The Daily Texan 2022-05-03 by The Daily Texan

‘Carrying the torch of health equity’

DT VOLUME 122, ISSUE 68 TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

Fifteen Black and Hispanic pre-health students embark on Health Equity Exposure Experience.

collage by juleanna culilap

/ the daily texan staff

photos by julius shieh, alyssa olvera, sophie stoeger, peyton sims, connor downs, lorianne willet, assad malik, kara hawley, daniel ramirez, mackenzie coleman, LEILA SAIDANE, jonathan sherchand / the daily texan staff

PERMANENT STAFF Editor-in-Chief Sanika Nayak

Assoc. Managing Editors Nathan Han, Fiza Kuzhiyil Digital and Projects Director Addie Costello Director of Diversity & Inclusion Abhirupa Dasgupta Asst. Diversity & Inclusion Directors Rachael Hatchett, Megan Tran Assoc. Editors Faith DuFresne, Julia Zaksek, Mia Abbe, Sruti Ramachandran Forum Editor Safa Michigan Illustration Coordinator Abriella Corker News Editor Anna Canizales Assoc. News Editors Skye Seipp, Samantha Greyson News Desk Editors Sheryl Lawrence, Tori Duff, Kevin Vu Beat Reporters Mackenzie Sullivan, Leila Saidane, Hope Unger, Joelle DiPaolo, Katy Nelson, Hannah Ortega Life&Arts Editor Zoe Tzanis Assoc. Life&Arts Editors Sofia Treviño, Reya Mosby Sr. Life&Arts Film Columnist Noah Levine Sr. Life&Arts Reporters Angela Lim, Kaiya Little Sports Editor Hannah Williford Assoc. Sports Editor Matthew Boncosky Senior Sports Reporters Ethan Ferguson, Amsal Madhani, Jordan Mitchell Newsletters Editor Trinity Smith

MAIN TELEPHONE

Samarth Thawani talks tattoos, memories and hobbies that ground him.

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Columnist Samia Arni argues that UT should install water softeners in the residence hallS.

Life&Arts

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Opinion

Baseball has a new tradition of donning a football helmet in the dugout.

Senior Designers Sara Kinney, Karina Kumar, Marissa Kapp Digital Designer Ciara Casarez Web Designer Grace Booker Video Editor Anchal Raghuvanshi Sr. Videographers Ethan Greeno, Shezan Samanani, Christina Dove, Bhargav Nallanthighal

Senior Photographers Peyton Sims, Leila Saidane Comics Editor Barbra Daly Assoc. Comics Editor Sylvia Asuncion-Crabb Sr. Comics Illustrators Breyona Mitchell, Megan Clarke, Emma George, Rocky Higine Social Media Editor Bernice Chen Assoc. Social Media Editor Sarah Winch Senior Digital Staffers Kaitlyn Wilkes, Brooke Weatherbie Audio Editor Leni Steinhardt Assoc. Audio Editor Mikayla Mondragon Senior Audio Producers Hannah Ortega, Emmanuel Ramirez Editorial Adviser Peter Chen

ISSUE STAFF Columnists Samia Arni

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Comic Artists Hingis Chang, Audrie Roeder, Maya Deutch, Marissa Xiong

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AUSTIN WEATHER TODAY May 3

89º 74º

UT warns students about raccoons after increase of campus encounters, 3 bites reported

TOMORROW May 4

HI LO

91º 71º

we’ll miss you domino :(

Sanika Nayak (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Phoebe Hayes (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@thedailytexan.com

@leilasophiaaa

When Wren Thomson took a latenight walk on campus last semester, he didn’t expect a slow, stalking raccoon to chase him past the tower. The sickly silver mammal charged at Thomson, who was passing the Turtle Pond that warm October night. “I was trying to tell him I don’t have any food for you, … but he didn’t listen,” the psychology sophomore said. “He got within 10 feet of me. This one was actively trying to approach me and trying to get close to me. I ran and then I looked back and it was chasing me up the (Flawn Academic Center) ramp, which was just ridiculous.” According to the Office of Campus Safety, Thomson is one of many students who have had encounters with campus raccoons, including three who were bitten by a raccoon and subsequently received rabies vaccinations. In a tweet last Wednesday, the office warned students, faculty and staff to not feed, pet or take photos with the raccoon believed to be sheltering outside of the McCombs School of Business and Perry-Castañeda Library. The office believes raccoons have become bolder after being repeatedly fed by humans, and may attack after feeling threatened by close contact, or if they have offspring nearby. “Safety issues with raccoons occur when humans purposely or accidentally provide for food or shelter for raccoons (to) take advantage of,” the

The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely. If we have made an error, let us know about it. E-mail managingeditor@thedailytexan.com.

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office said in a different tweet. “Raccoons are smart and opportunistic. They learn and quickly lose their natural fear of us.” Students can report animal incidents to the Animal Make Safe Program, part of UT Environmental Health and Safety, which monitors wildlife on campus. Nocturnal wildlife on campus is more likely to be seen during the day due to construction and campus activity, said Carin Peterson, UT Environmental Health and Safety department safety specialist. “We’re an urban campus, but we have a lot of wildlife,” Peterson said.

/ the daily texan staff

“We have a creek that serves as a highway for wildlife to come through our campus. Our wildlife are wild animals, and we do not want people to touch them. You can view them from a distance and enjoy them, but don’t approach them.” UT Environmental Health & Safety advises anyone who is bitten or scratched by any animal to thoroughly wash the infected area and seek medical advice immediately. Animal bites should be examined by a physician urgently. Faculty and staff can contact the Occupational Health Program. Students can call University Health Services.

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NEWS

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

UNIVERSITY

College of Natural Sciences students struggle with mental health, college strives to increase awareness By Joelle DiPaolo @JoelleDipaolo

Maya Flores, an environmental science and geology freshman, said she took five STEM courses this semester. She said she wishes her major allowed for more elective classes as a break from juggling all of her difficult STEM courses. “It’s not a lot of balance,” Flores said. “Honestly, I don’t do anything fun … There are a lot of days where it’s harder rather than easier.” Flores’ struggles come amid increasing efforts by the College of Natural Sciences to increase mental health visibility. On March 25, the college launched a new website that compiles mental health resources for students and faculty, including the Counseling and Men-tal Health Center and crisis line. Last fall, the college started a mental health working group, a group of students, faculty, and staff that

meet to discuss how to improve mental health awareness. Anneke Chy, assistant dean for advising and student support, said the working group’s two initial priorities are engaging student organizations and increasing peer support opportunities. John Wallingford, a molecular biosciences professor, said the new website shows an increasing awareness of the importance of mental health that he wished he had seen when he was a student. “Having (these resources) in the College of Natural Sciences will reduce the energy barrier for people to reach out,” Wallingford said. “I think a student might be more willing to talk to someone at the college level than at the university level because it seems a little bit more intimate.” The Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science is currently administering their annual survey, which asks

CNS students questions regarding their college experience, like the extent to which they experienced stress, anxiety and perfectionism. Esteban Elias, an undeclared student in CNS, said the difficulty of classes like chemistry were detrimental to his mental health. Elias was homeschooled in high school, so coming to the University was a big change. He said he wished the college had support groups for students like himself to help them transition to the University. “Anxiety was through the roof,” Elias said. “Depression came and hit me like a homerun, just came up behind me and started beating the heck out of me.” Computational biology freshman Annie Fu said she noticed most students took their mental health into their own hands by reaching out to outside therapists or counselors instead of looking to faculty and staff for support. She said from her experience,

some professors could do more to support students’ mental health. “That’s a huge disconnect,” Fu said. “I feel like professors should offer at least a space in their office hours or a time through email and be like ‘Hey, if you have any issues, just feel free to email me and I will do my best to accommodate you.’” Wallingford said that because of his own struggles with mental health, he can relate to students. If professors learned more about students’ mental health and how to address it, he said that professors would be able to properly address mental health concerns. “If you’ve never struggled with depression or anxiety, it’s really hard to know what it’s all about,” Wallingford said. “Getting some education about what that really means and what it really feels like for that person is really important because it doesn’t mean you just give him a pass.”

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S A N I K A N AYA K

Editor-In-Chief | @TEXANOPINION TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

COLUMN

OPINION

UT should install water softeners in residence halls

To lessen the effects of hard water, UT should install water softeners in the residence halls. By Samia Arni Columnist

ard water is a major issue throughout the Central Texas area. It occurs due to the presence of limestone where the water supply is stored underground, causing large amounts of minerals in water to come out of our faucets. While it is safe to drink, showering with hard water can cause damage to hair and make it feel unclean. To help students living on campus who rely on residence hall showers, UT should install water softeners to mitigate the effects of hard water. Since moving to the residence halls,

computer science freshman Megan Sickler said that her hair has become increasingly damaged. “(My hair) has been breaking off at the ends, and I see split ends all the time,” Sickler said. “I also have really curly hair and when I’m home it curls up into ringlets, but when I’m here it frizzes up (with no ringlets).” Sickler also expressed that her hair feels like it is covered in a film and doesn’t feel as clean. Furthermore, she highlighted that this can be increasingly challenging during situations involving professional opportunities. “It has an impact on (my) confidence among people,” Sickler said. “I’m interviewing a lot right now, and I have to worry about my hair being frizzy when I get there.” Sickler is not the only one who feels this way. In my residence hall group chat, there have been conversations about how students believe that the water is damaging their hair, affirming Sickler’s point of view. According to Don Ates, director of residential facilities for University Housing

and Dining, there hasn’t been an effort to install water softeners, in part because they simply haven’t heard much about this problem. “We haven’t had any complaints or any concerns from residents in the past,” Ates said. “We also have never received guidance from campus, and the city has not required us to do so or has said they are necessary.” While UT does have a system for students to file maintenance requests and report issues involving the residence halls, hard water is a fairly common issue throughout the city of Austin and

Central Texas as a whole. Furthermore, just because the University is not required to do something, does not mean it should not be considered for the benefit of the residents. UT has the opportunity to make living on campus more comfortable for its residents. By installing water softeners in the showers, students will not have to worry about their hair next to all the other academic and personal issues they are already dealing with. Arni is a political communication and urban studies sophomore from Austin, TX.

sharon chang

LEGALESE | Opinions expressed in The Daily Texan are those of the editor, the Editorial Board or the writer of the article. They are not necessarily those of the UT administration, the Board of Regents or the Texas Student Media Board of Operating Trustees.

SUBMIT A FIRING LINE | Email your Firing Lines to editor@dailytexanonline.com. Letters must be more than 100 and fewer than 300 words. The Texan reserves the right to edit all submissions for brevity, clarity and liability.

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LIFE&ARTS

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

STUDENT LIFE

Senior textiles and apparel students present at capstone fashion show By Sebastian Barajas @texanarts

The warehouse buzzes. Families cradle bouquets of multicolored flowers. Pride emanates off of the designers. Before the models make their way across the runway, the designers, assisted by University Fashion Group members, scurry around the venue, making sure the work they’ve spent months preparing for will dazzle on stage. UT textiles and apparel seniors presented their capstone collections April 30 at Distribution Hall in downtown Austin. Each student’s collection included four looks, which embodied their design aesthetic and abilities. The show’s 20 designers worked all semester on their individual runway pieces and united to create one Capstone Collection, encapsulating all of their works. The University Fashion Group, a student organization dedicated to putting on student fashion shows, brought the Capstone Collection to life, organizing all the most important details such as casting models, finding a venue and running a social media campaign for the show. Victoria Martin, textiles and apparel senior, said that although the process of making the garments felt tedious at times, seeing her pieces on the runway made the experience worthwhile. She said her designs focus on the intersection between fashion design and augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality technologies. “It was a frustrating process,” Martin said. “It started off hard for me to decide what I wanted to show and finalize. Working on (the garments) for so long feels like you’re nurturing a baby; it’s something you’re bringing into this world. Seeing my pieces on a live, walking model was astonishing.” While walking the runway, Gabriele Groberio, a studio art freshman and model, said she felt a fantastic rush of adrenaline.

Groberio closed out the show in an elegant wedding dress by designer Catherine Tang. She said the unique experience will remain a happy memory for a long time. “My favorite part was in between walking — the rush of the dressers getting me in my garments and everyone in sync getting me ready for the runway,” Groberio said. “When you’re out there, the world is almost blank, and backstage, it’s a flurry of chaos. You get to celebrate with the other models even if it was so quick and fast. It’s so gratifying.” The group’s model director, LuLu Eisenberg, said she found the behind-the-scenes process of getting the models ready to walk before and during the show extensive and fulfilling. “Our main role is selecting the models for the show,” the neuroscience junior said. “We do model calls, model fittings and we have walk training. It’s a lot of interacting with the models, the designers and the garments. When the show ended, I cried tears of happiness.” When Ian Howard saw his pieces on a model for the first time, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The textiles and apparel senior said he took inspiration for his collection from industrial and postmodernist architecture, combining shades of gray with faded colors to represent the lighting on buildings. “When I saw (my pieces) on models under lighting at the show, it was surreal. All of my models did such a good job and carried the character of my garments,” Howard said. Howard said his capstone collection was based on the topics and philosophies that interested him, and he said it is important for aspiring artists to stay true to the ideologies they believe in and live for themselves. “Make sure you stay true to yourself and (don’t) live your life for other people,” Martin said. “The most important thing is you are doing what you want to do and taking steps to get to where you envision yourself.

mackenzie coleman

/ the daily texan staff

Models display designs created by senior textiles and apparel students.

Kick your outdoor activities into high gear!

GET AN

EDUCATION

capmetro.org/ut-guide

May is bike month, so there’s no better time to grab a helmet and hit the road. You can even bring your own bike on the train or bus to get to your favorite trail across town. And it’s all free with your valid UT ID.

ADDIE COSTELLO

Projects Editor | @THEDAILYTEXAN

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

INVESTIGATES

FEATURE

students explore health equity in atlanta trip By Reya Mosby @reyamosby

haltiy-El Jackson’s lifelong love for science motivated her to pursue medicine. However, the biology freshman said she saw the lack of diversity within the field in her first year of studies. “Whenever I would do things like shadowing or volunteering, there weren’t people that I could relate to,” Jackson said. Black and Hispanic students make up less than 20% of Dell Medical School’s student population, according to a submission to the 2021 Texas Higher Education Board. In an effort to better support underrepresented student populations and promote equity in the medical field, Jackson and 14 other Black and Hispanic pre-health students visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta as part of the Health Equity Exposure Experience from April 27 to May 1. “Many of us are first generation (college students), so our parents don’t really have those connections,” Jackson said. “It’s a really beneficial trip to allow us to get out there and show what we’re able to do and connect ourselves.” HEALTH EQUITY EXPOSURE EXPERIENCE “(This) opportunity is incredibly unique — I would say once in a lifetime,” said Liliana Martinez, pipeline manager for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Dell Medical School. “To be a student who’s first (generation), a student of color, who hasn’t found their place, who needs to feel like they belong in a space, and to place them physically in that space is incredibly impactful.” The program was a partnership with Dell Medical School’s Health Professions Pathway Program and predominantly funded and organized by the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, according to Dr. Octavio Martinez, the

associate chair of diversity, equity and inclusion at Dell Med. “This program … is exactly the kind of innovation that is needed in public health,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky said in a video to students in the program. “We are grateful you are a part of it, carrying the torch for health equity.” At the CDC, students engaged with health professionals, sharing their own experiences, passion for health equity and solutions to combat medical racism. “The value is in their lived experiences,” said Dr. Ryan Sutton, assistant dean of diversity, equity and inclusion for Dell Medical School. “We see the underrepresentation of historically marginalized groups

within these spaces, so the fact that we can walk into these spaces (as) Black and brown individuals, adds a level of insight that (the medical professionals) can get.” At Georgia Tech, the students toured the sports medicine facilities and participated in a Q&A session with members of the sports medicine staff. Students asked panelists about physical and mental wellness in sports medicine, various disparities within the profession and how to succeed in this field. Throughout the trip the students were joined by notable medical professionals from the CDC, Morehouse School of Medicine and others to provide networking and mentorship opportunities. Additionally,

the students and faculty visited the National Center for Civil and Human Rights as well as Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park. EXPLORING HEALTH EQUITY While the trip focused primarily on students’ experiences and current disparities, historical health inequalities and the history of distrust between communities of color and the health care field were not left out of the conversation. During the trip, Sutton pointed out a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”

During the CDC visit, students got to tour the museum on campus, and the guide put an emphasis on health equity dating back centuries and medical racism. During the tour, they specifically discussed the 1932 Tuskegee Experiment in which hundreds of Black men were unknowingly infected with syphilis under the false pretense that they were receiving free medical care and were never offered any treatment. “Being a Black woman in the United States, I have seen firsthand and heard stories of the mistreatment of Black women as well as other minorities and how uncomfortable (it) can be to go to the doctor, to go to the dentist (or) any sort of medical professional,” said Bisona Yangni, a health and society junior. “I want to do what I can to help alleviate that stress from people.” Today, disparities continue as Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes than white women, according to the American Medical Association. Black and Hispanic physicians made up approximately 11% of active physicians in the U.S. in 2018, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. At the same time, Black and Hispanic citizens make up nearly 32% of the U.S. population, according to the most recent census data. “When you witness the disparities within your own community, you really get to see how the system isn’t perfect,” said Ginata Lopez, a health and society junior. “When I found out about health equity and the political and social determinants of health care, it made me want to fix it and advocate for people.” ‘WILL THIS WORLD LET ME BE A DOCTOR?’ Public health sophomore Faith Folorunso said she feels excitement about her future in the health care field and sparking change within the industry. However, she said, at times, she grows weary of how realistic a future in health is for her as a Black woman, especially at UT, where she is surrounded by white classmates. “I’m used to dreaming so big, but there’s always the fear of my color not allowing me to fulfill my dreams, based on how I see the world treat minorities,”

public health sophomore Faith Folorunso said. “I want to be a doctor, but will this world let me be a doctor?” According to Dell Med’s submission to the 2021 Texas Higher Education Board, Dell Medical School’s student population is nearly 60% white. In comparison, approximately 47% of the total medical school student population across the country in 2021-2022 is white, according to data gathered by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Sutton and Dr. Steve Smith, associate dean for student affairs, speaking for Dell Medical School, said that the issues within the school causing these disparities in race are a result of systemic barriers, and they are trying to start conversation about working to improve it. Several trip attendees said they feel imposter syndrome within being racial minorities in pre-health spaces because of the lack of diversity they see around them. “Those national numbers have remained stagnant for several decades,

despite multiple initiatives from national, local and governmental organizations,” Smith said. “Unfortunately this problem has systemic roots, but our admissions are moving closer to what those demographics should be.” Additionally, Dell Medical School fosters programs like a recent one in which racial minority students are placed in mentor groups with local physicians from diverse programs, or numerous student organizations aimed towards supporting and creating a safe community for underrepresented minorities. Sutton said this initiative acts as both a temporary solution for a much larger issue and the tentative beginning of more efforts to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion. “We have work to do,” Sutton said. “There is a diverse, talented and gifted pool of future health professionals seeking admission into medical schools across this country. As we continue to seek to improve diversity in representation, we must continue to examine our

procedures, policies and practices to ensure they are equitable and inclusive.” FUTURE OF MEDICINE “I’m hopeful that things (in the medical field) can look different and that people will start to see the wrongdoing, especially people who aren’t minorities,” Jackson said. Several students said this trip reignited their love for medicine, public health policy and health equity advocacy. Throughout the course of the trip, multiple professionals referred to the students as the “future of medicine.” “You get to have an impact on these professionals that are already established in the field and offer them a sense of your experience (and) what you feel the health care industry needs,” neuroscience junior Diobenhi Castellanos said. “That’s really impactful because high school me would never (have thought) I’d ever be given an opportunity like this.”

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

LIFE&ARTS

STUDENT LIFE

Tat Tuesday: Samarth Thawani honors childhood hobbies

leila saidane

/ the daily texan staff

Thawani’s anchor tattoo represents the role of soccer held in his life.

By Kaiya Little @kaiyalittle

At the bend of Samarth Thawani’s inner arm, a play and two skip buttons wrap across his skin like a band. Without the melodies of his favorite songs, Thawani said life would lose its vibrancy. When music pours into his ears through his headphones, Thawani said the sound silences the rest of the world, as well as his own mind. “I’m an overthinker. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing,” the math and economics freshman said. “Music toned (my thoughts) down.” When his mind races, Thawani said he turns to his childhood hobbies — listening to music and playing soccer — to quell his anxieties and ground him in his intrinsic humanity. Unlike the empty canvas those distractions provide, Thawani said he uses his tattoos

to connect more deeply with these activities, memorializing anecdotes and thoughtful pieces of his life through art. “It’s about all the throwbacks. There’s so many good memories,” Thawani said. “There’s (when I won) the first player of the match and then the first tournament I won. There are a couple which just stuck in my head, and I don’t think they’re going to leave anytime soon.” In high school, Thawani played center back on his school’s soccer team — a crucial defensive position he said lent inspiration for his second tattoo. Thawani said some may misinterpret the anchor design, but the tattoo acts as a reference to the sport he loves and the role it held in his life before coming to college. “I was the guy to hold the team down — therefore the anchor,” Thawani said. “Some people don’t get it. It just made sense in my head.” Thawani lived in England for the first years of his life, moving around frequently before his family settled in Pune, India, for most of his teenage years. Thawani said soccer became the

BEYOND THE

one constant throughout all the travel, even as he made his most recent journey to begin college in Austin, where he now plays soccer with UT RecSports. “I would move around quite a bit as a kid, so it was kind of hard at times,” Thawani said. “(Playing) was a way to make new friends because (it) was like, ‘Oh, you want to play soccer? I’ll show up.’” Looking at the tattoos leading down his arms, Thawani said each one captures significant aspects of his life that he hopes to keep close to his heart forever. From the music shaping his life’s soundtrack to his standout soccer memories, Thawani said his tattoos are as permanent as the stories behind them, such as the time his team — the obvious underdogs — pulled off a one in a million tournament upset. “We started off really bad in the league games,” Thawani said. “Somehow we managed to pull through. Something lit up in us. We won the final, and it was a beautiful feeling. I’ll never ever forget the joy in our faces coming back to school.”

FRAME

Featuring the best from the photo department.

lorianne willett

| daily texan staff

A drummer plays to a beat in a music tent at Eeyore’s Birthday Party on April 30. Hosted by the Friends of the Forest Foundation, the event is meant to benefit local non profit groups in Austin.

SPORTS

HANNAH WILLIFORD

Sports Editor | @TEXANSPORTS TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

SOFTBALL

Softball bids farewell to seniors, plans to honor at last home game of season Three softball super seniors set to move on after decorated careers. By Emma Hutchinson @emmahutch_

s Texas softball takes its final strides of the spring season, the team will say a reluctant farewell to three Longhorn super seniors: Janae Jefferson, Hailey Dolcini and Mary Iakopo. The trio stood as a prime example of sportsmanship and leadership while setting the foundation for a program continuing to grow its culture and inspire its audience. Their ability to recover from obstacles, including win droughts and missed games, has been a key aspect of the team’s success.

Leading the program in total hits entering the 2022 season, Jefferson has had a powerful impact on Texas softball with her consistency. Over the weekend, the second baseman scored her 200th career run while facing off against Texas Tech, one of two Texas players to ever reach the 200run milestone. Jefferson has also collected 24 honors and awards and counting across her five years of work. With a bright future ahead, Jefferson said she will take the game of softball with her after she graduates this May. She hopes to have the chance to play softball professionally, and would also like to get a job in the interior design field. Dolcini, who transferred in for her last collegiate year, became the team’s pitching savior on multiple occasions. Dolcini compiled a 2.40 ERA on the season over 142.2 total innings pitched, making her the leader in innings pitched. In her sole year as a Longhorn, Dolcini quickly showed herself to be a crucial asset to the team’s success rate, pitching in 16 wins. During the team’s contest against Texas Tech, Dolcini reached double figures in strikeouts for the 20th time and reached her career high of 14 strikeouts for the second time this season. “She competes well,” Iakopo said about Dolcini. “She’s gotten better every week.”

While Burke is also a senior, she has yet Completing the trifecta, Iakopo has to announce whether or not she will stay been a staple of Texas softball’s offensive with the Longhorns for another year. scene with 42 total RBIs and nine home runs for the season, leading the team in The Longhorns have dedicated both categories. their final home game against Baylor Iakopo has been a reliable source for on Sunday to celebrating the seniors bringing the Longhorns into the lead with and sending the team into the Big 12 her .321 batting average, the fourth highest Conference Championship. on the roster, and slugging average of .607. “All we’re looking forward to is the postIakopo, along with Jefferson and senior season,” Iakopo said. “This team is ready utility Lauren Burke, were recently featured on the 2022 Academic All-Big 12 Conference after getting punched in the mouth again The New York Times Syndication Sales and again. I’m Corporation really proud of where we’re teams. This marked Iakopo and Jefferson’s 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 going and where we’re headed.” third honor and gave Burke her second. For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Saturday, March 12, 2022

Crossword ACROSS 1 Birdie of Broadway’s “Bye Bye Birdie” 7 Maize patties 13 Throw on the floor 15 Poet who wrote “Love is so short, forgetting is so long” 16 Korean rice dish often served in a hot stone bowl 18 Silent partner? 19 Replete (with) 20 Like the villainous Max Shreck, at the end of “Batman Returns” 22 Like typical projects in Popular Mechanics magazine, in brief 23 Palindromic periodical title

24 Crime show extras, for short

25 Memory measure 26 Word with bass or bed

lorianne willett

/ the daily texan staff

Super senior first baseman Mary Iakopo sets up for the tag at first. Iakopo is hiting .321 with 9 home runs this year.

K E I R A

A R F E D

M E A R A

O M B R E A S L A C H S K I T U R N O R O T I N T E N Y A M G M T

L O O S E Y G O O S E Y

48 Russian writer and dissident Limonov

27 Humble

28 ___ noires (bugbears)

29 Certain pie filling 31 Archetypal bossypants

33 Part of a quote 34 Tears

51 “Ruff ___ Anthem,” 1998 hit single for DMX

DOWN

1 Old-time messages

38 Horne of music 39 Disbands

2 Colorful bird in the blackbird family

40 Live on water, say 41 Part of a play group?

3 Crab ___

4 Subject of an end-of-year office memo, maybe

42 Sayings attributed to Jesus

5 Horde

W H A T A D E A L

U N D E R S E L L

M O D E M

M E L O N

B A L O O

I T S M E

T L C

6 Talk over?

7 Home to the highest active volcano in the world 8 Kind of grass 9 Period

10 Sighting in a classic Looney Tunes cartoon

11 Appointed by the court

13 16

18 21

15 17

No. 0205 7

31 32 33

35 It’s a racket

O S R U S M O N N O H T A S T R O O T R O E S T R H O A T E B A L B L L Y

49 There’s no doubt about it

50 Gets tight

32 Result of selling out

I E S T N S T E N M A R E N R P D O E S I R O O N N S T Y M I R I P V I L I P E S S P A C A L G A S E E M

44 Dome

46 Sugar substitute?

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE A V L A B

43 “I can row a boat. ___?” (groaner joke)

Edited by Will Shortz

41 44

47 49

PUZZLE BY KAMERON AUSTIN COLLINS

17 The right one can 30 Disgusting produce a smile buildups 21 Bronze producers 31 One way to put on a coat 24 ___ Vecchio 25 Eponym of a lifetime achievement award in fashion since 1984 27 Holiday pancake 28 Majors, say

29 Kufrin of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette”

32 Like early uncensored Hollywood films 33 Hollywood precursor?

35 River that flows through or beside 10 countries

36 Compound with a chemical “twin”

37 Nonproliferation treaty subjects, in brief

39 Gets tight (with) 40 Staged

42 Bygone Vatican money 43 Booker of the Senate 45 Oomph

47 “___ Mutual Friend” (Dickens’s last completed novel)

12 Accept a proposal Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past 14 Marijuana, some puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). say Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

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SPORTS

BASEBALL

Texas baseball’s new home run helmet brings motivation in bumpy season

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gregory weston

/ the daily texan staff

Skyler Messinger completes rounding the bases after making a home run into left field. Messinger and the Longhorns took on Oklahoma State on Apr. 29.

By Jordan Mitchell @thejordankenzie

Texas baseball fans might have noticed a new trend in the dugout: After each Longhorn home run, the batter dons a Texas football helmet in celebration. The new tradition began as a gag courtesy of the football equipment staff. During a Tuesday night matchup against Air Force, a fouled line drive bounced into Texas’ dugout, striking assistant head coach Sean Allen in the head, creating a concussion scare. While game medics tried transporting Allen from the game on a stretcher, Allen refused, walking out of UFCU Disch-Falk Field under his own power. Allen took Wednesday night’s rematch against Air Force off to recover. In a media availability that Thursday, head coach David Pierce reported that Allen suffered multiple fractures on the side of his cheek, but that he was back at practice. “He looks like he got into a fight with Mike Tyson,” Pierce joked. Before their April 22 matchup against Baylor, the Texas football equipment staff left a little get-well present for Allen in the dugout. The gift was a regulation-sized Texas football helmet. Carli Todd, director of player development and social media manager, photographed Allen’s new football helmet between three batting helmets and posted the image to Twitter before the start of the Baylor game. However, it wasn’t Allen who sported the helmet during Friday’s game, but the players. In the bottom of the fourth inning, redshirt junior Ivan Melendez blasted his 18th home run of the season in between the batter’s eye and the scoreboard, widening Texas’ lead to ten runs over Baylor. Pretty routine for a Friday night game at the Disch.

When Melendez returned to home plate, his teammates ripped off his batting helmet and replaced it with the football helmet, bringing an already rowdy crowd of 7,300 to their feet. “We knew coach Allen wasn’t gonna wear it,” Pierce said. “They figured out a way to utilize it, so it’s part of the group now.” Since Melendez put on the helmet following his 403-foot dinger, Texas has gone on a home run surge. During the Baylor series, the Longhorns blasted 14 home runs, including sophomore transfer Kimble Schuessler’s and redshirt senior Austin Todd’s first of the season. “Hitting is contagious,” Melendez said. “We’re just gonna keep rolling, when you hit you get a hot streak so you got to grind them out.” While the win streak didn’t hold into the next week, as Texas was swept at home by No. 8 Oklahoma State, the Longhorns did continue to hit well. On Friday, graduate transfer Skyler Messinger blasted two home runs during the three-homer game, while Todd broke Texas’ single-season home run record set in 2010 with the 82nd of the season. “I honestly didn’t even know that I did that,” Todd said. “The swing felt good.” With four more bombs added Sunday, the home run count with the new tradition has reached 22, or about 26% of Texas’ total home runs on the season. When asked if the helmet would stay, Pierce responded with an enthusiastic “of course,” and that he appreciated his players’ creativity with it. “I love the fact that they used their imagination and turned it into something else,” Pierce said. But one burning question remains: Has Pierce ever put on the helmet? “Nah, but I might need to though,” Pierce said. “(Allen) needs a picture with it on.”

COMICS

B A R B R A D A LY

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