UTSA UTSA has been recognized by The Hispanic Outlook Magazine as one of the leading graduate schools for Hispanic students in the country. Thousands of colleges and universities are considered every year and UTSA has continuously been recognized by Hispanic Outlook as an academic space for success. In 2013, UTSA ranked sixth on their list. “With a Hispanic student population of roughly 45 percent, these rankings demonstrate how truly committed we are to ensuring their success,” said Lisa Firmin, UTSA associate provost for faculty and student diversity and recruitment in 2013. “We are very proud of these top-tier rankings.” Every year the magazine releases a list of the Top 25 graduate schools for Hispanics, and consider both total degrees granted and graduate student enrollment information gained from the Department of Education. The graduate school issue will be released April 18.
U.S. As a result of North Carolina Governor Pat McCory signing the “religious liberty” bill that bans cities and counties from passing their own anti-discrimination laws, many companies and public figures have spoken out against Gov. McCory’s actions. American Airlines, Facebook and Bank of America denounce the bill’s hasty approval. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal vetoed the religious liberty bill, publicly stating “we do not have have to discriminate against anyone to protect our faith based community.”
World At least 85 people, mostly children, were killed Sunday evening, following a suicide bombing of a public park in Lahore, Pakistan. The bomber, a member of a Taliban militant faction, targeted Christians that were participating in Easter festivities.
Science A group of researchers in the United States have used genetic engineering to create a “magnetized protein” that can activate and control brain circuits associated with complex animal behavior. This is considered a breakthrough because understanding how the brain controls and generates behavior is one of the top goals in the field of neuroscience.
Dean decision outrages students Caroline Traylor News Editor
@carolinetraylor news@paisano-online.com
Jennifer Adigwe, The Paisano
ENDING RAPE ON CAMPUS UT System develops scientific and victim-centered protocols to address sexual assault on campus Elizabeth Davis Arts & Life Assistant @ThePaisano news@paisano-online.com
Nearly one in five women in America is a survivor of rape or attempted rape. Despite such a statistic, (based on a 2015 report by the White House) crimes of sexual assault typically go underreported on college campuses across the country. A potential explanation for this underreporting comes from current police proceedings in sexual assault cases. A junior political science major student here at UTSA who wishes to go unnamed commented on the current system. “I was raped over Christmas break (Dec. 2015). When the police came, they asked if I was intoxicated and treated me like I was wasting their time and resources. The way they treated me was almost as traumatizing as the rape itself. I felt like I didn’t have an advocate.” According to a 2015 Association of American Universities (AAU) survey of 27 higher education institutions across the country, nearly one quarter of undergraduate collegiate women are victims of sexual assault. However, the rate of reporting following such crimes ranges from 5 to 28 percent. Kimberly A. Lonsway and Joanne Archambault of the End Violence Against Women International organization found in a 2012 study that for every 100 instances of rape, only 5-20 rapes are reported. Of those, 0.4-5.4 individual offenders go on to be prosecuted, 0.2-5.2 are convicted and a mere 0.2-2.8 offenders face actual incarceration. Data gathered from the AAU’s 2015 assessment re-
vealed that 18.5 percent of UT Austin’s female undergraduate students had experienced some form of sexual assault. In response, the University of Texas System launched a $1.7 million, fouryear study last August to reduce crime and promote safer, more conducive learning environments for students. On March 1, the UT System announced the latest installment in the System’s study: “The Blueprint for Campus Police: Responding to Sexual Assault,” which is set to transform sexual assault culture, starting with the methods law enforcement uses to address such offenses. Survivors of sexual assault might avoid pressing charges following a crime of this nature for many reasons. These survivors experience stigma, peer pressure, feelings of fear, guilt, shame and a myriad of other highly personal and difficult emotions. However, much of these survivors’ underreporting can also be attributed to existing police protocols in responding to sexual assault cases. Historically, survivors of sexual assault have been hesitant to approach law enforcement for fear they will not be taken seriously. Oftentimes, these survivors feel patronized by police officials — as though they are being met with “unwarranted skepticism.” Many have been asked questions that victim-blame such as, “What were you wearing the night of the incident?” or “How much did you have to drink that night?” Additionally, the sexual assault protocols used by law enforcement officials are not specifically oriented toward crimes of sexual assault. Police may rely on standard investigative procedures when dealing with sexual See Blueprint, Page 2
“The University of Texas at San Antonio seeks an innovative and enthusiastic candidate for the Dean of the Honors College,” states the Honor’s College website, advertising its Dean search. Many Honors students, however, are disappointed with the administration’s decision not to appoint the Interim Dean of the Honors College, Dr. Ann Eisenberg, to the position permanently. There has been an overwhelming response from both former and current students - angry and baffled by the decision- who have taken to social media to voice their outrage and demand answers from the institution that calls them asking for donations. “Dr. Eisenberg has the social capital necessary to facilitate connections between alumni and current students. If she were made the Dean of the Honors College, I expect that generations of alumni will heed her call to give back to UTSA and spend time mentoring UTSA undergrads,” said Rawan Arar, a 2008 sociology graduate of the Honors College. Dr. Eisenberg served as the Associate Dean
and Interim Dean of the Honors College and is an associate professor of psychology at UTSA. She received her B.A. and M.A. in psychology from The John Hopkins University and obtained her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of California, Berkeley and has spent over 20 years developing the Honors College. According to Joe Izbrand, the associate vice president for communications & marketing chief communication officer, “no announcement has been made regarding a Dean of the Honors College so it would be premature to discuss it at this time.” Despite Izbrand’s comment, Eisenberg posted a status to her Facebook page on March 25, stating that she “is not going to be Dean of the Honors College at UTSA” which garnered responses from over 250 outraged former students. In early February, an email was sent to all Honors College students inviting them to serve on a student panel that would interview the final four Dean candidates (two men and two women). Six students served on the “self-selected” panel and interviewed candidates that had been identified by a search committee; this search com-
See Students, Page 2
UTSA student parents advocate for childcare
Ramirez describes not having childcare as “a complete barrier to attaining a degree.” Photo courtesy of Bianca Ramirez
Alex Birnel News Assistant
@ThePaisano news@paisano-online.com “I want to talk about something that’s not talked about enough,” said UTSA graduate student Bianca Ramirez, as she introduced herself from behind a podium positioned in front of a crowd gathered for a rally at the Texas Capitol building on March 22nd. She wanted to talk about child care. University provided child care for student-parents, that is. Ramirez helped organize a group called “Downtown Campus Matters Too” to point out the disparity for downtown campus studentparents compared to Main Campus. While all students
pay a tuition fee for child care, the services are currently only provided on the Main Campus. Ramirez calls this missing child care service “a complete barrier to attaining a degree.” As of yet, the group’s problem remains unsolved, but momentum is up. Ramirez said, “right now we are gaining more students wanting to help us with this advocacy who are passionate about this issue and want to see change.” Andrew Hubbard, President-Elect of UTSA’s Student-Government Association, explained that “We have been speaking with students on new innovative ideas on how to solve this student concern. We also have been speaking with community partners on possible solutions as well.
Hubbard stated that once concrete solutions are about to be rolled out, he’d be happy to discuss this further. Ramirez has also gained new-found community partners, finding support among the rest of San Antonio’s college institutions. “At one of the rallies I met a professor from Our Lady of the Lake University and he stated that we have inspired studentparents at OLLU to advocate for child care at their school too,” she explained. As their numbers grow, these student parents plan to take their demands beyond just UTSA, where the organized efforts for child-care began. In May, Ramirez and the group will be submitting a proposal See Downtown, page 3