The Daily Texan 2021-11-02 by The Daily Texan

DT VOLUME 122, ISSUE 31 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021

west campus shooting causes distress photo by jack myer

/ the daily texan staff

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PERMANENT STAFF Editor-in-Chief Sanika Nayak Managing Editor Myah Taylor Assoc. Managing Editors Jennifer Errico, Hannah Lopez Director of Digital Strategy Katya Bandouil Director of Diversity & Inclusion Abhirupa Dasgupta Internal Relations Director Carolynn Solorio External Relations Director Rachael Hatchett Assoc. Opinion Editors Izzy Costello, Sruti Ramachandran, Megan Tran, Julia Zaksek Illustration Coordinators Abriella Corker, Audrey Williams

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Beat Reporters Lauren Abel, Tori Duff, Marisa Huerta, Katy Nelson, Kaushiki Roy, Kevin Vu Life&Arts Editor Fiza Kuzhiyil Assoc. Life&Arts Editor Morgan-Taylor Thomas Life&Arts Desk Editors Dina Barrish, Zoe Tzanis Sr. Life&Arts Reporters Sofia Treviño Senior Film Columnist Noah Levine Sports Editor Nathan Han Assoc. Sports Editor Matthew Boncosky Sports Desk Editor Taylor Hawthorne Senior Sports Writers Ross Fisher, Christina Huang, Hannah Williford Double Coverage Editor Kaitlyn Harmon

Senior Photographers Kara Hawley, Julius Shieh Video Editor Anchal Raghuvanshi Assoc. Video Editor Ethan Greeno Senior Videographers Kameryn Griesser, Sofia Reyes Comics Editors Destiny Alexander, Barbra Daly Assoc. Comics Editor Alicia Paz Sr. Comics Illustrators Rocky Higine, Ana Louisa Matzner Social Media Editor Nuzha Zuberi Assoc. Social Media Editors Bernice Chen, Sarah Winch Senior Digital Staffers Lily Kane, Nick Susa Audio Editor Addie Costello Assoc. Audio Editor Carly Rose Senior Audio Producers Mikayla Mondragon, Laura Morales Editorial Adviser Peter Chen

ISSUE STAFF Columnist Emily Harrison

L&A Reporters Carolyn Parmer, Peyton Sims, Mackenzie Sullivan

Comic Artist Julietta Cruz Copy Editors Sara Doyle, Lana Haffar, Katie Stam, Jencie Tomasek Designers Grace Booker, Karina Kumar, Morgan Severson

News Reporter Joelle DiPaolo Photographer Peyton Sims Sports Reporters Ana Sofia Meyer, Shezan Samanani

Opinion Illustrator Paris Van Natta

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Students talk about the impacts of terms like “girlboss” and “STEMinism.”

Sports

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Life&Arts

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Students are excited to see family after the Biden Administration announced people can travel internationally.

Texas golf standout Bohyun Park competed alongside her idols at the U.S. Open.

TOMORROW Nov. 3

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CAMPUS

Double Coverage Copy Editor Angelina Braese

Photo Editor Jack Myer

News Desk Editors Samantha Greyson, Sheryl Lawrence

Psychiatrist appointments at the CMHC should be free,

Double Coverage Design Editor Jenny DeVico

Projects Editor Neelam Bohra

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Contents:

Compostable waste destined for landfill under UT’s expired contract By Joelle DiPaolo @JoelleDiPaolo

In some University Housing and Dining locations, items placed in the “compost” bins are not currently being composted because the University’s contract expired. UHD stopped composting in March 2020 at the end of their contract. However, in some campus dining halls, bins are still marked as compost, which some students say is confusing. Neil Kaufman, sustainability coordinator for UHD, said because there are some waste disposal bins that encompass trash, recycling and compost, taking down the compost sign would require UHD to replace the bins altogether. Kitchen scraps from the large commissary kitchen are composted, Kaufman said, but the items in the compost bin will go to the landfill. “It’s not a great position to be in because we don’t want to deceive,” Kaufman said. “We’re not trying to give the impression that we’re composting when we’re not. (The bins are) just kind of a relic.” Adrian Torres, a fifth-year government student, said he did not realize UHD stopped composting in the dining halls. “I know COVID-19 hit faculty hard and a lot of things are being jerry-rigged right now,” Torres said. “But to leave the student body in the dark about something like that is different.” Computer science freshman Henry Castillo said while he understands the reasons the University cannot compost, they should at least update the signage. “It’s misleading that the label says compost … but I think it’s their decision whether or not they want to compost,” Castillo said. “Obviously I would prefer that they do compost, but if they don’t, they could at least change the label to let you know what’s actually happening.” Kaufman said UHD is hoping to reintroduce

julietta cruz

/ the daily texan staff

composting this spring and add it to their contract with a current University service provider. “We’re trying to (bring back composting) in a way that reflects the urgency of the need for sustainable waste management but is also within the guidelines of the university,” Kaufman said. Torres said he hopes that with the new contract, composting can go back to the way it was when he was a freshman. “I remember my first day eating in this cafeteria, I saw all the different types of bins and I was thrown for a loop,” Torres said. “I had to have someone explain to me the composting thing, so it’s really nice to see that they care enough to make that difference or to have that option.”

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

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021

CRIME

Fall jack myer

/ the daily texan staff

AUSTIN.

Emergency services arrive at the scene of Sunday night’s shooting in West Campus. Gunshots heard near the intersection of 22nd and Pearl St. were first reported around 11:21 p.m. on Sunday.

Man shot in West Campus, lack of information led to student distress By Tori Duff @torianneduff

The Austin Police Department responded to a man shot in West Campus on Halloween night, but fireworks in the area had many students concerned the shooting was more widespread. Now, many students are calling on the University to communicate dangerous situations more effectively. Reports of shootings started coming in at around 11:21 p.m. Sunday near 22nd and Pearl St. UTPD spokesperson Noelle Newton said UTPD was informed of the incident at 11:45 p.m. and immediately dispatched officers. However, UTPD sent a safety alert nearly 45 minutes later at 12:24 a.m. Monday, informing students of the incident. At this point, many students expressed distress and confusion on social media as they monitored the Citizen app, which reported two other incidents of gunshots in West Campus at 12:05 a.m. and 2:11 a.m. APD later clarified these incidents were fireworks. Due to police jurisdiction, UTPD is not directly informed of incidents in the area where the shooting took place and instead relies on police scanners, the Citizen app and APD to inform them, Newton said. Additionally, UTPD was attending to multiple other reports of fireworks set off in West Campus that were mistaken for gunshots. After confirming the situation, UTPD sent out alerts. Finance senior Yasin Ahmed said he lives next to 22nd and Pearl St. and called the police when he heard shots fired. “I don’t think many people knew what was happening,” Ahmed said. “I wish (UTPD)

would have sent a text out … because students probably aren’t checking their email.” Newton said in any situation where there is an active threat and students need to shelter, UTPD will send out a text alert as opposed to an email to inform them. “If we were to issue a command to lock down or something, that’s going to come out through text,” Newton said. “That’s not something we’re gonna email … That’s how we guide our text notifications: if it’s an immediate threat to life on campus or any on-campus facility, then we’re sending out a text notification.” APD believes last night’s victim is not affiliated with the University. The four suspects fled the scene in a vehicle and have not been apprehended, but APD said in a statement that they are not believed to still be in West Campus. Emma Reed, a communication and leadership junior, said students did not know how to confirm information, leading them to turn to other student testimonies. “I was really hooked on Twitter and the police scanner even just because there was no consistent source of information, so I was trying to get whatever I could from as many sources as possible,” Reed said. “There was so much unconfirmed misinformation being sent out in these group chats.” Reed said it would be useful to have a centralized source where students can be consistently updated on safety resources and crime in the area, regardless of whether it is within UTPD or APD jurisdiction. Newton said police escorts are available for students who do not feel safe walking home at night.

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OPINION

COLUMN

make psychiatry free At ut CMHC should offer free psychiatry appointments for students. By Emily Harrison Columnist

he financial burden of healthcare is a limiting factor for many college students. When looking for care regarding mental health, this limiting factor can quickly turn into a deal breaker. While UT offers other free mental health resources on campus, psychiatry, in addition to counseling and support groups, is a necessity for many students. The Counseling and Mental Health Center charges $10 per appointment for psychiatry. These aren’t just one-time appointments to get a prescription medication, though, as appointments and prescription costs can add up. Students shouldn’t have to choose between money and their mental health. While $10 is a low charge for an appointment, it’s not good enough. Students are already paying tuition to live in a high-stress environment, and we deserve the support that that requires. UT should offer free psychiatry services for students. Music education freshman Sophie, whose last name has been withheld for privacy reasons, expressed how the maintenance of psychiatry can quickly become expensive. “I think UT and outside services can be cost prohibitive,” Sophie said. “It’s expensive to do, and it’s expensive to maintain because you have to do it every month. I totally understand these people have a lot of training and … deserve to make a lot of money, but it’s hard, especially for students, to be able to afford that.”

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For many students, psychiatry is not a privilege but rather a necessity. Mental health disorders require attention and care, like any other illness. When left untreated, conditions can worsen, meaning the accessibility of mental health medications is even more important in a high-pressure academic environment like UT. Sophie has been fortunate to see a psychiatrist outside of UT, but she has been looking into psychiatry on campus for convenience. She believes struggling students should be able to get the same care she does. “I’m lucky enough to be able to go to psychiatry, but a lot of people aren’t,” Sophie said. “And those people struggle with mental health issues the same way I do. It’s not not fair for me to be able to have those services and other people not to. I think as a University, it’s (their) responsibility to take care of their students.” Monica Dowd, UHS and CMHC associate director for business services, explained what the $10 fee covers. “The (psychiatry) services that we provide to students (is) a specialized and unique set of care

/ the daily texan staff

and requires resources,” Dowd said. “To be able to provide those resources to that distinct population, that $10 helps … fund that for our students and provide care they desperately need.” Students, however, should not be responsible for covering this cost on their own. We’re here for an education, and for many students, mental health issues can develop due to the stress they’re put under. To help shoulder the high academic standards we are held to, we deserve accessible psychiatric help. CMHC employs professionals, and that obviously costs them money. The University should allocate more funding on average to the CMHC to offset this cost before it falls on students. UT needs to make psychiatry free through the CMHC. Affordability and accessibility are two of the most important factors when it comes to healthcare. Cost shouldn’t be an issue that students have to worry about when it comes to their mental health. Harrison is a journalism freshman from Dallas,Texas.

NEWS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021

TRAVEL

UT students discuss separation from family after Biden eases COVID-19 travel restrictions By Marisa Huerta @_marisahuerta

The Biden administration will lift COVID-19 travel restrictions for fully vaccinated international travelers Nov. 8., and some UT students are happy to finally be able to see loved ones. The White House announced in October it would reopen land borders with Mexico and Canada after closing them in March 2020. The new policy allows for travel between countries for those who are fully vaccinated, according to The Texas Tribune. Additionally, Biden lifted COVID-19 travel restrictions for noncitizen international travelers who are fully vaccinated and for U.S. citizens with a negative COVID-19 test according to The New York Times. Business freshman Marley Gomez said when Biden implemented the travel ban, she went through the college application process by herself, as she was unable to visit her parents in Mexico. “It was a very monumental year for me because it was my senior year, so all

those different milestones, I had to go through them alone,” Gomez said. “In retrospect, it kind of helped me grow a lot, so now that I’m in college, I can be a lot more independent, but (not having my parents with me) was certainly something very limiting.” Gomez said the border restrictions stripped her away from her family, which left her feeling isolated. She was only able to communicate with them over the phone but felt it was not the same, especially when she asked for college advice. “It would have been easier (without the ban) because I would have had my parents in front of me, and I would have been able to explain everything stepby-step,” Gomez said. “Everything had to be through the phone or FaceTime, and it was laggy sometimes or they would understand me, but I wouldn’t understand them.” Gomez said once the ban is completely lifted, she will spend Thanksgiving with her family and show them around Austin during break. Karina Peña, a Latin American studies senior, said during the 18-month travel

ban, she was unable to see her aunt and younger cousin who moved to Australia before the pandemic. Now with Biden’s announcement that allows international minors to travel without vaccination with proof of a negative COVID-19 test, Peña can finally see her four-year-old cousin. “It’s important to make those connections with family members when they’re still young, because she’s growing up in a completely foreign country where we might not be able to have a good relationship,” Peña said. Psychology senior Maya Shankar said changing travel restrictions between her home country of Spain and the U.S. made reconnection with her family difficult. Once Biden’s new policies take effect, Shankar

will be able to see her family without any confusion. “I definitely felt really alone here,” Shankar said. “Obviously I have my friends, but being so far away from our family, I just felt like I didn’t know what was gonna happen. I didn’t know what was gonna happen to me.” Peña said she is glad her relatives can finally visit from overseas, but she is still cautious about the virus. “I think it’s important, especially in these earlier phases where people are starting to travel again, that people are making sure that they’re vaccinated … because it’s much more dangerous when people are not vaccinated,” Peña said.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021

NEWS

RESEARCH

UT health communication program serves young breast cancer patients By Kevin Vu @Kevin_Vu_

UT researchers are working to create an intervention program for young adults with breast cancer to address unmet needs and issues. Principal investigator Kate Pounders said patients struggle with issues including mental health, body image and financial and educational difficulties. She said the team will interview patients to understand their experiences by the end of November and are trying to receive more funding to create a resource that best provides patients’ information after the project ends in May. “So if you think about getting cancer in your 20s or 30s, you’re in a time where you might just be getting married, having a family, launching a career (or) family planning … there’s all of these needs around identity that are kind of unique to this population and they just weren’t being met,” said Pounders, an advertising and public relations associate professor. Pounders said the team will work with patients from Central Texas through focus groups where they will ask what issues patients are facing, whether their needs are met and where they would like to see these questions and issues addressed. The Communication, Health, Empathy and Resilience grant program provided researchers with a $12,500 grant to communicate with and support young breast cancer patients in January, said Elizabeth Kvale, co-investigator of the project. However, the team is planning to look for more funding to expand the project across Texas and eventually nationwide. “When you think about how your life is going to unfold before you when you’re anywhere between 16 and 35, you’re not thinking that a

horrible disease is going to drop into your life because it shouldn’t,” said Kvale, an internal medicine associate professor. “There’s this very serious thing that happens that is out of phase with where you are in your life and that creates significant disruption.” Rebecca Muñoz, a project collaborator and breast cancer survivor, said she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, and it was a very overwhelming and isolating experience. “It was really traumatic because I had a lot of mixed emotions,” Muñoz said. “When you find out something like that, you have a lot of questions and not necessarily ones that you have answers to right away. I felt like I was watching my life from the sidelines.” Muñoz said this project is important for her and she hopes her contributions will help people going through similar experiences.

“I had such an incredibly challenging time when I was going through this, not just because of the disease itself, but there were so many barriers and just things I had to navigate that I didn’t think were necessarily fair,” Muñoz said. “If I know that I can help one other person not have to go through those challenges, it’s just really meaningful to me.” Kvale said the intervention resource could also help clinicians and those close with the patients understand what they are going through and make it easier to have conversations about the effects of breast cancer. “One of the challenges that younger cancer survivors encounter is that people don’t really understand what they’ve been through,” Kvale said. “People won’t bring (up) problems to their doctors unless they realize that they can get help for them.”

sylvia asuncion-crabb

/ the daily texan staff

LIFE&ARTS

FIZA KUZHIYIL

Life&Arts Editor | @TEXANARTS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021

STUDENT LIFE

UT hosts first Black business fair

The Lounge spotlights Black businesses and entrepreneurs. By Peyton Sims @peytonjsims

rowing up on the basketball court, Kiara Kabbara admired LeBron James. Now, as UT’s student body president, Kabbara has brought James’ influence to campus through The Lounge. “LeBron is my idol, (my) favorite person in the world,” Kabbara, a government senior, said. Kabbara organized an event called The Lounge — an opportunity for UT’s Black entrepreneurs to come together and showcase their work — based on LeBron James’ HBO show “The Shop” where he and his friends meet at a barber shop to discuss relevant topics in the Black community. In the Union Ballroom on Oct. 29, Black students set up booths to provide haircuts, manicures and makeovers. Self-made brands also displayed their talent for sale to the public. “It means the world for us to be here … In the future, I want to get more people to come out, and possibly make this happen every semester,” Kabbara said. Among the many booths, studio art junior Naja McDonald displayed her vibrant paintings made to empower Black men and women. “I make my art to show the different sides in males and females, like femininity within

peyton sims / the daily texan staff Finance senior Ayo Oluyemi gives a haircut at his booth at The Lounge. Oluyemi started giving haircuts while at the Jester dormitories in his freshman year, and he hopes to open his own barber shop in Austin.

males and the different cultures of a Black woman,” McDonald said. “This event is great for me because I’ve actually never got out of my comfort zone to sell my art, so now I can share my art with everyone.” For many of the entrepreneurs, The Lounge provided their first opportunity to sell their work. With balloons tied to her clothing rack and strawberry candy sprinkled across her booth, Aisha Lee, a race, indigeneity and migration junior, debuted her brand called Strawberry Girl, where she sells prints, key chains, clothes and art commissions. “It means a lot to me because it’s my first time ever selling anything, but I’ve had this brand idea for a

really long time, but (The Lounge) gave me the push to actually print it out and do it,” Lee said. At studio art senior Tenille West’s booth, she displayed everything from business cards to an array of jewelry items to promote her brand, Floral Seed. “Floral Seed is focused on creating a whole new fashion that’s unapologetically colorful, closely driven, and of course, floral,” West said. “This event means a lot to me as a Black entrepreneur at UT because I usually don’t see a lot of representation of people who look like me. I’m grateful to have a platform to showcase what I can do as an entrepreneur.”

When finance senior Ayo Oluyemi moved to Austin, he found it hard to find a job as an international student. Starting his freshman year, Oluyemi discovered his passion after he began cutting other students’ hair in Jester dorms for extra money, and students kept calling him back for more. Oluyemi offered his services at The Lounge and said he hopes to expand his business further. “In the future, I want to open up my own barber shop in Austin,” Oluyemi said. “Bringing Black businesses and students together at The Lounge is wonderful. I love seeing everybody have a good time, while also giving back to the community.”

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021

LIFE&ARTS

STUDENT LIFE

“Girlboss” term empowers some, alienates others By Carolyn Palmer @_carolynparmer

As time ticks away late into the night, Amelia Nickerson agonizes over a computer science project. Suddenly, the concept clicks, and she submits her assignment. “I (was) like, ‘Oh my gosh, girlboss. I just coded this thing,’” said Nickerson, a computer science and business honors sophomore, said. When author and entrepreneur Sophia Amoruso released her self-help book “#Girlboss” in 2014, hundreds of thousands bought into the idea of a powerful female as a girlboss — a woman who takes charge of her life and assets. Seven years later, the effect of

girlboss culture, perpetuated by Amoruso’s book and social media trends, still stands, leading to new terms like “STEMinism” and “boss babe.” While some view the new vocabulary as empowering, others view the words as sexist and derogatory toward women in traditionally male-dominated fields. As a woman who’s been interested in engineering for most of her life, Carly Smith, a mechanical engineering senior, said she doesn’t see the necessity of adding “girl” to the word “boss” and never felt inspired by the term. “When terms like that are used, (they’re) very cutesy and kind of discrediting almost because it’s like, ‘Yes, you are a boss. You are in a position of power, but we’re going to call

you this little cutesy, immature name,’” Smith said. In fall 2020, women made up less than 50% of students in the Cockrell School of Engineering and the McCombs School of Business. Mechanical engineering senior Natalie Jaecks said she uses “girlboss” to reclaim a word originally used in a derogatory way. “I don’t think of (terms like girlboss) as being sexist because they’re almost our way of acknowledging where we’re at as a society,” Jaecks said. “(They’re) showing the gender inequalities (and) putting them on display in fields like business or engineering and aiming to confront them.” Other sayings like “gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss” circulated

on the internet in early 2021. Although the words “gaslight” and “gatekeep” imply negative behaviors, Nickerson said she and her friends see the expression as uplifting. “My friends and I always use that term, ‘girlboss gaslight, gatekeep,’ but still in a positive way,” Nickerson said. “It’s a joke, but we still understand that ‘girlboss’ is a positive thing for us. We kind of throw in (gaslight and gatekeep) just to be funny.” Both Smith and Jaecks said they think having more female engineers would help produce products suited for women as well as men. “A more diverse work environment really does benefit everyone,” Jaecks said. “It helps us

make more well-rounded business decisions when we pull talent from all corners of the earth. In engineering, it helps us make design decisions that aren’t just tailored for one particular body or mind.” Jaecks said she views terms like “girlboss” and “STEMinism” as stepping stones to advance gender equality. While Jaecks said she hopes “girlboss” won’t be necessary in the future because “boss” won’t conjure images of males, Nickerson hopes the term “girlboss” is here to stay. “ I love the word ‘girlboss,’” Nickerson said. “When I hear ‘girlboss,’ I think ambition, work ethic, you want to get things done, you’re smart. That’s an inspiring term to me.”

sylvia asuncion-crabb / the daily texan staff

LIFE&ARTS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021

MUSIC

Eli Josef delivers intimate, eclectic halloween performance at ‘Live at the Cactus Café’

reid stacy

/ the daily texan staff

Artist Eli Josef and bandmates performed live at this year’s second “Live at the Cactus Café” event. Josef’s Oct. 26 performance included Halloween costumes, alternative covers and a wide variety of music styles.

By Mackenzie Sullivan @ macksully

Donning matching vampire cloaks, fake blood and fangs, Eli Josef and his bandmates reveled in red spotlights on the Cactus Café stage. “I always try and keep in mind to make sure that I’m enjoying what I’m playing, and being on stage and just having fun jamming with my friends,” Josef said. Josef, both a songwriter and musician, gained traction in 2019 with the popularity of “I Love You Aubrey Plaza,” a song featured on his first EP. On Oct. 26, Josef and his band brought music lovers together at the Cactus Café as they celebrated Halloween with costumes and alternative covers of popular songs. Headliners, a UT Events + Entertainment committee that organizes live entertainment for students, hosted the event. Ally Protass, chair of Headliners, said she heard about Josef from her former bandmate. After checking

out some live shows, she invited him to play at UT for the first time. “He’s just really good at making sure everyone’s having a good time, even if they don’t know his music,” English sophomore Protass said. Josef’s performance marked this year’s second “Live at the Cactus Café” event, which Protass said serves as a great environment for students to sip on beverages and soak in live music. “It’s a small, intimate venue, and we think it’s a great place for people to really be able to experience a concert,” Protass said. Megan Knight, an interior design freshman, stumbled across a flyer for the event outside of the elevator in her dorm building. She said she knew Josef’s name sounded familiar and realized she already saved a few of his songs on her playlists. As an alternative music fan, Knight knew she wanted to attend the performance. “He did a good job of incorporating everything,” Knight said. “There’s not one song that has a specific genre, and

all of his music is just very different.” Josef’s set at Cactus Cafe, the first concert Knight has ever attended, ignited her search for more live shows. Knight said Josef’s mixing of genres while covering popular songs made the experience memorable. “I’m not sure if this was scripted, or if they just kind of impromptu this, but they started doing a bunch of covers of random songs like ‘Yellow’ by Coldplay and ‘Bodies’ by Drowning Pools,” Knight said. “It was really funny and it was a different pace of the performance.” Josef said he loves performing these eclectic covers, citing it as a way to experiment with music styles and energize the crowd. “It’s fun for a moment to branch away from (original songs) into almost some sort of crazy opposite, and just create something very wild and chaotic for a brief moment,” Josef said. “For us, it’s memorable too, because whenever we do covers, most of the time they’re very loose and messy, but we try and bring energy with them and make them fun.”

N AT H A N H A N

Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021

SPORTS

FEATURE

Freshman golf sensation Bohyun Park breaks records, stays humble through it all Freshman Bohyun Park qualified for the U.S. Open, where she played against some of her idols.

By Ana Sofia Meyer @anasofiameyer

fter getting off work, math teacher Ryan Sisak jumped into his car and sped home with only one thing on his mind: his student and prodigious golfer Bohyun Park was playing on TV. As he came through the door, he was surprised to see his daughters looking up at him with eager grins in front of the screen. “Daddy, Daddy! We saw Bo! She was amazing,” the two girls said. “We want to play golf! We want to be just like Bo!” Since before she could remember, Bohyun “Bo” Park looked up to golfers like Sung Hyun Park and Lydia Ko with the same enthusiasm. Now, at 19, the freshman Texas golfer inspires others in the same way her idols inspired her. On May 3, Park accomplished one of her biggest goals: qualifying for the U.S. Open, the biggest LPGA tour event of the year. Her qualification meant she would compete alongside two of her idols, Park and Ko.

Freshman Bohyun “Bo” Park has already set several golfing records at the age of 19. Park, who qualified for the U.S. Open in May, says she wants to be remembered as “someone who inspired and motivated people by staying humble and doing me.”

Despite getting cut after the second round, Park said she cherished her experience at the tournament, one she called “completely different” than any other, because of the opportunity to play alongside the two former world No. 1 players. “My favorite golfer, Sung Hyun Park was there … It was really cool to play on the same course as her,” Park said. “I got to see (Lydia Ko) during lunch and I went up to her. I wasn’t sure if she’d remember who I was, but she did.” Park first encountered Ko when she and her father moved to New Zealand in 2011 to pursue better training. Ko practiced at the same club and with the same trainer, Guy Wilson, and Park approached the youngest player ever to be ranked No. 1 to be a practice partner. “In New Zealand, we got really lucky,” Park said. “(Working with Ko) really helped me a lot.” After five years, the Parks moved to Farmers Branch. There, Park attended Carrollton Ranchview High School where she joined the golf team and quickly became known for her talents. “From my first year here, she was already

a big thing,” said Sisak, who taught at Ranchview. “She had a tremendous freshman year, and I remember seeing papers plastered around campus talking about her going to state and winning. Being someone who loves golf, I was starstruck by her athleticism, her success on the golf course.” Throughout high school, Park breezed past the competition and qualified for the UIL state tournament every year she competed. As a freshman, she shot a 137, finishing seven strokes under par, and beat the record for alltime lowest score, previously set at 146, two strokes over par. At this point, Park had landed on the radar of most Division I coaches throughout the country. Texas head coach Ryan Murphy said Park had already impressed his staff when she was in ninth grade. “I remember watching her win one of her state championships, and she shot some really low scores,” Murphy said. “I remember thinking, ‘That was a lot of birdies she just made.’ To do that in front of the coach at Texas, I was a little bit in shock.” That year Park played incredibly: she shattered her own record with a total score

of 126, 16 strokes under par, and set the new all-time lowest score in UIL history. The previous record, 12 under par, was set by none other than Texas alum and Masters-winner Jordan Speith. As a senior, Park played the state championship for her third and last time, winning with rounds of 67 and 65. Three weeks later, she graduated high school and moved onto the Open. Now, Park is three tournaments into her freshman season as a Longhorn and continues to show nothing but promise. In the first two tournaments, she led her team with 10th and 3rd place finishes. In the Stanford Intercollegiate tournament, Park struggled in the first round, but rebounded in the second round with a hole-in-one to finish at 41st. Park has stayed humble throughout all her success. Regardless, the freshman said she has a greater goal: inspiring others. “Whenever I play pro golf or after I retire, I want to be remembered as someone who not only played golf, but as someone who inspired and motivated people by staying humble and doing me.”

SPORTS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021

TENNIS

Kylie Collins beats former teammate, doubles partner to make deep run in pro tournament By Shezan Samanani @ShezanSamanani4

A few hours before sophomore Kylie Collins and former Longhorn and Swiss player Lulu Sun played together in the doubles semifinal, they competed against each other in the singles quarterfinal at the H-E-B Women’s Pro Tennis Open. Collins came out victorious in a two set match 6-4, 6-2, booking herself a ticket into the singles semifinals. “We are hanging out in the locker room warming up beforehand, and then it’s match time and now she’s your opponent so it was a little weird,” Collins said. “But then once that first point started, it was game time.” Even though Collins ended up losing in her semifinal match, the local tournament at the Texas Tennis Center was her first singles semifinals appearance in an ITF 25K tournament. “It was pretty sweet, especially to do it here in Austin at our home facility. It was definitely special,” Collins said. When asked about Collins’

performance, head coach Howard Joffe summed it up in just one word: excellent. “Anytime you’re advancing to the final stages of a tournament it’s a good thing, but in this instance, it’s a professional level tournament and so to go to the semifinals, she performed superbly,” he said. Collins lost her semifinal match against the United States’ Kayla Day in a hard fought three sets, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. The H-E-B Women’s Pro Tennis Open took place Oct. 25-31. Collins concluded the Longhorns’ play in the tournament on Saturday. “It’s always, for a variety of reasons, wonderful to play at Texas. In this instance, getting to have our kids play in a professional event and get that exposure but on their home courts is a huge luxury and benefit for sure,” Joffe said. The Texas women’s tennis team had five players competing in the tournament as wild cards. Collins, sophomore Charlotte Chavatipon and freshman Bella Zamarripa all competed in both the doubles and singles main draws. Sophomore Malaika Rapolu only competed in the singles qualifying draw and senior

Fernanda Labraña played in the doubles main draw with Chavatipon. In the first round of singles play, Collins beat Chieh-Yu Hsu from Taiwan 6-4, 6-3. She then defeated Elysia Bolton from the United States 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the second round. Collins and Sun’s doubles run ended in the semifinals after losing a close three set game 6-1, 5-7, 1-0 (10-5) against the United States’ Elysia Bolton and Maegen Manasse. They won their first round match 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-3) against Abbie Myers and Ivana Popovic from Australia and their quarterfinal match 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (11-9) against Rachel Gailis and Sarah Hammer from the United States. “It was kind of funny because Lulu and I agreed to play doubles back in the summer when I heard she wasn’t going to be part of the team anymore,” Collins said. “I don’t know who initiated it, but we were like, ‘Alright, we’ll just do it for old times sake, one more time on the UT courts.’ It was really fun to be back with her. I’m sure we will be playing in the future too. It is one thing that was initiated here at UT but I’m sure it will continue on and on if she doesn’t get sick of me.”

jack myer / the daily texan staff Sophomore Kylie Collins made her first singles semifinals appearance in an ITF 25K tournament at last week’s H-E-B Women’s Pro Tennis Open. Collins’ performance, described as “excellent” by head coach Howard Joffe, was especially impressive at a professional tournament.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021

COMICS