Monthly Archives: September 2022

LAH Movie Club – Dancer in the Dark

The LAH Movie Club will be showing Lars von Trier’s Dancer in the Dark (2000) this Friday, September 30th, from 5-9, with pizza and discussion afterwards. The movie, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, is a tragic musical about a Czechoslovakian immigrant with worsening vision who tries to raise enough money to help cure the same genetic eye malformation in her son. Starring Icelandic pop star Björk and French acting royalty Catherine Deneuve, Dancer in the Dark is an emotional journey like no other. RSVP here.

LAH Movie Club slide

The Texas Orator Application

Join

The Texas Orator is seeking writers, general artists, cartoonists, and photojournalists.

Apply to be a writer here. Note that we have two types of writers: staff writers and contributing writers. Staff writers write 4-5 articles per semester and are required to come to meetings. Guest writers write for us once or more per semester and are not required at meetings.

Apply for one of our creative positions (illustrator, graphic design, cartoonist, strategist, etc.) here.

Apply to be a copywriter here. Copy editors stringently edit articles for grammar and factual sources. They are absolutely necessary to the seamless functioning of the Orator.

We have a few other roles available, such as culture, marketing, webmaster, publicity, and/or publication chairs, that you can demonstrate interest in when you apply for another position. These roles have <1 hour/week commitment but are another great way to get involved.

If you wish to submit articles for publication on the Orator’s website or our annual journal without joining the team as a staff/contributing writer, submit a PDF of your article to thetexasorator@gmail.com with the Subject Line “Book/Article Submission.” Make sure to include your EID and a blurb for the article in the email.

The Texas Orator reserves the right to reject any article that fails to meet our editorial standards. The Orator publishes well-researched pieces of political and social commentary. Our editorial process is politically impartial but we seek to provide coverage that is fair and accurate, protecting vulnerable groups when possible. Submissions containing racist language, violating an individual’s privacy, causing unjustifiable offense, or lacking a professional style will be rejected.

Editorial Standards:

Accuracy: All TXO content must be well-sourced and corroborated by sound evidence. Articles must not distort known facts and must represent them as accurately as possible.

Originality: TXO does not publish plagiarized content or content that has been published elsewhere.

Clarity: The Texas Orator uses a multistep, peer-review editorial process with the goal of producing strong, clear content for publication.

Harm and Offense: We ask our writers to approach sensitive issues with due care. Slurs, stereotypes, derogatory language targeting an individual based on gender, sexuality or race, and privacy violations are harmful and will not be published.

Multi -Partisanship: Articles across the spectrum of policy positions will be considered for publication, provided they are well researched and contain well written arguments. In keeping with The Orator’s commitment to free speech and publishing a wide range of voices and perspectives, coverage is not impartial.

Satire: The Orator frequently publishes satirical responses to current events. These articles are marked as satire and in the interest of comedy may contain exaggerated or false statements. Articles in other categories may contain irony but its intent must be clear in context.

Tone: The tone we seek is thoughtful and civil. Writing should reflect standard practices among educated English speakers. Expletives should be used sparingly and only for emphasis in situations in which other words do not suffice. Any use of an expletive should not interfere with The Orator’s dedication to civility.

Style: Stylistic elements such as bold type, italics, etc. should be used sparingly throughout a piece. These tools are meant for well-thought emphasis and can detract from the overall piece if used in excess.

Call for Applications: The Mellon Engaged Scholar Initiative

Call for Applications: The Mellon Engaged Scholar Initiative 

Undergraduate Fellowship Program (2022-23 Cohort)

The Mellon Engaged Scholar Initiative is excited to invite applications for our 2022-23 Undergraduate Fellows cohort. ESI is a highly selective research program that provides training, mentoring, and financial support to COLA undergraduates as they pursue social justice research and advocacy work.

Over the course of the fellowship year, ESI Fellows learn how to design major community-based projects in partnership with local nonprofits and activist groups. These Capstone projects are shaped both by students’ personal interests and by the needs of the community members or groups students are working with. ESI Fellows gain invaluable professional experience in implementing complex, real-world projects involving multiple stakeholders. They also get the chance to pursue research that is deeply meaningful to them. Many Fellows choose to pursue projects that celebrate their communities, address equity gaps that have long troubled them, or honor cultural experiences that have historically been misrepresented or undervalued in academic spaces.

The ESI program offers students:

  • A yearlong non-credit seminar that guides students through every phase of designing, conducting research, and successfully creating their Capstone projects
  • Individualized mentorship tailored to Fellows’ projects, research interests, professional goals
  • Opportunities to learn from past Graduate and Undergraduate Fellows, as well from a slate of guest speakers including community leaders, activists, and artists
  • Support throughout the graduate admissions and/or job search process
  • Financial support in the form of the ESI stipend of $6000 and a $1000 project budget

Eligibility:

  • Minimum of 3.2 G.P.A.
  • Junior or Senior class standing by Fall 2022
  • Preference will be given to College of Liberal Arts students majoring in Humanities or Humanistic Social Science disciplines
  • Citizens and non-U.S. citizens eligible to apply
  • Must be able to commit to the ESI Fellowship expectations* (see our website for additional details)

* Please note that all Undergraduate Fellows are expected to attend the weekly ESI meeting, a non-credit seminar/workshop series that is designed to introduce students to key questions, challenges, and best practices in community-engaged scholarship. Lack of active participation and involvement with the Cohort may lead to dismissal from the ESI Fellowship.

Who should apply for ESI? 

No prior experience in community-engaged research is required. We’ve made a list below of the qualities we’ve observed help students thrive in ESI. If most or all apply to you, we’d love to read your application.

  • I am a junior or senior with a humanities or social sciences major. I have a 3.2 GPA or higher.
  • I am committed to building a more just world where all people can thrive. I am passionate about honoring, strengthening, or addressing inequities in the communities in which I live and work.
  • I have a clear sense of my intellectual passions and personal values. I know what I care about and why it’s important to me.
  • I enjoy building relationships with other people and learning from others’ perspectives. I’m eager to collaborate with faculty, peers, and community groups who are working on issues I care about.
  • I find it exciting to pursue independent projects where I have to teach myself new skills, evaluate different paths, and persevere through setbacks.
  • I have good project and time management skills (or, I am eager and willing to learn new strategies for effectively managing complex projects).
  • I am not already overcommitted with other jobs, internships, or research commitments. I am confident that I can dedicate 9 hours per week to ESI project work.
  • I can commit to consistently attending the required ESI seminar.

Application Requirements: Interested applicants to apply via this link.

Scroll down to the bottom to upload the following:

  1. Resume
  2. Application form

Application Deadline: October 2nd 2022, 11:59 pm 

Select applicants will be invited for Zoom interviews in late early October.

Questions: Agnes Savich (agnes.savich@austin.utexas.edu)

Website: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/research/engaged-scholar-initiative/. Please visit us on Twitter @UTMellonESI for more information about the program and for testimonials from our current Undergraduate Fellows.

Health Humanities Research Seminar

Health Humanities Research Seminar: Panel Discussion on “Liberal Arts and Medical Practice” Monday, October 3, 4:00 pm

Date: Monday, October 3, 2022
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 PM
Location: T-House Suite, Texas Union 3.312
Parking: San Antonio Garage

The UT Humanities Institute is excited to host a panel discussion on the theme, “Liberal Arts and Medical Practice.” Three of the four panelists – Dr. Ganesh Palapattu, Dr. Rebecca Teng, and Dr. Craig Hurwitz – were undergraduate majors in UT’s College of Liberal Arts who are now practicing physicians. The fourth panelist, Michelle Raji, is a current fourth-year student at Dell Medical School who majored in English and Creative Writing as an undergraduate. The panelists will discuss the role liberal arts training plays in, for example, how they conceive their mission as doctors, how they think about their professional identity, and how they practice medicine in clinical settings. There will be ample time set aside for Q & A and discussion with the audience.

The panel, which will be followed by a reception, will occur on Monday, October 3, 2022, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM, in the T-House Suite (room 3.312) of the Texas Union / 2308 Whitis Ave. The event will also be live-streamed. To learn more about the panel and the panelists, and to register for in-person or online attendance, please click here.

Humanities Texas Job Openings

Greetings from Humanities Texas!

This fall, we’ll be hiring in several positions that may be attractive to former (or soon-to-be-former) LAH students. The first – a public programs coordinator – is currently advertised on our website. We’ll have two more in the coming weeks, one in our education program, another in communications.

https://www.humanitiestexas.org/about/employment

 

Free Speech Essay Contest

The contest is open exclusively to UT undergraduates, and all undergraduates are eligible.  

Prizes for the top three essays range from $700-$1500. 

Deadline for submission is November 4, 2022. 

The two topics that students may choose from this year concern: The Right to be Forgotten (erasing past speech) and Freedom of the Press.

The complete questions and all further details about length, submission, etc., can be found at our website:  https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/freespeechessay/essay-contest/

 

Related: events during Free Speech Week may be of interest to students. Two that I currently know of are: 

Tuesday October 18th at 6 pm in RRH 3.310 – Freedom of the Press in an Era of Misinformation – Cognitive Problems, Legal Solutions

a lecture by Professor Tara Smith  https://salemcenter.org/event/freedom-of-the-press-in-an-era-of-misinformation-cognitive-problems-legal-solutions/

Thursday October 20 at 4 pm in Dealy 1.202 – The First Amendment and the Regulation of Social Media – a lecture by attorney Michael Lambert.

Please contact Roxy Becker (roxybecker@austin.utexas.edu) if you have questions about the contest or these events.

EcoEvo Internship

A new environmental non-profit is looking to hire college students to create and build a collegiate network for their organization. This is a paid internship position!

Who is EcoEvo?

The idea of EcoEvo started with the creation of a non-profit focused on providing tree seeds to its partner companies and tackling deforestation head on. Our team has never been one to take the back seat to addressing issues. While there are certainly a lot of groups focused on this, we don’t think there can be too many. As we began flushing out the idea further, we realized two things:

  1. There is a generation of people (namely college age) who are highly motivated to take on climate change. They are also looking for ways to better tell their own stories of activation. By creating a network of colleges and college students, we solve the question of who is going to grow and “be” EcoEvo.
  2. While there is a lot of information on environmental waste and potential things we can all do, it was taking an incredible amount of digging to find the information and often it was too complex and not ready for the masses. So we set out to work with top thought leaders and professors to help us assemble great content that was actionable. We believe making things simple will lead people to embrace taking steps.

About EcoEvo:

EcoEvo, a 501c3 non-profit, was created to provide an onramp for partner companies to take proactive steps to address climate change through the replenishment of natural habitats.  The organization embraces a “roll up your sleeves” approach to tackling this issue through a three-pillar approach.

  1. Partner Organizations: With donations being made to EcoEvo, partner companies will receive seed packets to engage their internal teams and external customers to actively take part in planting sessions to curb the effects of climate change and to bring back the natural beauty of habitats.
  2. Collegiate Network: Build out of a nationwide network of college students to take part both in planting sessions within their community and ultimately running the organization.  The goal is to cultivate environmentally friendly behaviors early and provide an opportunity for students to gain critical experience running and growing an organization.
  3. Simple Dailies: The creation of a database leveraging thought leaders expertise in environmental issues into actionable steps which all people can embrace.

Responsibilities:

  • Assisting in the day to day operation of the EcoEvo.
  • Build out of additional content for the site.
  • Derivation of “Simple Dailies” a database of steps that everyday people can do to reduce their impact on the planet.
  • Assistance in finding partner organizations to engage with EcoEvo.
  • Buildout of social and communication
  • Assistance in identifying tree and flower seeds for specific US regions

Number of Interns: Depending on the number of hours that students are available we are looking for 1-2 individuals.

Compensation: $15/hr   As we won’t have any direct employees everyone will be 1099.

Benefits:

  • A highly referenceable and impressive work history
  • Ability to illustrate skills of running and operating a non-profit
  • Direct connection to sustainability and environmental efforts
  • Build out of relationships with partner organizations and other like-minded college students across the US

Website:  https://www.ecoevo.world/

Apply: Interested individuals should send statement of interest and background with resume to Kevin Brodwick kevin@gobrixy.com.

LAH Upper-Division Essay Scholarship

Just a reminder that the deadline for Upper – division scholarship applications is September 22, 2022 at midnight.

Here is the prompt:

At the start of each academic year, the university welcomes both new and returning students to campus. At UT Austin, the university wide “Gone to Texas” tradition in front of the tower ushers in new students.  In LAH, we host a luncheon where our community of students, faculty, and staff break bread with each other.

Traditions of welcoming and hospitality vary across individuals, places, and cultures.  Reflecting on personal experience or representations of welcoming in film, literature, or history, describe a practice that has made an impression on you.  What is the significance of this type of ritual?

Please write 750 – 100 words in response and submit your essay on the scholarship portal.

Food resources near UT campus

“According to a Student Government report released last spring, 32% of UT students are food insecure. The report cited living on or off campus and differences in access to reliable transportation as factors that impact student food security.”

Article: https://thedailytexan.com/2022/09/13/food-resources-near-ut-campus/

UT Outpost 

The UT Outpost is a free food pantry for students that offers a variety of foods and personal care products. Operating under four satellite locations in Patton Hall, the Gender and Sexuality Center, the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Perry-Castañeda Library, as well as a central building on 2609 University Avenue. The UT Outpost is open to any students in need of food or personal care products. Hours for the Outpost vary depending on location and can be found on its website.

UT Farmstand 

Every other Wednesday, UT Farmstand provides seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables and other goods at Jester Plaza from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The goods include a range of produce grown on UT campus.

UT School of Social Work Food Pantry

The Steve Hicks School of Social Work operates a free food pantry directed towards social work students. Students in need can go to the school’s student lounge kitchen to obtain a variety of food.

Longhorn Baptist Student Ministry 

Every Wednesday from noon-2 p.m, the Longhorn Baptist Student Ministry provides free meals for all. The BSM offers both vegetarian and meat options under their FLOW initiative.

LuMin

The Lutheran Campus Ministry runs a program called The Daily Bread every Wednesday from 6-9 p.m. at 2100 San Antonio Street, Suite 120. Students can show their UT ID to receive a free bag of groceries. Along with this initiative, LuMin runs a weekly Tailgate Tuesday from 5-7 p.m. that offers free burgers with beef and vegan options for all.

UT Student Government Community Food Distribution

UT SG is running a pilot program to provide free snacks and drinks to students every month. SG has published a list of monthly dates on its Instagram and times where students can stop by on campus to obtain free food. Locations for the snack distribution may vary and will be posted on SG’s social media. The next distribution is Oct. 14.

“How are you expected to go to such a rigorous university and attend your classes if you’re worried you’re not gonna have food on the table?” said SG vice president Isabel Agbassi. “It’s more of a prevalent issue that should be prioritized.”

Agbassi, along with SG president Leland Murphy stated that they plan to take into account student feedback on the snacks and adjust provisions as needed.

Local Grocery Stores

Wheatsville Co-op

The Wheatsville Co-op located at 3101 Guadalupe St. is a local grocery store that allows shoppers to become members for a one-time $70 payment. Afterwards, members can shop at Wheatsville and get discounted groceries and a money rebate during profitable years.

H-E-B

H-E-B is a large grocery store relatively close to UT campus. Students can use the CapMetro app to locate the closest bus station to go to H-E-B, which offers a wide selection of fresh produce and general food products. The closest H-E-B to campus is located at 1000 E. 41st St.

Orange Market

Unlike some of the smaller bodegas and chain stores around campus, Orange Market, located on 910 W. 25th St., offers fresh produce such as tomatoes, onions and greens, along with complementary goods such as spices. Orange Market is open 24/7, every day of the year.

Useful Apps

H-E-B Favor

For those who are unable to get to an H-E-B due to time constraints or transportation issues, the My H-E-B app can be used to get groceries delivered directly to your house for a $5-$10 dollar delivery fee.

TooGoodToGo

To get food at a cheaper menu price, students can download the TooGoodToGo app. The app lets users book different time windows to pick up surplus food from local shops and restaurants. Doing so saves both food waste and user money. For the UT campus area, students can select to pick up bags of food from O’s Campus Cafes across the campus, or off-campus shops such as Kung Fu Tea, Clay Pit and The Pizza Press. The application’s food options and availability are variable and time-sensitive, but food is often priced within the range of $3-$6 for a portion of surplus food.