Youth Voter Turnout Increases in Travis County

byAlyssa Crosby

AUSTIN, Texas — As a first-generation US citizen, Kara Fields takes voting seriously. She was one of the more than 20,000 people who voted early at two polling places on the University of Texas campus. “Everyone was just so much more invested in this presidential election just because of everything that was experienced in the last […]

Reporting Texas TV Newscast November 5, 2020

byBismarck D. Andino, Alyssa Crosby, and Stephanie Witt

AUSTIN, Texas — Journalism students from Moody College at the University of Texas made their fourth newscast of the semester on November 5, 2020. This week student journalists covered the general election, a rally of motorcycle riders who protested reductions in the budget for the Austin Police Department, and a series of robberies and burglaries […]

Robbers and Burglars Target West Campus Residents

byStephanie Witt

AUSTIN, Texas — Crime is on the rise in West Campus. The Austin Police Department is investigating a string of five aggravated robberies around The University of Texas at Austin campus, one of which involved a violent home invasion. Four of the reported cases involved UT students. On October 8th at 6:30 a.m., APD responded […]

Bikers Rally to Support Austin Police and Oppose Mayor

byBismarck D. Andino

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Members of a social biker club gathered Sunday at the Austin Police Department headquarters to criticize Mayor Steve Adler and the city council for cutting law enforcement funds over the summer. The Wind Therapy Freedom Riders rode from Round Rock to meet a crowd of more than 50 people, including local candidates […]

Reporting Texas TV Newscast October 29, 2020

AUSTIN, Texas — Journalism students from Moody College at the University of Texas made their third newscast of the semester on October 22, 2020. This week student journalists investigated support for and opposition to the playing of “The Eyes of Texas” at Longhorn football games, met with local protesters involved in the End SARS movement, […]

Texans Join Worldwide End SARS Protests

byAlyssa Crosby

AUSTIN, Texas — The End SARS movement came to Austin with the help of University of Texas students. Nigeria’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS for short, gained worldwide attention following an October 3 video that appears to show officers shoot and kill a young man in Ughelli. UT’s African Student Organization helped organize the October 16 […]

Thousands Sign Petition in Support of “The Eyes of Texas” at UT Football Games

byBismarck D. Andino

AUSTIN, Texas — Students and alumni gathered Saturday at Cain and Abel’s sports bar to collect signatures for a petition to keep “The Eyes of Texas” as UT’s alma mater and play it at football games. The song became a trending topic on social media after The Daily Texan reported that members of the Longhorn […]

Reporting Texas TV Newscast October 22, 2020

AUSTIN, Texas — Journalism students from Moody College at the University of Texas made their second newscast of the semester on October 22, 2020. This week students looked into the COVID-19 testing requirements for students to attend home football games, a volunteer program fighting food insecurity, and some stories involving a pair of billionaires with […]

Reporting Texas TV Newscast October 15, 2020

AUSTIN, Texas — Journalism students from Moody College at the University of Texas made their first newscast of the semester on October 15, 2020. This week’s show covers concerns about ballot drop-off locations,  an on-campus flu shot clinic, and ways the university is helping support students and staff struggling with mental health issues during the […]

Negative COVID-19 Tests Required for Student Seats at DKR Stadium

byStephanie Witt

AUSTIN, Texas — In order to attend University of Texas home football games, students with Big Tickets must get a proactive COVID-19 test. The Big Ticket is a season pass to Longhorn home games in football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer, and track. Fewer than 4,000 students paid for the package this year. Senior journalism […]

Hope Austin Expands Reach Despite Pandemic

byAlyssa Crosby

AUSTIN, Texas — Monica von Waaden volunteered with Round Rock ISD’s Clothes Closet for years. When her children graduated, von Waaden started Hope Austin to focus on the issue of food insecurity. “I thought, if there’s a need for clothing…there has to be a need for food,” von Waaden said. “Lo and behold, there [was] […]

Thousands Get Flu Shots at UT Student Union

byStephanie Witt

AUSTIN, Texas — University Health Services is hosting its annual flu shot clinic in the Texas Union Ballroom through October 23. “The flu shot campaign this year is a little different than years past,” said Sherry Bell, a member of the UT Health Services Public Information Team. UHS is taking COVID-19 precautions to ensure the […]

UT Students and Staff Address Mental Health Due to COVID-19

byAlyssa Crosby

AUSTIN, Texas – University of Texas senior Aidan Stone has had mental health struggles for years—and then the pandemic hit. Like many other students, Stone opted to take all of his classes online. More than 75% of classes are being held virtually. The lack of socialization has taken a toll on Stone. “There are days […]

Governor’s Order to Remove Drop-Off Ballot Boxes Brings Questions

byBismarck D. Andino

AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott’s proclamation limiting counties to a single mail-in ballot drop-off location made people question whether he has the legal authority to do so. In a lawsuit brought by the League of United Latin American Citizens and the League of Women Voters, a federal court ruled that he doesn’t. Attorney General […]

UT’s Music Majors Struggle in Pandemic

byRebekah Philip

As a senior music major at The University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music and future student teacher, Alessio Nachtergaele hoped he would be teaching at Westlake High School and Cedar Creek Elementary. Although he continues to create lesson plans, quarantine continues to hinder him in many ways.  “The only music making we […]

Quality Connections in Quarantine

bySamantha Hall

  Austin, a city known for its traffic, high density and crowd-drawing festivals, is closing in on two months of staying home. Public discourse has been inundated with stories of premature death, economic demise and fear. This is not one of them. Human beings are innately social creatures. We crave connections with others. Even introverts […]

Pandemic Upends Latino Lives

byJennifer Martinez

El que no nada se ahoga. He who does not swim drowns.

Growing up in a traditional immigrant household, this six-word declaration proved fundamental. My parents, both Salvadoran natives, imparted its wisdom on their children in response to misfortune— at times as a warning and at others as encouragement. It’s a lesson they learned from years of working long hours at one blue collared job or another, scraping together enough money to renew heftily priced work visas and keep the lights on, and finding a way to remain afloat as immigrants in the U.S.

UT 2020 Commencement Ceremony Goes Virtual

byRyan Chandler

The University of Texas at Austin announced late last month this spring’s commencement ceremony will be held online on May 23. The change comes in light of social distancing orders that restrict the traditional event from bringing thousands of graduates and family members to the Main Mall. The University says that while the situation is […]

Reporting Texas TV Newscast May 7, 2020

Austin – Journalism students from Moody College at the University of Texas aired their final newscast of the semester on May 7, 2020. This week students looked into the impact COVID 19 has on the traditional ring ceremony, restaurants reopening and a behind the scenes look at the planning for UT’s first virtual graduation.

South Texas Animal Shelter Needing More Fosters as State Reopens

byMarco Ramirez

EDINBURG – Throughout the coronavirus outbreak, The Palm Valley Animal Society has kept providing the best care possible to all the animals that have shown up at their door.  But their primary focus during this pandemic, has been to keep both their employees and the community safe.  “This has been an unusual situation for all […]