T h e
u n i v e r s i T y
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T e x a s
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a r l i n g T o n
friday april 3, 2009
volume 90, no. 94 www.theshorthorn.com
since 1919
Keep the Faith
INDeX
Softball players discuss their ballgame customs, rituals and superstitions. sports | page 6
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Today is the last day to drop classes without the grade counting against students’ GPA. Students must meet with an adviser to drop classes.
CoMMeNCeMeNt
leCture
Modifications to graduation process made
OneBook author discusses her novel’s origins, characters
Applicants will be able to print tickets online and will no longer sit in bleachers. By alI MustaNsIr The Shorthorn staff
Commencement tickets will be available online to streamline the distribution process — one of several changes administrators will implement starting with May graduation. On Wednesday, university officials announced changes to the
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commencement process they hope will enhance the experience for graduates and their families. Amy Schultz, Communications associate vice president, said her office wants to do “anything we can do to let people have a comfortable, positive experience.” In previous semesters, graduation applicants would go to their Dean’s office to collect tickets, she said. On April 24, students will recHanges continues on page 2
CaMpus lIfe
SG introduces new ways to meet campus elections candidates It utilizes online avenues to encourage student participation in the process. By sarah lutz The Shorthorn staff
Student Governance election campaign strategies shift as candidates and their platforms become more accessible to students with the addition of a unified Facebook group and an elections
Web page. The Student Governance and Organizations Office Web site will link to the elections page, showing each candidate’s name, photo, résumé and statement of purpose, said Carter Bedford, Student Governance and Organizations associate director. The page will go online April 8-10, more than a week before the elections, which elections continues on page 3
The Shorthorn: Michael Rettig
nichole krauss, author of oneBook the History of love, describes her writing process during her visit to the university Thursday night in University Center Rosebud Theatre. Krauss answered questions from students about her inspirations for her characters, her writing process and what she hopes people get from reading her work.
Nicole Krauss said the desire to reclaim her Jewish heritage inspired her to fulfill that need through writing the novel. By JohNathaN sIlver Contributor to The Shorthorn
The Shorthorn: Rasy Ran
aqua MaN! From left, architecture senior nick Mikitoff, business management junior nate stein and undeclared freshman Paul Martori show off their skills to potential dates while grooving to “I’m On A Boat” by The Lonely Island on Thursday night at All-Stars Bar. The Pi Kappa Alpha members were one of nine acts of the night. The date auction raised funds for the Eta Upsilon Chapter of the Pi Kappa Fraternity with the highest bid reaching $150.
The 2008-09 OneBook author Nicole Krauss said realizing that nostalgia summed up a missing piece of her childhood was the basis for her bestseller The History of Love during her lecture Thursday in the University Center Rosebud Theatre. Krauss said her book originated from clearing her thoughts and allowing her mind to roam unrestrained for guidance. “Writing is a way for me to exercise the greatest possible freedom that I can have as a human being,” she said. “It didn’t begin with a single idea simply
because I didn’t know what I was writing almost until it was finished.” Leo Gursky, a main character, came to her as a voice and sparked the idea of the novel. “This book was written in a very organic way — just starting with a little idea, a little sound of this character,” Krauss said. Krauss connected writing to how thought patterns form. “If you think about your own memory, all these things have happened to you but you don’t remember a lot of them,” she said. “You only take pieces of your life and you string them together into a coherent narrative. I wanted to explore the idea that it was a wonderful thing.” From there, Krauss began writing about places krauss continues on page 3
safety
aDMINIstratIoN
First community service officers begin job training
ut system chancellor visits the university
The student officers’ tasks include campus patrol, police assistance. By JasoN JoyCe The Shorthorn staff
The university’s first team of eight student “community service officers” are expected to start working around campus next week. Service officer job functions include campus patrol tasks and building security at night. The group spent time in classes learning about professional conduct and decorum to ethical decision-making and
departmental grooming standards. Crime Prevention officer Ron Cook, one of the class instructors, tried to make the material easier to absorb. “If you just go straight through the material, it’s really dry,” he said. “You have to inject a little humor into it.” While those in the group represent a diverse range of majors and classifications, one thing united all eight – SNAP Jobs. They said they located service continues on page 3
The Shorthorn: Meghan Williams
Business freshman Ziad syed, left, models a safety vest presented by crime prevention officer Ron Cook. Syed will be wearing this vest as part of his student patrol job that he found through SNAP Job.
The new UT System Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa visited the campus Thursday as part of his routine visits to UT System institutions. Matt Flores, UT System Public Affairs assistant director, said the visits occur when changes in leadership happen, like a new chancellor. Cigarroa already visited a number of campuses around the state, Flores said. “It’s a ‘getting to know you’ kind of thing,” he said. The visit was one of a series of meetings Cigarroa has with President James Spaniolo and city leaders.
“It’s an opportunity for the chancellor to hear the priority issues on campus,” Flores said. Cigarroa has another visit to UTA planned later this semester. The UT System Board of Regents named Cigarroa chancellor in January. He is the former president of UT Health Science Center at San Antonio and also a transplant surgeon. Since his appointment, Cigarroa announced a systemwide flexible hiring freeze for nonfaculty positions.
— Bryan Bastible