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MONTHLY ISSUE THURSDAY, SEPT. 22, 2022 VOLUME 97 ■ ISSUE 1

NEWS

Q&A

OPINIONS

ONLINE

INDEX

Tech Athletics brings various performing artists to maximize gameday experience.

Football beat writers with The Daily Toreador and The Daily Texan discuss upcoming game.

In a letter to the editor, a Tech alum calls for the removal of the slogan Guns Up.

Follow us on social media as The Daily Toreador covers the Big 12 opener at Jones AT&T Stadium.

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ONLINE

NEWS Q&A OPINIONS

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THE LAST RODEO Tech meets Texas in possible home finale to decades-old rivalry

By CHRIS WLLIAMS Sports Editor

Rivals will clash in Lubbock on Saturday when Texas Tech hosts No. 22 Texas at 2:30 p.m. at Jones AT&T Stadium. It’ll be the first time the Longhorns make the trip out west since 2020, when they mounted a 15-point fourth quarter comeback to defeat Tech 63-56 in overtime.

Saturday could also mark the end of the current chapter of the rivalry’s story, which has seen a game played between the two programs every year since 1996. With Texas primed to leave the Big 12 and join the SEC starting in the 2025-26 season, reports began circulating in early September that the future of the series might be in jeopardy.

The story, which was first broken by Don Williams of the Lubbock-Avalanche Journal, mentioned that Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte was unwilling to commit to a long-term scheduling alliance with Tech.

Many within Tech’s program have expressed interest in keeping the series alive beyond Big 12 play. Tech head coach Joey McGuire said he got a glimpse of the rivalry when he attended the Tech-Texas basketball game in February and gave his expectation for the atmosphere on Saturday.

“I understand the importance of the rivalry … of course seeing the basketball (game) and how incredible that was,” McGuire said on Monday at his weekly news conference.

“It’s exciting, I’m sure we’re gonna be playing in front of a sold out crowd .. I hope they drink their beer, not throw it.”

McGuire’s prediction was correct, as Tech Athletics announced Tuesday that the Texas game will be the first sellout at Jones AT&T Stadium since 2018. Senior linebacker Tyrique Matthews expressed his anticipation for the crowd following the announcement.

“It’s gonna be exciting man, ‘The Jones’ is always rocking,” Matthews said. “We gotta make sure we give them a show … they come for a reason: it’s Texas.”

SEE PREVIEW, PG. 2 WYATT ADAMS/ The Daily Toreador

Super-senior defensive back Adrian Frye kneels before the game against Murray State Sept. 3, 2022.

CULTURE

Hispanic Techans honor roots, heritage

By REESE GRIFFIN Staff Writer

By: Sydni Oviedo

National Hispanic Heritage Month is intended to showcase the beauty of Hispanic and Latin American cultures. Texas Tech celebrates

this month through representational events for students, faculty and staff to enjoy.

Miguel Levario, associate professor of U.S. history, borderland studies Chicana/o/x/Mexican American history, said the United States observes

National Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15th to Oct. 15th, celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of United States citizens and residents whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

“Sept. 15 marks the day when five countries in Central America declared independence from Spain in 1821,” Levario said. “Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras joined together against Spanish forces to gain their collective and individual independence.”

Levario said Tech recognizes Latin American countries that followed the road toward independence like Mexico.

“This year, Costa Rica and its Central American compatriots celebrate over two hundred years of independence,” Levario said. “During the entire month of September, these countries celebrate their own vibrant traditions from parades to pinatas, dancing in the streets and speeches from public officials.”

Jade Silva Tovar, assistant vice president of division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said National Hispanic Heritage Month means being proud of her cultural roots and who she is.

“I think being the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, for me, is that connection to my cultural roots but also being proud of who I am and not losing those roots. And so being able to

be everything that I am my authentic selves,” Tovar said. “I’m both Mexican and Mexican American, right? And so, being able to celebrate what that means to listen to music that I grew up with.”

As the first member of her family to graduate from high school and be in a doctorate program, it is a big deal for Tovar’s family.

“My grandparents came here for a better life and so to be where I’m at today, I think that they will be looking down on me today and be very proud. They didn’t go to high school.

My parents did graduate from high school,” Tovar said. “So, for me to be in my doctorate program as an assistant vice president, for my family, it’s a big deal.”

Oscar Castillo, the leader of the Mariachi Mexico Lindo, said the group is proud to perform at Hispanic Heritage Month events at Tech as it is important to celebrate and recognize their roots.

“It’s very necessary to remember our roots. We have all kinds of roots from everywhere. But definitely the Latinos,” Castillo said. “There are so many Latinos here at Tech. So I think it’s really important to have that and to celebrate it and recognize it.”

Tovar said Tech recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month and hosting events throughout the month creates a community for the students from other countries.

“It’s a celebration right because there are moments when life is hard.

And so to be in community with one another to create this space, it’s family,” Tovar said. “I think about the students that may be coming from other countries who are missing their families.”

It’s important for students, faculty and staff to remember that Tech is a community and a family, Tovar said.

Students need to know that the Tech community is here to support and help students feel at home.

“We’re the family away from home, or students that are here and from Lubbock that they were like, wow, this is happening at Texas Tech,” Tovar said. “It just makes them feel like they belong, that they’re included.”

Tovar said representation of Tech faculty and staff of Hispanic and Latin cultures who are successful and supportive to students of similar cultures is so important.

“It wasn’t until I went to college that I saw my first faculty of color and had my first Latina professor. I had to work almost full time to write and so the days where I just wanted to give up and to see somebody as motivation or like, you work hard now so you don’t have to work as hard later,” Tovar said. “I think that’s really important that it does get better.” @ReeseGriffinDT

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LA VIDA

SEPT. 22, 2022

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Tech’s Raider Alley experience turning up

By PAYTON CARTER Staff Writer

Raider Alley is a tailgate and concert experience organized by Texas Tech Athletics and has become one of the school’s most popular gameday traditions.

Robert Giovannetti is the senior associate athletics director for external operations and has been involved with Raider Alley since its move to the green space near the Engineering Key in 2019.

Raider Alley is set up days in advance and requires help from a number of contributors, Giovannetti said.

“We work with a partner, Tailgate Express, to do all of the tailgating setup out there,” Giovannetti said.

“They’ll set up early in the week. Generally it starts on Wednesday, the stage for the musical act will go up starting on Friday evening and they’ll put it up through Saturday morning, that’s done with another outside vendor we use called Miller Pro Audio.”

When it comes to booking musicians to perform for the gameday concerts, Giovanetti said Tech Athletics does so months in advance.

“Once we know the schedule, we work with the booking person, Miller Pro Audio, he gives us acts that might be available and we try to piece it together,” he said. “A lot of it just depends. If they’re on tour, will they be close by?”

After 2019, Raider Alley sought to make a concerted effort to host different genres of performers, Giovannetti said.

CARLOS GONZALEZ/The Daily Toreador

Tech students and fans cheer with excitement during the 24kGoldn performance at Raider Alley before Tech football team’s 33-30 win over No.25 University of Houston on Sep. 10, 2022.

“We took some feedback in ‘19. There was too much Texas country,” Giovannetti said. “We didn’t get a chance to do it in ‘20 because of COVID but we decided ‘let’s try to do something different every week.’

You might not like an act one week, but we’ll catch you one week with something you really like.”

After Raider Alley came back in 2021, they wanted to have big-name acts to draw in fans, Giovannetti said.

“We’ve always had music out there, local acts who were great, but we decided to start bringing in more regional or bigger-name acts,” Giovannetti said. “Then of course we had COVID in ‘20, and then we came back last year in ‘21, we decided to book some really big acts.

We had Shaquille O’Neal for game one, we had Waka

Flocka. We had Bowling For Soup, we had George Clinton. We had Josh Abbott last year as well.”

Jon Wolfe, a country artist, will perform Sept.

24 before the game against the University of Texas, but Tech Athletics wait to announce musical acts, Giovannetti said.

“We had Grouplove week one, we had 24K Golden last week and we’ve got J o h n Wo l f e f o r t h e U T game,” Giovannetti said.

“We like to announce them closer to the game. I’ll be honest, there is a game we still don’t have an act booked for. We had an act booked, he got offered more money somewhere else and so he backed out of our deal, so we’re still trying to fill that slot. So, I don’t wanna give out any other names yet.”

Giovannetti also said Davis Smith, owner of the Gorilla Law Firm, has been instrumental in getting certain musical acts out to Lubbock.

“I just want to mention that Davis Smith, who’s an attorney here in town, he’s the presenting sponsor of musical acts and he’ll help us book a couple acts as well,” Giovannetti said. “He has contacts in the industry. He brought in Coolio for us last year. At basketball two or three years ago, he brought in Vanilla Ice.” On Oct. 29, when Tech plays Baylor, eight former players will be inducted into the Texas Tech Hall of Fame, including Super Bowl winner and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Giovannetti said.

“On the 29th against Baylor, we will have our Hall of Fame Class (induction),

OLIVIA RAYMOND/The Daily Toreador

he will have experienced wide receivers to his left and right to deliver the ball to. Xavier Worthy and Jordan Winnington both had standout games in Texas’ 70-35 win over Tech last season with each finding the end zone at least once.

Worthy in particular finished with 100 yards and three touchdowns, the first of four 100-yard receiving games he achieved during his freshman season, according to Texas Sports.

Across the field, Tech’s offense is coming off a four-turnover performance against N.C. State last Saturday, two of which came via Donovan Smith interceptions. Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kittley said Smith still has a lot to learn as he heads into his seventh career start.

“Clearly there’s some stuff we still gotta work on … I think he battled all game,” Kittley said. “Biggest thing is we gotta pro-

PREVIEW

CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 Junior offensive lineman Caleb Rogers said the fact that this may be the last Texas-Texas Tech in Lubbock for the time-being adds more of an incentive to beat the Longhorns – something Tech hasn’t done at home since Michael Crabtree scored the game-winning touchdown in 2008.

“Sadly (it won’t be) pretty soon but it’s gonna be on the calendar every year so we’re cool with that. We want to see them every year” Rogers said. “It’s my third year, third time playing these guys so I would love to come out with a dub.”

Beyond-the-field implications aside, the matchup pits together two teams that mirror each other in different ways. Both are led by recently-hired head coaches: Steve Sarkisian is in his second season in Austin while McGuire sits three games into his collegiate head coaching career at Tech.

Ahead of their first meeting, McGuire praised Sarkisian, who has served as offensive coordinator at both the collegiate and professional levels, and his ability to consistently maximize his star players’ potential.

“He’s got a great reputation as a play caller,” McGuire said. “Definitely

Junior runningback Tahj Brooks scoring the first of his three touchdowns (a career-high) against Murray State on Sep. 3, 2022. their strength is what he can do with his skill players. He has a lot of skill on that team and so (I’m) really excited to play against him.”

There will certainly be playmakers for Sarkisian and his staff to choose from against the Red Raiders.

Leading the Longhorns’ rushing attack is Big 12 preseason pick for Offensive Player of the Year Bijan Robinson, who is coming off his best performance of the season against UTSA. Robinson totaled a seasonhigh 183 yards rushing on 20 carries to go along with three touchdowns against the Roadrunners.

Tech defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter didn’t mince words when describing the challenge Robinson poses to defenses.

“From what I’ve seen,

he might be the best (running back) in the country,” D e R u y t e r s a i d . “ H e ’s a very compact runner who is powerful, breaks a ton of tackles … I think he’s gonna have a tremendous career in his future, I’m just hoping we don’t add to it this weekend.”

Te x a s ’ p a s s i n g g a m e is still trying to find its footing following quarterback Quinn Ewers’ injury against Alabama Sept. 10, with third-year sophomore Hudson Card taking over the starting role last week.

This summer, Ewers, a top transfer portal target from Ohio State, found himself deciding between Tech and Texas as his next landing spot before ultimately taking his talents to Austin.

Should Card start against the Red Raiders,

which Patrick is also in,” Giovannetti said. “We’ll have eight members go in. I can’t speak about Patrick, we don’t know about his schedule yet, but all the Hall of Fame inductees will be at Raider Alley. They’ll sign autographs and when people come up, people can take their pictures with them.”

If fans want to have the best tailgating experience possible, they should get there early, Giovannetti said.

“For a 2:30 p.m. kickoff, the musical act will go on two hours before that,” Giovannetti said. “Raider Walk would start at 12:15 p.m.then at 12:30 p.m. we have the musical act start, and then after that the Goin’ Band eventually marches through on their way to the stadium.”

Because Raider Alley has become such a popular game-day tradition, a number of students have been able to experience the concerts and tailgating.

Savanah Harrington, a second-year sociology student from Round Rock, said she’s been able to meet some of the musical acts at Raider Alley.

“I was able to see Shaq, that was my favorite one,” Harrington said. “Then I saw Waka Flocka, I actually met him in person after. I was taking a picture with my friend and he just came up behind us. It was crazy.”

Harrington said she thinks Raider Alley is something everyone should experience at least once.

“I recommend going with a group because it does get

tight and you just always want to be safe, and it’s always more fun with your friends,” she said. “I’d say at least go once your whole four years here because that’s definitely an experience for sure” Harrington said she makes sure to prepare beforehand in order to stay safe during Raider Alley.

“I made sure I got a water bottle and ate a snack beforehand because I knew it was gonna be crowded and Tech fans can be a little crazy,” Harrington said.

“Stay hydrated. I would also go out if I ever felt claustrophobic and my friends would come with me too.”

Ava Bray is a second-year interior design major from Katy who said that while Raider Alley is a tight squeeze, everyone there respects other audience members.

“I think everyone takes personal space well,” Bray said. “It’s been hot, but I drink water. Stay cool and stick with your friends.”

Finally, Giovannetti reiterated that since there are only five more home games in the season, fans should take advantage of the opportunities Raider Alley has to offer.

“I think those are cool traditions to build with your family,” Giovannetti said. “We feel there’s really something for everyone, but I would say you only get five more of these in the year.

Make the most of those and use it to be something to create great traditions for yourself, your family.”

tect the football … (if) we’re turning the ball over two or three times at my position, at that quarterback position, it’s going to be hard to win games.”

Even with the rivalry game in front of a packed stadium on the horizon, the Red Raiders have bigger goals on their minds. Senior offensive lineman Caleb Rogers said it is the team’s

priority to get conference play off on the right foot.

“It comes with a little bit more because we know it’s a part of our goal to win the Big 12 championship,” Rogers said. “It’s our identity.

We’re not going to shy away from anything … we got a lot of respect for these guys, but we wanna tear them up.”

@PaytonCarterDT

@ChrisWilliamsDT

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Tech football players high-five Red Raider fans as they exit the field after defeating the University of Houston on Sept. 10, 2022.

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SPORTS

Page 3 THURSDAY, SEPT. 22, 2022

Student reporters discuss Texas, Big 12 but (the defense) can load the box if the quarterback is injured or not doing particularly great.

Ahead of Te x a s Te c h ’s conference opener against Texas on Saturday, The Daily Toreador spoke with Hunter Dworaczyk, the football beat writer for The D a i l y Te x a n , about the two programs, the season they’re having and what the future of the rivalry could look like.

CW: Last week we saw Texas really hold its own against No. 1 Alabama.

How do you think the Longhorns fared in what will eventually become an annual matchup?

HD: I think they fared well. I was impressed with the way the Longhorns s h o w e d up in the trenches; you could a r g u e t h a t Te x a s might’ve looked more impressive than Alabama in the trenches. Ultimately, (Texas) didn’t make the plays they needed to. I think it’s definitely an indicator that the overall team culture appears to be better than last year at this time when Texas got blown out by Arkansas.

CW: On that note, do you think Texas fans welcome the move to the SEC? Split down the middle?

HD: I think for the most part it’s pretty welcomed.

Just the amount of bigtime matchups that our fans aren’t really used to experiencing.

Overall, the team is gonna improve just by the competition and they can use the SEC as a recruiting p i t c h .

O b v i o u s l y, you’ll have some traditionalists who want to keep the teams together but I feel like for the most part, (they’re) pretty excited for it.

CW: As a team, Texas a n d Te x a s Te c h a r e i n similar boats with their starting quarterback going down early in the season.

How much of a concern is Quinn Ewers being out for multiple weeks and what is your confidence like in a guy like Hudson Card to take the reins of the offense?

HD: It is concerning, the offense just didn’t go as much whenever Quinn was out against Alabama, but also, Hudson was basically limping the whole time. I think it’s gonna put more pressure on (protection) because you have these amazing running backs,

C W: T h e h e a d c o a c h of the Longhorns is Steve Sarkisian, who’s in his second year as head c o a c h . Te x a s h a d a n underwhelming season l a s t y e a r, t h o u g h it was not entirely (Sarkisian)’s fault.

In general, how does the fanbase feel about Sarkisian and what’s their patience like with him as of today?

HD: The UT fanbase had a lot of overreaction, especially after the first year. This year, Sarkisian has more of a feel and comfort. He has his

imprint o n t h e program, he brought in half the team cause half the guys that are on the team weren’t on it last year.

Yo u c a n t e l l the players are more

bought in this year to the culture. We’ll see down the line when more adversity strikes, but overall fans are seeing it, especially after the Alabama performance, I think the fans are pleased with Sarkisian right now.

CW: Ahead of their game on Saturday, how do you view the Texas vs Texas Tech rivalry as it currently stands? Is it even fair to call it a rivalry, knowing you guys are going to leave the conference in a few years?

HD: I think it’s definitely a rivalry. It’s within the Texas borders, that means something. There’s a lot of memories between the two schools, obviously, 2008 comes to mind.

I don’t

speak for the fanbase, but it’s definitely a rivalry. I for one hope that they do work out some non conference agreement. As a rivalry as a whole, it’s not as heated as some other ones, but it’s definitely a fun one. I think the fan bases enjoy it. @DailyToreador

Page 4 Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022

CARTOON

OPINIONS

@DailyToreador www.dailytoreador.com

COLUMN

Ramirez injury sparks concern

Zoe Taylor/The Daily Toreador

There were a handful of storylines surrounding Joey McGuire’s first loss as Texas Tech’s head football coach — a 27-14 loss to No. 16 North Carolina State — including the offense’s inability to convert a first down for the game’s first 20 minutes, or outside linebacker Bryce Ramirez registering his first start as a junior.

Red Raider fans who tuned into the ESPN2 broadcast found it hard to watch Tech’s poor start amount to an eventual 20-0 deficit. Still, the most difficult moment to keep their eyes on the screen undoubtedly came when Ramirez suffered a horrifying leg injury early in the first quarter.

According to Tech Athletics, Ramirez remained in North Carolina to receive overnight medical attention and will be accompanied by Tech’s sports medicine staff at Wake Medical Center until he can safely return to Lubbock.

Despite its gruesome nature, ESPN elected to show a replay of Ramirez’s injury and give their viewing audience another glimpse of an incident they would have been glad to miss.

Football is an extremely physical sport and injuries will always play a major factor in the game, but fans

Bishop Van Buren is a junior journalism and advertising major from Tomball.

tune in to watch their favorite players reach goals and receive accolades — not fall victim to possibly the worst incident of their lives.

It is the moral responsibility of whoever is broadcasting the game to protect their audience from the negative emotions associated with witnessing injuries similar to the one suffered by Martinez.

It is reasonable to assume the broadcasting team is working with a delay and can be aware of most injuries before choosing to display them. Yet too often they still elect to scar their audience with these moments.

After the loss to N.C. State McGuire provided an update on Martinez’s status.

“He was in good spirits, a lot of pain but good spirits,” McGuire said. “What a great kid, I hate it because he was playing really really well. There was a reason he was starting tonight and he was playing really really well.” @BishopVB_DT

COLUMN

Student loan relief plan faces downsides On August 25, Biden enacted a Student Loan Forgiveness plan where he planned to cancel student debt up to $10,000. This act plans to give students, or borrowers, a chance to apply for financial

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COPYRIGHT INFORMATION © Copyright 2022. Texas Tech University Student Media/The Daily Toreador. All DT articles, photographs and artwork are the property of The DT and Student Media and may not be reproduced or published without permission. The Daily Toreador is a designated public forum. Student editors have the authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval.

aid when they are making less than $125,000 a year.

You may be asking why this is important to you or what type of process you must endure in which you can qualify for financial help. Forbes reported that roughly “eight million federal student loan borrowers may receive student loan forgiveness automatically,” without any need for application.

Individuals who qualify for help should not need to worry about a long, strenuating process of papers and applications, especially full-time students who work in addition to their already long day on campus.

Colleges also are back to an on-campus format, meaning we all need to hoof it to class, sit in hour-long lectures, find the time to do our homework and work at a job after class that, typically, does not pertain to

Madison Cottey is a media and communication major from Austin.

our majors.

We do not have time in a busy schedule to fill out forms and applications for something we may not even qualify for!

There is no clear timeline yet that states when or if this plan will be officially put to action but it allows for over 43 billion borrowers who will benefit from this by the end of the process.

Though this plan seems practically perfect, in theory, and student loan forgiveness would be the solution to many of our problems, there are reasons behind why this cannot, and most likely will not

happen.

The main reason, at hand, coming in at 53% of backing is a lack of qualifying payments and weighing in next is ‘missing information’. Imagine you fill out all of the information required to qualify, you assume that what you stated is going to get approved and then, once it is too late, you find out that this plan does not pertain to you or, almost worse, you send in paperwork only to find out months later that it was considered incomplete.

Those who strongly need this payment plan and are counting on help will have to assess what they can do next and move on because, honestly, there is not much else to do moving forward.

Another problem with this new plan is that, those who already went to college, finally paid off their

own student loans and are working every single day, making hard-earned money will have to pay for someone else while inflation, as is,

... student loan forgiveness would be the solution to many of our prolems.” continues to skyrocket.

The individuals who endured their own financial instabilities will be placed under a spotlight to assist others (who they do not even know personally) and that is money coming straight out of their pocket. We all know that prices for everything have gradually or, even overnight increased and, though it is especially hard on students

pursuing a full-time education, it is difficult for everyone regardless of their position or career in society.

In addition to the controversies faced with the new presented policy, a loan carries interest and interest increases as time progresses.

If a student applies for a loan and finds out later that they do not meet the criteria, they not only must continue down their road to undeniable debt, but they will also have new fees tacked on to the existing, which will only make it more difficult to pay off in the future.

Though the new Student Loan Forgiveness Plan enacted seems like the answer to every student’s prayers, there are severe downsides to it and a cost that might not be worth paying. @madiaoncotteydt

COLUMN

Campus cultural centers promote student success

Culture influences the way an individual behaves based on prior social or political constructs of certain demographics, or areas.

The Black Cultural Center recently opened on campus. In Tech history, it is the first cultural center built to provide a sense of community and easily accessible knowledge regarding African American history.

A 2020 analysis of the enrollment concluded that minority groups compose 36.9% of the population at Texas Tech, According to DataUSA. On a larger scale, according to the same source, minority groups compose 48% of the popula-

Marianna Souriall is a freshman journalism major from Magnolia.

tion of Lubbock.

Many students expressed support for the cultural center. It was claimed to be a “sanctuary” for many students of color as the center encourages a sense of cultural identity.

That being said, a cultural center should be made for all cultures.

The Black Cultural Center empowers students through the use of knowledge. Students are provid-

ed the opportunity to thrive in an area where they feel safe and accepted. As a result, students are able to further develop their cultural identity evoking sentiments of confidence and pride.

Should a cultural center be opened for all cultures, every student could feel accepted and comforted.

Furthermore, individuals who take advantage of the cultural centers will then be able to pass their knowledge upon future generations; this serves as a preventative measure regarding the loss of culture.

The United Nations Association claimed the loss of culture can lead to mental

distress as culture largely influences an individual’s understanding of their own identity.

It can be argued that the cultural centers promote segregation. Some may associate specified centers for exclusivity rather than inclusivity. However, cultural centers are open to all individuals. Therefore, not only is information easily accessible to students in said culture, but to students from other cultures as well.

Since the centers are open to all individuals, any student is afforded the opportunity to further their knowledge. As a result, a sense of ignorance has the

potential to be mitigated as more individuals become educated in regards to those around them.

In a similar manner, knowledge of other cultures can be passed down to future generations. Not only would the dissemination of information promote cultural awareness, but it could flourish into a deeper understanding of those who we share the world with.

If every individual was educated not only in their own culture, but the culture of others, sentiments of compassion would arise as a result of truly understanding those around us. @MariannaS_DT

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Alum advocates removal of Guns Up tradition Dear Reader, Our Double T brand is vivid, broadly recognized and long enduring. Our matador on class ring, on the field of play and in the heart of students and alumni is an equally en-

LETTERS The Daily Toreador welcomes letters from readers. Letters must be no longer than 300 words and must include the author’s name,

during emblem or our beloved TTU. Guns Up is no longer worthy of our use or esteem.

Whether in the hands of Raider Red or demonstrated with the hands of our fellow students and alumni, this tradition

signature, phone number, student ID number and a description of university affiliation. Students should include year in school, major and hometown. We reserve the right to edit letters. Anonymous letters will not be accepted for publication. All letters will be verified before they are published. Letters can be emailed to dailytoreador@ ttu.edu or brought to 180 Media and Communication. Letters should be sent in before 3 p.m. to ensure the editors have enough time to verify and edit the submission.

begun in the early 1970’s now rings shallow. With gun violence on an accelerating pace and gun symbolism a source of deep cultural divide, it no longer represents the best of TTU. It is time to put a Double T

branding iron in the hands of Raider Red, retire his guns and eliminate the Guns Up from our hands. I urge TTU educational and student leaders to show the way into our second hundred years by making

GUEST COLUMNS The Daily Toreador accepts submissions of unsolicited guest columns. While we cannot acknowledge receipt of all columns, the authors of those selected for publication will be notified. Guest columns should be no longer than 650 words in length and on a topic of relevance to the university community. Guest columns are also edited and follow the same guidelines for letters as far as identification and submittal.

these changes before our 2024 Centennial.

Ride ‘em Raiders!

Robert David BSEE ’70, MSEE ’72, Football letterman

EDITORIALS Unsigned editorials appearing on this page represent the opinion of The DailyToreador. All other columns, letters and artwork represent the opinions of their authors and are not necessarily representative of the editorial board, Texas Tech University, its employees, its student body or the Board of Regents. The DailyToreador is independent of the College of Media and Communication. Responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies with the student editors.

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NEWS

SEPT. 22, 2022

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TRANSPORTATION

19th Street upgrades create traffic woes

By BISHOP VAN BUREN

Digital Content Manager Red Raiders returning for the fall semester are witnessing the changes being made to 19th Street, as construction has limited traffic to one lane in either direction as part of a $25.69 million

“For that particular area, we’ve had a couple of torrential rain events that have delayed us a little bit,” Ascencio said. “In construction, we try to estimate and come up with a schedule on how long we think it’s going to take in a particular area but there are always variables.”

JACOB LUJAN/The Daily Toreador

Three students walking across the closed construction lanes on the 19th Street and Flint Avenue intersection Sept. 1, 2022. project led by the Texas Department of Transportation.

TxDOT Lubbock District public information officer Dianah Ascencio said the portion of 19th Street adjacent to campus – initially expected to be completed in approximately four months – now will likely see some activity for the next year.

The section of 19th Street between University Avenue and Memphis Avenue is one of two active work zones.

The other being the eastern side from I-27 to Avenue Q. The rehabilitation project includes plans for improvements to the drainage system, sidewalks, traffic signals and lighting that will

span a total of 3.3 miles.

Despite the delays, the project remains anticipated to be completed in summer 2025.

“Just because you have delays throughout the project does not necessarily mean that it pushes the entire project back,” Ascencio said.

“A lot could happen. We could have some fantastic weather, everything could go just as planned without any other delays. Most projects have some days expecting rain delays.”

With football season in full swing, higher expectations and excitement have led to a corresponding increase of game-day traffic around campus.

One of Lubbock’s most popular public transportation providers is CitiBus, with nine bus routes and 582 bus stops.

CitiBus marketing manager Marcella Ivins said Saturdays with Tech football in town often require extra preparation, a useful practice for a public transportation provider that now has to maneuver around the 19th Street construction on a regular basis.

“The main way (the construction) impacts us is the main bus route Route 19 on 19th Street. Our alternate route to get onto campus now is Route 5,” Ivins said.

Another adjustment Invins said CitiBus has undergone is drivers navigating through neighborhoods around 19th

JACOB LUJAN/The Daily Toreador

Construction workers communicate while working on 19th Street Sept. 1, 2022. After recent flooding near campus, floodwaters caused construction work to be delayed.

Street in hopes of avoiding the single-lane traffic.

Contractor Sacyr Construction USA began construction on 19th mid-June.

Ascencio said it was intentional to start the project during a time when most students were off-campus for the summer.

“It was taken into account that the area around Tech has a lot of pedestrian traffic and a lot of vehicle traffic,” Ascensio said. “It was one of the areas we wanted to do

first and get out of the way.”

Nojan Donesh, a third-year finance student from Houston, said he enjoys walking to class from his house located within a few blocks of campus. However, the construction on 19th Street has disrupted his plans.

“I drive a truck and as you know gas isn’t cheap right now. So, I try to use my legs as much as possible when I can,” Donesh said. “I was fine with leaving a few minutes early to save time for the walk, but now with the con-

struction holding everyone up on 19th all the time, I’ve abandoned that idea.”

Donesh also said he hates how construction work can be an eyesore for extended periods.

For TxDOT, appeal can take a back seat to safety.

“We drive these roadways, our families drive these roadways,” Ascencio said. “Making sure that we build a quality and a safe product is usually at the top of everyone’s list.” @BishopVB_DT

NIGHT LIFE

Bar safety plays important role in college life

By MARIANNA SOURIALL Staff Writer

Gathering with friends and going out for drinks is a common practice amongst college students, resulting in lively bar scenes at many of the local hangout spots.

However, with students be-

any issues that can arise with individuals who are under the influence.

A staff member at The Library, Cameron Criado, said their safety practices are similar.

“We started cracking down more on just checking ID’s,” Criado said. “We are

no fights. We do restroom checks every 15 minutes to make sure no one is doing anything in the bathroom.”

It really is important to practice bar safety because you never know how bad a situation is until you are in it or it is around you.

HUNTER MOORE FOURTH-YEAR CREATIVE MEDIA INDUSTRIES STUDENT FROM THE COLONY

FILE PHOTO/The Daily Toreador

Students enjoy a drink and watch the Tech vs. Texas men’s basketball game at Local Bar and Grill Feb. 1, 2022. ing under the influence, it can be difficult to engage in safe bar practices.

For many students, being in bar settings makes them worry about spiked drinks and interacting with students under the influence.

For third-year Bruno Lara, an environmental engineering student from Eagle Pass, social anxiety is a common feeling because of large crowds.

“There’s been moments where people are around me that I don’t really trust or feel safe around, so I usually just tell my friends ‘hey, I don’t feel good being here’ so can we just leave or go to a different table, and then we continue what we were doing,” Lara said.

Local bars assist in enforcing safety as well.

General manager of the BierHaus, Kolby Dodson, said the staff members at the bar are trained to check IDs, look for signs of intoxication and mitigate

trying to be around the bar as much as possible, and just have our security just walking around checking for Xs or bands, and looking to make sure there’s

While there are procedures that encourage and enforce bar safety, sometimes additional help is required. Amy Ivey, captain of the Texas Tech Police Department, said many individuals have the misconception that the police are there to look at the underage drinking. In reality, the officers are always there to help and put the safety of the individual first.

“A lot of the time, we’ll see intoxicated individuals walk from the bar back to campus, so that kind of puts them into a public place that can be dangerous to themselves or others,” Ivey said. “They can be charged with public intoxication, or just in general being in danger just by walking across the street, walking alone, intoxicated, not knowing what is going on

around you. That’s a lot of issues we see here on the Texas Tech campus. It is going to the bar and having too much to drink and then trying to get back to campus whether it is walking by yourself or with friends, that puts everybody in a dangerous situation.”

Students often recom-

mend going to bars with groups, and never leaving a drink unattended. Hunter Moore, a creative media industries fourth-year student from The Colony, said the safest bar for him is Rodeo 4 because it takes its bar safety seriously.

“It really is important to practice bar safety because

you never know how bad a situation is until you are in it, or it is around you,” Moore said. “You see people every year losing their lives, it is just important to understand bar safety is there for that exact reason: to keep you safe, not just for you but for everybody.” @MariannaS_DT

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SPORTS

SEPT. 22, 2022

WWW.DAILYTOREADOR.COM

CONFERENCE

Tech football set for Big 12 gauntlet

BY THE DT SPORTS STAFF Texas Tech football is set to begin Big 12 play Saturday at 2:30 p.m at Jones AT&T Stadium when it takes on the Texas Longhorns. The Red Raiders will attempt to finish conference play with a winning record for the first time since 2009, according to Sports Reference.

TEXAS Longhorns’ coach Steve Sarkisian brings his team into Lubbock aiming to replicate their 70-35 blowout over the Red Raiders a year ago. The Texas offense is led by preseason All-American selection running back Bijan Robinson. The Tech defense will also look to slow down preseason All-Big 12 selection wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who put up three touchdowns against the Red Raiders in 2021.

KANSAS STATE Tech will travel to Manhattan to take on Kansas State, where the Red Raid-

ers have not walked out with a win since 2008, according to Tech Athletics. The Wildcats are headlined by several preseason All-Big 12 selections, including running back Deuce Vaughn (unanimous), defensive lineman Felix Anudike-Uzomah and defensive back Julius Brents.

Tech will look aim to contain Vaughn, who rushed for two touchdowns against them last season.

OKLAHOMA STATE The Tech offense will look to avoid another shutout at the hands of Oklahoma State when it travels to Stillwater.

Oklahoma State is coming off a season in which it finished No. 3 in the nation defensively, and is led by preseason All-Big 12 selections defensive lineman Collin Oliver and defensive back Jason Taylor II. Head coach Mike Gundy is seeking his 14th win against the Red Raiders, holding a record of 13-4 against Tech, according to Oklahoma State Athletics.

WEST VIRGINIA After a bye week, the

OLIVIA RAYMOND/The Daily Toreador

Sophomore quarterback Donovan Smith looks for an open pass against Murray State at Jones AT&T Stadium Sept. 3, 2022.

Red Raiders will host the West Virginia Mountaineers Oct. 22. In the last meeting between the two teams, the Red Raiders won 23-20 by way of a walk-off field goal. The Tech secondary will attempt to contain West Virginia’s top wide receiver, junior Bryce Ford-Wheaton. West Virginia’s offense is led by former fivestar recruit JT Daniels, who is at his third school after playing for both USC and Georgia.

BAYLOR The Red Raiders will continue their homestand with a matchup against the Baylor Bears. This outing will mark the first time Tech coach Joey McGuire faces off against his former school and its coach Dave Aranda. In the previous showdown between the two squads, the Red Raiders were defeated 27-24 in another close contest. As of 2022, the all-time record between Baylor and Tech is 38-37-1, with Tech leading the series.

TCU The Red Raiders will head to Fort Worth Nov. 5 for a matchup against the TCU Horned Frogs. Tech did not have much luck in its previous meeting with TCU, as they were defeated 52-31. Preseason All-Big 12 selection wide receiver Quentin Johnson will seek to make up for the absence of running back Zach Evans, who transferred to Ole Miss this season. TCU currently has a three game win streak against the Red Raiders predating to 2019, according to Tech Athletics.

KANSAS Tech will host the Kansas Jayhawks Nov. 12, hoping to house a similar result to last season when they won 41-14.

Tech holds a two-game win streak over the Jayhawks, as

OLIVIA RAYMOND/The Daily Toreador

Big 12 schools are represented before every football game at Jones AT&T Stadium. Each of the nine participating programs will face the Red Raiders this season. well as an all-time series advantage with a record of 21-3, according to Tech Athletics.

Kansas has been unable to walk out of Lubbock with a win as of late, their last coming in 2001.

IOWA STATE Tech will travel to Ames Nov. 19 to take on the Iowa State Cyclones. Last season, the Red Raiders stunned the Cyclones with a walk-off 62yard field goal to win 41-38.

Tech currently owns the alltime series record of 12-8, according to Tech Athletics. The Red Raiders have struggled in Ames in years past and have not won there since 2014. Preseason All-Big 12 selection wide receiver Xavier

Hutchinson is positioned to hold down the offense for Iowa State after losing Brock Purdy and Breece Hall to the NFL. OKLAHOMA The Red Raiders will host the Sooners Nov. 26, as Tech prepares to face an Oklahoma team that looks far different than the team that beat Tech 52-21 last season. Led by new head coach Brent Venables and UCF transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel, the Sooners will bring a new identity from years prior under Lincoln Riley. Tech is looking for its first victory over Oklahoma since 2011, according to Tech Athletics.

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OLIVIA RAYMOND/The Daily Toreador

Tech head coach Joey McGuire gives the Red Raiders a pep talk during the fourth quarter at the game against Houston at Jones AT&T Stadium Sept. 10, 2022.