This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Texas chapter.
At a university as big and diverse as UT, there’s never a lack of things to do or see; and students here have seen it all. From casual A-list celeb sightings to being the center of national media attention, Longhorns experienced some crazy moments in 2012. In case the world ends in a couple of weeks, take some time to recall some of the biggest moments on the Forty Acres this past year – the inspiring, the controversial and the OMG-worthy.
Mumford & Sons at LBJ Lawn for SXSW
When: March
To cap off another amazing week of music at South by Southwest, Mumford and Sons held a screening of their tour documentary with Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine Show, “Big Easy Express,” on the LBJ Lawn. Beautiful performances by the bands followed, with the UT tower shining brightly in the background.
Nick vs. Bus
When: May
Freshman Nick Engmann made it all the way to Tosh.0 and Good Morning America after getting hit by a bus in front of the UT Co-Op on Foam Sword Friday. Thankfully he was not seriously hurt; otherwise all the hype – especially the Frogger-like game called “Nick vs. Bus”- wouldn’t have been so comical.
Belo Center
When: August
The university decided to get with the times and provide communication majors with the brand new Belo Center for New Media. With more classrooms, open study space and new equipment, the sleek new building is just another reason why UT is one of the top schools in the nation.
Bomb Threat
When: September
In a slew of bomb threats at colleges across the nation, UT was among the first to experience the scare. The confusion that ensued caused quite a stir of controversy over the university’s response time.
[pagebreak]
Ryan Gosling
When: Fall
Okay, it’s a little unfair to rule out the rest of the untitled Terrence Malick project cast who paid campus a visit – like Natalie Portman, Michael Fassbender, Christian Bale, Rooney Mara and Malick himself – but Ryan Gosling was here way too often (or not enough). Spotted everywhere from Potbelly to football games and even playing racquetball at Gregory Gym, you could say Ryan became pretty comfortable as a temporary Austinite.
Racism Conversations
When: March/October
After the shooting of Trayvon Martin in February, the Daily Texan ran a cartoon in March that incited campus protests in regard to racism. The DT ended up apologizing for the cartoon and the cartoonist is no longer on the staff. In October, reports surfaced that minority students were being attacked with bleach balloons from apartment balconies in West Campus, sparking more conversation on the topic and students took to the streets in a march through the neighborhood in protest.
UT Approves Medical School
When: November
During the November election, proposition 1 was passed, approving an increase in property taxes to fund a new medical school for UT. In a press conference in November, President Powers said he hopes to begin construction as early as next year.
R.I.P. Darrell K. Royal
When: November
Legendary football coach Darrell K. Royal passed away at the end of this year at the age of 88. Having led the Longhorns to three national titles, DKR will always be remembered as a great man on and off the field.
Photo credits (in order):
The Digital Texan
Just Jared
KXAN
The Associated Press
The Horn
San Antonio Express-News