The Daily Texan 2021/10/26

DT VOLUME 122, ISSUE 29 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

confronting sexual misconduct in greek life and beyond

audrey williams

/ the daily texan staff

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During Asexuality Awareness Week, asexual students share the importance of visibility and community.

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UT must support survivors and increase accountability for Greek life and spirit groups.

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Goalkeeper and fifth-year senior Savannah Madden is setting program records in net.

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CITY

Luxury bus service comes to Austin, other Texas cities

By Leila Saidane @leilasophiaaa

Students will now be able to enjoy 140º reclining seats with footrests, free on-board Wi-Fi and power outlets on commutes between several Texas cities.

RedCoach, a luxury bus service, began nonstop rides between Austin, Houston, Dallas, College Station and Waco on Monday. Florencia Cirigliano, vice president of marketing and public relations at RedCoach, said the service aims to offer affordable luxury transportation and offers a 10% student discount. One-way ticket prices will range from $25 to $60, according to Cirigliano, but tickets are $15 through Nov. 16.

The Austin station will be at 300 South Congress Ave., about 2 miles from the UT campus.

Cirigliano said the buses offer Wi-Fi, power outlets and seats made for sleep, which allows students to work and rest.

“When you get home, rather than catching up on essays, you can hang out with your family and friends,” Cirigliano said. “That’s something very valuable and convenient.”

Greer Testa, an art history freshman, said she is interested in RedCoach because ticket prices are cheaper than the $100 she spends on gas driving to Dallas.

“It’s tiring to haul yourself across Texas,” Testa said. “You’ve got to cut out maybe four hours of your day just to get back to Dallas … but if all I was doing was just sitting on a bus working, I would be able to get more done. If I was only paying like $15 to $30 for a one-way trip, I would definitely take advantage of that.”

Testa said she would also use RedCoach to visit friends in College

copyright redcoach, and reproduced with permission

Students will now be able to enjoy 140º reclining seats with footrests, free on-board Wi-Fi and power outlets on commutes between several Texas cities.

RedCoach, a luxury bus service, began nonstop rides between Austin, Houston, Dallas, College Station and Waco on Monday.

Station, which she would probably not do otherwise. She said using RedCoach is better than fighting through driving fatigue.

“If I’m just tired and don’t want to be driving anymore, I can’t just stop,” Testa said.

Undeclared freshman Sanam Sharafkhaneh said she often takes the Megabus to Houston and is excited to try RedCoach.

“I would choose RedCoach because of the affordability,” Sharafkhaneh said. “It just has a lot more perks

compared to the Megabus, like Wi-Fi and the cheap tickets. I think that’s a win-win, something that could potentially make a difference in how much I have to pay to go home.”

Sharafkhaneh said visiting home can be difficult for students, which affordable travel could address.

“Going home is not something that’s easy to do,” Sharafkhaneh said.

“It’s become a luxury, because it’s expensive. If (travel) is cheaper, and if it’s safe, and it doesn’t take long, I’m there.”

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

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

ENVIRONMENT

Organization petitions to list American bumblebee as endangered

By Katy Nelson @KatyNel86

The American bumblebee may be listed as an endangered species after a study found their population declined by about 90%.

The American bumblebee, which provides pollination for many food crops, is quickly disappearing, threatening to throw off food chains, according to a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit organization focused on endangered species. The petition attributed the decline to pesticides, habitat loss, disease, climate change and other factors.

The Fish and Wildlife Service will determine the species protection status after a 12-month review that has yet to begin.

“One out of three bites of food that we put in our body come through a plant that was pollinated by bees,” said Rich Hatfield, a conservationist biologist at Xerces, an invertebrate conservation group. “Everything from songbirds and small mammals, all the way up through grizzly bears, a significant portion of their diet comes from plants that were pollinated by bees.

While protections under the Endangered Species Act vary depending on the species, other bees such as the rusty patched bumblebee receive habitat assessments, and the federal government distributes information about dangerous pesticides to those near rusty patched bumblebee populations.

“Encouraging pollinator gardens in backyards and limiting or eliminating the use of pesticides, whether that’s on

public property or in your backyard, makes the habitat healthier for bees,” said Jess Tyler, a staff scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Dessie Tien, president of the Beevo Beekeeping Society, which manages on-campus beehives for honeybees, said native bees such as the American bumblebee have lost nectar sources due to destruction of native flora and irregular weather patterns.

“Native bees face an even greater risk of losing their habitat,” said Tien, a neuroscience and Plan II senior. “With climate change … there’s been a lot of rain, sometimes not so much at others. Some of the flowers have been blooming at different times as well. So, having their nectar sources compromised, which is what they use for food, that’s also a big issue as well.

The Fish and Wildlife Service currently prioritizes species most in danger, said Georgia Parham, a service public affairs specialist. The service is in the process of evaluating 350 species for protection. Parham said they will add the American bumblebee once its priority is determined.

Tien said the Beevo Beekeeping Society hosts events like waste-free potlucks, beeswax saran wrap parties and seminars with Central Texas beekeepers to try and preserve the insect’s population.

“The honeybee and the bumblebee are the most charismatic out of the bees, that’s the bees that everybody knows.” Tien said.

“Hopefully with this, if the bumblebees were to be listed as endangered it would raise some warning bells that native pollinators are really at risk right now and we have to start protecting them if we want to keep living our lives the way that we do.”

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Editor-In-Chief | @TEXANOPINION TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

OPINION

Confronting sexual misconduct in Greek life and beyond

By Forum Projects Team

audrey williams

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.

/ the daily texan staff

Content Warning: Discussions of sexual violence Conversations about sexual misconduct on campus aren’t new — we’ve been reckoning with a lack of accountability and safety for years. Too often, survivors aren’t given the support they need and perpetrators remain unaffected without consequences.

Interfraternity and Panhellenic Greek life is often a hotbed for sexual harassment and assault; it’s an environment where members aren’t always held accountable for their actions while the University turns a blind eye. But this isn’t limited to Greek life alone; misconduct occurs across many spaces, even ones we’ve been conditioned to believe are harmless.

We chose to pursue this project in light of recent national conversations surrounding rape culture in Greek life. We began with the intention to focus solely on toxic behavior within Interfraternity Greek life. However, we quickly realized that campus conversations about sexual misconduct often fail to acknowledge that sexual violence is also prevalent in non-Greek student organizations like spirit groups and social groups. While it’s important and necessary to question the culture of sororities and fraternities, it’s equally important to confront the fact that other “esteemed” organizations on campus are just as guilty. Accusations and allegations exist against spirit groups and other social organizations as well, and they have escaped culpability for too long.

We’ve seen incidents inspire outrage on our campus and we encourage you to advocate for change in addition to retweeting and sharing on social media.

Sexual misconduct can affect anyone, regardless of gender or sexuality. However, survivors of color, transgender and non-binary survivors are forced to navigate unique systems of oppression as they heal and pursue justice. Listen to survivors and get involved with the work of student activists. Demand that the University and other entities do more. Be passionate about calling out misconduct in your everyday spheres.

To survivors, we want to say that we see you, and we believe you. To those working to advocate for

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.

survivors on our campus and dismantle systems of sexual violence, thank you. To all students on our campus: engage in conversations about accountability, even (and especially) if that means challenging the spaces you yourself are a part of.

In this forum project: Sara Jane Ross, a survivor and advocate, emphasizes the lack of accountability in social organizations and spirit organizations outside of Greek life.

Vanessa Sayroo, president-elect of Not On My Campus, a student organization dedicated to ending campus sexual assault, calls on the University to provide more resources for survivors, mandate education and hold perpetrators accountable.

The UT Student Government Women’s Resource Agency highlights educational prevention resources and advocates for justice for survivors through University-led measures for Greek life accountability.

Kiandra Benson and Maya Gordon, confidential advocates in Student Emergency Services, present warning signs and resources for students facing interpersonal violence.

While you look through the perspectives of our contributors, we ask you to consider the following questions: How can the University take responsibility to provide education and consequences to Greek life and similar social organizations?

How can Greek life and beyond better hold their peers accountable and advocate for survivors?

What can non-Greek social and spirit organizations guilty of perpetuating sexual violence do to address the deep-rooted issues present in their organizations?

Are there institutional issues with the foundations of Greek life that can’t be repaired? Should we continue to uphold these systems on our campus?

How do we create a culture of accountability for organizations notorious for sexual misconduct?

Should these organizations even be allowed to exist as they do without consequence?

The forum projects team consists of forum editors Safa Michigan, Hairuo Yi, and editor-in-chief Sanika Nayak.

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OPINION

S A N I K A N AYA K

5

Editor-In-Chief | @TEXANOPINION TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

Sexual assault is not just a Greek life issue: Spirit groups are failing to address it.

By Sarah Jane Ross Forum Contributor

Content warning: Discussions of sexual assault.

24/7 SAFE Hotline: (512) 267-7233 “Diet Greek life”: That’s the running joke about spirit groups in some circles on campus — pockets of us who became disillusioned after years of membership in these organizations and time spent on their executive boards. On paper, spirit groups seem to be the solution to so many issues Greek life is often lambasted for: racist recruitment practices, homophobia and transphobia, dangerous hazing, extreme financial barriers to membership, and a toxic culture that promotes and excuses abuse. But after three years in a popular spirit group on campus, including a year as vice president and a year on the executive board of the umbrella organization overseeing many other spirit groups, it became harder and harder to ignore the ways that those groups pitched as “better” than Greek life in fact function in many similarly harmful ways.

As a survivor of rape by a UT fraternity member and veteran of the UT Title IX process, I have spent much of my advocacy journey on campus supporting and advising people like myself — stu-

dents who were victimized by fraternity men and the organizations that protected them. While multiple studies have startlingly shown that fraternity men nationally are three times more likely to commit sexual assault on campus than non-fraternity men, statistics about sexual assault by members of UT-specific spirit groups are virtually nonexistent.

It’s time we examine the ways the spirit group world at UT has been quietly enabling the kind of culture that breeds abuse and silences suvivors” From the time I joined my own organization, I was constantly fed the message that these male groups we partied with were “the good ones” — men who chose a path outside of Greek life and held themselves to a higher standard of conduct and respect. Like so many others, I internalized this idea and the false sense of security it provided and passed

it along to younger members as it had been passed on to me. Yet somehow, in my three years of advocacy on campus, I have worked with survivors of abuse by members (including executive board officers) of every major male spirit group at UT. And while knowledge of the issue of sexual assault by members of Greek life is seemingly ubiquitious, we, as a campus, are largely ignoring that the epidemic of sexual violence also exists less publicly in these “better-than-Greeklife” organizations, and many of us are guilty of excusing it.

Since my very first semester in 2018 with my former spirit group, I have seen the ways that we quietly swept sexual violence by male spirit group members off to the side. For an organization that prides itself on uplifting and empowering women and nonbinary folks at UT, we always seemed to be willing to put that mission secondary to protecting what we perceived as our hard-earned social status as one of the premier organizations on campus. That social status was in part earned by our intentional “girl power” branding but was also largely due to our connections with the popular male organizations we regularly hosted parties with. The thought that we could be forced to cut ties with one or more of those organizations because of the abuse of our members by theirs threatened the status quo and stability of our position

on campus. If we couldn’t offer current and potential members the chance to mix with popular and well-connected men on campus, what exactly could we offer them? Smiling speeches at recruitment events about love and family seemed increasingly hollow when compared to the way that survivors in our organization were often simply offered a statement about solidarity followed by no real action at best and censored with victim-blaming language at worst.

Sexual assault is the sole fault of the person who commits it, but it’s time we examine the ways that the spirit group world at UT has been quietly enabling the kind of culture that breeds abuse and silences survivors — the very same culture that Greek life is so often condemned for. Pretending sexual assault in our groups is nonexistent and then weaponizing tone-policing and feigned incompetence when it is brought to light has never been an effective prevention and response strategy. We can’t afford to evade accountability any longer by hiding behind being “better” than Greek life — the safety of our members and our campus depends on it.

Sara Jane Ross (she/her) is a fifth year rhetoric and writing major, survivor-advocate and founder of the Interpersonal Violence Prevention Coalition at UT.

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

NEWS

CITY

Austin creates emergency system for deaf, blind, hard of hearing community

By Leena Alali @thedailytexan

The city of Austin started providing the community with a system to help those in the blind, deaf and hard of hearing communities receive accessible emergency communications this month.

To create the accessible hazard alert system, the city partnered with Deaf Link, a company that provides media services for those with sensory disabilities. The system sends alerts through text or email with a link to a video using American Sign Language to translate what a message says. Alerts include incidents such as severe weather, public health emergencies and Amber alerts.

Bryce Bencivengo, communications manager for the city of Austin’s office of homeland security and emergency management, said the pandemic made it difficult to get information out to those who are deaf, blind or hard of hearing through the online environment.

“When you see our news conferences, it’s Zoom,” Bencivengo said. “The person doing American Sign Language gets very small. If you’re watching it on your phone, or something that isn’t a computer (or) a television screen, that use of American Sign Language is not great.”

The National Deaf Center, based at UT’s College of Education, which provides resources for deaf or hard of hearing students, said the city has improvements to make on the system.

The sign-up video for the city’s new system does not provide transcript or video description for all its content.

Natalie Czimskey, a speech language and hearing sciences lecturer, said the deaf and hard of hearing community is often considered as an afterthought.

“When in doubt, listen to the community that says it’s a problem,” Czimskey said. “If

the National Deaf Center is saying it’s a problem, and if the community is saying it’s a problem, it’s a problem.”

Austin is home to the Texas School for the Deaf, a state-operated school for school-aged deaf and hard of hearing children, which attracts the community to Austin, Czimskey said. However, the team behind the accessible emergency hazard system does not have any individuals who are deaf, blind or hard of hearing to provide internal input, Bencivengo said.

Bencivengo said the city relies on Deaf Link to find the best communication methods and hopes to continue improving the system through community input.

Czimskey said it is crucial for the city to hire an ASL and deaf interpreter on staff to gain proper insight into the community.

“The Deaf culture is very different from American culture,” said Czimskey. “There are different values on communication. They’re very direct.

They value directness, they value bluntness, they value honesty.”

emma george

/ the daily texan staff

LIFE&ARTS

7

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

FOOD

Four Austin-based spots for your Filipino food fix

By Angela Lim @angelaiim

Food plays a central role in Filipino culture. When someone asks a family member if they’ve eaten, their words express love and care. For Filipino-American History Month, The Daily Texan compiled a list of Filipino restaurants, food trucks and stores around Austin.

Kapatad Kitchen and Cafe: 3742 Far West Blvd.

Kapatad Kitchen and Cafe, whose name comes from the Kapampangan word for siblings, exemplifies the Filipino importance of family. After immigrating to Texas from the Philippines, the Franco family fulfilled their goal of opening a space to share what made them feel most at home. The restaurant serves authentic Filipino and Chinese cuisine guided by longstanding recipes from previous generations. Some traditional dishes on their menu include beef kare-kare, a stew with a peanut sauce base, and pancit bihon, thin rice noodles mixed with meat and vegetables. Their diverse menu makes the restaurant an excellent choice for catering.

Carabao Express: 2309 W Parmer Ln.

Named after the Philippines’ national animal, this casual, Panda Express-esque restaurant serves food in large quantities at an affordable, budget-friendly price. Customer favorites on their menu include chicken adobo, a marinated chicken dish, and lechon kawali, deep fried pork belly. Carabao Express also sells combo meal options, the largest being their boodle box, which references the “boodle fights” in Filipino culture wherein people would eat a heaping selection of food by hand, or “kamayan.”

Filipino Asian Mart: 615 W Slaughter Ln.

From providing groceries to selling freshly made dishes, this market of hospitable Tagalog-speaking staff serves as the pinnacle hub in Austin for everything Filipino. Customers can purchase hard-to-find Filipino snacks, ingredients and seasoning for

river morgan

/ the daily texan staff

Kapatad Kitchen and Cafe is one of the few Filipino businesses around Austin. Because food plays such an essential role in Filipino culture, restaurants like Kapatad that serve traditional dishes are important for the Filipino-Americans that call Austin home.

home cooking. Stop by on Sundays to taste their tocilog and losilog breakfasts, containing garlic fried rice topped with egg and tocino and longganisa, respectively. They also offer delicious desserts such as halo-halo, an ice cream treat mixed with various toppings, and maja blanca, a coconut milk-based pudding.

Fil N’ Viet: 1720 E 12th St.

For Instagram-worthy, mouthwatering goodness, look no further than Fil N’ Viet. This food

truck, founded by a Filipino and Vietnamese couple, combines the best of both cuisines. Their Filipino snacks, such as hamachi kinilaw, a light ceviche-like dish, present the flavors of the culture with a modern, vibrant twist. Customers can look forward to weekly specials that offer limited edition dishes, including their highly demanded sisig fried rice and creamy bicol express, which is pork cooked in coconut milk with shrimp paste. Make sure to check their website and social media to stay updated on what’s currently available.

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

LIFE&ARTS

STUDENT LIFE

Anonymous notes left around campus uplift students

By Carolyn Parmer @_carolynparmer

As Madeline Salinas walked home from hours of studying on campus at the end of a long Monday, a white envelope sticking out from a bush caught her attention.

“I picked it up and it said, ‘for a stranger, from a stranger,’ and I automatically was like, ‘This is going to make me cry, I can already tell,’” journalism junior Salinas said.

The anonymous note, which Salinas found near the Flawn Academic Center, read “hey there” in calligraphy, followed by words of encouragement for students stressed about an exam or life events.

Other students found similar anonymous notes across campus and also felt

that it changed their perspective on life as a student.

“People get so caught up in what they’re doing and the assignments they have to do and everything that’s going on in their life that it’s so easy to feel like, I’m the only one right now with anxiety or stressing out about these things,” Salinas said. “Seeing a note like that reminded me (that) people get it.”

Reading the note made Salinas reflect on her growth as a student. During her freshman year, she sacrificed her weekends to get ahead on assignments because the thought of falling behind scared her.

“As hard as it is at times to step away from my work because I feel like, ‘I should be doing this,’ it’s become a lot easier for me to be like, ‘Okay, no, you’re not going to do your best work right

now if you don’t take at least an hour break to go outside and go for a walk,’” Salinas said.

After feeling uplifted by the note, Salinas shared it with her roommates. One of them, Colton Winters, a communication and leadership junior, said the line “You’re doing your best and that’s all you need to be worried about,” struck a chord with him.

“All too often, we’re always so concerned about assignments (and) projects and ‘Oh my gosh, my bank account has $10 in it,”’ Winters said. “To be reminded, ‘Hey, you’re doing great, you’re exactly where you need to be,’ that’s a really nice thing.”

A few days after finding the note, Salinas saw another student, math sophomore Jada Stewart, tweet about messages she found in a Perry-Castañeda Library bathroom. Although Salinas didn’t plan to share her note

on Twitter, she said Stewart’s tweet inspired her.

“The most impactful thing that I read was ‘remember to take care of yourself,’” Stewart said. “The fact that somebody that I don’t know is reminding me to just take time for myself to make sure that I’m okay, I thought was so nice.”

Rigorous academics at UT can make students feel like they should sacrifice their sleep and wellbeing to succeed in their studies, she said. Reading the note reminded her to take a step back, relax and take time for herself.

“I find myself saying that sort of thing to my friends all the time, but I don’t exactly take that advice for myself,” Stewart said. “Just know that there are people out there that you don’t even know, strangers, that are writing notes for you to encourage you and to uplift you.

You’re not alone.”

copyright madeline salinas, and reproduced with permission

Madeline Salinas holds up an anonymous note of encouragement she found on campus.

LIFE&ARTS

FIZA KUZHIYIL

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Life&Arts Editor | @TEXANARTS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

Asexual students discuss importance of visibility

Asexual Awareness week spans from Oct. 24 to Oct. 30.

By Isabella Gonzalez-Lawson @isauhbellah

hroughout highschool, as classmates discussed topics such as intimacy and sex, Ashlyn Tatro noticed something different about herself — she wanted nothing to do with it.

Puzzled, Tatro took to the internet and stumbled across a curious word: asexual.

“When I found the term asexuality, it just made so much sense,” Tatro, an undeclared sophomore, said.

“It was like a wave of relief washing over me.”

Asexuality acts as an umbrella term for various degrees of sexual attraction and most commonly indicates an absence of sexual attraction or desire. With only around 1% of the population identifying as asexual, many asexuals struggle to feel recognized within the general public. Asexuality Awareness Week, which spans from Oct. 24 to Oct. 30, serves to highlight the asexual community and bring attention to its lack of representaion.

“Most people don’t even know what the hell asexuality is,” Tatro said. “It truly is an invisible orientation … A sad thing that asexuals face is that when they try to come out to people, some of the first things they’re told is, ‘That’s not real.’”

To create a safe space for asexuals on campus, UT’s Gender and Sexuality Center hosts a weekly group called embrACE. Mayuri Raja, a UT alumna and founding member of embrACE, credits the group with furthering her understanding of her own asexuality

and creating her sense of belonging within the queer community.

“When I got to college and started being in other queer spaces, I started to feel like, ‘Am I asexual enough?

Do I deserve to exist in this space?’”

Raja said. “Having embrACE helped me get over that because it helped me realize that the label wasn’t what made me who I was, the label helped me understand who I was.”

Spaces for the asexual community extend past the GSC and across campus. Megan Farabee, an Asian studies freshman, recently met other asexual friends through her piccolo section in the Longhorn Band.

“It was the first time I had ever met someone who wasn’t just me that was asexual — it was really nice,” Farabee said. “It’s given me more confidence to accept myself and not be as afraid of coming out.”

Tatro said contrary to a widespread misperception, the concept of sexual attraction and romance are not always the same. She said

teagan jensen

she identifies as an aromantic asexual, or an asexual who feels little to no romantic attraction. Oftentimes, Tatro said she feels misrepresented by some people’s conception of aromantic asexuals.

“We’re not robots, we’re not emotionless, we still really value family and friends, and closeness and connection with people,” Tatro said. “We just don’t desire that romantic connection.”

Raja said in order to avoid placing the burden of education solely on the asexual community, people outside the community need to keep an open mind and educate themselves.

“Since asexuality is one of the identities that is lesser known within the (LGBTQ+) community, I think we can all stand to learn more about each other instead of sticking to our own identities,” Raja said.

“That’s how you’re going to get the full picture.”

/ the daily texan staff

N AT H A N H A N

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Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26 , 2021

SOCCER

SPORTS

Goalkeeper Savannah Madden is leading the Longhorns in her last run Fifth-year senior Savannah Madden is stepping up to take Texas soccer to new heights.

By Vicente Montalvo @VMont20

avannah Madden stepped on the Forty Acres in 2017. But the goalkeeper waited two full seasons before getting the opportunity to play a full 90-minute contest.

Now, Madden is an integral part of the Texas soccer program as a dominant force between the posts.

Through 17 games this season, the fifth-year senior has played every possible minute, tallied eight shutouts and was named Big 12 goalkeeper of the week on Sept. 7 for the fourth time in her career.

The Longhorns are going above and beyond their preseason expectations as they are looking to finish in the top two in the conference regular season for the first time since 2007, back when Missouri and Texas A&M were members of the Big 12.

It’s in large part to Madden’s shot stopping abilities and her leadership.

During the Longhorns first win of the season on Sept. 2 against New Mexico State, the senior’s ability to make four critical saves while not conceding a goal made the difference. Head coach Angela Kelly said the team voted on Madden as the game changer for the contest.

“She’s just so mature back there,” Kelly said.

In one of the Longhorns’ biggest tests all season against a 2020 NCAA quarterfinal team in No. 10 TCU, Madden stepped up. The goalkeeper gave up one early goal but stopped eight shots, drawing against a team with the highest scoring average at 2.47 in the conference.

“Savannah came up big and that’s what you need when you have a bigtime goalkeeper,” Kelly said after the Sept. 30 match.

The road hasn’t always been pretty, as the program went 4-3-2 in non-conference games. At a time when the Longhorns were not registering wins at the rate they should, the team found a vocal leader in the senior goalkeeper who began to take on a bigger role: coach.

“I knew in preseason that we were going to have a lot of learning mistakes and that I would have to be the one to coach them (young players) through it,” Madden said.

“When our preseason didn’t go the way we wanted, we had to drill into them, ‘Hey, this is college now, we have to let go of that game and move onto the next.’”

The super senior decided to return to Austin for a fifth year after the prolonged 2020

season. She said the decision wasn’t that difficult.

“I think I just wanted to leave Texas with leaving a mark on the field,” Madden said. “End my career with as many stats as I could get and obviously pursue professional soccer.”

The decision to wear the burnt orange and white for another season is looking like the right one for Madden.

The Longhorns broke a 13-yearold school record when the team drew against West Virginia on Oct. 21. In the span of six contests, Madden and Texas defense

were able to keep the ball out of the net, giving this year’s team the record for the longest consecutive shutout streak.

“They defend from the top down and I’m just glad that I can be the rock for them on the back,’’ Madden said.

“They make me want to play hard every game for them and they play hard for me.”

With one program record already broken this season, the Longhorns look to topple an even bigger one: making it past the third round and winning the NCAA championship. With Madden as the shot stopper, watch out for Texas as the Longhorns chase the title.

julius shieh

/ the daily texan staff

Goalkeeper Savannah Madden helped the Longhorns break a 13-year-old school record for the longest consecutive shutout streak in the span of six games.

SPORTS

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

FEATURE

Kyle Umlang’s growing popularity among Texas sports fans leads to dream meeting with Chris Del Conte

By Arjun Rao @thearjunrao1

Like most Texas Longhorns fans, Kyle Umlang loves to make fun of Texas A&M and Oklahoma.

Umlang, who is well-known among Texas fans on Twitter @kyleumlang and sometimes referred to as Mr. Data, frequently posts statistics and facts related to the Longhorns and their opponents.

“I like to find interesting — usually they’re kind of funny — stats that no one has really found or posted about,” Umlang said.

For example, Umlang found that more people have seen Oklahoma football lose in the playoffs than the series finale of Seinfeld. 76 million people watched the latter.

A major tradition on his account is #AggieFactThursday, where weekly stats highlighting Texas A&M’s lack of NCAA Division I championships is a common topic. Fans have even begun participating in the trend.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Umlang used his newfound free time to take his mocking of the Aggies to a new level.

“I had a lot of extra time on my hands,” he said. “I didn’t even know if a season was going to happen that year.”

With the time freed up by not having to commute to work, a book was born. “101 Aggie Facts: Things Every Longhorn Should Know” is a compilation of the best facts for Longhorn fans to reference when arguing with or teasing their Aggie family and friends.

After publishing the book and seeing its popularity skyrocket, peaking as the top football book on Amazon in April, Umlang was able to parlay his increasing popularity into a meeting with Texas athletics

copyright kyle umlang, and reproduced with permission

Like most Texas Longhorns fans, Kyle Umlang loves to make fun of Texas A&M and Oklahoma. Umlang frequently posts statistics and facts related to the Longhorns and their opponents.

director Chris Del Conte.

Every off-season, shortly before the Texas football season starts, Umlang posts a wishlist of the three people he most wants to follow him back. In 2020, the three people were then-starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger, former Longhorn QB Vince Young and Matthew McConaughey.

Ehlinger followed him shortly after.

Umlang made another wishlist this year in March, with McConaughey and Young making appearances on the list again. Del Conte was the third and followed Umlang on Twitter.

“After he followed me, it unlocked the secret CDC DMs,” Umlang said.

“I sent him a first edition copy of my book, and we started talking from there”.

A few weeks later, Umlang came

down to Austin from his home in Ohio to watch the Longhorns take on Rice on Sept. 18. Del Conte extended an invitation for Umlang to come up to his office.

“It’s a giant office by the way — like I think there are offices inside of his office, and he’s got a secretary for his secretary,” Umlang said.

“He told me he’d be with me in four minutes, and after four minutes exactly, he stepped out and said, ‘Kyle, let’s talk.’”

Umlang and Del Conte talked football for some time before Del Conte pointed at someone down the hall and asked them to give Umlang a tour. Del Conte told the employee that nothing in the stadium was off limits when it came to the tour, Umlang said.

He was able to see the newly

constructed South Endzone, the suites and even spotted a group of recruits while on his tour. After the tour, Umlang went back up to Del Conte’s office and talked about football for a few more minutes before leaving.

“It was the best day of my life.

It was awesome,” Umlang said.

“We better have him as our athletic director for many, many years.”

With Texas winning the Director’s Cup last year, Umlang may get his wish. Texas’ athletic success makes Umlang’s life easier, too.

So does the failure of Texas’ rivals.

“Since Donald Trump was elected president,” Umlang said in one of his #AggieFactThursday tweets, “he has been impeached more times than Texas A&M has beaten Alabama.”

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D E S T I N Y A L E X A N D E R & B A R B R A D A LY

Comics Editors | @TEXANCOMICS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

COMICS

Ace Week 2021 is celebrated October 24th-30th The Gender and Sexuality Center is celebrating #AceWeek and provides year-round resources for ace/aro students embrACE is a student group for individuals under the asexual and aromantic umbrellas Email: embracestudentgroup@gmail.com