THE LIBERATOR Issue 15 by THE LIBERATOR Magazine

THE LIBERATOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE LIBERAL ARTS COUNCIL UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN | APRIL 20, 2015 | ISSUE 15

Austin unexplored

A SIDE OF THE ART SCENE YOU HAVEN’T SEEN YIK YAK ATTACK •

JOKE’S ON YOU

[WHAT TO EXPECT FROM ROT-MAN ‘15]

•

WHAT YOUR ROOM SAYS ABOUT YOU

CENTERSPREAD: Alice’s

ADVENTURES IN AUSTIN AT THE HARRY RANSOM CENTER

Photo by Betsy Joles

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

APRIL

2015 FEATURES

NEWS 04 Joke’s On You 05 The Yik Yak Attack

3 Seniors That Are Changing the World

Looking Past Legalization

07 Side Effects of the Future 18 Campus Updates

Five Reasons Why Campus Carry Might Just Be The 03 Worst Idea Ever The Podcast Project 12

13 The Scholar: 15

Catching the Korean Wave

Let the Facts Decide: 14 Threats to Academic Freedom ON THE COVER:

16 Austin Unexplored

16 17

OPINION

ENTERTAINMENT You Only Do Undergrad Once

Troy Allen & Graham Franciose at work in their Canopy studio. For more on Austin art, see p. 16

17 If Walls Could Talk

Photos by Betsy Joles and Creative Commons

INTERESTED IN BEING A PART OF THE LIBERATOR? KEEP AN EYE OUT IN THE FALL FOR INFORMATION ON APPLYING TO BE A PART OF LIBERAL ARTS COUNCIL! THE LIBERATOR IS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WRITERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS AND DESIGNERS INTERESTED IN BEING A PART OF OUR PUBLICATION

IN THE CENTER 10 |ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN AUSTIN WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Love it? Hate it? Let us know! Letters to the editor reviewing articles from this issue will be printed in the next edition of THE LIBERATOR . THE LIBERATOR is the official publication of The Liberal Arts Council. As a liberal arts-focused news magazine, we aim to to keep students connected to the university through updates on legislation, campus affairs and student life. All questions, comments and concerns can be directed to THE LIBERATOR at:

theliberator.lac@gmail.com 2

THE LIBERATOR | APRIL 20, 2015| ISSUE 15

THE LIBERATOR Madeleine Kenney Co-Editor | Content Editor

Kelly de Moya Co-Editor | Design Editor

Kellie Stone Communications Co-Chair

Omar Gamboa Amanda Garcia Cyrus Huncharek Betsy Joles

Ashten Luna Karan Mahendroo Will Moessinger Maggie Morris Annyston Pennington

Julian Munoz Villarreal Andrea Onuigbo Megan Palombo Caleb Wong

FIVE REASONS WHY

CAMPUS CARRY MIGHT JUST BE THE

WORST IDEA EVER

As legislators begin to pass campus carry in more universities across the nation, student safety concerns are on the rise. School shootings have become more and more prevalent in this day and age and people are questioning why this legislation is even being considered. Although legislators and other supporters argue that campus carry should be allowed as an expression of their second amendment right, here are five reasons why campus carry might possibly be the worst idea ever.

College students already face higher risks of suicide In college, young people are exposed to all kinds of unique people and environments. Some relationships are lost, while new ones are made and students are constantly learning about themselves. College is a place where students obtain the skills for success; however, college life comes with both the good and bad aspects of growing up away from home. Students have the opportunity to find great internships, to academically succeed, to get involved in the community, and to meet lifelong friends. Yet, peer pressure, underage drinking, wild parties, stressful exams, and financial troubles are also some of the many factors that contribute to the struggles of a college student. All of this has led college students to be at higher risks of suicide, and passing campus carry may only make it easier for students to abuse or follow through with these thoughts of suicide.

Are guns on “safety” really equivalent to gun safety?

You may have the right to bear arms, but I also have the right to live. I have the right to be able to come to class bearing in mind that I can express my opinions freely without someone with a different opinion pulling a weapon on me. I have the right to be able to study peacefully in an environment without fearing that an altercation may occur nearby or that someone’s weapon may accidentally go off, regardless of whether it was supposed to be on “safety.” We have seen news stories where someone’s gun that was supposedly on safety go off regardless. For example, in January, a former Glasgow officer accidentally shot his finger while examining a gun he wanted to purchase at a gun store in Kentucky. The officer, Darrell Smith, assumed the gun was on safety, but decided to sue the store upon discovering that the store owner did not do a safety check.

Identification of suspects on campus Since campus carry has been banned in the past, police have been able to stop and identify suspects with guns on campus who could have been potential threats to students. Now, if campus carry is passed, police and other investigative officials may misidentify or find it more difficult to identify potential suspects on campus

because it may just be another student that is licensed to carry a gun whether it is open or concealed.

Reaction time Some say that a benefit of having campus carry is that it may allow responsible, licensed students to stop a potentially dangerous suspect. However, has anyone taken into consideration the reaction time necessary to take action in such cases? This isn’t the Wild West and most people don’t have the ability to instantly whip out their gun and fire like the Sundance Kid! Let’s put the following scenario into perspective: let’s say you’re a licensed student with a concealed weapon on campus and your school’s emergency system is blaring because there is a threat on campus. However, you’re in the same classroom as the threat. What started out as a fellow student legally allowed to have a concealed gun on campus turned into a threat now pointing their gun at you, your fellow classmates, and your professor. Although you could potentially stop the student from doing harm to others, you would still have to react quickly and pull out your weapon. The threat already has their gun out, so if they see you reacting, this could prompt them to harm you before you have the chance to stop them. There have been instances where police officers, whom many may deem as the most qualified to handle a firearm, were shot trying to prevent armed robbers due to lack of a reaction time to

analyze and withdraw their weapon.

So, let’s be real...why do you want to bring a gun to class?

How does a gun contribute to your education? What are you going to do with that gun in calculus? What are you going to do with that gun in biology? What are you going to do with that gun in your Spanish class? What are you going to do with that gun in history class?? Is that gun going to help you on the test? Is that your new study guide? This is not a matter of being Republican or Democrat, black or white, male or female. This is a matter of having the ability to obtain an education that provides you with the skills necessary for future success. You may ask, “Well, how are you so certain that I’ll achieve future success? The economy is still kind of rocky and more college graduates are finding themselves without a job.” And you’re right, I don’t know because if this legislation gets passed, our futures can change tomorrow...and with guns on campus, I don’t know if it’ll always be for the better. As future leaders of tomorrow, students have so much power. With college loans and expenses, it may not always feel like it but it is important to have these conversations, stay educated, and take action to guarantee that our educational institutions are the best they can be.

CHRISTINE NBEMENEH

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JOKE’S ON YOU

THE PLATFORM

We promise that Bill Powers will no longer be president of the university by the end of the Spring 2015 semester.

ROTNOFSKY AND MANDALAPU TAKE STUDENT GOVERNMENT BY STORM Google Rotnofsky Mandalapu and you’ll get a slew of results: self-made campaign videos, funny pictures, their official five-point platform. According to the metrics on their Facebook page, it has been viewed by over 30,000 people. The two “good boys”, who began their campaign with a coin-flip, will soon become the next president and vice president of Student Government at the University of Texas at Austin.

A SATIRICAL CAMPAIGN

2. 3.

We promise to increase transparency in student government by mandating everyone in student government wear only cellophane so that they can be perfectly see-through.

THE VICTORY

What began as a joke campaign soon became very real on March 12th when the results of the runoff election were announced. Despite their clear lack of experience, Rotnofsky and Mandalapu We plan to reduce the hours managed to take 5,593 of the total that the PCL and FAC are open 9,426 votes cast. This margin of victory because less study time means confirmed the student support that the candidates had felt in the final days before more party time, baby! the runoff election. Many people not officially connected to the campaign spread the word through Facebook and Yik Yak. Amazed by the strong student response, Rotnofsky and We will establish a system to reorient Mandalapu have committed to spending the malls such that west mall would extra time here at UT in order to serve on then be south mall, east mall would the Student Government executive board. then be west mall, and the north mall “It would have been different if it had been one or two percentage points but 59 would then be a TGI Friday’s because percent,” Rotnofsky said, “it was just too we are experts in feng shui. big to give up.” This is by no means the first satirical THE LIBERATOR | APRIL 20, 2015| ISSUE 15

5. 4

We plan on taking down the Jefferson Davis statue, which the other candidates have yet to make a comment on.

Their self-described campaign “shtick” was based on the marketing of blatant selfinterest as well as honesty and sincerity. The irony is just how much these two jokesters, who built their public persona on selfishness, truly seem to care about the interests of their fellow students. “When deciding whether or not to take this position there were definitely some issues and fear was a big one of them,” explained senior Rohit Mandalapu who, up until a few weeks ago, was planning to graduate this May. “It was disheartening and it was scary wondering if we could actually meet people’s expectations.”

campaign for UT student government. In fact, the Texas Travesty endorses a new executive alliance every year. Those candidates, however, do not usually gain enough traction to trigger a runoff election. The dynamic duo thanks their spontaneity and approachability for making the difference. “People like us because we don’t take ourselves seriously and that’s just what student government needs,” said Rotnofsky. “It’s student government, not federal government.”

CATCHING UP

Some students are not convinced that this more relaxed approach will be

“WE ARE GOING TO BE PARTNERS IN THE COMING YEAR AND I THINK WE ARE ALL GOING TO WORK HARD TO MAKE SURE MORE STUDENTS ARE BEING ADVOCATED FOR” -RACHEL OSTERLOH, SENATE PRESIDENT effective. “They are funny guys. I just don’t know how that qualifies them to head student government, especially when they don’t have any real experience,” said freshman Allie Kane. “On the other hand, their campaign is probably the only reason I even heard about Student Government elections this year.” Rotnofksy and Mandalapu do not deny that they lack experience, but they say they are taking steps to catch up. “It is definitely going to be a transitional period,” said Mandalapu, “but we are already working really closely with Kori Rady and Taylor Strickland to learn the ropes.” Their first task was to appoint the remaining 5 members of the 2015-2016 executive board and they specifically

sought out candidates who are familiar with Student Government in order to better balance the executive board. “The plan is to still be satirical while we’re in office,” said Rotnofsky. “Whatever needs to get done, we are ready to be the pushers and hopefully our executive board can help us more with the specific ins and outs.”

REAL GOALS AND REAL RESULTS

Rotnofsky and Mandalapu have real goals for their time in office, despite the humorous tone of their campaign. They have already drafted AR-35, a resolution calling for the removal of the Jefferson Davis statue on campus, which was passed by the Student Government general assembly on March 24th. The next issue on their agenda is demonstrating student opposition to Campus Carry legislation. They are currently planning a rally at the capital and hope to encourage the inclusion of an opt-out amendment for public universities. Another set of fresh faces will be welcomed into the Senate of College Councils for the 2015-2016 legislative session. Senate president-elect Rachel Osterloh and vice-president-elect Meagan Abel are looking forward to collaborating with Student Government to reach out to underrepresented student populations. “We are going to be partners in the coming year and I think we are all going to work hard to make sure more students are being advocated for,” said former Liberal Arts Council president Rachel Osterloh. The four future student leaders recently united to call attention to the issue of sexual assault, posing together in a photo to promote the Not On My Campus initiative. This election season at UT has been especially interesting, but as it comes to a close, we look forward to seeing the real results in the coming year. It will be interesting to see how this new group of leaders will change the world.

MAGGIE MORRIS

THE YIK YAK ATTACK THE NEWEST, COOLEST, MOST DANGEROUS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM “Always laminate your index cards when you’re studying,” reads a particularly witty post from Yik Yak. “Not only does it prevent smearing, but the tears actually roll right off.” This is just one post among many on the popular social media platform that has drawn equal parts praise and criticism. Some think it equalizes class divisions on campus while others believe it exacerbates endemic issues such as bullying and racism.

ANONYMOUS APPEAL Yik Yak allows for almost complete anonymity. It allows users to post messages known as “Yaks” on a website without a username. No sign-in is needed and the website discourages the sharing of private information. The most popular witticisms include posts such as “Putting my GPA up for adoption because I can’t raise it myself.” These posts allow Yik Yak users to share anything without fear of reprisal within an anonymous environment. Quotes like this could come from anyone, whether the introvert on the chess team or the star athlete. “Why can’t we level the playing field and connect everyone?” said the Yik Yak co-founder Tyler Droll in an interview with The New York Times. “When we made this app, we really made it for the disenfranchised,” added Burlington, the other co-founder. Although the co-founders pointed out that they initially introduced the app to fraternity houses, anyone can still use the app. Because anyone with the app can post, it engages people with each other from a wide variety of backgrounds on the equivalent of a constantly changing bulletin board. “For better or worse, everyone has the ability to shape their local Yik Yak feed,” wrote Ben Popkin, Yik Yak’s Lead Community Manager. In other words, Yik Yak mirrors the nature of the human condition, allowing users to share things they may not have been able to share on Facebook.

SINCERE SUPPORT Other social media platforms, others have noted, act as a conduit to post uniformly positive information reflecting

unrealistic stereotypes. “Since our Facebook profiles are selfcurated, users have a strong bias toward sharing positive milestones and avoid mentioning the more humdrum, negative parts of their lives,” wrote Daniel Gulati, a writer for Harvard Business Review, wrote. “This creates an online culture of competition and comparison.” Apps like Yik Yak allow people to publicly discuss and vent about problems to a large audience without the fear of reprisal, encouraging authenticity. Users have posted Yaks such as “Seeing how successful my college career has been and how involved I am on campus, I don’t think anyone would ever believe how much I struggle with physical and mental health on a daily basis.” The anonymous user would probably not have posted this message on Facebook. As the New York Times notes, Facebook can “encourage public posturing at the expense of honesty and authenticity.” Yik Yak, it seems, is more than an ephemeral app, but rather a platform where users can discuss serious and relevant issues important to them. As it turns out, not only did the student receive encouragement, but specific, actionable advice. As another user commented in reply to the user’s original post, “When it comes to mental health problems know that you’re not alone” alongside uniformly positive posts encouraging the user to seek help at the UT Counseling and Mental Health Center. “Have you talked to CMHC?” said one poster. “They provide mental health services and can help.” No negative posts were posted on the message thread, suggesting they were either “downvoted” or reported as “inappropriate.” Like Reddit and other discussion platforms, Yik Yak allows its community to control most of the content posted on the platform and bring about a swift amount of information through “upvotes” and “downvotes”.

governance and its implied there’s a kind a collaborative aspect to it. If you’re a member of a community and want to be involved in the life of the community, you have to be involved in the life of the community by being present.” The lack of identity, he said, leads to an unaccountable user base. “If I’m anonymous, the temptation to be anonymous increases dramatically because there are no consequences to me for it. Anonymity is, I think in general, a negative except in those cases where it shields people from illegitimate authority.” This authority, unfortunately, has led people to post negative things on Yik Yak. “While still recovering [from suicide], I started seeing messages about me on Yik Yak, anonymously telling me that I should kill myself,” said Elizabeth Long, the founder of the anti-bullying movement Life Worth Living. “And I am not the only one.” Since the inception of her movement and complaints from other high schools, Yik Yak has bowed to pressure, blocking high schools from using the app, effectively limiting it to college students. So what is Yik Yak? Before personally meeting with the Yik Yak founders, Long thought Yik Yak easily facilitated bullying. A mental health professional I spoke to said, off the record, that she monitored Yik Yak to gauge the climate of her surroundings. An op-ed by Amanda Hess from Slate argues that the app “inspires a communal vibe.” It seems as if the app is a medium that facilitates the expression of human nature--whether good, bad, or simply interesting.

A SAMPLING OF YAKS when I die I want my group project members to lower me into my grave so they can let me down one last time

HUGE TURN ON: When people smell good and are hot. Sometimes spicy. Wrapped in tinfoil. Are actually burritos.

Bikini season is right around the corner... But so is Chipotle

Legend has it that if you stand in front of your mirror in the dar and say “it’s cold outside” a northerner in shorts will appear and say it’s not

If your boyfriend is always making you cry you have to ask yourself, is he your boyfriend or is he an onion?

CALEB WONG

THE DOWNSIDE On the other hand, anonymity, as communications professor Robert Jensen notes, can be the antithesis to popular discourse. “Anonymity allows people to hide from the consequences of their actions and communication,” Jensen said. “The assumption behind democracy is self-

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re SEGREGATION WHY HAVE SCHOOLS IN 2015 STILL TOTALLY FAILED TO INTEGRATE?

The level of segregation in American schools today is back to where it was preCivil Rights era. According to a report by the Civil Rights Project at UCLA, integration efforts, as measured by the percent of black students in majority white schools, peaked in the ‘80s. Since then it has been on a steady decline, as has integration itself. Another massive factor in increased segregation has been the steady immigration of Hispanic families to the US, particularly the South, since the Civil Rights movement. These students end up largely segregated from white students as well. In Texas today, along with New York and California, over 50% of Latinos are enrolled in schools that are composed of 90% or more minority students. The focus on schools that are primarily minority comes out of the expectation that schools that are composed of a white majority also offer a greater wealth of opportunities. This is in opposition to “dropout factories,” a term coined by Bob Balfanz of Johns Hopkins University for high schools where no more than 60% of students make it from freshman to senior year. “Dropout factories” are primarily serving high-poverty, minority students in large cities or extremely rural areas. They also make up more than one in ten of the high schools across the nation. What’s more, the vast majority of incarcerated individuals come from these communities that host the lowperforming high schools. By failing to

educate these groups, we not only miss out on educating a group that could contribute producitvely to society, but end up spending billions more in tax dollars to keep them locked away. A report incorporating data from the U.S. Census and Vera Institute of Justice indicates that, invariably, significantly more money is spent per inmate to keep them imprisoned than per student to educate them. In Texas, for instance, around $8000 is spent per year per student, as compared to around $20,000 per inmate. Desegregation, conceptually, would work against institutionalized racism by breaking up these system-wide concentrations of low achieving teachers and students. However, this perception of integration does not reflect the complexity of the situation. Desegregation and integration are not the same thing. A school could be formally desegregated in the sense that it serves a diverse student body. However, tracking plays a key role in preventing actual integration in the schools that do serve a diverse student population. Tracking is a concept you are familiar with, but perhaps never identified. Basically, it is the practice of separating students for instruction based on ability and prior achievement: Honors, GT, AP, etc. Karolyn Tyson, a sociology researcher who has looked at how tracking interacts with race in public school education

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settings in depth, found that there were absolute, disproportionate race differences between tracks in diverse but white-majority schools. This sensation has been termed “racialized tracking” but effectively segregates the school. Thus while opportunities are technically present for any of the students at these schools who want access to highquality education that prepares them for college and professional careers, the system clearly works in favor of the white students. What’s more, due to the lack of diversity in the higher track classrooms, Tyson found that high-achievement became racialized for the students socially as well. In the schools that she studied, she cites many examples of minority students participating in highlevel classes expressing frustration that their actions became synonymous with “acting white” to their peers. Thus, even after overcoming the racialized barriers that worked against their entering the high level classes, those who made it faced consistent social pressure to not achieve as highly in school because of their race. Austin, like many other cities around the nation, has done a couple things to try to address the pervasive problem of education inequality. One way is through charter school systems, like KIPP or IDEA. These schools do not focus on desegregation, only a very small proportion of students are white,

but emphasize achievement—so that all students are motivated to go onto college. There are also magnet schools located around the city that are meant to give all AISD students access to better education programs. Unfortunately, these schools are limited by the number of students they can take and are dominated by white, middle- and upper-class students, according to data collected by the AustinAmerican Statesman. The problem of segregation is a nuanced one. The root of it incorporates more than just the factor of race— encompassing socio-economic status, culture, and community as much, if not more, than skin color. It is impossible to understand the complexity of the situation without taking these factors into account. It is also similarly impossible to imagine a solution without addressing them. As a student at the University of Texas reading this, you have escaped the direct, lasting negative consequences of the inequality of education today. However, the indirect lasting consequences—tax money spent on incarcerated individuals, an uneducated electorate, and perpetuation of institutionalized racism, for example—still do and will continue to impact you substantially. Education is literally the shaping of individuals for the future. How are we, as a generation, going to do our part in fixing the system?

KELLY DEMOYA

SIDE EFFECTS OF THE

FUTURE Technology Meets Liberal Arts & Humanities

At the 2010 Worldwide Developers Conference in California, the late Steve Jobs gave an inspiring keynote address. “We’re not just a tech company, even though we invent some of the highest technology products in the world,” he said. “It’s the marriage of that plus the humanities and the liberal arts that distinguishes Apple.” There you have it. Praise for the liberal arts from the leader of the largest personal technology revolution the world has yet seen. Nearly 5 years after Jobs first spoke those words, the unity between the humanities and technology has continued to grow. Perhaps in the fast-paced 21st century lives that we lead, technology is no longer something we can escape. It has been a creeping invader, setting up camp in our homes and in our pockets, adhering to society with a wry, digital permanence. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and for the most part, it’s been something to be embraced. Nowhere is this more evident than right here at UT, where numerous students studying art and humanities have found themselves delving into the calculating world of science.

Fashion Hannah Leonard, a third year Fashion Design major, was initially surprised by the number of natural sciences courses that her degree required. “The first class I took was Science of Textiles,” Leonard said. “I had to learn to identify different fabrics by looking at them microscopically, determining how flammable they were and testing their reaction to other things. I memorized at least 150 different fabrics.” UT is the only university nationwide that requires students of its design programs to graduate with four science credits. While Leonard concedes that the science requirements detract from time that could be spent studying more design-specific

courses, there is a trade off. “Technology is a huge part of our lives these days,” she said. “Fashion Week now involves 3D printing and LED lights. The future of fashion design is continually trying to come up with something new. Technology allows us to do that.”

Art The sound of technology integrating with design can be heard echoing from the Art Building’s Digital Fabrication Lab, as machines whir and buzz with a cacophony of creation. Designs are created through

“Having access to the same tools that create the objects we’re surrounded by is immensely important to understanding visual culture. Technology is about keeping up with idea output and what we have here opens doors so much quicker.” online programs while laser cutters imprint patterns with razor sharp accuracy using 3D printers. Students of both studio art and design are limited only by what they can think of to create. “We’re dealing with things beyond design,” said Eric McMaster, the Digital Fabrication Lab Manager. “This is engineering.” McMaster praises the high quality of UT’s fabrication facilities, admitting that few other schools have the handheld 3D scanning capabilities available on the 40 acres. “Having access to the same tools that create the objects we’re surrounded by is immensely important to understanding visual culture.” McMaster said. “Technology is about keeping up with idea output

and what we have here opens doors so much quicker.” One user of the lab is graduate student Jose Perez, an MFA Design student. Perez utilized a 3D printer to create an art piece made of aluminum. A hybrid object with the shape of a cellphone, but with the weight, grips and locks of a military weapon, he hopes it will start a conversation about the difficulty veterans have reintegrating into society and being separated from the weapon that never left their side - much like the modern perception of cellular devices. “I’m going to document the piece, place it on the web, present questions and hopefully get some feedback from veterans,” Perez said. “Maybe it will even inspire other objects like it.”

Education While technology has certainly occupied the liberal arts and humanities, it has also changed the way students consume their instruction in these subjects. The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 20 percent of university undergraduate students take at least one online distance-learning course to achieve their degree. Research in every field has become faster and more streamlined due to online searchable databases. We live our lives half in the real world and half in the light of pixelated screens, so dependent on our personal technology that there seems to be a perpetual shortage of power outlets--just about everywhere we go. But as many are coming to see, it’s just a side effect of the future. “Technology is a way to work between mediums and methods that we wouldn’t have been able to do before,” said senior Kate Wilson, a Studio Art major. “Regardless of whether content is about tech, tools like these can only create more ways to make art.”

ASHTEN LUNA THE LIBERATOR | APRIL 20 2015| ISSUE 15

3 SENIORS WHO ARE

Changing the World The Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Price, the National Media of Science, the National Medal of Technology and the Turing Award have all been awarded to University of Texas at Austin graduates. Over 15 graduates have served in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives and at least 9 Nobel Laureates have been associated with UT Austin. Last year, UT Austin research expenditures exceeded $550 million. Other notable alumni include the CEO’s and founders of ExxonMobil, Dell, and Southwest Airlines. It is quite obvious that what starts here really does change the world. However, what are current students doing? Here are a few UT Austin seniors that have been working to transform our society.

SAI GOURISANKAR:

PLAN II & CHEMICAL ENGINEERING Sai Gourisankar, a Chemical Engineering and Plan II major, was excited about the University’s opportunities for undergraduate research. He reached out to chemical engineering professors, Dr. K.P. Johnston and Dr. T.M. Truskett and explained his interest in nanotechnology. Since then, they have worked on developing nanotechnology to identify tumors for diagnosis and therapy. Some studies say that cancers, if detected at stage 1, can lead to a 90% survival rate. Nanotechnology can lead to those early diagnoses. Gourisankar says, “This project especially appeals to me because of its real-world impact. We are synthesizing very interesting physics, chemistry, and biology techniques into a deliverable,

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beneficial medical device.” Next year, he will be studying applied math at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Luckily, he is a huge cricket fan.

ANNA WEINGART: PSYCHOLOGY

Anna Weingart is a psychology major and the founder of SanghaLink, an organization that provides LGBTQ youth and allies with a safe online social network that is integrated into the local high schools in and around their city. Weingart says, “I struggled as a gay youth in high school because I did not have a way to find other people in my LGBTQ community. When I discovered that this is a common problem for LGBTQ teens, I decided to create SanghaLink.” Through social media, the organization aims to prevent issues that are prevalent in LGBTQ youth, such as homelessness, depression, substance abuse, and suicide. By providing communities with the resources necessary to build an educated and connected LGBTQ support group, the youth are able to safely and securely find their social group. Next year, she will be traveling across the United States to speak with various school districts about SanghaLink. Weingart said, “Life will not always be easy and people will not always be nice. However, I have found that negative situations can actually serve as powerful motivators. I want to encourage people everywhere to turn their pain into power.”

SARAFINA NANCE: PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

Sarafina Nance is a Physics and Astronomy major who has been fascinated by Astronomy since she was a child. Nance says, “There’s so much we don’t know about space—in fact, we only know 4% of all matter in the entire universe. That astonishes me. Space can seem overwhelming because it’s intangible. You can’t touch a star, or travel to another galaxy—yet!” She has been working on a research project that determines the mass and stellar evolution stage of Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse is a star in the Orion constellation that we can see with the naked eye. It’s so big and bright that astronomers thought for a long time that it would soon explode as a supernova. Nance says, “I wanted to figure out if there was a chance we could see [if] it would explode in our lifetimes.” She asked Dr. J. Craig Wheeler if she could work with him and they created the Betelgeuse Research Project together. Nance is hoping to finish up the Betelgeuse project this year and then go to graduate school for Astrophysics. This summer, Nance will be interning at Harvard and doing research at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. You don’t have to look far to find successful and driven students at UT Austin who are working hard to find solutions that benefit our society. These examples represent only a small range of the amazing student research and experiments here at the University of Texas at Austin. I wish these students, and all the other graduating seniors, the

MEGAN PALOMBO

LOOKING PAST LEGALIZATION The Legalization Debate

With the recent legalization of marijuana in states like Alaska, Oregon, Colorado, and Washington, it appears that the recreational use of marijuana is no longer seen as dangerous as it once was by the general public. In fact, according to a 2013 Gallup poll, 58% of Americans actually believe that the “use of marijuana” should be legal. When asked about her views on marijuana usage, Grace Noh, an Economics and Sociology junior, responds by saying this: “While I don’t personally use it, it seems that weed is no more harmful than using alcohol.” Her view on the debate appears to reflect a mainstream opinion about the usage of marijuana, at least for the college-aged population. This comparison between the use of alcohol and the use of marijuana is often brought up when debating the issue of marijuana legalization. For the millennial generation, the use of marijuana doesn’t represent the same sort of threat that it once did in the early 70’s during Nixon’s “war on drugs”. For Anita Farsad, a Middle Eastern Studies junior, the debate over legalization isn’t that important: “I don’t get what the big deal is… I honestly don’t care either way.” It is clear that a growing amount of Americans have changed their minds about the severe harm that marijuana use causes. While some claim confidently that marijuana will be legal in the America in the ten years, there is significant opposition to

legalization. Those that oppose it cite health and/or safety concerns, particularly for minors. For example, a female government freshman, who wishes to remain anonymous, says this “It’s ultimately a drug, and I’ve seen its considerable side effects. Honestly, I don’t think it should not be used recreationally, only for medicinal use.” Opponents also point to studies like one published in the Lancet Psychiatry, a British journal of health research. It concludes that teens who smoke weed daily are 60% less likely to complete high school than those who never use. Ultimately, opponents fear that legalization would only increase the accessibility of marijuana to minors.

The Ignored Issue

Regardless of general public’s view on the legalization of marijuana, there are various issues that are being overlooked and questions that are not being asked. It comes as a surprise to no one that black Americans are arrested much more frequently for marijuana possession than white Americans. However, according to a 2013 report by the American Civil Liberties Union, black and white Americans use marijuana at roughly the same rates. The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse and Health also supports this fact. Interestingly, for young people ages 18-25, the rates of use are significantly higher for white people according to this national survey.

IS THIS THE ROAD TO FEDERAL LEGALIZATION? 1973 Oregon is the 1st state to decriminalize marijuana

1976 Maine decriminalizes

possession of marijuana less than 2.5 ounces.

1970

President Nixon signs the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act.

Benefitting the Few

As mentioned earlier, there appears to be growing support for legalization of recreational marijuana use or at least growing acceptance of its use. The loudest voices in this pro-legalization movement are obviously those with racial and class privilege. For example, the self-proclaimed “Martha

1996 California proposition 215 legalizes the medical use of marijuana.

Stewart of Marijuana” Cheryl Shuman is one of the key figures in helping public perception about marijuana by founding the “Beverly Hills Cannabis Club.” In an interview with CNBC, Shuman states, “There are a lot of celebrities and high-profile people who don’t want to be assigned to that negative image… I decided to rebrand the face of the modern cannabis consumer.” Later on, she also points to one the clear reason why the legalization movement is gaining traction now, “There are a lot of millionaires and billionaires out there that actually consume cannabis … they strongly want to influence the political climate on legitimacy so that they don’t have to worry about going to prison and losing their millions of dollars by being a cannabis consumer in an illegal state.” The message here is clear. Whatever benefits casual marijuana users will receive from national legalization of marijuana will mainly affect white, middle to upper class smokers. In Colorado, where the marijuana market is beginning grow, the faces of the movement are mostly white, wealthy individuals who have worked to change the old stereotypes of the modern marijuana user. They are the ones who get to financially benefit from the legalization while thousands of mostly black, lower class men are still imprisoned for possession of the drug that is making others rich.

ANDREA ONUIGBO

2012 Ballot initiatives make Washington and Colorado the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

2014

Alaska, Oregon, and the Washington DC also legalize recreational marijuana use

1998 Other states such as Oregon,

1975

Alaska removes all penalties for marijuana possession (not sale).

Although usage rates between black and white American are almost equal, this, of course, has not translated to equal arrest rates. This seems to be a uniform phenomenon in all states. In Alaska, a state with second-lowest disparity, black people are 1.6 times more likely to be arrested than white people. In Iowa, the state with the highest disparity, blacks are 8.34 times more likely to be arrested. Even legal reforms, such as decriminalization, do not diminish the racial disparity in arrests. For example, in 2009, Massachusetts decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. While this decision did result in a significant drop in the number of marijuana possession arrests, the racial disparity in arrests did not decrease. Black people were arrested at a higher rate. Even in the state of Colorado where marijuana possession has been legalized the racial disparities in arrests exist. Blacks are 2.4 times as likely as whites to be charged with public use of the drug, its illegal cultivation, or possession of more than one ounce.

1978 Several other states (including CA, CO,

MS, NY, NC, OH, and NE) as well as some cities and counties adopt laws to further decriminalize marijuana possession.

Washington, and Alaska pass laws that allow for the medical use of marijuana. (Currently, there are 23 states that allow medical patients to ingest, cultivate, and purchase marijuana legally.)

2013 For the first time, according to Gallup polls, a majority (58%) of Americans favor legalizing marijuana.

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Alice’s Adventures in Austin Alice in Wonderland exhibit comes to the University of Texas As a student in the College of Liberal Arts I’ve sometimes found it difficult to imagine how I could take advantage of the research facilities the University of Texas has to offer without devoting myself permanently to research. Fortunately, the Harry Ransom Center provides a space with as much artistic and entertaining value as its wealth of knowledge. While UT students may utilize the Harry Ransom Center as a research library, the lower level features a gallery space in which exhibitions are put on for the general public. Currently, the Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland exhibit is drawing a different kind of crowd into the academic space.

A New Kind of Exhibit

In honor of the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s world-renowned and well-loved book, the Harry Ransom Center has chosen to put on the library’s first child-centered exhibit. The curators brought together two collections of Carroll’s work and Alice-related minutiae along with some of the HRC’s own items. With an array of books, photographs, videos, and illustrations from the Warren Weaver and the Byron W. Sewell and Susan Rafferty Sewell collections, the exhibit boasts an extraordinary breadth of information surrounding Carroll’s influential book. Unlike the past exhibits I’ve seen since becoming a UT student, this exhibit is organized in such as way as to attract audiences of all ages rather than the usual older academic and young-adult crowd. When I wrote to the curator of the Alice exhibit, Danielle Sigler, about what the museum hoped to achieve by hosting an exhibit aimed toward a younger audience she replied, “At the Ransom Center, sharing our collections with a diverse audience is a fundamental part of our mission. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland provided us with the opportunity to reach out to a new, younger audience and we embraced that opportunity— working to create an exhibition that speaks to both adults and children.”

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Something for Everyone

With activities such as scavenger hunt cards that children can mark with purple rabbit paw stamps, tiny tables with tea sets, and a cozy reading area the exhibit entertains crowds of all ages while maintaining a high quality and volume of information presented. I asked Sigler about the efforts made in order to bring such an exhibition together and she wrote, “An exhibition takes several years to plan. The curator selects items, organizes those items into a coherent narrative, and writes instructive text to accompany them. Each item must be assessed by a team of conservators and exhibition services staff. Then, exhibition services . . . prep[s] and install[s] each item in the exhibition. It is truly an institutional effort.”

While exploring the exhibit, I spoke with a woman and her daughter as we stood in front of a wall of placecards, which explained the cultural relevance of the Mad Hatter and dodo bird at the time in which Alice was written. The woman, Laura, said that she had been introduced to Alice first by the book while her daughter, Christina, had first seen the Disney movie. When asked which character she related to the most, Christina said she could always relate to Alice, her mom interjecting that her daughter had even dressed up as Carroll’s heroine for Halloween. Through this

brief interview, I found how Alice’s story transcended generational and cultural boundaries.

their experience with that childhood joy connected to the exploration of new information.

Alice in the Classroom

“It was not just a break from the stress of the academic regimen,” Bump wrote. “[The students] rejoiced in rediscovering the ‘whole selves’ they thought they had to leave behind when they came to college, that is, what some call the right as well as the left side of their brains, the visual as well as the verbal, play as well as work, etc.”

One of the most interesting interactions I’ve experienced with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was during my Fall 2014 semester in Professor Bump’s “Animal Humanities” English course. As anyone familiar with Bump’s teaching would know, he has a knack for connecting literature to activism. One afternoon, he took my class to the HRC to see several editions of Alice to both appreciate the text and to discuss the connection between Alice’s interactions with the creatures of Wonderland to our everyday interactions with the animals of Earth.

Entertainment and Education

While Laura and Christina are only two of the hundreds of people to visit the Harry Ransom Center or the millions of people who have read Carroll’s tales, their connection to the story is widely felt, a factor that contributes to the appeal and brilliance of the HRC’s exhibit.

I contacted Professor Bump to ask him about his thoughts on Alice, and he told me about taking his current students to actually see the exhibit at the HRC. When I inquired after the experience and his thoughts he wrote, “It’s hard to overestimate the appeal of the Alice collection to people of all ages and cultures. Take, for example, college students when they visit the current exhibit. When I encouraged them to get the stamp cards and use the Activity Book they happily sat down in groups in the tiny tables and chairs and returned to childhood.” Both the subject matter of the exhibit and the interactive elements serve the purpose of igniting the curiosity and joy of learning inherent in us as humans, characteristics that may become overshadowed due to the daily grind of adulthood. Professor Bump described that his students were reunited during

This same experience can be expected of all ages visiting the HRC for various reasons, whether on a weekend outing or an academic excursion. As an on campus resource, the HRC proves to function both as a source of entertainment and extracurricular education for every student from the freshman undergraduate to the graduate student completing her dissertation. A wonderful example of what UT has to offer students and visitors alike, the HRC stimulates two important components of the cultivated mind: the intellect and the imagination. As Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a story that spans decades and cultures, it seemed only fitting that the HRC would reach out beyond their average demographic in order to share their wealth of knowledge with various generations. It is exciting to see younger generations on the UT campus for any reason, as it suggests the ongoing cultural impact of our university in the Austin area as well as the university’s ability to inspire the college students of tomorrow. This mission to educate and inspire the community is facilitated by the presence of the HRC and the connections people have with Alice’s story.

ANNYSTON PENNINGTON

Behind the

Book LEWIS CARROLL is a pseudonym for Charles Dodgson (Image courtesy of Harry Ransom Center)

ALICE WAS A REAL GIRL

Alice Pleasance Liddell, Carroll’s inspiration for the character, met Carroll when she was about four years of age.

ALICE’S SISTERS

Edith and Louisa are featured in the book as well, as part of the Dormouse’s story. The character name “Elsie” came from Louise’s initials, L.C. The character name “Tillie” is short for Matlida, which was Edith’s nickname

CHARLES DODGSON WASN’T JUST A CHILDREN’S WRITER

He was also an accomplished photographer, mathematician, and logician. THE LIBERATOR | APRIL 20, 2015| ISSUE 15

The Podcast Project. a testimony on taking on the task of informing

As network technology continues to seep deeper into our daily lives, we find ourselves consuming more and more media in one centralized location: the internet. A perfect example of this is news coverage, where the stagnation of ratings for major television networks like MSNBC and FOX is sharply contrasted by the rising popularity of internet-based news organizations like The Young Turks, The Blaze, and Infowars. Unfortunately, all of three of these organizations share one unflattering similarity...they are all driven by a strong ideological agenda. The Young Turks’s Cenk Uygur is forthright and proud about the overtly progressive nature of their news coverage, the Blaze is headed by former Tea Party activist Glenn Beck, and Infowars—based here in Austin—is the brainchild of libertarian conspiracy-theorist Alex Jones. Over time I have grown more and more anxious towards this erosion from journalistic integrity, and finally, about two months ago, another student named Atharva Joshi and I decided to try and rectify this problem ourselves. We started our own politically-oriented podcast.

Establishing Ourselves

The first phase of forming a podcast of this nature is establishing some sort of mission statement. Atharva and I knew that if we wanted to distinguish ourselves from the partisanship-soaked turmoil of today’s internet-based news coverage, we were going to have to strive for two things: a) objectivity and

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b) diversity in opinion. I decided the best way to achieve this goal would be to make our show panel-based, that way we could host a broad spectrum of opinion on any given issue and then Atharva and I could jointly serve as unbiased moderators. Whether it be a podcast centered on an economic, social, or technological issue, we knew that the best thing to do would be to explore it from different angles and different sides. If it’s a partisan issue, we would want a conservative and a liberal viewpoint, if it’s an issue concerning environmental legislation, we would want to look at it through an environmental, legal, and economic viewpoint. The best part about living on a college campus as prestigious as the University of Texas is that it offers an incredible breadth of intellectual expertise on a wide spectrum of fields. The best part about living in Austin, Texas is its unique demographic of liberals, libertarians and neo-conservatives. Finally, there was the name, and after a substantial amount of brainstorming I came up with the The Green Zone, a reference to the militarized zone in Baghdad during the Iraq war. At the time, it was one of the few places in a war-torn country that was insulated from the anarchistic chaos. Similarly, we hoped to provide a source of intellectual refuge from the gaping lack of responsibility exhibited in other political analysis shows.

The First Recording

Since our ideological conception, we have recorded one hour-long show and

are in the process of planning our next one. Even though I have enjoyed the creative process of this project, progress has not been as quick as I would have expected or hoped for and our path has been riddled with obstacles. The first problem we faced was something we encountered when we were trying to recruit panelists for our first recording. Our first recording revolved around the issue of Islamic representation in the media, from the national rhetoric used towards extremist Middle-Eastern groups like ISIS and al-Quadea in relation to Islam, to the news coverage of Islamophobic violence in the United States, to the representation of Muslims in war movies like American Sniper. Within a week or so, I had netted two UT professors for the show, the first one being Samer Ali, a middleeastern studies professor who had had television experience discussing this issue, and Irene Garza, a professor on America’s Army, a class dealing with American militarism, veteran-related issues, and race. Based on a little bit of research I did on Professor Ali and Professor Garza, and my experience as a liberal arts student, I was able to reasonably gauge that they were going to offer fairly liberal viewpoints. I hesitate using the word “liberal” in this sense because these issues are so intricate and people often times categorize other people’s views as either “liberal” or “conservative” in a way that embodies the simplistic narrative I wanted to deconstruct in the first place. Nonetheless, Atharva and I were somewhat disappointed in our failure

to invite a third panelist who could provide a set of counter viewpoints. I tried to contact Infowars’ Kurt Nimmo, the University’s own College Republicans and Young Conservatives, and even an alumni of UT’s law school who now works as a conservative political analyst. Unfortunately, none of them responded to my emails or Facebook messages, which I attribute to our lack of experience and established credibility.

Moving Forward

My hope is that as we continue to do more recordings, eventually launch a bi-weekly program, and establish our reputation as an objective and credible political talk show, we’ll have an easier time securing panelists representing every kind of background and viewpoint. Besides this, we have dealt with a handful of issues, ranging from standard incompetence to overwhelming academic schedules. Despite these challenges, we are in the process of planning for our second show, a program devoted to mental illness in this country, and I hope that with enough patience and determination, we can get to the point where we have a monthly show that embodies the characteristics I described earlier and provides some sense of solace from the political discourse that I fear gets worse every day.

WILLIAM MOESSINGER

PHOTO FROM CREATIVE COMMONS

THE SCHOLAR YOU ONLY DO UNDERGRAD ONCE

Four years is a strange amount of time. A high-security prison inmate might call it an eternity. Practically everyone else who is retired and satisfied with his or her life would say, “Golly, where have the years gone?” As a senior nearing graduation, it is difficult to determine whether the last four years passed slowly or quickly. I will never regret attending UT, despite all debts and parking tickets. I know I will miss the 40 Acres. But I cannot help feeling phantasmal as I walk along familiar paths and see unfamiliar faces. When we feel like ghosts or when we peer at our résumés, perhaps we may ask ourselves “What if I had done this” or “What if I had not done that?” By seeing so many strange new faces, I also imagine the possibilities of what could have been. I am like one of those retirees that are complacent with what has been, if I imagine the worst.

SHOULD I HAVE GONE FOR THAT?

The first student I speak to is a freshman reading a get-rich-quick book outside of Gregory Gym. He is dressed in a black suit, slacks, and a burnt orange tie. He looks itchy in the outfit, much like I always am when I dress up. He angrily mutters to me that he is lonely. He lost an election of whatever sort, and he blames it on his inability to amass enough friends in his first year of college. Also, he was nervous and had to pee during his speech. I suggest that success and failure come in wee packages. Just like dealing with a faulty delivery via eBay, you must learn, never to order from there again and forever be wary of the person that sold you that package.

He gives me a high five. I leave hoping that he will be an outstanding member of organizations and positions that naturally came into his life.

SHOULD I HAVE HAD MORE FUN?

A few days later, I come across a sophomore in the SAC who seems energetic and driven. She reveals in a conversation with her friends that she is torn between studying abroad for literary research and having a spectacular, hopefully James Franco-less Spring Break. Her friends are pushing her towards the latter. I approach her and find out that she can only pick one based on her allowance. I ask her three questions: “Couldn’t you find a job in the future to pay for a spring break holiday?” “Did you know that a study abroad program might only come once?” and “Didn’t you mention that you were awarded some scholarships?” She replies, “Yes,” “Yes,” and “Yes” to each. I realize that she is the “Yes” person that I never was in college. Maybe the times I said “No” to a wild time paid off more than I think. Her friends ask her if she is going to buy the flight to Bag End or whatever. I can only hope she will think about the long-term.

SHOULD I HAVE BEEN MORE PASSIONATE?

The final student resembles me the most. He is a junior, very muscular, and wears a bandanna. We are in the second-floor restroom of the Union, and I recognize him only after he asks me if I am Latino. He is by the sink tying a balloon, with about 10 others. He tells me that the balloons are filled

with caramel mixed with water to make a light brown liquid. He will throw it at all white students with whom he comes into contact. He is very angry about the most recent acts of discrimination towards Latinos and is obliviously responding with racism of his own. I admire his political passion because it is something I always lacked. However, wasting that much dulce de leche is madness. We ponder peaceful solutions to the problems he hates. We conclude there is little he can do as an individual, but he has one whole year left to influence some change.

CONCLUSION

These three students embody deficiencies that I felt at certain points as an undergraduate. The freshman lacks a network, the sophomore lacks a concern with the future, and the junior lacks a direction in which to take his ideas. As a senior, I can happily say all I lack is time. Instead of creating “What ifs?” until the end of my days and feeling any hint of regret, it seems wise to think of the worst consequences of every “What if?” Considering my avoidance of all those horrible consequences, I can think of myself — for the first time ever — as a man of luck. It is great to appreciate what we have individually accomplished as undergraduates, and to capitalize on the time we have left. Do not longingly look back. Maybe you will feel as satisfied as I currently do, just like a retiree of four years on the 40 Acres.

OMAR GAMBOA

to the FRESHMAN VERSION of myself Being a little pessimistic is A-OK. If you have screwed up a few things this year, don’t expect them to get better. Instead, be proactive:

1.Expect to lose a precious belonging. I cringe when I aggregate all the earphones, IDs, and syllabi I have lost in the past four years. Label everything without shame or knit everything onto your backpack.

2. Say hello to someone every day. Why be silent in the elevator when you could meet at least 365.25 people in a year? Imagine: baby Beyoncè shared the elevator with many silent strangers.

3. Locate all of the cafès in your vicinity early on. Like being aware of all emergency exits, knowing where to go for a cup of joe can change your mood from “oh no!” to “hey-oh!”...I’m sorry.

4. Never overestimate that you will begin arriving to class on time. Never underestimate your capacity for arriving any later to class. Just invest in a bike or set the appropriate alarms.

THE LIBERATOR | APRIL 20, 2015| ISSUE 15

LET THE FACTS DECIDE SOME THOUGHTS ON THREATS TO ACADEMIC FREEDOM

The University of Texas at Austin is no study did not examine children raised by exception to controversies involving faculty. same-sex parents and provides no conclusions However, it seems comments and statements regarding the wellbeing of children who lived that are perceived as unpopular to certain with and were raised by same-sex parents. If populations in society are attacked based solely Regnerus himself acknowledged that his study on their conclusions. The issue is the attackers did not claim what his opponents accuse him are not concerned with whether the comments it did, then why the backlash against the study? are supported by factual evidence, but instead To answer this an examination of the state of feel any unfavorable conclusion is wrong and academic freedom is necessary. offensive. Mark Regnerus, an associate professor in the Sociology Department, published a paper titled “How different are the adult children of parents Another example is the criticism UT Law who have same sex relationships? Findings from Professor Lino A. Graglia received for statements the New Family Structure Study” which resulted he made in an interview with BBC on why so in a firestorm of criticism. few African Americans were admitted to UT What ensued was a massive effort to Austin after racial discrimination ended. discredit both professors and He said that African reprimand them for their American students do not conclusions. However, this perform as well on the begs the question of how SAT compared to white IF THEY WERE GROUNDED grounded in facts were students. He went on to say these claims? If they were that the large percentage of IN FACTS SHOULD WE grounded in facts should single parent households NOT ENCOURAGE THEIR we not encourage their in the African American publication despite the community might be a PUBLICATION DESPITE “unfavorable” conclusions factor. that some claim they draw? Graglia’s comments THE “UNFAVORABLE” “The Shamelessness of are grounded in facts. Professor Mark Regnerus” According to the 2014 CONCLUSIONS THAT SOME was the title of an article College Board SAT CLAIM THEY DRAW? published by Slate report from the African Magazine that highlighted American students who methodological flaws took the SAT, only 15.8% in the study. The website reached the SAT College and The Regnerus Fallout is dedicated to raising Career Readiness Benchmark. This fact was not awareness about issues with the research and mentioned in the coverage that ensued after his the ungrounded claims in the Regnerus’ study. remarks. Both asserted that the study was flawed in its suggestion that children reared by two biological parents fare better in the long run. A world-renowned university like UT Austin needs to be an institution that stands for academic freedom. Freedom, one of the six The Slate Magazine article and The Regnerus core values of the university encourages the Fallout website are entitled to a political point community to seek the truth and express it. of view. However, concern should arise when Should that include seeking and expressing the a university, in this case UT Austin, takes a truth even if it is unpopular? Absolutely. If the position based on what appears to be political facts lead to a conclusion, then that conclusion ideology. must be presented. A statement from the Chair of the Sociology In the case of the Regnerus’ study, the facts Department at UT Austin said that the ended up not leading to the conclusion that was American Sociological Association takes the drawn, the criticism was warranted. However, in position that the study is flawed on conceptual the Graglia case, the criticism was unwarranted. and methodological grounds. The statement “Police had to lead me from my class to my went further, saying that the work has been home” said Graglia, regarding protests that cited inappropriately in order to diminish the ensued after comments he had made before BBC civil rights of the LBGTQ community and that interview about African-American academic society, as a whole, should evaluate the claims. performance. The trend society is setting for When examined deeper it becomes apparent the current student body and the student bodies that the entire picture was not presented to come are that they should adhere to public in Regnerus’ case. In the federal court case opinion regardless of the facts. Be critical of Hollingsworth v. Perry that dealt with same sex conclusions, but always protect the facts because marriage in California, the Regnerus study was ultimately they are what determine the truth. cited in the arguments. CYRUS HUNCHAREK The arguments acknowledge that Regnerus’

AN UNPOPULAR ASSERTION

THE UNIVERSITY’S PLACE

A POLITICIZED REACTION

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Catching the

Korean Wave

As Americans, we sometimes forget that we do not have an international monopoly on the music and film industry. Because of this false assumption, North America is one of the last countries to get on the “Hallyu Wave” bandwagon and realize South Korea is a Boss. The seemingly explosive popularity of Kpop, Korean dramas, and Korean culture is simply a result of our delayed reaction time to a phenomenon that has been building since the 1990s.

Political Winds of Change

A brief history lesson is needed in order to understand how Korea went from the Hermit Kingdom to creator of the “fastest cultural paradigm shift in modern history”. The 1980s were a tumultuous time for South Korea. President Park Chung-hee, dictator for over fifteen years, was assassinated. Chun Doo Hwan, Korea’s military general at the time, became President which thrust the country into an authoritarian military system of government. The new government took control of all television networks which crippled the film industry due to the government’s strict control and censorship of content. Fortunately, political winds changed and in 1987 South Korea became a democracy and elected their first president, Roh Tae Woo. Freedom of expression and foreign imports allowed Korean dramas and kpop to not only succeed nationally, but profitably progress on an international level. Euny Hong, author of The Birth of Korean Cool, explains, “Within a matter of decades, South Korea went through changes that most wealthy nations took hundreds of years to achieve: social changes as radical as those brought about by the French Revolutions and economical changes as radical as those brought on by the Industrial Revolution.”

Korea Goes Global

First, let’s explore the globalization of Korean dramas. In 1997, First Love, the most successful drama of all time, was aired on KBS2 and had a viewer rating of a record-breaking 65.8 percent. That same year, What is love all about? aired on National China Central Television and was a huge hit with the Chinese population. In fact, it was the Chinese that coined the term “hallyu” to describe the boom of Korean entertainment in China. Later, Winter Sonata aired on National Network Television in Japan and instantly captured the hearts of middle-aged women. The drama showcases a couple that experiences tragedy, amnesia, and separation but eventually reconnects, fall in love, and live a happy life. Bae Yong Joon, the main actor in Winter Sonata, visited Japan in 2004 and a police force 350 strong was necessary to control the crowds of fans. Bae’s autographs were sold for exorbitant prices and scenes in the drama became popular tourist destinations. In fact, tourism in general picked up for South Korea due to the

widespread curiosity from passionate fans. Now, if Winter Sonata was successful, then Daejanggeum was a downright game changer. Exported to over 87 different countries by popular demand, Daejanggeum did for South Korea what the Lord of the Rings did for New Zealand. Fans started following Korean dramas not only in Thailand, Malaysia, China, Japan, and Vietnam, but in Israel, Russia, India, and Iran as well. It was around this time when Coffee Prince, a drama about gender bending , Boys over Flowers, a Japanese retelling of Cinderella, and Secret Garden, a hilarious romantic comedy, aired which added even more momentum to the Hallyu movement. Today, the Korean drama industry is currently worth $180 million and is South Korea’s second largest export business. Korean Broadcasting System, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation and Seoul Broadcasting System are the three giants of Korean TV drama and have catapulted the careers of A-list actors such as Lee Min-oh, Song Il Gook, Jang Keun-suk, and Park Shin-hye. Hong mentions, “. . . South Korea has been the tastemaker of Asia for over a decade, and its westward expansion is inevita-ble. You may not even realize that it’s already underway.”

An Exploding Music Industry

Second, let’s explore what most of the world calls, kpop. The music industry in South Korea was pretty much non-existent before the 1990s. When television shows had to fill empty slots, Kpop fit the bill and filled the commercial breaks. Soon, marketers started using these time slots for promotions and publicity for musicians and singers. Today, kpop still has a close relationship with television networks. Kpop idols make frequent appearances on television shows to market themselves and to increase their viewer ratings. Kpop went international when Beat of Angel, a Korean singer, managed to become popular in Japan with her hit single, ID; Peace B. This opened the flood gates and soon kpop was taking over the now thriving music industry in East Asia. Groups like Big Bang, Girl’s Generation, 2NE1, and Epik High have done for South Korea what the Beatles did for England. They put South Korea on the map. The Korean Wave has attracted the attention of scientists, authors, newspapers, and bloggers who are trying to understand where this pop culture giant came from but they are too late. The world has already bought into the “South Korean Brand”. Of course, loyal followers of DramaFever.com or Couch-Kimchi.com have known for a while that Korean dramas are not a simple fad, but a cultural portent here to stay. With slow intent, South Korea has established for itself a unique brand of innovation, creativity, and swag that has captured the hearts of viewers everywhere.

MADELEINE KENNEY

4 K-Pop Groups

(most likely to make it in America) After School

“Korean version of the Pussycat Dolls”, according to the Rolling Stone. First ever winner of the Billboard Japan award for K-Pop New Artist of the Year

Beast

An emphasis on vocals, as heard in tracks like “Fiction”.

Members were all either kicked out of other groups or part of a group that never launched.

Ailee A New Jersey native. Gained fame by placing first on the show “Singer and Trainee”, where she covered Beyoncè’s “Halo”. Mentored by veteran K-pop artist Wheesung.

Sistar Earned the inaugural #1 spot for Billboard’s Korea K-Pop Hot 100 Chart Performed at Billboard’s K-Pop Masters Concert in Las Vegas

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Austin Unexplored As UT students, we are lucky to live in a city thriving with creative minds. If you are like me, you’re probably tired of the inordinate posts on social media featuring well known but not especially inspiring Austin art like the “I love you so much” mural and Castle Hill graffiti. If you’re looking for something more, check out these lesser known opportunities for artistic exploration that are as accessible as they are unique. I hope this post motivates you to explore Austin and its creative opportunities more on your own. Take a friend, take a day trip, and take advantage of the cool city we live in. Keep Austin artsy! 1: View of the outside of Canopy Studios. Canopy Studios is a community of Austin artists who share a desire to collaborate, create, and share their passions. The first Friday of every month Canopy holds Open Studios Evening where the public is free to roam the galleries, meet artists, and chat with them about their current artistic endeavors. Canopy is a distinctive space with art for every personality. Located in East Austin. 2: Jaelah Kuehmichel from Jaelah Fine Art and Design explains the concept behind her upcoming multimedia piece “Land Line”. 3: Eclectic collection of pieces on display at Little Pink Monster Gallery. 4: Main building, fountain, and palm trees at Laguna Gloria. Laguna Gloria is home to The Contemporary Austin Museum and Art School. In addition to the indoor gallery, visitors are free to roam the lakeside property, admire lush greenery, and explore the Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park which surrounds the main building. Coming to Laguna Gloria feels like entering the grounds of a European estate and provides a peaceful escape from college life. Located minutes away from Mount Bonnell. 5: Do Huh Suh’s piece Net-Work covers dock over the lake. The “net” is comprised of small, interconnected gold human figurines. 6: Mural on the outside wall of the Mexic-arte gallery. The Mexic-arte museum is comprised of artwork by Mexican, Latino, and Latin American artists. Many of the art pieces express social commentary on cultural, historical, and social issues faced by hispanic Americans. The gallery provides a different experience than a typical art gallery. Its eclectic collection has a good balance between serious and fun pieces. Located on 5th and Congress. 7: Voces de Las Perdidas by Adriana Corral uses ceramic body bag tags to illustrate the issue of female deaths in Juarez and the need for women’s rights advocacy in Mexico.

BETSY JOLES

THE LIBERATOR | APRIL 20, 2015| ISSUE 15

If Walls Could

TALK The assertion of our personal identity manifests itself in the spaces we occupy, both in the physical and virtual worlds. The intersection of environmental psychology and personality psychology studies just this: the overlap between our surroundings and our identities. A good place to start is your bedroom; whether consciously or not, your bedroom says a lot about who you are and how you operate on a daily basis. Take sophomore Logan Crossley, a self-proclaimed Renaissance man and a huge believer in a life of balance. His bedroom is warmly lit by incandescent lighting and the furniture is perfectly symmetrical with his roommate’s. Opposite

facing bookshelves feature their favorite movies and books, representations of their separate identities. In the small shared space of the room sits a roped, bouncy chair which is normally folded but taken out for visitors. This thoughtful preparedness to receive guests and offer them a place to sit symbolizes the kind of welcoming environment Logan and his roommate want their space to have. Logan’s views on his personality as “funloving, goofy, and balanced” are identified in looking at the décor of his bedroom as well as how he uses his space. This portrayal of identity in spaces is both conscious and subconscious. The intentional, deliberate manifestations of identity in spaces are called identity claims. Lindsay Graham, a graduate student at UT who works with Professor Sam Gosling on this type of psychology research, explains identity claims as the “deliberate broadcasting of ‘I like this,’ or ‘I’m against this’.” For example, when asked if he believed that his portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il was a conscious portrayal of his identity, junior Andrew Wilson was quick to say yes. “It was definitely a conscious effort,” Andrew explains his decoration of the room, graphic cartoons and vinyl covers. “It is cool because you get to create your own space and you don’t get to do that much elsewhere.” These identity claims, these declarations of “this is something that is a part of me or means something to me”, as Lindsay puts it, are important in understanding how identity can be

projected outward into our spaces deliberately. Behavior residues are the subconscious manifestations of our identities and are much harder to pinpoint than identity claims. These “inadvertent behaviors,” as Lindsay defines them, allows us to understand someone’s personality type or quirks. Walking into junior Hunter Albritton’s bedroom, you first notice the large amount of stuff the room holds. Some things are grouped into identity claim clusters like the corner of her room dedicated to all her instruments, while other items left lying on her dresser are grouped into the behavior residues category. These things include the notes people have written her— words of affirmation that mean a lot to Hunter—as well as a pack of gum and perfume. Although these things are easily noticed, even by Hunter who, when asked to describe her room, immediately began with the word “cluttered”, we often ignore them as mere misplaced objects rather than windows to truly understanding someone and their daily activities. Often, these behavior residues are “really, really visible in our physical spaces”, Lindsay explains, as they are leftovers from how we operate and how we project ourselves to the world. However, that is not to say that there are no surprises. Some of the more hidden portions of our identity are revealed in a more private environment or family setting. Junior Frances Molina’s upbringing in the Catholic Church is a huge part of her life, which is noticeable in the St. Michael candles and incense scattered throughout her room. “It’s surprising, I think, for people to see that I have this spiritual side,” Frances explains, “because I guess in my behavior and in the way that I talk and the way that I dress I’m very secular rather than religious.” The surprising aspects of our bedrooms, the random collection of items that people would not expect to find based on observations of our personalities and identities, still constitute part of our identities, although they tend to be the more hidden and personal aspects not often outwardly divulged. Through the decoration of one’s space, the identity of the individual is revealed. In walking through the bedrooms of others, you are able to get to know the individual much more personally than expected, but only if you are willing to look at the misplaced socks and framed Workaholics quotes as important in understanding the individual’s identity on a deeper level.

KELLIE STONE

THE LIBERATOR | APRIL 20, 2015| ISSUE 15

CAMPUS UPDATES

LEGISLATION RECAP

2015-2016 EXECUTIVE BOARDS

SB. 1408

A Bill to Create the Senate of College Councils Transfer Student Advisory Group

PASSED SB. 1406 A Bill to Create the Senate of College Councils Endowment Marketing Team

PASSED SB. 1405

A Bill to Amend the Nominations Article of the Election Code of the Senate of College Concils

PASSED

SR. 1403 A Resolution in Support of Syllabus Guidelines on Collaboration and Technology

PASSED

SENATE OF COLLEGE COUNCILS

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

LIBERAL ARTS COUNCIL

President: Rachel Osterloh Vice President: Meagan Abel Financial Director: Grace Zhang Administrative Director: Kate Trentel Communications Director: Jana Gutierrez Policy Director: Sergio Cavazos Internal Director: Nick Sajatovic Membership Director: Janet Yim

President: Xavier Rotnofsky Vice President: Rohit Mandalapu Chief of Staff: Taral Patel External Finance: Conner Patrick Internal Finance: Nicole Chu Comm. Director: Thomas Mylott Admin. Director: Amber Magee

President: Austin Reynolds Vice President: Annie Albrecht Financial Director: Anderson Frailey Membership Director: Madison Manoushigian Internal Director: Joe Bowman Communications Director: Julianne Perry

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

MAY 2015 MON TUE WED THU

3 10 17 24

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

FRI

1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29

SAT

2 9 16 23 30

SB. 1408

SUMMER SESSION 1: JUNE 4 - JULY 11 SUMMER SESSION 2: JULY 13 - AUGUST 17

PASSED

FALL 2015 ADD/DROP: AUGUST 24 FALL 2015 CLASSES BEGIN: AUGUST 26

A Bill to Amend the Election Code Section on Nominations to Provide for an Exemption Clause to the GA Membership Requirement

18 THE LIBERATOR | APRIL 20, 2015| ISSUE 15

LOOKING AHEAD

MAY 8 LAST DAY OF CLASS

MAY 11-12, 17 NO CLASS DAYS

MAY 13-16, 18-19 SPRING SEMESTER FINAL EXAMINATIONS

MAY 20

UNIVERSITY RESIDENCE HALLS CLOSE AT 9:00 A.M.

MAY 21

TUITION PAYMENT DEADLINE IS 5:00 P.M. FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FOR THE SUMMER SESSION

MAY 22-23

GRADUTION CEREMONIES IN THE COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS

THE OUTLET CAMPUS LIFE, POP CULTURE, MINUTIAE. MUNDANE OR INSPIRING, THE LIBERATOR SHARES ITS THOUGHTS ON... WELL... EVERYTHING.

LAASO SPOTLIGHT J

We all need Slavophiles in our lives. Who else can you talk about vampires, the ending of Anna Karenina, the Soviet Union, Putin calling dibs on Crimea, and Baba Yaga? Plus, have you ever heard a Slavic language? More than 315 million people speak one of the 13 Slavic languages including Czech, Polish, Croatian, Ukrainian, and Mother Russian. These are languages where you cannot decide if you are being seduced or about to be punched in the face. This is why we have the Texas Slavic Club.

Texas Slavic Club

In a time where Putin is picking off pieces of territory and a diplomatic stagnation looms between the United States and Russia, understanding Slavic Cultures is critical to understanding international geopolitics. Poland is one of the most stable postRecession economies in Europe, tourists flock to Prague and Warsaw, and many Slavic nations are increasingly being integrated into the Europe and the global economy. The last four countries admitted into the European Union where Slavic countries. Slavic language and cultures have not been in the spotlight since the collapse of the Soviet Union, which is all the more reason for the rebirth of the Slavic Club. The Texas Slavic Club has been reincarnated several times since its initial inception several decades ago. In 2012 the club was revived by Yuriy Dovzhansky, a Finance and Russian Language and Culture Major, and Konrad Zarnowski, a Marketing, Russian, and East European and Eurasian Studies graduate. Yuriy and Konrad received a lot of interest in the club from the faculty, administration, Slavic students, and Slavic majors. The diverse interests in the club was one of the main reasons Yuriy and Konrad decided to revive the club as “Slavic”, as opposed to solely a Russian club like many other universities. “We had a lot of people from Poland and the Czech Republic and we did not want to limit so we can include more members,” Yuriy, one of the co-founders of the current club explained. “I am Ukrainian, and I wanted Ukraine to be involved, so I didn’t want it to be called Russian Club.” The Slavic Club has receives a lot of support from the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREEES) and the Department of Slavic and East European Studies. “The main reason why we

are so successful is because [CREEES and the Slavic Department] wanted there to be a Slavic Club,” Yuriy said. Both the Slavic Department and CREEES allocate funding and resources to the Slavic Club. Additionally, recent Title IV funding has secured increased investment in Slavic classes and languages, which has allowed Ukrainian to be added to the languages offered at UT. The Slavic Department and CREEES also coordinate with the Slavic Club on events throughout the year. The club promotes the Slavic Department and CREEES invites lecturers and academics with diverse topics from around the world. In turn, the club utilizes the varied and accomplished faculty here at UT to give lectures to their group in order to educate and celebrate different Slavic cultures. Usually every other week the Slavic Club hosts lectures on subjects such as vampires, Russian folklore, poets, the 2008 Georgian War, Putin, the Russian prison system, and Slavic winches. Yuriy believes these lectures give students throughout campus a glimpse into “obscure, interesting, or not really talked about subjects that [give] something new and refreshing.” These lectures, Yuriy hopes, will bring more people who are interested in the club and want to learn more bout Slavic languages and culture. In addition, the club hosts movie nights and annual festivals co-hosted with CREEES. Hosted every spring and fall semesters for the past two years, the festivals include poetry, songs, literature readings, sing-a-longs, and cultural food from the Slavic world. The festivals have been a great way for the club to bring together students of Slavic heritage or study from the University of Texas student body.

JULIAN MUNOZ VILLAREAL

HOW DO YOU GET THROUGH FINALS WEEK? Call my little sister. She’s freaking hilarious; she almost makes me want to go back to middle school and join her... almost. -Andrea Onuigbo Escape into a fantasy world either through books or television. -Madeleine Kenney A lot of psychoactive drug, aka coffee. -Julián Muñoz Villarreal Power naps. -Megan Palombo I go to a cafe and purposely don’t bring my computer charger so when my computer dies I can pretend it’s the universe telling me I’ve studied enough. -Kellie Stone Pretend it isn’t happening. -Annyston Pennington I’m in Liberal Arts. What’s a final? -Cyrus Huncharek I commit special attention to laundry and other chores to try to create the illusion of order in my life. -Maggie Morris I leave my phone at home to avoid temptation when studying -Ashten Luna I call mom every day and let her tell me not to drop out of college in order to pursue my dream to live out of a cardboard box in her garage. -Amanda Garcia Side-eyeing my laptop like the guy on the Caffè Medici logo. Eventually something will follow “Although”. -Omar Gamboa THE LIBERATOR | APRIL 20, 2015| ISSUE 15

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