Category Archives: Student Life

extracurricular activites, UT sports and other campus events, student organizations, recreation, etc.

Albino Squirrel Search: The Quest for an Assured “A”

by Karen Favorito

 

Who would have known that one of the most reputable academic institutions in the country has its share of legends, myths and ghost stories? Legend has it that somewhere amidst the trees surrounding the University of Texas at Austin lives an albino squirrel that, if a student sees on his or her way to a test, he or she will get an A on the exam.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I do my best to study hard and work smart for my exams, but with three rigorous graduate accounting classes under my belt, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to use some luck. This week, I had an exam for ACC 384.1 Tax Research, which I thought was the perfect time to look for the “powerful” squirrel.

 

This was how my search went:

  • Monday – I interviewed people who have seen the albino squirrel already. They told me it can be seen on the East Mall, which is the area where Welch Hall, the Economics Department and Geological Sciences buildings are located. Based on their stories, after seeing the albino squirrel on their way to class, they did not only end up acing the test, but the class as well. This just gave me more motivation to look for the squirrel. I strolled around the East Mall looking for potential spots that the albino squirrel might be hiding. After thirty minutes of surveillance, I gave up on the task. I knew I had to come up with a better strategy to find the squirrel the next day.
  • Tuesday – The search continued. This time, I brought my camera with me so I could take a picture of the squirrel. I started looking from the portion of the East Mall closest to Welch then went further East until I hit the Winship Drama Building. I had more patience this time and decided to stick around in the area while reading my Tax Research notes. After 45 minutes of agitation, I decided to call it a day. However, I was still very optimistic that I would eventually find the albino squirrel. Continue reading Albino Squirrel Search: The Quest for an Assured “A”

VIP Distinguished Speaker Series: E&Y’s CEO Jim Turley

Last week, I went to listen to Jim Turley, the CEO and chairman of Ernst & Young (E&Y), speak as a part of the Undergraduate Business Council’s VIP Distinguished Speaker Series.

Lehman Brothers

It was the first Monday back from spring break…that is, the Monday after the media went crazy with malpractice allegations over Ernst & Young’s involvement with the Lehman Brothers case. I went in thinking Mr. Turley might not bother discussing the touchy subject with a bunch of students, but he got right to the point. He spoke in detail about what the allegations were, reminded us that there is a desire to direct anger about corporate greed toward someone, and finally said that he is confident that E&Y took all the right steps regarding the Lehman Brothers audit.

After about 20 minutes, he moved on to what he actually came to speak about: his perception of the business world today. He discussed the importance of approaching business from a worldview perspective. As a resident of both New York and London (the locations of the U.S. and global headquarters, respectively), and as well as a co-chair for the Russia Foreign Investment Advisory Council, he certainly brings a global perspective to the firm. He discussed the impending convergence to IFRS as well as where he believes the U.S. stands in relation to other countries around the world. He feels strongly about the need for common standards across the board, rhetorically asking, “What if every country brought a different set of soccer rules to the World Cup?

Where the U.S. stands

When discussing the current economic climate in the U.S., Mr. Turley gave an interesting analogy (or “warning,” depending on how your interpret it). When analyzing the ups and downs of different countries’ economies, he says they are either in the shape of a “V,” a “U,” or an “L.” The V countries are those that are rapidly emerging such as China, India and Brazil. The United States has typically been a U country. When we hit a low point, our free markets and our legislators have typically been able to bring us back to a high point after a reasonable amount of time. However, he warned that we might start looking like an L country, which is commonly seen in Europe. A country’s economy becomes an L when there aren’t enough market incentives to bring the economy back up. In short, he implied that increased regulations could make us more susceptible to becoming an L country. Obviously this analogy has some political undertones, but it is interesting nonetheless.

Entrepreneurship

Mr. Turley also discussed E&Y’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurship and his belief that entrepreneurship and innovation are keys to economic recovery. In keeping with the previous point, he mentioned how the government can help by supporting public policy that stimulates economic growth and therefore helps entrepreneurs. Because innovative companies substantially outperform their peers by finding new ways to grow, it is important to support creative, innovative thinking across organizations in all sectors. Only then, he says, can we as a country pull ourselves out of the present financial crisis.

Red McCombs on the Spirit of Giving Back

Red McCombs
Red McCombs

Today, I had a special opportunity to meet Red McCombs and listen to him speak. It was a campaign kickoff event that the BBA Legacy group organized for the first day of their two-week fundraising campaign.(Although I’m not a part of this group, I had the privilege to sit in as an MPA blogger).

In a nutshell, the campaign encourages participation in fundraising among current students. According to the presentation, the goal of BBA Legacy is to improve the undergraduate program’s national rankings by encouraging increased alumni participation as well as increased participation among current students. The funds go to McCombs student programs geared toward developing students into young professionals and preparing them to enter a competitive workforce.

Mr. McCombs came to speak about giving, fundraising, and the challenges it can pose. A UT ’50 alum himself, he knows a little something about giving back to your alma mater. In 2000, he made a $50 million donation to the business school. He champions a message that it’s not about how much you can give; rather, it’s simply about participating and giving an amount you can be proud to give.

He acknowledged that fundraising is difficult. As he put it, we are hardwired to work hard, be thrifty, and grow our resources. Giving up our money often feels unnatural. So, the most important thing he believes you can do in fundraising is to appeal to others’ sense of pride because pride motivates people. Most BBA students and graduates are proud of their major or degree, so it’s important to appeal to that. To do so, he says you must be proud of your campaign and your campaign goal.

When Mr. McCombs donated to the business school, he envisioned an academic climate where every person who graduates has their choice of several job opportunities. He says we are closer to that goal now than we were five years ago, but we’re not there yet, and we won’t be there until people line up and recruit every one of our students. He also mentioned that the MPA program is the closest to his vision, and he hopes that each of the other departments can eventually attain the same status as the MPA program.

The BBA Legacy group and Mr. McCombs’ vision for the school go hand in hand. I just did my part and donated to the campaign this afternoon. If you’re a student or an alum, you should consider doing the same. It doesn’t have to be much. Five dollars is plenty. The BBA giving program and the MPA Legacy are trying to increase its participation percentage, so do your part to help. Visit the BBA New Tradition or  MPA Legacy 2010 pages to learn more about the campaign and to donate.

Giving Back to the UT and McCombs Communities

Last Monday I had the opportunity to attend the 2010 Student Campaign Kickoff event, where I had the honor of meeting Mr. Red McCombs. He talked to us about the importance of giving back to our community and taking pride in being part of our class and the University. What struck me the most was when someone asked him what he expected of the university when he made his donation and he answered that he wanted students to have access to the best education and be able to go work anywhere they wanted upon graduation.
 
I am one of the many students who are benefiting from Mr. McCombs’ donation. I truly believe I am getting the best education, and this has already helped me get the job I wanted. Everyone in this school, in some way or another, is enjoying the benefits of Mr. McCombs’ gift (or as he refers to it, investment). And probably, he had no idea of how many lives he would help transform.
 
That got me thinking about the impact each of us can make on our community. We can give back not only through economic donations, but also with our time. As Mr. McCombs said on Monday, time is our most valuable resource.
 
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to join the McCombs Diversity Council (MCD), and many other UT students in Project 2010. During a Saturday morning, we went to a park and cleaned it up (doing everything from picking up garbage to building and painting fences). At the end, there was a ceremony where some people from the community talked about the impact we were making there because this was not the first year that UT students have volunteered there. Many kids from an adjacent school are now enjoying a safer and more appealing park.
 
My point is that there are so many opportunities for us to give back to our community. I strongly encourage you to find a cause or a project you like and volunteer. UT has many student groups and many more projects for which we can volunteer. All we need is to be willing to do something for our community.

The Last Spring Break

 
 

From Big Bend Nat’l Park, March 2010

I remember when I was a senior in college, my friends and I would talk about the last spring break and how we should make it count by doing something exceptional. However, I do not remember doing anything special that spring break three years ago. Before I knew it, I was back in school, and my friends and I were, again, talking about where to go during our last spring break. This time around, I am determined to make this break memorable. After all, it will be almost impossible to get a week off in the middle of March once I enter the workforce. Subsequent to some discussions and research on destinations and limitations, we explored the possibilities of Colorado, Cancun, and finally decided to take a road trip to Big Bend National Park.

I have never taken a road trip with my friends before, and I think the last time I was at a national park was at least seven years ago when my family went to Yosemite. My excitement was thus mixed with some anxiety of not knowing what to expect out of the trip. But, I did know for certain that the trip would be awesome because of the people I was going with. The participants of the trip consisted of my dear friend and classmate Ming-Chan, her boyfriend Tung-Yeh, our mutual friend Jack, and me. Four people, one Toyota Camry (fixed just in time for the trip!), and a lot of snacks and instant noodles.

The drive began mid-morning on the Friday before spring break officially started. We had a German wurst and schnitzel lunch in Fredericksburg then drove for seven hours almost non-stop to Big Bend (thanks, Jack!)

From Big Bend Nat’l Park, March 2010

For all three nights of our vacation, we stayed at the Chisos Mountains Lodge, the park’s only lodging. For the next couple of days, we hiked into the desert seeking Balanced Rock, down into the Santa Elena Canyon, up onto the canyon overlooking the Rio Grande Village, and played on the sandy beach of the Rio Grande. Continue reading The Last Spring Break