The Daily Texan 2021-09-24

DT VOLUME 122, ISSUE 20 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

Bisexual longhorns embrace identity During bisexual awareness week, students speak about being a valid part of LGBTQIA+ community. barbra daly

/ the daily texan staff

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Hispanic students who don’t speak Spanish share how they engage with their culture.

Sports

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Life&Arts

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UT researches have developed a “lab-ona-chip” that can rapidly test for COVID-19 and other illnesses.

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Men’s tennis star Eliot Spizzirri took on a legendary French duo in the US Open.

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‘I really don’t want to stay in Texas’

By Kaushiki Roy @kaushikiroy3

After a new Texas law banning abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy took effect Sept. 1, some UT students said they began to consider leaving Texas post-graduation.

About two-thirds of nearly 2,000 U.S. respondents would not consider taking a job or moving to Texas after the abortion limiting legislation passed, according to a survey by PerryUndem, a data research organization. The research team also found that 74% of respondents who identified as women would not consider a job in Texas now that the near-total abortion ban is in place.

Many college graduates or current students now say they plan to leave Texas post-graduation to escape restrictions on bodily autonomy. These trends could drain highly skilled labor from Texas, according to the

research team.

Nursing senior Vanessa Sayroo said she planned to complete nursing school in Texas but is now looking to go out of state for further education.

Sayroo said she wants to leave Texas because of the bill even though completing her education will require a license to transfer schooling to another state. Sayroo said she will not return to Texas to work as a nurse.

“You never know who could get pregnant, and (they) may not be financially ready or emotionally ready,” Sayroo said.

Psychology junior Arohi Srivastav said she immediately began to look at schools and jobs in other states when she heard about the legislation.

“Once this bill was passed, I was extremely scared and talked to my roommate about it,” Srivastav said.

“We were already making backup plans as to what state we could go to, who we know, who lives where, last

minute resorts and plans.”

Srivastav said that she and others are mourning the loss of bodily autonomy.

“A huge boundary has been crossed on my personal autonomy, and I really don’t want to stay in Texas,” Srivastav said. “This brain drain could all be a part of a much larger plan to keep Texas red and as conservative as possible. Although that’s diabolical, I definitely think that’s a huge possibility.”

Government freshman Madison Fail said she already wanted to leave Texas because of other restrictive legislation the state has passed such as the open carry laws, but is now even more inclined to do so after the bill took effect.

“This is a new fear because I don’t want to have a baby at the moment — I’m just not prepared for that,” Fail said. “I’m absolutely moving out of the state as soon as possible.”

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04

UT must better promote the various rideshare services that exist around campus.

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Contents:

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The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely. If we have made an error, let us know about it. E-mail managingeditor@thedailytexan.com.

NEWS

BROOKE ONTIVEROS

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News Editor | @THEDAILYTEXAN FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

WEST CAMPUS

SafeHorn pushes on-campus safety Austin Energy has updated 27% of West Campus lighting fixtures in need of improvement but the UT community wants faster progress.

By Tori Duff @torianneduff

s of Thursday, over 1,800 concerned UT parents and community members signed a petition for the city to expedite lighting and other safety improvements in West Campus.

The petition, started by public safety advocacy group SafeHorns, asks the city of Austin to follow through on plans from 2019 to upgrade 1,125 lighting fixtures in the 78705 area and install 229 new fixtures to improve visibility. Austin Energy said it switched out 300 outdated fixtures as of Aug. 2021 and aims to complete all upgrades by the end of September 2022.

However, some safety advocates say the city has not provided many updates on these improvements over the past two years.

SafeHorns president Joell McNew said the city needs to communicate the timeline of improvements better to the public.

Carla George, parent of a UT student and SafeHorns vice president, said these safety efforts matter to her because her son and his friends were assaulted in West Campus while leaving the food trucks at 26th Street and Rio Grande.

“That sparked me saying, ‘What are we gonna do about it?’” George said.

“We’ve been fighting for these lights and call boxes and HALO cameras, … and we need to raise awareness that these things are happening, and

you need to be on your guard.”

UT parent Beverly Johnson said she signed the petition because as an out-ofstate parent, she wants to do as much as she can to protect her son and the student body from where she is.

“After reading about Haruka Weiser and Harrison Brown, I realized it really could be anyone,” Johnson said. “What happened to Haruka is tragic, and if we could just add lighting or more resources, we can help protect students.”

Dance freshman Haruka Weiser was killed on campus while walking home in 2016. Undeclared freshman Harrison Brown was killed in an on-campus stabbing in 2017.

University representative Jeremiah Baldwin said he sometimes feels uncomfortable walking home at night but knows his experience is not the same as other students’.

“For me, personally, I find West Campus to be fairly safe,” said Baldwin, a government, rhetoric and writing, and African and African diaspora studies junior.

“But I know that my experience is not the same for every other student. I know there are students who identify as women who might not feel safe walking home and alone. … I understand that’s a privilege that I have as someone who identifies as a man.”

SafeHorns hopes to gain more signatures on its lighting petition at the beginning of October from “National Night Out,” a safety educational event with the UT Police Department. After that, they plan to present the petition to city officials.

McNew said the amount of crime in West Campus has desensitized many students, and they do not always report incidents. In March through August 2020, auto thefts nearly tripled while burglary rates also rose from 2019, according to previous reporting by The Daily Texan.

“The reason we keep having to talk about this is because it’s just still so ongoing, and not that issues of safety will never not be ongoing, but this thing is something that was promised — improved lighting, improved public safety resources — and it hasn’t happened,” McNew said.

hannah clark

/ the daily texan file

S A N I K A N AYA K

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Editor-In-Chief | @TEXANOPINION FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

COLUMN

OPINION

Raise awareness about rideshare services for handicapped students Columnist Zayam Tariq urges UT to better promote the various rideshare services that exist around campus.

By Zayam Tariq Columnist

hen I get ready to go from my apartment to my on-campus classes, I prepare like I’m not coming back until the end of the day. I can’t ever justify making the walk back to my apartment; the 20 minutes it takes to get from the engineering building to my apartment feel excruciating and take precious time out of the day. Most students can attest that the Austin heat doesn’t make things any easier.

Students that use crutches or wheelchairs often experience this worse than others. It’s obvious that UT’s campus was not designed for those with physical disabilities. Steep hills and milelong walks between buildings greatly outnumber occasional ramps that lead to classrooms — only the bare minimum accommodation is given.

While there are already several handicap-accessible rideshare services available on campus, not many students are aware of them.

UT needs to actively work to promote their accessible transportation services to inform as many students

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.

emily maccormack

as possible of their availability.

The University has a variety of accessible resources available for students who need a ride, including SURE Walk, a night-ride service for students and wheelchair accessible cars. UT Night Rides’ partnership with Lyft offers a similar service. During the day, the UT Shuttle System provides on-demand response service from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

While the presence of so many great services is helpful, the lack of promotion prevents many students from

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taking advantage of them.

“I just didn’t really bother looking into (services for students with physical handicaps),” business sophomore Srikar Devulapalli said. “This whole thing’s been kind of a rush, and I’ve had a lot of things I’ve had to focus on and figure out (since coming to Austin).”

Srikar is not alone in either being too busy to look into services or unaware that they existed to begin with. The responsibility of seeking out accessibility,

however, should not fall on students.

Students, disabled or otherwise, need to know about the possibility of getting home easily and safely without having to work for it. The University’s support toward the student body’s well-being should not just be implicitly given, but actively promoted. “(Parking and Transportation Services) is an auxiliary unit, which means they are a self-supporting unit that funds itself entirely, and therefore are not supported by tuition or public funds,” Blanca Gamez, associate director for Parking and Transportation, said in an email.

Operating under limited funds leaves little room for expanded services or getting the word out about current services. If offering direct financial support is not possible, then at the very least, UT should work to actively advertise already accessible rideshare options in order to reach as many students as possible.

The infrastructure for accessibility is already there. Students struggling across the hilly terrain of Dean Keeton Street in the blistering sun is something that shouldn’t be happening at this University.

Tariq is an electrical and computer engineering sophomore from Allen, Texas.

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NEWS

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

RESEARCH

UT researchers develop rapid COVID-19, disease diagnosis machine

By Kevin Vu @Kevin_Vu_

UT engineers prototyped the first-ever portable disease diagnosis machine that could help medical professionals quickly and cheaply detect COVID-19 and other illnesses in areas of the world that lack testing infrastructure.

Aref Asghari, an electrical and computer engineering graduate student and a “lab-on-a-chip” contributor, said the device uses light to highlight anomalies in cell samples and detect various viruses. Asghari said the platform has advantages to other testing methods, such as lab or at-home COVID-19 tests, because it

delivers results in 30 minutes, offers portability and is inexpensive to make.

“In third-world countries (or) remote areas … they cannot go to (the) hospital,” said Ray Chen, an electrical and computer engineering professor. “So instead of (them) going to (the) hospital, you try to bring the hospital to the remote areas.”

The platform can detect COVID-19 even when someone’s body has a low amount of virus cells, Asghari said.

This allows the device to detect asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 more efficiently than other tests, he said.

“The lab (test) results are pretty reliable, but the home test kits are not,” Asghari said.

“Something in between is

needed, something that’s not as heavily intensive in equipment as the lab (tests), and something that doesn’t have (as) much of error as the (at-home tests).”

Asghari said the platform’s portability means it can be used in schools, churches and stores, in addition to hospitals, lab facilities and testing sites.

“The issue here … is the ability to detect (COVID-19) at lower doses and lower amounts so we can’t let anything escape under the radar,” Asghari said. “We can’t let anything just go undetected and (let) that person … go around and be a source of contamination.”

Asghari said the pandemic will not end until everyone has access to accurate COVID-19

testing systems.

“We are all part of Earth at the end of the day,” Asghari said. “If the pandemic hits one part of the world, … sooner or later it’s going to the other side of the world.”

Chen said UT engineers began device development in 2007. While the platform was originally created to detect illnesses such as cancers and Alzheimer’s disease, they adapted the device in response to the pandemic. However, it is not available to the public yet because they are looking for investors, Chen said.

Chen said the device’s ability to detect viruses and cancers in early stages is also important because it gives patients and health professionals the ability

copyright ray chen, and reproduced with permission

to fight back before it progresses to a late stage.

“When your lung, your liver (or) your pancreas get attacked (by cancer), you have no feeling, until a lot of side effects come out,” Chen said.

“You lose weight, you lose your appetite … and then you go to the doctor and (the) doctors do an examination and find out you’re a cancer patient in a very late stage.”

Chen said he hopes the device can eventually be available to the public.

“Our dream is one day the research device we created in UT can appear in your living room,” Chen said. “(And be) something beneficial to everybody and increase the life quality for everyone.”

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

LIFE&ARTS

STUDENT LIFE

Hispanic students connect with culture in a variety of ways

Lack of Spanish fluency forces Hispanic students to feel disconnected from their community and family.

By Sofia Treviño @Sofiacis_7

hile visiting family in Tamaulipas, Mexico, Francisco Reyes found himself lost, sifting through a constant stream of Spanish, understanding but unable to reply. Using his parents as translators, Reyes felt disapproval from his older relatives.

“It felt so disheartening,” the kinesiology sophomore said.

“It made me wish I could trade English for Spanish. I couldn’t even talk to my family, the people who are around me and are there for me.”

According to the Pew Research Center, from 2000 to 2019, the number of Hispanics who grew up in the U.S. speaking Spanish decreased by 8%. As fewer Hispanics learn Spanish at home, many grow up feeling out of touch with their culture and learn to engage with identity through other means.

After Reyes’ grandmother, who spoke Spanish with him, passed away before he started kindergarten, he struggled learning both Spanish and English. His parents preferred for him to focus on English, and, as a result, he practiced Spanish less. Reyes said his Hispanic peers teased him for not being a Spanish speaker.

“They would crack jokes and (say), ‘How do you not know Spanish, aren’t you Hispanic?’”

Reyes said. “Over time it made me feel very insecure about myself. I felt like I wasn’t Hispanic (and) was missing something.”

By the end of his junior year of high school, Reyes said he felt fed up with not being able to communicate in his native language. He asked his parents to only speak to him in Spanish, consumed only Spanish media and slowly picked up the language.

“There’s still that part of me that’s that insecure kid who feels like he doesn’t know Spanish,” Reyes said.

Because her father only speaks English, psychology senior Alyssa Rosales said her parents chose not to speak Spanish to make things easier at home.

Though she took Spanish classes in high school, Rosales said she missed out on learning slang and cultural references.

To connect with her identity, she competed in Miss Teen Texas Galaxy and Miss Teen Austin Belleza Latina pageants starting at age 14. Still, Rosales said she often felt disapproval from her Spanish-speaking competitors.

“I’m a very proud Latina,” Rosales said. “(But) it’s hard to connect to (my culture) because there’s a lot of people who speak Spanish (who) think less of you.”

While growing up in Brownsville, a 93.8% Hispanic city, Bella Vargas, a communication and leadership senior, said her classmates often joked about her not being Hispanic because she couldn’t talk to them in Spanish.

“They would say, ‘Oh my god, you’re such a white girl.’” Vargas said. “Why am I white? I’m Hispanic. … Just because I don’t know our native language doesn’t mean I’m not Hispanic.”

Vargas said even though she doesn’t speak fluent Spanish, she appreciates her culture by learning Mexican recipes and celebrating Hispanic holidays.

“There’s other things that make us who we are,” Vargas

rocky higine

/ the daily texan file

UT students share their experiences with feelings of isolation and learning to feel welcome in the Hispanic community through means other than language.

said. “(We can still be) authentic and true to our colors.”

Like many younger Hispanics in America, radio-television-film freshman Miranda Hernandez struggled with Spanish, so she stuck to English growing up. To connect with her heritage, Hernandez enjoys listening to artists such as Enrique Inglesias, Pitbull and Selena.

“Selena (assures) me I’m a Latina,” Hernandez said. “She didn’t know Spanish so she’s my idol. I will get it one day. If she could do it, I can do it.”

It made me wish I could trade English for Spanish. I couldn’t even talk to my family, the people who are around me.”

FRANCISCO REYES

kinesiology sophomore

Hernandez still regrets not being able to communicate with her paternal grandparents, who don’t speak English. At family gatherings, she said she feels like she doesn’t even know her older family members. Nevertheless, she still wants to connect with them and their culture.

“I don’t know Spanish but I am proud to be Hispanic,” Hernandez said. “I know language is a big part of a culture, but it’s not everything; I can be Hispanic in every way except language.”

LIFE&ARTS

FIZA KUZHIYIL

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Life&Arts Editor | @TEXANARTS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

FEATURE

Students discuss importance of bi+ identity, finding inclusive community UT students celebrate community and acceptance during Bisexual+ Awareness Week.

By Caroline Culberson @greatercaroline

rowing up in Frisco, Texas, Aiden Morales said he didn’t know any other LGBTQ+ people with whom he could discuss his identity. After his first partner confided in him, Morales learned his openness with his bisexuality helped others come to terms with their sexuality and gender.

“A lot of people came to me and talked to me about (coming out), because I’ve had my share of (challenging) family experiences,” social work junior Morales said.

While some UT students may have bisexual friends brave enough to celebrate their identities year-round, others may only be reminded by social media posts during Bisexual+ Awareness Week, celebrated Sept. 16-23. For bisexual Longhorns, awareness and acceptance of their identities is essential to ensuring better emotional and physical health outcomes. “(Bisexual visibility) can’t be a trend for just this year, or next — it has to be an ongoing thing,”

kara hawley

/ the daily texan staff

Aiden Morales and Matilda Herrera Ramirez are two of many students that identify as bisexual. For bisexual Longhorns, awareness and acceptance of their identities is essential to ensuring positive emotional and physical health outcomes.

Morales said. “Young people need to know about this big identity in (the LGBTQ+) population. If you don’t have education, misconceptions align, and that turns into ignorance, hatred and homophobia.”

Many students who utilize the Gender and Sexuality Center fall under the “bi+ umbrella,” which includes those who identify as pansexual, polysexual, plurisexual, fluid and more. Center director Liz Elsen said she noticed some of their bisexual students feel nervous about belonging in the community.

“There are often people undermining folks’ own experience, talking about being bi, pan or fluid, and encouraging them to ‘pick a side’ or ‘make up their mind,’ which is really

harmful to folks in the bi+ community,” Elsen said. “That can feel really exhausting (and) can take a huge toll on bi+ students’ mental health.”

Social work senior Kate Moore said she finds herself automatically code switching between facets of her attraction to different genders depending on social context.

“I’m using certain parts of myself, whatever community I’m in,” Moore said. “I don’t feel like a part of a bisexual community — if there’s one out there, I’m not aware of it. I haven’t really found a group of people to express all of it at once and connect with on that level. I can talk about attraction to a woman with my friend who’s lesbian (and) attraction to men (with my

friend who’s gay), but it’s different. ” History freshman Matilda Herrera Ramirez said she questioned her label for a while before choosing “bisexual” in middle school. After sharing her excitement with her peers, she told her mom she was interested in girls and boys.

“Saying you’re bi is polarizing, even within the LGBTQ+ community,” Herrera Ramirez said. “It’s hard to find solidarity from (gay or straight people) because you’re kind of in between.”

Herrera Ramirez said her mother made her feel accepted by sharing that she dated women in college and was not always sure she would end up with a man.

“Having someone in your private life who is in the community is so meaningful,” Herrera Ramirez said.

“You have someone in your corner who understands.”

Elsen echoed the importance of affirming bi+ people when they share their identity, and trust they know themselves better than anyone else.

Students interested in getting involved with the revitalization of the Austin Bi Collective at UT can reach out to the Gender and Sexuality Center, open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for virtual appointments. Bi+ people and those questioning can find more information from the Bisexual Resource Center.

“Our bi, pan and fluid students are cherished in our space, and respected,” Elsen said. “Folks who are under the bi+ umbrella are a valid part of the (LGBTQIA+) acronym, and of our community.”

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

LIFE&ARTS

FEATURE

UT professor awarded 2020 Dent Medal

by Royal Music Association

By Kaiya Little @kaiyalittle

In accordance with his morning routine, professor Eric Drott scrolled through his inbox, checking his abundance of emails. An invitation to an award ceremony in Newcastle, England, appeared — the most anticlimactic way to receive exciting news. “(The email) was fairly cryptic,” Drott said. “It was just, ‘Professor Drott, please read the following.”’

Celebrating lifetime achievements for his work, associate professor Drott of the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music won the 2020 Dent Medal, a Royal Music Association award recognizing “outstanding contributions to musicology.” Last week, Drott traveled to the U.K. to receive his acknowledgement and deliver a presentation on his recent music research.

“You publish and your work gets cited, but you’re not really sure what kind of impact or what people think about it,” Drott said. “(The award) just feels right, it’s affirmation. It tells me that I hadn’t been doing this for nothing.”

Growing up, Drott said he played music both in college orchestras and garage bands with friends. He said his mentors encouraged him to pursue graduate school at Yale, where he obtained a Ph.D. in music theory.

“I’ve always been keenly interested in music,” Drott said.

“I’d also grown up in a college town, so I’d always been drawn to the academic life. I knew I wanted to teach and be a professor. It seemed really interesting: the idea of being

able to read things, think, write, have these profound conversations with people.”

Caroline Gamble, an economics and sustainability freshman, said she took Drott’s Music and Social Protest class to find a fun and interesting escape from her major-specific courses.

“He knows just about everything about music and everything we talk about is very interesting,” Gamble said. “You have a lot of freedom with it, like there’s a prompt and everything but you’re able to add your own voice and your own opinion into it, and it’s just

a good outlet class.”

For biology freshman Isabella Douglas, Drott’s Music, Protest, and Social Movements class became a means to explore past and present artists. She said learning from Drott, who has been a music professor for 20 years, gives her the opportunity to enhance her passion for music.

“Dr. Drott, is really good at keeping us all engaged,” Douglas said. “He always encourages us to think.”

Drott said due to COVID-19, The Royal Mint could not produce the Dent Medals.

Although he could not take home a physical medal, he

said he wants to entertain his students in the meantime by creating a makeshift version with cardboard and tinfoil. “(I) had to pose for photos and pretend like I was receiving the medal, but there (was) no medal,” Drott said.

Even without tangible proof of his award, Drott said he feels proud of the contribution he made to the music community.

“To have this (award), it does make you feel like people have gotten something out of what I (researched),” Drott said. “It’s valuable to people, and that means a lot to me.”

sylvia asuncion-crabb

/ the daily texan staff

LIFE&ARTS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

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STUDENT LIFE

(un)Jaded urges action, conversation

chloe pertuit/ the daily texan staff

By Angela Lim @angelaiim

As their freshmen classmates hurried to choose from more than 1,100 student organizations, Kelly Wei, Abby Ong and J Hayden realized they would need to create a space for themselves within the bustling campus. Sharing a similar feeling of isolation and sensing a lack of Asian American and Pacific Islander representation, the trio band together to navigate the overwhelming transition to college.

Now in their third year at UT, the group launched (un)Jaded, a new student organization hoping to provide a safe place for fellow AAPI students to initiate tough dialogue and community outreach.

Abby Ong, (un)Jaded’s operations director, said the frequent suppression of AAPI issues, especially those concerning mental health, can create a harmful environment for students on campus. Ong said she became sick from stress often during her freshman year, and when she spoke up about her struggles, her peers dismissed her.

“For every single thing, I was met with resistance,” said Ong, “a health and society junior. “It took me a long time to figure out how to carve (out) a space at UT that felt like I actually deserved to be in.”

Meanwhile, Kelly Wei, strategy director for (un)Jaded, said she felt disappointed in the lack of transparency and availability of resources for the AAPI community.

“You log onto some webpage (and) it feels impossible to navigate,” said Wei, a marketing and psychology junior Wei. “I want to put a human face and presence behind all of that and have our members feel supported, like they have somewhere to go and get real, reliable answers to whatever needs or struggles that they’re going through.” (un)Jaded reached out to students by

posting educational infographics on social media and tabling beside the Flawn Academic Center. There, they distributed green envelopes and resource cards with hotline numbers.

“There’s not enough people in the AAPI community who feel comfortable reaching out and asking for help, and we really wanted to impart this impression that it’s okay and very valuable to do so,” Wei said. (un)Jaded’s general meetings will include workshops on mental health and social advocacy, said Hayden, the organization’s program director. Additionally, guest speakers will come to share advice about mindfulness and self-care.

Hayden said they firmly believe every aspect of one’s life relates to their mental health, so the organization aims to start important conversations on racism and other forms of discrimination that occur both inside and outside the AAPI community.

“Just opening up that space for people to come in and learn about these things — and having that open discussion — is in and of itself fighting the stigma,” said Hayden, a human development and family sciences and African and African diaspora studies junior.

The organization plans to hold various service opportunities so members can have a greater impact beyond campus. At its core, (un)Jaded seeks to give AAPI students a sense of belonging and encouragement to raise their voices.

“We want people to come in and find us, feel safe, appropriately challenged, loved and protected,” Wei said. “I feel like that’s one of the best things you can give to an impressionable, young 18-year-old kid coming into a school as large as UT.”

MAAD PhD MAcc MGA MARM MBA MSTI MSPS

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MLA

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MLT-CA MSSD MSMkt

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

SPORTS

MEN’S TENNIS

Texas tennis star Spizzirri’s dream month ends at US Open

By Ross Fisher @rossfisher23

Texas tennis sensation Eliot Spizzirri went from packing his bags to head back to the Forty Acres, to unpacking his bags in a locker room brimming with tennis’ greatest players.

Spizzirri had been awarded a wild card spot for men’s singles qualifying at the US Open last month, a realization of a boyhood dream for the Texas tennis star. He then went on to knock off the No. 163-ranked player in the world in the first round of qualifying, before barely losing out to the No. 130-ranked player in the second.

But his journey would not end there. As Spizzirri was bracing himself to return to reality, he got the news that his dream month was not yet over.

He and his longtime friend Tyler Zink were awarded a wild card spot for the US Open doubles main draw — and they would be taking on a French duo with five grand slam title wins, including the 2021 French Open doubles title.

Just two college kids in a hotel room messing around; Spizzirri was joking with Zink, a Georgia tennis sophomore, about the prospect of taking on the legendary French duo. Then Spizzirri checked the U.S. Tennis Association’s website to see the doubles draw, and he could not believe what he saw.

“I was in the hotel room, with (Zink) actually,” Spizzirri said. “I opened up the US Open player website and knew the wild cards came out around 12 or two. I checked the little file and saw that we were on it.”

“It was funny because we were joking like, ‘Who do you think we’re gonna play?’ and the first team that came to mind for me whenever I think

about doubles is (Pierre-Hugues) Herbert and (Nicolas) Mahut. And of course a couple days later, the draw comes out and that’s who we were playing. So it was cool to be playing two guys I consider doubles legends. It was funny that we were playing the guys that I felt were probably the toughest team to face in terms of experience.”

Herbert and Mahut, the No. 3-seeded duo in the US Open, dispatched Spizzirri and Zink in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

Spizzirri was initially just happy to be there, but after realizing he could hold his own against the world’s best, he was desperate to play more top-level competition.

“Coming off the court, it was like, ‘Shoot, I wish we had maybe gotten a little bit easier of a draw, so we could have gotten a shot of getting a win under our belt,’” Spizzirri said.

Despite the second round exit in singles qualifying, and the first round exit in the doubles main draw, Spizzirri relished the opportunity to play

in a stadium full of fans and be among so many legendary players, whom he had previously looked up to.

“Sharing the locker room with some of the greatest in the game, and getting to meet them, pick their brains a little bit — I mean, I could go on and on about how cool it was to be in that environment and how inspiring it was as well,” Spizzirri said. “Just being able to watch those guys practice and get the chance to hit with some really high level players, I definitely enjoyed it.”

After his US Open run had come to a close for certain, Spizzirri finally got the chance to reflect on his journey.

“I was able to sort of look in the rearview mirror and appreciate how far I’ve come and understand that it was not too long ago that I was a little kid, watching through the fence, just trying to get to watch some of the top players and dreaming of playing there,” Spizzirri said. “An opportunity like that only makes you want to work harder, so I’ll definitely work to get back.”

copyright texas athletics, and reproduced with permission

Texas tennis sophomore Eliot Spizzirri played in the US Open after earning a wild card spot in the doubles main draw.

SPORTS

N AT H A N H A N

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Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

FOOTBALL

B.J. Foster found new mindset for 2021 season

By Matthew Boncosky @mboncosky

he B.J. Foster who met with the media Monday is not the same B.J. Foster who blew up at former Texas head coach Tom Herman and quit the team last year.

The starting safety, who infamously walked off the field in the third quarter of the Longhorns’ 59-3 win over UTEP because of playing time concerns, appears to have turned over a new—he would say unrecognizable—leaf.

“Nah, I don’t even know that guy anymore,” Foster said.

Last September’s incident was puzzling from just about every angle that it could be analyzed. The NCAA granted all athletes an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic, so why would Foster quit in a year that had no impact on eligibility? It was also Week 1 of a 2020 season that Foster would see plenty of playing time in, appearing in nine games for the Longhorns by the time it was over.

Since his arrival on the Forty Acres in 2018, Foster has started in 16 of his 31 appearances for the Longhorns. He realizes now how silly that whole affair was and wants to set a better example for his teammates who are set to succeed him after he completes his final season.

“I do my best to make sure that when the young ones come in, that they don’t (make) the mistakes that I’ve made,” Foster said. “I let them know that all that extra stuff can wait; it’s time to focus.”

Foster wants to end his Texas career by going out with a bang. The first step is getting through the season healthy after dealing with multiple injuries in years prior. In February 2020, Foster underwent surgery to repair a shoulder injury he sustained in the 2019 season. He later fractured his hand that summer by punching his Chevrolet Camaro out of frustration after finding it dinged up in a parking lot without a note.

Foster has taken up mobility training and massages to take better care of his body,

joshua guenther

/ the daily texan file

After quitting the team last year, defensive back B.J. Foster is back on the team with what he says is a new mindset.

things he wasn’t doing a couple of years ago.

But getting in the right mental state and letting go of his anger and frustration have been another battle.

He had a simple explanation for how that happened.

“I got a girlfriend,” Foster said. “I had to calm down what I was doing. She put me on the right track.”

Since then, Foster said he’s changed his whole mindset, not just in football, but in life. He doesn’t let petty frustrations get to him like they once did because whatever happens, he said, “God is

making it happen.”

Like any Division I football player, Foster strives to play in the NFL, but what once was an admittedly doubtful mindset has since turned into one of much more certainty. Foster said he’s learned the benefits of speaking things into existence, insisting that he will make it into the league, and that he will have a successful career once his playing days are over. He doesn’t want to leave his future up to chance anymore.

This mindset echoes that of former Texas safety Caden Sterns, who currently plays for the NFL’s

Denver Broncos. That’s no coincidence. Foster said he’s learned from Sterns how to exceed expectations.

In Texas’ loss to Arkansas, Foster made one of the few highlight plays for the Longhorns, stretching his arm out to tip a pass to himself for an interception.

When Foster checked his phone after the game, Sterns was the first person who texted him about the play. That put a smile on Foster’s face.

“He said, ‘Great play, my boy,’” Foster said. “I said, ‘Appreciate it, I learned from you.’”

COMICS

DESTINY ALEXANDER

Comics Editor | @TEXANCOMICS FRIDAY,SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

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