Chase Karacostas

Mary González graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history and Mexican-American studies in 2007. She then attended  St. Edward’s University where she got a master’s in social justice.

Just before the April Congressional recess, which ended Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said raising the age limit was a “top priority” for when lawmakers returned. 

Cornyn has been in the Senate since 2002 and is the second-highest ranking Republican in the chamber.

UT President Gregory Fenves is reviewing a proposal that some say would hurt student representation on the Intercollegiate Athletics Council, one of the most powerful advisory committees on campus.

House Bill 1482 revamps the state's current anti-hazing statute by expanding the definition of hazing to include forcing others to consume an alcoholic beverage and creates immunity from civil liability for reporting an act of hazing.

Bill Powers, who served as UT’s 28th president from 2006 to 2015, has died at 72. He was the University’s second-longest serving president.

Texas lawmakers in 2017 spent weeks fighting over various iterations of the so-called “bathroom bill.” But weeks into this year’s legislative session, there has been barely a whisper about bringing it back. However, there could be new challenges for LGBTQ Texans on the horizon.

During the same time period, enrollment of international students who are first-time freshmen dropped 6.6 percent nationally, it dropped at UT by 26 percent, from 452 students to 336, according to University data.

Higher education commissioner Raymund Paredes said he never lost sight of the students he was working to support in his 15 years on the job, even when it meant testifying to lawmakers at the Capitol until 1 a.m.

The Dell Medical School unveiled its nearly $300 million plan to remodel Austin State Hospital, the oldest psychiatric facility in the state.

If the question ends up on the 2020 census, experts say it could result in undercounting the U.S. population, which would hurt Texas’ political standing because of its high immigrant population.

Critics of adding the question, including the plaintiffs of the lawsuit challenging it, said its purpose was to discourage noncitizens from participating in the census out of fear of being targeted for deportation.

The Children of the Confederacy plaque has been called historically inaccurate by members of both parties. The plaque reads, "the war between the states was not a rebellion nor was its underlying cause to sustain slavery."

The reduction in the number of full-time UT System personnel is the first step of Milliken’s implementation of recommendations released by a task force consisting of System Chairman Kevin Eltife and three other regents.

Sen. Charles Schwertner's decision follows an inconclusive investigation into allegations of harassment made by a UT graduate student.

A UT student reported a non-stranger sexual assault that occurred at 5 p.m. Sunday, according to a campus-wide safety alert email

House Bill 524 would require "specific notation" on the transcript of students who have violated the school's code of conduct because of a sex offense as well as whether the student was suspended, expelled or withdrew from the school.

Austin plans to reach 52 percent renewable energy production by 2021 thanks in part to a solar contract approved by the City Council in October that may also reduce electricity rates. 

Fulfilling a threat made last summer against the Trump administration, Texas has filed a lawsuit to force the federal government to end DACA.

A year ago today, as students were starting their last week of classes, UT was suddenly robbed of its sense of security.

U.S. District Judge John D. Bates has ordered the Trump administration to begin accepting applications for DACA. 

Students were sent into a frenzy Tuesday as horror-film-esque rumors circulated — the turtle pond and the BOT greenhouse might be demolished. However, the turtle pond and greenhouse are not going anywhere, according to University officials.

The U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams released a public health advisory last week urging more Americans to carry the life-saving drug naloxone if they or others they know are at risk of an opioid overdose.

Morrisett pleaded guilty in February 2017 to felony charges after strangling his girlfriend until “she saw stars,” in May 2016, according to an arrest affidavit. An Austin-American Statesman investigation published Jan. 24 revealed UT kept Morrisett on as faculty after pleading guilty to the charges.

With efforts to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border ramping up, several UT biologists wrote a letter saying the proposed wall could destroy rare habitats along the border, cost the state millions in ecotourism and further endanger already threatened animal species.

With low starting budget projections and large bills for Hurricane Harvey aid and Medicaid, higher education funding may be in danger of being cut when the state Legislature reconvenes next year.

On primary election day earlier this month, the average wait time for the Flawn Academic Center polling booth was 42 minutes — 14 times longer than the average for all of Travis County.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decided last week to mostly uphold Senate Bill 4, the “anti-sanctuary cities law,” for now.

The Office of the Dean of Students announced that there will be a new Student Government executive alliance election starting Wednesday at 8 a.m. through Thursday at 5 p.m.

Student body president candidate Guneez Ibrahim released a message on her social media platforms Saturday addressing the way she and her running mate Hannah McMorris were harassed throughout their campaign.

The Student Government Supreme Court has invalidated the results of last week’s executive alliance election and ordered a new election to be held to decide who will be new the student body president and vice president.  

House District 46, which lies east of Interstate 35, has been ruled for 24 years by one individual, Dawnna Dukes. Now she faces five challengers, two of which might be formidable obstacles in next week’s Democratic primary election.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the Obama-era policy that protects 700,000 immigrants from deportation, potentially delaying for months a final decision on the fate of so-called “Dreamers.”

A group of lawmakers encouraged higher education leaders to develop ideas to improve state post-secondary education funding systems on Wednesday.

After nearly 10 months in office, President Donald Trump declared a 90–day “Public Health Emergency” to combat the opioid crisis. However, the emergency ended three weeks ago with some experts saying it did not do “a single thing.”

Ted Gordon, a UT professor and AISD board member, spent the last month at the forefront of a debate over potentially renaming five schools named after members of the Confederacy.

Austin might spend more than $100 million on construction improvements to the heavily student-populated transit corridors Guadalupe Street and East Riverside Drive, according to recommendations released by the city last week.

Despite UH illegally terminating multiple student leases in December, it is unlikely the students could win a lawsuit against the complex.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a UT alumnus, acknowledged the country’s role in supporting drug cartels and laid out the nation’s plans to root out corruption in Latin America during a visit to campus on Thursday.

Plan II freshman Rylan Maksoud had barely adjusted to dorm life when he signed a lease in September to live at the apartment complex University House the following year. Four months later, he received an email informing him his lease had been terminated through what UH called a “mutual termination” due to overbooking.

The City Council passed an ordinance last month, creating a permanent College Student Commission to give students a greater voice in affecting city policy.

Mayor Steve Adler launched his re-election campaign Sunday afternoon less than a week after former Councilwoman Laura Morrison announced she was running against him.

Rita Clements, former first lady of Texas, died Saturday morning from complications due to Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Dallas Morning News.

A UT student was sexually assaulted early Sunday morning at Clark Field. 

From President Donald Trump visiting Austin to the Speedway bricks being ripped up, here are some of the top moments during the fall. 

For medical professor David Lakey, getting his three daughters vaccinated for HPV, which causes 3 percent of all cancers in women and 2 percent in men, was a no-brainer. 

The recommendations include lane changes on Guadalupe Street, adding bike lanes on 24th Street and making Nueces Street two-way.

Congress spent the past few months focused on healthcare reform and a tax bill, but there has been little movement on creating a new DREAM Act, which would provide citizenship to people brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

If a student loan borrower defaults on their debt, they could lose or be blocked from renewing any professional licenses or certifications they hold.

A 41-year-old woman was stabbed on the steps of the University United Methodist Church on Monday around 9 p.m. and sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Under the U.S. House GOP tax bill, income taxes for graduate students could double or triple, potentially putting master’s and Ph.D educations out of reach.

Vice President Mike Pence spoke to the Republican Governors Association, or RGA, on Wednesday afternoon to garner their support for the new GOP tax plan and reassure them of the Trump administration’s support.

UT law professor Justin Nelson is running as a Democrat to be the next state attorney general in 2018.

Texas’ worst mass shooting in history took at least 27 lives Sunday morning in a small town just two hours away from UT.

U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, whose district encompasses most of West Campus, will retire from Congress and not seek re-election in 2018, according to The Texas Tribune.

In a critical move for the battle against prescription opioid abuse, Texas awarded the Center for Health Communication a $642,000 contract earlier this month to promote Texas’ Prescription Monitoring Program among drug prescribers.

Earlier this month, associate art history professor Stephennie Mulder saw a news headline about the word “Allah” being found on Viking funeral clothes. An expert in Islamic art, Mulder was initially excited.

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus announced Wednesday morning he would not be running for re-election in 2018.

In 23 years, Nick Flores has never seen his mother’s face. He can make out the general shape but has never looked into her eyes or seen her smile. 

As Mayor Steve Adler started Thursday’s City Council meeting, two dozen protesters silently got up from their seats, took a knee and held up a banner that read “End Austin Police Brutality.

UT faculty member Richard Burkhauser officially began work this month as a member of President Donald Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers, CEA.

The City of Austin is now accepting online public recommendations for the improvement of lighting in West Campus.

Columbus Day, coming up this Monday, was officially replaced by Indigenous People’s Day in Austin following a City Council vote Thursday morning.

The University is embarking on a year-long study to map the effects of gentrification throughout Austin.  

Thousands of people lined the streets of downtown Austin on Saturday to celebrate the LGBTQ community after Hurricane Harvey forced Austin Pride to reschedule its annual Pride Parade.

On Monday night, three GOP U.S. senators introduced a new version of the DREAM Act which provides a 15-year pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, individuals brought illegally to the U.S. as minors.

After several months of planning, Tejas Club brought O’Rourke, the U.S. representative for El Paso, to speak during their weekly lecture series, Tejas Coffee. Hundreds of students crammed into the Student Activity Center auditorium to hear about O’Rourke’s life and to discuss issues such as student debt and immigration.

Starting Oct. 16, Jay Dyer, former legislative director to Gov. Greg Abbott, will serve as deputy to UT President Gregory Fenves for government relations. 

U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber issued a nationwide order on Friday afternoon to block Attorney General Jeff Sessions from denying law enforcement grants to so-called “sanctuary cities.”

President Donald Trump and Democratic Senate and House leaders sent out conflicting messages about the future of young, undocumented immigrants Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

In a 5–4 decision Tuesday night, U.S. Supreme Court ruled to block two lower court rulings to redraw several Texas legislative districts while it considers an appeal from Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals announced Thursday it will hear arguments Sept. 22 on Senate Bill 4 following State Attorney General Ken Paxton’s attempt to stay the temporary block of the law.

The White House decided to roll back the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy with a six-month delay, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday.

The White House has decided to roll back the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy with a six-month delay.

Texas House Rep. Tom Craddick's texting-and-driving ban goes into effect statewide today after four failed attempts at passage.

Austin is in the process of allowing housing cooperatives to apply for city housing financial aid in an effort to expand housing options and reduce rent for members of co-ops.

Facing a wall of law enforcement officers, hundreds of protesters lined Koenig Lane as President Donald Trump’s motorcade drove past on its way to meet Gov. Greg Abbott for a briefing on damage from Hurricane Harvey.  

City of Austin officials are preparing for a possible visit by President Donald Trump on Tuesday as he tours areas affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Steven Littlefield, a descendant of Major George Washington Littlefield, is suing UT-Austin president Gregory Fenves for taking down the four statues Littlefield donated to the University a century ago.

As she sat inside her still-unopened pizza parlor, Lisa Hilo heard police sirens racing toward campus. 

The Moody College of Communication will establish the Center for Sports Communication and Media in the fall to catapult the University to the forefront of sports media research and studies.

On May 1, 2017, biology junior Kendrex J. White stabbed four students near Gregory Gymnasium. One student was confirmed dead, the others sustained injuries. The suspect was almost immediately taken into custody.

An abandoned food stand has sat empty in front of the of the Harry Ransom Center for two years.

Chemists at UT are opening the door for medical advances after synthesizing a material that can drastically reduce the cost and time required for chemical testing.

The organization Students for Sensible Drug Policy sold $1 brownies and made jokes in honor of “4/20” Thursday to raise awareness for the University’s medical amnesty program for drug overdoses.

A majority of the Student Government assembly was absent from at least one out of every five assembly meetings during the last session.

The 111th Student Government assembly and Micky Wolf, student body vice president, were sworn in at its inaugural meeting last night.

The Dell Medical School partnered with the Blanton Museum of Art to teach medical students empathy through art. 

To push forward CodeNEXT, a plan to simplify land development regulations, Austin Mayor Steve Adler met with members of the local tech community Wednesday evening to ask for help. 

As Congress scrambles to find the resources necessary to increase national security spending, the National Endowment for the Arts and programs like it could be in peril.

Even as a graduate student, Jin Seo struggled to balance personal goals with the research assigned to her.

Students and immigration advocates discussed the local effects of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies Wednesday. 

Historian discusses differing perspectives in American history.

Students of color are less likely to attend college if they lose trust in teachers starting in middle school, according to a psychology study conducted by researchers from UT, Columbia University and Stanford University.

Harry Middleton, who released the infamous LBJ telephone tapes during his tenure as director of the LBJ Presidential Library, died on Jan. 20.

Secrecy and suppression were a normal part of Ryan Hawk’s life before he came out six years ago.

Coverage of the 2016 Presidential Election watch parties around Austin. Texas Republicans and Democrats held watch parties at The Driskill Hotel and Big Daddy's Burgers and Bar, while UT students had watch parties in the Student Activity Center and Jester Dormitory.

Actors zip out of enormous Civil War era dresses, set pieces appear to magically slide onstage and projections materialize an eerie lightning storm approaching the audience. For one of the most intricate shows the theatre department has ever done, they turned to 21st century technology to solve the issues of a musical based in the 19th century. 

As 17-year-old Jace Klein sat in his room sprinkling glitter onto a Batgirl T-shirt, his dad approached him with the question he’d been dreading for months: “Are you gay?”

Snooping around her father’s desk as a young girl, Andi Gustavson found snapshots her dad took as a soldier during the Vietnam War. But unlike many of the violent images taken during the war, her father’s photos showed soldiers playing cards during downtime.

Shivering at the top of Mauna Kea, astrophotographer Ethan Tweedie quickly set up his tripod and camera as two of the telescopes at the Keck Observatory began to open up.

The city of Austin celebrated its 26th annual Pride parade in downtown Austin. Many companies and organizations marched in the parade such as SXSW, Facebook, Texas Exes and Apple.