Words We Need
Written by Kate Diller Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss Showing yourself kindness, while empowering, is shockingly difficult. You’d think it would be easy, we’re kind to others every day. So why is it that we can’t apply that to ourselves? I think about this almost every day. It’s something I really struggle with, even as I preach to my friends about […]
Making Africa: An Attempt to Complete the Single Story
Written by Brooke Quach. Photos by Brooke Quach. When you walk into the entrance of the Blanton’s “Making Africa” exhibit, one of the first things you may encounter is Chimamanda Adichie’s most popular TED Talk: “The danger of a single story.” Adichie dissects how “the single story” can “flatten” another group’s experiences by constantly exposing the public to negative tropes […]
Taking a Break at Book Club
Written by Christina Lopez. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. The Liberator held its first Book Club on Monday, October 15th. Sitting in a circle, munching on pastries and sipping coffee, attendees discussed how they use humor as a stress reducing tactic. The discussion was centered around three satirical or humorous articles, meant to convey the message that at such a stressful […]
The Unloved Specialty
Written by Sarah Low. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. There are many reasons as to why psychiatry may be one of medicine’s most unloved specialties; after all, in the eyes of many, psychiatry may as well be the practice of psychological “voodoo magic” meant to warp and control patients’ minds. Even the term “shrink” (slang oftentimes used to refer to a […]
Bilingualism: A Cultural Rebirth
Written by Christina Lopez. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Originally published as part of the Spring 2018 “Rebirth” Issue. My first words were the punchlines to jokes in Spanish that my grandma taught me. After I was born, both of my parents were working and attending school, so my grandma raised me. Born in Juarez, Chihuahua in Mexico, she immigrated to […]
My Journey So Far
Written by Hira Vayani. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Originally published as part of the Spring 2018 “Rebirth” Issue. I wake up; it’s time College has been on my mind – for years Growing up, college was never an if; it was a when It’s almost time for my first class – I’m a complete mess What will it be […]
A Non-Traditional Path: The Transfer Experience
Written by Allison McCarty. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. As a prestigious and globally recognized educational institution, the University of Texas at Austin can be an intimidating school to transfer into. UT is home to an enormous number of students, and the new students every semester who transfer can often feel confused and isolated when trying to traverse the massive campus. […]
Finding Your Home Away from Home
Written by Sam Chavez. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. It’s that time of the semester when students are trying to figure out their living situation for next year. While some students go apartment-hunting, others like me face a dilemma in choosing a dorm. Whether an incoming student or a fourth-year student, navigating through housing can be a whirlwind, as time keeps […]
Fortnite: What It Means to be Inclusive
Written by Hector Osegueda. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. A little over a year has passed since Fortnite: Battle Royale took the gaming world – and popular culture – by storm. Fortnite has swept through and permeated a variety of venues, and it seems that everyone has an opinion on the game. There are few games in recent memory that have […]
Mental Illness: Fighting the Stigma
Written by Dila Sarikaya. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. **mental health trigger warning** The first week of October is known as Mental Illness Awareness Week, which was established by Congress in 1990. However, mental illness — and the stigmas that come with it — have been around for decades and continue to exist today. During Mental Illness Awareness Week, […]
Followers and Friends: Changes in the Digital Social Landscape
Written by Amina Amdeen. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. The amenities of the modern age we live in are innumerable. Our digital connections span the globe. In the same amount of time that it would take you to text your mother in the next town over, you could direct message an old acquaintance in a café in Japan. Global connections are […]
A Short Guide to Health Professions Writing
Written by Nathan Pastrano. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Convincing medical school committees why you want to be a doctor can be very difficult, especially when it has to be done in less than one to two pages. The Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) requires at least two primary essays per applicant: a personal statement, a personal characteristics […]
The Psychonaut
Written by Sarah Low. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. I found Salome again. I found her in my dreams. Indeed, I am reporting that the entire ‘exchange’ had happened for months. And for the sake of finding your daughter’s remains ever again, I ask that you heed my word and my warning. First, I can assure you that I am a […]
Entrepreneurship and the Liberal Arts
Written by Yulissa Chavez. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Students in the College of Liberal Arts generally do not have immediate access to start becoming entrepreneurs. The lack of access and encouragement to pursue outlying goals that the College of Liberal Arts does not often promote can give students in the College of Liberal Arts the misconception that an innovative career […]
The Two Ahmeds
Written by Tarek Zaher. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. In 2007, six years after the horrific 9/11 attacks and the resultant cultural backlash against Muslims in America, just about the worst thing possible that can happen to a nine-year-old Muslim boy trying to survive socially in rural East Texas happens. Jeff Dunham, a famous ventriloquist and comedian, introduces his viral new […]
The Mythical Latina
Written by Ariane Stier. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. We have all met her, in some form or fashion: the media’s mythical Latina. She has a bombshell hourglass figure, light tan skin, long dark hair, and a thick accent from an unspecified foreign country. She might be a maid, and most likely she is an immigrant. Whether she is portrayed […]
Reforms to Title IX Pt. 1
Written by Brooke Quach. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 started as a federal law pertaining to gender discrimination in university athletic departments and has now expanded to cover all programs and activities at public and private educational institutions that receive public funding. The law states that “No person in the United […]
Work Beyond the Classroom
Written by Christina Lopez. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. It takes planning, persistence, and prioritization. As college tuition costs skyrocket, more full-time students are taking on jobs to finance their college experience. According to CNBC, a 2015 study from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce found that in the past 25 years, over 70 percent of college students […]
A Dark Ride
Written by Niti Majethia. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. How to be intoxicating? Make your flaws your very own trademarks. How to be a work of Art? Let your deepest wounds breathe. Let them teach you how to set your inner soul free. How to be raw? Do not tame your chaos. Unleash the true golden lioness roaring underneath your […]
There is a Wolf
Written by Hannah Jarzombek. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. There is a Wolf that Lives in the Woods and Speaks with a Loved One’s Voice The wolf is not the villain in this story. . . . The book burned quickly in the late evening fire. Abram stared at the delicate pages curling in on themselves before they burned into […]
A Presentation of Truths
Written by Nathan Pastrano. Last spring, I found myself doing what I considered to be daring. No, not daring as in eating an entire pint of ice cream in one serving, going downtown the night before an exam, or even skydiving. Instead, I was completing my last five undergraduate English courses in one semester. Yup, you read that right: all […]
Le spectacle
Written by Eleni Theodoropoulos. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. The spicy smell of salep and the sound of frothing milk filled the air between the show tents. Vendors called out their products, bargained, and jeered at you if you ignored them or preferred their competitor’s baklava. Ophélie’s parents lapsed into an argument over by the stained glass jewelry. How come you […]
a memory
Written by Matthew Yu. Photo by Matthew Yu. a memory everlasting, a line that twists into an oval, sprouting features, lips, contours of a face I’ve known for so long, but can’t comprehend -so I stare into its velvet black eyes, whose laugh pulls at my hair and crinkles, echoing away into space like pieces of cellophane that slide down […]
The Unstoppable Jaguar
Written by Bahareh Sharafi. The astounding motivation of African Americans is why the significant progression that will take place for Black America can only be described in one word: phenomenal. The compassion, the sleepless motivation and the initiation of ambition that revolves around these humble individuals will reveal itself. This suppressive cloak of invisibility that has oppressed these people and […]
Opportunity and Proximity
Written by Hayley Wood. It’s 3:30 on a Wednesday afternoon. The Texas sun illuminates the east side of campus as students trek towards the stadium for their commute home. For those heading southbound on E 23rd Street, life at UT is strikingly different from their peers headed home to West Campus. The 680 bus becomes crowded until every nearly every […]
The Journey
Written by Niti Majethia. The dark in you will say what it wants.. never listen to the darkness listen to the art the art that lights up all your insides when you talk about what you love.. compassion that flows within you when you release the longings of your soul. And when you look at the scars in your heart, […]
The Power of Alternative Breaks
Written by Yulissa Chavez. Photo by Yulissa Chavez. The Alternative Breaks Program (AB) within the Longhorn Center for Community Engagement aims to help students become more aware of the social problems that occur outside of the UT Austin community. This year, the coordinators of the Alternative Breaks Program decided to bring their team of seven students to the very south of […]
Please Hear Us
Written by Brooke Quach. #Metoo. Aziz Ansari. Cat Person. #Timesup. Performative allyship. Consent. Sex Ed. These are only some of phrases, names, and ideas that have been thrown around social media in the midst of the movement against sexual harassment and assault. These terms embody the nuances of the movement and bring to light the systemic problems that perpetuate these […]
The Lockers in Rainey Hall
Words by Reese Grayson. Photos by Reese Grayson. There are very few buildings at UT that have been untouched by the university’s massive expansion and the need to use space more efficiently. Old buildings are either replaced or renovated to serve another purpose. Although many spaces on campus have been repurposed, original architectural designs and structures tell a story and […]
LAC’s Inaugural Undergraduate Research Competition
Written by Christina Lopez. Photos by Christina Lopez. Liberal Arts Council’s Academic Affairs Committee hosted their first Undergraduate Research Competition on Saturday, April 28th. Ten undergraduate students presented their research to a faculty panel composed of a variety of liberal arts professors. The presenters had ten minutes to explain their research, followed by five minutes of question and answer. The top […]
The South Asian Dilemma
Written by Hira Vayani. Many South Asian children’s earliest memories include their family and a stethoscope. It’s the child’s 4th birthday, and they have received a doctor’s kit as a present. This is just the beginning of the continuous career conditioning, as most people in the South Asian community have a narrow definition of success, due to cultural and societal […]
Funny For A Woman
Written by Amina Amdeen. Images provided by Kaci Beeler and Nancy Norton. Of all the universal truths, “laughter is the best medicine” is my favorite. Not only has it endured the test of time, as proven by the continued importance of jokes in every culture, but it has also withstood countless social transformations. No matter what upheaval we experience in our […]
Long-term Mental Health Care at the University of Texas
Written by Shae Carey. In January, the University of Texas stopped charging the usual fee of ten dollars per session at the Counseling and Mental Health Center. The Counseling and Mental Health Center, located in the Student Services Building, provides students with psychological and psychiatric treatment. Dr. Marla Craig, Associate Director of Clinical Services, says that the fee “is subsidized by […]
The Discrepancies of School Funding and Disabilities in Higher Education
Written by Yulissa Chavez. Image by Yulissa Chavez. Not every building on the University of Texas at Austin campus has braille. Although UT Austin promotes a message of inclusivity and diversity, often the actions of the university do not reflect that same message, much to frustration of students with a disability. The Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) facility provides […]
It’s Complicated: Digitalization and Film
Written by Hayley Wood. Since its invention, theater has been a haven from the gleam of technology – a place of silence, strangers, and immersion into another world. The cackles, sighs, and tears from other audience members can make or break the experience of seeing a film for the first time. Unfortunately, the rising popularity of online streaming and personal […]
Faces of COLA: International Women’s Day
Written by Hira Vayani. Images by Hira Vayani. The College of Liberal Arts is home to incredible faculty, degree plans, and, well, women. In honor of International Women’s Day, I decided to display the beauty and thoughts of women from the College of Liberal Arts with photography and words. I asked these women what they hope to accomplish with their […]
Professor Lorraine Pangle: An Educator and Philosopher in Search of the Truth in Happiness and Love
“Academia, leadership, and professorship are pillars of the UT Austin community. In the first article for our new series, Professor Profiles, Dr. Pangle shares how her intellectual curiosities have been directed towards projects that benefit UT.”
Novel Study Spots on the Forty Acres
Written by Reese Grayson. Images by Reese Grayson. Like many students, I have never been a fan of studying in high-traffic workspaces such as the PCL, the SAC, or the Union. Cafés located off campus pose a similar issue—nothing is worse than driving or taking the bus all the way to a coffee shop and finding that all of the […]
Got Grit?
Written by Nathan Pastrano. Scholars have spent the last four decades debating about what, exactly, makes students “successful.” Angela Lee Duckworth, researcher and professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, has spent nearly twenty years researching students who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, and whether or not they consider themselves happy and successful. According to Duckworth’s Ted […]
Teacher, Chemist, Leader: Meet UT’s First and Only Female President
Written by Christina Lopez. Lorene Lane Rogers was the 21st president of The University of Texas at Austin and is widely recognized as the first female president of any public university in the United States. One of her most notable achievements was creating The College of Liberal Arts, housing General and Comparative Studies, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Humanities. She […]
A Step Toward Sustainability
Written by Hayley Wood. Shades of pretentiousness, urgency and obscurity tint the topic of sustainability. As a pillar of science, the amount of available data can be overwhelming. As a pillar of morality, it can seem too rooted in hippy-dippy secularism. As a pillar of human existence, it can be seen as either too intimidating or not important at all. […]
The 21st Century Muslim
Written by Hira Vayani. Careful, condemned, curious are some words I would describe my experience as a 21st century Muslim. “… You terrorist,” yelled a driver as I walked near the UT campus. On my way to the mosque one night, a man reprimanded me because I decided to wear a religious symbol, a headscarf. While Austin may appear liberal, […]
Hot Chocolate with Charities
Written by Shae Carey. On Monday, November 27th, the Fall 2017 new members of the Liberal Arts Council put on an event called “Hot Chocolate with Charities” that enabled students to connect with different charities while sipping on hot chocolate provided by Texas Coffee Traders. The event had the highest non-Council attendance in Liberal Arts Council history. Eighteen charities attended […]
