its tuition webpages and introduce a mobile-friendly version, according to the website. Steven Ding, a management information systems and urban studies junior, said he understands the confusion over tuition payment. “Students have questions about a lot of (paying tuition),” Ding said. “When I first got here, it was a pain.
You had to run between the tuition billing office and the financial aid office if you have something like that.” Ding is also the policy director and president-elect for the UT Senate of College Councils. He said that helping students understand the complexities of University policy regarding issues such as tuition is one of Senate’s main goals. “The registration system (is) complaint number one every year, every day, and projects like this are kind of like in the queue,” Ding said. “These are the kinds of projects … (that) continue to make our registration systems and other student facing systems more simple and easy to use.”
E M I LY C A L D W E L L
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Editor-In-Chief | @TEXANOPINION TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021
COLUMN
OPINION
Give students wellness days
UT should provide students excused wellness days each semester. By Susan Cardone Columnist
tudents are burnt out, especially right now. Trying to survive a pandemic while juggling school and daily responsibilities has not been easy. In response to this burnout, some schools have begun to provide students with wellness days that allow students to temporarily take time off from class and coursework. Pandemic or not, UT needs to show they are committed to students’ well-being by adopting flexible attendance practices. UT should allot each student a GALLERY
charlie hyman
specific number of wellness days each semester that would act as excused absences. These days would function similarly to built-in vacation or days off at a job where students could use wellness days at their own discretion. Students need these wellness days for their mental and physical health and to prevent burnout that is increasingly common among college students. Many states have passed legislation in support of mental health days. In 2018, Utah began to allow mental health reasons as a valid justification for an excused absence from school. In 2019, Oregon passed a law that grants students five mental health days over a three month period. UT would simply be following the necessary lead that many other states have already taken. Shubhi Nanda, neuroscience sophomore and co-chair of the Senate Equity and Inclusion Committee, said that although some of UT’s administration is open to implementing mental health days and flexible attendance policies, others are opposed. This makes it difficult to implement legislation. “There have been so many different stressors — whether that be in family life or academic life, Nanda said. “I think most faculty do not understand that it is taking a toll on people’s mental health.” Nanda agrees that having allotted wellness days would be both beneficial and
andreana lozano
equitable, especially for students who may have difficulties finding time or open appointments with the Counseling and Mental Health Center. “Even CMHC, a resource that is made for students to get help with their mental health, is overworked and overwhelmed,” Nanda said. Therefore, UT allotting a certain number of wellness days each semester would more equitably allow for all students to care for themselves, especially mentally. According to current University policy, “excused” absences are only for religious holidays, documented jury or military duty and University-
sponsored events. Even doctor’s visits or mild illnesses are not definitively excused. It is up to the professor whether or not they will grant an excused absence. Taking time off for health or stress reasons, however, is always valid, and that should be reflected in University policy. Social work freshman Anabel Hernandez agrees that UT should have more flexible attendance policies to help with the stress students face throughout the year. “(Mental health) is a priority we must take care of, and if taking a day off can help with that, we shouldn’t be penalized by a
/ the daily texan staff
professor for it,” Hernandez said. By granting students time off for their well-being, whether that be physical, mental or both, UT can help students avoid playing into a culture of burnout and stress. A flexible attendance policy would send students the message that their school genuinely cares about their health because, ultimately, that should be the most important thing. We all have our days where we simply need a break. Give students those days. We need and deserve them. Cardone is a government and social work sophomore from San Antonio, Texas.
/ the daily texan staff
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LIFE&ARTS
A I S L I N G AY E R S
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Life&Arts Editor | @TEXANARTS TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021
Q&A
The Sound of UT Freshman Kyle Kistner talks releasing new music and working with UTalent Records.
By Morgan-Taylor Thomas @mtthomas_
fter playing guitar in Nuclear Nation, his first band in high school, Kyle Kistner knew he had found a way to express his musical talents and strengthen friendships through music. Before he knew it, Kistner was part of three bands at once. Now a UTalent Records 2020-2021 artist, the Plan II and physical culture and sports freshman has branched off on his own, releasing a four song EP titled Bandit on the Run on SoundCloud and a single titled “Runnin’ Away” on Spotify. The Daily Texan spoke with Kistner about life as a musician, balancing school and how
his cat Oliver became a staple of his new brand. The Daily Texan: How would you define your sound?
It depends on the day, but my main influences come from punk (and) some … come from (my) favorite bands of all time: the Ramones, Car Seat Headrest, Sunny Day Real Estate, The White Stripes and The Raconteurs. On the recording of my latest single that I released last week, I played everything on it except one guitar part. But the music I make after this album or EP I’m about to release is going to be a completely different sound. It’s going to be more psychedelic.
Kyle Kistner:
DT: How did you come up with the stage name “The Oliver Experiment?”
copyright hannah jones, and reproduced with permission
Plan II and physical culture and sports freshman Kyle Kistner recently released a four song EP titled Bandit on the Run on SoundCloud and a single titled “Runnin’ Away” on Spotify.
I was planning to release my music, (and) I had just gotten the final mix. I wanted to put it under a stage name that I could eventually turn into a band name. Oliver is actually the name of my cat, and I was just looking at him and I was just like, “You know what, I’m gonna name it ‘The Oliver Experiment.’” KK:
DT: How has the past year influenced your sound? KK: When the coronavirus hit, (my band and I) couldn’t really practice. We had to stay in our homes. That’s when I really started to make music and make complete songs
on my own. So my Bandit on the Run EP up on Soundcloud came from quarantine. It was just stuff that I was writing over the summer. (But) my taste is always evolving. My musical mind is nowhere close to what it was 6 months ago when I was writing the material I’m currently releasing. … I’ve been diving a lot further into music theory, and now I’m at the point where I listen to music completely differently than I used to. What is it like working with UTalent Records, where your producer and manager are also students?
DT:
KK:
UTalent, a lot of it, is
teaching kids the business side of (the music industry), so it’s cool to see them learning that, too. It’s pretty fun because it doesn’t seem like a business relationship — it’s more of a friendship. My producer … has become one of my best friends on campus. We hang out all the time, even if we’re not recording. I (also) met my co-manager and drummer there. I’d say definitely the most helpful part has been the … connections I’ve made. It has also made me really double down on my music because I have something to work for and people (who) hold (me to a high) standard and make sure that I release music.
C A R T E R YAT E S
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Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021
TRACK & FIELD
angela wang
SPORTS
/ the daily texan file
Texas rounds the bend in the lead at the Texas Relays on March 31, 2018. The Longhorns beat Texas A&M in a dual meet this past Saturday, winning 125 of a possible 146 points.
Lone Star showdown
Texas track and field sweeps in-state rival A&M at dual meet over weekend. By Payton Luster @paytonnluster
exas and Texas A&M might not face off in football again for the foreseeable future, but Texas track and field gave Longhorns fans ultimate bragging rights over the weekend. The Longhorns bested the Aggies by a grand margin on Saturday at Mike A. Myers Stadium, winning 125 of 146 points. The dual meet showcased that when the Longhorns are at their best, they’re borderline unstoppable. The No. 2-ranked Texas
women posted five top-10 nationally ranked performances at the dual meet on their way to defeating Texas A&M in 14 of the 19 scored events. Senior Elena Bruckner was the high-point scorer for the Texas women, winning a trio of field events with a total of 15 points. Bruckner’s day started with an outstanding performance in the women’s hammer throw, breaking her personal record with a mark of 56.82m/186-5. She continued to find her groove in the discus with a 57.35m/1882 mark. To cap one of the best days of her career, Bruckner won the shot put event with a mark of 16.84m/55-3. The Texas women built upon this momentum on the track. Junior Kynnedy Flannel
tore up the track in the women’s 200-meter and 100-meter dash — accounting for two of the NCAA’s top women performances. Not only did she win individual titles in those events with personal-best times, her 100-meter race time of 11.23 seconds ranks her as the fourth-fastest in the NCAA. In her signature event, the 200-meter dash, Flannel posted an NCAA-leading time of 22.55 seconds. Coming off the heels of breaking Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s 36-year-old collegiate record in the long jump at the Texas Relays, junior Tara Davis blew past the field in the women’s long jump and 100-meter hurdles. Her time of 13.14 seconds in the hurdles easily earned her another individual title, moving her into
ninth place in Texas history. Davis also posted a 6.71m/22-0.25 in the women’s long jump without a hurdle standing in her way. On the men’s side, the sprints and distance teams propelled Texas to win 12 of 19 total events against the Aggies, earning 77.4% of the possible points. The Longhorns won another sprint double — the 100-meter and 200-meter dash — with senior Micaiah Harris. Harris earned the first-place title with a 10.28 second mark in the 100 and posted the NCAA’s eighth-fastest time with a 20.63 second mark in the 200. In the distance races, a trio of Longhorns swept the men’s 1,500-meter run. Junior Brendan Herbert led the pack with a time of 3 minutes, 48.61 seconds. Sophomores Yaseen Abdalla
and Liam Walsh followed closely behind to finish second and third, respectively. Senior John Rice and freshman Graydon Morris continued upon the Longhorns’ dominance in the distance races by finishing first and second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, respectively. The event marked Rice’s first steeplechase since the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship, and his time of 8:49.32 earned him a long-awaited individual title. Morris, on the other hand, made his steeplechase debut with a personal best time of 9:06.09 Texas will have a well-deserved week off before taking a trip to San Antonio, Texas on April 15-16 for the Roadrunner Invitational.
NEWS
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TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021
CAMPUS
Research associates from MIT, UT collaborate to push limits for lithium-ion batteries By Kevin Vu @Kevin_Vu_
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and UT collaborated in a March 25 study to increase the capabilities of lithium-ion batteries, which are often used in portable devices such as phones, laptops and electrical vehicles. The team created a new lithium-ion battery that can store twice the power of typical lithium-ion batteries, MIT postdoctoral associate Weijiang Xue said. Xue said he hoped to increase the energy density of batteries, which is how much energy a battery can carry compared to its weight. He replaced the graphite used in the negative end of a battery, the anode, with lithium metal, and increased the voltage of the positive end, the cathode. “Lithium metal is very dangerous, but … its (energy) capacity is more than ten times of the graphite,” Xue said. MIT chemistry professor Jeremiah Johnson said there’s an issue with this approach. He said an unwanted chemical reaction occurs between the two ends of the battery and the chemical medium between them, called the electrolyte, which prevents the battery from working properly. “Lithium is such a reactive material — it’s (on the) far left of the periodic table, which means that it’s a very strong reducing agent; it likes to give electrons to things,” Johnson said.
christina peebles / the daily texan staff “When it does that, a lot of the classic electrolytes … aren’t stable. They can’t survive that.” In order to develop the new battery, Xue said he worked with Johnson’s lab. He said Johnson’s team had previously developed a novel electrolyte that resists oxidation, the loss of electrons and harsh reactions for a different type of battery. Xue said the novel electrolyte is made of a
sulfonamide group, a chemical group found in sulfa drugs, which are used to treat bacterial infections. Johnson said conventional electrolytes — which are made out of carbonate, a common compound found in chalk and limestone — are not stable in high voltage and in the presence of lithium metal. Xue said the cathodes would often crack because of how unstable they are with conventional carbonate
electrolytes. The new electrolyte prevents the cracking behavior, allowing for the development of a new lithium-ion battery, Xue said. “The (new electrolyte) has very good oxidation resistance,” Xue said. “So that means when we charge the cathode with a very high voltage, (the new electrolyte) can be very stable with the cathode surface.” Johnson said the new battery’s larger capacity
could allow for longer range for electric vehicles and shorter charging times for mobile devices. UT research associate Yutao Li said his role on the project was to find out if the new battery had any improvements compared to conventional batteries. He said the new battery could be very applicable if MIT increases the battery’s cycle life, the amount of times it can be fully discharged and recharged,
and reduces the cost of the electrolyte. Johnson said the team is working with a contract facility and multiple battery companies to create more of the new electrolyte to test on larger batteries. “If it works as well in a company’s hands as ours, it could actually be the thing that’s in all of our phones,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of crazy, but it actually has that level of potential.”
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TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021
NEWS
CAMPUS
UT researchers highlight lack of transparent COVID-19 data in correctional facilities By Nicole Gomez & Kevin Vu
@nicole__gomezz @Kevin_Vu_
Many correctional facilities across the nation lack transparency when communicating information about the spread and management of COVID-19, according to a study by researchers at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. The study, published in March, highlighted the lack of transparency of COVID-19 data in prison, jail and juvenile facilities across the country, said Michele Deitch, an LBJ distinguished senior lecturer. The study looked into the accessibility of COVID-19 data across 51 prison systems in the nation. Deitch said that before the study, William Bucknall, an intern for the COVID, Corrections and Oversight project, was working on a small report regarding COVID-19 in jails and prisons. She said she noticed the lack of transparency in regards to data surrounding COVID-19, which led to her and Bucknall starting on the project.
prisons but also for jails and also for juvenile (detention centers),” Deitch said. “So it just kept growing in scope.” Deitch said that the project used the data and information already accessible through public websites, such as corrections agencies’ COVID-19 data dashboards, social media sites and press releases. She said they scored the states based on how accessible the existing data was. “We didn’t have to do any investigative sleuthing because the whole point was you shouldn’t have to,” Deitch said. “If it wasn’t readily available, they just didn’t get a good score.”
Bucknall said multiple health officials and websites have created guidelines for how and where agencies should publish their data and what metrics are included. He said there is a lot less guidance on dashboards for correctional facilities specifically. “The most tedious part was grading 150 websites and the local jails,” Bucknall said. “I spent so (much) time on so many different data dashboards that I think I learned what makes them very accessible and easy to use and what’s important to have.” Renee Alsept, a public defender in Seattle, Washington, said several of her
clients at the Airway Heights Correctional Center have talked about their living conditions over the past year. She said those who tested positive would be kept in a gym area where they only had one or two bathrooms to share and were forced to sleep on the floor. At one point, there were hundreds of COVID-positive inmates in that area, she said. “It’s terrifying to think about,” Alsept said. “The gym is not set up for comfortable (living conditions). So imagine testing positive for COVID-19 and having to be in that environment. It’s inhumane.” Alsept said the lack of transparency is much like
why the police hide “use of force” incidents. “They don’t necessarily tell us about that either (because) they don’t want to be criticized,” Alsept said. “We still have not gotten very clear data from our jail.” Deitch said the team hopes the research encourages agencies to be more transparent with the information and data they present to the public, using their report as a guide. “What we’ve learned … is the importance of shining a light on what’s happening inside,” Deitch said. “It’s that transparency that helps keep the people who live and work in the facilities safe.”
What we’ve learned … is the importance of shining a light on what’s happening inside.” MICHELE DEITCH
lbj distinguished senior lecturer
“The more we sunk our teeth into it, we started thinking, ‘We really need to look around and see what every state is doing,’ and do it not just for
minka atkinson / the daily texan staff
LIFE&ARTS
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TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021
FEATURES
UT community members experience physical reactions to COVID vaccine By Ikram Mohamed @ikramxmoham
After her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, Kristen Schank experienced a headache, fever, chills and a rash the size of an orange just below the injection site on her left arm. “The rash was red, hot and very itchy,” finance junior Schank said. “I was a little concerned, though not scared that I would die.” On March 29, Texas opened up COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all individuals 16 and older. In the United States, about 165 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered. While it’s expected for recipients of the vaccine to experience side effects, about 2.1% have had allergic reactions.
Discomfort for a few days is worth it to me to prevent other people from getting sick. KRISTEN SCHANK finance junior
Schank was a participant in a Pfizer vaccine trial in September. Through the trial, Schank was able to receive a vaccination in March and had a trial team monitor her reaction. “I went in and (the trial team) looked at (the rash),” Schank said. “They said not many people experienced that (reaction), but it wasn’t to where it was causing concern. I knew as long as my throat wasn’t closing up, I’d probably be fine.” Though her reaction was uncommon, Schank was still able to
receive a second dose. She said she had faith the doctors wouldn’t be administering the vaccine if the costs outweighed the benefits. “Discomfort for a few days is worth it to me to prevent other people from getting sick,” Schank said “It’s about saving your life and everyone else’s.” Biology freshman Alondra Fleming-Parra got the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine because she lives with her aunt, who is at a high-risk of complications if she contracted COVID-19. “(I) didn’t feel anything too alarming, other than the soreness of my arm,” Fleming-Parra said. “Later that day, my arm started to hurt (and) I felt tired.” After her second dose, she said she developed a 100.2 degree fever and began to experience flu-like symptoms. “There was a point where I was really worried because I had never felt that (sick) before,” Fleming-Parra said. “I was just thinking, ‘My body’s working. It’s trying its best to do what it has to do.’” Fleming-Parra said her body experienced expected possible side effects in response to the vaccine, and she did not have an allergic reaction. Dr. Kristin Mondy, chief of the Division of Infectious Disease at Dell Medical School, said her main concern is
vaccine recipients interpreting normal side effects of the vaccine as an allergic reaction. “Soreness, fatigue, that’s not an allergic reaction,” Mondy said. “If a person is having a skin reaction … (such as) discoloration, bumps … it’s helpful to take pictures and go to the vaccine provider and talk to them about it.” Mondy said vaccine providers will be able to verify whether someone is having an allergic reaction or just experiencing common side effects. “(Vaccine providers) have training on the vaccinations,” Mondy said. “The provider will decide how severe (the reaction was) and if it’s safe to get the second dose.” Around 30 minutes after receiving the Pfizer vaccine, Robert Quigley, an associate professor of practice of journalism, broke out in hives across his entire body. Because of his allergic reaction, his
doctors wouldn’t allow him to receive the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine in accordance with CDC recommendations. If he were to receive the second dose, Quigley risked being sent into anaphylactic shock. “I’m disappointed that I couldn’t get two (doses), but I’m happy I was able to get one,” Quigley said. “Not everybody is fortunate enough around the world to even get one shot, … so I’m privileged.” Though Schank, Fleming-Parra and Quigley had varying reactions to the vaccine, they all said they don’t regret their decision to get vaccinated. “Me breaking out in hives was a minor inconvenience,” Quigley said. “I have family members who had a high temperature...that’s a minor inconvenience. It’s easy to forget just how deadly serious this virus has been and could still be.”
christina peebles
/ the daily texan staff
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TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021
SPORTS
FEATURE
An ocean apart: Adeleke thankful for mom’s sacrifice By Kaitlyn Harmon @Kait_Harmon
It took less than a minute and just 400 meters of all-out effort for Texas freshman Rhasidat Adeleke to entrench her name in Longhorn lore at the 2021 Big 12 Indoor Championships on Feb. 27. The 18-year-old ran like a gazelle, gracefully floating around the curve of the track despite standing at 6 feet tall and competing in arguably the most physically demanding race. When the first-generation college student from Ireland checked her social media accounts after the race, she found out why her sixth-place finish had triggered such an uproar. Adeleke recorded a 53 minute, 44 second time in the 400-meter dash, — a race she had never run before this season — breaking the Irish junior 400-meter indoor record in Texas. “I didn’t even know I broke the record because I didn’t even know what the former record was,” Adeleke said. Since that performance, Adeleke has continued to turn heads in her first collegiate season. Adeleke broke the Irish junior 200-meter record that stood for 21 years at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays on March 27, and then broke it again one week later
I didn’t even know I broke the record because I didn’t even know what the former record was.” RHASIDAT ADELEKE ut freshman
with a time of 23.25 seconds at the team’s dual meet against Texas A&M on Saturday. Adeleke, however, knows that she would not have the opportunity to break records at UT without the
courtesy of brad tollefson
Rhasidat Adeleke bursts out of the blocks at the Big 12 Indoor Championships on Feb. 27. Adeleke has broken two long-held Irish junior records in her first season competing for the Longhorns.
extensive sacrifices of her mother, Ade. In Ireland, Rhasidat said Ade was her personal taxi driver and her monetary provider who funded her competitive drive. Rhasidat has raced in 14 different countries for the Irish junior team and recalls her mom traveling to countries like Azerbaijan just to watch her daughter race for 30 seconds. “My family is literally my support system,” Rhasidat said. “My mom especially will go above and beyond to make sure I achieve my goals. (In) different corners of the world, she will be there.” But in the current COVID-19 climate of travel bans and social distancing protocols, Rhasidat said her mother cannot be there in person to witness her hard work coming to fruition.
From an ocean away, Ade said she is proud of her daughter’s record-breaking accomplishments in her first collegiate track season. “I’m so proud of everything she has accomplished. She works so hard and has also sacrificed a lot to get to where she is,” Ade said in an email. “I always give all the Glory to God for everything she has achieved.” Sophie O’Sullivan, an Irish citizen who resides in Australia and runs for the University of Washington, competed alongside Rhasidat on the same Irish junior team. O’Sullivan said running track has allowed her and Rhasidat to see the world. Competing in countries like Hungary, where the pair first met at the European Under-18 Track and Field Championships in 2018, creates opportunities for Irish women to
appreciate the world more, O’Sullivan said in an email. Rhasidat said she is not entirely certain at this point in her young collegiate career which events she wants to specialize in. One thing she is sure about, however, is her dream to compete in the Olympics for Ireland as a Texas Longhorn. Rhasidat said she has immense trust in head coach Edrick Floréal and believes training underneath him and among some of the world’s best sprinters will ultimately lead her to the Olympic Games. “I put all my trust in (Coach) Flo,” Rhasidat said. “I’ll just be really grateful to be able to go out there and wear the Irish vest, while also throwing the horns up because, regardless, (I’m a) Longhorn for life.”
COMICS
B A R B D A LY & R O C K Y H I G I N E
Comics Editors | @TEXANCOMICS TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021
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SPORTS
VOLLEYBALL
Texas rebounds from shocking loss, secures No. 4 overall seed in NCAA Tournament By Maya Martinez @MayaMartinezatx
In year full of unprecedented external circumstances for the Texas volleyball team, the one constant was winning. Until it wasn’t. On March 23, the undefeated Longhorns allowed the unthinkable to happen on their home court: a devastating loss to a 13–4 Rice squad that managed to get the better of the heavily favored Texas team in three sets. The last time Texas gave up a regular season defeat was Nov. 2019 against conference rival Baylor in Waco. The last regular season home defeat? Sept. 2018 against Stanford, who would go on to win the national title. “I think it left a little bit of a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth,” head coach Jerritt Elliott said. “I think every once in a while, it feels good to be real and feel pain and they did that. I think our attention to detail has been stronger.” Elliott’s squad has since brushed off the defeat and focused on their main goal — to win a National Championship in Omaha, Nebraska later this month. On Sunday, the Longhorns secured the No. 4 overall seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Junior outside hitter Logan Eggleston recorded 46 kills in the three games after the shocking loss, propelling the Longhorns to a 23–1 record. The upset woke Texas up as a team and forced them to realize they could lose to anybody, Eggleston said.
“(The Rice loss) has definitely been motivation,” Eggleston said. “I think it was kind of the right time. It really opened our eyes and kind of prepared us, and helped us start getting ready for the tournament.” Eggleston has been crucial to the team’s impact on the community and the game itself, from her involvement on “The Eyes of Texas” History Committee to earning multiple Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week
honors this season. “I’m just super thankful to be in an environment where I’m able to speak up about what I believe in and be a part of groups who are able to have those difficult conversations and kind of create change,” Eggleston said. If Texas wants to be a championship team, the players have to combine forces and not put too much pressure on Eggleston, Elliott said. “The biggest thing that I need to do with Logan
(Eggleston) is to make sure that we don’t put too much on her plate, because she obviously carries a big load,” Elliott said. “We don’t have to have one or two people carrying us every single night, but I like the balance, and we’re working hard to kind of continue to get our middles and right sides involved.” It’s been more than a year since the Longhorns have been in this setting — a national tournament with everything on the line. The team’s narrow 3-2 loss to
Louisville in the Regional round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament is still fresh in their minds. In one of the most difficult seasons of these athletes’ careers, the ultimate cherry on top would be lighting the tower on an Austin night. “It would mean everything, especially this year with all the sacrifices I’ve had to make,” Eggleston said. “It would just mean that all of the work and all the time and the blood sweat and tears that we put in have really paid off.”
joshua guenther
/ the daily texan file
Junior outside hitter Logan Eggleston sets the ball during a match against Minnesota on Sept. 4, 2019. Eggleston has recorded 46 kills in the three subsequent games since Texas’s surprising loss to Rice on March 23.