The Daily Texan 2021-7-13 by The Daily Texan

DT VOLUME 121, ISSUE 6 TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021

Madden cements legacy at Texas The highest Longhorns draft pick since 2011 helped rebuild program culture through three-year career.

andrew zamora

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PERMANENT STAFF Editor-in-Chief Sanika Nayak

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Ty Madden’s impact on the Texas baseball team went far beyond the mound.

Life&Arts

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UT must delay the switch in graduate student health insurance plans.

Sports

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Opinion

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UT creates new post-graduate fellowship to increase campus faculty diversity.

Baking businesses were used to cope with COVID-19, but now, students fear how to continue them.

CAMPUS

UT working to standardize recycling on campus By Lauren Nelson

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

MANAGING EDITOR

Ariana Arredondo (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@thedailytexan.com (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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UT is working to standardize recycling on campus by creating new signs and an online database as part of the University’s zero waste goal. The University’s zero waste goal would mean only 10% of the waste produced on campus would go into landfills, with the rest being recycled, composted or reused in another way, said Melanie Albrecht, a former biology student involved in Resource Recovery. The goal was originally set for 2020, according to previous reporting from the Texan, but the University has not been able to achieve this goal. According to the Zero Waste Program website, during their last observation in the 2018-2019 fiscal year, UT’s waste diversion rate was 42%. “We’re always learning as we go,” Albrecht said. “It’s an ongoing process.” Albrecht said sorting waste is important to effectively reducing waste because if something is thrown in the wrong bin, it can contaminate other items and reduce the quality of recyclables. To prevent contamination and reach the zero waste goal, students in Resource Recovery said they are updating waste bin signage across campus and created the, “What Do I Do With This?” sorting database. Students can search items on the database to determine where to put their waste. Designing these new signs was an integral process on campus because many students have been taught to recycle differently in their

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hometowns, Albrecht said. “Part of standardizing is trying to find something that applies well to everyone and signs are easy to understand when the image relates to the actual item,” Albrecht said. Zero Waste coordinator Lindsey Hutchison said the organization created the online database to answer any questions about where an item should go. “There is only so much information you can put on a sign,” Hutchison said. “There are lots of other materials students come across on campus, so we created this online

/ the daily texan staff

database where people can look up any material they encounter.” Computer science junior Angel Vega designed the online database, which will be accessible through a QR code on the signs. “I came up with the items that people would be throwing away and researched where each waste item should be going,” Vega said. Hutchison said the new signs will be hung in 134 academic buildings by the end of the summer. “We couldn’t have done it without student support, input and actions,” Hutchison said.

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NEWS

HANNAH WILLIFORD

News Editor | @THEDAILYTEXAN TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021

CAMPUS

UT establishes fellowship to increase faculty diversity The post-graduate fellowship will provide an opportunity for a full-time faculty position after completion of the program. By Kaushiki Roy @kaushikiroy3

T-Austin started its inaugural postdoctoral fellowship in June aiming to increase diversity among campus faculty by providing an opportunity for full-time faculty positions after program completion. “We have been trying to make sure

that our faculty demographics or population is as diverse as possible,” said Edmund T. Gordon, vice provost for diversity and an associate professor for the African Diaspora Studies and Anthropology department. “So we worked with a number of different options for trying to develop a postdoctoral program that would help us in this area.” The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost manages the fellowship and began the first class with 26 fellows from different departments on campus including nursing, Mexican American and Latinx Studies, government and astronomy. While the fellowship is an important step to increasing faculty diversity, Gordon said UT is also one of the last tier-one research institutions to adopt a program like this. “A majority of us are underrepresented minorities,” said Mykel

Green, a biomedical engineering fellow. “We’re going to try and tackle different problems that need to be addressed within the Austin community and the world that are related to social and economic problems or health disparities, or just trying to bring the voice of people who sometimes are not heard.” Green said he felt that this fellowship was a once in a lifetime opportunity. “As a recent graduate from my doctoral program, I started a postdoc, and a big question sometimes is what’s next, or what am I doing,” Green said. “This program allows me to do independent research and almost gain the confidence and improve on my skills to have my own lab in the future.”

For each fellow, the program lasts from two to three years, depending on the department, said Olivia Lanier, a biomedical engineering fellow. Lanier said that in addition to training, fellows receive stipends, fringe benefits, travel and research funds yearly and relocation funding as applicable. Lanier said that as part of her program, she will have three mentors who she will work with to treat inflammatory bowel diseases and make the treatments more accessible to less privileged communities. “I want to become a professor with my own research lab in a top tier biomedical engineering department,” Lanier said. “This fellowship is the perfect training position to prepare me for this goal.”

A Student’s Right To Privacy The below is considered directory information. Under federal law, directory information Theinformation information below is considered directory information. Under federal law, directory can be madecan available to theavailable public. You restrict You access to restrict this information by this visiting information be made to may the public. may access to information by http://utx.as/personal-info. Please be aware that if you request yourthat directory information to to visiting http://registrar.utexas.edu/restrictmyinfo. Please be ALL aware if you would like be restricted NO information about you given to anyone, including family restrict information from appearing inwill thebe printed directory, you mustyour make yourmembers, changes at this except as required law. Any restriction will remain effect until you it. directory web page by the by twelfth class day of you the make fall semester. If in you request thatrevoke ALL your

information be restricted NO information about you will be given to anyone, including your

by law. Any restriction you •make willparking remainpermit in effect until •family Namemembers, except as required • Classification Student revoke it. •you Local and permanent • Major field(s) of study information addresses • Expected date of graduation • Most recent previous educaname number • classification heightattended if member of •• Phone • Degrees, awards, and honors • weight tional and institution athletic team local address and permanent •• Email received (including selection •anJob title and dates of employ• major field(s) of study addresses • Public user name (UT EID) criteria) date of graduation • student ment when employed parking permitby the • expected •• Place birth • Participation in officially university in a position that information phoneofnumber • degrees, awards, and honors •• Dates attendance recognized activities and sports requires student status e-mailofaddress received (including selection • the most recent previous • Enrollment status • Weight and height if member of educational institution attended • public user name (UT EID) criteria) an athletic team • job title and dates of employ• place of birth • participation in officially ment when employed by the recognized activities and • dates of attendance DIRECTORY INFORMATION SHOULD BE KEPT CURRENT. OfficialUniversity correspondence is sent that in a position sports • enrollment status to the postal or email address last given to the registrar. If the student requires has failedstudent to correct this status

address, they will not be relieved of responsibility on the grounds that the correspondence was not delivered. For details about educational andCURRENT. official communications with the university DIRECTORY INFORMATION SHOULD records BE KEPT Official correspondence is sent see General Information, 2020-2021 catalog. to the postal or e-mail address last given to the registrar; if the student has failed to correct amna ijaz

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this address, he or she will not be relieved of responsibility on the grounds that the correspondence was not delivered. For details about educational records and official communications with the University see General Information, 2011–2012.

S A N I K A N AYA K

Editor-In-Chief | @TEXANOPINION TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021

OPINION

COLUMN

Graduate students deserve comprehensive health care By Yliana Roland Columnist

UT’s Graduate School has decided to switch the default insurance plan for benefits-eligible academic employees from UT Select to Academic Blue, citing concerns about affordable healthcare for students and gaps in coverage. This decision was met with pushback from graduate students who feel the decision is being rushed without attention to student concerns. Until UT addresses the concerns of graduate student employees made vulnerable by their decision to switch to Academic Blue, the switch must be delayed. Underpaid@UT, a student organization at the forefront of efforts to delay the switch, released an open letter detailing issues graduate student workers have with the decision. The letter expressed concern that UT’s decision to make health insurance premiums taxable was in violation of the Affordable Care Act. On June 17, a month after Underpaid@ UT’s letter, the University found out they were in violation and updated their policy to align with the Affordable Care Act. UT’s Graduate School decided to implement plans without considering they could violate federal law. Clearly, they did not give this decision necessary care before making it. Hayley, a Ph.D. student and academic employee in the College of Liberal Arts,

is insured by Academic Blue this summer. Her last name has been withheld to maintain anonymity. Hayley is now paying $125 for her allergy shots each month when she used to pay nothing. She’s been an academic employee for a year and will have to remain one for the next two to three years. She has an increased financial burden due to the switch in insurance plans. Maria Juenger, associate dean for graduate education transformation, said students have about a month-long timeframe where they can go online and change their insurance back to UT Select

after the default to Academic Blue on September 1. “They can go into the system and unenroll from Academic Blue and choose UT Select if they’d like to,” Juenger said. “But it would be a greater cost to them out of pocket if they do so.” Graduate students will have to pay an additional $314.02 a month if they switch back to UT Select. For students who are already making below a living wage, it is simply an illusion of choice. Juenger said that the Graduate School is working on a fund that will help students negatively impacted by the switch.

melannie lopez

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“We don’t want to put obstacles in (students’) way to receiving aid because we understand that health expenses can be very high” Juenger said. “And we don’t want to have them be hurt by that.” Juenger couldn’t give me an estimate of the funds available. We cannot expect students to trust the University has their best interests in mind when there is still so much uncertainty. 4,500 UT graduate students are being impacted by this switch, and there is no set plan in place to protect those who will be negatively impacted before the switch happens. Juenger says that the decision cannot be reversed. “There are so many people and offices across (the) UT System and UT-Austin, actively working to manage this change. It’s not a simple thing from an administrative perspective,” Juenger said. A report from the Austin American-Statesman says that research suggests “65% of graduate students receive stipends of less than $18,000 a year, which is $7,000 below the cost of living calculated by the university.” It may not be a simple process, but it is imperative. UT must delay the switch from UT Select to Academic Blue. Roland is an radio-television-film and journalism sophomore from Houston, Texas.

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OPINION

TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021

COLUMN

UT needs a new platform for incoming students By Michael Lazenby Columnist

After finishing my sophomore year at the University of North Dakota, I applied for transfer to a few universities; one of them was the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Once accepted at UNC, I was immediately prompted to join the “UNC Community.” I gave some basic information, such as my name, birthday, major and interests, and created a profile. With ease, I could interact with current and incoming students that shared my interests. A month later, I received an acceptance letter from UT. Subsequently, I accepted my admission but didn’t know anyone in Austin. While UT’s student communication platforms consisted of two Facebook groups, I didn’t have Facebook. I was surprised by the lack of connectivity UT offered to incoming students. Instead of relying on Facebook, UT should create its own community platform so that students can connect outside of school before getting on campus, easing an already difficult transition for incoming students. Seth Fellers, a physics senior, expressed interest in the idea as well as his concerns regarding data security on social media platforms like Facebook. “With UT, they already know that (personal) stuff. Anything that I would be scared about UT knowing, they already know,” Fellers said. “I would probably feel safer on a UT-run site.” In this digital age, students want their information to remain in safe hands. While no one can ensure absolute privacy of user information, UT having its

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own platform could add an extra layer of security. Beyond messaging, the UT platform could also help notify students of upcoming events where they would have the opportunity to meet other students and get used to life on campus. “Every once in a while I’ll get an email about something and that’s the only way I know about it. Then I’ll see a billboard that I walk past 10 times a day and be like, ‘Oh there’s something going on,’ then I go to it and it’s great,” Fellers said. “I definitely think they could use (a student platform) to let you know about it. I would definitely be interested in that.” Attending university events is a great way for students to interact. While the events are posted on UT’s website and shared through email, it would be easier for incoming students to have all of this information in one place. UT having its own platform would also build a greater sense of community among students as opposed to an outsider social media channel. Kyle St. Nicholas, assistant director of New Student Services, explained the primary way that the department engages with new students on their current digital platforms. “At the end (of the required pre-orientation modules), there’s this ‘next steps’ button. It’s a list of things students can do between completing those modules and student orientation,” St. Nicholas said. “Joining the social media groups is a part of that (list). I definitely think that students see it if they’re on social media and interested.” However, not all students have social media, and if they do, some want to keep school and social separate. Facebook can

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meba wondwossen

also turn into a giant message board where students can get lost in the shuffle, causing them to miss upcoming UT events and feel even more isolated. The current system is riddled with clicking and sifting through tabs, hoping that in a sea of students, you can meet a few that share your interests. While it is great that

/ the daily texan staff

UT offers some external platforms that enable student interaction, we need a more accessible approach. If UT took the initiative to create its own platform for all incoming students, Longhorn nation would become a more connected community. Lazenby is an economics junior from Chicago, Illinois.

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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

TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021

NEWS

STATE

UT restarts partnership with Texas A&M, US Army to develop warfare technology By Kaushiki Roy @kaushikiroy3

presley glotfelty

/ the daily texan file

After over a year of delay due to COVID-19 UT restarted its partnership with Texas A&M to build computer-operated vehicles and machinery, which it will send to the U.S. Army.

UT restarted its partnership with Texas A&M to build computer-operated vehicles and machinery, which it will send to the U.S. Army to test for use in combat. The partnership between the universities started in 2019, but they delayed work on the project due to COVID-19. Both universities, as well as Army Futures Command, an organization dedicated to modernizing the Army, reinitiated project conversations in June, but one UT activist calls for better oversight on how the technology is used. Patrick Seiber, public relations director for the Bush Combat Development Complex, said the project focuses on robotics and will aim to help the Army engage in battle remotely, with development and testing expected to be completed by this fall. “We both have testing capabilities, but one thing that UT has is dynamic urban environments. For example, this summer we’re building some robots that are going to be wandering around campus doing surveys and being able to use these systems in dynamic urban environments is important,” said

Mitch Pryor, mechanical engineering lecturer with expertise in field and service robotics. However, senior Roshan Khan, who is one of the founding members of the Women for Weapons Trade Transparency, said she does not believe that investing money in military weaponization will help minimize harm to people. “Of course I don’t want soldiers to be injured,” Khan said. “But rather than replacing soldiers with autonomous weapons, it would be preferable to reduce the need for soldiers to be deployed in the first place or for any conflict to occur.” Khan, a Plan II, government, international relations and global studies, Asian cultures and languages and economics major, said University leadership should develop a system to track the technology when it goes out of the campus and to various military organizations. She said many members of the University may disagree with how the weapons are being used. “I think that it doesn’t reflect very well on the University’s leadership that they have invested so much money into a hightech laboratory to serve the military when there

are a lot of student needs not met like housing and dining, curriculum and much more,” Khan said. Development of the technology will be done at UT, but the project will be tested at the Texas A&M RELLIS Campus, a research and testing facility. After research and testing is complete, the technology will be sent to Army Futures Command, who will incorporate it into the U.S. Army. Seiber said that A&M received $50 million from the state government to establish the testing grounds for the autonomous machinery. Pryor said UT is already working toward research and development for military autonomous systems such as remote vehicles. Pryor said he is not familiar with the amount of funding UT received for research, but Army Futures Command is funding basic research projects and five different robotics labs at the University. They are also funding UT in the nuclear and applied robotics group to include the research in the Army software package. “Robotics is a key focus and strength (at) the University of Texas at Austin. We have the capabilities and space to do testing,” Seiber said.

SPORTS

C A R T E R YAT E S

Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021

FEATURE

Madden’s impact went beyond mound The Big 12 Pitcher of the Year was selected by the Detroit Tigers with the No. 32 overall pick. By Carter Yates @Carter_yates16

andrew zamora

/ the daily texan file

After three years of reshaping Texas Baseball, both on and off the field, Ty Madden leaves behind an enormous legacy as he embarks on his professional career.

y Madden always had the measurables of a Day One MLB Draft pick, standing at 6 feet, 3 inches with a fastball topping out at over 95 miles per hour. But the leadership Madden showed in an unusual three-year period of Texas baseball proved he could pair his daunting physical tools with impressive mental toughness and leadership. It’s easy to look at Madden’s stellar 2021 campaign and credit that single-season performance as the reason why he was selected 32nd overall by the Detroit Tigers on Sunday night. However, there were two years of adversity that molded the 2021 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year’s mental makeup before the storybook season in which he led the Longhorns to a College World Series.

As a freshman in 2019, Madden compiled a 3.40 ERA and a 4-1 record on the mound, but the Longhorns went 7-16 in conference play and finished the year last in the Big 12 Conference. The next year Texas got off to a furious 14-3 start as Madden dominated from the mound with a 1.80 ERA, but the season was abruptly cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Madden’s gutsy individual performances and intense work ethic during a last-place finish and a cancelled season endeared him to Longhorn fans, and they showed their appreciation for the right-hander with a standing ovation after his last start at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Game 1 of the Austin Super Regional against USF on June 12. “It’s been a crazy three years, I think people have definitely seen the lows and the highs,” Madden said in the

postgame press conference. “My first year being last in the Big 12, and last year the group we had, having to say goodbye after a couple games and coming back (this year), it’s crazy. No one would draw it up this way.” Texas head coach David Pierce recruited Madden out of high school, but he almost never got the chance to coach him. As a prospect, Madden was selected in the 34th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals. In the end, Madden chose to develop his game at Texas and became an undisputed leader whose fingerprints will be all over the Longhorns’ program for years to come. “What the kid has done for our team, his leadership and his work ethic, has helped mold this culture, helped younger players and helped older players,” Pierce said on June 12. “(He’s) been such an ambassador of our program.” For Pierce, the biggest contributions Madden brought to the table never lied in his exemplary on-field performance, but rather the work he put in to rebuild Texas’ culture following two years of lackluster results that threatened to derail the program. “I think more than anything that I’ve been so pleased with is just the

leadership from Ty (Madden) and (redshirt junior pitcher) Tristan (Stevens),” Pierce said following the end of Texas’ season on June 26. “This group, starting last spring, started really creating that attitude that we were looking for.” While Madden enjoyed a solid run in the College World Series, pitching 13 innings and racking up 18 strikeouts with only four earned runs, the poetic end for his Texas career came on the night of June 12. As Madden’s teammates embraced him, Pierce brought in freshman pitcher Tanner Witt to replace the redshirt sophomore. But instead of taking the ball from his pitcher and handing it to the reliever, Pierce instead told Madden to personally give the ball to Witt, a younger player whom Texas’ ace had mentored. In that moment, Madden’s work forming Texas’ newfound identity ended, and the new guard was tasked with carrying on his legacy. “They were hugging him, they were pumped for him. All I said to him, I said ‘Hell of a job, you emptied the tank,’” Pierce said after the game. “He handed me the ball and I said, ‘No, you hand it to him.’ When Tanner (Witt) came in, he deserved that ovation and I wanted to make sure that he got it.”

TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021

SPORTS

FEATURE

switching fields: from d1 soccer player to medical student

jack myer

/ the daily texan file

A prime example of both student and athlete, Emily Strouphauer reflects on what being a part of Texas soccer has taught her as she continues her education in the medical field.

By Christina Huang @stina_huang

The University of Texas prides itself on both a rigorous academic curriculum and a competitive athletic program. Emily Strouphauer defined this duality of core values during her time on the Forty Acres. The 2021 graduate spent her four years at Texas juggling responsibilities as a Division I soccer player and a pre-med biology major. Despite her busy schedule, Strouphauer excelled at both of her long-term pursuits. In December 2020, Strouphauer was named Big 12 Soccer Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year after maintaining a 3.98 cumulative GPA. After missing her junior season due to an injury, Strouphauer finished her career as a Longhorn

with seven shots, one assist, and one goal. “Emily has epitomized the definition of ‘student-athlete’ since the first moment she stepped foot on the Forty Acres,” Texas head coach Angela Kelly said on Dec. 22. “Academics was always a priority, and soccer kept her balanced. Her commitment to both has been tremendous.” Strouphauer credits her success on the field and in the classroom to knowing her strong suits and learning time management skills over the years. “You do have to make some sacrifices, but it’s really about balance, which is something that I definitely got better at,” Strouphauer said. “I would know my strengths, which is definitely something important to be real with yourself. (It takes) being disciplined,

good time management skills, but also making sure to work (on) things that make you happy.” Although Strouphauer will not pursue a professional soccer career, she plans on taking all the life lessons she learned from the sport into her next challenge — medical school. “In soccer, the attention to detail is just so important, and just developing that discipline and focus and doing everything with your best potential and your best ability carries over academically,” Strouphauer said. After putting herself in multiple pressure-packed environments with strenuous medical school applications and Big 12 Conference soccer games, Strouphauer said the lessons she learned on motivation through her college experience will help

her in the next chapter. “Playing sports is extremely competitive,” Strouphauer said. “I learned in the classroom (that) comparison is the root of all evil. So (I learned) how to compete with (myself) and be better every single day.” Strouphauer will be attending Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and is in the process of learning more about the different specialties in medicine. “I’m not entirely sure what kind of medicine I want to do, but I’m leaning towards psychiatry or dermatology, mostly because those two types of doctors played a really big role in my life,” Strouphauer said. “I think it would be really cool to turn around and help other people in the same way that I was helped. That would be really special but

I’m open to whatever direction I end up going.” Although she has already begun her journey to becoming a doctor, Strouphauer remains connected to Texas Soccer and will continue to support her former teammates in their goals for the upcoming season. “I really want to see them win a Big 12 Championship and I’m going to be at as many games as I can,” Strouphauer said. Even though her time as a soccer player is over, she continues to utilize the interpersonal skills she learned from the game and from the Texas soccer program. “It’s all about how precise you can be, because you know if you can give your utmost attention and focus to something as simple as a tiny detail, then that’s just (going to) make you better overall,” Strouphauer said.

LIFE&ARTS

JENNIFER ERRICO

Life&Arts Editor | @TEXANARTS TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021

STUDENT LIFE

UT working on plans to develop esports arena, students hope it will help promote inclusion The University Unions’ goal of building the arena is to create a welcoming space. Content Warning: Mentions of sexual harassment. By Sheryl‌ ‌Lawrence‌ @sheryl_adelle‌

hen applying for college, Jennifer Pham looked at the gaming programs at every school she applied to. She chose UT’s gaming community for its diversity and competitive nature. “When I first came (to UT), no one took me seriously,” computer science sophomore Pham said. “Because of my knowledge in the entire industry … they appointed me as team manager. Then I didn’t ask for respect. I had to earn their respect.” Pham is currently the team manager for the League of Legends team at UT. She said she would go above and beyond the call of duty by attending extra scrimmages and other optional events, which caused other schools to make her offers to be their team manager. UT does not offer scholarships for esports, and Pham said the schools reaching out to her would pay her. “I’d rather work at (UT) and put in a lot of effort here and try to get the school to become a scholarship school rather than trying to find a shortcut,” Pham said. James Buckley, director of facilities and operations for University Unions, said other institutions have used esports facilities and scholarships as a recruiting tool.

rocky higine

Buckley said the University Unions is working on creating plans for an esports arena in the Union Underground that will cost between $1.1 and $1.5 million. “In our vision, we do want this space to be welcoming for all,” Buckley said. “There is a notion or a belief that gaming is male-dominated, and there’s opportunities to be much more inclusive, and

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that’s what we envision.” Mathematics senior Elena Koung is an esports intern at the University Union working on the creation of the esports arena. She said she believes the arena will allow for more diversity and inclusion in the gaming community. “Even within gaming, if your role or your character fits a certain stereotype, you get flamed for that or called

out on or delegitimized,” Koung said. “As time goes on, and people start seeing more and more diversity, it could definitely help steer the community into a better direction.” History junior Victoria Loftin said she uses gaming as a coping mechanism for her anxiety, and it helped her connect with her friends that were far away. “When the pandemic first started, I played a lot of Animal Crossing,” Loftin said. “It would take up a lot of my time and would calm me down if I ever had an attack of some sort.” Loftin said she mainly plays Overwatch but mostly plays with her friends because playing with random people in the game can create a toxic environment. She said when she was playing Rec Room, an open microphone game, with her friends, she faced harassment in the game. “That made me not want to play the game ever again because it was just a bunch of disgusting men … basically like sexually harassing me and following me around in-game, but it’s still weird,” Loftin said. “I’m trying to have fun with my friends, and it’s just creepy.” Pham said competitive student gamers are excited to be in the same space as their teammates again to decrease miscommunication during tournaments. “If we see each other, we’re next to each other and we’re not just a voice on the computer,” Pham said. “We see it’s another human being. We would be more kind to each other, and we really understand that we’re all the same.”

TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021

LIFE&ARTS

STUDENT LIFE

Students discuss pandemic baking businesses environment,” government sophomore Kassidy Munoz said. “That’s @sheryl_adelle‌ why, I’d rather do this than a job, but it’s hard to get my business out when Since Alejandra Gutierrez was litit’s still small.” tle, she has wanted to own a bakery. Munoz, owner of Kassidy’s BerDuring the pandemic, she started ries, said she started making chocoPan Con Ganas to not only share part late-covered strawberries during her of her culture with customers, but to senior year of high school. When the feel more connected to it. pandemic started, she started selling “I’ve gotten closer to my Hispanic them to replace the income from her side a lot more during the pandemic, job at Walmart. and getting to share that with other “I didn’t feel safe because I live people makes me really happy,” exwith my dad, and he’s high risk, so ercise science and nutrition senior I stopped working,” Munoz said. “I Gutierrez said. started to do strawberries because Some students started baking it was in my space and I didn’t businesses during the pandemic to have to worry.” help with their mental wellbeing. Gutierrez’s dad would tell her Now, as the University returns to “echale ganas,” which means “do pre-pandemic operations for the fall your best and give it your all.” semester, they fear they won’t have “Somehow it just seemed to make the time to continue. things better, so I ended up nam“It’s calming, it’s not a high-paced ing (my business) after that, so as I’m making this sweet bread with everything “I’ve gotten closer to my I got, and I’m gonna be Hispanic side a lot more there for my customers,” Gutierrez said. during the pandemic, and Gutierrez is a first-gengetting to share that with other eration college student people makes me really happy. who watched her parents work hard to build the ALEJANDRA GUTIERREZ life their family has in exercise science and nutrition senior By Sheryl‌ ‌Lawrence‌

Kassidy Munoz, owner of Kassidy’s Berries, said she started making chocolate-covered strawberries during her senior year of high school to replace the income from her job at Walmart, which she left at the start of the pandemic.

America and she wants to be able to do the same. “With our household, my parents came here and they were working very hard and they got the life that we have now,” Gutierrez said. “Now it’s my turn. I’m in school and I want to have the things for myself and start my things just like they did.” Gutierrez said she sometimes gets homesick, and baking makes her feel closer to her family since she utilizes family recipes. “Each kind of bread I sell, it’s somebody’s favorite,” Gutierrez said. “Everyone used to bake whenever we’d have get-togethers or when everyone was having a hard time, so it’s very much connected to family.” Nutrition senior Carolina Yguerabide said she started her business during the pandemic due to the added free time, and she has plans to work around her schedule for the fall to continue it. Yguerabide said her business, Procrastibaking, is completely

gluten-free because she has celiac disease. She said the majority of her customers do not require gluten-free food, which she feels is good for spreading awareness. Yguerabide said she does want to continue growing her business as the fall semester starts. “I had to dial it down for a little bit only because I got a lot of support, but also a lot of orders for different people,” Yguerabide said. “As of now, I’m planning to open the order form at the beginning of the week, and then have all pickups occur during the weekends on Sunday.” Gutierrez said Austin is a unique area to start a business in, and she hopes to continue sharing her culture with the UT and Austin communities in the fall. “I (hope) that it’s something that could keep growing,” Gutierrez said. “I want to reach out to people, especially on campus, but I’m also hoping older people are (find joy in) what I have to offer.”

COMICS

DESTINY ALEXANDER

Comics Editor | @TEXANCOMICS TUES, JULY 13, 2021

TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021

CITY

UT, city of Austin and Austin community tackle extreme heat By Kevin Vu @Kevin_Vu_

As heat waves break records across the nation, some Austinites are becoming more vulnerable to the risks of the extreme temperatures due to a lack of resources. UT-Austin researchers are partnering with the city of Austin and East Austin community organizations to track hot spots across the city and analyze how people are affected by the temperatures to present solutions for cooling. Dev Niyogi, project lead and a professor in the department of geological sciences, said urban heating is a major problem that is causing increasing temperatures. Urban environments and cities like Austin are often hotter than rural areas due to roads, roofs and pollution absorbing more heat than open land, Niyogi said. “One of the things we want to understand is the role of large-scale as well local features like urbanization and pollution that (are) causing heating,” Niyogi said. Niyogi said the team of researchers will measure temperatures throughout Austin over the summer using a combination of satellite data and electronic sensors carried in vehicles, bikes or on foot. These methods will allow

researchers to track both the air and surface temperatures throughout the city. Niyogi said in addition to temperature tracking, the team will collect feedback from residents of East Austin to learn more about their lived experiences in the heat. Frances Acuña, a climate resilience community lead organizer with Go Austin/ Vamos Austin, a community organization in East Austin aimed at strengthening health equity in their community, said her organization is helping researchers get feedback from the community through surveys and interviews. “If residents work with the city, they can meet in the middle,” Acuña said. “They’re able to build a better plan, a plan that works equitably because you are using the residents that are most impacted by this climate stressors.” Marc Coudert, an environment conservation program manager with the city of Austin Office of Sustainability, said the project will focus on East Austin’s community because the team wants to highlight areas that have fewer resources and are most affected by extreme heat. “If you can afford to put in more insulation, have a new house, have a really efficient air condition, then you’re probably less sensitive to

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heat,” Coudert said. “If you have an older home or (live) in a rental apartment that has less investments, need to take a bus or two to get to and from work or to and from the health facilities and grocery stores or school, you’re probably more sensitive.” Niyogi said after collecting the temperature data, the team will create heat maps that show which areas are affected most severely by varying temperatures. Coudert said, using community feedback along with the heat

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maps, they will present both data sets and potential solutions to community members and city officials to help cool these areas. “We want to make sure we’re making the right decisions to have the most amount of impact. (We also want to) make sure that we’re making decisions that don’t have unintended consequences because sometimes we make decisions without community feedback, and there are unintended consequences,” Coudert said.

NEWS