08-10-09 by The Daily Texan

THE DAAILY IL TEXAN LIFE&ARTS PAGE 6

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The cheese stands alone Monday, August 10, 2009

All eyes are on Texas Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900

Karina Jacques | Daily Texan Staff

Editor’s note: This is the final story in a series of ‘Faces of Austin.’ By Ben Wermund Daily Texan Staff Within the chain-link fence surrounding Austin’s tallest building — 55 stories and growing — the builders bustle. A crew of 600 men and women donning hard hats toil to raise concrete, steel and glass 683 feet straight up over Austin. Small metal lifts carry workers, water, wood and more up and down the sides of The Austonian, and, on a sweltering early August afternoon, the boss man waits for his ride to the top. “Bob on one,” Robert Albanese barks buoyantly into a small speakerbox at the base of the condominium building. “They give me special treatment even though I don’t want it.” Albanese is the head of construction on The Austonian, which will be the tallest residential building west of the Mississippi upon completion late next month. Although he says he does not demand it, Albanese receives the special treatment today, as the lift arrives almost instantaneously after he makes his presence known. The tin can-like metal box opens and Albanese is greeted warmly by the operator as he and about eight other workers fill the space inside. “Another day in paradise,” Albanese jabs to one of the other riders. For a group spending seemingly endless summer days drudging to bring a Goliath from the ground, the mood in the lift is light. “I’ve learned to love it here,” says Adam Duetsch, who controls the pouring of concrete at the site, as the lift nears the top of its climb. “It’s been my bread and butter for over a year.” This lift stops at the 10th floor, the top of the podium from which the rest of the tower extends upward. “This sets up the footprint of the building,” Albanese says. The inside of these 10 stories will be dedicated to parking. On top is what Albanese describes as the building’s backyard — complete with a large pool on one side and a synthetic lawn area for pets on the other. Moving through the bare, concrete inside, Albanese shows off

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was ranked so high, especially among so many Ivy League schools,” Valles said. “I think our business school is very reputable. I think people recognize McCombs by name and the majority of our graduates are successful at finding great jobs.” Valles said that while she would like to explore graduate programs in other cities, she feels getting accepted into the MBA program at the McCombs School of Business is an accomplishment any student would be proud of. “The McCombs MBA students that I know put a lot of hard work and dedication into studying and learning the trade,” Valles said. “It’s great that the effort that everyone puts in is

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Message on a bottle

Edmarc Hedrick | Daily Texan Staff

At a Slow Food Austin meeting Thursday, John Brack of Austin Homebrew demonstrates the process of winemaking.

INSIDE: A closer look at winemaking on page 6

Futuristic electrical grid aids greening By Bobby Longoria Daily Texan Staff Moving beyond a one-way energy-distribution system that has remained unchanged since the industry’s inception and into a method where energy distribution is networked similar to the internet was discussed last Wednesday at the Austin Clean Energy Forum. Roger Duncan, Austin Energy general manager, said this new “smart grid” is named the Pecan Street Project and will lead to greater energy conservation. “This is an exciting project that underscores the vision set forth by Mayor Wynn and the Austin City Council of exceptional community-wide efficiency in energy use combined with clean, sustainable generation that takes advantage of advancements in distributed energy,” Duncan said. Michael Webber, UT’s Clean Energy Incubator codirector, said today’s power grid sends power from traditional energy producers, such as coal-burning plants and natural gas plants, to homes and commercial projects in a one-way manner. He said the future grid will have more capability and will allow for energy to flow in two directions. Webber, who is also an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UT, said the smart grid will incorporate digital information technology and clean energy sources so that every home is a potential power plant, particularly with the advent of solar panel cells that can line rooftops. By using solar cells, homes can actually earn credit on electric bills if they put enough energy back into the grid. “In the future, your home might be not only a source of power, but on some days — on peak afternoons, it will send excess power to the grid and the smart power grid will be able to better handle those kinds of flows,” Webber said. He said the smart grid, in combination with smart meters and appliances, will allow for people to understand their energy consumption via a Web interface. “When you have a smart grid, you will be able to

Recession has not decreased foreign applications to UT

Peyton McGee | Daily Texan Staff

Shadows paint the south entrance of the Red McCombs School of Business on Friday afternoon as a man enters the building.

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Business school ranked 11th in nation By Syeda Hasan Daily Texan Staff Forbes magazine recently ranked UT’s McCombs School of Business the 11thbest business program in the nation in its 2009 publication of the Best Business Schools, a list that typically is reserved for Ivy League-caliber schools. The rankings, published every two years, are based on the return on investment, a comparison of salary earnings with the cost of school and work expenses, that business graduates achieve after five years in the working world, according to Forbes. UT accounting junior Kristina Valles said she hopes to continue her education in business and will apply to McCombs when considering graduate schools. “I think it’s great that McCombs

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Building raises city to new heights

Robert Albanese answers a business call on Congress Avenue on Saturday morning. Albanese is the head of construction of the residential building the Austonian.

TOMORROW’S WEATHER

By Hudson Lockett Daily Texan Staff The worldwide economic crisis will likely not change the number of international students enrolling at UT this fall, said Teri Albrecht, director of International Student and Scholar Services. UT typically has many more applicants than there are spaces when it comes to international students, Albrecht said. The impact is felt most by students in additional financial strain and is playing a part in some students’ decisions regarding whether they could attend UT once accepted, she said. The additional strain was particularly prevalent in students’ ability to work, supplementing tuition money and securing

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Jeffrey Weng investigation deemed ‘inactive’ By Pierre Bertrand Daily Texan Staff Without any more clues, anonymous tips or leads, Kyle Police Department investigators have classified the investigation into the death of former UT student Jeffrey Weng “inactive” six months after Weng sustained fatal injuries when he somehow fell out of a moving taxi along Interstate Highway 35. On Feb. 14, Weng, who was a UT music junior, entered a taxi with another man along the 1300 block of Lavaca Street around 3 a.m. Both individuals were headed to San Marcos when Weng exited the moving taxi while on IH-35 in Kyle. Weng received fatal head injuries and was rushed to Univer-

sity Medical Center Brackenridge, where he died of his injuries later the following day. When the driver of the Yellow Cab taxi became aware of Weng’s departure from the taxi, he allegedly doubled back on the highway and alerted Hays County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Jennifer Baker of what happened. Instead of staying in Kyle as he was instructed, the driver continued his fare and dropped off the only other witness to the incident in San Marcos at roughly 4 a.m. Detectives were unable to find the passenger of the taxi, said Jerry Hendrix, a spokesman for the city of Kyle. All calls to Kyle police were deferred to Hendrix, who explained the in-

vestigation’s status. “We had no responses,” Hendrix said. “We’ve had no progress since we put [the sketch out].” On Feb. 25, with the help of an Austin Police Department sketch artist, Kyle officials released a sketched image of the passenger. Weeks later on March 5, still images of the man from surveillance cameras on Lavaca Street were released with no feedback from the community. “We have had no changes since we put out that press release,” Hendrix said. Hendrix said Kyle detectives have exhausted their list of leads and until something new surfaces, there is nothing the detectives can do.

“I think we are looking at a very unfortunate event and not everybody can understand the mindset of the individual who took that action,” said Edward Kargbo, the general manager of Yellow Cab Austin. Kargbo would not explain why the driver decided to drive off, saying instead he wants to let police continue their investigation. “It’s not my place and out of respect of what happened, I think its important that we respect the investigation,” Kargbo said. Some friends of Weng have not lost hope of possible understanding of what happened

WENG continues on page 5

News

Monday, August 10, 2009

austonian: Builder says project shows changing city

The Daily Texan Volume 110, Number 49 25 cents

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skeletal frames of what will be guest rooms and an empty core, soon to be the elevator lobby. Eventually he reaches a large semi-circle room in which a group of workers pore over plans of the place. “This is the coolest deal,” Albanese says. “A theater for 12.” As he tours the place, Albanese shouts out facts about rooms and amenities while simultaneously pondering the little obstacles that arise when doing construction on such a tower. “There’s a multitude of challenges — just getting these guys up and down,” he says as he approaches the connecting lift that will take him 41 stories higher. “Then they all need water and restrooms and everything else, too.” As the lift opens, a couple of workers push a dolly, overflowing with wooden boards, out. “That’s what I’m talking about,” Albanese says. “Just all the stuff that has to go up besides the guys. These guys impress me all the time over here.”

Main Telephone: (512) 471-4591 Editor: Jillian Sheridan (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com Managing Editor: Stephen Keller (512) 232-2217 managing editor r@dailytexanonline.com News Office: (512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com Sports Office: (512) 232-2210 sports@dailytexanonline.com Life & Arts Office: (512) 232-2209 lifeandarts@dailytexanonline.com Photo Office: (512) 471-8618 photo@dailytexanonline.com Retail Advertising: (512) 471-1865 joanw@mail.utexas.edu

Humble beginnings Albanese is the son of a professor who traveled from school to school before settling in Bryan, Texas, to teach at Texas A&M when Albanese was 12. Albanese studied construction science there, with no revelations as to why, other than he thought the field sounded interesting. After graduation, Albanese moved to Austin in 1983 and began working for a roofing company, later entering the field of construction. Nearly two years ago, he became the head of construction on The Austonian. “I’ve just been really fortunate,” Albanese said of the projects he has worked on: some of Congress Avenue’s most prominent pieces of architecture, from the Bob Bullock Museum, to the Frost Bank building and the Texas Capitol building. “It’s really just the right place at the right time.”

Karina Jacques | Daily Texan Staff

From his office, Robert Albanese overlooks the construction of The Austonian, the tall residential building his company is building on Congress Avenue.

ing out along Congress from the large windowed walls of his corner office on the 20th floor of a building adjacent to The Austonian, Albanese looks like he owns this city. Framed black and white photographs of his major projects line one of the walls. In the early ’90s, Albanese worked on the crew that restored the Capitol building. “That was an absolutely amazing experience,” he says, glancing to the pictures. “I’ve been over almost every square foot of that building.” Later, Albanese worked on the Frost Bank Tower. which, at the time, was the tallest building in Austin. “I expected that to be the ultiThe Austin skepticism mate project,” he says, turning Hands on his hips, standing un- away from the windows to face a der a blanket of sunshine and look- full-color rendering of a complet-

ed Austonian that covers the entire opposite wall. “This is the ultimate project.” The Austonian is the largest in a swath of upper-class condominiums that are changing the face of downtown Austin. Albanese is aware of the skepticism that some Austin residents have about their rapidly changing city. “The whole condo market is fairly new to Austin,” Albanese said. “It’s a shift in culture for a lot of people. Austin did seem to come online later, but there sure have been a lot who have embraced it.” He said The Austonian has brought more to the city than just a changing skyline. “I think it’s great for Austin,” Albanese said. “It’s creating a lot of jobs, a beautiful building. It really

couldn’t be much more exciting.” Albanese said he has already seen the changes that the condos will bring to downtown Austin, which he says he has grown an affection for in the last 16 years. “It’s exciting to watch it grow,” he said. “At night, it’s exciting and vibrant — and it’s grown more in the last three years than the 10 before. The ability to work and live downtown has created a whole new vibrancy.”

The view from the top Back in the small, tin can-like lift, Albanese rises 51 stories up the side of The Austonian tower. “You’d think after 55 floors, it’d be kind of ho-hum,” he says. “But we’re in an area no one’s ever been in Austin for sure.” Though the concrete base of the

school: According to magazine, graduates

55th story was poured last Monday, the lift only goes to the 51st. From here, peering over the edge, the white shards of the Frost Bank building fall just short of breaking even with The Austonian. A series of wooden ladders lead to the top, from which everything in Austin — and on a sunny summer day, the whole of Central Texas — is crystal clear. Looking down at the other condos, rising from the downtown Austin streets, Albanese beams with pride, as if he was standing on the top of the world. “It’s just a little healthy competition,” he says. “I like being the one on Congress, though, I’ll tell you that. We’re creating a beautiful building that’s going to be here for a long time and we’re having a great time building it.”

Classified Advertising: (512) 471-5244 classifieds@dailytexanonline.com The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely. If we have made an error, let us know about it. Call (512) 232-2217 or e-mail managingeditor@dailytexanonline.com.

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make higher salaries than national average From page 1 being recognized by a magazine like Forbes.” According to the 2008 McCombs School of Business BBA graduation survey, the average yearly salary of a McCombs graduate was $53,461. Forbes magazine studied business graduates from various universities in the class of 2004 and found that UT business graduates had an average salary of $57,000 after completing their undergrad-

uate studies, and earned on average $125,000 annually when many had completed their MBAs by 2008. Marketing sophomore Shawn Burgess said he feels confident that being a UT business student will help him succeed in the future. “I was really excited when I got accepted into McCombs,” Burgess said. “I know completing my undergrad here will benefit me later on, whether it be for graduate school or for finding a

The Daily Texan Permanent Staff

This newspaper was written, edited and designed with pride by The Daily Texan and Texas Student Media.

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jillian Sheridan Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stephen Keller Associate Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David R. Henry Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeremy Burchard, Roberto Cervantes News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erin Mulvaney Associate News Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Audrey Campbell, Francisco Marin Senior Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pierre Bertrand, Hudson Lockett, Ben Wermund Copy Desk Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ben Lankford Associate Copy Desk Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Austen Sofhauser Design Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thu Vo Senior Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Fausak, Olivia Hinton, Colby White Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Caleb Miller Associate Photo Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jordan Smothermon Senior Photographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jackie Gilles, Karina Jacques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mary Kang, May-Ying Lam Life&Arts Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leigh Patterson Associate Life&Arts Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brad Barry Senior Life&Arts Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Lingwall, Ana McKenzie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Regnery, Robert Rich Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Austin Talbert Associate Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Michael Sherfield Senior Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Will Anderson, Chris Tavarez Comics Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carolyn Calabrese Web Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Erik Reyna Multimedia Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rachael Schroeder Associate Multimedia Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephen Gamache Editorial Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Richard Finnell

Issue Staff Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Syeda Hasan, Bobby Longoria, Brittany Wisch Copy Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nolan Hicks Columnists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rebecca Counts Sports Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Matt Hohner Life&Arts Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anderson Rodriguez, Emily Royall Photographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edmarc Hedrick, Peyton McGee Maxx Scholten Comics Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Diamond, Rachel Weiss, Michael Bowman, Katie Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeremy Johnson, Nakyung Kim, Amelia Giller, Gabe Alvarez Videographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matthew Wingard

Advertising

Director of Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jalah Goette Retail Advertising Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brad Corbett Account Executive/Broadcast Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carter Goss Campus/National Sales Consultant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joan Bowerman Assistant to Advertising Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.J. Salgado Student Advertising Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathryn Abbas Student Advertising Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jen Miller Acct. Execs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryan Ford, Lauren Aldana, Anupuma Kulkarni, Ashley Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Natasha Moonka, Taylor Blair, Lauren Bennett, Tommy Daniel, Justin Santilli Classified Clerks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Teresa Lai Special Editions, Editorial Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elena Watts Web Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Danny Grover Special Editions, Student Editors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kira Taniguchi Graphic Designer Interns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amanda Thomas Senior Graphic Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Felimon Hernandez

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job because I think the programs and the faculty at McCombs are well-known and recognized.” Forbes reported that it will be releasing its Best Business Schools rankings each year rather than biennially to reflect changes caused by the economic downturn. Burgess said he hopes a degree from McCombs would help business graduates find jobs in the limited and competitive market. “Getting accepted into a UT business program is a prestigious achievement in itself,” Burgess said. “Completing an MBA in the McCombs School of Business is really impressive. I think many people recognize that it’s a hard-earned accomplishment, and I think the MBA students will definitely reap the benefits once they enter the job market.”

Caleb Miller | Daily Texan Staff

UT nutrition juniors Hayley Gray and Jessica Goodman scatter their organic chemistry note cards while studying at the Flawn Academic Center on Sunday night.

foreign: Competition for jobs and scholarships intensifying From page 1 scholarships here. Looking forward, an increase in the number of Chinese mainland students coming to UT at both undergraduate and graduate levels is possible as applications from that country increase, she said. “I think, overall, our international student numbers could be at the same level, if not higher than last year’s,” said Albrecht. There are many more applications for graduate and undergraduate positions at UT than there are spaces available, so it would take a significant drop in applications before the international enrollment numbers would be affected, she said. In fall 2008, more than 4,500 international students were enrolled at UT, according to the Office of Information Management and Analysis. During that semester, South Korea, India and China sent the most students, Albrecht said. For undergraduate enrollment, the top three senders were South Korea, Mexico and India. Numbers of international enrollment nationwide dropped following 9/11, when the federal govern-

ment tightened visa regulations. Recent streamlining of the visa application process had helped restore numbers to levels before the terrorist attacks, according to the Institute for International Education’s 2008 Open Doors report. Albrecht said it was possible more students paid tuition using personal funds as competition for university-based funding has grown more intense. She said undergraduates, which make up about 30 percent of international enrollment, don’t usually have the chance to work 20 hours a week as teaching assistants or in other positions which grant instate tuition to graduate students. The difficulties facing undergraduates are particularly strenuous, she said, considering student visas have strict limits on how and where their holders can work. “We’ve certainly had students that have told us they’re not going to be able to come,” Albrecht said. Saheb Sabharwal, UT architecture senior and president of the University’s Indian Cultural Association at UT, said he had seen a decrease in Indian international students during his time in Austin. Born in Kuwait, Sabharwal said

during his first two years at UT he paid out-of-state tuition, but managed to secure scholarships for this year and last year that allowed him to pay in-state rates. “It’s a big issue, honestly,” Sabharwal said. “I’m interning right now downtown, but for me to do that I have to write a research paper.” Sabharwal said while completing a similar internship last summer, he wrote a 200-page paper justifying the connection to his major. He said understanding faculty and help from the international office at UT has helped ease the burden for him and many others, but competition for scholarships and the small number of on-campus jobs available to international students remains fierce. “There’s a lot on the line,” he said. Stuart Heiser, spokesman for the Council of Graduate Schools, a graduate education research advocacy group, said the council’s most recent report showed a slowdown in the rate of growth of applications from international students to attend graduate school. “We do know that the number of applications from internation-

al students was up this year,” Heiser said. Heiser said applications and enrollment numbers usually went in the same direction, but there was no way to know for sure if that would hold true nationwide this year. Sharon Witherell, spokeswoman for the Institute for International Education, said graduate numbers were less likely to see change within the next few years. “If you are in a graduate program you’re going to be here for a greater number of years, so that’s not as sensitive to fluctuation,” Witherell said. According to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, visa issuance rates continue to climb at more than 50 percent more applicants per year. “I know the graduate admissions office as seen a huge rise in applications from China,” she said. As financial and other factors continue to influence application trends, Albrecht said that the office was mindful of the many factors influencing the international student body makeup. “We’re very interested in seeing the diversity of international students and the countries they represent increase,” Albrecht said.

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World&NatioN

Monday, August 10, 2009

T he Daily Texan

NATION BRIEFLY About 250 inmates injured in riot at California prison CHINO, Calif. — A California state prison near Los Angeles remained on lockdown Sunday after a riot sent 55 prisoners to hospitals and injured more than 250 inmates in all, prison officials said. As many as 80 officers responded to the riot Saturday night, which involved some 1,300 inmates in seven dormitory-style barracks at the California Institution for Men in Chino, prison spokesman Lt. Mark Hargrove said. The riot was likely prompted by tensions between black and Hispanic prisoners, Hargrove said. Officers used pepper spray, wielded batons and shot foam projectiles to remove inmates who had barricaded themselves inside the medium-security facility during the four-hour uprising. A fire ignited during the chaos caused significant damage to one of the buildings, Hargrove said. The inmates’ injuries ranged from stab wounds and slashes to head trauma, and some of the injuries were considered life-threatening, Hargrove said.

NC terror suspect’s stories could be an exaggeration RALEIGH, N.C. — Daniel Patrick Boyd used tales of fighting the Soviets alongside the mujahedeen to recruit followers into a North Carolina terrorism ring, authorities believe, and U.S. officials who were in Pakistan at the time doubt his stories. The former officials questioned whether Boyd, 39, had any affiliation with the Islamic guerrillas, noting the Soviets had all but left Afghanistan by the time the young, blond Muslim convert arrived from America two decades ago. Boyd’s stories were part of an indictment accusing him and seven followers of planning violent jihad overseas. Compiled from Associated Press reports

Air disaster leads to call for regulation By David B. Caruso The Associated Press NEW YORK — Flying a small plane above the Hudson River can feel like ducking into a crowded, urban canyon — with towering skyscrapers on each side and more than a dozen helicopters and planes all buzzing lower than the nearby Empire State Building. The city’s worst air disaster in eight years has drawn calls for more regulation of the air corridor over the Hudson, which is less than three-quarters of a mile wide at the site where a helicopter and small plane collided midair. It serves as an air highway for helicopters, police patrols and small planes flown by pilots of varying ability. “That’s not a lot of space,” said Ray Adams, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association union at Newark (N.J.) Liberty International Airport. “And it’s not unusual at all for us to have 10 to 20 aircraft between the George Washington Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.” Pilots are largely free to choose their own route, radioing their position periodically but not communicating regularly with air traffic controllers. Planes often fly as low as 500 feet to get a good look at the Statue of Liberty. “So, what you have is a lot of helicopters. You’ve got the sightseeing tours. You have police helicopters. You have the weekend warriors who fly up and down the river,” said Justin Green, an aviation attorney and former military pilot who has flown the route. “All these airplanes are flying 1,000 feet or lower, and a lot of the pilots are up there to see the sights, so they may not be seeing and avoiding things as they should be,” he said. Pilots must stay under 1,100 feet to avoid straying into jetways used by commercial aircraft. They also aren’t allowed to fly over Manhattan’s tall build-

Pat Bradshaw | Associated Press

A New York City Police helicopter hovers low over the Hudson River as it drops a police diver into the river on Saturday in New York. A tour helicopter carrying five Italian tourists collided with a small plane Saturday over the Hudson River, and authorities believed all nine people aboard were killed. ings or stray into restricted zones around several major airports. “What makes it kind of hairy is that, to stay out of all the restricted airspace ... you are kind of shooting the gap,” Green said. Planes and helicopters have blind spots just like cars do, making it difficult at times to spot an approaching aircraft, said Stanley Ferber, a flight instructor from Brooklyn. “The only way to compensate is to have your head constantly on a swivel, moving your head around and scanning all parts of the sky,” Ferber said.

In Saturday’s deadly crash, the plane approached from the north and clipped the helicopter from behind, witnesses said. A warning from a pilot on the ground apparently came too late. The collision may lead to the separation of helicopters and planes in the congested airspace above the New York City, said Hubert “Skip” Smith, an associate professor emeritus of aerospace engineering at Penn State University. “There probably needs to be more regulation,” Smith said. “Restricting the helicopters to 500

feet and below and having the airplanes fly between 500 and 1,500 feet would probably help by separating these two distinctly different types of air traffic.” U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer called for toughening flight restrictions over the Hudson, and New York City Council Member Gale Brewer said tourist helicopters should be banned from the corridor. “All of us in this region also need to take a long and serious look at the circumstances surrounding this crash to ensure that significant air traffic over

the Hudson doesn’t come at the risk of the safety of New Jersey families who live along the riverfront,” New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine said. The National Transportation Safety Board will look into the congestion issues, Chairman Debbie Hersman said Sunday. But Mayor Michael Bloomberg, himself a recreational pilot, has argued that keeping the skies open to general aviation aircraft is necessary for the city’s economy. After Saturday’s crash, he said that cutting off flights is “not something that anybody wants.”

Typhoon in Asia forces evacuation By Annie Huang The Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan — Typhoon Morakot churned toward China forcing the evacuation of nearly 1 million people Sunday, a day after lashing Taiwan with torrential rains that caused the worst flooding on the island in 50 years. Twenty-nine people were missing in southern Taiwan, the Disaster Relief Center said, and a woman was killed when her vehicle plunged into a ditch in Kaohsiung county in heavy rain Friday. Morakot was centered 42 miles off China’s southeastern Fujian province Sunday morning. Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau said the storm had winds of up to 67 miles per hour and was headed northwest toward China at a speed of 7 mph. About 1 million people were evacuated from China’s eastern coastal provinces by early Sunday — more than 470,000 people in Zhejiang and 485,000 others in neighboring Fujian. Authorities in Fujian called 48,000 boats back to harbor. The meteorological station in eastern Zhejiang issued at typhoon alert and said the storm was likely to make landfall sometime between noon and nighttime, bringing heavy rain to coastal areas.

WORLD BRIEFLY Obama attending first USCanada-Mexico summit GUADALAJARA, Mexico — When President Barack Obama visited Mexico in April, the nowglobal swine flu epidemic — unbeknownst to the White House — had just begun here and an Obama aide returned home sick. What could have become a diplomatic downer, however, ultimately turned into a bright spot. Obama was never in danger, the aide and his family recovered, and the two nations cooperated extensively on the flu outbreak through the spring and beyond. Now, as Obama returns to Mexico, the swine flu that spread from here across the world is increasingly back in the news — and at the top of the agenda of at a threeway summit Sunday and Monday in Guadalajara.

The Associated Press

A Taiwanese woman rides a life cutter with rescuers in floodwater following a heavy rain brought by typhoon Morakot in a street in Linbian, south of Taiwan, on Saturday. Morakot hit Taiwan late Friday but traversed the island Saturday and weakened to a tropical storm in the Taiwan Strait. Morakot smashed into the northern Philippines early Friday, triggering floods and landslides that killed at least 12 people. Several southern Taiwan counties recorded more than 80 inches of rain on Friday and Saturday, the worst flooding to hit the area in half a century, the Central Weather Bureau reported. The Disaster Relief Center re-

ported Sunday that flash flooding had washed away a makeshift home in southern Kaohsiung, leaving 16 people missing. Three others were swept away in southeastern Taitung county. Ten others were missing, including three fishermen from a capsized boat and three others whose cars fell into a swelling river, it said. In southern Pingtung county, 4,000 people were stranded in inundated villages waiting for police boats to rescue them, news media reported.

Obama, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will try to build on that earlier cooperation to handle an expected new wave of cases during North America’s upcoming flu season. John Brennan, Obama’s chief homeland security aide, said the talks are timely — and crucial, given the long borders the U.S. shares with Mexico and Canada. America’s first- and third-largest trade relationships are with Canada and Mexico. Closing borders or restricting travel would be very costly for families and businesses on all sides of the borders, an important consideration given the limping economy and the fact that health experts see such actions as pointless in containing the flu’s spread.

Honduras’ coup-installed president says he will not allow a visit by regional delegates trying to negotiate an end to the country’s political crisis because their leader lacks “impartiality and professionalism.” Interim leader Roberto Micheletti said Sunday that he would be willing to reschedule the delegation’s visit, previously planned for Tuesday — as long as Organization of American States chief Jose Miguel Insulza doesn’t participate. The Washington-based OAS on Friday announced the formation of the delegation comprising foreign ministers from Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The group was going to try to persuade Micheletti to negotiate with international mediators seeking to return President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in a June 28 coup.

Honduras prohibits visit of OAS crisis negotiators TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras —

Complied from Associated Press reports

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OpiniOn

4 Monday, August 10, 2009

Editor-in-Chief: Jillian Sheridan Phone: (512) 232-2212 E-mail: editor@dailytexanonline.com Associate Editors: Jeremy Burchard Roberto Cervantes

T he Daily Texan

editor’s note: On Friday, Aug. 7, this paper ran a news story and editorial on the “Teaching the Bible in Texas Public Schools” Summer Institute, hosted by UT’s religious studies department. Due to the enthusiastic response of our readers, we have decided to dedicate today’s page to the debate.

VIeWPOINT Background During the 2007 legislative session, Gov. Rick Perry signed a bill that requires Old Testament and New Testament history and literature be added to Texas high school curricula. The legislation states that all school districts must offer a Bible course as an elective for the 2009-2010 school year if more than 15 students show interest.

Constitutional issues The only requirement in the bill regarding the content of the course states “a course under this section shall not endorse, favor, or promote, or disfavor or show hostility toward, any particular religion or nonreligious faith or religious perspective.” But a course designed specifically around the history and influence of one religious text will be far from neutral and far from impartial to any specific religion. The law violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” The clause has been applied by the courts for decades through the Supreme Court’s “Lemon Test.” In Lemon v. Kurtzman, Chief Justice Burger created a three-part test for determining the constitutionality of laws respecting religion. There have been many developments since Lemon, regarding religious instruction in public schools, but its test remains one of the most relevant and crucial standards in the application of the Establishment Clause. The “Lemon Test” requires that the government’s action have “a secular legislative purpose.” Its “primary effect must be one that neither advances nor inhibits religion,” and it must not result in “excessive government entanglement with religion.” The Texas law violates all three clauses. What is the secular purpose of a class devoted to studying a particular religious text? What will be the primary effect of a school offering a Bible class? Most importantly, how is a situation in which state employees are teaching a religious text not excessive entanglement? These are the questions that those who supported the bill have failed to answer appropriately, and which will undoubtedly be scrutinized in courts in the coming years.

Practical application The Texas Republicans who pushed this law through seem to be blithely unaware of how intrusive this policy is into some of the party’s most basic tenants: parental autonomy and religious freedom. This bill effectively removes the realm of religious education from parents and religious leaders. Instead, it asks government to intrude on the religious beliefs of schoolchildren. The ambiguity of the law’s application will result in varied interpretations across the state. Since the law does not establish any specific requirements for curriculum or training for teachers, the instruction will be varied and teachers will be unprepared. Some teachers who will teach Bible classes will be very religious. This law gives them a perfect excuse to slip their religious views into public education. Others will be more secular. This class will be a chance for them to criticize and question the religious beliefs of their students. The First Amendment was established in part to protect religion from the corrupting influence of government. Now, religious groups are welcoming government interference. No one will get what they want from this law. It will only take time for all parties to realize it.

THe FIRING LINe

Illustration by Edgar Vega

Bible class and the governor’s race By Rebecca Counts Daily Texan Columnist It’s no wonder the American Civil Liberties Union is concerned about the state of religious freedom in Texas. There is the recent announcement that the Legislature is forcing schools to teach elective classes about the Bible if as few as 15 students are interested. The law offers no stipulations on how teachers of these classes need to be trained, saying only that the classes “shall not endorse, favor, or promote, or disfavor or show hostility toward, any particular religion or nonreligious faith or religious perspective.” As many have pointed out, the lack of clear requirements brings teachers of such courses into dangerous, lawsuitridden waters. My pastor went to school for more than eight years before he began teaching about the historical and cultural implications of the Bible. The best these public school teachers got was a week long seminar voluntarily provided by the University.

The larger problem with this law is its narrow focus on the Bible, not any other religious text. What if 15 students were interested in learning about the Quran? Surely, a law that picks one religion for instruction will not withstand a constitutional challenge. This requirement, however, is only the latest in a string of developments in which Texas education is putting religious freedom at risk. The Texas Board of Education is also considering a change to current American history curriculum that would emphasize the influence of Christianity and de-emphasize the tradition of separation of church and state, as the Austin American-Statesman reported last month. Gov. Perry appointed a noted creationist to head the State Board of Education, and new language in the curriculum code makes creationism easier to sneak into biology classes. If this is the stamp Gov. Perry wants to leave on our education system, we need to start searching for a sensible replacement as soon as possible. Astonishingly, the other gubernatorial can-

didates have been nearly silent on the failure of our political process to make sensible educational reforms. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Web site lists “science and education” as one of her issues, but the articles included under the heading addresses only science — not any other area of education reform. Larry Kilgore, a Christian activist and Republican gubernatorial hopeful, discusses education on his Facebook page only to note that “Washington & Austin usurps [sic] the authority of local school districts.” Democrat Tom Schieffer, who announced his candidacy for governor last March, neglects to include any substantive criticism of the current education system on his Web site, saying only that “we cannot give up on public education.” Even Kinky Friedman is letting us down, remaining oddly silent on this issue. Anyone else ready to join the race? Counts is a plan II honors, history and business honors senior

No courses will be perfect. Many will be far from it. But the law has been passed, and schedules are being made. We cannot simply throw up our hands and bemoan the inadequacy of our public school teachers.

Unfair criticism After reading Jeremy Burchard’s editorial, “Bible in public schools,” in Friday’s paper, I feel that some things about Bible curriculum in public schools and UT’s training workshop must be clarified. The idea that teaching a course on the Biblical texts unfairly focuses on one religious tradition is, rather than an assertion of impartiality and Constitutional moxie, a reflection of the same “Sunday school” biases the author rails against. The Bible is not a single, unified text and does not serve a single, unified religious tradition. When students actually read the text, rather than make blind assertions as to what it says and what other people believe it says, many theological disputes will be avoided simply because such disputes go far beyond the bounds of the text itself. I certainly do not deny that in some districts and individual classrooms there will be controversies. However, the author’s claim that “in most classrooms, the elective will quickly devolve into nothing more than a course that politically and religiously polarizes students” is totally unfounded. Where exactly is the study linking a specific religious tradition with an inability to read books? This is not a religion course and it is not intended to familiarize students with the tenets of Christianity or Judaism. Furthermore, one can’t identify the Bible with either of those traditions directly. The “Judaism” and “Christianity” we encounter in the Biblical texts stands in stark contrast to any form of those faiths that students — or their teachers — practice today. This fact is clear when we actively read the text, which is exactly what these courses require students to do. The idea, admittedly not present in the editorial, that a comparative “world religions” class would somehow be more fair is ludicrous. In such a class, students would be told what people of other faiths believe, most likely from an inadequate and slanted textbook. Moreover, if we take seriously the claim that teachers have not received enough training to teach the Bible alone, how exactly do we expect them to teach a course on Christianity, Judaism and

Thomas Jefferson

Gov. Rick Perry

— Libby Sanders, research assistant, UT Summer Institute for Teaching the Bible in Texas Public Schools Buddhism, in a single semester balanced by TAKS testing, extracurricular activities, and prom? The session which the author refers to in the piece, in which teachers were reviewing selections from Isaiah, dealt with a wide range of issues. His claim that “after a few minutes, it became stunningly clear that the teachers, though extremely eager to learn, are unprepared to offer insights on the Bible’s historical and literary contexts” and that they “struggled with the simple nuances of passages” is rather presumptuous and condescending. As if such diverse topics as the structure of call narratives, the subtleties of article and pronoun translation, the unique form of Hebrew poetry within prophetic prose and literary clues of regional influence are “simple nuances.” What other insights did the author have after “a few minutes” that these veteran teachers, whose capabilities the author implies aren’t suited for much more than attending Sunday school could not grasp? The Bible is a difficult text. The author ostensibly agrees. These courses will be difficult to teach, and the teachers have much to learn themselves. I personally feel it is unfair that we expect them to be Biblical scholars, but I am also confident in their expertise in teaching. No courses will be perfect, many will be far from it, but the law has been passed and schedules are being made. We cannot simply throw up our hands in defeat and bemoan the inadequacy of our public school teachers. Not only is it futile, but it is dismissive of the wealth of knowledge, patience and determination that our teachers possess and will apply to this new challenge.

— Libby Sanders Religious studies senior Research assistant, UT Summer Institute for Teaching the Bible in Texas Public Schools

A humorous take on an old tradition I read with interest, and some amusement, the front-page article in Friday’s Texan, “UT prepares teachers for Bible classes.” Before beginning my 40-year career teaching at the University, I taught art in south Florida for four years in the ‘60s. Each teacher, irrespective of his or her subject area, began every day with a homeroom class. Part of those meetings consisted of the daily “devotional,” which consisted of the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star Spangled Banner and the Lord’s Prayer piped over the intercom. Following this barrage, each teacher was required to read a passage from the Bible. My colleagues not only reported how much their homeroom students hated the Bible sessions, but also how many of my own students told them that they loved my Bible readings and couldn’t wait to get back the next day to hear more. They wanted to know my “secret,” and I would reply with a smirk that some people simply read aloud better than others. The fact was, though, that I only read from the Old Testament, serialized each reading so the kids were left with a cliffhanger each morning and read only the most salacious stories (and they are many, including Samson and Delilah, David and Bathsheba, etc.). Those horny adolescents just couldn’t get enough. And none of my colleagues ever caught on.

— Owen Cappleman Emeritus Faculty School of Architecture

Bible is crucial for global thinking As a teacher of cross-cultural communication, I would invite those who oppose including biblical history and literature in Texas public schools, like philosophy professor Sahotra Sarkar and Jeremy Burchard of the Texan editorial board, to look at the influence of scripture in our language. For example, one cannot comprehend President Obama’s victory speech with

his references to “my brother’s keeper,” “fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen” and “hold to the hope that we confess” as well as his imagery of the journey and the mountain unless one knows both the Old and New Testaments. To prepare for global thinking, students in Texas need literacy in major religious traditions — especially the ones that most shaped English language and culture.

— Susan Anderson Kerr ESL Services/International Office

A slippery slope This whole exercise is standing at the top of a very slippery slope. First, whose Bible do you study? The King James Version or the Catholic New American Bible, which contains books that are not in the King James Bible? Whose version of the Old Testament should students study? The Catholic version or Protestant version or maybe the Jewish Torah? When all is said and done, it would be best to teach the Bible as a historical narrative of a Middle Eastern people. To dive into the theological interpretations would be unconstitutional and should best be left for the students’ parents and/or religious leaders to fill in the blanks.

— Rudy Stefancik 1978 alumnus Online commenter

Biblical scholars on the right track Although I’ve never met L. Michael White, the UT religious studies and classics professor who lectured at the Institute, he is one of the finest Biblical scholars around, and I have tremendous respect for his work. I’m not sure White and lecturer Kent Richards, executive director of the Society of Biblical Literature, are what the religious right was expecting. If the Texas curriculum reflects the intellectual standards of White and the Society of Biblical Literature, then expect the religious right to pitch an absolute fit. But the kids who actually pay attention

might learn to have an appreciation for a most wonderful book.

— Rev. Bill Swantner, 1977 alumnus Online commenter

The right way to study religion When I was an undergraduate in the ‘40s, I took six hours of Bible study, and even then the courses were taught without sectarian bias and were informative and helpful. I later took a class in primitive religions which could have easily been called comparative religions, because the professor made clear references to universal religious concepts, opening the eyes of several in the class to the idea that religions are products more of human mind and imagination than revelation. When I returned to graduate school I took a course in philosophies of religion in which most of our study centered on the eastern religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism, clearly convincing me, because of the objective and non sectarian approach, of the wisdom of Peter de Vries (novelist). Unlike Abraham Lincoln’s dictum that “God must have loved the common man because he made so many of them,” the truth goes more like “the common men must love God because they make so any of Him.” Teaching the New Testament along with the Hebrew Scriptures is not enough if the course is to treat religion as it lawfully should; the course should survey the Vedas and Upanishads, the major sutras of Gautama as well as the teachings of Lao Tze, Chuang Tzu, and Cung Fu Tze (better known as Confucius). That would truly be the beginning of a new enlightenment, one sorely needed in Texas under the influence of the infamous committee of zealots.

— JD Gill 1949 alumnus Online commenter

Submit a firing line or guest column at firingline@dailytexanonline.com.

By M Daily T

5A CLASS

Red faces over reform effort

Texan NEWS BRIEFLY

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News

Monday, August 10, 2009

Death penalty protestors speak in support of Scott, Springsteen

Tempers flare after a controversial discussion on the Iranian Green Movement on Sunday evening on campus. Dr. Mohsen Kadivar (not pictured), associate professor at the Iranian Institute of Philosophy in Tehran, delivered his speech at the Applied Computational Engineering and Sciences Building where he clarified the philosophy and demands of the Green Movement.

Members of Campaign to End the Death Penalty and Austin residents held signs and spoke on Saturday in support of Michael Scott and Robert Springsteen in front of the Travis County District Attorney’s office. Scott and Springsteen were recentcom ly released from prison after their convictions for the rape and murder of four teenage girls in an Austin yogurt shop in 1991 were overturned. More than 20 people attended the rally to support the defendants and fight to have all charges dropped. “We just have to keep up the fight,” said Bryan McCann, spokesman for the Campaign to End the Death Penalcom ty. “They know they don’t have a case, and we know they don’t have a case.” “I think this movement has an effect on public opinion and the justice .com system,” said Dana Cloud, a UT associate communication professor and member of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty. Springsteen and Scott were renline.com leased on personal recognizance bonds by Travis County Judge Mike Lynch pending their upcoming trials. The two men have certain re.com strictions applied to their release: they cannot leave Travis County, cannot take any drugs, must routinely report to the court, must not carry weapons and they must not contact the victim’s families. No trial date : has been set. — Brittany Wisch nline.com

Peyton McGee Daily Texan Staff

WENG: More than 800 have

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joined Facebook memorial From page 1 that night in February. Caley Tindal, an Asian cultures and languages senior, said she has not received any new information from police regarding the investigation into Weng’s death, but said she hopes investigators will be able to explain why Weng exited the moving taxi. Tindal said she believes the police are doing all they can in conducting theirday, investigation. day, month 2008

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“I think that it’s hard to say [if they are doing enough] because so many things happen every day,” Tindal said. “So I don’t know if its because the police aren’t doing their jobs.” Tindal started a memorial Facebook page shortly after Weng was pronounced dead. More than 800 people have since joined the memorial page leaving comments, Internet links to articles and news reports as well as video performances of Weng.

poWER: Smarter grid aims to reduce emissions, reduce costs methods not only with hardware, but with software as well. open an app on your iPhone and Included in the project will be a turn down your thermostat or run new intelligent switch developed your dishwasher,” said Colin Row- by Siemens Energy that will enan, Environmental Defense Fund able automated energy load shiftspokesman. “It’s about smarten- ing and which will manage powing up the system enough so that er outages. it can be controlled not just within According to Siemens, Austin the house, but by the user outside Energy is the nation’s ninth-largthe house.” est community-owned electric utilThe smart grid is being devel- ity, serving 388,000 customers and oped in partnership with Dell, Gen- a population of more than 900,000. 1 eral Electric Energy, IBM, Intel, Ora- Austin Energy generates over 2,600 cle, Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Frees- megawatts at any given time from cale Semiconductor and GridPoint. a mix of nuclear, coal, natural gas It will require new technologyLASSIFIEDS and and renewable energy sources.

From page 1

“Siemens understands that a smart grid is more than smart meters — it includes integration of renewables, making the transmission network more intelligent as well as automating the distribution network,” said Muhammad Sohail, Siemens Energy vice president of the High Voltage Products business unit. Rowan said the Pecan Street Project is on step five of a 50-step process and that they are by no means done. A Phase 1 findings and recommendations report will be released in the fall. He said the only difficulty with

CLASSIFIEDS THE DAILY TEXAN

the smart grid is finding a financial model that will keep utility businesses alive while people are conserving energy. “If a utility succeeds in getting you to spend half as much in your energy, they make half as much money,” Rowan said. “The first utility that figures out how to create a sustainable profitable business model based on the idea people don’t have to spend and burn more energy for [the utilities] to make a fair and reasonable profit — that is going to be the utility that truly reinvents the energy delivery system.”

ADVERTISING TERMS There are no refunds or credits. In the event of errors made in advertisement, notice must be given by 10 am the first day of publication, as the publishers are responsible for only ONE incorrect insertion. In consideration of The Daily Texan’s acceptance of advertising copy for publication, the agency and the advertiser will indemnify and save harmless, Texas Student Media and its officers, employees and agents against all loss, liability, damage and expense of whatsoever nature arising out of the copying, printing or publishing of its advertisement including without limitation reasonable attorney’s fees resulting from claims of suits for libel, violation of right of privacy, plagiarism and copyright and trademark infringement. All ad copy must be approved by the newspaper which reserves the right to request changes, reject or properly classify an ad. The advertiser, and not the newspaper, is responsible for the truthful content of the ad. Advertising is also subject to credit approval.

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CENTRAL Vintage and unusual houses, duplexes, and apartments. See photos, floorplans, and details at www.barkleyhouses. com 512-472-2123

LAKEVIEW APARTMENTS HOT SPECIALS! 1,2&3 BEDROOMS. UT SHUTTLE. JOGGING TRAILS. CLOSE TO DOWNTOWN. 512-444-3917

WEST CAMPUS Close to UT. 3 very nice Apt in a Beautiful 2 story Home, with a shared Kitchen. Quiet. Ideal for prof/ Grad Student. ACCH. Ns-Np. Avail August 15 or sooner. $295, $350 and $450 plus share of Utilities. 512-454-2987

RECESSION PRICES Huge 2/2 Furn. or Unf. All Bills Paid. $1300 negotiable. Blackstone Apartments off Dean Keeton across from Law School. 2910 Medical Arts. Now Leasing. Free Hot Dogs and Soda Party Aug 8. 512-452-0123

3000 GUADALUPE APT 211 On 30th St and 3000 Guadalupe,1BR/1BA, new carpet, kitchen appliances, W/D on site. $695/month, Water Paid. Safe neighborhood close to UT Campus & law school. Call 210-614-0123 or email: austinapartment211@gmail.com

lg fenced yd, garage, on shuttle, appliances, pet ok w dep, 10 min from downtown, $950/mo 512-971-9518

COMFORTABLE 1BR/1BA Duplex near Hancock Center, Perfect for UT student, $950/month. Call 512-297-0001

1-1- DUPLEX, WOOD FLOORS $725 ñ Wood floor casita with fenced yard at 1301 W. 5st St. 512-428-6972 x ID 2829275

1940’S DUPLEXES AVAILABLE NOW! 2/1, hardwood floors, CA/CH, gas cooking, tiled bathrooms, built in shelves, and much more! $1100-$1150 www.barkleyhouses. com 512-472-2123

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2 STORY GATED LUXURY TOWNHOME at 183&Braker, UT/ Shuttle, walk to HEB/ Theatres/Food. W/D & Yard. Available ASAP, 2BR/1.5BA for $1,100/ month, 512-786-5698

1/1 IN HISTORIC AUSTIN 420 Unf. Houses HOUSE 2-1 W/STUDY Two 1/1’s available on edge of West Campus. NORTH Hardwood floors, built in HYDE PARK shelves, tiled bathrooms, and reserved parking. Call us to schedule an appointment at 512-4722123 visit our website at www.barkleyhouses. com

$1,195/month, “Tree House Living”, ceiling fans, washer/dryer, convenient to campus, www. lindzey.us/Fairfield_upstairs.htm, 512.731.1598

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FOR LEASE WALNUT RUN --- 3203 Speedway, 2/2 Hard Flooring. In living, dining, & kitchen. $1,150-2 WEEKS FREE! POPULAR SoCo DISTRICT --- 2/2 TOTAL REMODEL, $1,295 ñ 2 WEEKS FREE! Mason Properties 343-0853 or 415-8887 www.masonproperties.net

ZILKER PARK BARTON SPRING POOL 3BR/2BA Hardwood, granite, stainless, fenced yard, $1,750. Sept. 1st, 512-468-9337

CHARMING HOUSE Just 6 blocks to UT! ***2800 Lafayette #A, 3BR/2BA. CHARMING 1930’S HOUSE, French Place, Hardwoods, $1,995. Great Roommate plan. ***2800 Lafayette #B, UNIQUE BUNGALOW STYLE HOUSE. 2BR/1BA $895. Kitchenette, Vaulted ceiling in living room. Ceiling fans. Qualle Investments. 512-467-8001

SOUTHWEST AUSTIN 2BR/2BA Plus den, beautiful, tiles throughout, bright & skylight. Easy access to campus, 9 miles to downtown. $1,250/month, 512251-2564

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WWW.SPEEDWAYCONDOSPHASE2.COM 1 block north of UT! Huge new construction 3 bedroom 2.5 bath condos for sale! Hardwood floors, granite countertops, ceramic tile, crown molding, and stainless appliances. Balcony with view of UT football stadium. August 15th, 2009 move-in date. 1147 sq. ft. $349,500. Also available for rent for $2,500/mo. 512-467-9852 x ID 2804371

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Life&Arts

Monday, August 10, 2009

Life&Arts Editor: Leigh Patterson E-mail: lifeandarts@dailytexanonline.com Phone: (512) 232-2209 www.dailytexanonline.com

T he Daily Texan

Homemade wine offers challenges, requires patience

Maxx Sholten | Daily Texan Staff

Cheese lovers attend the 2009 Festival of Cheese sponsored by the American Cheese Society on Saturday in the Governor’s Ball room of the Hilton Austin.

Cheesy convention a mouthful By Francisco Marin Daily Texan Columnist Dozens of cheese-heaped tables filled the Governor’s Ballroom at the downtown Hilton on Saturday night, where the American Cheese Society held its annual Festival of Cheese. Gruyères and goudas, Muensters and mozzarellas, pepperjacks and provolones — about 1,100 varieties of the delicious delicacy were put on display for hundreds of guests to eat. “Cheese creates a humanity in us, and it creates a spirit and love of life,” said John Greeley, co-chair of the event’s tasting competition. “I think cheese can make us happier and can spark creativity in us.” While there were nearly limitless opportunities to indulge in cheese, there were also plenty of other treats to go around. Mouth-watering varieties of Leinenkugel craft beers — including Honey Weiss, my favorite — were chilled to perfection, in addition to old Texas favorites Shiner Bock and Firemans #4. A table, hosted by Gracious Gourmet founder Nancy Wekselbaum, held about 15 small glass containers of tapenades — a typically Provençal sauce that consists of finely chopped olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil — as well as chutneys, spreads and pestos. Nancy’s husband Natan, an elderly, hunched-over man, waved at me from across the table. “You, you come here.” He took a delicate cracker and meticulously spread soft goat cheese on it, hands shaking, and topped it off with a small dab of fennel blood orange tap-

enade, made with carmelized fennel and red onions, chopped kalamata olives and smashed blood oranges. I took the cracker and scarfed it. “Mmm, that’s good.” Natan lit up and shook my hand. People from all over the nation came to enjoy the cheese festival, and each had their own stories to tell. Daniel Utano and Grace Coughlin, a young couple from a hip neighborhood in Brooklyn, were smartly dressed in matching black outfits and sampling soft chevres on wheat toast. Jessica Hughes and Nick Wagner, who have resided in Austin for a year, were recently married. Their friends Becky and Mike got them the expensive passes to the cheese festival as a wedding gift. “I’m a total cheese slut,” Nick said. “Stop it!” Jessica said, laughing and slapping Nick’s chest. “Cheese can bring out the aggression in a woman.” Whitney Tyler, a UT nutrition junior and self-described “cheese-monger” and cheese-buyer for the Wheatsville Co-op, said there are misconceptions when it comes to cheese’s nutritional value. “Cheese is so good for you! It’s got calcium, it’s got protein — everybody needs a little cheese,” Tyler said, adding that the Wheatsville’s “Hopelessly Bleu” cheese was especially popular at the festival. Three recent UT graduates, Dominique Tremino, Becca Aiello and Katie Gannon, were huddled around a fresh mozzarella table and giggling as they watched me try “cocoa cheddar” and a cheddar aged for 10 years, which they affirmed were the “nastiest” cheeses at the festival.

A young, dark-haired Armenian woman standing alone by her table looked around at the festival participants, smiling. Sylvia Tirakian, cofounder of preserves company Harvest Song, offered me a spoon of her rose petal preserves — soft, floral, almost overwhelmingly sweet — as well as a small plate of fresh walnut preserves in a dark, bittersweet syrup. “You know Noah’s Ark? That ark landed in the volcanic soils of the Ararat Valley, which is where we grow our preserves,” Tirakian said, proffering a spoon for me and motioning toward a jar of apricot-white cherry preserves. She wrapped her lips around a spoon of her own, holding wild strawberry preserves, and smiled in satisfaction. Local food blogger Erin Krenek, a UT government graduate, perused a table of aged cheddars, which she said are her favorite. “Not a fan of the bleus, though — way too strong-tasting,” she said, grimacing in mock disgust. At the end of the evening, festival-goers stumbled around the ballroom in drunken revelry, glasses of complimentary merlot finally empty, bottles of Dos Equis lying atop filled trash cans — and yet there still seemed to be limitless amounts of cheese left on each table. The festival-goers poured out of the downtown Hilton around 10 p.m., some laughing, some bloated and tired, some too drunk to drive — but all left with a smile and the barbed, sharp smell of cheese on their breath.

The Homebrew Society memBy Anderson Rodriguez bers also provided some amusing Daily Texan Columnist Last Thursday, Austin Home- anecdotes throughout the night. brew Supply gave a winemaking One story they told involved a workshop as part of Slow Food German-Czech family from CenAustin’s series of monthly culi- tral Texas who was making its own wine using an old-school nary classes. Austin Homebrew has been Czech recipe. This recipe appararound since 1991, selling sup- ently involved throwing a bunch plies that assist in making wine, of grape juice in a large vat and beer and cheese. Wine, beer and covering it with a towel. This is cheese are three things that are not a very sanitary process, and awesome, so I was pretty excit- though it works, it is worlds ed going into the workshop. Hon- away from the home-brewing estly, who doesn’t dream of brew- techniques recommended by the ing their own alcohol? It’s cheap- Homebrew guys. The techniques prescribed by er, you can completely control the flavor and the alcohol percentage, the Homebrew Society involve and it’s appealing to the under-21 an almost anal level of work-area cleanliness (liquids are kept in crowd, too. airtight containAustin Homeers and separated brew’s Web site with an intricate mentions that it system of tubes, has more than 700 The home-brewing stoppers and jars beer recipes, but process seems as — as opposed beer was not the topic of discusthough it could be a t o t o w e l - c o v sion at the Thursfun experiment for a ered vats), and its winemaking proday night workgroup of friends... cess is all about shop. Instead, the “balance and Austin Homechemistry,” not brew guys disguesswork and cussed the equally impressive process of home-wine- random chance. Every step of the making and some of the benefits home-brewing process is carefully planned and requires extreme atof the brew-it-yourself lifestyle. One of the many lessons es- tention to detail. This is where the home-brewpoused in the session was the difference between “vinifera” grapes ing process is kind of a turnoff for and “table” grapes. Vinifera grapes me. The amount of attention reare the higher-quality grapes that quired throughout the process is thrive in Mediterranean-like cli- exhaustive. Although there is an mates (like California’s Napa Val- alcoholic liquid payoff, the sterilley), but fare worse in places like ization and sulfites and sugar-eating yeast and hydrometers and super-freaking-hot Texas. There are also “mustang” peptic enzymes all sounded scargrapes, which are apparently ily scientific. The results are more pretty popular because when the than worth it, but the overall prospeaker mentioned them there cess seems fairly daunting for a were a lot of snooty chortles in the lone college student. The home-brewing process audience (I’ve recently discovered that old people seem to like laugh- seems as though it could be a ing quietly at public-speaking fun experiment for a group of events almost as much as they en- friends with a house or shared joy slowly nodding in approval). living space of some sort, but I’m not sure the significance of the the amount of time and effort repompous, suppressed laughter, quired would most likely scare but apparently mustang grapes away all but the most dedicated are very acidic and this is not nec- drinkers; home-brewing seems to essarily desirable when making be an endeavor better suited to the middle-aged. your own wine.

Display great way to byte into digital art world By Emily Royall Daily Texan Staff Last Saturday, the Austin Museum of Digital Art held its 46th bimonthly Digital Showcase at Club De Ville, featuring a lineup of live electronic bands and digital art. Both international and local artists donned the stage and screens of the breezy Club De Ville patio. The event was colorful and sporadic, but there was a subtle hint of monotony hanging in the air — after a few hours of digital art, you tend to get the idea. The first musical artist of the evening was Space Jockey, a local DJ working with a series of self-styled innovations including his homemade “Laserphone,” a multi-effect drum and visuals trigger. The sounds here were fresh and moderately funky, and though it wasn’t the best disk jockeying I’ve heard, the set was good for kicking off the evening. Next, Florene, a hypnotic, Denton-based band, entertained the crowd with reverb-drenched glitter-drone; synthetic tribal sounds reminiscent of Crystal Castles. Florene was the highlight of the evening. Though the band is just a couple of normal-looking dudes, they manipulated their electronics in mindblowing ways, beautifully morphing multiple layers of sound. In reference to selling their merchandise, the puppy-dog nature of the group was revealed. “The albums and shirts help get us back home,” they admitted quietly on stage. Cadence Weapon — named

Edmarc Hedrick | Daily Texan Staff

Scott Evans of Austin Homebrew examines a bottle of white wine at the Slow Food Austin meeting Thursday night.

ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFLY ‘G.I. Joe’ movie has kung-fu grip on weekend sales at box office

Peyton McGee | Daily Texan Staff

LOS ANGELES — G.I. Joe is the latest toy to invade Hollywood and plant its blockbuster flag. Inspired by the Hasbro action figure, Paramount’s “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” took command of the weekend box office with a $56.2 million debut domestically, according to studio estimates Sunday. “G.I. Joe” also took in $44.3 million overseas for a worldwide total of $100.5 million.

Meryl Streep’s Julia Child tale “Julie & Julia” opened a solid No. 2 as an alternative for adult crowds with $20.1 million. While “G.I. Joe” was the first choice for young males, women 35 and older were the main audience for “Julie & Julia.” “G.I. Joe” follows Paramount’s “Transformers” franchise as the latest toy story to find success on the big screen. Harsh reviews for “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” earlier this summer prompted Paramount to skip critic screenings for “G.I. Joe” and put the movie in theaters sight-unseen by most reviewers. — The Associated Press

Cadence Weapon performs at the Austin Museum of Digital Art’s Digital Showcase on Saturday at Club De Ville. Roland Pemberton, a Saul Williams-like rapper and one-man dance party — finally warmed the hearts of the shy 20-somethings clinging tightly to their drinks. Though his poetry needed a little work, Pemberton’s ability to draw in a crowd and hold it together with honest, digital hip-hop beats was particularly impressive. Last to take the stage was Mexicans With Guns, a nameless man sporting a Mexican-style luchador wrestling mask and spinning remixes of Animal Collective, Jogger and Faunts. catchy though somewhat mindless, this San Antonio-based DJ was nothing I hadn’t heard before.

Another obvious highlight of the showcase was the digital art which illuminated the screens behind these at-times innovative musical acts. Visual artists included the explosive Candystations, from New York; the everadorable Friends With You, from Miami; the abstract Otro, from France; and Varelsen, from Sweden. Varelsen presented a wildly imaginative film, brimming with cute but oddly violent characters who pulled dinosuars out of their squishy heads. The work of Friends With You was also a rainbow of charming, clean-cut characters, while Onesize, from the Netherlands, displayed darker, more somber visuals using mo-

tion graphics and live action. AMODA is funded by the city of Austin via the Cultural Arts Division and a grant from the Texas Commission of the Arts. As a nonprofit organization, AMODA’s mission is to “engage the public and artists in the creation, understanding and appreciation of digital art.” AMODA has certainly accomplished that with its celebrated digital showcases, bringing together musicians and artists to celebrate the world of digital art. If you’re a performing artist or lover of all things digital, AMODA is constantly seeking volunteers and artists to participate in its organization. Visit www.amoda.org to get involved.

Box office rankings 1. “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” $56.2 million. 2. “Julie & Julia,” $20.1 million. 3. “G-Force,” $9.8 million. 4. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” $8.9 million. 5. “Funny People,” $7.9 million. 6. “The Ugly Truth,” $7 million. 7. “A Perfect Getaway,” $5.8 million. 8. “Aliens in the Attic,” $4 million. 9. “Orphan,” $3.73 million. 10. “500 Days of Summer,” $3.7 million Source: The Associated Press

ON THE WEB: Video of swing dancing @ dailytexanonline.com

7A COMICS

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Monday, August 10, 2009

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SPORTS

Monday, August 10, 2009

Sports Editor: Austin Talbert E-mail: sports@dailytexanonline.com Phone: (512) 232-2210 www.dailytexanonline.com

T HE DAILY TEXAN

FOOTBALL COLUMN

Highly ranked Horns not a lock for BCS success By Will Anderson Daily Texan Columnist

Questions still abound for offense after loss of Cosby, lack of runners

Jeffrey McWhorter | Daily Texan File Photo

Senior Sergio Kindle, right, is getting his hands around replacing the impact of Brian Orakpo’s, left, 11 1/2 sacks in 2008.

Texas poised for ‘09 title run By Michael Sherfield Daily Texan Staff All along, 2009 was supposed to be the year. The year the Longhorns reclaim the Big 12 South, return to Pasadena and recapture the national championship. Texas head coach Mack Brown implied as much, more than a year ago, after he watched his youngsters toil through consecutive 10-3 seasons, watched them grow into seasoned veterans. Now with an offense anchored by a senior-heavy offensive line, a young but experienced defense and possibly the best quarterback in the country, the future is finally here, and it could be even better than promised. The Longhorns start the season perched upon the No. 2 ranking in the coaches’ poll, a reminder of both how good they are expected to be in 2009 and of just how close they came to winning it all a year earlier. The story of 2009’s season begins somewhere in 2008, in between the tiebreakers, the comebacks, the controversies and the championship. It includes two of the best games of the year as the Longhorns matched up with Oklahoma and Texas Tech, finally running out of steam in the Lubbock night. And it has a moral, ingrained into the players who watched voters and computers take away what they believed they had earned on the field. “We learned last year that you can have the best team in the country, by far, and if you have one bad week you’re not the best team in the country,” senior wide receiver Jordan Shipley said. Shipley is one of the reasons the Longhorns will ride the

wave of last year’s success into the No. 2 spot this season. The sixth-year senior returns for a finale to his storied and troubled Texas career after receiving a medical extension. His best friend helps too. Quarterback Colt McCoy gave up a spot in the NFL to return to the 40 Acres for another shot at the title that has eluded him in his three years as a starter. McCoy, who grew up with Shipley, set a new NCAA record for accuracy last year, completing 76.7 percent of his passes as the Longhorns played their part in the Big 12’s offenCaleb Miller | Daily Texan File Photo sive explosion. But with only two starters — Texas receiver Jordan Shipley, right, ignited the offense as the receiver Quan Cosby and run- Horns scored their way to a 12-1 record in 2008. ning back Chris Ogbonnaya lost from last year’s 11 — most Team name: Texas Longhorns of the questions aren’t circling Head coach: Mack Brown around the Texas offense. Conference: Big 12 It’s the defense and the front 2008 record: 12-1 four that are the focus of most of the doubts after three starters were lost, including team leaders and defensive cornerstones Key players: Roy Miller and Brian Orakpo. • Colt McCoy — Senior — QB Seniors Sergio Kindle and 2008: 3,859 yards, 34 passing TDs, 561 yards, 11 rushing TDs Lamarr Houston are expected The Texas offense begins and ends with McCoy, who set to fill the voids, if not the voicschool and national passing records while also leading the es, of the destructive duo. team in rushing. “I feel like I’m already there in a leadership role,” Kindle • Sergio Kindle — Senior — DE/LB 2008: 46 tackles, 10 sacks said. “I’m more of a sayer than The senior will be spending more time with his hand on the a doer…” ground as Texas tries to replace the pass rush of the graduated The secondary, considered a Orakpo. In the pass-happy Big 12, the Longhorns’ pass rush weak spot last season with the has to be able to disrupt opposing quarterbacks. lack of any experienced safeties, is now a strength, with Game to watch: Oct. 17 vs. Texas in Dallas every starter but corner Ryan While the trip to Oklahoma State may break the Longhorns’ Palmer returning. season, the Red River Rivalry will define it. As always, the It all adds up to a team that winner will have a foot in the Big 12 title game and the nationis expected to be great and has al championship, while the loser will be left calculating tieto be perfect to succeed. With a break scenarios. schedule littered with the likes of Wyoming, the Longhorns The word on Texas: won’t have any margin for last The Longhorns have everything going for them: an easier year’s errors. They have the talschedule, returning seniors and conference rivals weakened ent, the expectations and the by graduation. The Big 12 title national championship is in lessons learned. The only thing their hands, if they can stay perfect. left to see are the results.

No. 2

The first coaches’ poll was released last week and, no surprise here, they picked Florida as the No. 1 team in the country. At second place were the Longhorns, then the Sooners at a close No. 3; Southern Cal and Alabama rounded out the top 5. So, with Texas picked as the class of the Big 12 and Heismancandidate Colt McCoy returning to guide the Longhorns to Pasadena, the season’s pretty much a lock, right? The three first-place votes separating Texas from its Red River rival will surely mean victory when the two teams meet. Forget playing in the Cotton Bowl on Oct. 17, Texas fans should be looking toward Pasadena on Jan. 10. And with McCoy’s ever-increasing stats, we can look forward to a 4,000-yard passing season while one of the younger backs steps up to shoulder the rushing load and carry the No. 2 Longhorns to a national title. Right? If the coaches’ poll decided national champions, Georgia would have won it all last year; USC would’ve been the 2007 champ; and in 2006, the last time the Longhorns were ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll, the mighty Buckeyes of the Ohio State University would have been named the best in the land. That’s not to say Texas hasn’t got a shot. Preseason polls are meaningless at best and usually mirror the standings at the end of the previous year’s postseason. But the Longhorns have a prolific offenses, even in the context of the pass-happy Big 12. McCoy was the most accurate quarterback in the country last year, and while the 4,000-yard statistic above was facetious it’s hardly an impossibility. That’s why head coach Mack Brown and offensive coordinator Greg Davis must make it their utmost priority to find McCoy another solid option at receiver in 2009. With the departure of Quan Cosby, Jordan Shipley returns as the No. 1 wideout, but Shipley works best as a No. 2 kind of guy, opening up the middle of the field with crossing routes and working to keep the defense busy. Shipley has the speed, if not the size, to catch 90 passes this season, but if he continues to return kicks as well, there’s only so much you can count on him for. A viable option has to open up for McCoy and take some

of the pressure off of his roommate Shipley. That’s where Brandon Collins steps in. The rising junior impressed in spring drills and showed he could make an impact with a number of big plays last year. John Chiles moving to receiver was an interesting offseason decision by Davis’ offensive staff and could offer a third option for McCoy. Chiles is simply that athletic. He could turn the tide in a close game, just a few months after making a monumental position switch. However, the loss of tight end Blaine Irby to injury — he hurt his knee in 2008 against Rice and will miss all of 2009 as well — weakens Texas’ threat by air. While Davis said the team plans to spend less time in the shotgun, like we saw against Ohio State, Greg Smith will have to step up as a do-itall tight end for those types of formations to work. And forget running back for now, too. While it would be nice to have a solid threat in the backfield, the Longhorn coaching staff is no closer to picking a No. 1 running back now than they were last year. The trio of Vondrell McGee, Cody Johnson and Foswhitt Whittaker will continue to cycle through the offense and offer some reprieve for McCoy, but Texas needs to continue what it does best: quickly moving the ball upfield and scoring. Surprisingly, it seems like the defense has fewer questions to answer, despite the prevailing notion around the country that the Big 12 is weak on D. Sergio Kindle will need to step up and become the type of multi-threat weapon defensive coordinator Will Muschamp has always envisioned. The 6-foot4-inch, 255-pound Kindle was named to this year ’s Ted Hendricks Award watch list, which annually honors the nation’s best defensive end, despite the fact Kindle split his time between that position and linebacker last year. And you may remember a certain play in 2008 that resulted in Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree scoring against the Longhorns, ultimately leaving them out of title contention. If you don’t think safeties Blake Gideon and Earl Thomas — a Thorpe Award candidate — will do everything in their power to avoid a repeat of that happening, you’ve lost your marbles. Consistency will be the final benchmark from which to judge the Longhorns. Things will start easy for Texas, but by week three, the team will be into its conference schedule and in need of leadership from all of the aforementioned playmakers. Count on them to generate the magic all of this preseason hype has already generated.

FOOTBALL

Longhorns ready for work in preseason camp after long summer layoffs By David R. Henry Daily Texan Staff Texas coach Mack Brown didn’t have to ask the players if they were ready to start the latest football season. That question was answered Saturday morning, when the players reported in. Longhorn players had a window from 10:30 a.m. to noon to check in, and when Brown showed up at 10:30 a.m., everyone on the team was in line. “Everybody came in at record pace,” Brown said. “They are in great shape as we get started.” The Longhorns had their first practice of the season early Sunday morning. The team practices in shorts and T-shirts the first two days and will put shoulder pads on in day three. NCAA rules allow the team to don full pads on the fifth day of practice. “It feels good to get started again because I’m tired of sitting around watching baseball all day,” said senior linebacker Rod-

drick Muckelroy. “Working hard right now is the first step to accomplishing our goal of winning the national championship.”

General Brown When questioned on who the team’s leaders are, Brown said that won’t be determined until after two-a-day practices. He compared preseason practices to army boot camp. “It’s trying to prepare you for tough days and the days where things aren’t going your way,” Brown said. “That’s when your leadership steps up.” Brown visited Iraq this summer and met with several members of the armed forces. “When I was in Iraq, the General told me that our jobs were very similar, because in both football and the military, you both want to beat the other team down, you want to gain ground, you want to take territory away from the opposition, and you

spot became open when the team announced Blaine Irby, last year’s starter, would be out for the season recovering from knee surgery. Losing Irby after the third game in 2008 meant the team had to go the entire season without a tight end. McCoy says having a productive tight end brings an added dimension to the offense. “It allows us to run our offense without having to switch personnel,” McCoy said. “Last season when we went to the flex, Jordan [Shipley] played in the tight end spot. We need someone Position up for grabs there that can block but also be a There might not be a lot of jobs receiving threat.” available in the midst of a recession, but the tight end spot at Tex- Giving it up Junior tight end Josh Marshall as is one opening. Former offensive lineman Greg and sophomore defensive tackle Smith, former wide receiver D.J. Michael Wilcoxon were not among Grant and former defensive end the Longhorns up for practice at 6 Ahmard Howard join Ian Harris a.m. Sunday morning. The two have left the team beand true freshmen Barrett Matthews and Trey Graham in the cause of medical issues. The 6-foot-4-inch Marshall battle for the starting position. The want to fight,” Brown said. “The difference is that the young people over there can die, and in football, we don’t fight.” According to the players, seniors Sergio Kindle and Roddrick Muckelroy have been the generals of the defense during summer workouts. “(Kindle) is asserting himself more as a leader, “ Brown said. “I felt like with his negative thing that came up this summer, it probably helped him in some ways to mature and have to step up and face the team.”

Eliot Meyer | Daily Texan File Photo

Quarterback Colt McCoy will lead the No. 2 Longhorns into camp with more expectaions than ever before in his four-year career. missed all of 2008 with a shoulder injury and played in seven games as a backup tight end and on special teams in 2007. “I love football and the opportunity it has given me, but my family

and the doctors agree what’s best for my future is to let my body get healthy,” Marshall said. Wilcoxon, from Aledo High School, appeared in six games last season.