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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 Julia Zaksek
Long time opinion editor draws ire one last time

Long time opinion editor draws ire one last time

Julia Zaksek, Opinion Editor May 9, 2022

I’ve worked in The Daily Texan’s opinion department every semester since I was a freshman. I knew I wanted to join since before I first came to campus. My high school newspaper was where I made my...

Create resources for students during severe weather

Create resources for students during severe weather

Julia Zaksek, Associate editor February 9, 2022
Associate editor Julia urges UT to use University funding to create emergency weather resources for students.
Release information about class format at least a week before tuition is due

Release information about class format at least a week before tuition is due

Julia Zaksek, Associate Editor February 1, 2022
UT must share class format information with students at least a week before tuition is due so they can make informed decisions.
Allow professors with unvaccinated children to teach virtually

Allow professors with unvaccinated children to teach virtually

Julia Zaksek, Associate Editor September 1, 2021
Associate Editor Julia Zaksek urges UT to extend an online-only teaching option to professors with unvaccinated children.
Make the first few weeks of class virtual

Make the first few weeks of class virtual

Julia Zaksek, Associate Editor September 1, 2021
Associate Editor Julia Zaksek argues that UT must make classes online at the start of the semester in order to avoid a COVID-19 surge.
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Expand pass/fail options

Julia Zaksek January 22, 2021

As the second semester of online learning came to a close, student advocates pushed for more lenient grading policies amid the ever-rising unemployment rates, reports of student burnout and the ongoing...

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Clarify details on isolation housing

Julia Zaksek August 26, 2020

As the fall semester nears and students begin moving into their dorms or off-campus apartments, we’re all waiting. Waiting to see if COVID-19 cases will spike. If UT will move all classes and campus...

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Give students a break, adopt more lenient attendance policies this semester

Julia Zaksek August 24, 2020

This semester, I expected all my classes to be online, so I was shocked when I saw that my upper-division history class was listed as in-person. I quickly checked the times of my other classes, all online...

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College of Liberal Arts must offer more web-based classes, increase accessibility

Julia Zaksek June 19, 2020

For years, students demanded that UT make classes more accessible for students with disabilities. Students argued that increasing the number of online classes would ensure students with disabilities could...

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Students should be mindful when practicing self-care, be wary of unhealthy study practices

Julia Zaksek December 2, 2019

As finals season begins, there’s a lot of talk about self-care. Comfort dogs visit campus, clubs hand out face masks and coffee shops become crowded. Students can see self-care as some form of overly...

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Thanksgiving holiday masks history of violence, systematic oppression of indigenous peoples

Julia Zaksek November 25, 2019

For many UT students, Thanksgiving is a celebration marked by family, turkey and pilgrims. Most Americans learn a simplified, singular story of Thanksgiving.  The pilgrims came to America escaping...

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West Campus offers convenient housing, but student tenants often misled, misinformed

Julia Zaksek November 18, 2019

After their first year, many UT students choose to live off campus. Apartments in West Campus are popular. They’re close to main University buildings and popular restaurants, there’s a short...

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Professors guilty of sexual misconduct must be removed to ensure student safety, wellbeing

Julia Zaksek November 11, 2019

Two professors found guilty of sexual misconduct are scheduled to teach courses next semester. Coleman Hutchison and Sahotra Sarkar were both found in violation of UT’s Title IX policy, and Hutchison...

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UT students experiencing food insecurity need greater access to food banks, healthy options

Julia Zaksek November 4, 2019

In their time at UT, one in four students will experience food insecurity. Amid the stresses of school, outside jobs and living away from home, these students worry where their next meal will come from.  Increasing...

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Instituting pronoun policy would promote acceptance, benefit students

Julia Zaksek May 8, 2019

Your professor is calling out names for attendance. You wait with a culminating sense of dread. The professor calls out what they think is your name. You cringe inwardly and raise your hand. Your professor,...

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Prospective students need more information about LGBTQ resources

Julia Zaksek April 30, 2019

You’re a student considering coming to UT. As a member of the LGBTQ community, choosing a university with an inclusive and supportive environment is important to you. When you tour the campus, you...

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Plan II’s promised community fails this year’s freshman class

Julia Zaksek April 24, 2019

The professors aren’t that great. There are no socials or parties. Pick a different program. Go to another school. It’s lonely. It’s cliquey. The community isn’t real. Every...

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UT’s safety pocket guide is too little, too late

Julia Zaksek April 16, 2019

Editor's note: An earlier version of this column mistated the tornadoe watch as a tornado warning, as well as not clarifying that the guide in question refered only to off-campus incidents. The...

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UT needs to give more information on self-defense devices

Julia Zaksek April 10, 2019

You’re a freshman. You’re walking back from campus late at night with a friend. You know you shouldn’t be walking after dark, but UT Night Rides would take a half hour to pick you up,...

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UTPD needs to make self-defense information more accessible

Julia Zaksek April 3, 2019

You’re a first-year student at UT. Your parents bought you pepper spray to put on your keychain and told you to be careful, but you feel like you need something more. You know the UT Police Department...

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Expanding university sex education would fill in gaps, help students

Julia Zaksek March 26, 2019

You have an embarrassing question. A question about sex. You can’t ask anyone so, cringing, you type it into your web browser. Some magazine articles pop up — bright pages with breezy advice...

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UT needs to educate men in STEM about gender disparity

Julia Zaksek March 11, 2019

Across the globe, women are entering STEM fields at higher rates than ever before. On campus, UT has a number of organizations and conferences to support female STEM students, such as the Association for...

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UT needs open forums for political discussion

Julia Zaksek February 27, 2019

UT is divided. Protests, counter-protests and counter-counter-protests frequently occurred throughout the fall semester. Images and videos of students yelling at each other, tearing up signs and teetering...

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Chicago Principles protect unproductive discourse too

Julia Zaksek February 22, 2019

The UT System administration is considering adopting a new free speech policy based on the Chicago Principles.  The principles are an incredibly loose set of standards that, if adopted, would allow...

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UT students deserve more credit for required lab courses

Julia Zaksek February 15, 2019

You’re in your first lab. You sit through the one hour lecture and get ready for your experiment. The course listing, CH 204, promises the lab should take about an hour. You start your experiment,...

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UT needs to show movies with better female representation

Julia Zaksek January 31, 2019

Editor's note: This column references the fall semester line-up for UT's Late Night Film Series. Every semester, the Texas Union hosts a Late Night Film Series. The Showtime Committee, a student-run...

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UT should give a mandatory presentation on birth control options at orientation

Julia Zaksek January 30, 2019

Sixty-three percent of UT students reported being sexually active in Spring 2017. However, over half of these students reported not using any form of contraception during penetrative intercourse. UT...

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Keep Hogg off campus grounds

Julia Zaksek December 3, 2018

UT will reinstall the statue of former Texas governor James Hogg on campus, according to a recent announcement from President Gregory Fenves. The statue was removed from the Main Mall in August 2017, along...

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UT professors should inform students about source authorship, consider donation

Julia Zaksek November 19, 2018

At UT, it is not uncommon for professors to include sources they’ve authored in their curriculum, such as translations, essays or manuals. When students purchase the sources, the professors often...

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UT should prioritize maintenance of existing feminine product dispensers

Julia Zaksek November 16, 2018

Rushing to the restroom in Parlin Hall between back to back classes, I frantically searched my backpack. No tampons, no pads, nothing. Sighing, I pulled my wallet out, closed my bag and left the stall....

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Consider the author’s backgrounds before assigning literature in class

Julia Zaksek November 9, 2018

I was excited to read “Heart Berries” — a new memoir by young Native American author Terese Marie Mailhot. The day before we were told to bring the book to class, I had already read the...

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UTPD should educate students on how to interact with transients

Julia Zaksek November 2, 2018

You’re still in your first or second year at UT. You feel you know the campus well enough that you can get home alone after dark. As you walk, a figure rises from the sidewalk and asks you if you...

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Residence Halls need a stricter review process for displays that is more considerate of residents

Julia Zaksek October 26, 2018

As the elevator doors closed behind me, my jaw dropped. There was a new board on the second floor of Kinsolving Dormitory, where I lived. The board displayed information about what to do in the aftermath...

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Free CMHC support is needed now more than ever

Julia Zaksek October 19, 2018

You’re a sexual assault survivor. The last few weeks haven’t been easy for you. The Kavanaugh allegations have brought painful memories to the surface. And you can’t seem to avoid hearing...

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Arts publications offer valuable showcase opportunities for students

Julia Zaksek October 12, 2018

Do want to see your art somewhere other than your mom’s fridge? Try a literary and arts magazine. Working without an audience can be difficult for artists. Without someone to see your work, motivation...

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UT needs to provide more health services during evening hours

Julia Zaksek October 8, 2018

You get the flu. It’s 3 a.m. You’re nauseous and feverish. After a few hours, you go down to the front desk of your resident hall. The resident assistant on call tells you there’s nothing...

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Professors can help students by teaching about research methods

Julia Zaksek October 8, 2018

I walked the PCL desperately searching for the book I needed for my first research paper at UT. After searching for a while, I finally gave up and meekly asked a librarian for help. A few clicks on her...

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UT Christian organizations should confront controversy

Julia Zaksek September 21, 2018

On Aug. 26, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the Vatican’s former ambassador to the United States, penned an 11-page letter. In it, he alleged that Pope Francis knew about sexual abuse accusations...

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