Photo By: Sara Arami

By: Sara Arami, Marco Galvan, Morgan B. Germany and Megan Schaefer

Story By: Sara Arami and Marco Galvan

‘Transcending’ through the years

University of Texas apparel and design students showcased their senior collections inspired by the word “transcend” at the Division of Textiles and Apparel Annual Fashion Show on April 18. This year’s event marked the largest number of expected attendees in the show’s history.

The annual fashion show has been around since at least the early 1950s and first showed in the Frank Erwin Center 17 years ago in The Lone Star Room. The event remains at the center but now takes place in a new room, the main event center. The change in rooms came as a result of the event’s growing support. The events expected attendance has grown to 5,000 attendees since an expected 500 in 1997.

Storify By: Marco Galvan

“The fashion show has been going on for decades, so nobody is really able to track down exactly when it actually started but I do know it has been staged in the Frank Erwin Center since 1997,” Eve Nicols, director of the fashion show, said.

The event allows graduating seniors to put everything they learned to the test and present their work to the Austin community and other designers. 23 designers took what they learned during their time at UT and put together a collection that embodied the word “transcend” this year.

“This year’s show is inspired by the ability to go beyond limits, and the show title, “Transcend,” embodies this notion fully. They are encouraged to push boundaries and follow their passions, lending to a creative and one-of-a-kind experience for the audience,” according to the University Fashion Group.

Infographic By: Sara Arami

Fashion and luxury lifestyle magazine, Society Diaries’ Editor-in-Chief Lance Avery Morgan was optimistic about this year’s designs after previewing the looks during the mid-semester. Morgan, a judge for this year’s bridal and evening gown division has been a part of the show for several years now.

“A lot of what we saw was fantastic,” Morgan said about the preview. “A lot of it had the bones, the real making of something with an ‘it’ factor. “

From Aspiring Doctor to Designer

Nickie Garcia, senior at The University of Texas, also grew with the apparel and design department. Garcia began college as a biology major but made a transition to textiles and apparel her junior year. Garcia originally held the intentions of going to medical school after getting her undergraduate degree, but realized biology wasn’t in her future.

Garcia remembers her first experiences in the textiles and apparel department as nerve wrecking because she came into the program with no sewing knowledge.

“I remember being so excited after Karen Bravo, our professor, taught us how to set up a sewing machine,” Garcia said. “I have a machine at home and I was able to set it up on my own. It was the happiest moment ever.”

The show’s design process started at the beginning of Garcia’s senior year with the planning of active wear and continued in the second semester with the planning of a three-piece collection and either a bridal or evening wear look.

Flipbook By: Sara Arami

The time between walking into the classroom and making it to the actual fashion show went quickly after experiencing critiques, making alterations, and completely changing designs, according to Garcia. The designers specifically went through midterm reviews, professor evaluations, and a final judging process.

“The process is fast. A little too fast, at least that is how it feels. When you are designing, you get a few minutes with your professor. She will either say come up with new ideas completely or this is great. The next day you are buying fabric, draping, pattern-making, and then your final product,” Garcia said.

Garcia used the judges’ and professors’ reviews to her advantage and improved one of her designs. One of the judges raised concern over a top that could potentially show too much skin. Garcia took the suggestion and fixed her outfit. She also found inspiration to completely change one of her designs.

“It’s funny because I was going to originally do roller derby but my professor was looking at my design and she was saying it would be neat if I would add a bomber jacket. Then it just clicked. Amelia Earhart. From there it kind of flowed and turned into garment,” Garcia said.

Podcast By: Marco Galvan

Garcia deemed the show a personal success. Her mother got to see her finished collection and Fashionably Pink Fashion Show chose to feature one of her garments in May. Garcia went from a prospective doctor to designer in four years.

A Dirty Look at a Glamorous Night

SoundSlide By: Morgan B. Germany & Megan Schaefer
Models walked onto the runway with poise and grace but behind the scenes a production was in order to make sure the designs look their best on the runway.

The University Fashion Group worked throughout the year to make the event a success. Over 150 students worked to prep models, book sponsors, and prepare the hair and makeup team.

“We have been working on the fashion show since October last year. It takes a lot of teamwork and thought to come up with a theme and to coordinate all of the designers and stylists,” Linda Martinez, Events Coordinator said.

The models were a mix of those who are part of agencies, students, and members of University Fashion Group.

“I am always in the natural science building so the advisors know who I am. There is always a demand for male models because there is lack of them in Austin, they didn’t really ask they just demanded,” Jonathan Ochart, model and assistant public relations director said.

Models took their seats in the hair and makeup chair hours before the show began. 25 models were split amongst 23 designers and the hair and makeup team from local salon Jackson Ruiz had the task of making every designer happy. The hair and makeup team met with the designers to get an idea of what would work for the designers as a group.

“The designers wanted something very simple and very light. They all have to share models because there are 25 models,” Judy Im, stylist at Jackson Ruiz, said. “At first it’s fun getting it together and the build up to it; the pressure of having it right and getting perfect is like adrenaline.”

The pressure was high for Jackson Ruiz stylists because it was the company’s first time working with the show.

“Right now I am kind of nervous because it is our first time for this event, but when we get to hair we just forget about it,” Judy Imsaid.

Many members from the fashion group and the salon helped designers make collections on a mannequin come to life on the runway.

“I would say things have gone pretty smoothly this year. As usual there are some bumps in the road, but we always pull it together,” Martinez said.

Map By: Claire Gordon
Source:

By Claire Gordon, Devyn Dippel, Noor Nahas, Imelda Carrisalez, and Devon Tincknell

On Dec. 14, 2012, 20 year-old Adam Lanza entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. and opened fire. He killed 20 first grade students, seven adults, then himself. This event prompted a national discussion on gun control.

In the outcry immediately following the shooting in Newtown, President Obama pledged to make gun control a central part of his second term. Although 100,000 Americans had signed a petition supporting a renewed focus on gun control within 15 hours of the shooting, just as many people were vocally against any restrictions on gun ownership.

On Jan. 16, 2013, Obama unveiled 23 executive orders and 12 proposed congressional actions all geared towards increasing gun control and preventing events such as the Sandy Hook shooting. The executive orders mainly instructed federal agencies to more effectively share information, begin information campaigns on gun safety, and increase research on gun violence. While the executive orders were all small steps toward preventing gun violence, the congressional actions were the elements that would actually affect individual citizens.

The barrel of a Springfield XDM .40 Photo Credit: Devyn Dippel

The proposals that were the most polarizing were strengthening universal background checks, a ban of armor piercing bullets and high capacity magazines, and a renewed ban on assault weapons. On April 17 the Senate voted down the background check proposal, having previously voted down the other proposals.

John Woods, founder of Texas Gun Sense, an anti gun violence group, and a student at Virginia Tech during the mass shooting that took the lives of Woods’ girlfriend and 31 others, said that he believed that universal background checks are essential to preventing further shootings.

“The one that I think is most important is universal background checks. At Virginia Tech, the shooter was able to buy his gun, even though he’d been ruled a danger to himself, and that information was never reported to the background check system. That should have disqualified him, but the NRA blocked Virginia from passing legislation that would have caused that to be reported. They said it was a privacy violation and so when he went into the gun store all he had to do was lie on the form,” said Woods.

Austin Police Department Assistant Chief Troy Gay agrees with Woods on the importance of background checks.

“We truly believe that by law abiding citizens going through a two or three minute background check does not infringe on their amendment rights. And we feel that that would be the first step in the right direction in reference to limiting the number of weapons that are ending up in the wrong hands. And the result of that we would hope would be lesser crimes that result in weapons being used,” said Gay.

Commissioner Jerry Patterson stressed that the issue is not about firearms, but rather a different kind of problem. “We don’t have a gun problem. We have a nut job problem,” he said.

Patterson said the solution to the gun control debate is to go after the mental health issue to identify the people who are a threat to society and that will make things safe, not banning an ugly looking weapon.

Cpl. Derek Harger demonstrating loading and unload a Springfield XDM .40 pistol and reloading a Smith &Wesson M&P .40 pistol. Gif Credit: Devyn Dippel

“The shooter at Virginia Tech, he had been adjudicated mentally ill in a court of law, but he bought firearms and passed the background check because that mental health adjudication was not in the system because of privacy concerns. Can you see where I am going here with that?” said Patterson.

While many gun control opponents focus on the specifics of the proposals, some others have a much wider view of the impact these measures could have. Cpl. Casey Gangwer of the Marine Corps feels that it is a more general rights issue.

“Our Constitution was, and is, the backbone of this nation’s beliefs and standards. If we go in and start changing one or two amendments who’s to say the government or people won’t start taking them all away or changing [the Bill of Rights] as a whole — snowball effect,” said Gangwer.

Although the Senate voted against these measures, many Democrats have voiced their intention to continue trying to pass new gun control laws. Some, such as Woods, believe that to truly reduce the amount of gun violence in America, a change in mindset is also in order.

“I think that assault weapons represent what the gun manufacturers are really trying to sell. They’re not actually trying to sell, I think, weapons for killing people. I think they’re trying to sell a fantasy. A fantasy wherein an average Joe, and it usually is a Joe, not a Jane, can be a hero and save the day. It’s interesting, assault weapons aren’t used in

that many crimes, they’re used in a lot of mass shootings, which gives them a lot of attention, but most people don’t say ‘OK I’m going to kill my wife, let me assemble my AR-15.’ They use a handgun or something else instead. Is it healthy for us to have that fantasy of being heroes all the time? And let’s do it with a gun, because all of our problems can be solved
with firearms,” said Woods.

While Woods may be right stating that many gun owners wish to be heroes, he illustrates a misconception that many citizens have. He implies that an AR-15 is an assault rifle, which it is not. An AR-15 is a semiautomatic weapon. Assault rifles are automatic weapons. This common misconception epitomizes the fact that while there are many strong opinions surrounding gun control, there are also many misunderstandings which make this whole debate very fuzzy.

Flipbook by Devyn Dippel
Story by Claire Gordon with editing by Devon Tincknell, Devyn Dippel and Imelda Carrisalez
All photos and gifs by Devyn Dippel

By Andrew Boze, Miranda Clark, Cassy Martinez and Linda Vasquez

Photo by Miranda Clark. Photo illustration by Cassy Martinez.

Art Across the City

Over the course of 63 years, Art City Austin has evolved from its original manifestation as the Austin Fine Arts Festival, to the massive two-day event it is today. Originally taking place at Laguna Gloria, Art City now turns downtown Austin into a celebration of art, culture, and creativity for one weekend every April.
This year’s festivities took place over April 13th and 14th on Cesar Chavez Street at Austin City Hall, from Lavaca Street to Lamar Boulevard. Art City included 600 volunteers, 9 food vendors, 115 artists, 10 bands and around 7 local non-profits in the kid’s area.

One of the festival’s expansions this year included their use of City Hall. With this addition, the works of 150 local artists were featured. The expansion also allowed Art City to include Austin High for a pop-up gallery onsite, featuring the works of local students.

Photos by Miranda Clark and Linda Vasquez.

The organization behind the festival, Art Alliance Austin, produces multiples art events around town like EAST Austin Studio Tour and Art Week Austin. Art Alliance also sponsors temporary, site-specific art around the city, with nearly 30 activated downtown since 2008. Over the past several years, Art Alliance Austin has focused on adding public art projects to Art City weekend. Maxwell Russell, Programs and Operations Manager for Art Alliance Austin, helps to coordinate the effort.

“For this year’s project we collaborated with Creative Action and other local artists,” Russell said, “we folded cranes at the festival that were part of a public project called 20ft WIDE.”

20ft WIDE is the brainchild of architects, Dan Cheetham and Michelle Tarsney. The colorful installation piece hung in an alleyway off Congress and 9th Street. Inspired by children’s crafts, the colored twine and paper origami aimed to bring new life and beauty to Austin’s largely ignored alleyways.

Photos from Art Alliance Austin.

Participating Artists

Aside from Art City’s larger projects and installations, 115 artists displayed and sold their work. After receiving hundreds of applications, a jury of local arts specialists, gallery owners, and artists selected the number of artists that we will accept into the show. 15% of the festival’s artists were comprised of local talent.

Monique Capanelli

Monique Capanelli

One of the most popular booths was Austin artist, Monique Capanelli’s. Walking up to the Articulture Designs booth, visitors were met with Capanelli spraying her live artwork with water.

Several pieces of art hung from the walls, each a piece of the Earth maneuvered into an intricate design. Guests invited to Art City’s VIP lounge schmoozed around a live table designed by Capanelli, while her potted plant work hung from the ceilings in intricate designs.

Back in Capanelli’s booth, several people filled the area admiring her work and asking questions. One of the most common queries was how she came up with the idea to combine plants and art. Capanelli answered that she had always harbored an interest in plants, their organic uses, as well as art — so she simply combined her curiosities.

Display inside Monique Capanelli

Capanelli is no stranger to festivals like Art City, having displayed her work at similar events like Handmade Austin Women, Bayou City Art Festival Houston and EAST Austin Studio Tour.

Despite other shows she could attend, Capanelli returns each year to Art City because of her respect for Art Alliance and the exposure she receives from her main clientele, downtown Austinites.

“Art Alliance does an amazing job and really takes great care of their artists,” Capanelli said. “It always is a good thing to expose our community to local and national artists and Art Alliance does it in a way that gives a unique expression of Austin.”

Click to visit Articulture Designs.

Lisa Crowder

Lisa Crowder, who creates jewelry out of her East Austin studio, said her sales at this year’s Art City improved over her last two appearances at the festival. Crowder, who is pregnant, said she usually participates in about 15 art shows a year but will be limiting her scheduling during the pregnancy.

Crowder received a bachelor of fine arts in studio art from The University of Texas at Austin in 1999 and has been a full-time studio jeweler since 2004, according to her website.

“I used to work three jobs and make jewelry at night,” Crowder said. “All the side jobs stopped in 2004 though.”

Crowder primarily works with sterling silver and includes materials like gold and enamel in her pieces.

Lauren LaPierre is one of three employees at Lisa Crowder

She said three employees work at the studio and that each of them have unique areas they in which they specialize.

Sarah Fe Heinzelman, who does a lot of soldering at the studio, said each piece is unique in how long it takes to complete.

“There are days when I leave very, very defeated thinking that I didn’t do anything,” Heinzelman said. “And then there are days where I’m just like ‘Yes!’ because I’ve finished I’ve finished, I don’t know, 30 different pairs of earrings or something.”

Crowder said a lot of serious buyers usually come on Fridays during three-day art events.

“They want to avoid the crowds,” Crowder said. “Saturdays are a lot of families and lookers. Sundays are a lot of people that are coming back that maybe saw stuff on Saturday or Friday and deciding that they couldn’t live without it.”

Click to visit Lisa Crowder’s website.

Jodi Rae Brownstein

Jodi Rae Brownstein has displayed her original jewelry in around 130 art festivals, most of them in the Midwest. She also participated in this year’s Art City festival with a tent to house her creations.

Jewelry on display inside Jodi Rae Brownstein

Brownstein said she began designing, making and selling jewelry at the age of 8, and has been doing it full-time for 13 years.

“I always strive to create something that I have not seen before, while still being very wearable,” Brownstein said. “I also love versatility in a piece.”

Brownstein’s love of versatility results in pieces that can be worn many different ways; some pieces can function as necklaces, brackets, or belts. Brownstein said she collects rare fossils, minerals and stones and uses them as the basis for many of her designs.

“I am also very attentive to detail,” she said. “You will find a strong common detail theme throughout all of my work.

Brownstein, whose tent was demolished by wind during her last Art City appearance, said she experienced no adversities at this year’s event.

“It was a perfect art fair weekend,” she said. “I connected with many new clients and sent a lot of my jewelry babies to happy new homes. So it was a great experience!”

Click to visit Jodi Rae Designs.

Art City Experience

Click for the full slideshow.
Slideshow by Miranda Clark.

Storify by Cassy Martinez.

By: Janine Aldaba, Diego Cruz, Kellie McKnight, and Arryn Zech

Photo from the Balcones Resource Center in Austin, Texas. Photo by: Diego Cruz

Single-Use Bag Ban Promises Sustainable Future

Austinites are hard-pressed to find beauty in a floating plastic bag after the adoption of a city ordinance forbidding their use by local businesses.

On March 1, 2013, the Austin City Council’s Single-Use Carryout Bag Ordinance took effect, regulating carryout bags and encouraging city residents to use reusable bags instead.

The ordinance was approved on March 2 of last year, but it was the culmination of a legislative process that began in 2007, according to the city’s website.

“The bag ban was implemented to reduce waste and encourage consumers and businesses to utilize more sustainable options,” said Austin Resource Recovery spokesperson Courtney Black.

Courtney Black is the Public Information Specialist for the City of Austin. Photo credit: Linkedin

The ordinance forbids any commercial enterprise within city limits from providing customers with carryout bags that are not specifically designed for multiple re-use, otherwise known as single-use carryout bags.

Re-usable bags include those made of durable and washable materials like cloth, those made of recyclable paper (with handles if bigger than 14 by 8 inches) and those made of recyclable plastic with a minimum thickness of 4.0 mil (or the width of two human hairs.)

There are several exemptions on which the ordinance has no effect, such as laundry dry cleaning bags, bags used by restaurants and those used by consumers inside of business establishments. Local businesses demonstrating the ordinance causes undue hardship or deprives them of a legally-protected right may also apply for a hardship variance from the city.

However, companies have overall adjusted well to the change, according to Black.

“Leading up to the Ordinance, the City engaged Austin businesses and the community with a variety of education and outreach methods,” she explained, “We’ve found that people are adapting to the new regulations well.”

Leticia Mendoza is the Public Affairs Specialist at HEB. Photo by: Kellie McKnight

This quick adaptation was partially due to outreach efforts by the city and affected businesses, according to Leticia Mendoza, spokesperson for H-E-B.

“We really did some outreach three weeks before the ban, making sure we were reminding our customers and educating them about what’s coming because some of the may not have been watching the news or were just not quite in tune,” Mendoza explained.

To make the process easier on customers, H-E-B stores organized events where free re-usable bags were given to customers on the third Friday of the month, with a special effort on reminding people of the need to keep re-usable bags clean to prevent health risks.

While Austin’s population may be used to discarding bags after using them re-usable bags must be stored and kept clean to prevent contamination from different food products. This made helping people be aware of these risks, and the new need for sanitation a priority for helping Austinites become accustomed to the new bags.

“It’s a way of life and we knew our customers were going to have to adjust to this new transition,” Black said, “So we’re making sure they know what the bag ban looks like and how they can protect their health.”

But how has the ordinance affected the amount of waste produced by Austin residents, and has it led to a more sustainable model?

Although it has been almost two months since the ordinance became effective, it is still too soon for there to be a noticeable effect, according to Bob McGivney, Director of Events and Small Business Sustainability at Balcones Resources.

Bob McGivney is the Director of Events and Small Business Sustainability at Balcones Resources. Photo by: Diego Cruz

Balcones Resources is a nearly 20-year-old recycling company contracted by the City of Austin on October 2012 to take in 60 percent of the city’s curbside recyclable material, McGivney explained.

The company provides single stream recycling, the process of taking in mixed recycling materials from city residents like papers, plastics and metals and then sorting them out in a facility prior for shipping to companies that will re-use the raw materials.

Although it is too soon to tell what effect the ordinance will have, McGivney explained single-use plastic bags can be potentially hazardous to the recycling machines.

“It’s a series of conveyor belts and spinning machinery that helps separate the material,” he said, “If you’ve ever run over a string with a vacuum cleaner, how that string wraps around and causes friction and stress on those parts, that’s exactly what happens to our machinery with these plastic bags.”

Beyond eliminating a potential hazard for the recycling process, McGivney said he believed the bag ban was a smart decision, saying anything that was single-use was “terribly wasteful,” especially when materials like plastic can be recycled almost indefinitely without degrading.

While it is still too early to tell how the bag ban will affect the city’s residents, businesses or recycling systems in the long run it is unlikely to make matters worse considering the potential benefits from new regulations and the preparations that have aim to lessen the blow of the transition.

Inside The 12th Annual Lonestar Round Up
By Claire Gordon, Janine Aldaba, Miranda Clark, and Devon Tincknell

What started out as a small gathering of like-minded car lovers on an old football field, has
transformed into one of the largest car conventions in the U.S. Hundreds of people from all over
the country brought their hot rods, rat rods and gassers to the Travis County Expo Center to take
part in the 12th annual Lonestar Rod & Kustom Round Up car show.

The event, which took place on April 5 to 7, featured live music, vintage cars, an art show, and
mini-bike races. Only cars made before 1964 were eligible for display at the event. One of the
main attractions of the event, the swap meet was designed for people to buy and sell vintage auto
parts, signs, collectibles and accessories.

The grounds of the expo center were filled with families’ young and old, members of different
car clubs with matching leather jackets and girls dressed as pinup models with bright red lip
stick.

Some attendees were familiar with the event, attending faithfully every year, but for others, this
years’ convention was a first-time experience.

Car fans of all ages are drawn from across the country for the annual event Photo credit: Claire Gordon

Clayton Lashley drove his ’53 Ford F 100 pickup from Oklahoma City, Okla. to Austin to
participate in the car show for the first time. Lashley said his friends in the car world often talked
about the Lonestar car show, so he decided to register his car for display and give the show a try.

Lashley, now 66 years old, said he started working on cars when he was 12 years old and
planned his first hot rod design by age 14. He said he would like to continue building cars, but
has no plans to sell any of the cars that he fixes up and designs.

“At the age I’m getting, I want to keep what I got,” Lashley said.

The car show festivities were not a first for 22-year-old Trevor Evcanbrack from Lubbock,
Texas, but it was his first time bringing a car to the show.

The 1950 Hudson Trevor Evcanbrack trailered in from Lubbock Photo credit: Miranda Clark

Evcanbrack trailered his 1950 Hudson from Lubbock to Austin. He worked on his car for a
year to prepare it for display in the show. He believes the car culture of the show is so popular
because when you put so much time into something, such as fixing and designing cars, it
becomes a part of you.

Evcanbrack was raised in the car culture by his father and has worked on fixing cars for years.
“We put together cars since I was four years old … it’s just been part of the family. It’s what we
do.” Evcanbrack said.

Evcanbrack is working to continue the family’s legacy of fixing cars with his own hot rod
assembling business, 38 Rebels, based out of Lubbock.

Bob Mayes brought his 1939 Chevrolet Coop to the round up show. Mayes discovered his
passion for building hot rods when he was young and would watch his neighbor fix up cars.

“A lot of people hunt or fish or play sports but I’ve always been into cars,” Mayes said.

Car fan Bob Mayes with his 'family member,' a 1939 Coop Photo credit: Janine Aldaba

The 1939 Coop that Mayes brought to the show took a year to build the first time, but seven
years ago he tore it apart and rebuilt the car in eight months. Mayes has built and restored a
couple dozen cars, and despite pricey offers he’s never had the desire to sell.

“It’s like a member of the family. I keep it. Once I get one done, I keep it. It’s forever … I’ve
been offered a lot of money and I wouldn’t sell it,” Mayes said.

Not only are his cars members of Mayes’s family, but his children who were raised around cars,
have developed their own similar passions for the car culture. Mayes has several projects lined
up for the future and said he plans to continue fixing up cars until he is no longer able.

Car clubs, large and small, were a common sight at the round up event. One of the largest
organizations present was the Road Devils.

Established in California in 1946 by soldiers coming back from WWII, the Road Devils is now
a worldwide car club with chapters in the U.S., Australia, Norway, Germany, Switzerland and
Afghanistan. In the future, the organization plans to branch out with new chapters in Brazil and
Romania.

According to Road Devils member Elwood Flynn, the club was established to continue the
tradition of driving hot rods and to promote the spirit of brotherhood, good times and fast cars.

There are around 120 to 130 worldwide members and every year the Road Devils try to meet at
one big event as a group. The Lonestar Roundup was the first time this year that the organization
was able to come together collectively as a large group.

After the car show ends for the day, drivers usually make their way to South Congress to show
off their cars in a night cruise. The night cruise is a large part of the Lonestar round up festivities.
Some drivers will park their cars on the street, while others will cruise up and down South
Congress showing off all that their cars can do.

Hundreds of people line the streets, many with cameras in hand to check out the cars that arrive.
Several of the cars on display are fixed up to perform cool tricks, such as shooting flames from
their exhaust pipes. During this year’s night cruise, there were also music videos being recorded
against the backdrop of the cruising cars, food trucks, rockabilly shows, and people dressed up in
their best ‘50s garb.

Plans for the 13th annual Lonestar Round Up show are already under way. The Kontinentals, the
car club that organizes the show each year, is already gearing up for another weekend of good
food, tricked-out cars and live music, returning to Austin, Texas on April 4 and 5, 2014.

Story by Miranda Clark (with Claire Gordon)

By: Sara Arami, Diego Cruz, Devyn Dippel, Kellie McKnight, and Linda Vasquez

Initiative gets UT teachers in touch with iPads

By: Diego Cruz
Mobile devices are an increasingly common sight in university classrooms, but it’s not just the students who are responsible for this.

Since May 2012, a group of faculty members at the University of Texas at Austin began incorporating iPads into their classrooms as part of a pilot program known as the Faculty iPad Initiative.

The program started in April 2012 when technology staff at the Colleges of Liberal Arts and the College of Fine Arts noticed an increase in teachers requesting iPads, according to a 2012 preliminary report on the Initiative’s website.

Information Technology departments at the colleges saw this increased demand as an opportunity to test how the new devices might be incorporated alongside existing technology and began to distribute iPads among the faculty, the report read.

Information from: Apple Public Relations

As part of the program, teachers were asked to share their experience using iPads for education on the Initiative’s blog, forming a chronicle of the adoption process for other teachers to learn from, said Jim Kerkhoff, Assistant Dean for Information Technology at the College of Fine Arts.

“The idea was to have faculty talking to other faculty about their experience using this new technology and helping them adapt to use it well,” Kerkhoff explained.

He said teachers interested in participating filled out request forms and attended required seminars teaching them how to use the iPad and especially tools related to research, education and productivity.

Following the Initiative’s announcement last year, 79 people applied to receive an iPad in the first few days, though the program only provided for 24 teachers every few months, according to the preliminary report.

The report further specified that teachers were provided with iPad 3 32 GB Wi-Fi devices, costing an average $1,305 per member or approximately $31,320 for every cohort of 24 faculty members.

The program was not designed to be permanent, however.

According to Kerkhoff, the project followed sociologist Everett Rogers’s diffusion of innovation model, which says that once approximately 34 percent of a population adopts an innovation it will become self-perpetuating.

With more than 50 faculty members reached, the project is no longer in place, though the blog continues to be regularly updated by those who continue to experiment with the technology.

With as many as 60 percent of students owning some kind of table or mobile device, Kerkhoff explained, it is important for faculty to familiarize themselves with the technology as well.

Bill Swann, psychology professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Initiative participant, said most of the faculty had a positive experience using the iPads, with negative comments stemming mainly from frustration with the unfamiliar touch-screen keyboard.

Professor Bill Swann - Psychology Professor; Photo credit: Kellie McKnight

“It’s really changed the way I approached teaching,” Swann said of the iPad, “it’s easier to use because you can flip from one application to the next in a second instead of doing it after several minutes of booting up on a computer.”

Swann also mentioned how students benefitted from his use of the iPad because the graphs and notes they once needed to copy from the blackboard were now available through email almost instantaneously.

Aside from the iPad Initiative, faculty members from other colleges also stay at the forefront of emergent technologies, such as Robert Quigley from the School of Journalism in the College of Communication.

This Soundcloud was recorded on an iPhone and the photograph was taken with an iPhone.

“We’re in an interesting spot in education where it is being disrupted by technology the same way that newspapers and magazines were,” Quigley explained, “We’re still trying to figure out exactly what is the right formula for students and for the institutions themselves.”

For Quigley, the iPad is a way of having information at his fingertips, something very useful for a teacher who doesn’t always have time to check things in a computer.

Despite seeing the iPad as generally useful, he does not necessarily believe it is needed in every type of class, and cautions that any technology could become obsolete in a few years’ time.

“Having said that, I don’t think you want to ignore today’s technology because something better might come,” Quigley added, “The longer you wait and see, the more you’re going to miss the boat.”

By: Sara Arami

By Andrew Boze, Marco Galvan, Cassy Martinez and Arryn Zech

A row of arcade cabinets at recently-renovated Arcade UFO. Photo by Marco Galvan.

Two Sides of the Same Token

Amidst a deteriorated, yet transforming video game arcade culture, two Austin businesses aim to keep the vibe alive in their own ways.

Since an explosion of popularity in the 1980s, video game arcade culture has experienced a steady decline in recent years. With the advent of online gaming, particularly through home gaming consoles, players across the world have traded their tokens in for spots in online gaming lobbies.

Einstein’s Arcade, an arcade that closed Jan. 1, 2008 after many years as an Austin mainstay, led some arcade-goers to ponder whether another arcade would surface to take its place.

Ryan Harvey, owner of Arcade UFO, said he and his friends grieved the loss of Einstein’s arcade and began to discuss what could be done. Harvey eventually entered a partnership with a family with real estate experience.

Ryan Harvey, owner of Arcade UFO. Photo by Andrew Boze.

“I had never run any kind of business or anything like that,” Harvey said. “I was just a fan.”

Harvey said a location for the arcade was locked down in May or April of 2008 and Arcade UFO officially opened in August later that year.

“At the time I was working a full-time job post-graduation and I told myself I could incur the risk if we opened and everyone hated it,” Harvey said.

Harvey said while he and his friends loved Einstein’s and were sad to see it go, the arcade did have its shortcomings.

“I’m not saying I knew I could correct every wrong, but I knew I could do a better job,” Harvey said.

Harvey said maintenance on machines at Einstein’s was inconsistent and that the arcade “definitely had a grimy feel to it at all times.”

“If Einstein’s had stayed open, it wouldn’t be a place we would become regulars of anymore because it already wasn’t making the adjustments it needed to adjust to the future,” Harvey said.

Harvey said people assume a japanese-style arcade in United States is only trying to do something different.

“Actually it’s quite the opposite,” Harvey said. “It’s more like it had to be that style to carry on in the same vein that Einstein’s did.”

To keep up with transitions in the gaming industry, Arcade UFO has gaming cabinets specifically set up for console play. Harvey said implementing console cabinets was something the arcade had to do to keep it’s core fan base.

“We’re now in a situation where games are coming out that aren’t getting arcade versions,” Harvey said. “Companies are shifting their focus from arcades to home consoles.”

Visitors to Arcade UFO are greeted by this informational board. Photo by Andrew Boze.

Harvey said many games that Arcade UFO’s dedicated players want to play are almost exclusively found on consoles. However, the existence of console cabinets ensures the competitive players stick around.

Kevin Woo, one of three staff members at Arcade UFO, said more players who are serious about competitive play come there to hone their skills.

“A lot of competitive fighting game players come here to get better and then go out of state to national tournaments,” Woo said.

“Ultimately, we want the arcade to be a place for everybody,” Harvey said. “I want to keep the regulars happy, but we also want to be appealing to non-regulars.”

“A lot of competitive fighting game players come here to get better and then go out of state to national tournaments,” Woo said.

“We just grew up this way, it was more of social thing,” Spohn said. “I think it got lost somewhere with Xbox and everyone home on their computers now. We wanted to bring back the classic arcade feel that we grew up with.”

“We would never survive if we just opened the doors and just depended on people putting coins in,” Spohn said. “So we have all these different avenues of revenue.”

Gamers waiting to use pinball machines at Pinballz Arcade. Photo by Arryn Zech.

Spohn said Pinballz is a rentable space for anything from parties to weddings and has housed team-building events for companies like Google and Apple. She said Pinballz is currently pursuing a beer and wine license to further increase revenue. For now, visitors can bring in their own beer, one at a time.

“People go out to their cars and grab another one, but we have kids running around,” Spohn said. “So I don’t want beer sitting everywhere.”

Pinballz also hosts pinball leagues for players of all skill level. The leagues meet three nights a week each week to compete.

“We’ve had people ask us if we’re interested in [franchising], but we’re not ready for that yet,” Spohn said.

“People either come in with friends or to make friends,” Trip said. “An arcade is kind of a public atmosphere that you don’t find elsewhere.”

Bumping Around Pinballz

(Above) Pinballz Arcade features a broad range of familiar games and attractions for casual arcade-goers. Gifs by Cassy Martinez.

By Morgan Germany, Megan Schaefer, Imelda Carrisalez, and Noor Nahas

Festival employees season crawfish straight out of its boiling pot. Photo by Morgan Germany

Crawfish, live zydeco music, and a petting zoo all things that helped to draw hundreds of people
to the Swamp Thing festival on Saturday, Apr. 6, in Buda, Texas.

While the Swamp Thing festival is one of the premier Louisiana themed celebrations in Central
Texas, there are other events that pose as competition, such as the Bayou City Cajun Festival,
held annually in Houston. There are numerous other Cajun, Creole, swamp, and Louisiana
themed events throughout the state, all unique in their own way.

Roadway Productions, a local Austin company located on Manchaca Road, has been holding
the Swamp Thing festival for 19 years. Aside from their Louisiana themed festival, Roadway
Productions is also responsible for putting on the Bat Festival, the Ice Cream Festival, the
Mighty Texas Dog Walk, and many other major festivals and events in Austin. The Swamp
Thing festival was recently moved to Buda due to the high cost of holding an event in Austin.

“WHERE YOU FROM, YOU DON’T KNOW GATOR?”

Megan Schaefer giving a baby alligator a kiss. Photo by Noor Nahas

The main attraction that drew people to the fair was alligator wrangling by the cast from the hit
show “Gator Boys”, which can be seen on “Animal Planet”. Andy Riffle, one of the original
“Gator Boys”, has been wrestling alligators since the age of eight. “I’ve been around gators my
whole life,” said Riffle. “When me and my brother were little we started volunteering at a place
named Native Village, which is an alligator wrestling company in Hollywood, Flor.”

Unlike most alligator hunters, the “Gator Boys”, take the alligators that they have captured to
a sanctuary or put them back in the wild versus killing them and selling them for their meat or
skin, according to Riffle.

“It’s fun coming to stuff like this because you get see people’s reactions when seeing an alligator for the first time,” said Riffle.

FOOD, FUN, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

A plate of bright red crawfish from the Swamp Thing festival. Photo by Morgan Germany

Darold Gordon, owner of the New Orleans Po-Boy and Gumbo Shop, found refuge in Austin
after evacuating his hometown of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. “Having this business
gives me a little piece of home here in Texas,” said Gordon. While in the process of looking for

Alligator, Rabbit, and Cajun Poboys all at the Swamp Thing Festival. Photo by Megan Schaefer

a store- front location, Gordon sells his food at a food trailer on South Congress and at festivals
throughout Central Texas.

Born out of Stonewall, Texas, Coach’s Catering, was founded by Sheila Edwards and her family.

Specializing in turkey legs, Texas Taters and fried catfish, Edward’s company travels to different

fairs around Texas including Rodeo Austin and the Texas Renaissance Festival, changing the
menu to cater to each event. “We start

ed out selling fajitas at the Stonewall Peach Jamboree,” said Edwards. “And we have grown to doing many more shows throughout the year.” For this festival she added rabbit and alligator, in addition to her standard menu items. Allen Danziger, the owner and founder of Three Ring Service, an entertainment company,

Allen Danziger, Owner of 3 Ring Entertainment. Photo by Noor Nahas

travels around the state providing family-oriented fun at events at least three times per month.

At this year’s Swamp Thing Festival, Danziger’s seventh year working the event, he provided a
moon bounce for the children and a mechanical bull and zip-line for everyone’s enjoyment. “I’m
having the time of my life,” said Danziger. “I like the crawfish and the music and I like seeing
people having a good time.”

One of Danziger’s employees, Michael Ross, says he enjoys working this particular festival
because of its family- oriented fun and laid back atmosphere. “This is a nice festival,” said Ross.
“The event is for everybody.”

Interview by Megan Schaefer and Morgan Germany

MY FIRST TIME

There were many firsts at this year’s festival. For some, it was their first time attending
Swamp Thing and for others, their new experiences included: trying new food or seeing live
alligators.“This is my first time at this festival and I think it is interesting to say the least,” said
Austin resident Annie Davis.

For veteran Swamp Thing attendee, Charity Acebez, it is the excitement of trying new food
dishes that draws her back to the festival. “I really enjoy coming to the festival, because of the
different food vendors every year. This time I tried ‘gator, it is just like chicken only moister,”
said Acebez, who watched from afar as her kids played on the playground.

Acebez says that she will definitely be back for next year’s festivities.

Instructions by Morgan Germany. Photos by Noor Nahas
Story written by Morgan Germany and Megan Schaefer

By Andrew Boze, Miranda Clark, Diego Cruz and Cassy Martinez

Rodeo Austin has adapted new technology to their large, popular event. Photo by Diego Cruz.

Rodeo with a tech twist

If cowboys, horses, lassos and Longhorns don’t make you think of Texas, then nothing will. Although it started as a 16-animal livestock show in 1938, the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo has grown into one of Austin’s most highly-attended events and adapted to its increasingly tech-savvy audience.

Rodeo Austin, as it is also known, includes daily concerts, a carnival, various livestock shows, petting zoos, pig races and the main attraction: professional rodeo.

The 2013 rodeo lasted from March 8-23, and while specific numbers for this year’s event have not been released the rodeo attracted 70,438 people in March 2012, according to their website. That same year, the rodeo made more than $3.8 million and in 2011 more than half that amount was donated to the youth of Texas; approximately $442,000 was awarded as collegiate scholarships.

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Rodeo Austin depends on help from sponsors, donors and volunteers to sustain itself financially, according to marketing coordinator Jennifer Paladino.

“With the help of the community, Rodeo Austin is able to award scholarships year after year, so listening to what the public wants and striving to incorporate new mechanisms for interaction, information and communication is very important,” Paladino said.

Since 2010, these new mechanisms include mobile applications for iPhone and Android devices which provide fairgoers with more interaction and a new method of receiving information regarding Rodeo Austin, Paladino said, allowing them to plan ahead and customize their schedule.

The applications were developed by local sponsor Avai Mobile Solutions and implemented with the intention of enhancing fairgoers’ experience before and at the event, Paladino said.

“The mobile application allows patrons to plan their trip ahead of time, view everything that is happening over the course of the 16-day event, provides directions and ticket information, includes a comprehensive Fairgrounds map and allows them to post to social media,“ she said.

Participants get social

Aside from being the first Fair and Rodeo to launch a mobile application, Rodeo Austin also maintains a detailed website which live-streams the various livestock shows and rodeos, an engaging social media presence and LED big screens in the arena

This year, Rodeo Austin hired media and communications firm Harris Media, LLC to manage their social media accounts, making available another form of two-way communication between the organization and its patrons and allowing them to encourage interaction, obtain feedback and answer questions, Paladino said.

Social media allow not only fairgoers to share their experience, but rodeo competitors too.

Fifteen-year-old Hollie Mair from San Antonio visited Austin for the first time to have her 1380 lbs. steer, Seven Come 11, judged in the livestock show.

“After I won pre-champion yesterday, I posted on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook,” Mair said. “Both my sisters posted about it everywhere.”

Vendors get technological

More traditional media have also adapted to emerging technologies and even come to benefit from them, such as Lydia Hudson, photographer at the rodeo petting zoo.

“When I take pictures I let parents have a second to take their own picture with their camera phone, for Facebook or whatever,” Hudson said.

At one point in her four-year experience at the rodeo, Hudson’s printer malfunctioned. But families still paid her five tokens to have their photos taken by a professional with their own mobile devices, she said.

Janie Garrett uses a wood-burning tool to design custom hats as part of Cowgirls 4 Christ, a vendor that set up shop at Rodeo Austin this year. She said becoming involved with social media yielded unexpected results for the business.

Janie Garrett burns a design into a hat as part of vendor Cowgirls 4 Christ. Photo by Cassy Martinez.

“We’ve actually gotten quite a few sales off Facebook, which is pretty surprising to us,” Garrett said. “We just let our fans know where we are going to be and we have people who follow where we’re going to be in case we’re close where they can come see us.”

Garrett said adopting new technology to Cowgirls 4 Christ has had positive effects.

“We have thousands of pictures on our iPad,” she said. “If I’m dealing with a customer, I will show them the image [on the iPad] or we can change that image to suit you.”

Although it has been 75 years since the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo’s humble beginnings, the people who run the show continue to brainstorm new ways of making the experience better for patrons and participants alike, Paladino said.

For an event hosted in a city known for its love of new technology and cutting edge festivals like South by Southwest, which runs alongside the rodeo during March, it’s certainly an achievement that people like Facebook user Suzanne Lapierre Cordeiro can publicly declare: “Goodbye SXSW… Hello Rodeo!”

Around the grounds

Slideshow by Miranda Clark.

(Above) The fair grounds at Rodeo Austin this year offered several attractions, from traditional petting zoos and theme park rides to more inventive activities like walking on water in a bubble. Gifs by Cassy Martinez.

Rodeo Austin: http://www.rodeoaustin.com/