ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Houston Astros owner Jim Crane declined comment Wednesday on Major League Baseball’s investigation into allegations of sign stealing against his team. While walking through the lobby of the luxury hotel where MLB owners were meeting, Crane stopped briefly when approached by reporters. “If you want to talk about baseball, I’ll talk […]

ATLANTA (AP) — Democratic presidential candidates clashed in a debate over the future of health care in America, racial inequality and their ability to build a winning coalition to take on President Donald Trump next year. The Wednesday night faceoff came after hours of testimony in the impeachment inquiry of Trump and at a critical juncture in the Democratic […]

Most colleges across campus have established an administrator for diversity. This semester, these officials have started meeting and discussing ways to increase diversity on campus.  The administrative positions include associate deans, assistant deans and advisers for diversity, inclusion and equity in all but four colleges on campus. They work to recruit more diverse faculty and create a more welcoming environment for all students through workshops and trainings, said Edmund Gordon, vice provost for diversity. He said all administrators for diversity met for the first time in early November, and his office will continue to host monthly meetings. “Faculty hiring, retention and climate within (colleges) is dictated by deans,” Gordon said. “We really need this person who can act as a liaison between the committee and the dean, who can help the dean create a vision for diversity in their (colleges).”  Raji Srinivasan, associate dean for diversity and inclusion in the McCombs School of Business, said she was hired in 2018 as one of the first associate deans for diversity at the University. She said she seeks student opinions while also working to help hire diverse faculty.  “(Diverse faculty) is good for students, faculty and the community to have,” Srinivasan said. “It is so students of color will see someone who looks like them, and it’s easier to work when you see someone who is a role model for you.”    #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:100%;} /* Add your own Mailchimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */ Want more content like this in your inbox every morning? Richard Reddick, associate dean for equity, community engagement and outreach for the College of Education, took the position during the summer. He said it is important to have these diversity-related administrators as well as the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement and similar efforts in the provost’s office, because it shows the University prioritizes diversity.  “These organizations and positions have different areas of focus,” Reddick said. “The overlap does exist, but it’s helpful and good and shows we prioritize this issue by not just having one group doing it or one person doing it.”  Christine Julien, assistant dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Cockrell School of Engineering, said the college created her position this September , and she already has seen a positive impact on students.  “Now, they know of my existence and can reach out to me for various things,” Julien said. “We meet with different offices and student organizations, and it’s good for the students to know there’s an official person to talk to for diversity-related issues.”  He said the four colleges that have not hired diversity-related administrators — the School of Architecture, the College of Fine Arts, the School of Nursing and the School of Information — have not had the resources to fill this position. He said these colleges have positions that addresses diversity, but they only focus on student affairs and are not involved in faculty affairs. “We’re just now consolidating this model, and two years isn’t a long time,” Gordon said. Cesar Ivan, Latin American studies graduate student, said he hopes these administrators can accurately represent the diversity of the student body. “It’s important to have people focused on diversity, but if they do not have a background or do not embody diversity, they won’t help,” Ivan said. “They have to be really sensitive to the topics, or they’re just there. But I hope they can create more diversity.”

The sound of upbeat music, laughter and conversation attracted passersby walking by Gregory Gym Plaza on Wednesday night to learn more about international culture and enjoy games, pizza and a dancing performance. The International Culture Festival, hosted by the Ismaili Muslim Students Association, brought together nine cultural student organizations to present games and information on cultural celebrations around the world. “Our goal is to increase cross-culture dialogue and promote a pluralist space on campus,” said Ammn Meghani, finance sophomore and vice president of external affairs for the association. “It’s important to discuss these sorts of things to bring culture into discussion so we can all be more aware, respectful and informed.” Meghani said the celebration was the second culture festival hosted by the organization, and four organizations participated in the event last fall. Mahek Teajani, vice president of internal affairs for the association, has participated in the organization since her freshman year and said she is excited to see the festival grow. “It’s really great to see people engage with each other and with the organizations we have here to learn more about the world around them,” said Teajani, management information systems senior. “It makes me happy to know we’re doing something that benefits both organizations and the students who visit us.” Attendees filled out cards with stamps each time they visited an organization’s table and participated in an activity or dialogue. They also played with a Japanese wooden toy called kendama, filled out sticky notes with ways they celebrated cultural differences and talked to organizations. Attendees could exchange their filled out cards for a slice of pizza. Electrical engineering freshman Joshua Fick, who attended the event, said it was exciting to see so many cultures represented in one place. “(The event) is bringing unity to UT,” Fick said. “It’s making learning fun and giving me a reason to learn more about the world around me.” The event featured a performance by the Texas Dragon/Lion Dance Team, a dance group that shares the art of dragon and lion dancing with the Austin community, according to their website.  Teajani said most of the people who stopped by the festival were curious students walking down Speedway. “People hear and see what all we’re doing, and we give them reasons to stay,” Teajani said. “It’s most rewarding to see people smiling with friends and people they meet while learning and having fun.”