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THURSDAY, SEPT. 3, 2020 VOLUME 95 ■ ISSUE 3

LA VIDA

SPORTS

Tech spirit programs discuss upcoming plans for fall.

Tech football set for second season under Wells.

Student regent addresses campus community.

OPINIONS

ONLINE Check out our Road Trip playlist on Spotify. Search for The Daily Toreador or scan the code on Pg. 4.

PG 3

PG 5

PG 4

ONLINE

INDEX LA VIDA SPORTS OPINIONS CROSSWORD CLASSIFIEDS SUDOKU

3 5 4 5 5 2

CAMPUS

Goin’ Band reveals COVID-19-related changes

By NATALIE CERVANTES L a Vida Editor

The Goin’ Band from Raiderland has been preparing for the upcoming season at Jones AT&T Stadium.

This season may look different for the Goin’ Band, but they can reassure fans they will be present and playing.

The band will be at all six home games, Joel Pagán, director of Goin’ Band said. The band is not allowed on the field this season, but they will be in the stands.

“This change has affected marching bands all across the nation and has affected all the universities,” Pagán said. “There are very few bands permitted on the field this year. It is somewhat the norm for the season.’’

The band will not be traveling to away games this semester, Pagán said. All the new protocols and regulations are placed for the safety and health of the band’s members.

“All rehearsals are outside with each member standing about sixand-a-half feet apart,” Pagán said.

“We also have personal protection equipment for both the individuals and the instruments.”

The goal is to keep everyone safe, Pagán said. For games members will be 6 feet apart, and there will be limited capacity because the entire band cannot fit in the space allotted.

“The physical presence of the

band is going to be different this season,” Pagán said. “Our appearance is different because we are spread out and smaller.”

The band members will be playing as loud as they can this season, Pagán said.

“Everything is going to be a little different in the stadium this season,” Pagán said.

“We will see what happens come next week.”

The first football game is at 7 p.m. on Sept. 12 against Houston Baptist University, according to the Texas Tech Football schedule.

Claire Entrekin, co-head drum major and senior music education major from Austin, said traditions and their performance has been modified to reflect the new safety protocols in place.

“Traditions, like running out of the tunnels and the halftime show, is not happening this season,” Entrekin said. “So, a lot of our instruction has changed to be more focused on music as opposed to marching since we are going to be in the stands most of the time.”

The football games are going to be a different experience this semester, Entrekin said. However, a portion of normalcy will be present from the band.

SEE BAND, PG. 3

RYAN MCCULLAR/The Daily Toreador

The director of the Goin’ Band from Raiderland, Joel E. Pagán, gives instruction to the members of the band while wearing a face shield. CUTOUT: Members of the Goin’ Band perform at the ESPN Game Day on April 8, 2019, on Broadway.

CAMPUS

Tech Graduate School undergoes changes amid pandemic

By ADÁN RUBIO News Editor

For prospective graduate students or those attending the Texas Tech Graduate School, education amid the pandemic can face a variety of changes moving forward.

Graduate School Dean Mark Sheridan said they realized in March there would be a significant disruption for graduate students because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When COVID-19 cases started appearing in Lubbock in the spring, Sheridan said he and his colleagues from other Big 12 schools had conversations about alternative credit for coursework and discussed the subject of credit versus no credit for the spring semester.

“I also decided to hold in abeyance any suspension or terminations for spring and summer because of the disruption,” he said.

There were very clear signals of stress associated with graduate students who were dealing with allonline instruction amid the closure of campus in the spring, Sheridan said.

Although, whether it be qualifying exams for graduate school or thesis and dissertation defenses, Sheridan said there are some aspects of graduate school education that were required to be completed at a distance.

For prospective graduate students, Sheridan said he relaxed the GRE score requirements for Spring 2019, Summer 2020 and the next academic year.

Because testing centers were closed overseas, Sheridan said there were challenges, as he could not relax the requirements for English proficiency exams. He encourages students to utilize online English proficiency exams, such as Duolingo.

“We definitely relaxed our admission target date for new applications,” he said regarding other changes that were taken for the fall. “We were taking applications up until the day before class started in many cases. In some cases, when there wasn’t room, we pushed those applications to spring.”

Because some programs only have a fall intake, Sheridan said the Graduate School is considering providing a spring or summer intake for those programs to provide as much access to students as possible.

In addition, Sheridan said presentations of thesis and dissertation defenses could see some changes.

“So, that’s what we’re going to do in the fall is we’re going to continue an option for in-person and remote thesis in the state’s defenses,” he said. “But again, this is suggesting that they do the Zoom links for the public presentation.”

When campus closed in the spring due to the pandemic, domestic students were not the only part of the Tech community that faced hardships.

As part of the university’s student population comes from different countries, one may consider the issues that arise with bringing international students to the U.S.

and providing as many education opportunities as possible.

When COVID-19 cases started appearing in the spring, Sheridan said there were a number of international students who wanted to go home late spring or early summer because of a variety of reasons.

“This was a concern because we knew that there may be difficulty of them coming back into the U.S. because of travel restrictions that we anticipated that would be put in place, which, as it turned out, did get put in place,” he said. “But also, as it turned out, there were a number of rule changes that were placed on our international students, and so, that was a concern for us.”

Since the university cannot employ students outside of the U.S., Sheridan said the Graduate School tried to make accommodations for international students.

If students were on an assistantship, Sheridan said he asked departments to provide scholarships, so they can maintain their enrollment while abroad.

“Most of the overseas embassies and consulates closed,” he said regarding an issue working with new international students. “So, students could not schedule visa appointments, and those that were sort of, you know, admitted early in planning their visa appointments that they had made were canceled.”

There were about 1,000 newlyadmitted graduate students, which

MANDI MCDONALD/The Daily Toreador

Mark Sheridan, vice provost for Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs & dean of the Graduate School poses for a portrait on Aug. 31, 2020. consisted of 700 students who were overseas and could not obtain visas, Sheridan said.

Along with the challenge of working with new international students, Sheridan said there were issues with helping new domestic graduate students, as some were reluctant to travel.

Some of these students were on assistantships, Sheridan said. But accommodations were made for these students.

“We left all those things in place, so that students could be assured that when they were able to obtain a visa,

their TA would be available for them when they got here,” he said, “and we did honor all of our recruitment scholarships and fellowships for the fall semester, even if they couldn’t be here but required them to enroll online instead of face-to-face.”

As classes were delivered virtually in the spring, graduate students adjusted to a different form of learning.

Although, education delivery may not have been the only aspect of graduate school that was affected.

SEE GRAD SCHOOL, PG. 2

FOOTBALL

Tech football set for second season under Wells

By ZACH RICHARDS Sports Editor

In line with many conferences across the nation, the Big 12 has readjusted its typical scheduling format as a result of COVID-19.

The new format is a “Nine-plus-one” schedule system, which means each team in the conference will play nine conference games and one non-conference game.

Originally, Tech was supposed to have three non-conference matches leading up to conference play against UTEP, Arizona and Alabama State.

However, the respective conferences of Arizona and Alabama St.

postponed or canceled their seasons, and the UTEP game is against the required home-game mandate for the nine-plus-one regulations.

Shortly after the confirmation of a new schedule by the Big 12, Tech added Houston Baptist to its 10-game slate.

Last season, the Huskies finished with a 5-7 record and have not had a positive record since their entry into the FCS. On the other hand, Tech has a 32-1 record against FCS programs and have won 19 matches in a row against teams in the same subdivision, according to Tech Athletics.

The lone non-conference game

against Houston Baptist will take place at Jones AT&T Stadium at 7 p.m. on Sept. 12 This will be the first matchup between the Red Raiders and Huskies. The game contract also includes stipulations, such as a $400,000 payout to Houston Baptist and several NCAA-recommended procedures prior to the game to ensure safety and protect against COVID-19, according to Tech Athletics.

Two weeks later, the Red Raiders will welcome Texas to their stadium in the first conference matchup of the season at 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 26.

Tech has matched up against Texas in 69 total meetings dating

back to 1928, according to TexasTech.com. In the series, Texas owns 52 total wins to Tech’s 17 total wins. The Red Raider’s last victory came on the road in 2017 after 237 passing yards from McLane Carter, propelling Tech to a 27-23 victory.

In their most previous match in 2019, Texas won 49-24 at home in Austin.

In a preseason poll voted on by members of Big 12 media, Texas ranked third and Tech ranked ninth.

The Longhorns finished their 2019 season with an 8-5 overall record and a 5-4 conference record.

After the game against Texas,

the Red Raiders will begin a twogame road trip starting with a match against Kansas State on Oct. 3 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas. The time of the event is yet to be determined.

Kansas State was ranked seventh out of 10 teams in the Big 12 media’s Preseason Poll ahead of the 2020 football season.

Tech and Kansas State have competed in 20 matches dating back to 1933, according to TexasTech. com. In their most recent game, Tech suffered a 27-30 loss after allowing 512 yards of total offense.

SEE FOOTBALL, PG. 5

2

NEWS

SEPT. 3, 2020

WWW.DAILYTOREADOR.COM

CAMPUS

Tech food pantry reopens with new guidelines

By EMMA SIPPLE Copy Editor

AUTUMN BIPPERT/The Daily Toreador

Raider Red’s Food Pantry aims to reduce hunger by providing nonperishable food items. The pantry is open Monday through Friday in Doak Hall Room 117.

Raider Red’s Food Pantry reopened at the start of the semester after closing due to COVID-19, and with the pandemic, there will be changes to how students can get food and drop off donations.

“Usually, the way it would work was students would come in with their ID, and they would essentially grab whatever items they were looking for on the shelves,” Ileana Hinojosa, administrator for Raider Red’s Food Pantry and Center for Campus Life, said, “and so that could potentially allow people to have multiple contact on items if they grabbed, looked at it and put it down.”

The pantry was too small for proper social-distancing procedures, Hinojosa said.

Instead, the food pantry now uses an iPad for students to fill out an intake form and order bags of food, Hinojosa said. The color of the bags represent if the food is gluten free, domestic, international and vegetarian.

WAYS TO DONATE • •

•

Donate via the Amazon wishlist For monetary donations, contact Kimberly Thornton at kimberly.thornton@ ttu.edu Contact foodpantry@ttu.edu to schedule a time to drop off items

Hours are posted on the Dean of Student’s website, the pantry’s Facebook page

and the door of the pantry at Room 117 of Doak Hall, Hinojosa said.

With COVID-19 affecting student’s income, Hinojosa said she expects to see more people in the food pantry as the semester continues.

Throughout August, Raider Red’s Food Pantry hosted a virtual food drive to help stock up, Hinojosa said.

“We’re encouraging folks to utilize our Amazon wish list, so that items get sent directly to us,” she said. “We also have our monetary fund where people can donate money directly to us.”

The pantry will now have scheduled drop-off times for those wanting to donate, Hinojosa said.

More information can be found on the Office of the Dean of Students website. @EmmaSippleDT

CAMPUS

University provides resources for graduate students

By ADÁN RUBIO News Editor

Traversing college can be a difficult experience for graduate students when learning under multiple health protocols.

With the new semester, the Texas Tech Graduate School has completed a variety of efforts to help students adjust to the new campus atmosphere.

Even with changes to how campus is operating, Kim Cappillino, senior director in the Tech Graduate School over admissions, recruitment and marketing, said there is a record class enrolling this year.

The Graduate School has worked hard to understand how to reach more students for this academic year, Cappillino said.

Regardless, Cappillino said the Graduate School staff wants graduate students to know they are there for them.

The Tech Graduate Center is one resource graduate students might utilize while on

studying on campus.

Mari Baeza, assistant director of the Tech Graduate Center, said after the center closed down in the spring due to the risk of COVID-19, the center was not reopened until the first day of fall classes.

The center, which is located in Room 41 in the west wing of the Administration Building, can only be accessed by graduate students through the use of a Tech ID or a Mobile ID app, according to the Graduate Center website. With health protocols in place, the operating hours for this semester are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. The center is closed on weekends.

“So, all of our entire facility is following all of those rules for social distancing guidelines,” Baeza said. “We do have individual study areas throughout our facility. We also have a computer lab with six computers available right now for

student use.”

Modifying hours allows more time to disinfect hightraffic areas of the center, such as restrooms, doorways and stairwells, Baeza said. Masks are required when present in the center, and food and drinks are not allowed in the facility.

“My staff is definitely staying busy making sure that everybody stays healthy,” Baeza said.

The Graduate Center primarily is a computer and study space, Baeza said. Although, there are other services that were revamped to ensure they could be delivered safely.

“One of those is statistical consulting, and we also offer library research assistance,” Baeza said. “For those services, they’ve actually moved virtually.”

Even professional development opportunities, such as different workshops, will be offered virtually, Baeza said.

During a typical semester,

RYAN MCCULLAR/The Daily Toreador

The Texas Tech Graduate Center provides study spaces and other research services for graduate students. The center is located in Room 41 in the west wing of the Administration Building. most of these opportunities would be offered inside the Tech Graduate Center.

Unfortunately, these events cannot be offered, Baeza said.

There has been a significant decrease in students at the center.

There are plans to move the center to Weeks Hall later in the fall, Baeza said. She is looking forward to the move.

Along with providing resources on campus for graduate

students, staff with the graduate school worked on outreach efforts before and during the fall term.

“So, we did quite a few webinars, and we did them with different groups,” Cappillino said. “We did them with current TTU students suggesting graduate school since a lot of them will be graduating.”

These webinars also were conducted with students who

started a graduate school application but did not finish it, Cappillino said. There was a really high focus on webinars encouraging admitted domestic and international students to enroll at Tech.

Despite the different efforts across campus, Cappillino said the educational experience, whether on or off-campus, is the top priority.

GRAD SCHOOL

of the research or the subjects of the research that we would maintain those things for some time after we went to that online-only sort of moving-tophase-three operational plan,” he said.

In addition to this factor, Sheridan said a student’s research plan was considered when dealing with human subjects or interviews. To avoid any delays in the research

progress, amendments were made to certain research plans.

“And then as we went into the summer, it became increasingly clear that we’re going to have to shut down all research,” Sheridan said.

The health and safety of students, faculty and staff was paramount, but the disruption or research activity also was an issue, Sheridan said.

The Graduate School worked closely with the campus research office to work with people dealing with sponsored research and handling the relaxation of certain research requirements.

“This, as it turned out, unfortunately impacted a lot of our international students probably disproportionately that had hourly employment on campus,” Sheridan said.

“So, in the beginning of the spring, I and my colleagues, we did a substantial fundraising effort. They call it the Raider Relief Fund, where we appeal to our friends and alumni for contributions to help our students, and this was even before we knew we’re going to get some money through the CARES Act.” Some good news is that a majority of research activity on campus has resumed this semester, Sheridan said.

“But the approval for restoring research and scholarly activity was predicated on meeting certain standards in terms of personal protective equipment and social distancing standards and so on,” he said.

Around mid-July, applications were able to be sent in to restart research, Sheridan said.

“There was a screening process that reviewed the health and safety plan on restarting the research,” he said, “and then the authorization came by, and then we continued to communicate about all the necessary components to healthy and safe restarted research.”

In addition to studio and lab research, this included field research as well, Sheridan said.

CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 On campus or out in the field, there are a variety of research opportunities that might have faced different issues during the first months of the pandemic.

“Those things that weren’t considered, you know, missioncritical to either the livelihood

@AdanRubioDT

@AdanRubioDT

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SPIRIT

LA VIDA

Page 3 Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020

Tech spirit programs discuss upcoming plans for fall

By AMANDA HAMPTON Staff Writer

The spirit programs at Texas Tech are making plans to comply with new COVID-19 guidelines and they remain hopeful for their future season.

Erin Harold, Tech Pom Squad head coach, said the team is making health a priority by wearing masks, taking temperatures before practice, washing hands frequently, monitoring changes in health and distancing during practices.

“Any type of slight difference in how they’re feeling, they don’t come to practice,” Harold said.

Spirit Program Director Stephanie Rhode said these health and safety precautions are standard across all spirit programs which includes Tech Pom, Cheer, Raider Red and The Masked Rider.

“We are thankful that our coaching staff and university has allowed us to practice once again, and so we are trying our best to make sure we are keeping ourselves safe,” Austin Bayles, a senior kinesiology major from Hutto and member of CoEd Cheer, said.

Currently, the plans for the spirit programs during football games have not been finalized. However, each of the teams are planning on reducing the number of members from each

BAND

CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 “We will have a portion of the band represented at each football game,” Entrekin said. “We will be in the stands and we will be playing all of our music for the fans.”

The band’s music includes the pregame music, a halftime performance from the stands and the usual music during the games, Entrekin said.

“Plans for the season have been changing every day, sometimes multiple times a day,” Entrekin said. “Band directors have been really great on letting us know what is happening and keeping us up to date.”

The plans for the band are looked at week-by-week, Pagán said. Something unexpected might happen or protocols may be changed so every week looks uncertain.

“Each football game we get to have is a win in my book,” Entrekin said. “But ultimately, health and safety are first, so we are prepared to do what we need to do to keep everybody safe.”

Katy Baker, a freshman trumpet player and music education major from Frisco, said she joined the band to meet

FILE PHOTO/The Daily Toreador

Texas Tech Pom Squad dances before the start of the Red Raiders’ football game against Iowa State. Fans gather for pregame activities at 8:45 a.m. at Raider Alley on Oct. 19, 2019. program in order to comply with capacity guidelines.

Although having fewer fans will not be the same experience, Bayles said he is happy to still have the opportunity to represent the school at a game with his teammates.

“I know that we all love the ability to go out on game-

days,” Bayles said. “I’m glad that at least a portion of us can still be out there.”

Tech Pom Squad is trying to be creative and openminded about their plans for the year in order to give the fans a similar football gameday experience to what they are used to, Harold said. One way this is be-

friends and play at the Jones.

“I am okay with the protocols and regulations because they are for our safety,” Baker said. “It is cool that we will be able to play in the stadium, even though it is just in the stands.”

it can in terms of percussions.”

Cooke said he is glad he gets to participate in games this year and he is happy to lead the next group for a return to a normal process.

“Emotions are mixed amongst the Goin’ Band members,” Pagán said. “Students that are preforming are excited to be back, and they are glad to be making music again, and some are bummed that they won’t be able to participate in some traditions.”

The students and staff have worked hard over the summer to prepare for this season, Pagán said.

“Students are excited to get back at the Jones to have the gameday experience,” Pagán said, “and we hope that the band’s presence is felt and heard.”

Students that are performing are excited to be back, and they are excited to be making music again.

JOEL PAGÁN DIRECTOR OF THE GOIN’ BAND FROM RAIDERLAND Baker said she is hopeful she will get to march on the field next fall.

Mason Cooke, a senior trombone section leader and music education major from Tomball, said he has easily adjusted to the new changes and is looking forward to performing in the stands.

“As a senior, we are forgoing traditions like running out onto the field,” Cooke said.

“But the band is doing the best

@NCervantesDT

ing done is by prerecording their dances to be aired on the screen at the games.

Appearances are another main task for the spirit programs to take part in throughout the year.

Currently, this is primarily being done virtually.

The Pom Squad has made videos for a children’s

hospital and elementary schools in replacement of in-person appearances.

Rhode said this has also applied to the mascots, who have been making promotional videos for the university rather than doing in-person appearances.

Overall, the spirit programs are focusing on finding

ways to benefit the program members this year despite the lack of normalcy.

“We always want to help these students become the best ambassadors of this university that we can,” Rhode said.

“I want to help encourage them to become leaders and the people that they’re destined to be.”

Teaching the spirit programs how to persevere through hardships and come out being a stronger and more positive person is the goal Rhode said she has in mind.

As a result of less-busy schedules, Harold said she is looking forward to connecting with her students on a more personal level and helping them get through the uncertainty of COVID-19.

“I feel like I know them better even though I haven’t been around them as much because I’ve had to have smaller one-on-one conversations with them,” Harold said.

T h i s y e a r, t h e P o m Squad is taking advantage of the extra time to educate the team on being leaders, which Harold said she hopes will produce a better and more successful team.

“We know that our program is one of the best in the country, and so I think that the idea that this is going to make us better,” Harold said. “It really excites me to see how that goes into another season.” @AmandaHamptonDT

FILE PHOTO/The Daily Toreador

The Texas Tech Goin’ Band from Raiderland play at halftime during the Texas Tech vs. Kansas State football game on Nov. 23, 2019, at the Jones AT&T Stadium.

OPINIONS

Page 4 Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020

LETTER

@DailyToreador www.dailytoreador.com

Student regent addresses campus community F

ellow Red Raiders,

To o u r n e w students—welcome to Texas Tech! And to our returning students— welcome back!

Though campus may look different this semester, our dedication to students and an exceptional educational experience remains the same.

Around the world, people are looking to college campuses with apprehension, but also, hope. This is the time to show the world

Brooke Walterschied is a fourth year Tech HSC medical student from Muenster

who we are.

As Red Raiders, we take care of each other and remain committed to combatting COVID-19 while still having an enriching on-campus experience. We each have a role to play in mitigating the spread of this virus.

Our personal actions may be singular, but those actions impact every student and our campus communities. For many Red Raiders, the Texas Tech campus is their safest and most stable environment.

We have already seen that the impacts of COVID-19 are distributed unequally. If we fail to follow university guidelines, we put the most vulnerable members of our community at risk. Now is the time for all of us to be a Masked Rider.

As Masked Riders, we mask up, not only for ourselves but for the safety and well-being of those around us. These small changes and sacrifices we make daily are magnified when we all come together and unite in our mission to keep our fellow Red Raiders safe.

Knowledge is power, so I encourage all students to review our TTUHSC Safe and Texas Tech Commitment resources. We may also look to our fellow Texas Tech University System

institutions, Angelo State University and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, who are similarly conducting campaigns to keep their students, staff, faculty and community safe as well.

If there are areas in which we can improve to better serve and protect our students, we encourage you to use your voices to affect positive change.

This semester brings great challenge but also immense opportunity.

We h a v e e x c i t i n g

things in store for you, so let’s mask up, wash your hands and as always, strive for honor.

Masks up and Wreck ‘Em Tech!

Yours, Brooke Walterscheid Student Regent, Texas Tech University System Board of Regents Student, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Alumna, Texas Tech University @DailyToreador

COLUMN

Hobbies provide escape, stress relief amid pandemic An academic year starting out as unusual as this one is sure to bog down some who want the traditional campus life back right now.

Yet we still must fight and find our way through it all.

One way I am spending my free time to not overthink the circumstances of this semester, is rekindling my love for running.

After being sent home for spring break to not return for months I was bummed out, so I wanted any advice to improve my situation. So, I looked online and a lot of advice that flew around when the pandemic first hit was to do

Richard Baskervlle is a junior journalism major from Arlington

something productive while you’re stuck at home. Even with me being somewhat of a homebody, I was frustrated that the option of going outside had evaporated.

So out of a rebellious fit to just get out, I went to a nearby trail that I would run at off and on and just went for it. I ended up having one of the best runs I could remember where I

went through most of the trail without a break, and on the walk back I got flashbacks of running memories from my childhood.

As an elementary aged kid, I was introduced to distance running through an after-school program simply called ‘runner’s club’.

Where we would meet every Friday to stretch, learn the basics of running and go on a running route through a nearby neighborhood.

Most of what this program’s aim was to keep kids in shape and teach them the basics of running. This might seem obvious because it’s in our nature as humans

to walk and run, but to do it efficiently and to stretch properly added layers to the activity for kids at that age.

The basics the program taught me were instilled into me, and I could rely on and work at running as a hobby using them. Most years I went without running either because I was in other sports or just not going for it.

I can now look back with hindsight and see that implementing this activity would have made those times way better. Distance running has become the equalizer for me and most of my days. Whether I’m up or down, it can bring me back

to the middle and increase my focus.

It helps me feel and look my best. It clears my mind of useless thoughts; the alone time I get during a run recharges my social battery for when I’m out and have to socialize. This is why it’s important for me to remain consistent with this and do it several times a week so I can learn my limits.

I am proud of myself because this summer I really went for it with running and have been tracking my progress with the hobby seriously. Since returning to Lubbock for the fall, I have gone all out by breaking

most of my personal records, running a 5k (3.11 miles) a day, and training to improve my 10k (6.24 miles) time.

So, I believe all Red Raiders out there should find something aside from school that speaks to their inner nature and ignites it. Looking back into what interested you as a kid like I did can work out too.

Finding that thing can not only change getting through a rough time like now but can help you reach the good times in your future.

@DailyToreador

COLUMN

Evaluating challenges Tech faces this Fall Editors note: all COVID-19 numbers are current as of Sep. 2 at 4 p.m.

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EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Chase Seabolt (806) 742-3395 editor@dailytoreador.com Managing Editor Mallory Rosetta managing@dailytoreador.com News Editor Adán Rubio news@dailytoreador.com La Vida Editor Natalie Cervantes features@dailytoreador.com Sports Editor Zach Richards sports@dailytoreador.com Opinions Editor Mateo Rosiles opinions@dailytoreador.com Multimedia Editor Autumn Bippert photo@dailytoreador.com Digital Content Manager Madeline Diffee online@dailytoreador.com Copy Editor Emma Sipple online@dailytoreador.com

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CORRECTIONS The DailyToreador strives for accuracy and fairness in the reporting of news.

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Mateo Rosiles is a junior journalism major from Lubbock

Is this the end of the Texas Tech dynasty? God I hope not, but Tech must start taking swift actions to preserve whatever prestige we have left. Tech has weathered many scandals over the course of nearly a century, but I’m afraid that it may take years to restore our reputation.

By my count, we have had to face three scandals or challenges of varying degrees. The first one we faced was the Marlene Stollings scandal that made national headlines when USA Today broke the story. With beyond a doubt, one of the biggest scandals we had to face this year, but nothing Tech hasn’t faced before in the world of athletics.

In 2009, Mike Leach, the then head football coach for Tech, was accused of mistreating a player while in his former position. Now in 2020, we have the former Lady Raiders head coach being accused of creating a toxic practice environment. Not only that, but the strength and conditioning coach was accused of sexual harassment by players. How does this make Tech look?

The fact that there are reports of Stollings retaliating against players who reported the strength and conditioning coach by making practice harder after

talking to Judi Henry, who oversees Title IX issues is appalling. Henry is also executive senior associate athletic director and senior women’s administrator for athletics.

Te c h h a s p l e d g e d change, to strengthen communications between players and staff. I will definitely hold Tech to this.

I also want to call every Tech fan, student, faculty and staff to hold Tech to their word. I feel that we forget these athletes are students as well, they are still finding their footing in the world. Why should we blame them or come after them when it’s the coaching staff and the athletics department’s job to report these scandals first?

I applaud the players who spoke in the USA Today article. You followed the chain of command and nobody listened, you had no other choice. You wanted to be heard, and you wanted to make the public aware what was going on, you were heard loud and clear.

The next scandal Tech had to face was for Greek life. The racist videos surfaced the other week were appalling to say the least.

We are living in 2020, in the middle of the social justice movement, that type of vile language has no place in our society today. Most people may not even have been surprised the video came from Greek life at Tech.

Fraternities and sororities here at Tech are a constant problem. It feels that every year, if not every

semester, the President of Texas Tech must release a statement saying the same thing every time. That the university is appalled by the recent action for the Greek life community and are reviewing and updating the policies they have.

How many times will you review the policies?

How many times are you going to vow the commitment to encourage diversity and inclusion on campus? Tech takes immense pride in being a diverse university from students around the world, as they should. The current have made great strides to ensure that this is true.

Putting certain fraternities and sororities on probation will only do so much, and some communities are repeated offenders and yet they have been given multiple chances.

Why? I wish I could tell you. I am not even going to touch the alleged accusations of sexual harassment and assault in this opinion, because that is a whole other can of worms that can be opened at a later date.

So again, I ask you, how many more press releases saying you are appalled by the recent actions and a vow of change are you going to make? How many more letters will SGA have to release condemning such actions? How much longer will minority students feel unsafe and unwelcomed on campus? I ask you, do you think it’s time to take another look at some fraternity and sorority chatters and pos-

sibly revoke some?

We pride ourselves as being a leader in the realm of academics, let’s be leaders in social movements too. Let's talk the talk and actually walk the walk. No more turning a blind eye, take action now.

This brings me to my third and final challenge Tech is facing, COVID-19.

At the time of this writing, Sept. 2, Tech broke the 500 cases mark according to the Texas Tech Commitment COVID-19 dashboard. Also, on Sept.

2, the City of Lubbock held a news conference with one of the panelists being President Schovanec.

The president talked about how Tech has planned extensively for reopening campus this fall but has yet to share any information of these plans to students and parents. When talking to students and parents, their main concern is Tech closing campus once more, and they are worried that they will be blindsided once again.

We want information, and we want transparency, because it’s our lives that are being messed with.

Students last year lost jobs all of a sudden and faculty and staff scrambled to move content online. We want to know the plans in place. We want to know the number of cases that will send us home for the rest of the semester. I know myself waking up every morning thinking, is this the day that Tech will announce that we are closing. Is today the day I

find myself without a job again.

Tech has a lot of improvement it needs to do but so do our students.

We need to grow up and deal with this pandemic as adults. You can clearly see what your actions are doing to other students, what will it take for you to realize that this isn’t a joke? A student to end up in the hospital or worse?

Grow up and be adults.

Tech has faced a lot of challenges this year and will keep on facing them for the years to come. I love being able to attend this school and singing the Matador song with pride at any event. However, Tech must start taking swift and stern actions when facing these current challenges to prevent our prestigious academic reputation from being tarnished.

We need change, and we need it now. No more small changes to appease the masses, we need big changes that will move us forward. Gone is the life we once knew, one where we turned away from acknowledging injustices and talking about hard to talk about topics.

I urge the administration of Tech to do what’s right, what is justice not only for me but for my fellow students as well. Be the beacon of light in this dark time, and we will forever sing songs of love to thee.

@MateoRosilesDT

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CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 Kansas State finished the 2019 season with a 5-4 conference record and an 8-5 overall record to put them towards the middle of the pack in terms of Big 12 standings.

The Red Raiders will continue their road trip against Iowa State on Oct. 10 at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. The time is yet to be determined.

Last season, Tech suffered a 24-34 loss at the hands of the Cyclones at home. Iowa State rallied behind quarterback Brock Purdy, who finished the game with 378 yards passing and three touchdowns, according to ESPN. Former Red Raider quarterback Jett Duffey had 239 yards passing in the game.

In the series between Tech and Kansas State dating back to 1967, Tech has the edge over the Cyclones with 11 wins to Iowa State’s seven, according to Tech Athletics. However, Tech has lost the last four matches to Iowa State.

The Cyclones finished last season with a 7-6 overall record and a 5-4 conference record. They trailed only Baylor and Oklahoma.

Ahead of the 2020 season, the Big 12 media Preseason Poll has the Cyclones ranked fourth overall.

The Red Raiders will return home on Oct. 24 to face West Virginia at the stadium. The game time is yet to be determined.

West Virginia ranked one spot above Tech on the Big 12 media Preseason Poll with the eighth overall spot.

The series history between the Red Raiders and the Mountaineers is not extensive, as West Virginia is relatively fresh to the Big 12, joining just eight years ago. Still, the two teams have had nine matches against each other where the Mountaineers have six total wins to Tech’s three, according to Winsipedia.

Page 5 Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020 After a two-week layoff following the Baylor game, Tech will travel to Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma for its final away game of the season on Nov. 28. The time is yet to be determined.

The first match between Oklahoma State and Tech took place in Lubbock in 1935.

Nearly 85 years later, the series win totals between the two teams is rather close, with Tech leading with 23 wins and the Cowboys having 21, according to Winsipedia. There have also been three draws between the teams.

Last season, Tech defeated Oklahoma State 45-35 in Lubbock.

The Cowboys concluded the season with a 5-4 conference record and an 8-5 overall record.

Now, ahead of the 2020 season, Big 12 media has

FILE PHOTO/The Daily Toreador

coach Tommy Tuberville.

Last season, Tech fell to no. 4 Oklahoma 16-55 at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. In the same season, the Sooners finished Big 12 play with an 8-1 record and finished the season with a 12-2 overall record.

After Tech’s game against Oklahoma, they will travel to Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth to play against TCU on Nov. 7. The time is yet to be determined.

Last season, TCU finished one spot above Tech in conference standings with a 3-6 conference record and a 4-8 overall record.

In the same season, Tech fell to the Horned Frogs 31-33 in Lubbock.

Overall in the series between the Red Raiders and TCU, Tech has the edge with 32 victories to the Horned Frog’s 27 wins dating back to 1926, according to Tech Athletics. Tech most recently won in 2018 behind four receptions for

ZachRichardsDT

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Redshirt freshmanSarodorickThompson searchesfor an opening torun throughduring thegameagainstTheUniversity ofTexas at 11 a.m. Nov. 29, 2019, at theTexas MemorialStadium.The Red Raiders fell to the Longhorns, 49-24.

In their last match, Tech won on the road in a 38-17 victory behind 354 passing yards and a 94.6 quarterback rating from Jett Duffey, according to ESPN. Tech will then host Oklahoma, one of the most successful teams in the Big 12 of late.

The Sooners have won the last five Big 12 championships under Lincoln Riley and Bob Stoops. The Oklahoma football team has not left the top-five rankings in either the AP or coaches national poll since 2014.

They also rank atop the Big 12 media’s Preseason Poll with 888 total votes and 80 first place votes. For reference, the next-highest team had six first place votes.

In the series between Oklahoma and Tech, Oklahoma leads with 21 total wins to Tech’s six. The last match Tech won against Oklahoma was on the Sooner’s turf in 2011 when the Red Raiders upset No. 3 Oklahoma 41-38 under head

voted Oklahoma State to a second-place spot in the Preseason Poll.

The final game of the Red Raider’s season will be back at home against Kansas on Dec. 5. The time for the game is yet to be determined.

In 2019, Tech and Kansas were the bottom two teams in the Big 12 conference. Kansas had a 1-8 conference record and a 3-9 overall record.

In the same season, Kansas defeated Tech 37-34.

Overall, however, Tech has 19 wins to Kansas’ two wins since 1966, according to Winsipedia. The victory by Kansas in 2019 was its first since 2001.

Although the off-season has been atypical for the football world, the Red Raiders and the rest of the Big 12 are set to begin another season of college football.

DAILYTOREADOR

78 yards and a touchdown from Ja’Deion High.

One week after the game against TCU, Tech will host Baylor on Nov. 14 in Lubbock.

Last season, Baylor was the second-place team in the Big 12 with an 8-1 conference record and an 11-3 overall record. They trailed only Oklahoma in the standings and were the only team to remain undefeated on the road in the conference.

In the same year, Tech fell to Baylor in a close game, 3330. The game went into overtime where Baylor capitalized on a three-play, 25-yard drive to score.

Historically, the Bears and the Red Raiders have battled since 1929, according to Tech Athletics. The series between these two programs is one of the closest between all Big 12 opponents Tech has to face, with Baylor having 39 total wins and Tech having 38 wins.

Baylor, however, has won the last two matchups.

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