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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 Jordan Rudner

EL VY’s influences span decades, resulting in eclectic, modern sound

Jordan Rudner November 3, 2015

About 20 seconds into EL VY’s debut album, Return to the Moon, one thing becomes clear: Although that’s definitely Matt Berninger’s inimitable baritone, this is decidedly not a The National...

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Managing editor bids fond farewell to Texan family

Jordan Rudner May 8, 2015

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

2015-05-03_Board_of_Regents_Zoe

Regents, Chancellor assert regents’ access to records can be subject to limitations

Jordan Rudner May 5, 2015

The UT System Board of Regents and Chancellor William McRaven sent a letter Monday to Attorney General Ken Paxton arguing that individual regents’ access to records can be subject to limitations...

2015-05-03_Board_of_Regents_Zoe

Updated: System lawyers ask Attorney General to dismiss Hall’s request for advice

Jordan Rudner May 4, 2015

Updated (3:34 p.m.): In a brief submitted on behalf of Chancellor William McRaven and the UT System Board of Regents, lawyers for the System asked the Attorney General to dismiss Regent Wallace Hall’s...

2015-02-12_BOR_Xintong

After chancellor denies records requests, Hall appeals to attorney general

Josh Willis and Jordan Rudner April 24, 2015

UT System Regent Wallace Hall is appealing to the attorney general to review student information, despite UT System Chancellor William McRaven’s admonition that Hall’s requests go “well...

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Grand jury condemns Wallace Hall’s actions but does not find grounds for indictment

Jordan Rudner March 31, 2015

A grand jury investigating UT System Regent Wallace Hall declined to indict him for possible violations of student privacy laws but issued a report calling for his removal from office. A Special Investigation...

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Richard Finnell, long-time Texan adviser, dies at age 70

Jordan Rudner February 26, 2015

Richard Allen Finnell, journalist and long-time print adviser for The Daily Texan, died Saturday at the age of 70. Finnell, a UT alumnus, was a mainstay of support for Texan staffers over the course...

2015-02-19_Same_Sex_Marriage_Mariana

Updated: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton calls on state Supreme Court to block Travis County gay marriage ruling

Jordan Rudner, Jackie Wang, and Julia Brouillette February 19, 2015

Updated (5:14 p.m.): According to Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir, the marriage of Suzanne Bryant and Sarah Goodfriend is valid despite the Texas Supreme Court issuing a stay order for the...

2015-01-22_Boat_Sculpture_Marshall

We asked, you answered: How do you feel about ‘Monochrome for Austin’?

Samantha Ketterer and Jordan Rudner January 26, 2015

[View the story "We asked, you answered: How do you feel about 'Monochrome for Austin'?" on Storify]

2014-04-30_Regents_charlie

Updated: Co-chair of transparency committee calls Regent Hall’s actions “a slap in the face”

Jordan Rudner and Madlin Mekelburg May 12, 2014

Updated (11:45 a.m.): During the opening remarks of the House transparency committee hearing Monday, Rep. Dan Flynn, committee co-chair and R-Canton, described Regent Wallace Hall’s actions...

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Updated: Man dies of self-inflicted gunshot wound at Littlefield Fountain

Update (2:19 p.m.): In response to a man’s death by suicide Sunday night in front of Littlefield Fountain, the Counseling and Mental Health Center is making active attempts to spread word...

2014-04-30_Regents_charlie

News to watch for after spring classes end

Jordan Rudner May 2, 2014

REGENT CONTROVERSY The almost year-long investigation of UT System Regent Wallace Hall will come to a close on May 12, when the House transparency committee investigating him will vote on whether to recommend...

For Boston Marathon runners, another chance to show strength

Jordan Rudner April 21, 2014

When Steven Moore, a project manager in the department of chemistry, crosses the finish line at the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon, he expects he will feel triumphant. As of Sunday evening, Moore...

Austin police charge Rashad Owens with 20 counts of aggravated assault

Jordan Rudner April 1, 2014

Austin police have filed 20 charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against 21-year old Rashad Charjuan Owens, who is accused of driving his car into a crowd at South by Southwest, an incident...

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LBJ Library releases full schedule for three-day Civil Rights Summit

Jordan Rudner March 27, 2014

Thursday afternoon, the LBJ Library and Presidential Museum announced the full schedule for the three-day Civil Rights Summit that will begin April 8. In addition to a keynote address from President...

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Capacity restrictions enforced over Roundup weekend

Jordan Rudner and Julia Brouillette March 24, 2014

The University Panhellenic and Interfraternity councils distributed 20,000 wristbands to students bearing college IDs for the annual Greek event Roundup, a collection of parties and philanthropic events...

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TSM board votes to maintain daily printing schedule after promise of administrative support

Jordan Rudner and Nicole Cobler March 21, 2014

At its annual budget meeting Tuesday, the Texas Student Media board voted to keep The Daily Texan on its five-day a week print schedule after Roderick Hart, dean of the Moody College of Communications,...

Third victim dies from injuries stemming from SXSW car incident

Jordan Rudner March 17, 2014

On Monday, 26-year old Sandy Le died from injuries sustained in Thursday’s South by Southwest car crash. Le, who is originally from Pass Christian, Miss., had been in critical condition at University...

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UT students injured in SXSW crash recount memories of the collision

Jordan Rudner and Madlin Mekelburg March 17, 2014

Just after midnight Thursday, Rashad Owens drove a car through the South By Southwest crowd on Red River Street and hit 23 people in less than a minute, according to police. Three of those victims —...

Austin police arrest performer Tyler, the Creator at SXSW

Jordan Rudner March 15, 2014

Austin police arrested South By Southwest performer Tyler, the Creator and charged him with inciting a riot after a crowd broke down the gate surrounding the Scoot Inn to see his performance Thursday...

Update: All classes canceled until 11 a.m. because of “winter weather”

Jordan Rudner March 3, 2014

Updated (9:44 p.m.): University incident meteorologist Troy Kimmel said freezing rain and sleet is expected overnight and early Tuesday morning. Icy roads are also a possibility, Kimmel said.  “It’s...

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Woman hit by UT shuttle bus at Dean Keeton and Wichita

Jordan Rudner February 21, 2014

An unidentified woman was hit with by the mirror of a UT Shuttle Bus as it made a turn at the intersection of Dean Keeton and Wichita streets Friday morning. The woman, who was hit by a Far West...

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Update: Accused SG candidates banned from campaigning for two days

Jordan Rudner and Nicole Cobler February 20, 2014

Update: Three candidates for University-wide representative positions were found guilty of campaigning in association with each other, and have been banned from campaigning for two days, according...

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Investigation ongoing for $50,000 worth of computers stolen from Main Building

Jordan Rudner February 18, 2014

More than $50,000 worth of new Apple MacBooks were stolen from a secured storage area in the Main Building at some point between Thursday and Friday morning, according to campus police records.  UTPD...

2014-01-29_Weather_Pu

Classes will operate on 10 a.m. delayed start Tuesday because of “winter weather”

Jordan Rudner February 11, 2014

Citing "winter weather," University administrators canceled all classes before 10 a.m. Tuesday morning.  University spokesman Gary Susswein said the decision was made in order to ensure...

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UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa says resignation not result of regent conflict

Madlin Mekelburg and Jordan Rudner February 10, 2014

At a press conference Monday morning, UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa announced he will be stepping down as chancellor because he feels he has completed significant work on the goals he originally...

2013_12_12_Regents_Charlie

UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa to announce resignation

Madlin Mekelburg and Jordan Rudner February 10, 2014

UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa, who has served in the position since 2009, will resign at a specially called press conference Monday. Cigarroa will stay in his current role until a replacement...

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Update: University cancels all classes until 5 p.m. Friday

Julia Brouillette and Jordan Rudner February 7, 2014

Update (9:33 a.m.): The University announced all classes will be cancelled Friday until 5 p.m., citing a "continued threat of hazardous road conditions." Buildings that will remain open...

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University delayed until 10 a.m. because of inclement weather

Jordan Rudner February 6, 2014

Citing "winter weather," University administrators canceled all classes before 10 a.m. Thursday morning.  "Weather is often predictable, and conditions can change rapidly,"...

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UTPD received unconfirmed reports of kidnapping in West Campus

Jordan Rudner February 5, 2014

APD and UTPD officers both received calls from someone who said she witnessed a woman being forced into a black pickup truck Tuesday morning, and, though UTPD officers are investigating, no missing person...

2014-1-24_Weather_Pu

Late-night power outage affects West Campus

Amanda Voeller, Anthony Green, and Jordan Rudner February 4, 2014

Minutes after midnight Tuesday, electricity went out in several large swaths of West Campus. Apartment complexes, including the Block on Leon, the Block on 25th and Waterford, were affected, as well as...

Democrat organizations dispute voting privileges

Jordan Rudner February 3, 2014

The president of Central Austin Democrats, known as CAD, attempted to prevent its members who also vote in University Democrats, from voting at the groups’ combined endorsement meeting Saturday. On...

2014-01-29_Weather_Pu

Changing response to bad weather leads to student confusion

Julia Brouillette and Jordan Rudner January 29, 2014

After releasing three separate decisions regarding University closure in less than eight hours, University officials apologized for any inconveniences the evolving inclement weather response caused. Just...

2014-01-29_Weather_Pu

UPDATE: University classes will be canceled all day

Julia Brouillette and Jordan Rudner January 28, 2014

Update (1:02 p.m.): University officials have issued an apology for inconveniences posed by the multiple weather-related delay announcements in a statement on the University's Tumblr page. "We're...

2014-1-24_Weather_Pu

Updated: University to be closed Friday because of inclement weather

Julia Brouillette and Jordan Rudner January 24, 2014

Update (1:22 a.m.): As temperatures in Austin continue to hover below freezing, representatives from the University, the City of Austin and Austin Independent School District made a collaborative...

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McCombs School of Business, Cockrell School of Engineering receive $60 million donation

Jordan Rudner January 24, 2014

When President William Powers Jr. met James Mulva in 1969 while stationed with the U.S. Navy on Bahrain Island, neither man expected the friendship to last. Forty-five years later, their relationship is...

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Administrators contradict each other over TSM decision

Jordan Rudner January 21, 2014

Almost a full week after news broke that Texas Student Media, commonly known as TSM, would move under the domain of the Moody College of Communication, it remains unclear who — if anybody —...

2014-01-16_TSM_Jonathan

As TSM names interim director, alumni raise unanswered questions

Nicole Cobler and Jordan Rudner January 17, 2014

One day after The Daily Texan reported Texas Student Media properties were moving under the domain of the Moody College of Communication, the University appointed TSTV-KVRX studio engineer Frank Serpas...

2014-01-16_TSM_Jonathan

Texas Student Media to be housed under Moody College of Communication as questions loom

Jordan Rudner January 15, 2014

New story: Texas Student Media and its entities, including The Daily Texan, are being moved under the domain of the Moody College of Communication, though many questions about the implications of...

McDonald Observatory announces new director

Jordan Rudner and Madlin Mekelburg January 15, 2014

Astronomer Taft Armandroff was announced as the new director of UT’s McDonald Observatory on Monday. Armandroff will replace current director and astronomy professor David Lambert, who announced...

2013_12_12_Regents_Charlie

Powers remains University president despite “strained relationship” with System

Jordan Rudner and Anthony Green December 13, 2013

In a UT System Board of Regents meeting Thursday, Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa recommended President William Powers Jr. remain in office, despite describing the current relationship between Powers and...

2013-11-11_Shooting_Sam

Graduate student hosted Senate of College Councils Executive Board meeting before police standoff

Jordan Rudner November 26, 2013

Hours before graduate public affairs student Gene Vela, a member of the Senate of College Councils’ Leadership Team, was involved in an armed standoff with police officers, the Senate’s Executive...

SG and Senate of College Councils approve joint “vote of no confidence” against Regent Hall

Jordan Rudner and Anna Daugherty November 20, 2013

Student Government members registered formal disapproval of the recent actions of UT Regent Wallace Hall, approving a “vote of no confidence” against Hall at their meeting Tuesday. The joint...

2013-11-11_Shooting_Sam

Public affairs student identified as shooter in standoff with APD police officers in North Campus

Jordan Rudner November 12, 2013

The subject involved in an armed standoff with Austin Police Department on Sunday night has been identified as Gene Phillip Vela, a graduate public affairs student. Vela, a member on the Senate of College...

UT System Board of Regents votes to waive ‘limited’ attorney-client privileges

Jordan Rudner and Madlin Mekelburg November 11, 2013

At a specially called meeting Monday, the UT System Board of Regents voted to address issues of attorney-client privilege that have arisen during the ongoing investigation of Regent Wallace Hall, including...

2013-11-11_Shooting_Sam

Updated: Man wounded, in custody after aiming handgun at police in North Campus

Jordan Rudner November 11, 2013

A man is wounded and in custody after pointing a handgun at Austin Police Department officers from the window of a North Campus apartment Sunday night. Two APD officers fired at the unnamed suspect...

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Tom Hicks: Hall told sports agent Powers would be gone within the year

Jordan Rudner and Madlin Mekelburg November 7, 2013

UT System Regent Wallace Hall said President William Powers Jr. “would not be here at the end of the year” in a private conference with a sports agent earlier this year, according to former...

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Sexual assault remains under-reported on campus despite growing awareness

Jordan Rudner November 4, 2013

Fifteen months ago, Kaila Schedeen was sexually assaulted by someone she knew. The incident changed the course of her life, but on paper, it was statistically typical. More than 80 percent of rapes...

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CHART: Breakdown of ethnicities in the College of Fine Arts vs. All of UT

Jordan Rudner October 31, 2013

On Tuesday, faculty members and students of the College of Fine Arts addressed concerns surrounding the casting of performers from outside the University for the department’s upcoming...

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UT System Board of Regents chairman calls for reevaluation of regents’ investigative duties

Jordan Rudner October 25, 2013

At a specially called UT System Board of Regents meeting Friday, Chairman Paul Foster requested a new examination of the board’s responsibilities and said he will likely recommend a new screening...

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911 calls on campus elicit streamlined emergency response

Jordan Rudner October 14, 2013

Emergency response vehicles navigate through traffic on Guadalupe Street with sirens blaring on a regular basis. There’s a chance they’re headed to an urgent scene, but more likely, the barrage...

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Stabbing victim and assailant have romantic past

Jordan Rudner September 27, 2013

The alleged assailant in Wednesday’s fork stabbing in the Engineering Science Building followed the victim from China in order to re-kindle a romantic relationship, according to UTPD officers. Chenxi...

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UT student stabbed with fork in Engineering Science Building, suspect apprehended

Jordan Rudner September 26, 2013

Update: The stabbing victim Li You had been followed to the U.S. by the assailaint Chenxi Deng from China, as the two had a romantic past. Read the most updated story here. Update at 12:10 p.m. on Sept....

UT-Austin receives bulk of UT System money — yet still lacks enough funds

Jordan Rudner September 23, 2013

The UT System allocates more than one-third of the money in the Available University Fund directly to UT-Austin, and the campus is growing more dependent on these allocations as state funding shrinks.  While...

Sharon Wood named interim dean of Cockrell School of Engineering

Jordan Rudner September 5, 2013

Sharon Wood, a structural engineer and chair of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, has been appointed interim dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering.  Wood...

2013-05-09_Obama_MarisaVasquez

President Obama visits Austin, UT entrepreneurs

Jordan Rudner, Alberto Long, and Christine Ayala May 10, 2013

President Barack Obama ate his lunch at the downtown Austin Stubb’s BBQ on Thursday – but as much as he said he enjoyed the food, it was ultimately a business lunch. Obama visited Austin as...

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UPDATE: Plans for UT’s Medical School would straighten out Red River, remove Frank Erwin Center

Jordan Rudner May 9, 2013

Update: The Board of Regents approved the $334.5 million plan Thursday morning. Read here for more details. Original Story: Austin’s winding Red River Street may be straightened out to accommodate the...

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Chemistry professor Brent Iverson to serve as dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies

Jordan Rudner and Christine Ayala May 8, 2013

The University is set to name Brent Iverson as the new dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies later this week. Iverson currently serves as a chemistry professor and chairman of the department...

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Faculty Council criticizes new UT System policies, enacts curriculum changes at final meeting

Jordan Rudner May 6, 2013

Faculty Council passed two agenda items criticizing recent actions by the UT System, as well as four other proposals and resolutions at its final meeting of the year Monday. The council also voted to...

Faculty member threatens departure as Faculty Council prepares to vote on disclosure policy

Jordan Rudner May 3, 2013

Faculty members are rallying against a new UT System disclosure policy that may diminish the University’s ability to recruit and retain professors, according to current Faculty Council members. The...

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For blind students, books are simple — it’s the old buildings that present challenges

Jordan Rudner May 2, 2013

When Jennifer Applegate purchases her books for the coming semester, she brings the texts to the Student Services Building, where they are stripped from their binding and fed into a scanner. Applegate...

University releases long list of confidential records to Board of Regents

Jordan Rudner May 2, 2013

After several months of dispute, the University agreed this week to release confidential records from October 2012 to February 2013 to UT System Board of Regents member Wallace Hall Jr. According to...

Significant gender gap persists in University leadership positions

Jordan Rudner April 26, 2013

Five years ago, a study revealed that female faculty were less likely to have served in leadership positions at UT and more likely to wish they had been asked to serve. Today, little has changed. Of the...

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Faculty leader seeks to give UT the advantage in creation of online classrooms

Jordan Rudner April 26, 2013

Though he has never taught in a UT classroom, Steven Mintz has a presence in nearly every introductory-level course the University offers.   Mintz is the executive director of the Institute of...

Technology allows for global access to UT classes, personalized education

Jordan Rudner April 25, 2013

The UT classroom is coming to the web, and the web is coming to the classroom.  “In the next 18 to 36 months, some really profound changes are going to occur in public higher education,”...

Observatory director to retire

Jordan Rudner April 25, 2013

He first developed an interest in astronomy as a high school junior in Kent, England. He joined the UT Faculty in 1969. Now, after 10 years as director of UT’s McDonald Observatory, David Lambert...

UTIMCO endowment assets reach record worth midway through fiscal year

Jordan Rudner April 24, 2013

UT System endowment assets hit a new high at the halfway point of the current fiscal year with a combined worth of $21.7 billion on Feb. 28, according to documents from the University of Texas Investment...

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As investigators search for the cause of the West explosion, UT students return to survey the damage

Jordan Rudner April 22, 2013

Five days after a fertilizer plant explosion rocked the small town of West, federal and state investigators are still at a loss as to what started the fire that triggered the explosion. As the investigation...

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After fertilizer explosion, Austinites line up to send blood to West

Jordan Rudner April 19, 2013

In the hours following an explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Austinites poured into local blood banks, waiting in lines for up to two hours to donate blood to be sent to hospitals...

Gov. Rick Perry declares West area disaster zone

Joshua Fechter and Jordan Rudner April 19, 2013

When marketing senior Hannah Hutyra got a call from her mom, who said there had been an explosion, Hutyra said she didn’t understand why her mom sounded upset. “Nothing ever happens in a...

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UT students, West residents react to fertilizer plant explosion

The Associated Press and Jordan Rudner April 18, 2013

WEST — A massive explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco on Wednesday killed an undetermined number of people and sent flames shooting into the sky, leaving the factory a smoldering ruin following...

Faculty question effect of regent action on UT’s ability to retain and hire administrators

Jordan Rudner April 18, 2013

Despite a national unemployment rate of 7.6 percent, the University of Texas is hiring. In the last two years, several administrators have stepped down or left for various reasons, including deans of...

Regents vote to supply information to legislators, allow Texas AG to conduct law school investigation

Joshua Fechter and Jordan Rudner April 12, 2013

Complying with requests from several Texas lawmakers, the UT System Board of Regents unanimously voted Thursday to release documents requested by legislators and allow the Texas Attorney General’s...

UT searches for medical school dean

Jordan Rudner April 12, 2013

As plans move forward to create the Dell Medical School, which will be affiliated with UT Austin, a search committee has been formed to find the medical school’s inaugural dean.  The search...

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Cheap leases may provide revenue

Jordan Rudner April 12, 2013

University Lands, a division of the UT System’s Office of Business Affairs, generated $1 million by leasing land in far West Texas on Wednesday. This sale is dwarfed by the $70 million sale of oil...

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Vice provost for undergraduate education and faculty governance departs for Cornell

Jordan Rudner April 12, 2013

Gretchen Ritter, vice provost for undergraduate education and faculty governance, is excited to spend the coming fall in Ithaca — because, for all she will miss about the University, one thing she...

2013-01-24_Regents_Pearce

UT Regents vote to release documents to lawmakers, allow Attorney General to conduct review of Law School Foundation

Jordan Rudner April 11, 2013

The UT System Board of Regents voted unanimously today to release all documents requested by state legislators via open records requests, rather than attempting to withhold them as chairman Gene Powell...

University Lands sale nets $70 million for UT and A&M systems’ endowment

Jordan Rudner April 11, 2013

University Lands, operated through the UT System’s Office of Business Affairs, sold almost $70 million of oil and gas leases during its semi-annual sale Wednesday, according to preliminary figures...

Facing inaction from Board of Regents, University decides not to increase graduate tuition

Jordan Rudner April 10, 2013

Because of inaction on the part of the UT System Board of Regents to address a proposed increase in graduate school tuition, the University Budget Council has decided not to increase graduate tuition for...

Board of Regents call special meeting

Jordan Rudner April 9, 2013

The UT System Board of Regents will hold a special meeting Thursday to discuss several ongoing issues highlighting differences and growing divisions among the board itself. The board’s agenda...

For female faculty members, the campus climate is becoming more equitable year by year

Jordan Rudner April 9, 2013

When students call her “Mrs.,” rather than using a title like doctor or professor, Carol MacKay, an English and women’s and gender studies professor, pulls them aside to correct them.  “I...

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Regents asks to withhold information, prompts legislator to ask if board has “something to hide”

Jordan Rudner April 8, 2013

In the middle of ongoing tensions between the UT System Board of Regents, the Texas Legislature and UT President William Powers Jr., board Chairman Gene Powell has asked the Texas Attorney General’s...

“Religious Funding Exemption Bill,” once called “GLBT Funding Opt Out,” passed by A&M student senate

Jordan Rudner April 5, 2013

The Texas A&M University Student Senate passed a bill Wednesday night to inform the student body they are allowed to “opt-out” of funding university services, including the university’s...

UT System Regent failed to disclose several past lawsuits during application process

Jordan Rudner April 4, 2013

UT System Regent Wallace Hall Jr. failed to disclose his involvement in at least six past lawsuits in his December 2010 application to serve as a regent, according to documents obtained by The Texas Tribune. Hall,...

More students enroll in MOOCS in four days than enrolled in entire freshman class

Jordan Rudner April 3, 2013

The UT System opened its first-ever massive open online courses Friday on the online platform edX. By the time the weekend was over, nearly 15,000 students had enrolled. In comparison, UT’s...

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Though deadline for graduate students looms, University has not set tuition

Jordan Rudner April 3, 2013

Prospective graduate students consider a number of factors when deciding what school they want to attend in the fall: the professors with whom they will work, the location of the campus and, of course,...

Smaller, faster search for provost begins today amid tension

Jordan Rudner April 2, 2013

The search committee to find a University provost will meet for the first time Tuesday, beginning a process more expedited than is typical for the high-level position.  The committee, led by President...

University makes slow progress toward equal pay and treatment for female professors

Jordan Rudner March 29, 2013

The University has made slow progress in responding to a report that female professors are paid less, promoted later and more likely to leave before receiving tenure.  In a University-commissioned...

UT student watches from courtroom floor as justices debate marriage equality

Jordan Rudner March 27, 2013

Senior Dustin Haley was cold, soaking wet and sleep deprived. After sitting on the sidewalk in front of the Supreme Court building for 19.5 hours, Haley said it was worth it, because when the justices...

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Powers’ salary tied to various goals, including a higher graduation rate

Jordan Rudner March 27, 2013

As President William Powers Jr. pushes to increase four-year graduation rates — citing arguments ranging from minimizing student debt to changing the culture on campus — the single person who...

Five years after major gender equity report, there’s still a lot of work to do

Jordan Rudner March 22, 2013

Five years after a thorough, University-backed report, a statistically significant pay gap between male and female full professors has shrunk, but the gap has not disappeared entirely. Female professors...

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After tense meeting, UT Regents cast narrow vote to continue Law School investigation

Alexa Ura and Jordan Rudner March 21, 2013

During an uncharacteristically heated meeting Wednesday, the UT System Board of Regents voted to continue an investigation of the UT Law School Foundation’s relationship with the University. In...

Powers: UT Provost search will be localized, expedited in face of instability

Jordan Rudner March 19, 2013

Referencing “instability on campus,” President William Powers Jr. said the search process for the new provost will occur on a smaller scale than normal and will likely not include a pool of...

UT Campus Climate Response Team address issues of bias

Jordan Rudner March 18, 2013

When a student sees derogatory graffiti on campus, Ryan Miller hopes to hear about it in his inbox.  Miller, associate director of Campus Diversity and Strategic Initiatives and an educational...

Legislators seek to tighten restrictions on college graduation requirements

Jordan Rudner March 7, 2013

Members of the Texas House and Senate are seeking to tighten restrictions on American history classes that count towards fulfilling Texas public universities’ core requirements.  Rep. Giovanni...

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Texas Student Media keeps paper daily but fails to address long-term concerns

Jordan Rudner March 4, 2013

In the face of serious financial shortfalls projected for the end of this fiscal year, the Texas Student Media Board voted to maintain the five-days-per week print schedule of The Daily Texan while halving...

Texas Student Media board meets to address budget shortfalls

Jordan Rudner March 1, 2013

The Texas Student Media Board will meet Friday to discuss and possibly vote on a dramatically reduced budget for the 2013-2014 school year.  The board operates five media properties including The...

UT, Texas A&M faculty groups come together to discuss higher education

Jordan Rudner February 26, 2013

When Texas state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, picked out a tie Monday morning, he tried to choose one that was equal parts burnt orange and maroon. Branch, who is chairman of the House Higher Education...

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Powers’ speechwriter works in references, clarity

Jordan Rudner February 22, 2013

As a college student in the late ’80s, he worked in the Jester Center cafeteria. A few years later, he fronted a classic-rock band called The Plan. In 1990, he was a file clerk at a freeze-dried...

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