The Liberator Magazine
The Official Publication of the College of Liberal Arts
Written by Ashley Mireles.Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. – Twice a year, students are asked to complete the grueling task of enrolling for classes. As spring registration looms once again, we must address the flaws with UT’s current system. UT is considered a world-class institution, but its registration system doesn’t reflect that. Outdated and disorganized, the system creates unnecessary stress for […]
Written by Bismarck Andino. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – With a 20% increase of homeless animals this year and only 19 full-time animal care employees to care for them, the Austin Animal Center has experienced chronic overcrowding for the past two years, an Animal Advisory commissioner said Oct. 14 during a meeting where the Commission approved a set of amendments for no-kill practices. Austin […]
Written by Noah Van Hooser. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – Although looming climate catastrophe has induced a flurry of policy proposals, impassioned punditry, and even occasional existential reorientations, it seems all varieties of environmentalism have not gone quite far enough. All too often, the language of possible ecologies inherits the baggage of reform. It is not that the very ground […]
Written by Hector Osegueda. Graphic by Quynhmai Tran. – I’ll be the first to admit that I’m bad at math. My high school report card would be straight A’s all the way down until, quite rudely, a math class reminded me of my shortcomings with a big fat C. I was always elated whenever I managed to eke out a […]
Written by Bevyn Howard. Graphic by Emma Robinson. – **Content Warning: Violence** Late one Sunday night on July 22, 2018 a black woman was mercilessly murdered. Nia Wilson and her two sisters Letifah and Tashiya were transferring at the McCarthur BART station in Oakland, California when a man attacked them, unprovoked, stabbing Nia and Letifah. Nia eventually died and as […]
Written by Christina Lopez. Graphic by Emma Robinson. Originally published as part of the Spring 2019 “Challenge” Issue.– For Antonio Limon, college was never a question of if, but where, he was going to go. He remembers his mom always encouraging him to achieve A’s in his classes and volunteer to boost his prospects of a college education . She […]
Written by Hector Osegueda. Graphic by Emma Robinson. Originally published as part of the Spring 2019 “Challenge” Issue.– Since time immemorial, humans have struggled with the concept of good and trying to understand what makes a good person. Conversations about the relativity and subjectivity of goodness go back thousands of years to the earliest civilizations and carries onto the floors […]
Written by Peyton Cabaniss. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Originally published as part of the Spring 2019 “Challenge” Issue.– When Dr. Keely Finkelstein came to the University of Texas, she brought her research in astrophysics and a fascination with all things extragalactic. Her partner, Dr. Steven Finkelstein, brought his interest in galaxies big and small as well as his obsession with […]
Written by Patrick Lee.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – My perception of academia coming into college was that of an exuberant idea factory, pumping out world-changing publications and smart people capable of ethically advancing the human base of knowledge. But, as in many cases, the appearance of things has the effect of masking its truer form. To this day I still […]
Written by Dila Sarikaya.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – What if your favorite star sent you a letter inviting you to visit them? Would you go? Joyce Maynard was faced with this decision in 1972 after her first article, “An 18-Year-Old Looks Back On Life,” was published in The New York Times magazine. In this article, of which she says the […]
Written by Luna Malloy.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – Leaving Neverland. Surviving R. Kelly. The Inventor. Abducted in Plain Sight. Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened. The Bundy Tapes. Evil Genius. Perhaps you’ve watched any number of these recent documentaries. Maybe you’ve seen them referenced in the media, or in the case of Fyre, lampooned by some tragic Evian water […]
Written by Maggie Chadwick.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – The culture of the United States is dominant and widespread. It permeates into other countries to the effect that, in many places with distinct languages, histories, and customs, you can watch mainstream American TV shows, American movies, and listen to American songs. Since American culture is so universal, it only makes sense […]
Written by Hector Osegueda. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – It’s often the seemingly innocent ideas that cause the most damage. Ancient alien theories are among those ideas. We’ve all encountered one in particular; that immemorial and monumental structures, such as the pyramids at Giza, the Nazca lines in Peru, or the Moai of Easter Island, are products of extraterrestrial contact […]
Written by Allison McCarty. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – I have generalized anxiety. That statement is just a fact, not written in sadness or contentment, but simply expressed. It’s something I live with, but as a student, it does create barriers. Having anxiety and being in college isn’t the most favorable combination. I trek UT’s campus anxiously, eyes centered on […]
Written by Sam Chavez. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – A moment that brings tears, excitement—and terror. The moment your child opens an acceptance letter to his or her dream school. After a collective sigh of relief and celebration, life seems smooth sailing. Well, until the inevitable tuition bill enters the inbox. In the United States, the average cost of college […]
Written by Nathan Pastrano. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – For most students, switching career paths can be a very difficult decision to make. I know this, because I was one of them. I began my first-year studies as a chemistry major with a genuine interest in healthcare and pharmaceutical innovation. However, as my first year of undergrad came to an […]
The Liberator Magazine 