March 17, 2014
facebook.com/theutdmercury | @utdmercury
COMETS SLIP IN SWEET 16
ASC basketball champs eliminated in third round of NCAA D-III tournament hosted in Midwest → SPORTS, PAGE 8
THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
NCAA rule may change
Former Waterview tenants blindsided by new landlords
UTD rep pushes legislation for grad student-athletes
University takeover of complex brings mixed reviews, complaints of poor communication
PARTH SAMPAT Sports Editor
An NCAA Div. III committee is exploring options to allow graduate students to continue their athletic careers at an institution other than their undergraduate university. The current rule allows graduate students to play — provided they have eligibility remaining — only at the university where they did their undergraduate athletics and degree. The eligibility criterion allows a player to play for four years over 10 semesters or 15 quarters. Senior men’s soccer player Michael Darrow said he was surprised about the current rule. “I had no idea that D-III sports did not allow graduate students to play sports if they had eligibility left (in another university),” Darrow said. “I know guys who have used eligibility in graduate school for D-I to continue playing soccer. So, I
→ SEE NCAA, PAGE 8
Feminist org faces struggles PCFA works to find footing, key support from university PABLO ARAUZ & ANITA NUÑEZ Mercury Staff
The Pro-Choice Feminist Alliance group has been confronting obstacles on campus for its political nature. Since its start in the spring of 2012, PCFA members said they've seen challenges with finding resources and promoting their meetings and events in an isolated campus atmosphere. Victoria Li, sociology senior and president of the group, said that the goal of PCFA is to increase awareness about matters such as STI awareness and prevention, contraception, sexual assault and gender identity. The group is the only feminist group on campus but it does not primarily focus on women's issues. “The thing about feminism is that it’s a social justice kind of movement, and so when we talk about feminism we're not just talking about women,” Li said. “We're talking about pretty much everybody. We're taking about (the Gender, Sexual and Relationship Minority) community, women of color and marginalized groups in general.” At their March 6 Contraceptive Convention, set aside in the Phoenix Room in the Student Union, the group gave out free candy and condoms for students willing to learn about proper sexual education. Tables were laid out with examples of the multiple methods of contraception available to women and men, as well as various STI prevention tools and even educational models of the female and male reproductive systems. Professionals from Planned Parenthood were also there to answer questions and debunk common sex myths. Some students found the sexual education aspects helpful. Others were hesitant to stop by and still others became visibly uncomfortable when they were offered condoms or information about safe sex. Some went as far as to make distasteful jokes to the members involved. Shelby Schram, sociology junior and vice president of the group, said she has experienced similar incidents of hostility on campus from people who
→ SEE PCFA, PAGE 7
LINA MOON | GRAPHICS EDITOR
ANWESHA BHATTACHARJEE Web Editor
Since the university bought Waterview Park in July 2013, residents in former Waterview, or Phases I–IV, have had to adjust to several changes. While some have been welcome, including the waiver of the water utility fee and the inclusion of free Internet and cable TV at the same price, the recent hike in rents effective August 2014 wasn’t one of them. Under Waterview management, residents were informed of rent hikes well in advance, when they circulated renewal forms in early December each year. These forms would clearly state how much the rent would be for the following year, and students could make an informed decision based on how much they would have to pay. With the new UV management, residents in Phases I-IV were required to sign an intent
to renew form in early December but were informed of the rent hike in late February when they went in to sign the lease. As a result, despite signing the intent to renew form, business administration junior Michael Matthews and his roommate, who currently live in a two-bedroom two-bathroom apartment in Phase III, chose to not sign the lease and move off campus for 201415 instead. Had UV notified students of a potential rent increase, at least in the cases where the hike was significant like Matthews’ rent, which went up by $60 a month, he might have felt better prepared to deal with the additional expense, he said. “I think if they’d told us ‘we’re going to be increasing your rent’ before they said ‘do you want to renew?’ or that ‘we’re increasing your rent, but we’re also including your water, your cable …’ then that would have been considerable,” Matthews said.
However, rent amounts for UV need to be approved by the UT System Board of Regents, and the rates had not been approved in December when the intent to renew forms were required, said Matt Grief, assistant vice president for Student Affairs. The intent to renew forms stated that the rents for the 2014-15 had not yet been approved, which Grief said was indication that rents would go up. This year might have been an exception for residents of Phases V-IX, whose rent costs did not increase, but each year, UV rents go up by between four and 10 percent. UV management did not foresee the need to communicate the process to the residents of Phases I-IV, who were expecting to be informed of rent hikes at the time of signing the intent to renew, which is why residents in former Waterview Park might have had a problem this time, Grief said. As a result, residents weren’t prepared for
the $60 rent hike a month for the B3 twobedroom apartments and the A3 single-bedroom apartments, Matthews said. Where will all the money go? Rents went up for all apartments in Phases I–IV, although not uniformly. The A3 and B3 floor plans, which saw 9 and 10 percent rent increases respectively, are similar to the single- and two-bedroom apartments in Phases V-VII. The purpose of the rent hike was to make these floor plans equally priced in all the phases, Grief said. The other two-bedroom floor plans in Phases I-IV saw a hike of about 7.5 percent, while rents of other single-bedroom apartments went up by 5 percent. The four-bedroom units and the studio apartments saw a comparatively smaller hike of 4.3 percent. “Honestly, for me, the $20 wasn’t that big of a deal because it’s more of a hassle to go and find a new place to live and move out all
→ SEE HOUSING, PAGE 12
Meet the Regents: bosses of higher ed. SHEILA DANG Managing Editor
When Nash Horne, the student member of the UT System Board of Regents, visited UTD in November, he spent two hours with about 20 students discussing various concerns, including buildings that students
felt should be renovated. While opportunities to discuss concerns with UTD officials crop up often throughout the year, it’s relatively rare to have a chance to voice opinions to the UT System, particularly the 10-member Board of Regents who oversee nine universities and six health institutions.
The Board determines everything from tuition rates to where new UT institutions will be established. It consists of nine voting regents who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate for sixyear terms, which are staggered so three terms expire in February of odd-numbered years. Additionally, a non-voting student re-
gent is chosen to serve a one-year term. Regents are not paid and must fund their own travels to visit each campus. Most work full-time in other industries. Student Government President Liza Liberman said all of this contributes to why regents have limited
→ SEE REGENTS, PAGE 5
CURRENT BOARD OF REGENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
Paul L. Foster Chairman
Regent
Brenda Pejovich
Alex M. Cranberg
Wallace L. Hall, Jr.
Nash M. Horne
Appointed 2007, reappointed in 2013 Location El Paso Occupation Executive chairman of Western Refining, an oil company Degree Bachelor’s in accounting from Baylor
Appointed Location Occupation
Appointed Location Occupation
Appointed Location Occupation
Appointed Location Occupation
A former member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Foster now serves as chairman of Board of Regents.
Pejovich also serves as a board member for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank. In May 2013, members of the Texas Legislature questioned Pejovich about concerns of the foundation’s influence over UT system matters.
2011 Dallas President of Brenda Pejovich Group, a business consulting firm
Regent
Degree
2011 Houston Chairman of Aspect Holdings, an oil and gas company Bachelor’s in petroleum engineering from UT Austin; MBA from Stanford
Shortly after his appointment, Cranburg was criticized by groups in the Texas Legislature for attempting to micromanage universities and coordinate efforts to oust UT Austin President William Powers.
Regent
Degree
Student Regent
2011 Dallas Founder and president of Wetland Partners Bachelor’s in economics from UT Austin
In June 2013, the Texas House launched proceedings to impeach Hall for abusing his power in putting in a large number of public information requests to UT Austin, and failing to disclose litigation against him while applying for regent.
2013 Austin Political communications senior at UT Austin
Horne is the student regent (a nonvoting member of the board) for the UT System. He has served as universitywide representative for Student Government and was chair of the Excellence Fund Committee.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY JUSTIN THOMPSON | MERCURY STAFF