Works His Trademark

1A HUMP DAY PAGE 6B SPORTS PAGE 1B TOMORROW’S WEATHER High Low For students, virginity Horns nab shutout still a touchy subject victory against TCU 90 60 HE AILY EXAN TWednesday, April 8, 2009 DServing the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900T www.dailytexanonline.com ‘Science Guy’ works his trademark fun House committee Bill Nye, of PBS fame, leaves the test accepts budget tubes behind for talk on environment By Melissa Pan with $11 billion Daily Texan Staff The audience cheered for Bill Nye, but Nye did not appear. “Bill is currently in the bathroom,” said An- in stimulus funds drew Segovia, chairman of the Distinguished Speakers Committee and a radio-television-film By Erin Mulvaney senior, to audience laughter. Nye sprinted to the Daily Texan Staff podium 30 seconds later to more cheers. A House committee unanimously approved its Nye, famous for his TV show “Bill Nye the version of the state’s 2010-2011 budget Tuesday, in- Science Guy,” spoke about sustainability and cluding $11 billion in controversial stimulus funds. environmental issues Tuesday night to a full au- The House Appropriations Committee will send the dience in the Texas Union Ballroom. $178.4 billion budget to the House floor for a vote The event sold out in just three hours on next week. March 31. Before Nye’s speech started, people The proposed budget has $11 billion in feder- waited as long as two hours in line outside the al stimulus funds, which would fill the gap in Texas Union entrance. the state’s estimated $2 billion deficit. Neither the Many said they attended because they House’s nor the Senate’s version of the bill includes watched his television show, which aired on dipping into the state’s emergency Rainy Day Fund, PBS from 1993 to 1997, when they were young. which will contain more than $9 billion at the end “He was my childhood hero,” said physics se- of the year. nior Chris Lu. “Him and Mr. Rogers.” The stimulus funds have been a contentious issue With a PowerPoint presentation and trade- among lawmakers, particularly with Gov. Rick Per- mark patterned bow tie, Nye gave his lecture ry. followed by a brief question-and-answer ses- “Questions that came up throughout the hear- sion. ing were, ‘How much stimulus money is in the The hour-and-a-half lecture covered topics bill?’ and ‘Where was it spent?’” said Wayne Pul- ranging from the temperature of the planets to ver, assistant director of the Legislative Budget stem cell research. Board. Students began filing in half an hour before Perry rejected $555 million of the federal stimulus the speech began. funds in unemployment compensation, and many “I want to see how he changes his agenda for lawmakers have proposed legislation to override a college audience,” said aerospace engineering his decision. He objected to the “strings attached” sophomore David Carter. to the money that he said would expand programs While Nye wove his enthusiastic manner- and cost business owners more in the long run. isms and trademark phrases into his lecture, he Perry defended his rejection of the funds at a con- also explored topics appropriate for college stu- ference in Austin on Tuesday. dents to illustrate his theme of “Changing the “The last thing we want is Washington coming World.” down here to Texas and telling us how to run our Nye also used such visuals as a changing map state,” Perry said. from the United Nations that showed rising At the conference, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, NYE continues on page 2A who has positioned herself to run against Perry in the 2010 gubernatorial primary race, openly criti- cized Perry’s rejection of the funds. Bill Nye — scientist, engineer, comedian, “I think a leader would be taking time to look at author, inventor and former TV star — spoke all of these aspects and coming up with a better so- on sustainability and a variety of global science lution,” she said. issues at the Texas Union on Tuesday night. Shelley Neuman | Daily Texan Staff APPROPRIATIONS continues on page 2A New SG assembly approves executive board appointments House hears public opinion Administration’s five members to oversee resolution enactment, on contentious Voter ID Act identification or two other forms of have ties to O’Rourke campaign Democrats, Republicans identification — including a birth certificate, passport or citizenship By Amy Bingham debate potential impact card — to poll workers. Daily Texan Staff of photo ID requirement Republicans say the act would The Student Government assembly eliminate voter fraud, while Demo- unanimously approved SG President Liam By Matt Stephens crats allege it would disenfranchise O’Rourke’s five executive board appoint- Daily Texan Staff some minority voters, as they are ments Tuesday night at the first meeting of Debate continued Tuesday as the less likely to have photo IDs. the new administration. Texas House Committee on Elec- Before the meeting, supporters of The five-member board — selected tions heard public testimony re- the bill rallied on the south steps of through an application and interview pro- garding the Voter ID Act. the Capitol. cess — facilitates SG-sponsored events, ap- The act would require potential propriates funds to student organizations, voters to present a form of photo VOTER continues on page 2A acts as a liaison to the UT administration and assists representatives in writing and researching legislation. The executive board’s main role is to ensure that resolutions passed by the assembly are enacted within the administra- Jordan Smothermon | Daily Texan Staff tion, said SG Vice President Shara Kim Ma. Louis Armendariz was affirmed as director of the Freshman Leadership Organization at In past years, executive board members Tuesday’s Student Government meeting. Five executive positions were also approved. served as the chairmen of SG’s six stand- ing committees, but this year they will at- ipation, Internal Financial Director Sarah out. I thought they really were the best can- tend the meetings as advisers only. Yu helped organize the campaign’s special didates running and wanted to make sure “I don’t think it’s a question of outsid- events, External Financial Director Scott they won.” ers or insiders on the exec board,” Ma said. Parks oversaw public relations and built O’Rourke said experience was the most “I don’t think any of our execs should just the campaign’s Web site, Administrative important qualification when assembling be yes men and go along with what Liam Director Katina Rajunov planned the can- his executive board. and I say, but we shouldn’t be looking for didate’s speaker circuit, and Communi- “That experience doesn’t have to be SG contention within the exec board. What we cations Director Danielle Brown assisted experience, but they need to have work- need really is people that can work togeth- with campaign projects. ing knowledge of the University system er and work toward the same cause.” “They made it very clear from the begin- and have experience working with a lot of All five executive board appointees were ning that no one was entitled to anything,” other people,” O’Rourke said. involved in O’Rourke and Ma’s campaign. said Parks, a finance, business honors and Butler, a political communication and Jeffrey McWhorter | Daily Texan Staff Executive Director Natalie Butler mobi- urban studies senior. “Liam was a good Austinite Deborah Penn, right, and Arnold Alonzo, of Lockhart, sign up to lized volunteers to increase voter partic- friend of mine, and I wanted to help him SG continues on page 2A testify in support of the voter ID bill at the John H. Reagan Federal Building. 2A 2A NEWS Wednesday, April 8, 2009 THE DAILY TEXAN S Volume 109, Number 122 25 cents NYE: Scientist says choosing CONTACT US Main Telephone: to walk has big green impact (512) 471-4591 From page 1A them, he said. out a mirror. Editor: “I’m a huge fan of stem Students said they thought Leah Finnegan global temperatures through cells,” Nye said. “I spent that Nye met their expecta- (512) 232-2212 history and projecting into my first few weeks as stem tions for an entertaining and [email protected] the future. cells.” educational night. Nye pointed to the brown During the Q-and-A ses- “I was struck by how per- Managing Editor: color spreading through the sion, Nye said that the biggest sonal and dynamic he was,” Vikram Swaruup continents that indicated high impact that college students said Plan II junior Emory (512) 232-2217 temperatures. can have on the environment Skolkin. “I felt empowered.” managingeditor@ “They’re trying to scare is their choice of transporta- The event was coordinated dailytexanonline.com you, because they should,” he tion. Nye said he owns a Toy- by the Student Endowed Cen- said. ota Prius but that he regularly tennial Lectureship and the Retail Advertising: Nye said he wants the world commutes on a bicycle. Texas Union Student Events (512) 471-1865 to reduce its greenhouse gases After the session, Nye was Center Distinguished Speak- [email protected] by 95 percent by 2050. presented with a gift bag that ers Committee. Past speak- Stem cell research aims not included a Longhorn bow tie, ers include Demetri Martin, Classiﬁed Advertising: to make more people but to which he proceeded to put on Maya Angelou and Margaret (512) 471-5244 repair tissues without killing in front of the audience with- Cho. classiﬁ[email protected] The Texan strives to present all infor- mation fairly, accurately and complete- ly. If we have made an error, let us know about it.

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