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 Laura Doan
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With over 600 interviews, UT researchers evaluate impact of Texas legislation on abortion care

Laura Doan May 9, 2019

For nine months, UT researcher Elsa Vizcarra drove to a dozen clinics throughout Texas to interview around 600 women about their experiences seeking an abortion. The interviews will be used to study...

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‘Overworked and underpaid!’: Graduate Students rally at the tower

Laura Doan May 2, 2019

Hundreds of students rallied in front of the UT Tower on Wednesday in support of better graduate student funding, chanting, “Overworked and underpaid. We demand a living wage!” The organizers...

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Have a record from underage drinking? UT law students help for free

Laura Doan April 24, 2019

For three hours on Tuesday night, student volunteers from UT’s School of Law offered free legal service to students looking to expunge records of alcohol-related offenses. The Expunction...

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UT professors have a new idea to bring down the cost of course materials

Laura Doan April 18, 2019

A committee of UT professors is trying to institute a program that has saved students millions of dollars on online course materials at other universities. If the program, called inclusive-access, is...

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Human rights organization calls on students to boycott campus Wendy’s

Laura Doan April 11, 2019

A farmworkers’ rights organization wants students to think twice before they buy their next 4 for $4 at Wendy’s. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is calling for a student boycott of the...

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Admissions still working to make campus tours more historically accurate, inclusive

Laura Doan April 10, 2019

After increased efforts from UT admissions, the goal to expand inclusivity on campus tours is still in progress, according to the latest progress report on the University Diversity and Inclusion Action...

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Grade inflation at UT? Professors discuss the cause of B+ as the new average

Laura Doan March 28, 2019

At UT, B+’s are average. The average cumulative GPA for UT undergraduates at the end of last semester was about a 3.33, the highest it has been during any fall semester for the past 10 years....

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UT tries to catch up to serve students in need of testing accommodations

Laura Doan March 8, 2019

UT students registered for test accommodations often need alternative places to test that are less distracting than a classroom or have specialized adaptive equipment, but UT currently has very limited...

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Students, alumni become unofficial UT admissions counselors on YouTube for UT hopefuls

Laura Doan February 28, 2019

Before her freshman year, marketing sophomore Julia Wezio made a YouTube video titled “How I got Into UT Austin Tips + Advice,” and today, Wezio’s video has over 33,000 views —...

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Harry Ransom Center hosts Poetry on the Plaza to commemorate Black History Month

Laura Doan February 14, 2019

In honor of Black History Month, the Harry Ransom Center is showcasing black artistic achievements from the past and present.  About thirty students and guests gathered outside the Center on Wednesday...

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Experts discuss dangers of repeated head trauma in football

Laura Doan February 1, 2019

Four days before the Super Bowl, football players, doctors and sports journalists sat down to discuss the dangers of repeated head trauma in football and how to find a safer path forward. UT’s...

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Opinion Writer Doesn’t know how she ended up in this basement

Laura Doan 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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Don’t Let Netflix Choose Your Next Movie

Laura Doan April 26, 2018

We miss a lot when we turn to streaming behemoths such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon for our films.  According to a 2017 survey licensed by LendEDU, 92 percent of college students have Netflix accounts....

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Don’t be Tree Blind

Laura Doan April 26, 2018

Everyday, hundreds of students walk by The Battle Oaks, unaware they are passing the three oldest living things on campus. On the corner of Whitis Avenue and 24th Street, the trees, all resilient Texas...

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Don’t RateMyProfessor

Laura Doan April 6, 2018

The University has released the Fall 2018 course list, so it’s time to make some choices: What classes are you taking? When are you taking them? And, perhaps most important, who is going to teach...

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Census and college apps misrepresent Middle Eastern and North African people

Laura Doan March 30, 2018

We need an accurate census. This one decennial survey directs the distribution of federal spending and congressional representation. This week, the Trump administration announced the addition of a citizenship...

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Don’t mess with the Fine Arts Library

Laura Doan March 23, 2018

What’s a library without books? It isn’t a riddle. The answer is simple: It’s not a library anymore.  Administrators are threatening to remove The Fine Arts Library’s on-site...

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Testing is hard, UT needs to stop making it harder

Laura Doan March 9, 2018

For the average UT student, a ticking clock and a cramped classroom make exams uncomfortable and high-stress. But many fellow longhorns can’t test like the average UT student — they have the...

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More faculty of color now

Laura Doan March 6, 2018

According to most recent data, people of color jointly compose only 23.8 percent of overall faculty here at UT and are paid less than white faculty of their same field and experience level. UT has a distressing...

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Give Professors Midterms Too

Laura Doan February 16, 2018

During end-of-semester Course Instructor Surveys, students are encouraged to voice problems they’ve had with teaching and assessment. These problems can be small — things such as “I wish...

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Respect the spray paint, graffiti is art

Laura Doan February 13, 2018

HOPE Outdoor Gallery, Austin’s famous graffiti park, is about to be demolished to make space for condos. Though founders plan on building a replacement in East Austin, the gallery won’t be...

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University needs to do better, treat female faculty equitably

Laura Doan February 6, 2018

Kristie Loescher, senior lecturer in the McCombs School of Business, advised three of her female colleagues “to go to the HR department person and get a lawyer.” “I’m a senior...

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“Yes Means Yes” Must Win Controversy over Consent

Laura Doan January 26, 2018

On Jan. 14, feminist website Babe reported a story of an anonymous young woman’s uncomfortable sexual encounter with Aziz Ansari in which he allegedly ignored signals of her displeasure. The story...

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Texas’ banned book list for prisoners needs serious editing

Laura Doan January 16, 2018

Inside Books Project is a nonprofit organization with the mission to send books to prisoners who want to learn, be entertained or connect emotionally with books. Every Sunday and Thursday, Inside Books’...

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The goal of your education shouldn’t be an A

Laura Doan December 4, 2017

It’s finals season, which means many of us are crunching grades. Students every year pull out the calculator to figure out answers to questions such as, “What is the lowest grade I can make...

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Students deserve more opportunities to watch and discuss films as a community

Laura Doan November 29, 2017

Last year, more than 1,000 people waited in lines that snaked around the Hogg Memorial Auditorium to see “Moonlight” and attend the post-screening discussion with star of the film, UT alumnus...

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Muslim Barbie marks shift in minority representation

Laura Doan November 21, 2017

Barbie is in the early stages of a much needed makeover. Traditional Barbies have been white and frighteningly thin, but Mattel has used the past couple years to make their offerings more diverse —...

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Amazon HQ brings with it unwelcome demographic implications

Laura Doan November 6, 2017

Amazon has been holding a widely publicized search for the city that will be their second seat of power — their HQ2 — and a recent Moody’s Analytics study suggests they’ll choose...

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You’ve Got a Case of Gender Bias

Laura Doan November 6, 2017

Women in the Workplace’s 2017 report found women are underrepresented at every rung of the corporate ladder. The numbers only decreased on the climb toward the jobs with corner offices and leadership...

Find the treasure in the Harry Ransom Center

Laura Doan October 23, 2017

On Oct. 5, Japanese novelist Kazuo Ishiguro won the Nobel Prize in Literature. The mass of papers that tell the backstory of his award-winning works are housed in the ample archives of the Harry Ransom...

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Austin must promote the new text to 911 feature

Laura Doan October 9, 2017

We know what to do in emergencies. Your house got broken into: call 9-1-1.  Someone started seizing in front of you: call 9-1-1. The water pouring into your house has reached waist level and your...

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Schools must not be named for Confederates

Laura Doan October 4, 2017

In schools in Texas and around the country, African American children are learning and chatting between class bells in schools named after Robert E. Lee, the foremost Confederate commander who fought to...

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You aren’t the only one who is feeling lonely

Laura Doan September 25, 2017

Over 50,000 UT students stream by in droves on the walks between classes, make the line for a spicy Chick-fil-A sandwich in the SAC feel perennially long, and make lecture halls look like packed stadium...

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Undocumented immigrants must be allowed to rebuild Houston— legally

Laura Doan September 12, 2017

Large and frightening numbers tell the story of Harvey’s destruction: 14 trillion gallons of rainfall, more than 8 million people living in affected areas, 200,000 damaged homes and tens of billions...

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Uber proves itself unworthy to lead path on flying cars

Laura Doan May 1, 2017

Movies like “Back to The Future Part II” and TV shows such as “The Jetsons” have cemented a view of the future as a place with smart-watches, robot assistants and, of course, flying...

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Harmful portrayals of women permeate advertising

Laura Doan April 17, 2017

Carl’s Jr. recently released a new commercial that signals a retreat from 10 years of ad campaigns that featured tanned women in bikinis enjoying burgers to a ridiculous degree. Other than being...

Consumers must fight for net neutrality rules

Laura Doan April 3, 2017

The glossy technology that pervades modern life offers ease and access to global information — but the companies who provide internet access and the services we love also pose great threats to consumer...

Acting Oscars should not be awarded by gender

Laura Doan February 27, 2017

Since the first show in 1929, the Academy have awarded their golden, muscled acting Oscars on the basis of two criteria: acting ability and gender. Let us briefly imagine what Hollywood’s biggest...

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Boycotting based on politics wastes energy

Laura Doan February 13, 2017

Calls for boycotts by both the left and the right have made everyday errands, from buying socks at Nordstrom to grabbing a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos at a gas station, into political statements. But boycotting...

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Twitter users must be wary of its effects on political debate

Laura Doan January 26, 2017

Twitter has always been the perfect place to live-tweet the Bachelor and follow the tweeted revelations of Jaden Smith and Zach Braff. But Twitter is not the place for making political arguments about...

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