COVID-19 racial retribution impacts UT’s Asian community

byAlyssa Weinstein

When the Atlanta spa shootings happened last month, one of the first things Winston Hung did was call his Taiwanese parents. As his parents’ concern for their son studying at the University of Texas at Austin heightened, his father gave him a warning of caution.  “Be careful, you never know what’s going to happen.”  In […]

Houston Teachers Cope with COVID in the Classroom

byAngelo Gaunichaux

In late October, the Texas Education Agency reopened public schools to in-person learning despite the state experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases earlier that month. While deaths have been comparably mild for school-aged children and adolescents, the health and safety of those teaching them is much less certain.  “Every other day, we have a case […]

Teed Up and Let Down as St. Edward’s Eliminates Men’s Golf Program

byJaxie Pidgeon

On April 15, 2020, Carson Vickers received a message at 7:30 a.m. from Chris Hill, the head coach of St. Edward’s University men’s golf. “They cut the golf team,” it read. For a couple of hours, Hill’s five-word message was the only source of information for Vickers and his 14 teammates. That was until 11:45 […]

Reporting Texas TV – April 15, 2021

byReporting Texas TV Staff

Journalism students from Moody College at the University of Texas made their third newscast of the semester on April 15, 2021. This week student journalists report on the governor’s opposition to Covid-19 vaccine passports, disruptions to STAAR testing, and the return of live music to the Live Music Capital of the World.

Technical Issues Delay and Cancel Student Evaluations in Texas

byKenny Jones

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Statewide technical glitches on April 6 interrupted about 250,000 online exams administered by the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR).  Students taking written STAAR exams were able to finish without any technical issues. Those taking virtual exams could not continue midway or even log in. A teacher from San […]

Forty Acres Fest Brings Live Music Back to Campus

byANDRÉS GARCIA

AUSTIN, Texas — Live music returned to the University of Texas campus last weekend for the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020.  Forty Acres Fest, an annual concert organized by Campus Events + Entertainment, took place April 10. The four-hour-long midday festival was somewhat of a departure from the way the festival […]

Abbott Bans COVID-19 Vaccine Passports

byLibby Cohen

AUSTIN, Texas — While lawmakers argue across the country whether mandating the COVID-19 vaccine is constitutional, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order effectively banning vaccine passports last week. If enacted, the passport would allow vaccinated people to do certain things like eat in a restaurant or go to a library. Abbott’s order withdraws public […]

Live Music Gradually Returns to the Live Music Capital of the World

byAshley Miznazi

AUSTIN, Texas — Venues and musicians are fighting to maintain Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. However, while the lights turned off, bills did not stop and venues struggled to make rent.  Red River Street hosts the largest cluster of live music venues in the city and is known as a […]

Reporting Texas TV – April 8, 2021

byReporting Texas TV Staff

Journalism students from Moody College at the University of Texas made their second newscast of the semester on April 8, 2021. This week student journalists report on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, blood donation centers, and home building, as well as disparities between the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments.

More Texans Finding Home in Orthodox Church 

byHarrison Young

One religious tradition is outpacing other denominations in growth in the Lone Star State. The Orthodox Church grew by 23,000, or 73%, in the last 10 years.

COVID-19 Hamstrings UT Men’s Basketball for a Year; Then Came Turnovers

byThomas Galindo

The University of Texas mens’ basketball program has had quite the year. Their 2019-2020 season was cut short by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. A year later, after battling through the pandemic, their 2020-2021 season was ended by something much more in their control: turnovers. In March 2020, going into the Big 12 Conference tournament, they […]

Without Assistance

byConnor Zimmerlee

For millions of Americans, the most recent stimulus checks they received offered temporary financial reprieve in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic. As part of the $1.9 trillion stimulus package, eligible adults received checks for $1,400 to help with rent, groceries, bills and other essentials.

A group impacted by these stimulus checks, or missing out, have been college students across the country. That is true for Haley Capps, a senior at The University of Texas at Austin, was ineligible for all three stimulus checks.

Doctors Provide Support for Pandemic-Related Mental Health Issues

byBrynne Herzfeld

AUSTIN, Texas — Health concerns across the state are improving with the distribution of vaccines, but the mental health effects of pandemic-related isolation can’t be treated with a shot. Isolation affects many people and in different ways. UT neuroscience student Sarah Stofel said she was more organized and motivated before the pandemic. Isolation has changed […]

NCAA Tourney Amenities Prompt Call for Greater Equity in Women’s Sports

byClark Dalton

AUSTIN, Texas — All 63 games of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament were played in Texas for the first time, including a few games in Austin, but amenities for the athletes at some venues drew national attention. Photos of a weight room with a single set of dumbbells displayed just one of several inequalities between […]

Home Buyers and Builders Face Pandemic-Related Construction Shortages

byKenny Jones

AUSTIN, Texas — Builders finished more new homes in Travis County in 2020 than any year prior despite facing challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Home Builders Association of Greater Austin said contractors completed a record-breaking 21,500 homes, even though there were decreases in the supply of building materials and labor. Many material and […]

Blood Donation Centers Respond to Multiple Challenges

byMaggy Wolanske

AUSTIN, Texas — Blood donation sites were among many businesses affected by COVID-19 closures and are now implementing new strategies to encourage needed donations.  Nick Canedo, Vice President of Community Engagement for the Austin-based We Are Blood, said the shift to remote learning and working decreased the number of individuals donating. “It’s been a challenge, pretty […]

Central Texas Food Bank A Godsend for Residents During Pandemic

byJillian Price

Food banks around Texas are seeing skyrocketing demand.

A year into COVID-19, UT’s non-white, low income students feel left behind

byAlyssa Weinstein and Alyssa Quiles

Yliana Roland, an 18-year-old student University of Texas at Austin student, was raised in Houston in a low-income community of color in which mental health was a taboo topic often swept under the rug. It wasn’t until she first arrived on campus during the pandemic this year that she was formally exposed to mental health […]

Cricket’s Popularity Reflects Central Texas’ Changing Demographic

bySumaiya Malik

Cricket, a team sport using a bat and hard ball, is thriving in Central Texas. Immigration from countries where cricket is popular, such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa, has fueled the rise of the sport. 

Six Square Aims to Provide Brighter Future For Austin’s Black Residents

byMadelyn Gee

Austin’s Black population is dwindling, and formerly Black neighborhoods are gentrifying rapidly. Some residents worry about losing connection to African-American history and culture. The organization Six Square aims to protect that connection.