The Daily Texan 2021-10-29

DT VOLUME 122, ISSUE 30 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

a place to feel seen A look into the history of the Gender and Sexuality Center

rocky higine

/ the daily texan staff

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Current students and alumni discuss the history of LGBTQ+ life on campus.

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NEWS OFFICE

UNIVERSITY

Student advisory committee created for College of Natural Sciences

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Beat Reporters Lauren Abel, Tori Duff, Marisa Huerta, Katy Nelson, Kaushiki Roy, Kevin Vu

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Professors and students discuss living with ADHD and harmful stereotypes.

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University Housing and Dining must offer free menstrual products.

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Contents:

By Sonali Menon General Reporter

UT Student Government approved a bill Oct. 12 to create a new student advisory committee within the College of Natural Sciences that would allow students to take part in the college’s leadership decisions.

The College of Natural Sciences Dean’s Student Advisory Committee is modeled after the President’s Student Advisory Committee but will operate at a smaller scale so students can work directly with the dean of CNS on issues pertinent to the student body at the time, said Braxdon Cannon, a mathematics and sustainability studies sophomore who sponsored the bill.

Neuroscience sophomore Avery Sinnathamby said she wrote the bill after discussions with various members of CNS representative groups to bridge the gap in leadership when the college gets a new full-time dean after the previous dean left in March.

“This is really just to foster better communication and collaboration amongst the student body and student organizations on campus,” Sinnathamby said. “The biggest (goal) is to really set the standard and the expectation from the student side that we expect a certain level of communication and a certain level of collaboration with the college.”

Conversations regarding the creation of the committee started two years ago, but the recent shifts in leadership in CNS opened the window to take action, said Rohit Prasad, president of the Natural Sciences Council.

The 12 members of the committee will be made up of CNS representatives from Student Government, members of the Natural Sciences

Council, and members of the CNS Black and Latinx Advocacy Council, according to the bill. SG is currently taking internal applications to join the committee, and meetings are expected to begin in November, Cannon said.

The committee will allow students to voice their opinions about aspects of the college that need to be changed and to collaborate to address problems in the CNS, said Brianna Middleton, a biochemistry senior and appointed representative for the BLAC. “This is definitely a great step in the right direction,” Middleton said. “The first thing it does is acknowledge that (there) is a problem and that there is an active approach to solve that problem.”

The bill also featured an amendment to allow other colleges to potentially create similar committees.

“From a Student Government perspective, a lot of representatives are interested in recreating this in their own colleges, which is a great precedent to hopefully start,” Sinnathamby said.

meredith bowden

/ the daily texan staff

(512) 232-2207 news@thedailytexan.com The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely. If we have made an error, let us know about it. E-mail managingeditor@thedailytexan.com.

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Student Government’s lack of transparency fuels outrage UT students are angered about Student Government’s use of stipend funds and lack of communication.

By Kaushiki Roy @kaushikiroy3

T students raised concerns regarding Student Government’s financial transparency and lack of communication to the student body during SG’s assembly meeting Tuesday.

During the meeting, students commented on the lack of transparency SG had during budgeting funds, creating a toxic environment with the campus community, and their mishandling of communication through Twitter. Some students said the way SG responded to criticism made them feel intimidated to speak up.

Over the weekend, nutrition senior Antony Rodriguez posted SG’s financial budget reports on Instagram. UT gave SG about $160,000 to distribute this school year. The reports showed SG allocated over $30,000 to fund the stipends of the seven executive board members and set aside $16,000 for student scholarships, which caused student outrage on social media.

Rodriguez said the assembly meeting proved less than successful as SG questioned him

about personal interactions unrelated to the issues he brought up about finances. Rodriguez said members of the executive board “almost prosecuted” him over his friendships with different student leaders and various interactions he may have had with the executive board.

“My goal is not to tell the whole board to release their personal documents because that’s not what I want,” Rodriguez said. “My goal is to change the culture to be more transparent because the people who are in (student leadership positions) get a set of privileges a lot of students might not be aware of. … I just feel like it should be transparent, and they should be checked.”

SG advocacy director Mackenzie Smith said on her Twitter Spaces yesterday that the executive board will be issuing a formal apology to Rodriguez as well as addressing ongoing student concerns Nov. 1.

Directly after the assembly meeting, a UT student created a Twitter Spaces where over 180 students joined to voice their concerns over SG’s unprofessional actions toward Rodriguez for nearly four hours.

Students also called for greater action from SG as they are some of the only students with influence over University administrators.

sara kinney

/ the daily texan staff

SG financial director Grant Marconi said he also believes SG members should hold themselves at a higher standard when responding to the student body on platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.

Students like Maria Henriquez, a mathematics and chemistry senior, said after seeing SG’s defensiveness and lack of communication with students at the recent assembly meeting, she was hesitant to voice her concerns to them.

“I feel like they only just talk to a certain group of people,” Henriquez said. “I struggled

with this because they don’t effectively listen to the student body and solve issues.”

Marconi said moving forward, the executive board will try its best to rebuild trust between the government and the student body.

“I think the biggest solution is just to listen,” Marconi said. “We can work 12-hour days, but (in the end), if we’re not listening to people, then those 12 hours are wasted. And so I think the executive team is going to take time to listen, and we’re going to communicate what we are doing.”

S A N I K A N AYA K

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Editor-In-Chief | @TEXANOPINION FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

COLUMN

OPINION

Offer free menstrual products in residence halls Menstrual products are a necessity and must be made accessible.

By Lucero Ponce Columnist

magine a student just got out of class and is walking back to their dorm. They suddenly realize they have started their period and begin to hurry. When they arrive at a residence hall’s public restroom, they open their backpack, hopeful to have a leftover pad or tampon from last month.

It’s empty. What do they do now?

Many universities across the country are beginning to offer free menstrual products across campus that students can take when needed. University Housing and Dining should follow suit and offer free menstrual products at all residence hall front desks and bathrooms at UT. Although menstrual products are a necessity, many individuals are unable to access them for a variety of reasons, such as forgetting to bring supplies, having an irregular period or simply not being able to afford them. They resort to improvising with toilet paper or ration sanitary products by using them for

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.

extended amounts of time, which can lead to urinary tract infections. By having menstrual products readily available in residence hall restrooms, students will have access to resources they need without worrying.

“Sometimes people forget they need to buy (menstrual products) at the store or don’t have that type of money to afford it. I feel like if (UHD) would offer that, it would make it less stressful,” mechanical engineering freshman Yatziri Lopez said. “It’s the most basic thing they could do. (People who menstruate) shouldn’t struggle that much to get the resources they need for something they cannot prevent.”

Kinsolving Residence Hall, through a partnership with Orange Jackets, currently offers free menstrual products at the front desk. This is a good start, but these resources should be readily available to all residents, not just those in Kinsolving.

“Student Government was working on a campuswide initiative to offer free (menstrual) products prior to COVID-19. It didn’t reach out to us at that time, but the University Residence Hall Association had representation at that committee,” said Tiana Lindberg, assistant director of Residence Life.

“Student Government, since COVID-19, hasn’t restarted that initiative, that we’re aware of. We would be interested in engaging with our student leaders and residents on future options to meet their needs. … Typically they’re

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.

paris van natta

the ones that start initiatives. We are consistently adapting to the diverse needs and desires of our residents.”

It’s unacceptable for UT to rely on students to start these initiatives, especially since they are clearly aware of the problem. Lindberg said UHD is interested in partnering with student organizations and outside entities to help with supply and cost, so they should start implementing this project themselves instead of waiting for students to bring up the issue again. It’s disappointing that UT needs student organizations to advocate for and help pay for basic necessities, especially when UT has the

/ the daily texan staff

second-largest endowment in the nation.

University Housing and Dining should provide both pads and tampons of varying sizes at residence halls that all students can take, no questions asked. They must check on the stock daily to ensure the menstrual products are readily available at any time.

Accessibility to free menstrual products will always be an important issue in the lives of students. This has been a conversation before at UT, and it will continue to be one until resources are made accessible to students.

Ponce is a journalism freshman from Laredo, Texas.

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LIFE&ARTS

FIZA KUZHIYIL

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Life&Arts Editor | @TEXANARTS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

STUDENT LIFE

Students, staff share experiences with ADHD during ADHD Awareness Month

By Mackenzie Sullivan @macksully

Receiving a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder didn’t surprise Stephanie Craven. Even after finishing high school, college and earning a Ph.D., Craven said she always felt like her brain operated differently than her peers and colleagues.

The Sanger Learning Center learning specialist said in the past, doctors primarily diagnosed ADHD in young boys who displayed a certain set of behavioral traits, while for others — those who didn’t fit the typical ADHD standard — the disorder went largely undetected.

“They were not diagnosing little girls with ADHD back then unless you were really a handful,” Craven said. “If you’re pretty obedient, (and) maybe you’re shooting off your mouth occasionally or there’s some things you do that you don’t really understand, but (if) you’re making A’s, you’re not getting diagnosed with ADHD.” Craven, one among many UT staff and students who share an ADHD diagnosis, said living with ADHD shaped her life and impacts many others. While 4.4% of adults in the United States have ADHD, few talk about the harmful stereotypes that persist.

ADHD Awareness Month offers those who have it an opportunity to celebrate and reflect.

Throughout her college experience, Marina Newlin said she bonded with other neurodivergent students and often relied on them for representation and comfort.

“There’s this ‘neurodivergent magnet,’” the art education sophomore said. “I don’t entirely know how it happens, but we find each other and we bond over the fact that we’re just a little bit funky.”

However, Newlin said she didn’t always have a community that understood her. She was diagnosed at a young age, and harmful ADHD stereotypes caused her distress, and even ended some of her closest friendships.

“I’ve had people snap at me on several occasions because I am not looking

somewhere or because I’m fidgeting with something,” Newlin said. “It’s very turbulent in a way because I’m just existing and then it’s like, ‘Stop doing that.’”

Newlin suggested neurotypical individuals ask their friends and classmates about their experience living with ADHD, so they can learn more about it and not pass judgment on them.

“If there was any one thing that I would want someone to know about ADHD, it’s that it’s a real thing that has a real impact on both my mental and physical health,” Newlin said. “But I’m not lesser because of it.”

Graduate student Lee Orfila said her experience managing stereotypes and school improved each year due to her graduate school’s flexibility, allowing her to utilize aspects of ADHD as a learning tool.

“The kind of hyperfocus and extreme levels of excitement you can get about something, if that’s the thing that you’re passionate about, can work to your benefit,” Orfila said.

Orfila’s studies involve data processing, which she said can be tedious and detail-oriented. Because she loves the subject, Orfila said she can memorize linguistics information easily and actually enjoys doing so.

“If I was looking at numbers from geology, it would just be numbers and I would hate it,” Orfila said. “But because (data processing is) an extinct sign language, I could recall almost any data point from my dataset at this very moment.”

Orfila said oftentimes, the stereotypical way people perceive ADHD consists of outward behaviors parents observe in children, like restlessness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Therefore, many don’t understand how ADHD actually impacts people’s daily lives.

“I think the awareness people have of ADHD is usually very externalized,” Orfila said. “It’s from this (outward) perspective of, ‘How does this inconvenience other people?’ and not necessarily, ‘How is this person really struggling or having this really difficult internal experience?’”

juleanna culilap

/ the daily texan file

NEELAM BOHRA

6

Projects Editor | @THEDAILYTEXAN

FRIDAY, OCTOBER, 29, 2021

Campus activists serve as roots of Gender and Sexuality Center

By Samantha Greyson

PROJECTS

peyton sims

/ the daily texan staff

The Gender and Sexuality Center serves as a safe space for LGBTQ+ students on campus and strives to meet their needs through education, outreach and advocacy.

@GreysonSamantha

Members of the LGBTQ+ community created a space where they could be seen. n 1992, Lisa Moore — the first openly lesbian professor at UT — returned to her office to find it broken into and vandalized.

“Someone pulled all the queer posters off the walls and set a bonfire on my desk and scribbled with marker on my windows ‘depravity kills’ 16 times, one in each of the little panes of those small Parlin windows,” Moore said.

While Moore said her home department and peers supported her, the professor said she also received objections from students and faculty.

“There was an editorial in The Daily Texan that said since I’ve been hired by the English department, it was now nothing more than a department of

lesbian and socialists studies,” Moore said.

Moore, who now directs the University’s LGBTQ Studies Program, said campus has started to accept UT’s queer community with time but work remains to be done. She said the community has experienced discrimination on campus for decades.

“The visibility of queer people on the UT campus goes back to the 1940s,” Moore said. “There was a president of the University, Homer Rainey, … who was fired by the Board of Regents, because he was basically considered too liberal.”

Former President Rainey faced pressure from the regents and fired eight professors for being gay, but the Board blamed him for hiring them in the first place and claimed he should have dismissed them sooner.

A SAFE SPACE Moore said the vibrant Civil Rights and Women’s Rights movements at the University in the 1960s led to a push for queer rights on campus.

“Campus was actually a pretty early uptake of the sort of nationwide visibility of queer activism that happened after the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969,” Moore said. “There was a gay student union here in 1970 or ‘71, which was much earlier than other places in the south.”

With increased visibility of LGBTQ+ students came increased demand for a LGBTQ+ space on campus, said Liz Elsen, director of UT’s Gender and Sexuality Center.

“Students were fighting for the space for years,” Elsen said. “There were certainly people in Student Government (who) were working on it for longer, (and) absolutely, there has been push back throughout the history of UT.” The University’s Gender and Sexuality Center launched in 2004 after the

separately established Women’s Resource Center and GLBTA Agency merged in 2002.

Today, the center serves as a safe space for LGBTQ+ students on campus and strives to meet their needs through education, outreach and advocacy. The center’s creation was a culmination of years of activism as LGBTQ+ students and faculty struggled to feel a sense of belonging on a campus that historically underserved and ignored them.

Shane Whalley, a social work adjunct assistant professor, said the center provides a place of respite and comfort for LGBTQ+ students on campus while also providing a space for allies to learn about LGBTQ+ issues and join the fight.

“Campus for marginalized students is kind of like a giant game of tag,” Whalley said.” It’s like you run, you play with others, and then you want to go, be in home base, rest and refuel so you can go back out and play tag.”

When alumnus Ryan Miller first tried to locate the center, he couldn’t find the office, which was tucked away in a small

7 closet in the Student Services Building.

“The first time I went to try to go to the GSC, I ended up going right out the door,” Miller said. “That’s how easy it was to miss. It was such a small space.”

A HISTORY OF HOSTILITY When alumni Ron Bowdoin attended the University as an undergraduate in 1971, he felt he was drowning in a sea of people who couldn’t understand his identity.

In his freshman year, he said he admired two men who lived near him and dressed in colorful boas and clothing when going out on the weekend. Bowdoin felt they were more themselves than he could ever be — but he also remembers seeing another resident heckle them.

“Somebody caught a glimpse of them and completely started to verbally abuse them,” Bowdoin said. “I knew immediately: I’m not safe here, I cannot be out, I cannot say anything about who I am in this environment.”

Bowdoin said in the 1970s, there were no centers or resources for him to access as a student belonging to the LGBTQ+ community, but he did remember a comic in The Daily Texan, which depicted a gay character. He said it made him feel seen.

“It was one of those sorts of glimpses that there are people out there who know who we are, where we are, what we’re going through … even in a humorous way,” Bowdoin said.

ESTABLISHING ROOTS, LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY Bowdoin attended UT again in the 1990s to complete his degree. That time, Bowdoin said LGBTQ+ students on campus met around a tree outside the Texas Union to find a semblance of community.

“The Gay Tree,” as it was called by students at the time, was an informal Gender and Sexuality Center: a place where LGBTQ+ students could belong, Bowdoin said.

“By this time, there were treatments for HIV and AIDS coming around,” Bowdoin said. “The (epidemic) was slowly, very slowly kind of winding down, so there was kind of hope on the horizon, healthwise.”

When Miller attended UT in the early 2000s, he worked as a student assistant

at the center and helped to create the on campus. The survey received over wouldn’t be as many of these issues.”

Queer Student Alliance, which is now the 2,300 responses.

House Bill 25, which restricts trans stuQueer Trans Student Alliance. In 2006, “Overwhelmingly, students are very dent athletes from competing in sports as Miller and other QSA members pubsatisfied with the Gender and Sexualtheir identified gender, passed in both the lished a report entitled “The State of Lesity Center,” Hunter said “That being House and Senate and was sent to Gov. bian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer said, students agree that the Gender Greg Abbott’s desk mid-October. Over Affairs at UT.” and Sexuality Center does not have 30 anti-LGBTQ+ bills filed this year were “The QSA report caused a lot of dethe space nor the resources that they killed, but Giles said the abundance of partments to sit up and take notice,” need to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ stuanti-trans legislation in this session has Miller said. “Of not just saying they were dents. And that’s a trend that’s seen caused increased calls to queer suicide allies, but sort of putting their money over and over.” and crisis hotlines. where their mouth is. Forcing them to Hunter said that while visibilithink about what are they actively doty for the LGBTQ+ community on ing that is inclusive of or not inclusive of campus has grown over time, this LGBTQ students.” visibility is less apparent for trans In the report, QSA asked for genstudents in particular, because der-neutral restrooms in all University there is still a stigma associated buildings, updated staff training on the with being trans. needs of LGBTQ+ students and the forPsychology sophomore Indigo INDIGO GILES mation of a committee of students to Giles, said this stigma contributes psychology sophomore advise administration on the needs of to the recent anti-trans legislation LGBTQ+ students. in the state legislature. They have The students also stressed how continued the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ While the University has come a long important the GSC was for the camrights, testifying at the Texas Legislaway since Moore was first hired, she, pus community as a whole and asked ture against multiple anti-transgender along with Whalley, Hunter, Giles and for increased funding of the center student bills. other members of the LGBTQ+ commuwhich at the time, had only two full “Hate is derived from fear and fear nity on campus, said equality is still a long time staff members. is derived from ignorance, so we hate way from being achieved.

Adrienne Hunter, radio-televithings that we fear and we fear the “No matter what happens, … we’re gosion-film, anthropology, and women’s things that we don’t understand,” Giles ing to keep fighting and we’re not going to and gender studies senior said when said. “A lot of these hateful bills … are give up,” Giles said. “Partly because, like, she read the original report a year ago directly tied to just a lack of informawhat else can you do? But partly because that she noticed that many of the rection and a lack of education. If there was we have each other’s back that much. And ommendations outlined still aren’t immore education out there for cis stuwe’re not going to let this one setback plemented on campus today. The Unidents and cis faculty members, … there push us into darkness.” versity still does not offer gender-inclusive housing and many buildings on campus don’t have gender neutral bathrooms.

“There were still so many problems that needed to be addressed,” Hunter said. “Given the fact that there were a lot of problems that no longer existed but a lot of new problems, … there could possibly be a need for an updated report.”

Inspired by Miller’s 2006 report, in July of 2020, Hunter and her peers began work on an up-to-date report of LGBTQ+ affairs on campus. The report is set to publish next month and will vouch for increased inclusivity on campus.

Along with the report, the team conducted a campus survey to gauge the feelpeyton sims / the daily texan staff ings of students on the Quỳnh-Hương Nguyễn, assistant director of the Gender and Sexuality Center, works in their office in the GSC state of LGBTQ+ affairs on Oct. 19. The University’s Gender and Sexuality Center launched in 2004.

We’re going to keep fighting and we’re not going to give up.”

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FRIDAY, OCTBER 29, 2021

LIFE&ARTS

FILM

‘Last Night in Soho’ explores 1960s London, falls short with convoluted supernatural elements

By Chandler Rowley @chandler_rowley

“Last Night in Soho,” the latest psychological thriller from filmmaker Edgar Wright, follows sheltered fashion student Ellie Turner (Thomasin McKenzie) with the uncanny ability to look into the past of Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy), a young singer who lived in the idyllic swinging London of the 1960s. However, when sinister forces descend upon Sandie, Turner must race against time in modern-day London to solve the decades-old crime.

With films such as “Baby Driver” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” under his belt, it’s easy to recognize the significance of music in Wright’s filmography. “Last Night in Soho” serves as a continuation of the creator’s unique ability to use music to drive film’s narratives.

The reckless optimism of Anya Taylor-Joy’s rendition of “Downtown” creates a stark contrast with looming danger expressed in “Got My Mind Set on You.” Each song contributes to the tonality of the film’s atmosphere and mirrors late 1960s London liveliness.

The city’s seediness and ambivalence comes alive through the gritty works of South Korean cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung. Chunghoon channels techniques used in his previous films such as “Oldboy” and “It.” Although visually eerie, the style doesn’t fit squarely into horror but fluctuates between multiple genres: neo-noir, suspense and comedy.

McKenzie delivers an authentic portrayal of a provincial girl at odds with the excesses of city life. The audience can’t help but feel endeared toward Turner when her cartoonishly preppy classmates marginalize and

criticize her. With performances in “Jojo Rabbit” and “Leave No Trace,” McKenzie proves reserved characters often have the most important things to say. Turner’s arc in the film serves as a meditation on the importance of authenticity and confidence amid adversity. Yet, the subplot between Turner and her deceased mother is completely forgotten, preventing the audience from exploring an experience that defines the young student’s life experience.

The reasoning behind Turner’s supernatural gift also remains largely unexplained. At times, Turner seems to inhabit Sandie, viewing the singer’s life from a first-person perspective. Later, she begins viewing from third-person, creating a voyeuristic dynamic between the characters.

The film also struggles when deciding the parameters through which Turner can observe Sandie’s past.

Initially, she can only see when she’s in bed, however, toward the end, apparitions begin manifesting while Turner is at school, a pub and in the streets of Soho.

Overall, “Last Night in Soho” transports the audience to 1960s London with exquisite music and fantastic world building. McKenzie’s subdued performance creates a sharp contrast when set against the malevolent forces that walk the streets of Soho. The film falls short in its exploration of the relationship between Turner and her mother, leaving the audience with unanswered questions about her supernatural abilities.

3.5 Union Jacks out of 5

LAST NIGHT IN SOHO

SCORE

copyright focus features, and reproduced with permission

LIFE&ARTS

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

STUDENT LIFE

UT, A&M students, alumni discuss yearslong feud, fun in teasing each other

By Sofia Treviño @Sofiacis_7

Surrounded by his burnt orange and maroon-wearing family, UT alumnus Kyle Umlang watched in suspense as the two teams played their last game. Ending at a close 27-25 in UT’s favor, Umlang’s Aggie brother ran upstairs in a huff, loudly slamming his bedroom door. Pictures fell off the wall. Frames shattered on the hardwood floor. The scene made for a tense Thanksgiving celebration.

Now a 106-year-old tradition, UT and A&M’s rivalry stands as one of Texas’ biggest feuds. Though the opponents last played each other in 2011, their competitiveness still stands strong as many students and alumni feel a strong connection to one of the two schools. When the Longhorns join the Southeastern Conference in 2025, it will reignite the ageold battle, strengthening each university’s pride and friendly teasing.

As a Longhorn football fanatic, Umlang knows how to deal with Aggies like his brother. In 2019, he

began posting fun UT football facts on his Twitter.

After Aggies flooded his direct messages in defiance, Umlang started a weekly “#AggieFactThursday,” which he recently put together in his book, “101 Aggie Facts: Things Every Longhorn Should Know.”

“It’s all in good fun,” Umlang said. “A lot of people take it too seriously. … (The book) is for Texas people to enjoy and to send to Aggies to tease them.”

Nose tackle for A&M from 1986-1990, alumnus John Edge remembers his years of playing the rivalry as some of his best games. Even though A&M lost in 1990, Edge said the constant stream of Aggie support shows why he still loves the school and follows an “Aggies-against-the-world mentality.”

“We have this really loyal fanbase at A&M,” Edge said. “They were just going crazy. … To be in the middle of that was really a lot of fun.”

Edge said he can’t wait until 2025 to see the revival of the feud he grew up watching every Thanksgiving.

A&M alumna Rita Hernandez graduated feeling extremely grateful for her Aggie community. She

now leads A&M’s Brownsville chapter for The Association of Former Students, an organization focused on helping kids prepare for college.

“We’re called former students, not alumni, because you never leave A&M,” Hernandez said.

Even as a proud Aggie, Hernandez married a Longhorn alumnus and said, in their vows, the two joked about cheering for each other’s team with as much sincerity as possible. Their house, a true representation of their pairing, has both large UT and A&M flags waving on their porch.

“The rivalry is still there,” Hernandez said. “I do it behind his back as he does it behind mine.”

Luis Peña, son of a die-hard UT alumnus, attends A&M and said the banter between the schools connects Texans everywhere. When UT loses, the general studies sophomore said he loves to call his dad and UT friends to “give them smack.”

“We’re like magnets,” Peña said. “We want to fight each other. UT loves to see A&M lose, and we love to see UT lose. It’s the law of attraction — we love to hate each other.”

barbra daly

/ the daily texan staff

N AT H A N H A N

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Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

FEATURE

SPORTS

Volleyball great Bailey Webster reflects on Hall of Honor

jonathan garza

/ the daily texan staff

UT alumna outside hitter Bailey Webster hits the ball against Kansas State on Nov. 23, 2013.

Webster was honored Oct. 16 and is pursuing her masters degree at Texas.

By Jordan Mitchell @TheJordanKenzie

n a cool Saturday morning, Bailey Webster stood in the limelight of the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, not

as a current McCombs Master of Business Administration student, but as a 2021 Texas Women’s Hall of Honor inductee.

In the midst of the halftime celebration of the Oct. 16 Texas-Oklahoma State game, a cheerleader managed to catch a special moment with the former NCAA volleyball First Team All-American. “(The inductees and I) were walking to our seats with our families, and one of the Texas cheerleaders was like, ‘Hey, can I get a picture with you?’” Webster said. “Then she showed me a picture on her phone. She went to a Texas volleyball camp when

she was in middle school, and she had taken a picture with me.”

Webster had an eventful 2012 year. That season, she led the Texas volleyball team to its third national championship.

During the team’s historic season, Webster secured herself a NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player accolade and her second All-America First Team honor.

Like many other student-athletes, Webster endured the weeks of traveling, practicing, studying and volunteering that year with elegance and finesse. While the fall semester proved to be strenuous on the

21-year-old, she remained engaged in her athletic and academic endeavours through the personal aspirations she made as a young girl.

“When I was still a kid, I knew what my goal was and what I wanted to get out of going to college,” Webster said. “(I wanted) a good education and to also win a championship. So when I touched the court, I was focused on doing that.”

To accomplish her ambitious athletic and academic goals, Webster looked for support both in her biological family in San Antonio and in her new extended family of coaches and athletic trainers in Austin. When life got tough — particularly with her season-ending ACL injury in 2010 — DeAnn Koehler, Texas’ senior associate athletic trainer, was the one who Webster relied on.

“She was definitely somebody that was there for me personally, as well as just making sure I was able to get back on the court,” Webster said.

In her academic career at Texas, Webster pursued a bachelor’s degree in corporate communication. After she graduated and retired from playing professional volleyball in 2014, she interned at various TV stations before coming back to Austin to work with the Longhorn Network.

“It was my way of still staying involved with volleyball after I decided to stop playing volleyball and start my career,” Webster said.

Following her work for the Longhorn Network, Webster pursued a profession as an investment adviser. While a

shift from broadcasting to financial services seems drastic, Webster understood her communication skills would easily transfer to her new career. She could take research data and present it to clients in a meaningful way, similar to how she relayed information on volleyball broadcasts.

Pursuing her master’s degree as a supplement to her financial services career, Webster has stopped receiving as many calls from the University. As a result, she almost missed the notification of her induction to the Texas Women’s Hall of Honor.

“When (athletics director Chris Del Conte) called me, I surprisingly answered,” Webster said. “Usually if I don’t know the number, I look at it for a little bit, but because it was (a) 512 (area code) I figured I had a delivery coming or something.

It was shocking but such a great call, I was really honored and couldn’t believe it.”

While Webster no longer experiences the name recognition she did as an student-athlete, her career at Texas will forever etch her name alongside other Texas volleyball greats with her inauguration to the Texas Women’s Hall of Honor. Two weeks after her induction, she is still trying to wrap her head around the significance of the accolade.

“I was chosen (alongside) 10 athletes, and you know how many amazing athletes there are at a program like Texas,” Webster said. “I genuinely feel honored, and I now appreciate all the hard work and the blood, sweat and tears that went into just trying to be the best player and student that I could be.”

SPORTS

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FRIDAY, OCTOER 29, 2021

CROSS COUNTRY

Big 12 Cross Country Championship

Women’s preview

By Emily Schumacher @emilyschu71

After capturing a second-place title last year in the Big 12 Cross Country Championship, the Texas women’s cross country team is vying for the top spot this year.

At The Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the Longhorns will face fierce Big 12 competition this weekend.

No. 17 Iowa State won the Big 12 title in 2020. No. 7 Oklahoma State finished fourth, just nine points behind Texas, and have improved immensely in 2021 en route to a top-10 ranking. The women will compete neck and neck for the top finishing places in the 6k.

Senior Beth Ramos finished sixth at the 2020 championship, and will be striving for the same results

this year. Ramos has maintained her role this season as the front-runner of the women’s team as she has led the Longhorns in every race.

Freshman Eva Jess will be making her Big 12 debut. Jess has quickly proven herself this season as a top runner as she set her streak of earning a personal record in every single meet.

Following only steps away is junior Alexa Rodriguez. She has claimed a 30-second personal record this season. Her placement in the race will be crucial for the overall team score.

The other top contenders for the individual Big 12 title are OSU’s Cailie Logue and West Virginia’s Ceili McCabe.

After this weekend, the Longhorns are headed to the NCAA regional and championships in November.

The women’s 6k race will start at 11 a.m. and will be broadcasted on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

Men’s preview

By Ethan Ferguson @ethan_ferguson6

Ranked the highest it’s been since 2013, No. 14 Texas men’s cross country will return to The Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Friday to compete in this year’s Big 12 Cross Country Championships.

The men’s 8k championship race starts at 10 a.m.

Assistant coach Pete Watson said juniors Haftu Knight and Yaseen Abdalla are Longhorns to look out for.

“We raised two of the best guys in the conference,” Watson said. “I’d expect, you know, hopefully they’re both top five in the race on Friday.”

This season, Knight has been the first Longhorn to cross the finish line at both the FSU Invitational and the Cowboy Jamboree, which was held on the same course as the upcoming conference championship meet.

Abdalla has also performed well up to

emmanuel briseño

Alexandria Cruz and Destiny Collins lead the heat at day two of Texas Relays on March 30, 2017.

this point. After getting his first collegiate win at the Tornado Watch Invitational, Abdalla finished as the second Longhorn in both the FSU Invitational and Cowboy Jamboree.

Two top-five teams, No. 5 Oklahoma State and No. 2 Iowa State, will be competing as well. Familiarity with the course should give the Texas men’s team some confidence heading into the conference championship.

“I think we lined up pretty well, so it’s going to be a tough battle,” Watson said.

“Obviously, there (are) three good teams.

We don’t want to be third.”

However important, conference is just the first step in making it to a national championship.

“We just want to make sure when there’s pressure put on the guys in certain race situations, they’re able to respond, keep their composure and excel,” Watson said.

The Big 12 Cross Country Championship will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ at 9 a.m.

/ the daily texan file

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