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Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

All content by Janhavi Nemawarkar
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Forum editor says goodbye to the basement

Janhavi Nemawarkar May 4, 2018

Editor’s note: A 30 column is a chance for departing permanent staff to say farewell and reflect on their time spent in The Daily Texan’s basement office. The term comes from the old typesetting...

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Student voices push for change, look to the future

This semester, The Daily Texan Forum has had the privilege of pulling together a wide array of voices from the university and its surrounding community. The Daily Texan has its limitations as an organization,...

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UT community needs to reckon with University’s racist past

Founded in 1883, UT came into being on the heels of the Civil War, and many of its founding members hailed from Confederate ranks. Almost 150 years later, this history remains ever-present on the 40 Acres....

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Legislative leaders call for student involvement

With only about 20 percent of the student body consistently participating in campus-wide elections, legislative student organizations have a widespread perception of being unable to create useful change...

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Students protest removal of Fine Arts Library stacks

Throughout the past year, the University has relocated more than 75,000 books and physical resources from the Fine Arts Library to off-campus storage sites at the JJ Pickle Research Campus and a joint...

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Students, lawmakers discuss the March for Our Lives

The recent shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida prompted a wave of protests advocating for school safety and stricter gun control measures. These protests, largely organized...

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Professors offer observations on race and representation at UT

Representation matters, and UT’s demographic breakdown affects student reactions to university events. The last few weeks of Student Government elections are the latest example of this interaction,...

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Inclusive newsrooms compel better content

Janhavi Nemawarkar February 23, 2018

To no one’s surprise, the newsrooms of America skew white and male. According to the 2017 Newspaper Diversity Survey conducted by the American Society of News Editors, U.S. newsrooms on average...

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UT must educate students on affordable housing, leasing pitfalls

Janhavi Nemawarkar February 19, 2018

For many students coming to college, signing an apartment lease is one of the first independent, adult decisions they can make. Unfortunately, it is also an expensive process riddled with pitfalls, that...

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Students, faculty advocate for more inclusive UT

Liza Anderson, Vik Shirvaikar, and Janhavi Nemawarkar February 12, 2018

While students come to UT-Austin from all over Texas, and all over the world, not all of them arrive on an equal playing field. The university can do more to alleviate the institutional barriers that bar...

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Let’s bridge the gap between disciplines

Vik Shirvaikar, Janhavi Nemawarkar, and Liza Anderson February 5, 2018

Across UT-Austin, professors and thousands of students work in search of new discoveries in science while others focus on expanding our understanding of human interactions and history. Outside the university-setting,...

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Me Too movement extends beyond Hollywood

Liza Anderson, Vik Shirvaikar, and Janhavi Nemawarkar January 29, 2018

As the Me Too movement progresses, it has brought conversations about sexual harassment into the mainstream. While the most publicized stories have come from Hollywood and the media, the movement has shed...

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Special education caps hurt Texas students

Vik Shirvaikar, Liza Anderson, and Janhavi Nemawarkar January 22, 2018

The Daily Texan Forum page is a place for people who are not on the Texan’s staff to weigh in on the happenings of the university and the surrounding community. Every Monday of this semester, we...

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Forum concludes semester with University voices

Vik Shirvaikar and Janhavi Nemawarkar December 8, 2017

Ten weeks later, we have arrived at the last Forum of the semester. From politicians to student leaders, we have sought to bring diverse perspectives to the Texan beyond those of our issue staff. This...

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National public health issues spark student responses

Vik Shirvaikar and Janhavi Nemawarkar December 1, 2017

As the national debate on healthcare heats up (again) this week, we feature student perspectives on public health topics that have a national scope but clear local effects: access to contraceptives, the...

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On voting, mental health care and students’ money

Vik Shirvaikar and Janhavi Nemawarkar November 17, 2017

This week, we feature student perspectives on issues that intimately affect us: on access to mental health resources, on tuition increases and on voter engagement. Jeramy Howell, a government senior...

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University grapples with history, humanitarianism

Vik Shirvaikar and Janhavi Nemawarkar November 10, 2017

This week, we spotlight two continuing struggles that have made headlines recently: The ongoing devastation in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, and the ongoing racial animus right here at UT following...

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Students have role to play in national, local issues

Vik Shirvaikar and Janhavi Nemawarkar November 3, 2017

With the end of the semester rapidly approaching, we wanted to feature a diverse array of topics that are important to consider, but all too easy to forget, at both the national and local levels. Specifically,...

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Media experts share experiences

Vik Shirvaikar and Janhavi Nemawarkar October 27, 2017

Our campus regularly hosts distinguished guests and speakers, and we at the Texan are particularly drawn to anyone who understands the love and labor behind news production. So while we may have a bias...

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Climate concerns inspire local action

Vik Shirvaikar and Janhavi Nemawarkar October 6, 2017

Scientists agree that climate change noticeably worsened the recent surge of catastrophic hurricanes that devastated parts of Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. Climate change is no longer hypothetical, and...

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Students consider Title IX, honor Harrison Brown

Vik Shirvaikar and Janhavi Nemawarkar September 22, 2017

The prevalence of sexual violence is a major problem for the University. Under the Obama administration, the 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter clarified guidelines for universities handling cases...

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New year brings new vision from elected leaders

Vik Shirvaikar and Janhavi Nemawarkar September 14, 2017

With all that has happened recently in Texas and across the nation, it can be difficult to remember that the semester began only two weeks ago. However, our elected officials, both here on campus and in...

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Forum: Student perspectives on DACA, asexuality

Vik Shirvaikar and Janhavi Nemawarkar September 8, 2017

For many, the Trump administration’s decision this week to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program  is just the latest iteration of the blatantly xenophobic platform the...

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Forum returns, highlights statue commentary

Vik Shirvaikar and Janhavi Nemawarkar September 1, 2017

At The Daily Texan, we strive to include a broad array of voices — a mission which can and should require us to seek perspectives from beyond the basement. We’re excited to bring back our Forum...

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University owes students direct responses to racist incidents

Janhavi Nemawarkar February 28, 2017

Last week, tensions ran high at the university-wide town hall event on campus climate — specifically, in response to the anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim fliers posted around the UT Austin campus in...

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UT must protect students of color from hate speech

Janhavi Nemawarkar February 17, 2017

Editor's note: Janhavi Nemawarkar is a candidate to be the next Daily Texan Editor-in-Chief. The following editorial ran alongside another by Laura Hallas, who is also running for the position. Be...

‘Best Picture’ arguments ruin magic of film

Janhavi Nemawarkar January 20, 2017

This time of year, I’m always excited for the many awards shows set to come our way in the next few weeks. I just have to watch the red carpet coverage and sit through hours of actors delivering...

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Seek common ground in family political arguments

Janhavi Nemawarkar December 1, 2016

The rise of Donald Trump has been chillingly accompanied by a rise in white supremacy and bigotry. Now, after his win, it’s more important than ever for those of us who fiercely disagree with his...

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Americans must elect women into political office

Janhavi Nemawarkar November 16, 2016

We knew that racism and misogyny have always festered under the surface of American society. It doesn’t make the result of this election any less devastating.  The result — including...

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Following Trump’s win, engaging with history proves vital

Janhavi Nemawarkar November 9, 2016

The unthinkable happened. Barring a late break in swing state polls, the United States has elected a xenophobic, misogynistic, crude and woefully underprepared demagogue for president. Trump’s...

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Students must stay politically engaged after elections

Janhavi Nemawarkar November 4, 2016

This election season is finally (finally!) drawing to a close, and hopefully you’ve already felt the giddy joy (or resigned dread) of waiting in line to vote early with a record number of fellow...

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Students must carve out time for self-care

Janhavi Nemawarkar October 26, 2016

We’re entering the most stressful part of the semester: every week is midterm week, registration is starting up and we’re finally approaching the culmination of this historic and absolutely...

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Trump’s “rigged” election claim thwarts democracy

Janhavi Nemawarkar October 19, 2016

Donald Trump, like a child who learned a new word, has recently accused everything of being “rigged.” The media, to the debate schedule, and the election itself, are according to him, all working...

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Advertisers must not trivialize women’s issues

Janhavi Nemawarkar October 13, 2016

Last week, Reebok announced their selection of Gigi Hadid as the face of their #PerfectNever campaign. In a statement, the company announced their belief that her “strength and tenacity” would...

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Asian-Americans must open mental health dialogue

Janhavi Nemawarkar October 6, 2016

Stigma surrounding the topic of mental health is prevalent — although there has been a recent push for awareness, people who suffer from illnesses are often viewed as “weak” or are not...

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Hollywood should hire transgender talent

Janhavi Nemawarkar September 30, 2016

In recent years, critically acclaimed portrayals of transgender characters in works like “Dallas Buyers Club” and “Orange is the New Black” have increased the visibility of transgender...

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Diet culture perpetuates ‘fatphobia’

Janhavi Nemawarkar September 21, 2016

Coming into college is highly stressful for many students, and new foods and more demanding schedules may cause some students’ weights to fluctuate — leading some to resort to dieting to combat...

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To honor the legacy of the first black undergraduates, UT has work to do

Janhavi Nemawarkar September 14, 2016

Last Friday, UT celebrated the first black undergraduates to attend the university 60 years ago. The former students were honored for their courage and determination in the face of blatant racism, all...

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Safe spaces remain vital to fostering diverse voices

Janhavi Nemawarkar August 30, 2016

The University of Chicago drew controversy last week when its Dean of Students, John (Jay) Ellison, wrote a letter to their incoming freshman class opposing the creation of safe spaces. The validity of...

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Don Zimmerman shows himself to be unfit to serve

Janhavi Nemawarkar August 26, 2016

Don Zimmerman, the ardent conservative who represents northwest Austin in City Council, did more than his usual dose of ruffling feathers and upsetting people at a recent hearing for the proposed city...

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Despite shooting, protests like Dallas’ must continue

Janhavi Nemawarkar July 13, 2016

For a moment last week, the national consciousness had once again turned to the epidemic of police brutality against minority populations in America. Sparked by the deaths of two men, Alton Sterling and...

‘Hamilton’ reminds Hollywood that non-white actors can sell tickets, too

Janhavi Nemawarkar June 13, 2016

“Hamilton” won eleven Tony Awards last night including Best Musical. Coming off a record breaking 16 nominations and impressive box office showings, the musical is a bona fide Broadway phenomenon that...

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Texas students deserve better than ‘adequate’ schools

Janhavi Nemawarkar June 6, 2016

On May 13, the Texas Supreme Court found that funding for Texas public schools does, in fact, meet the absolute bare minimum required by the Texas Constitution. Despite the ruling, the onus is on Texas...

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Colonias can no longer be forgotten outskirts on our border

Janhavi Nemawarkar April 29, 2016

In the self-proclaimed greatest state in the Union, there is an implicit expectation that Texans have access to running water and sewage systems. However, these basic utilities do not exist for close to...

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Texas sex education must become more LGBTQ-inclusive

Janhavi Nemawarkar April 13, 2016

Time and time again, Texas lawmakers have been rightfully criticized for the state of abstinence-only sexual education in classrooms. However, the lack of a comprehensive education program has proved especially...

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Culture change required to promote gender equality in STEM

Janhavi Nemawarkar March 30, 2016

During competitive college admissions and internship application processes, Kelly Hall, a computer science and Plan II freshman, noticed a casual, pervasive sexism from her male peers.  Rather than...

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Asian Americans must show solidarity with other minorities

Janhavi Nemawarkar March 11, 2016

On February 20th, thousands of Asian Americans in cities across the United States took to the streets to protest the conviction of Peter Liang, a NYPD officer charged with killing Akai Gurley, an unarmed...

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Consumers must reject fast fashion retailers

Janhavi Nemawarkar February 24, 2016

The social and environmental tolls of the fashion industry are explored in the 2015 documentary The True Cost. Familiar images of couture-laden runways and enormous Black Friday crowds are juxtaposed with...

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Candidates must stop blaming “political correctness,” start addressing issues

Janhavi Nemawarkar February 22, 2016

Ted Cruz expressed absolute dismay that his Republican colleagues would even think to support drafting women in the military by attacking the idea with the one concept he knew would always be there. “It’s...

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Appropriation of Indian culture, even by Beyoncé, is problematic

Janhavi Nemawarkar February 4, 2016

When the presence of Beyoncé compelled us to actually watch Coldplay’s new music video for “Hymn For The Weekend” last Friday, the Internet erupted with a debate about appropriation...

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