THE GET OUT THE VOTE RICARDO CAVOLO SERVING THE UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND Amanda Diaz makes the case for Spanish artist, Ricardo Cavolo running and voting in the Spring shares his experience as an international mural artist. VOL. 105, ISSUE 11 SINCE 1910 FEBRUARY 26, 2016 ASUPS elections. TRAIL PAGE 4 PAGE 12 GRAPHIC BY MICHELLE LEATHERBY New ASUPS VP elected by Senate By Emily Schuelein The new Vice President of the Associated Students of the University of Puget Sound (ASUPS) Peyton Anstine has temporarily taken over the position until ASUPS elections on March 23. “The role is to fulfill the regular duties of the vice president in its complete capacity until elections and the normal transition period,” ASUPS President Nakisha Renee Jones said. “There’s changes to try to make the elections process a little more accessible to other students and I think that’s mostly what the student body will see but whether AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AT or not there had been a resignation before or afterwards wouldn’t have mattered for the elections packet. There hasn’t been a vice president resignation for years,” Jones said. “According to our constitution UNIVERSITIES IN FLUX when the vice president or By Casey O’Brien the Governor and legislature from the Fisher case by the end of this amicus briefs for the Obama president were to step down, the University of Texas at Austin, year. administration—you’ve only got the senate has to elect someone Eight years after Abigail Fisher’s 80 percent of students offered However, on Saturday, Feb. 13, seven justices. Given the significance amongst themselves and I was rejection from the University of of the issue, I think either Chief admission to the University were Justice Scalia, one of the longest nominated along with six other Texas at Austin (UT Austin), Justice Roberts or Justice Kennedy admitted based on the top 10 serving justices on the Supreme fantastic senators and a couple of the Supreme Court is primed to Court, was found dead at age 79, may say, you know, making a big percent law. The remaining 20 them rescinded their nominations render a decision as to whether or according to the New York Times. decision with just seven justices percent of seats were available and then I was chosen,” Anstine not her denial from the University The death of the hyper-conservative might not be a good idea,” Jasinski to students on a traditional said. was due to affirmative action justice has thrown the balance of said. application basis. These applicants Anstine was asked if she would policies that excluded her, and the Supreme Court, and until a new According to Jasinski, the case were reviewed based on a variety be running for any positions in whether or not that choice was Justice fills the vacancy it is entirely could be sent back to the lower of factors, including their grades, the election. “No, I will not,” she unconstitutional. possible that Fisher’s case may not courts, and the case may never be personal achievement and race. said. “I decided not to [run for Any admissions policy that uses be processed. heard by the Supreme Court again. This is the pool Fisher found “The longer though that the case vice president in the Spring] just race as a basis to admit students “With Scalia out of the picture and herself in, and the factors used to gets delayed, the greater the chance because, even though I am finding could end, according to SCOTUS with Kagan unable to participate in judge her is what is under review the decision—because as solicitor that the court is just gonna say, out that I really like this job and blog. by the Supreme Court. general she was involved in filing continued on pg. 2 it’s making me really happy to Affirmative action at UT Austin Fisher’s argument is simple: she work as part of ASUPS, continue has a long and complicated history. believes that she was denied access PUGET SOUND RACIAL & ETHNIC some of the work I did as a senator After a lower court struck to the college exclusively because and really expand the work I am down Affirmative Action as DEMOGRAPHICS, 2015 of her race, and that her place was doing as an executive member, I unconstitutional in 1996, the taken up by a student of color really want elections to go well legislature sought a way to who was offered her spot because this time around. It’s the duty of circumvent the decision and of affirmative action. The college the vice president to run elections encourage minority race students she is fighting against, UT Austin, White (75%) and I don’t think I could have done enrolling in college. has an equally simple response. that fairly and equitably if I myself “The legislature responded by SCOTUS blog commented on ASIAN (13%) was running. I made that choice saying ‘OK, if we can’t use race, the issue. pretty early on when I decided to we’re gonna say everybody in the Native american “Fisher still believes that she accept the nomination from senate top 10 percent. And that’ll sweep (2%) was excluded solely because she because I think there are many up some African-Americans and HISPANIC (7%) is white, based on what she views qualified people on this campus Hispanics, as well as whites’.... as a flawed, race-based admissions BLACK (2%) who can fulfill this role.” And it did,” then State Senator Jeff policy. The university still insists “[Working at ASUPS] is Wentworth said in an interview that her scores were not high rewarding. It can be difficult with CBS news in 2004. enough, and she was not eligible but it really is because you’re In 2003, however, a Supreme for an automatic place in the class, making a difference and I would Court ruling made Affirmative so there was no way she could encourage anyone who had any Action in some instances legal have been admitted, whatever her interest, whether they’re happy again, and UT Austin announced race,” the blog reads. with ASUPS or not, to definitely that it was reinstating affirmative The Supreme Court was run and make their voice heard,” action policies that day. expected to provide its opinion on Not graphed: Native Hawai’ian, 1%, International students, 0.4%. Anstine said. In 2011, according to a report to Source, UPS Vice President for Enrollment Director of Intercultural Engagement hired By Tyler Randazzo Engagement. Nguyen will fill a position when associate Dean of Students Donn that has been open since Sept. 22, 2015, Marshall put together a search commit- After a long search process, the Cen- when former Director of Intercultural tee, which included three student rep- ter for Intercultural and Civic Engage- Engagement, Czarina Ramsay, left the resentatives, three faculty members and ment (CICE) has hired a new Direc- University for a position at Seattle Uni- three staff members. tor of Intercultural Engagement, former versity. According to DePauw Univer- “We wanted to make sure we hired DePauw University Director of Cul- sity’s website, Nguyen is a graduate of the right person, and getting some- tural Resource Centers and Coordina- the University of California, Irvine, and one who really fit the personality of the tor of LGBT services Vivie Nguyen. received her Master’s in counseling psy- school, the personality of our office, who Nguyen will begin her work at the Uni- chology from the University of Califor- had the interpersonal and the academ- versity on March 31. She will serve as nia, Santa Barbara in 2011. ic chops to really work on diversity a co-director, along with Dave Wright, The search for a new director of inter- PHOTO BY PETER DAVIDSON the Director of Spiritual Life and Civic cultural engagement began in the fall continued on pg. 2 February 26, 2016 2 [email protected] NEWS PAGE DESIGN/NOAH LUMBANTOBING Affirmative Action at Universities in flux Director of Intercultural Engagement Hired continued from pg. 1 enrolled at the University, according to data continued from pg. 1 cultural programming, and may work with stu- provided to The Trail by Rickard. ‘we’re done with this’… they’re gonna say it’s intiatives in a place where it was both a social re- dent conduct as well. Nguyen’s first official day moot,” Jasinski said. In that case, the lower The admissions office also has a position is March 31,Wright is optimistic about the bud- designed specifically for recruitment of lationship and also had some academic heft, and courts decision would be upheld, which ruled intellectual heft. We didn’t try to rush to fill it. We get of the CICE and has seen positive progress in favor of the UT Austin. underrepresented groups. knew it would be a challenging year and we were in the last few years. The current budget for both According to Jenny Rickard, Vice President “Just under a year ago, we modified our able to shift some of the workload between myself, intercultural engagement and spiritual life and for enrollment at the University of Puget admission office structure to redefine an Skylar Bihl and Michael Benitez,” Wright said. civic engagement is a little over $20,000, Wright Sound, even if Abby should win, it would existing position to be devoted to working However, that meant more work for Wright said. He stressed that this was a very rough es- timate. That budget covers a variety of programs, not impact the admissions policies that the within the office and the campus community and Bihl, the Assistant Director for Spiritual Life including the MLK program, and civic engage- University employs with regards to race.