The Daily Texan 2021-09-08

DT VOLUME 122, ISSUE 15 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

‘we can still make a difference’ UT UT students students protest protest anti-abortion anti-abortion bill bill at at Texas Texas Capitol.

Capitol.

jack myer

/ the daily texan staff

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New movie “Shang-Chi” brings exciting action and fantasy elements to the MCU.

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Professors teaching virtually should avoid asynchronous class instruction if possible.

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Get to know the top five players on the 2021 men’s tennis team that feature in the ITA singles rankings.

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Students faced power outages in some University buildings and on riding an on-campus ferris wheel.

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Contents:

Austin animal shelters, student volunteers step up to house animals affected by Hurriane Ida

By Tori Duff @torianneduff

The UT and Austin community accepted and cared for the dozens of Louisianan dog and cat refugees as Hurricane Ida flooded large parts of the state last week.

“I think it’s amazing because it shows the community coming together to help get the word out and put light on this issue,” said Grace Ariola, a Plan II senior who volunteers at the Austin Animal Center.

As of Aug. 28, the Austin Humane Society accepted nearly 70 Louisianan dog and cat refugees as Hurricane Ida wiped electricity and infrastructure from large parts of the state last week. As of Tuesday, community members have adopted over 40 refugee animals after the shelter sent out a plea to its foster network, said Katie Kennedy, the shelter’s director of communication.

The society was not able to provide capacity numbers or typical adoption rates at the time of publication, but the shelter currently houses 33 dogs and 30 cats available for adoption. This is not including animals the society is preparing for adoption, according to its website.

“When we saw Hurricane Ida forming, we started the plan. We had heard that there were probably going to be some shelters in Louisiana that would need our

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help,” Kennedy said.

The shelter told the public via social media and newsletters that now was the time to adopt to create more room for refugee animals, Kennedy said. The shelter was at capacity before it started accepting refugee animals on Aug. 26, but after promoting fostering and adopting in preparation for the storm, it freed up enough room to accept the extra animals.

The shelter plans to take in 18 more refugee cats on Wednesday via airplane to Houston where the staff will drive them to Austin, Kennedy said.

Potential adopters can visit theAustin Humane Society website or visit in person to meet the

/ the daily texan staff

animals. Then, they must fill out an adoption waiver and meet with an adoption counselor to talk about the animal’s personality. Adopters can potentially take an animal home the same day. Adoption fees typically range from $85 to $100.

Ariola said it was amazing to hear how many animals were adopted following the hurricane intake.

“We go out of our way to try to make their lives a little better by providing treats and enrichment and loving on them as best as we can,” Ariola said.

“The best part is when they get adopted. We cry because we love them so much.”

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NEWS

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

CAMPUS

UT students face power outages around campus

By Kaushiki Roy @kaushikiroy3

When freshman Erin Luna began her first year at UT, she did not expect to face a power outage at Jester West within the first two weeks of being on campus.

Multiple University buildings have lost power in the last week, including Jester West and San Jacinto Residence Hall. The University’s ferris wheel also lost power with students aboard the ride during the Longhorn Family Reunion event on Sept. 1.

Luna, an undeclared major in the college of Liberal Arts, said she was in the middle of her online class when the lights went off in her dorm.

“I feel like it would have been nice to know what to do,” Luna said. “We were kind of playing it by ear and I think it was probably hard for students who had mandatory online classes since the WiFi went out too.”

Luna said the outage lasted for about 30 minutes before she received a notification that the power had come back.

Architecture sophomore Colin Cantwell said

he was on the ferris wheel when it lost power during the event.

“As we were slowly moving up to the top, we noticed that we’d been stuck at like this one spot for like a little longer than normal,” Cantwell said. “We saw that the event organizers came together at the bottom and a small huddle of people formed at the base of the ride. At this point, we thought something was up.”

Cantwell said he was stuck on top of the ferris wheel for an hour as firefighters manually helped students off of the ride.

“We were up there for a little bit, and then at one point they decided to let the people on the bottom of the ride off,” Cantwell said. “But I guess that threw the ride off balance and it started swinging back and forth for a while until someone pushed the emergency manual break.

And that’s where we were stuck for about 45 minutes under the sun.”

Cantwell said the most frustrating part of the experience was the lack of communication from personnel while they were stuck on the ride.

“I feel like someone could have relayed just a little bit of information about what was going

Hey,

Austin!

julius shieh

/ the daily texan staff

The Austin Fire Department ropes off a ferris wheel during the Longhorn Family Reunion on Speedway on Sept. 1.

on,” Cantwell said. “All we really got was like one of the medical staff would kind of look up at us and give us a smile, but seeing the growing crowd of people working on trying to solve this problem was not really helping any of our anxieties.”

University administration did not respond to a request for comment as to why the ferris wheel malfunctioned.

Veronica Trevino, media manager for University Financial and Administrative Services, said several campus buildings lost partial to total

power between 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 31.

“A valve failure in the University power plant’s gas turbine generator system caused full or partial power outages in several campus buildings including Jester Garage, San Jacinto Residence Hall,” Trevino said in an email.

“The power outage was communicated to emergency and facility operational teams and over the Utilities and Energy Management’s Twitter page.”

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Editor-In-Chief | @TEXANOPINION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

OPINION

COLUMN

Maintain synchronous class times Synchronous classes allow for much needed structure and conversation.

By Isabelle Costello Associate Editor

n Aug. 17, the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost announced that, in light of the worsening COVID-19 case rates across Texas, professors would have the option to adjust the format of their in-person classes until Sept.

17. The specifics were left up to individual professors but included reducing classroom density, which could involve certain portions of the class joining in-person on various days, or moving to a completely virtual environment.

Numerous professors have since altered their classes. While some professors are holding virtual classes through Zoom or the Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services streaming system, many others are using the policy as an opportunity to shift to an asynchronous class format, where students have access to course material and recordings to complete on their own time, rather than on a predetermined weekly schedule.

While forfeiting synchronous meetings for asynchronous content can be more convenient, changing the format for students that built their schedules around certain

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.

rong hua wang

classes is unfair and warps the structure that synchronous classes create. Professors teaching virtually or in a hybrid format at the start of the semester should continue to teach at synchronous class times to maintain a steady schedule and easy transition back to in-person classes for their students.

One of the strongest arguments in support of asynchronous learning is the flexibility it can provide students, as they don’t have to dedicate predetermined hours of the day to that course. However, this convenience comes at the expense of regularly scheduled interactions, such as the

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/ the daily texan staff

opportunity to ask questions as the instructor is lecturing.

“At the end of the day, since (the virtual component) is asynchronous, you’re kind of at a disadvantage compared to the people in the live audience because they would’ve been able to ask questions that they came up with on the spot,” biology sophomore Vedin Barve said. “If you’re in that asynchronous position and you have questions, you’d have to find your own time to reach out as opposed to getting that question addressed right then and there when you thought of it.”

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Completing course content alone and on an individual schedule also hinders opportunities for students to connect, both with their peers and their professors.

Assistant chemistry professor Zachariah Page utilizes a flipped classroom approach to his virtual organic chemistry course, where students view optional background content before class and then work through practice problems in breakout rooms during the scheduled synchronous lecture times.

“As much as there may be resistance to having (synchronous problem-solving sessions) and students wanting to just sit and learn the material, I think this is a better strategy for people to be successful in organic chemistry and hopefully retain the knowledge,” Page said.

For flipped classrooms such as Page’s, the opportunity for students to work through complex problems alongside instructors conveniently relies on synchronous instruction. Meeting at a predetermined time that both professors and students decided on means that even if students are not able to attend office hours or recitation sessions, they’re still guaranteed at least one opportunity to engage with their professors and peers.

Professors who moved to a virtual or hybrid class format for the first few weeks of the semester should maintain a synchronous mode of teaching. For some, an asynchronous format might click, but students who were under the assumption they were meeting in person at specific times shouldn’t have to pivot their learning habits with so little warning.

Costello is a human development and family sciences sophomore from Boerne, Texas.

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NEWS

5

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

UNIVERSITY

UT MARKETPLACE

By Kevin Vu @Kevin_Vu_

The University announced Friday that it will provide the largest investment in graduate student education of about nearly $11 million in recurring funds.

The nearly $11 million will go toward raising student salaries, creating new fellowships and supporting the tuition reduction benefit fund, according to the email. Underpaid@UT, an organization advocating for fair graduate student worker wages, said that nearly $11 million comes from what the University saved by switching to an insurance plan the organization says imperils many graduate students’ health care by raising costs on items such as prescriptions.

“The Graduate School’s statement is misleading and inaccurate because it says the funding is new, implying that the school has made an actual investment in graduate student stipends,” Rebecca Johnston, a member of Underpaid@UT, said in an email. “It has not. It has simply shifted money around.”

Graduate School Dean Mark Smith said the University Budget Council had approved the funds after recognizing that switching to a new insurance

policy, AcademicBlue, will save an estimated $10.9 million for the University down the road.

The new funds include $6 million to increase graduate student employee salaries, the email said. Before the increase, graduate student employee salaries typically averaged at $12,000 per year, Smith said.

The University is creating a target minimum salary for “most” teaching assistants and assistant instructors at $19,000, but this is dependent on each college.

History graduate student Johnston said while the stipend is a step in the right direction, it is still not enough to fund the minimum cost of living in Austin for a single person with no dependents, which Johnston calculated at $32,000.

“Graduate student funding should not come at the expense of our health care, not least during a global pandemic,” Johnston said. “It sets a terrible precedent, both for future graduate funding increases at UT and for other universities.”

Some graduate students, however, are still feeling financial relief. Cassidy Doucet, a communications studies graduate student, said she and her husband have a 3-month-old daughter, and it’s difficult for them to afford child day care in Austin even with her and her

husband’s secondary income.

The new investment will increase Doucet’s salary by 20%.

“It helps me breathe a little bit better,” Doucet said. “My husband and I, we budget, and we try to be frugal when we can, but we also sometimes do live paycheck to paycheck and so any additional income is a very welcome blessing.”

Additionally, Smith said $2.9 million goes toward creating new fellowships and top-off funds to recruit more graduate students.

An additional $2 million will go to supporting the Tuition Reduction Benefit Fund, which helps to cover tuition for students in teaching assistant and assistant instructor positions, Smith said. This is the first time UT has added additional money to the fund to offset the rising cost of tuition each year since the University established the fund.

Before UT added the $2 million in additional funds, graduate students had to pay $1,100 a semester out-of-pocket. The $2 million will pay this fee, Smith said.

“We want students to be successful through their journey,” Smith said. “We want them to be funded at a level where they can focus on their studies, and then graduate and not incur a whole lot of debt.”

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News Editor | @THEDAILYTEXAN

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

STATE

NEWS

‘WE CAN STILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE’ UT students protest anti-abortion at Texas Capitol.

By: Kaushiki Roy @kaushikiroy3

Content warning: abortion, sexual violence. ver 150 UT students marched from the University of Texas Tower to the Texas Capitol Tuesday to protest a bill banning abortion six weeks after conception that went into effect Aug. 31.

The three and a half hour protest began at 4 p.m. in front of the Tower, where students gathered to march down to the capitol. The anti-abortion legislation will apply to pregnancies caused by rape or incest and will grant power to anyone to sue an abortion provider, for up to $10,000. The U.S. Supreme Court did not block the bill Thursday night, setting a precedent for other states to enact similar measures.

At the capitol, members of the group shared their feelings on the legislation.

“It’s a really big example of how the government likes to have double standards and what matters most is by controlling people,” biology freshman Maria Noonan said. “I lived in Austin, so I’ve always seen and gone to protests, but this just felt like an utter slap in the face.”

Throughout the protest, organizers and attendees registered people

jack myer

/ the daily texan staff

Sophomore acting major Molly Masson is among almost 100 students that protest Texas Senate Bill 8, which became law Aug. 31 and bans abortions after 6 weeks.

to vote so they could get the legislation repealed.

“I kept asking around if there were other protests happening later but couldn’t find any,” protest organizer Madison Fail said. “So I just thought ‘Why not keep the momentum,’ because visibility and persistence are both very important in getting this legislation repealed.”

Maya Mackey, another protest organizer and a Plan II and government freshman, said the protestors took a moment of silence for everyone who will suffer from unsafe abortions as a result of the bill.

“It’s people that think that they can control women’s bodies, and that’s just not acceptable,” Mackey said.

Laila Aziz, a junior math major, said she attended the protest to protect her rights as a woman and speak out against the unconstitutional ruling.

“This bill is incredibly unconstitutional when you consider Roe v.

Wade, (which) this completely goes against,” Aziz said. “It’s even worse for the children who will be born into unstable families because their moms could not get abortions.”

Aziz said she is proud of the number of students who protested and plans to attend future protests of the bill. Another protest will happen on Friday from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. directly at the Texas Capitol. The protest will be a sit-in, and although it will not be organized by UT students, attendance is open to all, political science and government freshman Fail said.

“As UT students we can advocate and even if we’re not in political power we can still make a difference,” Aziz said.

LIFE&ARTS

FIZA KUZHIYIL

7

Life&Arts Editor | @TEXANARTS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

STUDENT LIFE

UT students share experiences on unbearable heat Readjusting to in-person classes, UT students share experiences with horrors of living with Texas heat.

By Sofia Treviño & Zoe Tzanis @Sofiacis_7 @ZTzanis

s Brianna Rodriguez escaped the heat at the concession stand, she found herself as one among a crowd of overheated Longhorn fans. With temperatures well above 98 degrees and no available cold water, she said she even saw a woman faint.

“I got so tired I had to sit down, and I couldn’t even see the game,” business sophomore Rodriguez said. “I was focusing on the heat instead of the game, so it was not enjoyable.”

As UT returns to in-person classes, students must consider challenges they avoided last year from the confines of their dorms and apartments: staying hydrated, withstanding extreme heat and navigating campus dripping in sweat. As

Longhorn football makes a comeback, Texan and non-Texan students alike must adjust.

While preparing for UT’s season opener and her first ever college football game, Rodriguez said she couldn’t contain her excitement. She picked out an outfit eagerly, considering the style but not the ensuing, boiling heat she later experienced inside the stadium. “(Wearing a) black T-shirt is where I first messed up,” Rodriguez said.

“We were all standing in the heat and sweating. We were literally dripping.

I was sweating from my arms, hands, face, neck. Everywhere.”

Though born in Texas and accustomed to campus living, Rodriguez said simply walking to classes instead of being on Zoom forced her to update her wardrobe and drink more water.

“I like to dress super cute everywhere,” Rodriguez said. “But Brownsville heat and Austin heat are two different things. (Austin heat) is way more extreme, so I have to wear workout clothes all the time now, and I feel weird because that’s not my usual style.”

Making a much farther trip to be in-person this year, advertising senior Yunji Choi moved to Austin from South Korea, where she said the weather is similar. However, she noticed some major differences in Austin, most notably how South

Koreans use parasols to shield themselves from the sun to avoid tanning while Texans dive in head-first, preparing to sweat and burn.

Like Choi, when moving into her West Campus apartment on her very first day in Texas, special education graduate student Hana Liu felt drained by the overbearing sunrays.

“I’m new here, so I would like to walk around the city,” Liu said.

“But it is a little bit too hot, so if it can be a little bit colder, I would love that.”

Having moved from Taiwan to Austin in August, Liu described the Texas weather as “more unbearable,” with Taiwan having more rain and shade. Still, Liu explores Austin lathered up in sunscreen, taking her umbrella wherever she goes.

“Most of my friends, because we are all from Taiwan, bring our umbrellas together,” Liu said. “Compared to others, I’m more concerned about my skin color because it is really easy for me to get burned.”

barbra daly

/ the daily texan staff

8

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

LIFE&ARTS

FILM

‘Shang-Chi’ brings exciting action, fantasy elements to MCU

copyright marvel studios, and reproduced with permission

Simu Liu as Shang-Chi in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

By Noah Levine @ZProductionz

Ring, ring, ring … A new Marvel movie is calling.

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” the newest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, follows the journey of Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), a young kung fu master. Called back to his father’s compound, he becomes entwined with the mysterious Ten Rings organization. When his father Xu Wenwu (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung) presents a plan to open a gateway to rescue their deceased mother, Shang-Chi soon realizes there are more sinister forces at play. Assisted by his skilled sister Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) and longtime best friend Katy (Awkwafina), Shang-Chi travels to a magical village to protect the gateway’s secrets from Wenwu.

Simu Liu brings a charismatic charm to the leading role of Shang-Chi. His innocent personality contrasts well with his brutal fighting skills. Liu and Awkwafina have fantastic chemistry, leading to many instances of effective comedic banter. Liu’s confidence as an actor exudes through every scene, despite this being his first major blockbuster role. The fight scenes in particular showcase Liu’s effectiveness as a superhero actor.

Tony Chiu-Wai Leung brings an appropriate amount of menace and sternness to the role of Xu Wenwu. Although at times Leung’s performance veers too far into a typical two-dimensional evil villain, his end

SHANG CHI CATEGORY Action SCORE

goal becomes sillier as the plot chugs on.

The combat scenes account for the brightest highlights of Marvel’s newest epic.

Swift camera movements and razor-sharp choreography result in several jaw-dropping set pieces of close-quarters combat.

One standout sequence in a moving bus showcases impeccable choreography and sound design as chaos erupts throughout the extremely claustrophobic space. This high-stakes sequence takes the cake as one of Marvel’s most impressive action feats.

As opposed to the more grounded approach of previous MCU origin films, “Shang-Chi” goes all in with fantastical legends and mythical creatures. The exploration of more fantasy-heavy spaces with elaborate creature design breathes fresh air into the Marvel brand, but the film occasionally gets lost in its lore. One too many times, progression of the plot halts for yet another flashback featuring the protagonists as kids. While these scenes provide valuable insight into character decisions, they became quite repetitive as the narrative progressed.

“Shang-Chi” brings Marvel fans a refreshing yet familiar superhero extravaganza featuring excellent fight sequences, whimsical special effects and an entertaining leading cast.

LIFE&ARTS

9

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

STUDENT LIFE

Students adjust to living with roommates

By Ikram Mohamed @ikramxmoham

In August 2020, Josie Womack settled into her dorm at Dobie Twenty21 full of excitement for the adventures, memories and laughs she hoped to experience during her first semester of college.

A month later, she moved out.

Womack is high risk and feared contracting the virus on campus.

For her safety, she moved home.

For many students, last year stood unconventional. Some spent their first semesters at home, others held up in their dorms. Now, with 92% of classes taking place in person, larger numbers of students are moving on campus and adjusting to life with roommates for the first time.

Ready to actually live with her freshman-year roommate, Womack described their long-awaited reunion as a very wholesome moment.

“We would text every day,” Womack said. “As soon as we met, it was like we were meant to be friends.”

After only interacting with one another online, Womack said transitioning to in person meetups feels gratifying. “(Because of COVID-19), it’s been a while since I’ve seen anybody,” Womack said. “It was really exciting seeing her again.

It’s rewarding to finally have our own place and getting to hang out with each other every day instead of just texting.”

Meanwhile, public health sophomore Shehza Ghaffar went from spending extended but inconsistent periods with her two roommates to now living with them full time. “(My roommate) Jessie and I have been close friends for a long time,” Ghaffar said. “We went to a small school, so we were together most hours of the day.

(Now), Jessie and I share a room.”

Although some say living with your best friend can ruin a friendship, Ghaffar said the two haven’t experienced any problems.

She attributes their commitment to open communication. Rather than hindering their friendship, living together allows the duo to grow closer everyday.

“We’re more on the same wavelength,” Ghaffar said. “There are a lot of things I’ll think of, and she’ll think of at the same time, and we’ll just get it done. It’s fun living with your best friend and spending time together, watching movies or just hanging out and talking.”

On the other hand, biology sophomore Nneka Iyegbu still can’t pin down how to balance her and her roommates’ schedules.

“I’m usually the first person to wake up,” Iyegbu said. “I’ve had to adjust to make sure I don’t accidentally wake up (my roommates) at the crack of dawn to clean or brush my teeth.”

Having stayed home last year, Iyegbu said living with roommates requires a significant adjustment.

“When you’re living with other people you have to understand not everyone has the same living style as you,” Iyegbu said.

“It’s been nice getting to know (my) roommates a little more to see what their living style is like, and how similar or different it is (to mine).”

Despite the many difficulties that come with moving away from home and living with others, Iyegbu said she’s ready for the change and can’t wait to see what the future holds.

“Moving away from home has been a good challenge for me,” Iyegbu said. “It feels like I’m becoming an adult now. I’m excited to see where the next couple of months will take me in terms of this journey.”

ana louisa matzner

/ the daily texan staff

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•you Local and permanent • Major field(s) of study information addresses • Most recent previous educa• Expected date of graduation name number • classification heightattended if member of •• Phone tional and institution • Degrees, awards, and honors • weight athletic team local address and permanent •• Email •anJob title and dates of employreceived (including selection • major field(s) of study addresses ment when employed • Public user name (UT EID) criteria) date of graduation • student parking permitby the • expected •• Place birth university in a position that • Participation in officially information phoneofnumber • degrees, awards, and honors •• Dates attendance requires student status recognized activities and sports 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, 2021-2022 catalog. to the postal or e-mail address last given to the registrar; if the student has failed to correct

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.

N AT H A N H A N

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Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

MEN’S TENNIS

SPORTS

Meet the 2021-22 Texas men’s tennis team Same lineup, now with NCAA tournament and US Open experience.

By Ross Fisher @rossfisher23

ast season, a freshmen and sophomore-laden Texas men’s tennis team exceeded all expectations, beating top-ranked programs on their way to the NCAA Final Four in

Orlando, Florida.

This season, the team, led by head coach Bruce Berque, looks to build upon last year’s success with nearly its entire lineup returning and the addition of a veteran graduate transfer.

Following the release of the ITA Preseason Rankings on Tuesday morning, Texas has five singles players ranked in the top 65, and two doubles pairings ranked in the top 50.

Here are the five Longhorns that feature in the ITA singles rankings: Eliot Spizzirri

In his first full season of college tennis, Spizzirri had a breakout season, emerging as Texas’ No. 1 singles and doubles player.

After making the NCAA Championship semifinal with Texas in the spring, Spizzirri had a tremendous summer. Playing on the ITF Futures circuit this summer, the Greenwich, Connecticut, product won his first professional singles title and second doubles title.

Off the back of that success, the

19-year-old became the second-youngest player to receive a wild card bid into the U.S. Open men’s singles qualifying tournament and earned a spot in the main draw of men’s doubles.

In the U.S. Open singles qualifying, Spizzirri beat the No. 163-ranked player in the world, before narrowly losing out to the No. 130-ranked player in the second round.

Playing alongside Oklahoma State’s Tyler Zink, Spizzirri fell to the No. 3-seeded duo in the first round of the doubles main draw.

The sophomore will enter the 2021 fall collegiate season ranked No. 10 in men’s singles, and No. 2 in doubles, alongside fellow sophomore Siem Woldeab.

Micah Braswell

Touted as a top newcomer in college tennis — and as one of the most highly sought after recruits in the nation — Braswell lived up to the hype in his freshman season.

With Siem Woldeab battling injuries in the early spring season, Berque plugged in a then-freshman Braswell at No. 2 in the singles lineup. Braswell battled hard in that position, making it his own the rest of the season and earning a top 30 ITA ranking by the end of the spring.

With a full year of college experience under his belt, the sophomore is poised for another breakout year, entering the season at No. 17 in the ITA singles rankings.

Braswell also excelled in doubles as a consistent performer at the No. 3 spot, playing alongside graduate transfer Payton Holden. This season, he may see action at No. 3 doubles alongside graduate transfer Richard Ciamarra.

Siem Woldeab

Woldeab began last season as Texas’ No. 1 guy in Berque’s mind. However,

after battling injury and illness early on in the spring — and following the emergence of Spizzirri and Braswell — Woldeab was relegated to the No. 3 spot in the singles lineup.

Playing at No. 3, Woldeab was a force, consistently bringing the energy. This season, the sophomore will likely hold rank, entering the fall season ranked No. 58 in singles.

Woldeab also relished life playing alongside Spizzirri in doubles, and the No. 1 duo for Texas will enter the season as the No. 2-ranked pairing in the nation.

Richard Ciamarra

hannah clark

Among this youthful Texas lineup, Ciamarra may assume the role of elder statesman, being the only senior on the team.

The graduate transfer from Notre Dame has elite college tennis pedigree, having entered the 2020-21 college season ranked No. 6 in singles. He didn’t quite live up to that ranking last season but will be a huge addition for Texas this year nonetheless.

He will likely assume the No. 4 or No. 5 spot in the singles lineup and enters the year with a singles ranking of No. 61.

Cleeve Harper

/ the daily texan file

Sophomore Siem Woldeab hits a forehand crosscourt in the March 27 match against USF. Woldeab will be entering the fall season at No. 3 in the singles lineup.

Harper was the most improved player, according to Berque, last season.

The redshirt sophomore finally nailed down a spot in the singles lineup, making the No. 4 position his own.

Despite what his quiet demeanor would suggest, Harper is the hype man for Texas on the court, and he used his energy last season to propel himself to an ITA singles and doubles ranking by the middle of the spring season.

Harper enters the season ranked No. 64 in singles and No. 41 in doubles alongside Chih Chi Huang. Their Canadian connection will likely be the No. 2 duo for Texas, and Harper will likely plug in at No. 4 or No. 5 in the singles lineup.

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

FOOTBALL

Risking it for the biscuit: Sarkisian’s aggressive Saturday calls gave Longhorns leg up By: Nathan Han @NathanHan13

Texas’ 38-18 win over Louisiana last Saturday will go down in record books and Wikipedia pages as a clean, drama-filled 20point blowout.

Yet during the Longhorns’ second drive of the afternoon, the team faced a potential second straight stalled drive and a fourth-and-6 from the opposing 40-yard line down 3-0.

Then, head coach and offensive play caller Steve Sarkisian made his gutsiest decision of the game: He left his offense on the field to go for it.

Redshirt freshman Hudson Card rewarded Sarkisian for the decision, scrambling out of pressure for just enough yards for the first down.

“Well, it’s obviously a big play. I mean, if you decide to go for it on fourth down, it’s always great because the crowd cheers,” Sarkisian said.

“It’s never good when they moan and groan when you don’t make it. So I think from a momentum standpoint, the play was big for keeping the crowd in the game.”

The decision to go for it on Saturday might have been Sarkisian’s most aggressive fourth-down call in the past two seasons as a play caller.

“I think there is some science behind when to go for it

on fourth down and when not to,” Sarkisian said.

And the science backs up his decision.

The New York Times “4th Down Bot,” which calculates when the average NFL team should go for it on fourth down, agreed with Sarkisian’s decision and recommended teams go for it on fourthand-6 from the opposing 40yard line.

In the 2019 analysis, the New York Times also said that most NFL coaches elected to punt in that situation. As the Alabama offensive coordinator in the past two seasons, Sarkisian also chose to play it safe in similar situations.

Most notably, in the first quarter of the 2019 Crimson Tide rivalry game against LSU, Sarkisian sent out his punting unit down 7-0 in a fourth-and-6 from the opposing 41-yard line.

Then, Alabama punter Ty Perine mishandled the snap, giving the Tigers the ball and enough field position to go up 10-0 in Alabama’s eventual 46-41 loss.

“It’s always great to go for a fourth down when you make it,” Sarkisian said. “It’s never good to go for it on fourth down when you don’t make it.”

In other similar situations at around midfield from fourth-and-5 to fourthand-7, Sarkisian has elected to mostly punt the past two seasons. Several of those

situations have also come with the Crimson Tide nursing large leads.

In 2019, Alabama converted 13 out of 19 fourthdown conversion attempts.

In 2020, Alabama converted five out of nine fourth-down conversion attempts.

“I think there’s a lot of gut that goes into it too,” Sarkisian said. “You want to make sure that you’ve got decent things called, to have an anticipation of maybe what they’re going to do and to give yourself the best chance to make it. There’s momentum involved. There’s emotion involved. There’s a lot that goes into it. There’s field position, there’s psyche for your team.”

When Sarkisian decided to go for it on Saturday, Card’s psyche might have played a factor. The redshirt freshman had yet to complete a pass beyond the line of scrimmage.

But the quarterback, starting his first career game, settled into the game nicely after getting the first down with his legs and led the Longhorns down the field for a touchdown and a lead they would never relinquish.

It was Texas’ only fourthdown conversion attempt of the game, and the only one the team would need: Card would go on to lead the offense on several key third down conversions.

“I just felt like at that time, that was the right thing to do,” Sarkisian said.

jack myer

/ the daily texan staff

Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian coaches the Longhorns to a 38-18 win over the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns on Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

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