The Daily Texan 2021-07-27

Disabled students deserve more.

Create a space for disability culture on campus.

DT VOLUME 121, ISSUE 8 TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2021

abriella corker

/ the daily texan staff

PERMANENT STAFF Editor-in-Chief Sanika Nayak Managing Editor Ariana Arredondo Director of Digital Strategy Katya Bandouil Director of Diversity & Inclusion

Senior Newsletters Writer Jessica Garcia

Assoc. Copy Desk Chief Mantra Dave Design Editor Megan Fletcher

Internal Relations Director

Assoc. Design Editor Juleanna Culilap

Sruti Ramachandran

Senior Designer Jenny DeVico

Rachael Hatchett Assoc. Opinion Editors Maria Sailale, Megan Tran Illustration Coordinator Abriella Corker News Editor Hannah Williford Assoc. News Editors Anna Canizales, Brooke Ontiveros 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

Multimedia Editor Jack Myer Assoc. Video Editor Matthew Posey Sr. Videographer Anchal Raghuvanshi

Senior Photographer Hannah Clark 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 Sports Writers Matthew Boncosky, Vicente Montalvo

Senior Audio Producer Mikayla Mondragon Editorial Adviser Peter Chen

ISSUE STAFF Comic Artists Barbra Daly, Anadra Gomir Copy Editors Emma Allen, Casey Ellis, Andrew Walter Designer Lorena Chiles L&A Reporters Michelle Facio, Briana Ramsey

AUSTIN WEATHER TODAY July 27

TOMORROW July 28

99º LO 73º

95º LO 75º

HI

CONTACT US MAIN TELEPHONE (512) 471-4591

Sports

07

Column: Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC is a smart move for all parties involved.

Life&Arts

page

06

UT researchers discuss how man-made river deltas could increase floods and eat away land.

page

page

News

10

UT students struggle to find tattoo specialists knowledgeable about dark skin in Austin.

CITY

City of Austin plans improvements along Guadalupe Street

By Kaushiki Roy

HI

of course the sun comes out when i move back to austin

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.

BUSINESS & ADVERTISING

@kaushikiroy3

West Campus will soon see the addition of bike lanes, two-way streets and sidewalks in the coming years as the city of Austin moves to increase pedestrian safety.

The Corridor Program Office, which oversees transportation throughout Austin, will update Guadalupe Street in late 2021 to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act with curb ramps and sidewalk replacements. Additionally, in 2022, Nueces Street will be converted into a two-way street, have new sidewalks, a new traffic signal and a bike lane. West 24th Street will also see improvements in 2023, with the city transforming the current one-way street into a two-way travel road. The city will also build an eastbound bike lane, a center turn lane and repaint road signage.

“The City takes seriously our responsibility to uphold our promise to build 2016 Mobility Bond projects that will help make travel safer, less congested and more connected for everyone,” said Kelly Buethe, senior public information specialist for the city of Austin and Corridor Program Office liaison.

As of 2019, two out of every five people killed in the streets of Austin were pedestrians, according to the Austin American-Statesman. By February 2020, Austin recorded a four-year high of traffic deaths with 17 fatalities in the first two months of the year.

Sanjna Bhatia, a human development and family sciences and

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

NEWS OFFICE

(512) 471-8590 advertise@texasstudentmedia.com

Assoc. Photo Editor Connor Downs

Assoc. Sports Editor Nathan Han

Newsletters Editor Maia Borchardt

04

The Editorial Board urges UT to take concrete steps toward creating a disability cultural center on campus.

Copy Desk Chief Phoebe Hayes

Abhirupa Dasgupta

External Relations Director

Opinion

page

DT

Contents:

Director Gerald Johnson Business/ Operations Manager Frank Serpas III Advertising Manager Emily Cohen Manager for Product and Revenue Strategy Are Marlies Arevalo Assistant Advertising Manager Grant Daniels Account Executive Julianne Phillipp Design Tillie Policastro

THE DAILY TEXAN MAIL SUBSCRIPTION RATES

copyright kelly buethe, and reproduced with permission

In the coming years, Guadalupe Street will undergo changes making it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Spanish senior, said she looks forward to having the roads fixed and an increase in traffic control.

“The changes would make driving and getting out of that West Campus area easier,” Bhatia said. “Right now, I have to get onto Rio Grande, which is a one-way and then on (25th Street) and then onto Pearl and then back on (24th Street), which takes more time.”

But Bhatia said she is worried students may be confused by the road improvements and construction. “(Students) could tell landlords or tell management companies to send out information,” Bhatia said.

“I think that it’s really important for

students to know what’s happening.”

Buethe said there will be some road and sidewalk blockage during construction. However, she said her office intends to meet with property owners to discuss project plans.

Buethe said the office will notify residents, business and community organizations via social media and email alerts before and during the construction.

“We are doing our best to ensure that the community feels benefited by the projects and that they feel confident in safer, more efficient travel once the improvements are completed,” Buethe said.

One Semester (Fall/Spring) $60.00 Two Semesters (Fall & Spring) $120.00 Summer Session $40 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, Texas 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 publication schedule is Tuesday.

Contact advertise@texasstudentmedia.com

COPYRIGHT

Copyright 2021 Texas Student Media. All articles, photographs photog and graphics, both in 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.

The Daily Texan, a student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin, is published by Texas Student Media, 2500 Whitis Ave., Austin, Texas 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

NEWS

3

TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2021

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Student Government helps amplify student businesses

By Sheryl‌ ‌Lawrence‌ @sheryl_adelle‌

Student businesses will be featured in the University Co-op starting this fall as part of a new initiative by Student Government.

Cheryl Phifer, president and CEO of the University Co-op, said the Coop is hoping to have the first business’ products on display before “textbook rush” after fall classes start or before the first home football game in September to allow for more exposure for the businesses.

Student businesses can apply to be featured through an online form, which is vetted by SG. The main questions businesses have to address are about what impact their business will have on the community and how they will use the opportunity to further their business.

Student body Vice President Ethan Jones said SG has already received applications from student businesses that want to participate in the partnership. He said there are no specific requirements for what businesses will be accepted, but there are elements they will take into consideration, such as having products ready to sell at the time of application and not creating extra hassle by ensuring that the product will be easy to integrate into the Co-op’s system.

“We’re accepting as many people as we can, because one of our biggest goals is just amplifying the other works students are doing at UT,” said Jones, a business honors and public relations senior.

Phifer said the Co-op will ensure that products are not inappropriate and do not need much attention from employees, such as food that can go bad quickly. The products from the featured businesses will be put in the Co-op’s point of sale system for the Co-op employees to manage.

Although student businesses will receive the majority of the profit from their products, Jones said a portion of the profits will also go to the Co-op and SG. Phifer said the Co-op will take a percentage of the profits to cover their credit card fees, and Jones said another small portion, roughly 10%, will go toward other SG initiatives. “(The percentage of money Student Government takes) will help just in case we want to help with marketing or advertisements, but it’s more specifically to ensure that the money that is earned from these different campaigns can go toward really great causes,” Jones said.

Phifer said the space used in the Co-op for the display will vary based on the type of product.

“We’re thinking that it’s going to be right by the cash register so that anybody that’s going through the line is going to have an opportunity to see what students are coming up with,” Phifer said. “If we’re highlighting art, that’s probably gonna need a larger space than if it were, say, jewelry. It will definitely be on the first floor and it will certainly be in a high visibility area because we want to highlight what students are doing.”

Student body President Kiara Kabbara and Jones’ main campaign point was to foster community among students and to build bridges between different groups of students. This initiative helps do this by connecting students with resources they would not otherwise have access to in their college.

“I see it as a way for us to (build a bridge) between the entrepreneurial and artisans on campus with some of the amazing solidarity base we’re hoping to do with our platform,” Jones said.

destiny alexander

/ the daily texan file

LEAVE NO TRACE:

DISPOSE OF WASTE PROPERLY

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

S A N I K A N AYA K

4

Editor-In-Chief | @TEXANOPINION TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2021

EDITORIAL

OPINION

‘Support and uplift experiences that we have’ UT must take concrete steps toward creating a disability cultural center on campus.

By The Editorial Board @texanopinion

“(

isability culture) is embracing all our differences and unique characteristics that make us who we are,” said Samantha Miles, a communication and leadership graduate student. “It just means that disabled is only one of our identities. It’s to create a culture to support and uplift experiences that we have — that only disabled people have — and maybe validate those, too.”

Diversity and inclusivity efforts often fail to include disability, especially at UT, where disabled students have expressed concern over accommodation and accessibility.

The 2,937 disabled students at UT deserve an inclusive and welcoming campus environment — one that not only acknowledges the existence of their community but also understands the validity of their culture. UT must prioritize and al-

locate resources to create a disability cultural center on campus to better support and recognize the culture and community that many disabled students share.

Since fall 2020, student advocates have worked diligently to bring this idea to the administrative level. The Natural Sciences Council, Disability Advocacy Student Coalition and other entities have distributed a student survey regarding the creation of a disability cultural center that has garnered 855 responses. Student support is clearly there, so what are the next steps? Why hasn’t the administration affirmed a public commitment to pursuing this idea?

Emily Shryock, assistant director of Services for Students with Disabilities, explained that administration and faculty have been in conversation with students since early 2021 regarding the creation of a disability cultural center.

“This is not a push from students.

This is a coordinated effort from students, faculty and staff as well. So, I mean, students have been part of it, but it wasn’t students coming to SSD saying, ‘We want this,’” Shryock said.

While it’s encouraging that the University has been working with students, it’s time for the administration to acknowledge the efforts of student activists and publicize more concrete plans for developing this idea. This is clearly happening due to a push from students, as are almost all initiatives for change on campus.

Shubhi Nanda, Senate of College Councils outreach coordinator and neuroscience junior, expressed that there isn’t always adequate support from administration, especially con-

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.

cerning ideas of accessibility.

“It’s never really come from the admin side, so I don’t even think they realize that it is a problem,” Nanda said. “But then they also become very critical of the fact that we bring it up.”

Too often, the responsibility of advocacy falls on students, but the disabled community shouldn’t have to bear the burden of asking for support and allyship. By listening to and prioritizing the voices of disabled students, administration should understand that a disability cultural center is both wanted and necessary.

Miles affirmed that during her time leading the Disability and Inclusion Agency of Student Government, there was always conversation with administration regarding accessibility. However, any thoughts or concerns regarding disability had to be brought up by students themselves.

She also said that she feels the University often allows able-bodied people to make decisions for the disability community instead of genuinely listening to disabled student voices.

Now, the disabled student community is calling for the establishment of a disability cultural center, and we have yet to see any public, concrete commitment from the administration’s side.

Both Miles and the coalition’s President, sports management senior Cole Glosser, said a disability cultural center would have positively impacted their experiences as disabled students at UT. “Having that kind of community could help a lot because my really bad experience with a professor — the worst one — was my first semester at UT and I didn’t really know

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.

abriella corker

that many disabled people here,” Miles said. “So even if they don’t have a solution, they might have resources to help me and they also probably have shared experiences because now I know that having bad experiences with professors is not uncommon. So I think that would’ve helped me a lot more because I felt really isolated in that.”

Services for Student is not enough to serve the disabled student population. Disabled students, especially freshmen, can often feel alone and isolated on campus. A disability cultural center could help mitigate the transition to college by connecting students to outside resources such as assistive technology, and most importantly, to one another.

“Disability culture is to share a sense of pride with others in the disability community and to be fully able to express ourselves,” Glosser said. “It would be especially

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.

/ the daily texan staff

beneficial to members of the disability community … to have that space to interact with one another and just feel safe … and not have to constantly interact within an able-bodied world.”

A disability cultural center isn’t some far-off concept. Many universities like UT have one; it’s necessary, urgent and perfectly implementable. Creating one at UT would do more than create a safe space for disabled students and expand the resources available to them. It would demonstrate the University’s commitment to recognizing disability culture and the diverse values, goals and identities it encompasses.

The editorial board is composed of associate editors Maria Sailale, Megan Tran and editor-in-chief Sanika Nayak.

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

check us out

ONLINE

our new website has: stories videos photo galleries flipbooks thedailytexan.com

6

TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2021

RESEARCH

UT researchers find problems, solutions for river flooding

By Kaushiki Roy @kaushikiroy3

Two UT researchers published papers July 12 that explain why man-made river deltas, reservoirs intended to slow down river flow near communities, will be harmful to society in coming years.

Associate engineering professor Paola Passalacqua focused her paper on how man-made river deltas have been “eating up” land and are leading to an increase in flooding, especially for communities located on the coastline.

“As humans, we always move next to water,” Passalacqua said.

“These lands are also very fertile.

The problem is that it has an impact on how this naturally works. If you prevent the river from extending into the land, you also start losing land, which then leads to sea levels starting to rise.”

Passalacqua said since the mid1900s, flooding along river delta coastlines near Bangladesh and the Mississippi River has increased dramatically and is now impacting ecosystems around those coasts because of the change in environment.

On the Mississippi coastline, flooding has increased by 180% since the early 2000s, and sea levels have risen by over 4 inches, according to sealevelrise.org.

“Flooding means to lose land, and that means you might have to change the type of agriculture that you did,” Passalacqua said. “Because at this point you have more water, or you

copyright andrew moodie, and reproduced with permission

Postdoctoral fellow Andrew Moodie worked alongside associate engineering professor Paola Passalacqua, focusing on offering cost-conscious alternatives to the current delta system.

have more salt, plants are not going to thrive as much as they used to before, so there’s a whole suite of elements to adapt to.”

Passalacqua, who originally began her research 10 years ago, started to develop her paper in 2016. She said she hopes the paper will catch the attention of policymakers and force them to amend the current river delta system.

Postdoctoral fellow Andrew Moodie worked alongside Passalacqua and focused on offering cost-conscious alternatives to the current delta system.

Moodie said building reservoirs inland instead of on the coast could conserve as much coastline land as possible without risking imminent flooding. He said as scientific communities are discovering the long-term effects of river deltas to

society, many are working to find more sustainable alternatives.

“Although it’s going to be challenging, we’re optimistic that there are solutions that we can engineer to create sustainable coasts,” Moodie said.

“Despite all the doom and gloom that is prevalent in much of the news and other media, we are hopeful that with work like ours, we can contribute to solutions like this.”

NEWS

SPORTS

C A R T E R YAT E S

7

Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2021

COLUMN

Big 12 blue bloods bolt for SEC Texas, Oklahoma joining Southeastern Conference makes perfect sense for everyone involved.

By Carter Yates @Carter_Yates16

he Southe a s t e r n Conference prides itself in its slogan: “It just means more.” Judging by the stranglehold the SEC has on College Football Playoff success, it’s damn right.

Since the College Football Playoff’s inception in 2014, the SEC has placed at least one program in the four-team tournament every year, and an SEC team has been crowned national champions in four of those seven seasons. Now, the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners are looking to get in on the action and apply for SEC membership. The schools informed the Big 12 Conference of their intentions to not renew their grants of media rights following their expiration in 2025. Despite the chaos that erupted after the Houston Chronicle originally reported Texas and Oklahoma’s intentions, the conference move makes perfect sense for all parties involved.

With the new 12-team playoff format proposed by the College Football Playoff working group June 10, many college football analysts are preparing for the formation of three to four “super conferences” that will attempt to maximize playoff slots and, therefore, generate more revenue. This means the existing Power Five conference structure of the Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference and Pac-12 would effectively dissolve. Texas and Oklahoma’s defection from the conference they were founding members of is merely the first step in that inevitable process.

As college football morphs into super conferences, Texas and Oklahoma, two of the biggest brands in college sports, could not risk being on the outside looking in at a changing landscape.

For starters, the Big 12 is the smallest Power Five conference with only 10 teams.

Unlike other Power Five conferences, the Big 12 does not have its own conference network to bring in additional revenue. This is in large part due to the Longhorn

joshua guenther

/ the daily texan file

Texas and Oklahoma face off at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas in 2019. Both schools have expressed their desires to leave the Big 12 and join the Southeastern Conference.

Network, which was formed in 2011 and currently holds Texas’ third-tier television rights that would normally be reserved for a conference-owned network.

In the long run, these factors have hurt the Big 12 as a whole. According to a USA Today report written in 2020, the Big 12 generated the least amount of revenue out of all Power Five conferences for the 2019 fiscal year. At the top of the list was the 14-team Big Ten Conference, which generated $781.5 million in total revenue compared to the Big 12’s $439 million. The SEC

came in at second with $720.6 million in total revenue and equal dividends of $45.3 million to each member school.

These elevated revenues have directly correlated to more lucrative TV deals. For instance, the SEC announced a 10-year, $3 billion (yes, you read that correctly) television deal Dec. 10 with ABC/ ESPN under the Disney umbrella. Conversely, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported May 25 that ESPN and Fox declined to discuss an early extension of their contract with the Big 12 following the conclusion of the

agreement in 2025.

Texas and Oklahoma can now jump ship to earn more television revenue than they were previously getting in the Big 12 while staying on the cutting edge of college football realignment. On the SEC’s side, the conference adds the two programs who rank first and seventh, respectively, in monetary value according to the Wall Street Journal. Unless you’re Texas A&M or one of the eight teams remaining in the Big 12 with no clear plan for the future, this is a win for college football.

8

TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2021

SPORTS

SPORTS

Your guide to watching Longhorn Olympians

By Nathan Han @NathanHan13

With the 2021 Olympics already underway, several current and former Longhorns have made their mark in Tokyo.

Chief among them is softball star and Texas alumnus Cat Osterman, who excelled in her first two starts. The 38-yearold came out of retirement for the Olympics and still hasn’t allowed an earned run while pitching for No. 1-ranked USA. She’ll hope that continues in the gold medal game against No. 2 Japan at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, which you can wake up to catch on NBC Sports Network or watch the replay at 8:45 p.m.

But Osterman is only one of 26 current, former and even incoming Texas athletes competing in Tokyo.

Here’s how you can watch some of the other Longhorns during the Olympics: (All times listed are in Central Time.

This list does not include athletes competing in swimming) Jhonattan Vegas - Men’s golf

July 28 - 5:30 p.m. - Round 1 - NBC Golf July 31 - 6:00 a.m. - Round 3 - NBC Golf (Replay) July 31 - 5:30 p.m. - Round 4 - NBC Golf

Teahna Daniels - Women’s track & field - 100-meter dash

July 29 - 9:40 p.m. - Round 1 NBC July 31 - 5:15 a.m. - Semifinals NBC July 31 - 9:45 p.m. - Finals - NBC Hailey Hernandez - Women’s diving - 3-meter springboard

July 30, 1 a.m. - Preliminary round - Streaming on NBCOlympics.com July 31 - 1 a.m. - Semifinals Streaming on NBCOlympics.com August 1 - 1 a.m. - Finals - Streaming on NBCOlympics.com Melissa Gonzalez - Women’s track & field - 400-meter hurdles

July 30 - 7 p.m. - Round 1 - NBC August 3 - 9:30 p.m. - Finals - NBC

Pedrya Seymour - Women’s track & field - 100-meter hurdles

July 30 - 8:45 p.m. - Round 1 - NBC August 1 - 9:50 p.m. - Finals - NBC

Melissa Gonzalez - Women’s track & field - 400-meter hurdles

July 30 - 7 p.m. - Round 1 - NBC August 3 - 9:30 p.m. - Finals - NBC

Tara Davis - Women’s track & field - long jump

July 31 - 7:50 p.m. - Qualifying Streaming on NBCOlympics.com August 2 - 8:50 p.m. - Finals - NBC Ryan Crouser - Men’s track & field - shot put

August 3 - 5:15 a.m. - Qualifying Streaming on NBCOlympics.com August 4 - 9:05 p.m. - Finals - NBC Jonathan Jones - Men’s track & field - 400-meter dash

August 5 - 7 a.m. - Finals - Streaming on NBCOlympics.com (Replay of finals on NBC at 8:15 p.m.)

Jordan Windle - Men’s diving 10-meter springboard, 3-meter springboard

August 6 - 1 a.m. - Preliminary round - Streaming on NBCOlympics. com August 6 - 8 p.m. - Semifinals Streaming on NBCOlympics.com August 7 - 1 a.m. - Final - Streaming on NBCOlympics.com Stacey Ann Williams - Women’s track & field - 4x400 relay,

August 7 - 7:30 a.m. - Finals - NBC

Chiaka Ogbogu - Women’s volleyball

July 29 - 7:45 a.m. - U.S. vs. Turkey - Streaming on NBCOlympics.com (Replay at 8 p.m. on NBC Sports Network) July 30 - 9:05 p.m. - U.S. vs. Russia - Streaming on NBCOlympics.com (Replay on July 31 at 8:45 p.m. on NBC Sports Network) August 1 - 9:05 p.m. - U.S. vs. Italy - NBC Erik Sullivan - Men’s volleyball

July 29 - 9:05 p.m. - U.S. vs. Brazil - Streaming on NBCOlympics.com (Replay available July 30 at 11:00 a.m. on USA Network) August 1 - 7:45 a.m. - U.S. vs. Argentina - Streaming on NBCOlympics.com (Replay at 9 p.m. on NBC Sports Network) copyright ncaa, and reproduced with permission

Texas junior Tara Davis competes in the long jump at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Davis is one of 26 Texas athletes competing in the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games.

LIFE&ARTS

9

TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2021

STUDENT LIFE

People of color struggle to find knowledgeable tattoo artists

By Michelle Facio @michelleefacio

When UT alumnus Denise Morales got a tattoo cover-up in 2018, she didn’t expect it to look worse than the original tattoo.

“Originally it was just a line tattoo of some DNA strands on my rib cage,” Morales said. “I decided to get it covered up and the guy was like, ‘Yeah, I can fix this, I can give you watercolor,’ and I hesitated. I said, ‘Watercolor is usually done on people with fair skin because you can see the colors and tell what it is.’”

Morales said that when it was done, the tattoo looked like a brown smudge on her skin. She later got a cover-up of the cover-up when she studied abroad in 2019, and spent over $400 to fix her tattoo.

Morales’ experience is not uncommon. According to Zippia, 66.2% of tattoo artists are white and may be unaware that different skin tones call for different approaches when tattooing. Many dark skinned individuals struggle to find tattoo artists who are knowledgeable about the way color may appear on the skin once a tattoo heals.

“Most people don’t realize when you see a tattoo, you’re not looking at the surface of someone’s skin,” said Roni Zulu, an Austin-based tattoo artist. “You’re actually looking through a few layers of skin because the tattoo is put underneath. That’s why black ink on me looks kind of greenish, while black ink on a fair skin person looks very black.”

Zulu has been tattooing for nearly 30 years.

He said most of his tattoo knowledge came from traveling to the Polynesiasn Islands and learning traditional techniques from Indigenous people in the area.

Zulu said part of the reason people of color in the U.S. struggle to find artists who specialize in tattooing dark skin tones is because there aren’t a lot of artists with enough experience. He said another reason might be lack of education regarding why certain tattoo styles may or may not work on different skin colors.

“Sometimes, people of color will go into a tattoo studio and see all the bright colorful things on the wall and say, ‘I want that!’ and when a

tattoo artist says, ‘That’s not really going to look good on you,’ people will get discouraged and leave the shop,” Zulu said. “There’s not enough conversation educating people about this.”

People with a lot of experience getting tattooed, like tattoo enthusiast Ronald Phillips, will go into a tattoo shop with an idea of what to expect.

“If I see something that’s really pretty, like with rainbows and all that good stuff, I like to think about how it would look without the color and how the line work on it would look

instead of how it is in the picture I’m looking at,” Phillips said.

Phillips said he feels fortunate to feel confident that the tattoo will turn out the way he expects no matter if he wants color or not, but Morales said she often feels limited in what she can do.

“I have to ask and look around,” Morales said. “I can’t trust everybody to feel like they can tattoo my skin. We have to be careful, do the research and be patient.”

rocky higine

/ the daily texan staff

10

TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2021

LIFE&ARTS

STUDENT LIFE

Black students struggle to find beauty supplies while in Austin

By Briana Ramsey @brianarramsey

After spending an extra hour scouring three different stores across Austin for a hairpiece, Maame Effirim felt so frustrated she went home empty-handed.

“This is rarely ever a problem in my hometown,” psychology junior Effirim said. “Not to mention the price tag once I finally found the item was a complete downer.”

Effirim said limited beauty supplies in Austin make it difficult for Black students at UT to properly look after their hair. Most are forced to frequently travel back to their hometowns to find affordable, accessible hair products and materials needed for hairstyles that aren’t available at local Walmarts, Targets or even Sally Beauty.

“I grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, and there are quite a few beauty supply stores in my area, all within a few miles of me,” Effirim said. “There has never been a time I had to shop around different stores to find specific products or hair extensions like I have in Austin.”

Business sophomore Helah Payne said when she went to Big Joy Wigs & Beauty, she couldn’t find a simple burgundy color or anything similar.

Payne said the store wasn’t Black owned and operated. Because of the microaggressions and the not-sosubtle disrespect she experienced, Payne said the shopping environment was hostile. “(The store owners) treated us and the woman we noticed as if we were lesser than (them),” Payne said.

“Unhappy, I started going to another

beauty supply (store) that was closer to campus. While there, I noticed the prices were insanely higher. It seemed to be a lose-lose situation.”

Payne says she would rather just save the hassle and travel back home to stock up on her hair needs for the entire year.

Keyajah Hawthorne, human development and family sciences junior, noticed a trend with the beauty supplies in Austin. A hair scarf, for example, costs 99 cents in Houston or Dallas but is $3 in Austin.

“I personally didn’t even notice the rise of prices until my friend brought it up, but I believe more people would be able to get their hair done if they could afford to buy the hair,” Hawthorne said.

Because Black individuals only make up 7.83% of Austin’s population, Hawthorne said it seems as if catering to such an important need, such as an adequate amount of beauty supplies, isn’t a priority.

“The city seems to not really care about Black women,” Hawthorne said. “If they did, the beauty supply stores wouldn’t have such high prices that are usually lower in other areas.”

Hawthorne, Payne and Effirim said Austin would be more inclusive and inviting to Black students if it were to open up more beauty supply stores.

“It is a bit disheartening to have to struggle to have my basic needs met in a city where I am supposed to feel comfortable,” Effirim said. “I believe lots of people would benefit from more accessible and affordable beauty supplies simply because we as Black people are all facing these issues.” copyright maame effirim, and reproduced with permission

Psychology junior Maame Effirim said she struggled to find a beauty supply store that sold affordable products in Austin. She said there are few stores in the area that cater to her hair type.

COMICS

DESTINY ALEXANDER

Comics Editor | @TEXANCOMICS TUES, JULY 27, 2021

11

12

TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2021

LIFE&ARTS

CAMPUS

Specialized Welcome Week events help students of color find connections

By Andreana Lozano @lozano_andreana

Three years ago, Rachel Dunkley moved to Texas to attend a university where less than 5% of the student population shared her racial identity. Although the experience seemed terrifying at first, Dunkley said she was able to find community and build lasting friendships by attending New Black Student Weekend, an event hosted by Afrikan American Affairs.

“It was really, really important to me to meet Black people at UT because I was really scared to come to a predominantly white institution,” said Dunkley, a human development and family sciences junior. “(New Black Student Weekend) was integral to my freshman year. I met my friends that I’m still friends with today, three years later. I learned so much from the upperclassmen and all the workshops.”

During Longhorn Welcome in August, New Black Student Weekend hosts a week of events meant to help freshmen feel at home at UT. The weekend is one of several Longhorn Welcome events intended to make the freshmen experience more inclusive for marginalized groups.

Dunkley, co-executive chair of New Black Student Weekend, said the weekend is primarily designed to help Black freshmen find community on campus, but the event

anadra gomir

also hosts student-led workshops on topics that include studying abroad, sexually transmitted disease prevention, things to do in Austin and local Black businesses.

“Everyone comes in super nervous, super hesitant. They don’t really know what to expect and they’re really nervous because meeting new people is scary,” Dunkley said. “By the end of it they always leave way more comfortable and feeling more prepared for starting at UT.” Kayleigh Damphousse, transition coordinator for New Student Services and lead organizer of Longhorn Welcome, said it is important for freshmen to see themselves

/ the daily texan staff

represented from the moment they arrive on campus.

“We basically want three different things,” Damphousse said. “We want people to experience the traditions of UT. We also want for students to develop their own sense of belonging at UT. The last thing is the Longhorn identity. We want them to feel like, ‘Oh, I’m finally part of this community.’”

One signature event that New Student Services hosts is the Multicultural Mixer where campus administrators can connect with students of color to inform them about resources and help them feel represented on campus.

Many student organizations also host their own events during Welcome Week. Latinx Community Affairs welcomes Latinx students with Adelante, a program that includes music, food and entertainment to help freshmen find friends and connect with Latinx organizations.

Bibi Macias, an economics sophomore and event director for Adelante, said she hopes that last year’s freshmen will also attend this year’s event, since they couldn’t experience a traditional Longhorn Welcome due to COVID-19. She encourages students of color to make it a point to attend events like Adelante and New Black Student Weekend, as it can be difficult for freshmen to find community.

“Just speaking from my experience as a freshman — I didn’t attend Adelante,” Macias said. “Eventually, I feel like I did find a good community within Latinx Community Affairs, but it certainly would have been nice to have had that relationship more from the beginning. I definitely think it would have been really nice.”

Damphousse also encourages new students to take advantage of opportunities to meet people similar to themselves.

“We want students to develop their own sense of belonging at UT,” Damphousse said. “So that they can say, ‘I know where my place is on campus and I know that I matter to somebody.’”