Daily Toreador The
FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2015 VOLUME 89 ■ ISSUE 124
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Longtime Tech Athletics employee dies of cancer Early on Friday morning, longtime Texas Tech athletic administrative assistant Jennie Bailey died. Bailey was in her 28th season of servBAILEY ing the Red Raider football team, according to the Tech Athletics website. “Jennie Bailey has meant so much to so many people during her years at Texas Tech,” coach Kliff Kingsbury said in a statement. “She was a mentor, a friend and a mother figure to everyone who was a part of our program. She will be dearly missed, always loved and never forgotten.” In March 2013, it was discovered that Bailey had stage IV brain cancer, according to her Facebook support page. She remained around the athletics department and had been battling ever since. The annual women’s clinic, hosted by Kingsbury, raised money for the Jennie Bailey Fund, according to a previous article in The Daily Toreador. Bailey was able to throw out the first pitch toward the end of the Red Raider baseball season. Tech is honoring her by showing her picture all day on the big screen at Jones AT&T Stadium, according to Tech Athletics. ➤➤@JeremyK_DT
Lubbock police accused of gender discrimination LUBBOCK (AP) — A federal review claims that the Lubbock Police Department discriminated against Hispanics and women in hiring probationary police officers. After examining multiple hiring cycles, the Department of Justice accused the police department of violating the 1964 Civil Rights Act with respect to its written and physical exam standards. But Chief Roger Ellis told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that he believes its hiring process is on par with other cities and that its current standards are necessary for the police force. According to the Justice Department letter sent to the city, Lubbock has “engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against Hispanics on the basis of their national origin and against women on the basis of their sex” regarding the hiring of probationary police officers. The letter states that since 2009, Hispanic applicants have had lower pass rates on exams compared to their white counterparts. Only 37 percent of women had passed a physical exam when an estimated 81 percent of men had passed the test. The department’s letter states a lawsuit is expected to be filed no later than August, but it encourages the city to participate in settlement negotiations to resolve the matter without litigation. City Attorney Chad Weaver said city officials are now reviewing the federal department’s investigation. City Manager James Loomis said that it only has been a few days since the city received the letter so it has spent most of its time reviewing the claims.
TALK, TEXT, CRASH Texas Department of Transportation begins annual campaign By SHASHIDHAR SASTRY Staff Writer
The Texas Department of Transportation launched its annual “Talk, Text, Crash” campaign earlier this month. TxDOT officials will be travelling across Texas for the rest of the month, educating and encouraging drivers to put away their mobile devices when behind the wheel. “It’s important to us because approximately one in five traffic accidents in Texas is caused by distracted driving, and we don’t see any improvement in this problem,” Dianah Ascencio, public information officer for TxDOT, said. In 2014, there were more than 100,000 traffic accidents in Texas that involved distracted driving, Ascencio said, which is an increase of 6 percent from 2013. In these crashes, 483 people were killed and more than 3,000 people were seriously injured, Ascencio said. “While most people agree that using their phone while driving is dangerous, we still have many of the same people that are taking calls, sending and receiving text messages, checking email and using their mobile devices for other things while they are driving,” she said. For several reasons, drivers using mobile devices put not only themselves but also other motorists at risk, Ascencio said. The reaction time doubles when drivers either receive or send text messages, Ascencio said. On average, texting takes the driver’s eyes off the road for nearly five seconds. At 55 miles per hour, that is the
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JAY CRAIN/The Daily Toreador
IN 2014, MORE than 100,000 traffic accidents in Texas involved distracted driving. The Texas Department of Transportation has launched its annual “Talk, Text, Crash” campaign to educate and encourage drivers to not use their phones while driving.
equivalent of driving through a football field blindfolded. It is best to turn off the phone or put the phone away before getting behind the wheel, she said. Drivers should also let their friends, family and coworkers know they will be unable to respond to
phone calls or text messages while they are on the road. If someone absolutely has to use his phone, it is best to pull off the road to a safe location before texting or talking, Ascencio said. Brian Romero, a junior philosophy
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and political science dual major from Garland, said TxDOT’s “Talk, Text, Crash” campaign seems to be great because people who text and drive will at least become aware of the issue. CAMPAIGN continued on Page 4 ➤➤
Tech students, CALUE volunteer across US By SHASHIDHAR SASTRY Staff Writer
The Center for Active Learning and Undergraduate Engagement at Texas Tech organizes service breaks, wherein Tech
students work together to assist communities across the U.S. and internationally through service and engagement activities. The first service break was offered by CALUE in December 2014, when students traveled to San Antonio and
participated in activities that included building and rehabilitating homes for refugee families from Burma. Since then, the program has come a long way, and will soon be offering its first international service break in Costa Rica.
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TEXAS TECH STUDENTS traveled with the Center for Active Learning and Undergraduate Engagement during a service break to El Paso, where they participated with Annunciation House: Border Awareness Experience. CALUE’s next volunteering opportunity will be in December, and students will travel to New Orleans and work with a nonprofit organization that helps Hurricane Katrina victims. ADVERTISING: 806-742-3384
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“We want them to go on these trips and not only have a good time and learn, but be able to come back and serve their own communities,” Jacy Proctor, unit coordinator of service learning at CALUE, said. Each year, CALUE offers two trips during the spring and one trip during the winter, Proctor said. The next trip will be in December when students will be traveling to New Orleans. Students will work with Project Homecoming, a non-profit organization that helps families whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Among other activities, students will be engaged in rebuilding homes for survivors, traveling to nearby areas and sharing stories with other volunteers and homeowners, Proctor said. During service breaks, students are required to maintain journals, Proctor said. Each night, students participate in group discussion activities where students reflect with their group and share the lessons they learned with each other. “This is just really important so that when students come back to campus, they can look back on what they thought they learned,” Proctor said. “If someone asked them a question about what they got out of the experience, they can remember.” The two service trips in Spring 2016 will be to Waco and Corpus Christi. Participants traveling to Waco will learn about world hunger and how it relates to everyone in their communities, Proctor said. They will also gain insight into other things such as how growing one’s own garden can be beneficial to both the individual and the community.
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