THURSDAY, FEB. 24, 2022 VOLUME 96 ■ ISSUE 22
SPORTS
LA VIDA
Zahafi and the rest of the track & field athletes prepare for the upcoming Indoor Big 12 Championships.
Black law student advocates for herself and others as she continues her studies at the Texas Tech University School of Law.
Movie theaters across the nation have special seating, big screens but many do not have closed captioning systems.
OPINIONS
ONLINE
INDEX
Seasonal depression is prevalent through the changing weather but Tech has resources available to help.
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ONLINE
LA VIDA SPORTS OPINIONS CROSSWORD CLASSIFIEDS SUDOKU
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Lubbock offers resources for food insecurity By ASHER MCPHERSON News Reporter
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 38 million people in the United States are facing food insecurity. Since COVID-19, there has been a disruption in the supply chain affecting the accessibility to food. Resources like Raider Red’s Food Pantry at Texas Tech and the South Plains Food Bank are local efforts providing resources to those who need food assistance. The USDA defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to food for an active, healthy life. Hunger and food insecurity are closely related. However, hunger is in relation to physical discomfort where food insecurity is in relation to lack of available resources for food. Food insecurity leads to hunger, according to the Feeding America website. The Tech food pantry provides shelf-stable food, at no cost, to students that lasts about a week. Students can walk into the pantry and pick from a few food bag options including gluten-free, vegetarian and other food options. “The food pantry is a donations based food pantry,” administrator for the Center of Campus Life, Preethi Kasilingam, said. “People either donate food directly to us or they donate money to which we use that money to buy groceries for the pantry.” The food pantry opened in 2017, but COVID-19 slowed the distribution and launch. The food pantry is relatively new, so it only takes donations due to limited resources, space and people. If dropping off donations, email foodpantry@ttu.edu to schedule a drop off time or donate through the Amazon wish list. “We are very lucky because we have a lot of donors,” Kasilingam said. “A lot of student groups on campus will do food drives for us and so we get a lot of our donations from them.” Students who need further assistance after three visits in one semester are encouraged to meet with a representative of the Office of the Dean of Students so a representative can direct students to additional resources available. “Food insecurity is a big thing on college campuses and it’s just something that is not very well known or something that people don’t talk about,” Kasilingam said. “We understand that there is a large need. College is very expensive and it is difficult to get grants and scholarships. If there is a choice between getting gas money or food we would hope you would get gas because
CARLOS GONZALEZ/The Daily Toreador A staff member fills boxes with dry food at South Plains Food Bank on Feb. 23, 2022. The South Plains Food accepts donations through an Amazon wish list or people can call ahead for a drop off time.
we have you covered on the food aspect.” Another local resource is South Plains Food Bank, a nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger and providing resources and assistance to those on the South Plains who need it. “Our mission is to alleviate hunger and to give hope to the hungry,” SPFB director of communications, Morgan Baker, said. “We kind of categorize that into three different areas, which are giving hope, reaching lives and fighting hunger. Those are the three things that we are here to do particularly as they pertain to the South Plains.” The food bank began in 1983 as a donationbased organization. Since then, it has grown and become a member of Feeding America and Feeding Texas network of food banks. It covers Lubbock County but also serves the 20 surrounding counties. “It’s about one in four children that go to bed hungry if there is no intervention,” Morgan said. “We want to be the intervention. We do a lot of different programs that center around different areas of the problem with food insecurity and try to alleviate that.” The SPFB programs include the senior box
Black History at Texas Tech Lessons from Taylor make history Editor’s Note: In celebration of Black History Month, The Daily Toreador will highlight a notable local person or event in each week’s print edition. In a time when schools had barely begun integrating their students, Hazel S. Taylor paved the way for minorities interested in becoming educators. According to the Texas Tech Southwest Collections website, Taylor earned her Master’s degree in education from Tech on Aug. 22, 1964. However, her road to becoming an educator did not stop there. In July of 1971, Taylor made history by becoming the first at Tech to receive the Ford Foundation Advanced Study Fellowship for Black Americans while working toward her doctoral degree in education. After its launch in 1962 the Ford Fellows
program awarded fellowships to young minority scholars in an effort to “build a more equitable higher education system” and “reach the highest levels of academia,” according to the Ford Foundation website. After earning her doctoral degree, Taylor was offered a teaching position in the College of Education in June of 1973. Taylor then began her work as assistant professor, making a salary of $12,200, according to the Texas Tech Southwest Collections Website. For six years Taylor held this position until receiving tenure and a promotion to associate professor on Sept. 1, 1979.
program that caters to people 60 years old or older where the food serves specific nutritional needs. The food bank has its regular distribution that people can apply for that provides adults with food assistance every two weeks. The SPFB has a grow program that teaches youth life and job skills, does mock interviews and provides summer jobs. The organization also hosts the children’s feeding program, which makes bags for kids to take home when they are not in school. “We send them home with snack bags over spring break or winter break, any sort of holiday,” Morgan said. “We make sure to send them home with enough food for more than just them because they can take it home, and a hungry child means a hungry family probably.” According to Feeding Texas, 20 percent of children in the state experience hunger. Food insecurity causes health complications and puts people in situations where they may have to choose between paying for food or utilities. “Think about what happens to you as an adult when you get hungry,” Morgan said. “You get cranky and you get upset, it’s hard to focus
and it’s hard to do anything correctly. If you put that specifically into the body of a child, you start immediately saying, ‘like, oh, that kid is just bad, look at the kind of family that he comes from.’ Well, he’s hungry. He does not have the tools to deal with the feeling of hunger. So of course he acts out and of course he can’t think of doing his work because he doesn’t have the energy or the tools to do it.” The Feed America website lists some causes of food insecurity include poverty, unemployment, lack of affordable housing, chronic health conditions, lack of access to health care and systemic racism and racial discrimination. “If you are doing a relay race and one man gets to go when the gun goes off and the other man has to wait 300 years, obviously that puts him at quite a disadvantage,” Morgan said. “There are some groups of people who are not afforded the same opportunities, and that’s not their fault. It’s our job as an organization dedicated to ending hunger to give them that opportunity to be on their side no matter what.” The SPFB hosts events throughout the year. They offer different ways to get involved and volunteer positions. Third-year nursing student, Karly Thompson, volunteered with SPFB by putting meals together for people to come pick up. “I liked volunteering because I got to see people in my community have a great appreciation for each other,” Thompson, Leander native, said. “I went in the mornings and it was a good activity to kickstart my week.” Those who are interested in volunteering at SPFB can call (806)-763-3003 or visit spfb. org/volunteer for more information on how to get involved. Raider Red’s Food Pantry is open MondayFriday and is located on the first floor of Doak Hall, room 117. More information and hours of operation are listed on the Office of the Dean of Students website. “I think a lot of problems end up getting solved by proxy when we attack the issue of hunger, and we’re not naive to think that (the issue) is really ever going to be something that goes away,” Morgan said. “The more we can lessen it, not only does the South Plains get better, the state does, and when the state does, the country does, and when the country does, the world does. It’s not blame or guilt when it comes to asking for food assistance. We’re all human beings and we all have things we struggle with and we all deserve help.” @DailyToreador
Tech strives for diversity without affirmative action By CHYNA VARGAS Managing Editor
The conversation is resurfacing again on whether affirmative action is doing more harm than good when it comes to university admissions. Harvard and the University of North Carolina are bringing their cases to the Supreme Court, for the justices to decided to hear the challenge of affirmative action usage. Affirmative action was first used by President John F. Kennedy in the ‘60s to ensure that applicants for employment opportunities were treated equally according to the American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity website. What began as an initiative to promote diverse opportunities for employment spread into equal opportunity for school admissions. Richard Rosen, a law professor from the Texas Tech Law School, said Supreme Court can overrule the Grutter vs. Bollinger case which would decide that race cannot be used as a
factor under the 14th amendments Equal Protection Clause. “In 2003, in a case called Grutter vs. Bollinger, dealing with the University of Michigan Law School,” Rosen said. “That which is a state school of course, that colleges and universities may use race as one factor in determining whether to admit a student it’s one among many. It can’t be the deciding factor.” Rosen said when the United States adopted the 14th amendment places like Michigan and California had to reshape the way they structured admission. Now, with the current situation with Harvard and UNC, Asian students are not being admitted regardless of the qualifications. In response, universities are defending themselves by pushing a need for diversity, Rosen said. “I think it (Supreme Court) will hear the cases next term. And that means you won’t know until June of 2023 probably, so I don’t know how the court’s going to rule,” Rosen said. With this court hearing being
brought up for discussions, the questions remains if this will affect all college students or if it affects them at the moment. Jason Hale, executive director for undergraduates admissions said Tech does not use affirmative action when deciding admissions. However, Tech is continuously making efforts to make the campus more diverse. “We continue to diversify the class through many different ways. Through our recruitment efforts,” Hale from Lubbock said. “our outreach with the community, our engagement. But it really starts with our programs that are on campus for current students.” While he has been in the office for admissions for 12 years, Hale said affirmative action has not been needed because Tech talks with all students for potential recruitment, regardless of race, ethnicity, background and socioeconomic background. Tech’s admission process tries to
SEE DIVERSITY, PG. 5
Page 2 Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022
SPORTS
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Zahafi prepares for Indoor Big 12 Championship By MICHAEL ALVAREZ
Sports Reporter The Texas Tech track and field team will participate in the Big 12 Indoor Championships on Friday and Saturday in Ames, Iowa. Graduate student Moad Zahafi, head coach We s K i t t l e y a n d o t h e r track and field athletes will look to bring a championship back to Lubbock after competing in five meets this season.
I left my family in Morocco and came here and found a new one. So we’re hoping for big things this year. MOAD ZAHAFI TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE Before his arrival midway through the season, Zahafi competed in many races back home in Casablanca, Morocco. “I competed with a national team in the World Championship in Doha 2019,” Zahafi said. “That was my first major competition. So, after that, I would just compete, like, alone in doing some meets in Europe and all the different countries there.” Zahafi said one of the biggest challenges he faced coming to the U.S was
learning English. “The first major problem I had was the language,” Zahafi said. “In Morocco, we talk in Arabic and French so English isn’t spoken there. When I have problems the first person I talk to is coach Kittley. So, really with everything like school, training and practice, he has just really been there for me.” Kittley said one of the best things about Zahafi is the close relationship they have developed since he arrived at Tech. “I appreciate him so much because he respects me as his coach,” Kittley said. “We just have a tremendous relationship. He came in for an hour yesterday in my office. We talked about training and life. And, you know, I think he trusts me and that’s the most important thing. I want what’s best for him and what’s best for him will always be best for the team.” This is Zahafi’s first time competing with a college team, and he said one of the best things about running at Tech is his teammates. “My teammates are really encouraging,” Zahafi said. “They know my situation and they support me. It encourages me, everything because we are doing the hard work together. You know I left my family in Morocco and came here and found a new one. So, we’re hoping for big things this year.” In the Texas Tech Shootout, Zahafi recorded a
Kittley said. “He’s tremendous in practice, got a great attitude. I’ve never seen anyone that runs so steady like he knows pace about as well as any kid I’ve ever coached. So, I’m just real, real proud of him.” Zahafi said he does not care about personal achievements; he just wants to do what is best for the team. “I want to get some points for my university,” Zahafi said. “I treat everything all the same. I just want to go out there and run, not just for me but for my teammates and for coach. Just give it my best and try and win.” Kittley said he admires the fact that Zahafi has proven all year he can be a leader on this team, and that is what they will need going into the Big 12 Championships.
“He is a silent leader,” Kittley said. “He doesn’t say much, but the kids on the take notice because they respect him so much. When everybody sees him do so well, it makes them want to step up too, and it just creates that environment, that culture to where they all mean business and that’s gonna help tremendously going into conference.” @MikeAlvarezDT
He’s just incredible. He’s such a neat guy, I love having him on my team. WES KITTLEY TRACK & FIELD, CROSS COUNTRY HEAD COACH
ASSOCIATED PRESS CARLOS GONZALEZ/The Daily Toreador
Graduate student runner Moad Zahafi sets a 1000m race school record with a time of 2:19:99 in the Texas Tech Shootout on Feb. 12. 2:19.99, setting an all-time program record in the men’s 1000-meter race, as well as the twelfth-fastest time in the world, according to Tech Athletics. “To be honest I wasn’t expecting that time,” Zahafi said. “Like that first day I ran a 1:46.00 in the 800 meters and then (the following day) a 2:19.99 in the 1000-meter, I wasn’t
expecting that time. Just going into the run pushing harder and harder until that last 200-meters it was 26 so it’s a little bit faster than what I was expecting, so I was really happy.” Kittley said if anyone deserved to break that record it would be Zahafi. “He’s just incredible. He’s such a neat guy, I love having him on my team,”
MLB: Season will be shortened if no deal by end of Monday JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Major League Baseball said Wednesday that the 2022 season will be shortened if no labor agreement has been reached by the end of Monday. Management had maintained that was the deadline for a deal that would allow the season to start as scheduled on March 31. Players have not said whether they accept that timeframe, and there remains a sense both sides are awaiting more time pressure to force more major moves by the other. The declaration from MLB came after another day of minor moves. Major League Baseball’s only new offer to players Wednesday was to increase the minimum salary by an additional $10,000 a year. MLB upped its proposed minimum for this year to $640,000, with the figure rising by $10,000 in each additional season of a fiveyear agreement. Players have asked for $775,000 in 2022, with $30,000 jumps each season. There appeared to be little or no movement on the key issue of luxury tax thresholds and rates, or the size of the bonus pool for pre-arbitration players.
New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer and Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole were involved in the talks on the third straight day of bargaining. Free agent pitcher Andrew Miller and Yankees reliever Zack Britton also joined the negotiations on the 84th day of the lockout and were alongside Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and Houston catcher Jason Castro. Those six are among the eight members of the union’s executive subcommittee, which supervises collective bargaining. Texas infielder Marcus Semien and Boston pitcher James Paxton, the other two members, have not been seen during the talks at Roger Dean Stadium, the vacant spring training home of the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals. Britton, Cole, Paxton, Scherzer and Semien are represented by Scott Boras, baseball’s most powerful agent. Te a m s h a v e t o l d t h e union they will not decrease revenue sharing and will not add new methods for players to accrue service time, which players said are needed to prevent teams from holding players back to delay free agency.
LA VIDA
Page 3 Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022
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Black law student overcomes feeling powerless By TANA THOMPSON L a Vida Editor
Growing up advocating for others despite feeling powerless, law school was the perfect option for Xenna Davis, a third-year law student from Dell City. Despite being a minority in a predominantly white field, she said she has learned to step up and use her platform to leave a mark on Texas Tech. “I think being a Black law student, it like humbles you in a way and kind of like lets you recognize the privilege you may have as a Black law student. Most people would say you don’t have a lot of privilege because you’re Black and it is really white-dominated community, particularly being a female,” Davis said. “There’s not a lot, a lot of Black people who are attorneys. It’s a privilege in itself to even have that opportunity.” Being a Black law student has been a humbling experience, Davis said. She has faced many barriers in her position. “I think overall (it) just allows me to recognize my privilege, you know, humbles me, and it also makes me
appreciate my positions and encourages me to use my position to advocate and to just continuously promote diversity and inclusion throughout the legal field,” Davis said. “It wasn’t nearly as easy as I thought it would be. But at the very end, it’s still very much gratifying.”
I thought by going to law school that I would probably be able to reclaim some of that power and be able to defend myself and then my family and just be knowledgeable. XENNA DAVIS THIRD-YEAR LAW STUDENT
When a student is young, they begin to think about what they want to do with their lives. Davis said she knew she wanted to become a lawyer at a young age. “You always hear those things from adults in your life. ‘Oh, you love to argue,
you should go to law school.’ I think being in a position I was growing up in a poor community, being a minority, all those things made me feel sort of powerless,” Davis said. “I thought by going to law school that I would probably be able to reclaim some of that power and be able to defend myself and then my family and just be knowledgeable.” Davis said she may not have all the resources, especially coming from a one-parent household, but she has worked to get to where she is. “I came in with a lot of confidence issues. I’m like, how am I supposed to compete with people who are generational lawyers, you know, whose families are doctors whose families are well off?” Davis said. “I’ve been selfsufficient and self-supporting my entire college career since my undergrad. I was able to receive a lot of scholarships, a lot of financial aid by just going out there and just talking to the right people.” Davis is the vice president for the Black Law Student Association, and she has been working on stepping up into her position.
In her role, she said she hopes to leave a mark on Tech. “If I don’t see a lot of Black women in a particular field or a particular organization, I go out and I try to be part of that organization and part of that field, because I want to be that representation for someone else,” Davis said. “I mean, we all want the fancy building in our names. I have billions of dollars. That’s not going to happen. But I just think just to leave an impression I want you know, people will look back and remember me about the things that I’ve done.” Trevor Shoels, a thirdyear law student from Amarillo and the president of the Black Law Student Association, said Davis has been a good example of a leader that continues to work hard. “Staying humble is a very important thing. But also if you want to do it, you gotta work hard, and it’s really easy and overwhelming,” Shoels said. “You feel like you can kind of just get by because it’s actually really hard to fail out of law school, but just continuing to work hard and just staying true to who you are once you get in law school.”
Photo courtesy of Xenna Davis, a third-year law student from Dell City.
Another member on the board of the Black Law Student Association said Davis also has been inspiring to other law students. “Xenna is fantastic on the board of BLSA. She is a great person to work with and takes care of things often before anyone has to
ask,” Diamond Williams, a second-year law student from Dallas, said. “She is great at delegating and making sure the logistics of our events are sorted out. She is also caring and kind, and genuinely a joy to be around.” @TanaThompsonDT
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wildfires getting worse, governments unprepared The Western U.S., northern Siberia, central India, and eastern Australia already are seeing more blazes, and the likelihood of catastrophic wildfires globally could increase by a third by 2050 and
more than 50% by the turn of the century, according to the report from the United Nations Environment Program. Areas once considered safe from major fires won’t be immune, including the Arctic,
which the report said was “very likely to experience a significant increase in burning.” Tropical forests in Indonesia and the southern Amazon of South America also are likely to see increased wild-
fires, the report concluded. “Uncontrollable and devastating wildfires are becoming an expected part of the seasonal calendars in many parts of the world,” said Andrew Sullivan, with
the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Australia, one of the report’s authors. The report describes a worsening cycle: Climate change brings more drought
and higher temperatures that make it easy for fires to start and spread, and in turn those blazes release more climate-changing carbon into the atmosphere as they burn through forests and peatland.
OPINIONS
Page 4 Thursday, feb. 24, 2022
COLUMN
Little green change can make a difference L et me start off by saying I am not a perfect environmentally free human being. I use plastic, drive to more places than I should, and eat probably too much meat. However, I am still capable of making a positive impact in other ways. And they are completely doable. When the word sustainable comes up, people tend to immediately feel guilt. There should not be shame or a negative connotation with the word as it just means to be using resources at a consistent rate. This is completely doable as a college student. This does not mean one has to completely do a life makeover. There is no room in the college lifestyle budget to do so. Ways students can make a change is simply by recycling. Have two bins for disposing of trash and take the recyclables to the Texas Tech Recycling center. It may seem too difficult of a task but most of the time, students are on campus anyways. They might as well recycle their trash
Chyna Vargas is a second-year journalism major from San Antonio.
while they’re at it. If recycling is too much of a hassle, thrift shopping for clothes is sustainable too. This continuously rising trend is the way that old clothes instantly become new without the mass production of clothes that are made to be thrown out. Thrift shopping can even go beyond clothes to include decór and appliances. Thrift shopping eliminates the fast-fashion fads and allows students to get creative with what they wear or even how to dress it up to their liking. That is being sustainable without even realizing. Unplugging your phone or other electronics is a simple task that makes a larger impact. According to the yearsproject.com, electricity production represented 37 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions in
the United States in 2018. That number has probably increased since the pandemic due to everyone predominantly using electronics. What is the point in having stuff plugged in when you’re not using it? These are only a few ways to make a difference and a lot more can be done
It may seem too difficult of a task but most of the time, students are on campus anyways, they might as well recycle their trash while they’re at it. that is very taxing to do. The question remains: Why does it matter? Unfortunately, we have to be the change. The do overs. If no one else does, who will? We are almost past the tipping point and it can’t be disregarded until the next few generations.
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CARTOON
MICHELLE MARSHALEK/The Daily Toreador
It’s on the news and on social media. Earth’s temperature is rising, which means oceans are rising. Other parts of life, including our own, are going to be affected if habits are not changed. These little everyday changes may seem minute, but if everyone changed something small in their life, it would result in a huge change. No one can go cold turkey on their habits, but slowly implementing a shift in lifestyle can better the planet. For which the planet can better us in the long run. To be sustainable means to not be greedy and to think about how much you are leaving behind. We have seen what it’s like for older generations not to think about sustain-
ability and the following to pick up what’s left and try and fix it. One way to think about sustainability is what are you leaving behind for your kids. If one uses all the resources in one moment, there is no telling what the future will look like in scarcity and how the earth will look as well. One phrase that sticks with me is I hear often is, “The earth doesn’t need humans, humans need the earth.” Many people think Earth will find a way to heal itself. However, that will not be the case if humans continue doing what they are doing at this rate. It isn’t possible for everyone to drop their habits and the world to instantly heal, but small things here
and there do make an impact. By doing your part here and there, results will start to show and it will be proven in the future. It takes a collective effort to try and sustain the resources that we have on earth. As scary as it may seem, thinking about the future and how it will look may encourage people to make an environmentally aware adjustment. What we take out, we should put back in. If we don’t, there will be nothing left. Again, this does not mean that whatever one enjoys has to end, but being consciously aware can benefit in the long run.
@ChynaVargasDT
COLUMN
All movie theater screens need closed-captioning In 2017, the U.S. issued Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This rule requires that all
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movie theaters have captioning devices. At the surface level, this may appear to be effective and adequate. However, for deaf individuals, it is the exact opposite. Over the span of six years, I have attended dozens of showings at various movie theaters. Out of all of those experiences, only one time did my captioning device work throughout the entire film. Often, movie theater employees are not sure how to troubleshoot the many errors that come with assisted listening/captioning devices. One major problem is that if the device malfunctions in the middle of the film, one cannot fix the issue without resetting the device to start with the captions at the beginning of the film. In my experience, any kind of malfunction (which happens almost every time I visit the movie theater) automatically means I cannot
Faith Dolan is a first-year English major from Midland.
enjoy the remainder of the movie. The only alternative would be a headphone device, but this accommodation is oftentimes useless for deaf individuals. When the device malfunctions, then the deaf moviegoer has to leave the theater to go find an employee, thus missing part of the film. In addition, the deaf person ultimately wastes their money as they have to sit through a movie while not understanding what is happening. Even then, the deaf person is rarely offered a refund. Also, asking for a captioning device can be a frustrating process. Many times, the employee rolls their eyes at me, thinking I do not really need
such accommodation. Sometimes, they show obvious signs of annoyance because getting a captioning device is extra work on their part. The obvious solution to this problem would be to eliminate ableism and discrimination from our society. However, this is often very difficult and requires a lot of intervention that disabled people might not be comfortable with. In the rare scenario where the captioning device does work, then there are some flaws that make the devices uncomfortable or inconvenient for the user. Captions displayed on a special type of glasses are very uncomfortable as a significant majority of its users wear hearing aids or cochlear implants. Wearing any type of bulky eyewear can be painful as the glasses and the hearing device often compete for space on the ear. Captions displayed on a
device anchored in one’s cup holder make it nearly impossible for the user to see the film and read the captions simultaneously. In my experience, I always have to look back and forth between the two, making it exhausting to do something that should be relaxing and enjoyable. For this reason, all movie theaters in the United States should display captions on the movie screen. In addition to assisting deaf individuals, it also would help younger children with reading comprehension. Secondly, closed captioning would help those with auditory processing issues or those who simply missed something a character said. However, many oppose this because it is ‘too distracting.’ Any individual who considers an accommodation as an inconvenience to their own, privileged lifestyle should reevaluate their attitude toward disabled people.
This goes for all types of accommodations; if one sees a wheelchair ramp and has no need for it, they can simply choose to ignore it and not use it. If one sees captions on the screen and decides they have no need for it, then that is fine. They can choose to ignore it. Also, the phenomenon of selective attention allows them to forget that the captions are even there. Displaying captions on the movie screen would be easier than using faulty captioning devices. Captions would allow deaf individuals to experience something without prejudice or unwanted attention from employees who doubt their disability. As a deaf person, I want to be able to enjoy a film with my friends and family. I want to be able to have the same opportunities and experiences as someone who is able-bodied. @FaithDolanDT
COLUMN
Tech should utilize spring semester to benefit students February holds many holidays; Valentine’s Day, Black History Month and Groundhog Day are just a few celebrations that embody this month. The new year is still young and many await what the rest of 2022 will bring. Spring semester at Texas Tech opens doors for students to advance their academic careers and explore the opportunities the university provides. Coming close to the midway point in the semester, it is important for students to reevaluate and refresh for the academic term. The word spring carries meanings of birth and growth, a concept that should be applied in an educational manner as well. As midterms approach and exams are given left and right, students may find themselves overwhelmed and
LETTERS The Daily Toreador welcomes letters from readers. Letters must be no longer than 300 words and must include the author’s name,
Julianne Cervera a thirdyear English major from Grand Praire.
frustrated. However, having a positive and determined approach to can help students adjust to the new term. With the number of COVID-19 cases dropping, courses at Tech have moved in-person, bringing back the sense of normalcy put to a halt by the pandemic. Events such as the upcoming March Madness brings together students and fans alike to showcase school spirit in all its glory. Allowing school spirit to reign is vital to creating better attitudes among the university, which is important in keeping up good energy for the school year as well.
signature, phone number, student ID number and a description of university affiliation. Students should include year in school, major and hometown. We reserve the right to edit letters. Anonymous letters will not be accepted for publication. All letters will be verified before they are published. Letters can be emailed to dailytoreador@ ttu.edu or brought to 180 Media and Communication. Letters should be sent in before 3 p.m. to ensure the editors have enough time to verify and edit the submission.
Spring break in March helps students take a step back from hectic school schedules and the copious amounts of school work that comes with being a student. While spring break provides a chance for students to relax, it also lets students recharge for the continuation of the semester. Spring break provides a fresh start to students and faculty, giving them the chance to enjoy time away from school. Spring breaks and spring semester events hold significance for the school’s enrollment rate as well. According to a 2021 NPR article, undergraduate college enrollment fell down 5 percent from the previous year. The data also showed a drop in re-enrollment rate for current students as well. The data, collected by the National Student Clearinghouse, witnessed this trend
among all sectors of higher education including for-profit and community colleges. The drop in enrollment and re-enrollment rates negatively affects college universities and the livelihood of education. The lack of enrollment can directly affect funds and reputations of colleges all over. The drop also can be attributed to online schooling due to the pandemic and economical divides between students. Even more so, the transition from fall semester to spring semester also sees impact on students who may feel burnt out from workloads of the previous term. Since last year ’s data displays a drop, colleges this year should focus on decreasing these drops and encouraging students to enroll and stay in school. Recognizing these attri-
GUEST COLUMNS The Daily Toreador accepts submissions of unsolicited guest columns. While we cannot acknowledge receipt of all columns, the authors of those selected for publication will be notified. Guest columns should be no longer than 650 words in length and on a topic of relevance to the university community. Guest columns are also edited and follow the same guidelines for letters as far as identification and submittal.
butes, schools need to focus on students’ well-being and motivating current and incoming students. Keeping a positive and uplifting perspective can show students it is possible to keep going or to start their academic careers. The ending of the spring semester brings exams and graduations galore. Acknowledging this time as a busy one for students, schools should accommodate students and the anxieties of these affairs by offering a helping hand through more school resources for the students. Attending a college or university is not easy and can seem like a drastic or tiring adjustment for many. This time in the spring semester is essential in to guiding and bettering students in their work. @JulesCerveraDT
EDITORIALS Unsigned editorials appearing on this page represent the opinion of The DailyToreador. All other columns, letters and artwork represent the opinions of their authors and are not necessarily representative of the editorial board, Texas Tech University, its employees, its student body or the Board of Regents. The DailyToreador is independent of the College of Media and Communication. Responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies with the student editors.
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DIVERSITY
CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 mimic the demographics of Texas, Hale said. One of the ways Tech recruits a diverse class is following the trends that are represented in high school graduates. “What we’ll find is that in 2025, there will be a dramatic shift in our demographic population, where you’ll see birth rates, for all goes back to birth rates, but looking at a decline in your white population and growth in Hispanic,” Hale said. “In kind of a steady you know, graduation rate, high school graduation rate for Black and African American students.” These demographic shifts in high school graduates will project Tech ad-
missions in the future Hale said. This is why there is no need for affirmative action when projections as such in 10-15 years showcase a diverse Texas and high school graduates. Which then will represent Tech’s demographics in the future. While race is not a factor into a student’s admissions, Hale said that admissions job is to ensure students are academically prepared for success at Tech. “There’s several things that we look at. We look at their academic performance in high school, especially in our core subjects of English, math, science, social studies and foreign language. But we look overall at how that student performed academically in high school. Are they prepared?” Hale said.
Tech admissions looks at cognitive things like persistence, determination and grit, Hale said. In 2021, the fall-admitted class at around 52 percent came from a diverse background. While admissions do not use race and ethnicity as admissions, Hale said he thinks Tech has
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done a great job in representing students from all backgrounds and showing the opportunities that are available here at Tech. Tech as a whole does not use affirmative action, which means that a Techaffiliated college must follow the same policy. Ashley Langdon, the assistant
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Data collected from Texas Tech University Institutional Research.
dean of alumni relations and communications in the Texas Tech Law School said, the law school makes diversity admission efforts when it comes to race and diversity within the college. “They (School of Law) don’t use affirmative action. But when looking at applications, they do take in consideration of what this could bring or what the student could bring to Tech and whatnot,” said Langdon. According to the School of Law website, the Student Advisory Board provides support for traditionally underrepresented student populations and creates a supportive and collaborative environment for law students. The web page also states
that the alumni Special Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice provides resources to increase the awareness of race related issues on campus. “We publish an annual diversity report and it’s done just two years in a row. So it’s pretty new …,” Langdon said. “You can pull up those reports, they talk about some of the admissions efforts in that area.” Tech does not use affirmative action as a factor for admissions, but the university and individual colleges still aim to increase the diversity within these institutions so that they represent the current populations. @ChynaVargasDT
Tech provides different ways to report incidents By ARIANNA FLORES Editor-In-Chief
Since the start of 2022, five crime alert notifications were sent to the student body at Texas Tech regarding an incident that took place. These notifications are sent to all students in accordance with the Clery Act Alert requirements that are used to inform students of the risk and how to keep themselves out of harm's way.
Title IX relevant contacts and resources. The Title IX Administrator, Kimberly Simón, said once a report goes to the Title IX office, they handle things with care and want students to know
they have other options if they do not want to formal process. “We are not a legal process. So we try to use nonlegal language so we call the person who's bringing the complaint the complainant,” Simón said. ”Then we call (those receiving the complainant ) the respondents, just because they are responding to the charge. They're responding to the allegation. And really, it's because we try to make our process as least adversarial as possible.” The Title IX office has resources for both the complainant and respondents in helping them receive the appropriate help. “We want (respondent and complainant) to work with somebody like a counselor. Because that's really important,” Simón said. “Like, even if you get a disciplinary outcome that you want. If you're not addressing your well-being your mental health, your emotional health.” Under certain Title IX violations, they also fall under the
specific requirements of the Texas Tech Clery Compliance office. If a crime does meet the requirements of Clery crime, a notification will be sent to students. “The over arching premise of Clery is to provide notification to the community about things that are occurring. So that you can make decisions to maintain your own safety,” Chad Beights, the Texas Tech System Clery compliance director, said. These Clery Alerts are sent to all students on email or text message informing them of the situation that occurred. A Clery Act crime is only considered reported once someone of campus safety such as Campus security authorities or the Texas Tech Police are notified of the incident. Capt. Amy Ivey with the Texas Tech Police Department said students who know the resources available along with what to do if a crime occurs can help themselves and others. “The big thing is, you know,
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if you are a victim of a crime, we really encourage to report it to the police because it may help somebody else report,” Ivey said. “But if you don't feel comfortable, there's other resources on campus that they can go to.” On the back of every student ID there is a crisis hot line number that students can call during anytime to receive help regarding their mental health or an interpersonal violence crisis, according to the Crisis Intervention Services website. Students who are a complainant in terms of the Title IX office can report their incident at anytime, whether the incident occurred years ago or recently. “So even if something has happened in the past, and they didn't make a report and they'd like to report it now there's no like statute of limitations, right,” Simón said. “We have students who maybe something happened in their first year of college and they just didn't know who they
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SERVICES 50TH STREET CABOOSE Now hiring servers, hosts, game room and line cooks. Will train, flexible hours. Great opportunity to make money. College Night on Wednesday. $3 you‑call‑it whiskey. Free live trivia. Call 806‑796‑2240 to schedule interview.
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The Title IX offices are located in the Student Union Building and the Texas Tech Police department on 413 Flint Ave. For more information about the resources available to students see the Title IX website or Clery websites. @AriannaFloresDT
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could talk to where they could report.” According to the Clery website, an emergency notification regarding a crime will only be sent out if it is proved to be timely warning, generally a report within 14 days of the incident.
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