T h e
u n i v e r s i T y
o f
T e x a s
a T
a r l i n g T o n
Wednesday, november 4, 2009
volume 91, no. 43 www.theshorthorn.com
since 1919
Global Food
INDEX
Fall Food Fair treats campus community to variety of international tastes. NEwS | paGE 2
ElEctIoNS
News Calendar Opinion Classifieds
2,3,6 2 4 5
tEXaS
Texas voters approve Prop 4
Fugitive alumnus awarded $1M lotto The former student was indicted on fraud charges in September for falsely claiming the winnings. By JohNathaN SIlvEr The Shorthorn senior staff
The Shorthorn: Michael Minasi
Dennis Martin, father of two sons from texas tech, participates in a local election on Tuesday at Swift Elementary School. Martin voted in favor of Proposition Four because of his sons education at Texas Tech and believes,”it will bring in higher caliber professors” to whichever university the grant goes to.
The constitutional amendment sets up a $500 million fund for use by qualifying emerging research schools. JohN harDEN, JoaN khalaf The Shorthorn senior staff
Texans have shown their support for schools, including UTA, striving to become nationally recognized research universities. Proposition 4 passed 56.65 percent to 43.34 percent in Tuesday night’s election with 7,328 of 7,468 precincts reporting. The proposition sets aside money for potential use by UTA and other Texas emerging research universities. Proposition 4 transfers money from the existing Texas Higher Education Fund to the new $500 million National Research University Fund, which is dedicated to funding schools defined as emerging research universities — UTA, UT-Dallas, UT-San Antonio, UT-El Paso, University of North Texas, University of Houston
and Texas Tech University. These schools would have to meet certain criteria before accessing the fund. Tarrant County passed the proposition with 57.58 percent. UTA’s early voting site tied with the Southwest sub-courthouse for the most early voters in Tarrant County with 238 each. All other propositions passed, but Proposition 4 was the second most contested. Development Vice President Jim Lewis said it was contested because of the misconception that money will come from citizens’ pockets. “It seems to me that the public voted this way because they’re able to do something to strengthen the economic base in Texas without there being any taxes,” he said. “I couldn’t imagine why anyone would vote against it.” Lewis said it’s hard to know where the university stands in meeting the fund’s criteria because the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board hasn’t flushed out exact standards. “It’s safe to say that all schools competing
tEXaNS approvE EmINENt DomaIN AUSTIN, Texas — Texas voters on Tuesday passed limiting the government’s eminent domain powers, along with 10 other constitutional amendments on the ballot. Proposition 11 — the eminent domain amendment supported by the Texas Farm Bureau, Gov. Rick Perry and Perry’s Republican rival, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison — had 81 percent of the vote favoring it and 19 percent against, with more than 98 percent of all precincts reporting at 11:36 p.m. Tuesday. – The Associated Press
have work to do,” he said. “The standards that they’re establishing are consistent with what we want to do anyway.” Legislators approved the fund’s use in the last session. Funds won’t be available until Sept. voting continues on page 6
Although officials consider Pankaj Joshi a thief, the Texas Lottery Commission declared the former store clerk the winner of a contested $1 million lottery prize. Joshi, who used to work for Lucky’s Food Store and was indicted for claiming a lottery prize by fraud, has been linked to the university since news broke that he might have stolen the ticket from 67-year-old Grand Prairie resident Willis Willis. Officials said the clerk fled to his “I don’t know native Nepal. In a previous a single human Shorthorn article, being, except university spokes- the three Lotperson Kristin Sullivan said there was tery Commisan alumnus on record sion lawyers, with the same name as Joshi’s. The store’s who think the manager Masudur clerk is the Rahman said Joshi winner. We’re attended UTA during not sure what his employment. Willis should have the color of signed the back of the sky is in the ticket as soon as he got it, said John the Lottery Dowdy, business law Commission’s senior lecturer. “When Mr. Wil- world,” lis walked in there, it Sean Breen was kind of like giv- one of Willis Willis’ ating the guy a blank torneys check,” he said. Willis, who bought the winning ticket, should be holding a big check, not fighting for it through a possible lawsuit, said the Austin Police Department and the Travis County assistant district attorney prosecuting Joshi’s case, through the media. Willis is moving forward with court proceedings and his lawyers are fighting for at least $350,000, the amount seized lotto continues on page 3
StuDENt GovErNaNcE
Santa Fe student wants representation SUPA grad says remote campuses are overlooked in current college and major-based senator elections. By BryaN BaStIBlE The Shorthorn senior staff
A UTA/Fort Worth Center graduate student wants his voice to be heard better by the university’s main campus student government. Even though the student government
represents the entire university by dividing it into colleges and schools, remote campuses have no direct representatives. Irby Foster, public administration graduate student, said he thinks that should change. “Student Congress needs to have representatives elected from remote campuses as well as Graduate Student Senate,” Foster said. “If you continue to elect by your college, it doesn’t really work well.” He said having a student specifically elected from a remote campus would allow
that person to be more knowledgeable about campus-specific concerns. “Those senators still have to represent the main campus and the remote campus students,” he said. “A main campus senator may not be as focused about the issues facing the remote campus students.” He said by electing remote campus senators, The Sante Fe Station student concerns would be better represented. Santa fe continues on page 6
SafEty
Small issues found at annual Night Walk Student Congress participants and volunteers discovered a few lights out and sidewalk damage. By BryaN BaStIBlE The Shorthorn senior staff
Student Congress Vice President Melanie Johnson dug her red high heel into the cracks of a sidewalk testing the possibility of someone falling. SC held their annual Night Walk on
Tuesday — along with a handful of students and about six staff — where they scoured the campus looking for areas of concern that could be deemed unsafe. The main concern that they found were bulbs that needed replacement, a few emergency call boxes that didn’t function and cracked sidewalk areas. Participants were split up into groups, two on shuttles that went around the outside of campus and one that walked around the central campus.
to rEport uNSafE arEaS call 817-272-2185 or 817-272-2000 The Shorthorn: Rasy Ran
“It’s important for us to be aware of any safety issue that have not been resolved on campus,” Science senator Laina Bridges said. “I learned that the walk continues on page 3
out of rEach outside hitter teena Sobczak dives for the ball Tuesday during the Mavericks’ loss to Texas State at Texas Hall. The Mavericks were defeated 3-0, placing their record at 9-15, and will play Sam Houston State on Thursday.