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MONDAY, AUG. 24, 2020 VOLUME 95 ■ ISSUE 1

LA VIDA

SPORTS

SGA president looks forward to upcoming year.

Red Raiders make improvements in long offseason.

Letter from the editor: New year, new DT.

OPINIONS

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VET SCHOOL

Tech vet school deans recall milestones, discuss next steps

By ADÁN RUBIO News Editor

After years of planning and almost a full year of construction, the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine continues to receive recognition as the fall begins.

From multiple faculty and staff members being hired this year to the Tech System Board of Regents approving different stages of the SVM’s establishment, the Tech vet school continues to grow with the expectation of hosting the first class in Fall 2021.

Guy Loneragan, SVM dean, said he hopes to begin the student application process for SVM this coming September or October after hearing from the accreditors.

The AVMA Council on Education conducted a site visit of the SVM at the end of June, and their report will be considered by the full council during their meeting at the end of August.

“We anticipate a favorable response from them,” he said, “and that response allows us to begin the application process.”

Construction of the vet school building remains on schedule, Loneragan said. There are plans to begin occupancy of the building before the students arrive.

Even though construction of the facility remains on schedule, the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic and its unknown impact in the coming years are factors that may pose risks for students.

Although, Britt Conklin, associate dean for clinical programs at the SVM, said he feels those involved in the SVM’s establishment currently are in a good place.

Vet school rendering courtesy of Texas Tech System Facilities Planning and Construction

A rendering of the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine at Amarillo shows what the facility’s entrance will look like upon completion. The initial class is set to start in Fall 2021.

“We feel pretty fortunate to not be forced to begin fall classes where everyone else is really having to develop contingencies,” Conklin, who was hired for his vet school position in February 2020, said. “We will as we begin next year if we see that things are still similar as they are this year, but we’re fortunate we can freely build the curriculum with little worry at this stage that we’ll be in the same predicament next fall.”

The pandemic has affected certain parts of the SVM’s development, such as interacting with potential faculty, John Dascanio, senior associate dean for academic and student affairs at the SVM, said.

“Quite a number of the faculty have taken jobs without ever coming to Amarillo,” Dascanio, who was hired for his vet school position in October 2019, said. “So, that’s certainly a unique aspect I have never experienced before.”

There are contingency plans in place in case the pandemic continues to be detrimental in the fall of 2021, Dascanio said.

“Even though we hope that there’s a vaccine next year, we have a lecture room that will hold 400 people,” he said, “and so our initial class of 60 can certainly be held in there with adequate social distancing even if we’re at 25 percent capacity.”

For students who may have to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dascanio said learning beyond the first year of the curriculum may be more difficult because students will be in smaller spaces as they progress.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic posing different health risks across the nation, Loneragan said the pandemic will not slow down the establishment of the SVM. “We’re planning to begin the application process, admit students to begin the program in the fall of 2021,” he said. “We certainly hope and are looking forward to delivering that in-person

to the best of our ability. If we have to adjust our plan in relation to social distancing and so forth, we have that flexibility to do so in the new building.”

Despite the risks that may arise from the pandemic, Loneragan said there are different milestones to look forward to as the fall progresses.

The approval from the accreditors is the biggest academic milestone, Loneragan said. The next milestone would be to begin reviewing the applicants for the SVM and later send offer letters to selected students.

SEE VET SCHOOL, PG. 7

FOOTBALL

Red Raiders make improvements in long offseason

By ZACH RICHARDS Sports Editor

Despite the COVID-19 layoff affecting teams in negative ways, members of the Red Raider football team used their time apart from the team to develop mentally and physically in preparation for the fall.

H o w e v e r, t h e o n - f i e l d e x perience available to the Tech football program would not be available without the aroundthe-clock medical staff supporting Tech Athletics.

“The staff, our trainers and our doctors, I’m very thankful for them,” Tech football head coach Matt Wells said. “They’ve done a tremendous job and put a lot of time and effort into this.”

In early June, Tech announced advanced medical protocols and safety procedures student-athletes would undergo upon their return to campus. The new system was called, “The return to campus plan” and was constructed in consultation with Tech’s sports medicine staff and team physician Dr. Michael Phy. Also, the plan was backed and certified by the City of Lubbock Health Department. The team began voluntary strength and conditioning workouts on June 15.

The new protocols included weekly COVID-19 tests, daily screening procedures, new social distancing guidelines and an array of other features that would, in turn, promote a healthy and safe athletic environment for student-athletes, coaches and staff around the Red Raider football program.

“We’re going to do everything right regarding the virus. We’re going to have a mix of virtual meetings, we will be wearing masks at all times,” Wells said.

“We’re focused on and keeping the facilities clean and spacing guys out. The meetings, the weight room, all of that has been well thought out, and I think we

have a really great plan.”

Now, the Red Raiders have taken the field in pads and are well into fall camp. They are actively training, lifting and competing as the football season gets closer.

Prior to taking the field, the Tech football team had an unprecedented offseason, like the rest of the world, in the wake of COVID-19. However, players, like senior defensive lineman Eli Howard, not only improved physically, but also in various mental aspects.

I’m excited to coach this team. I think we’re better. I know we’re better.

MATT WELLS TEXAS TECH HEAD COACH “During the break I really tried to look for a workout anywhere I could,” Howard said. “I think the time off also gave a lot of opportunity for the guys who want to go to the next level.

Time management, learning how to control all of this free time and learning how to build your day and getting in a routine was very helpful.”

Howard is coming off of a productive 2019 campaign where he continued his streak as a starter for the Red Raiders. In fact, Howard has the longest active streak among starting returners with 22 heading into his senior season.

Te c h o f f e n s i v e l i n e c o a c h Steve Farmer also expanded on the desire of Tech lineman to get stronger during the offseason.

“Landon Peterson goes to Lowe’s, and his dad texted me pictures of it, but he built his own squat rack for the garage,” Farmer said. “Will Ferra drove

to Houston, picked up a weight set and brought it to his garage here in town (Lubbock).”

After allowing the secondfewest sacks in Big 12 play last season, the Red Raiders appear to be working to become even better both individually and as a unit during their extended time off.

The willingness to get stronger over the offseason did not stop at the lineman either. Numerous other parts of the roster utilized their time effectively with the help of the strength staff.

“For every player they would make custom workouts for what the players had in their house,” redshirt sophomore quarterback Alan Bowman said. “The strength staff did a very good job planning it out for us.”

The long break helped out Bowman in multiple aspects, as he also spent the time recovering and healing from a collarbone injury which he suffered against Arizona last season that sidelined him for the entirety of what would have been his sophomore season.

“I can’t even feel the injury,” Bowman said. “I feel great and I’m excited. I gained a bunch of weight too, so I’m ready to rock and roll.”

As a whole, Wells said he was pleased with the way his team handled the unusual offseason and is optimistic about his unit moving forward.

“I’m excited to coach this team. I think we’re better. I know we’re better.” Wells said. “Fifty returning lettermen and I think many of them made strides during the quarantine period and over the summer.”

After the confirmation of a fall football season by the Big 12 nearly two weeks ago, the Red Raiders are ready to begin their new and improved “nine-plusone” football schedule, starting with non-conference opponent Houston Baptist on Sept. 12. @ZachRichardsDT

FILE PHOTOS/The Daily Toreador

TOP: Redshirt sophomore quarterback Alan Bowman prepares to receive the ball during the game against Montana State on Aug. 31, 2019, at Jones AT&T Stadium. The Red Raiders outlasted the Bobcats, 45-10. BOTTOM: Junior defensive lineman Eli Howard attempts to take down the opposing team’s quarterback during the game against The University of Texas at El Paso at 7 p.m. Sept.

7, 2019, at Jones AT&T Stadium. The Red Raiders defeated the Miners, 38-3.

2

BACK TO SCHOOL

AUG. 24, 2020

WWW.DAILYTOREADOR.COM

CAMPUS

Tech offers options for students seeking online course accommodations

By ADÁN RUBIO News Editor

As some students grow concerned of the health risks COVID-19 poses in the classroom, online classes continue to be a sought-out option.

At Texas Tech, a student with concerns for their health or who has underlying health conditions may have an in-person or hybrid course that has no alternative online options and may want to see what accommodations can be provided to take that course online. Depending on one’s situation, requesting that a class be taken online may be possible.

Rob Stewart, senior vice provost at Tech, said one should first talk to his or her academic adviser to determine alternate options.

“Just because a student doesn’t want to be around a lot of other students isn’t a reason for changing a course to online,” he said. “But the student might work with their adviser and find available online courses to take.”

If a student is wanting to change an in-person or hybrid course to online just based on their personal preferences, Stewart said that may not lead to any changes in how they can access the course material.

“If an individual student is asking for a course online, we just ask them to confirm with that instructor, and if they have a health or medical basis for it, they work with Student Disability Services,” he said.

Tech Student Disability Services will help identify if taking a course completely online is a reasonable accommodation for a student based on their health conditions, Stewart said.

James Whitfield, associate director of Student Disability Services, said there is an alternative classroom delivery format a student may be able to utilize depending on any health conditions they may have. Through SDS,

a student could be offered distance learning accommodations for a course based on current supporting information and documentation from a medical professional.

The alternative classroom delivery format is set for the fall semester and will be reviewed again in the spring, Whitfield said.

If the university thinks it is best to continue this option, then the format will remain in the spring.

On the SDS website, Whitfield said students can access an application to apply for services from SDS and upload necessary supporting documentation.

When applying for SDS services, Whitfield said there could be various disabilities or medical documentation that could warrant distance learning accommodations.

“We’re really looking at students who have immunocompromised situations or disabilities: asthma, breathing issues, chronic pneumonia, chronic illnesses, diabetes (and) heart conditions,” he said.

There may be other conditions unrelated to breathing, such as severe anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder, that SDS may consider in an application for accommodations.

In addition to students with health conditions applying for distance learning options and other accommodations through SDS, Whitfield said it also is common for students who do not have a disability to request certain accommodations.

These types of students typically request accommodations to avoid exposing their loved ones to COVID-19 or to change their one nononline course they have, Whitfield said. Although, there may not be many accommodations SDS can provide these students.

“Those are ones we can’t work with because they themselves don’t have the disability or the condition,” he said.

SDS will refer those students to their academic advisers to look for alternative class options and see if there are accommodations that can be made, Whitfield said.

Regardless of who reaches out to SDS and applies for services, Whitfield said the length of the process can vary, but one may expect longer response times during busier times of the fall semester.

“Our goal is to always reply to students within 24 hours, typically on a normal day,” he said. “But when we’re looking at the week before classes, during the first week of classes, we’ve got phone calls from hundreds of professors, emails from students and parents.”

During the first week of classes, Whitfield said a student should expect longer response times of around a few days.

Typically, students who have health conditions and need accommodations would have requested services from SDS months prior to the first week of school, Whitfield said. For those who had to make last-minute changes to their schedule and still want to apply for services, uploading the proper medical documentation will help quicken the process.

Even though documentation eventually would be needed, Whitfield said SDS does not want to discourage students who do not have medical documentation to reach out. Student Health Services and the Student Counseling Center are two services he said have been known to write diagnoses and provide documentation.

“I understand it could be costly but using those services here on campus might help,” he said, “and then we could probably do temporary accommodations to help a student get started.

After applying for accommodations through SDS, Whitfield said a student will be assigned a counselor

and can set up an appointment with them to possibly arrange accommodations.

“They would meet with the student, and then they would go through the entire process of how to request your letter of accommodation through our AIM System,” he said, “and our AIM System is just a management system that allows a student to go in and pick and choose their accommodations that they would like to use within a class they’re going to send the letter of accommodation to.”

Instructional videos regarding the process and the meeting between a student and SDS can be found on the SDS website, Whitfield said.

Once the student is allowed into the AIM System and is able to request letters of accommodation after the meeting, Whitfield said SDS will send the letters to a professor’s email regarding the accommodations a student needs for their class. A student’s medical information will remain confidential when the letters are sent to a faculty member.

“When we send this letter after they create it on AIM, then the student’s tasked to reach out to that professor, set up a time to meet with them, then go over those accommodations,” he said.

The meeting with the professor is meant to ensure the professor understands the accommodations a student needs and determining how to properly carry out those accommodations, Whitfield said.

Accommodations can look different for every student who goes through SDS, Whitfield said. Taking part in an independent study, utilizing live virtual lectures or studying online material at one’s own time are just some examples of how accommodations can be executed to promote distance learning.

“I believe the university as a whole understands the situation here and how

everybody can be different and how COVID-19 can affect each individual in a different way,” he said.

“I firmly believe the university is doing its best to work with all students in any capacity possible.”

If one is not able to receive accommodations through SDS, reaching out to one’s professor may be another way to receive distance learning accommodations.

Just because a student asks a professor if there are online options to their course, Stewart said there still is not a reason for a professor to be able to comply with that request.

For those students who may not have underlying health issues but perceive an issue with health protocols not being followed in the course, Stewart said there can be different steps to get the issue resolved. The university has provided the faculty with guidance and

asked them to be direct in managing certain situations.

“If a student has a concern about the safety of the classroom, they should probably first visit with the instructor and express their concern with something they see is lacking,” he said, “and that may be something that instructor was not aware of until a student raises the point.”

If the issue continues despite a student having a conversation with the instructor, Stewart said to visit with the department chair of the course or the Tech Office of the Provost.

When everyone follows the campus mask, social distancing and hygiene protocols, Stewart said the campus will be safer.

“We’re all in this together,” Stewart said, “and this is as much about taking care of each other as it is taking care of ourselves.” @AdanRubioDT

CAMPUS

University provides COVID-19 information on campus dashboard

By EMMA SIPPLE Copy Editor

Texas Tech has added information regarding recent COVID-19 cases over the past few days on the COVID-19 dashboard.

The COVID-19 dashboard, located on the Emergency Communications

Center page from the Office of Communications and Marketing provides information and updates.

In addition, Tech President Lawrence Schovanec announced the new online reporting platform Thursday, which can be used by students, faculty and staff, according to a letter from

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the Office of the President.

The platform allows for people to report a positive COVID-19 diagnosis by an off-campus medical provider, according to the office’s letter. It also includes a quick assessment tool, which can be used by faculty and staff to help screen people for COVID-19.

Users can use the quick assessment tool and answer three questions which will then give them a green, a yellow or a red indicator which faculty and staff can use to screen people before they enter building, according to the letter.

The platform can be accessed via a phone, tablet or computer and requires eRaider login information, according to the letter.

Contract tracers are working to identify those who were possibly exposed to COVID-19, which can help prevent and minimize the spread, according to the COVID-19 dashboard.

Students, faculty and staff are required to report possible COVID-19 exposures as well as positive COVID-19 results, according to the dashboard and university policy.

For those living on campus, University Student Housing has limited units available for students who have tested positive or came in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 to self-isolate, according to the dashboard.

Students who test positive and who live on campus may be encouraged to return home to recover, according to the dashboard. If he or she is unable to return home and an isolation unit is not available, Tech will work arrange temporary accommodations.

For more information, check the dashboard. @EmmaSippleDT

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AUG. 24, 2020

3

FACULTY AND STAFF

Tech implements staff changes upon starting fall semester

By MALLORY ROSETTA Managing Editor

As the fall 2020 semester begins, there have been changes to higher-up positions on campus students, faculty and staff should be aware of.

Deans

DUKES Earnstein Dukes Earnstein Dukes was announced as the new Dean of University Libraries on July 21, according to a release from the Office of the Provost.

Her appointment became effective on Aug. 1.

Dukes began her career at Tech in 2002 as a systems librarian, later moving up to the associate dean of libraries where she served for 11 years, according to the release. She also served as the interim dean during 2014 and 2015.

Dukes had previous experience at the University of Memphis, University of Texas at Dallas and the College Center for Library Automation in Tallahassee, according to the release. She also has had various leadership positions in the American Library Association and the Texas Library Association.

Dukes served in the Amigos Library Services Fellowship Committee, as well as multiple committees with University Libraries and on campus, according to Tech.

Since 2011, she has volun-

teered with Court-Appointed Special Advocates and also has been a mentor within the Mentor Tech program since 2002.

Tim Dodd Tim Dodd was announced as the new Dean of the College of Human Sciences on July 21, according to a release from the Office of the Provost. His appointment became effective on Aug. 1.

Dodd earned his Ph.D at Tech in 1994 and became an assistant professor in the department of hospitality and retail management in 1995, according to the release. He served as acting dean and interim dean of the College of Human Sciences prior to being announced as the dean.

Before coming to Tech, Dodd, a New Zealand native, worked with the New Zealand dairy industry and grape and wine growers from 1985-89, becoming more involved with the Texas wine industry when he moved here in 1990, according to Tech. He also served as president of the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association from 1996-97 as well as other leadership roles within the organization.

Since 2007, Dodd has had the James C. and Kailee M. Young Professorship and became a professor in 2008, according to the release. He has also served as the associate dean for administration

DODD

and finance since 2004.

Interim Deans Michael San Francisco Michael San Francisco was announced as the interim dean for the College of Arts and Sciences on June 4, according to Tech. He will begin his duties on Sept. 1 and will serve until a permanent dean is appointed.

SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco has served many roles at Tech, starting out as an assistant professor in biological sciences in 1990 and becoming a professor in 2004 before moving up to become the dean of the Honors College in 2014, according to Tech.

Currently, he serves as a professor of molecular microbiology and microbehost interactions in the College of Arts and Sciences, an academic adjunct professor in the Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology at the Tech Health Sciences Center, director of the Honor’s College’s Clark Scholars Program, co-director of the Center for the Integration of STEM Education and Research and an adviser to the vice president for research and innovation.

In the past, San Francisco has served as Honors College associate dean, interim vice president for research, associate vice president for research, interim chair of

biological sciences and director of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Science Education Program from 2005-2008, according to Tech.

With 30 years of teaching experience, San Francisco received the Hemphill Wells New Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award and was identified as a Provost’s Integrated Scholar and last year’s recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the Tech Alumni Association, according to Tech. He also was one of the founding members of the Teaching Academy and has served as an ad hoc reviewer for many funding agencies and scientific journals on multiple proposal review panels for the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

served as the director of the South-Central Region of the American College Dance Association from 2012-2018, recently being elected as the vice president for regional planning for the organization.

Formerly, Durham DeCesara was the chair of the Texas Commission on the

Genevieve Durham DeCesaro Genevieve Durham DeCesaro was announced as the interim dean for the J.T. and Margaret Talkington College of Visual and Performing Arts on June 4, according to Tech. She will begin her duties on Sept. 1 and will serve until a permanent dean is appointed.

Durham DeCesaro serves as a professor of dance and vice provost for academic affairs, according to Tech.

She has previously served as head of dance and associate chair of the Tech School of Theatre and Dance.

At Tech, Durham DeCesaro has been awarded the Alumni Association’s New Faculty Award, the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award, the President’s Academic Achievement Award, has been selected to be an Integrated Scholar and has a membership in the Teaching Academy, according to Tech. She also is a visiting evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Dance and

Arts Grant Review Panel, a board member on the Ballet Lubbock and Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts advisory boards and performs and choreographs with Lubbock’s Flatlands Dance Theatre, according to Tech.

the Eta Omicron Nu Distinguished Faculty Award. In 2019, she was named a 2019 Piper Professor, an honor only 10 professors in Texas are given.

Wong was selected as an Integrated Scholar by the Office of the Provost and received the Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching Award in 2015, as well the Texas Tech Inclusive Excellence Award in 2013 and the President’s Excellence in Diversity Award in 2015, according to Tech. She also received the Spencer A. Wells Creativity in Teaching Award, a President’s Teaching Excellence Professorship and the Texas Tech University Academic Achievement Award.

DURHAM DECESARO

Aliza Wong A l i z a Wo n g w a s a n nounced as the interim dean for the Tech Honors College on August 10, according to Tech. She will begin her duties on Sept. 1 and will serve until a permanent dean is appointed.

Wong has taught many courses in the department of history since 2001 and became a faculty member in a tenure-track position in 2002, according to Tech.

She has been awarded several distinctions, including the Phi Alpha Theta Distinguished Faculty Award, the Hemphill-Wells New Faculty Teaching Award, the Mortar Board Society’s Outstanding Faculty Award, the Alumni Association New Faculty Award, the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award and

WONG Wong is a two-time Fulb r i g h t S c h o l a r, h a v i n g been awarded a Fulbright Junior Scholar Research Award to Italy in 2005 and an earlier Fulbright graduate student research fellowship to Italy in 1999, according to Tech. She also was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Connections Planning Grant in 2019 to establish the HumanitiesDriven STEM program and a National Endowment for the Humanities Hispanic-Serving Institute Grant in 2020.

All headshots courtesy of Texas Tech @MRosettaDT

OPINIONS

Page 4 MONDAY, AUG. 24, 2020

EDITORIAL

@DailyToreador www.dailytoreador.com

Letter from the Editor: New year, new DT R

ed Raiders, welcome back to campus for the Fall 2020 semester, it’s good to see students, faculty and staff back on campus. My name is Chase Seabolt, and I am the Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Toreador this year.

When we left for spring break, we assumed we would still be having a print edition in the spring.

As an editorial board, we just assumed we would get a little bit extra on our

Chase Seabolt is a junior creative media industries major from Rowlett.

spring break. Turns out, we got a five and a half month break from being on campus.

Being gone from campus for so long allowed us to focus more on our online and social media presence. Knowing that

most college students get their news from social media and the internet led us to focus on it even more than we had before. With that being said, there will be a slight change to our print schedule this year.

We will print physical copies of our back-toschool issues on Aug. 24 and 27. However, starting the second week of school, we will only be printing once a week on Thursdays until further notice.

While it was not a deci-

sion we made lightly or happily, there are some positives it opens up for us.

With one print edition a week, we will be able to produce more in-depth package editions, and it will also allow for us to be able to create more interesting print editions.

We will also be able to focus more on our social media and online presence, while creating engaging content for everyone. You can stay up to date on Facebook (The Daily Toreador), Twitter (@

DailyToreador, @DT_Photo and @TheDT_Sports) and Instagram (@dailytoreador).

We will also be hosting a weekly podcast, The Matador Beat, starting next week, and will also have a weekly Raider Rundown to recap each week’s events featuring our Digital Content Manager, Madeline Diffee, as the host.

Although there will be many changes to our physical copy of the newspaper, we are looking forward

to revamping our online edition and are excited to keep Red Raiders upto-date on the latest campus news and events. As things continue to change on campus throughout the semester, we promise to deliver the news as quickly as possible.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at editor@ dailytoreador.com or call (806) 742-3395 @ChaseSeaboltDT

COLUMN

Taco Quest: A journey to find the best breakfast taco in Lubbock Ryan Stanton is a finance and management major from Kerrville.

Peyton Janssen is a finance major from Kerrville.

Whether it’s a jump start to a Saturday gameday, a night cap after a long crawl on Broadway or a snack to power you through a tough Monday, breakfast tacos have cemented their place as a staple food in the hearts of the fine people of Lubbock. The endless combinations of ingredients held together by a warm tortilla are a beacon of hope for the many souls that occupy west Texas. While they say variety is the spice of life, the variety of ingredient options for your choosing combined with the fact that the Texas Tech campus area alone has over 30 places that serve breakfast tacos can make choosing which taco is worthy of your hard earned money difficult.

Luckily for you, we have

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EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Chase Seabolt (806) 742-3395 editor@dailytoreador.com Managing Editor Mallory Rosetta managing@dailytoreador.com News Editor Adán Rubio news@dailytoreador.com La Vida Editor Natalie Cervantes features@dailytoreador.com Sports Editor Zach Richards sports@dailytoreador.com Opinions Editor Mateo Rosiles opinions@dailytoreador.com Multimedia Editor Autumn Bippert photo@dailytoreador.com Digital Content Manager Madeline Diffee online@dailytoreador.com Copy Editor Emma Sipple online@dailytoreador.com

BREAKING NEWS Email dailytoreador@ttu.edu, call (806) 742-3393 or tweet information to @DailyToreador.

CORRECTIONS The DailyToreador strives for accuracy and fairness in the reporting of news.

If a report is wrong or misleading, a request for a correction or clarification may be made by calling (806) 742-3393 or emailing dailytoreador@ttu.edu.

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION © Copyright 2020TexasTech University Student Media/The Daily Toreador. All DT articles, photographs and artwork are the property of The DT and Student Media and may not be reproduced or published without permission. The DailyToreador is a designated public forum. Student editors have the authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval.

taken it upon ourselves to try a breakfast taco from every single establishment within a 5-mile radius of Texas Tech and have compiled a 100 percent factually correct list of the flops as well as the champions of the breakfast arena. In an attempt to even the playing field, we decided to order the same control taco from each place before making a final judgment based on price, service and of course tastiness. The control taco is a heavy hitting taco that satisfies all your needs inside one fluffy tortilla. It consists of bacon, eggs, cheese, potatoes, and beans.

Some of the main categories we taste tested for included the structural integrity of the tortilla, the zest of the salsa and how the ingredients flowed together overall. (FYI we are not hired by any restaurant and have made our decisions as unbiased as possible.) #15 Raider Burrito Known for their incredible late night street tacos, Raider Burrito can be found a smooth .9 miles from campus right off of 19th street caddy-corner to Lubbock High School. That being said, it’s safe to say we had high expectations for their breakfast tacos based on the many times they have helped us nourish ourselves on a late night food run, but sadly all we were left with after ordering the control taco was a small version of something we could have made at home and a wallet that was nearly $7 thinner.

Overall rating 2.3/10 #14 Ranchito Burrito Located on 34th street between Slide and Quaker, a mere 2 miles from campus, Ranchito burrito was applauded by several online customers as the best in town, but after a significantly long wait we were rewarded

with nothing more than a store bought tortilla and some sloppily thrown together ingredients. While the price was easy on the wallet, the experience was not easy on the heart.

Overall rating 2.7/10 #13 Taqueria Autlan Praised by many for their lunch specials, Taqueria Autlan is located a cool 2.9 miles from Texas Tech. Usually their tortilla on their lunch tacos is fresh and homemade, but for some reason we were served our control taco on a less than stellar tortilla.

While the salsa was tasty and the overall experience was relatively nice, we were surprised to find out that Autlan’s full breakfast menu is only available on Sundays, which severely affected their overall score.

Overall rating 3.3/10 #12 Burrito Tower Coming in at the number 12 spot we have Burrito Tower, a colorful yellow building located off 34th street 2 miles from campus.

While some online review of Burrito Tower claim it to be the best in town, some of the local students of Texas Tech we interviewed had very little nice things to say about it. These conflicting reviews helped me put my preconceived bias aside and try the place myself. While the price is reasonable, the first thing that jumped out to us was the small size of the taco. Burrito Tower is guilty of using what we believe is a store bought tortilla, but their salsa was of good consistency and pleasurable to the pallet.

Overall rating 3.7/10 #11 Picantes A short 3.1 miles from campus, Picantes is reveled by many students to be the best in the game. With claims of a fresh tortilla and many options to choose, we

walked into Picantes with a sense of excitement. This energy was sadly not matched by the Picantes staff, and after a 15 minute wait my partner and I were left with some slightly below average breakfast tacos. That being said, the bang for your buck factor was present in this transaction, and I believe we got what we paid for. Maybe it was just an off day, but we personally believe Picantes did not live up to the hype.

Overall rating 4.8/10 #10 Josie’s Open 24 hours for pickup or delivery, and with multiple locations dotted throughout the city, Josie’s is known by many as a go-to for early birds and night owls alike.

Good prices and friendly staff really stood out to us at Josie’s, but beyond that is simply a regular breakfast experience. Nothing to complain about, nothing to write home about. Home-made tortilla and a pretty filling taco.

Overall rating 5.3/10 #9 Taqueria Guadalajara Even though the taste on this taco was on point, we were surprised to find our control tacos had been served on tortilla that was almost not large enough to contain the ingredients comprised in it. While Guadalajara is a goto lunch spot near campus on 19th street, we believe they could improve their score by using a larger tortilla.

Overall rating 5.6/10 #8 Nora’s Large and homemade, the Nora’s taco was at first sight a delicious spectacle. The salsa was homemade as well and very tasty, but halfway through the experience the tortilla began to rip and fall apart. This combined with the overuse of beans are what kept Nora’s from achieving a higher score.

Overall rating 5.9/10 #7 Amigos Located on 34th street,

Amigos is known for their friendly and quick service.

While their taco was fresh and had that homemade feel to it, the overall chemistry of the taco just wasn’t quite enough to push it into the top 5. With some improved salsa and a few changes to the proportions of the ingredients, we believe Amigos can find that “it” factor in the future.

Overall rating 6.7/10 #6 Polly’s Place Arguably the longest wait in Lubbock, we were expecting nothing but the best from Polly’s Place. Polly’s Place is 2.2 miles from campus and the tacos are priced fairly.

When we got knee deep in this taco, we noticed that Polly’s Place had a solid taco, but it lacked the chemistry needed to be the best.

Polly’s decided to give is very little bacon which I was not pleased with. It was sloppily thrown together and started to fall apart on us. Polly’s Place is solid but not the heavy hitter that we were expecting.

Overall rating 7.4/10 #5 Montelongo’s Located right off highway 84 north of campus, Montelongo’s is sure to make the drive worth it. Montelongo’s edged its way into the top five with a large bang for your buck taco with fresh ingredients and slightly above average salsa. Good consistency of ingredients and fast service despite a long line.

Overall rating 7.6/10 #4 Aranda’s Taqueria Praised by many for their excellent street tacos and burrito plated, Arranda’s had high expectations to live up to in the breakfast department. The combination of quick service and incredible homemade tortilla puts Arranda’s in the top-tier category of Lubbock breakfast tacos. While they were a bit heavy handed

with the cheese, we agreed that this place definitely has the “it” factor.

Overall rating 8.4/10 #3 Poliberto’s Taco Shop Found in East Lubbock across MLK Boulevard, this open-til-midnight (3 am on weekends) taco joint is elite.

Since originally starting this journey we have been back to Poliberto’s multiple times and have been consistently surprised with not only the portion sizes, but also the quality of Poliberto’s breakfast tacos. Arguably the biggest taco we tried, Poliberto’s is sure to leave you with a full belly and a smile, no matter what the time of day.

Overall rating 8.7/10 #2 Texas Burrito Not enough can be said about the consistent quality of Texas Burrito. Surprisingly, this was one of the few places neither of us had heard about before beginning the quest for the best. Although it is located right off 50th street, you might miss it if you don’t know what you’re looking for, but when you find it you are sure to be delighted with the friendly service, made from scratch taco, and deliciously spicy salsa.

Overall rating 9.1/10 #1 Burrito King The name says it all. Winning the crown in the bang for your buck category as well as the salsa category, Burrito King claims the top spot. The line at Burrito King was longer than any other and after one bite we both understood why. This is as authentic as it comes, and with a location on 17th and Ave Q and a bright pink building, it is hard to miss. For a solid allaround breakfast experience, you need look no further.

Overall rating 9.3/10

@DailyToreador

COLUMN

Tech’s future remains uncertain in new semester

This pandemic messed up every aspect of our lives and it still is. Even though students are back on campus, life still feels like life is stuck in place.

Don’t get me wrong, this pandemic is still to be taken seriously, but I’m waiting for normalcy to return and for life to resume. This pandemic still continues to take everything from us. Our jobs, our friends and in my opinion, our school again.

Classes just started this week, and life is slowly moving forward but for how long? How long until Tech closes like the University of North Carolina? How long until life just stops again?

Our president at Tech, Lawrence Schovanec, and his administration have done everything in their power to ensure all students at Tech have a safe return to campus and class-

LETTERS The Daily Toreador welcomes letters from readers. Letters must be no longer than 300 words and must include the author’s name,

Mateo Rosiles is a junior journalism major from Lubbock.

es. Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope has ensured the city several times that they are doing everything they can to make sure the city

d o e s n ’t h a v e t o s h u t down again.

It feels amazing to be on campus with students again. At the end of Spring 2020 semester I got the privilege to be given the opportunity to take over the opinion’s section as an editor for this publication, The Daily Toreador. I was also given the opportunity to work on campus while everyone was still working from home. It was very strange to see campus so dead; no students or fac-

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.

ulty. Tech just didn’t feel like Tech; it didn’t have the vibrant life it’s known for. However, now that everyone is back, I fear that Tech is about to become a desolate place once again.

Over the few weeks Tech has been and started their free COVID-19 testing on campus, we’ve reported over a hundred cases already. With in person classes starting this week, I think we are going to see those numbers rise dramatically. Like I said, President Schovanec is doing everything he can to keep those numbers down, but there is only so much that can be done.

This virus is still so new.

I had the pleasure to be a part of the City of Lubbock COVID press conferences over the summer.

Our very own Dr. Ronald Cook from the Tech Health Science Center is the lo-

cal health authority for Lubbock kept stressing to the public that this virus is still so new. That the medical community is still studying it and learning how it works.

After sitting in on those press conferences and seeing what’s going in with other universities, I just don’t know if Tech will s u r v i v e t h i s s e m e s t e r.

Also, students need to be smart and be cautious of what they are doing but how likely do you think students will do that? We are college students who have been quarantined for the past six months. All we did was online classes, Netflix and sleep.

We are back with our friends, and we want to have fun and catch up with them. To those who want to scoff and say we are being reckless, remember you were a col-

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.

lege student. You made stupid decisions, and you had fun. We don’t get that, everything is closed or limited to certain activities. We can’t be with more than 10 of our friends unless we register the event with the city. To say the least, this and next week will determine what our semester and student’s social life will look like.

Whatever this semester will hold for us, welcome back to campus.

This page serves as the open forum for students to discuss whatever is impacting them. You can always submit a column to opinions@dt.com or reach out to me. As always, stand united under the Double T and sing the Matador Song with pride, Wreck ‘Em. @MateoRosilesDT

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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AUG. 24, 2020

5

PROFILE

SGA president looks forward to upcoming year

By AMANDA HAMPTON Staff Writer

Texas Tech Student Government Association President Hunter Heck has a unique role this year in representing the interests of the student body.

Heck, a senior Spanish and philosophy major from Panhandle, said she decided to become involved with SGA because she loves being able to interact with students, learn about their needs and be able to create change on campus to address those needs.

“It’s really sweet to be able to represent those around you and care for them in such a unique capacity that doesn’t exist in other areas of campus,” Heck said.

Heck made the decision to run for president to make the school safer and more inclusive while making sure all students were appropriately represented, she said.

Klay Davis, a senior animal science major from Florence, Texas and, internal vice president of SGA, said Heck has an authentic approach to representing the student body.

“She truly does care about each and every person she comes into contact with and wants to hear their needs and concerns,” Davis said. “She’s a great listener and loves to address problems that the student body may have.”

During her time at Tech, Heck has had the opportunity to be involved in a variety of student organizations to help her prepare for being president.

Heck said she has been on the all-girl cheerleading team, involved with the Honors College and worked in the United States Senate in addition to other involvements.

“Being a cheerleader allowed me to understand what it meant to represent something greater than my-

Photo courtesy of Hunter Heck

Hunter Heck, a junior philosophy and Spanish major from Panhandle, will serve as student-body president for the Texas Tech Student Government Association for 2020-21. self,” Heck said. “It pushed me to understand the weight of my role and what it means to represent the students and to know the title I bear isn’t me.”

Being involved in the Honors College allowed her to have conversations she had not had before which

helped her widen her views on the world. These conversations led her to love the opportunity being president would give her to represent the people of Tech, she said.

Faisal Al-Hmoud, a junior economics and finance major from Lubbock and SGA external vice president,

has worked closely with Heck while serving in SGA’s executive branch.

“Her forte is understanding people and what they’re thinking and understanding people come from different areas and backgrounds,” Al-Hmoud said.

O n e o f H e c k ’s m o s t unique responsibilities as president is representing the viewpoints of students in meetings pertaining to Tech, she said.

“It’s an honor to be able to bring the thoughts of the students and interests of the students to the table in conversations where I’m the only one doing that,” Heck said.

The term SGA is using for the year is “Forward Together,” Heck said, The primary goal for SGA right now is to create a sense of unity for students and provide assistance for navigating COVID-19.

Other goals for Heck and

SGA include a restorative justice program in regard ,to racial justice on college campuses, allowing the use of dining dollars off-campus and a safe bar program that will establish training for employees to recognize signs of sexual assault, she said.

“The plans that I am most excited for are pertaining to the restorative justice curriculum, and I think that that really addresses a bigger conversation that’s being held nationwide,” Heck said. “A restorative justice curriculum has proven to increase a sense of community on campuses.”

Heck plans to graduate in May 2021, and she is currently in the process of applying to law school, she said.

“If everything worked out the way I would love for it to, I’d be a federal judge, you know, 30 to 40 years from now,” she said. @AmandaHamptonDT

CAMPUS

SGA executive officers provide updates on upcoming initiatives for fall semester

By MATEO ROSILES Opinions Editor

Due to COVID-19, operations at the Student Government Association have changed to accommodate the new climate students live in. Hunter Heck, will serve as the student-body president for the 2020-21 academic school year.

For new students or for those who aren’t familiar with SGA, it is the student-body government on campus that is tasked to be the representatives to the students and academic colleges to the administration. Heck said, They also encourage students to participate within SGA through various programs, Heck said.

“In First Year Council, where students have the opportunity to

be elected by their peers and be assigned to a mentor within the Student Senate so they can understand the legislative process”, said Heck.

Students have to be elected by their resident hall peers in late September to join this program, Heck said. This program is only available to first year students as well is the First Year Leadership Association.

“An application and interview process through which 14 students will be selected to actually work as interns for the executive officers,” said Heck when talking about the First Year Leadership Association.

Another SGA program that is available to non-first year students is the Ambassador

Program, Heck said. Students in this program represent SGA in student organizations and are the face of SGA. Applications for the Ambassador Program are due on September 28, for more information visit: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/sga/ Klay Davis, internal vice president, said the student senate consists of 78 students representing their respective colleges.

They are tasked with setting this legislative term agenda and passing legislation.

“This semester, we’re going to operate these students in it in a hybrid fashion,” said Davis, “Where senators have the option to meet virtually if they do not feel comfortable fulfilling their physical seat in the chamber.”

Davis also said they plan on splitting up senators into groups, where one comes into the chamber and the others join the meeting via Zoom. The first SGA Senate meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. and will occur every other Thursday at that.

Traditionally, senate meetings were open for students to sit in the chamber to speak at the open forum. However, students won’t be able to do that unless they have reached out to Davis beforehand.

“However, we will also be broadcasting these meetings on a platform, Zoom obviously, and those meetings will be broadcasted publicly,” Davis said. @MateoRosilesDT

Photo courtesy of Hunter Heck

From left to right Hunter Heck, Faisal Al-Hmoud, Charles Ramey II and Klay Davis will serve as the student-body president, external vice president, graduate VP and internal VP respectively.

6

BACK TO SCHOOL

AUG. 24, 2020

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TUITION

Schovanec discusses reduction of tuition

By MATEO ROSILES

tation fee, Schovanec said.

“Our reductions in fees charged to students for the fall, the fall alone, will represent a loss of $13.3 million to the university,” Schovanec said, “but we felt it was the right thing to do.”

Opinions Editor

COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of students lives this semester, from personal to financial.

Wi t h s t u d e n t s r e t u r ning to campus this fall semester, tuition prices were on every student and parents’ mind.

Texas Tech tuition saw some reductions in fees but not in actual tuition.

President Lawrence Schovanec, President of Texas Tech University, said that Tech’s tuition is set two years before the academic starts by the Board of Regents based on the recommendation given by the Office of the President.

This year’s average tuition was $11,600 of tuition and fees for 30 hours of coursework, $6,300 for housing, $3,600 for meals, with books being around $1,200, according to the President.

“Even though the board approves fees and tuition, our decision to eliminate

Tuition Fees • • •

FILE PHOTO/The Daily Toreador

Lawrence Schovanec, president of Texas Tech, discusses the year ahead and the progress Tech has made over the last decade. Schovanec is entering his fifth year as president. certain fees during Summer I, Summer 2, and then in the fall was a decision we made in the President office,” Schovanec said, “We informed

the board but did not seek their approval” Such fees students saw removed for their tuition this summer were the Student Athletics fee and

Distance Learning fee as stated in a letter from the president in July. Students can also elect to pay the Recreation Center fee and the Parking and Transpor-

Athletic Fee - $61.20 Distance Learning fee - $35.00 per hour Student Recreation Fee - $100.00

During the summer sessions, the university saw a loss of $5.3 million, he said. The administration understands these are unprecedented times and are listening to concerns of students and parents.

Schovanec said not all students will see the same amount of reduction in tuition. The reason for this is students are still receiving face-to-face instruction and will see little reduc-

tion in fees than those taking online classes.

“We’ve increased financial aid from 2016 by 24 million dollars,” Schovanec said, “This year we will be distributing 350 million dollars, that includes loans, but I think scholarships are about half of that.”

Noel Sloan, Chief Financial Aid Officer and Vice President for Administration and Finance, said that the university also received around $13 million from the CARES Act to the 21,000 students who applied for assistance President Schovanec said that Tech’s tuition and fees is well below the national average. Sloan went on to say that we are in the bottom third of the Big 12 Conference in regards to tuition and fees.

“We’ve effectively provided a tuition and fee reduction by reducing our charges by over 18 million dollars,” Schovanec said. @MateoRosilesDT

RECYCLING

Student Housing Recycling Center remains closed

By AUTUMN BIPPERT Multimedia Editor

The Texas Tech University Student Housing Recycling Center will remain closed despite the reopening of campus for the fall semester.

During the summer, the Recycling Center announced in a press release that it will be closed indefinitely.

Sean Duggan, managing director of University Student Housing, said since 2009, University Student Housing has managed a recycling center for both the Tech and Lubbock community.

The center was open to the

public and did not require recyclables to be separated before drop-off Duggan said. He said throughout the year, it sorted and recycled hundreds of tons of material including uncommon material, such as glass and foam.

“We began this service because we wanted to fill a need and be environmental,” Duggan said. “It used to be very difficult to recycle on campus, so we wanted to provide this service to fill that need.”

Student Housing decided to close the Recycling Center because of budget issues, Duggan said. Since the Recycling Center sorts recycled material themselves, Student Housing hires the staff that sorts the ma-

terials for processing. He said it cost around half a million dollars a year to run the recycling center.

Any money made from recycling or through donations, Student Housing used for housing scholarships, Duggan said.

Typically, housing was able to give around $50,000 a year in scholarships to students.

With reimbursement pricing for recycling at an alltime low, Duggan said some products, such as glass, costs money to recycle.

“Besides safety during the sorting, we didn’t have the budget to keep the recycling center,” Duggan said. “Housing had to refund around $8.5 million this year because of campus closing

for COVID-19, so it just made sense to close the center.”

Even with the recycling center closing, Duggan said there still are a number of sustainability efforts at Tech.

Grounds Maintenance makes mulch for use on campus and promotes efficient water use, Custodial Services and Student Housing utilizes green cleaning procedures, products and equipment to minimize the use of chemicals and water, Red Raider Shred shreds and recycles documents for different departments and many other efforts on campus.

With the Recycling Center closed, Duggan said he encourages the community to use the City

of Lubbock recycling locations.

However, Duggan said the city’s recycling locations differ from Tech’s in some respects, as the City of Lubbock does not sort recycled items and requires them to be sorted prior to drop off and does not accept glass or foam.

There are 10 recycling locations available in the City of Lubbock.

According to the City of Lubbock’s waste management website, locations that accept tin, aluminum, newspapers, computer paper, cardboard and plastics type 1, 2, clear, color and opaque include Southside at 1631 84th St., Northside at 208 Municipal Drive, South Milwaukee at 7308 Milwaukee Ave. and

North Quaker at 4307 Adrian St. The satellite locations that accept tin, aluminum and plastics type 1, 2, clear, color and opaque include United Supermarkets at 2630 Parkway Drive, Market Street at 4425 19th St., Market Street at 3405 50th St., United Supermarket at 8010 Frankford Ave., LP&L McCullough Substation at 2901 Elgin Ave. and North Ridge Elementary at 6302 11th Place.

For more information, visit the City of Lubbock recycling solutions website.

“We hope to maybe provide this service again in the future when it makes sense to reopen,” Duggan said. @AutumnBippertDT

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AUG. 24, 2020

7

VET SCHOOL

CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 Dascanio has previous experience helping to start a new school, working through the accreditation process, building a curriculum and more, he said.

“We’ve got to design the curriculum, so we’re working on what our graduate outcomes will be,” Dascanio said. “So, what would you like a veterinary student to be at graduation? Then using those skills and knowledge to design the curriculum backwards if you will.

So what’s your end product and how do you get there?”

The admissions process for the vet school is different from other schools, as a lot of non-academic metrics are being considered when selecting students, Dascanio said.

“Our mission is to serve rural and regional Texas,” he said, “and so we’re looking for folks to align with that mission in service to rural and regional Texas and trying to figure out how to go about interviewing people to determine that.”

The admissions and curriculum-building process is going strong for the SVM, Dascanio said.

The SVM’s program will take four years to complete, Dascanio said. During the first three years, students will learn necessary skills and participate in labs.

The fourth year consists of more practical learning at a veterinary teaching hospital or in a distributed veterinarian learning community, Dascanio said.

The SVM program will not have a veterinary teaching hospital, such as the one at Texas A&M. “But we will have our students out in private practices working with veterinarians throughout the state of Texas for that senior clinical year,” he said.

Regarding the clinical aspect of the curriculum, Conklin said his role is to help bridge the preclinical years of vet school and the last year of vet school, which is actually distributed in partnering clinics.

While members of the SVM are building the academic portion, Conklin said the clinical aspect also is in progress.

“Because we will be distributing those students

Photo courtesy of Guy Loneragan, Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine dean

Construction of the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine continues at 7671 Evans Drive in Amarillo near the Tech Health Sciences Center Amarillo campus. The SVM will expect its initial class of about 60 students in Fall 2021. out, we have to go find practices that will partner with us for that last year of instruction,” he said. “So, we’re building that big community as we speak.”

The SVM staff is working to vertically integrate the curriculum, Conklin said.

“What I mean by that is we’re getting input from our partners and some clinical influence to help design the curriculum,” he said.

In addition to developments of the curriculum, the SVM’s faculty and staff has grown over the past year.

Each new member of the vet school could provide a different set of skills which may be necessary for a student’s learning experience at the school.

There needs to be faculty members who have the knowledge necessary to teach the initial class, Loneragan said.

“The goal of the current hiring plan is to make sure that we have all the faculty expertise to be able to begin delivering the curriculum to the students,” he said.

The faculty hiring process is mostly complete, but there are areas of expertise that still need to be filled, Loneragan said. Some of these areas include animal behavior, veterinary microbiology and food animal production medicine.

There currently are a little over 20 vet school faculty members and around

five vet school staff members, Dascanio said.

“We’ll eventually get up in the 60s for faculty and probably close to the 40s for staff,” he said. “So, we still have a ways to go in our hiring plan.”

Faculty selected for the SVM are coming from all across the United States, Dascanio said.

We certainly hope and are looking forward to delivering that in-person to the best of our ability.

GUY LONERAGAN SVM DEAN For the first class, Dascanio said the size should be around 60 students. The second year should consist of 80 students, and the third year should have 100 students and stabilize at 100 students.

Along with the new faculty and staff members, one may wonder what the finished construction project may bring for the first class of students.

Conklin looks forward to the construction of the SVM and the amenities it will bring, he said.

“We have some unique teaching areas, both in classrooms themselves and in specific laboratories,” Conk-

Vet school rendering courtesy of Texas Tech System Facilities Planning and Construction

A rendering of theTexas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo depicts a courtyard at the main facility. The vet school’s first class of students is expected to start in the fall of 2021.

lin said. “We have a purposebuilt school, so we designed the curriculum and the building together, and when you do that you can really finetune the facility for the type of teaching environment.”

Whether it be the selection of faculty and staff from across the nation or the opportunities the SVM could provide incoming students, one may wonder how the Tech vet school will stand out in the state as Fall 2021 approaches.

There are two reasons Dascanio said why the vet school stands out in the state: affordability and accessibility.

“The tuition and fees are set at $22,000,” he said. “If you look across the United States at schools, outof-state tuition is two or three times that amount, so $40,000 to $60,000 per year, whereas ours will be $22,000 per year for tuition and fees.”

There are about 600 students in Texas who want to attend a veterinary school each year, Dascanio said.

The vet school at Texas A&M will take about 160 to 170 of those prospective veterinary students, while the Tech vet school may take about 100 students.

Together, those accepted students make up roughly half of the students who want to attend vet school, Dascanio said. The SVM is providing an in-state opportunity for Texas residents to go to vet school.

“Again, looking at that rural and regional Texas and thinking about those students and being able to provide an opportunity for them who come from those backgrounds and align with the mission of the school is going to be very important,” Dascanio said regarding the accessibility aspect.

In addition to how affordable the SVM may be for students and the learning opportunities it could provide prospective veterinarians in the area, the impact of the SVM in parts of the state, West Texas specifically, is an idea that has been considered alongside the school’s development.

Even amid the COV-

ID-19 pandemic, Conklin said there still is a great need for veterinarians. “ Ve t e r i n a r i a n s h a v e been busier than they ever have been through the pandemic,” Conklin said, “and so the need for those veterinarians has increased, the need for graduates has increased. So, I think we alleviate it by providing, as time goes on, a very competent pool of people who can go directly into practice and help the already overwhelmed veterinarians in the state.”

Texas is a growing state, and there is demand for

veterinarians all over the state, Loneragan said.

Words cannot describe the excitement to be a part of the SVM program, Loneragan said. There have been great faculty members that left promising careers to be a part of this program and fulfill its mission.

“Being a second veterinary school in the state of Texas really allows that luxury of focusing on a much narrower mission,” he said, “and our mission is how we better serve the rural and regional communities all over Texas.” @AdanRubioDT

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AUG. 24, 2020

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TECHNOLOGY

Information Technology updates operations

By EMMA SIPPLE Copy Editor

With classes and other parts of campus now online, Information Technology has updated Texas Tech’s online operations and infrastructure.

“Our infrastructure was already quite robust,” Sam Segran, chief information officer and vice president of Information Technology, said. “But just to be on the safe side, we did increase our bandwidth. But it was really as a precaution. Because mostly, as we went off campus, we have already a lot of programs on cloud services like Blackboard, or 365, Teams, all of this actually off the cloud.”

Blackboard was hosted through the Tech site but was moved offsite to the cloud a few years ago, Justin Louder, associate vice provost, interim superintendent of eLearning and academic partnerships, said.

“But then we moved to offsite hosting, which re-

ally increased our capacity to have more users on it, more active users going in at one time,” Louder said.

“So, actually, even before the pandemic shift in the spring, we have plenty of capacity to manage all of the usage at Texas Tech University in general. So, when the shift happened, we really didn’t have to do anything major to our Blackboard systems to take on the additional load.”

Tech also purchased Zoom licenses to provide more security for calls, Segran said.

In addition to the licenses, IT and the Student Government Association have teamed up to expand Wi-Fi extensions around campus, Segran said.

“One of the things I’ve created is an online map interactive map that will show where all the outdoor Wi-Fi is going to be on campus based on input from SGA,” Segran said. “And you can see a green, that means we already have Wi-Fi capability out there. If you see a yellow,

that means we’re waiting on equipment to come in and installation throughout the semester as that comes up.”

Outdoor Wi-Fi areas include the space between the Student Union Building and the library, parking lots and the space near the English and philosophy buildings, Segran said. As more locations are set up, they will be added to the map.

Another update is creating a moveable cart with camera and microphones for synchronous and hybrid learning, Segran said.

“We are assembling mobile carts that they can move into that location and still be able to do a synchronous learning so that that’s one of the other things that’s being worked on,” Segran said.

IT also updated the Wireless Everywhere Print Anywhere system, Segran said.

“We created a touchless environment for that using an app base,” Segran said.

“So, they don’t actually have to push buttons to get the print outs and stuff.”

AUTUMN BIPPERT/The Daily Toreador

Information Technology’s walk-up help desk stays open for business in the basement of the Student Union Building in room 010. Look up the schedule for IT and technolgy help on IT’s Help Central page.

IT purchased a license from Adobe for faculty and staff to have a paperless document-signing system, Segran said.

IT and Tech also have worked to create the COVID-19 reporting platform, Segran said. Students answer three questions and get a green, yellow or red check mark. If a student gets yellow

or red, it allows them to do a full screening and places them in contact with healthcare workers.

With a number of operations now online, Segran said it was important for students to be wary of scammers.

“The other (thing) that we want to at least remind students is the fact that we are going online and

working from home, the dangers of cybercrime are still there,” Segran said. “Hackers are still there... We just want to advise that students still be careful because people are now using the COVID buzzwords to try to send your phishing schemes to students and staff.” @EmmaSippleDT

ONLINE LEARNING

Routines, communication assist online learning success

By EMMA SIPPLE Copy Editor

Due to COVID-19, Texas Tech will have more online classes this semester. The classes have different challenges for students.

“The biggest tip that I would give students is that, many times, students think online, hybrid, asynchronous, synchronous, whatever you may call it, is easier than in-person classes, and it’s not,” Justin Louder, associate vice provost & interim superintendent of eLearning and Academic Partnerships said. “Many times, online class es take more work for the student because they have to manage their time.”

Students should take some time to fill out a calendar or app with all their due dates at the beginning of the semester, Louder said.

Blocking off the same amount of time one would have in a faceto-face class for online classes can help students stay on top of

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their work, Louder said.

“I think what a lot of students think is that they can cram an entire week’s worth of online work in a very short amount of time. You can’t do that,” Louder said. “The best bet is to plan, you know, multiple sets of time throughout the week. So, maybe say every day at 4 p.m., they’re going to sit down and they’re going to look at all of their online classes and they’re going to respond to the discussion boards.”

Even as students’ schedules change from week to week as things come up, it is important to have time blocked off to work, Louder said.

Charles Crews, an associate professor of educational psychology and leadership, said forming routines and setting times to work are beneficial for online learning.

“You can chunk your time into 10-minute increments,” he said. “If you want to be super organized, you know, 10-minute

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Online classes also can make it difficult for students to catch up once they have fallen behind due to their fast pace.

“So, a couple of things I would recommend if a student feels like they are getting behind, take advantage of the faculty members’ office hours, reach out to your faculty member via email or Skype or Zoom or whatever they’re using and ask to sit down and meet with them and then sit down and talk to them,” Louder said.

For those struggling, Crews said checking in and getting help from resources both at Tech and the community could be beneficial.

“I definitely recommend that if they’re ever felt like they needed counseling before, now’s the time just to check in with someone because it’s not that they’re weak at all,” Crews said.

“It’s that we’re learning how to cope in a new way with something that’s totally foreign to us.” @EmmaSippleDT

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increments to where you take a break every 10 minutes or every 20 minutes.”

He said to do as much as possible in that time, and then take a break.

“I think finding what works for you and then the other things in your life that you have to get done,” Crews said. “So, prioritize and tell the people around you what you’re doing, and ‘please don’t disturb me during this time. Please try to keep people away from me.

Keep, you know, phones away from me,’ whatever it is.”

Becoming an active learner and staying motivated can help in hybrid and online classes, Crews said.

For hybrid classes, Louder said to stay engaged when on the synchronous side of the classroom by asking questions and not opening up Facebook or other websites.

Louder sees students having trouble with adjusting to online classes all the time, he said.

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AUG. 24, 2020

9

CAMPUS

Tech implements new attendance policies

By ZACH RICHARDS Sports Editor

The school year is just a few days out, but during the time off, the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic changed a lot of rules, policies and regulations that altered campus life for all members of Texas Tech.

Over the summer, Tech released a statement, like many other higher-level institutions, implementing a mixture of face-to-face, hybrid and online courses.

Al o ng w ith th e ne w style of courses, in order to try and promote a safe and healthy learning environment, instructors across campus have renovated their attendance policies to deter from any COVID-19 related issues in the classroom.

Oftentimes instructors take attendance and implement penalties for non-excused absences. The argument of what differentiated an excused absence versus a non-excused absence in previous years was very distinct, and the University Student Handbook clearly stated what constituted both.

Sophomore engineering major Angelo Odhiambo spoke on the relatively strict past of attendance.

“It was a chore to go through the process of missing class, excused or not.” Odhiambo said.

“Not only did you have to spend time reaching out to departments, but I oftentimes had to reach out to another student to give me notes because the teacher wouldn’t provide them until I went through the process of the absence being passed as excused, and by then, I was already in a deep hole of classwork and lectures to catch up on.”

Missing classes is frowned upon campuswide, but the consequences of missing class, even if excused, often come with baggage. Students know this, and have had a history of trying to fight through illness or flu-like symptoms to simply avoid the hassle of missing classes due to grade damage.

However, one student who ignores his or her symptoms at a time like this could be detrimental to the whole campus.

Justin Keene, an assistant professor of journalism and electronic media, explained numerous steps he’s taking to try and combat the issue of students fighting through illnesses.

“Historically, I’ve given students three free absences, and every absence after that is half of a letter grade.” Keen said. “However, this semester, what

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A professor teaches a class of students at 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, in the Agricultural Sciences Building.

I said is that I’m going to take attendance, but I’m not going to penalize for missing. Instead, I’m going to offer my lectures via stream.”

Given the situation that we’re in this semester, I don’t think attendance is a worthy metric of engagement.

JUSTIN KEENE ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF JOURNALISM AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA Keene emphasized the need for student safety over any other aspect of teaching at this point in time. He explained that he would rather have students miss out on a few aspects of face-to-face engagement if it were to mean safety for the class.

In that, Keene has adapted and introduced measures such as options to stream lectures from home and an increased flexibility in regard to attendance policies detrimental to student’s grades, all in the hopes of deterring the spread of COVID-19 around campus.

“Given the situation that we’re in this semester, I don’t think attendance is a worthy metric of engagement...and for hybrid courses, I’m just saying to my students, ‘hey, we meet face-to-face,

I would love for you to be there, but if you can’t make it. It’s going to be live streamed’” Keene said he also will be moving to make outof-class aspects easier for students; such as lecture notes, past lectures and other materials vital to student learning that might have not been picked up during class time.

In Keen’s new policies, he did address that students might lean more towards taking the route to stream the lecture online even if the hybrid class is in the face-to-face portion.

However, he expressed the positives to both in-person and online lectures.

“At any given point that I have a face-to-face meeting in my hybrid

courses, it’s only half of the class meeting anyw a y, ” K e e n e s a i d . “ S o if half of the half opt to stream the course online, it just makes it that much easier to social distance in the classroom.”

With the new policies in place to promote a safer and more accessible learning environment from home, there still stands the chance that a student may test positive for COVID-19, Rob Stewart, senior vice provost at Tech, said.

Unlike normal day-today illnesses, test results for COVID-19 could be delayed for up to a week, and if a student is showing symptoms, a week of no class and no confirmed diagnosis could be very detrimental from both a

learning and grade standpoint, he said.

However, Tech has taken all measures into consideration when a student is showing symptoms of the virus, he said.

“If a student is feeling poorly without any specifically defined symptoms other than a headache, nausea or a fever, we’re suggesting that instructors excuse that as an illness-based absence.”

Stewart said.

This implementation essentially decreases the need for students to fight through illness-based symptoms to ensure the safety of the university as a whole, he said.

Erring on the side of caution would not be frowned upon, and if a

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student is showing symptoms, they ought to remain home, Stewart said.

For example, if a student were to get tested after showing signs of COVID-19 and undergo the process of not attending face-to face meetings, yet the test results came back negative, Stewart said more leniency would be given towards the student after self-quarantine procedures.

However, even if a student is self-isolating, they are still expected to complete all given coursework and lectures are to be attended from home, as provided by the instructor.

O ne of the most vital aspects of this entire process will be communication from student to teacher, he said. If a student is showing symptoms, it is pertinent to let the instructor know as soon as possible.

The spectrum of how teachers choose to deliver content can be understood by communication with respective instructors.

The trickle of new systems of teaching classes, however, is not guaranteed. Instructors still own the right to teach their classes how they choose, and if they opt to not store lectures or class discussions online, they will be permitted to move in that direction if they want to, Stewart said.

“It depends on the course, the instructor and how they choose to deliver content.” Stewart said. “Some will upload lecture notes, some will upload videos of their lectures and some instructors simply won’t. There is some variability in how faculty will do these types of things.” @ZachRichardsDT