The Daily Texan 2021-06-08 by The Daily Texan

stud ents prot est a ntiabor tion bill VOLUME 122, ISSUE 1 TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

connor downs

/ the daily texan staff

PERMANENT STAFF Editor-in-Chief Sanika Nayak

MAIN TELEPHONE

Students discuss Pride Month, parade and celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.

Sports

page

Moving into next year, UT must improve course schedule transparency for student safety.

Life&Arts

page

Graduate student workers advocate for improvements to incoming health care plan.

Opinion

page

News

page

Contents:

Texas cruised through the Austin Regional thanks to dominant pitching performances.

Senior Newsletters Writer Jessica Garcia

Managing Editor Ariana Arredondo

Director of Diversity & Inclusion Abhirupa Dasgupta Internal Relations Director Sruti Ramachandran

Assoc. Design Editor Juleanna Culilap Senior Designer Jenny DeVico

External Relations Director

Multimedia Editor Jack Myer

Rachael Hatchett Assoc. Opinion Editors Maria Sailale, Megan Tran Illustration Coordinator

Assoc. Video Editor Matthew Posey

Abriella Corker

Sr. Videographer Anchal Raghuvanshi

News Editor Hannah Williford

Assoc. Photo Editor Connor Downs

Assoc. News Editors Anna Canizales, Brooke Ontiveros

Senior Photographer Hannah Clark

Beat Reporters Sheryl Lawrence, Marisa Huerta, Kaushiki Roy, Kevin Vu Life&Arts Editor Jennifer Errico Assoc. Life&Arts Editor Fiza Kuzhiyil Sr. Life&Arts Reporters Andreana Lozano, Morgan-Taylor Thomas Sports Editor Carter Yates Assoc. Sports Editor Nathan Han Senior Sports Writers Matthew Boncosky, Vicente Montalvo

Comics Editor Destiny Alexander Assoc. Comics Editor Rocky Higine Sr. Comics Illustrator Megan Clarke Social Media Editor Nuzha Zuberi Assoc. Social Media Editor Bernice Chen Senior Social Staffer Sarah Winch Audio Editor Addie Costello Assoc. Audio Editor Carly Rose Senior Audio Producer Mikayla Mondragon Editorial Adviser Peter Chen

Newsletters Editor Maia Borchardt

ISSUE STAFF

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

MANAGING EDITOR

Ariana Arrendondo (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@thedailytexan.com (512) 232-2207 news@thedailytexan.com

FEATURE

Assoc. Copy Desk Chief Mantra Dave Design Editor Megan Fletcher

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

NEWS OFFICE

Copy Desk Chief Phoebe Hayes

Director of Digital Strategy Katya Bandouil

(512) 471-4591

Incoming freshman uses valedictory speech to speak out against anti-abortion legislation By Sheryl Lawrence @sheryl_adelle

Paxton Smith ditched her preapproved valedictorian speech to speak out against a new Texas law that bans abortion as early as six weeks or as soon as a heartbeat is detected. Smith called the bill “gut-wrenching” and “dehumanizing.” Smith, who graduated from Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, went viral on social media after her speech. In the fall, she will head to UT with plans to earn a Bachelor of Arts in music with an emphasis in record technologies or music business. On May 19, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the

country. The bill bans abortion as early as six weeks or as soon as a heartbeat is detected, with the exception of medical emergencies, but not for rape or incest. “Before (people) have the chance to decide if they can take on the responsibility of bringing another human into the world, the decision has been made for them by a stranger,” Smith said in her speech. Smith said she expected the microphone to be cut off before she finished speaking at graduation and for people to be upset with her. She also expected to lose a few friends, people’s respect and to receive many nasty messages, she said. However, she did not face any repercussions from the school after her speech.

Copy Editor Emma Allen Opinion Illustrator Devora Tehya Photographer Emma George Life&Arts Reporter Sofia Treviño Sports Reporters Kaitlyn Harmon, Amsal Madhani

“On the stage, I honestly had a very neutral, calm feeling,” Smith said. “The week and a half leading up to before it, I was absolutely dreading giving the speech. I knew in my heart that it was the right thing to do, so (it) was something that I should do, but I wasn’t blind to the repercussions that I was probably going to face.” Smith said she hopes to participate in various sports and clubs in the fall at UT and wants to use her voice to advocate for people who are impacted by this bill. Smith was involved in many organizations in high school, but she said Interact Club, where she was president for two years, had the biggest impact on her. “That was very eye-opening to me in terms of economic disparity,” Smith said. “I realized how much I have to start with. … I think it was there and seeing how my actions can truly impact others that I really gained a passion for service.”

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.

BUSINESS & ADVERTISING (512) 471-8590 advertise@texasstudentmedia.com Director Gerald Johnson Business/ Operations Manager Frank Serpas III Advertising Manager Emily Cohen Assistant Advertising Manager

Grant Daniels

Account Executives Diane Byram, Pam Garner, Julianne Phillipp Design Tillie Policastro

THE DAILY TEXAN MAIL SUBSCRIPTION RATES One Semester (Fall/Spring) $60.00 Two Semesters (Fall & Spring) $120.00 Summer Session $40.00 One Year (Fall, Spring and Summer)

$150.00

To charge by VISA or MasterCard, call 471-5083. Send orders and address changes to Texas Student Media, P.O. Box D, Austin, TX 78713-8904.

ADVERTISING DEADLINES Ad space is reserved by noon at least two business days before regular publications. For special editions and other advertising opportunities please speak with a TSM account executive for deadlines and additional details. The Summer 2021 publication schedule is Tuesday. Contact advertise@texasstudentmedia.com.

AUSTIN WEATHER

TOMORROW June 9

Copyright 2021 Texas Student Media. All articles, photographs and graphics, both in the print and online editions, are the property of Texas Student Media and may not be reproduced or republished in part or in whole without written permission.

93º LO 75º

The Daily Texan, a student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin, is published by Texas Student Media, 2500 Whitis Ave., Austin, TX 78712. Our work is made possible by support from our advertising partners and donors. To provide individual support, please visit The Daily Texan page at supportstudentvoices.org. To highlight your business, please email advertise@texasstudentmedia.com. The Daily Texan does not publish during academic breaks, most Federal Holidays and exam periods. News contributions will be accepted by telephone (471-4591), or at the editorial office (HSM 2.120). Entire contents copyright 2021 Texas Student Media.

H.A.G.S.

Paxton Smith graduated from Lake Highlands High School on May 30. In her valedictory speech she spoke out about recent anti-abortion bills.

NEWS

HANNAH WILLIFORD

News Editor | @THEDAILYTEXAN TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

STUDENT LIFE

Health care for graduate students

Graduate student workers push to delay September health care plan switch and advocate for improvements. By Kaushiki Roy @kaushikiroy3

raduate student organization Underpaid at UT drafted an open letter to University administration May 28 in response to the new health care plan for graduate students, Academic Blue. The new default health care provider was announced to graduate students in April with the plan set to begin in September. However, it was met with pushback from students, according to previous reporting from the Texan. The letter requested a delay in the new plan because of increased out-of-pocket costs, a $400 annual tax and reduced health coverage. While students will still have the option to change their program back to UT SELECT, this will include a $314.02 monthly premium. “We’re trying to get them to delay by a year just to buy us (and the graduate school) more time,” said graduate

student John Mellison. “There are some major issues not worked out, and their blanket answer to a lot of the shortcomings of this health insurance is to say there’s an emergency fund.” Underpaid at UT generated a petition with over 600 signatures as of June 6 from students and faculty calling for the University to delay when the insurance switch will take place, graduate student Annie Bares said. The administration sent a second schoolwide email May 21 providing more information on costs and quality of coverage. The administration also said they were working with Academic Blue to address coverage gaps and reimbursement plans. Bares said she still felt a lack of transparency from the administration and thought they were unclear on the details of this plan. “It’s been kind of a collective effort to figure out what the implications of this (health insurance plan) actually are because the information that we’ve received from the University is so unclear,” Bares said.

emma george

/ the daily texan file

Maria Juenger, associate dean for Graduate Education Transformation, acknowledged that students with recurring medical costs would be disadvantaged with the new plan. “There certainly is a population among the graduate students that could see higher health care costs because the specific types of treatments they’re getting fall into that category,” Juenger said. However, Juenger said graduate students will now be able to use University Health Services for no out-of-pocket cost and get free dental and vision. She said the administration is developing a response to the open letter. Juenger said plans and details for a

student support fund are ongoing and the University plans to battle the $400 per year tax by increasing lower-end worker salaries by 20-40%. Mellison said he does not think raising wages equates to cutting students’ benefits elsewhere. “They’re saving money, and people who are vulnerable will literally pay the difference,” Mellison said. Juenger said although there have been estimates by the University on savings, there will not be a clear picture of those savings until 2023. “The University may or may not save money because of this,” Juenger said. “That wasn’t the motivation.”

S A N I K A N AYA K

Editor-In-Chief | @TEXANOPINION TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

COLUMN

OPINION

Who’s teaching your class? You deserve to know. Columnist Megan Tran calls on UT to list professors on the course schedule before registration opens so that students can feel safe and comfortable. Content Warning: This column contains discussion of sexual misconduct and assault. By Megan Tran Columnist

oleman Hutchison. Kevin Dalby. Sahotra Sarkar. What do these three names have in common? They’re all in the UT Austin Sexual Misconduct Database. After an investigation conducted by the Office for Inclusion and Equity, these faculty members were found to have violated the University’s policies prohibiting sexual misconduct. Despite this, Dalby and Sarkar are teaching during the summer 2021 semester and all three will be teaching courses during the fall 2021 semester. Since UT unfortunately remains undeterred by the sexual misconduct of its professors and continues employing them, students deserve the right to choose whether to take their classes. However, students often don’t know who’s teaching

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.

a class when they sign up for it. It is beyond time for the University to prioritize student safety on campus and list all professors on the course schedule before registration begins. During registration for the fall 2021 semester, some students signed up for a class without a professor listed and later discovered that it would be taught by Sarkar, leading one student to drop the class. While students can drop classes after the initial registration period, they may not have the option of doing so if other professors’ classes are already filled and they need the credit to continue with their degree. Isabelle, a student and survivor of sexual assault, explained how she felt after discovering that her professor had been accused of sexual misconduct. Her last name has been withheld to maintain anonymity. “I just joined the class and assumed that my professor would be a respectable person, but knowing the allegations — as a survivor myself — I felt like the rug had been taken out from under me,” Isabelle said. “It was one of my favorite classes,

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.

(but) I lost interest in it. I stopped going to classes, and I didn’t pursue my education because of discomfort.” How can survivors feel comfortable signing up for a course without knowing if the professor will be someone who has a history of sexual misconduct? How can survivors learn in an environment that may be re-traumatizing? Transparency regarding who will be teaching each course allows students to avoid courses taught by professors that would force them to make compromises between their comfort and their education. Kathleen Harrison, communications manager for the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, declined to interview and instead referenced her previously published statement explaining why course instructors may not be listed before registration. “Sometimes a faculty member is not yet assigned to a specific class by the time registration opens due to various factors including the

devora tehya

/ the daily texan staff

vetting of credentials for instruction,” Harrison said in an email. Harrison’s explanation regarding the vetting of credentials seems inefficient, however, since professors such as Sarkar are not new to the UT system and have taught for years. While other bureaucratic factors may be at play, failing to provide a more thorough explanation, particularly regarding the course that Sarkar is teaching, comes across as a lack of transparency. “Part of respecting (survivors) is being honest about who’s teaching us,” Isabelle said. “It feels like (UT is) withholding the truth … and even if they aren’t, it’s hurting survivors, and it’s hurting students at UT. They should care about that.” Tran is a Plan II and English sophomore from Houston, Texas.

RECYCLE | Please recycle this copy of The Daily Texan. Place the paper in one of the recycling bins on campus or back in the burnt-orange newsstand where you found it.

EDITORIAL TWITTER | Follow The Daily Texan Editorial Board on Twitter (@TexanOpinion) and receive updates on our latest editorials and columns.

Explore our Features & Amenities • Short 7-10 minute walk to campus • UT shuttle to campus every 15 minutes • 24-hour fitness center • Multimedia sports lounge with multiple flat screen TV’s • Game tables • Coffee bar • Study lounge with wireless printing • Rooftop terrace • Controlled building access • Individual leases available • Roommate matching service • Garage parking available

• Wide variety of floor plans • Fully equipped kitchen • Stainless steel appliances • Granite countertops • Hard surface flooring • Washer/dryer included • Wireless high-speed internet in every bedroom • Basic cable included • Pet-friendly • Furnished and unfurnished apartments available

AustinWestCampus.com Contact

2401 San Gabriel Street Austin, TX 78705 (512) 607-5463 RegentsWest24@CWSapartments.com

JENNIFER ERRICO

Life&Arts Editor | @TEXANARTS

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

STUDENT LIFE

LIFE&ARTS

‘it’s great escapism’ Tabletop role-play gamers responds to virtual setting by making game play more interactive. By Andreana Lozano @lozano_andreana

uring an engaging tabletop gaming session, E l i s e Smith recalls players jumping to their feet and pacing around the room while speaking. After COVID-19 forced meetings to go virtual, sessions meant reading lines of

chat in a virtual setting or tuning into voice channels. “We did our best to move virtually,” said Smith, anthropology senior and president of Longhorn Tabletop Gaymers. “But people have been less engaged. I definitely lost some players. It is hard to replace the energy of being in person.” Tabletop role-playing games are games where players verbally describe and determine the actions of their characters within a given set of rules and context. When the

pandemic shut down in-person meetings and comic bookstore socials that players frequented, UT’s tabletop groups were forced to play virtually. Canyon Mooney, Texas D&D president and computer science senior, said moving online allowed his organization to share resources more easily and use digital tools to make gameplay more interactive. He said players could create their characters virtually through character sheets, play music to add ambiance

LEAVE NO TRACE:

DISPOSE OF WASTE PROPERLY

and create voice channels to communicate. “Even when we played in person, virtual character sheets were popular and lots of people played with their laptops out,” Mooney said. “That was trending at the time, and I bet it will be moreor-less permanent now.” Before the pandemic, tabletop RPG players in Austin could meetup and find community in local comic book stores. Chris Prymuszewski, the events manager at Dragon’s Lair, an Austin comic bookstore, said that COVID-19 impacted the store’s ability to host the local tabletop RPG community. “It’s been tough,” Prymuszewski said. “We are known for our free community space and having that space is very

important to us, so having to shut down and be closed completely for those two or three months at the beginning of COVID-19 was hard.” He said the loss of community tabletop space also meant a significant loss of revenue. “It was an organic thing,” Prymuszewski said. “People would come and learn and try out different games. If you liked a game demo, you could pick up a copy in the store. It’s hard for people to buy from a store when they don’t know what they are buying. Plus, we had to compete with online prices.” However, Prymuszewski said the store saw an increase in requests for copies of certain popular tabletop games such as Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer 40,000, especially from families.

“It makes sense,” Prymuszewski said. “These games are a great way for families to bond. It allows people to go on adventures without leaving their houses and without worrying about staying six feet apart. It’s great escapism.” Dragon’s Lair worked hard to move many of its events online and to keep the community engaged, Prymuszewski said. He said tabletop RPG players can now reserve limited space to meet in store, especially as more people get vaccinated. “We have been slow to reopen out of an overabundance of caution, but people want to come back and start hanging out again,” Prymuszewski said. “People want to move on from this past year while still staying safe.”

Visiting an outdoor space in Austin? Trashcans aren’t always nearby. Remember to bring bags and reusable containers so you can pack out all trash, pet waste, and leftover food. austintexas.gov/leavenotrace

megan clarke

/ the daily texan staff

NEWS

HANNAH WILLIFORD

News Editor | @THEDAILYTEXAN TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

LEGISLATURE

Gov. Abbott signs ‘heartbeat bill’ connor downs

/ the daily texan staff

Protestors hold signs in opposition of Texas SB 8, which bans abortions of fetuses with a detectable heartbeat, in front of the Texas State Capitol building on May 29, 2021.

By Marisa Huerta @_marisahuerta

aturday’s protest on the steps of the Texas Capitol saw hundreds of students advocating for reproductive rights in the wake anti-abortion legislation

of recent in Texas. On May 16, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Senate Bill 8, also known as the “heartbeat bill.” Mostly sponsored and signed by Republican lawmakers, the bill bans abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy and prohibits physicians from performing abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. While the new law allows for abortion in cases of medical emergency, it does not provide exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. The state will not enforce the bill, which takes effect Sept. 1, but instead allows private citizens to take legal action against abortion providers. Abbott thanked those who worked

toward passing the bill during the signing ceremony last month with lead authors Sen. Bryan Hughes and State Rep. Shelby Slawson.

Not only will (SB 8) set a bad precedent for other states and other legislation in the future, I think that it will be devastating.” TABBY FARR

civil engineering senior

“They worked together on a bipartisan basis to pass a bill that I’m about to sign that ensures that the life of every unborn child who has a heartbeat will be saved from the ravages of

UT students join protests against Texas anti-abortion legislation.

abortion,” Abbott said. Astronomy senior Kate Colston attended the protest and said she was surprised the legislature did not prioritize other pressing matters such as affordable housing. “It just seems like performative politics, like it’s a fear mongering bill,” Colston said. “I guess I was just really surprised that this was the priority given the very real issues that everyone in Texas has dealt with.” Colston said restrictive legislation like Senate Bill 8 could cause people to die from complications caused by self-induced abortions. “The concept of abortion is not new, and it’s not something that’s ever been uncommon, but restricting it like this means that it absolutely will be unsafe,” Colston said. “One of the biggest points that a lot of the speakers made (at the protest) was that abortion is health care. A healthy and safe one can make the world of a difference.” Civil engineering senior Tabby Farr said the language of the bill seems flawed because it is not backed by solid

scientific evidence. “I just think that the biology behind it is silly and also just how restrictive it is is absolutely insane,” Farr said. “Not only will it set a bad precedent for other states and other legislation in the future, I think that it will be devastating.” The bill said a fetal heartbeat should be detected as soon as the heart is formed, typically after a six-week period. However, Dr. Lauren Thaxton, an obstetrician-gynecologist and assistant professor in the Dell Medical School, said there are problems in the bill’s utilization of a heartbeat as the cutoff for abortions. “The presence of a heartbeat presents an arbitrary cutoff,” Thaxton said. “It is so early in a pregnancy that many patients may not even know they are pregnant. This bill interferes with our ability as clinicians to provide high quality, evidence based medical care. It does not represent any medical relevance and presents a barrier to appropriate health care.”

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

STUDENT LIFE

LGBTQ+ students reflect on Pride Month, celebrating community By Sofia Treviño @Sofiacis_7

Running up and down the route of Austin’s Pride Parade surrounded by high school friends and high-fiving passersby, Lauren Breach said her first pride event filled her with support and community. “I just know I was very happy and proud of who I was,” said Breach, a human development and family sciences junior. “Having that community that Pride brings together, it’s really great, especially when you’re that age, where there’s not so many opportunities to find other queer, young people.” Pride Month, celebrated in June, is a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. The month commonly consists of events for members of the community to honor their identities and celebrate past LGBTQ+ activists. In June 1969 in New York City, the Stonewall Riots began at a popular gay bar in response to recurring police violence. To honor the protests that followed, the first Pride march was held a year later, birthing the beginnings of an annual Pride Month. “To me, pride means being proud of who you are, and maybe not necessarily comfortable in your skin, but working toward being comfortable in your identity,” Breach said. “During Pride Month, it’s just elevated, where you’re

rocky higine

celebrating who you are with other people.” Because Breach has noticed the commercialization of Pride Month by large companies, she has learned to support smaller queer-owned businesses as a way to celebrate pride. Breach also encourages others to learn LGBTQ+ history, through classes such as Intro to LGBTQ studies and Gender and Sexuality, or through books and podcasts. “I think it’s really about remembering the history of people who came before us, and also enjoying what we have now, but not forgetting that we still have work to be done,”

/ the daily texan staff

Breach said. She said her biggest takeaway from her experiences, though, is that it’s okay to not know which exact label you identify with. For sociology junior Kathleen Segovia, Pride Month allows for members of the LGBTQ+ community to express themselves around other supportive people. Because this is her first year being able to attend a pride parade, Segovia is looking forward to attending the Austin and San Antonio parades with her girlfriend. “I’m excited to see the parade, and all the people, (and)

all the little baby gays who are happy to be around other gays because I feel like a lot of them came from a background where their parents didn’t accept them,” Segovia said. “It’ll be nice to see people who are happy being around other people who are like them.” Coming from a religious household, chemical engineering junior Nathan Hardham said Pride Month offers a community some may not have at home. He said although representation has increased in the media, not everyone has a strong support system. “A lot of people don’t realize that it’s still illegal to be LGBTQ in so many countries, and people aren’t fully accepted,” Hardham said. “And (in the U.S.) people tend to define you by your sexuality. I’m gay, but I’m also a lot of other things, too.” While peers or friends may be sharing their identities throughout the month of June, Hardham said people who are not ready yet should not feel pressured to join in. He also knows people may struggle with labeling themselves, which can be harmful. “For the LGBTQ community, you’re usually the only one who’s like that in your family, so you don’t have anyone else who’s like you,” Hardham said. “Pride Month allows you to find a community, since a lot of people didn’t have that growing up.”

LIFE&ARTS

SPORTS

C A R T E R YAT E S

Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

FEATURE

like mother, like daughter copyright courtesy of ncaa, and reproduced with permission

Freshman heptathlete Kristine Blazevica competes at the NCAA West Preliminaries on May 26. Blazevica shares a close bond with her mother, Jelena, who competed for Latvia in the triple jump at the 1996 Olympic Games.

Kristine Blazevica competes for Texas over 20 years after mother’s Olympic performance. By Kaitlyn Harmon @kait_harmon

picture of a Latvian triple jumper competing in the 1996 Olympic Games hung in the hallway of Kristine Blazevica’s childhood home. Kristine, a freshman heptathlete at The University of Texas from Riga, Latvia, remembers seeing that photo of her mother, Jelena Blazevica, every day. It was a tribute to Jelena’s accomplishments in representing her country as she competed in Atlanta, Georgia in the triple jump. Twenty-five years later, Jelena’s track career is long over, but her relationship with

track and field lives on through her daughter. “My sporting achievements are already in the past, but Kristine’s are still ahead,” Jelena said. “It is much more interesting to dream of your daughter’s new (sporting) achievements than to think about the past.” Despite having a concrete legacy in the sport, Kristine found her love for track and field through dance. In primary school, the Latvian-turned-Texan heptathlete transitioned to other sports and athletics, where she then discovered a passion for track and field. Kristine’s parents, Jelena and Jurjis Blazevica, were both former triple jumpers who encouraged Kristine to give track and field a shot. Kristine has searched the ends of the internet to find video footage of Jelena competing at the 1996

Olympics, but the pinnacle of her mother’s track career does not exist on tape. Instead, Kristine finds the closest live memory of that moment in the photograph that hung in her childhood home. She also found inspiration through photo albums of her mother leaping through the air. When reflecting on being the daughter of a former Olympic competitor, Kristine feels emotions of pride amongst other things. After years of working to get a shot at Texas in track and field, Kristine has found more appreciation for her mother’s accomplishments. “As I’m getting older, I’m getting more proud of her,” Kristine said. From the earliest days of Kristine’s career, Jelena has not once coached Kristine in her training. But the mother-daughter Latvian track duo prides themselves

on having a track and field bond that cherishes one another’s accomplishments and careers. “There are things that Kristine already understands better than me,” Jelena said. “And then I ask her for advice. We understand and feel each other well.” Yet, when the mother-daughter duo is not talking about competitions, training, injuries, recovery or the trials of being a student athlete, the two find joy in simply spending time together like close friends. Valentina Gotovska entered Kristine’s life long before her track and field career was born. Gotovska, Jelena’s old friend and Kristine’s godmother, is a four-time Olympic athlete who also competed in the 1996 Olympics, as well as the 1992, 2000 and 2004 Games. While the first woman who

introduced Kristine to the sport was Jelena, Valentina was the heptathlete’s first coach. “It’s a huge responsibility to coach your goddaughter and the daughter of your friend,” Gotovska said. “(Jelena and Kristine) have a good mother-daughter relationship, but also, they are like close friends.” Jelena and Kristine’s close relationship doesn’t just stem from their mother-daughter dynamic, but from the similarities in their track and field careers. Through track, the Blazevica women are even closer. “I feel that the emotions I’m experiencing watching my daughter’s competitions are even stronger than the ones I have ever experienced in competition myself,” Jelena said.

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

UNIVERSITY

Classics professor publishes her experience with harassment in series of articles By Sheryl‌ ‌Lawrence‌ @sheryl_adelle‌

Content Warning: This story contains discussion of pedophilia and harassment. UT associate professor Jennifer Ebbeler started posting articles on Medium last week detailing her experience at the UT classics department, including almost 14 years of harassment, she said. “I think the purpose is not to get revenge on people,” Ebbeler said. “It’s about finally feeling like it was time for me to own my own story instead of letting everybody else construct their version of events based on the bits and pieces they knew or didn’t know.” After Ebbeler submitted an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint in 2016, the lawsuit ended in a settlement in January, forcing UT to move Ebbeler to a different department. The University did not move Ebbeler to the religious studies department and she remains in the classics department, so the lawsuit will go to trial. “I really hoped both to avoid the legal process altogether and resolve this internally, but also to be able to resolve it prior to trial, and I gave them every reason to do that,” Ebbeler said. “They failed to (move my position), not because they were malevolent, but simply didn’t know what to do.” Throughout her tenure process at the University, Ebbeler said

Associate professor Jennifer Ebbeler has worked in the UT classics department since 2002.

classics professors Thomas Hubbard and Karl Galinsky wrote minority reports, letters written to a tenure committee about their opinion on her research, reputation and credibility and advocated against her promotion to professor. Hubbard has been accused of advocating for pedophilia, and students

have called for his removal from the University. He has also filed multiple lawsuits against students. “At the time I was told (this) was unprecedented (and) nobody knew what to do with these minority reports,” Ebbeler said. “For some reason, the decision was made to let them go forward while assuring me that

they would not impact the outcome, which was true. The vote was not impacted, but they did impact things like my reputation at UT.” Ebbeler said she skimmed the reports but was not allowed to take them or copy them. However, Ebbeler said she knew that she worked hard for the position at UT. “I never felt that I wasn’t good enough, or that I deserved the criticisms that were coming to me,” Ebbeler said. “It has been extremely difficult, particularly I would say in the last six years, to deal with these sort of unrelenting attacks (on) me, and it has absolutely made it harder for me to feel that confidence that I had as an assistant professor.” When UT offered her a position at the classics department in 2002, Ebbeler said she considered declining given the department’s reputation. She said after her experiences at the University, she regrets accepting the job. “If you know the history of the UT classics department and its reputation for many decades now, it has long been known as a difficult and dysfunctional department, and one that’s particularly damaging for women,” Ebbeler said. Ebbeler said the articles she has published right now are mainly background information for the lawsuit filed that is going to trial in the fall or winter. University spokesperson JB Bird declined to comment citing that the University generally does not comment on personnel matters.

NEWS

COMICS

DESTINY ALEXANDER

Comics Editor | @TEXANCOMICS TUES, JUNE 08, 2021

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

SPORTS

BASEBALL

Redshirt freshman Pete Hansen fires a pitch during the Regional Final against Fairfield on Sunday night. Hansen was one of three starters over the weekend who enjoyed stellar performances on the mound, propelling Texas to three blowout victories.

No. 2 Longhorns breeze through Austin Regional behind 3 dominant pitching performances By Amsal Madhani @amsal_madhani

The Texas baseball team was awarded the No. 2 overall seed and regional host status after a dominant season where they won the Big 12 Championship, and they played up to their billing over the weekend. Hosting the Austin Regional for the second time in the last four seasons, the Longhorns won all three of their games with a combined score of 33-5. While teams such as Arizona State and Fairfield used five and seven pitchers, respectively, to try and find an answer, Texas enjoyed three outstanding performances from

their starting pitchers. The trio of Tristan Stevens, Ty Madden and Pete Hansen combined for 19.2 innings of work with 26 strikeouts and only 13 hits. Stevens, who had a rocky start to the season with a suspect 4.96 ERA through three starts, earned the ever-important Friday night start against Southern. The redshirt junior continued upon a hot streak that earned him an All-Big 12 first team selection by dominating the Jaguars. He forced a 1-2-3 inning at the start of the night and threw an efficient 82 pitches. Despite the packed crowd at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, Texas head coach David Pierce felt that Stevens did a great job of blocking out the noise and being himself.

“I think he did a nice job of just being Tristan Stevens, attacking the strike zone,” Pierce said after the game. “I think he trusts himself when it comes to preparation and his routines.” Texas turned to their Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, Ty Madden, for their second game against Arizona State on Saturday. While Madden has been the undisputed ace for the Longhorns this year, Texas had lost three of the previous four games he had started in. Needing a win to get into the Austin Regional final, the redshirt sophomore stepped up in the biggest moment of the season. Madden started the game off firing on all cylinders, forcing a 1-2-3 inning in the first much as

Stevens had done the night before. After getting himself in trouble in the fifth inning by allowing the Sun Devils to load the bases, Madden showed tremendous poise by limiting the damage to one run. While he admittedly struggled a bit with his control, giving up four walks, he did enough to help the Longhorns get past the Sun Devils. Madden ended the night with seven strikeouts and one run allowed on three hits. “Everything felt good,” Madden said after the Saturday night win. “More walks than I like, but I wasn’t missing by much, just some small changes. I thought my slider had really good depth tonight and my fastball too.” Hansen was the star of the

weekend, however, after his performance in the Regional Final against Fairfield on Sunday night. In the biggest game of his young career, the redshirt freshman didn’t allow a single hit until the bottom of the third inning. He ended the night with a career high 13 strikeouts and led the Longhorns to a 12-2 victory over Fairfield to clinch a regional tournament victory. Texas now has its eyes set on the NCAA Super Regional and will host the winner of the Gainesville Regional next weekend. “At the end of the year, we’re going to show the nation who we really are and that’s the number one team in the nation,” Hansen said.