MONDAY, FEB. 24, 2020 VOLUME 94 ■ ISSUE 41
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LA VIDA
SPORTS
First-generation students recall experiences being mentors, mentees.
Big 12 projected to have five teams in March Madness.
Movies to watch honoring Black History Month.
What is your favorite social media site? Let us know by voting in the poll on our website at www.DailyToreador.com.
PG 3
PG 6
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OPINIONS
ONLINE
INDEX SPORTS OPINIONS CROSSWORD CLASSIFIEDS SUDOKU
5 4 3 5 2
CAMPUS
Sustainability an option for students at Tech By AKHILA REDDY Copy Editor
In the daily ins and outs of life on college campuses, students can unknowingly generate high levels of waste, adversely impacting the environment and supply of limited natural resources available to future generations. However, Texas Tech students have the option to minimize this adverse impact by personally taking steps to be more sustainable. Sustainability, according to the United Nations, is “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The term which has come to touch and incorporate so many things, and can be difficult to precisely define, Carey Hewett, campus sustainability officer and managing director for business services, said. “But a big part (of sustainability), I think, is living in this world and getting our work done and then leaving things good for the next generation,” he said. It is important for the university to have good sustainability practices, he said, and to then share those practices with students that come through Tech, so they take these practices with them when they leave. One of the most prominent examples of these sustainability practices is the recycling that is done on campus, he said. Currently, the university has a 20 percent diversion rate, meaning 20 percent of waste is diverted and recycled.
There are recycling containers in all the residence halls available to students, he said. Students off campus can also participate. “Whether they live on-campus or off-campus they can participate in either helping to sort or off campus students can bring their recycling to the recycling center over here at housing services,” he said. Lynne Thurston, senior adviser in Tech University Student Housing, said she works to communicate with people on and off campus as how to recycle, she said. In Lubbock, the Tech Recycle Center can only recycle plastic No. 1 and plastic No. 2, Thurston said. This includes water bottles, basically any see through plastic bottles, milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles and some shampoo bottles. Additionally, according to the University Student Housing website, paper, cardboard, Styrofoam, tin, glass and aluminum cans can be accepted at the center. More information on the products accepted and where to drop off items is available at https://www.depts.ttu.edu/ housing/gogreen/recycle.php. “Specifically in the recycling area, recognizing the products that we are able to recycle is very few in the big scheme of things,” she said. Thurston said she personally recommends students realize when making a purchase, if the product is not in a recyclable container. It will go into the landfill unless it is reused. “Be aware of that and try and make your shopping decisions based on that,” she said.
AUDREY KERR/The Daily Toreador
The Texas Tech Recycle Center is located at the Physical Plant Annex on campus and is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Students should be conscientious buyers to be sustainable, Thurston said. Instead of buying four pairs of jeans, students should ask themselves if they need that many pairs of jeans. At warehouse stores where large quantities of goods are available for a cheaper price, students should
consider whether they can use all the goods they purchase without throwing them away, Thurston said. Students also should consider changing their habits, Thurston said. “Turn off the light when you’re not using it,” she said. “Turn off the computer when you’re not using it, things like that.”
Students also can bicycle, take the bus or walk instead of taking their car, Thurston said. Another thing for students in dorms, or with utilities included, to consider is being aware of their water and electricity usage, she said.
SEE SUSTAINABILITY, PG. 3
TRACK & FIELD
Bray sets indoor pole vaulting record, holds outdoor record By ANA ARTHUR Staff Writer
MANDI MCDONALD/The Daily Toreador
Redshirt senior Brandon Bray runs during the men’s pole vault invite at the Texas Tech Shootout hosted in the Sports Performance Center on Feb. 14, 2020. Bray set the school record for outdoor pole vaulting in 2019, and set the indoor school record on Friday, Feb. 21, 2020, in the Sports Performance Center during the Matador Qualifier.
The Texas Tech track and field team wrapped up its regular season at home on Friday at the Sports Performance Center. The Red Raiders landed several important marks to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Among those was senior pole vaulter, Brandon Bray, who set a new school record in the men’s indoor pole vaulting. During the Matador Qualifier, Bray broke the indoor program record after clearing 18’-5.25” or 5.62 meters. Nobody has been able to break the previous record which was held by Brit Pursley for 27 years. Bray now holds the school record for both indoor and outdoor. “It’s a huge honor to be able to break this record,” Bray said. During the 2019 outdoor season, Bray broke the school record for outdoor after clearing 18’-8.25” or 5.70-meters when he was competing in Austin for the opening of the NCAA Championship. “Having the outdoor record and now the indoor record at a Division I school is something I’ve always dreamed of and being able to do that as a Red Raider is icing on the cake,” Bray said. Coming from a lineage of pole vaulters, one could say his family has played a small part in Bray’s goal to reach for new records. His father, Jeff, was a pole vaulter who competed for Florida
State and his mother, Kelly, competed for Oklahoma. Back when Bray competed for China Spring High School, Bray was named the three-time Texas State Champion. During his senior year, he held the No. 3 ranking for the U.S. indoor season. In addition, Bray earned the 2015 New Balance Indoor and 2014 Outdoor AllAmerica honors. “I have nothing but gratitude for my coaches and teammates,” Bray said. “My body is feeling really healthy right now, and we can only go higher from here.” After breaking the school indoor record, Bray ranks third in the nation this season as he will move on to the NCAA Indoor Championships. “I’m so, so proud of him,” Tech track and field director Wes Kittley said. “It’s been a bit unfair since he’s never really had an extended period of time being healthy. Well, right now he’s healthy, and of course, it’s his last indoor meet at home, and he breaks the record. I think this all sets him up, and I think if we can keep him healthy through June, you’re going to see something really big.” Looking ahead to next week, Tech track and field will depart to Ames, Iowa, for the Big 12 Indoor Championship, which will occur on Thursday and Friday. The Red Raiders and Lady Raiders have high hopes as they seek their third straight conference indoor title. @AnaArthurDT