An association for alumni and supporters of The Daily Texan, student newspaper at the University of Texas at Austin

Events

Friends of The Daily Texan annual dinner April 8 on UT campus

After Covid-forced postponements the past two years, the Friends of The Daily Texan group is moving forward with plans for a highly-anticipated annual dinner on Friday, April 8 this year at The Texas Union building. Online registration for the event will begin in early February, with sign up info going out via social media and other contact methods. The event will begin at 6 p.m. on April 8 with a social hour in the Shirley Bird Perry Ballroom of The Texas Union building, followed by dinner and recognition of honorees. As with previous dinners, the event will honor Texan staffers, and also recognize Hall of […]

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John Pope honors Texan colleague Middy Randerson with scholarship in her name

John Pope, a UT graduate who has been a reporter in New Orleans for nearly a half-century, has provided a long-term continuing grant in honor of his Daily Texan colleague and friend Middy Randerson to underwrite a $1,000 annual scholarship for entertainment/arts and lifestyle coverage at The Daily Texan. Randerson died in February 2020. A scholarship was established in her name that year via donations to Friends of The Daily Texan Inc., but Pope’s contribution guarantees continuing funding. “Middy was a good friend and colleague who was steadfast in her devotion to her work and to her friends,” Pope said […]

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New date – April 8, 2022 – for Friends of The Daily Texan dinner

A new date – Friday, April 8, 2022 – has been set for the next annual Friends of The Daily Texan dinner. Dinners planned for fall of 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to COVID-19 health concerns. The annual Friends dinner has been held in recent years in the Shirley Bird Perry Ballroom in The Texas Union on the UT campus, and that venue has been reserved for April 8 next year. As last year, the Friends group will fund scholarships for student staffers and award those virtually this fall. Despite cancellation of the two dinners, the Friends group has […]

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‘Darkness’ – new from The Drag Audio Production House – now available

The Drag Audio Production House in the Moody College of Communication at UT Austin has released its season two podcast, “Darkness,” focusing on the serial bombings that took place in Austin in 2018. “Darkness” follows season one’s popular crime podcast “The Orange Tree.” “We released the trailer two days ago and it’s already climbing the true crime charts,” said  Katey Outka, the associate director for The Drag. Outka oversees the day-to-day operations of The Drag and manages the students, as well as executive producing all of the podcasts. “The host, Ashley Miznazi, is a senior in the School of Journalism and Media, and she […]

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Voices Investigation: Few Black, Latinx students are editors of top college newspapers

Researched, reported and published by staffer members in Voices, an independent news website that publishes during the Asian American Journalists Association’s summer convention. The Asian American Journalists Association’s Voices program provides college students and recent graduates the opportunity to work on ambitious journalism projects focused on AAPI and other underserved communities with the assistance of professional mentors. The following story was produced by the Voices 2021 investigative team and originally ran on Voices’ site. Of the 73 editors-in-chief at award-winning college newsrooms in the Spring 2021 semester, less than 6 percent were Black, and approximately 10 percent were Latinx — significantly less than […]

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Friends Oct. 1 Hall of Fame dinner postponed

The annual Friends of The Daily Texan dinner planned for Oct. 1 is being rescheduled due to the current worsening health situation in Austin. A new date will be announced as soon as possible; next spring seems likely at this stage. As the fall semester opens, the University of Texas is taking steps to lower the density of indoor gatherings on campus, and UT President Jay Hartzell has requested all large events to be held outdoors in the near future. And, if they must be held indoors, to encourage distancing and face masks, which is not easy to do when […]

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It’s Here: “Growing Up in the Lone Star State: Notable Texans Remember Their Childhoods”

A 40-year labor of literary love, enhanced by detailed in-person interviews, is complete.  “Growing Up in the Lone Star State: Notable Texans Remember Their Childhoods” is now available to readers. Co-author Gaylor Finklea Hecker – a former Daily Texan staff member – and co-author and colleague Marianne Odom are now celebrating publication of the book, and beginning of a marketing campaign, including a tweet from Kay Bailey Hutchison, noting that the “fabulous book…illustrates the unique spirit of Texas ingrained from childhood.” It’s available at UT Press, Amazon and BookPeople in Austin, nestled between works by Stephen Harrigan (who praised the […]

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Hold the date – Oct. 1 – for annual Friends of The Daily Texan Hall of Fame dinner

Please mark Friday, Oct. 1 for the Friends of The Daily Texan annual Hall of Fame dinner on the University of Texas campus. The scheduled dinner/reunion will include honoring the 2021 Daily Texan Hall of Fame winners, and announcement of scholarships grants for eight Daily Texan staff members. The dinner is planned for the Shirley Bird Perry Ballroom, in The Texas Union Building. Tentative start time is 6 p.m. All health protocols in place by The Union and the University of Texas will be followed, and additional info will be provided as the event draws closer. At this time The […]

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Friends fund drive raises $31,000-plus to support Daily Texan needs

The ongoing Friends of The Daily Texan fund-drive has reached $31,460, all to be used for Texan scholarships, project needs and other items to support the student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin. The recent fund drive focused on raising donations to replace revenue lost by cancellation of the Friends’ group 2020 annual dinner due to the pandemic. You may view the list of recent donors here: https://friendsofthedailytexan.com/donors-to-the-texan/ The fund drive began last September and brought in $8,700 between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31, 2020 from 40 donors. Continuation of the fund drive from Jan. 1 resulted in […]

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Fund-raising drive for The Daily Texan nears end; your support appreciated

Now, more than ever, The Daily Texan needs your help. When Covid-19 hit hard a year ago, The Daily Texan was prospering, excelling editorially, fully staffed. And Texas Student Media was headed for a strong year built around an aggressive budget. A year later, The Texan perseveres, making sure the UT campus gets the coverage it deserves and needs. The adjustment has not been easy. To weather the pandemic, student journalist salaries have been cut at The Texan, and staff reductions have taken place at Texas Student Media. The Friends of The Daily Texan, Inc., an 8-year-old non-profit founded to […]

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